How To Fix A Social Security Number Essay Example for Free

How To Fix A Social Security Number Essay The fastest growing crimes in America are Identity theft. Identity thieves are dishonest people that’s steals ones information or identity through ones Social Security number. Most of the time identity thieves use your number and your credit to apply for more credit in your name. Then, they use the credit cards and do not pay the bills. It’s a cankerworm that is eating deep into the American economy. This essay however looks at ways by which a social security number can be fixed. Social security number as a form of identity is a confidential and private number given to every citizen of United States. However, thieves get social security numbers through stealing wallets, purses, personal information provided to an unsecured site on the Internet, among others. When a social security number is stolen, there are some specific steps to take in order to get it fixed. In the first instance, a call would be made to the creditors who approved the credit (follow up with a letter). Also, a report would be filed with the police. After that, a contact would be made with the fraud department of the major credit bureaus in the country in order to make some rectifications. Finally, if all have been done to fix the problems resulting from misuse of the social security number but nevertheless someone is still using the number, then a new number may be assigned by the Federal Trade Commission subject to some stringent conditions and restrictions. REFERENCES 1. Advisory Council on Social Security. 1997. Report of the 1994- 1996 Advisory Council on Social Security (Washington: Government Printing Office). 2. Boice Dunham Group, Inc. 1993. The Nature and Scale of Economically-Targeted Investments by the 104 Largest U. S. Public Pension Plans, Prepared for Goldman Sachs. 3. Diamond, Peter A. 1997. Macroeconomic Aspects of Social Security Reform, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 2.

Motivations Of Greed In Civil War Politics Essay

Motivations Of Greed In Civil War Politics Essay Civil war is a form of conflict and security threats which causes poverty and impedes growth and development, Civil war is the most common form of massive violence and is highly destructive to society, life and the economy. James D. Fearon (2006) explained civil war to be a violent conflict between organized groups within a country that are fighting over control of the government, one sides separatist goals, or some divisive government policy, it is an intrastate war fought as a result of a rising insurgence against the government. Most writers believe that not all conflicts are civil war, for a conflict to be recorded as a civil war, 1000 people must have been killed with at least 100 from each side. Every society is characterized by certain degree of conflict over economic services, political and civil rights, access to social services and employment opportunity. These conflicts are triggered by discrimination against specific group, region, religion, social class, ethnicity or a c ombination of any of these factors (Murshed and Addison). Civil wars are characterized by wide spread losses of lives more of which are civilian women and children, cases of rape and lawless society as the state power falls, powers are only with those holding weapons during war. Civil war has a huge economic impact on a nations economy as most of the resources are directed to destruction, skills are lost and the damage on the infrastructure cripples economic development and activity. For instance the loss of electricity supplies during war hinders production activities and transportation, the uncertainty that war brings, discourages investment, studies have shown that countries grow at approximately 2.2 percent slower during war than during peace. (Heo, 2007, p.11) The impact of civil war is largely influenced by the nature of the countrys economy. Countries with strategic resources such as diamonds and oil would have a higher impact on global economy compared to countries with limited resources i.e. the conflict in Iraq reduced oil production and caused the international price of oil to increase. Civil war is much more common than international war; most conflicts have occurred within the confines of a sovereign state and put two or more groups against the government or against one another, (Heo, 2007 p.12 and Collier and Sambanis, 2005). Civil war has been a major conflict since World War II, especially after decolonization of the British empires in certain region i.e. Africa. Since 1990s, there have been a large body of research on the causes of civil wars, the most popular understanding of the causes of civil war and results analyzed by economist are termed Greed and Grievance. In this paper we are going to look at some civil war since post -world war II, causes of civil war and the greed and grievance cause of civil wars. Some Civil Wars since Post- World War II Civil wars have been a major conflict since World War II. A total of 225 armed conflicts from 1946 to 2001 were recorded of which 163 were conflict that occurred between the government of a state and internal opposition groups without the intervention from other states. According to Heo (2007), full scale civil war started in Costa Rica in March 1948, when President Teodoro Picado Michalski prolonged the transfer of power after he lost the presidential election; there was a war with an estimated death of 1,000. 1956 to 1959 Cuban communist revolution and civil war took place, 5,000 lives were lost during the war. The fighting in Lebanon between several religious and political factions took place in 1958 and ended in 1959 with 1,300 deaths. After independence in 1960, tensions between the Turkish minority and the Greek majority increased in Cyprus, inter communal conflict and civil war took place from 1963 to1967, an approximate of 1,000 people died, (Heo, 2007, P.2-3). Nigeria also experienced civil war in the late 1967, an intrastate conflict between the self-proclaimed republic of Biafra and the Nigerian military government (Uppsala). Another war returned to Lebanon in 1975 to 1976 between the Christians and the Muslims, an approximate of 60,000 people died, the war continued in Lebanon at irregular intervals with many serious violent outbreak until 1992. Uganda experienced civil war from 1981-1994, as the revolt against the government established after the overthrow of Major General Idi Amin grew, it was the precursor for the war in Uganda, the war caused more than 500,000 lives. The insurgence against the Papua New Guinea government which started in Bougainville island in1988 took many lives, this crisis originated as a result of the growing concerns over the operation of the Panguna gold mine and copper. War continued in Cambodia when the extreme communist group was overthrown in 1979 by Vietnam, the nature of the war changed when the Vietname se withdrew in1989, (Heo, 2007, 3-4). Civil war continued throughout the world at different time in different region, but is said to be more common in some regions particularly the developing Asia (east and south Asia and Oceania), they have had a very high incidence of war from 1950 -2001. Latin America also witnessed a severe conflict in the 1980s and former Soviet Union in the 1990s. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was more bloodshed in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. But by the end of the 1990s, more people were being killed in sub-Saharan Africas war than in the other parts of the world put together, (Croker et al, 2007). Source: Uppsala conflict data programme 18/02/2010 Causes of Civil War Data has shown that conflicts are more common in low income Africa; Collier (2007) developed the notion of the conflict trap to understand why conflicts are highly centered in low income Africa. This traps which are: natural resource trap, the trap of being landlocked with bad neighbors, the conflict trap and the trap of bad governance in a small country, shows how different economic, social and political factors make a country vulnerable to civil wars. Global data analyzed by Paul Collier and Anke Hoeffler covering forty years to understand why some country at most times have overcome civil war, and why others could not, they used statistical approach to see what factor in a society can trigger civil war; this includes social factors (like inequality, ethnic and religious composition of the society), politics (the level of democratic political rights), history (like decolonization time) and economic factors (Collier 2004). The most dominant of all are economic factors, according to Collier (2004), there are three factors that could trigger civil war; a countrys rate of growth, the level of income and structure. If a country is poor and is dependent upon natural resource exports, the country is likely to experience a civil. Africa is one region with such economic characteristics and explains the reason for the high rate of civil war in Africa. Africa also has a large ethnic difference as most of the wars are fought amongst ethnic group e.g. the hutu and the Tutsi war in Rwanda. These conflicts can be traced to the power structure created by the colonial rulers as they grouped long-feuding tribes under the same national identity. The power passed on from the colonial masters made one group to rule over the other group which later turned to severe inter-tribal rivalry and has now turned into conflict. As tribalism grew, the fight for central power and control of natural resources increased, this was the c ase of democratic republic of Congo, Angola, Liberia and Sierra Leone as their greed grew for the control of natural resources (Rupesinghe and Anderlini, 1998) The greed cause of civil wars The greed causes of civil war are common amongst countries with lootable natural resource and are dependent on these resources. Collier (2004), explained that these natural resources yield what is termed rents- meaning making more profits that are higher than the normal level needed. The selfish desire to control these natural resources creates a politics of corruption and a politics of violence as these natural resources can also be used to finance opportunistic rebellions. According to Collier (2004), there are six ways by which natural resource rents can increase the risk of violence, four of which involves political economy and the other two are straight economy. The political economy involves the struggle to control the revenues from the natural resources, these rent-seeking shifts public funds from its original purpose of achieving all the necessities for the supply of public goods, providing low or no social and economic infrastructure that the society needs. The society loses twice as other resources are used frivolously in the struggle for resource rents and the provision for public goods drops. Nigeria provides a good example of this kind of politics for oil rents. Natural resources can also cause civil war by detaching the government. This is because governments that are rich in natural resources do not need other tax revenue from their electorates, unlike in some societies where electors pay high taxes and they question the government on how the tax money is used. (No taxation without representation). But this is indeed not the same with countries rich in natural resources; the government is able to disregard the interest of the population (No representation without taxation). Some society believes that the resource rents does not belong to the common people, hence the detachment. Mobutu of Zaire is a striking example of this detachment. Natural resources also leads to secessionist political movements as the inhabitants of that area might feel that their resources are being embezzled by corrupt and alien elite. Most African secessionist war has often been associated with natural resources; Kanga, Biafra and Cabinda are examples of such wars. The last political route by which natural resources can advocate civil war is that it provides funds used to finance rebel groups. Leaders can purchase arms and also pay recruits from the revenue gotten from these resources. Rebel groups have access to natural resources in different ways. One is to protect the company or exporters, to have their own extractive businesses; another is the concession of natural resource rights in anticipation to finally have control over the territory. The gangs in the Niger delta region of Nigeria, the rebels of Laurent Kabila in Zaire, the RUF in Sierra Leone, and the Sasson-Nguesso in Congo Brazzaville, are examples of rebels financed from the proceeds of natural resources. The work of Fearon (2004) concludes that civil war resulting from coup or revolutions tends to be short because the technology for coup depends on the weakness of the security apparatus. Whereas civil war involving natural resources or land tends to last longer, it can also last long if rebel groups have access to contraband goods like cocaine. The grievance cause of civil war This is a popular view that rebels are motivated by genuine and intense grievance; rebels are heroes fighting for justice. Based on analysis, rebellions are seen as a form of organized violence; both parties to civil war have different explanations for their actions. The rebel organization hires a public relations firm to help push their explanation for their movement and the opposition party would also hire a public relation firm. Most explanation from rebels groups are usually what Collier (2007) called the litany of grievances against the government for its oppression, unfairness, and perhaps victimization. This victimization could be on some area of the population that the rebel organization represents. Rebel movements are driven by intense violence, by the intense conditions of the rebels or the group they represent (Cited in Crocker et al, 2007). Berdal and Malone (2000) explained that rebels litany or narratives as they may call it are based on four factors which are; first economic inequality this involves unequal distribution of income, unequal allocation and ownership of resources and assets, unequal distribution of resources and anything that has to do with increasing poverty rather than reducing it would provide a fertile ground for insurgency and readily available combatants, this case was common in central Africa (Berdal and Malone, 2000; Murshed and Addison). The second narratives of grievance is based on religious or ethnic hatred; this also depends on the ethnic and religious composition of the state (ethnic and religious diversity), civil war caused by ethnic and religious difference has always been based on power, where the other group does not want the other group to rule over them as a result of perceived discrimination in public office, this was the case of the Northern Nigeria and self proclaimed Biafra in th e late 1960s, the Tutsi superiority and the Hutus inferiority in Rwanda as they both struggled to gain a place in the emerging democratic institution of the country (Uppsala). This can also be mere religious hatred, the war in Lebanon 1975 to 1976 between the Christians and the Muslims, such religious conflicts are happening in Nigeria till now. The third narrative of grievance is based on lack of political rights; if a government of a state is perceived to be autocratic, people would want to overthrow the government and this result to war in the fight for democracy, the insurgency in Romania is often regarded as a fight for democracy. The final narrative of grievance is based on government economic incompetence; according to Berdal and Malone (2000) if a government is seen to inflict sufficient economic misery on its population, it may face an uprising. This was the case in Uganda in the early 1980s; this is usually a case of mismanagement and a fallen state, Latin America, the for mer Soviet Union has suffered economic mismanagements. Corruption in these countries has also helped fuel conflict and prolonged misery on the population. The failure of the government to provide the needs of its people and security could lead them to rely on more ethnic ties which can trigger civil war as they fight over economic resources (Berdal and Malone, 2000; Murshed and Addison pg. 5). The interaction of greed and grievance Government and rebel groups may exploit civilians in other to fight a war or may fight a war in order to exploit civilians. The misery inflicted on civilians gradually creates their own justification like in Sudan; the misery inflicted on the civilians strengthened the civilians. The idea of civil war provides a suitable disguise both for greed and grievance. Rebels are thought by some economist to be opportunist and their grievances are most times deliberately forged. Some economist use the term predators of productive economic activities they believe that rebels are not heroes fighting for a reasonable cause but lust for powers and loots. Rebels use war as a means to exploit civilians, they may hope for government to commit atrocities which give them an opportunity to fight for a true or false cause. This group including the government officials, soldiers, and traders uses conflict period as an opportunity to plunder, Democratic republic of Congo and former Yugoslavia only to name but two among many are examples of such practice. For most people, conflict time is a time for them to make more money apart from their usual salaries, during warfare; money is gotten from those whose lives are spared from being massacred. War time may also lead to inflation which is very profitable for some as there may be trade restrictions from government and only those officials who are able to infraction the law can have their businesses going but at a very high cost. On the other hand, there might be no trade restriction as the states power falls during conflict, goods like drugs which were not allowed to be traded in the state would be traded during war, Cambodia and Burma in Asia, Sudan, Angola, Sierra Leone, and Somalia in Africa, Colombia and Peru in Latin America. War may also bring about exploitation as people are threatened to work cheaply or for free, there were cases like this in Sudan and Burma (Berdal and Malone, 2000 p. 29-30). It is very obvious that not all griev ance are true, some are just an end to a means. Conclusion Greed and grievance do play a major role in contemporary civil war, but one cannot truly measure between greed and grievance. Both greed and grievance work simultaneously to trigger civil, they both interact no matter which comes first greed or grievance the other follows, this is to say that greed triggers grievance and grievance triggers greed. Civil wars motivated by greed can be followed by genuine grievance as rebels fight for justice. people who do well out of war will not be particularly concerned at restoring peace while those who do not do well or are hurt badly will have an interest in restoring peace. As individuals in pursuit of different goals and objectives, there would always be a misunderstanding and conflict in one form or the other, Institutions have emerged to resolve civil conflicts and restore peace. Greed and grievance would therefore be irrelevant as long as these institutions called the social contract exist (Murshed).In Africa, conflict has helped bring about slow growth, poverty and underdevelopment, especially countries with natural resources which according to Fearon James are the reasons for the last longing conflicts in such countries especially in Africa. Countries should work hard to have strong institutions to restore peace within their state and international level as economic development is somewhat dependent on the level of peace and tranquility within the state.

Power distance

Power distance So you want to do business abroad and actually make a profit? Dont forget to ask yourself this: What do I know about the culture? To explain the biggest differences between cultures in this essay we are going to use a method developed by Geert Hofstede (geert-hofstede.com) using his four dimensions; Power distance, masculinity/ femininity, individualism/ collectivism and uncertainty avoidance. With this we will explain the difference between the Dutch culture and the cultures of India and Italy when doing business. Power Distance What Is Power Distance? Power distance measures how much the less powerful members of institutions and organizations expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. In cultures with low power distance, people expect and accept power relations that are more consultative or democratic. In cultures with high power distance, the less powerful accept power relations that are autocratic or paternalistic. Power Distance In India And The Netherlands With a population of over 1 billion it is hard to describe life in India because the Indian people have many different religious, regional, cultural, social, and educational variations in structural and functional patterns of family life, making it hard to generalize. However because the majority of Indians are Hindu, we will primarily focus on the Hindu way of life. India has a high power distance; it scores a 77 on the index. While the Netherlands only scores a 38 with around 16 million people. India is a very interesting country to look at because they have ‘used the caste system ¹ for a long time. With that, they automatically create a massive distance between the highest members of the caste: Brahmins (priests) and the lowest members of the caste the pariah (outcasts, â€Å"untouchables†) there are a total of 5 levels in the caste system and each of the people in a lower caste listen to members of the caste above their own. This makes equality, like in the Netherlands, impossible. This because the social position of a person is determined by heredity, for example if you are born a pariah you will never be a Brahmin and you are expected to life your life in the caste, making it your social group as well. Although the system was officially abolished it continues to play a crucial role in Indian society. Family Life A Joint Family is an extended family arrangement prevalent among Hindus of the Indian subcontinent, consisting of many generations living under the same roof. All the male members are blood relatives and all the women are mothers, wives, unmarried daughters, or widowed relatives. However in the last couple of years the people in the urban areas of India seem to have been shifting more towards a nuclear family household (consisting of 2 parents and children) School/ Education In India higher educations are more like the western European way of teaching, so the power distance is not extremely large in the schools, Teachers are however expected to lecture the students. It has been like this since India was a British colony and it keeps improving towards the level of equality which we are experiencing in Holland right now. However, in India the respect for most of the teachers is higher than the respect students in Holland show towards the teachers. Work/ Business As said before the Indian culture prefers a high power distance, in business there will be a large structural difference between the boss of a company and an employee, splitting them by so many layers that they will rarely or never actually talk to each other. And if they do it would be very formal. Also its necessary to avoid forum like situations where you as a manager ask the ‘lower ranking employees for feedback or advice because this will be seen as weak leadership. Opposed to Holland where we consider it a good thing when managers come to us for our opinions. The State The state consists of many layers in India though it is somewhat similar to the political system in the UK. In India, a persons time is valued based on power. A high-power individual must never be kept waiting. In India, a high-power individual can and will demonstrate their power by keeping a lower power individual waiting. In the Netherlands this is just not acceptable. Power Distance In Italy And The Netherlands Italy scores a 50 on the power distance index of Hofstede which puts it somewhere in the middle worldwide. According to Hofstedes dimensions Italy looks a lot like Germany in. Italy was the pinnacle of European development in the early days (Roman Empire). Italians still seem to expect a lot of differences in power between people. They would say the boss in a company should act like he/she is the boss. Family Life The Italian family is important. Grandparents, aunts uncles and cousins are often invited to share family celebrations and Sunday dinners. The family members do not usually live near each other. When children grow up, they usually live in the house until they marry. Sometimes the children would move in to help their parents. The father is always the head of the family. Friends of the family are also a very big part of Italian society. School/ Education In Italy the schools are even more similar to Holland, you are allowed to question the teachers as long as you do it with the proper amount of respect. The teachers will however have a lecture prepared. Work/ Business Power distance in Italian companies is not extremely really high because a lot of the businesses there are family businesses, nonetheless communication at the office is formal and subordinates are rarely allowed to call their superiors by their first name. The boss of the company is really the boss and he/she should be treated with a lot of respect. Good manners and courtesy are prized qualities in Italy. When doing business in Italy ensure your conduct is always polished. There are etiquettes and protocols for many social and business situations; however, it is important to remember that Italians rate considerateness above behavioral formulas. When you are meeting and departing, always shake hands. This is valid for both individuals and groups. When you do business in Italy, you dress to impress. It is no coincidence that Versace, Gucci, Prada and Dolce Gabbana are all Italian fashion houses. Italians like to make an impression with their clothes. What you wear speaks volumes about the kind of person you are. The State Italians are often cynical about persons in positions of authority. Italians love to ridicule authority and people in positions of power. Breaking petty rules is a source of amusement for many Italians. Individualism And Collectivism What Is Individualism And Collectivism? In relation to Hofstedes cultural dimension study, Individual/ Collectivism will be determined. The meaning of individualism expresses exactly a nation, which do care for him/ herself and his/ her direct family. The word â€Å"I† is a very important factor in this form of life, which is completely different in a form of collectivism. This attitude to life shows that these people care about their whole in-group which includes family, friends, uncles, aunts and grandparents. The word â€Å"we† has obviously a higher meaning to them. Hofstedes charts visualize that countries with high power distance (PDI) belong to the collectivists and countries with low power distance belong to the individualists. According to Hofstede individualism countries have the tendency to be a rich. Countries in a collectivism country have most likely the opposite tendency. Individualism And Collectivism In India And The Netherlands A comparison between India and The Netherlands gives a good impression and shows the differences between those two countries. First of all it is important to have a look at Hofstedes charts. India scores, according to Hofstedes, power distance (PDI) as its highest points for cultures, with a ranking of 77 compared with a world average of 56.5. This fact shows a clearly result of a collectivism country, which India is. It makes itself felt in terms of friendships, which were chosen by their parents, not having conflicts, by being indirect or sharing the income if someone has a good job for example. It absolutely represents the loyalty of the in-group members. As a counter-example The Netherlands will be represented. In opposite to India, Holland scores its highest points in the category individuality (IDV), which is 80 points and ties Canada as the fourth highest worldwide IDV ranking. Some examples to clarify the culture are being very direct, let the children choose friends whoever they want or spend their money however they think it will be right. These facts enunciates that Holland doesnt have this in-group attitude like India but rather the absolutely priority to their immediate family. At school children from India see the teacher as a higher person, whatever the teacher says is right without to question it, which shows that they are depending on their teacher. Furthermore it is normal to focus on a social network, where the synonym â€Å"we† more important than â€Å"I†. Dutch children are joining a completely different way of getting taught in school. It is more important to learn how to develop their own abilities, to be independent and learn how to discuss problems. They also expect the teacher to know everything with every detail. The next part relates to work and business in India. Since they have in-groups it is not normal to work with people who are not part of their in-group. It is very common that the children from India start to work in their fathers, or uncles business. Otherwise they wont find another job because in a collectivist country they are so depended on their in-group. Dutch people raise their children to work at a place wherever and whatever they like. Its more important for them to let them pick up their own experience and realize their dreams. This is the logical way of thinking for individual countries. In addition it promotes the economy to have people who are independent. The final aspect is about the states in individualism/ collectivism countries. Since India is a part of collectivists it is to say that there are more differences between poor people and rich people. Further the human rights are lower than those ones from individualist countries. In contrast The Netherlands which belongs to the individualists are more equal regarding the differences between poor and rich people. It is very important to have the same human rights like every single person in the country. Equality has different meaning for those two mentioned countries. Individualism And Collectivism In Italy And The Netherlands The comparison between Italy and The Netherlands will show the differences between those countries. It is important to take a closer look at Hofstedes charts. It shows Italys highest score, which is about 71 points â€Å"Individualism† and shows the similarity between Holland and Italy. Italy is an individualist country, like The Netherlands, but its Power distance (PDI) is also high. Family life is important for Italians, not just the immediate family, but also uncles, aunts and grandparents play a big role in the childrens life, which shows the differences to comparing to Holland. Sons from Italy leave their parents house in their 20s which is pretty much same like in The Netherlands. Furthermore children are supposed to tell the truth, even if it hurts. This is a typical attribute of individualist thinking countries, which Dutch and Italian people are. They also get raised as independent children with personal opinion because this could useful for a successful life. In those two mentioned country the school and education is pretty much the same. Pupils or students have to be independent, competitive and they are supposed to determine their own goals. It is very common to discuss issues in the class without being silent, so they can develop their skills. Work and business is also a similar matter between Italy and The Netherlands. They are highly educated business people and make business with foreign countries. Employees and employers are committed to contracts which show the human rights, but there is law that people can get laid off, or they could quit the job. The last aspect is about the state and in this point those two countries are also pretty much similar. Human rights are very high, education is important and everyone has his privacy. In conclusion individualist countries appreciate the individual interests and do not deal with collectivism.   Masculinity And Femininity In India and The Netherlands Hofstedes dimension masculinity pertains to societies in which gender roles are clearly distinct. That means, men has to be assertive, competitive and have to air toughness while women stand for nurturance. They are responsible for the household and the children. High earnings and status symbols present a certain social standing for the man. One gets the recognition deserved while doing a good job and is allowed to reach a higher level in his job. In feminine societies these gender roles overlap. Both, men and women are suppose to be modest (both, men and women have the same rights but also the same duties) both parts focus on their relationship and they are also more concerned to the quality of life. With a ranking at 56, the masculinity of India is with the world average just slightly lower at 51. A high rank means that the country is a masculine country. The lower it is, the lower is the masculinity and goes more to femininity. You also can see that India is a masculine country on different examples in Family Life The man is the head of the family. He is the one, who makes the decisions. Who says what to do. Children are obedient towards their parents. Younger children have to listen to the older children. The man is more dominant than the woman. The woman takes care of the household and the children. Whereas women are going to shop for food, household and clothes, the men are looking for cars, a house or things and objectives, which are standing for status. Even when the trend goes more femininity, step by step, traditions like a marriage portion are still common, in rural areas. The woman has to give money which depends of the family earning to marry the man. However, not always the woman (wife) has to do what the husband says. India consists of a lot traditions and one of them is, that the wife has to follow the instructions of the mother of her husband for the first few years. Even when both genders are equal, rightly, the woman is still undervalued. It is not rare that the girls get less or qualitative less food than the boys because the boys have to get strong for hard work, which a girl is not able to do. That is the reason why girls get more jobs like home helpers and get married early. In comparing to the Netherlands which occupy a score of 14 points rank 72, this country is very feminine. Men and woman are modest and focus on their relationship. Both shop for food and both discuss which car to buy. They do not have one dominant â€Å"leader† of the family both act non- dominant. School/ Education Indias school-systems are free for the grades from one till five. However, more boys go to school than girls. Girls are going to marry early, so they let them work and send the boys to school. An example what makes it visible is, that 48% of the Indians over fifteen cannot read and write. 62, 3% of women and 34, 5% of men are illiterates. The education is also more masculine because the pupils or students try to make them visible in class and compete openly with each other. Job choices are strongly guided by perceived career opportunities. The best student is the norm; failing in school would be a disaster. The atmosphere of ego boosting is exiting, the best one wins. Indian children try to learn jobs where they can make money. The Netherlands have more students which present the average. Failing in school is not the end of the world and they learn jobs, basic on their talent and what they like. They underrate their own performance, they do not want to appear too eager and it is okay when the teacher is also just a â€Å"human† and do not know everything. Work/ Business Most of the time, even when it changes in the big cities and step by step also all over the country, the men are working and earn the money for their families. One fourth of the population lives under the poverty line. They live for the work whereas in the Netherlands the people work to live. That means that money and status are not so important like the leisure time. The Indians work in a competitive atmosphere, the higher the position, the better is the money and their status. Only the best are successful in the hard business. The State The state is a performance society. You will be paid for that what you accomplish. The more you can the higher is the earning. The higher the earning is the higher is your status in society. In the Netherlands it is quite different, the community is more important. The solidarity is higher; people help more each other and also the weaker ones. India focuses a lot to the growth in economy, more than in the Netherlands. Masculinity And Femininity In Italy And The Netherlands Italy counts over 60 points and stands on rank 52 in the index from Hofstede but only for the European countries. Italy is also a masculine society but not so high like India. Italy is less masculine but more feminine than India but not so feminine like the Netherlands. Family Life Women expect men to get the leadership in family life and earn the money for the family. Gender roles are also clearly distinct here. The woman is responsible for the family and especially for the household and the man is making career. Children suppose to be obedient, whereas the boys should be tough and the girls more emotional. Most of the time the father is dominant but it is not unusual when there are non-dominant partners in a relationship. Family is very important and children are their future. Parents try to give their children the best perspective and are always around them; often the â€Å"bambinis† sit on the table till late in the evening. The parents take very care of the children and control them also a lot what they are doing. It is normal, that fights are sometimes loud and the Italians also like to make jokes and do not care when the neighbor or strangers hear it whereas love is not shown to the outside. Often a fight between a man and woman sound hard for a n on-Italian but that is their mentality and normally after five minutes all is forgotten. Men are often seen like machos but it is unusual that parents have a divorce. School/ Education The teachers are authority persons to the students but the communication is still friendly and the teachers also make jokes. It is very important that the Italian students pass school with high grades. Often they learn till late in the evening and the parents still control them to repeat the homework and if they understand well. The education is more masculine than in the Netherlands, failing in school or not passing a test is a disaster whereas the Dutch students are more comfortable and they just need to pass, independent from the grade. According to this fact, teachers in the Netherlands, take more attention to weaker students and try to push them by giving them attention, than openly praise the good students. The students are decent in their CVs, whereas in Italy, they sell themselves in interviews to show they are the best. The Netherlands are a permissive society in which the environment should be preserved as small is beautiful. Furthermore the government depends on a coalition between different parties and women are more often elected than in Italy and India. Work/ Business Usually the woman take care of the family and the men is going to work. However women also work, but the earnings of the men are most of the time higher and the high positions are often occupied by the men. Money is important, men like to show their status with cars for example but leisure time and spending time with their families is also important. You cannot really define if it is more masculine or more feminine. It is more feminine than in India but still more masculine than in the Netherlands. The State The community is important, Italy has solidarity. They care about the weak people in the population and aid also a lot of financially help to poor countries. The country is a community and they represent it to the outside. Uncertainty Avoidance What Is Uncertainty Avoidance? The term uncertainty avoidance denotes how members of a culture deal with unknown or ambiguous situations. Cultures with high uncertainty avoidance try to avoid such uncertainties. Members of other cultures maybe experience equal situations as uncertain or chaotic as well, but respond more relaxed and unstressed. Each country has got own rituals and values how they deal with punctuality, formalities and religious affairs. Cultures with a high certainty avoidance index (UAI) are more prepared to evade risks than cultures with a low UAI. The higher the score of the UAI is, the higher the need of people to have laws and regulations which give them a guideline and a feeling of private and public security. High uncertainty avoidance sentiment can be summarized as â€Å"What is different is dangerous.† However, the weakest uncertainty avoidance sentiment can be summarized on the contrary as â€Å"What is different is curious.† In Italy the uncertainty avoidance and individualism/ collectivism are the highest scores, adequate the four dimensions of Geert Hofstede with a value of 75 on the index. It is clear to see that Italy has one of the highest scores at all. On the other hand there are the Netherlands with a relative low UAI amount of 53 which is almost the mean of 39 countries. Uncertainty Avoidance Italy And Netherlands Family Life Because of the high score Italy has achieved, one can see that the family life seems to be as more stressful as in the Netherlands. In the early stages Italian children learn the difference between dirty and clean and between safe and dangerous. They make more experiences with law and rules and know soon what they are allowed to do and what not. Italian mothers and nannies would never allow to see their children in dirt or danger. It is common that family has a very great significance in Italy. In contrast to Italian families Dutch families are quite different. They are more relaxed about that and let their children make experiences on their own. Dutch dont care about their health as the Italian do. Example: Dutch people dont ask for a doctor or a medical certification if they are ill. Often they are already satisfied with the view of a nurse. Religion plays a pretty important role in the Italian family life. 90% of all Italian inhabitants are Roman Catholic. This huge number shows one that they have great Christianity. Religion gives them some sort of security, confidence and for several people a guideline. Health and keeping good are also important things Italian care about. Unlike Italy Holland is not that religious. Nearly half of all Dutch people are atheists. School / Education In Italy there is high uncertainty avoidance. In such countries it is pretty important for the students to believe in that a teacher knows almost everything. The students want to know right answers in detail and the teachers are supposed to have all the answers. In the Netherlands it is quite different. Teachers are rather considered as advisers. The students just want to have good conversation and discussion with the teacher and they dont have problems if a teacher says â€Å"I dont know†. Italians are almost the same as the German and favored a structured and detailed assignments. Work / Business In work life one can see that Italian employees and managers look for long-term employment. In contrast to Italy the Dutch people are short-term orientated and more flexible. If they are dissatisfied with their job they have no problem with looking for another job. Besides the Italian employees and managers favor a well structured and organized work process that they would not confronted with any problems. Many Italian prefer to do business they already know. Example: Italians prefer to know something about an individual before they speak with the person on the phone. Thus, in business one should send an introductory fax and follow-up with a phone call. The State One reason why Italy is scared of the unknown is because it is a very old cultural country that has survived many economical changes, wars and political upheavals. These facts might have bred in Italians a greater anxiety of the unknown. In Italy a mass of laws and rules are the result of uncertainty avoidance. It gives a feeling of security and also it can be seen as a guideline. In Holland there are not that much laws and rules. They think that laws and rules should be established just in case of necessity. Furthermore they believe that many problems can be solved without any laws. The Netherlands have just a few laws and rules to avoid the uncertainty, although the government and the regulation system is very well developed. If there is a law that is not working, the Dutch government would change or withdraw it easily and quickly. The fact that Italy has so many laws and regulations is that many people are not interested in politics. In contrast the Dutch people are very intereste d in politics, because there not many laws, so they are not overloaded by them. For example, Dutch people ask, why there is a change in ordinance. Uncertainty Avoidance India And Netherlands Family life Based on Hofstedes scale Indias UAI is the lowest of the three countries we have to compare. India scores a 40 on the index. This value makes clear that the inhabitants have the least fear of the uncertain. But its quite hard to generalize, because there are many variations in the different patterns of life. One reason for this fact may be that a large part of the inhabitants grow up under the poverty line. Indian are born in the caste system which forms their guideline, therefore they have another way of feeling of losing a job. Mostly they live with a large amount of family members in one house. Their religion, beliefs and rituals are important attempts to avoid uncertainty in the present and in the oncoming life. Approximately 80% of all Indian inhabitants are Hindu. But in Holland it is very different. In Holland religion is not that import as in India or in Italy because there are almost 45% atheists. School / Education Indians who live under the poverty line probably dont fear to have no school education because the most of them grow up without education at all. But for middle class parents it is important that their children get an academic achievement, because its a direct step to achieve prestige and a better status. Another point is that the dutch pupils dont mind what credits they get. They are just interested in whether they passed or not. Work / Business In countries like India people only work hard if there is a need for it, but they also love to relax. So time is not an ever-present concern for them. Furthermore they live day to day, so one can see that they are very similar to the Dutch because they are both short-term orientated. Day to day can also mean that they fight to survive day after day. The State Indian politics are nearly the same as the British. Since its a bicameral system there are multiple parties. A big difference between the British and Indian system is that in India there are political parties that address, only certain groups in the caste system. And with that they create a certain kind of certainty for the people in the caste. Conclusion After our detailed investigation, about how the four dimensions of Hofstede affect the different countries, we can give some marketing and general advices for doing business in India, Italy and the Netherlands. In contrast to The Netherlands, India and Italy are both masculine countries. For example someone wants to publish a new product especially for woman like a magazine. In the Netherlands it wouldnt be difficult to bring such product on the market because its a feminine society. Nobody would have a problem with the content mentioned in the magazine. In India or Italy it might be more problematic. In India the men would object against magazines like this because the society is directed to males being the higher authority. The men have a big influence on decisions being made. The society status is very important for the family. In The Netherlands it doesnt matter who makes the decisions mainly its good for the family. Generally you have to invest a lot of time and effort in order to build up serious and long-term business relationships in Italy but even more in India. Therefore you (as a business man from abroad) should never try to talk about business straight from the beginning. But rather focus on building a relationship, in most cultures on the world people need to trust each other first before they can do business with each other. Work on that relationship and you will have a good business partner who will always prefer you over the loud screaming cheaper company. In the end, the failure to communicate on the intercultural market will result in the failure of your business as an international company. Always take cultural differences into account. Sources Cultural and Organizations – Software of the Mind http://www.globalvolunteers.org/italy/italy_people1.asp http://www.geert-hofstede.com http://www.wikipedia.org/ clearlycultural.com http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/italy.htm Uncertainty avoidance table Caste System india Hofstedes Dimensions for each country

Hester - Predator or Prey in The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scarlet Letter: Hester - Predator or Prey? The Scarlet Letter had a controversial plot when it was published in 1850. The main character, Hester Prynne, and her scarlet "A" have been a symbol of adultery for over one hundred years. It is hard to determine whether Hester should be considered a predator or the prey throughout this novel. Individual upbringing and teachings could create a predetermined opinion of Hester and the sin of adultery. Hester's beauty was breathtaking. Her dark hair and brown eyes were alluring. An attractive figure drew much attention from both male and female members of the community. Jealousy caused many women to reject her friendship. Men secretively desired her although they may have pretended otherwise. Many prejudged Hester as being somewhat less than a symbol of virtue because of her outward appearance. She was never given the opportunity to develop a deep and personal friendship with anyone other than the priest. Her dependence on him drew her closer to him than she realized. Her tenderness and passion was pushed deeper within as years passed. From the very beginning she became a victim when her parents arranged her marriage to the wealthy yet notorious Roger Chillingsworth. He was a man who needed to collect things and Hester became another possession. His great wealth enabled him to lead many different lives and become whomever or whatever he chose. However, his greed and selfishness drove him to abandon Hester and destroy any love she might have had for him. Upon his return, during the platform scene, she pretended not to know him. At that moment her attraction to him still existed. The author portrayed her as being smug and almost flaunting her sin, while at the same time she noticed how handsome her husband seemed. The promiscuity of Hester's character not only instigated her affair but had also drawn her towards Roger Chillingsworth to begin with. One could perceive this as a predaceous quality. For seven long years, Hester and her bastard child Pearl suffered great anguish. Their existence in this Puritan setting was almost intolerable. Yet they went about their lives and took each bit of happiness, though few, and made the most of it. It is the tendency of many to thrive on the failing and downfall of others; that is what transpired during this period. Possibly, her actions served as a catalyst for exploitation, but how she was perceived by her fellow man was not a significant factor in her decision not to expose her lover.

Essay --

In this paper there will be instructions on how to break a colt. An interesting fact about horses in general is that they live breath run walk, to be used to ride and they enjoy it. People have a passion for them, and it's viral to understand how to help one's colt to accomplish as much as possible. The first thing that will be taught to one in this paper is the first thing that is needed to know to start a colt which is catching them. To start off one will need to get the colt into a confined place, or a round pin where one can catch the colt easily and it's the safest place to catch a colt. Corner the colt not meanly just so the place the colt is in is smaller. The norm is the colt gets frightened by one's touch, so let them sniff one's hand then reach around their neck which might frighten them so just do this step again and they should let up on it. Next, reach for their neck and put the lead rope around it and slide the halter on. Once your comfortable with the way your colt acts to the halter, the colt might not be ready until you have gone is to through this step a few tim...

Use Of Representations And Fractional Knowledge Education Essay

This survey provides an scrutiny of fractional cognition demonstrated by 25 ( 7th and 9th class ) pupils from a suburban bunch of schools in a suburban community in Georgia. Students were given five fraction jobs necessitating them use representations for their replies. Analysis of single responses indicated that pupils at both class degrees lack a complete apprehension of fractional constructs such as portion to whole, fractional parts, and distances and relationships between measures. Research suggests that larning is more meaningful when pupils are given frequent chances to interact with different theoretical accounts and rethink the constructs ( Dienes, cited in Post & A ; Reys, 1979 ) . Harmonizing to Lesh, Landau, & A ; Hamilton ( 1983 ) , mathematics constructs can and should be represented other ways as good, utilizing real-world objects, spoken symbols, written words, and written symbols. They suggest that pupils who use a assortment of ways to stand for fractions develop more flexible impressions of fractions. Petit, Laird, & A ; Marsden ( 2010 ) province utilizing theoretical accounts and on a regular basis inquiring pupils to explicate their thought plays an of import function in direction. Asking pupils inquiries as they work through job resolution helps them construct upon their apprehension of fractions. Heller, Post, Behr, & A ; Lesh ( 1990 ) , found that about merely one fifth of 7th graders and one 4th of 8th graders have a functional apprehension of proportionality. Models should pervade direction leting pupils chances to job solve and develop apprehension of fractional constructs such as portion to whole, fractional parts, and distances and relationships between measures. Students demonstrate more trouble happening the fractional portion when the figure of parts in the whole is equal to the magnitude of the denominator instead than a multiple or factor of the magnitude of the whole ( Bezuk & A ; Bieck, 1993 ) . Three types of theoretical accounts pupils use to interact with, work out jobs, and generalise constructs related to fractions are country theoretical accounts, set theoretical accounts, and figure lines. Student-drawn country theoretical accounts can be effectual for doing comparings of parts of wholes or turn uping fractions on a figure line. Circle theoretical accounts can be used efficaciously to compare fractions if pupils consider the size of the whole and are accurate in their dividers into equal-sized parts. Uniting theoretical a ccounts with manipulatives can assist pupils concentrate on of import characteristics of the theoretical accounts and do comparings ( Petit, Laird, & A ; Marsden, 2010 ) . Georgia Performance Standards In the first class pupils are expected to split up to 100 objects into equal parts utilizing words, images, or diagrams ( G1M1N4 ) . Specifically halves and fourths as equal parts of a whole utilizing images and theoretical accounts ( G1M1N4C ) . In the 2nd class pupils are expected to understand and compare fractions ( G2M2N4 ) . Students will pattern, place, label, and compare fractions ( tierces, sixths, eighths, ten percents ) as a representation of equal parts of a whole or of a set ( G2M2N4 ) . In the fifth class are expected to compare fractions and warrant the comparing ( G5M5N4F ) . Harmonizing to the Georgia Department of Education, pupils begin to develop an apprehension of fractions in the 3rd class. Students are able to see fractions in general as being built out of unit fractions, and they use fractions along with ocular fraction theoretical accounts to stand for parts of a whole. Students are able to utilize fractions to stand for Numberss equal to, less than, and greater than one and work out jobs that involve comparing fractions by utilizing ocular fraction theoretical accounts and schemes. Students develop apprehension of fraction equality and operations with fractions in the 4th class. They extend old apprehensions about how fractions are built from unit fractions, composing fractions from unit fractions, break uping fractions into unit fractions, and utilizing the significance of fractions and the significance of generation to multiply a fraction by a whole figure. Students begin widening apprehension of fraction equality and ordination by utilizing ocular fraction theoretical accounts in the 5th class. In add-on, pupils are expected to compare fractions with different numerators and denominators, understand add-on and minus of fractions as connection and dividing parts mentioning to the same whole, apply and extend old apprehensions of generation to multiply a fraction by a whole figure, and understand denary notation for fractions, and compare denary fractions. Research Questions In this survey, the undermentioned inquiries were posed: How good make seventh and 9th class pupils perform on fraction jobs that require them to utilize representations? Are there any important differences by class degree? Do pupils at the 7th and 9th class degree demonstrate an apprehension of fractional cognition?MethodParticipants Students from a suburban bunch of schools in a suburban community South of tube Atlanta participated in this survey. In this bunch of schools, the pupils from three simple schools, feed into two in-between schools, both in-between schools feed into one high school. The population of the high school, similar to the population of the feeder schools has a pupil population that is about 1 % Asian-Pacific Islander, 3 % Hispanic, 50 % African American, and 46 % Caucasic. For the 2009-2010 school twelvemonth, both simple and in-between schools met equal annually advancement ( AYP ) . The high school did non run into AYP. This survey included pupils in the 7th and 9th class. Teachers were solicited who had a professional relationship with the research workers. The categories represented included regular mathematics for pupils in the 7th class and Mathematicss 1 for pupils in the 9th class. See Table 1 for pupil demographics. Of the two instructors that submitted responses, 14 7th class and eleven 9th grade appraisals were submitted. For the intents of this survey, responses from all 25 will be included in the commentary. Images of alone and questionable responses will be provided to back up and document the pupil work that depicts effectual direction and acquisition or whether pedagogues and other stakeholders need to focus/alter direction to advance pupil larning & A ; apprehension. The Instrument A computational fraction trial was developed and adapted from an EasyCBM, 6th class investigation and was administered to all participants. The trial assesses fractional cognition accomplishments and consisted of 5 points necessitating pupils to utilize representations for their replies. The appraisal was designed to place their ability to utilize representations, theoretical accounts, or incarnations of rational figure measures to reply a assortment of inquiries ( Petit, Laird, Marsden, 2010 ) . The appraisal focused on four key schemes or theoretical accounts pupils must be competent in utilizing when working with fractions or rational figure measures: models/picture based images, symbolic representations of fractions ( in fractional signifier ) , unwritten & A ; written communicating or fractional measures, and utilizing real-world objects in context ( Petit, Laird, Marsden, 2010 ) . The first inquiry asks a inquiry for pupils to find the greater of two fractional measures  œ use of theoretical accounts or any representation is non expected. The figure line represents the measure or spectrum of values between 0 and 1. The figure line is divided into four equal sections without the values of each section labeled. The 2nd inquiry seeks to find if pupils are able to use a figure line to turn out their response to the first inquiry. The 3rd inquiry gives pupils a opportunity to utilize country theoretical account to place three-fifths of a 5-by-5 grid. The 4th inquiry is a circle where pupils are expected to place five-sixths of the country in the circle. The 5th inquiry is a set of 36 stars, real-world objects, where pupils are expected to place one-quarter of the entire figure of stars. The 6th inquiry is two rectangular boxes that pupils are expected to utilize ( as in measuring ) to find which measure is greater two-fifths or three-eighths. Execution The appraisal was administered during category for pupils in both categories on the same twenty-four hours. Participants in the 7th class were given the appraisal as a warm-up activity. Participants in the 9th class were given the appraisal after finishing a trial. In both categories, pupils were allowed 20 proceedingss to finish the five inquiries. During the appraisal, pupils were read the waies if requested, separately. Hints, hints, suggestions, and solutions were non provided. Analysis The research inquiries were analyzed by hiting the trials as correct, wrong, or non attempted. Each point was separately reviewed and compared with the other participant ‘s responses every bit good. The responses were analyzed to find how pupils represent fractions and job solve. In add-on, analysis focused on pupil apprehension of fractional cognition. Question one needed pupils to find the greater of two fractions ( See Figure 1 ) . Consequences indicated 23 correct responses, one non response, and an wrong response. The pupil that did non react was in the 7th class. The pupil that provided the wrong response was in the 9th class. In inquiry two, pupils were asked to come close the location of two fractions on a figure line ( See Figure 2 ) . Four pupils were able to come close the location of the measures of and right, 16 were inaccurate, and five pupils provided no response for the inquiry. Surprising, there were four responses from pupils in both classs that resembled the theoretical account created in Figure 1. Figure 3 is an illustration of a right theoretical account of the two fractional or rational measures. Responses similar to that found in Figure 2 and 4 rise concerns in the analysis of pupils ‘ apprehension of comparing rational figure measures utilizing a figure line because of the assignment of values that differ from conventional regulations of numeracy. Problem two in Figure 1 and 2 demonstrates that the pupil is utilizing whole figure logical thinking and puting the fractions on the figure line harmonizing to the magnitude of the denominators ( Petit, Laird, & A ; Marsden, 2010 ) . Figure 1 Figure 2 number1a.gif number1c.gif The image in Figure A was found on the answer sheet of a 9th class pupil. The image in Figure B was found on the answer sheet of a 9th class pupil. Figure 3 Figure 4 number1b.gif number1d.gif The image in Figure A was found on the answer sheet of a 7th class pupil. The image in Figure A was found on the answer sheet of a 9th class pupil. For inquiry three, pupils were required to stand for portion of a whole utilizing a grid. Nineteen responses were right, two pupils did non react, and five pupil responses were inaccurate. Of the two pupils that did non react, one pupil was in the 7th class, another pupil was in the 9th class. Students in both classs provided an wrong representation of the part of the grid ( See Figure 3 ) . The inquiries that were correct all involve pupils shadowing in 15 of the 25 entire squares or boxes on the 5-by-5 grid. One of the right responses, Figure 5, shows how the pupil rationalizes the colouring of 15 boxes. Figure 5 Figure 6 The image in Figure 5 was found on the answer sheet of a 7th class pupil. The image in Figure 6 was found on the answer sheet of a 9th class pupil. Question four required pupils to stand for 5/6 utilizing a circle theoretical account. Two responses were right in stand foring 6 apparently congruous subdivisions of the circle ( See Figure 7 ) . All other pupils were non able to either pull the subdivisions of equal size or approximated the shaded, five-sixths, of the circle. One of the right responses was from a 7th grade pupil ; the other right response came from a 9th class pupil. Some of the more interesting responses or frequent mistakes noticed are provided in the tabular array below. Figure 7 shows that the 7th grader can come close the value of five-sixths, but is non able to demo the ground exact or approximative country confidently as seen in Figure 8. Figure 9 is really near to an accurate word picture of the country, nevertheless, the subdivisions of the circle are non tantamount – there are four eighths and two fourths shown. Figure 10 is from the same pupil who provided rational in Figure 6 ; nevertheless, the pupil makes the premise that the units of the circle as drawn similar to a grid are the same size. Figure 7 Figure 8 question5a.gif question5b.gif The image in Figure 7 was found on the answer sheet of a 7th class pupil. The image in Figure 8 was found on the answer sheet of a 9th class pupil. Figure 9 Figure 10 question5c.jpg question5d.gif The image in Figure 9 was found on the answer sheet of a 7th class pupil. The image in Figure 10 was found on the answer sheet of a 9th class pupil. Students were asked to place A? of the entire objects represented in inquiry 5. Twenty-three pupils provided the right response and two were wrong. Although there were different methods used by the pupils who identified the 4th of all 36 stars, every pupil identified nine as being the 4th utilizing real-world objects or touchable points. Of the two pupils that scored falsely on the job, one circled all of the objects and the other circled merely five. Question 6 measured whether pupils were able to right find if 2/5 is greater than 3/8 utilizing bars. There were five right responses and 14 wrong responses, showing pupils are unable to stand for the different rational figure measures as shaded parts of a set of equal sized subdivisions. Six responses were clean. Of the five responses that were right, three were from pupils in the 7th class, two were from 9th graders. Figure 11 shows that the pupil understood to partition the rectangles into parts determined by the denominator of both fractions, but were unable to make equal sized-partitions, an mistake identified by Petit, Laird, Marsden ( 2010 ) . Figure 12 seems to demo the same error, nevertheless, there is non a clear cut response as to which measure the pupil thinks is greater. Figure 13 represents a right response with an appropriate theoretical account of turn outing the pupils concluding and principle. Figure 11 Figure 12 question6a.gif question6e.gif The image in Figure 11 was found on the answer sheet of a 9th class pupil. The image in Figure 12 was found on the answer sheet of a 9th class pupil. Figure 13 Figure 14 question6c.gif question6d.gif The image in Figure 13 was found on the answer sheet of a 7th class pupil. The image in Figure 14 was found on the answer sheet of a 7th class pupil.DiscussionConsequences demonstrated that pupils have trouble stand foring fractions at the 7th and 9th class degree. Students demonstrated trouble with relative believing throughout many of the undertakings. While some pupils were able to successfully put the fractions on the figure line in consecutive order, they were non relative. This was besides apparent when pupils used the country theoretical accounts to find which fraction was greater and when they were asked to shadow a fractional portion of the circle theoretical account. Harmonizing to Petit, Laird, & A ; Marsden ( 2010 ) , inaccuracy of theoretical accounts can be the consequence of holding an uncomplete cognition about the importance of wholes being the same when compared to fractions. Consequences did non bespeak a distinguishable difference in fractional job work outing utilizing representations between 7th and 9th graders. Most 7th and 9th class pupils are able to utilize representations when work outing fractions. However, consequences indicate that some pupils demonstrate a deficiency of apprehension of fractional cognition. This is peculiarly concerning, given that pupils begin working on fractions in the first class and should get down to develop an apprehension of fractions in the 3rd class. Students who are unable to utilize fractions to stand for Numberss equal to, less than, and greater than one and work out jobs that involve comparing fractions by utilizing ocular fraction theoretical accounts and schemes lack a conceptual apprehension of fractions that will go on to impede their mathematical abilities as they are introduced to more complex math accomplishments.

Assignment †Team Work in Business Essay

Some management teams are bound to succeed while other are not due to a number of factors. A team, according to Adair (1986), is more than just a group with a common aim. It is a group in which the contributions of individuals are seen as complementary. Collaboration, working together, is the keynote of a team activity. Adair suggests that the test of an effective team is: â€Å"whether its members can work as a team while they are apart, contributing to a sequence of activities rather than to a common task, which requires their presence in one place and at one time.† Below is a discussion of some of the major factors that create a difference between winning and losing management teams . 1. Supportive Sponsor Management teams are usually formed by a sponsor who recognizes that reaching an organizational goal will require a group of individuals working together to provide the leadership necessary to move a company, division or unit towards the organization’s goals. It is the sponsor’s responsibility to create a ‘charter’ that establishes the management team and its primary focus. In addition, the sponsor establishes specific goals the team is to accomplish. The sponsor will also select the team leader and gain his or her commitment to lead the leadership team in defining and carrying out the needed actions. Lack of will or proper direction by the sponsor ( e. g board of directors in a company) can lead to team failure. 2. Environmental factors These include physical factors such as working proximity, plant or office layout. In general, close proximity aids group identity and loyalty, and distance reduces them. Other environmental issues include the traditions of the organisation under which the management team operates, and leadership styles. Formal organisations tend to adopt formal group practices. Autocratic leadership styles prefer group activities to be directed. 3. Team size Small groups tend to be more cohesive than larger groups; small groups tend to encourage full participation; large groups contain greater diversity of talent. 4. Focus on Stakeholder Outcomes A shared understanding of the management team’s stakeholders, their expectations of the team, and the values the team embraces is essential to create the focus needed as the management team members plan and execute the actions necessary to achieve the team’s goals. 5. Smart Goals Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound goals should be established by the team’s sponsor and then broken into sub-goals by the management team. Without SMART goals, the team will lack the milestones necessary to drive action. 6. Team Leadership Team leadership is the most critical success factor for the performance management team. A leader with strong performance management skills and the ability to develop others virtually guarantees a successful performance initiative. Every management team needs a leader who focuses the members of the team on the mission, purpose, and goals of the team. This individual must be committed to the team’s results and must be willing to be held accountable by the team’s sponsor and other stakeholders, for leading the team through processes that insure the team’s goals are reached. The team leader must engage each team member in the processes of the team and build a platform of mutual trust that leads to open debate, collaboration, individual commitment, and personal accountability. 7. Mutual Trust The most important element of successful team work is the establishment of a platform of mutual trust that enables the management team to engage in open debate and decision making that leads to commitments to action by individual members of the team. Building this trust requires an openness that allows team members to know and understand the beliefs and behaviors of all members of the team so that team actions can be structured to take advantage of each member’s uniqueness and talents. Behavioral and values assessments are powerful tools in developing an understanding how each member of the management team views themselves and responds to others in the team. 8. Engaged Management Team Members An effective management team will have team members who are actively engaged in the work and focus of the team. This will require that each team member emotionally commits to actively and openly participate in the team’s processes in the pursuit of the team’s goals. The team member must willingly commit to carry out action plans to complete individual actions necessary for the team to reach their team goals. The team member must be dependable and carry the full weight of personal responsibility to complete their individual commitments by the date committed to. Engaged team members enthusiastically support each other and add value to other team members. They prepare for team processes and choose to engage others in a positive manner to find solutions to issues and challenges they individually or as a team face. They constantly seek to improve themselves for the benefit of the team and never, never, never quit. 9. Composition of the Team The Apollo Syndrome is a phenomenon that having too many people with a high mental abilities grouped together to solve a problem is, in many instances, detrimental to the teamwork process. Team members spend much of their time trying to persuade the team to adopt their own views as well as figuring out ways to point out weaknesses in the rest of the team’s ideas. They have difficulty reaching consensus in decisions and are focused on their own work, paying little attention to what their fellow team members agree doing. Occasionally the team will pick up on the fact they are having problems, but will then overcompensate to avoid confrontation. This leads to even more problems in making sound decisions. A knowledgeable team, skilled at group working, and with a wider range of talents is much more likely to succeed than an inexperienced group with a narrow range of talents. 10. Individual Commitments The work of a management team is carried out by individual members of the team. When a team has developed a plan of actions that are necessary to achieve their goals or overcome barriers, individual members must commit to carrying out specific actions which in many cases will include actions by the individual teams they in turn lead. The management team’s collaborative processes must include steps to: * Define individual actions, * Gain the commitments by individual team members to complete the actions, * Document due dates, and * Establish status reporting processes. 11. Discipline and Accountability Team goals will usually not be realized until individual commitments are completed. Management team members must embrace a discipline to complete their commitments as scheduled. They must agree to hold each other personally accountable for completing, as scheduled, the commitments each person has made to the team. Each management team member must continuously report the status of their open commitments to the team so that barriers to completion can be identified early in order to permit the management team leader and other team members the opportunity to deal with the issues before overall deadlines are impacted. 12. Identification and Removal of Barriers Barriers to team and individual progress will occur in every management team effort and must be dealt with quickly to continue progress towards the team’s goals. The team leader must continuously monitor the status of each individual’s commitments and initiate barrier removal processes where appropriate. Team-based processes for developing action plans to overcome barriers impacting individual commitments should be instilled as a part of the team’s culture. 13. Shared vision / approach. The ability for a management team to clearly state it’s goals and objectives and gain buy-in among the people they lead ( e. g. employees )along with a synergistic team that can carry out their responsibilities is vital to performance success. The vision and/or mission of the team must be accepted by all the team members and critical goals viewed as the collective responsibility of the team. If a return to profitability is a critical goal of an executive team, priorities and time commitments must be pulled from elsewhere. Focusing on results that in any way does not support the critical goal(s) of the team will lead to team failure. 14. Technology support While a skilled management team can improve performance with very little tools and only an effective approach, with proper technology to support the team’s needs, and the proper data to drive decision making, there is almost no limit to the improvements an organization will yield. 15. Ability to Innovate Innovating is a key aspect of teamwork and involves challenging the way things are currently being done. Technology is changing so quickly that the way you are currently performing tasks may no longer be the best way. If you are not up-to-date in your practices, your cost structure may be too high or you may no longer be delivering competitive service. Innovating is essential for all work teams. There are always better ways of doing things if you only take time to discover them. 16. Promoting To obtain the resources – people, money, and equipment – to carry out your work, you have to ‘sell’ what you are doing to other people. Resources to implement new ideas will only be given if your team can persuade and influence people higher in the organization. Promoting to customers or clients both inside or outside the organization is also important if you are to continually deliver what people want. 17. Developing Many ideas don’t see the light of day because they are impractical. The Developing activity ensures that your ideas are molded and shaped to meet the needs of your customers, clients, or users. It involves listening to their needs and incorporating these in your plans. Developing will ensure that what you are trying to do is possible, given the resource constraints of your organization. 18. Inspecting & Maintenance Regular checks on work activities are essential to ensure that mistakes are not made. Quality audits of your products or services will ensure that your customers or clients will remain satisfied. Inspecting also covers the financial aspect of work in your team, as well as the security aspects, the safety aspects and the legal aspects. All management teams need to uphold standards and maintain effective work processes. Your car will fail if it does not have its regular service. Teams can fail too, if the team processes are not regularly checked and maintained. Maintaining ensures that quality standards are upheld and that regular reviews of team effectiveness take place. 19. Linking Linking is the activity that ensures all team members pull together, and makes the difference between a group of individuals and a highly effective and efficient team. It covers the linking of people, linking of tasks and leadership linking.