Coopertaive Learning

Cooperative learning is a teaching method used by educators in all grade levels, in all areas of curriculum, and there are many different ways that cooperative learning can be applied in the classroom. The use of cooperative learning centralizes on the goal of getting students to understand the material presented. Cooperative learning allows students to communicate their ideas with each other, brainstorm responses or ideas, and work together to solve problems. The importance of students becoming more involved with the learning process has been emphasized and needs to be implemented in classrooms around the globe (Ross, Seaborn, & Wilson, 2002). Multiple studies have been conducted on student-lead learning groups and the results are supportive of cooperative learning. â€Å"Research on cooperative learning is one of the greatest success stories in the history of educational research† (Slavin R. E. , Comprehensive approaches to cooperative learning, 1991). The enthusiasm for cooperative learning is widespread and this paper will explore the history and methods of cooperative learning. The strategy of cooperative learning was developed to reduce competition in American schools (Knowles, 1971). Knowles explains that in 1959 James Coleman sought to reduce competition in American schools, which he deemed to be a negative component to the education system (1971). Coleman conducted a two-year study of students at nine Midwest high schools and developed what he called a â€Å"climate of values† for the â€Å"adolescent society† in which he conducted his study. Based on his findings and research, Coleman suggested that instead of encouraging competition in a classroom setting, which he stated he felt impedes the process of education, schools should introduce a more cooperative approach to instruction (Knowles, 1971). Many researchers have since elaborated on the work of James Coleman. Currently, some of the most published researchers in the field are as follows: Dr. Robert Slavin, Dr. Spencer Kagan, David and Roger Johnson. Each of these researchers has developed theories and strategies that can be used to effective implement cooperative learning. Dr. Robert Slavin suggests cooperative learning for enhancing student achievement focuses on two important elements: group goals and individual accountability (Slavin R. E. , Synthesis of research on cooperative learning, 1991). Dr. Slavin reported that when group goals and individual accountability are used, achievement effects of cooperative learning are consistently positive (Slavin R. E. , Synthesis of research on cooperative learning, 1991). Dr. Slavin noted that positive results from the implementation of cooperative learning could be found at all grade levels, in all major subjects, and in rural, urban and suburban schools (Slavin R. E. , Synthesis of research on cooperative learning, 1991). Dr. Slavin goes on to state that the effects of cooperative education are equally positive for all levels of achievers (Slavin R. E. , Synthesis of research on cooperative learning, 1991). It is also important to mention that Dr. Slavin has found that the positive effects of cooperative learning have been found in areas such as the following: self-esteem, intergroup relations, acceptance of accountability, handicapped students, attitudes toward school and the ability to work cooperatively (Slavin R. E. , Synthesis of research on cooperative learning, 1991). Dr. Spencer Kagan’s model of cooperative learning advocates for two basic principles. Dr. Kagan states, â€Å"The world is not just competitive and in some important respects is becoming less so; I do not advocate exclusive use of cooperative learning methods, but rather a healthy balance of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic classroom structures to prepare students for the full range of social situations† (Kagan, 1999). Dr. Kagan’s structures stress positive interpersonal peer relationships, equality, self-esteem and achievement. Dr. Kagan reported that cooperative learning teaches empathy and an understanding of those who are different from oneself by building ethnic relation between students. In addition, Dr. Kagan has credited cooperative learning with increasing students’ higher level thinking skills (Kagan, 1999). Dr. Kagan stresses his ideas by stating, â€Å"At an accelerating rate we move into a rapidly changing information-based, high -technology, and interdependent economy. Along with the traditional role of providing students with basic skills and information, increasingly schools must produce students capable of higher-level thinking skills, communication skills, and social skills† (Kagan, 1999). David and Roger Johnson have identified five basic elements of cooperative learning. Johnson and Johnson state these pillars of cooperative learning to be the following: individual accountability, positive interdependence, face-to-face promotive interaction, social skills and group processing (Johnson & Johnson, Making cooperative learning work, 1999). Johnson and Johnson have reported that it is critical for teachers to understand the five basic elements of cooperative learning. Johnson and Johnson state that understanding and developing the five elements, â€Å"†¦allows teachers to (a) adapt cooperative learning to their unique circumstances, needs, and students, (b) fine tune their use of cooperative learning, and (c) prevent and solve problems students have in working together (Johnson & Johnson, Making cooperative learning work, 1999). Johnson and Johnson also stress that cooperative learning ensures all students are meaningfully and actively involved in learning, which will limit disruptive, off-task behaviors in the classroom. Cooperative learning is thought of as a versatile method of instruction that can be used in a variety of ways. Cooperative learning groups can be implemented to teach specific topic, to ensure knowledge and comprehension of information presented, or to provide long-term support for academic proce ss (Slavin & Madden, 2001). Formal cooperative learning groups are created to achieve a specific purpose, have fixed members and can have duration of one class period or several weeks. Johnson and Johnson describe formal cooperative learning groups as consisting of students working together to achieve a shared learning goal (Johnson & Johnson, Making cooperative learning work, 1999). Informal cooperative learning groups are typically temporary and do not have fixed members. Johnson and Johnson state that, â€Å"During a lecture, demonstration, or film, informal cooperative learning can be used to (a) focus student attention on the material being learned, (b) set a mood conductive to learning, (c) help set expectations as to what will be covered in a class session, (d) ensure that students cognitively process material being taught, and (e) provide closure to an instructional session. † (Johnson & Johnson, Making cooperative learning work, 1999). Cooperative based groups are long term, heterogeneous, and consist of three to four members. Johnson and Johnson describe cooperative based groups as base groups. Johnson and Johnson state, â€Å"Base groups give the support, encouragement, and assistance each member needs to make academic progress and develop cognitively and socially in healthy ways. Base groups meet daily in elementary school and twice a week in secondary school. They are permanent and provide the long-term caring peer relationships necessary to influence members consistently to work hard in school (Johnson & Johnson, Making cooperative learning work, 1999). In order for these types of cooperative learning group to be successful, it is essential for the five basic elements identified by Johnson and Johnson to be included. The basic elements are often referenced by the acronym â€Å"PIGS FACE†. If these elements are not incorporated then cooperative learning is not taking place. The five basic elements are outlined below with a description following each term. Positive interdependence is the percept ion gains that of individuals or groups are linked, so that one cannot succeed unless everyone is successful (Kagan, 1999) (Johnson & Johnson, Making cooperative learning work, 1999). Individual accountability exists when each individual group member is assessed and results are given back to the student and the group. Individual accountability tests for understanding from individuals and prevents one member of the group from performing all the work (Johnson & Johnson, Making cooperative learning work, 1999). Group processing exists when group members converse on the group achievement and individual achievement of goals. Group processing allows students to work through and difficulties relating to each other or the achievement of the group (Johnson & Johnson, Making cooperative learning work, 1999). Social skills are the skills cooperative education groups need to develop to effectively work together and maintain the group (Slavin & Madden, 2001). It fosters the growth of social skills that are needed to succeed in the classroom, workplace and community in individuals that are socially unskilled (Orlich, Harder, Callahan, Trevisan, & Brown, 2010). Face-to-face promotive interaction promotes each group member’s success through helping, assisting, supporting, and encouraging each member to be successful (Johnson & Johnson, Making cooperative learning work, 1999). Once the five basic elements of cooperative learning have been addressed, the teacher can implement cooperative learning strategies in the classroom. There are wide varieties of cooperative learning strategies and a few are described below. Think-Pair-Share as described by Dr. Slavin, â€Å"This is a four-step discussion strategy that incorporates wait time and aspects of cooperative learning. Students and teachers learn to listen while a question is posed, think of a response, pair with a neighbor to discuss responses, and share their responses with the whole class. (Slavin R. E. , Comprehensive approaches to cooperative learning, 1991). Jigsaw as described by Dr. Kagan, â€Å"Students are divided into competency groups of four to six students, each of which is given a list of subtopics to research. Individual members of each group then break off to work with the â€Å"experts† from other groups, researching a part of the material being studied, after which they return to their starting body in the role of instructor for their subcategory. (Kagan, 1999) Student Team Achievement Divisions is a teaching method that is made up of five major components including a whole group presentation, student practice teams, quizzes on the presented information, setting goals for improved achievement levels, and team recognition based on performance (Slavin R. E. , Comprehensive approaches to cooperative learning, 1991). Roundtable is a strategy that can be used for brainstorming, reviewing or practicing while fostering teambuilding. There are two variations of roundtable that a teacher and use in the classroom. In sequential form, students are in groups of three or more with one-piece of paper and one writing instrument. The teacher poses a question that can have multiple answers. Students take turns writing their answer on the paper and passing the paper around the group. When time is called, the group with the most answers listed is recognized. In simultaneous form each student starts with a piece of paper, writes an answer and passes the paper, so multiple papers are being passed at once (Kagan, 1999). The three-step interview is a structured group activity. Students take turns being the interviewer and interviewee. Pairs then join to form groups of four. Students take turns introducing their partners and share what they learned from their partners (Kagan, 1999). Although aforementioned strategies are imperially based, there is a discussion-taking place about the value of cooperative learning. Most educators agree that cooperative learning celebrates diversity by allowing students to work with all types of people and allows students to acknowledge individual differences (Ross, Seaborn, & Wilson, 2002). Research has shown that cooperative learning can benefit student’s interpersonal development and provide more opportunities for personal feedback (Ross, Seaborn, & Wilson, 2002). In addition, researchers have found that cooperative learning actively engages students in learning and there is a variety of methods available for teachers to use (Johnson, Johnson, & Stanne, Cooperative learning methods: A meta-analysis, 2000). Some critics of cooperative learning suggest that group work is an avoidance of teaching. They stress that cooperative learning places the burden of being responsible for each other’s learning on group members (Ross, Seaborn, & Wilson, 2002). Some research has shown that lower achieving students could potentially fall behind due to a passive nature or lack of self-confidence in the group. If high achieving students dominate group activities and discussions, lower achieving students might feel uncomfortable and isolated from the group, which could lead to the learning opportunity passing by them (Ross, Seaborn, & Wilson, 2002). Johnson, Johnson and Stanne summarize the research on cooperative learning in this way, â€Å"Knowing that cooperative learning can significantly increase student achievement when properly implemented does not mean, however, that all operationalizations of cooperative will be effective or that all operationalizations will be equally effective. † (Johnson, Johnson, & Stanne, Cooperative learning methods: A meta-analysis, 2000) In conclusion, cooperative learning is an instructional approach that has been shown to promote a variety of positive cognitive, affective, and social outcomes. The intent of cooperative learning is to foster academic achievement through student discussions, learning from each other and dividing tasks to align with student strengths. I feel that cooperative learning gives students an opportunity to establish a group culture and work within the constraints of that culture. I believe that students will carry this cultural paradigm into adulthood. I also believe that cooperative learning promotes diversity and cross-cultural friendships. Through cooperative learning, I believe schools can play a significant role in reducing racism, prejudice and discrimination in the larger society.

Compare and contrast India and China’s population Essay

China and India are the two countries that have the highest population in the world. Both countries have realised that family planning and population control had to happen around the 1950’s for India and the 1970’s for China. This essay will seek to compare and contrast China and India, focusing on what the major problems facing both are, why have they both had to implement policies regarding population control, and the long-term and short-term effects that these policies have on the two countries. The major problem concerning China is over population. Due to overpopulation, the demand for energy to light every house and for petrol to fuel every car is becoming too great. With added pressure of providing for the people, more natural resources and fossil fuels are used up. There is also a shortage of jobs. China has a population of 1.31 billion people. In 2003, the total of number of unemployed people in China was 744,320,000. The World Bank said that the total unemployment level was close to 10%, though that is only the number of people who are registered as unemployed. The real figure would be substantially greater. China is faced with, because of overpopulation, lack of space. Approximately 137 people live on each square kilometre of China’s territory, China ranking 71st on the worlds list of the countries with the highest population densities. The world average is 43 people per square kilometre, making China three times the average figure. Also a pressing issue is the state of poverty in China, (due to the recent focus on a new type of capitalism, there are marked contrasts between rich and poor). The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation states that there is ample food to feed the population. The problem lies then in how effectively the food is distributed. There is also a severe lack of adequate education. In recent years, literacy rates have drastically decreased. Illiteracy for persons aged 15 and over for 1990 was 22.2% and for 2000 it was 8.7%. In 1964 the illiteracy rates for college and university were 0.5%, and in 1990 they were 1.6%. Read Also:  Good Topics for a Compare and Contrast Essay India faces much the same problems, though as the world’s largest democracy (population-wise); the way that the government goes about everyday things is quite different. Contrary to China’s system of ‘equally’ dividing wages and food, the Indian population have to work for themselves. As with China, India is suffering the brunt of overpopulation, shortage of jobs, lessening of natural resources, decreasing literacy rates, and a population  density level rivalling China’s. After the Chinese Cultural Revolution, once Mao Zedong had assumed power, he introduced a Five Year Plan that ran from 1958-1963 which was known as The Great Leap Forward. This vision failed and resulted in widespread starvation, being the world’s worst man-made famine. The death toll is estimated 30 million. Mao’s following philosophy was that â€Å"the more people, the stronger we are†. Families were encouraged to have as many children as possible, and an uncontrolled population boom resulted. China did not have the economy or the resources to support such a large population. Once Mao’s reign finished, the new chairman, Den Xiaoping, introduced â€Å"birth planning† to China, launching the law which stated that there can only be one child per couple, with some exceptions, such as if the first child was disabled and/or a girl, or if the couple lived in a rural area. This policy has been implemented in several ways. Incentives for only having one child occur, such as free education, better health care, and promotions at work and bigger houses. On the flip side, disincentives occur for people who are adamant on having more than one child. Such disincentives include demotions and fines, which can be four times a yearly wage. Forced sterilizations and mandatory abortions occur, in some cases as late as 8 months gestation. Since China is a communist country, community pressure is strong, not only pressure from the community but also pressure from the government. This pressure makes having one child seem to be a better option. National advertising campaigns encouraging the â€Å"one child policy† are commonplace. Around the 1950s, India was the first country to officially establish a family planning program. This program made birth control information to become more readably available. India’s government saw big families leading to continued poverty, and poverty hindering economic progress. Just as with China, India saw foresaw that the country would not be able to feed the masses of people, and the country would eventually use up all of its resources and the population would ultimately breed themselves out of existence. Up until the 1970’s, the government used no aggressive force to promote the use of contraceptives or sterilisations. They increased medical care and access to hospitals, and provided education for family planning. In  the 1970’s the government declared India to be in a â€Å"state of emergency†. Medical workers went out into the slums and poorer regions of India and forcibly sterilised women. The medics were rewarded for how many women they were able to sterilise. An effect that the one child policy has had on China is the improvement of the economy. When there was a larger population than there is now, the economy was suffering. Since the one child policy has had time to take effect, the population has shrunk and the economy can support the population. A negative effect that this policy has had on the Population is that there is an uneven balance of boys and girls. Female infanticide is more frequent, as are female abortions, because it is the common thought that males and prized more highly than females. Another problem faced is the â€Å"little emperor† generation. This generation is comprised of spoiled children that their parents have over-indulged. It is worried that this generation will have poor social communication and cooperation skills since they are the only child at home. There is also the â€Å"One-Two-Four† problem. This long-term effect says that one adult child supports two parents and four grandparents. This leaves the largest group dependant on retirement funds, the state of the family for support. To combat this problem, a couple who are both only children are allowed to have two children. The Indian population may have recognised the seriousness of their actions on the environment and their economy, but they can still do more. The government should follow China’s suit, put their foot down and make a laws about having one child per couple. It would be fair to say that India does not have a law, just advice. So far, the country’s policies have seemed to been ineffective. In the next halve a century, India will have overtaken China is the population ladder and it may seem like there is no stopping it. Actually, India’s rate of population is dropping. In 1991 India’s annual population growth rate was 2.15% and by 1997 this figure dropped to 1.7%. This means that India is actually making progress in population control. India and China are similar in their preference for sons, and it is so deeply ingrained in their culture that it is impossible to remove. Sons are more  highly regarded because not only do they help working on the family farm, but they support their parents in their old age. Similar views are held by the Chinese, where sons are considered luckier than daughters. In Chinese culture, the sons take care of his parents in their old age and the daughter looks after her in-laws in their old age. Since there is such a desire to have sons, similarly to China, the Indian population has a lack of females. Slightly higher female infant mortality rates are due to abortions of female foetuses, and female infanticide. The main difference between India and China is that India is the world’s largest Democratic country, whereas China is the world’s largest Communist country. Through looking at what the government has tried to do with controlling the birth rate, it is clear that China is much more effective on account of they are a communist country and that effects how they can go to any lengths without having the fear of losing popularity for since it is a communist country, there is no voting. India on the other hand cannot use as much force because the government has to be voted in by the people. In conclusion, China, as the world’s largest communist country, is able to enforce forced sterilization, and forced abortions, without fear of being voted out or losing popularity. This, in a way is more effective than India, whose democratic approach is ineffective because it is not enforced as strictly. If China had of continued under Mao’s philosophy of â€Å"the more people, the stronger we are†, and had not put in place population control, China would have used up all of their natural resources and would not have been able to support their crippling population. So is the same with India. If India continues to grow at the rate that it has been growing, India will suffer environmentally and economically. India is similar to China in their few that sons are better than daughters, and female infanticide and female abortion. Bibliography: http://www.ias.ac.in/jbiosci/nov2001/421.pdfhttp://orpheus.ucsd.edu/chinesehistory/pgp/ho.htmhttp://countrystudies.us/india/34.htmhttp://www.columbia.edu/~bcp26/web-pages/consequences.htmlhttp://www.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/Famplan.htm’China’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1991 edn, , Cambridge, vol. 15th, pp. 36.

Intellectual Property Rights Protection in China Research Paper

Intellectual Property Rights Protection in China - Research Paper Example Yet, it is also a fact that resource rich and technology intensive MNCs can only wholeheartedly commit themselves to their Chinese ventures, only if they are sure that their massive investments in the intellectual property will not be diluted in China owing to a scant regard and concern for intellectual property rights (Ordish 27). Thus upholding of the intellectual property rights in China is synonymous with creating just the right kind of business and investment environment. A section of the Chinese intelligentsia holds that intellectual property rights is a legal tool devised by the West to counteract the rising might and potential of the Chinese scientists and experts (Mertha 42). What China needs to understand is that the stakes exploiting the intellectual property related loopholes within China can also resort to the similar mechanisms and stratagems to undermine the indigenous intellectual property wealth. Thus a potent intellectual property rights regime will guarantee the security of both the Western and Chinese intellectual property related investments, and will definitely prove to be beneficial for China in the long run. There is no denying the fact that a developing nation like China has a big population, and the sta

The Tradition of Judaism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Tradition of Judaism - Essay Example The family has a meal featuring traditional food and wine. The purpose of the ritual to remind people that when God created the Universe in seven days, He devoted a whole day to resting and so should the Jews. I learned that people who adhere to the religious tradition of Judaism tend to perform this ritual on a weekly basis, namely every sun set of Friday and up to the sun set of Saturday. As I have previously noticed, the wife is responsible for lighting up the candles and saying the blessing. Then, the father of the family says all the required prayers and the people are able to have dinner and celebrate Shabbat. It is beyond any doubt that this particular ritual preaches the need of the people to adhere to the religious tradition of Judaism and devote an entire day of the week free from daily routine and contemplating about what really matters in life, namely their relationship with God. There are different methods of praying that are used during this ritual: the words of prayers are pronounced first by the woman and then all the prayers are chanted by a man. In addition to that, people are required to direct their mind to various religious matters so that it would not stray away from the ritual. Speaking of the body placement during the Shabbat, it is a tradition to remain standing while all the major prayers and blessings are performed which shows that the people feel respect for the moment. What is really interesting is that there is a certain function reserved for women during Shabbat: they not only light up the candles but also prepare the meals for the dinner, which puts a lot of responsibility on them.

Management and Manufacturing Philosophy to Toyota Case Study

Management and Manufacturing Philosophy to Toyota - Case Study Example This management and manufacturing philosophy is, without doubt, the key to Toyota's global success but, upon consideration of the reasons for its recent overtake of the U.S. market, one finds that it is a combination of both its decision to Americanize and its management philosophy. Toyota has Americanized and, its Americanization is large, although not entirely, responsible for its success in the U.S. market. As Naughton et al. (2005) explain, a change of leadership at Toyota led to the abandonment of its "cooperative competition doctrine," as which outlined that Toyota's presence in the United States would not be that of a competitor whose goal was to overtake leading American car manufacturers such as GM. Instead, Toyota was to maintain a "respectful distance" in order to avoid arousing both public and political anger as a direct outcome of its appearing to undermine U.S. symbols, in this case, GM (Naughton et al., 2005). Therefore, even though it had the capacity and the potential to compete with GM and, eventually, to dominate the U.S. market, Toyota's leadership made the strategic decision to avoid doing so. Toyota's decision to forgo its "cooperative competition" philosophy is not, in its... ose aim was the weakening of the American economy and the strengthening of the Japanese one but, as a domestic manufacturer, an American automobile manufacturer whose origins happen to be foreign. Indeed, its decision to hire American managers in its U.S. plants and offices and to give itself a quintessentially American image facilitated public and political acceptance of it as a constructive addition to the American economy (Fujimoto, 1999). The implication here is that Americanization effectively annihilated the protective barrier which domestic consumers generally impose vis--vis foreign competitors whom they believe function as a threat to the health of the domestic economy and, by extension, to the livelihood of the domestic labor force (Fujimoto, 1999). That Toyota's decision to reinvent itself as an American company, to abandon its "cooperative competition" doctrine, is that one change which stands out as central to its recent successes on the U.S. market, is an opinion echoed by several (Taylor and Kahn, 1997; Fujimoto, 1999; Schonberger, 2001). Taylor and Kahn (1997) contend that success on the American market was not simply an outcome of its adoption of an American image,' but its highly successful embrace of the American management and competitive philosophy.  Ã‚  

Dr. Browns Medical Office Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Dr. Browns Medical Office - Case Study Example The physician's office is an independently run office that also functions as a business organization in itself, and it must compete with other local physician's offices. The organization is named after the physician, Dr. Brown, and is referred to as "Dr. Brown's Medical Office." The medical office, which focuses in dermatology, has provided a good organizational structure to assist adult learners and those working to gain knowledge of the field. Trainees, for instance, are always working under somebody, and they usually participate in several aspects of examinations and do other jobs around the office. The training is a very hands on experience. The office also continues to offer training courses and opportunities to learn one on one with the doctor as necessary, thus encouraging the learners. The business is attempting to improve its prospects by moving its skin care products online and thus reaching a larger target audience, since it had always been recognized as a local business. Therefore, an analysis of this organization and its interactions with its adult learners is necessary to understanding how the business could better focus on use of technology and the Internet to achieve goals. Dr. Brown's office has been in business for twenty-one years. They are a local business venture and provide many services. Since the dermatology services offered at this office are not always covered by health insurance, the company must do what they can to keep prices low and attract customers. A variety of local advertising is used in local newspapers and pamphlets. The advertising focuses on the services offered, and the fact that the services here are usually better priced than services at other local offices. The company has been successful, even regardless of the recent recession. It has been able to retain its customers by offering price slashes and returning customer discounts. Furthermore, it has also ventured into offering its own skin care line, which can be sold nationwide on a website, and thus increase the target audience of the company. Therefore, while the company has been hurt a bit by the recession, it has managed to keep itself progressing. It has always welcomed students and adult learners into its environment to assist them with learning about various skin procedures. Sometimes these adult learners work under internship status, and others are assistants that are hired by the company. Both of these adult learners are usually still attending college and learning about both skin care and the business aspects of this type of industry. The environment of the office is very friendly and very clean. It emulates the feeling of a very well-taken care of office. The office itself is located in an old house, and when renovating the office it was decided to keep some of the more "homey" aspects of the house. The waiting room is setup with couches for comfortability, as it is very inviting to the customers. However, the actual rooms set up for patients to visit the doctors are all setup to meet medical standards. Each has a sink, the necessary medical supplies for the various procedures and check-ups involved, and a place for the patients to lie down. The environment itself has the employees function on a variety of levels. Depending on the procedures that occur that day, the adult learners may or may not be

You choose the topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

You choose the topic - Essay Example Another issue that has caused problems is the different interpretations of body language. At times, Maria takes offense in prolonged eye contact and is sensitive to the distance maintained between us when communicating. The difference in stereotypes has affected our relationship. For instance, Maria feels like I hold her in low regard since she does not have strong English skills, an aspect that has affected her trust in me. Considering our relationship, the context component forms a basis for my analysis as it incorporates aspects of organization and culture, which involve the manner in which individuals from different cultures communicate and respond to both internal and external stimuli (Morreale, Spitzberg and Barge 38). In this case, the external stimulus’ source is casual communication, from where the cues of body language and effects of the accent differences affect the perception of the message. In addition, emotions and experiences are forms of internal stimuli that c ould cause different responses. The relationship allows proper integration of most of the factors that facilitate interpersonal communication. With reference to the cybernetics theory, the flow of information is limited with most of the information being barred from reaching either of us due to the inherent barriers (Mannan 60). In this case, the cultural aspects of the context component are not well negotiated in our relationship, with both of us failing to find a level ground that would accommodate each other’s cultural perspectives. On the other hand, the semiotics theory presents a clear analysis of the signs language and symbols applied as we communicate. As such, the differences in cultural backgrounds have provided for different applications of body language. This has in turn affected the way we interpret messages and culminate in the various instances

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 55

History - Essay Example Spaniards feared much and realization dawned on them that the time was not far off, when they would be thrown out. Nevertheless, they continued their vigilance in the occupied territory. Spain authorities attacked the Pueblo from two ends, economic and religious. â€Å"Spanish officials forced Pueblos to conform to the economically imbalanced encomienda and repartimiento systems, under which Pueblos were forced to pay tribute to the Spanish government. In addition, the Franciscans set up a series of missions among the Pueblos with the expectation that they would abandon their religious beliefs for Christianity.† (New Mexico) They were proved wrong. The Franciscans wished to retain their presence, when the economic agenda of the Spanish authorities failed to deliver the results. The religious agenda was supported with financial grants from the Government funds. The religious agenda too failed soon. When the Spanish Pueblo individuals were persecuted on religious grounds, it caused deep resentment. On 10th August 1680, they faced a sudden assault from the combined might of Pueblo. Even though the plot was uncovered by the Spaniards a day before the attack, Pueblos fared well and â€Å"more than four hundred† (New Mexico)Spaniard settlers were annihilated; besides, â€Å"twenty-one Franciscans†(New Mexico) were murdered. Many Pueblos also died in the operation. To sum up some of the factors that could be listed for the revolt, were draught, intertribal warfare, famine and the highhandedness of the authorities and above all the commitment of the Pueblos to their native religious belief

International Entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

International Entrepreneurship - Essay Example On the other hand, the government cannot implement certain regulations without involving the trade or professional association since the association affected will exert pressure on the government for omitting it from the formulation and implementation process. The formulation of the rule and policies by these two parties, the government and the trade/ professional associations, is influenced by international forces. This is because no single economy can operate in separation from other economies and fully sustain its citizens. The economy needs other economies to provide market for its surplus and provision of resources or inputs that are not found in it. No single economy has all the prerequisite resource for steady economic growth and development; thus the need for globalization. This globalization trend has forced changes in the existing institutions in order to continue utilizing the accompanying opportunities. Those institutions resistant to change or those that make inappropriate changes fail to adapt the posed challenges and thus endangered for collapse. This leaves the burden for the government to protect her economy industries. Because of numerous responsibilities facing the government, the professional and trade associations become handy. They mostly comprise of experienced and professional people who aid in thorough research, to provide the information required to formulate appropriate policies for the benefit of the country and industries therein. They propose the appropriate technology to be employed, the new markets to venture into and favorable trade agreements to be signed. The associations unite several organizations and entrepreneurs of the developing economy. They identify their needs and formulate strategies such as training and educational programs, which aid in the attainment of member goals and need satisfaction. They work together with the government in provision and improvement of the necessary infrastructure

Facebook Case Study Essay Example for Free

Facebook Case Study Essay EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A firm that has been floating on the stock exchange has been selected and evaluated and the firm I have chosen was Facebook. In my report I have included the recent history of Facebook as to how the social networking site started and the developments from the introduction until recently. I furthermore went on to evaluate the source of finance with a brief explanation as to what source of finance is and the different type of sources available to business i. e. Short term , medium term and long term. This explains the type of finance business need starting from day to day transactions to long term purchasing of assets and investments. After my understanding of what sources of finance are, I done some research on Facebooks source of finance and came to a conclusion that the firms sources of finance is long term source of finance as they earn money through shares(IPO). The reason for Facebooks floatation was simply because at the time they decide to go public the firm was already valued as one of the top companies around, however even though the firm was highly valued there was still negative stories about the firm. Facebook continues to grow and to try and keep the 200 million users entertain there are now talks of a Facebook phone that is due to be released this year. INTRODUCTION I am required to select a firm that has floated on the stock exchange in the last 4 years analyse and critically evaluate the firms decision to go public. The firm I chose was Facebook and in my report I will be discussing the following about the firm. Recent history of the company The firms sources of finance/ Capital structure of the firm Reason for flotation Implications of the flotation Performance of shares since flotation Future prospects for the firm Recommendations as to the future financing ABOUT FACEBOOK Facebook is a popular social networking website whose name originated as a nickname of directories handed out to university students that aided in them getting to know their fellow students. The social networking site was invented by Harvard computer science student Mark Zuckerberg, along with a few class mates. Facebook officially started off in October 2003 when Zuckerberg launched Facemash.com to allow visitors to compare pictures of two students and say whos hot and whos not. The website became popular as people enjoyed going on the internet and checking out pictures of their friends. In January 2004 an article in the Harvard Crimson stated that Zuckerberg registered the Facebook.com domain as he was now inspired by the success of Facemash. Shortly after the launch of Facebook the website eventually grew as it was now discovered by Sean Parker (Former Co Founder of Napster) who informally advised the student on what to do, and by June 2004 Facebook received its first private investment from Peter Theil [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROrUea0gLlY], the founder of PayPal who gave $500 000 in exchange for 10.2% of the company. Sean Parker later became president of the newly incorporated company Facebook. Facebooks domination continued to grow until it became the second most visited web property online. In August 2009 Facebook acquired the real time new aggregator site friends feed and in 2012 Facebook made a huge splash in the market by acquiring instragam for approximately $1 billion. This year Facebook has introduced a graph search to help users find out more about their friends and connections. This feature lets you search through data shared by friends to discover people their interest, restaurants, much and much more. This is the first major step Facebook has taken towards competing with Google. SOURCES OF FINANCE Business needs money to support investment and finance their day to day activities. A company may choose to raise money internally (by retaining and investing profits) or externally. Each source of finance has a risk attached to it, the risk that the business will not meet the financial commitments related to the source. The mix of all the financial sources is known as the financial risk of the company. An essential requirement in raising finance is that business should meet repayments and other expenses, as the fall due. This is generally achieved by ensuring that there is a good match between _cash inflow generated by the use of money and cash outflows to the service payments to the finance raised_. TYPES OF SOURCES OF FINANCE. Short term finance- Usually needed for a business day to day operations e.g. paying wages, ordering suppliers etc This is usually the cheapest one to use as it is easier for a lending institution to asses lending risk for shorter loan periods. Types of short term finance include the following: Overdrafts Short term loans Trade credit Accrued expenses and deferred income Factoring Medium term finance- This source of finance can be used to finance the acquisition of Motor Vehicles, Machinery, Computers, etc. Three main types of medium term finance are: Hire Purchases Leasing Term Loans Long term finance- In financing the purchase of a building (major investments), long term finance would be appropriate. There are two alternative methods of raising long term finance Debt-Bank loans and Bonds Equity-is an important source of long term finance and consists of: Preference shares, Ordinary Shares and Retained Profits (internally generated cash flow). Equity finance is raised through the sale of ordinary shares to investors and can be raised either via: A new share IPO ,Placing or Introduction A rights Issue. FACEBOOKS SOURCES OF FINANCE/CAPITAL STRUCTURE. Facebooks source of finance is the long term finance as the firm makes its money through sale of ordinary shares from investors such as IPO (Initial Public Offer) which is the first offering of shares to the general public. The social networking site officially filed for an IPO on February 1 2012. The preliminary prospectus declared that Facebook was seeking to raise $ 5 billion in investment at the time the company announced that they have 845 million users active on the site with close to 2.7 billion likes and comments daily. After the IPO, Mark Zuckerberg planned to retain 22% ownership stake in Facebook with 57% of voting shares which was valued by the underwriters as being worth $38 each and pricing the company at 104 billion, the largest valuation ever to date for a new company going public. Facebook selected Morgan Stanley as the lead advisor for the IPO as the company had earlier lead the IPO of internet giants like Group on, Zynga and other banks such as Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merril Lynch,Barclays Capital and JP Morgan. According to AllFacebook , shares have been actively trading between $25-$40 which gives Facebook a valuation of approximately $17000, more than Microsoft which was valued at $15000.Most of Facebooks trades takes place through secondmarket a company responsible for generating a market around typically illquid assets while while the value of the trades is unkown.While Facebook stock is not the type of thing you can trade in a day due to the fees and time involved in transactions ,however most investors see a great return in just 6 months. BELOW IS A GRAPH WITH FACEBOOKS SHARE PRICE IN MAY 2012 WHEN FACEBOOK DECIDED TO FLOAT.GRAPH 1.1 REASON FOR FLOTATION The reason for Facebooks flotation was due to the fact that the companys IPO was valued as one of the best amongst top companies. When Facebook made its long expected debut as a public company, the social networking company linked up with the largest public companies in the world alongside Mc Donalds , Amazon.com and Bank of America. The wall street journal reported that Facebook was prepared to file initial paperwork for an offering that could raise as much as $10 billion. As the news about Facebook spread worldwide and it later became the most popular and influential global website, Investors now started to flock to acquire shares in Facebook. Articles stated that even though Facebook was valued a high price there was still a debate within business and media circles on the true value of the company. The social networking site also made money through advertising allowing other companies to advertise about their business on the website. In May 2012 Mark Zuckerberg and other executives began a road show to persuade institutional investors to buy shares before the flotation. One of the underwriters JP Morgan along with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley were included in the road show. IMPLICATIONS OF THE FLOATATION FOR THE FIRM Even though there is a great amount of effort in the flotation of Facebook there are still some negative views on the social site. An article in the guardian called _Facebook flotation: three reasons to avoid it_ it states that Facebook is not worth $100 billion and that Zuckerberg has not put a price tag on his creations so its still early to say that he will attempt to achieve that amount when the flotation started. Below are the three reasons given in the article: Zuckerbergs first letter to the potential investors was a strange dispatch. As it stated that Facebooks ambition was to build a service that gives people the power to share and help them once again to transform many of the core institutions and industries. Facebook has no need to float as it does not need to invest as the firm is profitable and generates enough cash to pursue its current objective. Zuckerberg is keeping control of Facebook by adopting a dual voting structure with him and investors. In response to the negative publicity about the website , Facebook opposed by saying that the main reason for floating is to allowing longstanding investors to cash in a portion of their winnings and to help Facebook grow. The float promoters were then seeking to emphasize that the investments obtained were potentially for a profitable growth and to play down the risk faced by the firm. PERFORMANCE OF THE FIRMS SHARES SINCE FLOATATION Zuckerberg has called the stock performance disappointing. The social networking leaders stock has lost nearly half its value since flotation. More than $50 billion has been cut off Facebooks market value as the companys shares have fallen from $38 to $19.43. The CEO has lost the most as the value of his facebooks holdings falls more than $9 billion which questioned his skeptics and guess his ability to lead a company. The performance of the shares has obviously been disappointing and has caused some demotivated employees, however Zuckerberg motivated them and they believed that things will improve as time goes go on. After numerous up and downs and significant critics from the public the share prices started showed a highly volatile behaviour with prices as low as $17.73. The prospective performance of the company did not impress the investors and therefore had a impact on the company as a whole. In November 2012 Facebook shares has shown a significant rise in value reaching the highest price in months, As the value it continued rising the company witnessed an increase of 15% each month to date. The major factor that has pushed the social networkings markets performance is the increase in investors confidence in the companys potential to earn a higher revenue in the prospective periods. The confidence is directly linked to the increasing success of the performance as the number of business advertising on the website increased which means higher revenue and higher revenue means higher returns for investors. FUTURE PROSPECTS FOR THE FIRM Facebook has and always will be the king of the social media sites , as the site is still growing worldwide. To date the social networking website has more than 200 million registered users. Researchers believe that Facebook can evolve another google as they are also relying on advertising for their revenue. The social networking sites goal now is to create a personalized digital newspaper through the newsfeed that has everything a person would want to know about people. This will be perfectly customized just for the users. Mobile will be the key to Facebooks future growth said the head of advertising as only 30% of users access through desktops and 70% through mobile devices every day. A plan to invest a huge amount of money will be the target for Facebook in the future as talks on creating a Facebook smartphone continues. Facebook is also targeting other continents like Asia, Latin America and Africa as users in these areas have grown by 33% each year. Even though they introduce the mobile device Facebooks ultimate goal will  still remain to get more users online and to improve current features that will keep current users entertained. CONCLUSION /RECOMMENDATION TO THE FIRMS FUTURE FINANCING Facebook is available to everyone all over the world and there still huge potential for growth for the firm. My recommendation to the firm regarding their finance would be to focus on their advertising model, improving it and allowing business to advertise more on their website. By doing that they will do enhance their chances of doing better than search engine giant Google and revenue will increase which will benefit both the firm, current and potential investors. With the introduction of the new Facebook phone they have to ensure that the phones are better then other smartphones. Facebook has to earn the general publics confidence in them by coming up with new ideas on their IPO, if the public is satisfied they will invest more in the company. However with the introduction of the new phone I believe share prices will increase.

The Concept of Acculturation

The Concept of Acculturation Acculturation has been defined in many ways and various definitions are provided to give a better understanding of the concept. According to Suinn and Khoo, acculturation is a process that can occur when two or more cultures interact . Furthermore, Berry defined acculturation as a process concerning two or more cultural groups with consequences for both; in effect however, the contact experiences have much greater impact on the non-dominant group and its members . This chapter explains briefly the theoretical concepts at the basis of this study and focuses on the acculturation process of Indian American immigrants with respect to their dress, food, marriage customs, religion and language. As Indians have a very diverse and rich culture going back to thousands of years, one can assume that it may be very difficult for them to change or adapt to a new culture and tradition when they immigrate to America. At the same time we have to assume that Indian culture has also undergone changes within the past 50 years. Some of these issues are discussed in this section with representative examples. It is very important to understand the concepts of cultural change before discussing acculturation. A bilinear model regarding the adaption to a new culture is proposed by John Berry and his colleagues . These authors theorized the following four acculturation attitudes: integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization based on combining either high or low levels of acculturation and enculturation: (see Figure 3.1). The meaning of these four different attitudes is explained. As John Berry claims, integration involves immigrants accepting the new culture, while maintaining close ties with their original culture. These immigrants learn and follow local customs without losing their bond with their customs from their homeland. They are both highly acculturated and enculturated as shown in the diagram below . Assimilation, on the other hand, involves immigrants who totally accept the new culture, and reject their original culture. These immigrants will learn the language and follow local customs so thoroughly that no trace of their original heritage remains. People become assimilated in American society when they erased their cultural identity, unlearned their ethnic cultural practices and beliefs, and accepted the core values of mainstream American culture . Separation occurs when immigrants reject their new culture and live according to the customs of their original culture. These immigrants move to a new culture and find people from their homeland, and live as if they are still in their original culture, only in a different place . Marginalization represents immigrants who reject the new as well as their original culture. These immigrants no longer feel comfortable with their heritage, but the new culture does not appeal to them either . According to Berry, the attitude affects the process of acculturation. For example, as immigrants prepare to go to the U.S., they may have decided to assimilate into the culture. However, upon arrival they discover that they reject some customs of their new country. As a result they change their attitude from assimilation to integration. Thus, the attitude changes according to the various traits of the immigrants. Portes and Rumbaut argue for three major factors that can impact and change the attitude of immigrants. According to Portes and Rumbaut three factors are vital to understanding the acculturation trajectories of contemporary migrants. The first factor is their educational background, fluency in the English language, and economic and class status in their homeland. The second factor refers to the social policies of the host government and the historical and contemporary perceptions and attitudes of the mainstream society toward a particular immigrant group. The third factor is the immigrants social presence and networks and their family structure. The educational background of the immigrant groups and their social class back home are the social and cultural capital that they bring with them, which has an enormous impact on their economic assimilation. Although all three factors help determine how immigrants will acculturate into the larger mainstream American society, the second factor is the most relevant to shaping the acculturation outcomes of many nonwhite immigrants, especially of t hose immigrant groups who have little social and cultural capital and are not white. Even though the Indian Diaspora is racially distinct from the larger American mainstream, professional Indian Americans have an abundance of human-cultural capital acquired through their advanced education, knowledge of the English language, and social class in their home country. The low political profile of the Indian Diaspora also gives them a degree of invisibility that shields them from the scrutiny of the larger mainstream culture . The three major factors of acculturation presented by Portes and Rumbaut naturally change the course of the process for many immigrants. For example, an immigrant with poor English skills, who is determined to assimilate, may find it impossible because of the language barrier and decide instead to integrate into or even separate from the host culture. Bhatias work illustrates the process of how these factors affect Indian immigrants as they adapt to their new culture. Indians after immigrating to America, inevitably undergo some type of adjustment or acculturation process. Though inside the home Indian immigrants could maintain their culture, once outside the home, the system or society itself forced Indians into the acculturation process on all levels of culture. It is necessary to understand how immigrants acculturate in the U.S. As Waters and Bhatia suggest, unlike many Caribbean immigrants, most Indian professionals are middle class, live in suburban America, and are not subject to the structural inequalities of low wages, racism, and violent neighborhoods . However, there are some parallels in how both these groups of migrants come to terms with their racial and ethnic identity. On one hand, the Indian migrants are very proud of their Indian ethnicity and heritage. On the other hand, they invoke what Bhatia calls the discourse of sameness [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] and universal humanity to distance themselves from their racial and ethnic identity . I n other words, they realize that certain costs associated with being Indian are painful and hurtful and that invoking the discourse of sameness is meant to establish equivalence with the white majority. For example, Indian immigrants compare their experiences in the work place with those experiences of white Americans in an attempt to show equality with the majority. In one of Bhatias interviews an immigrant credits his own hard work and accomplishments for his position in the company, while: If I was a white American male, you know, maybe there would be prejudice because Im too short. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] So being an Indian, I dont think it put me at a different spot. Or at least, thats how I feel . Sunil Bhatias study demonstrates that the members of the transnational Indian Diaspora are more comfortable with a cultural identity than a racial identity because their insertion in the transnational Diaspora has transformed them from being Indian to being people of color . The research illustrates the complicated nature of the acculturation of Indian immigrants. As demonstrated above, the attitude of the immigrants toward their new host country is only a starting point for the process. As these immigrants experience their new culture, their own personal background reshapes their attitude, and changes the way they interact with people, regardless of nationality. Clearly Indian immigrants move through a process as they acculturate to their new surroundings. While Berry, Portes and Rumbaut and Bahtia all approach the subject from different directions and perspectives, and though they may not agree with one another, it is clear that each body of research illustrates a complicated process of acculturation. Taken individually the research results may appear to be contradictory, however, a closer analysis shows that their research actually supports one another. The attitude of the immigrants, studied by Berry, plays a major role in the process, but these attitudes may change in response to the three major factors affecting acculturation presented by Portes and Rumbaut. This ever changing process has been documented in Bhatias work, which demonstrates that immigrants adapt individually to their new culture, in this case the United States. That means there is no set formula for determining what will happen to an immigrant once he or she arrives. This process takes place within any immigrant to any country, therefore it will be beneficial to de monstrate specifically some of the elements unique to Indian immigrants, and how these elements influence the process. Influencing Elements of Acculturation Family Perhaps the most important element to consider for Indian immigrants is family. As these Indian immigrants relocate to the U.S., start a family and begin the process of finding their place in society, it is important to understand the processes which influence the impact of acculturation on their families. To first-generation Indian immigrants and their children, family plays a vital role in their lives. Hodge agrees with this assessment, and points out the stark difference between Indian culture and western culture. Western culture emphasizes the individual, material success and secularism. The Indian culture, by contrast, places much more value on community, especially the family, and on spiritual matters . Acculturation plays an important role in understanding about the family structure, including family conflict as well as differences between first and second-generations. For example, the process and outcomes of acculturation determine which values are important to the first-generation and therefore retained and passed on to the succeeding generations. In addition, the process of acculturation might also determine expectations for subsequent generations. For example an assimilated individual would expect the same from his or her children. Most of the work reviewed on acculturation includes some variables related to the family structure, including family conflict, specifically intergenerational family conflict. Some scholars dedicated their studies to South Asian families. Among them, for example, Mathews provided a more general consideration of South Asian families to explain how they function. First, she explains the relationship of the family in a social order, where the father is usually considered the head of the family, which continues to be the traditional way of Indian families in America. Furthermore, she describes the role of both father and mother in the family, in which the mother usually takes care of the household and raises the children and the father usually serves as decision maker and provider . Bringing up the children in a new and different culture, which often conflicts with their core ethnic values, creates problems for not only the parents but also for their children. As values may be extracted from both the native culture and host culture, it is inevitable that conflicts arise. Thus, in this case both parents and children struggle to balance family values of their own culture with the family values of the mainstream culture. In addition, according to the traditional Indian family, the eldest person is considered to be a decision maker such as career decisions for family members or approving marriages. This naturally means parents, especially in the first-generation, make the important decisions . Clearly the attitude of immigrants from India to the U.S. will be greatly influenced by the strength of their bond to their traditional family values. This attitude will steer them through their acculturation process. Dress According to Khandelwal, Indian American immigrants have a mixed type of acculturation regarding dress. It is quite different for men as compared to women. In the case of men, they adopted western dress more easily than women due to the influence of colonialism. Indian American men started wearing a western style of dress even from the first-generation. However, most of these first-generation Indian immigrants do not have a correct idea of the weather and climate system of the U.S. For example, an Indian man, who came to America in the winter of 1994, was wearing a light silk suit and shivering outside. One old man saw him and told him: Son, this is not the time to show off your new silk suit. I told you how it is going to be cold here today. If you catch a cold or become sick, nobody will take care of you in this country. Here you have to take care of yourself. All the money your family spent on making this suit for America will go down drain in one doctors visit here. There will be other occasions when you can use this suit! . Indian women immigrants are recognized mainly by their traditional dress called sari. Accordingly many female Indian immigrants try to preserve their culture by continuing to wear this kind of traditional dress. Saris are considered works of art due to the careful design and color combinations. However, in the workplace they alternatively wear western style clothing. An Indian woman who immigrated to America during the 1990s was forced to wear Western dress due to her job requirements as a cashier in a store. She said the following: See, I have to wear these mens clothes here. Its ok because I am doing mens job here. Our clothes do not fit in this American culture. To feel Indian, we can wear our own clothes when we are not on the job Before coming to America, she had never worked outside of her house and wore only traditional clothing. However, she adapted to the Western dress because American culture forced her to do so . Khandelwal continues to suggest that US born immigrant children are unlikely to continue wearing traditional dress. For example, young female immigrants in America prefer having readily made kurta-pyjama outfits to the saris, because they do not know how to wear these saris . At the same time, weddings among Indian Americans still continue to be traditional, in which the couple wears traditional dresses either bought in America or brought from India during a visit to the home country. However, due to some specific reasons, some of the Indian American immigrants and their children mostly use western styles only. For example, Nikki Haley, a daughter of Sikh Indian immigrants and one of the current rising stars in the Republican Party, wears mostly a suit, rejecting the sari in order to gain greater public acceptance while running for governor of South Carolina in November 2010 . There is a significant difference in clothing style between India and the U.S. Immigrants who desire to retain their cultural style of dress will have different experiences with acculturation than those who are willing to accept western standards. This plays a bigger role in the lives of women immigrants than for men. Religion Religion plays a major role in the life style of Asian Indian Americans. Religious beliefs and practices are intricately interwoven with the aspects of acculturation and cultural identity of these immigrants. So it is important to understand the influence of religion on the acculturation of Asian Indian immigrants. India is a country of diverse religions such as Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism. Among these religions, 82.6 % of Indians practice the Hindu religion which makes up a clear majority of the population, while the remaining 17.4% of the population practices Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Judaism and Parsis . These percentages reflect the population of India; however, Pakistan and Bangladesh have larger percentages of population which practice Islam. The existence of many religions in India indicates that religion plays a major role for Indian people. Thus, most of the Indian people have one religious belief, whether it is Hindu, Islam, Christianity, etc. Each immigrant community brought its own sociological traditions from its place of origin, including ethical and religious behaviors. In the same way when Indians first started to migrate to the United States, they essentially had to carry out religious practices and teachings on their own . As the population of immigrants practicing Hinduism increased, so increased the number of religious organizations. With the development of a greater Hindu population practicing religion at home and in specific religious organizations became the norm. Leonard also noted that as the number of Indian immigrants has increased, religion has naturally become more important, as it has become a part of Indian American identity. Hinduism helps Indian Americans differentiate themselves in the United States, from mainstream U.S. culture as well as from other Asian and South Asian groups . Like earlier immigrants, the post-1965 Indian immigrants maintained their belief system, which provided an important way to keep and transmit their values to following generations . Most of the Indian immigrants in America can practice their religion. As an Indian immigrant Rupu notes: I think thats what it is about America. Thats what brought everybody here. Its that being American you can be who you want to be and still be an American. Theres a freedom of religion, a freedom of expression . In America, the practice of Hinduism reflects its American surroundings. For instance, most related religious activities take place on weekends in order to suit work schedules and priests explain sacred texts in English, rather than Hindi or Sanskrit . Asian American immigrants faced lot of challenges due to strong religious beliefs which influenced their acculturation. For example, their religious beliefs may be challenged or even given up as they are exposed to the religious beliefs, practices, symbols, and rhetoric of the mainstream culture. For Asian American immigrants who are faced with prejudice, racism, and discrimination, religious conversion may provide a sense of refuge and facilitate processes of assimilation and acculturation, which may explain why the majority of Asian Americans in the United States identify themselves as Christian . But one should not assume that Asian American immigrants adopt Christianity merely as a way to be accepted by the majority culture. Indeed, for some Asian American immigrants, Christianity is their religion of choice. However, it is different in the case of immigrants from India. As Khandelwal claims, unlike other Asian immigrants, Indians who are mostly from Hindu religion, have displayed little questioning of their faiths and they are unlikely to convert to another religion. Moreover, Hinduism, the dominant religion in India, faces the challenge of being a minority religion in America, where Christianity is dominant . These immigrants will therefore face the challenge of maintaining their belief system in the minority, which is opposite from their homeland. This in turn, will affect their acculturation process greatly as they struggle with their religious views. Clearly religion plays a major role in the process of adapting to a new culture. Religion is especially important for Asian Indian immigrants, who already place a high value on their own belief system. Whether holding fast to their own religion, or converting to some other religion, these immigrants will practice some kind of religion after their arrival in the U.S. Food Indians who have a vast variety of food habits have a hard time adapting easily to Western food. One of the major causes for this lies in the great number of religions practiced by Indian immigrants. As a result of religious food laws many of Indias people do not consume animal products, which include eggs. The work of Bankston and Hidalgo shows that Indian immigrants are highly unwilling to change their food consumption habits. For example, most Indian Hindus avoid beef and pork, while Pakistanis avoid pork and alcoholic beverages. Most Indians prefer meals from their own culture. However, in households with children, American style meals have become more frequent . Indians have preferred home-cooked meals for a long time, and it has been a part of their culture. They believe that eating at home together with all members of their family is an important ritual for bonding with each other. Many Indian Americans continue to preserve their traditional food habits in America. However, most of the Indians are also adapting to Western food. One example is that pizza is the next alternative food in popularity when compared to their native foods, as well as a timesaver when cooking at home. Indian parents in America expect their children to appreciate home-cooked food more than meals eaten outside the home, although sometimes US born children have a hard time understanding why they need to eat homemade food . Some Indians run Indian restaurants, where they serve national food for not only Indians but also other Americans. As Indian food is mainly spicy, the waiters ask American customers if they prefer their food mild, medium or spicy. One owner of an Indian restaurant had the following to say: I have seen situations where Indian food can send them sweating all over [running to decrease their spiciness by drinking more water or juices] that is not good for our business, so we try to accommodate them . For many Indian immigrants food plays a major role in the acculturation process. While religion prohibits complete adaptation to American food, traditional spices and preparation of Indian cuisine varies greatly from that of Western cuisine. This also plays a role in preventing some Indians from accepting the new style of food. Naturally everyone must eat, therefore food plays a major role in the acculturation process. Marriage Customs According to Indian tradition, Indians get married based on an arranged marriage usually within their own community. This tradition has been preserved from generation to generation. The selection of a marriage partner depends on a set of persons recommended by the partners families (with the full approval and consent of the parents). Family or community members continue to be involved in the selection of a suitable mate. The family and educational backgrounds of the potential partner are thoroughly examined before introductions are made. Indians believe that their children will be happier if they are married to someone who shares the same history, tradition, religion, and social customs and who will be able to impart these values to their children, thus ensuring the continuity of the community. They believe that such marriages made within the community tend to be more stable and long lasting than those that cross community borders . In fact, many American born Asian Indians encounter tremendous obstacles in dating and marriage. On the one hand, their parents warn them not to date until they marry and expect that the children get married according to an arranged marriage which is a custom brought over from India . Indian parents believe that sexual contact before the marriage is immoral and corrupt. On the other hand, the American born children have friends for whom dating is very common and normal. These immigrants desire to fit in the environment in which they find themselves. Accordingly there have been many cases where some Indian lovers are secretly married, and in the worst case, some couples have committed suicide as of result of their relationship being rejected by family. However, some Asian Indian American men and women still prefer to return to their homelands for arranged marriages. In these cases, family members at home seek out appropriate possibilities for marriage to their son or daughter. At the right time, the son or daughter returns home to choose from the candidates assembled by their family . Even the other religion practiced by these immigrants plays a role in the process of acculturation. For example Muslim parents usually accept interfaith marriages for boys, because children customarily follow the fathers faith. However, daughters face a greater challenge because parents do not want their grandchildren to lose their Islamic affiliation . Some Indians came after their marriage in India, whereas some came as students. Most of the students have returned to India for getting married. There are also a few instances where an Indian married an American because of the relationship between the countries and individuals. Other Indians have dated Americans. However, the fact is that dating is not a traditional Indian custom and Indian parents tend to warn their children not to date, although they are slowly yielding to their offsprings demands to be allowed to date . The situation of arranged marriages in India is changing too. As second-generation immigrants Sanjay and Veera observed that: Even in India you see people pushing back and becoming more Westernized, more mainstream. Ive seen my cousins, and [by, #184] leaps and bounds, theyve gone past what is traditional. [Indian American young adults] dont drink and smoke and have lived a sheltered life. Theyve always lived at home and havent gone out much. My cousins in India are more advanced. A lot of my cousins married their boyfriends . Customs surrounding marriage can have a major impact on the acculturation process. Especially for those coming from India, where marriages are still arranged by family, the concept of dating before marriage creates an obstacle for many parents and their children. While customs among Indian immigrants are changing, allowing for young people to find their own spouse, many first-generation immigrants have a hard time letting go of old habits. For these families the acculturation process will be influenced by the marriage customs of the U.S. Language Different languages are spoken in India depending on different regions. Some languages are quite independent and difficult to understand by the neighboring people who speak a different language. In spite of these language differences, most people are able to speak Hindi due to its status as a national language and English due to British colonial rule for two centuries in India. The Indian government recognized the English language as an additional official language. Language is one of the main norms that brings people together and helps them to adapt to the U.S. Proficient English knowledge is one of the reasons Indians migrate to America, and it also helps them to assimilate more easily into life in America . After 1965 most of the Indians arrived in America from different language groups. However, they all knew English. Most immigrants join Indian communities, where they can practice not only Hindi but also their regional language. As Khandelwal claims, first and second-generation immigrants practice different uses of language in America. As for the first-generation, they tend to speak English and at the same time they tend to maintain their native language. However, first-generation immigrants face linguistic problems to speak American English due to their thick Indian accent. The second-generation immigrants who are already born and brought up in the US are usually thought to speak English with an American accent and rejected their parents Indian accent, in turn; their parents considered their childrens English as too American. These second-generation Indian immigrants are involved with Indian languages through movies, songs or when they visit India. Though they understand their parents language, most of them are not able to speak or to write it . According to Khandelwal, the first-generation immigrants tend to be more integrated speaking both English and their mother tongue, whereas the second-generation grows up speaking English as a mother tongue and learn their parents language only to satisfy their parents wishes. Obviously, language plays an important role in the acculturation process for Indian immigrants. While many immigrants have already learned English before they arrived, their English proficiency affects their ability to assimilate into the new culture.

Importance of Weight and Physical Appearance in Figure Skating, Running

Importance of Weight and Physical Appearance in Figure Skating, Running, and Dance Do sports that demand intensive training such as figure skating, running, and dance, place an unhealthy emphasis on the weight and physical appearance of athletes? Participation in athletics has many benefits. Young athletes improve their physical and mental health, self-esteem, and self-confidence from their participation in competitive sports (Burney, 1998). In sports like gymnastics, dance, figure skating, and running, where athletes are to be judged in part on their physical appearance, there is a high percentage of disordered eating. Many of these athletes starve themselves to dangerous levels in an attempt to increase their scores and to please their coaches and parents. In general, competitive athletes train six days a week and many of them, particularly young females, burn more calories than they ingest. The stringent demands of these sports, in combination with coaches and judging, are creating an environment that leads many athletes to develop eating disorders in their quest for performance perfection. Many coaches encourage athletes to be lean and fit in order to promote optimal levels of performance. Many young athletes, however, take a coach's or parent's suggestion and interpret it in the wrong way. A young athlete in many cases assumes that the suggestion to be lean and fit means they are fat and need to loose significant amounts of weight in order to win. The desire to be thin, like competitive sports, becomes a competition. Both concepts incorporate the desire for perfection and both require practice and training. The difference is that the desire to be thin, if practiced too long and hard, can lead to death. Studies l... ...ery strenuous on a growing body, and it is vital to educate these devoted athletes at an early age about the importance of healthy living. Works Cited: Beals, K. and Manore, M. 1998. "Nutritional status of female athletes with subclinical eating disorders." Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 98:419-425. Burney, M. and Brehm, B. 1998. "The Female Athlete Triad." Journal of Physical Education. 69:43-45. Pigeon, P. and Oliver, I. 1997. "Intensive dance practice." The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 25: 243-247. Slay, H. and Hayaki, J. 1998. "Motivations for Running and Eating Attitudes in Obligatory Versus Nonobligatory Runners." International Journal of Eating Disorders. 23: 267-275. Ziegler, P. and San Khoo, C. 1998. "Body Image and Dieting Behaviors Among Elite Figure Skaters." International Journal of Eating Disorders. 24:421-427.

Charles Dickens Essay -- GCSE English Literature Coursework

Charles Dickens is the most widely read Victorian writer. The Victorian era, 1837-1901, was an era of new social developments that caused many of the writers of the period to take positions on the new developments in society. Dickens petitioned that social consciousness would overcome social misery. He often wrote in satire of the society around him, a smug and genius approach to the social injustices that he witnessed, making it widely available to the general public, educating them of the abuses that plagued the Victorian age. Dickens’ popularity as a writer gave some importance to his written attacks on the abuses of courts and schools, whose objects were not the education of children or the justice of citizens, but the fortification of the proprietors. Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England in 1812 to John and Elizabeth Dickens. (http://www.helsinki.fi/kasv/nokol/dickens.html) He was the second of eight children and he was raised on the assumption that he would receive an education if he worked hard. Charles Dickens’ father, John, on whom Mr. Micawber in David Copperfield is based, fell into deep financial debt and was arrested and imprisoned. Due to his families financial crisis, Dickens went to work at Warren’s Blacking Factory labeling bottles, but after his father’s debts were paid, he continued his education at Wellington House Academy from 1824 to 1826. After his education was complete, he became a court reporter for various newspaper sources until he devoted his time to writing. Dickens’ first published work appeared in December of 1833 in the Monthly Magazine, followed by nine other works. These writings were collected into two volumes Turner2 and published in 1836. The time spent as a reporter made Dickens familiar with the middle and lower classes of London and his familiarity is displayed in the two volume set of his early works. These volumes also reveal his humor and concern for the less fortunate classes and his desires for social justice, two popular themes that often dominate his novels. Dickens wed Catherine Hogarth and they had ten children before their separation in 1858. Regardless of his wedding vows to Catherine, he was always secretly in love with her younger sister Mary, who lived with the Dickens’ shortly after the honeymoon. Wh... ... It is safe to assume that most of Charles Dickens life shaped the lives of the characters in his novels. Dickens was able to draw from his own experiences and project them into his literary works. Dickens possessed excellent observation, greater than that of any writer at the time and he was able to put his observations into the public eye and cause attention to be drawn to them. He was mostly a political writer, writing about society and how he and his characters fit into it. Charles Dickens is regarded by many to be the greatest writer in the English language. The epitaph on his tombstone in Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey reads: "He was a sympathizer to the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world". And it is my belief that the inscription on his headstone sums up why Charles Dickens is significant to literature. He causes his readers to think, and to have cathartic experiences through his char acters to reach a deeper layer of themselves. He encourages us to stand up against social injustice, to remain optimistic and self sacrificing and to never forget those less fortunate than ourselves.

Medias Influences on the Development of a Womans Self-Esteem Essay ex

Media's Influences on the Development of a Woman's Self-Esteem As young women grow up it is a time for learning. This time can be easier to handle by some than others. For some it can be a revelation of new experiences and ideas, but for other it can also be a difficult, stressful time for those trying to discover themselves. This can affect themselves as well as those around them. During this time, young women are likely to identify with those around them, their peers. Identifying with peers can help young women along by giving them the opportunity to see how others deal with problems similar to their own and by offering their own advice to those who need it. Along with this, young women are liable to worry about their body image, and may want to conform to those who have achieved the 'desired' image. This image may be thin, muscular, or just average. This can be attributed to the media's portrayal of women (Body Image & Advertising). The majority of women in ads; television, movies, and magazines are thin and are seen as attractive because of this. Young women will see these women and may want their image as their own, and some will go to any lengths to acquire this (Harrison, K). This in turn could lead to the idea that during this process of change and growing up, young women are often concerned about their physical image, which is influenced by the media (ibid). Young women may want to change their body image for a number of reasons. When women compare themselves to models and pictures of people in advertisements, they believe the only way they will get noticed is if they also appear the in the same image of the models (Henderson-King & Henderson-King). During adolescence, they may feel unsatisfied with their bodies and want to change how they look just to fit in (Beauty and Body Image in the Media). Also, young women look up to a number of people, namely celebrities, and try to adopt their style as their own in hopes of being able to fit in. Many celebrities are thin (Henderson-King & Henderson-King. The media widely popularizes the female figure as very thin. This all has its roots to 1959 and the introduction of the Barbie Doll and then in 1967 the ?waif look? entered our society when Leslie Hornby, known as Twiggy, began showing up in the media. The majority of actresses throughout the history of media have been thin (Beauty and Body... ...ffects on Women?s body esteem: social and individual difference factors. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 27, 399. Retrieved from InfoTrac, Web database. Media exposure drives how satisfied women and girls are about body image. Pharma Business Week, 1, 13. Retrieved from InfoTrac Web database. Rabak-Wagener, J., Eickhoff-Shemek, J., & Kelly-Vance, L., (2004). Participation in a media analysis program helped young women change their beliefs about body image, but their behaviors stayed similar. Journal of American College Health, 47, 29. Retrieved from RDS database. Simplistic explanations regarding women and body image neglect other factors. Mental Health Weekly Digest, 1, 16. Retrieved September 18, 2004, from InfoTrac Web database. Spaeth Cherry, s., (2004). Parents Can Help Prevent Eating Disorders. Opposing Viewpoints: Eating Disorders, 1, 1. Retrieved from Opposing Viewpoints Resource center. TV food ads: thin actors make then thin on reality. Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, 19, 2. Retrieved from InfoTrac Web database. Walling, A., (1990). Teenagers and Television. American Family Physician, 42, 638. Retrieved from InfoTrac Web database. Media's Influences on the Development of a Woman's Self-Esteem Essay ex Media's Influences on the Development of a Woman's Self-Esteem As young women grow up it is a time for learning. This time can be easier to handle by some than others. For some it can be a revelation of new experiences and ideas, but for other it can also be a difficult, stressful time for those trying to discover themselves. This can affect themselves as well as those around them. During this time, young women are likely to identify with those around them, their peers. Identifying with peers can help young women along by giving them the opportunity to see how others deal with problems similar to their own and by offering their own advice to those who need it. Along with this, young women are liable to worry about their body image, and may want to conform to those who have achieved the 'desired' image. This image may be thin, muscular, or just average. This can be attributed to the media's portrayal of women (Body Image & Advertising). The majority of women in ads; television, movies, and magazines are thin and are seen as attractive because of this. Young women will see these women and may want their image as their own, and some will go to any lengths to acquire this (Harrison, K). This in turn could lead to the idea that during this process of change and growing up, young women are often concerned about their physical image, which is influenced by the media (ibid). Young women may want to change their body image for a number of reasons. When women compare themselves to models and pictures of people in advertisements, they believe the only way they will get noticed is if they also appear the in the same image of the models (Henderson-King & Henderson-King). During adolescence, they may feel unsatisfied with their bodies and want to change how they look just to fit in (Beauty and Body Image in the Media). Also, young women look up to a number of people, namely celebrities, and try to adopt their style as their own in hopes of being able to fit in. Many celebrities are thin (Henderson-King & Henderson-King. The media widely popularizes the female figure as very thin. This all has its roots to 1959 and the introduction of the Barbie Doll and then in 1967 the ?waif look? entered our society when Leslie Hornby, known as Twiggy, began showing up in the media. The majority of actresses throughout the history of media have been thin (Beauty and Body... ...ffects on Women?s body esteem: social and individual difference factors. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 27, 399. Retrieved from InfoTrac, Web database. Media exposure drives how satisfied women and girls are about body image. Pharma Business Week, 1, 13. Retrieved from InfoTrac Web database. Rabak-Wagener, J., Eickhoff-Shemek, J., & Kelly-Vance, L., (2004). Participation in a media analysis program helped young women change their beliefs about body image, but their behaviors stayed similar. Journal of American College Health, 47, 29. Retrieved from RDS database. Simplistic explanations regarding women and body image neglect other factors. Mental Health Weekly Digest, 1, 16. Retrieved September 18, 2004, from InfoTrac Web database. Spaeth Cherry, s., (2004). Parents Can Help Prevent Eating Disorders. Opposing Viewpoints: Eating Disorders, 1, 1. Retrieved from Opposing Viewpoints Resource center. TV food ads: thin actors make then thin on reality. Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, 19, 2. Retrieved from InfoTrac Web database. Walling, A., (1990). Teenagers and Television. American Family Physician, 42, 638. Retrieved from InfoTrac Web database.

A Student Survival Guide Education Essay

This Student Survival Guide is a resource that will be utile to me as an Axia College pupil. The Guide will assist me form and optimise my college experience. The lone manner I can accomplish my dreams is to follow the clip line and pull off my clip sagely. I need to put action programs, utilize time-lines and compare them to what I accomplish in a twenty-four hours. This will convey consciousness and assist me unbend my hebdomad countries. To-Do lists along with short and long-run ends are the best manner to carry through what I set out for ; draw a bead oning to finish the dream of a grade. The best manner I found to maturate as pupil is by developing my reading comprehension and breaking my apprehension of the stuff in the long-run. Using my ain personality in-to my survey wonts will assist me better my reading velocity and comprehension of the stuff ; this will do it easier to recognize educational achievements. This survival usher is a resource that is valuable to me. It will as sist me to form and optimise my college experience. This Guide is a resource that is a functional tool. This resource is accessible and gives practical attacks excessively jobs and the resources available to Axia college pupils along with resources from the web. I need to retrieve refering my surveies, personality counts. The manner I express myself is through my personal surveies and composing manner, this is my personality and learning manner. â€Å" It is no inquiry that everyone learns otherwise. Did you know that your personality can reflect the manner you learn? Knowing your personality and natural inclinations in idiosyncrasies and the absorbing of information can impact your success in college † quotation mark from ( â€Å" Personality & A ; larning manners. † ) Knowing my strengths will assist me along the route to my educational success. When I am cognizant of the strengths of the other pupils, even in the concern universe can assist organize a good squad with a balanced mix of intelligences for the undertaking at manus. I need continually to better these accomplishments, pattern to do betterments. Knowing that I am best at Intrapersonal accomplishments, I can utilize this to my advantage as an on-line pupil and expli cate action programs that accommodate my strengths and better my weaker countries of intelligences ; this information combined with the resource found and the universities website do my dreams possible. University of Phoenix offers many tools to me as a pupil. Get downing out in needed to cognize where the information was and how to entree it. I now know how to download and form all my school files and program to take all the PDF chapter files from my categories and set them on the Kindle I received for my birthday today. Traveling my papers to a portable reader will do it easier for to analyze my chapters anyplace. I think the most of import thing to make is do usage of the resources and workshops available for my advantage. The University ‘s library offers legion resources to pupils. Write-point and plagiarism-checker, for illustration, these two tools are in the Center for Writing Excellence along with workshops, they help me fix written assignments by giving advice and reviews on ways to better my paper. Plagiarism-checker gives me a similarity index, comparing my work excessively other articles and documents for similarities. Important note to self, these two resources ar e of import I need to utilize them to subject the best work I can. I have enrolled in a workshop â€Å" Time and Stress Management. † this is an country I need betterment believe I will profit from this workshop. I have read and understand the Axia ‘s academic honestness policy and take the information really earnestly. I need to follow the regulations to be successful as a pupil. Some information sing plagiarism can be found in the university ‘s library. I will adhere to the guidelines at all clip to guarantee my success. One illustration of plagiarism: â€Å" Paraphrasing statements, paragraphs, or other organic structures of work without proper commendation utilizing person else ‘s thoughts, informations, linguistic communication, and/or statements without recognition. † ( â€Å" Students ‘ rights and duties, † ) . The best manner to avoid plagiarism wholly is create original work. Do n't copy person else ‘s work. I can make something original and if I find information or resources I find peculiarly helpful or enlightening, I will mention the information right and to the best of my ability in APA format. Part of making the best work I can, I need to continually endeavor to develope my reading comprehension and retaining that information for longer periods of times with pattern. The University of Phoenix gives me all the tools I need to be a booming pupil. The SQ3R Method is a good method to better your reading and keeping rate. I need to work on this method. I know how to utilize it ; sometimes I merely fail to utilize it wholly. I have a alone method for analyzing. I study text-books is wholly different from the manner I would travel about reading a novel. I mark up the text, reappraisal words in bold and so seek to happen cardinal information. I make maps of the general construct and so organize back uping and of import information around the cardinal thought when I analyzing college text editions, particularly when fixing to compose an essay. This is the best method and I need to utilize this individualized method and better upon it. The brainstorming session allows me to prioritise the content and visualise the contextual flow of the essay. The best manner to better reading ability is to merely pattern. I do n't hold pattern brand perfect, it merely mak es me better. Reading all the stuff presented by the teacher will assist me better me reading ability and assist me maintain gait with the lessons. The best manner to make this is to put ends. Short and long-run ends are what I am progressively trusting on. The short-run ends assist me pave the manner to carry throughing bigger things. I need to his tool for personal success. I found a utile resource for pull offing personal action programs, the templet found at the following web reference, â€Å" hypertext transfer protocol: //www.healthkey.com/hive/healthwise/media/pdf/hw/form_zx3175.pdf † this web PDF papers can function as a templet I can utilize to pattern and better my end scene and clip direction accomplishments. I besides like the resources found at www.mindtools.com. This reputable resource along with the college ‘s resources can assist me through my educational experience in many ways, the chief focal point being on ends, clip direction, and life programs. Pull offing clip sagely is an of import accomplishment. I can equilibrate my instruction with my personal life by keeping end lists and puting timelines. Keeping path of my accomplishments gives me motive as I complete more of the challenges and acquire closer to my ends. Thingss will come approximately and decelerate me down. When I find myself overwhelmed I can sit a listen to new age piano music for a few proceedingss and clear my head. This will assist me concentrate and avoid cachexia clip. Lodging to the agenda is the most of import facet of pull offing my clip sagely. I am including several on-line resources that I believe will assist me better my accomplishments and finally impel me toward my grade.