Healthcare for Immigrants: A Policy to Benefit Everyone Essay -- Immig

Today, the United States faces spending issues at nearby, state, and national levels. Before long, Congress will cast a ballot whether to raise the national obligation roof, planning to maintain a strategic distance from defaults on advances and making further damage a drooping economy. While government spending slices should be made should the roof be lifted or not, cuts are additionally being felt on a neighborhood level, even in places like instruction. While not totally answerable for these issues, there are more than 12 million illicit foreigners living in the United States. Lamentably, about 59% of them don't have medical coverage. With 25% of lawful settlers uninsured, that makes an enormous populace that can't look for or get legitimate clinical treatment (Wolf, 2008). Fixing this issue will probably never turn the economy around, yet with states making intense spending cuts that influence enormous quantities of the populace, something must be done about the measure of govern ment and state dollars that are going toward clinical treatment for illicit outsiders. In 2004, an investigation indicated that California was paying over $1.4 billion yearly to take care of clinical expenses for uninsured illicit outsiders. Indeed, even states like Colorado and Minnesota were seen as paying out $31 million and $17 million individually (Wolf, 2008). With no severe national enactment pending in regards to this issue, these numbers will probably ascend with the convergence of more workers. From 2001-2004 spending for crisis Medicaid for unlawful settlers rose 28% in North Carolina (Wolf, 2008). Illegals can get crisis care through Medicaid, a program for poor and debilitated individuals, yet can't get non-crisis care except if they pay; they are ineligible for most different advantages. In 2003, Congress appropriated $1 billion ... ... get care without installment should likewise be maintained a strategic distance from. At the point when that Medicinal services FOR IMMIGRANTS 8 cash originates from state financial plans by the a huge number of dollars, it messes up effectively strict spending plans. A strategy must be embraced that makes treatment accessible and reasonable, guides patients to the correct social insurance suppliers, neglects to put the budgetary weight on citizens, and permits sickly individuals to get care as an essential human right. That will require intense choices and noteworthy trade offs from each one of those with something in question. All things considered, another strategy would be superior to any other options, incorporating remaining with the current framework. This nation can't keep on paying huge dollars concerning human services for settlers when slices are being made to neighborhood and national financial plans.

Tourism, Leisure or Events Organisations in Attempting To Improve Essay

The travel industry, Leisure or Events Organizations in Attempting To Improve Service Quality - Essay Example In this paper, two the travel industry organizations have been talked about which incorporate the GTi Travel Goup and Thomas Cook Group plc that give the travel industry benefits in the market portion of the UK. In such manner, certain procedures are prescribed to the organizations with the intention of improving their exhibitions considerably. In addition, these procedures will help these two organizations in improving their image picture just as to build up their offered administration quality. Chapter by chapter guide Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 3 1. Presentation 4 2. Basic Evaluation of Strategies 5 2.1 Positioning Strategy 5 2.2 Communication Strategy 6 2.3 Supply Chain Management 8 2.4 Human Resource Management (HRM) 10 3. End 12 4. References 13 5. Book reference 16 1. Acquaintance Tourism is resolved with be perhaps the biggest business worldwide and it is likewise viewed as one of the significant components towards the improvement of financial conditions and work o pen doors for both creating and created nations. Administration quality in the travel industry is viewed as a crucial factor so as to gain intensity in the offered types of assistance. The primary target of administration quality is to decide the desires just as the inclinations of clients and to offer types of assistance as per their requirements and inclinations (Mohamed, 2006). The GTi Travel Group is one of the chief organizations in the travel industry segment for abroad guests in the United Kingdom (UK). The organization is perceived to give proficient just as incentive for cash administrations for abroad guests. In such manner, the global guests can have a superior standpoint of Europe and Britain and the visit bundles of the organization run from one to thirty days (GTi Travel Group, 2013). Thomas Cook is a movement organization in the UK and it is created with the merger of MyTravel Group plc and Thomas Cook AG. It is one of the famous the travel industry organizations with having clients of around 23 million who went with the gathering in the earlier year for example 2012 (Thomas Cook Group plc, 2013). The paper expects to examine the systems which could be received by GTi Travel Group and Thomas Cook Group plc with the goal of upgrading their administration quality. 2. Basic Evaluation of Strategies The systems that can be received by the GTi Travel Group and Thomas Cook Group plc are required to be broke down with the aim of deciding the activities attempted so as to improve the exhibition of these travel industry organizations as to support quality. These organizations are recognized to be well known bundled visit offering organizations in the UK. With regards to changing situation of the worldwide business, the parts of consumer loyalty, client relations, administration structure and above all help quality have increased massive noteworthiness. Subsequently, organizations, for example, GTi Travel Group and Thomas Cook require to guarantee that th ey side by side with prerequisites of the clients with prevalent nature of contributions. In such manner, the suggested techniques are depicted as follows: 2.1 Positioning Strategy The GTi Travel Group can receive a situating methodology with the target of improving the brand picture just as serious situation of the organization in the UK the travel industry advertise. The situating methodology involves three techniques which incorporate market investigation just as inner examination alongside contender investigation. In such manner, the GTi Travel Group ought to dissect the economic situations as for the inclinations just as necessities of clients as to goals (Alford, 1998). It has been perceived that the interest for the administrations offered by the travel industry organizations has expanded extensively as of late. With the expansion in the measure of dispensable salaries of an enormous area of

Blog Archive Friday Factoid Columbia Business Schools Increasingly Flexible First-Year Curriculum

Blog Archive Friday Factoid Columbia Business Schools Increasingly Flexible First-Year Curriculum The Columbia Business School (CBS) first-year curriculum was at one time very rigidâ€"all first-year students took all their core courses with their cluster, unless they were able to pass an exemption exam. (Each core course has a corresponding exemption exam, and no limit is placed on the number of exams students can take, though we learned that students rarely test out of more than three core classes.) Students complained, however, that this rigid core curriculum system meant that they could take only one elective course their first year, which could put them at a disadvantage when competing for summer internships. For example, previously, a CBS student who accepted a summer internship at a bank may have taken only one finance elective by the end of his/her first year, but that student’s counterparts on the internship from other schools may have taken two or three, thus potentially putting the CBS student at a disadvantage with regard to being considered for a full-time job at th e end of the internship. So, after an intense process of research and evaluation, CBS launched its new core curriculum in the fall of 2008. Now, in the first semester of the core, first-year students take full terms of “Corporate Finance” and “Financial Accounting” and half terms of “Managerial Statistics,” “Managerial Economics,” “Strategy Formulation,” “Marketing Strategy,” “Operations Management” and “Leadership Development.” In the second semester of the first-year core, the curriculum involves half terms of “Global Economic Environment,” “Decision Models” and “Managing Marketing Programs.” Students also pick three additional half-term classes from a menu of courses in the categories of markets, performance and organizations (one from each)â€"called flex-core coursesâ€"and then any two full-term electives they wish. This revised curriculum was developed in response to student feedback that a full term was not needed to cover the “core” elements in certain courses, and the change has given students significantly more flexibility in the first year. CBS has thereby attempted to find a middle ground, where students learn what it regards as fundamentals while having the latitude to specialize and, anecdotally, students have responded favorably. For a thorough exploration of what CBS and other top U.S. business schools have to offer, please check out the  mbaMission Insider’s Guides  series. Share ThisTweet Columbia University (Columbia Business School) Friday Factoids Blog Archive Friday Factoid Columbia Business Schools Increasingly Flexible First-Year Curriculum The Columbia Business School (CBS) first-year curriculum was at one time very rigidâ€"all first-year students took all their core courses with their cluster, unless they were able to pass an exemption exam. Students complained, however, that this rigid core curriculum system meant that they could take only one elective course their first year, which could put them at a disadvantage when competing for summer internships. For example, previously, a CBS student who accepted a summer internship at a bank may have taken only one finance elective by the end of his/her first year, but that student’s counterparts on the internship from other schools may have taken two or three, thus potentially putting the CBS student at a disadvantage with regard to being considered for a full-time job at the end of the internship. So, after an intense process of research and evaluation, CBS launched a more flexible core curriculum in the fall of 2008. Beginning in the fall of 2013, CBS implemented further changes to its core curriculum, including an increased emphasis on cross-disciplinary thinking, in addition to even more flexibility. The revamped core courses also make greater use of online teaching tools in an attempt to “free up more classroom time for deeper dives and discussions,” as an August 2013 Poets Quants article explains. In the second semester of the first year, students can pick three full-term electives and two half-term electives, replacing the school’s previous “flex-core” configuration and allowing students to better prepare for summer internships. In addition, students may take exemption exams in areas in which they are already proficient, thereby opting to replace core courses with electives. This revised curriculum was developed in response to student feedback that a full term was not needed to cover the “core” elements in certain courses, and the change has given students significantly more f lexibility in the first year. CBS has thereby attempted to find a middle ground, where students learn what the school considers fundamentals while having the latitude to specialize, and anecdotally, students have responded favorably. For a thorough exploration of what CBS and other top U.S. business schools have to offer, please check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides series. Share ThisTweet Columbia University (Columbia Business School) Friday Factoids Blog Archive Friday Factoid Columbia Business Schools Increasingly Flexible First-Year Curriculum The Columbia Business School (CBS) first-year curriculum was at one time very rigidâ€"all first-year students took all their core courses with their cluster, unless they were able to pass an exemption exam. (Each core course has a corresponding exemption exam, and no limit is placed on the number of exams students can take, though we learned that students rarely test out of more than three core classes.) Students complained, however, that this rigid core curriculum system meant that they could take only one elective course their first year, which could put them at a disadvantage when competing for summer internships. For example, previously, a CBS student who accepted a summer internship at a bank may have taken only one finance elective by the end of his/her first year, but that student’s counterparts on the internship from other schools may have taken two or three, thus potentially putting the CBS student at a disadvantage with regard to being considered for a full-time job at th e end of the internship. So, after an intense process of research and evaluation, CBS launched a more flexible core curriculum in the fall of 2008. Beginning in the fall of 2013, CBS will implement further changes to its core curriculum, including an increased emphasis on online components and cross-disciplinary thinking, in addition to even more flexibility. The course “Leadership,” which was previously known as “Leadership Development” and was offered during the second half of the first term, is now a pre-term course students take during orientation. Although this course spans only one week, it entails the same number of in-class hours as its previous half-term iteration. Then, in the first semester of the core, first-year students take full terms of “Accounting” and “Finance” and half terms of Statistics,” “Strategy,” “Marketing 1,” “Microeconomics,” “Macroeconomics” and a new course called “Business Analytics” (which replaced the “Decision Models” course in the old core curriculum). CBS has thereby attempted to find a middle ground, where students learn what it regards as fundamentals while having the latitude to specialize, and anecdotally, students have responded favorably. For a thorough exploration of what CBS and other top U.S. business schools have to offer, please check out the  mbaMission Insider’s Guides  series. Share ThisTweet Columbia University (Columbia Business School) Friday Factoids

An Analysis of the Movie, Double Impact Essays - 729 Words

An Analysis of the Movie, Double Impact The movie opens twenty-five years ago in Hong Kong. The parents of two twin babies, Alex and Chad, had borrowed money from Raymond Zhang and Nigel Griffith, two lead smugglers. They needed the money in order to build a tunnel between Hong Kong and the mainland. After the tunnel was built and the money collected, Nigel Griffith and Raymond Zhang had a gang of hit men massacre Alex and Chads family. Frank Avery, a friend of the family, races into the scene and finds the parents already dead. The two babies are in the back seat with a maid. She takes Alex and flees the scene. Frank sees Chad left behind and takes him and runs. Twenty-five years after†¦show more content†¦Alex arrives and head butts Chad. When Chad revives from being knocked unconscious, Frank convinces the two brothers to help avenge the deaths of their parents. The setting for this movie is very appropriate. They are in Hong Kong where the laws are not up to par with the American Style. This allows the corrupt trades of Zhang, Griffith, and Alex to go on hardly disturbed by the Hong Kong police. The dominant theme in Double Impact is vengeance and it is seen quite readily once the action gets rolling. Alex and Chad are out to kill Zhang and Griffith for the massacre of their parents. As the movie rolls on, Alex becomes suspicious of Chad because he thinks that he is playing around with his girlfriend Danielle. We see Alexs thoughts of Chad with Danielle as he becomes drunker and his mind imagines that they are having sex together. These thoughts enrage Alex and he fights his own brother. The whole movie was directed and acted very well considering Chad and Alex are both played by the same person, Jean-Claude Van Damme, which justifies the movies name, Double Impact. The main character Jean-Claude Van Damme plays more roles than just casting. He is also the fight choreographer and one of the producers. His talent of kickboxing has come through in his first great achievement where he played as Frank Dux inShow MoreRelatedDeception In The Movie Deception819 Words   |  4 PagesMovie Analysis: The Prestige Deception: The importance of Deception in Magic, and also its importance in certain movies Deception, what is it? According to dictionary.com, deception is: â€Å"to mislead by a false appearance or statement.† By this definition, deception is often used in many movies. However, deception is used quite often in The Prestige. We see this in many forms, from the main characters to the simple things like the magic tricks, but why is deception so important in magic and moviesRead MoreAnalysis Of Django Unchained And 12 Years A Slave1543 Words   |  7 PagesAt first, I wanted to analyze the movie Django Unchained and how it took a somewhat satirical approach on slavery and how slaves were treated in the 19th century. But when I saw 12 Years a Slave, and how it took a more serious approach on how slavery was in the 19th century. There were a lot of compare and contrasts that came up as I finished watching both films. So nonetheless, this is a double feature analysis on Django Unchained and 12 Years a Slave. Here I will summarize and discuss about theRead Moretravelodge analysis and pest analysis Essay1685 Words   |  7 Pageswill be providing a detailed analysis of the existing Budget Hotel market, and how to improve the competiveness of the Travelodge UK, the second largest Budget Hotel chain in the United Kingdom, Second Premier Inn. This report will contain the following, a profile of the organisation’s current target market, which will include demographic, psychographic, geographic and behavioural variables. 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Sam Weinberg; played byRead MoreAs Eric Schlosser Once Stated In An Interview, â€Å"Fast Food1053 Words   |  5 Pageshamburger joint, was the first restaurant to open in Wichita, Kansas. Eric Schlosser (2001), writer for Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, a well-known author of many other books, and a producer and writer for the popular Netflix movie â€Å"Food, Inc† (2008) stated that, OVER THE LAST THREE DECADES, fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American society. An industry that began with a handful of modest hot dog and hamburger stands in southern California has spread to everyRead MoreEastwoods Sudden Impact Film Analysis1579 Words   |  7 Pages In the first scene of Eastwood’s Sudden Impact, the audience is presented with a scene in which a car is surrounded by thick, dark fog, making the background difficult to make out. If not for the diegetic sound of the crashing waves a few hundred feet below the edge of the near by precipice, the audience would have a lack of sense of location. Already, the scene has an ominous feel to it thanks to the darkness of the scene and the remoteness of the location where nobody is there to witness whatRead MoreThe Social Marketing Aspects Of Twitter1209 Words   |  5 Pagesimpacting its Twitter community. For instance, having too many campaigns without replying to customers’ opinions will c ultivate negative sentiment among the community. Generally, both contend that increasing the number of followers will potentially impact the Twitter community and subsequently raise the brand awareness. 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The Language Of Persuasion, Advertising, And Advertising

Known as the language of persuasion, advertisements have been speaking to us consumers for as long as anyone can remember. We are constantly being bombarded by big corporations to buy their products and services. No medium is left untouched; television, social media, radio, billboards, and even other people are used as vehicles for messages a given company is trying to reinforce. With the advent of technology, it has become increasingly difficult for companies to stand out to consumers in an impactful fashion. Apple Computer managed to do just that with their ‘Get a Mac’ campaign that launched in 2006; these 62 advertisements used a combination of humor, ethos, pathos, and logos to sell upscale computers to the market at an alarmingly†¦show more content†¦Human judgment is much more easily swayed by negative humor than by positive information, and the ‘Get a Mac’ campaign reinforced that idea perfectly. Apple personified Windows computers as stiff a nd old fashioned. Hodgman played the role marvelously; viewed as a shallow befuddled nerd decked out in drab uncomfortable clothing he managed to represent the vast majority of Windows users in a comical light (Moren). On the other hand, Apple represented Justin Long as a young, friendly, confident individual who wears designer clothes and that thrusts his hands in his jean pockets in a calm and collective fashion (Moren). In each of the advertisements Hodgman is on the left while Long is on the right, and they are featured against a plain white background. This simplistic stylistic choice allowed the audience to focus on the subject at hand, and leave no distractions while delivering the message of a superior computer. The charm of these 30-second commercials comes from Apple’s clever implementation of humor to an otherwise boring topic that is computers. They made the subject of computers interesting to computer fanatics and novices alike. For example, in the advertisement entitled ‘Virus’ Hodgman is seen sniffling into a tissue, he warns Long to stay away from him claiming that he doesn’t want to pass the illness (Nudd). Long says he isn’t worried since heShow MoreRelatedHumor and Persuasion1318 Words   |  6 PagesHumor and Persuasion July 30, 2012 COM 323 Humor and Persuasion Do you think of yourself as funny, humorous or a joker of sorts? Many people feel they have what it takes to bring humor to different situations. Usually humor is used to lighten a mood or attitude and often makes people feel happy. Understanding that humor can play a very important role in speech enhance the awareness of the proper means and tactics in which to use humor. Persuasion often includes various forms of humorRead MoreHumor and Persuasion1517 Words   |  7 PagesCOMM 323 Persuasion amp; Argumentation Professor Megan Trexler February 11, 2013 Humor and Persuasion Humor as it pertains to persuasion is a tactics that is used to get the audience in a good mood, to make them more comfortable, and maybe easier to be persuaded. The use of humor in many aspect of the world has shown to have positive effects, and the use of humor in the art of persuasion would be extremely effective in the presentation. With the addition of humor to the persuasion presentationRead MoreCross-Cultural Communication Essay1173 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction For the course of International Management the following assignment has been giving with the objective to select a topic in the field of International Management. The topic for this paper is Cross-cultural Communication in Marketing/advertising. 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The advertisement only shows half of his face, but the color in his face has been lightened so it has a gray tint. To the right, where the other half of his face should be, t here is a stop sign. The stop sign is bright red, and below the stop signRead MoreCritique on Advertising in Our Society1034 Words   |  5 PagesCritique On Advertising In Our Society A critique on the impact of advertising in our society. Consider visuals and verbal or written language. (1000 words) The impact of advertising on our society is a fiercely debated topic, and has been ever since the conception of advertising in its most basic form. There are negative and positive social and economic impacts upon society from advertising in its various forms. For instance, advertising promoting public welfare has a positive social impactRead MoreAmerican Rock N Roll Essay1578 Words   |  7 Pagesmodern consumerism with advertising. How has modern consumerism advertising affected our lives? 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Essay about suicide - 2105 Words

Suicide Suicide is a significant cause of death in many western countries. Attempts at suicide, and suicidal thoughts or feelings are usually a sign indicating that a person is not coping, often as a result of some event or series of events that they personally find prostrating traumatic or distressing. Most people who attempt suicide are confused about whether or not they want to die. They usually are desperate to find a way to remove or stop emotional pain. A suicide attempt is often a cry for help that ends in a tragedy. In eight out to ten suicides the person has spoken about their intent before killing themselves. In many cases, their impact can be mitigated, or their prostrating mind will gradually decrease if the person is†¦show more content†¦Page 166) Having suicidal thoughts does not imply that you are crazy, or necessarily mentally ill. People who attempt suicide are often acutely distressed and the vast majority are depressed to some area. This depression may be either a reactive depression which is an entirely normal reaction to difficult surroundings, or may be an sad depression which is the result of a diagnosable mental illness with other fundamental causes. It may also be a combination of the two. The question of mental illness is a difficult one because both these kinds of depression may have similar symptoms and effects. Furthermore, the exact definition of depression as a diagnosable mental illnesses tends to be slightly flowing and inexact, so whether a person who is distressed enough to attempt suicide would be suffering from dental office depression may vary in different peoples opinions, and may also vary between cultures. â€Å"On the basis of the low suicide rates in Catholic countries and among orthodox Jewish communities, McAnarney (1979) suggested that religious culture may influence the suicide rate.quot; (Suicide and Attempted suicide among children and Adolescents, Keith Hawton. 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Suicide is defined as an act of one intentionally killing themselves. Why is suicide such a big problem? Well, suicide takes the lives of nearly 40,000 Americans every year; also it is more likely someone will die from suicide than from homicide. For every two people killed by homicide, three people die of suicide. Children young as 10 years of age have evenRead MoreTeen Suicide And Suicide1145 Words   |  5 Pagesthem? Today suicide is one of the most prevalent causes of death for teenagers in the United states. The suicide rates for teens are astronomical. Writer Stephanie Pappas mentions teen suicide rates in her article Suicide: Statistics, Warning Signs and Prevention. 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Suicidal ideation (SI), suicidal thoughts, were surveyed in over 12 high schools and it was found that in the past year, thoughts of (SI) were not shared withRead MoreThe Theory Of Suicide And Suicide1339 Words   |  6 Pagesthat suicide rates skyrocket progressively across all age: children and adolescent (McClure, 1994), Middle-age (Manton et al., 1987) and the elderly (Draper, 1996), studying suicide have become an important issue in sociology. Suicide is a complex issue which may combine several factors such as development factors, social factors, and culture factors (Goldsmith, 2002). However, Durkheim (1897) provided a classical model including four types of suicide: altruistic suicide, fatalistic suicide, egoisticRead MoreThe Death Of Suicide And Suicide891 Words   |  4 Pages, 2015 Suicide is an occurrence in life that society does not want to talk about. Social knowledge is minimal at best about how to approach communication with those affected by suicide. The stigma about suicide is vastly misunderstood, unfounded and should not exist. Learning about suicide is very important not only for society but for those who have to suffer and live with the â€Å"social blight† society has created about this sad problem. There are various reasons for attempted suicide such asRead MoreThe Issue Of Suicide And Suicide1557 Words   |  7 PagesThe topic I chose to elaborate on as a criminal act in some countries but considered deviant or conventional in others is the issue of suicide from the basis of attempt and assisted. While suicide is a very enigmatic and incomprehensible subject for many, it becomes the area of focus on how criminal it becomes to take one’s life or aid in the process. How in control is someone of their life that it becomes a toler able decision and even supportive in some instances by medical professions. Is itRead MoreSuicide : Suicide And Depression1389 Words   |  6 PagesSuicide and Depression in Prisons Suicide is the leading cause of death in prisons across the United States (Marzaro, Hawton, Rivlin, Fazel, 2011). According to the United States Department of Justice, nearly 23% of state prisoners report symptoms of depression each year (Pardini et al., 2014). With, one out of seven inmates met the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder (Pardini et al., 2014). Marzaro, Hawton, Rivlin, and Fazel (2011) proposed that probable representations ofRead MoreSuicide Ideation Suicide And Suicidal Suicide Essay2191 Words   |  9 Pagescausation of suicide ideation. Suicide ideation also known as suicidal thoughts are thoughts a person may have in which they may have the intention to harm themselves, but do not actually execute as planned. Thus, it is important for the reader to recognize the differentiation between suicide attempt and suicidal ideation. While suicidal ideation is the idea of suicide attempt is the actual intent of suicide by potentially failing at it. Both terms derive from the disorder of Suicide. While many mayRead MoreThe Suicide And Suicidal Suicide1381 Words   |  6 PagesDurkheim once stated that suicide is, â€Å"all cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act of the victim himself, which he knows will produce this result† (Jones, 1986). However, suicidal ideation is considered when an individual has thoughts or feelings of suicide, but does not attempt or complete suicide. Suicidal gesture, is when the individual has attempted the act of ending their life, if they were to be accidentally successful, then the suicide is completed (Leming

Heat and Temperature Difference Essay Example For Students

Heat and Temperature Difference Essay Heat and Temperature Difference BY abevl 23 Name: Date: Student Exploration: Heat Transfer by Conduction Vocabulary: conduction, convection, insulate, radiation, thermal conductor, thermal energy, thermal insulator Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo. ) Suppose two frying pans have been left on the stove with the burners on. One of the frying pans has a metal handle and the other has a wooden handle. 1 . Which handle do you think you could safely touch? 2. Why do you think one handle will be cooler than the other? Gizmo Warm-up Heat, also called thermal energy, can be transmitted through space (radiation), by oving fluids (convection), or through direct contact. This final method, called conduction, is explored in the Heat Transfer by Conduction Gizmow. To begin, check that Aluminum is selected. Select the BAR CHART tab and turn on Show numerical values. 1. What is the initial temperature of each beaker? Beaker A 95 Beaker B 5 2. Click Play () and observe. A. What happens to the temperature of Beaker A over time? Beaker a goes down over time. B. wnat nappens to tne temperature 0T Beaker B over time? Beaker D goes up. 3. Why do you think the temperatures of Beaker A and Beaker B changed as they did? Because of conduction. I Aactivity A: I Get the Gizmo ready: I Click Reset (). I I Measuring heat transfer I Check that Aluminum is selected. Question: How does the temperature difference between two containers relate to the rate of temperature change? 1 . Observe: Select the GRAPH tab and press Play. Wait until the temperatures of the two beakers are both close to 50 oc, and use the zoom out button () to see the whole graph. Sketch the graph in the space at right. What does the graph show about the rate of temperature change over time? 2. Form hypothesis: How do you think the temperature difference between the eakers relates to the rate of heat transfer? 3. Gather data: Select the TABLE tab. Click Reset, and then click Play. Click Pause () every 100 seconds (does not have to be exact). Each time you click Pause, record the temperature of each beaker and their temperature difference in the table below. (To find the temperature difference, subtract the temperature of beaker B from that of beaker A. ) I Ilme (s) I Beaker A temp. I Beaker B temp. difference (oc) 1 1100s I poos 1 1400s 1 1600s (Aactivity A continued on next page) Aactivity A (continued from previous page) lemp. . Calculate: At each time, what is the sum of the temperatures in each beaker? 5. Apply: In this simulation, the beakers are perfectly insulated. This mearns that no thermal energy (heat) is lost to the outside environment. If the beakers were not perfectly insulated, how do you think the sum of their temperatures would change over time? Explain. 6. Compare: Compare the temperature changes in the 0-100 second interval to the 500-600 second interval. First, record the temperature difference at the start of each interval. Then, calculate how much the temperature in each beaker changed during the interval. I Value 10-100 s interval 1500-600 s interval I emperature OITTerence at tne sta I interval IChange in Beaker A temperature IChange in Beaker B temperature tne time 7. Analyze: How does the rate of temperature change depend on the temperature difference between the two beakers? 8. Think and discuss: Why do you think the rate of temperature change does not stay constant over time? If possible, discuss your answer with your teacher and classmates. I Aactivity B: I I Conductors and insulators ISelect the TABLE tab. Introduction: Materials that allow heat to pass through easily are called thermal conductors. Materials that resist the transfer of heat are called thermal insulators. Questlon: wnlcn materlals are tne Dest conductors? wnlcn are tne worst conductors? 1. Predict: In the Gizmo, you can use aluminum, copper, steel, or glass to connect the two insulated beakers. A. Which material do you think will be the best thermal conductor? B. Which material do you think will be the best thermal insulator? 2. Gather data: With Aluminum selected, click Play. Click Pause after about 200 simulated seconds. Record the temperature of each beaker at 200 seconds. Next, calculate the temperature change of Beaker A. .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221 , .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221 .postImageUrl , .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221 , .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221:hover , .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221:visited , .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221:active { border:0!important; } .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221:active , .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221 .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u5b492e0a920ac929e2bcbd6e17802221:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Juvenile Delinquency EssayRepeat with each material to complete the table. I Material I Beaker A temp. at Beaker A temp. change (oc) seconds (oc) 3. Analyze: What does your data indicate? I Beaker B temp. at 1200 seconds (oc) I IAIuminum I ICopper I Glass 1200 4. Classify: Which materials would you classify as thermal conductors, and which would you classify as an insulator? Which material was the best thermal conductor? Thermal conductors: Thermal insulator: Best thermal conductor: Apply: A good Trying pan wlll transTer neat qulcKly Trom tne stove Durner to tne food. Based on the results of the Gizmo, which material would be best for frying pans? Why?

The Travels of a T

The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy focuses on the impact of globalization and free trade. Pietra Rivoli recounts her fascinating adventure around the world in order to find out the origin of her T-shirt. Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More She travels from a cotton field in Texas to a Chinese factory and from there goes to a used clothing market in Tanzania, and in the process describes the transformation of raw cotton into a T-Shirt. She analyses the international trade through the story of a simple product and gives her perceptions of the workings of a global economy. She resolves that, without blatant efforts by protestors and NGOs, free trade would lead into exploitation of disfavored workers in the factories of developing countries. This essay gives a critical examination of the Travels of T-shirt in the Glob al Economy by looking at its purpose, the impressions it creates, how it could be improved and finally, its relation to economic geography. In telling her story, Rivoli used a simple concept to find out the globalization of world trade. She randomly purchases a t-shirt while on vacation then talks to the shop proprietors to discover where they initially bought it from. She then tracks down the persons and factories that probably had a direct influence upon her t-shirt. Her story commences at George Town University in Washington where she encountered a student demonstration about the sweatshop that produced their t-shirts. She becomes concerned and decides to investigate how the process worked, and so, she buys a T-Shirt which sets out the whole story. The story begins right at the cotton fields where the farmers encounter several challenges and from there, hops from country to country as it undergoes different processes (Rivoli, 2005). The story is recounted in an interesting and e fficacious way to attain its objective of educating on global economy. She explains that cotton farmers in America are MBAs in entrepreneurship in the sense that they are moving toward their vision of earning wealth to themselves and to the whole community as well. This is achieved through cutting off the foreign and domestic competitors. As Rivoli states, Texas cotton remains the lead as a result of placing limits to competitors instead of competing. She describes the cotton industry using an imagery; the Texas cotton industry as a lion and its competitors as gazelles. This finely illustrates her idea of the Texas cotton industry quickly destroying its opponents so as to avoid competition. This way, she helps in elaborating on the reasons for continuous success of Texas cotton (Rivoli, 2005).Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, she also sheds light on the benefits incurred by farmers as a result of cotton farming. The farmers of the United States are subsidized by the government, and the American textile industries are made to buy the cotton from the farmers which in turn, subsidize the difference in price. Programmes for compensating farmers of the losses, developing new technologies and for loaning are also available. On the contrary, other countries as India and Pakistan cannot even afford to compensate their farmers. This is quite the opposite of America. Farmers in such countries are depressed as seen in the example of an Indian cotton farmer who decided to drink pesticide as a way of expressing his fate in farming. Through this, the economic situations of different countries are depicted. Protectionist policies are what the American government has applied in order to prevent imports, and though this might be viewed as a short-run resolution of imports to any nation, it does help in preserving domestic products and the jobs of dozens (Rivoli, 2005). When drawing the cotton processing in Chinese factories, Rivoli reveals the inhuman conditions in the sweatshop. She mentions the condition of workers and especially women who work for long hours at the factories for little pay. She provides an example of a young woman, Jiang Lan, whose work is to tie strands of broken yarn. She works for six days per week, eight hours a day, and all what she gets is $100 per month. This is surely a low pay considering the fact that she works for long hours and only has one day to rest in a week. Quite to the contrary, these women are willing to work on the factory as it frees them from the donkeywork and arranged marriages in the countryside China. This reflects the poor political governance that does not protect the workers’ rights. China’s communist policies that socially classify people such as the hukou are unnecessary and unfair to many as it prevents people from becoming who they want to be. This is a m atter that the Chinese government needs to look into (Rivoli, 2005). Nevertheless, Rivoli’s writing creates such an important realization that the need for new clothing has made cotton a necessity. This is deduced in the section concerning the Salvation Army where she says that â€Å"There are nowhere near enough poor people in America to absorb the mountains of castoffs (clothing), even if they were given away† (p.176). Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This essentially means that, there is unlimited desire for new clothing in and outside America. The used garments are taken to Tanzania trading markets where they are sold as second hand garments. Used clothes have become an issue of controversy and some African countries have banned the importation of castoffs as a way of protecting their local textile indust ries (Rivoli, 2005). Her opinion on economic policy is something that I agree with. Her sentiment pertaining to the agreement on free trade between China and the United States is that, the two states should stop competing and instead let the market determine the best product. Through this, it is made clear that free trade might not be the best line in the short-term after all (Rivoli, 2005). Moreover, another similar problem occurs when Rivoli talks about the unintended outcomes of congress legislation that proposes to affirm the occupations of America. A particular case is that of CBTBA and the â€Å"yarn forward† requisite that deters American yarn spinners from exporting their yarn to the Caribbean and from changing production to a cost-effective location. One asks themselves whether the legislations being passed are of any assistance since they prove not to be working to begin with. Instead of wasting time and money maintaining disused jobs, it could be better put to use in other places like funding educational programs and educating dismissed workers (Rivoli, 2005). Finally, the book touches on several issues of globalization which are informative. Rivoli though, can further improve the book by discussing the matters of political and economic subversion. In addition, environmental impacts of the garment industries should also be more dwelt on. The textile industry nowadays illustrates the issues faced by the global economy. Owing to its globalization, the textile industry moves around boundaries, connecting governments, industries and economies of underdeveloped and developed nations. As seen, the garments move from a developed country to a less developed country as they get old. This explains the economic situations of these countries. Americans are able to afford new clothing and as they get old they are transferred to a less developed country as Tanzania who may not afford new garments due to high charges imposed on them. This is a very inter esting book as it elaborates on various matters pertaining to the economies of different nations (Rivoli, 2005).Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This book looks at the cycle of a T-shirt transformed from a cotton field in Texas to a fabric and finally sewn to a T-shirt in Chinese factories. The T-shirt is then taken back to United States, Florida, where it is printed and sold in the streets of Washington. As a used T-shirt it is eventually discarded and thus encounters a free market. On its way to Tanzania, it may pass through china again for sorting, and that is how the T-shirt as she analyzed, travels. This book expresses approval of the business individuals involved in global trade together with their antagonists who assist in ensuring that trade does not at all cause dehumanization to those that it may serve to assist. Pietra Rivoli hence recounts a story that deserves its success. She has done deep research, written well, argued well and even largely elaborated on the turbulent complexness of the global economy. Rivoli though should elaborate more on the economic and political corruption. Reference Rivoli, P. (2005). The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy: An Economist Examines the Markets, Power, and Politics of World Trade. New York: John Wiley Sons. This critical writing on The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy was written and submitted by user John Porter to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Torture Is Never Justified

Torture Is Never Justified Torture through the History The concept of torture is at the base of many conflicts that take place throughout the country. In fact, it began in ancient times with the Romans and Greeks forcing their prisoners to participate in some of the worst forms of torture we’ve ever known. Since that time, countries around the world have used everything from ‘the rack,’ tar and feathering, stoning, waterboarding and much more to torture others whether for the purpose of gaining information or simply as a method of slowly killing a prisoner. For any purpose, however, torture has never been able to be justified, at any point in our history and most definitely will not be at any point in our future. Torture Is Often Useless Many claim that torture can be justified because it comes down to the safety of the people. They believe that torturing someone in order to gain information that could potentially save lives is acceptable or even reasonable, however, this is not the case. In fact, torture is often used on those labeled as ‘traitors’ for this very purpose but is not often as effective as many would have us believe. This is because those who are being tortured, those who may know something that we would want them to divulge, are also highly trained to ignore the torture and to fight through it as long as they need to until death. As a result, the torture is being done on an individual for no purpose but perhaps a level of sadism on the part of the captor. Despite what we may be told, there is little if anything to be gained by the process. Yet another problem that arises with the concept of torture is at what point does it end? In many countries, torture is allowed for different types of crimes. In the United States, only those accused of being terrorists or prisoners of war are allowed to be tortured, yet only the accusation and not actual proof is needed. In other countries, crimes less than terrorism can be punished by torture and in still others, a crime is not even needed to enact torture on the basis of a simple belief. How could it be possible to even for those who believe in torture in some instances to say that torture is allowed in all  instances per justice? And this is where the struggle begins. Because the more that torture is defended and allowed in one situation, the more others will clamor for it to be allowed in all situations. After all, every criminal situation is looking to help people, to protect people. Want to know more? Go here: When Is Military Force Justified? Single-Parent Children Behaviour Causes of Human Errors in Aircraft Accidents Human Dignity   Sample Essay about Happiness What Is the Value of Human Life? The truth of the matter is that it is not only the government that participates in torture. There are also many instances of vigilante justice where the people of a country or area will join together to enact some type of vengeance on a person they perceive to have done something wrong. These individuals could be tortured with no more evidence against them than public opinion and yet, by attempting to justify torture in some senses, we are opening the door to these types of torture in any sense. The most important matter, however, that arises in this question, is that of human life. The value of human life, of human wellbeing, is written into the Constitution of the United States, ‘the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ The life and ‘pursuit of happiness’ for all people is important to us and has always been. But through torture, we strip individuals of their life and their liberty and their pursuit of happiness with the thought that, because we believe them to have done something bad, they are somehow less human. When viewing this issue of torture it is important to remember that there have been changes to it throughout time. Originally, very little was needed in order to implement torture on anyone. Over time, we have narrowed down the reasons and this is a step in the right direction. However, we have not eliminated the process altogether and this is an important next step for us to take. Torture cannot be allowed to continue in any nation that would call itself civilized because, despite what we may be told, there is no justice to be found in torture.

Terrorism, Urban Guerrillas, The Case of Greece, Interaction of the Essay

Terrorism, Urban Guerrillas, The Case of Greece, Interaction of the phenomenon with the city - Essay Example Coming to violence, there has been an evolution of the means and methods used in the past and those of the modern twenty first century. The barbarity of the old form of violence cannot be expected to come back in modern sophisticated times. However as Baudrillard observes, the violence of the old â€Å"was more enthusiastic and more sacrificial than ours† (Baudrillard, 1993, p. 75). In contrast, the violence of modern times is more of â€Å"terror† struck by the changing ideologies of hypermodernity. Hoffman calls this a â€Å"simulacrum of violence†. This change in the form and objectives of the terrorists over the years can be explained with the psychoanalysis of Baudrillard and Lacan and the interplay of the symbolic and the imaginary. It is also important to note here the role of the unconscious, its connection to the Real and the way it is related to terrorists’ activities (without any definite objective). Terrorists function with the bigger goal of s timulating the psyche of the masses across the word and creating a strong global impact, thus acting within a symbolic order and trying to create meaning. A simulacrum is the representation of the reality according to Borges fable where the map represented the changing territories of the Empire. Simulation can no more be anything substantial; it is rather something, which originates from nothing or a ‘void’, ideally referred as the ‘hyperreal’ - â€Å"truth that hides the fact that there is none† (Baudrillard, 1994, p.1). The act of simulation refers to the pretention of having something which one does not possess. However this simulation might challenge or threaten the gap between what is true and false or the real and the imaginary. For instance, a person who pretends to be sick needs to produce some of the symptoms of the illness to make it look like the truth. Now if illnesses can be produced then medicine does not hold its significance. Psychoan alysis explains this as the transfer of the â€Å"symptom of the organic order to the unconscious order: the latter is new and taken for â€Å"real† more real than the other.† (Baudrillard, 1994, p.3) Baudrillard in his work The Transparency of Evil refers to such simulation of terrorism the result of a ‘plunge into the void’ by the society (Baudrillard, 1993, p.76). Normally, the military law would punish the simulator after he is unmasked, following the identification norm. Military psychology avoids Cartesian certainties and believes that if one is good at producing the symptoms then one actually is that good. The unconscious is therefore the real to Baudrillard (Baudrillard, 1994, p.4). The relation is no more similar to the map and the territory. The relation can be more easily explained by the mention of the screen, which evokes the passion for the action. It is all about the violence in form of image. Baudrillard stresses on the presence of media wh en he observes this – â€Å"it is advisable not to be in a public place where television is operating, considering the high probability that its very presence will precipitate a violent event† (Baudrillard, 1993, p. 75). The media therefore provides a modern dimension to the incidence of violence. The causes when analyzed do not refer to the typical political, sociological or psychological reasons, which can explain such events. It is rather about publicity, which creates the mass appeal required. The same thing happened where hijackers

Data Mining for E-Commerce Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Data Mining for E-Commerce - Research Paper Example The basic purpose of this research is to analyze the use of data mining for e-commerce. This paper will also outline the main areas of implementation, techniques, and potential advantages obtained through this technology. Introduction Data mining is a detailed process which allows the extraction of hidden, formerly unidentified, and actually functional knowledge and information from a huge collection of data. The majority of researchers have defined â€Å"data mining as the process of getting useful and reliable information and patterns from huge data sets by making use of latest tools and algorithms based on the theories and models borrowed from various other domains such as machine learning, management systems, statistics, and database.† The basic purpose of extracting these hidden facts is to facilitate business executives and top management in planning and managing the business strategies and plans for the future. The use of data mining tools and techniques provides a larg e number of benefits and opportunities for business organizations. For instance, data mining tools and techniques allow the business organizations to carry out a deep examination of the customer and business associated data and information, which facilitate business firms to make critical strategic decisions. Additionally, data mining applications can be accessed through a graphical user interface (GUI) which helps business managers to take a deep insight into the collected customer data. In the past few years, there have emerged a large number of powerful data mining algorithms and techniques to help business managers analyze large customer data sets which are the need of the majority of the business firms for the reason that the survival of their business heavily relies on these data and information (Ranjan & Bhatnagar, 2009). Moreover, the data mining offers these decision-making capabilities by making use of a wide variety of methods such as classification, clustering, predictio n, genetic algorithms, association and neural network. In this scenario, classification refers to the process of determining the significant attributes and features of customers’ data which are on the point of churn as well as it also helps to identify the customers. In the same way, some clustering techniques such as K-mean algorithms are used to develop segments of this collected data. Additionally, these data are divided into segments on the basis of their features and attributes. In this scenario, the data with same properties are placed in the same set. Hence, this information can be used by a business organization to determine the potential customers of the firm. There is another useful data mining technique known as a prediction technique used to plan the business strategies for the future.  

How Different People Behave in the Presence of Authority Essay Example for Free

How Different People Behave in the Presence of Authority Essay The survey and behavior study was conducted in a finance office branch of the United States military. The office is comprised of both military and civilian employees as well as several different races and nationalities. A short written survey was conducted in order to discover how the military versus civilian personnel behaved in the presence of authority as well as how different races and nationalities behaved in the presence of authority. These surveys were filled out voluntarily and participants were asked not to include their name on their survey in order to remove any identification or bias. However, they were asked to provide information about their military or civilian status. In addition, observations were also recorded after the survey as the employees went about their normal business activities while at least one authority figure was present. The questions asked are as followed: 1. Do you work harder when an authority figure is present? Why or why not? 2. How do you normally respond to authority while on the job? 3. What do authority figures do to motivate you to work harder? 4. What do authority figures do that causes you to not work as hard? 5. What can authority figures do in the future to motivate you? Combined with the observations this survey provided valuable insight into the differences in behavior among civilian and military employees as well as differences across races and nationalities. The most striking discovery was that military personnel appear to be more motivated when in the presence of authority. From a personal standpoint, this phenomenon may be due to the intense training and fear of punishment within the military. Military soldiers and officers are trained to respond immediately to authority and to refrain from questioning authority. At the same time, military personnel cannot be simply fired from a job as civilians are. In the majority of cases, military personnel sign up for a certain amount of time in the military and failing to meet these obligations is much more complicated than just being fired. This is one possible reason why the military employees within this particular finance office respond so positively to authority figures. Further, the written surveys provided additional support for this theory. The military employees overwhelmingly responded that they were more motivated when an authority figure was present. Similarly, the majority of military employees also answered that this was because they wanted to perform well for their immediate boss but that they also wanted to avoid the humiliation that comes with making unnecessary mistakes. The civilian employees also answered that they were more motivated to work harder in the presence of an authority figure. However, their reasoning was most often due to their fear of losing their job if they did not perform well enough. The questions and observations regarding behavior associated with not working as hard also provided some valuable insight into the differences between military and civilian personnel. The military employees reported that they often were much more at ease when an authority figure was not present but that they could never completely let down their guard. Several of those military employees who participated in the study reported that they felt as if someone was always watching them and that any unbecoming behavior would eventually make its way to their commanding officers which would put their rank and position in jeopardy. In contrast, the civilian employees reported being able to joke around and being a little less focused on their work when an authority figure was not present. However, two of those surveyed responded that they were hesitant to engage in this type of behavior in front of military personnel simply because the military employees did not behave in this way. There were also some important differences found among the different races and ethnicities within this particular finance office. For example, there is one Middle Eastern civilian employee who works in the office as well as one Indian civilian. These two employees are very dedicated to their jobs and work very hard to perform well. They are both very respectful of their white bosses and strive to please them at all times. These two employees were not observed engaging in any different types of behavior when authority figures were not present. Instead, they continued their work as if the authority figure was still in the room. Additionally, they were always careful to make eye contact with the person they were speaking with and were also careful to remain respectful at all times. While the white military and civilian officers were also observed to be respectful and dedicated to their work, they were also more likely to be more relaxed when interacting with authority figures. Further, they were also more likely to have relationships with their bosses in the form of questions about their families and activities when not on the clock. The hours that employees work in this particular finance office are from 0730 until 1600. The observations and survey took place within these hours. The written survey was conducted between 0800 and 0900 and the remainder of the day was filled with observations regarding behavior. The observations provided important insight about the differences in motivation in the morning versus towards the end of the work day. In the morning, the employees were observed sitting at their desks, booting up their computers and getting right to work. There was very little interaction among employees beyond casual greetings until lunchtime. As the lunch break approached the employees could be overheard discussing what to do with their time and generally looking forward to a short break. While the employees returned from lunch and returned right to work the atmosphere remained upbeat. The employees engaged in a little more chatter right after lunch and as the end of the work day approached they once again increased their amount of dialogue. However, it was also observed that the amount of talking was significantly less when an authority figure was present than when an authority figure was not present. Further, the white military and civilian employees engaged in more dialogue with each other than did the other races or nationalities. A final interesting and insightful bit of knowledge that was gained from the survey and observations was associated with the last question: â€Å"What can authority figures do in the future to motivate you? † The majority of participants responded that authority figures would motivate them to work harder through incentives. These incentives did not necessarily need to be tangible goods. Instead, most of the participants felt that praising them for a job well done or thanking them for their hard work was sufficient in making them feel valuable. Further, the participants felt that when their work was noticed it was easier to stay motivated because it helped them improve on their weaknesses by using their strengths. The participants responded that when their efforts were noticed and praised they were more willing and motivated to work on their weaknesses without feeling as if they were bad at their jobs. Overall, the employees within this particular finance office were hard working and dedicated to their jobs. They behaved appropriately in the presence of an authority figure and even though they were more relaxed when an authority figure was not present they were still performing their jobs satisfactorily. The military employees displayed more discipline, possibly because of their training. The Middle Eastern and Indian employees were more reserved and less relaxed than the white employees. The authority figures were not surveyed but were observed and it was noticed that they treated all the employees equally but there were slight differences as well. For example, the authority figures were much more reserved when interacting with the Middle Eastern and Indian employees than they were with the white employees, possibly because they were respecting individual differences. Ultimately, the surveys and observations provided information about the differences among military and civilian employees as well as across different races and ethnicities. While there were several differences, it was noted that each member of this office worked diligently and appropriately at all times.

The Usefulness of Methods in Language Teaching Essay -- Education, Tea

Introduction: Recently a big debate has been aroused on the issue of teaching methods and their usefulness to the actual practice in classroom. Some writers start to claim that methods are dead and are no longer considered in the teaching/learning process such as Brown(2002) . Whereas some others like Bell (2007) think that method still play a vital role in the teaching learning process. This essay will examine both views with relation to my own experience as a teacher and teacher trainer. First I will give a summary of both points of view then will review the usefulness of methods in relation to my profession and context. Summary of the two points of views: Brown (2002) claims the death of methods signaling the post-method era where there is no place for formulas in the second language teaching. Basing his literature in the linguists' findings about the failure of methods to solve the learning/teaching problems. The main attack over the methods is that: Methods are too prescriptive, they are 'laden with interested knowledge' and they can't be empirically proved to work in real classroom. He goes towards the Principles Approach to language teaching with its twelve principles and the three stages of the 'crafted process' of diagnosis, treatment and assessment' to match the different contexts and situations. However, the fact of the uselessness of methods seem to be just in the theoretical phase of it, and as a debate among the linguists according to Bell (2005). David Bells conducted a survey study to measure the extent to which methods are/are not considered in practice in classrooms as an attempt to investigate Block's claim that "Whereas the notion of method no longer plays a significant role in the thinking of applied... ...ot depart from the books they were typed in. How can I - as a teacher- develop certain 'unknown' techniques based on unclear principles? Approaches are always ambiguous specially to the less trained or experienced teachers Richards & Rodgers (2001). We as teachers will always need prescribed methods, not to follow rigidly, but to have more choices. It is always a fact that "there is never was and probably never will be a method for all" Nunan(1991 :228). And there are always " aspects of all methods which might usefully be incorporated into one's classroom practice"( Ibid:248). Conclusion: To conclude, Though methods do not give one-one solution to the problems of teaching and learning, they always give us a rich source of solutions to adapt, modify and develop in our own contexts. We may not be able to claim their death, neither now, nor in the near future.

Be given order description

Free riding can be avoided when group members and leaders ensure that all of them have their own tasks to accomplish toward the attainment of the group’s goal or completing a particular project. This argument is further explored in this essay in addition to previous empirical studies about the theory of social loafers.Free riding theory Free riding theory explains why there are individuals who may choose not to exert little or any effort since they are able to benefit form other members of the group where they belong after all.This theory suggests that an individual’s decision in participating in a group work compares the net expected benefits of exerting effort for the group and the net expected benefits of free riding (Albanese & Van Fleet, 1985). Free riders are individuals or students, in particular, who contribute little or nothing in attaining group goals or working on group projects (Delucchi, 2006). They exist because students differ in their own reasons and mot ivation when doing things, especially when others are involved.While others are trying their best to come up with outstanding projects output, others are simply satisfied with certain extent of accomplishment or results. This is the reason why some group members complain that others are not fulfilling their given responsibilities. Often free riders are seen as exploitative because they usually benefit from the effort of others even if they have not participated or only had little contribution to the attainment of group projects or goals. Advantages and disadvantages of group work The benefits of team or group work are undeniable for studies have proven its effectiveness in student’s learning.According to Eastman and Swift (2002), group work teaches students on how to collaboratively work to become more productive, more efficient, more competitive, and more creative. It also exposes them to different learning experiences and opportunities to improve their skills in organizing, communication, negotiation, problem solving, dealing with higher cognitive and technical aspects, setting goals, leadership, overcoming conflicts and difficulties, delegating work, and dealing effectively with others (Thorley & Gregory, 1994; Buckenmyer, 2000; Colbeck, Campbell, & Bjorklund, 2000).In addition, group work promotes collaborative or cooperative learning though appropriate and innovative learning methods with the use of information technology (Ravenscroft, 1997; Buckenmyer, 2000). Jones and Brickner (1996) stress the bebefits of group work in learning when students are encouraged to become actively involved and aim for development, better in class standing, higher test results, and improved attitudes towards instructor and other students. It does not hinder the students from becoming independent and autonomous learners for group work actually strengthens their capacity to perform better in school and practical situations.On the other hand, Gremler, Hoffman, Keaveney, a nd Wright (2000) found that group members often have difficulty in addressing the free riders for some students have to use words against other members when the teacher finds no proof in determining fair grades. Eastman and Swift (2002) also assert that one of the problems with group projects are the presence of free-riders, also called social loafers, hitchhikers or workhorses (Albanese & Van Fleet, 1985; Cottell & Millis, 1993).Another issue that has to be addressed when it comes to group problem includes the failure of group members to contribute ideas, exchange thoughts, share information and skills or work together effectively in order to accomplish complex tasks (Tullar, Kaiser, & Balthazard, 1998). The lack of coordination can lead to poor results when members are given specific responsibilities without working and consulting each other before a project is almost finished and to be submitted.Moreover, students’ grades could possibly suffer if assigned projects are not given enough time allocation for the students to work together and discuss the topics and management activities in the class to make their work more cohesive. Organizing face-to-face group meetings is difficult and teachers’ assistance is also crucial during the completion period of any group project so they need to allot more class hours for group projects to ensure quality and equal division of labor. Problems in group work, in which all members are assessed as a whole, can be avoided when they provide proof of participation.The free rider issue causes problems in group work for they usually depend on other member’s effort. Students can avoid resentment that free riders are getting the same grade even if they are not as responsible as others in a group by changing class policy or rules, like imposing peer evaluation, requiring checklists, and monitoring (Payne, Monk-Turner, Smith, & Sumter, 2006). Conclusion Albanese and Van Fleet (1985) found that individuals tend t o become free riders when they perceive satisfactory benefits even without contributing their fair share to the group.Free riders are the potential or rationally thinking members that may prefer not to exert great effort in helping others to achieve certain goals but still obtain benefits. When the cost of his effort exceeds the expected outcome of the group’s effort, the free rider is less likely to exert any more effort. In order to avoid such problems including other issues related to group work, changing of class policy can be an effective mitigating measure. References Albanese, R & Van Fleet, D. D. (1985). â€Å"Rational Behavior in Groups: The Free-Riding Tendency. † In Diamond, M. & O'Toole, A. (2004).â€Å"Leaders, Followers, and Free Riders: The Community Lawyer's Dilemma When Representing Non-Democratic Client Organizations. † Fordham Urban Law Journal, 31(2), 481+. Buckenmyer, J. A. (2000). â€Å"Using teams for class activities: Making course/class room teams work. † In Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Colbeck, C. L. , Campbell, S. E. , & Bjorklund, S. A. (2000). â€Å"Grouping in the dark: What college students learn from group projects. † In Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C.O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Cottell, P. G. & Millis, B. (1993). â€Å"Cooperative learning structures in the instruction of accounting. † Issues in Accounting Education, 8 (Spring), 40-59. In Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Delucchi, M. (2006). â€Å"The Efficacy of Collaborat ive Learning Groups in an Undergraduate Statistics Course.† College Teaching, 54(2), 244+. Diamond, M. & O'Toole, A. (2004). â€Å"Leaders, Followers, and Free Riders: The Community Lawyer's Dilemma When Representing Non-Democratic Client Organizations. † Fordham Urban Law Journal, 31(2), 481+. Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Gremler, D. D. , Hoffman, K. D. , Keaveney, S. M. , & Wright, L. K. (2000). â€Å"Experiential learning exercises in services marketing courses. † In Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002).â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Jones, J. D. & Brickner, D. (1996). â€Å"Implementation of cooperative learning in a large-enrollment basic mechanics class. † I n Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Payne, B. K. , Monk-Turner, E. , Smith, D. , & Sumter, M. (2006). â€Å"Improving Group Work: Voices of Students. † Education, 126(3), 441+.Ravenscroft, S. P. (1997). â€Å"In support of cooperative learning. † In Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Thorley, L. & Gregory, R. (Eds. ) (1994). Using Group-based Learning in Higher Education. In Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Tullar, W. L. , Kaiser, P. R. , & Balthazard, P. A. (1998).â€Å"Group work and electronic meeting systems: From boardroom to classroom. † In Eastman, J. K. & Swift, C. O. (2002). â€Å"Enhancing Collaborative Learning: Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms as Project Communication Tools. † Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 29+. Sources: Introduction For those who use group projects, the teaching strategy is particularly appealing because of its versatility. Group projects can be organized as short-term or long-term projects. Short-term group projects might have students work together for a class period or part of a class period in an effort to learn more about a particular topic.Long-term projects could be spread out over several class periods, or the entire semester. Regardless of how long the projects are designed to last, research shows a number of benefits of group work. Among others, those benefits that have been identified in the literature include the following: (1) students learn teamwork skills, (2) students improve their critical thin king skills, and (3) students gain more insight about a particular topic. As far as teamwork skills go, surveys of employers show that employers want college graduates to have developed teamwork skills (Blowers 2000).Advocates of group projects suggest that the pedagogical strategy affords students a firsthand experience to gain teamwork skills (Colbeck et al. 2000: Davis and Miller 1996: Young and Henquinet 2000). In this regard, it is believed that group projects â€Å"can effectively serve as a bridge between the academic community and the business world† (Lordan 1996: 43). Ideally, working with their peers, students will learn decision making skills and how to communicate with one another (Dudley, Davis, and McGrady 2001).In addition, the symbolic interactionist in many of us would likely not be surprised by research that shows that group work helps students develop social skills (Andrusyk and Andrusyk 2003). By working with others, students are able to assign meaning to the actions of their peers as well as their own actions. They also receive feedback–formal, informal, or both–from their peers. The feedback combined with their own interpretations of group work should foster growth in terms of students' social abilities.Under the right circum stances, the well designed and implemented group work should also help students develop their critical thinking skills (Colbeck et al. 2000; Dudley et al. 2001). While we are not aware of any studies that have examined how group projects foster the development of critical thinking skills, general findings about group work from past research tacitly suggest that the strategy could be successful in this regard. For instance, some research suggests that group projects help students to address ethical and societal considerations that arise when students work together (Roberts-Kirchoff and Caspers 2001).If the student group is diverse, students will learn about one another's backgrounds, values, and b eliefs. Indeed, others have also suggested that group projects can help students learn about multicultural issues they would otherwise not learn about (Doyle, Beatty, and Shaw 1997). Researchers also suggest that students may learn more about whatever topic is being considered if they work in groups. For example, Adams and Slater (2002) suggest that group work supplementing lectures helps make courses more interesting to students, and subsequently helps students learn more.Most instructors have stood in front of a class only to wonder if their only purpose on that day was to serve as a sedative for the majority of the class. Group work advocates argue that most any topic can be made interesting by actively involving students in the topic through some form of collaborative learning, of which group work is just one strategy. While a number of strengths for this form of teaching strategy have been noted in the literature, potential drawbacks have limited its use. In this study, we cons ider how students believe group projects should be changed in order improve their pedagogical success.METHODS Surveys were distributed to 145 students who had just recently completed a group project. The group project was a semester long group research project that students completed. A survey composed of both open-ended and close-ended questions was distributed to the students at the end of the semester. The results of the open-ended questions have been addressed elsewhere. In one of the close-ended questions, students were asked what they would change about future group projects. The results to this answer were content analyzed using standard rules of content analysis.FINDINGS The students had a number of recommendations for future group work. These recommendations were divided into student centered and faculty centered themes. Student centered themes were those recommendations in which respondents seemed to be offering advice to future students participating in similar projects. These included (1) communication as a value to improve group work, (2) leadership and teamwork, and (3) goal development. Faculty centered themes were those recommendations in which respondents were citing things faculty members could do to improve group work.The following four faculty centered themes were uncovered in the analysis: (1) oversight, (2) grades, (3) situational themes, and (4) anomic themes. Student Centered Themes Communication as a Strategy to Improve Group Work. Several students, recognizing the importance of interpersonal communication, recommended that fellow group project participants hone their communication skills. Students offered tips such as â€Å"Listen to everyone's idea–No matter what it is;† â€Å"Make sure everyone understands the information and the process;† and â€Å"Communication is key. When a group fails to communicate, the group as a whole suffers.† Another student recommended, â€Å"just bonding more† while ano ther cited â€Å"people keeping in touch† as a step to improve group work. Leadership and Teamwork. Students also provided advise suggesting the importance of leadership and teamwork in future group projects. In terms of leadership, students made comments such as the following: * Assigned leaders are needed. * Assign more specific roles. * Need to have defined task assignments for members. Some students provided a bit of detail describing the importance of leadership in group projects. For example, one student made the following comments:It was easier to get the project done by dividing up the work. We worked well together for the most part. One individual has considerable leadership talents and he kept our group on track. Others just deferred to his ideas and we did what he told us to do. He assigned our tasks and made sure they were completed. Another student who made the following comments also described this leadership process: [You need to] learn the habits of others and learning who has the qualities of taking charge of a group. I thought it was interesting to watch who would become the leader and which group would members would follow the leader.With regard to teamwork, students also suggested that, while groups may need a leader, members of the group must be willing to work together. Students made comments such as â€Å"Everyone has to do their part;† â€Å"Everyone working together and doing their part;† â€Å"Teamwork;† and â€Å"Spread around responsibility. † The need to work together appeared to be an especially salient recommendation in this sample. One student emphasized this need in the following manner: â€Å"Everyone has to work together!! † Indirectly indicative of the need to work together, students recognized the need to share all aspects of the project.As an illustration, according to one student, future students doing group projects must remember to â€Å"bring calculators to the restaurant or b ar to figure out a fair tip for the bartender divided five ways. † Goal Development. Some comments made by students also implied the importance of goal development for future group projects. For example, one student advised, â€Å"We all had the same motivation and ambition. † Other students made comments such as â€Å"clarity of goals† and â€Å"commitment to goal† as suggestions for future group. In considering their goals, some students seemed to define their grade as the goal.Said one student, â€Å"If everyone was equally dedicated to getting good grades, or if groups were assigned based no dedication. † Another student recommended that students â€Å"take their job seriously, not just for their grades, but for others' grades. † Faculty Centered Themes Oversight. In terms of faculty centered themes, some students suggested more faculty input in future group projects as a strategy to improve group work. Some students recommended more guid ance in the beginning of the project. One student, for example, said, â€Å"The instructor should assign the topic instead of letting the group pick a topic.† Another student said, â€Å"The teacher could have taught more in the beginning. † A third student called for â€Å"more direction from the instructor,† implying that direction would help in the beginning of the project. Other students recommended assistance in motivating group members. For instance, one student said, â€Å"Specific deadlines may help group members turn in their material in a timely manner. † Grades. Several students offered recommendations for how professors overseeing group projects should grade the projects. One student, for instance, recommended that professors use grades to â€Å"to force the students to participate.† Another student expanded on this recommendation: [You should have] mandatory meetings, groups should be graded on how often they come to the group when the y meet. It would make a person show up more to group meetings because a percentage of his or her grade would depend on it. Other students also resented the fact that â€Å"free riders† were getting the same grade they got and recommended changing this policy. One student said that â€Å"having some of the project reflect individuals so that everyone is not getting the same grade† would help group work.Another student said, â€Å"I didn't like relying on someone else and having it effect my grade point average. † A third student who made the following comments seemed even more concerned about â€Å"common grades† [You need] more accountability for individual work. When my grade depends on the intelligence and responsibility of other people, I get nervous, especially when some don't bother to come to class. Interestingly. when students talked about grades, they were not concerned with what they were learning or doing: rather, they were concerned with almost solely with their grade and whether it was fair.Situational Themes. Situational themes refer to comments that reflected specific dynamics of the group project that instructors could possibly influence. Three situational themes that arose included the number of meetings, time, and location. In terms of the number of meetings, one student recommended that â€Å"Members should meet as frequently as possible. † To be sure, faculty members could require a certain number of group meetings. With regard to time, a student said that â€Å"longer class periods† would improve group work. Another student suggested that â€Å"time †¦and less stress from other courses† would improve group work. While faculty cannot control the amount of stress students feel from their other courses, they can control the amount of class time devoted to a group project. In terms of location, students also made recommendations regarding where the group project work should be done. For exam ple, one student said the following: â€Å"I have trouble doing group work where there are many groups working on different projects in the same room. I like that we were able to meet at different locations outside of school.† Another student also said she had problems meeting in class and recommended â€Å"more discipline from other groups that are in the same vicinity. † Anomic Themes. Some students made comments which we characterized as â€Å"anomic themes† because the students were unable to suggest anything positive about group work, or improving group work. In effect, they seem to exhibit a sense of normlessness or an enormous aversion to group work. For example, when asked what could be done to improve group work, some students made the following comments: * Getting rid of it * Nothing can be done to improve group work.It is inevitable. * There's always going to be problems. Other students provided a little more detail describing their aversion to group work. One student, for instance, said that it is important to remember for future projects â€Å"that there are some people who will never be reliable and some that always have to be the bomb. † Perhaps the most pessimistic comment made was the following: I didn't like anything. We shouldn't have to do group projects or any kind of individual research projects. I don't think research projects will help us in our jobs in the future. Itisn't needed and is a waste of time. It is important to note that the vast majority of students had favorable impressions of the project. DISCUSSION Based on what our students learned, a number of suggestions can be made for future group projects. These recommendations include: (1) overcoming faculty resistance to group work, (2) overcoming student resistance to group work, (3) ensuring students realize the purpose of the project, (4) providing appropriate oversight for students, (5) scheduling the group work appropriately, and (6) helping groups set and attain goals of the project.These suggestions are addressed below. First, enough research has been done to show that group projects, in various forms, can be an important part of students† undergraduate curriculum. Faculty must come to appreciate and realize the importance of these group projects. Of course, group projects are not a panacea and some faculty hold these projects in complete disregard (Ashraf 2004). However, students have much to gain from group projects. Not only will they learn about the topic, but just as important, students will learn important skills, and they will learn about themselves.Certainly, group projects are not appropriate for all courses or all instructors. Still, group projects should be integrated into all majors' coursework in one form or another to ensure that majors are learning how to work together, how to learn from one another, and how to communicate with one another. Second, faculty who implement group projects in their courses w ill need to overcome student resistance to group efforts. This aversion likely stems from the fact that students are accustomed to traditional pedagogical strategies in which instructors lecture to students, who are tested on the lectures.Over one hundred years ago, in The Theory of the Leisure Class, Thorstein Veblin (1899) commented, The aversion to change is in large part an aversion to the bother of making the readjustment which any given change will necessitate †¦. A consequence of this increased reluctance, due to the solidarity of human institutions, is that any innovation calls for a greater expenditure of nervous energy in making the necessary readjustment than would otherwise be the case. Indeed, based on our experiences, we have seen many students expend â€Å"nervous energy in making the necessary readjustment† that makes the accustomed to group work.Imagine for a moment if group work were the traditional and customary teaching style for students. Then, what would happen if we pulled the group out from under them and asked them to do an individual project? Many students would likely have the same aversion that they now have to group work. They'd have to learn new strategies of doing things, and this is something many of us resist. In the end, it seems what is best is to find a blend of teaching strategies in which students are encouraged to work both individually and in groups.Third, and on a related point, faculty should stress to students what they have to gain from group projects. Typically one would expect that the goals of the group project are not just completing the project, but gaining the experience of working together. This aspect of group work should be included on the syllabus so that students realize that the faculty member empathizes with students' concerns. At a minimum, students should be told how group work improves their communication skills, enhances their critical thinking skills, allows for reciprocal learning, and teaches them to work together.From a symbolic interactionist perspective, communicating openly with students about the purpose of group projects will help to give meaning to the students' experiences. Assigning meaning to their experiences before the projects begin will also help better understand one another's actions. They will learn that conflict is possible and that they can overcome this conflict by working together. Moreover, their interactions with members of their groups will help to develop them as novice social scientists (See Berg 2004). Fourth, faculty members should provide appropriate oversight over the groups as needed.It's not just our students who noted the need for oversight Research by Livingstone and Lynch (2000) finds that the degree of faculty guidance will play a role in determining whether the students find value in team-based learning. Oversight is especially important in the beginning stages of the group project when group members are still in the process o f the defining their own roles and tasks as well as their peers' roles and tasks. Part of this direction should be instilling within students the importance of learning teamwork skills (Page and Donelan 2003).Direction may be needed to make sure that students are attending group sessions and working towards the ideals of the group. While group members may do things themselves to encourage participation by fellow group members, ultimately, the instructor has the greatest leverage over students. Describing the direction that faculty members should provide, Lordan (1996: 45) writes, â€Å"Like supervisors in the professional world, the teacher should strike a balance between letting students work out their own problems and stepping in to keep them on track.† As well, instructors need to provide oversight inasmuch as they are helping students find suitable places on campus to do their group work. (They may also want to remind students how to do division long hand so they are able to divide up the tip for the waiter or waitress at the bar or restaurant where they meet with their calculators). Fifth, instructors should make sure students are clear on how they will be graded on group projects. Here, as noted earlier, there is great disagreement among those using group projects as to the best way to assess group projects.Some instructors prefer to give all group members the same grade for the group project. Others see this process as inherently unfair (cites) and call for individual grades. Whatever grading method is used, it is important that students understand the grading process and its rationale. Finally, instructors should play a role in helping groups to define, and refine, their goals. Our experience has been that students tend to define their goals in three stages. First, they begin with aspirations of getting a good grade. The next stage replaces the goal of a good grade with the goal of completing the project successfully.This stage is ultimately rep laced with the goal of a good grade. Instructors can foster better goal attainment by encouraging students to focus more on learning and less on getting a good grade. If groups can define the group's goals, and the members' goals, in a way that they focus more on tasks (e. g. , developing a good research question, gathering literature, developing a methodology, doing the research, analyzing the research, and writing a final paper) and learning rather than getting a good grade, then the likelihood of a successful group project increases.Tying individual goals in with group goals is a central aim of collaborative learning (Johnson and Johnson 1994). Students in this study at least indirectly recognized the importance of meshing their own goals with those of the group. Our intent in this paper is not to be prescriptive but to simply generate thought and discussion about a common type of active learning strategy. We recognize that professors vary in their teaching strategy preferences. We do not expect all professors to want to use group projects in their courses, nor do we expect all courses to be amenable to group projects.Still, it is hoped that all undergraduates will participate in at least some group projects during their undergraduate years. While there are flaws with group projects, the benefits of getting students to work with one another are meaningful enough to rely at least somewhat on group projects in some courses. REFERENCES Adams, Jell and Tim Slater. 2002. â€Å"Learning through Sharing. † Journal of College Science Teaching 31: 384-386. Andrusyk, D. and S. Andrusyk. 2003. Improving Student Social Skills through the Use of Coop erative Learning Strategies. M. A. Research Project, Saint Xavier University, Abstract accessed from ERIC, July 5, 2004.Ashraf, Mohammad. 2004. â€Å"A Critical Look at the Use of Group Projects as a Pedagogical Tool. † Journal of Education for Business 79(4), 213-216. Blowers, Paul. 2003. â€Å"Using Student Skill Assessments to get Balanced Groups for Group Projects. † College Teaching 51(3): 106-110. Colbeck, Carol L.. Susan E. Campbell, and Stefani Bjorklund. 2000. â€Å"Grouping in the Dark. † Journal of Higher Education 71: 60-78. Davis. Barbara and Thomas Miller. 1996. â€Å"Job Preparation liar the 21st Century. † Journal of Education for Business 71 (5): 258-270. Doyle, Eva. Chris Beatty, and Mary Shaw. 1999.â€Å"Using Cooperative Learning Groups to Develop Healthy Cultural Awareness. † Journal of Social Health 69(2): 73-80. Dudley, Lola, Henry David, and David McGrady. 2001. â€Å"Using an Investment Project to Develop Professional Competencies in Introduction to Financial Accounting. † Journal of Education for Business 76(3): 125-131. Johnson, D. W. and R. T. Johnson. 1994. Learning Together and Alone. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Livingstone, David and Kenneth Lynch. 2000. â€Å"Group Project Work and Student Centered Active Learning. â₠¬  Studies in Higher Education 25(3): 325-345. Lordan, Edward. 1996.â€Å"‘Using Group Projects to Sharpen Students' PR Skills. † Public Relations Quarterly 41 (2): 43-47. Page, Diana and Joseph G. Donelan. 2003. â€Å"Team Building Tools for Students. † Journal of Education for Business 78(3): 125-128. Roberts-Kirchoff. Elizabeth and Mary Lou Caspers, 2001. â€Å"Dialogues as Teaching Tools. † Biochemistry and Molecular-Biology Education 29(6): 225-228. Young, Carol B. and Janet A. Henquinet. 2000. â€Å"A Conceptual Framework for Designing Group Projects. † Journal of Education for Business 76(1): 56-60. Brian K. Payne Elizabeth Monk-Turner Donald Smith Melvina Sumter Deportment of Sociology and Criminal JusticeOld Dominion University. Norfolk. Virginia Payne, Brian K. , Monk-Turner, Elizabeth, Smith, Donald, & Sumter, Melvina (2006). â€Å"Improving Group Work: Voices of Students. † Education, 126(3), 441+. COPYRIGHT 2006 Project Innovati on (Alabama); COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group Group projects are integral to the business curriculum and can be useful in developing students' skills and abilities as managers. However, faculty encounter several problems with group projects, including assessing students' efforts, aiding good communication and coordination among members, and making sure the project is a truly collaborative effort.Technology may aid in addressing these problems; electronic discussion boards and chat rooms, for example, can help faculty and students enhance collaboration and increase the accountability of group members. Keywords: Discussion boards, chat rooms, collaborative learning, student projects INCREASED GLOBAL COMPETITION and other changes in the business environment over the last several years have led organizations to restructure themselves. One aspect of that restructuring is a shifting of responsibility and decision making downward and a movement toward self-directed work teams (Cohen, 1993).To pr epare students to thrive in this environment, we obviously need to teach them effective teamwork and communication skills. This article describes two tools that can help accomplish this task, the electronic discussion board and the chat room. These can foster interdependence in group projects and deeper, active learning. First, we discuss the need for and benefits of collaborative projects, the problems of group work, and the role of technology in such projects. We then provide recommendations for incorporating these electronic tools in business communication classes.Need for Collaborative Projects in Business Courses As many researchers have noted, the structural shift towards teams occurring in many organizations should be reflected in the classroom (Bobbitt, Inks, Kemp, & Mayo, 2000). Using groups in class thus prepares students to work collaboratively in the business environment while promoting collaborative learning in the classroom itself. The first benefit of group work in th e classroom is that it teaches students how to work collaboratively in the business environment.Business organizations repeatedly indicate that the increased use of teams in the real world has increased students' need for exposure and experience with teams (Buckenmyer, 2000). Companies that use teams creatively spend many hours and dollars training individuals to work in teams and training managers to manage teams. Through working in groups, students can enhance their abilities in setting goals, delegating work, and dealing with conflict (Colbeck, Campbell, & Bjorklund, 2000). They can also improve their communication, leadership, problem solving, and technical skills.All of these skills are highly rated by recruiters and employers and will help graduates meet the demands and rigors of the workplace (McNally, 1994). The second benefit of group work is that these projects promote collaborative learning. University educators have embraced cooperative learning methods as ways to engage students and to foster cooperation (Ravenscroft, 1997). Researchers have found that the values of Generation X are highly individualistic, visually-oriented, and aligned with information technology, not with the sharing of information (Buckenmyer, 2000).Thus, group course projects, with proper guidance, can help these students learn to deal effectively with others. Group work learning can be an excellent way of encouraging the development of higher cognitive skills in students (Thorley & Gregory, 1994) and can be effective even for relatively quiet group members. When groups work well, students consistently fare better in class, on tests, and in attitudes towards the instructor and each other (Jones & Brickner, 1996).The quality of learning is improved by peer support, with students gaining experience in communication, negotiation, organization, and task management. Cooperative methods have been recognized as effective ways to motivate students to become actively involved in learni ng. The collaborative group project creates a forum that allows students to take an active approach towards their own education. The security of working within a group provides an excellent entree into the progression to independent and autonomous learning (Maguire & Edmondson, 2001).Problems with Group Projects The many benefits of collaborative projects, however, are often offset by problems. First, a common problem is the failure of the group to work together effectively. Students may exert an individual effort but are unable to coordinate their efforts effectively with their group members to achieve any kind of synergistic benefits (Tullar, Kaiser, & Balthazard, 1998). Group members need to be contributing their ideas, questioning and learning from each other, and building on the efforts of the other members.For collaborative learning to occur, students must coordinate the diverse skills and abilities of their group members to address a complex task (Tullar et al. , 1998). A sec ond problem is that often group members simply divide a project so that each individual writes a portion. Then, just before the project is due, the students bring in their disks and combine files without coordinating their efforts or talents effectively. Third, group work often leads to unequal contributions of members, resulting in â€Å"hitchhikers† and â€Å"workhorses† (Cottell & Millis, 1993).These â€Å"hitchhikers,† also called â€Å"free riders† and â€Å"social loafers,† can cause problems in the workflow of the group, as they do not do their fair share. Members of the group have difficulty addressing the free-rider problem and documenting the problem and their efforts to solve it (Gremler, Hoffman, Keaveney, & Wright, 2000). The issue becomes one student's word against another's as the teacher tries to determine fair individual grades. Finally, group projects are often assigned without the allocation of class time for groups to develop co operative skills or to become cohesive (Michaelsen, 1992).There is limited time in class to discuss both the needed topics and the mechanics of group management. In many cases, groups meet on evenings and weekends when faculty members are not available for assistance. Additionally, many group members are geographically and temporally dispersed, which makes organizing face-to-face group meetings difficult. The Role of Technology in Enhancing Collaborative Learning Active and cooperative learning approaches will be counterproductive unless they are thoughtfully implemented and well supported.Communication tools like discussion boards and chat rooms can be effective in inter-team collaboration as well as in faculty-student communication. These tools can help ease the problems discussed in the previous section. By solving these problems with technology, faculty can address three learning goals: empowering students, improving their communication skills, and developing their ability to wo rk collaboratively. Finally, these technological communication tools offer teaching opportunities by allowing faculty to be more accessible to students and to track students' efforts better.Addressing Group Project Problems Internet-based tools can be a tremendous help in coordinating team efforts, particularly when the team is geographically (whether by a few miles or a few thousand miles) or temporally dispersed (Kaiser, Tullar, & McKowen, 2000). With technology, groups can meet either synchronously, using chat rooms, or asynchronously, using threaded discussion boards, in which group members contribute to the group discussion at times convenient to their schedules over a defined time period.These tools enable everyone in the group to talk at the same time or at their convenience by typing their comments into the forum that instantly distributes their comments. Additionally, strong personalities have greater difficulty dominating the group as everyone has equal access to the †Å"floor. † Students may feel more comfortable presenting ideas this way than in a face-to-face meeting, and the quality and professionalism of their ideas may be higher, knowing that their participation is being monitored.The discussion forum also gives all students ample time for reflection so students' responses are often more thoughtful than those in face-to-face situations. Studies have illustrated this level of increased and more evenly distributed participation from students in computer-supported groups (Tullar et al. , 1998). Addressing Learning Goals Projects provide opportunities for experiential learning, that is, students apply what they have learned to real-world situations and thus develop decision-making skills. But in doing so, projects often produce anxiety as students struggle to determine what answer the instructor wants.However, with these projects, whether it be a case, a report of a business issue, or a business plan, faculty are typically not searching fo r one right answer, but rather are concerned with the process that students use in solving problems. Teaching students to ask the right questions is thought to be more important than giving students the right answers. In the real world, there is neither one right answer nor is there a â€Å"sage on a stage† that can direct students to the right answer. Students need to learn how to find and to support the answers for themselves.The use of electronic discussion boards and chat rooms can aid student learning in the struggle through the project process. Thus, three learning goals can be addressed through the use of electronic discussion boards and chat rooms with experiential group projects: (1) empowering students to become active participants in their learning, (2) increasing students' communication skills in describing and solving problems, and (3) enhancing students' abilities to collaborate and work with others in developing their own resources in solving problems.To achiev e these goals, education must involve interactivity among instructors, students, and the materials, and electronic discussion boards and chat rooms can enrich that interactivity. Providing Additional Teaching Opportunities Another advantage of these tools is the opportunity for faculty to participate in the discussions and e-mails. Faculty can use these tools to demonstrate concern for students and to provide additional accessibility and feedback.In fact, the transactional distance encourages faculty to maintain a facilitative role rather than an authoritative role (Moore, 1993). Finally, these tools make it easier for faculty and students to keep track of what everyone has said as there is a written record (Kaiser et al. , 2000). Students have the opportunity to reorganize and reshape their understanding of course content. The Web-based tools allow thoughts to be captured for future examination, elaboration, and extension. The end result is usually more robust and thoughtful discus sions.In fact, threaded discussions can extend the time that both instructors and students invest in the course (Bruce & Hwang, 2001). Recommendations for Using These Tools Many universities are starting to use various computer course tools or platforms to promote online learning. These platforms, such as BlackBoard or WebCT, can be used to design either Web-based or Web-assisted courses. For several years, we have used discussion groups and chat rooms in Web-based classes but have also found that communication can be enhanced in traditional classes through use of these tools.Since more business organizations are using electronic tools, such as Lotus Notes, to facilitate group meetings, using them in the classroom helps students further prepare for their careers. However, the wise faculty member will be advised that these tools should be used judiciously. Therefore, based on our experience, the following suggestions are made to faculty who are considering the use of Web-based tools. Discussion Boards Instructors and students can compose and post messages electronically on electronic discussion boards.Both public and private discussion forums can be implemented. With many computing platforms, such as WebCT, faculty can set up public forums to start threaded discussions for the class to which the students can respond electronically. Students can use these public forums to post questions to which the entire class can respond, such as for help in finding information for the project. A project normally seems easier when the instructor is discussing it in class and few questions arise. However, students' questions occasionally occur after class or on weekends.The discussion board allows the opportunity for students to post problems asynchronously and to receive input from the class. The burden is no longer on the instructor to solve every problem as it occurs but is on the students to work with each other as well as with the instructor in solving problems. This is a tremendous lesson for students to learn to deal with problem solving in the real world. When an employer gives an employee a project or task to do, he/she expects the employee to do it on his/her own and not ask for assistance from the employer every step of the way.Students have to learn to be problem solvers on their own, and the use of electronic discussion boards helps develop that skill. The professor's role is to help get the conversation started. For example, the instructor can post a question on the public project discussion board asking at which sites people are having success finding information for the project. The students can then respond. Those students who respond in a useful manner will be rewarded, such as with a participation grade. Those students or groups who do not respond can be asked on the discussion board for their input.When students see the progress other students are making, they may be spurred to work harder. Additionally, the faculty need to check the discussion board frequently to see if any misinformation is being spread, to ensure â€Å"netiquette† is being practiced, and to restart the conversation as needed. Finally, faculty can take questions that the students ask individually and request that the students post them on the discussion board. In that way the instructor only has to respond once, and similar inquiries can then be referred to that response.This will eve ntually build a culture in the class where the instructor is not seen as the sole source for information, and the students learn to work with each other in solving problems. Additionally, instructors can create private forums to be used to divide students into groups for class exercises or for the use of asynchronous coordination of group projects in which group members cannot all meet at the same time. The instructor can visit these public and private forums to track group progress, to encourage students to help each other to solve problems, and to provid e assistance as needed after the students have tried first on their own.In the private group forums, the students are encouraged to use the board to organize group meetings, to post their research findings, and to post drafts of their work for their group members to see and make comments. The professor can encourage individual group members to post their contributions to the paper to the private forum for the other members to see and post suggestions. This would increase group collaboration in a manner that can be documented. After the group has collaborated on a draft of the project, the instructor can offer suggestions.Finally, instructors should consider requiring the groups to post progress reports on their efforts periodically during the term. These progress reports describe what the group has accomplished, what the group's plans are, if there are any problems, and if there are, how they are being addressed. The instructor should provide guidelines as to what the groups should have accomplished by the progress report dates so the students can determine if they are on track. While these reports could be submitted on paper, doing it through the discussion board makes it easier for group m