History of Nature and Nurture Essay

Abstract Nature vs. nurture has been discussed by philosophers in the past and by scientists most recently. Philosophers such as Plato argued that all knowledge was inherited through your parent and when you were told something you didn’t learn it you were just reminded of it. Aristotle however argued that all humans were born with a blank slate and built on it with influence from there environment. In the 1700’s the empiricists and the internalists took over the argument. They fought through letters explaining there point of views and denouncing the others. This leads to Pavlov coming up with the idea of behaviorism in the early 1900? s. Behaviorism became the new wave of Psychology and influenced a lean towards the nurture side. It was not effectively argued against until 1928 when Watson published his book. This opened up the floodgates for environmental influences studies. Soon the idea of nurture was the popular excuse for behavior. Studies using animals were the most popular was in which scientists used to prove a theory, or disprove a theory. The newest studies use human twins to prove nature vs. nurture. An age-old question has been asked for generations before us. What is the reasons behind the development of human behavior? There have been many theories formulated to explain why humans behave the way they do. Explanations vary from demonology to magnetic fluids controlling people’s behaviors. Over time, two theories have remained popular in academic fields such as philosophy and psychology. The surviving theories for behavior stem from physiological and sociological explanations. However, the two explanations have not always been compatible with each other. The famous nature vs. nurture debate over human behavior resulted from conflicting views between proponents of the physiological (nature) and sociological (nurture) explanations. Throughout history, research has swayed popularity back and forth between the theories. Yet, theorists have broken down the line separating nature and nurture. Today, people us both explanations in research to advance the knowledge of human behavior. Thousands of years before the field of psychology, philosophers pondered on human behavior. As early as 350 BC, such philosophers as Plato and Aristotle tried to understand behavior. The question of nature or nurture as the primary drive can be traced to these times. Plato believed behavior and knowledge was due to innate factors. Author Fiona Cowie states, â€Å"The claim that the character of our mental furniture is to a large extent internally rather than environmentally determined found its first substantive defense in the works of Plato†¦ † (Cowie, 1999, p. 3). Plato theorized, and Descartes later agreed, that all knowledge is present at birth. Plato also believed that the environment played a part in human processes, but he thought it had an unique role. He believed the environment did not teach people anything new, but its purpose was to remind people of information they already knew (Cowie, 1999). Although Plato’s views are not supported today, he laid the groundwork for other researchers to follow. On the other hand, philosopher Aristotle theorized a different idea about human behavior. He presented the idea that humans are born into the world with a â€Å"blank slate† and people’s behavior and thoughts are due to experience (Ashcraft, 1998). His tabula rasa explanation believed that the environment and experience were the important influences in human behavior. Unlike Plato, Aristotle hypothesized that humans were not born with knowledge, but they acquire it through experience (Ashcraft, 1998). Aristotle’s idea of the tabula rasa is not believed today. Nevertheless, his belief that the environment was a vital factor in behavior influenced many empiricists throughout history. During the late 1700s, the nature vs. nurture debate began to heat up between philosophers. Internalists (nature) and empiricists (nurture) wrote literature back and forth trying to prove their beliefs and disprove the other’s theories. Two philosophers, G. W. Leibniz and John Locke, were main representatives of their respected explanations. Leibniz promoted the internalism point of view. Cowie states, â€Å"†¦ Leibniz’s position on this issue is, of course, that the tabula is far from rasa: ? The soul inherently contains the sources of various notions and doctrines, which external objects merely rouse up†¦ ‘ † (Cowie, 1999, p. 7). Leibniz argued against Locke and other empiricists stated that â€Å"†¦ there is no way ideas which come into the mind from outside can be formed into beliefs and judgments without the operation of specific internal mechanisms† (Cowie, 1999, p. 17). At the same time, John Locke and his fellow philosophers campaigned for empiricism. Like Aristotle, the philosophers believed that humans’ thoughts and actions were determined not by innate factors, but by the their unique experiences (Ashcraft, 1998). Locke argued against the internalists by examining different human processes such as logic and reasoning. He would ask how it was possible to use logic and reasoning if people were born with all of the knowledge they would ever acquire (Cowie 1999, p. 19). The contrasting views of the two groups had begun the nature vs. nurture debate, which would linger in the fields of philosophy and psychology for decades. A point should be made that even though the interalists and empiricists felt strongly about their theories, the explanations were not entirely opposite of each other. Cowie explains, â€Å"? rhetoric aside, both empiricists and nativists are both internalist and externalists about the origin of what is in our minds†(Cowie, 1999, p. 17). Even Leibniz and Locke stated that the philosophies sometimes were only different by the choices of words they used to describe their theories. Leibniz once wrote that fundamentally their views were the same about the nature vs. nurture question (Cowie, 1999). Over the next couple hundred years, popularity was split between nature and nurture. However, in the early 1900s Ivan Pavlov accidentally discovered what eventually became labeled as behaviorism. Behaviorists believed that the environment was the greatest factor in shaping behavior. The theory quickly gained notoriety in psychology and swayed popularity to the nurture side. One of the leaders in behavioral research was John Watson, who is most recognized for his work in conditioning â€Å"Little Albert. † In 1928, Watson published a book that included his idea that infants were like clay. Watson stated that he could make an infant anything he desired by manipulating the environment (Barnet, 1998). Watson wrote, â€Å"Give me a dozen healthy infants†¦ and my own special world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one†¦ and train him to become any type of specialist†¦ â€Å"(Amsel, 1989, p. 24). In the 1960s, Skinner also became well known for his research in behaviorism. Most of his work dealt with behavior modification with animals (Amsel, 1989). Probably Skinner’s most famous research is when he conditioned pigeons to guide missiles (Modgil, 1987). However, Skinner, and others in his field, began to receive scrutiny for ignoring the biology of humans. Yet, Skinner responded by saying, â€Å"The objection to inner states is not that they do not exist, but that they are not relevant in a functional analysis† (Modgil, 1987, p. 228). From the 1920s to 1950s, behaviorism and nurturism dominated psychology. The domination did not go without any challenges, and it did not last forever. As early as 1929, behaviorism came under attack by psychologists who believed genes were the key to human behavior. To begin, Arnold Gesell questioned the environmental view of Watson. Author Myrtle McGraw states, â€Å"Gesell contended that there was nothing one could do through training young infants to accelerate their development; one simply had to wait until the cells of the nervous system ? ripened'†(McGraw, 1995, p. 264). The biological research continued to build against behaviorism, and its popularity began to decrease. In 1959, the final attack that swayed popularity to the nature side of development originated with Noam Chomsky and other psycholinguists. Chomsky attacked behaviorism’s scientific empiricism, especially dealing with the acquisition of language (Amsel, 1989). Ashcraft (1998) explains, â€Å"†¦ Chomsky argued not only that the behaviorist account of language was seriously wrong and misguided, but that behaviorism was unable in principle to provide useful scientific knowledge of language† (p. 22). In addition, research developments in physiology and new studies involving genetics, such as adoption studies, and studies on twins, popularized genetic influence over environmental. The most resent studies that have been done on twins and adoption use both identical and faternel twins. This consists in the studying of twins that were separated at birth and grew up in separate homes. Identical twins are 100% genetically similar and offer exact genetic replicas to study, where fraternal twins are the same as any other siblings at 50% similar (Vanderbilt pg6). Some of the final results of these studies show astonishing similarities between identical twins, yet others show little evidence of these similarities. With fraternal twins there is some similarities but none that are complete evidence of the nature theory. These studies fuel the pot for both the nature and the nurture ideas. The nature vs. nurture debate over the last forty years has reached an agreement that they both influence the development of human behavior. In the 1960s, researchers from both theories began to study the interaction of the genes and the environment (Devlin 1997). Dr. Ann Barnet explains, â€Å"Even in an unborn baby, genes and environment interact almost from the moment of conception†(Barnet, 1998, p. 10). The interaction between nature and nurture can be summed up by the statements of Dr. Fausto-Sterling and Dr. Evan Balaban. Fausto-Sterling states, â€Å"People want simple explanations for hard-core problems. If there was an antitestosterone drug that we could to inject to make young boys nice†¦ it would be easier and cheaper than transforming schools†¦ or whatever is at the heart of the problem† (Barnet, 1998). However, Balaban replies, â€Å"†¦ don’t hold your breath if you think looking for genes to help you understand violence. I would put my money on some clever environmental manipulations, because in the end you’re going there anyway† (Barnet, 1998, p. 206). The nature vs. nurture debate has produced many research advances in the area of human development. Even though evidence proves that there is an interaction between genes and the environment, people will continue to study the effects of each in development. In these future studies, more groundbreaking advances will be made to aid humans in better understanding human behavior. In the end, that is what both sides of the nature vs. nurture debate intended to accomplish. Bibliography Amsel, A. (1989). Behaviorism, Neobehaviorism, and Cognitivism in Learning Theory. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum,. Ashcraft, M. (1998). Fundamentals of Cognition. New York, NY: Longman. Barnet, A. (1998). The Youngest Minds. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Cowie, F. (1999). What’s Within?. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Devlin, B. (1997). Intelligence, Genes, and Success. New York, NY: Copernicus. Deutschmann, Linda B. (2002). Deviance and Social Control Third Edition. Scarborough, ON: Nelson Thomson Learning. Fujita, Frank. (2000). Nature vs. Nurture. 3/15/2002 from http://folk. uio. no/roffe/faq/node 11. html McGraw, M. (1995). Beyond Heredity and Environment. San Francisco, CA: Westview Press. Modgil, S. (1987). B. F. Skinner: Consensus and Controversy. New York, NY: Falmer Press. Myers, David G. (2001). Psychology Sixth Edition. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Broken Families and Social Problems: Effects and Coping styles Essay

Review of Literature The following paragraphs present the different ways of how teenagers in a broken family cope with their problems. It is first summarized after the divorce of the child’s parent followed by its effect on the child until it reaches its youth days. After the Divorce of the Child’s parents According to Green (2014), after divorce, children of all ages may experience deficits in emotional development and may seem tearful or depressed, and that can last several years after a child’s parents’ have separated. Some older children may show very little emotional reaction to their parents’ because they are actually bottling up their negative feelings inside. This emotional suppression makes it difficult for parents, teachers and therapists to help the process her feelings in developmentally appropriate ways. In school most of the children with broken families end up having poor academic and change of lifestyles. This poor academic progress can stem from a number of factors, including instability in the home environment, inadequate financial resources and inconsistent routines. Divorce affects children’s social relationships for several ways. Some children act out their distress about their broken family by acting aggressive and by engaging in bullying behaviour, some may experience anxiety and can make it difficult for them to join co-curricular activities, and develop a cynical attitude towards relationship, harbour feelings of mistrust towards both parents and potential romantic partners. At home their lifestyle will change, more chores, heavier responsibilities, and the older sibling may have to act a parental-type role when interacting with younger siblings. Children of divorce tend to fall in their academics and in their social life. Children are already affected when the divorce is on the process, not before. Effects on the child to its youth days Children are most likely to move or change school after divorce and can’t catch up with making friends and their academics. Most of the children who don’t know how to cope with their situation ended up having low self-esteem, anxiety, and trust issue. (Mann, 2011) And there is a higher suicide rate for children of divorce than for children of normal families. There is no  correlation found between the death of a parent and suicide of a child. The suicide seems to be triggered by being rejected by a parent. (Larson, 1990) In general, children of divorce feel emotionally unsafe as a child. Most of them don’t feel any attention and are 6 times more likely to feel alone as a child. When in need of comfort they do not go to their parents. (Marquardt, 2005), they are mostly unhappy, behave impulsive and irritable. They are socially withdrawn and as a result, they feel lonelier, insecure, anxious, and are less obedient to their divorced parents. (Wallerstein, 1991) The so called â€Å"sleeper effect† kicks in on children of divorce on a later age. Most Young boys tend to express their emotions and frustrations freely. Their emotions fade out. Young girls however, keep their emotions internally more often. They do not deal with them. Their emotions stay within and they surface when they mature. Usually, this occurs in a period in which they make essential decisions for their lives for many years to come. They are unconsciously influenced by the anxiety and fear resulting from the divorce of their parents long ago. (Wallerstein & Blakeslee, n.d.) If children are confused with different things going on in the family or at school and they have feelings of frustration, more disagreements may occur. Behaviour problems tend to increase for boys when a step-father is introduced to the family (Muzi, 2000). It is said that half of the world’s community is plagued by broken families and crime. Over the past few decades, marriage has become less important and that is the cause of the problem. Better parenting and stronger families is the key to mending the broken society. (Problem of the Broken Family, 2014) In single family homes, children develop greater autonomy where they tend to spend more time alone or with peers. It was found that sons are more likely to resist directives and rules, where as daughters typically have a closer relationship to their mother (Freeman, 2002). However, if mothers inappropriately discuss financial matters with their children or express a negative feeling toward their ex-spouse, it can decrease the desire for the child to spend time with the parent due to increase confusion about the whole situation (Bigner, 2002). Adjusting issues that children may have include academic problems, internalizing and externalizing problems, low self esteem, and early engagement in sexual activities (Anderson 1999) Current Situation It is said that half of the world’s community is plagued by broken families and crime. Over the past few decades, marriage has become less important and that is the cause of the problem. Better parenting and stronger families is the key to mending the broken society. (Problem of the Broken Family, 2014) Families are the core of society. When families fall apart, society falls into social and cultural decline. Ultimately the breakdown of the world’s family is at the root of nearly every other social problem and pathology. Most children grew up in intact, two-parent families. Today, children who do so are a minority. Illegitimacy, divorce, and other lifestyle choices have radically changed almost every family, and thus have changed the social landscape. â€Å"There is a mountain of scientific evidence showing that when families disintegrate, children often end up with intellectual, physical and emotional scars that persist for life.† He continues, â€Å"We talk about the drug crisis, the education crisis, and the problem of teen pregnancy and juvenile crime. But all these ills trace back predominantly to one source: broken families. (Zinsmeister, n.d.) Broken homes and broken hearts are not only the reason for so many social problems. They are also the reason for the incumbent economic difficulties we face as a culture. The moral foundation of society erodes as children learn the savage values of the street rather than the civilized values of culture. And government inevitably expands to intervene in family and social crises brought about by the breakdown of the family. Sociologist Daniel Yankelovich puts it this way: people suspect that the nation’s economic difficulties are rooted not in technical economic forces (for example, exchange rates or capital formation) but in fundamental moral causes. There exists a deeply intuitive sense that the success of a market-based economy depends on a highly developed social morality–trustworthiness, honesty, concern for future generations, an ethic of service to others, a humane society that takes care of those in need, frugality instead of greed, high standards of quality and concern for community. These economically desirable social values, in turn, are seen as rooted in family values. Thus the link in public thinking between a healthy family and a robust economy, though indirect, is clear and firm. (Anderson, 1994) Statement of the Problem This research seeks to gather information on how high school students with  broken families cope with their problems. Specifically, the following questions are asked: 1. How high school students are socially affected with broken families in Zamboanga city. 2. How do they cope with their â€Å"broken family† situation? References Bigner, J. (2002). Parent-Child Relations: An Intoduction to Parenting. (6th ed). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall. Freeman, H. S. Family transitions during the adolescent transition: implications for parenting. Adolescence. Fall 2002. Retrieved September 27, 2004 online via www.findarticles.com. Muzi, M. J. (2000). The experience of Parenting. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Wallerstein, Judith S. (1991). The long-term effects of divorce on children: A review. Journal of the Ameri ­ can Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychia ­ try, 30(3), 349-360.

A letter from an exchange student in Australia Essay Example for Free

A letter from an exchange student in Australia Essay ? I’ve been in Australia for about 2 months now and I’m still speechless. It’s such a beautiful country! The land, the people, the climate, everything is amazing! I’ve gotten to experience the most remarkable/wonderful things, things I never could have imagined. As you know I went here as an exchange student and I’m living with a wonderful host family in Brisbane. They have been very welcoming and loving, the student exchange agency made such a good match. Brisbane is located in the east of Australia, in the state called Queensland. I’m attending the Brisbane State High School where I’m taking all the mandatory classes like English, math’s, science, social studies, art, health and physical education and so on. I’ve gotten to continue my French education as well, but everyone in that class is way better than me! Luckily they are all so nice and very patient with me, and that goes for all the classes! I had a hard time understanding the Australian accent at first, but it gets easier and easier every day. My host family taught me some Aussie-slang to help me out a bit, like â€Å"hoo roo† which means goodbye, â€Å"ripper† means something like fantastic or great, â€Å"sheila† is a girl and â€Å"dunny† is a toilet. A word that’s very confusing is â€Å"thongs†. It does not mean what you think it means! It’s another word for flip-flops, which can create quite an awkward situation. Fortunately I managed not to humiliate myself! Anyway, like I said are there mandatory classes just like there is in Sweden. Australia has a national curriculum to make sure that they have the same educational standards in schools all over the country, which resembles our â€Å"Skolverket†. You asked a lot about the schools over here in your last letter, so I’ve asked my new friends in my classes and found out some basic info. Like, something that’s similar to Swedish schools is that you’re in kindergarten or pre-school when you’re 3-5 years old. In Australia you go to Primary School between the ages 6 to 11, unlike Sweden where we go to â€Å"Là ¥gstadiet† and â€Å"Mellanstadiet† when we’re 6 to 12. One year doesn’t make that big of a difference, but Secondary School (High School) resembles both â€Å"Hà ¶gstadiet† and â€Å"Gymnasiet† together. So from what I understand, you can’t choose a specific program like in Sweden, but you can choose some classes you want to take (other than the mandatory ones) in High School. When you graduate from Secondary School you can apply for a University, just like in Sweden. As you can tell there are a lot of similarities to  Australian and Swedish schools, but I found out that there are many differences as well. School uniforms for example, we don’t have any rules about dress code in Sweden, but over here it’s a part of life, at least for the students who attend High School. Almost every school has a special uniform that every student has to wear, even I have to wear one when I go to school. Even in gym class we wear matching shorts and shirts. I think those outfits are better because they’re unisex, and the rest of the day the girls wear skirts while the boys wear pants. I’m not very comfortable in skirts and dresses so I think that if you want to wear pants you should be able to! It’s kind of nice not having to choose an outfit every morning, you only have one thing to wear and everybody else wears it too. There’s not any pressure about having the latest fashion or not changing it up every day. The only thing you have to worry about is bad hair-days! I have to admit that I wish we had to wear these in Sweden as well†¦ Not only are they a gift from heaven for the morning-tired person, they make you feel a bit more fancy and formal too. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that comfortable being formal all the time and I’d probably get sick of wearing it every day, but I like the idea a lot at the moment. I never think it would work, introducing this to Sweden though. Everyone would lose their right to express themselves through their clothes. If we would have to wear school uniforms, I strongly vote for pants for the girls! Most students bring their own lunch to school. There is a cafeteria, but you have to pay for everything there. That is something I miss about Sweden, even though it’s not great food all of the time it’s still really convenient. I’m having a hard time remembering to bring my lunch every day†¦ That makes me really angry with myself because both of my host parents make really good food, especially sandwiches. I promise you, they’re amazing! Public schools here are free and run by the government of state or territory they’re in, just like in Sweden. Parents are asked pay a voluntary contribution fee and they can also contribute to camping trips and extracurricular activities, but it’s all voluntary. Something that also differs from Sweden is the fact that they have 4 semesters. The school year starts in early February and ends in December. They have short holidays between every semester and their summer holiday is in December and January, during Christmas! I know it’s really strange, but that’s when the Australian summer is! I had no idea that the seasons were so  off over here, but I think it’s really amazing how the world works. Apparently all countries south of the equator have their summer during our winter, and their winter during our summer! A few weeks ago I got to be a part of the Australians celebration of ANZAC Day. ANZAC stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. This day is special to Australians because of what happened on this date 1915. The First World War had just started and Australia wanted to create a reputation for themselves to the rest of the world, since they’d only been a nation for 13 years. They joined forces with New Zealand and set out to take control over the Dardanelles (a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey) so that their allies could travel through. When ANZAC landed on Gallipoli in Turkey they were met by Turkish defending forces. A lot of Australian soldiers lost their lives and today the Australians take this day to remember not only them and their bravery, but every soldier who has died in any war or military operation Australia’s been a part of. Each year the remembrance begins with memorial services in big cities all over the country, they’re known as the â€Å"Dawn Services†. Later in the day there are parades where ex-militaries march along. Aussies also celebrate this day off from work and school with drinking and games! They also have the Australia Day, their National Day. I’m not going to be here for that because it’s celebrated on January 26th, but I really wish I were! They celebrate everything that’s good about the country and being Australian, it sounds like a lot of fun! My host family tells me that you can see the Australian flag hanging from windows of cars and houses and that the whole neighborhood smells like barbeque. There are usually fireworks and music as well! It’s more upbeat than the ANZAC Day. We don’t have anything like this in Sweden, which I think is a bit sad. What I mean is, we don’t really have a day where we remember something or celebrate just being Swedish. I feel like we don’t have that kind of love for our country that the Australians do. At least I know I don’t. I only enjoy our National Day because I don’t have to go to school. I honestly don’t even know why we celebrate it, and if I asked my friends I’m sure they would say the same thing. It would be nice to feel that unity and pride that the Australians have. We’ve been in wars, I’m not sure how many or what kind, but we don’t take pride in them. We don’t have any war heroes we remember. During World War 1, Sweden was neutral. We didn’t officially pick a side; we did  everything we could to not get attacked by anyone. We let Germany use our railways to transport iron-stone, which kept us from getting involved in the war (even though that made us a part of Germany’s success). I think we’re right not to take any pride in that†¦ Something that also would be fun to experience here â€Å"Down Under† is Christmas. Since their summer is during December the climate is at its warmest during Christmas. My friends told me that even though it’s sunny and warm everyone still decorates with snowmen and Christmas lights! Most families have a Christmas tree too. Here in Brisbane they apparently have a competition every year for who has the best Christmas lights. I would love to see all of the extremely decorated houses! We should do something like that at home, we should engage more! In some ways our counties spend Christmas alike, but some prospects are still very different. In Sweden, we open presents, eat delicious food and get a visit from Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. In Australia they only make the last preparations on Christmas Eve, because it’s all about Christmas Day. Children hope to find presents in stockings or under the tree when they wake up, families go to see their relatives and everyone (most people anyway) spend the evening with their loved ones. Some families eat dinner that’s similar to Europe’s Christmas food, but most Australians barbeque or have a picnic on the beach or in the park. On the beach you can see surfing Santa Clauses too. It sounds really laid back and comfortable, so I would love to be able to experience it (even though it’s no real Christmas without snow!). It’s hard to think of Swedish traditions when you don’t usually acknowledge them, but most traditions come with the holidays. Almost all of our holidays have religious significance, like Easter and Christmas for example, but these holidays are not really about what they originally mark in history (if you’re Christian). Easter is more about dressing up as a witch and knocking on doors collecting candy, than remembering Jesus’s crucifixion. Christmas is all about Donald Duck and opening presents, we don’t celebrate Jesus being born. This is the case in Australia too, except for the witches and Donald Duck. In Australia they celebrate Easter by organizing Easter egg hunts (mostly for the purpose of making the children happy), and you’ve probably heard of the ‘Easter Bunny’? Well, over here they’ve exchanged it for an ‘Easter Bibly’. A bibly is a small rodent, who’s an endangered species and they’re hoping this kind of advertisement is going to help save  it. Besides, rabbits are considered pests in Australia as they destroy crops and other things. As you can tell there are a lot of both similarities and differences between Sweden and Australia, but they are both great counties! Unfortunately I only have a month left of my studies, but I am thinking about living here for a year or so when I graduate. I have fallen in love with this land†¦ Enough about me, how have you been? Is everything as usual back home? Hope to see you soon, Sources of information: Aussie slang: http://stricktlydating.hubpages.com/hub/Common-Aussie-Slang-Words 2013-04-14 http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html 2013-04-14 About school: http://www.workingin-australia.com/education/system/overview#.UWr117XIagc 2013-04-14 http://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/en/Courses/Schools/Australian-School-System/Australian-school-system 2013-04-14 http://www.studiesinaustralia.com/types-of-education/secondary-education 2013-04-16 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_uniform#Australia 2013-04-16 http://brisbaneshs.eq.edu.au/sites/default/files/bshs/PolicyDocuments/PandC/CanteenMenu.pdf 2013-04-17 http://www.fairhillshs.vic.edu.au/app/webroot/uploaded_files/media/uniform_information_2013.pdf 2013-04-17 http://australianschool1.hubpages.com/hub/Australian-School-Uniform2013-04-16 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090821161522AAUv95m 2013-04-16 http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-weather-and-the-seasons2013-04-16 Traditions: http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac/anzac_tradition.asp 2013-04-21 http://www.realaustraliatravel.com/australian-traditions.html 2013-04-21 http://www.realaustraliatravel.com/Christmas-in-Australia.html 2013-04-21 http://www.realaustraliatravel.com/christmas-lights-brisbane.html 2013-04-22 http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/australia/christmas-day 2013-04-22 A letter from an exchange student in Australia. (2016, Apr 29).

Vector and Statics Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Vector and Statics - Lab Report Example The design of bridges, forces, and elasticity. The Graphical Method and is led on diagram paper with four quadrants and the vector A beginning at (x, y) = (0, 0) at the inside of the chart. Mind must be taken from the charts to represent the distances and angles as accurately as possible. Vectors may be included scientifically, which is the favored method since it does not oblige the making of exact drawings and does not include the human mistakes intrinsic in the estimations made on them. This method comprises of discovering the x and y parts of every vector, and including their particulars segments. The equation is the start point in designing static structures. The experimental setup sought to analyze two force vector dimensions. Statics can be referred to as the resultant force when an object is stationary. The session will involve analyzing torque properties of materials. A translation equilibrium, which is a condition of vector sum of forces as zero Pulley #1 was set at 300 and added 50grams to the weight pan. Then pulley #2 was set at 1300 and added 100grams. T3 was experimentally determined which led to spring balancing. On achieving the translational equilibrium, mass and angle was recorded. Error inT3 was determined by adding 1g and 2g masses on the weight pan to the point where it was moving off the center. The pulley was carefully moved to the right in 1-degree angle increment and measured the error. The third error is found from averaging two changes. The objectives were met effectively. Newton’s laws of motion were successfully applied in the experiment. From the results, the mass was 0.05kg with an error less than 5% error. The other components measured were subject to errors too which is slightly below 5%. The session led to an understanding of utilizing rulers, protractors, and mass offsets. The errors realized from the results are due to systemic inconsistencies. Minimizing on lapses obliges

Research paper for drunk driving Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Research paper for drunk driving - Essay Example The paper tries a research work on the topic drunk driving. The main purpose of the work is to give people awareness about the social problem of drunk driving. The topic has got wide scope as it has become one of the serious social problems in the modern world. The work will certainly motivate people to abstain from alcohol and other drugs while driving. The paper has wider significance as it helps people ponder over the matter seriously and also helps them in taking a stand negative in attitude towards drunk driving. The paper tries to research and argue that the number of people who drive vehicles under the influence of alcohol is alarmingly on the increase. This research paper contains a cover letter and analysis of the research topic drunk driving. Special attention is paid to analyze the thesis statement, introduction, conclusion, content, and organization of the research paper under consideration Driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs is a crime in almost all countries of the world. Now a days people mix driving with drinking. The number of people who drink while driving is on the increase. People are unaware of the adversities that mixing up of drinking and driving can bring about. There are many instances of accidents which have been caused by drunk driving. When people mix up drinking with driving the possibilities for accidents are many and rather serious. The ability to act according to the demands of the situation is inactive in a drunkard and if he or she is driving a vehicle it will certainly affect their driving. It is the main reason why drunkards tend to make most of the accidents on roads. When people drive vehicles under the influence of alcohol they fail to effectively respond to the challenging situations on roads. People lose control over their action after having consumed alcohol. Likewise drunkards lose control over their driving as well as their vehicles. This causes accidents. There

Answer the exam Qs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Answer the exam Qs - Essay Example However, the power inequality acceptance varies between different cultures in the society (Varma & Budhwar, 2015). Individualism measures the basic interest sort by the members. In a society which is highly individualistic, the members are mainly concerned with their families’ interests (Varma & Budhwar, 2015). Contrary, members from the collective society seek to achieve more favor and loyalty from their groups. Uncertainty avoidance measures the unpredictable, unstructured and unclear situations faced by members. A high uncertainty-avoidance society is less aggressive, change intolerant, high security seeking; and vice versa in low uncertainty-avoidance society (Varma & Budhwar, 2015). Through the increase in globalization, there have been growing trends in the multinational and global business endeavors. Globalization as well as the varied cultures in different countries has resulted to the challenge of business competitiveness. Other issues include balancing between the head-quarter and the home based cultures, maintaining performance standards and productive inter-collaboration between units in the operating locations (Varma & Budhwar, 2015). According to Edgar Schein 1994 OC are the values instituted into a social group which are then passed to new members so as they can feel, see and think in response to problems (Varma & Budhwar, 2015). OC should be perceived as both pluralistic and holistic so as to shape the internal assumptions of the social group. OC is classified under 2 schools of thought where in the first, it’s seen as a variable where it can be introduced and manipulated by the organization. The second school of thought provides that OC is a situation the company finds itself in, caused by the complex and dynamic social interactions by the organization (Varma & Budhwar, 2015). Culture influences employees’ communication, the company’s products, goals and values as well as interactions with its customers and other organizations.

Planet of Slums Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Planet of Slums - Essay Example The purpose of the report is to provide detailed analysis on reflection of the author on global slums and its ecological, economic, political and social consequences of urban poverty and the roots of slums in the post-modern time. The ambitious book of Mike Davies portrays a massive humanity exiled from the official economy of world and warehoused in shantytowns.The author discovers the future of an explosively unbalanced and radically incapable urban world. The rise of informal urban proletariat is also argued by Mike Davis. The author provides a global discussion about different aspects of slums. He also discuss about the diversity and necessity of housing across diverse lives of people. A number of different property arrangement and tenure in slums are also discussed in the book. The key objective of the book is to provide knowledge to readers about the transformation and growth of slums across the world. The major upheavals industrialization and imperialism are echoed by the contemporary third world urban poor. The core of the book resembled the painful moments due to industrialization in terms of conditions of living. The main argument presented by author is about negative aspects and roots of global slums. At start, the rising mega slums are being neglected by Davis from core program of political considerations. But, it can be realized from latter part of the book that author tries to provide vivid description of the cause of urban poverty on global scale. The author is looking in case of historical context and global scale rather than existing conditions and local governments (Davis 38). The influential book of Mike Davis is on the enormous growth of settlements all over the world. The overall purpose of the book is to provide a statement to the people that they are a planet of slums.The values of Davis is to provide statistical data and effective detailed analyzed work which can help readers to

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Globalization - Essay Example While such benefits either maintain or heighten the status of globalization, globalized progress occurs at the cost of the distribution of gains. Where considerable gains are obtained by rich nations or individuals, greater inequalities result, further causing potential conflicts within local settings and abroad. Another probable cost is perceived in the control of national economies which could shift from sovereign governments to other entities, typically leading to extreme nationalism or the rise to fundamentalist political movements (Intriligator). By examining an article about Fiat, written by Jorn Madslien, one may view and better understand a concrete scenario of how costs and benefits work under globalization. According to the article, Fiat’s intention to adapt to flexibility by splitting group to develop a division on non-car assets and merge economies upon integration with Chrysler and other huge manufacturing firms altogether reflect the author’s agreement to the position that places globalization on the necessity of interdependence.

Summarize the content of the BBC article titled 'Is language unique to Essay

Summarize the content of the BBC article titled 'Is language unique to humans' - Essay Example What gave rise to language in humans is the need to represent human ‘action’. Beyond this utilitarian purpose, through evolutionary mechanisms language has now developed into a tool for imagination and abstract thought. Several species of whales, monkeys, birds and lizards have been shown to communicate using their language of signals. Yet, this sensory based communication cannot be considered language. A language system is identified through the components of words, logical phrases, complete sentences and a set of grammar rules. While surely parrots can memorize hundreds of words and phrases, they are incapable of making sentences on their own. Likewise the intellectual capacities of higher apes are not sufficient for them to imagine through the use of language. To this extent, language is a uniquely human feature. Our language allows us to write sublime poetry, just as it allows us to write nonsensical (yet grammatically correct)

Justice System in The United Arab Emirates Research Paper

Justice System in The United Arab Emirates - Research Paper Example The judicial systems of Emirates of Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah are not part of the UAE Federal Judicial Authority because these Emirates have retained the power of their judicial systems. Therefore, the Emirates of Dubai and Ral Al Khaimah have no Federal Courts and all matters arising within these Emirates are handled by the Local Courts. The Federal Supreme Court of Cessation based in Abu Dhabi can appeal against any judgment passed by the Federal Courts of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain. The Emirate of Ral Al Khaimah has no Federal Supreme Court of Cessation. The UAE Federal Law enacted by the UAE Supreme Council is applied at both the Federal Courts and Local Courts in UAE. Furthermore, the Courts also apply laws and regulations passed by the ruler. However, similar laws and legal procedures are applied in each of the Federal and Local Courts in Emirates but there are some differences. In cases where a conflict arises between Federal and Local Law then in suc h cases, the Federal Law will prevail. The justice system of the UAE is very efficient and fair which is the primary reason why UAE has attracted businesses from around the world. (Price et al 1998). The primary sources of law in UAE are the statutory codes because UAE has a Legal System which pertains to a civil law. The Egyptian legal system has influenced the UAE legal system to a great extent, thus the system enacted in the UAE can be regarded as a reflection of the system in Egypt. Interestingly, the Egyptian system has been influenced by French and Roman legal systems; therefore the legal system of UAE is an amalgamation of the systems of France, Rome, and Egypt. However, the major source of law is inevitably the Islamic Law codified in Shariah. The procedures and practices followed by the judicial system of UAE are based on Islamic Law.  

Employee voice Essay Example for Free

Employee voice Essay ‘Employee voice’ suggested by Geoff Armstrong (cited in Armstrong,2001) in the recent issue of Industrial Participation Association (IPA) Bulletin, historically meant collective bargaining, and that this ‘chosen method of joint regulation became a straitjacket inhibiting the very things we needed to be doing to win and keep customers! ’ Win and keep the customers because feedbacks and suggestions came from the employee who deals with the customers every day of their work. Companies are able to get the facts from how the customer complaint about their product and to what satisfies them. The word ‘voice’ was popularized by Freeman and Medoff (cited in Freeman Medoff, 1984) who argued that it made good sense for both company and workforce to have a ‘voice’ mechanism. This had both a consensual and conflictual image; on the one hand, participation could lead to a beneficial impact on quality and productivity, whilst on the other it could detect problems which otherwise might ‘explode’. Dundon et al (cited in Dundon, 2004;MC Cabe Lewin, 1992; Wilkinson et al,2004). The four principal strands of the thought or forms of ‘voice’ that are available to employees are: an articulation of individual dissatisfaction; existence of a collective organization; a form of contribution to the management decision-making; and as a form of mutuality in the organization. In the articulation of individual dissatisfaction, the employee aims to address a specific problem or issue with the management that is usually presented in the form of grievance procedure or ‘speak up’ program. An opportunity for employee representatives – union or non-union – to communicate the views of the workforce to managers either through partnership or collective bargaining is the form of collective organization. As a form of contribution to the management decision-making its purpose is concerned with improvements in work organization and efficiency more generally, perhaps through quality circles or team working. It is achieve by a dialogue with employees providing ideas to improve the organizational performance. The last form is the mutuality in organization in delivering long term viability for the organization and its employees, often through joint consultation, collective bargaining and or partnership. In an article by Sharon Shinn (2004,p 18), The Maverick CEO, he asked Ricardo Semler that if business students were reading a case study of Semco what was the valuable lesson they would they take away and he answered that, â€Å"the main lesson is that freedom is a prime driver for performance. † Through my research I believe that all of the employees’ benefits from ‘employee voice’ just revolve around Semlers’ idea. When an employee has the freedom to express himself it empowers him to decide the courses of action that must be done to achieve a certain objective of the company according to his ideals in work and life in general. When one has the freedom to say what for him is wrong or right it gives him the dignity of not only a worker of the company but someone who can make a change and influence people on top for the better future of the company. A sample of the ideal is displayed in Semco where employees can vote to veto new products or new product ventures. At Semco, (cited in Samler, 2004) â€Å"workers approve their own bosses and people only attend meetings if they think the meetings are important. It works because of peoples’ self-interest. Nobody wants to stay in boring meetings or work for bosses they didn’t choose. † Furthermore, â€Å"of course, you can make people come to meetings and look alert, but it’s more difficult to get them to perform what was decided at the meeting. We want people to follow their instincts and to choose as bosses people they respect – even if they don’t like them. This often happens at Semco. † ‘Employee voice’ can be channeled between union and non-union voice. Comparison of benefits between union and non-union voice has been noted. (cited in Freeman and Medoff, 1984) argued that only union forms of voice would result in voice benefits for workers and management. The reasoning behind this argument is that without a union to ensure fair treatment and an equitable distribution of the fruits of success, individuals lack the incentive to pursue public goods. Union voice promotes ‘independence’ unlike direct voice mechanisms’ where its effectiveness is challenged in their capacity to transform the power relations in an organization due to lack of sanctions for non-compliance, collective power and access to independent sources of advice or assistance, non-union voice mechanisms are more susceptible to managerial influence and control (cited in Golan,2009; Terry,199; Wilkinson et al, 2004). On the contrary, non-union or direct voice has been also argued to be superior to union voice for 2 reasons: first, barriers between employers and employees can be disintegrated by dealing directly with employees rather than through an intermediary (cited in Bryson, 2004; Storey, 1992); and second, direct voice allows managers to better respond to the heterogeneous interests of workers (cited in Storey,1992). Another distinct benefit of ‘employee voice’ is evident in the ‘monopoly face’ of unionism, whereby unions seek to restrict the supply of labor to the irm in pursuit of higher wages and benefits. In a general point of view because of the ‘employee voice’ managers give more positive responses to employee needs, greater levels of control over the work process and increased influence over job rewards. In relation with the benefits that can be gained by employees’ through ‘employee voice’ the said firms that practices this kind of system have a lot to gain out of it. One important factor that affects the companies’ profitability is its labor cost. Voice is considered important, in their classic work on US trade Unionism, (cited in Freeman and Medoff, 1984) post it that it is theoretically possible for trade unions to enhance the productivity of firms because they provide voice to workers. They argue that union voice can be productivity-enhancing where voice costs are lower than the costs of dissatisfied workers quitting, and lower quit rates encourage firms to invest in human capital, resulting in a more skilled and productive workforce. In union voice it may also reduce the transaction costs that employees face, for example, by enforcing and monitoring contracts (cited in Booth, 1995; Kaufman, 2004; Kaufman and Levine, 2000). The company of Semco is a great example of this, (cited in Shinn, 2004) Semler and a radical management team completely upended traditional business theory at Semco, doing away with conventional organizational charts while allowing employees more and more freedom to choose what products they would work and how they would produce them. Many employees were eliminated by job reconstruction or left because they couldn’t handle the turmoil. But those who remained became passionate about Semco and their place within it. At Semco they also believe in continuous growth and development so (cited in Samler, 2004) â€Å"people at Semco, by setting their own timetables and workloads, are more apt to take time out for learning. † He said that there were also sabbaticals, and a system whereby people can diminish and increase their work weeks by arrangement with their teams. They also have Retire-a-little where people can take a day, or half-day, off every week, to do what they would when they retire. Because of such changes, (cited in Semler, 2004) noted that it have raised Semco’s revenue from a $35 million to $160 million in the last six years. In addition, (cited in Shinn, 2004) Semler is deeply involved in promoting a workplace where freedom and flexibility is celebrated that he established a school in Sao Paolo practicing his values. (cited in Samler ,2004) â€Å"the school is in place and has started enrolling two-to-ten year olds. We want to change things at the starting point. At this school, our kids determine the rules and makes decisions ever week at a school meeting. We don’t want to holler and point fingers at kids. They are perfectly able to settle disputes and regulations alone. We do sit in to facilitate, when they want. † Furthermore, â€Å"at the Lumlar Institute, which runs the school, we develop a mosaic technology to teach free children effectively, something that the educational world knows nothing about. Since our kids are obliged to be in school but not in class, it behooves us to interest them – and we do. Children are already staying 1. 84 times longer at our school, out of free will, than at other schools in the system. After defining that there were two system of ‘employee voice’ which are non-union (direct) and union, in addition reviewing the benefits of implementing ‘employee voice’ to both the employees and company, Australia seems to place more importance to non-union voice that than union voice. Result from the studies of researchers proves that, for example, AWIRS (the Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey) shows that only 16% of work places were there employee representatives on boards in 1995. (cited in Morehead et al, 1997; 506-67). Moreover non-union of employee representation was not institutionalized as they are in EU (European Union). With the Decline of Union membership, with 22% of employees now being unionized (and only 17 percent in the private sector), there is a growing ‘representation on gap’ for employees’ with some academic experts arguing that works councils could fill that gap. (Knudsen Markey, 2002). However, there seems little political will to progress this issue at the moment, with major interest focused on the recent Work Choices Legislation, rather than a broader discussion of work place governance. Thus, it appears that for the most part, participation in Australia will remain a matter for the firm rather that a broader social issue and its extent will be largely governed by management strategy and enthusiasm for the various direct participative approaches. Pyman et al (2006) In practical sense, the effectiveness of employee voice in Australia workplaces is dependent on a plurality of arrangements, that is multiple, mutually reinforcing channels. While achieving this is likely to present challenge for employers, employees and unions, the findings to do highlight the significance of labor- management interaction and thus the value of a union-employer partnership approach predicated on mutual benefits. Such an approach is seriously threatened by the recent changes embodied in the Work Choices Act 2005. This legislation unequivocally privileges direct or non-union representative voice mechanisms, while undermining union voice and multi-channel voice arrangements.

Thinking in the workplace Essay Example for Free

Thinking in the workplace Essay Preparation for a career or vocation does not just begin during a school’s admissions examinations. It starts right when a child embarks on the road to learning in general. The whole of one’s life is going to be poured into various experiences a person may encounter. Such is a typical academic life, a life that Chris faces daily. ~ Identify five of Chris’ greatest challenges as his classes begin. Pursuing an education is an investment for the individual and his family. It is primarily financial, but more than that it includes the entire life of the person. He is preparing for life hence, all of his resources, be they emotional or mental, spiritual and moral, are involved in the whole process. The challenges a person like Chris will encounter as he enters the higher academic life includes financial capability especially with increasing tuition costs, balancing academics and social life as well as other extracurricular activities, and maintaining good health while experiencing various stressors typically met by students right through their academics. ~ Devise a five step plan for Chris to better manage his time. It entails the following procedure: a.) a statement of goals and objectives; b.) know and record your priorities; c.) use a calendar and a guide from which you monitor your schedules, commitments and responsibilities; d.) do evaluation regularly to know where you are deficient and make up for lost time; e.) be accountable to someone who will help you achieve your goals by managing your time (â€Å"Time management,† 2007). ~ Research different learning styles, and based on what you know about Chris, make a recommendation to Chris on what may work best from these options: three senses (auditory, visual, and kinesthetic), two reasoning types (deductive and inductive), and two environments (intrapersonal and interpersonal).   Chris is probably the type who is very kinesthetic; hence he must discover his strengths and weaknesses which may affect his approach and attitude towards learning. He usually derives comprehension when he starts from the general to specific (deductive). He is apt to bloom in an interpersonal kind of environment. Thus, Chris ought to tailor his needs to the kind of profession he will be preparing himself to get into. This is the kind of work where his liking for people to people interactions is expected to happen, where he can convey his global reasoning powers (â€Å"What type of learner are you?† 2002). ~ Identify three ways that Chris’ thinking can be improved. He must know how to analyze claims, the falsity or fallacies that other people argue against other people’s knowledge also. He has to learn skills like how to take notes, use dictionaries and other tools, develop quality study habits, get rest as often as he can, especially when schedules are inevitably confusing (Harris, 1998). ~ Recommend top five priorities for this weekend’s activities that Chris can find opportunity to do all that has to be done while still having some fun as well. Chris can do that even though he could be one of the busiest people around. Study or skim through all notes that he has taken, schedule a game of badminton with friends, or go swimming, review schedule regularly, forget the coming busy days and instead, to relax and put all worries aside (â€Å"How to have fun while studying†). Reference: 1. â€Å"Time management.† Study guides and strategies. Accessed July 20, 2007 http://www.studygs.net/index.htm 2. Harris, Robert. 1998. Introduction to creative thinking. Virtual Salt. Accessed July 20, 2007. http://www.virtualsalt.com/crebook1.htm 3. â€Å"How to have fun while studying.† Wikihow. Accessed July 20, 2007. http://www.wikihow.com/Have-Fun-While-Studying 4. â€Å"What type of learner are you?† Thinking and learning styles.† 2002. Accessed July 21, 2007. http://www.new-oceans.co.uk/new/education/learnstyles.htm

Women Opting Out Of Work

Women Opting Out Of Work Opting out is a term most commonly understood to describe the decision of married women to voluntarily quit professional careers and remain out of the labor force for a relatively extended period of time during which they are engaged in family care giving, primarily motherhood, to the exclusion of paid employment. Women use a variety of strategies to reconcile work and family responsibilities, including time out of the labor force, opting out, by virtue of the attention given it by the media, has assumed special prominence and a distinct identity. The novelty of opting out is that the women said to be returning home to re-create the traditional family form of male breadwinners are, unlike the stay-at-home mothers of the 1950s, seasoned professionals with considerable career success who are making their decisions in an historical context that affords them a wider range of options than were available to earlier generations of women, even privileged women. Employment, when anticipated a t all after marriage, was regarded as short-term and secondary. In the 1970s, educated women made a break with the past and began, in significant numbers, to combine sustained employment with motherhood. Opting out is the ability to exercise this option which is typically open only to women with a male partner whose earnings can offset the loss of their own. (Stone, 2007a) Some women have resorted to opting out of work because they are not satisfied with their careers. They are not choosing to quit but rather are unable to continue, pushed out by the conditions of their jobs rather than pulled home by their children. Highly educated, elite professional women get tired of the demands of work, do not like the effects on their family lives, and opt out of the fast professional tracks of law, business, and journalism to take care of their children. Some of these women are full-time mothers; others work part-time, typically at less demanding jobs. Not all elite professional women are opting out by any means. How much of womens decision to stay home is a choice, and how much is the result of inflexible and hostile workplaces. Suffice it to say here that the ideology of intensive mothering, combined with the rising demands of workplaces and lack of public support for childrens welfare (e.g., healthcare, daycare, maternity and paternity leave) create severe di fficulties for many mothers, privileged and otherwise. (Belkin, 2003, October 26.) Their children are pure, innocent and helpless and need a selfless nurturer who will shelter them from the corrosive outside world, either by providing care herself or ensuring that alternative (although inevitably second-best) care is provided. The mother/child bond is uniquely tight, and lasting, and essential to a childs healthy psychological development and only a mother (not a father, other family member, or paid caretaker) can provide this care. Mothers are responsible for nurturing, listening, responding, explaining, negotiating, distracting, and searching for appropriate alternative care, practices which are so labor-intensive, so time-consuming, so energy-absorbing because mothers understand themselves as largely responsible for the way their children turn out. Children seem happier, more rested and childlike. They get along better with siblings, and are quite creative in their uses of free t ime. (Hays, 1996, p. 120) Professionals who had quit their jobs and were stay-at-home mothers -opted out, as conventionally understood -which found that the large majority of these women were highly conflicted about their decision, Further challenging the prevailing explanation that their decision was primarily about motherhood. (Stone, 2007a) Because of the high cost of living, life becomes expensive thus making women to look for work to support the demands of their families. Middle-class women cant afford to quit their jobs without scaling back considerably. The families of working class parents are believed to flourish with large amounts of unscheduled time, and adult intervention in their activities is not considered a worthwhile use of anyones time. Poor and working-class parents use fewer words with their children, and although children prove quite capable of expressing opinions, adults do not actively cultivate this ability, nor do they cultivate the questioning of authorities and negotiation. Finally, discipline is a matter of rules and sometimes physical force, not reason. As a result, poor and working-class children find themselves disadvantaged vis a vis their middle-class peers, and privilege is passed down. Mothers who work full-time, for instance, often defend this choice as better for the child in the long-r un. Also importantly, mothers are held responsible by others for their childrens well-being, which means that choosing not to adopt tenets of this ideology requires a defense which is often made in terms of the ideology itself. The accomplishment of natural growth does not, however, mesh as neatly with the procedures and expectations of schools and the workplace as does concerted cultivation, which encourages children to engage in many time management and linguistic practices that institutions expect and reward. (Lareau, 2003) Women do not quit their careers because of a preference to stay home with their children. Some professions might be more or less conducive to womens persistence suggests that there are lessons to be learned from certain fields that might be usefully applied to others, especially the corporate sector. Although virtually all of the women in the sample were happy to have more time to spend with their children, most still identified with their professions and int ended to return to work at some point in the future, although their plans are uncertain. Having a job, especially a fulfilling professional career, is more interesting than housework and child-rearing. Men dont want housewives, Some men fantasize about having a woman running their home and doing not much more, sure. But nowadays, a lot of men prefer to marry more independent women, and would find the idea of supporting a wife intimidating. Women with children are found to have lower full-time, year-round labor force participation rates overall than male graduates or women without children, but those with advanced degrees showed a strong commitment to their careers by returning to work after only brief absences following childbirth (Stone, 2007a) I would agree with Ann Crittenden the Author of The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World is still the Least Valued. This is because she portrays women as the good mother, the wise mother . . . is more important to the community than even the ablest man; her career is more worthy of honor and is more useful to the community than the career of any man, no matter how successful. A mothers work is not just invisible; it can become a handicap. Raising children may be the most important job in the world, but you cant put it on a rà ©sumà ©. The idea that time spent with ones child is time wasted is embedded in traditional economic thinking. People who are not formally employed may create human capital, but they themselves are said to suffer a deterioration of the stuff, as if they were so many pieces of equipment left out to rust. Inflexible workplaces guarantee that many women will have to cut back on, if not quit, their employment once they have children. The re sult is a loss of income that produces a bigger wage gap between mothers and childless women than the wage gap between young men and women. The very definition of a mother is selfless service to another. We dont owe Mother for her gifts; she owes us. And in return for her bounty, Mother receives no lack of veneration. Crittenden proves homemakers are essential to the economic and political success of our country and its inhabitants. She also emphasizes the contributions of the large number of educated women who have chosen to stay home and raise children.(Crittenden, February 2001) Opting out is a luxury unavailable to most women and only applicable to those with high earnings/savings or wealthy partners; professional women with the option to opt out might take it because they are not given flexible options to stay in their professional jobs and parent; women in all job sectors are more affected by the recession, especially in jobs like finance where a male-dominated environment might lead to high-ranking women being axed because of the perception they arent tough enough; women with the ability to pretend they werent forced out of their jobs might do so by claiming they chose not to work to stay home and parentsuch women are not included in unemployment numbers or given the attendant benefits of unemployment; and the new frontier might be the flexibility stigma. The only way to get rid of the flexibility stigma is to embrace a culture where professional men and women each take off work in equal measure to care for children or attend to household tasks. Then, we might in a world where there is a parent stigma but at least it wont be borne solely by women. (Leonhard, 2010, August.) Conclusion. Because it does not conform to the standard conception of a profession, motherhood might seem to have no place in this issue. A woman requires no special expertise, no knowledge, skill or educational degree to become a mother. Furthermore, the work she does as a mother is unpaid, sometimes even unrecognized as work. These two features of motherood its accessibility to any fertile girl or woman, and the fact that society provides no financial compensation to mothers for their hard workare often lamented, though towards very different political ends. In fact, motherhood might be considered the very opposite of a profession: a status dependent upon biological, cultural and social factors, not educational ones, and involving labor done without pay or recognized steps to advancement. (article)

The Significance of Music in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman Essays

The Significance of Music in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman     Ã‚   Human emotions are something that we seldom find a way to express clearly: from simple hand gestures, to a disgusted face. To understand his novel more thoroughly, Arthur Miller uses the most understandable method of comprehension, music, to express the emotions of the characters in his play, "Death of a Salesman". The characters, Willy, Linda, Biff, Happy, and Ben, have a certain style of music and instruments portraying them to show the reader what type of emotional person they are. The beginning of the play starts with a soft, sweet, flute medley that announces Willy’s gradual trek home from Yonkers. This slow tune of confusion ends abruptly as Willy comes home and tells of his troubles in Yonkers. This sentimental sound is heard once more during Ben’s first visit to Willy’s house. His story of father and his flute-making business sets a warm tone only to be wrecked by Ben’s action of throwing Biff, a young, curious boy, to the ground, helplessly. The final performance of this tune is heard at Willy’s sad funeral, where Linda pays her respects to her well-liked husband. Ending on a sad note, the flute appears in time of odd emotions. In the beginning of the play, a state of confu... ...illy’s funeral. Starting out a bit cheerful, the tune fades from a major key to a minor key, hence going from a merry sound to one of sadness and desperation, yet a good sound for a well-deserved tribute. Willy was a mislead salesman. He wanted the best for his boys. Joyous songs always backed up these times. But when his craving for the best turned into the worst, an unpleasant song backed it up. When Willy was confused, a medley of the two was heard. Human emotions are something we all take for granted because they are not properly understood. Music is just one of the many ways that will make these emotions understandable. The Significance of Music in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman Essays The Significance of Music in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman     Ã‚   Human emotions are something that we seldom find a way to express clearly: from simple hand gestures, to a disgusted face. To understand his novel more thoroughly, Arthur Miller uses the most understandable method of comprehension, music, to express the emotions of the characters in his play, "Death of a Salesman". The characters, Willy, Linda, Biff, Happy, and Ben, have a certain style of music and instruments portraying them to show the reader what type of emotional person they are. The beginning of the play starts with a soft, sweet, flute medley that announces Willy’s gradual trek home from Yonkers. This slow tune of confusion ends abruptly as Willy comes home and tells of his troubles in Yonkers. This sentimental sound is heard once more during Ben’s first visit to Willy’s house. His story of father and his flute-making business sets a warm tone only to be wrecked by Ben’s action of throwing Biff, a young, curious boy, to the ground, helplessly. The final performance of this tune is heard at Willy’s sad funeral, where Linda pays her respects to her well-liked husband. Ending on a sad note, the flute appears in time of odd emotions. In the beginning of the play, a state of confu... ...illy’s funeral. Starting out a bit cheerful, the tune fades from a major key to a minor key, hence going from a merry sound to one of sadness and desperation, yet a good sound for a well-deserved tribute. Willy was a mislead salesman. He wanted the best for his boys. Joyous songs always backed up these times. But when his craving for the best turned into the worst, an unpleasant song backed it up. When Willy was confused, a medley of the two was heard. Human emotions are something we all take for granted because they are not properly understood. Music is just one of the many ways that will make these emotions understandable.

Alternative Power Solutions Essay -- Technology Electricity Essays

Alternative Power Solutions Our society has become reliant upon technology and continues to increase with time. Computers and many other electronic devices are used in the houses and educational applications. These technologies depend on the energy companies to function. The quality of power that the consumer receives is determined by the area that they live. There are many different ways that these companies go about providing energy. The largest form of energy in the United States is coal. Coal is a general term for a wide variety of solid materials that are high in carbon content. Most coal is burned by electric utility companies to produce steam to turn their generators. Some coal also is used in factories to provide heat for buildings and industrial processes; and a special, high-quality coal is turned into metallurgical coke for use in making steel. (Yergin and Stobaugh) Of the 1.2 billion tons of coal expected to be extracted in the United States this year, more than 80 percent will be used to generate electricity. Indeed, nationwide, about 52 percent of the electricity generated in the country are produced by coal-fired power plants. (Reeves) There is a very large quantity of coal that is produced in America that results in a low cost. However coal plants yield a by-product of sulfur dioxide particles, nitrogen oxide and other airborne toxins. These gases are referred to as green house gases that produce acid rain and global warming. The main reason for the use of this form of energy is the expense. Coal is a very cheap form of energy and is a very plentiful natural resource but is not the best energy source. Another way to make electrical energy is to use a nuclear reactor. â€Å"Nuclear Energy ... ...There is a definite need to refine this technology to make it more marketable to the consumer to compete with other energy companies. This technology has a great potential for getting rid of tacky power lines, transformers, meter boxes and other devices used to transmit power. Losing power has to be one of the most inconvenient things to have happen. For example: a storm comes through the night before (insert some big event) and all of the power in the area is knocked out. That morning would be a nightmare if it was ever to happen but I am sure it happens every now and then. So why should the customer rely on factors that are beyond control? If customers buy a fuel cell they will have a self-sustained power supply that is reliable and safe. In conclusion, the fuel cell is the best form of alternative energy source and is the most feasible among all of them.

Merchant Of Venice :: Free Merchant of Venice Essays

Villain of Venice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People often find security and self-assurance in acting evil towards other people. They may be out to destroy others, or improve their own social status. However, at the same time, the “villain'; may also be out for revenge. Shylock, from William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, has each of these motives as he takes on the role of the antagonist in this play. Shylock, the Jew, manages to mistreat almost everyone in his life. He especially acts as a villain towards Lancelet his young servant, Antonio the Christian, and even his own daughter, Jessica.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shylock is a very harsh master to the young Lancelet. He is very belligerent towards the young boy, and he seems to enjoy mistreating the young boy. “Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call.'; (Act 2, Scene 5, Line 9) He realizes that Lancelet is much lower than he is on the social and economic level, and he does not let the youngster forget his status by continually acting antagonistic towards him. He makes Lancelet appear to be a sluggard who sleeps all day and does little work. He always seems to criticize the poor boy behind his back and complain about his laziness. Even after Shylock sees that Lancelet is gone, he continues to reproach his work as a servant. It seems as though Shylock is trying to elevate his own self-esteem, by acting contentious towards his servant.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The way in which Shylock treats his own daughter is beyond comprehension. He virtually locks her in the house when he goes to the masque one night. Shylock redundantly enforces the importance that she lock the house up after he leaves. Lock up my doors, and when you hear the drum…   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clamber not you up to the casements then, Nor thrust your head into the public street… But stop my house’s ears (I mean my casements). Let not the sound of shallow fopp’ry enter my sober house. (Act 2, Scene 5, Lines 30-37) He makes her captive in her own home and forbids her to so much as look out a window. Jessica refers to her home as hell and, although she is sad to see him go, tells Lancelet that he is making a wise decision. It is evident throughout the play that Shylock does not care as much for his daughter as he does for his material possessions. When he tells Jessica to lock up the house after he leaves, it is not because he fears for her safety, but rather because he is hesitant about leaving his personal property. Merchant Of Venice :: Free Merchant of Venice Essays Villain of Venice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People often find security and self-assurance in acting evil towards other people. They may be out to destroy others, or improve their own social status. However, at the same time, the “villain'; may also be out for revenge. Shylock, from William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, has each of these motives as he takes on the role of the antagonist in this play. Shylock, the Jew, manages to mistreat almost everyone in his life. He especially acts as a villain towards Lancelet his young servant, Antonio the Christian, and even his own daughter, Jessica.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shylock is a very harsh master to the young Lancelet. He is very belligerent towards the young boy, and he seems to enjoy mistreating the young boy. “Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call.'; (Act 2, Scene 5, Line 9) He realizes that Lancelet is much lower than he is on the social and economic level, and he does not let the youngster forget his status by continually acting antagonistic towards him. He makes Lancelet appear to be a sluggard who sleeps all day and does little work. He always seems to criticize the poor boy behind his back and complain about his laziness. Even after Shylock sees that Lancelet is gone, he continues to reproach his work as a servant. It seems as though Shylock is trying to elevate his own self-esteem, by acting contentious towards his servant.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The way in which Shylock treats his own daughter is beyond comprehension. He virtually locks her in the house when he goes to the masque one night. Shylock redundantly enforces the importance that she lock the house up after he leaves. Lock up my doors, and when you hear the drum…   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clamber not you up to the casements then, Nor thrust your head into the public street… But stop my house’s ears (I mean my casements). Let not the sound of shallow fopp’ry enter my sober house. (Act 2, Scene 5, Lines 30-37) He makes her captive in her own home and forbids her to so much as look out a window. Jessica refers to her home as hell and, although she is sad to see him go, tells Lancelet that he is making a wise decision. It is evident throughout the play that Shylock does not care as much for his daughter as he does for his material possessions. When he tells Jessica to lock up the house after he leaves, it is not because he fears for her safety, but rather because he is hesitant about leaving his personal property.

Teaching Ethics

School for scandal? Business schools turn their attention to ethics education This case examines the role of the business school in encouraging corruption in business, and looks at the potential impacts that business ethics training might have on students. It offers the opportunity to explore the significance of the individual and their education and experience for understanding ethical decision-making. It also provides a context for investigating the specific role, purpose, and impact of business ethics courses on business behaviour.When it turns out that the key figures in some of the most infamous cases of fraud and corruption in business are alumni from leading business schools, it is perhaps not surprising that the business schools themselves might come in for some criticism. After all, if people like Andrew Fastow, the convicted chief financial officer at Enron, or his boss Jeffrey Skilling, could have got MBAs from two of America’s premier business schools (Northwestern and Harvard, respectively) and , then it is inevitable that questions will be raised about what kinds of principles and practices business school students are being taught.In the last few years, a number of business gurus and commentators have publicly condemned business schools in general, and MBA programmes in particular, for their perpetuation of ‘misguided’ amoral theories and techniques, and the lack of attention to ethics in the curriculum.For example, Henry Mintzberg, the Canadian management expert has famously condemned the MBA model, suggesting that it ‘trains the wrong people in the wrong ways with the wrong consequences’, whilst Sumantra Ghoshal, the late London Business School professor has argued that the ‘worst excesses of recent management practices have their roots in a set of ideas that have emerged from business-school academics over the last 30 years. Ghoshal’s ire is directed to typical theories taught at business schools s uch as agency theory and Porter’s ‘5 forces’ model, which he claims perpetuate an idea that everyone is self-interested, managers cannot be trusted, business is a zero-sum game, and shareholder value is the only legitimate aim of business. The perpetuation of such assumptions, he suggests, leaves business school students devoid of any sense of moral responsibility. These criticisms have received a lot of attention in academic debates, but have also been readily recounted in the media and the business community.For instance The Economist ran a 2005 article headlined ‘Business schools stand accused of being responsible for much that is wrong with corporate management today’ which brought the arguments from Ghoshal, Mintzberg, and others to a wider audience – albeit in a context where the magazine rather predictably mounted a strong defence. After all, as The Economist argued, there are plenty of examples of corporate crooks who have not had a bu siness school education, so there are clearly other aspects to consider too.Nevertheless, whatever else the debate has done, it has certainly helped refocus the attention of business schools on their curricula, and especially on the provision of courses on ethics and social responsibility. At one level, this debate is simply about whether more business schools should be encouraged to introduce such courses into the curriculum. Whilst some schools have long included ethics in their curricula, others have tended to focus more on areas such as strategy, innovation, marketing and finance, whilst others have even dropped ethics courses due to low enrolments or political manoeuvring by sceptical colleagues.As one Wall Street Journal article put it, ‘MBA students and professors bristle at ethics requirements. Some faculty members resent being forced to squeeze ethics lessons into an already jam-packed syllabus, while students grumble that ethics classes tend to be preachy and philoso phical. ’ In this context, the evidence on the scale of ethics teaching is revealing. A recent survey of US schools found that 34 per cent required an ethics course at undergraduate level whilst only 25 per cent did so on MBA degrees.In Europe, the figures are if anything a little lower for compulsory courses, but more than 50 per cent of business schools report having an optional module on ethics or responsibility at undergraduate level and more than 30 per cent at masters level. Essentially, though, most business students can still complete a degree having had hardly any exposure to these subjects in the classroom – a situation that some are now trying to change. One development comes from the US, where a long running campaign by business ethics professors has been trying to make courses on ethics and responsibility compulsory for business students.Over 200 professors offered support to the campaign, but the AACSB (the body responsible for accrediting business degree programmes) appears, so far, to be unconvinced. A recent redraft of their guidelines for accreditation did not bow to the campaigners’ demands, and business ethics remains outside of their list of accredited subjects. Diane Swanson and Bill Frederick, the campaign leaders responded by condemning the AACSB’s arguments for excluding ethics as ‘desperate and out of date against the backdrop of unprecedented corporate scandals, increased public distrust of business, and a virtual sea change in corporate governance. However, some leading schools have moved towards greater attention to ethics. Harvard Business School, for instance, introduced a compulsory course on ‘Leadership and Corporate Accountability’ for all first year students in 2004 – a development that the school claimed represented ‘the most far-reaching course we’ve ever introduced on this subject’. In Europe, the situation is also changing, and in fact there appears to be significantly more support than in the US from European accrediting bodies.The Association of MBAs for example, has issued new criteria for the accreditation of MBA programmes that stipulate that the curriculum ‘should pay attention to ethical and social issues’, while the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) is also considering ways to integrate CSR into its EQUIS accreditation. New academic departments and centres have also sprung up in universities to lead ethics and responsibility teaching, such as the Business and Society Management department at Rotterdam School of Management and the International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility in Nottingham University Business School.Whilst there is still a long way to go before schools successfully infuse ethics education across all of their courses, such developments certainly point to an increased emphasis over the past decade. Ethics and corporate responsibility feature far more prominently in the prospectuses of business schools than they did even a few years ago. Questions remain though about how ethics should best be integrated into the curriculum, and even whether exposure to the subject really has a positive effect on the decisions made by managers.While some maintain that a stand alone course on ethics is necessary to develop a suitable understanding of the subject and to consolidate its importance on the curriculum, others argue that this raises the prospects of generating an ‘ethics ghetto’ unconnected to mainstream business subjects such as finance and marketing. And the jury is still out on just how much of an effect any form of ethics training is likely to have on individuals. Various objections have been raised over the years, including the suggestion that students’ morality is already fixed and cannot be improved, and the accusations that ethics teaching is abstract, mbiguous, subjective, and little more than indoctrination from self-r ighteous ideologues. Of course, the extent to which some of these accusations are true will vary from course to course, and on the goals of any specific programme. In the main, evidence suggests that courses are rather better at enhancing students’ recognition of ethical issues, stimulating their moral imagination, and developing their analytical skills rather than improving students’ moral development or changing their values.As one business ethics professor puts it, ‘I do not want to teach moral standards; I want to teach a method of moral reasoning through complex issues so that students can apply the moral standards they have. ’ This highlights another growing debate among business ethics professors about the very purpose of business ethics education – and even what a business ethics course should consist of. Whilst one camp retains belief in the established practice of teaching moral philosophy to develop better normative thinking among student s, other camps have started to emerge.Some business school professors see more need to focus on practical management concerns, such as managing the corporate reputation or preventing accounting fraud, whilst others point to the need to understand ethics within wider social, political, and economic structures. One recent business ethics textbook (by Jones et al. 2005) was even introduced by the authors with an admission that they were ‘not particularly fond of business ethics’ because ‘business ethics in its present form is at best window dressing and a worst a calculated lie’!Ultimately then, developments in the field of business ethics education suggests that business schools and accreditation bodies may be beginning to take the subject more seriously, especially in Europe where something of a momentum appears to be building. However, the future direction of business ethics remains in some doubt. Not only will its integration into the curriculum remain pro blematic for some time yet, but as the subject expands and develops, the approach to teaching business ethics will probably shift quite considerably into new conceptual territory.Whatever the outcome, business ethics will have to go a long way before it presents a completely convincing antidote to corporate wrongdoing, and misconduct in the workplace. Questions 1. What are the main factors encouraging business ethics education and what are the main barriers to its further development and expansion? 2. To what extent can business education cause or prevent ethical infractions in business? Give arguments for and against. 3. Given the importance of situational factors in shaping ethical decision-making, what are the limitations posed by business ethics courses that focus on individual students?How would you design a course to focus primarily on situational issues? 4. Consider the aims and approach of the business ethics course that you are currently studying. What are these, and how ef fective is the approach for achieving these aims? What would you like to see done differently? Sources Alsop, R. 2005. At MBA programs, teaching ethics poses its own dilemmas. Wall Street Journal, 12 April. wsj. com. Boston Globe. 2003. Harvard raises its hand on ethics. Boston Globe, 30 December. Ghoshal, S. 2003.Business schools share the blame for Enron. Financial Times, 18 July. Ghoshal, S. 2005. Bad management theories are destroying good management practices. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 4 (1): 75–91. Jones, C. , Parker, M. , and ten Bos, R. 2005. For business ethics. London: Routledge. Lacy, P. 2005. From the margins to the mainstream: corporate responsibility and the challenge facing business and business schools. Business Leadership Review, 1 (2) (April): 3. Matten, D. and Moon, J. 2004.Corporate social responsibility in Europe. Journal of Business Ethics, 54: 323–37. McDonald, G. M. and Donleavy, G. D. 1995. Objections to the teaching of busi ness ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 14: 839–53. Mintzberg, H. 2004. Managers not MBAs: a hard look at the soft practice of managing and management development. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall. Swanson, D. and Frederick, W. 2005. Campaign AACSB: status report, January. www. pitt. edu/~rorst6/sim/aacsb. The Economist. 2005. Business schools, bad for business. The Economist, 17 February. Teaching Ethics School for scandal? Business schools turn their attention to ethics education This case examines the role of the business school in encouraging corruption in business, and looks at the potential impacts that business ethics training might have on students. It offers the opportunity to explore the significance of the individual and their education and experience for understanding ethical decision-making. It also provides a context for investigating the specific role, purpose, and impact of business ethics courses on business behaviour.When it turns out that the key figures in some of the most infamous cases of fraud and corruption in business are alumni from leading business schools, it is perhaps not surprising that the business schools themselves might come in for some criticism. After all, if people like Andrew Fastow, the convicted chief financial officer at Enron, or his boss Jeffrey Skilling, could have got MBAs from two of America’s premier business schools (Northwestern and Harvard, respectively) and , then it is inevitable that questions will be raised about what kinds of principles and practices business school students are being taught.In the last few years, a number of business gurus and commentators have publicly condemned business schools in general, and MBA programmes in particular, for their perpetuation of ‘misguided’ amoral theories and techniques, and the lack of attention to ethics in the curriculum.For example, Henry Mintzberg, the Canadian management expert has famously condemned the MBA model, suggesting that it ‘trains the wrong people in the wrong ways with the wrong consequences’, whilst Sumantra Ghoshal, the late London Business School professor has argued that the ‘worst excesses of recent management practices have their roots in a set of ideas that have emerged from business-school academics over the last 30 years. Ghoshal’s ire is directed to typical theories taught at business schools s uch as agency theory and Porter’s ‘5 forces’ model, which he claims perpetuate an idea that everyone is self-interested, managers cannot be trusted, business is a zero-sum game, and shareholder value is the only legitimate aim of business. The perpetuation of such assumptions, he suggests, leaves business school students devoid of any sense of moral responsibility. These criticisms have received a lot of attention in academic debates, but have also been readily recounted in the media and the business community.For instance The Economist ran a 2005 article headlined ‘Business schools stand accused of being responsible for much that is wrong with corporate management today’ which brought the arguments from Ghoshal, Mintzberg, and others to a wider audience – albeit in a context where the magazine rather predictably mounted a strong defence. After all, as The Economist argued, there are plenty of examples of corporate crooks who have not had a bu siness school education, so there are clearly other aspects to consider too.Nevertheless, whatever else the debate has done, it has certainly helped refocus the attention of business schools on their curricula, and especially on the provision of courses on ethics and social responsibility. At one level, this debate is simply about whether more business schools should be encouraged to introduce such courses into the curriculum. Whilst some schools have long included ethics in their curricula, others have tended to focus more on areas such as strategy, innovation, marketing and finance, whilst others have even dropped ethics courses due to low enrolments or political manoeuvring by sceptical colleagues.As one Wall Street Journal article put it, ‘MBA students and professors bristle at ethics requirements. Some faculty members resent being forced to squeeze ethics lessons into an already jam-packed syllabus, while students grumble that ethics classes tend to be preachy and philoso phical. ’ In this context, the evidence on the scale of ethics teaching is revealing. A recent survey of US schools found that 34 per cent required an ethics course at undergraduate level whilst only 25 per cent did so on MBA degrees.In Europe, the figures are if anything a little lower for compulsory courses, but more than 50 per cent of business schools report having an optional module on ethics or responsibility at undergraduate level and more than 30 per cent at masters level. Essentially, though, most business students can still complete a degree having had hardly any exposure to these subjects in the classroom – a situation that some are now trying to change. One development comes from the US, where a long running campaign by business ethics professors has been trying to make courses on ethics and responsibility compulsory for business students.Over 200 professors offered support to the campaign, but the AACSB (the body responsible for accrediting business degree programmes) appears, so far, to be unconvinced. A recent redraft of their guidelines for accreditation did not bow to the campaigners’ demands, and business ethics remains outside of their list of accredited subjects. Diane Swanson and Bill Frederick, the campaign leaders responded by condemning the AACSB’s arguments for excluding ethics as ‘desperate and out of date against the backdrop of unprecedented corporate scandals, increased public distrust of business, and a virtual sea change in corporate governance. However, some leading schools have moved towards greater attention to ethics. Harvard Business School, for instance, introduced a compulsory course on ‘Leadership and Corporate Accountability’ for all first year students in 2004 – a development that the school claimed represented ‘the most far-reaching course we’ve ever introduced on this subject’. In Europe, the situation is also changing, and in fact there appears to be significantly more support than in the US from European accrediting bodies.The Association of MBAs for example, has issued new criteria for the accreditation of MBA programmes that stipulate that the curriculum ‘should pay attention to ethical and social issues’, while the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) is also considering ways to integrate CSR into its EQUIS accreditation. New academic departments and centres have also sprung up in universities to lead ethics and responsibility teaching, such as the Business and Society Management department at Rotterdam School of Management and the International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility in Nottingham University Business School.Whilst there is still a long way to go before schools successfully infuse ethics education across all of their courses, such developments certainly point to an increased emphasis over the past decade. Ethics and corporate responsibility feature far more prominently in the prospectuses of business schools than they did even a few years ago. Questions remain though about how ethics should best be integrated into the curriculum, and even whether exposure to the subject really has a positive effect on the decisions made by managers.While some maintain that a stand alone course on ethics is necessary to develop a suitable understanding of the subject and to consolidate its importance on the curriculum, others argue that this raises the prospects of generating an ‘ethics ghetto’ unconnected to mainstream business subjects such as finance and marketing. And the jury is still out on just how much of an effect any form of ethics training is likely to have on individuals. Various objections have been raised over the years, including the suggestion that students’ morality is already fixed and cannot be improved, and the accusations that ethics teaching is abstract, mbiguous, subjective, and little more than indoctrination from self-r ighteous ideologues. Of course, the extent to which some of these accusations are true will vary from course to course, and on the goals of any specific programme. In the main, evidence suggests that courses are rather better at enhancing students’ recognition of ethical issues, stimulating their moral imagination, and developing their analytical skills rather than improving students’ moral development or changing their values.As one business ethics professor puts it, ‘I do not want to teach moral standards; I want to teach a method of moral reasoning through complex issues so that students can apply the moral standards they have. ’ This highlights another growing debate among business ethics professors about the very purpose of business ethics education – and even what a business ethics course should consist of. Whilst one camp retains belief in the established practice of teaching moral philosophy to develop better normative thinking among student s, other camps have started to emerge.Some business school professors see more need to focus on practical management concerns, such as managing the corporate reputation or preventing accounting fraud, whilst others point to the need to understand ethics within wider social, political, and economic structures. One recent business ethics textbook (by Jones et al. 2005) was even introduced by the authors with an admission that they were ‘not particularly fond of business ethics’ because ‘business ethics in its present form is at best window dressing and a worst a calculated lie’!Ultimately then, developments in the field of business ethics education suggests that business schools and accreditation bodies may be beginning to take the subject more seriously, especially in Europe where something of a momentum appears to be building. However, the future direction of business ethics remains in some doubt. Not only will its integration into the curriculum remain pro blematic for some time yet, but as the subject expands and develops, the approach to teaching business ethics will probably shift quite considerably into new conceptual territory.Whatever the outcome, business ethics will have to go a long way before it presents a completely convincing antidote to corporate wrongdoing, and misconduct in the workplace. Questions 1. What are the main factors encouraging business ethics education and what are the main barriers to its further development and expansion? 2. To what extent can business education cause or prevent ethical infractions in business? Give arguments for and against. 3. Given the importance of situational factors in shaping ethical decision-making, what are the limitations posed by business ethics courses that focus on individual students?How would you design a course to focus primarily on situational issues? 4. Consider the aims and approach of the business ethics course that you are currently studying. What are these, and how ef fective is the approach for achieving these aims? What would you like to see done differently? Sources Alsop, R. 2005. At MBA programs, teaching ethics poses its own dilemmas. Wall Street Journal, 12 April. wsj. com. Boston Globe. 2003. Harvard raises its hand on ethics. Boston Globe, 30 December. Ghoshal, S. 2003.Business schools share the blame for Enron. Financial Times, 18 July. Ghoshal, S. 2005. Bad management theories are destroying good management practices. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 4 (1): 75–91. Jones, C. , Parker, M. , and ten Bos, R. 2005. For business ethics. London: Routledge. Lacy, P. 2005. From the margins to the mainstream: corporate responsibility and the challenge facing business and business schools. Business Leadership Review, 1 (2) (April): 3. Matten, D. and Moon, J. 2004.Corporate social responsibility in Europe. Journal of Business Ethics, 54: 323–37. McDonald, G. M. and Donleavy, G. D. 1995. Objections to the teaching of busi ness ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 14: 839–53. Mintzberg, H. 2004. Managers not MBAs: a hard look at the soft practice of managing and management development. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall. Swanson, D. and Frederick, W. 2005. Campaign AACSB: status report, January. www. pitt. edu/~rorst6/sim/aacsb. The Economist. 2005. Business schools, bad for business. The Economist, 17 February.