Tools to measure the effectiveness of social media

What tools are there to measure the effectiveness of a social media campaign? Which, in your opinion, are the best and why? These are five tools to measure our social media marketing effectiveness: Page Rank Checker Using a quick online form, this site enables us to instantly check our websites current Google page rank from O to 10. Our site's page rank is determined by a Google algorithm analyzing various elements of our website, and then comparing them to competitor sites. Hoot Suite Hoot Suite is probably best known for its social media communications dashboard LOL, but it also offers a suite of analytical applications as well.With Hoot Suite, we can track brand mentions, analyze our social media traffic, and track the growth of our followers. Google Analytics and Backbone Insights can also be integrated into our Hoot Suite account, making the service even more valuable. Clout Another social media analytics tool, Clout provides a measurement of our influences across social network s. The guts of Clout is the Clout score which takes into account our network size, content, and how people interact with our online content. Clout cores range from O to 100, with 20 being the average.Google Analytics One of the most widely used web analytics application, Google Analytics is as robust as it is popular. Analytical tools include advertising ROI, e-commerce tracking, social network application tracking useful to analyze both website traffic, but also marketing effectiveness. A particularly useful feature is website referral traffic, which tells us where visitors came from before they visited our site. Backbone Insights Similar to Google Analytics, but for Backbone. Backbone Insights enables us to reawaken our â€Å"likes† by demographics and other attributes.It includes a plethora of handy statistics, like page views, performance of posts, inscribes information, and more. Backbone page administrators can access Backbone Insights on the left hand side bar. In my o pinion we need all tools to be able to have a clear picture of all our social media marketing success but we may chose page rank checker to see where we are comparing to our competitors.

Mass Media and National Identity

Gone are the days when the media used to exercise its power mainly through the radio and the newspapers. During that period, there was always time for free reflection on what it means to be an American. Today, the media merely thrusts its views on the viewer in a very powerful way. People are being exposed to a hugely expanded power of the media through the incessant television programs, movies and the internet.Like an invader who captures the minds of the weak, the American media is now in a position from where it can brainwash people into developing a media customized American identity. One of the more dominant images being circulated right now by American media is that to be American is to agree with the American President. All those who disagree are anti-American.Ever since the war on terrorism was launched during the aftermath of September 11, 2001, political leaders have used the media to seed the hearts and minds of Americans towards a new kind of patriotism. The Bush administ ration has, with the help of the media, widely propagated that this is the time when America needs to come together and support the President. The message is that unity and support for the President is more vital than having a healthy debate. This communication strategy has garnered a great deal of success in the United States as anti-war and anti-Bush policies have become equated with anti-Americanism.National identity of America was earlier derived from powerful figures of colonial America who imparted their daring visions, power, and energetic optimism to the American tradition. Among them are the explorer and colonial founder John Smith; the religious liberty advocate, Quaker, and colonial founder William Penn; the great Puritan intellectual Cotton Mather; and the astonishing 18th-century polymath Benjamin Franklin. Americans of the early 19th century were involved in the great controversy of whether slavery should be abolished or not.They were not afraid to fight wars for their causes and they also ensured that the republic achieved astonishing economic growth. Writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa May Alcott helped in the development of a mature distinctive American literary and philosophical culture. There were great leaders like Franklin Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln who turned America into a great prosperous nation of sustained economic growth and they enabled the republic to stretch from ocean to ocean. America flowered as a land of great diversity with the advent of immigration in the mid-20th century. This was the time America grew to be a global leader and American character was exemplified through distinct American traits found in its great citizens.Some such distinct American traits that became part of American identity were lack of fatalism, energetic approach to problem-solving, faith in economic growth, dedication to education, devotion to religious liberty and belief in equality. There were many individuals who embodied these Americ an traits. Louisa May Alcott was a volunteer nurse in a Civil War hospital, where she contracted typhoid fever and was crippled for life from the mercury used to treat her. But that did not deter her from writing Little Women, a book that was hugely successful. Benjamin Franklin was the epitome of self confidence as he invented the Franklin stove to meet the firewood shortage in Philadelphia.Andrew Carnegie was a great industrialist who finally thought it best to focus on a single industry: the steel industry. Horace Mann was responsible for the creation of the universal compulsory school model. The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which Thomas Jefferson drafted in 1786 was the foundation stone for the rise of America as a nation that valued freedom in all aspects of life.   Every American shares a national identity with his fellow citizens and he is proud to known that values such as optimism, self reliance and belief in equality and justice are all part of this great Amer ican identity which has been shaped by a long history of political openness and change, tolerance of conflict, entrepreneurial energy, and cultural mix.The nobility that is enshrined in American national identity is slowing being eroded in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, race relations, crime, immigration, health care, euthanasia, gun control, and education and the erosion is more intense due to the focus of the media on such issues. Media expert David Domke feels has studied the government’s post-September 11 communication strategies in the war on terrorism as well as the media response and the impact on U.S. public opinion.After studying media reports and public responses from the period from September 11, 2001, to Bush's address to the nation about Iraq on March 17, 2003, he concluded that â€Å"government officials have consistently emphasized American core values and themes of U.S. strength and unity while simultaneously demonizi ng the enemy† (Whitworth Communications, 2003). His conclusion is supported by a study of media coverage and public-opinion polls. Words such as freedom, individualism, mobility, and pragmatism â€Å"speak to the American spirit.† It is through the use of such words that mass media is shaping the national identity on political issues.There are people such as think-tank researchers, interest-group leaders and academic experts who can offer analysis from a neutral platform. They are not people who are likely to sing chorus to the government’s song. But Domke and his colleagues have found that such intellectual people tend to get less media attention – for the simple reason they are not guaranteed supporters of the government.This finding shows that the media coverage under the blanket of patriotic press coverage, has served to shift the American national identity from one that allows every individual the liberty to have his or her own opinion on political is sues to one that supports the standing of a unified nation behind the President of the United States, no matter what decisions he takes.Apart from this negative shift, there are many positive ways in which mass media is helping to shape the national identity of Americans. Hollywood is one of the most influential media in America and has always played a huge role in creating a sense of national identity and pride. American values such as equality, liberty, love for the nation, freedom of expression, human right are emphasized in many movies.Popular movies such as Pearl Harbor; We Were Soldiers; The Quiet American; Behind Enemy Lines; Black Hawk Down; Kandahar; Collateral Damage; In the Bedroom; Minority Report and Fahrenheit 9/11 explore and help in shaping American identity with respect to morality, family, nation and globalisation.Television programs such as Apprentice and American Idol showcase the potential America offers to people with values, talent, skill and willingness to wo rk. They add a sense of pride and positive attitude to the national identity. Sports such as baseball and basketball as shown in the movies and television programs have become American symbols of competitiveness and professionalism.However, television advertisements seem to focus more on hawking a happier home and love-life, improved eating and drinking and appearance, better health, taste and smell, a more comfortable car, etc., etc. thereby polluting the national identity with a craving for materialism and self centeredness.Through the mass media, Mickey Mouse, Babe Ruth, screwball comedy, G.I. Joe, the blues, â€Å"The Simpsons,† Michael Jackson, the Dallas Cowboys, Gone With the Wind, the Dream Team, Indiana Jones, Catch-22 – these names, genres, and phrases from American sports and entertainment have become a powerful tools in sculpting the American identity. Through mass media, music has also played a huge role in shaping American identity. The first major compos er of popular music with a uniquely American style was Stephen Foster (1826-1864). Soon the music that was representative of America combined elements of European musical tradition with African-American rhythms and themes.Some of Foster's best songs are: â€Å"Oh! Susanna,† â€Å"Camptown Races,† â€Å"Ring the Banjo,† â€Å"Old Folks at Home†. Today, the inclusion of African music such as Reggai and rap, Latino rhythms, and the domination of global artists has made American music much more representative of its expanding scope of national identity. However, rock music remains the prevalent pop music of America because it is one genre that can assimilate almost any other kind of music, along with new varieties of outlandish showmanship, into its strong rhythmical framework – much as America assimilates different cultures and different races into its constitutional framework and national identity.Rangers in the Sequoia National Park report that the huge sequoia monarch trees in the forests, however huge and seemingly strong, one day simply tilt over and crash to the ground because of their weak roots (Sites, 2007). So also the American national identity built through mass media can crash if care is not taken to nourish the roots of that identity. Mass media should focus on the unique American history and resplendent traditions instead of favoring an almost total obsession with the clamorous present and the dubious lures of the unpredictable future.Bibliography:Whitworth Communications (2003). Political Communication Scholar to Present Whitworth Lecture on Challenges to Civil Discourse of ‘Post-9/11 Patriotism'. http://www.whitworth.edu/News/2002_2003/Spring/GreatDecisionsDomke.htmSites N. James. Inger: A Modern-Day Viking Discovers America. Published by Scan-Am Communications. Ashland. http://www.identityindependence.com/ingersites.html

David Thomas- The Mind Of A Man Essay

During persuasive writing pieces authors try to make you see their point of view as valid. Often times during this process, their writing is compromised by the errors they make to prove their point. David Thomas makes many errors in his essay â€Å"The Mind of a Man.† In his thesis he tries to prove that women are not smarter than men as previously believed, but instead that they just excel at different tasks. However, throughout his whole essay, he describes that boys are discouraged by female teachers and does not stick to his thesis. He showed a biased point of view that he supported with only anecdotal evidence and studies that contained no numbers or statistics. Also, his use of emotion in his essay showed his anger towards others views that contradicted his. David Thomas takes a biased point of view in his essay. Throughout many parts of the essay he describes the stereotypes about boys, stating their difficulty to learn properly as a result of these stereotypes by often using anecdotal evidence. He describes the lower grades boys were getting than girls on the GCSE exams and makes the assumption, â€Å"The introduction of course work into the GCSE syllabus appears to favor girls, who tend to be diligent and less rebellious,† which has not been proven, or could not be backed up by any sort of statistical or factual information from studies. He makes this statement assuming that the reason must be that girls receive higher grades because the test favored them. He does not take into the consideration that maybe the boys just didn’t do as well for a number of other reasons that has nothing to do with the way the tests were designed. In the essay, he continues to show his biased point of view by quoting Tony Mooney, a secondary school headmaster, who reinforces his point saying boys are less advanced than girls because women teachers favor girls and do not reinforce boys because of their â€Å"aggressive† and â€Å"boisterous† behavior. Thomas adds this quote that has no factual evidence, it is the opinion of a school headmaster, who surely cannot be present everyday in every single class to know everything that’s going on. Thomas quotes Mooney’s son, who showed a difference in his marks when taught by a woman, â€Å"Because the men teachers never shout at me as much as the woman teachers† is another form of anecdotal evidence. This is the feeling of one little boy who cannot be compared to society as a whole (222). Thomas continues to try and prove his point by adding studies without any statistics in them and in turn makes many contradictions to things previously mentioned in his essay. He includes a study done at the University of California in which 72 boys and 60 girls at kindergarten level learned how to read with a machine. When tested, the girls scores were less than the boys scores. Then, when they went back to normal instruction by women teachers, they were tested again later and the boys scored less than the girls. As interesting as these results may be, they do not contain numbers to show how large the difference actually was. The difference could be minimal which could be due to a number of reasons. So, the fact that no statistical evidence was included with the study did not prove to be that convincing (223). Also, in the beginning of the essay, he states that women have been proven to be better at verbal tasks, which would explain the reason why they didn’t do as well with the machines as the teachers. So he contradicts himself entering this study by previously showing why a girl might have done better on these tests (221). Thomas uses a lot of emotion in his essay to prove his point, specifically when he talks about the quote he used from Christine Cosker who seemed to disprove one of his earlier quotes by Mooney. She said, â€Å"If girls achieve higher standards than boys, it is not the result of sympathetic female teachers: it is that boys fail to be motivated because of their attitude to women. Boy’s early experience is almost entirely one of a society which regards women’s traditional roles as trivial, dull and second-rate and dismisses their opinions. If girls have a positive role model in the female teacher, they will do better than boys. But if boys, unencumbered by society’s prejudices, valued their female teachers, then their progress would match that of girls†(223). Obviously Cosker felt strongly about her point and proved an alternative explanation to Mooneys as well as Thomas’ theory of female teachers being the cause of the boys lower grades. Thomas uses sarcasm as well to make his anger known. In reaction to her letter, he states â€Å"Heaven forbid that they [boys] should be given any consideration or compassion. Heaven forbid that the prejudices of the new age should be challenged. If you ever doubted that feminists have taken over from  apoplectic old colonels as the great reactionaries of society, just read this letter†(224). If you read between the lines of his sarcasm, you begin to see just what he is implying. He is implying that she didn’t give boys any compassion or consideration when she was simply stating that if the boys learned to appreciate their teachers more and see them as more of a role model it would work towards their advantage. He continues to attack her different point of view by stating them as a â€Å"feminists† point of view. In his efforts to try to make people take his side and believe his thoughts he just discredits himself because instead of embracing the possibility of other causes he simply knocks them down and states t hat they are just plain and simply wrong. Thomas’ body paragraphs and conclusion were not connected substantially to the main point of his essay. In his thesis, he used a quote from Dr. John Nicholson saying that the IQ scores from men and women were â€Å"indistinguishable† (221), and the only difference is that they were just better at different sort of tasks. Meanwhile, his whole entire essay attacked the fact that female teachers don’t support the boys and that caused their lower grades. So the information he provided did not support his thesis. Also he ends the conclusion with a strange statement that seem to signify a new thesis. His concluding sentence, â€Å"When Yoda sat on his rock in The Empire Strikes Back and told Luke Skywalker that he had to choose between the dark force and the light, he knew what he was talking about† (225), seemed to make little sense and had nothing to do with his essay. In writing his essay, he should’ve considered his audience and that some people who did not see the movie would not understand what he was implying, besides that statement seemed more like an opening line rather than a concluding one. In order for authors to make you see their point of view as valid, they sometimes compromise the strength of their information. David Thomas did many things to compromise his credibility in his essay â€Å"The Mind of a Man.† In Thomas’ essay he had a biased view that he supported with anecdotal evidence. He used studies with no real number or statistics to verify them. His use of emotion in his essay showed his anger towards others views that contradicted his. Also, his body paragraphs and conclusion didn’t seem to be  connected to the initial thesis he stated.

Is brain dead really dead Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Is brain dead really dead - Research Paper Example Advances in medical knowledge and practice have made it possible for respiratory and cardiovascular functions to be taken over by sophisticated machines and advanced therapies. The significance of recognizing brain death is based on the costs of maintaining patients on life support, intellectual progression and utilitarian purposes. Despite the importance of recognizing brain death, concerns have been raised over challenges to determining brain death. The first challenge is that brain death is not death while the second challenge is that brain death is death but the clinical criteria used to recognize it are unreliable. This essay will discuss the importance of recognizing brain death, in addition to discussing the challenges to brain death. Brain death is a clinical manifestation characterized by irreversible cessation of all the functions of the human brain, including the brain stem (Machado, 2007). Even though the concept of brain death has commonly been applied to organ donation and transplantation, brain death has become a contested issue in general medical practice. Strict guidelines have been developed to certify brain death and only specialist medical practitioners are allowed to make the determination. Recognition of brain death is crucial in medical practice given the medical, bioethical and legal contestations associated with brain death. Much as brain death is considered to be effective in making definite recognition of death, the legal, ethical and human aspects associated with death make brain death a very complex clinical issue. The permanent cessation of the respiratory and cardiovascular functions was traditionally used as the basis upon which death was recognized. Regardless of a patient’s situation, this criterion was widely accepted as the standard for recognizing death (Wijdicks, 2013). Conversely, advancements in medical technology and knowledge have

40 questions about corporate finance Coursework

40 questions about corporate finance - Coursework Example What was his annual rate of return on this sculpture? 4. You expect to receive $17,000 at graduation in two years. You plan on investing it at 9 percent until you have $94,000. How long will you wait from now? (Do not round your intermediate calculations.) 8. Teder Corporation stock currently sells for $55 per share. The market requires a 13 percent return on the firms stock.Required : If the company maintains a constant 6 percent growth rate in dividends, what was the most recent dividend per share paid on the stock? 10 Suppose you know a companys stock currently sells for $70 per share and the required return on the stock is 16 percent. You also know that the total return on the stock is evenly divided between a capital gains yield and a dividend yield. Required: If its the companys policy to always maintain a constant growth rate in its dividends, what is the current dividend per share? 14. Imprudential, Inc., has an unfunded pension liability of $500 million that must be paid in 18 years. To assess the value of the firms stock, financial analysts want to discount this liability back to the present. If the relevant discount rate is 8.5 percent, what is the present value of this liability? 23You own a portfolio equally invested in a risk free asset and two stocks. If one of the stocks has a beta of 1.6 and the total portfolio is equally as risky as the market, what must the beta be for the other stock in your portfolio? 25. Your coin collection contains 59 1943 silver dollars. If your grandparents purchased them for their face value when they were new, how much will your collection be worth when you retire in 2033, assuming they appreciate at a 7 percent annual rate? 26. You own a portfolio that has $2,500 invested in Stock A and $3,750 invested in Stock B. If the expected returns on these stocks are 9 percent and 14 percent, respectively, what is the expected return on the portfolio?(Do not round your intermediate calculations.) 34. You own a

Duchamp prefigure Walter Benjamin's thesis Essay

Duchamp prefigure Walter Benjamin's thesis - Essay Example The essay "Duchamp prefigure Walter Benjamin's thesis" examines in what ways did the work of Marcel Duchamp prefigure Walter Benjamin's thesis. If for nothing at all, everyone has an appreciation for a good work of art and this makes all people artistic. It is against this backdrop that the development of art has remained a very crucial and important point for discussion for many years. Art has evolved since it was first discovered and the reason behind all these forms of evolutions is to ensure that the production of works of art suit the aesthetic needs of the people to whom it is presented. A key point in global art history in terms of evolutionary art is the early 20th century when Benjamin Walter hypothesized and further came out with an essay on art in the age of mechanical reproduction. In this paper, the ways in which the work of Marcel Duchamp prefigures Walter Benjamin’s thesis in his essay shall be analyzed. Marcel Duchamp has been a major contributing icon to the w ork of art, especially in the 20th century. The 1887 French born had the opportunity of having his first exhibition in 1908 in what was termed Salon d’Automne through the influence of his brother. But since then, Duchamp took a lot of control over what he could do as an artistic personality. It is not for nothing that Perloff notes that Duchamp’s readymades now commands sky-high prices, with people applying for permission to reproduce some of his related images in a scholarly book on modernism paying as much as $200 apiece.

Business And Ethical Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Business And Ethical Decision Making - Essay Example Secondly, another branch of decision making includes ethical decision making. Philosophers have found it hard to give a standard definition for ethical decision making. Ethics on its own refers to the moral code of conduct based on social values (Nelson & Quick, 2008). When linked with decision making, scholars define it as the process of choosing one option over all other alternatives about legal and moral concepts acceptable to the larger community (Johns, 1991). Ethical relativism (self-interest), which states that making ethical choices depends on an individual’s customs, values, and held religious beliefs. In general decision making, a leader should make decision based on the values and beliefs of the firm. Utilitarianism (benefit) refers to the advantages of a decision. The moral strength and efficiency of a choice depends on its positive results. Leaders make decision based on the advantages they gain out of those choices. Universalism- A sound choice needs to apply to all people inclusive of the diverse races and religions. A universal decision should apply to everyone without any discrimination. Mangers in an institution ought to come up with decisions, which accommodate everyone concerned including the public. Rights- while developing decisions, one needs to engage the rights and freedoms of people. In overall decision making, a manager needs to include the rights and freedoms of every employee working in the organisation. The principles above provide a set of guidelines, which draw a path for individuals while making personal and professional decisions. They have also assisted in guiding the DHL Company over the years enabling it to maintain its position in the market and to give it international competitive edge. The company deals with many people around the world, therefore, principles such as justice, rights, and universalism apply in its moral decision making. It assists in the evaluation of personal and managerial skills. The decision

A Voyage to America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Voyage to America - Essay Example The south had an agriculturally sustaining economy that made a majority of the profit off the growth and sale of cash crops. Some of the cash crops that were sold were tobacco, sugar, and cotton (cotton was the most profitable of all the crops). In order to fuel the massive agricultural economy, both unskilled labor as well as slaves was used in order to harvest the crops. As a result, I would be able to gain employment on a farm or plantation to work either in exchange for living conditions or for a portion of the crops that I can sell for profit. In addition, depending on the governor of the territory, land was given for Englishmen to develop in exchange for a percentage of the profit that was made from the sales of crops. Owning land means that I would have power, therefore by working for the crown, I would be gaining status through the owning of land, but also profit by the sale of cash crops. In addition, the religious tolerance in the south was more lenient than that of the North. The Puritans who followed a strict, non-semantic view of religion colonized the Northern colonies. Therefore, religious conformity was expected and religious tolerance was at a minimum. In addition, the south had citizens that were loyal to the crown. Thus, the system of government in the south was more traditional as well as represented one of the oldest ruling bodies in the thirteen colonies. The south represented the best alternative for those in England that were not wealthy and did not have the skills to be profitable in other parts of the new world. The sale of cash crops provided economic stability that would extend even past the original thirteen colonies all the way through the civil war. Unlike other portions of the colony, the south offered opportunities that were better due to the style of government and the cultural forces that were at

Education Technology Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Education Technology - Coursework Example I also have two professors in my network for academic advice, and a professional swimmer (Misy Franklin) for sporting reasons and entertainment. I also have two practitioners (Eng. Peter and Nurse Ann) whom I follow as way of learning the trends in their areas of specialization. The tools I used for enhancing the communication include Twitter, Diigo Network, laptop, mobile phone and text messages. Through this PLN, I am able to develop some professional, religious, friendships, and healthy relationships through engaging in the exchange of the experiences, knowledge, and relevant information. During my undergraduate studies, I attended New York University Teaching College, before progressing to teach at the Landmark Christian School. I have connection with former college mates back at the University, where we chat through emails, twitter and messages on the status of the university and any other relevant conversations that may be helpful for our careers. I am a subscribed member of the prominent group called (Future Scholars) that helps me keep tabs with any conferences of Education, hence building a strong network with many other educators. I also attend business conferences as a way of keeping tabs with the trends of the business world. The platform will help enhance my knowledge of doing business in future. I am also a true follower of two prominent authors in U.S. (Michael Molenda and Dr. Andrzej Januszewski), for whom I attend their publication conferences to get the copies of their latest published books. Finally, engage in socializing with my peers and career advi sors through various media platforms, such as Twitter, emails, text messages, and Diigo networking tools (Richardson, W., & Mancabelli, 2011). My position in the area of specialization is that I am a trained professional teacher at the Landmark Christian School. The

Case project Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project - Case Study Example Basically, Enron Corporation was established in 1985 and it dealt with issues related to energy. The executives practised off-book accounts which negatively impacted on the operations of the organisation. The executives of the company capitalised on the use of loopholes in the accounting system as well as poor financial reportage Hanson (1). Debts amounting to billions of dollars in projects and deals which did not succeed were hidden in the process. The company misrepresented its financial statements in order to portray a positive picture to the shareholders about its performance. Interestingly, the company sought to appeal to investors through falsehoods. In actual case, this was not the situation obtaining on the ground given that it hid its financial statements from public scrutiny. Such practice was blessed by the Chief Financial Officer, Andrew Fastow and other executives. The system adopted by the organisation in its operations contributed to a malfunction of the corporate culture. Emphasis was shifted to short term earnings which resulted in bad accounting practices. This came to light when the company refused to be censured about its performance by its unwillingness to reveal its balance sheet as well as other financial records. This practice is mainly viewed as unethical in business. The concept of ethics plays a significant role in shaping the operations of an organisation in different situations. Basically, business ethics refers to the values, principles and standards that operate within business and these attempt to make a distinction between something that is morally good from bad (Rossouw, 6). The value system of an organisation mainly shapes its ethical code of conduct. Thus, Desjardins (5), describes values as â€Å"essential and enduring tenets† that help define the company and are â€Å"not to be compromised for financial gain or short term expediency,† (DesJardins 2006:5). The opposite is exactly

Lord of the Flies Essay Example for Free

Lord of the Flies Essay â€Å"More than 70,000 people died each at Hiroshima on August 6 and at Nagasaki on August 9† (Dropping the Bomb†¦ 1). In 1941, The United States used a nuclear weapon upon the Japanese to end to Second World War. This war had been witness to some of the worst actions humans have ever committed. â€Å"Nazi death camps and the millions who died in them revealed the depths of human misery and evil† (World War II 3). Consequently, it is understandable that many authors from this time period expressed their opinions on this subject in their literature. William Golding (1911-1993) lived through this war and was scarred by it. Directly following the use of the atomic bomb in World War II, William Golding uses his novel, Lord of the Flies, to comment on the lack of innocence in human nature. When he discussed his book, William Golding stated that the work stemmed from years of brooding that brought [him] not so much to an opinion as a stance. It was like lamenting the lost childhood of the world† (Golding, A Moving Target 163). Overall, the work is Golding’s response to the tragedies of WWII. Firstly, Golding defines innocence as the â€Å"ignorance of self† and the loss of innocence as attaining the â€Å"tragic knowledge† of self (Keating 4). The connotation of the word tragic reveals that Golding has a grim outlook on the inherent qualities of man. With this in mind, the reader can see how initially the boys on the island are innocent. â€Å"‘While were waiting we can have a good time on this island. He gesticulated widely. Its like in a book. (Golding, Lord†¦34). Golding’s usage of the simile comparing the boy’s new adventurous life on the island to a book explains that the boys are not fearful, but they are excited and cheerful. This can be determined because the quality of the book that is being stressed in the comparison is its fictional story; therefore the comparison lets the reader see that they do not take their situation seriously. It is clear that in the beginning of the story the boys are carefree and happy-go-lucky. Golding however knows that this is not human nature, â€Å"What Im saying to myself is, ‘Dont be such a fool, you remember when you were a boy, a small boy, how you lived on that island with Ralph and Jack and Peterkin. Now you are grown up, you can see people are not like that’ (Golding qtd Kermode 10). Finally, Golding understands that people are not as lighthearted as the boys seem to be; Golding makes the boys mature throughout the course of the novel such that he can comment on the human condition through them. Furthermore, since WWII has made him believe so, Golding specifically is trying to say in this book that humans are inherently evil. With the use of setting (an island with no adults and no society) Golding gives the boys the ability to express their innermost qualities with no tangible punishments. The first real instance involving multiple boys that sink to evil is the scene when the hunters murder the sow. The pig-hunting of former days has been relatively innocent, but to fully dramatize the deep inner evil that takes possession of the boys†¦ Golding depicts more than a mere killing† (Johnston 3). Roger ran round the heap, prodding with his spear wherever pigflesh appeared. Jack was on top of the sow, stabbing downward with his knife. Roger found a lodgment for his spear and began to push till he was leaning with his whole weight. The spear moved forward inch by inch and the terrified squealing became a high-pitched scream. Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands. The sow collapsed under them and they were heavy and fulfilled upon her. (Golding, Lord 125) For example, this quote illustrates quite vividly how atavistic the hunters have become. The diction that Golding uses in this section is purposeful. The words Golding has chosen are meant to parallel the concept of rape. It is in this paragraph that the hunters lose their innocence, in the physical sense of rape, and the symbolic sense of understanding what they are capable of, murder. In both cases however it is very clear that these boys have begun to lose their grip on their morals. In this case as compared to the earlier attempted murder of a pig which was unsuccessful, the ability to kill has come at the price of the boys’ innocence (Golding, Lord†¦31). Overall, as the novel progresses Golding’s message becomes clearer, and he displays that the evil qualities in people are intrinsic and they cover the innocence. Correspondingly, the hunting becomes increasingly destructive as time goes on and Golding makes the message clearer still. Pig-hunting was a source of food to the good of group but when Jack refused to recognize the validity of the rules and subjugate before his powerful instinct, the productive task became a destructive task and genocide was rampant. † (Anjum, Nawaz, Ramzan 4). The mob mentality found in the tribe of hunters and the lack of society’s boundaries is what leads the hunters to kill their friends. When Simon came down from the mountain in an epileptic haze and stumbled into the hunter’s dance they were chanting, â€Å"Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! (Golding, Lord†¦ 153). Chanting is a very primitive act, less than singing, yet more commanding than just speaking. Golding’s choice to use a chant collectively addresses the group’s mob mentality and atavistic tendencies. This group then proceeds to attack and kill Simon. This transgression, the murder of their friend, is a strike against the boys’ innocence. The next morning however, Piggy cannot deal with the truth and so in an attempt to maintain his innocence he suggests that they should forget about the whole act (Golding, Lord†¦ 157). [Piggy] searches desperately for any defense against the accusation, for the essential thing is to maintain ones innocence† (Reilly 7). In accordance with Goldings definition of innocence, by blocking out the truth about that night, Piggy is trying to maintain his innocence because he is maintaining his ignorance about the human condition and its evil abilities. Finally, the hunt for Ralph is the last and most extreme of all of the hunting expeditions. â€Å"[The Hunters] had smoked him out, and set the island on fire† such that Ralph could not backtrack and escape his death (Golding, Lord†¦197). All of the hunters searched for Ralph in a race across the island and Ralph was left to run like prey. However they ran out of beach and were met with a naval officer and his ship. Golding ended the novel in this was to create an ironic situation that would bring the theme, human nature lacks innocence, into the real world. Golding did this by having the officer say, â€Å"I should have thought that a pack of British boys†¦would have been able to put up a better show than that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Golding, Lord†¦ 201-202). This line is surrounded in irony because the war that the boys were having is just as horrid as the war that the naval officer was involved in. The dialogue Golding uses for the officer connects the lack of innocence to the human nature that exists outside of the island and in all of our homes. Additionally, when Ralph is confronted with how much he has changed since he arrived at the island, he recognizes his and all of humanity’s true, inner self and then, â€Å"Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the†¦ true, wise friend called Piggy† (Golding, Lord†¦ 202). Golding finishes the novel in this way such that the reader can draw connections into their lives and their hearts. But specifically, Its initial success reflected post-war pessimism, the loss of what Golding has called his generations liberal and naive belief in the perfectability of man (van Vuuren 1). Overall, Golding wished to express his view that humans were inherently lacking innocence as his response to WWII. All in all, William Golding used diction, characterization, plot, irony, similes and metaphors to explain his stance on the human condition after witnessing the destructiveness that came out of World War II. His unique perspective was passed on through the words into the reader’s life where it could stay and make them think about the world with a different perspective. The transitions from innocence to corruption in the hunters has opened the readers eyes, and it has painted the picture of WWII in a new light. William Golding responded to his experiences, and his attempt to pass on his opinions about how humans are lacking innocence in their nature created the work that is Lord of the Flies.

Multiculturalism in Early Childhood Education Essay Example for Free

Multiculturalism in Early Childhood Education Essay In recent times, early childhood education is becoming more diverse. Early childhood providers are required to attempt many challenging tasks. One of the most difficult of these is providing our children with diverse, multicultural experiences. (Ogletree Larke, 2010) Since the beginning of times, young children have been raised by their families, extended families, clans and communities. Even today, most childcare homes and many early childhood programs tend to be fairly consistent and quite similar to the childs home background. Parents tend to choose childcare and early childhood programs based on whether the programs match their own views of education and discipline. (Tarman Tarman, 2011) Programs nowadays are expected to provide the children with experiences outside of their groups, offering opportunities to teach them to be tolerant, respectful and accepting of differences. (Derman-Sparks, 1989) Bennet (1995) described multicultural education as an approach to teaching and learning that is based upon democratic beliefs and seeks to foster cultural pluralism within culturally diverse societies and an interdependent world. In Singapore, where we have a culturally diverse population, it is essential to be sensitive towards each others cultural practices, beliefs and views. Thus, the reason to include multicultural education into the early childhood education system deems as important. The logical reason being that brain research has proved that the prime time for emotional and social development in children is from birth to twelve years of age. (Abdullah, 2009) Issues in Including Multicultural Education in Early Childhood Education There are several issues that do not allow multicultural education to permeate the early childhood programs in Singapore. Curriculum The curriculum of a center shows the process in which learning outcomes will be achieved. Therefore, including the goals and objectives of multicultural education into the center’s curriculum is essential. It has to be infused throughout the curriculum. Good early childhood pedagogy reflects and empowers the diverse cultural backgrounds of the children and families with whom they work. (Robinson Jones, 2006) Including children’s identity into the daily programming and planning of the early childhood curriculum is considered necessary for developing their self-esteem as well as cultivating their appreciation for diversity that exists more widely in our society. (Abdullah, 2009) In Singapore, multicultural education is not a mainstream issue. With Singaporeans being more aware of issues and events through globalization and internet, it is truly essential that multicultural education is included in schools. Quah (as cited in Berthelsen Karuppiah, 2011) has discussed the expanded ethnic and religious awareness strain among Singapore in recent years. Recent cases such as the wearing of the Muslim head-dress in government schools drummed up a buzz around the diverse ethnic groups in Singapore and resuscitated ethnic strains. These cases show that government policies need to be re-evaluated painstakingly so as to safeguard cultural harmony and maintain respect for cultural diversity. Thus, gaining support from the Government to deal with this issue indepth is significant. Language Development Usually the educational system in most countries applies the national language as the medium of instruction. However, multiculturalism and the distinguishment of the important role of language in studying makes it compulsory for differing qualities of dialect, abilities and correspondence styles to be recognized, esteemed and utilized within all early childhood services. The procurement for children to study the majority language whilst maintaining their first language ought to be underpinned and energized. This obviously is to propose bilingualism or in any event underpin for the home dialect as a strategy even at the unanticipated youth level. (Abdullah, 2009) Research has demonstrated that there can just be favourable circumstances to the child other than ensuring and regarding home dialect. (Hakuta, 1986) This primary issue and challenge for the procurement of bilingual training is one of human assets. Relatively few countries will have the personnel who themselves are bilingual or multilingual. Consequently, children with languages other than the national language to look, maintain and to develop and broaden their language and concept development within early childhood services. (Vuckovic, 2008) All children have the chance to listen to, utilise and study the majority language in a steady environment where assets, materials and individuals are utilized to scaffold their learning in a majority language. Early Childhood Education Staff. Staff working in childcare centers and early childhood education programs has the ability to create an impact on the children’s developing attitudes towards cultural diversity more than any other person in the child’s life. This is an undeniable fact. It is crucial that staff go through appropriate training or staff advancement programs, which include the essential knowledge, skills and attitudes for such an avocation. Teacher must take the steps necessary to better themselves as teachers in multicultural education settings. With the changing face of today’s classrooms, there is a growing need to address multiculturalism an diversity awareness. (Riskowski Olbricht, 2010) Training courses for early childhood educators might as well have components in both content and conveyance that address diversity of cultures. (Verma, 2003) Pre-service preparation in the form of actual scenarios where teachers are set in multicultural or classrooms made up of cultures different from their own are particularly adequate in getting them to re-look at their existing convictions and biases. (Jacobson, 2003) This type of learning emphatically influences teachers’ manners towards teaching in diverse settings. Pre-service learning has the potential of enabling teacher candidates to stand up to challenging issues of social inequities and to start the deconstruction of lifelong attitudes and the development of socially just educators. (Baldwin, Buchanan Rudisill, 2007) Issues Affecting Child as a Learner Children need an education, which allows them to take their place in this multicultural society. A child as young as two and three years are familiar with human distinctions and this mindfulness is connected with the improvement of specific disposition. An essential socialization as well as preferences and habit pattern in the early years of life leaves a preserving impact on the individual. .(Jacobson, 2003) These findings feature the importance of bringing social values and attitudes to children’s attention during this critical developmental period. Using this evidence, it becomes clear that early childhood community needs to address the needs of multicultural children and their unique families. These children include biological, multiracial and multi-ethnic children in blended homes, foster homes, adoptive homes and a variety of biological homes. In the early years, the child’s family assumes the leading role in socialising the child to the conduct, beliefs, convictions and plans held inside their culture. (Garbarino, 1992) With the rise in the amount of working parents and children partaking in group programs from an early age, preschools have likewise turned into compelling socialisation force. (Berthelsen Karuppiah, 2011). Young children who live in a multicultural community experience social differences firsthand; it is part of their world. Then again, other children who live in a monocultural group frequently have challenges comprehending and tolerating an environment that is not the same as theirs. Knowing increasingly about the noteworthiness of children’s voyages between home and school and the impacts of these adventures, teachers can help these children unite the universes of home and school and all different worlds that they might experience in theirdaily lives. (Vuckovic, 2008) Pressures from mass media likewise push an impact on children to fit in with a uniform set of necessitites, dialect, method of articulation inshort, a whole way of life. They are exposed to a ‘counter culture’, which declines and demoralizes articulation from expressing their culture of origin. Regularly, this brings about immense pressures for the children, with parents demanding adherence to the old customs, with traditions practised in the home and frequently in activities outside the home. The consequence is that by and large, parents get estranged from their children who are attempting to comprehend and adapt to their transitory sub-culture, yet endeavouring to make a successful modification into another society, which secretively and frequently unintentionally denies them this right. ( Lin Bates, 2010) Misconceptions in Teachers The most common issue is misconceptions in multiculturalism. Educators are unsure of their own ability to define what their role is in teaching culture. Teachers need the knowledge, skills and positive attitudes to know what to teach and how to teach. (Berthelsen, Karuppiah, 2011) Teachers need to teach in a way that will meet the needs of all of their students. It may not be easy and may require more attention, time and effort. An issue teachers face is that pre-service teachers are leaving their courses unassuming to educate in today’s diverse classrooms. The dominant parts of them are leaving courses after just having one or two essential modules on educating in a multicultural setting. They are not ready for interacting with different cultures than the shielded ones that a large portion of them live in. (Lin Bates, 2010) They are not ready for the distinctive needs controlled by today’s multicultural student population. They end up being not as qualified in this area as they should be. One reason for this could be that teachers express that students oppose multicultural education. (Atwater, Freeman, Bulter Morris, 2010) Why is this the case? Everyone holds his or her beliefs about things. The zone of multicultural instruction is no distinctive. One of the first things that a teacher must do is to analyse herself. She ought to perceive how the conclusions, convictions and viewpoints that she holds influence the curriculum that she is planning to teach. Whether purposeful or not, a teacher’s comtemplations, recognitions, inclinations and sentiments can likely be depicted to her students. (Nichols Dong, 2011) A â€Å"tourist approch† towards multiculturalism where cultures are only taught through celebrations, food and traditional clothing is a very common sighting in Singapore. (Berthelsen Karrupiah, 2011) It is both disparaging and trivializing and does not give a genuine comprehension of different societies. (Derman-Sparks, 1989) Teacher need to comprehend their own particular convictions about cultures and differing qualities so as to execute multicultural education programs viably with young children. Teachers should take the steps important to better themselves as instructors in multicultural settings. This is no feat that can be accomplished overnight. Multicultural Education in Singapore Singapore is a multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-religious society. Our population comprises mainly Chinese, Malays, Indians and others. Multicultural education is not a mainstream issue in Singapore. While the government has been capable to keep up peace and congruity through its political, social and financial strategies and unique days, it does not manage the issue in profundity. As Singaporeans are presently for the most part more mindful of issues and occasions around the world through globalization and the web, it has become progressively critical for Singapore to think about multicultural education in schools. In the meantime as empowering differences through conservation of the social personality of the racial and ethnic aggregations in the nation, the government has likewise attempted to work towards building social union around diverse assemblies, which offered ascent to the trademark unity in diversity. (Berthelsen Karuppiah, 2011) For multicultural education to be viable, it must be taught in the early years of education and strengthened in the later stages. Since childrens attitudes to their and other social assemblies start to structure in the early years, early childhood educators can impact the improvement of uplifting demeanor towards others, as well as consolidating an educational program concentrate on tolerance wand cross-cultural understandings of others. Early childhood educators, however, cannot adopt a tourist approach to multiculturalism which generalizes other societies and transforms the multicultural educational module into a tourist curriculum. Tourist curriculum which educates about cultures through festivals and antiquities of society, for example, food and traditional clothing, is both disparaging and trivializing and does not give a genuine comprehension of other cultures. Teachers need to understand their own beliefs about culture and diversity in order to implement multicultural education programs effectively with young children. (Berthelsen Karuupiah, 2011) A survey was done by Berthelsen Karuppiah(2011) to find out their understandings of multicultural education and their perceptions of its importance in early childhood education. This was conducted in Singapore among a variety of teachers workingin private and public kindergartens and childcare centers. The participants came from different ethnic groups in Singapore. Perceptions about multiculturalism and children’s learning In this case study, they found that most teachers had restricted comprehension of multiculturalism. They saw multiculturalism as just regarding race and in the connection of Singapore. About 60% of the participants expressed that multicultural education implied having information of one;s culture and additionally other cultures. They believed that this learning is sufficient and would immediately carry individuals out of diverse societies together. Another 40% showed that children learn prejudices, dispositions, convictions and qualities from the adults around them, parents and teachers. They communicated convictions that schools assume a paramount part in educating children about diverse cultures. Beliefs about teaching for multiculturalism The same group of teachers were asked their beliefs about teaching for multiculturalism. Twenty of them thought directing a multicultural program implied examining distinctive cultures regarding their food, clothing, celebrations, traditions and so forth. This brings it back to the â€Å"tourist approach† that Derman-Sparks(1989) implied when educating about multiculturalism. They did not go past a tourist point of view in advancing an ‘anti-bias’ approach to educating and researching the distinctive cultures. Thirteen others said preschool centers should treat kids of diverse cultures similarly and decently. Sixteen teachers thought individuals might as well put stock in multicultural education and be supportive of it. The greater part of teachers who had constructive encounters in multicultural situations or with multicultural individuals were likewise more agreeable than others without such encounters in examining multicultural issues. A few teachers had reservations about talking over â€Å"delicate† issues, for example race or religion. Professional learning needs about multiculturalism Based on the survey done by Berthelsen Karuppiah(2011), the teachers comprehended that they needed to understand more about multicultural education. They agreed that teachers needed knowledge, skills and positive attitudes to know what to teach and how to teach. However, the teachers did not explicitly discuss the vitality of individual reflection to comprehend their own particular prejudices, demeanor, convictions and qualities, and how these could influence their educating and learning. There were no critical or elaborated ideas on the challenges and opportunities to implement multicultural education programs. Recommendations James A. Banks, a specialist in multicultural education, has developed the five dimensions of multicultural education. He realised that in his work, numerous teachers considered multicultural education as simply content integration, meaning utilizing samples, information and data from diverse cultures. (Ogltree larke, 2010) The five dimensions are content integration, knowledge constructions, equity pedagogy, prejudice reduction and empowering school culture and social structure. He desired for teachers to have the skills and knowledge and racial attitudes needed to work with people from diverse groups and to use a wide variety of strategies that cater to a wider range of students. (Banks, 2002) Content Integration Teachers should use several different approaches to integrate content about racial, ethnic and cultural groups into the curriculum. One of the most popular is the Contributions Approach. When this approach is used, teachers insert isolated facts about ethnic and cultural group heroes and heroines into the curriculum without changing the structure of their lesson plans and units. Knowledge Construction It helps students to understand how knowledge is constructed and how it reflects the experiences, values, and perspectives of its creators. In this approach, the structure, assumptions, and perspectives of the curriculum are changed so that the concepts, events, and issues taught are viewed from the perspectives and experiences of a range of racial, ethnic, and cultural groups. The center of the curriculum no longer focuses on mainstream and dominant groups, but on an event, issue, or concept that is viewed from many different perspectives and points of view. This is done while at the same time helping students to understand the nations common heritage and traditions. Teachers should help students to understand that while they live in a diverse nation, all citizens of a nation-state share many cultural traditions, values, and political ideals that cement the nation. Multicultural education seeks to actualize the idea of e pluribus unum, i. e. to create a society that recognizes and respects the cultures of its diverse peoples united within a framework of democratic values that are shared by all. (Banks, 2002) Prejudice Reduction According to Banks, this dimension is important in creating a more positive racial and ethnic attitudes. Basically, this dimension is the aspect of education where the teacher helps to lessen the amount of prejudice within students. Equity Pedagogy Teachers change their methods to enable kids from diverse racial groups and both genders to achieve. Empowering School Culture and Social Structure James Banks talks about looking not just at individual classrooms, but at the total school culture to see how to make it more equitable and using the other four dimensions to create a safe and healthy educational environment for all. James Banks’ five dimensions support that a child’s racial attitudes can change but education must start early and that early childhood programs are the perfect place to start multicultural education. (Vuckovic, 2008) Teachers As such, how can we make this a better transition for both teachers and the children? Sheets(as cited in Nichols Dong, 2011) said, â€Å"all teachers can begin and most evolve into culturally competent educators; however, it is important to become conscious that the ardous journey from novice to expert requires hard work, relentless commitment, and a high investment of time and energy†. Two evident approaches for joining multicultural education with teacher education programs are infusion versus segregation, and culture-specific versus culture-general. (Melnick Zeichner, 1997) Ladson-Billings (as cited in Berthelsen Karuppiah,2011), proposed a basic structure for breaking down teacher preparation programs. She argued that, paying little mind to prospective teachers; race, ethnicity or backgrounds; the educational module should include a target on comprehending the way of pre-service teacher relationships and the cultural bases of the educational program, educating and society. The education of teachers should boost self-reflection on values and beliefs about cultural difference and advocate the studying approaches, which allow for teacher inclusion that is dymanic, significant and ethno-linguistically appropriate. The plans of Melnick and Zeichner (1997) and Ladson-Billings (as cited in Berthelsen Karuppiah, 2011) could be connected to teacher education programs for early childhood education in Singapore. Such programs might investigate how preschool educators characterize and conceptualize multicultural education; fuse investigations of the history of race relationships; and use careful investigations and field encounters to provide teachers with chances to gain greater knowledge, skills and understandings of their own culture as well as of other cultural and language groups in their society. In particular, they should learn how to advance suitable programs for young children that consolidate encounters to permit children to comprehend cultural differences and encourage relationships between children of distinctive cultural backgrounds. Environment There is a need for physical environment where children are well versed to reflect the cultures represented by the children working within it. For example, pictures, books, art, music, activities, cooking and recognition of certain significant days important to each culture can reflect this orientation. (Jacobson, 2003) There is a need to advocate in children, knowledge of the similarities and contrasts in cultures, underscoring the likeness while encouraging an inspirational demeanor towards and delight in the differences. This could be attained through celebrating various holidays, enjoying reading material, folklore, music, art, games and introducing foods of various cultures. There is a need for a social or racial match between some educating staff and children in schools to be accomplished. This shows how the administration and teachers work together to decrease racial stereotypes and prejudices in the school and increase democratic attitudes, values and behaviours. The support from management is definitely essential. (Banks, 2002) Conclusion Multiculturalism is worthwhile undertaking in early childhood education based on our country’s population. It prepares children for the challenges of the globalized world. To attain the above, early childhood settings need to plan an environment, which puts forth diversity positively through resources, and materials that do not sustain stereotypes. It is also essential that a multicultural education, from pre-school onwards permeates the whole curriculum. It is inadequate to commit a component regularly reputed to be ‘ethnic studies’ to a corner of the syllabus or to a half hour period for every week. Most desirable is that interpersonal relations ought to be passed on by long-term and rational modeling and that knowledge gained ought to be by first-hand experience. Important implications need to be addressed before infusing it into the early childhood curriculum and equal collaboration between children, teachers, parents, administrators, employers and the wider community is essential. (Vuckovic, 2008) 2800 words References Abdullah, A. C. (2009) Multicultural education in early childhood: Issues and challenges. Journal of International Coopeation in Education, 12(1) Atwater, M. , Freeman, T. , Butler, M. , Morris, J. (2010). A case study of science teacher candidates’ understandings and actions related to the culturally responsive teaching of â€Å"other† students. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education. 5. 287-318. Baldwin. S. C. , Buchanan, A. M. , Rudisill, M. e. (2007). What teacher candidates learned about diversity, social justice, and themselves from service-learning experiences. Journal of Teacher Education, 58(4), 315-327. Bennett, C. (2003). Comprehensive multicultural education: Theory and practice. (5th ed. ). Boston, MA: Allyn Bacon. Berthelsen, D. , Karuppiah, N. (2011). Multiculturaleducation: The understandings of preschool teachers in Singapore. Australian Journal of Early Childhood Education. 36(4). Derman-Sparks, L. (1989). Anti-bias curriculum: Tools for empowering young children. Washington, D. C: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Garbarino, J. (1992). Children and families in the social environment (2nd ed. ). New York: Aldine de Gruyter. Hakuta, K. (1986). Mirror of language: The debate on bilingualism. New York: Basic Books. Jacobson, T. (2003). Confronting our discomfort: Clearing the way for anti-bias in early childhood. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Lin, M. , Bates, A. B. (2010). Home visits: How do they affect teachers’ beliefs about teaching and diversity? Early Childhood Education Journal, 38, 179-185. Melnick, S. , Zeichner, K. (1997). Teacher education for cultural diversity. Enhancing the capacity of teacher education for institutions to address diversity issues. In J. King, E. Hollins, W. Hayman (Eds. ), Meeting the challenge of diversity in teacher preparation (pp. 23-39). New York: Teachers College Press. Nichols, M. E. , Dong, E. (2011). Meeting the needs for today’s multicultural classroom: A review of literature. The Journal of Multiculturalism in Education, 7(1). Ogletree, Q. , Larke, P. J. (2010). Implementing multicultural practices in early childhood Education. National Forum of Multicultural Issues Journal, 7(1). Quah, J. S. T. (2000). Government policies and nation-building searching for Singapore’s national values. Singapore: South East Printing. Riskowski, J. Olbricht, G. (2010). Student views of diversity: A multicultural mathematics activity. Viewing transformation during the middle school years. Multicultural Education. 2-12. Sheets, R. (2009). What is diversity pedagogy?. Multicultural Education. 11-17. Tarman, I. , Tarman, B. (2011). Developing effective multicultural practices: A case study of exploring a teacher’s understanding and practices. The Journal of International Social Research, 4(17). Verma, G. K. (2003). Ethnic diversity and multicultural education: Cross-cutting issues and concepts. Proceedings of The International Conference on Globalization and Multicultural Perspectives in Education, Penang, Malaysia, 3-4 Dec. 2003. Vuckovic, A. (2008). Making the multicultural learning environment flourish: The importance of the child-teacher relationship in educating young children about diversity. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 33(1).

Analysing The Age Of Global Tribes Philosophy Essay

Analysing The Age Of Global Tribes Philosophy Essay In The age of global tribes, Amin Maalouf presents two themes; religion as the main identifier in now a days and globalization. He discusses these in parallel, demonstrating how they affect and shape one another. He approaches the issue of religion by attempting to analyze how it came to be that specific aspect of identity that everyone seems to be holding on to presently through a series of questions resonating around the source or reason for this global drive back to religion. He provides some probable answers attributing this phenomenon, as he calls it, for example to the fall of Communism and Marxism and how their goal of obliterating religion back fired, hence making religion the sole refuge for the oppressed. The authors position is clear through out this chapter, for although, hes personally not against religious affiliation and he believes that religion is always going to be a present factor no matter how dynamic the equation of life got, he still stands against religious affiliation being the primary or sole form of identification and declares that we are in a need for an other aspect of association He calls upon a separation of church and identity and states that if religious affiliation were to be replaced, it ought to be with something more humane and not the opposite. When addressing the issue of globalization, Maalouf describes its power of propagation and how in the face of such a strong phenomenon, religion is being chosen as the shield and sought as a refuge since it seems to be comforting and fulfilling both urging needs of spirituality and identity. This is a very interesting chapter from his book, as it discusses an extremely real and present phenomena, the battle between identity and globalization. One could take such a dilemma lightly dismissing it as a natural reaction to change, but what one must realize is that like any battle ever fought, its the lessons that one learns while fighting that are more valuable than the outcome itself. We, as individuals should be concerned about this ongoing conflict, one that we are involved in without even being aware of. We take it for granted that we know who we are and where we stand but when faced with a crisis, things shift drastically and we surprisingly find ourselves on sides we might not have known even existed. Thats what this excerpt invoked in me, while reading it, especially when the author presents the idea of how one is in fact closer to his contemporaries than to his ancestors, elaborating this through the two types of heritages that he calls vertical and horizontal. Our ho rizontal heritages seem to affect us more than we realize, this is something to seriously reflect upon and understand since we do by habit or denial tend to hold ourselves in regards primarily if not solely of the verticals level point of view. For this battle to end, we all should find a way to mingle these two phases of our heritages within us in order to achieve inner peace. This should be taken on an individual level; every part should heal itself in order for the whole to be able to achieve harmony. Globalization like any other phenomenon is a medium; it has both good and bad in it. Why do we take it as a habit to scorn upon the objects, means or mediums rather than the persons who use them to do bad? These mediums are not bad or good by nature but they hold the potentiality of being one or the other, depending on whos using them. They are in a state of neutrality until used, and hence the outcome if bad should therefore be attributed to the person and not vice versa. The author in this chapter tries to show the potential good that globalization can bring in that it can in fact help direct the worlds attention to a global identity. The only aspect that we all should hold as primary of our identities, is our humanity, thats the type of lineage that we should strongly identify with, thats what we all have in common , thats what we all are no matter what . Admitting that common bond will in no way make us less of the individuals that we are. How did union come to mean loss? Why is it ok to belong to a certain group but suddenly its threatening if its on a universal level? On the contrary, I find it personally to be inspiring and strengthening to belong to such a universal lineage, especially one that is as certain and as real as humanity. Because coming to think of it, anything else in the world is taken now a days by words or actions, making it a complex and unstable foundation for intentions and motives are involved and one can never manage to know these for sure but humanity is the only aspect of ourselves that is undisputed; one cannot pretend to be a human being! Of course, history is full of examples of certain characters that lacked humanity in them as shown by their actions and thoughts but these I insist remain an exception. I find myself standing on Maaloufs side in his call for a universal identity , one that we all belong to by the virtue of our humanity and through which we all enjoy our fundamental rights and one in which our dignity is revered and preserved. For universality cannot exist without such concepts. Human dignity should be maintained above all. Unfortunately, realistically speaking we stand in a world very far from achieving this view any time soon whether it is due to political systems, materialistic notions or simply apathy , I honestly dont know. But I do hold conviction to one thing and that is in order for us to embody such a vision, we will have to start with ourselves first, this has to be fought on an individual level and once weve all dealt with it ,well realize that the battle is already won.

Intrest Inventory :: essays research papers

While visiting Jo Ann Callis’s â€Å"Cake Hat Pillow† exhibit at the Center for Creative Photography I was constantly in awe of her far out, surreal photographs. I have always enjoyed looked at art, but going to interpret it for an assignment was a new experience. Through her black and white, and color pieces, I saw images that could be interpreted in several ways. The freedom surrealists have as artists, and in this case, a photographer is endless and also captivating to all the viewers, no matter if they like them or not.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Surrealism is defined as â€Å"a 20th century literary and artistic movement that attempts to express the workings of the subconscious and is characterized by fantastic imagery and incongruous juxtaposition of subject matter† by the American Heritage College Dictionary. Callis uses this method of photography to portray her dreams and make them real by recreating them using humans, objects and different moods illustrated by the photo’s lighting. Her photographs often are themed in either theatricality or domesticity. Many of her photos are of simple house hold objects, or include a curtain with a stage setting giving the viewer the feeling of being in the audience rather than just looking at the photo. It is apparent in her work that the mood of the photos is controlled largely by whether she photographs certain objects or people in color in black and white. To me, her black and white photographs such as her untitled piece with a person made into a bed and a lace bed spread on top. The picture seems to have not been taken in an actual bedroom, because the rest of the room is black and seems to go on for eternity. I thought it symbolized a death and a burial of some one who will always be in their memories but never physically with them again. In the picture with the lady lying face down and wild dark hair with beets coming out of it gave me a different vibe. As apposed to eternal darkness in the other photo, there was light shadowed across her back and the bed as if it were filtering through blinds. The slightest change in lighting really changed my whole perception of the mood of the picture. The Cake Hat Pillow picture was one of the last one’s I saw. It was in a corner of the exhibit with other â€Å"triplet† photos.

Self Knowledge And Happiness In Pride And Prejudice, by Jane Austen Ess

Pride and Prejudice written by Jane Austen is centred on characters that either gain self awareness and knowledge or possess none at all. Happiness is found even when one has no understanding of selfhood but the most happy and satisfied people in the novel are those who have self knowledge. People that possess self knowledge understand their strengths and weaknesses and characters that gain self knowledge are able to decipher these characteristics and act upon them. As marriage was seen as a great achievement for women in their society, happiness in Pride and Prejudice relates to whether one is happy or unhappy in their marriage. Lydia, Mr WIckham and Lady Catherine de Bourg have no self awareness and are unhappy in the novel. The marriage of Lydia and Mr Wickham is one of the unhappy marriages. Mr Wickham and Lydia are both very similar and are both unaware of their faults; they are both careless with money and see no problem with asking their relatives for money. Lydia as the youngest daughter is well accustomed to having other people look after her and she is dependent on other people. Lydia’s lack of self awareness doesn’t affect her greatly; she is happy and claims that she loves Wickham. She is very fond of him but he is not fond of her and quickly loses interest, â€Å"Wickham’s affection for Lydia, was just what Elizabeth had expected to find it; not equal to Lydia’s for him.† Lady Catherine de Bourg has no self knowledge. She is full of herself and sees herself very highly; it is obvious she is lacks self knowledge. She makes discourteous comments about other people without thought to their opinions and she also enunciates comments about how she views herself. Lady Catherine de Bourg is unhappy because she is disappointed ... ...ejudice and realizes her faults she develops towards Darcy and is then prepared for a more fulfilling happy marriage. People with self awareness can be both happy and unhappy. Mr Bennet has self awareness but he is unhappy because he finds no satisfaction in his family. Elizabeth and Darcy come to know themselves and develop towards each other and so their marriage has the capacity to hold the greatest happiness. Also, happiness can be found when you have no self awareness. Charlotte has self awareness and knows what she wants and needs and so she is content in her marriage to Mr Collins. Mr Collins has no self awareness but is happy because he has a wife and this is what he aspired to. Ultimately, people who have the most self awareness and knowledge who can grow and learn their weaknesses and faults are the people who will have the most happiness in their lives.

Career, Career Interests, and the Value of a College Education :: essays research papers

I am currently employed as a software integration technologist with Motorola. The division I work in develops software used to identify persons, usually for law enforcement purposes, through fingerprint, palm print, facial, and demographic matching technologies. My job is to integrate these technologies into a single, fast, and easy to use system. Specifically, I code the workflow engine that allows the separate technologies to function as a single system. Instead of moving from company to company, changing jobs every few years like many of my past and present co-workers have done; I have been working at the same company for the last 18 years. I started at the bottom, in a data entry position while attending college classes in the evening. I worked my up the corporate ladder, meeting the challenges offered to me by my superiors, discovering my talents, developing my skills and performing to the best of my abilities. The reward was career advancement and increased compensation. Experience has taught me that there are many behaviors that will help you to succeed in a career. These behaviors include self-confidence, productivity, respect, the ability to work with others, a focus on quality, and a commitment to ethics.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Self-confidence in your own abilities will allow you to face challenges with a positive attitude and enthusiasm. You will be able to demonstrate a boldness and decisiveness that radiates professional integrity and communicate with impact. You must be â€Å"willing to say what you think is in the best interest of the organization – even if it’s not popular.† (Troiano, 1998) Plan and organize with the goal of being productive. Motivate yourself to achieve â€Å"necessary tasks and take on more challenges.† (Will your future, 2000) Be responsible for your own education. Learn quickly and work efficiently.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Build and sustain relationships with your coworkers and customers. Show respect and be courteous. Demonstrate an ability to work with others. Look to your peers for assistance and do not be reluctant to give assistance on work related problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Focus on quality, client service, and customer perceptions. The customer will be delighted with a quality product or service delivered punctually and professionally. Your superiors will note this satisfaction and use it when making future decisions that involve you.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, ethics is â€Å"the body of obligations and duties that a particular society requires of its members.† Society, in this case, refers to the corporate body. An employee has a responsibility to their employer to abide by the company’s code of ethics at all times. Career, Career Interests, and the Value of a College Education :: essays research papers I am currently employed as a software integration technologist with Motorola. The division I work in develops software used to identify persons, usually for law enforcement purposes, through fingerprint, palm print, facial, and demographic matching technologies. My job is to integrate these technologies into a single, fast, and easy to use system. Specifically, I code the workflow engine that allows the separate technologies to function as a single system. Instead of moving from company to company, changing jobs every few years like many of my past and present co-workers have done; I have been working at the same company for the last 18 years. I started at the bottom, in a data entry position while attending college classes in the evening. I worked my up the corporate ladder, meeting the challenges offered to me by my superiors, discovering my talents, developing my skills and performing to the best of my abilities. The reward was career advancement and increased compensation. Experience has taught me that there are many behaviors that will help you to succeed in a career. These behaviors include self-confidence, productivity, respect, the ability to work with others, a focus on quality, and a commitment to ethics.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Self-confidence in your own abilities will allow you to face challenges with a positive attitude and enthusiasm. You will be able to demonstrate a boldness and decisiveness that radiates professional integrity and communicate with impact. You must be â€Å"willing to say what you think is in the best interest of the organization – even if it’s not popular.† (Troiano, 1998) Plan and organize with the goal of being productive. Motivate yourself to achieve â€Å"necessary tasks and take on more challenges.† (Will your future, 2000) Be responsible for your own education. Learn quickly and work efficiently.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Build and sustain relationships with your coworkers and customers. Show respect and be courteous. Demonstrate an ability to work with others. Look to your peers for assistance and do not be reluctant to give assistance on work related problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Focus on quality, client service, and customer perceptions. The customer will be delighted with a quality product or service delivered punctually and professionally. Your superiors will note this satisfaction and use it when making future decisions that involve you.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, ethics is â€Å"the body of obligations and duties that a particular society requires of its members.† Society, in this case, refers to the corporate body. An employee has a responsibility to their employer to abide by the company’s code of ethics at all times.

Reaction Paper on the Movie Gi Jane

Msg Marcelito S Adriano 723484 (FA) PA Subject:Reaction Papers on We Were Soldiers As I watched the movie† We Were Soldiers† I recall what is happening in any unit, as the Battalion Commander, Company Commander, Platoon Leaders, Sergeant Major and Troops portray different roles. Leader shows set as an example. He is intelligent, thinking, brave and determined leader. He studies the nature of his enemy carefully. He won’t ask to his man to do, if he can’t do it by himself. He trains his men thoroughly, preparing them for the incoming mission. The Leaders influence the thoughts, attitudes and behaviors of others.It is, therefore, important that their morale is kept high so that they are ready for sacrifice whenever necessity arises. The officers have their own responsibility for commanding the soldiers in combat which is the greatest challenge for each of them even for the risk of their lives. The soldiers shows leadership as they oblige to set one direction f or the rest of them, they help each other what lies ahead, they also help to visualize what they want to achieve, they were encourage and inspire to meet their mission. A responsible family man shows also to this movie.The image of a father which shows closeness to his children, concern for the future of his family and a better husband to his wife. The movie shows an ordinary soldier which other people cannot be seen it. So it is better that the filmmaker produce this kind of movie so that we can give a recognition to our soldier. won't ask man to do what he won't do himself: â€Å"I will be the first to step on the field and I will be the last to step off,† he assures his troops. He reads books and studies the nature of his enemy carefully. He trains his men meticulously, preparing them for the ominous battle to come. Men will die,† he tells his troops, knowing that he and his men are at a disadvantage against an enemy on their own turf. In addition to Gibson, Greg Kin near, Sam Elliot, Barry Pepper, and Keri Russell all give outstanding, A+ performances.Kinnear plays Bruce Crandall, a chopper pilot showing determination and courage while still revealing his fear of death in the course of battle. Pepper plays Joe Galloway, the journalist who rides into the heat of battle to get his story first-hand. (Just wait until you hear his reason for becoming a journalist instead of a soldier. And in spite of my personal disdain for her character on the WB's Felicity, Russell inspires us as a strong-willed mother, in spite of the possibility of losing her husband Jack Geoghegan (Chris Klein) at war. The film does an exceptional job of transitioning from place-to-place, whether from one area of the battlefield to another, to the women and children back home, you always have a good sense of where things are happening and when they're taking place. When one platoon is cut off from the rest of the soldiers, when riverbeds are won and lost, you know exactly what effect it has on the battle.You experience first-hand the grave danger these soldiers experienced. You mourn their deaths and cheer their victories because in spite of the fact that you're sitting in a movie theater, you feel like you're there in battle with them, facing the possibility of death, witnessing the horror of it all. Writer-director Randall Wallace (The Man in the Iron Mask) spends a fair amount of time showing us what is going on behind enemy lines from the point of view of the North Vietnamese. I first heard this was an element of the film before I saw it and was afraid they were going to portray the communist North Vietnamese in a sympathetic light.But, interestingly, these scenes added to the drama and suspense of the film. We see what each leader is thinking and planning for the next attack, which only builds more suspense in anticipation of the next scene to come. A sense of family is well-portrayed among the soldiers, and especially among the wives at home. Madele ine Stowe plays Julie Moore, the wife of Lt. Col. Moore. She heads up the group of wives, giving moral support and preparing them as best she can for the possible death of their husbands. She and Russell show us the chilling events of how they dealt with relaying the notices of the deaths of their friends' husbands.What is lacking in the film is mention of how the war started, or that North Vietnam was communist. Although these are well-known facts, they are too important to pass over in a film about the Vietnam War. The filmmakers have been saying in their media appearances that this is an anti-war movie due to the graphic nature of the battle scenes. Be prepared: the battles scenes are graphic, but I did not come away thinking they were pro- or anti-war. The sheer quantity of gore can never trump the morality of why we fight a war.These scenes only dramatize the risks of fighting a war, and who and what is at stake. The political elements shown in the film (e. g. , how we went int o Vietnam unprepared, and failed to properly arm our men in the best way possible) only demonstrate, in my view, that if we do choose to fight a war, we must do so acknowledging the risks and then proceed with the moral certainty that our cause is right, with only one goal: to win. And Young is a tribute to the nobility of those men under fire, their common acts of uncommon valor, and their loyalty to and love for one another.

Children’s Functional Health Pattern Assessment Essay

Short Answer Questions Address the following based on the above assessment findings. Expected answers will be 1-2 paragraphs in length. Cite and reference outside sources used. 1) Compare and contrast identified similarities as well as differences in expected assessment across the childhood age groups. There are so many differences from the toddler stage to school age. The body and mind go through so many changes. Children are learning so much from being able to drink from a cup, control their bladder and bowels, brushing their teeth, learn values and beliefs, discover independence. There are so many challenges that they may face as they discover the environment around them. The people that they will meet on the playground, in the library, the store and at school, will help shape their lives. As you have seen that the toddler age child needs structure and guidance while they learn how to do everyday tasks on their own. The preschool child still needs structure and guidance but may start to do things on their own like pour their own milk to dressing themselves. The school age child is learning independence, learning how to be independent, seeking there self-concept and sense of identity. 2) Summarize how a nurse would handle physical assessments, examinations, education, and communication differently with children versus adults. Consider spirituality and cultural differences in your answer. A nurse should always introduce themselves first then they need to be calm, speak softly and earn the child’s trust. Children need to know the step by step process of what will happen, they are usually scared and need reassurance. Get to know what they like, if a child brings in a stuff animal, ask the child what the name is. Let them know you care about them, and what they care about. They need to be involved as much as they can in their care. Their parents also need to be involved with whatever is going on with their child. Consider the families cultural differences and spirituality regarding treatment, examinations, assessments, communication. When assessing an  adult you should introduce yourself first, answer any questions they may have regarding their assessment, treatment and any education that may be given. Ask if they want anyone else involved with their treatment. Make sure all their questions are answered. References How a child develops. (2011, January 1). Retrieved from http://www.howkidsdevelop.com/developSkills.html Jarvis, C. (2012). Physical Examination & Health Assessment 6th ed. St. Louis, MI: Mosby. Edelman, C., & Mandle, C., (2010). Health promotion through the life span. 7thed. St. Louis, MI: Mosby.

Customer Based Brand Equity Essay

Customer based brand equality is very important for both local and foreign businesses. Many local based brands have been facing increased competition and challenges from other foreign brands. Both foreign and local brands have been taking turns capitalizing on their competitive position within the Chinese mobile phone market. Because of this, there is a need for both local and foreign brands to gain a clear understanding of their customer’s preferences, in regards to mobile phone features and the perception of their competitive position from their customers. Building a brand and properly managing it has become very important for all companies. Companies are now beginning to realize that brand equity is a most powerful tool and a valuable asset to them. The maintenance and enhancement of a company brand has become a very important part of the management tasks in companies. Brand knowledge structures in the minds of customers are the foundation of brand equity. Brand equity is widely perceived as consisting of brand loyalty, brand awareness, perceived quality and brand associations, among other things. Building brand equity has specific rewards that are quite obvious. But there is a problem in that very few managers are able to objectively assess the strengths and weakness of their brands. Measuring brand equity is very important in assessing the value of the brand. Customer based brand equality helps companies to become aware of the likes and dislikes of their customers. This article shows that customers have three important attributes that they prefer; which are service, durability and brand image. Brand features uniqueness is the least important factor that affects consumers’ mobile phone preference. Price, distinctiveness, place, promotion and advertisements are the second tier attributes of consideration for customers. Attention should be given to improving the brand equity within the Chinese market. All mobile brands should pay very close attention to the improvement of their services and the enhancement of their products durability and brand imager, rather than focusing on intense price competition. The foreign brands are consistent across the board, clearly outperforming their foreign competitors with regard to customer attitudes in the Chinese market. The local foreign companies should begin to focus their attention on enhancing the quality of their product and building up their brand personality and their image. There is still room for the foreign brands to improve their brand equity. Strong brand equity means that customers have high brand awareness, maintain a favorable brand image, perceive high quality and are loyal towards the brand. Reference for the journal: Liaogang, Chongyan, Zian Source: International Management Review, Volume 3, Number 3, 1 April 2007, pp. 76-106

Waltham Motors Division

Question 1: Using budget data, how many motors would have to be sold for Waltham Motors Division to breakeven? In order to calculate the breakeven point, we use the following equation and budget data: Breakeven Sales*Unit Price-Unit Variable Cost= Fixed Costs Breakeven=Fixed CostsUnitary Price-Unitary Variable Cost Breakeven point=260,000864000/18000-512800/18000=13,226 units Q2. Using budget data, what was the total expected cost per unit if all manufacturing and shipping overhead (both variable and fixed) was allocated to planned production? What was the actual per unit cost of production and shipping?The results for the total expected cost/unit with budget data is: Expected Cost/Unit= Manufacturing Overhead(variable and not variable)+Shipping Overhead# of Units= =484,000+148,000+28,80018,000=$36. 71/unit The results for the total expected cost/unit with actual data is: 404,000+149,200+28,00014,000=$41,51/unit Q3. Comment on the performance report and the plant accountant’s analysis of results. How, if at all, would you suggest the performance report be changed before sending it on to the division manager and Marco Corporation headquarters?The accountant is making a big mistake by comparing absolute numbers from Budgeted costs and revenues with Actual costs, since the actual number of units sold is less than the Budgeted amount. Therefore, a more detailed analysis must be done, and calculate the costs per unit, as Table 1 shows: Table 1 From this new data on Table 1, we can make the following observations about the accountant’s comments: * The only cost that was underestimated (Favourable = F) is the Indirect Labour, so the first comment about being under budget on every single cost except for supervision is wrong. The operating income has decreased, which is expected given the decrease in number of motors sold (4. 000), but based on the report we still cannot tell whether that is the only reason. This also leads to a difference between the actu al price ($49) and the budgeted price ($48). * The current static budget needs to be changed into a flexible budget so the budgeted data can be recorded taking into account the actual units produced, that is, 14. 000 units. Q4. Prepare your own analysis of the Waltham Division’s operations in May.Explain in as much detail as possible why income differed from what you would have expected. As suggested in Question3, a new Flexible budget is calculated, so now it is possible to calculate the variances between the Flexible budget and the Actual Results and Static budget we had before. The data is show below in Table 2: Table 2 From this table we can see how the unfavourable Static budget variance = 98400 seen in the accountant’s Performance Report is now divided into the Flexible budget variance = 20. 356$ (2) and the Sales volume variance = 78. 44$ (3): Flexible budget variance: is the difference between the actual result and the corresponding flexible-budget amount. This variance is subdivided into: * Sales variance $14. 000 Favourable. This is due to a higher price charged for the motors (49$ instead of the 48$ budgeted), maybe because of changes in prices of the competitors as well. * Variable costs variance is Unfavourable by $27. 556, the different components of this variance are: * Direct Material variance: Unfavourable by of $1. 00, we need to find out whether this is due to Price and/or Efficiency variance. The accountant indicates that the actual price for direct materials is $5. 7/unit (5% less than budgeted), but the budgeted price was $6/unit. On the other hand, the standard quantity is 14. 000 units while the actual quantity is 85. 400/5. 7=14982. 45 units, therefore: * Price variance = $89. 894,75 – $85. 400 = $4494. 76 Favourable. This reflects the company saved money with the decreased prices of raw materials * Efficiency Variance = $84. 00-$89. 894,76 = $5894,76 Unfavourable. Since this amount is larger than the Favourable am ount of the Price variance, we can conclude that the overall unfavourable 1. 400$ Direct material balance is due to Efficiency Variance. There are many reasons that might cause this inefficiency coming from the production manager or the purchase manager, such as bad quality of the raw materials bought (which were cheaper after all), or waste of these during the production process. * Direct Labour variance: Unfavourable by $22. 000.Again, we need to find out whether this is Price and/or efficiency driven. We know that according to the accountant information, the actual price is $16,4/unit while the Standard price is $16/unit. On the other hand, the Standard Quantity is 14. 000 units while the actual Quantity is 246. 000/16,4=15. 000 units. Therefore: * Price Variance = 240. 000-246. 000 = $6000 Unfavourable. This reflects the increase in medical benefits noted by the accountant. * Efficiency Variance = 224. 000-240. 000 = $16. 000 Unfavourable.The accountant does not mention anything that can tell for sure the reasons for this lack of efficiency, so we can only guess some reasons such as a change in the labour force to an unskilled one. * Idle Time and Cleanup Time: Unfavourable by $3. 000 + $1. 600 respectively, might be due to different reasons such as low efficiency in the cleanup process, or bad shape of the machines used to manufacture the motors that turned into a lot of idle time compared to the one budgeted. The idle time must be monitored since it can lead to further decrease of Labour efficiency. Indirect Labour and Miscellaneous supplies: Favourable by $400 + $40 respectively, might be due to many reasons but the amounts are too small to make up for the unfavourable amounts found in the rest of the variable costs. It might be a coincidence, but there was a favourable Price efficiency for Direct Material, so maybe the Purchasing department is doing a good job. * Fixed costs variance * Supervision unfavourable by $1. 200 might be due to low efficiency of the supervising staff as noted in the accountant comments. * Shipping costs variance: Unfavourable by $5. 00 probably because of additional shipping due to bad quality of products that have to be returned and shipped again, or just because of bad efficiency in the shipment process by not using full capacity of transportation. Sales-volume variance: it is the difference between the flexible-budget amounts and the static budget and it arises solely because of the difference between the actual quantity of motors produced and the amount budgeted (expected) to be produced by the company. In this case there is a variance of $78. 044, and we can assume it is because of the key contract that was lost.