Performance appraisal Essay

Performance appraisal has been one of the most-debated management practices for several decades. It has generated a wide variety of viewpoints. There are those who see performance appraisal as making an important contribution to human resource management, in that organizations require systematic information on how well employees are performing in their jobs as a key element in ensuring that human resources are used as effectively as possible. Employees at all levels experience a need to know clearly what they should be doing and what is expected of them in terms of quantity and quality of output. In addition most people want to be in a position where they can perform better next time around. A number of writers, especially during the 1970s, expressed pessimistic views about the future of performance appraisal schemes, and the assumptions on which they are based. Some have tended to write off conventional versions of performance appraisal as backward, simplistic and even counterproductive, arguing that conventional appraisal processes often lead both the manager and employee to approach the performance review with dysfunctional role stereotypes. The employee expects to hear what is wrong with his or her performance, while the manger expects to have to well the evaluation to a reluctant and possibly hostile member of staff. (Gordon Anderson 1996) In this case study, it present the issues that caused Xerox Company emerged as a result of their research. In a word, it is all about change. It is talking about the linked issues of visibility and growth, and the compelling need for a process or model to deal with the problems of increasing effectiveness in the midst of all the change. I discuss changing attitudes and HRD political relevance, and present evidence of concern for HRD effectiveness. In Xerox appraisal new system they use â€Å"Mulit-appraisal† which is 360-degree Appraisal. The limitations of conventional performance appraisal in placing considerable, and sometimes total, emphasis on the judgment of the employee’s manager have been identified and discussed by a number of  writers. A pioneering study carried out a number of years ago in Gulf Oil, and described by Stinson and Stokes (1980), highlights an alternative, multi-rater method, which overcomes a number of the deficiencies of conventional, manager-orientated appraisal. Probably the most significant development likely to influence the nature of performance appraisal in the future is the shift away from conventional appraisals undertaken typically by line managers towards the concept of 360-degree appraisal. The concept builds on multi-appraisal and refers to a situation where appraisal data is collected † all around† an employee, from his or her manager, subordinates, peers and c ustomers, internal and external. A number of factors are encouraging organizations to introduce, or to seriously consider the introduction of, 360-degree appraisal. These include: ØFlatter, less hierarchical, more flexible, team-based organization structures; ØAwareness of the limited perspective of managers; ØRecognition of the value of contributions from other sources; ØThe advantage of a range of perspectives, given the increasingly complex roles many people play in organization. In research identified the need for building and maintaining close relationships with line and staff management as essential for a successful HRD organization. It is really depend on the organization and communication processes. A wide range of methods and criteria for appraising performance is used by organizations. The various ways of measuring performance stem directly form the different components of performance. We can see in the new system of Xerox, they are: Simple ranking, using this system the appraiser is called upon to make a judgment about the general level of the performance of each employee. Based on the appraiser ranks each employee from best to worst. Alternate ranking, this process involves a number of stages. While this approach may have some advantages in determining the ratings, it suffers from the same defects as the simple ranking approach. The HRD Function In effective HRD functions, staff development is built in to the annual operating plan as a requirement. It is not only supported by management, but also seen as essential to the continued effective operation of the HRD function, and adequate funding supports it. Another one is Feedback, It tells employees, â€Å"How am I doing?† and â€Å"Where do I go from here?† How would you like to be a member of a bowling team and go bowling every week, but only get your scores once a year? Coaching is the day-to-day effort to review work, answer questions, discuss progress (or lack of it) toward meeting standards, develop skills, and provide positive guidance. Is the supervisor the only person who can provide coaching to an employee? Coworkers, other supervisors, and even customers can often be in a good position to compare the employee’s performance to established standards and then give helpful feedback. As the articles shown that the core of any organization is its staff. Without workers, who is going to do the job? How come the goal is going to achieve? How effectively an organization maintains a quality team of employees is linked to its ability to manage its staff and recognize the contributions of each player. Effective performance management systems enable an organization to objectively and systematically rate employee performance, while providing the tools necessary to take that performance level and equate it to compensation actions. Employees have always expressed the desire for open feedback regarding their performance. More and more companies are embracing the pay for performance concept and its tie to compensation. A well-executive performance management plan enables an organization to achieve critical goals: ØRecognize the efforts and contributions of current staff ØReward staff with compensation directly linked to performance ØMotivate staff to improve performance ØOrient staff towards goal achievement ØRetain key employees through the use of competitive compensation programs ØAttract quality employees with an effective performance management system A necessary condition for the effective management of performance appraisal systems in any organization is the need to clarify and communicate to all concerned the objectives which the system is intended to achieve. Typically, performance appraisal schemes are expected to serve multiple objectives. This can often be strength in that several purposes can be achieved, but I can also prove to be a disadvantage if it leads to a dissipation of effort and lack of focus. It is obviously of crucial importance, and everyone in an organization especially the key decision makers should be fully aware precisely what objectives the system of performance appraisal is expected to achieve, and the priorities within these objects. Performance appraisal should lead to the identification of the training and development needs of employees. Indeed, it can be argued that without an appraisal scheme, it would be only accidental if training and development efforts were aimed in the right direction (Anderson 1980). Performance appraisal, by providing feedback to employees on job performance, creates a basis for improvement and development. The developmental function of appraisal is concerned with improving the performance of people by identifying areas for improvement, setting performance targets for the future, and agreeing plans for follow up action. This aspect also involves developing the capacity of people through formulation plans to develop their skills and careers, and helping individuals to reconcile their job and career aspirations with opportunities available in the organization. Furthermore, there is certain amount of overlap between the evaluative and development functions, in that the evaluation of past performance will often be an important influence upon the setting of future targets. Brinkerhoff  and Kanter (1980) contend that this function is both backward looking in the sense of evaluating past performance so as to establish standards and forward looking in that the established standards serve as incentives for future performance improvement through generating peer competition and the desire to best one’s won past record. The argue further that an additional overlapping, but also overarching, purpose for performance appraisal is to ensure that managers are performing a critical management function. Managers should be paying careful attention to the assessment of the past performance of their staff against organizational requirements, and to the development of greater productivity of the human resources available. This function of performance of performance appraisal of encouraging careful and systematic approaches in assessing the performance of employees is of great importance for practicing managers, and they often recognize its value. The possible conflict between the evaluative and developmental dimensions has been much discussed in the appraisal literature. The central issue appears to be: can the manager, acting as appraiser, effectively be both judge and helper without experiencing role conflict? Since future decisions must be based, at least in part, on evaluations of previous behavior, it could be argued that this conflict is superficial rather than real, and that an effective manager should be about to cope effectively with both roles. When we looked further at the issue of growth. The Conference Board, in a study of trends in corporate education and training, found that the number of training professionals had increased in nearly two-thirds of the firms surveyed. The board cited the following as evidence of the enhanced role and status of HRD in many companies: ØManagement has become convinced that education drives the business. ØA stepchild until recently, the training function is now seen as essential to the company’s strategic goals. ØDeveloping our people is now the heart of our business strategy. ØTraining departments used to be wiped out by recessions, but few were in the recent one (Lusterman, 1985, p.2). Affecting the growth of HRD is the increase in the overall number of jobs and the shifts from sectors such as manufacturing to service organizations. Newly created jobs require new skills training and workers being displaced need retraining. In addition, more workers are coming to expect training as part of the normal job environment, and will demand it if they don’t see it. This is especially true in high technology, where employees want to stay on the leading edge-they can’t afford not to. The negative factors are: ØPossible distortion due to popularity factors influencing peers; ØPossible negative reactions towards those who irrespective of this performance, are seen as unorthodox, inclined to challenge existing practices, and therefore perceived as threatening; ØFriendship rating; ØDistortions due to fear of retaliation; ØReliance of peers on stereotypes in making evaluation. Despite the risks evident from the number of possible negative factors, peer review may well have an increasing role to play in performance appraisal systems of the future, especially in non-hierarchical, team-based organizational structures in which peers are willing to give objective evaluations of one another’s performance, and where peers interact sufficiently frequently to be able to develop an informed view of the performance of colleagues. Conclusion Appraisal of employees tasks place whether a formal appraisal system is in operation or not. In small companies, formal systems are probably unnecessary; in larger companies, a formal system goes some way towards ensuring that decisions based upon judgments of employee performance are fair and just. However, the mere installation of an appraisal scheme does not ensure that appraisals are well founded. There are a large number of human tendencies towards error that must be recognized by those conducting appraisal. This recognition and ways to overcome the problems are best achieved through training. The appraisal of performance is useless unless the results of the appraisal are translated into action. This is the purpose of the appraisal interview. It is a mechanism for feedback of information to employees, and an opportunity for employees and their superiors to sit down and plan remedial action. Appraisal interviews involving problem solving, counseling and joint objective setting are essential components of a successful appraisal scheme. REFERENCE French,W. Human Resources Management 4th Edition, Houghton Miffin co, Boston, 1998. Graham, H.T, Human Resources Management, recruitment and selection, Britain ,1983. Leslie W. Rue, Ph.D., Lioyd L. Byors, Ph.D, Management skills and Application recruitment and selection, Australia,1997. Pearson, R., The Human Resources , Managing people and work, Australia, 1990. Kramar, R, Mcgraw, P& Schuler, R. S., Human Resources Management in Australia. Longman. South Melbourne, 1997. Parry, K. W., Smith, D., Human Resources Management. USQ Press. Queensland, 1998. Dessler, Griffiths, Lloyd- Walker, Williams, Human Resources Management, Prentice Hall, Australia, 1999.

Leadership Theories: the Evolution of Context Essay

This paper defines â€Å"context† as it relates to leadership and the inclusion of context in leadership theories. I will show examples of different leadership styles and how they relate to the context of leadership. In closing, I will reflect on the challenges of contextual theories and how these challenges can be met in the current environment. Meaning of Context and Treatment in Leadership Research Different types of leadership often need to be applied in a distinct manner, depending on the context and who is involved. Osborn, Hunt, & Jauch (2002) indicated leadership theory and research needs to expand to the complex levels of leadership. The authors further posited leadership theory needs to explore the dynamism involving the context in which leadership takes place, rather than to study leadership taking place in a vacuum. Here, the authors referred to context as the circumstances or parameters that cause effective leaders to emerge. Leadership in context takes on many different characteristics and certain circumstances can cause different actions. A closer examination of the linkages between components of theory increases one’s understanding of individual differences in leadership development (Allen, Shankman, & Miguel, 2012). Authors Osborn, Hunt, & Jauch (2002) illustrated four contexts of leadership; stability, crisis, dynamic equilibrium, and edge of chaos. Stability takes into account surrounding external circumstances involving the composition of organizations, scopes, and skill sets. Stability examines the various measures of leadership to improve and to develop objectives for anticipated circumstances. I worked with a leader who demonstrated stability in a position; however, that same leader transferred to a different position and she became unstable. In the previous position, the leader was confident in her role, encouraged interaction from the team, and made team members feel comfortable to approach her at any time. The leader transitioned to a new contract, and a new client and things changed. The leader became unapproachable, and she became overwhelmed by her role and the pressures of the job. A lack of stability in this environment was evident because team members did not have effective leadership. Eventually, that person resigned and moved on to a less demanding and less stressful position. Crisis can be defined as, â€Å"a situation that threatens high priority goals that suddenly occurs with little or no response† (Hermann, 1969). A crisis causes changes in the leadership context that compel leaders to adjustment to the situation. A change in the context can be the defining moment of a leader’s effectiveness and leadership ability. Crisis may be unavoidable in some situations, but an effective leader will plan before, during, and after a crisis. Contingency plans, communications plans, and strong leadership can assist in alleviating some of the stress associated with a crisis. Leaders must recognize when to delegate authority if and when the need arises. The third context of leadership is a dynamic equilibrium, defined as a gradually increasing change. In a dynamic organizational system, the role of leadership is to support opposing forces and harness the constant tension between them, enabling the system to improve (Nonaka & Toyama, 2002; Teece & Pisano, 1994; Weick & Quinn, 1999). Various components affect dynamic equilibrium in leadership, such as, technology, external forces, and market conditions. To improve, the organization has to maintain a dynamic equilibrium among the various components. The authors referred to fourth context of leadership as, edge of chaos. Edge of chaos can be defined as being on the verge of pandemonium, but not quite there. Virtually, everything is tainted, but not so tainted that the organization implodes or explodes (Authors Osborn, Hunt, & Jauch 2002). If everything is tainted, there would be complete chaos in the organization. New Factors and the Inclusion of Context in Leadership Theories The emerging field of cross-cultural leadership research has underscored the importance of examining how the inclusion of the context in models of leadership may alter how effective or desirable leadership is operationally defined, measured, and interpreted. Integration of culture as a contextual factor in models of leadership necessitates that researchers consider; the cultural implicit theories of both leaders and followers, the cultural implicit heories of both leaders and followers, the interpretation of enacted behaviors, the broader cultural context in which leaders and followers interact, the duration of the leader–follower relationship, and exogenous events that may trigger different interpretations of leadership, such as instability, uncertainty, and growth (Avolio, B. , 2007). A Leader Who Effectively Engaged With Context Leadership / Leader Who Failed To Read and Engage with Context Leadership Effective ly Leadership in context may undertake numerous characteristics, which may put leadership in conflict. Examples of leadership that may effectively engage within context are doctors who work in an emergency room of a hospital (Hannah, Uhl-Bien, Avolio, & Cavarretta, 2009). In this example, the authors suggested doctors may show high levels of leadership when put in extreme circumstances frequently. Consequently, there is a need to be prepared constantly and to maintain high levels of vigilance and situational awareness to ensure quick and accurate responses. Examples of leadership that may fail to engage within context are managers within a hotel (Hannah, Uhl-Bien, Avolio, & Cavarretta, 2009). In this example hotel managers may fail to be prepared and develop safety procedures in case of a fire emergency. The authors explained that because of the relatively minimal chances of a fire occurring coupled with the surety of an adequate rescue response from authorities, hotel managers are less likely to make preparations in case of a fire. According to this premise, managers may not manifest any leadership tendency because circumstances do not create a need to exercise leadership (Hannah, Uhl-Bien, Avolio, & Cavarretta, 2009). Differences in Leadership Styles and Approaches In the first example, the leaders demonstrated a sense of urgency and an understanding of responsibility which requires immediate reaction as leaders. In the second example, leaders do not demonstrate the same urgency. The leaders are of the mindset that someone else will respond if the situation occurs. Each situation determines the leadership style which accomplishes the organization’s goals and vision; therefore, there is not a â€Å"best† leadership style or approach. Challenges of Developing Contextual Theories of Leadership Efficiency may come with leadership, but leadership can be overpowering and complex. Innovation of alliances is not always required for leadership. However, a study conducted by Osborn & Marion (2009) examined the aspects of contextual leadership in which transformational leadership was dysfunctional for the innovation of alliances. Today’s technology enables leaders to influence followers virtually. Even though, the follower may not be in the same location as the leader, this should not create an issue with leaders motivating followers to undertake an assignment. Purvanova and Bono (2009) suggested leadership through virtual means may exhibit the same behaviors as the traditional face-to-face style. The authors argued that leaders may adapt behavior based on context of the situational demand. An example of a leader’s virtual influence is the course for which this paper is written. The professor influences the class to improve writing skills by assigning additional exercises to better prepare for the doctoral study. In addition, the class is encouraged to relate personal experiences to tie in with assigned readings and research. The context determines the matter in which leaders influence their follower, whether leadership is conducted face-to-face or virtually. How Contextual Theories of Leadership Challenges Can Be Met The examples above demonstrated the dynamics and complexity of contextual leadership. Challenges in contextual leadership can be met by examining the factors for the source and development of leadership. The initial step is to determine the situation, analyze the nature of leadership, and document the context of the leadership development. Similarities can assist in determining the effective leaders of the future. Theories on leadership have determined that leadership is about showing flexibility in our ever changing environment and applying the appropriate leadership context in the ideal situation. Conclusion The subject of leadership garnered much research and study. Leadership consists of a variety of characteristics and complexities involving the context in which leadership takes place. Analyzing the complexity of the context of leadership can aid in determining future leaders. To understand individual differences in the context of leadership requires additional study. Further research will assist educators and scholars with the added knowledge of applying effective leadership.

Female Education

The history of progress of the human race is the history of education. Hence it is necessary or every person, man or woman, to be educated. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Women should be educated like men; otherwise there can be no peace or no progress. If you yoke an unbroken (untrained) horse with a highly trained one, the carriage will be dashed to pieces and the occupants’ lives will be destroyed. The family peace cannot be preserved with such ill-matched life-long companions.Napoleon was once asked what the greatest need of France was. He answered, â€Å"Motherland’s National progress is impossible without trained and educated mothers†. If the women in any country are not educated, about half . he people in that country will be Ignorant. The result is that such a country will not be able to go along with other nations in development and progress. I’ll There is a greet controversy going on in Pakistan their women should receive her edu cation or not.Orthodox people are in favor of female education, but they us opposed to giving them higher education but this view does not sound welt. If women are mentally fit to receive higher education, there seems to be no reason why they should not be allowed to develop their mental faculties. There is other group of liberal people which Ii In favor of the female education. To give them only the rudiments of knowledge, while they are eager for advanced studies, is to condemn them to a place of inferiority.A woman has to play three distinct pests in the course of her life in each of which certain duties are expected of her. If she is able to do these well, she is worthy of being called perfect woman. It is only by the help of education that she can hope to be able to do them satisfactorily. The first duty of a woman is to be a good daughter. Th. second is to be a good wife and the third is to be a good mother. Education Leeches a woman what she should be. It also teaches her how she should do it to be a good daughter, a good wife and a good mother.Many men spend their evening time at clubs and societies. But a gentleman with an educated wife will not feel the need of clubs and societies. He can share his thoughts with her and seek her advice in trouble. Ho can spend his leisure Lime in her company. An educated lady will be a good Mend, a clever nurse and a useful adviser to her husband. She will be a true helpmate. She can retain her husband’s affection and regard. An uneducated lady is always unable to share in his interests. There is a saying in English. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world†. The meaning is this that the mother exercises a very great influence over the lives of her children and is able to mould their thoughts and characters. If she is educated, she will make such an impression on the mind of her child, that it will enable him in later life to grow into a good and great man. Thus education will enable women to make their parents, husbands and children truly happy. Consequently it is very important that women should be educated.

Mobile Pet Grooming (Truck Pet Grooming) Research Paper

Mobile Pet Grooming (Truck Pet Grooming) - Research Paper Example s of services that will entail forging a closer bond between the owner and the pet, general cleaning of the dog, reduction of parasite infestation load, monitoring the health of the dog through physical examinations of swellings, cuts, scratches, cuts, changes in temperament as well as lameness. Our grooming professionals will also conduct a health examination using sophisticated machines with an intension of decreasing chances of other health problems such as scratches, thrush and other skin related condition. Our services will cover a large area of the city with our professionals performing their best to ensure the needs of the many customers are met. Our employees will utilize the various tools owned by the firm such as curry brush, clippers, shedding blade, stripping comb, slicker brushes, rakes, and stand dryers to attend to the pets in a professional manner. Duraz mobile pet grooming business will be headquartered in Los Angeles in the state of California and will extend to other places in the state after assessing the need. The business will be started in California as a result of many people in the town owning pets such as dogs and cats. California is one of the most populated states in the United States of America and has people of all of all the classes (CHANG, 1750). Major cities in California with highest number of people who owns dog include San Francisco, Rodeo drive, Hollywood, Los Angeles and San Diego (Packard, 63). The large number of people with a high percentage of them having pets will offer ready market for the mobile grooming services. The number of mobile pet grooming services is less compared to over a hundred thousand pets available in the state. Most people in California have pets especially dogs. The dog owners have a habit that often seems perplexing; they seem to be so much obsessed with dogs (BaÇ §cigil et al, 1350). Around three quarters of dog owners in California consider their pet as a family member and will pay anything to

Homeland Security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Homeland Security - Assignment Example I chose to study the New Town High School because this is the school that my daughter attends. She is involved in a number of the school activities, both curricular and co-curricular ones. Besides, this school is in my community and my neighbors’ children attend the same school. For these reasons, any security threat to the school is also a threat to our community; hence it is our responsibility to oversee the security of the school Interviews I interviewed the school principal, a teacher, a parent from the parent teachers’ committee, my daughter, and a junior student. The school principal has a good knowledge of security issues that the school faces, and takes part in formulation of policies that are instituted to address the issues. The teacher has been a member of staff for four years now and his interaction with both the students and administration enables him to access information from the two sides. The parent from the parent teachers’ committee has been a member of the committee for three years now. She interacts with students through her daughter who is a student in the school, and with teachers and faculty in the board. Being a parent in the school, she is concerned about the security issue of the school and lives in the same community the school is in and will give valuable information. My daughter is currently a senior in the school having attended it for the past four years. She actively participates in the school functions such as drills enabling her to interact with other students in an informal capacity, thus being able to pick up any useful information. Lastly, I will interview one junior student who, just like my daughter, participates in a number of activities in the school. The names of the two interviewees are withheld for obvious security reasons. Interviewer: Mr. Principal, could you please tell us the greatest challenges to security and safety of students and staff in the school. Principal: The greatest security chall enges are the manmade threats such as terrorist threats, arson, computer malware, and unprofessional conduct. This is because while we are able to predict and control or prevent natural disasters, we are not able to easily detect and prevent manmade threats because of their malicious intents. The school’s intelligence services are not so sophisticated to get hold of malicious plans beforehand, thus prevention is difficult. Interviewer: What measures has the administration put in place to keep the school safe from natural disasters. Principal: When constructing the premises, we ensured that they were away from fault lines that could lead to earthquakes. We are in constant touch with the meteorological department for any updates on looming disasters. With the break of avian and swine flu, we increased the stock in our clinic with sufficient equipment to detect and treat such pandemics. Besides, our hygiene standards are good with qualified personnel to keep such sanitation outb reaks away. Interviewer: Your school comprises a majority of black students. How are you able to ascertain that they are not a security threat, especially with respect to drug and gang activities. Principal: We are in the process of instituting a full time intelligence service with the help of the Department of Homeland Security. So far, we just look out for any strange activity among the students and investigate. Interviewer: What

You can decide the topic (following the instruction) Essay

You can decide the topic (following the instruction) - Essay Example While there are no real guidelines on how to write a Letter to the Editor, a reading of the five letters (Bigbee; Little; Blumenthal; Allen and Huskey; Margelish) shows that such letters must contain an introduction (which connects to the article or issue that the writer is responding to), a body (which contains the writer’s position and the rationale behind it), and a summary or conclusion (which typically states the call to action). The introduction in this case is very important because it has to capture the audience’s attention and ensure that the topic being discussed is relevant. Letters to the Editor typically have strong introductions, which in turn dictate the tone style of the letter. For example in the first letter, Dean Bigbee said,†Every keystone argument leaves out the same major facts: Tar sands oil is not intended for United States consumption, but for shipping to the highest bidder†. Even if the readers did not read the February 7 column, th ey will know that this letter was opposing some assertions of the Joe Nacera article. One can see immediately that this letter will show objective evidences that will debunk some of the claims made in the Nacera article. Meanwhile, the second letter (Little) starts out with the following words: â€Å"Although Joe Nocera is probably right to lay most of the blame for the Keystone pipeline fiasco on our intractable political situation, President Obama is supposed to be the grown-up in the room†. From this introduction, one can already deduct that this letter will criticize the President Obama and that much of its claims will rely mainly on his personal opinion. One will notice, however, that while this second letter is written in the form of a criticism, it does not use abusive language. Because such letters are printed on a newspaper whose main audience are professionals, name calling will not help. Reader are more interested in the proof behind the claim, and while the letter is

Evolution of the problem Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evolution of the problem - Case Study Example This attitude towards life and its happenings makes these people believe in the power of fate and in the notion that whatever has to happen will happen and every person is entitled to get a share of what is destined for him. As it is, people of LDCs are comparatively less advanced and aware of the recent developments in the field of disaster management. Therefore, many times human intelligence has been successful in developing a way of minimizing the outcomes of what the LDCs feel are products of fate (Hoffmann, 2005). Negligence: Sometimes the issue of Disaster Management is conveniently neglected, due to the perceived importance of the issue as compared to some pressing concerns such as poverty and education. This negligence is reflected in the lack of political will to support the inclusion of disaster management in the government’s policies (Hoffmann, 2005). Sometimes the government officials realize the need for proper disaster management policies, as was the case in Zimb abwe. However, by the time the policies come down to the implementation phase which the relevant sector ministries and local administrations are responsible for, all the vigor of the policy formation phase dies down (Marjanovic, 2003).

School wait list letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

School wait list letter - Essay Example I look forward to take Organic Chemistry II and Microbiology early this summer, therefore, to complete all my prerequisites for the program. In order to do this letter correctly, I would suggest the following. I know that this isnt a rewrite of the letter, but I think that you might be missing the point a bit. Take into consideration that there are many people who have applied to this program. Perhaps several hundred. For you to get to the wait list, youve gotten to the first "cut" so to speak. What you want to do now is tell them more about you and how you are a fit for the program. The article that you have attached makes good sense. You want to let them know that you are still interested and give them a reason to bring you into the program. What makes you different from everyone else? What can you do that no one else can do? What have you done to show interest in the study? The thing is, the letter that you have now is okay. Its written well. But it doesn’t tell anyone anything. It tells them a very little about you. How much do you want this opportunity? How much do you feel that you are a fit? I would suggest going back to the article that you sent and answering the questions I suggested. If you want help writing it after that, great. Otherwise, its kind of a moot point if you dont want to add anything

MTV Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MTV - Case Study Example Some Arab countries are not so strict while others do not entertain a breach of their rules. MTV’s entertainment in the Arab country will have to be in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as that is what is widely used to communicate. The reporters and presenters have to dress according to the Arabic culture; whatever is being aired on MTV should be moral and according to the social responsibility of those countries. These are too many rules and which will mean that MTV Arabia will only target the Arabic world and no other parts of the world. Critically analyze MTV’s strategy in the Middle East. Comment on its entry strategy and also its strategy of providing mixed content to the market. Do you think MTV will be able to succeed in this market? The entry strategy and the mixed content strategy of MTV where they air 60% international music and 40% Arabic music and also ensuring that around 45% of the content to be aired is produced locally might work and enable the MTV to venture the culture-bound Arabic world. Their success in that market will also be guaranteed by the fact that MTV Arabia planned to design their shows in such a way that it involves and caters for the pan-Arab youth audiences. This way it will ensure that majority of the youth agree with the program and the political aspect which is important in Arab media is also present due to the Pan-Arabic individuals being targeted. With all these strategies by MTV, there is no way that it can fail to succeed in Arabic world (Deresky,

Electronic positioning system (marine navigational radar) Essay

Electronic positioning system (marine navigational radar) - Essay Example This effect can be observed when a person shouts in a valley. The sound waves travel to the nearby mountains and get reflected. The person thus hears back his own voice. The time taken by the sound waves to return back depends upon the distance between the persons and the mountains. The similar concept is applied in RADAR. Here radio waves are emitted by the RADAR which travel in all directions. If an object comes in the way of these waves they get reflected back with the speed of light and detected by the RADAR. By knowing the time elapsed between sending and receiving back the waves, the position of the object can be determined by calculating the distance the wave has travelled. Now in order to calculate the speed of an object the concept of Doppler shift plays its role. When a wave is reflected by a moving object its nature depends upon the movement of that object. If the object is moving towards the source of the wave, then the pitch of the wave will be higher than if it is moving away from it. This can be observed in case of a car blowing its horn. When a moving car approaches a person the horn seems to be louder and when it moves away it become s somewhat fainter. Knowing the pitch of the sound wave the speed of the car can be detected. This principle is applied in case of RADAR where a radio wave is used instead of a sound wave. The pitch of the reflected radio wave determines the speed and the direction of motion of the object. Combining the Echo and Doppler Shift, we can exactly determine the position, speed and direction of motion of an object in the sea with the help of a Navigational RADAR. Components of Marine Navigational RADAR There are five main components of a Marine Navigational RADAR. Transmitter Modulator Antenna Receiver Indicator 1. Transmitter A transmitter is a device which transmits radio waves into the air. These waves are generated inside the RADAR. 2. Modulator It allows waves to be omitted as pulses (Integrated Publishing, n.d.). 3. Antenna An antenna is used to give direction to the radio waves being transmitted. These waves are sent as 'beams'. The antenna is always in rotating condition so that the whole of the area is covered. 4. Receiver It receives back the reflected waves from the objects and converts the information into usable data (Integrated Publishing, n.d.). 5. Indicator It is a device on which the received information is plotted. It shows the position of the object in the form of a mark on a screen. The standard indicator that is used mainly is known as Plan Position Indicator (PPI). It

Kinetics Lab Essay Example for Free

Kinetics Lab Essay How does the molar concentration of hydrochloric acid affect the rate of pressure in a gas releasing reaction? The aim of this experiment is to record how the change in molar concentration of hydrochloric acid affects the rate of the reaction. The following reaction will be tested: Na2CO3 10H2O + 2HCl 2NaCl + CO2 + 11H2O To measure the rate of the reaction an Explorer GLX with a pressure sensor will be used. The pressure will be measured every second for 90 seconds. Hypothesis: I believe that if the molar concentration of the hydrochloric acid is increased, than the rate of the pressure will also increase. This is due to the fact that first of all, the reaction is a gas releasing reaction, and therefore more pressure will be built up in the flask. Also the more concentrated one of the reactants is the more particles there will be, resulting in more collisions between the particles. Variables: Type of Variable Variable Range of Values/Method of Control Independent Variable Concentration of Hydrochloric Acid 0.50 molar, 0.75 molar, 1.0 molar Dependent Variable Rate of kPa Explorer GLX records every second Controlled Mass of Sodium Carbonate-Deca-Hydrate 0.50 grams Temperature of Reaction All reactions occur at 22à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C (room temperature) Total Time of Reaction 90 seconds in all trials Volume of Hydrochloric Acid 15cm3 in all trials Materials: * 250ml flask * 1-hole stopper with gas collection tube * 4.5 grams of sodium carbonate-deca-hydrate 0.5 for each trial (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.005g) * Explorer GLX with pressure sensor (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.75kPa) * Laptop with Data Studio * Stop watch (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.005s) * 135ml of hydrochloric acid 45ml of each concentration (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1ml) * Balance Picture: Method: There will be three trials for each of the three different concentrations of hydrochloric acid. Using 9 weighing boats and the balance split the sodium carbonate-deca-hydrate into 9 sets of 0.50g. 1) First, set up the data studio and GLX explorer on the laptop. Once the pressure sensor is plugged in the GLX a blank graph should show up. Under setup in data studio, change the rate of measurement to every 1 second. 2) Pour 15ml of 0.5molar hydrochloric acid into the 250ml flask. 3) Click the play button on the GLX explorer to start the measurements, and immediately drop the 0.50 grams of sodium carbonate-deca-hydrate into the hydrochloric acid; right after cover the flask with the one hole stopper. 4) There should be a stop watch on the data studio software, and after 90 seconds stop the measurements by pressing play on the GLX explorer. 5) Save the file as 0.5molar trial 1. 6) Clean out the flask and repeat steps 1 through 5 two more times, for trials 2 and 3. 7) After three trials are recorded and saved for 0.5molar hydrochloric acid. Repeat these steps for 0.75molar and 1molar hydrochloric acid. Overall, you will have a total of 9 different graphs on data studio. These graphs will later be interpreted by applying a tangent line to the beginning of each graph. This tangent line will show the rate of the reaction (sufficient relevant data). Results: The graphs from the GLX explorer are shown in the appendix at the end of the lab roport. A tangent line (slope line) was used on the beginning of the graphs to get the rate of the reaction. The slope of the tangent line would be the rate of the reaction at the point where the tangent line meets the curve. Table 1: The Rate of the Reaction Concerning the Concentration of the Hydrochloric Acid Concentration (moles) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01m Qualitative Results: * The reaction released a lot of gas. I noticed this because at first the reaction was being done in a test tube and then the one-hole stopper popped off in the middle of the reaction, resulting in a switch to use a flask. * When the molarity of the hydrochloric acid was higher, there was a much louder fizzing noise, indicating a faster reaction. * For some cases no all the sodium carbonate-deca-hydrate reacted fully. * Not all the sodium carbonate-deca-hydrate which was added to the hydrochloric acid was crushed to powder. Graph: Calculations: Percentage Uncertainty: Concentration: (0.01/0.50) x 100% = 2.0% (0.01/0.75) x 100% = 1.3% (0.01/1.00) x 100% = 1.0% Average Rate of Reaction: (0.05/1.00) x 100% = 5.0% (0.05/1.30) x 100% = 3.8% (0.05/2.30) x 100% = 2.2% Total Percentage Uncertainty: 15.3% Percentage Error: Using sodium carbonate deca hydrate was a limitation to this experiment beacsue this made it extreamly hard to calculate the theoretical value of the reaction. Therefore, one cannot tell weather the lab had a systematic error and a random error. Conclusion: Overall, the hypothesis held correct. Clearly shown from the results, the rate of the reaction was much faster when the molar concentration of the reaction was greater. The rate of the reaction was measured using a pressure sensor, and as the rate of the pressure would indicate the rate of the reaction. For the one molar concentration of hydrochloric acid the rate of the reaction was about twice as fast as the half molar concentration. This can clearly be explained through kinetics. The more concentrated one of the reactants is the more particles there will be. Therefore, when there are more particles more collisions will occur and with more collisions the chances of the collisions being greater than the activation energy will also increase. Overall this increases the rate of the reaction. Evaluation: Overall, this experiment went very well; however, there were numerous limitations which affected the results. One very clear and important limitation is the fact that not all the sodium carbonate-deca-hydrate was powder. During the experiment, 0.50 grams of sodium carbonate-deca-hydrate was collected for each trial of the experiment. However, not all the sodium carbonate-deca-hydrate was powder, as there were some larger pieces. This changes the surface area of the reactant and that would have a greater affect on the results. For example, if one of the trials had 0.50 grams of sodium carbonate-deca-hydrate and there was a big piece of that substance, than the surface area of those 0.50 grams would be less than the surface area of the trial that had all powder substance. With a larger surface area there would be fewer collisions which would make the rate of the reaction slower. Directly affecting the results, this limitation would need to be improved. A realistic improvement to this experiment would be to simply use a bowl and crush all the sodium carbonate-deca-hydrate to powder. Therefore, there would be no big pieces and the surface area would be relatively the same in each trial. Another limitation to this experiment would be the fact that the sodium carbonate-deca-hydrate was poured into the test tube right before the one hole stopper was placed on the test tube. Therefore, there was a small time frame where gas was lost. This would affect the pressure in the test tube. One simple way to improve this limitation would be to use a special test tube. with this special test tube there should be a small hole on the side where another tube comes out and that is where the sodium carbonate-deca-hydrate would be placed in. Therefore, there would be minimal or no gas escaping and the results would not be affected by a drop in pressure.

The Significance of the Role of Malcolm X on African American Activists Essay Example for Free

The Significance of the Role of Malcolm X on African American Activists Essay A. Plan of the Investigation To what extent was the role of Malcolm X significant in the rise of radical African American activism (1965-1968)? This investigation will assess the significance of Malcolm X’s significance in giving rise to African American activism. Malcolm X’s motives, involvement in the civil rights movement and his leadership will all be discussed in order to understand the extent of his significance. To add further understanding and provide justification a summarization of evidence will be included. Also, an evaluation of sources will allow for details which provide justification in saying that Malcolm X’s role was significant; both sources being evaluated in their origin, purpose, value and limitations. B. Summary of Evidence Malcolm X, initially born under the last name Malcolm Little in 1925. Later on life he adopted X, which became a symbol to represent his lost past, particularly the rejection of his â€Å"slave† name. Malcolm X was an activist and an outspoken public voice for the Black Muslim Faith who challenged the civil Rights movement and the non-violent pursuit of integration that was led by Martin Luther King Jr. Malcolm X was an activist who believed that non-violent acts would achieve nothing in receiving racial equality, he believed that people had to take action. He once said â€Å"it is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of racial attacks.† Malcolm X was so significant to the rise of radical African American activism because he is one of the two most important and influential black leaders during the late 20th century. Malcolm X rearticulated and gave African Americans clarity as to who they are, what their problems were and how to s olve them. He did this by speaking about the black radical tradition which consisted of ideology, class and culture. And he made many African Americans energized to take action. Also, Malcolm X was an advocator of black pride which led more people to follow him and his ideas. Malcolm was such a powerful leader and activist that he gave way to some black art activists, which is interesting because art was not his main focus. Malcolm wanted blacks to learn about their roots and gain and understanding of their heritage, therefore he made it a central part of the Organization of Afro-American Unity which in turn furthered radical black art activists. Malcolm X gained this desire when he partook on a journey through North Africa and the Middle East. Malcolm’s desire for wanting blacks to understand their heritage also promoted the rise of cultural nationalism within the Black Panther Party. C. Evaluation of Sources Malcolm X and the Black Arts Movement by James Smethurst was published by Cambridge University Press in the year of 2010. The purpose of this source is to demonstrate how Malcolm X was deemed such a commanding figure and brought rise to Black activists, even in the arts, a subject that Malcolm X rarely spoke about. The value of this source lies within the author’s description of how Malcolm X was a leader and how he inspired many people to rise and take a stand, especially in the arts. For example: X did not touch on the subject of arts as often as his did race in his speeches. However, some Black art activist came to see him as a commanding figure. This source is limited due to its lack of detail. This source mainly gives brief description on how Malcolm X laid the foundation for different types of Black activists but does not go in depth about what he did to influence these activists. Malcolm X: A powerful black leader who fought for human rights by Sharrod Patterson was published by the student newspaper of Winston-Salem University in the year of 2007. The purpose of this source is to identify Malcolm X’s rise to becoming a world renowned activist. The value of this source lies in the discussion of where Malcolm X started to where he ended. He started as a young boy who began to head down the wrong path, getting into drugs and involved with the wrong people but overcame that and ended up being a prominent civil rights activist. However, this source is limited due to the lack of discussion about his impact on many people and how he laid the foundation for many activist groups and organizations. D. Analysis When making the final evaluation of Malcolm X’s role of significance in bringing rise to African American activism, tow aspects of his role must be evaluated. One includes his motivation and the other is what he wanted to accomplish. Malcolm X’s motivation was his oppressed youth. When Malcolm was younger he and his family were harassed by the Ku Klux Klan which caused them to move to another part of Michigan. Sadly enough, after they moved, the racism became worse. A racist mob set his family’s home on fire and all of the white emergency responders and firefighters watched their house burn down. Shortly after this, Malcolm X’s father died and this sent his mother into a deep depression of shock and grief which eventually caused her to be submitted into a mental institution. Malcolm left home and after leaving, he became involved in drugs and crime. This became his motivation. He wanted to fight back and provide young black youth with better and more positive opportunities. However, it was not just young black youth he was advocating for, but it was all African Americans. As an outspoken civil rights leader in the 1960s, Malcolm X wanted to encourage black power. He advocated Black Nationalism and separation form the white society.17 He argued that integration of blacks and white represented the succumbing of African Americans to white culture and values. African Americans needed to embrace their own culture and communities and be independent of the white world. Many people embraced the ideas of Malcolm X. Many people began to see what he was advocating as true. This served as a contributing factor to the rise of African American activism. Through his radical tactics and his self- defiant demeanor, he open many gates for African Americans and led them along the path of fighting back or taking a stand. Malcolm X wanted to better the lives of blacks and open their eyes to who they are and what being an African American stood for, pride and promise. The more people who started to realize this, the more people who took action. Needless to say, Malcolm X’s role as a leader and a civil right activist, played a significant role in causing rise in African American activism. E. Conclusion Malcolm X played a significant role in bringing rise to African American activism. Malcolm X shed light upon the many dreadful conditions faced by the people of African descent. However, while it may be impossible to measure his impact in its entirety, it is just to say that Malcolm X helped to expose unfair practices towards African Americans which ultimately led to significant changes, changes that the legal system deemed unlawful. This drive to better African Americans made Malcolm X an extraordinary leader and gave African American new incentive. This led African Americans to begin to take further action which gave rise to activists groups such as the Black Panther Party. It is evident that Malcolm X played a significant role in giving rise to African American activism. His role is equally as significant to that of Martin Luther King Jr. or even that of Rosa Parks. And while some may call him violent or racist, others consider Malcolm X to be one of the most influential and great est African Americans in history. Works Cited Eric Foner and John A. Garraty, eds., The Reader’s Companion to American History (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1991) http://www.history.com/topics/malcolm-x (accessed November 29, 2012) William W. Sales, Jr., â€Å"The Legacy of Malcolm X,† Online Publication. http://www.socialistalternative.org/literature/malcolmx.html (accessed November 29, 2012) James Smethurst, â€Å"Malcolm X and the Black Arts Movement,† Cambridge Collection Online. http://cco.cambridge.org/extract?id=ccol9780521515900_CCOL9780521515900A007 (accessed November 29, 2012) Sharrod Patterson, â€Å"Malcolm X: A Powerful Black Leader Who Fought for Human Rights,† Student Newspaper of Winston-Salem University, February 19, 2007. Bio. True Story, â€Å"Malcolm X Biography,† The Biography Channel Website. http://www.biography.com/people/malcolm-x-9396195 (accessed November 29, 2012) Teachers Domain. Malcolm X: Black Nationalism.† 18 Jun. 2004. Web. http://www.tea chersdomain.org/resource/iml04.soc.ush.civil.malc1/ (accessed December 5, 2012)

Triangle Love Intimacy

Triangle Love Intimacy Triangle of Love Robert J. Sternberg, psychologist and dean of the Tufts School of Arts and Sciences proposed a triangular theory of love that suggests that there are three components of love: intimacy, passion, and commitment. Different combinations of these three components result in different types of love. For example, a mixture of intimacy and commitment results in compassionate love, while a mixture of passion and intimacy leads to passionate love. Sternberg often said, â€Å"relationships built on two or more elements are more enduring that those based upon a single component† [Tufts p 19]. Sternberg uses the term consummate love to describe a combination of intimacy, passion, and commitment. While this type of love is the strongest and most enduring, Sternberg suggests that this type of love is rare. He wrote that even as a teenager he was intrigued by the mystery of why some relationships succeed while others fail. This is why early in his academic career he developed an explanation, which he calls the â€Å"triangular theory of love.† His theory is based on the observation â€Å"that love consists of three components . . . intimacy, passion, and commitment. Different combinations and strengths of those three ingredients,† Sternberg says, â€Å"produce different kinds of love.† [Tufts p. 20] Intimacy is the feelings in a relationship that promote closeness, bonding, and connecting with one another. Passion is what drives the romance, physical attraction, and sexual consummation in a loving relationship. Commitment consists of two parts.   The first is a short-term aspect in which you make the decision that you love another person and the second part is the long-term aspect in which you decide to commit to a long-term relationship and maintaining the love for that person over a long period of time [Everything2]. Sternberg also gives a detailed explanation of the types of love. â€Å"Infatuated love†, for example, is all passion, without intimacy or commitment. Romantic love has passion and intimacy but lacks commitment. â€Å"Companionate love,† he says, â€Å"results when we have only intimacy and commitment, as in a long-term deep friendship.† The kind of love that embodies all three components he calls â€Å"consummate love† [Tufts p.21]. Sternberg uses the triangle to describe different way we evolve to being in love. Each side of the triangle represents the proportion of each component with respect to the other two. The shape of the triangle that Sternberg uses is supposed to symbolize the balance between intimacy, passion and commitment, because it is equal on all sides. This is the kind of love we all hope for at one point and time. It is also the kind of love we tend to associate with living a life full of love and happiness. Sternberg acknowledges that few human relationships can maintain this perfect balance indefinitely, yet many relationships succeed in the face of enormous obstacles because both parties highly value consummate love, seek it out and work hard to maintain it. [Tufts p. 21] Sternberg wanted his theory of love to show us true love should develop, but it also meant to be used as to show us how we can develop loving and caring relationships with everyone that is apart of our life. In his study of human relationships, Sternberg discovered that â€Å"couples tended to be happier when they had more of the three components of love. And it helped if their love triangles matched in size and shape—that is, if the amount and kind of love each partner felt for the other was about the same.† [Tufts p. 21] I think that the love triangle is great. When the intensity of love shared by two people is great, so is the area of the love triangle and vice versa. However, the greater a specific component of love, like passion, the further the point from the center of the triangle will be to that component. This is why the shape of the love triangle is reliant on the strength of the different workings of love. The shape of the triangle will and should evolve over time. We may achieve such perfect forms of love as consummate love, but we all know that perfect of love is hard to maintain over time because to sustain it, we must nourish all of its components. The more a couple works on keeping the three components of consummate love in balance and nourished, the more likely such a love will be maintained for a long period of time. Love its self is so strong. I have been â€Å"in love† a few times. When I did this writing assignment I realize that I was not really in love until I met my husba nd. I took the triangle and compared the components to my past relationships and there is no comparison to what I have now. In society today, when someone mentions the word â€Å"Love† it is guaranteed that at least half the people surrounding you will shudder. Whether it is through observation or experience, people have come to learn that love is far from being the ideal state in which one should live in and, for that matter; many choose to stay away from it. It is known to break hearts, to hurt feelings and, believe it or not, it truly is not always happily ever after. Yes, Love does have its positive points. It is thrilling and exciting when youre in love, it is sometimes even euphoric but the argument here is not whether Love is good or bad for you. You and only you can make that decision. Works Cited Sternberg, Robert J. 2007. Happily ever after, Tufts Magazine 14: 3) 19-23. http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=emotion

Upton Sinclairs The Jungle :: essays research papers fc

Long and tedious, with the purpose of showing the unsanitary conditions of the Chicago meat industry, The Jungle is a book that was written by Upton Sinclair. After his manuscript was completed in 1905, it appeared serially in Appeal to Reason, a widely circulated socialist periodical. This initial publication caused much controversy and immediate reaction. Much difficulty was encountered, however, when he tried to get it published in book form. None of the publishers wanted it published completely in its current form, and Sinclair didn’t want to cut any of it out. It was finally published in 1906, by Sinclair himself with considerable financial aid from Jack London. There is no table of contents as it is written in the form of a novel. Likewise, there are very few footnotes and the footnotes it does have are on how to pronounce things. There is a bibliography in the back which lists all of his sources for information on meatpacking and his other documentation. For the most par t it is historically accurate, as it tells the life of a man who works in a realistic meat packing setting. Because it is fictional, though, it probably would not be much of an aid to a historical researcher. The novel itself, containing over Three hundred pages, is rather long and tediously boring.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sinclair’s central purpose in writing The Jungle was to persuade people to join the socialist party and to adopt the view that socialism is the only way to conquer the capitalistic empires that abuse the working class. The socialist ethic is that the general public will have joint ownership of the factory. Thus, they will finally be able to eliminate the undesirable working conditions and to advocate new, more comfortable working conditions. Sinclair uses many clever devices in order to get his readers to agree with this ethic. First, he keeps the many characters basically flat and two-dimensional throughout the whole novel. After their initial introduction, they are not developed any further or given any more human characteristics. They are outlined by what the author tells you they do; no thought or decision making on their part is ever shown. He also keeps all of the characters at the same level. The reader never knows any more about one character’s personality than he does about another character’s personality. He only knows basically nothing about either character’s personality. Another device Sinclair employs is leaving only one option, one alternative, to being held captive by capitalism.

Mother Daughter Relationships - Daughter Pushed to the Brink in Amy Tan

A Daughter Pushed to the Brink in Joy Luck Club      Ã‚   In Amy Tan's novel, Joy Luck Club, the mother of Jing-mei recognizes only two kinds of daughters: those that are obedient and those that follow their own mind. Perhaps the reader of this novel may recognize only two types of mothers: pushy mothers and patient mothers.   The two songs, "Pleading Child" and "Perfectly Contented," which the daughter plays, reinforce the underlying tension in the novel. These songs represent the feelings that the daughter, Jing-mei, has had throughout her life. The mother in this novel is pushy. She wants her daughter to become a child prodigy so badly she can practically taste it. She makes Jing-mei perform tests out of magazines to see if she could by some chance be one of those extraordinary children they are always reading about and watching on TV. Jing-mei has no interest in becoming a child prodigy; eventually gives up on these tests, and hence her mother gives up on them, too. The mother also pushed Jing-mei to try and be something she wasn't in the way of looks. After watching Shirley Temple on TV, Jing-mei's mother took her down to the beauty training school so she could get her hair cut to look like a Chinese Shirley Temple. Well, like the tests, the haircut failed too. She ended up with an uneven, Peter Pan looking haircut. Jing-mei's mother said that she now "looked like Negro Chinese" as if it was her fault her hair ended up the way it did (Tan 1208). After the first two attempts to make her daughter into a child prodigy, the mother is just about to give up on the idea that her daughter can be better than what she already is, when her last idea hits her. She was watching the Ed Sullivan show, when she saw a girl playin... ...ause her mother pushed her to hard to do things that she simply did not want to do. If her mother had just been a little more relaxed and not so caught up in her daughter becoming a child prodigy, then they would have had a better relationship. If parents push their children to do something they do not want to do, they may end up, like Jing-mei's mother, paying for it.    Works Cited and Consulted: Ghymn, Ester. Images of Asian American Women by Asian American Women Writers. vol. 1. NY: Peter Lang 1995. Souris, Stephen. "'Only Two Kinds of Daughters:'" Inter-Monologue Dialogicity in The Joy Luck Club." Melus 19.2 (Summer 1994):99-123. Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Vintage Contemporaries. New York: A Division of Random House, Inc. 1993. Willard, Nancy. Asian American Women Writers. Ed. Harold Bloom. Chelsea House Publishers, Philadelphia 1997.

the enlightenment :: essays research papers fc

Women are not advancing in the workplace at an appropriate rate. Sharon Webster is angry. She has been an employee at Merrill Lynch for the past 18 years immediately after graduating from college. It’s a nice job with above the board benefits and perks and an excellent health care plan. So what could be the source of her indignation? Recently, she had applied for a vacant position but was betered by a male counterpart who is less qualified and has fewer years of experience. Sounds familiar? Studies have shown that there is still widespread discrimination of women in the workplace on various levels. Globally, the work world remains generally intractable and indifferent to the socio-economic ambitions of women. The corporate creature keeps them at arm’s-length, barring them from a ‘circle of fellowship’, whose price for admission is usually a cocktail of testosterone and connections. Society usually gives us the general impression that women are rapidly climbing the ladder of commercial success. But is this really true? Th e United Nations Chartered Council shows that in the workplace 73.2% of supervisors are men while a meagre 26.8% are women. Think about that for minute-that’s a gigantic gap. And what would you say if I told that in most countries- while women make up a significant portion of the work force- they are paid significantly less than men and are subjected to sub-level positions, would this surprise you? But it is true. Women in the work place are bearing the scars inflicted by the monster of gender discrimination which are as deep as the well of tears that has also marked their struggle. This discrimination manifests itself in various ways: while they are very much present in the workplace, they are hardly securing executive and managerial positions while being highly qualified; they are often not being paid at the same level as males for the same positions. Also, due to these gender biased blows and society’s entrenched gender gap they often times develop low self-esteem. With respect to work relations, John Stuart Mill remarks, â€Å"Millions of women are enduring the brunt of gender bias in the workplace† (67). But this quote still leaves us with an abstracted sense of what is really going on; let us take a closer look at the underbelly of gender discrimination, particularly, the snubbing of scores of women for promotion even when they are more qualified than their male counterparts.

Effect Size and Classroom Management Essay

Teachers play various roles in a typical classroom, but surely one of the most important is that of classroom manager. Effective teaching and learning cannot take place in a poorly managed classroom. If students are disorderly and disrespectful, and no apparent rules and procedures guide behavior, chaos becomes the norm. In these situations, both teachers and students suffer. Teachers struggle to teach, and students most likely learn much less than they should. In contrast, well-managed classrooms provide an environment in which teaching and learning can flourish. But a well-managed classroom doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. It takes a good deal of effort to create—and the person who is most responsible for creating it is the teacher. We live in an era when research tells us that the teacher is probably the single most important factor affecting student achievement—at least the single most important factor that we can do much about. To illustrate, as a result of their study involving some 60,000 students, S. Paul Wright, Sandra Horn, and William Sanders (1997) note the following: The results of this study will document that the most important factor affecting student learning is the teacher. In addition, the results show wide variation in effectiveness among teachers. The immediate and clear implication of this finding is that seemingly more can be done to improve education by improving the effectiveness of teachers than by any other single factor. Effective teachers appear to be effective with students of all achievement levels regardless of the levels of heterogeneity in their classes. If the teacher is ineffective, students under that teacher’s tutelage will achieve inadequate progress academically, regardless of how similar or different they are regarding their academic achievement. p. 63) [emphasis in original] Researcher Kati Haycock (1998) uses the findings of this study and others conducted by William Sanders and his colleagues (e. g. , Sanders & Horn, 1994) to paint a dramatic picture of the profound impact an individual teacher can have on student achievement. The point is illustrated in Figure 1. 1, which depicts the differences in achievement between students who spend a year in class with a highly effective teacher as opposed to a highly ineffective teacher. According to Figure 1. 1, tudents in the classes of teachers classified as the most effective can be expected to gain about 52 percentile points in their achievement over a year’s time. Students in the classes of teachers classified as least effective can be expected to gain only about 14 percentile points over a year’s time. This comparison is even more dramatic when one realizes that some researchers have estimated that students will exhibit a gain in learning of about 6 percentile points simply from maturation—from growing one year older and gleaning new knowledge and information through everyday life (see Hattie, 1992; Cahen & Davis, 1987). The least effective teachers, then, add little to the development of students’ knowledge and skill beyond what would be expected from simply growing one year older in our complex, information-rich society. Figure 1. 1. Impact of Teacher Effectiveness on Student Achievement Sanders and his colleagues, who gathered their data from elementary school students in Tennessee, are not the only ones to document dramatic differences in achievement between students in classes taught by highly ineffective versus highly effective teachers. Haycock (1998) reports similar findings from studies conducted in Dallas and Boston. I have come to similar conclusions in my work, although I have taken a very different approach from that used in the studies that form the basis for Haycock’s conclusions. Whereas the studies conducted in Tennessee, Dallas, and Boston were based on data acquired from students over time, I used a research process called meta-analysis to synthesize the research on effective schools over the last 35 years (see Marzano, 2000a, 2003b). That approach enabled me to separate the effect on student achievement of a school (in general) from the effect of an individual teacher. Figure 1. 2 illustrates my findings. Figure 1. 2. Effects of a School vs. a Teacher on Student Entering at 50th Percentile To understand the impact that a teacher can make, let’s consider each of the five scenarios in Figure 1. 2. (For a detailed discussion of how the computations in Figure 1. 2 were derived, see Marzano, 2000a. ) As depicted in Figure 1. 2, if a student begins at the 50th percentile in mathematics, let’s say, and attends an average school and has an average teacher, her achievement will still be at the 50th percentile at the end of about two years. The student has learned enough to keep pace with her peers. But what happens to that student if she attends a school that is considered one of the least effective and is unfortunate enough to have a teacher who is classified as one of the least effective? After two years she has dropped from the 50th percentile to the 3rd percentile. She may have learned something about mathematics, but that learning is so sporadic and unorganized that she has lost considerable ground in a short time. In the third scenario, the same student is in a school classified as most effective, but she has a teacher classified as least effective. Although the student entered the class at the 50th percentile, two years later she leaves the class at the 37th percentile. In contrast to the two previous scenarios, the fourth presents a very optimistic picture. The student is not only in a school classified as most effective, but also is in the class of a teacher classified as most effective. She enters the class at the 50th percentile, but she leaves at the 96th percentile. The fifth scenario most dramatically depicts the impact of an individual teacher. Again, the student is in a school that is considered least effective, but she is with a teacher classified as most effective. The student now leaves the class at the 63rd percentile—13 percentile points higher than the point at which she entered. It is this last scenario that truly depicts the importance of individual teachers. Even if the school they work in is highly ineffective, individual teachers can produce powerful gains in student learning. Although the effect the classroom teacher can have on student achievement is clear, the dynamics of how a teacher produces such an effect are not simple. Rather, the effective teacher performs many functions. These functions can be organized into three major roles: (1) making wise choices about the most effective instructional strategies to employ, (2) designing classroom curriculum to facilitate student learning, and (3) making effective use of classroom management techniques. The first role deals with instructional strategies and their use. Effective teachers have a wide array of instructional strategies at their disposal. They are skilled in the use of cooperative learning and graphic organizers; they know how best to use homework and how to use questions and advance organizers, and so on. Additionally, they know when these strategies should be used with specific students and specific content. Although cooperative learning might be highly effective in one lesson, a different approach might be better in another lesson. Some general strategies that have a good research â€Å"track record† in terms of enhancing student achievement have been detailed in Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001). The second role associated with effective teaching is classroom curriculum design. This means that effective teachers are skilled at identifying and articulating the proper sequence and pacing of their content. Rather than relying totally on the scope and sequence provided by the district or the textbook, they consider the needs of their students collectively and individually and then determine the content that requires emphasis and the most appropriate sequencing and presentation of that content. They are also highly skilled at constructing and arranging learning activities that present new knowledge in different formats (e. g. stories, explanations, demonstrations) and different media (e. g. , oral presentations, written presentations, video presentations, Web-based presentations, simulations, hands-on activities). The third role involved in effective teaching is classroom management. This, of course, is the subject of this book. The following chapters detail and exemplify the various components of effective classroom management. Before delving into classroom man agement, however, it is important to note that each of these three roles is a necessary but not sufficient component of effective teaching. That is, no single role by itself is sufficient to guarantee student learning, but take one out of the mix and you probably guarantee that students will have difficulty learning. Nevertheless, a strong case can be made that effective instructional strategies and good classroom curriculum design are built on the foundation of effective classroom management. As Long and Frye (1985) note in their book, Making It Till Friday: A Guide to Successful Classroom Management, it is a myth to believe that . . . ffective teachers can prevent all discipline problems by keeping students interested in learning through the use of exciting classroom materials and activities. The potential for problems exists beyond academics. Students experience difficulties at home which spill over into the classroom; students experience problems with peers during class breaks and in the classroom which often involve the teacher; and students experience mood changes which can generate problems, to name just a few. (pp. 3–4) Similarly, in their ynthesis of the research, Edmund Emmer, Julie Sanford, Barbara Clements, and Jeanne Martin (1982) note that At all public school grade levels, effective classroom management has been recognized as a crucial element in effective teaching. If a teacher cannot obtain students’ cooperation and involve them in instructional activities, it is unlikely that effective teaching will take place †¦ In addition, poor management wastes class time, reduces students’ time on task and detracts from the quality of the learning environment.

Prezi Reflection

Prezi Reflection and Review The entire process of creating and presenting the Prezi was a huge collaborative learning experience for me. Time management was one of the greatest challenges we faced throughout the creation process. As a group, we had to find non-clashing time slots in our schedules in order to meet and design a layout for our project. After brainstorming and designating four major areas of interest for each team member through texts and emails, we made an appointment at the CommLab. One of the English professors helped us with learning the Prezi interface and facilitated the designing of the structure for our Prezi.The toughest challenge our group faced was to maintain coherence throughout our project. This was intrinsically difficult because our group focused on the diversity of reality and thus we went into very unique branches of thought such as Fundamental Science, Politics, Art, etc. Later on, Professor Harkey gave us valuable feedback as to how to orient our visu al structure in order to achieve maximum engagement and coherence. Everything started to fall in place when we created a linked Prezi which allowed all four of us to access and edit the group’s Prezi simultaneously and independently at our own convenience.I would say this is one of Prezi’s greatest advantages over other presentation softwares. It was incredible for me to log onto our Prezi presentation at say 11:30 p. m. and see my teammates adding content. I could literally see the Prezi grow radially building up with more connections between major areas of interest. It was tough not to get sucked into one of my partner’s chain of thought as he or she was dynamically appending the presentation. However, these distractions proved to be beneficial when we began texting each other while observing each other’s contribution.Creativity manifested itself in the minor changes we made while we were working on the presentation together. Technology seemed to overpo wer obstacles such as distance and time and it gave us a feeling of control. It created a hyperreality by almost convincing us that we were working in the same room together. Our group was assigned to review group Foxtrot. The major question they tried to answer in their presentation was â€Å"what is realness with reference to the real world? † In terms of their organization, they followed a very simple structure comprised of concentric circles.This made it easy for the audience to follow along in a sequential manner but I feel they slightly underutilized Prezi’s capabilities. For each subtopic, they were able to present a well justified argument in their view. I felt they could have enriched their presentation in this aspect by justifying their claims through more perspectives. One good example of the multimodal approach can be found in their presentation. They first used a video with text alone showing the dialogue from the movie, The Matrix. Then, they played the a ctual piece containing that dialogue.Thus, it was an instance where they mixed oral, visual, and non-verbal modes quite fluently. The unique aspect about their presentation that distinguishes them is the fact that they relied on verbal communication relatively more than any other group in our class. Thus, one is inclined to believe that their presentation is brief when viewing their Prezi independently although that is not the reality. The very act of focusing their presentation orally to create a discussive environment shows a good deal of Rhetorical Awareness. They could have achieved a better sense of balance in this regard by distributing the time each member spoke equally.Overall, they did well in all these different areas of evaluation. They especially did well when you take into account that their presentation was broken into two pieces due to time constraints and they were one member short during the presentation. I can clearly see that the entire Prezi assignment has helped both of our groups attain some clarity on the different issues that â€Å"realness† brings up. It has also given us a better understanding of how different modes can be used to create different responses in the audience with the same content. The Prezi assignment like I said before has truly been a great learning experience.

Patriarchy Essay

Societies around the globe have a traditional set of protocol as to who is supposed to the head of family, clan, or even a bigger societal group than these ones. Among the African societies, the man is a de facto head of the family and the larger society, and the woman just serves the role of subordinating him. This is a true reflection of the early religious societies, for example the Israelites and the Muslims of the eastern societies, which recognized the fact that the work of the prophets belonged to the males and that women were no longer to appear as public leaders or role holders. In Western Europe and indeed much of the continent this was the case before the middle ages and in the renaissance period. This defined societal leadership of the early days was referred to as the patriarchy, and the family heads themselves as the patriarchs. Now, according to the Webster’s new collegiate dictionary, patriarchy is a social organization marked by the supremacy of the father in the clan or family, the legal dependence of wife and children, and the reckoning of descent and inheritance in the male line (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, 1977). With time, given the rapid changes the society was going through, especially in Western Europe the principles and the core values of patriarchy began to be faced out. In Britain where the process was sudden, patriarchy suffered its biggest blows in the period between late 17th century to late 18th century (precisely 1689-1789). This process that brought in all these changes was described as the reconfiguration- the change in the roles of men and women. We are going to discuss the effect of this process on the society during the century stated above. The reconfiguration of patriarchy in Britain. (1689-1789). During the early times, the British society just like any other society of ancient times was composed of large families, and included members from across relations. However, desire for privacy and compatibility began growing. Couples who intended to marry desired not only the formal romantic love but also an overhaul change in the relationship once married. The changes following these developments resulted into smaller family sizes. The married couple could now spend a lot of time together, in addition to developing common interests and pastimes. Furthermore, these developments meant that personal live of this married couples changed, with houses built to develop privacy from children, house servants and guests. Rooms were set aside for specific purposes and were partitioned by hallways from one another. Couples were now spending more together and had more time for themselves, this coming as a result of limited family sizes. The bearing of few children had an advantage for women because maternity deaths reduced, also reduction of disablements at child birth that were common in the early times and above all women had an added time to pursue domestic chores. Although attempts of birth were not successfully (because birth control methods of this time- withdrawal and coitus interruptus- are not reliable) families managed to succeed in the child spacing. There was the idea of commercialization of childhood. A child born of a family in ancient Britain had to undergo a torturous procedure that was referred to as wet nursing. Therefore the child had to spend most of the time away from the mother. By mid 17th century children were receiving a lot of attention from their parents. A family expecting a child had to purchase all the toys necessary for the comfort of a child. Books full of pictures (and also helpful to the parents) to entice the child were bought. It was emerging that mothers wanted to nurse their children themselves by obviously breast feeding and also figuratively teach them in the process. This new found relationship between women and their children meant that children would now become companions to the outings involving visits to the museums and comp sites that were also emerging with a lot of speed. Another development coming in the 18th century was the emergence of bourgeois as a culture. This culture worked on the idea that home life was the fulfillment of an individual lifestyle, and included more spending on leisure pursuits and literary programs. Unfortunately, this privileges associated with this culture could not be associated with every member of the society. For example, working women could not afford the cost of instructional materials for their children or even the time to use these materials. In response to these some women employed wet nurses, an irony for this age. This group of women enjoyed little privacy in their places residence because they still had to consent living with large families in single rooms. House wives were still being beaten by their husbands and children too suffered beatings in the hands of their fathers. Consequently, by late 18th century two distinct family classes were emerging- one based on companion marriage and the other o patriarchal dominance of husbands. In the eighteenth century a rigorous transformation in family life was underway, one that bourgeoisie shared with the nobility: the celebration of domesticity. The image and indeed reality was that of the happy home life, where love was the bond between husband and wife and between parents and children, and both men and women came to dominate both the literary and visual arts. Only those who were wealthy enough to afford to dispense with women’s work could partake of the new domesticity, and only those who had been touched by enlightment ideas could attempt to make the change. Indeed where it occurred, the transformation in the nature of family life was one of the most profound alterations in the eighteenth century. Consequently; the most important step that had an impact towards transformation of family structure was in the centering of the conjugal family in the home. Conclusion:Â  We have seen that eighteenth century Britain was a society of orders that was transforming itself into a society of classes. That is to say that official ranks such as noble and commoner were giving way to ranking by wealth or poverty. The rise of science and enlightment ideas highlighted the contradictions. Enlightment ideas looked to the future, to a new world that was ruled fairly to the benefit of all human beings, male and female alike. Authority, society and the individual had the chance to improve but if the odds and the rubble of the past was forgotten.

Michel Foucault

Michel Foucault, generally in his philosophy, has created a system wherein he  examines the relations of power as they are transmuted down in a society (not one  that it is held by individuals—and, indeed, it is not so perpetuated), wherein the  refinement of discourse over time allows for the normalization of behaviors and then that  individuals are encouraged, as docile bodies, to adhere to this program of normalization.  Foucault locates the origins of this process in asylums and prisons, and considers them an  Enlightenment technological development, which he calls â€Å"technologies of the self†: But I became more and more aware that in all societies there is another type of technique:  techniques which permit individuals to affect, by their own means, a certain number of  operations on their own bodies, their own souls, their own thoughts, their own conduct,  and this in a manner so as to transform themselves, modify themselves, and to attain a  certain state of perfection, happiness, purity, supernatural power. Let us call these kinds  of technologies technologies of the self. (Foucault â€Å"Sexuality and Solitude 367) Foucault locates these technologies of the self at the center of the process of  normalization that has shifted the process of punishment from an outward display of  power as in medieval executions to an internal process in which the prisoner becomes  complicit in his own punishment. By employing these technologies of the self an  increasingly analytical and ever more refined manner power is able to normalize almost  all of life and make the distinction between punishment and education trivial. In attempting to diagnose the evolutionary trend of the manner in which  punishment has been historically meted out throughout the ages, Foucault suggests that  there has been a gradual evolution from tactics of raw displays of power to more subtle  forms of control. While this might suggest a certain amount of progress in that it is a  progressive movement towards a less obvious brutal form of maintenance of the status  quo it is nonetheless   a pervasive manner of social control and thus the obfuscation of  means of social control over the passage of time, especially since the enlightenment,  should not be mistaken for true liberation or the work of real progress toward a deeper  goal of recognize some eternal truth about human rights. Whereas medieval society  employed the public display of punishment in intricate and executions of the most  excruciating form (such as beheading, drawing and quartering, hanging etc.) to help  maintain social order by showing the direct result of a failure to comply with law,  contemporary society uses more indirect and less overt methods for encouraging its  subjects to adhere to the traditional social order. Indeed, where medieval societies used  overt displays of brute force, modern society prefers processes of normalization, which  are less intrusive:  Another instrument used to achieve discipline is the normalizing judgment. Instead of punishing offenders for wrong doings, the administrators with power choose to  rehabilitate them to attempt to normalize problem individuals and make them a functional  and law abiding.   This type of corrective attempt is used through training techniques  including the use of repetition.   This could be used in the classroom for a student that  could not write cursive well enough to pass to the next level.   For a punishment, they  could be required to write cursive sentences over and over again.   Additionally, to  provide the society with this normalization or conformity, rewards become more frequent  than penalties. For those students that tend to fall behind, the prospect of a reward could  be more appealing to do well than the threat of yet another punishment.   This gives  individuals something to strive to achieve and creates incentives for being disciplined. â€Å"What Is Discipline?† Here, we see the ideas of punishment couched in the language of teaching and  rehabilitation. What is a deviant behavior is simply a mistaken approach to learning basic  social rules that can be corrected and analyzed and subjected to extensive discourse. Moreover, in this instance, there is not only the issue of negative reinforcement via the  coercive measure of the threat of punishing action in response to a putative misdeed, but,  moreover, there is the extension of a metaphorical â€Å"carrot† being extended to the  perpetrator of a violation should he manage to conform to the exact processes that the  captors. In this movement, this ability to make the punished complicit in his own   punishment, is the real power of the indirect method revealed because not only does it not  require an exercise of power, but allows those being punished to aid in their own  punishment. This idea of creating â€Å"docile bodies† by means of indirect punishments that seek  to examine and to â€Å"rehabilitate† rather than to torture is their chief use. Indeed, for docile  bodies are effective because they are given the illusion of freedom, in being offered a  choice between two possibilities they have the trappings of volition but when it has been   ordained ahead of time for them to choose one of the options of the other this merest veil  of volition is quickly revealed as just another discursive element rather than an  effectively â€Å"real† choice with meaning and consequence. Docility is a major advantage  because it allows the docile body to assist in his own rehabilitation and normalization  and, by extension, his own punishment per se: The term docility, or to be docile, means to  have a certain amount of control exercised over you. Foucault says; â€Å"a body is docile that  may be subjected, used, transformed and improved† (Foucault Discipline and Punish,  136). Docility was the way in which someone was trained, a way in which someone cold  be molded like clay to fit the needs of those that are in control. This was done in the  army, the schoolhouse, basically anywhere people were subjected to control on an  everyday basis. Docility is nothing more then discipline, where â€Å"discipline is a political  anatomy of detail† (Foucault Discipline and Punish, 139). The body was no longer beaten  and abused rather it was explored, broken down and rearranged.   Rather then being  destroyed the body was being entered into a political machine that produced docile  bodies. Foucault talks about docile bodies because he is trying to explain the shifts that  took place from the practice of torture and the spectacle to the building of the prisons.  Thus, the issue here is that by this method the body is forced to undergo a process  that, while substantially different from an experiential perspective than torture, has, as its  object, a surprisingly simple aim, which is of course the same ends of enforcing the  stability and standard of behavior that is normative and therefore beneficial to the  institutions of power. Through the creation of such docile bodies who no longer need to  be tortured but instead can be subtly goaded towards the process of rehabilitation and  ergo normalization, the standards of normalcy can be entertained and reinforced within  the individual by the individual. Indeed, even more ingenious is that, by such a method,  in which punishment is rehabilitation, the very distinction between the two begins to  break down. Punishment becomes a sort of identical with the very processes of   identification, analysis, and education. Part of the reason for this is that possibility of an  end telos of this process, of any sort of true enlightenment, per se, becomes an  impossibility, because such refinement and enlightenment leads only further into the  constricting web of discourse. Indeed, since the entire project of enlightenment refuses to end in any categorical  liberation (which is indeed an improbability if not an impossibility) that can be  demonstrated, this should be no surprise. Advances in rationalization and logic only serve  to further refine the methods by which processes like normalization take place, allowing  them to be now couched in doctrines of ethics, psychology, and criminology where they  can be used for the creation of docile bodies when in the past the only recourse would  have been the use of raw and terrible amounts of force: The enquiries have their  methodological coherence in the at once archaeological and genealogical study of  practices envisaged simultaneously as a technological type of rationality and as strategic  games of liberties; they have their practical coherence in the care brought to the process  of putting historico-critical reflections to the test of concrete practices. I do not know  whether it must be said today that the critical task still entails faith in Enlightenment; I  continue to think that this task requires work on our limits, that is, a patient labor giving  form to our impatience for liberty. (Foucault â€Å"What is Enlightenment?† 50) Here, we see that the capital-E Enlightenment has resulted in little more than a  refinement of the â€Å"strategic games of liberties,† which, of course, serve to do little else   to confine one to the rules of the game rather than allow for the possibility of a true  exit, and, similarly the possibility of little-e enlightenment for the individual is equally  impossible when each enlightenment only furthers the discourse and increases the  process of education which is the form of expiation in the principle order of things  anyway. Thus, enlightenment is an increasingly remote quantity whose value remains  unknown and unknowable, while the reality of the increasing and encroaching science of  punishment is advanced in discourse in such a way that the process of discipline is  reinforced through the further and stronger normalization of every single social act, since  the discourse about these acts also multiples, creating possibilities for discourse where no  such possibility even existed before. Thus, the teleological goal of the penal system then seem to be one in which it is  almost impossible to distinguish between education and punishment and, indeed, prison  and the outside world. Through the creation of bourgeois docile bodies, prisons  increasingly do not require walls because the normalization of every activity makes it  such that the mere examination of the entirety of one’s existence links one to the very  concept of the punishment that looks less and less like a punishment:   The ideal point of  penalty today would be an indefinite discipline: an interrogation without end, an  investigation that would be extended without limit to a meticulous and ever more  analytical observation, a judgment that would at the same time be the constitution of a  file that was never closed, the calculated leniency of a penalty that would be interlaced  with the ruthless curiosity of an examination, a procedure that would be at the same time  the perman ent measure of a gap in relation to an inaccessible norm and the asymptotic  movement that strives to meet in infinity. (Foucault Discipline and Punish 227) Thus, the conclusion we reach at the end is that the goal of increasing discourse  since the enlightenment is to make power’s reach ever more diffuse but ever more  pervasive—the inclusion of discourse into previously verboten areas allows for the  normalization of those areas and with that normalization comes control such that the  ideas of punishment and rational consideration seem to come within a hairsbreadth of  merging at the distance of an infinite regress. References Foucault, Michel. â€Å"Sexuality and Solitude.† On Signs. Marshall Blonsky ed. Baltimore: John’s Hopkins Press, 1985. Santos, Tomas. â€Å"Foucault and the Modern Day Panopticon.† Retrieved January 05, 2008, at http://www.spelunkephobes.4t.com/foucault_and_the_modern.htm Foucault, Michel. â€Å"What is Enlightenment.† The Foucault Reader. Paul Rabinow, ed. Catherine Porter, trans. New York: Pantheon Books, 1984. Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of Prison. Alan Sheridan, trans. New York: Vintage, 1979.