Black Cat Discussion Questions

1. From what point of view is Poe’s story told and why is this view particularly effective for this story? The story is being told from a first person narrative point of view. Poe chooses the first person narration to give the reader a better level of understanding of the characters emotion, mental state and setting the plot for the story. With the narrator’s sick and twisted mind, the story becomes more interesting. The most important effect the narrator portrays is his mental state. Without his narration you cannot get the full effect of this murderous madman. The glee at my heart was too strong to be restrained. I burned to say if but one word, by way of triumph, and to render doubly sure their assurance of my guiltlessness† (7). The narrator has no remorse or guilt for killing his wife. For the narrator to say guiltlessness just goes to show how crazy he really became. A normal healthy person would never commit such an act nor have any remorse. 2. Explain how the reader knows the narrator is an unreliable narrator? The narrator’s opinions and actions are so far from normal that you are forced to wonder what is the real interpretation and reality of a madman.Insanity and unstableness are very unreliable sources. How do you know what to believe or if there is any truth behind what they say? â€Å"Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence† (1). Using the word expect, is like he is already setting up the reader not to believe what he is going to say. The narrator blames the alcohol for his erratic and violent behavior. How reliable can one be if he blames his actions on drinking? You are your own person and make your own choice regardless of alcohol.Yes, alcohol can be mined altering, but you still no the difference between right and wrong. 3. The murderer takes great precautions to commit the perfect crime. What trips him up? Explain. The narrator makes you believe he has comm itted the perfect murder. He assures the reader that no one can tell the difference in the wall. How the plaster matched perfectly and the bricks look as they had never been dissembled. He is so sure of his work that he believes the police will not even look at him as a suspect. â€Å"The second and the third day passed, and still my tormentor came not.Once again I breathed as a freeman† (6). When the police come back for the fourth time, the narrator speaks about how strong the wall are and making comments. Then he starts hearing the cat that he buried with his wife in the wall. The main cause for the narrator’s trip was his guilt and vein he carried. Nothing ever turns out perfect as planned. Works Cited Poe, Edgar Allan. The Black Cat. N. p. : n. p. , n. d. 7. Print. Poe, Edgar Allan. The Black Cat. N. p. : n. p. , n. d. 1. Print. Poe, Edgar Allan. The Black Cat. N. p. : n. p. , n. d. 6. Print.

D.T. Resistant Materials – Evaluation

I feel that my product has fulfilled all of the essential criteria although some of the desired criteria aren't fulfilled. This includes: * Incorporated Lights * A Combination of Materials * Be used for placing an object on top The reason behind these specifications not being fulfilled was mainly due to limitations or the way it would have to be incorporated into the design I chose. If I decided to incorporate lights, the price would have rose as well as me having to make the boxes more bulky making them a lot more difficult to move and customise. A combination of materials wasn't used because of complications and problems which I will explain later and to be used for placing an object on top, the product would become less customisable, however an add on could be designed for my product in the future which would allow this, but as current because of time scale and general problems (which I will explain) this is an unavailable feature. What it does and how good it is at doing it My product is designed to allow users to store objects such as books and paperwork in. Teenagers, my target audience, would be able to customise the product by adding different tops as well as a different combination of boxes of which came in two sizes. The system I designed allowed the boxes to be placed on top of each other as well as beside each other. After testing, I found that the average sized box fitted perfectly, mainly due to my research which I carried out earlier. Papers unfortunately didn't fit without aid such as a folder or possibly something which allowed the paper to stand on end. Having said this, the product was perfectly able to stand the weight and the customisable feature with everything lining up with little add on features which gave room for error as well as being extra features to the set. After asking other 15/16 year olds, comments were very positive particularly with the engraved design on the side which matched with the add on spacers as well as the fact the boxes could be stacked or put on the side. They also liked the idea of the customisable top which could be turned into a different wide range of add-ons which could have been added to in the future if desired. There were few negative comments which were probably due mainly to pure politeness! Having said this, the ones I received were well constructed such as the fact that paper couldn't be placed flat without it sticking out the side as well as the fact that the choice of finish allowed the pine to show which was of a colour too bright to some people's preference. Modifications and/due to Problems One major problem I came up against was the fact that I was unable to cast a peg. This was due to limitations of knowledge on casting as well as the time limit I was restricted against. Our first trial was shown on my developing ideas section where only one half of the peg seemed to come out correctly. This, unfortunately, made me skip the variety of materials desired criteria. Another problem was accuracy. I was only making one of many of these products and because of this I opted to create the top plate by hand. Having done this I soon realised that it was very difficult and time consuming to get it correctly placed. Due to this fact I modified the size of the dowel from 8mm to 6mm which meant that the 8mm hole will now have 6mm slotted into it with the top plate. Because of time restrictions, it wasn't possible to create other add-ons such as the CD rack I planned earlier on. Instead I opted in a different material which would make the product more appealing (aesthetically pleasing). Accuracy was also another problem which I faced when joining the boxes together. I originally planned to join the boxes directly against each other. Because of 8mm holes being in the top and the bottom, 8mm dowel had to be used and the fact is that there was no room for error which became a problem. I solved this by creating a spacer which contained 6mm dowel which would slot into both the bottom and top box. This was a viable solution. Design problems also caused the boxes to be connected sideways only one possible direction as the boxes would not slot into each other on one side. This problem was one which I didn't fix as the boxes could still tessellate one way which made this problem very minor.

Attitude Formation And Stereotypes

Attitude Formation And Stereotypes ‘Stereotypes’, according to Hogg and Vaughan(2002:46), are impressions of people that are strongly influenced by widely shared assumptions of personality, behaviour and attitudes based on group membership for example, sex, race, ethnicity and nationality. These assumptions are a simplified evaluative image of someone or a social group and its members, mental representations influence impressions we form of a person or group and are seen as a social schema. As individuals stereotypes help us to deal with a large amount of social information we receive from a person or group of people. All this information helps us to simplify our social world to make it manageable, controllable and predictable. According to Pennington and McLoughlin (2008:184) Hogg and Vaughan (2002) have done many studies over the last 50 years and they summarise there research, the findings include; Stereotypes are quick to form and hard to change. Many stereotypes form in childhood and early teens. We show a tendency to rapidly stereotype others on the basis of a small number of traits and characteristics. Stereotypes are important as they influence impression formation, example when we first meet a person we assign them to a social group without finding any information out about them; from this we have formed a pre existing stereotype from our first impressions. Attitudes We cannot see or measure attitudes directly; the term attitude is used to represent a quite complex mental process. As individuals we continually seek to discover others attitudes, we tell others our views and try to change others opinions. According to Petty and Cacioppo (1986) say attitudes are a general evaluation we make about ourselves, others and issues, they go on to say ‘attitudes have a past, present and future; they were developed from past experience, they guide our current behaviour and can direct our development in the future’, (Pennington and McLoughlin, 2008:193). Through this defin ition it is thought attitudes strongly influence the way we behave. There are two different approaches to understanding attitudes; the structural approach and the functional approach. The structural approach (Katz 1960)- states that attitudes are an evaluation (positive or negative) of an attitude, i.e. It is expected for you to hold a positive attitude towards a close friend and you might hold a negative attitude towards a political issue, this approach is broken down into three components. (Pennington and McLoughlin 2008:193-194). Cognitive- our thoughts; Affective- our feelings and emotions; Behavioural- our behaviour The functional approach ties to understand and explains what the purpose of the attitude is for the individual; there are five different attitudes in this function. (Pennington and McLoughlin 2008:197). Adaptive function- helps achieve goal and avoids the undesirable. Self- expression- our opinion, attitudes and views. Ego- defensive function – protects self- esteem and promotes positive self image, Freudian theory. Knowledge function- helps with structure and organisation. Social adjustment function- helps manage social situation. Central traits – are pieces of information we latch onto whilst forming first impressions, these have disproportional influences over our final impressions. Primacy effect – information presented first has the strongest influence on impressions formed.

Material Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Material - Assignment Example It is being increasingly realized that research and development is critical to components such as the crankshaft due to the complexity of the system. Rapid advancements in technology and the inclusion of computer systems have led to an increase in the life and strength of crankshafts. However, the demands placed on the crankshaft have also increase with the development of high speed engines that produce more power and place new challenges to the design. Apart from some basic manufacturing precautions, new standards for the manufacture of crankshafts have been found out such as the ratios between its various components. There have also been advancements in the choice of materials for the manufacture of the crankshafts such as the use of aluminium and magnesium. However, they are largely application dependant and hence it is extremely important to consider this before the design and manufacture of the crankshaft. There is no perfect crankshaft; rather emphasis must be placed on develop ing an optimal crankshaft for the required application. The use of computer technology will further determine the course of the traditional crankshaft. Another important factor is the development of alternate systems of power for the automobile. As hard as it is to predict the future of the humble crankshaft, current efforts are being made towards the development of stronger and more efficient crankshafts. Though the modern automobile in the form that is currently seen took a number of decades to develop, the use of crankshafts in powered automobiles is as old as the first steam engine propelled vehicle developed by Joseph Cugnot in 1769 (Derry and Williams, 1993). Crankshafts ever since have been satisfying the need to convert the-to and fro motion of the engine, be it steam powered, diesel powered or any other type of engine, to circular motion of the wheels. However, recent factors mainly environmental, and political and

CRIMINAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CRIMINAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS - Essay Example e recent times, increased diversity in the workplace has perpetuated the desire for workers to work cooperatively and collective in groups in pursuit for accomplishment of organizational goals and objectives. Even so, not all groups formed in an organization become effective (Myers, 2012). Working in teams is different from working in groups. For instance, Teamwork enables individuals to achieve a common goal by sharing responsibilities and duties. Teamwork Success, therefore, involves the cooperative process that allows unique people to achieve extraordinary goals and results. Teamwork success depends on the commitment and organization of all the team members. From a company perspective to a school project and course, team success is achieved through Commitment. Dedication to teamwork success enables the groups of people achieves their goals and tasks without challenges (Myers, 2012). Generally, teamwork emphasizes on the virtues of cooperating and the importance of making use of different strengths of team

Management Control System in Use Research Paper

Management Control System in Use - Research Paper Example Businesses and companies must keep a careful track of what management control techniques and strategies they are implementing in order to remain relevant to the needs of the stakeholders. Given that human resource is one of the most important stakeholders in the overall business environment, there is need to keep them motivated and aligned to business objectives. Recent years have seen the careful demarcation of different management control systems that need to be looked into detail before choosing what kind suits an organisation and its business environment as the best. 2. Table of Contents 3. Introduction A management control system (MCS) refers to a framework or mechanism that is used to gather, segregate and analyse information in order to evaluate the performance of various organisational resources. The organisational resources being scrutinised may include (but are not limited to) human, financial and physical resources as well as the entire organisation in the context of organ isational strategies. MCS is also critical in influencing the behaviour of organisational resources in order to implement and sustain organisational strategies. The implementation of MCS in an organisation may be carried out under a formal or an informal umbrella (Otley, 1994). Management control has been defined as the process used by managers in order to influence the behaviour of other organisation members in order to implement organisational strategies. MCS can be seen as the tools used to navigate the organisation in the direction of its strategic objectives and hence to competitive advantage. The management controls used are just one of the tools that can be utilised by management in order to implement the required strategies to drive strategic advantage. However, it must be borne in mind that strategies could be implemented using a number of different avenues such as management controls, human resource management, organisational structure and culture (Anthony & Govindarajan, 2007). In contrast to this view, it has been argued that management control system is a black box i.e. it is an operation whose exact nature is not decipherable. It is argued that management control systems rely on the behaviour of managers and this behaviour cannot be properly expressed through equations so it is predictable yet unquantifiable (Anthony & Young, 1999). Others have defined management control systems as a set of integrated techniques that can be utilised for collecting and using information in order to motivate employee behaviour and in order to analyse their performance (Horngren et al., 2005). This text will investigate the nature of management control systems further using an appropriate literature review but will not implement the findings of this review as access to a workplace could not be secured. 4. Introduction to Management Control Systems Control has been defined in different ways over time (Redda, 2007). The more traditional research carried out on the iss ue tends to define control as an exercise carried out in order to monitor division managers (Otley, 1995). However, it has also been argued that such a point of view may not be applicable and up to date in today’s more flexible environment. More modern reflection on this issue reveals that monitoring employees is not enough in itself but instead it is necessary to support the employees in archiving the goals and objectives of the business. Essentially management control system is an interdisciplinary issue as shown in the diagram below. Figure 1 - Management control system as an interdisciplinary phenomenon In contrast to this view, Merchant and Otley (2007) contend that â€Å"a management control system is designed to help an organization adapt to the environment in which it is set and to deliver the key results

Proposed Sources, Strategy, and Method for Project Essay

Proposed Sources, Strategy, and Method for Project - Essay Example The paper will discuss the rationale behind the choices of recruitment and sampling methods. It will also describe permissions required for use of the data collected and determine a suitable sample size. The paper will also discuss the various strengths and weaknesses of the tentative recruitment strategy and sampling method. In formulating a research proposal, a researcher has to define the kind of data to be collected so as to give accurate results. The researcher needs to employ a data sampling method. Once the type of data required has been defined, data sources must be identified. These data sources may include research participants who need to be recruited for the research. The research requires a suitable recruitment strategy to get the suitable research participants. As suggested by Adler and Clark (2010), data that pertains to the financial performance of corporate companies would be sourced through financial statements of listed companies. They would also be sourced from other financial publications like minutes to General Meetings, magazines and newspaper articles as well as stocks listings. Meta-analysis of past quantitative research with a sample size of 1000 observations will be another data source. Surveys, interviews and portfolios of the companies will also serve as data sources. A survey will be conducted, with questionnaires sent to participants via mail and follow-up calls made to encourage response. Following examples by Teddlie and Tashakkori (2009), the research’s sampling frame will include corporate managers in the public relations, marketing, accounting and finance departments. They would represent companies listed on the stock exchange as these companies’ financial records are accessible to the public. A survey questionnaire would be sent to the specific manager by mail. A cover letter would be included that explains the need for the research and what the respondent is

Critically examine the characteristics,tactics, opponents and policy Essay

Critically examine the characteristics,tactics, opponents and policy impact of the NRA(National Riffle Assoc) - interest group operating in the USA today - Essay Example These include army officers, police officers and sheriffs while they also participate in occasions meant to compete in shooting skills. The organization has set programs meant to keep off violent criminals’ incorporation with the law. These programs include CrimeStrike that was introduced in order to eliminate gangs and other unwanted people from the streets of America and be convicted as per the crimes they commit. The other program introduced is the Eddie Eagle meant for children that creates public awareness on the importance of observing the laws stipulated against possession of guns and how to protect one self. This program gives warnings such as Stop or Don’t Touch signs put at places where these guns are kept in the house. Other programs educate adults such as skilled hunters, shooters and people who possess ammunition for the sake of their safety such as security gourds. Most foreigners have been surprised by the way most Americans prefer to own guns. Antagonists view the Second Amendment as stated by the constitution on the ownership of guns as a cause for the problem. The statement reads that as well as a military officer lawfully allowed to posses a gun, then owning guns has to be a right to all and must not be prohibited. There have been recent debates on ways of controlling guns to the public but this has brought no change in US we daily find shooting cases on the media. This evidence shows that there is a very strong correlation between violence and accessibility of ammunitions. Some federal laws initiated in 1970s due to the assassinations of high people in government for instance Martin Luther King. Later other policies were also set up as a result of several assassination cases. It is for these reasons that Brandy Bill has to take time while issuing out guns to the public. This helps to analyse the

W5Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

W5Security - Essay Example Modern technology poses a threat in terms of ease of access to data and information which is exchanged over the Internet, which can compromise the privacy of both individuals as well as confidential information pertaining to business activities (Laudon & Laudon, 1999). Privacy is the freedom individuals have to be left alone both at home and at work, free from observation or intrusion by other individuals or the State, or in the case of organizations, from the State and unauthorized sources. Information technology and systems threaten individual rights to privacy by making the intrusion into privacy inexpensive, cost-effective, and efficient (Laudon & Laudon, 1999). Organizational information security strategies, measures, and standards are entirely significant reflections. An organization must take care to devise and put into practice a successful information safety plan, that can cover every phase of available information. Each category of such information safety serves a diverse function. The W5-Data Security Policy incorporates the following main points regarding the organizational data (W5-data security Policy, 2009) Security risk: Consumer based applications such as Internet sales and call center programs pose a security risk to data at its collection point, because they can be tapped by unauthorized sources.(www.protegrity.com). The data and information security risk can be illustrated as the intensity of its effect on organization activities (including operational jobs, illustrations, or status), organization assets, or on individual and/or financial information collected during the process of entering into business information arrangements. The security of data may also be compromised during the process of its use, such as for example through actual theft or hacking into data as well as insider theft, all of which pose a hazard (Rebecca, 2007). The above section has presented the possible hazards in a business situation. Such

Planning for further diversification and the sharing of good practice Assignment

Planning for further diversification and the sharing of good practice - Assignment Example y of Justice, Lord Chamber, The Attorney General, Director of Public Prosecutions, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), The Lord Chief Justice, Legal Service Commission and the Lawyers. Similarly, the report will also analyze the structure of the judiciary in the English Legal System. Inherently, the work of the Ministry of Justice with regard to the English Legal System includes supporting the judiciary as well as providing legal aid and guidance on the constitutional reforms (Slapper, 2009). In addition, the Ministry of Justice is also responsible for ensuring that there are policies with regard to the civil, family, criminal, and administrative justice system. More importantly, this also includes the Law commission. Moreover, the ministry of justice is supposed to ensure there is adherence to the sentencing policy, as well as provide support to both the courts and the tribunals and make sure that they are fully operational. The Lord Chancellor plays a pivotal role in the English Legal System. This encompasses being a member of the government, as a cabinet minister (Elliott, 2012). Secondly, the Lord Chancellor has a law making role since he is a member of the second legislative chamber the House of Lords. The Lord Chamber also serves as the head of judiciary, together with being a sitting judge and as such the Lord Chamber has the mandate to appoint judges, or recommend judges for appointment. Under the Lord Chancellor, there are superior judges together with inferior judges. The superior judges include the Law Lords, Lords Justice of Appeal, High court Judges who sit in the House of Lords, court of Appeal and High Court respectively. Similarly, the inferior Judges include the Circuit Judges, Recorders, who are full time judges and part-time judges respectively in county court and crown court respectively (Slapper, 2009). More importantly, the District Judges are also part of inferior judges who sit in Magistrates’ Court and county court. Notably, the

Plato and the Allegory of the Cave Essay Example for Free

Plato and the Allegory of the Cave Essay The son of a wealthy and noble family, Plato (427-347 B.C.) was preparing for a career in politics when the trial and eventual execution of Socrates (399 B.C.) changed the course of his life. He abandoned his political career and turned to philosophy, opening a school on the outskirts of Athens dedicated to the Socratic search for wisdom. Platos school, then known as the Academy, was the first university in western history and operated from 387 B.C. until A. D. 529, when it was closed by Justinian. Unlike his mentor Socrates, Plato was both a writer and a teacher. His writings are in the form of dialogues, with Socrates as the principal speaker. In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato described symbolically the predicament in which mankind finds itself and proposes a way of salvation. The Allegory presents, in brief form, most of Platos major philosophical assumptions: his belief that the world revealed by our senses is not the real world but only a poor copy of it, and that the real world can only be apprehended intellectually; his idea that knowledge cannot be transferred from teacher to student, but rather that education consists in directing students minds toward what is real and important and allowing them to apprehend it for themselves; his faith that the universe ultimately is good; his conviction that enlightened individuals have an obligation to the rest of society, and that a good society must be one in which the truly wise (the Philosopher-King) are the rulers. The Allegory of the Cave can be found in Book VII of Platos best-known work, The Republic, a lengthy dialogue on the nature of justice. Often regarded as a utopian blueprint, The Republic is dedicated toward a discussion of the education required of a Philosopher-King. The following selection is taken from the Benjamin Jowett translation (Vintage, 1991), pp. 253-261. As you read the Allegory, try to make a mental picture of the cave Plato describes. Better yet, why not draw a picture of it and refer to it as you read the selection. In many ways, understanding Platos Allegory of the Cave will make your foray into the world of philosophical thought much less burdensome. * * * * * * [Socrates] And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: Behold! human beings living in a underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets. [Glaucon] I see. [Socrates] And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent. [Glaucon] You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners. [Socrates] Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave? [Glaucon] True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads? [Socrates] And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only see the shadows? [Glaucon] Yes, he said. [Socrates] And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them? [Glaucon] Very true. [Socrates] And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow? [Glaucon] No question, he replied. [Socrates] To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images. [Glaucon] That is certain. [Socrates] And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, -will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him? [Glaucon] Far truer. [Socrates] And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him? [Glaucon] True, he now. [Socrates] And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he s forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities. [Glaucon] Not all in a moment, he said. [Socrates] He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day? [Glaucon] Certainly. [Socrates] Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is. [Glaucon] Certainly. [Socrates] He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold? [Glaucon] Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason about him. [Socrates] And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the cave and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them? [Glaucon] Certainly, he would. [Socrates] And if they were in the habit of conferring honors among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future, do you think that he would care for such honors and glories, or envy the possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer, Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner? [Glaucon] Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner. [Socrates] Imagine once more, I said, such an one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old situation; would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness? [Glaucon] To be sure, he said. [Socrates] And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the cave, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death. [Glaucon] No question, he said. [Socrates] This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear Glaucon, to the previous argument; the prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which, at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows. But, whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed. [Glaucon] I agree, he said, as far as I am able to understand you. [Socrates] Moreover, I said, you must not wonder that those who attain to this beatific vision are unwilling to descend to human affairs; for their souls are ever hastening into the upper world where they desire to dwell; which desire of theirs is very natural, if our allegory may be trusted. [Glaucon] Yes, very natural. [Socrates] And is there anything surprising in one who passes from divine contemplations to the evil state of man, misbehaving himself in a ridiculous manner; if, while his eyes are blinking and before he has become accustomed to the surrounding darkness, he is compelled to fight in courts of law, or in other places, about the images or the shadows of images of justice, and is endeavoring to meet the conceptions of those who have never yet seen absolute justice? [Glaucon] Anything but surprising, he replied. [Socrates] Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the minds eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye; and he who remembers this when he sees any one whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will first ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter light, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess of light. And he will count the one happy in his condition and state of being, and he will pity the other; or, if he have a mind to laugh at the soul which comes from below into the light, there will be more reason in this than in the laugh which greets him who returns from above out of the light into the cave. [Glaucon] That, he said, is a very just distinction. [Socrates] But then, if I am right, certain professors of education must be wrong when they say that they can put a knowledge into the soul which was not there before, like sight into blind eyes. [Glaucon] They undoubtedly say this, he replied. [Socrates] Whereas, our argument shows that the power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already; and that just as the eye was unable to turn from darkness to light without the whole body, so too the instrument of knowledge can only by the movement of the whole soul be turned from the world of becoming into that of being, and learn by degrees to endure the sight of being, and of the brightest and best of being, or in other words, of the good. [Glaucon] Very true. [Socrates] And must there not be some art which will effect conversion in the easiest and quickest manner; not implanting the faculty of sight, for that exists already, but has been turned in the wrong direction, and is looking away from the truth? [Glaucon] Yes, he said, such an art may be presumed. [Socrates] And whereas the other so-called virtues of the soul seem to be akin to bodily qualities, for even when they are not originally innate they can be implanted later by habit and exercise, the of wisdom more than anything else contains a divine element which always remains, and by this conversion is rendered useful and profitable; or, on the other hand, hurtful and useless. Did you never observe the narrow intelligence flashing from the keen eye of a clever rogue how eager he is, how clearly his paltry soul sees the way to his end; he is the reverse of blind, but his keen eyesight is forced into the service of evil, and he is mischievous in proportion to his cleverness. [Glaucon] Very true, he said. [Socrates] But what if there had been a circumcision of such natures in the days of their youth; and they had been severed from those sensual pleasures, such as eating and drinking, which, like leaden weights, were attached to them at their birth, and which drag them down and turn the vision of their souls upon the things that are below if, I say, they had been released from these impediments and turned in the opposite direction, the very same faculty in them would have seen the truth as keenly as they see what their eyes are turned to now. [Glaucon] Very likely. [Socrates] Yes, I said; and there is another thing which is likely. or rather a necessary inference from what has preceded, that neither the uneducated and uninformed of the truth, nor yet those who never make an end of their education, will be able ministers of State; not the former, because they have no single aim of duty which is the rule of all their actions, private as well as public; nor the latter, because they will not act at all except upon compulsion, fancying that they are already dwelling apart in the islands of the blest. [Glaucon] Very true, he replied. [Socrates] Then, I said, the business of us who are the founders of the State will be to compel the best minds to attain that knowledge which we have already shown to be the greatest of all-they must continue to ascend until they arrive at the good; but when they have ascended and seen enough we must not allow them to do as they do now. [Glaucon] What do you mean? [Socrates] I mean that they remain in the upper world: but this must not be allowed; they must be made to descend again among the prisoners in the cave, and partake of their labors and honors, whether they are worth having or not. [Glaucon] But is not this unjust? he said; ought we to give them a worse life, when they might have a better? [Socrates] You have again forgotten, my friend, I said, the intention of the legislator, who did not aim at making any one class in the State happy above the rest; the happiness was to be in the whole State, and he held the citizens together by persuasion and necessity, making them benefactors of the State, and therefore benefactors of one another; to this end he created them, not to please themselves, but to be his instruments in binding up the State. [Glaucon] True, he said, I had forgotten. [Socrates] Observe, Glaucon, that there will be no injustice in compelling our philosophers to have a care and providence of others; we shall explain to them that in other States, men of their class are not obliged to share in the toils of politics: and this is reasonable, for they grow up at their own sweet will, and the government would rather not have them. Being self-taught, they cannot be expected to show any gratitude for a culture which they have never received. But we have brought you into the world to be rulers of the hive, kings of yourselves and of the other citizens, and have educated you far better and more perfectly than they have been educated, and you are better able to share in the double duty. Wherefore each of you, when his turn comes, must go down to the general underground abode, and get the habit of seeing in the dark. When you have acquired the habit, you will see ten thousand times better than the inhabitants of the cave, and you will know what the several images are, and what they represent, because you have seen the beautiful and just and good in their truth. And thus our State which is also yours will be a reality, and not a dream only, and will be administered in a spirit unlike that of other States, in which men fight with one another about shadows only and are distracted in the struggle for power, which in their eyes is a great good. Whereas the truth is that the State in which the rulers are most reluctant to govern is always the best and most quietly governed, and the State in which they are most eager, the worst. [Glaucon] Quite true, he replied. [Socrates] And will our pupils, when they hear this, refuse to take their turn at the toils of State, when they are allowed to spend the greater part of their time with one another in the heavenly light? [Glaucon] Impossible, he answered; for they are just men, and the commands which we impose upon them are just; there can be no doubt that every one of them will take office as a stern necessity, and not after the fashion of our present rulers of State. [Socrates] Yes, my friend, I said; and there lies the point. You must contrive for your future rulers another and a better life than that of a ruler, and then you may have a well-ordered State; for only in the State which offers this, will they rule who are truly rich, not in silver and gold, but in virtue and wisdom, which are the true blessings of life. Whereas if they go to the administration of public affairs, poor and hungering after the own private advantage, thinking that hence they are to snatch the chief good, order there can never be; for they will be fighting about office, and the civil and domestic broils which thus arise will be the ruin of the rulers themselves and of the whole State. [Glaucon] Most true, he replied. [Socrates] And the only life which looks down upon the life of political ambition is that of true philosophy. Do you know of any other? [Glaucon] Indeed, I do not, he said. [Socrates] And those who govern ought not to be lovers of the task? For, if they are, there will be rival lovers, and they will fight. [Glaucon] No question. [Socrates] Who then are those whom we shall compel to be guardians? Surely they will be the men who are wisest about affairs of State, and by whom the State is best administered, and who at the same time have other honors and another and a better life than that of politics? [Glaucon] They are the men, and I will choose them, he replied. [Socrates] And now shall we consider in what way such guardians will be produced, and how they are to be brought from darkness to light, as some are said to have ascended from the world below to the gods? [Glaucon] By all means, he replied. [Socrates] The process, I said, is not the turning over of an oyster-shell, but the turning round of a soul passing from a day which is little better than night to the true day of being, that is, the ascent from below, which we affirm to be true philosophy? [Glaucon] Quite so.

Consumer Buying Behavior of Hybrid Vehicles Essay Example for Free

Consumer Buying Behavior of Hybrid Vehicles Essay Introduction 1 Background of the Study With the air pollution level rising day by day caused by the emission from conventional vehicles, many government bodies have put in effort to enforce emission control policy since the late of 1960, and it is becoming strict with the EURO committee being the leader until today, where their emission policy and grading system being accepted or referenced worldwide even in Malaysia. The grading system based of emission cleanliness as of today is from Euro 1 to Euro 6, where Euro 1 being the worst emission standard and Euro 6 being the environmental friendly. This is the scene where most modern vehicles are fitted with catalytic converter since late 1975, a simple device that can reduce the harmful emission such as un-burn hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide by converting them into cleaner substances such as oxygen and hydrogen through chemical catalyst effect within (Tony Andrew, 2006). The effect of this is that the rise of the awareness of fuel efficiency, as many will further relate that if fuel efficiency can be increased, then the emission can be further improved, as well as to reduce wastage. Many automobile makers has since then began development of fuel efficient engine in order to make a stand, and consequently lead to the trend of Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). 2 Problem Statement However, emission is only one environmental factor as there is other factor which bothers a driver financial aspect, the fuel and its prices. No matter the fuel is expensive and cheap, if one can travel further with a given set amount of fuel, then one can certainly save him/her some money (Tony Andrew, 2006). And back to the environmental area, fossil fuel is non-renewable energy resources and depletion is certainly inevitable. This is why in recent years, many western automobile makers started to look into building fuel efficient vehicles, by building fuel efficient engines through various ways, most notably by downsizing the engine displacement and compensate it with force induction such as low pressure turbocharger. The effect of this implementation is that using a smaller capacity engine but can achieve the power delivery of a high capacity engine, yet with lower fuel consumption. However back in the eastern automobile industry, where the Japanese being the leader they had something else in mind, not only they wanted fuel efficiency but at the same time they wished to maximize the go green concept. Henceforth they come up with the idea of hybrid vehicle, where in general terms a vehicle is powered by 2 sources of input, which is a normal internal combustion engine, supported by an additional electric motor which requires special battery pack. The advantages of this implementation is that the fuel consumption and emission is superior over the formal, while the drawback is the maintenance and cost of replacement for faulty battery pack is very expensive. With the hybrid being the hot trend now given the promising sales figures from European countries and the USA, generally the maintenance factor is not an issue for them, however in this research we need to find out the factors that influence a buyer into considering, buying a hybrid vehicle over here in Malaysia, as the hybrid trend is still very new here in Malaysia, generally starting on the year of 2006 where Honda introduces Civic Hybrid. However with the recent tax exemption on hybrid vehicles from the Malaysia government, the trend seems to be changing positively and now we have several models from Honda and Toyota to offer in response to the policy. 3 Research Objectives a) What are the factors that influence consumer into considering a hybrid vehicle? b) What are the factors that support consumer into buying a hybrid vehicle? c) What are the factors that consumer worries about when purchasing a hybrid vehicle? 4 Significance of the Study This study into the factors that affect the buying decision of hybrid vehicles in Malaysia could project the trend and acceptance of hybrid vehicles here in Malaysia. With that information, local automobile makers can consider into developing our own hybrid vehicles to offer the local markets a broader choice, as well as to stay competitive in the market. Additionally, this will be a good catalyst to spark off â€Å"Go Green† concept into consumers’ mind that is beneficial to the restoration and perseverance of the environment. 5 Scope of the Study In this research, we will first take a general look and introduction into both the low pressure force induction technology and the hybrid technology further then compare and contrast the pros and cons in detail. With both concept understood, we will begin to focus on the trend of hybrid vehicles here in Malaysia, finding out the factors that support or deter the acceptance of hybrid vehicle through questionnaire aimed at hybrid owners and potential hybrid owners, from then we can know what are the main factors and concern of buyer upon making a decision for a hybrid vehicle, and then conclude what can be done to further increase the acceptance level of hybrid vehicles. Literature Review According to Markel Simpson (2006), the implementation of hybrid electric vehicles can effectively reduce petroleum consumption up to 30% when compared to conventional vehicle, however a fully plug-in hybrid electric vehicle shall be undergo development to further improve the savings and reduce the wastage, as current hybrid electric vehicles uses electric motor powered by battery pack to assist the engine, which is costly when one needs to replace, and it did not provide much desired power. The manufacturer can of course put in a bigger battery pack to punch out better power and durability, but with every 15% of improvement the cost is nearly doubled. This issue is also mentioned before way back in year 2001, where the development of hybrid vehicles began with the aim in providing a superior fuel efficiency vehicles with minimal wastage and pollutants emitted, in prior to address two major problems (Allella et al, 2001): a) Consumption of fuel : World petroleum reserves and residues are unlikely able to sustain against the ever growing necessity of consumption b) Pollution : Generally referred to the harmful emission that can damage the environmental health. The most common hybrid vehicle design is found within the famous Japanese automobile makers, respectively the Honda the Toyota. The idea is to fit an electric motor powered by a battery pack that will recharge itself using the lost energy during the braking procedure, to assist a smaller capacity conventional engine in acceleration. With the motor assistant, the engine need not work and rev up that hard to get the vehicle moving therefore fuel consumption can be lowered. When certain conditions are met, the vehicles may also run solely on the electric motor itself most probably during low speed cruising. Putting the vehicle design aside, as stated by Kuo Wang (2011), the disciplinary in driving, as well as the climate is major factor in reducing fuel consumption. Kuo Wang pointed out that in countries that have tropical climate, such as those near to the equator, tend to have higher fuel consumption index compared to other countries with 4 seasons climate, this is mainly due to the fact that fuel burns better and more efficient when the air temperature is colder, as colder air is more dense and henceforth carries more oxygen molecules. Other than that, since the temperature is generally high throughout the year for tropical climate countries, drivers tend to switch on the air-conditioner (A/C) most of the time to withstand the hot weather, and A/C draws power from the engine to power up the compressor and cooling coil, therefore it results in loss of power from engine and leads to higher fuel consumption. On the disciplinary side, traveling below or way above the optimum speed of a vehicle, usually around 90KM/H to 110KM/H will affect the fuel consumption, where most drivers tend to speed when the chances arise. One should also try to plan their traveling route ahead, in order to avoid unnecessary traffic congestion which can result in poor fuel consumption, as start-stop driving proven to have 60% increased fuel consumption compared to smooth non-stop driving. This is generally experienced by most drivers that they can achieve better mileage if they travel on the highway often. Research Methodology 1 Theoretical Framework [pic] 2 Generation of Hypothesis Assume that a) H0 = Null Hypothesis (No relationship between IV DV) b) H1 = Alternative Hypothesis (Significant relationship between IV DV) |H1 |H0 – There is no relationship between maintenance and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | | |H1 – There is significant relationship between maintenance and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | |H2 |H0 – There is no relationship between fuel consumption and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | | |H1 – There is significant relationship between fuel consumption and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | |H3 |H0 – There is no relationship between tax exemption and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | | |H1 – There is significant relationship between tax exemption and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | |H4 |H0 – There is no relationship between personal view and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | | |H1 – There is significant relationship between personal view and purchase decision of hybrid vehicles. | Conclusion In conclusion, no matter it is partial hybrid or fully plug-in hybrid, the main objectives are to prolong the sustainability of petroleum through improved fuel consumption. By going green, the hybrid technology can also help in reducing wastage and guarantee cleaner emission that can contribute to better environmental health and quality. Therefore with all the benefits and savings, we should try to adopt and embrace the implementation of hybrid vehicles. However, there is still room for improvement given the hybrid technology is still new within a decade of time. Government should come out with policy that can help greatly in promoting the adaptation of this green technology. Reference: 1) Allella et al, (2001), Negative Log-gamma Distribution for Data Uncertainty Modeling in Reliability Analysis of Complex System Methodology and Robustness, International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, Vol. 18, Napoli, Italy. 2) Allela et al, (2005), Optimal Reliability Allocation Under Uncertain Conditions With Application to Hybrid Vehicle Design [Online], International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, Vol. 22, Napoli, Italy. Available from (www. emeraldinsight. com/0265-671X. htm) [Accessed June 6 2011] 3) Apaydin O. Gonullu MT, (2008), Emission Control With Route Optimization In Solid Waste Collection Process, Vol. 33, Sadhana. 4) Davis S. Diegel S, (2004), Transportation Energy Databook, 24th Edition. 5) Duval M, (2004), Advanced Batteries for Electric Drive Vehicles, EPRI. 6) Hirsch et al, (2005), Peaking of World Oil Production: Impracts, Risks, and Mitigation. 7) Kuo Y. Wang CC, (2011), Optimizing the VRP by Minimizing Fuel Consumption [Online], International Journal of Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 22. Available from (www. emeraldinsight. com/1477-7835. htm) [Accessed 8 June 2011] 8) Markel T. Simpson A, (2005), Energy Storage Considerations for Grid-Charged Hybrid Electric Vehicles, IEEE Vehicular Technologies Conference, Chicago, IL. 9) Markel T. Simpson A, (2006), Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Energy Storage System Design [Online], National Renewable Energy Laboratory, available from (http://www. nrel. gov/vehiclesandfuels/vsa/pdfs/39614. pdf) [Accessed 8 June 2011].

The Great Pyramid of Egypt

The Great Pyramid of Egypt Overview The Great Pyramid of Egypt is deemed as one of the Worlds Seven Wonders. For more than 43 centuries, the pyramid was ranked as the tallest structure in the earth. But aside from its magnificence what makes it as a true wonder is how these Pharaohs managed such an enormous feat when there were no engineers and construction equipment to use. As such this will always remain a mystery but for todays managers in order to create something as grandeur as the Egypts pyramid, it will only take proper project management skills to successfully carry out a project. Nowadays, projects are ubiquitous. From the simple objective of political campaign to the complicated tasks of launching a rocket, project management is used everywhere by everybody. With this, it is considered as the driving force in most industries for leaders recognize that they are increasingly managing project-driven organization. They recognize that to be successful, they need to be conversant with and use modern project management techniques. Likewise to partially illustrate the importance of such tools, this paper shall discuss different approaches to project planning and control particularly in managing resources. These techniques as well as its benefits and limitations will be presented through the use of two business cases. Case I: Bojan Ltd. Bojan Ltd. operates in a rent a car industry that caters to other commercial businesses. To further satisfy its customers, the company is in the midst of searching for a supply of its vehicles. As such, the Project Manager (PM) is tasked to outline all the activities addressed to this problem using Project Network Diagram (PND), Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM). To start off the project, the PM listed 18 activities that must be performed to produce the project deliverables. (See Table 1.1) This list also shows the relationship between the project activities and the estimated number of work periods that are needed to complete the individual activities. PND was drawn out of these data and was used to determine the start and finish dates of each task and the entire project. Figure 1.1 shows the PND including the detailed schedule data for each activity shown in Early Start (ES), Early Finish (EF), Latest Start (LS) and Latest Finish (LF). The diagram also presented the critical path wherein the nodes in red represent the critical activities. These activities were identified by subtracting the activitys ES from its LS. If the float is zero then it falls as a critical activity; otherwise the activity has a slack wherein it is allowed to be delayed without affecting the projects total duration. In this project there are six non-critical activities (F, G, J, M, P, R) which totals to eighteen days of float. As shown above, the activities A-B-C-D-E-H-I-K-L-N-O-R make up the critical path and by adding the duration of each activity it shows the shortest time in which a project can be completed. For this project adding the entire critical paths duration (1+1+ 4+5+8 +10+10+6+8+10+12+1), it will take 76 days for its fulfillment. For example if the project will commence on May 3 and assuming that there will be no delays and will be completed using a 5 day working week, the project will be finished on its 16th week specifically on the 23rd of August. If in case non-critical activities are delayed, it will not bring about delay for it has a slack. If the delay is equals or less than its slack, it has a time leeway that can be used without adverse effect on the project time completion. For example a one day interruption occurred during Activity P will have no effect on the projects target end date for only its EF and LS will be affected. (See Table 1.4) This case is also the same if Activity Q is one day delayed and if two day holdup happened during Activity M. Throughout the project, PND was applied since time management is often the main source of conflict and using such tool will help PM to tinker with the relationships between tasks and create alternative solutions to increase productivity, profitability, and the diligence of a project. Moreover other than this function, PND also serves four other purposes (Super Business, n.d.). Case II: Carr Ltd. Carr Ltd. supplies an array of fitness equipment to various health and fitness clubs. However the company wants to expand this offering by diversifying its product and market. In this light, the organization will be undertaking a series of activities to launch hydraulic resistance machines to various school gyms. To manage all these tasks, project integration management will be conducted to coordinate all the project elements throughout its lifecycle. Figure 2.1 illustrates the integrations seven main processes to ensure the projects completion. Project Charter The project charter is an announcement that names the new project, the purpose of the project and the PM (Verzuh, 2005, p. 41). Form 2.1 shows the project charter for this specific project. Preliminary Project Scope Statement The scope statement is a document used to develop and confirm a common understanding of the project scope. As such Form 2.2 describes the work to be accomplished in this project as this will help in preventing project creep the tendency of a project scope to get bigger and bigger (Schwalbe, 2008, p. 149). Project Management Plan The project management plan provides a snapshot of the whole project as it contains all the necessary data for project execution and control. The plan aims to coordinate and integrate all other project management knowledge area. Moreover it is kept flexible in order to adapt to future project changes. The contents of the projects management plans are as follows: Project Overview The project overview contains the basic idea of the project. It gives the project management team a summary of what should and should not be accomplished at the end of the project. Management and Technical Approach This part of the plan consists of various documents on the ways the project will be run through. As such it is divided into four parts and these are management objectives, project controls, risk management and project staffing. Management Objectives identifies the top management views, project priorities and constraints. Through this, the team can concentrate on what must be done and can recognize the probable project limits. Form 2.4 shows the projects management objectives. Form 2.4: Management Objectives Project Controls describes the monitoring of the projects progress and its change management. For this project, the team has decided to conduct a weekly status review to ensure that the project is completed on time as well as to handle the change effectively. Moreover every after the progress meeting, a project status report is to be filled out and if there will be a need for change, a project change request must be first completed before any change implementation. Risk Management identifies the risks and the ways to manage and control perils that will restrain the projects success. Form 2.7 lists the projects risk management techniques that will allow the team to prepare for the risks and on how to react on them. Project Staffing describes the human resource needs of the project. This document identifies the skills required for this project. As such, Form 2.8 provides a list of the qualifications needed for the project to ensure that it will be completed with highly skilled team members. Scope Management The scope management defines the work required to complete the project. This supports the preliminary scope statement for it clarifies and provides more specific details. With this end, a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is created to define the total scope of the project. Although this does not show the tasks dependencies and duration, the WBS provides a basis for planning and managing project schedules, costs, resources and changes (Young, 2007). Project Organization The project organization is represented by the Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS). An OBS shows the decomposition of the projects responsibilities based on its WBS. Through this, the PM can allocate responsibilities, and to distribute the work fairly and evenly among the team (Young, 2007, p. 132). Project Schedule The project schedule provides a summary of the overall project schedule for it gives a baseline date of the projects completion. As such Table 2.2 identifies the project schedule that will be used to measure the projects progress to ensure the timely finish of the project. The table lists the relationships of each activity, the critical four dates and its critical path that are essential on identifying the projects duration. Project Budget The project budget consists of project estimate and project budget wherein project estimate is the approximate cost of the resources needed to complete a project while project budget involves allocating the overall cost estimate to individual work items to establish a baseline for measuring performance. For this project in estimating its total cost, bottom-up estimate was done. Bottom-up estimate which is often called Activity Based Costing involves on estimating individual work items and summing them to get a project total (Schwalbe, 2008, p. 274). In this project, labor cost, production of promotional tools and the school presentation consume most of the budget. Form 2.9 provides a summary of the projects estimated cost. Project Execution Project execution is the stage of performing the actual work as approved in the plan. This phase probably takes 90 percent or more of the projects effort. As such, the activities identified on the WBS are now being implemented to produce the project deliverables (Verzuh, 2005, p. 38). (Refer Figure 2.2 for the projects WBS) Consequently this point of project lifecycle involves on managing and performing the work described in the project management plan and so as to ensure that the project will be undertaken accordingly, the PM must perform these three tasks: Coordinating planning and execution; Providing strong leadership and a supportive culture; and Capitalizing on product, business and application area knowledge. Project Monitoring and Controlling Project monitoring and controlling involves collecting, measuring and disseminating performance information. In this stage project status reports play a pivotal role wherein all the activities are being tracked to measure the overall health of the project. Seven criteria are used for effective tracking and these are: Work (is it to estimates (both time and cost)?; Measurement (is everyone clear how to measure progress?); Timescales (are work plans being completed on schedule?); Quality (are standards being met in accordance with specifications?); Teamwork (are responsibilities being adhered to?); Changes (are problem-solving tools being used effectively?); Stakeholders (are they being kept informed, consulted and involved?) (Young, 2007, p.211). In addition to this, since scope, schedule and cost comprise the success criteria for the project, these three are the primary focus on monitoring the projects progress. Table 2.4 lists various methods on monitoring these factors. The purpose of tracking the projects progress is to ensure that the team always have the information to make an accurate assessment of what has happened and compare it with what should have happen according to the plan. Through this comparison, the team can take corrective actions to such variance. For example, it was identified that the project is lagging behind, specifically in doing the marketing plan due to conflicting ideas. As such, various proposals were raised and one of these is to work overtime. With this corrective action, the impending effect on project schedule was countered. Figure 2.3 summarizes the monitoring and controlling system for this project. Integrated Change Control Integrated change control is a management process for requesting, reviewing, approving, carrying out and controlling changes to the projects deliverables (Wallace 2007). Using the Project Change Request Form (Form 2.6) the project can achieve an efficient change control through understanding the source requiring the change, identifying the pros and cons of adapting to the change and preparing plan in implementing the change. With this end, Figure 2.4 illustrates the projects change control process (Westland, 2003). After recognizing the need for change, Configuration Management is then implemented. Configuration management controls the different versions of the project. It focuses specifically on how to implement approved changes as it keeps everyone in the project reading from the same sheet of music. For example, if the product proposal was changed midway through the project. This should be communicated to all the team members through updating the project reports so that the sub-teams responsible for the other parts of the marketing plan can make adjustments. If this is failed to do so, this will lead to confusing marketing plan. As such if the product package is targeting the low-end schools but the pricing suggests a premium rate for the fitness equipment, this results to inconsistencies. To avoid this kind of scenario, they must perform this three configuration management step: Identify the items that will be controlled, set up the control structure, and assign responsibility for control ( Verzuh, 2005, p.302). Project Closure Project closure is the smallest phase of the project but no less than important than the others. This stage is signified by all tasks and specific deliverables, documentation manuals and process procedures are finished and to identify if the project is finally completed Table 2.5 lists a closure checklist. When the project is deemed as completed, a close-out meeting is conducted to culminate all the efforts of the team member. The purpose of this meeting is to reach an agreement with the sponsor, in this case with Carr Ltd, to formally close the project. As such, Form 2.10 shows a sample of close-out meeting agenda. However the close-out meeting is not yet the end of the project for final report are yet to be done. This report includes project evaluation and project appraisal. Project evaluation is used to review the project processes and the management of the project. There are two modes of evaluating the project; active evaluation is conducted when the project is still in the works while post-project evaluation is after the projects turnover to the sponsor. On the other hand, project appraisal assesses the project as a whole for it determines the gains and losses of the project. These assessments are done with the purpose to learn from experience and to improve future projects. In addition to this in every project undertaken, benefits are always expected on them. In some cases, benefits are achieved after sometime the project has been concluded. In this project however, the benefit has been realized even before the project closure. Carr Ltd gained a new income stream in this diversification project via the agreed upon contracts with the customers (schools) for it signifies the payment terms (tangible benefits). Conclusion Project in tegration management is often regarded as the key to overall project success for it ties together all areas of project management. Thus this holds the primary focus of a PM. Summary Project management has come a long way since the formation of the pyramids in Egypt. Nowadays organizations have a renewed interest on this specific field as the number of projects continues to grow and their complexity continues to increase. This can be majorly attributed to the rise of modern project management tools and techniques for projects differ from the ongoing operations of a firm, managing those presents a new set of challenges. With this it resulted to developing tools and techniques that will deal with these challenges (Verzuh, 2005, p. 1). Accordingly throughout the paper, it presented various project management techniques. In the first case of Bojan Ltd, the use of network diagram was illustrated to stress the importance of completing the project on time. On the other hand, Carr Ltds problem of managing its new initiative was resolved by the project management integration that aims to ensure that all project elements come together at the right time to complete the project successfully. As such, the use of these tools emphasized that project management is a valued skill set in organizations across the spectrum. References Books Schwalbe, K., 2008. Information Technology Project Management. 5th Edition. Philippines: Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd. Verzuh, E., 2005. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management. 2nd Edition. New Jersey: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Young, T., 2007. The Handbook of Project Management. 2nd Edition. United Kingdom: Kogan Page E-books Westland, J., 2003. Project Management Guidebook. United States of America: Method 1-2-3. [E-book] Available at: http://www.thoughtware.com.au/documents/method123-ebook.pdf [Accessed on 11 March 2010] Websites Burns, M., 2005. Never Say No Managing Change in a Project. [Online] Available at: http://www.easyweb.co.uk/articles/change-control.html [Accessed on 11 March 2010] Super-Business, n.d. Creating a Project Network Diagram. [Online] Available at: http://www.super-business.net/IT-Project-Management/172.html [Accessed 23 February 2010] Wallace, S., 2007. Scope Change Control. [Online] Available at: http://www.epmbook.com/scope.htm [Accessed 11 March 2010]

My Philosophy of Education Essay -- Philosophy of Teaching Teachers Es

My Philosophy of Education â€Å"Though your beginning was insignificant, yet your end will increase greatly† â€Å"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove, but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child† Anonymous I can remember the days of yester when my childhood friends and I played pretend teacher. The reasons that I decided to enter the teaching profession were very simple indeed. I have never known a day throughout my life thus far that I did not have a love for children. Throughout my youth I was involved in my church nursery, Sunday school, and vacation bible school. I have always tried to involve myself in anything that revolved around children. As my youth progressed into adolescence my love for children only grew. Today as study towards my degree I only grow anxious awaiting the day I will hear the voice a child say â€Å"Good morning Mrs. Rushbrook.† Philosophies of Education began many years ago when individuals began to express their own views and opinions to others. The views and opinions they expressed then became called philosophies. Many great educators have developed philosophies in which they feel very strongly about. Today, however I am at the point in which I will allow the world to know my philosophy of education. Students are the building blocks of life. They are the ones who will endure after â€Å"we as a people† are gone. They will then pass on the knowledge granted to them to others and so on until the end of days. The cycle never ends. If â€Å"we as a people† do not pass on the knowledge in which â€Å"we† want to stay then â€Å"we† show that o... ...n out of the room and talked to one on one if he or she has a disciplinary problem. Interacting one on one with the child is the only that he or she can full express himself or herself. Eye to eye contact can work miracles. I will try my utmost not to take unnecessary disciplinary actions. If a student is rhythmic in his or her actions then he or she shall be punished. I feel that my philosophy of education has been expressed. I believe my views and opinions about becoming a future educator can be seen very vividly. I admire those entire teachers who are out in the world today and are changing the lives of each child who enters their room. â€Å"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops† Henry Adams â€Å"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you will land among the stars† Les (Lester Louis) Brown

Grandma and Grandpa - My Grandfather, A Man of Respect :: Personal Narrative Profile

My Grandfather – A Man of Respect Winds scratch his hands and his sharp bones deeply assert their lineaments. He stands like a trembling leaf on the branch of an evergreen, and will not fall. (Emmanuel di Pasquale, "Old Man Timochenko") This stanza from Emmanuel di Pasquale's poem "Old Man Timochenko" portrays my grandfather well. My grandfather is a man of respect because he never gave up on life, not even when his friends and family were burned alive on a train traveling from East Punjab to West Punjab during the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. He immediately understood that emigration from this Hindu dominant country to a Muslim state was important for his family's safety, faith, and future. My grandfather was nineteen years old when he moved from India's Punjab to Pakistan's Punjab; he was able to escape and obtain border passes from high authorities because his father was a wealthy landlord. After three days, he arrived in the city of Lahore with his mother, three brothers, and one sister, but they were shocked when they saw small houses overburdened with people like fish in a tuna can. The biggest misfortune struck when they found out that they were not going to be fully compensated for all the property they had left behind. During this entire incident, my grandfather did not shed a single tear because he knew that this migration was his family's choice, and they had to pay a price for a better life. Throughout his life he valued one thing the most: respect. In fact, he thought of it as a reversible equation; you give respect and you get respect, and that is what he me throughout his lifetime. My grandfather always taught me to respect people regardless of their religion, status, and color. He said that these are man-made boundaries and differences, and in order to socialize in this world, one must learn to accept people in all forms. For example, on the day of Eid-ul-Fitar, a religious day observed by Muslims, my grandfather would embrace his servants, wish them a happy and prosperous year ahead, and give them presents.

The Shipping News Essay -- Shipping News Essays

The Shipping News Just as Newfoundlanders have to confront the sea, survive it, so people have to face life’s traumas and find the will to go on. To what extent is Proulx saying people must ‘weather the storms’ of life and reconcile the past with the future? To face life’s storms is not to reconcile the past with the future, meaning to be happy with it, but to confront the past, conquer it, and then accept it. Acceptance in this instance, meaning to acknowledge the past, and acknowledge that it cannot be changed. It does not need to be understood, simply recognised as something that has happened. In acceptance, feelings of anger, regret and guilt are dissipated. These are the steps that are to be taken in order to cope, â€Å"weather the storms† of life and move forward. All of the characters in the novel have to cope with their lives, some of which are more difficult than others. Quoyle had many traumatic events in his life, and until he went to Newfoundland he was not coping with them. It was through help from others that he could confront, conquer and accept his past to start truly coping with life. Other characters, including Wavey and Agnis also have to confront, conquer and accept their pasts to cope and get on with life. Although it is not a matter of life and death as to whether the characters cope with life, they will have to face it eventually. Newfoundlanders undertake this idea, and learn how to confront, conquer and accept what happens in their lives. Wavey has her own past to confront and accept. Throughout the novel and her development of the relationship with Quoyle, she has to learn to trust again after her husband’s treatment of her, and accept his death. She did this through her relationship with Quoyle, by learning to develop a mutually open and trusting relationship. Their trust was developed but a sharing of common painful experiences with their spouses, in a safe and comfortable environment. Wavey was able to share her secrets with Quoyle, because he was able to share his with her first. â€Å"The way Quoyle talked of his love, but never the woman? Could pull out one from her own skein of secrets.† (Pg 307) Wavey’s trust enables her to accept her husband’s behaviour towards her and his death, so she can move forward in her life. Another example of a trusting relationship that is formed is one with Agnis and the new Quoyle fam... ...t them. Nutbeem shows his ability to do this after his boat has been destroyed at his farewell party â€Å"’At least you can smile about it.’ Dennis, half smiling to himself. ‘If I didn’t I’d go round the twist, wouldn’t I? No, I’ve decided to smile, forget and fly to Brazil.’† (Pg 268.) Instead of getting upset and trying hopelessly to fix the boat, Nutbeem accepts what has happened, and finds another way around it. Jack displays his acceptance of his life, is shown in the way he goes out on his boat and fishes everyday, even though his grandfather, father and eldest son all died at sea. To reconcile with the past is to forgive, and be contented with it. To accept the past is acknowledge its existence, and the inability to change its facts. Quoyle, through developing new relationships in Newfoundland and discovering his family history, is able to move forward by confronting, conquering and accepting his own past. This is also been reflected in Wavey’s life. Through her relationship with Quoyle she has developed the ability to trust and love again. Going back to Newfoundland enabled Agnis to confront her familial demons, and so to accept her past and move forward into the future.

Life History Project

LIFE HISTORY PROJECT By Lorraine Ward PSY 355 5/14/09 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 Life History Research †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4-8 Works Sited Page †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 Appendix †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 10- 15 Photo of Interviewee †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 16 ABSTRACT: This research delves into the special concerns of aging. I look at options that to be explored to make life more satisfying for senior citizens. Harry Lo Vette was my interviewee and his answers are similar to others his age, depending on ducational background, socioeconomic status, mental and physical health. Programs need to be implemented for older adults and their families to discuss the lifespan. Lorraine Ward 5/1/2009 PSY 355 Life History Paper I chose to do the life history interview. I interviewed my neighbor/family friend, Harry E. Lo Vette. I learned a lot of interesting facts about Harry. He is the type of person that you can have a conversation with for hours and lose track of the time. Our interview took at least two hours. I have decided to have my parents fill out a questionnaire. This will be great to look back on, when my children have their own children. I am going to fill one out, too. I think it is a great way to record people in your family. My great, great, great-grandchildren may find it comforting to hear that we started cleaning up our planet or that cars ran on gas or moon hotels hadn’t developed, yet. These could be included in time capsules to show how we’ve evolved through generation to generation. There are many similarities between my interview and what we discussed in class. The one that bothers me the most is the acceptance of pain. Harry said he had overall good health but later in the interview said â€Å"I hurt. I take a few pills & it makes you feel dumb in the head & the pain goes away for half an hour. † I know my grandmother suffers with pain, too and she takes hands full of prescription medication. A man at my job takes 15 different vitamin and medications, twice a day. He suffers with pain. I don’t understand why take the pills if you are still going to hurt? Why prescribe a medication that obviously doesn’t work? Why are we not looking for alternative methods to take their pain away, if medications/pain relievers aren’t working? It seems to me that the physicians are just dealing with the pain and not the cause. Do we just put our elderly on a shelf? â€Å"Here, take these. Go home and come back when these are gone. † Your children and grandchildren have their hectic lives and visit between PTA meetings, softball, and soccer games. Your friends either can’t drive, have passed on, go south for winter, or are in a nursing home, possibly suffering more than you. We treat animals better than we treat our elderly and our country is supposed to be a great place to live†¦.. We must look into changing this. â€Å"†¦there is more to aging than meets the eye! † (Althoff, pg. 9) â€Å"For some, later years are a time of struggle, while others enjoy greater success† (Crosnoe, pg. 310). This may be because of good physical and mental health or because of their socioeconomic status being a positive one. According to Crosnoe, three criteria must be met to have a successful adaptation to aging. These criteria are; family engagement, occupational success, and civic involvement. We must remember that everyone is unique in their aging process, also. These factors are relevant to a subject’s differences in longevity and aging; biological background, education, occupation, marital status and family life, ethnic group, geographic location, housing, recreation, religion, and social class. (Althoff, pg. 9) Family interactions are important throughout life (Brubaker, pg. 212). Time spent with one’s family is important and so is accomplishing career goals (Crosnoe, pg. 311). Harry was successful in his career and enjoyed his job at the telephone company. He had a bad fall but went back on the job after he could walk, again. Also, he was involved with Boy Scouts from the time he was a child. I can recall many stories he has told my family and I about his camping trips with the Boy Scouts. He really enjoyed teaching the young boys important life skills and respect. He has had a lot of civic involvement. Marital status can have a positive influence on aging, also, especially if it’s a long term marriage to only one partner. It enhances a person’s security and provides social networks, especially for men (Crosnoe, pg. 312). Harry has been married twice but he realizes his first marriage dissolved because of his alcoholism. â€Å"Alcoholism is disruptive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Crosnoe, pg. 312). He still visits his first wife (Rose) in the nursing home she resides at. Donna his current wife understands because she realizes Rose has Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. Harry has been married to Donna for over twenty five years. Religion can be beneficial to aging subjects. It can provide comfort, direction, a sense of community, and an anchor in social networks, which can increase social amalgamation over time and aid in successful adaptation Crosnoe, pg. 313). Harry is active in his church, the Salvation Army. His church gives to the less fortunate and Harry finds this important. He came from a family that believed in giving. â€Å"†¦to the extent that aging includes a greater concern with others’ welfare. † (Silver, pg. 13). Harry’s mother brought food to those without, during the G reat Depression. It’s fulfilling to help others, out of the kindness of your heart. Organization within the family unit is important at any age. â€Å"Well-organized families weathered even severe losses, while disorganized families suffered severe disruption. (Duvall, pg. 131). Every family has conclusive essential tasks that must be met: (a) provide physical care, (b) allocate resources, (c) arbitrate who does what, (d) assure members’ socialization, (e) authenticate interaction models, (f) incorporate and extricate members, (g) relate to society through its institutions, (h) and affirm morale and motivation (Duvall, pg. 131). I know in my own family if we stay organized, things run more smoothly and we have spare time for leisure activities. If we don’t stay on top of things, then it’s very chaotic. Psychological well-being and social engagement is a lifelong process. (Crosnoe, pg. 309). â€Å"A positive view of the world may not be crucial for the young, but seeing the world as more than good and people as more trustworthy than not is a source of well-being for older adults. † (Silvers, pg. 14). I see this in Harry. During my interview with him, I asked if he had experienced any prejudice against him due to his age and he had said no. He went onto explain that a younger person needs to be taught to respect others. This is a positive view of the world. I do wonder if this is across the board or if only by those who have adapted well to aging. Also, I wonder if this occurs across multicultural backgrounds or just those of European decent. The Great Depression and World War II greatly affected the current generation of senior citizens. They probably knew someone who served in the armed forces at this time or they themselves served. Combat experience and family death are traumatic events that affect a person for the entirety of his/her life (Crosnoe, pg. 313). â€Å"Combat in World War II increased odds of eing less adjusted (289%)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Crosnoe, pg. 321). Those who served in WWII or had suffered a loss of a child were less likely to be satisfied with their life than others (Crosnoe, pg. 323). War veterans have a less effective style for aging, even years later (Crosnoe, pg. 324). The end of WWII brought more problems with it. â€Å"American families were in disarray. † (Duvall, pg. 127). The men came back from the wa r changed by the event. The women had experienced a newfound independence of being employed outside the home. Children were either left fatherless (during the war) or went off to war. President Truman formed the First National Conference on the Family for 1948. The enlistment of participation of 123 national agencies centered on the family was called on. (Duvall, pg. 127). Truman actually acknowledged that families were in need of help. I wish our President or past President would acknowledge this. Our troops are coming home with many confusing thoughts and addictions (Heroin is cheaper in Iraq and Afghanistan. ). They have never been faced with these kinds of traumatic events. A person must ascertain a certain amount of habits to insure they live a fulfilling life, even into old age. One must moderate food, drink, and physical pleasures (Althoff, pg. 11). Too much of a good thing, is not good. A person should avoid grief, drugs, tobacco products, and an excess of alcohol (Althoff, pg. 11). These are toxins. It is wise to exercise daily, get plenty of sleep, get good medical care, have good personal hygiene, and breathe pure air. Quality medical care is hard to come by for lower income adults, especially the elderly, in America. It is recommended that one achieve a balance of physical and mental work throughout their lifespan (Althoff, pg. 11). It is a fact that as we age our bodily functions decrease. â€Å"The resolution of early stages greatly influences the outcomes of later stages. † (Dunkel, pg. 13). This would be along the same lines of Psychoanalytic theory, also. Erikson has eight stages in his theory. The one that affects this paper, though, is integrity versus despair. In old age the individual must assess their lives and have a sense of contentment or sorrow. Wisdom arrives with integrity as strength (Dunkel, pg. 4). According to Dunkel, a basic sense of trust develops an understanding of autonomy, industry, identity, intimacy, generativity, and integrity (Dunkel, pg. 14). Harry seemed comfortable with his childhood and therefore, I assume this is why he is adjusting well to aging. My grandmother, too, has adapted well to aging, even though she suffers through a lot of pain. Is it possible that surviving great hurdles like war and economic struggles can bring a family closer and help a person to learn coping mechanisms to deal with adaptations needed in aging? Listening to the power point presentations in class, those who had a closer family network and had to struggle at some point in their life had a better outlook on aging. Is it generational or a theory we need to further research? The next generation to reach old age is the baby boomers. They are facing a different set of problems than their parents did. There is a higher rate of single parents, divorced, multiple marriages, extramarital activities, women that had entered the job force, and live in households where both parents were working (Giordano, pg. 11). This generation was more likely to have parents still alive and live close to them (Giordano, pg. 411). They are the recipients of advanced medical research, greater economic security, more open to alternative lifestyles, rising social security payments, and achieved higher levels of education (Giordano, pg. 412). Harry’s daughters are examples of how true this is. All three of them are teachers and that is a higher educa tion than Harry achieved. This generation has developed a more positive attitude on aging. They have adapted well and have increased their leisure activities, enjoy happier marriages and family relations (Giordano, pg. 412). There are (and will be) more fourth and fifth generation families. These subjects will require more counseling, health and enrichment programs (individual and marriage), and family therapy techniques will need adjusting to compensate for larger family networks (Giordano, pg. 413). They will be the pacesetters for the increase use of technology. They will not suffer from as many serious health issues, as previous generations had (Giordano, pg. 14). My parents are baby boomers and I agree with Giordano on most of what he wrote about on this generation. My mother goes to Curves for fitness. My father gardens, and remodels their home. This is form of enjoyment. They both like to travel via car to different castles and other places of interest to them. I know my grandparents never did this. In fact, I don’t believe they could afford to. â€Å"Health may be the most important factor associated with an older person’s well-being. † (Brubaker, pg. 212-213). Retirement is a major influence in an older adult’s life. It adds to the possible confusion that accompanies growing older. There need to be support groups that are community based and accessible to all ethnicities and genders, surrounding the topic of retirement. â€Å"Women have more difficulty adjusting to retirement than men. † (Brubaker, pg. 215). These support groups need to address financial planning (retirement income), â€Å"empty nest† syndrome, leisure activities, smaller households/larger family networks, medical care, intergenerational issues, accessing new technologies, social changes, fitness for the mind and body, and emotional changes (Brubaker, pg. 13). â€Å"Concurrent with the changes in spousal interaction, older parents need to develop new patterns of communication and interaction with their independent children. † (Brubaker, pg. 213). Issues pertaining to retirement programs are: â€Å"theoretical assumptions that under pins the programs’ rationale†, significance of the agenda, timin g of such learning occasions, teaching patterns, and accessibility of the program (Brubaker, pg. 215). There are stereotypes encompassing senior citizens that need to be altered because so many are negative. The assumption that older subjects don’t engage in sexual activities is false, for the most part. Many may not realize that holding hands, caressing each other, massages, and foreplay can astute to sexual activity. Intercourse does not need to be the only way to relieve sexual tension. Also, they may need to hear that it’s perfectly normal and okay to engage in sexual activity. Previous generations may have been told that it was not okay and this may have been passed down to other generations. As long as a physician has not said to refrain from sexual activity, it should be safe to do so. Other stereotypes include hearing loss, memory loss, control of bladder, perversion (â€Å"dirty old man†), and the necessity to call them â€Å"honey† or â€Å"dear†. There is hearing loss but not in everyone and not to the extreme pictured in cartoons. Short term memory loss is common but generally, long term memory is intact and sharper than some younger persons. Bodily functions do decrease but not everybody loses control of their bladder. The â€Å"Depends† and â€Å"Serenity† commercials would have you believe this occurs with all older adults, but it just simply isn’t true. The â€Å"Viagara† commercials play on people in the same way. Old people are no more likely to be perverted than anyone else. It is okay to be sexually attracted to another adult at any age. The person the attraction is aimed at should feel honored to be noticed by a more distinguished person. The older adult should feel proud that these feelings can be evoked still. Many older adults are living to see their children’s children and some have no idea how to deal with this. â€Å"Nearly 75% of older people are grandparents and nearly half are great-grandparents. † (Brubaker, pg. 216). Classes should be offered on how to be adequate, functional grandparents. Issues to be taught through family education classes ought to include: what to do with a grandchild, different grandparenting styles, intergenerational differences/similarities, how these bonds will strengthen the family structure, gender differences, listening to views of younger people, lifespan development, generativity, increase satisfaction of having grandchildren, and how to improve family communication (Brubaker, pg. 216-217). A grandparent’s role is very different from a parent’s role. They are more nurturing and less disciplining. A grandparent can teach a child more than a parent can, though. A child can learn about a generation that has past, with more detail than a textbook. Grandparents offer a wide array of learning experiences for their grandchildren. Environment influences how a subject adapts to aging. â€Å"People with particular needs search for the environments that meet them best. † (Text, ch. 5). Many different cultures hold the older generation as the wisest. Some are chiefs in their nations or kings/queens of their empires. The United States is one of the most powerful countries in the world but they hold very little respect for senior citizens. In fact, there are very few programs available to older adults. They often are challenged with high medical bills, high costs of mobility equipment, transportation costs (after they lose use of their driver’s license), and possible nursing home costs. Senior citizens may feel distraught over the obstacle of maturing. Our economy will determine if more programs are able to be launched or not. It will ascertain how well or not, the elderly live. (Frontline Video: Living Old)The length of time they live will be affected by the cost of living. Nursing homes need to get a facelift. Instead of being waiting rooms for death, they should be improved to be gazed upon as an oasis for the elderly. They have lived full lives and deserve to be treated with respect. Programs required in this environment are; life history therapies, training for staff, co-ed rooms, family education about lifespan development, technology training, discussions about aging (group therapy), memory builder games or skill training, course availability (of their choice) at a local college or learning institution, and options about dying with dignity (vegetable state, assisted suicide? , living wills). Presently, our economy is facing a possible depression. Medicare has been cut and Social Security runs the risk of running out of funding. Older adults are being forced either out of a job or into an early retirement due to budget cutbacks, the closing of companies, or the companies have moved out of the country. This leaves an older adult at a loss of coping skills. This needs to be addressed within every community because it affects everyone. Many of these people don’t have the required skills to achieve another job without a higher education. Some may not even have a high school diploma or GED. They are now faced with competing for jobs with younger, more viable adults that do have the required education and skills. This is a major stressor for these misplaced aging adults. Their risk for acute illnesses may rise due to this added stress leaving them even more vulnerable. I learned a lot from this course on adult development and aging, the life history interview, and this research paper. I realized how condescending I may sound to elderly customers who step into my taxi by calling them â€Å"honey† or â€Å"sugar†. I had never even thought about it until we learned it in class. I’m conditioning myself to use it less and to treat senior citizens like others in my cab and in general. I respect my elders, always. This is how I was raised and something I struggle to instill in my children. They seem so stubborn (lol). I tried to include approximately the same information in my research paper as I asked in my life history interview with Harry Lo Vette. This wasn’t difficult because most of the information I found on aging surrounded these same topics or topics we had already discussed in class. I’m going to interview my parents and myself for fun. The answers may be worth putting in a time capsule or away for future generations to reminisce over. It will be interesting to review and revise my answers when I’m 50 or 60. This course was rewarding for me because I learned more than I ever thought I would. The achievements that older adults have over me are that they have successfully lived longer than I have (to date). WORKS SITED: Althoff, Sally A. (1975). Preparing Teachers, Students, and Citizens to Deal Constructively with the Problems and Potentialities of Aging. 1-79. Brubaker, T. H. , Roberto, K. A. (1993). Family Life Education for the Later Years. Family Relations, 42, 212-221. Crosnoe, R. , Elder, Jr, G. (2002). Successful Adaptation in the Later Years: A Life Course Approach to Aging. Social Psychology Quarterly, 65, 309-328. Dunkel, C. S. , Sefcek, J. A. (2009). Eriksonian Lifespan Theory and Life History Theory: An Integration Using the Examples of Identity Formation. Review of General Psychology, 13, 13-23. Duvall, Evelyn M. (1988). Family Development’s First Forty Years. Family Relations, 37, 127-134. Giordano, Jeffrey. (1988). Parents of the Baby Boomers: A New Generation of Young-Old. Family Relations, 37, 411-414. Silver, R. C. , Poulin, M. (2008). World Benevolence Beliefs and Well-Being Across the Life Span. Psychology and Aging, 23, 13-23. APPENDIX Life History Interview DEMOGRAPHIC INFO: 1) What is your full name? Harry Edward Lo Vette 2) Where were you born? Corning Hospital, Corning, NY 3) What is your age? 79 (10/19/1929) 4) Oldest of 5 children: 3 boys & 2 girls. I lost one brother here, 10 years ago. He worked with asbestos @ Corning Glass. He died of Cancer from the asbestos. 5) Where did you live as a child? Spent most of my life in 100 radius of Dundee area. Grew up in Monterey on a farm, during the Depression, for a number of years. Lived in the Chenango Forks down near Binghamton & then we came back to Dundee area – Lakemont. Then we moved back to Binghamton area & then back to Dundee, just before the War 1950. Then I graduated high school in 1949. Went to Korea, came home & got married, 1st marriage, lived there until 1955 when I went to work for the phone company down in Corning. 6) What do you recall about your family home and neighborhood; you lived in as a child? We lived on a 500 acre farm. We didn’t have many cows. We milked 35 cows by hand, my brother & I, my mother & my father did. Everything was done by mules. We had black mules. During The Depression time you didn’t know you were supposed to have money in your pocket but we had food. We lived good, on food. We had all kinds of animals. Plus, we hunted a lot. We had beef, pork, never raised rabbits. We had ducks, chickens, and we always had a couple of tame sheep. The neighbors raised sheep. My mother always made us our White shirts. And I went to a one room school house until I was in 4th grade, over in Monterey. One room school house, one teacher, maybe 16 students. My mother was strict. My father only hit me just one time & that was calling my brother a liar. He was a hard working man, but he didn’t condone that type of behavior. We were supposed to take turns cutting wood, fill the kindling box and heavy wood. Come in from chores one morning, my father said â€Å"Before you eat, who was supposed to cut kindling wood last night? † My brother said â€Å"Harry†. I turned around to him. My father said â€Å"Get out there & cut it†. When I went by my brother, I said â€Å"You liar†. I can remember it & I never saw it coming. He picked up the little coal shovel & caught me right across the fanny. (He chuckled) He use to threaten to tear our arm off & beat us to death with a bloody stump, but he didn’t mean it. My mother was the domineering one, belt, switch, leather strap. 7) Where do you live? 800 Hill Road, Genoa, NY 13071 8) How long have you lived @ your current address? 28 yrs. Married Donna & moved in. Donna lived there for 29 years. (He gets in conversation with my Mom about our family house. It was built in early 1800s. ) 9) With whom do you live? Donna (wife) 10) Are there any concerns about safety or mobility? No. I can’t do the things I use to do. A little lame, so far, no. 11) Both of us are retired. I retired after 32 years from the phone company. Your annual income: $20,000-$30,000. We run about $30,000 a year, between the 2 of us. 12) What is your ethnicity? Paternal Grandfather: French Canadian. Paternal Grandmother: Scottish & English. 13) What religion do you practice? Christianity. Salvation Army. 14) How has the church affected your life and the life of your family? Different attitude @ looking @ things. A lot of good friends. Changed my life by quitting drinking. I don’t get as upset as I use to. I find the Salvation Army is comforting. I’ve been down there since 1972. Many churches are cliquish. They have their small groups. They may even look down their nose @ you, if you’re not properly dressed or you’re not this or this. The Salvation Army has never been that way. Their theme has always been you can teach the Word to someone who is down and out and hungry. The 1st thing you do is feed them & pick them up. It’s been better for my life. 15) What did you do for a living (jobs)? Picked berries/grapes as a child (made $100 a season), high school: drove truck (17-18 without a driver’s license) (big) – markets, Corning Glass Works- television bulbs (Spring 1950-1st to make rectangle bulbs), Army (Korea), drove truck, Dundee Phone Comp, NY Phone Comp. was @ NY Phone Comp for 32 years (1953-1985) Got hurt on phone Comp job @ 32 (1962). Fell from top of pole & landed standing up, couldn’t walk for almost 1 year! 16) How has these jobs changed? People my age were brought up to work. The injury changed his life. The Army & Korea let him travel. People working the jobs changed. Cell phones changed the whole phone company. Computers took over my job. HEALTH and LEVEL of FUNCTIONING: 1) How is your overall health? Good. I take blood pressure medicine, but my blood pressure is good. I quit smoking in 1983. 2) Have you had any serious illnesses? Bronchitis. I get it every winter now. It was real bad this year the 1st Anti-biotic didn’t work. ) How did this affect your life? I didn’t get much done. This weekend was my 1st time in my wood shop this year. 4) Have there been any changes in your physical functioning over the last several years? (He chuckles)Not as much stamina. I can’t do hard work for as many hours, w/out rest. 5) Has your vision or hearing changed? Yeah! Had Cataracts removed & new lenses implanted. Then got better vision than before. All hearing gone in right ear & hard to hear in left. 6) Has your memory changed? Yes. 7) Does this affect your life? Long term is good. Short term memory is bad. Not as sharp. I can do mathematics & plan a deck still. My 1st wife has Alzheimer’s disease. 8) Has your ability to use your mind or learn new things changed? You have to adapt. Attitude makes the difference. If you want to learn, you will learn it. 9) How are you treated by younger people? Respect is given & taken. You have to give younger people respect. Lately, I haven’t had to associate with them. You have to lay it down to them. I never was discriminated against. 10) How do you feel about getting older? You learn to accept it. I don’t want to live to be 100. I just don’t want to go into a nursing home, unless I have to. I‘d rather not. 11) If you could be any age, what would you be? I’d like to go back & be 19, again. Up until 32, when I fell. Now, some days it’s an effort to get up & do anything. I hurt. I take a few pills & it makes you feel dumb in the head & pain goes away for half an hour. Yeah, those were good years. 12) Why? My life started. I enjoyed life. The last of the 40s (the 1940s) was good. AGE-GRADED, HISTORY-GRADED, and NON-NORMATIVE EVENTS: 1) What is your highest level of formal education? High school. Graduated in 1949. Army: map-making survey = 2 years of college. semester of college @ Auburn Community College, after I fell off the telephone pole. 2) Where did you attend school? Monterey (1 room school house), Dundee (built new school in 1939), Chenango Forks (1937-2 years), & Dundee. 3) How did you get back & forth from school? 1st walked ? mile, later walked 2 miles to catch the school bus. 4) What were some of your classmates’ names? Richard Peterso n, Roscoe (big bee guy), Mike Hartford, A. Chadwick, Mary Sharp (my old flame) 5) Do you recall any childhood girlfriends? Mary Sharp (8 years) – went bad while I was in Korea. 6) Marriages? 2. My 1st wife (Rose) has Alzheimer’s and liver cancer 7) Where did you meet Donna? At Work. She came to the phone company. 8) Children? 1st Marriage – 3 daughters (all over 50 years old), 2nd Marriage – 2 step-children (daughter & son). 9) Grandchildren? 4 & 4 step-grandchildren. 10) Where do your children live? Oregon, California, and Willard, NY. All are teachers. 11) How often do you see them? Out of state – not as often. The one in NY more often. 12) Romantic Relationships (not married to)? Honestly? 30. I was proposed to 3 times during the Leap Year I got out of service. Only 1 regret. 3) Are your children supportive in areas you need them to be as you age? Yes. Steps: David more than Dorie. 14) Do they respect your wishes? Yes. 15) What effect did (The Depression, World War I, and World War II) have on your life? The Depression – always had food. My mother made us white shirts. She was a good seamstress. Christmas wasn’t as big. My mom ma de our gifts. She made me a farm set by hand. Mother gave the neighbor some foods that we had made. World War 1 – It was depressing. I was 11 years old. World War 2 – a friend of our family was in a Japanese prison Camp (didn’t die). We lost friends in Normandy. In Maine – airplane spotters. 16) What changes have you noticed during your life in such areas as fashion, morality and technology? Fashion – always wore jeans, sweatshirts, shoes. Probably affected women more than men. Morality – NOT taught anymore! Depressing. I had a certain amount of wildness but not like today. 20s – No Respect. Drug Problem – mostly Blacks (out of large cities & high school drop-outs). We didn’t have television. Media changed, too. 1st World War – it was weeks before we heard anything. 2nd World War – took 1 week. Korea – 3-4 days. Vietnam – same day. We kept some things quiet/hidden. Technology – EVERYTHING! Farming, cars (model B-4, 6-cylinder), lawn mowers (we had push mowers) – riders, flying (My 1st ride â€Å"Old Home Days† 1935. $5. 00 in an open cockpit, 2-seater; now 35,000 feet above ground, across USA) 17) How do you feel about these changes? Some is good. A lot†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Pesticides/sprays/growth are NOT good. There is a certain amount you have to have. Manufacturers – processed food. Candy bars used to be made @ Hershey Chocolate factory. 18) What do you think is one of the best technologies? Medical field. The development. If we had MRIs & Cat Scans I wouldn’t have gone what I had when I fell. Sooner for recovery time. Extended life (transplants) 19) What do you think is one of the worst? Control over pesticides/growth hormones/sprays on our vegetation are TOXIC! I wonder if this has anything to do with the trouble with newborns. 20) What was family life like when you were growing up? We looked out for each other. We all had jobs around the house. My Dad was a truck driver. He taught me how to drive tractor trailer truck @ 14. We did things together as a family; picnics, family gatherings. My Dad taught me farm work. Dad was interested in my schooling. We were very close. He was killed in a truck accident while I was in the service. 21) What was your favorite radio show? Lone Ranger, Amos & Andy, The Green Hornet, & The Shadow, The Riflemen. 22) How old were you when you got your first television? 1947-48. It was an Admiral. 16† set. 23) What are some of the traditions still carried on by your family? Birthdays & holidays. Easter is big in the church. 24) What were your favorite childhood games? Sandlot Baseball. We had a family of full-blooded Indians that lived above us. We played a lot of Indian games; Lacrosse – we made our own sticks & balls (baked clay wrapped in cloth), Stone Toss (similar to Tidily Winks), and a homemade game using a dried out pig bladder ( air dried, inflated with air, and used as a ball), Softball, Allie-Allie Over (over the school house, 2 teams-one on each side), Kick the Can, Hide & Seek, see who could swing over the top of bar (above the swing), Foxfire (on Spook Night) (decaying wood, NOT handled by your (bare)hands), hunting, fishing. 25) What other entertainment have you enjoyed? Square & Round dances, hiking, swimming. SOCIAL LIFE: 1) How many friends do you have? 100 easy. 5 close. You should always have 5 close friends. 2) How many of these friends are childhood friends? 15-20, some have died. 3) How often are you able to visit with them? Some not for years (meaning more than 2), some every 2 years, & some everyday. It depends on if they are old friends or new friends. 4) What activities did you enjoy doing when you were in your 20s? Roller skating & dancing. Hunting & fishing. 30s? Fell off pole. Small amount of fishing. 40s? Hunted & fished. Some woodwork. 50s? Fished & Bear hunting (Canada). Built my wood shop in my late 50s – early 60s. Wood working. 5) What are some activities you like to do together? 1950-1972 Camping – Canada, Nova Scotia, had nice Gardens 6) How many of these activities have changed as a result of getting older? Lots of them. Not as many. Don’t hunt, little fishing, no camping. 7) Do you belong to any church or other social groups? Men’s Fellowship @ church. 8) How has the Boy scouts affected your life? Better understanding of the world. Nature. Benefit: live with nature & do it comfortably. 9) What â€Å"Words of Advice† would you like to pass on to future generations in your family? Get a good education that you can get money & be comfortable. Go to college in fields worthwhile & prosperous. Nothing wrong with making a good living. STORY TIME: Some people you've met during your lifetime leave footprints in your life forever. You could talk about your family members, relatives, friends, acquaintances, or special some ones and how they made an impact in your life or even changed your life. Also, places you've been to or where you lived could also be nice reminiscences since you could describe the place, the people in it, and how the weather was like. My 1st Scout Master – NOT to judge others to fast. Don’t know what they have been through. Dad – Stand up for what you believe in. Lots of people; in Korea, camping. Some memorable pieces or items could become great components of reminiscing. Things like your childhood toys or games. Heirlooms are wonderful jewelries that have been given from generation to generation that bring history. This can be anything that may not be important to others but may be significant to you and brought good memories. Some things of my Dad & my uncle. An emblem from a guy I met on my way to Korea. I never saw him, again. 1) Do you have any regrets about your life? Lots of things. 2) What are they? I wouldn’t have drunk like I did. I made a lot of money and didn’t save it. 3) Are there things you would like to do that you haven’t done yet? Fly faster than the speed of sound (had the opportunity in 1991. Didn’t do it. ), visit Australia. 4) Do you think you will do them? Maybe. Who knows? Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or a story? I’ve lived a rich life. I was accepted at Oswego State Teaching School but I didn’t have the money to go. .