Philosophy of managing people in higher educational settings Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of managing people in higher educational settings Essay Capability to manage a team effectively is one of the main qualities which any professional seeking success needs to possess. However, the position of a leader requires many outstanding skills, and it may be very challenging at times. According to Sun Tzu, Chinese General who lived in the 5th century B. C. , â€Å"when one has all 5 virtues together: intelligence, trustworthiness, humanness, courage, sternness, each appropriate to its function, then one can be a leader† (Deal, Kennedy, 1988). Leadership means the ability to influence other people and guide them to the success. During many centuries it has been believed that the key to success in a team lies in the skills of the manager. No company can remain on top unless it has an outstanding manager who guides it into the right direction. Management of people in higher educational settings is a very challenging task due to the complexity of the field of education. Some of the general principles of management can be applied efficiently, but at the same time additional attention needs to be devoted to characteristic features which are common only for educational sphere. The task of the leader in higher educational settings is to manage the staff in such a way that all the skills which the members of the staff possess turn out applied at their maximum. This task is very complicated because â€Å"building the winning team requires more than just hiring a bunch of talented people. It means hiring people who will work well together. It means developing a shared vision and commitment. It means physically bringing people together in formal group meetings for open discussion of broad-based issues. It means encouraging positive, informal interactions between group members. It means instilling a â€Å"winning attitude throughout the organization. It means watching for and quickly trying to reverse team-building problems such as jealousy, cynicism, and defensive behavior. † (Building a winning team. Retrieved on November 14, from source: www. businesstown. com). The most important issue in managing the team in higher educational settings is choosing the right form of motivation for them. Since all people in the staff are different, all of them need different forms of motivation. For some staff members, only money works, and they do not get motivated by any other benefits. For others, there is nothing more important than social recognition of their efforts. Other staff members will care about the possibilities of future promotion in case of their successful performance. Therefore, in order to manage the staff effectively, the first task to do is to define where the needs of employees fall in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. After some communication with the members of the team it is easy to discover what staff members are very ambitious. They have a very high need of esteem. They need to be praised for the work they do, get recognition from senior-level management, be aware about the possibilities of their future promotion, and fulfill tasks which require lots of responsibility. These staff members are very experienced, they have already made large contributions into the university’s success, and therefore they can be motivated only through getting more and more complicated tasks to fulfill. Other staff members will not be as success-oriented, and not as experienced. They can be rather knowledgeable in the field of education but they do not seek promotion because they are quite happy with their present work. Therefore, they can be motivated by money awards and praise for their work because their needs fall into the category of belonginess and love. The next step of successful staff management in higher education setting is defining relationships between staff members, and making a sociogram which identifies the types of interactions within the social network. Without the knowledge of interactions between the staff members, there is no way to manage the team effectively. In order to manage the members of the team, it is useful at times to apply the approach of influencing some members of the team through other members. It is necessary to identify the member of the team who has the strongest influence on other members because teams are usually aligned to such staff members. It is also necessary to keep up â€Å"healthy culture† in the educational setting. â€Å"A healthy culture can promote identification (who we are), legitimation (why we need to do) communication (with whom we talk), coordination (with whom we work) and development (what are the dominant perspectives and tasks)†. (Davies, 1997, p. 135). The last step of managing the team is choosing the leadership style. Such styles include â€Å"considerate, structuring, autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire and the like† (Bjerke, 1999, p. 57). Some authors determine supporting, directive, coercive, transformational leadership styles. The most efficient styles in the majority of establishments of higher education are democratic and supportive styles, but for some types of situations autocratic and directive styles might be appropriate. For example, when the faculty leader wants to set direct goals for the staff members and make them increase their performance, it can be appropriate to use directive style. The choice of the style mainly depends on the environment in the organization and the goals which it needs to achieve. Autocratic and directive styles can sometimes represent some danger of faculty leaders becoming power-oriented. When managers care only about their own power, they tend to choose those 2 styles of leadership. It is well-known that leadership styles can be oriented on the performance of the team or on the concern about staff members. The analysis of these theories is particularly important for managing staff members in educational settings. Blake and Mouton (1964) have introduced a grid in which they identified the main styles of leadership according to those 2 characteristics. Orientation on the performance of the team means that the manager is very concerned about the results which they are going to have in the end of the period, the extent to which goals will be met. Orientation on people means that the leader will pay lots of attention to maintaining trust in the company, establishing warm relations with all the employees, giving them only appropriate tasks and motivating them. Blake and Mouton have come up with several types of managers based in their grid. â€Å"Under the style referred to as impoverished management, managers concern themselves very little with either people or results and have minimum involvement in their jobs. † (Bjerke, 1999, p. 59). Such managers usually do not achieve good results because they show minimum concern about the activity of the company. â€Å"Team leaders†, on the contrary, manage to combine both concern about people and achieve great performance of the company. This type of managers cannot be accepted in education settings because it prevents the faculty staff from making large contributions to the development of the educational establishment. â€Å"Another style is management called country club management, in which managers have little or no concern for results but are concerned only for people. † (Bjerke, 1999, p. 59). Such companies might not have great results because employees will not be working to the fullest. â€Å"Autocratic task managers are concerned only with developing an efficient operation, who have little or no concern for people and who are quite autocratic in their style of leadership. † (Bjerke, 1999, p. 59). This type of manager is more favorable than the previous one, but it is also inefficient in the educational setting. In order to make the staff work efficiently, the faculty leader needs to choose the style combining both concern about staff members and concern about the performance of the team. It is very difficult to make the faculty function effectively, but this task can be achieved through the right choices of staff members’ motivation and leadership style. The field of education requires a leader with good communication skills, able to provide success-oriented policy, capable of solving all the possible problems which may arise in the team. Bibliography. 1. Alison, H. Managing people Managing Universities and Colleges Guides to Good Pratice Open University Press McGraw Hill. 2003. 2. Bjerke Bjorn. Business Leadership and Culture: National Management Styles in the Global Economy. Edward Elgar. 1999. 3. Blake, R. R. and J. S. Mouton. The Managerial Grid, Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing Company. 1964. 4. Building a winning team. Retrieved on November 14, from source: www. businesstown. com. 5. Davies, J. The evolution of university responses to financial reduction. Higher Education Management, 9(1), 127-140. 1997. 6. Deal, T. and A. Kennedy. Corporate Cultures, London: Penguin Books. 1988. 7. Garvin, David A. What makes for an authentic learning organization? Management Update: Newsletter from Harvard Business School 2, no. 6 (July 1): 7-9. 1993.

European Union Bringing Peace To Europe Politics Essay

European Union Bringing Peace To Europe Politics Essay The history of Europe was the history of war. The wars bore the modern nations of Europe such as England, France, Germany, Russia, and Italy. Afterwards, they developed their own cultures, which are nationalities, languages, traditions and histories. Due to this characteristic mixed with these various cultures and its nation-centred international politics system of Europe, there rarely was period that ceased from wars in Europe. Furthermore, two world wars in XX century caused the collapse of all Europes peace and prosperity and Europe, as a result, was no longer the centre of the world. The world power was already moved on the U.S.A and the U.S.S.R. For this reason, people of Europe started to perceive the need of its combination and the European Union was made to restore political peace and economic prosperity of Europe (Nugent, 2006). At this point, it is needed to ask that the European Union has truly fetched peace and prosperity to Europe. It strongly appears to me that the European Union has contributed to political stability and economic growth to Europe. To demonstrate it, this essay will deal with the following aspects of the historical efforts and intergovernmental agreements which the European Union has made to contributed to political stability and economic growth of Europe in XX century. -Main Body Above all, it is essential to define the mutual relation between political peace and economic prosperity. These two important factors which can decide the rise and fall of each country tend to move together. It means that it is hard to say that there is prosperity without peace or peace without prosperity. For a recent example, economic status of Ireland was almost the lowest in the European Union in the past but now is definitely regarded as a wealthy country in the European Union. This remarkable economic rise led to synchronize the decrease of al large number of armed conflicts in Northern Ireland, one of the most unstable areas in Northern Europe. In other words, this means that it is clear that political stability of a country was highly dependent on economic prosperity (Strong, 2006). Therefore, peace and prosperity are achieved separately rather simultaneously. Equally, it is needed to approach to political peace and economic prosperity of Europe in this way. Peace and prosper ity of Europe through the European Union have not gained respectively but coincidently. The first significant movement that brought peace and prosperity to Europe was the treaty of The European Coal and Steel Community. After the Second World War, it was widely diffused to aim at United Europe for its peace and prosperity seeing Europe impoverished by war. Robert Schuman, the French Foreign Minister at that time, suggested epoch-making idea about creation of the consolidated organisation that jointly supplies and controls strategically important resources such as coal and steel. This is called The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and it became the cornerstone of the European Union (http://europa.eu/ecsc/results/index_en.htm). It was obvious that this ECSC treaty brought rise of living standards to overall European society with high economic growth of each country, based on common market, common goal and common organisation. In addition, The ECSC provided with not only co-operation of the field of Coal and Steel but also political stability of Europe still surrou nded with fear of war. It means that it became possible to check each other between nations of Europe by joint distribution and joint control of Coal and Steel, which is indispensible for war. The second important movement with respect to peace and prosperity of Europe is the Single European Act of 1986 (SEA). In the period of 1971-86, Europe was in heavy economic recession. This stagnation could be regarded as a result that EC members did not successfully cope three serious incidents such as the collapse of the Bretton Woods system, the oil crisis, and the resulting bad economic results (Çà ­ftà §Ãƒ ­, 2005:476). Afterwards, in 1985-91, The European Union accomplished prompt growth in the process of economic integration of Europe. However, there was the budgetary crisis, which was an obstruction to progress economic integration of Europe. It was fortunately settled by Mitterrands consent in 1984 about sharing a great amount of the expenses with respective to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget. Consequently, these successive events extended into the creation of the Single European Act of 1986 (ibid). Beyond all, the main issue of the SEA was the accomplishment of internal single market of Europe. The SEA became the opportunity to support institutionally development of the internal single market and deregulation. Through the SEA, the integration process of European community was changed qualitatively. Internal single market is qualitatively different concept from free trade zone between nations or geographical extends of trade. In other words, this internal single market means that each government should be pushed to adopt common standards such as technology, regulations, and norms and so on. It means that all European countries should be responsible for mutual economic benefits. More importantly, needless to say each government, European commission and supranational capitals, this progress was supported by public opinion and even many trade unions such as public consensus (Benink, 1992). It means that the SEA brought economic growth to Europe and, at the same time, drew a conclus ion, national consensus which can be developed to political stability. As a consequence, it is seen that peace and prosperity of Europe were not achieved separately. They mostly come together. The third remarkable movement related with peace and prosperity of Europe is the Maastricht treaty of 1992. This treaty brought the most innovative outcome. The Economic and Monetary Union of 2000 was inaugurated. This was definitely the climax of exertion of European Communitys countries that had accelerated European monetary integration for around 30 years and also the turning point in history, which proceeded to new stage of European integration (Grieco, 1995). As a result of this treaty, European single currency, the Euro was launched in 1999. By launching the Euro, it was vanished to lose the benefits due to extreme fluctuations in the exchange rate and became clear to know prices of other countries merchandise. In addition, there was no longer exchange fee. These advantages of the Euro led to more active international trade between European nations and ultimately brought the economic prosperity of Europe. Moreover, in the Maastricht treaty, the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) was launched. The CFSP included all areas related to joint security, joint defense and diplomacy of the European Union. Despite that militarily importance of the United States of America was relatively reduced by extinction of the USSRs threat, it was still seen that European nations was dependent on the USA. This was mainly because the NATO, which still had important role in European security due to disability regarding dispute resolution of European nations, was practically moved by the USA. In this circumstance, a bond of sympathy that Europe needed its own military strength to cope jointly increasing international terrorism and geopolitical conflicts began to be naturally formed. Subsequently, the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) was initiated according to the Maastricht treaty (Hurd, 1994). The purposes of the CFSP were to safeguard the common values, fundamental interests and independence of the Union and to develop and consolidate democracy and the rule of law, and the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. (Nugent, 2006:90). Hence, it can be told that the Maastricht treaty consequently begot peace and prosperity of Europe by pursuit of two objectives such as The Economic and Monetary Union and the Common Foreign and Security Policy. -Conclusion To sum up, by examining three significant treaties in this essay, it becomes self-evident that the European Union has constantly pursued peace and prosperity of Europe by advancing the treaties and implementing them and they have finally built the new framework of peace and prosperity of Europe. Additionally, it is also crucial to comprehend that political peace and economic prosperity are concurrently fulfilled. It is true that the European Union has kept a large number of difficulties to stabilise national status for decades. Nevertheless, it is undoubtedly certain that the European Union will be a high-quality model of many areas where peace and prosperity need. -References Benink, Harald, A. (1992). Financial Integration in Europe: Financial and Monetary Policy Studies. Dordrecht; Boston, Kluwer Academic Publishers. Çà ­ftà §Ãƒ ­, Sabrà ­. (2005). Treaties, Collective Responses and the Determinants of Aggregate Support for European Integration. European Union Politics 2005 Vol 6: 469-92. SAGE Publications. Grieco, Joseph, M. (1995). The Maastricht Treaty, Economic and Monetary Union and the neo-realist research programme. Review of International Studies Vol 21: 21-40. Printed in Great Britain. http://europa.eu/ecsc/results/index_en.htm (Accessed 09 November 2010). Hurd, Douglas. Developing the Common Foreign and Security Policy. International affairs, Vol 70, No 3: 421-28. Blackwell Publishing. Nugent, Neill. (2006). The Government and Politics of the European Union, 6th ed. New York, Palgrave Macmillan. Strong, Michael. (2006). Understanding the Power of Economic Freedom to Create Peace. FLOW, Inc.

Legalization of Marijuana Debate

Legalization of Marijuana Debate What if one of Americas most illegal plants was also one of the worlds most beneficial plants? Marijuana has a wide variety of different applications in society, but remains illegal by federal law.  Some states have decriminalized cannabis, but federal law does not recognize state law.  Suppose that by federal law, cannabis were a decriminalized or legal substance.  An entire new world of research could arise and each of its uses would become definitive.  Perceptions concerning the use of marijuana would likely be altered.  The decriminalization or legalization of marijuana would presumably cause many economical, industrial, and medical adaptations focused towards the benefit of the United States of America. Being an activist plays a key role in the decriminalization of marijuana. Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede or direct social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activists for the legalization of marijuana have made great strides in 20 states to date based upon the supporters of its medical uses. Although Congress classified marijuana as a Schedule 1 substance (a category of drugs not considered legitimate for medical use) in 1970, instantly making it the most widely used drug in the U.S. Many disagree with this and the fight (in the media, courts, and on the streets) raises ethical issues, such as whether or not the government should be allowed to govern what people do in their own homes. In fact, up until the government started imposing restrictions in 1930, physicians still widely prescribed marijuana to their patients for a variety of reasons that are similar to the reasons people use it today (Bostwick, 2012). Marijuana, as most people commonly know it, is actually a plant called hemp, or cannabis sativa. Hemp is any durable plant used since prehistory for many purposes, such as rope, paper, and clothing. The cannabis plant also produces three very important products that other plants do not (in usable form): seed, pulp, and medicine. The cannabis sativa plant grows as weed and cultivated plant all over the world in a variety of climates and soils (Legalizing Hemp 2). Marijuana has been used throughout history; in 6000 B.C. cannabis seeds were used as food in China; in 4000 B.C. the Chinese used textiles made of hemp; the first recorded use of cannabis as medicine in China was in 2727 B.C.; and in 1500 B.C. the Chinese cultivated Cannabis for food and fiber (Legalizing Hemp 2). MEDICAL USES Paul  Armentano, Deputy Director of the NORML (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) Foundation, stated at the beginning of this year that scientists are investigating cannabinoids ability to moderate the pain associated with disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as the cannabinoids role in the treatment of several neurological disorders including Alzheimers disease and Lou Gehrigs disease (par.  3).  The cannabinoids contained in marijuana have the potential to provide therapeutic relief for a multitude of diseases.  The potential therapeutic uses of medical marijuana include relief from clinical conditions like gliomas, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimers, ALS, fibromyalgia, tourettes syndrome, dystonia, HIV, hepatitis c, hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, gastrointestinal disorders, pruritis, incontinence, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis (Armentano, par.  8).à ƒâ€šÃ‚  Armentano  also stated in his report in the  Recent Research on Medical Marijuana:  Investigators are currently studying the anti-cancer properties of cannabinoids.  A growing body of preclinical and clinical data concludes that cannabinoids can reduce the spread of specific cancer cells via apoptosis (programmed cell death) and by the inhibition of angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels).  Arguably, these latter trends represent far broader and more significant applications for cannabinoid therapeutics than researchers could have imagined some thirty or even twenty years ago (par.  4) If cannabis were to be decriminalized, an entirely new domain of medicinal research could possibly be unlocked.  The medicinal properties of marijuana including the transient as well as therapeutic relief to a broad list of clinical conditions could be further researched and bestowed upon society.  Allen F.  St.  P ierre states in his article  About Marijuana: Modern research suggests that cannabis is a valuable aid in the treatment of a wide range of clinical applications.  These include pain relief particularly of neuropathic pain (pain from nerve damage) nausea, spasticity, glaucoma, and movement disorders. Marijuana is also a powerful appetite stimulant specifically for patients suffering from HIV, the AIDS wasting syndrome, or dementia.  Emerging research suggests that marijuanas medicinal properties may protect the body against some types of malignant tumors and are neuroprotective.  (par.  10) Newer and healthier methods of the application of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) could be researched in order to prevent any negative effects that inhaling the combusted material of cannabis may have on your respiratory system. New branches of research dedicated to showing the positive aspects of marijuana could be possible decriminalization were set in motion. Canada has already benefited tremendously from their nation-wide legalization of marijuana. Andrew D.  Hathaway and Kate Rossiter state in their article on Canadas society involving medical marijuana that In 2001, Canada announced it would be the first country to legalize cannabis for therapeutic purposes and earmarked funding for clinical trials.  By June, 2007, legal access had been granted to about 1,800 patients with terminal illnesses and serious medical conditions (1). Not only does cannabis have the potential to provide the United States with an extremely broad range of medical application, but this plant also has the potential to provide various industrial applications. INDUSTRIAL USES Hemps uses include but are certainly not limited to: fuel; food (hemp seeds provide an incredible source of protein-not only for people but for birds who seek out hemp seeds which have been mixed with other seeds); paper; textiles, (i.e. canvas, paper, cloth, rope); paint; detergent; varnish; oil; medicine; and building materials. Almost any product that can be made from wood, cotton, or petroleum (including plastics) can be made from hemp. Every year the United States government spends billions of dollars to fund the war on drugs, which is conducted mainly by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). More specifically, the extremely well funded Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program (DCESP) is the portion of the DEA that specifically deals with the enforcement of cannabis laws. In the last 25 years, the enforcement of cannabis prohibition has grown stricter. Despite this, marijuana production in the U.S. has increased ten-fold since 1982 (Crop Report 17). Along with this increased production and DEA enforcement, the cost of the war on marijuana has increased greatly in the last few decades. For example, in 2002 roughly 730,000 people were arrested for state marijuana charges meaning they did not possess enough to get charged federally. The total criminal justice  cost of these marijuana arrests was about $7.6 billion, which equates to roughly $10,400 per arrest (NORML 131). The legalization of marijuana would eliminate the need for all these arrests which would result in an economic boost, not to mention save the money required to incarcerate someone for said offense. In addition to reducing the amount of money spent keeping marijuana illegal, the legalization of marijuana would free up much needed space in our already overcrowded jails. U.S. citizens account for about 5% of the worlds population, yet U.S. prison inmates account for 25% of the worlds prisoners (Eitzen 368). By eliminating the need for marijuana related arrests, a great burden would be lifted off of our police force. Our police would be able to focus their energy on the real criminals in our nation as opposed to wasting money charging citizens with minor marijuana offenses. Most importantly, the legalization of marijuana would eliminate all of the crime involved with marijuana such as sale, possession, paraphernalia, and cultivation.   The Author of Social Problems, Stanley Eitzen explains the concept behind why the legalization of marijuana would do so:  organized crime, which now acquires most of its income from providing illegal goods and services, would no longer be able to hide its investments and profits. Thus, laws against victimless crimes are indirectly responsible for maintaining organized crime (Social Problems 352).   By making marijuana legal, it makes it impossible for criminals to conduct crimes involving marijuana. However, the prohibitive laws regarding marijuana provide organized criminals with one of their most lucrative source of income: the sale of illegal marijuana. Legislation against marijuana does not eliminate the demand for it amongst society either. Due to marijuana being illegal, the price of marijuana is much higher than what it would be if legal. This unintended result of the prohibitive laws against marijuana has caused a slight increase in crime revolved around the purchase of the herb. New crimes are being committed to produce money so that users can afford the high prices; though not as severe as a crime directly related to the sale and cultivation of marijuana, any crime eliminated because of legalization helps. The eradication of crime associated with marijuana and the corresponding money earned as a result will only become possible through the regulation and production of marijuana by the U.S. government. These would not be the only benefits legalization would have to offer either; the government could generate substantial contributions to the economy through the taxation and sale of marijuana within our borders. Ultimately, the war on marijuana has failed. Marijuana use and production continue to increase from year to year despite the increased efforts against marijuana. New regulatory policies need to be researched and tried if the government ever wants to have control over one of the  biggest issues in the war on drugs. ECONOMIC BENEFITS Today marijuana is the number one cash crop in America, generating over $35 billion in dirty money each year (Crop Report 14). That is $18 billion more than second most generated crop corn. Although the prices of marijuana would decline if legalized, the government could still make enormous amounts of money through the taxation, production and sale of marijuana. Marijuana is the fourth most widely used psychoactive drug in the U.S., following caffeine, nicotine and alcohol (Eitzen 385). Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol, are all legal, regulated by the government and all contribute greatly to our economy. Why not do so with cannabis? Tobacco addiction resulting from cigarette smoking kills more Americans than alcohol, cocaine, crack, heroin, homicide, suicide, fires, car accidents, and AIDS combined (Eitzen 389). Yet the government encourages and regulates the sale of cigarettes, this is because the tobacco industry is a major contributor to the U.S. economy. Roughly $158 billion are ge nerated each year by the tobacco industry (Eitzen 389). Aside from the sale of cigarettes, tobacco companies spent $21.2 million professional lobbying firms in 2003, which amounts to more than $127,000 for every day Congress was in session (Eitzen 390). Government intervention in the theoretical cannabis industry could produce monetary gains similar to that of the tobacco industry through essentially the same means. Alcohol, the third most used drug in America, is another example of how government regulation of a drug can be successful. Each year, the government makes billions off of the regulation and sale of alcohol. In addition to the revenues that could be generated through the sale of marijuana, the government could institute a marijuana tax, which would only increase revenues. POLITICAL ASPECT In California On November 2, 2010, Proposition 19 failed at the polls. If it passed, marijuana would have been decriminalized, and the government would have been allowed to regulate and penalize marijuana use and distribution to generate additional revenue (Viswanthan 1). Small groups have risen throughout the United States, primarily in California, advocating for marijuana legalization. One of the most well known groups and Californias largest medical group, the California Medical Association, has also endorsed the legalization of marijuana. But if a similar proposition is proposed, President Barack Obama will not support it. In a press conference in Colombia, Obama said he would engage in a debate regarding legalizing drugs, but elaborated that his administration will not support any bill to legalize them (2). With elections approaching, his stance from 4 years ago has shifted greatly. Presidential  GOP  candidate Mitt Romney has explicitly expressed his dissension around medicinal marijuana in his campaign. After hearing from an individual with muscular dystrophy about his need for medicinal marijuana to survive, Romney repeated fervently that he was not in favor of legalizing medicinal marijuana. The young man with the degenerative illness expressed his worries to the candidate and showed genuine concern for his survival. Five different doctors had recommended the use of medicinal marijuana for this patient, yet the federal government continues to impose fear by prosecuting those who use and prescribe such treatment. Romney continued to ignore his pleas and ended the conversation by walking away from the wheelchair-bound man (CNN). Potential third party candidates such as Ron Paul and Gary Johnson have voiced their support concerning the legalization of marijuana, and have clearly made it known that if they are elected, they will take measures to legalize the drug nationwide (Viswanthan 2). During his 30 years in the House of Representatives, Paul has authored and co-authored multiple marijuana-friendly bills. Hes proposed laws to  decriminalize marijuana, permit industrial hemp farming, and constitutionally delegate to states how to enforce extant medical marijuana (Camia 1).   For those who favor the legalization of marijuana, the ideology revolving around the subject is conveyed perfectly by  Thomas Szasz, a libertarian,   I favor free trade in drugs for the same reason the Founding Fathers favored free trade in ideas. In an open society, it is none of the governments business what idea a man puts into his mind; likewise, it should be none of the governments business what drug he puts into his body (74). Though the federal government did not adopt this ideology, there are other valid reasons that the legalization and regulation of marijuana in the U.S. would provide our nation with significant benefits. The taxation and sale of marijuana alone would provide immense economic contributions. The ending of the war against marijuana would save billions of dollars spent each year hunting down and incarcerating marijuana offenders. The potential that marijuana has to offer as a medicine are all possible results of the legalization of marijuana in the United States. OPPOSING VIEWS Scientific studies may have conflicting results, but overall they link smoking marijuana to heart and lung disease, throat cancer, and a decreased memory capacity. Making marijuana legal would increase the number of people being affected by these diseases. Others point to the staggering amount of drugs that have been seized coming into the United States. They point to how drug use is strongly linked to criminal activity, and predict that legalizing marijuana would lead to an increase in violence and crime (Two Sides of the Conflict Anti-Marijuana). The federal government, which overall is working to keep marijuana illegal, agrees that there is no real benefit to legalizing marijuana. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy wrote As a former police chief, I recognize we are not going to arrest our way out of the problem. We also recognize that legalizing marijuana would not provide the answer to any of the health, social, youth education, criminal justice, and community quality of life challenges associated with drug use.(Gane-McCalla) SOLUTIONS One of the main reasons that cannabis has not been legalized in the U.S. is the perceived danger that smoking it presents to its user; the perception that getting high is harmful. Yes, smoking cannabis is bad for you, but smoking anything is bad for you. Most of the negative health effects that cannabis users experience are a result of the act of inhaling smoke into their lungs, not the actual THC present. Cannabis can be consumed in ways that do not involve combustion, such as edibles or the use of a vaporizer. Through healthier consumption, marijuana can be used medically to relieve certain patients of pain and other ailments as well as serve as a basis for newer, more effective cannabinoid drug development. The legalization of marijuana would help capitalize on the medicinal benefits that THC and other  cannabinoids  present in marijuana have to offer. Though large amounts of THC have been found to disrupt short-term memory and impair motor skills, THC has also been proven to help relieve symptoms of many common health problems (Joy 51). In particular, medical marijuana has had the most significant effect on patients suffering from symptoms such as chronic pain, nausea, appetite loss, muscle spasms, insomnia, and glaucoma (Joy 51). There are plenty of legally prescribed drugs that are often used to treat symptoms like those mentioned above; however many of them can be expensive, cause undesirable side effects, and in several cases can become addictive. For example, Xanax and Vicitin are two of the most widely distributed prescription painkillers on the market today despite their high cost and high risk of dependence. In addition, they are most frequently prescribed to patients experiencing symptoms that THC has been found to alleviate. Not to say that medical marijuana, or THC, will always be better than Xanax or Vicitin or any other prescription drug because there are extreme cases where medical marijuana would not suffice. However, medical marijuana would offer a cheap alternative to expensive prescription drugs without the negative side effects or risk of addiction. Despite popular belief, marijuana has not been proven to be physically addictive. Studies indicate that day-to-day marijuana users will develop a minor physiological addiction to the drug, but no evidence was present of a physical addiction one might face with cocaine, heroin or even caffeine abuse (Joy 92). This trait of THC is but another reason that the developmen t of more advanced cannabinoid based drugs should be looked into if marijuana were legalized. The idea of synthetic THC or a pill form of THC is not a new one. Scientists developed Marinol, the only cannabinoid approved for marketing in the U.S., was introduced in 1985. Although Marinol was not a huge success and is rarely used today, it did lead to the discovery of the neuroprotective qualities  cannabinoids  possess. Janet Joy, author of Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base, explains neuroprotection: One of the most prominent new applications of  cannabinoids  is for neuroprotection, the rescue of neurons from cell death associated with trauma, ischemia, and neurological diseases (202). This quality of  cannabinoids  could prove to be valuable in the development of medicines designed to slow the deterioration of the brain, such as certain types of brain damage and other illnesses causing brain damage. If the use of medical marijuana were legal, people would be provided with a cheaper, and if consumed properly, sometimes healthier alternative to certain ailments they may be experienci ng. Along with the numerous medical uses marijuana already has to offer, the legalization of marijuana would enable scientists to develop state of the art medicines involving  cannabinoids.  Investigators are currently studying the anti-cancer properties of cannabinoids.  A growing body of preclinical and clinical data concludes that cannabinoids can reduce the spread of specific cancer cells via apoptosis (programmed cell death) and by the inhibition of angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels).  Arguably, these latter trends represent far broader and more significant applications for cannabinoid therapeutics than researchers could have imagined some thirty or even twenty years ago (par.  4) . If cannabis were to be decriminalized, an entirely new domain of medicinal research could possibly be unlocked.  The medicinal properties of marijuana including the transient as well as therapeutic relief to a broad list of clinical conditions could be further researched and bestowed upon society.  Allen F.  St.  Pierre states in his article  About Marijuana: Modern research suggests that cannabis is a valuable aid in the treatment of a wide range of clinical applications.  These include pain relief particularly of neuropathic pain (pain from nerve damage) nausea, spasticity, glaucoma, and movement disorders. Marijuana is also a powerful appetite stimulant specifically for patients suffering from HIV, the AIDS wasting syndrome, or dementia.  Emerging research suggests that marijuanas medicinal properties may protect the body against some types of malignant tumors and are neuroprotective.  (par.  10) DISCUSSION There are laws in place making it illegal for anyone under the age of eighteen (in most states) to purchase Nicotine products, and twenty one to purchase alcohol products. Thoughts are that at eighteen/twenty one, one is old enough to have been properly educated and understand what it is they are doing when they purchase these products. Why cant we do this with the legalization of marijuana?    Maybe we should look to European countries for the answer to marijuana legality. Many have made their laws less strict or repealed them entirely, which were fashioned after laws made here in the United States, in favor of the legalization of marijuana. Commander Brain Paddock in a neighborhood of London called Brixton ran a small experiment. Over a six month period, he instructed his officers to warn those caught with small amounts of marijuana rather than arrest them. At the end of those six months, Scotland Yard issued a report that stated more than 2500 hours of manpower was saved by giving warnings (Katz). Not making arrests meant not spending valuable time transporting prisoners and filling out paper work, not to mention court time and costs saved prosecuting those arrested. That time could then be spent on investigating and enforcing other more serious criminal activities. Marijuana use is legal or otherwise overlooked, in many European areas such as Holland. In an article called Europe Loosens Its Pot Laws, written for Rolling Stone Magazine, Gregory Katz wrote that Senior Drug Policy Advisor to the Dutch Minister of Health, Bob Krizer, has said marijuana consumption in Holland has been consistently lower over the past twenty-five years than it has in the United States. During those same twenty-five years, the United States had been waging the War on Drugs, while Holland had been embracing a more liberal policy. Mr. Krizer also states that their rate of harder drug addicts is largely lower than many other countries that have stricter drug policies (Katz). If true, this goes a long way towards proving education is a much better way to get a message across than making laws and arresting people. CONCLUSION Marijuana has the potential to be one of the most useful substances in the world. Even though cannabis prevails as possibly one of the most useful plants on the face of the Earth, it still remains illegal in the United States. With countless uses, whether they be industrial, medical, or economical, it is hard to believe that marijuana still remains a regulated and prohibited substance. It seems as if this harmless flower is considered illegal for no other reason than to be considered illegal. Cannabis is a possible nationwide head start towards the economys stability and withholds the potential to assist in the addressing of some of the United States most pressing issues.  The decriminalization of cannabis has the potential to become one of the greatest economical advances in the history of the United States of America. If people took action and the government legalized it today, we will immediately see benefits from this decision. People suffering from illnesses ranging from manic depression to Multiple Sclerosis would be able to experience relief. The government could make billions of dollars off of the taxes it could impose on its sale, and its implementation into the industrial world would create thousands of new jobs for the economy. Also, because of its role in paper making, the rain forests of South America can be saved from their current fate of extinction. No recorded deaths have ever occurred as a result of marijuana use, it is not physically addictive like alcohol or tobacco, and most doctors will agree it is safer to use than those substances. A quote by Abraham Lincoln describes the situation perfectly. Prohibitiongoes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a mans appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded. Marijuana being illegal has no validity at all. Due to all the positive aspects of marijua na it should be legalized in the United States.  

Guitar History :: essays research papers

The guitar is a fretted, stringed instrument, and is a member of the lute family. It originated in Persia and reached Spain during the twelth-century, where it ¹s versatility as both a solo and accompanying instrument were established. The theory of the guitar was discovered in the early centuries. They found that the sound of a bowstring could be enhanced by attaching a resonating chamber -most like a tortiseshell- to the bow. From the bow came essentially three main types of stringed instruments: the Harp family, which was the sound of plucked strings indirectly transmitted to an attached sound box. The second was the Lyre family, which was strings of a fixed pitch are attached to the directly to a sound chamber. And the third was the Lute family, this was were the pitch of strings was altered by pressing them against a neck that is attached directly to a sound chamber. Within the Lute family came two groups. The lutes proper which had rounded backs and the guitar type instrument s with their flat backs. Guitar-shaped instruments appear in stone bas-relief sculptures of the hittites in northern Syria and Asia Minor from as far back as 1350 B.C. The word guitar also has origins in the middle and far east, deriving from gut, is the Arabic word for four, and tar, the Sanskrit word for string. The earliest European guitars did have four courses of gut strings. A 2 course is a pair of strings tuned in unison. These early guitars were distinguished from lutes by body sides that curved inward to form a waist and by four courses of strings. Some but not all early guitars had a flat back, while lutes always had a flat back. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance the lute was the dominant fretted instrument. The lute with was pear-shaped and had five or more courses of strings was generally regarded as a higher class of instrument. By 1546 the guitar had gained enough popularity to merit the publication of a book of guitar music. By this time guitars had added another course, and modern tuning had come into existence. Chord positions were the same as they are today. The frets of the early guitars were made of gut and tied around the neck. This made placement of frets very difficult. The early guitars were also much shorter in length than todays guitars. Guitar History :: essays research papers The guitar is a fretted, stringed instrument, and is a member of the lute family. It originated in Persia and reached Spain during the twelth-century, where it ¹s versatility as both a solo and accompanying instrument were established. The theory of the guitar was discovered in the early centuries. They found that the sound of a bowstring could be enhanced by attaching a resonating chamber -most like a tortiseshell- to the bow. From the bow came essentially three main types of stringed instruments: the Harp family, which was the sound of plucked strings indirectly transmitted to an attached sound box. The second was the Lyre family, which was strings of a fixed pitch are attached to the directly to a sound chamber. And the third was the Lute family, this was were the pitch of strings was altered by pressing them against a neck that is attached directly to a sound chamber. Within the Lute family came two groups. The lutes proper which had rounded backs and the guitar type instrument s with their flat backs. Guitar-shaped instruments appear in stone bas-relief sculptures of the hittites in northern Syria and Asia Minor from as far back as 1350 B.C. The word guitar also has origins in the middle and far east, deriving from gut, is the Arabic word for four, and tar, the Sanskrit word for string. The earliest European guitars did have four courses of gut strings. A 2 course is a pair of strings tuned in unison. These early guitars were distinguished from lutes by body sides that curved inward to form a waist and by four courses of strings. Some but not all early guitars had a flat back, while lutes always had a flat back. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance the lute was the dominant fretted instrument. The lute with was pear-shaped and had five or more courses of strings was generally regarded as a higher class of instrument. By 1546 the guitar had gained enough popularity to merit the publication of a book of guitar music. By this time guitars had added another course, and modern tuning had come into existence. Chord positions were the same as they are today. The frets of the early guitars were made of gut and tied around the neck. This made placement of frets very difficult. The early guitars were also much shorter in length than todays guitars.

Compare and contrast the way the poets show the problems affecting the :: English Literature

Compare and contrast the way the poets show the problems affecting the culture they are writing about in Nothing's Changed and Blessing. Tatamkhulu Afrika, author of 'Nothing's Changed' has written a probably autobiographical poem, where he is revisiting scenes of his childhood; a reflective poem, that is very emotional. The poem set in South Africa, illustrates a society where rich and poor are divided. He remembers when he was a boy and the laws, enforced by police that separated the whites from the blacks. He has come back to Cape Town and seen that 'Nothing's changed' in the apartheid. Imtiaz Dharker author of 'Blessing' has written a descriptive poem, set in a hot country, where there is a shortage of water, as told in the opening lines of the poem where the human skin is compared to a seedpod, drying out till it cracks. The poem is set in India, in a village where there is poverty. We know that this because firstly there is a shortage of water, and secondly they live in huts. Consider also the last line, 'their small bones'. This could mean that there is also a shortage of food or it can also emphasis the size of the small children. In line 18, when it says 'and naked children', this also shows us that they have no clothes or it can emphasise the need of water to wash. Tatamkhulu Afrika shows us a society divided between the blacks and the whites. He also shows the difference between their cultures. 'District Six' is the name of a poor area of Cape Town. This area was bulldozed as a slum in 1966, but never properly rebuilt. Although there is no sign there, the poet can feel that this is where he is: 'but my feet know, and my hands.' Similarly the 'up-market' inn (brash with glass' and the bright sign, 'flaring like a flag', which shows its name) is meant for the white customers only. The 'whites only inn' is elegant, with linen tablecloths and a 'single rose' on each table. It is contrasted with the fast food 'working man's cafe which sells the local snack ('bunny chows'). There is no tablecloth, just a plastic top, and there is nowhere to wash one's hands after eating: 'wipe your fingers on your jeans.' This is all totally different from the poem written by Imtiaz Dharker, in which everyone as a community runs for the water and everyone has a right to the water, ('every man woman child for streets around'). There are many religious beliefs in 'Blessing', as you can see straight away from the title, which emphasises how holy the water is

Student Calculator Use The Need For Limitations Education Essay

Math is an built-in portion of life. Worlds can non travel through life without utilizing math in some form or signifier, whether it is numbering money to pay the dinner measure, adding up the sum of money collected in a fundraiser or ciphering beforehand equations as a atomic applied scientist. Calculators have besides become an built-in portion of life. Calculator usage in schools has been a footing for argument for about 40 old ages. Calculators can profit or function as crutches for society. They prove good in rushing up computations when paying measures and taking trials. However, they can besides be a hinderance. Peoples frequently become so dependent on reckoners that they begin to lose the ability to execute simple mathematical equations such as 15 times three peers 45. Students are affected by reckoner usage to a higher grade than anyone else because they are in categories where they are required to cipher, job solve, and analyze every twenty-four hours. Calculators can be h elpful ; nevertheless, the usage of reckoners, by pupils in all classs, should be limited. Overexploitation of reckoners frequently leads to student loss of assurance in mathematical accomplishments and abilities, a misinterpretation of the function and map of the reckoner, and overdependence on reckoners as tools merely. Many pupils and grownups, including instructors, believe extended usage of reckoners should be a demand in mathematics categories. Several provinces, including North Carolina, now require the usage of charting reckoners in the course of study and on province trials while others allow, but do non necessitate reckoner usage. Dion et Al. showed that over â€Å" aˆÂ ¦95 % of schools surveyed allowed or needed reckoners in their Algebra I classes, 98 % allowed or needed reckoners in their Geometry categories, 99 % allowed or needed reckoners in Algebra II and 99.9 % allowed or needed reckoners in their Pre-Calculus/Trigonometry categories † ( 429 ) . Many instructors allow pupils to hold unlimited usage of reckoners in their schoolrooms and believe that pupil reckoner usage makes larning mathematics more interesting to pupils ( Brown et al. 106 ) . These facts reflect the positions of many sing the demand for consistent reckoner usage in the schoolroom, nevertheless, the argum ent furies on. Even though many pupils, instructors and parents argue that there should be reckoner usage in the schoolroom, they agree that usage should be limited to some extent. What they do non cognize, is where to pull the line. The changeless usage of reckoners present many possible jobs in larning experiences, including but non limited to dependence, overexploitation, and the procedure of forcing buttons instead than executing mathematical calculations. Most pedagogues concede that reckoner usage should be accompanied by direction, mold and pattern. As a hereafter mathematics instructor, I consider reckoners to be effectual when introduced and implemented decently in the schoolroom. A combination of direction with reckoner usage promotes more effectual and efficient applications of mathematical schemes and processs by pupils. Ineke Imbo et Al. researched different math jobs and persons to see how elements like job size, operations, gender, pattern, accomplishment, and reckoner usage influence simple arithmetic public presentation. It was found that â€Å" procedural schemes were performed faster when job size was smaller, arithmetic accomplishment was higher, and reckoner usage was less frequent ( Imbo et al. 458 ) . This substantiates the demand for restricting the usage of reckoners by pupils. Subjects in the research of Imbo et Al. were studied in footings of choosing and put to deathing retrieval ( what is known ) and procedural ( the procedure of working jobs out ) schemes on an arithmetic accomplishments undertaking, trial, and questionnaire. â€Å" Students who used reckoners often showed low retrieval and procedural efficiency degree but did non differ in scheme choices ( Imbo et al. 459 ) . The consequences showed that pupils frequently selected good schemes for job resolution but the pick of s cheme did non ever produce effectual or efficient processs or procedures for work outing jobs, and the figure of processs identified in making math is limited by reckoner usage. Imbo et Al. related frequent reckoner usage to hapless arithmetic public presentation for both immature kids and grownups in this research ( 460 ) . This hapless arithmetic public presentation, enhanced by frequent reckoner usage, frequently prefaces mathematically related assurance issues in pupils. Many pupils struggle with math and develop a disfavor for it because they lack assurance in their mathematical accomplishments. Unlimited usage of reckoners often helps construct a feeling of insufficiency or give pupils a false sense of assurance ( Porchea 118 ) . Calculators are non meant to, and can non, work out all math jobs in schoolrooms despite the fact that many people think so. Dion et Al. reported in her surveies that â€Å" few points on the instructors ‘ tests really required reckoners to work out † the jobs ( 433 ) . Since trials do non reflect the demand for reckoner usage, it is degrading to presume pupils need reckoners in order to execute mathematical operations. This degradation of ability lessens the assurance degrees of pupils in mathematical operations. Lack of assurance mathematically is compounded by assurance issues in executing computations with reckoners. Research besides shows that pupils are frequently uncomfortable utilizing reckoners. Berry and Graham analyzed pupils ‘ key strokes on reckoners as they took trials ( 143 ) . They found that pupils did non â€Å" create strategies or ways of working that incorporated the reckoner † ( Berry and Graham 143 ) . Even though there were jobs on the trials that required certain types of computations within the ability of the reckoner, cardinal shot analysis showed â€Å" virtually no grounds of these being done on the artworks reckoners † ( Berry and Graham 143 ) . When pupils were interviewed and asked about this they replied that â€Å" while they knew how to utilize the reckoner to transport out statistical trials, they did non experience wholly confident in making this † ( Berry and Graham 143 ) . Berry and Graham ‘s research discloses that pupils who lack reckoner cognition, abilities and assurance lack the same in respects to math. This has many deduct ions for instructors. Porchea ‘s survey indicated that instructors spent an copiousness of clip reassuring pupils on their usage of reckoners and supplying elaborate account refering pupils ‘ completed undertakings on the reckoner ( 50 ) . Quesada studied seven hundred and 70 pupils in college pre-calculus categories ( 206 ) . The control group survey required the usage of scientific reckoners and a regular math book. The experimental group used one type of charting reckoner and a text edition designed for charting reckoners. The experimental group scored higher on the concluding test than the control group. Consequences of the survey argued that the usage of the graphing reckoner and designed text edition facilitated apprehension, provided ability to look into replies, and saved clip. However, the pupils that used charting reckoners performed somewhat worse in the category than in old math categories ( Quesada 212 ) . Students voiced that they were concerned that while there were advantages t o graphic reckoner usage, they did non experience prepared for the following degree math class and sensed they were excessively dependent on the usage of reckoners in category. This demonstrates pupils ‘ deficiency of assurance in reckoner applications and their abilities to calculate mathematical jobs, even when having direction on reckoner usage and integrating of reckoner accomplishments in categories. Students must larn to utilize reckoners to the fullest extent to profit from the engineering. The Theory of Instrumentation, introduced by Berry and Graham, discusses reckoners as tools or instruments ( 141 ) . If, when utilizing a reckoner, pupils incorporate techniques to work out jobs the reckoner becomes a tool utilised to finish a undertaking. When a â€Å" strategy † or program is constructed by pupils while utilizing the reckoner, it evolves into an instrument ( Berry and Graham 1044 ) . The difference between pupils utilizing a reckoner as an instrument or tool shows whether they understand the capablenesss of the reckoner. They use this cognition to program and strategize a solution to a job ( instrument usage ) or they may be calculator smart and know all of the right buttons to force to acquire an reply ( usage as a tool ) . When pupils are utilizing the reckoner as an instrument they are making a solution to a job. Students frequently view calculator actions to be wholly separate from mathematical calculation and job resolution. Most pupils use reckoners as tools. Teachers should anticipate and demand reckoner usage as an instrument in their schoolrooms. When reckoners are used as instruments, pupils demonstrate cognition of how the reckoner works and what it can make. Berry and Graham studied 12 pupils as they worked on a set of two undertakings and found, through their key strokes, â€Å" that the pupils were excessively reliant on the reckoner without cognizing many of the anomalousnesss it may bring on † ( 146 ) . No strategy or program was evidenced by their key strokes, because the pupils did non make ways of working that incorporated the usage of the reckoner as an instrument ( Berry and Graham 142 ) . Students utilized the reckoner as a tool to happen an reply, non as an instrument to invent a program to work out a job. In Berry and Graham ‘s surveies, usage of the reckoners as tools impacted the pupils, but unluckily pupil cognition and understanding ne'er impacted how the reckoners were used ( 142 ) . Datas from McCulloch provides grounds that many pupils perceive the graphing reckoner to be a â€Å" tool that is of import because of its ability to decrease the thought involved in work outing a job † ( 43 ) , and they besides consider reckoners to be efficient tools in work outing jobs rapidly ( McCulloch 87 ) . The usage of a reckoner offers pupils a assortment of powerful new acquisition and job resolution schemes, but as a tool, it diminishes the demand for the pupil to get a high grade of accomplishment in symbol use ( Katsberg and Leatham 29 ) . Students must be knowing about reckoners to utilize them as instruments to happen ways to work out mathematical jobs. Whether reckoners are used by pupils as tools or instruments, they are merely every bit smart as their users and can merely execute operations when manipulated to make so. Therefore, pupils must understand the function and maps of the reckoners to utilize them efficaciously and expeditiously. The deficiency of cognition about the maps and problem-solving techniques of reckoners frequently consequences in pupil abuse and mistakes. While pupils know the basic procedures of reckoners, they are non cognizant of the particular maps, keys, and characteristics reckoners have, or the function of these in the usage of the reckoner to work out jobs. Students rarely go beyond the functionality of the reckoner to research the potency or restraints of the engineering. Berry and Graham revealed that pupils in their instance surveies were incognizant of many of the characteristics of the reckoners even though they had entree to and used reckoners every twenty-four hours in category. The pupils besi des made errors that would non hold been made without the usage of a reckoner. The advanced operations of reckoners, such as screen size and trigonometric maps, were ne'er explored by the topics in the surveies of Katsberg and Leathman ( 27 ) . For illustration, the pupils were required to chart a map and because they did non cognize to alter the screen size of the reckoner they graphed the incorrect map as their reply. They knew what the map should look like but because the reckoner showed them otherwise, they assumed the reckoner was right. If they had a on the job cognition of the maps of the reckoner, the pupils would hold known to alter the screen size. If they would hold graphed the map by manus, they would hold realized their error. In Katsberg and Leathman ‘s research, charting reckoners were found to be used predominately to look into algebraic solutions, find solutions diagrammatically, and to chart maps. When pupils understand the function and maps of reckoners, the y are comfy utilizing scheme and applications to work out mathematical jobs. Katsberg and Leatham ‘s research besides indicates that pupils become baffled and overwhelmed as they attempt to incorporate their cognition of mathematics with their developing apprehension and usage of a reckoner ( 28 ) . Brown et al. indicated through their research that instructors of high mathematics classs worry that reckoner usage by pupils may be a manner of acquiring replies without understanding mathematical procedures ( 102 ) . The bulk of the clip pupils do non utilize old cognition to work out jobs utilizing the reckoner. â€Å" When utilizing a in writing reckoner the pupils seemed to hold forgotten what they learned when they foremost started out plotting graphs † ( Berry and Graham 146 ) . There is a broad graduated table difference in the ability to work out a job utilizing a reckoner and the application of cognition and accomplishment to work out mathematical jobs through critical thought and reckoner applications. Berry and Graham found, through the keystroke research, that pupils frequently adopted a button pressing experimental scheme to work out jobs alternatively of understanding the procedure ( 147 ) . Dion et Al. reinforced this by reasoning that â€Å" The debut of reckoners into the course of study needfully invites pupils to larn keystroke instead than constructs † ( 433 ) . It is of import to separate between reckoner proficiency and the mathematical ability of pupils. The demand for pupils to regularly write down their work and reflect, instead than merely acquire the reply to a job, stems from this deficiency of pupil understanding in what a reckoner can make and how it is used. Quesada et Al. observed that pupils tend to automatically get down to seek to diagrammatically work out jobs alternatively of work outing them algebraically when reckoner usage is allowed in categories ( 213 ) . Students who were interviewed in McCulloch ‘s instance surveies indicated that â₠¬Å" reckoner usage is a security cyberspace sort of thing † supplying a opportunity to plug- in Numberss to happen replies when needed ( 2 ) . What follows is a false sense of security sing mathematical abilities and accomplishments. Calculator usage does non guarantee that a pupil is mathematically adept merely like the ability to make math does non bespeak strength in reckoner accomplishments My experience traveling through school supports my statement that reckoner usage in schools should be limited. Throughout my in-between school old ages we were allowed to utilize a TI-15 trade name reckoner. Slightly more advanced than a scientific reckoner, it allows for calculating and simplifying fractions and utilizing per centum marks. We seldom used them in category or on prep assignments. Due to the limited usage of the reckoners in in-between school, my Algebra I category during my first-year twelvemonth of high school was a zephyr. However, as a ten percent class high school pupil, TI-83 reckoners were required. TI-83 ‘s, available in every schoolroom, were used every twenty-four hours from that point frontward in my high school calling. Access to a reckoner at all times, fostered a dependance on utilizing it for a good sum of the work I did. When I arrived at North Carolina State University I was shocked that I was non allowed to utilize a reckoner in my math categori es. During my Calculus I category last semester, reckoner usage was non allowed in category at all, for any ground. Limited reckoner usage has continued this semester in my Calculus II category. I frequently find myself holding to re-study certain facets of mathematics because I became so dependent on my reckoner in high school. It was, and is non, an easy thing to make. College math professors move through stuff rapidly and supply small review clip in category. More research should be done to accurately show how reckoner usage in schools is impacting pupils, separately and as a whole, from the clip of passage from in-between school to high school and through graduation from high school. Calculator usage should be limited due to the many jobs pupils face when utilizing them. Even with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction ‘s authorization of reckoner usage in the schoolrooms, limited usage could be easy implemented. Teachers could delegate reckoner inactive prep and force pupils to demo all of their work. Another option would be to do assigned trials calculator inactive but allow clip for pupils to utilize the reckoner to look into their work one time they have finished the trial. Students might besides be required to demo all of their work on trials and quizzes with the reckoner available to them for usage. Restrictions could be set on reckoner usage by non leting the reckoners when pupils are larning new stuff. Checking work with the reckoner after quizzes, where reckoner usage is prohibited, might supply a great teaching minute as pupils begin to larn how they can look into their work or execute these undertakings accurately on the reckoner whi le reflecting on the completed work. The usage of a reckoner can do negative effects, but is non normally harmful until pupils become dependent and think they can non carry through mathematical undertakings and trials without them. If instructors do non necessitate pupils to demo their work on a regular basis, so they can non claim command of accomplishments in mathematics. Besides, instructors can non anticipate their pupils to claim command of mathematical accomplishments. With the restrictions above, or if instructors design their ain originative restrictions, the pupils ‘ mathematical ability will be even greater than what it is presently. It can non ache to restrict the usage of reckoners ; it will merely assist better college-bound pupils ‘ accomplishments as they enter college. It will besides increase the cognition and mathematical accomplishments and abilities of those who are graduating and traveling into the military or work force. This would break advance the ends of high schools, to fix and educ ate skilled, globally cognizant, and â€Å" future ready † pupils for tomorrow. Calculator usage in schools should be limited to better guarantee that pupils possess command of accomplishments without dependance on beginnings other than themselves in readying for the present and future.

De Beers Case Essay

De Beers Case Study This case study of De Beers outlines the company’s evolution from its formation in the mid-1800s to year 2000. In these 200 years span of time, De Beers was the leader in the mining of diamonds and their leadership contributed to what the industry is today. As the leader in the industry, De Beers had large stakes in mining fields in South Africa. Their dominance in the country also meant being socially responsible. At the onset, this was difficult to validate because social responsibility for businesses hasn’t been really discovered yet, especially in countries such as Africa. During the great depression of the 1930s, racial tension rose. The depression â€Å"fueled Afrikaner nationalism and the drive for white supremacy and racial separation† (page 12 of case study). By the 1940s, De Beers CEO Ernie Oppenheimer, wanted to promote social progress for black Africans. Their strength in mining diamond unfortunately wasn’t able to curtail the era of apartheid or racial discrimination. This however, did not stop De Beers to do the socially responsible thing, which was to oppose the apartheid, but also had to do it in a way to not affect its business. The company is successful and essentially has a monopoly in the diamond market. Their success and monopoly didn’t come with heavy criticism from legal entities and local communities. Such criticisms like child and cheap labor. Some of these negative publicities were clouded by some of their contribution to local cities, building schools and living conditions for black Africans. De Beers’ control of the diamond market comes with pressures and challenges from government entities. For instance, De Beers for the longest time could not operate in the U. S. because of indictments issued by the U. S. Justice Department for antimonopoly cases and for refusing to provide industrial diamonds during World War II. De Beers appears to be heading to the right direction, strengthening their governance practices, which was one of their weakest areas. Their review of their corporate strategy in 1998 resulted in a new strategy for the company for the new century. These are business strategies that are sound and also business practices that are ethical and responsible. Post Enron and Arthur Anderson, came Sarbanes-Oxley for U. S. companies and De Beers’ new business strategy and practices seems to be aligned with these rules. Similarly, De Beers seems to be addressing child labor issues, similar to what Gap, Inc. had to address (ABC World News, 10-27-08). This active approach is also aligned with their new strategies, which is to be more sensitive and to adhere to strict social requirements and responsibilities, but to be sensitive to the overall impact of operations on the local community.