Nature vs. Nurture Controversy

The nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities (â€Å"nature,† i. e. nativism, or innatism) versus personal experiences (â€Å"nurture,† i. e. empiricism or behaviorism) in determining or causing individual differences in physical and behavioral traits. The phrase â€Å"Nature versus nurture† in its modern sense was coined[1][2][3] by the English Victorian polymath Francis Galton in discussion of the influence of heredity and environment on social advancement, although the terms had been contrasted previously, for example by Shakespeare (in his play, The Tempest: 4. ). Galton was influenced[4] by the book On the Origin of Species written by his cousin, Charles Darwin. The concept embodied in the phrase has been criticized[3][4] for its binary simplification of two tightly interwoven parameters, as for example an environment of wealth, education and social privilege are often historically passed to genetic off spring. The difference being that wealth, education and social privilege are not part of the human biological system, and so cannot be directly attributed to genetics.The view that humans acquire all or almost all their behavioral traits from â€Å"nurture† was termed tabula rasa (â€Å"blank slate†) by philosopher John Locke, and proposes that humans develop from only environmental influences. This question was once considered to be an appropriate division of developmental influences, but since both types of factors are known to play such interacting roles in development, most modern psychologists and anthropologists consider the question naive—representing an outdated state of knowledge. 5][6][7][8] In the social and political sciences, the nature versus nurture debate may be contrasted with the structure versus agency debate (i. e. socialization versus individual autonomy). For a discussion of nature versus nurture in language and other human universals, see also psychological nativism.

Personal Statement (Oxford)

Personal Statement Every year, thousands of people all over the world apply the best of themselves to Oxford. Some believe in the distinguished faculties producing groundbreaking research that addresses critical issues facing our academia, while the others believe in the synergy between fundamental and applied research and the â€Å"The Lord is my light† approach, which foster intellectual partnerships between faculties and students. As an up-coming graduate in Economics, I yearned to further my postgraduate study for an Oxford master programme in the School of Geography and the Environment because of a passion running deep inside my thought.The passion is rooted from the place where I grew up, and sparked by a practice of enviromental change research I experienced recently. I grew up in Zhongwei, Ningxia, China — a small oasis located in the junction between the Yellow River and Tengri Desert in northwestern China. My feeling on this land has been a complex mixture of love and sigh, as folks are nurtured by this land, but also tortured by frequent sand storms and very dry weather. During my college life in Jiangsu University, I, as a volunteer, participated in a research project to study the environmental changes and the corresponding socio-economic effects around Shapotou.I was impressed by the fresh scene of Shapotou, the place where once engulfed by desert has been covered mostly by vegetation. Because of the success in desert-control, Shapotou is known as a â€Å"Miracle in the history of the world’s desertification control†. I was honored to be invited to participate in the field investigation led by Professor A from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Through participating in the research project, I obtained the knowledge on the history of the desert movement and principles governing the desertification control.I have also learned that the achievement of Shapotou desertification control project has attracted the attention of expe rts and scholars from many parts of the world, including the Dean of St Cross College of Oxford University, Professor who visited Tengri Desert with Professor Huang in 2007. Deeply impressed with the success of desertification control at Shapotou, I have been very interested in topics related to geography and environmental conservation since then. For this, I have done some studies on climate change, ecological protection, energy conservation and environmental economics. I have also been keeping in a close contact with Prof.A for consulting and discussing issues on geographical and environmental aspects. Through my contacts with Professor A, who used to be a research fellow at Oxford University, and many other sources including the information shown on the website of Oxford University, I understand well that Oxford University is one of the leading universities in geography in the world. Following my passion and maturing self-conscious, I started to draw my own blueprint catiously â €“ I would make all my effort to earn an offer from Oxford University for studying in the programme of Nature, Society and Environmental Policy.Armed by the knowledge and skills I gained from my college study, I will dedicate myself on environmental protection in my hometown. I am truly convinced that choosing to become an Oxford’s â€Å"dark blue† is the best choice to fullfill my life’s pursuit. I sincerely hope that I can be admitted as a postgraduate student of Oxford University, and I am very confident of my capability for completing my studies at Oxford University.

First Term Paper - Why I know I am not in the Matrix

First - Why I know I am not in the Matrix - Term Paper Example As a means of integrating with the plot and philosophical subthemes of The Matrix, this particular analysis will seek to engage the reader with a well balanced understanding for why it is obvious that the life that each and every individual experiences is not a type of virtual or coded reality. In order to integrate with the question of what is â€Å"real† and what is â€Å"a subjective viewpoint†, it is necessary to discuss the way in which the theme of The Matrix can adequately be defined with respect to the way in which Descartes discussed reality and what made humans certain of anything. Descartes viewed the subjectivity of the human experience, the question of reality, and the fact that no understanding or knowledge – even any expectation – could be made with regards to the existence of something beyond our own world. However, rather than letting this be a determination for the fact that all reality is subjective and could possibly be a clever illusio n on the part of a twisted higher power, Descartes determined that the best approach to this question of reality was the famous quote, â€Å"I think therefore I am†. ... In other words, if in fact some type of computer simulation of reality helped to define the world and laid a framework for the way in which humans thought and interacted with one another, it is only logical to assume that this very same construct would not allow for independent thought with regards to considering the truth of reality. Thus, utilizing this train of logic, the individual can firmly come to an understanding that if in fact a computer simulation, far and above beyond the capabilities of humans to infer, understand, or replicate, was indeed somehow invisibly in charge of the dynamics of our own reality, any such doubt and/or consideration for such a fact would be highly discourage and ruled insane (Johnsen 227). However, as has been noted in the past several decades, consideration for such a topic has not been distanced to the outer realms of possibility and in fact has even been represented to the individual participant within society in the form of movies, artwork, grap hic novels, and discussions within the philosophical community. Another reason why the individual should not integrate with the belief that the â€Å"brain is in a vat† or that all reality is merely a construct that is carefully designed is the fact that such an approach is inherently non-falsifiable (Smoyak 9). Naturally, even a cursory level of understanding with regards to the scientific method or philosophical understanding should lead the individual to understand that a non-falsifiable theory is in and of itself unacceptable. The ultimate reason for this is that each and every theory must be able to stand upon its merit and not based upon a caveat of inherent truth. In such a way, the belief that all

Imaged Reactions of Robert King to the Interesting Narrative of the Essay

Imaged Reactions of Robert King to the Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah or Gustavus Vassa, the African - Essay Example It has been near Thirty years since I freed Gustavus, and in that time the Evil of the Slave-Trade has been exposed for all of us to see and read, in large part from his Account of his Life. Had I not freed Gustavus, he would not have been available to do this Work of Our Lord and stir the conscience of our Country. I tremble at the thought of the Ways in which Providence’s Work is mysteriously achieved. I am also relieved that my Stewardship has been exposed to the World through this book in a favorable manner, and hope that some measure of forgiveness will be afforded me for my participation in the evil practice of Slave Trading, by showing that I at all times endeavored to treat all of Our Lord’s children with kindness and Mercy. For the first time I have understood the Humanity of Gustavus’ Life in his home of Africa, with those other Children of Our Lord who have been lost, but live in a type of innocence. Gustavus is now doing the Lord’s Work by brin ging His True Word to the heathens in that continent now made more wretched by the Slave-Trade. May they turn away from their Pagan superstitions and find the True Deliverance and comfort that only comes from our Savior. It is mystifying indeed how the Lord has caused His Salvation to reach the primitive peoples of Africa through such trials and Tribulations as those suffered by the Martyrs! It is a strange thought, without a doubt, to learn that our African brothers are descended from the same seed of Abraham, and are still waiting to hear the Word of our Lord. Indeed, as a man of the Sea, I am ashamed to learn of all the wretched conditions on the Slave Ships and the Evil that it has made good Christian men do. Indeed, they are the breeding grounds for Satan’s works. The immorality of kidnapping of children and the sinfulness of the behavior of men for this Inhuman Traffic is shameful to read. I fear the consequences of my actions on the Day when I have to account to my Sav iour, as we all suspected and sometimes even knew that the men we left in charge of our Slaves were committing the gravest acts of immorality, lust, and cruelty, but said nothing as we served Mammon instead of serving our Savior! I had known that Gustavus was a remarkable and valuable Servant, but I did not know the extent of his adventures and sorrows. Gustavus was brought into the Evils of the Slave Trade, and then into the evils of War, both of which violate the sacred teachings of our Savior. But Providence saved him in countless situations, even when my dear Captain had succumbed to illness, so that Gustavus could save more Souls and reveal His Glory to all the World. The Lord and His Grace were present even in the most horrid conditions of war and slavery, and His Servant, Gustavus, could see the Guiding Hand of Providence and thereby be saved. It fills my heart with sorrow to read of the countless betrayals faced by faithful Gustavus, and I thank the Lord that I, at least, ke pt my word and offered him his Freedom, without ever wishing to keep him in further Bondage. That this black seed of Abraham shall redeem the white Christians of Europe from their immorality, lust, and perversity caused by such a pernicious Slave Trade, through my act of manumission is a humbling Honor for which only the Lord deserves credit. If we can now rid ourselves of this Great Sin, let us do so! Gustavus’ talent was well made manifest to me when I saw how quickly he had been able to raise the forty pounds sterling for

PESTEL REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PESTEL REPORT - Essay Example Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environment and Legal issues greatly differ in respect to domestic as well as the global structure. PESTEL analysis provides an overview towards the different external factors that the business or organization has to take into consideration. The Political environment of the country highly contributes to the stability of the nation which is as vital aspect to consider regarding the business development. Political factors include intervention of government policies, labor laws, trade restrictions and tax policies. The Economic influences of a nation or the global environment provide a great impact on the business operation and decision making. These factors include the growth of the economy, inflation rate, exchange-rate, globalization, GDP and GNP growth. The Social and cultural aspects of a region contribute considerably to the products demand and business market. The social factors include population growth rate, career attitudes, age dist ribution safety measures, educational infrastructure and cultural taboos. Technological aspect of the business determines the production level and affects the cost and quality of the products. Technological factors include R&D activity, automation, rate of technological change, emergence of new technologies and impact of communication. Environmental issues directly or indirectly affect the business well-being in regard to its kind. Environmental factors include ecological and environmental aspects such as climatic change, weather. Also environmental awareness creates an impact towards the production of products either positively or negatively. Legal issues are widely taken into consideration when establishing a business in a particular region. Legal factors include consumer law, discrimination law, employment law, and health and safety law. Depending on these factors, a PESTEL analysis should provide a context for the business in relation to its external environment. After having a brief introduction about all these factors, let us take a deeper discussion on the effect and influence of economic factors in business growth and development. Influence of Economic factors on business: The economic environment of a country greatly influences the businesses and their market. Though economic factors are out of control for business, it shows a profound effect on the performance and marketing of the business products. It contributes to the product demand, cost structure, pricing strategies, profitability and various other issues within the concern. In addition, it provides a direct impact on the behavior of the consumer in buying the business products. In case of international business, it is a vital one to consider the economic environment of the region or country as it provides a prominent influence over the business growth and its products market. On the whole, â€Å"the strengthening of an economy will generally benefit industries, but the extent of its effect wil l vary according to which economic factors are most affected.† (Henry 2008). One of the major aspects that impact business and economy is the Gross Domestic Product rate (GDP). A constant and positive level GDP is essential to sustain a good business economy. A business GDP has to be on a constant check and appropriate measures have to be taken to maintain the same. Appropriate changes to the policies will

The endangered anmial-Mouse Lemur and White-flag Dolphin Essay

The endangered anmial-Mouse Lemur and White-flag Dolphin - Essay Example Conservation programs are being developed carried out to ensure the continued existence of these fascinating animals. This essay presents a comprehensive description and current circumstances of these two endangered animals. Introduction Extinction naturally happens. In fact, a huge number of species has already died out. With regards to this, several individuals and groups have explained the worsening global scarcity of species by declaring that because extinction naturally occurs, the extinction of recent species is merely an extension of a natural occurrence. The 1973 Endangered Species Act (ESA) was the first official, federal attempt to recognize that every species serves a distinctive, special function in the environment and that people, especially governments, should keep from disturbing the balance of nature or the ecosystem (Liebesman & Petersen, 2003, 89). The double responsibility for stable and organized management of the ESA is assigned to the Fish and Wildlife Service ( FWS) for land and several marine species and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for marine life forms. The Act’s original goal was â€Å"to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved† (Liebesman & Petersen, 2003, 89). ... From the point of view of ecology, a more effective method is to focus on protecting self-sufficient environment of these species, and allowing nature do its part (Liebesman & Petersen, 2003, 89-90). The FWS is tasked to list, delist, and reclassify protected species. When it is suggested to list a species as Endangered or Threatened, the FWS publicizes the suggestion in the U.S. government’s publication—the Federal Register (Baur & Irvin, 2010, 1). Afterward the FWS makes a decision whether to endorse, modify, or reject the suggestion. A species can be classified either ‘threatened’ or ‘endangered’, which depends on its condition and the level of threat. By definition, a ‘threatened’ species is â€Å"likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range† (Baur & Irvin, 2010, 34), whereas an ‘endangered’ species is â€Å"in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range† (Baur & Irvin, 2010, 34). A species is listed as endangered or threatened due to any of these reasons (Liebesman & Petersen, 2003, 18-20): (1) the threatened or current disruption or devastation, alteration, shortening of its range, or weakening of its habitat; (2) overexploitation for scientific, business-related, or recreational purposes; (3) the incompetence of current regulatory measures; (4) disease; and (5) other human-made or natural phenomena affecting its ability to survive. Once a species is listed, protective measures begin. Such measures involve protection from damaging impact of government programs or operations; limitations on the capturing and selling of species; and execution of recovery plans. These attempts strengthen the survival

Software Reuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Software Reuse - Essay Example Software reuse has its roots it software and computer programming in the development of software libraries, which contains functions and subroutines, they are called reusable units of software. Now day’s software reuse contains the spectrum of system artifacts including these software libraries as software requirements and patterns. In software engineering, the last fifty years were a tremendous change. In 1990’s, there had been a shift from tools, processes, documentation and plans to individuals, working software, collaborations and responding to change. Organizations have been moved from typical waterfall models to spiral, evolutionary or iterative process models. Software reuse is categorized into two different types: opportunistic and systematic. Opportunistic means the unplanned and euphemistically reuse of software artifacts that are not originally designed for reuse of it in mind. But as well as concerned with systematic reuse of software, the software artifacts are designed in a sense that they are deliberately reused (Glisic and Lorenzo 2009). Benefits of Software Reuse: The concept behind software reuse is clear cut. Software reuse enables developers to create new software from existing ones using strategies, principles and techniques. A powerful concept proposed by Jones and Bonsignour (2012) has been focused on the software reusability. Software reuse results in a huge productivity, better quality and decrease in time for products. It is a mean to achieve the improvement in the overall software production. A high quality software reuse process improves productivity, quality and dependability as well as schedule, cost and performance of software. In short, software reuse development helps in reduction of risks in legacy and new system development. Estublier and Vege (2005) suggested that a really reusable component had a significant cost. Therefore, to be cost effective, a reusable component must be widely reused. Reuse backdrop encomp asses a range of reuse techniques (Sommerville 2004). Once software reuse is established, it enables the organization to accomplish more without using addition resources. Software reuse is important for business trying to gain and maintain a competitive advantage. It allows organizations to avoid duplicating past efforts. Software issues are also decreased by using these reusing techniques, and it represents a strategy to meet the challenges of rapidly changing complex environment (Pressman 2010). Lim (1998) identifies many benefits of software reuse, which are given as following: Improved software quality Short time to market Increase development productivity Consistent application functionality Reduce the risk of cost and schedule overruns Allow prototyping for validating user requirements Leveraging of technical skills and knowledge There are many benefits of software reuse, however, cannot be realized until effective implementation is not applied. Reuse of a software component, which cannot meet the requirements, cannot present the evident until verification and validation activities. Software reuse has broader benefits, but these benefits may be overlooked or go largely unrealizable without the organizational support for reuse and incentives for reuse (Larman 2012). Potential Problems with Software Reuse: Sobh (2010) stated the following facts, which affect the software reusing process:

Information systems site visit paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Information systems site visit - Term Paper Example In addition, duplication and omission of a medicine from the EMR or including a drug that the patient does not take currently make up the discrepancies in medical reconciliation. Interactions, such as Drug to drug and drug to disease also form part of the discrepancies experienced (Orrico 2008). Since these errors can be fatal, it is important to control them. Patients are the major agents of discrepancies. The lack of proper communication with the healthcare providers as regards to the medicine that administered to the patient outside the current health care facility is crucial. Sometimes, the patient can receive over-the-counter (OTC) medicine and it is extremely important to reveal this to the healthcare providers in order to avoid discrepancies. For instance, omitting a daily Multivitamin that the patient has initiated from the medication list is a patient generated discrepancy (Vogenberg & DiLascaia, 2013). Practically, it is only through the patient that this product can be included in the EMR, through the patient report. Yes. The systems in the purview of pharmacy are simplified and streamlined. With the escalating costs of health care provision, pharmacists are committed to solve this problem through the system that is streamlined to provide ameliorated health care yet affordable to the patients. Further, the simplification increases access to health care for the patients. Pharmacies are often located conveniently and operate for either extended hours or twenty-four hours a day so that the patients can conveniently access the facility. The pharmacies work closely with specialists and physicians, together with their skills in the field of medication and the utilization thereof, in their bid to provide counseling and advice on new prescriptions, safe use of products and the use of proper OTC treatment (The Pharmacists’ Association of Newfoundland and Labrador 2011). The streamlined and

Chronic Offenders Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chronic Offenders - Assignment Example A group of North American researchers, including Don Andrews, Paul Gendreau, Robert Ross and Ted Palmer were reanalyzing data in 1975, same time as Martinson was announcing that only a few things had effect on recidivism, and found out that many things worked in contrast to the report that Martinson was basis his theory on. The re-analysis of the facts proved that the ‘Nothing works doctrine’ was wrong, a claim which was further boosted by Martinson’s proclamation of the same in his paper in 1979, acknowledging the errors in the earlier reviews. Since then, a number of meta-analytical study results verify the efficacy of some of the correctional approaches to chronic offenders. Instances include review of twelve meta-analyses on correctional treatment by Losel, which estimated the effects sizes of these treatment ranges between r=+.05 and r=+.36, with a mean of r=+.10 in all the cases analyzed. McGuire followed suite in 2000 with analysis of six other meta-analyses, obtaining a reduction rate on recidivism of between 5% and 10%. His conclusion was that some methods of correction were more effective and consistent than other, but rehabilitation definitely worked on chronic offenders. Punishment-oriented correctional measures are not effective. Personally, I perceive these punishments as crime cultivators; enhancing the growth of what they claim to root out. The intimidation of the offenders by punishment-oriented measures does not lower the risk of these offenders engaging in crime, rather, it increases it. Recidivism increases with each punishment. These sentiments are consistent with the recent research carried out by RAND Corporation on adult inmates of state prisons in America (Franklin, Pratt & Gau, 2011). Inmates subjected to punishments had a tendency to commit more crimes than those subjected to rehabilitation measures. According to Robert Ross and Gendreau, claims of effective rehabilitation of chronic

The Ways in Which the Principal Teachings of Two Religious Traditions Essay Example for Free

The Ways in Which the Principal Teachings of Two Religious Traditions Essay Peace and its execution and conservation is a concept embedded within the teachings of both Christianity and Islam. Thus the sacred texts of each tradition, namely; the Christian Bible and the Qur’an and Hadith instruct the adherent as to the best way of contributing to peace at a global level. Upon the analysis of the principal teachings of Christianity and Islam pertaining to peace, it is the contention of this paper that; the inspiration and desire for peace derives directly from the sacred texts of the two traditions. Essential to the concept of peace contained within the Christian Bible is the belief that peace as a concept was given to humankind by God, demonstrated by the teaching and example of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament. â€Å"Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace I give to you. † (Jn) This teaching is as such evident in a number of movements which advocate and attempt to achieve world peace. The World Conference on Religion and Peace is a prominent initiative created through the influence of Christian teaching, aiming to encourage dialogue between nations in order to foster and conserve the peace ordained by God. They have provided mediation is such areas as Kosovo and have brought together world leaders to discuss issues such as global security and disarmament. This elucidates the way in which global initiatives for peace are heavily influenced by the principal teachings of Christianity. Moreover, another prominent initiative directed towards the attainment of peace at a global level is the promotion of the World Day of Peace by Pope John Paul VI, declaring that annually, New Years Day should be dedicated to reflection regarding the need for peace, saying that; â€Å"peace results from the harmony built into society by its divine founder. (John Paul VI) This highlights the direct influence of Christian teaching on movements for world peace. Although conflict in contemporary society in a global context is still prevalent, it can be observed that small in-roads to peace have been made as a result of the adherent’s capacity to act on the principal teachings of the tradition. Another prominent teaching of Christianity pertaining to world peace encompasses the concept that peace s attainable if adherents exercise the virtues of faith, hope and love which were bestowed by God in all aspects of ife. Moreover, this teaching demonstrates the notion that evil should not be re-paid with evil but must be dealt with by way of righteous action. â€Å"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. † (Mt) This is thus demonstrated on a practical level through the National Council of Churches in Australia’s (NCCA) initiative, the â€Å"Decade to Overcome Violence. † This employs the aforementioned teaching as its basis and urges the Christian community collectively to practise these virtues. Moreover, the council works to denounce international conflict, saying that; â€Å"war as a method of settling international disputes is incompatible with the teaching and example of Jesus Christ. † (NCCA) This demonstrates the way in which the worldwide Christian movements for peace place at their foundation the ethical principals of Christianity as reflected through the Bible. Perhaps one of the more prominent ethical teachings of Christianity with reference to world peace is that which highlights the correlation between being a Christian and working for peace. If your enemy is hungry, give him food†¦ resist evil and conquer it with good. † (Rom) This highlights the concept that working towards peace is an obligation of being a Christian. This is well exemplified by such movements as Pax Christi International, a peace organisation who sought to rectify the problems of the world in the aftermath of WWII and to promote such ideas as ecological awareness, disarmament and human rights. Moreover the pacifist movement, the Quakers or Society of Friends actively promote pacifism, typifying the notion of the practical application of Christian teaching. With reference to Islam, the cornerstone of the Islamic view of world peace is the Lesser Jihad. The principal teaching surrounding this is that Allah desires peace but acknowledges the human capacity to be violent and aggressive. Thus, the concept of the Lesser Jihad or the struggle against external evil in pursuit of world peace is developed. Adherents focus every aspect of their lives in the pursuit of Jihad and it is through this that one may finally achieve submission. O soul at peace, return to the lord. † (Qur’an) This struggle against external evil is demonstrated at a practical level through the initiatives of Australian Muslims to enter into dialogue with non-Islamic Australians to attempt to quell misunderstandings regarding Islam such as the misconception regarding Jihad. In 1989, The International Scholars Annual Dialogue was established by scholars from various faiths to clarify such issues as the aforementioned, helping to achieve world peace. This organisation believes that the western media â€Å"oversimplifies the position of Islam† on matters such as terrorism, thus impeding initiatives towards peace in a global context. Moreover such movements as the Bridges not Walls Foundation is an interfaith movement instigated by Muslims and Jews in order to oppose the conflict in the Middle East. Although peace in its entirety has not yet been achieved, initiatives such as these possess an incalculable significance in directing the world towards peace. Peace is a concept that is embedded into the sacred texts and principal teachings of both Christianity and Islam. These texts instruct the adherent toward the most appropriate way to peace and as such it is the concluding contention of this paper that; the inspiration and desire for peace derives directly from the sacred texts of the two traditions and although this has not yet been fully achieved, the movement towards world peace has been aided by the capacity of adherents to act practically on the principal teachings contained within the sacred texts of the aforementioned traditions.

Business Issues And The Context Of Human Resources Commerce Essay

Business Issues And The Context Of Human Resources Commerce Essay XX is a leading International Healthcare Group with the purpose to help people lead longer, healthier and happier lives. The organisation does that by providing a broad range of healthcare services, support and advice to people throughout their lives. With no shareholders and its global presence in 190 countires, the organisation is said to be a industry leader. XXX is a 60 years old organisation providing services like Health insurance and Wellbeing, Healthcare provision, Healthcare Analytics and Care Services. The organisations vision to be world leader in the health care sector has been supported by the following objectives: Listen to its customers, act quickly and professionally. Living and Breathing organisations values monitored by HR on regular basis. Make a difference in peoples lives by offering all high quality and value added healthcare Creating diverse and mix work force of highly skilled and knowledgeable employees and invest in their development within the company via organised HR function. This report has been commissioned by the CEO of XXX. FINDINGS 3.1 Forces shaping the HR agenda Our purpose is to help people live longer, healthier, happier lives and the 52,000 people we employ are at the heart of making this a reality. John Handley, HR Director, XXX International It is essential for XXX to have a strong and distinctive identity that clearly seperates the organisation from others in the field. Everyone in XXX has a part to play in this and hence thats where the HR plays a vital role. Examples of External Forces that have shaped the HR agenda are Competition, Markets, Economic trends and the changing face of the Health Industry. Increasing expectations of the customers from the oraganisation and more competitors offering similar policies and products at lower rates, made XXX to look more further into the product designs and customer service management, which resulted in hiring more talented and knowledgeable people skilled in their sector to provide the best customer service to the customers and partners. To make sure that the right number of people are available to service the customers and are able to effectively deliver the right results to the costumers, HR department works in partnership with the management. They decided to provide the right environment for the people to learn, grow and develop them through Innovative Learning Approach and by recognising people for their contribution to the organisations success. By investing into the right people, XXXs objective was to provide the best customer service through all channels to its members. HR proposed to offer its employees both an open environment and an informal culture, encouraging fresh ideas and helping employees realise their true potential. To reflect their different business needs, all the business units have a tailored HR department i.e.operational HR, organisational development, reward, HR systems, employee recognition, and HR support. These units works exclusively to provide a direct, informed and tailored service to meet its unique needs. 3.2 HRs contribution to Organisational Effectiveness Creating competitive advantage through people. Group HR Management works in partnership with the Management. All business units individual HR heads who reports to the HR Director. This is to make sure that all the departments on its own are delivering higher levels of performance to the benefit of our customers and the bottom line. Individual HR in all these units perform common bundle of processes which impacts on organisational performance. Recruitment of talent that matches XXXs values. Leadership and management practices/ competencies Performance management Succession planning Recognition Organisational climate and workplace environment Facilitating effective change management Management development and training Career development 360 feedback tools All business units have their own Administration and Training departments. The Administration department looks after Payroll, HR Systems and Database Management to make sure that all the employee details are correct, secure and as a result in them being treated fairly. All the employees are paid correctly It has its own Change Management team who deals with changes in processes and work culture. The Training department works in partnership with the business in all individual units to create appropriate, skilled and tailored training solutions to keep up with the changing business needs. 3.3 HRs roles and functions in management structures XXX HR Map Administration Training Departments are in each business units and have individual Change Management Teams IS HR Organisational Development HR Director HR UK Membership International HR Group HR Management Development Care Services Information Systems HR Training Development Group HR Functions Reward Recognition Business Technology Training IS Resource Management Group Resource Management Pensions Benefits HR Systems XXX One Life HR within XXX works as a strategic partner, hence plays a very important role in finance, operations and other business departments within the organisation. The main objective is to provide high returns on the businesss investment in its people. XXX does not follow any set models of HR but do relates with the Harvard model in some manner. It sees employees as resources. It emphasises on issues like involving people in decision making and developing an organisational culture based on trust and teamwork. It has shared goals for coordination and control and a flat structure to minimise status culture. It employs the multiple stakeholder model in which employees are seen as having interests along with other stakeholders, management, unions and government. The HR outlines four main policy areas which are Human resource flows : HR manages the flow of people within XXXs individual business units through recruitment and selection, through the organisation by placement, appraisal and promotion and lastly through out of the organisation by termination. It also makes sure at right number of people are available at all the times according to the business needs. Reward Systems : Even though each business unit has separate Reward System in place, it serves a common purpose to attract, motivate and keep employees happy within the organisation. Employee Influence : People being the heart of the organisation, their views and concerns are given equal importance as of stakeholders and customers. Work Systems : With the ever changing business needs and the medical climate, XXX makes sure that the information and technology used within the organisation provides the best outcomes. The HR function in all the business units currently concentrates on achieving the four Cs of the model. Commitment, Congruence, Competence, Cost Effectiveness. The XXXs hr structure also somehow resembles the Ulrichs hr model as all the business units do individually have their own separate departments to deal with change, strategies and administration. 3.4 Business Ethics and Accountability XXX follows a code of professional ethics which are based on the principles that determine the way employees behave and Brand personality that describes the way employees are suppose to perceive. Brand Values : Caring we genuinely care about peoples health and wellbeing. We exist for no other reason. Respectful : We respect peoples individuality, privacy and dignity and try to respond to their individual needs. Ethical : We are committed to acting responsibly and in the best interests of people and the environments. Enabling : We empower people with our knowledge and experience to help them choose the most appropriate solutions. Dedicated : We are dedicated to providing a professional, reassuring service and seek oppurtunities to go the extra mile to exceed peoples expectations. Accountable : We are accountable for the quality, efficiency and value of our services, and act in the best interests of our customers. Brand Personality : Warm Human Caring Understanding Approachable Health Care Expert Global Outlook BUPA Employee Individual Business units do have their own code of conducts in line with the group values. For example, the training and development department in all units have professional code of conduct from the Institute of Management Consultants which covers ethics as Integrity, Independence, Objectivity and Responsbility to the profession. All the core values and ethics are explained on the XXXs intranet which is available for all the employees across the organisation. It clearly mentions how employees are expected to act in relation to the various policies like Treating Customers Fairly, Health and Safety at work, Data Matters, Security Matters Policy and Data Protection Policy As a global healthcare company, XXX deals with the personal details, medical data and financial records of millions of people around the world. Protecting that information is essential is a key responsibility for all of us. XXX Chief Executive XXX as a major healthcare services provider, plays a very important role in designing and delivering medical procedures and policies. It works closely with NHS and makes sure that all the treatments offered to the members in their centres are within the medical guidelines applied by NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence). XXX has its media policy, Risk Management and Fraud Protection policies. XXX has its own Corporate Responsbility and Sustainability Policy under which it is made sure that healthcare expertise is used in the way that is good for business and communities. It covers many areas including employee giving support and volunteering, community health and wellness partnerships, addressing and minimising our impact on environment and affiliations with like-minded businesses and organisations (e.g Nuffield Health Centres, Physio Centres, Conservative treatment centres, etc.) XXX is an active partner with Life Education which supports youth health and drug education programs and with Can Too to raise funds for Cure Cancer. The Group HR provides support, encouragement and motivation to its employees to participate in various activities conducted to fulfil its corporate responsibility. Employees are expected to actively promote these services while having interactions with the customers at all the times. 4.1 HRs role in strategy formulation and interpretation All organisations will at some point need to focus on the activities and actions that it will undertake to meet its long term aims and objectives. XXXs vision taking care of the lives in our hands is at the heart of all strategies that are planned and practiced within the organisation. The two main objectives helping HR to form strategies within the organisation are Management capability : Through validated processes and development, this objective is met by XXX recruiting, retaining and developing managers the meet the business challenges of today and future. It involves different strategies designed around Recruitment, Core competencies, Performance Management, Succession Planning, XXX One Life, Climate Surveys, Change Management, Management Development, Career Development, 360 feedback tools and Customisable Questionnaire. Enabling systems and processes : This objective is met by developing and maintaining a performance-oriented culture. It includes Induction and Measures of Success. Business priorities are cascaded through the different levels of the organisation through a process whereby they become increasingly more detailed and focused. They trigger departmental objectives which are translated into team objectives and in turn provide the foundation for personal objectives which are based on SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound) targets that are to be met on consistent basis. These objectives are discussed, set and measured as part of the performance management plan of all employees depending on their roles and business units. XXX does not fit into any particular model of relationship between the HRM and the Business Strategies but it does work on the theories based within these models. In the best fit model (Schuler and Jackson example), employees are seen as key in the implementation of the declared organisational strategy and the HR strategy is designed to fit with this. XXXs individual departments propose strategies to be implemented via management surrounding functions, systems and processes within the department which enable the functional strategy to be achieved. This is then responded by the HR by defining the strategy to meet organisational needs. In the Resource based approach, the focus is to sustain competitive advantage through development of human capital rather than aligning human resources to current strategic goals. XXX invests in regular development of its employees within the organisation to make sure that they are updated with all the knowledge required to perform their job well and so to add value to the company. 4.2 Business and HR Strategies Each business within XXX evaluates its current position, its market and competitor environement and identifies its key strategies and plans in its annual 3 Strategic Year Plan (explained in 5.3). They work together in order to achieve common objectives of the organisation. Two of these most important objectives to be achieved in XXX are Cost Control : To utilise the resources in the most productive and effective way. To recruit and retain effective and skilled staff More training and development options to the existing employees to perform various roles Flexible working patterns according to the business needs Authorising treatments that are medically appropriate and within clinical guidelines only, leaving a small room for exceptional cases Covering as many as health-care workers to work within XXX limits to make sure that the customers are happy with the policies Competion : to regularly update the products and services offered within the health and care sector. To provide best customer service on levels of the business To design and offer most flexible and tailored policies to the members. To retain customers by offering alternative treatment options and longer support services. HRs role in meeting this objectives has been analyised through SWOT/STEEPLE which looks at the internal strengths and weaknesses and the external oppurtunities and threats. Below is the combined SWOT Analysis for XXX Strenghts : No Shareholders : this enables all the profits to be utilised to provide better customer service and products to the members. People : highly skilled and mix work force which knowledge of various sectors and products. Team of qualified health care consultants and providers. Customer-focus work culture Technology : Most advanced technology in the health care sector relating to the processes and procedures for medical treatments. Guidance on health issues online and on the phone. Operations : Working with various organisations and health groups to provide the best health care to everyone. Weeknesses : No Shareholders : If profits margins not gained, not enough money to invest back into the business People : mix work force and long-serving staff who are resistant to change. People lacking knowledge of all the departments as specialising in one specific area. Operations : because of the high turn-over of the staff, no standard operating procedures. Regular changes to keep up with the changing demands of the business. Cost-control : Staff redundancies in many business units resulting in low moral within the organisation and heavy work load on the rest of the workforce. Oppurtunities : Partnership with various organisations within the healthcare sector. As a lead health care service provider, had access to higher numbers of consultants and medically trained people Works closely with NHS, hence very influential when it comes to decisions relating medical treatments and funding for certain experimental treatments International presence to make sure private healthcare is available and provided to people around the world. Threats : Competition from other insurance providers who offer private health insurances on lower rates. Outsourcing of many business units which lacks communication and information transformation in a quick and appropriate manner. Higher medical costs which makes the premiums of the policies go higher every year. Increased customer demands to cover more experimental treatments and drugs because of globalisation. 4.3 Vertical and Horizontal Integration XXX works with NHS and other health-care providers to provide better health care services. The Vertical Integration is practiced within XXX as many of the services are offered via other providers who specialises in Travel, Home Care and Conservative treatment. This does serves the purpose to achieve the organisation to provide more treatment options to its customers which results in more appropriate and affordable policies been given to its customers. The option of been treated via NHS or Privately is always available for the customers leaving room for them to choose the most appropriate and time-saving option. The horizontal integration is defined within XXX as all the HR functions are inter-related and inter-connected to each-other. This is achieved by a business units specially looking for skilled employees in customer service, information technology, nursing and administration sector which leads to internal recruitment or resourcing, further leading to development, performance management, rewards and recognition and employee relations. 5.1 HRs role in Business Planning The Global expansion of XXX in the current times have resulted in fine-tuning of the policies and functions throughout the organisation to ensure that required support is provided to drive XXX forward. This has created a demanding and fast changing environment to work in. XXX expect high standards from every one of its team members and in return offer the opportunity to enhance their career with one of the most biggest and most successful brands in private healthcare. HR being the part of the Organisation Development team within the Group functions, has a very wide role to play to achieve the organisations one common goal. It works to make sure that all business units within XXX had right level of people with right level of skills are available to effectively deliver results to its customers at all times. Introduction to flexible working hours, change in employment contracts, inter-departmental transfers to suit the business needs, more systems and procedures to work with resulted in introduction to the change management team within HR of all business units. The things that caused XXX to go through change are Challenges of growth within global market i.e increasing cost of medical treatments and more experimental treatments introduced within UK market Technological changes i.e different technologies to work with to make sure that all processes and procedures are up to date according to the changing demands of the business Customer Pressure i.e. customers looking for more options and better services at lower costs The HRs involvement in various aspects of change was identified as Restructuring the recruitment and resourcing policies Advising team managers in skills available within the organisation, career development and transfer oppurtunities. Assessing the impact of change in one department on another part of the organisation. Making sure that the communication is clear and consistent within all departments of all business units within the organisations. Helping its to cope with change , performance management and motivation. 5.2 Environmental Planning It is very important for XXX to scan through the environment and consider all the present and future forces affecting the direction and goals of the organisation. Environment Planning involves external factors like trends and markets and internal factors like infrastructure and personnel. The STEEPLE analysis for XXX shows all the forces affecting organisational change Social Technology Economic Environment Political Legal Ethical Lifestyle changes of the customers involved with the company Energy costs and usage Inflation rates Natural resrouces Regulations related to private healthcare Employment Laws Reputation Living conditions of its employees and customers related to the business Changes in IT new systems and processes Consumer confidence within the companys products and services Strong Environmental policy Safety regulations Consumer Protection Business Ethics Income distribution within the community New inventions and software developments Medical costs Recycling Trade policies/ globalisation Trade Unions Client Confidentiality 5.3 Measures of Effectiveness What gets measured, gets attention and gets done. Tom Peters XXX has its own business priorities. To keep them accountable and focused on their key objectives, all businesses in XXX go through an annual process of setting their major priorities for the coming year. These are agreed in annual meetings, together with the key financial targets and from the basis of what the business will be measured on the following year. This is a similar process as Performance Management in employees. The organisation has The 3 year Strategic Plan (3YP) which describes the direction the Group as a whole and the individual business units will take over the next 3 years. This plan is completed every year and is an important part of XXXs strategy and planning processes. Group HR delivers this plan to different business units which is then cascaded to its employees. The context of each business is then evaluated on the basis of three important management tools. The Annual Operating Plan : It sets the detailed financial targets for the year for each individual department including HR. (sets targets for sales, costs, profits, etc) The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each individual in each business units. Thess are set of key operational, customer, strategic and people performance metrics. The Business priorties : The change acceptance rate of all individuals within the organisation. All these tools are available on organisations intranet for the convenience of all its employees. Performances of the employees are measured with the Brand values and behaviours been achieved, delivered and maintained. These are maintanined within the organisaiton as Performance Review and once completed along with the Development Plans are then sent to their respective HRs administration department who works closely with the training and development team to provide immediate attention to key issues. This process of measuring the human capital and oraganisations data provides a clearer picture within the working culture of the organisation. So, in this way, management, training and development team and HR administration works together to manage people and policies to achieve set business objectives. CONCLUSIONS XXXs vision to provide the best healthcare options in the world to every individual possible is a long term goal to be achieved along with the changing face of the medical sector and economic trends. It provides value-added products and services to its customers on the possible grounds making sure that the increasing private health insurance cost does not put the customer off from using the private healthcare. It needs policies and procedures to be updated all the time to match the technology offered within the market. XXXs diverse network of organisational structure which is divided in separate business units gives an opportunity to the organisation to look into greater details and specialise in its area of expertise. HR within XXX perform within its own business units providing tailored services to its people which makes its more approachable and easier for it to stay in touch with the business requirements. International HR looking after all the aspects of border control, trade ru les and regulations, etc contributes highly to the organisation to go through globalisation. The Group HR looks after all the functions of the organisational development and Rewards recognition which is kept separate from the administration department to give it more time and resources to look into organisational strategies and planning and run smoothly. Though it looks like a complex structure, it does allow the organisation to perform and deliver its objectives on consistent basis. People being the heart of the business, the organisations investment in its resources is incredibly valued. RECOMMENDATIONS Leadership Development : Employees within the organisation to go through planned management traingin to deliver consistent business results. HR to be more influential in individuals growth through a leadership development programme. This should discussed and put in place in the next 3YP meeting. More uniformed structure of Training and Development : Stuctured and uniform induction program for all employees delivered by HR. Learning and Development team then to look into more specialised training of its employees. This should be auctioned immediately with ongoing continuous improvement plan. Adaption of Competency Framework : Even though employees are evaluated on the brand values and behaviours, a competency based mapping should be followed in the performance development plans. This will help to achieve higher levels of organisational and employee effectiveness.

Immigration Reform Essay example -- Immigration US Policy

â€Å"We are nation of immigrants. Some came here willingly, some unwillingly. Nonetheless, we are immigrants, or the descendants of immigrants, one, and all. Even the natives came from somewhere else, originally. All of the people who come to this country come for freedom, or for some product of that extraordinary, illusory condition. That is what we offer here—freedom and opportunity in a land of relative plenty.† (Middletown Journal 2005) We have created the land of free. Nonetheless, there have been a number of Immigration Acts in the United States. The first one was the Naturalization act of 1790. Then the immigration act of 1965 passed, and immigration restrictions applied to Mexican Immigrants for the first time. Nearly 30 years later in 1986, the immigration Reform and Control Act was, created which granted amnesty to immigrants that had lived in the United States before 1982. Nevertheless, this later act made it a crime for employers to hire undocumented immigrant workers. In order to create a successful Immigration Reform Policy, the government has to consider several socioeconomic areas including border control, worker programs, education, and the economy. â€Å"All the elements of this problem must be addressed together† (Bush 2006) Who is controlling our borders? We must secure our borders to prevent illegal crossing. The United States recognizes illegal immigration, has been an issue for decades. Creating a successful Immigration reform policy will decrease illegal crossings. In addition, implementing more experienced Border control officers; will decrease the use of military personnel. In addition, allowing military personnel to secure our Nation not just the Mexican borders. The new policy will a... ...itehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060705-6.html Bush, President George (2006/06/15). President Bush Addresses the Nation on Immigration Reform Retrieved July 36, 2006, from Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060515-6.html Bush, President George (2006/05/15). Fact Sheet: Overview Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Retrieved July 31, 2006, from Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/05/20060515-7.html Civil Rights Org. (20060529) Senate Approves Sweeping But Flawed Immigration Reform Bill Retrieved July 31, 2006, from Web site: http://www.civilrights.org/issues/immigration/details.cfm?id=43795 Gale, Thomas. (June 8, 2006) Senate passes immigration reform bill with vouchers for ESL, civics classes In Report on Literacy Programs, 18, p75. Retrieved August 20, 2006, from InfoTrac OneFile via Thomson Gale:

On Certainty :: Essays Papers

On Certainty In his essay â€Å"An Argument for Skepticism†, Peter Unger makes the case for the â€Å"universal form of the skeptical thesis†. He is arguing for the position that any type of knowledge is impossible for any person. His argument seems to be a simple one, derived from two very clear hypotheses, but that is not the case. This paper is an attempt to show that while philosophically interesting, Unger’s attack on knowledge is not nearly so damaging as he contends. I will argue that Unger mischaracterizes the nature of certainty as it is ordinarily used (something he says is important to his argument), and also that he has mischaracterized one of the sources he used to defend this definition. I will then present W.V.O. Quine’s psychologically based epistemology as presented in â€Å"Epistemology Naturalized† and â€Å"Two Dogmas of Empiricism†, and argue that this theory provides a more adequate account of the way knowledge and certainty are understood. I will also attempt to address the objections to Quine’s theory raised by Jaegwon Kim. So, how does one begin an attack on all knowledge? The answer, as it turns out, is quite simply. Unger’s argument consists of only two premises. The first of these states that â€Å"If someone knows something to be so, then it is all right for the person to be absolutely certain that it is so (238).† To this is added the second premise, that â€Å"It is never all right for anyone to be absolutely certain that anything is so (238).† Clearly, the conclusion â€Å"Nobody ever knows that anything is so†(238) follows. Unger next alters these premises slightly, adding the idea of overriding considerations. The first premise is the same except with the words â€Å"†¦providing only that no overriding consideration (or considerations) make it not all right (241).† Likewise, the second premise becomes It is not the case that it is all right for someone to be absolutely certain that something is so providing only that no overriding (consideration or) considerations make it all right. (242). I am perfectly willing to grant Unger the first premise. I think that there is no problem with allowing him this, in and of itself. Even the second premise is allowable in a certain, philosophically interesting sense, and in this sense, Unger’s argument is very strong. The philosophical ideal of absolute certainty is something that I think should be given up as a vain pursuit, and I think that Unger shows this nicely.

Freakonomics Chapter 1 Summary Essay

In chapter one of Freakonomics, Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt describe how when incentives are strong enough, many usually honest people from different walks of life will cheat in order to gain financially or climb the ladder in their careers. The authors define an incentive as â€Å"a means of urging people to do more of a good thing or less of a bad thing.† This chapter covers three varieties of incentives: Economic, Social and Moral. Economic incentives motivate people with the promise of money or goods. Social incentives motivate people to respond in a certain way because they care about how they will be viewed by others. Moral incentives motivate people on the basis of right and wrong. We look at four different case studies that show how these types of incentives can push people to cheat. The first case looks at ten day care centers in Israel. The centers started to fine the parents who were late picking up their children three dollars. For the weeks before the fine was added there was an average of eight late pick-ups per week. After the fine was implemented, the number of late pick-ups increased to an average of 20 per week. The day care center was using an economical incentive for the parents to get there on time to avoid the fine and that plan failed. The authors believed this plan failed because parents felt they were paying off their guilt and the fine was too low. Next we looked at the high stakes testing in the Chicago Public School System. The government orders high stakes testing as part of the No Child Left Behind law. Schools with low testing scores would be punished or shut down, and schools who did well were awarded. Teachers whose students tested badly could be fired while teachers whose students tested well would receive large bonuses. This was economic incentive for teachers to cheat because they could gain money for doing well or lose their job for poor testing. Levitt developed a computer algorithm to look for strings of suspicious answers on standardized tests. After analyzing the data it revealed that in about five percent of the classrooms there was evidence of the teacher cheating one way or another. The next case study was on Sumo Wrestling matches in Japan. Sumo wrestling is huge in Japan and the ranking is everything to the sumo wrestlers. Highest ranked wrestlers are treated like royalty while those who don’t rank as high must tend to their superiors and do jobs that are less than desirable. The results of the data in this chapter shows that a wrestler  very well might throw a match to help his opponent maintain his current ranking, when throwing the match does not hurt or help his current ranking. There was economic and social incentive for them to cheat. A wrestler would help another out with the promise of being helped out when they needed it. It was proven that the majority of sumo wrestlers do cheat at one point or another. The last study was data collected by an entrepreneur named Paul Feldman who decided to start a bagel business in the Washington D.C. area. He would drop off bagels to different offices and leave a basket for the employees to drop in the money for the bagel, a sort of honor system. He kept track of the payments and started an accidental study on honesty. The data showed that smaller offices are more honest than larger ones. Also, someone’s mood could affect if they would pay or not. After reviewing his findings, Feldman believed that morale was a key factor in whether the employees were being honest. Evidently people are not above cheating, even when the gain is very low (95 cents for a bagel) and cheating appears to be more likely as the income level of customers increases. Although this is true, we now know that 87 percent of the time people are honest, even if they know they can get away with it.

Relationship between society and education Essay

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIETY AND EDUCATION Introduction Many sociologists have observed that there is a strong relationship between education and society. This observation is borne out of the fact that it is not possible to separate or draw any line of demarcation between the two concepts. This is because of the fact that what happens to the educational system undoubtedly affects the society, the young in its own image. The components of the educational system that constitute perfectly defined facts and which have the same reality as another social fact are inter-related. They are inter-related internally, so that a given education system has unity and consistency, and also externally so that the education system reflects a society’s moral and intellectual values. Ottaway (1980) defined society as the whole range of social relationships of people living in a certain geographical territory and having a feeling of belonging to the same kind of group. In every society, whether developing or developed, complex or primitive, there is always an education system. Education systems are not the same, as no two societies are identical. Therefore, education systems differ from society to society and their aims, contents and techniques also differ from one society to another. From the foregoing, one might postulate that educational institutions are micro-societies, which mirror the entire society. This is one of the reasons why societies try to evolve education systems and  policies that would meet the needs, beliefs, attitudes and the aspirations of their people. Havighurst (1968) observed that the way to understand a society’s education system is to understand how it is related to the other basic institutions of that society, in particular the family, the church, mosque,the state, the polity and the economy. Relationship between Education and Society We have seen education in particular as a means of cultural transmission from one generation to another. The parents are the first teachers of the child and they still maintain an educative function throughout the early and formative years of a child. In most of the developing nations of the world, including Nigeria, parents are responsible for sending their children or wards to school. Since these nations are undergoing rapid socioeconomic and political changes, they witness special problems involving the appropriate education system, which will be able to produce the adequate manpower needs in all the segments of the society. . Schools are established in many societies of the world so as to instill in the pupils those skill’s which will afford them the opportunity of taking their rightful positions in the society; but this function cannot be adequately accomplished without the assistance of the home because both the home and the school perform complimentary functions in the moral and intellectual development of the child. This means that the child cannot be educated in a vacuum or in isolation. Therefore, for a child to be educated there must be interaction between him and his physical and social environment. By this we mean that education is the development of personality. It is something which goes on both inside and outside the home and in the school. In other words, education is an activity of the whole community. This means that education is used in the transmission of the cultural values. One important implication of looking at education as the transmitter of cultural values is the fact that education can be influenced by the culture of the society in which it takes place. For this reason, one may infer that for a child to be educated, he must be influenced by his environment and, in turn, be capable of influencing it. And it is only by the concept of the continuous interaction of the individual and his society that the development of personality can be properly understood. We have noted above  that education is a means through which the cultural values of a particular society are transmitted from one generation to another. Through this process, the society is able to achieve basic social conformity and ensure that its traditional values, beliefs, attitudes and aspirations are maintained and preserved. Clarks (1948) observed that a general knowledge and acceptance of the ideals and aims of our society is essential for all its citizens, and it must be achieved throug h education but in a form, which makes it compatible with freedom. So he reconciles the double purpose by saying that admittedly, the purpose of the educative society may be to make men conformable. But overmastering that must be the purpose to make men free. A society needs a stable and dynamic set of values and a ,unified purpose. It is when this is ascertained that meaningful economic, political and social programmes can be embarked upon for the overall benefits of the citizens. To be a fully developed a person in such a society, implies full and creative membership of it with powers to change it. Ottaway (1980) contended that the transmission of culture still remains a vital function, and is not to be dismissed as merely conservative in the sense of being old-fashioned. He further observed that our children are potentially the society of the future, which still belongs to the non-social community, and education in this respect can be regarded as a socialization of the young. Education depends on the total way of life of a people in a society. This suggests that the type of education provided will differ from society to society. Besides, each society has her own norms, values and her own ideal persons who stand out clearly for the youn ger generations to emulate. Since all these societies are not the same, then it means that a man is regarded as a hero in one society because of his contributions to educational development of the society may not be regarded as such in another society where education is not given priority in the scheme of their daily activities. It, therefore, implies that children have different people to emulate in different societies. It is logical to expect that the type education given in each society will change from time to time as the society changes. Many writers have argued that education is one of the causes of social change in the society, but another school of thought is of the opinion, that educational change tends to follow other social  changes, rather than initiate them. Ottaway (1980) observed that ideas of change originate in the minds of men; often in the mind of a single man. Exceptional individuals invent new techniques and propound new values for their society. These ideas arise from the impact of man o n his culture, but do not change the culture until they are shared and transmitted by a social group. In his own submission, Boocock (1972) noted that societies undergoing rapid social change or modernization have special problems in adapting the educational system to the manpower needs of the world. They often suffer shortages of persons with special kind of education in engineering and other technical fields and may have difficulty in keeping persons with valuable skills once they have completed their education. Another area of the relationship between education and society is through the arrangement of the entire society into a hierarchical order that is, through the social structure in which education plays a prominent and significant role in fixing educated individuals into social classes. Ottaway (1980) observed that education is the process of preparing people to fit into this complex social structure and to play particular social roles as members of more than one institutional group. Individuals have to learn to be fathers or mothers, school teachers or civil servants, shopkeepers or priests. They have to learn to keep the law, to understand how they are governed and to be prepared to try and change the social moves when they see that they can be improved. Education as a social phenomenon is also concerned with the preparation of the child for his future occupation in life. This is one of the main economic functions of education and this is in the interest of both the nation and the individual. Through education an individual knows the structure of the society and the different types of relationships that exist among those structures in the society. The child is taught how to perform different roles within the social structure in the society. These roles are inter-r elated. For example, the role of a father is a relational role; a father could be a son to another person. So education allows the child to perform his role adequately within the social structure in the society. In addition, the child is able to understand the network of inter-relationships among the different social institutions that make up the society. . Also of importance are the different functions that are performed by each social institution in the society. Like an individual, each institution has definite functions to perform in the society and the functions of each institution differ from one to another even though they are complimentary. Another aspect of the relationship between education and society is in the area of social interaction. Social interaction may be defined as any relation between people and groups, which changes the behaviour of the people in the group. There is a need for social interaction by the child before he could acquire the culture of his society. This interaction in the society is therefore part of the child’s education, provided that, that type of interaction brings about positive changes in the child’s behaviour in the right direction as required by the educational system. One important point here is that the child has been taking part in group interaction long before he starts to attend school and the most common among these group interactions are within the family and the peer group. These groups in which the child interact, gives him the opportunity to learn from the wider circles in the society. From his social contacts, he learns his roles in different groups and this influences his personality development. Conclusion Many sociologists have appreciated the relationship between education and society and have concluded that the two are so interrelated. That one cannot draw any line of demarcation between them. It has been observed that the educational system of any nation must be based on the needs and demands of the society, and that any educational system that fails to meet the needs, aspirations and ambitions of the society is not relevant and is bound to fail. The educational system of any nation is concerned with, the transmission of the cultural values of today to those who will live in the world of tomorrow, and contents of education must somehow strike a balance. Dubey et. al. (1984) observed that a good educational system, in all its full substance and ramifications, is related to the level of culture, industrial development, rate of urbanization, political organization, religious climate, family structure, stratification and other institutions of the total social system. Finally, education has to fulfil both the individual’s needs and those of the society and must keep pace with other sub-systems in the society, as both variables are inter-related. REFERENCES Blakemore, K. and Cooksey, B. (1981). A Sociology of Education for Africa. London: George Allen & Unwin. Boocock, S. (1972). An Introduction to the Sociology of Learning. New York: Houghton Mifflin. Clarke, F. (1948). Freedom in the Educative Society London: University Press. Dubey, D.L. et.al (1984). An Introduction to the Sociology of Nigerian

Architecture in Nature

Animals and insects have been able to develop solutions to assorted jobs in nature that are still faced by the worlds. The type of constructions that these animals/ insects build has a varied structural system and signifier. Their accomplishments in membrane design, airing, insularity, H2O proofing, drainage etc. are huge.[ 1 ] The grounds why all animals build are to protect themselves from the physical environment and from the other species. So, the architecture of these animals should be strong plenty to protect them from other species and besides should be immune to the physical environment.[ 2 ] To protect from the other species or marauders, these animals build in such a manner that either they submerge with the background or expression like something that can be mistaken for an object that is non nutrient. Protection for a white ant hill from marauders is done wholly by its stuff and that of the nest tubing built by weaver bird is done by its construction.[ 3 ] Temperature control can be seen by comparing the nests of humming birds in the low lands and the 1s in cragged parts. The 1s in low lands have shallow nests without plume liner and the 1s in the cragged parts have deep nests with plume liner. The stats show that when the temperature runing was from 16- 27deg. C outside, inside it was ice chest and about 6 deg. C lesser.[ 4 ] Even the white ant hills have a good thermic insularity due to their midst walls that do non let major fluctuations in the interior conditions. Experiments have shown that though the interior temperature fluctuated with the outer temperature, it was invariably high and damped.[ 5 ] Observations have shown that spider webs in shaded countries faced north-south and those in good illuminated countries confronting east-west. These orientations were majorly to acquire maximal sum of visible radiation to heat them in the shaded countries and the orientation was so in the lighted countries to avoid over heating so they had more clip to capture their quarry.[ 6 ] In countries with high rainfall, particularly the tropical countries, the major issue with the species there is the direction of H2O and protection from deluging.[ 7 ] Like, the termite hills are like lifting columns and capped like a mushroom on the top. And a series of downward directed projections facilitate the tally off of H2O. The chief life country is non at the base of the construction, it is good above the degree of flood H2O.[ 8 ] Connection between the animals and nature can be clearly seen in how they build, like a bird’s nest Tells us about the climatic conditions of the country where it is. It is good accepted that some of the architectural admirations belong to the carnal land, for illustration, beehive is a perfect mix of geometry and construction.[ 9 ] Animals are responsible for some of the most impressive architecture architectural design. They construct in order to transform their environment, better their quality of life, and supply safety and security.[ 10 ] Most of the edifices now a twenty-four hours are cubelike in construction. However, it is non the most ideal in context to nature because it has a really rare happening in nature, so it is non the most efficient or stable construction. The most stable construction is a diamond construction that has a tetrahedron construction that is something like pyramids.[ 11 ] Termites have built the tallest of all non manmade constructions with utilizing simple stuffs like Earth and spit. It is singular to see that these constructions have fantastic thermic conditioning and airing.[ 12 ] Everything in nature is created by a perfect blend of geometry and free flowing signifiers. The range of larning from nature is so much that it can non be understood by one individual, but it besides doesn’t average that we halt our enterprise to research and larn from nature.[ 13 ] The geometry in nature starts from a really basic degree. The diatoms in the saltwaters, snow crystals etc. Snow crystals have a really sharp geometry. They have a start like construction and travel on to organize hexagons. Even with such a chip geometry, no two snowflakes have of all time been likewise.[ 14 ] In nature there are really small groundss of regular hexahedron as geometry, because when it comes to the stableness factor, regular hexahedron is one of the worst thoughts.[ 15 ] In nature, we would loosely sort construction into two: the construction that makes the assorted constituents of nature, that is workss and animate beings ; and the other is the construction created by these constituents. The major in these is the 1 created by animate beings, or the carnal architecture.[ 16 ] The tallest constructions in the carnal universe are built by white ants, who are considered to be the maestro designers of the animal universe. The largest termite hills are found in Australia and Africa. If white ants were of the size of an mean homo, so the comparative tallness of a termite hills would travel up to 2000ft, which is about 180 floors that would be the tallest edifice in the universe.[ 17 ] The Australian and African assortment of termite towers is designed for chilling. These are made up of midst walls to retain wet in and heat outside. There are canals and channels that run through the countries of hill that walls that are porous or have tiny airing holes. These channels and canals are for circulation of air and stale air fumes. The lower most part of these hills is the life and working countries of white ants that is the coolest country.[ 18 ] Architecture gives pattern to construction and construction to model.[ 19 ] Nature is the unfastened book of cognition lifted to cosmic proportions. It is a force of intelligence that dwarfs human comprehension. A force that can uncover the solutions to jobs that have plagued world since the beginning of clip.[ 20 ] Nature is the supreme designer and interior decorator of all living things. And it has had 5 billion old ages clip to practice- to germinate and hone its designs. It is nature that can make constructions that can defy forces 1000s of times its ain weight. It is nature that can make self-acting energy systems that need no mechanical power for chilling and warming. It is nature that can make constructions that adapt and change harmonizing to altering conditions.[ 21 ] By working with nature, non against it, one can do clever designs that can non be damaged by seeking to defy the extremes of nature.[ 22 ] The Yellow Tree House Restaurant, New Zealand was designed by a house named Pacific Environments. It is inspired through many signifiers found in nature -the chrysalis/cocoon protecting the emerging butterfly/moth, possibly an onion/garlic clove signifier hung out to dry. It is besides seen as a lantern, a beacon at dark that merely glows yet during the twenty-four hours it might be a semi camouflaged growing, or a tree garrison that provides an mentality and that offers safety. The program signifier besides has loose similarities to a sea shell with the unfastened ends gyrating to the Centre.[ 23 ] It is a simple egg-shaped signifier wrapped ‘organically’ around the bole and structurally tied at top and bottom, with a round program that is disconnected apart on the axis with the rear floor part raised.[ 24 ] Masdar City Center, UAE, is an approaching undertaking 17 kilometer from Abu Dhabi and is inspired by unflowers that ever face the Sun. It was designed by Laboratory for Visionary Architecture ( LAVA ) . They are elephantine umbrellas, with a design based on the rules of helianthuss that will supply movable shadiness in the twenty-four hours, shop heat, so near and let go of the heat at dark. It isthe world’s first nothing C, zero waste metropolis powered wholly by renewable energy beginnings. The solar powered ‘sunflower’ umbrellas gaining control the sun’s rays during the twenty-four hours, crease at dark let go ofing the stored heat, and open once more the following twenty-four hours. They follow the projection of the Sun to supply uninterrupted shadiness during the twenty-four hours and can be used anyplace in the universe including comeuppances.[ 25 ] Lotus Temple was built in 1986, in New Delhi. The temple gives the feeling of a half-open Nelumbo nucifera flower, afloat, surrounded by its foliages. Each constituent of the temple is repeated nine times.The Lotus temple reaches a tallness of more than 40m. One can see 27 elephantine white petals of marble in a Nelumbo nucifera form, jumping from nine pools and paseos. All around the Nelumbo nucifera are paseos with beautiful curved bannisters, Bridgess and stepss, which surround the nine pools stand foring the drifting foliages of the Nelumbo nucifera. Apart from functioning an obvious aesthetic map, the pools besides help air out the edifice. The Nelumbo nucifera, as seen from outside, has three sets of foliages or petals, all of which are made out of thin concrete shells. The outermost set of nine petals, called the ‘entrance leaves’ , unfastened outwards and organize the nine entrywaies all around the outer annulate hall. The following set of nine petals, called the ‘outer leaves’ , point inwards. The entryway and outer leaves together cover the outer hall. The 3rd set of nine petals, called the ‘inner leaves’ , appears to be partially closed. Merely the tips open out, slightly like a partially opened bud. This part, which rises above the remainder, forms the chief construction lodging the cardinal hall. The top of the construction is a glass and steel roofing as the Nelumbo nucifera is unfastened at the top.[ 26 ] Architect Fariborz Sahba chose Nelumbo nucifera as a symbol for the Bahai temple, as a belief in possible pureness of human spirit and as a metaphor for truth that out of ignorance and force we will originate to make a new age of peace and cosmopolitan brotherhood.[ 27 ] Referencing: [ 1 ]Dissertation: ARCHITECTURE IN NATURE: Lesson FOR HUMANS Pg No. 2 [ 2 ]Dissertation: ARCHITECTURE IN NATURE: Lesson FOR HUMANS Pg No. 18 [ 3 ]Dissertation: ARCHITECTURE IN NATURE: Lesson FOR HUMANS Pg No. 18 [ 4 ]Dissertation: ARCHITECTURE IN NATURE: Lesson FOR HUMANS Pg No. 20 [ 5 ]Dissertation: ARCHITECTURE IN NATURE: Lesson FOR HUMANS Pg No. 21 [ 6 ]Dissertation: ARCHITECTURE IN NATURE: Lesson FOR HUMANS Pg No. 22 [ 7 ]Dissertation: ARCHITECTURE IN NATURE: Lesson FOR HUMANS Pg No. 23 [ 8 ]Dissertation: ARCHITECTURE IN NATURE: Lesson FOR HUMANS Pg No. 24 [ 9 ]Dissertation: SYSTEMS IN NATURE THEIR IMPLICATION ON ARCHITECTURE Pg No. 2 [ 10 ]Dissertation: SYSTEMS IN NATURE THEIR IMPLICATION ON ARCHITECTURE Pg No. 3 [ 11 ]Dissertation: SYSTEMS IN NATURE THEIR IMPLICATION ON ARCHITECTURE Pg No. 4 [ 12 ]Dissertation: SYSTEMS IN NATURE THEIR IMPLICATION ON ARCHITECTURE Pg No. 5 [ 13 ]Dissertation: SYSTEMS IN NATURE THEIR IMPLICATION ON ARCHITECTURE Pg No. 15 [ 14 ]Dissertation: SYSTEMS IN NATURE THEIR IMPLICATION ON ARCHITECTURE Pg No. 16 [ 15 ]Dissertation: SYSTEMS IN NATURE THEIR IMPLICATION ON ARCHITECTURE Pg No. 17 [ 16 ]Dissertation: SYSTEMS IN NATURE THEIR IMPLICATION ON ARCHITECTURE Pg No. 26 [ 17 ]Dissertation: SYSTEMS IN NATURE THEIR IMPLICATION ON ARCHITECTURE Pg No. 31 [ 18 ]Dissertation: SYSTEMS IN NATURE THEIR IMPLICATION ON ARCHITECTURE Pg No. 32 [ 19 ]Architect Eugene Tsui, hypertext transfer protocol: //www.tdrinc.com/architecture.html [ 20 ]Architect Eugene Tsui, hypertext transfer protocol: //www.tdrinc.com/media.html [ 21 ]Architect Eugene Tsui, hypertext transfer protocol: //www.tdrinc.com/media.html [ 22 ]Architect Eugene Tsui, hypertext transfer protocol: //www.tdrinc.com/media.html [ 23 ]hypertext transfer protocol: //www.archdaily.com/16445/yellow-treehouse-restaurant-pacific-environments/ [ 24 ]hypertext transfer protocol: //www.archdaily.com/16445/yellow-treehouse-restaurant-pacific-environments/ [ 25 ]hypertext transfer protocol: //www.newarchitecture.biz/2010/11/masdar-city-center-lava-laboratory-for.html [ 26 ]hypertext transfer protocol: //www.architecture-student.com/architecture/lotus-temple-delhi-innovation-in-architecture/ [ 27 ]hypertext transfer protocol: //www.sahbaarchitect.com/

Bessie gutmann’s art Essay

The role of women in art has always been very controversial as society did not want a woman to prove that she could be not worse (sometimes even much better) than a man in various spheres, in particular, in painting, architecture and design. The beginning of the twentieth century brought women some freedom and independence; thus, females received a chance to show what they really cost. Bessie Pease Gutmann is considered to be the best and perhaps one of the most well-known painters of children’s book within the first half of the twentieth century. She had been creating her masterpieces for about fifty years and got the world wide glory and popularity. The artist did not limit her art with just infants’ drawings; her brush touched grown-ups, animals and other colorful scenes as well. This wonderful woman performed about six hundred prints which were the reflections of superb and marvelous world around her. Gutmann’s drawings could be seen on numerous calendars, postcards, magazines and were extremely popular not only in the United States but abroad as well. Many of her illustrations of children are still very popular and rather expensive nowadays. Life of Bessie Gutmann Bessie Pease Gutmann was born on the 8th of April 1876 in Philadelphia in the family of a seller of tobacco – Horace Collins Pease Gutmann. From the early childhood, the girl became interested in art and she received the support from both her parents and her teachers to study painting. As the result, Bessie started to attend the so called Philadelphia School of Design for Women after graduation from high school. She didn’t stop on it and later entered the Chase School of Art (the former name of the New York School of Art) and the Art Students League. Having received the necessary knowledge, Gutmann was full of joy and persistence to start her career. And here she faced the first problem. The status of women at the beginning of the 20th century was very difficult and Bessie had to prove her talent. She started from small portrait sketches for local newspaper advertisements and for some time earned her living in such a way. However, her position changed in 1903 when Bessie’s cousins, Hellmuth and Bernard decided to open their own art print company under the name Gutmann and Gutmann. They suggested Bessie to become their commercial artist and she showed her skills in the best way she could. Owing to her natural charm and due to her professional talents, she attracted the attention of Hellmuth and in 1906 she married him. Her marriage saved Bessie from rumors about her spinsterhood (Christie). The first book she made illustrations to was A Child’s Garden of Verses written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Several other books, including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, were illustrated by Bessie as well. Very soon her works slightly changed – Bessie gave birth to her three children – Alice, John and Lucille. The artist found new inspiration and depicted her children on the walls of some nursing houses, on many calendars, postcards and even on popular periodicals (the Washington Post, Chicago Sunday tribune, etc). Since that time Gutmann became the most popular woman-artist and had been on the top of her career until the World War II. Unfortunately, due to the worsening of eyesight, Bessie made up her mind to stop making illustrations, however, it was a very difficult decision. And it is no wonder – the artist’s creative work included more than six hundred wonderful art prints. As the result, after her husband’s death, Bessie sold the Gutmann and Gutmann company (Bessie Collins Pease Gutmann). Death of her husband and impossibility to work negatively influenced Gutmann and on 29th of September, 1960 Bessie Gutmann died in New York In order to commemorate the art of this great woman, three children’s books full of her best illustrations were issued after her death. Gutmann’s art and its historical significance The years from 1800 up to 1900 are called the Golden Age of illustration. The reason for such a name results in blooming of industry and increasing number of new printing methods and technologies. Bessie Gutmann had the chance to work during this period and she could be named the most successful woman artist of this epoch. Her works were influenced by the so called â€Å"Brandywine School† of illustrators that were very popular in Philadelphia; therefore, the artist got some necessary and outstanding pieces of advice from Howard Pyle, N. C. Wyeth, Robert Henri and some other prominent artists. While at first her drawing style had elements of influence of these great masters, but later she managed to elaborate her own and very soft style, not similar to others. The main peculiarity of her works was that she never simply drew portraits, she included a lot of details, like expressions, mimicry, joy, etc. She made her portraits alive, demonstrating that she could skillfully grasp and notice the true spirit and soul of a depicted person. She was more than an excellent artist, but a really good psychologist and a good mother (Choppa). These skills helped her to create such wonderful works that differed from the works of other artists. Moreover, Bessie was not afraid of experimenting: starting from black-and-white paintings, she further moved on to luminescent oils and watercolors, using some impressionists’ technique. Except for her famous children’s pictures and prints, Bessie Gutmann was also engaged in creation another series of prints under the name Colonial Interior Series which were less known than her infants’ drawing. However, they were not worse than children’s series. The first Colonial Series were issued in 1916 in order to compete with Wallace Nutting. In comparison with Nutting Interiors (who used photos as illustrations), Bessie’s illustrations were well-prepared prints from her own original drawings. Every illustration depicted some colonial subject, usually a mother or a daughter at home. Unfortunately, these Gutmann’s Colonial Series are valued less than her children’s series, notwithstanding their originality. Role and position of women and women-artists in the first half of the 20th century The status of women-artists has been extremely difficult almost the whole 20th century. Females did not get the support from publicity, and were deprived of showing their real talents. Women artists suffered from such attitude greatly and had to overcome numerous obstacles in order to receive success and recognition; some were pioneers in this or that branch. Some women were successful as they co-operated with their husbands, a few had to reach their goals independently. Still, a lot of wonderful works appeared in this period. Louisa Chase, Catherine Critcher, Bessie Vonnoh, Violet Oakley, Cecilia Beaux – these are just several of notable names, that are â€Å"responsible† for great ideas and wonderful innovations in art field. Catherine Critcher, for instance, had to â€Å"pave her way† in a man’s world by herself; as the result, she was the only woman who was provided a membership in the Taos Society of Artists (the society included men artists) and the Director of her own Critcher School of Painting. Violet Oakley is considered one of the first outstanding mural painters; her large and beautiful works adorn the walls of Pennsylvania Capitol Building. The main theme of most works was an independent, strong and powerful woman who was able to both work and bring up children. Moreover, the issue of a woman’s place in society is depicted thoroughly: a female identity, health, morality, nationality and even her body. The strong sex discrimination began to lose its power and strong independent women appear instead. Conclusion The works of Bessie Pease Gutmann have exceeded time, nationality and age range. They are still very popular among people all over the world. This popularity may be explained by the fact that the artist included the part of her inner soul to each of her hand-made illustrations and paintings. She wanted other people to see not just a depiction of a child or a woman, but rather, the embodiment of purity, innocence and tenderness; the artist wished to change the world to better, she wanted to open people’s eyes and to make them see and listen. Showing the usual and simple themes of family and sacred hearth, Bessie Gutmann appeals to love, friendship, hope and kindness. Her numerous wonderful works radiate light, warmth and comfort; her paintings help people to cope with their problems and to become better. Her art and her talent shows that a woman is able to create such works of art that can be shined throughout years and centuries, causing astonishment and admiration of people. Works cited Bessie Collins Pease Gutmann. Available at: http://www. ortakales. com/illustrators/gutmann. html 17 April, 2005. Choppa Karen. Bessie Pease Gutmann: Over Fifty Years of Published Art. Schiffer Publishing, 2000. Christie, Victor. Bessie Pease Gutmann: Her Life and Works. Wallace-Homestead Company, 1990.