Determining Best Practices of Effective School Communication Dissertation

Determining Best Practices of Effective School Communication - Dissertation Example As the purpose of the study is to research highly dependable communicative means to be used by schools, it is also the aim of this study to validate that motivation of the parents help school-going students to perform better. The introduction to the topic includes a background to the research topic of determining best practices of effective school communication, the problem statement, the purpose statement, research questions, theoretical framework, nature of the research, scope of the research, its assumptions, limitations and delimitations, besides the importance of the research work in the context of its implications for social change, ending in the summary of the introduction. Research Theory and Research Strategy Methodology for the research is theory based, totally depending on qualitative research method for the analysis of the conducted research. A qualitative research needs to comprehend processes, happenings, and connections between them from social and cultural perspective s. Qualitative research demands no numerical calculations to prove the facts, as it is based on direct information availing from people and social communities in favorable surroundings (Sociology, 2003). As my research is based on similar tenets of interviewing parents on how communication level with school teachers can be enhanced and find out the causes of their inactivity in participation, the qualitative research method is the right choice. My research strategy will be segregated into three phases, first is the introductory phase, which will be followed by the second phase, the main event, after which validation, the third phase will take off. In the first phase the concept of effective school communication with given objectives of the research will be marked for piloting. The distinct aspect of qualitative research is that it helps in explaining the topic and understanding the issues in natural settings on the basis of the experiences, beliefs, and thinking of all participants (Sociology, 2003). The interview of participating parents in the first stage will help in briefing the parents the purpose of the interview in the informal way. The second phase will touch all the research questions deeply, to elicit participants’ opinions on each one of all the five research questions. As the research design of my methodology is observer-participant, the data description will state the behavior, reaction, and practices of the parents. Parents’ answers will be analyzed to get relevant inputs (Sociology, 2003). My role of observing the parents will be very significant here, to correctly state their views and experiences. I need to be friendly enough with the participating parents to create the perfect setting where they express their anguish or appreciation of the school administration without any inhibitions. Further, my qualitative phenomenological research will help in discussing the singular critical question, as experienced by various participants. The phenomenological methodology research strategy will assist me in understanding the parents’ perspectives, as observed from their angle. There are other methodological roots, as symbolic inter-action and ethnography, employed in qualitative field research but phenomenological

The New York Public schools and New York Charter Schools Dissertation

The New York Public schools and New York Charter Schools - Dissertation Example Although there is a perception (generally) that the education in charter schools are vastly different than those in public schools, this research seeks to understand whether there is a difference in New York schools. The research will also review the beginning aspects of charter schools and draw a comparison of the positives and negatives of both charter and public schools.... As an example, California initiated a law to in 1992, showed how their charter schools would stay accountable. The Charter School Act for New York State passed in December 1998, allowed for the production of independent self–governing public schools. The law essentially stated that New York charter schools would meet state standards, regent’s requirements, state, health, safety, civil rights, and student assessments just like all public schools (About Charter Schools, 2010). Positive and Negative Aspects of Charter Schools vs. Public Schools One of the largest differences between public and charte r schools is that children are allowed to go to charter schools regardless of where they live. This gives parents and students a choice of schools and they are able to choose a school that they feel is the best choice for their children. In some ways, this action creates a need for public schools to develop more challenging The public schools limit their students to those who live within their specific districts. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) (2011) many charter schools will help to reform public schools but they are limited in scope so they will not be able to foster and entire public school system (NCSL, 2011). When looking at the positive and negative aspects of public schools, it is important to point out that public schools are free and the provide transportation to and from school for the children. Because the school is in the neighborhood, children will attend with their friends. This can also be a negative attribute for public schools if t heir friends include gang members or people who would get them into trouble in some way.

Community Development And Health Inequalities Health And Social Care Essay

Community Development And Health Inequalities Health And Social Care Essay To understand the role of community development as a potential strategy for addressing health inequalities, this essay aims to provide a discussion of the extent of health inequalities in the population in the UK. The nature and scale of these issues, the different causes of the indifferences, it will also look at how community development will work and how it could help contribute to the policy goal to reduce the health divide. It will look at the different issues concerning such a project and whether it will prove successful. Building on from the idea of health inequalities being linked to social class, this section illustrates other rationalisations as to this difference and some clarification as to why this might be. Health inequalities by and large are calculated by socio-economic groups however there maybe other explanations for these differences. There are reasons to believe ethnicity make a differences to health inequalities, it is stated in the Health Inequalities report 2008-9 that in April 2001 Pakistani and Bangladeshi men and women reported the highest rates of both poor health and limiting long term illnesses whereas the Chinese reported the lowest. This is an alternative to the explanation of the socio-economic difference; nevertheless there are also other justifications. There are also claims that there are gender inequalities which exist The Mens Health Forum argue that mens life expectancy is more severely affected by deprivation than that of women (House of Common 2009), men are more like ly to commit suicide, suffer from obesity and twice as likely to be diagnosed with and die of cancer. There is also speculation that there is health inequalities between the young and old as the old receive poorer treatment and have less access to certain procedures found in the 2008-9 Health Inequalities report. There are also those who are suffering from physical and mental impairments with poorer health outcomes than other parts of society therefore they are more likely to suffer from terminal illnesses and coronary heart disease (House of Common 2009). The report has also found that health outcomes also vary according to geographical area thus those living in a deprived area are more likely to suffer from worse health problems than those in a more affluent area. To further understand health inequalities this section explores the causes of these, such as access to healthcare (House of Commons 2009). There are a plethora of causes why individuals can not get access to the necessary health care and treatment. The most compelling concern is about access related to age-related inequalities (House of Commons 2009). There are however arguments refuting this, there are other mitigating factors. There are a wide spectrum of lifestyle choices which further contribute to the inequalities in the populace, included amongst these are; smoking, nutrition, exercise and weight (House of Commons 2009). Individuals who are over-weight or given to unhealthy habits such as excessive drinking and smoking may display an increased reluctance to access medical treatment, resulting in a deterioration of health and a widening chasm of health inequalities. It is argued that the lifestyle factors which lead to health inequalities have an underlying socio-economic origin. It is purported that; causes of health inequalities reflect what are frequently referred to as the underlying causes-income, socio-economic group, employment status and educational attainment (House of Commons 2009). There is a correlation between education and income in relation to the health inequalities. The lower down in the socio-economic hierarchy you are, the higher the probability of health inequalities. There is also a widening gap between poverty and housing according to the Heath Inequalities report (2009), those of the low socio-economic group are more likely to have a substantial income therefore they are more likely to live in poor housing which in effect leaves them vulnerable to illnesses such as asthma due to dampness. There are many different aspects which maybe the cause of health inequalities in the population however there are disagreements with som e of these findings such as the link between socio-economic inequalities and health inequalities (House of Commons 2009). According to a recent publication in Health Economics there is not substantial evidence to say there is an association between socio-economic inequalities and health inequalities. There are no direct links but it is assumed that this is a factor in health inequalities and there is not much that can be done about this, however lifestyle factors play a big role in health inequalities in the population which can be helped to improve these inequalities. Community development is a way forward, this is one way in which health inequalities can be reduced in the population in the UK. Community development is a set up where communities can amplify their power and efficiency to improve community life, by getting people to recognise and develop their ability and potential and organise themselves to respond to problems and needs which they share (Scottish Community development Centre 2010). This would mean the community is in control they are able to participate in public decision making and governances (Community development Foundation 2009) as a result they are able to improve their environment for the better which gives them better control in the long run. By using the bottom-up meets top-down approach through capacity building the community members are being used to improve the health inequalities of the surrounding areas. In doing so the communities are being empowered as well as individuals being self empowered consequently the commun ity are more likely to respond than they are if a stranger such as a health professional came in and told the community what they are doing wrong and what needs to be done they have shared values and norms, mutual although not necessarily equal influence, common interests, and commitment to meeting shared needs (1998). Through this approach communities identify and build on strengths, resources, and relationships that exist within communities of identity to address their communal health concerns (1998), and do not feel threatened or belittled by health professionals and they are taking the initiative to recognise what they themselves are doing wrong or lacking and how this can be made better. Community development means there is not a victim blame approach so no one is saying a person is obese due to their eating habits and lack of exercise; it is giving the communities the opportunity to voice their opinions as well as giving health professionals the chance to build rapport with the community. Building on from that, the Scottish Community development Centre (2010) have found that Community development allows communities to plan and have positive prospects for the future as well as creating wealth and giving every member of the community access to its benefits. This would help reduce health inequalities significantly, the community can come together and feel as one and take care of one another which facilitates a safe environment. Through this people are able to develop their skills, reduce isolation by involving everyone as well as creating social networks and building relationships characterized by trust, cooperation and mutual commitment and mediating (1998) with other communities and agencies that affect their community. Community development can prove to be very successful, as an individual a person can be deprived, isolated, intimidated whereas part of a community a person can be rest assured there will always be others, they benefit from community health and feel par t of a community by a sense of identification and emotional connection to other members (1998), working together to reduce health inequalities and taking control to help maintain their achievements. It is hard to measure the success of community development as this would have to be looked at case by case however there are success stories such as the March 2010 Rural Community Programme in the Northwest (Northwest Regional Development Agency 2010). The Northwest have strengthened their rural communities and in 3 years have resulted in 57 social enterprises being supported across a range of services including health (Northwest Regional Development Agency 2010). By empowering the community they have made a huge accomplishment, together they have reduced health inequalities through providing services therefore there is ease of access. This is a huge success for community development; this evidence shows that community development strategies can be used to help reduce health inequalities. Community development can be triumphant; by setting up projects in different communities the government can reduce health inequalities in doing so they are reducing numbers of inequalities of health in the population. This can help the NHS; if there is less health problems there will be less expenditure in the NHS and the government save money which they invest in the NHS to help improve their services. Community development allows capacity building for those communities with lack of education and skills this could be life changing as it allows them to build on their own capacities and improve their lives. Communities come together and become a family. Communities are empowered and as a result voice their opinions and help to decide on policies that put in place, Councils provide local leadership. They know their patch, they bring local knowledge and can help bring people together to breakdown the silos that bedevil public bodies (Local Government 2010) this way theses policies are m ore likely to be successful as they are from the community therefore they are more relevant and money is not wasted in making policies and having to make changes so they meet the needs of communities. Communities learn how to work with others and build relationships and partnerships with other communities and institutions primary care trusts, voluntary sector bodies and local businesses are proving key partners for many of the projects (Local Government 2010). This helps with funding as there is sponsorship coming from different places rather than just from government making it easier on them. With funding from outside deprived communities could become wealthier and the widening gap between the socio-economic groups would decrease and there would be significant improvements in the health inequalities in communities. However there is a lack of evidence in some community development projects there is a well recognised gap between research findings and the implementation of evidence based prevention strategies in community settings (McGinnis and Foege, 2000). If there is no evidence of success within community development projects the government will be reluctant to invest money into the project which would discourage communities from taking part, which inevitably means the community development strategy will prove to be ineffective. If this were the case then health inequalities would not be resolved and communities will still be deprived. There is also the finance side of this strategy; a project like this can be expensive; if government feel its not cost effective there would be limited or no funding available. As this would be new the community and there is no guarantee it will be victorious the community will be disinclined to invest there time or money in the project. Even if there were fundi ng available there is always the chance that communities will chose not to take part, there will also be communities where only part of the community want to get involved therefore would not be as beneficial as possible. There is a chance these strategies may not meet community needs (Green and Mercer, 2001). If a community development strategy is set up in place but does not meet the communities need it would a waste of time and money. Community development needs to be developed around the members of the community, if the project is too multifaceted for the members of the community they will not want to part take or findings could be misleading therefore the project will fail the low level of individual participation rates in studies that recruited from a representative targeted population raises questions about generalisability (uel.co.uk, 2010). There would be insufficient research and findings can be misrepresented. The programme needs to be designed around the community and their capabilities. Another issue could be inadequate resources whether that is down to funding or geographical area and such, without resources the community development would be futile. To conclude, this essay has analysed four key ideas, Firstly it has discussed the extent of health inequalities in the population, the nature and scale of these inequalities. Secondly it has discussed some of the causes for these health inequalities. The third area was the community development and its potential as a strategy to reduce health inequalities. Finally this essay discussed the how community development would make a useful contribution to the policy goal to reduce the health divide. The idea of community development sounds good, many communities would benefit from such projects, this would help change many health inequalities and recent health issues wouldnt be such an issue. There would not so much pressure on the government to do put provisions in place to reduce health problems such as obesity. If there was a community development project based around obesity, people would learn about the benefits of eating healthy and exercising and how to prepare healthy nutritious food on a budget. This would save the NHS millions if the number of obesity related treatments were reduced significantly. Evidence illustrates community development would be a huge success in reducing health inequalities and improving communities. In relation to community development it can be seen that projects can be effective however based on the evidence this not necessarily cost effective, there are no guarantees and even if there is funding there is no assurance the community development will be maintained. There are too many risks involved the situation would have to be assessed very carefully and a lot of planning would have to go into the project. This is not ideal for all aspects of health inequalities; there is also the issue of insufficient findings or misleading results. Unless there is a big chance of success there is no use of wasting time and resources.

Essay --

Colour vision refers to the ability of an organism to distinguish between stimuli based on the wavelengths of light they emit, reflect or transmit. We live in a world filled with colours which we use as an advantage on a day-to-day basis; to signify danger, make things stand out and to help us categorise the world around us. However, 1 in 12 males and 1 in 200 females (approximately 4.5% of the population) suffer from some sort of colour vision deficiency or blindness (Colour Blind Awareness, 2014). It is therefore of interest to investigate what is different about the visual system in this minority and why the occurs. This essay will investigate this by considering what ‘colours’ actually are in terms of wavelengths of light, investigating the differences of what we perceive to be a ‘coloured’ world based on the different visual systems of non-human animals. Finally it will look at what makes the system of colour blind humans different, questioning whether we can really consider them colour blind at all. The basis of our vision is a direct cause of photons (light) entering our eyes from the environment around us. We examine these photons in one of two ways; either the intensity of the light (number of photons) or by examining the wave energy. This wave energy is what enables colour vision, and refers to our eyes ability to detect slight changes across the electromagnetic system of light. As a whole this consists of a variety of parts; cosmic rays, gamma rays, x-rays, ultra-violet light, visible/white light, infrared, microwaves and radio waves. Our human eyes are only sensitive to the visible white-light which ranges from approximately 400 to 700 nanometres (nm) across the electromagnetic system. Newton is heavily credited towa... ...t differences in colour therefore relies on the sensitivity of different types of cone cell within our retina. This is what enables us to see the full spectrum of visible light from blues into the deep reds. It is evident from studies with dogs, birds, snakes and other animals that having a different number of cones, or having these cones sensitive to different wavelengths causes a completely different perspective of our colour world. As a result Dichromatic or Monochromatic humans who are missing a certain type of cone(s), or even trichromatic humans with a cone sensitive to an anomalous wavelength can be labelled as colour blind. Whilst these ‘colour blind’ individuals are usually still able to detect differences in colour across the visible spectrum of light they ultimately see the colour world in an abnormal way to an individual with a normal visual system.

Life speech

Live life to its fullest l' m happy to Join with you today, base on something that all humans should do every day, every moment, every minute, every second and every breath. Life is a priceless object that god gave us. Life is a matter of choices. Life is a start and an end to our destiny. Throughout the years, from Stone Age and now, humans sometimes choose misery over enjoyment which is not wrong but also not right. It' s the decision of each of us, wherever we want to waste precious opportunities that Life give us. Humans, Like me and you, should enjoy life to the fullest.We should avoid the chains of misery and wretchedness. We should leave the nest that we once were afraid of leaving. We should release the cage that kept our happiness and Joy and break It until It s dust that we are standing on. We should pass on happily and satisfied, once we fulfill the life we want. Everything was meant to be there, meant to be done, meant to play a role In something. We are the mall characte r of our life. We are the stars that shine In the light of our brightness. We are the ones that play the most Important and significant role in our life.We are the center of attention of our life. We are meant to achieve the goals we set. It would be fatal if we din t enjoy life. But we want to avoid it. Problems and mistakes are not the things that go wrong but we are. We should overcome what we think, what we feel and what we did. We can t stay the rest of our life sitting in the bench of hell waiting until the day our soul float to the sky. We need to act now, it doses ‘t matter what you need to do to complete your destiny, it doses t matter what problems you need to solve on your way to your destiny.That is what life is, a maze where a challenge, a struggle, a journey, a mystery, an adventure was to start, overcome, solved and ended. It's a maze that you will meet beauty, love, promise, tragedy and sorrow. A maze that we receive spirits, promises, opportunities, songs and gifts. Live life to its fullest and wake up without regrets. Have a cheerful start in everyday and always remember that a new days starts from zero. Live life to its fullest and share it with others. Share it with others, inspire them, or learn from them. Live life to its fullest and complete the goals you set.Every step counts, it's like a stair, one step will not make you reach the top, but ten steps will. Live life to its fullest and sing it as long as you want to. Life is not only a story you're the main character but also the song that sings and shows your feeling throughout the years. Live life to its fullest and learn from the past. It doesn't matter If today was a bad day for you, think about your mistakes and learn from It, as a wise men say â€Å"People learn from their mistakes not from their remembrance. † Live life to Its fullest and take each opportunity.Not every day you will have the same opportunity as today; it might happen In another 5 years or maybe never. Take It and don t leave It, use It and don ‘t waste a great opportunity to show your talent and skills to others. Enjoy each opportunity that life takes you to. Live life to Its fullest and treasure every moment. You don ‘t want to forget excellent moments, or romantic moment or great moments with some people you really care. You need to treasure each of the moments you enjoy In life and keep It In the deepest of your soul. Every time you treasure a moment, you will realize that living life to its fullest is important you very much. Life speech Live life to its fullest l' m happy to Join with you today, base on something that all humans should do every day, every moment, every minute, every second and every breath. Life is a priceless object that god gave us. Life is a matter of choices. Life is a start and an end to our destiny. Throughout the years, from Stone Age and now, humans sometimes choose misery over enjoyment which is not wrong but also not right. It' s the decision of each of us, wherever we want to waste precious opportunities that Life give us. Humans, Like me and you, should enjoy life to the fullest.We should avoid the chains of misery and wretchedness. We should leave the nest that we once were afraid of leaving. We should release the cage that kept our happiness and Joy and break It until It s dust that we are standing on. We should pass on happily and satisfied, once we fulfill the life we want. Everything was meant to be there, meant to be done, meant to play a role In something. We are the mall characte r of our life. We are the stars that shine In the light of our brightness. We are the ones that play the most Important and significant role in our life.We are the center of attention of our life. We are meant to achieve the goals we set. It would be fatal if we din t enjoy life. But we want to avoid it. Problems and mistakes are not the things that go wrong but we are. We should overcome what we think, what we feel and what we did. We can t stay the rest of our life sitting in the bench of hell waiting until the day our soul float to the sky. We need to act now, it doses ‘t matter what you need to do to complete your destiny, it doses t matter what problems you need to solve on your way to your destiny.That is what life is, a maze where a challenge, a struggle, a journey, a mystery, an adventure was to start, overcome, solved and ended. It's a maze that you will meet beauty, love, promise, tragedy and sorrow. A maze that we receive spirits, promises, opportunities, songs and gifts. Live life to its fullest and wake up without regrets. Have a cheerful start in everyday and always remember that a new days starts from zero. Live life to its fullest and share it with others. Share it with others, inspire them, or learn from them. Live life to its fullest and complete the goals you set.Every step counts, it's like a stair, one step will not make you reach the top, but ten steps will. Live life to its fullest and sing it as long as you want to. Life is not only a story you're the main character but also the song that sings and shows your feeling throughout the years. Live life to its fullest and learn from the past. It doesn't matter If today was a bad day for you, think about your mistakes and learn from It, as a wise men say â€Å"People learn from their mistakes not from their remembrance. † Live life to Its fullest and take each opportunity.Not every day you will have the same opportunity as today; it might happen In another 5 years or maybe never. Take It and don t leave It, use It and don ‘t waste a great opportunity to show your talent and skills to others. Enjoy each opportunity that life takes you to. Live life to Its fullest and treasure every moment. You don ‘t want to forget excellent moments, or romantic moment or great moments with some people you really care. You need to treasure each of the moments you enjoy In life and keep It In the deepest of your soul. Every time you treasure a moment, you will realize that living life to its fullest is important you very much.

Inquiry learning Essay

Introduction Discovery learning or Inquiry Learning has a long history in education and has regained popularity over the last decade as a result of changes in the field of education that put more emphasis on the role of the learner in the learning process. Zachos, Hick, Doane, and Sargent define discovery learning as â€Å"the self-attained grasp of a phenomenon through building and testing concepts as a result of inquiry of the phenomenon. † The definition emphasizes that it is the learner who builds concepts, that the concepts need to be tested, and that building and testing of concepts are part of the inquiry of the phenomenon. Computer simulations have rich potential to provide learners with opportunities to build and test concepts, and learning with these computer simulations is also referred to as simulation-based discovery learning (Lester, Vicari, & Paraguacu, 2004). Students engaged in discussions – raising questions, resting ideas, challenging each other’s assertions – is at the heart of inquiry learning. Such discussions enable students to go beyond hands-on activities to interpret and reflect on their experiences and develop new ways of thinking. Reflecting their understanding of inquiry learning, the originators of network science aimed to have students in distant classrooms use the network to discuss science with one another like collaborating scientists (Feldman, 2000). Literature Review The main goal of discovery learning activity is to obtain and/or construct knowledge about a domain by performing experiments and inferring rules and properties of the domain from the results of those experiments. Research on discovery learning has shown that learners can experience a range of problems that can prevent successful learning. Discovery learning requires learners to act in the same manner as scientist when discovering the properties and relations of the domain that is simulated, using processes that are very similar to the processes of scientific discovery. Learners need to generate hypotheses, design experiments, predict their outcome, interpret data and reconsider hypotheses in order to construct knowledge about the domain. With each of these learning processes, problems can arise. Learners can fail to state testable hypotheses, design uninformative experiments or interpret experimental results badly (Gauthier, Frasson, & VanLehn, 2000). In order to make discovery learning successful, learners can be supported from within the learning environment. The learning environment can contain cognitive tools that can be directed at the support of one or more learning processes. Cognitive tools can offer support to the learner in several ways of support, creating a learning dialogue between the learning environment and the learner and at establishing the conditions under which profitable learning processes takes place. Cognitive tools play a role in supporting and provoking these learning processes (Gauthier et al. , 2000; McTighe & Wiggins, 2005). Like in discovery learning, the idea of simulation-based discovery learning is that the learner actively engages in a process. In an unguided simulation-based discovery environment learners have to set their own learning goals. At the same time they have to find and apply the methods that help to achieve these goals, which is not always easy. Two main goals can be associated with simulation-based discovery learning; development of knowledge about the domain of discovery, and development of skills that facilitate development of knowledge about the domain (Lester, Vicari, & Paraguacu, 2004). Those who read Guthrie, Cornford, Allen, and Bluck, among others, will find there what we might call the â€Å"traditional view. † According to this view, the paradox is a dilemma about one’s epistemic resources at the outset of inquiry and the role those resources play at the inquiry’s conclusion. The alternatives that the dilemma proposes are beginning with 1) total, explicit knowledge or 2) absolute ignorance. The doctrine of recollection provides the solution with its proposal that all inquiry begins with something intermediate between 1) and 2): latent, unconscious, or implicit knowledge. When these commentators speak of â€Å"total knowledge,† they seem to have in mind â€Å"self-consciously clear† or â€Å"conscious† knowledge (Anton & Preus, 1989). There are three points to be borne in mind in any discussion on learning by discovery. First, what is involved primarily is the learning of facts, concepts and principles rather than skills, techniques or sensitivities; and the subjects most relevant to discovery learning are mathematics, science and environmental studies. Second, it is usually associated with the traditional classroom, and third learning by discovery does not just happen; it comes about as a result of a particular teaching method or strategy. Numerous strategies can be distinguished in this connection; perhaps the most common one to be found is that of guided discovery (Manion, Morrison, & Cohen, 2004). Discovery or Inquiry must ultimately in the history of the race precede instruction; for if it’s this teacher who teaches from someone else who learned it from another teacher that cannot go back indefinitely. Somewhere in the knowledge that we pass on in the process of teaching, someone must have discovered it for himself. so we see, first of all, that learning by discovery is primary (Loucks-Horsley & Olson, 2000). Learning by instruction is secondary. And if this is so then we also see that teachers are, in an absolute sense, dispensable. For nothings which can be learned by instruction with teachers is impossible to learn without teachers. I don’t mean teachers aren’t useful; they are. For most of us would not be able to learn without the help of teachers or learn as rapidly or learn as easily the things we have to come to know in the course of our lifetime. But I do not mean that teachers are only helps. And this understanding of the teacher as an aid, as something which helps in the process of learning, is the deepest insight into the nature of teaching in relation to learning (Adler, 2000). Learning by instruction, learning with the help of teachers is no less active than learning by discovery or inquiry. Perhaps it would be better then, instead of saying learning by instruction and learning by discovery, to call them both learning by discovery; learning with a teacher as â€Å"aided discovery† and learning without a teacher, as â€Å"unaided discovery (Adler, 2000). Analysis Many network science projects have not lived up to their potential to involve students in productive inquiry. Firstly, the network science model of curriculum typically constraints classrooms by imposing rigid schedules for data submission and exchanges. The low level of completion for many network science projects – which, was less than 50% of classes in one project submitting data – may reflect teacher’s inability to fit the real lives of their classrooms, punctuated by school events and holidays and snowstorms, into the schedule demands of many network science projects (Feldman, 2000). Aiming to coordinate work among classes, many network science projects are constrained by centralized schedules. To refocus science learning on inquiry, teachers and students need flexible schedules to allow questions to be pursued in greater depth. Without such flexibility, the potential of the curriculum to support student inquiry is greatly diminished (Feldman, 2000). Secondly, network science encourages the use of scientific and social problems to spark learning, focusing on the importance of investigating questions for which the answer is not known. However, this emphasis on questions for which the answer is not known and the questions are of genuine interest to scientists excludes the possibility of students investigating concepts that may be well known to scientist but no longer of interest to them. Because such concepts are still unknown to students and potentially of great interest, they offer a scientific excursion through which students can reliably have successful and powerful learning experiences. For example, students might investigate phenomena as simple as why some objects float – a topic that is unlikely to be of any interest to scientists (Feldman, 2000). Inquiry learning, under appropriate conditions, is highly desirable; an elaborate pattern of ideas must be built up in a child’s head and only the child can built it; it is the teacher’s job to help the child to build up this elaborate structure of interrelated ideas, and to help the child correct the structure of interrelated ideas, and to help the child correct the structure whenever it is found to be in error (Solomon, 1988). By means of discovery learning we may reasonably expect children to learn something new; and to do so through some initiative of their own. Moreover, a teacher supports a child’s self-chosen activity with questions, commentary and suggestions (Manion et al. , 2004). Conclusion In this paper, we presented a view on combining collaborative learning and the discovery learning. The aim was to show how we can benefit from theoretical knowledge on discovery learning to enhance the added value that collaboration can have and, vice versa, how collaboration in itself can serve as support for the processes of discovery that learners can engage in. Mutual gain can be created from combining collaborative and discovery learning by increasing the mutual awareness in tools supporting either type of learning. Adding knowledge about discovery to collaborative tools can enhance collaborative tools to adapt themselves or give feedback on their contents. On the other hand, collaborative processes take the role of cognitive tools for discovery learning in making learning processes explicit. Of course the examples given in the paper are only a small part of what become possible combining two powerful paradigms of learning (Gauthier et al., 2000). In the latter part of the paper we show how a theory of discovery learning can help to design architecture for communicative support for discovery learning. A central place is taken by a common frame of reference that supports the communication between the different components in the architecture (Gauthier et al. , 2000). References: Adler, M. J. (2000). How to Think About the Great Ideas: From the Great Books of Western Civilization. Chicago and La Salle: Open Court Publishing. Anton, J. P. , & Preus, A. (1989). Essays in Ancient Greek Philosophy: Plato. New York: SUNY Press. Feldman, A. (2000). Network Science, a Decade Later: The Internet and Classroom Learning. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Gauthier, G. , Frasson, C. , & VanLehn, K. (2000). Intelligent Tutoring Systems. Germany: Springer. Lester, J. C. , Vicari, R. M. , & Paraguacu, F. (2004). Intelligent Tutoring Systems. Berlin Heidelberg, NY: Springer. Loucks-Horsley, S. , & Olson, S. (2000). Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A Guide for Teaching and Learning. Washington DC: National Academies Press. Manion, L. , Morrison, K. R. B. , & Cohen, L. (2004). A Guide to Teaching Practice. London and New York: RoutledgeFalmer. McTighe, J. , & Wiggins, G. P. (2005). Understanding by Design. Virginia USA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Solomon, C. (1988). Computer Environments for Children: A Reflection on Theories of Learning and Education. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London, England: MIT Press.

Market Imperfections With Internet Travel †Economics Essay

Market Imperfections With Internet Travel – Economics Essay Free Online Research Papers Market Imperfections With Internet Travel Economics Essay The Internet is clearly a marvelous technological advance. It helps millions of people from all over the globe to exchange information almost instantly which certainly has big effect on markets throughout the world. It makes the markets more competitive and more customers related. You might say that the internet is creating a â€Å"new† economy which is based on more information and communication. Many businesses know that in order to stay competitive they need to follow this new trend and many of them have. Today you can buy almost everything through the internet and it certainly is very convenient and easy. One of the markets that is particularly affected by the internet and the e-commerce is the travel industry. Before people, such as my parents, where more used to book a holiday through a travel magazine or a travel shop but that time has passed and nowadays most of my family holidays are booked through the internet. The reason to this is because it is easier and the amount of products and services is bigger. The e-commerce also makes the possibility of comparison between the different products much higher. All these factors have made the market better but the market is far from perfect and this i s due to market imperfections. In order for any market to be perfect the market should have a so-called â€Å"Perfect Competition†. If this would be the case there would be no market imperfections. But this is not the case and in the real world there are many market imperfections. In the real market there are market imperfections such as â€Å"Consumers Lack Perfect Knowledge†. This means that consumers are not completely aware of the products or services their buying. In most markets there exist entry barriers which make it hard for new companies to come in, due to such factors as high costs and brand loyalty to existing companies. While operating in the market the companies have the possibility to collude and keep up the prices. They may also differentiate their products and use advertising which makes it hard for the consumer to get a true picture of the products. But the market imperfections have certainly been reduced since the launch of the e-commerce. The travel industry has changed in dramatic ways since the advent of the internet. The e-commerce has added many new things to the knowledge of the consumers. Now days there is a greater price transparency, with the consumers able to compare different flight tickets and vacations on-line. There is greater information on the quality of the products since it is possible to read reviews of people already used the service. Travellers now use this medium of e-commerce to plan and prepare trips. The suppliers are trying to offer cheaper trips in order to stay competitive and the internet helps to avoid the service charges added by the companies. The e-commerce has helped new travel agencies enter the market and has diminished the control by large firms to overcharge prices. The technical components that make up the travel industry have changed as well since the Internet’s arrival. The emergence of travel web sites such as Planet Rider and online travel companies such as My Travel ha s taken the web by storm and forced travel agencies to rethink their approaches and adapt to the popularity of the Internet. The arrival of a homepage like My Travel has changed the travel market in many ways. The homepage offers everything to satisfy a customer needs. They offer a variety of products such as Ski Holidays, Sun Holidays, and Cruises. By using their homepage a customer can easily find out everything about the company from their history to their board of directors. The homepage enables the customer to ‘Shop around’ and compare prices with their competitors such as Expedia. The customer can easily compare the prices of the different trips and it makes the planning of the trip very easy. The customer saves time and nerves on waiting in telephone cues. The page is very easy to use and it should not be a problem for a person even with low knowledge of the internet. A homepage like this helps to lower entry barriers and increases competition which results in better quality and lower cost products. It also enhances the use of travel since the price are low and this attract new customer s. A homepage like EasyJet.com under eases the long process of ticket booking. Before the process of ticket booking was either done through telephone service or ticket shops. Now days a ticket can be booked through a simple click on the mouse button. The customer is provided with a long range of products and can easily compare prices between rivals. And you might even notice that even though Easy Jet is a low price carrier it might sometimes charge more than normal airline carriers (see appendices). The homepage constantly updates new special offers and has features that help the customer to create a trip just the way he wants it. The homepage is translated into 7 different languages and is therefore easy to use for a person with low language skills. The homepage provides services to customers to find out everything about the routes even such things as the weather. The online ticket booking does not online benefit the customers but also the companies. It helps the companies to reduce th eir overall costs allowing them to invest in ways to improve their market presence. Due to the low costs offered by the company the competition increases and other air carriers such as British Airways are forced to cut down their prices. This surely makes the market more competitive and benefits the customer. The Travelocity homepage is another example of a very simple and straight forward homepage. It offers a wide range of products such as flights, hotels, cars/rail, vacations, cruises and last minute deals. It is a very good homepage that is easy to use and offers and impressive variety of products. The homepage offers good information about the company as well as their products. The homepage even gives you ideas of what to do when you arrive to your destination. The consumer benefits from the homepage since it is open 24/7 and the prices are fairly low. The homepage in general helps the company to lower their distribution costs and gives them the potential to expand considerably and create a direct relationship with their customers. It helps the market to be more competitive and gives the customers a higher knowledge and possibility to compare products (see appendices). A homepage like this also helps lowering the entry barriers since the set up costs for such a homepage are very low . Obviously the internet has improved not only the travel market but the market in general. The booking of travel online is perhaps the most successful niche of all of the world’s e-commerce efforts. It has benefited the consumer in many ways. Now days the consumer has the possibility of buying a wide range of products to lower prices, easily compare the prices of suppliers, finding useful information about the products and easily buying the products by simple mouse clicks. The internet has helped to reduce the costs for both consumers and suppliers. It has helped to reduce the entry barriers and increase the competition. But the Internet is far from being perfect due to several factors such as technical problems and credit card scams. There has been the last few years, a growing problem with credit card scams using the internet. This is a world wide fraud and uses debit and credit cards. This is certainly a big problem for the e-commerce and costs several millions every year. B ut in general the advantages of the e-commerce overcome the disadvantages. In future I think that the companies within the travel industry which do not take the e-commerce into account will find it very hard to compete and will probably be left out of business. Bibliography: * My Travel Available at URL: uk.mytravel.com/ * Easy Jet Available at URL: easyjet.com/ * Travelocity Available at URL: travelocity.com/ * British Airways Available at URL: britishairways.com/travel/fx/public/en_gb?eId=111011timestamp=0602011151 * Easy Jet Available at URL: easyjet.com/en/book/step2.asp * Sloman J., (2003) Economics (fifth edition) UK: Pearson Education Limited Appendix Research Papers on Market Imperfections With Internet Travel - Economics EssayAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaDefinition of Export QuotasMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductOpen Architechture a white paperTwilight of the UAWBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfPETSTEL analysis of IndiaThe Project Managment Office SystemNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceHip-Hop is Art

Vietnam DBQ essays

Vietnam DBQ essays The uniqueness of Vietnam can be broken down into three categories: the brutality of the war, the inaccuracy of the photo-journalistic coverage of the fighting and the wars length. There is no doubt about the brutality of the Vietnam War, but even before the Americans entered the war there was uprising in Vietnam. An example of this uprising was brought to the worlds attention when Malcolm Brown in 1963 took a picture of a burning monk taken in front of Ankwong Pagada. Thich Quang, a monk, committed suicide by dousing himself with gasoline and setting himself on fire, in order to protest against the Catholic government of Diem, which was prosecuting Buddhist monks. In 1967, Tim Page took a picture called Carnage. This picture showed the brutality of the war by letting people know what a Vietnamese booby trap can do to a group of grunts. In this picture a person had tripped a wire, after reading a sign that stated Any Americans who read this will die! triggering a bouncing betty to spring up and zap anyone in sight. As a result, 19 were killed, 31 wounded in a matter of seconds. By the time medi vac came in, there was a smell of death in the air and bod ies everywhere. How can we forget about arguably the most famous picture in Vietnam? The Napalm Girl, taken by Huynh Cong Ut in 1972. This is a photo of naked girl, named Kim Phuc, tore her own clothes off and come running out of a burning village, screaming Nong qua! Nong qua! (Too hot! Too hot!), after a Skyraider dove in and let go a napalm bomb that exploded near a Dai Temple in Trang Bang. Unfortunately for Kim and the other villagers the bomb was dropped on the wrong side of the village, missing the targeted Vietcong and N.V. troops. My Lai Massacre. Though, the 2nd Indochina war was unique in that it was the first TV war, one cant believe in everything he or she believe ...

The five most annoying ways to use an ellipsis - Emphasis

The five most annoying ways to use an ellipsis The five most annoying ways to use an ellipsis The three little innocent-looking dots of an ellipsis () probably carry more power to annoy and confuse your readers than any other punctuation mark. Apostrophe mistakes look harmless in comparison. Nobody seriously reads ‘orange’s 45p’ and assumes that the orange must own a small amount of loose change. Ellipses, by contrast, can completely change the tone and meaning of what you write. And people who misuse them often don’t realise what they’re doing. Here are five ways not to use an ellipsis. 1. Using them like a written erm Trailing off in the middle of sentences in spoken conversation is common and almost unavoidable. (Unless you’re Oscar Wilde – WB Yeats said Wilde was the first person he’d met who spoke in perfect sentences.) But it’s rarely necessary to do this in writing. In spoken conversation, you can rely on various cues to tell you whether the other person understands what you’re saying, and clarify as needed. But in writing, you need to be clear first time. Many writers use ellipses like written equivalents of ‘erm’ and ‘er’, but this can be confusing and frustrating for the reader. To avoid inadvertently creating a ‘fill in the blanks’ puzzle, force yourself to finish your sentences. This might mean you have to do a bit more work before pressing send – quite possibly work you were trying to avoid. But just console yourself with the knowledge that you’re sending out a little more good sense into the world. Compare these emails: ‘I haven’t had the full invitation to tender back yet whom do I talk to? no idea about the competitors haven’t started the tender not sure about our solution or details.’ ‘I haven’t received the full invitation to tender document yet. And I only know the bare bones of the solution we’re going to propose. At this stage, I don’t even know whom to talk to about getting all the necessary information (about costs, materials, people) together. Do you have any suggestions?’ Concrete writing like this will naturally take longer than simply typing the first things that come to mind. But the extra time you spend focusing on what you’re actually saying, and why, will help clarify your message both for you and your reader, and ultimately increase your chances of getting the kind of response you want. If you need to create a pause (a purposeful one, not an ‘erm’), consider using an en-dash instead of an ellipsis. It feels much more confident, especially when you need to link related parts of a sentence – like this. 2. Trailing off for no reason An ellipsis at the end of a sentence implies that the writer has trailed off. But why has the writer trailed off? Are they suggesting something? Does it represent a nudge or a wink? Those three little dots suggest something is going on, but give the reader no clue about what it might be. This can make otherwise straightforward sentences confusing and (occasionally) somewhat unsettling. Compare these sentences: ‘It’s not a problem for us to meet on Monday.’ ‘It’s not a problem for us to meet on Monday ’ The trailing off in the second example could suggest the writer is having doubts (perhaps it is a problem). Or maybe it expresses confusion about why a meeting is even necessary. Or, if the writer is a chronic ellipsis-abuser, it may mean nothing at all.  The reader must then judge what the meaning might be, or ask for clarification. If you’re unsure about meeting on Monday, say so and explain why. For example: ‘It’s not a problem for us to meet on Monday, but I’m not sure if that will be helpful because John won’t be here and we need his input.’ 3. Three is the magic number Some style guides recommend writing an ellipsis as three full stops: Some prefer three full stops with spaces between them: . . . And some tell you to use a special ellipsis character (PC shortcut: ALT+0133, Mac shortcut: ALT+semicolon): †¦ Whichever you use (we prefer three full stops without spaces, except on Twitter), all style guides agree that ellipses are three dots long. Not four, or two (and five is right out). You may see what appears to be a four-dot ellipsis at the end of some sentences (eg ‘And then John fell asleep .). This is in fact an ellipsis with a full stop at the end. You may also sometimes see three dots, a space and then a further dot (eg ‘And then John fell asleep .). Again, style guides vary on this. 4. Omitting crucial parts of a quotation You’ll often find that you need to condense quotes, and you can use an ellipsis to show that you’ve removed parts of the original. But be careful. To be completely transparent, you need to be sure that you’re not changing the meaning of what somebody has said. Take this remark from US President Coolidge and the often-quoted condensed version: ‘The chief business of the American people is business’ ‘The business of the American people is business’ This changes the meaning of his sentence. The original version says that business is the most important concern, whereas in the second it sounds as if business is the only important thing. 5. Implying you have more to say when you haven’t This is a very particular kind of trailing off, and possibly the most annoying of all. It often implies that what needs to be said is so obvious to the (knowledgeable) writer that it should be obvious to the reader, too. This can backfire badly – at worst, it can appear smug or condescending. For example: ‘That’s a good plan, but there are important considerations ’ This kind of ellipsis is more suited to enigmatic status updates on social media (’OMG some people are so annoying ’), not that we advocate that sort of thing. For business it’s better to spell things out. Ask yourself why you’re tempted to use an ellipsis, get the answer straight in your head, then politely say that instead: ‘That’s a good plan, but I’m worried about how expensive it is. We’re also working on so many other projects that I’m not sure we’ll have the time to spare’. Use with caution Like many of the best things in life, ellipses are fine when used well and in moderation, but troublesome when used recklessly. (OK, OK, we’re sounding like your dad now.) So keep using them, if you wish, but do so consciously. And if you catch yourself dot-dot-dotting to cop out of saying what you actually mean, take a moment’s pause. What is likely to be the most positive approach in the long run? At work, usually, clarity is king. Sure, overused ellipses are annoying but good writing at work is about far more than just airing our personal peeves. Its about communicating effectively and efficiently, in a way which informs, inspires and persuades others. Thats why weve distilled our 18 years experience working with over 40,000 professionals in every sector and industry into a 64-page guide, The Write Stuff. Its ideal if you write emails, reports, bids or any other business document. Download your free copy of The Write Stuff today.

LIbrary Research Assignment Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

LIbrary Assignment - Research Paper Example This post aims to analyze the informative article by Spencer in detail and analyze its contribution towards providing a better understanding of global warming issues. The author claims that global warming is a fact which cannot be ignored and which needs to be addressed properly. Author has strongly emphasized on the need of human beings to control the global warming by new technologies and prevention strategies. However, author challenges the claims of politicians and media that this issue has been settled. The basic idea of the author is not to describe global warming as just another consequence of men’s activities but rather taking the natural processes that are causing an increase in global warming (Wood, 2005). The author also aims to draw the attention of authorities and governments to the fact that punishing the use of fossil fuels and other expensive policy measures may only be adopted by wealthier countries and will remain ineffective for the poor or developing countr ies. Hence, Spencer calls for policies and interventions which will be helpful to all the countries equally and may save the Earth as a part of Earth cannot be saved by adopting policies against the disastrous effects of global warming. The author describes the concept of global warming as a fact rather than a myth. This supports the opinion that global warming exists and is controllable (to some extent) by managing the technological use, fuels and human activities. The scientific facts discussed are of great importance as the natural greenhouse effect, the natural radiative imbalances, evaporation, and precipitation and so on (Philander, 2000). The article is undoubtedly in line with the thesis statement that â€Å"global warming is a fact not myth.† The evidences provided by the writer on the scientific processes and climate change are the evidence of this statement. Moreover, the discussions on human activities that are leading to global warming

Operations management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Operations management - Essay Example which attempted to retain market leadership by focussing solely on improvement of operational effectiveness without paying adequate attention to the overall business strategy of brand positioning and other very important human resource issues as job satisfaction, aggressiveness, motivation, performance, trust and commitment. Both made the same mistake of forgetting the broader perspective and tried to tackle an economic and marketing issue in isolation. It was only natural that both the attempts ended in failure. There were several different types of issues that had to be resolved as the project developed. At one end was the difficulty in transposing the theoretical knowledge acquired from study modules to the practical context of the project. At the other end was the lack of skill in identifying broad trends that generally tend to affect business mandarins all over the world. There surely is a trend-setter like Toyota, but it requires the experience of a veteran researcher to be able to identify a new trend and forecast a phenomenon that will sweep the world in days to come even when it is in its nascent stage and is being experimented and fine tuned by the trend setter. This ability to immediately spot an idea that would shape tomorrow’s business and commerce can only be acquired through years of patient research and, quite obviously, is not visible in the current project. At this stage, it must be admitted that the in-depth graphical analysis of the operational wheel of Tesco or a thorough examination of the technology and production processes adopted by Morgan car manufacturing company helped the researcher to attain that analytical frame of mind. The extensive knowledge (albeit theoretical) about not only lean but also agile supply chains that the researcher obtained by undertaking several projects on this topic made him fully realise the necessity of the decoupling point

Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Proposal - Essay Example It discussed the timing and frequency, as well as tools and sources of information. Forecasting methodologies were also explained with a brief discourse on how to interpret the forecasted data. The goal of the authors in this book is to present accounting as an essential part of the decision making process of various users such as the voter, the taxpayer, the government official, the business manager, and the investor. It discussed relevant issues on the analysis and preparation of financial statements and their utilization to achieve a company’s objectives. Viscione aims to teach the student or the manager to use financial analysis in the decision making process. The book covers topics such as evaluating financial performance, tools for financial planning, cost of capital and capital budgeting techniques, among others. Abstract: The research aims to determine the rationale for managers opting to pad their budgets to address contingencies. It would discuss implications of padding the budget and find out alternative methods to meet financial challenges given the uncertainties in the competitive environment. This chapter clearly showed alternative options available to managers to avoid padding the budget. It also presented concepts in budgeting which would help a decision maker in making plans and strategies for control. The authors presented a concise section on capital budgeting techniques and other aids to managerial decisions. Theories on capital budgets are clearly explained and practical applications are explored through demonstration problems and exercises. Capital budgeting techniques were clearly presented through a discussion of measuring the rate of return of an investment. Topics on the determination of cash flows and other additional considerations to aid in the decision making process are also

The Impact of Globalization and Free Trade on the U.S. Sugar Policy Essay - 1

The Impact of Globalization and Free Trade on the U.S. Sugar Policy - Essay Example The larger economies will at some point influence those not globally invested as their performance begins to evolve and shape the global financial markets. There may be no other free-trade policy like the U.S. sugar program that illustrates such hypocrisy, and the need for reform. The United States has often prided itself as a world leader in terms of the free trade movement. The culture has always pushed for Globalization and the use of technology to integrate economies. However, there are some industries that remain well protected due to the strength of forceful interest groups and absence of pressure to reform. These protection barriers often hurt our domestic economy and counteract the efforts to promote more open markets and trade negotiations around the world.   The U.S. Sugar policy operates under the Farm Bill, which was overwhelmingly passed in 2008 by Congress. The basic premise behind the sugar policy is that supply should equal demand. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed several tools in order to ensure that the sugar policy operates at a minimum cost to the taxpayers. These tools are that: first, they can limit foreign imports to those required in the trade agreement obligation with the exception of Mexico; second, they can control the amount of sugar the U.S. American farmers are allowed to sell; and third, the bill can divert any excess surplus of sugar into ethanol production. (American Sugar Alliance) These tools and policies such as the preferential loan agreements and tariff rate quotas, serve to effectively keep foreign sugar out of the U.S. In return this forces the price of sugar in our market to increase substantially.

Causes of the AT&T-BellSouth Takeover Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Causes of the AT&T-BellSouth Takeover - Essay Example Consequently, the revenues of the company were falling, stock process declining and incurred huge cost price. Things looked even bleaker given the coming of internet phone calls and more serious competition from cable and wireless companies. AT&T, which is a holding company agreed to take-over BellSouth as a strategy to position it as a company committed in enhancing convergence, progressive innovation and competition in the communication and entertainment industry (Reardon, 2006). The take-over guaranteed AT&T Inc the rights to own and manage Cingular Wireless which is a leading provider of wireless data and voice services (Reardon, 2006). Moreover, AT&T would have the exclusive rights on ownership of YellowPages.Com which offer Yellow Pages and local search site. Reardon (2006) asserts that the AT&T-BellSouth takeover would help AT&T company cut down its labor by 10,000 jobs between 2007 and 2009. AT&T also hoped to increase its revenues and customer to about $ 130 billion in sales and 70 million customers by increasing its market niche from the previously 13 states to 22 states following the acquisition of the 9 southeast states previously served by BellSouth. Basis for the Final Agreed Price Before a company can be taken-over by another or in the case of merger, it is important that the value of the company is determined (Gould and Leisner, 2009). The value of the company is its net worth and is used to determine the final price to be paid out during acquisition. Whitney (2012) describes seven things that should be considered in valuing a business during a merger and acquisition of resources. He argues that the value of the business consists of not only the price but also includes the associated terms and the deal structure. He further explains that there exist different values of the business due to different operation assumptions, terms of payment and deal structure and not because of use of different valuation methods. Whitney (2012) describes future per formance, asset type, exit strategy, cash flow and deal structure as some of the determinants of business value. In 2006, AT&T Inc resolved to merger with a fellow telephone company BellSouth in a stock transaction worth $ 67 billion (Reardon, 2006). In the proposal for the merger, AT&T shareholders were to receive 1.325 shares of AT&T common stock for every BellSouth Common share. Reardon (2006) explains that under these terms, the deal would represent a premium of 17.9 percent over the closing stock price on Friday, 3rd March, 2006. Each of BellSouth common shares would be quote eat 37.09. However, Public Service Commission, (2006) explains that merger was subject to approval by the regulatory authorities and shareholders from both companies and was to be completed within six months. On December, 29th 2006, the takeover of BellSouth by AT&T was approved by Federal Communications Commission after the two companies settled on extra concessions that had been demanded by two Democrats members of the agency. The takeover price was agreed to be $ 85 billion as reported (Bartash, 2006). The take-over was approved four members while one abstained from voting. In determining the final price, a ratio of the closing prices of the stock of each company was calculated after which BellSouth shareholders were allocated the

Public Listed Company Whose Corporate Governance Has Received Comment Essay

Public Listed Company Whose Corporate Governance Has Received Comment - Essay Example It deals with structuring and allocating responsibilities within the companies or organization. For this purpose the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) is chosen to continue the discussion. So the corporate governance issues that exploded within the organization which resulted in major financial misbalances would be analyzed. A critical evaluation regarding the risk associated in this case would be made, so as to understand the identified risks and the approaches that were made from the side of management to combat the risks. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the viewpoints of different stakeholders of the company would be included. The external and internal shareholders, their role and their view for such situation would be considered. Also the auditors of the firm, the government agencies involved and the shareholder’s association’ viewpoint regarding governance problems at Royal Bank of Scotland would be discussed. The purpose of conducting such detailed investigat ion is to understand the significance of corporate governance in an organization and understand the effects that it might have when corrupt governance practices creeps in. The failure of Royal Bank of Scotland was primarily due to liquidity issues, which rose from defective business strategies that not only damaged the status, but also the integrity of the bank. Though it might be felt that the root cause was totally financial in nature, but the initiation was improper governance issues within the organization, which came out after the crisis news got revealed in public. An interesting fact that has been noticed in case of RBS is that a very close link has been shown between the liquidity, strategic and operational risks. Though liquidity risk is the major issues, but the faulty strategies and ill-governance were due to operational risks such as weak challenges, insufficient insight or administration, unconstrained ambitions, poor attentiveness, and majorly due to lack of corporate governance. The report stated by Financial Services Authority (FSA) states that due to poor decisions of the board and the management of RBS, the organization went through financial crisis. It was clearly mentioned in the report that there were deficiencies in the governance arrangements, mechanism for challenges and oversight, culture, and the attitude of the management to balance the growth and risk of the company. FSA was the body responsible for investigating the case of RBS. They studied the situations of RBS and filed a report for the same. Though it was said RBS was a victim of a series of bad management decisions, but they also mentioned that no individual was responsible for such condition of the organization and hence cannot be held accountable for. This was considered to be a manipulated verdict by many corporate governance experts. The RBS board presented a strategic growth plan in the year 2006, but it was not presented after conducting a detailed analysis. The report s howed that the RBD management or board has detailed idea or knowledge about the relevant market or conditions that would lead to such growth, or the key risk factors involved. It was vague or superficial reports that were presented. The next governance question that comes to mind is that, how the risk management team or department of the organizati

Causes of the AT&T-BellSouth Takeover Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Causes of the AT&T-BellSouth Takeover - Essay Example Consequently, the revenues of the company were falling, stock process declining and incurred huge cost price. Things looked even bleaker given the coming of internet phone calls and more serious competition from cable and wireless companies. AT&T, which is a holding company agreed to take-over BellSouth as a strategy to position it as a company committed in enhancing convergence, progressive innovation and competition in the communication and entertainment industry (Reardon, 2006). The take-over guaranteed AT&T Inc the rights to own and manage Cingular Wireless which is a leading provider of wireless data and voice services (Reardon, 2006). Moreover, AT&T would have the exclusive rights on ownership of YellowPages.Com which offer Yellow Pages and local search site. Reardon (2006) asserts that the AT&T-BellSouth takeover would help AT&T company cut down its labor by 10,000 jobs between 2007 and 2009. AT&T also hoped to increase its revenues and customer to about $ 130 billion in sales and 70 million customers by increasing its market niche from the previously 13 states to 22 states following the acquisition of the 9 southeast states previously served by BellSouth. Basis for the Final Agreed Price Before a company can be taken-over by another or in the case of merger, it is important that the value of the company is determined (Gould and Leisner, 2009). The value of the company is its net worth and is used to determine the final price to be paid out during acquisition. Whitney (2012) describes seven things that should be considered in valuing a business during a merger and acquisition of resources. He argues that the value of the business consists of not only the price but also includes the associated terms and the deal structure. He further explains that there exist different values of the business due to different operation assumptions, terms of payment and deal structure and not because of use of different valuation methods. Whitney (2012) describes future per formance, asset type, exit strategy, cash flow and deal structure as some of the determinants of business value. In 2006, AT&T Inc resolved to merger with a fellow telephone company BellSouth in a stock transaction worth $ 67 billion (Reardon, 2006). In the proposal for the merger, AT&T shareholders were to receive 1.325 shares of AT&T common stock for every BellSouth Common share. Reardon (2006) explains that under these terms, the deal would represent a premium of 17.9 percent over the closing stock price on Friday, 3rd March, 2006. Each of BellSouth common shares would be quote eat 37.09. However, Public Service Commission, (2006) explains that merger was subject to approval by the regulatory authorities and shareholders from both companies and was to be completed within six months. On December, 29th 2006, the takeover of BellSouth by AT&T was approved by Federal Communications Commission after the two companies settled on extra concessions that had been demanded by two Democrats members of the agency. The takeover price was agreed to be $ 85 billion as reported (Bartash, 2006). The take-over was approved four members while one abstained from voting. In determining the final price, a ratio of the closing prices of the stock of each company was calculated after which BellSouth shareholders were allocated the

Modern Information Technology Impacts Our Everyday Lives Essay Example for Free

Modern Information Technology Impacts Our Everyday Lives Essay Over the past 20 years, the world as we know has changed drastically. We have moved from a world that was bound by wires and copper cabling to a world that offers any bit of information you want with the touch of a glass screen from a device that fits in your pockets. In this same period of time, shopping used to involve planning a trip to a brick and motor store and hope they had the product you were looking for, and at the price you wanted to pay. If you lived in a small market, you didn’t have the choices to comparison shop other stores. In today’s age, a consumer can shop from the comfort of their home, and find exactly the right product at exactly the right price. With a click of a mouse and a charge of a credit card, the product will be rushed to the consumer’s house with little to no effort for them. Large retailers like Amazon.com can have a product delivered to a consumer by as early as the next day! This type of convenience has changed our daily ways in many ways, both positive and negative. For example, people can communicate with each other miles apart from their computers and smart phones via email and texting. While some may say this is good thing that allowing distant relatives and friends quick and simple communication without worrying about distance, others would say that email and texting simply takes a lot of the personal touch from the conversation. With retailers moving their sales online, some people believe that the personal touch of being able to talk to someone directly about the product may detract from the experience. Positive Impacts of Modern Technology We should begin looking at the positive impacts that this new technology has on our daily lives. Technology is evolving very quickly, and sometimes consumers have a hard time keeping up with the latest trends, but the impacts are made every day to help improve our lives. Whether we are using computers to communicate by video conferencing with friends and family in another country, or ordering the latest Harry Potter book to be instantly delivered to our Kindles, these technologies are enriching our lives. As retailers move to the web, consumers are able to comparison shop many different sellers with the click of a mouse. There are also dedicated websites out there that allow a consumer to instantly search for a product from hundreds of sellers, and then find the one that has the lowest price and best shipping. On top of this, the internet provides a way for consumers to research the products they are buying. We can look up reviews from other buyers to see if the product lives up to manufacturers claims. When a consumer decides what and where they will buy, they can have the product whisked away from the distribution center and be delivered on their doorstep by the end of the next day, all from the computer of their home. With the massive explosion of social media sites, people are able to find and communicate with their long lost friends and family all from a central location. We can share photos, send messages, and chat in real time with our connections. Although the entertainment industry has been slow to adopt the new technologies in fear of losing money to â€Å"pirates†, we have seen a huge growth of online video. Consumers are able to find and watch their favorite shows whenever and wherever they like. Television sets are now shipping with built in internet connectivity to allow purchasers to access the internet to watch videos and share photos with one another. Companies like Netflix and Hulu have embraced online streaming and are offering thousands of hours of online video for a very low monthly subscription. These services are not limited to just televisions either. Computers, smart phones, and tablets are all easily able to access this same content for on-the-go watching. Online gaming has become huge in the past few years as well. People can play against each other in massive online role playing games such as World of Warcraft, and even console makers such as Microsoft and Sony have enabled their gaming consoles for online play. This brings the world together as a playing field and we are no longer constrained by our living room when it comes to finding new opponents. With the help of Google, people are now able to research topics in record time. With a few keystrokes, users are able to find information on any topic under the sun. Online search engines allow us to research the world’s libraries and other research facilities. We are also able to scour the web for information. This makes student homework much simpler and faster, and allows them to learn more information quicker. Data organization has also become a simpler task thanks to modern technology. Companies can store their entire repository of data onto a simple database server. They can query this server for any bit of information they need within a few seconds. Not only beneficial for companies, home users are able to store their personal documents and photos securely on their PC’s as well as in an off-site â€Å"cloud† and not have any fear of losing this information when a natural disaster occurs. Negative Impacts of Modern Technology While there are many positive impacts on today’s society, there are also many negatives that are introduces as well. Many would argue that there are jobs being lost because of this new technology. Automated and robotic systems have taken the place of humans in the work force. With retailers moving their sales operations online, they no longer need the support staff for their brick and motor stores. Many stores are not able to keep up with the low prices from the mega-retailers online, so they are forced to close down. With the influx of social media as our main communication medium, some think that we have lost the personal touch of spending time with our close friends and family in favor of sitting behind our computers online. People that are only using social media as their main form of communication could lose the ability to interact physically with one another. The many distractions of email notifications and incoming text messages have also become a detractor. People no longer consider it rude to stop in the middle of a conversation to respond to a text message that has just come in to their phone. This could lead to low levels of concentration. At the same time, malicious people have found easy ways to target those that are online. With the vast amount of spam email and harmful virus spreading around the world, more and more people are becoming susceptible to attack. Another negative impact is the illegal use of technology for gambling and other addicting habits. Online gambling sites attract millions of people per day and can completely consume those with weak will power, leading to distressed families and financial means. Underground websites also harbor criminalist activities as well. Pornography and child pornography are trafficked daily on the internet, and the sheer magnitude of the web makes it hard for authorities to track down and eliminate. There are even websites such as TheSilkRoad that sell illegal drugs in the same fashion as Amazon sells normal goods! In Summary Although we cannot stop the negative effects from this new technology, we shouldn’t fear it. Learning to recognize the potential positive impacts this new technology can bring to our lives while at the same time recognizing the potential threats we will be better able to adapt to them and take advantages and enrichments they bring to our daily lives.

Analysis Of Constructed Stereotypes In Skin English Literature Essay

Analysis Of Constructed Stereotypes In Skin English Literature Essay Having done extensive research on the biography of the author, Naomi Iizuka, one can conclude that the availability of written scholarly documentation about her life and work is sparse. The author is a recent voice in the world of the American playwright; she attained her MFA degree in Playwriting in 1992, at the age of 27.  [1]  Naomi Iizukas family background sheds an interesting light on the politics of a multi cultural society, which is accordingly represented in SKIN. Her mother is an American of Spanish descent and Naomis father a Japanese banker. She studied Classics and Literature at Yale University and she received her MFA degree from the University of California San Diego. Naomi Iizuka is part of the legacy of American writers of the 1990s who are primarily looking to write on experiences of a multi-ethnic, poly-sexual, multi-class and intergenerational society (Krasner 2005, p. 549). According to Berson, Naomi Iizuka is fascinated by the subterranean worlds of renegades like the homeless kids in Polaroid Stories or by outcasts like Jones in SKIN or by vagabond characters in Tattoo Girl (Berson 1998, p.1). Theatre needs to surprises her, such as plays that are not strictly realistic and filled with mythical elements that allow to reappraise the relationship with reality. Naomis writing style in the Berson article is described as one that matches a furious emotional intense with a floating lyricism, vivid grunginess and acerbic humor(Berson 1998, p.1). Iizuka found her inspiration for SKIN in the surrounding of San Diego at the end of the twentieth century. The environment offers a mix of a desert town, a Navy town and a border town (Chambers 2002, p. 55). The play focuses on two protagonist characters, Jones and Mary. Jones is a young man who works in a factory and Mary is Joness disloyal lover and the mother of their child. They desperately attempt to make sense of and try to transcend the suffocating environment in which they live. The constant opposition between the isolation of Mary and Jones and the crowded suburban sprawl, reflect a tragic setting. Being confronted with their limited opportunities and the inhibiting effects urban life and poverty, Jones and Mary find refuge in drugs, alcohol, violence and sex. Through different scenes the hopeless situation is vividly described. The play is very strong in transferring an unspoken, not explicit but overwhelming sense that the inhabitants of the town are surrounded and controlled. They feel oppressed, living in a totalitarian social system which exerts silencing, control and alienation. SKIN is a tragic play and ends with Jones stabbing Mary to death. SKIN focuses to a large extent on the figure of Jones who is suffering as an individual in this totalitarian society. Since Jones is of mixed descent it is possible to analyze the play based on collective racial stereotypes. Borderlands and Stereotypes When reading the play SKIN, the reader is bound by the existing stereotypes related to race, ethnicity and gender. The aim of this paper is to analyze the stereotypes which correlate with white American authority, with people from Chicano ethnical background and with troublesome interracial relations. Although the play makes no clear indications of location, there are several indications that the scene is geographically set near the U.S. Mexican border. Gloria Anzaldà ºa describes in her book Borderlands, La Frontera the notion of a borderland as a vague and undetermined place where los atravesados like, among other denominations, the mongrel, the mulato or the half-breed live (Anzaldà ºa 2007, p. 25). SKIN is a contemporary play which portrays the concept of white superiority using the stereotype, the collective image, of American political and cultural domination in a crowded suburban environment. The white American ruler is presented though the presence of Police enforcers and military Navy men and they comply with the image of the oppressor, specifically oppressing Jones. Anzaldà ºa describes how the Border Patrol hide behind buildings, like a local McDonalds, and act like hunters with powerful night vision devices (Anzaldà ºa 2007 p.33-34). This is reflected in the second scene of the play SKIN, where the Police are described as sly and invisible in their black and white machine (Iizuka 2000, p. 164). Jones is the main protagonist in the narrative, and he is most probably a half-breed. He does not have a Latino name, his full name is Sean Jones and he has a Social Security number which makes him legal U.S. resident (Iizuka 2000, p. 165). Jones most likely has a white American mother; he refers to her death in scene twenty eight when she died [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] she looked like a white, plastic doll. (Iizuka 2000, p. 194) Since Jones is of mixed race he is confronted with an internal strife of multiple personalities, making him insecure an indecisive (Anzaldà ºa 2007, p.99-100). He is not part of the dominant white American culture and he does not fully belong to the Latino society. Jones difficult position can be proved by different scenes. He is, in multiple scenes, harassed by the Police, treated aggressively by the Navy men and he is explicitly subdued in his relation with the Manager. Angel however, does not accept Jones as a full Latino member. In scene 28 Angel is very explicit, he shouts to Jones man, shut up. you dont know me [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] you dont see me every day. you dont know how I live my life so shut the fuck up. (Iizuka 2000, p. 194). SKIN introduces stereotypes that can be linked to the theory of the Mexican philosopher Josà © Vasconcelos. His philosophy in opposition to the racial purity policy that white America practices, his theory is about inclusivity, a mixture of races (Anzaldà ºa 2007, p. 99). This is hinted in the person of Marys girl. Whereas in every adult scene there is a fierce metaphorical use of the opposition between black and white, where black is mostly related to silence, closing of the eyes, the vastness and invisibility of the desert at night and very important the colors used to describe the Police car. It is Marys girl who is able to project a multi-color world. A good example is available in scene fourteen when Marys girl speaks: when I close my eyes, I see red and purple an orange and yellow and blue. I see so many colors moving and sparkly like lights at night. (Iizuka 2000, p. 183). Iizuka uses many images to highlight that the individual is controlled, isolated and alienated from the social environment. Although Jones and Mary are legal U.S. residents, they are not portrayed as legitimate inhabitants. They are constantly being controlled by an authority like the Police or the Navy. Whenever the Police are introduced into the scenes they are represented as if they were constantly nearby and waiting. Scene nineteen provides a good illustration: and then the Police slide out of the dark like they have been forever there, invisible, waiting for a sign. (Iizuka 2000, p.187). Skin Color and the Construction of Stereotypes The play contains several stereotypes related to racial discrimination and white supremacy. Jones is being racially fixated by the white authority. It is already in the second scene that, without any obvious reason, the police is requesting to see some form of identification from Jones. The police is very provocative towards Jones. The same approach and the more elaborated construction of the negative characteristics related to Mexican stereotyping can be experienced in scene ten. In this scene, the manager has a general image of Jones and his people which comes down to this: [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] thats the thing with you people, you think you can screw around, make babies [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦], you seem to think taxpayers like myself are going to bail you out and support you and yours forever. (Iizuka 2000, p.179). Referring to Bhabhas concept of ambivalence of the stereotype of the other, otherness is at once an object of derision and at once an object of desire (Bhabha 1994, p. 67). There is only one instance in the play where this important aspect of ambivalence in stereotypical identity can be found. In scene eleven the cholo, which is a denomination for a Mexican person from mixed descent, is crystallizing the element of desire. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] and the skin on his back is brown [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] he is a handsome young god, and the crowd moves up close to him [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] hungry for something they do not know [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] (Iizuka 2000, p. 181) this elaboration portrays the beauty of the dark skin and it emphasizes Bhabhas notion of ambivalence. More specifically, it is the dark color of the skin that at once activates fixity and fantasy, mastery and pleasure, and thus plays a contradictory role in the ideological construction of otherness (Bhabha 1994, p. 66-78). The essay written by Bhabha, The Other Question, highlights two other important aspects of racial differentiation by skin color. The first one is related to the economic supremacy of white people and the visibility of skin as reinforcing the crucial recognition of difference (Bhabha 1994, p.79). Richness and whiteness are inversely described by the poverty of Jones. In scene nine Jones describes his inability to make lots of money: its hard, mary. I dont know how people make it. I dont know the secret. here its not much of anything. (Iizuka 2000, p. 179). The image of Joness low hierarchical position is strengthened by the subsequent scene ten where he performs a basic job feeding a machine and the Manager is supervising him. It is salient in this play that the dominant, white American, group is nameless. Iizuka decided not to give names to the people in a hierarchical superior position. They are called Police Man, Navy Man, Manager, Man or Employee. The reader gets the impression that these unnamed people can all be categorized in one dominant group with the same oppressive acts towards Jones. This singularity allows to bridge the racial discussion to the definition of ethnicity minus one as proposed in the essay who is Ethnic? by Werner Sollors. Meaning that ethnicity is universal and ethnicity minus one excludes the dominant group. In the play SKIN, the dominant group is obviously white and wealthy America. Throughout the play all the white actors behave similarly, they are oppressive and aggressive towards Jones and hence affirm their white dominant identity (Sollors 1995, p. 22). Scene thirty two I wanted to peel off my skin, and fold it up, and put it in a box. I wanted to disappear (Iizuka 2000, p.198). The way Jones narrates about skin, he confirms the importance of whiteness of skin in the American society. This emphasizes that the visibility of skin reinforces the recognition of difference and hence acts as a signifier of discrimination (Bhabha 1994, p.79). Furthermore Bhabhas essay explains that the stereotypes attributed with skin color remain a sign of cultural and political inferiority (Bhabha 1994, p.80). This reasoning is omnipresent in the play. In SKIN, Naomi Iizuka is able to reflect the longevity or fixity aspect of stereotypes. Since government has institutionalized its Civilizing Mission during the colonial period, the racial stereotypical discourse has become prejudicial and discriminatory (Bhabha 1994, p. 83). By implementing strategies of hierarchization and marginalization, colonial societies could be managed. What Bhabha is putting forward in the essay, is that knowledge on the ethnic group and the stereotypical generalization make the consideration of discriminatory and authoritarian forms of political control appropriate. The same concept can be found in SKIN. It are the Police and the Navy Men that are always present to provide surveillance and discipline through violent and oppressive harassment, and thus wield political control over the non-white and marginal community. Additional imagery to emphasize American, and white, superiority is portrayed in scene twenty six when Jones is looking to buy a weapon in the Gun Mart store. The Employee describes the gun as follow: [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] u.s. made. superior craftsmanship. feel. see. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] or the description of the knife [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] made in germany. superior craftsmanship. cuts through anything. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] (Iizuka 2000, p.192). Conclusion SKIN, proves to be a complex and layered play in terms of prevalent stereotypes. A superficial reading at first would make the reader conclude that Jones is a Latino living in a bordertown. However, when analyzing the different hints in the play, the reader comes to the notion that Jones is a mulato. Based on Gloria Anzaldà ºas analysis and representation of the mulato living near the U.S. Mexican international border, Joness is isolated between two colliding cultures which confuse his identity. SKIN emphasizes the harsh and hopeless life in the borderland. Naomi Iizuka exposes the reader to the oppressive and dominant approach of white America towards Jones. Through a polarized version of racial stereotyping, the play allows to apply the analytical concepts of ambivalence and fixity from Bhabhas essay The Other Question. Naomi Iizuka confirms through the character of Jones, who is isolated and living in a controlled environment, that racial prejudices and determination by the end of the nineties remained unchangeable. Nevertheless by introducing Marys daughter, who is able to see a colored world instead of a purely black and white one, Naomi projects her hope that future generations can disengage from the dominant, white and racial pure American culture and create an inclusive multi-cultural society.

The Essence of the Otavalo Essay -- Essays Papers

The Essence of the Otavalo In our modern era and by our modern standards, the Otavalo people of Ecuador shine with scintillating success in the global arena. A myriad of factors have contributed to Otavalo prosperity and wealth, factors both outside and within their control, but factors nonetheless dependent upon the fluidity and ever-changing construct of indigenous identity. Tracing the saga of this indigenous people’s rise to textile, musical and cultural capital, the opportunistic attitude of the Otavalo remains the foundation for modern wealth and commerce. The true question of Otavalo success, however, rests not in economic prosperity alone, but in their inherent ability to adopt socially befitting â€Å"modern traditions† and retain the right to define the meaning of being Otavalo. As early as the 1950s, â€Å"indigenous merchants traveled to Columbia, Venezuela, Peru, Chile and Argentina† seeking markets and commerce (36). This swell of savvy Otavalos seeking new trade demonstrates the culture’s durable penchant for innovative business and financial exchange. However, it was not until 1964 that the Law of Agrarian Reform abolished wasipungu that major shifts in economic industry took hold of Otavalo. The process of redistribution levied out 180,000 acres of Otavalo land by 1979, but there was hardly enough land to support and feed single families, and so families began to focus on textiles and tourism for support. In the pinch of the 1974 OPEC oil crisis on Ecuadorian economy, the prosperity of the Otavalo persisted despite a floundering national economy because they â€Å"relied on textiles and tourism rather than agriculture† (39). With the advent of national roads facilitating tourism, the profit of the Saturday market skyrocke... ...ain focused in the spiritual valley of their home (266). Quichua shows no signs of fading out of common tongue, traditional dress morphs agreeably with elements of modern fashion, and families still desire to grow and prepare their own food on their own land. Yet the growing focus on individual profit and individual success may harm collective economic success in the future of the Otavalo, if the community loses collective identity and thus, political clout. Though no community remains static or rigid against social change, the Otavalo must have the right to exist as they believe Otavalos should exist. As they emerge as a community of people who turn the tables on capitalism and thrive in the economic structure laid upon their country and their lives, they will chose to adopt modernity as â€Å"they find useful† and blossom in the ever growing identity of the Otavalo.