Earth Studies Essay

Sheenagh Pugh gives us a very depressing view of the future in her trilogy of poems known as ‘the Earth Studies’. She gives us these views by writing very descriptive and atmospheric poems subtly conveying her opinion on world pollution. All her poems tell stories at different times of earth’s extinction for example: ‘The Craft I left in was called Esau’ was set just when the survivors left the now extinct earth, And ‘Geography 1’ and ‘Do you think we’ll ever get to see Earth, Sir’ were set when the survivors are in a different place, probably a planet.  In Sheenagh Pugh’s poems, the mood and atmosphere are very important as it helps her convey her opinion to her readers. And also it makes her poems interesting to read. The first poem that I am going to analyse is ‘The Craft I left in was called Esau’ which is the first in ‘the Earth Studies’ trilogy. This poem tells the story of human survivors leaving Earth because they destroyed it. The poems title refers to the parable of Esau, who swapped his inheritance for a bowel of potage. This is suggesting that humans made a bad barging as Esau did.  My first example of Sheenagh Pugh creating good atmosphere from ‘The Craft I left in was called Esau’ is lines 10-11 when she says ‘No bother, No big deal. I can’ t recall feeling sad’ I think this creates good atmosphere because it seems to be said very hollowly, conveying a large sense of falseness among the readers, it is as if the writer is saying something to try and hide emotion, which tells me that the writer really means the opposite. My second example from ‘The Craft I left in was called Esau’ is in line 6-7 when she says ‘People joked nervously; just like a plane flight’. I think this creates a good atmosphere with good use of the simile just like a plane flight because it is something that the readers can relate to. Also the phrase ‘nervously joked’ conveys the general mood of the survivors, who are on the flight, which is uncertainty and fear. My third example is from line 8 which says ‘ they found seats and wondered if their bags would fit’ I think this phrase discreetly shows atmosphere as the survivors are worrying over the most trivial things such as whether their bags fit after they just left their home planet because they misused its resources which caused it to be destroyed. I think that they are doing this to try and blank the past from their minds. The second poem is called ‘Do you think we’ll ever get to see Earth, Sir’. It is about two people talking about visiting Earth on excursion trips. I think this is set in around 20 years after ‘The craft I left in was called Esau’ as it states that the writer used to live on Earth. The poem starts with in a very sad atmosphere, the poem is very sad and pessimistic, an example of this is ‘you won’t see what it once was’. This shows that the writer is still very sad because of earth being destroyed; it conveys the writer’s opinion and sensitivity very well. From line 11 the poem does not create much atmosphere but it does use very beautiful descriptive language to create an overall happy mood. The start of this is ‘But if you see some beautiful thing’ But signals that there is going to be a change to the mood of the poem. It also starts using very uncommon words such as damascened (which means: something is decorated by inlaying or encrusting a pattern) and iridescence (which means: spectrum of luminous or shimmering colours). One of the best examples of description I have ever read in a poem is ‘look at it as if you were made of eyes, as if you were nothing but an eye, lidless and tender. To be probed and scorched by extreme light’. I think that the aforementioned description is an amazing way of personification because it is totally original, A completely different way of describing something. Also the ending is very nicely phrased to make it sound soppy and could bring tears to some peoples eyes. The third poem is called ‘Geography one’ and is about a futuristic geography class where none of the children had ever seen Earth before. This is the last in ‘the Earth Studies trilogy’ and is a very similar the first 2 poems because some of it is very descriptive and is very emotional. In this story the teacher is showing her class slides of a volcanic region called Surtsey, which she briefly saw while she was on Earth. This helps her remember her experiences. Also this poem carries the moral of cherish the moment.  My first example of discretion and mood is from line 6 ‘Now here you see the terrific spray, the water heaved aside as the rock was thrown up’. The first part of this describes the water as a terrific spray, which is usually seen when waves crash against something, i.e. when it hits a boat. Also the waves must have been quite big as it managed to throw up a rock. My second example is from line 22-25 ‘The man here is a warden, guarding his little world from any interference, letting it grow as it was meant to’ I think this phrase shows that the writer appreciates this mans view otherwise she would not have brought him up. I also think that she envies him for having his own little world, which is his and his alone. My last example is from line 28 until the end. ‘I saw it one day in passing; it was a few years old. Just an offshore island, a stony outline softened with lichen. Someone said that’s Surtsey, and I said fancy that, but I hadn’t time to look properly’ Conclusion I think that Sheenagh Pugh is a very effective writer, but I do not think that she is that good a poet because I usually associate poetry with Rhyming words. I personally think that she should think of becoming a proper author and that she should convert her poems into short stories. I think that she is very effective at describing things and adding her own feelings. I think that in her fist poem ‘The craft I left in was called Esau’ that she was very good at creating atmosphere and tension. In the other two poems, she was great at describing images.  I agree with her that we are careless with resources and that someone will have to come up with an answer soon. I think that the second poem ‘Do you think we will ever get to see earth, sir’ was my favourite poem as it had lots of description.

Feminism and Art Essay

Feminist activity had been a rising concern in the late 1900’s which is based merely off of the emotional significance of personal and psychological reasoning. Rather than reacting on this issue based on historical evidence, the issue is based on immediate needs on the feminist attack. Linda Nochlin, and other important scholars and philosophers explain the psychology, philosophy, sociology, and history of art and the feminist movement pertaining to art. Linda Nochlin was the author of this piece, and used both her own knowledge to write this piece, as well as other scholars and philosophers arguments, injected them into her writing, and elaborated on their ideas and arguments. When pertaining to psychology, the issues mentioned and elaborated on were how women were rejected, which led to their thoughts, feelings, and emotions being affected. Because of this, this changed their way of interpreting things, and their views of things were different from men. From a philosophical stand point, Nochlin refers to John Stuart Mill who says that he suggests that we tend to accept things that come natural to us, or that are natural, like male domination; this means that males dominate over women, and women having no say in anything, accept what is natural because back in the day, male domination was a normal thing to women and was a natural behavior. Thinking about sociology, in society, men had to work and had to be educated. Women on the other hand were not allowed and treated as objects, and stayed home to have children and to continue on the male name. â€Å"In general, women’s experience and situation in society, and hence as artists, is different from men’s, and certainly the art produced by a group of consciously united and purposefully articulate women intent on bodying forth a group of consciousness of feminine experience might indeed be stylistically identifiable as feminists, if not feminine art. † Historically, women weren’t allowed to be educated unless they were wealthy, or had and greater importance over other women. This is why women didn’t know how to paint because they weren’t allowed to learn how, this is also why there were not so many women artists back then, and if there were, they were not well known. An important question that has been posed multiple times within this piece was, â€Å"Why have there been no great women artists? † 3 3 â€Å"Why have there been no great women artists† is what Linda is arguing. Her argument is that there are no great women artists that compare to all of these great and well-known artists that art historians study. These famous artists studied today are, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Delacroix, Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse, etc. Linda also states that it is in human nature that men dominate women. It is an instinct that has been created ever since humans walked this earth, and is something that is still being battled today. By answering the question, â€Å"Why have there been no great women artists†, which has been questioned by many, Linda proves her arguments by referring to many who have either answered, or attempted to answer this question. Those who have either done it or attempted it are: John Stuart Mill, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Mary Ellmann. All of these theorists/writers attempted to answer the same exact question by simply reinforcing the negative implications, or by saying that there is a different kind of greatness that exists for women, and also how experiences that women go through in society affects their art, which may mean that they were not accepted by the great viewers, which were men. Men and women have different values and interpretation of art, and to men, women’s art was nothing. When structure of this essay is concerned, it is in fact structured in a number of 4 4 ways which include, historical events, arguments, theories, and facts. The argument is pronounced using different methods, which explains subjects using points from the other scholars and their explanations. Initially, the argument made was intangible, later it becomes clear when Nochlin first talks about the battle against feminism, and how it has been around for years, even decades. Later, she begins to say how feminism caused such emotional, and psychological damage and pain to women for a long period of time. Many reasons why feminism had occurred was explored by Nochlin, and answered the question by John Stuart Mill’s response to male dominancy. Her reasoning for why there were no famous female artists was because of men, and how they overruled women in society; her argument was supported with many arguments written from other writers in the past. At the end of each of her arguments, she ends with the famous question, â€Å"Why have there been no great women artists†, and leaves it to be answered by another writer. Many say it is in male nature to dominate, or maybe women just can’t achieve as much greatness as men. Maybe women paint from their psychological views of things, and this was frowned upon by men; women were not allowed to think, let alone paint about what they were thinking. When comparing known women artists to well known male artists, no woman artist compares to the master of art, Michelangelo. The next division of this essay was â€Å"The Question of the Nudes. † â€Å" We can now approach our question from a more reasonable standpoint, since it seems probable that the answer to why there have been no great women artists lies not in the nature of individual genius or lack of it, but in the nature of given institutions and what they forbid or encouraged in various classes or group of individuals†, p. 158. Since the 1800’s, nude models were females, and would go to school to help the new and sprouting artists to learn and practice art. Females who wanted to participate and learn to paint the human body were rejected because society did not allow women to look at another female or male nude. Men were allowed to study the female nude because to them, they were objects. However, male nudes (models) were never classified as objects. â€Å"As late as 1893, â€Å"lady† students were not admitted to life drawing at the Royal Academy in London, and even when they were, after that date, the model had to be â€Å"partially draped. † P. 158. Women had very little knowledge in painting and therefore were quite timid because of all the pressure that was placed on them by the society, and most commonly, men. Many of those who studied nude models and produced nude figure drawings later became doctors, and professional artists; once again women were not permitted to become either of those. In order to become a professional artist, however, you needed to be good in literature, and had to have knowledge of many techniques. It was uncommon for women to be educated because school’s had high expectations. There were consequences if a woman wanted to be a painter. If you were a woman painter, and were substantially committed to painting, you were expected to forget about having a future. This included a husband, family, career, etc. This was the case in the 19th century because women â€Å"couldn’t focus† on more than one thing at a time according to men and society, therefore our only options were to become a painter and have no outside life, or forget about being a painter and have a family. Women had come a long way by this time, and women were allowed to play music, sculpt, and draw, but were considered weak, and couldn’t pursue any labor work. One of the great women artists, Maurice Bompard, suffered greatly with her paintings because society classified them as being too sexual, and not serious enough; she struggled greatly to achieve the greatness she deserved. Rosa Bonheur was another well known woman artist, and her success changed the view of society on women artists, but still struggled because of her gender. Her father was a drawing master, so she loved to draw and paint at an early age. Rosa created a new style of painting in the 19th century, and this was to paint in smaller scale. She has the ability to capture naturalism, soul, and individuality, and was well known for her â€Å"Barbizon† landscapes. 6 , 6 The rhetorical method in this piece would be repeating the question, â€Å"Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists†, and this depicts the importance of this issue which has been raised by all of the philosophers, writers, and art historians that have been attempting to answer this question for decades. The tone of voice used in the essay is persuasion, frustration, and even determination, and this makes it easier for the reader to understand and illustrate what exactly the issue is and how important it is. In Nochlin’s â€Å"Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists†, she states the importance of women’s history, and makes women aware of how grateful they should be with everything women are allowed to do today. Because of those many strong women who stood up for what they believed in, women today have equal rights to men, and can pursue any path they so wish to take.

Iraq war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Iraq war - Essay Example Several have taken place from the time to time in the Middle East. But somehow the US- Iraq war remains the most significant of them all. US formed alliance with Israel to accomplish this mission against Iraq. The war had changed many aspects in both the countries. In Iraq, US dominion was started which continued till date. After it lost the war, it came under direct control of US government. Presently, Iraq is facing the terrible consequences of war. It had lost its secular state, its welfare limited and its dignity lost. But on the other hand, US too had to pay a certain price for the win. Apart from war casualties, it had faced a huge blow from economic point of view. In Iraq, the US motto was not to end the reign of Saddam Hussein, but something more than that. Surely, it had won the war, but at price which often shocked the rest of the world. US army, even the high- order military personnel illegitimately arrested innocent civilians, killed them, deported them and often even tor tured them to death. Thus, total loss incurred can broadly be divided into three segments: human loss, financial loss and physical loss. Numerous surveys and researches have attempted to find out the exact number of death causalities in Iraq. The US have followed the Vietnamese model of not counting the total number of dead, likewise, they have not provided actually number of civilian dead (Steele, and Goldenberg) The war has surely increased violence all over Iraq, which is continues till date. The Iraq Body Count (IBC) has claimed that there have been 1,220,580 victims, including war period and post war casualties, with a majority of the families losing more than one family member. Yet other sources like Baltimore/ Lancelet figure claims that Iraq has experienced more deaths. According to Frederick â€Å"Skip† Burkle, the survey had deliberately ignored the number of deaths caused by secondary causalities. Insufficient health- services, unemployment, poverty, loss of family and emotional loss, etc also lead to death of thousands of Iraqis. Civilian death in Iraq numbers somewhere around 104,000 with another 230,000 reported as missing. But all the sources unanimously agree to the fact that the war with US has devastated Iraq, making it struggling hard for survival and sustenance. US was also affected claiming 4000 lives, though the number much less compared to Iraq’s (Steele and Goldenberg). Another situation of human loss occurred when hundreds of thousands of Iraqis fled from their homeland. The chief reason behind this was terror, bloodshed and tyranny inflicted by the US soldiers. The political unrest made the lives of Iraqis so difficult that they sought refuge in other parts of the globe, especially in Jordan and Syria, who is Iraq’s neighboring countries. This was further confirmed by the Iraqi Exodus video which states that Iraqi immigrants have increased the total population of these two countries. However, lives of those new im migrants were not easy. They are facing more hardships because of lack of work permit and shelter (Benson). However, it has to be remembered that that the US- Iraq war not only carries superficial financial loss, but also macroeconomic costs. The war has resulted in higher consumption of resources, than that was estimated before the war started in 2003. Oil prices shot from $23 in 2003 to $90 in US, as an aftermath of US- Iran war. Firstly, war hampered the regular supply of oil from Middle East countries including Iraq and Iran. Secondly, war increased consumption of

Community Needs Assessment for the Population of Little Havana Essay

Community Needs Assessment for the Population of Little Havana - Essay Example Little Havana is an urban area in the Miami city setting as characterized by a robust street life, good restaurants, several enterprises, parks, banks and a few cigar factories. The housing structures are mainly apartments although there are other housing structures. Physical Environmental Considerations General Identifying Data Little Havana is a neighborhood in west of downtown Miami in Florida, in the Miami-Dade County. Like the rest of Miami, Little Havana is an area in a larger plain topographically, with the Miami River forming its boundary to the North (Miami.gov.com, 2010). The climate of the larger area, city of Miami, is described as semi-tropical although there are a few extreme weather conditions due to hurricanes. The annual average rainfall is usually about 60 inches, with the months of July and August being both the hottest and the wettest. Most of the days are sunny but neither humid nor hot, and nights are characterized by cool temperatures. Boundaries and Area Little Havana’s boundaries are the Miami River in the north, SW 16th Street in the south, the SR 9/West 27th Avenue westwards and I-95 in the east. It has also been said to extend as far west as LeJeune Road/West 42 Avenue when taking considerations of the demographics that describe the area. The area occupied by Little Havana is officially cited as 4.208 square miles although the area is said to extend for example westwards (Miami.gov.com, 2010). Environment In terms of sanitation, Little Havana is served by the Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer Department. Since the major form of housing is composed of apartments, Little Havana’s water, sewer services, garbage considerations follows these lines. In this regard, it is observed that most of the apartment owners pay for water supply, sewer and trash removal. The Little Havana community is thus not in hazard from lack of water supply, sewer and garbage collection. The other consideration is pollution which has to take in to account the not only the larger Miami city area but also the state of Florida. First, Miami-Dade County ranks in the upper percentile in terms of water and air toxicant releases. Florida is also home to 7 of seven air polluters under watch from the federal EPA. Although, most of the figures are still below the harmful levels, the state and thus the residents in Little Havana are exposed to averagely higher levels of releases than the national averages. The pollution index for the Little Havana neighborhood is 43,296,200, whereas for the state of Florida the figure is 16,442,453 and the national average is a significantly lower 6,623,939. This means that the Little Havana community is at greater risk than the rest of the USA from chemical releases that include ozone depleting substances like 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane and cancer risk substances such as chromium (Scorecard, 2011). A consideration closely related to overall pollution is the air quality. As discussed earlier, Florid a has 7 factories under the watch-list of federal EPA, and although the air is clear and odorless, particulate releases are present including ash and carbon. The Air Quality Score for Little Havana (also for Miami and the rest of Florida) is 33, while the national average is 37. Due to this, the residents of Little Havana are subjected to averagely higher risks of carcinogenic, developmental, immunotoxicant and skin toxicants than the rest of the USA (Scorecard, 2011). Little Havana and the wider state of Florida has stable food supply from the sea, farms and processed sources. Little

To what extent should we widen the agenda of security studies to Essay

To what extent should we widen the agenda of security studies to include issues like the environment, population migration, food security, and the concerns of women (and other groups) - Essay Example Because of the far reaching consequences of such wars, it became increasingly necessary to select less violent means of settling conflict2. The rise of the Cold war however brought along with it a different set of crimes that defined the way in which this war was fought. The primary area of focus for security studies takes organized violence as its focus. It seeks to explore the various mechanisms by which individuals and aggregations of individuals use to undertake organized violent crime in an area. Once these mechanisms have been identified, security studies goes ahead to identify various ways in which the effects of such levels of violence can be mitigated. Accumulation of knowledge is a fundamental means of protecting oneself from organized violent crime. Knowing when criminals will attack and exactly where they will attack is vital knowledge in light of security issues. This knowledge can relate to the type of weapons that they will use their tactics, their use of humans as soft targets and the exact mechanisms by which they derive their motivation to undertake organized violent crime. Security studies also looks into greater fundamental aspects of organized crime at a national level3. The nature of weapons that a country has at its disposal is essential in determining the level of damage that could be caused by a security threat. The study if security studies would not be complete without evaluating the exact means by which war is caused. War is a delicate subject in the security systems of any country. Previously, it was entered into lightly as witnessed by the occurrence of World War I and World War II. However, with the numerous casualties that were experienced as a result of these wars, it became inhuman to the common man for these wars to be supported. In recent times, security studies has faced increasing pressure to investigate other areas of security that had not been the considered a security concern.

Why people make unethical design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Why people make unethical design - Essay Example This paper looks at the opposite view of unethical conduct or behaviour in business with specific focus on gender inequality of remuneration between male and female executives in business organizations. The fact that there is inequality suggests unethical behaviour on the part the management of such organizations. There is enough evidence to suggest that there exists a gender gap with regard to pay among executives in the country. Other issues like promotion opportunities, lack of involvement in decision making etc also are seen. Another prominent fact is that the percentage of women executives in gets lower as the climb up the corporate ladder takes place. Another factor is that the compensation gap gets bigger with regard to the top managerial posts in an organization. Most of the information given in this section has been basically sourced from reputed magazines like Fortune or news sties like CNN. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 bars employers from compensation discrimination on the basis of sex. An excerpt from the Act is given below. â€Å"No employer having employees subject to any provisions of this section shall discriminate, within any establishment in which such employees are employed, between employees on the basis of sex by paying wages to employees in such establishment at a rate les s than the rate at which he pays wages to employees of the opposite sex†¦.† (Laws & Guidance). But this has not yet been implemented uniformly even after forty four years of its passing. The 2005 issue of Fortune magazine states that women are paid less than men across all job sectors and positions. This appears to be the case in all the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. â€Å"The average difference is more than 15% and exceeds 20% in some countries – in the US, men earn 22% more† (Morella 4). A review of literature has shown that the most discussed theory with reference to compensation in general and

Corporate Social Responsibility in Gas Industry Sector in Qatar (the Research Paper

Corporate Social Responsibility in Gas Industry Sector in Qatar (the case of QAPCO company) - Research Paper Example Yet again others may apply CRS as an engagement plan to reach a given audience as noted by Maignan and Ferrell (2001). Other reasons for engaging in corporate citizenship include: to foster good supplier relations and to overcome limitations posed by taxes and regulations. Across the world, many organizations engage in CRS activities. One organization that operates in Qatar that evidently spends some of its resources on corporate citizenship is Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco). This paper will discuss how the business engages in CRS and how the activities are aligned to its plans. Qatar Petrochemical Company admits to be consciousness of its role in giving back to the society. Ever since its establishment, the company has maintained a policy of giving back to the community (Qapcon, 2013). The company which is a leading producer of low density polythene, ethylene and other hydrocarbon products in the Middle East is domiciled in Qatar. The company believes that there is great value in investing in corporate social responsibility activities, especially those that target humans. Qatar Petrochemical Company engages in various CRS activities in a diverse range of fields. The company has made an impact in the health sector by partnering with the Blood Bank Unit at Hamad Medical Corporation to organize blood donation campaigns (Qapcon, 2013). The management of the company has been at the forefront in encouraging the company’s workers to donate blood and thereby help those in need. Qapco’s engagement in the sponsorship of blood donation campaigns may be aimed at attracting a positive public image that could positively impact on the organization’s performance in the local and international markets. Through such activities, the organization may receive recognitions or awards that propel it in positive light and to greater heights. While the organization spends so much in the blood donation campaigns, it probably hopes to gain nothing more than the good will of the community and society at large from the activity. Yet another activity that the company has engaged in previously as part of its corporate social responsibility is sponsoring educational institutions in various projects or activities. Some of the institutions that the company has sponsored include Qatar University, College of North Atlantic, and Omar Bin Al Khattab Educational Campus, just to mention a few (Qapcon, 2013). The company believes that by sponsoring educational institutions, students are bound to benefit by gaining the knowledge and skills that they will need to maintain the country’s path to industrial and technological advancement. In the same respect, Qapco invests in students as a strategy to ensure that it has a future employee base that is well trained, skilled, experienced and highly talented. With such a team of employees, the company is assured of continuous growth in a favourable business environment. Qapco’s investment in educati on related programs is dedicated to ensuring that its future is secured. By sponsoring colleges that offer courses such as engineering, the organization hopes in return to benefit in the future from a highly skilled, well trained, and experienced workforce. In this case, the organization’s focus is on building its human capital in the long run. One other activity that Qapco engages in its corporate responsibility endeavours is environmental protection

Argue which of the 3 sources best represent how civilian reacted in Essay

Argue which of the 3 sources best represent how civilian reacted in WW2 - Essay Example However, this article also illustrates of how some civilians were involved in the looting of property of both the dead and those who were alive. The article states that the act of looting was not talked about as it was thought that it would damage the nation’s morale. The article describes the civilians who were involved in looting as bomb chasers who only waited for an attack, and once the streets were empty they would break in shops and steal. It describes how the blitz was involved in the coverage of illegal activity and depicts how the civilians were involved in false claims for the loss of property. Arthur Marwick sees the second representation of the civilians’ action in the Second World War in the article. This article talks about how there was increased looting after the air raids, compared to the first representation it does not illustrate the wrong doings of the looters. It states that property would have been lost anyway despite the actions of the looters. The article shows how the civilians, for example, the propagandists, photographers, the editors, and journalists were all involved in creating images and labeling the ‘blitz spirit. It goes ahead to state that not all the British civilians were heroes. The third representation of the civilians’ actions in the Second World War is illustrated in the article by joseph Darrcot. This article shows how the participation of the nation in the war extended the war to the cities, and, as a result, the civilians became the targets. It shows that to the civilians’ it was an attempt to destroy morale. The civilians’ actions to the bombings are depicted in the article, for instance a cartoonist of the daily press illustrates the act of stoicism, where the amateur gardener check on his garden despite the air raid. From the picture the amateur is asked by the wife whether everything is okay, he reassures his wife that all is well, and he is not even scratched. This is a clear

Strategic Management Individual Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Strategic Management Individual - Assignment Example ith their operational strategy so as to render enhanced services to the community and to promote consistent growth of the business (McKellar, 2010, p.136). To support and execute sustainable development in its broader sense, it is necessary for the management to achieve some strategic changes in terms of decision making processes, project cycle, and organisational culture (Business strategies for sustainable development, 1992). This could be attained through the implementation of a strategic environmental analysis system. This paper will discuss what a strategic environmental analysis system is and the essential analysis frameworks in the external and organisational environments. According to Kessler, â€Å"Strategic Environmental Analysis (SEAN) is a structured, participatory process to analyse environmental problems and opportunities for development, to identify main actors, and to define strategic goals at early stages.† (Kessler, 2000, p.136). The most notable feature of this system is that it tries to address the inter-relationship between environmental concerns and socio-economic development concerns (Erdmenger, et al, 2000, p.80). The SEAN considers the elements of different conceptual and environmental assessment backgrounds, such as strategic environmental assessment. Another potential feature of this framework is that it tends to be proactive by acting on the early stages of decision making instead of being reactive or defensive (Segnestam et al, 2003). Since SEAN is a potential framework to identify the areas of overlap between environmental and socio-economic development issues, it can better assist the organisation to develop effective bu t achievable sustainable development goals. SEAN is an effective way to set strategic priorities because it can minimise the complexities and uncertainties involved in the strategic planning process while at the same ensuring that critical issues do not go unaddressed (Dalal-Clayton & Sadler, 1999, p.na). A

Learning Disabilities Why Self esteem Essay Example for Free

Learning Disabilities Why Self esteem Essay As a child goes through teenage life, he or she is exposed to many different challenges, stressors, and prospects. An imperative factor in handling these challenges is a positive self-concept and high self-esteem. Through teenage life, schools should be preparing students to become a comfy part of the general population, quickly bending to their environs (Saghatoleslami, 2010). A population of students that necessitate closer attention are Learners who have been diagnosed with a learning disability. Learners with learning disabilities are likely to represent 2% to 10% of the student population (Reese, Bird, Tripp, 2007). Learners with learning disabilities tussle with self-concept and self-esteem, which in tum can lead to amendment difficulties, substance abuse, depression, and suicide ideation. It is, therefore, essential to monitor the self-worth of students and help mend and advance their self-concept and self-esteem. When bearing in mind students with learning disabilities, it is important to weigh their self-concept and self-esteem in a different way, understanding different social factors that come into play (Moller Pohlmann, 2009). There are many facets to self-concept and self-esteem, and coping with a learning disability has an influence on a students quality of life. For both students with LD and students who have not been diagnosed with LD, active parental involvement can directly influence a students self-concept and self-esteem (Saghatoleslami, 2010). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Public Law, splits 12 types of categorizations of learning disabilities, in which children may be fit for special education and interrelated services. These types are; (a) autism, (b)deafness, (c)deaf-blindness, (d)hearing impairment, (e) mental retardation, (f) multiple disabilities, (g) orthopedic impairment, (h) severe emotional disturbance, (i) visual impairment, (j) speech or language impairment, (k) traumatic brain injury, (l) and specific learning disability (Moller Pohlmann, 2009). Autism is an age-linked disability significantly affecting verbal and non-verbal communication and social relations, typically evident before age three. Deafness is an earshot impairment that is so austere that the child is lessened in processing linguistic info, with or without augmentation; deaf-blindness is a synchronized visual and hearing impairments. Hearing impairment is of the audible range, whether perpetual or mutable. Mental hindrance rel ates to suggestively below usual general cerebral functioning, which prevail concurrently with shortfalls in adaptive performance. Multiple disabilities: the exhibition of 2 or more disabilities such as mental retardation-blindness, an amalgamation that involves special accommodation for ultimate learning (Moller Pohlmann, 2009). Additionally, there are corporal impairments; orthopedic impairment is physical disabilities, which include congenital impairments, caused by illness, and impairments from further causes (Berdine, 2010). Grave emotional disorder is a disability where a child of typical intellect, has strain over time and to a patent degree, building pleasing interpersonal relationships; (a) retorts inappropriately psychologically or emotionally under ordinary circumstances; (b) exhibits a pervasive mood of unhappiness; (c) or has a propensity to develop physical signs or fears. Detailed learning disability is a malady in one or more of the basic psychosomatic processes convoluted in understanding or in expending language, written or spoken, which may patent itself in an imperfect knack to speak, read spell, think, write, or do mathematical calculations; dialogue or language impairment: a communication (Moller Pohlmann, 2009). Disorder such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a type of linguistic i mpairment, or the voice impairment can be considered a detailed learning disability. Traumatic brain injury is an assimilated injury to the brain caused by a marginal physical force, resulting in partial or total functional disability or psychosocial impairment or possibly both (Berdine, 2010). Visual impairment is a pictorial struggle (including blindness) that, even with correction, unfavorably affects a child educational performance. Learning disabilities can disturb students in diverse manners. As studies designate, self-concept and self-esteem are two vital elements during a students foundational years. Throughout this time, students begin to express and realize who they will turn into as grownups. The self-concept that is established during this time canines over into maturity (Elbaum Vaughn, 2010). For this purpose, it is vital to consider the adverse effects of LD, especially during a teenager life. Dyson points out that children who have proficient denial, disgrace, and disappointment have outlooks of low self-worth and defenselessness (2008). Both students with LD and students without LD exhibit varying levels of self-concept and self-esteem. These self-concepts adapt and grow as a student develops from childhood, through adolescence, and into adulthood. Students with LD reported that they felt worse about their general intellectual ability than students without LD (Moller Pohlmann, 2009). This can result in negative self-concept and low self-esteem. By implementing evidence-based interventions, students with LD can develop a positive self-concept and improve their self-esteem. One such response includes positive parental involvement. When parents are involved in the lives of their children in a positive way, the self-concept and self-esteem of their child improves. A challenge of active parental involvement pertains to the difficulties of communicating with a child who has LD (Dyson, 2008). Utilizing parental programs to overcome such adversities positively affects the parent/child relationship. Through this active inte raction, adolescents with LD improved academically and emotionally. A lot of children with LD get these emotions more often than students with no LD. This can have a philosophical effect on their educational self-concept as well as their general self-esteem. The importance of this topic is substantial, as the American Psychiatric Association (2007) establish that between 3% and 8% of the learners’ population, especially children are affected by LD. Utilizing the Self-Perception Profile for teenagers, Moller and (2009) established that high school learners with LD conveyed they felt worse about their general mental ability than did students not diagnosed with LD. Furthermore, using the Piers-Harris Childrens Self-Concept Scale, it has been shown that students with LD scored significantly lower on the subscale of Intellectual and School Status. This is significant because these students were in separate classes with other students in special education (SPED), including students with emotional disturbances or cognitive impairments. When students are deliberately taken out of the general classroom, it becomes apparent to them that they are different from typically developing students. By separating students, it can have an adverse effect on their self-concept. This can have an adverse consequence on their self-esteem and academic achievement (Ochoa Emler, 2007). The response to this unruly is not as easy as moving towards an inclusive system where students with LD learn with typically developing students. In a study shepherded by Barrera, it was revealed that the self-concepts of students with learning disabilities attending comprehensive schools were inferior to those of their classmates devoid of learning disabilities (2009). The discoveries are all too shared, since a meta-analysis prepared by Barrera established the same incongruity (2009). Due to these common judgments, many schools have relocated away from an integrative class. In other situations, the self-concepts of students with learning disabilities may be improved through adapting instruction to the wants of each student (Elbaum Vaughn, 2010). Constructing the best erudition environment for each student wishes to be a precedence within the overall school system. Once students with LD associated themselves with others with LD, they conveyed that they felt improved about their recital than children with LD, who likened themselves to their aristocracies without LD (Ochoa Emler, 2007). This largesse contradictory information. When unraveling students with LD from archetypal students, it can have an undesirable consequence on their self-concept and self-esteem. On the affirmative side, nevertheless, when students with LD are studying with other students with LD, they may incline to compare themselves to their partners with LD. This outcome in a more optimistic self-concept and advanced self-esteem in students with LD. Every school is exclusive in its tactic to students with LD, and it is significant to consider these educations when determining whether or not students with LD should be encompassed in the general classroom or placed in a distinct studying setting. Age is an imperative factor in appreciating what the best intervention is for a stu dent with LD. While academic interventions were most consistently effective for elementary students, counseling interventions were the most reliably effective for middle and high school students (Elbaum Vaughn, 2010). These results have an effect on the academic self-concept for the student and do not necessarily hold true for other dimensions of self-concept. Elbaum and Vaughn also pointed out that, overall, counseling and mediated interventions were the only interventions that had a significant effect on general self-concept (2010). These findings complement previous statements regarding the importance of creating an intervention strategy that is malleable, as well as unique to each student who passes through the intervention plan (Reese, Bird, Tripp, 2007). To create a single intervention strategy, it may be useful for a school to use the interpersonal competence profile. By using the ICS-T and the ICS-S and comparing the two, a unique strategy can be created for each student that best serves his or her learning style. This tool can be useful to determine if an inclusive or separated intervention strategy would best help each student with LD. The insight provided by Berdine; because self-knowledge emerges from, and is sustained by, our experiences with others, negative self-views have interpersonal as well as personal components (2010). This means that for people to enjoy improvements in their â€Å"self-views†, changes must occur not only in the way they think about themselves, but also in the environments that sustain their own self-views (Berdine, 2010). The value of this quote is substantial. Not only is this positive self-concept paramount for students with LD, it is also significant for everyone. Our experiences in life and our perception of who we are define what we eventually become. In Positive Teacher and Parental Involvement, it is important for teachers and parents to affect the self-concept and self-esteem of students with LD by remaining positive and encouraging them to succeed. This is evident, as it was exhibited that there was an incongruity between self-assessments of students with LD and their ed ucators verdicts. They discovered that students alleged themselves to be more proficient than their teachers rule on them. Furthermore, Moller and Pohlmann (2009) indicated that teachers were commonly unaware of students perceptions of abilities. For better communication between teachers and students, it may be beneficial for tutors to devote time to students to converse their perceived strongholds and weaknesses. When parents were positively involved in the lives of their children, the self-concept of their children was affected in a positive way (Ochoa Emler, 2007). The students paternities can also petition or appeal to the learning institution, or to the director of distinctive education and complain of their child being gaged. They may sense that the child is not developing as he, or she ought to be, or identify or detect certain glitches in how the child does. If the school believes that the child, undeniably have a disability, then the school must perform a valuation. If conservatory staff do not sustain that the learner has a disability, they may well decline to consider the child, but should apprise the parents in lettering as to their whys and wherefores for rebuffing. If parents believe intensely that their child does, certainly, have a disability that needs special edification, they may entreaty a due process earshot, where they will have the chance to spectate why they believe their juvenile should be appraised. To be assessed, there are numerous of probable assessments that are acknowledged in the IDEA, that is, Individuals with Disa bilities Education Act (Elbaum Vaughn, 2010). When parents interacted and maintained, a positive attitude with their children, a more positive self-concept was developed and self-esteem was raised (Berdine, 2010). Conversely, when the interaction between parent and child was minimal, or family communication was poor, negative self-concept and low self-esteem resulted. Dyson (2008) found that children with LD themselves can contribute to a lack of communication between child and parent. In line, child and parental cognitive-behavioral factors reciprocally amplify one another over time. For parents of high school students with LD, communication was often directly related to the nature of the learning disability (Berdine, 2010). When a parent and child were unable to communicate wholly due to the childs disability, it adversely affected the relationship. This alone is reason enough for parents of children with LD to explore various options for the betterment of communication with their children. When this lack of communication comp ounds over time, stress can be built up for the child as well as the parent. If the guardian of a child with LD exhibits stress surrounding their childs disability, that child tends to have problems with social competence as well as display more behavior problems (Dyson,2008). This presents a direct correlation between parental stress regarding a childs disability and the self-concept and behavior of that child. When parents show a positive environment for their child with LD, it helps to reinforce a sense of positive self-concept and high self-esteem. Children with LD have a strong academic self-concept and high self-esteem when they receive positive feedback from teachers and parents (Dyson, 2008). When children have a healthy self-concept, they are less likely to have a low self-esteem (Reese, Bird, Tripp, 2007). To determine if a child is adequate for classification in one of these regions of exceptionality, an individualized appraisal or valuation, of the child must be carried out. This is accomplished through IDEA. The IDEA stipulates a number of requirements regarding estimates of children alleged of having a disability. While a more comprehensive description of these requirements is presented in the Persons with Disabilities Education Act, these rations are briefly summarized as follows: In advance a child is evaluated for the first time, the school district must acquaint parents in writing (Berdine, 2010). Parent’s commitment gives written consent for the school system to carry out this first evaluation also identified as a pre-placement appraisal. Evaluations must be accompanied by a multidisciplinary team such as speech and dialectal pathologist, occupational or physical therapist, medical specialists, and school psychologist. They must include at least one teacher or sentinel who is knowledgeable about the area of the childs alleged disability. The assessment must carefully investigate all areas related to the childs suspected impairment (Dyson, 2008). Indeed not a sole technique may be used as the sole norm for determining a childs eligibility for special services or for deciding his or her suitable educational placement. Moderately, the evaluation method must utilize a variety of valid evaluation instruments and observational data. All testing must be done independently. Trials and other evaluation materials must be delivered in the childs primary language or manner of communication, unless it is evidently non-realistic genuine to implement. All tests and other evaluation resources must be authenticated for the particular drive for which they are used. This tells that a test may not be used to evaluate a student in an exact area unless the test has been premeditated and validated through examination as measuring that definite area. Valuations must be conducted in a fair way. This means that the trials and evaluation resources and procedures that are the castoff may not be ethnically or culturally prejudiced against the child (Mon tgomery, 2011). The assessment team must guarantee that any test used is administered correctly by a person fitted to do so, that the test is being used for the objectives for which it was meant, and that the childs disability does not conflict with the childs ability to take any test measuring specific abilities, the childs visual impairment changes his or her ability to read and rightly answer the questions on an test. Suitable, comprehensively, and accurately assessing a child with an alleged disability clearly presents a substantial challenge to the assessment team (Dyson, 2008). Valuation in educational locales serves five main purposes: (a) screening and proof of identity: (b) to screen children and recognize those who may be experiencing delays or learning problems; (c) eligibility and diagnosis: to govern whether a child has a disability and is entitled to special education amenities, and to analyze the specific nature of the students glitches or disability;(d) IEP growth and placement: to p rovide comprehensive evidence so that an Individualized Education Program (IEP) can be enhanced and proper decisions may be implemented of the childs educational placement; (e) instructional scheduling: to develop and plan instruction apt to the childs individual needs; and evaluation: to assess student development. (Berdine, 2010). One program that was used to influence parental/child interaction positively was Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP). (Barrera, 2009) Used STEP to deliver parents with training on how to answer more positively to their children. The outcomes displayed that parents had a very strong influence on their childrens self-concept. Additionally, Barrere suggested that classroom interventions to augment self-concept might be enhanced by involving parents in a synergistically designed parent program (2009). As previously mentioned, students with LD are more likely to struggle with social competence (Dyson, 2008). Having active parental involvement in the life of a student with LD helps facilitate improvement in this realm, thus positively influencing a students self-concept (Dyson, 2008). Intervention strategies for students with LD within the school setting resulted in underwhelming outcomes at times. To better the chances of success, schools may see benefits by involving paren ts in their intervention strategies. When parents interacted with their children frequently, positive outcomes generally occurred. As Reese, Bird, and Tripp (2007) found parent-child conversations regarding positive past events contained the highest amount of emotional talk regarding the child. Additionally, during conflict discussions, a moderate amount of positive talk was found. This positive talk can have a profound effect on the self-concept of a child. The link between conversations regarding past positive events and childrens self-esteem was substantial (Brown Hooper, 2009). In Critical Analysis, there were three main research questions addressed in this studies: (1) what is the dissimilarity stuck between self-esteem and self-concept? As the constructs of self-concept and self-esteem share similarities, it is important to delineate the two constructs in order to depict their differences clearly. Self-concept is defined as peoples overall composite or collective view of themselves through multidimensional sets of domain-specific perceptions. These judgments are based on self-knowledge and evaluation of value or worth of ones competences formed through involvements with and understandings of the environment. A persons self-concept not only comes from internal individual perceptions, but can also be influenced by different experiences and external information from others. Peoples self-concept addresses a more factual side of their life, such as knowing what they enjoy or what they tend to think about themselves. Self-esteem, as defined by Ochoa and Emler, is the sense an individual has about himself or herself that affects the way he/she views himself or herself (2007). These opinions include self-observations, perceived feelings of him/herself, and self-knowledge. How the individual feels is addressed within self-esteem, whereas self-concept addresses what the person thinks or sees about himself or herself. Self-concept is a construct that stays relatively constant over time, while self-esteem can vary throughout a persons lifetime (Berdine, 2010). (2) How do students with learning disabilities and scholars who have not been established with a learning disability compared in regards to self-concept and self-esteem? Present study endorses that there is an alteration in the levels of self-concept and self-esteem between students who have been detected as having learning disabilities and students who have not been analyzed as having a learning disability. Barrera, (2009) established that high school students with LD reported that they felt worse about their general Intellectual ability than did students who have not been diagnosed with LD. Students with Learning disabilities who were in separate classes with other students in SPED, such as students with emotional disturbances or cognitive impairments, were found to have a lower self-concept on the Intellectual and School Status subscale. This finding suggests that the separation of the individual with a learning disability from the general education classroom can have an adverse e ffect on the students self-concept. Comparatively, Brown and Hooper (2009) showed that students with learning disabilities attending inclusive schools had a lower self-concept than classmates without a learning disability. Whether students are included in the general education classroom or separated and placed with other students with disabilities, their self-concept was consistently lower than that of students without disabilities (Montgomery, 2011). It is important to note the research that the self-concepts of students with disabilities can be heightened through tailoring instruction to the needs of the individual student. According to Saghatoleslami when students with LD compared themselves to other peers with LD, they felt better about their performance than did children with LD, who associated themselves with their peers without LD (Saghatoleslami, 2010). These findings suggested that pairing students within the general classroom on the basis of instructional level and individual needs positively influenced the self-concept and self-esteem of pupils with learning disabilities. (3) Does the level of active parental and teacher involvement have an effect on a students self-concept and self-esteem? According to the existing research, active parental and teacher involvement has a positive impact on students self-concept and self-esteem. Dyson (2008) found that children with LD have a positive academic self-concept and high self-esteem when they receive positive feedback from teachers and parents. The environment the parent provides, as well as the dialog between the guardian and the youth, are both factors that play a role in the students development of self-concept and self-esteem. For instance, Dyson (2008) found that if a parent of a child with LD exhibits stress surrounding their learners disability, that child tended to have problems with social competence as well as display more behavior problems. When parents presented a positive environment for their child with LD, it helped to reinforce a positive self-concept and a sense of high self-esteem. Addition ally, communication was often related to the nature of the learning disability, especially when the parent and the child were not able to communicate due to the childs disability. This, in turn, adversely affected the relationship between a parent and child (Ochoa Emler, 2007). It was supported that with positive interaction and a parents positive attitude toward their children, a more positive self-concept was developed and self-esteem was raised from the child (Montgomery, 2011). The emphasis is a positive interaction and support from the parent to positively influence self-concept and self-esteem. Along with a positive stress, there is also a weight on alliance between the home and school to upkeep consistency between the two settings. Saghatoleslami (2010) found that active parental involvement in a wellness-based prevention program in schools was helpful in building positive self-concepts in children and college students. Additionally, Montgomery, (2011) suggested that classroom interventions used to increase self-concept might be enhanced by involving parents. The involvement of parents or other supportive figures, bettered the chances of success across settings, as there were collaboration and communication occurring between parents and teachers. A limitation of the analysis is the broadness of the subjects. While there is an assortment of LD types, there was no sub-typing of LD in this study. Furthermore, self-concept and self-esteem were measured on a broad scale, with minor sub-typing of self-concept. Socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender, and physical attractiveness were not taken into consideration when measuring a students self-concept or self-esteem(Dyson, 2008). Finally, this studies are not applicable across cultures. The vast majority of research reviewed was conducted in the United States. Based on the analysis, it is clear that the most complex measure of self-concept and self-esteem is necessary. In future research, obtaining more data regarding self-concept and self-esteem will make additional subtypes available, both for these two domains, as well as subtypes of LD (Reese, Bird, Tripp, 2007). Further implementations need to be aimed at supporting students with LD. The focus of future support for students with LD should be not only academic, but have emotional and psychological support as well. Many interventions are aimed at improving the grades of students with LD. In addition to this, specific attention should be placed on the betterment of their self-concept, as well as the improvement of their self-esteem. Both teachers and paternities should be included in future studies to promote positive self-concepts and increase self-esteem. Through in future studies, effective evidence-based solutions will be found. References American Psychiatric Association. (2007). Diagnostic and statistics: manual of Mental Disorders. Washington, DC: Author. Barrera, M. (2009). Roles of definitional and assessment representations in the identification of new or second language learners of English for special education. Journal of Learning Disabilities. Berdine, W. H., (2010). Assessment in Special Education (5th Ed.) Boston: Little Brown. Brown, F J. Hooper, S. (2009). Journal of Intellectual Disabilities. 13 (3), 195-201 DOI: `10.1177/1744629509346173 Dyson, L.L. (2008). Children with Learning Disabilities within the Family Context: An assessment with siblings in global self-concept, academic self-perception, and social competence. Learning Disabilities Research Practice, 18, 1-9. Elbaum Vaughn, (2010), Parent- teacher- and self-rated motivational styles in ADHD. Journal of Learning Disabilities. Moller, Pohlmann, B. (2009). Achievement and self-concept of students with Learning Disabilities. Social Psychology of Education, 12(1), 113-122. Montgomery, M. (2011). Self-concept and children with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 27(4), 254-262. Ochoa, G.M., Emler, N.P, (2007). Adjustment problems in the family and school contexts. Attitude towards authority and violent behavior in school in adolescence. Adolescence, 32, 779-794. Reese, E., Bird, A., Tripp, G. (2007). Childrens self-esteem and moral self: Links to parent-child conversations regarding emotion. Social Development, 16, 460-478. Saghatoleslami, M. (2010). Adjustment to college: College students with learning disabilities. Dissertation Abstracts International, 66, 2315. Source document

What Is The Pre Modern Society?

What Is The Pre Modern Society? Human history can be divided into three phases: pre-modern, modern and post modern. There is no definite beginning or end to each of these phases; rather they merge into one another, as not all societies moved forward at the same time. Sociology and modernity have been described as closely intertwined, but it has also been argued that sociology is a product of modernity. Sociology came out of something described by Polanyi (1973) as the Great Transformation, a term which refers to social, economic, political and cultural changes, which were the cause of new forms of social life. During this piece I will discuss pre- modern society, the impact industrialisation had on society and why the study of this era is important for sociology. What is Pre- modern Society? In pre-modern society, work was not highly specialised and the number of roles necessary to produce things were relatively small, therefore the division of labour was simple when compared to modern societies. Most of the labour forces engaged in agricultural activity and produced food through subsistence farming. The majority of pre-industrial groups had standards of living not much above survival, meaning most of the population were focused on producing only enough goods for means of survival. The term pre- modern, covers a number of different societal forms: hunter-gatherer, agrarian, horticultural, pastoral and non-industrial. Pre-modern social forms have now virtually disappeared, although they are still in existence in some of todays societies. An example of a hunter- gatherer society that exists today is the Inuit people, who inhabit northern Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. Due to the lack of vegetation in these areas of the world, most Inuit people live on a diet of meat. Many Arctic people are extremely mobile like the feudal societies of pre- modern times, and travel around the land, often moving with the seasons, in pursuit of migratory animals. Hunting and gathering societies hunt animals and gather vegetation in order to survive. All humans were hunters and gatherers up until around 12,000 years ago, and although, these societies still exist today in some parts of the world, they are in fast decline as they are being taken over by the advance of industrial society (Macionis J. Plummer K, 2005, p.75). Hunting and gathering societies began to turn into horticultural and pastoral societies after new technology was introduced. People began to use hand tools to help them to farm the land and to work the soil in order to sow seeds. Societies living in mountainous or parched regions turned to pastoralism which is based on the domestication of animals. Some societies combined the two technologies so they could produce a variety of foods. Agrarian societies came about with the discovery of large scale farming, which involved using ploughs which were harnessed to animals. Farmers could work larger plots of land unlike the horticulturists who worked garden sized plots of land. Agrarian societies began to permanently settle and created large food surplus, which they could now transport using animal powered wagons. Increased food production provided societies with surplus materials, which meant the build up of storable produce. This represented a cultural advance for civilisation. With the development of storage, in some rare cases came some social unrest, as what could be stored could also be stolen, although is thought that in pre- modern times there was very little deviance, as communities were extremely close knit and everybody knew each other. This new technology could have also created social inequality as some families produced more goods than others. The families producing more food may have assumed positions of a uthority and privilege. Industrialisation and the making of Modern Society: In order to understand why the study of pre- modern times is vital to sociology, it is important to look to the Industrial Revolution, as this was a time of great change for European society, and the crossing over from pre- modern to modern society. Industrialisation is the process whereby social and economic change transforms a pre- industrial society into an industrial one. Until industrialism the main source of energy was humans and animals, where as mills and factories now used water, and later steam, to power machinery. Industrialism is technology that powers sophisticated machinery with advanced sources of energy (Macionis J. Plummer K, 2005, p.79). During the Industrial revolution, an economy based on manual labour was replaced by one taken over by industry and the manufacture of machinery. Rapid industrialisation cost many craft workers their jobs and scores of weavers also found themselves unemployed as they could not compete with machinery. Many unemployed workers turned their anger towards the machines that had taken their jobs and began destroying factories and machinery. These activists became known as Luddites and became extremely popular. The British government took drastic measures against the Luddites using the army to protect the factories. The Industrial Revolution also saw the emergence of class, urbanisation and the bad conditions in which people had to live and work. Marxism essentially began as a reaction to the Industrial Revolution. As the Industrial Revolution progressed so did the gap between class structures. According to Karl Marx, industrialisation polarised society into the bourgeoisie, and the much larger proletariat. Ordinary working people found increased opportunity for employment in the mills and factories and in some cases had no choice but to move to the towns and cities in search of work. By the early 1900s up to eighty per cent of the population of Britain lived in urban centres (Kumar, 1978, cited in Bilton et al, p.28). Using the clock to time ones self, as a basis of social organisation, was an indicator of the emergence of a modern society. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries both agricultural and manufacturing labour became set by the clock in a way that was very different to pre-modern production. In pre-modern times factors such as hours of daylight set work rhythms, whereas the factories were regulated by the clock, labour was synchronised and took place for a certain number of hours each day and on particular days of the week. For the factory owners and their employees, time now equalled money. The working conditions were often strict with long working hours and a pace that was set by machinery and production. With the Industrial Revolution came an increase in population. Education was still limited and therefore children were expected to work. Child labour was appealing to employers as it was cheaper than employing an adult yet productivity was similar. The machines did not require strength to operate and there were no experienced adult labourers as the system was completely new. The majority of ordinary people were greatly affected by capitalism and industrial production. By the late 1900s Englands Black Country was one of the most industrialised parts of the United Kingdom and in the 1830s was described in the following way; The earth seems to have turned inside out. The coal. is blazing on the surface by day and by night the country is flowing with fire, and the smoke of the ironworks hangs over it. There is a rumbling and clanking of iron forges and rolling mills. Workmen covered in smut, and with fierce white eyes, are seen moving amongst the glowing iron and dull thud of the forge-hammers. (Jennings,1985 p.165) Societies were changing faster than they had ever done before and industrial societies had transformed themselves more in a century than societies had for thousands of years before. In the 19th century the invention of the railway and steamships revolutionised transport and made the world feel much smaller than it had previously. The invention of Sociology was created out of concern for a rapidly changing industrial world (Macionis J. Plummer K, 2005). Conclusion: The transition from pre- modernity into modernity was important for sociology as people began to see that society was something important to study. Some argue that this was when sociology began as the emergence of modern societies created a new intellectual world aware of its surroundings and concerned with acquisition of knowledge. As modernity came about, changes in social attitudes within society occurred making society itself interesting to others. Unlike the static pre- modern society, modern societies appear to have created many different groups, causing new and interesting communications and interactions between people. In the pre- modern era, relationships between people in society were extremely similar and perhaps uneventful and society had been static, therefore sociology was not required.

Essay on Villains in Much Ado About Nothing and Othello -- comparison

Comparing the Villains in Much Ado About Nothing and Othello    The two villains in Much Ado About Nothing and Othello share much in common, despite their numerous differences. It is evident that Shakespeare framed the second piece of literature to be similar to the first. Although shorter, the plot of   â€Å"Othello† is definitely more complex. The villains play a major part in the novels, and are very much alike in their line of thinking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The comedy, â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing† depicts the story of a group of high-ranking soldiers who travel through a town called Messina. They had been to the town before, and this time Claudio confesses his love for the governor’s daughter, Hero. Because Leonato is so fond of Claudio, the wedding is set to be a few days away. This gives Don John, Claudio’s bastard brother, a chance to show his true hatred for Claudio. He comes up with a scheme to make Claudio think that Hero is cheating by dressing Margaret in her clothing and perching her near the window with another man. When Claudio sees this, he says that he will humiliate Hero instead of marrying her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The next day Claudio does exactly as he had said, degrading Hero in front of all her family and friends. Because she did not cheat on him, she did not expect that kind of reaction. She is so dejected that she faints, and everyone assumes she is dead. Eventually Borrachio is overheard talking about Don John’s plan, and Don John is arrested. Later Claudio learns that Hero is not actually dead, and they are finally married.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Othello†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢... ...io merely humiliated Hero. Iago seeks revenge on Othello for two reasons: he suspects Othello slept with Emilia, and he also despises Othello for choosing Cassio as lieutenant instead of him. One final and resounding difference between Don John and Iago has to do with the past of each character. Shakespeare portrays Iago as an intelligent and sometimes caring character until Othello supposedly wrongs him. On the other hand, Don John has more of an evil aura about him, and shows his hatred for Claudio right from the start.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Overall, the characters of Don John and Iago are very similar, although the latter is much more intelligent and complex. These two men are what draw the reader’s attention to the novel, and share so much in common that the two seemingly unrelated works are read in tandem constantly.

Individual Freedom in Melvilles Bartleby, the Scrivener Essay

Individual Freedom in Melville's Bartleby, the Scrivener What motivates you to go to work everyday? What motivates you to dress the way you do? What motivates you to be reasonable when it comes to normal requests? Ah, the ultimate question in need of an answer: Who determines what is reasonable and normal, and should we not determine these matters for ourselves? Chaos would result, you say, if every individual were granted that freedom. Yet, we all do have that freedom, and Herman Melville (1819-1891) through the interpretation of a man who prefers to follow his own path in "Bartleby, the Scrivener", subjectively conveys the mental anguish he experienced as a writer and man when the literary world attempted to steal that freedom. Dear Bartleby was a harmless man with a demeanor that was capable of disarming many. From the onset of Melville's story, it becomes quite apparent that Bartleby is a man who prefers not to do what society wishes of him. He prefers not to honor any request from his employer that would make him deviate from what he prefers to be doing. Bartleby's employer quickly realized that, "there was something about Bartleby that not only strangely disarmed me, but in a wonderful manner touched and disconcerted me" (2236). Bartleby gave no argument nor tried to justify denying his employers request. He would simply state, I would prefer not to. His only motive was to do as he preferred. Bartleby's employer found this expression of freedom very strange. Where did this man come from who has the audacity to break the pattern of normalcy that we all follow? He who will not "comply with my request-a request made according to common usage and common sense...(2337). However, what was "common" for others was not comm... ...rican equals" (2292). Melville was not alive to witness this revival. Due to his resolve to retain his literary freedom, he was able to attain everlasting literary success that resounds from his own realm of reasonable and normal. As for myself, I would prefer not to disclose any motivational reasoning for my own preferences; less I confuse even further those who still cannot understand my denying "normal and reasonable" request. "If I were to regulate the writings of my mind- I would never write". Works Cited * Melville, Herman. "Bartleby, the Scrivener." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. 6th ed. Vol.B. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2003. 2290-2337 * Edwards, Jonathan. "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. 6th ed. Vol.A. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2003. 503

Racial Ideologies in Frederick Douglass and Linda Brents Narratives Es

Racial Ideologies in Frederick Douglass and Linda Brent's Narratives 4) Slavery was justified by racial ideology. Consider three texts, including one that was written by a former slave. How do the authors either replicate or refute racial ideologies common in the nineteenth century? I am going to focus on the narratives of Frederick Douglass and Linda Brent as examples of a refusal of racial ideologies and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin as an example of replicating (although attempting to refute) racial ideologies of the day. Douglass’s Narrative and Brent’s Incidents follow them from ignorance to knowledge; knowledge and freedom gained through their own doing. I think that Stowe is in a way both trying to write an anti-slavery novel, however, I can’t see her as anti-racist because Romantic Racialism is what grounds her arguments. In all three, I am going to prove that the relationship between and the representations of the body and the mind are what either refuse or support racial ideologies of the nineteenth century. First, Frederick Douglass’s Narrative introduces the reader to a young Douglass who is ignorant in terms of book knowledge and also lacks practical life experience. He even lacks the knowledge of his own age. But the fact that Douglass is able to educate himself refutes the idea of the time that African Americans were intellectually inferior. By the end of the narrative, he is more educated than someone like Covey, one of his former masters. Kimberly Drake claims that [t]he ability to utilize language, especially written language or literacy, is also portrayed by many ex-slaves as crucial to their quest for freedom, a freedom which in large part is the ability to allow ... ...impulse. All three of these books have really helped me to gain an understanding of what the racial ideologies of the period in which they were written were: Douglass and Brent, through their refusal of these ideologies and Stowe through her inadvertent reinforcement of them. Bibliography: Works Cited Brent, Linda. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Ed. L. Maria Child. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1973. Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1995. Drake, Kimberly. â€Å"Rewriting the American Self: Race, Gender, and Identity in the Autobiographies of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs.† MELUS 22 (Winter 97): 91-109. MacFarlane, Lisa Watt. â€Å"’If Ever I Get to Where I Can’: The Competing Rhetorics of Social Reform in Uncle Tom’s Cabin.† ATQ 2 (June 90): 135-148. Racial Ideologies in Frederick Douglass and Linda Brent's Narratives Es Racial Ideologies in Frederick Douglass and Linda Brent's Narratives 4) Slavery was justified by racial ideology. Consider three texts, including one that was written by a former slave. How do the authors either replicate or refute racial ideologies common in the nineteenth century? I am going to focus on the narratives of Frederick Douglass and Linda Brent as examples of a refusal of racial ideologies and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin as an example of replicating (although attempting to refute) racial ideologies of the day. Douglass’s Narrative and Brent’s Incidents follow them from ignorance to knowledge; knowledge and freedom gained through their own doing. I think that Stowe is in a way both trying to write an anti-slavery novel, however, I can’t see her as anti-racist because Romantic Racialism is what grounds her arguments. In all three, I am going to prove that the relationship between and the representations of the body and the mind are what either refuse or support racial ideologies of the nineteenth century. First, Frederick Douglass’s Narrative introduces the reader to a young Douglass who is ignorant in terms of book knowledge and also lacks practical life experience. He even lacks the knowledge of his own age. But the fact that Douglass is able to educate himself refutes the idea of the time that African Americans were intellectually inferior. By the end of the narrative, he is more educated than someone like Covey, one of his former masters. Kimberly Drake claims that [t]he ability to utilize language, especially written language or literacy, is also portrayed by many ex-slaves as crucial to their quest for freedom, a freedom which in large part is the ability to allow ... ...impulse. All three of these books have really helped me to gain an understanding of what the racial ideologies of the period in which they were written were: Douglass and Brent, through their refusal of these ideologies and Stowe through her inadvertent reinforcement of them. Bibliography: Works Cited Brent, Linda. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Ed. L. Maria Child. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1973. Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1995. Drake, Kimberly. â€Å"Rewriting the American Self: Race, Gender, and Identity in the Autobiographies of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs.† MELUS 22 (Winter 97): 91-109. MacFarlane, Lisa Watt. â€Å"’If Ever I Get to Where I Can’: The Competing Rhetorics of Social Reform in Uncle Tom’s Cabin.† ATQ 2 (June 90): 135-148.

Restaurant Review Essay

Review of China Buffet Restaurant I am a food lover, and I enjoyed eating in a Chinese restaurant. I tried different restaurants in our place, but what interests me most is the China Buffet Restaurant. China Buffet is located at Madison Avenue at the heart of Mankato, one of the biggest cities in Minnesota. The restaurant has a seating capacity of approximately 100 people. They have several food stations. Although the name China Buffet speaks for itself, their food stations consist of American, Italian, and Japanese food. The owner purposely includes a variety of food because of competition. I enjoyed eating at China Buffet because of its affordability, delicious food, and the beautiful setting. The price of their buffet is $10 per person, and it includes beverages. There are a variety of salads in their salad station: fruit, vegetable, and seafood. Their main meal is composed of chicken, pork, beef, and fish. For dessert, they serve ice cream, cookies, and different kinds of cakes. For their beverages, they serve so da, milk, juice, and chocolate milk, but tea is my favorite. The food is excellent so it’s well worth the price. China Buffet’s food is excellent and healthy. They have food stations for meat lovers and vegetarians. Their newly-opened sushi and hibachi bar is the restaurant’s crowning glory. Sushi and California maki is my starter with matching wasabi sauce. I tried their hibachi too, but it fills me up right away. The seafood station is consisting of shrimp, crab meat, clams and mussels. They have different kinds of shrimp meal. I tried their crispy shrimp which was coated with flour and egg and some seasoning. I love the crispiness of its shell and the softness of the shrimp’s meat. Their chicken satay blends well with fried rice. Their â€Å"Happy Family† meal that is common in the Chinese restaurant is so delicious. They call it â€Å"Happy Family† because it has chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, and mixed vegetables stir-fried in soy sauce and sugar. When it comes to dessert, they have different kinds of ice cream, but I love Butter Pecan the most because of i ts softness and creaminess. I can’t help but to look around at the restaurant’s attractive ambiance while I am eating. A typical Chinese restaurant, there were Chinese pictures hanging, but I love the huge picture of the Great Wall of China. From afar, it looks like a mural engraved on the restaurant’s wall. The hanging lamp gives warmth and serenity of the area. Their utensils and drink dispensers are organized and the carpet is very clean. They have a huge fish tank where most of the children are enjoying watching the fish. The ladies’ room is clean and odor free. China Buffet might not be the best Chinese Restaurant in Minnesota, but it stands out from other Chinese restaurants because it’s cheap. Its affordable price attracts customers to give it a try. Their delicious food is so inviting. The cozy atmosphere makes it a perfect place to eat and bond with a family. This week, I focused on improving my draft thesis statement, organization, developing my conclusion, and correcting grammar and comma errors. I omitted the third person in my first paragraph to demonstrate that my primary audience is my Professor. I read aloud my essay and found some grammatical errors. I read my Professor’s comments and edited my essay by following what she had written in the comments. I followed Smarthinking’s editing advice on grammar and comma errors.

Literature and Ideals Essay

Definition: Literature is a term used to describe written or spoken material. Broadly speaking, â€Å"literature† is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction. Why do we read literature? Literature represents a language or a people: culture and tradition. But, literature is more important than just a historical or cultural artifact. Literature introduces us to new worlds of experience. We learn about books and literature; we enjoy the comedies and the tragedies of poems, stories, and plays; and we may even grow and evolve through our literary journey with books. Ultimately, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it. We may interpret the author’s message. In academic circles, this decoding of the text is often carried out through the use of literary theory, using a mythological, sociological, psychological, historical, or other approach. Whatever critical paradigm we use to discuss and analyze literature, there is still an artistic quality to the works. Literature is important to us because it speaks to us, it is universal, and it affects us. Even when it is ugly, literature is beautiful. Importance of Literature. It is a curious and prevalent opinion that literature, like all art, is a mere play of imagination, pleasing enough, like a new novel, but without any serious or practical importance. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Literature preserves the ideals of a people; and ideals–love, faith, duty, friendship, freedom, reverence–are the part of human life most worthy of preservation. The Greeks were a marvelous people; yet of all their mighty works we cherish only a few ideals,–ideals of beauty in perishable stone, and ideals of truth in imperishable prose and poetry. It was simply the ideals of the Greeks and Hebrews and Romans, preserved in their literature, which made them what they were, and which determined their value to future generations. Our democracy, the boast of all English-speaking nations, is a dream; not the doubtful and sometimes disheartening spectacle presented in our legislative halls, but the lovely and immortal ideal of a free and equal manhood, preserved as a most precious heritage in every great literature from the Greeks to the Anglo-Saxons. All our arts, our sciences, even our inventions are founded squarely upon ideals; for under every invention is still the dream of Beowulf, that man may overcome the forces of nature; and the foundation of all our sciences and discoveries is the immortal dream that men â€Å"shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. † In a word, our whole civilization, our freedom, our progress, our homes, our religion, rest solidly upon ideals for their foundation. Nothing but an ideal ever endures upon earth. It is therefore impossible to overestimate the practical importance of literature, which preserves these ideals from fathers to sons, while men, cities, governments, civilizations, vanish from the face of the earth. It is only when we remember this that we appreciate the action of the devout Mussulman, who picks up and carefully preserves every scrap of paper on which words are written, because the scrap may perchance contain the name of Allah, and the ideal is too enormously important to be neglected or lost.

Economic Value Added

EVA is a way of measuring a firm's profitability. EVA is NOPAT minus a charge for all capital invested in the business (Byrne 1). A more intuitive way to think of EVA is as the difference between a firms NOPAT and its total cost of capital (Kramer & Pushner 40). Stern Staurt's numerical definition of EVA is calculated for any year by multiplying a firm's economic book value of capital  © at the beginning of the year by the spread between its return on capital  ® and its cost of capital (K): EVA=(Rt-Kt)*Ct-1 (Kramer &Pushner 41). EVA is a notion of residual income (Ehrbar Xi). Investors demand a rate of return proportional to the amount of risk incurred. Operating profits determine residual income by plotting them against the required rate of return, a product of both debt and equity. EVA takes into account all capital invested. Peter Druker says in his Harvard Business Review article, â€Å"EVA is based on something we have known for a long time: What we call profits, the money left to service equity, is not profit at all. Until a business returns a profit that is greater than its cost of capital, it operates at a loss. Never mind that it pays taxes if it had a genuine profit. The enterprise still returns less to the economy than it devours in resources†¦. Until then it does not create wealth but destroys it† (Ehrbar 2). EVA is a measure of wealth creation or destruction after all costs are capitalized. Companies use EVA as a measure of corporate performance, as an incentive system and as a link between shareholder and management/employee goals. Stock price indicates investor's certainty concerning current and future earnings potential. EVA is a static measure of corporate performance; MVA is a dynamic, forward looking market performance measure. MVA is a market generated number calculated by subtracting the Capital invested in a firm  © from the sum (V) of the total market value of the firm's equity and book value of debt: MVA=Vt-Ct† (Kramer & Pushner 42). Al Ehrbar describes MVA as exactly equivalent to the stock market's estimate of the NPV of a company. In 1998 CSX Corperation introduced EVA criteria to the fast growing but low margin CSX Intermodal business, where trains deliver freight to waiting trucks or cargo ships. Large amounts of capital are required to power a mammoth fleet of locomotive, containers and railcars. Figuring in capital costs, CSX Intermodal lost $70 million in 1988. â€Å"The CEO issued an ultimatum, et EVA up or be sold† (Fortune, 39). CSX Intermodal freight volume increased by 25%, yet they dramatically reduced their capital cost by reducing the number of container and trailers by 22%, reducing their locomotive fleet by 33%, and reducing fuel costs. EVA in 1992 was $10 million dollars, and was expected to triple the following year. Wall Street responded: CSX stock price rose from $28 before EVA to a 1993 price of $75. CSX concluded that investors care more about their net cash return on capital than accounting figures such as EPS, ROE and ROA. Companies that adopt EVA as a performance measure found tie-in compensation plans very useful in aligning management behavior and shareholder needs. Typical plans consist of two familiar parts, a bonus and stock incentives, applied in new ways (Fortune 50). Bonus targets are established by a percent increase in EVA and recalculated each year by averaging the prior year's goal and the prior year's result. Bonus have no limits, but the manager incurs operating risk because some of the bonus is put in a â€Å"bank,† say, for five years. If over the next five years management performs poorly, and EVA drops, the â€Å"bank† account is depleted. Management incurs the risks and benefits just as owners do. Joel Stern notes that in cases without an EVA incentive plan, employees suffer from a common problem. On average their fixed pay, salaries and pension, are too high, and their variable pay, profit sharing and share options, are to low (Ehbar XIX). Stern adds that size, not value, drives employees in typical incentive programs because size is positively correlated with increases in fixed pay and closely thereafter, variable pay, even if it destroys shareholder wealth. EVA protects shareholder interests by depositing variable pay into a deferred account that can be lost if value is eroded. EVA, as a corporate measure and a predictive tool, generates mixed reviews in the business and academic worlds. AT&T's Jim Meen says, â€Å"The correlation between MVA and EVA is very high. So when your driving your business toward EVA, your really driving the correlation with market value† (Kramer & Pushner, 43). Stern Stewart finds an R squared value of 60% based on 20 groupings of firms (Kramer & Pushner, 41). Contenders site statistical evidence to the contrary. BCG-Holt calculates an R square, after removing 21 outliers, of 27%. Dodd and Chen report that EVA accounts for only 20. 2% of the variation in stock returns for a sample of 500 companies, while ROA explains 24. 5% of market returns (Kramer & Pushner, 43). In their paper â€Å"An Empirical Analysis of Economic Value Added as a Proxy for Market Value Added,† Kramer and Pushner test the hypothesis that EVA is highly correlated with MVA. Simple regression analysis is used to test this hypothesis and other market determinants of market value such as NOPAT. First Kramer and Pushner test the relationship between the level of MVA and the level of EVA using the SS1000. In all cases the level of MVA positively relates to both NOPAT and EVA in the same and prior periods. However, in all cases, NOPAT explains more of the total variation in MVA than EVA† (O'Byrne & Stewart 44). This suggests that the level of NOPAT is not only a better proxy but also a better predictor of corporate performance than the level of EVA. Results for weighted least squares, change in MVA and variations are described graphically in appendix 1. Kramer and Pushner conclude that there is no clear evidence that EVA is the best measure of corporate success in adding value to shareholder investments (Kramer and Pushner, 47). Stephen F. O'Byrne and Stern Stewart and Co. tested a similar hypothesis. Their objective is to show that EVA provides a theoretical and practical measure of operating performance. O'Byrne and Stewart substantiate the explanatory power of EVA relative to earnings because, unlike previous studies, they recognize two important characteristics: Multiples of positive EVA are significantly higher than multiples of negative EVA, which implies that companies with negative EVAs have values that are higher than what would be expected if the market valued EVA at the same multiple. Multiples of capital tend to decline with company size, which suggest that the market assigns higher multiples to a given level of EVA for smaller companies. Stewart, 117). O'Byrne and Stewart suggest at first glance that earnings and EVA have about the same level of success in explaining market value. The variance explained ranges around 32%. Taking into account the two characteristics listed above, the explanatory power of their model increases to 42%. Five-year changes in EVA explain 55% of the variation in market value, and ten-year changes in EVA explain 74% of the variation in ten-year changes. The NOPAT model has 15%-20% less explanatory power. The results of O'Byrne and Stewart research appear in appendix 2. They conclude that because EVA is systematically linked to market value, it proves to be a better predictor of market value than other performance measures. Proponents of EVA also argue that GAAP standards distort true economic reality, produce unreliable corporate standards and serve as an unproductive compensation system. Harvard business school professor Baruch Lev states that; â€Å"Overall, the fragile association between accounting data and capital market's values suggest that usefulness of financial reports is rather limited† (Ehrbar, 161). Some differences in GAAP and economic reality stem from a bias toward conservative estimates, compounded by SEC requirements driving conservative financial policies. The principal divergence is GAAP's treatment of equity. The cost of equity should be capitalized. The cost of borrowed capital shows up in a companies interest expense. â€Å"But the cost of equity capital, which the shareholders have contributed, typically appears nowhere in any financial statement-and equity is extraordinarily expensive† (Fortune, 38). Ehrbar contends that GAAP distorts economic reality in areas such as R&D, strategic management, expense recognition, depreciation, restructuring charges, taxes and balance sheet adjustments (64). R&D under GAAP standards require Corporations to immediately expense R&D in the period in which they occur, where as managers and investors see R&D as an investment. GAAP's treatment of R&D reduces book value by writing down the asset to $0; EVA would capitalize R&D and amortize it over a period of time. Lastly, GAAP incentives can be ineffective motivators. For example, a retiring officer's pension plan is linked to earnings. During their last year they might skimp on R&D to boost earnings because their pension plan is tied to performance. Operating earnings often serve as the benchmark for management compensation. Management has the incentive to negotiate a target that is easy to beat. Managers aim low, insuring their bonus. Trade loading is a second example of how GAAP can affect management decisions concerning bonuses and owner interests. EVA as a measure of financial performance is positively related MVA, but depending on the methodology, the result vary. Kramer and Pushner used simple univariate regressions to compare EVA with other measures explaining EVA. Their results were mixed, NOPAT's explanatory power in Ordinary Least Squares Regressions outperformed EVA by 9%, however when weighted, EVA's explanatory power was higher overall and surpassed NOPAT by 6%. Kramer and Pushner note that the market focuses on profits rather than EVA. Investors rely on earnings estimates that are consistently calculated within the industry. This is not the case for FCF or EVA. Lastly, Kramer and Pushner observe, â€Å"investors certainly need to be aware of capital structure, they should already by familiar with the opportunity cost of their investment and may not need to incorporate this into the measure of performance† (Kramer and Pushner 47). Investors may be familiar with the opportunity cost of their investments, although EVA analysis can illuminate problems, such as those created by GAAP accounting, that may not be recognized otherwise. Stephen O'Byrne and Stern Stewarts calculation required the recognition of two important characteristics that drastically changed the explanatory power of EVA. They note that simple a simple regression model, similar to the one used by Kramer and Pushner, depresses the predictive power of EVA and inflates the predictive power of earnings (Stewart 120). EVA with industry coefficients explains and impressive â€Å"56% of the variation in actual market/capital ratios† (Stewart 121). It also produces notable results for changes in EVA and market value over time. Far better results than NOPAT. My results using a simple linear regression model parallels Kramer and Pushner's results. EVA in 1997 has the highest R square factor, at 33%, but is far from the results calculated by Stewart. EVA's R squared increased dramatically since 1992. This is consistent with the economic trend of the 90's, so the increase may not necessarily reflect an increase in EVA due to internal factors, but an external factor, such as the greatest economic expansion in recorded history. All four factors consistently increase from 1992 to 1997. EVA could be a valuable tool if it is tailored to the company and industry. This requires an understanding and adjustment for different EVA multiples for positive and negative EVA and different capital multiples for different size companies. This requires complex calculations, a regularly cited problem. However, in this context EVA lives up to its reputation as a great measure of corporate performance. Other functions, such as aligning employee and shareholder goals, the basis for an incentive system and a more realistic picture of economic reality, makes EVA more attractive. I would recommend using Stern Stewart model to calculate EVA.