The Effects of Global Warming on Coral Reefs Research Paper

The Effects of Global Warming on Coral Reefs - Research Paper Example There are three ways in which global warming affects coral reefs: through a direct increase in water temperature; through a rise in the carbon dioxide levels in water which makes water acidic; and through rising sea levels which results in inadequate sunlight for the existing coral reefs. In addition, the study points towards various indirect ways through which rising temperature leads to coral reef damage. One issue is the increasing incidence of various coral diseases and another problem is the occurrence of natural disasters like El Nino which damage coral reef habitats. Thus, the study ends with the suggestion that the ultimate way to save coral reefs would be to address the effects of global warming. Introduction Global warming is a potential environmental problem that has been adversely affecting the global climatic patterns for more than a century. Global warming can be simply referred to the process of increasing the average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. By definition â€Å"global warming is an increase in temperature worldwide due to gaseous emissions known as greenhouse gases, and depletion of the upper atmospheric (30-50 kilometers) or stratospheric ozone layer† (Liu, 58). Meteorologist identified an increase in Earth’s average surface temperature by nearly 0.8o C in the beginning of the 20th century. Scientists hold that the increased concentrations of greenhouse gases caused by thoughtless human activities including combustion of fossil fuels and deforestation are the major factors leading to global warming. ‘The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report’ (AR4) (qtd. Deimling et al) forecasts th at the average global surface temperature may rise from 1.1o C to 2.9o C during the 21st century under lowest emissions scenario, whereas the expected range lies between 2.4o C to 6.4o C under highest emission scenario. Studies have identified that the rising average temperature of oceans has a devastating effect on coral reefs. Coral reefs are underwater forests formed of calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs play a pivotal role in protecting coastal regions. Coral reefs contain a wide variety of fishes and plants among which most of them belong to some of the most fragile ecosystems of the planet. Studies point to the fact that even a one degree Celsius change in average sea temperature would cause dreadful effects on these underwater structures. This paper will discuss the effects of global warming on coral reefs in the context of current beliefs and researches. The paper will also give focus on the potential long term effects of global warming on the human sustainabi lity. Finally it will propose solutions to the issue on the strength of identified causes and effects. Coral Reef Habitat Coral reefs are considered colonies of micro living animals found in less-nutrients contained marine waters. It has been identified that majority of the coral reefs are made up of stony corals and which in turn contain polyps. Most of these underwater structures were formed after the last glacial period and therefore it can be concluded that most coral reefs are not more than 10,000 years old. Coral reefs constitute the most diverse and fragile ecosystems on Earth and they are often referred to as ‘rainforests of the sea’. As stated in the article, Introduction to Coral Reef ecosystems, threats, and solutions, although coral reefs occupy only less than 0.1% of the worlds’ ocean surface, they are rich sources of different marine species such as fish, worms, sponges, crustaceans, and mollusks. As reported by National Wildlife Federation, the stu nning and frail coral reefs found

Special Educational Needs Essay Example for Free

Special Educational Needs Essay This is a transition time for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities – new legislation in the form of a green paper â€Å"Support and Aspiration† is advancing through the necessary stages and considerable changes are promised to be implemented by 2014. An understanding of the historical perspective and the future proposals contained in â€Å"Support and Aspiration† will therefore be helpful. Definitions: (From the current SEN Code of practice 2001) The Educational Act 1981 laid down a legal definition of Special Educational Needs in schools. That definition was repeated in the Educational Act 1993 and in the consolidation Education Act 1996. According to law: 1. A child has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. 2. A child has a learning difficulty if he or she: a) has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age b) has a disability which either prevents or hinders the child from making use of educational facilities of a kind provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of the local education authority c) is under five and falls within the definition at (a) or (b) above. The following children fall outside the legal definition of Special Educational Needs a) Those whose language at home is different from the language in which they are taught at school b) gifted children Anticipated changes Summarized from https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/Green-Paper-SEN.pdf The Green Paper, Support and Aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability, sets out the government’s intention to radically reform the current system for identifying, assessing and supporting children and young people who are disabled or have SEN, and their families. The Green Paper proposals and the Government’s wider reforms in education and health will make the best use of limited resources through better planning, streamlining assessment processes, making the system less adversarial and focusing on achieving better outcomes. Reforms are already being tested through local pathfinders, developing the knowledge and skills that will be needed for their successful implementation, and making sure that the right measures are in place to hold services to account. The lessons learnt from the pathfinders will help shape the changes. In the Green Paper the government pledges by 2014 to introduce: †¢ A single assessment process which is more streamlined, better involves children, young people and families and is completed quickly; †¢ An Education, Health and Care Plan which brings services together and is focused on improving outcomes; and †¢ An offer of a personal budget for families with an Education, Health and Care Plan. The government intends to introduce legislation through a Children and Families Bill to implement the changes to the law required for the Green Paper reforms. A draft bill will be published in summer 2012 for consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny. Application It is not yet clear how the changes will impact schools or what adjustments will be required in administration and â€Å"grass-roots† provision. Tutors will inform students of changes as they emerge.

Analysis of learning theories

Analysis of learning theories Education is very dynamic, and new initiatives, focuses and theories are constantly being introduced with the collective aim of enhancing both teaching and learning. The foundations of most educational theories appear to be behaviourism and subsequently constructivism according to Woollard (2010). As a result, this assignment will focus primarily on these two learning theories. I aim to compare and contrast behaviourism and constructivism with regards to their impact on teaching and learning. Focusing on three areas of the curriculum, I shall also consider how both behaviourist and constructivist approaches are applied and consequently the impact on an individual childs learning. Throughout the assignment I will make considerations for my own teaching and conclude with the implications on my personal philosophy. During my time in school I have had the opportunity to observe a teacher in year two and as a result I was able to analyse theory being put into practice. The individual child I have chosen to focus on is aged six and is in year two. For anonymity purposes I shall refer to the child as Child A throughout this assignment. Child A is not recognised as having special educational needs (SEN), but she is currently working at a level 1b which is considered to be below expectations by two sub levels in all core subjects (National Curriculum n.d., online). Taylor and Mackenney (2008) explain how several theorists have contributed to behaviourism, which have influenced teaching and learning in classrooms today. According to Taylor and Mackenney (2008), Skinner and Pavlov are the major contributors to behaviourism, therefore due to restricted word count, this assignment will focus on their work with regards to behaviourism. Davis and Sumara (2006, p.113) state that the work of Piaget is acknowledged as the major influence on constructivism and in turn is prominent within contemporary discussions of curriculum and pedagogy research. This assignment will focus primarily on Piagets stage theory of development. The stage theory of maturational development offers a universal process for learning, however, similar to the behaviourist view that a law of learning can be provided, it may be too over simplistic (Sigelman and Rider 2011). Bruner (1960) questioned whether the stage theory is realistic. He suggested intellectual growth must take natural ways of thought into account. Similar to Piaget, Bruner developed stages of learning and intellectual growth, however, Bruner does not believe that the stages represent different and separate modes of thought at different points of development Bruner (2003). According to Bruner (1961), learning can be achieved at any stage of development if concepts are taught at a simple level initially and revisited with a higher degree of complexity at another time. Gardner (1992) argued against the stage theory of learning as he claimed that cognitive skills develop at different and unrelated speeds (Gardner 1992, cited in Cohen 2012, p.48). This is also supported by McInerney and McInerney (2009) as they believe that although learning does appear to develop through stages, cognitive development does not progress in the neat stages originally suggested by Piaget. Piaget did however state that although all children develop through each stage in the same sequence, they do not all develop at the same pace (Nairne 2010, p.113). Gardner (1992) further questioned Piagets theory, as like Bruner, he believes earlier aspects of learning and ways of thinking are used throughout all stages of development and can be used to support learning in new areas (Gardner 1992, cited in Pound 2006). Skinner argues children cannot be taught skills they do not naturally posses, this aspect of development is similar to that of Piagets theory of readiness as both theories imply that before learning can be achieved, the child must be at the appropriate stage of maturation (Elkind 2011, online). Davenport (2002) stated that children are capable of thinking in more advanced ways before the age of seven as Piaget believed. Piagets experiments have been questioned by more recent researchers as I shall discuss. It has been put forward that Piaget may have presented tasks in particular ways in order to get specific results. When aged four to seven year old children were asked direct questions opposed to open ended questions, their responses were less artificial (Meltzoff 2007). This could have therefore mislead children and subsequently lead to underestimating childrens level of understanding and sophistication. In turn, questioning whether developmental stages undervalue the extent to which children constantly change as they are growing up. Thus again questioning the simplicity of Piagets theory. Culture and individual differences appear to be irrelevant in Piagets theory of learning, as he believed all children are equipped to learn and develop through the same stages (Snowman et al. 2011, p.70). This was criticised by Cole (2006) as he emphasised the role of society on learning and stated that children who live in traditional societies are more attentive to adults and therefore likely to develop a more observational approach to learning, whereas children from a less traditional society, are more likely to learn through verbal instruction. He evidenced his theory by conducting an experiment involving aged 6 to ten year old children and found his results were consistent with his theory. All children can learn and succeed, but not on the same day in the same way supports this theory (Spady 1994, p.9). According to Wood (2012), Behaviourists assume that behaviour is entirely controlled by the environment and prior learning. This theory is very much on the nurture side of the nature nurture debate and as a result many experiments, the majority of which involving animals, have been carried out. The use of animals in behaviourist experiments is criticised by Robins (2012, p.36) for suggesting that animals and humans learn in the same way. Bjorklund (2011) described how humans are complex and behaviour changes of animals are instinctive, whereas human behavioural changes are due to learning. He also argues that humans are separate from animals as we are the only species with powerful intellect. The way in which we think and the technological and cultural innovations afforded by our intelligence set us apart from animals (Bjorklund 2011). The Stimulus Response theory was an attempt to discover general laws of learning (Wood, 2012). Piaget studied children and not animals, however Seltman and Seltman (2006) criticised Piagets research methods, as his theory of how babies develop was almost wholly based on his own children. This could suggest that his research samples were limited and therefore weakening validity (Robins 2012). The argument by behaviourists that behaviours are dependent upon prior learning and the environment implies that people have little or no control over their own actions Engler (2008, p.226). Popovic (2008) believes behaviourism offers no explanation for, and does not consider the possibility of behaviours being a result of mental events such as beliefs. Popovic (2008 p.87) also points out that if this was true of all learning, then we are unable to have any beliefs that we have not previously acted upon or verbally expressed, going against all sense of logic. Pastorino and Doyle-Portillo (2011, p.207) argued that Behaviourism is ignorant of the mental process, and disregards the activities of the mind, as only measureable and objective behaviours are regarded as learning. Put simply, if no explicit change in behaviours take place, then no learning has occurred. This strongly suggesting only quantifiable displays of knowledge are valid and any mental process is meaningless (Mingers 2006, p.11). Although in general, a change in behaviour is a result of learning, it may not always necessarily be the case (Lefrancois, 2006). Lefrancois (2006) offers an explanation as he describes how losing a hand modifies behaviour and states that the loss itself is not learning. He believes a person may learn to compensate for the loss of their hand by learning new skills, therefore changes in behaviours does not necessarily result in improved learning. One must question how children are able to solve problems without the trial and error method deemed essential by behaviourists, as Bandura (1977) suggests that observational learning and mental processes both contribute to development, as children learn by imitating behaviours and noting mentally the possible consequences of their own behaviours. Behaviourists believe that the teacher is responsible for all learning and as a result are in charge'(Huerta 2007, p.36). It may be argued that children will not be encouraged to work and learn independently, and creatively, therefore individuality and discovery will be nonexistent (Overall, 2007). Denby (2012, P.136) supports this by claiming that children are passive learners and purely learn what they are fed by the teacher. Palmer (2001) explains that simply teaching is not sufficient learning and supports her argument by stating Einsteins teachers did not teach him that e=mc ² (Palmer 2001, p.41). This thought provoking quote supports the need of discovery and independent learning. Palmer suggests purely acquiring knowledge which is taught and from prior experience, is not true learning. Piaget (1972), was also opposed to this theory as he suggested that teaching should not place emphasis on the passing on of knowledge and that children learn by discovery as they are naturally curious and well motivated to learn (Piaget 1972, cited in Kail and Cavanaugh 2012, p.124). He also believed that children should respond to their own curiosity and that education is making creators and not just resembling another adult (Piaget 1972, cited in Davenport 2002). As previously mentioned I have observed three separate lessons in year two and have been able to witness theory being put into practice. These lessons included Mathematics, Literacy and Science. Each lesson followed the same structure in which they began with a clear lesson objective and steps to success, with all the children on the carpet, developing on to the task and concluding with a plenary. The children appeared to be familiar with the structure of the lessons and due to the lesson objective and success steps, were aware of what they could expect from the lesson and in turn what was expected of them. Most children can learn curricular skills when the concepts are broken down into little steps and in the classroom a clear Learning Objective and Success steps would achieve this (Slavin 2000). This suggests that the childrens abilities to complete a learning objective gives a clear indication of what children do and do not know (Deiner 2009, p.121). This lesson structure appeared to be a behaviouristic approach to teaching as the lesson was broken down into small steps, however it may be criticised for discouraging spontaneity and not allowing for individuality if all the children are required to follow the same sequence (Curzon 2004, p.157). Some teachers do not care for the child who gives answers which do not comply with predetermined correct answers, which could be seen as inhibiting learning and development and promoting conformity (Sarsani 2005). A quantity of children are unable to work in an unstructured environment as they are reliant on consistency and the continuity and structure allow children to feel safe and secure (Tassoni 2002, p.238), which is, according to Maslow (1970), a basic need in order to learn effectively. During the literacy lesson of which I observed, the teacher read a story to the whole class on the carpet and afterwards dictated to the children the differences between thoughts and feelings. The teacher then asked the children to independently write down examples of thoughts and feelings offering a sticker for good examples. Although the children were being active, this appeared to be a behaviouristic approach as the children were told the information and worked alone with an extrinsic incentive. Child A failed to write any ideas on her board and as a result did not receive a sticker. The teacher may have interoperated this as Child A not understanding the task or having any ideas, when in fact, she may not have been confident in writing her suggestions or quick enough to complete the activity. Perhaps the children could have worked in pairs to discuss ideas and have the lower ability (LA) children paired with a more able child. If children have the opportunity to work with other children who are at a different cognitive level, they are likely to be encouraged by the more mature child, therefore advancing to higher understanding of the material (Wood 2008, online). As previously mentioned, the children were offered a sticker as a reward for completing their work. Kohan (1993) states that offering extrinsic rewards will reduce intrinsic motivation, which according to Piaget (1970) children are self motivated therefore extrinsic rewards are not necessary (Piaget 1970 cited in Groark and Eidelman 2011, p.40). Child A failed to complete the task and as a result she was upset because she did not receive a sticker. Slavin (2000) criticises offering rewards for completing work as it may lead to children only completing any task if a reward is given and suggests the emphasis should be on the process of learning and not the end product. Slavin (2000) continues to explain how the children may not always complete a task, but they have developed their knowledge and understanding through the process. I feel this is particular constructivist view of learning is very important for my own teaching practice, as it is important to recognise individual achievement which is likely to differ highly between children. Something which is taken for granted for one child, may be a big accomplishment for another. Following on from this, the children were then set tasks involving describing characters. Child A being in the LA group, was given a worksheet with a list of adjectives, in which she had to circle appropriate words to describe her chosen character. This was with adult support, who read out all the words and child A circled the ones she deemed appropriate. This appeared to be a constructivist approach as the adult could be said to be acting as a facilitator, however if the adult had asked Child A to attempt to read each word, rather than doing it for her, she may have improved her decoding and blending skills as well as highlighting knowledge and areas for development. The fact that Child A had to circle adjectives which were already provided on a worksheet, was perhaps not the most effective way of developing understanding, as Child A chose both evil and kind to describe the same character. This task does not necessarily demonstrate understanding. A behaviourist may argue that because Child A has circled many appropriate adjectives, she has displayed learning, when in fact she has chosen words at random or words she is familiar with. This activity could have also been made more active for the children by allowing them to study pictures and props and having to produce adjectives themselves following manipulation and assessment. As a result, a more accurate demonstration of understanding could be produced. Piaget believed children learn for themselves rather than being taught, and therefore construction is superior to instruction (Santrock 2001). Child A may be missing out on this opportunity and according to her maturational stage of development she should be focusing on physical reality and should teach herself through direct experiences (Smart 2011, p.95). The teacher could then follow on from this lesson by looking at the describing words the children came up with, and building on their prior knowledge to develop their skills by introducing alternate (more complex) adjectives and lead on to produce a descriptive sentence. Piaget believed children can build on existing knowledge in order to concrete knowledge (Brain and Mukherji 2005, p.77). The children then had a fifteen minute phonics lesson which included nonsense words. Child A struggled to decipher which words were real words which appeared to have a negative impact on her self esteem as Clark (2012, online) suggests that the latest phonics tests do more damage than good. He continues to criticise the nonsense word strategy by questioning whether it demonstrates the childrens abilities to decode words rather than their ability to understand words in context. The maths lesson I observed was the introduction of estimations and sorting. At the start of the lesson the children chanted the three times tables and Child A participated confidently. The teacher then asked individual children a times table at random and when asked, Child A was unable to give the correct answer. It may be possible that Child A had learned to regurgitate the times tables in sequence, but has not got any reasoning or logic. It may be criticised that Child A has not been allowed enough opportunities to develop a depth of understanding (Tassoni 2007). An article in TES magazine (Brettingham 2007, online) reported that the rote learning focus devised from the numeracy strategy resulted in an increase in number skills, but a decrease in problem-solving. This was also supported by an analytical report of the Rose review, as it states children need not only to learn what to study but also how to study (Baker 2009, online). More recently, school Minister Paton (2012) claimed that children will increase their confidence with their number knowledge if they learn times tables by heart and rote learning should become a fundamental part of primary education. Ward (2012, online) criticises this theory of learning as he states that lessons should focus on logic not solely arithmetic. He claims that by placing greater emphasis on children knowing pairs of numbers by the end of year two instead of year one, there is a danger of assuming the children is successful however having no sense of reasoning or calculation. Mathematics does however appear to be gearing towards rote learning as recent article in the NUT confirmed that the Government are proposing by 2014 and teaching will be more directed, with rote learning a key method of delivery (Anon. 2012, p.23). Following the mental starter children were then shown a meter stick and the teacher modelled how an estimation would be made of the board. A child was asked to stand next to the meter stick and the teacher asked the children to estimate how tall the child was. Child A gave the answer sixty meters. It could be criticised that estimation is too abstract for year two because at age six, Child A is considered to be in the pre-operational stage of development, suggesting that she should not be able to understand the concept of logic or abstract thinking Sigelman and Rider (2012). Perhaps this particular lesson or unit of work was not appropriate for Child A in relation to her developmental stage. Pollard (2012, p.18) states that teachers have to start from where pupils are in their learning. He also says the Government need to set the framework and let the teachers take control, suggesting that concepts will be more individualised to suit childrens abilities. Constructivists believe children need time to practice and master skill as Piaget stated that teachers should not try to speed up the learning process, as children can only learn at their biological maturation level and therefore understanding would be incomplete (Hill 2001). One must be concerned about the children who may not be ready to move on as well as the children who grasp a concept quickly as Slavin (2000), suggested children who learn quickly will receive less instruction than others, therefore they will be held back and have to wait for others to catch up and consequently the children do not learn as much as possible. Guskey (1982) said work should be highly individualised and differentiated and the learner should not wait for others to comprehend a concept. The final task in mathematics was sorting shapes by their properties to understand classification. Child A seemed to lack concentration and barely attempted the task. Perhaps the teacher could have chosen something to sort that was of interest and relevant to Child A so she would be self motivated as when a child is self motivated, they are more engaged and likely to further their own development (Hill 2001). Donaldson (1978) argues that children need meaningful context in order to learn and understand why they are completing particular tasks. During the science lesson the children worked in the same groups as Literacy and Mathematics, (ability groups). While grouping by abilities may be appropriate in mathematics due to wide varieties of skills and understanding, science is an opportunity for children to work in mixed abilities. Whitney and Dean (2005, p.32-33) suggest that ability groups can be damaging to self esteem and result in teachers having lower expectations of LA children. The teacher could be denying Child A the opportunity to develop and extend her knowledge as Whitney and Dean (2005, p.33) also state that less able children are often stimulated when working in mixed ability groups and the more able do not appear to suffer. One of the possible reasons for teachers not placing children in mixed ability groups could be the fear of being marked down by OFSTED inspectors claims Harris (2012, online). In this recent report by Harris (2012, online) Michael Wilshaw (2012) the head of OFSTED, claimed it is critical to have high quality mixed ability teaching, if a child with low abilities is placed next to Oxford potential. He describes the ability to teach an individualised curriculum as hugely difficult and due to a combination of low expectations and inadequate mixed ability teaching, the brightest children are failing (Wilshaw 2012, cited in Harris, 2012, online). Despite this, Smith (2006, online) argues that science education in junior schools could be transformed by mixed ability grouping pupils as children lean to be more independent and communicate better with each other(Smith 2006, online). As stated in the introduction, Child A is said to be underachieving in all core subjects. It may be fair to suggest that she has not been given the chance to develop in science and due to her below average literacy and mathematical skills, has been generalised to be underachieving in all core subjects and Eshach (2006) argues that although scientific concepts may be hard to grasp, it does not mean that children are unable to think abstractly about scientific concepts. The terms below average expectations and lower ability are used often in schools. One must raise the question as to what is deemed to be average in order to establish expectations. Egan (2012 p.98) suggests the stage of maturational development theory highly influences the expectations set by teachers and the Government, as the National Curriculum is broken down into Key Stages, and years groups are determined by ages rather than abilities. It is argued by Kincheloe (2005, p.22) that this works by a one size fits all rule, which could prove detrimental to those deemed to be below average. A report by The Department for Education (Richardson 2011, online) stated that children who are slow to develop in early primary stages fail to catch up to where they should be as they move through school. This may be supported by theories of how the brain develops as Taylor (2002, p.23) states that there can be no doubts that learning is dependent upon the speeds with which nerve messages move and are sorted within the brain therefore learning is restricted the maturity stage of a childs brain. Newberger (1997) argues that childhood is the optimum time to provide children with new knowledge as the brain continues to grow throughout childhood and due to its plasticity it can grow in response to new experiences. Through critically analysing both behaviourism and constructivism and observing applications of both theories within the classroom, I have reached the conclusion that in order to reach each child and maximise potential, approaches are used hand in hand. Despite its criticisms, behaviourism is still an important aspect of education (OHagan 2003, p.37). My researched has allowed me to consider my personal philosophy for teaching and pedagogy, and my observations have further enabled me to see the implications of learning theories and strategies on an individual childs development. Through distinguishing between practice which appears to work effectively and practice that may not, I recognise the importance of understanding the stage of development each child is at and how my teaching must reflect that as a result. I feel that having high expectations of all children, allowing children to discover, construct their own knowledge and express individuality is important, alongside encouraging individuals to share ideas and learn from one another in both ability and mixed ability groups. The most prominent aspect, which shall impact on my emerging educational philosophy as a result of all my research, is that all children are individuals and one approach to learning and teaching is not effective to ensuring children fulfil their potential.

Racism and Reconstruction :: essays papers

Racism and Reconstruction Although Lincoln's Plan of Reconstruction was not put into effect in the South after the Civil War, if it had been racism would have been almost completely avoided in the 20th century. Licoln's proposed plan was called the "10% Plan." It called for 10% of the people would voted in the 1860 Election to take a pledge of loyalty to the Union. This plan was met by harsh oppostion by the Radical Republicans in Congress who viewed the South as conquered territory. These Radicals said that Lincoln's plan was much too soft. In return, Republicans in Congress then moved to pass the Wade-Davis Bill in 1864. This bill required that a majority of the South would have to take an iron clad oath that the had never supported the Confederacy. The Wade-Davis bill was pocket-vetoed by Lincoln who was assassinated shortly after. Johnson took over the presidency and his Plan of Reconstruction was passes. Instead of Lincoln's "10% Plan", Johnson's Plan of Reconstuction was put into effect. Johnson's plan was much more acrimonious towards the South. Johnson's plan demanded that the South nullify their secessions, hold stae conventions, adopt the 13th amendment, re-elect Congressmen, The question of how to reconstruct the devistated South after the Civil War was one of immense importance in many aspects. Most would argue that the problems involving the South adjusting socially to the notion of liberated blacks was the msot heated issue. It was an issue that encompassed both a change in lifestyle as well as in longstanding moral values. Both Presdential and Congressional plans were developed in an attempt to ensure Reconstruction would be as smooth as a political, economic and social revolution as humanly possible. President Abraham Lincoln believed from the start of the War, and therefore the start of Reconstruction, that the Southern states had never legally seceded from the Untion. Therefore his plan for reconstruction would be aimed at preserving the peace of the Union and fairly rebuilding the South. Lincoln's "10 % Plan" was the Presidential attempt to see to it that the South would adhere to the ideals surrounding emancipation. Lincoln claimed he would then work on re-developing the structure of each state government. The difference of opinion between the President and Congress over this matter not only revealed the differences between each sector politically, but set the stage for heated emotions in regards to emancipation. This whole chain of events was much a part of the seperation now existing within political parties, as well as dividing views held by

Case study: Issues in alignment of organizational strategies

Case study: Issues in alignment of organizational strategies and HER strategies Table of Contents Introduction Questions and answers Page# 3 A Shaky bridge (An uncertain plan) 4 Conclusions References 5 6 The advent of globalization has diversified the work force and increased its cultural differences in many companies across the globe. Publication of information on these trends has led to calls for effective management of diversity in organizations, and observers have advised that unless corporation start managing diversity, they will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage (Copeland 1988; Nelson 1988; Schmidt, 1988).Moreover, invoking what might be termed the â€Å"Value-in- diversity hypothesis,† some writers have stated that, when properly used, cultural diversity in the work forces bring value to the organization and ultimately improves their performance. They have emphasized that managing diversity is an economic issue as well as legal & social concern. (Copeland, 1988; Cox& Blake, 1991; Est., 1988; Soda & Bailer, 1983) The case is about SAA pharmacy Limited, a Malaysian company started by Mr.. Uruguayan an Indo-Malaysian in 1991.The SAA Pharmacy limited worked on the alliance and merchandise with Stop and shop which is an existing apartment store in various cities in Malaysia in the earlier days. Mr.. Uruguayan strategically recruited HER from Australia, New Zealand, India, Philippines and Malaysia based on cost of employees and skills available. Employees from Australia and New Zealand are at strategic positions, Indians in second level of hierarchy, Philippines are appointed as pharmacist and branch managers, and finally Malaysian in equal positions of Philippines.The company provides salaries incentives etc. Based on hierarchy and national expatriate basis. Despite of modern HER techniques applied by the CEO, employees room different nationalities felt discriminated. So, a work force with diversified nationalities and a level of cultural differences resulting in issues is the case about. Questions and answers: 1) What is the misalignment among company strategies, HER strategies and cultural issues? A) Mr.. Uruguayan strategically employed people from various countries based on cost of employees and skills available from various countries.It is also mentioned in the case study that Mr.. Uruguayan adapts most modern techniques of Human resource management. When the employees feels like there is a discrimination on ultra and nationality, management should have the potential to bring out the best from the employees and end discrimination and be ethical. When the work is almost Company policy is to pay employees on their designation as mentioned in the case study, so according to the skill set and experience all the nationality employees should be given opportunity to take responsibility.This will also reduce the cost since employees from other nations can be replaced by local employees with same skill set and experience . 2) Can you identify any problem in sourcing the employees from different countries? A) The company provides salaries incentives etc. N hierarchy and national expatriate basis. This led to a feeling of discrimination among the employees from Malaysia and Philippines The employees of Malaysia, particularly pharmacists, feel that they r discriminated and paid less even though they do the same Job like the pharmacists from Philippines.On the other hand, Philippines have a strong feeling that they are also discriminated against Indian employees. They contribute the lions' share of profit to the company as pharmacists. While all the other employees believe that salaries are not based on the nationality of the employees, but based on the significance of duties. Mr.. Arranging despite of the modern HER techniques that he uses, couldn't have this problem solved. 3) What would be the possible measure to solve the problem of the company? A) The following measures can be taken to solve the pr oblem: Mr..Arranging should make the employees understand that all the departments and functions of the organization are equally important. SSP should hire more local employees with required skill sets in better designations. Care should be taken regarding employee motivation with some awards and rewards for the employees with best performances. Promotions and hikes should be considered with respect to the experience of the employees. Shaky bridge: Mr.. Arranging started the company in 1991 implies that he has very good experience in recruiting human resource.There is no need for him to cross any shaky bridges and can handle the alignment issue in the work force. Motivating the employees to be more focused on their Job is an option but the fact remains the same that cultural differences will exists. Moreover, increasing incentives, hikes in salaries etc will increase the cost for the company. Considering the ability of MR.. Arranging to recruit, SAA pharmacy can play a gamble with t he employees which might work in their favor to solve the issue. Case study mentions that the employees are concerned about the differences in their nationality and salaries of other employees.This is a clear indication that the employees are not completely focused. Every employee should work under common interest of the organization. Salary differences should not be a problem for the employees as they have to understand it increases the attractiveness of the company to recruit globally. So, from he given situation, the following questions arise: 1) Is SAA Pharmacy limited paying to international employees more when they can have local employees with same skill set for a lower expense? 2) Promotions, hikes etc. Used for next quarter? 3) Can SAA Pharmacy take an advantage of the differences in the work force?In the work force, Mr.. Arranging will have employees that are creating the issue and employees that get influences by such employees. Depending on the performance of the employe es Mr.. Arranging can lay off a few employees and increase the responsibilities of the other employees. This will make the employees more focused on their Jobs and stop poking their noses in other employees' affairs. Employees complaining that the company is not reaching their expectation, the company can turn the tables by increasing the expectations on the employees. As Mr..Arranging has good communication with the employees he can clearly mention this an opportunity to prove their skills and worth to get more benefits. If possible, company can mix and match the responsibilities of the employees and can conduct training programs to improve the skill set. Training programs for the employees to handle different responsibilities will not only improve the skill set of the employees but as he employees get to know the other employees Job, they will understand that lions and deer are equally important in a food chain. Applying this change can be a success or a failure depending on the s kill of Mr..Arranging and the level of commitment and efforts of the employees. Mr.. Arranging should lead them with an example by increasing his interaction with the employees and show that he is working as hard as all the other employees are. If the change is a success and the employees manage to reach the expectations then the company can give the promised benefits which can be compensated by other international employees as he company has local employees with the skill set and no longer need services of the international employees. If the change applied is a failure, at the very first alarm, Mr..Arranging should line up employees to balance the work force. In this case, it will be practically proven that the employees are not as worthy as they claim to be. Getting back the former employees will also increase the good will of the company. This is an unguarded change that can solve the issue and the company can choose not to take the risk. But crossing a shaking bridge is always u ncertain and its completely Mr.. Remonstrant's call since a person don't know what lies ahead of the bridge. Conclusion: In the workplace, and from a business perspective, having a diverse workforce is no longer a question.The world is interconnected and due to the huge advances in international travel and communication, people easily move and work across borders. Humans and the potential they possess drive an organization. The advantages of a diversified work force like Innovation, talent pools etc will be effective when issues like conflicts, disunity, bureaucracy etc are handle effectively. This can be assured by considering the following points: 1 . Recognize & welcome cultural differences 2. Adapt to new hires instead of enforcing the traditional corporate culture on them 3. Communicate and understand differences 4.Be attentive to verbal and nonverbal cues that might indicate or create tension 5. And customers gained or lost. We should always question and test the purpose of th ings and see if indeed the diversity policy or programmer is creating the results that is expected. Perhaps the diversity initiative is compromising the business performance. That doesn't mean to scrap diversity altogether but it might mean to go back to the drawing board and re-think the approach. References: Copeland, L. 1988. Valuing diversity: Making the most of cultural differences at the workplace.

Homeschooling

Homeschooling Before the beginning of American public schools in the mid-19th century, home schooling was the norm. Founding father John Adams encouraged his spouse to educate their children while he was on diplomatic missions (Clark, 1994). By the 1840's instruction books for the home were becoming popular in the United States and Britain. The difficulty of traveling to the system of community schools was provoking detractors.At this time, most of the country began moving toward public schools (Clark, 1994). One of the first things early pioneers did was set aside a plot of land to build a school house and try to recruit the most educated resident to be the schoolmarm. This led to recruiting of graduates Eastern Seaboard colleges to further the education oftheir children beyond what they could do at home (Clark, 1994).As the popularity of the public school movement began to rise behind Horace Mann many states soon passed compulsory-education laws.Champ Clark at Sea Gert [i.e., Girt] (LOC)These w ere designed primarily to prevent farmers, miners, and other parents form keeping their kids home to work (Clark, 1994). Ironically another factor behind public schools was the desire to use them to spread Christian morality, with its concern for the larger good over individualism (Clark, 1994). Massachusetts enacted the first such laws in 1852 requiring children ages 8-14 to be at school at least 12 weeks a year unless they were too poor. The laws proved to be effective, from 1870-1898 the number of children enrolling in the public schools outpaced the population growth.Except for certain religious sects and correspondence schools home schooling remained limited for most of the 20th century. During the 1960's the hippie counterculture exploded into the scene. This culture led a revolt against the education establishment. Thousands of young Americans began dropping out of society and going back to...

Story of Jesus Essays

Story of Jesus Essays Story of Jesus Essay Story of Jesus Essay In some cases Watson considers Paines argument good for nothing (Apology, 120). Paine compares the genealogies of Christ given at the beginning of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and having found a difference, he concludes that one of them lies and so if they cannot be believed in the very first part of their writing, then nothing that they say afterwards is to be believed (Apology, 121). In Watsons opinion, neither Paines premises nor his conclusion are admissible, since it is unfair to reject all the accounts of the Gospel, saying that the evangelists differ in writing a pedigree of thousands of years ago. Again Watson reasons out that two persons may write a genealogy of a certain individual based on different sources they find without the least intention to write a falsehood. Likewise, Matthew and Luke took their accounts from the public registers and wrote differently; Matthew followed the genealogy of Joseph (Jesus stepfather), and Luke the genealogy of Mary (Jesus mother). Had not their account been true, they would have been exposed by the Jews for having imposed a false genealogy on the Jewish nation (Apology, 122). Watson observes that Paine reads the Bible with a critical eye, pointing out what he thinks as an error, and disowns its moral and historical significance. The ongoing issues indicate that Paines and Watsons contrary views resulted from the 18th century modern biblical criticism, which emphasized fact, discarding the value of faith.16 Paine got used to this method while Watson stuck to Biblical authority. Their difference can be seen in their understanding of truth. What Watson regards as truth appears to be a myth for Paine. Their attitudes towards miracles can be mentioned as an example here. Paine asserts that the miracles cited by Josephus, i.e. opening the sea of Pamphlilia to let Alexander and his army pass is related to the division of the Red Sea narrated in Exodus. Also the two miracles, curing a layman and a blind man which Tacitus relates with Vespasian are synonymous to the miracles told of Jesus Christ by his historians.17 All these miracles are not acceptable to Paine because they sound naturally incredible. Responding to Paine, Watson argues that the miracles recorded in the Bible are the works of God, and therefore superior to those mentioned by Tacitus (Apology, 22). While Paine views the Biblical miracles as mere fables, Watson values them as supernatural acts whose validity cannot be doubted. Taking seriously the sort of contradictions he found in the Gospels, Paine rejects the whole story of Jesus (his virgin birth, crucifixion, and resurrection), considering them as myths derived from heathen mythology.18 Conversely, based on his inference that whenever two individuals write about somebodys story there may be a disagreement in minute points, Watson does not hesitate to accept the story of Jesus Christ as true. Once he is convinced that Christs birth and resurrection are miraculous in their nature, and the testimonies of the Gospels are deemed to be reliable source of divine inspiration, he does not leave any room in his mind to suspect the reality of the biography of Jesus. As a deist, Paine does not accept anything that is opposed to his own experience. But Watsons attitude towards things contrary to his experience is quite different from Paines. Watson states, my philosophy does not teach me to reject every testimony which is opposite to my experience (Apology, 48). The variation of their stand can be seen in the account of the standing still of the sun mentioned in the book of Joshua on which both of them commented. Paine contemptuously rejects the story as a tale only fit to amuse children.19 According to him, God works constantly through the universe, and so extraordinary accounts like the story in the book of Joshua are against Gods law. Defending the validity of the story, Watson brings proof from tradition. As stated by one of the ancient historian, in the time of Ahaz, the sun went back ten degrees. Also Herodotus said, the Egyptian priests told me that the sun had four times deviated from his course, having twice risen where it uniformly goes down and twice gone down where he uniformly rises (Apology, 52). In addition to this, as Joshua himself quoted (Josh. 10: 13), the miracle of the suns standing still was recorded in the book of Jasher. Therefore the testimony of tradition is enough for Watson to accept such a story which has never happened in his lifetime. Furthermore, as a believer in the supernatural deeds of God, Watson grounds his acceptance of the miracle in the book of Joshua on his conviction that the machine of the universe is in the hand of God; he can stop the motion of any part, or of the whole of it, with less trouble and less danger of injuring it than one can stop his watch (Apology, 53). Therefore, contrary to Paine, Watson emphasizes Gods freedom of action, asserting that he can do whatever he likes on the universe. The difference of opinion between Paine and Watson can also be traced out from their treatment of prophecies. According to Paine, prophets are impostures and fortunetellers whose prophecies can have no greater avail than poems and music (Apology, 58). As for Watson, the prophets were divinely inspired to declare Gods will in various manners and degrees of evidence as best suited the occasion and time (Apology, 59). It is true that the prophets are fallible in their nature. But according to Watson, they are not fallible while they are professing to deliver the word of God (Apology, 59). Thus their prophecies are deemed to be real predictions, though expressed in poetic language, and their fulfillment approves the truth of revelation. Paine points out contradictions in the Bible to which Watson replied, appealing to the text. Paine contends that the reason given for the observation of Sabbath in the book of Deuteronomy is different from that of Exodus (Apology, 31). In effect, he invalidates the authority of both books. In his reply, Watson states that as its name Deuteronomy  (a repetition of a law) indicates, the law which had been given to the Israelites was repeated to their children 40 years later because Moses their leader was soon to be taken and they were to settle in the midst of idolatrous nations. Thus, for Watson, it is not surprising if some additions and variations appear when a legislator thought fit to republish it many years later its first promulgation (Apology, 32). Paine also investigated the Gospels and found some accounts mentioned by one evangelist, which are not mentioned by all or by any of the others, and deduced that the gospels are not the works of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (Apology, 125). For Watson the reverse is true. He infers that all the evangelists agree in a great many particulars of the life of Jesus: purity of his manners, publicity of his miracles, the manner of his death and resurrection. Hence, while they agree in these great points, Watson goes on, their disagreement in points of little consequence is rather a confirmation of the truth than an indication of the falsehood of their several accounts, because had they agreed in nothing, their testimony ought to have been rejected as a legendary tale, and had they agreed in everything it might have been suspected that they were a set of imposters (Apology, 125).