Global Competitiveness Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global Competitiveness - Assignment Example Being competitive in respective career may translate to the company’s competitiveness and then to the country’s competitiveness globally as well. Definition Meredith and Shafer (2010) defined competitiveness in several ways. First, competitiveness is the firm or organization’s long term viability. Second, it may be contextually viewed as the current success of a firm in the marketplace measured by profitability and market share. Lastly, competitiveness of a nation may be seen in its aggregate success in all markets. Thus, global competitiveness is the current and aggregate success plus long term viability in the over-all market. According to the US President’s Council on Industrial Competitiveness (1985) and cited by Meredith and Shafer (2010), competitiveness for a nation is the degree in which it can produce goods and services that meet international standards while maintaining income of the citizens. Aspects considered under competitiveness globally inc lude operations, management, customer value and various strategies and approaches essential in the market (Meredith & Shafer, 2010). ... It is me giving the edge as a sales representative for the clients and the company as well. Global competitiveness is St Jude Medical offering products of high quality but with competitive price compared to similar health care products provided by other manufacturers not only in the US but also around the world. It would not be all about the monetary aspect but competitiveness globally would also include holistic development of the company. It is fulfilling St. Jude Medical’s mission of sustainability focus thereby having the opportunity to connect business processes and human capital in conjunction with economic growth, production of safe and reliable products, plus social and environmental responsibilities. Global Competitiveness in My Career As a sales representative of St. Jude Medical, global competitiveness means assuring customers of good quality products, constantly innovating and by having focus on the company’s core capabilities. These activities would not onl y make me competitively in terms of career but would also contribute to St Jude Medical’s competitiveness and also the country as well. First, customer satisfaction must always be guaranteed by having quality medical products and giving customers what they want. As stated by Kinaxis Corporation (2009), because of the internet and the social media as well, the customers are now more empowered to get what they want. Also, before offering the product, I must assure myself that the product conforms to certain standards like what Schonberger (n.d.) compiled as a list of multiple quality dimensions that customers associate with products (as cited by Meredith & Shafer, 2010).

Why is everything made in China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Why is everything made in China - Research Paper Example China is an industrialized nation and has the support from various aspects such as government for survival in the industry. The trading relationships with other countries are also excellent such as the US traders prefer to have Chinese suppliers because the bulk shipping order’s cost is less which means import from China is cheap compared to other countries. According to the study performed by Booz Allen Hamilton, only those companies are successful that integrate China as the basis of competitive advantage. The improvement in the economy shows that China has a great potential for future domestic sales, therefore setting up factories will facilitate to be a beneficial project for the future. The major domestic industry in China is automobile, which may change in the future (Booz Allen Hamilton Inc, â€Å"Booz Allen/AMCHAM Shanghai Study Finds Companies Adopting China as Both a Growth Market and Manufacturing Hub Are Two-Thirds More Profitable Than Others†). There are ce rtain controversial views such as China is not good in social responsibilities because they make the children work for cost minimization. Hence, the myth is that a company in China is only concerned about the profit and not the society. They do not consider all the 3 P’s that are Profit, People and Planet (Whycenter, â€Å"Why Is Everything Made In China†). ‘Made in China’ products are becoming more famous in today’s world. In this research paper, the benefits of manufacturing units in China have been analyzed with an example of plastic manufacturing unit. The effect of the economy and environment are examined to understand the reason for building manufacturing units in China. The integration of all economy implies globalization, hence the increase of ‘Made in China’ products are affecting the world’s economy. The economy of China and other countries have been analyzed to understand the impact in other countries. Every company fo cuses on cost minimization to increase the profit margin. The labor cost in China is a factor to be taken into consideration for the labor intensive companies such as clothing, footwear and others. In order to reduce cost of production, companies generally look to shift to China for establishing manufacturing units. There is a potential growth in China but the question arises whether it is sustainable or not. In this context, the future prospects in China are identified. Benefits and Reasons for Manufacturing in China China has emerged as preferred destination for setting up of manufacturing units due to certain advantages that are present in the country. The labor cost is less in India and Africa. However, to build a plant in developing country a few infrastructure facilities such as electricity, technology, telecommunication, financial infrastructure, government cooperation and others are essential to be considered. In this case, China is advanced than India and it is incomparable with Africa. Hence, China provides the advantage of cheap labor and adequate industrial infrastructures. China is perceived as the huge potential market thus it encourages the potential to build the operations in the country. Certain examples of reasons as well as benefits of manufacturing in China are: Reduction in cost of Direct Labor, Overhead and Material Cost Indirect Engineering, Marketing, Financial Labor & Transactional Cost is reduce. Supply chain logistics & service are made simpler to Asia’s customers Center for Material Sourcing throughout Asia for Domestic and China Production

Hemingway’s The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber Essay Example for Free

Hemingway’s The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber Essay The three characters in Hemingway’s The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber form a triangle in which the relationships are not clear from the beginning. The plot of the short story is not very complicated: during a safari, the rich and handsome Francis Macomber proves to be a coward when he runs off scared while hunting the lion he had wounded.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In fact, the attribute of ‘coward’ is given to him, indirectly, by his wife Margot and by Wilson, the hunter who accompanies them on the expedition. The whole story thus revolves around the killing of the lion, an act which seems to be the ultimate proof of manhood, and, which constitutes therefore a great attraction to women. The setting and the context of the story- the safari in the wilderness of Africa- seem to determine also the plot: Hemingway chooses for his characters two Americans with a great wealth and social stand, who are supposed to be very civilized, and exposes in fact their instinctual behavior, which seems to have kept its wild nature. Francis Macomber and Robert Wilson ‘fight’, by proving their courage in the hunt, for the ‘female’ who will instinctually choose the stronger of the two. The fact that the behavior of wild animals and that of humans have a common pattern is emphasized by Hemingway careful notation of the lion’s ‘feelings’ while he is being hunted by the two men. Thus, a clear connection is established between men and the wild animals: â€Å"Macomber had not thought how the lion felt as he got out of the car. He only knew his hands were shaking and as he walked away from the car it was almost impossible for him to make his legs move.†(Hemingway, 8) Thus, after Macomber’s failure in the hunt of the lion, Margot kisses the ‘winner’, Wilson, and completely ignores her husband, and her behavior seems to be the exact pattern of the creatures in the wilderness. Furthermore, the very night after Macomber’s defeat, she goes to bed with Wilson, without even trying to dissimulate in front of her husband. The courage to kill and to face death is taken here as the main criteria for manhood: â€Å"Fear gone like an operation. Something else grew in its place. Main thing a man had. Made him into a man. Women knew it too. No bloody fear.†(Hemingway, 12) The marriage between Francis and Margot had been nothing more than a profitable business affair, him having the money and she the beauty. As it is hinted, these interests are the only things that kept them together still. Both of them seem to be sure these ties are strong enough to secure against a break-up. However, after having found out about his wife’s betrayal, Macomber’s instinctive nature seems to be awakened: he discovers the exhilaration that the hunt and the killings produce in him, and his fear is completely gone. Still, Margot is not pleased by her husband’s success, as one would expect. She rather feels threatened, and tries to hide it by resuming her contemptuous attitude towards him: â€Å"’Youve gotten awfully brave, awfully suddenly,’ his wife said contemptuously, but her contempt was not secure. She was very afraid of something.†(Hemingway, 11) Thus, Margot ‘rewards’ the braveness of her husband by killing him while he was fighting the bull, apparently trying to aim at the beast. However, it is obvious that she kills him intentionally, first of all, because of her strange behavior before the murder, and also because of the logic of events. As Hemingway hints, ‘she was afraid of something’ and it can plainly be seen that that something was the fact that Macomber might leave her for her betrayal, now that he found his self-assurance and his manliness again. This is exactly what Wilson alludes at after the ‘accident’: â€Å"’That was a pretty thing to do,’ he said in a toneless voice. ‘He would have left you too.’†(Hemingway, 14) She thus kills her husband to ward off the danger of having him leave her. This is proven by her strong emotions during the bull hunt, in which Macomber finally shows his braveness: her face is white with fear and probably contrasting feelings. At first she seems to congratulate again the winner, this time her husband: â€Å"’In the car Macombers wife sat very white-faced. ‘You were marvelous, darling,’ she said to Macomber. ‘What a ride.’†(Hemingway, 13) Nonetheless, her admiration soon turns into the fear that her husband will desert her: â€Å"Her face was white and she looked ill.† Again, the fact that Margot kills her husband on purpose coheres with the rest of her instinctive behavior: although the main reason of the killing seems to be his fortune or her social stand which she might lose, it may be that her murder is again instinctive, in the sense that she is afraid of losing the now desirable man, because of his courage. She prefers shooting him, again cohering with the hunt. Her ‘hysterical’ crying over the dead body of her husband do not manage to convince us of her innocence or her pain at the loss: she rather mourns him either because she needs to act in front of the other hunters, or because she has to give up the hero she had been looking for. The way in which she changes her mind after Macomber’s success, and she says that their hunting is by no means a heroic act, clearly demonstrates that she feels trapped, again manifesting her instinctual nature. At the end of the story, she herself is defeated by Wilson, who plainly lets her see that he knows the truth, and seems to enjoy the feeling of being able to submit her to his will, and have her beg: Thats better, ‘Wilson said. ‘Please is much better. Now Ill stop.’(Hemingway, 14) The meanings of Hemingway’s story are thus very complex, as he analyzes the instinctual relationships between men and women, and other instincts, such as that of killing and hunting or of possessing and dominating. Works Cited: Hemingway, Ernest. The Complete Short Stories. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1998

Study of Chinas first five year plan

Study of Chinas first five year plan The industrial system taken over by the Chinese Communist leadership in 1949 was not only rudimentary and war-devastated, but also extremely imbalanced. Over 70% of the industrial assets and output were concentrated in the coastal areas while the rest of the country shared the remainder. Within the coastal region, modern industrial production was again heavily concentrated in a few cities, namely Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang, Anshan, Benxi, Dalian and Fushun accounted for 55% of the total for the coastal region. China was a typical dual economy, in which a few industrial cities were surrounded by large-scale agriculture. When the Chinese leadership started its efforts at industrialization, it regarded the huge coast-interior imbalance as irrational because, firstly, areas of industrial production were usually too far away from energy and raw materials supply areas and the interior market, meaning substantial long-distance transport costs and creating a strain on Chinas undeve loped transport system. Secondly, the rich resources in the inland areas could not be properly exploited. Finally, since the coast was easily exposed to foreign military power, the heavy concentration of industry there represented a national security risk, as was the case during the Second World War. To rectify that regional imbalance, the Chinese leadership decided to pull the levers of centrally directed investment. (Yang, 1990) Land Reform During the land reform, a significant amount landlords were murdered at Communist Party gatherings, the land was then given to peasants and there was also the Campaign to Suppress Counter-revolutionaries, involving public executions of mainly former Kuomintang officials, businessmen accused of market disturbances, former employees of Western companies and intellectuals whose loyalty was suspect. In 1976, the U.S. State department estimated around a million may have been killed during land reform, and a further 800,000 killed in the counterrevolutionary campaign (Shalom, 1984, p24). Mao himself claimed that a total of 700,000 people were executed during the years 1949-53 (Chang Halliday, 2005). However, because there was a policy to select at least one landlord, and usually several, in virtually every village for public execution, the number of deaths ranged between 2 and 5 million. In addition, at least 1.5million people (Short, 2001), perhaps as many as 6 million were sent to refor m through labour camps where many perished (Valentino, 2004). Mao played a personal role in organizing the mass repressions and established a system of execution quotas, which were often exceeded, arguing that these killings were a necessity for securing power. First Five year plan Chinas first Five-Year Plan entailed the forced provision of cheap agricultural supplies to cities, though per capita allocation kept low to discourage urbanization. In rural areas, production decisions are shifted from households to mutual aid teams, and then to cooperatives where a cadre makes key decisions. Ownership is redefined in the form of state-owned enterprises and collectivized farms. In terms of financial structure, the binding constraints on households and enterprises at this time are coupons, authorizations, and orders to deliver. These instruments rather than money determine production and consumption outcomes; therefore prices are of secondary importance. The Hundred Flowers campaign brings unanticipated criticism, especially from intellectuals, which Mao silences in the repressive anti-rightist campaign. Almost two-thirds of the major projects, including many being built with Soviet aid were located in the interior. Despite allowance made to help rehabilitate war-devastated coastal industrial facilities, nearly 56% of the state investment in fixed assets went to the interior during this period. The interior-orientated investment policy took its toll in terms of economic efficiency as coastal industrial growth was sorely needed as a foundation for the development of the whole country. More concentrated efforts at rehabilitation and improvement of old enterprises in the coastal region could have produced more immediate economic pay-offs than making new investments in areas that lacked infrastructural support. Thus, Mao, in his April 1956 speech On the ten great relationships, commented that in the past few years we have not laid enough stress on industry in the coastal region so that the productive power of coastal industry could be used for the full development of the whole country, e specially the interior. In the same speech, however, Mao also revealed he was in favour of building most of heavy industry, 90% or perhaps still more, in the interior. Worden, Savada and Dolan (1987) discussed how China used a Soviet approach to economic development was manifested in the First Five-Year Plan. The main objective was a high rate of economic growth, with primary emphasis on industrial development at the expense of agriculture and particular concentration on heavy industry and capital-intensive technology. Large numbers of Soviet engineers, technicians, and scientists assisted in developing and installing new heavy industrial facilities, including entire plants and pieces of equipment purchased from the Soviet Union. Government control over industry was increased during this period by applying financial pressures and inducements to convince owners of private, modern firms to sell them to the state or convert them into joint public-private enterprises under state control. By 1956 approximately 67.5% of all modern industrial enterprises were state owned, others were under joint ownership. No privately owned firms remained. During the sam e period, the handicraft industries were organized into cooperatives, which accounted for 91.7% of all handicraft workers by 1956. Agriculture also underwent extensive organizational changes. To facilitate the mobilization of agricultural resources, improve the efficiency of farming, and increase government access to agricultural products, the authorities encouraged farmers to organize increasingly large and socialized collective units. From the loosely structured, tiny mutual aid teams, villages were to advance first to lower-stage, agricultural producers cooperatives, in which families still received some income on the basis of the amount of land they contributed, and eventually to advanced cooperatives, or collectives. In terms of economic growth the First Five-Year Plan was quite successful, especially in those areas emphasized by the Soviet-style development strategy. A solid foundation was created in heavy industry. Thousands of industrial and mining enterprises were constructed, including 156 major facilities. Industrial production increased at an average annual rate of 19% between 1952 and 1957, and national income grew at 9% a year. Despite the lack of state investment in agriculture, agricultural output increased substantially, averaging increases of about 4% a year. This growth resulted primarily from gains in efficiency brought about by the reorganization and cooperation achieved through collectivization. As the First Five-Year Plan wore on, however, Chinese leaders became increasingly concerned over the relatively sluggish performance of agriculture and the inability of state trading companies to increase significantly the amount of grain procured from rural units for urban consumption. T he First Five-Year Plan was for a long time the only plan that was even partially executed. Second The success of the First Five Year Plan encouraged Mao to initiate the Great Leap Forward, in 1958. Mao also launched a phase of rapid collectivization. The Party introduced price controls as well as a Chinese character simplification aimed at increasing literacy. The Great Leap was not merely a bold economic project, it was also intended to show the Soviet Union that the Chinese approach to economic development was more vibrant, and ultimately would be more successful, than the Soviet model that had been used previously. Under the economic program, the relatively small agricultural collectives which had been formed were rapidly merged into far larger peoples communes, and many of the peasants ordered to work on massive infrastructure projects and the small-scale production of iron and steel. Some private food production was banned; livestock and farm implements were brought under collective ownership. Under the Great Leap Forward, Mao and other party leaders ordered the implementation of a variety of unproven and unscientific new agricultural techniques by the new communes. Combined with the diversion of labour to steel production and infrastructure projects and the reduced personal incentives under a commune system this led to an approximately 15% drop in grain production in 1959 followed by further 10% reduction in 1960 and no recovery in 1961 (Spence, p.553). To win favour with superiors and avoid being purged, each layer in the party hierarchy exaggerated the amount of grain produced under them and based on the fabricated success, party cadres were ordered to requisition a disproportionately high amount of the true harvest for state use primarily in the cities and urban areas but also for export, which resulted in the rural peasant snot left enough to eat and millions starved to death in the largest famine in human history. This famine was a direct cause of the death of some 3 0 millions of Chinese peasants between 1959 and 1962 and about the same number of births were lost or postponed. Further, many children who became emaciated and malnourished during years of hardship and struggle for survival, died shortly after the Great Leap Forward came to an end in 1962 (Spence, p.553). The famine was due to Maos leaning heavily on mass mobilization to speed up industrial development. The Great Leap emphasized heavy industry in general, and the iron and steel industry in particular. In any case, the Great Leap came to be a leap into disaster and was a major cause of Chinas worst famine (1959-61). During this period state investment in industrial assets in the interior continued to increase. It averaged 59.4% of the national total during 1958-62 and further grew to 62-5% in the post-Leap adjustment period (1963-65). In the meantime, worsening Sino-Soviet relations and U.S. involvement in Vietnam led Chinas leaders to perceive a greater need for enhancing its national defence capabilities. As a result, despite the much felt post-crisis need to invigorate existing industrial production and restore consumption levels, Mao in 1964 ruled in favour of building more defence-orientated industries in the interior so that Chinas industrial infrastructure would survive a foreig n invasion and provide for a protracted defensive war. (Yang, 1990, p.236-7) As part of this push for hierarchical organization and revolutionary thinking, Mao initiates the Peoples Commune Movement to foster a communist-agrarian society. Bad incentives and bad weather bring the famine of 1960 with its accompanying economic turmoil, starvation, and rural revolt. Twenty to thirty million people lose their lives through malnutrition and famine (Fairbanks 1987, p.296). The failure of the Great Leap Forward and the Peoples Commune Movement created the first open split within the ranks of communist leaders. Furthermore, a major rift opens with the Soviets, leading to a break in relations and Russian aid flows. (Jaggi et al., WP 1996) The Great Leap Forward was a disaster for China. Although the steel quotas were officially reached, almost all of it made in the countryside was useless lumps of iron, as it had been made from assorted scrap metal in homemade furnaces with no reliable source of fuel such as coal. At the Lushan Conference in 1959, several leaders expressed concern that the Leap was not as successful as planned. The most direct of these was Minister of Defence and Korean War General Peng Dehuai. Mao, fearing loss of his position, orchestrated a purge of Peng and his supporters, stifling criticism of the Great Leap policies. Senior officials who reported the truth of the famine to Mao were branded as right opportunists (Becker, 1998). A campaign against right opportunism was launched and resulted in party members and ordinary peasants being sent to camps where many would subsequently die in the famine. The party have now concluded that 6 million were wrongly punished in the campaign. (Valentino, 2004, p . 127) The largest man-made famine on record was the Chinese famine of 1958-1961, which resulted in the death of an estimated 30 million people and approximately the same number of births lost or postponed. This famine was thought to be as a direct result of the decision by Mao Zedong to launch the Great Leap Forward, a mass mobilization of the population to achieve economic advancement. Mao followed the Stalinist ideology of heavy industry being the answer to economic advancement, peasants were ordered to abandon all private food production and instead produce steel which proved to be of extremely poor quality and of little or no use (Smil, 1999). This created a similar pattern to that of the loss of grain production needed to feed the population as seen in the Ukraine in the 1930s,by the spring of 1959 famine had affected people living in one-third of Chinas provinces. Until the mid 1980s, when official census figures were finally published by the Chinese Government, little was known abou t the scale of the disaster in the Chinese countryside, as the handful of Western observers allowed access during this time had been restricted to model villages where they were deceived into believing that Great Leap Forward had been a great success. There was also an assumption that the flow of individual reports of starvation that had been reaching the West, primarily through Hong Kong and Taiwan, must be localized or exaggerated as China was continuing to claim record harvests and was a net exporter of grain through the period. Because Mao wanted to pay back early to the Soviets debts totalling 1.973 billion yuan from 1960 to 1962, exports increased by 50%. (ONeill, 2008) Censuses were carried out in China in 1953, 1964 and 1982. The first attempt to analyse this data in order to estimate the number of famine deaths was carried out by Dr Judith Banister. Given the gaps between the censuses and doubts over the reliability of the data, an accurate figure is difficult to ascertain. Banister concluded that the official data implied that around 15 million excess deaths incurred in China during 1958-61 and that based on her modelling of Chinese demographics during the period and taking account of assumed underreporting during the famine years, the figure was around 30 million. The official statistic is 20 million deaths, as given by Hu Yaobang (Short, 2001). Third Temporary realignment of political power, from Mao to Liu Shaoqi Recovery policies informed by pragmatism Readjustment of priorities Agriculture, Light, Heavy Take agriculture as the key link Agriculture as the foundation of the economy; grain as the foundation of the foundation Reorganisation of agricultural institutional framework commune production brigade, production team Introduction of grain imports Retrenchment in industry Third Five year Plan (1966-1969) tasks included developing agriculture to feed the populace and meet other basic needs (such as clothing); strengthening national defence (a priority given Chinese concerns of a potential war); advancing technology; developing infrastructure; encouraging economic self-reliance. Again striving to expand his command over the Party, Mao orchestrates the Cultural Revolution. Early stages of the movement entail a struggle against the so called antiparty clique, including Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping. Mao calls on the youth as Red Guards to spread revolutionary zeal. They make a specialty of attacking professionals and intellectuals, and wreak havoc on the educational system. Begun as a political struggle, the Cultural Revolution paralyzes normal life and throws the economy into turmoil. Fourth The Cultural Revolution change political succession discipline government bureaucracy produce a new generation of revolutionary successors introduce egalitarian policy initiatives Transfer of political power from pragmatic economic technocrats to radical elements of CCP (esp. gang of four) Three elements of Cultural Revolution economic strategy self-sufficiency egalitarianism the Third Front Cultural Revolution as an urban, not rural, phenomenon industry, not agriculture, the major loser The Fourth Five Year Plan was more successful than anticipated, with the industrial and agricultural goals exceeded by 14.1% and industrial gross output value goals by 21.1%. Agricultural gains also exceeded goals, but more moderately, with a 2.2% rise above expectations. According to the Official Portal of the Chinese Government, however, the focus on accumulation and rapid development in this and preceding plans were impediments to long-term economic development In September 1970, the Plan was drafted with such goals as maintaining an annual growth rate of 12.5% in industry and agriculture as well as specific budget allowances for infrastructure construction (130 billion yuan during the Plan). In 1973, some of the specific provisions of the plan were amended to lower the targets. All targets had been reached or surpassed by the end of 1973. China experienced a vibrant economy in the years 1972 and 1973. Conclusion In conclusion, Maos five year plans, during his time as Chairman of the CPC, were not only enabled China to grow in terms of GDP, but enabled improved rates of literacy, improved living standards if only slightly, some elements of trade liberalisation occurred and a focus on agriculture was eventually made in order to develop food securities, there was some industrialisation and investment in infrastructure. The growth was mainly export-led as GDP per capita did not drastically increase, infrastructure investment rose to a level allowing China to uphold its ability to It therefore can be argued that although many millions of people suffered due to Mao, that China today has partly benefited from the Mao years, although I believe that if Mao had not been kept unaware of the situation that arose in the Great Leap Forward years, that the suffering and deaths that occurred could have been avoided.

Measure for Measure Essay: The Growth of Angelo and Pompey

The Growth of Angelo and Pompey in Measure for Measure      Ã‚   It is very difficult for a state to impose morality on its' citizens since morals have a tendency to be relative.   Adding to the complexity is the fact that everyone has sinned - the enforcer is as much at fault as the accused. This problem comes to a boil in Shakespeare's play, "Measure for Measure", where Angelo enforces the death sentence for fornication against Claudio. Angelo then uses Claudio's problem as leverage to get his sister to commit the same crime with him. Throughout this play, Angelo's sins are exposed to him and he goes through a repentance, payment, and growth process. The same happens to seedy Pompey.    Angelo's sin is blackmailing Claudio's sister, Isabella, with the death of her brother if she does not sleep with him, "...and that there were No earthly menas to save him, but that either You must lay down the treasures of your body" (2.4.95-97). Isabella and the disguised duke only know the sin. With no one to enforce the laws of morality on Angelo, he has the freedom to rape the helpless. The crime Angelo is going to commit is known and forethought by him. He does not come to the realization that this is wrong until he has no other choice, "hast though or word, or wit, or impudence, That yet can do thee office? If thou hast, Rely upon it till my tale be heard, And hold no longer out." (5.1.371-374). The selfishness has caught up with Angelo and he realizes the only way out is to repent, "I should be guiltier than my guiltiness...But let my trail be mine own confession. Immediate sentence then and sequent death Is all the grace I beg." (5.1.375, 5.1.380-382). People can argue that Angelo only did this to get off the hook. Is it repentanc... ... do desire to learn, sir; and I hope, if you have occasion to use me for your own turn, you shall find me yare. For truly, sir, for your kindness I owe you a good turn." (4.2.56-59). Lastly, he learns what type of life he was living as he passes through the jail, seeing all of his old business acquaintances. The decision he made to start a new life put himself on the opposite side of the bars of his old friends. Pompey realizes that his old life would do nothing but drag him down. The rest of the story sees him faithfully carry out his duty.    Works Cited Black, James. "The Unfolding of Measure for Measure." Shakespeare Survey 26 (1973): 119-28. Leech, Clifford. "The 'Meaning' of Measure for Measure." Shakespeare Survey 3 (1950): 69-71. Shakespeare, William. Measure for Measure. The Arden Shakespeare. Ed. J.W. Lever. London: Routledge, 1995.   

Academic and Vocational Integration :: Vocational Education Educational Essays

Academic and Vocational Integration The integration of academic and vocational education, mandated through the 1990 Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act and supported by the 1994 School-to-Work Opportunities Act, is a concept that has been interpreted and implemented in a variety of ways. As a result, its role in school reform and its effectiveness in modifying curriculum content, teaching practices, and school structure to enhance student preparation for work have become obscured. This Myths and Realities attempts to clarify the importance of academic and vocational integration in relation to emerging pedagogy, teaching and learning practices, and school-to-work efforts. New Pedagogy and Teaching/Learning Theories Overshadow the Value of Integration Current research on teaching and learning supports a constructivist pedagogy, which contends that people construct knowledge through their interpretive interactions with and experiences in their social environments. In constructivism, the focus of teaching is on empowering learners to "construct new knowledge" by providing opportunities for them to test academic theories through real-world applications of knowledge in settings that are socially relevant to their lives. Beane (1998) highlights several factors reflecting support of this pedagogy: 1. Growing support for active learning and knowledge construction in place of rote memorization and the accumulation of knowledge constructed by others. 2. Interest in patterns of brain functioning as related to learning. 3. An emerging awareness that knowledge is socially constructed, influenced by ones prior knowledge and social, cultural, and academic experiences. Student-centered teaching, project-oriented instruction, problem-based learning, and contextual teaching and learning are currently promoted as strategies for implementing constructivism. However, they also reflect the philosophy upon which academic and vocational integration is based: that education must forge connections between knowledge development and its application in the workplace. In its most basic form, curriculum integration involves the infusion of academic content into vocational programs, often referred to as "enhanced academics." The new vocationalism, however, calls for "enhanced relevance," which is achieved when students engage in learning experiences that are situated in real-life contexts and that afford in-depth understanding and the development of higher-order thinking skills (Pisapia and Riggins 1997; Stasz 1997). Urquiola et al. (1997) note that curricular integration reflects the process of contextualization by bringing authentic work elements to abstract academic subjects. It contributes to the development of students critical thinking and collaborative skills as well as those that prepare them for skilled jobs. Learning in context and constructing knowledge through socially based experiences are two teaching/learning concepts that draw upon principles of curriculum integration.

Death Changes Essay

Changes in Death Management Practices One of the first noted changes in the book regarding attitudes towards death can be seen with the advances in mass media. As Technology has advanced, so have the ways in which news is reported to the world. Radio, Television, and the Internet have given the public many ways of receiving information. When situations portray a perceived threat, people turn to mass media for information. The ability to access information regarding worldwide disasters, terrorism, and other acts of brutality make us feel like survivors of death. Because we are able to see and hear about things that we have no firsthand knowledge of, we feel like we are experiencing it to some degree. (DeSpelder, Strickland pg. 6) During the Vietnam War, television gave people access to images of things that were happening half a world away. In no other time were daily doses of violence to this degree a part of everyday life. Media analyst George Gerbner observed that these depictions of death evoked a heightened sense of danger, insecurity, and mistrust which contributed to an â€Å"irrational dread of dying and thus to diminished vitality and self-direction in life† (DeSpelder, Strickland pg. 8) Life expectancy and Mortality Rates have been affected by technology as well. In 1900, the average life expectancy was 47 years of age in the United States. As of 2005, the average life expectancy rose to 78 years of age. This rise can be attributed to epidemiologic transition which moves the largest number of deaths from the young to the old. In the early days people died from infection due to lack of medication and knowledge on how to treat and prevent. As this knowledge was gained, deaths tended to be from chronic disease processes that are common in the older population rather than young. In 1900, over half of deaths that occurred were to children under the age of 14. That number has decreased to less than 2% and this fact influences how we feel and think about death. (DeSpelder, Strickland pg. 36) In the 1870’s, nine out of ten Americans over the age of 15 had lost a parent or a sibling. Because medicine and medical care was not advanced, mother’s died during child birth and/or babies were born still born due to lack of prenatal knowledge and care advancement. The family unit was very important and often people in this time period would display postmortem pictures of loved ones who had passed as a testament to this family unit and the common knowledge of their mortality. One other change that has taken place is death rituals. In the early 1900’s families were more likely to be multigenerational living in the same house. People tended to intermingle with other generations out of necessity. Families lived on large homesteads and it took everyone to make it work. Because of this, multiple generations were present at the death of older family members and rituals and traditions existed. In this day and age people are more mobile and on the move. It is harder to maintain close relationships with family when you don’t live in the same state, let alone city. People appear to be less affected by the death of an older relative when the closeness of the relationship has been lost due to sheer proximity. Several changes that can be discussed regarding children are their attitudes towards death, their functional ability to understand death, and their desensitization to violence regarding death. Children’s attitudes towards death are much different in this day and age from in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. In that time, families tended to live together in extended family situations possibly on homesteads. There was less access to medical care and things were taken care of at home. Death was something that was seen as a natural part of the living process and happened more regularly because of the generations that cohabitated. In this day and age as generations tend to live separately, children are more sheltered from this and therefore tend to look at death as something that doesn’t directly affect them. Jean Piaget, a theorist in human development, did extensive study of children and divided them into approximate age groups and developmental periods. He theorized that we develop our knowledge based on things we already know. These stages are sensorimotor from birth to 2 years when children learn based on their senses and motor abilities and begin to develop the idea of object permanence where they understand an object is still present even when it can’t be seen. Preoperational from 2-7 years where they progress from egocentric thought where they look at things as if they are the center of the world to prelogical where they learn trial and error and can begin to understand other points of view. Concrete operational from 7-12 years where they are able to logically understand and organize information and begin to think forward and backward about experiences. And finally, Formal operational from 12 years and up where they can think hypothetically and abstractly about situations and begin to have an interest in ethical situations. . (DeSpelder, Strickland pg. 2-53) Before these types of theorists existed, death was considered a natural part of the living experience and children just dealt with it like the rest of the family. Also in early years when children talked about death, it tended to be in the context of disease processes and accidents. As the culture has, advanced children are routinely exposed to things they weren’t before. If you ask, a child now days what things are that can cause death you may hear things like gunshot wounds and other traumatic experiences that can be linked to crime, violence they see on TV or video games or inner city experiences. In a cultural or historical sense differences in how dying is perceived can be from a cultural standpoint. Different religious and ethnical cultures have different practices and beliefs regarding death but as we have become more culturally competent society, the varying beliefs have become better understood. The physical cause of dying has changed simply by historical differences in living conditions. For example, in the Stone Age people were more likely to have died from trauma and animal attacks, whereas today dying from frailty, organ failure and dementia are more common. One change in regards to mortality and society where death is concerned can be related to education and training. For example, an earthquake in Japan in 1923 caused the death of 100,000 people. Today, because of advances in technology and safety we have ways to warn people of dangerous weather situations and have developed better safety practices that if followed can save many lives. . (DeSpelder, Strickland pg. 135-136) Change has also been seen in the conventional signs of death. Most deaths are determined by the absence of heartbeat and breathing. With the advances in technology and medicine, though, it is possible for mechanical ventilation and medications to artificially maintain these functions while the brain is termed dead. For this reason, the concept of brain death was created. Another innovation that has changed death is organ transplantation. Before this was discovered and perfected people had no choice but to die if they fell victim to an irreversible organ failure. Now, through organ donation and transplantation people can live long and productive lives if they can receive these lifesaving procedures. The final three changes that will be discussed are in regards to patients, staff, and institutions in the field of Health care. In 1900, about 80% of deaths in the United States took place in the home. As the invention of hospitals and other institutions took place, this shifted to the institutional setting with more people dying in hospital or nursing home setting. There is beginning to be a shift again however as hospice care becomes an option available to more and more people that allow them to stay in their homes around familiar surroundings instead of the sterile, non-personal setting of a hospital or institution. Another change that has taken place with regards to dying could be the rationing of resources. This will undoubtedly be getting even worse under Obamacare. Physicians used to be considered the gate keepers of what services and treatments were reasonably appropriate to which patients. As managed care comes more and more into the picture, this will change. Physicians will be paid a certain amount of money per month by insurance companies to manage the patients’ health. The less procedures, tests, and resources that are used the more money the physician will get to keep. This leads to the fear that rationing of resources or withholding of resources is a real possibility in order to keep from bankrupting doctors and clinics. Finally, palliative care, and end of life decisions are changing as well. There have been many advances with the advent of hospice and what can be done to allow a natural and peaceful death for those that are not interested in prolonging it. Undoubtedly, we will all die one day. There has been a shift in recent years from death being an almost taboo topic to one where people are taking control of their decisions. This is an area I am passionate about. You can take control of your end of life decisions by an advanced directive and informing your family members of your wishes. There are people who know they want every intervention possible done to keep them alive and there are those that are accepting of their own mortality, comfortable with their idea of what happens after death, and know that they want nothing heroic done to try and keep them on this earth if they cannot be an active participant.