The Cost of Biofuel

Every sector of the economy depends on energy for production and other day-to-day activities. Arguably, transport sector is one of the sectors that highly depend on energy.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Cost of Biofuel specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Each vessel of transportation uses one source of energy or the other. However, oil which is mostly used as a source of energy in the transport sector is non-renewable. In this regard, the campaign by environmentalists about the need to use renewable sources of energy which are environmentally friendly has led to the introduction of biofuel as a source of energy. Unfortunately, biofuel uses food crops in its production thus reducing the amount of food available for human consumption. Moreover, food prices have increased drastically in recent years thereby becoming unaffordable especially for the poor people. Part of this increase has been attributed to use of b iofuels. Consequently, there have been arguments as to whether measures should be taken to ensure that people do not die of hunger while food crops are used to produce biofuel. With the trend of current use of energy, it is quite crucial that alternative sources of energy are found. Fossil fuels which are majorly used in energy production are not only non-renewable, but also a source of environmental pollution. Consequently, it is quite crucial that other sources of energy which are environmentally friendly should be explored to reduce the effects of environmental degradation (Gasparators Stromberg, 2012). In Addition, a source of energy that will support future generations should be found or else we leave the future generation at the mercy of fate. Biofuels are thus very crucial because despite the fact that they are renewable and will therefore be sustainable in the long run, they do not pollute the environment. It is important to note that production of biofuel does not only hav e advantages as its activists may want us to believe. Increase in use of biofuels has increased competition in food production. The amount of corn used in the production of ethanol has increased sharply in recent years. On the same note, soybeans are also increasingly being used in production of biodiesel while their consumption as food is reducing. Unfortunately, increase in production of food is not proportionate to the increase in the quantity of food demanded. Consequently, prices have had to increase due to high demand (Scragg, 2009). This has reduced the ability of people especially the poor to afford food thus exposing them to danger of starvation.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, due to increased demand of corn and soybeans coupled with the good prices that these crops fetch, more and more farmers are dedicating their land to production of these crops. Thi s has encouraged monocropping which has proved to be dangerous in the past. It is important to note that planting one type of crop repeatedly in a place reduces fertility of the soil while at the same time it leads to resistant pests (Westhoff, 2010). Consequently, this reduces quantity of production in the long run. Though, these effects may take time to be felt, they will definitely affect future production. Similarly, increased demand for production of ethanol and biodiesel has made farmers to look for farming ways through which they can increase their production. As a result, farmers are using more aggressive methods of farming (Westhoff, 2010). These include; too much mechanization and increased use of fertilizers as well as pesticides. The result is soil depletion, increased soil erosion and environmental pollution. Therefore, contrary to the main aim of using biofuels which is to conserve the environment, biofuels contribute to environmental degradation. Notably, biofuel acco unts for a very minimal percentage of energy consumed in the world currently. Nevertheless, the amount of energy used in its production is far much higher than the amount of energy produced from biofuels. However, biofuels are responsible for a very significant increase in the quantity of food consumed. Similarly, biofuels have affected biodiversity by encouraging people to rely on one crop farming. All these will affect the low income earners not only due to increased food prices, but also due to reduced choices (Scragg, 2009). We all agree that renewable and eco-friendly sources of energy should be explored to ensure sustainability of energy in the future. However, increase in world population means that food production especially for human consumption should be increased, not decreased.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Cost of Biofuel specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Much as biofuels have to be produced, s teps should be taken to ensure that food security is achieved. It is very inhuman to produce food which is used for energy production while people are dying of hunger. Research should be done to increase the number of crops that can be used to produce biofuel (Gasparators Stromberg, 2012). Moreover, mixed farming should be encouraged so that the quantity of crops produced will be increased thus ensuring that food is always available. In addition, there is need to educate farmers that food can be produced for profits. This will ensure that people do not stop producing food because biofuel crops pay well. In a nutshell, the cost of biofuel should be balanced with the sacrifices made. If stakeholders do not take care, production of biofuel will jeopardize food security. References Gasparators, A. Stromberg P. (2012). Socioeconomic and Environmental Impacts of Biofuels: Evidence from Developing Nations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Scragg, A. H. (2009). Biofuels: Production, Application and Development. Wallingford: CABI. Westhoff, P. (2010). The Economics of Food: How Feeding and Fueling the Planet Affects Food Prices. Upper Saddle River: FT Press. This essay on The Cost of Biofuel was written and submitted by user June P. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Legal and Ethical Issues that Students Should Understand

Legal and Ethical Issues that Students Should Understand Introduction Business experts have constantly criticized the inability of colleges to address the ever increasing gap of what the market needs and what is actually taught in business schools.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Legal and Ethical Issues that Students Should Understand specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Additionally, in a period of ethical lapses, moral and values uncertainty, selfishness of the free market economy and scandals connected to greed and unethical behaviors in organizations, business schools, as the main source of future businesspeople, are additionally blamed for much of the unethical behaviors in the market place. For this reason, business schools are under pressure to cultivate a strong sense of socially responsible management among their graduates and reconsider their position as a moral force in shaping future businesspeople with the capability of making ethical decisions (Baucus, Caryn, 2005). The rising interest in the conduct of business students has been the subject of various studies. Indeed, recent research in this area established that the probability of business students engaging in academic dishonesty was higher than that of their non-business peers. An example of this is a survey featuring over 15,000 students which showed that business students formed the bulk of those who cheated to attain higher grades (Light, 2008). Additionally, studies have proved that most business students believe that they require unethical behavior for them to be able to effectively bring to completion their degrees. Ideally, the beliefs and values of most students are affected by the environmental background in which they grow up. Indeed, various countries and geographic regions and companies, develop different ethical values, principles, norms and individual moral orientations. An example of this can be found in the words of Light (2008) who in a study established that Americans responded to bribery cases in a more ethical manner than their counterparts from Greece.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Business Ethics In this paper, ethics will be defined as the principles and values that determine satisfactory conduct in business organizations. Customers, competitors, government regulations, interest parties, and the society, as well as the moral principles and values of each individual determine the acceptability of behavior in business. An example of this can be seen from the example of Enron, which became one of the largest ethical disasters in the 21st century. Two previous CEOs of Enron, Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling, were found guilty on all charges of colluding to hide the company’s financial situation (Ronald, Johannes, 2003). While determining the case, the presiding judge said the defendants could be found guil ty of consciously avoiding knowing about unlawful activity at the organization. Many other senior managers including Andy Fastow, the Chief Financial Officer of the organization were found guilty of misbehavior and are currently doing time in prison. Ideally, the collapse of Enron took many layers of management pushing the buttons and contentment on the part of employees who saw mistakes being committed but chose to do nothing about it (Ronald, Johannes, 2003). Indeed, Enron is not alone when it comes to condoning unethical behavior in organizations. Most unethical actions within organizations are propped up by an organizational culture that encourages employees to twist the rules (Ronald, Johannes, 2003). Recognizing Ethical Issues in Business â€Å" Learning to identify ethical issues is one of the most crucial steps in comprehending business ethics. An ethical issue according to Ronald Johannes, (2003) is a problem, situation, or opportunity that is identifiable and calls for someone to choose from among various actions that may be interpreted as right or wrong, ethical or unethical. In business, such a choice usually entails weighing monetary profit in opposition to what an individual considers appropriate conduct.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Legal and Ethical Issues that Students Should Understand specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The best way to evaluate the ethics of a decision is to examine a situation from the perspective of a customer or competitor. Some of the pertinent issues where the question of ethics might arise are: Should liquid-diet manufacturers make uncorroborated claims regarding their products? Should an engineer agree to divulge her previous employer’s trade secrets to guarantee that she lands a better job with a competitor? Should a salesperson leave out facts about a products poor safety record in his demonstration to a customer? Such questions necessitate the decision maker to weigh up the ethics of his or her choice (Ronald, Johannes, 2003). Many business issues may appear straightforward and easy to determine on the surface, but in actuality they are very complicated. A person usually needs several years experience in business to comprehend what is ethical or adequate and that is why business students should endeavor to learn the laws governing business when they are still in school. For example, if one is a salesperson, when does giving out a ‘gift’ – such as season football tickets – to a client become a kickback rather than just a sales observation? As it is, there are no clear and easy answers to such a question. However, the dimension of the deal, the history of personal relationships within the organization in question, as well as a host of many other factors may establish if others will judge the matter as acceptable. Companies across the United States are starting to prohibit access t o Internet-video services at the workplace. At issue is the theft of time by employees who utilize You Tube and MySpace for two hours on average each workday (Light, 2008). Another issue is the use of company resources to give individual internet admission. In order to understand some of the ethical issues that students should expect to encounter in the future, this research paper will deal with some of them in this section. Ethical issues are more complicated now than in the past. The immense number of news-format investigative programs has heightened consumer and employee awareness of managerial misbehavior.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On top of this, the large amount of pay TV and internet resources has improved the awareness of ethical problems in the society. A survey carried out by Light (2008) involving more than 3,400 U.S. employees concluded that workers witness numerous instances of ethical misconduct in their organizations. (Light, 2008). The most common types of identified misconduct in the private sector were putting one’s own interests ahead of that of the organization, abusive behavior, and peddling falsehood to employees. One of the main causes of unethical behavior in organizations is excessively aggressive fiscal or business objectives. Majority of these issues have to do with decisions that business executives handle on day-to-day basis. Ideally, it is not possible to discuss every ethical issue that rises in the business place. However, discussing a few of them can help students to realize some of the ethical problems that they will have to deal with in their future workplace. Majority of the ethical issues in business can be classified in the context of their relation with offensive and menacing behavior, conflicts of interest, fairness and truthfulness, communications, and business dealings (Light, 2008). Abusive or intimidating behavior is classified as one of the most ethical issues that employees have to deal with in the workplace. These concepts can refer to anything from physical threats, false allegations, being irritating, using swear words, verbal abuse, shouting, cruelty, to perverseness, and the meaning of these words can differ from one person to another. Abusive behavior can be placed on a scale from minor disturbance to an interruption of the workplace. For example, what one person may term as shouting might be the manner of normal speech for another person. Courtesy in our culture is a concern, and the workplace is no exception. The productivity level of most organizations has been reduced by the time spent unraveling insulting relationships (Light, 2 008). Abusive behavior is hard to manage and judge due to cultural diversity and lifestyle. What does it mean to act in a profane manner? The question that one should ask themselves is if profanity is only related to specific terms or other related phrases that are commonly used in today’s business world. If one is using words that are normal in his language but others consider them to be abusive, does this constitute to unethical behavior? Within the concept of abusive language, intent should be a concern. If the employee was trying to express a compliment but the comment was construed as abusive, then it was most likely a mistake. What students should understand is that the way they will frame their words (word intonation) while dealing with clients in their future workplace will be important (Baucus, Caryn, 2005). Another ethical/legal aspect that is most likely to crop up in the workplace is that of bullying. Bullying is linked to a hostile workplace when an individual o r group is targeted and is threatened, disparaged, orally abused, or overly censured. Bullying may give rise to what some consider a hostile environment, a term commonly linked to sexual harassment. Although sexual harassment has legal redress, bullying has little or no legal recourse at the present. Bullying is a widespread problem in America and can give rise to psychological damage that can as a result give rise to health endangering consequences to the victim. According to a study conducted by Baucus Caryn (2005), 34 percent of U.S. workers which is close to 54 million Americans have been bullied at one time and 12 percent of workers have witnessed cases of bullying. Although bullying might not have a legal recourse, employees should be wary of practicing it since it might be misconstrued as sexual harassment which definitely has legal redress. Conflict of Interest Conflict of interest which is one of the most prevalent ethical issue identified by employees, comes to be when a person must decide whether to advance his or her own individual interests or those of others. For example, a manager in an organization is required to make sure that the company makes profits so that the stakeholders receive value on their investment. Simply put, the manager’s first responsibility is to the investors. If the manager instead makes decisions that make him/her to accumulate more power or money without advancing the cause of the company, then that manager has a conflict of interest meaning that he is acting to build himself at the expense of the organization and is not carrying out his responsibilities as an employee. In order to avoid conflicts of interest, employees should be able to detach their personal financial interests with that of the organization (David, Max, 1996). As discussed earlier in this paper, it is regarded as improper to give or receive bribes, payments, gifts, or special favors with the intention of swaying the outcome of a decision. A bribe is considered a conflict of interest because it benefits an individual at the cost of an organization or community. Companies that conduct business overseas should understand that bribes are a significant ethical issue and are in fact not allowed in many countries. An example can be seen from a case where three former executives of IBM Korea were jailed in Seoul after they were convicted of bribing business associates to win orders for computer parts (Light, 2008). While bribery is a serious concern in many countries, it is more rampant in some countries than in others (Kellerman, 2004). Fairness and Honesty Fairness and honesty are core business ethics and relay the general values of decision makers. At a minimum, business persons are expected to adhere to all set laws and policies. However, above obeying the law, employees are expected not to cause harm to customers, employees, clients, or even competitors intentionally through fraud, distortion, compulsion, or prejudice. Honesty and fairness can be linked to how the employees utilize the organization resources. A survey carried out in the U.S. showed that more than two thirds of workers have taken office supplies at one time to use in their individual needs (David, Max, 1996). In the same survey, 97 percent of the employees said that they did not consider taking office supplies for their personal use as something dishonest. Additionally, the same survey showed that 3.7 percent have taken items like keyboards, software and memory sticks. Regardless of this, an employee should be aware of policies regarding taking items and recognize how these decisions relate to ethical behavior (Krawiec, 2000). One characteristic of fairness relates to competition. Although many laws have been formulated to promote competition and make monopolistic practices illegal, companies sometimes acquire control over markets by applying questionable practices that harm competition. Bullying can also take place between companies tha t are strong contenders. Even respected companies such as Intel have at one time been accused of monopolistic bullying. A competitor, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), claimed in a court case that 38 companies including Dell and Sony were strong-arming potential customers into buying Intel chips except those marketed by AMD. In the case, AMD is seeking billions of dollars in a lawsuit that might take years to take legal action (Kellerman, 2004). Conclusion An ethical issue is an identifiable problem, situation, or opportunity that calls for an individual or company to select from among several actions that have to be weighed up as right or wrong. Ethical issues can be classified in the context of their association with conflicts of interest, fairness and honesty, communication, and business dealings. Businesses can cultivate ethical behavior by workers by reducing their prospect of engaging in misconduct. Formal codes of ethics, ethical policies, and ethics training forums lessen the fr equency of unethical behavior by notifying employees what is expected of them and punishing those who fail to obey. References Baucus, M. Caryn, L. (2005). Designing Ethical Organizations: Avoiding the Long-Term Negative Effects of Rewards and Punishments. Journal of Business Ethics 56 (4), 355. David, M. Max, H. (1996). Ethical Leadership and the Psychology of Decision Making. MIT Sloan Management Review 37(2), 76. Kellerman, B. (2004). Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Krawiec, K. (2000). Accounting for Greed: Unraveling the Rogue Trader Mystery. Oregon Law Review 79 (2), 309-10. Light, P. (2008). How Americans View Charities: A Report on Charitable Confidence. Washington: Brookings Institution. Ronald, R. Johannes, B. (2003). Enron Ethics (Or Culture Matters More Than Codes). Journal of Business Ethics 45 (3), 243 – 252.

An Overview Of Teaser Advertising

An Overview Of Teaser Advertising Zoon, V.I.B, ‘On ne peut l’arreter’; these ad shouts for one’s attention but there is no brand name. As you pass by, the hoardings yell out to you – they look extremely familiar but yet they reveal nothing except the promise of more to come. Sometimes they work in a tizzy while sometimes they ask a response out of you. It is suspense with a purpose to tease. These are Teaser advertising. In Mauritius, this style of advertising – which tend to advertise for a new product while keeping the target audience interest arouse each day and at the same time creating a sort of buzz around the ad-the teaser, has become a craze lately. The Zoon Teaser advertising proved to be successful in teasing people. Nevertheless some people consider Teaser advertising to be ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ (quoting the word of Shakespeare). But, why is there so much fantasy about communicating and advertising a product? Today, advertising is considered by many to be the most important factor in the success of the company as most organizations -small and large- that rely on marketing to create customer interest, are engaged in consistent use of advertising to help meet marketing objectives. An organization can have the best idea, product or service, but without effectively delivering their messages to its target market, these ideas, products and services can go unnoticed. An effective creative campaign in the form of a teaser can set a company apart from the competition and allows it to give to its potential customers an image of what makes the brand different from the competition which has for goal to be top of the mind of these busy consumers. This means that the name of the business or the brand is the first thing that pops into their head, when looking for a product in the respective category. Furthermore, given information asymmetry that prevails in the market, advertising is a communication tool that cannot be missed to signal poten tial clients and Teaser advertising with its ability to create buzz and word of mouth is for sure a successful method to spread news about a subject. But even if advertising including Teaser plays a crucial role in positioning the product in the mind of customers, does this type of advertising push people to buy the advertised product as such? Therefore does this type of advertising always work? Does it create this sort of ‘buzz’ that it wants to cause? Does it create this sort of ‘buzz’ that it wants to cause? Does it has an impact on people and how do they react to it? Does it act as a source of motivation for customers to purchase? To know more about this interesting aspect of advertising and to explore this specific area of advertising, a study has been conducted towards this perspective by considering the recent teaser ads in Mauritius. This study will allow discovering and evaluating this particular technique of advertising and explore the surrounding galaxy of such tool of advertising.

Principles of nonprofit leadership Research Paper

Principles of nonprofit leadership - Research Paper Example sults the first and foremost thing which is required by organizations is effective leadership of a nature that aspires to achieve these results in the best possible way (Principles and Practices for Nonprofit Management Excellence). Most of the nonprofit organizations believe that money is the only resource that can help an organization to achieve its desired objectives. Keeping this in view, many of the experts have argued that not only money but the leadership plays an important role. They argued that effective leadership is the only tool that helps an organization to achieve its intended objectives (A Guide for Board Members, Managers and Staff). The organization work towards achieving those goals and money only enables them to deliver results that are expected of them. In today’s era the two important resources for any organization are financial resources and human capital (Tierney). The set back or down turn in financial resources is impossible to avoid and difficult to overcome, but shortcomings in human capital can be very awkward for an organization and cannot be calibrated easily. Keeping in view above mentioned issues, the need for the nonprofit organizations is to have an effective leadership that goes all the way towards achieving intended and desired results. This paper will probe into the challenges that any nonprofit organization is expected to face while developing effective leadership (Hill, 135). It will further shed light on benefits derived by developing effective leadership along with advantages and disadvantages. It will provide an insight of the principles of nonprofit leadership. Thus, this paper is expected to make a valuable contribution in the existing stock of knowledge. It has become quite difficult for nonprofit organizations to manage in today’s tough economy. According to (Hill, 12) Following are few challenges that nonprofit organizations are facing while in the phase of developing effective leadership. With increased

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

Reflective - Essay Example Much of this confidence came from the level of cooperation that I had with the unit manager, under whom I was working. Taking permission to start such a project was not that difficult specially that the unit manger is very supportive and the ER consultants are very enthusiastic to do so. The very first of the processes for working on the project was to get a proposal ready. So on the 13th of December, 2012, I submitted my proposal to the manager about education for public about Triage process. Though I thought this was going to be a very useful area to research, the manager disagreed with it because one of the emergency consultants started that project and was almost done. I felt disappointed because I had to start searching for another topic and time get shorter. I went to my manager again and we had a discussion to find another topic. Using his experience at the workplace over the last seven years, the manager showed clearly that there were different goals that he had, which were m ore suitable to our working conditions than I had given. I was made to evaluate some of these goals and out of it, landed on one of them, which would later become the research topic. The research problem was based on a problem identified in the immediate environment of the hospital. It was observed from the emergency department that the number of pediatric attending A/E room is high so we decided to see why and then we started the project of education. Once I got the approval from the manager I was relaxed and I started to do my project. I started the actual action towards the project two days after I had received the final approval on the topic from my supervisor and this was on the 20th of December, 2012. The very first action taken by me was to start looking for secondary sources of information to prepare my research questions and themes for the literature review. First I started with the pamphlet which has information about fever management for children at home before attending accident emergency. After all necessary information was collected I went to the marketing department for an approval to start undertaking the education section for the patients. But yet again, I will receive a shock to the success and smooth progress of the project as I was informed when I went to marketing department and find out that I still needed approval from the pediatric consultant who was not available in the hospital by that time. This made me highly uneasy and upset because I started feeling bad about the success of the project again because I felt the time was delaying. It is for this reason that I say that actions depend on situations because whenever things went right, my actions were positive and joyful. On 25th of December, 2012 when I was informed that the paediatric consultant had travelled, I became very disturbed and thought that some people wanted to sabotage the progress of my project. But after the consultant returned in two weeks, I found that the situation wa s nothing like what I thought about her or the people in the department. After 2 weeks she came back and we discussed the project together and she welcomed the idea and supported me to do so. Once I got the approval I started the data collection over a period of 2 weeks. I some faced problems at first with data collection because most of the parent when they bring their children to the

Ethnicity and language Essay Example for Free

Ethnicity and language Essay 1. Ethnicity Ethnicity is not a clear-cut term. It usually describes someone’s racial or cultural background but has a whole host of other connotations connected with appearance, dress, food, lifestyle etc. The ethnic majority in a particular place are, not necessarily those with the largest numbers, but those with social and political power. It is also the case that often terms describing race are fairly meaningless. People from the ‘British race’ for example originate from many other cultures and countries, depending on how far back you trace their family trees. 2. Prejudiced language Language can be used to make certain ethnic groups appear to be outsiders, or different from the ethnic majority. Markedness It is often assumed that immigrants, and people from ethnic minorities, must fit in with the ways and traditions of the ethnic majority. When this happens, the ethnic identity of the majority begins to appear normal and invisible, whilst that of the minority appears, strange, worthy of mention and marked. We often find in the media that people’ ethnicity is only mentioned when they are not white. So, we hear things like â€Å"the murdered black teenager Steven Lawrence† even in instances where the description of ethnicity is irrelevant. Negative labelling People are often labelled according to their colour, race or ethnicity. The problem with such labels is firstly that they may stop us seeing other aspects of the person as we are focussed on the attribute that the label describes. The second problem is that very often these labels are associated with negative stereotypes. We often find that the most marginalized groups in our society have the largest numbers of offensive terms to describe them. In addition, the media runs relatively few stories about those from ethnic minorities, and those that are included tend to reinforce the negative stereotypes by being about crime or disorder. 3. Marking Ethnic Identity Language can also be used as a powerful marker of ethnic identity. The language that we speak, and how we speak it, shows the ethnic group to which we believe we belong and claim solidarity with. British Black English People of West Indian and African Caribbean origin in England use many different varieties depending on where about they live and how long their families have been in Britain. Those born in Britain usually speak a variety of English and also a variety of Jamaican Creole, known as Patois. Linguistic features of Patois ?Lexical items (lick (hit), kenge (weak), bex (angry) ?Use of [? ] and [? ] in place of [? ] and [? ] e. g. [t? n] for [ n] ?Plural forms without /s/ suffix (e. g. many cow) ?Verbs not marked for tense (walk in place of walked) ?Simplified pronouns ([mi] for I, me, my and [dem] for they, them and their) ?Use of ‘fi’ in place of ‘to’ before infinitives. African American Vernacular English In the USA, the distinct languages of people of African American origin disappeared centuries ago. Nevertheless, a distinct variety of English, called African American Vernacular English (AAVE), has developed which acts as a symbol of ethnicity. AAVE is most often heard in cities in the North of the states. Linguistic features of AAVE ?Absence of standard copula be (e. g. ‘she very nice’, ‘that my book’) ?Use of copula be to signal recurring actions (‘she be at school on weekdays’) ?Multiple negation (‘I don’t want none’)? Consonant cluster simplification (‘aks in place of asks’) ?Existential it (where standard English has ‘there’, ‘it’s a boy’ for ‘there’s a boy’) Maori English In New Zealand, it is not clear if a Maori dialect of English actually exists. What is certain is that the features listed below occur more often in the speech of Maoris than Pakeha (non-Polynesian New Zealanders, usually of European origin) Linguistic features of Maori English ?Use of [? ] and [? ] in place of [? ] and [? ] e. g. [t? n] for [ n] ?Use of vocabulary items such as kia ora (greeting) and kuia (old woman)? Vernacular verb forms (walk for walked) ?Present tense forms with /s/ ‘I sees you’, ‘we gets home’) 4. Social Networks Social networks can help us understand speech patterns as the language and variety we use is influenced by the people we spend time with. You can draw a simple social network by considering the four or five people you speak to most often and drawing lines from their names to yours on a map. If any of those people know each other independently of you, connect them with lines (preferably of a different colour) too. Then add their two or three best friends, and so on.e. g. Tom Richard Bob Barbara Sandy Dave Features of social networks Density Density refers to whether members of a person’s network are in touch with each other separately. In the example above, only Richard and Bob know each other independently of Tom so his network is not a dense one. Plexity Plexity refers to the type of transactions that we are involved in with other people. If, for example, Tom only ever plays squash with Barbara, the relationship would be considered a uniplex one. If however, Tom and Barbara lived, worked and socialised together it would be a multiplex one. Language and Networks The language or variety we use is influenced by the people we talk to and what we talk to them about. We may change the language or variety we are using depending on which part of our network we are currently interacting with. For example, we may be more formal at work than at home. This type of language/variety shift is probably more likely if our social network is not very dense and our relations tend to be uniplex. If our networks are dense and multiplex, the whole network is more likely to use the use the same language or variety.

A Critical Analysis of the Poetry of Marvell Essay -- Biography Biogra

Critical Analysis of The Garden    As with many of his poems, Andrew Marvell wrote The Garden to put forward his point of view and then argue it logically. In The Definition of Love, for example, he writes about unrequited passions, insisting that Fate itself acts against true love; in The Garden he takes a similarly pessimistic viewpoint and takes it to its misanthropic limits, attempting to argue that being at one with nature and away from other people is the best way to live.    All poets have traits and habits that define their own style - some more so than others. Marvell's style is particularly recognizable, as he commonly uses several easily identifiable techniques and images. Of the latter, The Garden features many of Marvell's staple ingredients. Central to the entire poem is the idea of pure nature, of a world without the intrusion of mankind: Marvell's own Eden. In his poetry, he takes every opportunity to extol the virtues of a type of hermitage, of being at peace with oneself and the universe as a whole; this can also be seen as central themes in poems...

Helping or Hindering? Essay

Thanks to technology we have never been more connected-or alienated. † Have you ever noticed when there is a family gathering the majority of the time the family members are spending their time using technology rather than socializing? One will notice that almost every person will be using technology whether it is cell phones, iPods, tablets or the television. After reading Sherry Turkle’s â€Å" Can You Hear Me Now† essay it got me thinking, is technology the one to blame for us bring so alienated? Sherry Turkle is a professor who teaches the Social Studies of Science and technology at MIT. In her essay I feel she focuses mainly on the negative points of technology, such as how it alienates us. She does not refer to the positive points of living in a world of technology. Although I agree with Sherry Turkle that we have never been more connected or alienated, Turkle fails to see the benefits of technology. To support her argument, Turkle contends that everyone is mainly virtually connected. According to Turkle, â€Å"Consultants used to talk to one another as they waited to give presentations; now they spend that time doing emails. † (271). this is an example of how technology has changed society. In society I think people are trying to escape reality. To accomplish that one plays online games, such as Sims, City Ville, Farmville, and other virtual games. In online games one can have a completely different life. One can have the biggest house, the best job, and the best cars. I believe that by playing all these virtual games it makes people lose their social skills. I feel that it makes one forget how to socially interact with other people. Technology definitely poses a threat to the upcoming generations. Now people are always using their phones while driving whether it is texting, Face booking or changing the music. According to USATODAY Robert Sanchez, the train operator, was texting while driving a train, which later that day crashed. It was proven that the crash was caused by the train operator’s negligence. He was texting while operating the train. The California law states, one cannot use a cell phone while driving, unless one is using a hands free device that does not involve them taking their concentration of the road. Aside from texting and driving, there are other scenarios were technology is life threating. It can come down to being bullied over the internet, which would fall under cyber bullying. There are many cases that talked about children being cyber bullied. The story that really touched my heart is the Megan Meier’s story. In this story a thirteen year old girl named Megan committed suicide in October of 2006 due to cyber bullying. Megan committed suicide because there was a boy, Josh Evans, on the internet who was calling her very hurtful names such as slut, or he would call her fat. After Megan’s suicide the truth came out about boy. The boy was really a mother of one of Megan’s ex friends. The mother claims she only did it because her daughter was being picked on. Although this issue may seem trivial to some, it is in fact crucial because there are children taking their lives due to cyber bullying. This story took place in Missouri. In Missouri cyber bullying laws state that if a person twenty-one years or older commits cyber bullying crimes on a person seventeen years or younger they are faced with a class D felony. The mother now has a class D felony on her record. Turkle, like many other people may argue that technology alienates us. Although I agree with Turkle, I also believe it keeps us very connected. One should recognize that it helps us to stay connected with our education and finances. It is very beneficial for us because technology helps us to stay globally connected with the news and advertisements. Although it is important to stay connected globally. It is also very important to realize technology also helps to stay connected with ones relatives. It is important to stay connected with ones job because some jobs require traveling around the world. So if one has to be in a meeting in Japan for work but they are stuck in the United States, one can simply use a source of technology like video chatting. Then they are at the meeting, yet they never left the place they started off from. Technology also helps with school work. Today everything for school is done over the internet. Now some teachers give you the option of turning your assignments via email. In college people actually have the option to take their classes online. Technology I believe is beneficial for ones jobs and also for educational purposes. Being globally connected can also refer to knowing what is going on in the world. For instance when the Colorado shooting happened the entire country knew about it and all the schools were doing preoperational drills in case anything happened. Without technology it would have taken more than a week to get the news to the entire country. There are also advertisements that happen all over the world. I have observed that on New Year’s Eve they do a televised advertisement of the celebration. Without technology the entire world would not be able to be seeing the other countries when their New Year’s begins. As one can observe they will notice technology is very valuable in circumstances such as the ones stated above. Technology also helps a lot when one needs to communicate with someone from their family in other countries. I know from my own personal experience technology helps out a lot when I need to talk to a family member that does not live around me. Such as my cousins that live Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Florida, and with my cousin that was stationed it Iraq. It helps when you can get on Facebook or video chat with family that you do not get to see every day. Technology also helps in cases of emergencies. For instance when my aunt passed away it was very important to get ahold of my family members. Without technology I would not have been able to get ahold of them as quickly. After I read Turkle’s essay on technology it persuaded me to write my own views on technology. Ultimately what is at stake here is the risk of everyone relying on technology. Although technology is very beneficial to my generation, I also believe it is important for us to know how to function without it. What would someone from my generation do if there was a black out and no one’s phones worked? How would they get ahold of someone? What would they do if there was not any type of internet? How would they communicate with family? What would they do if video chatting did not exist and could not do work in other countries? Although technology helps with a wide range of situations, I believe it would be very beneficial for everyone to know how to do things the old fashioned way. A question came to my mind; does anyone from my generation still know how to use a phonebook or write a handwritten letter and take it to the post office to be sent? To conclude my views on technology I do believe technology connects us, but most definitely alienates us.? Work Cited â€Å"Authorities: Engineer texting on day of calf. Train wreck† USATODAY. com. USATODAY, 18 September 20087. web. 13 February 2013 â€Å"Parents: Cyberbully Led to Teens Suicide† ABCNews. com. ABCNews. go. com, 19 November 2007. web. 13 February 2013.

How Positive Were the Experiences of Black People During the 1920s Essay

For black people in the 1920s the experience was cruel and horrible that we dared to think of it happening today. After slavery was abolished in the nineteenth century there were more black people that white people so the white people needed to control the black people after fearing that the black people would take over the USA. So the white government at the time set up new laws and regulations to control the freedom of black people. Some laws were that black people couldn’t vote, they weren’t allowed good jobs that were highly paid and no education that would have been useful to them. This meant that most black people suffered greatly in poverty in the twentieth century. There were also various anti-black people groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. The group was set up in the 1850s with the only aim of keeping the white people in control instead of the black. But the group became unpopular after a while as not many people took notice of their views as people at the time wanted to get on with their daily life. But after ‘The Birth of a Nation’ a film that was made in 1915 people started to favour the group as the film showed how the Ku Klux Klan upheld the American values against renegade black people and corrupt white businessmen. By 1924 the group had at least 4. 5 million members all targeted at black people with one mission of disintegrating the black population of America. The black people of America at the time were targeted for crimes that they didn’t commit. This may have included suspicion of black people murdering white people, or raping white women. The only punishment that was given to black people was lynching, which meant hanging them without facing a trial to clear them. Many people attended these including families with young children. This was America at its worst in treating others with respect. The lynching at the time has been described as shameful to the pride of America as many young white children clapped and cheered people that were hanged. Any and every black person was accused and they all faced lynching no matter if they were a young child to a full grown adult. Racism, discrimination and prejudice was still high in America at the time with the blacks ending up at the bottom. The White Government did everything at the time to separate blacks from whites. This included having separate toilets and sinks from the whites, where the blacks had the filthy facilities to live with, separate education for black children, which was deemed as being fair to them; however the amount of facilities such as books and equipment were poor. Discrimination was so outrageous at the time that the black population had to live in poorer housing than the whites and still pay higher rents. However in North America at the time the conditions weren’t as bad. Black Americans at the time had a better chance of getting a better job and education than those living in the South. In Chicago and New York the small black population was growing and encouraging black people to set up businesses and in the end they were successful. This was the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance, the birth of Jazz Music. As more black Americans took up these social opportunities of going to clubs and bars in Harlem, there were more talented black Americans that played a smooth music called Jazz. Jazz music created many famous black Americans such as Louis Armstrong as the black Americans were the best at playing and understanding the composition of Jazz music. In a way Jazz music bought the two races together as more black Americans went to speakeasies where white people drank alcohol. The whites enjoyed the Jazz music and started to favour the blacks but it wasn’t enough to get the lives of black people out of the murk of racism, discrimination and prejudice in order to rebuild up their lives.

Free Essays on Deforestation

Environmental issues effect every life on this planet from the smallest parasite to the human race. The reason for this is simple. A single disruption in the Earth’s delicate balance can mean certain destruction of the very place that cradles the lives of many species. What is not so simple is finding alternatives to the now dangerous and confronting acts of planet degradation that have been afflicted on the planet over recent years. One such issue that requires consideration is deforestation. Trees have been or are being cut down at increasingly high rates. If this is not stopped many unfavorable side effects could result. Why Trees Matter To understand why deforestation is such a pressing and urgent issue, forests must first be given credit for what they bring to global ecosystems and the quality of life that all species maintain. Tropical Rainforests presently give a place to call home for 50% - 90% of all organisms, 90% of our relatives, the primates, and 50 million creatures that can live no place but the rich rainforests (World Rainforest Movement 16). Not only are other species at risk, but the human race also benefits from what the trees give. From something as minor as the spices that indulge food to life giving medicines, the rainforests amplify and save lives. According to the World Rainforest Movement, 25% of medicines come from the forests (28). This is a number that does not do justice to all the cures that have yet to be discovered or that have been destroyed. The forests give life, not only to other species, but they help to prolong the human race. The forests have global implications not just on life but on the quality of it. Trees improve the quality of the air that species breath by trapping carbon and other particles produced by pollution. Trees determine rainfall and replenish the atmosphere. As more water gets put back in the atmosphere, clouds form and provide another way to block out the sun’s heat.... Free Essays on Deforestation Free Essays on Deforestation Environmental issues effect every life on this planet from the smallest parasite to the human race. The reason for this is simple. A single disruption in the Earth’s delicate balance can mean certain destruction of the very place that cradles the lives of many species. What is not so simple is finding alternatives to the now dangerous and confronting acts of planet degradation that have been afflicted on the planet over recent years. One such issue that requires consideration is deforestation. Trees have been or are being cut down at increasingly high rates. If this is not stopped many unfavorable side effects could result. Why Trees Matter To understand why deforestation is such a pressing and urgent issue, forests must first be given credit for what they bring to global ecosystems and the quality of life that all species maintain. Tropical Rainforests presently give a place to call home for 50% - 90% of all organisms, 90% of our relatives, the primates, and 50 million creatures that can live no place but the rich rainforests (World Rainforest Movement 16). Not only are other species at risk, but the human race also benefits from what the trees give. From something as minor as the spices that indulge food to life giving medicines, the rainforests amplify and save lives. According to the World Rainforest Movement, 25% of medicines come from the forests (28). This is a number that does not do justice to all the cures that have yet to be discovered or that have been destroyed. The forests give life, not only to other species, but they help to prolong the human race. The forests have global implications not just on life but on the quality of it. Trees improve the quality of the air that species breath by trapping carbon and other particles produced by pollution. Trees determine rainfall and replenish the atmosphere. As more water gets put back in the atmosphere, clouds form and provide another way to block out the sun’s heat....

Assessment Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Assessment Plan - Research Paper Example The results will be used to gauge the level of knowledge and skills acquired by every student. Student participation in discussions, research papers, and writing assignments will also be used to evaluate them. These results will be graded according to the course assessment rubric and will serve as an indication of the level of skills achieved by every student. Students enrolled in this course will have to participate in a debate session, write a research paper, sit for written tests, and sit for a final examination. The debate or discussion forum will involve student groups of five members each. Every group member will present an item from the material prepared by the group. The purpose of the discussion is to evaluate communication, creative thinking, and performance skills. However, student performance will be graded according to the overall group performance and not on individual performance. This will encourage the students to work together as a group and will enhance individual participation during presentations. Students will also be required to write a research paper in groups of five students. The research question will be provided by the instructor, and students will have a maximum of five weeks to complete the research paper. The research paper will aim at evaluating the ability to analyze and evaluate a particular problem. The paper will be graded according to group performance instead of individual performance. A maximum of five written tests will be issued in a semester to evaluate writing skills and creative and critical thinking. These tests will be graded according to individual student performance and will cover the coursework covered by the instructor. Written tests will assess grammar, writing, clarity in expression, and precision in answering questions. The wording should capture the important and clear issues contained within the test questions. Students should have the ability to apply writing skills learned in the course and exhibit their understanding of a particular question. The final exam will cover the whole coursework outlined in the course outline. This involves areas covered in the class, assignments, and other areas included in the outline, which may not have been covered with the instructor. The exam will have the highest contribution in the overall student grade. Students who perform poorly in the final exam will be considered to have failed the entire course. Deficient Unpreparedness and the students have underdeveloped ideas. No research-based literature in the whole paper. Fragmented writing and ideas are not logically presented. Many spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors. Poor sentence structures. Thesis and purpose are unrelated to the question and cannot be determined. No apparent transition between sentences, paragraphs, or sections. Underdeveloped Student has confusing ideas, and the topic is not well covered. Overemphasis upon non-research-based literature. Little research-based literatur e. Some ideas are presented in a logical order. Weak organization with constant shifting in presentation of ideas. Several spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Inconsistent sentences. Thesis and purpose are vague and loosely related to the subject. Vague transitional devices and unclear structural sequence. Average Student is prepared and presents major ideas. Adequate emphasis on important researched literature. Ideas are

Any thing realated to linguistics and teaching English as a foreign Essay

Any thing realated to linguistics and teaching English as a foreign language - Essay Example Littlewood (1983) noted "Learning refers to conscious process of internalizing a second language. Learning to use a second language freely is a lengthy and complex process. Different people have different criteria for learning language, few stress on accuracy (grammar, vocabulary, listening, written production etc.) while others on fluency (reading, phonology, spoken production, accent, etc.) but almost everyone agree that our primary purpose of language development is to be able to speak in the target language. However, in recent years the stress is on how to teach languages, which is increasingly guided by the dominant aim of promoting the learner's communicative competence. Similarly, all the recent definitions of language learning also involve communicative point of view by one way or another. "Language learning is a neutral response to communicative needs," says Littlewood (1983). The approach that needs to be taken according to is not all about sentence structure and vocabulary but "it must also involve an understanding of how people use these linguistic forms in order to communicate." suggested Woodhead; Miller; Oshea (1981). Bourges (1964) also claims that "some basic awareness of the total linguistic process" is very essential," otherwise students can never be competent to use the second language. There fore, the learners must be aware of the value of their learning and how will matter in all spheres of his life outside the classroom, in which it has to be written and spoken. English for what English is an international language. However, for most of the third world countries, it has a position of second language. At present, English is fast gaining grounds in Non-Western countries; most of them fall in 'developing' countries category. English is no longer a language of West but it has become a language of the person who uses it. Second language learning (English) has become a necessity to most of us, for some the reason is instrumental for others it is personal. Most of us, in this situation learn second language for instrumental purpose. Recently, it has been realized that most of the students will need second language for knowledge, societal, career, or entertainment's sake. River (1983) noted that "consumers are not only students, but also the society of which they are a part." Therefore, second language is one institution that learners must master in order to perform proficiently in other subject areas as well as in society. The main component, which makes English primary for learners, is that knowing a second language will more or less give surety of a better economic status. As job markets have become increasingly competitive now and it's not enough to know one language, since all the official work is done in English. For a perspective employee, English is a need and an added advantage to progress quickly by accessing any related knowledge through different channels. As River (1984) says "people's personal attitude towards the second language matters a great deal, as also a degree and nature of socio-economic demands for it." Spoken language is also required to keep the up social relationships. Colleges and schools have a role to perform since they introduce them to a wider