Rural

Introduction Post-secondary education is great investment for a nation’s future; thus, governments should strive to ensure that more citizens access this education. Primarily, post-secondary education is very significant component for economic, social, and cultural development; it also gives a country a competitive edge.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Rural-Urban gap in Post-secondary education access specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, access to post-secondary education has been a long-standing issue in many countries. It was found that significantly higher proportions of all high school graduates who enter post-secondary institutions come from large, as compared with small, schools and from urban than rural areas. In Canada, ‘the proportion of 25- to 54-year-olds who have some post-secondary education is slightly higher than 60% in urban areas and just under 50% in rural areasâ€⠄¢ (Canadian Council of learning, 2006). Problem Background Generally, many students desired to attain post-secondary education; however, there are some hindrances. Education researchers have identified varying factors that prompt the inaccessibility of post-secondary education; socioeconomic status and lack of motivation. Therefore, the government has attempted to put in place, strategies to encourage citizens to attain tertiary education. We find that, overall, post-secondary education participation rates generally rose over this period. However, the number of people attaining post-secondary education from rural areas is generally lower that those from urban areas. There are two types of access to tertiary education, type I and type II, where type I is considered on ‘how many’ people are accessing PSE while type II is concerned with ‘who’ the composition of the group accessing post-secondary education. Past educational researchers have dealt primarily on type I access and relative less research on type II. Therefore, there is general agreement that there is increase in the number of people accessing PSE in many societies. Due to less research based on type II, there is no clarity in rural-urban PSE access gap. Objectives Previous studies on barriers of accessing post-secondary education have mainly focused on socio-economic status and educational level of parents. Thus, the objective of this qualitative research study will focus to establish why rural students have difficulties in accessing tertiary education. Also addressed in the research study are reasons why so many â€Å"rural students, including many with the academic ability to go further, fail to include further schooling as part of their plans† (Green Seton Hall University, 2006, p.51). It also identifies factors that help urban students to access post-secondary education. Moreover, the research will explore measure that various organizations are taking in order to address the disparity.Advertising Looking for research paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Additionally, factors that cause students from rural areas to drop-out from tertiary institutions will be addressed. Moreover, the ease of completion of post-secondary education after interruption will also be explored. Thesis statement: people residing in rural areas have more difficulties accessing post-secondary education compared to their counterparts in urban setting. Literature review Education researchers have identified common barriers inhibiting attainment of post-secondary education such as: exclusion on the basis of ethnicity; gender; or socio-economic status (SES). However, researchers have not explored the disparity of accessibility of post secondary education between students from urban and rural regimes of schools. Thus it has led to developed of this research in order to identify factors that contribute to this disparity. Austin (2002) notes that in many nations, there is disparity in access of higher post-secondary education by location; people residing in rural areas have more difficulties accessing post-secondary education compared to their counterparts in urban setting. This disparity is of concern since most people reside in rural or suburban areas. The effects of location are evident, since post-secondary enrolment rate in urban areas is nearly double to seven times the enrolment rates of students from rural areas depending on the consumption quartile. It has been observed that a numbers of high school graduates do not enroll in tertiary institutions immediately after completion of high school despite having good grades. Consequently, large percent of students continue post-secondary education as young adults. However, the chances of attaining post-secondary education after two years from gradating from high school decline significantly especially for rural dwellers (Tierney H agedorn, 2002, p.38). Besides, despite alleged promise from colleges and universities that they recruit students from all parts of the nation, they are less likely to enroll talented students from rural background compared to ones from urban areas.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Rural-Urban gap in Post-secondary education access specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The location disparity is fueled by several factors; firstly, rural areas have less developed secondary systems than urban areas hence they do not provide adequate preparations for post-secondary education. Generally, students residing in rural areas are less academically prepared and score lower grade in standardized tests compared to urban students (Kirst-Ashman, 2010, p.326). Thus, students in rural areas lack quality secondary education; hence, they are fail university entrance exams. Most secondary schools in rural areas are small and lack adequate resources to carter for needs of all students. These small rural schools do not offer motivation or develop aspiration for attaining tertiary education. According to CCL (2006), rural schools have a problem of high turnover rate of teachers; and they have no ability to attract new teachers. Secondly, absence of post-secondary institutions in rural areas limits access of tertiary education to students in rural areas. Proximity and reliable public transportation systems in urban areas is a major factor which contribute to higher involvement in post-secondary education in urban areas (Tierney Hagedorn, 2002, p.38). Additionally, most tertiary institutions recruit large number of their students from their respective localities; since these institutions are located in urban areas, students in urban areas have easier access. Thus, students from rural areas, most of them have low incomes have to meet additional costs of transportation or live away from home. Furthermore most post -secondary education institutions are located in urban areas, which add financial pressure on students (Green Seton Hall University, 2006). Generally, education researchers have recognized that proximity of tertiary institution affects enrollment and attainment of PSE. Moreover, studies have indicated that increase of capacity of tertiary institutions will increase both types I and II access of PSE. Indeed, recent research into the impact of a new university on the local population concludes that having a degree-granting institution nearby increases university attendance among youth. Thirdly, in rural settings, most job opportunities do not require university or college qualification hence post secondary education is not highly valued in rural areas (Yoder North Carolina State University, 2007). Research has indicated that in communities where a proportion of the workforce requires degree or diploma qualification, there is considerable higher reading competence among fifteen year olds (CCL, 2006). Moreover, higher percentage of people in rural areas is on lower socio-economic status thus they cannot afford the cost of tertiary education.Advertising Looking for research paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Factors such as inadequate learning facilities and resources in rural secondary schools disadvantage students from attaining college entry requirements. Moreover, rural students lack adequate understanding of college requirements and lack students’ aspiration support. Consequently, the government should establish policies to ensure standardized education in both urban and rural schools. Green Seton Hall University (2006) recommend reexamination of university entry requirements and establishment of flexible requirements for students from rural areas. Socialization of students both in rural and urban areas influences their choices in attaining tertiary education. In deed there is a positive correlation between cultural communities and access to higher education; thus tertiary education needs to be demystified, and illustrate that attainment of higher education do not mean loss of community values. Moreover, people in rural areas have less accessibility of knowledge regarding P SE compared to people in urban areas. However, researchers cited that there is no positive correlation between possessing information and accessing post-secondary education. Additionally some community based characteristics namely availability of role models, motivation, and culture are cited to influence decisions of attaining post-secondary education. To promote equity in access of tertiary education, the federal government has instituted that all tertiary institution should formulate a statement of intent on equity. This statement outlines strategies of addressing equitable distribution of resources, giving priority to disadvantaged groups and measuring and monitoring objectives (Green Seton Hall University, 2006, p.51). The research study will explore the geographic area, proximity of post-secondary institutions and urban city in order to understand how location affects accessibility of tertiary education. Further, the research study will seek to find whether location dispariti es in access of post-secondary education are linked to other external factors like race and socio-economic status inequalities. The study also explores whether, culture in the geographic location or type of socialization in different areas is a contributor to desire of attaining PSE. Purpose of study The purpose of this research study is to analyze the disparity in access of post-secondary education between students in rural areas and those in urban setting. The following research questions will be used as a guide to understand if there is actual disparity of access of post-secondary education between rural and urban dwellers. Research questions What factors cause inaccessibility of post-secondary education in rural areas? Do tertiary institutions deliberately recruit their students from urban areas only? Are there programs or strategies geared to promoting post-secondary education in rural areas? And is access of financial support influenced by geographic locations? What is distri bution ratio of public or private tertiary institutions in rural and urban areas? What leads to incompletion of post-secondary education among students from rural areas? And how easy it is to re-continue with PSE after an interruption? How does the rural or urban socialization impact students’ choice of attaining post-secondary education? Is access gap fuelled largely by other external factors other than geographic locations? Limitations of the study The findings of this qualitative study might not give an accurate representation of the whole population since the research was based on a small sample. Moreover, the sample did not comprise of representation of wide variety of rural and urban areas therefore, the finding will be subjective. The questioners and interviews used to gather information from the target sample may not reflect accurate information. The researcher cannot verify accuracy of information collected as it depends on honesty of the respondents. Accessing of i nformation from tertiary institutions is difficult. Additionally the level urbanicity of some regions is debatable. Moreover, understanding the number of rural students participating in PSE many not generally create accurate picture of access. The research primarily looked on type II access; hence limiting the findings since type I and type II access are not mutually exclusive. The research did not consider the gender of participant, eliminating this variable can skew the finding since gender is a strong factor contributing to accessibility of post-secondary education. Some community characteristics namely availability of role models, and type of employment are variables which are not easily comparable. Significance of study The findings of this paper will present a fundamental challenge to previous research finding on barriers of access of tertiary education. The interviews with students and potential PSE students from rural will give insight of the challenges they face and their n eeds. Thus, the information gathered can be used by policy makers when addressing. The research is not based on any past research on the issue to ensure objectivity is maintained. The information gathered from this study can be useful to tertiary institutions in determining strategies of promoting equity recruitment. Definition of terms The term access, as used in this research study, mainly refers to participation in any tertiary institutions. The classification of geographical areas in terms of urban, rural, semi-urban is according to the urbanicity rate. Population density is the main feature used to determine urbanicity of a location. Post secondary education (PSE) – this refers to the next level of schooling directly coming after the end of secondary education. Tertiary institution- these are the institutions that provide post-secondary education they include but not limited to colleges, universities, polytechnics and institutes of technology that award academic degrees or professional certificates. References Austin, A. (2002). Higher education in the developing world: changing contexts and institutional responses. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group. Canadian Council of Learning. (2006). The rural-urban gap in education. Web. Green, T. C. Seton Hall University. (2006). Comparative policy analysis of trends in higher education aspirations, access and attainment among low-socioeconomic students using longitudinal data sets. Michigan: ProQuest. Kirst-Ashman, K. (2010). Human Behavior in the Macro Social Environment: An Empowerment Approach to Understanding Communities, Organizations, and Groups. Belton: Cengage Publishing. Tierney, W. G. Hagedorn, S. L. (2002). Increasing access to college: extending possibilities for all students. NY: SUNY Press. Yoder, M. North Carolina State University. (2007). Rural students’ access to and success in higher education: A case study. Michigan: ProQuest. This research paper on Rural-Urban gap in Post-secondary education access was written and submitted by user Maelstrom to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

buy custom The Effects of Culture on Gender Equality essay

buy custom The Effects of Culture on Gender Equality essay The construction of gender in an individual depends very much on the interactions of the individual which are gendered with other people and also other roles and identities that a person may have. Race, class and gender are considered to be oppressions although they are not identically salient in all the social relationships where there is inequality. Culture is believed to condition gender roles and the meaning of feminine and masculine which determines what really determines what it really means to be a woman or a man because gender is made up of a complex mixture of behaviors, characteristics, and beliefs which explains how a person acts, behaves, or talks like a man or a woman. Many researchers have put in many efforts to make the general public on gender equality where culture has been a great obstacle to attain gender equity (Lorber, 2010). The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge because sex and gender are believed to be social constructs because this gender social constructionism often tends to move away from socialization where many people still do not internalise gender roles in their lifespan but they tend very much to adapt and respond to the norms of the society which are changing at a very fast rate due to globalization and industrialization which have made many cultures abandon the malicious and wicked practices which oppressed women and especially the African woman. There are many factors which are considered to affect the development of gender like the environment and the culture in which children are brought up in and the society that they live in. Gender is considered to be a social construct where the construction of gender is believed to be a social construction of the biological sex which is the feminist and the masculinity where it is defined as being the male or female state of being or the sex of an individual. Gender equality which is commonly termed as the gender equity is the equal distribution of gender roles. Gender roles are the social and behaviour norms which are considered to be appropriate for all the individuals of a certain sex and are believed to differ greatly between different cultures (Lorber, 2010). This brings in different opinions on the differences which have been observed on personality and behaviour between genders which are as a result of cultural and social factors. Gender is believed to be the distinction between the male and the female, however, in the modern western societies, men and women share the same occupations, jobs, roles and responsibilities which show that sex is not the determinant of a persons abilities. This is because it is believed that what men can do women can also do better. The differences which were there between the two sexes is of the physical strength where you get that there are certain tasks and jobs which can only be handled by the men because of the physical strength which also leads to the neglect of the women gender. According to sociological researches, the feminine gender roles which were used in the traditional setting are no longer used in the modern western society because of the emergence of globalization and industrialization. This is very evident when modern women take on the roles which in the traditional setting were reserved only for the men including the fashion and behaviour which has put the men under pressure thus leading them to be confined to a smaller gender role. This is very evident when men are seen to grow hair to a length which in the traditional setting was considered to be a womans fashion, while the women, on the other hand, were also noted to cut off their hair to a length that was considered to be the hairdo of the men. The issue of globalization has enhanced interaction and helped people to understand each other in a better way. It has been necessary in enhancing quick access to other parts of the globe regardless of the distance separating these countries. Some barri ers separated people and maintained peoples natural heritage as well as identities. It has become an important issue, but the impacts are not limited to only the economic field of countries, it also reflects all aspects of life like the psychological, cultural, social and political issues. Laqueur (1994) in his exploration of the biological sex illustrated all the ways that culture had affected science where he claimed that the society was what defined what was biologically natural. He believed that science was a oppressor tool which was used in rationalizing and legitimizing all the sex, religion and class distinctions. He brought up the one-sex model and the two-sex model which continued to be discriminatory to the women and also those who had anatomical oddities like a person who possessed both the male and the sexual organs. Laqueur pointed out that womens inferiority was only assumed until the scientific knowledge came to be accepted and widely used. Laqueur was able to conclude that the females body can be defined by its comparison to the body of the male in terms of what it lacked thus making the body of the female to be inferior. Freud in this case put the women in an opposition to men by assigning the women social roles. Science has been believed to have developed very many ways of defining the female species where it portrayed the female as the weaker sex as compared to the male which was considered to be the stronger sex. Fausto-Sterling (1992) analysed the female species in the terms of the actual size, the brains that they possessed, and the physical strength. Sperms and ovum are believed to be done in terms of power and passivity language. It is in this case that all the boys who are abnormal are surgically turned and made into females. It was scientifically found out that the female chromosomes (xx) are biologically stronger as infants than the male chromosomes since they suffer fewer illnesses showing a reduced and lower infant mortality rate and they also are less prone to abnormalities which affect infants like the Aspergers syndrome and autism. Despite the much strength that the female chromosome has over the male chromosome, it is still ranked the second sex (Fausto-Sterling, 1992). Franz Boas (1996) was the first anthropologist who was able to problematize the culture notion. He was able to introduce cultural relativism idea when he was trying to challenge the modern culture hegemony very much. Based on his extensive work in British Columbia and the northwestern United States, he was able to discuss culture separately from the physical environment, biology, and discarded evolutionary models which had been known to represent civilization as being a progressive entity due to its chronological development. According to Boas, cultural boundaries were not supposed to be termed as being obstacles to multi-culturism because he strongly believed that boundaries were supposed to be seen as being porous and also being permeable. He criticized the modern culture and race concept as to whether they had any implications on racial politics in the Unites States in the 1920s where he tried to separate the social sciences from the natural sciences very much and he also tried to set up some genuine space for race relations and political solutions. The Effects of Culture on Gender Equality Culture has been considered as a great hindrance to gender equity which could be expressed as the womens inferiority where some cultures and practices are considered to be oppressive to the women where the female gender is termed as the weaker sex since the female sex is assumed to be problematic, abnormal and, ultimately, weaker of the species; while the male is constructed as straightforward, able to just be, the norm and powerful. And when things go wrong with men, we always blame the mother. Meillassoux (1992) saw that the African women in the African society were oppressed while they were very young and unmarried since they formed a part of the political life since their marriage or exchange as it was commonly termed in the African tradition was considered to be very essential and fundamental towards the shaping and the continuation of the society and yet the women had very little power over these marriages or exchanges. This is because they were forced to marry men who were wealthy to be able to pay their dowry or the bride price. This did not guarantee that a young girl was married off to a young man but it even went to the extremes that many young girls who were very innocent were married off or exchanged to old men who could even be their fathers and they had no say to it. They were just supposed to accept what their kinsmen could offer when it came to the accepting of the price for the woman and if the women were asked why they had to be exchanged, they only said t hat it was the tradition which was the way that they did it and had always been doing it for generation. This leaves the woman to be traded in the name of marriage without haaving a say but just following the malicious and wicked traditions which has led to the oppression of the women since they should also be allowed to have a choice when it comes to the person that they wish to get married to or even have the freedom like the men to make their own choices when it came to relationships. This made the women be at the mercy of the men since after they were exchanged, they were supposed to give continuity to the society by giving birth to a lot of children while the work of the African man was to go on marrying as many wives as possible. This made the woman be the caretaker of the household since the women had to do the donkey work while the men were relaxing taking the African traditional brews and blowing their whistles on how many wives and children they have without even bothering about the woman who is getting killed by tasks back in the homestead. In the African society, the young men were also disadvantaged in the system of descent and alliance like the warfare but they had more means at their disposal since they could improve their social and economic statuses by working for societies which see the articulation of different production modes. This gave them a very big advantage over the young girls who were forced to marry at a very young age without being allow ed to even a basic education or even the chance to work. Some cultures in many countries have put the female gender in a subordinate position which has posed a very great challenge to many community leaders who have been on the fight against gender inequality. Dressing mode Some cultures like the Muslim culture puts in dressing modes for the women where they are forced to put on clothes like the wearing of the burqas by the Kashmir women where they are forced to put on head to toe clothes which cover all their clothes where if they fail to wear the garments, they risk being attacked by the men who may throw acid to the uncovered women which is very malicious and brutal since it causes physical harm to the women.. Driving In some cultures, like in the United Arab Emirates, gender inequality has been highly prevailing in countries like Saudi Arabia where women are not allowed to drive cars or even ride bikes where the women were supposed to only be driven by the men who are related to them directly. Divorce rights Women had no right over divorce in some cultures which showed that only the men could decide as to whether they wanted the divorce or not. The women who were mistreated by the men or even battered by their husbands did not have any say and they could not opt for a divorce in the countries which allowed divorce as a culture. This showed that the woman could suffer much in the hands of the men in the name of culture. Education Some cultures have made the female gender lack the access of basic education of women in the society. This is because these cultures strongly believe that if the women are allowed to access education, they would be able to get the various opportunities which are only available to the men which could make them be able to realize their worth in the society which the culture does not allow the women to be a challenge to the women. This makes the men have all the education and other opportunities which have been denied to the women. This is because the male gender is considered to be more superior to the women in so many ways which is evident in a majority of the countries like Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and India among other countries which have high cases of gender inequality. Victims of violence In a majority of the cultures, they believe that the women should obey all their husbands since their husbands were considered to be the breadwinners of the family and they had all the rights over their wives where their wives had to attend to all their needs without questioning. This in most cases has led to domestic violence which has made the women be the victims where the men like in the African culture where the culture allows the African man to have all rights over the wife including forcing the woman to obey him in all ways like beating and disciplining of the wife. Domestic violence has been a problem which has been believed to have spread widely in many countries all over the world. 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Movement as a narrative device, screen Hope (1948) Essay

Movement as a narrative device, screen Hope (1948) - Essay Example Movement is used as a narrative by Hitchcock in Rope as he reveals conversations between the characters. The major aspects that Hitchcock utilizes his technique is during conversations "in which a pair of educated young men in Chicago in the 1920s committed a random murder for the thrill of it and to demonstrate their superiority to society." (Go Upstate.com) Brandon, the character we are concerned with, is one of the two killers and through his use, f movement during the film Hitchcock uses movement to show Brandon's smug and sinister side to the audience. Hitchcock's adherence to shoot the entire picture in eight 10-minute takes is significant especially in the scenes featuring Brandon. In the scene where Brandon unexpectedly quiets the sobbing Philip with a slap. "It is about the only time in the film's eighty minutes that action takes precedence over motion" (Up State.com) Up until this scene Brandon's movements worked more effectively on the audience then even the dialogue. In scenes featuring Brandon there are lengthy and nonstop movement. These movements by Brandon show him q going in and out of rooms without a cut.

Product Life Cycle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Product Life Cycle - Essay Example 5)." With this definition, it becomes apparent that marketing is not just about selling goods and services to customers. At the heart of marketing is delivering customer value to satisfy and even delight buyers. This calls for the efficient establishment of a marketing mix which takes into account all the essential factors in marketing commodities. In marketing a product, the extended marketing mix is used and is comprised of seven decision areas (7Ps) namely, product, people, price, promotion, place, process, and physical evidence. The Product Life Cycle (PLC) model is an indispensable model which can be utilized in coming up with a well crafted marketing strategy. It is stated that "the product's current PLC position suggests the best marketing strategies (Kotler and Armstrong 355)" and that "the resulting marketing strategies affect product performance in later life-cycles stages (Kotler and Armstrong 355)." This report will look at the use of PLC model as a tool in crafting an efficient and profitable marketing mix for Starbucks Corporation. The first section will give a more in-depth background of the PLC model. Next, it will be used to come up with a marketing mix for Starbucks in China and US. Another section will also be devoted in explaining how certain strategies extend the life cycle of a product in a certain market. The paper will conclude with its recommendations on using the PLC as a potent aid in making product policy decisions. The Product Life Cycle Model: An Overview The PLC model recognized that the life of a product in the market takes commonly follows five distinct stages. The first course is the product development stage which begins when the company finds and develops a new product idea. Introduction phase is the period where the product is finally launched into the target market. This stage is characterized by huge expenses which significantly drive down profit levels. Next is the growth period where the product goes through rapid market acceptance and increasing profits. The maturity stage is commonly the longest stage in the product life cycle which is characterized by slowdown in sales growth due to its general acceptance. In effect, profits typically level off or decline as the company makes efforts to defend the product against competition. The last stage is decline when the product's sales fall off and profits drop (Kotler and Armstrong 354). Product Life Cycle in the Starbucks Context According to Hoovers, Starbucks is the number one specialty coffee retailer having 10,000 coffee shops around the globe. Contrary to the common knowledge that the main product of Starbucks is coffee, an executive of the company declares that Strabucks doesn't sell coffee. Instead, Starbucks goes beyond selling premium quality coffee but it sells "an experience." According to Howard Behar, "We're not in the business of filling bellies, we're in the business of filling souls (qtd in Kotler and Armstrong 58)." With this in mind, Starbucks has conquered the globe with its coffee shop to share the "Starbucks experience." In this section, we will utilize the PLC in crafting marketing

In support of the legalization of marijuana for medical use Essay

In support of the legalization of marijuana for medical use - Essay Example Medically, the drug has been effectual in treating various diseases as discussed by Jocelyn Elders, the former U.S surgeon in her article, Myths about Medical Marijuana 2004. Still, this research is affirmed by Mathre (8) who in his article outline how the drug kindle appetite and lessen cachexia, alleviate vomiting and nausea linked with cancer chemotherapy, reduce intraocular pressure, and treat analgesia and neurological along with movement disorders. Unlike many drugs prescribed in the market, marijuana does not cause a terminal overdose. No one dies out of overdose due to its therapeutic applications such as decrease of spasms, muscles, chronic pain, and intraocular heaviness. Still, the CDC does not have a category of death by marijuana unlike other drugs approved by the FDA. Deaths have been noted as a result of legal drugs despite having the FDA approval. Although there are perilous effects of smoking marijuana, it has been approved medically to treat some ailments. This pape r seeks to discuss all these issues in detail in support of the legalization of marijuana for medical use. Joycelyn Elders (1) highlights the medical benefits of using marijuana. Her insights are awesome on how the drug relieves pains, reduces vomiting along with other symptoms of chronic diseases. Marijuana does this safely as it is less toxic than other drugs prescribed by physicians. Joycelyn focused her argument on the medical benefits of using the drug in which she believed that it improves the overall quality of patient’s life. From her argument, marijuana is best known to reduce neuropathic or chronic pain. The effect is important to HIV patients who often suffer from such pain and the drug becomes effective in pain reduction. Secondly, marijuana is beneficial in increasing appetite as it stimulates the body’s metabolism. The drug is effectual in reducing the symptoms of chronic diseases such as HIV and cancer as patients lack

Shutter Island Versus The Shining Film Studies Essay

Shutter Island Versus The Shining Film Studies Essay Rene Descartes was a philosopher who introduced a popular philosophical method called Radical Doubt in his book Meditations on First Philosophy. Descartes proposed discarding any kind of belief that could be doubted, [because it] might be false. In both Shutter Island directed by Martin Scorsese and The Shining directed by Stanley Kubrick, the viewers are introduced to characters that doubt the very existence of reality, much like Descartes, and who are drowned in the depths of insanity. Fear, paranoia, and doubt are the main ingredients that make both movies a psychological mind maze that constantly teases the brain with every turn. Martin Scorsese and Stanley Kubrick are both masters in cinema direction and are not regulars in the horror genre. Nonetheless, both have created a product that makes viewers question what its like to be sane. The goal of this essay is to demonstrate the similarities and differences between Shutter Island and The Shining based on their themes of insanity , isolation, and alcoholism. The story of Shutter Island revolves around Marshall Teddy Daniels, and his partner Chuck Aule, and their journey to a remote and barren island to investigate the mysterious disappearance of an inmate from the mental asylum. The island is home to a fortress-like mental institution, Ashcliffe Hospital, which houses 66 of the most dangerous criminals in the country. From the beginning, Martin Scorsese introduces the viewers to the theme of isolation. In the opening scene, Scorsese uses the boat ride as a sign that illustrates how the island is being distanced from reality. The viewers are never introduced on unfiltered view of the real world outside of the asylum. The only available information about reality beyond the walls of the asylum comes from Teddy, through the scattered flashbacks he experiences throughout the movie, which easily brings in the theme of reality versus illusion. As soon as the detectives arrive at the asylum a hurricane strikes the island and all transportation a nd communication systems are cut-off. They continue their investigation in ominous isolation while being surrounded by dangerous inmates and an uncooperative secretive staff. It seems that Teddy is trapped in a maze, trying to find answers to the disappearance of the missing inmate, Rachel Salondo. Every time he finds a clue that could bring him closer to an answer, it turns out to be an answer he did not expect. Teddy begins to question the motivations of everyone involved, including his own decisions. He reaches a point in his investigation where he does not know who to believe anymore. He is, as one character tells him, A rat in a maze, trying to find his way out of the island. As the movie progresses, so does its distance from reality. Scorseses throws Teddy into a psychological mind maze where he begins to question everything surrounding the investigation. What is real? Who to trust? Everyone in the asylum seems to be skewed by insanity. The Shining is director Stanley Kubricks epic, gothic horror film. The movie tells the story of the Torrance family and their experience at the Overlook Hotel. Jack Torrance is a former school teacher who has a passion in writing screenplays. Jack agrees to accept the job as a caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, a massive resort isolated in the mountains of Colorado which is completely isolated and free from alcohol, which instigates Torrances descent into madness. From the very first scene of the movie the viewers are given a birds-eye-view of the hotel and its isolation from society. Since alcohol is referenced throughout the movie and Jack is a recovering alcoholic, the theme of alcoholism plays a huge role in Jacks overall behaviour towards his family. Alcoholism is like a beast within him and since the hotel is alcohol free, Jack believes that accepting the caretaker job will help mend his relationship with his wife Wendy and son Danny and bring them closer, especially after the in cident where Jack dislocated Dannys shoulder in a bender because of his drunkenness. The theme of the supernatural is referenced in the movie when Wendy is giving descriptions about Dannys behaviour to the psychiatrist. She says that Danny started talking to Tony, the invisible friend that lives in his mouth. Also, as the family arrived at the hotel, they were introduced to Dick Halloran, the cook at the Overlook Hotel. Halloran contacts Danny telepathically and tells him that he has a psychic ability which allows him to see both the past, the future and communicate mentally with other shiners. As time progresses, it seems that the hotel places a great amount of mental stress on Jack, his underlying insanity gradually evolves into a rampant madness as he attempts to murder his wife and son with an axe. The viewers witness the madness slowly settle, and explode fiercely through Jack, transforming him from a father trying to repair his relationship with his family into a psychotic lunatic bent on destroying everything he loves. In conclusion, both Shutter Island and The Shining are haunted house themed movies that are filled with labyrinthine spaces that threaten to consume their occupants. Shutter Island is a shadowy and grim looking castle. Redesigned out of an old Civil War fort, every piece of fixture in it relates back to some dark secret in the past. The island itself sends out a warning of the terrible evil that lurks around it. On the other hand, Kubricks Overlook Hotel is just as fear infested as Scorseses Island. Even though it doesnt have the darkness of the mental asylum, everything in the hotel is brightly lit, carpeted, and full of luxurious items. Perhaps the enormous size of the hotel introduces a great sense of isolation the characters go through. Shutter Island, much like The Shining is segregated from society. Teddy Daniels finds himself trapped in the island due to a hurricane much like how Jack finds himself trapped in the hotel due to a blizzard. Both Shutter Island and The Shining revolve around protagonists that are unreliable. The viewers are introduced to the heroes and then to their slow decent into madness. Isolation and insanity are prominent in every scene of both movies, which turned normal and loving fathers into insane and psychotic killers that led both of them to their end.

Strategic Plan Outline

UNIVERSITY OF BELIZE MGMT 490 – BUSINESS STRATEGY AND POLICY How to Structure The Strategic Plan Guidelines Executive Summary This is written to the scope and level of content that an â€Å"outsider† can read the summary and grasp the vision, mission of the organization, its overall goals and objectives, major strategic issues and the key strategies implemented to attain the goals. Section 1 – Current situation 1. Brief Background and History of the Company and the Industry 2. Strategic Posture: Current Mission, Current Vision Current Values Current Objectives Current Strategies Current Policies 3. Past Strategic Performance Indicators (if available): Market share Sales Growth Net Profit Margin Return on Equity Investment Other? (Depending on the type of business/industry) Section 2 – External Environment, Opportunities and Threats (EFAS) 2. 1 General Environment (PEST, Gap Analysis, etc) 2. 2 Task Environment (Porters five forces, Strategic Map) 2. 3 External Factor Analysis Summary Section 3 – Internal Environment, Strengths and Weaknesses (IFAS) 3. 1Value Chain analysis . 2Corporate Structure 3. 3Corporate Resources: Marketing Finance Human Resource Operations and Logistics Information Systems 3. 4Internal Factor Analysis Summary Section 4 – Competitive Strength Assessment based on Key Success Factors Quality/product performanceCustomer Service Capability Reputation/imageOther? Manufacturing capability Technological skills and know-how Dealer/distribution capability New product innovation capabili ty Financial resources Relative cost position Section 5 – Analysis of Major Strategic Factors SFAS . 1 Key Internal and External Factors (SWOT) 5. 2 Competitive advantages/disadvantages, Competitive position improving/slipping 5. 2 Review of Mission and Objectives Section 6 – Alternatives and Recommendations 1. Strategic Alternatives 2. Recommended Strategies Section 7 – Implementation Plan for new strategies recommended Section 8 – Evaluation and Control Plan for new strategies implemented Section 9 – Financial data and Analysis – Includes information on resources to finance the implementation of the Strategic Plan APPENDICES BIBLIOGRAPHY THE PRESENTATION OF THE PLAN Time Allowed: 30 minutes Presentation should be as follows: a) Brief History of Company (Section 1) b) Current Situation (Section -1) c) External Environment Opportunities and Threats (Section 2) d) Internal Environment Strengths and Weaknesses (Section 3 e) Analysis of major strategic factors, strategic alternatives and recommended strategies (including financial analysis) (Sections 5, 6 & 9)- 15 minutes Question and Answer Session

‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck Essay

‘Of Mice and Men’ is written by John Steinbeck. The novel is set in the 1930s during the great depression in California. The two protagonist characters, George and Lennie are farm workers who have a dream of one-day owning their own ranch. They find work in a ranch near Soledad, after escaping from Weed because of George’s incident. They are met by different characters on the farm that all have a dream. To be lonely means to lack friends or companionship and to feel isolated. Most of the characters are lonely and the only thing that keeps them alive is their dreams. Some of the loneliest characters they meet are Candy, an old man with only one hand, Crooks, a black cripple and Curley’s Wife, a woman who has no identity, she is lonely even though she is married. Although they are all on the ranch together, they are lonely because of who they are and their history. ‘Of Mice and Men’ is an emotional story with many different themes and characters. Steinbeck presents Curley’s wife as the only women in the ranch and because she doesn’t have a name it shows that she is not important and she is someone’s belonging. The first time you hear about Curley’s wife is when candy describes her to George. Candy uses expression such as â€Å"she got the eye† and goes on to describe her as looking at other man because of this they call her a â€Å"tart†. Through Candy’s words, we could develop an initial perception of Curley’s wife as Flirty and even promiscuous. This manipulates us by leading us into having a negative view of her. Her first appearance in the Novel focuses on her appearance. The way she acts, the way she looks and the way she speaks with others. The first sentence about her was â€Å"the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway cut off† this shows how she stands there to get attention and get noticed by the ranchers. This make us think as a reader in other way she stood in that certain place because she knows that they will look at her. Her physical appearance of â€Å"full†, â€Å"rough lips† and â€Å"wide-spaced eyes†,† Heavily made up† and â€Å"her fingernails were red† this shows how see got the natural shape on an actor. The â€Å"heavily made up† this shows that she want to make herself look attractive so the ranchers will look at her and feel love in her. The colour â€Å"red† shows that it’s a symbol of danger and on the other side the thick bright colours stands out from other things so this can make herself get noticed by others that is all she wanted. George seems to believe Candy he says to Lennie â€Å"don’t you even take a look at that bitch† this shows the feelings that George got towards Curley’s wife. She is lonely â€Å"stands there looking in† which shows she nothing to do and because of her loneliness she wanted to be loved by others so she acts like she is flirting. They say she is a â€Å"flirty† but it is the only way she knows how to get attention.

Field Trip Tips for Safe, Fun Learning Success

Field Trip Tips for Safe, Fun Learning Success New teachers might naively think that field trips are easier and more fun than a typical day in the classroom. But throw in crises like a lost group of children or wasp stings, and field trips can go from fun to frantic in no time. But if you adjust your expectations you can come up with a new, more practical way to approach field trips and minimize the chances of drama and mayhem. Tips for a Successful Field Trip Follow these field trip tips and youll likely create fun learning adventures for your students: Explicitly discuss field trip behavior rules with your students beforehand. Teach, model, and review appropriate field trip behavior with your students for at least a week before the big event. Drill into their heads that field trips are not the time or place to mess around and that any aberrant behavior will result in non-participation in any future field trips that school year. Sound serious and back it up with consequences as needed. Its good to have your students scared of testing the boundaries on field trips. Emphasize that they are representing our schools reputation when they are off-campus and that we want to present our best behavior to the outside world. Make it a point of pride and reward them afterward for a job well done.Give your students a learning task ahead of time. Your students should show up for the field trip with a base of knowledge on the subject at hand, as well as questions to answer before returning to the classroom. Spend some time in the weeks before the field trip discussing the subject matter. Review a list of questions they will be looking to answer during the field trip. This will keep them informed, engaged, and focused on learning all day long. Choose parent chaperones wisely. Field trips require as many adult eyes and ears as you can get, but unfortunately, you cant be everywhere at once. From the first day of school, observe the parents of your students closely, looking for signs of responsibility, firmness, and maturity. A lax or careless parent can be your worst nightmare on a field trip, so choose your parental allies wisely. That way, youll reap the benefits of having adult partners in the field trip process.Make sure you have all the necessary medications. Talk to the school nurse and procure any and all medications that your students usually take during the day. While on the field trip, make sure you administer the medications accordingly. If you have students will allergies, you may need to get trained on how to use an EpiPen. If so, the student involved will need to stay with you at all times.Arrive at school early on field trip day. The students will be excited and antsy, ready to go. Youll want to greet the chap erones and give them instructions for the day. It takes some time to organize the sack lunches and ensure that everyone has what they need for the day. And one last pep talk on appropriate behavior never hurt anybody. Give your chaperones the tools they need to succeed. Make nametags for all chaperones and students. Create a cheat sheet of the days itinerary, special rules, your cell phone number, and the names of all kids in each chaperones group; distribute these sheets to each adult on the field trip. Procure and label grocery bags that each chaperone can use to carry the groups sack lunches. Consider getting a little thank-you gift for each chaperone, or treat them to lunch that day.Be proactive with regards to challenging students. If you have a student who causes trouble regularly in the classroom, its safe to assume he or she will cause at least five times more trouble in public. If possible, ask his or her parent to be a chaperone. That will usually limit any potential problems. Also, when you are making groups, split any problem pairs into separate groups. This is a good policy for troublemakers, chatty kids, or bickering frenemies. And its probably best to keep the most challenging stude nts in your own group, rather than pawning them off on an unsuspecting parent chaperone. Count all day. As the teacher, you will likely spend most of your day counting heads and making sure everyone is accounted for. Obviously, the worst thing that can occur on a field trip is losing a student. So count accurately and often. Enlist the help of chaperones in this task, but do it yourself too, for your own peace of mind. Keeping track of each and every student is the number one priority of field trip day.Do a debriefing when you return to the classroom. If you have a few extra minutes after the field trip and before dismissal from school, put on some soothing classical music and have the students draw about what they saw and learned that day. It gives them a chance to decompress and review what they experienced. The next day, its a good idea to do a more active and in-depth review of the field trip material, extending the learning further and connecting it to what youre working on in the classroom.Write thank-you notes after the field trip. Lead a class language arts lesso n the day after your field trip, formally thanking the people who hosted your group. This serves as an etiquette lesson for your students and helps form your schools good reputation at the field trip destination. In future years, this goodwill could translate into prime perks for your school. With proper planning and a positive attitude, field trips can be unique ways to explore the outside world with your students. Stay flexible and always have a Plan B, and you should do just fine.

Stock Report essays

Stock Report essays The original five stocks I started out with were Sirius (SIRI), Sun Microsystems (SUNW), Vitesse (VTSS), Nortel Networks (NT), and Nextel Communications (NXTL). I purchased 227 shares of SIRI at $2.86 each, 100 shares of SUNW at $5.50 each, 145 shares of VTSS at $8.61 each, 172 shares of NT at $7.53 and then another 82 shares at $7.62 each, and 44 shares of NXTL at $27.88 each. NXTL, SUNW, and VTSS immediately started taking a downward turn and I decided to sell only NXTL. On 3/7, I sold all my NXTL shares and used half the money to buy 56 shares of CHINA at $10.98 each and half the money to buy more NT. The next day, CHINA immediately dropped down sixty-three cents. All of my stocks except for SIRI and NT were down. On 4/19, I sold all my CHINA stocks and purchased 30 shares of NOK at $14.92 each. In a few days, NOK went up twenty-nine cents but soon dropped to $14.23. At this time, NT had dropped down almost two dollars. By 5/20, all my stocks were down except for SIRI. SIRI was up twenty-four cents. Overall, I had made a profit of $54.48 on SIRI alone. SUNW was down almost two dollars and I lost $166 on my SUNW shares. VTSS was down to almost half its original price and I lost $536.50. NT was down half of the price of which I had bought the second 82 shares for. On NT, I had lost $1076.72. NOK had gone down about a dollar and I lost $53.10 on my shares. Out of my starting $5000, I only had $3222.16 left. SIRI had no particular reason for going up. One reason SUNW went down is that its operating system, Solaris, was not doing well against its competitor, Linux. Also, Sun Microsystems has had a weak quarter and cannot hold share in the Unix computing market. SUNW stocks were also overvalued. Vitasses competitors had been performing better than it, causing its stocks to take a downturn. Its competitors had introduced more products while Vitasse had not, and the predictions for their quarterly revenue...

Compare the five Business functions in two organisations (SEE Essay

Compare the five Business functions in two organisations (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) - Essay Example Business functions are structured and operate differently in different contexts. With this in mind we shall consider here the success or failure of two competitors namely, Wal-Mart and Kmart, both of who are general merchandise discounters. While Sam Walton (CEO Wal-mart) did start off with the basic idea borrowed from Kmart but his strategy was unique. At the outset it was the marketing strategies of Wal-Mart that fetched them a smooth take off. While Kmart opened up shops in large metropolitan cities like New York, Wal-Mart opened good sized stores in smaller towns. Wal-Mart chose isolated rural towns where more than one retailer could not survive and hence in no time all the local shops had to down their shutters. While Kmart wanted to supply private cheaper brands to the affluent, Wal-Mart chose the national brands at low prices. This could be possible because of bulk purchase. He managed to keep the prices so low that people could shop from home rather than make trips to the cities. They understood the needs of the customer. Human resource management was another stronghold of Wal-Mart as right from the inception they did not believe in allowing or forming a union (Mitchell Levy and Paul A. Losch 2002). They felt it was detrimental to the interest of the company and the union only fed itself from both the management and the labors. They believed in exhorting their own people, motivating them through incentives and awards such as company stocks by which they could also make up for the low wages. A corporate culture was set which encouraged the employees and managers to consider the customer the focus of business. The customer is the king was the policy at Wal-mart whereas at Kmart customer service was poor. Staffing is a perennial challenge for any business. They should know when and where to employ the right number of people. This is another sector where Kmart lost

Individual Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Individual Assignment - Essay Example The geographical concentration of production units which was once part of the developed world such as US, UK and other parts of the Europe is now clearly finding its way towards cheaper and sustainable production locations across the globe. What is critical to note and understand however, is the fact that automobile industry has remained also one of the symbols of national pride for the developed economies. US and other economies have virtually developed with the development of their automobile industry and it was also because of this reason that after the financial crisis of 2008, US government injected large amount of money into the automobile industry in order to help it survive the recession. Though the traditional concept of nation-state is linked with the geographical area from where political legitimacy as a sovereign state can be driven however, the overall concept has changed over the period of time. (Ersoy, 2010).   Since the advent of globalization, it has been advocated that world has become border less and the role of State has either been vanished or is minimized to the best. This however, has not been the case as State and the concept of nation-state has survived over the period of time. (Dicken, 2007) In traditional sense, a State is usually a political and geographical entity whereas the nation is more of a cultural concept. The nation-state therefore is a concept which combines both the concepts and suggests that nation-state can be formulated at different times and different places in the world. A nation-state therefore has an official language, its own legal system, issues a currency, and makes use of bureaucracy to order the overall society. A nation-state also extracts the legitimacies and loyalties for abstract entity called State. (McNeely, 1995) The advent of globalization has resulted into a gradual decline in the power of State to work