Prepare for a Test That Is 3 Months Away

If youre preparing to take a standardized test like the SAT or GRE (among others), you need months—not weeks or days—to get ready. Now, some people will try to prepare for a test like this by cramming at the last minute, but those people rarely achieve good test scores! In your case, youve given yourself three months, so you have plenty of time to study for whichever standardized test youre taking. This schedule should help you prepare for a test that is three months away. Month 1 Week 1 Make sure youve registered for your exam!Buy a test prep bookReview the test basics: whats on the test, length, price, test dates, registration facts, testing strategies, etc.Get a baseline score. Take one of the full-length practice tests inside the book to see what score youd get if you took the test today.Map out your time with a time management chart to see where test prep can fit in. Rearrange your schedule if necessary to accommodate test prep. Week 2 Review your test prep options if you think that studying on your own will not be ideal!  Choose and purchase a test prep option (tutoring, a different set of books, online courses, classes, etc.)If you are studying on your own, move this schedule up a week and start going into week 3s material. Week 3 Begin coursework with your weakest subject (Subject A) as demonstrated by the baseline score.Learn the components of Subject A fully: types of questions asked, amount of time needed, skills required, methods of solving types of questions, knowledge tested. Acquire the knowledge necessary for this section by searching on the Internet, going through old textbooks, reading articles, etc. Week 4 Answer Subject A practice questions, reviewing answers after each one. Determine where youre making mistakes and correct your methods. Keep learning content of this section. Month 2 Week 1 Take a practice test on Subject A to determine level of improvement from baseline score.Fine-tune A by going over questions missed to determine what level of knowledge youre missing. Reread information until you know it! Week 2 Move on to next weakest subject (Subject B). Learn the components of B fully: types of questions asked, amount of time needed, skills required, methods of solving types of questions, etc.Answer Subject B practice questions, reviewing answers after each one. Determine where youre making mistakes and correct your methods. Week 3 Take a practice test on B to determine level of improvement from baselineFine tune B by going over questions missed to determine what level of knowledge youre missing. Review that material. Week 4 Move on to strongest subject/s (Subject C). Learn the components of C fully (and D and E if you have more than three sections on the test) (types of questions asked, amount of time needed, skills required, methods of solving types of questions, etc.)Answer practice questions on Subject C (D and E). These are your strongest subjects, so youll need less time to focus on them. Month 3 Week 1 Take a practice test on C (D and E) to determine level of improvement from baselineFine tune C (D and E) by going over questions missed to determine what level of knowledge youre missing. Review that material. Week 2 Take a full-length practice test, simulating the testing environment as much as possible with time constraints, desk, limited breaks, etc.Grade your practice test and cross-check every wrong answer with the explanation for your wrong answer. Determine what youve missed and what you need to do to improve. Week 3 Take another full-length practice test, simulating the testing environment again. Again, go through every missed problem, looking for weaknesses. Week 4 Review questions you have missed and answer practice questions related only to those types of questions. Study apps can help you single out these specific types of questions.  Eat brain food.Get plenty of sleepReview test tips to make your test-taking more efficient.Plan some fun evenings to help you relaxThe day before the test,  read through testing strategies for the exam.Pack your testing supplies the night before: an approved calculator if youre allowed to have one, sharpened #2 pencils with a soft eraser, registration ticket, photo ID, watch, snacks or drinks for breaks. Get plenty of sleep the night before, making sure you dont change your routine from your normal routine.  Relax. You studied for your test and youre ready to go!

Cell Phones And Electronic Devices Essay - 1450 Words

Evidence of Cell phones and electronic devices are changing our notions of communication seen in â€Å"Dead Man’s Cell Phone† Today, in the society we are part of, we have the resources to communication in a variety of ways other than conventional in person conversations we are custom to. The main reason for this is because of the existence development of technology and the wide interest in this technology from people around the world. Technology is taking a vital role in our culture and they ways we communicate with each other. Now more than ever before, devices like; cell phones, tablets and laptops are the preferred method of interaction. In fact, society is placing an excessive amount of emphasis on technology and the urgency of having a smartphone, it’s not unusual to see two people in the same room communicating by â€Å"texting† rather than having a face-to-face conversation. As a result, smart phones have become one of the most influential aspects of our lives. In the play â€Å"Dead Man’s Cell Phone,† Sarah Ruhl relays our obsession with our smartphones through her theme , characters and language. 1 The script beings with Jean a woman who finds a man dead at a cafe with his cell phone ringing, and she feels compelled to answer it. The main theme discussed in the play is technology. However, Raul establishes a deeper message through the use of technology. Raul creates personal connections of life and death to technology. While discussing the perception of the ways technology hasShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Cell Phones And Other Electronic Devices1453 Words   |  6 PagesThis report will focus on two informative images Radiation from Cell Phones and Other Electronic Devices[2] and Graphic Science: A World of Food Delivered to America s Doorstep[1]. These two visuals are taken from Science American website and the author for both visuals is Mark Fischetti who is a senior editor at this website. Obviously, the first visual introduces the different intensity of radiation and talks about cell phone radiation is not a threat to human health. The target audience forRead MoreCell Ph ones Should Be Allowed in School802 Words   |  4 Pageshave a cell phone or any device to contact your parents. There won’t be any chance that you and your parents could contact each other. What would you do? How would you feel? It seems to me that if cell phones were allowed in schools, students could contact their parents easier and people could stay in touch. Therefore, cell phones should be allowed to be used in schools. For one, cell phones could provide students with academic help. According to Apple, about 1.5 million of their electronic devicesRead MoreCell Phones are Dangerous785 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ Cell Phones are dangerous Cell phones have consistently evolved both in function and design ever since Dr.Martin Cooper first invented the wireless handset in 1973. In those days, cell phones were merely used to make calls and store numbers. Contemporarily, the cell phone has evolved into a multifunction device with heterogeneous functions added including video camera, text messenger and so forth. As a result, this has changed in the way people use the cell phone. Despite all the obviousRead MoreHistory of Chemistry: Improvement in Battery Technology Essay909 Words   |  4 Pagespossible for our generation to have computers, electric cars, alarm clocks, hand held devices, cell phones, and many other electrical devices. Many electrical devices that we use today need a small amount of electricity to make them work. (1) They get it from a battery. Chemicals work together inside a battery to make electricity. The electricity travels through wires to make many of the electrical devices work. The battery stops working when the chemicals are used up. A flashlight bulb lightsRead MoreAre Texting And Driving Laws Strong Enough?1596 Words   |  7 PagesAre Texting and Driving Laws Strong Enough? What started as a morning full of joy and energy for a young woman in North Carolina on April 24, 2014, ended in tragedy that same morning. Ann Sanford, was driving while using her phone to update her Facebook page; the police report indicated that the latest update to her social page was made at 8:33 am Thursday. The latest update of the young Ann Sanford read The happy song makes me happy While she was updating his profile on the social site FacebookRead MoreSmart Phones And Class Rooms1464 Words   |  6 PagesSmart Phones in Class Rooms One of the worst massacre murders to ever occur in an American High School building was the 1999 shooting rampage at Columbine High school in Littleton Colorado. There were 12 students and one teacher who lost their lives because of this incident. Some schools across the country made new policies to allow students to carry cell phones as a means to feel safe. After this incident however, there were schools that continue to ban them. Those schools that don’t allow cell phonesRead MoreDistracted Driving Argument Paper1574 Words   |  7 Pageswireless communications is presenting a growing concern for distracted driving due to using cell phones and other electronic devices while driving. Although distracted driving accidents and fatalities have risen in the last decade, placing a ban on the use of a cell phone or other electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle as some states have will not resolve the issue. In fact a ban on cell phones and driving may very well increas e the accident and fatality rate because drivers are now moreRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Cell Phone Use In The Classroom1578 Words   |  7 PagesCell phones are disruptive and frowned upon in the classroom. Despite the access smartphones give us to the world around us. Several reasons such as it being looked at as a barometer for engaging the current lecture. What can we do to instead incorporate mobile technology into the curriculum? Can this negative view of cell phones in the classroom be changed? To obtain more knowledge about my topic, I researched the causes, percentages of student cell phone use as well as related but more specificRead MoreMobile Phones And Electronics Particularly On Mobile Devices1327 Words   |  6 Pagesextensively dependent on electronics particularly on mobile devices. There are various mobile electronic devices: laptop, tablet, and cellular phone to name a few. In the early 1990’s even with the bulkiness students started bringing cellula r phones to school back then. Schools began to place a restriction on the use of mobile phones in the classroom. Initially, the cell phone was only able to make calls and receive calls. 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Foundations of Corporate Governance †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Foundations of Corporate Governance. Answer: Introduction: There are number of firms which contribute in the economic development and also in the development of society, but still there is mistrust in the society related to business organizations. As stated by Primeaux and Stieber there is popular misconception that business only seeks self-governing objectives and does not care about the society which means they just want to maximize their profit even at the cost of consumer, community, and the environment. Therefore, profit making is considered as most important factor of any business organization[1]. On the other hand, there are number of researchers who argue that business organizations must run their business ethically. As per these arguments, business organizations are responsible towards the society as they are earning from the society. Ethical decision making and leadership is considered as basis of ethical organizations, and various other factors are also there which are included in this list such as corporate social responsibility, sustainability, triple bottom line, and other similar factors[2]. This paper states the arguments related to business ethics and profitability, their importance, and also the balance between the two. Lastly, paper is concluded with brief conclusion which contains the summary of the facts and also state which factor overrides the other factor. Literature Review on Business Ethics: Business ethics is usually divided into forms that are normative ethics which mainly depends on the moral philosophy and theology, and this theory guides the individuals how they should behave. Other form of descriptive ethics which mainly directs the management of the business and it mainly deals with the actual behavior of the individual (Donaldson and Dunfee, 1994[3]; Trevino and Weaver, 1994[4]). However, both the theories related to ethics are equally important, and both play important role in descriptive ethical decision making in the business. There are number of theoretical models which recognize the descriptive ethics that are mid 1980s and early 1990s (Jones, 1991)[5]. These models generally built on Rest (1986) originals framework which mainly emphasis on moral decision making and states that moral decision making include four components that are moral nature of an issue, making a moral judgment, establishing moral intent, and engaging in moral action[6]. Now day firms play very important roles in our lives, and sometime we completely fail to realize the importance of their presence and function of providing goods and services which makes our lives so much easier. This can be understood through example which states that people of generation 1960 grows with the rise of computing such as IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Apple, Oracle, Sun, Cysco, and many others. Thanks to the power of computers and speed in processing the information because of which numbers of processes have been identified in almost all the fields related to human activity such as education, medicine, manufacturing, transportation, etc. it usually covers almost all the basic and other needs of human beings. Introduction of computers were considered as revolution related to information, and its comparison with the social impact is considered by Gutenberg printing press in the 15th century. Now no one can imagine the world without internet and companies such as Google, Facebook, twitter, etc. contribution of this information revolution is goes beyond the fulfillment of basic general needs of human beings. It must be noted that this revolution extend to those remote areas also where still human rights are under threat. Therefore, in case of free economies, firms perform their social roles by manufacturing the goods and providing the services which are demanded by the people or might be demanded in future. Therefore, in competitive markets maximization of profit creates job in the process of production, and introduce those goods in markets which are wanted by consumers at the smallest possible cost quoted by the technical constraints. This activity helps in generate the surplus related to consumers, which is defined as the difference between the willingness of consumers to pay for the goods and what is actually paid by the consumers to get the goods. In this context this activity is considered as ethical because in this situation god for the company is also good for everyone. This argument is stated by Primeaux and Stieber (1994: 289), and they stated when any business maximize its profit which means allocate resources in efficient manner, now people have more things to fulfill their demand and it is considered as ethical business with profit maximization. If these activities does not maximize the profit which means does not allocate the resources in efficient manner and demands of the people are not met then it is considered as bad. Adam Smith outlined the good ethical outcome many years ago. He is the father of modern economics and with the help of invisible hand metaphor he developed this good ethical outcome in case of those firms which are driven by self-interest only. These firms are defined as level one by Wagner-Tsukamoto (2007) in context of moral agency firm[7]. As per referred by Goodpaster and Mathews (1982), competition in market for the purpose of delivering an ethical quality independent and any moral projections of the managers as the systemic morality related to market economy. Therefore, in context of ethic manager of hypothetical neoclassical firm can go beyond the immoral decision making[8]. As stated by Athannassoulis (2004)[9], if any function is involved then good thing is considered when all the functions are performed well. This can be understood through example which states that knife has function to cut and it performs its functions in well manner when it cuts well. Therefore, if any manager wants to maximize the profit must first minimize the cost, and the goal of manager is to efficient use of scarce resources is high on the agenda of neoclassical firm. Real world are completely different from the perfect competition in many situations, and there are number of neoclassical economist who are agree that state must consider a nd take actions to correct the market failure or unacceptable wealth inequality[10]. Benefit to Society from adopting the approach related to Business Ethics: Generally, people think that business is established for making profits, and business organizations make profit at every cost. In other words, business organizations are not ethical and business is the pool of greed. From last few years, this conception has been changed. Fact that business organizations earns profit through unethical way is proved false because there are number of companies which are good and contribute in the development of society which means there are number of peoples who are doing right thing. Now business organizations try to solve the major issues face by society at global level, and there are number of peoples who believe this fact. After observing things from last three decades, it can be said that number of things are changed[11]. Thousands of business organization are working for making the world better place, and add value to the daily lives of the people. Therefore it is necessary to change the view we think about the business especially during the period of global financially crises in which old concept of profit maximization. As per the stakeholders theory, stakeholders are the owners of the business and business organizations bear primary responsibility towards them. In other words, business organization must earn profit for their stakeholders such as suppliers, investors, employees, customers, and the community. The old concept related to business stated that main aim of business is to earn profits. This concept is based on the approach that breathing is the main purpose of life and in similar way most important aim of business is to earn profit. The only difference is that business is conducted by passionate entrepreneur for the purpose of fulfilling their dreams to change the world. This can be understood through example, John Mackey, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market is the great and successful business leaders who practice conscious capitalism[12]. As per john, those business men who want to make money start business out of passion. He further stated, Physicians make money but there main aim is to heal, teachers make profit but also educates the society. There is one more example; CEO Tom Gardner of Motley Fools main mission is to help people for becoming better investors. CEO of The Container Store that is Kip Tindell explains that he believes in taking good care of 6000 employees will result in taking good care of consumers by employees, and this result in profit[13]. After considering the above facts, it become clear that if organization management work ethically and good then organization definitely earns profit, and if organization management does not work ethically and good then organization does not earns profit for long term. Usually, profit is described as earning more money than it spends. Distribution of profit is decided by the owners themselves and it also play key role in motivating the employees to earn ethically[14]. There are number of companies who earn profit through ethical ways but there are some companies also who earn profit by choosing unethical way. Many companies are there which toe the line between the ethical perspective of the business and profitable perspective of the business, and sometimes this line is crossed while making profits for the organization. Those companies which cross this line for making the profits face various legal issues and issues related to their reputation by proving costly and damaging their brand. A recent example related to this is Recreational Data Services (RDS), this company is the small Alaskan software company won a $51.3 million settlement over GPS giant, Trimble Navigation. In this, Trimble was forced to pay the RDS for loss of earnings after being found guilty of stealing the confidential information of RDs and also create carbon copy of the same project. This example make it clear that main aim of CEO is to maximize the profit of the business for sa tisfying the demands of Pushy shareholders who wants higher returns on their investment. However, it is also the obligation of CEO to maximize the profit by choosing ethical way[15]. Justice and Normative morality in business ethics: There are number of business insolvencies which are occurred without any signal, and these business collapses affected all the related parties such as shareholders and stakeholders. This is the only reason because of which all related parties must force on good corporate governance which must be complied by the company. Theory of justice was developed by the John Rawls in his book, and this theory is against the idea generated by Utilitarianism theory. Utilitarianism theory sated that outcome is considered ethical if it provide benefit to the maximum number of people, but on other side some people also get negative effect from this theory. However, it is possible that some people or minority group would get bad outcome from the decision, therefore there is need to establish the rule which solve this unfair result. From the justice theory of Rawls a fair social contract can be introduced from the original position and as per this position all the members are put in the state of ignora nce and no one has knowledge related to their position in the society. Each member has no awareness related to their social advantage and disadvantage, which means person does not have any knowledge, related to their own future what they become in society in future. This situation is possible with any individual either belongs to highest class or lower class in the society. Therefore, it is necessary that social contract must be designed in fair manner because everyone wants the contract to be fair for every position stated in Constitution. Therefore, rule must not be designed in favor of particular person, and the original position has two principles which result in justice of fairness. First principle is related to equality which states that everyone has same right, opportunity, and liberty. Second principle is related to inequality in context of social and economic reasons, and the unbalances have been managed by allowing the greatest advantage to the less disadvantaged group. After considering these above stated principles rule of justice and fairne ss is stated in the context of corporate governance. A theory of justice in part of the original position can be applied to use in the moral reasoning by considering the original position stated above without any bias[16]. Normative theory consists three theories that are stockholder theory, stakeholder theory, Social contract theory. On current basis, stockholder theory is not accepted by ethics community, but shareholder theory is adopted by various communities of business. This context is not right as stakeholder theory is not an outward theory[17]. Other Theories: Agency theory is considered as the relationship between the principles of the corporate which includes shareholders with the agents such as executives and managers. As per this theory, shareholders appoint agents for the purpose of performing their work. Clarke (2004[18]) stated that principles delegate their work for running the business to the directors or mangers that are considered as shareholders agents. As per the argument stated by Daily et al (2003) two factors influence the existence of this theory. First factor states that theory is conceptually simple which just consider the corporation of shareholders and managers[19]. Second factor states that both employees and managers in the organizations are self- interested, and this theory expects that agents must take decision in the best interest of their principles. This problem was first highlighted by Adam Smith in the 18th Century and after that investigated by Ross (1973). However this theory is fades away with the changing context of Corporation[20]. Other theory in this context is political theory, and this theory brings the approach of developing the voting support from the shareholders instead of purchasing the votes. Therefore, political influence play very important role in corporate governance and it direct the corporate governance in organization[21]. Interest of general public is much reserved as government participates in decision making of corporate. Various cultural challenges are taking into consideration and political model also highlights the allocation related to power of corporate, profits, and other privileges are determined in developments of government. From last few years, government of country has been seen to have strong influence in context of politics on the firms. Therefore, it is clear from the above facts that politics entered into the government structures and other corporate governance[22]. Conclusion: After considering the above facts, it is clear that both ethics and profit play important role in the business administration, and while maximizing their profits business must consider the ethics. Usually, business is established for making profits, and business organizations make profit at every cost. In other words, business organizations are not ethical and business is the pool of greed. From last few years, this conception has been changed. Fact that business organizations earns profit through unethical way is proved false because there are number of companies which are good and contribute in the development of society which means there are number of peoples who are doing right thing. Therefore, after considering the above facts both ethics and profits are necessary to sustain the business. References Edward Freeman, (2014). Darden Ideas to Action, https://ideas.darden.virginia.edu/2014/08/is-profit-the-purpose-of-business/, Accessed on 18th October 2017. HBR, (1980). Strategic Management for Competitive Advantage, https://hbr.org/1980/07/strategic-management-for-competitive-advantage, Accessed on 18th October 2017. Law Teacher, Company Ethics And Profit, https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/business-law/company-ethics-and-profit.php, Accessed on 18th October 2017. Linked in. Ethical Business vs Maximizing Profits, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141006191205-68335342-ethical-business-vs-maximizing-profits, Accessed on 18th October 2017. Law Teacher. A Theory Of Justice, https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/business-law/a-theory-of-justice-business-law-essay.php, Accessed on 18th October 2017. John, H. The Normative Theories of Business Ethics: A Guide for the Perplexed, https://www.jstor.org/stable/3857520?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents, Accessed on 18th October 2017. Athanassoulis, N., 2004. Virtue Ethics,https://www.iep.utm.edu/v/virtue.htm, Accessed on 18th October 2017. Bnabou, Roland and Jean Tirole, 2010, Individual and corporate social responsibility, Economica, 77, 305, pp. 1-19. Primeaux, Patrick and John Stieber, 1994, Profit maximization: The ethical mandate of business, Journal of Business Ethics, 13, 4, pp. 287-294. Camenisch, Paul F., 1987, Profit: Some moral reflections, Journal of Business Ethics, 6, 3, pp. 225-231. Donaldson, T., Dunfee, T.W. 1994Toward a Unified Conception of Business Ethics. Integrative Social Contracts TheoryAcademy of Management Review19252284. Trevio, L.K., Weaver, G.R. 1994Business Ethics/Business Ethics. One Field or Two?Business Ethics Quarterly4113128. Jones, Donald G. and Helen Troy: 1982, A Bibliography of Business Ethics: 19761980 (Colgate Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Virginia). Rest, James R.: 1979, Development in Judging Moral Issues (University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN). Wagner-Tsukamoto, Sigmund, 2007, Moral Agency, Profits and the firm: Economic revisions to the Friedman theorem, Journal of Business Ethics, 70, 2, pp. 209-220. Goodpaster, Kenneth E. and John B. Mathews, Jr., 1982, Can corporations have a conscience?, Harvard Business Review, January-February, pp. 1-9. Beger, Ida E., Cunningham, Peggy H and Minette E. Drumwright, 2007, Mainstream corporate social responsibility: Developing markets for virtue, California Management Review, 49, 4, pp. 132-146. Clark, T. (2004) Theories of Corporate Governance: The Philosophical Foundations of Corporate Governance London and New York: Routledge. Daily, C.M., Dalton, D.R. and Canella, A.A. (2003) Corporate Governance: Decades of Dialogue and Data. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 371-382. Ross, S.A. (1973) The Economic Theory of Agency: The Principals Problem. The American Economic Review, Vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 134-139. Pound, J. (1993) Proxy Contest And The Efficiency Of Shareholder Oversight. Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 20, pp. 237-265. Hawley, J.P. and Williams, A.T. (1996) Corporate Governance in the United States: The Rise Of Fiduciary Capitalism. Working Paper, Saint Mary's College of California, School of Economics and Business Administration.

The Last Of The Mohicans By James Fenimore Cooper (1789 - 1851) Essays

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (1789 - 1851) The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (1789 - 1851) Type of Work: Historical romance Setting Upper New York region; 1757 Principal Characters Hawkeye (Natty Bumppo), , a skilled white scout and frontiersman Chingachgook, , Hawkeye's lifelong Mohican (Delaware) friend Uncas, , Chingachgook's son and last heir to the title of chief of the Mohican tribe Major Duncan Heyward, , Hawkeye's Scottish soldier-friend David Gainut, , a psalm singer, and comical, naive, self-proclaimed missionary Magua (Le Renard Subtil--- "The Sly Fox"), a dis placed and bloodthirsty Canadian Huron Indian Colonel Munro, , defender of British Fort Henry Alice Munro, , fair and innocent daughter of Colonel Munro Cora Munro, her darker, elder half-sister, and the story's real heroine Story Overveiw War between England and France had spilled over into the North American continent. There, amid the various Indian tribal conflicts, a small party set out from the British Fort Edward toward Fort William Henry, defended by the Scottish veteran, Colonel Munro. Major Duncan Heyward, ordered to escort Colonel Munro's two daughters, Cora and Alice, to Fort William Henry, was followed by a tall, awkward, psalm singing missionary, David Gamut. Fort Edward's troops were in a weakened state. Now Major Heyward, in an attempt to reach Munro's fort before the French forces led by Montcalm could surround it, hired a renegade Huron Indian guide known as Magua, who claimed to know of a shorter route to their destination. But now, after traveling most of the day and finding themselves still only a few miles from Fort Edward, they at last decided the guide must be lost. Late that same afternoon, a seasoned white scout bearing the fitting name of Hawkeye, sat by a stream conversing with his Delaware Mohican friend Chingachgook. By their dress and weaponry it was obvious that they were not allied with the French or the Iriquois. The Indian lamented aloud the sad history of his people, who had dwindled after they foolishly parted with their land. He ended with a vision of his own death: "I am on the hill-top, and must go down into the valley; and when Uncas follows in my footsteps, there will no longer be any of the blood of the [Delaware], for my boy is the last of the Mohicans." As if conjured up by his father's words, another voice announced, "Uncas is here! Who speaks to Uncas?" and stepping between the two, a young warrior seated himself. Soon the three men heard "the horses of white men" approaching, and Hawkeye was appointed to speak to them in his native English tongue. He went out to meet Heyward's group. When told that the Indian guide, who was by this time lurking in the shadows, had lost his way, Hawkeye doubtingly asked what tribe he belonged to. He was Mohawk by birth, but an adopted Huron, came the reply. At this, both Chingachgook and Uncas sprang to their feet. "A Huron!" spat the scout. "They are a thievish race, nor do I care by whom they are adopted .... I should like to look at the creature." Now, Magua saw that his plan to betray Heyward and kidnap Munro's daughters had been foiled, and he fled into the forest. Hawkeye and the Mohicans, sensing the danger the little party now faced, agreed to see them safely to Fort William Henry. But as Hawkeye had feared, Magua and his fellow Hurons gave chase. The woodsman guided his travelers to an island cave and hid them behind a waterfall; but they had been too closely followed, and the cave was soon under attack. With little ammunition, the capture of the little group was certain. In order to secure their only chance for rescue, Cora gallantly persuaded Hawkeye and the Mohicans to try an escape - which they managed to do by swimming underwater downriver. Captured, Cora and Alice were taken by Magua on a path leading far away from the fort. As they walked, Magua spoke privately to Cora. Long ago, he divulged, after drinking the white man's firewater, he had lost control of himself, and Colonel Munro had ordered that he be publicly beaten. Magua's plan of revenge for this humiliation was to take Munro's daughter as his wife and slave. Cora hid her fear and responded calmly: she would not go with him. In fury Magua was about to massacre the whole lot, when Hawkeye and his comrades rushed the camp, killing all the Hurons - except their villainous leader, who once again escaped. The group then journeyed on in the darkness toward Fort William Henry. It was dawn when Hawkeye

Free Essays on Workaholism

A Case of Market Culture: Workaholism There is an addiction that is prevalent in our society and of rising concern. Workaholism is a very modern concept which society tends not to recognise it as a problem. It is not a traditional type of addiction, and one that still isn’t fully understood. The effects of workaholism are far more severe than people realise. There is a fine line between loving to work and workaholism, which is a line that is very difficult to define. Even the difference between wanting to succeed and being a workaholic is minor. In order to find this point, certain considerations must be made. Consideration of the cultural values of a society is essential, because the expectations in different cultures differ vastly. The individual psychology of a person should be evaluated, because it is not society as a whole that holds the beliefs of a workaholic. Obsession with work threatens health, relationships, communities and the environment (Sumner, 2003). It is a subculture that has become part of our lives and can have great impact on society. The problem of workaholism exists when work success is seen as a measure of our self-worth. Hard-workers are acknowledged and appreciated in society and so it is difficult to see it as a hazard. This is why it is such an unassuming subculture. People become addicted to work for a number of reasons, including the innate desire to be successful. Work is satisfying to people because they like to succeed and jobs are a medium to measure their success. People have goals that they strive to achieve, and when they attain them they have internal feelings of pride, a sense of accomplishment and achievement. Over achieving can result in praise and promotion, and therefore, success. A workaholic is an overachiever that cannot differentiate between work and their personal lives. Many people in the workforce are faced with workaholism because balancing personal and career demands can be a ma... Free Essays on Workaholism Free Essays on Workaholism A Case of Market Culture: Workaholism There is an addiction that is prevalent in our society and of rising concern. Workaholism is a very modern concept which society tends not to recognise it as a problem. It is not a traditional type of addiction, and one that still isn’t fully understood. The effects of workaholism are far more severe than people realise. There is a fine line between loving to work and workaholism, which is a line that is very difficult to define. Even the difference between wanting to succeed and being a workaholic is minor. In order to find this point, certain considerations must be made. Consideration of the cultural values of a society is essential, because the expectations in different cultures differ vastly. The individual psychology of a person should be evaluated, because it is not society as a whole that holds the beliefs of a workaholic. Obsession with work threatens health, relationships, communities and the environment (Sumner, 2003). It is a subculture that has become part of our lives and can have great impact on society. The problem of workaholism exists when work success is seen as a measure of our self-worth. Hard-workers are acknowledged and appreciated in society and so it is difficult to see it as a hazard. This is why it is such an unassuming subculture. People become addicted to work for a number of reasons, including the innate desire to be successful. Work is satisfying to people because they like to succeed and jobs are a medium to measure their success. People have goals that they strive to achieve, and when they attain them they have internal feelings of pride, a sense of accomplishment and achievement. Over achieving can result in praise and promotion, and therefore, success. A workaholic is an overachiever that cannot differentiate between work and their personal lives. Many people in the workforce are faced with workaholism because balancing personal and career demands can be a ma...

50 Synonyms for Villain

50 Synonyms for Villain 50 Synonyms for â€Å"Villain† 50 Synonyms for â€Å"Villain† By Mark Nichol The store of synonyms for villain is so well stocked that it seems, well, villainous to employ that relatively colorless word in favor of many worthy substitutes especially in humorous contexts. Here’s a roster of appropriate alternatives. 1. Baddie: a bad person, especially a villain or a villain’s underling in a novel, a film, or a television program (usually lighthearted) 2. Beast: a reprehensible person, especially one with coarse, violent habits 3. Black sheep: an amoral, dishonorable person 3. Blackguard: a reprehensible person 4. Brute: a violent person 5. Bully: a violent person, especially one who intimidates or hurts weaker people 6. Cad: a thoughtless, uncaring man 7. Caitiff: a coward or a reprehensible person 8. Cutthroat: a vicious person 9. Dastard: a coward, or a deceitful or treacherous person 10. Desperado: a criminal, especially in the Old West 11. Devil: an evil person 12. Evildoer: a person who commits evil acts 13. Fiend: a malicious or wicked person; alternatively, an addict, a fanatic, or a person extraordinary talented at something 14. Fink: a reprehensible person (lighthearted) 15. Goon: a man who intimidates, injures, or kills in the service of another 16. Heavy: see baddie (more serious in connotation than its close synonym) 17. Heel: a reprehensible person 18. Henchman: a subordinate to a villain; alternatively, a right-hand man 19. Hoodlum: see bully 20. Hooligan: see bully 21. Hound: a reprehensible person; alternatively, an avid collector or searcher 22. Knave: a deceitful person 23. Malefactor: one who treats another person poorly or commits a crime 24. Meanie: an unkind person (lighthearted) 25. Miscreant: a criminal or a violent person; alternatively, a heretic 26. Monster: an extremely wicked person; alternatively, a cruel or deformed person 27. Ne’er-do-well: a worthless person 28. Outlaw: a fugitive from justice 29. Rapscallion: a dishonest or mean-spirited person; also, a mischievous person (often lighthearted, as are most of its close synonyms) 30. Rascal: see rapscallion 31. Reprobate: a depraved person 32. Rogue: a dishonest or reprehensible person; also, a mischievous person, or a vagrant 33. Rough: a violent person 34. Rowdy: see rough 35. Ruffian: see bully 36. Savage: see brute 37. Scalawag: see rapscallion 38. Scamp: see rapscallion 39. Scapegrace: see rapscallion 40. Scofflaw: a person who flouts laws 41. Scoundrel: see rapscallion 42. Serpent: a treacherous person 43. Shark: a devious person 44. Snake: see serpent 45. Thug: a violent person, often in the employ of another 46. Tough: see rough 47. Varlet: see knave 48. Villainness: a female villain 49. Viper: see serpent 50. Wretch: a reprehensible person; alternatively, a miserable person Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:25 Subordinating Conjunctions26 Feel-Good WordsHow to Write a Proposal

Sex Disparities in the Use of IV Rt-PA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sex Disparities in the Use of IV Rt-PA - Essay Example For the women who are 50 years and above they are less likely to be admitted in the ICU as compared to men. For the women they have to wait for a long time in the emergency section than for the men it has always been believed that men are at more risk when suffering from cancer as compared to the men. A woman suffering from stroke is much different from a man with the same disease. The disease ranges from the symptoms to the treatment process (Gerarld, 2009). ii. Loss of balance and dizziness. When you’re experiencing all this and having trouble when walking one might end up coming to assumptions that it is the intoxication process but these might be one of the symptoms of stroke. v. Severe headaches. When one is suffering from stroke one is likely to experience severe headaches now and then. In a recent study it was noted that 600 patients were found to be experiencing headache women are likely to have headaches than the men. The researchers have indicated that the physicians treat the women who experience stroke in a less aggressive manner than the way they handle men. There are so many differences between thesymptoms of a stroke in a man and in a woman. The rt-PA method of treatment stands for Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator which is an enzyme that has proteins and it helps so much in the breaking of the blood clots. It is a very common method of the treatment of stroke. The research that has been taken in New York it indicates that women have got around 30% lesser odds of getting the treatment using the rt-PA method of treatment. The research has also touched on other sectors and the findings are that women are less likely to receive Thrombolytic treatment in the New York. Thrombolytic treatment of cancer entails the dissolving of the blood clot. The reason why there is a challenge in the chances of women to get thrombolysis is that timeliness

Addiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Addiction - Essay Example Addiction is as a result of many addictive things in the life of a person. For instance, peer pressure is a major contributor to dependency. An individual can abuse a drug or alcohol because one is forced to do so by the group of friends. There are different forms of addiction, and each of addiction poses its series of risks. While alcohol and drug use often begin as voluntary behaviors, addiction prompts chemical alterations in the brain of an individual. It affects memory, behavior, as well as perception of pleasure and pain (Hollander, 2012). If not controlled in time, addiction can have a lot of adverse impacts on the life of an individual. It is, for this reason, individual’s responsibility as well as of the government to control addiction at all cost. It is, for this reason, individual’s responsibility to ensure that one avoids peer influence at whatever cost. Technology is also another factor that can contribute to addiction, and can also be another form of dependency. Once an individual keeps on looking the deeds of other people in other countries will in one way or another distort the mind of a person. Being on the internet every time is also another addiction. However, once a person is affecte d, there will be greater consequences that will significantly affect once lifestyle. Combination of compulsive cravings with prolonged substance abuse can prompt physical consequences in the entire body of an individual (Haugen & Musser, 2013). In addition, the effects of drug addiction can include stress on the organs, respiratory system and venous that can cause a series of physical health issues. Furthermore, medical concerns like depression and anxiety can severely interrupt social and professional life, contributing to mood swings, chronic fatigue and low interest in previous hobbies and significant life events. Apart from the above medical concerns, chronic use of certain substances can result in long-term neurological

Distinguished organization Essay Example for Free

Distinguished organization Essay I have just received your letter awarding me the prestigious Harrison Bankers Club scholarship for this year. I was overwhelmed by the feeling of achievement and happiness, but I must confess, my feeling of deep gratitude for you took better of me. It was the bright Monday morning when I was seriously pondering over my future plans while skimming through the pages of Business Times. Suddenly my eyes were arrested by an advertisement for grant of scholarships by your company. I immediately consulted my father who spoke very high of your organization. I sincerely acknowledge your efforts for taking time to process my application and the wonderful experience I had during the interview. I was impressed by the transparent, methodical and comprehensive procedure undertaken by you to identify the most deserving candidate. Your staff was courteous, friendly and cooperative. What touched me most was your inspiring conversation and intelligent questions you asked. The whole process was a rich learning experience to me. I feel honored and find myself short of words to express my grateful thoughts for your kind approval. Though few and far between, God has placed people like you to make the earth a beautiful place. Your decision will serve in a long way in promoting the cause of research work I have been always been interested in. It was my long cherished dream to contribute to the fast expanding study of biotechnology, but honestly speaking, the financials constraints held me back. Now I consider it my foremost priority to ensure by all means that my work adds further value to your distinguished organization. I again thank you for your favorable consideration and remain grateful ever for the scholarship to help me advance the studies.

Antigone and Ismene :: English Literature Essays

Antigone and Ismene Tragic heroes are generally people of high social stature with a tragic flaw that usually manifests itself in the form of poor judgment and arrogance, condemning the hero to a disastrous end and establishing the character’s destiny. Antigone is a tragic heroine deeply conflicted between her virtue and her hubris, personifying courage in her civil disobedience against criminal "leadership." A product of incest, her very existence is shameful, but perhaps this is why Antigone has such a burning desire for righteousness. She has great regard for following tradition, and a compulsion to follow these traditions even at the cost of her own life. Sacrifice is one of her qualities and she is ready to die for what she believes in. She shows disdain for Ismene’s cowardice and tendency to be a fair-weather friend. Her reprisals against traitors are especially fiery. Her concern for family becomes almost an unhealthy obsession, and her selflessness is soon shown to be madness and self-infliction. Being a tragic heroine, she shows excellence of character and bravery, but her fatal flaw is that her will to please the gods is greater than her will to preserve her own life. In the end, uncompromised rigidity is her downfall. She obeys the laws of the gods and is careless about the mortal law’s penalty, her own death. Antigone does not understand the need to act according to humanity’s place in the scheme in things, one’s pleasing of the gods should continue up until the point when it puts ones life in danger. Our heroine shows hubris by breaking the rule of the golden mean, not because she is egotistical, but because her head gets in the clouds when she believes herself to be a high and mighty enforcer of virtue. This is a form of arrogance, which Zeus despises. Her conception of justice is so rigid that she puts herself in harm’s way, which is not at all honorable in the eyes of the Greeks. Her ‘holier than thou’ quest has gone too far, and she is stubborn and irrational, lacking the common sense the Greeks so valued. One example of Antigone’s extremely twisted vision of unbending idealism is when she told Ismene she wouldn’t care if she yelled incriminations about the burial from the rooftops, an unnecessary passion and clear disregard of moderation. The exact opposite of her sister, Ismene is, according to Greek conventional wisdom of the time, functioning ideally in her moderation, aware that it is vital not to overstep her boundaries in the overall scheme of things.

Supporting Career Women

Salvaging Sisterhood: Supporting Career Women Women and the Labor Market: the link grows stronger, by Susan Shank examines women and the emergence of their attachment to the labor market. This article takes a look at the labor market changes of women between the ages 25 and 54. Changes with these ages began throughout the post-World War II period and the rate of increase accelerated in the mid-1960's (Shank, 1988). The author links the rapid changes to various social and economic changes that have occurred in the United States.Historically women stayed home for the large part of their childbearing years, owever during the first world war women entered the workforce after the GI's returns women focused more on traditional family duties. After the Second World War far more women entered the workforce and even upon the return of the soldiers continued to stay in the workforce and those that did leave soon returned to work a few years later. According to age women in the 45 to 54 lead th e return to work postwar period. Rates for the 34 to 44 age group increased as well while 25 to 34 age group hardly changed at all.These were the postwar baby-boom years and most married women orking outside the labor force because of their child and family responsibilities (Shank, 1988). In 1960 women of childbearing in large number numbers began to enter the labor market. The spike in women workforce participants showed a very sharp decline in birth rate during this time period as well. Women began to show greater interest in education and work as time progress and delayed traditional familial norms. Black women had a much higher rate of activity in the workforce postwar than that of white women.The gap has since then narrowed by 1987 the rates for both whites and black women were similar. Hispanic women however were much less likely than black or white women to be apart of the workforce due to high birth rate, generally low educational attainment, and cultural roles that emphasiz e women's home and family roles. Women who where married stayed outside the workforce much longer than those that were single especially with the emergence of divorce and single women pregnancies. In 1987, 79 percent of women under the age of 18 were in the labor force compared to 67 percent for women with children (Shank, 1988).Working women generally were working full time hours 35 hours or more per week, to support heir families voluntarily while only 17 percent worked part time. Sixty-eight percent of women 25 to 54 worked for a full year and an additional 10 percent worked 40 to 49 weeks (Shank, 1988). The article written in 1988 states that there will be a future spike in women's participation in the workforce over the next decade is expected to increase 10 percentage points. I feel this article is an accurate picture of how I see the work force nas changed and the picture ot women today.Women nave become more involved in the workforce, bill paying, as well as family managemen t. This article interests me in terms of career and women because my significant other is the single working woman. From a personal perspective women planning a wedding and participate in pre marriage counseling, may try to examine and resolve some of their feelings about work and â€Å"women's work†. Their partner may have some more traditional views about work while she love it and find herself consumed with the high of a fast-paced extremely full life.I recognize the strain of stretching oneself too thin and figuring out how to manage married life, the balance of spousal needs and her routine eelings of her independent self. Controversies have held back improvements for training new counselors and development of treatment systematic treatment procedures. In order to explore treatment protocols, the debate must be addressed to help validate the suggestions of the impact of mothers' employment on family relationships. These consist of exploring the criteria development of th e designation, and effectively learning how to implement accountability for working career mothers'.The literature-based debate indicates how stresses in family relationships dynamics an be stabilized between home and work time, for full-time or part-time working mothers. Today, working mothers symptoms of normality are constructed in a wide variety of ways as viewed by other counseling colleagues, legislators, and the media. These criteria serve to indicate what can be considered the channel of communication for mother's expression of her genuine identity in the American culture.The Journal article read for this assignment related to career mothers, is entitled, â€Å"The impact of mothers' employment on family relationships† and was centered on my personal life style. The study was conducted by South Bank University as a qualitative case study of mothers working in an accountancy firm in both in the hospital and in the accountancy firm setting, in the London area. The inter views for the case study were completed in 2001 utilizing 37 mothers and 30 fathers in couples who had at least one pre-school age child.The information collected from the study revealed surprising results from the mothers, as well as, the fathers perspective. The case study focused on certain highlighted areas such as, how stresses in family relationships could arise as much from the quality of time pent at work by mothers as well as the amount of time they spent at work (emphasis added). During the interview process mothers and fathers were interviewed separately, in order to gain ‘her' and ‘his' perspective on the relationships, (Callender, Edward, Reynolds, 2003).The sample contained a spread of mothers working full- time or part-time in both the workplaces, and across higher, intermediate and lower status Jobs in the two organizations. The majority of the fathers were employed full- time. The study revealed interesting facts in reference to the dynamics of home and work time for mothers. The case study focused mainly on the management of mothers work time versus the amount of time they spend at work. Family-friendly policies and flexible working practices were the key components, as they have an impact on family life.More focus was given to the extent of autonomy and control that mothers experience in the workplace. The article stated that hospital mothers in higher status Jobs were perceived as having low â€Å"time sovereignty' because of an increased emphasis on managerial roles (Callender, Edward, Reynolds, 2003). It also states, by contrast, that in a devolved organizational structure, mothers in lower tatus Jobs in the accountancy firm tended to see themselves as having high levels of time sovereignty (Callender, Edward, Reynolds, 2003).These are key concerns from the case study that employers may consider addressing in the future (Callender, Edward, Reynolds, 2003). The most interesting facts, revealed from the case study, were the fat hers perspective of the impact mothers working and family relationship. A large portion of fathers established that it was beneficial and enhancing to their relationship. Other qualities that enhanced some relationships were the appreciation nd recognition that enabled their partners to express different aspects of her identity.This finding was impressive because the positive response acknowledged the fact that mothers are appreciated and respected for helping their partners financially as well as with raising a family. The fathers also gave an excellent confirmation that mothers are good partners as well as being ‘good' mothers. Fathers also expressed and recognized that the quality of the mother-child relationship enhances the child's ability to develop useful skills, and to provide them with a ositive role model (Callender, Edward, Reynolds, 2003).In contrast, some fathers were not proud or supportive of their partner's Job. A few fathers had mixed feelings or expressed a n egative reaction because enough time was not being devoted to the family (Callender, Edward, Reynolds, 2003). The fathers expressed that the demands of the mother's work load, and not being able to meet the children's needs completely, caused extreme tension in the household (Callender, Edward, Reynolds, 2003). Personally, the choice of a qualitative study to do the research was very informative.Utilizing 37 mothers and 30 fathers, with at least one pre-school child, was a well-balanced statistical advantage in the research of the case study. Women's contribution in the workforce has conduct to the study of career aspirations of women. Career aspirations are impacted by dynamics such as gender, socioeconomic status, race, parent occupation and education level, and parental expectations. Women have become progressively more engaged in the workforce, and salaried employment of women has shifted from partly traditional female-oriented Jobs to more non-traditional, more formerly male-or iented careers.This analysis of literature presents an impression of women's contribution in the workforce and the evolution of women's career development and career aspirations in the latter half of the 20th century. Despite their increasing numbers, women have tended to enter the workforce in lower-status, lower-paying Jobs, and remain clustered in a limited number of conventional careers (Tinklin, Croxford, Ducklin, & Frame, 2005). Because women's career choices were restricted, their earnings lagged behind their male counterparts with comparable education and experience (Farmer, 1985; Stephenson Surge).Income earnings have been found to increase with educational level and years employed (Day ; Newburger, 2002). However, women earned roughly two- thirds the income of their male counterparts. This discrepancy in income was partially attributed to the disparity between traditionally male and traditionally female occupations. For example, women are less likely to be employed in scie nce or engineering Jobs, as these are considered traditionally male occupations. However, females who are employed in these Jobs earn roughly 20% less their male counterparts (Graham ; Smith, 2005).A barrier is any obstacle that prevents forward movement or any event or condition that makes career progress d tticult (Brown ; Barbosa, 2001). Barriers are considerable factors in the career development process, and the start of such barriers often begins when women are children. Such barriers are reinforced throughout women's schooling, college, and work, and they become more complex over time (Brown & Barbosa; Stephenson & Burge, 1997). In contrast, career aspirations characterize an individual's direction toward a desired career goal under epitome circumstances.Career aspirations are influenced by factors such as gender, socioeconomic status, race, parent's occupation and education level, and parental expectations (Khallad, 2000; Watson et al. , 2002). The literature review provided an overview of the research evidence in examining such factors as the parent's role in career behavior and how they affect individual's career decisions. In recent years, studies such as these indicate the increased awareness of the impact of socioeconomic status, race, gender, and on the career decision-making process and career development of women.Results of studies examining the effects of race on career aspirations have been mixed (Mau & Bikos, 2000; and Hellenga et al. ,2002) noted that previous research typically found African Americans to possess lower career aspirations than their European American counterparts. (Osipow and Fitzgerald, 1996) supported this notion, stating African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans exhibit considerably lower educational and occupational outcomes than Caucasians.Additional studies asserted people from minority groups, particularly those from lower class backgrounds, had more restrictive factors nfluencing their career aspirations comp ared with Caucasian persons from higher class backgrounds. In contrast, a study conducted by Arbona and Now (1991) determined there were no ethnic differences with regard to their career aspirations and socioeconomic status. Although few studies exist regarding effects of socioeconomic status on career choice, researchers agree socioeconomic status influences career choice (Gottfredson, 1981; Sellers et al. , 1999).Mau and Bikos (2000) cited previous findings showing a positive association between a familys socioeconomic status and aspirations. Youth from upper socioeconomic statuses were more likely to be well informed of and decide on professional career occupations. In contrast, Brown and Barbosa (2001) found career aspirations of young females who came from low-income families were confined to experiences of their relatives and friends. Influential siblings are thought to play a key role in the career development of adolescents from lower socioeconomic backgrounds (All, McWhirte r, & Chronister, 2005).The differences in findings relative to this literature review indicate more information is necessary and that the target population must be tudied relative to key components such as the focus on successes, achievements, strengths, weaknesses, resources, and the abilities and acquired skills of the children, youth and working mothers. In conclusion, it appears that it is imperative that all of these areas be further studied for working mothers to have effective and successful career development outcomes.

Education in Saudi Arabia and the United States of America Essay

Education continues to be the priority of all nations around the world. Countries devote vast resources to ensure equal opportunity to study for their people. In return, the educated segment of the population becomes the wealth of these nations and will more likely meet the social and economic demands of the country. The educational systems are continuously developed to meet not just the local but also the global demands and challenges. It is more appropriate to look at the disparity on the education sector of one country to another in order to determine what needs to be improved and developed in one’s educational system. This paper aims to provide an assessment on the similarities and differences of education in two countries, Saudi Arabia and the United States of America (USA). The education in Saudi Arabia and the USA are similar in terms of government spending on education, freedom to choose the school where they will attend to, and education for people with special needs, while differ in terms of attitude towards education, literacy rate, religion in school, gender roles, grading scales, and stages of education. Both the Saudi Arabia and USA government spend immense resources on the education sector. The Saudi Arabia government’s increased awareness on the importance of education to its people paved way to its provision of bountiful support to education. Like the USA government, the Saudi Arabia government finance general education for both boys and girls. It also provides free post-secondary education and offers financial help to students. At cases, meals, books, and transportation are subsidized. In the same way, the USA government offers free general and post-secondary education for all financed by the government. In both countries, students are also allowed to choose what school they will attend to. They have the options to enroll in public, private, or home school. Most of the parents prefer to send their children in public school practically because they are much â€Å"free† from burden. There were also those who prefer private schools thinking that these schools might provide better, quality education to their children especially for those seeking a competitive edge in college admission. A few considers home schooling best for their children for reasons that they can effectively tailor a curriculum that would best suit their children’s academic strengths and weaknesses, especially those with disabilities. Aside from home schooling, those with disabilities may be sent to schools which will cater to their needs like schools for the blind, deaf, physically and mentally handicapped, among others (Education, 2005). The Saudi Arabia and USA governments have put on these schools to encourage individuals to their full potential and share social and emotional experiences with their peers having the same conditions as themselves. The curricula in the special classes given to the students were tailored fit to their needs. For instance, the educational programs given to the blind and deaf individuals were different. For sure, blind students were thought of using Braille while deaf students do not. One variation the Saudi Arabia and the USA government have is the attitude towards education. In the USA, school attendance is mandatory and nearly universal at primary and secondary levels. School districts meet to discuss school curricula, funding, teaching, and other policies to further improve the education in the state. On the other hand, in Saudi Arabia, the government does not impose mandatory attendance in school. Although, it is encouraged that the free primary and secondary education are availed since education is given free and open to every citizen. The literacy rate for the two countries presented, are varied. The USA literacy rate is estimated at 99% for both men and women, whereas, literacy rate in Saudi Arabia is estimated at only 84. 7% for men and 70. 8% for women (Literacy, 2007). The Saudi Arabia government recognizes the importance of literacy in propelling the economy; hence, one of its objectives for the education sector is to eradicate illiteracy especially among adults and girls through several literacy programs. In the USA, despite the high literacy rate, the government is continually implementing programs to further develop the education sector. Religion is the main core of education in Saudi Arabia. The curricula developed conform to the Shari’ah (Islamic holy law) and the Qur’an. Men were trained of Islamic education to become members of religious clergy. They provide religious secondary education with focus primarily on Islamic and Arabic studies, although, the curriculum also includes general education. The schools which administer these were Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University and the Islamic University of Medinah (Sedgwick, 2001). On the contrary, education in the USA is not focused on religion but there are some schools which may offer religion subjects that are not quite extensive as religion studies in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, education is segregated by sex. Education for boys is different from education for girls. Education is divided into three separately administered systems: general education for boys, education for girls and traditional Islamic education for boys (Sedgwick, 2001). However, in the recent years, education for girls was continuously being developed to meet the growing demands of the country. Unlike in the USA, education is offered to both sexes, giving them equal opportunity to study. The educational programs that were developed cater to both sexes. Grading scales were prepared to gauge the students’ performance on school. Grading scales in the USA and Saudi Arabia differ. In the USA, marks were given on the scale of A to F. In the criterion-referenced system, the equivalent grades of these to 0 to 100 percentile are as follows: A=95-100 or 90-100, B=85-95 or 80-90, C=75-85 or 70-80, D=65-75 or 60-70, and F is given to marks below 65 or 60. There is also the norm-referenced system where marks are given as follows: A=top 10% of the class, B=next 20% of the class, C=next 30% of the class, D=next 20% of the class, and bottom 20% of the class (Grading systems, n. d). On the contrary, the grading scale in Saudi Arabia was given as follows: 5=90-100, 4=80-89, 3=70-79, 2=60-69, and 1=0-59 (Sedgwick, 2001). The stages of education in both countries also vary. Education in Saudi Arabia starts with primary, followed by secondary, and higher education. Primary education is for ages 6 to 12. An intermediate education, which is part of primary education, is carried out for ages 12 to 15. Secondary education is divided into three: general, religious, and technical. These are taken by ages 15 to 18. The higher education is also divided into three stages: the baccaloreus (bachelor’s degree-4 years), darajat al majisteer (master’s degree – 2years), and doctoorah (doctorate– minimum of 3 years) (Sedgwick, 2001). On the other hand, education in the USA is composed of these stages: preschool (1 or 2 yrs), elementary/middle/high school (12 yrs), associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees (Structure: General Information, n. . ). The differences in education in both countries mainly lie on their history, culture, social and economic conditions, whereas, the similarities were bought about by their desire to provide accessible, quality education free and open to all. Education stimulates the people to contribute to its country in addressing the increasing local and global demands. This motivates the countries to improve and further develop its educational system.

History of the Plymouth Colony

History of the Plymouth Colony Established in December 1620 in what is now the U.S. State of Massachusetts, the Plymouth Colony was the first permanent settlement of Europeans in New England and the second in North America, coming just 13 years after the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. While perhaps best known as the source of the tradition of Thanksgiving, the Plymouth Colony introduced the concept of self-government into America and serves as the source of important clues to what being an â€Å"American† really means. The Pilgrims Flee Religious Persecution In 1609, during the reign of King James I, members of the English Separatist Church - the Puritans - emigrated from the England to the town of Leiden in the Netherlands in a futile attempt to escape religious persecution. While they were accepted by the Dutch people and authorities, the Puritans continued to be persecuted by the British Crown. In 1618, English authorities came to Leiden to arrest congregation elder William Brewster for distributing flyers critical of King James and the Anglican Church. While Brewster escaped arrest, the Puritans decided to place the Atlantic Ocean between them and England. In 1619, the Puritans obtained a land patent to establish a settlement in North America near the mouth of the Hudson River. Using money loaned to them by the Dutch Merchant Adventurers, the Puritans - soon to be Pilgrims - obtained provisions and passage on two ships: the Mayflower and the Speedwell. The Voyage of the Mayflower to Plymouth Rock After the Speedwell was found to be unseaworthy, 102 Pilgrims, led by William Bradford, crowded aboard the 106-foot-long Mayflower and set sail for America on September 6, 1620. After two difficult months at sea, land was sighted on November 9 off the coast of Cape Cod. Prevented from reaching its initial Hudson River destination by storms, strong currents, and shallow seas, the Mayflower finally anchored off Cape Cod on November 21. After sending exploratory party ashore, the Mayflower docked near Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts on December 18, 1620. Having sailed from the port of Plymouth in England, the Pilgrims decided to name their settlement Plymouth Colony. The Pilgrims Form a Government While still aboard the Mayflower, all of the adult male Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact. Similar to the U.S. Constitution ratified 169 years later, the Mayflower Compact described the form and function of Plymouth Colony’s government. Under the Compact, the Puritan Separatists, although a minority in the group, were to have total control over the colony’s government during its first 40 years of existence. As leader of the Puritans congregation, William Bradford was chosen to serve as Plymouth’s governor for 30 years after its founding. As governor, Bradford also kept a fascinating, detailed journal known as â€Å"Of Plymouth Plantation† chronicling the voyage of the Mayflower and the daily struggles of the settlers of the Plymouth Colony. A Grim First Year in the Plymouth Colony Over the next two storms forced many of the Pilgrims to stay aboard the Mayflower, ferrying back and forth to shore while building shelters to house their new settlement. In March 1621, they abandoned the safety of the ship and moved ashore permanently. During their first winter, more than half of the settlers died of a disease that afflicted the colony. In his journal, William Bradford referred to the first winter as the â€Å"Starving Time.† â€Å" †¦ being the depth of the winter, and wanting houses and other comforts; being infected with the scurvy and other diseases which this long voyage and their inaccommodate condition had brought upon them. So there died some times two or three of a day in the foresaid time, that of 100 and odd persons, scarce fifty remained.† In stark contrast to the tragic relationships that were to come during America’s western expansion, the Plymouth colonists benefited from a friendly alliance with local Native Americans. Shortly after coming ashore, the Pilgrims encountered a Native American man named Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe, who would come to live as a trusted member of the colony. Early explorer John Smith had kidnapped Squanto and taken him back to England where he was forced into slavery. He learned English before escaping and sailing back to his native land. Along with teaching the colonists how to grow the vitally-needed native food crop of maize, or corn, Squanto acted as an interpreter and peacekeeper between Plymouth’s leaders and local Native American leaders, including Chief Massasoit of the neighboring Pokanoket tribe. With the help of Squanto, William Bradford negotiated a peace treaty with Chief Massasoit which helped ensure the Plymouth Colony’s survival. Under the treaty, the colonists agreed to help protect the Pokanoket from invasion by warring tribes in return for the Pokanoket’s help â€Å"to grow food and catch enough fish to feed the colony. And help the Pilgrims grow and catch the Pokanoket did, to the point that in the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims and the Pokanoket famously shared the first harvest feast now observed as the Thanksgiving holiday. The Legacy of the Pilgrims After playing a major role in King Philip’s War of 1675, one of several Indian Wars fought by Britain in North America, the Plymouth Colony and its residents prospered. In 1691, just 71 years after the Pilgrims first set foot on Plymouth Rock, the colony was merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony and other territories to form the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Unlike the settlers of Jamestown who had come to North America seeking financial profit, most of the Plymouth colonists had come seeking the freedom of religion denied to them by England. Indeed, the first cherished right ensured to Americans by the Bill of Rights is the â€Å"free exercise† of every individual’s chosen religion. Since its founding in 1897, the General Society of Mayflower Descendants has confirmed more than 82,000 descendants of the Plymouth Pilgrims, including nine U.S. presidents and dozens of notable statespersons and celebrities. Besides Thanksgiving, the legacy of the relatively short-lived Plymouth Colony lies in the Pilgrims’ spirit of independence, self-government, volunteerism, and resistance to authority that have stood as the foundation of American culture throughout history.

Dominant Ideology Thesis

Dominant Ideology Thesis The dominant ideology of a society is the collection of values, attitudes, and beliefs that shape the way it views reality. However, sociologists argue that the dominant ideology is only one of a multitude of ideologies at play and that its preeminence is the only aspect that distinguishes it from other competing viewpoints. In Marxism Sociologists differ on how the dominant ideology manifests itself. Theorists influenced by the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels maintain that the dominant ideology always represents the interests of the ruling class over the workers. For example, the ideology of ancient Egypt that represented the pharaoh as a living god and therefore infallible clearly expressed the interests of the pharaoh, his dynasty, and his entourage. The dominant ideology of bourgeois capitalism functions the same way. There are two ways by which the dominant ideology is perpetuated, according to Marx. Intentional propagation is the work of cultural elites within the ruling class: its writers and intellectuals, who then use mass media to disseminate their ideas.Spontaneous propagations happen when the mass media environment is so total in its efficacy that its basic tenets are unquestioned. Self-censorship among knowledge workers, artists, and others ensures that the dominant ideology is unchallenged and the status quo remains Of course, Marx and Engels predicted that revolutionary consciousness would sweep away such ideologies that kept power from the masses. For example, unionizing and collective actions would upset the world views propagated by the dominant ideology, as these are representations of a working-class ideology.

Marketing case write up Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing case write up - Essay Example McGraw intends to retain Oscar Mayer’s (OM) reputation within Kraft Foods as the fastest growing profit maker, and hopefully achieve a +4% volume growth and +15% profit growth for the coming year. His division has two business lines: the traditional OM meat-based products line and the recently acquired/fast growing Louis Rich (LR) turkey-based products line. He has to tailor his strategy which would balance the interests of both lines and yet, achieve his targets. Strengths: OM products enjoyed customer confidence for nearly 100 years, and contribute a massive 82% or $110 MM of the total profits. Acquisition of LR and investment in its line of white meat products has proven to be a strategically wise decision, as shown by the strong volume growth of its products. Weaknesses: There is a significant shift in consumer preference towards less fat/salt food products, i.e., the LR line, while OM line has been giving the maximum profits; its prices are out of tune with the market. Investment costs for acquisitions and/or A&P to buttress LR business will further depress OM business and depress short-term profits; competition from unbranded products will add to the pressure on pricing and bottom line. LR products are susceptible to copying. In terms of convenience, taste, price and customer satisfaction factors, there is a greater negative bias on OM products. OM’s frozen product ‘stuff n burger’ has not been an outstanding success. Opportunities: LR product line business is showing promise of further growth, albeit at the expense of OM product line. LR can add further range to its existing products through in-house R&D efforts that are already underway. Or, it can acquire one or more mid-size firms dealing in white meat products to complement present facilities and products. Threats: Consumers are shifting to healthier and more convenient foods, directly impacting OM range. LR range of products is easy to copy and competition from branded as well

Investigate whether Financial Conservative Policies Depend on Dissertation

Investigate whether Financial Conservative Policies Depend on Financial Distress - Dissertation Example New York, USA: McGraw-Hill. 23 Gravetter, F. J. & Wallnau, L. B. (2009) Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. USA: Cengage. 23 Healey, J. F. (2009) The Essentials of Statistics: A Tool for Social Research. USA: Cengage. 23 A. Appendix 25 Abstract Financial conservatism is one of the most important reflectors of the financial state of a company. Ordinarily, such an attitude is adopted by companies which are either in financial distress or operate in a rather risky environment. Financial conservatism could be decomposed into cash conservatism and leverage conservatism each of which are again decided after taking into consideration a number of parameters. There typically is a debate about the degree of accuracy with which a financially distressed company is found to adopt financially conservative policies. The present paper takes up this subject and attempts to empirically analyze the same on the basis of around 950 USA firms, with data collected between 1998 and 2006. A panel data lo git regression model had been set up firstly to assess cash conservatism, then leverage conservatism and finally financial conservatism. ... These policies typically, reflect an environment where the companies are endowed with large cash balances and low leverage. While high cash balance indicates the presence of huge fund reserves to the company while, low leveraged financial structure implies that the concerned firm prefers turning towards equity financing over debt financing when they need funds for investment. However, maintaining such a stance might not necessarily mean that the concerned company is operating in a financially distressful environment. When firms find it difficult to meet their financial obligations to their creditors or fail to meet the same, they are considered as traversing through a phase of financial distress. But, financial conservatism might not imply that the firm in question is in a distressful phase of time; it might even mean that the entity is trying to shield itself against too much openness, which could land it up in a mess. However, one important factor which could be cited at this point is that financially conservative policies are highly transitory in nature. The present paper is targeted towards an examination of the extent to which financial conservatism is a suitable reflector of whether the company in question is literally amidst financially distressful phase or not. 1.1 Research Aims and Objectives The present paper attempts to assess whether firms which maintain a financially conservative policy are actually victims of financial distress or not. There is a high possibility of detecting a company’s financial situation through examining its financial policies. Empirically it had been found that in situations where a particular company is found to align to financially conservative policies over a considerable period of time, it generates some useful

African Americans Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

African Americans - Thesis Example The slave trade was a legal practice in America from the early days of colonialism. By 1877, therefore, a considerable number of Africans had settled in the United States as a result of the slave trade. The blacks who established themselves in the United States by the end of the slave trade intermarried and gave rise to the African Americas. The second significant event within this given timeframe was the world war. In both world wars that ended in 1945, Africans played a central role in the battle for supremacy between nations. African soldiers were trained and deported on battlefields to defend the United States. The world wars were a significant turn of events as many Africans in America died, and those who survived remained with permanent physical and emotional scars. Between 1945 to present, events that took place in African history in the United States included the great second migration. Although it started in 1941, it was a significant all through 1945 to 1970. Africans moved into states like California, where job opportunities were being offered in the defense industry. This movement was in search of employment opportunities and better living conditions. The second event that took place in the United States was the Urban Settlement, where most Africans settled in major cities and towns in the United

Influence of Physical Punishment on Adolescents Self-esteem

Influence of Physical Punishment on Adolescents Self-esteem Introduction Disciplinary incidents are central to moral development because disciplinary practices assist to inculcate moral standards and values that provide the basis for self-controlled behaviour within the child (Brody Shaffer, 1982, p.32). Amongst the various disciplinary methods, physical punishment is widely practised across different cultures and countries. The present study focused on non-abusive physical punishment and adopted the definition by Straus (1994) that physical punishment â€Å"is the use of physical force with the intention of causing a child to experience pain, but not injury, for the purpose of correction or control of the childs behaviour† (p.4). This definition was used to delineate non-abusive physical punishment from harsher forms of abusive punishment. The term â€Å"corporal punishment† is synonymous and has been used interchangeably with physical punishment. We used the term â€Å"physical punishment† in this study because it specifically indi cates that punishment is meted out in a physical and bodily manner. A survey conducted in Jamaica revealed that physical punishment is frequently practiced in home and school (Smith Mosby, 2003). Physical punishment is also common in south-west Ethiopia (Admassu, Belachew, Haileamalak, 2006). This disciplinary method, however, is not peculiar to developing countries. Even in socially privileged countries, physical punishment is also used as a disciplinary method. Approximately 60% of Hong Kong Chinese parents admitted to using physical punishment as a form of discipline (Tang, 2006). In America, 94% of 3- and 4-year olds have been physically punished by their parents at least once during the past year (Straus Stewart, 1999), and 85% of Americans believed that â€Å"a good hard spanking is sometimes necessary† (Bauman Friedman, 1998). Beliefs in its positive disciplinary effects contributed to the widespread use of physical punishment (Straus, 1994) and there are evidence-based studies supporting the idea that physical punishment suppresses undesired behaviour (Gershoff, 2002; Larzelere, 2000; Paolucci Violato, 2004). For example, studies in Larzeleres (2000) meta-analysis provided evidence that non-abusive spanking used by loving parents reduced subsequent noncompliance and fighting in 2- to 6-year olds. In relation to Larzeleres (2000) findings, Gershoff (2002) found a large mean effect size for immediate compliance following corporal punishment. However, as noted by Gershoff (2002), these beneficial outcomes are only temporarily because physical punishment neither teaches children the reasons for behaving correctly, nor does it communicate what effects their behaviours have on others. Hence, physical punishment may not facilitate moral internalisation of the intended disciplinary message (Gershoff, 2002). Moreover, the demerits may outweigh the merits of punishment because studies suggested that physical punishment carry with it unintended and adverse effects (Holden, 2002; Rohner, Kean, Cournoyer, 1991; Straus, 1994). In response to the increasingly condemnatory international views about physical punishment, 25 states, to date, abolished all forms of physical punishment on children (Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, 2009). Burgeoning research has related physical punishment to a variety of negative effects. These effects ranged from social-emotional and psychological problems, such as mental distress and withdrawal (Eamon, 2001), to behavioural problems, such as antisocial behaviour and increased aggression (Deater-Deckard, Dodge, Blates, Pettit, 1996; Sim Ong, 2005; Straus, Sugarman, Giles-Sims, 1997; Tang, 2006). Straus et al. (1997) suggested that a â€Å"dose response† to physical punishment for children may exist, such that more frequent and longer usage of punishment will lead to increased probability of behaviour problems. These potentially adverse effects of physical punishment may also carry over into adulthood in the form of increased psychopathology and violent behaviour (Eron, 1996); substance abuse, depression, family violence, and suicide (Afifi, Brownridge, Cox, Sareen, 2006; Straus, 1995; Straus Kantor, 1994). Eron (1996) indicated that the more harshly 8- and 9-year olds we re punished, the more aggressive and antisocial they were in late adolescence and young adulthood. Afifi and colleagues (2006) also found individuals who were physically punished, as compared to those who were not, had higher risk for major depression, alcohol abuse or dependence and externalising problems in adulthood, and these effects were not attenuated after controlling for sociodemographic variables and parental bonding. In addition, Straus (1995) found significant positive correlation between the level of punishment experienced as a child and level of depressive symptoms and thoughts of committing suicide in adulthood, after controlling for socioeconomic status (SES), martial violence, and witnessing violence as a child. In the past decade, at least three meta-analyses were conducted to review research on the effects of physical punishment. Larzelere (2000) reviewed a total of 38 studies and found both beneficial (as discussed above) and negative effects of physical punishment. From 17 causally relevant studies, the author highlighted apparent detrimental effects of physical punishment. He first pointed out that physical punishment predicted increased subsequent negative externalising behaviour, supporting the â€Å"violence begets violence† viewpoint. One of the studies reviewed was the controlled longitudinal studies of the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (Larzelere Smith, as cited in Larzelere, 2000), which provided not only consistent but also causally relevant evidence that physical punishment is associated to subsequent increase in antisocial behaviour. Secondly, Larzelere (2000) indicated that physical punishment predicted increased mental health problems. The links between physic al punishment and both increased negative externalising behaviour and mental health problems were further supported by another meta-analysis, which evaluated 88 published works spanning a 62 year period. Gershoff (2002) found that physical punishment was indeed significantly associated to increased aggression, increased delinquency, increased antisocial behaviour, and decreased mental health, to name a few. All 20 studies involving mental health in Gershoffs (2000) meta-analysis found frequency of corporal punishment to be positively and significantly related to a decrease in childrens mental health. Straus and Kantor (1994) reported that after controlling for low SES, those who experienced corporal punishment in adolescence were still at higher risk for depression, suicidal thoughts and alcohol abuse. Although Paolucci and Violato (2004), who conducted another meta-analyses and evaluated 70 studies between 1961 and 2000, did not find exposure to corporal punishment led to increased risk of developing cognitive problems (e.g., suicidal thoughts and attitudes toward violence), they found that people who experienced corporal punishment were at a small but increased risk for developing behavioural (e.g., aggression and antisocial behaviours) and affective problems (e.g., psychological impairment and low self-esteem). Physical punishment appears to have a dampening effect on self-esteem in its victims. However, studies have been inconclusive and evidence-based literature in this area is much thinner, as compared to the large number of published articles on physical punishment and increased externalising behaviours, such as childrens aggression, which is one of the most studied in the literature on parenting (Paolucci Violato, 2004). Only 3 studies (Adams, 1995; Larzelere, Kein, Schumm, Alibrano, 1989; Sears, 1970) cited in Larzeleres (2000) meta-analysis, investigated the association between physical punishment and self-esteem. Specifically, Larzelere et al. (1989) found the amount of spanking received negatively predicted self-esteem but the negative correlations between punishment, self-esteem, and perception of fairness of punishment were reduced to non-significance after controlling for parental positive communication. The other study included in the meta-analysis did not find a significant correlation between physical punishment and subsequent self-esteem (Sears, 1970). Jouberts (1991) study, which was not included in the meta-analysis, also found no evidence indicating spanking to have any effect on childrens self-esteem scores, regardless whether spanking was administered by mothers or fathers, or both. On the other hand, one of the three studies as cited in Larzeleres (2000) meta-analysis found lower self-esteem among 6- to 12-year olds, especially those who were hit with high frequency (twice a week), even after controlling for ethnicity, cognitive enrichment and poverty (Adams, 1995). Furthermore, recent studies, which were not included in the meta-analysis, also found similar results. Using data from 1,397 children, Eamon (2001) found 4- to 9-year-old children who received more frequent spanking exhibited more socio-emotional problems like low self-esteem. In another study, Amato and Fowler (2002) investigated the relationship between parental use of corporal punishment and childrens self-esteem, using data collected from 3,400 households with a child within the age range of 5-18. Similarly, parents use of corporal punishment was found to predict lower self-esteem. Bauman and Friedman (1998) argued that physical punishment retards the development of self-esteem, and Paolucci and Violato (2004) used findings of corporal punishment being associated with psychosocial problems, such as depression, as supporting evidence that physical punishment is related to impaired self-esteem. Coercive disciplinary techniques are also linked to decreases in childrens level of confidence and assertiveness, and increases in feelings of humiliation and helplessness (Gershoff, 2002). One explanation for these findings is the fear of punishment makes people attempt to escape. However, when escaping from punishment is not possible, feelings of learned helplessness and depression may develop (Paolucci Violato, 2004). Self-esteem, as defined by Rosenberg (1965), is a positive or negative attitude towards the self. Interestingly, self-esteem stability in childhood and adolescence does not differ between genders (Trzesniewski, Donnellan, Robins, 2003). Research has shown that self-esteem has a pervasive impact on an individuals life in numerous areas. Emotionally, individuals with low self-esteem have a tendency to exhibit higher levels of anxiety, experience more frequent psychosomatic symptoms, feelings of depression, lack of personal acceptance and submissiveness (Battle, 1992). Low self-esteem is also an important predictor for disruptive and maladaptive behaviours (Aunola, Stattin, Nurmi, 2000; Vandergriff Rust, 1989). An individuals social functioning can also be affected by his level of self-esteem. Children with high self-esteem are more popular among peers and participate more actively in social groups, unlike those with low self-esteem, who experience more difficulties forming friendshi ps (Battle, 1992; Growe, 1980). Self-esteem has also been supported by research evidence, to be positively related to academic self-efficacy. This significant relationship is found in Western countries (Jonson-Reid, Davis, Saunders, Williams, Williams, 2005; Smith, Walker, Fields, Brookins, Seary, 1999), as well as in Singapore (Ang, Neubronner, Oh, Leong, 2006). An important trend in the international research focuses on the effects of physical punishment on children (Ripoll- Nà ºÃƒ ±ez Rohner, 2006). Considering that self-esteem has a wide range of influence on an individuals life and the current literature remains inconclusive on the effects physical punishment have on self-esteem, we chose to investigate the relationship between non-abusive physical punishment administered by adolescents main disciplinarian and adolescents level of self-esteem. Self-esteem plays a vital role in an individuals development, and if physical punishment has negative effects on adolescents self-esteem, it is likely that his level of self-esteem will affect his psychosocial and educational development, and his overall well-being. For instance, his academic success and ability to socialise contribute to his current and future well-being. The relationship between physical punishment and adolescents outcome cannot be simply described as two distinct categories, such that physically punished adolescents will experience negative outcomes, and adolescents who have never been physically punished will not. Instead, this relationship may lie on a continuum and the frequency of physical punishment may play an important role in the punishment-outcome link, such that increase in frequency of punishment will lead to increased probability of negative outcomes. Since a dose response towards physical punishment was suggested by Straus et al. (1997), and a positive relationship between the frequency of physical punishment and negative outcomes was concurred by Larzelere (2000) and Gershoff (2002), and more specifically, Adams (1995) and Eamon (2001) found lower self-esteem, especially among those who experienced frequent use of physical punishment, we chose to investigate the punishment-self-esteem link by focusing on the frequency of punishment. With increased frequency of physical punishment, lower self-esteem can be expected. The weight of the existing research seems to favour the viewpoint that non-abusive physical punishment carries with it negative baggage. However, unlike physical abuse, the conclusion that non-abusive physical punishment indeed has detrimental consequences on adolescents well-being cannot be substantiated. Researchers at the opposite end of the debate cite conflicting evidence and physical punishment remains the most controversial topic in the domain of parental discipline (Holden, 2002; Larzelere, 1996). The main debate remains on whether non-abusive physical punishment is completely harmful or it has negative effects only when used within certain conditions. As summarised by Ripoll- Nà ºÃƒ ±ez and Rohner (2006), the â€Å"conditional defenders† of corporal punishment argued that the effects of punishment may be positive, negative, or both depending on the conditions in which it was administered. As proposed in Gershoffs process-context model (2002), the link between physical punishment and its impact on the child is not direct and isolated. Instead, contextual factors of varying levels of influence may moderate the processes linking punishment and child constructs (Gershoff, 2002). This is supported by the fact that majority of the 94% of 3- and 4-year-old Americans who experienced physical punishment did not experience negative outcomes, such as developing into clinically aggressive adults or criminals. Critics of past research argued that many studies which linked physical punishment to negative effects have methodological flaws because they did not take into account the influence of moderating variables, which when included, tended to attenuate the relationship between punishment and negative outcomes (Rohner, Bourque, Elordi, 1996). Since not all individuals who experienced non-abusive physical punishment experienced negative outcomes, the present study further examined two potential moderators of the punishment-self-esteem link: namely, adolescents perceptions on the fairness of physical punishment and caregiver acceptance-rejection. Typically, research in this area has relied on parental reports of physical punishment. However, parents may underreport the use of physical punishment due to social desirability. Parents may feel threaten to disclose the frequency with which they physically punish their children because it is not advocated in contemporary society, hence providing inaccurate data (Shum-Cheung, Hawkins, Lim, 2006). Moreover, if parent is the source of data on both the punishment and childrens behaviours, they may attempt to justify their punishment through the parental report of child behaviour (Bauman Friedman, 1998). Following, we collected retrospective account of physical punishment from the recipients of the disciplinary practice, and further explored the possible moderating effect their cognitive perceptions on the punishment, may exert on the punishment-self-esteem link. The impact of punishment on adolescents is not unidirectional because adolescents are not simply passive recipients of the punishment. Instead how adolescents perceive the punishment may affect the impact it has on their outcomes. As noted by Holden (2002), noticeably absent from research is studies of childrens perceptions and reactions to punishment. It has been suggested that effects of physical punishment may be moderated by the meaning children ascribes to the punishment (Benject Kazdin, 2003). Ignorance of this may lead to an inaccurate picture on the effects of punishment because the key to understanding how physical punishment affects its victims lies in understanding how they react to the punishment physiologically, affectively, and cognitively (Gershoff, 2002). Holden (2002) further posited that this reaction involves at least two processes, namely, immediate physiological and sensory reaction, followed by the secondary cognitive appraisal stage. In line with Ripoll- Nà º à ±ez and Rohners (2006) suggestions on variables that are important in the research of physical punishment and its effects on children, we explored the potential moderating effect of adolescents perceptions of fairness of physical punishment, which has been considered to ameliorate the negative outcomes of punishment (Rohner et al., 1991; Rohner et al., 1996). Grusec and Goodnow (1994) suggested that children, who perceive punishment as fair, will be more willing to accept the intended disciplinary message, which then facilitates internalisation. Since adolescents are the recipients of parental disciplinary practices, the knowledge of their perceptions on the fairness of punishment will open the window to their internal mental processes, which is how they interpret and internalise the punishment. This provides a more complete understanding of the relationship between punishment and self-esteem. Concerns regarding whether adolescents are mature enough to make sensible judgments abo ut the fairness of discipline can be allayed because Konstantareas and Desbois (2001) found 4-year-old preschoolers capable of making judgments about the fairness of discipline by mothers, and in a study conducted in Singapore, parents and 10- to 12-year-old childrens responses on fairness of discipline were similar (Shum-Cheung et al., 2006). Therefore, if adolescents perceive physical punishment as fair, the effects of punishment on their self-esteem may not be deleterious. Following, the negative association between physical punishment and self-esteem can be expected to be stronger at lower levels, as compared with higher levels of perceived fairness. Little is also known about the conditions under which punishment occurs (Bauman Friedman, 1998) and if information regarding the context in which the punishment is meted out is not captured, only a snapshot of the impact of punishment on adolescents will be known. Opponents of physical punishment have acknowledged that physical punishment by itself is unlikely to produce negative child outcomes. However, when combined with other risk factors in the family, negative effects of physical punishment may surface (Bauman Friedman, 1998). Therefore, certain factors in the adolescents family may influence the cognitive appraisal process of the punishment and, consequently, buffer the negative effects. Corporal punishment is considered to be beneficial when administered by emotionally supportive parents who share positive interactions with their children (Paolucci Violato, 2004). As discussed above, Larzelere et al. (1989) reported that positive parental communication moderated the punishment-self-esteem link. Therefore, information regarding other aspects of parenting, such as the warmth dimension, will provide a much fuller understanding towards the relationship between physical punishment and self-esteem. As construed in the parental acceptance-rejection theory (PARTheory), parental acceptance and rejection form the warmth dimension of parenting (Rohner, 1991). Perceived parental acceptance-rejection may be one of the most important parenting dimensions to consider because no cultural or ethnic group was found where perceived parental acceptance-rejection failed to correlate with the predicted personality dispositions (Rohner Britner, 2002). PARTheory predicted rejected children, as compared to children who perceived themselves as being accepted, are more likely to have an impaired sense of self-esteem, amidst other negative effects (Rohner, 1991; Rohner Britner, 2002). Rohner (1991) used Meads (1934) significant other concept to explain how parental rejection may affect self-esteem. PARTheory assumed that everyone tends to view ourselves as we imagine â€Å"significant others† view us. Therefore, if parents who are childrens most significant other reject them, they are more likely to define themselves as unworthy, and consequently develop an overall sense of negative self-evaluation, including feelings of negative self-esteem and self-adequacy (Rohner, 1991). Although the term â€Å"parent† is used in PARTheory, Rohner (1991) explained it refers to the major caregiver of the child, not necessarily the parents. Therefore, we used the term â€Å"caregiver† instead of â€Å"parent† in this study. Variations in perceived caregiver acceptance-rejection among adolescents may magnify or minimise the effects of physical punishment and this has been supported by cross-cultural evidence. Rohner et al. (1991), for example, found severe physical punishment to be related to psychological maladjustment among Kittitian youths and the effects became more substantial when it was paired with caregiver rejection. Similarly, results from another study conducted in Georgia showed that the association between perceived harshness of punishment and psychological maladjustment disappeared once perceptions of caregiver acceptance-rejection were accounted for (Rohner et al., 1996). In the context of Singapore, perceived parental acceptance-rejection was also found to play an important moderating role. Sim and Ong (2005) found perceived fathers rejection moderated the link between slapping and daughters level of aggression, and perceived mothers rejection moderated the canning-aggression link among S ingapore Chinese preschoolers of both genders. All these studies uniformly showed that childrens perception of caregiver acceptance-rejection has a significant impact on the association between physical punishment and its outcomes. Thus, at higher compared to lower levels of perceived caregiver rejection, a stronger negative association between physical punishment and self-esteem can be expected. We collected data on adolescents perceptions of caregiver acceptance and rejection, and frequency of physical punishment by their main disciplinarian, rather than their main caregiver. This is because our study used a Singapore Chinese sample, and it is common within this group that the main disciplinarian may not be the main caregiver. In Chinese societies, traditional roles of disciplinarian and caregiver are respectively played by fathers and mothers, and this role differentiation still applies in Singapore (Quah, 1999). In cases where the disciplinarian and caregiver are different persons, the adolescent may experience more punishment from the disciplinarian as compared to the caregiver, and the impact of punishment from the main disciplinarian will not be reflected if punishment administered by the caregiver was measured. Since the main disciplinarian is the adult who administers punishment, effects of punishment may be moderated by the adolescents perceived acceptance from his main caregiver, who plays the key caring role and spends the most time with him. Collecting data on adolescents perceptions of caregiver acceptance-rejection allowed us to examine the punishment-self-esteem link through the relationship between caregiver and adolescent. As pointed out by Larzelere (2000), one of the needs in the research on physical punishment is for studies to take a developmental perspective because reviews by Larzelere (2000) and Gershoff (2002) found outcomes of punishment varied by the childs age. For example, Gershoff (2002) found that with increased age, the association between corporal punishment and aggressive and antisocial behaviours became stronger. Following, we used a retrospective design to investigate the association between physical punishment and self-esteem, and the impact the two proposed moderators may have on this link, at two age frames, namely when the individual was 11- to 12-years old (early adolescence) and 15- to 16-years old (middle adolescence). Although physical punishment is at its zenith when children are aged 3-5 (Straus Stewart, 1999), and its frequency decreases as children grow older, physical punishment is still prevalent during adolescence (Straus et al., 1997). Straus (1994) found more than 6 0% of parents in America reported hitting 10- to 12-year olds, and even at ages 15-17, one out of four adolescents is still physically punished. The two age frames were chosen partly because this study was retrospective in nature, and memories of punishment incidents during early childhood may be weak due to the long time passage that passed. Additionally, an average Singapore student aged 11- to 12-years old and 15- to 16-years old, is in preparation for the national examinations, namely, the Primary School Leaving Examination and GCE ‘O Levels, respectively. Being the periods of their major examinations, memories during these periods may be much clearer and distinct, and this will provide the study with more accurate data. Children below age 8 have not developed the concept of global self-esteem, thus another reason for focusing at these two age frames is that at ages 11-12 and 15-16, adolescents will have developed the ability to â€Å"view themselves in terms of stable dispositions, which permits them to combine their separate self-evaluations into an overall sense of self-esteem† (Berk, 2006, p.449). Moreover, unlike in early childhood, individual differences in self-esteem from early to middle adolescence become increasingly stable (Trzesniweski et al., 2003), which allowed us to explore the punishment-self-esteem link more precisely. According to Eriksons stages of psychosocial development (as cited in Berk, 2006), he organised life into eight stages that extend from birth to death, of which two stages were related to the present study. During the latency stage, where 11- and 12-year olds will be categorized, they enter school and are required to develop a sense of competence through the social interactions in school. With a wider range of socialisation opportunities, their relationships with parents may no longer be the most significant but it remains influential because little or no encouragement from parents, teachers, or peers may lead them to doubt their ability to succeed (Berk, 2006). However, 15- and 16-year olds are in the adolescence stage, where the need to develop an independent identity that is separated from the family, becomes the key developmental task, and relationships with peer groups become the most significant relationship. Hence the attenuation of familial influence for adolescents aged 15-1 6 may decrease as compared to when they were 11- to 12-years old. Moreover, 15- and 16-year olds fall in Piagets formal operational stage, which represents the apex of cognitive development (Siegler Richards, 1982). Unlike the subsequent stage, 11- and 12-year olds are in the concrete operational stage and can only â€Å"operate on reality†. But formal operational adolescents developed the ability for abstract thinking and can engage in hypothetico-deductive reasoning and propositional thought, to conjure more general logical rules through internal reflection (Berk, 2006). Additionally, they can apply their abstract reason abilities to all areas of life (Siegler Richards, 1982). Following, it may be the case that adolescents perceptions of caregiver acceptance-rejection play a greater role, than perceived fairness of punishment, in moderating the link between punishment and self-esteem, when they are aged 11 to 12. Because their social circle though expanded, still centres around their parents and how accepted or rejected they perceived th eir caregiver to be may still play a significant role unlike during middle adolescence. At ages 15-16, adolescents perceived fairness of punishment may matter more than perceived caregiver acceptance because their relationship with their caregiver is not the most critical factor in their psychosocial development. Additionally, their growing need for independence from their parents as well as their capacities to think through their own best interests with their greater cognitive awareness, may influence them to place more emphasis on their personal thoughts, and on their friends views but less on what their caregiver thinks of them. Within the realm of punishment research, it is also important to acknowledge the existing attitudes towards physical punishment within the particular culture. As pointed out by proponents of physical punishment, aside from the family, the cultural context also buffers potential negative consequences of physical punishment (Bauman Friedman, 1998). Acceptance of physical punishment varies across cultures and it may contribute to variations in child outcomes across different groups because cultural values and beliefs affect whether punishment is used more instrumentally or emotionally, and how children emotionally respond to it (Gershoff, 2002; Larzelere, 2000). Larezeleres (2000) highlighted five studies which presented evidence of significantly differential effects of spanking by ethnicity. Deater-Deckard et al. (1996), for example, found maternal use of physical punishment predicted externalising behaviours only for European American, but not African American children. The authors s uggested that this may be due to the stronger acceptance and preference for physical punishment among African American, in contrast to European American parents, hence affecting the manner in which punishment is used and childrens perceptions of its appropriateness. Similarly, Gunnoe and Mariner (1997) found spanking to be negatively related to African American girls later aggressive behaviours, but positively related to European American boys later aggressive behaviours. Majority of the studies, which investigated the link between physical punishment and self-esteem, were conducted in Western countries, such as America. However, attitudes towards childrearing in Western countries are different from those of the Asian cultures in Singapore (Tong, Elliot, Tan, 1996). Unlike Western cultures, which display a lower tolerance of physical punishment, this form of discipline is popular within the Asian culture. â€Å"Spare the rod and spoil the child† is an old saying which reflects the prevalent parental attitude, especially among Singapore Chinese parents, who continue using caning to discipline children and view physical punishment as an effective disciplinary method (Elliot, Thomas, Chan, Chow, 2000). Being a multi-ethnic society, ethnic differences exist in childrearing techniques, which may lead to differences in usage of physical punishment across ethnic groups. A study conducted by Quah (1999) on the Singapore family found Chinese parents t ended to use physical punishment more than other parents, while Malay and Indian parents were most likely to use reasoning, and authority was most frequently used by parents in the group Other. Considering that ethnicity may affect the outcome of physical punishment, this research recruited only Singapore Chinese participants.