Compare and contrast between public and private education Essay

Since 1983 public education has been an issue in America. The system has been constantly changing every year with reforms. This constant change has been driven by the American people’s perception that education has declined and something should be done about it. First there was an increased emphasis on basic skills, making school years longer and more graduation requirements. Second, many began focusing on increasing teachers professionalism. Third, they began restructuring many things such as how the schools were organized and how the school day was structured etc. Now today the most of the American people believe that not enough money is given to public schooling. They associate academic improvement with the money the school is funded. But I believe otherwise. Spending more on education will not improve academic success but diverse teaching methods will. Public education funding is at an all time high in America. There is no problem with the funding for schools. There is more of a problem on how the money is distributed. To truly understand the problems of education in America,†¦The United States prides itself on its public education system making it a core value of many families. The level of education a person has will influence their career achievements. Americans expect their public system of education to provide a solid curriculum. Most of the people in the United States place their trust in the public school system in which they support through taxes. This trust although is contradicted by the public system of education’s current shape. Much of the schools in the United States are either deteriorating, or failing all together. The drawbacks of public education create an unhealthy environment for student learning. Many people think public school can dip their hands into the public treasury for funding if they are ever in need of money; however many schools do not qualify to get these funds. â€Å"The disparate funding for public schools and between states and within metropolitan areas has turned some public schools into meccas for affluent students and others into decaying infrastructures with overcrowded classrooms and soaring drop-out rates† (†¦

Databases Is a Structured Collection of Data Essay

According to Business Link â€Å"The database is one of the cornerstones of information technology, and its ability to organize, process and manage information in a structured and controlled manner is key to many aspects of modern business efficiencies.† This paper will define database uses, advantages, and disadvantages as well as recommended changes to an Internet database I currently use. The definition of a database is a structured collection of data or records stored on a computer system. The definition of a database management system (DBMS) is â€Å"a collection of programs that enables you to store, modify, and extract information from a database† (Webopedia, 2011). â€Å"Databases are used just about everywhere including banks, retail, websites, and warehouses. Banks use databases to keep track of customer accounts, balances, and deposits. Retail stores can use databases to store prices, customer information, sales information, and quantity on hand. Websites use databases to store content, customer login information, and preferences and may store saved user input. Warehouses use databases to manage inventory levels.† Another example would include a bookseller, such as Amazon.com. Amazon.coms database would include title, author, ISBN, product information, reviews, quantity, and price to name few. Databases are used anywhere that data needs to be stored and easily retrieved. The filing cabinet has been replaced by databases. Advantages of using a DBMS are, reducing the amount of time managing data, the ability to analyze data in various ways, promoting a disciplined approach to data management, and improving the quality and consistency of information. One disadvantage is the cost because more than likely outside help will need to be employed to develop the DBMS, which can become very expensive. Another disadvantage is time, developing a database system is very time-consuming because numerous steps are involved. Different types of DBMSs are available from several vendors and the services offered can vary widely. Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle from Oracle  Corporation are two examples of DBMSs. In its most basic form, they both store information with the use of tables. Both use queries to sort, search, and analyze data. They use a backup system to save all information in case of a crash of the system. They are web-based so users can access them from anywhere. They could be tailored to meet business needs. They allow multiple users to access and update information while providing security from unauthorized users. Users are granted access to certain features with the use of passwords and permissions. They both offer reporting capabilities. A number of differences exist between these two DBMSs, the first is the cost, Oracle costs are extremely expensive compared to Microsoft SQL Server. Pricing for Oracle is over 100K, whereas Microsoft SQL Server can be purchased for a couple of thousand. Microsoft SQL Server is used for small-medium sizes companies while Oracle can be used for very large companies. Microsoft SQL can support a couple 1000 users while Oracle can support as little as 10 users, upwards to hundreds of thousands users. Microsoft SQL Server is slower over networks compared to Oracle. Microsoft SQL Server is easier to learn and more user friendly. Microsoft SQL Server has a large community for support, while Oracle has very little in comparison. I have been a collector of Cal Ripken Jr. baseball cards for many years, and I have amassed a collection of close to 2000 different Cal Ripken Jr. baseball cards With this many cards it is hard to keep track of what cards I currently own and their value. I needed a database program where I could have access to my collection in one place. I did some research and found Beckett.com offered a database software program called Beckett Collector Connection. Beckett is an industry leader concerning the collection of sport cards. Anyone who is a serious sport cards card collector knows Beckett is the place to go when wanting to know the value of one’s collection. Beckett Collector Connection has essentially taken all their price guides, put them in a database, and made them available online. It only cost $20 for the initial software and it is an additional $4.95 a month to get the latest sets and prices downloaded from their website. A  collector can list all their cards with ease using Beckett’s learning wizard. Each card or record shows year, set name, card number, and card name. Other columns provide a place where a collector can list the condition and quantity of a specific card they own. A number of the cards include a picture ensuring the collector has listed the right card. A collector can print one of six different reports, or use the report generator to create a custom report. A collector has the option of using Beckett’s auction tools, to create, track, and follow up on multiple Internet auctions based on a collector’s inventory. I have been using this program for quite some time and have found it very beneficial but at the same time, I have noticed ways the database can be improved. For one downloading the newest prices can be very time- consuming, even though I use DSL it can still take an hour. Another improvement I want is to the ability to list older sets, while they do list some older sets many older sets are not listed and prices are missing as well. Last, I would like to have Beckett offer to track your auctions listing through multiple auction platforms, such as eBay instead of just their own auction platform. In conclusion, one can determine that gathering, storing, processing of information using a database gives a company a distinct advantage. Developing a DBMSs is crucial to a company’s productivity, time management and vital to its success. References Business Link. Benefits of Databases. Retrieved from http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1075422967 Graham, AJ. How Are Databases Used In The Real World? eHow.com. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_5447556_databases-used-real-world.html Webopedia. (2011). Database Management System. Retrieved from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/database_management_system_DBMS.html

How do local (host) attitudes vary towards different types of tourism Essay

How do local (host) attitudes vary towards different types of tourism and tourists - Essay Example The kinds of interactions and the quality of these interactions influence the perceptions as well as attitudes by visitors towards the destination and locals while it influences on hosts tolerance. This would be therefore viewed in a long term where these interactions influence sustainability of tourism as a leisure activity. Cultural incidences as well as hosts social demographic characteristics have a significant influence on the nature of interactions between the visiting people and the locals (Armenski, nd, p. 1). Locals or hosts have used the social exchange theorem in prediction and explaining attitudes towards the tourists. It is used primarily on evaluation of the mutual benefits that individuals would gain through interactions in being a tourist and a host. It is therefore instrumental in explaining the exchanges that occur between the host(s) and the tourists and explains the variation in attitudes and perceptions by hosts towards particular tourists. Through the theory, th is paper identifies that individuals engage the analysis of costs and or benefits resultant in interactions between the hosts and tourists. Bad attitudes and perceptions by hosts towards interaction with tourists may be explained by lack of benefits to be derived from the tourists while right attitudes according to the theory arise from the availability of gains from the interactions. Working tourists and often referred to as holidaymakers are persons who engage into tourism through travelling but engages in work with such motives of generating more finances to cater for prolonged holiday and such other reasons. There are various categories of the working tourists as includes ‘travelling professional workers’, ‘migrant tourism workers’, ‘working holiday tourists as well as ‘non-institutionalized working’ tourists (Duncan, nd, p. 34-35). There are main variations that are

Assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Assignment 2 - Essay Example In addition, as the world’s demand continues to rise, a lot still has to be done on mismanagement of some resources. People often take for granted free energy resources like wind, water and solar energy. If they increase utilizing this forms of energy that are renewable, then they would not have a bigger problem in the future. There is a possibility of the world meeting its rising demand for energy if it only used its resources wisely. Furthermore, this speaker adds that part of the world’s energy problem could be solved by having good world governance. By having a good world governance, the world would be avoiding an energy crisis in the future by avoiding some countries from taking all of the available resources for themselves. In relation to Tom Burke in video 1, the planet cannot have shortage of energy and is able to provide energy for its current population and even supply the future population. This can be achieved by using the necessary resources to utilize energy resources that had not been utilized fully, for example, water, wind and solar energy. The world is able to cope with its energy supply only if it would avail the necessary capital, political and technology know how towards increasing its energy production. In accordance to Malcolm Wicks in video 1, in as much as population growth in the western world is decreasing, still energy demand is increasing. As the population becomes more affluent and more educated, there energy demand tends to increase. Therefore, this speaker implies that population increase might be a direct factor on energy demand in some cases. In relation to video 2, Professor Al Bartlett discusses about energy use in relation to population. The video starts with a question posed to him if energy is the world’s number one problem. The speaker on answering twists the question and supports the notion that population is indeed the world’s greatest challenge. He emphasizes that population plays a

Prepare a report for a small business whose owners are considring the Coursework

Prepare a report for a small business whose owners are considring the introduction of a computer network - Coursework Example However, it should be noted that using LAN might have some disadvantage. As the business grows, it will be observed that the range in which LAN is applicable might hinder its effectiveness. This is because LAN connections are only capable of operating in a local area, which in most cases is within a single building. Essentially, this form of connection will only apply to a handful of clients. In most cases, LAN has always been observed to be slow thus inappropriate for a situation where a person wants to use it to enhance faster sharing of information, data, applications, and equipment. Thus, the speed of this network connection is an outstanding challenge. There are a number of equipment’s that will be needed in order for John to set up the new network. He will need twisted wires fitted with RJ-45 plug at the end. A network switch will be important in transmission of data from one device to another in the office. They will also need Midspans and splitters, which will be important in enabling the network to support Power over Ethernet. Power over Ethernet enables a network to use the same cable used in data transfer in supplying power to devices. They will also need network adaptors for connecting devices to the network. Routers will be needed to enable connection to multiple devices. The one advantage that the business can get by using a wireless network is that it encourages high levels of mobility (Columbus 2001, P. 123). This will specifically be important when Edward, the accountant comes to review their accounts. The business office will have a neater environment because there is no need for the many cables that are required for wired cables. However, as Fitzgerald & Dennis (2009) argue, a wireless network might be a little bit more costly because it requires more equipment. It is believed to be a relatively cheap network connection that requires minimal hassle in the process of setting up. The infrastructure used for this

Physical, Emotional, and Social Changes In the Young Adolescent Essay

Physical, Emotional, and Social Changes In the Young Adolescent Learner - Essay Example Cyber-bullying is rampant among adolescent youth aged between 11 – 15 years, who bully their age mates mostly through instant messaging, social networks or short message services This is where adolescent youth use online platforms to threaten their peers and make them feel humiliated. Most of the time the receiver of this message will feel terrified and their ability to concentrate will be affected. Naughty adolescent youth steal the password of others and wrongfully log in to their accounts to post information or pictures that are embarrassing, tainting the image of the account owner. When this happens in a restricted platform, the owner of the account ends up being punished for things they did not do. The casualty is threatened of physical harm by the perpetrator. Since mostly the perpetrator’s identity is hidden, the casualty anticipates being hurt every time they are alone making them live with fear. The students, parents and teachers of middle school need to be involved in ending this wrongful behavior, protect the victims and reduce the effects. According to Kowalski, Limber & Agatston (2012) parents need to create an environment that is free and open to enable their children to openly air out the challenges they are facing. By so doing, a student who is bullied will be able to share out the negative experiences. Over reacting will make the student avoid opening up, thus the need for the parent to react moderately and take serious precaution to curb the practice by contacting the school so as to ensure the student is safe at all time. By monitoring the child, the parent can be able to identify the emotional needs of the child and provide them emotional support. Such matters should also be reported to agencies of law enforcement The teachers need to be well informed of the forms of cyber-bullying and its consequences on the student’s performance. Regular counseling sessions will help reduce the instances of bullying in the institution.

THE EFFECT OF FAIR DEALING (FD) FOR DIGITAL CONTENT (DC) IN CANADIAN Research Paper

THE EFFECT OF FAIR DEALING (FD) FOR DIGITAL CONTENT (DC) IN CANADIAN DISTANCE EDUCATION (DE) - Research Paper Example IF YOU IMPROVE THIS ASPECT OF YOUR PAPER, YOUR MARK WILL IMPROVE. This paper is about Canada’s move towards copyright reform and how it affects distance education. Copyright affects education in a fundamental way as all course books and reference books come under the Copyright act. Due to the explosion of technology, vast quantity of information is available on the internet to be used by educators and students; but by accessing that information they might be stepping on legal boundaries. It is necessary that students and educators are aware of complex copyright issues that may make their institutions liable. The field of distance education is dependent on telecommunication and digital content, thus copyright laws directly affect distance education. It is important that distance educators and instructors involved in online courses are aware of copyright laws and clearance procedures, and the resources available to assist in these procedures (Wallace, 2004). Distance educators are the developers of academic and course content for this form of education; they should be fully aware of copyright laws as well as their rights according to fair dealing. The CCH, (2004) case established that fair dealing encompasses use of copyrighted material for private study purposes. Bill C-32 takes matters further by including education under fair dealing thus aiding distance educators in compiling course materials. However, Bill C-32 contains provisions that prohibit use of materials on digital formats which are digitally locked. These provisions are detrimental to distance education as they exclude legal uses of copyrighted material due to digital locks (Guest, 2010; Chan, 2009). Based on these developments, the distance educators and instructors must make sure that they and their students do not violate complicated copyright laws by circumventing digital locks. This paper focuses on the consequences of copyright laws and fair

Pharmacological Effects of Antibiotics in Management of Sinusitis and Research Paper

Pharmacological Effects of Antibiotics in Management of Sinusitis and the Nursing Implications - Research Paper Example Before making a final diagnosis, allergy testing is important since allergic rhinitis presents with the same symptoms of sinusitis. It is essential to look at the overall presentation of the patient’s history as well as the physical findings in order to make the diagnosis of uncomplicated sinusitis. When selecting an antibiotic regimen for sinusitis, it is crucial to consider drugs safety, their costs and the local patterns of bacteria resistance in order to maximize the therapy and avoid drug resistance. Antimicrobial regimens discussed below are for the uncomplicated cases, and the patients have been assumed that they do not have any orbital or intracranial complications with a normal immune system. For the complicated cases, they require broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics in order to take full control of the pathogens. The paper discusses on the pharmacological effects of antibiotics in the management of sinusitis and the nursing implications. It discusses on all classe s of drugs used for sinusitis management i.e. penicillin’s (Augmentin, Amoxil), cephalosporin’s (cefuroxime), fluoroquinolones (e.g. ciprofloxacin) and clindamycin. Patients all suffering from complicated sinusitis and do not respond to therapy because of drug resistance or other factors should be referred to an otorhinolaryngologist or an infectious disease specialist to guide for continued therapy (Dixon & O’Leary, 2012). The principal pathogens for sinusitis are bacteria agents referred to as respiratory pathogens. Other potential disease-causing organisms include Staphylococcus Aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and anaerobic bacteria’s such as bacteroids. Anaerobic bacteria’s are likely to be seen in dental diseases resulting from the extension of infections from the roots of the molar teeth to the sinuses. The first-line antibiotics for treatment include

The Kite Runner Essay Example for Free

The Kite Runner Essay I will be doing my book review on the book called ‘kite runner’, by Khalid Hosseini. The Kite Runner tells the story of Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, who befriends Hassan, the son of his fathers Hazara servant. The story is set against a background of upcoming events, from the fall of Afghanistans monarchy through the Soviet invasion, the large number of refugees sent to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime. I am doing my book review on the Kite Runner because I think it is a marvellous and very interesting book. The author also describes the settings very well. Khalid Hosseini was born on 4th March 1965; he is an American novelist and physician from Afghanistan and he is an ethnic Tajik. Amir, a wealthy Pashtun boy, and Hassan, a Hazara who is the son of Ali, Amirs fathers servant, spend their days in the peaceful city of Kabul, kite fighting and roaming through the streets. Amirs father, a wealthy merchant, whom Amir affectionately refers to as ‘Baba’, loves both boys, but seems critical of Amir for not being manly enough. However, he has a kinder father figure in the form of Rahim Khan, Babas friend, who understands Amir better, and supports his interest in writing. Hassan and Amir are great friends. Hassan is also a very good kite runner. Five years later, the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan. Amir and Baba escape to Peshawar, Pakistan and then to Fremont, California, where Amir and Baba, who lived in luxury in an expensive mansion in Afghanistan, settle in a run-down apartment and Baba begins work at a gas station. Amir eventually takes classes at a local community college to develop his writing skills after graduating from high school at age twenty. Every Sunday, Baba and Amir make extra money selling used goods at a flea market in San Jose. Hassan is killed but his son is in trouble, so Amir goes back to Afghanistan to save him. The genre of this novel is action and adventure. Most of the action takes place in Afghanistan. The author described the place where Amir lived; you could almost picture his house in your mind. When you chose an adventure book people expect the story to be interesting, fascinating and settings to be described very well also. The novel fits the genre because they play all around Kabul, running away from the bullies and also it is about the life of Hassan and Amir, it has the up and downs of their lives. One triumphant day, Amir wins the local tournament, and finally Babas praise. Hassan runs for the last cut kite, a great trophy, saying to Amir, For you, a thousand times over. Unfortunately, Hassan encounters Assef. Hassan refuses to give up Amirs kite. Assef decides to teach Hassan a lesson by beating him half to death and then raping him. Amir witnesses the act but convinced himself that he is too scared to intervene; though its actually the fact that he needs the kite for Babas praise and approval and he knows if he does intervene, then he wont get the kite and he returns home ashamed, guilty for not being able to help his best friend. He feels that his cowardice in Hassans rape would destroy any hopes for Babas affections, so he says nothing. Afterward, Hassan and Amir keep a distance from each other. Amir reacts indifferently because he feels ashamed, and is frustrated by Hassans saint-like behavior. Already jealous of Babas love for Hassan, he worries that if Baba knew of Hassans bravery and his own cowardice, that Babas love for Hassan would grow even more. This part of the story showed how loyal and brave Hassan was. Amir like reading stories and is a storyteller. He and Hassan play with kites all the time. He is a little bit afraid of the other boys like Assef. I have enjoyed this book a lot it has been interesting, I felt sorry for Hassan because he was so loyal and his loyalty had cost his life. The novel was a great adventure story. It is one of the best books I have ever read. By Nima Tajali.

Math assignment Essay Example for Free

Math assignment Essay

Causes of Software Crisis

Causes of Software Crisis This paper justifies the symptoms and primary causes of software crisis. You will see that the writer made a comparison of software crisis in different countries. We took the information from different articles published in UK, USA and Canada. The findings and suggestions are described at the end to minimise the risk involved while planning and developing a software project. Introduction We begin with the symptoms of Software crisis. Evidence is provided by the documents produced by US military on software crisis. Furthermore, Charelle, (2005) has complied some more astounding failure statistics of software crisis. We have also discussed the major causes of the software crisis and the description of those causes. The major factor of causing failure in Software management projects is lack of coordination between the teams itself. In last two decades the technology trend is going upward and small and big organizations are adopting the latest technologies and techniques to improve their output productivity. This report reflects the major symptoms and causes of a software crisis along with their description. In the end of the report we conclude with the suggestions to improve the whole process to avoid software crisis. Symptoms of Software Crisis Many researchers agree software project failures occur more frequently than they should, some of them have tinted a crisis within the software industry (Conte et al, 1986; DeMarco, 1982). To assess the success or failure of the project express on cost, delivery time, and quality, Glass (1998) highlighted these three main aspects. Circumstantial evidence is used to highlight the symptoms and primary causes of project failure which creates serious concerns. Comparison of software crisis between different countries The other main cause of software crisis is that the machines have become more powerful, if we compare with the past we had a few computer programming with a minor problem in software. Now we have huge computer programming with an equally huge problem in software. Some documents have been written to describe the failure of software project by US military and most of the software problem which had been identified in military area is the same in private sector. In this report the given table explain the major causes of software crisis, in 2001-2002 actual cost of National Insurance Recording System 2, Probation Service Crain, and Child Support Agency project increased for the reason of delays in project time, increase in actual costs and change of the system. Over cost of amount  £ 40.4 million increased in the project of (NIRS2) and same problem occurred in the project of (PSC) and an extra amount of  £ 50 million spent on the project of (CSA) to improve the system. Overall the cau ses of software crisis are linked to the complexity of hardware and software development process. Some other further evidence shows that in 2001, a planned project for Immigration and National Directorate was cancelled since department analyzed that new system would be more complex and needs an amount of  £ 77million for the implementation of the project that is difficult for the department to pay such huge amount for this project. In the dates of 2001/2002, another new issue of fraud was highlighted in the software project of Individual Learning Accounts; it was a Flagship Training Scheme and an amount of  £ 66.9 million was fixed for its implementation. In the sequence of heavy budgeted costs a software project for Defence Logistics Organization in the year of 2002 was suspended on the reason of insufficient funds to start this heavy cost project of an amount of  £ 120 million. In the table shows that in the year 1999 a software project for Passport Agency a cost of  £ 12. 6 million was suspended behind estimating high actual costs. In the prospect of high costs of software, in 1999 Home office scrapped the project that had been planned for improvement in prison services, estimated costs for this software project was about  £ 8 million. In the year 2002, a software project Libra for linkup the magistrates was under consideration and required an amount of  £ 134 million for implementation of this project. Overall in all above evidences, it shows that crisis of software apparent itself in several ways: Additionally, Charette (2005) has compiled some more shocking failure in project software it seems that project failure is not a problem of big companies and industries but software problem is occurred widely in small companies, in commercial and non-profit organizations and government departments. Software crisis occur caused by increasingly complexity in hardware and project failure seen to be universal. In the 2nd given tale shows that in 1993 a software project for London Ambulance Service was cancelled after second attempt, and in the same year in USA a project was mad for Allstate Insurance Company after a costing of high amount of $ 130 million abandoned the office automation system. London Stock Exchange cancelled its project of Tarus stock settlement system after costing of huge amount of $ 600 million. In the last few years various process and methodologies have been developed to control the software crises. However, it is widely agreed that there is no constant solution. W ith a heavy cost budget of $ 44 million and $ 2.6 billion on the project of DMV system for state of California and project for Federal Aviation Administration cancelled in 1994. In 1995 Toronto Stock Exchange cancelled it planned project for installation of Electronic trading system, project cost was estimated about $ 25.5 million. In 1996 a project of Arianespace (France) in the reason of error in the software, 5 rockets explode and huge amount of $ 350 were expended. A project of $ 40 million in 1997 was cancelled by the State of Washington that had planned for department of motor vehicle. In the same year International revenue (USA) cancelled its project that was for Tax modernization effort, an amount of $4.0 billion was estimated for implementation of this project. Snap-on Inc, (USA) an amount of $ 50 million wasted in the software failure occurred in the order- entry system in 1998. In the year, 1999 software problem occurred with ERP system in the project of Hershy Food Corpo ration (USA), and an amount of $ 151 million was invested. Software for Tax system was cancelled in date of 1999 by the State of Mississippi (USA) and project was about $ 11.2 million. A cost of $ 12 million was cancelled in 1999 by the United Way (USA) a software project was designed for the process of administration system. In the year 2000, huge spent of money for city payroll system abandoned, due to failure in the software in Washington DC. In USA, Nike Inc 2001, about $ 100 million lost in the reason of software problem in the supply-change management system. In Australia 2002 software project for Sydney Water Corporation to maintain the billing system was cancelled, project cost was about 33.2 million. In 2003/4 AT T Wireless (USA) faced deficiency spent of $ 100 million in up gradation of software for improved customer relation management. In 2004 Hewlet- Packard Company invested $ 160 million for ERP system, but still persist unsolved problem in its software. An amount of $ 527 million invested in the planned project of 1Sainsbury PLC (UK) in 2004, because of that software problem company abandoned the supply chain management system. In general, large software projects are more complicated than small software project. In 2005 Canadian company Hudson Bay faced a big software problem in inventory system; an amount of $ 33.3 million was invested for this project. For conducting a comprehensive survey 250 UK based organization had been selected to find out the defined software failure as: A project that has failed significantly to achieve its objectives and or has exceeded its original budget by at least 30% Major reasons of project failure in above mentioned countries Projects running over budget. Software was not up to the needs. Projects taking too long to complete or unnecessary delays. Substandard Production. Unable to meet the specific requirements. Difficult to operate and maintain.. Over budgeting. Primary cause of Software Crisis In the result of survey they found that nearby 62% of these selected organizations had at least one major software failure, these were considered primary causes of failure and have been updated by Glass (1998). Description of Causes by (Glass, 1998) The objectives were not clear. Improper table work. Not having the proper feel of the organization. Lack of project management methodology. HR laps or insufficient skilled staff. Coordination gaps between venders. Performance and efficiency issues. A list of primary casual factors has been produced by (Charette, 2005). Description of Causes by (Charette, 2005) Bad planning or run time decisions. Lack of documentation. Improper assessment. Incorrect estimates of needed resources. Impractical project goals. Not a good communication among customers, developers and users. Use of undeveloped technology. Inability to handle the projects complexity. Not a good project management. Stakeholder politics. Commercial pressure. Conclusion We can conclude that the most of the project failures were due to the coordination gaps between the technical project management team and the business decisions. We can overcome this crisis by better monitoring; during the assessment, planning, designing, production, implementation and maintenance phases. We can achive the goal of a successful and on time product by developing better understanding and coordination between the higher management and technical team. Its all about taking right decision at the right time and at the right place.

Mysticism in A Passage to India Essay -- Passage to India Essays

Mysticism in Forester's A Passage to India      Ã‚  Ã‚   The figure of Mrs. Moore, and the problem of what happened to her in the extraordinary Marabar Caves, has fascinated critics for decades. The question has absorbed attention to a degree that does not correspond to the secondary role that Mrs. Moore plays in the plot of A Passage to India. On the surface, she is a supporting character, yet many of the unresolved issues of the novel seem to be concentrated in her experience. Mrs. Moore arrives in India a sympathetic figure, and departs unresponsive and uncaring, transformed beyond recognition by the mysterious voice of the Marabar. The deliberately unexplained matter of what spoke to her in the cave has intrigued virtually every scholar who has written on this novel, each coming up with his or her own interpretation of the event. Some have claimed that an evil, ancient force dwelt in the caves, while others suggest that Mrs. Moore achieved a life-altering Hindu insight. There is indeed substantial indication that Mrs. Moor e achieved the primary goal of certain branches of Hinduism, melding the Atman and Brahman (Self and not-Self) into one indivisible entity, and therefore recognizing the single, pervasive force that underlies everything. However, no transcendence seems to result from this recognition, as Mrs. Moore is destroyed rather than uplifted by her vision.    Although her experience deceptively contains elements of a Hindu insight, I believe that she ultimately encountered a perverted, sinister, and finally hollow version of Hinduism. The truly beautiful complexity of the philosophy/religion is reduced by the unrelenting echo of the cave. It becomes something devoid of depth and meaning, and particularly devoid ... ...rews, 178.    WORKS CITED Bradbury, Malcolm, ed. E.M. Forester: A Passage to India. London: Macmillan, 1970. Clarke, Peter B., ed. The World's Religions: Understanding the Living Faiths. London: Reader's Digest, 1993. Crews, Frederick C. "A Passage to India." Bradbury, 165-85. Deussen, Paul. The Philosophy of the Upanishads. Trans. Rev. A.S. Geden. New York: Dover, 1966. Forester, E.M. A Passage to India. Ed. Oliver Stallybrass. London: Penguin, 1979. Kermode, Frank. "The One and Orderly Product." Bradbury, 216-23. Moody, Phillipa. A Critical Commentary on E.M.Forester's 'A Passage to India'. London: Macmillan, 1968. White, Gertrude M. "A Passage to India: Analysis and Revaluation." Bradbury, 132-53. Zimmer, Heinrich. Philosophies of India. Bollingen Series XXVI. Ed. Joseph Campbell. New Jersey: Princeton UP, 1969.

The Road Not Taken And Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening - Analysis

Robert Lee Frost (born in San Francisco, March 26, 1874 and died in Boston, January 29, 1963) was one of America's leading 20th-century poets and a four-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Although his verse forms are traditional, he was a pioneer in the interplay of rhythm and meter and in the poetic use of the vocabulary and inflections of everyday speech. His poetry is thus both traditional and experimental. After Frost’s father died in 1885, the family left California and settled in Massachusetts. From 1897 to 1899 he attended Harvard College as a special student, but left without a degree. Over the next ten years he wrote (but rarely published) poems, operated a farm in Derry, New Hampshire (purchased for him by his grandfather), and supplemented his income by teaching. In 1912 he sold the farm and used the proceeds to take his family to England, where he could devote himself entirely to writing. His efforts to establish himself and his work were almost immediately successful. A Boy's Will was accepted by a London publisher and brought out in 1913, followed a year later by North of Boston. In 1924 he received a Pulitzer Prize in poetry for New Hampshire (1923). He received it again for Collected Poems (1930), A Further Range (1936), and A Witness Tree (1942). Over the years he received an unprecedented number and range of literary, academic, and public honors. 1 The Road Not Taken Although I must admit that I am not a poetry fan, many of the poems of Robert Frost appeal to me, and this would have to be the one that appeals the most, in other words, it is my favorite poem. When I first read this poem, I liked it because of its free verse style (which I like) and its apparent simplicity, but, after much study, its true meaning became apparent. The obvious basic meaning is that the poem is about a person’s choices in life. The narrator describes coming to a problem with the fork in the road. He must go down one but feels he will not be able to take back his decision. He looks to see the pros and cons of each choice, and then takes the one that he says the least had traveled. He leaves the outcome up to the reader and the sigh at the end can be taken as good or bad. This leaves the reader the choice of deciding whether it is better to conform with society or rebel like Frost did and take up a less stable trade. However, there are many places to which... ..., he is far away from the city, and the city is like a synonym for life – and one of the opposites of life is death. Another closely related example of symbolism is â€Å"Between the woods and the frozen lake†. The woods are now a symbol of life – a change from the previous example – and the frozen lake, devoid of life, is a symbol of death. The final example of symbolism is an obvious one in which death is compared to sleep. Frost’s â€Å"difference† (The Road not Taken ln20) was always in him. This can be seen long before he starts his actual writing career. While he learned to read at a very late age of 14, he had already sold a poem at the age of 15. The road that Frost took was not only the â€Å"different† road and the right road for him, but also the only road that he could possibly have taken. The Road Not Taken and the often-studied Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening â€Å"exemplify Frost's ability to join the pastoral and philosophical modes in lyrics of unforgettable beauty†1. Frost's poetic and political conservatism caused him to lose favor with some literary critics, but his reputation as a major poet is secure. He unquestionably succeeded in realizing his life's ambition: to write.

Virgil and Petroneous

Essay 1 How much can a civilization change in under a year? The Roman Civilization changed drastically in roughly one hundred years in the way they view many aspects of their life, including the role of women and the role of the gods in their life. In Virgil’s The Aeneid, he has presented Rome as superior to Greece, being written at the time of Augustus; The Aeneid was used as propaganda for the Romans to make them feel superior after the Trojan War.Petronius wrote about Rome during the reign of Nero, in his novel, it is apparent that by the time Epicureanism had gotten to Rome, they had taken it and formed a twisted version of just how extreme they took Hedonism; as exemplified in Dinner With Trimalchio from the novel The Satyricon. The two authors Virgil and Petronius have described Roman civilization under their perspective through their novels and have not only made contrasts, but comparisons as well in commonly seen themes such as the role of the gods in their everyday li fe and the role of women. T) Although they are roughly a hundred years apart, Virgil's novel, The Aeneid, has presented a very different approach to Rome and its civilization compared to Petronius’ novel, The Satyricon. I think this civilization experienced the drastic shift that it did because of the ruler they had at the moment. The Aeneid was written under the reign of Augustus, who was interested in bettering Rome and its people as seen with his Pax Romana and the construction of roads.The people during the reign of Augustus were very rational and were not fearful of the gods but rather believed that they were in charge of their own fate, thus making them â€Å"better† than the Greeks. The Satyricon was written under the reign of Nero, who had very twisted morals due to the lack of philosophy when he was younger. Nero was very cruel and hedonistic, he did not just live for simple pleasure, he lived for extreme pleasure as seen when he literally built himself a plea sure palace while the entire city was dying of hunger and were homeless.The story Dinner With Trimalchio exemplifies how hedonism and Nero’s â€Å"morals† have affected the rich as well. In Dinner With Trimalchio, not only are they living very hedonistic, but the gods are practically nonexistent, while in the story of The Aeneid, they’re there, they’re just portrayed as cruel and not very helpful or necessary, thus leaving them to their own fate. Virgil portrayed Rome as very rational and nondependent of the gods, while Petronius portrayed Rome as hedonistic with a lack of morals and a loss of the gods.A commonly seen theme in both The Aeneid and The Satyricon is the role of the gods. In the Aeneid, as previously mentioned, the gods are perceived as cruel and violent. One instant of this can be seen in Book 2 of the Aeneid when Minerva sent serpents to kill Laoco? n because he not only disobeyed her but he also disrespected her. Minerva sent two serpents to kill him and his sons. She had the serpents kill his sons before his eyes then kill him slowly and painfully. This portrays the gods as cruel and violent.The gods are portrayed as much more violent when compared to The Iliad by Homer in book 22 when Athena is sent down to fasten things up between Achilles and Hector and talk to both of them to ultimately have Hector killed by Achilles. Virgil is making a point that the gods are cruel. Minerva made Laoco? n a cautionary tale to not mess with her or she will not only kill you, but your bloodline as well. Another instance can be seen when Hector appears to Aeneas in a dream and his body is completely disheveled and destroyed. His body is shown the way it would have been should he not have been taken care of Apollo; â€Å"†¦How he looked, how different from that Hector Who returned to Troy wearing Achilles’ armor†¦ † The Aeneid Book 2 line 325-326. This makes the Greeks look bad because not only did Apollo not keep his promise that he would watch over his body, but the Greeks do not have any battle chivalry and dragged his body from his ankles. Virgil has depicted the gods in the Aeneid as cruel and violent. The role of the gods can also be seen in Dinner With Trimalchio, however, they’re not shown as cruel, but instead they are basically nonexistent.One instance can be seen in the poem that Trimalchio recites, â€Å"Nothing but bones, that’s what we are, Death hustles us humans away, Today we’re here and tomorrow we’re not, so live and drink while you may! † page 45. This portrayed the cultural mindset of the people. They believed they were atomic and when they died, they merely fell apart and did not have an afterlife, therefor, they lived life with no regrets and lived for pleasure, the gods were nonextixtant therefore they would not get punished for whatever â€Å"sin† they committed.Another instance can be seen on page 52, â€Å"Oh no, weâ €™re big lions are home, but scared foxes in public†. This meaning that the people and the government and how corrupt it is because of their lack of the gods. If the people had gods, they would not be so corrupt and would obey them and have a better government not ruled solely by Nero, the reckless emperor. The people were still somewhat fearful of the gods and the government, but more because they knew they were lacking their fate. Another theme that is commonly seen in both The Satyricon and The Aeneid is the role of women.A specific instance of the role of women can be seen in Dinner With Trimalchio when Trimalchio, being half drunk, tells his guests that they should ask his wife, Fortunata to dance on the table for everyone to entertain them, but when he does so, she leans over to him and whispers something in his ear and he immediately shuts up, â€Å"He was just about to get up on the table when Fortunata went and whispered something in his ear, probably a warning t hat theses drunken capers were undignified.Never was a man so changeable; sometimes he would bow down to Fortunata in anything she asked at other times, as now, he went his war. † Page 59-60. This shows that Fortunata has power over Trimalchio and he will do whatever she orders him to do. Another instance can be seen when Enculpias is asking about Fortunata and someone describes her. â€Å"If she told him at noon it was night, he’d crawl into bed. † Fortunata obviously has a lot of power over Trimalchio and can convince him about anything. She has power over him, even though she is only wealthy though him, she holds power over him.The role of women can also be seen in Virgil’s The Aeneid when Aeneus tries to kill Helen because he believes that Helen was the reason why the Trojan War begun, â€Å"My soul flared with a burning desire To avenge Try and make her pay for her sins. † Line 673-674 pages 46. Although Aeneus wants to kill her, his mother, Ve nus has come down to stop him from killing her because it is not the right thing to do. She mentions his father and everything he did and told him that it is not the fault of Helen, but of the gods.This shows how much of an impact his mother can make on Aeneus because should she not have intervened he would have killed Helen. Another example of the role of women in The Aeneid can be seen in Book 2 when Minerva has Laoco? n killed because he was being disrespectful. â€Å"For if you lay violent hands Upon this offering to Minerva, Destruction will fall†¦ † lines 226-228. Minerva was a goddess to be feared of rather than only the male gods. She was obviously very powerful and very influential to the people. The women portrayed in The Aeneid and The Satyricon are both very influential and very powerful.The parallels between Contemporary American Society and Imperial Rome can be seen in the constant flux of the mindsets of the people in America. Similar to that of Rome, in a couple hundred of years, religion has changed a lot from being present, to being vaguely there. For example, Christianity was the biggest and most widespread religion 19th century while now, although it is still very widespread and very popular, there are many more religions such as Buddhism and Judaism. However, there was never a time where God was simply not there in American society such as in the time of Nero.Similar to the Romans, women have great influences and power now such as Fortunata had on Trimalchio and Minerva over not only Laoco? n, but the people of Rome as well. Women such as Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton have grand power in American society. Michelle has help many fundraisers and is in charge of many charities and organizations and Hillary Clinton, being the Secretary of State can one day even become the first female president. This tells us that we have adopted and adapted the Roman’s views on many things that have ultimately become very influential i n our society.

Native American View of the European Essay

Native American view of the European The Native American’s culture was extremely different from the culture of the Europeans. Both had different traditions and way of life, everything from the clothing they wore, the food that they ate and the different gods that they worship. All was an influence from how they have adapted to their environment and to the other people around them. The very foundation of both cultures was so distinctive that war and chaos was sure to come. Throughout history war and conflict had been started over things such as skin color, religion and way of living, all because both side had a different culture or beliefs. That the difference in the culture was what started the demise of the Native American. The culture of the Native American was inferior to the Europeans, in that they didn’t have the knowledge in science and the advance in weaponry that gave the European an advantage over them. â€Å"The white men despise and cheat the Indians† (Tecumseh 557). That they kept taking advantage of the Indians kindness and took more and more of the Indians’ lands until they had taken over the whole country. Forcing the Indians onto reservation and limited their movement to that amount of space. This later cause some of the settlers to have fear the Indians as they saw them moving about following the buffalo and other herds of animals they use as their food supply. They view the Indians as a threat and try to keep them under control by forcing them into further west toward the Great Plains where they were not use to the terrain and the surrounding. Everything the Native American did was from what they had known from their way of life. The European had wars with other countries for territory and power. That all over Europe countries were finding and grabbing colonies to find gold and gain more power over the surrounding countries. There was no different with the land that the Native American had. While the Native American only fought wars if they had a conflict that could not be resolve any other way. That the Native American â€Å"cultivates peace at home, and promotes†¦ happiness† (Ganter). The Native American had no knowledge of the world beyond their borders. That seeing the white men causes them to be in awe for they had never seen anyone beside other tribes. Both sides had their own was of  interacting with the other. The first contact they had with each other later affect how their relationship was going to be. The Native America chose to â€Å"shared freely with [the European] whatever the Great Sprit had given† (Tecumseh 556) them. That the â€Å"different complexions and different customs† (Red Jacket 554) meant nothing as they saw other men in need of aid and guidance of how to survive in such a place. The European â€Å"were ready to perish in the wilderness† (Bradford 53) if the Native American have not come to their aid. That the European had accepted the aid and then turn on the generous people that had helped them in a world completely new to them. That later the European became a â€Å"poisonous snake†¦and they sting their benefactor to death† (Tecumseh 556). That the European took advantage over the kind Native American that had greeted them with welcome and had help them in their first year in the wilderness. A major factor in the destruction of the Native Americans was their different belief and way of worship. The European looks down on the Native American polytheist religion. Also the way they worship by dancing and doing their powaws. The Native American were being force to convert to Christianity by the Europeans. The Native Americans question the European way of thinking. The European has escape from their native country to â€Å"enjoy their religion† (Red Jacket 554) and have religious freedom. Then why are you trying to force the Native Americans to covert? Are you not acting like those who have oppressed your back in your native land? The Europeans idea of religion was skewed and imperfect in the eyes of the Native Americans. That there was â€Å"one religion, why do you white people differ so much† (Red Jacket 554). The variation in the religion of the European was odd and inconsistent. There was dispute amount them in which of their beliefs was better, even if the different was over a small detail. That all the Native Americans â€Å"never quarrel about religion† (Red Jacket 554) and have live in perfect harmony. That the great being above have given each of his children a â€Å"different religion according to [their] understanding† (Red Jacket 555). The Native American is happy as they are and tells the Europeans that they have their religious freedom and should be happy with what they have. Not all Native Americans view the European in the same way. That most view them as â€Å"poisonous snake† (Tecumseh 556) that would attack the person closest to them. Tecumseh wanted all the Native Americans to rally together and fight all the Europeans to get back  what is rightful their. He wanted to defeat all the European before they all fall, like their ancestor did. They must take action before it is too late to do anything that will ensure their survival. That the difference in the two cultures may have led to some problems that almost lead to the complete destruction of the Native Americans. There is no way this situation could have been avoided unless the Native Americans refuse to help the Europeans their first few months in the New World. Works Cited Bart. Sir Francis B. Head. Descriptive Essays. London. John Murray. 1857. http://books.google.com/books?id=eVUCAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA353&lpg=PA353&dq=%22the+great+spirit+made+us+all%22+essay&source=web&ots=7Iwnyz0lfS&sig=i80mQboa-UlQwrETqir4MF4zUGI#PPA352,M1 Bradford, William. â€Å"Of Plymouth Plantation.† The American Tradition in Literature. Perkins, George. Boston. McGraw Hill. 2007. 50-64 Edmunds, R. David. â€Å"Tecumseh, The Shawnee Prophet, and American History: A Reassessment.† Western Historical Quarterly 14.3 (July 1983): 261-276 Ganter, Granville. â€Å"Battles of Rhetoric: Oratory and Identity in Cooper’s Last of the Mohicans.† Aug 1997. James Fenimore Cooper Society Website. 9 Oct 2007. http://external.oneonta.edu/cooper/articles/ala/1997ala-ganter.html Red Jacket. â€Å"The Great Spirit Has Made Us All.† The American Tradition in Literature. Perkins, George. Boston. McGraw Hill. 2007. 553-554 Tecumseh. â€Å"The White Men Are Not Friends to the Indians.† The American Tradition in Literature. Perkins, George. Boston. McGraw Hill. 2007. 556-557 Unknown. Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership. Boston: Little Brown, 1984

Barriers to Receiving Help

One of the most common social issues that need to be addressed is the abuse directed against women, specifically of married women who fall under the status of battered wives. â€Å"Battered wives† are those women who endured physical abuse by their husbands. For most of the cases, battered women suffered from verbal, emotional and physical abuse. In such a scenario, there is a high possibility that their lives and those of their children are in danger. There is a need then for â€Å"battered wives† to ask for help from outside sources.However, like all other social problems facing modern society, there are internal and external barriers that interfere in the provision of effective help. Discussion Wife battering is a domestic violence prevalent in many households today. According to Schechter in his book A Framework for Understanding and Empowering Battered Women published in 1988 about one out of twenty-six American wives get beaten by their husbands every year, or a t otal of almost 1. 8 million per year† (p. 40 ).Although it involves only between husbands and wife in a family framework, interference from friends and relatives as well as the government social agencies is of necessity for the woman’s life, and perhaps of his children, may be at risks. Major researches since the early 1980’s had claimed that children exposed to marital violence had higher levels of psychological problems (Roberts, 172, 1996). A. Internal Barriers There are six common internal barriers that prevent battered wives from seeking help. 1.Wife blames herself for the violence There are wives who believed that they were the cause of the violence. In other words, they think they deserved to be hit or beaten because of something that they had or had not done. This is especially prevalent for women whose husbands kept on telling them that the reason they were beaten was because they did not clean the house enough, their cooking skills were â€Å"terribleà ¢â‚¬ , they had disobeyed him or that they were stupid for forgetting to do something that should have been done out of â€Å"common sense†.Oftentimes, when the abusive husbands are generally regarded as a good friend or good leader by his peers, battered wives will tend to believe all the more that the fault is on them. These wives are haunted with guilt and find it fitting to fix the problem by themselves ( Schwartz, 2007). 2. Wife’s financial and companionship dependence on husband Some abused wives stay at home as a fulltime wife and mother which means that they and their children are totally financially dependent on their husband for economic survival.If they do decide to leave, they think they will not be able to make it (Schwartz, 2007). Aside from their financial need, some wives were led to believe by their abusive husbands that there would be no other man who will be interested to take her if she would decide to leave him. This is a very effective tactic for women who have poor self-esteem. They fear the prospect of facing the future alone and would therefore stay with their violent spouses. 3. Wife believed husband’s promises to reformIn some cases, husbands who beat their wives will later tell their wives that they regretted what they had done and that the truth is â€Å"he loved her and promised that he will reform or that it will never happen again†. Women who still think they love their husbands would readily fall to this trap, hoping that it was the last beating or that their husbands will change in the future. This situation may go on for years especially if the cycle of violence happens between long intervals (Schwartz, 2007). 4. Wife believed her children needs their fatherWomen will sometimes not seek help from outside sources for fear this may aggravate the problem, anger her husband and would be the cause that he will leave her or that she and her children had to be advised to leave. Some women would not want an â€Å"absentee† father as she may thinks that her children needs him (Schwartz, 2007). 5. Wife believed the authorities cannot help Some â€Å"battered wives† may not actually believe that the authorities will be able to help them but will in fact, make a public spectacle of their suffering.They fear they may not be able to win the case and send their abusive husbands to jail. If such a case happens, her angry husband, who had now become more violent for disgracing his name, will still be able to harm her. 6. Fear of Husband’s threats Abusive husbands successfully prevent their wives from seeking help from authorities due to threats. They usually threatens to kill their wives , run after her wherever she may go, and if she seeks help from her friends or family he will also consume them with his wrath.The threats may sound fearful and convincing if the wives knew that their husbands had some form of criminal record or that he is using drugs ( Roberts, 189, 199 6). A. External Barriers â€Å"Battered wives† can ask for help from outside sources such as family, police and other legal authorities, therapists/psychologists, social workers, doctors as well as various community services and agencies. However, seeking outside help may not be such an inviting option for them due to the following external barriers: 1. Inability of the court to respond immediately to the problemSome appropriate authorities such as judges, trial court administrators, case managers and police may minimize certain cases of domestic violence as just a form of a lover’s quarrel would therefore discourage supposedly â€Å"battered wives† to follow through with their criminal or civil complaints. They may advise the victim to settle the conflict with their spouses by themselves (Roberts, 96, 1996). The court may also be overloaded with many legal concerns, the staff may not be adequate and the judges overworked, especially in large cities, so that it failed to promptly schedule a hearing and trial date.As a result, the victims get tired of waiting and went back to live with their abusive husbands. Oftentimes, when trial did arrive, women would usually recant their testimony (as husband was given the ample time to harass or manipulate her). This had actually happened to Mabely Lugo who recanted her accusations against her professional baseball player husband Julio Lugo by telling the police that he did not mean to hurt him(Parameswaran, 2007). 2. Friend’s does not want to interfere with the â€Å"problems† at homeFriends approached by the victim may feel that they do not have the right to interfere with domestic affairs and encourage the wife to make necessary changes so that her husband will not beat her up again (Roberts, 235, 1996). The wife may then get discouraged in sharing her problems to others and would eventually keep her suffering to herself. 3. No appropriate place to go to There are cases that battered women need to flee from their violent husbands but there were no safe places to go. Some areas may not have shelter homes from which they can run for protection.And if shelter houses were in existence, there were no adequate provisions and funding that will sustain their temporary stay. 6. Lack of Counselors and social workers Government agencies may not be able to provide the victims with necessary counseling and mental therapy to help them understand the situation, to help them assess their options and to help them gain the strength and stamina to stand by their decision if they do decide to leave their husbands for good or to file criminal complaints.Battered women are mostly confused, emotionally as well as psychologically traumatized and may not be able to make concrete wise decisions (Roberts, 188, 196). II. Potential Solutions to the Problems Women who are battered should not be silent. They should remember that no one has the right to hurt and abuse them either physically, v erbally or emotionally. To counteract internal barriers, the women should be educated with regards to the psychology of abuse and its consequences. Shelter homes are a very good potential solution to fighting off internal and external barriers for the victim.It must be safe (violent husband are kept out), with good provisions and adequate counseling programs. One good feature would be teaching women skills that would ready them for outside job when they eventually leave the shelter homes and support themselves. Educational programs should be funded by the government. I think the women should be kept for a certain longer period in the shelter homes( depending on the assessment of counselors ) just enough for them to gain self-esteem, skills and a new love for life!Counseling and therapy will be very helpful to restore their confidence but I think they should also keep in touch with their spiritual lives. Adequate legal professionals must also be provided for free for the victims. The se legal authorities should understand the gravity of wife battering for though the physical manifestation may be minor, these women may be falling apart psychologically. III. Conclusion The social problem of wife battering should not be look upon as minor phenomena.In this problem, the physical violence may only be a physical manifestation of the cruelty, verbal and emotional abuses practiced at home. The children may be at risks, too. But wives do not seek help due to their own particular internal and external barriers. These barriers must be overcome by education, counseling, prompt assistance of legal and police authorities and provision of shelter homes. References 1. Parameswaran, Lakshmy. (2007). Battered Wives Often Recant or Assume Blame. Women's eNews Inc. Retrieved January 14, 2008 from http://www. womensenews. org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1468 2. Roberts, Albert R(ed. ). (1996). Helping Battered Women: New Perspectives and Remedies. New York: Oxford University Press. Place of Publication: New York. 3. Schechter, Susan and Gary, Lisa T. (1988). â€Å"A Framework for Understanding and Empowering Battered Women†. Abuse and Victimization across the Life Span, Baltimore: John Hopkins UP. 4. Schwartz, Dianne. (2007). Abusive Lies & Battered Wives. Innerself Publications.. Retrieved January 14, 2008 from http://innerself. ca/html/relationships/divorce–separation/abusive-lies–battered-wives. html

Emily Dickinson’s Poem Review

I applaud Emily Dickinson’s choice of art over â€Å"real† life although I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive. While I cannot presume to know whether she had doubts about this herself or whether she had other problems that prevented her from living â€Å"real† life, I can clearly see that her life inside her mind was very rich. By choosing art, Emily Dickinson has left us with a wealth of succinct poems with very important themes. Particularly stunning is â€Å"Much Madness is Divinest Sense. † In that poem, she perfectly recaps the idea of majority rule.If one agrees with the majority, one is sane. If not, one is dangerous and wrong. This is such a short and simple poem that covers so many times in our lives and current events. There are so many examples of the majority doing the wrong thing, like slavery. Another important theme is contained in â€Å"If You Were Coming in the Fall. † This poem discusses the difficulty or utter tortu re of waiting for some uncertain future. One can wait much more easily if there is some kind of certainty or date at the end. â€Å"But now, all ignorant of the lengthOf time's uncertain wing, It goads me, like the goblin bee, That will not state its sting. â€Å" (Dickinson) The longer one waits, the more painful it becomes. It stings as Dickinson says. However, Dickinson says that waiting without that certainty is nothing but torture. This theme is universal. And yet, another important theme is contained in â€Å"Hope is the Thing with Feathers. † Dickinson gives herself and everyone else the claim that hope is always present in life. Hope is always with us; it â€Å"perches† in our souls.It never asks anything of the reader just remains in our hearts to keep us warm. â€Å"Yet, never, in extremity, It asked a crumb of me† (Dickinson). Again this is a very profound lesson contained in a brief poem. Who knows what the effect would have been if Dickinson had c hosen to have a husband and family or an active social life? The point is that the choice was hers, and she made it. Personally, I relish her choice as I think she gives us so many words to live by. For those who don’t like poetry all that much, she is simple and straightforward and yet, very profound.

An Overview of Enterprise Resource Planning

Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) systems are software packages that can be used for the core systems necessary to support enterprise systems. The best-selling ERP is SAP Such ERP modules consist of Sales and Distribution, Material Managements, Financial Accounting, and Controlling and Profitability Analysis. In the words of Rockford Consulting (and many other firms), the single issue of ERP is failure to implement it. There are five known ways of how to constitute: not making the promised return on investment, extending the implementation schedule and start-up date inordinately, going over budget by unconscionable variances, grinding the organization to a crawl pace, or the severest of all consequences, and ceasing production and/or not delivering orders to your customers. Rockford has twelve â€Å"cardinal sins† regarding ERP Implementation: Lack of Top Management Commitment: Inadequate Requirements Definition; Poor Package Selection; Inadequate Resources; Resistance to Change/Lack of Buy-in; miscalculation of Time and Effort; Misfit of Application Software with Business Processes; Unrealistic Expectation of Benefits and ROI; Inadequate Training and Education; Poor Project Design and Management; Poor Communications; and Ill-advised Cost Cutting. Today, companies define success when it comes to an ERP implementation or upgrade. This is mostly due to well how they have planned for contingencies, set up reasonable expectations, and created lines of communication between the CEO, front-line users, and everyone else in between. For example, Au Bon Pain (a chain of restaurants) used to utilize â€Å"legacy systems† and â€Å"SAT ERP†, but currently uses a unified IT platform that provides such things as optimized performance, enhanced visibility with real-time data capture, Increased productivity, and accelerated financial closings. The environments in which IT professionals are striving on projects (similar to the one at Au Bon Pain) is disconcerting: Most businesses today are â€Å"oversoftwared†, in that many users are frustrated by applications’ poor performances, and return on software investments is almost always forgotten. This results in many CFOs and CEOs arriving at a state of general ambivalence toward ERP systems, or (as a worst-case scenario) an accrued and outward hatred of software overhauls. Like all things, ERP has its failures as well. Even after so many people love a substantial amount of money, there are substantial benefits. Commercial ERP software promises the seamless integration and consistency of all the information flows in an organization; financial and accounting, human resources, purchasing and supply chain, customer tracking and order placement, inventory management, and even production management. The promised savings in paperwork and man hours from automated processes is prodigious, not to mention the increased service quality provided to customers. In addition, there’s inventory reduction, supply chain cost efficiencies, and better decision support at every level. Most companies treat ERP implementation as a large scale IT project. But the scope and impact of an ERP implementation on the business is so great that the project is required to be considered as a business initiative with an IT component. This includes the development of a business plan for the project, which specifies the â€Å"market† or â€Å"business advantages† to be gained from implementing the ERP plan. The decision to implement ERP should be in response to specific business needs or objectives. Rather than just saying â€Å"yes, we want all those possible benefits†, the organization should focus on a limited set of business benefits to be gained from the ERP implementation. Once identified, these business needs would form the basis for much of the planning and management of the ERP project. If there are no compelling business needs that can be identified, then the ERP project is doomed to fail as a result of a lack of focus and the necessary management tools. The many companies that gain the most benefit from their implemented ERP systems are those that start by looking at them in strategic and organizational terms. The most (if not the best) fundamental reason for implementing ERP is to provide some competitive advantage, whether it be lower costs, faster response to market events, or better customer service. Nonetheless, these benefits can often be offset, by the impact the organization’s ERP system will have on its current business strategies and competitive advantages. Even after looking over articles by CIO, Rockford Consulting, and even CFO, I have no opinion about ERP. It has its successes and it has its failures. Whether or not to implement ERP in any particular company, I suppose it would be OK, only as long as the company is certain that it’s for the best for its management, its staff, and its regular customers; it would also be allowed as long as the company doesn’t go over the budget.

Classic Music and its Form Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Classic Music and its Form - Essay Example There are three important composer in the classical period: Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. They are responsible for many of the changes of the structure of musical forms of movements . The names of the pieces often illustrated what was going on in history or the name of the person for whom the piece was commissioned. Chamber music was reinvented. The symphony was reinvented. The Sonata Form is the foundation for the symphony's first movement, the sonata, the string quartets and the concerto. (ThinkQuest) The Sonata is for one solo instrument and the piano or harpsichord. The form changed a little bit from the baroque period. It is called the "Sonata Principe". (ThinkQuest) It has three movements: introduction of one theme, then the second theme is introduced. In the second movement, the two themes are developed and played together. The final movement plays the two themes giving the listener a sense that the chapter is being finished. The most important instrument can be the violin, flu te or oboe for example. String Quartet was invented by Haydn. It has two violins, one viola and one cello. There are four movements. Other chamber music was performed as the concerto with a string orchestra or the Concerto Grosso with a symphony orchestra. Haydn worked on all forms. He composed over 1000 pieces of music (Burrows 138 ) Orchestra Music became bigger in the classical period. It was not just chamber music. ... The forms of the movements took form in early classical music. In Beethoven's 9th Symphony it was not used. The first movement is the "sonata allegro". This form was contributed to Haydn. It was used in the early classical period as it was more open and less complicated than the sonata form in the Baroque period. It is usually in the ABA form but can be in different variations. The second movement is in theme and variation. By the height of the Baroque period, the theme was played and then the variation was a mathematical effort to give every possible variation to sound. In this period the variation was more musical and the flowing of the music was more important than the chords. A Minuet and Trio is the third movement in ABA form. (Grout 486) The time is in 3/4 taking after a dance. The middle section is played more quietly often with solo instruments. The Rondo finishes the symphony with a bright quick piece of music with the theme and quickly in ABA form. Franz Joseph Haydn (1732- 1809) was self taught. He helped establish the symphony form that we know today. He has 108 symphonies that are attributed to him (Burrows 137). Each one improves on the simplistic baroque form. The string quartet where there are four equal players is his true gift. (Grout 491) Mozart and Beethoven go on to write many more string quartets. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), a child prodigy who died a pauper. He was a prolific composer of all genres of music. (Burrows 149) Because he had played in all the courts of Europe, he used the styles of music in his own compositions. He was one of the first composers to try to work for himself without having to rely on a patron. Perhaps this is why he died a pauper. Ludwig Beethoven (1770-1827) was not as prolific a composer but his compositions

Current Events and U.S. Diplomacy Research Paper - 1

Current Events and U.S. Diplomacy - Research Paper Example A president’s foreign policy can be thoroughly diplomatic, while his military stance can play merely the role of a diplomatic apparatus. It is normally determined by the country’s economic, military, and sociopolitical statuses. Whereas a presidential doctrine is usually objective-oriented, the implement of this doctrine needs in-depth knowledge of and proper response to home economy, politics, military strength, etc. Simultaneously the president should have in-depth knowledge of and proper response to counterparty’s economy, politics, military strength, etc. During the developing stage of the Cold War in the first half of the 1960s, John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s foreign policy had been more diplomatic than his predecessor Dwight Eisenhower’s unyielding view about the US presence in the world politics. The diplomatic essence of the Kennedy Doctrine initially played a crucial role in building up the very premises –â€Å"Flexible Response to the I nternational Political Powers†, â€Å"Containment of Communism† and â€Å"Reversal of Soviet Progress in the West† –of the Kennedy Doctrine. ... In this regard Gaddis (2005) opined that also the failed CIA-backed military coup in Cuba, in spite of Kennedy’s promise to refrain from Cuban Affairs, provoked the president to be bold to pronounce the United States’ defensive stance regarding the Berlin issue and the diplomatic acknowledgement of the Soviet Union’s concern in Germany. (Gaddis, 2005, pp. 112-115) Kennedy’s policy for the â€Å"containment of communism† was essentially the legacy of Eisenhower and Truman’s foreign policy prerogatives. During the peak-hours of Cold War, Kennedy had no other choice but to follow his â€Å"White House predecessors† (Schweizer, 1994, pp. 65). Being panicked by the rapid communist advancement, both Truman and Eisenhower turned back to the country’s military strength -though they did not go into any direct war- to contain communism. As a result, superpowers involved into proxy wars in various geographical regions of interests. Nuclear arm race between the two main parties of the war, the USA and the Soviet Union, began as a response to the superpowers’ desire to overpower each other. During the period, the world experienced a worldwide regrouping of the countries into the US block and the Soviet bloc. This regrouping in the Soviet block was mainly based on the Marxist political ideology of Communism, whereas capitalism and democratic interests dominated the countries in the US block. This regroupings in both of the blocks often turned into expansionism and counter-expansionism. (Schweizer, 1994, pp. 69-74) The Soviet leadership’s expansionist desire to force Marxist ideals upon the rest of the earth panicked the wealthy capitalist west whose reaction to the communist expansionism eventually

Discuss Hamlet as a revenge tragedy Research Paper

Discuss Hamlet as a revenge tragedy - Research Paper Example Thesis statement: The basic elements of the play Hamlet proves its importance as a revenge tragedy (special references to the elements of revenge tragedy like revenge, ghost, hero’s hesitation, madness, capable villains, philosophical content, horror and suicide/murder) Hamlet as a revenge tragedy As pointed out, the basic elements of revenge tragedy are applicable to the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The basic elements of revenge tragedy like revenge, ghost, hero’s hesitation, madness, capable villains, philosophical content, horror and suicide/murder are discussed under. A. Revenge: One can see that revenge is the most important element of the play. Within this context, Hamlet’s revenge is to be considered as most important because his aim was to regain the lost honor of his father. At the same time revenge leads him towards his ultimate doom at the end of the play. Rebecca W. Bushnell points out that the basic quality of a revenge tragedy is the protagon ist’s inability to understand his own self or the outside world (68). From a different angle of view, Hamlet’s revenge can be evaluated as his attempt to escape from mental and emotional trauma originating from his personal feeling/fear of losing his mother. In short, revenge is the main component of the play which entraps the protagonist (Hamlet) and his enemies. B. Ghost: The basic element of revenge tragedy consists of the presence of a ghost, which curtails the deeds of the protagonist and acts the role of a motivation to take revenge. Within the context of Hamlet the play, King Hamlet’s ghost acts the role of the ghost who deeply influences prince Hamlet to take revenge of his father’s untimely death and the following incidents. The ghost encourages Hamlet by pointing out that â€Å"So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear† (16). One can easily identify that the ghost’s inspiration forces Hamlet to be suspicious about his uncle†™s and mother’s roles in the conspiracy against his father. But he hesitates to believe in ghost and tries to ignore. Gradually, the ghost forces his son to destroy his enemies and to regain the throne. In short, the presence of ghost, similar to the other revenge plays, ignites fury in the mind of the protagonist and forces him to take revenge of his father’s death. C. Hero’s hesitation Like other revenge tragedy heroes, Hamlet did not believe in ghosts. When his father’s ghost tried to influence him, he did not believe in him and hesitated to act against his enemies. Later, his friend forced him to act according to the will of the ghost and to act against his enemies. Paul Arthur Cantor opines that Oedipus complex hindered Hamlet from his actions (21). The hero’s hesitation can be evaluated from different levels. For instance, he was not sure about the presence of his father as the ghost. Later, he did miss more than one attempt to kill his unc le. This hesitation caused more troubles in his life because he accidentally killed a counselor who was so close to his uncle. This hesitation ultimately led him towards his doom in the end. D. Madness Madness, whether acted or real is one of the most important elements of revenge tragedies. When this element is superimposed to the context of the play Hamlet, one can easily identify that Hamlet’s madness was not real. For instance, Hamlet acted himself as a mad person because he wanted to know more about the deeds of his enemies. He was aware of

A critical evaluation of infection control issues for patients Essay - 1

A critical evaluation of infection control issues for patients presenting with Tuberculosis in the eye clinic department - Essay Example The present article discusses the critical evaluation of infection control issues for patients with tuberculosis in the eye clinic department. Tuberculosis or TB is a contagious, airborne disease of the lungs that is potentially spreads to other parts of the body and may be fatal. The disease can now be treated, cured, and prevented. However, inspite of the constant efforts scientists are not able to eradicate it completely. It spreads to the most sensitive population or those at higher risk especially the elderly people with reduced immunity or people with immunocompromised condition or suffering with AIDS. Elderly people are especially vulnerable for a number of reasons. First, the disease can take years to become active, so an older person may have gotten the disease earlier in life and only discovered it after it became active. Second, people who live in nursing homes and similar facilities are often in close contact with each other and the disease can spread more easily in such conditions. Third, the bodys immune system becomes weaker as a person grows older and older people may find it more difficult to hold off an attack of the tubercle bacillus. Migration of individuals from developing countries has further enhanced the chances for the spread of disease. People who abuse alcohol and illegal drugs are also at high risk for the disease. Transmission is through droplets. When a person suffering with TB coughs or sneezes, he or she releases a fine mist of water droplets containing thousands of the bacteria. A person(s) nearby the patient may inhale those water droplets and also the bacteria. These bacteria can then travel to that persons respiratory system and cause a new infection. Tuberculosis is not transmitted by contact with a persons clothing, bed linens, or dishes and cooking utensils. A fetus may become infected,

Wk 2 discussion questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Wk 2 discussion questions - Essay Example This will help him feel successful. I remember that in grade school I was a not a good math student. Everything was fine in math class until 4th grade. That is when multiplication and division was introduced. I understood addition and subtraction and working with decimals, but multiplication was very hard for me to grasp. I was weak in my math skills going into 5th grade. My teacher worked with me until Christmas break to help me learn my multiplication tables. She was emotionally supportive through this entire process by rewarding and recognizing all of my successes. She never made me feel as though I was wasting her time or that I was a burden. She made it clear that everyone learns how to do math in his or her own way and in his or her own time. When I returned from Christmas break, I thought I was finished with my tutoring sessions with the teacher, but to my surprise they were just beginning. I was still having trouble memorizing the multiplication tables, so my teacher began to keep me inside from recess. I hated this, but I never remember feeling as though I was being punished. The kindness my teacher used, and her unwavering firmness in insisting I learn these math facts, was a great support to me as I progressed through the year. Her emotional support helped to make me a

EDMA_601_Assignment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

EDMA_601_Assignment - Assignment Example Managers are ultimately accountable for the performance of their subordinates, and this can be measured through sales, production costs, etc. In addition to this, managers are also responsible for making sure that goals and objectives are communicated between upper management and the working staff. Managers are required to make sure that employees are staying on track and are moving toward the goals of the firm. Planning involves first determining an end goal or point by which success can be measured. Second, planning requires coming up with a process that will help the organization to get where it ultimately wants to. Finally, there needs to be the flexibility to readjust goals part way through the process if the situation changes. The three types of planning are operational, strategic, and contingency. Operational planning has to do with specific goals that are used to achieve job responsibilities. Strategic planning is more about the goals of the entire organization and then matching those up with each department. Finally, contingency planning is putting in emergency measures in case there is a change in the plan. Staffing has to do with assigning employees to roles and training them appropriately. The three major parts of staffing are planning, execution, and maintenance. Planning involves preparing for future changes, execution is how to enact those changes, and maintenance has to do with making sure nothing goes wrong with the changes proposed. The management function of controlling has to do with making a comparison between organizational performance and desired outcomes and then making adjustments to meet those outcomes. Management is all about making sure that the process is continuous and there is a clear chain of command. There are three main types of control: feedforward, concurrent, and feedback. The difference between each of them is that the first attempts to prevent problems from occurring in

Foreign Press vs. U.S. Press Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Foreign Press vs. U.S. Press - Essay Example When people were still in shock the next bomb exploded creating wider chaos and fear everywhere. A lot of bodies were left in pieces with boots of police officers scattered all over the scene along with several severed hands. Thereafter ambulances began evacuating casualties of what remains of the dead bodies and injured people. The injured and victims were then taken to hospitals bloodied and bandaged they lay on the floor because of the beds that were already filled with patients. Chaotic scenes unfolded as the doctors and nurses tended to the patients and security officials who were also brought as more victims. Within an hour another bomb exploded taking the list to three bombs all in one day; the last bomb injured almost 8 more security officials. It was evident that this bomb along with other terrorist activities aimed at police officials only; however it was considered the worse since February. Comparison The news are reported by the USA press (Voice of America) and the Foreig n Press ( Khaleej times). Good comparisons of both are given below. Commonalities: There are various commonalities in facts and general information where both citations are mostly similar. Both reports clearly mention 27 people killing in northern city of Iraq. The area that was the blasted, that is, Kirkuk was even correctly identified. Other details that included, the bombs rushing the policemen out of their headquarters, three bombs all in one day, the location of bomb i.e. parking area near police station and the third bomb being planted on the road was even clearly pointed out by both press. The number figures mainly eight wounded security officers, second bomb occurring within minutes, the third within an hour were also some of the accurate approximates. Differences: The reports from US press (voice of America) had a very short note due to which places of disparities reduced naturally in the report. Still in some areas the problem was sighted this included mainly in the title. Whereeas th Foreign Press (Khaleej Times) mentioned two bombs killing 27 people the USA Press (Voice of America) mentioned series of bomb killing 27 people. At first side any addressee would comprehend the word â€Å"series† as more than two bombs, which could be a wrong view, thus the title could be said as an exaggerated one to draw attention. The second difference sighted were in the distance of Kirkuk from north of Baghdad. Where Foreign Press (Khaleej Times) mentioned 290 kilometers the USA Press (Voice of America) mentioned it as 250 kilometers. This was a factual data and such error must not have occurred. News # 2: At least 18 killed in Baghdad jail fight The article reported the killing in Baghdad prison flight. It all started when one of the Al-Qaeda leaders, Huthaifa al-Battawi, who was reported as the Emir of Baghdad and also the planned attacker at a Catholic Church, wrestled with one of the security guards in an attempt to flee off the prison with other of his inmates. In fighting between the security officers and the prisoners he got killed along with many others from security guards and prisoners either injured or killed. Commonalities: Both the USA Press (Voice of America) and the Foreign Press (Khaleej times) agreed on Huthaifa al-Battawi death, his wrestling for gun from a guard and him being the one who planned attack at Catholic Church back in October . Differences: There are various

The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause Essay Example for Free

The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause Essay Point of View There are two points of view. One view is from the Simon (the vampire), and the other is from Zoà «, the girl whose mother is dying of cancer. Zoe is having a really hard time dealing with her mother’s sickness, especially since her father has become more and more distant as his wife gets sicker and sicker. Zoe is feeling like she has nowhere to turn, especially when she finds out her best friend is moving far away. Then she meets a very mysterious pale boy, and she feels like she can trust him. Perhaps he even needs someone like she needs someone. Simon, on the other hand, has been a vampire for hundreds of years. He is on the search for his brother, Christopher, who made him a vampire. Christopher was horrifyingly brutal and he killed their mother, which has made him Simons sworn enemy. Simon has been trying for most of his afterlife to find and kill Christopher for good, and he has finally tracked his brother to the town where Zoe lives. Once there, though, he finds himself drawn to Zoes loneliness. Before long, he is confiding in her and feeling compassion for the first time in a very long time. Setting in time and place The setting was more on a contemporary period, most usually at Zoà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s house and the hospital, at time when her mother is dying of cancer. However, flashbacks of past centuries bring back Simon’s memories of his mother. The setting blooms more about the understanding of love and how it blends no matted how different two beings might be. List all main characters and a brief description of each Zoà « – The 16-year-old girl whose mother is dying of cancer. Simon has been a vampire for hundreds of years. He is on the search for his brother, Christopher, who made him a vampire. Zoà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s mother – terminally ill, she is dying because of cancer. A brief plot summary 16-year-old Zoà « is faced with the reality that her mother is dying of cancer. When she meets the mysterious and handsome Simon, she feel he can understand her pain better than anyone else has. As Zoà «s life goes from bad to worse, Simon becomes her one true support. Conflict There is something very creepy about the pale young man. The question and conflict is will that creepy something (that is, the fact that Simon is a vampire) force the two apart? Theme How odd or incomparable two hearts may seem, love will always make them perfect for each other.

Study on stress management for teachers in Malaysia

Study on stress management for teachers in Malaysia Teaching is one of the most stressful jobs in Malaysia. The talk on Stress Management for Teachers (Kolej Disted-Stamford news, 23 February 2008) declared that teaching is a challenging profession and hence, teachers could do with learning how to de-stress to maintain good health and high spirits.  There are two main sources of stress which affect teachers; heavy workload and students problem. Nowadays, a teachers duty is multifaceted as they undertake not only teaching but also matters associated with curriculum, students, parents, the school community as well as departmental initiatives. Another key point to note, the success of the newly launched National Education Blueprint has given a big impact on the development of the schools and teachers themselves. This plan is expected to produce intellectual students who are able to collect information and acquire knowledge and skills, instead of purely memorizing knowledge. Education system should cater to the needs of all students; smart, mediocre, weak or disabled. The success of the National Education Blueprint depends on the teachers ability, quality, skills and effectiveness in educating students. Teachers are required to have proficient skills in teaching and educating students to fulfill the governments aspiration in providing world class education. As a result of this new system, married female teachers may face an increase in workload which will in turn affect their work performance as well as their psychological well-being. According to Smylie (1999), These are tough times being a teacher (p. 59). Ewing and Smith (2003) reported that between 25% and 40% of beginning teachers in the Western World countries are leaving teaching or facing burnout syndrome. Over the past ten years, many researchers focused on the effect of work overload on work-family conflict. Generally, they found that high levels of work overload led to higher levels of work-family conflict (WFC). From a personal perspective, {suggested that the demands that employees have to fulfil considering their resources namely time and emotions to devote to work with less devote to their families.} work demands require employees to devote more resources namely time and emotions to work, leaving them with fewer resources to devote to their families. Greenhaus and Beutell (1985) define work-family conflict as a type of inter-role conflict in which role pressures from work and family are mutually incompatible. That is, work demands are not compatible with family demands (Allen, Herst, Bruck, and Sutton, 2000). Allen et al. (2000) reviewed the relationship between work-family conflict and (a) work-related outcomes, (b) non-work-related outcomes, (c) stress-related outcomes and generally found significant relationships across these areas. They concluded that work-family conflict has important personal and organizational consequences. It is important to note that the early research on multiple roles focused almost on women, particularly on women who occupied the roles of wife, mother, and employee. The multiple roles of women may affect the well-being of the family such as the husband, children and including the wife herself. Conflict occurs when a family is unable to cope with this multiples roles effectively and the result has been found to affect work satisfaction and psychological well-being (Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985; Loscocco and Roschelle, 1991; Phelan et al., 1991). In order to maintain the health and success of teachers and schools, greater understanding of WFC is fundamental. Consequently, the influence of WFC in the prediction of psychological well-being is receiving increasing attention (e.g., ODriscoll, Brough, and Kalliath, 2004). This has led to an increment in the number of occupational stress researchers as well as WFC variables in their estimates of both individual health and work performance (Brough O Driscoll, 2005). Research suggests that an individuals self-efficacy in a specific domain provides information regarding how the individual perceive and cope with challenges. In the case of managing conflict that inevitably arise between personal and professional responsibilities, assessing work-family conflict efficacy may provide a unique perspective on what might ultimately help to reduce the negative outcomes namely decrease in life and job satisfaction that are associated with work-family conflict. Understanding how self-efficacy function in the relationship between work-family conflict and these outcomes could bring about meaningful therapeutic measures for women experiencing work-family conflict. Self-efficacy is defined as, peoples judgments in their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performance (p. 391). Bandura (1977) described self-efficacy as a key determinant of psychological change, choice of settings and activities, quality of performance in a specific domain, and level of persistence when one meets adverse or negative experiences. Having mentioned about efficacy, other predictors may also have significance in contributing to WFC and well-being. Religious coping and religiosity that have been found to affect health status positively, including overall morbidity and mortality, acute conditions, fatal ailments, pain and chronic illness (Levin, 1994). Religious belief has been perceived as one way of coping with conflict. The positive influence of religious certainty on well-being was found to be direct and substantial, whereby individuals with a strong religious faith reported higher levels of life satisfaction and greater personal happiness (Ellison, 1991), as well as lower levels of distress (Ross, 1990). Religious activities especially prayers are usually regarded as positive coping devices directed toward both the problem and personal growth (Folkman, Lazarus, Dunkel-Shetter, De Longis Gruis, 1986). Due to the insufficient of information on the psychological outcomes of combining work and family roles among Malaysian women, the present study is aimed at investigating the direct and indirect relationships between WFC efficacy, religious coping, WFC and well-being. The study hypothesized that the relationship between WFC efficacy, religious coping and well-being is mediated by WFC. Therefore, the proposed model hypothesized WFC to act as an intervening variable between WFC efficacy and religious coping and well-being among female teachers in Malaysia. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Changes in family structures are transforming the workplace while adjustments in parental work patterns are altering family life. Thus, there has been a dramatic increase in rates of paid employment globally among mothers with children. Research on WFC since the past 30 years has been fuelled by the growing proportion of employees who are dual-earner partners or single parents. As the number of working women with young children at home and dual-career households rise, so does the need for research and organizational attention towards potentially reducing stress due to WFC. Research to date suggests that high levels of work-family conflict are related to dysfunctional outcomes such as life dissatisfaction, anxiety, depression, and poor health in individual, increased interpersonal conflict and divorce in relationships, and as for the organizations, namely absenteeism, tardiness and loss of talented employees. Besides that, The National Union of The Teaching Profession (NUTP) Secretary, General Lok Yim Pheng, in New Sunday Times, May 18, 2008, informed that teachers are overloaded with paper work and they are pressured to train students on how to answer examination questions. Teachers must always maintain the quality of their work, try to improve their productivity and acquire knowledge and skills to develop human capital in the globalized world. Moreover, teachers play an essential role in shaping a community as their products of educating efforts contribute to its functionality. These are the demands of teaching profession nowadays. Researchers have identified various stressors that may affect the psychological well-being of teachers and one of the stressor is workload that may lead to burnout. Although some researchers may argue that social status is one of the most important factors for psychological well-being (Bredemeier, 1979), it seems that excessive workload could impose an undue level of stress that is more serious than any other stressors. A large number of studies show that teachers are exposed to workload which results particularly in stress and strain. At least one third of teachers can be seen as suffering from extreme stress and/or burnout (e.g., Boyle, Borg, Falzon Baglioni, 1991; Friesen Sarros, 1989). Researchers have considered various unique antecedents to WFC (Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985; Frone, 1992). However, the role of personality factors on womens well-being, on the other hand, is less well documented. Only a few researchers have assessed the relationship between WFC efficacy and religious coping. For instance, Carlson (1999) found negative affectivity to be directly related to greater WIF conflict. There is a need to identify how WFC efficacy and religious coping can be linked with WFC and well-being in a causal relationship in the school setting. The present study uses the Structural Equation Model (SEM) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to examine relationships among two independent (exogenous) and dependent (endogenous) variables simultaneously in a causal framework. With regard to personal resources, why do some teachers succeed in being good teachers continuously enhancing students achievements, setting high goals for themselves and pursuing them persistently, while others fail to meet expectations imposed on them and tend to collapse under the burden of everyday stress? Based on this statement, the study examines the problem by investigating the influence of teachers WFC efficacy and religious coping on work-family conflict and well-being of female teachers in Malaysia. If teachers WFC efficacy and religious coping can be proven to reduce WFC among female teachers, it seems possible to increase teachers WFC efficacy and improve teachers coping style using religious approach which in turn may boost teachers well-being. Again, if WFC efficacy and religious coping are causally related to WFC as hypothesized, this relationship will reduce teachers WFC and increase teachers well-being respectively. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY In generally, this study serves the purpose to examine the impact of WFC efficacy and religious coping on WFC and well-being of secondary school teachers in Malaysia. To validate the instruments utilized in this study, the researcher adopted the two-step Structural Equation Modeling. Then, the researcher estimated the hypothesized relationships. The primary purpose of this research is to construct-validate the instrument to assess WFC of female teachers in Malaysia which are Work-family conflict (WFC), Work-family conflict efficacy (WFC efficacy) Religious coping (RC), Well-being (WB) consisted of Health (GHQ) and Job-Family Dissatisfaction (JFD). The study also estimates the relationships of WFC, WFC efficacy, RC and well-being of female teachers in Malaysia. RESEARCH QUESTIONS The following research questions are formulated to address the hypothesized relationships: 1. Are the constructs of work-family conflict, work-family conflict efficacy, religious coping and well-being valid and reliable? 2. Does work-family conflict efficacy directly influenced the well-being of female teachers in Malaysia? 3. Does work-family conflict efficacy indirectly influenced well-being via work-family conflict of female teachers in Malaysia? 4. Does religious coping directly influenced well-being of female teachers in Malaysia? 5. Does religious coping indirectly influenced well-being via work-family conflict of female teachers in Malaysia? Does teachers work-family conflict directly influenced by their well-being? Does WFC-efficacy and religious coping significantly correlated? THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT The model of this study, which is derived from Frone et al., (1992), examines the interrelationships among the two predictors WFC efficacy and RC that may affect well-being directly and indirectly via work-family conflict. This research focuses on the variables that are considered vital to increase well-being and to reduce WFC. The hypothesized interrelationships and interdependency among these variables are presented in Figure 1. The model depicts four measurement models, labeled as efficacy accounted for the variability in WFC efficacy and FWC-efficacy. First, work-family conflict-efficacy (WFC efficacy) which acts as a predictor or an independent variable comprises work-family conflict efficacy (WFC efficacy) and family-work conflict efficacy (FWC efficacy) of work-family conflict and well-being. This type of personality may improve or increase ones well-being because it strongly affects a persons ability to do a task. Teachers WFC efficacy should aim at reducing teachers experiences with WFC aside from functioning as a personality booster. Thus, an individuals personality plays a role in the amount of work-family conflict that he or she experiences. The second latent variable, religious coping illustrates the underlying factors for positive religious/spiritual coping (POS RC) and negative religious/spiritual coping (NEG RC). In order for teachers to cope with work-family conflict, they need to choose an effective coping style. In this study, religious coping as a second predictor of WFC and well-being may have significant relationships with both dependents. It is certainly reasonable to argue that teachers who manage their religious coping well would most likely have less WFC and a better well-being. In addition, the relationship between the two constructs namely WFC efficacy and religious coping would covary. In other words, the researcher believes that the constructs are correlated, but does not assume that one construct is dependent upon another. This relationship is depicted by a two-headed arrow connection as shown in Figure 1. In the current study, WFC efficacy and religious coping will be tested as predictors of WFC and w ell-being. The third latent variable, WFC, represents the underlying factor for Work-interfering-with-family and Family-interfering-with-work. WFC occurs when participation in the work role and the family role is incompatible in some respect. Work-family conflict can arise from; 1) the time demands of one role that interfere with participation in the other role and; 2) the stress that originates in one role that spills over into the other role which, only detracts from the latters quality of life. As a result, participation in one role is made more difficult by virtue of participation in the other role. Individuals who invest more time or more psychological involvement in their work rather than their family experience the highest levels of work-to-family conflict and life stress, which ultimately reduce their quality of life. The fourth latent variable, well-being, accounts for the variability in General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Job-Family Dissatisfaction (JFD) which is hypothesized to represent participants reported well-being. Thus, it is not what the situation offers but rather how we react to a situation that determines our well being. If work and family roles were imbalanced, conflict might occur which would eventually affect the well-being of a person. Effects will range from job-family dissatisfaction to health problems, which are viewed as psychological distress. Work-Family Conflict Efficacy H3 Well-being (distress job dissatisfaction Work-family Conflict (wif,fiw) H2 H7 H6 H3 Religious Coping H5 Figure 1 The Hypothesized Model of Work-family Conflict and Well-Being Note: Exogenous Construct: WFC efficacy; religious coping; WFC Endogenous Construct: WFC; well-being RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS In the hypothesized model, six hypotheses are tested to depict the relationships between work-family conflict and the three variables identified above. In the following discussion, each of these six hypotheses are identified and explained. The Reciprocal Relationship between Work-Family Conflict Efficacy, Work-Family Conflict and Well-Being Studies have shown that the personal resources that women bring with them into their roles explained more of the variance in reported strain symptoms than the role stressors alone (e.g. Amatea Fong, 1991). Self-efficacy in a particular domain has been indirectly and directly linked to outcomes in that domain. For instance, Lent, Brown and Hackett (1994) suggested that self-efficacy promotes academic and vocational outcomes, such as interest, choice and performance. The conservation of resources model proposes that individuals act to acquire and maintain a variety of resources, such as objects, energies, condition and personal characteristic. On the basis of these findings, the following hypotheses are proposed: H2 Those with high work-family conflict efficacy will portray increased well-being (low distress and low dissatisfaction) H3 The effects of work-family conflict efficacy on well-being are mediated by work-family conflict, such that those with high work-family conflict efficacy demonstrate less conflict which will leads to increased well-being (low distress and low dissatisfaction). The Reciprocal Relationship between Religious Coping, Work-family Conflict and Well-Being In recent years, a growing body of literature has explored the implications of religion and spirituality for various mental and physical health outcomes (Koenig 1994). Other findings have also indicated that various dimensions of religiousness and spirituality may enhance the subjective states of well-being (Ellison, 1991). A report by the Fetzer Institute (2003), stated that a few studies in the US show that the subjective beneficial effects of participating in religious services, prayer and Bible reading are primarily due to their role in strengthening religious belief and individuals who describe themselves as having a strong religious faith report being happier and more satisfied with their lives. Most recently, Lapierre and Allen (2006) had used conservation of resources model to study the different coping methods employed by individuals to avoid WFC. They found that some coping methods are more useful than others to help individuals gain or conserve resources. Thus, the followi ng hypotheses are proposed: H4 Those with high religious coping show increased well-being (low distress and low dissatisfaction). H5 The effects of religious coping on well-being are mediated by work-family conflict such that those with high religious coping portray less conflict which leads to increased well-being (low distress and low dissatisfaction) The Reciprocal Relationship between Work-Family Conflict and Well-Being Work-family conflict has been found to have a significant negative relationship with measured of psychological health rather than physical health (Mikkelsen Burke, 2004). Noor (2006) presented some selected research findings on work, family and womens well-being. The result showed that women were more strongly affected by the changes in their lives compared to men because even when employed they are still primarily responsible for the home and family. Role theory and spillover theory are the underpinning theories to explain the connection between WFC and well-being. Thus, the following hypothesis is proposed: H6 WFC negatively influences well-being. The Reciprocal Relationship between Work-Family Conflict Efficacy and Religious Coping Covary Judge, Erez and Bono (1998) suggested that self-efficacy has a strong influence on individuals, whether they adopt an optimistic or pessimistic coping style (Seligman Schulman, 1996). They suggested that those with high generalized self-efficacy believe in their ability to change bad situations. The type of coping strategy selected has been shown to be related to the experience of work-family strain and overall well-being. Researchers have also found that self-efficacy is linked to the effectiveness of coping (Anderson, 1977; Bandura, 1977). On the basis of these findings, the following hypothesis is proposed: H7 WFC efficacy and religious coping significantly correlated. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This is a fundamental area of study for both researchers and practitioners, as more and more female teachers struggle having to take up with multiple roles in life being a wife, a parent and even a caretaker of elderly parents aside from her teaching profession. Teachers are the main doers in the process of forming a community and students are the products of teachers educating efforts. Due to the above basis, there are three important research areas that need focus namely; theory, methodology and practicality. Firstly, from the theoretical viewpoint, less attention is devoted to examine how WFC and well-being are indirectly related to efficacy and RC. The studies by Frone (2003) called for the examination of personality dispositions as antecedents of WFC. The role of personality factors on womens well-being, on the other hand, is less well documented. Carlson (1999) found negative affectivity to be directly related to greater WIF conflict. Although many studies on WFC involved nurses, managers, clericals, doctors, lawyers and engineers there were not many studies related to work and family conflict in the teaching profession. According to Kinicki et al.s (1996) review, the basic proposition which states that environmental and personality variables influence the choice of coping strategies, has been generally supported by empirical research, but the relationships between coping strategies and outcomes are inconsistent. Research on coping should address both the effects of coping on appraisal and strain as well as vice versa (Harris, 1991). It is vital to note that this study focus on the relationships between religious coping and work-family conflict and well-being. Furthermore, knowing how women deal with the realities of their conflicts rather than how they feel about them seems particularly important. Therefore it is of great interest to get a deeper knowledge of the antecedents/predictors of the teachers work-family conflict. Secondly, is/from the methodological component/perspective. There are inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between WFC and well-being. Due to this reason, this study also investigates the direct and indirect relationships concurrently. Apart from that, this study also examines WFC efficacy as a predictor of WFC due to the inconclusive findings related to efficacy and stress. In the current study, the researcher examines work-family conflict efficacy that may play an important role as a predictor of WFC in increasing teachers well-being. Unfortunately, not much is known about the relationships between WFC efficacy, religious coping, WFC and well-being in Malaysian studies. Thus, this study examines direct and indirect relationships between WFC, WFC efficacy, religious coping and well-being. By using Structural Equation Modeling, the direct and indirect relationships can be simultaneously tested. To achieve this purpose, the data are analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analy sis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Additionally, there is only few research on WFC among teachers in the Malaysian population utilizing SEM. The result of the study would substantiate understanding about the phenomenon of work-family conflict in teacher population with the use of SEM. Thirdly, in practicality, it is important to study WFC and the psychological well-being of female school teachers. Studies has indicated that many teachers are incapable of juggling their professional and family roles effectively (Elbaz-Lubisch, 2002; Spencer, 1986). Teachers in Ackers study (1992) clearly thought that the combination roles of being a teacher and a mother were not at all convenient. Job satisfaction and teaching competence are important variables in regard to teachers continuity in the profession. For instance, studies by Certo and Fox (2002) indicated that job satisfaction in teaching was associated with aspects such as workplace conditions, administrative control, and organizational culture. It also touched on how teachers felt about their own competencies like teaching accomplishments and their general feelings coming to work. When teacher satisfaction was examined by Scott and Dinham (2003), they found that it was influenced by students achievement and personal e fficacy. Hence, it may be plausible to argue that a teachers well-being is influenced by job satisfaction and competence plus, reduced well-being associated with work may lead to stress that will in turn affect job performance. This study hopes to contribute to the importance of the relationships between WFC, WFC efficacy, religious coping and well-being of female teachers. Work-family problems, if they are not effectively managed, will not only affect individuals and their families, but also adversely affect their employers and ultimately the society at large. Hence, the responsibility for developing and implementing effective ways to reduce work-family interference and increase development should be shared by organizations, individuals and their families, as well as policy-makers. This study may also assist the policy-makers and administrators to implement intervention strategies aimed at managing teachers WFC, if possible reducing their workload. Additionally, practitioners are interested in the extent to which various interventions like family-friendly policies and programs, and the supportiveness of the work-family culture would actually reduce employees work-family role conflict. They are also interested in how this can have significant impact on a number of work, family and personal outcomes, as mentioned above. Therefore, future research should be aimed at examining the effectiveness of such interventions. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY First, limiting the generalizability of current findings, even though the sample represents the organizations population, they were female. Secondly, the disadvantage of using a survey method is that it influence the willingness of individuals to respond accurately. Finally, the present study is clearly limited by the cross-sectional nature of the research. DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY This study focused only on married female secondary school teachers in the District of Hulu Langat in Selangor. This sample size was limited to only those who were in one district in one state. The researcher controlled the influence of participants marital status, number of children, working experience on WFC and level of institutions (secondary schools) that were expected to have high significant levels of conflict between work and family roles. The presence of children within the home has been identified as a factor that affects conflict. Regarding the influence children have on work and family conflict, research has suggested that FWC and WFC are exacerbated by the number of children living within the home (Kinnunen Mauno, 1998; Voydanoff, 1988). This research also included in-depth open-ended interviews to further explore the mechanisms that explain teachers WFC. DEFINITION OF THE OPERATIONAL KEY TERMS For the purpose of this study, the key terms or constructs under the study are operationally defined as follow, with some elaborations on the definitions. Work-Family Conflict Work-family conflict has been defined as a form of inter-role conflict in which pressures from work and family roles are incompatible (Greenhaus Beutell, 1985). For instance, when one devotes extra time and energy into one role, the other role is compromised. This study defines work-family conflict according to Netemeyer et al., (1996, p. 401) as a form of inter-role conflict in which the general demands of, time devoted to and strain created by the job interfere with performing family-related responsibilities. Work-Family Conflict Efficacy Work-family conflict efficacy is defined as an individuals beliefs in her or his ability to manage work-family and family-work conflict (Cinamon, 2003). In this study, work-family conflict efficacy refers to the perceptions of self-efficacy to manage work-family conflict and family-work conflict. Self-efficacy was theoretically defined in this study as self-regulatory efficacy, which is a specific type of perceived self-efficacy. The given attainment in this study was à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Bandura (1997) defined a specific type of self-efficacy, self-regulatory efficacy, as the ability to guide and motivate oneself to get things done that one knows how to do. The issue is not whether one can do them occasionally but whether one has the efficacy to get oneself to do them regularly in the face of varied dissuading (p.43). Religious Coping Various definitions of coping have been proposed, including coping as a psychoanalytic process; as a personal trait, style or disposition; as a description of situationally specific strategies; and as a process. In this study, coping in the context of religious approach is used. Thus, religious coping is defined as dealing with life effectively within the search for significance towards the sacred (Pargament, 1997). Religious coping includes a positive and negative religious/spiritual coping factor that reflects benevolent religious involvement in the search for significance and a negative factor that reflects religious struggle in coping. Well-being Kathryn Dianne (2009) argued that employee well-being consists of subjective well-being (life satisfaction and dispositional affect), workplace well-being (job satisfaction and work-related affect) and psychological well-being (self acceptance, positive relations with others, environmental mastery, autonomy, purpose in life and personal growth). In this study well-being refers to symptoms of psychological distress and job-family dissatisfaction. Symptoms of psychological distress Goldberg (1978) has identified symptoms of psychological distress through somatic and affective of distress. Job-Family Dissatisfaction Job-family dissatisfaction refers to a respondents perception of negative spillover from his or her work to family (Small Riley, 1990), for example the negative impact of a respondents work demands or stressors on her marital and parental roles. Mediator Mediators are intervening variables, which could explain why relationships exist. Mediation exists when an exogenous construct indirectly influences an endogenous construct via a third variable or construct. That is, the effect of a third variable or construct (mediator) intervenes between two other related constructs. In this study, work-family conflict functions as a mediator. SUMMARY Chapter one is organized into nine sections. The first section presents the background of the study, followed by the statement of problem and purpose of the study. To achieve the purpose of the study, several research questions have been formulated and explained more on the conceptual framework part, a set of relationships (work-family conflict efficacy, religious coping, work-family conflict and well-being) in a path diagram is depicted. Sixth, on the basis of