Medea’s situation Essay

Dogan people in the city who didn’t believe Cassandra because she was an outsider. In this play it  was learned that sometimes the most insightful people are the outsiders because they are not blinded by the normal activities of the main characters.  Another minor character that foretells the future is Medea’s nurse in The Medea. The Nurse has a different situation than Cassandra. She is more familiar with Meadea and her children and knows of their daily activities. She begins to have insight on Medea’s situation when Medea starts to see a change in her relationships between Jason and her children. She first foretells the murder of Medea’s children, who were indeed murdered but by Medea herself. In the very beginning of the story, the Nurse talks about Medea’s dwindling love for Jason. â€Å"But now there’s hatred everywhere, Love is diseased.†Ã‚  (Greene, Lattimore, Euripides I, 59)  With her love for Jason waning, she begins to think less and less of her children because they remind her of him.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"She has turned from the children and does not see them./I am afraid she may think of some dreadful thing,/For her heart is violent.† (Greene, Lattimore, Euripides I, 60)  With her heart â€Å"violent†, she doesn’t think anymore of the children except to carry out her evil plan which is to kill Creusa. Another quote that shows the deterioration of Jason’s and Medea’s relationship is the conversation that the Nurse and the Tutor were having. â€Å"And will Jason put up with it that his children/Should suffer so, though he’s no friend to their mother?† (Greene, Lattimore,  Dogan 4  Euripides I, 61)  The Nurse is showing her concern here when she asks about what would Jason do about his children since he’s not in love with Medea anymore. Towards the end, it is subtly made known that Jason only wanted the children as heirs to the throne that he did not take because Medea killed Creusa. The Nurse may not have foreshadowed as much as Cassandra did, but she gave the reader an idea of what was going to happen to the children.  In conclusion, minor characters do have some meaning plot-wise. They are not blinded by the everyday life of the main characters allowing them to see the obvious without the help from others. Without them, the story would be mainly about two or more parties and their actions minus the suspense that the minor character gives the reader. (947) Works Cited Greene, David and Lattimore, Richard, eds. Aeschylus I. The University of Chicago. 1953.

How the character of Stephen is portrayed by Faulks in Birdsong Essay

At the beginning of Birdsong, the Azaires are first introduced on the first page, followed by Stephen, who happens to be another important, if not the main character in the whole of the story. As a reader, we would assume that the Azaire family and Stephen and some connection, either already, or as we read later into the novel. Within the opening pages of the novel, it becomes apparent that Stephen as a clear view of what is right and what is wrong. Faulks, by including this so early on the novel, makes us wonder whether Stephen may be faced with a decision of right and wrong, and if so, would he recognise it as either. In the first chapter, we learn that Stephen is a young English man, the age of Twenty and has come to France to learn more about manufacturing process at Monsieur Azaires factory. As a reader, this portrays Stephen as an intelligent young man, who is willing to learn more, no matter how far he has to travel. We also learn that Stephen a hugely wealthy man, but neither is he much poorer than other people in the village; ‘Stephen Wray fords metal trunk had been sent ahead and was waiting t at the foot of the bed.’ If Stephen was of a higher class, he would have had his trunk emptied and clothes hung for him, yet he hasn’t, so we assume that he is of a middle class standard. He also isn’t a man of huge class and much effort put into his clothing; ‘..and hung his spare suit in the giant carved wardrobe.’ The description of the wardrobe in this sentence shows that Stephen isn’t used to such luxury nor a lot of space for himself. The room in which Stephen is given in the novel, portrays what kind of man Stephen is, as I feel was included purposely by Faulks; ‘The room was simple, but had been decorated with some care. This makes us as a reader, think that Stephen may spend a lot of time in his room, as that may be where he feels most comfortable. The sound of birds is also very prominent in the novel, and the first mention is when Stephen has gotten’ settled into his room. I feel that the bird mentioning’s may be apparent when something quite important happens in the novel. Faulks presents Stephen as a character who is more practical in his appearance, rather than pride of it. ‘Stephen washed perfunctorily’ backs up this observation of Stephen. When empting his pockets before leaving his room he takes out a knife, as described by Faulks as; ‘a knife with a scrupulously sharpened blade.’ The description of the blade, as a reader makes me wonder in the ‘sharpened blade’ was sharpened already, as protection on his journey or whether something serious may happen in his stay at the Azaires. This gives some sense of anticipation as to what may happen, and how serious it may be. As we continue the novel, Stephen gets lost around the house, searched for the dining room and stumbles across the kitchen. Here we learn that although Stephen as a higher role than the maids in the Azaires house, he is also only a visitor and his brushed aside by them, making the following quote, an oxymoron. ‘†This way, Monsieur. Dinner is served.† Said the maid, squeezing past him in the doorway. When Stephen finally reaches the dining room, he is welcomed by Madam Azaire by her presence of standing up to show him his seat. It appears strange to a reader, that the lady of the family would welcome Stephen and Monsieur Azaire himself, but we take this as a simple welcoming, one of which a character like Stephen is probably used to. It becomes quickly apparent that he has an interest in Madam Azaire, when he doesn’t here Monsieur Azaire fully; ‘Azaire mutted an introduction of which Stephen heard only the words, ‘my wife’.’ We also see that he has a lot of respect for her straight away, by his movement of bowing his head towards her. We also find out that he doesn’t reveal much about himself unless encouraged to do so. We find this out when Grà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½goire questions how old Stephen is. Stephen also doesn’t feel himself extremely intelligent towards Monsieur Azaire when asked about his knowledge about textiles. When he replies, he says ‘A little’, causing us to wonder whether he actually knows a lot more than we think, but doesn’t wish to boast about it. After dinner, Stephen heads back up to his room, where we learn that the notebook he had previously taken out of his pocket was indeed a small diary of events in his life. As he is opening the notebook, he hears an owl in the gardens, making the reader assume that the events that have just happened, will affect the future in some-way or another. As he opens his notebook, we find out that the book is already ‘half full with inky writing.’ By this, Faulks makes the reader think that a lot has happened in Stephens’s life already that may be important in the rest of the novel. We also learn that Stephen isn’t a tidy, structured man as in his notebook, he can go days, even weeks between logged something in it, as the dates in it are very scattered. We learn that Stephen is very intelligent whilst learning about what his notebook is about, when we are told that Stephen writes in code in his notebook, derived from his knowledge of Greek and Latin in his Grammar Sc hool. ‘He laughed softly to himself as he wrote.’ makes the reader assume that he enjoys a sense of secrecy in his life, and in his notebook, allowing us to think whether he will use his ‘spy’ like qualities and secrecy later on the novel in a more, hands on and practical situation. We also learn he has an openness and problems with anger, which thanks to his notebook, has kept this hidden from anyone he may know. We may see both these qualities that Stephen processes later on the novel, which leads the reader to want to read more of it, a technique perfected by Faulks in order to enthral and attract the reader’s attention to read on. He also has a slight problem, as Faulks refers to it as, ‘not to trust his responses and wait and watchful.’ This would also make a reader want to learn more about Stephen and see how Faulks develops him throughout the novel, as we want to see whether if in any circumstance, he could ‘not to trust’ hi mself and do what was right, rather than what he wants, which we later find out, is not the case. Throughout the novel, the reader entices the reader with snippets of Stephen live in England and he is constantly complimented on how well he understands French and the work at the factory. ‘I was brought up by my grandparents. Then in an institution until I was taken away by a man I’d never met before.’ The information he gives up about himself, is only when he is prompted to release such information, by question asked by the children, Lisette and Grà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½goire. Grà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½goire asks about Stephen age and Lisette asks about his child life at home. He also doesn’t seem to mind not talking about it, as when addressed to end the topic, he does so, making the reader think that maybe he either has something to hide, or he is just extremely secretive. Knowing so little about Stephen in the first couple of pages of the novel entices the reader to read on and also invokes sympathy towards the character. Stephen is an ambiguous character and doesn’t reveal great aspects of his life; he rarely mentions England at all whilst staying with Azaires and only touches upon small details of his childhood, but there also becomes apparent that there is another side to Stephen that the reader doesn’t know yet. When there’s an outbreak of violence in the factory, he lashes out and punches a man for insulting Isabelle, Madam Azaire, who it also becomes apparent, he has strong feelings for. It becomes clear that Stephen doesn’t know his own strength and why he usually tries to keep that side of him, under wraps for anyone to observe. We also know that, later on in the novel, Stephen gets blackmailed by Lisette, as she wants him to ‘do things’ to her, like he does to Madam Azaire, as I will talk about in a moment or two. She tries to force him to make her ‘happy’ and when forcing his hand around her body, Stephen ‘felt a reflex feeling of desire.’ This paints an almost perverted picture of Stephen, which I feel Faulks did on purpose, to make any empathy that we feel for Stephens’s character, fade a little, making us feel uncomfortable about whether what we know about Stephen currently, to be true. His relationship with Isabelle, Madam Azaire is also one that shows another side to Stephens’s character, a side of love and trust, excitement and fear. Stephen, one day, talks to Isabelle alone in the garden, when she is pruning some unchecked roses, to which she greets him with ‘Monsieur.’ This in itself shows she has great respect for Stephen and see’s him as one of their class and not someone, who is of course, of a lower class than themselves. Their conversation, at first, consisting of; ‘Allow me.’ and ‘Let me.’ shows their relationship blossoming already, with the idea that not one person is on control all the time; they share responsibility, which may become important later on in the novel. As the novel progresses through this scene, Stephen takes great pleasure in noticing the small details in Isabelle’s appearance, almost coming across to the reader as slightly creepy, if not frightening, but the character sees this as a normal, observational thing that he does. He compliments her on her age and beauty, respected in return by Isabelle, who appears, none affected by his effort to brighten her mood. After a, what a reader may call, an awkward moment between Stephen and Isabelle, when he tries to talk about the sounds he heard from her room, it appears that Isabelle has some feelings towards Stephen in return in the following quote; ‘Madam Azaire watched his tall figure retreat across the grass to the house. She turned back to her roses, shaking her head as though in defiance of some unwanted feeling.’ From this moment, the pair embark on a sexual affair, taking place in the ‘red room’, a room in the Azaires household that appears to not be used often. By doing this, Stephen goes against everything he tries to deny himself of. He loses control of his feelings, his reactions he is unable to control and in doing so, he falls in love with Isabelle, who the reader is constantly reminded of during meaningful and loving scenes between the two, is married to the owner of the house, Monsieur Azaire. There are many sides to the character of Stephen, many of them the reader probably doesn’t feel they know yet. The novel, so far enlightens the reader to know about some of his past, some of his present and drops subtle, war related clues to possibly indicate something about his future. The mention of birds is a constant reminder of something important and we also find out that Stephen is afraid of birds and is therefore a subtle reminder that everything he does when the birds are mentioned, is an act of terrible consequences, in the Azaires household, so far.

Malcolm X : Identity Formation

Multicultural Issues Identity Formation: Malcolm X Everyday African-Americans go through identity formation. Identity formation is the development of the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity. While watching the movie, Malcolm X, starring Denzel Washington as Malcolm, he shows many stages of identity formation. His whole life, he went by taking chances. The choices and decisions he made either ended good of ended bad. By the end of the movie, it ended in a tragic massacre that sadly ended his life. Throughout the movie, they jumped around about his life.They showed flashbacks of his childhood and continued from on through his life. I’m going to begin with his life transformation. As a child, he was faced with bad racism. His family would be tortured by the KKK (Ku Klux Klan). His father did everything he could do to protect his family. The KKK (Ku Klux Klan) killed his father after all the torturing. Malcolm and his siblings were taking away. Ma lcolm was sent to an Orphanage where in school he was the only African-American (black) student in his class. His teacher even told him he couldn’t become a lawyer. He should consider becoming a carpenter.Malcolm was faced with man racist comments. Later on in his life he lived the life of a â€Å"street hustler. † He went to prison and that completely transformed him. We must transform ourselves, as a people, as a condition for securing our freedom from oppression. This was the beginning of his phase of identity transformation, Who are you? The question Malcolm stressed. The first time Malcolm was asked that he said Malcolm Little. He was told that’s the white’s man name for you, now who are you? He didn’t have an answer. He had to find his self. Then he gave his self the name Malcolm X.The â€Å"X† representing the unknown name of his African ancestors and their culture that had been lost during slavery, discovering all of this after six y ears in prison, after being convicted of robbery and sleeping with white women. This identity transformation was also spiritual and intellectual transformation. He undertook a rigorous process of self-education. He was all about Black Power and the Power of the Great and Almighty Allah. This was a form of his identity transformation One aspect of the African-American life in society today, as well as in the movie, is the role and identity of women.The women serve as the backbone of the family that prays and request that God would watch over and protect the family. The focus of my writing is geared towards discussing the woman’s identity development in the African-American culture and the world at large. Research express that in order to be able to understand what the significance of identity development in African-American women consists of, it is important to get the picture of the racial undertones in society. Throughout our country’s history, African-American women have been subjected to digesting negative stereotypes about themselves in comparison with their Caucasian counterparts.The belief behind this statement is that Caucasian females were closely associated with having more positive qualities than African-American women. As a result, a sense of shame has been connected with the concentrated effort to explain what it means to be an African-American that leads to an existence of racial consciousness in the minds of everyone within the culture. Moreover the conversation continues by stating that research that focuses on identity development in African-American women includes the suggestion of oppression and the requirement for self-determination and/or strength through resilience.In order for African-American women to move towards self-determination through resilience, they have to acknowledge both the commonness and the actuality of racism and sexism in today’s society. These â€Å"isms† impact the everyday lives and experien ces that they have and will encounter at school, at work, and in places where they may receive any form of public assistance. An author named Black talk about faith in God as foundational in a woman’s life toward the development of a sense of identity and value as the women eal with the trials and tribulations that she faces. The use of faith helps her to keep perspective on God as a loving, caring person as she learns to redefine what adversity looks like. Another writer named Mattis says the study’s focus on African-American women is intentional because they weave together culture and spirituality as part of how they identify themselves . Moreover, Black comments that an African-American woman’s faith and how she interacts with God is effective because there are two key components to their relationship: reciprocity and familiarity.These two characteristics work together as a way to help African-American women deal with their struggles because: a) their self-wo rth is rooted in the fact that God loves them and b) no matter what they face in this life God has a plan to reward them now and forevermore. Just like any other family, we you grow up, you go through a reaching transformation. As I stated before, in African-American families religion is an important factor to their culture. Just like in the movie and in Malcolm’s real life, he became educated and went around the world teaching.He taught was it means t be black, what it means to worship the Nation of Islam and becoming Muslim, and opened the world up to the real racism of society. When he became Muslim, he seized to live in the society of whites. He believed in going back to our roots, back home, back to our original civilization, back to West Africa, South Africa and Central Africa. These teachings cost him his life, yet his legacy live in his family and around the world of African-American and Muslims

Studio Workroom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Studio Workroom - Essay Example On the upper most part of the shelves are silverwares which may be a collection of artworks. Otherwise, they would also be some of the modern works made in the workroom by the artists making their masterpieces using metals as their basic materials. The different artworks displayed on the shelves, whether they were bought for display or have been made there, give an inspiring attitude to viewers. One cannot help but appreciate the workroom, seeing evidences of the time spent by the artists who have put their effort in working there. The workroom is perhaps not just used as a place for doing artwork but is also designed to be a comfortable place to read. The books are probably not just there for display but serve their purposes for the users of the room. Since it is an artist’s workroom, it is assumed that the books are about arts. The presence of a typewriter also makes a viewer assume that writing is also done in the workroom. It perhaps tells something about the setting of the photo or the age of the artist as well. The photograph may have been taken at an earlier time, when computers were still not largely used or the artist using it may just have been used to using an old-fashioned machine. One of the obvious fascinating things about the workroom is the number of lights hanging over the table. This speaks of the dedication of the artist is putting in the job. it is concluded from this that the artist probably spends a lot of time in the room, sometimes not noticing the time anymore. Therefore, a lot of lights have to be placed in the room to really make it bright and give a well-lighted workplace for the artist. Aside from the obviously advantageous things inside the room, there is also something that first attracts the attention of viewers at first glance. The ropes hanging in the middle of the room, tied to the beams, look quite unusual. Since there are no telling signs of their use, a non-artist could not stop wondering what the ropes are for.

Argument papper draft #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Argument papper draft #2 - Essay Example However, United Nations in 2000 asserts that there is variety in the average marital age difference across different cultures. For instance, in some African societies, the average difference in terms of age between married partners is three times that in most Western countries, revolving around 10 years in most cases. Moreover, 10 years appears to be the maximum acceptable difference on average for a romantic partner, particularly for women. This is because differences beyond 10 years are not seen as normative by most societies. Another way to explain men and women’s partner age preferences is to think of heterosexual relationships in social exchange terms. Social exchange theory proposes that how we feel about a given social interaction or relationship fundamentally depends upon the costs to be incurred and benefit associated with it. Basically, when rewards are more than the costs to be incurred in a relationship, we tend to feel good about it and will in most cases stay in it and vice versa. Conversely, an older man providing his resources for a young, attractive woman can be seen as a social exchange where he provides shelter, food, and security in exchange for sex with her bringing about an opportunity to procreate. Such an arrangement is likely to be seen as a favorable because it me ets important needs for both partners. Another explanation for men and women’s partner age preferences is by considering the social role theory which argues that the traditional division of labor between the sexes has resulted in women assuming the social role of providing domestic labor and men fulfilling the social role of providing. Thus leading women to look for financially stable men who are mostly older and men looking for younger women who look productive and attractive. The tendency for women to marry older men so as to have them provide for them is changing as more women are in the labor force as

Through her Play Trifles, What is Susan Glaspell Trying to Teach us Essay

Through her Play Trifles, What is Susan Glaspell Trying to Teach us About Traditional Gender Roles - Essay Example Women in most cases hence were not paid for the services they offered. They were charged with child rearing, cooking and ensuring that the house together with the compound were clean. At the same time women were to provide for the family especially in matters relating to clothing. They had to work very hard to make sure their husbands and children had something to wear hence in most cases they spent quality of their time sewing. Despite them accomplishing this entire task they were thoroughly beaten by their husbands even without a concrete reason to do so. These women were in real sense oppressed until one of the wives Mrs. Wright decided to free herself from the abuse. She planned to kill her husband and claimed that a stranger did it (Glaspell 11). Women were denied a chance to express leadership skills in several official positions. They were not involved in the process of voting within the society since voting was seen as men’s responsibility. At the same time women were not elected for any position in the Government. They were to listen and obey the men. In times of mistreatment, women were to keep it to themselves and not complain about it. The talents and abilities they had were wasted at home in the kitchen. Men didn’t allow their wives to exercise such powers in the society assuming that they were not worthy. At the same time husbands were afraid of being manipulated by women (Glaspell 20). Few women had chances to work in offices and in most cases they did low status job such as being secretaries and clerk. Women were paid very little wags to the extent that there was no specific minimum wage for them. Any important and executive work in the society was associated with men while the tiresome and little paying jobs were left for women. They were rarely given a chance to work as lawyers and physicians (Glaspell). Most women belonged to lower and medium class, this meant that they had to seek for men’s opinions in their duties. In t he play we see that women were knowledgeable since the two of them Mrs. Peter and Mrs. Hale were in a position to discover the evidence that Mrs. Wright killed her husband (Glaspell 27). Since women were devalued in the society they decided to keep the secret in order to protect their fellow woman from the punishment of the law. The society limited the women’s talents and abilities. Minnie was a singer but she was denied a chance to express her talents. She was forced to perform household duties in stead of developing her passion. This made her to develop negative attitude towards her husband hence decided to free herself by committing murder of which she denied. The play shows that women could secretly plan things in order to free themselves. Women had sixth sense that enabled them to see things that men were not in a position to do see. They thought first hence made many quick discoveries. Having been oppressed for so long women decided to seek for their freedom. They prote ct each other from mishandling. This instinct made the women to have a different perspective towards the crime that one of them committed. Women planned to withhold the proof that sheriff and county attorney called for so as to set up a case for Mrs. Wright’s alleged crime (Glaspell). In conclusion societies that discriminate their women normally become underdeveloped since the active participation of their women is under utilized; hence whatever they could have

Art History Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Art History - Research Paper Example one of the great museum founders, served for many years during the crucial times of its formation and was the president of the institution from 1896 to 1897. He made most of the significant gifts ever to the museum when he presented over seventy pictures by Spanish, Dutch, Italian, French, and Flemish artists of the xv to xvii centuries. His collections put the museum in a valuable position among other museums for character of its collections in which may regard almost every influential artist. The Annunciation picture is of a religious type of art. The title of the photo seems to originate from the Biblical story where Christians celebrate the Annunciation of the birth of Jesus to Mary. God sent Angel Gabriel to appear before the Virgin Mary and told her that she would conceive a baby boy (Jesus). She would conceive the child through the power of the Holy Spirit The artist of this picture reflected this view by the images of both Angel Gabriel and Mary. The artist also made another effort of bringing in the physical appearance of the characters in the pictures. He clearly represents the man with feathers as the angel since angels used to have them and had the ability to fly. It also creates the difference in the two images, and one can differentiate between them (Angel Gabriel and Mary). From the Biblical story, Mary was shocked upon hearing the news from the Angel and the artist portrays this in the picture. The woman seen on the right side of the image seems to be in a shock as she listens from the other man. The actual size of the image is 51.8 by 43.5 cm. The height of the picture exceeds the width by a few centimeters. The artist might have chosen this to accommodate the height of both characters images and the background that is typically crucial in determining the final view of the picture. The frame of the picture is 30 x 26 5/8 x 2 Â ½ centimeters. Although it has not affected the shapes in the images much, it has cut one of the shapes at the left far

Module 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Module 6 - Essay Example It is believed that there are certain places considered as sacred spaces where the kami communicate with people. These places are usually located near waterfalls, trees and mountains, rivers, and other unusual natural formations. In these places, shrines are built to house the kami where the sacred space separates them from the ordinary world. Sacred spaces also exist in the homes where the kamidana or home shrine is designated. The shrine and the home shrine are therefore treated with the utmost respect, and this is evident in the architecture of the edifice. A large gate called tori, with a distinctive design fronts kami shrines, exhibiting two upright bars and two crossbars that indicate the separation of the sacred from the common space. Aside from this several real and symbolic barriers mark the sacred space, such as statutes of protection, ropes and fences. The shrines have distinctive parts such as the public hall of worship (haiden), the hall of offerings (heiden), and the innermost portion which comprises the worship hall reserved for the high priest (honden). It is in the honden where the symbol of the enshrined kami is situated. http://it.spcollege.edu/flashapplications/accessibleYouTubePlayer/index.htm?swfWidth=480&swfHeight=358&videoWidth=480&videoHeight=270&srtFile=http://it.spcollege.edu/srt/HUM2270_KevinMorgan/Hum2270_Mod6_EarlJapArtCult_TradJapArch.srt&youtubeURL=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVnQvhS4vRs The video chosen for review describes how Japanese dwellings are constructed. It is interesting to note that the traditional Japanese home is constructed of wood and light materials and seldom have solid walls. There are also no permanent partitions, only temporary dividers, typically free-standing folding screens made of paper that are set up when the need to segregate spaces arises. Occasionally, there are also sliding doors which are installed along wooden

Has UK Anti-Discrimination Legislation Succeeded in Providing Equality Essay

Has UK Anti-Discrimination Legislation Succeeded in Providing Equality in Workplace - Essay Example 202-18). This paper discusses whether UK anti-discrimination legislation succeeded in providing equality for all in workplace or not in a concise and comprehensive way. This research is based on the premise that the implementation of the provisions of these laws on employment falls largely in the area of operation of professionals in human resources (HR). These professionals responsible for recruiting, selecting and perform other labour practices affecting the recruitment and retention of workers with and without disabilities. The purpose of this investigation has been to identify how HR professionals have responded to date to this legislation and what more can be done to support the critical role they play in minimizing discrimination against the disabled in workplaces. Sparrow (2000, pp. 202 18) mentions that workplace diversity appears to have a rather short history as a field in organisation studies if one locates its emergence only within contemporary scholarship. Issues that commonly fall within the study of workplace diversity have always existed. ... Yet, early conceptualisations of organisations were rooted in universalistic approaches that largely ignored race, ethnicity, gender, culture, sexuality, and other social identities. Race and gender in organisations gained some attention after the passage of equal employment legislation in the United States during the 1970s as well as in the UK (Sparrow, 2000, pp. 202 18). This work appeared under the rubric of women in management and in studies of the effects of affirmative action and workplace discrimination (Sisson, 1994, pp. 123-131). Substantive attention to workplace diversity in organisations is attributed primarily to the publication of Workforce 2000. This report forecasted a radical increase in the number of women and racial/ethnic minorities entering the United States workforce. It seems this forecast was largely on target although some changes in the profile of the workforce were unforeseen, including an increase in the number of workers with disabilities and growing religious diversity. Women constitute 48 percent of the United States workforce. By 2020, 32 percent of the US labour force is projected to be ethnic minorities, and four of every ten people entering the workforce from 1998 to 2008 will be members of minority groups. Hispanics are now the largest minority group in the United States, surpassing African Americans. Sisson (1994, pp. 123-131) urged organisations and decision-makers to identify ways to "manage" this growing diversity. Consequently, the field was initially practitioner-driven with scholarly attention lagging. Some would argue this accounts for the frequently lodged criticism that much of the literature on workforce diversity is atheoretical. However, in the last ten

Indwelling Catheter Removal Protocols Research Paper

Indwelling Catheter Removal Protocols - Research Paper Example Evidently, with these types of statistics, UTI infections occur at a much higher rate than perhaps they need to, meaning that the prevention of UTI infections in indwelling catheter payments may be easier than previously thought in some cases. Purpose Statement The purpose of this paper is to explore the nursing implications of catheter removal protocols on in-patient units and how this may lead to a decrease in the total number of UTI infections in hospitals across the country. Nursing Implications Robinson et al (2007) suggest that because of the high number of patients with an indwelling catheter who leave with a fully-developed UTI or at least one symptom of a UTI at discharge, the proper use of indwelling catheters should be a priority for clinical staff who wish to reduce the associated rates of morbidity. It was found that the duration of catheter insertion was also a major risk factor in the development of a UTI, and as such this should be a target for reducing the associated morbidity. Schnieder (2012) found that indwelling catheter usage is also problematic more specifically in hip fracture patients, and considerably increases the associated costs with their hospital stay, as well as the distress for the patient. In these patients especially, morbidity and mortality is extremely high and therefore further complications should be prevented. Overall, this suggests that indwelling catheter usage is problematic on both a general and specific scale and therefore has huge implications for the practice of nursing. One of the suggestions for targeting this type of indwelling catheter usage by much of the research is to implement specific protocol which relates to the use and removal of the catheter. It was suggested by Robinson et al (2007) that three groups of patients do not appear to benefit from indwelling catheter usage; ‘those who cannot communicate their wish to void†¦those who are incontinent†¦those who are hemodynamically stable†¦those who have urinary retention that can be managed by other means’ (p159). Evidently, the best way to reduce the number of UTIs associated with this type of catheter is to avoid giving them to those for whom it is unnecessary, which means that nurses should perhaps be made aware of the alternatives and the reasons why catheter usage may not be suitable for some patients. Schnieder (2012) also highlights the importance of educating nurses in the use and timely removal of indwelling catheters in the prevention of UTIs. This study suggests that using a variety of teaching methods and examinations may be the most appropriate for ensuring that the knowledge is properly received and used in a clinical context. Overall, the results from this suggest ‘positive results’ (p17) which again highlights the importance of nurses in the use and removal of these catheter types. Nurses themselves understand the need for a ‘validated continence assessment tool’ (Din gwall & McLafferty, 2006, p35) for the evaluation and implementation of indwelling catheters and their removal. This means that the clinical staff already has an understanding of the problems associated with indwelling cathete

The Effects of Employment on Academic Performance Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Employment on Academic Performance Essay ABSTRACT This study examines factors that impact students engaged in paid employment while studying in a tertiary accounting program in a regional Australian university. It examines the differences in experience of domestic and international students. No direct significant relationship was found between paid employment and academic performance for the overall study sample. There was a positive relationship found between paid employment and academic performance with respect to domestic students. However, in the case of international students a negative relationship between paid employment and academic performance was observed. A significant positive relationship between a shift work pattern of paid employment and academic performance was found. The Effects of Employment on Academic Performance of Australian Accounting Students 1. Introduction This study makes a contribution to the literature identifying and examining the factors that impact student performance in tertiary accounting programs. Much of this existing literature is located within the United Kingdom and North American institutions. Documented factors in these studies include the impact of gender, prior knowledge of accounting, academic aptitude, mathematical background, previous working experience, age, class size and class attendance. However, more recently, observations of accounting academics suggest a new factor to be examined in the Australian context, the socio-economic circumstances as represented by their need for paid employment of accounting students. Anecdotal evidence suggests that in recent times more students are now working while studying, reducing the time available and quality of their efforts towards their accounting studies, for example many students miss or do not prepare for classes. University administrators have noted concern about student work patterns and student availability to spend time on their studies and participate in the university community life (Rudkin and De Zoysa 2007). The contribution of this paper is to examine the impact of paid employment while studying on the academic performance of students in an accounting program in Australia. The impact is examined differentiating between domestic and international accounting students. This dichotomy is significant because there is currently a large international student enrolment in accounting programs in Australian universities driven by government immigration policy to address a skills shortage (Birrell and Rapson 2005). There is also a shortage in meeting the demand for accounting graduates in the domestic industry coinciding with a shift in the funding mechanisms for Australian domestic university students in recent years. The impact of the market demand for a skilled workforce and the effects of existing student funding on work participation requires analysis. This paper investigates two aspects; first whether there is a relationship between paid employment and student performance, and secondly if there is a difference between the experiences of domestic and international students in paid employment and academic performance. Survey data of 170 enrolled students enrolled in a third year 12 credit point financial accounting subject at the University of Wollongong in the autumn session of 2006 was collected for this study. 2. Prior Research There have been few studies identified that examine the relationship between student participation in paid employment and their academic performance in a tertiary accounting program. There have been no studies identified by the authors that examine the difference in employment on tertiary academic performance between domestic and international accounting students in Australia. Gul and Fong (1993) conducted a Hong Kong study on first year accounting students, and found predictors of academic achievement to be personality type, grades achieved at the school certificate in mathematics and accounting, and previous knowledge of accounting. A study by Wooten in 1998 examined 271 students taking introductory accounting at a major south-eastern American university of which there were 74 students identified as non-traditional defined as aged 25 years or older, and 127 traditional students aged under 25 years. Wooten found that for the traditional cohort grade history, motivations and family responsibilities all influenced the amount of effort these students made. However, neither extracurricular activities nor work responsibilities influenced their effort. However for the non-traditional students, motivation was the only variable that significantly influenced effort. Neither grade history nor extracurricular activities, nor work responsibilities, nor family responsibilities had an effect on motivations. Family activities had a significant negative impact on effort for the traditional students, but not for the nontraditional students. It is conjectured by the authors of this paper that these differences in ages may also capture different socio-economic circumstances. Gose (1998) found an increase in the number of students employed over time, with 39% of students working 16 or more hours per week in 1998 compared with 35% working in 1993. Naser and Peel (1998) and Koh and Koh (1999) documented much research done on common predictive factors of academic performance in accounting courses, including gender, prior knowledge of accounting, academic aptitude, mathematical background, previous working experience, age, class size, lecturer attributes and student effort. However, they note the findings are not definitive. An Australian study done by Dobson and Sharma (1999) examined the relationship between student performance and the cost of failure, noting both the public and the private dimensions to the cost of failure. Similarly the Australian study by Booth et al. (1999) examined factors that impact upon accounting student academic performance, but failed to incorporate a socio-economic dimension. Booth et al. (1999) used the Approaches to Learning paradigm from the education literature to investigate the learning approaches of accounting students from two Australian universities, as compared to previously reported data for Australian arts, education and science students. This study provided evidence that Australian accounting students tend to take a superficial approach to learning typified surface learning such as rote memorization, while using lower deep learning approaches than their counterparts in Australian arts, education and science studies. Whether this is due to work factors has not b een investigated. Wijewardena and Rudkin (1999) undertook a study of students enrolled in a first year accounting program at a regional Australian university. They identified that students’ attendance at tutorial classes, the commitment of a major in accounting and a demonstrated interest in accounting correlate positively and significantly with academic performance. They also find that local students perform better than their overseas counterparts and that part-time students (who work full time) outperform full time students. Cheung and Kan (2002) contributed to the limited studies done outside the Western context. They examined factors related to student performance in a distance learning business communications course in Hong Kong. Their results based on studying 168 students showed females outperformed males, and a positive correlation between previous academic achievement and related academic background and student performance (p261). A positive correlation was found between tutorial attendance and student performance and between previous learning experience and student performance. No relationship was found between semester course loads and student performance. The results are consistent with prior Western studies. A Welsh study by Gracia and Jenkins (2003) undertaken in the second and final year levels of an accounting degree considered gender, prior year performance and students’ application to study and their relationship to student performance. Gracia and Jenkins argue that academic failure creates both emotional and financial costs for students, and that significant cultural differences may be attributed to academic success. This study found that if students are actively committed to self-responsibility for their studies, they tend to do well in formal assessment. They also found females outperform males in the second year and that there is a negative correlation between age and grades. Students who have work experience perform significantly better than students who go straight from the second to the final year. They argue that the work experience allows students to get their finances in order thereby reducing the need for them to earn money while studying in the final year, thereby reducing financial and time management pressures. Vickers et al. (2003) while not specific to students that study accounting, examined the effects of part-time employment of students on their participation and attrition in tertiary study in Australian universities. They report that the proportion of full-time students undertaking work has increased between 1990 and 2000 from 46% to 56%. They find that an inverse relationship between the number of face to face course hours and the drop out rate of tertiary students, with the more hours of classes the less the drop out rate. They also found that students working 20 or more hours per week are more likely to drop out of tertiary study by 160 – 200% than those who work less than 20 hours. Vickers et al. also find that students receiving Youth Allowance are more likely to drop out of tertiary study than those who do not receive Youth Allowance, despite the fact that the majority of this group do not work part time. They also observe that the odds of dropping out of university decrease by 31-32% if a student is from the highest socio-economic quartile as opposed to the lowest. Those who work between one and 20 hours per week are just as likely to continue in study as those who do not work at all during their studies. The Vickers et al. study is important because it signifies a change in the university experience not only for students but also for academic staff who teach working students. Strong and Watts (2005) investigated factors affecting accounting student satisfaction at a small public university in New South Wales. They found improvements in the effective allocation of casual and full time staff and the introduction and of common subject outlines lead to improvements in student performance indicators of satisfaction. Consistent with this theme, Hutcheson and Tse (2006) explained student non-attendance in class as student satisfaction with the teaching performance and course delivery. Nonis and Hudson (2006) note that the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education has found that since 1987 the time students spend studying outside of class has declined each year, with only 47% spending six or more hours per week studying outside of class compared with 34% in 2003. Nonis and Hudson (2006) identify a need for empirical research to determine the impact of student work on academic performance, and its impact on the design of academic programs. Their study found a lack of evidence for a direct relationship between times spent working and academic performance. Sullaiman and Mohezar conducted a study at the University of Malaya in their MBA program. They found conflicting evidence of the impact of work experience on student academic performance. They note studies by McClure, Wells and Bowerman (1986), Schellhardt (1988) and Dreher and Ryan (2000) finding a positive relationship between work experience and academic performance, but studies by Dreher and Ryan (2000, 2002 and 2004) Dugan et al. (2006) and Graham (2001) and Peiperl and Trevelyan (1997) found no relationship between students working and their grade point average. Sullaiman and Mohezar’s study found that work experience is not related to MBA performance. Hutcheson and Tse (2006) at the University of Technology Sydney found that on average students who attended more than half of the tutorials obtained a higher final mark than students who did not, and that this was particularly so for international students. This begs further research as to why, when students pay high fees for classes, they do not attend. This paper identifies the need to investigate whether the need to work is one possible reason for this finding. De Zoysa and Rudkin (2007) undertook a pilot study examining the relationship between academic performance and student socio-economic circumstances, which did not find a direct significant relationship between the number of hours of paid employment and student academic performance in accounting. However, a significant positive relationship between shift workers and academic performance was found. James et al. (2007) undertook a non-discipline specific study encompassing a survey of 18,954 Australian public university undergraduate and postgraduate students. They found 70.6 per cent of full-time undergraduates reported working during semester two, 2006, working on average 14.8 hours per week, with one in every six full time undergraduate student working more than 20 hours per week. For students enrolled in a part-time pattern, 41.8 per cent were working at least 38 hours per week, which effectively means full time employment. The study found many students worked significant hours merely to afford basic living necessities such as transport, books and study materials, with 39.9 per cent of full-time students and 54.1 per cent of part-time students believing their work adversely impacted upon their studies. The study of this paper contributes to the literature in that it uniquely examines differences between domestic and international accounting students in the Australian context of the impact of undertaking paid employment on their academic performance in a subject of an undergraduate accounting degree. This study makes two contributions to the accounting education literature. First, rather than a predominant focus on first year students, this study examines second and final year accounting students in a regional Australian context. It uniquely examines differences between domestic and international accounting student experiences. 3. Method Subjects of this study were drawn from School of Accounting and Finance at the University of Wollongong, a regional Australian university. The accounting program is professionally accredited with both requisite professional accounting bodies, CPA Australia and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. The degree is a full time three year program, with admission based on the standard University Admissions Index (UAI), or equivalent. Specific to these entry requirements, mathematics is not a compulsory entry requirement, though is recommended. There are no domestic undergraduate full fee paying students admitted to this degree. A prescribed program of study is required, with both compulsory accounting subjects using a prerequisite system, with opportunity for more liberal electives. This study undertook a survey of 170 third year students in their final compulsory financial accounting subject in 2006. The students were questions about their academic experiences and socio-economic circumstances in the prior session, the Australian Spring Session 2005. To obtain a complete sample, students who failed their prerequisite subject in the prior session Spring 2005 were also surveyed to obtain a representative population. Academic performance for the purpose of this study is determined as the final grade in the second year financial accounting subject, ACCY201, studied in spring session 2005. The research was conducted by paper surveys handed out in compulsory tutorial classes in the last week of session. Participation in the survey was optional. Both day time and evening tutorial classes were surveyed, to ensure a representative mix of both part time and full time patterns of study and work commitments. Of the 170 students surveyed, 101 (59%) of students are domestic students while 69 (41%) are international students. Those enrolled part time in the sample of 170 students are 34 (20%) while those enrolled full time are 136 (80%) of the sample. Of the domestic students, 45 (45%) are male and 56 (55%) are female. More domestic students are enrolled full time than part time, with 69 (68%) being enrolled full time compared with 32 (32%) being enrolled part time. More males are enrolled part time than females, with 18 (56%) of males enrolled in a part time pattern compared with 14 (44%) of females in part time study. There are 27 (39%) of domestic males compared with 42 (61%) of domestic females enrolled in a full time study program. Australian government regulations require that international students be enrolled in a full time study pattern. The survey sample reflects this, with all but two of the 69 international students being enrolled full time. It is surmised that the two males enrolled in a part time pattern are completing remaining subjects needed to satisfy graduation requirements which would arise if subjects must be repeated. The pattern of male and female international students is similar to that of domestic students in the sample, with there being 30 (43%) international male students compared with 39 (56%) international female students. These demographic enrolment patterns are illustrated in Table 1 Enrolment Pattern below, which describes the relationships of male and female, full time and part time, and domestic and international students. [INSERT TABLE 1 ABOUT HERE] 4. Results and Discussion Five aspects pertaining to the relationship between student employment patterns and their academic performance will be discussed. First section 4.1 will discuss the relationship between the hours worked in paid employment by students and their academic performance. Secondly, section 4.2 examines the type of employment mode students undertake and its impact on academic performance. Thirdly the impact of the nature of the paid work done by students and its impact on academic performance is considered in section 4.3. Section 4.4 explores the impact of travel time between students’ places of employment, the university and their residences on academic performance. Section 4.5 documents student perceptions on the impact of their paid employment on their academic performance. The research in these aspects seeks to discover the employment commitments of both full time and part time accounting students, whether the nature of this is different between international and domestic students, and whether these factors impact positively or negatively on the academic performance of accounting students. For the purpose of the survey, those working 20 hours or less a week are regarded as part time workers, consistent with the Australian government working regulations of student visas for full time international students. This is also consistent with a survey undertaken by Vickers et al. (2003) which while not unique to accounting students, found that 20 hours per work of paid employment was a significant indicator with respect to student performance because students who worked above this amount were most likely to withdraw from university study. 4.1 The relationship between hours worked and academic performance. The survey gathered data on the employment patterns of the sample. Of the 170 respondents to the survey, 165 answered the question of whether or not they were working in paid employment. Of this 165 sample size, 38 (23%) indicated that they were not in paid employment during the survey study period, while 127 (77%) indicated that they were in paid employment, either working full time or part time. The study seeks to compare the work patterns of students with their academic performance in accounting. Of the 165 students that answered in the affirmative to working while studying, subject results relevant to the period of their work was available for only 144 students. Therefore the sample size was reduced to 144 surveys. Academic performance was classified into three bands. The first band captured students achieving below 44 marks in a subject, indicating poor performance and a fail grade. The second band captured students achieving between 45- 64 marks indicating a satisfactory performance in terms of achieving a pass conceded or pass grade only. The third band captured students achieving a final subject grade of 65 or better, indicating a good performance of a credit grade or better in a subject. The research reveals no significant relationship between the hours worked by a student and their academic performance in an accounting subject. 44 (31%) out of 144 students achieved poor academic performance. 49 (34%) achieved a satisfactory academic performance, while 51 (35%) achieved good academic performance. Of these students 31 (22%) did not work in paid employment, 71 (49%) worked between 1 and 20 hours per week, and 42 (29%) worked in paid employment 21 hours or more per week. This is illustrated in Table 2 Hours Worked and Student Performance, shown below. [INSERT TABLE 2 ABOUT HERE] The survey results were then tested to determine if there was a different relationship between the number of hours per week spent in paid employment and academic performance between domestic as compared to international students in an accounting subject. The results show the impact is different for each group. Acknowledging the limitation of the small sample size of only four domestic students not working, the results show that domestic students who are working perform better academically than those who are not working. However, the finding for international students is the reverse. International students who are working perform less well academically than international students who do not work in paid employment. While possible reasons can be conjectured such they are working longer hours for lower rates, the determination of such factors is outside the scope of this paper. This is illustrated in Table 2.1 Hours Worked and Student Performance: Domestic Students vs International Students as shown below. [INSERT TABLE 2.1 ABOUT HERE] In the table above, it is shown international students in the poor student performance band demonstrate that as the number of hours of work increase, the does the percentage of poor performing students. When considering student paid employment in the range between one and twenty hours per week, there are different relationships evident between employment and academic performance for international and domestic students. There were 43 domestic students and 28 international students who indicated they worked between one and 20 hours per week. Of the international students who work between one and twenty hours of paid employment per week, 12 (43%) were in the poor performance band, 10 (36%) were in the satisfactory performance band and 6 (21%) were in the good performance band. This is compared with the domestic student trends for paid employment between one and twenty hours per week which showed only 9 (21%) of domestic students in the poor performance band, 8 or 19% fell into the satisfactory performance band, and 26 or 60% met the good performance category criteria. This demonstrates that while part time employment between one and twenty hours a week is more consistent with better academic performance than not, the reverse is evident for international students. Those international accounting students who worked between one and twenty hours were more likely than not to demonstrate poor academic performance. This trend is more apparent in the band of hours worked per week being 21 hours and above. There were a total of 36 domestic students falling into this category, compared to only 6 international students. It is noted that under international student visa requirements, a maximum allowed paid employment is 20 hours per week. There were 6 international students who indicated they worked 21 hours and above, outside this legal requirement. Of these 6, 4 (67%) fell into the poor performance category of a fail grade between 0 and 44%. There was one international student in each of the other two categories. This again is a different trend to the domestic student experience. Generally domestic students working more than 21 hours per week in paid employment performed less well than similar students working only between 1 -20 hours. 10 (28%) of domestic students working 21 hours and above achieved a poor performance grade, while 18 (50%) achieved a satisfactory grade and 8 (22%) achieved a good academic grade. These results show that domestic accounting students who are working perform better than those who are not working. However, for international accounting students the opposite trend is evident. Specific explorations to the reasons for these opposing trends are outside the scope of this initial survey. However, further analysis of this finding is offered from research done by Rudkin and De Zoysa (2007) who undertook a study of the socio-economic conditions of accounting students at a regional university in Australia in a comparable period. They undertook a survey of student hourly pay rates. Their findings are given in Table 3 below. [INSERT TABLE 3 ABOUT HERE] Rudkin and De Zoysa (2007) undertook a pilot social account from 162 questionnaires from students in their second session in the second year of an undergraduate accounting degree at a regional Australian university. In this survey students were asked to indicate their average gross pay rate. Hourly rates varied from under $10 an hour to $21 per hour and above. This data was then further analyzed for the purposes of this paper, finding differences between the pay rates achieved between domestic and international accounting students, as shown in Table 3.1 below. [INSERT TABLE 3.1 ABOUT HERE] Of the students who are paid less than $10 per hour, 90% of these are international students. Rudkin and De Zoysa (2007, p.95) found that 18% of students in their study found were illegally underpaid while 20.7% indicated they felt exploited in their employment. It is conjectured by the authors that international students are more vulnerable to illegal and exploitative work practices with lower pay rates, and so must work longer hours to achieve the income necessary to support their study. This is identified as an area for further research. 4.2 Type of employment pattern and academic performance. This section examines the relationship between the type of employment mode the students are employed under and their academic achievement in an accounting subject. Three categories of employment of students were identified, permanent work, casual work or contract work. Although conditions and entitlements vary across industry of employment, the three categories are reflective of patterns of work conditions, and entitlements with respect to vacation, sickness and family leave, regular hours, guaranteed income and hourly paid rates. The authors assumed that students employed in permanent positions have access to paid leave, more economic certainty compared to students employed on a casual or contract basis, but they would also have less flexibility in their employment. Of the sample surveyed, 112 students gave valid responses to the question of the nature of their employment to the three options of permanent, casual or contract. 18 students (16) indicated they were in permanent employment. There were no international students employed in a permanent position. Overall 87 students (78%) stated they were employed under casual conditions. Of these 87 students 57 (66%) were domestic students and 30 (34%) were international students. A casual employment pattern is most predominant in the international student grouping, with only 57 out of a total of 79 (72%) domestic students who responded to the question indicating casual employment. This is in contrast with the international student cohort, where 30 out of 33 (91%) were employed on a casual basis. The number of students employed on the basis of a contract were minimal, with only 7 (6%) of students working in this form of employment. These results and their relationship to student academic performance are summarized in Table 4 below. [INSERT TABLE 4 ABOUT HERE] The chi-square test found no significant relationship between the mode of employment and student academic performance in an undergraduate accounting subject. However, it can be observed that students employed as a permanent worker performed better (22% poor performance compared to a combined 78% for satisfactory and good performance) compared to students employed as a casual worker (31% achieving a poor performance band) and as a contract worker (57% achieved a poor performance band). However, any comparison between domestic and international students of this data is not meaningful due to the small numbers in each category. 4.3 Nature of work patterns and performance The authors investigated whether regardless of the mode of employment, the nature of the work patterns that student employment required may impact on their academic performance. It was assumed that students who worked shift work did not have a stable work and study pattern preventing or hindering their participation in classes and class preparations. That is, students working irregular shift work times and hours would experience different attendance and study patterns and opportunities compared with those students who worked set hours at regular times. Students were asked to nominate whether their typical work pattern was changing shift work to a roster, or regular hours. 87 valid responses were received to this question. 58 students (67%) indicated that they worked changing shift work compared with 29 (33%) who indicated they worked regular hours. The results of this question are shown below in Table 5. [INSERT TABLE 5 ABOUT HERE] An unexpected significant positive relationship was found between students who work changing shift work academic performance. Only 12 (21%) of student working changing shift work compared to 21 (72%) of those working regular hours were classified in the poor student performance band. 80% of students in the changing shift category achieved satisfactory or good academic results while only 27% of students with regular working hours achieved similar results. There were similar results observed between domestic and international students in this respect, with 69% of domestic students and 61% of international students working changing shift work hours. Only 14% of domestic students doing shift work achieved poor results, while 60% of students working regular hours achieved poor results. All of the 9 international students doing regular hours failed the subject. These relationships are described in tables 5.1 and 5.2 below. Table 5.1 gives a comparison between domestic and international students’ work patterns, and Table 5.2 below shows the relationship between both domestic students’ and international students’ work patterns and their academic performance. [INSERT TABLE 5.1 ABOUT HERE] [INSERT TABLE 5.2 ABOUT HERE] Reasons for the favourable relationship between shift work and academic performance have not been sought in this study, but are identified as an area for further research. Conjecture as to the reasons include greater flexibility for students working shift work to arrange their rosters around their university class and assignment commitments, and the possibility that jobs requiring night shift work such as garage attendants require a presence but only ad hoc activity and so allow time on the job to be spent studying and completing class work. 4.4 Travelling time and performance. The location of the university of this study is an Australian university located approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney in the state of New South Wales. It is a regional university that includes the Southern parts of Sydney in its catchment area. Many students travel by public transport being rail from Sydney and a limited local bus service. The travel time from Sydney to Wollongong is approximately 1  ½ hours journey one way. Students residing or working in Sydney face a daily three hour transport commitment. Such a journey is not uncommon as the regional area has a high local unemployment rate and many students seek paid employment outside the region in Sydney. It is the assumption of the authors that time spent by students travelling detracts from their academic performance both because of the fatigue factor of travelling distances, and because travelling time is time not available for academic pursuits. Students were asked to indicate on average how long did a typical journey take you to travel to the university. A summary of the results to this question is given in Table 6 below. [INSERT TABLE 6 ABOUT HERE] It is observed that 46% of students surveyed are spending more than one hour travelling each way when they attend the university. It was assumed by the authors that time spent travelling has a cost to the students both in time available at the University for study and financially in terms of the cost of how many days they attend the university. It was assumed that if students are working, the time spent travelling in addition to the hours they spend in paid employment has a combined impact on their availability to participate in academic tasks. The relationship between time spent travelling and student performance was measured. No significant relationship was found between travelling time and academic performance of students who are not working. However, there is a significant relationship between academic performance and travelling time with students who are working. It was found that students who spend less time travelling perform better academically than students who spend more time travelling to university. This results are described in Table 6.1 below. [INSERT TABLE 6.1 ABOUT HERE] Student perception on the impact of work on studies. The authors were interested in observing the perceptions of students of the impact of their paid employment on their academic studies. Students were asked whether â€Å"my exam and / or assessment marks would have been better if I had not been working†. Out of 124 valid responses from students who are working to this question, 51 (41.1%) answered in the affirmative, while 73 (58.9%) answered in the negative. That is, 41% of the students surveyed thought that their work interfered with their studies. Students who indicated they were in paid employment were also asked the question whether or not they missed classes because of their work. 110 valid responses were received to this question. 42% indicated that they always missed classes because of their work commitments, while 11% indicated that most of the time classes were missed because of work commitments. While the findings suggest that there is no significant relationship between the amount of paid employment per week that students undertake and their academic performance, it does suggest that these students are deprived of a full academic experience in terms of full engagement with the campus community, networking opportunities and similar. The responses of students who admitted missing classes because of paid employment are shown below in Table 7. [INSERT TABLE 7 ABOUT HERE] Other reasons for missing classes given for students were that they were not prepared for class, because they lacked motivation, because they did not find the classes useful, because they had other illness or family or personal reasons, and because they had work commitments to complete in other subjects. The rankings of these reasons are given in table 7.1 below. [INSERT TABLE 7.1 ABOUT HERE] 5. Summary and Conclusions This study examines the relationship between employment and the study of accounting students in Australia. Given the high incidence of paid employment in the accounting student population and its impacts on academic performance, this study has ramifications for the nature of accounting program delivery in the Australian context in terms of times classes are offered and flexibility in delivery modes, and the quality of the university education experience with which students can engage. Limitations of this study include use of self reporting by students, a small sample size. In addition, findings pertain to a regional university in the Australian context. While many tertiary institutions in Australia are regional in nature given the geographic and demographic characteristics of the country, this experience may be different and not generalisable to metropolitan institutions in Australia and outside the Australian context. Further testing at other institutions would contribute to the knowledge of the relationship between paid employment and academic performance for accounting students. This study makes four findings. First, this investigation did not find a direct significant relationship between the hours students worked in paid employment and their academic performance in an accounting subject. However, contradictory results did emerge with respect to differences between domestic students and international students in a cohort. Secondly, while there was a positive relationship between paid employment and academic performance in relation to domestic students, there was a negative relationship between paid employment and academic performance for international students. Thirdly, with respect to international students, although a statistically significant relationship was not found, it seems that the academic performance of international students not working is better than that of working international students. Fourthly, a significant positive relationship between shift workers and academic performance was revealed that offers no obvious explanation and is identified as an area needing further research. With respect to the quality of university education experience of accounting students, there are indicators that accounting students may not be optimally engaging in a full university experience because of work pressures. There were 9% of students are found to be working fulltime and studying full time simultaneously. The fact that many choose to miss classes for work commitments does not afford them the opportunities associated with campus life including generic skill development of a social nature, networking with their future professional peers, and engagement with the benefits of cultural exchange with an international student body. Given that Vickers et al. (2003) found if students work more than 20 hours per week they are 160%-200% more likely to drop out of university, this has implications for attrition rates in accounting courses also. The authors contest that there is a need to explore further to understand the positive and negative impacts of paid employment on academic performance, and why differences exist between domestic and international students. This will aid in meeting the demand for good Australian accounting graduates. 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Wooten, T. (1998) â€Å"Factors Influencing Student Learning in Introductory Accounting Classes: A Comparison of Traditional and Nontraditional Students† Issues in Accounting Education, Vol. 13, No. 2 May, pp357-373.

Social Order Essay Example for Free

Social Order Essay Functionalists theory assumes that a certain degree of order and stability is essential for the survival of social systems. Without it, society may be exposed to chaos and disorder. Therefore, social order is essential for society and it refers to shared nor,s and values, which provide the foundation for cooperation, since common values produce goals. Functionalists believe that social order exists in the concept of value consensus to a large extent. Functionalists believe that without collective conscience/shared values and beliefs, achieving social order is impossible and social order is crucial for the well-being of society. They believe that value consensus forms the basic integrating principle in society. And if members of society have shared values they therefore also have similar identities, this helps cooperation and avoids conflict. Talcott Parsons argues that social order is achieved through the existence of a shared value system. According to him, Social order is only possible as long as members of the society agree on these norms and values. This agreement is called value consensus. Parsons argues that socialization helps to ensure that individuals conform to shared values and meet the systems needs. Through the socialization process individuals internalize the systems norms and values so that society becomes part of their personality structure. Different agencies of socialization such as family, school. etc On the other hand, The Marxists see the functionalists view of consensus as pure fiction. According to them, what actually happens is that the rich force the rest of the population to compliance and conformity. According to them there are scarce resources such as prestige, power and wealth, and the demands for these things exceed the supply. Those who get in control of these resources now use it for their interest at the expense of others. In conclusion, the functionalists theory sees social order as being maintained by value consensus. According to them, the society is organized, well integrated and stable through value consensus. While the Marxists see this view of consensus as pure fiction and say that social order is maintained by force.

Project management tools and techniques

Project management tools and techniques Project management tools and techniques are available to assist project managers and their teams in successfully delivering the project. Some popular tools in the time management knowledge area include Gantt charts, network diagrams, critical path analysis Critical Incidence 2- Perceived Failure Of The Project A critical incidence during the project was the perceived failure of the project by the University administration due to the amount of time it was taking to register all the students. This was 10 weeks in to the project and the university claimed that with their manual process they completed registration in 3 weeks. As the on-site member of the project team, I was responsible for utilizing all available resources to successfully complete the project within a reasonable time. The time frame was not stated and my aim daily was to register as many students as possible. Gantt charts Gantt Chart is one of the popular information presentation tools in a project plan for graphically scheduling and budgeting. This tool makes it possible to have a quick look at all the tasks names and timings, and shows the current schedule status and progress. (Schwalbe 2006). It is also a good technique to identify parallel and sequential tasks, estimated time required for each task and an overall project timeline representation (McFarland  Ã‚   ) Schwalbe K. 2006, â€Å"Introduction to project management† Publisher: Cengage Learning Avoiding Project Management Pitfalls Allison J. McFarland With the availability of various Project-Management applications, like MS Project, smartdraw-Easy Project Chart, etc., Gantt Chart can be easily made. According to Pankaja Pradeep Kumar one of the biggest problems, the project managers have to face, is project-scheduling. With Ms. Projects Gantt Chart, an effective scheduling plan can be put in place for providing the necessary information, required by the project team members, for measuring the actual performance with the planned performance. This will enable the projects to be delivered within the time constraint with pre-defined quality standard. There are many literature and reading material available expressing the usefulness of the Gantt Chat (see appendix 1). Unfortunately Gantt charts, despite having various advantages faces various criticism. Asaravala (2006) highlights that some critics argue that Gantt Chart distracts the project managers attention from the project and towards perfecting pretty graphs, while others argue that charts are created only to satisfy the higher-ups and act as a distraction for the project team. Asaravala, A. 2006, â€Å"Defending the Gantt Chart†,   Resource: Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) , Citation: Software DevelopmentJan2006, Vol. 14 Issue 1, p14-15 Luz (2009) Also criticises that, besides the benefits, Gantt charts have many weakness which includes lack of details and inefficient utilization of screen space when displaying large number of parallel tasks, each of which requires its own representation space. Maylor (2001) extends the criticism and considers Gantt Chart as a â€Å"blunt instrument†, that encourages a one-step approach to planning. As a result of the presentation capabilities of modern planning packages, the visual quality of colour charts means that they gain an implicit credibility. This can result in staff being unwilling to challenge the charts, and so they gain a momentum all of their own. Furthermore Maylor (2001) states that charts obliges the project manager to over-control the project instead of delegating the project responsibilities to the team members. Increasing use of the project-management applications, project managers become not only the ‘keeper of the charts but also a computer operat or. This might lead the virtual project plan not being updated, as frequent change occurs. Asaravala (2006) defends the charts approach by reasoning that Gantt chart is a communication tool in helping stakeholders in understanding the tasks and the tasks relations with each other Pritchard (2004) affirms that Gantt charts helps the stakeholder to have a good view of the project and also act as a communication tool to the project clients and the stakeholders involved. Furthermore it helps project leaders focus their attention on critical tasks and resources as the project moves forward and allow them to keep track of how the project is progressing and using its available resources. Pritchard C. 2004, â€Å"The project management communications toolkit†, Publisher: Artech House Asaravala (2006) concludes that one the major reasons for criticism against Gantt charts might be that project managers, most often, find it difficult to get Project Management Applications, like Microsoft Project, to do what they want it to do. This might lead to confusion in the project tasks and delays in delivering the project Since Gantt Chart is not the only tool for time management in a project management. Literature mentions that there is an alternative approach to Time management. Therefore, Kendrick (2004) and Ribeiro (2009) suggest that an alternative to the Gantt chart would be to use a Critical Path Analysis CPA (Network Analysis) whereas Field et al. (1998), Johnson et al. (2007) and Davis T. and Pharro R. 2003 suggest Gantt Chart should be used along with Critical Path Analysis. Critical path networks provide a powerful notation needed to show all the local interdependencies between different tasks. Furthermore, it also ensures completion of the project in a timely manner by quantifying the priorities, based on an analysis of all the task duration estimates, with efficient utilization of resources but all this depends on the accuracy of the information used. (Lock 2007) Lock D. 2007, The Essentials of Project Management, Edition: 3, Publisher: Gower Publishing   Ltd. Field M. and Keller L. 1998, â€Å"Project management†, Publisher: Cengage Learning EMEA Ribeiro J. M. 2009, â€Å"Procurement of Goods, Works and Services in Development Projects: With an Overview of Project Management†, Publisher: Presses inter Polytechnique Johnson L. K., Luecke R. and Austin R. D. 2007, â€Å"The essentials of project management†, Publisher: Harvard Business Press Kendrick T. 2004, â€Å"The project management tool kit: 100 tips and techniques for getting the job done right†, Publisher: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn for project of a long duration, or where the details associated with future stages of he project are unclear, the completion of detailed network or Gantt chart can be meaningless. An alternative approach for projects of this nature is to agree and set metilestones or target dates fro akey events some way into the future. Detailed plans are then produced on a rolling programme as work is completed. Milestone charts are a very useful way to represent the project schedule. The activities leading up to the next milestone are developed in detail (using the processes outlined above), but the future stages of the project are shown simply by apporiate milestones. The detailed activities associated with the work leading up to those future milestones are developed as the project draws near. This approach provides a realistic representation of the project as events some way into the future are inevitably less well known and clearly defined. Planning the schedule in detail as the work is approac hed provides more accurate detailed plans. Davis T. and Pharro R. 2003, â€Å"The relationship manager: the next generation of project management†, Publisher Gower Publishing, Ltd Personal Reflection In the trans Himalayan mountain bike race project, the use of Gantt Charts for delivering the project has been empirical. For me Gantt chart acted as a key planning and controlling tool for addressing the project management in terms of time, scheduling and cost. It is easy to understand, embodies the WBS and enables monitoring the progress against projected estimation. I do not agree with Maylor (2001) criticism for considering Gantt Chart as a â€Å"blunt instrument† because it is either the projects milestones that are not executed in the way it is scheduled for or the Gantt Chart is not consistently aligned with the reality of the project. Blaming the Gantt Chart for being useless is just absurd. I have observed that Gantt Charts are not as good as a Critical Path Analysis Flow Diagram for identifying and showing interdependent factors. Although some of the literature, as mentioned above, mentions using the Critical Path Analysis as an alternative to Gantt Chart but after experiencing and using both tools in the Himalayan mountain bike race project, made me realized their importance and compels me to agree with Field et al. (1998) and Johnson et al. (2007) CPA flow diagram should be used with the Gantt Chart as a secondary tool. and Davis T. and Pharro R. 2003 Highlights the critical path and shows project logic (flow). Introduction To Project Management By Kathy Schwalbe For this reason many good organizations stopped using chart approach to plan projects like the top level management of Hewlett Packards UK plants uses whiteboards and Post-It notes with individual sub-project managers using the project management application at the task level Kuta points out that the key success factor for project rely on the project decisions which are based upon cost, risk, procurement and contracting, and other issues but are not addressed in the traditional Gantt Chart can oftenbe the timing and tn Although Gantt chart act as a key planning and controlling tool for addressing the project manamgent in terms of time, schecdule and cost but in support of this argument by In this argument

Medical Intervention for Intersexed Children: Gender Unknown Essay

Medical Intervention for Intersexed Children: Gender Unknown What makes a person male or female? Who has the right to choose what sex a person should be? These are some common questions that parents have to face when their child is born as an "intersexed". "Intersex is a general term used for any form of congenital (inborn) mixed sex anatomy." A person who is considered intersexed has some parts of their sexual anatomy that look female and some that look male (Dreger). In the United States, "intersexed" is a taboo. Most people don't like to talk about sex, let alone, abnormalities having to do with sexual anatomy. Dreger stated, "1 in 2,000 children [are] born with genitals that are pretty confusing..." That means that being intersexed is more common than a well known medical condition, cystic fibrosis (2004). It makes one wonder that since this particular condition happens so often, why doesn't society speak more freely about it? When a child is first born and the gender is not quite clear, doctors will test the infant in many ways to determine which sex the baby should be. Some of the tests include, chromosomal, hormonal, and anatomical. The doctors also factor in the ability to create "functional" genitalia with the tissue that is already present. "Functional" usually means, "the ability to use the genitals for penetrative intercourse"(Yronwode). However, doctors usually choose to make the baby into a female because female genitalia is easier to construct (Beh & Diamond). Holmes wrote, "Invasive surgeries are thus carried out on children who are either pre-linguistic or unable to speak for themselves as legal minors." A child has a right to their body just as every human being does. He/she just does not have a v... ...Alice D. Ph.D (n.d.). What is Intersexuality. Retrieved March 16, 2004, from http://www.pflagdetroit.org /what_is_intersexuality. Htm Greenberg, Julie A. (1998, Feb.). ISNA's Amicus Brief on Intersex Genital Surgery. Retrieved March 16, 2004, from, http://www.isna.org/drupal/book/view/97?PHPSESSID=eeac2c6a4d64c46 410e664b3f75d 424a Holmes, Morgan. (1995). Queer Cut Bodies: Intersexuality & Homophobia In Medical Practice. Retrieved March 27, 2004, from, http://www.usc.edu/isd/archives/ queerfrontiers/queer/papers/holme s.long.html Laurent, Bo. (1994 Nov.). Sexual scientists question medical treatment of hermaphroditism. Retrieved March 27, 2004, from http://inquirer.gn.apc.org/intersex.html Yronwode, Althaea.(n.d.).Intersex Individuals Dispute Wisdom Of Surgery On Infants. Retrieved March 27, 2004, from, http://www.luckymojo.com/tkintersex. html

Conformity and Individuality in a Small Town Essay -- essays research

Conformity and Individuality in a Small Town John Updike was born in Shillington, Pennsylvania on March 18, 1932. His father was a high school math teacher who supported the entire family, including his grandparents on his mothers side. As a child, Updike wanted to become a cartoonist because of The New Yorker magazine. He wrote articles and poems and kept a journal. John was an exceptional student and received a full scholarship to Harvard University. At Harvard he majored in English and became the editor of the Harvard newspaper. Upon graduation in 1954, he wrote his first story, Friends from Philadelphia, and sent it to The New Yorker. This started his career and he became one of the great award winning authors of our time. In a transcript of a radio interview with Updike, he says his duties in the early works were to â€Å"describe reality as it had come to me, to give the mundane its beautiful due.† (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/july-dec03/updike_12-29.html retrieved 7/27/05) Updike felt as though ordinary middle-class life was enough to write about and that there was enough drama, interest, relevance, importance, poetry in it. The ‘A&P’ written by John is about middle and, presumed, upper middle class life and the characters are ones that people can easily identify with. There is the teenage boy, Sammy, working a meaningless job ogling scantily clad teenage girls, a married man with children, Stokesie, doing the same, an uptight store manager, Lengel, who, in this case, is a man but could have easily been a woman in today’s society, the insecure teenage girls, who Sammy nicknamed ‘Plaid’ and ‘Big Tall Goonie-Goonie, following around their â€Å"leader,† the leader herself, Queenie, who is confident in her socioeconomic status as well as her appearance, the housewives who cover themselves in public, the cash-register-watcher, the ’sheep’ or the other people in the A&P doing their grocery shopping, and the butcher, McMahon. All of these characters allow any reader to identify with them in some way, whether past or present. The story takes place on a summer afternoon in an eastern coastal town at a local grocery store, the A & P. The protagonist is Sammy; is a teenaged boy who works at the A&P. Sammy is also the narrator of the story, the reader sees through his ey... ...have given boys a hard time? Would the boys have had real names? These are questions for every reader to decide for themselves. Annotated Bibliography Porter, M. Gilbert.: "John Updike's 'A & P': the establishment and an Emersonian cashier." English Journal 61 (1972):1155-1158. Reinforces Sammy’s discust for the A&P clientele. At the same time, Sammy realizes he is an individual with individual thoughts and feelings that do not conform with the moral, social and ethical standards of that time. Saldivar, Toni. "The Art of John Updike's 'A & P.’† Studies in Short Fiction. 34:2 (1997): 215-225. This demonstrates Sammy’s desire to express his individuality and rebel against the conformity of society at that time and the A&P’s representation of that conformity. Wells, Walter. "John Updike's 'A & P': A Return Visit to Araby." Studies in Short Fiction 30.2 (1993): 127-133. Demonstrates the maturity process of Sammy. Confusing sexual impulses for being a ‘hero.’ Sammy thinks he is impressing the girls, but they don’t even notice. Reinforces the individuality/conformity themes.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and Mississippi Burning :: Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry Essays

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and Mississippi Burning Prejudice is just a word until a book or movie puts pictures in your mind. In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and Mississippi Burning, there are several scenes that have an impact on me. Both stories tell how badly the black families of Mississippi were treated, and they show how they suffered through it and came out the other end with courage and honor. It also tells how unfair the white men were to the blacks, inside and outside of the courtroom. Prejudice is an ugly subject, and is still taught today. The horrible things that the white man did to the colored man make me realize how ignorance certainly is bliss. In both Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and Mississippi Burning, the black people were tortured and tormented for no reason other than that they were black. The black families in the book Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry live in constant fear of the nightriders. The nightriders would kill a man for looking at them the wrong way in those days. It is for this reason that the black people tried to have as little to do with the white men as possible. In the book, Papa tries to explain to Stacey why it's not such a good idea to get involved with Jeremy. "We Logans don't have much to do with the white folks. You know why?" Papa says, " `Cause white folks mean trouble" p. 158. In Mississippi Burning, the FBI agent Mr. Anderson tries to explain to his partner how prejudice the white men of Mississippi are. In this movie, the members of the Ku Klux Klan kill black men because they stepped out of line. When trying to explain this to his partner, Mr. Anderson tells him " Down here, things are different; here, they believe that some things are worth killing for." He also tells how thirty years ago, a black man could be hung for stealing a watermelon. After all the bad things that the white man did to the black man, I wouldn't be surprised if they still didn't forgive us. When comparing the book and the movie, I can't help but notice the honor and confidence that the black people possess.