Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Future of HCIs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Future of HCIs - Essay Example On the other hand, linguistics deals with the development of machines and human languages and the link between these phenomena. As computers become common in culture, designers are progressively looking for ways to make interfacing with these devices to be easy, harmless and more effective. By 2020, computer users are expected to interrogate machines. Moreover, computers are anticipated to form the primary part of these interactions since there will be new rules of association with machines that will in turn grow into â€Å"techno-dependency†. Even though papers will still be used in the future, digital paper will also flourish thereby giving room for creativity, for instance, social network magazines will form part of real time interaction. Digital storage of even more features of people’s lives, from a mobile handset calls to CCTV recordings, could be a reality in the future. Additionally, wider network coverage will mean secrecy will be a key emphasis of the HCI community. Human "digital footprint", that is, the sharing of more aspects of people’s lives through digital photography, blogging, podcasting and video, is set to get bigger, and this will raise crucial questions about how much information we should store about

Monday, October 28, 2019

Behaviorist description of depression Essay Example for Free

Behaviorist description of depression Essay The behavioral perspective of depression links the disorder to a deficit of positive reinforcements in ones life. This lack of reinforcement results in the decline of constructive behavior, which in turn results in depression. Behaviorists posit that a person suffering from depression can develop a plan of action to replenish the deficit of positive reinforcement through the cooperation of family, friends and the therapist. In other words, according to behaviorists, the patients inability to cope with life stress leads to social withdrawal, which reduces the rate of positive reinforcements, which then results in depression. The belief that a person suffering from depression can behave him- or herself out of it is both appealing and troublesome. The benefits of constructive activity notwithstanding, dependence on others for positive reinforcement could result in depression that waxes and wanes in direct proportion to the presence or absence of external stimuli. The danger inherent is this view is of placing too strong a focus on those external reinforcements. A patient who places conditions of worth on his or her actions may be convinced that others will never be in a state of approval of those actions. Such a patient may benefit more greatly from a cognitive therapy that addresses his or her maladaptive thinking patterns and self-deprecating automatic thoughts. It is the therapists responsibility to assess the most effective treatment based on the patients individual profile. The specific therapeutic approach must be tailored to the patents needs and capabilities. If the patient requires guidance to change maladaptive thinking, then a plan to simply change behavior is doomed to fail. The behaviorist perspective can also be interpreted as placing responsibility for depression squarely on the shoulders of the patient. Encouragement (of the patient to take charge of his or her own recovery by changing the nature of his or her personal relationships) can be effective with a strong-willed person who is committed to recovery. By helping to develop a plan of action and monitoring its success and opportunities for improvement, the behavioral therapist maintains at once a reliable presence at a respectful distance. The patients relationships are also important factors in depression that must be addressed to treat depression; ergo behavioral therapy must tackle negativity in that facet of the patients life. The therapist must assess the overall relationship dynamic and any negative patterns of communication between the patient and his or her most significant others. Ideally, a behavioral therapist has evaluated the patient and hypothesized that he or she will benefit from changing behavioral patterns. The therapist patient will then work closely with the patient to assess the nature of his or her innate behavioral patterns to determine which are constructive and which detract from his or her impression of positive reinforcement. Classical conditioning is not suited for this task but modeling and shaping may be effective. Operant conditioning, by definition, is the order of the day. The patient will receive continuous positive reinforcement for behaviors that combat his or her depression, while those that feed the depression will become extinct.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Keep Joe Camel out of the Mall :: essays research papers

Keep Joe Camel Out of the Mall!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"†¦I marle what pleasure or felicitie they have in taking this rogish Tabacco: it is good for nothing, but to choake a man, and fill him of smoake, and imbers...† (Jonson, Act 3, Scene 3.2) These were the words of Ben Jonson, a 17th century English poet. In agreement with this quote, smoking should be banned from all public places. This opinion is supported by the evidence that secondhand smoke is very harmful. Additionally, if a child sees an older person smoke (in a public place), the child might be influenced to smoke. Lastly, cigarette smoke can affect people with allergies or other respiratory problems or diseases. The effects of passive smoke are numerous.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Secondhand smoke is very harmful. Secondhand smoke is estimated to cause 53,0000 deaths each year among non-smokers in the United States. (Garrison 44) That’s a lot of deaths. About 3,000 of these deaths are due to lung cancer caused by non-smokers breathing the smoker’s smoke. People should care more for the people around them. Some of those 3,000 were probably children. (Garrison 44) Cigarette smoke increases the risk of lung cancer and heart disease, even in a non-smoker. Even the non-smokers have to watch out. â€Å"One thousand Americans stop smoking everyday†¦by dying.† (Smoking Quotes 1) Some Americans die without even starting smoking themselves. Children are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of cigarettes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One reason smoking should be banned in all public places is that children are easily influenced by watching the actions of others. Some psychologists say people function as audiences for each other and for activities that surround them in public settings. (Poland 183) Ninety per cent of new smokers are under 19 years of age. (Bailey 54) Children regularly take up smoking despite health campaigns about the dangers of smoking. Children see smoking on pop-ups on computers, in advertising, and in public places. (Connolly, 10) As the adolescent brain seeks to specialize in rewarding activities, addictive substances can crowd out other activities, shrinking the repertoire being learned. â€Å"When you’re addicted, all your motivation gets funneled into seeking or taking the drug,† said R. Andrew Chambers, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University. (McGough) This quote illustrates how easily adolescents are influence by others. Besides adolescent s, another group of people that is vulnerable to smoking are people with allergies and respiratory problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Several EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) studies performed since the early 1970’s have concluded that secondhand smoke not only causes lung cancer in non-smokers, it worsens asthma symptoms.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Heart of Dracula Essay -- Character Analysis, Dracula, Hearth of Darkn

Within Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the reader is introduced to two â€Å"men†, a term that is applied loosely, whom come to represent the realization of the dying days of the Victorian Era. Heart of Darkness’ Kurtz comes to be the representation of the realization in that he sees what is required from him, as well as the rest of humanity, in order for them to survive. Dracula, in contrast, is the idealization of what has to be done in order to survive. Furthermore, Dracula comes to represent the next step, in almost evolutionary terms, in that he starts to attack England on its home soil, going to so far as to transplant his own soil onto England. This reverse colonization by Dracula is the resultant action he takes based on the fact that he was able to do that which Kurtz is seemingly unable to do, sacrifice the last of his humanity to become a monster. By examining the character of Kurtz, we see that he comes to represent the degenerating institution of colonialism. Jonathan Dollimore remarks that Kurtz â€Å"embodies the paradox which degeneration theory tries to explain but only exacerbates, namely that civilization and progress seem to engender their own regression and ruin† (45). We can see this through the fact that Kurtz goes into the Belgian Congo in order to strengthen the European world, yet is ultimately unable to do so as he comes face to face with the realization of what he must do in order to succeed and survive the degeneration of the world he has known. To do this, Kurtz’s monstrosity, or as close as he comes to monstrosity, stems from the fact that the society which he is a part of and represents is dying a slow death. Therefore, his final words of â€Å"The horror! The horror!† can be interpr... ...gue of Vampirism. Stoker plays upon the irony of England, at this time one of, if not the largest, colonizing countries, being colonized, not by another country but by an intangible immigrant. Dracula’s intent is not of material wealth or power, but of controlling the people and using them as livestock. We can see this when Dracula tells Jonathan Harker that he â€Å"[has] come to know your great England, and to know her is to love her. I long to go through the crowded streets of your mighty London, to be in the midst of the whirl and rush of humanity, to share its life, its change, its death, and all that makes it what it is† (Stoker 19). Kane reaffirms this by contending that Dracula is an example of â€Å"invasion literature† acting upon the readers on England by playing with â€Å"a considerable variety of fears regarding the state of England and the English themselves† (9).

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

How Children Learn to Read and Write, with use of Quality Texts to Support

An analysis of the way in which children learn to read and write, and the place of quality texts in supporting this. â€Å"Being able to read is the most important skill children will learn during their early schooling and has far-reaching implications for lifelong confidence and well-being. †(Adonis & Hughes, 2007) Throughout history, different strategies and methods have been developed to aid com/frederick-douglass-and-malcolm-x-compare-and-contrast-essay/">learning to read and write. Classic styles (although still highly regarded) of writing children’s books including, rhyming, rhythm and repetition have been used consistently to support evolving children’s literacy (Lerer, 2009).Newer methods such as synthetic phonics include developing the relationship between sounds and written word. This essay will highlight different strategies and methods that have been developed, and their effectiveness in developing a child’s literacy skills from a young age . McGee & Richgels talk about ‘each child’s journey through the wide and varied landscape of literacy development being unique’. They explain that ‘decoding, fluency, background knowledge, comprehension and motivation are essential in each child’s literary development (McGee & Richgels, 2003).From the moment a child becomes aware of his/her surroundings, they will be aware of environmental print; â€Å"Environmental print refers to print that occurs in real life contexts- the signs, billboards, logos and functional print that saturate a child’s world† (Prior & Gerard, 2004:5). This allows the child to engage with the shapes and form of the words, without actually having an understanding of the meaning. Yetta Goodman describes this period as; ‘the roots of literacy’ (Goodman, 1980). Children will assign their own meanings to the marks, this shows they have engaged with the print and have decided what it means.She a explains Dolores Durkin’s paper ‘paper and pencil kids’, with regard to setting a stong foundation in literacy. She explains children’s ‘ideographic message drawings’ come first, followed by ‘scribbling’, these scribbles then evolve into ‘random letters’, and then eventually more conventional word forms. During this process children learn to decode their own words and the words of others. ‘Stepping into reading’ is easy for them, as they have already engaged with the forms of the print in meaningful ways (Shea, 2011).Goodwin explains; Concept Books are special books designed to teach concepts such a colours, shapes, materials and animals to young children. Concept books have very few words (perhaps one per page), but very vivid and engaging pictures that allow the child to associate the words on the page with the illustration (Goodwin, 2008). Learning the alphabet is good example of where a well-made co ncept book could be used. Helen Oxenburys book; ABC of things is a perfect example of this, as each page has a different letter with a pleasing illustration, creating narrative interest within each picture.Picture books can be used as an excellent resource in helping develop young children’s literacy. Goodwin explains that illustration in picture books ‘may be simply decorative’ but often aims to ‘interpret’ or ‘supply narrative meaning’ that isn’t accessible from the text alone. (Goodwin, 2008) A good picture book can be enjoyed by people of any age. â€Å"Anyone who has read picture books with very young children knows that they promote personal, detailed and exploratory talk as well as social or even raucous merriment† (Watson & Styles, 1996:1).A good method of gauging children’s engagement with a picture book could be Aidan Chambers’ ‘Tell Me’ approach. Chambers explains that the tell me a pproach is about finding out about the readers experience with the books – ‘enjoyment, thoughts, feelings, memories’ and whatever the reader wisher to report. Thoughts are ‘honourably reported’ without risk of belittlement or rejection, which allows the teacher and reader to explore the book in explicit detail (Chambers, 1996).Meek, in her book; ‘How Texts Teach What Readers Learn’, explains that although ‘good decoding’ and ‘good teachers’ help, texts themselves play a very important role in teaching children to be readers, rather than people that can merely read (Meek, 1988). Goodwin talks about introducing children to ‘intertextual thinking’. She names books such as Pat Hutchin’s; ‘Rosie’s Walk’ and Janet Ahlbergs; ‘Each Peach Pear Plum’, to illustrate her point that a text can mean more than the words themselves (Goodwin, 2008). â€Å"Part of the joy of r eading literature is revelling In the language that authors use† (Goodwin, 2008:25).As well as pictures, literary language can be utilised to create narrative interest for a child learning to read. Studies have shown that; â€Å"Children’s early (preschool) sensitivity to rhyme and alliteration is an extremely powerful indicator of their eventual success in learning to read (Perfetti et al, 1997:226). Cook writes about rhyme in literacy in becoming literate; He says that in the ‘early stages’ rhymes ‘draw attention to linguistic structures’, and at a later stage provide a ‘pleasurable halfway house between language as sound and language as the vehicle of relatively precise meaning’ (Cook, 200:26).A good example of rhyme and rhythm in literature is ‘Tanka Tanka Tanka’ by Steve Webb. Goodwin (2008) explains the ‘strong rhythmic pattern’ leads the reader to ‘respond with dance’. He talks about t he rhythm of the language drawing the reader in, taking the literature ‘beyond the cognitive’ (Goodwin, 2008). As well as rhyme and rhythm, repeating texts have been used to engage children with literacy. â€Å"Repetition increases the strength of neural connections. Reading the same book to children repeatedly serves to reinforce familiar words† (Wolfe & Nevills, 2004:45).A perfect example of a repeating text is ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’ By Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. Goodwin talks about ‘the great joy of the book’ for the young readers. She explains the way the language ‘mirrors the experiences of the story’, saying that the repetition makes children ‘compelled to join in’ (Goodwin, 2008:24). Not only is good literary language important when considering children coming to grips with literacy, but the type of book you choose. Considering what the child is interested in when choosing your boo k will help when you come to read it.Traditional books which follow themes such as; fairy stories, folk tales, legends and myths or dragons. Meek talks of fairy stories being ‘genuine children’s literature’. She explains there are ‘deep and abiding links between the childhood of mankind as preserved in these stories and the early life of each of us’ (Meek, 1982:36). Goodwin writes about traditional stories challenging ‘accepted notions of good and evil, of family structure and of relationships’. Stories such as ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Billy Goats Gruff’, are good examples of stories about overcoming evil.Goodwin also makes the point that ‘values, beliefs and practices are passed on’ through traditional stories, helping children ‘become part of history’ and understand ‘how and why things come to them’ (Goodwin, 2008). Familiarity with well-known literature may allow children to ex plore how stories work. Patterns start to emerge in traditional literature; usually following an introduction, events, problems, resolution style. This could be highly beneficial when children come to write (or tell) their own stories. Other types of books, which help children engage with literature, are factual books.â€Å"Factual books, linking in with other areas of their work, help to extend their (children’s) experiences and knowledge (Hobart & Frankel, 2005:88). For the other part of this module we were tasked with writing a children’s book, using strategies we had studied that help children become literate. I took a non-fiction/fiction approach to my own book, using facts about different animals and their respective habitats, combined with a fictional plot, involving space ships and giant animals. This may result in the child engaging with the ‘story’ and the colourful pictures as well as learning actual facts about the animals involved.â€Å" Probably no other aspect of reading instruction is more discussed, more hotly debated, and less understood than phonics† (Strickland, 1998:5). What is phonics? The American National Reading Panel describes synthetic phonics as; â€Å"Those that emphasise teaching students to ‘convert letters (graphemes) into sounds (phonemes)’ and then to ‘blend’ the sounds to form ‘recognisable words’. Analytic phonics, on the other hand is taken to refer to larger unit phonics programmes, that introduce children to whole words before teaching them to analyse these into their component parts, and emphasise the larger sub-parts of words (i. e., onsets, rimes, phonogrammes and spelling patterns) as well as phonemes† (Wyse & Styles, 2007:35).â€Å"A review of the teaching of early reading in England commissioned by the UK Government recommended that synthetic phonics should be the preferred approach for young English learners. In response, all E nglish schools have been told to put in place a discrete synthetic phonics programme as the key means for teaching high-quality phonic work† (Wyse & Goswami, 2008:691). In 2006, Jim Rose, the Secretary of State for Education for England, produced his report recommending that synthetic phonics must be included in early reading instruction.This decision caused uproar among academics and professionals, as evidence has shown that the Rose Report’s recommendation for synthetic phonics contradicts a large body of evidence over the last 30 years (Wyse & Styles, 2007). The Clackmannanshire studies are a perfect example of this contradiction. In 2004 research into synthetic phonics was carried out in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. It was promoted a great deal by the media, which resulted in a recommendation by England’s Education Select Committee that there should be an enquiry into the teaching of reading through synthetic phonics.  (Wyse & Styles, 2007).Howev er, a spokesperson from the Clackmannanshire study stress that the report was not intended to initiate synthetic phonics ‘taking over’ reading strategies, but to show the advantages of using it alongside other established literacy strategies (Johnson & Watson, 2005). One of Synthetic phonics’ critics, Margret Meek, suggested that phonics is ‘highly inefficient’, ‘full of traps’ and ‘does not account for the individual learner’.She also highlights the idea that without enjoyment, emotion and engagement, reading will seem ‘insignificant’ to a child, and separating this could lead to children seeing reading as a task, rather than a lifelong skill (Meek, 1982:75/76). â€Å"Reading is about reading comprehension and not ‘barking out words’ (Edessa, 2011:11)†. Evidence here highlights the need for a broader literacy strategy spectrum, not just one system designed for all, as a lone focus on a s ingle strategy could cause a child to lose focus in his/her studies.Waterland was critical of phonics, saying reading could only be learned by children working together with competent readers using what she coined the ‘apprenticeship approach’ (Waterland, 1985) The ‘immersion in literacy’ or ‘top down approach’ is a strategy that has been used in the past to teach reading and writing to children, and is a child centered approach which does not emphasize skill (Cohen & Cowen, 2007). The top down approach typically starts with children sitting with a parent, older sibling, carer or caretaker reading a book together.In this setting children will learn not only about reading, but also about print and language. They also learn reading is easy, enjoyable and fun. It allows the child to ‘read’ and understand the meaning without decoding every word in the story (Cohen & Cowen, 2007). Hinkel Writes â€Å"The top down processing inv olved contextual factors such as sociocultural knowledge and task assessment of producing or interpreting the discourse of the task† (Hinkel, 2005:733). This suggests that a learner engaging with a top down approach may draw on other areas of knowledge, not specifically limited to the topic.This may lead to a more holistic development of a literacy beginner. Vygotsky describes each school experience as a ‘complex cultural activity’ (Vygostsky, 1978:11), It has been discussed that the bringing together of synthetic phonics and top down approaches would be a superior method of introducing children to the complex cognitive process of successful reading. I believe that combining the top down and bottom up (phonics) approaches needs of all students would be met, and could also lead to a future with reading and enjoying text, rather than merely reciting meaningless words.It may also benefit teachers, as teachers that are given freedom to promote literature and reading i n the classroom could create interest in reading and literacy, instead of merely reading instructions from flashcards. This, in turn, may increase the quality of education in that respective classroom. Cohen & Cowen talk about ‘the balanced approach’; â€Å"The balanced approach allows teachers to literally take advantages from both the top-down and bottom-up approaches to meet the needs of all students† (Cohen & Cowan, 2007:60).In this essay I have highlighted the diverse, child-centered approaches designed to help children learn to read and write; Picture books, with their vivid illustrations creating meaning and exploration of early literacy. Rhyming and repeating texts, allowing children to draw meaning and reinforce words. Traditional books, with their classic story forms and characters, allow children to understand how stories are formed, which may help when they come to write their own.Evidence suggests that a take over of synthetic phonics may not be the best option, as I feel it gives children a one-dimensional view of literacy. I feel, combing the two approaches to create a curriculum that focuses on integrating the ‘sounding out’ phonic approach with the whole book, ‘real book’, comprehensive approach, will create a stronger bond with phonemic awareness and lingual fluency in children. This could promote literacy being part of a more cultural experience, and in turn may increase literacy levels across our nation.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Trade, Reasons for and Against Essay Example

Free Trade, Reasons for and Against Essay Example Free Trade, Reasons for and Against Essay Free Trade, Reasons for and Against Essay To Henry Clay â€Å"free trade† was pure fantasy. Clay thought â€Å"free trade† was an oxymoron. In 1832, he cried: â€Å"Free trade, free trade It never existed It never will. † Drawing on the theories of international trade to support your arguments, critically evaluate the case for and against free trade. â€Å"Free trade is the pattern of imports and exports that occurs in the absence of trade barriers. † (Wild et al. 2010) Free Trade zones have emerged on the scene as a planning tool to help boost economic development. They have their advantages but their policy pitfalls too. Free Trade as with most political and economic topics is very subjective and discussions can become heated. This is because opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of free trade depend largely on a person’s experience, personal beliefs and their knowledge about the issue. Some negative feelings come from misunderstandings of the subject of international trade. International trade is opening doors to new entrepreneurial opportunity across the world. It is also providing countries with a greater choice of goods and services while being an important engine for creating jobs in many countries. Trade theories are constantly being reviewed to try and improve the economy; however there will never be a method that will satisfy everyone and help those opposed to free trade see the benefits. Some of the key reasons why groups are opposed to globalistaion and international trade are because they blame it for eroding standards of living and ruining ways of life. However on the other hand supporters of international trade say it improves standards of living and makes possible new ways of life. Trade between many different groups of people has occurred for many thousands of years. : But it wasn’t until the 15th Century that people began to explain why trade occurs and how it can benefit both parties. Efforts to refine existing trade theories and to develop new ones still continue. Below is a timeline of when the main international trade theories were proposed. Trade Theory Timeline (Wild et al. 2010) The trade theory of mercantilism was developed in Europe in the 16th century. One of the main principles of mercantilism was that it was in a countries best interest to maintain a trade surplus by encouraging exports and discouraging imports. This was in order to accumulate financial wealth in the form of gold. A disadvantage of the mercantilist trade theory was that a nation’s well-being such as living standards or human developments was irrelevant to them and financial wealth was all that mattered. Government intervention and colonialism were another two key elements in implementing mercantilism. Governments actively intervened in trade to help maintain trade surplus, the governments of mercantilist nations did this by either banning certain imports or imposing various restrictions such as tariffs or quotas. Mercantilist nations also acquired territories around the world to serve as a source of inexpensive raw materials which they would ship back to their home nation and sell them as finished goods to the colonies. The trading between mercantilist countries and their colonies was a huge source of profit, which allowed them to build armies and navies to control their colonial empires and protect them against attack from other nations. Europe followed this economic way of life from the 1500’s to the late 1700s. The main mercantilist nations were Britain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Despite mercantilism being an advantage for any nation in relation to profit, implementing it was naturally flawed. Mercantilist nations believed that the world wealth was limited and therefore they could increase their wealth at the expense of its neighbors, called a zero-sum game. This causes arguments against international trade, if all nations blocked their markets from imports and force their exports onto other nations, international trade would become severely restricted and possibly cease to exist. In addition, charging nations little for their exports and charging them high prices for imports damages their economic development and therefore is unfair to developing countries especially. These negative aspects of mercantilism were made evident by the Absolute Advantage trade theory developed in the late 1700s. Adam Smith was the first to put forward the trade theory of absolute advantage in 1776. â€Å"An absolute advantage is the ability of a nation to produce goods more efficiently than any other nation. Therefore a nation with an absolute advantage can produce a greater output of a good/service than other nations using the same amount or fewer resources. † (Wild et al. 2010). Adam Smiths great contribution to human progress was that he recognized that the fewer impediments to trade there were, the richer everyone would become. He blasted them all royal charters, tariffs, cartels, monopolies. His opposition to restraints on trade made Smith free trades progenitor. (www. elegant-technology. com. 993) He believed international trade should not be banned or restricted and that it should be allowed to flow as dictated by market forces. The benefit of using absolute advantage trade theory allows countries to produce goods according to their ability and produce items in which they have absolute advantage and in return trade with other countries to obtain the goods it needs. Therefore each nation can increase its wealth according to market forces and as a result have a positive-sum ga me. Unlike the mercantilist trade theory absolute advantage measures a nation’s wealth by the living standards of its people and not by how much silver or gold it has accumulated. However, there is one potential problem with the absolute advantage theory, what happens if a country does not hold an absolute advantage with any product, will there be any benefits of trade or will it be able to continue? David Richardo an English economist expanded on Adam Smith’s free-trade idea by developing the theory of comparative advantage in 1817. He said that a country has comparative advantage when it is unable to produce a good more efficiently than other nations, but produces that good more efficiently than it can produce any other goods. For example, â€Å"The rapid increase in Australia-China bilateral trade stems not only from the fact that the two countries have both been experiencing rapid economic growth recently and reaping the benefit of trade liberalisation undertaken by both countries as part of the Asia-Pacific regional economic cooperation, but also from complementarity in the production and trading structure of the two economies. As an agriculture- and resource- based country, Australia exports its comparative advantage in agricultural and mineral goods, such as wheat, milk and animal product, textile fibres, iron ores and energy products to China, which provides China with low-priced raw materials for her industrial production. As a rapidly industrialising country, China absorbs raw materials from Australia and exports its comparative advantage in labour-intensive manufacturing goods, such as textiles and clothing, electronic products, and some general machinery to Australia, which in turn provides Australia with cheaper goods for consumption. Thus, Australia-China bilateral trade has been driven mainly by the two countries underlying comparative advantages, which forms a special pattern of international specialisation between the two countries. Such specialisation plays a key role in each countrys overall trade with the rest of the world. † (www. goliath. ecnext. com, 2008). The above example shows that when nations have comparative advantage and are allowed to trade freely then it benefits all nations in the long run by increasing their wealth and efficiency. Some economist say that by removing all the remaining barriers to trade would be a great advantage for countries as it would boost global income and greatly benefit developing nations. The theories of absolute and comparative advantage have some limitations in real-world application for example we assume countries are only driven by production and consumption, which is not always the case, we presume only two countries engage in production and consumption and obviously this cannot be the situation as there are more than 180 countries in the world and numerous products being produced, traded and consumed worldwide. Transport costs and other resources of production other than labour are not taken into account. Economic researchers continue to develop and test new hypothesis to explain international trade theories. In the early 1900’s Eli Heckscher and Bertil Ohlin took the theory of competitive advantage and redeveloped it. Their theory known as the Factor proportions theory focused its attention on the proportion of resources in a nation. They said that a country specializes in producing and exporting goods using factors of production that are most plentiful and those which are cheapest, not the goods in which it is most productive in. The next theory in the evolution of trade is the International product life cycle theory. Raymond Vernon put forward the theory for manufactured goods in the mid 1960’s. It suggests that a company will begin by exporting its product and later undertake foreign direct investment as the product moves through its life cycle. The theory also states that a country’s exports eventually will become its imports. This theory was developed for the US but it can be generalised and be applied to any developed and creative market. His international Product Life Cycle described an internationalisation process wherein a local manufacturer in an advanced country, which Vernon viewed to be the United States, begins selling a new, technologically advanced product to high income consumers in its home market. Production capabilities build locally to stay in close contact with its customers and to minimize risk and uncertainty. As demand from consumers in other markets rises, production increasingly shifts abroad enabling the firm to maximise economies of scale and to bypass trade barriers. The international product life cycle follows three stages, the new product stage where it may need protection, then into the maturing product and finally standardized product. â€Å"As the product matures and becomes more of a commodity, the number of competitors increases. In the end, the innovator from the advanced nation becomes challenged in its own home market making the advanced nation a net importer of the product. This product is produced either by competitors in lesser developed countries or, if the innovator has developed into a multinational manufacturer, by its foreign based production facilities. ( www. provenmodels. com, 2005) Following on from the International Product Life Cycle theory, another theory emerged during the 1970’s and 1980’s to explain trade patterns. This was called the New Trade Theory. According to (Wild et al, 2010) this theory states three things; that there are gains to be made from specialisation and increasing economies of scale, th e companies with first mover advantage in the market can create barriers to entry and finally government may play a role in assisting its home companies because the theory emphasizes productivity rather than a countries resources. This theory is in line with the theory of comparative advantage and but is at odds with factor proportions theory. However there are implications of the new trade theory, as productive efficiency may not be the result of factor endowments or specific national qualities, instead it may be the result of the first mover advantage. New theory factor doesn’t contradict competitive advantage, rather it identifies an element of it; the ability to move first and it has an extension of this in that it states that governments should consider strategic trade policies. In return these policies could nurture and protect firms where first mover advantage and economies of scale are likely to be important, as some may end up as global winners. The final theory to be developed was put forth by Michael Porter in 1990 and this theory was to explain why certain countries are leaders in the production of certain products. Porters National Competitive Advantage theory states that a nations competitiveness in an industry depends on the ability to be innovative and upgrade. Porter’s theory developed upon existing theories whilst also making new discoveries in regards to trade. Below is the Porter Diamond diagram which he used to demonstrate four elements that vary in nations and that form the basis of national competitiveness. (Porter and Martin, 2001) Firms are likely to succeed when all the factors of the diamond are present. There are two things that can influence the diamond and they are chance, major innovations and technology and secondly the governments can have a huge influence in regards to the introduction of new regulations, investments’ and developing an infrastructure. Nokia is an example of Porters Diamond working effectively, all elements for Nokia were in place for it to be successful in Finland and then it was able to go global. It is understandable why people are against globalisation especially when local firms are closing down and moving to areas where labour and materials are cheaper and people in the local economy struggle to find employment and pay mortgages and other daily bills. A local example of this was the closure of Seagate’s Limavady plant in 2007 which was a massive blow to the town, the Ulster economy and the ambitious plans to grow Northern Irelands knowledge ndustry. It had a workforce of around 2,100 in the province and it spent almost ? 60m a year in the Ulster economy, it transferred its plant to Malaysia in South East Asia. (www. belfasttelegraph. co. uk , 2008) Those against the globalisation of trade say that it eliminates jobs in developed nations especially manufacturing jobs, they criticise good-paying manufact uring jobs abroad to developing countries where wages are a fraction of the cost for international firms. However they admit importing products from china and other countries and lower consumer prices for goods such as televisions and sporting goods is a little consolation for workers who lose their jobs. Companies constantly are pursuing low-cost goods, and they force suppliers to move to china and other low-wage nations. Lower wages and the exploitation of workers in developing nations are another two major concerns for those against globalization. They say it causes decreased employee morale, loyalty and job security and it causes fear in home nations of any additional lowering of trade barrier. The arguments for and against globalisation also cover the arguments that can be presented against free trade. However there are numerous other influences to reinforce the pros and con’s of free trade. There are many key arguments against free trade; the first is the ‘infant industry argument’ it entailed that if developing countries have industries that are relatively new, the infant industry argument suggests that an industry may be developed under the umbrella of the government’s temporary protection as it may struggle against international competition. It’s thought by some economists that the best way to tackle the matter is by limiting importation of similar goods into the country, and this is usually addressed by a government that imposes  tariffs or limits, that make imported goods less attractive or available to consumers in the less industrialized countries. However if they invested in the industry then in the future the infant industry may be able to gain competitive advantage. This shows that competitive advantage can change over time and therefore protection would allow them to progress and gain experience to enable them to compete in the future with international industries. The second arguments I have found against free trade is the ‘Senile industry argument’, this argument says that if industries are declining and inefficient they may require large investment to make them efficient again. Protection for these firms would encourage them to invest and reinvent themselves. However protectionism could also be an excuse for protecting inefficient firms. Countries than have to rely on agricultural products have several disadvantages as the price of their primary products in which they have competitive advantage can fluctuate due to environmental factors and goods have a low income elasticity of demand, therefore with economic growth demand will only increase a little. It is argued that free trade can harm the environment because less developed countries may use up natural reserves of raw materials to export. Also countries with strict pollution controls may find consumer import the good from other countries where legislation is lenient and pollution allowed. However, supporters of free trade would argue that it is up to the individual countries to create environmental legislation. According to the (BBC, 2003) free trade is an advantage to the environments as it enables production to occur in places where it is most environmentally appropriate. For example, most aluminum is produced in places where there is plentiful hydroelectric power, which is less resource intensive than gas or coal. Therefore the gains from trade are environmental as well as economic. Free trade is blamed for many problems in the world, rightly or wrongly, it’s a matter of opinion. Nevertheless a lot of the arguments against free trade encourage the argument for those who seek to carry on controlled trade. As well as being seen as good for the environment free trade is a benefit for poorer producers also. Most trade barriers, whether they are tariffs, quotas or subsidies hurt producers in poor countries most. A tariff has two effects; it reduces the amount of the products sold and also the amount that is received by the people making the product. By reducing trade barriers it will increase consumption. The comparative advantage by countries specializing in the production of goods is an advantage of free trade as nations continue to have a lower opportunity cost and therefore increase in economic welfare for all countries. Having comparative advantage also means that countries can benefit from economies of scale and lower average costs; the ultimate benefit of economies of scale is for the consumers as prices will be lower. Free trade provides an engine for economic growth and promotes a healthy economic climate, it allows firms to become more competitive internationally nd this also benefits the consumer as it prevents domestic monopolies from charging too much. The final argument of free trade depending on people’s personal opinion can be seen as an argument both for and against. The use of surplus raw materials in countries in areas such as the Middle east are very rich in oil reserves and without trade there would be no benefit for them having so much oil. As well as this Japan has very few raw materials and without trade it would be very poor. Despite the advantages and disadvantage of open and free trade among nations, governments have long intervened in the trade of goods and services. The do this for reasons that are political, economic or cultural, sometimes it can be a combination of all three. In tough economic times businesses and their workers often lobby their government for protection from imports that are eliminating jobs in the domestic market. Trade can be restricted by introducing quotas, tariffs and currency controls. In the past there had been many attempts to develop a global trading system. There was the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) which was a treaty initially designed to promote free trade by reducing both tariff and non-tariff barriers to international trade. The ground rules of the GATT resulted in many ‘rounds’ of negotiations among its members. In the early years they were short and straight forward but later grew to be long and complex. The Uruguay round of negotiations developed the existence of the World Trade Organisations and this would be the international organisation that would regulate trade between nations. The three main goals of the WTO were to help free flow of trade, help in negotiations for further opening markets and to settle disputes between its members. The WTO is still the international organisation that regulates trade and they still continue to help in negotiations. Conclusion Is free trade only a theory? In the economic history of the world there has never been completely free trade, barriers to trade between countries has always existed in an attempt to provide advantages for domestic providers. But the world has moved towards more open markets which I think is good if barriers can be reduced. Taking into consideration the advantages that free trade provides for all nations in increasing their economic welfare and standards of living. It is an engine for economic growth and promotes a healthy economic climate, it allows firms to become more competitive internationally and this benefits the consumer as it prevents domestic monopolies from charging too much. â€Å"The debate over open markets has changed markedly in tone and substance. Support for liberalisation has eroded in some segments of civil society in recent years because of concerns about jobs, wages, the environment and national sovereignty. Waning support points to a deficit in communications and in policy. The communications deficit can be remedied if the proponents of open markets explain clearly what trade and investment can and cannot do and what liberalisation is and is not responsible for. But it is not sufficient to point to incontrovertible evidence that liberalisation creates wealth or to the social and economic costs of failure to adjust to changing conditions. It is also necessary to confront the worries of citizens who are adversely affected by change. The challenge for policy-makers is thus to design policies to help citizens and communities take advantage of the ongoing, unprecedented, technology driven structural transformation of national economies, a transformation in which trade and investment play a part, but only a part. † ( www. oecd. org, 1999 ) Reference List. Wild, J. J. AND Wild, K. L. AND Han, J. C. Y. , (2010) Page 198 International Business: The Challenges of Globalization. 5th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc. Wild, J. J. AND Wild, K. L. AND Han, J. C. Y. , (2010) Page 179 International Business: The Challenges of Globalization. th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc. Wild, J. J. AND Wild, K. L. AND Han, J. C. Y. , (2010) Page 180 International Business: The Challenges of Globalization. 5th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc. Larson, J. , (1993) The History of Free Trade [online]. Minnesota. Available from: elegant-technology. com/TVAfretr. html [Accessed 2nd November 2010]. (2008) Comparative advantage and Australia-China bilateral trade [online]. The Gale Group. Available from: http://goliath. ecnext. com/coms2/gi_0199-7627281/Comparative-advantage-and-Australia-China. tml [Accessed on 27th October 2010]. (2005) International Product Life Cycle [online]. Available from: provenmodels. com/583 [Accessed 5t h November]. Wild, J. J. AND Wild, K. L. AND Han, J. C. Y. , (2010) Page 188 International Business: The Challenges of Globalization. 5th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc. Martin, R. L, AND Porter, M. (2001) Canadian Competitiveness: 9 years in Canada [online]. Available from: rotman. utoronto. ca/research/competitive. htm [Accessed 6th November 2010]. McDaid, B. , (2008) ‘Seagate closes factory gates’. Belfast Telegraph, 25th September. Available from: belfasttelegraph. co. uk/business/business-news/seagate-closes-factory-gates-13984890. html [Accessed 5th November 2010] BBC, Business. , (2003) The argument for free trade [online]. Available from: http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/business/533208. stm [Accessed 3rd November 2010]. Public affairs Division, (1999) The Benefits of Trade and liberalisation of Investment [online]. OECD. Available from: oecd. org/dataoecd/18/51/1948792. pdf [Accessed 20th October 2010]. Word Count

Monday, October 21, 2019

8 opciones visa trabajo o green card para profesionales

8 opciones visa trabajo o green card para profesionales Una pregunta comà ºn que se hacen los profesionales extranjeros es cà ³mo emigrar legalmente a los Estados Unidos. La respuesta es que depende de varios factores, como las caracterà ­sticas del profesionales y de quà © papeles puede obtener. En la mayorà ­a de los casos es necesario el patrocinio por parte de una empresa estadounidense. Adems, es la empresa quien decide si patrocina una tarjeta de residencia, tambià ©n conocida como green card, o si por el contrario solicita los papeles de una visa de trabajo temporal. En este artà ­culo se explican 4 caminos hacia la green card por razà ³n de trabajo y 4 otros para una visa de trabajo. Adems, se finaliza con recomendaciones que deben tenerse en cuenta si se desea iniciar una nueva vida en los Estados Unidos. 8 caminos para emigrar legalmente a los Estados Unidos   1. La categorà ­a EB-1, que permite obtener la tarjeta de residencia. Est pensada para 3 subcategorà ­as. En primer lugar, los profesionales con habilidades extraordinarias en las Ciencias, las Artes, la Educacià ³n, los Negocios o Deportes. En segundo lugar, profesores universitarios o investigadores excepcionales y, en tercer lugar, para algunos tipos de gerentes y managers de compaà ±Ãƒ ­as extranjeras que estn trabajando en los Estados Unidos. En el caso de profesionales con habilidades extraordinarias no necesitan patrocinio de ninguna empresa. Son difà ­ciles de obtener los papeles por esta circunstancia y las peticiones se niegan en ms de 1 de cada 3 casos. Por el contrario, en las otras 2 subcategorà ­as debern tener, en la mayorà ­a de los casos, un patrocinador. En la subcategorà ­a de profesores e investigadores ms del 90 por ciento de las peticiones son aprobadas. 2. La categorà ­a EB-2. Est pensada, por un lado, para personas con una habilidad excepcional en las Ciencias, las Artes o los Negocios o, por otro, para extranjeros con un tà ­tulo de maestrà ­a o superior o su equivalente, es decir, licenciatura ms 5 aà ±os de experiencia. Cada aà ±o se pueden aprobar un mximo de 144,951 visas de inmigrante en esta categorà ­a. 3. La categorà ­a EB-3 que contempla 3 posibilidades, que siempre exigen patrocinio por parte de una empresa de Estados Unidos. En primer lugar, trabajadores con habilidades, es decir, con al menos 2 aà ±os de experiencia laboral. En segundo lugar, profesionales con al menos licenciatura y, en tercer lugar, otros trabajadores que deben tener al menos entrenamiento o experiencia en el trabajo por 2 aà ±os. Bajo la EB-3 pueden emigrar los trabajadores que no tienen cabida en las categorà ­as EB-1 y EB-2.   Cada aà ±o fiscal se pueden aprobar un mximo de 144,951 visas para esta categorà ­a, no permitià ©ndose que ms de 10,000 se adjudiquen a la subcategorà ­a de otros trabajadores. 4. La categorà ­a EB-4 para obtener la green card. Aplica a  un conglomerado de situaciones distintas que van desde trabajadores religiosos a mà ©dicos, funcionarios de organizaciones internacionales, trabajadores del Canal de Panam o de la OTAN o traductores afganos o iraquà ­es que han ayudado a las tropas de Estados Unidos. 5. La visa de trabajo temporal H-1B. Es de doble intencià ³n, esto es, permite buscar activamente el cambio a una tarjeta de residencia. Est pensada para profesionales y es muy utilizada por empleados de empresas tecnolà ³gicas, pero no est restringida a ellos. Estas son las 100 empresas que ms visas H-1B patrocinaron en el à ºltimo aà ±o fiscal. 6. La visa de trabajo temporal L-1 y L-2 para gerentes y ejecutivos de multinacionales que son transferidos a los Estados Unidos. Al igual que sucede con la visa H-1B, este visado es de doble intencià ³n. 7. Visa O para extranjeros con habilidades extraordinarias. 8. Visa TN para profesionales mexicanos y canadienses en virtud de la aplicacià ³n del Tratado de Libre Comercio o NAFTA, por su siglas en inglà ©s. Cmo se cambia una visa de trabajo temporal por una tarjeta de residencia? La respuesta es siguiendo uno de los caminos previstos por la ley para obtener la green card. En la prctica en la mayorà ­a de los casos tiene lugar mediante el patrocinio por parte de una empresa o bien por peticià ³n de un familiar. Por ejemplo, el cà ³nyuge si es que el trabajador extranjero se casa con un ciudadano estadounidense o con un residente permanente legal. Otras opciones posibles para sacar la green card o visas que permiten trabajar Cuando las posibilidades anteriores no estn al alcance de la mano, el sistema migratorio de los Estados Unidos contempla ms categorà ­as de visas de trabajo, pero las arriba mencionadas son las pensadas para profesionales.   Adems, hay visas que no son de trabajo pero que permiten trabajar, como por ejemplo, las de intercambio o las de inversià ³n. Incluso en algunas circunstancias, la visa de estudiante. En todo caso est terminantemente prohibido trabajar con visa de turista o cuando se entra sin visado por pertenecer a un paà ­s en el Programa de Exencià ³n de Visas. Es una violacià ³n migratoria que puede dar lugar a una deportacià ³n o a la cancelacià ³n de la visa. Es tambià ©n muy importante destacar que cada visa tiene sus propias peculiaridades, desde requisitos, a tiempo de tramitacià ³n o costos y que no conviene confundirlas. Por otro lado, hay ms de 2 docenas de caminos que permiten obtener la green card, aunque lo cierto es que la mayorà ­a de las tarjetas de residencia que se aprueban cada aà ±o tienen su origen en una peticià ³n por parte de un familiar. Pero es interesante familiarizarse con todas las posibilidades, que incluso contemplan un sorteo gratuito de 50,000 green cards, conocido como visa de la diversidad, a la que pueden aplicar cada mes de octubre los ciudadanos de Espaà ±a y tambià ©n de muchos paà ­ses latinoamericanos, aunque no todos. A tener en cuenta antes de hacer las maletas yemigrar Estados Unidos es un paà ­s enorme y extraordinariamente diverso. La experiencia de vivir en Alaska o en Florida son, obviamente muy distintas. Antes de asentarse o al considerar una oferta de trabajo es muy recomendable informarse sobre aspectos como cunto se paga de impuestos en el estado que se est considerando, cules son las coberturas mà ©dicas que brinda la empresa para la que se va a trabajar o cun cara es la ciudad a la que se piensa emigrar. Tambià ©n es importante tener una idea muy clara de cà ³mo obtener los papeles porque una vez que se est como indocumentado en los Estados Unidos puede ser muy difà ­cil regularizar la situacià ³n, lo que da lugar a una vida llena de miedos. Finalmente, si las cosas no se dan para Estados Unidos, considerar otros paà ­ses que tienen la migracià ³n abierta, en particular en el caso de profesionales es buena idea informarse sobre Canad, ya que tiene un sistema federal y de provincias interesante. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Writing with Speech Recognition Software

Writing with Speech Recognition Software Writing with Speech Recognition Software Writing with Speech Recognition Software By Michael A professional writer might add a thousand words a day to their rough draft. With speech recognition software, some writers can add several thousand. Thats one reason why more writers are choosing to dictate their books. Today the error rate of speech recognition software has improved to within a percentage point of a human being. According to IBM, even a human transcriptionist hears the wrong word 4 or 5 percent of the time. IBM reached 5.5 percent in 2017. Google claims even lower than that 4.9 percent in 2017. Speech recognition can be found in Google Docs, Windows 10, your smartphone and in various home devices. Dragon Naturally Speaking is the only commercially-available speech recognition software for consumers, mostly because they bought all their competitors. According to their website, Dragon is 3x faster than typing and its 99% accurate. For higher accuracy, Dragon can be trained to recognize your own voice and vocabulary. Tips for writing with speech recognition Dictate in complete phrases or sentences. Recent advances in accuracy have come not so much from speech recognition (thats a buh not a duh) as from language recognition (after the words eat or peel the sounds buh nah nuh are probably banana). I can sometimes see my software rewrite a sentence once Ive completed it, because it now has more of the context and so can recognize more of the words. Pause between phrases, not words. Thats mostly what I just said, but it bears repeating. Separating parts of speech with pauses (It was the best of times) can really confuse the software. It likes to sense the sentence structure as you speak. Pausing between phrases is also a good habit for public speaking, or for speaking in general, for that matter. Yes, you need to pause while you think, but you dont need to keep talking while you do it. Watch the screen. If there are any errors or omissions, you want to make sure theyre not so serious that you cant remember what you really meant to say. I can handle Dragon spelling to instead of too or member instead of remembering. But sometimes the software provides a perfectly spelled word that would make no sense later. In that case, I can usually dictate the correct word again, perhaps preceding it with or rather as a newscaster might. Or you may be able to train Dragon (and yourself) that you pronounce to as tu and too as te-yoo. Or restate your sentence in different words. Dont worry about polluting your masterpiece with synonyms its probably faster than hemming and hawing for the perfect word. You can perfect it when you edit it. Keep a consistent tone, speed, and volume. Shouting, whispering or pretending youre Robin Williams will make the software work harder. It doesnt appreciate or even recognize histronics. I did a stint as a professional voice transcriptionist, repeating the speech of another person more clearly so that Dragon could understand it better. We maintained a cheerful tone as we worked, but we werent dramatic. Dont stop for mistakes. Keep a consistent flow, where words come out of your mouth at approximately the same speed they come into your mind. Your mind will appreciate that. Dont stop to fix typos or punctuation errors. Talk around any blatant mistakes restate anything thats unclear but keep dictating. Your first transcription may not be smooth or free of mistakes. But mistakes inspire creativity, because they beg you to fix them. So dont worry about making mistakes when dictating. Dont try to speak the keyboard. Youre better off just dictating words and not trying to operate your computer with your voice. Yes, Dragon has many editing commands: Scratch that, Scratch that n times, Go back, Go to top, Stop listening, Search eBay for text (NOTE TO SELF: DO NOT TRY TO WRITE NOVEL AND SHOP ON EBAY AT THE SAME TIME.) But the main commands I use are Period and New line Im supposed to be writing not editing remember? and Ive turned off my internal editor. Dragons commands are great for people who cant use a keyboard they can say Open Google Chrome or Post to Facebook but the extra learning curve can sour other people on trying the software. Hands-free editing I keep Dragon in Dictation Mode, which ignores commands as long as Im dictating quickly. Otherwise, if one of my paranoid characters shouts, Stop listening, Dragon might take me literally and not transcribe anything else. So how do you edit without using editing commands? Dictate the section again, without the mistakes. Really. Its probably faster than using the commands. It may be faster than using a keyboard. Many writers with repetitive stress injuries say that what hurt their wrists was not the typing, it was the constant cutting, pasting and mousing. With dictation, the only movement is your mouth and your eyeballs. Dictation lets you hear your words again, which lets you decide if you really like them. It even lets you combine several versions. You could have both versions open on your computer and switch your eyes between them as you read your favorite paragraph with each. Or you could print out both versions, lay the pages all over the floor, rearrange them as you like, edit them with a fat marker pen, and then smoothly read them back into your microphone. When I first tried this technique, though, the new version wasnt much better than the old. I hoped that as I reread the passage, my mind would naturally find things to correct, as a storyteller does. But seeing the text in front of me made it harder to see areas of improvement. A better strategy might be to silently read both versions again, then close my eyes and retell the story into the microphone. Dictation software works better for some writers than others, and for some types of writing than others. At first you may miss the feel of the keyboard or the pen, or you may be distracted by the sound of your voice. But for many writers, speech recognition software can set their creative process free. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings)Among vs. AmongstOppose and Opposed To

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Can those who commit violent crimes be considered otherwise ordinary Essay

Can those who commit violent crimes be considered otherwise ordinary young men Discuss - Essay Example Higher quality essays are different from lower quality example essays in the sense that higher quality essays are well-referenced with credible resources. These high quality essays hardly utilize personal opinions of the authors; instead, they utilize facts and other information supported by research and other scholarly studies. The references used in these high quality essays are also credible and reliable sources, with authors who are considered experts in the field they are writing on. These studies are also peer-reviewed and evaluated by other similar experts. They are also published in credible journals, publishing companies, news writing crews, and academic websites. The resources are also unbiased as they are not being financially supported by private firms or companies who can manipulate the information being used. There are no logical fallacies in the references used by the authors; the statements made by the authors are well-supported by facts, statistics, and empirical dat a. In effect, they flow from one logical truth to another, making the results valid and reliable for the study being carried out. The studies cited in the example essays used in this study also included detailed bibliographies at the end of their writing. The more detail contained in the referenced, the higher the quality of the essays. This helps ensure that the references can be evaluated by other authors and the process of research itself is repeatable and verifiable. I used the information gained from critiquing the essays in order to provide structure to the essays. I compared such information with each other and compared the results for these studies, noting differences and similarities in results based on such information. Studies which presented the most reliable information after each view were included in the study. The studies which provided reliable data were also compared with each other and later critiqued based on methodology and ethical validity. Studies which did no t pass muster under ethical validity were discarded in favour of other more reliable studies. I also used the information gained from the critique to gain credible information which I then compared with other credible studies. Inconsistencies in data or differing results merited a repeat evaluation and critique of the example essays in order to weed out possible causes of inconsistencies. A high quality essay is also one which is structurally sound, using any of the academically recommended styles like APA, MLA, and Harvard styles. The grammar is correct and consistent all throughout the essay. There are no spelling mistakes and the writing style is formal and academic. There are no abbreviations and contractions throughout the text and the proper headings and page numbers are included in the text. With these structural and functional elements, and with proper references, a paper can be deemed high

Friday, October 18, 2019

Developing leadership and Global Recession Essay

Developing leadership and Global Recession - Essay Example However, countries which are wealthy were able to cope with recession to an extent. According to AusAID(2010)â€Å"Those  with stronger economies and more financial resources  were able to implement effective policy responses to support the economy and weathered the global recession relatively well†. In combating a worldwide threat like global recession, an organization needs to make visible changes in their leadership styles and business strategies. The issue of global recession demands a leader to change his attitude in conducting business in order to be flexible and realistic. Global recession is a serious issue and threatens the financial structure of a company and its profitability. As per Sawan(2008) â€Å"A recession normally takes place when consumers lose confidence in the growth of the economy and spend less† . In such a condition the objectives and aim of a business needs to be revised and reconsidered according to the demands of the situation. Implicatio n of Leadership on Global Recession a) Autocratic Leadership: This is a leadership style in which the whole decision making process of the business is vested with a single individual. Here the whole group members in an organization are monitored by the autocrat leader. In the event of global recession, the leaders should make effort to increase the confidence of share holders along with motivating staff to achieve maximum profit returns. An autocratic leader has more visionary skills and can implement strategies with less time and effort as consultation with other employees are not required. As an autonomous authority, he can analyze the prospects of the product market and make alternative choices to increase the demand for the product. As per Kiselev(2007)â€Å"An autocratic leader likes to make decisions himself. This leader relies on personal experience and input he has sought, not the voluntary contributions of others†. This kind of leadership is not viable with global re cession concept as co-operation and co – ordination wit all employees can solely achieve long term success for business. b) Democratic Leadership: A democratic leader is one who considers everyone’s opinion and solution on a specific problem before taking a decision. In this kind of leadership, the leader conducts meeting with group members and discuss the complexities of the business in the event of economical downturn. The conclusions are drawn considering the suggestion of all mangers and experts in the organization. During a recession period, most of the organization cut off employees in order to reduce cost, so a declarative leader must plan with organizational heads to retain experienced and skilled employees and disown employees who are less productive. According to Hansen(2011,pg.268)â€Å" Democratic style displays the leadership strength of the leader and usually generates respect from the team member c) Laissez –faire Leadership: In laissez – faire leadership, the decision making power is least vested with a particular individual. The decision making authority is distributed among various employees of the organization and they have strong hold on the business activity of an organization. In times of recession, it will be valuable if many employees have freedom to exercise their power to take action on relevant areas of an organization. In recession period, the organization has to take instant decisions to

Jury Nullification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Jury Nullification - Essay Example However, this is observed by those opposing the concept, as making certain crimes in the society acceptable, since the perpetrators of such crimes can go unpunished by the laws. Further, the concept of jury nullification appears to contravene the provisions of the law, regarding the roles and jurisdiction of the jurors. Jurors are supposed to identify and determine the facts surrounding a certain case, while determining the case based on such facts, and leaving the interpretation of the laws to the judges. However, under the concept of jury nullification, jurors perform both the roles of investigating the facts surrounding the case and determining whether the laws applicable to the case are valid. This is because, under the concept of jury nullification, the jurors can disregard the instructions given by the judges, as well as the laws applicable to the case, and instead apply their conscious to determine the case (Shari, 4). Nevertheless, in consideration of the benefits and the problems posed by the concept of jury nullification in the justice system, this discussion seeks to develop a comprehensive argument in favor of the concept of jury nullification. Most fundamental is the fact that Jury Nullification serves as a substantial and necessary defense against discriminative laws. The Jury system is enshrined within the concept of the public justice system. This works towards ensuring that the judgments offered by the jurors resonate with the public opinion, more than the laws. While the laws adapted by many countries are meant to ensure that justice is done to the aggrieved parties, there are some instances where the legislators enacts certain laws in total disregard of the public opinion or interest, but solely fashioning such laws to suit their interests (Keneally, 944). This leaves the general public exposed to the wrath of the legislators, who may be

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Marketing Reserch Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Reserch - Assignment Example (Mumbai Mirror, Business Briefs, 28 May 2007). the tremendous potential of the internet for genuine marketing purposes. And with the rising volumes of online trading, the menace is only threatening to grow further unchecked. (Times of India, Times Business section, 25 May 2007). Small retailers and street vendors have protested, and in some cases, even ransacked outlets operated by modern retailers. This in part has been provoked by an unprecedented rush in the last two years mostly by Indian corporate houses who have said they want to invest billions of dollars to roll out thousands of stores selling everything from fruits to furniture. Higher prices may reduce the attraction of palm oil as a substitute for soya bean oil, especially in China and India, the biggest importers of both oils. It may also make palm oil less attractive in its use in new applications such as bio-fuels. (Mint, Money Matters, p17, 31 May 2007, www.livemint.com). Although revenue jumped 37%, India's leading retailer, Shoppers' Stop, reported a fourth quarter loss of Rs. 22 million ( US$ 543,210), for the year 2006-07. This in spite of competition from other majors like Reliance Retail and Bharti-Wal-Mart, yet to begin. While management has blamed competition, other factors like soaring employee and operating costs including bludgeoning depreciation also have a decisive role in the loss. (Business Today, It's beginning to hurt, p46, 03 June 2007M, www.business-today.com). Five examples of problem-solving research 1. Smart Accounting helps Dunlop turn around. After 12 years in the red, Dunlop India reported a positive net worth in April for 2006-07. Compared to a negative net worth of Rs. 2611.50 million (US$ 64.5 million) in 2005-06, Dunlop reported Rs 1518.20 million (US$ 37.5 million) in the positive net worth last year. Evaluating its real estate, the company transferred part of it to its associate companies, including Dunlop Properties and Bharatiya Hotels. Instead of paying cash, these companies have issued shares of equal worth to Dunlop, which has booked them as other income, thereby shoring up its balance sheet. (Business Today, Dunlop's Paper Trick, p52, 03 June 2007, www.business-today.com). 2. Handloom industry to get a new lease of life. The handloom industry is the second largest economic activity in the country after agriculture. India is perhaps the only country to produce handlooms on large, commercial scale. However, overpowered by the presence of power loom and mill sectors, the industry is going through a lean phase. However, officials are pinning their hopes on the recent initiatives of the textile ministry to boost the dwindling prospects of the handloom industry. The ministry has initiated the development of Handloom Export Zones (HEZ) at various handloom clusters in

Child Psychopathology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Child Psychopathology - Research Paper Example They are not able to manage the tasks of everyday life and cannot complete work which requires concentration. Children cannot perform very well at school as well and later in life they have difficulties in getting into relationships. Trauma to the brain by accidents and falls as well as exposure to chemicals such as lead during prenatal and early years of life can be counted as causes leading to this disease. Genetic factors also pose as a risk for it. Consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and other chemicals which affect the development of the brain can also create a risk for the infant to suffer from ADHD. A healthy atmosphere at home and educated parents can decrease the risk of developing this psychiatric condition. These people find it very difficult to cope up with the everyday activities and their weaknesses make them susceptible to develop addictions which include alcohol consumption and abuse of the prescription medications as well as other stimulants like caffeine and nicotine . Body: Being focused on to the important aspects of life is one of the main functions of the brain. In some diseases or disorders this special function of the brain is either lost or diminished. One such disorder which diminishes the functions of the brain is the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. ... vention has also indicated that 8 million children in the United States between the age of 3 to 17 years have been diagnosed by this condition and 11% of the diagnosed cases are boys whereas 4.8% of the diagnosed cases are girls. Thus this disease is more common among children and it has a higher rate of occurrence in boys than in girls. Attention Deficit Disorder is a neuropsychiatric condition in which an individual is not able to concentrate or focus on a single aspect for a longer time. This leads to a lack of attention and it affects activities of an individual in everyday life. This disorder has a genetic predisposition as well as environmental factors play a role in it. Neurotransmitters which help in transmitting signals to and from the neurons are usually affected in this type of disorder which usually affects the chemical functions of the brain. Thus injuries to brain and chemicals which affect brain functioning can result in this disorder. A child who has close relatives a nd siblings suffering from ADHD is at a high risk of developing this condition. As already indicated by the statistics of the Center for Disease Control and prevention boys possess a risk of developing this disorder and they possess a more than two time greater risk of this illness. Damage to the brain through direct brain injury also makes a child more susceptible to have ADHD. Pregnant women, who consume alcohol, smoke and are exposed to other toxins like lead and chemicals that create hindrances in normal brain development may give birth to children possessing very high risks to suffer from this psychiatric condition. Not only this but also children who are exposed to harmful chemicals such as lead are also more vulnerable. This is because these chemicals prevent the normal growth of the

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Marketing Reserch Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Reserch - Assignment Example (Mumbai Mirror, Business Briefs, 28 May 2007). the tremendous potential of the internet for genuine marketing purposes. And with the rising volumes of online trading, the menace is only threatening to grow further unchecked. (Times of India, Times Business section, 25 May 2007). Small retailers and street vendors have protested, and in some cases, even ransacked outlets operated by modern retailers. This in part has been provoked by an unprecedented rush in the last two years mostly by Indian corporate houses who have said they want to invest billions of dollars to roll out thousands of stores selling everything from fruits to furniture. Higher prices may reduce the attraction of palm oil as a substitute for soya bean oil, especially in China and India, the biggest importers of both oils. It may also make palm oil less attractive in its use in new applications such as bio-fuels. (Mint, Money Matters, p17, 31 May 2007, www.livemint.com). Although revenue jumped 37%, India's leading retailer, Shoppers' Stop, reported a fourth quarter loss of Rs. 22 million ( US$ 543,210), for the year 2006-07. This in spite of competition from other majors like Reliance Retail and Bharti-Wal-Mart, yet to begin. While management has blamed competition, other factors like soaring employee and operating costs including bludgeoning depreciation also have a decisive role in the loss. (Business Today, It's beginning to hurt, p46, 03 June 2007M, www.business-today.com). Five examples of problem-solving research 1. Smart Accounting helps Dunlop turn around. After 12 years in the red, Dunlop India reported a positive net worth in April for 2006-07. Compared to a negative net worth of Rs. 2611.50 million (US$ 64.5 million) in 2005-06, Dunlop reported Rs 1518.20 million (US$ 37.5 million) in the positive net worth last year. Evaluating its real estate, the company transferred part of it to its associate companies, including Dunlop Properties and Bharatiya Hotels. Instead of paying cash, these companies have issued shares of equal worth to Dunlop, which has booked them as other income, thereby shoring up its balance sheet. (Business Today, Dunlop's Paper Trick, p52, 03 June 2007, www.business-today.com). 2. Handloom industry to get a new lease of life. The handloom industry is the second largest economic activity in the country after agriculture. India is perhaps the only country to produce handlooms on large, commercial scale. However, overpowered by the presence of power loom and mill sectors, the industry is going through a lean phase. However, officials are pinning their hopes on the recent initiatives of the textile ministry to boost the dwindling prospects of the handloom industry. The ministry has initiated the development of Handloom Export Zones (HEZ) at various handloom clusters in

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Citizen Kane ,the mise-en-scene and cinematography Essay

Citizen Kane ,the mise-en-scene and cinematography - Essay Example It is an anomaly though, that, though the film was nominated for 9 Oscar categories, it only won in one. (Jackson & Merlock, 2006) The only plausible rationale for this discrepancy between its legendary status and lack of formal recognition by the Academy is that the film was way ahead of its time. The film pioneered and engendered so many facets of the filmmaking process that it took several years for members of the Academy to warm up to its accomplishments. This essay will focus on the cinematography of the film and highlight how it contributes to and enhances the overall cinematic excellence. The opening sequence of the film shows the funeral of the iconic American media baron Charles Foster Kane in his isolated residence in the monumental Xanadu. What follows is a10 minute obituary in the form of a newsreel that encompasses all the key moments in the life of the great man. Beginning with his childhood in the rural American wilderness, the newsreel traces how much wealth and power Kane was able to acquire during his peak. This newsreel sequence is one of the most original and brilliant in the history of cinema. The serious yet authoritative voice of the newsreel narrator ebb and flow in-tune with the events of Charles Kane’s life. The intonation, irony and subtle humour of this voiceover is executed to perfection. Matching this aural perfection is the visuals, which are some of the best montages ever assembled. The pace of the montage arrangement is brisk and the shots are short and crisp. The sequencing of these shots adheres to a musical rhythm, which is again in tune with the rhythmic oration in the voiceover. What is striking about this montage is its visual display of power – either political or economic. The shots of elephants and horses airlifted to the private zoo in Xanadu are forever etched in the mind. It is difficult to lose the symbolism of power in air-lifting one of the biggest mammals in the planet. Likewise, the bird’s e ye view of the sprawling Xanadu is a visual illustration of Kane’s wealth. When the voiceover narrates how politically influential Kane was, his image is embedded into a standard German propaganda shot of Hitler waving to a crowd. This is one of the earlier implementation of morphing and overlapping two discrete visuals into one shot. In the context of the film, not only was it humorous but also serves to illustrate the kind of political influence that Charles Kane wielded in his pomp. One of the most referenced scenes in the movie, illustrating Welles' and cinematographer Gregg Toland's use of deep-focus photography is the one about the childhood of young Charles Foster Kane. So much has been its impact that, â€Å"After Citizen Kane Deep focus photography became widespread, especially in the so-called film noir films of the following decade. Welles' audaciously effective idea of combining miniatures with full scale settings in sweeping camera moves harkens back to 1930's T he Bat Whispers, photographed by Ray June, ASC for Roland West. The Kane visuals also have much in common with those of Mad Love (1935). It is evident that Toland originated some of the ideas that Welles utilized so perfectly, and that Walker and Dunn also influenced Welles. The collaboration of unit art director Perry Ferguson was even stronger than is usual between director, cinematographer and designer. Ferguson worked closely throughout with Welles in

Primary Notes For Girlfriend in a Coma Essay Example for Free

Primary Notes For Girlfriend in a Coma Essay Theme Statement Rediscovering one self to give hope for the future. At some point in your life there will be sense of loneliness, to overcome this, you ought to find a significant meaning in life. Richard Richard a loyal, smart, boyfriend to Karen who is in a coma for the past 17 years. He has been by her side till the very end. Hes devoted to her, counting all the days she has been in the coma. (108) He question what is life without her? He started to having a drinking problem (79) thinking it will solve everything. He was already in depression, giving up hope when his friend, Jared died to cancer. (236) Hes been alone for 17 years even tho he is still close with his friends, theyre not always there. Questioning his fatherhood, why he failed to raise his daughter, Megan while Karen is in a coma. He broke down and went back to this drinking habits (107) When Karen awoke everything seems to have hope now.(131) When he withdrew he stills to able to maintain a proper lifestyle in his community on Rabbit Lane(246) Loneliness Each one of the character at a point along this book feels a sense of loneliness. Richard the most out of the character suffers this when Karen went into a coma. Even tho he has his daughter Megan, he still feels empty. (79) Wendy also feels lonely when Jared has passed away, he was her one true love (145) When she saw Jared ghost she wanted him to take her away, from her lonely life (224) Megan also deals with loneliness, after the â€Å"plague† she lost her â€Å"bestfriend† Jenny. She went to visit her home and read her diary â€Å"230† She also requested Jared to take her away.(234) Linus also question the purpose of life, he no longer wanted to live on the planet.(236) He wanted a glimpse of afterlife, which he then saw heaven.(238) Rabbit Lane All the events that occurred revolves around Rabbit Lane, where are there character grew up. They question why the plague hasnt reach them in Rabbit Lane. A lot of memories have taken since when they were young till â€Å"the last day of the world†

Monday, October 14, 2019

The Semantic Barriers In Peoples Communication English Language Essay

The Semantic Barriers In Peoples Communication English Language Essay INTRODUCTION: The word semantics has its origin in Greek and is taken from the word semantikos, which means showing signs or symptomatic. The first part sema of the word semantikos means sign. Semantics is the study of meaning that is conveyed in a language. Semantics refers to specific meanings of a word, especially in academic circles. Semantic barriers, therefore, are the misunderstandings that occur by people trying to communicate an idea, but simultaneously having completely different meanings in mind for the words. Semantic barriers come from differences in language, education, and culture. Obviously if the sender is speaking in English and the receiver doesnt understand English, theres a problem. But even if the sender and receiver speak English, they may not speak the same dialect. The words they use may not mean the same thing. If we order a soda in Washington, DC, for example, well get a soft drink. If we order a soda in Detroit, well get a drink made of soda water and flavored syrup with ice cream floating in it. If one is from the United States and he is speaking to a Scot from Glasgow, the American may have a hard time simply understanding his pronunciation. And his accent may be incomprehensible to the person from Scot. The receiver may use complicated words or phrases that the sender doesnt understand, such as to ratiocinate instead of to reason, or I am extremely appreciative of your efforts in my behalf instead of Thank you. Or the sender and the receiver may have cultural differences that make it difficult for them to understand each other even if they speak the same language: A Christian, a Jew, and a Muslim all worship one God, but they think about God in different ways. In some cultures, the use of titles before names is extremely important as a sign of respect, while greeting someone weve just met using his or her first name (as many Americans do) would be considered quite rude. Most of us take for granted that all our messages are well conveyed. But in practice, all messages are not successfully channeled or received. Various obstacles, blockades, difficulties, stoppages or constrictions, known as barriers to communication, disfigure the message and make communication ineffective. These communication barriers cause confusion and conflict between persons living in the same society, working on the same job and even persons living in different parts of the world who even do not know one another. A large number of managerial problems are the result of unproductive or defective communication. Substantial fruits can be gained if communication barriers are dampened or minimized. A communication is a two-way process, distance between the sender and the receiver of the message is an important barrier to communication. Noise and environmental factors also block communication. Personal factors like difference in judgment, social values, inferiority complex, bias attitude, time pressure, communication inability, etc. broaden the psychological distance between the sender and the receiver. Semantic is the science of meaning. The same words and symbols have different meanings to different people. Difficulties in communication take place when the sender and the receiver of the message make use of words or symbols in different senses. The meaning intended by the sender may be dissimilar from the meaning followed by the receiver. People understand the message in terms of their own behavior and experience. SEMANTIC BARRIERS IN COMMUNICATION ARISE DUE TO THE FOLLOWING REASONS: CULTURAL DIVERSITIES: Most of the difficulties in communication arise because the same word or symbol means different things to different individuals according to ones culture. Lets take the example of Shiny Abraham. A funny and pity thing happened to Shiny Abraham at the 1986 Asian Games at Seoul. Despite coming first by a very wide margin in the 800 m. Race, she was disqualified and lost her gold medal for having crossed the track at the place where she should not have gone. According to her she mistook the symbol, i.e., the colour of the flag. Whereas in our country the red flag indicates danger, in South Korea white flag is used for the same purpose. Misinterpreting the white flag which had been put up at that point, she crossed the track at the wrong place and suffered a setback. Words, which are in reality symbols representing a thing, an action or a feeling, can have several meanings. As explained earlier, words which represent concrete things, e.g., car or house, tend to be understood in the same way, while abstract words like merit, effectiveness or responsibility, tend to be interpreted by different persons in different ways. Difficulty in understanding may arise even in the case of ordinary words which have different contextual meanings. Lately such difficulties are being experienced increasingly by people working in international development field. One such problem arose in interpreting the meaning of the word steps. In a training program of health workers, relating to the family health in Jamaica when a question What are some of the steps that a mother should take to make sure that her baby keeps healthy? was asked, it was found that there was no response to it. The trainees who were accustomed to only one meaning of the word- steps based on their experience, could not just make any sense of the question. UNFAMILIARITY WITH WORDS: Semantic difficulty may arise because of unfamiliarity with words. For example, because of a word of some foreign language of which the receiver has no knowledge. A technical word may not create such a problem it may be beyond the ability of the receiver to understand it. In order to make it effective, a communication must be put into words which are appropriate to the environment and mental framework of the receiver. This ensures the communication to be grasped properly and implemented effectively. A very interesting example of a communication made effective by the use of words appropriate to the environment in which they were used is provided by the following incident that took place in one of the agricultural states of the USA. A proposal for raising the salaries of the faculty members of an agricultural college was under discussion. The farmers bloc was totally against giving the raise to the college teachers they could not see why they should pay those college teachers $5000 a year just for talking 12 to 15 hours a week. Faculty representatives made no headway in their negotiations until one of them who had some farming experience, got an inspiration.Gentlemen, he told the members of the administrative body, a college teacher is a little like a bull. Its not the amount of time he spends. Its the importance of what he does! BODY LANGUAGE BEING INCONSISTENT: Semantic barrier may further be created by body language being inconsistent with the verbal communication. A manager who praises the honesty and sincerity of his or her subordinate in a sarcastic tone creates doubts in the minds of the subordinate as to the course of action he or she should adopt in a given situation in future. The same kind of barrier is created by a divergence between the verbal language and the action language of the superiors. When action and language are used jointly the actions often have more powerful influence on others actions than words do. A management may, for example, profess its belief in being guided solely by the merit of employees while making promotions. Yet if employees observe that in actual practice promotions are made on considerations other than merit, the managements professed policy is bound to be affected by a semantic barrier it is not likely to communicate anything, only the actions will communicate and what they communicate will be contrary to what had been said in so many words. CHOICE OF AMBIGUOUS WORDS TO CONVEY A MESSAGE: Semantic problems arise due to the choice of words used to convey a message. A particular word may have totally different meaning in different languages. We say Dhanyavad which means in Hindi Thank you, but the same word in Guajarati means congratulations. Differences in background and experience account for differences in the meanings assigned to particular words. Every language has its own structure and style. Semantic problems arise when efforts are made to transfer the essence or feel of a thought from one language to another. Funny situations arise due to this effort. At times the meaning is distorted to such an extent that there remains no trace of the original. During President Jimmy Carters visit to Poland, a sentence in his speech, I have deep affection for the Polish people, was somehow translated into Polish as, I lust after the Polish people. In another instance, when a leading shoe company put up this slogan on the billboard s, we will only sell you the right shoe a group of naughty teenagers asked the manager, where could they go for the left shoe. PROBLEMS ARISING FROM REGIONAL ACCENTS: In a multi lingual nation like India, many of us speak more than one language. However, most of the times the influence of the mother-tongue is quite prominent and the accent with which we speak the other languages creates interesting (and sometimes serious) barriers to communication. The problem of regional accents is not only restricted to Indian languages. We, the people of India, treat ourselves as the very rightful inheritors of the English language. It is difficult to say whether it is love, pride or prejudice, but we have so much English in our native languages that a serious look is necessary at the way we pronounce English. The Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages situated at Hyderabad has done this work and found a long list of English word-pairs the pronunciation of which are rather freely exchanged for each other, notwithstanding the mess in the meanings it makes. Ship and sheep, read and rid, each and itch, beat and b it, seen and sin, eat and it, cheat and chit, leave and liveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Seem endless. The scholars at the institution have come to the conclusion that there seem to be three sets of pronunciations viz. i) Received Pronunciation of England (RPE) ii) The Anglo-Indian Pronunciation(AIP) iii) The General Indian English(GIE) or the Modified Indian English. It seems that there is a general consensus among scholars and teachers of English in the country that RP is and an unsuitable model in the Indian context because it (a) it carries certain colonial vestiges; (b) pedagogically it is unrealistic to aim at an inaccessible model; and (c) English is taught and learnt in India for a different set of purpose and norms from those in Britain. PHYSICAL NOISE: sometimes the semantic problems arise because the channel is blocked by noise. Physical noise lies in the environment. It acts as a barrier between the communicators and blocks the message from reaching the receiver. When we are trying to listen what our teacher is saying but the class is noisy; we cannot hear. We cannot hear what our friend is saying because the sound of the television in the drawing-room is too loud. We cannot read or see what is written on the chalkboard because it is reflective. All these examples represent physical noise. PHYSIOLOGICAL BARRIERS: Sometimes physiological impairment in the two communicators poses serious hindrance in the sending as well as receiving the message. If the sender has some problem and cannot speak clearly, there will be difficulty in understanding his message. If the message sent is clear but the receiver is aurally handicapped, the message may not be received. It is difficult to read very bad handwriting. Poor mimeographs lead to difficulty in reading the copies. FILTERING BY THE SOURCE: Filtering refers t sender manipulating information so that it will be seen more favorably by the receiver. When a manager tells his boss what his boss wants to hear, he is filtering information. The personal interests and perceptions of the source, thus, resulting in filtering the information. The source presents such infavourable reaction. SELECTIVE PERCEPTION: Messages are often distorted by the receivers. As in case of filtering the sender sends what he thinks will suit him, so does the receiver receives what suits him. Thus, the receivers see what they want to see, hear what they want to hear based on their needs, motivations, experiences, background and other personal characteristics. Receivers also project their interests and expectations in communications while decoding a message. The teacher who expects that boys with athletic bodies would not like mathematics actually sees them that way. It may not be true. We dont see reality; rather, we interpret what we see and call it reality. CIMMUNIUCATION OVERLOAD: In the present age of information, we are receiving information continuously, from various sources. We receive so much information that many times it becomes impossible to absorb all the information and respond to it. As a result many people tend to screen out a number of messages and fail to decode properly. In such cases, communication is either distorted or incomplete. OUR SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: As a group we have certain norms. These norms may not have logical base yet they are so deep-rooted that it is difficult to overcome them. This preconceived and unchangeable societal input prevents the receiver from receiving the message. Girls are supposed to behave like this, It is always going to be like this, are examples of this kind. Social noise blocks our communication completely. This may happen due to the fear of social criticism. Another reason is our own group loyalty. Any action by our own group is seen favourably whereas the same by the opposite group is criticized by us. SOME APPARENT FACTORS LEADING TO SEMANTIC BARRIERS: i) Sound: Equipment or environmental noise restricts clear communication. Unless the sender and the receiver is able to concentrate on the messages being sent to each other, it collides communication making the semantic unclear. ii) Ourselves: Focusing on ourselves, rather than the other person can lead to confusion and conflict. Some of the key-factors that cause this are defensiveness (we feel someone is attacking us), superiority (we feel we know more that the other), and ego (we feel we are the center of the activity). iii) Perception: If we, as a listener, feel the person is talking too fast, not fluently, does not articulate clearly, etc., we may dismiss the person. Also our preconceived attitudes affect our ability to listen. We listen uncritically to persons of high status and dismiss those of low status. iV) Messages: Communication Distractions happen when we focus on the facts rather than the idea. Our educational institutions reinforce this with tests and questions. Semantic distractions occur when a word is used differently than we prefer. For example, the word developer instead of development may cause us to focus on the word and not the message. V) Surroundings: Bright lights, an attractive person, unusual sights, or any other stimulus provides distraction and causes semantic barriers. Vi) Personal Pressure: People do not see things the same way when under stress. What we see and believe at a given moment is influenced by our psychological frames of references our beliefs, values, knowledge, experiences, and goals. Hence forth, semantic barriers are likely to happen. When effective communication is at work, what the receiver decodes is what the sender sends. A breakdown in the communication process may occur if the intended message was not encoded or decoded properly. Comments may be taken the wrong way, a compliment may be taken as an insult, or a joke might be interpreted as a put-down. There may also be barriers in the transfer process; these barriers may include: Noise, Multiple communications, Fatigue, stress, Distractions, Incomplete message, Ambiguous wording, Lack of credibility, Lack of rapport, Think in personal terms, Boring etc. Misunderstandings stem primarily from four barriers to effective communication: 1. Lack of common experience the transfer of words from the instructor to the student are often misunderstood or not interpreted correctly. A communicators words cannot communicate the desired meaning to another person unless the listener or reader has had some experience with the objects or concepts to which these words refer. Many words in the English language mean different things to different people. 2. Confusion between the symbol and the symbolized object Results when a word is confused with what it is meant to represent. 3. Overuse of abstractions over dependence of words that are of a general nature rather than specific. 4. Interference Includes physiological, environmental, and psychological interference. THINGS TO PAY ATTENTION TO AVOID SEMANTIC BARRIERS: SYNTACTICAL PROBLEMS: Syntactical problems are caused by how a sentence is structured. Many people commit structural mistakes in sentence construction while learning a second language. It is mainly because they tend to apply the grammar of their first language to the new language they are learning. Syntactical problem may create good humour but at times may give rise to serious problems. Ex: Throw mamma from the train a kiss. A nurse maid is wanted for a baby about 20 years old. COMMUNICATION SHOULD BE COMPLETE: While formulating the message it should be seen that the message should be complete in itself and should cover all the aspects of the purpose. Merely telling somebody you are good is not a complete message as it is vague. It should be at least you are a good friend. COMMUNICATION SHOULD BE POSITIVE: communications should be toned with courtesy, with positiveness. People generally tend to ignore negativeness. We are not ready to hear It cannot be done until you furnish all the information. Instead, it is easier to hear and accept It will be done as soon as you furnish all the information. Instead of Dont talk while going to the art room it is easier to communicate Go quietly to the art room. COMMUNICATION SHOULD BE TO EXPRESS AND NOT TO IMPRESS: Too much artistic language may show your art of using that language but it may not express your heart. Good communication is supposed to build a bridge between two hearts. Hence simple, straightforward, receivers language is the key. Teachers who consider themselves learned and use complicated vocabularies and sentences cause more barriers. CHOICE OF WRONG WORDS: It might sound unbelievable but sometimes just a few words can mean the difference between life and death. Language, beyond any doubt, is one of the most important vehicles of communication and we must choose our words very carefully. In larger organization people join from various backgrounds and have varying linguistic patterns. The effort is not to hurt anybodys feelings but the effort to choose correct phrases can create some humorous situations CONCLUSION: To make effective communication, First, you must be outgoing, and be confident and honest, then next find a topic that both of you are interested. But, dont forget to be a quiet listener instead talking all the time. A barrier to communication is something that keeps meanings from meeting. Meaning barriers exist between all people, making communication much more difficult than most people seem to realize. It is false to assume that if one can talk he can communicate. Because so much of our education misleads people into thinking that communication is easier than it is, they become discouraged and give up when they run into difficulty. Because they do not understand the nature of the problem, they do not know what to do. The wonder is not that communicating is as difficult as it is, but that it occurs as much as it does.