Oil and Non-Oil Economy of the UAE Essay

The general dichotomization of the economy of the United Arab Emirates is into the oil and non-oil sectors. While the aggregate output remains dependent on oil production, the United Arab Emirates is focusing on the development of its non-oil sector as part of its diversification plan. However, its ability to develop fully its non-oil sector depends on the performance of its oil sector. One consideration is the relative contribution of the oil and non-oil sectors to the economy. The other consideration is the ability to the oil-sector to support the diversification plan in the non-oil sector. Abed and Hellyer (2001) explained that in 1998 the production of crude oil accounted for less than a quarter or 22 percent of gross domestic product. However, even if the contribution of crude oil production to aggregate output is less than a quarter, the impact of the sector on the economy is much bigger. Oil exports contributed 37 percent of earnings in foreign exchange and 60 percent of public sector revenue. The oil sector contributes to the aggregate economy in four fronts, which are business investment, household income and consumption, public spending, and net exports. This substantiates the claim that the oil sector comprises the backbone of the UAE economy. Further growth occurred in the oil sector in 2006 with the Ministry of Information and Culture (2006) reporting that the oil and gas sector contributed 28 percent to aggregate output. Concurrently, there is also growth in the non-oil sector, particularly in manufacturing and financial sectors. The UAE Federal Government (2008) further reported that oil and gas production experienced further growth by contributing one third to gross domestic product. This is primarily due to programs intending to optimize oil and gas production in the different emirates. At the same time, there is also solid growth in the non-oil sector. In the next years, the contribution of the oil sector should stabilize at one third of the economy and the non-oil sector becoming a stronger contributor to economic growth. This would allow the UAE to maximize returns from the oil and gas sector to boost growth in the non-oil sector. UAE Economic Developments to Achieve Diversification The United Arab Emirates is already on its way towards economic diversification. Although, the oil and gas sector remains as an important sector, the UAE has achieved developments in the non-oil sector. There are areas of economic developments that the UAE has to focus on to achieve diversification. Dunning (2005) identified the optimization of resource base as a means of achieving diversification. The UAE has to hone the potential of its key resources to establish different industries. The country has already done this by continuously developing its oil and gas sector. However, it also needs to optimize the resource base for the non-oil sector such as the development of land through urban planning or the urbanization of peripheral lands to provide venues for manufacturing and services sectors or the maintenance of natural resources for tourism. Another economic development needed to support diversification encompasses structural changes. According to Shihab (2006), the economic structure needs to support the needs of the non-oil sector. One way of achieving this is influencing employment patterns to develop labor force for the non-oil sector. This means investing in human services such as education and health to ensure labor productivity. Muysken and Nour (2006) stressed on the deficiencies in the educational system and low level of skills of the labor force as areas for improvement if the UAE wants to succeed in diversifying its economy. Another way is the establishment of different industries to broaden the economic base and create employment. A third economic development is integration of infrastructure and social structures to support diversification. DeNicola (2005) explained that infrastructure developments are necessary to attract investments and create employment opportunities for non-oil industries. Shihab (2006) explained that social factors such as the development of a culture of consumerism and calm co-existence among local minorities and expatriates support growth in the non-oil sector. Justification for Diversifying the UAE Economy Imbs and Wacziarg (2003) explained that the overall justification for economic diversification is sustainable growth by spreading economic risk across different industries. Economies reliant on a single sector such as the reliance of the member countries of the Gulf Cooperating Council on the oil sector also face high risks in the long-term because oil is a non-renewable resource (Fasano & Iqbal 2003). There are also specific reasons for the goal of the UAE for diversifying its economy. One is avoidance of the effect of the oil curse theory, which explains that dependence on oil has long-term negative effects on the economy. Oil exporting countries gain revenue by relying on price fluctuations in the global market alone, which does not require investments or efficiency that in turn precludes long-term development of economic capabilities or competencies. Revenue generated from oil is sufficient to support welfare services, placing focus on allocation instead of production. (HSBC Middle East 2003; DeNicola 2005) Another justification is the maximization of revenue generation through resource development. Diversification would enable an oil dependent economy such as the UAE to gain revenue from its other resources. Sole reliance on oil limits the revenue generating potential of the economy and hampers economic efficiency by idling resources. (Shihab 2006) Another related reason is resolving revenue volatility. Dependence on oil involves the downside of volatility in the long-term because oil is non-renewable, which means oil reserves will eventually run out in the future. Oil dependent countries need to develop other sources of revenue to ensure continuity of revenue generation even after oil reserves have dwindled. (Gylfason 2004) Still another justification is human development by creating employment opportunities for the young population. The UAE has a predominantly young population, which means a pool of intellectual and skill resource able to support the development of non-oil industries. Diversification enables the economy to develop its human resources to increase quality of life and sustain productivity. (HSBC Middle East, 2003; Muysken & Nour 2006) Non-Oil Sector in Economic Diversification for Sustainable Economic Development The Ministry of Information and Culture (2006) explained that the non-oil sector contributed 72 percent of the GDP of the UAE. This reflects the potential of developing the non-oil sector to achieve economic diversification and ensure sustainable economic development. The non-oil sector comprises goods manufacturing and services, with the former contributing 57. 9 percent and the latter contributing 42. 1 percent to GDP from the non-oil sector. Industries under goods manufacturing are agriculture, livestock and fisheries, mining, manufacturing, construction, and electricity, gas and water. Industries under services include restaurants and hotels, transportation, storage and communication, real estate and business, and social and private services. Diversification is already apparent in these various industries and there is still wide room for the development of these industries and the establishment of new industries. Hejmadi (2004) explained that development of the economic free zones were crucial to the development of different industries in goods manufacturing and services. These zones provided a venue and incentives for the flow of both domestic and foreign investments into diverse industries to create employment opportunities and contribute to the growth in aggregate output. Apart from the continuous development of these industries, a potential industry for diversification in the non-oil sector is tourism. Sharpley (2002) explained that tourism is becoming a ubiquitous means of achieving economic diversification for many countries seeking to secure long-term economic growth. Tourism fits the resource approach to sustainable growth since the UAE has many tourism destinations to attract tourists and its cultural openness also comprise an impetus for foreign tourists. Blanke and Mia (2006) reported that travel and tourism already exist as an industry in the UAE and contributing 1. 1 percent to GDP. There is wide potential for development. However, there are challenges to tourism development requiring investments in destination development and promotions (Sharpley, 2002; Henderson 2006) References Abed, I. & Hellyer, P. (Eds. ), 2001. United Arab Emirates: a new perspective. London: Trident Press Ltd. Blanke, J. & Mia, I. , 2006. Chapter 22 assessing travel & tourism competitiveness in the Arab world. [Online] Available at: http://www. weforum. org/pdf/Global_Competitiveness_Reports/Reports/chapters/2_2. pdf [Accessed 25 January 2009] DeNicola, C. , 2005. Dubai’s political and economic development: an oasis in the desert?. Williamstown, MA: Williams College. Dunning, T. , 2005. Resource dependence, economic performance, and political stability. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 49(4), pp. 451-482. Fasano, U. & Iqbal, Z. , 2003. GCC countries from oil dependence to diversification. Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund.

Continuous teacher professional development through collaboration

The School as a Learning EnvironmentIntroductionA positive acquisition environment can be described as an environment in which a community of scholars dwelling of kids and grownups work together to supply, promote and prolong their ain and one another ‘s acquisition ( Barth, 2001:31 ) . In this essay the writer, pulling from professional experience in an Irish primary school context and mentioning to relevant literature, will sketch the cardinal features of schools that are positive learning environments. It will be outlined how devolved leading affecting all teaching staff ; supplying students with a voice sing school policies and their ain acquisition ; a physical environment which enables and encourages larning ; advancing uninterrupted teacher professional development through coaction ; and steps to affect all parents in the administration of the school and in heightening their kids ‘s, and through the procedure their ain, larning are cardinal features of schools that are positive learning environments. It will besides be highlighted how factors such as opposition to alter among school forces, dysfunctional staff relationships and recent Irish Government policies are common obstructions to gaining such environments.Teacher LeadershipWith a invariably increasing work load and duty â€Å" the demands and challenges of prima schools are merely excessively great for any one individual ( the principal ) † ( Stoll, 2009:122 ) . As Barth ( 2001 ) notes principals need aid in â€Å" carry throughing this impossible occupation description † ( p. 84 ) . One possible solution to this state of affairs is devolved leading whereby teaching staff are provided with leading functions and duties in the running of the school. Much has been written in educational literature recommending this engagement of instructors in leading functions ( Callan, 2006: 214 ; Harris, 2008:31 ; Sergiovanni, 1992 ; Stoll and Fink, 1996:52 ; The Teaching Council, 2010 ; Tuohy, 1999:166 ) . Cases in which instructors can take include take parting in the creative activity of a school vision and associated policies, determining course of study for the school, planning and prima staff development activities, prosecuting in determinations about how financess should be allocated and engaging new instructors ( Barth, 2001:88 ) . The writer ‘s school has started this procedure of instructor leaders with greater duty being given to the in school direction squad, which consists of instructors who hold Posts of Responsibility, sing determinations about school policies, but this is merely a first measure every bit in order for schools to accomplish maximal good results â€Å" all instructors must take † ( Barth, 2001:85 ) . This teacher leading can take to a positive acquisition environment in legion ways. It can assist to prolong and advance instructor committedness and motive to the school as they are involved in doing determinations which affect them ( Fullan, 2003:38 ) , which can besides promote instructors to alter their schoolroom pattern which is important to school betterment ( Fullan and Hargreaves, 1991:23 ) . This leading function can fix instructors for the function of chief instead than all of a sudden puting them unprepared into this place subsequently in their calling ( Fullan and Hargreaves, 1991:20 ) and enable these teacher leaders to larn as they can larn through the experiences of leading ( Barth, 2001:82 ) . It has been argued that if instructors are provided with leading functions they in bend will supply leading functions for students turning the school into a more democratic environment with less subject jobs and higher student accomplishment ( Barth, 2001:80 ) and that better d eterminations are made as a consequence of scattering determination doing sing school issues such as subject processs and professional development ( ibid:82 ) . This leading function besides adds assortment to the instructor ‘s function and can enable them to act upon the lives of grownups every bit good as students ( ibid:83 ) . Sharing leading can besides enable the principal to go a scholar in this acquisition environment as he can larn through coaction with these instructor leaders ( Fullan and Hargreaves, 1991:122 ) . As Barth ( 2001 ) notes â€Å" A school civilization hospitable to widespread leading will be a school civilization hospitable to widespread acquisition † ( p. 81 ) .Pupil VoiceEqually good as supplying instructors with greater duty through leading functions another cardinal feature of a positive acquisition environment is one in which students are given greater duty by apportioning them a voice sing school policy and their ain acquisition. The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child ( 1989 ) states â€Å" States Parties shall guarantee to the kid who is capable of organizing his or ain positions the right to show those positions freely in all affairs impacting the kid aˆÂ ¦ . † ( Article 12 ) . Irish Policy recognised this right with the publication of the National Children ‘s Strategy ( 2000 ) which aims to make â€Å" An Ireland where kids are respected as immature citizens with a valued part to do and a voice of their ain aˆÂ ¦ . † ( Department of Health and Children, 2000:10 ) . An obvious context for kids to exert this voice is sing their school experiences as a consequence of the big part of their lives they spend in school ( Devine, 2004:112 ) . Opportunities for students to be given this voice in school include affecting them in building and take parting in their ain acquisition by supplying feedback to instructors on lessons sing how students learned and ways the instructor could do the lesson more ambitious or gratifying ( Claxton, 2008:157 ) and by puting up pupil councils to discourse school policies and processs ( McLoughlin, 2004 ) . This voice can even travel every bit far as learning instructors as Barth ( 2001:3 ) describes a school in which students provide direction to instructors sing information communicating engineering accomplishments. This writer ‘s school has begun the procedure of supplying this voice to pupils through the constitution of the Green Schools Committee in which pupil representatives from every category meet on a hebdomadal footing to discourse school environmental processs. Supplying students with this voice can make a positive acquisition environment in a figure of ways. The positives of giving pupils chances to lend to school policies such as the codification of behavior are outlined by the National Education Welfare Board ( NEWB ) observing that: Students are more likely to back up a codification of behavior when they have helped to develop it. Relationships of trust between instructors and pupils can turn through the procedure ( NEWB, 2008:16 ) . Childs can besides larn accomplishments of hearing, negociating and pull offing differences through active battle in a societal context ( NEWB, 2008:16 ) . Supplying students with this voice can actuate them to come to school by demoing them that both they and their sentiments sing determinations that affect them affair ( Stoll and Fink, 1996:139 ) . It shows kids that the school will handle them rightly as Devine ( 2004:122 ) notes kids feel that schools treat them below the belt when schools exclude their positions. Children ‘s ability to larn about issues such as democracy, justness and inclusiveness can be made more effectual as kids experience these rights foremost manus through pattern and engagement ( Devine, 2004:124 ) . In his survey of a pupil council set up in a primary school McLoughlin ( 2004:132 ) noted positive acquisition results for the students involved including felicity and pride as a consequence of being involved, a sense of belonging, increased assurance a nd a turning sense of partnership with school forces. Claxton ( 2008 ) notes that puting up pupil councils to discourse issues of existent importance enables participants to â€Å" cognize that what they learn by undertaking these issues will function them good in ulterior life † ( p. 149 ) .Resistance to ChangeIn order to include these comparatively fresh constructs of instructor leading and pupil voice as outlined above schools have to get the better of the common obstruction of opposition to alter. As Eisner ( 1992 ) notes â€Å" It is much easier to alter educational policy than to alter the ways in which schools map † ( p. 610 ) . This opposition can come from instructors and principals. This opposition to alter is an obstruction to gaining a positive acquisition environment as Stoll and Fink ( 1996 ) note: A school is either bettering or it is acquiring worse. It can non stand still because its context is invariably altering ( p.42 ) . Many instructors may defy alteration as they fear new inventions that they feel might expose their ain perceived insufficiencies ( Stoll and Fink, 1996:50 ) , experience a sense of loss go forthing a set of familiar set of behaviors behind and fear the hereafter and the unknown ( Tuohy, 1999:27 ) . Experienced instructors may defy alteration as a consequence of familiar modus operandis they have built up which require minimum attempt on their portion ( Eisner, 1998:159 ) . The writer experienced this opposition to alter on several occasions. One such juncture was when the writer displayed a posting saying to pupils â€Å" You have the right to give your sentiment, and for grownups to listen and take it earnestly † , adapted from Article 12 of The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child ( 1989 ) , in his schoolroom. Several of the writer ‘s co-workers expressed their disapproval of this message being displayed to kids due to its ‘inappropriateness ‘ on the evidences that students should make precisely and without inquiry as they are instructed to by instructors as has ever been the instance. This mentality earnestly restricts the possible to supply a voice to pupils as outlined above. This writer has besides witnessed instructors learning the same content utilizing the same methodological analysiss twelvemonth after twelvemonth irrespective of alterations in national or school policies. Callan ( 2006 ) in researching the School Curriculum Development ( SCD ) enterprise in 20 Irish secondary schools notes that principals can besides defy alteration saying â€Å" Consequently, one learned in the procedure of this enterprise that one could non presume that there was a preparedness, willingness, or a capacity among school principals to change their function † ( p. 107 ) . Possible grounds for this include principals desiring to keep on to power and control and to be at the Centre of doing determinations sing everything that happens in their school ( Barth, 2001:108 ) . This has an obvious damaging consequence to the end of supplying leading functions for all instructors.Physical EnvironmentCohen, McCabe, Michelli and Pickeral ( 2009:3 ) highlight the importance of a school ‘s physical environment observing that the environmental-structural dimension of a school including its cleanliness, infinite and stuffs and aesthetic quality is one of four indispensable dimensions sing the quality and character of school life. Research has shown that the first alteration the bulk of freshly appointed principals make upon get downing in the function of principal is a calculated alteration to the school ‘s physical environment ( Stoll and Fink, 1996:51 ) . Marie Stubbs when appointed principal to St. George ‘s Roman Catholic Secondary School in London, England transformed the fighting school which was on the threshold of closing from the Office for Standards in Education ( Ofsted ) into a positive acquisition environment which went on to be nominated by Ofsted as a national illustration of good pattern. One method she adopted to accomplish this was by doing several alterations to the school ‘s physical environment. These included painting each floor of the school a different bright coloring material doing the school more visually appealing and welcoming to pupils, altering the schools atrium by seting in new comfy chairs doing it a more comfy and inviting topographic point for pupils and seting up noticeboards incorporating images and information about pupils and their activities, including birthday notices, to demo them they were valued ( Stubbs, 2003 ) . The late appointed principal in the writer ‘s school has besides made several alterations to the school ‘s physical environment including the creative activity of a new computing machine room which enables students to larn, and hopefully learn, information communicating engineering accomplishments. Claxton ( 2008 ) identifies extra physical characteristics of a learning school including shows which show the journey of acquisition every bit good as the terminal merchandise, such as a student ‘s different efforts at making a picture, showing to them â€Å" We are every bit interested in the traveling as in the arriving † ( p. 145 ) . He besides states that â€Å" One of the ways you can recognize a larning power civilization is by looking at the objects and shows that instructors have chosen to ‘decorate ‘ their classroomsaˆÂ ¦ . † ( p. 145 ) encouraging shows that develop students ‘ â€Å" acquisition musculuss † ( p. 148 ) . He recommends a schoolroom layout which encourages students to travel about and larn from each other in a societal context ( p. 148 ) . Such a layout can enable students to larn through the societal procedure described by Vygotsky where with aid from person more knowing and skilled in a co-operative scene, t he scholar is able to accomplish more than he could entirely ( Stoll, Fink and Earl, 2003:38 ) . A school physical environment which both enables and encourages larning is hence a cardinal feature of a positive acquisition environment.Continuous Teacher Professional Development through CollaborationEqually good as promoting students to larn, positive acquisition environments encourage instructors to larn. Stoll and Fink ( 1996 ) highlight a important ground for this stating: a important subscriber to pupil acquisition is teacher larning. When instructors are professionally fulfilled, demonstrate occupation satisfaction, accomplishments and cognition, and have a strong feeling of efficaciousness around their pattern, they are more likely to actuate students to desire to larn ( p. 152 ) . Another factor in instructor larning promoting student acquisition is the illustration this sets for students many of whom will seek to emulate their instructor ‘s illustration ( Barth, 2001:28 ) . In order to supply a positive acquisition illustration, instructors can be seen by their pupils to be seeking out ways of going a better instructor. In making so they are patterning person who is invariably looking to acquire better at what they do ( Claxton, 2008:157 ) . It has besides been argued that teachers become better pedagogues when they invariably learn how to learn ( Barth, 2001:28 ) . The Education Act ( 1998 ) refers to the significance of instructor larning observing the importance of â€Å" a school environment which is supportive of larning among pupils and which promotes the professional development of instructors † ( subdivision 23-2c ) . The cardinal issue is how the school supports this development. This development should be uninterrupted and changeless because there will ever be a demand for instructors to better ( Fullan, 1991:344 ) and â€Å" When instructors stop turning, so make their pupils † ( Barth 1990:50 ) . Many educational authors advocate the importance of coaction between instructors as cardinal to their professional development ( Callan, 2006: 71 ; Lieberman and Miller, 1999:69 ; Palmer, 2007:146 ; Stoll and Fink, 1996:54 ) . As Stoll et Al. ( 2003 ) note â€Å" If systems to back up professional growing are intended to prolong their acquisition, they must nevertheless, aid schools develop as acquisition communities where ped agogues collaborate to ask critically about their ain pattern † ( p. 173 ) . Methods of teacher coaction presently used by the writer include squad instruction, in which the mainstream category instructor and resource instructor prepare and Teach lessons together and joint planning, where instructors of a specific twelvemonth group program lessons together on a monthly footing. Other methods, non yet utilised in pattern by the writer, include mentoring, in which a senior member of staff provides feedback to a late appointed instructor sing lessons, lesson readying, resources and planning ; collaborative action research, in which instructors examine a specific country of the school such as methodological analysiss used in learning job work outing accomplishments in mathematics ; and common observation and feedback of lessons in which ‘critical friends ‘ observe each other ‘s lessons and supply critical feedback sing strengths and failings in learning methodological analysiss employed ( Stoll et al. , 2003:94 ) . In trying to make a collaborat ive acquisition environment it is of import that instructors are shown that collaborative work can take many diverse signifiers and empowered to choose patterns which suit them best instead than one peculiar attack being forced on them ( Fullan and Hargreaves, 1991:123/124 ) . These collaborative environments can assist instructors to larn in assorted ways. As Rosenholtz ( 1989:85 ) notes they can enable instructors to admit that instruction is hard and that it is of import to seek aid from co-workers. In pass oning more with co-workers, instructors can go more confident and certain about what they are seeking to accomplish and how good they are accomplishing it. Merely as it has been noted that pupils larn better in a societal context from each other the same can be said about instructors. Equally good as instructor coaction bettering instructors ‘ chances to larn it can make likewise for students as â€Å" you can non hold pupils as uninterrupted scholars and effectual confederates, without instructors holding these same features † ( Fullan, 1993:46 ) . It besides enhances the school ‘s overall ability to better as a high degree of shared vision and teamwork is required to convey about important alteration ( Tuohy, 1999:179 ) .Dysfunct ional Staff RelationshipsAn obstruction to teacher acquisition, particularly in footings of collaborative acquisition, and hence to gaining a positive acquisition environment is dysfunctional staff relationships. It has been noted that negative school environments have actively hostile relationships among staff ( Peterson, 2002 ) . The writer, through experience of learning in a school with over 30 instructors on staff, has seen dysfunctional, and even hostile, staff relationships as a consequence of subcultures or ‘cliques ‘ of instructors organizing, a procedure described as â€Å" Balkanization † ( Fullan and Hargreaves, 1991:72 ) . In the writer ‘s experience members of assorted subcultures had no involvement or desire in working with yet alone join forcesing with members of other subcultures. This subculture outlook, and ill will which sometimes accompanies it, besides provides a hapless illustration to pupils who frequently strive to emulate their inst ructor ‘s illustration. In add-on as Fullan and Hargreaves ( 1991 ) note: Balkanization may take to hapless communicating, indifference, or groups traveling their separate ways in a school. This in bend can bring forth hapless continuity in supervising pupil advancement and inconsistent outlooks for their public presentation and behavior ( p. 72 ) . Another type of dysfunctional staff relationships are congenial relationships as opposed to collegial 1s ( Lieberman and Miller, 2008 ) . These congenial civilizations can curtail instructors ‘ potency to larn through coaction as although relationships are good-humored and compatible they do non affect the struggle or hazard needed to convey about effectual critical coaction and acquisition among instructors, such as critical feedback sing lesson observations, as instructors are excessively concerned sing their popularity ( Lieberman and Miller, 2008:18 ) . In the writer ‘s experience dysfunctional relationships can besides be between principals and instructors around issues such as work load, acknowledgment, regard and duty assigned to instructors by principals. This has a negative consequence on positive acquisition environments as Barth ( 2001 ) notes a common feature of a troubled school is â€Å" troubled, embattled, or antiseptic decision maker – teacher relationships † ( p. 105 ) . These dysfunctional staff relationships can therefore earnestly impede a school ‘s possible to go a positive acquisition environment and as Stoll and Fink ( 1996 ) note â€Å" Until clime and collegiality issues receive attending, instructors in schools sing troubles frequently show small involvement in development of instruction and acquisition schemes † ( p. 78 ) .Parental EngagementEducational literature has noted the positive benefits, such as making a sense of community belonging, which can accrue from affecting ot her grownups in the local community besides instructors in schools ( Fullan, 1993:84 ; Stoll et al. , 2003:73 ; Tuohy, 1999:89 ) . Involving the most important grownups in students ‘ lives, their parents or defenders, can go a cardinal feature of a positive acquisition environment. Parents can be encouraged to go involved in the administration of the school by doing costumes for school dramas, supplying aid in schoolrooms, providing resources, giving negotiations on countries of expertness, training athleticss squads, functioning on school commissions and the Board of Management of the school, join forcesing with instructors sing their kids ‘s acquisition and lending to the development of school policies. This engagement can hold several positive results. The National Education Welfare Board ( NEWB ) ( 2008 ) outlines the significance of affecting parents in developing the codification of behaviour school policy for a school by pulling on their outlooks, penetrations and experience which may offer the school a different position. Possible positive consequences include fiting parents to reenforce to their kids the messages about acquisition and behavior that are contributing to a positive school, giving parents an penetration into the demands for instructors to learn efficaciously and assisting parents to hold a strong sense of pride and ownership of the school ‘s work ( NEWB, 2008:16 ) . In add-on as Stoll and Fink ( 1996 ) note â€Å" The fact remains that parents and instructors need to be ‘reading from the same page ‘ to advance student acquisition and development † ( p. 135 ) . It has been noted that most parents have a important desire for schools to be p ositive larning environments as they want their kids to larn to their full potency ( Barth, 2001:168 ) . By join forcesing with parents sing their kids ‘s larning instructors can happen out a wealth of information refering these students such as their involvements enabling instructors to construction lessons based on these involvements which can increase pupil motive. Schools can besides follow steps to affect parents in heightening their kids ‘s acquisition at place. In researching international surveies from 20 states on school – household – community partnerships, Drum sanders and Epstein ( 2005:208 ) discovered this was the country most households in most states requested support and counsel in. This can be achieved by schools carry oning plans and patterns, such as workshops and place visits, to beef up rearing accomplishments and aid parents supply place environments to back up their kids ‘s acquisition. Research suggests these steps can advance a positive acquisition environment as a consequence of positive influences on households ‘ patterns at place, parent and student attitudes about schools, students ‘ academic accomplishment and instructors ‘ attitudes towards parents ( Sanders and Epstein, 2005:208 ) . Parents can besides be encouraged by instructors to talk to their kids sing their ain acqu isition in their mundane lives. As kids frequently look to their parents as function theoretical accounts this can excite kids ‘s acquisition and enable them to see the importance of womb-to-tomb acquisition ( Barth, 2001:24 ) . Drum sanders and Epstein ( 2005 ) besides discovered â€Å" Surveies across states indicate that pupils benefit when they interact with household members about subjects they are larning in category † such as in reading, spelling, literacy and mathematics ( p. 217 ) . In transporting out the attacks outlined parents can besides go scholars in this acquisition environment and understand the altering nature of schools and acquisition. The writer has witnessed merely limited parental engagement confined to fund-raising responsibilities through engagement in the Parent Teachers Association. Even in this limited engagement parents from cultural minorities groups, disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds and the Traveller community are non included which appears to be the norm in many Irish schools ( Lodge, Devine and Deegan, 2004 ) . Schools hence need to affect all parents in the administration of the school and heightening students ‘ acquisition as â€Å" Most kids learn academic topics in school, but how they learn, what else they learn, and why they learn are influenced by schools, households, communities and their connexions † ( Sanders and Epstein, 2005:214 ) .Government PoliciesWhile outside spouses, such as parents, can assist to make a positive acquisition environment, external factors beyond the schools control, such as recent Irish authorities policies can besides be an obstruction to gaining such an environment. Recent Budgets have created such an obstruction. Budget 2009 increased category sizes which besides led to a loss in learning stations ( Department of Finance, 2008 ) while Budget 2010 saw cuts made in the allotments to teacher professional development ( Department of Finance, 2009 ) which has been outlined as a cardinal feature of a positive acquisition environment. Budget 2011 programs to cut down instructor Numberss in mainstream primary schools with the backdown of Resource Teachers for Travellers and cut downing the figure of Language Support Teachers by 500 in the following four old ages ( Department of Finance, 2010 ) . In making so the Irish authorities are taking support constructions for students and their parents who, as has been noted in this essay, frequently do n't hold a voice or input into schools. The Department of Education and Science placed a moratorium on primary schools advancing instructors to stations of duty ( DES Circular 0022/2009 ) . In response to this step the Irish National Teachers Organisation ( INTO ) instructed its members non to set about extra responsibilities where a post/acting station of duty is non filled as a consequence of this moratorium ( INTO, 2009 ) . These combined steps, by curtailing instructors ‘ possible to take on excess duties, have hence badly hindered the capacity for schools to implement teacher leading for all instructors as outlined in this essay. The writer ‘s school late underwent a Whole School Evaluation in which three departmental inspectors inspected the schools effectivity for the continuance of a hebdomad. These inspectors placed a heavy accent on written planning which the writer felt did small to heighten the quality of instruction and acquisition in the school. Problems such external reviews can convey on schools include force per unit area to conform to the review theoretical account and standards and they can suppress originative and critical instructor contemplation on the opinion and rating of school effectivity ( Stoll and Fink, 1996:170 ) . The inspectorate completed unheralded ( incidental ) external reviews in over 450 primary schools throughout all parts of Ireland between October 2009 and October 2010 ( DES, 2010 ) . Finland, which has no national school reviews but a system of school self-evaluation ( Webb, Vulliamy, Sarja and Hamalainen, 2006 ) , was one of the highest superior states in the Organi sation for Economic Cooperation and Development ( OECD ) Programme for International Student Assessment ( PISA ) study of instruction public presentation while in both literacy and maths degrees Irelands ranking declined significantly when compared to 2000 ( OECD, 2010 ) . It can be argued hence that the current Department of Education and Skills theoretical account of school reviews can make an obstruction to gaining positive acquisition environments.DecisionAs outlined in this essay, principals, instructors, students, parents and the schools physical environment can all play important functions to enable schools to go positive learning environments. The cardinal features of such a school can be described as one that provides leading functions and associated duties to its full teaching staff ; affords a voice to pupils sing school policies and their ain acquisition ; contains a physical environment that enables and encourages larning ; promotes uninterrupted instructor acquisition and development through coaction ; and has steps to affect all parents in the administration of the school and in heightening their kids ‘s acquisition. As illustrated by holding these features the school will heighten the possible and motive to larn in all its participants making a community of scholars. In the writer ‘s experience while initial stairss have been made Irish primary schools still have to to the full gain this presently mostly theoretical theoretical account of a positive acquisition environment. Reasons for this include troubles in get the better ofing common obstructions such as opposition to alter from school forces, dysfunctional staff relationships and recent authorities policies. Developing the features outlined is important to making a community of scholars as American pedagogue Laurence Downey ( 1967 ) expressed it â€Å" A school Teachs in three ways: by what it teaches, by how it teaches and by the sort of topographic point it is † .1 1 Quoted by David Hopkins Teaching and Learning as the Heartland of School Improvement Seamus O Suilleabhain Memorial talk, NUI Maynooth, September 2001

The Importance of Utilizing the Large Databases or Other IT Resources Essay

The Importance of Utilizing the Large Databases or Other IT Resources So As To Introduce New Types of Strategies - Essay Example The researcher states that now a day, existence is the essential requirement of an organization because of a competitive business environment around the globe. Along with this, enhancement of profitability is also important for the improvement of the organization in long run. So, most of the members of the management team desire to analyze the market situations and changing scenario, prior introducing or formulating the strategies of the organization. This is because strategies act as a positive source or ideas essential for the sustainability of the organization. However, it might be effective only if appropriate information or strategies are implemented within the organization. Otherwise, it might become an utter failure for the organization in terms of profit margin as well as brand value. If the strategies implemented or formulated are not as per the requirements, then it might lead to negative impacts. The brand image and reputation of the organization might reduce and resulting downfall of the reliability and trust of the brand within the minds of the customers. If the customers switch over to other rival brands, then the brand may never sustain in the market for a long time in the market. So, it is extremely imperative that the organization might attain or formulate accurate information to continue its supremacy or competitiveness. In this recent age, the most imperative process to formulate accurate strategies or information is by analyzing the databases. This is because it offers the highly reliable form of data and information that might facilitate for the betterment of the organization. Along with this, it might facilitate the enhancement of the value of the market shares leading to amplification of its profitability and market share. Along with this, if the profit margin increases, then more and more workers or employees might get engaged in the operations of the organizations thereby improving the rate of productivity.

Marketing of Service- R Cubed Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing of Service- R Cubed Case Study - Essay Example Through internal marketing R Cubed has made promises with its service providers and encouraged them to offer best services to the clients. Human resource strategies provide the best way to the company to show concerns of the company towards employees. Theoretical human resource strategies which increase service quality by people include hiring the right people, developing the people, providing people needed support systems and retaining the best people. The underline belief based on which recruitment strategy of R Cubed was defined was to recruit people who knew what they were doing and had experience to achieve personal and company goals. Senior consultants from the market were hired and to reduce authoritative culture no ‘junior’ positions were defined. Moreover, the people who R Cubed hired to deal with the customers were not the researchers but they were the experienced managers who could better guide the customers by providing them excellent information. Various human resource strategies were introduced at R Cubed to keep the people motivated and to enhance their continuous development. The four months planning cycle was introduced in which all employees used to go off-site for review planning and discussion. Another aim of this strategy was to enhance employee participation and training them. R Cubed also conducted Ops meetings on weekly basis so that all employees could understand the operations of various departments Actually it was the belief of R Cubed’s owners that learning environment and organization structure allow individuals to flexibly set their own pace. Education budget for each employee from support staff to director level equivalent to 10 percent of their gross salary was set. At the same time to achieve company objectives, the education budget was given on â€Å"use it or lose it† basis. Moreover, with the exception of sales staff,

Major Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Major Paper - Essay Example It all began with a group of girls who were exhibiting strange behavior. When doctors were unable to explain their behavior, the people of Salem began to panic and quickly assumed their behavior to be indicative of the devil’s presence. This small town’s hysteria resulted in the deaths of dozens of individuals. Sadly, many formal accounts of history have not even kept thorough record of all those who died, having been sentenced by the courts of the times to mostly, cruel and unusual forms of execution. This is but one recount of important, historical events which can teach us today; how not to repeat our mistakes. American literature which I have covered in my recent literature class, proved to be much more exciting and engrossing than I could have ever imagined! I recently read Edgar Allen Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado which is a gothic, fictional classic! Incidentally, the short work by Poe is not lengthy at all, it was actually a quick read and therefore got strait to the point. Poe’s works are classic examples of an authro who depicts a strong sense of duality throughout his works. There is always the normal or the protagonist if you will, in Poe’s work; foiled against the dark side represented usually by either the same character or a very similar character. Poe is genious at illustrating the good and evil lingering in everyone. Similarly, I found the reading of Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving to be nothing short of brilliant! The fairytale styling of the work is entirely fictional but at the end, one can derive the ‘take home message’ that our past does come back to haunt us. This is exactly why Early American history was so educational for me, as I realized that even today, the facts of the past help to inform us as to what can occur when costly mistakes and misjudgments are made.

MIST Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

MIST Project - Essay Example The answer of the question: Here it is observed that the Australian warehouse storage and retrieval of product is still predominantly a labor-intensive or semi-automatic process employing a multiplicity of materials handling equipment such as conveyors, elevators and fork lift trucks. The relatively low cost of land in Australia, compared to high density population centers in Asia, generally limits that country’s use of high rise storage facilities to special situations that might include hazardous storage conditions or where desired throughout cannot be maintained with a manual system. So we can say that was the main reason behind the development of an automated warehouse by the SCT. They have planned to minimize the storage cost and have an efficient faculty to switch the on the whole movement, storage and delivery of the products on the main office through the automated warehouse. 1 It was believed by the DB that a market could be developed in Asia providing high rise automated warehouse solutions at more aggressive prices than that demanded by the most important suppliers, using dissimilarity to the by and large used ASRS configuration that involved automated ASRS robots (cranes) that were able to drive around corners. Globally, most high rise warehouses use ASRS cranes that are only capable of traveling in a straight line (referred to as straight-aisle cranes). The limitation of a straight aisle crane is that one crane is required to service each storage aisle in a warehouse. As cranes are a major part of the cost of this type of warehouse solution, by reducing the numbers of cranes there are significant savings. It is supposedly promising for a single aisle-changing crane to service a whole multi-aisled warehouse. So the above given reason can also be the motive behind the SCT has set the decisions on the development and setting up and intelligent artificial

UNIT 4 DISCUSSION BOARD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

UNIT 4 DISCUSSION BOARD - Essay Example This is why managers should base their pricing decision on solid ground. Major factors that should be considered are the market (i.e. customer demand), cost, actions of competitors, and political, legal, and image related issues. The process of determining customer demand is critically essential and continuous. It is even necessary to conduct market research. Though internal and production aspects such as quality are vital, managers must make certain that the product is not priced out of the market. The function of costs is based almost completely on market forces. Producers must meet the market by charging prices below the market price. Generally, both market forces and cost factors greatly affects prices. If a manager wants to effectively decide on pricing, he or she must keep an eye on the market. However, it should also be noted that costs must be covered in the long run. (http://www.canberra.edu.au/uc/lectures/mantech/accounting/sem981/unit4827/Lecture_Week_3_-_Pricing.txt). The pricing decisions that a manager makes should achieve the firm’s financial goals (i.e. profitability); meet up with the realities of the marketplace (by evaluating whether the consumers will buy at that price?); and keep up with the positioning of a product and with the other variables in the marketing mix. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pricing#A_well_chosen_price_should_do_three_things:) However, legal issues should still be considered in pursuing these ends. Legislative restrictions are necessary because they prevent the possible setbacks or damages that individual firms’ pricing decisions could cost other firms, the consumers, or the economy in the aggregate. The law influences pricing decisions to entail responsibility. It creates awareness on the part of the firm to evaluate the consequences of their pricing decisions in a greater perspective. Moreover, the law influences pricing decisions in the sense that given price restrictions,

Classcial Mythology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Classcial Mythology - Essay Example This exercise gives the account of event and mysteries surrounding Apollo, the god sun of greek mythology and thereafter touch on the significance to modern belief system. Apollo was a son of Zeus and Leto. He was born under difficult circumstances as his mother, Leto was on the run all over the earth looking for a peaceful place to rest and give birth. Hera, the wife of Zeus was caught up with jealousy after discovering that his husband was expecting a child with his lover Leto (Hugh, 17). Thence, this led her to give Leto a chase so she could not get a place to rest and give birth. Luckily, Leto was able to find a place on Delos island where she was received warmly and after nine days of labor she bore twins, Apollo and his sister Artemis. Themis gave aid to Leto when was giving birth. Zeus became pleased and welcomed the twins giving them both silver bows and arrows. He also assured Themis that she would not be bothered in matters concerning marriage as she could live freely if she never intends to be married. Zeus gave to Apollo a golden and magnificent chariot which was pulled by swans. After the delivery Leto had little strength to continue. Apollo was born under a palm tree which later became a sacred place on the slopes of mount Cynthus. Before the birth of Apollo the island Delos was floating but their delivery it became anchored to the earth. Upon the birth of Apollo, Themis gave him ambrosia and nectar which made to rise and requested for a bow and a lyre. He then made a declaration that he was to bring the men of the world to the realm of his father. This made Delos glad and wrapped herself up with golden flowers. The birth Apollo is believed to be on the seventh month according to the ancient tradition. This made the seventh month sacred to him that it was celebrated after through sacrifices and festivals according to Hugh (36). Apollo was known as the god with the bow and arrows. He never tolerated the wicked and the

Several language techniques Essay Example for Free

Several language techniques Essay From the perspective of soldiers we experience what men suffered during World War I. Through the vivid imagery and the dramatic language in the poems Attack and Exposure, Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen share their views on war. That all war is- is fear, misery and death. Sasson descibes a battlefield where men are on the attack. They follow behind a tank, fighting their way up a scarred slope, clambering over barbed wire, right into the hands of death. The use of alliteration and rhythym (eg. Smouldering through spouts of drifting smoke that shroud) conveys the sense of urgency and excitement. Personification plays a major role in Attack, eg. glowring and barrage roars gives the poem a tone of anger/rage. The use of onomatapoiea helps the readers experience what the battlefield was like for the soldiers. Lines such as bristling fire, makes the readers imagine the sound of machine guns firing and Tanks creep and topple forward to the wire, creates a powerful image of tanks slowly making their way upto the barbed wire. His climax is a perfect example of the kind of emotive sentences he uses, O Jesus, make it stop! fills the readers with the despair, anger, fear and helplessness that the soldiers feel. Yet, Sassoon also gives the poem an unemotional tone (eg. They leave their trenches, going over top.) to emphasize the fact that the fear, panic and death happened everyday. But none of these things were what war was conveyed to the people not involved with the fighting as back then. Men who went off to war thought that it was a way to prove their masculinity and that to die for your country was a glorious thing. None of these men knew of the fear that would strike their hearts, or of the desperate, panicked need to return home- alive. None of these men knew that it was not just bullets and bombs that killed, that the horrible conditions were just as much their foe as the men who fired at them. Owen describes a cold uneventful night on the battlefield. The use of personification (eg. Iced east winds that knive) immediately conveys the sense of an icy wind that bites like a knife would nick the skin. He uses rhetorical questions well, lines such as What are we doing here? and Is  it that were dying? pulls the readers into the tangled web of fear, regret and weariness that surrounds the mind of a soldier. Although onomatopoiea is not used much in Exposure, the sentences that do contain onomatapoiea words are very effective (eg. whisper, curious, nervous) gives the voices in the readers mind a whispery hush. The use of similes (eg. Line twitching agones of men among its brambles) and emotive words such as cringe and poignant helps the readers understand what the soldiers were experiencing. But nothing happens. was a very effective ironic sentence, because althought nothing officially happened, men still died and had to be carried away to be buried. This sentence was repeated to emphasize this fact. These poems along with many others that were written about World War I, helped the people who werent involved with the fighting understand what war was life for the soldiers and that all war caused was fear, misery and death.

The resistance of a piece of wire Essay Example for Free

The resistance of a piece of wire Essay To experiment whether the length of a piece of Nichrome wire affects the resistance in a circuit containing two batteries, a voltmeter, and an amp meter. Equipment List:    7 x connector wires   1 x nichrome wire at varied lengths 2 x 9V Battery   1 x Variable Resistor   1 x Ammeter   1 x Voltmeter Method: A circuit will be set up as shown below: Prediction: In the experiment, I predict that the longer the length of wire, the higher the resistance is going to be. This prediction is made because the electrons travelling through the wire have a higher chance of colliding with the wires particles stopping the natural flow of current. Also the higher the positioning of the variable resistor in the circuit, the higher the resistance overall in the circuit should be. Safety:    Make sure all wires and components in the circuit are connected properly to avoid resulting in short circuits. Keep the circuit well away from any water.   Dont overload the ammeter and voltmeter. Fair Test: To make the test fair, the same equipment in the circuit will be used each time any recording is taken. The recordings will be taken with values to two decimal places each time. OBTAINING EVIDENCE Results: Reading # 6 ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION Conclusion: The results prove that as the wire length increases by two times, so does the resistance. This agrees with the prediction made earlier, as the electrons travelling through the wire have a higher chance of colliding with the wires particles thus stopping the natural flow of current. Evaluation: The graph plotted represented how the length of a wire affects the resistance. No anomalous results were brought up, and so a line of best fit was easy to plot each time. The length of the wire is directly proportional to the resistance. To ensure further accuracy, there are certain things that could be changed in order to obtain better results: Take a wider set of results. Possibly twice as many, then work out the average. To further experiment on what factors affect the resistance of a wire, I could have tested the three other variables the cross-section, the material and the temperature. The experiment could have been carried in a controlled environment, allowing the temperature to remain constant and allow a fairer test. The wires used in the circuit contain a certain resistance, therefore certain wires with less resistance could have been used. Information for this coursework was taken from Encarta 98, Physics Matters by Nick England, and GCSE Physics by Richard Parsons.

Teacher Misconduct Cases

Teacher Misconduct Cases Abstract Where do we draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable behavior for a teacher? District policies on conduct have been notoriously vague so as to give the district the necessary leeway to judge a broad range of potential behaviors that may fall under the umbrella of misconduct. Unfortunately, what we find with this is that line is so undefined that good teachers may believe they are conducting themselves appropriately only to find that their private conduct off school grounds can land them in hot water and cause them to lose their jobs or teaching licenses. To further complicate matters, school districts may have different definitions of moral behavior based on the personal experiences of those who are applying the law. I will illustrate in my paper how society has changed over the years about what it views as immoral and what it views as acceptable. Some of the conduct that I will be discussing in my research paper will cover activities that, had the teachers carried them out in a different time, would not have been regarded as breaches of moral code and that the attitudes toward their behavior are purely the result of social constructs that are subject to change as society changes. What constitutes as bad behavior may, in certain, cases may be colored by the perceptions of society. What we considered appropriate in the past, such as whipping the hands of small children with a ruler in the classroom, would be regarded as abuse today, and the teacher could possibly be brought up on criminal charges for such an offense. Dan Coleman writes in his article, Rules for Teachers in 1872 1915, that teachers were not permitted to leave their homes between the hours of 8:00 pm and 6:00 am, and could not engage in any social activities other than those sponsored by the school or the local church. Male teachers had restrictions on how often they could court a woman and female teachers were not even allowed to be courted by a man, or even to be married (Coleman). Rules were so restrictive that it was not uncommon to lose teachers in the middle of the school year. According to an article One Room Schools, published by the Clark Library in Michigan, one district had employed n inety-nine new teachers in their one-room school house over a period of eighty-six years (Boles). Teacher conduct can indeed be very harmful to the children theyre charged with teaching, and there is something to be said about expecting that teachers will conduct themselves appropriately in public, where students or parents may be watching. But throughout our history as a nation, we have held our teachers to a higher standard of morality and, as evidenced in the article above, high turnover rates and reluctance to enter the teaching profession may be the result. Our society has recognized this flaw and has taken steps to ease off of prying into the most private aspects of our teachers personal lives and shift focus from what or who our teachers are as individuals, to how they perform as teachers and how they conduct themselves in the classroom and, to a lesser extent, in public. Morrison v. State Board of Education Marc S. Morrison was, in early 1960s, a typical American man with a wife and a job. Mr. Morrison carried a General Secondary Life Diploma and a Life Diploma to Teach Exceptional Children in the state of California and he was employed as a teacher in the Lowell Joint School District in Whittier, California. According to an article written by J. Tobriner for the Stanford Law School Library, Mr. Morrison maintained his employment with no record of complaints or misconduct in the classroom and only a minor incident which regarded his conduct outside of the school. His record reflected that he was a near perfect employee until he was asked to resign in 1963 over a brief romantic encounter with another man. During his employment at the Lowell Joint School District, Mr. Morrison had befriended a fellow teacher, Fred Schneringer, who was also married at the time. In response to a period of financial stress that Mr. Schneringer experienced in 1963, Mr. Morrison offered his council and support to his friend. This resulted in an emotional closeness between the two men that ultimately led them down a more romantic path in their long-time friendship. The two men engaged in what was described by Arthur S. Leonard in his book, Sexuality and the Law: An Encyclopedia of Major Legal Cases, as being pseudo-sexual in nature, likely limited to cuddling or even self-gratification in one anothers company. There was no evidence or testimony to support that actual homosexual acts had been performed (Leonard). Bear in mind that in the State of California in the 1960s, homosexual activities were legitimately illegal, and regarded as immoral on a social level. If a teacher engaged in illegal or immoral activ ity, the school board would be justified in looking into the case and potentially revoking the teaching certification on the grounds of criminal activity or immoral behavior, but Mr. Morrison was never arrested for homosexuality, and he carried out his actions in a private setting with what he believed was a trusted partner. Legal or illegal, Mr. Morrison was ultimately forced to resign from his teaching position when Mr. Schneringer reported the incident one year after the fact to Mr. Morrisons supervisor. Over a year and a half after his resignation (two and a half years after the incident), the Lowell Joint School District had received notification that the incident had occurred with a former teacher, and they sought to revoke Mr. Morrisons life diplomas for his immoral and willful homosexual acts. (Tobriner) Mr. Morrison took the school district to court of the matter and the Supreme court of California ultimately ruled that the Lowell Joint School Districts policies specified that the conduct worthy of revoking certification was limited to immoral acts which render the teacher unfit to teach. Mr. Morrison did not repeat his homosexual behaviors, did not engage in criminal homosexual acts, and his personal sexual leanings -which he did not further act upon- did not render him unfit to teach. For that reason, the school boards order to revoke Mr. Morrisons diplomas and certifications was vacated and Mr. Morrison retained his diplomas (Tobriner). Pettit v. State Board of Education In another court case in California, Elizabeth K. Pettit was an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles from 1957 until her arrest in 1967, which resulted in her pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges in connection to an act of indecency. According to an article in the Stanford Law Library, in 1967, Pettit and her husband had applied to a private swingers club in Los Angeles, California for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with different partners. The club involved a formal application and approval process for the purpose of protecting club members from the public eye (Burke). On December 2, 1967, the Pettits attended a gathering held at the private residence of one of the members of the swingers club. Also in attendance that evening was a Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Berk, who had gained admittance to the club under false pretenses and was conducting a sting operation to catch and arrest party goers who were engaged in acts of indecency. Sergeant Berk witnessed Mrs. Pettit performing oral sex on three different men other than her husband, in the full view of many spectators. She was arrested and charged with three counts of criminal oral copulation, but pleaded guilty to a lesser, misdemeanor offense of public indecency and was fined and placed on probation (Burke). Mrs. Pettit was dismissed from her teaching position and stripped of her teaching certifications. She sued the school board to have her certifications reinstated, arguing that the precedent set with the Morrison case, as mentioned above, provided precedent that sexual conduct, when engaged privately, should be disregarded when determining the fitness of an individual to teach children. The courts did not see the Pettit case as being similar enough to the Morrison case to warrant its consideration because it was ruled that Mrs. Pettit did not necessarily maintain a totally private sexual life as Mr. Morrison did, and she did engage in sexual activities that were illegal in the state of California. Additionally, Robert Willet writes in his 1973 law review, Unfitness to Teach: Credential Revocation and Dismissal for Sexual Conduct, that it was revealed in the trial proceedings that Mrs. Pettit and her husband had participated in two televised interviews in which they donned masks and sp oke frankly about their non-traditional sexual lives. In spite of their efforts to disguise themselves, Mrs. Pettit was recognized by a fellow teacher and the school officials were notified. Mrs. Pettit was judged to have engaged in illicit sexual activity and immoral behavior and this rightly gave cause to the school board to revoke her teaching certification (Willett). In todays social climate, it may seem irrational to intrude on the private sexual affairs of a teacher, especially when those affairs were intended to be kept private. The Pettit and Morrison cases display uninvited and unwelcome intrusions into the most private aspect of a persons life. Mr. Morrison and Mrs. Pettit took care to conceal their immoral acts from the public view, and were victims of conservative social values being applied in obtuse ways to their careers as teachers. American values have since changed, and while many may view these cases as being gross breaches of privacy, in the midcentury American era in which they occurred, these teachers did indeed violate the ethics code established by their school systems. Attitudes over social morality change over time and I could see that very plainly when I challenged myself to find modern cases of teachers getting fired for their private sexual affairs. I found a handful of cases where teachers had the unfortunate experience of being terminated when their private sex tapes were sent to parents or posted on the internet against their wishes, but overwhelmingly, I found that my search results were dominated by instances of sexual discrimination in Catholic and Christian private schools. One instance that stood out was a case reported by the Montana Standard in which a Catholic middle school teacher who is a lesbian, was fired from her position in Butte, Montana because she had become pregnant (Montana Standard). After teaching at the school for 10 years and having a satisfactory performance record, Ms. Shaela Evenson received notice that she was being terminated after she had announced the happy news of her pregnancy on Facebook. In posting her news, she revealed to parents and students that she had become pregnant out of wedlock and would be an unmarried mother. This is not in keeping with the morality standards outlined by the Central Catholic School District in Montana, and as such, Ms. Evenson was marked as a teacher who has engaged in conduct unfitting for an educator for this particular school system. There are so many instances of blatant teacher misconduct where children are placed in danger or influenced negatively by an educator. With all of these bad teachers in the school system, can we really afford to alienate good teachers whose primary offenses are being different and engaging in counter-culture behaviors in their own private time, away from the school and the children? By and large, our culture is moving away from dictating the private lives of our teachers, as we can see a clear progression from the policies teachers were held to in the 1800s, when the minutia of their personal lives was scrutinized, through a period of time when teachers tested the boundaries of the moral clauses of their contracts and fought for ground in the pursuit of freedom to maintain the private life of their choosing. I believe the hard-earned ground these teachers fought for the 1960s is providing the foundation for teachers today to be allowed to live their lives as they see fit. The social change that has taken place will help citizens maintain a barrier and have respect not to pry into a teachers personal life. This will especially come into play when teachers have the unfortunate experience of having embarrassing media publically posted without their consent. We cannot support an environment that demonizes teachers and allows people to launch witch-hunts to ferret out any teachers who, behind the privacy of closed doors, enjoy their lives on their own personal time. References: Coleman, Dan. (n.d.). Rules for Teachers in 1872 1915. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://www.openculture.com/2013/09/rules-for-teachers-in-1872-1915-no-drinking-smoking-or-trips-to-barber-shops-and-ice-cream-parlors.html Boles, Frank. (1998). One Room Schools. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from https://www.cmich.edu/library/clarke/ResearchResources/Michigan_Material_Statewide/One_Room_Schools/Pages/Teachers.aspx Brady, Josie. (n.d.). Education in the 1800s. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from https://www.education.ne.gov/nebooks/ebooks/Education_in_the_1800s.pdf Tobriner, J. (n.d.). Stanford Law School Robert Crown Law Library. Morrison V. State Board of Education. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://scocal.stanford.edu/opinion/morrison-v-state-board-education-27498 Leonard, Arthur. S. (2013). Sexuality and the law: an encyclopedia of major legal cases. New York, NY: Routledge. Burke, J. (n.d.). Stanford Law School Robert Crown Law Library. Pettit V. State Board of Education. Retrieved March 17, 2017, from http://scocal.stanford.edu/opinion/pettit-v-state-board-education-27763 Willett, Robert. E. (1973). Unfitness to Teach: Credential Revocation and Dismissal for Sexual Conduct. California Law Review, 61(6), 5th ser. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2571context=californialawreview Montana Standard Staff (2014, August 23). Teacher fired for pregnancy sues Butte Catholic schools. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://mtstandard.com/news/local/teacher-fired-for-pregnancy-sues-butte-catholic-schools/article_9f3df7ce-29a7-11e4-805b-001a4bcf887a.html

Essay examples --

The purpose of this essay is to discuss how Coca-Cola generates sustainable competitive advantage by drawing on their Resources and Capabilities within the company. I will discuss on the theoretical area, draw on secondary research and apply a ‘real world’ example. Definitions of each perspective are explained as to make a better understanding of the different types of organizations clearer. The Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola), founded in 1886 and based in Atlanta Georgia, is the world’s leading soft drink manufacturer who operates in more than 200 countries and produces 400 brands of non-alcoholic beverages. Coca-Cola is very successful and recognized around the world, making the company the most valuable brand internationally. Coca-Cola has been operating through eight segments, which are Africa, East, South Asia and Pacific Rim, European Union, Latin America, North America, North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East (The Coca-Cola Company, 2006). The activities of Coca-Cola spreads through all sectors of the soft drink industry. The company offers ready to drink and yet non-alcoholic beverages with carbonation as the carbonated water, flavored water, and the energy drinks. There are still beverages that includes the non-alcoholic beverages and without carbonation which includes the non-carbonated water, flavored water, teas, juice drinks, and the enhanced water. The c ompany is also offering the fountain syrup, concentrates, and syrups, which include the sweeteners and the ingredients. The company sells its finished beverage products to the distributors and the canning and bottling operators, fountain wholesaler, and the distributors. (182) Strategy is concerned with matching a firm’s resources and capabilities to the opportuniti... ...w materials into finished products. The company manufactures the syrups and sells them to partnered bottling companies that package and distributes the final product. Bottlers help sell and promote Coca-Cola brands to businesses and institutions. Also, the Outbound Logistic department excel in the duty of effective shipping processes in providing a quick delivery, reduces damages, efficient finished goods warehousing processes, shipping of goods in large lot sizes to minimize transportation costs and quality material handling equipment to increase order picking. Lastly, the marketing and sales department of Coca-Cola are greatly motivated and capable sales force, innovative tactics to promotion and advertising, selection of the utmost fitting distribution channels, accurate identification of customer segments and needs and effective pricing strategies. (171)

A Better Understanding of Major Characters :: Essays Papers

A Better Understanding of Major Characters (1) In many plays, the minor characters['] only purpose is to establish a main aspect of a major character. A "foil" is a minor character in literary work who by the similarities and differences in what he or she does (as compared to a more important character). [Frag - 1] It is to help the audience and reader get a better understanding of the more important character. In the play Hamlet , [sic] foils are used to establish a major point that would be hidden if they were not used. There are many foils[,] but Hamlet/Laertes and Hamlet/King Hamlet will be the only ones explored in this essay. [Very weak thesis -- What point is this essay going to try to make about them?] (2) King Hamlet and Hamlet, father and son, not only share the same last name, but also have many other similar characteristics. Both men share the belief that King Hamlet was hurt so terribly by Cladius that it ruined and ended his life in the living world. [This suggests that he had a life in some other world. As I think about it, I guess he did -- in the world of ghosts. But then, do ghosts have a "life?" As I think about these things, my eyes have kept reading, and now I am lost. Had the writer gone on to explain, I couldn't complain, but the writer dropped the topic.] The cause of both of their deaths was due to poisoning, by this horrid man. These two loving men are very well liked by everyone around them. The similarities of the King and his heir to the throne puts [SV Agr - 1] into perspective the fact that Cladius is a horrible man who both of them were terribly wronged by. ["Perspective" needs more explanation -- what perspective? Or do you simply mean "emphasizes "?] (3) Not only do these two have very similar characteristics, but they are very different in many ways to. [H 50] King Hamlet was a very serious man who always went through with deeds that needed to be done. [Examples?] On the other hand[,] Hamlet is a very indecisive man. This is proved by the fact that he was very hesitant to fallow [sic; H 50] through with his father's request to avenge his death.

The Genius of John Bardeen

Genius is more often than not measured by Intelligence Quotient (â€Å"I. Q. †). This should not be the case. It would be better to attribute the label genius to someone who was able to beat the odds and used everything in his power to contribute to progress and in making life a much more blessed experience. The distinction of being a genius must only be given to those whose body of work has surpassed the test of time. If indeed achievements and great works is the trademark of a man of great intelligence then it would not be difficult to heap accolades and to celebrate the genius of John Bardeen.Not only is he brilliant and possessing a mind that can beat a roomful of supercomputers but he is also self-effacing and not one to tell the world of his exploits. In fact it will be shown later that when he learned that he was one of the recipients of 1957 Nobel Prize for Physics, he could not believe he deserved to receive such a life changing award. If this was not enough, Bardeen won the Nobel Prize in Physics less than two decades later. His theory about superconductivity assured him of a place among the greatest scientists who ever lived.Without John Bardeen’s pioneering work on transistors and superconductivity, there would never have been a world wide web, interconnectedness in the blink of an eye and an ultra-efficient and comfortable lifestyle available for those living in the 21st century. The world today may very well be a different place if Bardeen was not born and allowed to develop into a formidable intellectual force. The following pages will provide a basic understanding of how one man help change the world. Building a CareerA great foundation is the assurance of a solid structure with an integrity that can withstand tremors and other pressures. If this analogy of building structures can be applied to life then it can be said that John Bardeen prepared a secure foundation for a great career that would change the course of history. All gre at careers – especially in engineering – must start with great education. Mr. Bardeen went to the University High School in Madison, Wisconsin for a number of years and then went on to graduate from Madison Central High School in the year 1923.Then he took up a course in electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsin. In the said university, Bardeen took up the extra challenge of adding in extra work in mathematics and physics. If this is not enough he went to work – while still an undergraduate student – in the engineering department of the Western Electric Company at Chicago. He graduated with a B. S. in electrical engineering in 1928. But he did not leave his beloved university just yet and he continued on as a graduate research assistant in electrical engineering, a task which he focused on for the next two years of his life.In this two years he devoted himself to the study of mathematical problems in applied geophysics and also the phenomenon of radiation in antennas (see Nobelprize. org). After serving under the U. S. Navy in World War II, Bardeen, â€Å"†¦was hired by Bell Laboratories, a high-tech communications and electronics research plant† (Haven & Clark, 1999, p. 22). It is in this environment and in this scientific community where Bardeen was able to showcase his talents.But Bardeen was not only keen in showing the what he can do; he is also very much willing to share what he knows to others. He served as a Junior Fellow at Harvard University and also worked as assistant professor of physics at the University of Minnesota (Haven & Clark, 1999, p. 24). Contributions In the beginning of this study the proponent submitted the idea that genius should not be only measured through intelligence quotient alone but also on the ability of the person to create something worthwhile; in other words to contribute to the forward progress of mankind.This will show that the high IQ person is not simply a machine able to crunch complicated sets of numbers but also a complete human being able to touch lives and to work with others. In this category of super achievers one can include John Bardeen not only because he has the machinelike prowess to solve complicated problems but also because he was well regarded by his peers and well respected beyond the community where he first nurtured his genius in Wisconsin. The first major contribution of Bardeen was to crack the transistor puzzle.Together with a team of scientists – Walter H. Brattain and William Shockley – he was able to explain semiconductors and the transistor effect (see Nobelprize. org). Just to show a basic idea of what this discovery has meant to human history here is Bardeen’s contribution in a nutshell, â€Å"The transistor has been the backbone of every computing, calculating, communicating and logic electronics circuit build in the last 50 years† (Haven & Clark, 1999, p. 21). For his work he shared the 19 56 Nobel Prize in Physics.His second major contribution was to provide for a very enlightening explanation of superconductivity. In the words of Haven and Clark, â€Å"Bardeen won his second Nobel Prize for elucidating the theory of superconductivity, which has been called one of the most important achievements in the theoretical physics since the development of quantum theory† (1999, p. 21). Thus, in 1972 Bardeen became a double Nobel laureate. He shared the award with Leon N. Cooper and J. Robert Schrieffer for the theory of superconductivity.From then on others were able to build on this new understanding and at present allowed many to experience that, â€Å"Superconductivity at higher temperatures has led to such feats as frictionless, ultrafast trains lifted magnetically above their rails†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Haven & Clark, 1999, p. 21). Conflicts In every major endeavor and in every significant discovery, controversy and conflicts are almost inevitable as night follows day. More often than not conflicts are coming from the outside as people unable to fully grasp the new scientific breakthrough would question its relevance to society.In the case of John Bardeen the conflicts he experienced did not come from his external environment but surprisingly it came from within; from within himself and from within their own community of scientists. This inner turmoil was explained by Hoddeson and Daitch (2002, p. 2-3) as follows: 1. Bardeen was unsure of the true worth of transistors in the larger scheme of things. 2. Bardeen was not agreeable to the fact that William Shockley was considered as the co-inventor of the transistor and share the Nobel Prize in 1956.It is interesting to expound on the second statement for it would strengthen the thesis that a true man of genius must be able to work harmoniously within a community, within a group of individuals to be considered as a man of great intellectual stature and not merely a flash in the pan talent that would p rove useless in real life situations. A deeper look at the issue would reveal that Shockley was not able to contribute a significant theory or solution that led to the discovery of the transistor action. It was purely the work of Bardeen and Brattain.Hoddeson and Daitch reveal that, â€Å"†¦it was Shockley, rather than Bardeen and Brattain, who received wide recognition for the discovery. Even today, popular magazines sometimes credit Shockley alone with the invention† (2002, p. 2). Even if Bardeen knew the inside information as to what really happened within the Bell laboratories where the â€Å"transistor phenomena† was fully understood, it was a testament to his great character that he did not make a scandal out of it and at the end allowed Shockley to share the fame and the glory together with Brattain. LegacyAside from having great mind and the capacity to touch lives, one of the standards upon which true genius must be measured against is legacy. Legacy is w hat is left when the hype dies down and when the passage of time has truly tested the value of a person’s work. With regards to the legacy left behind by Bardeen this is what Jim Turley has to say: Few things have altered modern life as much as the discovery of semiconductors †¦ Modern electronics have completely changed the way we talk with each other †¦ It has changed medical research, entertainment, record keeping, travel, and exploration.There’s almost no business, profession, or industry that hasn’t changed since the introduction of solid-state electronics in the last 50 years (2003, p. 2). If having a brilliant mind, capacity to work under pressure and to share recognition with a group of equally talented personnel, and a body of work that has changed history is the measure of true genius then there are only a few who can match John Bardeen in this respect. Works Cited Haven, Kendall & Donna Clark. 100 Most Popular Scientists for Young Adults: Bi ographical Sketches and Professional Paths.Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. , 1999. Hoddeson, Lilian & Vicki Daitch. True Genius: The Life and Science of John Bardeen. Washington, D. C. : Joseph Henry Press, 2002. Nobelprize. org. John Bardeen: The Nobel Prize in Physics 1972. Available from Accessed 20 July 2007. Samuelson, Bengt & Michael Sohlman. Nobel Lectures in Physics. New Jersey: World Scientific Publishing Co. , 1998 Turley, Jim. The Essential Guide to Semiconductors. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. , 2003.

Position Paper- Palliative vs Curative Care

According to the World Heath Organisation (WHO, 2011), Palliative care is an approach, which aims to improve quality of life of patients and families who are crippled with life threatening illnesses. Alternatively, curative care is an approach that aims to prolong life through technological advances and medicine. It seems that the best approach to health care, would be to improve the quality of life as well as prolong life, through a combination of both curative and palliative care. The best approach to health care is a combination of both curative and palliative care. Combining the best of life prolonging technological advances whilst maximising quality of life should be the ultimate aim of all medical practitioners. The basic endeavour should be to cure an individual; however, if the quality of life is impacted it may not be an advisable or worthwhile process. This is the reason why there is a necessity for the integration of both. By curing someone of their disease or illness whilst concurrently giving them a high quality of life through palliative treatment, the objective is achieved. This approach is more appropriate than choosing between palliative and curative, due to the blurred boundaries between what represents curative and what represents palliative care. The natural course and the severity of the disease, and a better understanding of symptoms such as pain, cause the blurred boundaries. (Cooney, 2005). The definition between curative and palliative care are considered dichotomous. However, both methods are needed to achieve optimal results. There are many misconceptions that suggest an ‘either-or’ method. This is heightened by Medicare policies and regulations, and equivalent requirements of some health plans and insurance guidelines (Byock, 2000). Many do not understand that there is an option for both, which is the ultimate alternative. Within the health care system where cure should be valued vastly, palliative is perceived as the second best option and is only presented when there are no better options is available. However, the basic principle of palliative care stresses the value of consistent stability of care such as symptom management (Byock, 2000). Curative care is directed towards seeking a cure for an existing disease or medical condition. Through technology and medicine it prolongs life. Paul Jewell’s (2005) article on the sanctity of life states that this notion of the sanctity of life is promoted as an ethical standard, a conduct to professional practice and legislated constraints. His article further suggests that medical practitioners are expected to work in ways that correspond to common social expectations and legal restrictions. Thus, signifying that the main concern should be the wellbeing of the patient. Within the Australian Medical Association’s code of ethics, it is stated that there is a responsibility to preserve life, however, where death is deemed to be pending and where curative or life-prolonging treatment is absent, one must try to certify that death transpires with dignity and relief through palliative care (AMA, Code of Ethics, 2004). It is through the reasons listed above and a basic understanding of human rights that insist that all individuals should aim to be cured. Curative methods such as chemotherapy are expensive procedures. According to Simoens et, al. (2010), the smallest proportion of hospital costs are in the palliative care unit. For some this may be a motivation to choose palliative over curative, however, the value of life is more important than the cost. Palliative care is as essential as curative because there is no point in curing a patient and then leaving them with a poor quality of life. The aim of palliative care is to relive symptoms of ill patients and improve quality of life. Despite the technological advancements in medicine, many illnesses elude cure. Thus it leaves terminally ill patients, and patients with chronic diseases with palliative care being a necessity (Doyle et, al. 20). Therefore palliative is highly important and possibly the only option for the treatment of those individuals. Palliative care specifically cares for those who are terminally ill focusing not on curing them but treating their symptoms, making them comfortable while controlling their pain. It allows the patient to feel in control of their treatment and their quality of life. It also allows individuals and families to understand that dying is a normal stage and an inherent part of life, and to come to terms with the inevitable. Through a developmental approach, this step presents perspective and opportunity for the individual to discover ways of growing and developing towards a â€Å"self-determined sense of completion in personal, interpersonal and spiritual realms of life† (Byock, 2000). During this last stage of life, palliative care of terminally ill patients allows growth and a sense of closure between patients and families, both individually and together (Byock, 2000). These patients are offered not only relief from pain and other symptoms, but also psychological and emotional support from psychologists and counsellors for them and their families (WHO, 2011). For terminally ill patients, palliative care offers quality of life treatments both at the hospital and at home such as nursing, supportive therapy, and physiotherapy, etc. Simoens et, al. 2010). Aged patients generally choose palliative care over curative despite the fact that their illness may be curable. The suffering of their family and friends around them generally influences this decision. The Social Cognitive Theory, illustrates how individual aspects as well as environmental factors and human behaviour apply influence upon each other (National Cancer Institute, 2005). Thus careful decision-making needs to be made with the interest of the aged patient in mind. Palliative care is also highly important for individuals who are not suffering from terminal illnesses, and also for those who have chosen curative methods. It allows them to have a better quality of life throughout the procedure and the recovery period. Without palliative care assisting curative methods, individuals would be unlikely to choose to go through the curative methods knowing there would be a poor quality of life after. In conclusion through a close analysis of both curative and palliative care, the best approach to health care would be an integration of both methods. Each individual circumstance needs to be looked at holistically. Curative methods are essential in pro-longing an individuals life. However, there is sanctity of life, which needs to be valued. By not providing cure of illness or disease one does not recognise the sanctity of their life. Palliative care is just as important as curative. It is important for patients who are not only terminally ill or aged, but those who choose curative methods. By curing a patient, one needs to palliate them by relieving symptoms of possible pain or discomfort. If palliative care is not provided, there would be no point in curing a patient by giving them a poor quality of life. Thus they need to work in conjunction with each other for the most successful results.

Battle Of The Sexes In Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”

It is fascinating that a dramatic narrative can create such a strong representation of a person through words alone, determining their social class, their gender, their relationships and even their intelligence. â€Å"â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†Ã¢â‚¬  by the respected dramatist William Shakespeare explores the shallowness, the naivety and the innocence of human beings through the characters of Hero and Claudio, the two protagonists who dominate our generation today. However through the seemingly minor characters of Don John and Don Pedro, a contrasting analysis may be made of how someone’s actions can affect others and through comparing the relationship of Claudio and Hero with that of Beatrice and Benedick we understand how differences in experience, maturity and conformity can seriously affect a relationship. Count Claudio, the leading male in â€Å"â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†Ã¢â‚¬  is an impulsive, handsome, young man, who initially gives us the impression that he will make the ideal husband. However we soon learn that in that traditional, militaristic ideology of feudal aristocracy, male comradeship is much more important than really loving a female. Claudio is insecure and wanting as a lover, forcing us to question whether underneath his flawless brilliance there really is the heroic soldier that we hear about in the opening scene. Leonato describes him as an honourable soldier: â€Å"I find here that Don Pedro hath bestowed much honour on a young Florentine called Claudio† and we understand that this boy is some sort of patriotic symbol to the Messinian community, but we as an audience never see him fight or even show the bravery for which he is renown and for this reason we are compelled to believe that he really is just another naive adolescent in love with an idealistic idea of militarism. Shakespeare deliberately emphasises Claudio’s badge of youth, particularly when his brotherhood are brought to tears by Claudio fighting the war â€Å"in the figure of the lamb, the feats of a lion† and he is referred to as a â€Å"boy† six times and as â€Å"young† on four occasions by his seniors. However despite his youth, Claudio succeeds on Messinian terms and thus secures for himself glorification based on reports of his bravery and heroism. So it is no surprise that included in Claudio’s noble vision for himself is a trophy wife worthy enough to enhance his image and it is through this vision that we are introduced to the beautiful and romantic Hero who suits all of Claudio’s love ideals. In the first scene Claudio admits that â€Å"she is the sweetest lady that e’er I looked on†, which immediately makes us question whether his love is merely based upon an adolescent idea of attraction, as this young man has spotted a woman of beauty and suddenly is announcing his deep love for her and his willingness to cement this ‘love’ in marriage. Elizabethan audiences would see nothing strange in his enquiring after Hero’s inheritance before he takes the blushing Hero’s hand in marriage, but from a modern perspective we find this gauche, although comparison with the high profile relationships of celebrities today who profit economically from advantageous marriages are proof that money based relationships still very much drive notions of love. Claudio is the typical Elizabethan romantic, beguiled into notions of chivalry by society’s stereotypical view of males as creatures honourable and confident and easily enticed into romantic love through the perceived honour of being loved by a beautiful woman, so we can conclude that it is nothing less than the converse of courtly idealisation which characterises Claudio’s attachment to Hero. However it is not just notions of courtly honour which undermine this relationship. Our precious Claudio also fails because his personality is underpinned by a shyness which ultimately leaves him unable to express his feelings, clearly evident when Don John slyly dupes Claudio into believing that Don Pedro is in love with Hero and the reticent Claudio says nothing but chooses to suffer in silence. This shyness makes him appear to be an innocent, sweet lover but the truth is very different. When we witness Claudio’s mistrust after he has believed the rumour spread by Don John, â€Å"I come hither to tell you, as circumstances shortened, the lady is disloyal†, we see Claudio as the inadequate, adolescent he really is. His mistrust in the faithfulness of Hero and his behaviour the following day when he embarrassingly and cruelly rejects her in front of the entire community on their wedding day, because he thinks she is not pure and has betrayed him, in turn degrades his perfect social image making him callous and shallow. It is completely unacceptable for Claudio to humiliate Hero in this way and if Claudio had sincerely loved her he would have at least spoken to her privately or treated her in a more respectful manner which again highlights the flaws in this relationship built as it is upon youthful innocence rather than intellect and conversation. Although in the early 1600’s the idea of being â€Å"pure† was interpreted as having your virginity until your wedding night and an unchaste bride was considered a worthless thing, it was still far more natural for the aristocratic warrior to defend his own honour than to invest any real trust and commitment into the keeping of a woman’s. Interestingly, when Claudio finds out Hero is supposedly ‘dead’ from false accusations, he desires her even more and quickly accepts marriage with her ‘cousin. Claudio’s willingness to acquiesce to Leonato’s demand to marry this cousin seems crass and shallow and negates the undying love he once stated he had for Hero. When Claudio discovers that Hero is not actually â€Å"dead† they reunite and Hero herself certainly seems to have no compunction in reuniting herself with the man who publicly humiliated and abandoned her on the basis of malicious gossip and a contrived conception, which fo rces us to examine her motives. So who is Hero, this woman who has so completely captivated Claudio? Hero is the daughter of Leonato, the Governor of Messina and his push for her marriage to Claudio is a calculated attempt to improve his social profile. Hero is a woman who barely speaks in public but amongst her female company she displays a keen and flexible wit. When faced with men her reserved and restrained nature signifies both her innocence and the superior market value she holds. Her youth, her wealth and her social position all contribute to her aloofness. In typical Elizabethan society women were marginalised and tightly circumscribed into the categories of wife and breeder (to be protected) or the whore (to be discarded). Initially Hero seems to possess the qualities required for the successful advancement of a soldier’s career, being self possessed and silent. However as with Claudio, Hero’s youth and innocence is her downfall. She is shy, differential and rendered totally defenceless against Claudio’s public humiliation and false accusations of her fidelity at the altar on her wedding day and it is here that we see Hero’s shyness as a real weakness, as she stands there speechless, unable and unwilling to prove her innocence and we feel frustration at her passivity and wish she had more of the spunky Beatrice’s poise and confidence. Claudio’s accusation of disloyalty is made more heartfelt because of Hero’s prior prophetic comments on love â€Å"some Cupid kills with arrows, others with traps. † We know how important chastity is to Hero when on the night before her wedding she confesses to Margaret â€Å"my heart is exceedingly heavy† as the prospect of losing her virginity confronts her. The idea of impurity before marriage was inconceivable for any respectable woman in the Elizabethan era and Hero’s innocence is poignantly captured as we see her view her wedding night with both fear and trepidation. Hero embodies the enormous pressure placed on the women of Messina to conform to the male ideal. In Elizabethan times, a woman like Hero submitted herself to her man and rarely retained a voice for herself, but Hero’s willingness to marry Claudio after he has disgraced her is problematic. Her fidelity to an unworthy man who vindicates himself in terms of the male code of honour is disappointing as she condemns herself to a life shared with an untrusting lover. She herself says â€Å"And as surely as I live, I am a maid,† and true to her role as a conventional, romantic heroine, she is exemplary in her patience and forgiveness. The relationship that Hero has with Claudio is your typical ‘Twilight’ romance and markedly different to the one Beatrice shares with Benedick and it is through comparing these two young couples that we gain a deeper understanding of the battle that individuals have within the bounds of society to be themselves. Claudio and Hero’s relationship provides the spine of the play and presents the ideal of beauty, love, reconciliation and sexual attraction prevalent during Elizabethan times, a relationship that is no different to the typical high school relationships of today. Hero and Claudio seem to be at ease with indirect ways of communicating through their friends, just as today’s relationships communicate through means of cyberspace. Facebook, email and text messaging are all chosen over face to face confrontation. However Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship is founded on very different terms. From their first appearance the audience is aware of an excess of feeling between these two that testifies to anything but indifference. These lovers, who have previously fallen out of love, are now determined to confront each other at every possible opportunity as they publicly deny their love for one another and we realise that the distrust that defaces this relationship must somehow be cancelled out if they are to ever accept their love for one another. Both vow they will never marry, but once deceived into admitting the truth about their love for each other, they quickly come together in a truce, determined to love each other for who they are, as individuals, proving that if the magnetic fields of attraction and repulsion are somehow reversed love will surely be the eventual result. A popular misconception about language is the idea that words have innate qualities, but when Beatrice and Benedick eventually declare their love for one another they find themselves stumbling round to find the right words, whilst their words came trippingly when they were hurling insults back and forth between each other as a way of covering up their true feelings of affection. The merry war which exists between Beatrice and Benedick is a rivalry which is not exactly hostile because it is filled with wit and romance. In contrast with the ‘bashful sincerity and comely love† which exists between Claudio and Hero, based on first impressions, wealth and ignorance, Beatrice and Benedick’s love is affectionate and colourful, yet difficult to interpret amongst their playful poetry, covered as it is with a seemingly strong distaste for each other. However when their commitment towards each other is tested through Beatrice’s two seemingly simple words, ‘Kill Claudio’, we see Benedick reluctantly agree to throw away his antagonistic values of war and male camaraderie for love and chivalric respect for a female. By comparison, Hero and Claudio’s love is distant and removed and although playful lacks the humour and suspense that Beatrice and Benedick share. However as Beatrice and Benedick discover, no relationship can be defined through words, suggesting that true love has its own uniqueness in the context of lovers. Shakespeare shows us through these contrasting relationships that ‘love’ can be expressed in many differing ways and that the consequences of love can even mean death. Furthermore, the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick is contrasted with Claudio and Hero’s to illustrate the themes of deception versus reality. Beatrice and Benedick claim that they have no feelings for one another whatsoever, while Hero and Claudio blatantly declare their love for one another without exchanging a single word. Benedick makes the claim that he â€Å"is loves of all ladies.. ut truly [he] loves none,† whereas Beatrice claims that she would rather â€Å"hear a dog bark at a crow than hear a man swear he loves her. † Although Benedick purports to be uninterested in the opposite sex, through Don Pedro’s clever plan of deception, careful conversations are cleverly staged so that Benedick hears Don Pedro and Claudio talking about the â€Å"undying love† that Beatrice has for him. Similarly, when Beatrice overhears her kinswomen reading a sonnet which Benedick has written for her, she too quickly acquiesces. This gossip, fictitious as it is, is helpful in solving the tension their friends have sensed exists between them and when both Benedick and Beatrice hear these fabricated â€Å"facts† that â€Å"t’were true†, their bottled up affection for each other is unleashed, and by the end of the play they are committed to the idea of marriage. Beatrice and Benedick are unconventional for their time. Beatrice is overpowering and slightly masculine in her ways, an unusual trait at a time when women were meant to be passive and submit to their husband’s will. However the asexual Beatrice’s seemingly unfavourable social position gives her a freedom the other characters cannot enjoy. Likewise, Benedick, too, is free to shed his suit of honour in order to fulfil his preposterous mission to prove his love and it is precisely because Benedick is unconcerned about dismantling his social standing that he is free to love unconditionally. But what is the relevance of the brothers and how do they affect both the relationships of Beatrice and Benedick and Claudio and Hero. These brothers, Don John and Don Pedro, are pivotal to the climax of the play where we witness Hero’s humiliation and rejection. Don John and Don Pedro’s relationship is based on jealousy and shows us the depths that rejection can lead us into and how the actions of one person, can significantly change the outcome of a relationship, particularly when that relationship is based on superficial qualities. Don Pedro is the most elusive and seemingly noble character in the social hierarchy of the play and his friends, Claudio in particular, must defer to him as their positions depend on his favour. Don Pedro has power, an attribute he is well aware of and whether or not he abuses this power is a matter of opinion. For instance, he insists on wooing Hero for Claudio, while masked, rather than allowing Claudio to profess his love to Hero himself, and although everything turns out for the best, Don Pedro’s motives are purely in the interest of his friend, we are left wondering why Don Pedro feels the need for such an elaborate way of informing Hero of Claudio’s romantic interest. Although it is Don Pedro’s royal prerogative to do exactly as he wishes and no one can question him, despite his cloudy motives he does work to bring about happiness for everyone and it is his idea to convince Beatrice and Benedick to admit their love for each other. It is Don Pedro who brings the two competitors together as he orchestrates the deception and plays the role of director in this comedy of wit and manners. Contrastingly, his brother, the bastard villain Don John, also orchestrates a deception, Hero’s denunciation, but here he is using power for nefarious purposes. Through the concept of static villainy, Don John is conveniently portrayed as the ‘author of all’ and thus becomes the scapegoat for a society looking to free themselves of the guilt and drama that â€Å"â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†Ã¢â‚¬  personifies. By only blaming Don John, Claudio, the Prince, and Don Pedro are exonerated and Hero’s humiliation, which destroyed her reputation without hard proof of her infidelity, is blamed on Don John’s villainous deception. So in reality the whole purpose of Don John’s character is to have somebody to blame for everyone else’s mistakes, because nearly all the characters in â€Å"â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†Ã¢â‚¬  play some role in the climatic rejection of Hero at the altar. In â€Å"â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†Ã¢â‚¬ , whether it be Claudio the misunderstood returned war romantic, Hero the innocent and wrongly accused wife-to-be, Beatrice and Benedick, the witty yet confused couple or Don Pedro and Don John, the conflicting brothers, Shakespeare has cleverly crafted these characters in such a way that we can relate them to our own lives and it is our identifying with these characters that allows us to fully understand their motives and reasoning. When this play is analysed it is obvious that in â€Å"â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†Ã¢â‚¬ , it is difficult to think beyond the aristocratic code of honour, complicated as it is by conflicting ideas of love and that if the battle between the sexes is ever to be resolved the key lies within each of us if only we are brave enough to love as individuals.