Impact of Student Socio-Economic Background on Performance

Impact of Student Socio-Economic Background on Performance â€Å"THE IMPACT OF STUDENT’S SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUND ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE† A CASE STUDY OF NORTH-EAST STUDENTS IN LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY (PUNJAB) JALESH GURUNG CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ORIENTATION OF THE PROBLEM Education is a basic tool used by society for transmission of its societal values and culture. so, every parents are the most immediate relation of a child for their development and growth. Their financial status and education do have an important influence on the personality of child. For instance educated parents can better understand the educational needs and their children’s aptitude. They can help their children in their early education which affects their proficiency in their relative area of knowledge, confidence, idea, etc. While, Belonging to strong financial background, parents can provide latest technologies and facilities in a best possible way to enhance educational capability of their children as well as they provide good education facilities also. Socioeconomic status is an economic and sociological combined total measure of a persons work experience and of an individuals or family’s economic and social position relative to others, based on income and education, and occupation (Marmot, Michael, 2004) indicates When analyzing a family’s social economic status, the household income, earners’ education and occupation are examined, as well as combined income, versus with an individual, when their own attributes are assessed. Many factors and reasons have been given as being responsible for the continuous falling in the academic standard of our present educational system. These includes; attitudes of teachers to work, lack of seriousness on the part of the students, effect of the dwindled economy and to some extent the increasing degenerating moral system. According to Lareau, Annette ( 2003) observes that Socioeconomic status is typically broken into three categories, high, middle, and low to describe the three areas a family or an individual may fall into when placing a family or individual into one of these categories any or all of the three variables income, education, and occupation can be assessed. Additionally, low income and little education have shown to be strong predictors of a range of physical and mental health problems due to environmental conditions may be the entire cause of that person’s social predicament to begin with. Most economically disadvantaged children have effectively mastered the usual developmental childhood tasks of motor and language skills, and have learned the values of social practices of their homes and neighborhoods (Harry Klingner, 2007); but they may not have learned particular forms of language or the ways in which schools use specific forms of language to the extent that their middle inco me peers have. Therefore, it can be assumed that students’ failure to achieve academically may be explained by other factors also. The amount of money that a family has or the color of a child’s skin should not influence how well that child learns (Rothstein, 2004) Literature review These chapter focus on the relevant and related literature of various researches in an attempt to relate their work to this study. Sub topic related to the literature review are as follows: The concept of social and economic problems Relationship between parents income to the students. The students academic performance as well as social adjustment (i)The concept of social and economic problems While sociology use some broad theoretical sense to explain the concept and meaning of society and its activities. They divide the macro-level society into two broad perspectives, namely functionalism and conflict theory, and then the feminist theory, which combines both micro and micro-levels of analysis, and also the interactions theory, a micro –level analysis which is by far the most influential of the social psychological theories in sociology. (Coleman and Cressey, 1999).The idea make up of the society in such that individual and group of individual is co-exist in the society and make them as a harmony and pace without any threat to the society. Moreover the concept of social and economic problems is that misconstrued by many people. (ii)Relationship between parents income to the students. APA ( 2001) describe the relationship of family socioeconomic status to childrens readiness for school, Across all socioeconomic groups; parents face major challenges when it comes to providing optimal care and education for their children. For families in poverty these challenges can be formidable. Sometimes, when basic necessities are lacking, parents must place top priority on housing, food, clothing, and health care. Educational toys, games, and books may appear to be luxuries, and parents may not have the time, energy, or knowledge to find innovative and less-expensive ways to foster young childrens development. Furthermore,( Ominde, S.H 1964) observes that even in families with above average income parents often lack the time and energy to invest fully in their childrens preparation for school, and they sometimes face a limited array of options for high-quality child care both before their children start school and during the early school years. Kindergarten teachers throughout the country report that children are increasingly arriving at school inadequately prepared. Families with low socioeconomic status often lack the financial, social, and educational supports that characterize families with high socioeconomic status. Poor families also may have inadequate or limited access to community resources that promote and support childrens development and school readiness. Parents may have inadequate skills for such activities as reading to and with their children, and they may lack information about childhood immunizations and nutrition. Lareau, Annette (2004) state that low maternal education and minority-language status are most consistently associated with fewer signs of emerging literacy and a greater number of difficulties in preschoolers. Having inadequate resources and limited access to available resources can negatively affect families decisions regarding their young childrens development and learning. As a result, children from families with low socioeconomic status are at greater risk of entering kindergarten unprepared than their peers from families with median or high socioeconomic status. Amutabi, M.A (2003) says that the impact of socioeconomic status on children’s readiness for school: while the segregating nature of social class, ethnicity, tradition may well reduce the variety of enriching experience through to be prerequisite for creating readiness to learn among children activates. Similarly, cast ethnic value, housing, neighborhood and access to resource that directly or indirectly affect enrichment or deprivation as well as the acquisition of specific value system (iii)The student’s academic performance as well as social adjustment Academic performance of students in the classroom is very important as this is capable of determining whether the student is doing well or not. Parents, Teachers, School Administrators attach so much importance to students’ academic performance that if the students are not performing well academically, then they see all other efforts of the students in the school programme as a total waste. These people pretend as if there are no other activities for the student in the school environment aside the academics, hence academic performance defines the totality of the child in his school life. Contrary to the opinion of this group, it is important that there are many factors that determine the level of a student’s academic achievement, chief among these factors is social adjustment. Moreover, academic performance has been seen as a term used for students based on how well they are doing in their studies and classes. This definition tends to see academic performance as the culmination of all the activities of the student in the school. Academic performance for the student is also seen as the extent to which a student has achieved his educational goals (Wikipedia, 2012-2014). 1.3 Statement of the problems According to study published in 2001 issue of Psychological Science found that children of parents with a high socioeconomic status tended to express more disengagement behaviors than their less fortunate peers. In this context, disengagement behaviors represent actions such as fidgeting with other objects and drawing pictures while being addressed. Other participants born into less favored circumstances tended to make more eye contact, nods as signs of happiness when put into an interactive social environment. The more fortuitous peers felt less inclined to gain rapport with their group because they saw no need for their assistance in the future. However, Socio-economic status can be measured in a number of different ways. The prime things that commonly it is measured by father’s education, occupation and income. All familys socioeconomic status is based on family income, parental education level, parental occupation, and social status in the community such as contacts within the community, group associations, and the communitys academic performance of the family, while families with high socioeconomic status often have more success in preparing their young children for school because they typically have access to a wide range of resources to promote and support young childrens development in day to day life. They are able to provide their young children with high- quality child care, books, and toys to encourage children in various learning activities at home but lack in poor ones. And , they have easy access to information regarding their childrens health, as well as social, emotional, and cognitive development. In addition, families with high socioeconomic status often seek out information to help them better prepare their young children for school and college. The study aimed at finding o ut the contribution of socio-economic status of the family on the academic performance of the student in private Universities in Punjab, A case study of North-East students in lovely professional university. 1.4 Objective To study the relationship between socio- economic status of families and its impact on the academic performance of the students in university. To study the impact of the level of parents’ education on the academic performance of the students in university level. To study the impact of occupations of parents on academic performance of the students in the in university. Similarly, to know about the negative impact as well as positive impact on the students performance. To study the impact of family income on academic performance of the students in the various courses in university. To study the impact of expenditure on children’s education on their academic performance in the university. To know about the student’s academic performance (TGPA/CGPA) according to their families socio-economic background. CHAPTER-II METHODS AND PROCEDURE 2.1 STUDY AREA 2.2METHODS While, according to the availability of data the method adopted for this study was descriptive and statistical in nature. The sample consists of 95 students selected from different courses in the university. Therefore, Out of 95 students 36 were males and 59 were females in age range of 20 to 30 from different schools. To have a comparative study of the boys and the girls ,the sample was drawn from both the boys and the girl’s institutions. Stratified random sampling technique was applied for selection of the students for the sample. Similarly, For a detailed technical discussion of all that will be presented in this section, see Dachs et al (2006) Figure 1 –Heretical web of determinants of academic performance of students at university (Dechs et al. 2006) 2.3 QUESTIONNAIRE A self designed questionnaire was used for collection the data. First of all, The questionnaires were designed keeping in mind the objectives of the study and the clarity required at the field level for filling the questionnaire. In this study both types of questionnaire are used i.e. closed-ended as well open ended or combination of both. 2.4 DATA COLLECTION The primary data was collected through the help of questionnaires. While its carry both types such as closed ended as well as open ended questions and they are self administered. All around 95 of questionnaires ware distributed in different block of the University. Secondary data were collected by the appropriated data sources including news paper, books, journals, and activities both published and un-published data sources. Therefore, the data were collected by the method of snow ball survey as well as self distributed. Generally I followed this methods because it was save my time and costs. Additional documents were collected by the university faculty and from friends as well. 2.5 PROCESSING OF DATA The Entire data from the field observation was processed and tabulated in the computer unit. However these processes include the writing, interpretation, analysis of data etc. The programmed for the data feeding, coding of data, scrutinizing of data, preparing of table for the report as well as preparing of statistical volume and analytical tools likewise bar diagram, percentages, pie chat etc.

HM Supply Chain and Logistics Management Strategies

HM Supply Chain and Logistics Management Strategies Introduction Hennes Mauritz AB, abbreviated to HM, a Sweden-based global fashion retail company, was established in 1947, serving a business concept of offering good-quality product with the best price along with making sustainability (HM, 2014a). HM is the world second largest fashion retailer. In 2013, HM has opened 356 new stores and expanded into five new markets: Chile, Indonesia, Serbia, Lithuania and Estonia (Passport, 2014). HM is a pioneer of ‘fast fashion’ which inspired by the trendy catwalk fashion and transformed them into affordable fashion frequently. Rather than being followers, it perceives the bid of consumer-lead (Passport, 2014). HM manages its brand with a combination of Uniqlo’s and ZARA’s marketing strategies, which are using long product development cycles and building efficient supply chain (Petro, 2012). This report will critically evaluate the supply chain and logistics management strategies of HM. Which markets have been targeted and why? Demographically, HM aims to target younger age groups, especially those who aged 18 to 30 and are sensitive to the latest fashion and trend. HM fundamentally advocates for offering quality products with the unbeatable value and a high frequency of launching new products (HM, 2014a). It has divided its customers based into two distinct groups which are practical customers and trendy customers. The former requires basic and comfortable garments while the latter seeks for fashionable and sartorial products. The number of â€Å"global middle class† will expected to expand to 4.9 billion by 2030, compared to 1.8 billion in 2009, significantly contributing by Asia (Pezzini, 2012). The upsurge of the middle class in Asian countries are believed to be sufficient to cope up with the impetus for world demand (Kharas, 2010). Kharas (2010) also stated that the rebound of consumer demand would depend not only on USA, but also Asian countries, especially China and India. Therefore, geographically, HM not only targets at the Western Europe, where generated almost 71% of revenues in 2013, but also widely targets at USA and Asia Pacific (Passport, 2014). Figure 1.1 indicated that there is significant increase sales in both North America and Asia Pacific. What has been Zara’s approach to Supply Chain Management? HM employs 160 in-house designers who officially work together with pattern makers and print designers to create HM a wide variety of products. They strive to find the right balance among fashion, quality and best price as well as involving sustainability awareness. Although HM collection are centrally planned, it does not own any factories instead of outsourcing from 800 independent suppliers, approximately 40% in Europe and 60% in Asia (Petro, 2012). In addition, HM has set up 21 production office outside Sweden, 50% of them are based in Asia and 50% of them are based in Europe (Tokatli, 2008). Due to geographic and lead time priorities, HM still persists in choosing Europe as production countries rather than China (Goransson et al, 2007). HM develops a long-term partnership and works closely with these suppliers to ensure its product quality. These suppliers are examined and evaluated twice a year to determine their performance and keep maintain good communication in order to respond to changeable demand (Siegle, 2013). Moreover, HM requires all its suppliers, subcontractor and business partners to sign the Code of Conduct which is implemented in every aspects of the organisation. Full commitment with the Code must be fulfilled throughout the supply chain. HM seldom works with middlemen. It strategically works with its production offices that are closely located to its suppliers and served as the second hub of information flow. From choosing suppliers, handling production process, reviewing sample to checking quality, HM can maximise its efficiency to be more responsive to customers demand. HM basically launches two seasonal collections each year, producing approximately 2000-4000 items on average (Tokatli, 2008). Sub-collections have also been offered within each season in order to continually update its inventory. Usually, the main collection would be long-lead time items whereas the sub-collection would be short-lead time items (Petro, 2012). HM will produce 80% of its products in advance (Cha, 2013) and the lead time of producing the remaining 20% may vary, generally from two weeks to six months (Saini, 2007). HM also develops its production plan six to twelve months in advance, coordinating with the purchasing process accordingly. This planning system helps to achieve its belief in exceeding customer expectations and contributing sustainable work in the supply chain. The process from designing products to retailing takes only 20 days to complete (Saminather, 2007). HM has developed an IT system which connected each store with corporate logistics, procurement systems and the central warehouse (Petro, 2012). This system enables the visibility of the entire process to every departments that involved. As a result, a more securable and effective management can be applied across all channels. What market entry strategies have been adopted and why? How do HM manage their marketing channels? Its expansion target is to open 10%-15% new stores per year and this can be implemented by its marketing strategy that is increasing like-for-like sales (Passport, 2014). In spite of reporting that HM like-for-like sales figures have been declined for five consecutive months, it still plans to open 350 new stores in 2014 (Milne, 2013). Despite the concern that excessive store numbers could affect HM’s cachet, but the rapid growth of consumer demand is highly enough to support its expansion (Passport, 2014). In fact, HM has 3511 stores across 55 countries in 2014, compared to 3132 stores across 53 countries in 2013 (HM, 2014a), accounting for 379 additional stores. HM’s expansion strategy in emerging markets is through establishing wholly-owned subsidiaries in order to maintain its direct operational control (HM, 2014a). All HM stores are run by HM, therefore, franchising would not be its favourable method. Nevertheless, some excepted markets necessarily need collaboration via franchising. For instant, HM reached a franchise agreement with Kuwait-based company, M.H. Alshaya to expand market in the Middle East. This partnership ensures a great success in bringing HM’s spirit to a new market. Joint venture can be considered as a dominant option for multinational enterprise (MNE) to discover emerging markets (Zhou and Xu, 2012). HM adopted a 51:49 joint venture with Mumbai-based firm Tata Group. This allows HM to better understand the know-how of local market before accessing to foreign markets, meanwhile, the Indian government regulates 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in single brand retailing, unleashing market liberalisation (Passport, 2014). These two opportunities inevitably assist HM to enter Indian market. It aims to invest â‚ ¬100 million for opening 50 stores in India, focusing not only in major cities such as New Delhi and Mumbai, but also other cities like Ahmedabad and Jaipur (Passport, 2014). HM has chosen vertical integration as one of its business strategies to better control the whole supply chain. From manufacturing to assembling, merchandising to retailing, all these processes are under its control. It works closely with its production offices, suppliers and buyers. While finish designing at Stockholm headquarters, its partnership suppliers will seek for the most suitable raw materials and matched them for assembling. HM places bulk order to minimise the risk of price fluctuation and enjoy a certain level of economy of scale (Goransson et al, 2007). Then, the production offices will arrange for merchandising. HM stores do not prepare any buffer stock, but are replenished from the nearest distribution centre. 90% of HM’s goods is transported from the suppliers’ warehouses to distribution centres via Hamburg, the main transit point of HM, by rail or sea (HM 2014a). Those garments are generally served with price tags and ready for sale (Hasan and Alim, 201 0). How is the brand differentiated and how is it positioned? HM identifies a sustainable competitive advantage for its brand through providing augmented products. The purpose of creating augmented products is to add value to supplementary elements, aiming to exceed customer expectation (Crassous and Gassmann, 2011). HM realises the fact that customers are not well-prepared to pay extra money for sustainable value, but it is believed to be a leading trend in the future (HM, 2014b). Hence, HM emphasizes offering the best price, not the cheapest price, certainly involving a part of sustainability. It would never compromise the commitment of providing fashionable and quality products with the best price. HM is positioning itself as an ethical company that produce fast-fashion and ethics simultaneously (Siegle, 2012). For example, HM has invested heavily in sustainability in order to remove the label of ‘disposable’ fashion manufacturer (Passport, 2014). It realises how important the natural resources to them, thus, it makes use of 13.7% of organic cotton over total cotton use. According to Textile Exchange (2014), HM is listed as the world top users of organic cotton. It also changes its linear production model to circular production model to serve conscious fashion. HM no longer focus on making short-term profit, it has stated the importance of developing long-term sustainability to be a significant differentiator (HM, 2014b). For instant, HM has collaborated many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Fair Labour Association (FLA) and Fair Wages Network to develop a criteria for benchmarking sustainability to entire industry (HM, 2014b). Furthermore, the transparency of HM’s supply chain is another key differentiation from other fast fashion retailers. HM made an effort of creating supply chain transparency by publishing its supplier’s factory list. HM is one of the few fashion companies to publish its supplier factory list (Doward, 2012). Is Country of Origin (COO) significant? COO could influence on customer-based brand equity, especially in B2C markets. It has added values to the brand and the perceived quality, one of the factors of brand equity, has been recognised as a driving force in order to generate brand awareness (Chen et al, 2011). However, the strength of the link of COO across products may differ as the variation in product categories can be hard to identify (Tseng and Balabanis, 2011). For example, the credibility of French perfumes and Russia vodka are high, compared to the credibility fast fashion. The latter is more concern with the style of fashion rather than COO. Thus, the Swedish original roots may not be significant in inspiring HM collection that what target customers are expected. In comparison to Sweden, Milan, Paris and Tokyo are more likely to be defined as global fashion cities (Jansson and Power, 2010). Therefore, HM’s COO is unlikely to be significant in influencing customer purchasing decisions. Have there been issues of supply chain ethics or provenance? HM’s commitment is to be ethical through its value chain, steadily rooted in its belief. A great efforts have been paid with awarded the world most ethical company (HM, 2014b). In spite of adhere to be ethical, some unexpected issues might occur under its vertical control. However, HM tried its own best to best solving those problems. For example, a Bangladeshi factory that making clothing for HM and other companies prone to fires due to poor safety standard (Hickman, 2010). HM alleged that it only bought a small portion of garments from this factory. However, it appointed representatives to visit that place immediately to support those affected and their families. HM has regularly audited this factory and announced that this factory has attained the Code of Conduct. Following this unwanted incident, HM produced a series of short films, concerning fire safety and other ethical issues in order to enhance workers’ vigilance (Siegle, 2012). Another example was 288 Turkish workers were suffered from verbal harassment during HM’s external assessment. HM followed up this circumstance and settled down by giving proper training to their supervisors and putting less pressure on them (Fair Labour Association (FLA), 2009). Conclusion In conclusion, this report has evaluated the supply chain and logistics management strategies of HM. Vertical brand, HM achieves its best prices promise by employing in-house designers, having no middlemen, choosing its own suppliers, utilising resources in every part of business, and the most important aspect is having effective logistic management within the supply chain. The highly responsive supply chain distinct HM from its competitors, enabling HM to react quickly to the up-dated fashion trend. The selected suppliers not only responsible for manufacturing quality product, but also ensuring the processes are operated under good ethical conditions. Sustainability plays an important role in implementing HM business strategy. HM works very hard to be recognised as an ethical company. These remarkable achievements will obviously lead an increase in brand reputation and customer confidence Therefore, it is essential for HM to continuously place sustainability as its primary objective to clearly become HM’s competitive advantage. References Cha, Y (2013) ‘The Big 3: Fast Fashion (SPA) Brands and Strategies’, Maeil Business Newspaper, 9 June. Chen, Y. ,Su, Y. and Lin, F. (2011) ‘Country-of-origin effects and antecedents of industrial brand equity’, Journal of Business Research, 64, p1234-1238. Crassous, T. and Gassmann, J. (2011) ‘Gaining Competitive Advantage through Green Marketing’, Department of Marketing, 3(37), p1-72. Doward, J. (2012) ‘HM comes under pressure to act on child-labour cotton’, The Guardian, 15 December. [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/dec/15/cotton-child-labour-uzbekistan-fashion (Accessed: 2 April 2015) Fair Labour Association (FLA) (2009) Preventing Harassment of Workers in Turkey [Online] Available at: http://www.fairlabor.org/impact/case-studies/study/preventing-harassment-workers-turkey (Accessed: 29 January 2015) Goransson, S. , Jonsson, A. and Persson, M. (2007) ‘Extreme Business-Models in the Clothing Industry-A case study of HM and ZARA’, The Department of Business Studies, p1-92. Hasan, M.R. and Alim, M.A. (2010) Factors Affecting Supply Chain Management Efficiency in Cross Border Outsourcing: A case study of HM and its Outsourcing Operations in Bangladesh, Master Degree Thesis. University of Gothenburg. HM (2010) Code of Conduct. [Online] Available at: http://sustainability.hm.com/content/dam/hm/about/documents/en/CSR/codeofconduct/Code%20of%20Conduct_en.pdf (Accessed: 5 March 2015) HM (2014a) Annual Report 2014, HM Hennes Mauritz AB, Sweden. HM (2014b) Sustainability Report 2013, HM Hennes Mauritz AB, Sweden. HM (2015) Design Process. [Online] Available at: http://about.hm.com/en/About/facts-about-hm/idea-to-store/design-process.html (Accessed: 3 March 2015) Hickman, M. (2010) ‘21 workers die in fire at HM factory’, The Independent, 2 March. [Online] Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/news/21-workers-die-in-fire-at-hm-factory-1914292.html (14 February 2015) Jansson, J. and Power, D. (2010) ‘Fashioning a global city: Global city brand channels in the fashion and design industries’, Regional Studies, 44 (7), p889- 904. Kharas, H (2010) The Emerging Middle Class in Developing Countries. OECD Development Centre. Milne, R (2013) ‘Late spring chills HM sales’, The Financial Times, 21 March. [Online] Available at: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/05fd4e46-9201-11e2-a6f4-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3X7QRARt9 (Accessed: 20 March 2015) Passport (2014) ‘HM Hennes Mauritz AB in Retailing (World)’, Euro monitor International. Pezzini, M (2012) An Emerging Middle Class. OECD Development Centre. Petro, G. (2012) ‘The Future of Fashion Retailing The HM Approach’, The Forbes, 11 May. [Online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregpetro/2012/11/05/the-future-of-fashion-retailing-the-hm-approach-part-3-of-3/ Saini, M. (2007) Analysis of clothing supply chain: Integration Marriage of Lean Agile, PhD thesis. The University of Salford. Saminather, N (2007) ‘How HM’s copying with Retail Travails?’, Bloomberg, 3 January. [Online] Available at: http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2007-01-03/how-h-and-ms-coping-with-retail-travailsbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice Siegle, L. (2012) ‘Is HM the new home fashion?’, The Guardian, 7 April. [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/apr/07/hennes-mauritz-h-and-m Siegle, L. (2013) ‘HM: How ethical are your clothes?’, The Guardian, 6 October. [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/oct/06/ethical-high-street-clothes-hm Textile Exchange (2014) ‘Organic Cotton Report’, Textile Exchange, 31 July. The Boston Consulting Group (2005) Taking Care of Brands through Vertical Integration. [Online] Available at: http://www.bcg.com.cn/export/sites/default/en/files/publications/articles_pdf/Taking_Care_Brands_Through_Vertical_Integration_Nov2005.pdf (Accessed: 20 February 2015) Tokatli, N. (2008) ‘Global Sourcing: insight from the global clothing industry – the case of Zara, a fast fashion retailer’, Journal of Economic Geography, 8, p. 21-38. Tseng, T. and Balabanis, G. (2011) ‘Explaining the product-specificity of country-of-origin effects’, International Marketing Review, 28(6), p581-600. Zhou, K.Z. and Xu, D. (2012), ‘How Foreign Firms Curtail Local Supplier Opportunism in China: Detailed Contracts, Centralized Control, and Relational Governance’, Journal of International Business Studies, 43 (7), p677-692.

Camelot: Merlin :: essays research papers fc

Camelot: Merlin We all at one point or another dream. Imagine you are in another place or a another time, the future maybe, even maybe the past where years, days, centuries, minutes all irrelevant if you have imagination. I now dream of a time and place were men have such things as bravery and honor. I now speak of Camolot. The legendary castle wear Merlin the priest, Merlin the magie, and Merlin the wise is supposed to have lived. I am not the only person to dream this dream, many play writers and actors have shared this wonderful trip through time and space to where we may all interpret an event as we see fit. I will now show you who the real Merlin was and whom actors have made him out to be. I will then draw a parallel between the two times. I shall also tell you how merlin him self became part of this dream... Merlin, a man, or just stories to amuse everyone , myths, legends, or tall tails such as Santa Clause or the Easter bunny. Like the real King Arthur who was (really a 6th century ruler) transported through time to better fit the needs of the populas. The "transporting" begins in and around the 15th century. A man by the name of Thomas Malory felt the extreme need to give France, his country, a hero(s) in a time of great disappear. He felt it necessary to do this because the feudalist time in which he was living in, was slowly dying. He thought that if he could show people how many great hero(s) came out of this time period it would revive and flourish once more. He then turned to history to find such a hero. As needed to remedy the situation he found King Arthur of Britain. Even though a English man or a Britainian, he was said to be the best ruler to date (1500's.) Now that King Arthur has been chosen and changed a little to fit in with chivalry, part of feudalism he now needed a teacher. Researching even further he found a Druid priest by the name of Merlin. Druidism is and was a religion that delt with nature. There temple, church, meeting place, what ever you would like to call it, was a grove or thicket. They made sacrifice of animals and offered wheat, rice, and other grains. It was believe that Druid people were magical or even demons and monsters of some sort. Merlin was (as said before) infact a Druid priest. Merlin was a thinker and a very wise man.

To Kill a Mocking Bird Critique :: essays research papers fc

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that has received great acclaim, largely due to setting, themes, and accuracy. The setting, themes, and accuracy of the novel seem to fall into place in a great order, which makes this novel receive great acclaim. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in a small town in â€Å"fictional† Maycomb County, Alabama 1933-35. â€Å"It was more of collection of short stories than a true novel†¦yet, there was also life† (Commire, 18). The Characters of To Kill a Mockingbird we also created from people in Lee’s life. For example, she used here father, Frances â€Å"Finch† Lee, as a model for Atticus Finch. â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird, Is a novel of strong contemporary national significance†¦Miss Lee considers the novel a love story† (Commire, 155). The novel could be considered a love story because it shows the love of a father toward his two children. Apparently, Lee chose the mockingbird to represent the â€Å"purity of heart, and selflessness of characters like Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley (Moss and Wilson, 395). To Kill a Mockingbird underscores many themes and represents a universal story from a regional perspective (Stabler). The overall argument involves the obvious plea for justice while mocking the civilization of Southern society. To Kill a Mockingbird is considered a â€Å"classic†, it was a bestseller, and it is required reading for many High School’s in the U.S. (Stabler). Even today in bookstores, like Barnes & Noble, it is easy to find a copy of the book on the shelves. It is even showcased on the bags of Barnes & Noble. It is felt that To Kill a Mockingbird gives â€Å"an accurate reflection† of life in the south during the 1930s (Stabler). There was much racism in the south during the 1930s. Edgar Shuster states, â€Å" In the course of their growing up, the children do a great deal of learning, but little of that learning takes place in school,† (Bernard). It goes to show, that not all life lessons can be learned in school. Shuster also states, â€Å"The achievement of Harper Lee is not that she has written another novel about race prejudice, but rather that she has placed race prejudice in a perspective which allows ups to see it as an aspect of a larger thing (Bernard). Like something that comes from fear and lack of knowledge. Keith Waterhouse believes that â€Å"Miss Lee does well what so many American writers do appallingly: she paints a true and lively picture of life in and an American small town, and she gives freshness to a stock solution† (Kinsman, 481).

The Last Samurai Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The idea of honor is different to many people. The dictionary defines honor as, That which rightfully attracts esteem, respect, or consideration; self-respect; dignity; courage; fidelity; especially, excellence of character; high moral worth; virtue; nobleness; specifically, in men, integrity; uprightness; trustworthiness; in women, purity; chastity. [1913 Webster]. However in the film The Last Samurai, the idea of honor seems to differ between the different people in each culture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Americans equate honor with how many battles have been won. Not necessarily how the battles are won. We are introduced to the idea of American culture changing the Japanese way by first being shown the Japanese buying advanced weaponry from the Americans. Nathan Algren, played by Tom Cruise was revered with utmost respect for his victories in the civil war and against the Indians. However through out those battles many innocent people were killed. These facts however did not stop the American government from awarding him many medals of Honor, and thus leading to his recruitment by the Japanese emperor to train his armies. No medals however could stop the nightmares that Algren would have every night as he replayed the dishonorable things he had done in past battles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese people were attempting to begin adapting to a western style of life. The government tried to take the samurai way of life out...

Lets Talk About Dying

Presentation Summary Greg Konen In Peter Saul’s (2011) â€Å"Let’s Talking about Dying† talk, he opened up with a very poignant statement that when 2000 brain cells die daily he argues that our dying process really truly has started. As a physician, he reports that he has seen many changes in the last thirty years. One significant change is the role of technology in healthcare. Technology, he argues, is credited with life prolonging, rather than life saving.He also states that chronic diseases are now taking control in the dying process. He postulated that the four ways to die are: (a) sudden death, (b) terminal illness, (c) organ failure, and (d) frailty (Saul, 2011). Sudden death is declining due to technology and increased education. Terminal illness is usually reserved for the younger person. Organ failure will lead people into the Intensive Care Unit of the local hospital. He reports that there is seven times more stress associated with this type of death (S aul, 2011).He also states that one in five United States citizens will experience this type of death (Saul, 2011). The final way to die, frailty, is what most people will experiences. Life longevity breeds frailty. This dwindling capacity is an inevitable part of aging (Saul, 2011). This increased longevity leads to longer life; not necessarily better life (Saul, 2011). The key for healthcare professionals is respecting patient choices (Saul, 2011).To explore this concept, Saul undertook some research efforts to explore the dying process in Australia. He found that one in one hundred patients had advanced directives which he called a â€Å"dialogue† (Saul, 2011). A chart reviewed showed that the healthcare profession failed to address the needs of advanced directives with their patients (Saul, 2011). Saul argued that respecting patient choices should just be normal practice for hospitals (Saul, 2011).He summarized his talk by stating that the two most important questions rega rding the dying process are: (a) who do you want to make your decisions? and (b) have you spoken to that person? (Saul, 2011). His closing quote by Dame Cicely Saunders, â€Å"You matter because you are you, and you matter to the last moment of your life† is a poignant reminder that most people want, and deserve control, in the dying process. Reference Saul, T. , (2011, November). Let’s talk about dying. Retrieved from http://www. ted. com/talks/peter_saul_let_s_talk_about_dying. html

London prepares for the Olympics

The photograph on the sheet was taken in early 2009 and presents a snapshot of the major development under way in preparation for the 2012 London Olympics. In the foreground one can see Stratford east railway station where key transport developments are taking place. In the background are a number of Olympic construction projects, including the Westfield Shopping Mall. In the past, the land shown in the photograph used to be mainly low industrial units, transport depots and railway sidings. It was relatively low-value land, which is one of the reasons that this site was chosen for the Olympics. The owners of the various industrial units have received support and compensation to enable them to relocate elsewhere. 1. What is the evidence that major redevelopments are taking place? It is evident that there is construction going on in the area, this can be seen particularly from the machinery but also because: -the Westfield Shopping Mall can be seen in the background, still under construction. – There are lots of buildings which can be seen in the background. -there is a large sign which says ‘Everyone's London 2012' which suggests that the developments taking place are on a large scale to attract large amounts of people. 2. The development at the railway station is part of an overall plan to provide a top quality public transport infrastructure for the Olympic Games. What are the benefits of this approach to transport management? -Well, the Olympic Games by nature are going to attract large amounts of people to come, and this is financially rewarding. However, public transport infrastructure must be carefully taken into consideration, because no matter how amazing the Olympic Games are, if people cannot reach there, then it may end up being a big problem (for example financially, if many people do not even bother to purchase tickets to attend the Olympic Games, as the destination is not accessible. -well thought out infrastructure is convenient for people when travelling. -Also, regarding long term benefits, it means that more people in the local area can travel after the Olympic Games to work in other areas (perhaps secure jobs with higher incomes). -the temporary workers on the Olympic Site can travel there conveniently. – The main benefit is that it will help to ensure the public gets to the venues in time and in some degree of comfort. 3. Notice that there is a slogan in the photograph, albeit partially obscured that reads ‘Everyone's London 2012'. A) What do you think is meant by this slogan?It means that all these developments which are taking place for the Olympic Games, when finished are for everyone to enjoy and experience, for example not just the athletes and tourist, but local people as well. Basically, the ambition of ‘everyone's 2012' is to inspire people of all ability, belief, postcode, and colour to participate fully in the Games – and it extends far beyond London and late summer 2012. B) How will the local community benefit from the building work taking place in preparation for the Olympics? -the area is hoped to be regenerated socially, economically and environmentally. -the sporting facilities can be used by the community; this can promote a healthy lifestyle in an area with high levels of obesity. -the community can enjoy more entertainment/recreation facilities such as the Westfield Shopping Mall. -improvements in transport infrastructure have the most long term benefits as local people can benefit from its convenience, also it means that local people could travel to other areas for job opportunities. -lots of temporary jobs will be needed, especially in the construction industry, so local people's skills can be used, and local people can be trained as well (e.g. apprenticeships). – Boosting social and economic prospects in Stratford and the Lower Lee Valley, an area of high unemployment and deprivation. – Bringing about the transformation of largely derelict, brown-field sites through comprehensive and co-ordinated development. -Improvements to transport infrastructure which would be of benefit to the wider Thames Gateway area. C) One critical element of London's winning Olympic bid was the so-called ‘legacy' of the games- the longer term benefits arising for the local community. Can you see from the photograph what some of these might be? Well, there are obviously a lot of developments going on, and it is likely that the sports facilities could be used in the future by local communities, as well as recreational uses such as the Westfield Shopping Mall, and generally the area will attract tourists, and therefore increase the economy of the area (e.g. prices going up such as hotels charging more money etc which will benefit the tourist industry). Other benefits include: * Sports facilities with a national and international profile. * The Olympic stadium itself, which could be used for an Athletic or Premiership football stadium. * 4,000-4,500 new residential units built to house teams in the Olympic village- could be used to provide affordable and key worker housing. * A 1,000,000 sq ft media centre would be created for the games, which would have the latest technology and could be used as a centre for media based organizations and creative industries in the future and would also encourage associated and complementary industries and lever in much needed private investment. * An increase in tourism linking into and complementing existing and planned regeneration in east London (people still go to Barcelona and Munich to visit the Olympic sites) * Wholesale environmental and landscaping improvements and new urban design concepts * Staging a major international event such as the Olympics would be a major cultural boost to east London, which has long suffered from the image of dereliction and unattractiveness. It would be an excellent chance to publicise the area's wide cultural diversity and create tourist attractions such as an Olympic Park. 4. If you were to visit the areas shown here one year after the photograph was taken, how do you think it would have changed? I think there would still be a high level of construction going on, and the area would look more developed e.g. the Westfield Shopping Mall might have more added to its exterior (such as the windows etc). There might also be more people there (e.g. working/just observing etc).