A personal military experience or Any personal experience Essay

A personal military experience or Any personal experience - Essay Example the neighborhood and I was always the commander of my group, the military was not just a dream but a lifestyle which reflected in my daily activities. Dad has always wanted me to take over from him and become a good doctor, he bought medical toys like ambulances, syringes and first aid boxes but I used them in my military games with other kids which we called â€Å"war start†. It will really break dad’s heart if he gets to know that medicine is not my thing, he did everything to make sure I become a doctor. My mind was a whirlwind, thoughts flinging themselves across the barren wasteland of my brain, how will dad feel if I get to tell him this? I pondered, will he stop fending for me? Will he love me less? I was totally imprisoned in my thoughts and the earlier I burst the bubble and break free the better it will be for me, after all dad always told me it’s better to be honest and bear the consequences than to be dishonest and reap from falsehood. I didn’t want to go to mum because she will summon a UN meeting with dad and such doesn’t usually end well. There must be an exit I said to myself, I logged in my facebook page and took a glance at my friend-list, I was astonished when I saw Martin in a military uniform on his profile picture and without hesitating I sent him a mail in which I explained my situation. Martin was once my neighbor for four years; he was a shy isolated gentleman who liked playing with girls and barbie toys, we made fun of him and always called him â€Å"cheerleader† who knew he would man up? I felt disappointed in self and with some understandable jealously sprinkled around my frustration.   I had a volcano of feelings and experiences bottled up inside me which was ready to let erupt but a sound popped up- it was Martins reply and it reads â€Å"Hey Man, calm down I assure you that everything will turn out well if only you will make up your mind and challenge yourself. My parents and almost everyone I knew objected my decision to

The Lemon Tree Dilemma Essay Example for Free

The Lemon Tree Dilemma Essay The website EEOC.gov should be a bookmarked site for any individual who is working as or plans to work as a manager in a business with more than one (i.e., the owner) employee. This website contains the information that the federal government expects companies and businesses to use and follow with respect to hiring, firing, and disciplining its employees. It explains disabilities, how to handle them, and when to use them in making hiring decisions. It also provides information about protected classes, in which people must be a member before they can claim discrimination. You should plan to visit the EEOC website during this week to help work through this ethical dilemma faced by Paul and Mary, two managers in the company in The Lemon Tree. Read through the fictional dilemma, and then choose the subject of discrimination discussed therein, planning to debate the ramifications of that with your classmates and your instructor. Some of this seems obvious, but others aren’t as easy to determine as they seem. Your instructor will bring in new and different â€Å"twists and turns† as we go along. Read the dilemma, and then lets discuss. (The dilemma is found on the left tree, entitled The Lemon Tree Dilemma. ) 1. What is one aspect of Title VII that has been violated by the company? 2. Which actions by the two employees that call their credibility into question are you allowed, as an employer, to consider? Or, what types of actions are you not allowed to use and why? Are there any you wish you could use? Remember to support your answers to the questions above with a law or business reason. 1. Be sure to cover the different types of discrimination in this thread – all categories are possible areas for assessment on the Final Exam. 2. Next week, while the espionage case is under investigation, Paul opens hiring for Peter Puffs position and Mary opens hiring for Jackies position. Paul hires the first qualified white male who applies.

The True Measure of a Man :: Goodness Ethics Morals Essays

The True Measure of a Man Being a good person is something that everyone strives to do. For most, it is a subconscious thing we do. For others being a good person is a way of life, not just a superficial â€Å"look at me and what I do,† but a deep spiritual understanding that everything one does in their daily life is beneficial to others around that person. For starters, one must define the words good and bad. Dictionary.com’s definition of a good person is â€Å"a person who is good to other people.† Its definition for a bad person is â€Å"a person who does harm to others.† Both of these are vague so one must venture into the definitions of the words good and bad. The definition found at www.dictionary.com for the word good is, â€Å"Socially correct, proper, beneficial to others, valid or effectual under the law, characterized by honesty and fairness.† The definition of bad is, â€Å"Not achieving an adequate standard, evil, sinful, unfavorable, having undesirable or negative qualities.† It seems as if the public has determined the meaning of good and bad to be whatever they want it to mean. This paper is going to use good and bad in relation to people; where good is benefiting someone, and bad is hindering someone. In the story of Robin Hood, Robin begins his life as a law abiding citizen. After his father is killed, the sheriff of Nottingham denies him his father’s place as a ranger. He is coerced into killing a deer in front of a large group of lawmen, making him a criminal. From that point in the story Robin becomes a member of the Sherwood men. These men do not just live in Sherwood Forest; they take a toll from anyone who is passing through the forest. All of these men are deemed outlaws by the local sheriff, and his military. By being pronounced as outlaws, it makes them bad people who break the laws. From a different point of view, they might be outlaws but they chose that life because they were breaking unjust laws. They as a group agreed to break any law they thought was unjust and unfair to the people of England, while pledging full allegiance to the king of England. In a public view these people were bad men, but one who came to know then could see them as good men wh o wanted the best for England and all of its people.

American Imperialism Essay -- Nongovernmental Oganizations

To use the title ‘Transnational American’ (Grewal, 2005) might be more politically correct than American imperialism but I contend that one is in fact an agent of the other. The two readings for this week converge around the discussion of transnationalism and neoliberalism although in slightly different ways. Grewal (2005) discusses transnationalism in relation to the United States and its cultural, social, political and economic influence on other nation-states specifically through technologies, biopolitics and geopolitics. Grewal presents interesting arguments to support the view that the construction of human rights activism since the 1960’s was a geopolitical strategy used by the United States to extend its imperialist grasp on the outside world. Grewal (2005) posits that the development of the feminist and women’s rights movements were born out of human rights discourse that quickly became â€Å"transnational instruments of technologies of governmenta lity, creating and applying knowledges and techniques that promote welfare and security, rather than just the rights of populations† (Grewal 2005:122). The birth of Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) came out of a desire to â€Å"move women [vulnerable populations] from the margins to the center by questioning the most fundamental concepts of our social order so that they take better account of women’s lives† (Grewal 2005:126). In the process human rights issues became wedded to women’s rights, social justice and later on to development. NGOs at the time of its inception were seen as politically autonomous entity that would intervene â€Å"to ensure the welfare of female populations, the inefficiency of the state, and its ideology of patriarchy† (Grewal 2005:127). But cultural, socio-political... ...loitation, the US maintains its embargo on Cuba and continues to police movements across its borders; only the future knows how the current anti-immigration sentiments might unfold and materialize. Space does not permit an elaborate discussion about the politics of the United Nations, the World Bank or the IMF, but as a parenthetical note, these are also examples of an imperial or should I say transnational apparatuses taken advantage of the by the United States. In the final analysis, I concur with Comaroff and Comaroff (2001) that â€Å"relationship between the nation-state and millennial capitalism†¦is not synonymous with globalism, although globalization is and inherent part of it† but I would add more specifically that globalization like its predecessor colonalization, imperialization and now neoliberalism is a capitalist apparatus (Comaroff & Comaroff, 2001:34)

Locke and Hobbes on Revolution

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and John Locke (1632-1706) belonged to the same generation of philosophers.   However, both philosophers viewed English Revolution differently.   Hobbes had experienced the English Revolution as a time of brutality.   Thence, the philosopher compared the revolution to what he referred to as the â€Å"state of nature† (or, a state of primitiveness). This state was ruthless and uncouth.   Hobbes believed that revolutions were similarly a negative state, and in order to guard itself against the malice of revolutions, society needed a strong king and strict governance, somewhat akin to the Panopticon state of Michel Foucault.   Locke, on the other hand, lauded the concept of revolution as a necessity during times of governmental disturbance.   In other words, the philosopher with a good view of revolution believed in dismantling the government if it does not work (â€Å"Locke and Hobbes†). Sharp (2006) explains the difference between Locke’s and Hobbes’ viewpoints on revolution thus: At least part of the difference between Hobbes and Locke can be attributed to their  historical circumstances.   Hobbes witnessed the English Civil War, which destroyed every  opportunity for happiness for many people.   His all-powerful state must have seemed like the  lesser of two evils, since it would at least be stable and life would not devolve into anarchy.  Ã‚   Locke, however, witnessed the Glorious Revolution, where the government was completely  changed without bloodshed. For him, revolution must not have seemed like such a terrible  thing.   Most likely, both views are too extreme.   Revolution is usually a costly endeavor, since  those in power rarely relinquish it willingly.   However, the possibility or revolution is a key   part of maintaining rights, since an all-powerful government could suppress our rights without  fear of repercussion. Hobbes, being senior to Locke in age and experience, had apparently seen a bloody war that Locke had not been a witness of.   Thus, the views of the philosophers differed with respect to the English Revolution.   Had Locke also lived through the English Civil War, he might have been bitter about the idea of revolution as well.   Nevertheless, it is important to note that both philosophers believed in human rights.   Locke was not a violent agitator.   Furthermore, it is clear that his philosophy on revolution was written with ultimate peace in mind. Locke wrote about â€Å"abuse of power by the government† as a reason for a revolution.   In order to serve justice, he considered it ethical for citizens to fight for their rights, even if they must fight the government for the same reason.   In Locke’s view, â€Å"rebellion† was a necessity at times of governmental corruption and dissidence.   Besides, in the perspective of the philosopher, the people could be trusted to make decisions as regards civil rights.   The important matter to consider remained, however, that people could achieve â€Å"restoration of their rights† via a revolution (Kemerling, 2000). Locke’s philosophy on revolution makes the kinds of allowances for the common people that Hobbes’ philosophy does not allow for.   In the latter’s view, revolutions are bad because they lead to bloodshed.   So therefore, governments should be strong enough to rule the people without letting them express their agitation in any form whatsoever. Locke’s philosophy can debate with Hobbes’ view quite simply by claiming that the victims of bloodshed are usually the common people; and if they are the ones taking responsibility for a revolution, they are the ones also responsible for guarding their safety at all costs during a revolution.   Governments that try to quell public rebellion through military violence are bad in any case.   Hence, the public is right in demolishing such governments.   At the same time, the public must protect itself from the agitation of the government during a revolution. Thus Locke’s philosophy of revolution allows for public liberty unlike Hobbes’ philosophy, which is similar to the Panopticon.   Michel Foucault’s (1995) Panopticism begins with a detailed description of the measures to be taken against a seventeenth century plague. The government was meant to exercise absolute control over all citizens during such time, as spaces were to be partitioned and houses were to be closed off.   Stray animals were to be killed, and human beings were to be advised that they could only leave town if they wanted to be killed too.   Moreover, guards were to be put on duty to keep a constant eye on the people.   Every guard was to be informed that â€Å"if he leaves the street, he will be condemned to death.† The government aimed to create a pure and disciplined community through these orders.   What is more, as Foucault points out, it was a â€Å"political dream† to create such an obedient community, even for a brief period of time.   Such an obedient community happens to be a model for other communities and other times.   This plagued community was further marked by: †¦strict divisions; not laws transgressed, but the penetration of regulation into even the  smallest details of everyday life through the mediation of the complete hierarchy that assured  the capillary functioning of power; not masks that were put on and taken off, but the  assignment to each individual of his ‘true' name, his ‘true' place, his ‘true' body, his ‘true'  disease.   The plague as a form, at once real and imaginary, of disorder had as its medical and  political correlative discipline.   Behind the disciplinary mechanisms can be read the haunting  memory of ‘contagions', of the plague, of rebellions, crimes, vagabondage, desertions, people  who appear and disappear, live and die in disorder. The Panopticon state is the literal embodiment of Hobbes’ philosophy of government.   Totally unlike Locke’s state of freedom, which is equal to democracy in present times, Hobbes’ is a restrictive state with police control at best.   From these two differing philosophies of government arise two dissimilar, defining concepts of revolution.   People through history have found it difficult to believe in both at the same time.   To answer their concerns, both Hobbes and Locke advise their readers and thinkers to use their reason in changing or adopting a form of government (Sharp). References Focault, Michel. (1995). Panopticism. Retrieved 20 May 2007, from c. Kemerling, Garth. (2000). Locke: Social Order. Philosophy Pages. Retrieved 20 May 2007, from http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/4n.htm. Locke and Hobbes, Two Contrasting Views of the English Revolution. Retrieved 20 May 2007, from http://www.iun.edu/~hisdcl/h114_2002/Locke%20and%20Hobbes.htm. Sharp, Robert. (2006, September 5). Hobbes Vs. Locks: A Question of Rights. Retrieved 20 May 2007, from http://philosophy.suite101.com/article.cfm/hobbes_vs__locke.      

How to Conduct an Interview in Sociology Research

How to Conduct an Interview in Sociology Research Interviewing is a method of qualitative research (used by sociologists and other social scientists) in which the researcher asks open-ended questions orally. This research method is useful for collecting data that reveal the values, perspectives, experiences and worldviews of the population under study. Interviewing is often paired with other research methods including survey research, focus groups, and ethnographic observation. Key Takeaways: Research Interviews in Sociology Sociologists sometimes conduct in-depth interviews, which involve asking open-ended questions.One advantage of in-depth interviews is that they are flexible, and the researcher can ask follow-up questions to the respondent’s answers.The steps necessary for conducting an in-depth interview include preparing for data collection, conducting the interviews, transcribing and analyzing the data, and disseminating the study results. Overview Interviews, or in-depth interviews, are different from survey interviews in that they are less structured. In survey interviews, the questionnaires are rigidly structured- the questions must all be asked in the same order, in the same way, and only the pre-defined answer choices can be given. In-depth qualitative interviews, on the other hand, are more flexible. In an in-depth interview, the interviewer has a general plan of inquiry and may also have a specific set of questions or topics to discuss. However, it is not necessary for the interviewer to stick to predetermined questions, nor is it necessary to ask questions in a particular order. The interviewer must, however, be fully familiar with the subject in order to have an idea of potential questions to ask, and must plan so that things proceed smoothly and naturally. Ideally, the respondent does most of the talking while the interviewer listens, takes notes, and guides the conversation in the direction it needs to go. In such a scenario, the respondent’s answers to the initial questions should shape the subsequent questions. The interviewer needs to be able to listen, think, and talk almost simultaneously. Steps of the Interviewing Process Although in-depth interviews are more flexible than survey studies, it is important for researchers to follow particular steps in order to ensure that useful data is collected. Below, we’ll review the steps of preparing for and conducting in-depth interviews, and for using the data. Determining the Topic First, its necessary that the researcher decides on the purpose of the interviews and the topics that should be discussed in order to meet that purpose. Are you interested in a populations experience of a life event, set of circumstances, a place, or their relationships with other people? Are you interested in their identity and how their social surroundings and experiences influence it? Its the researchers job to identify which questions to ask and topics to bring up to elucidate data that will address the research question. Planning Interview Logistics Next, the researcher must plan the interview process. How many people must you interview? What variety of demographic characteristics should they have? Where will you find your participants and how will you recruit them? Where will interviews take place and who will do the interviewing? Are there any ethical considerations that must be accounted for?  A researcher must answer these questions and others before conducting interviews. Conducting Interviews Now youre ready to conduct your interviews. Meet with your participants and/or assign other researchers to conduct interviews, and work your way through the entire population of research participants. Typically interviews are conducted face-to-face, but they can also be done via telephone or video chat. Each interview should be recorded. Researchers sometimes take notes by hand, but more commonly a digital audio recording device is used. Transcribing Interview Data Once youve collected your interview data you must turn it into usable data by transcribing it- creating a written text of the conversations that composed the interview. Some find this to be a cumbersome and time-consuming task. Efficiency can be achieved with voice-recognition software, or by hiring a transcription service. However, many researchers find the process of transcription a useful way to become intimately familiar with the data, and may even begin to see patterns within it during this stage. Data Analysis Interview data can be analyzed after it has been transcribed. With in-depth interviews, analysis takes the form of reading through the transcripts to code them for patterns and themes that provide a response to the research question. Sometimes unexpected findings occur, and these findings should not be discounted even though they may not relate to the initial research question. Validating the Data Next, depending on the research question and the type of answer sought, a researcher may wish to  verify the reliability and validity of the information gathered by checking the data against other sources. Sharing Research Results Finally, no research is complete until it is reported, whether written, orally presented, or published through other forms of media.

Introduction to an Oligopoly Market

Introduction to an Oligopoly Market When discussing different types of market structures, monopolies are at one end of the spectrum, with only one seller in monopolistic markets, and perfectly competitive markets are at the other end, with many buyers and sellers offering identical products. That said, there is a lot of middle ground for what economists call imperfect competition. Imperfect competition can take a number of different forms, and the particular features of an imperfectly competitive market has implications for the market outcomes for consumers and producers. Oligopoly is one form of imperfect competition, and oligopolies have a number of specific features: Several large firms - Oligopolies generally consist of a few large firms, and this is part of what sets them apart from competitive markets. Similar or identical products - While it is possible to have an oligopoly with slightly differentiated products, firms in oligopolies usually sell non-differentiated products. Barriers to entry - There are barriers to entry into an oligopoly, making oligopolies different from competitive markets with a large number of relatively small firms. In essence, oligopolies are named as such because the prefix oli- means several, whereas the prefix mono-, as in monopoly, means one. Because of barriers to entry, firms in oligopolies are able to sell their products at prices above their marginal costs of production, and this generally results in positive economic profits for firms in oligopolies. This observation of markup over marginal cost implies that oligopolies do not maximize social welfare.

In a groove essays

In a groove essays The short story "In a Grove" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa was made into a movie called Rashomon. The movie and the short story share both similarities and differences. The story starts out with the woodcutter's statement and how he was walking in the woods. The movie however starts out like the short story Rashomon which opens with people sitting under a big gate. The movie then goes into telling the different statements from various characters. In the woodcutter's statement in the story he stumbled upon a women's hat, scarf, rope, comb, and the guy's body. In the movie however he never finds a comb and also finds a mans hat and an amulet case which was never mentioned in the book. There was also some differences in the book and the movie based on the types of clothing worn by the characters. One example is the fact that in the story the policemen is described as wearing a kamoto but in the movie the policeman is dressed is dirty rags, just like everyone else. Besides sharing differences between the movie and the short story there was also some similarities between the two. The movie and the story both portrayed the girl as riding on a horse with a scarf hiding her view and this is very clear in the movie because they focus the film shot right on her. The craziness of Tajomaru is portrayed in both the movie and the story also. The story is a little different though because it portrays him to be a thief who doesn't care if he kills or not. In the movie however, the viewers can plainly see that Tajomaru is crazy because of his wacky spontaneous laughter that gets everyone's attention. The book and the movie both go through everyone's statement one by one which is a big similarity because nothing important in the statements change from the movie to the book. Another thing the story and the movie has in common is how the husbands statement is given through a medium. While I was reading the story however, I had no clue wh ...

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan Thesis

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan - Thesis Example Background Presently, in a world where globalization is of utmost importance, businesses are dependent on the domestic and international markets for their product line support. Business dependency on their supply chain is very critical and any disruptions could make a big impact. With the ever-changing weather, calamities, the global warming, terrorist attacks, human errors, utility failure, etc., the occurrence of business disruptions can happen with or without warning. Business disruption could also be the result of natural catastrophes like flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados etc. Moreover, the need for effective business continuity plan and disaster recovery plan is driven by regulatory requirements, customer demands, new business practices and changes in technology. It is very important to maintain customer confidence as well as a competitive edge in these days of uncertainty. It is also necessary for companies to guarantee customers that their business is up to the task and running and it will not cause them to fail to produce and deliver products to their end customers in the event of a crisis. In this global world, vendor continuity management has become a vital part of business continuity. II. Introduction – ABC Company ABC has achieved worldwide status as a major supplier to electronics companies throughout the world. As a consequence, many companies depend upon ABC for their supplies. It is ABC’ responsibility to take this dependency very seriously and plan for situations which could impair ABC’ ability under adverse conditions to respond to our customers. As part of ABC’ responsibility to avoid an adverse condition, pro-active steps are taken, such as maintaining good housekeeping, non-overloading and periodic measuring of electric power circuits and periodic maintenance of sprinkler systems, etc. Preventive steps are a cornerstone to prevent self-induced hazardous conditions that can result in a disaster. However , there may be situations that are beyond the control of ABC, such as flooding due to hurricanes or other events of nature. Regardless of the cause, it is imperative that lost production be recovered as quickly as possible to minimize customer difficulties. Therefore, our actions for recovery should also include timely communication to our customers to apprise them the expected delivery situation and what is to be expected in the future. III. Methodology Overview Any business continuity and disaster recovery plan is made using a certain framework or methodology that makes that whole process systematic and easy to create and then implement. Depending on the type of company, as well as the field of business, each BC & DR plan relies on a good methodology to ensure success. In the case of ABC Company, a methodology is adopted to ensure the management of crisis when it happens. It enables those involved in the plan to follow a smooth flow of action in case of an event that can hinder th e usual flow of business. It also provides the actions that need to be taken when such an event occurs.

The Gilded Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Gilded Age - Essay Example During the so called Gilded Age, the economy of America went up significantly by more than 400% between 1860 and 1900. During the same time, the United States Patent office gave out up to twelve times more patents than it had been the case in the past 70 years. There was also a notable increase in the productivity of the agricultural sector due to invention of farm machinery; â€Å"In 1872, the vast majority of Americans equated logging trees, plowing prairies, grazing grasslands and mining mountains with progress.† The same advancement was made in the factory sector. The business communication sector made a step with the invention of Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone which was developed on February 14th, 1876. The lighting of homes and the power required by the various factories in carrying out several of the operation were made possible by Thomas Edison. This was as from 6th December, 1977.Still on the American economy, the growing industrial sector made available the goods needed for the upcoming urban markets. This led to a shoot in the number of the urban dwellers due to migration of individual to urban centers, most of who came from Europe. As a percentage, those living in urban areas represented 40% of the total American population. This was an increase from the initial 20%. The immigrants wanted to get jobs in the expanding manufacturing sectors, and also to have a taste of the city-life.However, there is an irony regarding this economic development of the gilded age.The growing of this economy came with weighty negatives.

Are some cultures inherently incompatible to democracy Essay

Are some cultures inherently incompatible to democracy - Essay Example However, there was a substantial drawback after Mussolini took power in Italy, and this led to reversal of gains made towards democracy. The number of democratic states reduced significantly in the world to 12 (Huntington, 1993). This was revived after allies won the World War II. This led to a second wave of democratization with 36 countries being governed democratically (Huntington, 1993). Likewise, there was a reverse wave, and the number of democracies came back to 30 (Huntington, 1993). Currently, the third wave is in operation. There are crucial factors that have contributed to the occurrence and timing of third wave move to democracy. Firstly, it is caused by the deepening legitimacy problem of authoritarian regimes in a world where democratic principles are widely accepted. Many people depended on the success of such regimes, but they have been recently faced by the inability to achieve and present economic support. Secondly, the economic success of the 1960 prompted the deve lopment of urban middle class in the majority of the countries. Thirdly, there was a modification of catholic ideologies from the maintenance of the status quo and condemnation of authoritarianism (Huntington, 1993). Fourth, there was external pressure mainly from European Community, the United States, and the Soviet Union (Owen 2002). Lastly, protest has played a key role for subsequent efforts at democratization (Ranker, L. et al. 2007). T

Discuss critically how you would bring about an identified change in Assignment

Discuss critically how you would bring about an identified change in an organisation (or organisational unit) you are familiar with - Assignment Example This is a good example of the need for change in our organizations. Clients are now able to access information, which they require at the comfort of their homes or different work places. This has spurred a lot of pressure to their service providers and media, as they need to live up to the expectations of their clients. Organizational change is an issue that most organizations need to embrace and adopt in order to survive and keep up with the business world today. Failure to do this, such firms and organization will experience a competitive environment that may need to them failing to achieve their goals in the near future. Organizations and firms must learn and embrace organizational change at their different work places. This is very essential and important to them. However, sometimes it is difficult to enhance change in an organization. This is because most employees have adopted a certain culture and routines, which they really embrace at their workplaces. A lot of resistance from these employees may be evident if this kid of change has to be implemented. When parties and stakeholders who are involved follow the right steps, this kind of change can be implemented successfully without much resistance from the employees. Organizational change can affect any department in the organization; hence, the heads of these departments must remain positive and open to any change, which might come along. Firms and organization are prone to changes in today’s business world that is greatly evolving Armenakis (Armenakis and Harris 2009). Both internal and external environmental factors can prompt change to occur in an organization. External changes can originate from the global business market. First and foremost, competition in the might take a higher notch that may require an organization to make some changes in its entire structure. At such a situation, the organization is supposed to come up with different marketing

Global Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Global Management - Essay Example The median household income is $48,617 (City of Arlington, 2011). In terms of religious affiliation, 36% are Southern Baptist, 22% are Catholics, 13% are United Methodists and 29% comprises the other religions. Arlington has ten public elementary/middle schools and ten private elementary/middle schools. It has ten public high schools and seven private high schools. The workforce of Arlington is large, well-educated and diverse (Arlington Chamber of Commerce, 2008). The land area of Arlington is 99.5 square miles and the city’s property tax rate is 0.6480 per $100 valuation (City of Arlington, 2011). The city is in the middle of Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and is eight miles from the DFW airport. It abides by the business-friendly traditions of Texas (Cluck, 2011). Over 100 square miles is allotted to business which includes five business parks (Cluck, 2011). In terms of the industries present in the area, as of 2009, the most common industry is construction which comprises 13% of the total industry in the area (Onboard Informatics, 2011). Other industries include accommodation and food services; administrative and support and waste management services; professional, scientific and technical services; educational services; finance and insurance and transportation equipment (Onboard Informatics, 2011). Like the other areas in Texas, the people of Arlington also celebrate varied cultural heritage festivals because of the diversity of its population in terms of background and culture. Since Texas used to be a part of Mexico, a lot of the Mexican traditions have been adapted by the Texans. Among the festivals celebrated by the Texans are Cinco de Mayo celebration. The German heritage has also influenced Texas; thus, the celebration of the Oktoberfest. Other festivities celebrated by the people of Texas are Charro Days, Riofest and Port Isabel’s Day of the Dead. A major consideration in

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 9

Report - Essay Example However, Dobson, S. & Palfreman, S. (1999) argues that even with open ended questions and there is no un-biasness in the selecting of the representatives, the data will not be complete. Other methods of data collection exist e.g. interviews and observations. To Doyle, E (2005), the two cannot be used in this case since some of the information required cannot be captured through observations and interview since it may not yield much. About 320 questionnaires were mailed to both local small and medium businesses. Only 100 managed to fill and send them back. The questionnaires had 8 questions. The council wanted to know the area of business one was involved in; where the business is based; the number of employees; whether the business is freehold or under leasehold; the size of the business premises; reasons for initially for locating the business in Stapleton Borough; constraints to business operations and whether there are plans of relocating to another place in the next 5. Most of those who have businesses in Stapleton have set them there since they live locally or where born there. Availability of premises is another reason for setting up businesses in the council. Customer base, cost of premises and business opportunities are the other reasons why businesses have been set up within the council. Most of those who took part in the study alluded to the fact that there are no constraints to business growth. However, 18% agree to the problem of parking slots within the council while 17% said that the council has no enough skilled manpower. Other constraints though not statistically significant include un-availability of new premises and land. As at know, 54% of those who own businesses in the area have no plans of relocating to any other town or local village. However, some 18% have plans of relocating although within the council while 25% say they don’t know whether they will be making any move. A meagre 3% say they will be moving out of

CONSTRUCTING AN INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIO Coursework

CONSTRUCTING AN INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIO - Coursework Example Implementation complexities in constructing an effective portfolio possess risk factors, which make it necessary for crucial exposure and assessment of opportunities for the investment in the international real estate market. There has been an increase in international investments especially in international real estate markets, which is clear from the UK listed and unlisted wholesale markets. It is evident that most products fall under the value-added or opportunistic and risk or reward; hence they offer a wide range of the investments returns. The international listed real estate funds have different collective strategies according to different regions as indicated by fig.1. There is a variation of real estate types depending on the countries or country targeted. Consequently, there are different ways of gaining exposure to the investable market. Various options are employed to acquire and manage equity interests for international real estate investments. The aim of the paper is to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of applying various methods for gaining exposure to the real estate investments. In addition, it evaluates the different methods used to fully acquire and manage equity interests in international real estate investments. Real estate refers to; the commercial sectors of office, retail, industrial, and leased residential real estate sectors. The real estate appraisers in the UK reflect value of asset factors such as expected income growth, risk of liquidity, management costs, income growth related risks, and the tenant default risk that enables the capitalization of the current and future income expectations and streams. This indicates that the international real estate investment can offer a number of investment features that have different risk levels. The different investment procedures makes it possible for the income streams to be cut in many ways and offers

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 9

Report - Essay Example However, Dobson, S. & Palfreman, S. (1999) argues that even with open ended questions and there is no un-biasness in the selecting of the representatives, the data will not be complete. Other methods of data collection exist e.g. interviews and observations. To Doyle, E (2005), the two cannot be used in this case since some of the information required cannot be captured through observations and interview since it may not yield much. About 320 questionnaires were mailed to both local small and medium businesses. Only 100 managed to fill and send them back. The questionnaires had 8 questions. The council wanted to know the area of business one was involved in; where the business is based; the number of employees; whether the business is freehold or under leasehold; the size of the business premises; reasons for initially for locating the business in Stapleton Borough; constraints to business operations and whether there are plans of relocating to another place in the next 5. Most of those who have businesses in Stapleton have set them there since they live locally or where born there. Availability of premises is another reason for setting up businesses in the council. Customer base, cost of premises and business opportunities are the other reasons why businesses have been set up within the council. Most of those who took part in the study alluded to the fact that there are no constraints to business growth. However, 18% agree to the problem of parking slots within the council while 17% said that the council has no enough skilled manpower. Other constraints though not statistically significant include un-availability of new premises and land. As at know, 54% of those who own businesses in the area have no plans of relocating to any other town or local village. However, some 18% have plans of relocating although within the council while 25% say they don’t know whether they will be making any move. A meagre 3% say they will be moving out of

Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói Essay Example for Free

Museu de Arte Contemporà ¢nea de Niterà ³i Essay The Niterà ³i Contemporary Art Museum (Museu de Arte Contemporà ¢nea de Niterà ³i — MAC) is situated in the city of Niterà ³i, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and is one of the city’s main landmarks. It was completed in 1996. Designed by Oscar Niemeyer with the assistance of structural engineer Bruno Contarini, who had worked with Niemeyer on earlier projects, the MAC-Niterà ³i is 16 meters high; its cupola has a diameter of 50 metres with three floors. The museum projects itself over Boa Viagem (â€Å"Bon Voyage,† â€Å"Good Journey†), the 817 square metres (8,790 sq ft) reflecting pool that surrounds the cylindrical base â€Å"like a flower,† in the words of Niemeyer. A wide access slope leads to a Hall of Expositions, which has a capacity for sixty people. Two doors lead to the viewing gallery, through which can be seen theGuanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, and Sugarloaf Mountain. The saucer-shaped modernist structure, which has been likened to a UFO, is set on a cliffside, at the bottom of which is a beach. In the film Oscar Niemeyer, an architect committed to his century,[1] Niemeyer is seen flying over Rio de Janeiro in a UFO which then lands on the site, suggesting this to be the origin of the museum. The MAC Scandal was a political scandal that occurred when the mayor Joà £o Sampaio inaugurated the Niterà ³i Contemporary Art Museum. The MAC is located on a hill slope that had locked construction rights set by the city council. Therefore in December 1996, the new mayor, Jorge Roberto Silveira sent a project to the city council to obtain the rights to construction in that area. The project was accepted in only two days, giving permission to build buildings up to 40 metres (130 ft). The city council did not know that days before, Zeca Mocarzel, sub-mayor of the Niterà ³is Oceanic Region (of Jorge Roberto Silveiras government) bought the lands at a very low price, claiming to the old owner that the region was locked and nothing could be done there. So he bought the area and, after the inauguration of the MAC which substantially increased the property values of the nearby areas, later sold the land for more than 5 million reals, approximately 1,250,000 US dollars at the time (2,720,000 dollars today). Because the scandal occurred just before Christmas, the people of Niterà ³i said that it was Jorge Roberto Silveira, Zeca Mocarzel and Joà £o Sampaios (long-time Niterà ³is politicians) Christmas present.

Repurposing as a Future Strategy for Pharmaceutical Research

Repurposing as a Future Strategy for Pharmaceutical Research With the urgent need for new treatments for serious diseases and concerns about other existing unmet patient needs as well as the cost of traditional drug discovery and other productivity issues on the constant increase, drug repurposing has become an attractive alternative. Drug repurposing is defined as the process of discovering new indications for existing drug compounds (Tari and Patel, 2014). Tari Patel (2014) further explain that the concept behind drug repurposing is â€Å"that novel drug indications can be identified based on the principle that a primary drug target can be associated with diseases other than its original drug indication.† Various systematic approaches have been proposed for finding new indications for drugs; some of this include discovering drugs hat share a significant number of side effects as they may have similar actions and those with similar chemical compounds. The most cited success for drug repositioning is sildenafil, a drug developed by Pfi zer and originally indicated for the treatment of angina but was discovered to show an improvement in patients suffering from erectile dysfunction as well (Pantziarka et al, 2014) [online] Drug repurposing is becoming the surest way to both provide treatment for both new and old diseases, as well as reducing greatly the cost of production of these treatments. Persidis (2011) [online] lists a couple of advantages crediting this, some of which include that pre-existing drugs or those which have been proven to be safe at late-stage trials greatly reduce development risk even when repurposed for potentially new indications. The article continues to add that there is a massive money saving advantage when comparing launching a repurposed drug into the market with launching a completely new formulation to pharmaceutical companies owning original use rights to the drug. On the other hand, NCBI suggests that as drugs are only approved for specific therapeutic indications within clear safety boundaries and after intense investigation, finding new drug-target interactions is most often hampered by safety issues regarding dosage and delivery capability as discovery of a repurposed drug working within the approved therapeutic window is a rare occurrence; suggesting also that even in a case where appropriate formulations and delivery devices were available to eliminate the problems associated with dosage and delivery within the narrow therapeutic window, the issue of lack of integration with pharmaceutical and toxicological sciences still persists. These go without including the problems associated with protection of intellectual property as various new drug-target-disease triplets are often disclosed by various online databases. Repositioned drugs have been a huge success in providing effective remedies for a large number of patients suffering from a wide range of diseases, have promised to deliver new treatments for even more diseases including some of the most perverse diseases the plague the central nervous system, cardio-vascular system, many metabolic disorders and cancer. Precisely, the scope of drug repurposing can be widened in future to cater for the development of drugs with multiple targets as in the area of oncology and those which target disease in various ways as in obesity. It can even more importantly create opportunities for the development of second-generation drugs (Sehkon, 2013) Therefore, despite any disadvantages that may arise in the process of repositioning drugs, the process remains the most effective of its kind in recent times and hence plays a very important role in pharmaceutical research concerning future drug discovery. It is important to note that though most repurposed drugs have desirable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics properties especially those that have passed various clinical trial stages about 2000 of these drugs lie dormant of various companies’ shelves and Barratt and Frail (2012) suggest that this number grows at the rate of 150-200 drugs every year. Sequentially, this number creates more than adequate substrate on which a repurposing strategy can be developed and as discontinued compounds are a by-product of carrying out business in the pharmaceutical environment, there will never be a shortage of them. Hence, learning from these failures and applying the ever evolving science behind human biology and diseases will not only salvage efforts made in the research and development environment but also lead to the development of a very viable business model while significantly decreasing the risk of failure, cost of production and cycle time. Bibliography Sehkon, BS 2013, ‘Repositioning drugs and biologics: Retargeting old/existing drugs for potential new therapeutic applications’, Journal Of Pharmaceutical Education Research, 4, 1, pp. 1-15, Academic Search Index, EBSCOhost, viewed 18 November 2014. Tari, L. B. and Patel J. H. (2014) [online] ‘Systematic Drug Repurposing Through Text Mining’ Biomedical Literature Mining vol. 1159, pp. 253-267 Available at: http://www.springerprotocols.com/Abstract/doi/10.1007/978-1-4939-0709-0_14 [Accessed: 18th November, 2014] Barratt, M. J. and Frail, D. E. (2012) Drug repositioning: Bringing New Life to Shelved Assets and Existing Drugs John Wiley Sons, Inc. Pantziarka, P., Bouche, G., Meheus, L.., Sukhatme, V., Sukhatme, V. P. (2014) [online] ‘The Repurposing Drugs in Oncology (ReDO) Project’ ecancermedicalscience pp. 3 Available at: http://ecancer.org/journal/8/full/442-the-repurposing-drugs-in-oncology-redo-project.php [Accessed: 17th November, 2014] Persidis, A. (2011) [online] ‘The benefits of drug repositioning’ Drug Discovery World Available at: http://www.ddw-online.com/business/p142737-the-benefits-of-drug-repositioning-spring-11.html [Accessed: 17th November, 2014] Tudor I. Oprea, Julie E. Bauman,Cristian G. Bologa, Tione Buranda, Alexandre Chigaev, Bruce S. Edwards, Jonathan W. Jarvik, Hattie D. Gresham,Mark K. Haynes,Brian Hjelle,Robert Hromas,Laurie Hudson,Debra A. Mackenzie,Carolyn Y. Muller,John C. Reed,Peter C. Simons,Yelena Smagley,Juan Strouse, Zurab Surviladze,Todd Thompson,Oleg Ursu,Anna Waller,Angela Wandinger-Ness,Stuart S. Winter,Yang Wu,Susan M. Young,Richard S. Larson,Cheryl Willman,andLarry A. Sklar (2012) [online] ‘Drug repurposing from an academic perspective’

Characterization in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay -- Young Goo

Characterization in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      The dialogue, action and motivation revolve about the characters in the story (Abrams 32-33). It is the purpose of this essay to demonstrate the types of characters present in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† whether static or dynamic, whether flat or round, and whether protrayed through showing or telling.    There are only three well-developed, or three dimensional characters, in this short story, and they are the protagonist, Goodman Brown, and his wife, Faith, and the fellow-traveller or the devil. Faith is, of course, less well developed than her husband; much of her development comes from inference rather than from action,dialogue and explicitly expressed motivation as in the case of Goodman Brown.    From the very outset of the tale, Goodman is a person of action: â€Å"YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN came forth at sunset, into the street of Salem village, but put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to exchange a parting kiss with his young wife.† The reader sees him develop emotionally even as he walks away towards the woods:    So they parted; and the young man pursued his way, until, being about to turn the corner by the meeting-house, he looked back and saw the head of Faith still peeping after him, with a melancholy air, in spite of her pink ribbons.    "Poor little Faith!" thought he, for his heart smote him. "What a wretch am I, to leave her on such an errand! She talks of dreams, too. Methought, as she spoke, there was trouble in her face, as if a dream had warned her what work is to be done tonight. But, no, no! 'twould kill her to think it. Well; she's a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night, I'll cling to h... ...h these grave, reputable, and pious people, these elders of the church, these chaste dames and dewy virgins, there were men of dissolute lives and women of spotted fame, wretches given over to all mean and filthy vice, and suspected even of horrid crimes.    In this essay on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† we have seen that the narrator’s use of the showing technique presents two dynamic characters, three round characters and a host of undeveloped, static characters.    WORKS CITED    Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.    Hawthorne, Nathaniel. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown.† 1835. http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~daniel/amlit/goodman/goodmantext.html    Wagenknecht, Edward. Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Man, His Tales and Romances. New York: Continuum Publishing Co., 1989.

The Spider and Soul in Walt Whitmans A Noiseless Patient Spider Essay

The Spider and Soul in Walt Whitman's A Noiseless Patient Spider Works Cited Not Included In â€Å"A Noiseless Patient Spider†, Walt Whitman compares the images of a spider creating a web to catch its prey to his own soul. In the first stanza, he describes the spider creating its web. In the second stanza, he begins to describe his own soul searching for something it needs. Throughout the poem, Whitman is relating the spider to the human soul by showing how both would pursue and capture what they need to continue to exist in this life. In line one, â€Å"A noiseless, patient spider† shows a spider that seems to be waiting for what it is searching for. Perhaps it is waiting for a chance to strike at its prey if it were detected in time. The soul seems to be doing nearly the same thing when Whitman says the soul is â€Å"ceaselessly musing† (line 8). Musing is when someone is pondering about something in silence. Both images are being described as moving in careful silence. The spider seems to be planning to trick the prey into being caught. Perhaps whatever the soul is looking for must be tricked into being caught. If both were to let their presence be known, their elusive prey may disappear. In order for either the spider or the soul to capture its prey, first they both must create a way to trap what they need and trick it into being caught. â€Å"It launched forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself, ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them† (lines 4-5). These lines are describing the spider while it makes its web. The poet uses the word â€Å"tirelessly† to show that the spider must complete its task of finding sustenance in order to survive. The repetition of the word â€Å"filament† shows how deliberately t... ...er and the soul are alike in how they search for what will continue their existence. For the spider, it is waiting patiently as he tries to find a way to trap his prey in order to continue its life. As for the soul, it must be patient and hold on to what it knows as religious truth as it waits to be nourished by the one that it truly serves. Both the spider and the soul must hold onto their anchor in order to wait for their prey. Once it is spotted, they must move quickly to it in order to ensure that they catch it. Once it is within their grasp, their existence may continue. But, if they are sidetracked by what goes on in their immediate surroundings instead of concentrating on their prey, then they may lose their opportunity for life. That is why the spider and the soul must be patient, noiseless, and ever ready to obtain what they have hunted for so long.

“Little Buddha” †A Summary and Review Essay

Little Buddha starts with a Buddhist monk, Lama Norbu, going to Seattle in search of Jesse Conrad, a boy who Lama Norbu believes may be the reincarnation of Lama Norbus old teacher, Lama Dorje. Lama Norbu and his fellow monks find Jesse and his family, and after an awkward first meeting gives Jesse a book called Little Buddha, which is read to him over the course of the movie to teach him the history and basic points of Buddhism. We get to watch what is being read to Jesse, so there is a movie of Buddha inside a movie of Buddhism. Jesse starts making trips to the Monastery to learn more about the monks and their practice. During his time in the monastery, Lama Norbu reads parts of the book to Jesse. We learn about the birth of Siddhartha Gautama as a prince who was destined by the stars to be great. We learn how his father sheltered him from everything that had the potential to disturb him, and how he finally, when he was a teenager, discovered suffering, poverty, old age, and death. We learn about how he left the palace with a goal to end suffering, and how he became an ascetic. Finally, after hearing a man telling his music pupil about how the string of an instrument has to be in the middle ground between being to tight and snapping and being too loose to play, Siddhartha realizes that the path to enlightenment lies in the Middle Way, or whatever the middle ground is between any two extremes. Jesse is very interested in Buddhism, and Lama Norbu convinces Jesses dad, Dean Conrad, to let Jesse make a trip to meet the other candidates for being the reincarnation of Lama Dorje, and then go to Bhutan for the decision of who it actually is. Jesses mother objects, but gives in after a very emotional scene and Dean, Jesse and Lama Norbu all fly together to Katmandu, where Jesse finds Raju, an awesome little guy who happens to be the second candidate for being the reincarnation of Lama Dorje. Raju asks to play Jesses gameboy, and after Rajus brother steals the gameboy and Raju gets it back, he and Jesse get along very well. The monks think that it is remarkable that the two candidates somehow managed to find each other without knowing who the other one was. After this they fly to India to meet Gita, an upper-class Indian girl. The third candidate comes off a bit conceited and boastful and the beginning, but they all seem to get along afterwards. It is at Gitas place where they find a tree much like the one Siddhartha Gautama meditated under to reach his enlightenment. Here Lama Norbu tells them the story of Siddharthas meditation, and how Mara, an evil  being of temptation and malice (much like Satan) tried to stop Siddhartha from reaching enlightenment. This is where all the good special effects come in. After all of his distractions fail, Siddhartha Gautama reaches enlightenment and becomes The Buddha. After this scene, we emerge from the Buddha tale and Lama Norbu and the rest fly to Bhutan, where Lama Norbu informs them that they are all partly the reincarnation of Lama Dorje. Lama Norbu, finally having completed his task, reveals that he is unhealthy, and he soon, after meditating for a very long time, passes away. Analysis:Little Buddha begins with Lama Norbu telling the apprentice monks at the monastery a story. The story teaches of the cycle of reincarnation, and the ultimate goal of being relieved from this cycle. The story also states that No human being needs ever to sacrifice another animal. This exhibits one of the main principles of Buddhism. Buddhists are generally vegetarian, and dont believe in killing other animals. The movie also teaches of the practice of meditation. Lama Norbu describes it to Jesse on the plane to Katmandu: It is being totally quiet and relaxed, separating yourself from everything around you, setting your mind free like a bird, and you can then see your thoughts as if they were passing clouds. Buddhists are also supposed to detach themselves from worldly connections, which is why they destroy the intricate sand murals that they create as soon as they are completed. Lama Norbu also tells Jesses father at the end that he is not a good example of Buddhist detachment because of his dedicated search for the reincarnation(s) of his teacher (obviously because of his love for Lama Dorje). The primary character who most exemplifies Buddhist philosophies is, despite the fact that he is not good at detachment, Lama Norbu. He is the old, wise one in the movie, and, not having any background on any of the young monks depicted in the movie, the obvious choice for best Buddhist. Lama Norbu is exceptionally good at meditating, too. When he was dying, he meditated for many days on end. I would definitely recommend Little Buddha to anyone interested in learning more about religion, or Buddhism in particular. Although the movie covers  most of Buddhas life and most of the main characteristic of Buddhism, is manages to avoid seeming educational. I would not recommend Little Buddha to anyone addicted to constant action, suspense, or romance, because this movie contains very little of any of them. This movie is all about the emotion the interactions, the learning, and the maturing of every character. Every one in the story gets introduced to a culture not familiar to them during the course of the film, and some characters, like Jesse, get absorbed into entirely new lifestyles. The movie is artwork at a very fine level much attention to detail is present, and the entertainment is all in the details. Little Buddha is the perfect nightmare movie for all people too shallow to comprehend it, all people so shallow as to think it slow, and all people too imperceptive or unfo cused to catch the subtle nuances of its characters interactions. I was very interested in the very prominent cinematic techniques used in Little Buddha. Usually, when one is watching a movie, one can forget that it is a movie because the cinematic techniques are planned to be subtle, as to not be noticed. Only film making aficionados usually pay special attention to cinematics. I could not help but notice though, that all of the sad scenes of the movie were displayed with a very blue tint, and the scene in the hot, eastern desert was displayed with a red tint. The directors of this movie were obviously not trying to make your average, run of the mill movie. They were trying to create a cinematic masterpiece. By using these prominent cinematic techniques, they were daring to make a controversial film. Every time an artist steps out of the lines, it is considered controversial. Controversial pieces of art always seem to follow one of four paths: 1: They are argued about, then forgotten; 2: They are argued about, then rejected; 3: They are argued about forever; and 4: They are argued about, and then become famous masterpieces. If you want to create a famous work of art, you have to step outside of the lines, you have to be creative, you have to dare to be controversial, and then you have to hope that people will appreciate what youve done. That is what I believe the makers of Little Buddha were trying to do. Little Buddha was an educational film that displayed thought and emotion  throughout, and gave the viewer a look at the inside of Buddhism. It was displayed in a way that taught more than a textbook paragraph ever could, with likeable characters, (for the most part) realistic character interaction, and the intention of spreading knowledge of Buddhism and possible Buddhism itself to anyone who is willing to spend two hours of their time on something well worth their while. Bibliography: Little Buddha, (Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci) 2004

The War Between Detergent Giants Hindustan Unilever (Hul) and Procter & Gamble (P) Continues

The war between detergent giants Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and Procter & Gamble (P&G) continues. [pic] This ad is special as it is plain stupid. However, a recent ad on TV takes a direct dig on the competitor’s product which is not something that has been seen on the Indi-Ad scene. The indirect references in ads have been in plenty but never ever I have seen such a direct attack. If you are familiar with Tide ads, their USP has been to highlight the superior technology which make the clothes more white/bright as compared to the other detergents. The new campaign that I am referring to has been started by Rin, a product of Hindustan Unilever Limited. It is a direct attack on the Tide Naturals product by Procter & Gamble. Note that when I say a direct attack – it means an uncensored visual shows the competitor product and then highlights how the other product is better then the former. The sequence of the ad is as follows 1. Two ladies are standing on a bus stop, waiting to pick their kids from their school bus. 2. Both are carrying their shopping basket/bag with them. 3. Lady 1 has Tide Naturals in her bag. 4. Lady 2 has Rin in her bag 5. Both ladies have a look at each other’s bag and Lady 1 boasts that Tide has a good fragrance and provide better whiteness/brightness to the clothes 6. In the meantime, the school bus arrives and it’s shown that the white shirt of Lady 2’s kid is strikingly brighter and whiter then the Lady 1’s kid. 7. Lady 1 gets astonished by the whiteness seen. 8. Lady 2’s kid reacts by asking he mother, as to why is the other lady so observant and amazed 9. There is a disclaimer during the ad that the analysis has been done by an independent agency 10. It’s then claimed that now there is promotional price of Rs. 25 on Rin as opposed to the earlier Rs. 35. As you can notice, there is a direct mention of the competitor product along with the visuals. Earlier we had seen, how a row was created when Onida referred to Nokia in it’s ad though   indirectly . This one seems to be an absolute direct attack. It is difficult to say if the ad will continue on TV. Tide would definitely come out with a protest. However, I think the damage is already done. The main point about the reduced price of Rin would definitely catch the consumer’s eye benefiting HUL. The ad is as given below The gloves are off, and it seems a bare-knuckle fight between consumer product majors Hindustan Unilever and Procter & Gamble is inevitable in the market. HUL has landed the first punch on Cincinnati-headquartered P&G on air, in front of millions of viewers on primetime television. In the first move of its kind by HUL, the latest on-air communication of homecare brand Rin has openly taken on rival P&G’s Tide, without the typical airbrushing or pixellation to hide the rival brand name on TV. The Rin washing powder commercial, which went on air on Friday, claims to be a better quality product in comparison to Tide. The visual clearly shows a variant of Tide, Tide Naturals, shown against Rin with the audio saying ‘Tide se kahin behatar safedi de Rin’ (Rin gives better whiteness than Tide). Within a day of its going on air, the campaign has landed up in court. A source at HUL said its rival has gone to court and everyone at HUL has been asked not to speak about the ad. â€Å"I have not even seen the advertisement,† said a person in the sales team handling Rin’s marketing. But we have been told not to comment on anything. † However, the HUL spokesperson said, â€Å"This advertisement reinforces the promise to Rin consumers that Rin delivers superior whiteness. This claim is based on laboratory tests done through globally accepted protocols in independent third-party laboratories. † People close to the action said the HUL move comes as the company was worried about the Tide variant eating into Rin’s pie riding on superior quality attributes. Earlier, skirmishes between the two companies were always restricted to disguised comparative advertising or matching each other’s price cuts in the market. This time, however, HUL has decided to engage P&G directly, backed by laboratory data and certification of a superior quality product. â€Å"The company realised there was some confusion in the minds of Rin consumers because of the rival offering at a lower price. So HUL decided to take on competition openly,† a person said. When asked about the likely response to the ad, a P&G spokesperson said, â€Å"We are aware of a disparaging advertisement on air against one of our brands. We will, however, continue to stay focused on growing our share via delighting consumers and focusing our communication on the benefits of our brand. A market expert said the HUL commercial was strategically timed to coincide with the long weekend thus giving the Anglo-Dutch company enough air time to show the commercial. â€Å"Even if P&G decides to take any action against HUL, the TV commercial running on prime time has already got enough visibility in the past few days. † Industry observers are now watching with interest P&G’s possible response to such a blatant claim by a rival. While some are talking about a possible legal recourse, another school of thought envisages P&G opening up another front against HUL by taking on Surf. The war between FMCG giants Hindustan Unilever and Procter & Gamble intensified with the two seeking legal redressal alleging foul | | play on detergent powder advertisements. HUL, which has been asked by advertising watchdog ASCI to respond to complaints of â€Å"disparaging† the rival product Tide in its Rin ad, got a boost from an order by Madras High Court directing P&G to modify its Tide ad. Meanwhile, P&G moved Calcutta High Court yesterday against HUL for putting out a â€Å"disparaging† advertisement against Tide. We are aware of the disparaging advertisement on air against Tide Naturals and have filed a case against the same,† a Procter and Gamble spokesperson said. â€Å"The matter is currently being heard in the court and we are not in a position to comment on the outcome,† the spokesperson added. HUL's Rin TV commercial, which went on air on February 26, claims that it is better than Tide, with a tagline ‘Tide se kahin behatar safedi de Ri n'. Until now, it has been rare for Indian companies to compare rival brands by naming and/or attacking them directly in advertisements. According to the latest January report by Morgan Stanley, Rin has lost as much as 25 basis points in market share while P's Tide has gained 60 basis points. HUL has already reduced prices of Rin to arrest the decline. In its case HUL has challenged P&G's claim in an advertisement that Tide contains natural ingredients like lemon and chandan. The Court on March 1 passed an order asking P to mod he gloves are off, and it seems a bare-knuckle fight between consumer product majors Hindustan Unilever and Procter & Gamble is | | nevitable in the market. HUL has landed the first punch on Cincinnati-headquartered P on air, in front of millions of viewers on primetime television. In the first move of its kind by HUL, the latest on-air communication of homecare brand Rin has openly taken on rival P Tide, without the typical airbrushing or pixellation to hide the rival brand name on TV. The Rin washing powder commercial, which went on air on Friday, claims to be a better quality product in comp arison to Tide. The visual clearly shows a variant of Tide, Tide Naturals, shown against Rin with the audio saying ‘Tide se kahin behatar safedi de Rin’ (Rin gives better whiteness than Tide). Within a day of its going on air, the campaign has landed up in court. A source at HUL said its rival has gone to court and everyone at HUL has been asked not to speak about the ad. â€Å"I have not even seen the advertisement,† said a person in the sales team handling Rin’s marketing. â€Å"But we have been told not to comment on anything. † However, the HUL spokesperson said, â€Å"This advertisement reinforces the promise to Rin consumers that Rin delivers superior whiteness. This claim is based on laboratory tests done through globally accepted protocols in independent third-party laboratories. † People close to the action said the HUL move comes as the company was worried about the Tide variant eating into Rin’s pie riding on superior quality attributes. Earlier, skirmishes between the two companies were always restricted to disguised comparative advertising or matching each other’s price cuts in the market. This time, however, HUL has decided to engage P directly, backed by laboratory data and certification of a superior quality product. â€Å"The company realised there was some confusion in the minds of Rin consumers because of the rival offering at a lower price. So HUL decided to take on competition openly,† a person said. When asked about the likely response to the ad, a P spokesperson said, â€Å"We are aware of a disparaging advertisement on air against one of our brands. We will, however, continue to stay focused on growing our share via delighting consumers and focusing our communication on the benefits of our brand. A market expert said the HUL commercial was strategically timed to coincide with the long weekend thus giving the Anglo-Dutch company enough air time to show the commercial. â€Å"Even if P decides to take any action against HUL, the TV commercial running on prime time has already got enough visibility in the past few days. † Industry observers are no w watching with interest P possible response to such a blatant claim by a rival. While some are talking about a possible legal recourse, another school of thought envisages P opening up another front against HUL by taking on Surf. ify the ad.

Art Piece Anotation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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Pollution and Encoachment of Coastal habitats in California - Essay Example Policies have been implemented that allow for greater leniency in the granting of permissions for off-shore oil drilling, and with a reduction of personnel in organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the strict guidelines that have survived are not being sufficiently enforced. The increasing number of people inhabiting areas near water sources such as rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands has caused greater pollution due to more runoff, which ultimately contributes to the pollution of harbors and bays. Polluted runoff and the occasional oil spill threaten coastal resources and often cause beach closures, resulting in risks to public health and significant impacts to local economies. With the advent of the deterioration of California’s coastal environment, some specific programs and organizations were created, such as the Critical Coastal Areas program, which delineates specific land areas of the California coast â€Å"where state, federal and local government agencies and other stakeholders have agreed to improve degraded water quality or protect exceptional coastal water quality from the threat of pollution† (CCA Draft Strategic Plan 1), and the California Coastal Commission, established in order to â€Å"protect, conserve, restore, and enhance environmental and human-based resources of the California coast and ocean for environmentally sustainable and prudent use by current and future generations† (California Coastal Commission), to name just a couple. However, the proliferation of such agencies and programs has been insufficient to curb the negative effects of pollution and encroachment by humans on natural coastal habitats. According to an assessment of California’s coastal waters done in the year 2000, 98% of the state’s estuaries and bays were unable to fully support aquatic life, more than 90% carried warnings about eating fish and shellfish, and 86% could not support

Plagiarism in Higher Education Essay Example for Free

Plagiarism in Higher Education Essay Al Ain Women’s College, Higher Colleges of Technology, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the modern information society on attitudes and approaches to the prevention of plagiarism and to examine a less punitive, more educative model. Design/methodology/approach – The approach taken is a literature review of plagiarism in contemporary society followed by a case study of the education department of a tertiary-level college in the United Arab Emirates. Findings – The authors advocate a move towards a less punitive, more educative approach which takes into account all the relevant contextual factors. A call is made for a truly institutional response to a shared concern, with comprehensive and appropriate policies and guidelines which focus on prevention, the development of student skills, and the proactive involvement of all relevant stakeholders. Practical implications – This approach could inform the policies and practices of institutions who wish to systematically deal with plagiarism in other contemporary contexts. Originality/value – This paper could be of value to policy makers and administrators in tertiary institutions, particularly in English as a second language contexts, who recognise the limitations of traditional approaches to plagiarism and wish to establish more effective practices. Keywords Copyright law, Information society, Dishonesty, United Arab Emirates Paper type Literature review Plagiarism in political discourse Politicians, more than anyone else, need to portray an image of integrity, honesty, and independent thought. Their election, their livelihood, and the fate of their constituents would seem to depend on it. Yet politicians commonly use speechwriters who have the speci? c task of conveying their thoughts, personality, and personal sincerity (see for example, Philp, 2009). It may be argued that although politicians do not necessarily write the words themselves, they endorse the words they use. But what if the words themselves are not original? In one instance, the presidential candidate Barack Obama was confronted by the fact that some of his speeches had taken material from Deval Patrick, the Massachusetts Governor. Obama admitted he should have acknowledged his source: Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues Vol. 3 No. 3, 2010 pp. 166-177 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1753-7983 DOI 10. 1108/17537981011070082 I was on the stump. [Deval] had suggested that we use these lines and I thought they were good lines [. . . ] I’m sure I should have – didn’t this time [. . . ] I really don’t think this is too big of a deal (Obama cited in Whitesides, 2008). Published by kind permission of HCT Press. Plagiarism has been de? ned as â€Å"the unacknowledged use of someone else’s work [. . . ] and passing it off as if it were one’s own† (Park, 2004, p.292) and it is interesting to speculate whether such an excuse would be accepted from a student by an educational institution’s plagiarism committee. Accusations of plagiarism in politics have been made before, of course, though the outcomes were often different, suggesting that a shift may be taking place in attitudes towards plagiarism in politics. In 1987, another presidential hopeful was forced to abandon his ambitions for high of? ce largely because he had plagiarised a speech by the British politician Neil Kinnock and because of â€Å"a serious plagiarism incident† in his law school years (Sabato, 1998). Ironically, the candidate was none other than Joe Biden, the man chosen by Obama to be his Vice President. In politics today, it seems as though plagiarism no longer signals the end of a career. In contrast, students who are caught cheating or plagiarising can be subject to sanctions and consequences that are severely life impacting, which in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can include permanent exclusion from all tertiary education (see for example, Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), 2008). One question of fundamental concern that we must ask ourselves as tertiary-level educators is why college students, who have much less at stake, considerably less experience and knowledge and who do not use English as their ? rst language, should be held to higher standards of responsibility in communication than those in the highest political of? ces? Yet, if we make allowances for students who are still learning to orientate themselves in academic discourse, what standards should be applied? Plagiarism in a complex information society The concept of plagiarism is a relatively new cultural phenomenon. Greek philosophers regularly appropriated material from earlier works without compunction, and originality was considered less important than imitating, often orally, the great works of their predecessors (Lackie and D’Angelo-Long, 2004, p. 37). All the way through the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the study of rhetoric rather than written language was often the norm, with students required to give public speeches to assembled faculty. Only the subsequent move towards written assignments brought with it new perceptions of student plagiarism (Simmons, 1999, p. 41). Around the same time, in the earlier part of the twentieth century, the formalization of citation styles from organizations such as the American Psychological Association marked a desire to standardise academic writing and provide a model for ethically quoting the work of others (Simmons, 1999, p. 42). With the rise of the information society and electronic media, another cultural shift seems to be underway. There have been recent suggestions that plagiarism is becoming more prevalent, and much of the blame has been placed on â€Å"nearly universal access to the Internet† (Scanlon and Neumann, 2002, p. 374). Park (2004, p. 293) refers to the ease of â€Å"copying [. . . ] in a digital world of computers, word processing, electronic sources and the Internet. † However, the explosion of electronic sources of information has not just made copying easier, it has also made it much more central to our students’ cultural and social experiences. Students going into tertiary education have grown up with the internet and are at home with downloading â€Å"free† ? lms, sharing music and modifying and emailing all kinds of material taken from the web. They have developed highly skilled ways of conducting non-academic research using  services such as search engines, social networking sites, podcasts, RSS feeds, discussion boards, etc. with Dealing with plagiarism 167 EBS 3,3 168 hyperlinks allowing them to jump from site to site as though the internet were a single-uni? ed source, and with copying and pasting a mainstay of interaction. They take it for granted that a pop star such as will. i. am can pick up and rework virtually the entire content of a political speech, and turn it into the award winning song and music video Yes we can, apparently without Obama’s knowledge or consent ((The) ABC News, 2008). They are not surprised when this video is then embedded in countless webpages, with the lyrics of the song posted on music sites without any attribution of the original source (see for example, LyricsReg, n. d). This intertextuality is a perfect example of the â€Å"postmodern, self-cannibalizing popular culture† (Bowman, 2004, p. 8) that our students now engage with on a daily basis. Students may well bring to the classroom very different ideas from their teachers about what constitutes fair use. Indeed, one study of 2,600 tertiary-level students in the UAE found that just over 40 percent considered cutting and pasting from the internet as either trivial cheating or not cheating at all. The attitudes of UAE students are similar to those of other students around the world (Croucher, 2009). Some theorists have gone a step further and argue that as the new media become more interactive and collaborative, it calls into question the whole idea of a â€Å"creative, original, individual who, as an autonomous scholar, presents his/her work to the public in his/her own name† (Scollon, 1995, p.1). The multiple contributors to Wikipedia pages is a clear example of how a collaborative process undermines our sense of authorship. In addition, the notion of what constitutes â€Å"fair use† is changing quickly. This is exempli? ed by the open source movement where material can be downloaded, modi? ed, and shared with minimal and strictly controlled author’s rights (See for example, Open Source Initiative, n. d). As Blum (2009) notes, the â€Å"rules about intellectual property are in ? ux. † Where does this leave educators? Has plagiarism become an irrelevant concept, too outdated in its de? nition to be of use in the production of educated professionals ready to take their place in our post-modern society? Do we have to accept Johnson’s (2007) argument that in the digital age, writing an original essay outside of class for assessment purposes is no longer viable in its current form because of the ease of copying from the internet? Do we have to agree with him when he says such tasks are no longer even relevant because they fail to re? ect the modern workplace? As Johnson argues: My transfer from education to the world of business has reminded me just how important it is to be able to synthesize content from multiple sources, put structure around it and edit it into a coherent, single-voiced whole. Students who are able to create convincing amalgamations have gained a valuable business skill. Unfortunately, most schools fail to recognize that any skills have been used at all, and an entire paper can be discarded because of a few lines repeated from another source without quotation marks. Plagiarism in education Plagiarism in education seems to operate under a very different set of rules from the pragmatic ? elds of politics or business and can create emotional responses that deploy highly charged metaphors such as The Plagiarism Plague (Bowman, 2004) or â€Å"Winning hearts and minds in war on plagiarism† (Jaschik, 2008). In education, plagiarism is â€Å"seen as a transgression against our common intellectual values, carrying justi? ably bad consequences for those guilty of the practice† (Isserman, 2003). Why is it generally accepted that politicians can use ghostwriters, but that students cannot, even if the stakes for the students are much lower? The critical issue for education is that plagiarism â€Å"circumvents the learning process† (Spencer, 2004, p. 16). The process of analysing and synthesizing ideas, and reformulating them in writing, is seen as central to learning. Only by ensuring that students struggle to assimilate material and develop their own voice do students go beyond surface information and develop higher order thinking skills. As Isserman (2003) notes: [.. . ] ownership over the words you use [. . . ] is really at the heart of the learning process. You can read a dozen books about the cold war, but if you can’t explain what you have learned to someone else in your own words, no real learning has taken place [. . . ] and you will have made no progress whatsoever toward realizing the central goal of a liberal-arts education: the ability to think for yourself. Dealing with plagiarism 169 This struggle for intellectual development is not easy, which is precisely the reason that makes plagiarism attractive for some students. In most cases teachers are not concerned about literary theft, but that their students are missing out on opportunities for learning because they are failing to engage with the material in a meaningful way. Plagiarism is therefore â€Å"denying them the opportunity to learn lessons, improve their study skills, and improve their knowledge and understanding† (Lancaster University, 2009, p. 3). If plagiarism is especially serious in education because it is an obstacle to learning, then we should deal with instances of plagiarism primarily from an educational perspective rather than the punitive one. Students need to learn the importance of academic integrity and understand that it is not just a hoop to be jumped through, but is integral to intellectual and personal growth. Clearly this learning process cannot be instantaneous, and allowances should be made as students develop. However, this does not mean that severe penalties should be removed from the process entirely as there will always be students who refuse or are unable to meet appropriate standards. Factors in? uencing the incidence of plagiarism Individual, pedagogical, and institutional factors can all in? uence the incidence of plagiarism. Students themselves can be impacted by a wide range of factors including their educational conditioning, cultural background, motivation, language skill, peer pressure, gender, issues with time management, ability, and even the subject being studied (Roig, 1997). If the tertiary experience is vastly different to students’ previous educational experience, the motivation for plagiarism again increases. In the UAE, it is likely, for example, that the students’ primary and secondary schooling was characterised by rote learning and the quest for a single correct answer, non-transparent and poorly conceived assessment practices, and vast social inequities within the student base, and between students and their often socially and economically disadvantaged teachers. Norms, expectations, and demands learned in this context can be dif? cult to dislodge in subsequent institutions which place a premium on the exploration of problems and solutions, independent and critical thinking skills, and academic integrity. If plagiarism is not de? ned or academic processes made explicit, then such students will ? nd it impossible to reach the standards that are suddenly and (to them) inexplicably imposed on them. Pedagogical approaches may also contribute to the prevalence of plagiarism. Current methodologies place much more emphasis on collaboration and group work, with a greater weight given to out-of-class projects and portfolios at the expense of formal exams. The result is that the line between collaboration and cheating during assessed tasks is blurred, and if this is not explicitly dealt with by assessors, it will inevitably EBS 3,3 170 result in misunderstandings as to what is acceptable. Also, students are more likely to justify cheating if the coursework or assignments they were given were too hard, poorly scaffolded, or based on unreasonable expectations of their abilities (Naidoo, 2008), and plagiarism will be made easier if the assignments are not constructed carefully so that stock answers cannot be copied from the internet (Wood, 2004). However, the institutional context plays perhaps the most critical role. For example, unclear and uncommunicated institutional policies with vague de?  nitions of plagiarism can affect the incidence of plagiarism, as can the application of those policies (McCabe et al. , 2002). Some aspects of an organization may unwittingly encourage plagiarism. For example, in contrast to schools, tertiary education institutions in the UAE do not typically award top grades to large numbers of students, and there is evidence to suggest that students justify using ghostwriters in such an environment because they believe they deserve better grades (Croucher, 2009). An often overlooked but crucial aspect of deterring and detecting plagiarism is the application of institutional policies by teachers. One survey of 800 American academics at 16 institutions found that 40 percent never reported incidents of plagiarism while a further 54 percent did so only seldomly, even though the evidence suggested they must have received plagiarised work (McCabe, 1993 cited in Schneider, 1999). There are many reasons why teachers may be reluctant to report plagiarism. Teachers may feel the potential penalties for students are too high (Auer and Krupar, 2001). They may also be wary of making false accusations which potentially undermine their own professional status. Some teachers object to taking on the role of detective or enforcer as it undermines the mentor-student relationship (Schneider, 1999; Park, 2004) while others may not have the time to make an extra effort to uncover plagiarism and follow it up (Park, 2004). It may also be that some teachers, especially teachers of content subjects where the focus is less on form and more on ideas, may not have suf? ciently developed skills to detect plagiarism. Hyland (2001) found that even teachers who detect plagiarism may use indirect feedback when dealing with plagiarism (for example, comments in the margins such as â€Å"Are these your own words?†) which can lead to miscommunication with the student about what is acceptable. With so many factors at play, the responsibilities of teachers must be clearly codi? ed if any institutional initiative is to have any success. Plagiarism and ESOL/EFL English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts may be more prone to infringements of academic integrity because students lack the English skills to understand the coursework and so may feel that plagiarism offers the only solution (Hyland, 2001; Liu, 2005). Moreover, the cultural conditioning of English as a second language (ESL) and EFL students has been cited as another contributing factor. Moder (1995 cited in Lackie and D’Angelo-Long, 2004, p. 38) suggests that some societies, including those in the Middle East, â€Å"value memorization and imitation as the mark of an educated person† which may mean that plagiarism is viewed as being less signi? cant. Liu (2005, p. 239) disagrees with the notion of cultural conditioning, however, claiming that â€Å"it is  based on incorrect information and is presented often via unwarranted jumps in reasoning and con? ation of separate issues. † More pertinently, perhaps, she goes on to argue that: [. . . ] even if we concede that such cultural conditioning indeed exists to some extent, we still cannot say for sure that it is the main reason that ESOL students plagiarize. There are many other factors that may motivate ESOL students from many L1 backgrounds to plagiarize, including a lack of adequate pro? ciency, lack of task speci?c writing skills, and of course, the urge to cheat (p. 239). Dealing with plagiarism ESOL students, then, whether or not cultural conditioning is accepted as an underlying factor in plagiarism, may still have greater motivation than their ? rst language counterparts to take and use the ideas and words of others in their own assignments. Ironically, plagiarism by ESOL students is also far more likely to be detected because of more prominent differences in language level and tone between copied and original work. Degrees of plagiarism Intuitively, plagiarism varies in its severity in a way that cheating (e. g. using crib sheets or having someone else take a test for you) does not. It can consist of minor lapses, for example, when original material is poorly paraphrased but the source is acknowledged, through deliberately copying parts of a text without citing the source, to submitting work from an online paper mill (Roig, 1997). Critical factors in determining the severity of the plagiarism include the intention behind the plagiarism (was it deliberate or accidental? ), the amount of material that has been plagiarised, the inclusion of the source in the list of references, the degree to which the plagiarised material differs from the source (an indication at an attempt to paraphrase), the time the student has spent in tertiary education, and whether it is the ? rst, second, or subsequent occurrence. Given the wide variation in the seriousness of plagiarism and the developmental process students must undergo to assimilate the norms of academic writing, it is clear that the appearance of plagiarised material is not always a deliberate attempt to cheat. For example, students are often poor at paraphrasing and may not be fully aware that this could be construed as plagiarism. Roig (1999) gave English-speaking undergraduate students a two-sentence paragraph to paraphrase and found that between 41 and 68 percent of the responses contained strings of at least ? ve words or more copied from the original. These results clearly back up the claim that plagiarism may indicate a de? cit in appropriate skills and not intentional academic dishonesty. Towards an institutional response to plagiarism In many educational institutions, plagiarism is seen largely as a teacher/student problem. If plagiarism is detected, then the teacher makes a decision as to whether to escalate the case for possible punitive action. The plagiarism is seen either as morally wrong or as a â€Å"crime† – the breaking of a rule that has inevitable consequences (Blum, 2009). Unfortunately, dealing with plagiarism in this way can result in decisions which are reactive, emotive, and which are made informally on an ad hoc basis, thus inviting inequity and inconsistency. When the focus is directed towards punishment, there may be little maturation in terms of academic integrity for the student concerned, or for those who watch their classmate’s fate from the sidelines. Academic endeavour must take place within an institutional culture that routinely recognises and reinforces the value of academic integrity so that all stakeholders are obliged to proactively follow and uphold best practice in order to reduce the impact of the contributing factors discussed above. This requires the establishment of an institutional response to plagiarism that is comprehensive, appropriate, fair, developmental, transparent, and educative. 171 EBS 3,3 Park (2004, p. 294) describes such an institutional framework for dealing with plagiarism that was developed by a working party at Lancaster University in consultation with staff and with reference to experience and the literature: The working party sought to move the plagiarism discourse beyond just detection and punishment and to situate and embed it in a cohesive framework that tackles the root causes as well as the symptoms of plagiarism as a family of behaviours. 172 The key elements underpinning this framework were consistency and transparency. These were ensured by the explicit codi? cation of stakeholder responsibilities, procedures, and penalties. In order for such a framework to be implemented effectively, Park (2004, p. 296) noted that â€Å"all stakeholders within the institution must understand and appreciate why the framework is necessary and how it protects their own interests. † A case study Park (2004, pp. 295-9) nominated a number of central pillars that lend validity and effectiveness to any such institutional framework. These included transparency, ownership by stakeholders, student engagement, academic integrity, framing the initiative to ensure compatibility with the culture of the institution, focus on prevention and deterrence, and the supportive and developmental nature of the framework. These pillars provide excellent reference points for the approach taken in one department in a college in the UAE and allow us to examine the viability and ef? cacy of such a framework for the local context. The Education Department at Abu Dhabi Women’s College (ADWC) has addressed its concerns with academic honesty in a concerted, collaborative, and multi-faceted fashion. As teacher educators, the faculty in this department are intent on producing future academics. Much like politicians, words, information, and the generation of ideas are the very foundation of our professional lives, so we regard it as essential that the â€Å"rules† of using these appropriately are disseminated, understood, and followed at all times by all of our students. To this end, we have established and adhere to a set of policies and practices at all levels that support and facilitate academic honesty. Institutional/departmental level The HCT, of which ADWC is only one of 16, institutionally mandates the prevention and sanctioning of plagiarism and related offences. Consequences of infringements of these rules are outlined in of?cial policies, Student Handbooks (see for example, HCT, 2008), contracts signed by students at the commencement of their studies, and reinforced by administrative staff and faculty at every student meeting and examination session held throughout the student’s academic career at HCT. From these guidelines, the Education Division throughout the colleges has documented standards and procedures that address academic honesty in its assessment handbooks – one that is distributed to all education students and the other, more comprehensive and speci?c, that is used by all education faculty. This shared written documentation enables best practice in assessment to be disseminated and followed, provides the underlying philosophy and approach for the division as a whole, and addresses academic honesty both directly and indirectly to better support student writing and make plagiarism a less viable or attractive option. The assessment handbooks re? ect the developmental curricular approach of the division as a whole, and so specify the type, nature, and expectations for assessments at each level to scaffold the students’ ability to produce increasingly sophisticated and original work. Ensuring that requirements are reasonable and documented minimises the students’ need to seek help through illegitimate means. These handbooks are the basis of communication within the ADWC Education Department on all matters regarding assessment and have served to ensure a common approach and understanding. Insights gained by instructors in their daily interactions with students and their submissions inevitably reveal general dif?culties facing students, which are then examined in regular formal and informal meetings to brainstorm and implement further strategies that may be useful. The ongoing concern at faculty level with issues of academic honesty is mirrored in the systematic recycling of warnings, information, and explicit instructions to students. As a department, the theft or misappropriation of ideas and words has been, and continues to be, addressed as professionally offensive and inappropriate. Initiatives suggested by Education Department faculty as well as colleagues in other departments and colleges are pursued vigorously. One recent example has been the provision of workshops by library staff on research skills and academic procedures. The plagiarism detection software, Turnitin, was originally adopted by the department as both a defence against plagiarism and a tool to help students protect themselves against accidental plagiarism. This proved to be very effective, but unfortunately access to this subsequently became unavailable. Now, suspicious text samples are input into search engines and all assignments are run through SafeAssign, a plagiarism checker in Blackboard (the online course management system). These have proved to be acceptable alternatives. As Braumoeller and Gaines (2001) found in their study, â€Å"the deterrent effects of actually checking for plagiarism are quite impressive (p. 836). † The departmental approach has included a series of mandatory workshops and masterclasses on academic writing and plagiarism for all students in slightly altered learning contexts designed to motivate, encourage participation, and focus attention. It should be noted that the relatively small size of the department (one chair, six faculty, and fewer than 80 students) makes shared understandings, uniform dissemination of information, and infraction detection much easier and more likely than in a bigger department where students are not familiar to every teacher. Course level Academic writing skills are an important component of all education courses. Referencing skills are taught explicitly in a speci? c course during the students’ ? rst semester, and then constantly reinforced and recycled throughout the programme. The education programmes at the HCT are based on re?  ective practice. This means that assignments are contextualised and require the application rather than the regurgitation of theory, so copying from previously submitted work or in any way buying or commissioning a paper cannot be so easily accomplished as theory has to ? t the student’s individual circumstances. In addition, the student’s right to submit and receive feedback on a ? rst draft of every paper (Assessment Handbook, 2009, p. 7) allows plagiarism, deliberate, or accidental; to be detected and remediated at an earlier stage before punishment becomes the only option. The feedback and scaffolding policy (pp.53-5), which outlines the form and scope of feedback to be given, draws instructor attention to both macro and micro features of the submission, so any attempt to use words or ideas from an external source should be revealed at least a week before ? nal submission. Dealing with plagiarism 173 EBS 3,3 All students submitting assignments in the Education Division are required to sign a declaration on their cover page that the work is entirely their own and all sources have been acknowledged (Assessment Handbook, 2009, p. 47). This provides a ? nal reminder that academic honesty is expected and will be monitored. Faculty responsibilities and input All faculty in the Education Department, regardless of their course allocation, consider themselves teachers of English. This is not only because we each have ESL teaching quali? cations and experience (obviously an advantage), but also because we recognise the importance of language as the vehicle for idea generation and transmission. Language is inseparable from the content area in which those ideas are conceived and manipulated. This can be a very different orientation to that of colleagues in other departments whose subject area specialisation takes precedence. Our more holistic approach means that we explicitly teach both content and the language elements with which to express that content to students who may be struggling with the unfamiliarity of both. It also means that we take our role as defenders of academic integrity very seriously and vigilantly monitor and check student output. As professional ESL teacher educators, we strive to be models of effective language use as well as successful proponents of academic scholarship, so ongoing instruction in both is a routine aspect of teaching and learning in the department. This increased student awareness of appropriate academic writing processes reduces their motivation to misappropriate text written by others. The cultural and social aspects of plagiarism are also given attention by faculty. In a society that places less value on individuality than it does on cooperation and social cohesion, it is important for students to understand that they have not only the right, but the responsibility, to turn down requests for assistance from peers. Faculty not only explain this, but also explain to students how to respond assertively with friends or relatives asking for inappropriate help. Without this, no amount of education or punishment can ever be successful. Student involvement Education students are required to be active participants in their own learning. Because all assessment processes are documented and transparent, they have the ability to question and ask for clari? cation on any aspect that they do not understand. All expectations or consequences are addressed in multiple ways, so ignorance is no defence for malpractice. Submissions of ? rst drafts are perhaps the most critical aspect for students. Although these are universally permitted and scheduled, they are never awarded a mark and are not always actually demanded, so it is up to the student to take advantage of their right to pre-submission feedback. An appropriate framework? The Education Department at ADWC values academic honesty very highly and has organized its procedures and practices accordingly. The very infrequent occurrence of plagiarism is testimony to the effectiveness of: . proactive strategizing; . clear documentation; . reasonable and appropriate expectations; 174 . . . . . awareness raising; sustained faculty vigilance and involvement; support for the development of student skills and cognitive growth; decreased student opportunity and motivation to cheat; and the pervasive sense of professional identity and responsibility that characterise departmental efforts on this issue at all levels. Dealing with plagiarism 175 The work done in this department is thus an arguably successful attempt to â€Å"devise a student plagiarism framework that best suits [our] own culture and circumstances†.