Gender Inequalities in the Workplace Essay

The issue of gender inequality has been in the eyes of the public and been in awareness of society for decades. The problem of inequality in employment is one of the most vital issues in today’s society. In order to understand this situation one must try to get to the root of the problem and must understand the factors that cause the female sex to have a much more difficult time in getting the same benefits, wages, and job opportunities as the male sex. The society in which we live has been shaped historically by men. â€Å"A woman’s primary attachment is to the family role; women are therefore less intrinsically committed to work than men and less likely to maintain a high level of specialized knowledge† (Oakley, 1974, p. 28)President Clinton proclaimed April 11, 1996, as the â€Å"National Pay Inequality Awareness Day. In the year 1972, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act was established; the goal of the government was to change and eliminate the discrimination in the workplace. The major aim of these two acts is to protect individual rights and promotes employment opportunities and fairness for everyone within the workplace. We accept that the government is aware of the inequality between men and women in work place, and they are trying every way they can to prevent and discontinue the inequality; so the question is what are the reasons why women are still being treated unfairly at work?Work plays an important role in helping individuals find their true identity as well as helpi ng one builds their self-esteem. However, in the past women were not encouraged to work â€Å"real jobs†, instead they often stayed at home and are often labeled as housewives. The truth is women do work, they always have worked, but the work that they do are often unpaid labor work. Before men assumed that women didn’t really want to work; they didn’t need the money; and that they have different interests. (Kimmel, 2000, p.175) So it was assumed that women either couldn’t do a job, or, if they could, they would neither want to nor need to do it. Now in the twenty-first century things have changed dramatically, more women are educated, and more determined to search for their identity. In order for them to do that, they often time seek employment. Women’s participation in the labor force has grown to such an extent that society can no longer ignore and view women as unimportant. Women face many obstacles when seeking out jobs, and even more obstacles when they are working with men. Sex discrimination and gender inequality have always existed in society, but when does it actually start? The answer is ever since the minute they were born. In 1995 Wall Street Journal report observed that elementary school girls receive smaller allowances and are asked to do more chores than boys. (Kimmel, 2000, p.174) When a woman grows up and enters womanhood, if she wishes to work, she would have to face many irrelevant tribulations. Sex â€Å"discrimination occurs when we treat people unequally because of personal characteristics that are not related to the job. Discrimination can be when we treat people who are similar in different ways, or when we treat people who are different in similar ways.† (Kimmel, 2000) We often discriminate the people we meet because of our past experiences, from what we have learned, and through stereotyping. Stereotyping is the process of judging someone on the basis of our perception of the group to which he or she belongs. (Robbins, 2003) Stereotypes exist because of the differences among individuals. Since it is almost impossible for human brains to process such large degree of differences quickly, people simplify these differences and make generalizations without even noticing doing so. While these generalizations has originally begun with observed differences among people and have a shred of truth to them, most of these generalization have been so largely exaggerated over time that they no longer serve their original purpose of describing people accurately. The way that people make these generalizations are greatly dependent on their ability, background and culture. These characteristics influence how individuals perceive the world around them and their expectations toward others. Socialization and information overload also play a big role in gender stereotyping. Individuals begin learning stereotypes as early as in their infancy. According to The Reproduction Mothering theory by Nancy Chodorow (1978), infants learn expected gender behaviors and stereotypes from their mothers. The girls remain attached to their mothers to learn about emotionally intimacy, while boys are forced to separate from their mothers to be strong and independent. Then from media, school, peers and religion institution, children gradually learned what is to be expected from people who are different from themselves in ethnicity and gender, for instance. The  large amount of information readily available to us today also increases stereotyping. Since it is impossible to take in all the information, individuals have to cope with information overload by simplifying what is around them. Stereotyping generally prevents people from recognizing who an individual really is. When a person believes certain stereotypes to be true, his or her perception of a group will most probably be limited by these stereotypes and are unlikely to change. These groundless generalizations can often delay effective communications as a person assumes things about another. In the workplace, this can lead to not recognizing individual achievements and unfriendly relationships between groups, which reduces employee morale and productivity. It is important to recognize stereotypes in the workplace because of the diverse workforce today. Globalization and feminist movement have greatly increased the diversity in the work force. However, stereotypes delay management from recognizing the value of diversity and reinforce conformity in the workplace, thus limiting the organization’s potential to grow. For instance, managements can miss out good potential employees who can do good. Stereotypes are also â€Å"noises† in communications. (Robbins, 2003) In today’s organizations where communications are essential to success, stereotypes can create misunderstandings and harmfully affect day-to-day operations. Therefore, it is important that people should understand the harmful impact of stereotypes. It is also important to mention that even though occupational sex segregation started to decrease in the 1970’s and in the 1980’s, it still exists in today’s workforce. Such discrimination is operated through interviewing techniques and the stereotypes of the initial recruiter. A recruiter may believe, for example, that a managerial position is a â€Å"man’s job.† He or she may believe that a woman’s nature does not allow her to be a good manager because women are seen to â€Å"lack† leadership, managerial and technical skills. Recruiters should avoid stereotyping and realize that women are ready to join the work force in any type of job. (Robbins, 2003)Men and  women differ in their experiences with both paid and unpaid work. In comparison to men, for example women do a disproportionate share of unpaid – and usually less valued – work. Discrimination at work often leads to income gap, for doing the same job as the men, women get less pay. One of the reasons for the inequality wage gap is the assumption that when a man enters a labor force, he enters for good, while for a woman the assumption is that when she enters will eventually take time out for childbearing and parental leave. This too greatly affects women’s wages; women who drop out of the labor force have lower real wages when they come back to work than they had when they left. Jobs held by mostly females are considered unimportant and lower skilled as compared to male jobs. The other obstacle that women face in workplace is the glass ceiling and the sticky floor; these two elements are barriers preventing women from succeeding and raising their status at work. The glass ceiling is an expression used to describe the inequalities of men and women within the workforce. It seems that women can become employed but then run into an invisible barrier when they try to move up the ladder of hierarchy within the organization (McGuire, 2000, p. 3). Employers should pay close attention to gender stereotyping which exists within a workplace. If they avoid doing so they may lose an opportunity to hire or promote a good employee. In order to avoid gender stereotyping it would be of use to mention the stereotypes that exist today. Some common masculine behavior include: independence, superiority, status, competition and aggression. In contrast, the feminine behaviors are consensus, inferiority, harmony, and gentleness. (Kimmel, 2000) David Geary, a psychology professor at the University of Missouri, Columbia, concluded that such qualities of men and women are generally true. He states that these stereotypical behaviors are strongly influenced by nature. He also mentions that â€Å"Over the course of evolution, these stereotypes have resulted due to strategies used by males and females to attract mates. Men and women use certain sexual strategies in order to reproduce, and they are essential to our mating patterns.† These sexual strategies are the cause of the male and female differences of today including physical attributes, social behavior,  parental interests, and motivational and emotional patterns. However, as an employer, it is important to realize that these are generalities, and that one person can express both masculine and feminine behaviors. People should not be labeled, but instead they should be judged as individuals. Men believe that it is easier to work with men and that men do a better job and therefore deserve more money. Their pride and egos tell them that women cannot do the job as well as they can. These personal beliefs must be changed. Pairing men and women together on teams will expand the male mindset and hopefully help them realize that females and minorities are as equally qualified. Valuing the differences of all employees can make an organization stronger. Society requires that men and women work together and this is not going to change. What has to change is the way we work together. Communication is the key. If we do not communicate effectively, then the best intentions of both genders will fail (Heim, 1995, p.3). â€Å"Society influences what we are taught as children in regards to roles of females and males overflow into the workplace (Hale, 1999, p.14) â€Å"In sum, it is the relationship between social roles, interests, intergroup relationships and organizational culture norms and values that set the conditions that perpetuate unequal employment opportunities and outcomes (Hale, 1999, p.13). It is impossible to change people overnight; especially what they have been taught and what they have always have confidence in generation after generation. The managers of today grew up in families where their mothers stayed at home, kept house, and took care of children. They have been taught at home that men should be the bread winner; the leader of the house, and women should only be housewives and take care of the house. They are also taught that men are stronger and should be the leader of the household and therefore these behaviors flow into the work setting. Even the Bible states that a woman should not be over a man. These beliefs are taught generation after generation. Despite the awareness of gender inequality, there are still arguments about gender difference and assumptions that women and men are from different planets; women and men are still treated distinguishably in society. The  workplace still remains an unequal arena, plague by persistent sex segregation, wage inequality, sex discrimination, and sexual harassment. Women and men work because they want to and because they have to. Employers should not judge women as being non-dependable. Family structure has changed dramatically over the years. Fathers and mothers today now share family responsibilities. To compensate for this change, businesses have introduced flextime, job sharing, telecommuting, on-site child care and parental leave. (Kimmel, 2000) Employers should accommodate a woman’s needs and expand the gender diversity of their company. There was a time where the balance of respect and roles never existed between the two, but today, men and women are truly redefining themse lves and their relationships with each other. Most importantly, women have broken from the bondage of dependence on men. Women no longer have to submit themselves to one main role in family life as the mother. Along with being the mother, women have become the educated breadwinners. As for men, the need for dominancy has changed dramatically because today, men have been found to be the nurturing stay-at-home fathers of their family. Male and female relation is not entirely a dispute on inequality that women received from society, although that is what propels finding equality between the two genders. Besides, men today also require such needs and hiring based on gender is no longer relevant. Rather, male and female relation resolute this emergent society to work together as a unit. References Oakley, Ann. (1974) The Sociology of Housework New York: Pantheon BooksStromberg, Ann H. & Harkess, Shirley. (1978) Women Working: Theories and Facts inPerspective. California: Mayfield Publishing CompanyRobbins, Stephen P. (2003) Organizational Behavior. New Jersey: Prentice HallMcGuire, Gail M. (2000) Gender, Race, Ethnicity, & Networks [Electronic version]. Work &Occupations, 27(4), 500-523. Hale, Mary. (1999) He Says, She Says: Gender and Worklife. Public Administration Review,59(5). Retrieved March 4, 2009, from www.questia.comKimmel, Michael S. (2000) The Gendered Society. New York: Oxford University Press

Honey and mumford Essay

Peter Honey and Alan Mumford developed their learning based on the work of Kolb. Their preferred learning styles are Activist, Pragmatist, Theorist and Reflector. These are the learning approaches that individuals naturally prefer and they recommend that in order to maximise one’s own personal learning each learner ought to: Understand their learning style Seek out opportunities to learn using that style  For people to understand their particular learning style Honey and Mumford have developed a Learning Style questionnaire. By knowing your result it means you are able to learn better because you get a better fit between learning opportunities and the way you learn best. This also makes your learning easier, more effective and more enjoyable. You can become an all-round learner, increases your versatility and helps you learn from a wide variety of different experiences. You can improve your learning skills and processes, increased awareness of how you learn and opens up the whole process to self-scrutiny and improvement. Learning styles Activists are people who learn by doing. They need to get their hands dirty, dive in with both feet first. They have an open-minded approach to learning, involving themselves fully and without bias in new experiences.The activities they tend to use for learning are: Brainstorming Problem Solving Group Discussion Puzzles Competitions Role-play Theorist learners like to understand the theory behind the actions. They need models, concepts and facts in order to engage in the learning process. They prefer to analyse and synthesise, drawing new information into a systematic and logical ‘theory’. The activities they tend to use for learning are: Models Statistics Stories Quotes Background Information Applying Theories Pragmatist learners need to be able to see how to put the learning into practice in the real world. Abstract concepts and games are of limited use unless they can see a way to put the ideas into action in their lives. They experiment, trying out new ideas, theories and techniques to see if they work. The activities they tend to use for learning are: Time to think about how to apply learning in reality Case Studies Problem Solving Discussion Reflectors learn by observing and thinking about what happened. They avoid leaping in and prefer to watch from the side-lines. They prefer to stand back and view experiences from a number of different perspectives, collecting data and taking the time to work towards an appropriate conclusion. The activities they tend to use for learning are: Paired Discussions Self-analysis Questionnaires Personality Questionnaires Time Out Observing Activities Feedback from others Coaching Interviews Learning style Honey and Mumford definition Activist â€Å"Activists involve themselves fully and without bias in new experiences. They enjoy the here and now, and are happy to be dominated by immediate experiences. They are open-minded, not sceptical, and this tends to make them enthusiastic about anything new. Their philosophy is: â€Å"I’ll try anything once†. They tend to act first and consider the consequences afterwards. Their days are filled with activity. They tackle problems by brainstorming. As soon as the excitement from one activity has died down they are busy looking for the next. They tend to thrive on the challenge of new experiences but are bored with implementation and longer term consolidation. They are gregarious people constantly involving themselves with others but, in doing so; they seek to centre all activities around themselves.† Theorist â€Å"Theorists adapt and integrate observations into complex but logically sound theories. They think problems through in a vertical, step-by-step logical way. They assimilate disparate facts into coherent theories. They tend to be perfectionists who won’t rest easy until things are tidy and fit into a rational scheme. They like to analyse and synthesize. They are keen on basic assumptions, principles, theories models and systems thinking. Their philosophy prizes rationality and logic. â€Å"If it’s logical it’s good.† Questions they frequently ask are: â€Å"Does it make sense?† â€Å"How does this fit with that?† â€Å"What are the basic assumptions?† They tend to be detached, analytical and dedicated to rational objectivity rather than anything subjective or ambiguous. Their approach to problems is consistently logical. This is their ‘mental set’ and they rigidly reject anything that doesn’t fit with it. They prefer to maximise certainty and feel uncomfortable with subjective judgements, lateral thinking and anything flippant.† Pragmatist â€Å"Pragmatists are keen on trying out ideas, theories and techniques to see if they work in practice. They positively search out new ideas and take the first opportunity to experiment with applications. They are the sort of people who return from courses brimming with new ideas that they want to try out in practice. They like to get on with things and act quickly and confidently on ideas that attract them. They tend to be impatient with  ruminating and open-ended discussions. They are essentially practical, down to earth people who like making practical decisions and solving problems. They respond to problems and opportunities ‘as a challenge’. Their philosophy is â€Å"There is always a better way† and â€Å"If it works its good†.† Reflector â€Å"Reflectors like to stand back to ponder experiences and observe them from many different perspectives. They collect data, both first hand and from others, and prefer to think about it thoroughly before coming to a conclusion. The thorough collection and analysis of data about experiences and events is what counts so they tend to postpone reaching definitive conclusions for as long as possible. Their philosophy is to be cautious. They are thoughtful people who like to consider all possible angles and implications before making a move. They prefer to take a back seat in meetings and discussions. They enjoy observing other people in action. They listen to others and get the drift of the discussion before making their own points. They tend to adopt a low profile and have a slightly distant, tolerant unruffled air about them. When they act it is part of a wide picture which includes the past as well as the present and others’ observations as well as their own.† http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/gradschool/training/eresources/teaching/theories/honey-mumford Kolb Kolb’s learning theory has four distinct learning styles which are based on a four stage learning cycle. The four learning styles are: Concrete Experience – A new experience of situation is encountered, or a reinterpretation of existing experience. Reflective Observation – Of the new experience. Of particular importance are any inconsistencies between experience and understanding. Abstract Conceptualization – Reflection gives rise to a new idea, or a modification of an existing abstract concept. Active Experimentation – The learner applies them to the world around them to see what results. In this respect Kolb’s theory is particularly elegant, since it offers both a way to understand individual people’s different learning styles, and also an explanation of a cycle of experiential learning that applies to us all. Kolb explains that different people prefer different learning styles. Various factors influence a person’s preferred style, in Kolb’s experiential learning theory Kolb defined three stages of someone’s development and suggests that our propensity to reconcile and successfully integrate the four different learning styles improves as we mature through our development stages. The development stages that Kolb identified are: Acquisition – birth to adolescence – development of basic abilities and ‘cognitive structures’ Specialization – schooling, early work and personal experiences of adulthood – the development of a particular ‘specialized learning style’ shaped by ‘social, educational, and organizational socialization’ Integration – mid-career through to later life – expression of non-dominant learning style in work and personal life. Kolb believes that effective learning is seen when a person progresses through a cycle of four stages: of having a concrete experience followed by observation of and reflection on that experience which leads to the formation of abstract analysis and conclusions which are then used to test hypothesis in future situations, resulting in new experiences. Kolb sees learning as an integrated process with each stage being mutually supportive of and feeding into the next. It is possible to enter the cycle at any stage and follow it through its logical sequence. The process of learning is influenced by a variety of personal factors. A thorough knowledge of these factors will help teachers and parents to understand and guide their child’s learning. Some important factors that can have an influence on a person’s learning are: Fatigue and Boredom – It is more boredom than fatigue that affects students more. The difference between the two is that fatigue is mental and physical tiredness which decrease in efficiency and competency to work. Boredom on the other hand is lack of desire to work. Age and maturation – Learning is dependent upon age and maturation. Learning doesn’t take place unless the individual is matured enough to learn. Some children can learn better at an earlier age while others take more to learn the same content. Interests – Various types of interests of the students can be exploited to facilitate their learning. Their interests during early infancy are mostly limited. As  a child grows their interests diversify and stabilize. Motivation – Motivation is the heart if the learning process. It generates the will in an individual to do something. There are two types of motivation that are commonly recognized. These are – Intrinsic; this type of motivation arises when the resolution of the tension is to be found in mastering the learning task itself. -Extrinsic; this type of motivation occurs when a student pursues a learning task for reasons that are external. For example, if a student engages in construction of a model aero planes because they think it would please their father, who is an ex-pilot, rather than because of intrinsic motivation. Intelligence – Intelligence is expressed by an IQ score on an intelligence test is positively related to learning. Generally students with a higher IQ learn rapidly however this is not always the case. Aptitude – A student who possesses appropriate aptitude for a particular subject of study or skill will learn better and retain it for longer. On the other hand they will require relatively longer time to study a subject for which they lack natural aptitude. Attitude – The learning process is also influenced considerably by the attitude of the student. If they are alert, attentive and interested in the material to be learnt. They are also bound to have a favourable attitude towards it. An attitude like that will enable them to tackle the learning situation economically, pleasantly and effectively. Environmental factors – Surroundings; students may easily get distracted and lose interest in the lesson if they are sat around friends as they are more likely to socialise instead of learn. Relationships with teachers, parents and peers; Relationships are important as bad ones can lead to stress and other problems for example if the student has a bad relationship with their teacher they might act out and may lose interest in doing work so they fall behind and don’t learn the correct stuff. Media; Media can be such a bad influence on most teenage students because of media such as social networking which can be easily accessed through their phone. This means they may be more tempted to use their phones during their lessons to use social networks such as Facebook or twitter. For example if that student is starting to lose interest in their lesson then they may be tempted to use their phones for that reason. I think that there are a few of these factors that influence my own learning process. For me these factors are Fatigue and Boredom Age and maturation Motivation Attitude Environmental factors I always find that my surroundings and social networking have a massive influence on my learning as I tend to get distracted by people around me, my phone, internet and TV. I am more likely to let these distract me if I am bored or don’t have any motivation to do the work. Because of this I often find that I am behind and sometimes struggle with the work I am doing. It’s important for people to learn the correct skills for learning so that our ability to understand and to help you gain the knowledge to increase your abilities to work to your full potential. There are different ways of learning which are: Observation Questioning Use of internet Supervisors Classroom Work experience Having these skills are important as they can make a person better because there is a range of skills that they can use to improve their overall knowledge. These skills impact my learning because of these I am able to improve on what I am taught by teachers by watching it in practice, asking questions to learn more about the subject of work, using the internet to research information about that subject of work, ask for help from teachers, learning supports and other students by asking other students it helps them as well as they get to go over what you are asking so it would tend to stick more. And by work experience so you get to learn while putting information to practice and this gives you opportunities to ask questions.

Summary the artical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary the artical - Essay Example Blue oceans consist of all those industries that create new demand and market or expand the boundaries of the existing demand and market. By doing so, they generate new opportunities for profit and growth. Blue oceans have been a source of growth in the past and will remain so in the future. Emergence of new industries and wide products differentiation in the existing ones in the past demonstrate this phenomenon. As globalization spreads and barriers fall further, red oceans will increasingly become competitive with more products standardized resulting in price wars and reduced profitability. Only blue oceans will ensure growth and profit in the future. However, paradoxically, there is a bias in favor of red oceans. A study found that, out of 108 new ventures, 86 percent pursued red oceans strategy contributing to 62 percent of revenue and 39 percent of profit. Only the remaining 14 percent new ventures followed blue ocean strategy but they contributed 38 percent of revenue and 61 percent of total profit. Blue oceans have four defining features, as identified based on the data of 100 years in auto, computer, and movie and theater sectors. First, firms might create blue oceans through technological innovation in some cases but they tweak the existing technology to new uses in most cases. Second, existing firms often create blue oceans within their core competency areas rather than stepping out to new frontiers. Third, the most appropriate unit of analysis is not a firm or industry but the strategic move involving managerial actions and decisions to tap the blue oceans of demand and market. Fourth, creation of blue oceans builds new brands. Strategic orientation is more important than large R & D budget to create new market space. Red ocean strategy and blue ocean strategy have their own characteristics. In red ocean strategy, firms compete in the existing market space, beat the competition, exploit the existing demand, make a trade-off

Educational Excellence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Educational Excellence - Essay Example The area of improvement encompasses mathematics. The data was compared between those who were born in 1983 and those born in 1997. When 20 students of the 4th grade born in 1983 were examined for proficiency in reading and writing, only 6 were found to be proficient while 20 students born in 1997, when examined for similar proficiency 7 students were found to be proficient in reading. The area showed less improvement (US Department of Education: A Nation Accountable). When 1983 born 4th class students were observed for proficiency in mathematics, only 4 were found to be proficient. Students born in 1997, when examined for proficiency in mathematics 8 out of 20 were found to be proficient in mathematics. Indicating that proficiency in mathematics increased two-fold. On close observation it is observed that 20 children born in 1983, entered school in 1988, of these 20, 14 graduates on time in 2001, of these 14, 10 started college but by 2007 only 5 could earn their degrees (US Department of Education: A Nation Accountable). California has shown very poor improvement when compared to other states of United States. According to 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), California stands seventh lowest in 8th grade mathematics when compared with other states of USA. When their competitive spirit was calculated, California was at the bottom quarter. The students of 8th grade when compared for their reading skills they were the third lowest and just above the Hawaii and Columbia. The Californian students were poor in science they stand second lowest and just above the Mississippi. Indicating the education excellence could not meet the perfection in California (States vs. Countries in Math). According to the NY Times, Massachusetts shows maximum of 51% of mathematics proficiency, as compared to California which has 24 percent of proficiency in mathematics when students from eighth-grade were compared between various states and different

International Marketing Management Research Paper

International Marketing Management - Research Paper Example International Marketing Management The purpose of this paper is to understand the trading simplex between United States and China, the country of choice for this paper. The idea is to define the scenario as it stands i.e. the historical facts and figures with regards to the trading activities between the two countries, and then try to identify the reasons that the said patterns have been ascertained. The process followed for the creation of this research paper was simple; primarily the figures relevant to the trading activities were ascertained and subsequently secondary sources of literature review were perused in order to understand the reasons behind the said patterns. Most of the literature review is secondary and the trading figures are availed from both the people’s republic of China and the USA.From the Figure given below, with either belong to the Chinese or the US, the US runs a trade deficit with the Chinese, however, there is a marked difference between the two figures that are reported by each count ry as the Chinese report a trade surplus of $114 billion in 2005 whereas the United States state that this figure is $201 billion, about 76.32% times higher than the one reported by their Chinese counterparts.There is also a marked disparity between the span of time which has seen the US report a trade deficit against the Chinese as they claim it to be since 1983 whereas the Chinese only report the trade surplus to have originated from 1993 onwards. It is also important to note that not only is the size of the trade deficit that is being run by the U.S. against the Chinese exorbitant, but there is another facet that is equally important in the grander analysis i.e. the inordinate imbalance that lies between the imports from China and the exports to China by the US. Taking 2005 as the base year, the Japanese exported about 0.4 times the amount that they exported to the US while the Canadians and the Mexicans also reported figures of 1.3 times and 1.4 times respectively. As compared t o these, the Chinese exported a whopping 5.8 times the value of goods to the US as compared to the value of goods that they imported making it abundantly clear that the Chinese is not a destination of choice for US exported products. (Lum et al, 2007) Figure 1: U.S. Exports to China From the table 1 given below, it can be seen that from the top twenty exports from the US to the Chinese in 2005, the items rated the top five include (in no specific order) transport equipment, metalliferous ores, general industrial machinery, electrical machinery and oil seeds and fruits. The exports of the oil seeds and fruits and metalliferous ores have expanded over a period of six years, beginning from 1999, by 6 times and 12 times respectively. This clearly indicates that the Chinese requirement for the agricultural commodities as well as the raw materials has expanded in line with that of the need for office machines and general industrial machinery. Over the span of the five years starting from 2000 to 2005, textile fibers has expanded the most amongst all the items exported from the US to China, having supplanted itself by about 969%. China’s top ten imports from all around the world (in no particular order) in 2005 were: organic chemicals, optical and medical instruments, mineral fuels, vehicles, iron ores, copper articles, plastics, iron and steel, machinery, and electrical machinery. (Lum et al, 2007) U.S. Imports from China From the Figure given below, it can be seen that from the list of the top 20 items that are imported by the US from the Chinese, in dollar amount, in no particular order include: Miscellaneous manufactured articles Furniture and bedding Electrical machinery Telecommunications and sound equipment Apparel and accessories Office machines and automatic data processing machines It is a significant fact to note that the value of the US imported item under the umbrella of office and data processing m

Capital Budgetting of Caledonia Products Research Paper

Capital Budgetting of Caledonia Products - Research Paper Example A- Caledonia Products should focus on free cash flows for evaluation of the project investment as compare to accounting profit in capital budgeting decision. Free cash flows provide the real picture of the amount that would be available to company from the project as the results are arrived with incorporating elements of time and risks in evaluation. Accounting profits, on other hand, are more like figures on paper only and due to ignorance of mentioned factors. There is every opportunity that accounting profits of the project shows an investment profitable, but it might be possible that the investment might not yield any returns to the company. Another reason to focus on cash flow results than accounting profits is accounting profits include all expenditure and incomes be it result in cash in-flow or outflow. For instance, depreciation does not actually cause any cash out-flow but it is included in the accounting profits. However, cash flow accounts only consider those that affect t he movement in cash inwards or outwards. So, free cash flows should be used to evaluate any project. Since the report is evaluate new project and take decision to undergo or not, therefore, company should focus on incremental cash flows from the projects. There may be the case when overall company making positive cash flows whereas flow from the said project is otherwise. Incremental cash flows form the project provides marginal benefit firm can reap by taking this investment decisions. Same goes for the total and incremental profits. Incremental profits provide evaluation of benefit particular project will add to the firm’s value in addition to the total profits firm will be making. Therefore incremental profits should be used. B- DEPRECIATION EXPENSE AND FREECASH FLOW Depreciation is a non cash expense and although it is recorded in accounting statements as expense, but it does not actually incur any cash outflows (Gitman, 2003). However, overall project cash flow receives impact from depreciation expense over a period of projects life. Depreciation expense reduces the amount of tax accrued on company which is a cash flow item; therefore, it impacts cash flow positively. C- SUNK COST AND ITS IMPACT ON CASH FLOWS Corporate finance theory suggests that while making investment decisions using capital budgeting techniques no consideration should be given to the sunk cost as this cost has already been incurred (Khan, 1993) whether the project is conducted or not and therefore it has no relevancy to future incremental cash flows that determines the acceptance or rejection of cash flows. Only the concerned element is the after tax incremental cash flows as this is the amount which is available to the shareholder. Hence, evaluation of project using NPV and IRR shall ignore sunk cost item. D- INITIAL OUTLAY OF THE PORJECT Initial outlay of any project refers to amount of investment that will be required to undertake a project or the cost incurred for beginning the project. It includes basic plant and installation cost along with any shipping or transportation cost incurred to take plant to production point. It further includes any change working capital due to this project. Initial cost incurred for this project is: $ $8,100,000.00 which includes: Plant and equipment cost is $7,900,000 the installation and shipping cost is $100,000 increased working capital is $100,000 E- DIFFERENTIAL CASH FLOWS OVER THE PROJECT'S LIFE Differential cash flow refers to incremental after tax

Choose one from the essay4 topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Choose one from the essay4 topic - Essay Example McKeon sounds a bit more pragmatic since he informs us about how the separation of the household from the business enterprise has left a substantial impact in the materialization of the capitalism and the modern culture. It was, however, Bordo’s notion of male-body that I found most interesting. Bordo focuses upon the cultural and psychological understanding of the male body in the post-modern world. Her writing also provides a good deal of argument on the gender issues related to body exposure in a variety of media. Though the issues discussed by McKeon and Bordo are not directly relevant to the pedagogical issues, yet we can derive a theory of education out of what they have presented in their works. My concept of education before reading the three authors was somewhat different. The study I believed that education was all about teaching and learning and that a teacher had to play pivotal role in the pedagogical process. The notion of education cannot be limited to formal education. Students spend more time at home or at other places than in schools. Their learning is a continuing process, which involves a variety of factors. A child’s education starts from the lap of her/his mother and then the exposure to society, peers, media, and a number of other factors directly or indirectly teach the child how to live, behave, interact, and handle problems. I also believed that a student-centered and activity-based education is better than the teacher-based education which involves extensive lecturing. I believed that a teacher must follow reflective teaching which involves creativity, experimentation and melioration of the pedagogical process through flexibility and acceptance of new formal/informal methods of teaching. The most important thing, in my opinion, was joy of learning. An ideal teacher should strive hard to teach in an interactive manner and make the students enjoy while learning new concepts. The authors we read during the course have

E-business management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

E-business management - Essay Example It is a process of obtaining as well as assessing evidence of economic activities and actions to determine the variations in the results which are later communicated to the concerned parties (Raffa 2003, P. 2). A company audits may include financial, use of information and communication technology, compliance and operational audits (Raffa 2003, P. 2). The auditors use the available data and records, collect data prom the concerned parties and analysis it into a report that is disseminated to the internal and external customers. This paper will evaluate Marchi indo-pak cuisine and propose to conduct an audit of their operations in relation to e-business management. Introduction Mirchi indo-pak cuisine This is a family business located in Cardiff and provides traditional south Asian cuisine using locally available food products as well as conventional Indian methods to prepare delicious traditional foods (Mirchi 2008). They provide different menus which are custom made to suit individu al customer preferences, family parties and outside catering services. Their vision is to provide simple, traditional and high quality foods as well as homely services to their customers (Mirchi 2008) E-business management E-business is a business practice that allows use of internet and other modern communication equipments as the major platform of business communication and conducting business. Due to expansion in globalization, access and use of internet across the globe, most companies are shifting from the traditional mode of doing business into internet based business models. Mirchi indo-pak Cuisine is a Company that have established its presence online and conducting business online. The company aims at targeting customers who spend most of their time online and understand the convenience of dong business online. However there is need to evaluate the e-business processes to determine their effectiveness and recommend changes in order to efficiently tap this market segment. E- business operational audit is the proposed service to Mirchi indo-pak cuisine to evaluate and validate the organizational online process and the effectives of the process n relation to the information and communication structures (Brewster n.d., P 30). This process will assist in ensuring effective systems are in use, assist the company to understand consumers and potential customers needs and expectations, acts as an channel of communication with the customers, suppliers, employees and shareholders, the process will also help to boost customer trust in regard to products offered as well help to increase the shareholders trust on the company management and employees (Brewster n.d., P 19). The process will involve evaluating the current processes used in their e-business through a telephone interview with the IT manager by asking him or her interview questions that relate to the company. The research findings will be interpreted by relating the answers given and the tone in the manag er’s voice (Onwuegbuzie Leech and Collins 2010, P 699). Telephone interview and analysis of the data will be used to evaluate their current status in order to give recommendations for changes that will help boost their effectiveness. Part 1B – The Audit report For a company’s management to understand if their company is operating as expected and to improve their operational practices an organization can opt to edit their processes for the whole

Narrative Example Essay Example for Free

Narrative Example Essay T ‘was a beautiful day. The sun shone brightly in the East. Birds chirping, sweetly singing on the branches of a trees. Warm smiles of my neighbors, together with the refreshing smell of cold breeze joined the atmosphere. Everything was so perfect. BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZZZZZ. My alarm clock rang. What?! I’m so late for my class. Blame that stupid dream. Hurriedly, I forcefully took a bath on cold waters. Within 15 minutes, I was all set. I arrived at school very late. When I entered the class, a male friend of mine smiled at me. To show some respect, I flashed my not-so-cool grin and sank to my seat. Bored enough, I took my phone out. A text message from someone anonymous surprised me. It said, â€Å"Meet me at the canteen at exactly 9 A.M. Refer to the School clock†. I glanced at the clock, yawned and dozed off to sleep. See more: how to start a narrative essay for college I completely forgot about the text. Zzzzzzz. Seconds, minutes, hours flew fast by. My typical day ended somewhat nothing has been accomplished. I loved it. Entering our house, my phone rang. A friend was calling. A male voice from the other line was talking , telling me to go with him on the hospital because there was an emergency. I hurriedly went out the house and went with him. As we walked, thoughts engulfed me, the hospital was our neighbour and we went to ride in a car. How strange. Upon entering the car, my friends shouted â€Å"VICTIM† and laughed so hard. Okay, that was a set-up! I was so pissed off. Grrrrhhh! They brought me to Waterworld Resort. Entering the gates, the Ensemble played a soft romantic music. A waiter signalled me to come so I followed him. Later, I saw a guy holding a white rose. I studied him carefully only to be surprised that the guy was my crush. I saw him flashed his pearly whites on me. Wondering, I went and asked him, â€Å" What’s this?† Instead of answering, he motioned me to come with him. We walked on the garden and talked. I talked, he talked, we talked. I smiled, he laughed. Food trips and more talks It’s so sad but I have to bid him goodbye . Before I walked away from him, he hugged me so tight in front of my friends and whispered his three magical words, â€Å"I love you†. I was so shocked. I don’t know how would I react so I just smiled and nod. I can’t talk that night. I felt like my mind is somewhere over there, away from me. It was so romantic. It was so memorable. Dated with love, February 28, 2010. More dates followed and he courted me. We became young lovers and until now, we are still together.

Curriculum and Instruction Essay Example for Free

Curriculum and Instruction Essay Alvermann, D. E. Strickland, D. S. , (Eds. ); (2006): Bridging the literacy achievement gap, grades 4–12. New York: Teachers College Press. This focuses on literacy achievement gap in achievement of those who underperform especially adolescents. Literacy characteristics have been examined and the varied challenges groups of learners face. School wide and classroom practices have also been described in this book. Alvermann worked with instructors and hence was able to know the issues related to instruction. The shortcoming of this resource is that it uses very limited age bracket of adolescents and its main focus is the adolescents. It would be more resourceful for those below twelve years and not stretch too far to adolescents which it does not focus on. Anderson, T. H. Armbruster, B. B. , (1998): On selecting â€Å"considerate† content area Textbooks; Remedial and Special Education, 9(1), 47–52. The article discusses three features that relate to content-area textbooks which make them â€Å"considerate† for readers in terms of coherence, structure, and audience appropriateness. The authors discuss what the books those are in existence lack and offer suggestions to educators on how best they can improve the existing books to make them learner appropriate. The authors are seasoned educators thus giving what they advocate for credibility. Beers, K. (2005). When kids can’t read: A guide for teachers 6–12; Portsmouth, Heinemann Beers uses student oriented and classroom explanations in guiding teachers through the planning, assessing and implementing reading kinds of instructions for teachers and learners in middle and high schools. The components of an effective reading instruction which includes strategies and the resources that teachers may use in the classrooms to improve their reading. Beers himself is a knowledgeable author in issues relate with early childhood education and targets teachers of the young kids. The material is relevant to the kids only although some illustrations in it may be applicable to those who start reading late in life. Carlisle, F. J Rice, M. S. (2002): Improving reading comprehension. Baltimore: York Publishers. This text gives a comprehensive discussion on the theoretical basis of comprehension reading and how it is related to other components of reading. It aims at improving the reading comprehension through the author’s giving of the instructional principles that guide in selecting and using practices so as to teach reading comprehension and how it relates to other components of reading in depth. This book is vital for those learners who have problems in issues relating to comprehension. The book is an all-round one, drawing other components of reading into perspective. The learners will not therefore find in it a wholesome study of comprehension. Cibrowski, J. (1995): Using textbooks with students who cannot read them. Remedial and Special Education, 16(2), 90–100. Cibrowski summarizes the materials that have been written on effective instructions using textbooks. His article describes the strategies that a content-area or special teacher can use with his/ her students who have proved to be fast readers. The designed techniques help such learners widen their conceptual thinking. It further gives the levels of analysis, before instruction, during and after in addition to stating the criteria for effective strategies: a committed teacher, student belief and teacher’s ability to model strategic thinking. This material is superb for higher achievers. Coyne, M. D. et. al (2007): Effective teaching strategies that accommodate diverse learners. New York, Prentice Hall. This book outlines how learners with different physical cognitive, cultural and other diversities can be catered for in a classroom. The strategies expounded are vital for teachers in that in every classroom situation, there must be an element of diversity which they have to address for meaningful learning to take place. The material is thus gives a comprehensive to teaching-learning experience and therefore highly recommended. Davis, M. H. Guthrie, J. T. , (2005): Motivating struggling readers in middle school through an engagement model of classroom practice. Reading Writing Quarterly, 19, 60–85. The authors discuss six dimensions of change in disengagement and low motivation in elementary and middle school learners. The authors further suggest six classroom practices that can be used by middle school teachers in changing the learners’ attitudes resulting from changes in classroom. The authors, being educators themselves give ample information to other educators being challenged by low motivation and disengagement from their learners. Deshler, D. Swanson, H. L. , (2003). Instructing adolescents with learning disabilities: Converting a meta-analysis to practice. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 36(2), 125–135. The authors summarize the results obtained from meta-analysis of some educational interventions for disabled students. Some interventions were used in the instruction and it was found that a good deal of these components can be incorporated into the classroom instruction with impressive results. The authors are specialist in education of disabled persons. This material is important for those who wish to make instruction of disabled learners a success and a lot easier and interesting. Gersten, R et. al; (2001): Teaching reading Comprehension strategies to students with learning disabilities: A review of Research. Review of Educational Research, 71(2), 279–320. This review of research on effective instruction for reading comprehension for students with disabilities gives detailed study on the expository and narrative texts. The authors of this material give the summary of cumulative knowledge gained through research based knowledge. The authors work with a panel of analysts on educational matters. It is a good material if one wants to know the material in depth courtesy of the review provided. It can assist educators a great deal in their attempt to gain more knowledge in comprehension strategies that they can use on their learners. Hilden, K. Pressley, M. (2004): Toward more ambitious comprehension instruction . In E. R. Silliman L . C. Wilkinson (Eds. ), Language and literacy learning in schools (pp. 152-174). New York: Guilford. Pressley and Hilden, who are educators, bring forth in this resource the thinking of comprehensive instruction by critically analyzing sources which support ambitious comprehensive instruction. The resource thus reviews research history of comprehension and the evolution of knowledge base. The resource is a good one because it further discusses in its conclusion the relationship comprehension and other reading instruction elements. Jetton, J. T. Dole, A. J. (Eds. ); (2007): Adolescent literacy research and practice. New York: Guilford. This volume is a compilation of contributions from researchers in the important literacy areas of students in middle and high school. It centers on research and interventions for adolescents with problems in reading. Students, according to the researches, have issues that may affect their reading for instance motivation, assessment and cultural influence. The curriculum should be tailored to provide for the problems that these learners may have. The book states this in detail and thus a critical resource for Adolescent literacy. Meltzer, J. , et. al (2001): Adolescent literacy resources: Linking research and practice. Providence Education Alliance, Brown University Retrieved 20th March, 2006 from http://www. alliance. brown. edu/topics/literacy. shtml This is research for secondary school teachers who would wish to incorporate instruction across the content area. It is a review of literacy research materials from various fields and focuses them to the classroom situations. Important concepts that aid adolescent literacy have been discussed. This material is best for secondary school teachers and is vital for them since it gives the results of current researches and links them to classroom practice. The authors are practitioners in the education sector. McKeown, G. M. Beck L. I (2007): Improving comprehension with Questioning the Author: A fresh and expanded view of a powerful approach. New York: Scholastic In this book the authors explain why implementing the questioning technique is good and suggest its optimal implementation. It is aimed at supporting students to gain meaning from a given text. They have provided several classroom cases, of which they individually participated, which give realistic explanations and illustrations of the process. The book is good enough for teachers and learners in informing the use of Questioning of the author in order to guide the students’ comprehension reading. The authors have worked closely with educators meaning that their information is as they saw in the field. I highly recommend the book for both teachers and students who need to improve their/ their learners’ comprehension. Moje, E. B. (2006): Motivating texts, motivating contexts, motivating adolescents: An examination of the role of motivation in adolescent literacy practices and Development; Perspectives, 32(3), 10–14. This is a brief synopsis of research findings based on the role that different contexts and texts play in the motivation of adolescents to face the various challenges associated with literacy practices. It advocates for changes in texts used and the contexts in which they are used saying this is the essence of motivation since motivation is not static. Moje is a renowned educator who weaves a positive criticism on the existing instruction materials making his ideas worth putting in practice. National Association of Secondary School Principals ;( 2005): Creating a culture of Literacy: A guide for middle and high school principals. Reston, V. A This is a guide that provides Secondary School administrators with tools for creating Schoolwide literacy plans aimed at addressing the needs of learners whose reading is below the basic levels. It draws its premises from components that influence the ultimate achievement of the learners. The study gives a proposal on the reforms that can be done to minimize the problem for instance commitment of leaders in instruction, balancing assessment of formal and informal natures among others. The association encompasses head teachers from all schools in the country and who are administrators in their respective schools thus versed with many educational issues. The limitation of the resource is that it used the ideas from head teachers only and left out other stake holders who may have different views Nystrand, M. (2007): Research on the role of classroom discourse as it affects Reading comprehension; Research in the Teaching of English, 40(4), 392–412. Nystrand, in this article reviews 150 years of empirical research that target on classroom discourse. There are various research methodologies used and the research vouches for discussion within the classroom setting in improving reading and comprehension. The author is an English teacher of many years. The review is qualitative based on the number of varied reviews it has made and thus the reference to a variety of cases and researches thus highly recommended for all instructors; not just those teaching English. O’Brian, D. G et al. (1999): Why content literacy is difficult to infuse into the secondary school: Complexities of curriculum pedagogy, and school culture. Reading Research Quarterly, 30, 440–460 The authors of this material discuss the inadequacy and of the traditional model of professional development in building the proficiency of students in the instruction of content literacy. It recommends a change in curriculum via looking at the social and cultural contexts in which the schools are set. The society, the resource says, has values, beliefs and practices embedded in it that the teachers, learners and the school community identify with. O’Brian is a sociologist thus understands the influence of the environment in learning. I find the book very important because it highlights the importance of the environment in the learning processes Pressley, M. and Block, D. (Eds. ): (2007). Comprehension Instruction: Research-based Best practices. New York: Guilford. This material resulted from contributions from thirty nine scholars who contributed their understanding in reading exercise related to comprehension. It has varied but harmonized experiences and thus can be used as the best resource for the understanding of the nature of comprehension instruction. The research also charts a way forward for researchers in consolidating research knowledge and further expounds on the nature of comprehension in different levels of schooling. The material targets all instructors in the field of comprehension learning. I recommend the material for instructors because of extensive research that brought it forth hence making it qualitative. Rosenshine, B. , et. al (1996). Teaching students to generate questions: A review of the intervention studies. Review of Educational Research, 66, 182–220 This intervention studies review is aimed at teaching students on how they can generate questions so as to improve their reading comprehension using prompts. It analyzed 26 research studies which showed that the use of signal and generic question stems provided the best positive effects of comprehension standardization. The research cannot be qualified as having weaknesses because it gives the learner a center stage in learning how to comprehend better. The authors have teaching experiences in various schools and levels. Swanson, H. L. (2004): Research on interventions for adolescents with learning disabilities: A meta-analysis of outcomes related to higher-order processing. The Elementary School Journal, 101(3), 331–348. The analysis here was carried out on 58 studies related to problem solving interventions meant for those students with disabilities. Several factors that increase student performance were identified and categorized into short term. Swanson is a researcher and educator giving credibility to his work. The focus of this material is on adolescents with disability Sweet, A. P. , Snow, C. E. (Eds. ): (2003). Rethinking reading comprehension; New York: Guilford. The authors inform of effective teaching by building on comprehension reading research that was developed by a research group, RAND. Key issues in comprehension reading and research findings related to adolescents and the strategies used to address student needs are highlighted. The material is helpful especially due to it being tied to the researches conducted. It makes the issues real because they were stumbled on during the research. The author himself is a researcher in various fields. I highly recommend this material for teachers and learners targeted by the research (Adolescents) Tanner, D. , Tanner, L. (2007) Curriculum development: Theory into practice. Pearson. Tanner and Tanner purpose to highlight what a comprehensive curriculum should entail so as to bring forth an all rounded learner after instruction has taken place. It gives the principles to be followed in curriculum and how the theoretical perspectives advocated for in the texts are put into practice. Learners should be orientated so as to internalize that which they learn easily. Trabasso, T. , Bouchard, E. (2004): Teaching readers how to comprehend text strategically. (In C. Block and M. Pressley) (Eds. ), Comprehension instruction: Research-based best practices p. 170– 194. New York: Guilford. The authors explain the findings of 205 investigations on the impact that cognitive strategy of instruction on reading comprehension. The authors are researchers in psychologists and researchers in the field. Strategy instruction, the research postulated, was more effective than the traditional mode of instruction. Further, the authors discuss twelve types of comprehension strategies and two instructional strategies identified as effective in improving the comprehension of students. Teachers will find this book useful in improving comprehension in their students. Meyer, BF. Walker, CH. (1980): Integrating different types of information in Text; Journal of Verbal behavior and Learning, 19:263–275. This is a discussion on the knowledge integration theory which provides a contextual field for exploration on learners’ formation of relationships between background and new information. The authors give a summary of the research which investigates this theory. Walker and Meyer are regular contributors to psychology related journals. The material is a good one because it gives some practical examples for educators on how to integrate new and old information for learners so as to enable them participate in tasks which require sophisticated comprehension Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education. Retrieved on 2nd April, 2009 available at http://www. all4ed. org/publications/AdolescentsAndLiteracy. pdf The discussion here centers on the crisis facing the literacy adolescents. It examines four reviews that deal with reading research and presents students with measures to improve their reading. There are factors that teachers should also consider for instance motivation, although this is also aimed at the learners themselves. Students will find this material very useful in improving their reading. Evaluative summary of the Bibliographies This selected bibliography of the items on adolescents’ literacy resources is a result of broad review of research carried out by professionals mostly in the educational sector. The students mostly addressed are those of 4-12 years of age. The contents of the various resources have been summarized and therefore whoever wants to have a quick overview of what there is to adolescents’ curriculum and instruction will surely get something worthwhile. The issues addressed in the bibliography can be summed up as follows: Some researches done for instance Nystrand’s, article which reviews 150 years of empirical research that target on classroom discourse show a great deal of traverse on time that the researchers have done to bring the best for Adolescents. There are various research methodologies used and the research vouches for discussion within the classroom setting in improving reading and comprehension. The review is qualitative based on the number of varied reviews it has made and thus the reference to a variety of cases and researches thus highly recommended for all instructors; not just those teaching English. Other reviews too give a lot of excellent information from educationists who give their own experiences. An example is Pressley’s whose material resulted from contributions from thirty nine scholars who contributed their understanding in reading exercise related to comprehension. It gives varied but harmonized experiences and thus can be used as the best resource for the understanding of the nature of comprehension instruction. The research also charts a way forward for researchers in consolidating research knowledge and further expounds on the nature of comprehension in different levels of schooling. The material targets all instructors in the field of comprehension learning thus highly recommended for them. Beers uses student oriented and classroom explanations in guiding teachers through the planning, assessing and implementing reading kinds of instructions for teachers and learners in middle and high schools. This is a critical material since it combines the basic factors that need to be considered in teaching: student oriented and classroom explanations. It makes the learner be the focus of the teaching- learning process. The components of an effective reading instruction which includes strategies and the resources that teachers may use in the classrooms to improve their reading. Beers himself is a knowledgeable author in issues relate with early childhood education and targets teachers of the young kids. The material is relevant to the kids only although some illustrations in it may be applicable to those who start reading late in life. The reviews in some of the researches focus on effective instruction for reading comprehension for students with disabilities, giving detailed study on the expository and narrative texts. The authors of these materials, for instance Gersten (2001) give the summary of cumulative knowledge gained through research- based knowledge. The material gives in depth information due to the detailed research conducted in writing it. Davies and Guthrie discuss six dimensions of change in disengagement and low motivation in elementary and middle school learners. They authors further suggest six classroom practices that can be used by middle school teachers in changing the learners’ attitudes resulting from classroom changes. The authors, who are educators, give vital information to other educators facing challenges from low motivation and disengagement from their learners. Cibrowski, in his work summarizes the materials that have been written on effective instructions using textbooks. His article describes the strategies that a content-area or special teacher can use with his/ her students who have proved to be fast readers. The designed techniques help such learners widen their conceptual thinking. It further gives the levels of analysis, before instruction, during and after in addition to stating the criteria for effective strategies: a committed teacher, student belief and teacher’s ability to model strategic thinking. Fast students therefore are also catered for in this bibliography in terms of how they can be taught without affecting their enthusiasm. This bibliography also has materials that show the impact of cognitive instruction strategy, which is shown as the most effective mode of instruction as opposed to the traditional mode. Authors in this issue also discuss types of comprehension strategies that educators can refer to in their teaching. In conclusion, the materials chosen in this bibliography will go a long way in assisting educators know how to manage better the issues related to instruction and at the same time give them an opportunity to expand their scope. The learners also have a reason to have a look at this bibliography. There are materials summarized whose focus is the learner. The influence of the environment on the learning process has also been given in one of the resource materials in this bibliography. It is, in short, a detailed bibliography but other sources can still be sought for the purposes expounding or adding to what has been given.

HR and Line Managers Management Essay

HR and Line Managers Management Essay It is pertinent to start this essay by attempting to define the role and relevance of HR Managers and line managers in an organization.  human resource management is a management function that enables managers to train ,recruit select and develop the members of an organization (Aswathappa, k,2007). HR managers are managers responsible for delivery of basic HRM services such as recruiting, hiring, training, organizational development, coaching, employee relation, communication, leadership, advice, salary and benefits, team building of staffs within an organization including the well-being of people and relationship between management and employees (Susan, H, 2012).On the other hand, line managers are managers that are responsible for the administrative management of individuals, direct management of staffs within an organization and the supervision and discipline of their employees and performance appraisal (John ,F ,2012)  .It must also be noted that line managers have the power to influence the employees behavior (cascio,2008;cited in faisal et al ,2011). Apparently, there is a distinction between the responsibilities of a HR manager and that of a Line manager. While the former serves to engage labour, the latter deals with labour. However, there is a compelling need for Interaction between the HR mangers and line managers.   Interaction between the HR mangers and line managers The need for interaction between the HR manager and the line manager cannot be overemphasized. It is very essential within an organization and a research carried out by Stockton Borough Council (2011) showed that there is an existing culture of both managers working together to address people management responsibilities. The research also showed that line managers were ready to take up more responsibities to deal with poor staff performance without direct access to HR support and going through the required training on the task like conflict management.   For an organization to be fit for current and future challenges, Line managers have to be involved in the development and review of HR policies (Liz,F. 2012). Furthermore, mark et al (2012) pointed out that the establishment of corporate agility and its basic cultural responsibilities require a close and adequate interaction between the HR manager and line manager. HR sets up new policies and systems but the line manager is responsible for the application of these practices and policies. Technically, the  HRM proposes while the line manager disposes (Armstrong ,M ,2012) In view of the above, it is safe to conclude that for a high level of organizational performance to be achieved, there has to be a structured implementation of these policies. The onus lie on the line manager to implement thus he occupies a very important position in the organizational structure (Michael , A ,2012). MacDonald, L (2012) argued that in small businesses without a HR specialist, the line managers can take up the responsibility of recruiting and management of staff. Even in larger businesses where there is a HR specialist or department to oversee the employee management policies and practices, the line manager still plays a major role in the implementation of HR initiatives.   In addition, Mayhew, R.(2012) pointed out that the HR and   line manager interact together to handle and execute certain activities such as department staffing, workforce strategy, performance management, and conflict management in the organization. The main reason why both managers work together is because they share a common interest of ensuring that the company is successful. The line manager thus becomes very effective in the tactical aspect of HR while the HR manager has more time to focus and work on the strategic aspect of HR management (Mayhew, R,2012).   The ultimate goal is that the interaction between the HR manager and the line manager brings in the concept of HR business partnering.   According to Ulrich, D Brokebank ,B. (2008) the concept of HR business partnering is for HR professionals to collaborate with line managers or business leaders to achieve a common objective ,specifically in the designation and implementation of HR systems and processes that support strategic business and in restructuring of business strategy and transformation of the HR.However, there has been an overlap of power between the HR and the line manager. It has been established that the operational aspect of HR management is the reason behind the relationship among the two managers. Some models such as the three legged stool model and the four-role model which operate together under the same principles was invented by Dave Ulrich. It has helped to explain the HR business partnering and the interaction between HR managers and line managers (ken,2011). Furthermore, notwithstanding that the HR department is totally responsible for the HRM activities,  line managers share same responsibilities. Line managers have the power to influence the employees behavior which is the reason for the HR-line manager relationship. Truss and Gratton (1994) pointed out that line managers play a crucial role in coordinating the resources that enable an organization achieve its goal. In other words, it is absolutely necessary for a line manager to understand how HR practices and procedures are conducted so as to ensure a successful implementation of HR in an organization.   (Huchison and Purcell, 2003; cited in Faisal et al, 2011). In addition, line managers are dependent on the HR managers for assistance in knowledge sharing and facilitation and for this to be achieved there has to be series of work relationships between the both of them (Macneil ,2003;cited in faisal,2011). line managers can also achieve full integration of the HR into a companys real work through working in partnernership with the HR therefore leaving the HR totally responsible for the delivery of organizational excellence (Ulrich, 2008) .The HR is way too big and important to be left just for the specialist therefore it is required of the line manager to take up a role on development of peoples performance they have to manage (hearty and morley,1995;cited in Faisal et al ,2012). According to Ulrich, D. Brokebank ,B.(2011)The three- legged model is based on three basic components viz: the HR shared services ,HR centres of excellence and the HR business partners. This model helps to assign and explain the roles of the HR specialist, line mangers. It gives reasons and shows how the business partnering play a role in restructuring of the HR (ken,2011). Furthermore, the HR shared services is a single large unit responsible for handling all routine transactional services that include payroll, provision of corporate services and advices based on employee relations across the organizations, absence monitoring and the recruitment and routine administration (mark et al,2010). Centre of excellence involves a team of HR professionals that have a deep knowledge on the leading-edge HR solutions. The major role is the use of the HR innovations to give businesses a competitive advantage and HR business partners which involves the HR professionals working together with the line managers to steer and influence strategy and its implementation (cipd, 2011). Integration of the business and HR strategies According to Briggs and Keogh (2001) the integration of business and HR strategies is the key tool in achieving business excellence. A previous study by the Aberdeen group (2009) has shown that the best way that organizations and businesses can overcome economic instability and dilemma caused by the economic downturn is by the HR executives collaborating closely with the business managers to understand business success criteria by aligning their human capital management priorities with the overall business objectives and goals. This study also pointed out that the HR has to collaborate with business managers to be able to determine the appropriate HR strategy needed for a strong and effective business outcome (Fabugais, C ,2011) . A case study on McDonalds has shown that high quality products require quality people to produce, design and deliver them and, therefore for a business like McDonalds that offers a large element of personal service to maintain its reputation it has to focus more on HRM in terms of recruiting high quality employees and have the ability to train and retain its staffs (The times 100.2012). McDonalds has been one of the largest and fastest growing global restaurant with their success directly linked to the their ability to implement HR practices in terms of recruitment and training policies designed specifically to attract, identify, develop and retain high number of staffs needed for the business. Customer satisfaction can be linked to the effectiveness, attitudes and abilities of employees to provide those services that attract and satisfy customers (The times 100.2012). According to Sung, J. and Ashton ,D (2002) high performance work practices is one of the HR strategies implemented in businesses that has brought positive and organizational outcomes. This HR strategy is categorized into three different components viz: the high employee involvement practices which is focused on encouraging communication and trust between employees through quality circles; self-directed teams and by giving them access to the company information followed by the human resource practices (HRP) that involves a highly sophisticated processes of recruitment of employees, work mentoring and design and performance appraisals. It also involves the reward and commitment which is focused on facilitating greater commitment of the employees in the organization by providing the employees rewards such as profit sharing, performance related pay, job rotation and family friendly policies (sung, J and Ashton,D.,2002). A survey result on the correlation between the level of HPWP adoption and organizational outcomes by HPWP bundles has shown that the correlation of the three bundles of HPWP working together is positively linked to organizational outcomes and leads to the improvement of organizational performance through the motivation, satisfaction and commitment of staffs, provision of effective communication, teamwork while the correlation of the two bundles the HR and reward and commitment helps in creating a good sense of job security (sung, J and Ashton, D, 2002). Previous case studies derived from samples of companies included in the Sun Times   100 best companies to work for 2004 have demonstrated a good practice in a range of HPWPs and benefits of implementing HRWPs in organizations.   A case study on the Bacardi martini UK which is a successful company known to be a leader and inventor of ready to drink market with the business strategy of managing change and innovation through value based and people culture is a classical example. This company has remained successful through the implementation of HPWPs by creating a series of organizational values to guide, communicate and reward behavior appropriate to team performance. It is not in doubt that a strict adherence to these practices has provided the company with an agile team leading to overall improvements and success of the company. This is evident in improvement of production process efficiency of the company to 4.4 million pounds per year. There was an increment in the service level in warehousing and distribution from 85% to 97% . There was also a reduction of line filler changeover time from 4 hours to 75mins. Elimination of overstock with no failure in delivery on customer order. Reduction in pallet holding from 1.2 million to 457000k pounds and a reduction in the production line packer hangover time from 110minutes to 60 minutes policies (sung, J and Ashton,D.,2002). At this juncture, it is pertinent to acknowledge that PACT is an acronym for productivity, accountability, creativity and teamwork. PACT is another HR strategy implemented in the Bacardi martini UK company which has shaped and organized the processes of recruitment in the company .The strategy is to access the competence of the companies employees in line with the PACT values of the company (sung, J and Ashton,D.,2002).   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Furthermore, a case study on the I -study a digital media agency that has successfully achieved a turnover of 12.3 million pounds and gained the credit and gotten an award in five years as being one of the most innovative digital media company in UK, the companys business strategy is focused on spotting new products and finding out a new approach and building a new industry. The success of this company is fully linked to the implementation of the HR strategies, by the company using the work redesign to remove hierarchy and encourage participation, creativity, communication and a collaborative teamwork and recruitment of effective employees based on personal attributes necessary to win over new business (sung, J and Ashton, D., 2002). Conclusion So far the studies on HRM strategies have shown that its very necessary and important for a business aiming to grow business growth, and the Intergration of the HR strategies into businesses enables business to increase their performance and productivity ,the HR practices play important in every aspect of business that helps in achieving this success ,thus the reward and recognition is directly linked to the motivation of employees which can be linked to a high level of their productivity in the organization, also in terms of training ,the training ,development outsourcing of the right staffs, helps in achieving business success aswell.it will be recommended that every organization wanting to increase the performance of their staffs and productivity should implement both the strategic and operation aspects of the HRM which is where hiring of the a professional HR managers and the line managers play an important role to properly manage these activities in an organization.

Intellectual Property and Copyrights Issues in China Essay -- Software

Intellectual Property and Copyrights Issues in China 1. Introduction China had made great improvement in deregulation and had complied with its obligations to follow rules and agreements such as Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) as a new member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 2001. TRIPS introduced intellectual property rules into the multilateral trading system. It ensures that computer programs will be protected as literary works under the Berne Convention and outlines how databases should be protected under copyright section. As the rush to riches continues to gain pace, people's legal right to own private property is protected by a law. However, Intellectual property and copyrights still remained inadequate to control over its booming internet population in China. Before we get into copyright status in China and ethical issues, clarification of terminology will help us to understand copyrights issues in software and differentiated other issues involving intellectual properties. 1) Classification of software  ·Commercial  ·Shareware  ·Freeware  ·Public Domain In terms of restrictions and limitations, each classification is different. Commercial software can be purchased from software publishers, computer stores, etc. When you buy software, you acquire a license from the company that owns the copyright to use it not own it. Although one archival copy of the software can be made, the backup copy cannot be used except when the original package fails or is destroyed. Shareware has same restriction as commercial software except that the copyright holders allows you to make copies of the software, but you must pay if you adopt it for use after testin... ...ies put effort to enhance confidence of foreign investors to protect intellectual property rights and recognizes illegal piracy actions. 5. References 1)Mark Alfino, Intellectual Property and Copyright Ethics, Business and Professional Ethics Journal, Vol.10 No.85, p 85-109 http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/faculty/alfino/dossier/Papers/COPYRIGH.htm 2)Wang Xiaodong, Editor, Strategy and Management, China and the World (Zhongguo yu shijie), November 1999 http://www.uscc.gov/researchreports/2000_2003/pdfs/itisri.pdf 3)Tech Support at University of Chicago, Using Software, February 1995 http://courses.cs.vt.edu/~cs3604/lib/WorldCodes/EDUCOM.software.html 4)World Trade Organization, http://www.wto.org/ 5)BBC NEWS, http://www.bbc.com/ 6)Bill Thomson, From code war to Cold War, BBC NEWS, March 2004, http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/l/hi/technology/3537165.stm

The Belbin Exercise :: Business and Management Studies

The Belbin Exercise Introduction During term 1 of our module I took part in 2 exercises and a Belbin test. During the 2 exercises and test I learned many skills and new ideas that will aid me in the future. Report The first element of group work that we did was the Belbin exercise. This was to ascertain you’re most effective ‘group role’. From the results we were arranged into groups which contained a mixture of roles. My role was company worker. I neither agreed nor disagreed with the result as part of me could see the logic behind the result and part of me saw myself with a position of higher authority. I don’t think the way the groups were formed made any difference in the first exercise. Maybe under different circumstances our different roles could have become more apparent. From taking part in the two exercises I have learned that planning is vital to any type of work, especially group work. I think the reason behind this is because without planning nothing is done efficiently. I have also learned that communication is very important; our second exercise was totally dependant on verbal communication. Although we had a slow start we eventually started to communicate effectively and solved the problem very fast. In the first exercise we were in smaller groups, my group contained seven people, including myself. During this exercise all group members contributed evenly. In the second exercise we worked in a much larger group, I noticed that some people didn’t contribute at all and the bulk of the discussion was coming from the same people. Although this happened the exercise was done swiftly and effectively. Good communication skills were demonstrated during the second exercise. Group members put their point across in an orderly way and the other group members listened well and contributed. During this exercise we didn’t necessarily have a strategy but we did operate a good effective system. We had one person that people fed information to, and that person then made notes of the information onto the whiteboard. Once all the information was gathered we were then able to come to a conclusion. My group also showed good communication skills in the first exercise. We had to come up with a group opinion of which person deserved the use of the available kidney machine. The way we came to our decision was to firstly decide a priority order individually, then by using a

Discrimination on Blacks Essay

Thesis Statement: Many Americans cherish their country as a place of opportunities, but African Americans have experienced horrible things and have not been given the chance white Americans have, as others in this country. African Americans were freed from slavery by the 13th amendment of the constitution and the 14th amendment and let them be free but that did not mean they were given the same opportunities as other white people. But still in the 1960’s they were discriminated against because of the color of their skin. This means they were not allowed to go to the same school, movie theaters, restrooms, public facilities. Before the Civil War blacks were not allowed to read and write. Their white owners felt that if they became educated they would not want to be slaves. After slaves were freed in America the government had to decide how to share resources with blacks, In regard to education it was decided that African Americans had the right to an education however it was decided separate but equal was fine. This meant that schools were designed so black and white people were served but in separate areas or different locations. The problem was blacks and whites were not given the same buildings or resources, African Americans got much less. White’s believed that blacks were incapable of learning at an advanced level. In the 1960’s, 15 percent of African Americans had no schooling, and 48 percent had never gone beyond the fifth grade. The reason behind this was because African Americans were treated so horrible. They were called niggers, black monkeys and filthy trash. African Americans also get threats how if they came across town where whites were they would be burned or killed. The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States between 1876 and 1965. The Jim Crow law was to segregate African Americans and whites for the reason that blacks would not be in contact with the whites. One of the civil rights activists was Rosa Parks who was a African American who faced horrible discrimination. December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in a colored section for a white passenger because she felt that she should get equal rights. Another activist was Martin Luther King Jr. In 1963 on the Washington March Martin Luther King Jr. made a â€Å"I have a dream speech† where he talked about racial problems and discrimination.

What are UPS “Smart Labels?

Use the link below to view the Video, UPS and the Diad IV, then answer the following questions.https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1FTwCZ3bqRUNRpFKY9S6s24X3BOEyB30lZ8IWzlhL76c/edit?usp=sharing1. What are UPS â€Å"Smart Labels?† What role do they play in UPS operations?2. Write out the steps a package takes from pick-up by a UPS driver to delivery including the role of DIAD, the UPS Data Center, and the UPS Package Center.3. What role does wireless communication play in the UPS systems?4. How has information technology transformed the package delivery business?5. How does UPS’s investment in IT help it achieve the strategic business objectives described in Chapter 1?ANSWERS:1. Smart labels are bar-coded labels that are computerized to provide shipping information. Smart labels play the role of providingcustomer information for shipping. The smart label is scanned every time a shipment, stop, or delivery has been made so thatcustomers can track their packages from the starting point to the finishing point.2. The package is either picked up from the customer of the customer drops it off and then a smart label is created that contains all itsinformation like shipping information and tracking number. This information then has to be sent to the warehouse. The drive then has ahand help computer called a DIAD that he/she carries around with him/her to show them the routes and stops. They use the DIAD toscan the package which then sends all the information of that package to the customer and the data center. All packages are alwaysprocess through the package center before delivery.3. Wireless communication is important to the UPS systems due to all of the drivers information being held on the DIAD which gets itssignal from a wireless cell phone tower. In order to get information updated efficiently to customers and to the data center thenwireless communication is a huge role, also so that the driver has up to date information and can get any informatio n immediately ifsomething has changed to their route.4. Information technology has transformed the package delivery business due to it allowing a more efficient business because it allowsthe driver to get all information needed as soon as possible so that he knows if their is changes to his rout or pickups, Informationtechnology is also good for the employer to know the where about of their employee at all times. Information technology also savesmoney.

Ghost in Hamlet

The Role of the Ghost in Hamlet by William Shakespeare The role of the ghost in Hamlet is twofold: firstly it is to create   interest; secondly it is to further the narrative of the play. Shakespeare recognized that he needed to create interest in the   audience from the very first scene of the play. The play opens with a conversation between Officers of the Watch who   patrol the Battlements of Elsinore castle. Their talk is of a  ghost   who has appeared before twice previously: † What, has this thing appeared again tonight? † Immediately this arouses the audience's curiosity.What is the nature   of ‘this thing' that has appeared? Horatio, who has not seen the ghost, voices the scepticism that some   of the audience may have been feeling: † Tush, Tush, 'twill not appear†. Suspense is therefore created in the minds of the audience i. e. will   the ghost actually appear; does the ghost exist? The character of Horatio is contrasted with th at of Barnardo,   Francisco and Marcellus. Barnardo, Francisco and Marcellus are believers in the ghost, whereas   Horatio, who is highly educated, unlike Barnardo, Francisco and   Marcellus, questions the ghost existence.When the ghost finally appears in line 40, cutting short Barnardo's   line, it is a moment of high drama resulting from the tension that has   been created. The appearance of the ghost has a  huge impact  on both the characters   and the audience (who together with Horatio see the ghost for the   first time). Horatio, sceptic, expresses his fear and amazement in the   first line he speaks since seeing the ghost: â€Å"aâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. It harrows me with fear and wonder†. The audience would have been filled with similar emotions on seeing   the ghost, and would have realised that the appearance of the ghost   signifies that something is wrong.Elizabethans believed that only   people who died without the chance of confessing their sins w alked the   earth as troubled spirits. Horatio questions the ghost, which   disappears mysteriously without speaking. When the ghost fails to   speak, it adds to the tension of the scene and the apprehension of the   characters. The ghost makes a second appearance in Act 1 Scene 1 after Horatio has   talked about preparations for war with Norway. This sets up the idea   in the minds of the audience that the ghost may have something to do   with the on going war, but, again the ghost does not speak, and so the   audience is left with unanswered questions.This sense of mystery   sustains interest and builds suspense in the preparation for scene 2. At this point the nature of the ghost is ambiguous. Is it a good   ghost, it appears in the form of Old  Hamlet, or is it an â€Å"erring   spirit†? It disappeared when the cock crowed i. e. at first light. The audience   would have known that light represent goodness, and dark represents   evil. Horatio co mments: â€Å"And then it started like a guilty thing†. The audience would have been left wondering why the word ‘guilty' had   been applied to the ghost. Is the ghost to be trusted, or not?The   only thing person who can decide is Hamlet: â€Å"Let us impart what we have seen tonight unto young Hamletaâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. † In the next scene Horatio tells Hamlet after some prevarication, that   he has seen his fathers ghost. Hamlet is thoroughly depressed because   his mother Gertrude, has re-married very quickly. To make matters   worse, she has married Claudius, Old Hamlets brother, whom young   Hamlet mis-trusts. This is a man â€Å"With one auspicious and one dropping eye† Which an Elizabethan audience, would have recognized as the sign of a   hypocrite.Horatio describes the ghost to Hamlet, emphasising that the ghost   appears to look like Old Hamlet: â€Å"aâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. A figure like your father armed exactly, cap-a-pe† And is dressed in armour. Hamlet wants to know everything about the   ghost, where it appeared, whether it spoke etc, and through his short,   excited questions which he utters in quick succession, reinforces the   mystery and ambiguity of the ghost, thus building the audiences   anticipation of the second appearance of the spirit. The scene closes with Hamlet arranging to take the watch on the   battlements that night, in order to meet with the ghost.He asks the   others to keep quiet about the appearance of the ghost. The ghost appears to Hamlet in Act1, Scene 4. Immediately, the   ambiguous nature of the ghost is addressed. Hamlet himself says, â€Å"Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin damned† , Meaning is the ghost to be trusted, or is it some evil creature come   to destroy? The ghost refuses to speak in front of the others, but beckons Hamlet   away to speak with him alone. Marcellus and Horatio are suspicious of   the ghost intentions: Marcellus. â€Å"But do not go with it† Horatio. â€Å"No, by no means†.Eventually, almost fighting off his companions with a sword, Hamlet   follows the ghost and they are alone. In scene 5, the role of the ghost moves from creating interest and   suspense, to the function of moving on the narrative and plot line. Hamlet is not naturally a man of action, and, although suspicious of   his Uncle Claudius, would not have tried to find out more about the   circumstances surrounding his father's death. It is the appearance of   the ghost that forces Hamlet to take action, and therefore moves on   the action of the play. The ghost begins by telling that he is in purgatory. Doomed for a certain term to walk the night† Hamlet must have felt puzzled and, at the same time, full of wonder   and despair at the terrible situation his father is in. When his   father finally reveals that he was murdered, Hamlet is overwhelmed. To   make matters worse, the ghost then asks Hamlet to re venge his murder. Ghost. â€Å"If ever thou didst ever thy dear father loveaâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. † Hamlet. â€Å"O God! † Ghost. â€Å"Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder†. Like Hamlet, at this point, the audience would want to know more. The questions that have been posed in Scene 1 are finally about to be   answered.When the ghost reveals that he was murdered by Claudius,   Hamlet reacts with: â€Å"O my prophetic soul! My uncle? † Hamlet had suspected from the beginning that his uncle was the   complete opposite of Old Hamlet in appearance, personality and action. Now his worse fears have been confirmed. His mother has married a   murderer! Before the ghost leaves, Hamlet swears to revenge his   murder. To make matters worse, the ghost describes the horrific nature of his   death, by poison and the fact that he died without having confessed   his sins: â€Å"With all my imperfections on my head†.This is in sharp contrast with the gl ib statement made by Claudius to   Hamlet concerning the death of his father: â€Å"aâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. All that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity† Finally, at the end of the scene Hamlet rejoins the others and   confirms that the ghost is not evil but, â€Å"It is an honest ghostaâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. † He makes his friends swear to keep the existence of the ghost a   secret. The cries of the unseen ghost â€Å"SWEAR, SWEAR† whom Hamlet calls   â€Å"old mole†, reinforce Hamlet's insistence in secrecy. Interestingly,   only Hamlet can hear the ghost.Is Hamlet ‘really' going mad? The final appearance of the ghost follows the pivotal scene. Up to   this point there has been little action-taking place. Instead the play   consists of building up characters, making motives and giving the   audience information. After this the action increases dramatically in   pace. Hamlet has the opportunity to kill Claudius, but fails because   h e believes that Claudius is praying. If he had known that Claudius   cannot pray: â€Å"My words fly up my thoughts remain below, Words without thought never to heaven go†Presumably, Hamlet would have killed Claudius and the play would be   over. It is possible that Hamlet used the situation as an excuse for   the deed he was afraid to do. Therefore, when Hamlet confronts Gertrude he is full of frustration   and anguish at his inability to act. In this scene, Hamlet almost   loses his self-control and perhaps is truly â€Å"mad†. Having killed   Polonius, it is only the entrance of the ghost that prevents Hamlet   from harming his mother. This time, the ghost appears, not in armour, but â€Å"aâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. In his habit as he liv'd† In other words, dressed in every-day clothes.The ghost has changed;   no longer the warrior king seeking revenge for his murder, the ghost   is more insubstantial a quieter, gentler ghost perhaps because it is   ne arer to oblivion. This ties in with the ghost's speech back in Act 1   Scene 5 when he says: â€Å"I am thy fathers spirit, Doomed for a certain term to walk the night† This time only, Hamlet can see the ghost, which begs the question, is   the ghost really there, or is Hamlet quite mad? The role of the ghost in this scene is primarily to remind Hamlet of   his promise. â€Å"Do not forgetaâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦. â€Å"However, the ghost also serves as a reproof to Hamlet, exhorting him   to be gentle with Gertrude. † Oh step between her and her fighting soul: Conceit in weakest bodies strongest works† Having delivered its message, the ghost simply slips away. In this   scene, in contrast to earlier scenes in which the ghost appears, there   is no knocking from underneath the stage, the ghost merely â€Å"steals   away†. From this moment, the play gathers pace as Claudius attempt to have   Hamlet killed, Ophelia's commits suicide in her madness, and the final   scene of the play ends in a blood bath.From the very first dramatic appearance of the ghost the whole plot is   set in motion towards inexorable scene of murder and mayhem at the end   of the play. Hamet appears to regain his sanity; we as an audience wonder was he   ever mad and if so was his madness incurred by the ghost. In conclusion it could be stated the ambiguity of the ghost is never   resolved. This is questioned again because as a result of the ghost,   the majority of the characters die. Therefore despite Hamlets thoughts   of the ghost, in the end the audience wonder is the ghost and its   intentions really, true and good or actually bad and evil