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Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Air Pollution Causing Global Warming free essay sample

This paper provides a looks at at how air pollution is causing global warming by destroying the ozone. This paper presents the causes and effects of air pollution. Other stratospheric research is concerned with the downward trends in global ozone that have recently been measured over populated regions in the mid altitudes. The author focuses on the various factors associated with global warming. Air pollution is any visible or invisible substance found in the air that is not part of the normal composition of air. Some air pollution is natural and has always been a part of the earths history. However, over the past one hundred years or so, pollution created by humans has become a major environmental problem. Natural air pollution has been around for millions of year. Dust and a variety of gases from forest fires, volcanoes, and decaying material in rivers, oceans, and other bodies of water continually enter the atmosphere. We will write a custom essay sample on Air Pollution Causing Global Warming or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Sometimes this natural pollution can have dramatic effects. Air pollution is a major factor in causing humans to get ill. Tuberculosis, bronchitis, heart and chest diseases, stomach disorders, asthma and cancers can all be traced to chemicals in the air. Pesticides and fertilizers release gases and particles into the air which poison people and kill animals.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Essay on Morality Research of Moral Pluralism Based on 3 Principles

Essay on Morality Research of Moral Pluralism Based on 3 Principles The greatest gift of human rationality is morality. The establishment of morality is based on the recognition that every human has a general set of basic needs to lead a life free of physical and psychological suffering. In Moral Relativism, Moral Diversity and Human Rights, James Kellenberger addresses different sorts of theories of morality, such as moral absolutism, moral pluralism, and moral relativism. Before I take any position on the issues raised by the differences between these various approaches, I need to offer a definition of morality. Morality, in the context of these different kinds of theories, can be defined only descriptively in relation to its purpose and to its function. Metaphysical questions such as Is morality an absolute truth? (which are not in the scope of this essay) are in fact, beyond comprehension by mere reasoning and argumentation. People can only try to provide different answers based on their own assumptions, faiths, experiences and intuitions. Thus, morality, in the most practical sense, is a tool or way of life used to promote the common good of human beings and eliminate harmful actions that bring negative consequences in life, goals based on the principle of reciprocity and empathy, and a set of universally recognized human needs and capabilities. In line with such grounding, I find that among different types of moral theories, moral pluralism can best serve the universal needs and well being of human kind. Pluralism recognizes that there is a plurality of moral points of view, and affirms that, among many moral points of view, no one is clearly superior to another. Yet, it insists on a certain set of context-independent values and an objectivity in judging value conflicts that is not determined by groups conventions or individual attitudes. However, the pluralistic nature of this theory and the fact that no complete objectivity is possible could be sources of its fallacies when it is put into practice. No one can be completely objective in their judgments because every human being possesses different perceptions and principles of life that contribute to personal bias. Thus, to avoid these possible sources of error, moral pluralism needs to be governed by three principles: 1) an unambiguous categorization of moral values, 2) the establishment of a minimalist common ground, and 3) a flexibility with regard to the prioritization of moral values. A clear and unambiguous categorization of values that are strictly moral in nature is essential as the founding basis of moral pluralism. Moral values should be strictly distinguished from other categories of values such as cultural norms or community values. Moral values, in their essence, should be geared only towards the goal of fulfilling universal needs of well being that are not governed by cultural practices or norms. For example, the prohibition against arbitrary killing can safely be categorized as a moral value. However, values such as that women are supposed to wear dresses can only be categorized as cultural norms. Even socio-political values like unity and collectivity are only conventional and cannot be strictly termed as moral values. The lack of strict categorization of moral values, I believe, is one of the biggest problems to be resolved even before the debates between different moral theories can continue. One common flaw among several forms of moral relativism is the failure to draw such clear distinctions between different categories of values. For instance, conventionalist relativism claims that secondary values are considered as relative and are dependent on conventions or social norms. In this context, secondary values are no longer strictly moral, but adulterated by other categories of values which are non-moral. Similarly, perspectivist relativism proposes that primary values have associated benefits and harms' that may be physiological (e.g., food and nature), psychological (e.g., love and humiliation), and social (e.g., respect and exploitation). It is easy to see that there are very blurry lines between physiological needs, social values, and moral values. In Problems of Moral Philosophy, Ralph Barton Perry addresses the phenomenon of arbitrary categorization of values by pointing out a distinction between the question: What does value mean? and the question: What things have value? Analogously, the statement that peace is a condition in which societies abstain from the use of violence in settling their disputes is different from the statement that the world is (or is not) now at peace. Too often, because of such an ambiguity in distinguishing the nuances between definitions, cultural beliefs and physical needs are arbitrarily lumped into subcategories of moral values. Equivocal overlapping of cultural values, community values, and moral values only jeopardizes the applicability of moral pluralism. Such a failure encourages abuse of the theory to justify actions for pure individual interests or social conventions. For example, in Jordan, women are tortured in the name of committing immoral acts when they are found to be talking to male strangers, even though the action of talking to male stranger could be intrinsically non-moral. Thus, it is important to draw a clear boundary between pluralistic moral values and other categories of values, such as cultural pluralism or religious pluralism. The establishment of a minimalist common ground is another important principle in the application of moral pluralism. A minimalist common ground requires that ethics be reduced to its most basic elements, those that are required for every human to behave ethically. Such a methodology is crucial especially in response to a pluralist society today. Before I further reinforce my claim, it is important to recognize a limit of the theory of minimalist ethics. One of the possible fallacies of minimalist ethics is that it implies that an action is ethical as long as it does not hurt anybody. The simplistic and consequentialist nature of this school of ethics provides loopholes for actions done for pure self-interest that indirectly bring negative consequences for others. Thus, the minimalist approach should only be interpreted as a methodology, not as a moral guidance. It is imperative that the minimalist ground should not be manipulated as the sole justification for all kinds of actions. How should a minimalist common ground be established to reinforce the applicability of moral pluralism? We should recognize that no single individual or group has precisely the same perception of truth and reality due to the differences in religious faith, personal experience and other factors. Just as cognitive relativism embraces moral relativism, cognitive diversity promotes different applications of moral values. In moral pluralism, the stress on certain context-independent values requires a certain level of cognitive agreement. To achieve such an agreement, it is pertinent to use a minimalist approach to establish a limit to the scope of acceptable moral grounds among diverse cultures. Such a limit signifies the line between ungrounded perspective (such as superstitions) and rational logic that is based on empirical examination and truths. The truths that are derived empirically, when combined with rationality and universally recognized moral values, form a solid minimalist grou ndwork. William James, a modern advocate of pragmatism, synthesizes the best elements of Empiricism and Idealism. He opposes the prevailing notion of his academic colleagues that only scientific methods can lead to an understanding of the human condition, yet, criticizes any extreme reliance on logic as the sole basis of philosophical truth. In line with his philosophy, the powerful combination of empirical truth and philosophical logic excludes ungrounded practices that are against common humanity. For example, in Southern Sudan, the practice of sacrificing the spear master by the Dinkas became completely unjustified when the tribe survived after the practice was outlawed. Thus, cognitive or cultural perceptions, which deviate from the examined truth and accepted rationality, should be excluded from the common ground. Apart from that, to ensure moral progress, the common ground requires that context-independent values not only supercede cultural practices, but also serve to reform the culture itself. Such a purpose should not be misunderstood as a form of ethnocentrism, which is the point of view that ones own way of life is to be preferred to all others. As John Kekes explains, for pluralism, moral progress occurs with a closer approximation of valued possibilities not just for one particular point of view but for humanity as a whole. Thus, in conclusion, moral pluralism needs a realistic common ground that is based on human beings basic needs, rationality and empirically examined truth. A flexibility with regard to the prioritization of moral values is another principle that should be emphasized to ensure that the goal of the common good be achieved. In Morality, Diversity and Human Rights, Kellenberger explains, For monismtheres only one and only one true ranking. For pluralism, there is a plurality of reasonable rankings in the light of different equally reasonable conceptions of good life. Thus, values that are prioritized in moral pluralism should be distinguished from the pre-established overriding values in moral absolutism or moral monism. The central claim of moral pluralism that there is not a single moral value that is superior to others, should not be seem as justifying the claim that there is no possibility of assigning priority among different moral values according to different contexts. The prioritization of moral values requires an ability to perceive the greatest good and act wisely. Admittedly, such an approach tends to borrow a shade of pragmatism the doctrine that a statement is true and meaningful according to the practical results that would be experienced if that statement were acted upon. However, it is important to recognize that such a flexibility should not be equalized with the extreme form of pragmatism, which normally involves an attempt to wipe out the distinction between different kinds of truths. For a pragmatist, an action is not true because it corresponds to reality; therefore, there is no need to worry what sort of reality that makes that action the right one to perform. Moral pluralism has its metaphysical forms and does not deny the distinction between objective reality and ultimate reality. A flexibility in prioritizing moral values is an antidote of the Kantian principle of the absolute moral law or the assumption of an absolute moral law. The French  utilitarian Benjamin Constant asks Kant to consider whether, in Kants mind, it would not be right to lie to a murderer who asks whether ones friend, who he means to kill, is hiding in ones house. Kant sticks with his opinion and responds that To be truthful (honest) in all declarations, therefore, is a sacred and absolutely commanding decree of reason, limited by no expediency,16 including human life. Such an over-rigid adherence to a single moral  value. Truthfulness defeats the whole purpose of  morality to promote good and eliminate evil. In Absolutism and Its Consequentialist Critics, Joram Graf Haber holds the position that one should be truthful to the murderer under whatsoever circumstances. He argues: If by telling a lie you have prevented murder, you have made yourself legally responsible for all the conseq uences; but if you have held vigorously to the truth, public justice can lay no hand on you, whatever the unforeseen circumstances may be. To me, it is not reasonable to cause an atrocity simply to avoid public responsibility. In fact, to achieve the greater good, it is justified that an individual ould prioritize his or her responsibilities to prevent inhumane acts and protect the good (innocence), with due consideration of the risks and possible consequences. It is important to make a clear distinction between the concept of the greater good, as employed in this theory of ethics, and that of the same term in utilitarianism. In utilitarianism, no actions are intrinsically right or wrong as long as the goal of an action is to achieve the greatest happiness. John Stuart Mill, in Utilitarianism, says, The creed which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. In the concept of prioritizing moral values, one important basis is preserving the goodness and eliminating the evil. Happiness or pleasure is not the sole and ultimate motivation of action. In conclusion, moral pluralism stands out among all types of moral theories presented by Kellenberger. Understanding Kants concept that we will never be able to see the noumena but can only base our principles upon phenomena, I refuse to embrace moral absolutism. This theory leaves the question of what absolute moral command is founded on open and unanswered. Yet, the nature of moral relativism as over-tolerating (all perspectives are equally valid), makes it unrealistic and dysfunctional in reaching the goal of the common good of human kind. This theory denies the fact that judgements are crucial in ensuring social order and harmony. Among all categorizations of moral theories, only moral pluralisms reasonable balance of objectivity, diversity and universality ensures its survival in different cultural, social and spiritual contexts. However, there are still some possible sources of error when moral pluralism is applied in daily life, such as the impossibility of claiming total obje ctivity and the lack of a clear categorization of values that are intrinsically moral. Thus, the three principles proposed above, namely, the unambiguous categorization of moral values, the establishment of a minimalist common ground, and a flexibility with regard to the prioritizing of moral values, must be understood and integrated, to increase the applicability and universality of moral pluralism.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Going global, acting local - communicating global brands to global Essay

Going global, acting local - communicating global brands to global markets - Essay Example ion of countries, ideas, knowledge and cultures of people from all across the world to develop a unique and distinctive market of consumers with almost similar tastes, preferences, interests, lifestyles, attitudes and behaviors towards a particular product or service. In other words, globalisation refers to international division of consumers who are both willing and able to purchase homogeneous products or services offered by different companies. In addition, it could be said that marketers divide all potential buyers in an international context and then formulate and implement their marketing, promotion and advertising strategies to cater those consumers. This process may involve manufacturing or production in other nations to achieve cost effectiveness while selling or promoting the produce in other countries where demand exists. (Medina and Duffy, 1998, 223-243) and (Levitt, 1983, 93-95) and (Fischer, 2003) Localisation is a process of adaptation to a particular geographic region, area, language or culture in an attempt to tap domestic market of a country. It is about giving a ‘local touch or look’ to products or advertising campaigns (that are offered to international buyers) by relating those goods or services to individuals in a specific target market. This process involves developing new products or innovating existing ones, modifying international promotion campaigns and advertising tactics etc after an in-depth analysis of societal taboos, sensitivities, language, demographic factors, culture and desires. This process is sometimes known as Customisation. (Medina and Duffy, 1998, 223-243) and (Baker, 1985, pp. 146-152) Glocalisation is a process that involves the elements of both globalisation and localisation. It is about tinkering away with the international goods or services to suit the tastes and preferences of domestic consumers from different markets across the globe. (Medina and Duffy, 1998, 223-243) It is worthwhile to mention the fact

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Corporate Governance in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Dissertation

Corporate Governance in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Dissertation Example ance and the Role of Auditors in the KSA 26 Synthesis of the Review 28 Chapter 3: Methodology 30 Introduction 30 Research Approach 30 Research Design 30 Specification of Variables 31 Hypotheses 33 Sampling Technique 35 Methods and Materials 36 Reliability and Validity 36 Data-Collection Procedure 36 Ethical Considerations 37 Method of Data Analysis 37 Conclusion 38 Chapter 4: Results and Discussion 39 Introduction 39 Results 39 Discussion 60 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations 65 Conclusions 65 Recommendations 67 List of Tables Table 1. Independent and Dependent Variables 31 Table 2. Demographic Traits 32 Table 3. Research Questions with Corresponding Alternative Hypotheses 33 Table 4. Descriptive statistics: Evaluations of corporate governance (Internal Auditors) 40 Table 5. Descriptive statistics: Facets of the auditor’s role influenced by corporate governance (Internal Auditors) 42 Table 6. T-test: Facets of the auditor’s role influenced by corporate governanc e (Internal Auditors) 43 Table 7a. Coefficient of determination: Evaluations of corporate governance vs. overall success of corporate governance as regards the auditor’s role (Internal Auditors) 44 Table 7b. One-way ANOVA: Evaluations of corporate governance vs. overall success of corporate governance as regards the auditor’s role (Internal Auditors) 45 Table 7c. Beta coefficients: Evaluations of corporate governance vs. overall success of corporate governance to the auditor role (Internal Auditors) 46 Table 8. Descriptive statistics: Evaluations of corporate governance (External Auditors) 47 Table 9. Descriptive statistics: Facets of the auditor’s role influenced by corporate governance (Internal Auditors) 50 Table 10. T-test: Facets of the auditor’s role influenced by corporate governance... Following the major recent scandals involving accountants and their tendency to restate earnings, as well as the collapse of Enron and WorldCom, various calls for reform have been made, particularly in the field of management, external auditing and corporate governance (Brown 2005; Deakin & Konzelmann 2004). Research that delves into the matter at hand has highlighted the importance of the so-called â€Å"corporate governance mosaic†, which generally emphasises the critical role of the interactions among the important parties involved in financial reporting (Ali 1999). Moreover, researchers have given attention to how the corporate governance initiative of organisations significantly affects the processes related to financial reporting and auditing. It has likewise been argued that the auditors, together with the board of directors, must work hand in hand towards the betterment of the auditing process in accordance with the principles of corporate governance (Cohen, Krishnamoo rthy & Wright 2007; Dewing & Russell 2004). Strong corporate governance positively affects the quality of financial reports in a sense that it minimizes the incidence of fraud, fewer restatements and lower earnings of the management (Cohen et al. 2007). The nature and strength with which organisations carry out their initiatives pertaining to corporate governance significantly affect the audit process. Furthermore, actors involved in the advancement of corporate governance initiatives are also likely to be more responsible in ensuring that financial reporting is of high quality (Abbott, Parker & Peters 2004). Finally, it is also through the proper adoption of the principles of corporate governance that auditors are enabled to solve their disputes with clients. The relationship of corporate governance and the role of the auditors has indeed been the subject of many studies (Abbott, Parker & Peters 2004; International Organisations of Securities Commissions). Additionally, researchers who have undertaken studies in relation to the topic have all underscored the fact that the corporate governance system helps in preventing the collapse of corporations. The relationship between the two is also based on the role of auditors in ensuring the quality of the financial reports (Krishnan n.d.). In view of this, this research aims to look into how corporate governance influences the role of the auditors in the context of companies in the KSA.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Factors that motivate employees to work hard Essay

Factors that motivate employees to work hard - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that employee motivation is a subject that is of great concern to employers. Many employers want to find that staffs that are self-motivated to work and value the quality of their output. With such employees on the payroll, management needs to introduce motivational factors and the employees will produce exemplary work. Workers shall be motivated if they can foresee the reward system as long term, and if they feel that as much as the employer is benefitting, the reward scheme is fairly rewarding their input. Many studies have looked at the aspect of motivation for a long period. The studies have held that the motivation is that aspect of giving incentives to another person, to influence the level of activity and productivity of that person. Motivation psychology has dwelt on that aspect of finding out what drives individuals to act the way they do and what makes people to generate continuously positive and productive thoughts while other pe ople are laid back and wait to be directed to what to do. In ancient times, researchers studied motivation using traditional approaches but nowadays, the study has taken a more scientific approach. Earlier studies held that the motivation arose from human instincts to perform certain tasks in a certain way and was mostly psychological. The studies dwelt mostly on the major instincts like meeting deadlines, hunger, fear, as controlling individual behavior.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Carlos Ghosn’s approach to turning Nissan around

Carlos Ghosn’s approach to turning Nissan around In order to give a thorough in-depth evaluation of Carlos Ghosns approach to turning Nissan around I have chosen to apply John Kotters 8-step model to strategic change implementation (Kotter J. P., 1996) displayed below. Kotter is regarded as an authority within the field of organization and change management and I find his model helps securing a comprehensive evaluation. The model is usually used as a forward-looking plan for how to handle a change process, but I will apply it as a retrospective analytical tool to review how the process was handled at Nissan. The first three steps are about creating the right climate for change and making sure the organization is ready to make a move ahead. The next three steps are about engaging and enabling the organization to pursue the strategy. Without support from a large part of the organization, change will not be successful, but equally important the organization needs to be equipped to handle such process change. The last two steps are all about implementing and sustaining change. Without focus on these aspects the organization is in risk of regress. The assignment puts emphasis on organizational and national culture. That is for good reason as I find them central aspects of the challenges Ghosn was facing, when he took over as the first non-Japanese COO of Nissan. Kotters 8-step model does not focus on culture, but it is implicitly handled in several of the steps most noticeable in step two and four. In the conclusion I will sum up the findings in the analysis and explicitly answer the four questions given in the text. 1 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Establish a sense of urgency2 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Form a powerful coalition3 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Create a vision4 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Communicate the vision5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Empower others6 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Plan for and create short-term wins7 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Consolidate improvements8 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Institutionalize changes 3 | P a g e 2. EVALUATION ANALYSIS 2.1 ESTABLISH A SENSE OF URGENCY It is an ill wind that blows no good, this was also the case for the Yamaichi bankruptcy. The misfortune of the major financial house in Japan helped open the eyes of the employees in Nissan. Now the employees realized that lifetime employment was no longer a reality and that they had to do their own part to secure the companys future and thus their own jobs. Ghosn, to his credit, used the Yamaichi example whenever he could to continue to motivate his employees, repeating that their fate would be no different if they did not put all of their effort into figuring out, and then executing, the best way to turn Nissan around. (Millikin Dean, 2003) The bankruptcy was indeed a blessing in disguise for Ghosn as it created the burning platform that according to Kotter is crucial to do change. Change is always accompanied by anxiety for the unfamiliar, but this event made sure the whole organization was aware that status quo is more dangerous for Nissan and each employee than venturing into the unknown. Kotter believes that around half of the failed change efforts can be traced back to step one. If people do not see why change is necessary, then motivation for change will be nonexistent. Moving a huge organization simply by brute force is an impossible task, but Ghosns strike of luck created a powerful momentum that diminished potential resistance to change. 2.2 FORM A POWERFUL COALITION One man cannot change a huge company such as Nissan. Ghosn realized this as well. Even though he had been talking with plant employees and had gained a lot of knowledge about what should be done, he chose not to impose a revival plan on Nissan. He wanted the employees to come up with ideas themselves and to lay down a plan for what was to happen. His establishment of the nine Cross-Functional Teams (CFTs) and their sub-teams created powerful coalitions that were essential in turning the company around. These coalitions mainly consisted of middle managers, but they were empowered because they reported directly to two supervisors from the executive committee, had full access to all 4 | P a g e necessary information, and they had the full support from top management. The cross-functional aspect gave the freedom and insight to create radical changes without being weighted down by the need for conscientiousness and corporation, which is a general characteristic for most Japanese companies including Nissan. This powerful coalition is, according to Kotter, fundamental for a successful change as Ghosn needed protagonists to influence the whole organization and these protagonists needed to have enough impact to counteract the inherent resistance to change. A powerful coalition is especially important in Japanese culture as group harmony is a cornerstone in their work environment. A powerful coalition will have fewer problems, relative to a similar situation in a company in Western culture, converting the minds of opponents as many will act opportunistic and follow the majority or as Ghosn puts it: When you get a clear strategy and communicate your priorities, its a pleasure working in Japan. The Japanese are so organized and know how to make the best of things. They respect leadership. (Millikin Dean, 2003) 2.3 CREATE A VISION According to Ghosn, Nissan had been suffering from management lacking vision and he pointed this out as one of five main issues that he wanted to address. First creating the Nissan Revival Plan and then formulating Nissan 180 was an excellent two-step vision, which was guiding, laying a foundation for decision making, and created a bridge from the present to where he wanted to take the company in the future. The vision helped the employees understand why they had to undergo change by showing what was in store in the future. That they had to change their attention from regaining market shares to focus on customer demands. Not only was Ghosn aggressively launching the Nissan 180 program to transition out of the Nissan Revival Plan program, but he was also pushing a new, customer-focused initiative called Quality3-3-3. (Millikin Dean, 2003) 5 | P a g e Creating a vision that is tangible, concise, and easy to relate to for the employees is key when setting out to change an organization. Detailed plans for what needs to be done are at this point not advisable because they do not create the much needed excitement and enthusiasm, which is so vital. It is important to bear in mind that this step is part of the first three steps, which focus on creating the right climate for change. It is therefore all about talking to peoples feelings and not necessarily to their intellect. Furthermore Kotter stresses that leaders need to walk the walk. Actions often speak louder than words and if leaders want people to follow them, then they must take the lead. Ghosn was aware of this. One issue Ghosn noticed, shortly after arriving at Nissan, was the lack of communication between the layers of the organization, and as the quote below shows Ghosn was prepared to walks the walk himself. He was the first manager to actually walk around the entire company and meet every employee in person, shaking hands and introducing himself. (Millikin Dean, 2003) 2.4 COMMUNICATE THE VISION It is not enough to create a great vision. It also has to be communicated effectively to the organization. It says in the text that Ghosn communicated both NRP and Nissan 180 aggressively and that two of his three philosophies of management are: Transparency an organization can only be effective if followers believe that what the leaders think, say, and do are all the same thing. Communication of company direction and priorities this is the only way to get truly unified effort and buy-in. (Millikin Dean, 2003) Information concerning his methods of communication is unfortunately lacking, but there is no doubt, that he understood the importance of communicating the vision, and results show that he succeeded brilliantly. Ghosn and his coalition managed to reach out to all employees and motivate them to move towards the vision. If he had not been able to communicate 6 | P a g e effectively enough the NRP arguably would not have been the rapid success it turned out to be. The NRP was achieved in March 2002, one year ahead of schedule. (Millikin Dean, 2003) Kotter stresses the importance of having focus on communication of the vision because it will act as a guideline, and if people do not get that information they do not know which direction to go. Because mental images are easier to remember one of the effective ways to get the message across is using metaphors, analogies, and examples. His metaphor of 180 in the Nissan 180 vision is a paragon of virtue in that way. It clearly creates a picture of turning the company around, and incorporating the metrics in the 180 made it easier for employees to remember what they needed to do. 2.5 EMPOWER OTHERS The Japanese culture forced Ghosn to pay extra attention on the empowerment of employees. As mentioned, Japanese business culture is characterized by a search for conscientiousness, corporation, group harmony, and an avoidance of mistakes. This all leads to a delay of decision making and a lack of responsibility. The introduction of CFTs was an attempt to break with the inconveniences of Japanese culture without harassing the fundamentals. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦cultural conflict, if paced and channeled correctly, could provide opportunity for rapid innovation. (Millikin Dean, 2003) People in CFTs got a birds eye perspective of the company and it gave them a sense of ownership and responsibility, which was necessary to turn things around. Ghosn even went as far as to put his own fate in the hands of his employees as he had publicly stated his trust in the employees abilities. He encouraged employees to come forth with their ideas and take risks. This was contradictory to their instincts as it was embedded in the organizational culture not to seek risks and to reach consensus before making a decision. Furthermore, he made organizational changes such as permanent cross-functional departments and matrix organization for higher-level staff, which all emphasized the demand for 7 | P a g e responsibility and accountability. Finally he changed the traditional Japanese compensation system to a more Western approach with possibility for employee advancements based on performance instead of seniority. This greatly empowered the talented employees, which was much needed in this change. In many cases, these midlevel managers enjoyed learning about the business à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and felt fully engaged in the change process, giving them a sense of responsibility and ownership about turning Nissan around. (Millikin Dean, 2003) 2.6 PLAN FOR AND CREATE SHORT-TERM WINS Ghosn excels when it comes to creating short-term wins. His NRP created tremendous results that boosted motivation throughout the organization. One success was a 20% reduction in purchasing costsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the supplier base shrunk by 40% and the service suppliers decreased by 60%. (Millikin Dean, 2003) It is incredibly important that short-term wins are communicated broadly to the organization, so people can see their hard work come to fruition. Often leaders of change hope that short-term success will arise, but according to Kotter it is necessary to actually plan for them. A commitment to create short-term goals has a positive side effect as it increases the sense of urgency throughout the first period. Ghosn did it brilliantly by announcing to the public that the company would show a profit within two years. This is something all employees can understand and it creates a commitment that helps in the realization of his promises. 2.7 CONSOLIDATE IMPROVEMENTS One of Ghosns three management principles is to execute. He states that 95% of the job is about execution. It is not enough to have a strategy if it is not carried out. This is completely in line with Kotters thinking. The consolidation of improvements is all about securing the short-term wins by rooting them in the company and using that as a foundation for further work. At the same time as he declared that the NRP was achieved he announced the Nissan 180. Nissan 180 represented a plan for growth based on the improvements that NRP yielded. 8 | P a g e Now that they had made the necessary improvements, it was time to consolidate and improve further. I think many leaders mistakenly would have left out the second step of Ghosns two-step vision. But if he had done so, the company presumably would have had difficulties rooting the tremendous results and huge changes that were created in such a short time. His timing of the announcement of Nissan 180 was perfect as it kept the momentum going. The Nissan Revival Plan is over. Two years after the start of its implementation, all the official commitments we took have been overachieved one full year ahead of scheduleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Nissan is now ready to grow. 2.8 INSTITUTIONALIZE CHANGES Another of Kotter areas of focus is that changes are often considered finished too early. The organization needs time to really settle in the new ways and if victory is declared too early, then there is a risk of returning to the old ways. Ghosn was aware of that as he was concerned with what will happen when he returned to Renault. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Ghosn contemplates the future, he knows that the transformation has really just begun The momentum and positive energy that have been created from all the success needs to be followed-up by a new vision and new goals. This can potentially be a difficult task because the great success could diminish the employees sense of urgency. Whether or not his successor is able to do so remains unknown, but the fact that Ghosn was aware that there is still a long way to go shows his great insight to problems with turning a company around and institutionalizing changes. 9 | P a g e 3. EVALUATION CONCLUSION Omitting the fact that Kotter introduced his 8-step model in 1995 one could almost suspect that Ghosn had read about Kotters model to strategic change as it looks like he follows them closely. Ghosns ability to establish the right climate for change, engaging and enabling the whole organization, and implementing and sustaining the change in such a large organization is admirable. 1) I think the resistance to change that Ghosn faced was inevitable. Turning a company around as drastically as was needed for Nissan is bound to create resistance. Such a big change makes the future uncertain for many employees and the uncertainty is something many naturally try to avoid. Combining that with strong Japanese traditions, an organizational culture that is hindering innovation and adaptability, and a Japanese government that historically always have bailed out troubled employees, and thereby created a pretext for inaction, only made it worse. Trying to move people, who do not find movement necessary, will unavoidably create tension and resistance. That being said, I think Ghosn handed the resistance to change ideally. 2) I am sure that many parts of the Nissan organization did not feel very good about having Ghosn changing things as drastically as he did. The reduction of 21,000 jobs will inevitably create opponents among the lower level employees as well as higher in the hierarchy. Furthermore, the demotion of Vice President of Sales and Marketing in Japan would presumably create antagonists with more leverage. Throughout the text examples of his no-nonsense approach to leadership shows that he is a tough leader that does not accept failure and he demands that people take responsibility for their actions. I think this kind of approach combined with his philosophies of management and his capacity for global leadership was the key to his success in Nissan and the reason why his opponents were not able to challenge him seriously. Another reason is the respect for leadership that is inherent in most Japanese. This made his approach to leadership even more effective. Finally, his involvement of the CF Ts made sure that he would not be the only one in the line of fire. The delegation of responsibilities to the CFTs helped getting the support of middle and lower levels, so he could focus his attention on top management. 10 | P a g e 3) The national culture has without a doubt played a large part in the outcome of Ghosns attempt to turn Nissan around. On the one hand it hindered change because of the sense of security the government created and its rigid approach to decision making and career advancement. On the other hand the respect for leadership made it easier for him and his CFTs to have an impact on the organization. The cultural differences between Ghosn and the Nissan organization was profound because he had never been exposed to Japanese culture before, but his approach to the culture ensured that he was fully aware of the issues that could arise. He stated that he wanted to discover Japan by being in Japan with Japanese people. That shows his humble and respectful approach to their culture, which I think benefitted him. 4) There is no doubt that Ghosn was lucky. His timing was impeccable as the bankruptcy of Yamaichi happened when he took office as COO in Nissan. This fortunate misfortune paved the way for a major organizational and cultural change that otherwise would have been hard to push through. Without this, Ghosn and his CFTs would probably have faced a much more daunting task. Whether or not they would have been able to power through in spite remains unknown, but having learned about Ghosn leadership abilities I think he would have found a way. All in all I think Carlos Ghosn did an incredible job turning Nissan around in a very short period of time. As a non-Japanese COO he managed to overcome Japanese cultural obstacles, as well as effectively transforming a bureaucratic organizational culture and turning a large continuing deficit into a profit within 18 month. One could question whether his successor will be able to continue what Ghosn started or if he/she needs to find his/her own way. Either way, Ghosn has a justifiable concern for the future of Nissan. They might be on the right path, but they are still far from reaching their goals. 11 | P a g e

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Canterbury Tales The Woman of Bath Essay -- essays papers

Canterbury Tales The Woman of Bath The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer, is a collection of stories in a frame story, between 1387 and 1400. It is the story of a group of thirty people who travel as pilgrims to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Thomas Beckett. The pilgrims, who come from all classes of society, tell stories to each other to kill time while they travel to Canterbury. In the Prologue, it states Chaucer intended that each pilgrim should tell two tales on the way to Canterbury and two tales on the way back. He died before he had a chance to finish his project; however, he did manage to complete twenty-four of the tales including the one supposedly told by the Woman of Bath. The rather promiscuous Woman of Bath told an interesting story which was in keeping with her unique personality. The lewd Woman of Bath was a very intricate cloth-maker who led a very interesting life. She was a member of the urban society and was very successful in her endeavors. She was considered attractive, she had big hips, long hair, gapped teeth, and she was somewhat deaf. She wore tight clothes, a red scarf on her head, red fishnet stockings, and soft new shoes. All of these things, along with the fact that she was very well traveled indicated that she was rather wealthy. The Woman of Bath had five husbands and many more love affairs. Chaucer states that she knows how to remedy love’s problems, an art at which she knew the oldest dances. The Woman of Bath was quit...

Sunday, November 10, 2019

I Never Sang for My Father – Family Therapy

Tom Garrison was a mayor of a small town in Westchester County and highly respected by the community but most did not know that he was distant, cold and egocentric with his family. He had a negative relationship with his own father and idealized his mother. He drove his daughter away when she decided to marry a Jew, and alienated his son with his egocentricity, ritual storytelling and possessiveness. Tom has a history of being abusive toward his children, as Alice described to Gene, â€Å"he beat you when you were a kid. You've hated and feared him all your adult life. † Even Margaret admits that she suffered neglect from her husband. Tom's behavior causes difficulty forming close relationships with his family, and his strained relationship with his son peaks after his wife dies. Neither of them know what to do without her and they start to argue again. He shows two different sides of himself to the world and his family. His history seems to have impacted the way he interacts with his family members. He was distant from his father and is repeating that pattern with his own wife and children. He maintains distance from them and encourages the triangulation between his him, his wife, and his son, because it feels safer for him. He is also triangulated with the television. While he struggled during his childhood, he had become very successful and well respected as an adult. During the film he stated â€Å"early in life I developed a will of iron,† but Tom used that same â€Å"will of iron† to raise and control his children, and even drove away his own daughter because he refused to accept her choice of a husband because he was Jewish. The main conflicts within the family are that everyone fears Tom and that he pushes everyone away by ritually telling the same stories, bragging about his success, and showing little to no interest in his wife and children. His demanding methods and distant emotions prevent him and his grown children from being able to love and communicate with each other. The triangulated relationship begins to become evident when Tom and Gene were in the garage and Tom explained that he received Gene's letters from California. Gene's letters triggered Tom's anxiety about him moving away, so he talks to Gene about his mother, trying to transmit the anxiety onto his mother's health and Tom not being able to care for her in Gene's absence. If you were to go out there, I mean to live, it would kill your mother. God, you know you're her whole life† he said. He makes no statement about what effect it would have on him if Gene moved to California. Tom reinforces Gene as his mother's emotional lifeline because he is distant from both Tom and Margaret and can only work with the other two members by bringing in a second person. When Gene spoke to his mother about it, she confirmed the triangulation and asked him â€Å"wh y doesn't your father just admit that it would upset him? † If I had this family in therapy, I would start with creating a genogram, because I feel that's the least intrusive way to get a holistic picture of the family and help me understand multigenerational patterns. I would try to join the family by asking questions to get everyone on board, such as â€Å"Do you want to continue to react to him in ways that keep conflict going, or would you rather feel more in charge of your life? † to help build an environment conducive to movement and change, and ask the family to role play so that I could see and intervene with how they interact with one another. If the wife was still alive, the goal would be to bring the husband and wife into a closer relationship to prevent the triangulation from continuing. If the wife had already passed then the goal would be to help the remaining three in the family talk about the role of the mother and come up with rules for boundaries so that expectations could be clear and they would have a better understanding of themselves. At the end of the movie Gene and Tom's relationship was very strained, because they didn't have the support of the mother anymore and they were left to deal with their relationship with each other as it was, without her help. When Gene asked Tom to move with him to California, Tom became angry, seeming to feel like â€Å"No one cares about me, I'm just the money making machine. † He refused to go and felt abandoned that Gene had even asked. If Tom had changed his response to Gene's proposal to move to California then it could have seriously impacted the future of the family because Tom and Gene didn't speak very much until he died. Tom could have asked Gene to tell him more about it, to invite a conversation, rather than to receive Gene's suggestion as an attack toward his quality as a father. Or if Tom saw his son's invitation as gesture of affection and had considered moving to California, the quality of their relationship would have likely improved. The story â€Å"I Never Sang For My Father† was touching and easily-personalized. Most families have difficulties trying to attain or maintain an adult relationship with one's parents. The relationship parent-child changes when the child grows into an adult and the child feels more empowered. Tom did not entertain the idea of Gene feeling more empowered as an adult, he treated him more like a child because it helped his ego. I felt angry at the father, seeing him as impossible, ignorant, and stubborn, but it's important for me to note that it's imperative that I'm aware that is my opinion based on projection from past experiences, and that some may become angry with the son for not confronting his father sooner. Keeping these biases in mind is helpful so that I remain neutral during family therapy and I look at the family from a systems perspective, not a â€Å"he's right and she's wrong† perspective. I resonate with this story because I'm an only child and I was triangulated with my parents for a while before my dad passed away. My dad wanted to be the good guy, so he would always go up to my mom to tell her to scold me for doing something, losing something, or anything. This was because my father didn't feel secure enough in himself to be able to scold me and know that we would still have a solid relationship. So in order to make up for his handicap of not being able to give me instructions, he had my mom step in, who was willing to be â€Å"the bad guy,† and had her scold me for him. In the end, he needed my mom to help him communicate with me because he had depended on her for so much. This makes me think of how Gene's mother was the bridge between Gene and his father, and when she died they were stuck with the relationship that they had. Fortunately, in my family center triangulation, my mother and I had a more solid relationship and could talk about things. This makes me think about my future with my spouse. What baggage will I carry with me from my family life? What will I likely triangulate for? I like to say that I have good communication and I don't see a reason to triangulate, but I don't believe myself because I think that the issue doesn't have to be big in order for triangulation to manifest. After watching this movie, I felt like family therapy looks like an impossible feat. I realized how many eyes are on you all the time when you're in session with a family. I imagine that those with social anxiety disorders or therapists who tend to be more introverted don't especially like group therapy or family therapy. If there is one thing that I take away from this class, it's that everything happens for a reason in a family. Everything manifests for a purpose, to serve some function in the family.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Is Recycling an Environmentally and Economically Sound essays

Is Recycling an Environmentally and Economically Sound essays Is Recycling an Environmentally and Economically Sound Waste Management Strategy? Identify the relevance of the issue to the food, agriculture, and/or natural resource system The issue effects the all three of these systems because recycling effects natural resources. By recycling the amount of natural resources that we use would decrease. Food and agriculture use a lot of recyclable materials that can be recycled. But if it to expensive to recycle then there is really no real reason to do it. We depend on natural resources for our everyday life. From wrapping food in plastic or paper to distributing farm materials in them. This is a tough issue cost wise. If the cost was not so high to recycle there would be no problem with it. Address what is known about the issue The pro side of this issue says that the cost of recycling is so high compared to hailing all trash to landfills does not equal out very well. He argues that the cost of transferring recycled materials is a lot more then just taking a combined load of trash. He says that density of the recycled materials is low and trucks still have to travel those same routs which makes it tough is very expensive is you do not get full loads or garbage. He argues that by not recycling you would be still helping out the environment. Less trucks putting out CO2 would reduce the amount of air pollution. Also by decreasing the frequency of pickups will help out the cost some but people would loss the drive to save and recycle then. Another way to reduce cost is to use the same trucks as the garbage pickup service. There is for now no clear cost solution for this problem The pro side to this issue is that landfills are filling up at an alarming rate and we need to do something about it as quick as we before it is too late. A way to do this is by recycling. Recycling helps restore natural resources and reduce the amount of garbage in landfills which give out gr...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Ultrasonic flowmeters in custody transfer and fiscal measurements of natural gas The WritePass Journal

Ultrasonic flowmeters in custody transfer and fiscal measurements of natural gas Introduction Ultrasonic flowmeters in custody transfer and fiscal measurements of natural gas IntroductionULTRASONIC FLOW METERS (USM’S)REFERENCESRelated Introduction As oil and gas flow from numerous wells owned by different firms are merged into one flow line, it is usually necessary to meter the production from the firms separately before it enters the common processing facility (flow line). Actors in this field have to measure the raw materials (crude oil/natural gas) and the finished products (PMS, DPK, etc.) accurately, for the reason that they pay for what comes in and get paid for what goes out and any tiny deviation in their measurements could cost them a huge sums of money per annum. The concept of custody transfer as defined by Dupuis and Hwang (2010) is the transfer of ownership of fluids from one party to another. It is the point at which ownership changes hands for the products being measured. On the other hand fiscal (custody transfer) measurements are the basis for money transfer, either between company and government or between two companies (NFOGM, 2005). In general, custody transfer involves industry standards, National Metrology standards, contractual agreements between parties involved and government regulations and taxation. The flow meters are the measurement instruments used to determine the quantity of flow within the system and various forms of it are used in custody transfer applications among which are ultrasonic meters, coriolis meters, turbine meters, positive displacement meters etc. This piece of exercise will look into some works on ultrasonic and flow meters which is among the most common flow meters in application. ULTRASONIC FLOW METERS (USM’S) Ultrasonic metering technology could be broadly classified into three viz- transit time, Doppler and cross correlation technology. In his work on multipath ultrasonic flow meters for gas measurement, Farestvedt (2003) states that ultrasonic technology uses sound at higher frequencies than what the human ear can hear ( 20 kHz). Most natural gas Ultrasonic meters (USMs) use frequencies around 100-200 kHz, while liquid USMs are in the 1 GHz range. Multipath USMs utilize a minimum of three pairs of transducers; with primary application being fiscal and custody transfer metering of gas and liquid. Lansing (2008) opined that the use of USM’s for fiscal applications has grown substantially over the past several years due in part to its accuracy (0.1%), large turndown (typically 50.1), non-intrusiveness, low maintenance cost, fault tolerant capabilities and integral diagnostics i.e. data for ascertaining the condition of the meter is accessible. Drenthen and de Boer (2010) in their re search work attributed the aforesaid successes of the ultrasonic technology to the manufacturing methods and procedures that result in tight tolerances in the geometry of the meter. While the accuracy of the meter is largely a function of the quality of the geometry and accuracy of the time measurement, the stated performance of the meter can be guaranteed based on a dry calibration only. Therefore, they went further to determine the influence of the manufacturing tolerances on the uncertainty of the measurement, in which their findings have shown that the geometry and dimension of the meter body and the Reynolds (profile correction) factor are the significant sources of uncertainty. A dry calibration procedure performed yields a reproducibility of 0.3% which corresponds to the uncertainty, thus, with high quality fabrication and advanced calibration methods a USM of high fidelity could be achieved. Calibration of an ultrasonic flow meter for natural gas measurement is conducted under the prevailing atmosphere at the flow calibration facility. Most of the systems use natural gas flowing in a pipeline; therefore it is usually impossible to alter parameters such as temperature, pressure and gas composition, each of which has an effect on the speed of sound. Freund et al (2002) investigated whether or not the calibration is still valid if those parameters are modified. They conducted a number of carefully controlled calibrations to measure the effect of changes in these parameters on the calibration of the USM’s initially calibrating a 200mm (8 inch) and two 300 mm (12 inch) ultrasonic meters in the High Pressure Loop at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) utilizing natural gas at 2.8 MPa (400 psi) which was then changed to nitrogen, providing a 16% change in the speed of sound, equivalent to a natural gas pressure of 4.6 MPa (667 psi). Further test were done at different pr essures using nitrogen. Their findings showed that the change in the speed of sound over the pressure range was within 0.03% of the calculated value. Moreover the test was performed at different temperatures for both the nitrogen and natural gas and calibrations were performed. It was realised that the ultrasonic meters was insensitive to change in speed of sound, temperature and pressure. Hence, they concluded that the calibration of an ultrasonic meter at one set of conditions does not affect its accuracy when it’s been utilized under another, including using different gases. However accumulation of contamination in the pipeline conveying the gas affects the accuracy of the meter as corroborated by Gorman (2006) and Zanker and Brown (2000), it reduces the internal diameter, shorten the transient time and hence a higher velocity reading and changes in the velocity profile due to surface roughness, but with regular maintenance of the pipeline, this anomaly could be avoided. In several years, ultrasonic meters have become one of the fastest growing new technologies in the natural gas arena and having established that the USM’s could perform well under different operating conditions, it is paramount to look further to see how it functions in the measurement of gas for custody transfer purposes. When using a USM for custody transfer of natural gas, the following factors should be considered for effective fiscal metering to be achieved.   The Meter tube alignment to and away from the ultrasonic sensor must be aligned perfectly. American Gas Association Article 9 allows the tube-to-meter match to be within 1.0%. Noise emanating from control valves can interfere with an ultrasonic sensor’s measurement, so a good practice is to place valves downstream of meters (if possible), put as much distance as possible between valves and meters, and put some bends in the piping to reduce noise. â€Å"Noise trap† tees are very effective in reducing valve noise. Temperature sensors location of is critical for maximum accuracy. For gas, AGA 9 recommends the thermowell be installed between two and five diameters downstream of the flowmeter in a uni-directional system, and three diameters from the meter in a bidirectional installation. One flowmeter is designated as the flow prover. This is a flowmeter of exceptional accuracy, and one that has been calibrated and tested recently and lastly a flow computer which performs the industry-standards flow calculations and serves as the cash register of the entire system (Dupuis and Hwang). In conclusion, it could be seen from the analysis of the various researches and writings on ultrasonic flow meters that despite the fact that it has a very high accuracy level typically less than 0.1% (Drenthen and de Boer, 2010) and can operate under different conditions, its performance could be affected by the accumulation of contaminants in the pipeline conveying the natural gas. REFERENCES Dupuis, E., Hwang, G., Custody Transfer: Flowmeter as a Cash Register, Control Engineering [online] Available at controleng.com/index.php?id=483cHash=081010tx_ttnews[tt_news]=39535 [Accessed 11 April 2011] Norwegian Society for Oil and Gas Measurements, 2005, handbook of Multiphase Flow meterinng.[pdf].2nd ed. Stocholm. Available at nfogm.no/docup/dokumentfiler/MPFM_Handbook_Revision2_2005_(ISBN-82-91341-89-3).pdf [Accessed 11 April 2011] Drenthen, J.G., de Boer, G., (2001), The manufacturing of ultrasonic flow meters, Flow Measurement and Instrumentation 12(2001), pp. 89-99 Freund et al., (2002), North Sea Flow measurement Workshop, Operation of Ultrasonic Flow Meters at Conditions Different Than Their Calibration, [pdf] Available at http://letton-hall.com/docs/publications_docs/Operation%20of%20Ultrasonic%20Flow%20Meters%20at%20Conditions%20Different%20Than%20Their%20Calibration.pdf [Accessed 10 April 2011] Gorman, J., (2006), Contaminant Accumulation Effect on Gas Ultrasonic Flow Meters International School of Hydrocarbon Measurement Class #1340 [pdf] Available at ceesi.com/docs_library/events/ishm2006/Docs/1340.pdf [Accessed 10 April 2011] Zanker, J. k., Brown, G.J., (2000), North Sea Flow measurement Workshop, The Performance of a Multi-Path Ultrasonic Meter With Wet Gas [pdf] Available at http://letton-hall.com/docs/publications_docs/THE%20PERFORMANCE%20OF%20A%20MULTIPATH%20ULTRASONIC%20METER%20WITH%20WET%20GAS.pdf[Accessed 10 April 2011]

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Revising and Editing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Revising and Editing - Essay Example When revising a paper, one needs to focus beyond the simple grammar issues such as punctuation, spellings, and vocabulary use. Instead, revision must involve revisiting the paper and working on the weaknesses in the paper. First, one should ensure that the structure and organization of the paper is correct, with no component missing. The introduction, thesis statement, and conclusion must all be in place. Bearing the assignment topic in mind, one must read the paper to ensure the content of the writing marries the assignment topic. This is important to avoid irrelevance. The flow of ideas from topic to topic in the paper is also paramount during revision. One may also focus on the transitioning between paragraphs as an aspect that enhances flow of work. In addition, one must check that their ideas in the paper, as well as their arguments are in line with their thesis statement. Since revision is an involving process, one may need to re-write paragraphs to bring them to right desired standards.Revising mainly serves the function of ensuring that the presentation of the writing to the audience is effective. This is why revision focuses on the readability of the writing, the clarity of the work, as well as the logic of the paper. Failure to focus on these during revision may lead to misrepresentation and misinterpretation of the ideas, irrelevance in the work, and generally a poor quality paper. Editing, on the other hand takes a different focus on the paper. It mainly entails proofreading the work.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Should Public Schools Offer Single Sex Instruction Essay

Should Public Schools Offer Single Sex Instruction - Essay Example However, such efforts were futile until in 2001 following re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).  This re-authorization of the ESEA came in the form of the No Child Left  Behind (NCLB) ACT of 2001 (Bixler, 2005). The purpose of the NCLB was to elevate achievement and bridge gaps in achievement. Table of Contents Abstract 1 Table of Contents 2 Introduction 2 The Controversy 3 The Case for Single Gender Instruction 5 The Case against Single Gender Instruction 7 Conclusion 9 Introduction Gender prejudice in education is a menacing predicament that causes only the minority of individuals to confront it or take notice. The losers of this prejudice have been educated to be passive and silent, and are consequently reluctant to stand up and confront the unjust treatment they received. Educators are by and large ignorant of their own prejudiced instructional conduct because they are merely instructing how they were educated, and the delicate gender discrimination found in instructional materials are frequently overlooked (Davis, 2002). Boys and girls today are getting unequal and separate educations as a result of the gender socialization that occurs in schools. Unless educators are enlightened over gender-role socialization, as well as the prejudiced messages they are inadvertently imparting to their students daily, and until educators are presented with the resources and methods requisite to abolish gender bias in their schools and classrooms, girls will go on with receiving an unbalanced education (Sultana, Lazim, & Sohaimi, 2011). This paper posits to investigate whether public schools should offer single-sex instruction with a focus on supporting single-sex instruction. The Controversy The U.S. Department of Education in March 2004, published review regulations that were intended to govern the operation of the single-sex schools or classes. The regulations stipulated that: a) Coeducational schools that would operate singl e-sex classes should present  an underlying principle for the classes. b) They were obliged to offer either single-sex classes for the unattended gender or coeducational classes in the same subject matter at the same school. c) They were obliged to perform  periodic reviews to establish if the environment still rendered the single-sex classes necessary. Several studies exhibit that the momentum for single gender instruction in both contexts affected the curriculum, pedagogy, and organization in each school, as well as the educators’ ideologies concerning gender. Ultimately, the politics around the legislation, as well as the resource interest of school and district administration, and the absence of institutional support for the gender-based reform merged to structure the downfall of the majority of the single gender schools. In the present day, perhaps increasingly aggressively than before, the public schools are beleaguered for apparently failing to enforce academic rig or. These schools are also under pressure for allegedly contributing to the moribund societal, moral values. In rejoinder to these issues, several policy makers have pressed for the development of school choice in the public school structure. In recent times, the choice proponents have embraced single gender ins