The Financial Crisis’ Lack of Impact on IB Programs

The past year everyone in Greece is complaining about the financial crisis that hit the country during the autumn of 2009. Although in the beginning most people believed that the country would be able to go through it without major problems, they were soon proven wrong. Not only Greece wasn’t able to manage the crisis but almost faced bankruptcy and had to go under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to survive. The financial measures enforced by the IMF affected the financial situation of all citizens of Greece. Although the richest families even started facing financial problems, the number of students graduating from private schools not only did not have a decrease, but in contrast had a small increase. In Greece, in order to be sure one will study abroad, it would be best the student would follow the International Baccalaureate program, mostly referred to as IB. Since the first year the IB program came to Greece by Moraitis School (1984) the number of students deciding to follow it and go study abroad has been increasing steadily. But not only has the number of students graduating from private high schools increased, during a very severe financial crisis, but the percentage of students going to study abroad through the IB program has remained stable. Despite the fact that the tuition fees for the International Baccalaureate are more than those for the regular Greek high school program offered by private schools. During the academic years prior to the economic crisis, the IB program had a steady increase of 10% when it came to its students. More specifically the academic year 2006/07 the percentage of students attending the program was 50 % and a year later it had come to a total of 60%. A year later, the academic year 2008/09, the percentage of students rose to a 70% and as it was the year before the financial crisis hit the country, it was the last year there was an increase in the number of students applying for the IB program. Since last year, the academic year 2009/10, the percentage of IB students has remained stable at a 60% despite the fact that the economy of the country is in a worse state during the past 6 months. Moraitis School statistics). Mrs. Zalma, a mother of three, out of which the two are graduates and the youngest one will go to university next fall said â€Å"Despite the economic crisis, I agreed with my son to follow the IB program, as I saw that my daughter who graduated from a foreign university has more work opportunities than my older son who finished a Greek university. † The fact that there are more opportunities for a career in foreign countries due to the economic crisis is a major reason why many students decide to go study abroad. Not only because certain specialities are different from country to country (such as law), but also because parents and students do not trust the Greek universities to provide them a high standard certificate, when it comes to universities other from architecture, medicine law and economics. As Mrs. Papadopoulou said, â€Å"I don’t mind paying higher tuition fees for our son’s education in the middle of an economic crisis, as I know he will have a better future than staying to study in Greece, due to the higher standards of the certificates of foreign universities. This is the way most parents sending their children study abroad think, having in mind not what speciality their children are going to choose but if the university they decide to attend to has a good reputation and therefore credibility or not. But this is not only the way of thought of parents that are worried about the future of their children. As mentioned above, it is also the students that nowadays do not trust the power of a certificate from a Greek institution. During the past decade that I have been working for Moraitis School, I have seen more and more students wanting to study abroad, as they do not trust the Greek educational system. They feel more confident having a bachelor degree from foreign universities, especially from the States, United Kingdom and France. † said Mr. Edippidis, maths teacher in Moraitis School. This shows that even students have the same angst as their parents concerning their future and want to go out to the workplace equipped with a strong degree, especially now in the midst of this financial crisis. In order to achieve this and feel confident they choose a more expensive but more promising program to make sure they will have a place in the universities of their choice. This way, as the trust of students towards the Greek universities is fading and the workplace in Greece does not offer the same opportunities as other countries, students and parents turn towards the educational institutes of those countries. And as they feel they will a have a better chance of entering those universities through the IB program, families do not care giving a little more to education, despite the difficult financial situation in Greece.

Choosing the Best Method of Service Desk Automation for a Growing Government

Organizations and companies come up with plan that are aimed at ensuring their success in meeting the needs of their customers as a step towards the achievement of organizational goals. Therefore, planning is the first step towards the realization of a companies goals as laid down by its vision and mission statement. Coming up with a good policy is not good enough if any organization is to meet its goals and thus communication of the goals to all members of the organization is equally important in the realization of the goals.The communication mechanism and the means adopted are the key aspects that determine the success of this phase and therefore they have to be well researched on and be relevant to the organization. The formulation and the communication phases are just the fist two steps which act as a guide toward the implementation phase in strategic planning. The implementation phase in strategic development can be described as the action phase. Therefore, as much as the formul ation and communication phase play important roles in the strategic development, much emphasis is placed on implementation.Formulation and implementation are a must and communication is considered a means to the success of the process. Thus the implementation phase is one of the most monitored and resource intensive phase in strategic development to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in delivery and thus the success of the entire strategic development. The importance of information in the modern information conscious society can never be under stated. As it is often the case, effective management of information system is not a Sunday afternoon walk on the beach.It is far from defined and is often filled with uncertainties. Furthermore, the benefits of automating the implementation have been too tempting for most organizations and thus the emergence of a system that allows for automation of the last two processes in strategic planning is seen as inevitable in organizations that are serious about staying afloat. The question is no longer about automation but rather about how to go about it. Problem Statement Two approaches to the development of automation for organization that are moving from a manual system have been adopted.An organization moving from an old system may choose to either develop their own or buy an already made system. There are several issue involved in deciding on whether to buy or to build a system and thus every organization must look at these factors keenly before making a decision as it has a great bearing on the effectiveness of the organization in meeting the needs of its customers and their expectation at the time of implementation and in future. Furthermore, such strategic decisions that affect an organization's future invariably have an effect on almost all aspects of the organization including the stakeholders.Development of in-house software requires long term commitment in terms of resources and time from developers who often have too much to do and not enough time (Jenny, 2004). On the other hand, if a company decides to purchase the software it effectively enters a long term business relation with a vendor who not only charge high amounts for the purchase of the license but a considerable chunk of the organizations finances will be directed towards the customization and installation of the software.The organization which is medium sized and in its active growth period faces a tough decision on the implementation of the software especially in consideration of the relative advantages and disadvantages of each approach. The advantages of building an automated help desk support system may include the reduction of the cost involved, moreover the organizations labor force are presented with a chance to understand the in details with regards to the working of the automated support system.Furthermore, the need for training of supports staff for information technology is eliminated as they are responsible for the s ystems existence and are thus well conversant on its operations. On the other hand, the disadvantage may include the need for IT labor can be significant in the organizations budget, furthermore the approach does not have any form of guarantee that will help the organization in recovery in case the system crashes as they are solely responsible for the existence and maintenance of the system.In addition, the approach is associated with a considerable amount of pain experienced by the customers and the end users of the system in case of system malfunction or lapse in performance. Lastly the building process can be so demanding on an in-house IT department or team that is not well conversed with the application that the organization intends to come up with. A decision to buy the office help support system involves a thorough survey and the calculation of the total cost involved in ownership, determination of the best software company and product and the actual purchase of the automated office support system (Coldwell, 1999).The determination of what the company needs is a very critical part in the decision making process as most individuals and executive often fail at this phase and instead state what the organizations wants. Moreover, the considerations on the financial stability of the software company and their level of experience all come in handy in the decision making process. After the determination of all these, the focus hen shifts to what the organization needs after which a purchase is made.Some of the benefits associated with this approach include increase in user satisfaction, well developed user support, reduced need for internal help support and easy access to support any time of the day. The disadvantages may include increased cost associated with training of staff on the use of the new software, furthermore the process of buying which is quite length may ignore some aspects leading to the purchase of a poor help support system. Lastly, customizat ion of the systems to meet the needs of the customers is done by an outsider which often lead to conflict of interest. Significance of the StudyUsing a help desk management software leads to the increase in efficiency in operation as it allows for the solution of some of the redundant issues over call. This has the effect of reducing traveling costs and man-hour billing to field engineers as they go to customer sites. Research Question The purpose of this research is to determine whether purchasing COTS or building a service desk tracking application is best for the automation and tracking of the GovComm, Inc. Engineering Support Services’ Helpdesk. To answer this question, this research must explore: ? The entities of GovComm, Inc.Engineering Support Services’ Helpdesk ? Based on advantages and disadvantages, which qualities of each configuration best adhere to Engineering Support Services automation and asset tracking; ? If these applications fulfill stakeholders' re quirements Design and Methodology This research is qualitative, drawing mostly from a review of the literature on the subject of Helpdesk/support desk tracking applications and the battle of building versus buying to determine which application structure provides efficient asset tracking, failure notification, and metrics collection. GovComm, Inc.’s Engineering Support Services will be reviewed to discover details that might affect the factors that will contribute to the decision of choosing build or buy. From the review of the internal workings of GovComm, Inc. ’s Engineering Support Services a decision will be made upon comparison with the inherent nature of the two systems of implementation. Chapter 2 Literature Review Automated office systems support (AOSS) is a model made up of teams of technicians in computer who are charged with the responsibility of providing a variety of support activities in a desktop computer environment and area networks for any organizatio n.To ensure the provision of high quality services and products, each of these teams must follow the processes, standard and procedures. A process referred to as quality assurances is used in monitoring and evaluation of the level of adherence to the procedures processes and standard in a bid to determine the potential quality that the product will attain. Therefore, QA involves review and audit of the services and activities as a means of verification of their compliance with the relevant procedures and standards so as to assure the appropriate results are seen.The question of whether to buy or build an AOSS is one of the very complex decisions that an organization has to deal with in its daily activities. It is in deed a perpetual dilemma for the organizations that are contemplating on automating their office activities. Buying implies purchasing an off-shelf Automated office systems support that are produced in mass by some software company, more often multinationals (Leopoldo, 1 999). The products typically contain contents that are not unique to a particular organizations or user population needs.Moreover, it is the general trend in the software industry to create new softwares that do no conflict with the existing and thus the technology can be implemented without conflict with the existing systems. Build imply the creation of Automated office systems support from scratch (Leopoldo, 1999). Therefore, the process of building requires the determination of the organizational needs, the data and information nature and needs of the organization, design of the system an the actual implementation of the system.The process of building may and often include testing the end product to ensure that its functionality are as per the objectives that acted as the basis for its formulation (Leopoldo, 1999). A decision to buy or build a Automated office systems support may seem to be complex but in reality it can be reduced to three considerations: Resources, Needs and uni queness. The organization must clearly determine its needs and wants before a decision is made, this may involve identification of features which are critical in meeting the organizations needs. In determination of the organizational needs they must consider the following:? Organizational objectives ? Skills ? Information needs ? Culture ? Corporate direction. Meeting all the needs is an impossible event and therefore setting priorities is inevitable. Resources Resource as a factor is one that many organizations and individual would quickly jump at an opportunity to ignore. However, examination of resources is a very important aspect to the development agenda. Moreover, many organizations make the mistake of viewing resource in the monetary dimension only. Although money as a resource is quite critical, two other pieces; time and personnel, need to be considered to complete the puzzle (Shrapre, 1999).Time When taken in the context of either building or buying a Automated office syst ems support, time takes the following into account: ? The time that will taken in decision making. ? The developmental time of the Automated office systems support including the time taken in testing. ? The time taken in rolling out the Automated office systems support or implement it within the organization. Analysis of organizations against the three time variables helps in the determination of the importance of time in deciding whether to buy or build. Decision makingThe time taken by the organization in making decision is quite varied and cannot be correctly determined as the nature of the problem and other variables that can never be determined nor controlled easily have a great bearing on the total time (Curan & Mitchell, 2001). The nature of the organization and the kind of decision to be made also have a bearing on the time taken. It time critical decision making the aspects of time is important and the challenge thus lies in coming up with sound decision within limited time (Curan & Mitchell, 2001).Most theories adopted in decision making leave out the time taken in selection of actions which is often considerable in organizations where the decisions are viewed differently by constituent members (Curan & Mitchell, 2001). Coming up with a solution that are made without consideration of a well carried out problem solving session could lead to solutions that lack in operational significance, thus any decision making should be aimed at finding the solution that is either associated with the least cost or most returns of the total costs (Curan & Mitchell, 2001).In coming up with the cost, organizations must include the cost and effort taken in thinking and coming up with a plan or a policy in determination of the time taken in decision making. The problem with time considerations is that complex problems may hinder the development of best solutions (Spezzano & Mertens, 1999). In some instances, coming up with the best solutions could be within organization s grasp but the cost associated with such may not be acceptable to the organization. The organizational structure plays a great role in the speed of the decision making process (Spezzano & Mertens, 1999).A structure whereby all members of the organization have to be involved is time consuming (Kaplinsky, 2007). Such an approach is inclusive and the decisions made from this approach are more likely to meet both the needs and wants of the organization. The implementation of such policies is often smooth as those charged with the responsibility of carrying out the policies are well aware of the good and thus have the motivation required for the implementation. The tread off in this approach is the time taken; the approach requires organization wide consultation and is time intensive.Getting the opinion of each and everyone in a medium or large organization and coming upon with a decision based on their varied views can be demanding on an organization's financial resources and time. Mos t organizations have adopted a mechanism where the executives and top managers exclusively take part in the formulation of the policies. Such an approach is time conscious and often leads to timely formulation of policies. Despite this, the relevance of the policies to the needs of the organization is brought into question as the people charged with the responsibility of implementation are not included in the formulation.Policies implemented through this mechanism often address what the organization wants rather than what it needs since organizations are best known by the people charged with the duty of policy implementation. Deciding on the correct approach is thus complicated as both time and relevance of decisions are very important, moreover, company heads have in a number of occasions made decisions that have turned out to be for the good of organizations without necessarily involving everyone, this complicates the issue even further.Therefore, organizations have to consider al l the factors inherent of their organization that affect the decision making effort and thus the cost of decision making associated with each approach before deciding on whether to buy or build Automated office systems support. Developmental Time The time taken in the development of Automated office systems support varies with the approach employed. Other factors inherent of an organization also play an important part in the determination of the total time the organization will take in coming up with a new system (Tapscott, 1998).The developmental time can be viewed in two contexts; the time taken in building an Automated office systems support and the time taken in buying an off-shelf Automated office systems support. The time taken in building a new Automated office systems support is generally larger than that taken in buying (Tapscott, 1998). Moreover, the factors that are influential on the overall time taken in building are more compared to those in buying.The total time taken in building is influenced by internal and external factors which include; the availability of resources, the organization and coordination of all those involved in the implementation of the project. The level and the availability of the required expertise within the organizations working environment is a consideration. The availability of the required software and hardware components necessary in coming up with Automated office systems support is fundamental. The software and the hardware components must be as per the required functionality set by the organization needs.Change in government policies and market trends may greatly affect the availability of the required components and thus have an effect n the developmental time (Tapscott, 1998). In addition the needs of the users often change with time and this may require the modification of components that are already in place which lead to delay. The time taken in buying a new system is highly dependent on external factors that a re not within the control of the organization (Tapscott, 1998). In most cases organizations lose time in this stage for reasons that are not within their reach or control.Buying as a process requires a well established resource base and a good legal framework to fully engage the system as a whole (Kenyon, 2001). The market conditions are influential on the speed of purchase and thus very important in the determination of the total developmental time. The actual location of an organization is also important in evaluating the total buying time. An organization in an urban setting find it easy to buy software and hardware components as the availability and cost associated with their purchase is small compared to those in a rural setting.Personnel This is also one of the most overlooked factors (Kenyon, 2001). In consideration of the personnel, decision on whether to buy or build an Automated office systems support requires company wide consultation (Kenyon, 2001). As organizations anal yses their resources they must determine what they have and the needed personnel required for the implementation of the Automated office systems support. The organization should determine the number of available technical staff available for the support.If organizations lack or anticipate a lack of personnel, they must decide on when and where the required staff will be obtained from, which may involve the determination of the cost of the support (Kenyon, 2001). Money Money is an important consideration in strategic development as it affects the nature of the budget. A limited or unlimited budget has a great bearing on the choice of whether to buy or build an Automated office systems support (Katzan, 2002). In consideration of the budget both individuals and organizations must consider the short and long term benefits that will be accrued by the implementation of either methods.This may also involve the analysis of the effects of the non-implementation of the alternative. The import ance of money is such that without it the project is non-existent (Levy, 2001). Therefore, organization are required to accurately estimate their resource requirements before a decision on whether to buy or build an Automated office systems support is made. The cost involved in both cases have to be estimated and any other factors that may affect the estimated cost determined.Moreover, since all factors can never be determined accurately, including a contingency or escape plan in the formulation of the original policy will ensure that the organization is well prepared for any eventuality (Kenyon, 2001). The effect of money on the total time taken also depends on the government policies, market and industry condition that can affect the availability of resources especially money (Carter, 1999). Expected change in areas that currently affect the availability of funds largely determines the feasibility of the project in future.The availability of additional funding and all the factors that affect it, which may include legal and political issues all play important roles. Uniqueness The nature of organizations differ and therefore their requirements may vary though the degree depends on the organizations being considered. A major consideration is thus the uniqueness of the needs of the organization. In determination of the uniqueness of an organizations needs the following have to be looked into: ? What are the needs of the organization? ? What are the objectives in the implementation of Automated office systems support What are the connections between the available of the shelf-software and the needed capabilities in what the organization looks for in Automated office systems support? ? Does the implementation of the system go in line with the industry and market needs? ? What is the relationship between the methodology of choice and the organizational culture? The determination of the answers to this question as per the context of the organization helps in coming up with the level of uniqueness needed for the Automated office systems support and thus plays a very important role in the determination of whether to buy or build.The needs of an organization are defined as its requirements to perform in the industry (Herbert & Sparck, 2004). The needs are thus the components that are necessary for the survival of a business in the industry that it is in. The needs are the basic components of the operational environment. Determination of the needs requires one to look deeply into the processes and establish their requirements, outputs, behavior and interaction before any modification aimed at the improvements of the processes is made.It is noteworthy that every process has a number of factors that affect it both from its external and internal environment. Moreover, every activity or operation than an organization may undertake in can be broken into a number of processes and thus determination of the needs of the organization is done effectively i n an efficient manner. The implementation of developmental agenda in any organization is best done through strategic planning (Buckingham, 2006). Strategic planning involves the formulation of a plan aimed at development of some project(s) so as to ensure organizational growth.Any plan that is developed with success in mind must have a well laid out action plan that is characterized by well intentioned and realistic objectives. It is important that the objectives of any plan be in line with the actual needs of the organization. Therefore, the objectives of the organization in coming up with an Automated office systems support must be established and documented clearly so that the guidelines in the implementation of the policies that arise as a result of the consideration of the objectives be in line with the organizational goals.Moreover, the objectives in the implementation of a plan differ according to the priorities of the organization and are therefore unique to the problem bein g addressed and the organizational approach to problem solving. After the determination of the exact needs of the organization, the available software and software components have to be evaluated. An important consideration is that in either case the organization has to buy either software components to, or the full Automated office systems support since the organization does not engage in the manufacture of softwares (Gibson, 2004).Thus, determination of the needs of the organization and the available software capability in meeting those needs must be established. Moreover, organizations must effectively determine any addition capabilities possessed by the available softwares that may enhance service delivery. These capabilities which meet the wants of the organization must be addressed clearly and effectively if the investment is to be a success. Industrial and market considerations also contribute a great deal in deciding whether to build or buy Automated office systems support.A n industry is defined as a collection of businesses and related economics (Gibson, 2004). The industry is thus one of the factors that is influential on the strategic development of any organization. Companies may choose to either go with the trends of the industry or adopt a trend that can be considered as being contrary, in either case there are pros and cons that must be considered. The effects of the trends in an industry do impact on its players. Moreover, how the effect is felt by the constituent members depend on their abilities and thus differs across the industry.An occurrence in an industry may be viewed by the sector players as an opportunity or a threat depending on their policies, resource base and technical capabilities (Gibson, 2004). Policies implemented by organization under the consideration of the industry may be aimed at measuring up to other players in the industry or gaining an edge over them. In either consideration the nature of the organization in question p lays a great role in the strategic direction adopted. The market is a very important consideration in deciding on what strategic direction an organization will adopt in pursuing its vision.Most organizations are in business for the sole aim of meeting their customers' needs and thus their strategies are often biased towards the achievement of this cause. The customers needs are an aspect of business that is nearly impossible to predict. The requirements and the expectation often shift with changes in technology, industry, preferences, fashion and taste. The social, environmental, legal, political and economic factors all have a great bearing on the market and thus on the decision.Moreover, in market considerations, expected growth in the future plays a central role in formulation of current market strategies. In consideration of the market needs, the policies formulated are often aimed at coming up with directions that will best meet the needs of the market so as to either match the other players or earn a reputation and thus a competitive advantage. Organizational culture Organizational culture is defined as the shared values and beliefs within an organization (Wilkes, 2000).The culture also comprises of the norms and beliefs and is thus an in build system within an organization (Wilkes, 2000). Thus organizational culture is specific to an organization and it defines the relationship and the nature of the interaction between members of an organization and is influential on the nature of the relationship with outsiders (Wilkes, 2000). The culture is also definitive of the goals that are set for each member of the organization and is seen to go in line with thee vision of the organization. From the clear definition, goals, guidelines or expectations are developed; these constitute the norms.The management may try to instill some kind of a culture on its employees, this type of culture is thus described as corporate culture and is more specific (Wilkes, 2000). T he classification of culture takes on diverse dimensions and therefore the analysis of the effects must also take on the same trend. The following are some of the factors that are used in classification of organizational culture: ? The expected differences in power levels. ? The extent to which the organizations members are willing to take risks. ? The level of collectivism or individualism in an organization. ? Gender aspects.? Orientation, which can either be short or long term. Any strategy that an organization comes up with must be within the organizational setting and thus be relevant to the organization culture. A clash between the strategies and the organizational culture will lead to the flop of any program, therefore all organizations must ensure that their development plans are in line with the culture, failure to which the implementation will be a flop. Support for the policies After the analysis of needs, resources and uniqueness, there is an additional factor that must be considered in coming up with a decision; support.The organizational support to the mode chosen is very critical in the determination of the success of the mode of choice in meeting the needs of the organization. This is because it affect how members of the organization receive the decision. Support can be categories into three: ? Upper level support ? Like/ Colleague level ? End user support Management The reasons for support by upper management staff and executives is quite clear. The main reason for their support is the power they posses in the implementation of the plan especially in resource allocation and policy formulation (Woodruff, 2005).Moreover, the obvious nature of the need to influence the top executives often lead to concentration on them and thus ignoring the other members. Organizations must ensure that such occurrence are minimized and if possible eliminated as they can cause failure of well intentioned plans. Colleagues This group is made up of all those that th e organization have to interact with in their daily undertaking (Woodruff, 2005). The importance of this group lies in counteracting the power that the organizations executives have on the decision making process.The support of the members of the organizations operational environment plays a very important role in influencing the decision. Therefore, enlightening the colleagues on the importance of Automated office systems support will go in line with drumming up support for the implementation of the approach of choice. In addition, enlightening the colleagues to understand the implementation of the plan, which it is meant for and the effect of its implementation on their jobs will go a long way in influencing their support.End Users Even though they have the power to influence the success of a plan, the end user are often ignored in lobbying for support (Woodruff, 2005). The end users have the power to render the plan a failure by deciding not to use the product, which will have th e effect of changing the attitude of the colleagues and the management executives on the effectiveness and efficiency of the adopted Automated office systems support acquirement mechanism.Moreover, the sabotage need not be intentional; the failure of the system may be due to their lack of understanding of why the product is necessary or as a show of their lack of support of the governance model adopted. Furthermore, the products failure in meeting the needs of the end user could lead to failure and thus the importance of the end user in deciding on whether to buy or build Automated office systems support can never be downplayed.The Decision Process Whenever an organization decides to buy, the decision is always an aftermath of a series of processes. The decision may be instantaneous or take a long time though buying is a process and not an event (Woodruff, 2005). No matter the length of the process the origin is when a company becomes aware of the need (Woodruff, 2005). The need is then identified and the organizations searches for avenues through which the needs can be met.In the process of information or data gathering, the criteria that will be used in buying affects the buying process and should therefore be evaluated and refined. It is advisable for organizations to choose a few alternatives that are considered to be the best from the lot. Once a decision in reached and a choice made the purchase is made which is another process that can be quite time consuming (Woodruff, 2005). In summary, the decision to buy can be broken into five stages in which the first three are also constituted in a decision to build:? Identification ? Searching ? Evaluation ? Decision ? Purchase ? Reevaluation i. Identification This is the phase in which the organization realizes that it has a need that can be met by an Automated office systems support. The identification could be as a result of the failure of the system that they are using, increased competition from their rival s who have automated or as a strategy to gain some competitive leverage on players in the industry who are still implementing the manual system or are using a poor automated system.ii. Searching This is more of a research phase where the organization analyses itself, processes together with the industry to come up with the aspects in which it is lacking (Woodruff, 2005). Moreover, the organization can establish areas in which it can improve in so as to aid the establishment of its presence in the industry. iii. Evaluation In this phase the results from the searching p

A Study Of Thailands Sex Tourism

A Study Of Thailand's Sex Tourism 4Sex Tourism in ThailandAs we enter a new millenium the post-colonial nations in the world are still searching for ways to compete in an increasingly globalized, consumption driven economic environment. Many developing countries have speculated that Tourism is an effective catalyst for development as well as increased international understanding. Thailand, who has embraced tourism as the key to its modernization strategy, has been hailed by many as a paradigm for success. Over the past twenty years Thailand has enjoyed one of the fastest economic growth rates of any developing country. This rapid progress has allowed Thailand to emerge as an economic leader in the Third world. The $4 billion a year in tourism revenue is the core support of the Thai economy (Bishop, p. VI). Thai officials have attributed the success of the tourism industry to the many attractions located in various parts of the country as well as the uniqueness of the Thai people their friendliness and hospitality (B ishop, p. 67). However the Thai government has failed to recognize the contributions of sex tourism which is estimated to generate about $1.5 billion every year, according to Professor Krikiat Phiapatserithan of Thammasat University (World congress, regional profiles, p. 3). Thailands failure to recognize the sex tourism is reflective of the discourse used by the worldwide tourism industry to analyze the industry s success. From the standpoint of the tourism industry the success of tourism is directly related only to economic factors, anything else is seen as unnecessary. It is in the best interest of tourism corporations and the countries that are dependent on tourism to discourage the circulation of information regarding any of the potential negative effects related to tourism. The censorship of information by these entities has caused much of the general public to be ignorant of the adverse consequences of the mass tourist industry in Thailand. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the sex tourism, using Thailand as the basis of my investigation. I will begin by shedding light on the complex social and economic factors that has formed the modern sex industry of Thailand. Then I will link the damaging effects to the Thailand s cultural va lues and quality of life to the emergence of child sex tourism, which in recent years has immerged as a significant contributor of tourist revenue. Subsequently I will give examples of how deliberate manipulations of information by the Thai government and the tourism industry is responsible for the spread of inaccurate images relating to sex tourism. Then I will attempt to link the manipulation of information to tourist s behaviors and attitudes as well as Thai government policy. In conclusion I will give the future outlook for sex tourism in Thailand.Historical, Social and Economic Roots:Vietnam is believed by many to be the beginning of the creation of a large-scale sex industry in Thailand. During the Vietnam War Thailand was a popular destination for rest and relaxation for American servicemen. To meet the demands of American soldiers, who were eager to pay for a temporary sexual partner, new brothels and go-go bars sprang up almost overnight. Following the war the Thai government took an active stance in promoting the growth of the tourist industry in the hope that it would contribute to the modernization process. The half-a-million prostitutes left over from the war were seen as a commodity that could be actively exploited in exchange for the influx of much needed foreign currency. Sex tours from Japan brought many free spending Japanese that significantly aided to the rapid growth of tourism. Tourist arrivals jumped from one million in 1973 to five million in 1990. During this time the Thai government made no attempts to curb the growth of prostitution. In fact they adopted measures that encouraged its growth. Deputy Prime Minister Boonchoo Rojanasathian urged the national conference of provincial governors to encourage certain entertainment , which might be viewed as disgusting and embarrassing because they are related to sexual pleasures (Jubilee, p. 3). The result of this speech was the relaxation of regulations regarding the operation of bars . Eventually the growth of Thailand s tourist industry succeeded in creating rapid economic growth, and modernization. However, Thailand has become so dependent on the tourist industry that a significant reduction of the number of tourist, for any reason, would likely result in the collapse of the entire Thai economy, which would result in widespread poverty. This is one reason why Thai officials have been reluctant to crack down on the sex industry, which is estimated to contribute a quarter of all of the revenues brought in by tourism. The rapid growth and modernization created by tourism has rapidly changed the economic and social structures of Thailand. These shifts have caused the Thai economy and Thai women to be enslaved to the sex trade.Thailand s total gross national income has nearly tripled in the past 50 years (World Congress, background, p. 2). However, despite this rapid growth the disparity of income between the rich and the poor has only widened (Jubilee, p. 4). This disparity has been caused by a drastic shift from an economy based on agriculture to the spread of a market economy. Lower crop prices and crop failures due to drought and floods resulted in widespread poverty among the rural people of Thailand. This has forced the mass migration of the rural population to the cities (Jubilee, p.2). The dire economic reality of these people has caused a disintegration of traditional Thai families. Until recently Thailand was a patriarchal society. One study showed that 73% of the families said they would like to have daughters, while only 27% expressed the desire to have sons (Jubilee, p. 3). Widespread poverty has lead families to consider children, especially females, as economic burdens. Children and women have dropped to the lowest strata of the socioeconomic scale, and have thus suffered the most (Jubilee, p. 4). The closing of options for many families have compelled parents to force their children to fend for themselves and in some circumstances it has led people to sell their children, especially daughters (World Congress, backgrounder, p. 1). The influx of western ideals is another factor that has contributed to the victimization of many women and children by the sex industry. The spread of consumerism by the mass media and through face to face interactions with western tourists has caused Thais to increasingly value money and consumer items. Materialism has led many to value possessions more then their sense of self worth. This materialistic greed has lead many poor families to sell their children in order to obtain material possessions. The market value of a ch ild is between 7,000 and 30,000 baht, depending on the physical attractiveness of the child (Jubilee, p.2). To families living in constant poverty and who only earn 5,000 baht a year 30,000 baht is very enticing. The emergence of the Child Sex Market:The market for children prostitutes has been created by a number of factors. During the 1970 s pedophiles from Western countries were attracted to Thailand because of its lenient laws against prostitution and the high currency exchange rate (Jubilee, p. 3). The supply of customers caused pimps to acquire children through sale and through kidnapping to meet their demand. Widespread rural poverty and the low socioeconomic status of children caused the influx of a large supply of rural children that could be acquired relatively cheep. To prevent the interference of the government Thai officials were bribed or in some cases offered a portion of the profits of the trade. When the AIDS epidemic severely hit the sex industry during the 1980 s many sex tourist began to engage in child sex tourism because children were seen as a safe alternative to adults. Child prostitutes were seen as being less risky due to their young age. Contrary to this notion sex with child prostitutes actually increases the likelihood of the transmission of AIDS due to the immature bodies of children (Jubilee, p. 4). In the past decade the media, most specifically the travel industry, has developed a taste for women with girly qualities. The result of this trend is a st eadily increasing demand for underage prostitutes as well as the continual decline in the desired age for child prostitutes. Due to these unfortunate circumstances the child sex trade has steadily grown and it is estimated that every year one million children are enter the sex trade (World Congress, overview, p. 2). The Manipulation of the Spread of Information by the Government:Despite the immeasurable damage that the sex trade has caused the people of Thailand the government has refused to take an active role in controlling it. In the name of prosperity the Thai government has reduced its focus on matters relating to tourism to exclude everything that is not strictly an economic function (Bishop, p. 66). In essence the Thai government feels justified in sacrificing an entire generation of women and children for economic development. THAI International, a government funded agency, addressed the problems associated with the AIDS epidemic and the sex trade, not as a threat to the nation or its people, but as a threat to the tourism industry (Bishop, p. 68). It seems that greed for money, and power has led to widespread government corruption that has led to a sickening disintegration of morals. The Thai government has swept sex tourism under the carpet with a public relations campaign designed at salvaging tourism s identity (bishop, p. 70). Thai social critic Siriporn Skrobanek claims that The ruling class values the bodies of poor women as a means to attract tourists to earn foreign exchange. This strategy made Thailand a country where all people who go there, like it and long to return. It is beautiful and there is something for everybody (Bishop, p. 75). In the past decade the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and THAI International has led an effort at attracting affluent white male tourists. One add, issued by a company called incentive Asia Destination Services, promises to turn fantasy into reality and reality into fantasy for deserving high achievers . A brochure titled Thai Values: Travel to the Land of Smiles, says Thai values make Thailand the ultimate incentive; So much for so little; Beauty and the beach; Antiques, Thai arts and crafts all at bargain prices; Living values; The most affordable luxury in Asia; and All the pageantry of Thailand at your command. This advertisement is promoting a form of neo colonialism. Goods in the form of pleasure are exploited by rich ex-imperialistic powers at the expense of a poor undeveloped country (Bishop, p. 70). The Thai government refuses to blatantly acknowledge sex tourism. For if they did it would not be acceptable to openly promote the industry. Instead they promote Thailand as a place with sensuous, beautiful, young women who are eager to serve you to the fullest. The Manipulation of the Spread of Information by the Tourism Industry:There are actual sex tours that you can procure for a modest some of money. The promotional advertising can be found in glossy brochures, and through tour information on the Internet. I was able to find two Asian sex tour agencies on the Internet. It is shocking to see how these ads have contributed to creating and supporting stereotypes about the tourist indust ry of Thailand. The first ad that I analyzed is from an agency called Thailand Teenage Girls Bangkok. It reads Have you ever wished you could go on a n exotic vacation and be surrounded by little teenage girls who just want you for sex!! Well if you go a sex vacation you can have sex with lovely little teenage girls like these all day and night a different one each time if you like! Why not take a week vacation to an exotic destination and fuck your brains out. Everything is arranged for you including a guide who can arrange girls for you! See details inside!!! Who knows you may even want to bring one home with you and this can also be arranged! On the front page it shows ten young, dark, nude Thai women. The women on the cover are consciously designed so that the reader believes that all of Thai women are friendly, beautiful, and primitive. The add promotes the hedonistic idea that the women in Thailand who are prostitutes just want you for sex. It fails to mention that many of the women are victim s of poverty, and in some cases kidnapping. The most shocking aspect of this add is the deliberate promotion of prostitution with teenage girls. It is not difficult for one to twist the message of the add so that it says come have sex with little girls and boys. It is illegal for companies to sell sex with a minor. However, despite these regulations it still occurs. Danny Smith, an undercover news reporter for a British television channel, secretly recorded with a hidden camera what a tour operator told him I can confirm that we can get you kids about ten or eleven. No problem at all? If you want the kids younger, just give me an age. Give me a number. Although child sex tourism is not seen in the general public it certainly exists. There have been cases of children as young as four who have been sold into prostitution (Smith, p. 1). The second add is from Ultimate Asia Sex Tour Travel in Video, which is based out of Honolulu, Hawaii. The first paragraph says: If you ever dreamed of going to Thailand and screwing every night with the most beautiful young sexy girls with thousands of the most luscious sexy girls just waiting to satisfy your wildest sexual fantasies now is the time to go with the Thailand Baht at an all time low!!! It promotes the myth that Thai women are all erotic and beautiful and only wish to please you. Also this add promotes the economic inequalities that allows westerners to exploit Thailand. In the first paragraph of the tour update it says: Have you ever fantasized about secretly escaping to a exotic location surrounded by hundreds of young beautiful sexy half-naked girls without a care if anybody see you or talk about you? This paragraph advocates a ritual inversion of behavior. That is, because you are in a different land surround by people you don t know it is all right to act in ways that you might consider unacceptable behavior in your home society. Also the ad promotes neocolonialism because it supports the idea that the women of this land are primitive and inferior which justifies exploiting them for sex. Conclusion and the Future of Sex Tourism in Thailand:In conclusion, sex tourism, although important to the Thai economy, has many serious consequences that have to a large extent been painted over by the media. Due to Thailand s dependence on the tourism industry it would be impossible to completely abolish the trade at once. A more equitable distribution of resources among the people of Thailand is necessary for Thailand to be able to end the sex trade. It is important for the world, as well as the people of Thailand, to be informed about the true consequences of sex tourism. This would dispel many of the myths and stereo types that have perpetuated ethnocentric ritual inversions of behavior by western tourist seeking a hedonistic experience. The people of Thailand must be informed of the drastic cost associated with sex tourism. This could potentially cause enough public uproar to prompt changes in the government s stance on sex tourism. Sex Tourism s place in the future in Thailand and the rest of the world is still very uncertain. It will be interesting to see how the nature of the industry changes in the future.

Is Employer Monitoring of Employee Social Media Justified Essay

Is Employer Monitoring of Employee Social Media Justified - Essay Example and Donna, managers have the liberty to use information from the social media to monitor employees’ social network sites to guard themselves for the possibility of being sued of negligent hiring, and the retention laws suit that may be filed against their companies. Never the less, such information must be weighed against the expectations of the privacy by the person posting the information. Of importance to note is that, social networking has become the dominant online behavior. Many users have developed their own web pages where most of the information that is not found on the resume can be found there. In return the companies go into the web pages to seek for more information. Managers have used these web pages to make decision on whether or not to hire job candidates (Elzweig, 2009). Never the less, the right to privacy is highly determined by the settings of the account and the information that is provided by the site regarding privacy conditions. Hence, there is need for reading and understanding the terms and conditions that are given by various web pages in regard to privacy for every individual (Elzweig, 2009). However, the use of social media has limits, which have been considered by most of the companies that have put in measures that safeguard the privacy of the employees in honor of sound practice and ongoing communication. In essence, Widger and other Human Resource managers at companies that entails mature privacy programs have continually put emphasis on the importance of privacy policy , a component that contribute to effective privacy management. This ensures that policy management that has broad level actions makes policies meaningful to employees through employee education. Hence, the importance of managing privacy policies and real world scenarios related to privacy during work force communication and orientation (Wigner, 2010). According to Widger, lack of private policy and its mismanagement can lead to severe consequences such

Belbin Team Role Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Belbin Team Role Theory - Assignment Example Coordination and cooperation of team members are essential for the success of teamwork. In a team, all the members work in a supportive environment. Each member of the team is just like a link in a chain. The chain can be broken even if only one link of the chain became weak. Same way, the weak performance of even a single team member may destroy the entire goals of the team. In order to prevent that all the team members will take more care in helping each other and the weak links in teams need particular attention from others. A team leader should coordinate the team functions and he should be able to identify the weak links in the team and should take remedial actions to strengthen that link. In a team, different people may have different roles. Specialists, shapers, team workers, completers/finishers, implementers, resource investigators, coordinators, evaluators, planters etc are most common in all the teams (Belbin team role theory). Consider the construction of a building. Engineers, architects, masons etc are the specialists in this construction team. Shapers, in this case, are the construction managers who streamline the construction work in the right track.  

Shipping Laws Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Shipping Laws - Essay Example Important aspect regarding dangerous goods could be gained from the IMDG Code but these also give more prominence to what kind of items dangerous goods and how they could be dealt with rather than expounded about dangerous goods and the damages they are capable of perpetrating on the high seas. In the case of dangerous goods, it needs to be distinguished whether the inherent constituents of the goods are dangerous, thereby possessing damaging qualities , or under set of circumstances, in combination with other extraneous and internal agencies, it is capable of causing fire, corrosion, explosions, diseases etc. Under English law, there is an implied clause in a contract of sea carriage that the goods are seaworthy per se, and dangerous goods would not be shipped. English laws do not concern themselves with the classification or class of dangerous goods, but is more interested in whther there is a real threat that dangerous goods may bring about. It could be said that dangerous goods n eed not be shipped except with the expressed consent and acceptance of all the concerned parties to the contract. From the viewpoint of the carrier, the dangerous goods are those which are capable of causing physical and material damages and or/losses. It needs also to be said that dangerous elements in a particular cargo need not be presupposed, and therefore, the possibility of cargo turning dangerous is a real phenomenon. It is really the Shipper who has intimate knowledge about the goods, and the fact that there is latent danger present in the goods. It is necessary for him to disclose this to the carrier or charterer, if he has reasons to believe tht the goods were, are or may become dangerous and also have it noted it in the Bill of Lading and labelled. The Carrier is responsible for damages, if he or his crew has acted negligently or without sufficient care or prudence, but he may not be able to physically know what the contents of the container are, except what is informed t o him. The Charterer has almost the same knowledge about the cargo, as the carrier, and can be only held responsible if there is a breach of contract, or a differentiation in the handling of the cargo, which is a contributory factor for the damages. The holder of the Bill of lading is not a party to the original contract and is not a de facto owner.  

Strengths of EBP Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Strengths of EBP - Coursework Example Intervention involves setting and realizing targets, while research emphasizes intervention. Lastly, there is the general evidence, which has resulted to standardization of nursing practice. There are two main reasons that emphasize on the importance of integrating EBP with family practice. First, one’s health is not only limited to medication one uses, but also to the patient’s confidence in the medication given. The second reason is the existence of trust between the doctor and the patient. This eases the patients desire to follow doctor’s instructions to the latter. The doctor is also bound to do his best in such cases. A nurse has a lot of responsibilities when EBP and family practices mismatch. Primarily, nurses should redesign the health care system through creativity and involvement of teamwork. In addition, it is essential to have comfortable programs for research. Furthermore, future workforce should receive proper training as well as current work force. Finally, multiple perspectives should be encouraged in the health system. This results in sound decision-making that will lead to matching EBP and family

Can 'local food' ever really be local Why is it significant that Literature review

Can 'local food' ever really be local Why is it significant that 'local' is actually local - Literature review Example The question for this literature review is to define whether local food is actually local and if it is, to define the significance as to the difference between local foods and other types. Agro-Food Geography Alternative food networks have become important in recent years because consumers want to make sure they are getting the best quality of food they can get. Many supermarkets have turned to irradiated foods to preserve their shelf life. Unfortunately, no one really knows whether this food is creating health problems or not. Because of the emphasis on health, some people have worried about whether their produce should be irradiated and whether it is healthy. Instead, they have turned to organic produce. Although buying organic is sometimes more expensive, it does give the public a feeling that they are getting high quality food that is not riddled with harmful pesticides. In the rural areas of Europe, the idea of foods that are aesthetically pleasing to eat and that taste good hav e become a great concern (Sage, 2001). The concept of "social embeddedness" is important to this discussion because it is what connects consumers to the society that they are connecting to. The society understands that they can be sustainable by purchasing local food and by involving themselves in growing their won food. To begin to understand the growing alternative food market, it is important to examine how food and nature come together. Winter (2005) suggests that in rural parts of the country, there are many ways to use alternative food. Many opportunities exist for food to be brought in from rural areas to the supermarkets so that consumers have more opportunity to purchase good food. Watts, Ilbery and Maye (2005) suggest that local markets are important because farmers need to have a better share of the market. Local markets are very important to the economy because when people use these markets they are able to have better food it would seem. However, how do we know that bet ter food is more nutritional and better tasting than other foods? This research will attempt to explore this issue and understand why people are so involved with local food products. Consumer Demand for Local Food In the last several years, the emphasis around the world has been on health. Most people have returned to a lifestyle that includes regular exercise and eating healthier. Many believe that going to markets that provide local food is better than going to supermarkets because they can find organic foods. Usually organic food means that it is free of harmful pesticides and has a more flavourful taste than food from a regular supermarket. Adams and Salois (2010) state that the movement towards locally grown food has become a sort of movement as people began to change their perception of the different types of food they could consume. The organic and local markets began as an alternative to other types of food and it has grown into a demand for local food. Much of this is becau se people have changed their perceptions of what this type of food meant. The idea that this has become a movement is supported by the fact that there have been a series of books about how to use local food and why it should be bought. In fact, this has become such a movement that the word "locavore" has been coined to mean people who prefers local foods (it has even become a part of the New Oxford English Dictionary) (Adams and Salois 2010). Community supported gardens and

The importance of a Cardiovascular Diet among College Students Essay

The importance of a Cardiovascular Diet among College Students - Essay Example College students are growing up in a completely new environment outside of their parents’ home, which is a completely new experience for most of them. This means that they are making independent choices with respect to their food consumption. Today, most college students lack the right kind of education regarding what is good for one’s body and what is bad, primarily because parents have largely determined their diet in the home and public schools have largely determined their diet in school. For this reason, college students are more and more likely to adopt unhealthy practices as opposed to the healthy, cardiovascular diet options. Nevertheless, college students are perfectly capable of realizing the benefits, and necessity, of adopting a cardiovascular diet. A cardiovascular diet, as the name implies, is a diet that is friendly first to a person’s heart. Because the long-term health of the heart is the best determinant of how long a person lives, a diet that i mproves its general condition is important. Additionally, with the rise in rates of cardiovascular disease as the single most prevalent killer in the United States, people are realizing that protecting the heart even from an early age is imperative. An example of a cardiovascular diet is the so-called Mediterranean diet, which incorporates high olive oil consumption, legumes, unrefined cereals, vegetables, fruits, fish, and wine. In eating only these foods, individuals can cut out much of the saturated fat associated with cardiovascular disease. The beauty of the Mediterranean diet and similar cardiovascular diets is that they are practical. Certainly, it is not difficult to find the kinds of food choices considered acceptable under the guidelines of any cardiovascular diet. Of course, college students who consume a mostly-fatty diet put themselves the most at risk for cardiovascular disease. Students may have such a diet if access to food is limited, such as the case with most dorm itory cafeterias, or the fast food density in their area. Access to exercise also plays a large role in whether a high-fat diet is manifested in being asymptomatic for cardiovascular disease. However, students can have the most impact on their own health by starting on a foundation of good quality foods, which can be as simple as making more intelligent choices in the cafeteria or at the fast food restaurant: such as choosing a smaller portion, choosing a less-fatty food, or eating less often. By adopting these changes, college-aged people can reverse their unhealthy habits. Part of preventing unhealthy eating choices from creating long-term cardiovascular problems is to catch the problem early. For college-age students, the problem can start on the first day of one’s first year eating in the school cafeteria, which tends to offer mass-produced, cheap food that have a high fat content. Colleges and universities can both educate incoming first-year students about the importanc e of smart eating choices and the cardiovascular diet even before they begin eating there. In addition to this, colleges and universities can invest in practical ways to make the food choices in their cafeterias healthier for students. Instead of offering a high fat, high-sodium pizza, for instance, a cafeteria could make a thin-crust, low salt, cheese-free option, which represents the kind of Mediterranean diet that achieves long-lasting cardiovascular health. Young women, who

Personal Philosphy Essay Example for Free

Personal Philosphy Essay It is important for teachers to develop their own educational philosophy. It is important because this philosophy defines the teacher and what they stand for. The philosophy describes the teacher’s attitude, their teaching styles, and how they feel about their students being successful. â€Å"A teachers personal philosophy of education is a critical element in his or her approach to guiding children along the path of enlightenment. † (Examples, 2013) Writing philosophies at the beginning of your teaching career is very helpful. Once you begin teaching for some time you notice that those initial philosophies change. Writing teaching philosophies are important to teachers because it identifies their thoughts, beliefs, and what they represent in the classroom. Personal Philosophies After thinking and realizing what I stand for in the classroom, I came up with these three philosophies that identify me. I believe that every student is a special education class can learn. Regardless of the child and their disability I believe that every child in a classroom is able to learn. It does not matter how small the progress is just as long as there is progress. I believe that inclusion has both positive and negative aspects on teachers and students. Inclusion allows students to be mainstreamed with peers their age. This gives them a chance to be around students their age as well as learn new things. Sometimes inclusion causes special services student to act out. This happens because they are not familiar with the information and they act out so they will not be embarrassed because their lack of knowledge. Finally, I believe that one-on-one time with special education students is valuable. Working with students individually helps them a lot. The teacher gets a chance to see exactly where they need help and are able to answer all their questions. Philosophies That Relate To Me â€Å"I believe that each child is a unique individual who needs a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially. † (Sample, 2013) After reading this philosophy I realized how much this should be included in one of my philosophies. I believe that each student is different. I also believe that each student should be handled differently and appropriately in order for them to show growth. Not only should a teach help the student grow educationally but they should assist them in growing socially, physically, and emotionally. It is a teacher’s job to produce growth in their students. That is why they should cover all aspects available in order to prepare their students for the real world. This philosophy covers everything I believe in as a teacher. In order for a student to learn they have to be comfortable and feel secure with their surroundings. In order for a student to open up to a teacher and peers they have to be comfortable with their surroundings. That is why it is important for teachers to provide a relaxed, secure classroom for the students. A classroom that welcomes questions, discussions, and learning. In the beginning the teacher should let the class know that questions are always welcome and that no one is allowed to laugh. Once a student realizes they have a teacher who always want to hear their questions and cares about them and how they learn, the student will feel secure and open to learn. This philosophy can be adopted as one of my own because I am aligned and stand for everything it says. â€Å"I believe the children are our future. † (Sample, 2013) Children are our future. In order for us to have a bright future, we have to prepare our youth the lead the country in an outstanding way. As a special service teacher I think it is important to prepare our students for the real word. Not only do we prepare them intellectually, we prepare them mentally, physically, and emotionally. As a teacher I think in order to prepare students to be our future we have to teach them everything they need to in order to function in society. In order for children to be our future we have to help them be successful by teaching them the necessities. In special education classes independent living skills can be taught. In order for our children to be our future, these things have to be taught. In order to be our future we have to teach them everything that is beneficial for our children to function properly in and outside of the classroom. â€Å"I believe that children learn best from expert teachers who know what they are talking about. † (Educational Philosophies, 2013) I believe that a certified teacher should be in charge of a classroom. Although there is teacher’s assistance in classrooms to help I do not believe that they should lead discussions. I think that our children should be influenced by a certified teacher. Teachers go through lots of training and take classes that teacher’s assistants do not. Although they are trained to handle behavior, they are nor trained nor certified to teach. Students should be taught by someone who knows how and what to teach. I believe that students learn from expert teachers. An expert teacher is someone who has a degree and has met all state requirements to be certified. And that is who should teach our children, an expert teacher. â€Å"I believe that an effective teacher helps leaner increase their awareness of significant social and political issues so that they can have an impact on these situation. † (Educational Philosophies, 2013) This philosophy has some points that I agree with. I do agree that teachers should keep students aware of the political and social issues that are going on. That is important so that students are aware of the current events. I think that this philosophy is important. It is important for student to know how to handle certain situations that deals with the economy and government. When students enter the real world they should have some knowledge of the government and how it works. They should be familiar with what goes on so that they are able to handle certain situations when they are older. Voting is one of these things they should be familiar with and the procedures in order to be registered to vote. This philosophy is one that I will adopt or add to one I already have. Conclusion Having a personal philosophy is very important. As a special education teacher I think it is important to have more than one. Each year I teach I either amend my philosophies each year or add a new one. The more I teach the more things I begin to believe in. A teacher and their philosophies are important because the students, parents, and community are aware of what to expect from you as an educator.

The Perception Of Happiness In Teenagers Philosophy Essay

The Perception Of Happiness In Teenagers Philosophy Essay Most teenagers do not know the true meaning behind happiness. A teenager usually feels stuck between childhood and adulthood, and that explains their mood shifts. In this research, a teenager was interviewed about his perspectives of how he can be happy just to derive some points to help answer my research question. For happiness to reside inside the teenage soul is quite a difficult task due to the teenagers unstable mood swings. If the teenager were to grow up as a depressed person, nothing good will come out of our country in future generations. Introduction The teenage stage in life is known to be the most complicated stage that a person undergoes. In that stage, teenagers are stuck between two stages; the childhood and adulthood. Teenagers want to be treated like adults, yet their actions show that they are still immature. For happiness to reside inside the teenage soul is quite a difficult task due to the teenagers unstable mood swings. The number of depressed teens in the world seems to be increasing. People wonder why when the have these wonderful technology nowadays, but maybe these miscellaneous items arent where happiness come from One reason behind teenagers sadness is maybe because teenagers dont know the true meaning and way of being happy. If teens grow up to be depression people, they will absolutely affect our community in many negative ways. It is a very critical matter to know of some ways that teenagers can achieve happiness by. The aim of this research is to find out more about true happiness in teenagers and what they can do to be happy. This is a serious matter that needs to be also dealt in professional hands because teenagers are very complicated people. Research Question: What are some ways that will help teenagers achieve true happiness? Literature review Strack, Schwarz, Gschneidinger (1985) assert, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦one must consider the psychological mechanisms that mediate between the external event and individuals happiness and satisfaction. Strack, Schwarz, Gschneidinger mention that a persons way of thinking, his psychological thoughts, will help him reach happiness and satisfaction with the outside world. They show that it isnt the external stituations that makes a person happy. Infact it is the psychological mechanism that a person thinks in that will make that person happy and satisfied. According to Martin (2005), happiness consists of a combination of three distinct elements; pleasure, the absence of displeasure, and satisfaction. All these elements seem to come from emotional and psychological areas. The first element pleasure is in the emotional state of feeling great. The second element the absence of displeasure, he quite reflects that no matter what happens, a person should not feel bad or unsatisfied with what he has. The third element satisfaction, he clearly says that one should always be satisfied. All these psychological elements seem to be revolving around the same concept. Stein (2011) says, Its far more likely the cashier was rude because of something in his own life. Furthermore, you will be happier if you assume his bad manners are due to his own issues. Thats two good reasons to assume it has nothing to do with you and move on. Stein gives an example of a situation that a person can face in an optimistic manner were she describes an angry cashier that sort of spoke in a rude manner. Instead of making a scene about it, Stein shows that if you show empathy towards the cashier and think that maybe he had a bad day, you will be much happier and his problems wont affect you. Stein also said, If you look hard enough, you can find something to learn and some good in any situation. Everyone has ups and downs in his or her life. The ups are the ones that any person does his or her best to cherish and love them, which is a good thing. But, when a bad thing or situation happens, people try to isolate these memories yet they know they cant. This will affect them mentally. But if they were to learn from these experiences and find the good in them, they will be happier no matter what happened. Methodology Section Type of Research: survey. Data Collection Tool: Tape-Recorded Interview Although there are many types of data collection tools, the most suitable tool for this research is a tape-recorded interview. An interview makes it easier for the interviewee to express his emotions and describe his real life experiences, noting down every single detail. That way the interviewee can tell his answers and descriptions more clearly and accurately. Background of interviewee: When picking an interviewee candidate for my interview, the following must be kept in consideration: A person who is a teenager (age 12-18): a teenager must be the interviewee to know how teenagers think and act. One must not interview an adult for a teenagers point of view. A person who always tends to avoid having problems: Such a teenager will not have many problems with other people, hence he will hardly be sad. A person who is happy and satisfied with life: Knowing what made him happy or how did he become happy will greatly assist this research. A person who is very calm and doesnt act irrationally: Such teens will know how to act in harsh situations without hurting themselves. Analysis and Interpretation The interviewee seems to be very understanding on the way other teenagers think. He grew up in the hands of very strict parents, yet he never complained about them. In fact, he always mentions how much he loves them and how grateful he is towards them. He also mentions some mistakes that teenagers always do. The interviewee starts the interview by giving two common wrong thoughts of what teenagers think happiness is. Teenagers usually think that happiness comes either from extrinsic items, like gifts and expensive objects, or intrinsic bonds, like those between your family and friends. The interviewee states, happiness is just how you think and how you interpret the problems you face in your everyday life. He says that happiness is more of a mindset rather than a physical or emotional being. The interviewee gives a wrong common interpretation that teenagers think when he gives an example to his description of happiness. He said, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦when you face a problem between you and your family, what a teenager usually thinks that his parents hates him and that his life is overà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Then he gives a consequence to this thinking when he says, then slowly these negative thoughts start controlling him gradually and he will end up hating his parents. He shows that this way of thinking is one of the reasons why teenagers are unhappy. He then shows the correct way of thinking when he said, But if he thinks about it in a positive way, like instead of his parents hating him, he should think that his parents are doing this to protect him, he will be a much happier and thankful person. He shows that optimism and empathy will make any teenager more happy and accepting. He summarizes his point that happiness comes from positive thinking. The interviewee shows that with the correct mindset, a teenager can feel like the happiest person in the world when he said, I really like to think of myself as from the happiest kids on earth because I believe when u thinks like that you feel like that. He shows that even if there is a problem, being proactive is best to solve it and therefore be much happier. He implies if a teenager is not proactive, his problems will gradually grow and expand, and they might reach to a point where this problem will affect him negatively. The interviewee shares some of his methods that make him happy when he said, Well I try my best to think of my life and problems in a different way, by always thinking positive. Plus I always tend to expect the worst, but not in a pessimistic way. He gives an additional example were he shows that happiness comes from the correct thoughts or the correct mindset. He shows that having humble expectations can help a teenager be much more happy and appreciative in any situation. The interviewee describes himself as any other teenager, showing that he can also be in the same situation that any teenager can be in. The only different thing is the way he acts in that situation. He implies that being self-aware and proactive is the best way to approach a situation. This way a teenager can solve any problem that stands in his way, therefore making him a happier person. In the end of the interview, the interviewee asserted that happiness is internal, and that any teenager can be happy if he wants to. He indirectly states again that true happiness comes from the correct mindset. Conclusion So, What are some ways that will help teenagers achieve true happiness? Research Question Answers: They should think positively. They should show empathy toward others. They should be optimistic. They should be proactive towards their problems. They should have humble expectations They should be self-aware. In conclusion, the mistakes those teenagers commit mostly revolve around their negative thoughts. This is one of the reasons that lead them to be depressed. Teens should be taught of such helpful methods that the interviewee showed and even more. Teenagers are the future of our community and they should be filled with happiness and bright thoughts. I recommend that teenagers should implement these methods that the interviewee performs because if the teenagers in our community were to be depressed and unsatisfied with life, they will grow to be unsuccessful men. Schools should make psychology classes that can help teenagers in their school learn more about how to be happy. This matter is very important because if our teens were to be unhappy then our community will fall to the ground because in the future they wont be successful. Scientists that understand about teenagers must perform more research and studies on the happiness in teenagers to help find more ways for them to be happy. Critical Reflection When the second semester in school started, a sudden rush hit me. I remembered that in the second semester we are supposed to take research classes, and in the end of the year were supposed to hand the teacher a full research project that will hold a high percentage of our report card grade. I was scared, until the first research period. Our teacher came and explained what research is and how easy it is if we follow 10 simple steps in the coming months. He also told us that this would help us in our university, especially because Im going to pursue a medical career. The first step wasnt very hard. I already had some areas in mind that I would love to know more about. I wrote the three areas easily, but the hard part was picking the one I wanted to work on most. In the end, I chose the topic I want most, and the one that seems to be the most informative. Until now, I felt great and satisfied with the research. In the second step, I had to pick the best title for my research. I had to check what I wanted to find in this research first to put the most suitable title. Until know the steps seem to be very simple, yet I knew I had a long way to go. I took a look at some research samples of the previous year. It was then when I became shocked and terrified. These samples seemed to be very complicated and long. I knew Im still very far from being able to perform a proper research. In the third step, I had to find some research questions that show my aim of this research. I asked the teacher for some guidance because I didnt want to pick a very complicated research question that needs time and relentless effort to perform. I felt relieved when I asked my teacher about it because as it seems the research questions I was going to choose were very complicated. In the fourth step, I had to figure how am I going to gather my information and in what method. This step felt like a break because I already planned before how am I going to gather my information. The fifth and sixth step were the hardest so far. I felt very pressured because we only had limited time to perform these steps. Finding the proper questions for my interview was very difficult, but with my teachers help I was able to finish in time. When I finished formulating my interview questions, I had to look for the best interviewee. This task was easy because I already had a person in mind. The seventh step wasnt hard, yet it was time consuming. I felt really pressured due to the fact we had two weeks left, and I still have many questions regarding the research. In this step I had to transcribe the whole interview on the computer. I felt like this step would take forever. I just kept on typing and typing non-stop until I finished transcribing it. Here I was in the last three steps. I was scared, yet thrilled that Im almost done from the research. This step wasnt very complicated, but finding the correct information was very hard. I hardly found some literary reviews for my topic. These steps took a lot of time. For a second I thought I would never finish this research on time. So I worked very hard to finish this research, which took me days and nights of non-stop typing and searching. In the end, I was able to get this research done. I felt very happy and relieved because the final graded assignment of this year is finally over. References Martin, P. (2005).  Making Happy People: The Nature of Happiness and Its Origins in . Childhood. Paul Martin. HarperPerennial. Stein, C. (2011). How To Be Happy (p. 41). New York: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Retrieved from https://www.orangetreetheatre.co.uk/files/press-releases/OrangeTreeTheatrePressRelease-HowToBeHappy_0.pdf Strack, F., Schwarz, N., Gschneidinger, E. (1985). Happiness and reminiscing: The role of time perspective, affect, and mode of thinking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49(6), 1460-1469. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.49.6.1460

Documentary Critique Essay -- essays research papers

This is a critique of" Roger And Me", a documentary by Michael Moore. This is a film about a city that at one time had a great economy. The working class people lived the American dream. The majority of people in this town worked at the large GM factory. The factory is what gave these people security in their middle working class home life. Life in the city of Flint was good until Roger Smith the CEO of GM decided to close the factory. This destroyed the city. Violent crime became the highest in the nation, businesses went bankrupt, people were evicted from their rented homes. There were no jobs and no opportunity. Life was so bad that Money magazine named Flint the worst place to live in the entire nation. When news of the factory closing first broke, Michael Moore a native of flint decided to search for Roger Smith and bring him to Flint. Michael Moore is the author and narrator of this touching film. He is seen throughout the film. He interviews many people and tries again and again to find Roger Smith. He is thrown out of private clubs, offices and yacht clubs. His authorial voice is observational. He tells all sides of this sad story. He interviews the people of Flint and GM executives including Roger Smith. He even interviews the few very well to do people in the now struggling city. One executive is used over and over in this film. His opinion is that "GM has to do what GM has to do to stay competitive", and " the nature of corporations is to ...

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essay examples -- English Literature E

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem written during the medieval period about the Arthurian legend. Although the author is anonymous, it is apparent that "the dialect of Sir Gawain points to an origin in provincial England, and it represents the cultural centers which remote from the royal court at London where Geoffrey Chaucer spent his life" (Norton, 200). This poem is considered one of the best works of Middle English literature. One reason is that the author was able to ingeniously combine two different plots, folklore and romance, into one literary work. The other reason is the author’s elaborate, but brilliant usage of alliterations and rhymes. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is about a Green Knight, a figure that many consider to be an immortal, who challenges Arthur’s court. Sir Gawain, the most courageous and noble knight of the court, accepts the Green Knight’s challenge for the sake of King Arthur’s reputation. Believing that he is acting on behalf of the king, Sir Gawain does not know that it is really a test of his own chivalry. The following passage that I will analyze introduces and describes the Green Knight. Here, I will talk about the importance of the knight’s attitude, size, and his greenish color. All these are significant elements, as you will see, that help to demonstrate his condemnation of the court. The author begins by telling us how the Green Knight breaks into the dining hall as everyone is about to be served their main course, "there hurtles in at the hall-door an unknown rider" (Norton, 205). Although this behavior is very rude, we must be able understand why the Green Knight acts this ... ...g-like Dame Ragnell is not initially Gawain’s true love, he still shows his full respect for her as a wife and lives up to his responsibility as a husband. Upon her transformation to her beautiful self, Gawain does not regret his decision to allow her to choose for him. As a matter of fact, as noble as he is, even if Dame Ragnell had remained a hag, he would still treat her the best. According to the story, although their marriage lasts for only five years, and Gawain has many other wives afterward, he still loves her the best because of her uniqueness. Citations: Literatures Abrams, M.H., The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition, Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Inc., 1993. "The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell." In Middle English Verse Romances. Ed. Donald B. Sands. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1966. 323 - 347.

Urban Public Art in Canada Essay -- Canadian Art

When on holiday in any city, the visitor inevitably snaps photographs of the iconic public statuary and buildings in an effort to identify a location through association with landmarks and architecture. It is allowed freely without intrusion of private indoor spaces and confirms the identity of the place visited. The relationship of the art to the environment is illustrated and the fact that one is â€Å"being there† is documented. When at home in any city, the citizen approves or disapproves of what is presented in the form of urban public art as part of his or her own cultural identity. A sense of ownership and contribution confirms that one â€Å"belongs there†. From time to time what doesn’t belong, in the view of the citizen, is the art. There is no question that urban public art has value. Visitor and citizen benefit from the safe, politically correct selections of well-formed art committees that portray history, fame, or simply artistic caprice. Th is paper will discuss three specific examples of modern sculpture in Canada, all of which at one time have been considered contentious and controversial. The fourth example is of art that was never created. In each case, the specific relevance and importance of the pieces to the associated environment have been determined according to prevailing local civic attitudes. The service of urban public art to the civilized population is as old as civilization itself. Ancient monuments, architecture, and sculpture of almost every continent and every era are important facets of historic cultures. Exceptional figures and events have been immortalized through art. Religions have been fostered through worship of inanimate representations of divine symbols. The dead have been memo... ... and the artist are not on common ground in some cases. Art appreciation and art itself is constantly changing and the public forum is important not only for open expression, but also for open appreciation and freedom to express opinions. Even the incredible Gothic style of architecture was criticized in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries as opus modernum, or modern art (Gardner, 1959, 243) as if it were inferior to the traditional and known. The three sculptural pieces mentioned caused similar discussion about misfit in three different decades but also found a societal best-fit in the end. All have supporters and detractors which illustrate the relationship between art and community is alive—not that one kind of urban public art is favoured over another—rather that we all have opinions and we all care about who and what â€Å"belongs there†. Urban Public Art in Canada Essay -- Canadian Art When on holiday in any city, the visitor inevitably snaps photographs of the iconic public statuary and buildings in an effort to identify a location through association with landmarks and architecture. It is allowed freely without intrusion of private indoor spaces and confirms the identity of the place visited. The relationship of the art to the environment is illustrated and the fact that one is â€Å"being there† is documented. When at home in any city, the citizen approves or disapproves of what is presented in the form of urban public art as part of his or her own cultural identity. A sense of ownership and contribution confirms that one â€Å"belongs there†. From time to time what doesn’t belong, in the view of the citizen, is the art. There is no question that urban public art has value. Visitor and citizen benefit from the safe, politically correct selections of well-formed art committees that portray history, fame, or simply artistic caprice. Th is paper will discuss three specific examples of modern sculpture in Canada, all of which at one time have been considered contentious and controversial. The fourth example is of art that was never created. In each case, the specific relevance and importance of the pieces to the associated environment have been determined according to prevailing local civic attitudes. The service of urban public art to the civilized population is as old as civilization itself. Ancient monuments, architecture, and sculpture of almost every continent and every era are important facets of historic cultures. Exceptional figures and events have been immortalized through art. Religions have been fostered through worship of inanimate representations of divine symbols. The dead have been memo... ... and the artist are not on common ground in some cases. Art appreciation and art itself is constantly changing and the public forum is important not only for open expression, but also for open appreciation and freedom to express opinions. Even the incredible Gothic style of architecture was criticized in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries as opus modernum, or modern art (Gardner, 1959, 243) as if it were inferior to the traditional and known. The three sculptural pieces mentioned caused similar discussion about misfit in three different decades but also found a societal best-fit in the end. All have supporters and detractors which illustrate the relationship between art and community is alive—not that one kind of urban public art is favoured over another—rather that we all have opinions and we all care about who and what â€Å"belongs there†.

Plato’s “Republic” and Organizational Relations Essay

Plato’s republic has the ideal state in relation to people, to justice, to excellence and happiness. His ideas may have been written hundred of years ago, but there is no doubt of its relevance to the society today. In so many ways, it is still related to organizational relations and reflects on how a certain ‘state’ should work. If we put Plato’s republic and organizational relations side by side, we would be able to see how some of his ideas should be related to an organization. Justice is said to be a superior virtue. It is said that if one is to possess justice, this cannot be attained through anything incorrect. Anything that is not right is not excellent. Thus, if one is to possess excellence then, there is justice. He states that justice lives in man’s relations to other men. Another point that Plato keeps is that excellence in one’s function brings happiness. In such a way, we see the state as the organization, and the workforce would be the one to possess excellent virtues. If the workforce has a good relationship the justice within the organization is served. There is nothing achieved through anything bad, such if there is good fortune achieved by one member, this should have been achieved through an honest way. Good relationship would have to entail efficient communication within the organization. This should also include an excellent professional relationship among the members of the organization. And excellence comes from the competence of all the members of the organization to perform each given function. If all function with excellence then, it brings about happiness to everyone on the organization. In Plato’s ideal state, justice, excellence and happiness should be the goal of any organization. It encompasses good virtues that lead to contentment of all the members of the workforce. Reference: Retrieved March 16, 2009 from http://www. free-researchpapers. com/dbs/b3/peh94. shtml