Language competition in the Tongue Essay

Learning a second language has been proven to be a worthwhile experience to many individuals from different nations across the world who wanted to engage in world affairs and fruitful foreign correspondences despite the difficulties that they encountered in the initial steps they took in completing the second language course. Some linguists have noted that the linguistic journey for the purpose of learning a second language becomes difficult when the learner mentally entertains notions that the second language will be extremely difficult to understand, and will be almost impossible to use in daily conversations. Fortunately, some second language teachers know this kind of fear so they train the learners to trust in themselves and allow the experience of learning a second language to be as much fun as possible. However, no motivation can change the fact that learning a second language is not really easy. The good news is the task is not impossible to achieve at all. One can learn a second language when one is determined to do so. What could make learning a second language easier is always the level of enthusiasm and willingness to practice and overcome the difficulties in learning. Learning a second language poses three layers of difficulties: 1. ) flexing the old tongue to be familiar with the phonology of the new language, 2. ) uttering the phonemes and morphemes of the new lexicon without interference from the first language, and ultimately, 3. ) being able to use the new lexicon correctly in sentences and conversations. First, the phonology is observed, and then absorbed by the learner. Phonology is the study of the sound system of a given language and the analysis and classification of its phonemes?. Humans begin to perceive phonemes of their first language even before one reaches a year old. This set of sounds is retained to memory and used throughout one’s life unless a second language is introduced. Naturally, the first language will interfere with the perception and utterance of the new phonemes at the initial stage of learning because the first phonemes have already been solidly established in the part of the brain that processes sounds and speech. Over time, and through constant exposure to and practice of the second language, the new phonemes will have its place in the memory and will be processed by the brain in a distinct manner. The time that it would take for the phonemes of the second language to be fully independent from the first phonemes varies from person to person, specifically from one’s willingness to learn. Some learners never get past the overlapping phonemes of two or more languages in their perception, while those who try harder are able to distinguish and express one from another. After the phonemes comes the morphemes, the smallest units of speech that convey meaning.? Prior to using the second language in conversations one has to be even slightly familiar to some morphemes. At the initial stage of learning morphemes of the second language, one will initially meet interference by the first language. This concept — ? As defined in www. hyperdictionary. com. ? www. hyperdictionary. com. of linguistic interference is called code-mixing. Code-mixing is the use of elements (phonological, lexical, morphosyntactic) from two languages in the same utterance or stretch of conversation (Genesee & Nicoladi 12). It is also normal among bilinguals, as they use code mixing to adjust their brain in learning the new lexicon, using the first language as point of reference, not necessarily or immediately point of translation. Eventually, learners gather more words into their memory and later become competent in distinguishing one code from the other. Morphemes should not keep the learner from trying to learn more about the second language because this stage will define the final stage in learning a second language, its actual use in complete sensible sentences. The third layer of difficulty in learning a second language is actually using the new language in sentences and conversations. It is expected that learners of a second language would struggle with morphemes, as discussed above. The manner in which learners adjust to learning morphemes should also be applied to avoid committing morphological overgeneralization in the new language. Morphological overgeneralization is inability to distinguish the different ways in which grammatical rules apply differently in two or more languages. It can be seen in some English language learners who may initially prefer non-finite forms (e. g. , she go) before they use finite (e. g. , she goes) forms in their utterance and written sentences. Practically, this is a problem under grammatical errors. But since it is covered by the morphology of the new language that is trying to be absorbed and put into practice, the error becomes classified as morphological overgeneralization (Paradis & Genesee, 2). Another example of morphological overgeneralization is inadvertently applying lexicon grammar twice in an utterance or sentence. For instance, language learners who know that the past tense of â€Å"halt† is â€Å"halted† are likely to forget in the early stages of their learning process that there are some exemptions in adding â€Å"-ed† to indicate the past tense. To give a specific example, the past tense of â€Å"go† is â€Å"went;† but some learners might use â€Å"wented† in their speech. Teachers and tutors of second language learners have to be extremely patient and very creative in their job. If they give more details about the language and more examples for common usage, then the learners will have more fun in learning. On the other hand, learners of a second language should find inspiration from foreigners across the world who dared to study new languages and are now competent bilinguals or multilinguals. References: Genesee, F. , & Nicoladis, E. (2006). Bilingual acquisition. In E. Hoff & M. Shatz (eds. ), Handbook of Language Development, Oxford, Eng. : Blackwell. Online Dictionary. 12 Mar 2007. http://www. hyperdictionary. com Paradis, J. & Genesee, F. (1996). Syntactic acquisition in bilingual children: Autonomous or interdependent? Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 18, 1-2.

How Do Social Networks Affect Secondary Student Education? Essay

Looking at most students, we have changed since the beginning of 2000. We can’t live without social networks; it has become a part of our daily routine. Online social media sites have gained worldwide growth and popularity, which has led to attracting attention from a variety of global researches. Secondary students use social networks as a mode to communicate and find answers and information about everything. According to current various research studies, it has been revealed that in modern society social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp have become issues to secondary students: they affect students’ health and performance at school, reduce their free time, keep them away from the family, have a bad influence, grammatically change them, and leave open to cyber-bullying. As the young generation tends to spend many hours on social networks, they spend less time on education. However, education is an essential part of an individual’s life. For every teenager, education should be the most important thing. Today, teenagers show much interest in using social networks, but, unfortunately, social networks affect education in a negative way (Kuppuswamy, Narayan 67). Social networks grab the total attention and concentration of the students and divert them towards non-educational, unethical and inappropriate actions such as useless chatting, wasting time by random searching and not doing their homework. Students are also not able to get rid of this addiction during lecture hours; therefore, their concentration decreases and this negatively affects their ability to learn new topics. According to Daily Mail, â€Å"Experts have confirmed what parents and teachers already feared – youngsters who use Facebook do worse on exams† (Clarke 1). The usage of social networks among younger children is high and growing rapidly. â€Å"The research showed that 68% of students who used Facebook had a significantly lower GPA† (Clarke 1). Moreover, Facebook rituals such as ‘liking pictures’, ‘poking’ other users and adding applications, can swallow up hours of study time (Clarke 1). According to other surveys, the  use of smartphones to access social network sites during class does not only affect students’ concentration, it also distracts students’ from listening and memorizing important information. Inevitably, their exam results fall dramatically. In The Impact of Mobile Phone Usage on Student Learning, Scott Titsworth and Jeffrey Kuznekoff have shared their survey results. In their survey, there are three student groups. The first group is the control group, who are banned from using their mobile phones during lecture hour. The second group is more free in using of their mobile phones than the first group. The third group, called the high-distraction group, is totally free to use their mobile phones during lessons. According to survey results, the control group is the most successful in exams, their free recall and note details are much better than other groups. The high-distraction group is the worst in all of the areas. Their short-time memories were affected negatively because of their use of the mobile phones (233). In Negative Effects of Social Networking Sites for Students, Steve Armstrong writes: â€Å"Students today have begun to rely on the accessibility of information that is available on the social media platforms specifically as well as the web in general in order to get answers. This means that there is a reduced focus on learning as well as on retaining information† (Armstrong 1). As a result usage of mobile phone during lecture hours has a significant effect on students’ exam results and memory. Similarly, social networking can impact health. One of the biggest problems is that the phone and computer screens have been proven to cause eyestrain, leading to poor eyesight. The little movement, when they are staring at a screen has been proven to lead to muscle weakness, less muscle development and, in some cases, bone loss. A number of studies have found characteristics of social networks to be strongly associated with health outcomes for a range of physical and psychiatric conditions, and even with mortality rates (Salzinger, Antrobus, and Hammer 2). To prove this statement, nowadays lots of teenagers are wearing glasses or contact lenses. That tells me that using social networks when it’s not needed, may lead you for a health problems. An article titled Are Social Networking Sites Turning Teens into Substance Abusers? tells the reader statistics about how much more likely teenagers are to drink or smoke after being on social networking  sites. â€Å"†¦teens that use Facebook on a daily basis are three times more likely to drink alcohol and twice as likely to use marijuana than those who do not use Facebook† (Jaslow part 2). Moreover, an article called The impact of Social Media on Children states that the likelihood of children who use social network often, can increase their chances of them getting in trouble or becoming depressed (Gwenn, Clarke-Pearson 1). Social networks like Facebook have a large impact on secondary students, often causing depression. The Telegraph reported a survey that found out that â€Å"53 percent of participants said social media sites had changed their behavior, while 51 percent of these said the change had been negative†. Furthermore, two thirds of participants have difficulty relaxing and sleeping after using websites, while â€Å"55 percent felt worried and uncomfortable when they are unable to log onto their social media accounts† (Dunneli 1). As well as that, 28 percent of young Facebook users, uses it †all the time†. Along with those problems, social media bullying has been consistent problem for teenagers. Since the increase in the usage of social network, it has become easier for people to target one another. Prospective problems such as cyber bullying, sexting and inappropriate behavior can occur without the appropriate monitoring by parents and the lack of regulation associated with today’s youth and young individuals. Sexting occurs among the teen population; a recent survey revealed, â€Å"20% of teens have sent or posted nude or seminude photographs or videos of themselves† (National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy 1). Severe, â€Å"frequent cyber bullying can leave both victims and bullies at greater risk for anxiety, depression, and other stress related disorders† (Cyberbullying 1). â€Å"The most common form of cyber bullying is through messages on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and instant messaging† (Cyber-bullying 1). In some rare but highly publicized cases, some kids have turned to suicide. (Cyberbullying 1). For example, a few years ago a girl named Amanda Todd was cyber-bullied, which caused her to commit suicide. Before her death, she posted a video where she told how she was blackmailed into exposing herself online. After pictures were posted on Facebook, an online bullying campaign began and the 15 years old girl eventually committed a suicide (Six Unforgettable CyberBullying Cases 1). Another example is the story about Megan Meier. She struggled with  attention deficit disorder and depression in addiction to issues with her weight. About a week before her death, a boy named Josh Evans asked Megan to be friends on the social network, MySpace. They began to communicate regularly, although they never met each other. â€Å"Megan had a lifelong struggle with weight and self-esteem,† Tina said on the Foundation website. â€Å"And now she finally had a boy who she thought really thought she was pretty.† However, after Josh didn’t want to be friends with her and become more cruel by telling her â€Å"The world would be a better place without you.† The cyber bullying increased when her classmates and friends on MySpace began writing bad messages. Megan couldn’t read it all and went to her room, leaving her computer opened and hanged herself in her bedroom closet. She died three weeks before her 14th birthday (Six Unforgettable CyberBullying Cases 1). Correspondingly to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people with approximately 4,400 deaths every year. Many individuals feel that they cannot handle the impact of being bullied on social media and the stress related to it. Social media bullying makes people feel helpless and increases the risk of individuals who are being bullied to feel as if they will be the talk of the school or town. Bullying for the most part has been a continual problem in society. Parents need to educate their children on safer ways to use social media platforms in order to potentially avoid the blitz that is now referred to as social media bullying. Correspondingly, social media influences teenagers greatly. For example, let’s take teenage girls; they believe that to exemplify beauty, you have to be thin like a model, as well as that advertisements encourage them what to wear or how to look. Another example is that media sites display multiple advertisements such as banner ads and behavior ads that influence teenagers by showing bad example such as smoking, drinking alcohol and using drugs. There are lots of social networks that operate by gathering information on the person and make them buy a product or use it. Such powerful influences start as soon as children begin to go online (Wilcox, Kunkel, Cantor, Dowrick, Linn, Palmer 2-3). In the same way, social media affect teenager’s grammar. Grammar structures, syntax, proper spelling are replaced by easier type of words, which are called ‘slang’. Teens have become quite adept at both thumbing and writing improper text where after they start to use it everywhere, even in their school assignments. Knowledge of grammar and spelling is lost and this degradation negatively affects students’ study. The researchers of New Media & Society passed out a survey that asked students to detail their texting habits, such as how many texts they send and receive, as well as their opinion on the importance of texting. The researchers also asked participants to note the number of adaptations in their last three sent and received text messages. Of the 542 surveys distributed, students completed and returned 228, or 42.1 percent (Matt Swayne, and Andrea Elyse Messer). Usually, when work is done, most teenagers spend their time online, chatting with friends or just scrolling down the news feed rather than do something helpful or getting enough sleep. As the research showed â€Å"the average teenager gets just seven-and-a-half hours’ sleep a night, despite needing eight to ten hours.†(Carey 1). According to the Sleep Foundation, as many as 65 percent of children are estimated to suffer from significant sleep deprivation. Hundreds of thousands of children here also have sleep disorders, including insomnia. By the time these children are in their teens, using smartphones and tablets into the early hours has become so established that it has its own name, ‘vamping’, named after the adolescent vampires who never sleep in the â€Å"Twilight† books and films (Carey 1). Social researcher Danah Boyd, author of the book It’s Complicated: The Social Lives Of Networked Teens, says that young people would rather be chronically tired and resort to subterfuge than give up what they regard as ‘me time’ late at night (Carey 1).â€Å"The Vampire CHILDREN† article showed and an example of a girl who spends her free time using social networks. â€Å"I snap really easily. My patience disappears and I just want everything on the spot,† she says, â€Å"I stay up until the messages stop. Then I see the time and panic that I’ve got to get up soon.† Being addicted to the social network can be one of the problems too. According to the Washington Post, 14-year old Ben Knight was asked about how he spends his time â€Å"From the time I get home until I go to  bed, I’m usually on my computer† (Ahuja 1). As stated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2011 American Time Use Survey, high school students spent on average less than an hour per weekday on sports, exercise and recreation (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 1). Although many people around the world use social networking, it should only be used as a tool. Social networking aids long distance communication greatly, but there must be a stopping point. It cannot become our main form of communication and interaction. If we continue overusing these sites, then it will keep affecting our communication, self-expression, bullying, health, friendship and performance at school, grammar and influence in negative ways. There is nothing that can substitute for personal interaction. Social networking is the problem and we must eliminate its overuse by finding hobby or something that you are interested in. Schedule more quality time away from technology driven activities. Work Cited Armstrong, Steve. â€Å"Negative Effects of Social Networking Sites for Students.† Performancing (2012). 25 Mr.2015 â€Å"American Time Use Survey Summary.† U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 18 June 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2015. â€Å"Cyberbullying.† KidsHealth – the Web’s Most Visited Site about Children’s Health. Ed. Larissa Hirsch. The Nemours Foundation, 01 June 2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2015. Craig Smith. â€Å"By the Numbers: 200+ Amazing Facebook Users Statistics.† Expanded Ramblings. DMR, 6 Apr. 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2015 â€Å"Cyber-Bullying.† What Is Social Networking -. Social Networking, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2015. Jaslow, Ryan. â€Å" Are social networking sites turning teens into substance abusers? – HealthPop – CBS News.† Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News – CBS News, 26 Aug.2011. Web. 14 March 2015. Gwenn Schurgin O’Keeffe MD, and Kathleen Clarke-Pearson MD. â€Å"The Im pact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Familie.† The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families. The American Academy of Pediatrics, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. Kunkel D, Wilcox BL, Cantor J, Palmer E, Linn S, Dowrick P. Report of the APA Task Force on Advertising and Children. Section: psychological aspects of commercialization of childhood. February 2004. 25 Mar.2015 Kuznekoff, Jeffrey H., and Scott Titsworth. â€Å"The Impact of Mobile Phone Usage on Student Learning.† Communication Education. Routledge, 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. Laura Clarke. â€Å"F Grade for Facebook; Students Who Spend Too Much Time on Social Networks Falling Behind in School.† Daily Mail (London), 13 Apr. 2009. Web. 09 Mar. 2015. Laura Dunneli. â€Å"Facebook and Twitter Feed Anxiety, Study Finds.† The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 8 July 2012. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. Masuma Ahuja. â€Å"Teens Are Spending More Time Consuming Media, on Mobile Devices.† Washington Post. The Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. Matt Swayne, and Andrea Elyse Messer. â€Å"No LOL Matter: Tween Texting May Lead to Poor Grammar Skills | Penn State University.† Penn State News, 25 July 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2015. National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Sex and Tech: Results of a Survey of Teens and Young Adults. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy; 2008. 25 Mar.2015 S. Kuppuswamy, P. B. Shankar Narayan, â€Å"The Impact of Social Netwo rking Websites on the Education of Youth†, In International Journal of Virtual Communities and Social Networking, Vol. 2, Issue 1, page 67-79, January-March 2010. 15 Mar. 2015 Suzanne Salzinger, John Antrobus, and Muriel Hammer. â€Å"The First Compendium of Social Network Research Focusing on Children and Young Adult.† Google Books. New York State Psychiatric Institute, 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2015. â€Å"Six Unforgettable CyberBullying Cases.† NoBullyingExpert Advice on Bullying Cyber Bullying. No Bullying, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. Tanith Carey. â€Å"The Vampire CHILDREN; Hooked on IPads and Mobiles Late into the Night, They Hardly Sleep. Here Experts Reveal the Terrifying Toll on the Generation Dubbed. ..I Can Be on Social Networks until 3am. I Look at the Screens So Much My Eyes Burn and I Get Headaches.† Daily Mail (London), 12 Feb. 2015. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.

The Alamo

The movie started out with Sam Houston attempting to talk individuals into miming to Texas, promising them 640 acres of their choosing, but there was no mention of receiving a League of Land. The movie did a good job on depicting the habits of the characters, showing their attitudes and drinking habits. It also showed how concerning Travis was about his uniform. There was no mention of Daniel Cloud being the one to ring the bell; instead it mentioned someone spotting the Mexican Army while they were Norte to the Alamo.Within 24 hours of Santa Ana arriving, he sent a courier under a hit flag to negotiate surrender which was not shown in the movie. It did however show Bowie ride out to negotiate, and Travis firing the cannon in anger. Shortly into the siege it did show Bowie becoming sick from consumption, eventually becoming bedridden because of it. There was only a brief reading from Trivia's ‘Victory or Death† letter with no mention of the P. S. At the end of the letter. The movie showed a small Mexican detachment fire at the Alamo to size up the forces within.When the decision to burn the village was sought UT, in the movie it showed Davys Crockett by himself setting the village ablaze. In the movie there was no mention of one of the 32 men that came to the aide of the Alamo being shot by friendly fire as they were approaching the mission. On the Mexican side of the battle, Santa Ana said he was waiting for Sam Houston to enter the Alamo to attack, with no mention that they were actually waiting for the larger cannon.During Trivia's speech to his men, he didn't specifically mention the fact that Fanning was not coming and when he was knishes with it he didn't do the sword in sand. In the book it was only said that the Mexican band played the song on the morning of the attack, however in the movie the played it every morning. During the Mexican assault on the Alamo, in the movie there was not 3 distinct attacks just one large one. Trivia's â€Å"T he Mexicans are upon us, give them hell† was not shown in the movie before he was killed.Davys Crockett was shown as the only survivor of the Alamo, and there was no mention of Emily Dickinson. During the Battle of San Action there were quite a few quite few things that were off in the movie from the historical facts of the battle, from the location of the bridge, who was set in first, and placement of the Calvary. There was also no mention of TX Rusk informing Sam Houston that they had Santa Ana, but it did show Santa Ana in the lesser uniform. Overall the film was very well done and showed most of the historical facts about the Alamo, and was suspenseful enough to keep anyone's attention.The actual historical facts should have been a little more researched and hon. more distinct fully, such as when Travis did the â€Å"Sword in the Sand† speech. In the movie where it showed Travis dispatching Caps Segueing, Travis told Segueing that he chose him due to his knowledge o f the area. After doing a little research I discovered that Caps. Segueing was voted to deliver the letter to Houston despite Travis wanting him to stay for his knowledge of Mexican Customs and for the fact that he spoke the language. Anytime a movie is made such as â€Å"The Alamo† utmost attention to detail should be taken for factorization.

Financial and Strategic Planning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Financial and Strategic Planning - Assignment Example ugh this venture, the hospital’s management will establish the feasibility, stability and the expected benefits of their ambitious plans and projects. Identifying the financial trends starts with report preparations generated by ratios or financial statements’ information, plus other financial reports. The Hospital decision makers will prop up their decisions on these findings and conclusions. Hospital profitability is a sure trend that ought to be assessed by the responsible financial analysts. Assessing the facility’s profitability entails establishing its income-earning ability plus the ability to protract growth in the long-term and short-term periods (Evans, 2000). Solvency is also a trend that ought to be addressed by the hospital. Solvency is the hospital’s ability to fulfill commitments to creditors plus other variant third parties, both in the short and long-term periods. Another trend worth looking at is the liquidity aspect of the hospital. This is translates to the hospital’s capacity to maintain positive income flow, and meeting immediate obligations. Solvency and Liquidity will be derived from the entity’s balance sheet which will outline the financial state of the hospital from specific time point(s). Stability trend of the hospital ought to be drawn to portray the hospital’s capability to stay put in operation. Deriving the stability trend will unearth the hospital’s capability to remain fully functional without sustaining major losses when in full-swing operation. The hospital’s management ought to look at labor trends where forecasts on the labor needs and the anticipated production as pertains the expansion of the facility. Decrease or increase of production will translate to alterations on production-related costs and other variant support services (Evans, 2000). This is linked to administrative trends that have characterized the hospital’s management and operations. Administrative trends encompass issues such as

Problems with African Democracy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Problems with African Democracy - Research Paper Example To better understand the main challenges that Democracy has faced in Africa, it is important to briefly look at the history of Democracy in Africa. As Samuel Decalo argues in his book Psychosis of Power: African Personal Dictatorship, the struggle for independence in Africa since the first half of the twentieth century was based on the view that the colonized people had the right and the ability to determine their political destinies on the basis of self-determination (Decalo, 1989). Decalo goes ahead to argue in this book that many African countries embraced democracy as an ideal system of governance because democracy offered all the citizens of a country the opportunity to participate in the decision making of their countries. Decalo goes ahead to argue that African countries embraced Democracy because they were tired of the authoritarian rule of the colonizers and they therefore wanted a system of governance that would ensure that all the citizens of their countries would participate in making crucial decision of their countries. However, when many African countries became independent from late 1950s up to the early 1990s, what followed was a history of authoritarian regimes and many coup d’à ©tats (Owusu, 1991).  In his article â€Å"Democracy and Africa- A view from the Village†, Owusu says that from 1960 up to 1990, more than thirty African countries had experienced either a coup d’à ©tat, or an abortive coup d’à ©tat.  

Harlem Renaissance Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Harlem Renaissance - Article Example It has also opened for future blacks and has a big impact on succeeding consciousness and black literature worldwide. As it is not limited to the district of Harlem in New York, it attracted a huge attention of talent and intellect and acted as the pillar of this awakening of culture. This renaissance has lots of black culture sources, basically of the Caribbean and America and manifests itself even outside Harlem. Being a symbolic capital, it fuels high popular nightlife and experimentation destination. It enables blacks to get publication opportunities and visibilities as ever before due to its location. Being in a city with an extraordinary decentred and diverse social atmosphere with no one cultural authority, it has still proved to be a rich place for experiment in culture. Primitivism affected the movement since it was established on earlier cultures and traditions of blacks (Lewis et al, pp 129). The avant-garde artists in Europe have drawn motivation from African view since they departed from real styles of representations towards sculpture and painting abstraction. Therefore, such experimental pride made black intellectuals view the heritage of Africa in a new

Racial identity politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Racial identity politics - Essay Example THESIS STATEMENT: Despite the fact that Marable’s vision of resolving the issue of racial identity politics might seem rather radical and somewhat inconsistent with the ideas of other black leaders/scholars (for example, in his approach to the nationalist or integrationist movement), Marable provides a well thought out redirection of U.S. racial politics to a wider scope of activities and produces a new and meaningful understanding of race. Marable’s Interpretation of Race The perspective on dealing with racial issues within the contemporary American politics and economy, as expressed in Beyond Black and White: Transforming African-American Politics, is left, or, better, radically left. Specifically, in his interpretation of race, Marable relies on the primary role of class oppression. He observes the difficulty of disconnecting the national identity from the privilege which opposes the definition of race. This privilege, according to Marable, is determined by the super ior status of the white who comes from the upper class and is stereotypically a male. Yet, unlike the majority of thinkers, Marable does not contemplate the race in terms of White/Black opposition, but he sees race as the concept which lies at the intersections with many other types of subordination. Indeed, racism in the United States concerns not just African Americans, but also Asians, Native Americans, Latinos, Pacific Americans, as well as other people on the ground of ethnicity, color, mannerisms, or culture (Marable 5). Guided by historical materialism and Marxist approach in particular, Marable redefines the concept of race in the context of contemporary changes in economic and political life. According to Marable, rather than focusing on a narrow opposition between African Americans and whites, one should strive to develop a complex vision of the race’s instrumentality. This may well be explained by the changes in the fundamental structure of the United States econom y, for example, a flood of legal as well as illegal workers from the countries of the Third World, who basically redefined the meaning of race. This has led to considerable political consequences for all parts and classes within the American society. The innovative approach to interpretation of race found in Marable’s text takes the reader beyond the limited duality of the racial politics centered on black and white opposition. His vision of race is based on reconsidering the essence of â€Å"blackness† in African-Americans’ consciousness and political identity. Hence, the concept of race – of blackness – needs to be redefined both ideologically and with regard to material terms. This is necessitated by the fact that hundreds of thousands of people of Afro-American, Hispanic, and Caribbean origin move to the United States and get assimilated within numerous cities with other non-whites. Therefore, diversity and complexity are two crucial concepts t hat characterize black family relationship, religious affiliations, cultural traditions, and languages. This means that the

D5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

D5 - Essay Example The management style adopted is a bit informal with minimal supervision from the managers (Johnson, 2013). However, despite the obvious advantages, the company’s pay does not match the physical and manual output rendered, coupled with the long working hours of the employees (bad work/home life balance). In addition, there’s a communication disconnect between management and employees in the smaller branches, since communication is heavily centered on the big stores. There is need for improvement in management structure to curtail inefficiencies in distribution and sales sectors and promote educated personnel. The company’s market and growth opportunities lie in partnering with the 8th Wonder Brewery and distribution to sport franchises. According to Corenbleth, Glazer’s is a competitor of Silver Eagles Distributors and deals with the distribution of alcoholic beverage such as spirits, malts and wines. The company’s distribution not only covers the U.S (Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, Arizona, and Oklahoma) but other countries such as Canada. The company, which was founded in 1909, has more than 100 employees and a sales revenue of around $3.8 billion. Just like Silver Eagles Distributors, its good financial position has contributed to its low risk credit rating. However, despite the similarities, Glazer’s has a bigger distribution network and has been ranked as among one of the top 150 biggest private companies by Forbes (Corenbleth, 2011). Stanford-McIntyre states that some of the advantages of the company include the high quality of their products, effective distribution network and competitive wage structure for their employees, good work/home life balance and strong job security. However, there are some disadvantages such as the poor wage structure for sales personnel and insufficient room for career

Economic (OPEC Research Project) Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Economic (OPEC Project) - Research Paper Example This is because oil price is based on US dollar. The change in the value of dollar and how the currency of the importing nation is adjusted with the value of dollar determines the price and hence the demand for oil (Elekdag, 2007) OPEC try to maintain stability in oil supply by decreasing or increasing the amount of oil its member countries produce. They have spare capacity of oil production. OPEC has 80% of the oil reserves in the world. This enables them to supply oil to meet increased demand (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, 2010). The economic growth in many countries is enhancing the demand for oil. The world is dependent on oil as an energy source because alternative sources of energy are not available and those that are available are expensive. United States leads in oil import. The increasing number of vehicles and increase in population has increased the demand for oil (Elekdag, 2007). The world’s most powerful countries are dependent on OPEC for their oil supply. OPEC has oligopoly in the oil market. They have an impact on industrial society. They have a big role to play in the economic development of nations. Their power is demonstrated by the fact that the economies of the world will come to a standstill if they stop their oil supply. They can use this fact for their political advantage to increase their power and control the powerful economies of the world (Goodlaw & Et. Al., 2003). The Federal government has not been able to change their energy policies because the dependence on oil of these countries has not yet been reduced. Alternative sources of energy are not available. The energy policy is a sensitive issue and thus they could not afford to bring about a major change that could result in difficult situations (Obama Biden, 2010). The Federal policy should be reviewed. Overdependence on oil makes the country vulnerable and threatens national security. Alternative sources of energy like biofuels should be used.

A comparative analysis of international business environment in china Essay

A comparative analysis of international business environment in china and russia to determine which of these countries is in better position to succeed in the new global economy - Essay Example In light of this, globalization refers to the progression towards unifying business interactions across the global platform as opposed to within a given country or organization’s locality. It is the framework upon which international business is structured, and is the direction that business transactions are taking in recent times. However, there are various conditions that define the international business environment, and as such, this affects the success rates of various nations in succeeding in the new global economy. To this end, a comparative evaluation between Russia and China can highlight their viability in the new global economy. As such, Russia stands a better chance of succeeding in the international business environment and being the future of the new global economy when analyzed against China. For a start, Russia’s foray into the international platform started with its rich history as highlighted by its supremacy during the cold war. The cold war was a period of military and power tussle between the countries of the eastern and western blocks after the end of the 2nd World War (Bellacqua 2010, p. 99). The Western Bloc was largely represented by the United States while the Eastern Bloc was represented by Russia, then known as the USSR, and its allies. The cold war was largely psychological and never developed into a full-blown war. However, by being part of it, Russia gained a lot of exposure and experience in worldly relations and overall familiarity with international participation in matters of both national and international interest (Levin 2008, p. 154). As such, this gives it a much needed head start in being a globalization and international business powerhouse, as it has better experience in international relations. In order to succeed in globalization, inte rnational relations is of particularly significant importance as international business involved relations between nations and regions in

One of the themes of block 5 is the way in which characters may be Essay

One of the themes of block 5 is the way in which characters may be portrayed in prose fiction, and in drama. Select two characters from different works studied - Essay Example Euripides and Shaw bring out these traits by allowing the characters to express their feelings, giving them social status which goes a long way in defining them as individuals and exploring their sensitivity. In this regard both writers have used direct as well as indirect methods of characterization. Euripides uses the technique of exposition to give an insight into Medea’s character and to provide a history of her background thus far. The nurse delivers this introduction and at the very onset, we are able to divine her personality and a glimmer of the devastation she is capable of wreaking on those who unwisely cross her. According to the nurse, â€Å"Her mind thinks in extremes†¦ She’ll not put up with being treated badly†, she is a creature of violent passions and has committed horrifying acts in the name of love, but now her ardent love has soured and â€Å"She’s a dangerous woman† (Euripides, 2006)1. Thus his Medea creates a powerful impression even before she comes on stage. Euripides uses the essential tool of drama – dialogue, to allow Medea to express her feelings and plans for revenge. Thus the audience manages to get first-hand information about her inner-most thoughts and emotional state. Further he allows her actions to speak for themselves. It is Medea’s ability to act on schemes devised by a mind twisted by the suffering inflicted on her person that makes her particularly dangerous. Euripides makes her character convincing by revealing suitable provocation that goads her onto such dastardly excesses like murdering her own children. Euripides uses indirect characterization as well in his portrayal of Medea. The other characters react to her personality, thereby offering fresh insight into her character. For example there is a scene where Creon exiles her out of fear for the safety of his family. He tells her, â€Å"†¦ you’re a clever

This Is Just to Say Essay Example for Free

This Is Just to Say Essay Out of all the poems that we have viewed in the first two weeks of class the one that caught my attention was the poem by William Carlos Williams, â€Å"This is Just to Say†. This poem was so short and so simple but seemed to be so much more than what it really is. The poem by William Carlos Williams; â€Å"This is Just to Say† is difficult to dissect. In shorter poems the perception of what it actually means I feel is harder to find. Being the poem is only 28 words and no word is over 3 syllables it seems that this was an intended note left for someone to find. This poem; This is Just to Say was written in 1934 and it is still unknown to whom or what the poem was intended for. As for I reading this poem it seems as if this was left for a lover. I have intended that this note was left for a lover because they have made the plums the center piece of the poem. Fruits in general are an exotic and forbidden form of love and they use the plums in a seductive way to the reader. I came to the generalization that the plums were not edible for the fact that the last ten words in the poem are; â€Å"forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold†; the sender of the poem is pleading for forgiveness for the fact of eating the frozen plums. Also the fact, that the plums were in an icebox so sweet and so cold it feels as if they were not meant for eating. The perspective I am getting from this is that they wanted to let the reader know they were there intended to leave a trace behind and not just a note. It seems as if the writer knew what they were doing and the plums were a significant meaning to the reader and that the poem took little to no time to write. The poem illustrates great detail in so little words giving you an endless amount of thought to why the sender has eaten these so sweet and so cold plums that were in the icebox. The sender seems as if they planned to write their receiver a note and had to input a secret message as to why they actually have written it. In many cases poems are about love and hidden messages that only the writer can tell you the intended meaning of it. Due to the fact that William Carlos Williams never answered the questions asked about this specific poem he wrote in 1934 his answers to all our questions will remain unknown forever.

The Good Governance In Public Sectors Politics Essay

The Good Governance In Public Sectors Politics Essay Principles of good governance in the public sector are very important because it builds a relationship with people in the community. These principles are based on support, respect, communication, fairness, predictability and competence. The first section of this essay will discuss all of them in detail because they all lead into each other. Support is a good principle because if you do not support the public they could turn on you and put someone else in power that will support them and listen to their needs. Support helps build confidence in the public sector by giving the people what they need and want. If the people are happy with you, you will gain their respect, which leads to my next point. Respect begets respect because without it, you could be put out of power, but if you respect the public, the public will respect you and the decisions you have made. You could also get ideas from the public if you listen to and respect their input, which helps you tend to their needs and wants. This could also help you in staying in power for a longer period because you are communicating with the public, which brings in my next point communication. Communication is the interaction of people, who create meaningful interaction together as a team. This is very important in the public sector because you need to communicate with th e public and receive feedback from them before you can make decisions on any matter. The reason for this is so you can make the right decisions. In this way, the communities are happy and know that they are being treated fairly. Fairness is my next point. Fairness is important because you have to treat everyone equally. You do this because it is right to give everybody an equal say in what is happening because they are the ones who have to live with the choices made. Furthermore, if the community gives an idea that you use, give the community the credit and recognition that they deserve. In this way, the community will say that you are fair in your decision-making processes. So, always consider what everyone has to say and be fair to all of them by giving everyone a fair chance. My next point is predictability. Predictability means that you know what someone is going to do before thy do it. In the public sector, it is good because if you know what problems are going to arise, you ca n have an effective plan to deal with the problem before it becomes severe. You can predict what the peoples needs and wants are and supply it to them without wasting any time. This leads into my final topic, which is competence. Competence is the ability to do something very well. It is important because you have to know what you need to do for your job and you need to do it right. If you are competent, the community will see that you know what you are doing and they will trust you and the decisions that you make because they will believe that you have their best interests at heart. There are three separations of powers in the government. They are legislative authority, executive authority and judicial authority. They all have different responsibilities and duties to the public and this section will discuss all of them. To start, legislative authority is going to be discussed. The legislative authority in a democratic society is responsible for the orderly conduct of that society. Legislative authority plays a leading role in the process of state administration, by means of the law of the country and the budget of the rising expenditure and revenue. Parliament is the legislative authority of South Africa. Therefore, the legislative authority has the power to create laws for the country in accordance with the Constitution. It consists of the National Assembly, the National Council of provinces and sittings are open to the public. These laws apply only in the boundaries of the province. The following are some of the functional domains with regard to which the prov inces can make laws: agriculture, environment and local government. The legislative authority at local government level is vested in the municipal council which has the power to make bylaws. Such bylaws may not be inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution. (Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:146) This ends legislative authority and continues with judicial authority. Judicial authorities main goal is to guarantee the rights and freedoms of the individual and to preserve the sovereignty of the lawà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Judicial authority of the Republic vests in the courts. The judiciary is independent, impartial and subject only to the Constitutions and the law. No person and no organ of state may interfere with judicial officers in the performance of their functions. (Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:147) The judicial authority of the Republic vests in the courts, the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, the Magistrates Court and other courts. The judicial authority has the power to give more rights to the people. Some of the rights they gave are the right to life, the right to human dignity, the right to privacy and many more. Judicial authority has a definite influence on the Public Protector. The executive authority is the next and final power. The executive authority consists of a variety of public executive institutions established by some law or government decision and which are financial either wholly or partly from state funds. These executive institutions are referred to as the public service. The public has to execute the laws of the country and function as part of the public sector. (Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:153) All the powers are different and the have there own goal in mind but all are linked to one greater goal and that is to make South Africa a better place. Every government institution makes an indispensable contribution to the ultimate goal of the state, namely the advancement of the general welfare of society. For this reason, there is a relationship of interdependence between the respective government structures and institutions. This relationship of interdependence implies interaction between the respective government structures and institutions. (Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:161) Coordination and liaison between the respective authorities and executive institutions, is of great importance. To date, a number of intergovernmental structures have been told to promote and facilitate co-operative government and intergovernmental relations between the respective spheres of government. (Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:162) These include an Intergovernmental Forum (IGF), Ministerial Forums, Intergovernmental Forums and the Department of Constitutional Development. Approaches to governmental relations are Constitutional or legal approach , Democratic approach, Financial approach and Normative operational approach. Vertical intergovernmental relations can be divided into three. They are relations between the central government and provincial governments, relations between the central government and local governments and relations between the provincial government and local governments. Horizontal relations between government institutions refer to relations between institutions at the same level, and they are particularly important for public managers. At local government level, horizontal relations take place mainly through, among others things, municipal associations and cooperation agreements. (Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:164) Extra-governmental relations are relations between government institutions and external institutions. (Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:164) The categories of relations that can be distinguished are social, politics, economics and institutional. There are four factors that may influence go vernmental relations, they are organisation of government institutions, decentralisation, fiscal and financial variables and personnel and human resources problems. Public versus private management. The differences and similarities. Private businesses are run for a profit and public institutions are not, but they are run for the general welfare. In the private sector, the various businesses compete with one another but the public institutions are basically monoplies. Private businesses can become involved in any activity not prohibited by legislations, while public institutions may only carry out functions or exercise competencies expressly delegated to them by the laws of our country. The nature and scope of services or products provided by the public sector are smaller in extent than those provided by government institutions. The transactions of private institutions usually known only to the owner or shareholder and are not divulged to the public while the actions of public institutions should always take place in the open.(Southern Business School, 2007:73) The differences are that legislation plays a prominent role; it is financed by the pub lic funds and is not non profit-oriented; it is directed by politics; accountability to the public is of prime importance; the focus in the public sector; the principles of public administration plays an important role and the method of allocating functions in the public sector is frequently based more on political considerations that on pure efficiency. The similarities are both comprise people and fixed personnel regulations are therefore required, work programmes methods and systems are the same, organisational arrangements and structures for providing time and staff functions delegation of authority coordination and communication are more or less the same, management principals, techniques, functions and skills are generic to both sectors, both follow standard accounting principals and control measures are applicable to both to ensure that predetermined objectives are achieved. Those are the differences and similarities of public and private management. Although there is a broad spectrum of disciplines which can be involved with considerable success. We will focus only on those disciplines that seem more approachable. They are Political Science, Economics, Developmental Administration/ Management, Etnology, Management Science and Sociology. Political Science can be defined as the scientific study of politics. Fields and subfields of Political Science include political theory and philosophy, national political systems, international politics, public administration, political institutions and political behaviour. (Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:61) Political Science studies the public or government sector in terms of its political context, as opposed to Public Administration, which concentrates on the internal functioning of executive government institutions (Cloete, 1986 in Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:61). Economics studies individuals as economic entities and their behaviour in economic affairs that is how they use scarce resou rces (Cloete, 1986, in Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:61). According to Cloete, Public Administration and Economics are inextricably linked. Development Administration developed as a specialised field of study from Public Administration. (Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:61) Public Administration may well be concerned with the overall improvement of living standards. It implies development but a need nonetheless exists for a discipline specialising developmental principles and morals. Ethnology aims at creating a better understanding of developing communities. In this way, insight is gained into the way of life and institutions of different racial groups, including the way in which they conduct their public affairs. (Cloete, 1986 in Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:61) According to Cronje, Neuland and van Reenen (1987 in Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:62), management science studies private enterptises in the search for ways to improve their functioning. Sociology involves the study of numerous institutions and other phenomence encountered in human society. (Cloete, 1986 in Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:62) There are various disciplines in Public Administration and new theories and approaches develop as a result of the interaction between academics and practitioners who study and practice the individual disciplines. Successful management of an institution is closely related to the way people are managed in that institution and it is important that managers understand the individuals in the institution. A manager has to be a psychologist, sociologist, anthropologist and political scientist all at the same time to understand and motivate your employees. There are three guidelines a manager needs to follow. They are guidelines from the body politic, guidelines from community values and prescribed guidelines. Guidelines from the body politic includes political supremacy which is ministers are the political head of public institutions and therefore have authority over the actions of officials, public accountability which includes the public responsibility of the legislative judicial an executive authorities with regard to service delivery and conduct which is in the public interest and tenets of democracy which implies that those who govern must not abuse the power vested in them in their personal in terest or in the interest of one population group only and that deliberations and consultations with the community must take place. Guidelines from communities values include religious doctrines and values systems, fairness and reasonableness, balanced decision-making, thoroughness, probity and honesty, and efficiency and effectiveness. Prescribed guidelines includes legal rules which is every action of a public official must be within the limits of enabling provisions of Acts and regulations, fundamental rights which are binding on all legislative and executive organs of state at all levels of government and it provide for equality, the right to life and respect for protection of dignity, Code of ethics or conduct which specialist unit within the public sector has a set of guidelines governing conduct, the conduct usually do not have any legal authority, but are simply guidelines that have been formed over time, right to information held by the state which is provided in terms of s ection 32 of the Constitution is also important with regard to internal ethical conduct, Just administration action is the normative principles of Public Administration. Measures to prevent unethical conduct are training and development of officials by means of courses, among other things, control measures and checkpoints, participation in departmental decision making, the elimination of excessive secrecy, media coverage of unethical conduct, politically dishonest officials can be removed during elections, the public service commission, the auditor general in his / her capacity, the public protector who looks after the interest of the public, administrative law and legal rules and a code of ethics or conduct for every profession, occupational group and field of activity. There are three different environmental levels in the public institution. The levels are macro-level or general level, the intermediate level and the micro-level or specific level. Micro-environment or internal environment is defined in more specific operational terms. Kast and Rosenzweig (1974 in Van der Walt and Du Toit, 1999:102) define the internal level as an attempt to classify and describe the focus that have an influence on the institution specifically. (Schwella 1983 in Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:102) describes the micro-environment as that part of general environment that is potentially relevant for the setting of objectives. The specific environment is thus more concrete than the general environment. It may directly influence the availability of resources to be the organisational unit. The influences it may have include supplying, withholding, decreasing or increasing the recourse used by the institution (Van der Waldt, 1992 in Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:102). Th e core components of micro environment is mission, goal, strategy, resources, institutional culture, inter regulars, external regulators and information. The intermediate environment or task or client environment induces al institutions, groups, individuals and influences with which the institution has direct outward interaction because public institutions are essentially providers of services. The community should be the most important component of the intermediate environment. Another intermediate environmental component is regulators that control and regulate the relationship between an institution, its suppliers, clients and competitors. Regulators include policy, laws, procedures and standardsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Opportunities and threats in the intermediate environment pg102 have a direct implication for the functioning and management of an institution.(Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:102) Intermediaries or facilitation acts as agents linking the macro and micro-environment. Another factor that plays a significant role in the provision of services is ethical norms and standards that are derived from the community. (Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:102) According to Schwella (1991 in Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:100) the macro- or general environment level consists of political, economic, legal, social, cultural and technological components. It includes influences outside the boundaries of the institution that is all factors external to the institutions micro- and intermediate environments that influence the functioning of both these environments. It is important to note that these environmental components are interdependent and that there are no absolute distinctions between them. Events in one environment can lead to changes in environments. (Van der Waldt and Du Toit, 1999:101) Before, public managers were expected to present good ideas about which director the state should take, to decide on courses of action or goals to be accomplished and to use their influence or control to sway the opinions and the views of the staff in that certain direction. A more modern approach indicates that the future leader will be someone who assists the organisation in understanding its needs and potential combines and formats the vision of the group and catalyses the occurrence of group action. The leader will also not just be the head, but will play out every ones roles. Future public managers will need to be able to do certain things by utilising, among others, the following skills and abilities: leadership, deliberation and the skills associated with it viz. mediation, teamwork, negotiation and problem-solving etc. in various cultural settings; communication skills such as written, graphic, oral, technological and foreign languages; the skill of gathering, analysing and evaluating information; being able to critically (using different views and opinions), creatively (having the ability to come up with different ideas) and ethically (not infringing on anyones rights and moral obligations) reason; human relations i.e. dealing with staff, clients etc., which is vital for attaining success in a world that is so diverse in culture and ever changing; commit themselves to their own physical, emotional and psychological wellness, as well as that of others around them; have the ability to appreciate the human experience as being diverse which includes activ ities that are aesthetic and creative; display behaviour that is in accordance with the ethical principals and civic virtues normally displayed by good and responsible citizens of the immediate community, the state or province, the nation and ultimately the world; thinking critically, creatively as well as ethically; interpersonal (with themselves), intra-group (within a specific group) and inter-group (amongst different groups) skills which are important for attaining success in a world so complex; etc. According to Fox et al. (1991) and McCurdy (1995), a public manager has to adopt some new attitudes, which go against the rigid and bureaucratic inclinations of the past. (Southern Business School, 2007:118 119) They suggest that a public manager should become a crusader, an organiser, a pro-active policy formulator, a social change agent, a crises manager, a humanitarian, an interest broker, etc. for this they will need to be critical and honest about themselves and their own positions and allow personal change.

Effect Of Humor: Validating Racial Stereotypes

Effect Of Humor: Validating Racial Stereotypes The purpose of this research paper is to examine the effect of humor on validating racial stereotypes. Race-based comedy provides stereotypical misconceptions that influence the audience to accept these racial characteristics rather than denounce them. Racial stereotyping in comedy establishes the existence of racially defined differences, thus causing them to be regarded as natural while encouraging audiences to apply reality to myth. My primary sources are the first and second Rush Hour films, on which I will perform a close reading of how the two main characters, both of whom are minorities, interact with each other. The dialogue between these two characters incorporates many well-known racial stereotypes. My secondary sources include studies of Asians, blacks, and whites watching the films and their responses to the films jokes in the negative portrayals of their particular race. The movies fall into the buddy-cop action genre, which generally includes a white protagonist with a minority sidekick who frequently gets into trouble. However, Rush Hour is able to break from this convention and has the possibility to comment on the problematic aspects of stereotyping. With articles analyzing the dialogue between the characters as well as providing background history of blacks and Asians, comedy is able to disguise stereotypes and jokes that in other circumstances people would find offensive. Racial humor suggests that the Rush Hour series is able to gain acceptability from blacks, Asians, and whites because comedy is a form in which people will not take offense at racial exaggerations. Humor functions as rhetoric. It may not solve the problem of racial stereotyping but it provides the audience with the ability to look beyond the boundaries of race and come to understand how the triangulation of whites, blacks, and Asians allows for an infusion of identities. Annotated Bibliography Ma, Sheng-mei. Yellow King Fu and Black Jokes. Television New Media 1.2 (2000): 239-244. Sage Journals. Web. 17 January 2011. This scholarly article, written by Sheng-mei Ma professor at Michigan State University who specializes in Asian American studies and East-West comparative studies documents the start of the phenomenon of pairing an Asian martial artist with an African American comedian. Ma provides a historical context to movies such as the Rush Hour series, which combine yellow kung fu and black jokes (241). He begins by noting that the genre of kung fu was introduced to the West by Bruce Lee. Although there was no emphasis on black jokes in earlier kung fu films that starred Lee, The Last Dragon marks the development of racial depictions. In this film a young African American bows, meditates, and wears the stereotypical Chinese dress (240). The Asian Americans, on the other hand, take on black dialect and body rhythm (240). Ma considers the joining of yellow kung fu and black jokes as a marriage of convenience for box office profit in which the public supports this collaboration. Films such as Ru sh Hour contain jokes that include the common prevailing notions of Asians and blacks in American mass media, which would render yellow yellower and black blacker. However, this odd couple is able to blend with each other, creating a racial hybridity. Rush Hour focuses on the relationship between the Asian and African American stars; therefore, the film offers the likelihood of cross-racial identification. The article provides film theorists and scholars with new understandings of race-based comedy. Mas writings reinforce my thesis for the buddy-cop genre has a history of interracial partnerships where race is explicitly shown. Thus, besides validating racial differences, such films hybridize todays multicultural society. Nishime, LeiLani. Im Blackanese': Buddy-Cop Films, Rush Hour, and Asian American and African American Cross-racial Identification. Asian North American Identities: Beyond the Hyphen. Ed. Eleanor Ty and Donald C. Goellnicht. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2004. 43-60. Print. This expository piece, written by LeiLani Nishime Assistant Professor in the Department of Communications at the University of Washington who specializes in multiracial and interracial studies, Asian American media representations, and Asian American sub cultural production analyzes the history of Asian American and African American relations. The chapter explains how Rush Hour breaks the general conventions of a buddy-cop film and defies the norms of Hollywood film and generic character stereotype. She utilizes the film Rush Hour as an example for its portrayal of race relations with its removal of the white male character. By including Chan as well as Tucker, the film appeals to a wider range of audiences. The purpose is primarily to inform, but it also encourages the reader to examine certain films for comedic relief as well as social and cultural commentary. Rush Hour is a comedy yet it helps the audience to notice the concept of racial power. In most buddy-cop films, there is always someone in control and someone who is simply the follower. The white male will never be the buddy but with Chan and Tucker, they are almost equals. Nishime is most likely targeting Asian Americans because for an Asian American, America is characterized by both African American and Euro-American society. Rush Hour offers a vision of cross-racial identification and the idea of hybrid identities for there is a convergence of culture in music and film (48). This builds upon my thesis in that besides an acceptance of racially defined differences, race-based humor can provide a possible changing of racial hierarchy and the questioning of racial tolerance. Such a composition is more geared towards academia instead of garnering attention from the general public because it provides background information about Asian/Black relations, applies elevated language, and creates a possibility of a future state of relations. Park, Ji Hoon. Naturalizing Racial Differences Through Comedy: Asian Black, and White Views on Racial Stereotypes in Rush Hour 2. Journal of Communication 56 (2006): 157-177. International Communication Association. Web. 17 January 2011. This research article, written by Ji Hoon Park Assistant Professor in Communication at Hope College who specializes in Asian stereotypes in the media- analyzes the ideological implications of racial stereotyping. The article, which is a result of sociology study, explains that though minorities are starring in more mainstream films, a racial hierarchy is still evident. The study included a focus group of whites, black, and Asians in order to analyze subtle reactions and responses to the films implicit stereotypes. Minorities continue to inhibit negative stereotypes but the contradiction that arises is that these stereotypical portrayals have commercial viability. Rush Hour 2 is an example of this incongruity between racism in comedy and widespread popularity. Park discusses how the genre of comedy allows for its audience to make an interpretation of racial jokes as harmless for stereotypes are an important element of comedy in that they help establish specific character classificati ons that are based on some truth that has been exaggerated. This supports my thesis because I contend that race-based humor influences the audience to not challenge the established assumptions of race. His study supports this belief since the focus group was able to laugh throughout the entire movie. Most participants did not find the humor personally offensive but they do acknowledge that the racial humor has the possibility of becoming prejudiced. In comedy, Park notes that a joke is conceived of as racist based on whether a minority is telling it or a white person. Another aspect that creates success for this film is that all races are objects of mockery and bias. Parks conclusion is that racial stereotypes are problematic because realism in the media encourages viewers to incorporate on-screen attitudes and beliefs into the real world (172). Racial ideology is also embedded in Jackie Chans performance of the racial myth of an Asian man who excels in kung fu but is culturally ign orant as well as Chris Tucker personifying a coon (159). Furthermore, with the study, it becomes clear that the comedic portrayals of racial traits encourage participants to see the small truths in racially defined charactertistics rather than dispute these distortions. It does prompt the audience to consider that when viewing a comedy, critical analysis is usually absent and this can lead to a belief that racial differences are natural and not culturally created. Park is targeting teenagers and adults because they are able to apply actuality to racial myths and hence find amusement in the satirical portrayals of race. The anticipated audience could also include scholars since this composition was published in the Journal of Communication and scholars will be more interested in learning about the responses of black, white, and Asian viewers and how they make sense of racial differences. Rush Hour. Screenplay by Jim Kouf and Ross LaManna. Dir. Brett Ratner. Perf. Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. New Line Cinema, 1998. DVD. Rush Hour, directed by Brett Ratner one of Hollywoods most successful directors stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. It achieved commercial success and became the 7th top grossing film of 1998. The plot of the film centers on the kidnapping of the daughter of the Chinese Consol. Inspector Lee, played by Jackie Chan, is called to assist in the investigation because it is believed that the mysterious Crime Lord Juntao is behind the kidnapping. Lee finds himself paired with Detective James Carter of the Los Angeles Police Department, played by Chris Tucker. They gradually learn to work together and are able to reunite the family as well as discover the identity of Juntao. Rush Hour disrupts Hollywoods racial hierarchy by removing white culture and focusing on Asian American and African American culture. The film is able to break down the boundaries between races and reconstruct hierarchies, but the enjoyment of numerous racial ideologies that are integrated within the dialogue and scen es, prove that the jokes influence the audience to reify their own racial beliefs. The film gained positive reviews about Tuckers comedic performance and how Chan and Tucker work very well together. This fact supports my thesis of how race-based humor naturalizes racial differences, so the audience is more likely to focus on the true aspects of a stereotype instead of challenging the distorted portrayal. The positive reception proves that there is a paradox between racist representations and widespread approval and acceptance. The movie targets teenagers and adults because they have preconceived notions about different racial groups. Without these conceptions, the film would not be able to garner laughter but rather offense. Rush Hour 2. Screenplay by Jeff Nathanson and Ross LaManna. Dir. Brett Ratner. Perf. Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. New Line Cinema, 2001. DVD. Rush Hour 2, directed by Brett Ratner one of Hollywoods most successful directors stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. It received high box-office revenues and is considered one of the highest grossing martial arts films of all time. This sequel to the 1998 film Rush Hour follows Inspector Lee, played by Chan, and Los Angeles Police Detective James Carter, played by Tucker, and the adventures that they have. Carter is on vacation visiting Lee in Hong Kong, but they soon find themselves implicated in a scandal that involves counterfeit money, which brings them from Hong Kong to Los Angeles and then finally to Las Vegas. Although this movie is a comedic action film, it challenges typical Hollywood films by starring two minorities. While minorities have traditionally been casted in the roles of a sidekick or villain, Chan and Tucker are the main protagonists. By challenging the popular notion that the leading role features an individual from the dominant white race, Rush Hour 2 propose s the possibility of a cross-racial bonding between an Asian and an African American. Chan and Tucker both embody the stereotype of their particular race: Chan is a serious Asian man yet extremely skilled in Kung Fu, while Tucker is a tall African American who acts childish and seems very impulsive. To the everyday viewer, this movie serves as an entertaining comedy, but for such representations of race to be humorous, the audience must unconsciously accept or believe the stereotypes to be somewhat true. Thus, supporting my thesis that besides entertainment, the movie proves that race in comedy generalizes and influences people to accept racially defined characteristics. The movie targets teenagers and adults because it implies that a previous understanding of stereotypes is needed for the jokes to make sense and have their intended response, which is laughter. Global Strategic Management: Advantages and Disadvantages Global Strategic Management: Advantages and Disadvantages Strategic management is the process by which strategies and policies are put into action through the development of programs, budgets and procedures can be further explained that an organizations objectives must be identified in order to develop such policies and plans. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and executive team should implement such plans. Strategic Management provides overall direction to the whole enterprise. The organizations strategy must be appropriate for its resources, circumstances, and objectives. (Wheelen and Hunger 2006 p. 16.) Strategy can also be defined as the procedures involving development, drafting, implementation and assessment of multi functional decisions that are employed in an organization or firm so as it attains its short term and long term objectives, its the criteria used in specifying the firms mission, vision and developing of policies and plans and how to implement them with the goal of achieving the stipulated objectives. It further assigns r esources for implementation of policies, plans, projects and programs. Traditionally strategic management has been employed on a local basis where the objectives and plans are not global oriented, but lately the traditional concepts have been embraced in a global manner i.e. extending the skills in a world scale perspective. Global strategic management offers a clear insight on the effect of globalization in business management and organizations and hence it demands that managers should respond in the same or higher intensity in order to reap in the high benefits that come with it, Managers and CEOS have to understand that the global phenomenon does not just come into play by making your firm global but they are required to develop models that embraces and resists strains from multinational networks of subsidiaries and ensure the models considers the required persistence of deep and momentous cross – national differences with these in play and appreciation of the diversity that exists across borders and continents politically, culturally and economically Global Strategic management can be achieved and dividends passed on to the investors. Global strategic management involves a set on conceptual tools that help in navigating through the often contradictory and ambiguous mass of information, market, working staff and to sum it all up this all done and appreciated on an international platform. There exists a series of considerations that have to always be kept on the check and always be incorporated in the complex decision making procedures that characterizes this level of business management. Managers and business executives at this level have to appreciate the differences between the multi-domestic and global nature of running business at this level, traditional strategic management concepts which have proved successful in local setting have faced challenges on a global arena and given back futile results this in a way have led to extensive losses by the affected firms. With this in mind firms that are already running on a global setting or have this as a future goal have not only have or plan to have a solid global st rategic plan thats strictly tailored for the specific firm but have to in depth have a set of monitoring and evaluation criteria of exactly what type of global strategy is theirs and and will it earn them long-term profitability and value. Due to the nature and extent of running global firms many management techniques are to be employed, this have to easily integrate all the different departments in a synchronized and harmonious manner, this in itself boosts the overall management and performance of the firm. Global management requires employee management from the department heads to the lowest staff on the command chains where each and every staff of each firm has to have a clear definition and understanding of the companys objectives, mission and vision. While this is being done employees have to understand that with more powers comes extra responsibilities and hence part of the strategic management plans should involve sufficient management accountability, communications and oversight from the top executives and for this to be easily achieved and in a successful manner their responsibilities have to be broken down in processes and tasks that can be easily reflected in productivity and profitability terms. And to eas ily attain these and continuously motivate the employees in achievement of the overall company global objective direct communication channels should be created and lower placed staff should be encouraged to use the open communication means for the attainment of the goal and their role in it should be well appreciated. In addition since on a global perspective the employees base is wide and shares extreme cultural and relational ways of lives the global firms should be able to compliment this in their employees and not fight it this is an important motivational practice especially for the workers. Global firms need to also employ a detailed study research and SWOT (Strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, and this should be done not on their already existing markets but on a wider and more challenging global perspective. The strength of the firms in a global arena need to be analyzed and in them more research should be done in order to maximize on their potential so as to enjoy the full benefits of being a global firm. The weaknesses on the other hand should not at any time be pushed aside since they define the loophole if hit well can drain the company back to the ground, hence all the weak links should be investigated and be well covered in a strong strategic defence mechanism. On the other hand the opportunities that openly lie and exist in the strategic plans of the firm need to be intelligently harnessed or tapped and full benefit accrued from them. Lastly like in the local business management global arenas also exposes the business to threats which are even more complicated than the local ones, hence when developing the strategic plan for the wider market a deeper scan is mandatory and once all are identified ways of curbing them in case anything crops up need to be developed, this had to be carefully done though since one might by fear scare away for rucuitive opportunities by not risking. Some few changes also need to be considered when developing the global plan, increase in the number of staff in order to match the extensive work load that comes up with the global market, other mechanisms employed by firms is the change of brand names and adopting of new and re-branded tags that sell the firm as a global entity and is more convincing to the market. The marketing of the firm as a global entity also need to be done but extremely vigorous so as to expose the firm clearly to the markets especially the global market. Political differences and interferences have also been some of the most important factors for consideration in the development of a firms global strategic plans. The management has to take into consideration that the firms doesnt perform under similar political backgrounds and in each country they are involved the case is extremely unique and its specific conditions need to be considered and thought of completely carefully since the differences experienced from one country to the other are important. Some of the most successful global firms even go to the extent of exchanging favours for business favours this has proved important and successful to those firms. In their planning the forms also employ social procedures which they serve the local communities with and this increases their popularity. Competitive Tactics are also very important in global strategic management, even though the market increases with size, the players in the market also increase a firm need to develop means of staying afloat in the market. The tactics have to be modern enough and able to make the customers chose it over other competitors in the market. They should be tailored to each specific consumer in each country in a language, tone and tongue they understood. Advantages of global strategic management Lower marketing costs Economies of scale in production and distribution Ability to leverage good ideas quickly and efficiently Helps to encourage ancillary industries to be set up to cater fo Uniformity of marketing practices Power and scope Consistency in brand image Helps to establish relationships outside of the political arena From the above its clear that this and more benefits are obtained from global strategic plans and this can be easily seen from first the scope of the work the firm does, this brings in more returns from the economies of scale that can be obtained from this. They also encouraged interaction among other firms global ones and this opens up chances and experiences for expansion one firm is able to learn from another an hence improve on areas the firm was weak before. The extended demographic coverage done by this firms also makes them gain firsthand experience on handling large number of clientele, data, resources and hence from their large portfolios they can easily develop even to larger firms by expanding their global strategic plans. The advantages gained from management of a firm on a international perspective range all over business management, and if the opportunities are carefully taken and the risks technically mitigated against the success of any company on a global perspective is very imminent and should be pursued though carefully by any developing firm from any location on the globe. Disadvantages of global strategic management Differences in consumer response to marketing mix elements. Differences in consumer needs, wants, and usage patterns for different products. Differences in product placement at the market. Differences in administrative procedures of the company between different employees and the employer. Differences in the legal environment, some of which may conflict with those of the home market especially when dealing with countries in the developing world. Differences in brand and product development and the competitive environment. Differences in the institutions available, some of which may call for the creation of entirely new ones (e.g. infrastructure). In a case where the global recession affect the developed worlds like our country,this may greatly affect the strategic management of the companies and this in turn affect different branches of the same company in different parts of the world, this is a great disadvantage. Different parts of the world have different laws governing investment and some of the laws and rules are hard on the foreign investors,therefore creating a big setback to strategic management of the different companies. REFERENCES http://www.palgrave.com/business/lasserre/ www.wikepedia.com http://mimm-ltd.com/Documents/WSGEC2009_UK_Program_Book_7-15-09-.pdf http://www-management.wharton.upenn.edu/mcdermott/files/MGMT655.pdf

America Needs Human Cloning :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

America Needs Human Cloning      Ã‚  Ã‚   You have been told that you are unique. The belief that there is no one else like you in the whole world made you feel special and proud. This belief may not be true in the future.   The world was stunned by the news in late February 1997 that a British embryologist named Ian Wilmut and his research team had successfully cloned a lamb named Dolly from an adult sheep. Dolly was created by replacing the DNA of one sheep's egg with the DNA of another sheep's udder. While plants and lower forms of animal life have been successfully cloned for many years now, before Wilmut's announcement it had been thought by many to be unlikely that such a procedure could be performed on higher mammals. The world media was immediately filled with heated discussions about the ethical implications of cloning.    Some of the most powerful people in the world have felt compelled to act against this threat. The President swiftly imposed a ban on federal funding for human-cloning research. Bills are in the works in both houses of Congress to outlaw human cloning which it taken to be a fundamentally evil thing that must be stopped. But what is exactly bad about it? From an ethical point of view , it is difficult to see exactly what is wrong with cloning human beings. The people who are afraid of cloning tend to think that someone will break into Napoleon's Tomb, steal some DNA and make 2000 emperors. In reality, cloning would be probably used by infertile people who now use donated sperm, eggs, or embryos. Do the potential harms outweigh the potential benefits of cloning? From what we know now, they don't. Therefore, we should not rush to ban a potentially useful method of helping infertile, genetically at-risk, or single people to become parents.    We can start by asking whether human beings have a right to reproduce. I say " Yes". I have no moral right to tell other people they shouldn't be able to have children, and I don't see that the President has that right either. If humans have a right to reproduce, what right does society have to limit the means? Essentially all reproduction is done these days with medical help- at delivery, and even before. Truly natural human reproduction would make pregnancy-related death the number.

Civilian Conservation Corps and the Great Depression Essay -- American

Civilian Conservation Corps and the Great Depression â€Å" Our greatest task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the government itself, treating the task as we would threat the emergency of war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing greatly needed projects to stimulate and recognize the use of our national resources.† Franklin D. Roosevelt March 4, 1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt indeed turned the lives of many young male Americans around. During a time when our economy was in the greatest depression in U.S. history, he gave them hope and a light at the end of the tunnel by providing them with a more stable lifestyle than was available anywhere else. Many people lost their jobs as factories and businesses closed, and the job opportunities for male youths were nonexistent. At first, people believed it was a disgrace to accept public assistance, but the Great Depression changed that attitude. Both public and private programs tried to help those who had no money. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) may be one of the greatest contributions to American citizens during this time of need. The Civilian Conservation Corps was created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to create jobs after the depression. In 1932, as governor of New York, he introduced the idea of using 10,000 men who were on public relief to plant trees. During his 1932 Democratic Party presidential nomination acceptance speech, he proposed giving employment to a million men in forestry across the nation. The proposed CCC would take two-hundred and fifty thousand unemployed young men to work on federal and state owned lan... ... still surviving. CCC alumni have donated many of the photographs and artifacts depicting their day-to-day life and accomplishments to the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum in Grayling, MI. Roosevelt’s project truly made an impact on many American lives and helped to turn the economy around during one of our country’s lowest points. Works Cited â€Å"Civilian Conservation Corps Museum.† www.sos.state.mi.us/history/museum/museccc/index.html. Michigan Historical Center, Michigan Department of State. 26 April 2000 Moyryla, Uno B. Personal Interview. 20 April 2000. Pictorial Review: Fort Brady District, Company 3613. 1940 ed. Wetmore, MI. Rosentreter, Roger L. â€Å"Roosevelt’s Tree Army: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Michigan.† Michigan History Magazine May/June 1986: 14-23. Smith, Clyde. â€Å"Youth Needed Corps Jobs Badly.† The Daily Mining Gazette.

Major Crime

†¢What is the purpose of major crime-reporting programs? What makes a successful crime-reporting program in the United States? The purpose for major crime-reporting programs is to try to improve the methology and to publish the collective data. So by having major crime-reporting programs the law enforcement agencies are able to get information and also collect data to figure out the crime patterns of the nation instead of just one spot. This is hard though because not all of the crimes that end up happening get reported. So by this being said not everything can go into the crime-reporting programs.I think the government needs to try to find another way to get these â€Å"smaller† none reported crimes to be reported. What makes a successful crime reporting program in the United States is that most of the crimes do get reported the way that they should, and that the police officers are doing their job to the best of their abilities. I think it could be stepped up a notch an d maybe put camaras in the cruisers so the crimes that do not get reported at least have a sign to get reported. †¢How do crime rates relate to arrest rates and clearance rates?Is there a way to improve the correlation between crime rates, arrest rates, and clearance rates in the effort to combat criminal activity? Crime rates are when the number is divided by the total number of crimes that are what they called â€Å"cleared. † This is when the crime is closed, finished or they found the criminal in whatever was going on with the crime. To combat criminal activity the police can gather the information from the UCR (uniform crime report). From what I was reading â€Å" clearance rates is the percentage of crimes that have been closed by arrest, exceptional means, etc. So in my opinion to help improve the correlation between crime rates, arrest rates and clearance rates, is to get all the facts straight. Do not jump from one to the other. Gather all the information that you can, and see what is going on, get cases closed or any old cases if they were closed because in significant evidence see if there is anything that you can do to change the out come and re-open the close case to get it closed the right way and find out what really happened. http://en. allexperts. com/q/Criminal-Law-916/2010/10/crime-rates. htm

K-12 and Higher Education Learning Environments

Learning Management Systems Applications Today. Emerging technologies, including distributed learning management systems, portals that connect a variety of resources (admissions, library access, advising, and technical support) under one user-friendly gateway, and electronic databases that store and merge information resources, are capable of providing the infrastructure for the redesign and integration necessary (Granger & Bowman, 2003). While only slightly more than 14 percent of the technology administrators who responded to the annual Campus Computing Survey report using course management software, more than half (58 percent) have already established standards for these types of applications (Anderson & Moore, 2003). Many of the educational initiatives in recent years have focused on improving the delivery of services by incorporating learning platforms that focus on the K-12 and higher education learning environments, such as WebCT or Blackboard. To determine how these learning platforms are being used today and for what learners, this paper will provide an overview of the features of learning management systems (LMS) that have assumed increasing importance for a wide range of corporate and government-sponsored learning environments. A comparison and evaluation of these platforms and their applicability to the different learning environments is followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion. Background and Overview. In their book, Handbook of Distance Education Technology, Anderson and Moore (2003) suggest that it just makes good sense to use the technological innovations that have emerged in recent years to improve the delivery of educational services at all levels, including grades K-12 and beyond. â€Å"Technology, as an enabler of distributed resources,† they say, â€Å"furthers the practice of a systems approach requiring integration across the organization to maximize new capabilities† (p. 175). For instance, Granger and Bowman (2003) point out that learning management systems (LMS) successfully integrate the specific functions and services that students require in order to achieve academic success today; these functions and services include: 1. Access to courses, learning materials, and instructors; 2. Advising and tutorial assistance; 4. Interactions with other learners. A wide range of enterprises have recognized the advantages inherent in Internet-based learning management systems, including the military and various industries in general and educational institutions in particular; for example, the Air Force Institute for Advanced Distributed Learning's entire recent focus has been on integrating an LMS approach to their distance learning initiatives (Westfall, 2003). For example, according to the DOD Implementation Plan for ADL, â€Å"ADL is an evolution of distributed learning (distance learning) that emphasizes collaboration on standards-based versions of reusable objects, networks, and learning management systems, yet may include some legacy methods and media† (Westfall, 2003, p. 635). To date, some educational institutions have elected to develop and deploy in-house versions of learning management systems while others have found that off-the-shelf versions satisfy their requirements; CourseInfo by Blackboard and SemesterBook, developed by Louisiana State University's division of computing services, both of which provide a navigational framework for content and communication with instructors (Lynch, 2002). Other popular versions are WebCT (this is a delivery platform for both Internet-based and traditionally structured courses), Intralearn and WBT Systems' TopClass (Myers & White, 2001). CourseInfo by Blackboard, though, was shown to be the superior product when compared with other leading programs in a study with the former two across all measures examined, including ease of use by educators and study and total number of tasks accomplished (Jonassen, 2004). A previous study by Halloran (2000) conducted for the U. S. Air Force Academy also found Blackboard's CourseInfo the superior application for adult learners. Likewise, Myers and White conducted a study of the efficacy of WebCT and found that although educators were for the most part receptive to the program, there were some serious constraints involved in terms of the time required for adequate planning, which was identified as the issue of highest concern for those delivering instruction using this product. Faculty found that incorporating such technology required extensive time to learn the program, convert and upload course data, and provide student training to use the Website. Time was also necessary to monitor and update existing information† (Myers & White, 2001, p. 95). The authors also point out that these educators found that additional time was al,so required at the beginning of each course to bring the students back up to speed concerning the process of entering and navigating the site (Myers & White, 2001). According to Anderson and Moore (2003), many of the most popular LMS applications share many of the same useful features that make them particularly useful for course management; commercial course application software such as Blackboard CourseInfo, Learning Tree, Virtual-U, and WebCT were found to help support organized course content by providing multiple perspectives on issues; archiving data automatically; incorporating the instructional strategies of modeling and scaffolding, and encourage participation, dynamic engagement, and peer feedback when faculty members incorporate these features into instructional design and delivery. These authors caution, though, that, â€Å"Unwary novices, however, may follow the somewhat linear structure of the course content features of these courseware tools† (p. 450). The research showed that recent innovations in learning management systems holds the promise of integrating structures that were previously disconnected as well as providing the ability to customize learning environments on a scope never before possible. These innovations will serve to provide all students with improved opportunities to achieve academic and professional success; they can also be reasonably expected to increase learning productivity (Lynch, 2002). The research also showed that innovative learning management strategies can help achieve the goal of helping young and adult learners regardless of whether they are distance learners or participating in a campus-based curriculum; however, even the best learning management strategies, including those with the best possible content that is precisely matched to the right business or educational objectives, will likely fail if it is poorly implemented and administered. According to Carlivati (2002), this is particularly true of learning management systems that are targeted at more sophisticated and educated adult learners. Corporate e-learning,† he says, â€Å"introduces a whole new set of change-management variables that were never of concern before, as many early adopters have discovered. These new variables range from the obvious (e. g. , introducing technology to the learning process) to the subtle (e. g. , motivating students to begin and continue an independent learning experience)† (p. 50). Young and adult learners alike were shown to be amenable to these emerging learning structures, and it is likely that additional and improved applications will be identified as these initiatives become more commonplace in the future. K-12 and Higher Education Learning Environments Learning Management Systems Applications Today. Emerging technologies, including distributed learning management systems, portals that connect a variety of resources (admissions, library access, advising, and technical support) under one user-friendly gateway, and electronic databases that store and merge information resources, are capable of providing the infrastructure for the redesign and integration necessary (Granger & Bowman, 2003). While only slightly more than 14 percent of the technology administrators who responded to the annual Campus Computing Survey report using course management software, more than half (58 percent) have already established standards for these types of applications (Anderson & Moore, 2003). Many of the educational initiatives in recent years have focused on improving the delivery of services by incorporating learning platforms that focus on the K-12 and higher education learning environments, such as WebCT or Blackboard. To determine how these learning platforms are being used today and for what learners, this paper will provide an overview of the features of learning management systems (LMS) that have assumed increasing importance for a wide range of corporate and government-sponsored learning environments. A comparison and evaluation of these platforms and their applicability to the different learning environments is followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion. Background and Overview. In their book, Handbook of Distance Education Technology, Anderson and Moore (2003) suggest that it just makes good sense to use the technological innovations that have emerged in recent years to improve the delivery of educational services at all levels, including grades K-12 and beyond. â€Å"Technology, as an enabler of distributed resources,† they say, â€Å"furthers the practice of a systems approach requiring integration across the organization to maximize new capabilities† (p. 175). For instance, Granger and Bowman (2003) point out that learning management systems (LMS) successfully integrate the specific functions and services that students require in order to achieve academic success today; these functions and services include: 1. Access to courses, learning materials, and instructors; 2. Advising and tutorial assistance; 4. Interactions with other learners. A wide range of enterprises have recognized the advantages inherent in Internet-based learning management systems, including the military and various industries in general and educational institutions in particular; for example, the Air Force Institute for Advanced Distributed Learning's entire recent focus has been on integrating an LMS approach to their distance learning initiatives (Westfall, 2003). For example, according to the DOD Implementation Plan for ADL, â€Å"ADL is an evolution of distributed learning (distance learning) that emphasizes collaboration on standards-based versions of reusable objects, networks, and learning management systems, yet may include some legacy methods and media† (Westfall, 2003, p. 635). To date, some educational institutions have elected to develop and deploy in-house versions of learning management systems while others have found that off-the-shelf versions satisfy their requirements; CourseInfo by Blackboard and SemesterBook, developed by Louisiana State University's division of computing services, both of which provide a navigational framework for content and communication with instructors (Lynch, 2002). Other popular versions are WebCT (this is a delivery platform for both Internet-based and traditionally structured courses), Intralearn and WBT Systems' TopClass (Myers & White, 2001). CourseInfo by Blackboard, though, was shown to be the superior product when compared with other leading programs in a study with the former two across all measures examined, including ease of use by educators and study and total number of tasks accomplished (Jonassen, 2004). A previous study by Halloran (2000) conducted for the U. S. Air Force Academy also found Blackboard's CourseInfo the superior application for adult learners. Likewise, Myers and White conducted a study of the efficacy of WebCT and found that although educators were for the most part receptive to the program, there were some serious constraints involved in terms of the time required for adequate planning, which was identified as the issue of highest concern for those delivering instruction using this product. Faculty found that incorporating such technology required extensive time to learn the program, convert and upload course data, and provide student training to use the Website. Time was also necessary to monitor and update existing information† (Myers & White, 2001, p. 95). The authors also point out that these educators found that additional time was al,so required at the beginning of each course to bring the students back up to speed concerning the process of entering and navigating the site (Myers & White, 2001). According to Anderson and Moore (2003), many of the most popular LMS applications share many of the same useful features that make them particularly useful for course management; commercial course application software such as Blackboard CourseInfo, Learning Tree, Virtual-U, and WebCT were found to help support organized course content by providing multiple perspectives on issues; archiving data automatically; incorporating the instructional strategies of modeling and scaffolding, and encourage participation, dynamic engagement, and peer feedback when faculty members incorporate these features into instructional design and delivery. These authors caution, though, that, â€Å"Unwary novices, however, may follow the somewhat linear structure of the course content features of these courseware tools† (p. 450). The research showed that recent innovations in learning management systems holds the promise of integrating structures that were previously disconnected as well as providing the ability to customize learning environments on a scope never before possible. These innovations will serve to provide all students with improved opportunities to achieve academic and professional success; they can also be reasonably expected to increase learning productivity (Lynch, 2002). The research also showed that innovative learning management strategies can help achieve the goal of helping young and adult learners regardless of whether they are distance learners or participating in a campus-based curriculum; however, even the best learning management strategies, including those with the best possible content that is precisely matched to the right business or educational objectives, will likely fail if it is poorly implemented and administered. According to Carlivati (2002), this is particularly true of learning management systems that are targeted at more sophisticated and educated adult learners. Corporate e-learning,† he says, â€Å"introduces a whole new set of change-management variables that were never of concern before, as many early adopters have discovered. These new variables range from the obvious (e. g. , introducing technology to the learning process) to the subtle (e. g. , motivating students to begin and continue an independent learning experience)† (p. 50). Young and adult learners alike were shown to be amenable to these emerging learning structures, and it is likely that additional and improved applications will be identified as these initiatives become more commonplace in the future.