Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed Essays

Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed Essays Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed Paper Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed Paper Everyone has a different way of learning. Some enjoy listening to lectures and taking notes, others enjoy having a hands-on learning experience, and there are other people that enjoy doing both.I will be discussing two learning techniques that Paulo Freire discussed in his analysis of a teacher-student relationship entitled, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. One of the techniques discussed is called the banking concept, and the other is called the problem-posing method. I willfirst discuss the concept of banking, where you have the students as depositories and the teacher is the depositor.With the teacher, or educator, as the narrator in the classroom, the students are lead to memorize what is said.For example, the educator may say, The square root of 100 is 10.Later, when asked what the square root of 100 is, the students will respond with the answer 10, without knowing how they got the response.To the teacher, the more information that is fed to the students, the better he or she is as a teacher. In education, there must be a solution of the teacher-student contradiction, but this solution cannot be found in the banking concept.In contrast, this banking system maintains the contradiction through the following practices: (1) the teacher teaches and the students are taught, (2) the teacher knows everything and the students know nothing, (3) the teacher thinks and the students are thought about, (4) the teacher talks and the students listen, (5) the teacher disciplines and the students are disciplined, (6) the teacher chooses and enforces his choice, and the students comply, (7) the teacher acts and the students have the illusion of acting through the action of the teacher, (8) the teacher chooses the program content, and the students adapt to it, (9) the teacher confuses the authority of knowledge with his or her own professional authority.

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buy custom Balanced Scorecard essay The balanced scorecard helps a company in planning for its future endeavors so as to ensure that the company attains a sustainable competitive advantage which is based on its long-term survival in the competitive market and also increase in its profit margins. The Balanced Scorecard is an avenue which provides an approach into deciding the companys strategies, the objectives which can make it to attain its strategic visions, and how it can deliver so as to get an outcome which is very desirable in the future. The balances scorecard can help in the transformation of the strategic plans of a company since it provides a framework which gives the performance measurements which can help the decision makers in the company to identify how the performance can be measured and also what can actually be done in the measuring of the performance. This paper will focus on Pearson Plc. Company which is a publishing company and it investigates if the balanced scorecard has any link to the strategy and vision of the company in 4 measurement areas namely; the financial perspective, the customer perspective, the internal business process perspective and the growth and learning perspectives. The paper furthers the suggestions which have been tabled to be some improvements in the balanced scorecard and the limitations. Vision and strategy A strategy is a directional scope of an organization over its long-term abilities, which are usually aimed at achieving the set goals of a company. There are nine forces which can serve as a basis for a business strategy: the products offered, the market needs, the technology, the production capability, the methods of sales, the methods of distribution, the natural resources, the size and growth, and the returns in the profit levels. The decisions to a proper and successful strategy are determined by the products and services, the customers, the market segments, and the geographic areas. In order for a business to be able to achieve its set objectives, it must be able to come up with a strategy which is suitable, like, for example, if the strategys aim is to increase the companys total revenue, then the strategy has to be aimed at new investments, or even the launching of new products. A strategy is very difficult to be reversed, since when a company decides to implement a strategy, it is absolutely not possible to be able to switch the resources towards another direction. The outcome of a good strategic plan is the goal setting of a company which is purely based on its vision and mission statement. The vision of Pearson Plc. Company is about the powering of the performance in in education where its current strategy is aimed at the provision of all schools with a flexible choice and the use of the new technology so as to establish the needed infrastructure which is essential for powering performance to all its stakeholders. The success of our company which usually operates mainly for marketing and the acquisition of high profits are dependent on the management and the establishment of all the products and services that are being offered by the company (Miles, 2003). For our company to be able to compete and survive in the competitive market, it has to be very successful. A sustainable competitive advantage is a prolonged benefit that a company possesses and achieves by the creation of new products and services which are valued and targeted by the market and they cannot be replaced easily or even duplicated by the competition (Adrian and Rieple 2008). It requires that a company or a business unit is able to erect suitable barriers against competition by looking at the basis of competition and who the business is competing against. PEARSON has been able to have a sustainable competitive advantage because of its efficient market hypothesis and its consideration of price volume relation in terms of stock pr ices in the stock market (Hamel Prahalad) In order for a business to be able to achieve a set of objectives, it must be able to develop a suitable strategy, for example, if the strategys aim is to increase the companys total revenue, then the strategy has to be aimed at new investments or launching of new products (Cobbold Lawrie, 2002). Pearsons marketing strategy is simple and it aims at the total satisfaction of all customers, which is one of the marketing tools that the company uses to create the product awareness among high and middle income individuals. Balanced scorecard A balanced scorecard (BSC) is a management and a strategic planning system which is used in a business so as to align the vision and strategy of the organization, monitor all the organizations general performances according the strategic goals that they have set, and also aids in the improving of the external and the internal communications in the organization (Voelper, et al., 2006). Strategic planning is a systematic process which is continuous and is aimed at guiding an organization into making solid decisions about its future, to be able to develop all the procedures and operations that are necessary for the organization to achieve its future set goals, and also to develop and determine ways on how the success of the company or organization will be achieved (Richard, et al., 2009). The balanced scorecard (BSC) was developed by Drs. Robert Kaplan and David Norton (2004) as being a framework which could be used to measure performance of the organization where they were able to describe the balanced scorecard to retain all the aspects of the traditional financial measures which in most cases tell more about the past events in an organization where the customer relationships and the long-term capabilities were not considered to be critical for the success of the organization (Lynch, 2006) . The Figure below shows a balanced scorecard which is suitable for use by the directors and managers of Pearson Plc. Company in aligning its business activities to the companys vision and strategy and also in the monitoring of the performance against the strategic goals. Personal drive is the main facto in the execution of the Pearson companys strategy which involves courage of the leaders and the managers, who in most cases are able to take responsibilities for their own actions and are also able to reorganize (Thompson Strickland 2003) the company by showing great courage and readiness to jump into action so that new ideas can begin to take effect at once. The leadership in the Pearson Company has enabled it to soar into greater heights The balance scorecard brings out 4 perspectives which show that there exist a balance between the subjective measures and objective measures, the driving forces of all the future results and the performance results, and the external and internal measures (Papalexandris, et al., 2005). The Financial Perspective The financial perspective in a business entails the decision makers to analyze the finances of the company where they can be able to determine if the management of the finances has achieved the companys objectives and mission. The financial perspectives in Pearson Company include the operating income which is shown in the Pearsons income statement, economic value added, and the return on capital employed which is estimated to be about 13.3% in 2010 and 13.4% in 2009 (Appendix A). The Customer Perspective The customer perspective implies that customer satisfaction is very essential to a company or business. This is because it is the customers who consume the products and they have needs and wants which should be met so as to continue consuming the companys products and also bring in brand new customers to the company. Pearsons main aim is consumer satisfaction since the company believes that it is the customer that determines the profitability of a company. This includes measure like the retention of the existing customers, the total market share in the market segments, and consumer satisfaction. In the customer perspective, Pearson used the customers satisfaction rates where they used polls to get the data where they targeted about 89% customer satisfaction. This is because the Pearson Company usually contacts online surveys so as to determine the satisfaction of all their customers so as to know how to plan for the future of the consumer welfare. The Business Process Perspective The business process perspective is what proceeds the customer perspective since a company should be able to analyze all the processes which it uses in satisfying the customers needs. This can help the company to analyze if its internal processes are efficient enough to meet the expectations of the customers and also it can enable the company to come up with new strategies on how they can improve their service and product delivery, and also improve in their efficiency in the future. In the business perspective, Pearson used the metric of servicing all the calls coming to the call center by the potential customers where the target was to answer each call that came in within 30 minutes where the second target was to decrease the total number of calls which were dropped to 3% or less. This metric helped in measuring the incoming calls with the plan of the implementation of a phone tracker so as to track all the calls that comes in from the customers. The Learning and Growth Perspective The learning and growth perspective includes learning and innovation which are needed by the company so that it can attain a competitive advantage over its close competitors. Employee training and education is very important and the company has to motivate the employees. The key decision makers would be able to determine the strategic positioning of the company and also make sure that all the objectives and goals which have been set have been attained in the future. In the learning perspective, Staff development is an important process in Pearson where the company encourages the training of employees so as to improve on the companys efficiency. This perspective includes measures like the satisfaction and the retention of the employees, and the skills set. In this perspective, the employees of Pearson were supposed to each take some courses and training where they were supposed to be tested and those who succeed will have got a 90% in the test. The company will come up with a training module which will later be followed by a test. Pearson has the ability to continuously come up with revolutionary innovations which help to boost the companys sales and also widen the profit margins, this shows that Pearson has a great and a substantial innovation resources which are very hard to be imitated by the companys close competitors and they are very valuable to the company. Through the human resource management, Pearson Company is able to provide skills through the training of all its employees around the globe which would equip them with all the knowledge and skills which are required to be able to produce a better output (Johnson, et al., 2005). The motivation of employees in a company is very vital since it contributes to the profitability of the company in terms of an increase in the output levels since the employees are very willing to work and produce more. Strategic positioning of Pearson is at the point of gathering sufficient information concerning the internal and the external environments and also including the companys stakeholders in making important strategic decisions. It is very important for the Pearson to take into account the future of the company by trying to access the suitability of the current strategy (Johnson et al. 2005). The stakeholders of Pearson Company are the key parties that have influence over the company and its future endeavors. Some of the major key stakeholders of Pearson Company are employees, customers, the government, investors, institutions, shareholders, and suppliers. The BSC objectives of Pearson company is that the company intends and aims to be worlds leading publishing company in London andd for that to be possible, the company it has to increase its turnover from the financial perspective by increasing its turnover by about 15% which then becomes the new financial objective of the company. This turnover is provided by the potential customers of the companys products since they should be able to get all their delivering in a timely manner which makes the customer objective. The company also has other internal activities like the filling of orders, production planning and control, and purchasing where all of those internal activities start with the customer receiving the order and ends with the customer getting all the delivering of the goods and services which in the end makes up the process objective. Another form of a process objective is where all the orders are entered in the production and planning systems. The innovations objective states that there is need for changes especially in the infrastructure so as to ensure that the companys strategy is fully accomplished. The measures which are the key performance indicators (KPI) of BSC are the parameters which are observable and are used by the company to attain its set objectives. The Pearson Company has a profitable growth objective which is measurable through the measurement of the companys net margin growth. The identification of the balance scorecards initiatives is very important since the initiatives act as the main drivers of the strategy and it also addresses the gaps which are between the BSC targets and the BSC measures and the measures which are geared towards performance (Kaplan and Norton, 2004). Niven (2002) argued that initiatives which are effective would help in closing the gap which exists between the desired performance and the current performance. The limitations of a balanced score card are that it can take a very long time to implement the whole project where the company would be required to make time for investments so as to be able to implement on the project. The implementation in Pearson required that there be the participation of each employee since there were numerous data which were required which could take a very long time and the whole process to be tiring. The definition of the measures of the organization is also not a very easy task where the company would have to choose only those measures which can be linked. A strategy map is used by a company like Pearson company As a communication tool to show how value can be created for the company since they demonstrate a logical connection in the strategic objectives which can be in the cause-and-effect chain form. It improves the general performance in all the objectives which are mainly found on the bottom row which can enable a company to be able to improve the internal process of the companys perspective objectives which are usually shown in the next row up which further leads to the creation of desirable results by the company in the financial and customer perspectives which are shown in the two rows which are on top. A strategy map links the shareholder, the management, customer, core capabilities, innovation, information technology, process management, value creation, and quality management where it helps in describing the strategy and then communicating the strategies to the top executives and the other employees in the company. What I would recommend to the board of Pearson Company is that they should adapt a leadership management strategy. In order for a company to be successful in the competitive market there is a need to have good innovative leaders and also are very good in the decision making of the company. Some executives are solely to be blamed for the failure of the businesses and the companies that they manage because they prioritize the profit goal ahead of the customer satisfaction goal (Wright et al., 2005). The customers play a very important role in the existence of the company since however good the companys products are, it needs the customers to purchase the products. Customer satisfaction determines the profitability of the company and the total sales that a company makes because the better the customer satisfaction the more the consumption of the products. The executives of Pearson Company are leaders and they should come up with a good decision making process and have very good leadership qualities which would enable them to lead the company towards attaining its set goals and objectives (Sadler-Smith 2006). The reason why I recommended the leadership management strategy is that leadership is crucial for the company. A successful organization should have a well-defined far-sighted stand and, above all, a good leadership management, which is innovative enough to be able to pursue the objectives of the organization. A goal is an endeavor to achieve something during a specified period of time and it is supposed to be realistic and specific. Such goals the company sets are then translated by its leaders into activities and objectives. The main aim of the executives of Pearson Company is to move the organization into attaining a high performance through the operational planning and making it a global visionary company. In conclusion, a balance card can help a company to measure its performance which can lead to the success of the company but for the balance score card to be effective, there has to be good leaders in the company. Leadership in any organization starts with a vision, which is directed towards the goals of the company, and a good leader is the one who is aimed at scoring big successes for his organization. Leaders help when it comes to the strategic planning, which is a systematic continuous process and is aimed at guiding an organization into making solid decisions about its future, to be able to develop all the procedures and operations that are necessary for the organization to achieve its future set goals, and also to develop and determine ways on how the success of the company or organization will be achieved. This strategic plan is usually a long term plan of action which is designed by an organization in order to achieve its set goals and objectives (Thompson Frank 2005). 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Glaceau Smart Water Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Glaceau Smart Water - Essay Example However, in 1998 and 2000, the company added Fruit water and Vitamin water, respectively, thereby expanding its distribution operations to the entire country. By the year 2002, Glaceau’s line of water was the best selling enhanced water brand in the US. In 2006, the bottle water division earned the organization revenues of approximately $350 million (Geller 1). The immense success realized in the US pushed the company to establish business globally by launching its products in Australia, Argentina, UK and France. The source of Glaceau Smartwater is an artesian spring found in the Northern region of Connecticut. Since water naturally travels on the surface of the earth or through the ground, it picks up substances that naturally, as well as substances present as a result of human and animal activity. Glaceau Smartwater is, therefore, subjected to intricate distillation processes, which entail water purification (Glaceau 1). After distillation, the water bottling plant introduces, in the water, an approved balance of 10mg per liter of Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium, through the addition of electrolytes. Smartwater is available in 20 oz, 700ml, 1 liter and 1.5 liter bottles. The cost of Smartwater is relatively cheap; a liter of Smartwater costs approximately $1.39, which is relatively cheap compared to a liter of whole fat milk is $2.26 and a liter of gasoline goes for $3.315. Clearly, the cost of Smartwater is hardly comparable to that of other essential products such as milk and gasoline. The primary reason for why I drink Glaceau Smartwater is because the water is loaded with the aforementioned minerals, which are essential to ensuring health and wellbeing. I also drink the water because of its attractive bullet-shaped contained, which is essentially plastic with minimal breakage capacities. The conventional sport cap further

Resistance to Civil Government by Henry David Thoreau Research Paper

Resistance to Civil Government by Henry David Thoreau - Research Paper Example In this case, the society is responsible for choosing the leaders. The leaders have a responsibility to ensure the people are protected at all times. In this case, the government should only engage in activities that are to the interest of the people and not otherwise. In the case, the government is not doing what it ought to do, the society has the right to disobey the government and even oust that particular government and elect leaders they believe would look after their interests. Thoreau is one of the people who were not afraid to do civil disobedience. He refused to pay taxes to the government because it was involved in activities that do not support the principles of a good government. The American government-supported slavery and was also involved in war with Mexico because of Texas. In Thoreau’s view, the American government was on the wrong. He questioned whether governments really do what they ought to do with the taxes they raise. Do they finance the good or the ba d? Supporting oppressing activities like slavery indicated to Thoreau that the American government was probably not doing the right thing and was not using the money well (Thoreau 25). According to him, taxes should not be paid to the national government if they have to be paid. Instead, they should be paid to the local community that would be responsible for the improvement of the infrastructure and amenities in the local region. Thoreau also states that the government should be keen to listen to the people it rules. In the case, issues are raised, the government should communicate back and address the issues raised. Thoreau claimed that there were many people against slavery and Mexican war yet the government did nothing. If the American government was really concerned about Americans and operated as per the philosophy, then it should have listened to the people and stopped slavery and the Mexican War (Thoreau 29). Thoreau was categorical that people should be very careful with th eir perspectives on the government. He argues that supporting government is a good thing but should only be supported if it democratic and just. On the other hand, supporting a government that is not just or good is in fact, committing a crime. According to Thoreau, unjust government is known to commit many criminals’ activities like slavery in the United States and Mexican war or oppressing the minorities. People supporting unjust government are also involved in criminal activities indirectly. This can make a person to have a heavy burden on the wrong doings and injustices the government does. Thoreau stated that he could not recognize his government which he termed as slave government as it perpetrated slavery. He is categorical that supporting a government does not necessary mean proclaiming allegiance to the government. Rather, it involves supporting the government through taxes. Thoreau questioned whether the government really uses the money for a good course using the M exican war as an example. Money was spent in the war and it was from the taxes the good citizens of the country had paid. Not supporting the government would be to stop paying taxes, which would otherwise be used for the wrong reasons. Soldiers and other people, that are the machinery to execute the unjust activities, should refuse to work for the government (Thoreau 57). While this has not happened in many countries, some governments have worked to ensure that the interests of the people are addressed accordingly. On the

Paragraphing in Academic Writing Essay Example for Free

Paragraphing in Academic Writing Essay Although it often seems that paragraphs can take an infinite number of forms, there are really only a few formats for paragraphing in formal, academic prose. What makes paragraphs seem unique to the reader is the style of the writers prose, not the actual format of the information. There are four main types of paragraphs in academic prose: the standard paragraph, the explanatory paragraph, the evidential paragraph, and the introductory paragraph (whose format is sometimes mirrored in the conclusion). Note that the rules and formats described here apply to formal, academic prose, as opposed to paragraphing in newspapers, business, or electronic discourse. Each kind of writing has its own conventions, that is, rules and rhetorical strategies unique to a particular form of composition. In poetry, for example, line breaks contribute to the poems rhythm and overall message and mark the poem as a poem, not as another kind of writing. Conventions in paragraphing can vary from one kind of writing to another as well. In newspaper writing, paragraphs are one to three sentences because the narrow columns used in newspapers make even the shortest paragraph seem long. In electronic discourse, shorter paragraphs and more listing is used because it is more pleasing to the eyetaking advantage of the internets more visual features. A. Standard Paragraph Format Standard paragraphs are the most frequently used paragraph format and most of your essay paragraphs should follow this format. Standard paragraphs contain the following elements in order: 1. Most begin with a topic sentence that makes the main point to be discussed, analyzed, or argued within that paragraph. On very rare occasions, the paragraph may begin with a transition from the last paragraph, followed by the topic sentence for the new paragraph. Paragraphs do not begin with quotations or other kinds of evidence. Evidence must be introduced after the point of the paragraph is made and explained. 2. Following the topic sentence, there is an explanation and/or further development of the point proposed in the topic sentence that clarifies and expands on this point. This explanation adds to the readers understanding of the point. 3. Following the explanation or development of the point, the writer introduces evidence. Introducing evidence includes informing the reader who the information comes from and where (i.e. author and article or book title or foundation, etc.). Such an introduction is an important part of source documentation and helps the reader understand where the evidence portion of the paragraph begins and how the evidence is being used. It is literally a signal to the reader that you have stopped talking and your source has started talking. 4. Once introduced, you provide the actual proof or evidence. This may come in the form of supporting evidence like statistics or quotations or other kinds of softer evidence like anecdotes or eye-witness accounts. Evidence is presented primarily as a paraphrase or summary, with only an occasional pithy, apt quote. It is limited to a few lines, so that the primary focus of the paragraph is on the writers point. Evidence must also be cited properly once given, using parenthetical documentation. (See your textbook for more information on citation.) This parenthetical documentation provides additional, helpful information that pinpoints even more accurately where the evidence can be found and signals the reader that you are going to resume speaking on the topic. 5. After providing proof, you must always explain the meaning of the evidence and tie its meaning to the point you are making so that the reader understands it the way you understand it. Never let evidence stand on its own merit; it must be interpreted for the reader, in light of the point being made, so that the reader understands the meaning and relevance of it. Otherwise, the reader may see the evidence in a different light or be completely lost as to its significance. Thus, evidence must always be explained, even if it seems self-evident to you. Working out the explanation of the evidence is also a helpful check on your own insights. If you cant explain your evidence in light of your point, then it probably doesnt support the point you are making. 6. The paragraph closes with either a summation of the main point or some kind of transition to the next point. This reminds the reader of the argument in progress, its essential points, and the connection between points. B. Explanatory Paragraphs Explanatory paragraphs are used to allow the writer to expand on and explain particularly complex points before providing the reader with a lot of examples or evidence. In particular fields, like the sciences or philosophy, such paragraphs are common in writings that attempt to explain or analyze difficult ideas, theories, or concepts. An explanatory paragraph can also be used to summarize someone elses ideas or concepts that you plan to utilize in your own paper. Essay conclusions are often a kind of explanatory paragraphs because they summarize and reiterate the main ideas discussed in the paper. Explanatory paragraphs contain the following elements in order: 1. Begin with a topic sentence or a transition. 2. Following the topic sentence, there is an in-depth explanation without corroborating evidence, although if the explanation is of someone elses ideas, you must cite this person. 3. The paragraph closes with either a summation. C. Evidential Paragraphs Evidential paragraphs are sometimes used to allow the writer to provide more evidence for a particular point made in a standard paragraph. These paragraphs act as an extension of the point made in the previous paragraph by supplementing the points with further, important evidence. In some fields, like in psychology where individual case studies are often used, there are occasions when there will be several evidential paragraphs for each sub point since the amount of evidence gathered is important to the proving of the point. Evidential paragraphs contain the following elements in order: 1. Begin with a topic sentence or a transition that reiterates the main point of the previous paragraph to remind the reader of the point under consideration. Paragraphs do not begin with quotations or other kinds of evidence. 2. Next, the writer introduces the next piece of evidence for the point as outlined for standard academic paragraphs above. 3. Then the writer provides the actual proof or evidence, followed by the necessary documentation as outlined above. 4. Next, writer must again explain the meaning of the evidence as outlined previously. [Repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 as needed to provide additional, corroborating evidence. To avoid unwieldy paragraphs, keep in mind that a paragraph must have a sense of unity and that usually academic paragraphs run about 1/2 a double-spaced page in length. Therefore, put like evidence together in a paragraph, but use separate evidential paragraphs for items that defy categorization or if you have an overwhelming amount of evidence that you feel must be presented.] 5. The paragraph closes with either a summation of the point and, perhaps some kind of transition to the next point. D. Introductory Paragraphs All essays contain some kind of introductory paragraph or paragraphs. Often, this is where we feel that we can be the most creative in our writing because there are so many ways to begin an essay. Introductory paragraphs usually begin with a hook to draw the reader into the paper and, most often, end with the overall thesis of the paper. Sometimes the thesis includes a forecast of the papers major points. The hook might be a pithy quote, a brief anecdote, or hypothetical situation. Hooks can also be overviews of the problem or of current research on the subject. When using a hook, keep in mind that it should be handled like evidence; thus, it must be clearly introduced, documented, and explained. And, like evidence, it should be pithyshort and to the point. You dont want the reader getting lost in the hook and never get to the point of the paper. In short papers, of 900-1200 words, introductions are usually one paragraph in length. In longer papers, they may run two to three paragraphs. In books, they could run to a whole chapter. Stereotypically, the academic conclusion is merely a repeat of the essays main points and overall thesis. A truly innovative conclusion may repeat the essential point, but suggest other avenues to pursue with the topicsuggesting your awareness that you are only one voice in an on-going discussion of the topic. E. Standard Paragraph Checklist Use the following checklist to analyze the format of your papers paragraphs. If a particular paragraph does not fit the standard format, re-evaluate it: does it at least fit the format of an explanatory, evidential, or introductory paragraph and is its format consistent with the purpose of the paragraph?

Causes And Effects Of World Wa :: essays research papers

Causes and Effects of World War I What were the causes and effects of World War I? The answer to this seemingly simple question is not elementary. There was more to the onset of the war then the event of an Austrian prince being murdered in Serbia, as is what most people consider to be the cause of World War I. Furthermore, the effects of the war were not just concentrated to a post-war era lasting for a generation of Westerners. No, the effects of the war were widespread throughout the world and can be traced to generations after the war. It is not a rare occasion that when a person is asked what the causes of World War I were, that they answer with the simple comment of an Austrian Prince being shot in Serbia. However the assignation of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie , in Sarajevo was not the main cause of the Great War. Rather, it was the breaking point for Austria in its dealings with Serbia. The truth of the matter is that several factors played a role in the outbreak of the catastrophic war the engulfed the nations of Europe for over four years. World War I truly was the result of building aggressions among the countries of Europe which was backed by the rise of nationalism. To add to the disastrous pot, there was also imperial competition along with the fear of war prompting military alliances and an arms race. All of these increased the escalating tensions that lead to the outbreak of a world war. (Mckay, pg. 904) Two opposing alliances developed by the Bismarckian diplomacy after the Franco- Prussian War was one of the major causes of the war. In order to diplomatically isolate France, Bismarck formed the Three Emperor’s League in 1872, which was an alliance between Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary. Then in 1882 , Bismarck took advantage of Italian resentment toward France and formed the Triple Alliance between Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungry. In 1890 Bismarck was dismissed from his office and France took the opportunity to gain an ally, therefore , in 1891 the Franco- Russian Entente was formed. Then in 1904 Britain and France put aside their conflicts and formed the Entente Cordiale. As a result , the Triple Entente , a coalition between Great Britain, France , and Russia, countered the Triple Alliance. Now Europe was divided up into two armed camps.

Comparison of Islamic Banking and Conventional Banking Essay

The foundation of Islamic bank is based on the Islamic faith and must stay within the limits of Islamic Law or the Shariah in all of its actions and deeds. The original meaning of the Arabic word Shariah is ‘the way to the source of life’ and is now used to refer to legal system in keeping with the code of behaviour called for by the Holly Qur’an (Koran). Amongst the governing principles of an Islamic bank are : * The absence of interest-based (riba) transactions; * The avoidance of economic activities involving oppression (zulm) * The avoidance of economic activities involving speculation (gharar); * The introduction of an Islamic tax, zakat; * The discouragement of the production of goods and services which contradict the Islamic value (haram) On the other hand, conventional banking is essentially based on the debtor-creditor relationship between the depositors and the bank on one hand, and between the borrowers and the bank on the other. Interest is considered to be the price of credit, reflecting the opportunity cost of money. Islamic law considers a loan to be given or taken, free of charge, to meet any contingency. Thus in Islamic Banking, the creditor should not take advantage of the borrower. When money is lent out on the basis of interest, more often that it leads to some kind of injustice. The first Islamic principle underlying for such kind of transactions is â€Å"deal not unjustly, and ye shall not be dealt with unjustly† [2:279] which explain why commercial banking in an Islamic framework is not based on the debtor-creditor relationship. The other principle pertaining to financial transactions in Islam is that there should not be any reward without taking a risk. This principle is applicable to both labor and capital. As no payment is allowed for labor, unless it is applied to work, there is no reward for capital unless it is exposed to business risk. Thus, financial intermediation in an Islamic framework has been developed on the basis of the above-mentioned principles. Consequently financial relationships in Islam have been participatory in nature.

What did the people of the Upper Paleolithic period eat and how did they obtain this food?

Throughout Africa, the Middle West, Asia, the Americas, and Australia, complicated and elaborate technologies and other cultural decorative artifacts are found in abundance (Scupin, 2008). This is known as the Upper Paleolithic period, which dated between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago. This was the earliest era of human development and transformation of the entire human species from apelike to true Homo sapiens. During this period, the development of specialized tools, weapons, engraving, sculptures, and cave painting were formed.This evolution was the longest and it spread over three consecutive periods. The key development that came out of this period, were the creation of tools and weapons, which were made of stone, wood and bone. Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers lived in areas that was rich of resources and consumed a significant amount of meat. Today’s technology reveals that early modern Homo sapiens were clever and excellent hunters. Not only did they make tools, but th ey developed weapons with long, narrow blades (known as harpoons) used for hunting. They became great spear throwers with good accuracy.The weapons helped the Upper Paleolithic protect themselves as well as help from any harm during their hunting trips. Vast amount of animal bones, both large and small, were found at the bottom of high cliffs. This indicated that hunters not only used their weapon to kill, but use their weapons as aid by stampeding the animals off the cliffs. This would allow other hunters to wait and butcher the dead animals at the bottom of the cliff. Upper Paleolithic people also gathered fish, shellfish, leafy vegetables, fruit, insects, and plants to supplement their food resources.Plants were probably used for both nutritional and medicinal purposes (Scupin, 2008). Having other resources, other than hunting, enable Paleolithic foragers to have enough food without expanding excessive amount of energy. In conclusion, the Upper Paleolithic was characterized by hi gher intake of meat and lower intake of other resources. They developed their own tools and weapons, made of stone, wood and bone, which made them excellent hunters. They obtain their food through their use of weapons and strategic planning and took advantage of the area resources.

The Roman Army essays

The Roman Army essays It was a mess, 2nd century BC and Rome had no army. Troops were drawn periodically from the population of male, property-owning citizens between 17 and 46. Men were ranked by age and height to ensure that no one legion monopolized the prime candidates, officers from various legions took their pick in turn. Romans considered military service a privilege, even though the soldiers received a small allowance and had to provide their own weapons and equipment. This levy system worked well as long as the tour was brief. At the end of the 2nd century resentment for the levy flared up, the need for more troops made Roman consul Gauis Marius overlook the property-owning requirement and entice poor citizens by giving arms and equipment at the states expense. They flocked to the city and served for 16 year terms. As the Republic dissolved and emperors came into power they realized their power rested on their control of these massive armed forces, paid for out of the emperors own pocket and bound to him by an oath of allegiance. Without a generous pension, maintaining a standing army would have been almost impossible. Becoming a soldier.....Typically men in their late teens and early twenties wanting to enlist reported to a recruiting station. He needed to show documents proving he was a citizen (eligible for legions) or a provincial (assigned to auxila), this rule was dropped after the AD 212 edict making provincials citizens. If he met the height requirement of 58, passed the physical exam and took an oath of service then he was sent to boot camp. According to Casson, in basic training, a recruit: ran and jumped to harden his physique, learned to swim, practiced marching with the standard military pace, which enabled troops to cover 24 miles in 5 hours, and took lessons in handling the legionarys standard weapon, the short sword; at the outset he hacked with a wooden s...

7 Things Youre Not Doing That Will Get You Promoted in 2017

7 Things Youre Not Doing That Will Get You Promoted in 2017 Been in your job a couple of years and feel you’re ready to take the next step? Watching select few of your colleagues move up the ladder while the vast majority of you are still stuck in your old jobs? Trying to figure out what to do to be one of those select few? If you’re itching to get to the next rung, here are a few steps you can take to put yourself in prime position.1. Get clear on your value.Chances are your boss is not just magically aware of all the great work you’ve done so far. Maybe you’ve lost sense of it too. So start by making a list of your accomplishments. Detail the projects you’ve been a part of, the teams you’ve led, the accolades you’ve earned. Make yourself a â€Å"brag† folder of your quantifiable accomplishments, those concrete examples of the results you have produced. Be ready to outline all of this to your boss when the time comes.2. Clarify your expectations.You can do all the work you want in one d irection, but you won’t get anywhere if it’s not the same direction as your boss would like. Ask your boss, frankly, what you would need to do to exceed her expectations and be in line for advancement. Make a list of what she says and start following it to the letter. Don’t be afraid to state outright that you’re interested in promotion and eager to do whatever it takes- and to ask exactly that â€Å"whatever it takes† would entail.3. Ask for a review.It never hurts to mention that you’re eager for a quarterly or six-month review. If you have this system set up, you can be sure of feedback four times a year. This will help you fine tune what you’re working towards and make sure to stay on the same page as your boss. Eventually, you’ll both be ready for you to advance to the next level.4. Tell your boss your value.This is a case, unfortunately, where you have to tell not show. And be sure to do it in advance of the time when you would ideally want to receive said promotion. Compile your accomplishments list, walk into your boss’s office, and be ready to make your case. That way, when it comes time for decisions, she will have all of the information.5. Find a friend in HR.It never hurts to have a wee birdie to tell you when certain positions might be coming open in the future. It will help you hit the ground running with your wow-the-boss plan. Having a pal in HR can help you keep an ear out for promotion opportunities in other departments as well.6. Go for more.Push yourself to go that extra mile, beyond your job description. Take on that project that’s a bit of a stretch for you. Take on a leadership opportunity you might not have gone for otherwise. Distinguish yourself from your peers.7. Go outside.If it becomes clear that you’re getting passed over unfairly for promotions at your company, start looking at other companies. Start thinking how you can make a move to a higher level pos ition (with a nice salary bump to boot!). This keeps your options open and has the added benefit of making you that much more attractive to your current employer.

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Reflection paper - Essay Example For instance, both parents collaboratively decided on the school where we are to be enrolled and the means to support us. The goal was for us to finish our studies and to provide the direction to eventually become self-sustaining and self-reliant. As a leader, he also assumed the roles of a coach, a mentor, a guidance counselor and a disciplinarian. He was both an authoritarian leader and at the same time, a democratic leader where he encouraged us to voice out our opinions and to participate in decision-making processes that would be beneficial for the whole family. When I started school, my teachers became my leaders in the academic setting. Again, teachers from various grade levels have identified course objectives and designed various instructional approaches with the use of instructional materials that would assist in achieving the define goals. As leaders, my teachers became my mentors, coach, guidance counselors in terms of academic performance, and provider of knowledge, and a developer of skills. Especially in higher education, as I pursued the Police Leadership Program, my professors in the course provided opportunities for learning advanced modules in areas where I need to focus on. As leaders, my professors provided the direction and guidance through course modules, lessons, concrete examples, and by giving home works and scenarios that would develop my cognitive and analytical skills, as well as the leadership skills needed for law enforcement officers. My professors have prepared personal and professional development programs that would enable us to become future leaders. Finally, in the work setting, as a police officer in Saudi Arabia, I was able to get a first-hand experience of leadership from my supervisors. They are the true leaders in a law enforcement agency where functions expected from leaders were observed. These functions included planning, organizing, directing,

Accident Victim Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Accident Victim - Essay Example Generally, duty of the psychiatric aide had involved the bathing of patients who were regarded as helpless. Each day, she is supposed to give nine (9) of the patients two rounds of bath – in the morning and evening. This had gone on as a daily and very normal routine till the present accident occurred. She reports that while she was giving one of patients his bath, she heard the sound of what was supposed to be struggling or fighting in the open of the inner bathroom where three other patients where waiting for their turn to both. Knowing the mental condition of the patients as not too stable, she rushed out to go and see what the problem was. She reports that normally the patients formed a queue and waited for their turns to be bathed. She acknowledges that the patients enjoy the bathing section and so there is normally brawl over who takes the first spot on the queue. When she went to see what was happening, it was reported to her that one of the guys was trying to jump the queue. As she was taking explanation from the person supposed to be the complainant, the accused suddenly pushed the complainant. She said she tried catching the patient who was pushed so that he could not fall but unfortunately, she fell together with the patient. The accident took place on the 6th of September. Because she was trying to save the patient from falling, she was the one who fell directly on the ground with the patient who was pushed falling on her as well. The fall resulted in fracture. Events leading on has made the doctor diagnose her with osteoporosis, which is explained by the New York City State Department of Health (2011) as â€Å"a disease that causes bones to become thin, weak and break easily.† This condition caused the interviewee to miss work for eleven working days because she was initially put under intensive care unit of the