Effective Teacher Questioning Techniques

Asking questions is an important part of any teachers daily interaction with their students. Questions provide teachers with the ability to check on and enhance student learning. However, it is important to note that not all questions are created equal. According to Dr. J. Doyle Casteel, Effective Teaching, effective questions should have a high response rate (at least 70 to 80 percent), be evenly distributed throughout the class, and be a representation of the discipline being taught. What Types of Questioning Are Most Effective? Typically, questioning habits of teachers are based on the subject being taught and our own past experiences with classroom questions. For example, in a typical mathematics class, questions might be rapid fire: question in, question out. In a science class, a typical situation might occur where the teacher talks for two to three minutes then poses a question to check understanding before moving on. An example from a social studies class might be when a teacher asks questions to start a discussion allowing other students to join in. All of these methods have their uses and a complete, experienced teacher uses all three of these in their classroom. Referring again to Effective Teaching, the most effective forms of questions are those that either follow  a clear sequence, are contextual solicitations, or are hypothetico-deductive questions. In the following sections, we will look at each of these and how they work in practice. Clear Sequences of Questions This is the simplest form of effective questioning. Instead of directly asking students a question such as Compare Abraham Lincolns Reconstruction Plan to Andrew Johnsons Reconstruction Plan, a teacher would ask a clear sequence of little questions that lead up to this larger overall question. The little questions are important because they establish the basis for the comparison which is the ultimate goal of the lesson. Contextual Solicitations Contextual solicitations provide a student response rate of 85-90 percent. In a contextual solicitation, a teacher is providing a context for the coming question. The teacher then prompts an intellectual operation. Conditional language provides a link between the context and the question that is to be asked. Here is an example of a contextual solicitation: In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo Baggins is attempting to get the One Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it. The One Ring is seen as a corrupting force, negatively affecting all who have extended contact with it. This being the case, why is Samwise Gamgee unaffected by his time wearing the One Ring? Hypothetico-Deductive Questions According to research cited in Effective Teaching, these types of questions have a 90-95% student response rate. In a hypothetico-deductive question, the teacher starts by providing the context for the coming question. They then set up a hypothetical situation by providing conditional statements like assume, suppose, pretend, and imagine. Then the teacher links this hypothetical to the question with words like, given this, however, and because of. In summary, the hypothetico-deductive question must have context, at least one curing conditional, a linking conditional, and the question. Following is an example of a hypothetico-deductive question: The film we just watched stated that the roots of sectional differences that led to the US Civil War were present during the Constitutional Convention. Lets assume that this was the case. Knowing this, does that mean that the US Civil War was inevitable? The typical response rate in a classroom not using the above questioning techniques is between 70-80 percent. The discussed questioning techniques of Clear Sequence of Questions, Contextual Solicitations, and Hypothetico-Deductive Questions can increase this response rate to 85 percent and above. Further, teachers who use these find that they are better at using wait time. Further, the quality of student responses increases greatly. In summary, we as teachers need to try and incorporate these types of questions in our daily teaching habits. Source: Casteel, J. Doyle. Effective Teaching. 1994. Print.

The Documentary Stress Silent Killer - 1130 Words

The documentary â€Å"stress silent killer† was not only eye opening, but also enhanced the overall learning experience. As humans, we have a natural response to stress, and we cannot locate the off switch in regards to turning off the stress. Most often, we stress for no actual psychological purpose and we are doing so in a relentless manner. After time goes on the stress response turns out to be more impeding than the stressor itself. A definitive objective boils down to having the right type of stress because in the event that we do not involve the right kind of stress there are hazardous outcomes. This can incorporate increased heart rate, high blood pressure and a weak immune system. There is what we call â€Å"good† stress otherwise known as eustress and â€Å"bad† stress known as distress. Some good stresses I have participated in are going on rollercoasters and snowboarding and scary movies. I enjoy these stressors because I get the thrill but it safe controlled setting. The most interesting data in this documentary were identified with hierarchy in relation to stress. Stress exists within hierarchy, which is a social construct. A study was conducted which the position of your career specifically corresponds to the risk of disease and the length of life. Essentially saying, feeling low ranked can generate stress. Around thirty years back, they discovered that stress might be associated with ulcers. At that point they found that the ulcers were being produced by a bacterialShow MoreRelatedThe Obesity Rates Of Obesity1468 Words   |  6 Pages Over one-third of women and one-fourth of men are currently on a â€Å"diet† in America according to the documentary Hungry for Change. However, if this was the case, it does not correspond to our obesity rates. If almost all men and women are supposedly eating right, we should have an active and healthy population, but this shows to be drastically untrue. 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Essentially, leadership is about people management Free Essays

Mohandas Gandhi once admitted that â€Å"I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.† Essentially, leadership is about people management. As a leader, one has to realize that the value of leadership is determined by the ability of the leader to deal fairly with the people placed under him. We will write a custom essay sample on Essentially, leadership is about people management or any similar topic only for you Order Now Interestingly, we can say that all men are leaders. This is because in one way or the other, we all occupy a position where someone is under us. However, it is sad to note that not all men know what leadership is truly about thereby making a mess of their positions. Therefore, in order to have an efficient society, it becomes imperative to have a platform where leadership can be addressed and people can be taught the rudiments of leadership. I consider The Leadership Development Program (LPD) organized by The Venetian to be such a rare platform. As an undergraduate, my academic background was in English and literature. During my years in college, I was selected to be the volunteer interpreter in international conferences, conventions, and trade shows. While I was discharging my duties, I realized how much I like to communicate with people and the heart I have for helping them. It was an eye-opener to the fact that I am naturally configured to fit into the hospitality industry. As a result, I decided to start my career in hospitality industry since I really like interacting people who have different perspectives and cultural back ground. As an integral part of my career aspirations, I hope to work in a hotel someday as Human Resource Personnel or any aspect that involves management. Dreams don’t just come true and success requires extra effort. Apart from this, I have come to discover that in order to be a leader, one must first follow and learn. This has made me embark on the quest of personal career enhancement. In order to accomplishment my vision I know this require me to enroll for a credible program where I can learn how to improve my leadership and managerial skills so that I can be of help to the customers that will come my way daily. This is what informed my decision to enroll for The Leadership Development Program organized by The Venetian. After going through the several leadership development programs that I could lay my hands on, I felt the one organized by the Venetian is the best. However, after I have carefully gone through the site and the programs offered, I needed nobody to tell me that this was what I have been looking for. What caught my fancy was the level of organization of the company. I was attracted to the site itself and the idea of being taught by the â€Å"executives of one of the world’s most successful hospitality and entertainment companies† made my stomach rumble. I also find the program appealing because of the fact that I will be able to get world class jobs with the affiliates of the company after the program. On the whole, I believe that I will find the program memorable as this is the big break I have been looking for. I know one day I will look back and be grateful I made the decision to enroll for the Venetian Leadership Development Program! How to cite Essentially, leadership is about people management, Essay examples

A Comparative Analysis Between the Bangladesh Labor Law free essay sample

Since the adherence to international social standards has become a mandatory requirement in the international business arena, the local suppliers have to be compliant to these standards in order to remain in business. There have been some significant revisions to the Bangladesh Labor Law in 2006. This newly revised law already covers a lot of the common standards like employment conditions, occupational health and safety issues as well as the ILO core labor standards. Besides being complaint to the national labor law, the suppliers must also adhere to the international standards. These international standards may be defined through their individual buyers’ codes of conduct or general codes of the conduct. Compliance to the buyers’ codes of conduct is mandatory but compliance to the general codes of conduct is optional unless the buyer accepts a specific general code as a substitute for its own audits or requirements. These voluntary monitoring or verification initiatives have taken root since the 1990s to add legitimacy and credibility to companies’ social and environmental compliance programs. The comparative analysis shows that the Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 significantly covers majority of the requirements of the different general codes of conduct. This indicates that if a factory is 100% compliant to the national law, it will cover approximately 85% of the requirements of the other general codes of conduct. Hence RMG factories should be encouraged to improve their compliance with the national law as a first step towards meeting the compliance demands of the brands and retailers who they supply to. The analysis does reveal that a few requirements are not fully or partially covered by the national labor law. It should be noted that the components which are not fully covered by the Bangladesh Labor Law are either covered by the Bangladesh Constitution or are not directly applicable in the Bangladesh context. This study clearly reveals that the revised Bangladesh Labor Law along with other supporting national legislations such as the Bangladesh Building Code and the Environmental Conservation Rules as well as the overall constitutional framework of Bangladesh, provides a comprehensive guideline for factories in the RMG sector to comply with majority of all international social compliance and environmental standards. By being 100% compliant with the national labor law, a supplier has significantly met majority of the international requirements. The Bangladesh Labor Law has gone through some majority revisions in 2006 which has made it into a strong piece of legislation. However, it is not still 100% perfect. There are still few gaps and lackings which need to be adjusted and amended in the future. As implementation of the revised law is ongoing, numerous other deficiencies might gradually be identified over time. Since recent revisions just took place, another series of revisions are not anticipated in the near future. This comparative analysis of the newly revised Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and seven general codes of conduct clearly illustrates where the commonalities and differences are. Overall, the recent revisions to the Bangladesh Labor Law and other national legislations that are associated with the RMG sector such as the Bangladesh Building Code and the Environmental Conservation Rules jointly provide comprehensive guidelines for RMG suppliers to manufacture and export products under socially and environmentally responsible working conditions which also meet majority of all prevailing international standards. 2. 1 General Codes of Conduct Definition of Codes The interest in the social situation of workers in developing countries has increased constantly over the last years in particular under civil societies and consumers in the industrialized countries. Social criteria have become an important part of consumer and investment decisions of individuals and organizations and therefore also big brands and retailers become more aware of compliance to social standards. Since Bangladesh is part of 1 A comparative analysis between the Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and seven general codes of conduct he global market social compliance is extremely relevant for the export-oriented industry of Bangladesh, especially for the RMG sector. For competitiveness in the global markets, the compliance with environmental and social standards is a key point. Through modern information and communication technologies the economic activity of companies becomes increasingly transparent and makes it easier for the civil society to uncover and communicate social and ecological failure of multinational companies. Companies know about the vulnerability of their brand names and messages concerning bad working conditions can easily damage their image as well as the market position. A social responsible management policy is therefore in the long-term interest of the enterprise. However companies can have a positive influence on the economic development in the target countries through the introduction of social standards and on the same time improve their image and market share through social and ecologically responsible behavior. To address these issues voluntary monitoring or verification initiatives have taken root since the 1990s to add legitimacy and credibility to companies’ labor compliance programs. They are all voluntary, meaning that companies opt to participate in them. Each requires member companies to adopt its respective workplace code of conduct and verifies that they have complied with organizational requirements. Today, some industries have developed or are developing codes for the entire industry. That can be best seen for the apparel and footwear sector. General Codes of Conduct as well as buyers’ codes are very common in this industry. These codes of conduct are rules, which companies impose upon themselves in order to embody social and ecological goals in the enterprise. Companies formulate these rules mostly for itself and partly also for the suppliers and orient themselves with the formulation at the international regulations and agreements already mentioned. Codes of conducts may also be recognized as useful instruments to build on the companies’ image. A lot of companies are participating in this initiatives to show their interests in improving the working conditions of their business partners/suppliers across the global. Fair trade and buying practices are a competitive advantage for many businesses. The codes show their commitment to this process. Codes of conduct may be developed through a multistakeholder approach such as ETI etc. or companies may have their own codes of conduct which are specific for their suppliers or codes could be sector specific such as for garments, food, electronics etc. 2. 2 Basis of codes Social compliance can be measured in relation to a certain standard. Concerning environmental and quality management a multiplicity of standards and certification systems already exist. The introduction of examinable social standards represents however a new challenge. Internationally recognized social standards exist, e. g. ? United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights UN Convention on Childrens Rights UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women ? ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work ? Rio Declaration on Environment and Development However these are guidelines and recommendations which can be converted voluntarily. Standards that can be certified only exist to a small extent. Most of the codes refer to these mentioned international standards, especially the ILO core labor standards. The ILO formulates international standards in the form of conventions and recommendations setting minimum standards of basic labor rights: Freedom of association The right to organize 2 A comparative analysis between the Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and seven general codes of conduct Collective bargaining Abolition of forced labor Equality of opportunity and treatment Besides the above mentioned standards, there are other standards regulating conditions across the entire spectrum of the work related issues. These principles are concretized in eight ILO conventions, in each case two for the four fundamental principles mentioned (see table 1). The ILO conventions are obligatory only if they are ratified by the member states. The entire number of the ratifications increased in the last years noticeably and varies depending upon convention in the order of magnitude between 148 and 172. Until July 2007, 128 countries had ratified all eight conventions. Bangladesh has ratified seven out of the eight core conventions. Table 1: ILO Core-Conventions and ratifications in Bangladesh1 Standard Freedom of association and bargaining Elimination of forced and compulsory labor Elimination of discrimination Abolition of child labor Convention Convention 87 (Freedom of association) Convention 98 (Right to organize collective bargaining) Convention 29 (Forced labor) Convention 105 (Abolition of forced labor) Convention 100 (equal remuneration) Convention 111 (employment and occupation) Convention 138 (Minimum age) Convention 182 (worst forms of child labor) Ratification Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Codes of practice develop frequently from public pressure or are preventively developed. In addition to the mentioned core labor standards these codes include general working conditions like occupational health and safety, minimum wages, leave days and working hours. Other common aspects include women’s rights or environmental standards. Also the implementation of a management system can be a requirement. 2. 3 How codes evolved The overall aim of social standards is to protect the workers. During the industrialization in Europe they evolved as a reaction to bad working conditions in the newly emerging factories. The depletion of large parts of the workforce moved child labor, forced labor, freedom of association and collective bargaining as well as women’s rights in the centre of public attention. Socially responsible behavior this means also ecologically responsible behavior has its starting point predominantly in the developed industrialized countries. The observance of social standards must be further supervised also in these countries. The by far larger action needs lie however in developing and emerging countries. Through the increasing world-wide division of labor large parts of the production chain are located in developing countries which have deficits with the observance of social standards. While working abroad companies are supposed to be compliant to the legal regulations. In developing and emerging countries legal regulations do not always correspond to the domestic standards of the companies. So it can be difficult for companies to combine national legislation and generally recognized basic values. Even if the legislation in developing and emerging countries corresponds to the standards of the industrialized countries there are deficits in monitoring and implementation of the standards. 1 Refer to the ILO website: http://www. ilo. org/ilolex/english/docs/declworld. htm. 3 A comparative analysis between the Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and seven general codes of conduct However an internationally defined and recognized social standard does not exist. Thus different stakeholder came up with the idea of codes of conduct to verify the compliance to international social standards. Social standards are extremely important in an industrialized world. Nowadays due to financial benefits, most companies outsource their production to developing countries where compliance to social standards is not as important. The problem is that consumers and respective governments ask for socially responsible behavior and working conditions and often the suppliers and governments of the developing countries cannot enforce or ensure compliance to these international standards.

Shakespeares Witches Essays - Characters In Macbeth,

Shakespeares Witches The witches could foretell the future, they can add temptation, and influence Macbeth, but they could not control his destiny. Macbeth created his own misery when he kills people. This causes him to become insecure, because of the reasons for his actions, which in turn causes him to commit more murders. The witches give great enticement, but in the end, it's Macbeth's decision to fall for the temptation. The three Witches are only responsible for introducing the ideas to Macbeth, and putting the ideas in his head, but they are not responsible for his actions throughout the play. However it's more realistic to believe that Lady Macbeth, Macbeth's ambition, and his own responsibilities ended it for him, not the witches. Lady Macbeth is shown early as an ambitious woman who can manipulate Macbeth easily. This is shown in the line That I may pour my spirits in thine ear(I,V,26). She is selfless, and wants what is best for her husband. Before the speech that Lady Macbeth gives in act one scene five, Macbeth does not want to go through with the killing of the king. She manipulates Macbeth's self-esteem by playing on his manliness and his bravery. Macbeth has the final say in whether or not to go through with the killing, but he loves Lady Macbeth and wants to make her happy. Lady Macbeth is the dominating individual in the relationship. It seems that she can convince him to do anything as long as she pushes the right buttons. Macbeth's ambition is present before the witch's prophesies. He would never have thought seriously about killing Duncan without the witches. But the combination of his ambitious and the witch's prophecies leads him to kill the king. Lady Macbeth even says,Thou wouldst be great/ Art not without ambition.(I,V,80-81). Macbeth also says, his besetting sin: I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition. Macbeth's ambition is shown while he waits to have a succession of kings after him. Macbeth has a lot of ambition in h im and because of this, both the witches and Lady Macbeth are able to make him evil. It is this ambition that gets him into so much trouble not the witches. Once Macbeth kills for the first time, he has to cover up his wrong doings, or risk loosing everything he has worked so hard for. In the end, it all comes to Macbeth himself. Everyone is responsible for his own destiny. This is what I think the theme is in this tragedy. Macbeth chooses to gamble with his life and when he does this, it is only him who chooses to lose it. He is responsible for everything he does and must take responsibility for his actions. Macbeth is the one who made the final decision to carry out his actions. He made these final decisions and continued with the killings to cover the murder of King Duncan. The killing of Duncan starts an unstoppable chain of events in the play that ends with the murder of Macbeth and the suicide of Lady Macbeth. While the witches are not totally responsible for the actions of Ma cbeth, they are responsible for introducing the ideas to Macbeth. Macbeth's ambition led to the deadly chain of events. The witches never had any real power to affect the future in the play. It was Macbeth all along who ended it for himself. Bibliography my name is dustin i was born in 83 Shakespeare

Magical Realism Essays

Magical Realism Essays Magical Realism Essay Magical Realism Essay Essay Topic: A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings Third person omniscient and third person with magical realism tend to diverge in the ways that authors use them. Magical realism allows the reader to speculate about aspects of the story that arent specified by the author, while an omniscient point of view is restrictive, drawing the readers focus to specific aspects of the story, allowing little room for speculation. A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings makes the free- form nature of magical realism apparent In the multiple ways to Interpret the old Nans presence, while in A Good Man Is Hard to Find; the more realistic omniscient point of view gives definitive descriptions of almost everything allowing little room for creative thought. In IA Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, very little Is presented to you In terms of clarification. You are left with an old man with large wings and a rather superstitious body of townsfolk. Then you see the townsfolk, especially Appeal and Allseed, reacting to the presence of this foreign object. Though you are given a grand scope of things with phrases Like, [t]he world had been sad since Tuesday (285), and [t]he curious came from far away (2881 you allowed to freely interpret these events as they unfold your eyes. They can also allow you to speculate about topics that arent specified within the story, such as, why is this winged man here? What purpose does he serve? Even though you get to look over a broad scope you are given the same information, or lack there of, that the townspeople are eating. None of the information you are provided with in absolute though. For instance you are given the opinion of a neighbor woman who knew everything about life and death, who says that it is some sort of fallen angel. Although the townspeople accept this information and start calling it an angel, you the author are not restricted to this. Since the source isnt absolute, the old man can be virtually anything to you. Since you are free to speculate, he is only an angel if you interpret him as one.

Short answer questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Short answer questions - Essay Example Every day the public is exposed to hours of reports on human suffering in its various forms, both through news/discussion, and in the themes of regular programming. This skewed view of reality presents a major barrier to pro-social changes. Significant improvements in this area can only be brought by system-wide alterations that are supported by a common understanding of the issue. The FCC tends to focus on nudity, coarse language, and violence, as elements they want to protect the public from. But evidence about these factors and if they have a significant negative influence on social behaviors is conflicting. It is possible that the opposite is happening; violence in the media may allow people the opportunity to express their more aggressive tendencies . This situation would agree with reports that aggression is higher in children after they play violent games (Anderson & Carnagey, 2009). The fear of desensitization to violence is another potential influence of media that is poorly understood. Those against such programming would argue that lessened responses to violence means less empathy, while supporters would point out that desensitization is a completely normal response throughout most areas of

Finance and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Finance and Management - Essay Example Finally, a decision is arrived at whether the firm can be financed two hundred thousand dollars. This Criterion must answer the following questions: What problem are you solving What is your business proposition for solving the problem Who are your customers Who are your competitors How viable is your business How do you make money Executive Summary is clear & effective as a stand-alone document. In the case, BBC is trying to solve the problem of customization of bicycle frames. There is no business proposition. The customers are mountain bike riders and racing professionals. BBC is a niche player and there is no information about its competitors. BBC makes money by selling Bicycle parts. In Joe's Case, the executive summary is a projection of sales without any explanation on what basis the projection is made. The problem is not clearly stated. From the executive summary, it is evident that Joe's specializes in providing high-quality fast food via company-owned portable carts in high-density urban office locations. The business proposition is clearly stated to provide high-quality fast food which is 100% natural. The customers are employees working in urban office locations. No information is provided about the competitors. ... The executive summary of BBC is very practical and workable. This is a favorable one. The executive summary of Joe's is viable but the sales projections made have no basis. Still this is a favorable one. Product or Service Description This criterion must answer the following questions: What is the product or service What are its attributes Advantages and potential drawbacks Why/how is your product/service more compelling than existing ones or the competition What is the stage of development Do you have a proprietary position or intellectual property protection planned or in place Most successful companies start with just one product or service or a few, at most. Trying to do too much too fast and having to educate the consumer about a product's or service's benefits can push a company under before it's out of the blocks Analysis BBC is having a single product of manufacturing bicycle frames as per the requirements of the customer. The features of the product are light, stiff, responsive and race worthy. The great advantage of BBC is customization and this forms the most compelling reason for choosing BBC. Joe's Redhots sells premium-quality hot dogs and other ready-to-eat luncheon products to upscale business people in high-traffic urban locations. Joe's Redhots is positioned versus other luncheon street vendors as the "best place to have a quick lunch." The features of Joe's product include cleanest carts, the most hygienic servers, the purest, freshest, products, and the best values. Prices are at a slight premium to reflect this superior vending service. Joe's Redhots also is known for its fun and promotional personality, offering consumers something special every week for monetary savings and fun. Interpretation BBC is very clear in its

History of the International Association of Fire Fighters and their Research Paper

History of the International Association of Fire Fighters and their influence today - Research Paper Example IAFF has played a crucial role in managing human resources in the fire fighting industry. The union has managed to improve the working conditions of fire fighters to an extent that it is a reliable and dependable profession. The safety of the fire fighters has been at the fore of the objectives of the union. It has focused on fighting for better wages, compensation benefits for occupational deaths and enhancing fire fighters’ skills in fighting fires. IAFF has elevated itself to a position of great influence in today’s society. This report will cover the progress made by the union since its inception in 1918 and show how such progress has changed the fire fighting profession for better. In this report, two major issues are discussed – the history of IAFF and its influence today. In discussing the history of IAFF, the milestones the union has made since its inception are highlighted. The union has been quite active and has succeeded in making great achievements. This report only highlights a handful of the achievements. On the second section, the influence of IAFF is discussed. IAFF’s influence is discussed from two perspectives – the policies it has necessitated to be enacted, and the programs and services it offers to its membership. These two have greatly changed the face of fire fighting profession and made it an integral part of the society. The history of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is long and one that bears witness to the benefits of a continuous improvement of human resources. This association has its headquarters in Washington, DC. The association membership is more than 300, 000. The association has greatly influenced advances in the fire fighting industry and is highly credited for tremendously securing the working conditions of fire fighters. It has continuously done this by lobbying the legislature to pass laws that protect fire fighters and developing training for the fire fighters (IAFF,

VLSI Architecture for QR Decomposition on MHHT Algoritm

VLSI Architecture for QR Decomposition on MHHT Algoritm A VLSI Architecture for the QR Decomposition based on the MHHT Algorithm s.n.v.sai.pratap1 k.kalyani2 s.rajaram3 Abstract: This paper presents Novel VLSI (Very Large Scale of Integration) architecture for the QR decomposition (QRD) based on the Modified Householder transformation (MHHT) algorithm. QRD of a matrix H is decomposition of matrixHinto a productof an orthogonal matrix Qand an upper triangularR. QRD is often used to solve several engineering problems in many areas. Pre-processing modules based on QRD makes the decoding in signal processing easier and implementing data detection with QRD helps to reduce the complexity of spatial multiplexing MIMO – OFDM detection. The techniques used for implementing QR decomposition are: Givens rotation, Modified GramSchmidt Orthogonalization (MGS), Householder Transformations (HHT), and indeed Modified Householder transformation (MHHT). The proposed MHHT algorithm shows best trade-off between complexity and numerical precision, and also suites for VLSI architectures. The proposed MHHT algorithm reduces computation time and hardware area of the QRD block compared to the existing Householder algorithm. Implementation of this algorithm is carried out in FPGA Virtex6 xc6vlx550tl-1Lff1759 device with the help of Xilinx ISE 14.1. Keywords: MIMO systems,VLSI architecture, QR Decomposition (QRD), Householder Transformation(HHT). 1. INTRODUCTION: The QR decomposition (QRD) is a basic matrix factorization method from matrix-computation theory used to compute two output matrices Q and R from an input matrix H, such that H = QR. QRD is often used to solve many engineering areas like least-square problems, linear system equations etc. For symbol-decoding solutions inside Spatial-Multiplexing Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (SM-MIMO) systems, QRD basically consists in simplifying demodulation tasks in suboptimal and near-optimal solutions by finding an orthogonal matrix Q and an upper-triangular matrix R from an input matrix H. Several techniques towards implementing the QRD are already reported in literature. For instance, and under the context of SM-MIMO systems, the most explored are the Modified Gram-Schmidt Orthogonalization (MGS, as a generalized improvement of the Gram-Schmidt algorithm), Givens rotation, the Modified Householder Transformations (MHHT as an enhancement of the Householder Transformation algorithm). Due to its simplicity and numerical stability, the QR factorization algorithm utilizing Householder transformations has been adopted. An overview of the main steps of the Existing Householder QR algorithm is presented. The purpose of this work is to show that when modifying existing Householder QR factorization to the matrix H, the computational complexity and hardware area gets reduced. Due to its trade-off in complexity, numerical precision, and VLSI implementation suitability, the MHHT is preferred. The contribution of this paper is to present a flexible and scalable FPGA-based VLSI architecture with competitive capabilities against other related approaches, motivated on the context of SM-MIMO demodulation solutions. The organization of this paper is as follows: Section II presents the QRD. In Section III, the exisiting HHT and MHHT algorithm is exposed. Implementation results are reported in Section IV, and conclusions are covered in Section V. 2. QR DECOMPOSITION The QRD constitutes a relevant pre-processing operation in SM-MIMO demodulation tasks [1-2]. The baseband equivalent model can be described in (1) At each symbol time, a vector S with each symbol belonging to the Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (q-QAM) constellation passes through the channel response matrix H. The received vector y at the receiving antenna for each symbol time is a noisy superimposition of the signals contaminated by Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) given by n.The maximum likelihood (ML) detector is the optimum detection algorithm for the MIMO system. It requires finding the signal point from all transmit vector signal sets that minimize the Euclidean distance with respect to the received signal vector. The transmitted symbol s can be estimated by solving (2) This gives the optimal result. However, solving (2) with larger constellations and multiple antennas will result in complex calculations. Instead of solving (2) as such, the symbol estimation can be simplified by using QR decomposition of.That is where resides the usefulness of decomposing matrix H in a QR form, yielding a back-recursive dependency on elements in S without incurring into a BER (Bit Error Rate) loss [3-4]. With this practice, the computational complexity is reduced. The detected vector is computed based on the ML algorithm with QR decomposition as given in (3) (3) where is in upper triangular form, approximation of is computationally simpler with the aid of (3). Note that for MIMO-OFDM systems operated in stationary environments, the channel matrix remains almost the same. Thus, QR decomposition of the channel matrix can be done only once to get matrix. On the other hand, the calculation of must be updated for every incoming signal. 2.1 QRD IMPLEMENTATION The techniques used for QR decomposition are: Gram–Schmidt algorithm obtains the orthogonal basis spanning the column space of the matrix by the orthogonality principle. Using a series of projection, subtraction, norm and division, the column vector of the unitary matrix containing the orthogonal basis can be acquired one by one and upper triangular matrix is also obtained as a by-product. Householder Transformation (HHT) tries to zero out the most elements of each column vector at a stroke by reflection operations. The upper triangular matrix is derived after each transformation matrix being applied to every column vector sequentially. The unitary matrix involves the multiplications of these Householder transformation matrices and thus the complexity is much higher. On the other hand, Givens Rotation (GR) zeros one element of the matrix at a time by two-dimensional rotation. If an identity matrix is fed as an input, the unitary matrix will be calculated by using the same rotation sequence when the upper triangular matrix is obtained (Malstev 2006; Hwang 2008 and Patel 2009).The Gram–Schmidt algorithm has the disadvantage that small imprecisions in the calculation of inner products accumulate quickly and lead to effective loss of orthogonality.HHT method has greater numerical stabilitythan the Gram–Schmidt method. Givens method stores two numbers c and s, for each rotation and thus requires more storage and work than Householder method .Givens rotation requires more complicated implementation in order to overcome this disadvantages. Givens rotation can be beneficial for computing QR factorization only when many entries of matrix are already zero, since nullifying certain matrix elements can be skipped. Unlike Givens Transform, Householder Transform can act on all columns of a matrix, and require less computations for Tridiagonalization and QR decomposition, but cannot be deeply or efficiently parallelized. Householder is used for dense matrices on sequential machines, while Givens is u sed for sparse matrices or/on parallel machines. 3. QRD using Householder Transformation In this section, the existing Householder Transformation algorithm is described, followed by proposed HHT method architecture is demonstrated in detail. 3.1 Householder Transformation Householder QR algorithm gradually transforms H into an upper triangular form R by applying a sequence of Householder matrices (multiplies H from the left with Q). Householder transformation is performed by projecting a multi-dimensional input vector onto a plane zeroes multiple elements at the same time. An nÃâ€"n matrix H of the form , (4) is called a Householder matrix. The vector is called a Householder vector. Pre-multiplication of the coefficient matrix with is used to zero out appropriate elements of. It is easy to verify that Householder matrices are symmetric and orthogonal. The Householder matrix block involves the computation of an outer product which requires complexity operation. However, the practical time requirement of using to zero out elements in is lower than that of computing a full outer product. This is because of the tedious computation of the full matrix which is not necessary in practice. Householder reflections work well for introducing large number of zeros using just one matrix multiplication (computing). Normally, all the elements below the diagonal of an entire column of the matrix are eliminated by one Householder reflection. However, this leads to a difficulty when Householder transforms are implemented on parallelly. One reflection affects multiple rows, and therefore, it is difficult to achieve fine-grained parallelism in the operation. The algorithm for Householder transform is given in Table 1. and its block diagram is given in Figure 2. Fig. 2 Block diagram of HHT Table 1 HHT algorithm End Householder vector block: The conventional method of Householder algorithm for decomposing channel matrix is given in Table 1. Initially, the channel matrix is assigned to matrix. It can be periodically updated by following steps to obtain upper triangular matrix. The first column of is assigned to ‘a’ vector. After that the norm value of ‘a’ is calculated and assigned it to ‘g’. The Householder vector ‘v’ is the division ‘u’ and‘t’ which is the norm operation of vector selection . Householder matrix block: The output of Householder vector is given as input to Householder matrix block. Finally, H is computed by The above operation can be updated upto n times to obtain the upper triangular matrix and unitary matrix. It is given below, (5) Q = (HnHn-1†¦H1) T (6) Here the matrix is given to the input of channel matrix to update its vector value. The orthogonal matrix is computed by the multiplication of ‘n’ Householder matrix. Hence its complexity increases and also it occupy more hardware area. If the matrix size increases, the hardware area also increases tremendously. So there is need to reduce the hardware complexity of this block. 3.2 Proposed HHT method The existing method of Householder reflection requires large hardware area and computation time. Householder transformations also provide the capability of nullifying multiple elements simultaneously by reflecting a multi-dimensional input vector onto a plane. However, VLSI implementation of the Householder algorithm needs square-root, multiplication and division operations, which require high hardware complexity. To resolve this issue, a novel Householder algorithm is presented that use series of simple Householder projections, which can be easily implemented using simple arithmetic operations. The proposed algorithm as given in table2 has lesser number of computations compared to the existing algorithm. In Figure 3, the block diagram of modified method is given. It shows two major sub blocks (i.e.) householder vector block and householder matrix block. Householder vector block is same to the previous method of computing ‘v’ with extra weight vector computation. Here modification taken in the Householder matrix block to eliminate matrix multiplication. The vector ‘v’ subtracted from ‘f’ and column vector of channel matrix to give ‘H’ value. Fig. 3 Block diagram of MHHT. In the first step, matrix H is reduced to with all zeros below the diagonal element in the first column by computing the sign of the pivot element d and weight value w. Compared to the previous algorithm, number of steps required to obtain the first matrix can be reduced. For example, if the initial channel matrix of 4Ãâ€"4 undergone to Householder reflection, then it reduces the matrix with all zeros below the first element. The computation of Householder vector in the existing algorithm requires large memory and area. Because is a 4Ãâ€"4 matrix, multiplication of become complex process. To avoid such a task, column vector of matrix has been taken one by one and process it iteratively to obtain the upper triangular matrix. After computation of the first step the matrix size reduced to. After that, the sub matrix of size 3Ãâ€"3 is taken and the steps can be applied repeatedly. The algorithm to compute Householder Vector block is given below. Table 2 HHT algorithm End Repeat above steps for right bottom (n-1)*(n-1) matrix of R Householder vector block: In this Householder reflection algorithm, it transforms the column (7) into the vector of the form (8) where the diagonal element (9) The Householder vector can be computed by, (10) where and This block computation is same as that of previous Householder vector block with a little modification in the weight value. Householder matrix block: After obtaining the Householder vector, the output vector is given to the input of Householder matrix block. The computation of this block is very simple compared to previous method of Householder matrix block computing. The Householder matrix element algorithm is given below, (11) where It reduces the channel matrix to its upper triangular form in steps. To reduce the complexity of computing Q, here the output vector y’ has been taken directly and its algorithm is given below, (12) So the execution time for computing the upper triangular matrix and output vector is very less when compared to conventional Householder reflection algorithm. This reduces the hardware area for the Householder matrix block. The QR decomposition using modified Householder transformation algorithm is simulated by taking ‘a’ as input channel matrix, ‘zb’ as output vector and ‘upper’ as upper triangular matrix. The unitary or orthogonal matrix ‘Q’ need not to be calculated. The output vector in (3) can be computed from the updated Householder vector ‘v’. Also the extra time needed to calculate ‘Q’ can be reduced. So the speed of decomposing the channel matrix can be increased tremendously. 4. Results and Discussion QR decomposition algorithm is required as a pre-processing unit for many MIMO detectors. The accuracy of the channel matrix QR decomposition does not have an impact on the MIMO detection process and finally receiver’s bit-error-rate (BER) performance. The existing and proposed Householder algorithms are downloaded on to Xilinx device xc6vlx550tl-1Lff1759. The synthesis results are compared to show the area efficiency of the proposed one. The channel matrix H elements are represented in floating point representation of 16 bits comprising 1 for sign bit,3 bits for decimal part and 12 bits for fractional part. The 16 bit representation shows an numerical precision oscillates around the interval[10-6,10-5] for both existing and modified algorithms . The computation of column vectors of the R matrix can be parallelised in modified algorithm and thus improvement is obtained in computational time of 49.7% reduction.The computational time for proposed algorithm is about 194.84ns,whereas exisiting algorithm is about 394.56ns. Modified algorithm reduces the matrix computation into vector multilications for some extent and thus reduces the hardware area as obtained from the synthesis report. Table 3 Synthesis report for Conventional Householder algorithm Logic Utilization Used Available Slice LUTs 11142 343680 Bonded IOBs 768 840 BUFG/BUFGCTRL’S 0 32 DSP48E1s 261 864 Table 4 Synthesis report for Proposed Householder algorithm Logic Utilization Used Available Slice LUTs 7634 343680 Bonded IOBs 385 840 BUFG/BUFGCTRL’S 1 32 DSP48E1s 70 864 Table 5 Comparison result Logic Utilization Conventional HHT Proposed HHT % reduced Slice LUTs 11142 7634 31% LUT Flip flops 768 385 49.8% Bonded IOBs 0 1 DSP48E1s 261 70 73% 5. Conclusion To reduce the computational and hardware complexity, Householder transformation algorithm for QRD has been modified. The computation of Q is the tedious process in the existing algorithm. In this work, it can be overcome by directly computing output vector. It reduces the computation time by 52.38% and also reduce in hardware area compared to previous HHT algorithm (Slices – 31%, LUTs – 49.8%) presented in the QRD. Thus it is evident from the comparison result that the number of slices and 4 input LUTs required in FPGA implementation of QR Decomposition is reduced thereby making the low complex design which can meet the specifications of most OFDM communication systems, including VDSL, 802.16, DAB and DVB. In future, this work can be extended to implement K-best LSD and Turbo decoding of LTE receiver. References Lee, K.F. and Williams, D.B.: A space-frequency transmitter diversity technique for OFDM systems. In Proc. Global Telecommunications Conf., San Francisco, CA, pp. 1473-1477. (Nov. 2000) H. Kim, J. Kim, S. Yang, M. Hong, and Y. Shin, â€Å"An effective MIMO–OFDM system for IEEE 802.22 WRAN channels,† IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. II, Exp. Briefs, vol. 55, no. 8, pp. 821–825, Aug. 2008. H.-L. Lin, R. C. Chang, and H.-L. Chen, â€Å"A high speed SDM-MIMO decoder using efficient candidate searching for wireless communication,† IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. II, Exp. Briefs, vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 289–293, Mar. 2008. L. Boher, R. Rabineau, and M. Helard, â€Å"FPGA implementation of an iterative receiver for MIMO–OFDM systems,† IEEE J. Sel. Areas Commun., vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 857–866, Aug. 2008. M.-S. Baek, Y.-H. You, and H.-K. Song, â€Å"Combined QRD-M and DFE detection technique for simple and efficient signal detection in MIMO–OFDM systems,† IEEE Trans. Wireless Commun., vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 1632–1638, Apr. 2009. C. F. T. Tang, K. J. R. Liu, and S. A. Tretter, â€Å"On systolic arrays for recursive complex Householder transformations with applications to array processing,† in Proc. Int. Conf. Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Process., 1991, pp. 1033–1036. K.-L. Chung and W.-M. Yan, â€Å"The complex Householder transform,† IEEE Trans. Signal Process., vol. 45, no. 9, pp. 2374–2376, Sep. 1997. S. Y. Kung, VLSI Array Processors. Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA: Prentice-Hall, 1987.

Stigma Within the Fast Food Industry Essay -- Restaurants Employment Es

When working at a fast food restaurant, more often than not it is accompanied with a stigma. People tend to believe that those who work in fast food restaurants are not capable of anything better. They assume people working at fast food restaurants are slow and uneducated, or they simply look down upon them because these jobs have become known as "dead-end jobs." This so-called "dead-end job" is what people might describe as low-wage labor that employees have a susceptibility to become trapped in. Fast food employee’s face many challenges, morally and socially. High school students take jobs at fast-food restaurants because they are convenient and can work around their schedules. High school students who work in fast food use the money they make toward an education, and most have goals that do not at all include the fast-food world. Why then, does the stigma remain? Perhaps it is because it has been coined as a social prejudice, and people are afraid to disagree. Parents tend to dissuade their working age children from working at fast-food restaurants as the stigma of these jobs creates conflict in their social lives. My background in the fast food industry starts with my first real job. I began working at Wendy’s when I was sixteen years old. I kept to myself for nearly a year. I was working for one thing, and that was to satisfy the customers. After exactly three years, the choice to move on and change was a hard decision to make, my hours were steady, and the managers were pushing me to move up in the chain of power and become a shift manager. I had accumulated three employee of the month awards (employees were only allowed to get it once a year), the title of ACE employee (knowledge of all positions and the skil... ...erve while working in the fast food industry that people not in the industry would not know or understand? 7. Has your perspective been provoked by the stigma related with fast food workers, if so, how? [ii] Questions for non fast food workers. 1. When did you first begin working and where? 2. Have you ever been to a fast food restaurant? 3. How do you feel this job might differ from that of one in a fast food restaurant? 4. Do you feel that fast food restaurants carry a stigma among employees? 5. Have you ever heard or been witness to a situation regarding the moral corruption of fast workers? Works Cited Bennet, Jay. Personal interview. 30 Oct. 2004. Koenecke, Wade. Personal interview. 25 Oct. 2004 Long, Whitney. Personal interview. 25 Oct. 2004 Wright, Sean. Personal interview. 28 Oct. 2004 Stigma Within the Fast Food Industry Essay -- Restaurants Employment Es When working at a fast food restaurant, more often than not it is accompanied with a stigma. People tend to believe that those who work in fast food restaurants are not capable of anything better. They assume people working at fast food restaurants are slow and uneducated, or they simply look down upon them because these jobs have become known as "dead-end jobs." This so-called "dead-end job" is what people might describe as low-wage labor that employees have a susceptibility to become trapped in. Fast food employee’s face many challenges, morally and socially. High school students take jobs at fast-food restaurants because they are convenient and can work around their schedules. High school students who work in fast food use the money they make toward an education, and most have goals that do not at all include the fast-food world. Why then, does the stigma remain? Perhaps it is because it has been coined as a social prejudice, and people are afraid to disagree. Parents tend to dissuade their working age children from working at fast-food restaurants as the stigma of these jobs creates conflict in their social lives. My background in the fast food industry starts with my first real job. I began working at Wendy’s when I was sixteen years old. I kept to myself for nearly a year. I was working for one thing, and that was to satisfy the customers. After exactly three years, the choice to move on and change was a hard decision to make, my hours were steady, and the managers were pushing me to move up in the chain of power and become a shift manager. I had accumulated three employee of the month awards (employees were only allowed to get it once a year), the title of ACE employee (knowledge of all positions and the skil... ...erve while working in the fast food industry that people not in the industry would not know or understand? 7. Has your perspective been provoked by the stigma related with fast food workers, if so, how? [ii] Questions for non fast food workers. 1. When did you first begin working and where? 2. Have you ever been to a fast food restaurant? 3. How do you feel this job might differ from that of one in a fast food restaurant? 4. Do you feel that fast food restaurants carry a stigma among employees? 5. Have you ever heard or been witness to a situation regarding the moral corruption of fast workers? Works Cited Bennet, Jay. Personal interview. 30 Oct. 2004. Koenecke, Wade. Personal interview. 25 Oct. 2004 Long, Whitney. Personal interview. 25 Oct. 2004 Wright, Sean. Personal interview. 28 Oct. 2004

Promote children wellbeing and safety Essay

The safety and welfare of the children is very important in every se? ng as indicated in sec? on 3 of the statutory framework for the early year’s founda? on stage 2014. All providers must meet the necessary requirements to make sure the children are kept safe and well. In my se? ng we have three rooms which are the baby room, toddler room and pre-school. As I work in the toddler room I care for children age ranging between 16 months to 27months old. The children to sta) ra? o is very important as this ensures that the children’s needs and  safety is met. If the children are under two years old then we have a sta) ra? o of 1 adult to 3 children and if the children are over 2 years old then we have a sta) ra? o of 1 adult to 4 children. The toddler room can hold up to 27 children with 9 members of sta) ranging from a room leader, senior nursery nurse, level 2 and 3 quali+ed and some sta) who are unquali+ed but working towards their quali+ca? on. All sta) members are CRB checked to make sure that the children are safe hands.

The theme of hope in the writings of Hemingway, Conrad

This essay will compare the theme of hope in the writings of Hemingway, Conrad, and Kafka in the novels, The Sun Also Rises, Heart of Darkness and The Trial.   The characters in the novels will be presented as hoping against the odds of love and either fulfilling their desire or running away from them, thus either gaining hope or the lack of hope.   The different avenues of hope will also be examined in that hope may turn into acts of desperation from a different point of view, and the narrator of some of the novels will be given consideration in presenting facts to the reader in their own point of view.Finally, this essay will discuss the nature of hope, and how the characters throughout the novels may either accept a hopeless state and be transformed from it, or accept hope as a gift despite the fact that reality and circumstances may deny them their desires.   The theme of each novel will ultimately coincide with transformations or realizations through hope.In Hemingway†™s The Sun Also Rises the narrator Jake travels through a myriad of landscapes from Paris, to Madrid and even San Sebastian.   It is through these landscapes that the reader may witness the rising hope that Jake has, or the desperation, and even at times, of the peace he has or longs for in such scenery.   The cast of characters suggests a spectrum of different avenues of hope: with Jake, his hope is to be with Brett, despite the consequences and the treatment he receives from her, uttering in the novel’s last line, â€Å"Yes, isn’t it pretty to think so† after Brett states that she and Jake would have had a wonderful time together.In this statement Jake reveals to Brett, and to the audience that although he and Brett do not manage to come together as a couple, that in Jake’s view of events they are joined together through consequences and circumstances.   This is not a fulfillment by the measure of typical novels involving relationships but for H emingway, the stunted acceptance of fate in the character Jake allows for imagination and realism to coexist.   This means that hope cannot come to fruition but that to still think, and in Jake’s mind to know, that to have been with Brett would have been his greatest adventure expresses not his lament that it never happened but that it could have happened and it would have been wonderful.   This un-fulfillment is Jake’s hope realized.With the character Cohn however, hope is a desperate emotion.   His hope is overpowering; it lies with being madly in love, or infatuation with Brett and the unrequited love of Brett drives Cohn into a furious temper for any man who is with her, or desires her.   Cohn repeated follows Brett around, which conjures up images of puppy love, and blind obedience, and when Brett’s fiancà © Mike tells Cohn again and again to lay off, Cohn refuses and tensions rise during the fiesta in Madrid.Cohn ignores rationality and knocks out Jake, Mike, and Brett’s new lover, the bullfighter Romero.   Recognizing his actions, Cohn insists on having Jake forgive him, which Jake does with reluctance and even wants Romero to shake his hand, which Romero refuses.   Here, then is Cohn’s ultimate slight; that hope, at least the kind that is desperate is unforgiving.Brett rebukes her fiancà © Mike for her new lover Romero.   An interesting scene in the book is when Brett receives Romero’s gift of a bull’s ear he had slain, a bull which had earlier slaughtered another man.   This ear signifies that Brett had to cut off a piece of herself in order to live the life she does, traveling and falling in love over and over and changing her mind and following a different lover around until regret or a new love shows up.   This ear resembles Brett’s hope – her hope of love in constant fury.She must not leave too much of herself with one man leastwise she become completely attached an d dependent, thus, the vivisected ear is Brett’s heart, torn off from its owner, and kept in a distant spot.   Brett does not hope with commitment, but with transitory lust for new things, places, and men.   Although Jake tells these words to Cohn about traveling to South America this following quote may be applicable to each character in the novel and the theme of hope, â€Å"You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.† (Hemingway 11).Hemingway’s characters in the novel suggest constant movement in order to escape something; to escape constancy in setting and environment, it is as though the characters feel that if they move enough their desires and regrets won’t be able to catch up. This is true especially for Brett and is true for Jake as well.   For Cohn, it is his outdated lifestyle which is anachronistic in the lifestyle of the age in which he is living that he is trying to escape but for Brett and perhaps Jake as well, it is regret that they do want to overcome them, â€Å"I thought I had paid for everything. Not like the woman pays and pays and pays.No idea of retribution or punishment. Just exchange of values. You gave something up and got something else. Or you worked for something. You paid some way for everything that was any good.† (Hemingway 148).   In final scene in the car when the two are alone together and Jake says it’s pretty to think so, this is the only acknowledgement of truth the reader receives from Jake concerning his desire for Brett.   Beyond the tomfoolery, bullfighting and fishing, when he is quite within himself, the mantra which pulses through him is regret.   He may hope beyond it, but it is all-consuming as it would have been for Brett if she had not hidden her heart away from such devices as feeling too much as Jake does, as it best exemplified with Jake stating, â€Å"Couldn’t we live together, Brett? Couldn’t we just live t ogether?† [Brett:] â€Å"I don’t think so. I’d just tromper you with everybody.†In Jake’s final line to Brett, hope is dashed and cynicism is revealed.   Jake has no illusions as to how his and Brett’s relationship would have been since Brett has no heart to give, or it is kept at such a distance, even Jake’s love could not call it into being.   This is the lack of hope of them, realism, cynicism, and love dashed.In Kafka’s novel The Trial, the main character Joseph K, or simply K lives through a series of unfortunate events of which the first he is accused of some ambiguous crime on his 30th birthday.   One year later he is killed in the name of the law and K, for his part does not object to the killing.   The absurd as a theme in this event is very overtly portrayed.   The ambiguous nature of the actions of the other characters in the novel prove to be ridiculous and a definite parody of real life trial situations.Th e trial itself is a charade because everyone in the courtroom including K already know the outcome; they are merely going through the actions because it is something of a tradition to do so.   Thus, the characters are focused, not on the truth of the matter, did K commit a crime, but merely on the trial itself and their part in the faà §ade.K’s looming fate is indistinguishable during the trial but when he is killed in the name of the law at the end of the novel he gives no protest.   The absurd as a theme is best translated in this action by Kafka’s character K.   K does not protect his own interest but does blindly what he is told to do because it is the law.   K does not question the intent of the actions, him being killed or at times even during the trial.   During the novel, K is increasingly not in control of his own fate.   This is shown when he kisses his neighbor after his landlady told him indirectly that he was perhaps having an affair with her.    It seems that the absurd grows into its own identity in Kafka’s The Trial through the way in which K is a definite pawn, adhering to other people’s wishes instead of examining his own wants.The absurd takes further shape in Kafka’s novel through the inability of the other defendant’s awaiting news of their fate when K is given a tour of the offices by Law-Court Attendant.   Almost everyone in the book is ignorant about their surroundings, their own actions, their fate.   Kafka deals well with disguising characters or scenes (when K goes into the Law-Court Attendant’s office he glances at law books that are in fact pornography) and leading the reader to believe one thing before he switches and tells the reader the truth behind the scene.Kafka was a master at leading the audience down one path only to change course right when the reader has a glimmer of understanding about the plot or the character’s intentions.   To emphasize this point K’s last words before he dies are â€Å"Like a dog† which describe how he dies.   In essence these words state that K was expecting to die, perhaps wanted it after the previous misleading year of his life during the trial and the ridiculous events in his life while the trial was persisting.   His words describe his death, but also his life.   He lived obediently, and as the clichà © goes, he licked the master’s hand that beat him.In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the audience is presented with the character Marlow whose hope overwhelms his morality in the search for Mr. Kurtz.   Marlow appears to be a Buddha type image (at least the early Buddha, Siddhartha) in that he is searching for hope through Mr. Kurtz.   Thus, Marlow is a character whose hope is tied up with a sense of adventure and courage mixed with either ignorance or just unawareness.   Marlow seems to have created an acceptance of people and in return expects them to sho w the same regard of acceptance in silence.The company seems to think Marlow’s stories are elusive to a point because, â€Å"†¦to hear about one of Marlow’s inconclusive experiences.†Ã‚   (pg 10).   The company appears to discourage his story telling because of his disregard to the audiences wants.   At the beginning of his journey into Africa, Marlow appears to be the whimsical sailor.   An insightful sailor with thought patterns which reveal his character, â€Å"Watching a coast as it slips by the ship is like thinking about an enigma† (pg 19).   Marlow presents himself to be a truth teller.   Being always ‘appalled’ by a lie.   Marlow becomes obsessed with the idea of Mr. Kurtz.   Only the want of a conversation with him led Marlow on hi journey.Marlow associated himself with Kurtz by becoming an outcaste in the eyes of the managers and the dark of his mindset comes out, â€Å"†¦but it was something to have at leas t a choice of nightmares.† (pg 105).   Then coming to base with reality when   meeting Kurtz’s Intended, Marlow says that, â€Å"His end †¦ was in every way worthy of his life† (pg 130).Following into Mr. Kurtz’s character, it is discovered that he is not fully developed, especially in regards to hope.   He is described as a misfit showing everybody up.   The ivory king so to speak.   An elusive devil with a charmed life.   Referred to as ‘that man’.   A genius of a man not forgotten only because of outrageous speeches and stunts, not for any significant contribution to humanity, nor for his character development or change towards hope.   Kurtz is a hard man to please and only a friend when he was in the whim of being a friends.Perhaps the darkness drove Kurtz crazy and thus the audience is forces to recognize how his lack of hope twisted his character development, â€Å"†¦it had whispered to him things about himself which he did not know, things of which he had no conception till he took counsel with his great solitude-†¦(whisper) echoed loudly within him because he was hollow at the core†Ã‚   (pg 98).   Kurtz then was the abyss through which hope was lost.   He sucked away ideas, morality, self-preservation of an idea and the act of being a taking of hope filled Kurtz because he had no other thoughts of his own.   Solitude does strange things to a man as is witnessed by Kurtz’s character.Kurtz left behind him a ‘last disciple.’   A short but well formed character in the way of his obsession with Mr. Kurtz.   In the concept of hope, and the loss or lack of hope, Kurtz epitomizes this concept through is treatment of his lady.   She was in constant mourning and tears.   However, despite his treatment of her, she adored him.   Her life was with him.Conrad’s treatment of the novel, in his setting of the scene also suggests the lack of hope whic h prevails as a theme in Heart of Darkness.   Conrad creates the setting of the sea in the beginning of the book as a painting with souls included; lost souls.   He sets the mood by the setting by calming words and eloquent simplicity.   After this imagery the reader is taken into the journey of Marlow.The city is the first step in the path of discovering lack of hope in Conrad’s work.   The city is the first step in this and right away the reader is filled with the complexity and confusion of Marlow’s story as the setting of the company’s offices harbors a feeling of conspiracy.   A setting of foreboding, or darkness with two black barbed guardians is presented in the text, which further allude to the lack of hope in the novel.In the first introduction of the idea of Mr. Kurtz, the person taking praises him but eh scene leads the reader to conclude that the man brings a feeling of wickedness, and a lack of morality.   Perhaps Mr. Kurtz is the sea pe rsonified.   In fact the feeling of hope, or lack of hope can very simply be seen in the treatment of the females in the novel.   Just as in the character of Jake in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises Mr. Kurtz’s character finds a reflection of himself in his female counterpart and how he treats that counterpart.There are only three somewhat minor female characters in Heart of Darkness: Marlow’s aunt, Kurtz’s mistress, and Kurtz’s â€Å"Intended.† Marlow mentions these female characters in order to give the literal aspect of his  tale more substance.  Towards the beginning of Marlow’s story he tells how he, â€Å"Charlie Marlow, set the women to work–to get a job.†He tells this in the context that he desperately wanted to travel in  the trade industry that he did what the unthinkable (in those times).   He asked a woman for financial assistance! The woman, his aunt, also surpassed the traditional role of women in those times by telling Marlow that she would be delighted to help him and to ask her for help whenever he needed it. This incident did not have much to do with the symbolic theme of the story; it simply served to tell the reader how Marlow managed to be able to travel to the Congo (with a little help). On another note, Conrad intended to illustrate Marlow’s opinion of women’s inferior role in society, which embodied traditional 19th century society.The two remaining female characters were acknowledged later in the story.   When Marlow reaches the Inner Station, he jumps ahead and tells a little about The Intended, Kurtz’s fiancà ©e (to say â€Å"I do† when he returned). The Intended woman does not appear until the very end of the story, in which Marlow visits her and lies to her about Kurtz’s dying words.   The last female character, Kurtz’s African mistress, was presented near the end of the novel. Her first appearance took place in t he scene with Marlow talking to the Russian.She appears later when Marlow and Kurtz depart on the steamboat.   After Marlow blows the whistle, she stretches her arms out towards the steamer, and that was the last time she appears. The limited depiction of female characters in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and the way in which the three female characters are referred to by Marlow reflect Marlow’s view of women as inferior. Marlow’s opinion of women manifests the typical 19th century views of women.Perhaps his choice to lie to the Intended was because of a similar female  influence on his life†¦his Aunt.   In a way Marlow compares the Intended to his Aunt in  which both women are weaker than him.   For a man in the early 19th century, he believes  that they are delicate  and â€Å"something† that needs to be tenderly cared for.   He says, â€Å"It is  queer how out of touch with the truth women are.They live in a world of their o wn, and  there had never been anything like it, and can never be.   It is too beautiful altogether, and  if they were to set it up it would go to pieces before the first sunset.†Ã‚   This he says before  ever meeting Kurtz or hearing of the Intended.   Upon lying to her (the Intended) he says,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"But I couldn't.   I could not tell her.   It would have been too dark  too dark altogether†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  Marlow protected her,  he allowed her to remain innocent of Kurtz and his actions and in  so doing enabled her sun to remain high rather than setting and forever engulfing her in  darkness.Through the characters of each of these three novels different aspects of hope and different ways in which hope is revealed, lost, gained, or ignored the truth is that each character in one way had the chance to hope.   Marlow’s hope and Kurtz’s hope was desperation out of the thing they could not own, a woman’s love.   K’s hope and Jake’s hope both began with cynicism, and K’s hope does not change at the end of Kafka’s novel, with the phrase pertaining to ‘like a dog’ while Jake also remains in the state of cynicism knowing that Brett could never love anyone because she was prepared to hope so high.Each novel had a point of revelation for the characters in which they must make a choice to continue to hope, to change, or to ignore hope and falter in the evolution of their own character.   Thus, when a character lost hope, they were doomed just as Marlow and Kurtz lost hope, or lost the illusion of their life and realized they never had hope for themselves, and just as Jake realizes that perhaps he never had hope for himself and Brett after all.WORK CITEDConrad, J.   Heart of Darkness.   Bentley Pub, New York.   2002.Hemingway, E.   The Sun Also Rises.   Scribner, New York, 1996.Kafka, Franz.   The Trial.   Trans.   Willa & Edwin Muir.   Shocken.   New York .   1995.

Land Use in Toronto essays

Land Use in Toronto essays In a country such as Jordan, honour is considered as important as wealth and must be protected at all costs. In the film Crimes of Honour we see the full repercussions of this creed as young women are murdered by family members in order to protect family honour. The crimes committed by these women include not agreeing to an arranged marriage, marrying the wrong person and even being raped. As a consequence of ancient tribal tradition and a lenient penal code, women are murdered in the name of honour, without fear of long-term incarceration or capital punishment. From the outset, the film recounts actual cases of honour killings in Jordan and highlights the narrow range of options available to these women who have brought so called dishonour to their families. The film in particular focuses on two cases, where young women have fled their homes in order to avoid an arranged marriage, however they eventually meet their fate as they are slain by family members. In Crimes of Honour, three prominent women in Jordan who are fighting to change both the social and legal acceptance of this type of crime critically discuss the issues of honour killings. In addition, the convicted brother of one of the slain girls in the film also gives valuable insight into the social reasoning behind honour killings in his society. In Islamic countries today there is a growing struggle between tradition and modern life. This difficult balancing act has forced young women in Islamic countries to choose between marrying a person they love and losing ones family. In an Islamic country such as Jordan it is considered inappropriate for men and women to have relationships outside the boundaries of marriage. Children from a very young age are taught not to socialize with the opposite sex and are therefore separated in grade school. In addition, society and religion stipulates that Muslim women must be covered ...

Early Childhood Education Program Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Early Childhood Education Program - Term Paper Example This center has a goal of providing the best training and education for eight hours a day operation. For ages three to five years old, the curriculum will be conducted for four hours and five days a week. This is to ensure that the development of the children of this age will be observed. This center is very essential to provide the positive impact and nurture on the children within the community. As a center designed to provide quality education for infants and toddlers as well as preschoolers, this school is important in the community. Vision To be the best in providing the children the finest life and career skills using the comprehensive classroom technology plan. To be committed to provide true service where teachers and educators are knowledgeable and responsible and who truly care to their students. We believe that we can offer and develop the learning and innovation skills of the students. We desire to inspire to our valued students the importance of learning the information, media and technology skills by providing the best classroom environment and teaching plan that suits every need of the students. We dedicate all our gifts, efforts and power to its realization. With God’s help, this vision will be upheld. ...To be able to instil the value of classroom development and provide the best learning environment to the students for the common good. Philosophy Children are the most precious gifts to parents. For a teacher, a second most valuable guide to each student, teaching is a very essential job that contributes to intellectual growth and future of a child. Subjects and activities included in each curriculum are expertise of the teacher. The students should be moulded into active participants of a learning process through classrooms equipped to teach the students and a well organized curriculum to fit the needs of the students. In the end, the students should meet the premiere standards and assessments. The proposed vision, mission and philosoph y are based on the Constructivist Theory of child development and learning. This theory was popularized by Jean Piaget, Maria Montessori and Lev Vygotsky who believed that interaction of young children with their environment and their peers greatly influence their learning and development (Theories of Child Development and Learning, n.d., par.6). According to this theory, it is thus important that physical environment and curriculum must be given importance and utmost groundwork. Thus in the vision, mission and philosophy, it has been reiterated that the best classroom environment and curriculum must be provided as fundamentals for excellent education. The stated vision, mission and philosophy were founded on my belief that education is the foundation of a child’s learning and intellectual growth. Thus, teachers must be capable of the expertise when instilling values and learning to children.

Business statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business statistics - Essay Example This is given that Professionals and Managers frequently are attentive to their measures level like mode, sums, and means. This is a way of communicating of the measure level and numbers use. In comparing of descriptive and inferential data, the two define the data variation in terms of the probability or dispersion distributions/patterns describing the data. This is where both rely on the same set of data. The only difference between the 2 is that inferential data aims to draw general conclusions about a big population (Richard, 69). This way its clear organizations look at results in many ways: quality, time, expenses etc. The dispersion learnt earlier helps to recognize the data information being tracked/measured. In order to decide of results and outcomes, we ought to understand the data variation or consistency (Richard, 44). This means data variation results to dissimilar results understanding. Descriptive statistics method of calculating data is for instance, function of Excel Analysis ToolPak function which produce salary data that is descriptive in statistics. The example of calculations in statistics is the Employee Salary Data set. In research, we categorize the collected data by the GEN1 (G variable) for females and males and then get each gender average and standard deviation for these variables in terms of age or other quantity measure (Richard, 78). It is possible to use for one gender descriptive and the functions of FX for (MEAN and STANDARD DEVIATION) for the other. The paper has looked at the numbers and measurement as well as descriptive and inferential data as a way of analyzing data collected. This way the paper has discussed how inferential data differs from the descriptive data where as seen, inferential depend on the data to draw general perspective of big populations. Lastly, the paper has viewed some research application of descriptive data in contrast to inferential

First Woman Prime Minister of Great Britain Essay

First Woman Prime Minister of Great Britain - Essay Example Extremely opposite to his highly-confrontational and crusade-oriented predecessor, Margaret Thatcher, Major was considerably a consensus politician. He based his domestic and foreign policies on the general agreement of his cabinet and advisers, and his decisions were essentially grounded on diplomacy and compromise (Reitan 2003). Although Major’s leadership was unfairly marked as ‘boring’ and ‘weak,’ a great deal of events actually made a turn-around on this conception, of which tested his resolute boldness and robust fortitude.  Early on his succession as prime minister, Major was already beset by innumerable international dilemmas of which the United Kingdom government needed to respond to quickly and wisely. The 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War can be certainly dubbed as his ‘baptism of fire’ in the global stage. The event did not only unleash Major’s daring spirit, but also brought out a dormant political acumen by his participati ng openly in the fight against Saddam Hussein and by his deciding to topple the despotic regime. He was one of the prime movers of the so-called Operation Desert Storm, or its British equivalent, the Operation Granby. Among European nations, it was the UK who sent the largest military contingents in the combat operations of the war. The prime minister worked closely with the United Nations Security Council and the United States. Fiscal crisis approached but the interest rates had to be heightened in order to control inflation.

Ethics system table Essay Example for Free

Ethics system table Essay This ethics is also referred to as teleological ethics. This refers to the end results or the outcomes of certain decisions. The acts determine what is ethical. What is viewed to be ethical is the action most likely to result to in the best good or the action with the most significance. This action usually gives the best consequence. Rights-Based Ethics This is the ethics that outlines the privileges that an individual is entitled to. This is based on the ground of categorical imperative which views a person as a moral agent in relation to other people. The rights are treated to be true and correct as they are approved by many people. However, it is difficult to determine which rights should be approved and which ones should be discarded. Human Nature Ethics Also referred to as humanistic ethics. These ethics emphasis on doing what is right and best for the society as a whole. This ethic which mainly dominates ethical theory is a more clearly altruistic. The ethics aims at virtue as well as having social improvement rather than having personal success. The ethics is concerned about everybody in the society. People should not be afraid to lend a helping hand or to receive one Relativistic Ethics This ethics is viewed as an inquiry to what is right or wrong through a critical review of the people’s beliefs and practices. The ethic however fails to recognize that some societies have better reasons of holding tom their views than others. The ethic raises important issues in that different cultural societies have different beliefs and are greatly influenced by culture. The ethics challenges people to explore on the belief systems that differ their own and to find an explanation why people hold their belief system. Entitlement-Based Ethics This is an ethic that views that you owe me because its my right to have everything that you have. Virtue-Based ethical This ethic places less emphasis on the rules that people should follow and instead tries to find of teaching people good virtues such as generosity and kindness. These traits later help the person to make better decisions in life. They also emphasis that people should know how to avoid bad virtues such as greed and hatred. These are viewed as hindrances of becoming a good person. Ethical Theory or System Brief Definition Other Names for Theory Real-world Example Workplace Example Duty-based Ethics Regardless of consequences, certain moral principles are binding, focusing on duty rather than results or moral obligation over what the individual would prefer to do (Trevino and Nelson, 2007, Ch. 4). Deontology, pluralism, moral rights, rights-based Categorical imperative Golden rule I believe people should be able to eat sand because it is the right thing to do. It is my duty to follow through with instructions my boss gives me, even if I do not agree with the concept. It is my moral obligation to respect authority figures. Consequence-based Ethics What is viewed to be ethical is the action most likely to result to in the best good or the action with the most significance. teleological ethics I believe people should be able to eat sand because it is good for one’s health. We ignore the consequence of telling the truth to the police as it may lead to the imprisonment and detention of another person. Rights-based Ethics the privileges that an individual is entitled to Society norms I believe people should be able to eat sand if they want to because they are free to make the decision themselves. In America it is so clear on the right of the people to choose their faith; therefore people in the USA have a right to choose their religion. Human Nature Ethics emphasis on doing what ibis right and best for the society as a whole Humanistic ethics. I believe that if sand is going to be eaten, it should be available for everyone to eat. In an organization people should encourage teamwork as much as possible in order for it to run successfully. Relativistic Ethics Viewed as an inquiry to what is right or wrong through a critical review of the people’s beliefs and practices. Ethnocentric ethic I believe I will eat sand because it is the standard meal for my community. Every organization should be viewed as unique and different from others as it has its own practices and code of conduct. Entitlement-based Ethics Views that you owe me because its my right to have everything that you have. I believe people should be able to eat sand if they decide they want to, regardless of whether it is someone else’s sand. A person may claim to be paid his salary by the company at the end of the month. Virtue-based ethics places less emphasis on the rules that people should follow and instead tries to find of teaching people good virtues such as generosity and kindness Character based ethic I believe people should be able to eat sand if they like the taste of it. The organization should teach people what is right or wrong and leave them to make good decisions later. Reference Trevino, L. , and Nelson, K. (2007). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right. Hoboken: Wiley.

Leadership and Management in Banks | Case Study

Leadership and Management in Banks | Case Study Introduction Soneri Bank was incorporated on September 28, 1991 the first Branch of Soneri Bank Limited formally opened doors for operations in Lahore on April 16, 1992 followed by Karachi Branch on May 09, 1992. The bank now operates with 145 branches spread all over Pakistan including the Northern Areas of the country where no other private bank has ventured so far. Expansion of branches is based on a policy of maintaining a balance between the urban and rural areas with a view to offering services even in the remote areas of Pakistan. Pleasant and sophisticated atmosphere has been provided in the branches which are all fully air-conditioned and computerized. The essence Soneri Bank business philosophy is to cater to the banking requirements of small medium sized entrepreneurs, providing them qualitative competitive services with emphasis on encouraging exports. Nearly forty percent of our credit portfolio is related to export financing and credit decisions are taken within 48 hours Mission Statement: To develop Soneri Bank Ltd into an aggressive and dynamics financial institution having the capabilities to provide personalized service to customer with cutting edge technology and a wide range of products and during the process to ensure maximum return on assets with the ultimate goal of serving the Economy and society. Slogan: We have more time for you Progress to Date: Soneri Bank Ltd was incorporated in 1991 as a public ltd company with paid up capital of Rs: 300 M. Over the last 16 years it has achieved a sustained growth with a network of 90 branches across country. The equity stand at PKR 7.6bn and total asset stand at PKR 88bn at the first quarter of year 2009. Top level management and their Names Boards of Directors: Chairman Legal Advisor Mr. Alauddin Feerasta Manan Associates, Advocates Chief Executive Officer Mr. Safarali K. Lakhani Directors Registered Office Mr. Nooruddin Feerasta Rupali House Mr. Inam Elahi Upper Mall Scheme Mr. S. Ali Zafar Anand Road, Lahore 54000 Mr. Abdul Hayee Registrar and Share Mr. Shahid Anwar (NIT Nominee) Transfer Agent Mr. Manzoor Ahmad (NIT Nominee) THK Associates (Private) Ltd. Company Secretary Ground Floor Mr. Abdul Hayee State Life Building No. 3 Audit Committee Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Mr. Nooruddin Feerasta (Chairman) Karachi 75530 Mr. S. Ali Zafar (Member) UAN: +9221-111-000-322 Mr. Shahid Anwar (Member) Fax: +9221-5655595 Mr. Abdul Hayee (Member Secretary) Auditors: KPMG Taseer Hadi Co.Chartered Accountants PLANNING Definition Planning defines organization goals and objectives establishing overall strategies for achieving those goals. Developing a comprehensive set of plan to integrate coordinate organization work. Type of plan Soneri bank use both formal and informal type of planning Informal In informal planning, their planning is not written down, short term focus and specific to an organization unit Formal In formal planning their planning is not written down, specific long term focus involves shared goals for an organization. Goal/objectives: Financial strength and profitability by making profitable advances Customer satisfaction by providing higher quality of service at an affordable cost. Growth by expanding branch network deposit base Short term objective Profitability Long term objective Profitability MISSION To develop and deliver the most innovative products, manage customers experience, deliver quality service that contributes to brand strength, establishes a competitive advantage and enhances profitability, thus providing value to the stakeholders of the bank. STRATGY Strategy of Soneri Bank are giving loans and accepting deposit. PLAN Plan of Soneri Bank are short term advance and deposit. PROGRAMME Program of Soneri Bank are up to one year or more then one year advance, fixed account, current account, etc POLICIES Policies of Soneri Bank are profitability by making profitability advance and customer satisfaction by providing best services at on affordable cost. RULES Their rules are depending upon by upper level of management according situation. BUDGET Soneri Bank allocates its budget for the following area 1. Diversify products services Anticipating customer needs, Soneri is increasing its focus on new products and services through leveraging its extensive branch network. The Bank is introducing various types of financing structures tailored to the capital investment requirements of its corporate clients as well as small medium sized enterprises. 2. Focus on consumer banking Making use of its computerized network of branches, the Bank plans to enhance its market share and profitability via focusing on consumer banking products and services as well as integrating e-banking into its delivery channels. 3. Increase employee productivity though training new techniques The Bank seeks to increase employee productivity through a combination of training and implementation of modern human resource techniques. Frequent in-house and external training programs are expected to help the Bank in maintaining and developing an efficient work force. 4. Improve credit assessment, loan monitoring debt recovery The management intends to improve asset quality by implementing strategies for identification, measurement and mitigation of risk, which will result in reducing the quantum of non-performing loans. ORGANIZING Manage work in organization but while is an organization? An organization is a deliberate arrangement of people to accomplish some specific purpose. Your banks, Universities is an organization, college, Govt. department all organization because they have three common characteristic. First Each organization has a distinct purpose this purpose is typically expressed in term of goal or set of goals that the organization hopes to accomplish. Second Each organization composed of people. One person working alone is not an organization and it takes people to perform the work thats necessary for the organization to achieve its goals. Third All organization develops some deliberate structure so that their member can do their work. Purpose of organization Work to be done into specific jobs and department in Soneri Bank Co-ordinate diverse organization task in Soneri Bank. Establishes former line of authority in Soneri Bank. Allocates and deploys organization resources in Soneri Bank. Organizational Deign: It means developing or changing an organization structure. A process that involves six elements: Work Specialization, departmentalization, Span of Control, Chain Of Command, Centralization and Decentralization, and Formulization. Work Specialization: The degree to which tasks in an organization are divided into separate jobs, also known as division of labor. Work Specialization in Soneri Bank: At Soneri Bank high work specialization exists. The whole is divided into number of repetitive task. There is division of labor according to the task specification. They perceive that work specialization is an unending tool to do work efficiently and effectively. Secondly they assume that work specialization is helpful in maintaining effective internal control, because if there is fraudulent move by any person regarding particular task, manager can counter that person on the spot. Work specialization is also helpful to maintain organization mechanism. For Example: In case of credit issuance if one person is responsible for checking Security Documents of pledged property and he recommend incorrect document manger of credit issuance can spot him out. Departmentalization: The basis by which jobs are grouped together is called departmentalization. It means the extent to which we need to divide jobs into different department. Departmentalization at Soneri Bank: Departments at Soneri Bank are minimal. Only few departments exist which are listed below IT department Credit Department International Banking Department Domestic Banking Department Accounts and Audit Department IT department facilitate all other department regarding IT services and fixing out problems of IT. Credit department is one which provide loan to businessmen, general public and for agriculture development as well. This department provides a full range of Corporate and retail banking services with special emphasis to provide qualitative and competitive services to small and medium entrepreneurs. The department scrutinizes the whole process of issuing loan and in case of borrower default this very department is responsible to take legal action against defaulter party. A complete range of products for trade finance, is one of core banking activities of Soneri Bank International banking department deals in import, export, foreign exchange and issue Letter of Credit. Domestic Banking department serves in cash, government bonds and securities, deposits, and provide locker facility .A wide range of attractive saving scheme to suit all segments of investors, consumer finance scheme, and Islamic banking products catering to the needs of variety of customers. Accounts and Audit department maintain the books of all discussed department. Marketing activities: There is no separate department for marketing activities rather these are presided by Executive Vice President (EVP). HR Activities: All affairs relating to HR are controlled by Inam Qazi. There is no separate department of Human Resource Management. Financing Activities Financing activities are handled at Central office Karachi. Span of Control: The number of employees a manager can manage efficiently and effectively. Span of control is important to a large degree because it determine the number of levels/layers and managers in an organization. All things being equal the wider the span of control is more efficient the organization is. Span of Control at Soneri Bank: The span of control at Soneri Bank is usually kept short. Bank has vertical and tall span of control. According to bank correspondent sometime span of control is also dependent upon workload in the bank. More work load may lead to wide span of control. Chain of Command: It means the line of authority extending from upper organizational level to the lowest level which clarifies who reports to whom. Chain of Command at Soneri Bank: Chain of command at Soneri Bank is tall or vertical. Flow of information from top to bottom or from bottom to top is slow because information is supposed to pass from each channel. There is no direct interaction between top level managers and front line managers neither through E-mail nor through telephone regarding the exchange of information. For Example if a branch manger wants to communicate information to BODs then 1st he will interact with Controller of Branches (COB), then COB will contact with Divisional General Manager of concerned division, then divisional GM will report to Central office and central office will send information to the Head Office or BODs. In the same way if BODs want to contact branch manager the whole above discussed process will be followed in reverse order. Centralization and Decentralization: Centralization means the degree to which decision making authority lies in the hands of upper level of organizations individuals or managers. It also means decision making with no/low input from lower employees. Decentralization means to what extent the decisions making authority is delegated to lower level employee. Centralization and decentralization at soneri bank: The decision making authority is delegated to employee up to some extent. They can make their decision by using that delegated authority For example If a credit manager of branch has authority to sanction loan up to Rs 4 million when borrower demand is more than Rs 4 million than credit manager of that branch contact COB (controller of branch) who has authority to sanction loan above Rs 4 million, if COB recommend then credit manager will issue loan and so forth. Formalization: Formalization means to what extent organization jobs are standardized and the extent to which behaviors of employees are guided by the rules and procedures. Formalization at Soneri Bank: Formalization at Soneri Bank is high. All the rules and procedures are clearly defined covering work processes which employees are supposed to follow, And employees have less discretion over what is to be done when it is to be done and how it is to be done. Employees are expected to handle the same input in exactly the same way resulting and uniform output. Types of Organization Design: There are two types of organization design Mechanistic design: Mechanistic is a machine like structure, it is rigid and human involvement is minimums. Organic design: Organic structure is highly flexible, humanistic activity is maximum. Elements of Organizational design Mechanistic Structure Organic Structure Work Specialization High Low Departmentalization High Low Span of control Short Wide Chain of command Long Short Centralization High Low Formulization High Low LEADING Leadership The process of influencing a group of people toward achievement of preselected goals is called leadership. Leader The person who makes this purpose is who can influence other / groups of people and who has managerial authority is called leader. The Soneri Bank has formal way of leadership style Traits of leader The leader of Soneri Bank has the following Traits Skills in themselves. Decision making Risk taking Risk bearing Stress taking Stress bearing Communication Power Honesty Strong vision Inter personal skill Step forward Discipline Believe of on equality Type of Leader Democratic leader The leaders, Soneri Bank have, are the types of Democratic. Because the major portion of bank is De-centralized thats why the each leader have the complete power of decision making, but the are working Collaboratively in whole organization with each other. All leaders of bank are involved in decision making, delighting their authority to their higher qualified employees, encouraged the participation of their employees in work and gives them opportunities coaching in well manner. Task Structure Every leader is giving the formal/ formalizes job or task to his employees, for getting the best result. Thats why the task structure also strong in the Soneri Bank. CONTROLING Controlling is the process of monitoring activities to ensure that they are being accomplished as planned and of correcting and significant deviation. Importance of control: Control is very much important because it is the final link in the management function. It is the only way manager know whether organizational goals are being met or not and the reason why? In Soneri Bank the importance of control can not be neglected because its a services base organization and deals with finance. Every employee in this organization has direct and indirect interaction with financial activities and finance playing the key role in the progress of the bank. Types of Control: Following are two main types of control. Feed forward control: In feed forward control problem is identified and resolved before accruing. Concurrent control: In contemporaneous control problem is identified and resolved while that is accruing. Division in Soneri Bank for Controlling: Following are two divisions in Soneri Bank for controlling purpose. Credit Monitoring Division: Credit monitoring division monitor all the activities related to following areas Credit card Debit card Auto loans Homes Loans RTC Money Gram Audit and Inspection Division; this division in Soneri Bank conduct the internal audit at the inspections of all the activities in the Soneri Bank to insure the accuracy of work and the performance of the bank. Control at Supervisor and Managerial Level: At lower level in the Bank supervisor and manager ensure the proper handling of the activities and they assign the targets to their subordinates to achieves in a given time and at those bases, they asses the performance of the employee. PROCESS OF CONTROL Measuring actual performance There are two ways to measuring performance in the Soneri Bank. Qualitative Quantities In measurement of performance employees of the organization are being measure qualitatively 40% and quantities 60%. Comparing actual performance with standards The comparing performance of the degree of variation between actual and standards performance Standards In Soneri Bank following standards are set to compare actual performance. General standards Compliance with law Reasonable assurance and safeguards Integrity, competence, and positive attitude SPECIFIC STANDARDS: TEAM LEADER In the Soneri Bank mostly every executive is working together with employer under him/her, and every manager is also working together with employer under him/her and they all are working collaboratively with each other in all the department of whole organization. TRANSFORMATIONAL and TRANSACTIONAL LEADER The leader of Soneri Bank is giving guide line and direction of established goals of these followers by clarifying the rate and task requirements for the best possible unit. Thats why these leaders of bank are TRANSACTIONAL LEADERS but not TRANSFORMATIONAL leader. GOALS OBJECTIVES Goals and objectives are factors through which the companys devotion and commitment to the job can be seen. If the goals are realistic and achievable, than surely that organization is doing its job. Soneri Bank also has certain goals and objectives which it is trying to achieve, through its various strategies and operations. The goals and objectives are mentioned below: To create a sound base, and through efficient systems achieve modern banking through out Pakistan. By the end of every accounting year there is an increase in deposits. As the deposit rate of during 2008 was approximately 72 Million and the same has been increased in 2009 by 97 Million. To create unit banking network in all the branches of Soneri Bank, the end of the year. This means that all the operations of the bank, i.e. deposits to advances, imports, exports, L/C Opening, foreign currency and many more aspects under one roof, so that the customer can be facilitate in one visit. Islamic Banking is one of the goals of Soneri Bank though it has been initiated in the last fiscal year and it is very acceptable for general public. However, there is a lot of work to do for successful implementation of the Islamic Banking Plan. In this regard the Bank is opening specific Islamic Banking Branch under the supervision of its Islamic Banking Division. STRATEGIES Soneri Bank has formulated certain sets of strategies to enable it to achieve its goals and objectives. These strategies are mentioned below: In order to achieve its goals of creating a sound base and presence of efficient modern banking system, Soneri Bank has started operation of Automated Teller Machines (ATM) in all the major areas like Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and other cities of Pakistan. Soneri Bank is committed to building long-lasting relationships through an assertion to service excellence and providing innovative products to meet the changing needs of our valued customers. Although still in its infancy, compared to the exalted banking standards, Soneri Bank inspired by the vision of its Board and Management, has built up a strong customer base. The Bank provides a full range of banking services to corporate clients, while applying leading technologies. Today the Bank is well-positioned to provide appropriate banking services to customers. The main focus is building relationships and being known by the way they do business. Management recognizes that a banking relationship requires compatibility, communication, and cooperation and that each customer deserves nothing less than full attention and available resources to meet their financial objectives. Core value and corporate culture is based on the belief that superior personalized service is the most important product. Bank is in the process of getting to know customers by name and understand their business and personal financial needs. This one-on-one, personalized service quality has served as Soneri Bank unique signature since inception and continues to separate it from other financial institutions. The Soneri Bank team comprises of some of the most highly skilled and professional financial experts in banking industry. Managers, lenders and trust advisors offer the unique perspective of knowing and understanding in the local economy. The Management focuses its attention on making informed and feasible economic decisions, bringing better returns and more profitability for investors and customers. To acquire the reputation and status of bank which operates on international standard, Soneri Bank was to get the credit rating of Pakistan Credit Rating Agency, which gave it the AA- and A1+ in the long term and short term respectively. SWOT Analysis of Soneri bank (S)trengths Strengths are the core competencies of any organization as far as SONERI is concerned the core competencies of this organization are: Target Achievement Policies Procedures Controlling Standards Priorities Rewards Benefits Job Security for the Employees Favorable, friendly Healthy Working Environment Documentation System is so much accurate Accounting Banking System is Accurate Reliable One (W)eaknesses Weaknesses are the lacking points which every organization must avoid in order to make its operational effectiveness. Hectic Working Environment Work load Lack of Self Marketing Department Low Training Coaching Low incentives like bonuses overtime pay etc. Human Resource Department is not so much effective Appraisal is not done frequently Low salary packages as compared to other banks (O)pportunities In fact, when we study all our weaknesses critically deeply than we come to know that we can convert our weaknesses into strengths. So basically these are our opportunities. The opportunities for SONERI bank are: On the job training coaching sessions can be conducted. Work sharing activities should be started so that a person who is working continuously for 9 hours can get relax. Marketing department should be started in order to promote the name of SONERI. Appraisal should be conducted frequently so that employees get motivated do their work as a loyal employee. Attractive salary packages should be awarded. (T)hreats Though Soneri bank has a strong footing and maintain a good number of loyal customer, still bank has threats in various sectors. The threats are prevailing such as: The conventional banks those having high growth rate and high market share are always being a threat. There is an average not low turnover rate, mainly because of low incentives as compared to the other banks. Absenteeism: Definitions and Categories Absenteeism: Definitions and Categories The purpose of the literature review is to justify absences in order to determine its fundamental causes. The amount of research which exists on school absenteeism witnesses both the existence and consequences of the problem. This issue is without doubt a very critical problem whose consequences is not restricted to students only but extends to the progress of the entire community and stands as a threat to the national economic growth. As a result, not only is the identification of the factors important but the proposed strategies for the improvement and gradual elimination of the problem are equally vital. The first part of this section shall reveal a representative discussion on some of the various categories of definitions on students absenteeism published during the last few years from a variety of perspectives. The second part discusses on previous research on students absenteeism and the causal factors that are considered as sources of such issues. DEFINITIONS AND CATEGORIES OF ABSENCES Absenteeism is the continual interruption of attendance (Gove: 6). It can be simply defined as a failure to appear, especially for work or any other duty. Therefore, based on my research the term student absenteeism refers as a situation where a learner is not at school for an entire day. But this definition is certainly too unclear to give a complete view of the problem. In order to avoid confusion regarding definitional issues the present study has categorized it into specific terms. Excused absences are justified absences from school for any reason recognized as legitimate, for example, attendance at religious ceremonies, illness of the pupil or a member of the pupils family, or death in the home (Good:3). On the other hand, unexcused absences refer to absences from school for reasons that are not recognized as legitimate, for example, absence because of play, truancy, illegal work, etc. (Good:3). However, one of the most common forms of unexcused absences is truancy (Brandibas, 2005; Broadwin, 1932; Johnson et al., 1941; Phelps et al., 1992; Warren, 1948) which is a vague term. Gabb (1994) argues that a child is said to play truant who is absent from school without leave. Truancy refers to the persistent, habitual and unexplained absence from school of a child of compulsory school age that occurs without parental knowledge or consent. Also, unauthorized absences may include truancy, occasional absenteeism, school refusal, school withdrawal and dropping out. Suspensions and expulsions may also be accounted as unauthorized absences. On the other hand, the term fractional truancy has been used to refer to unauthorized absences from school due to lateness, leave early or skip of specific lesson or groups of lessons which seems to be uncontrollable. Researchers like Stickney and Miltenberger (1998) and Malcolm et al (2003) have also used the term school refusal synonymously with a bsenteeism. School refusal refers to absence by children who refuse to attend school in the face of persuasion and punishment by parents, and possible school discipline. This form of absenteeism is widely recognized as a disorder involving persistent non attendance at school, excessive anxiety and physical complaints. Thus, the review of the various categories of definitions of absenteeism is not enough, as the main focus of this study is on the different factors that contribute to this problem. Consequently, not only is the identification of the causal factors significant but the plan of strategies for the improvement and eventual eradication of the issue are equally important. With the abundance of academic literature on the causes and solutions of the phenomenon, this will surely help to clarify my study with a better guidance and proper use of energies and resources in the right direction. This is so, as different researchers have taken different possibilities in investigating the problem from the psychological, social, economical and management perspectives. Hence, the subsequent sections that will follow shall demonstrate various literatures on these perspectives. CAUSAL FACTORS THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PERCEPTION From past research, it has been noted that psychologists have taken a great interest in the causes of, and solutions to, absenteeism. Accordingly, this has led to a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. Within the context of this particular perception, a number of causal factors have been identified. A considerable part of the literature on the psychological dimensions of absenteeism has argued that the problem comes from different aspects. Corville et al. (1998); Lotz Lee (1999) find that students that are frequently absent from school have low self-esteem, are less competent in their social relations, perceive less cohesion in their families, less parental acceptance and inconsistent discipline, and indicate less satisfaction regarding school characteristics and personnel. Within the school system, it may be the result of labeling and tracking that create this low self-esteem and negative self-image and hence this becomes a cause for absenteeism for the students. While students with low self-esteem have an ability to feel part of the school culture, they may become frustrated and bored with school, and dislike the teachers, and any form of authority (Bell et al, 1994; Scott Dinham, 2005). Skues, Cunningham, and Pokharel (2005) note that students bullied by peers tend to exhib it less self-esteem and are less motivated to perform well at school. Low motivation, expressed as lack of interest and lack of engagement is linked with the notion of self-esteem and the intrinsic sense of belonging and self-worth. Thompson and Perry (2005) suggested that students who experience low motivation often perform poorly in academic situations. Further, Johnson (1941) and Daleiden Chorpita (1999) believe that school phobia is also an important factor that contributes to absenteeism. The term school phobia is termed as a separation anxiety: that is, intense distress following anticipated or actual separation from others, especially the mother. The child develops a feeling of acute anxiety and begins to feel guilty about leaving the mother to attend school. Moreover, Lauchlan (2003), Egger, Costello, and Angold (2003) examined the association between anxious school refusal, truancy and psychiatric disorders in middle school students and found that the majority of the sample had a psychiatric disorder. Also, some physical factors including physical health and psychological well-being may contribute to the phenomenon. Closs (2000) contends that the major cause of absence, namely, health reasons may be addressed both to support the education of students whose absence is inevitable and to improve the school attendance of students whose health may not otherwise permit it. As it can be noticed from the above declaration, psychological variables are key determinants of absenteeism. Within the context of this finding, one of the solutions to absenteeism appears to lie in the reinforcement of students sense of belonging both through the enhancement of teachers levels of professional commitment and the design of school cultures which will bring about a sense of attachment and reliability among the students. THE SOCIAL PERCEPTION The literature on psychological factors influencing absenteeism is hardly restricted to an analysis. Thus, an investigation of the sociological variables is of great importance. This is so as not only the students themselves contribute to the problem but their school as well as their family backgrounds plays an important role. Nowadays, with the process of rapid development that is taking place, we have more and more working parents. As a result, students receive less supervision at home than in the past (Lotz Lee, 1999). Not only absence of parental supervision but also parents condoning absences by ignoring or supplying excuses when no valid reason is apparent, explains high rates of absenteeism (Kilpatrick, 1996). Reid (1999) found that families are becoming increasingly ill-equipped to provide a home environment that is conducive to academic achievement. Stability at home is one of the major factors that affect absenteeism. He further suggests that parents should be educated to understand the value of their role in reinforcing practices which includes providing incentives for students who attend school regularly, while providing disincentives for non-attendance. Parenting style may therefore have an impact on a childs school behavior and motivation to attend school. It is found that the authoritative parenting style is the most conducive to academic success and high motivation levels. Fragmented and reconstituted family structures and family size are also considered variables in the discussion on absenteeism (Wheatly Spillane, 2001). Research conducted by Butler (2003) found that adolescents experiencing absenteeism revealed a tendency to have single, separated, divorced or remarried families. Statistics also indicate that the greater majority of school children either come from single parent or two-parent-working homes, with the implication in either case being that the primary caregiver is often absent from the house and therefore, not in a position to supervise education and attendance. Of greater significance is the fact that the absence of the adult primary caregiver generally means that the children in question have to perform a number of chores around the home, including, in the case of older siblings, the responsibility of the younger children in the house. In such instances, the children in question are often left too stressed out or tired to wake up in the morning and attend school on time (Pope, 2003). The sociological interpretation of absenteeism tends towards the identification of class and familial conditions as the root causes of the phenomenon. Thus, to gain a fuller picture of the problem, it is imperative to review the literature on the economic factors influencing absenteeism among school children. THE ECONOMIC PERCEPTION The literature on the economic causes of absenteeism compliments the literature on both its psychological and sociological causes. As Mcewan (2000) suggests, the economic causes rarely operate in isolation but tend to give rise to already existent sociological or psychological factors. Zierold, Garman and Anderson (2005) admit that familial and communal culture influence absenteeism but suggest that economic factors are at the roots of the stated. There is the predominant belief that students would benefit more from employment than they would from education. The implication here is that economic circumstances often force school students to seek part-time employment and as a result they have to shoulder other responsibilities other than their school work. Parcel and Dufur (2001) maintain that students who come from lower socio-economic class than the majority of their classmates are generally subjected to verbal taunts which, besides undermining their self-esteem and affecting their academic performance, influence them towards deliberate absences. Further, DeKalb (1999) suggests that this phenomenon is also due to the socio economic reasons such as the traditional marginalization of the poor and minority students. Thus, there is a lack of effort to attach these students to school as well as a lack of communication with the parents. In this case, the students develop no sense of belonging for their school and tend to be absent for long periods of time. THE ENVIRONMENTAL PERCEPTION According to Osterman (2000), if students do not feel at home in their school environment, they take it upon themselves to reduce the number of hours they spend in that environment per week, either by being tardy or absent. In line with that, Kirkpatrick, Crosnoe and Elder (2001), arrived at the same conclusion. They suggest that school attendance is significantly impacted by the extent to which students sense of belonging. Usually, students who feel comfortable and at ease in their school environment tend to have relatively lower rates of absenteeism compared to those who do not. Also, Crosnoe (2000) reported that lack of sense of belonging at school is also partly dependent on peer influence. Those with high attendance reported that they had many friends at school and felt a sense of social belonging there and those with low attendance reported the opposite. As we are aware for proper motivation of students, there is a need for professional commitment. Hung and Liu (1999) argue a correlation between student engagement with learning and teachers professional commitment. Teachers who exhibit a strong sense of professional commitment usually influence their students towards higher levels of engagement in their learning process and, more significantly, tend to have much higher classroom on-time attendance rates. Also, the punctuality of the teacher, his teaching style, his degree of verbal admiration and warning are all factors associated with pupils finding class interesting (DeKalb, 1999). Moreover, school factors often relate to students experiences of the school environment, and the body of literature consistently identifies several common experiences, including boredom with schoolwork, inadequate student-teacher relationships, being bullied, under threats or involved in fights (Wheatley and Spillane, 2001). Further, Wheatley and Spillane (2001) make the important point that the same characteristics, as outlined in various sources and linked to non-attendance, are similarly linked in a range of research reports as factors contributing to underage school leaving. Furthermore, with the new era of rapid development and competition, there has been a drastic innovation regarding the acquisition of knowledge. Various ways and means are available nowadays for fulfilling the demand for education. Besides, with such alternatives available this has created a downfall significance regarding school and its environment especially regarding regular attendance of students. According to Petroski (2008),ÂÂ  this independent approach to learning has become increasingly viable and accessible for all students through distance learning initiatives such as video conferencing, web casts, pod casts, blogs, Wikis, Twitter and privatized online learning programs such as Nova Net and Plato. These innovations allow students the freedom to access and respond to the information within a flexible timeframe and without the necessity for face-to-face synchronous experiences. Petroski (2008) also states that there are existing colleges whose students never attend a cour se on a physical campus. However, some have serious concerns about the pedagogical implications of introducing or casting audio or visual files of classroom content. Most of the concerns center on the potential drop in classroom attendance or in-class participation (Meng, 2005; OConnor, 2005). Another overarching fear is that educators overprotect immature learners to become ever more passive in their learning and thus retard their development as self-learners. Regarding other typical aspect of acquiring knowledge nowadays is through private tuitions commonly used in almost every country of the global world. According to Hai-Anh Dang and F. Halsey Rogers (2008), private tutoring is now a major component of the education sector in many developing countries, yet education policy too, rarely admits or makes use of it. Also, Hai-Anh Dang and F. Halsey Rogers asked themselves whether private tuitions increase parental choice and improve student achievement, or does it worsen social inequalities and impose heavy costs on households, possibly without improving student outcomes. This survey of the literature examines the extent of private tutoring, identifies the factors that explain its growth, and analyzes its cost-effectiveness in improving student academic performance. In the same direction regarding academic performance, Trevor Cobbold (2009) states that many other factors outside the control of schools also influence a schools results. These include student absenteeism and mobility between schools, the extent of parent involvement in learning at home, and the extent to which students are engaged in after hours tutoring. For example, if a higher proportion of families are engaged in private tutoring in any one year a school will receive a boost to its measured performance. However, private tutoring unfortunately has been institutionalized and has become a threatening feature. It is the source of lack of interest for class work, uncontrollable conduct at school, outright truancy and induced absenteeism because of frustrations and tiredness (Ministry of Education, Mauritius, 1997). In line with this, Sylvain E. Dessyy, Pascal St-Amour and Desire Vencatachellum (1999) carried out a research about the reasons behind private tuitions and the various measures that will effectively reduce private tuitions. The result shows that private tutoring arises mainly because of the expected rewards obtained by skilled workers, and the use of human capital as a selection device for these positions. Also, pupils use private tutoring to complement the education they receive in public schools, and to increase the likelihood of winning the best-paid position in future. The proposed solutions of the research was finally about raising public teachers wages and changing their selection mechanism to limit private tutoring. FINDINGS From the above, even though in brief, the review of this literature has tried to establish useful inquiries about how researchers have, with near-unanimity, defined absences as one of the most severe problem currently confronting the nations schools and its children, the demand of designing and implementing corrective strategies for the reduction and elimination of absences are indisputable and widely accepted. Prior to that, however, it is important to acquire a complete understanding of the causes of absences and the factors which affect it. Thus, the above mentioned literature reviews have not only analysed the theoretical and definitional issues but have also provided a sound theoretical support. With this for the present research, it will be possible to build further knowledge and understanding about the phenomenon. Academic literature and studies on absences have established a huge number of causal factors, divisible into three broad categories: (1) psychological (2) social and economical, (3) environmental. The causal influence of each of these factors, not to mention how they may be struggled or eradicated , shall be explored within the context of this dissertation using both primary and secondary data sources. In the next section, the researchers strategy for the collection and analysis of this data will be outlined. Effect of Age on Friendships and Family Patterns | Proposal Effect of Age on Friendships and Family Patterns | Proposal 1) The Title of the Project Family and Friendship: an investigation of the relationship between age and patterns of friendship within and outside the family: a discourse analysis. 2) Rationale, Aims and Objectives Friends and family are clearly important components of everyones lives. They can increase self-esteem, well-being and provide opportunities for socialising. Evidence from the psychological literature suggests that friendships are beneficial, if they are of the right type (Hartup Stevens, 1997). This study will examine the attitudes that two different age-groups have towards friendships and their families. There has been increasing discussion in the sociological literature by some authors (Weeks, Heaphy Donovan, 2001) that friendships are taking over the traditional place of the family in peoples social networks. This study aims to examine this idea in two age-groups, one 18-28 years old and the second, 50-60 years old. It will also aim to look at an aspect of the detraditionalization hypothesis and judge whether the evidence supports it. The objectives in order to reach this aim are to carry out a series of interviews with people in those two age-groups and then carry out a discourse analysis of that data. This will pinpoint the different ways in which people think about their families and friends in two different age-groups. 3) Research Questions The research question will be to examine whether there is a clear difference between the types of friendships formed at different ages. Do younger people rely more on their friends for support in times of crisis than older people? Do older people include more of their kin as their closest friends? How do both groups view their families generally in terms of who they rely on? Alternatively, is there little evidence for a difference in the way people separate and view their friends and their families? 4) Literature Review Individualization is a sweeping social change that has been seen to affect many societies around the world. Beck Beck Gernsheim (2001) point to two different meanings of individualization. The first refers to the weakening of traditional social forms used in the analysis of societies; these include class, gender and the family. Beck Beck Gernsheim (2001) identify this change as occurring as a result of the weakening of tradition, religion and state. The second aspect of individualization is the way in which modern societies are placing new demands on their citizens. This can be seen in the huge numbers of regulations that attempt to control every aspect of our lives. Levels of mobility, argue Beck Beck Gernsheim (2001), are higher than ever in many societies and, as a result, people move freely for economic reasons as there is greater emphasis on individual fulfilment. A natural corollary of this movement is that family ties are frequently left behind in the search for economic opportunity. And so, in the struggle for individual human relatedness, if the family is left behind, to where does the modern member of society turn? Weeks, Heaphy Donovan (2001) point to so-called families of choice, which are essentially groups of friends. Weeks et al. (2001) see society as being at a transition point, from more traditional ideas of family to this notion of the family that has been chosen from a group of friends. People are specifically choosing their family of friends to fit in with their own personal beliefs and attitudes and sometimes choosing to get away from their biological families who do not represent their attitudes and beliefs. This process of choosing friends is seen by Weeks at al. (2001) as a process by which people are shaping their own identities. While Weeks et al.s (2001) research concentrates on non-heterosexuals, they argue that these families of choice are in fact taking over from families of fate throughout society in the UK and elsewhere. This has been similarly understood by Giddens (1992) in terms of transformations in the interpersonal domain. In particular, Giddens (1991) sees these kinds of changes arising from what he terms the emergence of pure relationships (Giddens 1991:58). A pure relationship occurs where the more traditional connections through obligation that are present in family relationships are replaced with relationships based on what each can get out of the other. These changes have been referred to by Giddens (1992) as democratising in nature such that these changes are also affecting the family. Pahl Spencer (2004) explain that this detraditionalization thesis normally draws upon a range of social statistics that appear to demonstrate widespread societal changes. These include higher levels of education, higher rates of divorce, greater mobility both socially and geographically and a larger participation by women in the workforce. These conclusions are, however, disputed by Pahl Spencer (2004) who argue that the use of other research sources can lead in a different direction. They quote research carried out by Park Roberts (2002) which found that the family appeared to be in good health. Their respondents tended to suggest the family represented the first port of call in an emergency for people. Indeed, Pahl Spencer (2004) carried out their own research into friendships which avoids a standard quantitative analysis, asking about length of time known and other such variables, and concentrating more on content. Pahl Spencer (2004), then, look at peoples personal communities. Personal communities, for Pahl Spencer (2004), relate specifically to two main aspects of the relationship: communication and belonging. Pahl Spencer (2004) carried out 60 interviews in different parts of the UK and, in order to access these concepts, they used a map of concentric circles on which people indicated where their friends lay. These friendships were then examined through interviews. As a result, Pahl Spencer (2004) found that it was actually very difficult to separate the notions of friendship from that of family and that one easily flowed into the other. From their detailed findings, Pahl Spencer (2004) assert that there is little evidence for the idea that people are moving away from their family group and towards their chosen friendship groups. There is also little evidence, in Pahl Spencers (2004) view, for the idea that people place more importance on their friendships than their family. Taking a more wide-angle quantitative viewpoint, Pahl Pevalin (2005) use data gathered from the British Household Panel Survey over ten years to analyse potential changes in family and friends. Here, instead of finding a shift to friends away from family, they find that the family still provides a large number of peoples friends. There is a change seen across age-groups, however, with older respondents more likely to nominate family as close friends than those in younger age-groups. The question is, does this represent a change that people go through as they age, or is this a social change that can be seen emerging? Pahl Pevalin (2005) suggest the longitudinal data shows that it is actually a change happening with age, therefore suggesting that this does not support a social change of increasing friendship choices outside kin-groupings. Gross (2005) argues, like Pahl Pevalin (2005) that the extent to which the detraditionalization hypothesis is true has been exaggerated. Its important to note that throughout the literature on families and friendships it is clear that there are certain overlaps in meanings. One clear example is that of partners. For those over the age of 30, Pahl Pevalin (2005) argue that a partner provides the most important relationship. Does this person count as their friend or a family member? Pahl Pevalin (2005) argue that partners form a kind of hybrid category. Partners sit on the cusp of the debate because if they count as members of the family then they add weight to the importance of the family. But, if they count as friends, then they add weight to the idea that people are moving towards greater reliance on friends. There is probably a good argument for each view but certainly excluding partners from the analysis is a mistaken approach. Pahl Pevalin (2005) also criticise Weeks et al.s (2001) findings because they focus on non-heterosexual respondents. It is hypothesised that non-heterosexual respondents will tend to have a greater degree of reliance on friends rather than family as, perhaps, the family will not have been accepting of their sexual orientation thus necessitating an appeal to a group outside their confines. This study should, therefore, take this into account in balancing up the sexual orientations of the respondents. 5) Methodology Carry out a series of semi-structured interviews with participants to ask them about their family and their friendships. This would be carried out with a small group of younger people who are 18-28, as well as with a small group of older people who are 50-60 years old. Interviews will be semi-structured and so will start with questions asking specifically about participants close social ties, who they tend to confide in, who they share attitudes and beliefs with. This will be achieved through the use of maps of personal networks on which people indicate where their friends and family lie. Also, questions will be asked about attitudes and feelings towards the family and how family members fit into this picture. Latter questions will be more open-ended, so that participants are able to speak more freely about their friendships and families. Participants interviews will be transcribed and then analysed using discourse analysis to extract meanings and relationships. 6) Ethical Considerations Ethical approval for carrying out this study will be obtained from the relevant authority. All respondents in the study will be told that taking part is optional and that they may withdraw at any time. Further, they will be assured that they will remain anonymous in the reporting of the results. Personal information relating to individual friendships will, of course, remain completely confidential. Respondents will be reminded that they are entitled to see any of the data that is held by the researcher which specifically relates to them. 7) Costings The project will require a voice recorder and the researchers time involved in carrying out the interviews, transcribing, analysing and writing up. It may also require the cost of travelling to respondents in order to carry out the interviews. Some stationery costs will also be incurred. 8) Communication plans Respondents for the research will be solicited through standard university notice boards. For the older age-group, if suitable respondents cannot be identified in the university, it may be necessary to call on the researchers personal networks of friends and family members. 9) Users and Beneficiaries The ways in which friendships and families operate is of perennial interest to the government. Examining the ways in which personal communities coalesce provides insight into important notions of social support and social capital. For those who work in professions with direct contact with younger age-groups, it would be useful for them to know who young people rely on in times of stress. Is it members of their family, or is there a shift towards relying on friends in hard times? For those who work in professions who care for the elderly it would be extremely useful to know how patterns of friendships change with advancing age (Pahl Pevalin, 2005). For example, do older people rely more on siblings as a result of their partners passing away or do they develop other networks of friends outside their kin relations? References Beck, U., Beck Gernsheim, E. (2001) Individualization. London: Sage Publications. Giddens, A. (1991) Modernity and Self-identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Cambridge, Polity Press. Giddens, A. (1992) The Transformation of Intimacy: Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies. Cambridge, Polity Press. Gross, N. (2005) The Detraditionalization of Intimacy Reconsidered. Sociological Theory 23(3), 286-311. Hartup, W., Stevens, N. (1997) Friendship and Adaptation in the Life Course. Psychological Bulletin, 121(3), 335–370. Pahl, R., Pevalin, D. J. (2005) Between family and friends: a longitudinal study of friendship choice. The British Journal of Sociology, 56(3), 433-450. Pahl, R., Spencer, L. (2004) Personal Communities: Not Simply Families of ‘Fate or ‘Choice’. Current Sociology 52(2), 199–221. Park, A., Roberts, C. (2002) The Ties that Bind. British Social Attitudes: The 19th Report. Aldershot: Ashgate. Weeks, J., Heaphy, B., Donovan, C. (2001) Same Sex Intimacies: Families of Choice and Other Life Experiments. London: Routledge.