10 College Essay Topics on the Importance of Education

10 College Essay Topics on the Importance of Education Education has been termed a basic human right due to its impact on society and its ability to provide anyone regardless of race, location or social status, the knowledge to becoming successful in today’s modern world. Its importance spans across various aspects of our lives including its ability to inspire development and break the chains of poverty experienced in the most vulnerable environments where humans reside. Societies understanding of the importance of education have led to the creation of numerous governmental and non-governmental programs designed to provide everyone with the basic educational requirements needed to function positively in any community.   Also, in educational circles its importance is understood and this is why financial aid is usually made available for gifted students from less-privileged backgrounds to help their intellectual growth. Now, for college students who have been saddled with the enviable opportunity to discuss the importance of education through essays, this is for you. Here, you will find some accurate and timely facts on education which will be accompanied by two other articles providing you with topics on today’s subject matter, a sample essay and some direction on how you should proceed when writing your own.   Here are useful Facts on the Importance of Education: Education helps reduce hunger. The expansion of the means to receive an education by impoverished nations- in Africa and Asia- has had a positive effect in reducing poverty ratings and malnutrition in these continents. A study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) between 1970 and 1995, covering 63 countries showed that education accounted for 55% of the decline in malnutrition achieved within that period. Female education also played its part and accounted for 45% of the decline in malnutrition between the same periods. Education plays an important role in improving maternal health and child survival rate. Statistics show that children born to an educated mother are twice more likely to survive to age five than kids born to an uneducated mother. This can be attributed to the fact that educated mothers are 50% more likely to seek all the necessary immunizations for their kids than their uneducated counterparts. This goes to show the important role female education plays in maternal and child care. Education paves the way for economic growth. Education has been outlined as one of the most important factors that determine the economic status of a population as these stats shows. Statistics show that no country without a minimum of 40% of its adult population having the ability to read or write has achieved continuous economic growth. An individual’s earning potential increases by approximately 10% for each year of schooling received and this in turn increases the GDP of nations that offer quality education opportunities to its citizens. Lastly, the education of girls leads to high return rates when compared to other forms of investment thereby making education for the girl-child a prerequisite for development. Education encourages peace. Education plays an important role in developing the building blocks that ensure peace reigns within local communities which in turn ensures the peaceful conduct of a nation’s entire society. It is a fact that every year a male-child spends in school decreases his propensity for violence by 20%. Education empowers women and the girls. One very important role education plays in today’s society is providing women with the resources to be independent as well as make good choices as regards their health and finances. Educating women has drastically reduced the impact of HIV/Aids and child mortality rates while also alleviating poverty in many communities. A household with an educated wife also increases its earning potential by approximately 50% and this makes for better living of the family unit and society as a whole. Education affects the Environment. Educating the world on the need to be more aware of its environment has been identified by UNICEF as one of the important subject matters of the 21st The UNICEF includes the need for protecting the ecosystem from pollution in its Sustainable Development Goals and Environmental Education (EE) has begun to bear fruits. Research showed that students with attention-deficit disorder (ADD) have benefited from exposure to nature and this drastically increases their motor-skills and ability to learn. While education at the adult level makes individuals more sensitive to nature thereby increasing recycling and creating sustainable cities. Education affects globalization. Education has led to better communication among individuals from every nation and culture in the world. Thereby leading to more collaboration and understanding of fellow culture. Research shows that student who are taught about the global issues facing the world and about other cultures are twice more likely to take social action than their colleagues who have no knowledge about the world. Global education has made it possible for professionals to be found in every nook and cranny of the world. Statistics show that the number of multinational corporations worldwide rose from 7,000 in the 1990’s to 65,000 in 2013 and this promotes development across every facet of the world. Education and educated individuals make good citizens. Education is viewed as a prerequisite to good citizenship for it provides individuals with the ability to make good decisions and understand the need for civility in all their dealings. Statistics show that educated citizens are 8% more likely to file complaints on misconduct or report incidents than uneducated individuals. This ensures that government institutions operate at a high level of accountability. Education affects equality. Education creates an environment that fosters equality between minority populations and the west which makes it important for global economic growth. Statistics show that providing quality education for students from all backgrounds- low income and high income- reduces the achievement gap among students from diverse backgrounds. In some European countries such as- Germany, Ireland and Switzerland- the literacy rate is approximately 92% due to the provision of affordable quality education. Education affects extremism. Education has also been hailed as a solution to religious extremism and according to Former US Ambassador- Bill Richardson- supporting public education in the Muslim world will drastically reduce terrorism by making the populace less easy to exploit by extremist leaders. The 9/11 commission report also stresses the importance of education in promoting life over death and why the Arab world should be educated. It states that the increase in economic growth and intellectual knowledge across the Muslim population will drastically reduce extremism. Note that these are 10 accurate facts on the importance of education you can use when writing a college essay on this subject matter. As stated earlier, this is simply part one of three pieces that include our guide on how to write about the importance of education for college students and the 20 topics covering the importance of education. References: Lawrence, S. (2009). Investing in all the People: Educating Women in Developing Countries campaignforeducation.org/docs/reports/IMF%20paper2_low%20res.pdf Littledyke, M. Eames, C. (2009). Education for Sustainability in the Primary Curriculum 43-47. Barbara, H Gene, S. (2004). What Works in Girl Education cfr.org/publication/6947/what_works_in_girls_education.html The Equity and Excellence Commission. (2013). A Strategy for Education, Equity and Excellence for Each and Every Child http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/eec/equity-excellence-commission-report.pdf Brian, F. Peter, N. (2012). Educational Equality for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Children and Young People in the UK. equalrightstrust.org/ertdocumentbank/ERR8_Brian_Foster_and_Peter_Norton.pdf Newman, F. Scurry, J. (2004). The Future of Higher Education 35-40.

Ingenious Pain Essay Example

Ingenious Pain Essay Example Ingenious Pain Essay Ingenious Pain Essay The book Ingenious Pain by Andrew Miller takes place during The Enlightenment of the 18th century. This dramatic novel portrays James Dyer, the main character, is born in 1739 without the feeling of pain. In the eight parts of the story, the structure begins near the end in which an autopsy is taken place of James dyer, who died in 1772. The climax of the story is not of his death, but rather the metamorphosis of his human suffering. This change connects with Friedrich Nietzsche theory of pain. In pain there is as much wisdom as in pleasure: like the latter it is one of the best self preservatives of a species. His theories of suffering, hardships, and pain allow us to understand the goodness of pain. The metamorphosis of Andrew Miller broaden our views in the importance of pain and teach readers important themes essential for growth in life. Dyers metamorphosis of feeling is prevalent as the novel progresses: From no emotion to insanity; from insanity to compassion. In the beginning James Dyers life, he is born in Blind Yeo, an English village. He makes no sound when he is born because he a born without the feeling of pain. He is perceived quite unusual to his family, siblings, and peers from school. He does not talk until he is 11 years old, he has unusual blue eyes in the family, and he does not display any form of emotion. Because of this he lacks empathy, the essence of all human qualities. As his parents die from Smallpox, he is unhindered by the traumatic event of his family. His inability to feel pain also disallows him to feel pleasure. This connects to Friedrich Nietzche theory of pain. He theorized, †But what if pleasure and pain should be so closely connected that he who wants the greatest possible amount of the one must also have the greatest possible amount of the other, that he who wants to experience the heavenly high jubilation, must also be ready to be sorrowful unto death? As the German philosopher suggests, James Dyers inability to feel any form of pain disallows him to attain any form of pleasure. For instance, Andrew Miller demonstrate Dyers inability to experience pleasure. Dyer has sex with the Collin twins, but feels nothing. To achieve pain is to achieve pleasure. One can easily relate to the torture of schooling; overcoming great pain brings great pleasure of success. Needless to say, James Dyer becomes captivated by books of anatomy, books of maps, books of experiments . . . books of astronomy, geometry and later becomes a successful surgeon (Miller 120). This is not an issue of success, but of pleasure. Although there may be positive aspects of his inability to feel pain, his metamorphosis eventually counter-weigh it. As James Dyer changes throughout the novel, it portrays the essentiality of pain. The man who is guided by concepts and abstractions only succeeds by such means in warding off misfortune, without ever gaining any happiness for himself from these abstractions. And while he aims for the greatest possible freedom from pain, the intuitive man, standing in the midst of a culture, already reaps from his intuition a harvest of continually inflowing illumination, cheer, and redemption - in addition to obtaining a defense against misfortune. To be sure, he suffers more intensely, when he suffers; he even suffers more frequently, since he does not understand how to learn from experience and keeps falling over and over again into the same ditch. -Friedrich Nietzsche Later in the book we learn that James Dyer starts to become human. In part 6, we see the beginning of Dyers experience to the world of pain. Julius Lestrade sees the start of this change when Mary reaches into Dyers chest. In Lestrades view, There is no blood; the flesh parts like water, like sand (Miller 123). He does not want to help Dyer because he feels an unusual force preventing him from going in. Dyer feels like he is on fire from inside and out. He starts to become insane. Later Mr. Swallow sends Dyer to a lunatic asylum in England, where his pain continues to increase. Dyer begins to feel the old injuries of his leg and hands and remembers the loss of Mary. Augustus Rose arrives to help the inmates through art. He castes them into a William Shakespeare A Midsummer Nights Dream. Dyer falls in love with Dot Flyer during the play and has sex with her. He experiences pleasure for the first time. Dot dies of a seizure and Dyer, again, grieves for someone who he truly loves. As he is dismissed from the asylum, he senses that Mary is waiting for him. Friedrich Nietsche connects with Dyers pain by emphasizing the importance of suffering. He states, The discipline of suffering, of great suffering do you not know that it is this discipline alone that has produced all the elevations of humanity so far? Although pain and suffering is cruel, it is essential to produce humanity. For without pain there is no humanity. As Dyer becomes capable of feeling pain, he also gains the capability to love. Dyers conversion to love and suffering is the climax of Ingenious Pain. He stays in Lestrades house to practice the concern for others and art. His change from an automaton surgeon to a compassionate feeling for art leaves his life fulfilled. As Mary saved Dyers heart by reaching into his chest, Dyer cuts into John Amazement and saves his heart. His skill as a surgeon and feelings for another coincide; the target to which the arrow of his life has been flighted (329). Examine the life of the best and most productive men and nations, and ask yourselves whether a tree which is to grow proudly skywards can dispense with bad weather and storms. Whether misfortune and opposition, or every kind of hatred, jealousy, stubbornness, distrust, severity, greed, and violence do not belong to the favourable conditions without which a great growth even of virtue is hardly possible? -Friedrich Nietzsche In Ingenious Pain, Andrew miller demonstrates how a person born without feeling can change into a warm person, a compassionate healer. In connection to Friedrich Nietzche theories in pain, it is essential to feel pain. Without emotion, one cannot grasp humanity. In the beginning of the novel, all Dyer wants to know is how the world works; a deistic approach to life. Toward the end of the novel he changes into a romantic characteristic demonstrated through artwork. The message Miller wants to pass to the reader is expressed by Mr. Voney, the apothecary when Dyer begins to learn about medicine as a child: We can neither heal, nor e healed without humility (75). In other words, the proud may fix the body, but it cannot heal the person. Friedrich Neitzche states, There is nothing for which men ask to be paid dearer than for humiliation. Pain is ingenious in the end, because it teaches this lesson. Miller, Andrew. Ingenious Pain: a Novel. New York: Harcourt Brace , 1997. Print.

Corporate Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Corporate Culture - Essay Example The concept of corporate culture that became widespread in the 1980s was mentioned in the book of Tom Peters and Robert Waterman (1982), In Search of Excellence, in which it was also, mentioned the potential impacts the values and the mindsets of a company could have on its success. There are many factors which influence the shaping or developing of an organizational culture. Buchanan and Huczyenski (1991) came up with four main factors. They argued that for a corporate culture to develop, an organization is required to have a strong and sound set of values, which is usually set up by the organization's founder. Those values are expected to carry forward through the top managerial levels that strengthen the firm's standards and a social learning process is evolved as an outcome. Secondly, the environment of an organization, such as the mention of company's heroes, symbols and notices present will affect the style of how the organization is run and functions. The stories of past efficient employees of the business who contributed greatly to the performance and development of the organization that circulate around in an organization greatly affect the way the rest of the employees work and behave in the organization. ... The methods can be formal and informal, one-way or two-way and can be both. However, communication is a strong factor as it depicts the present culture of the organization and affects others. The training sessions and induction and orientation practices used for communication also develop the way things are handled in a business and thus the corporate culture gets affected. Moreover, what are interrelated with the communication factor are the cultural networks. This implies the set of common beliefs a group of people share within themselves. If a set of values and assumptions are shared by a large group of people that is bound to be the dominant corporate culture in the organization. However, if cultural networks are scattered in an organization, then the organizational culture tends to be weak as no one is following a fixed set of values. The leadership and management style also shapes up the culture around in a business as the managers are usually known as the culture carriers and convey it to the rest of people working in an organization. John Kotter and James Heskett (1992) came up with two types of organizational culture, adaptive culture and inert culture. Adaptive culture as the name implies, is a flexible way of doing things where external factors are taken into account and changers are made in the organization accordingly. Decision making is usually centralized as it facilities greater flexibility in decision making and risk taking. The inert culture is unresponsive to the external environment and has a set of rigid beliefs which it does not change. Decision making is often centralized and there is a

Devil's Knot by Mara Leveritt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Devil's Knot by Mara Leveritt - Essay Example Three other teenagers are convinced in committing the crime. Here are their names: Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley. There was much various evidence found in the trial to prove the guilt of the three young people. However, all of them seem to be just the police’s attempt to keep their reputation by means of solving the case. This fact can be easily proved by analyzing the key elements of the prosecution case. As for the evidence and witness testimony against Damien Echols and Jason Baldman, it is necessary to consider the following things: the lake knife, the fiber evidence, the testimony of Dale Griffis, the testimony of Michael Carson and the testimony of the girls from the snowball game. The first evidence against the accused boys is the knife found in the lake. According to Deanna Holcomb’s testimony, Echols was carrying the similar knife one day. The similarity of the knife was connected with the information that there were upside-down crosses in the boy’s room together with the journal about dead children. As for me, I think that seeing the knife in the boy’s hand is not firm evidence against him. I do not think that the one who killed three people is able to walk in the street with the same knife without the fear of being suspected in the crime. Perhaps, Deanna Holcomb saw something like toy knife of the similar size and thought that it was the tool of the murders. She had no opportunity to look at that knife closer and there is no evidence that the knife (if there was any) carried by Echols was the one from the lake. DNA analysis was one more important evidence. I think that it is central evidence in the whole trial. The results were the following ones: None of the genetic material recovered at the scene was Damien Echols’, Jason Baldwin’s or Jesse Misskelley. A hair found in the ligature applied in order to bind Michael Moore was consistent with Terry Hobbs (Steven branch’s stepfather). Genetic material taken from the penis of Steven Branch belonged to the individual other than any of the defendants or victims. A hair taken from a tree root or stump at the crime place was consistent with the hair of one of Mr. Hobb’s friends who was together with him when the crimes took place. It is not difficult to see that the results of analysis of fiber evidence have nothing in common either with Damien Echols or Jason Baldwin. To my mind, the court should have doubted this evidence at once. It is not against the accused, but it proves that the three teenagers are innocent and could not commit the crimes. Dr Dale Griffis was an occult expert who attended no primary classes. I do not understand why he was listened to at all. According to his words, there were a lot of various drawings of a pentagram and upside down crosses in Echols’s room. Griffis was sure that it is the sign of Satanism and the three boys were killed in order to perform some Satanist rituals. M oreover, the doctor frequently saw the accused children dressed in black, their nails and hair were also black and there were tattoos on their body. It was the sign that the teens practiced Satanism. As for this evidence and point of view, I do not think that it is a reliable one. Wearing black closes and having dark nails does not mean that a person (especially a child) is Satanist and killed somebody to perform a ritual. Moreover, it was a mistake to listen to a person who just pretends to be an expert in the occult, but does not have enough knowledge for this. From my perspective, it is one more mistake made by the police and justice. There was an important testimony given by sixteen-year old Michael Carson.

Essay of Narration Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Of Narration - Essay Example In vain, he tried to bring himself to understand how he could do foolish enough to attempt cheating in exams, yet he had never succumbed to this temptation even once. His mind paced to and fro, as if in an attempt to cushion him from the glaring disgrace that stared him in the face. That he is diligent and a promising young man, people readily agreed. All his continuous assessment test papers had averaged above seventy percent. The fact that this was his first semester underscored further, the bright prospects of success that Joe had ahead of him, both in campus life, and thereafter. Indeed, Joe was a stark contrast of his peers who were grappling with the new concepts that were being introduced to them. The contrast that differentiated Joe from his peers surpassed matters of impeccable academic performance. Unlike his friends who tinkered campus life with fun, Joe was an orphan who knew that the brightness of his success depended on his academic excellence. A first born among four siblings, Joe’s plate of responsibilities was indisputably full. Finishing campus with first class honors, landing a decent job and supporting his three brothers were the main objectives that lingered frequently in his mind. However, the most immediate objective that Joe shouldered apart from his studies was processing the family’s inheritance, since his parents had died without having written a will. This task, Joe had to juggle with his studies. As such, no lady had managed to squeeze herself into Joe’s life and time yet. Nevertheless, with all his commitment and focus, little had Joe known that his busy schedule had slowly started eating into his academic time plan. It was just three weeks ago when he copied down the exam timetable that had signaled the end of the semester. One of the second continuous assessment takeaway tests had not been handed in. The lecturer’s deadline was firm, to the effect that all essays had to be handed in before the

Analysing Project Leadership Teams and Group Dynamics

Analysing Project Leadership Teams and Group Dynamics Introduction A research done in 1995 in the USA showed that 31% of software projects are cancelled before completion while for those which are not, the cost will be an average of 189 percent of the original estimates (Standish Group, 1995). Whittaker (1999) identified the key reasons for such failure as related to poor project planning, a weak business case, and a lack of top management involvement and support. In 2001, the Standish Group found that only 28 percent of IT projects were completed on time and on budget, and that these were on average 45 percent over original cost estimates and 63 percent over original time to completion estimates (Standish Group International, 2001). This report identified poor tools to monitor and control progress of projects as the main reasons for such failures hence recommending project managers to use good project management practices in order to establish the appropriate project methodology (Gowan Mathieu, 2005). Turner (2003) defined a project as an endeavour in which human, material and financial resources are organized in a novel way, to undertake a unique scope of work, of given specification, within constraints of cost and time, so as to achieve beneficial change defined by quantitative and qualitative objectives. Despite this definition containing three aspects: human, material and financial, the above reports show that the focus of understanding failures in software projects has been mainly directed towards the technical and financial barriers encountered during the project life cycle. Intangible human organisational factors such as leadership, organisation culture and team dynamics have been given meagre attention despite multiple researches showing the successful completion of any project in any organization is highly dependent on the human and behavioural factors. This paper will discuss the ways through which software teams are affected by leadership, organisation culture and team dynamics. The first part of the paper will discuss the literature around organisational culture and it can affect the outcomes of software projects. The second part of the paper will discuss the role of leadership and team dynamics in the context of software project management. Lastly, the paper will end with a conclusion and possible recommendations for software teams in the future. Organisation Culture and Software project management Organizational culture describes how things are done in a corporation (Claver et al, 2001). It encompasses a wide range of aspects of organisations life including assumptions, values and artefacts, beliefs, rituals, and ceremonies; language, symbols, stories, and ceremonies In sum, organisational culture is viewed as both what an organisation is and as what an organisation has (Mathew, 2007). According to Lok Crawford (2004), organisational culture can influence how people set personal and professional goals, perform tasks and administer resources to achieve them. Similarly, Schein (1990) describes organisational culture as being able to affect the way in which people consciously and subconsciously think, make decisions and act. Researchers on organisational cultures have also proposed different forms or types of cultures. For example, Wallach (1983) suggested that there are three main types of organisational cultures: bureaucratic, supportive and innovative. Handy (1993) Identified four types of organisation cultures: power culture, role culture, person culture and task culture. The ultimate point is that organisation culture determines the ways decisions are taken within organisations. For example according to Handys model, a power culture is one where decisions are taken by a restricted number of individuals usually located at the peak of the organisation structure. The decision is then transferred to the rest of the structure, thus signifying low participation from the remaining workforce. This bureaucratic approach to decision making reduces the level of input from other levels in the organisation. In modern organisations, where employees are viewed as critical success factors, it is therefore important to have a culture which encourages participation and involvement. The power culture is an example of how the organisation culture can be a barrier to employee participation. In the context of software projects, participation is a key success factor. Hence, the type of organisation culture will either enhance or prohibit the appropriate behaviours from the team members. According to Hansen and Wenerfelt (1989), the culture within an organisation affects the way in which employees perceive, feel and act. This in turn will affect their level of performance and commitment (Peters and Waterman, 1982). Echoing the same, Siehl and Martin (1990) found that organisation culture have a critical influence of productivity and quality. The software sector employs large numbers of people worldwide (Arthreye, 2005). As mentioned above, productivity and quality are greatly influenced by organisation culture (Siehl and Martin, 1990). Productivity and quality is important to the software sector. Therefore, the need to understand how organisation culture affects this sector is fundamental. Organisation culture lays down the guidelines for the acquisition of Information Technology as well as the guidelines for sharing of information through its Information Systems (Allard (1998); Brown and Starkey (1994); Katz and Townsend (2000)). Mathew (2007) identified a range of cultural processes that have a bearing on software organisations such as concern for employees and trust, knowledge management or organisational learning; empowerment; high performance work orientation and core values. The research by Mathew (2007) is evidence that software team members are highly influenced by the cultural processes in interplaying in the organisation they are working in. These processes will affect their commitment to the software project in terms of: firstly the amount of information they are likely to input to the project. Western organisations have purposely adopted collectivist processes so as to encourage sharing of information throughout teams. However, in others contexts, the individualistic and bureaucratic culture promotes information asymmetry. Information asymmetry occurs when one party possesses more information that the other party. Information asymmetry is a threat to the proper functioning of software teams as information is key to the success of so ftware projects. The above shows that the organisation culture determines the processes for sharing information which in turn directly affects the implementation of software projects. Secondly, the organisation culture also determines the degree of empowerment of the employees. A study by Badoo and Hall (2001) on Motivators of Software Process Improvement: an analysis of practitioners views showed that software project managers highly ranked empowerment as a motivator factor. They considered process ownership as important. Developers stated the same: Developers want grassroots input into processes. Project managers want autonomy so they can mould the processes around their present practices. Both developers and project managers want to feel they have the support of senior management. (Badoo Hall, 2001) Pitterman (2000) identified empowerment as crucial to the success of software projects. Empowerment is often defined as the act of giving people the opportunity to make workplace decisions by expanding their autonomy in decision making (Vogt, 1997). Empowerment however is influenced by the organisation culture. Other processes contained in the organisation culture which ultimately affect the implementation of software projects are: communication, reward schemes, feedback, decision making, organisation structure, autonomy, communication, top down commitment, shared best practice and bottom-up initiatives (Badoo Hall, 2001). The above points show how the culture of an organisation can either facilitate the functioning of software teams or act as a barrier. Rigid structures, poor reward schemes, lack of communication, poor feedback, lack of transparency, poor trust and commitment from the top and little bottom-up initiatives can render the project life cycle difficult, hence resulting into project cancellations and/or completion over estimated budgets. Leadership and Team Dynamics in Software Project Management. It is important to experience progress and well-being by both the team members and the team leader in software projects. Katzenbach (1998) stated that groups of people working together give rise to dynamics which have the effect either of enhancing group performance, or of impeding, even destroying, group efficiency. The group dynamics involve both the team members and the leader. According to Wang et al (2005) team performance derives from the ability of team members to successfully integrate their individual actions, to perform in complex and dynamic environments, to achieve coordination and cohesion and lastly effective team leadership. Team leadership styles can be classified into two types: Transactional and Transformational leadership (Thite, 2000). The transactional leadership style focuses on the contractual relationship between the leader and the subordinates. The relationship is limited to the simple exchange of expected performance in return for certain rewards. On the other hand, the transformational leader motivates followers to perform beyond their expectations, increases the followers sense of the importance and value of tasks, and stimulates members to look beyond their own interests and direct themselves to the interests of the team, organization or larger community (Mankenzie et al, 2001). Pinto (1986) identified effective leadership as a critical success factor for successful projects. Similarly Turner et al (1998) described successful projects as being led by individuals who possess not only technical and management knowledge, but also leadership skills that are internally compatible with the motiva tion of the project team. Although the goals of a project are achieved by the team, appropriate leadership styles such as relationships and task oriented styles can help attain the targets in time and within the allocated resources (Nauman et al, 2010). Leadership fosters empowerment (Malone, 1997) and as mentioned above the latter is an essential ingredient for successful projects. However, according to Eisenberger (2002), effective empowerment is based on the relationship of the team members with the leader. The challenge for the leaders in software projects is to find the balance in managing relationships as well as getting the work done. Another important feature of leadership is motivation. Leaders influence and motivate team members. Software projects are often found to lose momentum following difficulties arising within the Iron Triangle (costs, time and functionality). The task of the team leader is to restore momentum at different stages within the project life cycle. As mentioned by Kotler (1988), leadership means influencing others to take responsibility for identifying, developing, retaining, and motivating talented professionals on the team. On the other hand in his work, Thamhain (2004) concluded that project success is no longer the result of a few expert contributors and skilled project leaders. Rather, project success depends on effective multidisciplinary efforts, involving teams of people and support organizations interacting in a highly complex, intricate, and sometimes even chaotic way. The process requires experiential learning, trial and error, risk taking, as well as the cross-functional coordinat ion and integration of technical knowledge, information, and components. The work of Thamhain (2004) also concluded that Team performance is not random but there are certain criteria which lead to high team performance. These are firstly understanding the needs of team members and designing ways to satisfy these needs, secondly management should support team environment rather than try to control it, thirdly team development must be ongoing and finally team leaders should work with senior management to ensure effective team work. The agency theory (Eisenhardt, 1989) informs that monitoring through leadership reduces shirking which in turn leads to project success. Shirking is the process of evading work, responsibility or duty. In organisation theory, shirking takes place when the agent (employee) has self-interest contrasting with the interest of the principal (employer, team leader, manager). The team leader is responsible for monitoring the project and this involves watching, observing and checking closely or continuously. Mahaney and Lederer (2009) examined the importance of project monitoring in order to avoid the problem of shirking in teams and found that the project monitoring does not necessarily avoid shirking in projects but planning and meetings during monitoring can predict shirking. Although there is no single leadership style applicable to all project situations, it is important to understand the role of leadership in the success of projects. Software project managers need to exhibit leadership traits which will enable them to carry out their function effectively. Linberg (1999) stated that one of the classic mistakes in software development is undermined motivation. A study by Couger and Zawacki (1980) showed that firstly software professionals had substantially higher growth needs than any of the other job categories, secondly increased motivation would occur if the software developers growth needs matched the jobs motivating potential, and thirdly increased software developer job satisfaction was associated with effective supervisory feedback. In the case of software projects, supervisory feedback related to team leader feedback. Hence the need to understand the need of those involved in the project as well striving to find ways to satisfy those needs remain an important responsibility of the team leader. Team dynamics will also interplay with leadership skills to determine the outcomes of the software project. The failure of many large software projects is due to difficulties in managing team-based work (Faraj and Sproull, 2000). According to Hohmann (1997) the most effective software development teams are also the teams that contain a variety of different personality or temperament types. This is also confirmed by Amabile etal (1996) stating thatAmabile, T.M., Conti, R., Coon, H., Lazenby, J. and Herron, M., 1996. Assessing the work environment for creativity. Academy of Management Journal 39, pp. 1154-1184. Full Text via CrossRef | View Record in Scopus | Cited By in Scopus (411): Team member diversity and mutual openness to ideas may operate on creativity by exposing individuals to a greater variety of unusual ideas; such exposure has been demonstrated to positively impact creative thinking. Overall team diversity creates the synergy required in software projects however in other cases team diversity may also be a cause of failure for example a software developer may prefer one method and will become de-motivated if a newer development method is used during the project. In his work on adapters and innovators, Kirton (1994) suggested that individuals with an adaptor style prefer stability of work activities whereas individuals with the innovator style prefer new and alternative work activities. Hence such two types of developers may not be able to find a common stable ground in the software project and in turn this might lead to low job satisfaction for either party. Linberg (1999) concluded that team dynamics does impact on software projects, Team members develop their own perceptions about project failure and success and this in turn affects their performance. According to the same study, team leaders have perceptions about project success and failure as well. Shea and Guzzo (1987) introduced the concept of group potency and defined it as the collective belief of a team that it can be effective: the shared belief of team members as a whole. Akgun et al (2007) investigated the relationship between group potency and software project outcome. The study revealed that project teams involve multi-mental models due to the different knowledge, expertise, background, and personalities in the organization. The collective belief of a teams capabilities and efficacy is critical for effective team and project management. Group potency was important for fast software development and lead to less costly development of software and to high performance teams. Hutchins (1991) stated that the cognitive properties of groups can differ from those of their participating members. Software teams are different from other teams existing in an organization. They are formed of knowledge workers who have specific individual expertise embodied into the practical activi ty-based competencies (Blackler, 1995). Moreover, software development teams have a relatively unique structure, wherein the division of labour among members are highly interdependent due to the way in which the finished product is produced; the nature of the software development process is such that the product cannot be seen in its progressive development and this has implications for both team members and team leaders. Ryan and OConnor (2009) found that tacit knowledge is shared through good quality social interaction in the team. Therefore it is important for software team leader or project managers to build team structures which foster the sharing of tacit knowledge. Another pertinent issue in team dynamics is that of conflict. March and Simon (1958) defined conflict simply as the breakdown of the standard mechanisms for decision making. According to Gobeli et al (1998), team or group conflicts can be detrimental to the success of the software projects. Group conflict is a result of poor leadership influence and lack of ability to manage dysfunctional behaviours within teams. However, in many cases, team conflicts emerge out of multiple reasons such as diversity of personalities working together and lack of communication. Group conflict in the context of software teams can lead to a slow down of the progress of the project, hence not satisfying one of the key parts of the Iron triangle, time. For this reason, it important for group conflicts to be managed carefully by team leaders in order to boost team morale and to achieve efficiency. Conclusion As discussed above, software teams are vulnerable to factors emerging from the organization culture, the type of leadership and the team dynamics prevailing in the organization. All three being people-related are rather sensitive and less prone to be easily changed. They have joined the list of critical success factors for software projects. For organizations to have a culture which is conducive to success, the latter needs to be flexible rather than rigid and imposed. As we move towards more open systems at work, it is therefore fundamental for the organization culture to fit into the business context. Changes have to take place from a cultural perspectives to produce the right platform for the success of software projects. Flexibility and openness in organization culture is favored. By the same token, the type of leadership has to be based on the situation and the climate within the software team. This in turn will lead to positive team dynamics and better performances of software projects. Overall it can be concluded that organization culture, the type of leadership and team dynamics can make a difference to a software project and its team. If managed properly, these would help organizations achieve competitive advantage in the market.

Anton Chekhovs and Joyce Oates The Lady with the Dog Essay -- Compar

Though the similarities and differences of characterization in Chekhov and Oates’s different versions of â€Å"The Lady with the Pet Dog† are evident, the purpose only becomes clear for the reader when the two versions are read and compared. The stories have different settings, but the characters in the story remain the same. There is Anna, Dmitry, and their families. Although their families are mentioned, each member remains without any description and therefore they begin to seem almost unimportant. Both Anton Chekhov and Joyce Oates chose to tell the story using a third-person narrator. This is one of the most important aspects of the characterization because if other characters were allowed to appear more within either story, the reader would have more than likely had a different view of their affair. For example, if Oates had allowed the reader to know Anna’s husband more intimately and definitely if the reader could read his thoughts, we may have seen the affair as dirty. We only see him trying to make love to her in an almost impersonal way. They never really cominicate, and his love for her is never shown with in the story, so the reader has no real reason to sympathize with him. Instead, Anna’s guilt seems sufficient, and her desire to be else where allows the reader to feels sorry for her and the fact that this love is what she perceives as her fate, we give her the sympathy and no longer see this affair as necessarily wrong. Chekhov uses this same type persuasi...

What Makes a Good City?

What makes a good city ?There are far to many to enumerate but here are a few: A secure water supply and sanitation system. A solid economy. A transportation network on every level. A strong tax base. Good to great schools. Better then Good police protection. Affordable housing, A built in arts and culture environment, Affordable medical, social services, sanitation and fire protection. A community spirit, a Love Thy Neighbor attitude.The ideal cityBuild housing, construct infrastructure like roads and plumbing, provide public services like electricity and garbage collection, coordinate commerce, provide recreational facilities such as parks, stadiums and museums, and facilitate transport.What makes a perfect city ?A good transport system, low traffic, lots of money, beaches and rivers, big CBD. High Helth and good education system plus near to oter big cities.Ideal CityCORRECTION OF THE ESSAY : â€Å"Imagine the Ideal City† The city of my dreams is neither too big nor too sma ll. (Jenna) It is clean, there aren’t any cigarette butts, chewing gums, papers or dog dirt on the floor.( Angà ©lique /Marjorie) It is Green, ecological (Stà ©phanie): there are less traffic and pollution because people use alternative means of transport (Gamzà ©/ Maria) and the cars run with solar energy. The houses are equipped with solar panels too to protect the Earth (Fanny/Stephanie) People recycle their wastes (Gamze ) The environment is respected (Jenna) &the scenery is pleasant because the huge sky scrappers & tower blocks have been replaced by detached houses. (Marjorie/Sabrina)The city is built with recycled materials to fight global warming (Fanny) In this ideal town People are happy & safe, they can have walks in the streets & gardens even at night. The pavements are large enough for parents with buggies and accessible for  disabled people (Vanessa). Car Parks are free (Maria). You can borrow free bikes or take a stylish cheap taxi. (Anthony) Drivers respec t pedestrians and don’t insult other drivers. Everybody is civilised & smiles (Angà ©lique/ Sabrina) You can go shopping in low cost stores (Angà ©lique). There are many activities & services for everyone: for children and elderly people . Drama groups and artists perform in the street and a music festival regularly takes place for everyone’s Greatest pleasure. (Fanny)Criminals & delinquents are supervised by cameras. In case of a problem the police or the firemen are there immediately (Vanessa) No Poverty in this ideal town.There aren’t any homeless & beggars. Charities accommodate them in decent buildings. Students no longer sleep in cars or squats. (Marjorie /Mrs Lombrana) The rents are not excessively high, everybody can afford buying a home.

Debate on Indian Removal Essay

In the contemporary world the idea of removal of an entire people from its native land would sound wickedly and would perhaps be considered a genocide, yet in the XIX century this idea was quite permissible and corresponded to the ruling concept of civilized nations which were to rule those uncivilized and determine their existence. Therefore, in our estimation of pro and contra Indian removal arguments I shall attempt to evaluate the named arguments first and foremost from the point of view of the time and base my conclusions on such evaluation. The first argument proposed by Andrew Jackson to the Congress in 1829 is that that no new state may be established without consent of the people of that state, and since Indians are living on the territory of existing states and do not constitute a majority, they may not establish their own government and have to obey the laws of the state or immigrate. A harsher version of the argument is provided in the North American Review, January 1830, blaming that Indians are barbarous people â€Å"incapable of sustaining any other relation with the whites, than that of dependence and pupilage. † Francis J. Grund is even more acrid, as he claims Indian’s cruelty towards the Founding Fathers. A counterargument can be found in the â€Å"Memorial of the Cherokee Indians†, published in the Weekly Register vol. 38, and it is that a white man is a ruler of the land, and the red man is weak, yet there were times when whites were week and reds were strong, and the whites received warm welcome from the Indians. Also the Indians argued that previous treaties guaranteed their rights to land. The situation with the Indians is similar to the one with the colonists before the Revolution. The colonists appeared to be weak and Britain was strong, yet the colonists were able to gain their independence by force. However, the Indians were unable to win the war and they had to obey those who are strong. Therefore, the US Government argument was nothing but a sword law, not a just law. This is well confirmed by the Decision of the U. S. Supreme Court in Worcester v. State of Georgia (1832), where the Court has found that treaties between the Indians and the Government, as well as Indian self-government are guaranteed as long as the Indians obey the general laws of the state. Since the Indians did not obey, all they privileges have to be annulled. Yet the laws of the state themselves made the Indians chose between â€Å"becoming civilized† in other words not leading their traditional lifestyle and immigration. So, it may be concluded, that removal has logically followed from the previous relations between the Indians and the Government, in which the Government used sword more frequently than justice. The second pro argument proposed by Andrew Jackson in 1830 were advantages of immigration both for the whites and for Indians. For the US government is was an opportunity to protect the frontiers, for the states of Mississippi and Alabama these were new territories and opportunities for development, and for the Indians, under Jackson, it was an ability not to have contacts with the civilized people, follow their customs and live under the government supervision, gradually becoming a civilized community. A counterargument of the Indians is explained in the mentioned Memorial, as well as in the article published in the North American Review, October 1830 where they claim their right to stay on their land and continue their traditional life same as any nation has title over its land. In fact, we once more face the sword law: the Government determined what is â€Å"civilized† and what is â€Å"law† and the Indians had to obey or disappear. Another Indian argument may be found in the letter from John Ross: the Government was just willing to get rid of the Indians. This is an argument with no counterargument. Government’s desire to make away with the Indians was undisputable. Concluding my analysis I have to recognize that the arguments of the Indians look stronger even for the XIX century. An independent international tribunal of the time would perhaps take their side. Yet there was no such tribunal, but only the will of the Government which caused Indians to be removed.

Political Perspectives on Violence in Sports Essays

Political Perspectives on Violence in Sports Essays Political Perspectives on Violence in Sports Essay Political Perspectives on Violence in Sports Essay This paper seeks to choose one of the perspectives that I summarized in my definition essay and write an informed, well-researched piece which qualifies and nuances that position. Violence in sports may be viewed under two perspectives.   One view would like to see a good number of violence in sports activities but another perspective would prefer to have less violence.   As an example, some would like to play or watch the game of chess but others would like to watch foot ball. This paper would like to discuss and analyze one view perspective on sports violence that of the presence of a good number of violence.   Under said choice, this paper maintains the allowed violence should commensurate with the type of sport, the fans of the sport and the players involve in the sport. Although chess is actually a silent game, there could be still violence as form of intellectual or emotional abuse made by fans, players or media by the words they say about the events.   To say for example that the â€Å"challenger is a moron compared to Russian Chess grandmaster† could be considered a verbal abuse which could constitute psychogical violence.   In football the kind of violence could be more than verbal abuse, it could result to physical violence not only among the players but also among the fans and the media in their depiction of the game.   The presence of violence in sports would seem to give truth to what George Orwell once said, Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play.   It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words it is war minus the shooting.[1]   Lance and Ross also confirmed that sports violence will likely occur.[2] The seeming nature of the games or sports would have discouraged people away from violence but why the attraction of people to violence?   Goldstein explained   the appeal of violent sports, arguing, â€Å"If we define violence as the unsanctioned or illegitimate use of harmful or destructive physical force, which I take to be a reasonable definition, then sports confront us with a paradox: boxing matches and a number of other sports events involve a great deal of interpersonally harmful but nonetheless sanctioned physical force.   In sports as in warfare, whose image sports are often taken to be, some forms of interpersonal violence are legitimate.   In many sports, physical violence is the core if not the name of the game.†[3] This should not be surprising since a game is a competition and what seems to be most intensive one is one where people participate with their all faculties.   Fans identity themselves with the players.   If their teams win, they also win and the glory of winning is simply priceless for many sports enthusiasts.   Goldstein used history to explain the appeal of violence saying: â€Å"The prestige of a Roman gladiator increased with the number of opponents he slew.   The mayhem at a medieval tournament was often more deadly than the carnage of a real battle†¦.   In our own time, a number of boxers have been beaten to death by opponents who were subsequently judged exempt from legal prosecution for assaults that are severely penalized if committed outside sports specially privileged time and space.   Like gladiatorial combats and knightly jousts, boxing matches are haunted by the specter not only of serious injury but also of immediate death.   Yet, these and similar ly violent sports spectacles have been enormously popular.   Why has this been so?   Before I venture a partial and tentative answer to this deceptively simple question, it will be useful very briefly to consider the spectators behavioras opposed to their motivations.† [4] Given the inherent nature of violence how to prevent the violence would seem to be challenging. Prevention of violence in sport is a unique function.   Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) agreed when it said that deterring crime is not the same as preventing violence.   It argued saying, â€Å"Deterrents to crime such as burglar alarms, security bars, and neighborhood watch programs may reduce the likelihood of being burglarized, but do little to reduce violence.   Many believe that owning a gun is a good way to protect their home and family.   On the contrary, people who keep a gun in the home are at increased risk of injury or death because the very gun acquired for protection will more likely be used against them by an acquaintance, relative, or themselves.   Again, the majority of violence in our society is committed neighbor against neighbor, acquaintance against acquaintance, and family member against family member.†[5] Given the inherent nature of violence in some sport requires no simple solution. OSDH suggested that a better understanding of factors which lead to violence will aid in violence prevention.   OSDH argued that effective prevention strategies require the understanding of how the potential for violent behavior develops.   Noting that violence encompasses a large array of acts and circumstances while many factors which contribute to violence are the same no matter what form the violence takes, OSDH suggested a control of the violence contributing factors.[6] OSDH argued that most researchers thought that the factors contributing violence are associated with the potential for a person to commit violent acts but the correlations and underlying reasons are not well understood.   It added that not everyone who is exposed to these contributing factors will commit violence and individuals are affected differently by the same factors.   Hence, it suggested there must be protective factors which contribute to an individuals resiliency.   It believed that these factors may build a strong network of protection against the influences of violence but emphasized the need for further knowledge of individual characteristics, circumstances or events, social and cultural processes, which encourage or support violence.[7] There is reason to agree with the analysis in preventing unnecessary and not allowed violence as OSDH logically argued for the clear relationship between risk factors and protective factors and the occurrence of violence.   OSDH said, â€Å"If there are only a few protective factors in the balance, then relatively few risk factors can easily offset the balance towards violence.   Even if there are a large number of protective factors in the balance, there can be an equally large number of risk factors in the balance, leaving the balance teetering back and forth.   It is clear that violence prevention must focus on both decreasing risk factors and increasing protective factors if the prevention is to be effective and efficient.†[8] Conclusion: Violence prevention in sports challenging job in sport design because violence may actually make the sports attractive and hence patronized by fans for many reason including avenues for expressing man’ s greatest emotions. Historically sports develop from events that were littered with violence and although liabilities were established for what may have appeared as legal sports, recent developments have allowed the non-litigation arising from sports activities.   Manmade sports may have allowed violence that are no longer preventable because they are consented may still be a better alternative as mode self expression than actual war among states. World War III will not come after all because of sports with violence.

Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 14

Reflection Paper - Essay Example Those are very important in the English writing—no matter academic or non-academic. First is about the ethos pathos and logos. I think these are the three elements of writing a good paper. Ethos represents credibility and trust, pathos means emotions and values, logos shows logic, reason and proof. There are big differences when an article uses those or not. For example, in my essay one, I talked about the billboard of the bleeding boy. The billboard uses all three rhetoric strategies. What I said is â€Å"Pathos is about emotions, so if drivers are looking at this billboard, they may feel terrified because of the blood. Terrifying or scaring are the emotions the government wants people to have when they are looking at the billboard. Only people are terrified, most of them will observe the rules.† From this, I can see obviously the Ad uses the Pathos. Also, when in real life, people use the rhetoric strategies too. For example, people always believe those who are popular so the sellers always use popular people as their advertisement character. Like some per fume Ads, superstars are everywhere. When people look at those advertisements, they think if the superstars use that, the product can’t be bad. Except ethos, we use pathos in our daily life. For example, a governor wants to run for a position. The best way of persuading people is to link the speech to people’s daily life, to make them agree with him. This is what we called emotions. During the course, I learnt more about public argument. At the beginning, I had the impression that participating in public argument is time consuming and tedious, however, I realized how it is going to improve my own public argument skills. By simply asking questions on the importance of tea, I gradually realized how my public address skills were improving. I altered between two important aspects. The high order concerns, which is the

Operation Menu - a covert bombing conducted in eastern Cambodia Research Paper - 1

Operation Menu - a covert bombing conducted in eastern Cambodia - Research Paper Example In my own opinion, I feel that this was a show of the US government’s unwillingness to accept diplomacy in conflict resolution. According to the VVAW (Para. 1), the Cambodia bombing continued despite a peace treaty â€Å"bombing halt† that required that the US stop its attack in Indo-China. The US launched over 500 thousand tons of bombs. The main targets of the bombs were the people’s army of Vietnam (PAVN) and forces of the Viet Cong and their air bases that were used to as the supply and training areas. The US persisted bombing despite the countries uncooperativeness to the diplomatic missions launched to end their conflict with Vietnam. According toTucker (740), this was a war whose intentions were personal and did not rhyme with the international strategies of resolving conflicts. This is the reason why the US kept the mission secret because they did not have any good reason to attack this country. From a critic’s point of view, Tucker states that the US government was undiplomatic in launching such a covert attack against Cambodia at a time when there was hope for a peaceful resolu tion. Other scholars have provided that the US president Nixon depicted the highest level of imperialism in their attack of the Cambodia. Owen and Kiernan (1) focused on the revelation of the Cambodia bomb attack after Bill Clinton, the US president released information that the US had concealed about the bombing. The purpose of Bill Clinton was to show the US’s accountability and its commitment to establish honesty in its history. From this report, it is clear that the magnitude of the bomb attack was much higher than what the people had approximated. It also reveals that most of the bomb targets were unclear and they remained undocumented even after the covert war. However, it is clear that there was catastrophic damage and the civilians in Cambodia suffered a great deal during this attack. According to Owen