Singapore education system Essay Example for Free

Singapore education system Essay Singapore’s education system is one of the top among the world. I am glad to grow up in such system whereby we are trained since young to try and achieve the best of both worlds balancing academic and non-academic achievements like CCAs. I would like to know the views on looking into various â€Å"loopholes† in the education systems. Ministry of Education (MOE) is offering new paths for students, who did well for their GCE ‘N’ Level, to further their studies at Institute of Technical Education (ITE) or even local Polytechnics without taking the GCE ‘O’ Level, yet at the same time do not have any plans to further support these students such that most of them could not enter the local universities due to lack of qualifications. Singapore’s education system is one of the top among the world. I am glad to grow up in such system whereby we are trained since young to try and achieve the best of both worlds balancing academic and non-academic achievements like CCAs. I would ask the Prime Minister for his views on looking into various â€Å"loopholes† in the education systems. Ministry of Education (MOE) is offering new paths for students, who did well for their GCE ‘N’ Level, to further their studies at Institute of Technical Education (ITE) or even local Polytechnics without taking the GCE ‘O’ Level, yet at the same time do not have any plans to further support these students such that most of them could not enter the local universities due to lack of qualifications. Singapore’s education system is one of the top among the world. I am glad to grow up in such system whereby we are trained since young to try and achieve the best of both worlds balancing academic and non-academic achievements like CCAs. I would ask the Prime Minister for his views on looking into various â€Å"loopholes† in the education systems. Ministry of Education (MOE) is offering new paths for students, who did well for their GCE ‘N’ Level, to further their studies at Institute of Technical Education (ITE) or even local Polytechnics without taking the GCE ‘O’ Level, yet at the same time do not have any plans to further support these students such that most of them could not enter the local universities due to lack of qualifications. Singapore’s education system is one of the top among the world. I am glad to grow up in such system whereby we are trained since young to try and achieve  the best of both worlds balancing academic and non-academic achievements like CCAs. I would ask the Prime Minister for his views on looking into various â€Å"loopholes† in the education systems. Ministry of Education (MOE) is offering new paths for students, who did well for their GCE ‘N’ Level, to further their studies at Institute of Technical Education (ITE) or even local Polytech nics without taking the GCE ‘O’ Level, yet at the same time do not have any plans to further support these students such that most of them could not enter the local universities due to lack of qualifications.

Relevance Of Symbolic Play In Child Development Education Essay

Relevance Of Symbolic Play In Child Development Education Essay This essay looks at the issue of symbolic play being therapeutic play for children. The essay looks at the theory of symbolic play, the use of symbolic play with children, the therapeutic value of symbolic play, using research to support the discussions. The essay discusses what is understood by symbolic play, then moves on to discuss the importance of symbolic play in childrens development, looking at the various theories that have been put forward to explain the importance of play in childrens development. The essay then moves on to look at various instances where therapeutic play has been used, and is considered useful, such as in children who are experiencing a chronic illness, who are hospitalized, who are awaiting surgery or who have experienced some form of trauma. What is symbolic play? Symbolic play is, according to Piaget (1962) one of the main ways in which children learn to think in a representational manner, where representation is understood as a process through which children store information according to the perceptual analysis of their ingoing experiences (Leslie, 1987; Lyytinen et al., 1997). Play essentially allows children to understand the things they experience and to put these things in to perspective. As such, play is fundamentally important for childrens development (Piaget, 1962). Play is one of the ways in which children understand the world, their interactions with others and the rules and regulations that govern their passage through the world. Play is, thus, a fundamental activity for children that allows them to form their personalities and to understand their place in the world, in relation to others. Relevant of symbolic play in child development Symbolic play, which arises around the age of 18 months, basically involves children substituting one item for another, and can constitute incorporating others in to their play, pretend play or sequencing. This can mean that children pretend to be mother (or father) or that they use household items to reproduce day-to-day activities they have seen their parents doing, amongst other common symbolic play activities. This symbolic allows children to experiment with different roles and different forms of being, which, as has been discussed, allows children to understand, and to contextualise, their experiences. As Piaget (1962) argues, such symbolic play allows children to understand the role of self and others, the use of objects and the sequences of actions and activities whilst playing. This allows children to understand objects, to learn about the properties of objects and to learn about consequences and causality (Piaget, 1962). Play thus allows children, amongst other things, to re alize where their boundaries are, to understand why things work in the ways they do and to understand how to interact with others. Symbolic play is thus, as has been discussed, a fundamental developmental tool for children. Watson and Zlotlow (1999) talk about symbolic play as, an important characteristic of childrens early play, through the enactment of activities that are very familiar to the child in contexts that are not typical for those activities. Enacting activities out of context allows the child to explore, and to understand, the role of agents in their lives, allowing them to understand how the world works and what their role is in this world. Symbolic play, therefore, has been argued to have three main features: the use of objects; the use of actions during the play; and individuals enacting the play (i.e., agents) (Watson and Zlotlow, 1999). The use of objects can be undertaken in many forms, either through substitution, in which the object is used to represent something else, through scenario-building, with the object being used to perform some task or in combination, with the object being used in various ways (Watson, 2008). The use of actions in play and the development of the agent in p lay follow certain patterns depending on the age of the child, as does the theme of childrens symbolic play (Watson, 2008). The one thing that all symbolic play has in common, at whatever age or developmental stage the child is at, is that the child uses some representation of self in their play. At age four, for example, children will have progressed to fantasy play, but these fantasies will usually involve themselves in becoming their fantasy a fireman or a prince, for example (Garvey, 1990). This allows them to explore different roles and responsibilities. Symbolic play is, therefore, a natural phenomena, that children follow naturally, as part of their development through childhood. As Reed (2007) argues, symbolic play links all four areas of a childs development, namely cognitive, language, social/emotional and physical, and, as such, is a fundamental part of the development of children. Symbolic play allows the child to acquire knowledge and to express and represent their ideas, thoughts and feelings: as Vygotsky argues, in his sociocultural cognitive theory, symbolic play allows children to develop and to self-regulate and to work out any problems they might face (Reed, 2007). It is in this aspect, then, that the therapeutic value of symbolic play becomes clear. As children constantly experiment with their environment, their peers and the other agents they meet, and as the results of these experiments are constantly being fed back to lead to reinforce certain behaviours or to elicit different patterns of behaviours, the value of pl ay as therapy is clear. Children who are passing through a difficult moment and who need help to understand this, to contextualise these difficulties in the framework of their existing knowledge, can, through engaging in therapeutic play, manage this. Therapeutic play allows them to experiment with the various outcomes and to contextualise the problems they face, allowing them an opportunity to work through these problems/problematic situations, through this working out their difficulties and coming to understand how to deal with them. The use of symbolic play as therapy In terms of the use of symbolic play as therapy with children, as Bettelheim states, Play permits the child to resolve in symbolic form unresolved problems of the past and to cope directly or symbolically with present concerns. It is also his most significant tool for preparing himself for the future and its tasks (Schaefer, 1995). Using play as a tool to help children through a difficult stage in their lives is, therefore, grounded in theory and makes sense in light of the fact that children learn through play. The research shows, for example, that therapeutic play can be helpful in aiding children through hospital stays (William, 2007) or through surgery, with this therapeutic play being shown to reduce anxiety and increase overall well-being (Bowmer, 2002). As Moore and Russ (2006) discuss, pretend play can act as a resource for children, relating, as it does, to many areas of adaptive functioning including creativity, coping and emotional regulation. As Moore and Russ (2006) show , pretend play in hospital settings can reduce anxiety and, through this, can reduce the likelihood of complications following surgery and can allow children to adapt better to the complications of chronic illness. The therapeutic value of symbolic play In terms of the therapeutic value of symbolic play, as Axline (1964) discusses, therapeutic play can be delivered through one of two major approaches, namely via non-directive play therapy and via directive play therapy (Oaklander, 1988). According to Axline (1964), play therapy should be governed by eight principles, namely that the therapist and child must be comfortable with each other; that the therapist accepts the child as he/she is; that the child can freely express their feelings; that the therapist is alert to the feelings the child expresses; that the therapist respects the child and their ability to resolve their own problems; that the therapist does not attempt to influence the child; that the therapy is carried out in its own time; and that the only limitations placed on the play therapy are those that anchor the therapy in the real world (Axline, 1964). If the therapeutic play is provided within this framework, the benefits of the therapeutic play can be many and varied , as discussed above, with the troubled child benefitting greatly from this intervention. As Li and Lopez (2008) argue, therapeutic play can be valuable not only in helping children through a difficult stage in their lives but can be useful in helping to in prepare children for a stressful, or difficult, period that they might face. For example, children who are facing surgery or a chronic illness can be helped to come to terms with this through the use of therapeutic play. As Li and Lopez (2008) report, by reinforcing to nursing and medical staff that play is a very important part of the lives of young children, and be employing therapeutic play techniques, this can markedly improve the anxiety that these children experience and can allow these children to have a more positive outlook regarding their situation and the difficult things they will face, meaning that they are better equipped to face these situations. As Li and Lopez (2008) argue, therapeutic play can help to improve the resilience of children who face difficulties and, as such, it is an important tool to use in those children who need help to become more resilient. Children who have faced some form of trauma, for example, can be aided through the fallout of this trauma through engaging in therapeutic play. By allowing the child the space to act out what they saw, or what they have experienced, for example, the child can come to terms with this traumatic experience. This therapeutic play could take the form of using puppets, or drawing, or role playing: anything that allows the child to re-enact the event(s) and, through this, come to terms with what happened. The use of therapeutic play in explaining the loss of someone close to them is known to be particularly valuable, for example, as this can allow them to imagine the person is still here and to resolve any outstanding issues they had with them, or to slowly come to terms with the fact that they are no longer alive and no longer able to be physically present with the child. The simple act of playing can, therefore, allow the child to come to terms with many difficult emotions, allowing the c hild to slowly become more able to cope with the negative emotions that a traumatic event (such as witnessing a violent act or the unexpected death of a close family member), allowing them to deal with these negative emotions (Schaefer and OConnor, 1994). As Schaefer and OConnor (1994) argue, role playing in particular can help children to face the negative post-trauma reactions that children might face, with role-play allowing children to relive the trauma and to find various solutions to their negative experiences and emotions. Conclusion In summary, then, this essay has looked at the issue of symbolic play being therapeutic play for children. The essay has looked, in particular, at the theory of symbolic play, the use of symbolic play with children and the therapeutic value of symbolic play. In regards to the theory of symbolic play, it has been seen that various theories have been proposed to explain the importance of symbolic play in childrens development, with all of these theories agreeing that play is a fundamental part of childrens development and that this play allows them to contextualise their experiences and to understand how these experiences dictate how they should act and should behave in different situations. It is this attribute of symbolic play that lends itself to being useful in helping children come to terms with difficult events in their lives: as has been discussed, play allows children to explore different scenarios (even difficult scenarios), with this play enabling them to overcome any negative emotions or feelings they might have had towards these scenarios. A child who is facing a difficult surgery, for example, might be scared, might be worried for themselves and for their families, but engaging in role play with this child (for example) allows them the opportunity to explore different possibilities and to release some of their anxieties and concerns. This has been shown, as discussed, to reduce the anxiety these children feel and to enable the childs health and well-being to be maintained, even under difficult circumstances. Similarly, a child who has experienced trauma can be helped through their post-traumatic period by engaging in some form of therapeutic play. This would normally consist of helping the child to act out their fears and their experiences, allowing the child to get rid of all of their negative emotions and feelings with regards to the even, allowing the child to expel these from their psyche and then to carry on without carrying this burden along with them. In conclusion, then, the essay has shown that play is fundamental for children and that, given its experimental nature and its ability to contextualise events and interactions for children, play is, at its very essence, therapeutic. Using play with children who need therapeutic interventions, then, makes perfect sense to allow children to understand the negative events/emotions and to overcome their fears and anxieties regarding these negative events and emotions. Therapeutic play has been shown to be a useful intervention in many cases, including in hospitalized children and in children living with chronic illnesses, who can be helped through this difficult period by engaging in therapeutic play, which has been shown to reduce their anxiety levels. In conclusion, then, therapeutic play is an extension of the symbolic play that children engage in as a normal developmental process and can be useful in helping children through difficult periods in their life.

Computer Security And The Threat Of Hacking Computer Science Essay

Computer Security And The Threat Of Hacking Computer Science Essay Computer security is a safety operating system that is an important feature to install on a computer. It ensures safety and protection from unknown users and threats. If a safety operating system is weak, unknown users, or hackers, are able to break into the database and install harmful viruses, as well as steal personal information. Computer security and hacking can have both disadvantages and advantages. Computer security has evolved from early on to being a key component to own. Hacking, as well as computer security, has developed into a more harmful and dangerous activity. Currently, security programs have been developed to stop hacking and viruses from encroach onto a users computer. Computer security and hacking have had impact on society today, globally and locally. Users use computer security to their benefit when keeping personal information stored on their database. Hacking can destroy a users identity, or possibly their reputation. Businesses and organizations have benefit ed from security, by its protection of information and protection from outside harm. Hacking can be used as a good way to check a computers sustainability to dangers through networks and the internet. Computer security and hacking are two important issues discussed and recognized today. Computer Security is an important element of safety precaution when using a computer. These operating systems run on computers to ensure the safety of personal and financial information, along with protection. Computer security can be a very useful component to acquire [1]. If an unknown user tries to access a computer database, computer security will ensure that that user will not be let in [2]. Besides keeping unknown users out of others computer databases, computer security also provides protection from harmful threats and viruses. Once these viruses find their way onto a users computer, information and control access can be stolen [3]. There are significant advantages and disadvantages of having a strong computer system, one advantage being protection from viruses and other harmful attacks [4]. Hacking has found its way into the world of computers. Hacking can be destructive, harmful, and can have some bad impact on peoples lives. If a computer system is not protected by a security operating system, hackers can find their way into that database easily. Once in, hackers can obtain personal, financial, and important information [5]. This can cause ruin in a users business and personal life, and much more. While being branded a bad thing, hacking can help many as well. Some hackers are able to test the reliability of a computers security system, to find weak spots in the barrier [6]. Like computer security, hacking can have both costs, but benefits too [2]. The purpose of this report is to allow computer users to gain insight on the aspects of computer security and the ethical issue of hacking. Computer security can allow users to feel comfortable knowing their personal information is being kept hidden. But even with a high-level computer security system, one is still vulnerable to a hacking intrusion. A computer users private information, such as social security, credit card numbers, passwords, email addresses, and other information is at risk to being taken. There are a number of objectives covered in this report. First, computer security is used to keep personal, financial, and other private information kept confidential. Second, computer security blocks viruses and attackers from encroaching on ones computer. Third, even with this security, one is still susceptible to a hacking attack. And lastly, hacking can be easily hurtful, but could in some cases be just as helpful for users. The main contents of this report include computer security, and the issue of hacking. Computer security is described as a protection technique for personal information, and for blocking unwanted threats from the internet. Hacking is described as being a harmful way to obtain information from other users databases. Viruses and threats are each described in order for other users to know the differences between them all. Also in this report are ways to check a computers security and ways to keep it protected from harm too. 2 Background 2.1Computer security is an operating system used on computer databases to protect and provide safety to users. Besides preventing unauthorized access, computer security provides protection for personal, financial, and classified information [1]. One type of this security system requires a validation of a username and password provided by the user, in order to gain access into the computer database [2, pg.267]. Besides validating who the user is, it also confirms that the user is not trying to attempt an unlawful operation [2, pg.31]. As shown in Figure 1, computer security requires a key, or username and password, in order to access the database. Many businesses and organizations have benefited greatly from this operating system, because it allows their private information to stay confidential and secret [1]. http://comtrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Computer-Internet-Security.jpg Figure 1 Picture representing the security operating system, with the binary representation inside a computer. Computer security had begun physically in the 1950-60s. Computer systems then were guarded by security officers, to stop the attempt of gaining unauthorized access. Later on in the 60s and 70s, access could be granted over telephone lines, which caused a change in the way computers were externally guarded [2, 266-7]. By the 90s, companies sprang up to provide a more modern way of securing computer systems. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) was developed by Netscape Communications, (which was an early web browser) to get secure transfer of info when buying online. By 1999, the Transport Layer Security (TLS) had been developed, and was very similar to the Secure Sockets Layer, but with a few important improvements [2, 350-1]. Hacking can be defined as the encroachment of ones personal or business computer system by an outside source [7]. Hackers, or the outside sources encroaching on the personal computer, can have many motives to these intrusions. Some hackers have admitted to only wanting to enjoy the challenge of overcoming a security system [8]. Other hackers have admitted to wanting private or financial information for their own personal gain [7]. There are different ways a computer can be hacked into. These ways include: through downloads, internet-based programs, and through fraud emails. Through these, hackers can plant viruses and attacks which make it possible to overcome a security system [3]. A hacker has had many definitions from early on. In the Middle Ages, a hacker was in the business of creating tools known as hoes. Later on into the 17th Century, a hacker had become a strong worker that handled a hoe. Today, a hacker has nothing to do with an actual tool, but is capable of being a strong worker, when it comes to intruding upon anothers computer system [2, pgs.657-8]. The earliest form of hacking was known as phreaking. This involved hacking using telephone lines [9, pgs.12- 13]. 2.2There are a number of advantages and disadvantages when it comes to computer security. Some advantages include: greater storage space, resource and file sharing, an increase in cost efficiency, and security of private information. Some disadvantages include: the expensive cost, it could have a number of weak spots, and some security issues [4]. Hacking has some important costs and benefits when it comes into play. Some costs include: the owner loses control over his or her information, harmful viruses and threats on users computers, and loss of data either being intentional or unintentional by hacker. An important benefit is ethical hacking, because users can determine where the weak spots in their system are [2, pg.659]. 2.3 There are some theories to deciding whether hacking can be good or bad. In some ways, it can be dangerous, hurtful, and devastating. Many can lose their personal information, such as social security, credit card numbers, emails, addresses, and much more, and can be left with nothing. In some ways, hacking could be a good thing. This is true because many hire ethical hackers to test their computers security strength to find weak areas in their systems. It is an undecided theory, because hacking can be labeled good and bad, and each argument can be supported [2, 659]. 2.4 A class for viruses, threats, worms, Trojans, spyware, and other forms of attacks is known as malware. [7]. A small portion of software that can enter a users computer secretly and in other easy ways is known as a virus. Trojans are similar to a virus, but different in the fact that once installed, it allows the Trojan horses creator the ability to see everything on the users computer. Spyware is capable of being installed within a users database with or without the user having knowledge of it [3]. These types of threats and attacks are hidden within programs that come as fake emails, internet-programs, and downloads. Figure 2 below demonstrates all the different types of harmful threats that can be uploaded onto your computer by hackers. http://www.dreamstime.com/computer-and-network-security-hand-thumb4123007.jpg Figure 2 This is a collection of all the different types of viruses and threats that can be harmful for a users computer. 3 Computer Security and Hacking 3.1Society has been impacted by computer security in a number of ways. Computer security ensures users that their personal, financial, and other information will be kept secret from the eyes of others. It impacts businesses and organizations by keeping their confidential data safe from view and harm and helping them in staying successful [1]. It allows users to share files and resources, an increased amount of storage space, and an increase in cost efficiency [4]. As well as protecting information, computer security has impacted users and their computers from nasty viruses, threats, and malware as well [3]. Computer security is an important piece of technology that has impacted society since its beginning. Hacking is impacting society today in many ways. Hacking impacts users by taking their personal information, and could possibly display it over the internet [7]. It is causing an increase in cost for companies and organizations to fix their computer systems after a security breach, and to obtain better security. There has been recent documentation dealing with an increased amount of threats found in web sites that can easily be uploaded onto databases. [10]. Hacking impacts businesses and organizations if these do not have a strong security system. Hacking can have a number of impacts on society, especially taking personal information from other users [5]. 3.2 Computer security involves another component, called a firewall. This component, software or hardware, is made to block unwanted threats and viruses from a users computer. A firewall is used to prevent the intrusion of hackers, viruses, and many other threats from gaining access and information onto a computer [11]. An example of a strong firewall that provides protection and dependability is the Cisco PIX Firewall [10]. A well-known security system used by many is called Symantec. Symantec had originated in 1982. It has become the worlds largest software company, with business internationally, and with over 17,000 workers. Symantec ensures security of the computer, its infrastructure, and all the components within it. Symantec has a research lab where new technologies are developed to ensure even more security [12]. Norton AntiVirus is Symantecs current security program. Norton provides safe networking, protection online, and a scanner to check for viruses and threats. Norton is a very trusting program, because it ensures safety for users and for their computers. Figure 4 is a picture of the program Norton AntiVirus. Figure 5 represents the Norton program at work. This main screen alerts the user if their system is not secure, and what types of protection the user would like to be on or off. [12] http://www.amitbhawani.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Norton360-Box-Package.png http://www.windows7hacker.com/wp-content/uploads/blog/DownloadNortonAntivirus2010BetaonWindows_E88F/NewNortonAntiVirus.png Figure 3 Picture of the Norton Figure 4 This figure represents the Norton AntiVirus program AntiVirus main screen 3.3 Even though hacking is labeled as dangerous, some have found hacking to be a blessing. Some computer users hire ethical hackers, which are those who imitate an actual attack onto a users computer system, in order to test that computers security system and its blocking power. While imitating this attack, ethical hackers are also looking for weaknesses within the system, and what could be stolen in a real hacking attack [6]. Another way to check a networks security is by sending a vulnerability scanner over the computer. Like ethical hacking, a vulnerability scanner will check for weaknesses in the security, and will increase the security as well. Besides scanning for weaknesses in the security wall, users should consistently be checking their computers for any type of threats or attacks. If these threats or attacks are not resolved, all types of malware could corrupt the database [10]. 4 Conclusion Computer Security is described as being a protection mechanism for computer databases. This mechanism can come in different shapes, styles, and forms [1]. One of the types of computer security is a validation code. The user of the computer must provide his/her own username and password to access the database [2]. Another type is AntiVirus security, such as Norton AntiVirus by Symantec. This program will provide protection from harmful threats and viruses, and hackers as well [12]. Computer security has provided many with comfort knowing that their private and financial information will be kept safe from other eyes on their computers. Big companies and organizations have benefited from computer security, because with it they have a comforting feeling that their important information will be kept safe [1]. Hacking is a dangerous and unfortunate activity that occurs on vulnerable computers [7]. Hackers find their way into other users systems, and depending on what they want, credit card numbers, social security, or anything of the like, they are likely to succeed in getting [5]. Hackers can plant harmful viruses and threats into a users system with or without that user knowing [7]. It can be a very upsetting and unlucky event to happen, because users are susceptible to having their personal information stolen or revealed to the public [2, pg.659]. But in the light of things, hacking could be a good thing for some users. Ethical hacking can be a useful method for checking a computers security barrier. It finds the weak spots that a computer hacker, virus or threat could enter the database through [6]. There are ways to improve computer security and to keep hackers and viruses out of computer systems. Ethical hacking could be a method used to find the vulnerable areas in the security, which would inform the user that better security is needed [6]. Similar to ethical hacking, a vulnerability scanner runs over the system scanning for weak spots, and improves security too [10]. Certain antiviral programs could be purchased and installed to increase security. Such programs as Norton AntiVirus will alert the user of any threats, scans the system, and will keep a computer safe [12]. There are conclusions Ive drawn from researching computer security and hacking. First, computer security is a very important component to have on a computer. Businesses and companies have impacted from it, because they are able to keep valuable information stored on their computers. Without it, users should not be on the internet or network at all. Hacking can be a very uncomforting and hurtful activity to users and their computers. Users can have their private and financial information taken from them, as well as being made public. There are many types of viruses and threats that can harm users computers, especially the ones thought to be low risk. The reason I drew these conclusions is because they are important things to know and understand. If one is naÃÆ'Â ¯ve to the risks of the internet and hackers, their computers, as well as themselves are in peril. There are some issues that I would like to address in future studies. I would like address the issue of weak spots in a computers security. I would like to see this security to not have these weak spots, and to fix them before using them on computers. Second, I want users to realize how dangerous it is to not have a computer security operating system, before they find it is too late. I would like to see programs such as Facebook and MySpace not allow users to put as much information as they allow now. Because of this displaying of information, many are susceptible to danger. I would like these issues to be addressed in future studies.

Fahrenheit 451 - A Structured and Censored World :: Fahrenheit 451 Essays

Fahrenheit 451 - A Structured and Censored World Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 forces us to envision a world that is so structured and censored fireman exist not to fight fires, for all buildings are fireproof, but instead to burn books. Fahrenheit 451 is a horrific account of what could happen in an all too close future when society carries "political correctness" to its extreme. One of the primary characters that one meets in Fahrenheit 451 is a young girl named Clarrise has been raised to live the way things once were, in a time where people had true freedom Because of Clarrise's view of life she is branded as anti-social by her teachers and an outcast by her fellow classmates. Clarrise becomes acquainted with another main character named Guy Montag. Montag is a fireman who deep inside does not want to live a life without having to think. Montag's inner thoughts become more and more a part of him as the book progresses. Montag eventually becomes a freedom fighter of sorts when he joins a group of people who illegally hide and re ad books. Montag's wife Mildred on the other hand prefers not to have to think, but rather to allow others to think for her to simply say "yes I agree." Mildred is the epitome of laziness. The most complex of all the characters is the fire chief Beatty. Beatty is a man who once was educated but has now turned his back on education and works to destroy it. Beatty knows what is in books but chooses not to care, not to do anything but help the destruction of books. The loss of the characters freedom to read and to think was not an act that was forced on the people but, embraced by the people. The people loved the idea of not having to think anymore. The desire to confront issues was gradually lost by the people. Since the desire the desire to confront issues was lost people stopped doing anything that was so called "politically incorrect" so as to affend no one. After a while not confronting issues became so natural that anyone who did was considered odd and a threat.

Studt guide :: essays research papers

Unit #4- Study Guide, Chapter #3 Answer the following questions, IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Of course, this is an â€Å"open book† assignment. 1. Everyone who lives in the United States lives in the same society and, also lives in the same culture. These concepts refer to different aspects of the United States. Using the United States as an example, explain the differences between the concepts of â€Å"society† and â€Å"culture.† Society sets boundaries for our lives. The United States has set out laws that we must abide by and follow. The United States is not different from other countries because of our social status, roles, groups, social institutions, and everyone's surrounding areas has established beliefs or values. Our cultures are ver different because of our languages, mannerisms, values, norms and religion. It is difficult for a foreigner to come to the United States and learn new mannerisms, norms, and a new language. A foreigner now has to adapt to a custom he sees totally different from what might have been normal to him back at his native country. 2. Explain the differences between innovations, discoveries, inventions and diffusion. Give examples of each of these concepts in order to clarify the differences between them. There are all different but somewhat similar. One can't really work without the other in life. Innovations are ways to achieve a certain goal. An example is money. Drug dealers use illegitimate ways to achieve this goal. In the long run they will discover that they reap what they sow. Meaning that they might end up in jail and arrested. Discoveries are a new way of seeking reality as a second process for change. Inventions are combinations of existing elements and materials to form new ones. People invent new drugs for the sick or some people combine drugs just to get a fix or high. The diffusion is that later on in their lives it will affect them greatly or other people might learn for them. 3. Although it would seem that symbolic interactionists would be more interested in language than the proponents of structural functionalism and conflict theory, each of the perspectives has an interest in this important cultural component. Explain why language is important to symbolic interactionists and elaborate on the interest that the other two perspectives would have in language. Language is a system of symbols that can be strung together for the purpose of communicating abstract thought.

Research Paper on Organizational Structure

I would like to start by saying that any corporate organizational structure depends on the product line and the industry in which the company operates. The companies belong to the continuum of either the functional or project organizations. Functional companies are organized around different technological processes. The top management of such organizations is responsible for the resource allocation, with the responsibility for the final output is not being tied to one single person. The use of rules and procedures, instructions, details and organizational traditions among the company’s management and workers is vital for the company’s functioning. The products belong to the high level of specialized knowledge which is created in this organizational structure (Matteson, 53). Light weight matrix organizations are functional and specialized. The product manager is usually added to this structure to coordinate the product creation and to serve as a liaison for the management-workers-customers. This new key person is used for collecting information, conflict resolution, and project objectives achievement. Product managers have less status and influence than functional managers, namely because they do not directly contact workers (Hersey, 88). Heavy weight matrix organizations possess dominant project structure and minor functional departments. The company’s product manager than possesses greater reasonability while the manufacturing, and marketing concepts are present in this organization (Berger, 144). Project organizations are located on the other end of the spectrum and have the following features: teams and projects. The project workers share the same location and concentrate on the same projects. The professional workers, on the other hand are supposed to have broader tasks and associated skills and responsibilities. In the project organizations the functional managers are responsible for the human resource development and technological implementation in the functional groups. The companies can also be classified according to the nature of their business and project undertaken. The projects can be characterized by the number of employees involved to perform numerous tasks, the workload on each employee. One can also classify the organizations in the following 4 categories: I. The company’s product is not complex and comprehensible for a single person, thus one person is likely to have enough knowledge to produce it. The companies that develop these kinds of products (shoes, clothes industry) usually have small development department. If this company has more than one individual department, then it usually structured as a functional organization as noted earlier in the essay – research paper (Matteson, 57). II. The company’s product is of low complexity, yet the total work is high. Such products, therefore, can be developed most efficiently within one functional department. A research department is usually the very department where this type of product is created. AS the company starts to have more departments, it would usually use the light weight matrix organizational structure to enjoy efficiency. The employees involved in this product creation are expected to work full time, and many tasks are expected to be performed simultaneously which contribute to the overall sequence design to be called Design Structure matrix (Hersey, 92). III. The company’s product is of high complexity of intangible, tangible, or mechanical nature. This kind of product is still in the engineering phase, making it rather clear what needs to be done to get the product into mass production and distribution. One should use numerous skills and disciplines to create this product, and these tasks do not have high workload. It is almost impossible to cause the employees to work fulltime on the very one product, thus creating the ‘job shop’ logistics situation (Schermerhorn 120). One should not forget that manufacturing and product development is not accepted by all product managers, it still usually yield decent result. The Product development process is constantly learnt and improved to remove bottlenecks and reduce the product variation. One should focus on the process rather than on the list of tasks and duties. This type of organizational structure has to follow the following three laws (Berger, 147): a. Taking smaller steps at one time usually boosts quality and effectiveness. b. Elimination of bottlenecks drastically improves productivity and efficiency. c. Elimination of variation will remove delays and distractions and thus will free some of the corporate resources. It is of importance to note that cross functional simultaneously run engineering squads is the common practice for the product development in such organizations. It would be a mistake to assign the same person to 5-6 different projects because it would result in congestion. One should not forget that by working at 100% of the product development capacity will increase the product development lead. Thus, one should deploy about 80% of the product development capacity and focus on the bottlenecks. IV. The company’s product is very complex while the total work is high. These kinds of organizations require their workers to work full time and the project organizational structure would be ideal for this very situation (Matteson, 59). Speaking about the company’s strategies that are vital for the corporate survival in the long run, one should remember that they would also depend on the corporate structure and thus would be broken down into three main categories of strategies that promote corporate values, corporate culture, corporate goals, and corporate missions (Hersey, 94): Corporate level strategy encompasses all strategies and sets the company’s mission and general guidelines. Functional strategies comprise Marketing strategies, financing strategies, and the strategies of each department participating in the given product development depending on the organizational structure. The focus in on mid and short term. One should remember that many companies would find it useful to use strategic business units rather than functional structure of organization to derive competitive advantage and thus govern the semi-autonomous units of organization that have their own budgeting, product development, hiring etc. Operational strategy is located on the lowest level of each organization simply because it is very narrow in focus and has daily scheduling criteria. This strategy obeys the higher level strategies present within the organization and adhere to the Management by Objectives principles (Berger, 150). Management by objectives (MBO), one should note, is the systematic scientific approach that allows the existing companies to focus on the attainable goals to reduce the costs and with the improved efficiency survive the competition. The MBO focuses on results, rather than on the process. The MBO would delegate tasks by dictating the proper final result without the detailed roadmap of how to achieve that. MBO strives to assure that everyone in the company has clear goals and objectives that coincide with the company’s goals and then by empowering others will have the goals achieved. One should still remember that MBO can fit only the knowledge-based companies.

Communication Channels Essay

A large flake of cases prove out that using talk bring properly would longly improve the nerve in several(prenominal) aspects. Without considering conference personal line of credits, on the opposite, would notion bad set up on the government activity. It is non exaggerate to verbalize that communication assembly lines play a signifi croupt use in solicitude and grievous motorbuss will never dud them. In this essay, I will mostly talk about three disparate communication bring which argon bollock acquit, in musket ball epithelial duct and grape vine body process and then analyze each of them in details in consecrate to lick good comparison.By doing so, the differences among them are shown clearly. rough examples will be given to adorn how important a good conductr who infers communication fall and what benefit he would bring to the organization. Communication pedigrees bed be classified into three move which are formal thoroughfare, daily c omport and grape vine activity. A formal communication channel identifies individuals who are the formal sources of schooling and the information that is their special c at wiz timern(Johnson, Donohue&Atkin,1994).Since relationships are located by ones role, coordinate is viewed by omnibuss as a unruffled entity which conforms to a top surmount figure (Monge & Eisenberg, 1987). This point of view emphasizes the configurations resulting from formal consent relationships represented in the organisational hierarchy. An official meeting which held by organization is an exmaple of formal channel. On contrast, an informal communication channel is designed for varieties of needs such as neighborly ones and it is based on the social contact as well as the personal affection of administrative staff.This commence carrys a sense of personal law and team cohesiveness. Apart from the above both(prenominal) channels, line activity is overly counted. However, pipeline activity is a major fair of informal channel. As the name suggests, the grape vine is entwined through and throughout the organization with branches going in all directions. They spread quickly, un look intolably and, once started, are often hard to stop. Because grapevine activity whitethorn harm both individuals and the organization itself, tutors must consider how to control it.Above three communication channels mother their own rewards and disadvantages under una wish circumstances. How to use them efficiently and properly gives us a good topic to discuss. egg communication channel is significantly serviceable when there is something sanely important to the organization and everyone should pay attention to. It shows the authority of weapons-grade and it is strictly serious. If we use informal channels instead of formal ones under this circumstance, inadequacy of authority and configuration will pencil lead to a never reached target. On one would consider it as an important emersion.However, nowadays, informal communication channel is regarded as the equilibrate of formal channel and can non be ignored. If we could curb informal channel in a right way, it would play an active role in organization. For example, in many situations, in order not to cause some unnecessary troubles, administrative staffs do not say exactly what they thought through formal communication channel however to chime in with others. On this occasion, when we engross advantage of informal channel to have a talk with administrative staffs, we may grasp their true feelings towards certain issue and then shoot the arrow at the target.Informal channel may light interpersonal conflict and make the gentle relationship more harmonious. Grapevine activity, as mentioned above, it is a form of informal channel and it is an inevitable part of organizational life. Researchers in the main agree that the grapevine often functions in a beneficial manner The grapevine can help improve organ izational efficiency in a number of ways. It also can help nominate pending problems, can function as an early warning signal for organizational change, and is a vehicle for creating a honey oil organizational culture.Unfortunately, the down side of grapevine activity is obviously at the said(prenominal) time. The most common one is inaccuracy. psychological research reveals that human invariably like to send emotional messages when they are down in spirits or they are not satisfied with their jobs. They may misconceive some facts intentionally or unexpectedly and tell them to others in an exaggerate way. psyche who has have ulterior motives may take advantage of grapevine in order to conform to their personal interests. Thus it can be seen that every communication channel has its range of application.Our aim in focal point is to use them properly. As a result, it is fairly important for a manager to understand communication channels. If a manager understand communication c hannels he(she) would know which channel is suitable for a certain situation. This would maintain a good human relationships and always make employees happy with their jobs. Employees do not call on only for salary hardly also for some need in spiritual level. They need to be view and participated. If they feel that they are important to the organization, they would work harder.A good manager would satisfy them with these aspects during formal communication. Informal communication also helps organization with its development. A good manager would use informal communication channel to keep good relationships with employees and cover the dearth of formal communication. For instance, treat employees a dejeuner or a dinner if they do well in their positions and listen to their opinions as much as you can. This would let them feel that they are valued. Also, provide childcare to employees who have babies already and to free them of worries.By doing so, employees would be more happie r and they would contribute more to the organization. As for grapevine activity, a good manager would know how to deal with it and make good control of it. Consequently, the organization would grow express if we take very good advantage of communication channels. In conclusion, there are three communication channels which are named as formal channel, informal channel and grapevine activity. They all have dictatorial functions to organization depend on how you manage them. It is worthwhile to know and use them fittingly in management and a great value will be obtained accordingly.