conscription Essay - 1031 Words

Non-essential Conscription nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;As the war on terrorism continues more troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are dying every month. The government is struggling to organize the number of soldiers maintaining the opposition in both Afghanistan and Iraq which brings up a popular topic-conscription (mandatory military enlistment). Senator Charles Rangel of New York was the one that introduced the call for the military draft upon the Senate. The draft was revoked and still hasn’t been in affect since the Vietnam War over thirty years ago. Reinstitution of conscription would not help this country right now, it will just make matters worse. It is not necessary to permit a draft in the United States because our advanced†¦show more content†¦All other expenses were spread among improving peace-keeping treaties in Bosnia and Kuwait to increasing the pay rate of the soldiers and raising the allowance for housing for military family members. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;There should be no discussion on introducing conscription for all the following reasons: Recent upgrades and weapon systems spent on the military defense; there is over 1.4 million men and women on active duty and 1.3 million serving as reservists in the armed forces today; institution of the draft should be last resort; it will tear this country apart just like the last draft; too many drafted civilians will defy orders and not want to fight, causing problems. Another important factor that the government should take a close look at before restarting the draft is the financial incentives. We will need more money to pay the drafted soldiers as well as the ones already in. They should just focus on retention and keeping the well trained soldiers (who know what they’re doing) in the service. How will the civilians that fall into the draft react to training or fighting when they don’t want to? Why can’t they consider having a stop-loss (when service members can’t get out even if their time is up) or call back the prior military service members toShow MoreRelatedThe Advantages of Conscription1719 Words   |  7 Pagesshown to improve military preparedness, and also has evenly balanced the burden of military service. It also helps to instill a sense of duty into those who serve. From an economic standpoint, there are numerous arguments to be made in support of conscription, including government savings. Numerous scholars write in favor of the subject as well. The government has been debating this topic since the draft system was removed from our country, and many reports written also offer strong arguments in itsRead MoreConscription and Its Negative Effects in WWI1469 Words   |  6 Pagesthen another, the number of volunteering men started to decrease further and further. This rapid drop of soldiers led Prime Minister Borden to establish the Military Serv ice Act, also known as the Conscription Act. This act made it mandatory for men in good condition to fight, to go to war. This conscription had a very bad impact on Canada, going against the freedom of citizens which Canada supported, having negative effects on the families and the soldiers and lastly, dividing the nation into two,Read MoreMandatory Compulsory Conscription For Their Citizens1778 Words   |  8 Pagesassociated with history books. Many great empires have fallen due to conflicts amongst its citizens. There are several countries that are still experiencing effects of war. A lot of countries have enacted mandatory military conscription for their citizens. A Mandatory Military Conscription also known as a mandatory military obligation, the compulsory enlistment of people in a national service, most often a military service.( Webster 2011) This would benefit not only the country but also the citizens thatRead More Conscription in World War Two Essay1659 Words   |  7 Pages The act of applying conscription during the First and Second World Wars have nearly torn Canada apart. The conscription crisis of 1917 was a treacherous event that occurred during the First World War. During this time the relations between Quebec and the rest of Canada were in an all time low in our Canadian history. The Quà ©bà ©cois thought conscription was merely unnecessary no matter what circumstance; while all other Canadians did essentially want conscription occur. The contrast was inevitablyRead MoreMandatory Conscription In The Military895 Words   |  4 Pages1. Attention Getter: 1. Mandatory conscription has left a bad taste in the mouths of Americans since the Vietnam War. In modern day society, it can be seen as slavery and Americans today have become accustomed to the voluntary army system we currently have. For some, the perceived loss of freedom also means not being able to achieve educational and occupational goals, but that is definitely not the case. 2. Reason to Listen: 1. In fact, there are many educational and occupational benefits for AmericanRead MoreThe Conscription Crisis Of World War One1857 Words   |  8 Pagesin World War Two is, â€Å"Conscription if necessary, but not necessarily conscription† (Persico, 199). The conscription crisis during World War One and World War Two had a negative effect on Canadian society. First of all, the Conscription Crisis of World War One, taking place between 1917 and 1918, introduced many important events for Canadian history. Furthermore, in World War Two, conscription is established yet again between 1944 and 1945. This reintroduction of conscription took place for many reasonsRead MoreWas Conscription Divisive in World War One?636 Words   |  3 PagesWas conscription divisive in World War I. The Conscription crisis was one of the most divisive crises in Canadian history and the most serious test of confederation in its first 50 years. It was divisive because the English Canadians were for the war and French Canadians were not for the war. They felt that World War I was a British against European war. They did not want to support conscription because they would be leaving their Farms, They would be leaving their wives and families and theyRead MoreMilitary Conscription (Persuasive Essay)805 Words   |  4 PagesMilitary Conscription Conscription, or more boldly the draft, has not been in place for some thirty years. While some people cringe at the thought of reinstating the draft, others have different views. This short paper will speak of those different views and the reasons why conscription of military service may not be such a bad idea after all. Having young men or even women drafted in the military would benefit everyone. The soldiers would benefit from gaining the knowledge and on-the-job trainingRead MoreShould the United States have Mandatory Military Conscription?816 Words   |  4 Pagesmen from their low income neighborhood should be the ones that pay the ultimate price of freedom? Would the consideration of my solicitation been a little easier had her son and those young men across town been subject to military conscription? Military conscription can be defined as, the massed military enlistment of national citizens (today recognized in the USA as the draft); this concept was devised during the French Revolution. Its purpose was to enable the French Republic to defend itselfRead MoreMandatory Military Conscription and Its Effect on Society Essay1213 Words   |  5 Pagesservice, or conscription, may be as old as mankind itself. Conscription says that during a time of war all able bodied men and women must serve to defend their country. Many people commonly know conscription by another name, the draft. Most governments use conscription at some point in time, most commonly Smith 2 when the voluntary enlistment of soldiers fails to meet military needs. Conscription was a very widespread practice in Europe in the nineteenth century. Military conscription was first

The Inflexibility and Hubris of Okonkwo in Chinua...

The Inflexibility and Hubris of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart This novel is the definitive tragic model about the dissolution of the African Ibo culture by Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe. Okonkwo, a great and heroic leader, is doomed by his inflexibility and hubris. He is driven by fear of failure. He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience with his father. Unoka, for that was his fathers name, had died ten years ago. In his day he was lazy and improvident, and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow. (Achebe,4). The reader gets a rare and exotic understanding of a totally foreign and ancient culture experiencing the growing pains of colonial expansion during the British domination†¦show more content†¦This is a story of rage and fear mixed with cutting-edge wisdom, self-introspection, and self-destruction. After the death of Ikemefuna, his adopted son, Nwoye, his biological son has taken the way of the invaders religion, abandoning his tribe. Okonkwo was popularly called the Roaring Flame. As he looked into the log fire he recalled the name. He was a flaming fire. How then could he have begotten a son like Nwoye, degenerate and effeminate? His wife had played him false. He would teach her! But Nwoye resembled his grandfather, Unoka, who was Okonkwos father. He pushed the thought out of his mind. He, Okonkwo, was called a flaming fire...At Nwoyes age Okonkwo had already become famous throughout Umofia for his wrestling and his fearlessness. He signed heavily, and as if in sympathy the smoldering log also sighed. And immediately Okonkwos eyes were opened and he saw the whole matter clearly. Living fire begets cold, impotent ash. He sighed again, deeply. (Achebe, 153). Okonkwos personal and social chi, or karma, is good because he works, provides for his family, and serves his community. Okonkwo is forewarned by one of the elders, Ezeudu. His spiritual chi begins to degenerate with the murder of Ikemfuna (Achebe, 4). That boy calls you father, he had said. Bear no hand in his death. (Achebe, 121). This is after offending Ani, the earth goddess, for beating his wife

Canadas first female Prime Minister Essay Example For Students

Canadas first female Prime Minister Essay Kim Campbell, Canadas first female Prime Minister, rose quickly in her political standings reaching, what she would find to be the height of her career only seven years after entering politics. It appeared like the loss of the 1993 election and the all around destruction of the Progressive Conservative party was completely Kim Campbells fault however actually was a joint effort by Brian Mulroney and Kim Campbell. Kim Campbell rose so quickly in her political status that she did not have the experience that most of the others MPs had at her level. The Tories were finishing their second term in power and the people of Canada were displeased with Brain Mulroney by the time of his resignation. Kim Campbell was voted in as Prime Minister by her party and was not elected by the people of Canada. During the 1993 election Kim Campbell had an American company make a commercial that mocked Liberal party leader Jean Chretiens physical disability. Kim Campbells first entered politics in 1986. She first won a provincial seat in Vancouver and in 1988 she won her bid for the House of Commons. She had many good ideas, one of them being the USA-Canada Free Trade Agreement. This part of her campaign was recognized by Brian Mulroney who was the current Prime Minister. In 1989 Mulroney appointed Kim Campbell to the position of Minister of State for Indian and Northern Affairs. Later, in 1990 she was appointed Minister of Justice and a year later became the Minister of Defence. Just two years after becoming Minister of Defence and 7 years after entering politics, she ran for leader of the Progressive Conservative party and became Brian Mulroneys successor. Kim Campbell inexperience in the world of politics gave her a huge disadvantage when things started to go wrong. Brain Mulroney and the Tories had been in power for two terms, a total of 9 years. The Canadians had become tired of Brian Mulroney and his Progressive Conservative government, so when it was announced that he would resign most Canadians were happy to see him go. However his resignation did mean the end of the Progressive Conservatives power in Canada. Canadians unhappy with what the Progressive Conservatives had done chose to elect an other party. When Brain Mulroney resigned there was, in place of a federal election, a leadership convention. The Tories just had to elect a new leader who would then become the Prime Minister. This meant that Kim Campbell was not the choice of Canada but instead the choice of the Progressive Conservative party. So when it came time, 3 months later, for an election Canada not only went with a different leader but an entirely different party. The Liberal party was elected to power and leaving the Progressive Conservative party was left with only two seats. Canadians were not pleased with the Tories no matter who their leader was, this dissatisfaction caused the worst loss in Canadian history. It was in the 1993 federal election that Kim Campbell found she was behind in the poles and made a decision that destroyed her party. She chose to have an American Company make a commercial that made fun of Liberal party leader Jean Chretiens physical disability, Bells palsy. This disease paralyzes on side of the face, where the muscles on the right side of his mouth were paralized The Canadian people responded to this commercial by giving him sympathy and Kim Campbell and the Tories suffered because of it. Campbells problematic performance in the campaign, and her inability to distance herself from the extremely unpopular Brian Mulroney propelled the party from defeat to disaster.1 The problem started before she took on the leadership, Brian Molruneys nine years in power was too much for Canadians so that when Brian Molruney resigned it would have been difficult to make the PC party more popular. Kim Campbells inexperience in politics was the reason she made the commercial about Jean Chretien and lost her the 1993 election. After the works of Mulroney and Campbell were finished there was not much left of the Progressive Consecrative Party of Canada. .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591 , .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591 .postImageUrl , .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591 , .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591:hover , .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591:visited , .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591:active { border:0!important; } .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591:active , .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591 .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .udfcb474b5d36f5164e5f5a5cc4844591:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Government Censorship Essay It was wiped out completely, even in its traditional stronghold of Alberta.2 So when the facts are taken into account it is obvious that Kim Campbell was aided in the destruction of the PC party by Brian Mulroney and was not alone in the effort. 1 The Canadian Encyclopedia Plus Copyright 1996 by McClelland ; Stewart Inc.

Learning Theories free essay sample

This chapter takes a brief look at the two major categories of learning theories (behaviorism and constructivism), the major theorists within those categories, and the implications of those theories for the use of multimedia and communications and information technology for learning purposes. A separate section within the chapter provides a brief overview of learning based upon neuroscience and recent discoveries about the functioning of the brain. A series of links are provided to further resources on learning theory, neuroscience, and the brain. pic] Our Technological Revolution and the Implications for the Way We Learn We have all experienced a learning moment when we were so focussed or engulfed in the learning, that everything else did not matter. Candidly, the raison detre or motivation for our focus may have been that we had a boss or teacher breathing down our neck or an impending exam was to quantify our level of knowledge or intelligence or a particular moment necessitated that a skill be learned very quickly. We will write a custom essay sample on Learning Theories or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Regardless of the motivating factors for this moment of focussed learning, the experience is what psychologists Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi and Ellen Langer label in their respective theories, as moments of optimum flow or mindfulness. According to psychologist Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi, optimum flow occurs when: Alientation gives way to involvement, enjoyment replaces boredom, helplessness turns into a feeling of control, and psychic energy works to reinforce the sense of self, instead of being lost in the service of external goals. (Czikszentmihalyi, 1990, p. 9) Replicating such moments of optimum flow is the job of educators regardless of the domain, whether it be school, the workplace in job training, or the military, etc. Moreover, certain learning theorists are advocating the greater use of technology, namely computers, in learning situations because they see enormous potential of computer technology to replicate these optimum moments of flow. Learning is a personal act. We each plac e our own personal stamp on how we learn, what we learn and when we learn. We in effect have our own learning style. Howard Gardners theory of multiple intelligences which acknowledges learning as an holistic experience is, at present, one of the most well known descriptors of human cognitive profiles. The act of learning is paradoxical in nature. It can at times appear to be a very simple act. So simple, that we do not question its presence in how we go about our daily activities, for it is natural to our existence as learning organisms. Yet, when we encounter difficulties in learning something, we no longer take the learning process for granted. It is only then that our metacognition or awareness of how we learn is heightened. Learning is taken for granted as a natural process. As simple a process it may seem, the root of understanding how we learn is not as straight forward. The existence of numerous definitions and theories of learning attest to the complexity of this process. A random sampling of any educational psychology text will illustrate the variance in views to what exactly is learning and how we do learn. In Educational Psychology: An Introduction, for example, the authors write, Learning implies a change in the individual as a result of some intervention. It may be viewed as an outcome or as a process. (Belkin and Gray, 1977, p. 211) While this definition reflects a behaviorist view of learning, for it equates learning as an outcome, it is a starting point for the authors to expand their description of learning into many other realms, namely the different theories of learning. They in effect, devote a whole chapter of their text just to describe the many ways of defining learning. While it may seem somewhat premature to evaluate the aforementioned definition of learning and to equate it with a specific theory, it is important to recognize that intervention in the learning process can imply many different things. The degree of intervention, by who or what and how, are the defining factors of a learning theory. These factors help distinguish the many different theories. As you will see these theories are not stagnant. They are evolving and changing as we discover new ways of viewing human cognition. The mechanistic model of the mind of the behavior era has given way to the logical-computational model favored by artificial intelligence and cognitive science theorists (McLellan, 1996, p. 6). Don Tapscott, in his book Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation, argues that we are now in a digital era of learning. According to Tapscott, a transformation in learning is taking place from what he labels broadcast learning to interactive learning. No longer are todays generation of learners satisfied in being the passive recipients of the traditional teaching process, rather, they want to discover it for themselves by becoming interactive with the learning. The net generation children using GlobaLearn [a web site], are beginning to process information and learn differently than the boomers before them. New media tools offer great promise for a new model of learning one based on discovery and participation. (Tapscott, 1998, p. 127) Tapscotts thesis that the technological revolution is permeating every aspect of our lives forces us to examine the use of computer technology as learning devices. Such rapid social, economic and general lifestyle change, due in essence to the technological revolution, begs the question based on learning theory, why does the use of computers as a learning tool make sense? This chapter will answer this question by profiling the many learning theories. [pic] The Spectrum of Learning Theories As a review of the literature of learning theories will illustrate there are many labels being used to describe the many theories. Moreover, there are many theorists associated with each approach. A categorization of these labels and theorists will help in understanding these fundamental theories. The spectrum of learning theories consists of many approaches or ways of explaining how humans learn. A description of each of these theories will suffice in providing you with enough knowledge to critically examine the use of computer technology as a learning device. The resume of each theory will consist of: †¢ the associated names of the theory †¢ a description of the theory †¢ theorists associated with the theory †¢ hyperlinks on the World Wide Web Diagram #1: The two extremes Behaviorism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Constructivism The extremes of this learning theory spectrum are represented by respectively, the Behaviorist and Constructivist theories of learning. As theories trying to explain the same thing, they are bipolar based on their respective views of how knowledge is acquired and the intervention of tools of learning (teachers or instructors). As a context to better understand all of the theories of learning presented in this chapter, examine these two extremes first and then place the remaining theories onto the spectrum. [pic] Behaviorism The Associated Names of this Theory: Behaviorism labelled as a teaching approach is often referred to as directed instruction. As you compare this theory with the Constructivist view of learning, this label will become self-evident. Also in contrast to Constructivism, it has been labelled an objectivist theory of learning. Theorists associated with Behaviorism: J. B Watson E. L Thorndike B. F Skinner A Description of Behaviorism: The concern or emphasis of Behaviorism is observable indicators that learning is taking place. Contrasting this view of learning is the emphasis of cognitive psychologists who equate learning with the mental processes of the mind. Behaviorists do not deny the existence of these mental processes. In fact, they acknowledge their existence as an unobservable indication of learning. The focus of Behaviorism is on the conditioning of observable human behavior. J. B Watson, the father of Behaviorism, defined learning as a sequence of stimulus and response actions in observable cause and effect relationships. The behaviorists example of classical conditioning demonstrates the process whereby a human learns to respond to a neutral stimulus in such a manner that would normally be associated with an unconditioned stimulus. The supporting example often cited with classical conditioning is the case of Pavlovs dog. The focus of Pavlovs experiment was the digestive process in animals. In conducting the experiment, Pavlov noticed that the dog would salivate (response), upon hearing the ringing of a bell. This occurred because the dog had learned to associate its unconditional stimuli (normally feeding), with the neutral stimuli of the bell ringing simultaneously with the feeding process. Watson, believed that the stimuli that humans receive may be generated internally (for example hunger), or externally (for example, a loud noise). B. F. Skinner expanded on the foundation of Behaviorism, established by Watson, and on the work of Edward Thorndike, by focussing on operant conditioning. According to Skinner, voluntary or automatic behavior is either strengthened or weakened by the immediate presence of a reward or a punishment. The learning principle behind operant conditioning is that new learning occurs as a result of positive reinforcement, and old patterns are abandoned as a result of negative reinforcement. (Belkin and Gray, 1977, p. 9) In his book entitled, The Technology of Teaching, Skinner wrote: The application of operant conditioning to education is simple and direct. Teaching is the arrangement of contingencies of reinforcement under which students learn. They learn without teaching in their natural environments, but teachers arrange special contingencies which expedite learning, hastening the appearance of behavior which would otherwise be acquired slowly or making sure of the appearance of behavior which otherwise never occur. (Skinner, 1968, p. 4) Skinner believed that more complex learning could be achieved by this process of contingencies and reinforcement through successive stages in the shaping process, the contingencies of reinforcement being changed progressively in the direction of the required behavior. (Skinner, 1968, p. 10) Applying the theoretical principles of Behaviorism to learning environments, it is easy to recognize that we have many behaviorist artifacts in our learning world. A dissection of the traditional teaching approaches used for years would reveal the powerful influence that Behaviorists have had on learning. The concept of directed instruction, whereby a teacher is providing the knowledge to the students either directly or through the set up of contingencies, is an excellent example of the Behaviorist model of learning. The use of exams to measure observable behavior of learning, the use of rewards and punishments in our school systems, and the breaking down of the instruction process into conditions of learning (as developed by Robert Gagne), are all further examples of the Behaviorist influence. With the advent of the computer in school, C. A. I. , or computer-assisted instruction has become a prominent tool for teaching, because from a Behaviorist perspective, it is an effective way of learning. CAI uses the drill and practice approach to learning new concepts or skills. The question acting as the stimulus, elicits a response from the user. Based on the response a reward may be provided. The contingencies of learning are translated into different levels of the program. Rewarding the user to a different level for correct responses follows exactly the approach of operant conditioning. Educators have espoused CAI as an effective teaching approach because it allows for self-paced instruction and it liberates them from the direct instruction of all their students so as to focus on those students with particular needs. Hyperlinks to Behaviorist Web Pages: http://www. coe. uh. edu/~srmehall/theory/theory. html http://tecfa. unige. ch/edu-comp/edu-s94/contrib/schneider/learn. fm. html#REF13085 http://www. sil. org/lingualinks/library/literacy/fre371/vao443/TKS2569/tks347/tks734/ http://mse. byu. edu/ipt301/jordan/learnterm_b. html [pic] Constructivism: The Associated Names of this Theory: Constructivsm is recognized as a unique learning theory in itself. It however, may be associated with cognitive psychology because as a theory of learning it focuses on a learners ability to mentally construct meaning of their own environment and to create their own learning. As a teaching practice it is associated with different degrees of non-directed learning. The term constructivsm is linked to Cognitive and Social Constructivsm. Theorists associated with Constuctivism: John Dewey Lev Vygotsky Jean Piaget Jerome Bruner Seymour Papert Mitchell Resnick A Description of Constructivism: The merits of Behaviorist learning theory and of their teaching practices are well documented. They have served well in teaching a growing North American population over the past six decades. Behavioral learning theory manifested itself in creating a systematic approach to teaching. Robert Gagne and Leslie Briggs, in their book, Principles of Instructional Design, combined Behaviorist principles of learning with a cognitive theory of learning named Information-Processing. The focus of the latter theory in this combination was of the internal processing that occurred during a learning moment. The design of instruction must be undertaken with suitable attention to the conditions under which learning occurs. With reference to the learner, learning conditions are both external and internal. These conditions are in turn dependent upon what is being learned. How can these basic ideas be used to design instruction ? How can they be applied to the design of single lessons, of courses, and of entire systems of instructions ? (Gagne and Briggs, 1974, p. 14) Gagne and Briggs principles of instructional design broke down the teaching process into a systematic process of nine steps. It is in effect, this type of systematic approach to teaching that acted as the catalyst for the creation of another view of the way humans learn. Behaviorist learning theory had served its purpose and its approach and goals were becoming outdated according to Constructivists like Seymour Papert. Constructivist learning theory sought to improve on what Behaviorist learning theory had already established by focussing on the motivation and ability for humans to construct learning for themselves. It viewed Behaviorism as being too teacher centered and directed. Constructivists regarded the educational system as a process of matching skill objectives with test items. It was void of meaningful learning. They also saw the teaching process focus too much on individual work rather than on group work. The final critique of Behaviorist learning theory from the Constructivist perspective helped define the core of Constructivism. To imply that knowledge is separate to the human mind and that it must be transferred to the learner in a teacher centered approach fundamentally was counter to the Constructivist theory of learning. Constructivists believe that all humans have the ability to construct knowledge in their own minds through a process of discovery and problem-solving. The extent to which this process can take place naturally, without structure and teaching is the defining factor amongst those who advocate this learning theory. Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, observed human development as progressive stages of cognitive development. His four stages, which commence at infancy and progress into adulthood, characterize the cognitive abilities necessary at each stage to construct meaning of ones environment. Seymour Papert, psychologist and contemporary critique of Behaviorist teaching methods, writes in his book, The Childrens Machine: Thus, constructionism, my personal reconstruction of constructivism has as its main feature the fact that it looks more closely than other educational -isms at the idea of mental construction. It attaches special importance to the role of constructions in the world as a support for those in the head, thereby becoming less of a purely mentalist doctrine. (Papert, 1993, p. 42) As the inventor of LOGO, the programming tool for children, Papert too believed that children as learners have a natural curiosity to construct meaning of their world. The educational system as Papert saw it was too structured and it stifled this natural curiosity. The means by which children were being taught relegated them to a role of passive recipients of the teaching hence, they were not motivated to construct any learning for themselves. Learning according to Constructivists is a question of motivating an individual to attach new meaning to past cognitive experiences. According to Papert: It [constuctivsm] does not call in question the value of instruction as such. That would be silly: Even the statement (endorsed if not originated by Piaget) that every act of teaching deprives the child of an opportunity for discovery is not a categorical imperative against teaching, but a paradoxically expressed reminder to keep it in check. The constructionist attitude to teaching is not at all dismissive because it is minimalist the goal is to teach in such a way as to produce the most learning for the least teaching. Of course, this cannot be achieved simply by reducing the quantity of teaching while leaving everything unchanged. The principle other necessary change parallels an African proverb: If a man is hungry you can give him a fish, but it is better to give him a line and teach him to catch fish himself. (Papert, 1993, p. 139) Paperts desire to have children become motivated learners, critical thinkers, problem-solvers and metacognitionists is to be achieved through educational reform that provides the learner with the necessary tools to participate and to take ownership of the learning process. According to Papert, the computer is the appropriate tool to achieve such desired educational reform. These desired objectives of Papert and others who share the Constructivist view of learning are coming closer to reality as more people discover the power of computer technology. From Donald Tapscotts perspective, Paperts desired reality is happening now, as a paradigm shift to more interactive learning due to the exploitation of the digital media is taking place in our learning institutions. Tapscott cites eight shifts in learning today: †¢ From linear to hypermedia. †¢ From instruction to construction and discovery. †¢ From teacher-centered to learner-centered education. †¢ From absorbing material to learning how to navigate and how to learn. †¢ From school to lifelong learning. †¢ From one-size-fits-all to customized learning. †¢ From learning as torture as learning as fun. †¢ From the teacher as transmitter to the teacher as facilitator. Hyperlinks to Constructivist Web Pages: http://www. tcimet. net/mmclass/summer/CHPTales. tm http://www. coe. uh. edu/~srmehall/theory/construct. html http://www. gwu. edu/~tip/bruner. html http://www. mamamedia. com/areas/grownups/people/seymour. html http://www. mamamedia. com/areas/grownups/home_alt. html http://lynx. dac. neu. edu/home/httpd/t/tjohnson/papert%20history. htm [pic] Fitting the other Theories onto the Spectrum The two extremes of the spectrum have been outlined (refer to diagram #2). Inherent within each of these two extremes are related theories. Diagram #2: (Spectrum Summary) Behaviorism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Constructivism   Directed Instruction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Non-directed Instruction Objectivist   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Constructivist Teacher-centered   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Learner-centered Behavioral observations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cognitive operations Focus on the individual   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   Group work is emphasized More focussed on one approach   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   More holistic in approach Fundamentally, Constructivism is a cognitive learning theory because of its focus on the mental processes that construct meaning. Other learning theories equated with cognitive psychology are: Information-Processing theory, Scaffolding theory (associated with the Russian philosopher Lev Vygotsky) and Brain-based learning theory (associated with neuroscientists such as Marian Diamond and Robert Sylwester and educator Susan Kovalik). Information-Processing theory regards human learning as being analogous to a computer and its ability to store memory. As humans we process information initially with our senses. This information is either processed into our short term memory or it is lost. If this information is used and practised it is only then put into long term memory. Lev Vygotsky thought that our cognitive development was directly related to our social development. The culture we live in influences our social and cognitive development according to Vygotsky. He further recognized the differences of how the world is seen by children and by adults. Vygotsky labelled this difference in cognitive ability as the zone of proximal development. The job of educators was to identify this zone and to find out where the child was situated in this zone and build upon their specific level through a scaffolding process. Building from what the learner knows is in essence, anchoring the learning on past experience. Such anchoring is fundamental to Constructivist theory of learning. Computer technology is viewed by Seymour Papert as an excellent means to anchoring learning to meaningful experiences. The complexity of understanding how humans learn is reflective of our complexity as biological, social and cognitive animals. Many theories exist, all focussing on different aspects of our make-up as humans. Each theory is an attempt to explain how we learn, act and behave: Sigmund Freud focussed on our sub-conscious, Skinner on our observable behavior, cognitive psychologists on our mental processes, humanistic psychology on our social and interpersonal development. Howard Gardner took a more holistic approach in describing our cognitive profiles. His classification of human intellectual ability into seven intelligences incorporates many aspects of psychology to define the cognitive behavior of humans. Before moving on to Multiple Intelligences , refer to the following hyperlinks for information on other learning theories. http://mse. byu. edu/ipt301/jordan/learning. html [pic] Theory of Multiple Intelligences: Human intelligence should not be equated solely with linguistic or logical-mathematical intelligence alone, according to Howard Gardner. As the author of a new way of looking at human intelligences, Gardner, a Harvard professor, identified a total of seven different intelligences that humans may possess. His list includes: †¢ Linguistic intelligence †¢ Logical-mathematical intelligence †¢ Spatial intelligence †¢ Musical intelligence †¢ Bodily-kinesthetic †¢ Interpersonal intelligence †¢ Intrapersonal intelligence Gardner is working on more intelligences that qualify as cognitive processes: Multiple intelligences theory, on the other hand, pluralizes the traditional concept(Gardner, 1993, p. 15) Gardners fascination with human intelligence and how the brain works was started with an investigation of people who had experienced brain damage of some sort. He recognized that not all abilities, whether cognitive or motor-sensory, were eliminated from the individuals repertoire despite having endured some form of brain damage. Gardner hypothesized that we possess more than one form of intelligence. The theory of multiple intelligences provides a more holistic view of the intelligence of humans. Gardner advocates that we may all attempt to develop each of these intelligences to our optimum level. However, we may be more adept in only certain of these intelligences. We may however, aspire through practice and development to improve in the remaining intelligences. The use of technology appeals to this view of intelligence in that Gardners theory acknowledges that cognition is not a linear process. The computer as a learning tool has enormous potential in developing the different forms of intelligences of Gardners theory. Hyperlinks to Multiple Intelligences Web Pages: http://www. athena. ivv. nasa. gov/curric/weather/adptcty/multint. html [pic] Learning Theories and the Brain What is Learning? Learning is the process by which we receive and process sensory data, encode such data as memories within the neural structures of our brain, and retrieve those memories for subsequent use. The variety of information stored within such memories is enormous, including such items as: how to control your sphincter muscle until a socially appropriate occasion, how to identify mommy in a crowd, how to ride a bicycle, what is the shortest path to grandmother’s house without going near the lair of the wolf, what is the tune for Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, and what a philosopher means when she says The cat is on the mat. All learning takes place within the brain, and as our understanding of the underlying structures and processes of the brain increases we can begin to apply that knowledge to improve our construction of learning environments. Our ability to describe and understand the basic processes by which our brain learns has bee n enhanced by recent technological developments and by the accumulation of long-term studies in human and animal populations. Of particular benefit has been the development of brain-imaging techniques that allow us to observe the operation of normal human brains during the performance of a variety of tasks. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and similar technologies have allowed researchers to map neural activity during sensory data processing and monitor the transfer of information into long-term memory. Researchers have also made great strides in determining the basic mechanisms that underlie the transmission of information within the brain. Such research on brain structure, neural transmitters, and the process by which memories are stored and retrieved have allowed the development of neuro-physiological models of learning. Although neuroscience has provided us with an increasingly rich and accurate descriptive theory of learning within the brain, we still need prescriptive theories of how to maximize the efficiency and capacity of human learning. To some extent all learning theories are prescriptive and seek to minimize the time required to transfer information into memory and maximize the efficiency of retrieving that information. Our current knowledge of the brain, and our speculations regarding the evolutionary function of learning, should assist such prescriptive theories in designing learning environments that provide for maximum learning efficiency. In particular, prescriptive theories informed by our current knowledge of neuroscience should allow us to evaluate the role of multimedia in learning environments. We should also be able to maximize the impact of multimedia in such environments through application of learning theories and our knowledge of the human brain. Learning environments should not be construed simply as the traditional formal classroom within the context of institutionalized public education. Such environments occur within the workplace, the home, and other social institutions as communication and information technology continues to penetrate Western society. We should also be aware that the use of multimedia will have an impact upon the development of the human brain, particularly when such techniques are used with children and adolescents whose brains are still developing and maturing. [pic] The Brain The three-pound universe that is our brain consists of more than 100 billion neurons and the associated structures that organize, nourish, and protect their functioning. Each neuron may have between 5,000 and 50,000 connections to other neurons, forming a dense connective mat that allows the storage of enormous amounts of information. It is important to remember that structures within the brain continue to develop until late adolescence and that neurons will continue to grow connections to other neurons throughout adult life. [pic] Brain Structures The diagram above shows four basic structures in the brain that are important for bodily functions and for learning and memory. The brain stem is primarily concerned with basic survival functions and the regulation of body systems. The cerebellum is involved in the performance of automatic movement patterns (walking, running, touch-typing, and other physical skills that can become part of automatic procedural memory). The limbic system is responsible for the processing of short-term memory into long-term memory as well as the generation and regulation of emotions. The cerebral cortex is the area of the brain in which sensory data is received and analyzed, decisions are made, and behavioral responses are activated. Information is received from the major sensory organs of the body: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin; and is held briefly in sensory memory. The further processing of that information appears to be dependent upon the state of emotional arousal of the brain and the utility of such information for potential survival. Long-term memories are generated through the growth and spread of neural connections between those modular structures that contain the memory (Sylwester, 1995, pp. 89-90). The more often such structures are activated and the stronger the connections become to associated structures, the more easily such memories are retrieved and used by the brain in decision making and conscious thought. To some extent the driving forces behind the way our brain processes sensory input and makes decisions are the survival imperatives that accompanied human physical and cultural evolution. Our brains reflect the importance that survival places upon evaluating potential threat situations, making a quick response, and focusing all body resources on support of those functions that may lead to continued survival. In high-threat situations the focus of the brain will be almost exclusively upon what is identified as the potential threat while the body shuts down relatively unimportant systems to concentrate on those involved in the fight-or-flight response. Low-threat situations allow the brain to sample and evaluate a broader spectrum of sensory input and to analyze such input for future use. Thus a large looming shadow in the cave mouth tends to generate fear, prompting the body to shut down digestion, pump more adrenaline, and prepare the cerebellum to handle the process of running while the cerebral cortex looks for places to hide or make a stand. Strong negative emotion tends to evoke the fight-or-flight physiological and mental responses that shut down high-level cognition. A premium should therefor be placed upon the reduction of those factors within a learning environment that give rise to negative emotions. At the same time, sensory input that does not receive attention is not available for processing through short-term into long-term memory. Clearly a balance must be struck between too much and too little stimulation in learning situations. Some stimulation and motivation is necessary for the learner to pay attention to the data that they are required to learn; on the other hand too much stimulation (particularly in a negative context) is liable to create anger or fear as an emotional response, either of which can serve to reduce the amount of learning carried out within the environment. It appears that the limbic system plays an important part in the process of storing information as long-term memories. Those activities that provide an emotionally supportive environment may well have a positive effect upon the processing of information into long-term storage and subsequent retrieval of those memories. Group activities, co-operative learning, role-playing, and simulations tend to provide emotional support and emotional context for learning. Retrieval of long-term memories is enhanced when a large number of connections have been established between the neural modules that store such memories. To some extent our growing knowledge about the organization of the brain tends to support those theories of learning that can generally be labeled as constructivist. That is, situated knowledge that is connected to a large number of other memories is more apt to be recalled than is unconnected knowledge that has been learned by rote. Because the process of creating connections between ideas and memories is essentially carried out through a process of rehearsal and review, learners should be encouraged to review knowledge that is being learned and attempt to build connections to that knowledge that is already easily retrieved from long-term memory. Such cognitive tools as narration, story-telling, constructing metaphors, and making comparisons are strategies that help to build and maintain connections. The construction of knowledge is essentially the growing of connections between the neural modules that contain individual memories. [pic] Implications for Learning Theory If the apparent symmetry between contemporary brain-based learning theories and constructivism is accurate, then basic guiding principles of constructivism should be used in designing learning environments. These principles include: 1. Learning is a search for meaning. Therefore, learning must start with the issues around which students are actively trying to construct meaning. 2. Meaning requires understanding wholes as well as parts. Parts must be understood in the context of wholes. Therefore the learning process focuses on primary concepts, not isolated facts. 3. In order to teach well, we must understand the mental models that students use to understand the world, and the assumptions that support those models. 4. The purpose of learning is to construct ones own meaning, not to have the right answers by repeating someone elses meaning. Learning is inherently inter-disciplinary, and the only valuable assessment of learning is assessment that is part of the learning process and that provides students with information on the quality of their learning. (On Purpose Associates, 1998b) Such learning environments should also be designed around the ideas that come forward from brain-based learning. That is, they should employ the three instructional techniques associated with brain-based learning: orchestrated immersion, where learning environments are created that fully immerse students in a learning experience; relaxed alertness, where an effort is made to eliminate fear while maintaining a highly challenging environment; and active processing, where the learner consolidates and internalizes information by actively processing it (On Purpose Associates, 1998a). Learning environments constructed with these principles in mind will tend to be organized around thematic units featuring knowledge in depth and the exploration of projects that have real meaning for the participating learners. [pic] Implications for Multimedia How should we then use multimedia presentations of information to effectively learn in the context of current brain-based learning theory? The communications and information technology that constitutes contemporary multimedia platforms has some significant advantages in creating a learning environment, but there are some pitfalls that must be accounted for as part of the learning process. Multimedia, at its best, allows us to bring the real world to the learner through the use of sound and video. Such connection to the real world should serve as a factor in motivating students, and as a factor in providing them with additional connections to other knowledge structures. At the same time, multimedia allows students to experience information through multiple modes of presentation. Such multi-modal learning should help to build connections within the learner’s brain if only because multiple modes of reception will engage different areas of the learner’s brain. Contemporary multimedia platforms allow a greater degree of learner control and more freedom for the learner to undertake self-directed exploration of the material. Such self-directed learning is likely to be more meaningful and more connected to existing knowledge structures within the learner’s brain. Therefore, we should see advantages for learning programs that include multimedia presentations. Learners should also gain from the possibility of self-paced instruction based upon contemporary multimedia learning technology. Whenever possible, immediate feedback should be built into a multimedia program to assist students in forming correct connections prior to reinforcing connections between new and old information incorporated within existing knowledge structures. Designers of multimedia instructional packages should take comfort in the strengths of multimedia, but they should also be aware of potential problems in using multimedia with learners. Although current multimedia technology allows excellent presentation in both video and audio modes, and provides some tactile feedback through the use of keyboards, there is little to offer students who need tactile experience ? multimedia is essentially a bimodal presentation strategy unless additional work is done to prepare material for students. Even the best multimedia programs cannot provide the total stimulation that natural environments provide? we have yet to incorporate smell or taste into such presentations, and tactile sensations are still limited. More importantly, there is a clear danger that multimedia programs may be used to substitute for interaction with other learners. We should not be seduced by technical virtuosity or cutting-edge visual and aural effects, there is still a need for human interaction and emotional support. Above all else, we should beware of the tendency to substitute passive learning for active learning. Multimedia provides significant advantages in presenting information to learners, particularly if sufficient resources have been invested to create presentations that make full use of current technology. Presentation of information, no matter how technically sophisticated, is not enough; learners must interact with content to construct their own meanings and integrate new knowledge into the dense web of neural connections that is mind and memory. [pic]

Free Essays on Xenia

The concept of Xenia in Homer’s Odyssey The concept of â€Å"xenia†, described in Homer’s Odyssey as the guest-host relationship played a dominant part in ancient Greece. According to what they believed, the guest-host relationship was based on the idea that courtesy would be reciprocal from host and guest. The different ways that Telemachos and Odysseus are treated throughout their journeys displays the positive and negative types of xenia. The Odyssey begins 20 years after Odysseus has left Ithaca. Ten of those years he spent fighting in the Trojan War. The remaining years he attempts to go back home to Ithaca, but his journey becomes quite difficult since Poseidon becomes Odysseus persecutor, just as Athene is firmly established as his protector. In one of his numerous journeys Odysseus meets the Phaiakians who receive him with warm hospitality without having to ask for his name first. â€Å"This is not the better way, nor is it fitting that the stranger should sit on the ground beside the hearth, in the ashes†¦But come, raise the stranger up and seat him on a silver studded chair and tell your heralds to mix in more wine for us†¦And let the house keeper from her stores give the stranger a supper.† (Book IV P.115 Lines 159-166) From this we can assume that the Phaiakians didn’t know that they were interacting with Odysseus the hero of the Trojan War yet treated him as welcoming as possible like they would do with anyone else. Shortly before the return of Odysseus, Telemachos visits the mainland in search of news of his father. From Menelaos he received generosity. He didn’t turn Telemachos away even though he was visiting the moment they were celebrating the wedding of one of his children. On the other hand he replied by stating that it would be nonsense because they themselves have enjoy the hospitality of others. He orders to have them brought in, bathe and fed. â€Å"Eteoneus, son of Boethoos, you... Free Essays on Xenia Free Essays on Xenia The concept of Xenia in Homer’s Odyssey The concept of â€Å"xenia†, described in Homer’s Odyssey as the guest-host relationship played a dominant part in ancient Greece. According to what they believed, the guest-host relationship was based on the idea that courtesy would be reciprocal from host and guest. The different ways that Telemachos and Odysseus are treated throughout their journeys displays the positive and negative types of xenia. The Odyssey begins 20 years after Odysseus has left Ithaca. Ten of those years he spent fighting in the Trojan War. The remaining years he attempts to go back home to Ithaca, but his journey becomes quite difficult since Poseidon becomes Odysseus persecutor, just as Athene is firmly established as his protector. In one of his numerous journeys Odysseus meets the Phaiakians who receive him with warm hospitality without having to ask for his name first. â€Å"This is not the better way, nor is it fitting that the stranger should sit on the ground beside the hearth, in the ashes†¦But come, raise the stranger up and seat him on a silver studded chair and tell your heralds to mix in more wine for us†¦And let the house keeper from her stores give the stranger a supper.† (Book IV P.115 Lines 159-166) From this we can assume that the Phaiakians didn’t know that they were interacting with Odysseus the hero of the Trojan War yet treated him as welcoming as possible like they would do with anyone else. Shortly before the return of Odysseus, Telemachos visits the mainland in search of news of his father. From Menelaos he received generosity. He didn’t turn Telemachos away even though he was visiting the moment they were celebrating the wedding of one of his children. On the other hand he replied by stating that it would be nonsense because they themselves have enjoy the hospitality of others. He orders to have them brought in, bathe and fed. â€Å"Eteoneus, son of Boethoos, you...

Civil Rights Movement Timeline From 1965 to 1969

Civil Rights Movement Timeline From 1965 to 1969 This civil rights movement timeline focuses on the struggles final years when some activists embraced black power, and leaders no longer appealed to the federal government to end segregation, thanks to the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Although the passage of such legislation was a major triumph for civil rights activists, Northern cities continued to suffer from de facto segregation, or segregation that was the result of economic inequality rather than discriminatory laws. De facto segregation was not as easily addressed as the legalized segregation that had existed in the South, and Martin Luther King  Jr. spent the mid-to-late 1960s working on behalf of both black and white Americans living in poverty. African-Americans  in Northern cities became increasingly frustrated with the slow pace of change, and a number of cities experienced riots. Some turned to the black power movement, feeling that it had a better chance of rectifying the sort of discrimination that existed in the North. By the end of the decade, white Americans had moved their attention away from the civil rights movement to the Vietnam War, and the heady days of change and victory experienced by civil rights activists in the early 1960s came to an end with Kings assassination  in 1968. 1965 On Feb. 21, Malcolm X is assassinated in Harlem at the Audubon Ballroom apparently by Nation of Islam  operatives, although other theories abound.On March 7, 600 civil rights activists, including Hosea Williams of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), leave Selma, Ala., traveling eastward on Route 80 toward Montgomery, Ala. They are marching to protest the killing of Jimmy Lee Jackson, an unarmed demonstrator slain during a march the prior month by an Alabama state trooper. State troopers and local police stop the marchers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, beating them with clubs as well as spraying them with water hoses and tear gas.On March 9, King leads a march to the Pettus bridge, turning the marchers around at the bridge.On March 21, 3,000 marchers leave Selma for Montgomery, completing the march without opposition.On March 25, around 25,000 people join the Selma marchers at the Montgomery city l imits. On Aug. 6, President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act into law, which bans discriminatory voting requirements, like requiring people to complete literacy tests before they registered to vote. White Southerners had used this technique to disenfranchise blacks.On Aug. 11, a riot breaks out in Watts, a section of Los Angeles, after a fight erupts between a white traffic officer and a black man accused of drinking and driving. The officer arrests the man and some of his family members who had arrived at the scene. Rumors of police brutality, however, result in six days of rioting in Watts. Thirty-four people, mostly African Americans, die during the riot. 1966 On Jan. 6, SNCC announces its opposition to the Vietnam War. SNCC members would feel increasing sympathy for the Vietnamese, comparing the indiscriminate bombing of Vietnam to racial violence in the United States.On Jan. 26, King moves into an apartment in a Chicago slum, announcing his intention to start a campaign against discrimination there. This in response to the increasing unrest in Northern cities over prejudice and de facto segregation. His efforts there are ultimately deemed unsuccessful.On June 6, James Meredith embarks on a March Against Fear from Memphis, Tenn., to Jackson, Miss., to encourage black Mississippians to register to vote. Near Hernando, Miss., Meredith is shot. Others take up the march, joined on occasion by King.On June 26, the marchers reach Jackson. During the last days of the march, Stokely Carmichael and other SNCC members clash with King after they encourage the frustrated marchers to embrace the slogan of black power.On Oct. 15, Huey P. Newton and Bob by Seale found the Black Panther Party in Oakland, Calif. They want to create a new political organization to better the conditions of African Americans. Their goals include better employment and educational opportunities as well as improved housing. 1967 On April 4, King makes a speech against the Vietnam War at Riverside Church in New York.On June 12, the Supreme Court hands down a decision in Loving v. Virginia, overturning laws against interracial marriage as unconstitutional.In July, riots break out in Northern cities, including Buffalo, N.Y., Detroit, Mich. and Newark, N.J.On Sept. 1, Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African American appointed to the Supreme Court.On Nov. 7, Cal Stokes is elected mayor of Cleveland, making him the first African American to serve as mayor of a major American city.In November, King announces the Poor Peoples Campaign, a movement to unite the poor and disenfranchised of America, regardless of race or religion. 1968 On April 11,  President Johnson  signs  the Civil Rights Act of 1968  (or the Fair Housing Act) into law, which prohibits discrimination by sellers or renters of property.Exactly a week earlier,  Martin Luther King, Jr., is assassinated  as he stands on the balcony outside his motel room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. King visited the city to support  African American sanitation workers there whod started a strike on Feb. 11.Between February and May, African American students protest at major universities, including Columbia University and Howard University, demanding changes in faculty, living arrangements, and curriculum.Between May 14 and June 24, over 2500 impoverished Americans set up a camp called Resurrection City in Washington, D.C., under the leadership of the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, who is trying to carry out Kings vision. The protest ends in riots and arrests without the strong leadership of King. 1969 Between April and May, African American students hold protests at universities, including Cornell University and North Carolina A T University in Greensboro, asking for changes such as a Black Studies program and the hiring of African American faculty.On Dec. 4, Fred Hampton, chairman of the  Illinois Black Panther party, is shot and killed by police during a raid. A federal grand jury refutes the polices assertion that they fired upon Hampton only in self-defense, but no one is ever indicted for Hamptons killing.

Interesting Topic on Decision making Research Paper

Interesting Topic on Decision making - Research Paper Example Critical decision making on critical issues that affect the performance of the whole organization is normally coordinated and made by the top leadership of the organization. Organizations that make weak or poor decisions show the kind of bad leadership they have. This always reflect negatively on the organization. On the other hand, organizations that make strong or good decisions normally show the competency of their leadership and that impacts positively on the organizational performance. Decision making can follow the bottom-up system. This way, the decision is made by the line management and it is applied to the top management of an organization. Similarly, decision making can come from the top management down the management ladder. There are also situations where decision making is centric as well as when it is horizontal which involves making decision on the same level of management. Organizations need to concentrate on decisions that are in line with its strategic mission and vision statements. Such decisions ones made, should be implemented in order for their effectiveness to be felt in the organization. This paper is therefore aimed at finding out how decision making as an organizational tool works to impact the performance and outcomes of the organization. Indeed, when good decisions are made in an organization, and the decisions are implemented quickly, the performance of an organization will rise to show the increase. When a survey was done on 350 company executives to establish their organizational effectiveness, only 15% of them stated that their organizations help their businesses perform better than their competitors in their respective industries (Paul & Marcia 2006). The article sets it out clearly that what leads to different performance is the quality with which they carry out their services, speed, and how they execute their decision making process. In this case, one

Occupational safety and health - OSHA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Occupational safety and health - OSHA - Essay Example The next step involves an inspection of the damage at the assembly area and document findings and analysis of the outcomes. The most critical information to have right away would be the causal factors that triggered the occurrence of the accident at the assembly area such as the status of the equipment in use at the time of the incident (Burke et al., 2011). I would tell the engineers and the supervisors to compile documented evidence regarding the standards, design technology, and codes of the equipment that caused the incident and the suitability of such equipment for their intended purpose as at the time of the incident. Moreover, I would request them to provide an analysis of the causes and outcomes of the accident in relation to composition, human activities, external factors, equipment and functions that impacted the incident. As the OH&S professional, I would meet with the facility manager immediately and inform him or her about the incident, the number of hourly employees who have sustained injuries as well as their health condition, the nature of injuries sustained, and the medication offered. In addition, I would convey the causal factors about the information provided by the affected hourly employees concerning the cause of the incident. The facility manager would also be informed of the need for Participatory Ergonomic Inter vention (PEI) teams and initiatives to enhance safety related behaviors and outcomes as well as compensating the affected hourly employees (Burke et al., 2011). It would be recommended that I meet with the hourly employees and inform the affected employees about the findings attained following an investigation of the incident. In addition, education and training on OH&S along with the components of safety management would be discussed. I would also use the analysis of the incident to intensify safety related behaviors of

To determine enthalpy change Essay Example for Free

To determine enthalpy change Essay Chemistry Lab report 1) Experiment No: 8A 2) Objective: To determine the heat of formation of calcium carbonate. 3) Date: 26th Nov, 2010 4) Theory: The experiment consists of 2 parts: a) In the 1st part, an accurately weighed known mass of calcium is added to a given dilute hydrochloric acid. During the addition, the following occurs: Ca(s) + 2H+(aq) Ca2+(aq) + H2(g) With the help of the data of heat change of the solution mixture, the average heat evolved by one mole of calcium during the reaction can be calculated. b) In the 2nd part, an accurately weighed known mass of calcium carbonate is added to a given dilute hydrochloric acid. During the addition, the following occurs: CaCO3(s) + 2H+(aq) Ca2+(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l) With the help of the data of heat change of the solution mixture, the average heat evolved by one mole of calcium carbonate during the reaction can be calculated. After that, by using a suitable energy-cycle diagram, and applying Hesss law, the heat formation of formation of calcium carbonate can be calculated. 5) Procedure: Please refer to the lab. manual 6) Data: 1st Part: Reaction of calcium with dil. Hydrochloric acid Experiment No: 1 2 Mass of Ca used / g 0. 53 0. 51 Volume of hydrochloric acid used: 100cm3 2nd Part: Reaction of calcium carbonate with dil. Hydrochloric acid Experiment No: 1 2 Mass of CaCO3 used / g 2. 13 2. 05 Molar mass of calcium carbonate = 100 g/mol Volume of hydrochloric acid used = 100 cm3 7) Calculation: Note: No temperature drop can be observed after the max temperature is attained for 4 readings. Note: No temperature drop can be observed after the max temperature is attained for 4 readings. Extrapolation procedure cannot be done. Therefore, the temperature change of 1st part exp. = 28-25 = +3oC the temperature change of 2nd part exp = Enthalpy change in 2nd parts reaction Hf [H2O(l)] = -242000 J mol-1 Hf [CO2(g)]= -393500 J mol-1 source: physical chemisty I of Fillans By Hesss law: Hf[CaCO3(s)] = H1 + Hf [H2O(l)] + Hf [CO2(g)] H2 = -688. 79 kJ mol-1 8) Discussion 1. Why is the exact concentration of hydrochloric acid unimportant? The exact concentration of the hydrochloric acid was unimportant as it was present in excess, that was, to provide enough H+(aq) to react with calcium. At the same time, the exact concentration of hydrochloric acid would affect the calculation afterwards. 2. State the law which you use for calculating the heat of formation of calcium carbonate. On which thermodynamic principle does it depends? The law used was the Hesss law. It depends on the standard enthalpy change of a reaction is independent of the route by which the chemical reaction takes place, which only depends on the difference between the standard enthalpies of reactants and products, i. e. conservation of energy. 3. Why is this law useful? This principle is useful as the standard enthalpy change of some reaction might not be able to find directly, and thus Hesss law can be used and the standard the enthalpy change of the reaction can be calculated indirectly by this method. 4. Discuss the possible sources of errors. State how to minimize the possible errors. A. The solid labeled calcium is suspected to be calcium oxide, which show white color but not grey shinny color. B. Heat produced the reaction might heat up the air inside the beaker, which cannot be avoided. C. Error in reading thermometer D. Error in weighing.

Defining Death :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Defining Death You have been told that someone is lying on a bed, their mind, for all intents and purposes is no longer functioning. Their internal organs, however, are. You are asked if it would be okay to remove the organs for transplantation. What do you do? As much as this question sounds like science fiction, there are 10,000 people living on life support in the United States. There has been a long held rule of thumb that when the heart beat and breathing have stopped, a person was considered dead. One doctor wrote of having to pronounce death on a man when he was still an intern. He relied on a EKG, and electrocardiogram, something that measures the heart rate, to give him his final conclusion of death. To use only that criteria is becoming a grayer and grayer area as medical technology progresses and other issues begin to take the fore. We are now capable of sustaining bodies for extended periods of time and also are now able to transplant organs from one person to another. For obvious reasons you cannot transplant certain organs from human beings without the donor first being dead, and then you have a very limited time within which you must "harvest" the organs. Just because part of the nervous system is functioning does not necessarily mean the rest of the nervous system is. Many people from different walks of life feel that as soon as "higher" functio ns cease and someone is brain dead, then their organs are fair game if they had previously decided to donate them. (2) That sentiment, while understandable, begs another question, how do you tell when these functions cease? According to a commission done in 1981, brain death can be determined by the following criteria; unresponsiveness (person does not respond to any external stimulus and cannot communicate with the outside world,) an absence of cerebral and brain stem function (pupils are unchanging, no gag reflex, limbs are flaccid,), nature of coma is known, must rule out hypothermia, drug intoxication and the person is not in shock. Also, you must have 12 hours without an EEG response or other EEG measure. There are also confirmatory things to look at, but these are not required, you can have an EEG with no activity, no cerebral blood flow, and no function in vital brain stem areas. (4) This can be summarized by saying that the brain has to totally cease functioning.

Faculty Attendance System Using Automatic Image Processing Essay

As technology grows fast, certain advancements are being developed nowadays and life is getting even better to live with. It makes every task as easy as possible and nothing seems too tiring if human tasks are aided with technology. It can be applied in any aspects of life. Computer technology would be the first on the list that provides great potential for improving effectiveness and efficiency of the information system. The use of computer has not become a major tool to simplify job and task. There is no doubt that computer technology has had a great impact on society and also brought many technical developments with it. It has brought many changes to the way we live as individual as well as members of societies and organizations. It has had major effects and changes on the economy, health, education, industry, agriculture and many other fields. The ability of computers in gathering, processing, presenting and sending large amount of information has had major changes in the way large organizations as well individuals organize their lives. Computers are at work, in schools and many other places. The human face plays an important role in our social interaction, conveying people’s identity. Using human face as a key to security, the biometrics face recognition technology has received significant attention in the past several years due to its potential for a wide variety of applications in both law enforcement and non-law enforcement. As compared with other biometrics systems using fingerprint/palm print and iris, face recognition has distinct advantages because of its non-contact process. Face images can be captured from a distance without touching the person being identified, and the identification does not require interacting with the person. In recent years, face recognition has attracted much attention and its research has rapidly expanded by not only engineers but also neuroscientists, since it has many potential applications in computer vision communication and automatic access control system. Especially, face detection is an important part of face recognition as the first step of automatic face recognition. However, face detection is not straightforward because it has lots of variations of image appearance, such as pose variation (front, non-front), cclusion, image orientation, illuminating condition and facial expression. With the continuous development and progress of science and technology, facial biometric recognition technology has become more sophisticated and perfect. As the world’s most cutting-edge biometric technology and image processing technology, facial biometric recognition technology will play a unique and irreplaceable role in today’s public security prevent, arrest fugitives, network security, financial security and many other areas. It is a milestone of development and progress of human society science and technology. It will be widely used in public security, aviation, ports, customs, banks, large enterprises, large-scale conferences, high-end clubs, important streets, docks and other places of security. It will bring revolutionary changes for safety defend and prevention of the current complicated domestic security situation. Face recognition serves the crime deterrent purpose because face images that have been recorded and archived can later help identify a person. Many citizens express concern that their privacy is being compromised by the use of surveillance technologies by corporations and the state. Some fear that it could lead to a total surveillance society, with the government and other authorities having the ability to know the whereabouts and activities of all citizens around the clock. This knowledge has, is and could continue to be deployed to prevent the lawful exercise of rights of citizens to criticize those in office, specific government policies or corporate practices. Many centralized power structures with such surveillance capabilities have abused their privileged access to maintain control of the political and economic apparatus and curtail populist reforms. Facial recognition can be used not just to identify an individual, but also to unearth other personal data associated with an individual – such as other photos featuring the individual, blog posts, social networking profiles, Internet behavior, travel patterns, etc. – all through facial features alone. Moreover, individuals have limited ability to avoid or thwart facial recognition tracking unless they hide their faces. This fundamentally changes the dynamic of day-to-day privacy by enabling any marketer, government agency, or random stranger to secretly collect the identities and associated personal information of any individual captured by the facial recognition system. Purpose and Description Nowadays, industry is experiencing many technological advancement and changes in methods of learning. With the rise of globalization, it is becoming essential to find an easier and more effective system to help an organization or company. In spite of this matter, there are still business establishments and schools that use the old-fashioned way. In a certain way, one thing that is still in manual process is the recording of attendance. Face detection is a computer technology that determines the locations and sizes of human faces in arbitrary (digital) images. It detects facial features and ignores anything else, such as buildings, trees and bodies. Dealing with this matter, the proponents thought of an easy way to do the checking of attendance. This study entitled is intended to develop an attendance monitoring system to be used inside the school vicinity of Batangas State University JPLPC Campus for better management of employees. We come up with a computerized attendance-monitoring system using image processing. It serves as a timed log-in/ log-out system that is set up as a computerized database. This system maintains a daily record of a faculty’s arrival and departure time from work. Aside from the records of time and date, our system features the name, position and the assigned number of each staff. So it also serves as an identification profile system. The system also protects the employees by providing the exact number of hours they worked, making it much more difficult for employers to cheat them out of their wages. This thesis features all important facts about our system as well as its importance.

Customer Retention Essay

The easiest way to grow your customers is not to lose them The average business loses around 20 percent of its customers annually simply by failing to attend to customer relationships. In some industries this leakage is as high as 80 percent. The cost, in either case, is staggering, but few businesses truly understand the implications. Imagine two businesses, one that retains 90 percent of its customers, the other retaining 80 percent. If both add new customers at the rate of 20 percent per year, the first will have a 10 percent net growth in customers per year, while the other will have none. Over seven years, the first firm will virtually double, while the second will have no real growth. Everything else being equal, that 10-percent advantage in customer retention will result in a doubling of customers every seven years without doing anything else. The consequences of customer retention also compound over time, and in sometimes unexpected ways. Even a tiny change in customer retention can cascade through a business system and multiply over time. The resulting effect on long-term profit and growth shouldn’t be underestimated. Marketing Wizdom can introduce you to a number of simple customer retention strstegies that will cost you little or nothing to implement. Behind each technique listed here there is an in-depth step-by-step process that will increase your customer retention significantly once implemented, and will have a massive impact on your business. 1. Reducing Attrition Virtually every business loses some customers, but few ever measure or recognise how many of their customers become inactive. Most businesses, ironically, invest an enormous amount of time, effort and expense building that initial customer relationship. Then they let that relationship go unattended, in some cases even losing interest as soon as the sale been made, or even worse, they abandon the customer as soon as an easily remedied problem occurs, only to have to spend another small fortune to replace that customer. The easiest way to grow your business is not to lose your customers. Once you stop the leakage, it’s often possible to double or triple your growth rate because you’re no longer forced to make up lost ground just to stand still. 2. Sell and then sell again So many people do an excellent job of making the initial sale, then drop the ball and get complacent, ignoring the customer, while they chase more business. Your selling has actually only just begun when someone makes that initial purchase decision because virtually everyone is susceptible to buyer’s remorse. To lock in that sale, and all of the referrals and repeat business that will flow from it, you need to strike while the iron is hot to allay your customers’ fears and demonstrate by your actions that you really care. You should thank them and remind them again why they’ve made the right decision to deal with you †¦ and put a system in place to sell to them again, and again, constantly proving that they made the right decision. 3. Bring back the â€Å"lost sheep† There’s little point in dedicating massive resources to generating new customers when 25-60% of your dormant customers will be receptive to your attempts to regenerate their business if you approach them the right way, with the right offer. Reactivating customers who already know you and your product is one of the easiest, quickest ways to increase your revenues. Re-contacting and reminding them of your existence, finding out why they’re no longer buying, overcoming their objections and demonstrating that you still value and respect them will usually result in a tremendous bounty of sales and drastically increased revenues in a matter of days †¦ and will lead to some of your best and most loyal customers. 4. Frequent Communications Calendar Avoid losing your customers by building relationships and keeping in touch using a rolling calendar of communications. This is a programmed sequence of letters, events, phone calls, â€Å"thank you’s†, special offers, follow-ups, magic moments, and cards or notes with a personal touch etc. that occur constantly and automatically at defined points in the pre-sales, sales and post-sales process. People not only respond to this positively, they really appreciate it because they feel valued and important. It acknowledges them, keeps them informed, offsets post-purchase doubts, reinforces the reason they’re doing business with you and makes them feel part of your business so that they want to come back again and again. 5. Extraordinary Customer Service The never-ending pursuit of excellence to keep customers so satisfied that they tell others how well they were treated when doing business with you. Moving the product or service you deliver into the realm of the extraordinary by delivering higher than expected levels of service to each and every customer. Key facets include: dedication to customer satisfaction by every employee; providing immediate response; no buck passing; going above and beyond the call of duty; consistent on-time delivery; delivering what you promise before AND after the sale; a zero-defects and error-free-delivery process and recruiting outstanding people to deliver your customer service. Extraordinary service builds fortunes in repeat customers, whereas poor service will drive your customers to your competition. 6. Courtesy system A powerful system that improves the interpersonal skills of your team and changes the spirit of your organisation. It involves speaking to colleagues politely and pleasantly, without sarcasm or parody, and treating them at least as well as you would want them to treat your customers. This will help your team to feel worthwhile and important, which makes for pleasant social contacts at work. It also motivates them to provide extraordinary service, encourages them to be consistently pleasant in all of their dealings and to relate to customers in a warm, human and natural manner. This results in better, warmer, stronger, more trusting relationships and longer term bonds with your customers. 7. Product or service integrity Long-term success and customer retention belongs to those who do not take ethical shortcuts. There must always be total consistency between what you say and do and what your customers experience. The design, build quality, reliability and serviceability of your product or service must be of the standard your customers want, need and expect. Service integrity is also demonstrated by the way you handle the small things, as well as the large. Customers will be attracted to you if you are open and honest with them, care for them, take a genuine interest in them, don’t let them down and practice what you preach †¦ and they will avoid you if you don’t. 8. Measure lifetime value There’s a vast difference between the one-off profit you might make on an average sale, which ignores the bigger picture, and the total aggregate profit your average customer represents over the lifetime of their business relationship with you. Once you recognise how much combined profit a customer represents to your business when they purchase from you again and again, over the months, years or decades, you’ll realise the critical importance of taking good care of your customers. And because you’ll understand just how much time, effort and expense you can afford to invest in retaining that customer, you’ll be in control of your marketing expenditure. 9. A complaint is a gift 96 percent of dissatisfied customers don’t complain. They just walk away, and you’ll never know why. That’s because they often don’t know how to complain, or can’t be bothered, or are too frightened, or don’t believe it’ll make any difference. Whilst they may not tell you what’s wrong, they will certainly tell plenty of others. A system for unearthing complaints can therefore be the lifeblood of your business, because customers who complain are giving you a gift, they’re still talking to you, they’re giving you another opportunity to return them to a state of satisfaction and delight them and the manner in which you respond gives you another chance to show what you’re made of and create even greater customer loyalty.

Teratogen essays

Teratogen essays Teratogen is the substances in the external environment that can cause the abnormality to the development of the fetus if the mother engrossed them during pregnancy. Overuse of drugs, timing of exposure, individual factors of mother and child, genetic factors, nutritional factors, metabolic factors, and agents such as alcohol, tobacco, and heroin are the main sources of birth defects (FAS). Drugs and alcohol are the most common teratogen because of the prescription and non-prescription drugs that the mother is consuming during their pregnancy. According to the source, the average American woman use at least ten different drugs over the course of their pregnancy and over 80% of those pregnant mother are alcoholic drinkers and over 30% are smokers (PSY 250). Alcohol is the worst teratogen because it can cause more damage to the baby than any kind of drugs. Fatal Alcohol Syndrome known as FAS is the main source of child abnormality. The potential effects of this teratogen to the developing baby are the damage in central nervous system, some facial problems, and mental retardation (FAS). Moreover, low birth weight, poor wake and sleep patterns, hyperactivity, participateness, temper tantrums, poor social skills, and abstracting abilities are the other effects of alcohol (FAS). Teratogen was problem in early years because the babies are suffering more than their parents. Wi th the help of new technologies that are invented like untrasound, doctors can help their patients to tests if the unborn child has any birth defects. Ultrasound also helps to reveal number of abnormalities, as well as an accurate determination of fetal age, the presence of multiple pregnancies, and even fetal sex (Teratogen). Other kinds of treatment that can help the abnormal children are plastic surgeries and genetic engineering which cost the parents lots of money (Teratogen). Birth defects are avoidable. It is depends on the mother if she wants to avoid it or no...

Ferguson Surname Meaning and Origin

Ferguson Surname Meaning and Origin FERGUSON Surname Meaning Origin: Ferguson is a patronymic surname meaning son of Fergus. The given name Fergus, comes from Fearghas, derived from the Gaelic fear meaning man, and gus meaning vigor. FERGUSON is the 34th most common surname in Scotland. Surname Origin: Scottish, Irish Alternate Surname Spellings: MACFERGUS, FERGESEN, FERGERSON, FURGUSUN, FERGERSEN, FERGUSSON, FARGUSON Famous People With the Surname FERGUSON Harry Ferguson - Irish inventor and pioneerAdam Ferguson - Scottish philosopher, sometimes called the father of modern sociology.Patrick Ferguson - Scottish officer in the British Army, inventor of the breech-loading rifle. With the help of this weapon, the Americans were defeated at the Battle of Brandywine (1777).Colin Ferguson - murderer found guilty of the Long Island Railroad Massacre Genealogy Resources for the Surname FERGUSON Common Scottish Surnames Their MeaningsUncover the meaning of your Scottish last name with this free guide to Scottish surnames meanings and origins. Common Surnames of IrelandDiscover the meaning of your Irish last name, and find where in Ireland these Irish surnames are most commonly found. Ferguson GenealogyWebsite dedicated to helping Ferguson family researchers connect to their 18th Century Virginia roots. Fergus(s)on DNA ProjectA DNA project spearheaded by the Clan Fergusson Society of North America to create a database of DNA corresponding to different Scottish and Irish subdivisions such as those discussed in Records of the Clan and Name of Fergusson, Ferguson and Fergus, by James Ferguson and Robert Menzies Fergusson, Edinburgh, 1895. Ferguson Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Ferguson surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Ferguson query. FamilySearch - FERGUSON GenealogyFind records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Ferguson surname and its variations. FERGUSON Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Ferguson surname. Cousin Connect - FERGUSON Genealogy QueriesRead or post genealogy queries for the surname Ferguson, and sign up for free notification when new Ferguson queries are added. Looking for the meaning of a given name? Check out First Name Meanings Cant find your last name listed? Suggest a surname to be added to the Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins. - References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005. Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Biology Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Biology Assignment - Essay Example n finding the solution of a problem are the scientific approach and the way a scientist follows specific guidelines whereas a non-scientist as described above would have no guidelines and no specific approach to a problem. A problem like finding the cure of a disease can be found scientifically. I would first observe the characteristics of the disease and the organism causing the disease. Then create a hypothesis about several agents being able to eliminate the organism and put this hypothesis and theory to test by experimentation. The solution can be found when a certain medical agent eliminates the organism successfully. Two things a piece of coal which used to be a part of an organism until fossilized and other this is a piece of stone made up of Sodium Chloride (salt). The basic characteristics both of these things share are 1) both of these are strong solids, 2) both of these things are earthen minerals and used by living beings in their daily life, 3) both of these things have a strong chemical structure. The differences between these two selected things include their chemical structure since coal is made up mainly of carbon and salt rock is made up mainly of sodium which is a metal and chloride which is a non-metal substance. Salt rock is soluble in water whereas coal is not soluble in