Cognitive, Research ad Learning Theory

The diversity in classrooms today challenges teachers to develop cultural and social competencies together with keeping current with the developing theories in learning and education. For example, in Avram Noam Chomsky’s study of the language development, which can be extended to the process of learning any body of knowledge, he points out that language can not be learned by conditioning or stimuli alone (Sylwester, 2005). This suggests that need to develop associations regarding the meaning and concept of objects: for a child to learn that the earth is the third planet from the sun, the concept of ordinal order must first be established. Thus, Jean Piaget suggest that learning programs should be student centered to support the individual cognitive capacity and methodology (Gardner, 2006). The case of presented by Maria Testoni’s sixth-grade class reflects this challenge: the diversity in learning styles, academic skills and ethnicity as well as their work habits, behaviors and levels of participation requires the development of approaches unique to the child (Griffin et al, 2003).   However, in reality, there are significant constraints in doing so in terms of resources, expertise and time. Thus, there is a need for teachers to strategize their methods. In Maria’s case, one approach is to utilize a cognitive perspective for the learning theories that will serve as the foundation of her strategies. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚   What factors are influencing students’ assimilation and accommodation? 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚   What are the commonalities and contrasts of students’ schema or context? 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚   What are the modalities of methods of accommodation? 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚   How can mental processes of learning be mapped? 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Are there typologies to characterize the population based on individual characteristic of students? 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Can the cognitive evaluation of students provide insights to current behavior and performance in class? In the use of cognitive theory and research and learning theory, Maria’s focus will be in understanding the mental processes of her students. Cognition, suggests that there is learning occurs through the process of generative development (Cronin& Mandich, 2004). In using this as a leaning theory, Maria will have to consider the existing competencies of her students and the curriculum she is creating for them. This will then consider observed behavior become secondary in the evaluation (Sylwester, 2005). The approach can limit behavioral factors in the assessment which can be extraneous to evaluate. Thus, the process of cognition is considered to influence behavior rather than behavior influencing the level of cognition (Griffin et al, 2003). In general, cognition and its related learning perspectives reject the majority of behaviorist views on the process of learning (Cronin& Mandich, 2004). They highlight that learning goes beyond the stimuli-response process and depends more on the individual’s cognitive processes. As Maria proceeds with the assessment, she will see the significance of the cognition in her students’ performance in class. In conclusion, insights regarding the manner by which individual students create their network of concept relationships can allow Maria to create exercises of lectures that will subscribe to students’ needs. In doing so, the cognition process of the child only has to assimilate information rather than accommodate it. At the same time, if the cognitive methods of students have varies highly, the same insights on concept relationship networks can also be used to reinforce accommodation of knowledge. References Cronin, Anne and Mandich, Mary Beth (2004). Human Development and Performance Throughout the Life Span. New York: Thomson Delmar Learning Gardner, H. (2006). The development and education of the mind. New York: Basic Books. Griffin, C., Holford, J. & Jarvis, P. (2003).   The Theory & Practice of Learning.   London: Kogan Page. Sylwester, R. (2005).   How to explain a brain: An educator’s handbook of brain terms and cognitive process.   Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.            

Of Mice and Men: My Impression of Curley’s Wife Essay

Curley’s wife is just a young woman seeking attention, feeling the only way she can receive it is if she throws herself at the men around the ranch. In all honesty, Curley should give her more attention than she could ever wish for, however, in the 1930s things were a lot different to how they are now for women. Curley’s wife gives off the impression that she is a floozy and an extremely flirtatious woman throughout the whole novel. For example, when she leans her body against the pole â€Å"So her body was thrown forward.† This suggests that she is aiming to make all the males in the bunk house admire her female beauty, since her husband won’t. Also she talks very playfully towards the men around the ranch, which illustrates that she seeks some fun and enjoyment, which she is clearly not receiving from Curley. This is why she wonders elsewhere. An example of this playfulness is when she says â€Å"If he ain’t, I guess I better go look some place else,† You may think that she is talking about looking for Curley, but in fact, this symbolises her looking for other sexual pleasures, with the other men. The character of Curley’s wife shows an awful mean streak with her racism towards Crook’s in one of the chapters. Crook’s makes it clear that he does not have the desire to talk to her, resulting in a very serious threat towards him â€Å"Well you can keep your trap shut then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny† are the exact words she uses in the novel. This not only demonstrates that she is infuriated by the fact that nobody wants to talk to her, but it also shows the horrific racism that went on in the 1930’s, both Curley’s wife and Crook’s know that him having dark skin means the first sight of trouble and he will be abandoned or worse, killed. People with dark skin were treated like dirt in those days, Crook’s was nothing more than a tool, an animal, a disgrace! Curley’s wife desperately wants somebody to share conversation with and she feels very lonely and isolated, howev er, this is no excuse to be so prejudice against Crooks in my opinion. Personally, I am not a big fan of the character of Curley’s wife. I feel some of her actions are very unnecessary and she should keep herself to herself, as appose to trying to flirt with all the males and going behind her husband’s back.

Bowling for Columbine

According to Megan McArdle, â€Å"Since 1982, there have been at least 62 mass shootings* across the country, with the killings unfolding in 30 states from Massachusetts to Hawaii. Twenty-five of these mass shootings have occurred since 2006, and seven of them took place in 2012. † Violence in schools as well as the country is on the rise at an alarming rate, raising questions about gun control. After viewing the documentary Bowling for Columbine, I was intrigued. What follows is a summary of the documentary viewed and my thoughtful reaction.First, the shocking information and summary of school shootings and gun control must be understood. Throughout the documentary, shocking information on school shootings is shown. On April 20, 1999, the town of Littleton, Colorado was changed forever by the violent acts of two students at Columbine High School. According to the documentary, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold started their morning off by bowling at a local bowling alley. Harris a nd Klebold then proceeded to the high school equipped with ammunition and guns legally purchased at Kmart.Along with the firearms and ammunition, Harris and Klebold were dressed in long, black trench coats, earning them the name, â€Å"Trench Coat Mafia†. Once at the school, pipe bombs were set-off, ensuing mass chaos. Harris and Klebold then fired over 900 rounds of ammunition on students and teachers, killing 12 students and 2 teachers followed by committing suicide. After ignoring pleas, the National Rifle Society (NRA) held a pro-gun rally in Littleton, Colorado a mere Ten days after the school shooting at Columbine.Charleston Heston, NRA President, caused quite a stir when asked to leave and take his guns with saying, â€Å"you can pry them from my cold dead hands†. After Columbine, schools locked down on their students. Many schools enforced new uniform policies to ensure weapons could not be concealed in clothing or other places. Along with clothing options, the definition of weapons changed from guns and knives to paper, chicken strips, hair color, paperclips, kilts, and even finger pointing while saying ‘pow-pow’. Numerous things have been blamed for the violence that occurred at Columbine.Some of these things include music, video games, movies, race, the media, bullying, and in Littleton, Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin is the world’s largest manufacturer of weapons and is responsible for many of the weapons used in wars. On April 20, 1999, President Clinton dropped the biggest assault on Kosovo the war had seen. Lockheed Martin built the majority of the bombs and missiles used. Columbine was not the first and sadly, not the last of school shootings and violence in America. Before the Columbine shooting, Timothy McVey, Terry Nichols, and James Nichols bombed a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people.James Nichols was the only member that was not convicted, although all of the planning and bomb construc tion was done on his organic farm in Decker, Michigan. Moore went to visit Nichols on his farm to interview him on his stance on gun control and the Oklahoma City Bombing. Nichols, along with Klebold and Harris, used the Anarchist Cookbook to make many of the bombs used in their acts of violence. When asked why not use words instead of violence, Nichols replied, â€Å"The pen is mightier than the sword. But you need to have a sword too if it doesn’t work†.Gun Control in America is a very controversial issue. While many states have laws against guns, Virgin, Utah mandates that all citizens must own a weapon. Every year, the United States has over 11,127 killings by guns, while German, France, Canada, U. K. , Australia, and Japan have a combined total of 973 killings per year. Many things such as divorce, poverty, violent music and video games, and a history of violent behavior in the United States have all been speculated as causes for school violence.While there have b een many things blamed as a cause for violence, statistics show that murders have decreased by 20% but the media coverage has gone up by 600%. Each night, the media portrays America as a scary place full of nightmares around every corner, ensuing fear and panic in the general public. In Canada, new coverage is more positive and viewers are not being pumped full of fear daily. While the factors are the same, the rates for violence are far fewer. There is a misconception that Canadians do not own guns, but each family has an average of 7 guns per household.With less fear and violence, it is common for Canadians to keep their doors unlock, a theory tested and proved to be true by Moore. Once again tragedy struck in Flint, Michigan on February 29, 2000, when 6-year-old Dedrick Owens shot and killed his classmate, Kayla Rolland. Flint, Michigan has close to 87% of people living below the poverty line and many are enrolled in the ‘Welfare to Work’ program. The welfare program has many single parents riding a bus for over an hour one-way to a minimum wage job, often leaving children unattended, being the case with Dedrick Owens.Left unsupervised, Owens was able to access a gun and bring it to school. Many people wanted Owens tried as an adult, although he was only 6 years old. Eight months after the shooting, Heston and the NRA arrived in Flint, Michigan for the â€Å"Get Out and Vote† campaign. Heston was criticized for, once again, showing up to a town of a recent school shooting. When interviewed by Moore, Heston became very upset and stopped the interview when asked why he comes to towns to hold rallies after school shootings. Next, my thoughtful reaction to the documentary along with questions.While I found the documentary to be very interesting, I feel that it focused too much on being a smear campaign towards the NRA and showed very little on Columbine, yet the title was Bowling for Columbine. Instead of conveying the severity of the massac re, Moore downplayed the situation by calling Harris and Klebold ‘boys’. By doing this, Moore made it seem as though Harris and Klebold did not understand what they were doing as well as making them seem more innocent. In reality, Klebold and Harris â€Å"had begun thinking about a large massacre as early as April 1998 – a full year before the actual event† (Rosenberg 1).Throughout the documentary, Moore creates a lot of false impressions, many of them being with Charleston Heston. For instance, Moore splices many of Heston’s speeches to make it seem as though he is a villain. One particular quote, â€Å"From my cold dead hands† was taken from a speech done one year later in South Carolina, not at the rally held 10 days after in Denver, Colorado shown in Bowling for Columbine. Moore also makes Heston seem like a racist when in fact, Heston worked with Martin Luther King Jr. in protests and helped break Hollywood’s color barrier (hardyl aw. net).Along with false impressions, I was left wondering where Moore got his statistics and information seeing as he listed no sources. According to Moore, in 2002 there were 11,127 deaths by guns in the United States when it is actually closer to 8,000 (Hardy 1). While the documentary had many things I did not agree with, there were a few that I appreciated. The film opened my eyes to the violence that goes on each day throughout the World. Gun control is a major issue that needs to be addressed, especially the issue of determining how people can obtain weapons and ammunition.At the end of the film, Moore and two survivors from Columbine get Kmart to stop selling weapons and bullets. Personally, I think this was the most honest and sincere part of the entire documentary. In conclusion, there are many things that I learned after viewing Bowling For Columbine. What followed was a summary of the documentary along with my thoughtful reactions. When asked what he would say to Harris and Klebold if he had the chance, Marylin Manson replied, â€Å"Nothing! I would listen, that’s what nobody did†. Perhaps violence in schools, as well as life, could be reduced if people just took the time to listen.Works Cited Hardy, David T. Bowling for Columbine. David T. Hardy, Apr. 2003. Web. 12 Mar 2013. McArdle, Megan. Department of Awful Statistics: Are Mass Shootings Really On the Rise? The Daily Beast, 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. Rosenberg, Jennifer. Columbine Massacre. About, N. d. Web. 12 Mar. 2013 Bowling for Columbine According to Megan McArdle, â€Å"Since 1982, there have been at least 62 mass shootings* across the country, with the killings unfolding in 30 states from Massachusetts to Hawaii. Twenty-five of these mass shootings have occurred since 2006, and seven of them took place in 2012. † Violence in schools as well as the country is on the rise at an alarming rate, raising questions about gun control. After viewing the documentary Bowling for Columbine, I was intrigued. What follows is a summary of the documentary viewed and my thoughtful reaction.First, the shocking information and summary of school shootings and gun control must be understood. Throughout the documentary, shocking information on school shootings is shown. On April 20, 1999, the town of Littleton, Colorado was changed forever by the violent acts of two students at Columbine High School. According to the documentary, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold started their morning off by bowling at a local bowling alley. Harris a nd Klebold then proceeded to the high school equipped with ammunition and guns legally purchased at Kmart.Along with the firearms and ammunition, Harris and Klebold were dressed in long, black trench coats, earning them the name, â€Å"Trench Coat Mafia†. Once at the school, pipe bombs were set-off, ensuing mass chaos. Harris and Klebold then fired over 900 rounds of ammunition on students and teachers, killing 12 students and 2 teachers followed by committing suicide. After ignoring pleas, the National Rifle Society (NRA) held a pro-gun rally in Littleton, Colorado a mere Ten days after the school shooting at Columbine.Charleston Heston, NRA President, caused quite a stir when asked to leave and take his guns with saying, â€Å"you can pry them from my cold dead hands†. After Columbine, schools locked down on their students. Many schools enforced new uniform policies to ensure weapons could not be concealed in clothing or other places. Along with clothing options, the definition of weapons changed from guns and knives to paper, chicken strips, hair color, paperclips, kilts, and even finger pointing while saying ‘pow-pow’. Numerous things have been blamed for the violence that occurred at Columbine.Some of these things include music, video games, movies, race, the media, bullying, and in Littleton, Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin is the world’s largest manufacturer of weapons and is responsible for many of the weapons used in wars. On April 20, 1999, President Clinton dropped the biggest assault on Kosovo the war had seen. Lockheed Martin built the majority of the bombs and missiles used. Columbine was not the first and sadly, not the last of school shootings and violence in America. Before the Columbine shooting, Timothy McVey, Terry Nichols, and James Nichols bombed a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people.James Nichols was the only member that was not convicted, although all of the planning and bomb construc tion was done on his organic farm in Decker, Michigan. Moore went to visit Nichols on his farm to interview him on his stance on gun control and the Oklahoma City Bombing. Nichols, along with Klebold and Harris, used the Anarchist Cookbook to make many of the bombs used in their acts of violence. When asked why not use words instead of violence, Nichols replied, â€Å"The pen is mightier than the sword. But you need to have a sword too if it doesn’t work†.Gun Control in America is a very controversial issue. While many states have laws against guns, Virgin, Utah mandates that all citizens must own a weapon. Every year, the United States has over 11,127 killings by guns, while German, France, Canada, U. K. , Australia, and Japan have a combined total of 973 killings per year. Many things such as divorce, poverty, violent music and video games, and a history of violent behavior in the United States have all been speculated as causes for school violence.While there have b een many things blamed as a cause for violence, statistics show that murders have decreased by 20% but the media coverage has gone up by 600%. Each night, the media portrays America as a scary place full of nightmares around every corner, ensuing fear and panic in the general public. In Canada, new coverage is more positive and viewers are not being pumped full of fear daily. While the factors are the same, the rates for violence are far fewer. There is a misconception that Canadians do not own guns, but each family has an average of 7 guns per household.With less fear and violence, it is common for Canadians to keep their doors unlock, a theory tested and proved to be true by Moore. Once again tragedy struck in Flint, Michigan on February 29, 2000, when 6-year-old Dedrick Owens shot and killed his classmate, Kayla Rolland. Flint, Michigan has close to 87% of people living below the poverty line and many are enrolled in the ‘Welfare to Work’ program. The welfare program has many single parents riding a bus for over an hour one-way to a minimum wage job, often leaving children unattended, being the case with Dedrick Owens.Left unsupervised, Owens was able to access a gun and bring it to school. Many people wanted Owens tried as an adult, although he was only 6 years old. Eight months after the shooting, Heston and the NRA arrived in Flint, Michigan for the â€Å"Get Out and Vote† campaign. Heston was criticized for, once again, showing up to a town of a recent school shooting. When interviewed by Moore, Heston became very upset and stopped the interview when asked why he comes to towns to hold rallies after school shootings. Next, my thoughtful reaction to the documentary along with questions.While I found the documentary to be very interesting, I feel that it focused too much on being a smear campaign towards the NRA and showed very little on Columbine, yet the title was Bowling for Columbine. Instead of conveying the severity of the massac re, Moore downplayed the situation by calling Harris and Klebold ‘boys’. By doing this, Moore made it seem as though Harris and Klebold did not understand what they were doing as well as making them seem more innocent. In reality, Klebold and Harris â€Å"had begun thinking about a large massacre as early as April 1998 – a full year before the actual event† (Rosenberg 1).Throughout the documentary, Moore creates a lot of false impressions, many of them being with Charleston Heston. For instance, Moore splices many of Heston’s speeches to make it seem as though he is a villain. One particular quote, â€Å"From my cold dead hands† was taken from a speech done one year later in South Carolina, not at the rally held 10 days after in Denver, Colorado shown in Bowling for Columbine. Moore also makes Heston seem like a racist when in fact, Heston worked with Martin Luther King Jr. in protests and helped break Hollywood’s color barrier (hardyl aw. net).Along with false impressions, I was left wondering where Moore got his statistics and information seeing as he listed no sources. According to Moore, in 2002 there were 11,127 deaths by guns in the United States when it is actually closer to 8,000 (Hardy 1). While the documentary had many things I did not agree with, there were a few that I appreciated. The film opened my eyes to the violence that goes on each day throughout the World. Gun control is a major issue that needs to be addressed, especially the issue of determining how people can obtain weapons and ammunition.At the end of the film, Moore and two survivors from Columbine get Kmart to stop selling weapons and bullets. Personally, I think this was the most honest and sincere part of the entire documentary. In conclusion, there are many things that I learned after viewing Bowling For Columbine. What followed was a summary of the documentary along with my thoughtful reactions. When asked what he would say to Harris and Klebold if he had the chance, Marylin Manson replied, â€Å"Nothing! I would listen, that’s what nobody did†. Perhaps violence in schools, as well as life, could be reduced if people just took the time to listen.Works Cited Hardy, David T. Bowling for Columbine. David T. Hardy, Apr. 2003. Web. 12 Mar 2013. McArdle, Megan. Department of Awful Statistics: Are Mass Shootings Really On the Rise? The Daily Beast, 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. Rosenberg, Jennifer. Columbine Massacre. About, N. d. Web. 12 Mar. 2013 Bowling for Columbine According to Megan McArdle, â€Å"Since 1982, there have been at least 62 mass shootings* across the country, with the killings unfolding in 30 states from Massachusetts to Hawaii. Twenty-five of these mass shootings have occurred since 2006, and seven of them took place in 2012. † Violence in schools as well as the country is on the rise at an alarming rate, raising questions about gun control. After viewing the documentary Bowling for Columbine, I was intrigued. What follows is a summary of the documentary viewed and my thoughtful reaction.First, the shocking information and summary of school shootings and gun control must be understood. Throughout the documentary, shocking information on school shootings is shown. On April 20, 1999, the town of Littleton, Colorado was changed forever by the violent acts of two students at Columbine High School. According to the documentary, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold started their morning off by bowling at a local bowling alley. Harris a nd Klebold then proceeded to the high school equipped with ammunition and guns legally purchased at Kmart.Along with the firearms and ammunition, Harris and Klebold were dressed in long, black trench coats, earning them the name, â€Å"Trench Coat Mafia†. Once at the school, pipe bombs were set-off, ensuing mass chaos. Harris and Klebold then fired over 900 rounds of ammunition on students and teachers, killing 12 students and 2 teachers followed by committing suicide. After ignoring pleas, the National Rifle Society (NRA) held a pro-gun rally in Littleton, Colorado a mere Ten days after the school shooting at Columbine.Charleston Heston, NRA President, caused quite a stir when asked to leave and take his guns with saying, â€Å"you can pry them from my cold dead hands†. After Columbine, schools locked down on their students. Many schools enforced new uniform policies to ensure weapons could not be concealed in clothing or other places. Along with clothing options, the definition of weapons changed from guns and knives to paper, chicken strips, hair color, paperclips, kilts, and even finger pointing while saying ‘pow-pow’. Numerous things have been blamed for the violence that occurred at Columbine.Some of these things include music, video games, movies, race, the media, bullying, and in Littleton, Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin is the world’s largest manufacturer of weapons and is responsible for many of the weapons used in wars. On April 20, 1999, President Clinton dropped the biggest assault on Kosovo the war had seen. Lockheed Martin built the majority of the bombs and missiles used. Columbine was not the first and sadly, not the last of school shootings and violence in America. Before the Columbine shooting, Timothy McVey, Terry Nichols, and James Nichols bombed a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people.James Nichols was the only member that was not convicted, although all of the planning and bomb construc tion was done on his organic farm in Decker, Michigan. Moore went to visit Nichols on his farm to interview him on his stance on gun control and the Oklahoma City Bombing. Nichols, along with Klebold and Harris, used the Anarchist Cookbook to make many of the bombs used in their acts of violence. When asked why not use words instead of violence, Nichols replied, â€Å"The pen is mightier than the sword. But you need to have a sword too if it doesn’t work†.Gun Control in America is a very controversial issue. While many states have laws against guns, Virgin, Utah mandates that all citizens must own a weapon. Every year, the United States has over 11,127 killings by guns, while German, France, Canada, U. K. , Australia, and Japan have a combined total of 973 killings per year. Many things such as divorce, poverty, violent music and video games, and a history of violent behavior in the United States have all been speculated as causes for school violence.While there have b een many things blamed as a cause for violence, statistics show that murders have decreased by 20% but the media coverage has gone up by 600%. Each night, the media portrays America as a scary place full of nightmares around every corner, ensuing fear and panic in the general public. In Canada, new coverage is more positive and viewers are not being pumped full of fear daily. While the factors are the same, the rates for violence are far fewer. There is a misconception that Canadians do not own guns, but each family has an average of 7 guns per household.With less fear and violence, it is common for Canadians to keep their doors unlock, a theory tested and proved to be true by Moore. Once again tragedy struck in Flint, Michigan on February 29, 2000, when 6-year-old Dedrick Owens shot and killed his classmate, Kayla Rolland. Flint, Michigan has close to 87% of people living below the poverty line and many are enrolled in the ‘Welfare to Work’ program. The welfare program has many single parents riding a bus for over an hour one-way to a minimum wage job, often leaving children unattended, being the case with Dedrick Owens.Left unsupervised, Owens was able to access a gun and bring it to school. Many people wanted Owens tried as an adult, although he was only 6 years old. Eight months after the shooting, Heston and the NRA arrived in Flint, Michigan for the â€Å"Get Out and Vote† campaign. Heston was criticized for, once again, showing up to a town of a recent school shooting. When interviewed by Moore, Heston became very upset and stopped the interview when asked why he comes to towns to hold rallies after school shootings. Next, my thoughtful reaction to the documentary along with questions.While I found the documentary to be very interesting, I feel that it focused too much on being a smear campaign towards the NRA and showed very little on Columbine, yet the title was Bowling for Columbine. Instead of conveying the severity of the massac re, Moore downplayed the situation by calling Harris and Klebold ‘boys’. By doing this, Moore made it seem as though Harris and Klebold did not understand what they were doing as well as making them seem more innocent. In reality, Klebold and Harris â€Å"had begun thinking about a large massacre as early as April 1998 – a full year before the actual event† (Rosenberg 1).Throughout the documentary, Moore creates a lot of false impressions, many of them being with Charleston Heston. For instance, Moore splices many of Heston’s speeches to make it seem as though he is a villain. One particular quote, â€Å"From my cold dead hands† was taken from a speech done one year later in South Carolina, not at the rally held 10 days after in Denver, Colorado shown in Bowling for Columbine. Moore also makes Heston seem like a racist when in fact, Heston worked with Martin Luther King Jr. in protests and helped break Hollywood’s color barrier (hardyl aw. net).Along with false impressions, I was left wondering where Moore got his statistics and information seeing as he listed no sources. According to Moore, in 2002 there were 11,127 deaths by guns in the United States when it is actually closer to 8,000 (Hardy 1). While the documentary had many things I did not agree with, there were a few that I appreciated. The film opened my eyes to the violence that goes on each day throughout the World. Gun control is a major issue that needs to be addressed, especially the issue of determining how people can obtain weapons and ammunition.At the end of the film, Moore and two survivors from Columbine get Kmart to stop selling weapons and bullets. Personally, I think this was the most honest and sincere part of the entire documentary. In conclusion, there are many things that I learned after viewing Bowling For Columbine. What followed was a summary of the documentary along with my thoughtful reactions. When asked what he would say to Harris and Klebold if he had the chance, Marylin Manson replied, â€Å"Nothing! I would listen, that’s what nobody did†. Perhaps violence in schools, as well as life, could be reduced if people just took the time to listen.Works Cited Hardy, David T. Bowling for Columbine. David T. Hardy, Apr. 2003. Web. 12 Mar 2013. McArdle, Megan. Department of Awful Statistics: Are Mass Shootings Really On the Rise? The Daily Beast, 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. Rosenberg, Jennifer. Columbine Massacre. About, N. d. Web. 12 Mar. 2013

A Study of Human Speech and Language Term Paper

A Study of Human Speech and Language - Term Paper Example The development of language and speech starts as early as in infancy. Studies show that speech and language learning begin in the uterus with the infant’s recognition of its mother’s voice. Lieberman explains that anatomical changes and modifications in the human vocals for example the increase in length and the lower lying larynx compared to other animals is thought to play a crucial role in the development of human speech (2013). These improvements have been found to enable humans to produce a wide range of repertoire. However, changes in human genetic makeup have been shown to impact aspects related to neurologic system. Neurological aspects that control human motor control ability as well as those that lead to higher cognitive capabilities involved in speech development and language have been shown to be gene-determined. This research aims at investigating factors that influence development of speech and language in human beings to promote the conclusion that genes are responsible for human being’s speech and language development. The research questions are: The world is really being unlocked by advances in technology and is high end application in science. Voice, language, and speech are the tools used by humans to communicate with each other. Additionally, language is a significant and unique system that distinguishes humans from other animals and results to the development of race and heritage in normal child in terms of mother tongue inheritance (Dorothea, 2012). However, lack of sufficient technology and scientific knowledge has seen heated debates emerge over the development of science and language. Proponents have held strongly that human language depends on factors like adequate intelligence and environmental simulation (Mesoudi, Alan, McElligott, and David, 2011). Conversely, opponents held that human speech originated genetically. The result has been two perspectives of

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Research - Essay Example I am equally overwhelmed by the unflinching support of all my other professors, lecturers and administrative staff and the library staff at the _____________ University and thank them profusely. Their slightest disarrangement would have distracted my focus from the research. As early as 1960’s the object-oriented programming (OOP) emerged in the computer software arena, when â€Å"data abstraction, polymorphism and modularisation were being applied to the procedural paradigm† (Cardelli, 1996). By 1980’s, research predicted that what structured programming was in the 1970’s, object-oriented programming will be in the 1980’s (Booch, 1986). Object-oriented software development not only prevailed all through the 1980’s, but also through the next two decades. But in a globalised market, as the software market becomes more and more competitive with ever increasing pressure on shortening software development cycles and for improved software productivity, an important dilemma has engulfed the software developers across the world. Can the object-oriented programming stand the test of the time? The present section deals with the issues pertaining to using software methodologies and the implications for object-oriented sof tware projects. Booch (1986) defined object-oriented development as â€Å"a partial-lifecycle software development method in which decomposition of a system is based upon the concept of an object† (Booch, 1986, p.211). Booch in his paper â€Å"Object-Oriented Development† argued that the object-oriented technology is fundamentally different from the traditional functional approaches in respect of designing, serving and managing massive software-intensive systems as well (Booch, 1986). Nearly one and a half decade later, Montlick (1999) supports Booch’s argument and suggests that â€Å"object oriented software is all about objects† (Montlick, 1999). While defining an object as a

Shamanism in Korea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Shamanism in Korea - Essay Example The study of Shamanism gives an extremely interesting understanding of indigenous folk religions of Northeast Asia. Shamanism deals with a wide range of practices and beliefs through which their practitioners (shamans) communicate with the spiritual world. Ordinary individuals can only become shamans when they receive their calling. They tread supernatural dimensions and specialize in spiritual, mental and physical healing with the help of spirits (San-Hung A3). The present paper portrays an overview of shamanism in Korea. Korean shamanism is still an active practice and is deeply rooted in the people's ethnic consciousness (Stutley 23). It not only coexisted with other major religions such as Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, but also influenced them. The rituals performed by Korean shamans range from pig offerings for placating the gods, to walking barefoot on sharp knives to intimidate evil spirits (San-Hung A3). Shamanism in Korea has a rich history. It has affect ed the political, cultural and religious aspects of the country and survived years of suppression by foreign and local powers. This paper attempts to provide a brief overview of Korean shamanism, detailing its origins, concepts of god, rituals, songs, materialistic beliefs, and healing therapies. It also discusses the suppressions experienced by shamanism, and its post-modern revival. This would provide a good understanding of the Korean folk religion that is witnessing a growing interest from all quarters of the world. Korean Shamanism Overview Shamanism in Korea is known as sin'gyo, which means 'the religion of the gods'. It includes a sun and a bear cult apart from ancestor worship, suggesting a link between Korean shamanism and Siberian, Manchurian and Central Asian cultures. Prior to the advent of the Choson Dynasty, Korean shamans had a high social status and some were even rulers. For instance, the second ruler of the Sila Dynasty, Namhae, was a shaman. The high social standi ng and privileges enjoyed by shamans were lost since the arrival of other religions in South Korea. Yet, there were about 100,000 shamans in Korea in 1973. Until Korea was annexed by Japan in 1910, most shamans retained their functions at national sacrificial and royal rites. The Japanese destroyed most of the native religion by arresting shamans and raiding sacrificial ceremonies and offerings. Once Korea was liberated from Japan in 1945, shamans and their followers were persecuted by hostile Christians, who called them "devotees of the devil" (Stutley 23). Shamanism in Communist North Korea had to go underground due to its intolerance towards the folk religion. Shamanism in Korea is based on native ancient beliefs and traditions. Most shamans are women who found their calling after realizing they could serve as mediators between the spirit world and the human world, after surviving a critical sickness. According to their beliefs, spirits of ancestors, animals, trees and even non-l iving things exist in the air and interact with people, affecting their lives and fortunes (San-Hung A3). The Origin of Korean Shamanism The origin of Korean shamanism is not certain and is difficult to determine (Lee 135). This is because of the complexity of the religion as its practices diversified in different provinces, making it difficult to trace the source of its origin. Unsuccessful attempts were made during the end of the Yi Dynasty to unify the various practices of shamanism into one system (Lee I 135). While the term Mu was used to refer to shamans prior to the Yi Dynasty,

Influences Affecting Consumers - Evaluating Basic Marketing Techniques Essay

Influences Affecting Consumers - Evaluating Basic Marketing Techniques - Essay Example The marketers use the trade mark James bond theme so that the people can actually identify the ads from the theme music itself. Stimulus generalization refers to the ability of the individuals to generalize the stimuli. This is mainly used by the smaller brands that mainly deal with â€Å"me too† products. This helps the marketers of the smaller brands to create association with the major brands leading to brand recall and awareness (Brown, 2009). Co-branding is being used by the marketers increasingly now days to develop awareness and stimulate sales. At the most basic level the businesses used this approach to suggest enhancement of the present product lines and on a more complex and sophisticated level co-branding also used to create and position a launch a new product. One of the prime examples could be Adidas and Polar Electro. Both Adidas and Polar Electro created project fusion that integrates heart rate, distance and speed monitoring product into the sports apparel. Apple and Nike developed Sports kit which is a wireless system that allows shows to talk to an iPod. One of the most important changes in the world of marketing has been the proliferation of the brand extensions. Managers mainly use brand extension under the assumption that the brand association such as the quality, ability, status and reliability would affect the extension. One of the major advantages of brand extension is the reduction of new product launch. By launching a new product under the brand name of an established brand helps the marketers as the product due to the established brand name would already have high degree of association. One of the major examples of brand extension is of Bisleri. Originally Bisleri used to be delivered in one little bottle, but recently Bisleri has shown a wave of innovations through extensions. The example above shows how Bisleri was able to add new product by using the concept of product line variation and brand extension. In this

Increasing use of Medical Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Increasing use of Medical Marijuana - Essay Example So, the medicines developed from cannabis are also known as psychoactive drugs. So, these drugs are offered high attention by the young generations of this era as compared to many other medical drugs (Politics. Co.UK. n. d). Cannabis is recognized as marijuana. Cannabis or marijuana drugs are mainly used as a stimulant to increase the appetite of the body, improve the mood or relaxation of the entire body. So, it is also recognized as recreational drugs and excess intake of these drugs might cause negative impacts over the health of the body such as anxiety, reddening of the eyes, dry mouth, loss of memory and many others. Therefore, due to these sorts of side effects, it is illegal to carry or consuming a small amount of cannabis or medical marijuana in any of its form. But, in-spite of implementation of numerous rights and regulations of the government, the use of cannabis or medical marijuana is increasing at a rapid rate among the individual of all age groups and all income groups (Politics. Co.UK. n. d). Cannabis or medical marijuana is considered as one of the most illicit drug in the entire globe, but legalizing its use for medical purposes created a considerable challenge for all. Due to such legalization, the usage rate of medical marijuana increased mainly among the youth adults of age-groups, 12 to 20 years. However, the rate of consumption of medical marijuana is also extremely high in the nations comprising of numerous rules and laws against its consumption rather than those, without comprising any laws. Therefore, due to increased rate of consumption of medical marijuana, the rate of crimes, alcohol consumption, loss of memory and deaths increased to a significant extent as compared to previous era. According to a research, conducted by Moir & et. al. (2008), it might be clearly depicted that the smoke of cannabis or marijuana comprises of more than 15,00 harmful and toxic chemicals such as carbon monoxide, irritants, hydrogen cyanide,

The Role of the Schools of Jurisprudence in Preserving Islamic Law Essay

The Role of the Schools of Jurisprudence in Preserving Islamic Law - Essay Example This report stresses that the consensus of the Muslim community and the precedents and analogy applied by Muslim scholars significantly defines Sharia. The Islamic law follows the concept of ‘rule of law’ and is therefore published and known to all citizens and courts for purposes of implementation. Additionally, the legislation of a body of legal injunctions ensures the realization of the sharia objectives. Sharia has direct links with jurisprudence. Firstly, Islamic law not only governs all aspects of Muslim’s life but also influences criminal and civil justice. Indeed, the Sharia history relates to political and social developments that led to opportunities and challenges for the jurists. Moreover, different madhabs, or schools of thought, came to life after the emergence of Islamic law. This paper declares that the main purpose of the schools of jurisprudence was to rescue the Islamic law from absorption by the administrative legal system thus reestablishing the link between the law and religion. As such, the schools of Jurisprudence played a fundamental role in the preservation of Islamic Law. However, the practice of Muslim faith and the interpretation of the Islamic law has been growing and equally becoming challenging with time. Nevertheless, consistent studies and debates among legal scholars, religious, and political leaders maintain the life of Islam in the modern world. Notably, the schools of jurisprudence originated from different places with significant effects on decisions relating to Islamic law and Islamic faith. Specifically, the Islamic schools of jurisprudence include the Qur’an, personal interpretation, the Sunna of the Prophet, and the community’s consensus (Lewandowska, n.y). Ideally, the schools of Jurisprudence lay down the legal theory allowing a judge to establish the legality and morality of an act by a Muslim thus preserving Sharia. Indeed, the main aim of the Islamic schools of jurisprudence to define the normative Islamic conduct as established under the Islamic law and in relation to legal precedents and principles. This ensured that Sharia reigns. Moreover, the schools of jurisprudence initiated the ‘closing the gate of Islamic jurisprudence’, which denied future scholars to invent legal principles that guarantee equal freedom between the Qur’an and the Prophetic traditions and their predecessors (Lewandowska, n.y). This played a significant role in preserving the Sharia and the methodologies and traditions of ancient Islamic schools of jurisprudence. As a result, the schools of jurisprudence seemingly reinstated the Islamic law and social order to the foundations of Islamic religion. In fact, the Islamic schools of jurisprudence resisted the Western influences thus preserving the Muslim character and the character of Islam legal opinions. Furthermore, Prophet Mohammad was significant in encouraging Quran teachers in different parts of the Islamic territories to teach the Islam how to read and write the Quran. As a result, many people got to know about the

Letters of Credit Essay Example for Free

Letters of Credit Essay The use of the letter of credit in international trade has for a long time been an easy way of carrying out business operations without really having to use the credit of the applicant’s bank. Letters of credit usually take the place of a bank’s credit and enhances the speed of transactions when used properly.[1] Usually, the letter of credit serves to give an importer of goods as well as the exporter a chance to go a head with their business transactions even when there is no real liquid money available to either party. Letters of credit, however, present very many challenges to both the exporter and the issuing bank because they are usually documents that cannot be revoked under certain circumstances and so exposes some players to a lot of risk. A key concern has been the nature of the conditions that ought to be met before such documents can be honored by the exporter’s bank which usually has to rely on information from the importer’s bank.[2] It is on the basis of the intricate issues that surround the letter of credit and its use that this paper seeks to critically discuss it especially when used in the context of international trade. Of particular interest, though, is a discussion of the undue exposure to losses and other risks on the issuer of the letter of credit, particularly in instances when the applicant or beneficiary of the letter of credit does not duly perform one’s obligations or wrongfully obtains payment. The Working of a Letter of Credit From a business point of view, it is usually very important for an importer of goods and who holds an account with a local bank to seek for the financing of the bank for goods that are to be sourced from another country.[3] The reasons this is appropriate range from an ability to facilitate the business transactions and ensure a faster and timely transfer of the goods from the exporter’s location to that of the importer, and to reduce the costs that could be incurred in having to use other means of payment to pay for goods in another country – means of which are not always available. Therefore, from the business point of view, a letter of credit serves to enhance the general business transactions involving international trade. Where the challenge comes in is that point when it is never drawn or requested unless there is some form of credit that needs to be transferred. Actually, the letter of credit is used as an exchange of the credit of the bank and that of the buyer. Here, issues of compliance with the terms and conditions of the letter of credit poses many challenges and risks to the issuing bank as well as the advising bank which literally transfers the credit to the exporter’s account. This results because of the manner in which the transactions are conducted. First, an importer in the United Kingdom orders for coffee beans from a farmer in Brazil. The farmer insists that the coffee beans can only be exported or ferried on condition that the payment for them is paid within forty days from the time the transaction is entered into. The UK importer cannot get to Brazil to make the payments but there is a way that the exporter’s bank can communicate with the importer so that the credit can be transferred. However, the buyer does not want any undue risks so he does not offer cash to his bank but asks for a letter of credit to be drafted with the Brazilian coffee exporter as the beneficiary. The UK bank makes an arrangement with this importer and because he satisfies the conditions required, the bank drafts a letter of credits and transfers it to the beneficiary’s bank in Brazil. That advising bank then verifies the details of and terms of the letter of credit and duly pays the exporter. Once this is done, it is all to the exporter to ship the coffee beans to the UK. Only then can the advising bank (the exporter’s bank) be able to seek for the payment for the goods in accordance with the terms and conditions of the letter of credit. As can be clearly seen, there are so many processes involved and it all boils down to four main players who are bound to lose or benefit. There are the bank of the exporter, the bank of the importer, the exporter and the importer. Commercial Letter of Credit and Standby Letter of Credit It is always important to draw a distinction between two types of letters of credit commonly used in international trade and to ascertain the roles each plays towards enhancing payments for imports by a customer.[4] The commercial letter of credit is the most widely used and its use is restricted to the actual exchange of credit on behalf of the customer of a bank. It is the commercial letter of credit that will be needed by the advising bank or the exporter’s bank in order to effect payments. However, owing to the risks to the issuing bank regarding defaulting on the part of the importer who is also its customer, the issuing bank usually drafts and issues another letter of credit for the purposes of proving the credit worthiness of the importer. This particular letter of credit, therefore, serves the function of guaranteeing the advising bank and the exporter that the importer will actually pay for the goods. This reduces the risks inherent in international trade.[5] Based on this fact, it can be fairly argued that an issuer of the commercial letter of credit will be protected significantly in the event of failure by the beneficiary to adhere to the terms and conditions of the letter of credit. To a significant level, having the standby letter of credit protects the issuer because it cannot be allowed to pursue the property of the importer and recover the money; or it can fail to pass the money to the advising bank. In accordance to the UCP provisions, the banks are protected only mildly when it comes to failure by trader to honor their part of the contract regarding payments to be submitted. For instance, the UCP never really form part of the official international trade rules and are only applicable when the parties to the trade deal believe it is right for them. The absence of a clear law, therefore, that emphatically seeks to help issuers of letters of credit means that they are exposed to many risks. The law in this country regarding international trade in general and letters of credit in particular tend to offer protection to consumers more than the issuer of the letters of credit. It is almost always believed that banks have the right and the capacity to set up their own terms and conditions which they believe are sufficient enough to protect them from any acts of fraud by traders; and as such not a lot of protection is offered them under the law. International trade law will also protect the local bank and not the foreign bank, meaning that in the event the local bank, which is the issuer of the letter of credit, has already passed on the money to the advising bank, then there is little that can be done to recover the money especially in cases where the trader fails to honor the obligations to pay the bank due to bankruptcy or any other reason. This is because the law on bankruptcy protects the importer from the actions of banks that can lead to further legal battles. If such an importer files for bankruptcy during the period when the goods are yet to be delivered to him, then there is nothing the bank can do to recover its money.[6] A person declared bankrupt is protected from his debtors until at such a time when the bankruptcy can be lifted. This clearly renders the issuer of the letter of credit to such a trader incapable of recovering its owed monies. [1] Campbell, Dennis. REMEDIES FOR INTERNATIONAL SELLERS OF GOODS [2008] Volume II. Lulu.com, 2008 [2] Edwards, George. Foreign Commercial Credits; A Study in the Financing of Foreign Trade. General Books LLC, 2009 [3] Great Britain. Law Commission. Company security interests: a consultative report. Routledge, 2005 [4] Credit research Foundation. â€Å"Understanding and Using Letters of Credit, Part I† (1999). Retrieved 08/16/2010 from: http://www.crfonline.org/orc/cro/cro-9-1.html [5] Warner, Susan. The Letter of Credit. Kessinger Publishing, 2007 [6] LLL. â€Å"U.C.C. ARTICLE 5 LETTERS OF CREDIT .† (2005). http://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/5/article5.htm

Brief Introduction Of Intercultural Business Communication Commerce Essay

Brief Introduction Of Intercultural Business Communication Commerce Essay At present, the world is illustrated as a place where people belonging to different cultural backgrounds interact with each other to have effective communication do that they can exchange their ideas, thoughts and feelings (Bhardawaj, 2010). The communication between individuals can occur in various areas such as science, education, entertainment, tourism, immigration, mass media and business. In order to have constructive communication, it is mandatory that all forms of misunderstandings and breakdowns are completely removed from the system. It has been stated by Martin and Nakayama (2007) that the latest trend in the business world is of globalisation and many companies are expanding their operations outside their regional boundaries to enhance their presence in different international markets. According to Lewis (2008), the swift increase in the globalisation of businesses has mandated the corporations to develop an understanding about the intercultural business communication methods, techniques and theories so that the organisations can overcome the prospective hurdles in their international businesses. All the experts who are working in the field of multicultural environment require guidance on developing a work environment that is conducive for their entire workforce; the researchers belonging to the fields of cultural anthropology, sociology, psychology and applied linguistics have studied various factors to demonstrate the importance of various cultures knowledge and their implications on conducting effective intercultural business communication (Bowie, 2008; Chaney Martin, 2011; Zang Zhou, 2008). When the businesses have adequate understanding about the cultures and differing aspects of various countries, there is a high probability that there are positive interactions among people and cordial and effective business relationships are developed (Jameson, 2007; Lewis, 2005). The main concern for every organisation operating in international regions is to develop an understanding about the culture, values, norms and attitudes of each area of operation so that there are less chances of the misinterpretation of communication. In order to provide guidance to the organisations that are engaged in the globalisation processes, the researchers have studied the cultural contexts of distinct nations and have provided in-depth insights about the intercultural business communication (Espinar, 2010), working cultures (Forey Lockwood, 2010), work behaviours (Bowey Thill, 2010), work etiquettes (Okoro, 2012), language barriers and subcultures present in the organisation (Zang Zhou, 2008). Intercultural Business Communication in the light of various researches According to Reynolds and Valentine (2011), intercultural communication takes place when people belonging to diverse ethnical backgrounds share and discuss their ideas and tasks in a language that is different from their native language. As the globalisation of businesses has been increasing, the productive intercultural business communication is vital for appropriate performance of the organisation. A successful and effective intercultural communication is one that is simple, frequent and effective along with demonstrating respect to the cultural viewpoints of everyone working within the business premises (Crate Fox, 2008). Since intercultural business communication is an important area of study, many researchers have studied the concept from varying angles have classified them into three main approaches i.e. positivist approach, humanistic approach and systemic approach. The first person who coined the term intercultural business communication was Edward Hall who emphasized the importance of this concept in his work The Silent Language in 1959. Halls high-low context of culture and Hofstedes national culture were the major contributors in the field of intercultural communication. Halls theory (1959) helped many researchers to study context of the culture in determining the contrasting communication patterns among the individuals from low and high context cultures. On the other hand, Hoftstede (1980) limited his studies on the national culture that created difficulty in comparison among various cultural methods and styles of communication. Samovar, Porter and McDaniel (2011) stated that the cultural studies further investigated the communication and cultural systems in distinctive nations, countries and cultures; while, in the negotiation studies, intercultural thinking was incorporated by Ting-Tommey (1988) who stressed the importance of understanding negotiation skills in the international business contexts. In the intercultural business communication, other factors such as non-verbal behaviour, emotional factors and gestures (facial expressions) were added to understand their role in the communication exchange proficiency within the organisation. Some researchers are of the opinion that although Hofstede primarily studied the cultural differences associated with the nationality element but for various practical reasons, culture has strong association with a country of origin and it should be incorporated in understanding the business problems, issues and strategies (Beebe, Beebe Redmond, 2011). According to Asante and Gudykunst (1989), cited by Reynolds and Valentine (2011), the individual variable should not be overlooked because a lot of times people react or communicate in a particular way on the basis of their own perceptions and beliefs which can be totally different from the culture to which a person is related. As the cultures are heterogeneous, other components besides the national factor need to be considered to understand the individuals perception about business communication. Hence, it is vital for the businesses to understand the individual nature of each act of communication to avoid any kind of misinterpretation or confusion that can impact the business operations. Validity and reliability of the article After careful analysis and evaluation of the article, it can be concluded that it has highlighted all important elements that are vital for the development and implementation of an effective intercultural business communication. In order to avoid problems in the communication processes, there is a drastic shift in doing extensive research about the culture and other attributes of each nation to gather sufficient information about that respective country. With an in-depth understanding about the business culture and communication processes along with individual behaviours towards different modes of communication, an organisation can take proactive steps of countering them within its potential international destination. Recently, all the organisations have mandated the need of training their staff to work in the business environment so that they can incorporate the cultural values and intercultural communication process that will help them in achieving their desired targets in the global businesses. It has been rightly stated by the author of the article that both verbal (language) and non-verbal (gestures, facial expressions, acts of socializing) communication are important for understanding the intercultural business communication in an organisation. Hence, globalisation has made it vital for every Multi-national Corporation to modify its operations in international destinations in accordance with the culture and business etiquettes of the respective nation. Task # 2 Business Etiquette and its importance in international business communication International Business Communication and Business Etiquettes In todays world, every organisation is expanding its business operations globally and this expanding scope of the corporations in the current decade is drawing attention of the researchers to study the importance of business etiquettes in international businesses (Bowee Thill, 2010). With the advent of global economy i.e. globalisation, consumers are more aware of the environment, an organisations business operations have to deal with new rules and standards for effective production processes and even expansion in the interdependency of achieving economies of scale on international level (Chaney Martin, 2011). Almost all of the Multi-national corporations are exploiting the opportunities available for them globally and are demonstrating their sensitivity to the cultural differences so that they can successfully prosper as an international enterprise. The studies of some researchers have shown that some organisations have been successful in their international operations (Forey Lockwood, 2010; Okoro, 2012), while, others had to face survival problems either because of cultural imperialism or improper acculturation of their expert managers on the international level. According to Espinar (2010), the success of global business is heavily dependent on their ability of developing adequate understanding about the cross-cultural etiquettes and diversity management among global workforce. On the other hand, Samovar, Porter and McDaniel (2010) emphasized that training is mandatory for the global managers so that they are equipped with the interpersonal communication skills, relationship building skills along with group communication competencies. The managers must have excellent negotiation skills of cross-culture level so that they can maintain their global competitiveness. In order to achieve the business goals successfully in global businesses, the cross-cultural business etiquettes are important for effective international business communication (Hooker, 2008). Implications of Business Etiquettes in International Business Communication In order to manage the global businesses effectively, it has become mandatory for the international corporations to understand the business etiquettes of each nation as there is a huge variation in the working behaviour. The business etiquettes are developed on the basis of culture that is prevalent among the individuals and society as a whole; the researchers are studying culture of other countries to develop an understanding about their role in international business communication. For instance, during a business conversation, in U.S. making an eye contact is considered to be a business etiquette; while, in Japan, eye contact is considered as a misbehaviour (Okoro, 2012). According to Deresky (2010), the managers working in global corporations have to acquire effective skills for strategic negotiations and intercultural exchange so that the targeted goals can be achieved and a positive impression is created on the people. The studies have shown that both decision-making and negotiation processes have to be culture-specific and they should ensure that an extensive detailed analysis of understanding, reciprocity and sensitivity is conducted so that all complications in the business operations are addressed beforehand (Bharadwaj, 2010; Forey Lockwood, 2010; Jameson, 2007). As the workforce in global organisations is diverse, the managers have to learn the complexities that are associated with the cultural values and norms (Lewis, 2008). The researchers of intercultural business communication field have emphasized the importance of understanding the importance of business etiquettes in global workplaces to sustain the competitive edge in the market. It is vital for every organisation to understand that they will have to tolerate some behaviour that is unaccepted by them because these behaviours are an integral part of the business environment of that country. According to Martin and Nakayama (2007), in high-context cultures like Japan meaning is interpreted by way of non-verbal communication such as body language, rephrasing of the words, pauses and meetings; while, in U.S. which is also a high-context culture, meaning is conveyed by means of verbal communication such as spoken words. When mixed messages are communicated to the people, it can create feeling of discomfort and international managers will have to struggle in reconciling the inconsistencies; such situations can be avoided by following the right business etiquettes applicable within that country. For example, in China and some parts of Africa, having a direct eye contact while talking is considered rude and inappropriate; on the other hand, in US, making direct eye contact is mandatory and it is interpreted as demonstration of reliability, honesty and trustworthiness. In India, this act is viewed as disrespect and hostility especially when people communicate with elders (Chaney Martin, 2011). The business etiquette in Great Britain has its basis on the strong sense of nationalism and identity. The businessmen tend to be very detail oriented and have high importance for their traditions and customs; they are reserved and expect everyone to act in this way. However, U.S. businessmen tend to be frank and believe in developing friendly and cordial relations with everyone working in their organisation (Espinar, 2010). For British business people, professionalism and adherence to the ethical code of business practice are important factors of their business etiquettes; while, US business people prefer to have casual relationship within the business premises. The business etiquettes in Germany have their foundation on the formal culture of the country and ensure that the behavioural expectations are provided with great details so that the participants have understanding about the way of doing things. The German businessmen respect hierarchical differences and believe in authoritative style of business; they have high preference for hierarchical organisational structure and want to avoid any kind of uncertainty. The communication within the organisation is formal and increased focus is on achievements on personal level, directness and truth (Okoro, 2012). Conclusion As the business organizations are expanding globally, it has become vital for them to maintain their global competitiveness by managing the differences in the culture, developing effective intercultural business communication mediums and training the managers to equip themselves with cross-cultural decision-making and negotiation skills. The success or failure of an organization in managing such a diverse workforce that has people from various cultural backgrounds is largely depended on the managers ability of communicating effectively with everyone within the organization. Although the international businesses have been growing because of rise in globalization and they are largely driven by the advancements in the field of technology and opportunities in economic interdependencies but the success of these businesses is largely impacted by the intellectual skills of the managers to understand the business etiquettes, values and customs that are required for conducting the business among nations. With good understanding about the cultures and business etiquettes, global companies will be able to implement proper international business communication processes which will help them in sustaining their position in the global market.

Leadership And Change Management At Tesco

Leadership And Change Management At Tesco Leaders are born, not made. Discuss the statement with reference to leadership framework currently I use in organisations. Leader is a person who persuades a group of people towards the achievement of a goal. So, leader bas upon 3ps like person, people and purpose. They are more intelligent energetic people who are initiative, energetic people who are initiative, ambitious and willing to take responsibility. They may not always make the right decision, but they are confident in the decisions that they make. A leader is one who goes first and leads by example, so other bodies motivated to follow him. As a leader, a person must have an inherent commitment to the goal that he will struggle to achieve it even if nobody follows him! Leaders are Born Not Made. Are leaders are born not made? It is an age-old question that has been on the minds of many throughout history. The rationale behind this executive summary is to prove that the statement leaders are born, not made but only to a certain extent. I want to discuss this statement with references either leaders are made or born. According to lockhart Ecerett leaders are those who have abilities to guides or inspires to other, they always make right decision and they know at what time and what place they take decision. Leaders recognized not chosen so we can say leaders have hidden qualities those other dont have. They have intangible characteristic which we cant explain, but we can see it when we recognize it. http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/3914 Great Leaders are Made, Not Born Some time more educated and motivated persons dont know how to lead others. So they dont do very well in them and they dont assume leadership positions. So they and other person assume that they were not born leader by birth. Any country, any organization even a family need a good leader then families can become dysfunctional. But research shows that leaders depends less on some innate trait you are born with, and much more on exact principles that anyone can follow. Here i would like to add an example of a greatest military leader General Hoyt S. Vandenberg. He becomes the U.S. Air Forces second Chief of Staff. He says that he was dismissed from the Academy for lack of leadership ability at the end of his first year. He took note and applied himself and follow the leadership roles and he become very successful leader and he continued to develop himself afterwards. Now question is that what are the principles you must follow to become successful leader. These are eight laws of leadership which are looking very easy but you see, they are not always so easy to follow. Maintain absolute integrity. Know your stuff. Declare your expectations. Show uncommon commitment. Expect positive results. Take care of your people or customers. Put duty before self. Get out in front. Leadership Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen (Michael D. Noonan).1. In simple words we can say leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to achieve a common goal. Contrary to the myth that only a lucky few can ever decipher the mystery of leadership, our research has shown us that leadership is an observable, learnable set of practices. its a process ordinary people use when theyre bringing forth the best from themselves and others. Liberate the leader in understandable and universal process. James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner.2 Background of Tesco I would like to discuss leadership framework by giving the reference of well known Tesco Company. Tesco is the biggest retailer with over 2,200 stores. That is worlds third biggest grocery retailer and diversified into banking, insurance and other areas. About 280,000 employees are working in UK and over460, 000 all over the world. The main key of success of continuous growth of Tesco is better knowledge, skills and job satisfaction of employees. The mission statement is to creating value for customers to earn their lifetime trustworthiness and the vision of the company is to focus on customers and the companys people. Objectives of the company are (1) growth in sales, returns and profits, (2) by providing quality products and services we can satisfy the customer and gain their loyalty, and (3) satisfy its shareholders/stakeholders (Tesco Annual Report, 2009; Tesco Annual Report, 2008). Current Models and theories of leadership applicable in Tesco Leadership Trait Theory The words of John Adair who is the most influential leadership gurus, leader needs to exhibit certain attributes, characteristics and qualities in order to effectively perform their duties. These are: Group Influence-To achieve desired goal or objectives a leader must generate willingness in Tesco. Command- Tesco leader have command upon quick decision as on demand. Coolness- leader composed under testing or trying conditions. Judgment- good judgment. Trait theories are regarding to personality and physical traits characteristics. The trait approach is considered too simplistic as a justification of the complex leadership phenomenon. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1iJVHdns2l3nIN7YSWBu-Jfnj2UlXVM7VQ2OQI1cR_bmv5xsHnPEH_KDBKKEP5a5ehPM9qaUIXx-ClhuV1E5Y3rPL5a1u1VBeWC_V_TjauiEc5a6fNh8P2sq__rpWQ6KwMd5AeJ0cSGl/ Transformational Leadership Theory (Tesco) Tesco is measured as the most successful retail company in the United Kingdom. The achievement of Tesco was herald by the appointment of Terry Leahy as the Chief Executive Officer. His aim for the company to become more customer-focused and to develop the companys workforce. According to his point of view, there are four things that a leader must provide to his workers. A job that is interesting to do A chance to get on in life To be treated with respect A boss who is some help and not their biggest problem Leadership Model: Bases of Power One of the most popular models of leadership is bases of power. In 1959 French and Raven introduced the five bases of power model. Terry Leahys is the CEO of Tesco. He is most famous leader among their followers and he have three powers like legitimate power, expert power and referent power among five power like coercive power, reward power, expert power, legitimate power and referent power. Leahy achieved legitimate power when he becomes CEO of Tesco. By this power he was in able to lead the company people, as well as he have expert power like scientific knowledge, skills, quick decision maker, and good communication and so on. Referent power is leader charisma and it is based on leaders respect and attraction upon his followers. Leahy is very famous leader among his team. Leadership Mode: Action-Cantered Leadership Most famous guru of leadership is John Adair he is the worlds first Professor of leadership Studies at the University of surrey and he work hard for the development of leadership. He is well known for the Action Centred Leadership (ACL) model of leadership. Action Centred Leadership model have three main points mention below. Task achievement Team maintaining and building Individual development Action-Centred leadership is not suitable for the modern organizations because it is based on hierarchical structure of the organization that is suitable for those organizations that are highly authoritarian. Current and Future Requirements of Tesco Current Requirements of Tesco Human resource are playing important role in development of an organization in today highly competitive business environment. Companys people are worth and they have completive edge. Now a day for employee motivation people are conceder business partner in this since they work hard, more participative, they feel more powerful and they feel more satisfaction in organization. Employee empowerment helpful in quick decision, trust, faster changes and improve better communication horizontally and vertically. Development of participative management skills in leaders is the most important requirement of Tesco and they should possess the necessary skills in order for them to practice participative leadership appropriately. Leaders must hold on communication, flexibility, synergy, cooperation, arbitration, conflict declaration, interest and concern. Future requirements of Tesco Leader must be a director, he must earn the trust of his followers, and he must be kind hope and optimism and must be result driven. Leader should not focus on present circumstances but also long term planning, long term mission and vision in his mind, and shear their vision with their followers, they should get their trust and loyalty because up till your follower are not satisfied and not loyal with you and you organization you cant survive and you cant achieve long-term goals of an organization. Development of leadership For the leadership development provide learning opportunities to employees and must recognise that is primary place to learn more over outside the organization they should also provide facilities to shear their knowledge and learn more and more. The company should hair educated and experience employees, and give facility to learn and understand those countries where Tesco is operating. The organization must ha a Business Leadership Development institute within the organization under HRM department to trained employees. Business Leadership Development should use systematic ways do development of leaders and they should provides career opportunities. Either training is necessary for business development? It is necessary for growth of Tesco to select right people, in the right place at the right time, and trained them according to the demand of time. What are the requirements for workforce planning? New setup required new staff with perfect knowledge about customer profiles. Different type of skilled employee required in-store and non-stores based posts. Wide-ranging skilled employee performs better then less skilled employees. Tesco have good check and balance upon the efficiency of employees to look forward to possible skills shortages. Tesco provide opportunity of training to their employee and employee can apply for training on annual basses. The leadership framework of Tesco focus on three key themes; focus on customer, work with others and personal behaviour. These three themes are very helpful to assessment of framework and also helpful to identify employees with the probable to be the, best leaders of the future. Employee feel gaps between their efficiency to fulfil this gaps employees and line managers have training opportunity. So, several benefits for employees when they get training like, Their sense of ownership increases in the business. They can perform better job than before and they can easily understand customers problem and able to solve them. By getting new skills and training they are more effective in their role. Tesco provide training by two flexible ways on-the-job training and off-the-job training. On-the-job training is very suitable for employees because it is relevant and they understand easily and they feel part of the team. As well as this way is also suitable for company because it is cheaper and easy to manage. These methods are use. By shadow training. Through coaching of trainees problems in job. Monitoring through experienced person. By giving full responsibility for a job on a temporary basis. Off-the-job is also suitable way for training in specific new skills like presentation skills etc. Qualities required of people in leadership position Many debates upon either leader are mad or born. But I think true leader is that how ignore such arguments and always in a try to improve his qualities which are very important to become a successful leader. A good leader should be an ability to make and select easier way for people who want to follow him. Leader should have at least five leadership qualities. These qualities are leader should be Honesty Forward -looking Competent Inspiring Intelligent These all qualities should be in a leader, that is not an easy task but with practice you can become more inspiring, honest and competent. As you are honest with your follower you can make a good team, as you are forward-looking you can take quick and good decisions, as you are more competent so you have edge upon your competitor, as you are inspiring you will upon your followers and as you are more intelligent so you will do every work efficiently. One Quality of leadership is Honesty Everybody wants his leader should be very honest, some time they start their career because they think their leader is honest because of the authority of their position. Some time leaders miss an opportunity to show honesty is in conduct mistake Mostly leaders try new things and change the idea which are not working and sometime leader avoid failure and they dont want to admit when something is wrong. Leadership as a Forward-looking Forward-looking is bass on where you are now and where you want to go. Up till you dont communicate actively with people where you want to go nobody will listen you. If you dont prove that you are forward-looking against people, so you should suffer following problems. You dont have a forward-looking vision. You cant share vision with others what you have. So when you dont have vision for future obviously you sped lot of time today because you dont have idea of tomorrow and up till you cant think about future you cant become a good planer and strategist. Conclusion According to my point of view people can learn to become leaders by intent on improving particular leadership skills, which they are by birth leadership abilities then others. No dugout some abilities are GOD gifted just like a good singer have a good voice by birth, when he make practice, so he more and more polish his voice and he become perfect singer. So we can say practice makes perfect. If we follow the law of leadership and practice on it we become a successful leader.

Malawi and Tobacco Essay -- Trade Tobacco Malawi Essays

Malawi and Tobacco What strategies can Malawi use to overcome problems relating to a change in demand of its main export, tobacco. QUESTION- what strategies can Malawi use to overcome problems relating to a change in demand of its main export, tobacco? Malawi, a LEDC, located in Southern Africa, has a population of 10 million. Tobacco is its main export and this provides the majority of the countries export revenues. It has become dependant on exporting tobacco to firms based in MEDC's such as the United States. Demand for cigarettes has recently decreased because of health and ethical reasons. Cigarettes, has reached the end on its product lifecycle. However South East Asia remains a growing market, because of the effects of globalisation and dumping. The decrease in demand is a major problem for Malawi, a country that is not market orientated or market aware. Decline in demand for cigarettes will obviously have a direct effect on demand for tobacco because they are complimentary products. With decreased demand for its crops of tobacco, Malawi will find itself in a very dangerous situation that will not only threaten its economic position but the very lives of its population. Another concern that Malawi must take into account is the state of the tobacco industry. At present the market could be described as an oligopoly (see appendix) where suppliers compete on price. The outcome of this is that the firms involved have a high market share and therefore have much power to control supply and demand. They have the power to control prices of tobacco and they can exploit countries like Malawi. The national economy is dictated by exports of tobacco. The decreased revenue, due to loss of demand, will an... ...E UK (BRANDS): Two firms, Gallaher and Imperial Tobacco, who between them, control around 80% of the market, dominate the cigarette and tobacco market in the United Kingdom. One other major firm, British American Tobacco (BAT), manufactures cigarettes in the UK but sells almost all of them abroad. In 1999 BAT merged with Rothmans International thereby increasing its share of the world tobacco market to 15.4%, just behind the world leader Philip Morris which controls 17% of the global market. BIBLIOGRAPHY http://www.ash.org.uk http://www.tobacco.org http://www.mcspotlight.org http://www.cdc.gov http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Country_Specific/Malawi.html http://allafrica.com www.google.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk www.altavista.com www.theguardian.co.uk Nuffield Business and economics- Students Book

Henrik Ibsen :: essays research papers

	Henrik Ibsen was born in the Stockman Building in Skien, Norway. He spent part of his childhood on Venstøp Farm after his father went bankrupt. In 1843, he was apprenticed to a chemist in Grimstad. That was when he began writing satire and elegant poems in the style of the time. He wrote his first play in 1849, a five-act tragedy in verse, Catiline, which was published in 1850 under the pseudonym Brynjolf Bjarme. The Warrior's Barrow was written and performed in 1850, as the first of Ibsen's plays to reach the stage. However, it was not published until much later. Ibsen lived in Christiania (now Oslo) from 1850 to 1851 to complete his upper secondary education. From 1851 to 1857, Ibsen was playwright in residence and director of the theatre in Bergen. 	While there, he wrote St. John’s Night (written in 1852), Lady Inger of Osteraad (written in 1854, published in 1857), The Feast at Solhaug (written in 1855, published in 1856), and Olaf Liljekrans (written in 1856). All these plays were inspired by folk songs, folklore or history, all of which are leitmotifs that run through Ibsen’s works. Ibsen became creative director of The Norwegian Theater in Christiania in 1858. The next year, he wrote the historical play The Vikings at Helgeland. The Pretenders was written in 1863. Beside Bjornstjerne Bjornson’s Sigurd Slembe, The Pretenders is considered the main work of historical fiction produced during this era. Henrik Ibsen married Suzannah Thoresen (1836-1914) in 1858. Soon after, he wrote the poem "On the Heights"(1859) and the play Love’s Comedy (1863). The years in Christiania were difficult for Ibsen. He was given a means of escape when a group of his friends, headed by Bjornstjerne Bjor nson, collected enoughmoney for him to move to Italy in 1864. Shortly after moving, Ibsen began a major drama about Julian, but he did not complete the work until 1873, when it was published as Emperor and Galilean. The Epic Brand, a major epic-lyric poem, led to the lyric drama Brand (1866), Ibsen’s first real success as a writer. His next major work followed close on the heels of this success when he penned Peer Gynt in 1867. 	Ibsen moved to Dresden in 1868, then to Munich in 1875. In 1869, he wrote the comedy The League of Youth. The realistic style used to stage the drama Pillars of Society (1877) focused on various problems of the day.

Potato

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family (also known as the nightshades). The word may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species. Potatoes were introduced outside the Andes region four centuries ago, and have become an integral part of much of the world's cuisine. It is the world's fourth-largest food crop, following rice, wheat and maize. 1] Long-term storage of potatoes requires specialised care in cold warehouses. [2] Wild potato species occur throughout the Americas, from the United States to southern Chile. [3] The potato was originally believed to have been domesticated independently in multiple locations,[4] but later genetic testing of the wide variety of cultivars and wild species proved a single origin for potatoes in the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia (from a species in the So lanum brevicaule complex), where they were domesticated 7,000–10,000 years ago. 5][6][7] Following centuries of selective breeding, there are now over a thousand different types of potatoes. [6] Of these subspecies, a variety that at one point grew in the Chiloe Archipelago (the potato's south-central Chilean sub-center of origin) left its germplasm on over 99% of the cultivated potatoes worldwide. [8][9] The annual diet of an average global citizen in the first decade of the 21st century included about 33 kg (73 lb) of potato. 1] However, the local importance of potato is extremely variable and rapidly changing. It remains an essential crop in Europe (especially eastern and central Europe), where per capita production is still the highest in the world, but the most rapid expansion over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia. China is now the world's largest potato-producing country, and nearly a third of the world's potatoes are harvested in China and India. [10]

Chronic Disease Risk Assessment Essay

When I did the assessment for chronic diseases I chose to do one for Diabetes because I am considered obese with a BMI of 39. 9 so with this certain risk factor of obesity I run the risk of developing diabetes, the assessment states â€Å"Compared to a typical woman my age, my risk of developing diabetes is above average† that is very scary because I know that diabetes can be dangerous and cause many other health problems, also it runs in my family, my father developed diabetes because of his weight, and now he does not have any working kidneys and has to do dialysis 4 days a week and requires a transplant, so my chances are high up there. There are a number of different types of diabetes, you have; Type 2, Type 1, Gestational diabetes, Pre-diabetes, lada, mody, Diabetes Insipidus, out of all these types there are some types of diabetes more prevalent than others, the most common type is Type Two, and this type can causes damage to both large and small arteries. This artery damage can result in medical problems, both common and serious; Heart attack, stroke, amputations, kidney failure, and blindness. Type Two can also cause damage to your nerves, you have a percentage of 60% to 70% of diabetics that develop diabetic nerve damage, with that you can result in the following health problems; Peripheral neuropathy, stomach and bowel problems, dizziness when standing, sexual-function problems, and localized nerve failures. With all of these health problems and potential complications you can significantly shorten the life of a person with type 2 diabetes. They all have the ability to diminish the quality of life. You can avoid these problems and even prevent them through diet and exercise, use of medication, and careful control of your blood sugar levels. With diabetes the best way of avoiding the risk of developing it is to avoid it altogether, you can make sure you talk with your doctor about your risk of getting diabetes and how to avoid it, start screening for early detection, these screening test will help to find diabetes when it is most likely to be treatable. With the screening test it will uncover the pre-diabetic state before your blood sugar rises. If you are considered over weight you should talk with your doctor about doing a screening test so that you catch it on time and are able to take care of it before it may cause any major problems. You can change your life style by getting more exercise and keeping more hysically fit, change your diet by replacing any unhealthy foods with more organic and nutritional foods, with the right amount of proper food and exercise you can take your own personal stand against diabetes, if you take the necessary steps to lose the weight you will lower your chances of developing diabetes, and extend your life expectancy, and you will not have to worry about developing any other health problems that diabetes may cause, diabetes is like a domino effect, once you have diabetes you can develop other health problems and all of them will have a negative effect on your life, making sure you lead a positive, an d healthy life style will lower your chances of developing diabetes or any other chronic disease that may reduce your longevity of life.

Computer Engineering personal statement Essay

My interest in computers came at a fairly age when I got my first computer. At that time, only few people knew how to use it and no one had time to teach me, so I had to learn by my own. When I was sixteen, I got into building my own p.c’s because of how overpriced everything was. Up to now I still build and repair several computers of friends, relatives and myself. Computers have been always been my hobby for me but now I want to turn this into a professional and rewarding career. I believe that I have the personal skills and motivation to be successful in computer engineering. Also I know that engineering is a discipline that will make a tangible difference in the world and I’m certain I will enjoy the opportunity to fully reach this potential. I hope to be able to develop new technologies and solutions which would benefit both the people and the planet. At college where I studied my O’Level ZGCE I achieved very good grades in all my subjects, which provided a real boost to my confidence levels. I also excelled at sport related activities in the field. I was a member of a football and cricket teams. I found sport to be perfect way to stay fit and keep healthy. My goal is to attain a career where I can express my talent and passion for computers as well as open my mind in ways that I could never do in any field. I am excited about starting the training for career which I have chosen at your institution. I hope my enthusiasm and dedication will be an asset to this profession. I have found that your institution has just the programs I’m looking for and just what I need to be successful at my goals.

Credit Agricole and BP

PARIS (AFP) – French bank Credit Agricole, one of the biggest European banks by capitalisation, reported a doubling of net profit to 1. 0 billion euros ($1. 42 billion) in the first quarter, on Friday. The price of shares in the bank showed a gain of 1. 40 percent to 11. 23 euros in a market up 0. 57 percent overall. The outcome, marking an increase of 112 percent from the result 12 months ago, was in line with average estimates of analysts as polled by Dow Jones Newswires. At CM-CIC Securities, analyst Pierre Chedeville commented: â€Å"The group is showing its main characteristics again: operating efficiency and an excellent control of charges, very cautious policy for provisioning, and financing and investment activities steady. † Bank chief executive Jean-Paul Chifflet said that Credit Agricole's direct exposure to Greek debt was 631 million euros at the end of March. Credit Agricole is one of the few foreign banks to control a Greek bank, in the form of Emporiki bank. Company History: France's â€Å"green bank† was nicknamed for its roots in agriculture. Credit Agricole, composed of the Caisse Nationale de Credit Agricole and 90 regional banks, which together own 90% of the Caisse Nationale, is a unique cooperative organization and one of the most important banking groups in France. In the mid-1800s, it became clear that there was a need for agricultural credit in France, especially after a crop failure in 1856, which left rural areas in dire straits. One of the main causes of low production was a lack of sufficient credit for farmers, who often could not meet banks' normal credit requirements. In 1861, the government attempted to remedy this problem, asking Credit Foncier to establish a department expressly for agriculture. But the newly formed Societe de Credit Agricole accomplished little. By 1866, though some steps towards improvement had been suggested, the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War prevented their implementation. The society folded in 1876. Later, several financial cooperatives sprang up independently among farmers, operating in rural towns on a system of mutual credit. In 1885, the first society for agricultural credit was founded at Salins-les-Bains in the Jura; the maximum amount of credit a farmer could get was FFr500, the price of a yoke of oxen. By the end of the century, when talk of modernizing France's agricultural economy became more urgent, it was decided that this system of localized credit was more suitable for the rural population than credit emanating from a big central bank. In 1894, the Chamber of Deputies proposed a law to organize personal or short-term rural credit, based on the methods of the small credit societies already in existence. The law formalized the requirements for the societies' formation, made them exempt from taxes, and gave them a monopoly on state-subsidized loans to farmers. In 1897, the Bank of France made funds available to the banks through the minister of agriculture, and in 1899, a law was passed to create regional banks to act as intermediaries between the local societies and the minister of agriculture. The local cooperatives were self-governing societies with limited liability. Their members were mostly individual farmers. Each local cooperative was affiliated with a regional bank, where it transferred all deposits and obtained funds for loans. The local banks elected a committee to control the regional banks, which were mainly responsible for medium- and long-term loans. Thus, the hierarchy of Credit Agricole was established. One of the reasons Credit Agricole was so successful was its reliance on individual farmers. In the mid-1800s most of France's agricultural produce came from small farms rather than large estates, and the French government wanted to preserve the small family farm for several social and economic reasons. For instance, it was widely believed that small farmers cultivated the soil most intensively and so made better use of it. It was also thought to be better to have many small family farms than to create a â€Å"proletariat† to work on large farms. Nevertheless, France's agricultural methods were in need of modernization, and Credit Agricole helped small farmers buy new equipment and supplies to improve production. In 1910, a law established long-term personal credit for the purchase of land to encourage young men to farm. Only small holdings could acquire these loans, which could not exceed $1,600, and only young farmers were eligible; their characters were the basis for their credit. When World War I broke out in 1914, the European banking system was under severe duress due to difficulties with the gold exchange. However, gold was still in circulation in France and the Bank of France was able to increase its issue of notes, restoring some financial order. Throughout the war, agricultural production was at a minimum, and Credit Agricole, still a young institution, was able to survive only through continued support from the government. Agricultural output did not regain its prewar level until 1930. In 1920, a law was passed to organize the office National du Credit Agricole, a national society run by civil servants and the elected representatives of the regional banks but controlled by the government–the minister of agriculture would name its director. Office National du Credit Agricole also became responsible for the distribution of treasury loan funds and for rediscounting the short-term loans of local and regional societies. In 1926, the name was changed to Caisse Nationale de Credit Agricole (CNCA). As Credit Agricole grew in resources and capacity, it began to help not only individual farmers but also the cooperative trade movement gaining ground among agricultural groups. These new agricultural cooperatives, which organized industries in a way similar to unions, could often not raise the money to organize, and they needed Credit Agricole's support. In turn, the cooperatives helped France's recovery after the war. World War II hurt agriculture less than the first war had, and after the war, there was a period of rapid growth, spurred on by Credit Agricole's loans. Between 1941 and 1945, under the Vichy government, a Bank Control Commission was established and attempts were made to prevent the creation of new banks or branches. After 1945, however, the Bank of France and the other main banks were nationalized. A hierarchy was born, with the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of France at the top, giving the government the ability to sway the distribution of credit. In this sense, it won even more power to help further Credit Agricole. After the war, agriculture underwent a massive modernization plan. Credit Agricole played a major part by supplying capital for fertilizer, equipment, electrification, and improved water supplies. Since agricultural credit was subsidized by the government, and due to the quality of Credit Agricole's decentralized commercial network, agricultural institutions had the most rapid expansion rate of all the banks. Between 1938 and 1946, the capital funds of the regional societies increased from FFr1. billion to FFr28 billion. Credit Agricole extended its medium- and long-term loan operations and the government established special loans for farm equipment, causing a big increase in the number of farmers driving tractors. Financing for small farms continued; as late as 1958, cooperatives were favored over large farms. But France's farm productivity was below that of most other European countries, and some blamed the low productivity partially on the credit advantages given to small farms, which kept competition at bay. Earnings did not improve and the industry remained dependent on loans. About this time, the government began to apply stringent lending ceilings to the whole financial system to restrain the money supply and hold down inflation. This led many banks to diversify into overseas business and the Eurodollar market. A boom in French exports also created a demand for French banking expertise in the export markets. Credit Agricole, however, held back at first from international expansion, while growing rapidly with the French economy. In 1966, the state decided to allow Credit Agricole to widen its operations to become more flexible than a bank strictly for farmers. Under the new reform, Credit Agricole was allowed to make loans to individuals and organizations not specifically connected with agriculture. It was also allowed to create subsidiaries. One of the most important subsidiaries it created was the Union d'Etudes et d'Investissements, which used its resources to finance individual investments. In 1967, the government announced that all resources collected by Credit Agricole's regional and local banks, previously deposited in the French Treasury, would now be deposited with the Caisse Nationale de Credit Agricole. In 1971, the Union d'Etudes et d'Investissements, with an eye on important developments in the food processing business, created another subsidiary, L'Union pour le Developpement Regional, which was mainly to provide loans to agricultural and food processing industries or other similar operations in regions where they would create jobs. In July of the next year, the minister of finance, Giscard d'Estaing, warned Credit Agricole about its diversification, pointing out that its purpose must stay mainly agricultural and its activities balance financial and social profit, a recurring political theme in Credit Agricole's development. Other large banks complained about Credit Agricole's monopoly on farm credit and its tax-free status, which had allowed it to grow into one of the largest banks in France, while those concerned about farm aid worried that the bank's purpose would be diffused. Critics blamed Credit Agricole's expansion on the other banks' inertia and politicians' reluctance to attack Credit Agricole for fear of losing the support of farmers. By 1975, Credit Agricole had begun its international activities, focusing mainly on foreign agricultural loans and export companies. In 1977, when the U. S. dollar was low, Credit Agricole ranked briefly as the biggest bank in the world. In 1978, Credit Agricole's profit of FFr400 million was more than the other three main French banks combined. The bank had begun to finance housing (it is now the leading mortgage lender in France), silo construction, and exports, and had also become a money market lender. After other French banks campaigned for several months against Credit Agricole's advantages, the government finally curtailed those privileges. Credit Agricole's surpluses began to be taxed as profits, and for three years, the bank was prohibited from opening new branches in towns where it had no official purpose and competed unfairly with other banks. The compensation the government offered may have added more to Credit Agricole's growth than the privileges that were taken away. Before the new rules, the bank could only make direct loans in communities of 7,500 people or fewer, but under the new restrictions that limit was extended to 12,000. Credit Agricole continued to push forward with international expansion. In 1979, it opened its first international branch, in Chicago; London soon followed, and a New York City branch opened in 1984. By then, Credit Agricole was also extremely active in funding development in rural areas for roads, telephones, and airports, and the government was encouraging the bank to help out small industry. By 1981. Credit Agricole had several strong subsidiaries: Segespar, which headed the investment-and-deposit service group; Voyage Conseil, a French travel agency; Eurocard France, a payment-card company; Soravie, an insurance company for sales in local branches; Unimat (now Ucabail) and Unicomi, which financed equipment and industrial and commercial building; Unicredit, which provided loans for businesses; and Union d'Etudes et d'Investissements, now heavily involved with rural development. In January, 1981, Credit Agricole's charter was changed again to allow the bank to provide loans to companies with fewer than 100 employees, whether or not they were connected with agriculture. The government also eased its credit limits for farmers and stockbreeders, and Credit Agricole was no longer limited to lending in towns with fewer than 12,000 inhabitants. However, this wider range was balanced by new limits. Credit Agricole's tax bill was put in line with those of other corporations, at 50% of its profits. In addition, some of the bank's earlier surplus earnings had to be channeled back into the government's loan subsidies. In May, 1981, the Socialists won the national election. Soon all major French banks that weren't already nationalized became state controlled, and over the next few years, the government imposed a domestic policy of economic austerity in an attempt to reduce inflation, renew industry, and balance its foreign trade account. The next year, Credit Agricole's foreign assets rose by almost 60%. By 1982, only one-third of its funds went to agriculture. Credit Agricole had already acquired significant experience in the euroloan market, and at the beginning of 1983, it ranked among the most prominent banks in Europe in this area. By 1984, Credit Agricole had opened foreign branches in North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. Some Credit Agricole members were upset by the bank's strengthening international force. In 1984 an official of a farmer's union told Business Week that â€Å"given the dramatic situation of hundreds of thousands of farmers, Credit Agricole has better things to do in France. † Nonetheless, Credit Agricole management insisted that international business could only strengthen the company's ability to help farmers in France. In 1985, Credit Agricole established a subsidiary called Predica to enter the life insurance market. Capitalizing on Credit Agricole's extensive branch network, Predica had become the second-largest life insurer in France by 1988. As the French economy improved, the government began to ease regulations and remove limitations on capital markets. In 1986, a new conservative government came into power, and several Socialist officials were replaced almost immediately, including Jean Paul Huchon, Credit Agricole's general director. A plan to remove CNCA from state control had been brewing for some time; many other banks were in the process of becoming denationalized. Huchon had opposed this plan for Credit Agricole vehemently enough to cause his dismissal. His successor was Bernard Auberger, a former director of Societe Generale with ties to the Gaullist Party, which had campaigned to rid CNCA of state control. The new government also created easier bourse membership rules that allowed outside interests to buy into investment brokers. Following the trend of many banks after this deregulation, in 1988 Credit Agricole purchased controlling stakes in two Paris stockbrokers, Bertrand Michel and Yves Soulie. Finally, in 1987, the government began to take steps towards freeing CNCA from state control. On February 1, 1988, the state sold 90% of CNCA's common stock to its regional banks and the company was incorporated with FFr4. 5 billion in capital stock. Most of the rest of its stock went to employees, and the government holds a small stake. Soon after the mutualization, the newly private Credit Agricole began merging the Caisses Regionales to eliminate redundancies. By January, 1990 the number of district banks had been reduced from 94 to 90 and this number is expected to shrink substantially before the rationalization is over. The transition to private ownership was not completely smooth, though. A boardroom struggle in 1988 led to the exit of Bernard Auberger. Philippe Jaffre, who was the finance ministry's representative on CNCA's board of directors, was Auberger's surprise replacement. In 1989 Credit Agricole ceased to have a monopoly on the shrinking number of subsidized loans to farmers. In losing this monopoly, Credit Agricole lost an important, captive customer group. The bank should be able to compensate for this loss, however, with the new business it expects to pick up as a result of the lifting of restrictions on its business. When Credit Agricole lost its monopoly on subsidized farm loans, it was also freed of the unusual government restrictions on its business. Now Credit Agricole operates in much the same way as any other French bank, and it expects its business to improve rather than suffer as a result of this status. Under Jaffre, Credit Agricole, like all European enterprises, faces the challenges that the 1992 unification of the European Economic Community will bring. The bank has already made a successful transition from a purely agricultural bank into a full-service bank. Privatization should give Credit Agricole the freedom and flexibility it will need to face these challenges, but it will have to struggle with its slightly awkward structure–the 90 regional banks that control parent CNCA diffuse central decision-making power–and tackle operating costs that are much higher than its competitors'. If it can surmount those obstacles and capitalize on its tremendous domestic branch network, Credit Agricole will be an even more formidable European competitor than it already is. Principal Subsidiaries: Union d'Etudes et d'Investissements; Unicredit (98. %); Sopagri (52. 8%); Unimmo France (99. 6%); Unidev; Sofipar (52. 6%); Ucabail; Segespar; Segespar-Titres (50%); Predica (48%); Unibanque; Sogequip; Cedicam (50%). Source: International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 2. St. James Press, 1990. Credit Agricole in management reshuffle Kit Chellel 01 Dec 2010 The chief executive of Credit Agricole corporate and investment bank has been repla ced after two years in the job as part of sweeping management changes across the French bank under the direction of new group chief executive Jean-Paul Chifflet. Patrick Valroff, aged 62, will stand down to make way for Jean-Yves Hocher, who will also continue in his current role as deputy chief executive of the group. The board of Credit Agricole held a meetings on yesterday and today before announcing a series of management changes. Jean-Paul Chifflet was appointed chief executive in March and has indicated that he intends to overhaul the group’s strategy. The new 10-year strategic plan will be released later this month. Within Credit Agricole's corporate and investment banking unit, a new xecutive structure sees deputy chief executive Pierre Cambefort taking over responsibility for coverage, investment and corporate banking and the international network, while head of risk Francis Canterini has been appointed deputy chief executive in charge of support functions. Elsewhere, Alain Massiera, the deputy chief executive of Credit Agricole CIB has been appointed as head of the private banking business. It is understood that Valroff was b rought in at the height of the financial crisis refocus the business, a role which he has completed successfully following three successive quarters of profits. A spokesperson confirmed he would remain at the bank in another capacity. In August, Credit Agricole recorded an 89% rise in profits to â‚ ¬379m following strong performance in its corporate and insurance divisions. Other management changes unveiled today include the appointments of Yves Nanquette as chief executive of Credit Agricole LCL (retail) replacing Christian Duvillet, and Jerome Grivet as chief executive of the bank’s assurance arm replacing Bernard Michel. Thierry Langreney took over as chief executive of the Pacifica insurance division from Patrick Duplan. All three outgoing chief executives have retired.