Thursday, October 31, 2019

Information security management framework Research Paper - 2

Information security management framework - Research Paper Example In regards to the security of information and networks, policies typically cover a single aspect such as the acceptable utilization of computing facilities in a learning institution (Singh, 2007). On the other hand, standards are thorough and comprehensive statements of the aspects that members of an organization are supposed to participate in in order to abide by the set policies. They may exist in the form of requirements specific to systems or procedures, which are supposed to be adhered to by everyone. For instance, the employees may wish to use their personal mobile devices in the workplace; in this case, the standards set for the connection of the mobile devices to the network run by the organization must be adhered to precisely (Laet & Schauwers, 2005). Additionally, guidelines are literally groups of system or procedural specific recommendations that govern nest practices but are not must-follow controls. Nevertheless, reference to standards and guidelines is seen as an efficient and effective aspect of a good security policy. All the documents listed have varying target audiences in a company and thus they are not supposed to be combined into a single document. Rathe r, there should be a number of documents, which will collectively develop the concept of an information security policy framework thereby making the security policy the most important document

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Technical textiles Essay Example for Free

Technical textiles Essay A small proportion of technical textiles are manufactured from high-end fibres like Kevlar or Nomex. Most technical textiles are made from everyday fibres such as polyester, polypropylene, polyamide or acrylic. Gore-Tex ® fabrics are created by laminating the Gore-Tex ® membrane to high performance textiles, then sealing them with a solution for guaranteed waterproof protection. Phosphorescent textiles are a class of luminescent materials that show long-lasting bright afterglow in dark after charged by a source of light capable of exciting the material to a persistent excited state. Some other technical textiles are Scotchlite, electronic textiles, the smart bra, microfibres, Nano-fibres and Skintex skincare. Smart fibres have been developed to provide functions that will respond to and protect our bodies. They can be said to be intelligent because of their ability to react to external stimuli or changes in the environment without human intervention. Smart fibres are split into four categories; Biomimetic fibres that mimic nature, Shape Memory textiles, Sense and Track fibres and Chromatic fibres. Biomimetic fibres mimic good design in nature; some of these include Fastskin by Speedo and a fabric by Stomatex. Fastskin enables the swimmer to be streamlined by reducing passive drag by up to 4%. Stomatex uses a pattern of dome-shaped vapour chambers to allow body heat and perspiration to exit through tiny pores at a controlled rate. The body temperature remains stable at whatever activity is being carried out. Technical textiles differ from Smart fibres due to the fact that they have different uses. Smart fibres were developed to provide functions that will respond to our bodies and protect them, whereas technical textiles already have a function and usually respond to changes in the environment. Most smart fibres aim to enhance performance, for example fastskin aims to reduce drag for swimmers and stomatex aims to maintain a stable body temperature throughout exercise, probably enabling you to work harder for longer. Technical textiles have different functions, they are widely used for their useful functions. Scotchlite if for safety, it reflects light, enabling the wearer to be seen in the dark by headlights or torches. The smart bra detects the early stages of breast cancer using microwave antennae. Odour control- does as it says; an antimicrobial agent can be encapsulated within the fibres to prevent bacterial growth. Technical textiles can be extremely useful to users in the 21st century. Softswitch joined forces with ONeill to produce the first wearable electronics product with Bluetooth. The ski jacket was adapted to withstand snowboarding environments, and many functions such as a mobile phone and mp3 player were integrated into the sportswear. Also woven into the jacket are electrically conductive fabric tracks which connect the chip module to a fabric keyboard and built in speakers to the hood. There is a microphone integrated into the collar of the jacket for phone calls. This is similar to the Nike ACG Comm jacket. It is Nikes latest snow jacket and comes with a built in radio, microphone and earpiece. Equipment like this could be lifesaving. If you are taking part in snowsports and you happen to get hurt you can communicate via the built in functions, this is particularly useful in the 21st century as many people go skiing and snowboarding off-piste and if theyre not careful they may get injured, the only way for them to communicate could be via the built in communicational devices. Nomex is a registered trademark for a flame-resistant meta-aramid material developed in the early 1960s by DuPont (now Invista) and first marketed in 1967. A Nomex hood is a common piece of firefighting equipment. The hood protects the parts of the head that are no covered by the helmet and face mask from the intense heat of the fire. Most of a fire-fighters suit would be made from Nomex

Saturday, October 26, 2019

A Self Assessment Paper Philosophy Essay

A Self Assessment Paper Philosophy Essay Most of the classes that I have taken in my entire college life have tried to teach me something related with my career. Most of these classes were math, science or business oriented. Never before I took a class that teach me to learn how I think, what I think, and why I think in a particularly way. In this class a learned one lesson that will last for the rest of my life: learn to be conscious of the action that I take. At the beginning of the semester, I felt a little bit frustrated because I spent a big part of my day thinking about the things that I learned in class, how I can apply those thing in my life and that if I would learned those lesson before my life would be completely different. Throughout this self assessment paper I would try to address how the different topics that I learned in class impact my life using current and past experiences. The fist topic that we talked in class was the personal transformation article and the three dysfunctions of our culture: Fragmentation, Competition and reactiveness. Concerning to fragmentation I am the type of person that tend to break everything into small pieces because I think it is easier to understand them in that way. However, sometime I feel empty because I cannot put all the parts together and understand the whole system. I think this is a problem because in schools a leaned a lot of individual concepts but I never learn how to put them together. I plan to build strengths to use this tool by every time that I learn something I will try to connected with something that I learned in the past. Ask to myself how I can use these new concepts and how to apply to my life. I think that if I do the connection immediately in my head I will be able to star creating mental maps with all the concepts connected together. For me competition is like a game: sometime when we do not compete we get better result than when we do, sometimes when we compete we do not the results that we want, or sometime competing or not we get the same results. It is like an eternal battle in which the luckiest survive. Notice that I said that the luckiest survive and not the strongest and this is because sometimes being the strongest does not guarantee that you will be ahead the others. Concerning to reactiveness I think that I am a person very sentimental when I react to some situations, I am the type of person that does not like bad news. So, I try to react like that never happened. But in the end the reality is that I have to react like a grown man and confront the reality. I got that my personality type was Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging (ISTJ). I really think that these results really describe my personality because I consider myself as a responsible, loyal, contemplative and independent individual. However, I have learned that I need some of the characteristics of the other personality types. I recognize that I need more people skills if I want to be successful in my MBA career. I think it wont hurt me if I try to be more sociable with the people around me. For example, I need to be a little bit more extroverts, more sociable, more perceptive, be open to new things, being more flexible. One thing that I can do to archive this is to learn to listen to the other, to learn that everybody is different and has different opinions and that I cannot win every argument. I apply this at the beginning of the semester and the final results are awesome: I talk to more people in the classroom, on the bus, at the library, practically everywhere. I recogn ized that I need to be a more flexible with the things that I do. I recognized that nobody thinks exactly like me, so we can have differences and still work together. Also, I learned how to adapt to changing situations; to recognize that the world is dynamic, not static and that people will never act like me. I think one of the most important lessons that I learned in this class was to identify my mental models and to be aware that I have them. I start the class being a unconscious incompetence and I think I end up being almost a conscious competence    For me it was extremely important to be right. It was like an interior force that gives a shot of adrenaline when I can prove to others that I am right and they are wrong. I was a perfectly example of my mental model. However, after reflecting about this matter I reached to the conclusion that sometimes it is better to be wrong and dont have the experience that some people reject to talk to me because they portray me as an arrogant, bigheaded and selfish person. Now I realize that it is good the fact that my friends had different points of view, that it is right that we dont think in the same ways, that I have to love them in the way that they are. Now I understand the phrase that says a real friend is not the one that makes you laugh wi th lies, it is the one that makes you cry with the truth. Another important tool that I learned in this class was to identify when people use defensive routine to protect themselves. I learned that I also used defensive routines when I behaved inappropriate or when I did not complete an assignment on time. I usually, well almost all the time, went to the offensive, labeling people with stereotypes. I constantly used advocacy to defend and justify my actions. However, once I learned that these defensive routines were part of my mental model, I started to listen more to what the other person have to say. I discovered that if I put myself in their position I can understand they point of view better. Also, I learned to pay real attention to my interlocutors, to listen with my brain, not only with my ears. The results were amazing, once I start to be an active listener the conversation became more professional, more productive and barriers to reach for an agreement start to plunge. Also, becoming an active listener helps me to manage difficult c onversations. I remember that I was the type of person that starts arguing with somebody very easily. Three out four conversations ended up in a discussion and usually a bad one. However, because I learned to listen and think before emitting my opinion help to manage difficult conversation at such level that I dont remember the last conversation that ended up with a discussion. It is wonderful being able to communicate with other in a respectful way. We have to be willing to give, share and receive. The trick is in considering that the other person is at the same level than I. I developed my inquiry skills asking as many questions as I needed until I was completely sure that I understood what others were asking for. I have notice that when I used these techniques I can understand their position clearly because I can get a clear idea of their thinking. However, I think I have very poor advocacy skills. Sometimes it is very difficult for me to explain to others what I am thinking, what are my points of views, what is my reasoning. In my opinion the problem is that I cannot decide which information I should give them in order to understand my way of thinking. Sometimes I give them too much information; sometimes too little. Then I spent most of the time trying to explain to them what is in my mind. I get frustrated because things that see like obvious then cannot recognize them, I wish they can go inside my brain, read my mind, and see how obvious everything is. Honestly, I think I have poor advocacy skills because English is not my first language. When I tal k to somebody in English I tend to ask extra question to make sure that I understand one hundred percent what they are trying to say. Also, because my English vocabulary is very limited I tend to explain things in the simplest way, leaving out important information, or adding irrelevant information just because I do not have the right word to use. When this happen I get frustrate and everything in my head get mess up and I start to talk in Spanish without noticing it and confusing even more my interlocutor. I think that if a become a little more extrovert I can socialize with more people and my vocabulary can be expanded with new English words and slangs that I can use to communicate more effective when I advocate my points of view. Another tool that has helped me to be a better advocate is the latter of inference. Using this tool I became more aware of the conclusions that I made and the basis of those conclusions. I had learned that if I put too much emotional attachments to my ideas I usually exclude important data or information that even though do not support my believes can help me to make better decisions. Therefore, know before making any conclusions I try identify any emotional feelings that can be attached to those decisions and leave them out. Also, I have find out that it is impossible to overcome an emotional position with a logical argument (Shingo). The ladder of inference has been of great help when making decision because it forces me to think through my own arguments allowing me to determine errors in my own thinking. Now I am aware that I may be ignoring important data or making wrong assumptions or inferences. Thanks to the ladder of inference, now before making any important decision the fir st two questions that I ask to myself are: does the fact that I have represents the truth and what role does my emotions and feelings play in my decisions. Casual Loop Diagrams are a great to help us to clarify our own thinking and help others to understand us better. I wish I could do a CLD for every part of life but I feel I am not good doing one by myself. I have difficulty identifying what things I should put on the CLD and how those things interact with each other. When doing a CLD I often tend to do inferential leaps, miss previous steps or use ambiguous link or blocks. I remember that in class we discussed that the whole idea of a CLD is to figure out how the actions work their way through the loop, back to the initial link (beginning). However, I think that the whole idea is to see how everything is connected and how one action affects the whole situation. I would love to learn to master CLD and be able to use to diagram my mental models, clarify my own thinking and understand other people thinking. I should try to get more practice doing more CLD for simple life problems in order to be able to master this technique. For example , with a CLD I can show how spending three hours talking to my girlfriend complicate my whole day; it can explain why I am always tired and sleepy. Something that can really help me to master CLDs will be to develop a structured decision making process in order to organize my ideas better and identify the pieces needed to join the empty spaces. Most of the time, I feel I need to make the decision fast and I dont have enough time for a formal structure and process. Sometimes I feel the contrary, I have spent too much time thinking over the same problem that I fell I need to make a decision and take a break. The problem is that at the end my decisions are based on gut feeling instinct rather than a structured process. Something that I should take as a habit is to gather enough data so I can support the decision that I make. In other words I should climb down the ladder of inference and gather the proper data to make an informed decision. The first and probably the most important thing that I should do before making any decision should be establish a context for success. This is the part where I identify the problem and define the objective that I want to accomplish. I think that this step it is also the most difficult because most of the time I dont know what is the real problem. I just know that I have a problem and I need a solution for that problem. Also, I should gather enough data and resources before making any important decision; generate as many alternatives as I can, evaluate those alternatives, and finally choose the one that fits my requirements better. I want to learn to use this tool because I am pretty sure that I will be using this method very often in my future career life. Having a structure decision making process can give me a competitive edge among my coworkers because my decision will be more logic and back it up with data that support my actions. Frame the issue properly is another tool that I could used to develop a structured decision making process. However, I dont feel I know how to master this tool. For me it is a little difficult to express my point of view to others. I am good identifying when other use framing over me but I cannot used very effectively over them or in the way that I wanted. Framing is about making other people to see what you want them to see, but sometimes I get the opposite reaction: people see what I dont want them to see. I get frustrate and mess up when this happen. I say that framing is a key step for success because people who understand framing and its power can manipulate others to do their will. The best examples of this are the people who make commercials and advertisements. They can convince us to buy products that we dont need or want. They create a false sense of need inside our subconscious that induces us to buy the last laptop model even though our actual model is working fine. They a re like brain doctors that with words can modify our thoughts and make us buy anything that they want. One thing I can do to get better framing my thoughts would be to use my emotions. I should show to other how passionate I am for the think that I want to convince them. Also I could use visual help (graphs, equations, charts) to better communicating my points of view. First of all I want to argue that the world is full of uncertainties, our life is full of uncertainty, our future is uncertain, and our present is kind of uncertain. Only the past is certain and that is because we already know the answer of what already happened. I said that the world is full of uncertainty because you cannot determine what will happen next, where the next earthquake will be, or the next tornado, or the next flood. We just know that these natural phenomenon will, possibly, happen someday in someplace around the world. Our life is uncertain because you dont know what will happen with your life in your future: are you going to be hit by a car, are you going to win the lottery, are you going to have died before your fifty birthday, or are you going to be rich and successful. I think that I cannot escape from the uncertainties of my life or the uncertainties of the world. However, I can get prepared so when they arrive I can fight them with the right tools. For example, I dont know where the next tornado will be, but I can buy a house with a basement that can protect my family from a level 5 tornado. I dont know which part of the world will be shaken by an earthquake but I can get educated about what to do when an earthquake happens. Also, I dont know if I will win the lottery but I can get the best possible education so I wont need to win the lottery to be rich. I dont know if I will have died before my fifty birthday but I can make sure that I enjoy every day of my life, doing the right things, serving others in such a way that if I died tomorrow I will die happy with a smile on my face. In every moment of my life I make decisions; I decide if I go to college, if I buy a new pair of jeans, at what time I eat, or at what time I go to bed. The problem is not to decide what or when to do or not something, the real issues is what will be the results of those decisions. And this gets more complicated when there are uncertainties behind those decisions that sometimes we cannot even identify. The final result of this type of situations is that we end up making bad decisions that could be avoided. I think it is not difficult to learn how to identify the uncertainties of our decisions. I think we can learn what things we did wrong and the next time that we have a similar situation we can do the right thing. Also we can learn to identify and prioritize the areas of uncertainties in our decisions and reduce the one that can be reduced. Creative thinking has been a topic that has caught my attention since I was in high school. I always had wanted to be creative but most of the time I feel I dont have the right material. Most of the times when I have to come out with a creative solution I always choose the one that the majority chose. I try to think out the box but I ended up thinking and doing the same thing than the others. When this happen, I get frustrate because I want to be an innovator creating new and amazing things. I think the problem is that I love to do new things if there are clear and specific rules. I like to follow the rules and I want that the other follow the same rules to. However, I have learned that sometime you have to ignore the rules in order to be creative, try to do things different than the way that I usually do them. I think I have to stop trying to figure out what other people will do and try to be original, unique, and different. Last week I tried to apply the step that the professor mentioned in class about how to be more creative. The results were amazing because I actually came out with solutions that nobody in the room did. I think the trick is to pay attention to details, especially to minor details (like the background). The provocation part also helped a lot to identify atypical response. I thought in characters like Homer Simpson or Sheldon Cooper (the big band theory) to come out with alternative that were creative. From now on, I will start to apply the creativity three steps process (observe, provocation, and movement) more often to incentive my creativity. I think they really work.

Friday, October 25, 2019

1984 And Brave New World Essay -- essays research papers

Brave New World and 1984  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As I read Brave New World and 1984, I noticed how some of Aldous Huxley and George Orwell’s prophecies are becoming true. As science and technology progresses, we have the opportunity to alter few aspects of our lives, even though our freedom and privacy may be in jeopardy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Brave New World, science allows babies to be artificially produced in a laboratory. Nowadays, parents who cannot conceive children are also able to artificially produce their children with the help of science and the genes of both parents. As science advances, the parents may even be able to reform the genes of their baby in order to have that perfect child. In addition, through the Bokanovsky’s Process, ninety-six identical twins can be produced with one bokansovskified egg. Recently, cloning has allowed us to produce identical mammals. If cloning is possible, it will not be surprising when we produce ninety-six identical twins with one egg, like in Brave New World, in the future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The â€Å"Brave New Worlders† take soma whenever they feel troublesome, depressed or angry. The soma makes them feel pleasant and comfortable. Nowadays when one is having a bad day or does not feel good, he may result to something much like soma such as alcohol or drugs to produce that same pleasant feeling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The government of the World Stat...

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Discuss the role of emotion in psychology Essay

Emotion is often the greatest cause for either enhanced recall or impaired recall. Through many studies psychologists have found that it is not only facts we store in our memory but the emotion surrounding them.  Flashbulb memories involve an enduring imprint of events surrounding an important incident, the memory is not the event itself but where you were and what you were doing when you heard about it. Sheingold and Tenney (1982) provided evidence to support the concept of flashbulb memories. Participants were asked about personal memories and found most had good memories for when they were told and who told them. They found the flashbulb memories were strong and remained consistent over time; however there is no way of checking the accuracy of these memories. As shown by Sheingold and Tenney, a flashbulb memory’s characteristic involves consistency and has an unchanging nature and they also involve a high level of emotional arousal which leads to better recall of the event. However Wright (1993) found evidence that goes against this definition, the study involved looking at people’s memories of the Hillsborough football disaster in 1989, 5 moths after the event. It was found that most of the participants didn’t report strong flashbulb memories; in fact many people had reconstructed their memories and had mixed their own with other people’s accounts. This evidence therefore goes against the idea that flashbulb memories remain consistent over time. On the other hand Conway (1994) suggested that the reason some studies don’t support flashbulb memories is because the event wasn’t significant to the individuals. Conway et al used Mrs Thatcher’s resignation as the basis for the creation of flashbulb memories. 11 months after 86% of the UK participants has a strong and consistent flashbulb memory compared to only 29% participants from other countries. This research suggests that flashbulb memories will only be strong if the event surrounding it is significant to the individual; the UK participants would have been more aware and connected to Mrs Thatcher’s resignation than participants from other countries. The role of emotion is memory can also cause impaired memory. Freud proposed the idea of repression; unwanted memories are pushed down into the unconscious mind so you forget them. Freud described this process as a way of the ego protecting itself from emotional conflict which is often the result of harsh experiences. Williams (1994) interviewed women who has been admitted to hospital on the grounds of sexual assault, 20years previously, (they were told the study was a follow up of medical care). Williams found that 38% of the women did not show any recall of being sexually abused and that 16% of the women that did, said that at one time they couldn’t remember they had. This study therefore provides strong evidence to support the repression theory, a traumatic event was repressed and some couldn’t recall it even 20 years later. Repressed memories are defined as a traumatic event placed beyond conscious awareness. Because of this placement, these memories can also affect conscious thought. Forgetting a traumatic event, like Williams (1994) research, has also been studied through case studies. One of the most famous is Bavers (1981) study on sirhan sirhan, the man who shot Robert Kennedy, who has no recall of doing so. In this case the emotions of regret and shame were probably the cause of the repression and the reason he cannot remember what he did. It has also been suggested that repressed memories can also cause anxiety and disordered behaviour. A study that supports this concept was carried out by Karon and Widener (1997) who found that once trauma was recalled in therapy, mental illness in World War 2 veterans completely alleviated, therefore supporting Freud’s theory. However Loftus and Pickrell (1995) found evidence against Frued’s repression theory. The study was called ‘lost in the mall’ and the false memory of getting lost in a shopping centre as a child was implanted into the participants. After the debriefing 20% still held to their belief that this happened to them, even though it was a false memory showing trauma has a great affect on memory even though the memory was false but going against Frued as the memory wasn’t real. Another study by Loftus and Palmer created a theory called the ‘Weapon effect’ this was during a highly emotional event such as a robbery or assault, an eye witnesses’ recall was altered due to their focus on a weapon being used. Finally a depressive state also has an influence on memory. Negative emotions often create a negative recall bias which makes depressed people only focus on negative and unhappy experiences; a mood dependent memory. Lyketsos (2001) found in support of this that depression may lead people to be inattentive and so they don’t encode new memories into the long term memory well, therefore recall is much poorer. In further support of this Antikainen et al (2001) studied 174 depressed patients and found they performed better on memory tasks and had fewer memory problems after 6 months treatment. In conclusion emotion plays an important role in memory. It can often lead to enhanced memory, such as flashbulb memories, or impaired memory such as the repression of traumatic experiences. Negative emotion is also responsible for a lack of memory such as when someone is depressed. Overall memories are largely influenced by emotion the more positive we are the more likely we are to recall, the more negative the less likely we will recall and are more likely to forget.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

County of Allegheny v. ACLU Greater Pittsburgh Chapter (1989)

County of Allegheny v. ACLU Greater Pittsburgh Chapter (1989) Background Information This case looked at the constitutionality of two holiday displays in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One was a creche standing on the grand staircase of the Allegheny County Courthouse, a very prominent position in the courthouse and readily visible by all who entered. The creche included figures of Joseph, Mary, Jesus, animals, shepherds, and an angel bearing a huge banner with the words Gloria in Excelsis Deo! (Glory to in the Highest) emblazoned upon it. Next to it was a sign stating This Display Donated by the Holy Name Society (a Catholic organization). The other display was a block away in a building jointly owned by both the city and the county. It was an 18-foot tall Hanukkah menorah donated by a group of Lubavitcher Hasidim (an ultra-orthodox branch of Judaism). With the menorah was a 45-foot tall Christmas tree, at the base of which was a sign stating Salute to Liberty. Some local residents, supported by the ACLU, filed suit claiming that both displays violated the . A Court of Appeals agreed and ruled that both displays violated of the First Amendment because they endorsed religion. Fast Facts: County of Allegheny v. ACLU of Greater Pittsburgh Chapter Case Argued: February 22, 1989Decision Issued:  July 2, 1989Petitioner: County of AlleghenyRespondent:   American Civil Liberties Union, Greater Pittsburgh ChapterKey Question: Did two public-sponsored holiday displays- one a nativity scene, the other a menorah- constitute state endorsement of religion which would be in violation of the Establishment Clause  of the First Amendment?Majority Decision: Justices Brennan, Marshall, Blackmun, Scalia, and KennedyDissenting: Justices Rehnquist, White, Stevens, and O’ConnorRuling: The location and messaging of the display determined whether or not it was in violation of the Establishment Clause. The prominent display of the crà ¨che with wording directly in praising the birth of Jesus sent a clear message that the county supported and promoted that religion. Due to its particular physical setting, the menorah display was deemed constitutionally legitimate. Court Decision Arguments were made on February 22, 1989. On July 3, 1989, the court ruled 5 to 4 (to strike) and 6 to 3 (to uphold). This was a deeply and unusually fragmented Court Decision, but in the final analysis the Court ruled that while the creche was unconstitutional, the menorah display was not. Although in the Court used the three-part Lemon test to allow a city in Rhode Island to display a creche as part of a holiday display, the same did not hold here because the Pittsburgh display was not used in conjunction with other secular, seasonal decorations. Lynch had established what came to be called the plastic reindeer rule of secular context which the creche failed. Due to this independence along with the prominent place which the creche occupied (thus signaling government endorsement), the display was determined by Justice Blackmun in his plurality opinion to have a specific religious purpose. The fact that the creche was created by a private organization did not eliminate the apparent endorsement by the government of the display. Moreover, the placement of the display in such a prominent position emphasized the message of supporting religion.The creche scene stood on the grand staircase of a courthouse alone. The Supreme Court said: ...the creche sits on the Grand Staircase, the main and most beautiful part of the building that is the seat of county government. No viewer could reasonably think that it occupies this location without the support and approval of the government.Thus, by permitting the display of the creche in this particular physical setting, the county sends an unmistakable message that it supports and promotes the Christian praise to God that is the creches religious message... The Establishment Clause does not limit only the religious content of the governments own communications. It also prohibits the governments support and promotion of religious communications by religious organizations. Unlike the creche, however, the menorah on display was not determined to have an exclusively religious message. The menorah was placed next to a Christmas tree and a sign saluting liberty which the Court found important. Instead of endorsing any religious group, this display with the menorah recognized the holidays as part of the same winter-holiday season. Thus, the display in its entirety did not appear to endorse or disapprove of any religion, and the menorah was permitted to remain. With regards to the menorah, the Supreme Court said: ...it is not sufficiently likely that residents of Pittsburgh will perceive the combined display of the tree, the sign, and the menorah as an endorsement or disapproval ...of their individual religious choices. While an adjudication of the displays effect must taken into account the perspective of one who is neither Christian nor Jewish, as well as of those who adhere to either of these religions, ibid., the constitutionality of its effect must also be judged according to the standard of a reasonable observer. ...When measured against this standard, the menorah need not be excluded from this particular display.The Christmas tree alone in the Pittsburgh location does not endorse Christian belief; and, on the facts before us, the addition of the menorah cannot fairly be understood to result in the simultaneous endorsement of Christian and Jewish faiths. On the contrary, for purposes of the Establishment Clause, the citys overall display must be understood as conveying the citys secular recognition of different traditions for celebrating the winter-holiday season. This was a curious conclusion because the Chabad, the Hasidic sect which owned the menorah, celebrated Chanukah as a religious holiday and advocated the display of their menorah as part of their mission of proselytizing. Also, there was a clear record of lighting the menorah in religious ceremonies - but this was ignored by the Court because the ACLU failed to bring it up. It is also interesting that Blackmun went to some length to argue that the menorah should be interpreted in light of the tree rather than the other way around. No real justification is offered for this perspective, and it is interesting to wonder what the decision would have been had the menorah been larger than the tree, rather than the actual situation where the tree was the larger of the two. In a sharply worded dissent, Justice Kennedy denounced the Lemon test used to evaluate the religious displays and argued that ...any test which might invalidate longstanding traditions cannot be a proper reading of the [Establishment] Clause. In other words, tradition - even if it includes and support of sectarian religious messages - must trump evolving understandings of religious freedom. Justice OConnor, in her concurring opinion, responded: Justice Kennedy submits that the endorsement test is inconsistent with our precedents and traditions because, in his words, if it were applied without artificial exceptions for historical practice, it would invalidate many traditional practices recognizing the role of religion in our society.This criticism shortchanges both the endorsement test itself and my explanation of the reason why certain long standing government acknowledgments of religion do not, under that test, convey a message of endorsement. Practices such as legislative prayers or opening Court sessions with God save the United States and this honorable Court serve the secular purposes of solemnizing public occasions and expressing confidence in the future.These examples of ceremonial deism do not survive Establishment Clause scrutiny simply by virtue of their historical longevity alone. Historical acceptance of a practice does not in itself validate that practice under the Establishment Clause if the practice violates the values protected by that Clause, just as historical acceptance of racial or gender based discrimination does not immunize such practices from scrutiny under the Fourteenth Amendment. Justice Kennedys dissent also argued that prohibiting the government from celebrating Christmas as a religious holiday is, itself, a discrimination against Christians. In response to this, Blackmun wrote in the majority opinion that: Celebrating Christmas as a religious, as opposed to a secular, holiday, necessarily entails professing, proclaiming, or believing that Jesus of Nazareth, born in a manger in Bethlehem, is the Christ, the Messiah. If the government celebrates Christmas as a religious holiday (for example, by issuing an official proclamation saying: We rejoice in the glory of Christs birth!), it means that the government really is declaring Jesus to be the Messiah, a specifically Christian belief.In contrast, confining the governments own celebration of Christmas to the holidays secular aspects does not favor the religious beliefs of non-Christians over those of Christians. Rather, it simply permits the government to acknowledge the holiday without expressing an allegiance to Christian beliefs, an allegiance that would truly favor Christians over non-Christians. To be sure, some Christians may wish to see the government proclaim its allegiance to Christianity in a religious celebration of Christmas, bu t the Constitution does not permit the gratification of that desire, which would contradict the the logic of secular liberty it is the purpose of the Establishment Clause to protect. Significance Although it seemed to do otherwise, this decision basically permitted the existence of competing religious symbols, conveying a message of accommodation of religious plurality. While a single symbol standing alone might be unconstitutional, its inclusion with other secular/seasonal decorations may offset an apparent endorsement of a religious message. As a result, communities which desire holiday decorations must now create a display that does not send the message of endorsing a particular religion to the exclusion of others. Displays must contain a variety of symbols and be inclusive of differing perspectives. Perhaps equally important for future cases, however, was the fact that the four dissenters in Allegheny County would have upheld both the creche and menorah displays under a more relaxed, deferential standard. This position has gained a great deal of ground over the years following this decision. In addition, Kennedys Orwellian position that a failure to celebrate Christmas as a Christian holiday qualifies as discrimination against Christians has also become popular - it is, effectively, the logical conclusion of the accommodationist position that an absence of government support for religion is the same as government hostility towards religion. Naturally, such discrimination is only relevant when it comes to Christianity; the government fails to celebrate Ramadan as a religious holiday, but people who agree with Kennedys dissent are entirely unconcerned by that because Muslims are a minority.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Anorexia And Bulemia essays

Anorexia And Bulemia essays Anorexia and Bulimia: A Concise Overview As many as 20% of females in their teenage and young adult years suffer from anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa (Alexander-Mott, 4). Males are also afflicted by these eating disorders, but at a much lower rate, with a female to male ratio of six to one. Those with anorexia nervosa refuse to maintain a normal body weight by not eating and have an intense fear of gaining weight. People with bulimia nervosa go through periods of binge eating and then purging (vomiting), or sometimes not purging but instead refraining from eating at all for days. Both of these disorders wreak havoc on a person's body and mental state, forcing them to become emaciated and often depressed. There is no known exact cause of either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, but many factors play a role in the initial onset, such as: personality traits, low self-esteem, and social and cultural influences (Costin, 21). Many anorexics have specific personality traits that urge them to refrain from eating. Many are perfectionists that will diet and exercise and not eat until their bodies are perfect. Unfortunately, however, he or she never thinks their body is perfect, and continues their destructive cycle. Anorexics that are perfectionists also tend to want to be in control at all times. Often , they feel as though others are trying to force them to do things, and so, take complete control of their bodies. Marcia, an anorexic, wrote in her diary "I am in control; people are just jealous because I have will power" (D., 6). Another factor is low self-esteem. One anorexic said of her low self-esteem, "My goal in life was to please; like a chameleon, I'd change to suit whomever I was with. I always felt I was in the way..." (D., 1). Anorexics with low self-esteem often feel they are worthless and do not deserve to eat. Not only do they not eat, but they constantly berate themselves with insults. T...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Free Essays on The Battle Of Lake Erie

THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE ‘We have met the enemy and they are ours†. (Millette 107) This famous quotation refers to a Battle that was more important than winning just a battle, it meant winning back the control of the Great Lakes. Whoever controlled the lake had a fastermode of troop transport and keeping troops supplied. (Coles 120) The Americans and the British each inaugurated a vigorous program to build a squadron on Lake Erie. The Americans moved their naval base from Black Rock to Erie, Pa, where a long, sandy island called Presque Isle protected a shallow bay. (Coles 123) In February 1813, Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry was selected to command the squadron being built. (Millette 107) The British Navy had taken control of the Great Lakes, and it allowed the British toops to take control of Fort Dearborn, Detroit, and other land south of the Great Lakes. (Garraty 190) Perry spent several months at Presque Isle, at Erie, Pa. Here, Daniel Dobbins and other ship builders worked feverishly to build a fleet of ships suitable for challenging the British. Materials were taken locally and shipped in from various points on the East Coast, a feat that historian Samual Eliot Morison said was more impressive than the legendary ship builing of World War II. ( Coles 124) While building the ships, Perry begged Captain Issac Chauncy to send him experienced seaman. In one of the letters he had wrote ‘Conceive my feelings: an enemy within striking distance, my vessels ready, and not men anough to man them† (Coles 125) Shortly after, on August 10th Jesse D. Elliott arrived with about 100 seaman.. Perry placed Jesse on the Niagra and sailed westward onAugust 12th. (Coles 125) Perry sailed to Sandusky Bay were he held a conference with General Harrison and his principal subordinates. Harrison lent Perry 100 Kentucky marksmen. (Millette 107) British Commander Robert H. Barclay was also struggling with manpower and supply... Free Essays on The Battle Of Lake Erie Free Essays on The Battle Of Lake Erie THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE ‘We have met the enemy and they are ours†. (Millette 107) This famous quotation refers to a Battle that was more important than winning just a battle, it meant winning back the control of the Great Lakes. Whoever controlled the lake had a fastermode of troop transport and keeping troops supplied. (Coles 120) The Americans and the British each inaugurated a vigorous program to build a squadron on Lake Erie. The Americans moved their naval base from Black Rock to Erie, Pa, where a long, sandy island called Presque Isle protected a shallow bay. (Coles 123) In February 1813, Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry was selected to command the squadron being built. (Millette 107) The British Navy had taken control of the Great Lakes, and it allowed the British toops to take control of Fort Dearborn, Detroit, and other land south of the Great Lakes. (Garraty 190) Perry spent several months at Presque Isle, at Erie, Pa. Here, Daniel Dobbins and other ship builders worked feverishly to build a fleet of ships suitable for challenging the British. Materials were taken locally and shipped in from various points on the East Coast, a feat that historian Samual Eliot Morison said was more impressive than the legendary ship builing of World War II. ( Coles 124) While building the ships, Perry begged Captain Issac Chauncy to send him experienced seaman. In one of the letters he had wrote ‘Conceive my feelings: an enemy within striking distance, my vessels ready, and not men anough to man them† (Coles 125) Shortly after, on August 10th Jesse D. Elliott arrived with about 100 seaman.. Perry placed Jesse on the Niagra and sailed westward onAugust 12th. (Coles 125) Perry sailed to Sandusky Bay were he held a conference with General Harrison and his principal subordinates. Harrison lent Perry 100 Kentucky marksmen. (Millette 107) British Commander Robert H. Barclay was also struggling with manpower and supply...

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Effects of financial crisis on Austria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Effects of financial crisis on Austria - Essay Example Austria’s products are struggling to compete with the products China and India like Asian countries because of the higher prices of the Austrian products. India and China are the most heavily populated countries in the world and they don’t have the manpower shortage problems. On the other hand, Austria is facing severe manpower shortage and hence the labour cost is comparatively high in Austria. Subsequently the products of Austria are heavily priced in the global market. â€Å"Lending rates are a key element in the transmission of monetary impulses to the real economy even more so in bank-based financial systems such as the Austrian one† (Jobst). Austrian banks were more particular in safeguarding the interests of their customers rather than the interests of the country. Austrian banks were not much particular in adjusting the interest rates even at a time when the Austrian economy fluctuated a lot. Banks miscalculated that the relationships with the customers are more important even at a time when the economy was in a unstable condition. Banks took a more relaxed approach to risk assessment and risk premiums decline even when the recession struck the economy hard. The economic expansion of Austria suffered a major setback when the recession entered the world quiet unexpectedly in 2007. The slump in world trade has affected Austria also very much. Unemployment and inflation were reached all time high during the recession period in Austria. Many of the Austrian firms forced to cut down their labor force in order to escape from recession. However, Austria is currently showing signs of the great recovery. While most of their European counterparts struggling to repair the damage, Austria seems to be succeeded in finding solutions for the damages caused by recession. Compared to other Euro zone counterparts, Austria was able to recover quickly even though the recession struck their economy severely. The current growth rates of Austria are more

Friday, October 18, 2019

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Art - Essay Example rongly cultivated with a goal of achieving self-realization by discovering new knowledge and technologies through the awakening of curiosity and doubt (Renaissance Humanism, n.d.). According to Pico della Mirandola, the most marvelous creature created by God would be man because of his ability to reach the highest intellectual capacity and the capability to intercede between the heavenly beings and earthly creations (Pico della Mirandola-Oration on the Dignity of Man, n.d.). According to Castiglione, a Renaissance Men should be well-educated, cultured, a gentleman, and at the same time have the prowess in the arts and sciences. On the other hand, Renaissance Women are expected to be loyal and submissive to their husbands, rear a child, and manage a household (Renaissance Lady, n.d.). Leonardo da Vinci is considered the first Renaissance painter. He is an Italian painter, sculptor, mathematician, architect and musician. He developed the technique of using light to combine the elements of shape, stability, and permanence in his paintings to achieve balance and a three dimensional look on his work of art (Renaissance Art,

Macro Eco Problem SET Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Macro Eco Problem SET - Coursework Example The government hiring more police officers will bring a new service in the industry, which will translate to increase in GDP. Finally, increase in monetary transfers to the poor by the government was never accounted in the previous year hence will affect the GDP. Q9) Credits cards cannot be referred to as money. One can have a credit card but if the account has no cash, the holder cannot access cash. They cannot therefore be referred to as money hence the name plastic money. Checks on the other hand are also not money. Money can be used any time the holder wishes to do so. For checks, they can only be usable during maturity and after confirmation by the bank of their validity. Q10) By the bank keeping five percent in reserves and lending out money, the bank creates money. Through the interest rates charged to the borrower, the bank creates money. Assuming interest charged on borrowers is twelve percent, the bank will gain as shown

Analysis of Young Goodman Brown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Young Goodman Brown - Essay Example Hawthorne skillfully uses irony, the depiction of madness, and symbolism, to heighten the effect of his story. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† is replete with irony. This irony is most obvious in Hawthorne’s characterizations of the people in his story. The author peoples his narrative with Puritans, whose outward words and behavior contradict their inner motives and covert actions. Young Goodman Brown himself is the foremost example of this. The protagonist deliberately sets out on his rendezvous with the Devil. He is eager to savor the evil pleasures that await him, and makes â€Å"haste on his present evil purpose† (Hawthorne, 8). He makes several empty protestations to the Devil, and declares his intentions to terminate his evil quest. However, he does not turn back: it is only talk: â€Å"â€Å"Too far! Too far!† exclaimed the goodman, unconsciously resuming his walk† (Hawthorne, 17). He remains â€Å"conscious of the guilty purpose that had broug ht him thither† (Hawthorne, 41), but continues to travel the path to perdition. Goody Cloyse, wears the guise of the â€Å"pious and exemplary dame, who had taught him his catechism in youth,† (Hawthorne, 26) but is a witch, complete with broomstick and evil incantations. Hawthorne’s irony makes him suggest, tongue-in-cheek, that her muttering is â€Å"a prayer, doubtless† (29). The supposedly holy minster, and â€Å"Good old Deacon Gookin† (Hawthorne, 61), are equally given to vice beneath the facade of saintliness. Hawthorne paints all Puritan society with its â€Å"grave, reputable, and pious people, these elders of the church, these chaste dames and dewy virgins† (57) in vivid colors of sin and dissolution. Even the hymn sung at the satanic gathering is cloaked in â€Å"the slow and mournful strain, such as the pious love, but joined to words which expressed all that our nature can conceive of sin, and darkly hinted at far more† (H awthorne, 59). This pervading irony makes the reader acutely conscious of the incongruity between the author’s depiction of his characters, and the impression they create as the narrative progresses. This irony is further strengthened by the calm ending of the story in the town, with the characters again displaying their saintly demeanors. Hawthorne’s use of irony is very effective in highlighting the hypocrisy of Puritan life. Hawthorne paints the character of young Goodman Brown with a bold touch of madness. The protagonist’s ring of defenses against the temptations of the Devil tumble down in quick succession: his forbears, â€Å"a race of honest men and good Christians since the days of the martyrs† (Hawthorne, 17) are close acquaintances of the devil; the dignitaries of New England, who Goodman Brown thinks are â€Å"a people of prayer, and good works to boot, and abide no such wickedness† Hawthorne, 19) are revealed to be sinners; the pious t rio of Goody Cloyse, the minster and Deacon Gookin are exposed in their true colors of wickedness. Finally, when his belief in his wife, Faith, is demolished, Goodman Brown’s moral foundations crumble, and he abandons himself to despair and madness. The author uses vivid imagery to describe this development. The paragraph depicting young Goodman Brow

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Management in context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management in context - Essay Example The simulation game required framing the marketing, financial as well as human resource strategies for the organization or the new venture. The simulation game involved actual applicability of the business strategies that also involved financial implication for each of the decisions. The simulation game also involved running promotional activities including cost and benefit analysis. The game also showed financial results for each of the strategies that also included profit and loss figures indicating the implications of the strategies on the financial health of the company. The business selected was that of a billboard advertising agency. Part A Overview of Decisions & Outcomes of the Business Simulation The initial decisions in the simulation game involved a market research which formed the basis for forecasting demand and sales targets. The next stage involved initial book keeping activities as well as adoption of the marketing mix that included design of the product and other spe cifications. This phase also created the strategy with regards to the suppliers. Considering the initial phase and the overall costs of the activities the company suffered a net loss of 696 pounds in Feb 2011. In the nest month marketing and sales activities which included the design of a web page. These activities also led to a loss of 3097 pounds. Realising the importance of the market conditions the next step involved a detailed market analysis as well as training and development activities. Losses amounted to 1793 pounds in this month. The next stage was crucial as it involved setting up a limited liability firm to ensure further expansion. Nine out of the total orders were contracted as manpower seemed to be less as compared to the total task. The next significant step involved an overdraft facility as well as increasing the price of the product. This led to a net profit of 2502 pounds which represented an increased from 2106 pounds profit of the previous month. The nest stage involves increasing discounts on products, salary hike, price hike which resulted in an overall cumulative profit of 12569 pounds. The nest quarter focussed on business enhancement which mainly included participation in exhibitions, and increased focus on marketing especially the online channels. These activities again led to a loss of 3581 pounds which resulted in salary cuts and database management. The next significant phase included an overhaul of the distribution strategy as well as giving advertisements on television. The firm also entered into a strategic tie up with RAD. This coupled with contracting of orders and increasing the upscale selling activities led to a jump in the overall cumulative profit margins to 51799 pounds. The company’s strategies of dealing with the suppliers as well as promotional activities helped in generating good orders for the firm. This was significant as it was largely realised that long term sustainability required generation of large sca le profits for the organization. Part B Summary of Personal Capabilities to be successful in SimVenture SimVenture is a popular online business simulation game that helps an individual to test his/her entrepreneurial and decision making skills in real life situations. The game basically creates a situation in

HRM is more than just hiring, maintaining and firing staff it is a Essay

HRM is more than just hiring, maintaining and firing staff it is a profession in its own right - Essay Example As a field human resource management has been undergoing significant transformation over the years. It has been increasingly designing such management systems which ensure that the company’s human resources are being used effectively and efficiently in organizations for accomplishing the organizational goals. This fact holds true whether employees are belonging to a large organization having more than 10,000 positions or whether it is a small and non profit making organization having less than 10 employees. Right from the time of absorption of the employee in the organization till the time when he retires or resigns the entire growth path of the employee is carved out by the HR departments. This includes his career growth, compensation, satisfaction level in the organization, productivity, and measurement of his productivity and training and development in the organization. Thus it is difficult to define his job and responsibilities objectively. Thus ‘HR’ as a pro fession includes a whole set of activities and not just the responsibility of recruiting, maintaining and firing candidates. The present project seeks to put forth arguments towards the role of ‘HR’ as being a profession. The critical analysis would be presented using the various arguments for or against the subject (Jackson & Mathis, 2007, p.24). The role of HR as a profession was identified long back. Since the start of the 20th century, Frederick Taylor was of the opinion that HR managers knew exactly the activities that people were required to do and the cheapest and the best possible of doing them (Kramar, 2005, p.2). He proposed the use of analytical procedures for improving the performance of employees which eventually leads to improvement of the company’s performance. His proposition was to emphasize on the aspects of human resource management and its

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Analysis of Young Goodman Brown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Young Goodman Brown - Essay Example Hawthorne skillfully uses irony, the depiction of madness, and symbolism, to heighten the effect of his story. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† is replete with irony. This irony is most obvious in Hawthorne’s characterizations of the people in his story. The author peoples his narrative with Puritans, whose outward words and behavior contradict their inner motives and covert actions. Young Goodman Brown himself is the foremost example of this. The protagonist deliberately sets out on his rendezvous with the Devil. He is eager to savor the evil pleasures that await him, and makes â€Å"haste on his present evil purpose† (Hawthorne, 8). He makes several empty protestations to the Devil, and declares his intentions to terminate his evil quest. However, he does not turn back: it is only talk: â€Å"â€Å"Too far! Too far!† exclaimed the goodman, unconsciously resuming his walk† (Hawthorne, 17). He remains â€Å"conscious of the guilty purpose that had broug ht him thither† (Hawthorne, 41), but continues to travel the path to perdition. Goody Cloyse, wears the guise of the â€Å"pious and exemplary dame, who had taught him his catechism in youth,† (Hawthorne, 26) but is a witch, complete with broomstick and evil incantations. Hawthorne’s irony makes him suggest, tongue-in-cheek, that her muttering is â€Å"a prayer, doubtless† (29). The supposedly holy minster, and â€Å"Good old Deacon Gookin† (Hawthorne, 61), are equally given to vice beneath the facade of saintliness. Hawthorne paints all Puritan society with its â€Å"grave, reputable, and pious people, these elders of the church, these chaste dames and dewy virgins† (57) in vivid colors of sin and dissolution. Even the hymn sung at the satanic gathering is cloaked in â€Å"the slow and mournful strain, such as the pious love, but joined to words which expressed all that our nature can conceive of sin, and darkly hinted at far more† (H awthorne, 59). This pervading irony makes the reader acutely conscious of the incongruity between the author’s depiction of his characters, and the impression they create as the narrative progresses. This irony is further strengthened by the calm ending of the story in the town, with the characters again displaying their saintly demeanors. Hawthorne’s use of irony is very effective in highlighting the hypocrisy of Puritan life. Hawthorne paints the character of young Goodman Brown with a bold touch of madness. The protagonist’s ring of defenses against the temptations of the Devil tumble down in quick succession: his forbears, â€Å"a race of honest men and good Christians since the days of the martyrs† (Hawthorne, 17) are close acquaintances of the devil; the dignitaries of New England, who Goodman Brown thinks are â€Å"a people of prayer, and good works to boot, and abide no such wickedness† Hawthorne, 19) are revealed to be sinners; the pious t rio of Goody Cloyse, the minster and Deacon Gookin are exposed in their true colors of wickedness. Finally, when his belief in his wife, Faith, is demolished, Goodman Brown’s moral foundations crumble, and he abandons himself to despair and madness. The author uses vivid imagery to describe this development. The paragraph depicting young Goodman Brow

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

HRM is more than just hiring, maintaining and firing staff it is a Essay

HRM is more than just hiring, maintaining and firing staff it is a profession in its own right - Essay Example As a field human resource management has been undergoing significant transformation over the years. It has been increasingly designing such management systems which ensure that the company’s human resources are being used effectively and efficiently in organizations for accomplishing the organizational goals. This fact holds true whether employees are belonging to a large organization having more than 10,000 positions or whether it is a small and non profit making organization having less than 10 employees. Right from the time of absorption of the employee in the organization till the time when he retires or resigns the entire growth path of the employee is carved out by the HR departments. This includes his career growth, compensation, satisfaction level in the organization, productivity, and measurement of his productivity and training and development in the organization. Thus it is difficult to define his job and responsibilities objectively. Thus ‘HR’ as a pro fession includes a whole set of activities and not just the responsibility of recruiting, maintaining and firing candidates. The present project seeks to put forth arguments towards the role of ‘HR’ as being a profession. The critical analysis would be presented using the various arguments for or against the subject (Jackson & Mathis, 2007, p.24). The role of HR as a profession was identified long back. Since the start of the 20th century, Frederick Taylor was of the opinion that HR managers knew exactly the activities that people were required to do and the cheapest and the best possible of doing them (Kramar, 2005, p.2). He proposed the use of analytical procedures for improving the performance of employees which eventually leads to improvement of the company’s performance. His proposition was to emphasize on the aspects of human resource management and its

Katherine Mansfield Essay Example for Free

Katherine Mansfield Essay Her feelings of disjuncture were accentuated when she arrived in Britain in 1903 to attend Queen’s College. In many respects, Mansfield remained a lifelong outsider, a traveler between two seemingly similar yet profoundly different worlds. After briefly returning to New Zealand in 1906, she moved back to Europe in 1908, living and writing in England and parts of continental Europe. Until her premature death from tuberculosis at the age of 34, Mansfield remained in Europe, leading a Bohemian, unconventional way of life. The Domestic Picturesque Mansfield’s short story â€Å"Prelude† is set in New Zealand and dramatizes the disjunctures of colonial life through an account of the Burnell family’s move from Wellington to a country village. The story takes its title from Wordsworth’s seminal poem, â€Å"The Prelude,† the first version of which was completed in 1805, which casts the poet as a traveler and chronicles the â€Å"growth of a poet’s mind. †[4] Although the Burnell family moves a mere â€Å"six miles† from town, the move is not inconsequential; it enacts a break with their previous way of life and alerts the family members to the various discontinuities in their lives. Beneath the veneer of the Burnells’ harmonious domestic life are faint undercurrents of aggression and unhappiness. The haunting specter of a mysterious aloe plant and a slaughtered duck in their well-manicured yard suggests that the family’s awfully nice new home conceals moments of brutality and ignorance toward another way of life that was suppressed and denied. [5] As I will propose, these two incidents echo the aesthetic concept of the sublime, as they encapsulate a mysterious power that awes its beholders and cannot be fully contained within their picturesque home. Through her subtle, dream-like prose, Mansfield deploys traditional aesthetic conventions like the picturesque while simultaneously transfiguring, subverting, and reinventing them in a modernist context. The concept of the picturesque was first defined by its originator, William Gilpin, an 18th century artist and clergyman, as â€Å"that kind of beauty which is agreeable in a picture. †[6] Thus, a scene or representation is beautiful when it echoes an already-established, artistic conception of beauty, revealing the self-reinforcing way in which art creates the standard of beauty for both art and life. Mansfield presents these picturesque moments in order to demystify them and reveal the suppression and violence they contain. In addition to â€Å"Prelude,† her stories â€Å"Garden Party† and â€Å"Bliss† dramatize the transformation and inversion of picturesque moments of bourgeois life and domestic harmony. While she seems to exhibit a certain attachment to these standard aesthetic forms, Mansfield subtly interrogates many of these conventions in a strikingly modernist way. Through her childhood in a colony, Mansfield also became attuned to the violence and inequalities of colonialism. As Angela Smith suggests, her early writings demonstrate a keen sensitivity towards a repressed history of brutality and duplicity. [7] In her 1912 short story â€Å"How Pearl Button Was Kidnapped,† she questions and overturns the perspective of the colonialist, whose vantage point historically trumps that of the native. The deliberate ambivalence of the word â€Å"kidnapping† dramatizes the conflict between the colonist’s perspective and Pearl’s joyful, eye-opening experiences during her abduction. In a similar way, empire dramatized for Mansfield the way that a picturesque, bourgeois household could suppress alternative perspectives. The Sublime In â€Å"Prelude,† the mysterious, sublime aloe plant disrupts the pleasant domesticity of the Burnell household. Their well-manicured yard with its tennis lawn, garden, and orchard also contains a wild, unseemly side—â€Å"this was the frightening side, and no garden at all. †[8] This â€Å"side† contains the aloe plant, which exerts a mysterious, enthralling power over its awed beholders. In its resemblance to the ocean, the aloe assumes the characteristics of the sublime: â€Å"the high grassy bank on which the aloe rested rose up like a wave, and the aloe seemed to ride upon it like a shop with the oars lifted. Bright moonlight hung upon the lifted oars like water, and on the green wave glittered the dew. †[9] For many writers and poets, the ocean was a manifestation of the sublime because of its unfathomable power and scale that awed and humbled its observers. The aloe’s strikingly physiological effect on its viewers recalls Edmund Burke’s sublime, which overpowers its observer and reinforces the limitations of human reason and control. In his famous treatise on the sublime, Burke writes: â€Å"greatness of dimension, vastness of extent or quantity† is a powerful cause of the sublime, as it embodies the violent and overpowering forces of nature. [10] In a similar vein, the child, Kezia Burnell’s first impression upon seeing the â€Å"fat swelling plant with its cruel leaves and fleshy stem† is one of awe and wonder. [11] In this case, the sublimity of the aloe plant disrupts and challenges the domestic picturesque as it defies mastery, categorization, and traditional notions of beauty. In its resistance to categorization and control, the sublime embodies the part of the ungovernable landscape that the Burnell family cannot domesticate and the picturesque cannot frame. As a result, in â€Å"Prelude,† the magnitude of the sublime interrupts and fractures the tranquil surface of the picturesque by exposing the unfathomable depths beneath it. The colonial backdrop of the Burnells’ yard also contributes to the mysterious, occult power of the aloe. This unruly part of their property hints toward a landscape that eludes domestication and serves as a constant reminder that the Burnell family is living in a land that is not quite theirs and cannot be fully tamed. [12] At the age of 19, Mansfield wrote that the New Zealand bush outside of the cities is â€Å"all so gigantic and tragic—and even in the bright sunlight it is so passionately secret. †[13] For Mansfield, the bush embodies the history of a people whose lives have been interrupted and displaced by European settlers. [14] After wars, brutal colonial practices, and European diseases had devastated the local Maori population, the bush became a haunting monument to their presence. As the Burnell family settles down to sleep on the first night in their new home, â€Å"far away in the bush there sounded a harsh rapid chatter: â€Å"Ha-ha-ha†¦ Ha-ha-ha. †[15] In her subtle way, Mansfield unveils the voices of those whose perspectives are excluded from this portrait of nocturnal domestic harmony. In a similar way, the aloe plant exudes an unfathomable history that is beyond the time and place of the Burnells. Even its age—implied by the fact that it flowers â€Å"once every hundred years†Ã¢â‚¬â€suggests that the aloe exists on a different scale than its human beholders. [16] In its ancient, superhuman scale, the aloe gestures towards the â€Å"gigantic,† indicating a subtle, but implicitly threatening power within, or in proximity of the home. The aloe is a kind of lacuna in the imperial landscape of New Zealand, whose power threatens the colonial household and its control over the landscape. [17] By disrupting and encroaching upon the ostensibly safe domestic sphere, the aloe also echoes the â€Å"unheimlich,† or uncanny, an aesthetic concept explored by Sigmund Freud in his 1919 essay, â€Å"The Uncanny. † The uncanny becomes, in part, an invasive force violating the sacred, domestic sphere and hearkens back to a previously repressed or hidden impulse: â€Å"The uncanny is something which ought to have remained hidden but has come to light. †[18] In â€Å"Prelude,† the aloe is initially depicted as a threatening force that â€Å"might have had claws instead of roots. The curving leaves seemed to be hiding something. †[19] Positioned within the safe space of their property, the aloe is a menacing, ungovernable force that seems to encroach upon it. The plant becomes part of the repressed history of the landscape—a history that is only apparent to Kezia, her mother Linda Burnell, and her grandmother Mrs. Fairfield, who are attuned to the forces below the surface of the picturesque exterior. Violent Underpinnings Beneath many of Mansfield’s picturesque domestic scenes are moments of violence and rupture. In â€Å"Garden Party,† for instance, a poor man falls to his death during the preparations for a much-anticipated social gathering of the wealthy Sheridan family, undermining the convivial spirit of the occasion. In â€Å"Prelude,† Pat, the handyman, slaughters a duck while the children watch with grotesque enthrallment as it waddles for a few steps after being decapitated. â€Å"The crowning wonder† of the dead duck walking hearkens back to Burke’s sublime, which is experienced in â€Å"Prelude† within the confines of the private residence. [20] The sublimity of this apparent defiance of the properties of death acts as a dramatic external force imposing on the observers’ intellect and reason in a profoundly Burkian way. But later that night, when the duck is placed in front of the patriarch, Stanley Burnell, â€Å"it did not look as if it had ever had a head. †[21] The duck’s picturesque dressing—â€Å"its legs tied together with a piece of string and a wreath of little balls of stuffing round it†Ã¢â‚¬â€conceals its violent death. [22] In a similar way, the â€Å"awfully nice† picturesque house is imposed upon the landscape, as if it had never been any other way. [23] Through reconfiguration and transformation, a new imperial order conceals the fact that an older order once lay beneath it. In both cases, the picturesque functions as a way of naturalizing the violent order of domination. As Pat’s golden earrings distract Kezia from her grief over the duck’s death, the duck’s pretty garnish conceals its â€Å"basted resignation. †[24] There is no such thing as a pure aesthetics, Mansfield seems to suggest, as each serene moment is implicated in some act of violence, brutality, or suppression. In â€Å"Prelude,† the good-natured Pat disrupts a pre-existing picturesque scene in which ducks â€Å"preen their dazzling breasts† amidst the pools and â€Å"bushes of yellow flowers and blackberries. †[25] Tellingly, the duck pond contains a bridge, a typical feature of the picturesque that reconciles or bridges the gap between different aspects of the scenery. In this way, the Burnell family’s cultivation of the land by planting and slaughtering ducks disrupts another underlying order. Their unquestioning appropriation of this pre-existing order mirrors the way colonial life disrupted and undermined the indigenous Maori life. Juxtaposing two picturesque scenes that interrupt and conflict with one another, Mansfield questions and unravels the conventional image of the picturesque. This interplay of various conflicting aesthetic orders constitutes part of Mansfield’s modernist style, in which aesthetic forms are ruptured, fragmented, and overturned. As the yard’s landscape bears traces of the Maori past, so the quiet harmony of the Burnells’ domesticity is underscored by deep, unspoken tensions and an animosity that hints at the uncanny. In fact, the only character who expresses any contentment is Stanley, who reflects, â€Å"By God, he was a perfect fool to feel as happy as this! †[26] Yet even he shudders upon entering his new driveway, as â€Å"a sort of panic overtook Burnell whenever he approached near home. †[27] Beneath this veneer of marital bliss and familial harmony, his wife Linda occasionally ignores her children and expresses hatred towards her husband and his aggressive sexuality: â€Å"there were times when he was frightening—really frightening. When she screamed at the top of her voice, ‘You are killing me. ’†[28] Meanwhile Stanley and Beryl, Linda’s sister, seem to have a flirtatious, indecent relationship: â€Å"Only last night when he was reading the paper her false self had stood beside him and leaned against his shoulder on purpose. Hadn’t she put her hand over his†¦ so that he should see how white her hand was beside his brown one. †[29] Dramatizing these dynamics, Mansfield suggests that a â€Å"happy† household outside of town is not as â€Å"dirt cheap† as Stanley boasts; it comes at the cost of servitude, sexual aggression, and a ravaged Maori landscape. [30] Through these layers, which Mansfield subtly strips off one at a time, she artfully exposes the way that an existing political and aesthetic order is not what it seems to be or how it has always been. Her short stories are fraught with their own tensions; while exposing the picturesque as false and absurd, she nevertheless draws on its conventional associations. Similarly, her subtle attempts to question colonial power are embedded in a seemingly idealized portrait of colonial life. Mansfield creates a seemingly beautiful or normal image, such as the happy family in â€Å"Prelude,† â€Å"Bliss,† or â€Å"Garden Party,† and then slowly challenges it through a subtle counter-narrative. In this way, her deployment of modernist techniques is less pronounced than that of James Joyce and her other modernist contemporaries. Just as she challenges aesthetic conventions, Mansfield unravels the reader’s ideas about her own stories by presenting a seemingly beautiful, transparent narrative that is haunted by tensions, lacunae, and opacity. Like the headless walking duck, these fictions of transparency and harmony quickly collapse upon closer inspection.

Monday, October 14, 2019

The Motivation Towards Learning English

The Motivation Towards Learning English English language is a required school subject in the Malaysian schools. Students experience 11 years of schooling prior to entering the upper educational institutions. Students in secondary schools spend five 40 minutes English periods per week. Regardless of the shift from the conventional teaching methods to communicative language teaching, most English language classrooms continue to be places to commit textbooks to memory rather than practice communication and English is still to be treated as a school subject that needs to be mastered and tested rather than a tool for communication. Students in Malaysia cannot get a degree from the institutions of higher education without passing the Malaysian University English Test (MUET). So, triumph in learning English might determine ones growing mobility and prospect. It is significant in mentioning that regardless of the great labors and pains being put forth in Malaysian secondary schools to educate English, one can barely encounter fluent and confident school graduates. Disadvantage in listening and speaking skills are obviously noticed since teachers are required to teach students in an approach which is directed to achieve the requirements of the exams (extensive vocabulary and grammatical rules). For the reason that the General Secondary Exam is not directed in the direction of the speaking and listening skills of students, the teachers of English discover themselves dispassionate in preparing their students for things which will never be tested in exams. Regrettably, loads of students in Malaysian secondary schools have an aversion to learning English and therefore they be present at the English training to pass the compulsory exams. Consequently, from my concise experience in the teaching turf, I found out that the majority of students hav e passive and inert attitudes in the direction of learning English because of the prior experiences, that English is tough to become skilled at and it is observed that students in the present school systems are feeling hopeless and vulnerable because they lack the skills needed to facilitate them build up motivation. The word motivation appears to be simple, straightforward and easy but its so complicated to describe. It seems to have been impracticable for theorists to reach agreement on a particular definition. Martin Covington (1998:1) states that motivation, like the notion of gravity, is easier to express in terms of its superficial, observable effects than it is to define. Certainly, this has not stopped people from trying it. A a small number of definitions were found for the duration of the research process. According to the Macmillans dictionary (1979), to motivate means to provide with a motive; move to effort or action. Gardner (1985) said that motivation is related to four aspects, which are the goal, effort, desire to attain the goal, and a favorable attitude toward the activity. Motivation is defined as the momentum and force to generate and maintain intentions and objective seeking acts (Ames Ames, 1989). Oxford and Shearin (1994) defined motivation as a craving to achieve a goal combined with the energy to work toward that goal. Keller (1983) states that motivation is the degree of the choices people make and the degree of effort they will put forth. Moreover, when we comprehend or take notice of the word motivation, many words and expressions are triggered in our minds, words like aim, aspiration, motivation, effort, purpose, vigor, perseverance, accomplish, encourage, and reward. Indeed, motivational issues consume a great part of our daily life. When we have a discussion about likes and dislikes, interests, or wishes we are in fact concerning ourselves with the most important motivational determinants of human. When we grumble and whine about stretched working hours, deprived salaries, rough colleagues, or instead when we are pleased by the acknowledgment of our achievements, promotions and munificent incentives, we are addressing issues at the core of the motivational psychology. 1.1 Background of the Problem Kanfer (1998:12) explains that motivation is psychological mechanisms governing the direction, intensity, and persistence of actions not due solely to individual differences in ability or to overwhelming environmental demands that coerce or force action. In short, the concept of motivation is very much part of our everyday personal and professional life and few would ignore its importance in human affairs in general. Dornyei (2001:1). In fact learning and teaching English as a second/foreign language is no exemption or exclusion in this aspect. When we think of how to persuade and give confidence to slow learners to work harder, how to produce an attractive and eye-catching learning ambiance or how to recompense the hard-working students we deal with motivation without a doubt. Since motivation is one of the most noteworthy factors in language learning, it is not easy for the low motivated students to learn English as a foreign language. Dornyei (1994) obviously explains that motivation is one of the main determinants of second/foreign language learning. Amusingly, motivation is perceived by Dornyei (2001) as recurring, going up and down, affecting language accomplishment and being affected by it. He also claimed that a demotivated person is someone who initially has had motivation to accomplish an objective or to involve in an activity and has lost the motivation to do so because of unenthusiastic external factors which related to the surroundings in which learning takes place for instance the classroom and school. Nikolov (1999, in Dornyei, 2001) found that the most essential demotivating factors for all the age groups were related to the learning situations such as materials, the teacher or teaching techniques and he added further that these factors had great consequence on language acquisition and accomplishment. Therefore, understanding the students aspiration and motivation for learning English in addition to the demotivating factors assist the teachers, educational policy makers and curriculum planners to develop the students proficiency. 1.2 Problem Statement Motivational factors have an effect on students proficiency and advancement in learning English. Many studies (Krusdenier, 1985, Dornyei, 1994) have established that measures of proficiency in the second/foreign language are related to motivational distinctiveness of students. In this respect, Corria (1999) claims that a full understanding of students motivation is necessary to make the most of the English language results and positive outcomes. To put emphasis on the significance of discovering the students needs, he cites an example of students at the school of nursing in Holguin who rejected learning English because they did not find any relation between English and their own livelihood and learning some unrelated, irrelevant and distasteful material that wouldnt satisfy their needs. Purpose of the Study The research is designed based on one purpose which is: to investigate the motivational factors in learning English among lower secondary school students 1.4 Research Questions The following research question is considered in the study: Are the students motivated integratively or instrumentally in learning English? 1.5 Significance of the Study Realizing and comprehending the essential responsibility of motivation in learning English, in addition to the aspiration of school administrations and teachers to discern what affects the students motivation towards learning English and the lack of studies about motivation in Malaysian secondary schools forced me to bear this survey. Consequently, the main objective of this study is to distinguish the factors affecting Malaysian students motivation in the direction of learning English as a foreign language. It also focuses at exploring the students integrative and instrumental motivation for learning English. The study will first and foremost give information on motivation toward learning Second Language through literature review in two significant and pertinent areas: integrative (positive attitudes toward the target language group and a enthusiasm to assimilate into the target language community) and instrumental (practical reasons for learning a language, such as to achieve social recognition or to get a better job) motivation and factors influencing the motivation of L2 learners. 1.6 Limitations of the Study The study is being conducted at one school, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. The results of the study may again be limited in generalizability to a larger population because a convenience sample was being used, and because random assignment is not employed in the research design. Chapter 2 Literature Review To improve the understanding of students motivation in learning English as a foreign language; it is useful to analyze and focus the literature in two relevant areas: Integrative and Instrumental motivation, and also the factors affecting the students motivation as they are major determinants for language acquisition and achievement. 2.1 Sources of Motivation Without knowing where the roots of motivation lie, how can teachers water those roots? Oxford Shearin (1994: 15). Fisher, (1990) points to three major sources of motivation in learning, which is the learners natural interest (intrinsic satisfaction), the teacher/employment and etcetera (extrinsic reward), and success in the task (combining satisfaction and reward). Intrinsic motivation is mainly about acts or behavior performed to experience enjoyment or fulfilling ones inquisitiveness, while, extrinsic motivation relates to the behavior and actions to obtain a little extrinsic reward (e.g. -good grades, employment) or to avoid punishment and it can function as a temporary source of motivation for a demotivated learner. Ryan Dec (2000) reveals that intrinsic motivation is the most vital kind and it is defined as the yearning to engage in an activity for its innate satisfaction rather than for some divisible consequences. To encourage intrinsic motivation, many characteristics as challenge, control, inquisitiveness and desire should be vacant to reflect the learners enthusiasm to learn (Lepper Hodell, 1989). Small (1997) stated that intrinsically motivated learners habitually demonstrate intellectual curiosity, regard learning as enjoyable and keep on in quest of knowledge even after the formal classes and this is the major goal of education. The lack of intrinsic motivation among the learners not only discourages them, but it also upsets the teachers who are the keystone of the educational practice. Luce (2002:1) explained that over the years I have watched them (teachers) collapse, falling hard into vinyl seats of the faculty bun, heard them grunt the oh. hell and damn that come from the experience of working with students who wouldnt learn. I have listened to the sighs of frustration and then the discussion of the fact that students are largely unmotivated, unwilling slugs taking up my time and best performances. Littlejohn (2001) think that not many students have a sense of intrinsic satisfaction. Some teachers strive to affect positively the pupils sense of intrinsic satisfaction by means of games or puzzles. This has momentary impact. So, natural interest of the learners is undependable to produce constant motivation in language learning. Vroom (1995) originated the Expectancy theory in which motivation is almost certainly to take place when learning is significant to the learner (valence), the endeavor to learn will be practical and useful to the learner (instrumentality) and the learners effort and hard work will be rewarded by the learners expected result (expectancy). Realizing these facts, many teachers choose to prefer the extrinsic reward and the extrinsic punishment. In the classrooms, teachers may reward good students with good marks or flattering words or penalize other students with low marks. Therefore, the reward system itself can be exasperating and demotivating for the weaker students. The third source of motivation is the most important and crucial one. For the weak and failing students, we, as teachers have to develop their sense of success and a feeling that they can do something, rather than a feeling that they cant. (Littlejohn, 2001:4) 2.1 Motivation and Attitudes in Second Language learning Numerous theorists and researchers have discovered that it is vital to take a look at the construct of motivation not as a single entity but as a multi-factorial one. In relation to the learner attitudes toward the target language, it was indicated by Gardners results (1959, 1983, 1985) that Second Language learners with positive attitudes towards the speakers and culture were more thriving in learning the language than those who had negative attitudes. Gardner (1983) argued that, because language is the fundamental part of culture, the learning of a second language is dependent upon the learners eagerness to recognize with the culture of the target language and to fit in aspects of the target- language culture, including linguistic repertoire into his or her own behavior. In addition, Fasold (1984) stressed the function of learners attitudes in language growth or perish and he stated that the notion of language attitudes not only includes attitudes towards speakers of a particular language, but it as well includes all kinds of behavior relating to language to be treated. Captivatingly, achievement in learning Second Language for the most part depends on the social relation among the First and Second Language communities. Wong-Fillmore (1991) suggested that accomplishment in learning a second language is dependent on the presence of the following conditions: (a) motivated students who realize they need to learn the target language, (b) target-language speakers who support the second- language learners, and (c) frequent social contad between target-language speakers and learners. Regarding the outcome of learning a foreign language ones own culture, Kramsch (1995) writes about how language plays an imperative function not only in the building of culture but also in the surfacing and emergence of cultural change. Kramsch (1995: 85) also claimed that social change occurs slowly, but inevitably at the edges of dominant cultures. This is true also of the change that we might want to bring about by teaching people how to use somebody elses linguistic code in somebody elses cultural context. Educating members of one society how to talk and how to behave in the context of another community potentially changes the social and cultural equation of both communities, by ingeniously diversifying mainstream cultures. The intensity of the relationship between students own cultural background and the background anticipated by the target community culture usually affects their attitudes and motivation toward learning Second Language. Lambert (1990) differentiated between two types of bilingualism: additive and subtractive. In additive bilingualism, the Second Language learners believe that by learning a new language, something new to their knowledge and experience is added without taking anything away from what they already know. But, in subtractive case, the learners feel that learning Second Language threatens what they already achieve for themselves. So, it can be said that additive circumstances lead to successful Second Language learning and integrativeness. Obeidat (2005) conducted a study to inspect Malaysian students attitudes who were studying in Jordan Universities, toward learning Arabic as a foreign language. He concluded that the students were integratively motivated and their integrative orientations could be credited to the shared belief in Islam which made them prone to expand their scope and construct up their character in the course of learning Arabic. Besides, attitudes of the foreign language learners may be affected by the apprehension that participation with the target language group may effect in estrangement from ones own group. For example, opinions that English is in rivalry with Arabic, may have a negative affect on attainment of English in the Arab World. Pennycook (1994:204-10) stated that that whether or not tension exists between Western and Islamic knowledge , there is a strong feeling that English is linked to forms of culture that threaten an Islamic way of life. Consequently, an analysis into learners attitudes is a technique by which language teachers, education planners, syllabus designers and researchers can boost better insight into the language teaching and learning process. 2.2 Integrative and Instrumental Motivation Motivation and needs are strongly related. On one hand, motivation is perceived as the realization of needs, and on the other, human needs function as drives or incentives which shift one to a particular action. The best well-known theory of human needs is Maslows (1970) hierarchy of need. Maslow put together a fivefold hierarchy of human needs which begins with biological needs and advance upward to psychological ones: physiological needs, as well as the need for food and water; the need for safety; social needs, as well as belongingness and love; esteem needs, e.g. the feelings of self-respect and positive acknowledgment from others; and self-actualization, which means the need for a sense of self-fulfillment. In relation to the foreign or second language learning, the need for safety indicates that the Second Language learner needs to be protected that learning the target language and culture doesnt affect negatively his/her own culture or language. Furthermore, openness in general and learning languages in particular needs a secure and an unstressful atmosphere to facilitate language acquisition. Admiration and social needs also indicate that the learner needs to be a educated person who is capable to communicate and assimilate with others by learning their language. Failure to suit students needs is prone to hamper their risk-taking and motivation. Psychologically self-doubting Second Language learners can be awfully anxious (Macintyre Gardner, 1991) and if this happens, Second Language learners relapse in their needs, motivation, and achievement in the classroom. Motivation for learning a second/foreign language is defined as the learners point of reference with regard to the objective of learning a second language. (Crookes Schmidt 1991). To investigate and realize the effect of motivation on second language acquisition, the two basic types of motivation (integrative and instrumental) should be identified. Integrative motivation is characterized by the learners optimistic and positive attitudes towards the target language society and the aspiration to join together into the target language society. Instrumental motivation contains the purpose of gaining some social or economic incentive through Second Language achievement, consequently, referring to a more functional reason for language learning (Gardner Lambert, 1972). To evaluate a variety of individual differences variables based on socio-educational model, Gardner developed the Attitude and Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) which consists of these five categories: integrativeness, instrumental motivation, motivation, anxiety and attitudes toward learning situations. Gardners model has been used in many motivational studies (e.g. Tremblay Gardner, 1995, Masgoret, 2001). It is acceptable to say that Gardners model place too much stress on the integrativeness and the responsibility of learners attitudes towards L2 group in learning the second language. Regardless of the fact that both kinds of motivation are crucial fundamentals of success in learning the second/foreign language, much debate and disagreement among researchers and educators have been happening about which kind of motivation is more important for the second language learners. Lambert (1974) perceived integrative motivation as being of more importance in formal leaning environment than the instrumental one and it was a more influential forecaster of linguistic accomplishment. Falk (1978) agreed with Lamberts allegation by pointing out that students who are most thriving when learning a target language are those who fond of the people that speak the language, have a high regard for their culture and have a longing to become familiar with the society in which the language is used. On the other hand, Lukmani (1972) found that an instrumental motivation was further significant than an integrative one among the non-Westernized Students of Second Language (English) in Bombay, India. Dornyei (1990) opposed Gardner by claiming that instrumental motivation and the learners need for accomplishment are more essential than the integrative motivation. Brown (2000) stated that second language learners hardly ever select one form of motivation when learning a second language, but rather a mixture of them and he cites the example of the international students in the United States. However, in response to calls for the implementation of a wider image of motivation, Tremblay Gardner (1995) included other motivational variables into the socio- educational model and they acknowledged that other factors as instrumental orientation, attitudes toward the teacher and the course, learning strategies and self confidence might contribute to motivation. In relation to the Malaysian circumstances, second language learners might conserve their identity by instinctively selecting to be motivated instrumentally. Desire related to integrative motivation might affect their Malaysian identity and the dread of identifying with English (Western) culture and values may be related to the colony or to the latest American campaign against some countries in the area. In sense of review of the literature available in the area of students motivation for learning foreign languages, loads of studies try hard to investigate the learners integrative and instrumental motivation. Oller et al (1997) studied educated Chinese speaking ESL students and he realizes that those who perceive Americans as helpful, sincere and friendly perform better in a cloze test of English as a second language. Man-Fat (2004) have the same opinion with Oller when he explored the motivation of English language learners in Hong Kong (grade10) and his study reported the noteworth y association between integrative motivation and language proficiency. Conversely, instrumental motivation was found more important in some situations particularly where there appears to be modest amount of desire to assimilate. Fu Lee (1980) found out that Chinese students in Hong Kong were instrumentally motivated and Second Language linguistic achievements correlated more with instrumental motivation. Dornyeis study (1996) of Hungarian secondary school learners of English exposed that instrumental motivation is a innermost element of motivation where comparatively down-to-earth benefits are actually reachable for the learners. He also claimed that foreign language learning in a classroom doesnt involve attitudes towards the Second Language community because learners have little or no contact with members of Second Language group. In brief, as it is understood from the above discussion, the researchers and educators havent resolute on what the most important kind of motivation a second/foreign language learner should have. The 1970s studies (Gardner, 1972, 1979, Lambert, 1974) have shown that integrative motivation is more important for success in Second Language acquisition and instrumental motivation did not seem to relate to successful language learning. However, the following studies (Gardner McIntyre, 1991, Dornyei 1994, Oxford, 1994) discovered that integrative motivation may not be the strongest forecaster for language learning and the issue of motivation may not be as straightforward as integrative-instrumental dichotomy. They recommended that other mechanism such as aspiration for knowledge need for accomplishment, intellectual inspiration and personal challenge can also play important roles n second language learning. 2.3 Factors Demotivating Foreign Language Learning The similarities of concern between most foreign language classrooms where the language in question is a compulsory school subject, is the problem of demotivation. Nevertheless, the disadvantage of English language learners in general has been attributed to an assortment of factors such as teaching methodology, lack of the target language environment and the learners demotivation (Mukkatash, 1983, Zughoti,1987). For that reason, it is vital for the teachers at least to be conscious of the possible factors that may be disturbing their students motivation. With those factors in mind, they may be able to build up strategies to help unravel the problems that take place relating to students motivation and aspiration to learn English as a foreign language. A great deal of research has been conducted on language learning motivation but a lesser amount of research is being done on the demotivating factors in learning the second language and a few studies have addressed them. Dornyei Otto (1998) dont distinguish motivation or demotivation as a stationary occurrence. In contrast, they are considered as dynamic, increasing and declining, affecting language accomplishment and being affected by the neighboring learning environment. The demotivated learner is defined by Dornyei as the one who is originally motivated and lost his/her motivation because of negative outer factors. Some studies have shown relatedness between demotivation and the learning environment such as classroom environment, teaching methods and curriculum (Gardner, 1985, Skehan, 1991, Sivan, 1986). Gorham Christophel (1992) examined the factors that students identify as motivators/demotivators in college classes in West Virginia University. The study compared students perception of the demotivating and motivating factors. As to demotivating factors, the factors related to teachers behavior were the most common, 43%, those under limited control of the teacher were second in occurrence (e.g. assessment and choice of text books), 36%, and only 21% related to contextual factors over which the teacher has little control. In terms of the data as a whole, the teacher behavior contributed in the same way to both motivation and demotivation. However, the researchers concluded that motivation is seeming as a student-owned state, while lack of motivation is perceived as a teacher-owned problem. Chambers (1993) (in Dornyei, 2001) explored demotivation in language learning in four schools n the UK. The study was done on the school students and their teachers. Students placed most responsibility on teachers and learning materials. The teachers claimed that the students motivation caused by psychological, social and attitudinal reasons. Generally, most studies conducted in the ground of motivation and demotivation as its backside found out that the personality of the teacher, teaching methods, learning context in addition to the learners attitude toward Second Language could play a fundamental role in the students motivation or demotivation on the road to learning languages. Chapter 3 Research Design Introduction This survey is a quantitative type of research which involves the use of questionnaire. Quantitative studies emphasize the measurement and analysis of causal relationships between variables, not processes. In a quantitative research, questionnaires, and computers are used as data collection methods. The data collected is numerical and statistical. The general objective of the researcher is to observe but does not actively participate. Research design is also structured and well-tested. 3.1 Participants Participants consisted of 30 Form 2 students in Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Pekula Jaya located in Tikam Batu, Kedah. The socioeconomic status of the school and the area that the school served was largely middle class, and students were primarily Malays. The instruments were administered in the classroom during two periods of English lesson. During the session, students were asked to complete the questionnaire. Directions and individual items were read aloud by the administrator. 3.2 Instruments For the purpose of obtaining data on what negatively affects their English learning motivation, I conducted this study by using a questionnaire (see appendix). The questionnaire was adapted from Gardners (1985) AMTB to measure the students integrative/instrumental motivation in learning English. This part of the questionnaire contains 8 items reflecting the integrative/instrumental motivation and a five- point Likert Scale which ranged from strongly disagree to strongly agrees was being used in this survey. The integrative motivation scale includes four types of items to investigate how well the learners learn English with an authentic enthusiasm to absorb with the target language, culture, community, their manner of life and literature; this would show their Integrativeness in the direction of the target language. However the instrumental motivation scale includes four items aiming at measuring the respondents functional reasons for studying English. 3.3 Procedures At the very beginning of the study, permission was gained from the principal of the targeted schools who showed a willingness to collaborate in this study. To guarantee a positive participation, the subjects were informed that their answers would be confidential and they were not required to write or give their names at any stage of the study. The questionnaire was administered by the researcher and 40 students participated in completing the questionnaire during their English class. The students were assured that the main objective of the researcher was to find out why they like to study English and what makes them sometimes dislike the English classes. Moreover, the students were told that their answers and opinions would not affect their grades or their teachers impression and their participation in the survey would help teachers to understand their desires and problems. Students were encouraged to ask questions at any time during the process. The survey was administered to the students in a classroom environment. Prior to the survey, the participants were assured of anonymity and confidentiality. Then, they were a brief explanation to facilitate the administration, and were asked to respond to the questionnaire items as spontaneously as possible. The students were asked to tick the answer wherever seemed necessary. The participants took approximately 30 to 40 minutes to complete the questionnaire, although there was no time limit. Upon completion of the administration, the participants were offered some refreshments for their participation