Monday, September 30, 2019

Sociology and Social Integration

Refresher on Lecture 1Student Name: _____________________ 1. Peter Berger described using the sociological perspective as seeing the ______ in the _______. a. good; worst tragedies b. new; old c. specific; general d. general; particular 2. According to Emile Durkheim, a category of people with a higher suicide rate typically has: a. more clinical depression. b. less money, power, and other resources. c. lower social integration. d. greater self-esteem. 3. The pioneering sociologist who studied patterns of suicide in Europe was: a. Robert K. Merton. b. Auguste Comte. . Emile Durkheim. d. Karl Marx. 4. C. Wright Mills claimed that the â€Å"sociological imagination† transformed: a. common sense into laws of society. b. people into supporters of the status quo. c. personal problems into public issues. d. scientific research into common sense. 5. _____ is a way of understanding the world based on science. a. Theology b. Positivism c. Metaphysics d. Free willRefresher:   CultureName.1. The intangible world of ideas created by members of a society is referred to as: a. high culture. b. material culture. c. norms. d. nonmaterial culture. 2. The term _____ refers to a shared way of life, and the term ____ refers to a political entity. a. culture; society b. country; nation c. nation; culture d. culture; nation 3. Sociologists define a symbol as: a. anything that carries meaning to people who share a culture. b. any material cultural trait. c. any gesture that conveys insult to others. d. social patterns that cause culture shock. 4. __________ are rules about everyday, casual living; __________ are rules with great moral significance. a. Mores; folkways b. Folkways; mores c. Proscriptive norms; prescriptive norms d. Prescriptive norms; proscriptive norms 5. The fact that some married men and married women are sexually unfaithful to their spouses is an example of _____ culture, while the fact that most adults say they support the idea of sexual fidelity is an example of _____ culture. a. high; low b. low; high c. ideal; real d. real; idealRefresher on Lecture 3. Sociological Investigation Marks: Student Name: 1. Sociologists use the term â€Å"empirical evidence† to refer to: a. information that is based on a society’s traditions. b. information that squares with common sense. c. information we can verify with our senses. d. information that most people agree is true. 2. Imagine that you were going to measure the age of a number of respondents taking part in a survey. As you record the data, you are using the concept â€Å"age† as: a. a theory. b. a hypothesis. c. a variable. d. an axiom. 3. In the process of measurement, reliability refers to: a. whether you are really measuring what you want to measure. b. how dependable the researcher is. c. whether or not everyone agrees with the study’s results. d. whether repeating the measurement yields consistent results. 4. An apparent, although false, association between two variables that is caused by some third variable is called: a. a spurious correlation. . an unproven correlation. c. an unreliable correlation. d. an invalid correlation. 5. The ideal of objectivity means that a researcher: a. must not care personally about the topic being studied. b. must try to adopt a stance of personal neutrality toward the outcome of the research. c. must study issues that have no value to society as a whole. d. must carry out research that will encourage desirable social change.Refresher: SocializationStudent Name: 1. What concept refers to the lifelong social experience by which human beings develop their potential and learn culture? a. socialization b. personality c. human nature d. ehaviorism 2. In the nature versus nurture debate, sociologists claim that: a. nature is far more important than nurture. b. nurture is far more important than nature. c. nature and nurture have equal importance. d. neither nature nor nurture creates the essence of our humanity. 3. Our basic drives or needs as humans are reflected in Freud's concept of: a. superego. b. ego. c. id. d. generalized other. 4. According to G. H. Mead, children learn to take the role of the other as they model themselves on important people in their lives, such as parents. Mead referred to these people as: a. role models. b. looking-glass models. c. ignificant others. d. the generalized other. 5. When people model themselves after the members of peer groups they would like to join, they are engaging in: a. group conformity. b. future directedness. c. anticipatory socialization. d. group rejection.Refresher: Lecture on social interactions in everyday lifeStudent Name: 1. At a given time you occupy a number of statuses. These statuses make up your: a. master status. b. role set. c. achieved statuses. d. status set. 2. What concept refers to a social position that is received at birth or involuntarily assumed later in life? a. passive role b. master status c. ascribed status . achieved status 3. Julie is a police officer who finds that, wherever she goes in her small town, people seem to think of her as a cop. Julie is experiencing the effects of which of the following? a. role exit b. master status c. ascribed status d. status conflict 4. Shawna is an excellent artist but, as a mother, finds she cannot devote enough time to her family. She is experiencing: a. role conflict. b. role strain. c. role ambiguity. d. role exit. 5. The Thomas theorem states that: a. a role is as a role does. b. people rise to their level of incompetence. c. situations defined as real are real in their consequences. . people know the world only through their language.Refresher: Lecture on DevianceStudent Name: 1. â€Å"Crime† differs from â€Å"deviance† in that crime: a. is always more serious. b. is usually less serious. c. refers to a violation of norms enacted into law. d. involves a larger share of the population. 2. Every society tries to regulate the behavior of individuals; this general process is called ______. a. neighborhood watch b. self control c. social control d. the legal system 3. The value of psychological theories of deviance is limited because: a. very few people experience an â€Å"unsuccessful socialization. † b. here has been very little research of this kind. c. there is no way to distinguish â€Å"normal† from â€Å"abnormal† people. d. most people who commit crimes have normal personalities. 4. Using the terms of Robert Merton's strain theory, which of the following terms would correctly describe a gangster like Al Capone who made a lot of money breaking the law? a. innovator b. ritualist c. retreatist d. rebel 5. Edwin Sutherland’s differential association theory links deviance to: a. how others respond to the behavior in question. b. the amount of contact a person has with others who encourage or discourage conventional behavior. . how well a person can contain deviant impulses. d. how others respond to the race, ethnicity, gender, and class of the individual.Refresher: Lecture on Groups and Social OrganizationsStudent Name: 1. the McDonald's organization explains: a. that â€Å"fast food† is really not served very efficiently. b. that the McDonald’s idea never caught on abroad. c. why so many small businesses do not succeed. d. that the guiding principles of McDonald’s have come to dominate our social life. 2. Charles Cooley referred to a small social group whose members share personal and enduring relationships as: a. an instrumental group. . an expressive group. c. a primary group. d. a secondary group. 3. A secondary group is a social group that: a. we experience late in life. b. is impersonal and engages in some specific activity. c. engages in many, very important activities. d. is generally much smaller than a primary group. 4. What is the term for group leadership that emphasizes the completion of tasks? a. democratic leadership b. authoritarian leadership c. expressive leadership d. instrumental leadership 5. Which type of social group commands a member's esteem and loyalty? a. an in-group b. an out-group c. a reference group d. social networkRefresher: Lecture on Race and EthnicityStudent Name: 1. Which of the following concepts refers to a shared cultural heritage? a. race b. minority c. ethnicity d. stereotype 2. Conflict theory states that prejudice is: a. used by powerful people to justify oppressing others. b. built in to culture itself. c. common among immigrants. d. common among certain people with rigid personalities. 3. In the United States, minorities typically have less: a. income. b. occupational prestige. c. schooling. d. All of the above are correct. 4. You would be expressing a â€Å"stereotype† if you: a. ade any generalization about people. b. stated an exaggerated description and applied it to everyone in some category. c. held an opinion about someone based on personal experience. d. treated everybody in an unkind way. 5. Scapegoat theory states that prejudice is created by: a. culture beliefs. b. high levels of immigration. c. frustration among disadvantaged people. d. people with rigid personalities.Refresher: Lecture on Social StratificationStudent: 1. Using the sociological perspective, we see that social stratification: a. gives some people more privileges and opportunities than others. . places everyone at birth on a level playing field. c. ensures that hard work will lead people to become wealthy. d. means that what people get out of life is pretty much what they put into it. 2. Read the four statements below. Which one of these statements about stratification is NOT true? a. Social stratification is a trait of society. b. Social stratification is universal and also variable. c. A family’s social standing typically changes a great deal from generation to generation. d. Social stratification is a matter of inequality and also beliefs about why people should be unequal. 3. What concept describes a person who moves from one occupation to another that provides about the same level of rewards? a. upward social mobility b. downward social mobility c. horizontal social mobility d. This is not social mobility at all. 4. A caste system is defined as: a. social stratification based on ascription or birth. b. social stratification based on personal achievement. c. a meritocracy. d. any social system in which categories of people are unequal. 5. The concept â€Å"meritocracy† refers to social stratification: a. with no social mobility. b. in which people â€Å"know their place. † c. based entirely on personal merit.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Meaning of Life and Yoga Essay

Celebrity Yoga: Is this just a fad? Yoga has become a very popular exercise among people all across the world. Celebrities are also adopting this practice in order to strengthen their bodies. Celebrities and yoga has been a winning combination for quite some time in America, and more and more people are beginning to at least try yoga because their favorite celebrities are trying it. Celebrities that do yoga are making the practice more popular. Yoga industry in the United States has grown considerably since many celebrities have admitted to practicing yoga on a regular basis. Here are some things you will want to know about celebrities and yoga that may help you to decide whether or not you want to try yoga for yourself. What do celebrities have to say about yoga? Celebrities like Meg Ryan, Jennifer Anniston, Ricky Martin, and Madonna have all admitted to using yoga as a means to calm the spirit, tone the muscles of the body, and increase physical strength. Many people also say that yoga gives a personal sense of accomplishment, and that it is easier to handle rigorous demands of the day by practicing yoga Yoga is also designed to help people learn about the meaning of life. Yoga allows you to train your mind to think about positive things, and you are also able to think about how to solve problems and even get along well with others. You are also taught about how certain yoga principles should transfer into your daily life, such as learning how to do everything in the right time, or being patient with others. It is also believed the yoga will give you a higher tolerance for pain. One of the most important factors which cause the heart disease is depression. Tachycardia and other disturbances are caused due to this depression. Rhythm of the heart is altered due to tachycardia and other disturbances. Long-lasting or repetitive state of depression will make a considerable damage to the heart and enhances the chance of getting heart attacks. Yoga is an effectual solution against all sorts of stress since it can enhance the level of GABA (gamma amino butyric acid), a neurotransmitter in our brain which is correlated to depression when it is in supplied lesser in the brain. After one session of yoga the level of GABA gets increased.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Bruno Bettleheim’s “The Use of Enchantment”

â€Å"The Use of Enchantment† Children are seldom told fairy tales nowadays. There are several story books for children with moral lessons to learn at the end of the book. There are many great kids books with standards of moral values, which are favorite for family education. With many books to choose from, children have astounding choices of reading materials. Together with classics, there are classic story books with the adventures of licensed characters, irony, and new story books with every possible topic.These books entertain children and teach them at the same time. Some books include brief history and science lessons. Other features of these books include dinosaurs and other animals. Some few books emphasize on the societal values and virtues like sincerity and honor. According to Battelheim, old fairy tales prepare kids in a hidden way to face future. Even though the children's subconcious does not desire to be interrogated, their conscious minds are willing to share w hat they learned from several fairy tales.For example, a book like ‘Red Riding Hood' teaches children to follow shortcuts through the forest. A book like â€Å"The Three Little Pigs† teaches hildren how they can live in brick houses in order to protect themselves from enemies. It helps children develop defensive mechanisms against harmful animals and other things. Other books like â€Å"Goldilocks† teach children that there is nothing, which is ever right. It educates children on the importance of acknowledging mistakes and correct them.In his book â€Å"The Uses of Enactment† Bruno wrote a lot about mental illness in children, and autism among other issues. Even though his views were highly held by lots of people, many people have now discredited Bruno's views. Many of Bettelheim's claims and credentials are now under scrutiny from both supporters and detractors. He applied the theory of Freudian on fairy tales for children. Bettelheim used the theory as the basis to explain the significance of symbolic and emotional messages to children.The author believed that when children read conventional fairy tales, they develop and mature emotionally. For those who tend to avoid the theory of Freudian, â€Å"The Uses of Enactment† is suitable for the translation of old stories. Some of the stories may instill fear in children's developing minds. Bettelheim's book not only examines imageries within the hildren's story books, but also compares them to other conventional symbols such as religious images and other storytelling styles.The Freudian theory is used in Bruno's book to provide n motivating enlightenment of the functions of old stories in the development of children. For example, in the book â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† the theme of transformation helps in illustrating fears and concerns among children. Together with the classic versions of kids' stories assessed, Bettelheim exams several variations of stories. He compar es and contrasts differences in various stories with their symbols. On the other hand, those who do not concur with Freudian theory will find several unanswered questions from â€Å"The Uses of Enactment. Generally, analyses by Bettelheim Bruno is essential in examining the importance of fairy tales to children's owtn These books expose kids to ditterent contexts, cultures, and themes. They also expose children to different character traits. These attributes are essential for the children's physical and psychological growth. The books teach the children to be creative and apply some of the books' attribute in while playing. They tend to imitate the characters in those story books while playing.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Human Resource Management - Essay Example It is essential to have a workforce that understands cultures of various regions and markets; therefore, a multi-talented and multicultural workforce is necessary in modern businesses. As a human resource manager in the business, I would ensure that recruitment policies allow admission and employment of multicultural workers. This will make the business able to penetrate different markets and regions in its expansion approaches. One of the advantages of this index is that it provides the human resource department with various financial-performance metrics. In addition, it helps business managers to make effective assessments of their investments in human resources. Alternatively, the index is essential in testing the belief of whether it is profitable to manage human capital effectively in a business. This way, the business can determine the most reliable pay structures for its human resources and other benefits for them to be productive. In the business practice, I would make use of the index in determining efficiency of employees in order to know the pay structures that should be assigned to different workers. This will be essential in paying employees and giving them benefits commensurate to their abilities and dedication to the business. Outsourcing, as a business practice is defined as the act of contracting out various business processes to other external parties. In some case, the process of outsourcing requires transferring the employees of a business, as well as its assets to another firm. As businesses expand, the need to focus on its core competencies becomes paramount; in this case, its human resources can be strained. Outsourcing some of the business practices becomes essential in helping the business to put emphasis on its core competencies to succeed. In the human resource department, I can use outsourcing to ensure that as the business grows, some of its activities like product promotion are outsourced to other expert groups so that

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Iran during the rule of Ayatollah Khomeini Essay

Iran during the rule of Ayatollah Khomeini - Essay Example [Iranchamber.com] He was a lecturer at Najaf and Qum seminaries for decades before he was known in the political scene. .[Wikipedia.org] As a scholar and teacher, Khomeini produced numerous writings on Islamic philosophy, law, and ethics. Although Khomeini was not politically active, but his teachings and writings suggested that he was firm believer on the importance of clerics in political movement. He was the first Iranian cleric to try to refute the outspoken advocacy of secularism in the 1940s. However at the age of 60, the leadership arena opened for Khomeini following the deaths of two important clerical leaders during 1960's. On 22 January 1963, Khomeini summoned a meeting of the senior parliamentarians of Qom and pursuaded them to decree a boycott on the referendum initiated by the Reza Shah Pahlavi which were regarded as dangerous. Khomeini accused Shah of his submission to America and Israel by violating the constitution by the way of issuing manifesto that represented the signatures of other senior Iranian Shia religious scholars. Khomeini denunicated Shah at several occasions for which he was arrested on 5th June, 1963 which sparked off riots throughout Iran and lead to deaths of several citizens, which is referred to as 'Movement of 15 Khordad'. Once again after the release from house arrest in 1964, Khomeini denounced both Shah and United States for the capitulations granted by the Shah to United States armed military to be treid in their own Military Courts, which lead to his arrest in November 1964 and held for half a year. Four Members of Fedeyan Islam were executed for the murder of Hassan-Ali Mansur, who slapped Khomeini, when he refused to apologize and drop the opposition from the government, for which Khomeini was sent into exile to Turkey.[ www.time.com] B. Khomeini - Supreme Leader of Iran. Khomeini spent 14 years in exile, not limited to one specific nation. But mostly he lived in Nazaf of Iraq which was under Saddam Hussein's power, then Turkey and France. [news.bbc.co.uk] After the 1977 death of Dr. Ali Shariati, an Islamic reformist and political revolutionary author/academic/philosopher who greatly popularized the Islamic revival among young educated Iranians, Khomeini became the most influential leader of the opposition to the Shah perceived by many Iranians as the spiritual, if not political, leader of revolt.[Wikipedia.org] Protest grew against the rule of Shah which gave more influence to Khomeini. Although thousands of kilometers away from Iran in Paris, Khomeini set the course of the revolution, urging Iranians not to compromise and ordering work stoppages against the regime. This resulted into revolution among the supporters of Khomeini against the Shah. Khomeini returned to Iran on the condition that Shah left the country, which he did. Khomeini's return t o Iran was welcomed by joyous crowd, which led to creation of the government elected by him. [news.bbc.co.uk] He appointed the interim Prime Minister, demanding since he has appointed him, he must be obeyed and respected. According to him, it was God's government and disobeying the government was a revolt against God. Soldiers loyal to the Bakthiar Government defected Khomeini's movement. [Ayatollah Khomeini] Khomeini declared Jihad on soldiers who did not surrendered after gaining power, which led to

Just War Doctrine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Just War Doctrine - Essay Example In this direction, Orend, Brian (2008) argues that â€Å"just war theory is probably the most influential perspective on the ethics of war and peace.† This means that the talk of just war raises a lot of questions on ethics and morality. Many researchers and theorist have therefore propounded a lot of ideas and theories on just war. One of such is the ‘consequentialist’ moral dynamic for intelligence operations introduced by Arrigo. The Arrigo Paper and believers of it thereof raise a lot of issues of when human source intelligence, counterintelligence, or covert operations pass the â€Å"moral divide† and violate the Just War doctrine. As an expectation of civilians from the military, wars should be started by causes and causes should be found through intelligence. For this reason, a justified war comes with a justifiable cause and for that matter, a justifiable intelligence. It is therefore important that â€Å"a doctrine of just war should coordinate wi th a doctrine of just intelligence, especially for human source intelligence, counterintelligence, and covert operations† (Arrigo, 2001).

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Homosexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Homosexuality - Essay Example In order to understand homosexuality in a better way, we must understand the cause of homosexuality. Love between the members of any specific gender is the cause of homosexuality. Feelings of love and care are not gender specific. It is not necessary that these feelings always arise between the individuals belonging to opposite genders. Sometimes the feelings of love and care also arise between the individuals belonging to the same gender. Those feelings become the reason for any two individuals from the same gender to get involved in a relationship between each other, which is often referred as homosexuality. â€Å"Homosexuality involves our underlying bisexuality at play when we naturally feel more attracted to the same rather than the opposite sex† (Roy). Homosexuality also gives rise to another critical issue, which is same sex marriage. The government of the United States of America does not allow same sex marriages. The government of America believes that marriage is a sacred relationship, which should always involve individuals from opposite sexes whereas gay or lesbian marriages result in destroying the basic sprit of the relationship of marriage. However, in some states of America, courts have allowed people for same sex marriages. Some of those states include Massachusetts, Vermont, and Connecticut. The courts of these states declared that marriage is a civil right, so gays and lesbians also possess this right (Cahill 4). In these states, although people belonging to same sexes are allowed to get tied in marital relationships with each other, yet their marriages or living status as a couple is not regarded by the majority of the US population. Homosexual couples face many problems in any specific society. One of the major problems, which homosexual couples face, is the discouraging behavior of the people who know them. If we talk about homosexual marriages, we can say that majority of people usually do not encourage homosexual marriages because they think that such marriages are just for the fulfillment of sexual desires instead of making a sacred relationship. People believe that gay and lesbian couples adversely affect the norms and values of a society. People also look suspiciously towards gay and lesbian couples and do not respect them as traditional couples. Therefore, such couples undergo a hard struggle in order to be accepted by the society in which they live. Another issue, which homosexual couples face, is opposition from the supporters of traditional family systems. Traditional family supporters believe that family system is essential for the existence of a society. They firmly believe that men are made for wome n and women are made for men. They think that gay and lesbian couples weaken the foundations of a family system because neither they can give birth to babies nor they can completely fulfill the sexual desires of each other. Traditional family supporters also think that such marriages or relationships result in decreasing the work force of the country because of their inability to give birth to babies. The viewpoint of homosexual couples is different from the traditionalists. They believe that same sex marriages do not violate the family values as they also have the feelings of love

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Fundamental Duties of Nurses Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fundamental Duties of Nurses - Assignment Example Nurses are charged with the duty of assisting the physician to ensure that the welfare of all patients are well taken care of and maintained in the right manner. They bear the responsibility for ensuring that proper care is provided to the patients without any prejudice or any iota of influence that may lead to the jeopardy of the lies of the patience. Life of a person is of great importance and is protected by the constitution. As such, nurses are required to uphold and take good care of the lives of all patients under their care without any fear or favor. To be able to execute their duties as expected, nurses are required to swear a Hippocratic Oath; the Florence Nightingale Pledge (American Nurses Association, 2015). At least with this first swearing to God, it is expected that nurses will always remember whenever they are about to commit any mischievous act that they need to respect and uphold the covenant they made with God. During the taking of this oath, nurses promise faithfulness in their profession and promise to keep their lives pure from all the bad deals or activities that could act against promoting healthy living of the patients. This oath ensures that a nurse reflects on such words and refrain from acting contrary to the expected as they perform their duties (Lyons, 2013). As such, it influences the decision making of the nurses positively and keep them on the right course whenever they are faced with tempting moments to act unethically.

Monday, September 23, 2019

MCH Frameworks Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MCH Frameworks - Research Paper Example The effective being the operative terms that are not enforceable (Battin, Francis, & Smith, 2009).This paper describes children communicable diseases with respect to Life Course Theory, Maternal and Child Health Pyramid of Health Sciences and Health Impact Pyramid. Communicable diseases, especially those that are mostly contagious, take on social significance because their ability to spread often depends on social interactions. Their ethical significance is, therefore, intimately related to the extent, quality, care, and nature with which there is a need to attend to those social interactions among the children. Mostly, children who fell sick always can create challenges and many problems in setting of groups. These setting up of groups can be done in schools. Therefore, children always are demanding a lot of attention from the teachers or nannies who take care of them and those who cannot fully participate in educational activities as well as group. The worst is that children with a communicable disease can spread the illness to other kids. As a result, it is important to the day care providers and educators to control the spreading of communicable diseases by effective, safe, and practical efforts. This is because those who are affected most are school going children since they interact indiscriminately. Control of communicable diseases in day care and school settings is of utmost significance. Provision of safe, healthy environment and comfortable enhance the process of education, facilitates social development and enable kids to acquire healthy attitudes toward organized settings (Pies, Parthasarathy& Kotelchuck, 2009). The Health Impact Pyramid is a graph representation of tiers of influence that might have resulted from public health interventions. Working down the pyramid from its top, the first level of the pyramid includes counseling and education

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Paul Stultz Essay Example for Free

Paul Stultz Essay Paul Stultz, a character who has always admired me not as an individual but as a code that has the hidden formula that makes up a successful person. Mr. Stultz with his attractive traits which circles around self-motivation and persuasive attitude towards the core values, A Professional teacher and Sales Manager, he has un matched skills in both the fields. With vast experience in areas of telecommunications and a proven record in planning, management, and leadership he stand as an example that always continue to impress every bit of my existence and defines my approach on a idealistic character. The habit of always thinking out of the box has polished his abilities as an innovative thinker and effectual problem-solver who can see the big picture. During the nineties, the knowledge explosion created an exponential increase in the complexities of doing business. As mentioned his ability to predict future prospects and then set in motion to achieve them has always been thr trait that has made him stand tall among the fellows who surrounds him. Forecasting the influences of new technologies on our organization, our customers, and the marketplace with trivestiture, he identified the human factors, technology gap. Profoundly he tasked us with analyzing the systems our clients had and what would be needed to transition through the millennium change over which eventually set the grounds for developing the best possible mix which was beneficial not even for a shorter but a longer run as well. In addition, he adapts quickly to challenges and interacts effectively with all levels of business management he has the consult and tell approach and that is the key to his never ending goodwill. Finally, he is committed to professional excellence with a high level of integrity with all business interactions internal and external. Mr. Stultz’s leadership actions and skills Basics of an efficient sales person are driven by the personal persona and the ideal blend of skills and venom towards goal attainment. Mr. Stultz’s has the following note worthy traits that has made him the revenue machine for the organization on the whole. 1. Initiated contact with senior decision-makers and maintained open communication channels that were significant in cultivating sound relations with agency business leaders.  Practiced self discipline in terms of ethical rules of conduct during all oversight of presentations and proposal submission of closing high-dollar volume sales of telecom services and products. 2. He supplies the purpose and meaning; provide the energy that drives a group forward. His visionary aspect of leadership is supported with his excellent communication skills that allow him to articulate his or her vision with precision and power in a compelling and persuasive way. 3.  The degree, to which the he challenges assumptions, takes risks and solicits ideas are way exceptional. Mr Stultz with this trait stimulate and encourage creativity in their followers and analyzes the pros and cons of system solution architecture. Oversees and participates in cross functional innovation teams and conscientiously attentive to details and big picture interactions. Reconciled all interoperability and time line issues to exact accountability to the team member for the account, maximizing team achievement to president’s club three out of five years. 4. Expected team members copiously to write root cause analysis of problem and cause and effect problem solution. I n turn, he and the team interfaced with product house for service requirements, reconciled billing disputes to contracted amounts. Effective accountability of ethics in compliance of proposal response and performance of the award, Senior Vice President of Government Markets was impeccable in the senate hearings for the Census 2000 and thus concurrence with congress for best in class vendor. 5.  The inspirational leader that he is, one who can instill passion and direction to a group of individuals requires an understanding of how the psychology of a group affects the members of the group. He listens to team members, technical lead myself to hold major partners accountable for the mandated requirements and backup contingency plans for major components of proposed solution. Acted as advisor mentor to my design team and held firm the ethical while seeking clarification on all aspects of implementation schedules and performances. Spearheaded all executive presentations given to the legislature informing upper management and product house of the steps and successes. Description of how the leader’s environment shaped his or her leadership practice and style Mr. Stultz is a magnetic transformational leader who injects huge doses of eagerness into his team and gives them the venom that is very much required to achieve goals. He is very energetic in driving innovations and giving new lines of thinking of system product solutions. This can create a synergetic solution to solve a problem and empower team participant in order to have cohesive leadership should he have to leave or be moved to another division (Burns, 1978, p. 79). The belief that the most important resource that an organization possesses is the people that comprise the organization, some organizations address the development of these resources, Burns characterizes transformational leadership as a style that motivates followers by appealing to higher ideals and moral values which eventually makes the individual grow not only as a professional but as an individual as well. Mr. Stultz adopted the transformational style because of the high level and sensitive nature of his work with huge corporations and the government while being a Colonel with the Army National Guard. The degree to which the leader behaves in admirable ways that cause followers to identify with the leader the bond that eventually allows the fellow employees to work out of the blue for the leaders. Charismatic leaders display convictions, take stands and appeal to followers on an emotional level. This is about the leader having a clear set of values and demonstrating them in every action, providing a role model for their followers This style includes an emotional component, which includes: qualities of transformational leadership include communication of clear vision of the organization to perform above the norm and to think outside of the box. Mr. Stultz’s degree to which he articulates a vision that is appealing and inspiring to his followers and the inspirational motivation that he injects in his employees challenge give them high standards, communicate optimism about future goals, and provide meaning for the task at hand. Technology, new innovations and the need to have the cutting edge systems demands this proactive collaborative problem solving approach to develop research and bring to market innovative products. Entwined in this leadership style is a charismatic intellectual push for excellence with emotional ties to the leaders mission. Perception of the leader by the followers is key to the adoption of the leaders values. Current statistics show state that 90% of companies are in a product innovation and service organization (O’Regan 2007). Mr. Stultz’s work environment shaped this democratic approach because, as a person from a large family, he had learned to depend on new ideas coming from other people, he has always been a firm believer of a win win approach where the employee always tend to feel that he is not there just to earn revenue for the company but consider himself as the back bone of the organization, he basically promotes bottom to top approach where he himself with his intellectual sound knowledge creates the win win situation for all. He knows that good ideas come from all over an organization and is not too proud to try someone else’s ideas; and he is more than willing to give credit to those who innovate the ideas. Burns (1978) discusses how leaders’ influence on their subordinates is â€Å"based on their shared sense of what is important, worth doing well, and expending energy on it† (p. 79). One of the hallmarks of Mr. Stultz’s leadership is his high moral ethics and his ability to prompt team members to reach beyond their comfort zone to achieve superior goal attainment things. As demonstrated earlier in this paper, Mr.  Stultz and his team have successfully negotiated huge contracts and accomplished exceptional goals with this leadership formula. Regarding Mr. Stultz’s environment, the increasing dependence on information technology in the business arena and globalization realities have led to an increased focus on performance metrics over the past 15 years. His ability to forecast the future and adopting to the ever changing situation along with his adaptation with new technologies has always kept him with track records of achieving all that seemed impossible before him. Companies are making radical and fundamental changes to the way in which they conduct business to meet customer needs, stay competitive and position themselves in the technical revolution his idea of customer satisfaction is basis of bringing more business then by promoting services through advertisements has led to more cash inflows then ever before. Leaders such as Mr. Stultz have revised their strategies, restructuring their organizations and redesigning their business processes to meet these new challenges. New possibilities are emerging which already show a powerful impact on meeting innovative solutions to achieve cutting edge success of clients and this contribution brings the synergy and financial growth of the sales team (O’Regan 2007). How this person influenced your personal leadership style My experience and success is due to my emulation of Mr. Stultzs management style, and his mentoring of me during my association with him. After working for Mr.  Stultz, I acquired a repertoire of leadership and organizational skills that I have found to be crucial to my personal success he made me digest the moxt complex ways of handling humans with just a simple formula of †giving importance† the basic want of humans I have learned that a true leader inspires his or her team constantly with a shared vision of the future. The degree to which he attends to each followers needs, acts as a mentor or coach to the employees and listens to the there concerns and needs. This also encompasses the need to respect and celebrate the individual contribution that each of us an make to the team (it is the diversity of the team that gives it its true strength). Transformational leaders are highly visible, and spend great deal of time communicating. While performing as the lead Technical data sales executive, my responsibilities included serving as the expert organizational catalyst activating the integrated voice / data project for the Bureau of the Census in addition to deploying the TQA and JHL programs. I was also designated to work with diverse personalities productively of internal/external technical groups to ensure that the technical, product house and industry partner issues were addressed properly. My responsibilities also focused on scrutinizing various interoperability protocols to prevent a myriad of potential problems and subsequently initiating guidelines for preventive action that would circumvent malfunctions and defects. As a consequence, I initiated a mosaic of complex solutions throughout the entire project and managed the on time project timeline processes to ensure the Implementation Team’s successful partner link with multi industries for census 2000 two toll free networks. I also used transformational motivational persuasion and skills propose, win and negotiate web services for the SSA White House Initiative, Seniors. gov. I initiated negotiations with support of my executive team and compiled the design and developed an array of complex reliability and disaster recovery network solution and implementation timelines to track and deliver the project in a timely manner in compliance with preset White House requirements. My innovative solution was picked ahead of other higher-ranking bids for my ability to â€Å"see the big picture† while managing the interoperability details for seamless integration of services. Mr. Stultz emphasized the need to be clear and concise in negotiating with client, operations and product development. He provided feedback to empower me in developing PowerPoint presentations and concise meeting minutes to illustrate complex, abstract award requirements that in turn were modified as executive briefings. Timely communication to key stakeholders, both internal and external, required disciplined ethical leadership skills to maintain high standards and sensitivity to political situations inside and outside the company I gained confidence to lead team members cross functionally to feel in control of their own destiny, such as the promotion they desire, and achieve technical excellence certifications and thus they are motivated to work hard by more than just a financial reward. As innovation takes time, this approach led to presidents club and vendor of the year for three out of five years and our results were best in class (Burns, 1978, p. 78). The approach can be most suitable where team working is essential, and quality is important to have speed to market and productivity while making profit (Burns, 1978). The main skill set I have learned from Mr.  Stutz’s mentoring is that a comprehensive transformational leadership requires emotional synergy which carries over into customer satisfaction and the employees model service and work above normal job objectives to excel (Densten, Iain, 2006). His persuasive nature has made me learn the tactics that are there to efficiently manage a chunk of individuals and make them perform to their outmost with a motive of supporting there leader rather then with a motive to secure there jobs. Once products are innovated, I have learned behavior that mirrors a continuum between transactional and transformational. A marriage between mature products and active transactional leadership is balanced while transformational beta product development leads the organization to future innovations. Honoring confidentiality, handling situations appropriately and with discretion my transfomational leadership has successfully achieved the financial, emotional technical, and quality health of the leaders, peers, followers and customers (Brymer, 2006).

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Comparison of Education Reports of Behavioural Symptoms

Comparison of Education Reports of Behavioural Symptoms Running Head: Teacher, children, and parents reports of behavioral symptoms Comparison between teacher, children, and parents reports of behavioral symptoms associated with disruptive behaviors. Karelyn M. Gonzà ¡lez-Cruz, M.S., Josà © J. Cabiya., Ph.D., Lymaries Padilla, Ph.D. Jovette Sà ¡nchez, M.S. (The project/study described was supported by Grant Number 1 R24 MD00152-01, from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health. It’s contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.) Key Words: School age children, aggressive behavior, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, impulsiveness depression. Abstract The goal of the present pilot study was to compare the teacher, children, and parents reports of behavioral symptoms associated with disruptive behaviors using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule of Children-Parent version (DISC-P), the Diagnostic Interview Schedule of Children-Youth (DISC-Y) and the Bauermeister School Behavior Inventory (BSBI). The parents of 52 children consented to participate in the DISC-P and DISC-Y interviews. The results showed that parents and children had a moderate degree of agreement in answering symptoms of major depressive episode, symptoms of traumatic stress disorder, and symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. The results also showed that teachers had a high degree of agreement with children in their report of disruptive symptoms while no agreement was found between teachers and parents reports. Teachers’ reports of disruptive behaviors such as irritability, hostility, distraction, and low motivation had a moderate correlation with children re ports of symptoms related to conduct disorders and ODD. These results might suggest that parents identify more efficiently affective disorders than teachers. On the contrary, teachers appear to identify more efficiently disruptive behaviors than parents do. Comparison between teacher, children, and parents reports of behavioral symptoms associated with disruptive behaviors Assessment of child psychiatric disorders traditionally relies on information obtained from multiple informants, usually the parent, the child, and sometimes others such as teachers and additional family members. These informants may provide different information about the presence, severity, and duration of a childs symptomatology or behavior (Achenbach, McConaughy, Howell, 1987). Several studies have compared parent and child reports of the children psychiatric symptoms in structured diagnostic interviews like the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents (DICA; Herjanic Reich, 1982; Reich, Herjanic, Welner, Gandy, 1982; Welner, Reich, Herjanic, Jung, Amado, 1987), the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC; Edelbrock, Costello, Dulcan, Calabro Conover, Kalas, 1986; Loeber, Green, Lahey, Stouthamer-Loeber, 1989; Weissman et al., 1987), and the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-age Children (K-SADS; Chambers et al., 1985; Orvaschel , Puig-Antich, Chambers, Tabrizi, Johnson, 1982). These studies have documented low to moderate agreement between parents and children report of psychiatric symptoms. In general, these reports have found that parents report more behavior symptoms about their children than the children report about themselves, whereas children report having more affective and neurotic symptoms than their parents report about them (Edelbrock et al., 1986; Herjanic Reich, 1982). In addition, a meta-analysis of more than 200 studies examined agreement among informants, and reported moderate to poor agreement for most studies, including those in which agreement was assessed along symptom dimensions rather than by categorical diagnoses (Achenbach, McConaughy, Howell, 1987). Somewhat better agreement between parents and children has been observed in clinical samples when semistructured interviews were used by clinicians (Orvaschel, Thompson, Belanger, Prusoff, Kidd, 1982) and for externalizing as compared to internalizing symptoms (Reich, Herjanic, Welner, Gandhy, 1982). Asymmetrical reporting of certain types of symptoms has been found to be the most frequent source of disagreement. Parents tend to report externalizing behaviors or problems more often while children tend to report internalizing depressive or anxiety symptoms with greater frequency Edelbrock et al., 1986; Reich et al., 1982). In addition, a study completed by Bravo, et al. (2001) with a Puerto Rican sample found that parents were generally fair or moderately reliable informants when reporting about their children. Children (11-17 years) were excellent or moderately reliable informants on disruptive and substance-related disorders, but were unreliable when reporting about anxiety and depressive disorders. For lifetime diagnoses, they found that parents were fair reporters of their childrens conduct disorder, as well as substance-related disorders, whereas their children were excellent or moderately reliable reporting about most of these disorders. However, no study was found that have assessed the relationship between the teachers, parents and children report of clinical symptoms related to disruptive disorders. The goal of the present pilot study was to compare the teachers, children, and parents reports of behavioral symptoms associated with disruptive behaviors using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule of Children-Parent version (DISC-P), the Diagnostic Interview Schedule of Children-Youth (DISC-Y) and the Bauermeister School Behavior Inventory (BSBI). Method Participants Fifty two (26 boys and 26 girls) from ages 9 to 12 (mean age was 10) from the San Juan metropolitan area, who were referred by their teacher for disruptive behavior in the classroom, were administered a symptoms checklist based on the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for disruptive disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Informed consent to participate in the study was then requested from the parents of these children. The socioeconomic status of all of these children was low. The mean age was 10.06 (SD = 1.07). Of the 52 referred children, 17 children (9 boys and 8 girls) were evaluated with the DISC-Y. The mean age of this group was 10.12 (SD = 1.16). Instruments Bauermeister School Behavior Inventory (BSBI). This inventory consists of six scales for male children and five for female children completed by the teachers that evaluate anxiety symptoms, social alienation, depression, irritability-hostility, distraction-motivation and activity impulsiveness. Internal consistency fluctuates between .74 and .96; test-re-test reliability (four week period fluctuated between .52 to .89. This instrument was developed, validated and standardized for Puerto Rican population (Bauermeister, 1994). Computerized Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (C-DISC) (Shafer, D. et al. 2000). The DISC is the most widely used and studied mental health interview that has been tested in both clinical and community populations. It is a comprehensive, structured interview that covers 36 mental health disorders for children adolescents, using DSM-IV criteria. The version used in this study was the most recent Spanish translation of the DISC-IV (Bravo et al., 2001), with parallel youth (DISC-Y) and parent (DISC-P) versions. The test-retest reliability of the DISC-IV has been reported in both Spanish and English-speaking clinic samples yielding comparable results (Bravo et al., 2001; Shaffer, Fisher, Lucas, Dulcan, Schwab-Stone, 2000). The disorders assessed by the DISC were: Generalized anxiety, Panic, Post-traumatic stress, Major Depression, Dysthymia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity, Oppositional Defiant, Conduct Disorder, Alcohol Abuse / Dependence, Marijuana Abuse / Dependence, Nicot ine Dependence and other Substance Abuse / Dependence. Socio-demographic interview. The questionnaire used in the Research Scientific Institute at the Carlos Albizu University was administered. The questionnaire provides socio-demographic information about the child and his/her family. Procedures Teachers completed the BSBI after the parents consented to participate in the study. The project’s director selected advanced doctoral students in clinical psychology to be trained as interviewers. These students received two day intensive DISC workshops from trainers certified by the Columbia University original developers of the DISC. They were blind to experimental hypotheses. Interviewers contacted by phone the principal caretaker of each child to arrange for the DISC-P interview in the school. They administered first the DISC-P to the parent and afterwards they administered the DISC-Y to the child. The principal caretaker received an compensation of twenty dollars for their participation. The interviews took place in a classroom with comfortable chairs, illumination, tables, and non distractions. Quality control procedures were established to guarantee the integrity of the data gathering process. The project’s director conducted weekly meetings for the supervision of recorded practice DISC interviews according to the DISC instructions manual. The interviewers received recommendations from other trained DISC interviewers, specifically on how to deal with ambiguities, which did arise, and clearly define â€Å"do’s† and â€Å"don’ts† in various situations. Specific situations that lead to deviations from the interview were discussed in the weekly supervisions. Results The correlations between the quantity of symptoms of the different disorders on DISC-P and DISC-Y were as follows: symptoms of inattention on DISC-P and symptoms of inattention on DISC-Y was r = .57 (pr = .70 (pr = .64 (pr = .67 (pr = .75 (p The correlations between the BSBI distraction-motivation scale and ODD symptoms on DISC-Y was r = .87 (pr = .92 (pr = .64 (p Discussion The goal of the present pilot study was to compare the teacher, children, and parents reports of behavioral symptoms associated with disruptive behaviors using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule of Children-Parent version (DISC-P), the Diagnostic Interview Schedule of Children-Youth (DISC-Y) and the Bauermeister School Behavior Inventory (BSBI). Results indicated that parents reported more behavioral symptoms (such as ODD symptoms and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms) than the children reported. Also, parents reported more affective and anxiety symptoms than their children reported. Even more, the results on DISC-P and DISC-Y showed that parents and children had a moderate degree of agreement in answering symptoms of major depressive episode, symptoms of traumatic stress disorder, and symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. The results also showed that teachers had a high degree of agreement with children in their report of disruptive symptoms while no agreement was found between teachers and parents reports. Teachers’ reports of disruptive behaviors such as irritability, hostility, distraction, and low motivation had a moderate correlation with children reports of symptoms related to conduct disorders and ODD. These results might suggest that parents identify more efficiently affective disorders than teachers. On the contrary, teachers appear to identify more efficiently disruptive behaviors than parents do. These results are consistent with previous research that documented low to moderate agreement between parents and children in their report of disruptive symptoms (DICA; Herjanic Reich, 1982; Reich, Herjanic, Welner, Gandy, 1982; Welner, Reich, Herjanic, Jung, Amado, 1987; Orvaschel, Thompson, Belanger, Prusoff, Kidd, 1982). In addition, a study with a Puerto Rican sample found similar results, in that parents were generally fair or moderately reliable informants about their children’s affective symptoms (Bravo et. al, 2001). One limitation of the present study was the small size of the study sample. The main reason for this was the fact that many parents that were contacted refused to participate in the study. One possible recommendation for future research is to develop specific strategies to engage more Puerto Ricans in order for them to participate in the phases of research with little immediate benefits that requires extended interviews or evaluations. These strategies could include increasing significantly the monetary compensation. Another strategy is to train the research assistants on specific ways of engaging the parents in a culturally sensitive manner like appealing to â€Å"familism† which Muir, et al. (2004) have found to be essential in engaging Latinos in general including Puerto Ricans in research. Nevertheless, engagement of Latinos including Puerto Ricans in research appears to be a significant challenge and future research needs to address this area by itself in a systematic and comprehensive manner. References Achenbach, T. M., McConaughy, S. H. Howell, C. T. (1987). Child/adolescent behavioral and emotional problems: implications of cross-informant correlations for situational specificity. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 213-232. Bauermeister, J. (1994). Desarrollo y utilizacià ³n del Inventario de Comportamiento Escuela (IDC-E) en la evaluacià ³n de nià ±os puertorriqueà ±os [Development and use of the Bauermeister School Behavior Inventory (BSBI) in assessing Latino children]. San Juan, Puerto Rico: Author. Biederman, J., Faraone, S. Mick, E. Moore, P. (1996). Child Behavior Checklist findings support comorbidity between ADHD and Major Depression in a referred sample. Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 35 (6), 734-742. Bravo, M., Woodbury-Farina, M. A., Canino, G., Rubio-Stipec, M. (in press). The Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children DISC): Its translation and adaptation in Puerto Rico. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry. Bravo, M., Ribera, J., Rubio-Stipec, M., Canino, G., Shrout, P., Ramà ­rez, R. (2001). Test-retests reliability of Spanish version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children DISC-IV. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 29(5), 433-444. Chambers, W. J., Puig-antich, J., Hirsch, M., Paez, P., Ambrosini, P. J., Tabrizi, M. A., Davies, M. (1985). The assessment of affective disorders in children and adolescents by semistructured interview. Archives of General Psychiatry, 42, 696-702 Cohen (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. (2nd.ed) Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Edelbrock, C., Costello, A. J., Dulcan, M. K., Calabro Conover, N., Kalas, R. (1986). Parent-child agreement on child psychiatric symptoms assessed via structured interviews. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 27, 181-190. Herjanic, B., Herjanic, M., Brown, F., Wheatt, T. (1975). Are children reliable reporters? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 3, 41-48. Herjanic, B. Reich W. (1982). Development of a structured psychiatric interview for adolescent: Agreement between child and parent on individual symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 10, 307-324. Kashani, J. H., Orvaschel, H., Burke, J. P., Reid, J. C. (1985). Informant variance: The issue of parent-child disagreement. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 24, 437-441. Loeber, R., Green, S. M., Lahey, B. B. Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (1989). Optimal informants on childhood disruptive behavior. Development and Psychopathology, 1, 317-337. Orvaschel H., Puig-antich, J., Chambers, W. J., Tabrizi, M.A., Johnson, R. (1982). Retrospective assessment of prepubertal major depression with the Kiddie-SADS-E. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 21, 392-397. Orvaschel, H., Thompson, W. D., Belanger, A., Prusoff, B. A., Kidd, K. K. (1982). Comparison of the family history method to direct interview: Factors affecting the diagnosis of depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 4, 49-59. Pliszka, S., Carlson, C. Swanson, J. (1999). ADHD with comorbid disorders: Clinical assessment and management. New York: Guilford Press. Reich, W., Earls, F. (1987). Rules for making psychiatric diagnosis in children on the basis of multiple sources of information: Preliminary strategies. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 15, 601-606. Reich, W., Herjanic, B., Welner, Z., Gandhy, P. R. (1982). Development of a structured psychiatric interview for children: Agreement on diagnosis comparing child and parent interviews. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 10, 325-336. Shaffer, D., Fisher, P., Lucas, C. P., Dulcan, M. K., Schwab-Stone, M. E. (2000). NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV (NIMH DISC-IV): Description, differences from previous versions, and reliability of some common diagnoses. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 28-38. Weissman, M. M., Wickramaratne, P., Warner, V., John, K, Prusoff, B. A., Merikangas, K. R., Gammon G. D. (1987). Assessing psychiatric disorders in children. Archives of General Psychiatry, 44, 747-753.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Doublethink In 1984 Essay -- essays research papers

What is doublethink? Orwell describes doublethink as “the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.'; In 1984, doublethink is the normal way of thought, and as a result everyone understands it and practices it. Doublethink is different from changing ones mind, lying, and self-deception in many ways. Doublethink involves believing in the two contradictory ideas at the same time. This is different from lying because lying is saying something that is wrong and knowing that it is wrong but still saying it anyway. For example lets say you broke a vase. When your mother asks you who broke the vase and you say the dog did it that would be lying. The reason it is not doublethink is that you do not believe in two different beliefs at one time. You don’t believe you broke the vase and the dog broke the vase, you absolutely know you broke the vase and are trying to put the blame on the dog as to avoid trouble. Changing ones mind is also different from doublethink. Changing ones mind is accepting or believing one thing, then deciding to accept or believe something else different then what you thought before. An example of changing ones mind would believe the earth is flat and then after seeing sufficient evidence that it is not flat but actually round. Due to the new evidence you would change your mind and now believe the earth is round as you previously thought it was flat. This is clearly different from doublethink because you are not believing in two ideas at the same time and accepting both. You are believing one thing, then completely change your mind and believing in another. Changing ones mind involves completely dismissing one idea to believe in the other, which means you, cannot believe in both at the same time. Finally doublethink is also different from self-deception. Self-deception is to mislead or be unfaithful to the way someone perceives him or her self or to mislead the way they th ink about something else. Self-deception would be the closet to doublethink then the other two examples given before. However it still is different from doublethink. With self-deception you are fooling yourself to believe something that really is not true. It is like your not accepting a fact or idea and replacing it with one that you believe, either if it is right or wrong. As said befor... ...child is taught that man, in current form, was put on this earth by God himself and then in the science class it is explained to them how man is evolved from primates. This is not virtuous at all for society. There needs to be a defining gap between religion and science. How are little children suppose to know which is right and which is wrong when they are told two different ways of how man has come upon this earth and they are contradictory. Religion however is deemed to be necessary by many people. They feel that people need some form of organized religion. Religion does help many people get through hard times in their life and gives them hope. However, it causes problems when science is introduced into the life of a child who is experiencing life and trying to figure out the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Doublethink is the idea of believing in two contradictory ideas but accepting both. There are instances of doublethink in our society that include affirmative action, jury duty, and religion. These all have positives and negatives on the modern day American society. Doublethink for the most part is not that necessary for society. It causes problems more often then not.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Racism :: Canadian History, Politics, The Indian Law

The two earlier existing schools, industrial schools and boarding schools, were united into residential schools by the Canadian Government in 1864 (Reimer, 2010:36). Miller (1996) has explained â€Å"the governing of the schools had the form of joint venture between state and church (Roman , Anglican, Methodist or United Church) where the state was responsible for the financing (Miller, 1996:25). ’’ The Canadian Government was responsible directly when it came to establishing residential schools for Aboriginal children. In order to attend residential schools, Aboriginal children were taken away from their families and communities. The proper definition of Aboriginal people or Aboriginal includes Mà ©tis, Inuit, and First Nations regardless of where they live in Canada and regardless of whether they are â€Å"registered† under the Indian Act of Canada (Stout and Kiping, 2003:5). Throughout history First Nations, Inuit, and Mà ©tis people have faced centuries of colonial suppression which has disrupted the process of Aboriginal cultural identity formation. One of the tools of suppression is through the formation of residential schools. At the schools, the children suffered from emotional, physical, sexual and psychological abuse (Stout and Kipling, 2003:8). The trauma to which Aboriginal people were exposed in the past by residential schools continues to have major negative effect to the generations to follow. By the 1840s, the attempts by the churches to â€Å"civilize† Aboriginal people became a matter of official state policy (Claes and Clifton, 1998). This was an era of westward expansion and the government was anxious to prevent any Aboriginal interference with its colonization plans. Subscribing to an ideology that constructed Aboriginal people as backward and savage, government officials believed assimilation was in the population’s best interests (1998; Culture and Mental Health Research Unit, 2000). For example, in 1847, the chief superintendent of education in Upper Canada indicated in a report to the Legislative Assembly that â€Å"education must consist not merely of the training of the mind, but of a weaning from the habits and feelings of their ancestors, and the acquirements of the language, arts and customs of civilized life† (cited in Claes and Clifton, 1998:15). The 1884 amendments to the Indian Act served as a particularly important impetus for growth. On the one hand, they made boarding school attendance mandatory for Native children less than 16 years of age. On the other hand, the revised Act gave authorities the power to arrest, transport and detain children at school, while parents who refused to cooperate faced fines and imprisonment (Claes and Clifton, 1998).

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

My Personal Philosophy of Education Essay -- Education Teachers Reflec

My Personal Philosophy of Education Education is the key to a successful and fulfilling life. The purpose is to give each child an equal opportunity to achieve his or her goals. I believe that the overall purpose of education is to prepare for the future. Education is so important to one’s life that educators cannot merely teach in one manner. To truly teach someone you must dig until you find a way for him or her to completely understand. That’s why I think that teaching is going to be a great challenge everyday. As a teacher I will have a whole classroom full of individuals with different learning styles, different strengths and weaknesses, different attitudes, different lifestyles, and different motivations. Because of this, I will have to use an eclectic mix of approaches and teaching styles. As a teacher I feel it is my responsibility to prepare my students for the inevitable changes that will occur in their lives by instilling confidence and knowledge while presenting myself as a good role model. Teachers play such an important role in a child’s life, sometimes being their only source of encouragement and support. As a teacher, I want to know my students; their personality, learning style, and academic level, so I can meet their needs and create the best learning environment possible. I will bring into the classroom my open-mindedness, my respect for others, my willingness to listen before making decisions, and my love for knowledge. I hope that by ...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

The Role of the Writer in Society

Formative assignment: discuss the role of the writer in society, with reference to specific examples. The ‘writer’s’ role is vital to society in many ways. From the newspapers that are written to be informative, to the poets that are taught for education, from the bible that millions follow on a daily basis to fictional novels for entertainment. On one hand, Literature is all around and can be extremely influential, informative and enlightening. On the other hand, literature can be dangerous and also a source of controversy.The aim of this essay is to explore some of the key writers that portray this. Literature in itself takes on two main roles in society. The first is an active role. This could mean that the literature itself is inspirational and effective towards society. The second is a passive role. This meaning that the literature itself is there but not necessarily crucial to create a real impact on today’s civilisation. Either way, this only emphasi ses the fact that the writer’s role, whether passive or not is important. The role of the active writer is extremely significant.A powerful example of this is that of William Shakespeare (1564-1616). The role that Shakespeare took on in society was ultimately very influential. The fact that his works are still studied in schools and colleges to this day, almost four hundred years after his death and that he is still thought of as one of the greatest poets and playwrights in history portrays the importance of his works. Shakespeare’s plays are still performed in theatres worldwide and his house still stands in Stratford-upon-Avon and is now considered a landmark.There are many reasons as to why Shakespeare was so influential, one of which being his influence on the modern language. Many of the phrases that are still used to day were adapted from a number of Shakespeare’s plays. Another of these reasons is Shakespeare’s ability to write a dialogue. The dept h and skill that Shakespeare was able to describe the setting of his plays, the compelling characters that he created and the script the actors were to use made each of the scenes flow fluidly and also made the story easy for the audience to follow.One of Shakespeare’s plays in particular stands out amongst the rest purely because of the main character, this play is Hamlet. Due to the fact that this play was written hundreds of years before the idea of psychology, Shakespeare’s characterisation of Hamlet is extraordinary in itself. â€Å"Tis not alone my inky cloak, good-mother, Nor customary suits of solemn black †¦ Together with all forms, moods, shows of grief that can denote me truly. † The idea of a character that is so completely consumed by his grief and obsession with death is unheard of in any other works of the time.Another example is the renowned novelist Charles Dickens (1812-1870). Although Dickens’ literature was chronologically later t han that of Shakespeare, his work was no less influential. He is identified as the one of the best writers of the Victorian era and one hundred and forty years after his death, Dickens’ novels such as ‘Oliver Twist’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’, like that of Shakespeare, are still also taught in schools and colleges, films are also made and re-made of his novels and are still performed in theatres.Dickens writing is prominent due to, firstly, his ability as a story teller. His works are highly entertaining, yet the subjects that Dickens touches on maintains the ability to capture the empathy of the audience in a way that makes it possible that the audience understands the complex issues, without having experienced them. the parish authorities magnanimously and humanely resolved, that Oliver should be ‘farmed,’ or, in other words, that he should be despatched to a branch-workhouse some three miles off, where twenty or thirty other juvenile off enders against the poor-laws rolled about the floor all day, without the inconvenience of too much food, or too much clothing, under the parental superintendence of an elderly female who received the culprits at and for the consideration of seven pence-halfpenny per small head per week. †His observations of the imperfections of Victorian society are so well written that even though he wrote mainly of the injustices of the era, he is able to resolve the stories by creating comical and ultimately engaging storylines. This shows an expert ability to write an interesting plot without making the story too complicated for the reader to follow. In contrast to the above novelists, an example of controversy in literature is that of the author D. H Lawrence. Lawrence wrote the infamous ‘Lady Chatterley’s lover’ in 1928, which was first published in Florence, Italy.The book itself was a notorious subject as it portrays the story of a noble woman having an explicit aff air with the working class game-keeper. The deeply descriptive language and use of banned obscenities used by Lawrence to describe the sexual part of the relationship meant that it could not be published in the United Kingdom until 1960. â€Å"His lovemaking was earthy and gritty, and no wonder, as he'd misplaced his dibber earlier that day, and had to use the only suitable piece of equipment he'd had to hand in the greenhouse at the time†This piece of literature may have aroused debate amongst many people yet this still stands to be a widely recognised story of forbidden love. Even though it has only been around for the last 60 years in this country, this story in its entirety forcedly changed the perception of many on people that are very different from themselves. In conclusion, the role of the writer has established itself in today’s civilisation in many forms. Whether the novelist writes for entertainment or education, whether to touch on previously taboo subjects , or to question authority and provoke a worldwide debate, the writer’s position is prominent.A writer can follow the norm of society or can go to extremes, and in this freedom can incite a revolution. The extent of the impact of the writer and their work remains to be seen, but as it stands the effect is there whether the writer intends it or not. References for Assignment 1 – Formative assignment: discuss the role of the writer in society, with reference to specific examples. * BBC. (10, Nov 1960). Lady Chatterley's Lover Sold Out. Available: http://news. bbc. co. uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/10/newsid_2965000/2965194. stm. Last accessed 11/10/11 * Charles Dickens (1966). Oliver Twist. 3rd ed.United States, New York: Oxford University Press. Chapter 2, Page 4. * Shakespeare (1992). Hamlet. New York: WSP. Act 1 scene 2 Page 4. * Jeremy Hilton. (1993). Hamlet. Available: http://shakespeare. mit. edu/. Last accessed 10/10/11. * D. H Lawrence. (2007). In: Lady Chatterley's Lover. United States: Read How You Want. * Jamieson. (2011). Hamlet Character Analysis. Available: http://shakespeare. about. com/od/hamlet/a/hamlet_char. htm. Last accessed 10/10/11. * BBC. (2011). Charles Dickens (1812-1870). Available: http://www. bbc. co. uk/history/historic_figures/dickens_charles. shtml. Last accessed 10/10/11.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Research on the Australian Education Export Industry Essay

Executive Summary The following report provides a detailed analysis of the four sectors in the education industry in Australia, which are: Higher Education, Vocational Education and Training (VET), English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) and the schools. The report starts interpreting trends from the industry in Australia, analyzing numbers of enrollments and commencements of students in each sector, as well as their nationalities. With these numbers we have an overall idea of the scenario, which shows that Higher Education is the Over Performing sector, followed by ELICOS, VET and schools. A second stage of the research is the PESTEL analyze, which observes the Political, Economical, Social, Technological and Legal conditions of Australia, with the conclusion that Australia has a stable government, strong economy and high currency, great quality of life, invests widely in technology and gives incentives to international students to come to Australia. The data provided by PESTEL helped with the SWOT analyzes of the industry and sectors in Australia. The findings shows opportunities manly in students that progress in more than one course in Australia, which already lead us to consider ELICOS as a good sector to invest. After the secondary data gathered, a qualitative research was created and is here presented showing that all the interviewed international students are having a positive experience in Australia and more than half would enroll in a different course after finishing the current one. As a result of the findings, ELICOS course was pointed as a better option of investment – since higher education has risks of high costs and perceived quality. Private institutions offering ELICOS and VET come up as an even better choice, since almost one quarter of international students progress from ELICOS to VET. New South Wales is recognized as a better location for investment, since the majority of students choose that state as a destination. A few schools offering ELICOS and VET were identified as an option for investment, however a more detailed analyses of their internal data would be necessary to point out with certainty which one would be the best option. 1. Introduction 1.1 Background Students from all around the world choose Australia as a study destination, wishing to gain a top-quality education. Each year, Australia becomes even  more popular, with many new international students enrolling in courses around the country. In 2013, 526,9321 international students enrolled in education programs in Australia, representing a 2.6% increase over 2012. Most of the international students in the country are studying in the Higher Education sector, followed by the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, the English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) sector and the schools sector. 1.2 Purpose of Report The aim of this report is to research about the education export industry in Australia. The report was commissioned by the Group April with the aim to analyze the trends in the following education sectors: VET, ELICOS, Higher Education and Secondary School courses. The Market Trends will be interpreted in order to identify their impact on the education sector, as well as potential opportunities and threats to the industry. 2. Interpreting Market Trends For the purpose of this research we will analyze the number of international students commencements (number of students starting a new course) and enrollments (enrolling in a course) in the country. According to Australian Education International, the total value of commencements and enrolments students has been growing steadily in the last ten years. We will analyze the data the number of international students from all sectors from 2010 to 2013. The following chart shows the summary of commencements from 2010-2013. Chart 01: International Students Commencements from 2012 to 2013 Source: http://www.austrade.gov.au/Education/Student-Data/2013/ In addition to that data, we also have the table below, comparing the number of commencements and enrolments per year and course: Table 01: Enrolments and Commencements from 2012 to 2013 With the data provided, we can see that in 2013 Higher Education Sector ranked first by volume of commencements and enrolments. VET had the second  largest volume of enrolments but third in commencements. ELICOS ranked second in volume of commencements, but third in enrolments. From 2012 to 2013, the number of commencements in Higher Education increased by 8.1%. The ELICOS commencements also registered 21% growth in the same period. The VET sector commencements have been declining in the last 4 years, but had only a minor decrease from 2012 to 2013 (0.1%). Schools accounted for only 2.9% of commencements, declining steadily in the past years. It is possible to notice that even though Higher Education is the over performing sector, ELICOS is also gaining more relevance over the past years. The Chart 01 shows that VET sector has been declining over the years. When considering number of enrolments for each sector, the top nationalities differ between the categories. The Australian Government also provides the following data: Higher Education enrolments: China (39.9%) and India (7.2%) VET: India (21.5%), China (10.5%), Republic of Korea (7.3%) and Thailand (6.6%) ELICOS: China (25%), Brazil (8.7%) and Thailand (7.9%) Schools: China (46%) and Vietnam (10%) The top five nationalities present in number of enrolments in 2013 contributed to 52.1% of the total, which were: China (28.5%), India (9.3%), Republic of Korea (5.2%), Vietnam (4.9%) and Thailand (4.1%). When looking directly at students visa granted, the last five years have also showed a majority of Chinese, Indians and Koreans students, differing only in the last two countries. The chart below shows the student visa applications granted by the top five countries of origin: Chart 02: STUDENT VISA APPLICATIONS GRANTED BY TOP FIVE COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN Source: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features20Dec+2011 Accessed on 29/10/2014 As per the chart above, China represents the majority of international students, with approximately 50 thousands student visa granted in 2011. China also represented in 2013 the majority numbers for all education sectors. Also, over 90% of Chinese ELICOS students went on to do further study in Australia in 2012.2 The Australian Financial Review points out that  the most likely reasons why Australia became a destination for so many Chinese students can be due to the increase of the middle class of the country and the geographical proximity to Australia. 3 India still represents the second largest group of international students, even after drastically dropping from 2009 and on. The plunge on numbers came specifically after a series of attacks on Indian students in 2009.4 South Korea comes in third in the represented numbers of granted visa, followed by Malaysia and Brazil. There is also a strong relationship between the Australian Dollar rates with the number of students’ commencements per year. The table below shows the number of students’ commencements versus the average rate for AUD/USD Dollars. Year It becomes even more noticeable when represented in a chart how one factor is influencing the other. The lowest the Australian dollar rate is, the higher the number of commencements becomes. On the other hand, as the Australian dollar rate increases the commencements decreases proportionally. The following data can be seen in the next chart: Chart 1.1. – Students Commencements vs Australian Dollar Rates 2.1Over Performing and Under Performing Sectors Analyzing the numbers of commencements of each area in the last 4 years, it is possible to say that the three Over Performing sectors would be: Higher Education, ELICOS and VET. The three Underperforming sectors are schools, VET and ELICOS. Compared to the three other sectors, the Schools sector is small and has been declining over the past years. To proceed with the study of which sector would be more interesting to invest on, a PESTEL (Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal) and SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) analysis will be made. 2.2 PESTEL Analysis: The following analysis intend to identify the Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal Australian conditions, in order to provide enough data to clearly present its Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats afterwards. Political The Australian Government is a constitutional monarchy, being under a federal system. For that reason, Australia can be considered a stable country. The Government also has innumerous initiatives regarding international students, such as the International Students Strategy of Australia. With those initiatives, Australia’s Government acknowledges the importance of international students for the country and seeks to protect the country’s reputation for high-quality education and for being a safe, welcoming and culturally diverse place to live.7 Economical The Australian economy has experienced continuous growth and also features contained inflation. It is one of the largest capitalist economies in the world with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$998.3 billion (2013 est). The service sector dominates the economy, accounting for about 70% of GDP and 75% of jobs. 8The unemployment rates are considered low (6.1% in September of 2014), however the part-time employment has decreased recently.  Those numbers may affect international students, since they can only work on part-time contracts. The Australian Dollar Currency has been maintained stable over the past few years, valuing 0.88 US dollars in October 2014. A strong currency is a factor of great impact on international students, since the exchange rates may affect their decision. 9 Social Australia population is composed by a majority of white people (92%), followed by Asians (7%) and aboriginal and other (1%). The official language is English, which is one the main reasons for international students to choose it as a destination. It’s considered a welcoming country for people from overseas. Australia is also known per its high quality of life, safeness and great education institutions. Environmental The weather conditions and the natural landscape in Australia are positive aspects of the country when seen by students. Travelling interest has a major impact on students’ decision. Technological Australia is a modern country that invests in constant evolution of its Technology. The Government invests heavily in national science agencies, as well as providing about AU$2.5 billion to Universities10 to support research and research training activities, and this is complemented by research funding from the private sector, non-profit organizations and state governments. That factor might influences in the Higher Education numbers for international students. Analyzing the worldwide situation, we can also point out that the technological changes have been providing advances in several sectors, as well as education. With the improvement in technological resources and Internet speed, a wide variety of courses online are being offered – even by top quality know universities. That factor might also have great influence in students’ decision. Legal There are many requirements for applying to a student VISA in Australia,  which had also been in constant change throughout the last few years. Most of the Government reforms were introduced in response to the Knight Review (2011) of Australia’s student visa system, such as the streamlined visa processing and new arrangements for post-study work visas. At the same time that changes came to facilitate the students’ application, it can give a negative image to international students, since there’s always a risk of changes in the law if there’s an interest to renew their VISA. 2.3 SWOT The following SWOT analyses will provide data about the education industry as well as the sectors in Australia, pointing out its Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths High-quality education: Australia is a worldwide destination to many students by its top quality of education. Australia’s English language teaching is mainly highly regarded worldwide. Permission to work and study: The student visa permission to work up to 40 hours fortnightly is a decision factor by many students that have to work while studying. Proximity to Asian countries: Considering that many Asian countries look for English speaking countries to study, Australia stands out for its proximity to the continent. Highest quality of life: Australian has the highest quality of life in the world, according to the OECD Better Life Index organization, analyzing the categories: income, housing, jobs, community, education, environment, civic engagement, health, life satisfaction, safety, and work-life balance. Tourist VISA and working Holiday students: Many international students come to Australia through tourist visas or working holyday visas, being allowed to study ELICOS to up to 14 weeks in the first case and 4 months in the second one. That gives an extra advantage for this sector, since they are easier to apply to. Weakness VISA requirements: Australian VISA requirements changed recently in 2012, accepting the recommendations of Knight11. Event though it brought positive changes to facilitate the VISA process, the constant changes in VISA requirements might make long term students consider if any changes will still come up. High price and competitors’ countries quality: Australia was  pointed by a HSBC report as the most expensive destination for higher education for international students. Besides that, when it comes to perceived quality of higher education, it was ranked in 5th by Chinese parents (staying behind USA, UK, Germany and Hong Kong). 12 Opportunities Growth in numbers of higher education international students: a new British Council report has predicted that the number of international students of higher education will reach 3.8 million by 2014.13 Strengthening of the student VISA from Canada and USA: With modifications in student VISA requirements of competitors’ countries, Australia comes up as an option for new students. Major events in the country: Major events are frequently being held by Australia, calling international attention and being an extra reason for students to choose the country as a destination. The Commonwealth games, which will be held in 2018 in the Gold Coast, might have a big influence in student numbers, especially for short-term courses (such as ELICOS). Students’ progression from different sectors: Many students progress from ELICOS to higher education or VET, most likely had been on a package arrangement where the ELICOS study was a precondition for undertaking the next course. 14 Threats Changes in New Zealand student visa: The recent changes in New Zealand student visa now allows more English language students to work part-time, becoming a even bigger competitor to Australia as an destination.15 Crimes against international students: Any crimes and racist acts against international students have an impact in international students numbers. With the murder of four international students in Brisbane since November of 201316, the exposure by national and international media can damage the safeness image of the country. 3.0 Approach for research After our secondary research about the education market in Australia, a qualitative study was made with international students in order to find out the reasons and influences that made them choose to study in the country. An  online questionnaire was made and answered by 18 students. 3.1 Qualitative Analysis The nationalities interviewed were: Brazil, USA, Chile, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic and France, from which 61% were Brazilians, 11% Italians and 28% of each other nationality. Chart 03 – Nationalities Half of the students are enrolled on ELICOS courses, one third on VET and 17% on Higher Education. None of the interviewed is studying on secondary school. The schools of study vary between the following: ILSC Brisbane, Shafston, Queensford, ALS, Queensland Academy of Technology, TAFE, Bond University, University of Western Australia, Australian College Sports and  Fitness, Hetc Harvest, VIVA College and Melbourne University. All the interviewed students declared that their experience in Australia has been positive so far and 67% would enroll for another course in the country and consider living in Australia permanently (from which 22% are current ELICOS students). More than half of the students (56%) considered studying in a different country before choosing Australia, being mentioned the following: New Zealand, Canada, USA, Ireland, South Africa, UK and Germany. An open question also asked the students to describe briefly why their experience in Australia has been positive or negative, and it was mentioned the different cultures/nationalities present in the country, opportunity to meet new people, personal and professional growing, independence, improvement of English, great quality of life, good weather, new challenges and travelling (Refer to appendix 1 for further details). 4.0 Recommended Sector The following section will explain which sector have been identified as the best business opportunity, based on the interpretations of marketing trends and qualitative analysis sections of this project. Based on the report findings, we can see that two sector are in great advantage: Higher Education and ELICOS. While Higher Education has been the sector over performing in the last years, the forecast for that sector may  not be favorable – especially due to the competition of different countries that offer lower costs of studying and are increasing high-quality study reputation. To open a new University or other Higher Education school would be a great risk for investors, considering that it would take time to build their brand awareness and reputation. More than that, the costs for buying an existing private institution would be much greater in that sector. The second over performing sector was considered ELICOS, since the numbers of commencements and enrolments have been increasing constantly. When it comes to ELICOS, it is also an entry door to other courses in Australia – as many students that proceed from ELICOS to VET or Higher Education. ELICOS students may also be on student visas (currently around 60%) or visitor, working holiday or other VISAS (around 40%).17 ELICOS sector is also divided in a wide range of courses, where as the main courses offered in Australia are: General English, English for Academic Purposes, Exam Preparation Course, English for Special Purposes, English for Teaching and Study Tour. These options are closely aligned to the need of the students, attracting all sorts of international students. 4.1Competitor Analysis ELICOS courses are provided in a wide range of institutions and sectors. According to the Knights review (2011), the ELICOS activities occur in almost all parts of the international education sector: â€Å"Unpublished National English Language Training (ELT) Accreditation Scheme (NEAS) research shows that of the 269 active providers in 2010, 100 were stand†alone ELICOS providers, 99 were private VET providers and another 18 were publicly owned VET providers, 32 were universities and the remaining 20 were schools. The numbers of ELICOS students in the different providers also varied significantly. 24 providers had a capacity for 50 or less students. 81 providers had a capacity for between 51 and 150 students. But more than half of all registered providers, 164, had a capacity for more than 150 students at a time.† (KNIGHT, 2011, p. 64)18 Considering that data, it is a better investment to buy an existing institution than opening a new one, since there are a wide number of competitors already. Since the majority of students choose to study in New  South Wales, as we can see per the chart below, the best investment would be in NSW state. Chart 07 – International Student Enrolments & Commencements by State and Territory (2010) Source: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features20Dec+2011 – accessed on 30/10/14 The private VET providers that also offer ELICOS as an option can be considered a good investment option, since AEI researches show that 23% of ELICOS students in Australia eventually progressed to VET. 19 New South Wales Government also tells that Private VET colleges and institutions are very popular with international students, with the majority of international students in NSW studying at a private college.20 That data confirms that a private ELICOS institution that also offers VET will be a good choice. The following private schools in Sydney stand out as options that provide ELICOS and VET courses: ILSC Education Group: ELICOS and VET provider Since the number of students and financial reports of each institution are not publicly available, there isn’t enough data to point with certainty which school would be a better option for investment. However, a more detailed analysis can be made as a secondary step of this report. 5.0 Conclusion This report objective has been centred on identifying the over performing  sectors on the industry of education, which we believe have been successfully reached. The data provided will give be used by the Group April to decide which sector is the most promisor. We would recommend Group April to closely look at potential schools with extensive knowledge and good reputation, besides being costly competitive and well located. Finally, throughout the whole project, attention was maintained to remain realistic based on the investor budget and interest in industry. The findings of the interpreting trends section as a whole were summarized in a SWOT analysis table to facilitate its understanding. Considering the overview of the over performing sectors the best choice considered for investment was the ELICOS sector, since is growing at a very good pace. SLIC will remained opened for further discussion of the content of this report, as well as for conducting a second phase of research. Question: Describe briefly why did you found your experience in Australia positive: Student 1. â€Å"I had a substantial improvement in my English level at the same time I could know different cultures (not just Australian) and met many interesting people.† Brazil, Male, 21-25 years old, ELICOS Student Student 2. â€Å"Because there are many differences between Brazil and Australia. Most of the social problems that we have in Brazil are almost nonexistent here. The quality of life is extraordinary.† Brazil, Male, 26-30 years old, ELICOS student Student 3: â€Å"Positive: Friendly citizens, Weather, Good opportunities of work† Brazil, Male, 26-30 years old, ELICOS student Student 4: â€Å"To be completely independent, Know about new cultures; Learn new languages† Chile, Male, 26-30 years old, ELICOS student Student 5: â€Å"Due to the people I met† Spain, Male, 26-30 years old, ELICOS student Student 6: â€Å"Because Australia still giving me a lot of opportunities to grow personal and professional.† Brazil, Male, 26-30 years old, VET student Student 7: â€Å"New experience and challenges, meeting new people, improving my English, travelling† Czech republic, Female, 31-40 years old, ELICOS student Student 8: â€Å"Good people, opportunity to work, grow up by myself.† Brazil, Female, 26-30 years old, VET student