Critically review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Critically review - Essay Example The fashion shows run by Hussein Chalayan in exhibiting his designs carries an exceptional sense of style and character. For instance, most of his fashion shows have a characteristic sets that are minimal, as well as, exhibit a certain sense of suspense in the mood. Hussein does not stop at anything to dazzle the world with his wonderful designs, especially considering the elements of geometric structures, urban architecture, as well as, contemporary interiors incorporated in them. His shows explore a certain sense of theoretical and conceptual designs that play out behind his garments across the body of the models used for the fashion design. This, in fact, is one of the winning strategies that Hussein uses to beat his competitors to the prize especially in most of the fashion show competitions he participates. The aura and glamour of his designs always put him ahead of other designers, making him one of the hottest designers in the fashion industry. One of the most reveling fashion design exhibitions played out by Hussein was in January 22, 2009. In fact, the media, such as the Daily Telegraph, terms this fashion exhibition as â€Å"a Beautifully Orchestrated Show†. This fashion design was at the London Museum of Modern Art and attracted partners and stakeholders from the vast fashion industry. As the expert he was, Hussein did not disappoint his audience, and as such, left the media partners both dazed and confused from his meticulous pieces of designs, covering different cultural aspects, themes, innovation and creativity, as well as, an avid mind of incorporating technology and design in his creations. The fashion show development incorporated the most contemporary fashion designs with his pieces leading the forefront. He was meticulous as always, with his incorporation of the most progressive attitudes towards the

The Differences Between Health Care

The Differences Between Health Care A persons first level of contact, with regards to the health system is known as Primary Health Care (French, S., Old, A., Healy, J. (2001)). It is necessary, usually community based, health care aimed to be reachable to all everywhere and delivering health care nearer to peoples homes and workplaces (Gillies A. (2003). The primary providers of this type of health care are general practitioners (GPs); however the number of nurses and midwives that are providing primary health care is rising (French et.al (2001)). Types of primary health care include the treatment of everyday problems such as sore throats, diabetes, etc. but also preventive care such as vaccinations and screening (Bodenheimer, T. S., and Brumbach, K. (2009)). Primary health care also requires continuity which allows a GP to track and ensure the health of a patient over time (Schoen, C., Osborn, R., Doty, M. M., Bishop, M., Peugh, J., Murukutla, N. (2007)). The next level up from primary health care is Secondary and Tertiary Health Care. Secondary requires the use of more specialised skill and equipment to fix the problems (Bodenheimer, T. S., and Brumbach, K. (2009)). Such services will usually be found in hospitals, inpatient services and outpatient clinics, as well as the occasional private clinics (French et al (2001)). This type of care is reserved for specialist doctors in such fields as neurology, gynaecology, general surgery amongst others and can only act as consultants through referrals from the persons GP (Bodenheimer, T. S., and Brumbach, K. (2009)). Tertiary health care is for the more complex and expensive procedures with only a select few hospitals fully equipped to handle them, such as open heart surgery or organ transplants (Bodenheimer, T. S., and Brumbach, K. (2009)). Nowadays the distinction between secondary and tertiary is blurred as technological advances have made previously complex procedures relatively uncomplicated, such as non-invasive surgery (French et.al (2001)). Which primary health care services enhance individual health? Which ones enhance population health? Due to the signing of the 1978 Alma Ata Declaration, a strong focus was put on primary health services, both to enhance individual health. Services that are designed to enhance the overall health of an individual include immunisation against many harmful infectious diseases such as measles and polio. These vaccines are usually administered by your general practitioner or nurse practitioner in your community. Another individual enhancer includes screening programs that allow us to identify any dangerous and/or deadly diseases or conditions present in a person, for such things as tumours (Gillies A. (2003)). Services that enhance population health are in most cases very large preventive, educational and recuperative services aimed at tackling the main health concerns of communities. Examples include the education of proper nutrition so people can eat more healthily, improved and satisfactory quality of water supplied to the population, better elementary public hygiene. When a threat of an endemic in the region/area occurs, the management of it to prevent further contamination of others is a large scale, and preventive, type of population health services. An important population health enhancer is the provision of services for soon to be or planning to be mothers and for those already with children, known as family planning. In some cases, for the health of people to be fully achieved, having access to very necessary drugs and medication is a service that enhances population health (Gillies A. (2003)). What is gatekeeping? Describe the consequences of gatekeeping for patients and for the overall health system. Gatekeeping is a concept wherein the availability of receiving a consultation from a secondary health care provider, such as brain or orthopaedic specialist, is limited to the patient without acquiring a written referral from their primary care provider (PCP), their general practitioner. This leads to the PCP acting as a gatekeeper (or a general health co-ordinator) and is done to limit the number of referrals to specialist, diagnostic tests amongst other services with the promise of incentives for doing so due to certain financial agreements with these specialists (Bodenheimer, T. S., and Brumbach, K. (2009)). An exception to this is in the case of accident and emergency services (French, S., Old, A., Healy, J. (2001)). The consequences of this system for patients are that some will become annoyed with any limiting of availability to specialists. This is due to many patients insisting that they must have access to both adequate primary and specialty care, when they feel the need for more specialized care they have a problem with the constricting of access to them (Bodenheimer, T. S., and Brumbach, K. (2009)). Another consequence is that patients are ensured of receiving the correct treatment at the proper time in the right place (Bodenheimer, T. S., and Brumbach, K. (2009)). Also due to the PCPs being able to deliver continuing and thorough care for patients, there are higher chances of improved health outcomes (reference required WHO health network?) PCPs having more access to their patients and the gatekeeping role they perform have led to lower hospitalisation, usage of specialist and emergency centers and the odds of unnecessary health interventions and is considered to be more cost effective than going directly to a specialist (reference required WHO health network?). The presence of such a system also appears to have a beneficial effect of lowering the need for costly and specialist-led hospital care (reference required WHO health network?). In New Zealand we have a health care system in which most primary care requires payment from recipients of care, yet almost all higher level care is free. What problems are likely to arise from this dual system? Unnecessary use of hospitals and ambulances, less access for poorer people, Robin Hood effect, inverse care law, funding, cost, define, What, if any, are some positive features of this system? Security felt by people who otherwise couldnt afford, Identify some (4-5) indicators that provide evidence of the extent of problems. GPs per capita in certain areas, unnecessary hospitalisation, wrongful budget spending (over and under), quality of care by GPs who believe patients are fine,

Street Racing Essay -- Research Racing Safety Cars Essays

Street Racing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To race or not to race, what will keep you safe? Racing can be safe but not always if you race illegally. There are a lot of safety items that some racers don’t even use, I mean they keep you safer but they don’t spot the buck for the equipment. They spend so much money on their cars to make them faster, yet most of them don’t spend money towards safety. I know what you’re thinking, THIS IS LUDACRIS but it is the truth and you will learn more by reading below.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Safety is a very important thing when you are in an object that weighs over a ton and could do over 100mph or more. A lot of racers do not spend enough money on safety, yet a surprising majority of racers do. Racers can have different combinations of these safety items; racing seats, racing harness, fire extinguisher or in some cases a roll cage (to prevent being crushed in a roll or flip). A racing harness goes hand in hand with a racing seat to keep you held to the very durable (usually aluminum) yet comfortable (padded) seat, also the fire extinguisher in case of a fire. A roll cage is in the more serious racers car to prevent the car from crushing you or being crushed in a flip or roll.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many different types illegal racing, there is drag racing, stoop light races, and point to point races. Drag race is simply when cars line up and race a short distance usually between  ¼ mile and one mile. A stoplight race is something you could see on the road any time. This is when t...

Developing Positive Assertiveness

Summary Developing assertiveness is more than just learning to speak differently. Being assertive requires thinking assertively, behaving positively and feeling self-confident. We must all make a conscious effort to be consistently assertive. As we learn to become more assertive we reduce our stress, failures, dissatisfactions and conflicts. Developing assertiveness requires effort but the rewards are worth it. Successful behavior change requires thinking and doing. Behavior change is possible once you understand that it is an evolving, ongoing process that can be accomplished by moving through various stages.This essay discusses and describes the different behavioral types along with recipes to lead to successful behavioral change. It examines the effects of positive mental imagery and the self-fulfilling prophecy towards programming yourself towards success. It explores the four steps for powerful assertiveness along with how to deal and prepare for confrontation. Assertiveness is the antidote to fear, shyness, passivity, and even anger, so there is an astonishingly wide range of situations in which this training is appropriate.The case study demonstrates how after assertiveness training employees feel empowered with tools and skills to handle any communication situation. All of us should insist on being treated fairly — to stand up for our rights without violating the rights of others. This means tactfully, justly and effectively expressing our preferences, needs, opinions and feelings. We do this through the development of positive assertiveness. Introduction When we hear the word assertive most people think of someone standing their ground refusing to give an inch and pushing to have their own way.Others think of someone who is stubborn on certain issues but overall a nice individual. Others do not know what assertive behavior really is. Assertive behavior is a natural style while being honest, direct and respectful while interacting with others. Wh y is there a need for assertiveness training books and courses? They are essential as most people do not understand the importance of using assertive behavior. As more and more people develop assertiveness and start to influence others, the awareness and acceptance of this behavior type will increase.Everyone should aspire to be assertive – it is a desirable behavior, it is vital for honest, healthy relationships. It is the behavior necessary for positive outcomes in negotiation, normal business dealings, conflict resolution and also in family life. †The assertive individual is a tower of strength with high self-esteem with clear self-knowledge and able to accept their own shortcomings as well as their strengths. † Figure 1: The Assertiveness Triangle. The Three Main Behavioral TypesNo one is consistently assertive, we all follow these three basic behavioral types depending on the situation: Passive – this behavior is passive and indirect. It conveys a mess age of inferiority. By being nonassertive, we allow the needs, wants and rights of others to be more important than our own. It creates a behavior of â€Å"win-lose† situations. A nonassertive person loses or is disregarded while allowing others to win. This leads to being a victim not a winner. Aggressive – this behavior is complex, it can be either passive or active.Aggression can be direct or non-direct, honest or dishonest. It communicates an impression of disrespect and superiority. Assertive – this is when a person stands up for their legitimate rights in such a way that the rights of others are not violated. It communicates respect for others behavior. It is an honest, direct and appropriate expression of one’s beliefs, feelings and opinions. Figure 2: Assertiveness, graph mode. Figure 3: The different behavioral types. Figure 4: Examples of the different types of behavior.Successful Change of Behavior Successful behavior change requires thinking a nd doing. Behavior change is possible once you understand that it is an evolving, ongoing process that can be accomplished by moving through various stages. Real change comes only after persistent action. The more frequently people perform a behavior, the more habitual and automatic it becomes, requiring little effort or conscious attention. Figure 5: Motivation and ability graph. Figure 6: Target behavior graph showing effects of core motivators. Positive Mental ImageryWhen developing positive assertiveness you will begin to start practicing new ways of expressing yourself and handling yourself. It is a good idea to also practice the technique of positive mental imagery. This is using your imagination to visualize yourself saying and doing things successfully and assertively. Envision situations in which you see yourself being assertive, feel confident, powerful and effective. Only imagine positive outcomes. Think of positive mental imagery as being proactive in the journey of deve loping positive assertiveness.Four P’s of Successful Change Any type of change whether big or small can be challenging. For many, large scale change only occurs when after a traumatic experience. However, one does not need a traumatic upset to prompt change. To make a successful change, you do need to be prepared. There are 4 rules which help to retain these changes. 1. Protection – Change is often very scary. One of the reasons we do not change is because of fear. Our fear can be vague but enough to sabotage successful change. Having protection can help to stick with a commitment to change.It may be best to start your successful assertiveness in an environment which feels very safe. Change one thing at a time – slow and steady wins the race. 2. Potency – Change is an active process not a passive process. It is necessary to put in some mental effort, emotional involvement and physical activity. To tap into your potency: define your goal in simple, active, positive words. Write down your change goal and display it where you can see it every day. Imagine practicing your goal of positive assertiveness and visualize yourself doing this with ease. . Permission – Each of us requires permission of change ourselves. Be sure to give yourself permission to change. 4. Practice – To become skillful with any behavior requires practice. A large amount of practice may be needed before your new behavior becomes natural and integrated into daily life. Develop a practice schedule, be specific about how often, when and where. Record your efforts and successes. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy The self-fulfilling prophecy is a statement that alters actions and therefore comes true.For example, a person stating â€Å"I’m probably going to have a lousy day,† might alter his actions so that such a prediction is fulfilled by his actions. This may be an unconscious gesture. A person who embraces the self-fulfilling prophecy in a positive way â€Å"I’m going to have a great day† might act in ways that will actually make this prediction true. Programming Yourself for Success If you want to program yourself for success you will need to understand that if you only put rubbish into your head, you will only ever get trashy results in your life!The human minds works just like a computer- when it comes to basic programming the same basic rules apply: if only negative stuff goes in then only negativity will come out. If you want to program yourself for success then you need to lock your mind against every single thought that is not coloured with success and covered with positivity. Many people struggle with reprogramming themselves for success because although they practice positive thinking, they visualize and say their affirmations, negativity is still the predominant factor in their lives.It is not the affirmations and the visualizations that are getting in the way, but rather the thoughts and the feelings that are active the rest of the time! The only way you are going to program yourself for success is to go on the offensive, and to make a conscious effort to not only have a constant intake of positive, success-filled thoughts and feelings, but to also avoid any thoughts and feelings that cancel out your success-driven mentality. The Four Steps for Powerful Assertiveness There are four basic steps that can help you to become more assertive in everyday dealings with others.Step 1: Repeat the Question or Statement To add power to your assertiveness the first thing to do is to repeat the question. Ensure that you have good eye contact and speak with confident, assertive voice tones. It may be necessary to emphasize certain words the second time to increase the chances of getting your point across. Step 2: Command, don’t ask If the person continues to refuse to co-operate, switch from asking to commanding. Being directive tends to sound more powerful than a request to most.Learn to use the request for the majority of people, the average person will hear your request as polite and appropriate, there is less risk of sounding pushy. If the request does not produce results then change the request to a command. Step 3: Add Some Emotion If your efforts are still unsuccessful you can add emotion as another way to add power to your assertiveness. People are unaccustomed to open emotions and honesty and by using these you can add significant power to your communication. Step 4: Introduce Consequences By introducing consequences it is a final way to add power to your assertiveness.They are not threats, they are simply statements of what your intentions are if you do not get co-operation. Consequences need to be stated in advance to give the other person a chance to change their behavior. Consequences need to be strong and believable, the action needs to be something undesirable. You must be willing to follow through on the consequence if necessary. If you are tested by the other person and you do not take the action you said you would, you will lose all credibility and power not just with that person but perhaps also with others.Case Study Assertiveness training helps administrative assistants forge positive relationships with internal and external customers. Situation: A college recognised that its administrative assistants work with a range of internal and external customers and assertiveness training with this these employees could have a positive impact throughout the organisation. This group also tends to be passive. Challenge: The administrative assistants report to multiple faculty members, and they felt powerless to effectively juggle the assignments of multiple bosses.As the university's face to the customer (students), polished communication skills would enable them to more effectively communicate with these customers. Solution: The college hired Mary to present a communication workshop for this group. Mary customised training focused on assertive communication skills and how to work with difficult people. Also, the group participated in a personality assessment to gain insight into their individual communication style and, with role playing, learned how to communicate with people who have different communication styles.Results: The college invites Mary to conduct a communication workshop for this group every year, focusing on various communication aspects. Participants rave that the workshops are interactive and relevant to their job. They feel empowered with tools and skills to handle any communication situation. Dealing with Confrontations Many people cannot handle confrontation and start to shake, they lose control of their voice pitch and cannot control their thoughts. It is frustrating when someone is putting you down and you cannot argue back as you have a touch of confrontation jitters.It is the ‘Flight or Fight’ syndrome kicking in as it pumps adrenaline through your body in readiness of ge tting your body prepared to either ‘Flight’ or ‘Fight’. Some tips to deal with confrontation: * Take a deep breath, this lowers your heartbeat and blood pressure. * If you can, take five minutes to rehearse what you will say. Make key points for your argument. * Realise what triggers your anger and prepare a response to that trigger. By doing this you are aware of what buttons others can push to provoke a certain response.When you know your own triggers it is less likely that someone can push these buttons as you are prepared. * Make the other person aware of how confrontational they are being such as ‘why are you being so confrontational? ’ this turns the energy back on them and lets them reflect on themselves. This may calm them down as most people get lost in the moment and do not realise they are being aggressive. * Don’t get sucked into other people’s arguments where the purpose is to manipulate you into loosing and thereby s howing the other person that they are superior.If you don’t get sucked in there is no argument to win and you will come out looking the better person. Figure 7: Conflict Management Model. Conclusion This essay has examined the positive effects that assertiveness can have on your social and business interactions. It is an ongoing development process where you need to be actively involved in modifying your behavior patterns. Assertiveness includes the right to choose not to assert yourself. There is no rule saying that you have to assert yourself all the time and in some situations you may feel it is better not to say anything.Generally, though, you are likely to find that being more assertive has a significant positive impact on your life. Because some people want to be â€Å"nice† and â€Å"not cause trouble,† they â€Å"suffer in silence,† and assume nothing can be done to change their situation. We appreciate pleasant, accommodating people but whenever a nice person allows a greedy, dominant person to take advantage of them, the passive person is not only cheating themselves but also reinforcing unfair, self-centered behavior in the aggressive person.True assertiveness means without aggression, guilt or fear. It is far more effective in the long run and infinitely more satisfying. Winning others to your way of thinking, the legitimate way, is much more fun. By choosing to be assertive and by following the steps outlined in this essay, you will know that you have the power over any situation, over your own feelings and stress levels. Recommendations Being assertive is being able to express yourself with confidence, without resorting to passiveness, aggressiveness or manipulative.By developing assertiveness and being aware of your strengths and weaknesses you can learn how to modify your behavior in both social and work interactions, therefore enhancing your career prospects and improving your social life. Practice your skills on so meone you are unlikely to meet again. If you fail, realise where you have gone wrong and try again. Attending workshops and seminars can be extremely valuable especially when given the opportunity to use role-play to uncover your response in various interpersonal situations. Assertiveness is closely linked to self-esteem and body language so it is important to build on these ideas too.The Irish Training and Educational Centre (ITEC) run an ‘Assertiveness at Work’ distance learning course online for a fee of â‚ ¬330 covering 6 modules. This course can be signed up for online (https://www. irishtraining. ie/business/assertiveness_work. html) or by phoning ITEC on 01-2897579 Appendices Figure 1: The Assertiveness Triangle Figure 2: Assertiveness, graph mode. Figure 3: The different behavioral types. Figure 4: Examples of the different types of behavior. Figure 5: Motivation and ability graph. Figure 6: Target behavior graph showing effects of core motivators.Figure 7: C onflict Management Model. Bibliography Johnson J, â€Å"Developing Assertiveness†, First Edition, James Madison University, MA USA, 2004 Lloyd S, â€Å"Positive Assertiveness†, Third Edition, Thomson Learning, Boston MA USA, 2002 Mullen P, â€Å"Management/Supervisory Skills†, Logicert, Cork 2003 References https://www. irishtraining. ie/business/assertiveness_work. html https://www. ciltuk. corg. com/theknowledgecentre http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-a-self-fulfilling-prophecy. htm Aitchison, S. , â€Å"7 Tips For Dealing With Confrontation† http://www. stevenaitchison. o. uk/blog/7-tips-for-dealing-with-confrontation, June 6, 2011 http://www. sandiego. edu/slic/images/3%20types%20interpersonal. pdf http://www. donnaschilder. com/Inspirational-Articles/Relationships/7-Steps-to-Positive-Assertiveness. shtml http://psychcentral. com/blog/archives/2010/02/25/building-assertiveness-in-4-s teps/ http://s-wagner. tamu. edu/classes/KINE%20214/teachingstrategi es. pdf http://my. safaribooksonline. com/book/personal-development/1560526009/ensuring-successful-change/14#X2ludGVybmFsX0ZsYXNoUmVhZGVyP3htbGlkPTEtNTYwNTItNjAwLTkvMTQ= http://www. odayisthatday. com/how-to-program-yourself-for-success-by-locking-down-your-mental-hard-drive/ http://www. deseretnews. com/article/705323554/Successful-behavior-change-requires-thinking-and-doing. html http://www. improvementtower. com/Assertiveness_in_Work_Place. html HTTP://CALLTHESHRINK. BLOGSPOT. COM/2009/04/ASSERTIVENESS-TRAINING. HTML http://www. strategicinsight. biz/index. php? option=com_content;view=article;id=56;Itemid=60 ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Mullen, Pat â€Å"Module 4, Management/Supervisory Skills† (2003) Pg. 60

Meaning of Education Essay

Recently, a university professor wrote a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. He commented that people shouldn’t put too much weight on the recently released trends in SRA scores of the state’s high school students. The professor went on to describe some of the unanswered questions about the nature and value of assessment. He mentioned that one of the problems with assessment was the ongoing disagreement on the very purpose of education. A few days later, a scathing response was printed from a community member who questioned whether the University really wanted someone on their staff who didn’t even know the purpose of education. Clearly, this person assumed that his definition of education was shared by all. What is the meaning of education? Webster defines education as the process of educating or teaching (now that’s really useful, isn’t it? ) Educate is further defined as â€Å"to develop the knowledge, skill, or character of†¦ † Thus, from these definitions, we might assume that the purpose of education is to develop the knowledge, skill, or character of students. Unfortunately, this definition offers little unless we further define words such as develop, knowledge, and character. What is meant by knowledge? Is it a body of information that exists â€Å"out there†Ã¢â‚¬â€apart from the human thought processes that developed it? If we look at the standards and benchmarks that have been developed by many states—or at E. D. Hirsch’s list of information needed for Cultural Literacy (1), we might assume this to be the definition of knowledge. However, there is considerable research leading others to believe that knowledge arises in the mind of an individual when that person interacts with an idea or experience. This is hardly a new argument. In ancient Greece, Socrates argued that education was about drawing out what was already within the student. (As many of you know, the word education comes from the Latin e-ducere meaning â€Å"to lead out. â€Å") At the same time, the Sophists, a group of itinerant teachers, promised to give students the necessary knowledge and skills to gain positions with the city-state. There is a dangerous tendency to assume that when people use the same words, they perceive a situation in the same way. This is rarely the case. Once one gets beyond a dictionary definition—a meaning that is often of little practical value—the meaning we assign to a word is a belief, not an absolute fact. Here are a couple of examples. â€Å"The central task of education is to implant a will and facility for learning; it should produce not learned but learning people. The truly human society is a learning society, where grandparents, parents, and children are students together. † ~Eric Hoffer â€Å"No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure. † ~Emma Goldman â€Å"The only purpose of education is to teach a student how to live his life-by developing his mind and equipping him to deal with reality. The training he needs is theoretical, i. e. , conceptual. He has to be taught to think, to understand, to integrate, to prove. He has to be taught the essentials of the knowledge discovered in the past-and he has to be equipped to acquire further knowledge by his own effort. † ~Ayn Rand â€Å"The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think—rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with the thoughts of other men. † ~Bill Beattie â€Å"The one real object of education is to leave a man in the condition of continually asking questions. † ~Bishop Creighton â€Å"The central job of schools is to maximize the capacity of each student. † ~Carol Ann Tomlinson These quotations demonstrate the diversity of beliefs about the purpose of education. How would you complete the statement, â€Å"The purpose of education is†¦ â€Å"? If you ask five of your fellow teachers to complete that sentence, it is likely that you’ll have five different statements. Some will place the focus on knowledge, some on the teacher, and others on the student. Yet people’s beliefs in the purpose of education lie at the heart of their teaching behaviors. Despite what the letter writer might have wished, there is no definition of education that is agreed upon by all, or even most, educators. The meanings they attach to the word are complex beliefs arising from their own values and experiences. To the extent that those beliefs differ, the experience of students in today’s classrooms can never be the same. Worse, many educators have never been asked to state their beliefs—or even to reflect on what they believe. At the very least, teachers owe it to their students to bring their definitions into consciousness and examine them for validity. Purposes and Functions. To make matters more complicated, theorists have made a distinction between the purpose of education and the functions of education. (2) A purpose is the fundamental goal of the process—an end to be achieved. Functions are other outcomes that may occur as a natural result of the process— byproducts or consequences of schooling. For example, some teachers believe that the transmission of knowledge is the primary purpose of education, while the transfer of knowledge from school to the real world is something that happens naturally as a consequence of possessing that knowledge—a function of education. Because a purpose is an expressed goal, more effort is put into attaining it. Functions are assumed to occur without directed effort. For this reason it’s valuable to figure out which outcomes you consider a fundamental purpose of education. Which of the following do you actually include in your planning? Acquisition of information about the past and present: includes traditional disciplines such as literature, history, science, mathematics Formation of healthy social and/or formal relationships among and between students, teachers, others Capacity/ability to evaluate information and to predict future outcomes (decision-making) Capacity/ability to seek out alternative solutions and evaluate them (problem solving) Development of mental and physical skills: motor, thinking, communication, social, aesthetic Knowledge of moral practices and ethical standards acceptable by society/culture Capacity/ability to recognize and evaluate different points of view Respect: giving and receiving recognition as human beings Indoctrination into the culture Capacity/ability to live a fulfilling life Capacity/ability to earn a living: career education Sense of well-being: mental and physical health. Capacity/ability to be a good citizen Capacity/ability to think creatively Cultural appreciation: art, music, humanities Understanding of human relations and motivations Acquisition/clarification of values related to the physical environment Acquisition/clarification of personal values Self-realization/self-reflection: awareness of one’s abilities and goals Self-esteem/self-efficacy As Tom Peters reminds us, â€Å"What gets measured, gets done. † Regardless of the high sounding rhetoric about the development of the total child, it is the content of assessments that largely drives education. How is the capacity/ability to think creatively assessed in today’s schools? To what extent is the typical student recognized and given respect? How often are students given the opportunity to recognize and evaluate different points of view when multiple choice tests require a single ‘correct’ answer? Teachers who hold a more humanistic view of the purpose of education often experience stress because the meaning they assign to education differs greatly from the meaning assigned by society or their institution. It is clear in listening to the language of education that its primary focus is on knowledge and teaching rather than on the learner. Students are expected to conform to schools rather than schools serving the needs of students. Stopping to identify and agree upon a fundamental purpose or purposes of education is rare. One sees nebulous statements in school mission statements, but they are often of the â€Å"Mom, baseball, and apple pie† variety that offer little substance on which to build a school culture. Creating meaningful and lasting change in education is unlikely without revisiting this basic definition. At the very least, educators must be challenged to identify and reexamine their beliefs in the light of present knowledge. It is time for the focus of education to shift from what’s â€Å"out there—the curriculum, assessments, classroom arrangement, books, computers—to the fundamental assumptions about and definitions of education held by educators and policymakers. NASA did not send men to the moon by building on the chassis of a model T. In the same way, education cannot hope to move beyond its present state on the chassis of 18th century education.

Art Report for Humanities essays

Art Report for Humanities essays The pictures physical qualities could be noticed more if you were to look at the painting inside the picture. The actual painting would bulge out towards your face. There are so many different events going on with in the painting. Scale - 24 inches wide and 32 inches tall. The pictures formal qualities pop out in many different ways. The paint that is used in presenting the painting seems to appear as oil paint. The shape really didnt strike my eye at all. I chose the artist not from his name, because of the art. I ignored the names and focused on the art the artist was showing to us. I had a larger variety to choose from. The whole gallery was open to me. The art falls under the curvinlinear v. rectilinear category of the shape standards. The line definition was a little confusing to understand. I dont feel that the art carried any particular line pattern. The painting as has two different halves. There is a top half and then there is a bottom half that could be mean a represent two different totally meanings but still make there own story. The were a lot of solid colors. There were pinks, yellows, blues, greens, browns, black, white, orange and purple. But then there are figures that have just black and white in them, like the horse rolling out of the waves. There is the woman in the center of the piece that dramatically centers in the whole piece. The porpoise is dark and seems to be trying to be sneaky. There are fish that look real and seem to be scattering like a school of fish would look like. The Volcano looks fake and almost looks like a cartoon. The waves are fake, colorful and hidden to the right side of the painting. And at the bottom right part of the painting there is a tortes that also seems incredible fake and childish. ...

Top 10 Facts About the Yucatan Peninsula

Top 10 Facts About the Yucatan Peninsula The Yucatan Peninsula is an area in southeastern Mexico that separates the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The peninsula itself is home to the Mexican nations of Yucatan, Campeche, and Quintana Roo. It also covers the northern parts of Belize and Guatemala. The Yucatan is known for its tropical rainforests and jungles, as well as its being the home of the ancient Maya people. Top 10 Geographic Facts The Yucatan Peninsula itself belongs to the Yucatan Platform - a large chunk of land that is partially submerged. The Yucatan Peninsula is the portion that is above the water.It is believed that the mass extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by an asteroid impact in the Caribbean. Scientists have discovered the large Chicxulub Crater just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula and that, along with impact shocks shown on the Yucatans rocks, is likely to be evidence showing where the asteroid hit.The Yucatan Peninsula is a significant area for ancient Mayan culture as there are many different Mayan archaeological sites in the region. The most famous of these include Chichen Itza and Uxmal.Todays Yucatan Peninsula is still home to native Maya people as well as people of Mayan descent. Mayan languages are also still spoken in the area today.The Yucatan Peninsula is a karst landscape dominated by limestone bedrock. As a result, there is very little surface water (and the water that is pr esent is not usually suitable for drinking water) because drainage in these types of landscapes is underground. The Yucatan is thus covered with caves and sinkholes called Cenotes that were used by the Maya to access the groundwater. The climate of the Yucatan Peninsula is tropical and consists of wet and dry seasons. Winters are mild and summers can be very hot.The Yucatan Peninsula is located within the Atlantic Hurricane Belt which means it is vulnerable to hurricanes from June through November. The number of hurricanes that hit the peninsula vary but they are always a threat. In 2005, two category five hurricanes, Emily and Wilma, hit the peninsula and caused extreme damage.Historically, the Yucatans economy has been dependent on cattle ranching and logging. Since the 1970s though, the areas economy has focused on tourism. The two most popular cities are Cancun and Tulum, both of which attract millions of tourists yearly.The Yucatan Peninsula is home to many tropical rainforests and jungles and the area between Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest in Central America.The name Yucatan also includes the Yucatan state of Mexico that is located on the peninsula. It is a large state with an area of 14,827 square miles (38,402 sq km) and a 2005 population of 1,818,948 people. The capital of Yucatan is Merida. Sources Wikipedia. (20 June 2010). Yucatan - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.Wikipedia (17 June 2010). Yucatan Peninsula - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.

How to Deal With Discipline Problems in the Classroom

How to Deal With Discipline Problems in the Classroom Discipline problems challenge most new teachers and even some veteran educators. Good  classroom management combined with an effective discipline plan helps keep bad behavior to a minimum so the entire class can focus on learning. Classroom rules  must be easy to understand and manageable. Make sure that you dont have such a large number of rules that your students cant consistently follow them. Set an Example Discipline starts with you. Begin each class period with a positive attitude and high expectations. Itll help create a positive learning environment. If you expect your students to misbehave, they probably will. Come to class prepared with lessons for the day. Reduce downtime  for students to help maintain order. Work on making transitions between lessons smooth. For example, as you move from whole-group discussion to independent work, try to minimize the disruption to the class. Have your papers ready to go or your assignment was written on the board so you can move quickly through the process. Many disruptions occur in transitional times during lessons. Be Proactive With Discipline Problems Watch your students as they come into class and look for signs of discord. For example, if you notice a heated discussion before class starts, deal with it then. Give the students a few moments to work things out before you start your lesson. Separate them if necessary and try to gain agreement that during your class period at least, they will drop the issue. Post a discipline plan that you follow consistently to govern student conduct. Depending on the severity of an offense, this should provide a warning or two before formal punishment. Your plan should be easy to follow and cause minimal disruption to your class. For example, first offense: verbal warning; second offense: detention with the teacher; third offense: referral. Use humor when appropriate to diffuse touchy situations. For example, if you tell your students to open their books to page 51, but three students are so busy talking with each other that they do not hear you, resist the urge to yell. Smile, say their  names and ask them calmly to please wait until later to finish their conversation because you would really like to hear how it ends but you have to get this class finished. This should get a few laughs but also get your point across. Be Firm But Fair Consistency and  fairness  are essential for effective classroom management. If you ignore disruptions one day and come down hard on them the next, your students wont take you seriously. You will lose respect and disruptions will probably increase. If you appear unfair in how you enforce the rules, the students will resent you. Address disruptions with in-kind responses. In other words, dont elevate disruptions above their current significance. For example, if two students keep talking in class, dont disrupt your lesson to yell at them. Instead, simply say the students names and issue a verbal warning. You can also try asking one of them a question to bring their focus back to the lesson. If a student becomes verbally confrontational, remain calm and remove them from the situation as quickly as possible. Do not get into yelling matches with your students. And do not bring the rest of the class into the situation by involving them in the disciplinary process. Prioritize Safety When a student becomes visibly agitated, you must maintain a safe environment for the other students. Remain as calm as possible; your demeanor can sometimes diffuse the situation. You should have a plan for dealing with violence that you discussed with students early in the year. You should use the call button for assistance or have a designated student get help from another teacher. Send the other students from the room if it appears they could get hurt. If a fight breaks out in the classroom, follow your schools rules concerning teacher involvement as many administrators want teachers to stay out of fights until help arrives. Keep an anecdotal record of major issues that arise in your class. This might be necessary if you are asked for a history of classroom disruptions or other documentation. Most importantly, let it go at the end of the day. Classroom management and disruption issues should be left at school so you have time to recharge before coming back to another day of teaching.

The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1963. The Role of Diplomacy in Preventing Essay

The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1963. The Role of Diplomacy in Preventing the 3rd Word War - Essay Example The Cuban missile crisis is largely held as the greatest military conflict that occurred during the Cold War. American destroyers were positioned along a picket line with the aim of intercepting Soviet ships moving missiles and atomic warheads to Cuba. Moreover, American air, naval pegged with ground forces got ready for air raids against Soviet missile sites under structure in Cuba. The Strategic Air Command stood put on an extraordinary state of vigilance– â€Å"DEFCON II,† merely one step away from the fact â€Å"war is imminent.† In October 1987, contrary to the setting of Mikhail Gorbachev’s glasnost, it is worth noting that a conference on the Cuban Missile Crisis was conducted. This was the first time, together with living veterans of the Kennedy Government, three reliable Soviet witnesses: the sons of Khrushchev coupled with his closest associate, Anastas Mikoyan, and a past Khrushchev speechwriter were in attendance. After years of persistent secr ecy, the display of reliable Kremlin insiders considerately, cordially, even optimistically linking anec ­dotes and examining the crisis was an exciting novelty, promis ­ing further exposes (Waltz, 2012). Evaluation His heart was thumping rapidly. His hands were quaking, and the tautness was taking his pant away. The tick tack of the watch was retelling him there was not ample time left. Similar to a chess game, John F. Kennedy was at the verge of making a quick and clever decision. Checkmate, and he would triumph in the game. But what if he made an erroneous move? A lot of people’s lives depended on his decision, hence were in his hands. What is branded as the â€Å"Fourteen days of October† (Van De Mark, 1996) stood as the closest that the universe had ever witnessed to a nuclear war. In the course of 1962, the Soviet Union started to construct secret missile headquarters in Cuba for the drive of creating equilibrium over the U.S. arms collection. The U.S., sensi ng a threat from the Soviet Union, took instant actions to  avert this progress. The condition eventually intensified, and neither side was philanthropic upon their stresses (Hershberg, 2004). Yet, as in each chess game, one can either gain, loose, or the game is haggard. In  politics, however, the game is only haggard when there is cooperation amongst the players. In this case, the destiny of millions plainly hinged upon the capability of two people President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev, to influence a compromise. Interests and Goals Certain people might claim that beginning a battle would be the greatest answer for  US. Of course, as a global influence, it would not have been tough for them to overthrow USSR. The conflict would not essentially have to be nuclear. One of the choices that Kennedy had was to block Cuba so as to strike the missiles located by USSR in Cuba’s terrain. It is worth noting that some people still consider that it would have be en a harmless option into backing the end of the conflict. However, this would not function as a way to terminate the conflict but somewhat to initiate it. What are thought to be the significances of little wars are often the grounds for bigger ones (Jane and Ramesh, 1989). The United States deliberated on placing an attack on Cuba via air and sea. However, they agreed on a military "solitary confinement" of Cuba. The U.S. proclaimed that it would not license aggressive

HR Apple company Leadership and Motivation&Reward Essay

HR Apple company Leadership and Motivation&Reward - Essay Example Apple Computer Inc. is a company that has gained universal recognition due to its innovative and branded hardware and software that are easy to use, powerful and more elegant as compared to those of their rivals (Carlopio, Andrewartha & Armstrong 2004, p. 217). However, this positive innovation can be attributed to the leadership practices and motivation and reward that are exercised by the management team of this company. This paper will therefore critically evaluate the effect and contribution of leadership practices and motivation on the performance of Apple Computer Inc. and other organizations. For this purpose, the paper aims at providing the clear definitions of leadership and motivation and reward, thereby critically examining different theories appropriate to these practices. According to Gibb, leadership is the process of influence whereby principled and authoritative individuals exercise high level of influence over the subjects or followers than the subjects did over them (qtd in Ladkin 2010, p. 35). Gibb therefore recognized leadership as a processes in which an individual exercised due influence on another in order to complete an assigned task or to achieve a certain objective. On the other hand Marshall describes transformational leadership as the a leadership style whereby a leader identifies an absolute need for change in the organization, formulates a vision that will â€Å"guide the change through inspiration† and lastly, executes the change with the help and commitment of others (2011, p. 3). Transformational leaders therefore tend to work towards achieving extraordinary positive results. Transformational leadership theory has interested of many organizational leaders over the past few years. According to Givens, this theory was established in 1978 by Burns (2008, p. 4). This theory is based on the ability of the leader to provide motivation to the subjects in order to accomplish the general set

Information Needs for the AIS Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Information Needs for the AIS - Case Study Example However, changes in the technology of production in a company may necessarily not need be preceded by a change managing of information systems concerning accounting management. Importantly any firm seeking to undertake a change in accounting management systems has to evaluate critically evaluate and settle on an alternative that best solves the problems at hand (Allahyari & Ramazani, 2011). The reason is that the management accounting systems (MAS) conditions depend on the degree to which the causes of change are known to the organization as well as their indicators. Therefore, any hurried change in accounting management in response to technological changes in the manufacturing department could have a serious security risk to an extent of comprising the integrity and security of any data involved in the accounting management 2. The second misinformation is that new information technology guarantees improved accounting management in a company. While IT is a critical tool in accounting management in many firms purchasing and installation of systems and personnel to implement, IT strategies might not be enough to a company. This is because, the integrity of the systems and process depend on those operating the systems and the value that these systems have to the organization in question (De Marco et al., 2012). For instance, there is a high dependency on the ethics and personal responsibility in ensuring effective use of IT systems, a factor that has to be considered in rolling out such systems. For a firm to benefit fully from IT facilities and services in accounting there has to be effective IT governance, proper information system strategies, vision, IT strategic alignment to the strategic vision and mission of the organization (De Marco et al., 2012). 3. Cybercrimes and cyber-attacks are commons resources that only require government intervention to solve. The increasing cases of cyber-attacks in accounting departments and have led industry players to call

Evolution of supply chain management Assignment

Evolution of supply chain management - Assignment Example b) Integration era – the integration era marked the use of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. This era stressed on value added and cost reduction supply chain management through integration. c) Globalization era – the globalization era was characterized by the emergence of global system of vendors and suppliers and the expansion of supply chain over national and international boundaries. In this era, organizations aimed to attain competitive advantage by creating value added services and products. At the same time, it aimed to reduce costs through global sourcing. d) Specialization era (Phase I – Outsourced manufacturing and distribution) – this era saw the creation and development of the specialization model which composed of numerous individual supply chains specifically for products, suppliers and customers who worked together to manufacture, design, market, distribute, sell and service a particular product. e) Specialization era (Phase I – Supply chain management as a service) – the commencement of warehouse management, transport brokers and freight carriers has matured into the aspects of collaboration, supply planning, performance management and execution. All this was possible due to the breakthroughs achieved in technology. f) Supply Chain Management 2.0 – this terminology was coined to explain the changes within the supply chain industry and the evolution of methods, tools and processes used to manage resources now. It is very important for an organization to develop supply chain strategy as it creates value for the organization. The first step is to develop a supply chain strategy. For this the first step is to understand the business strategy. If the business strategy is to reduce costs, then the supply chain strategy must be developed to support the same. It is important to find out supply chain competencies and leverage them for the benefit of th e organization. The next step is to access the extended supply chain. This is attained by conducting a realistic, detailed monitoring of capabilities existing within the firm and the extended supply chain. Once the assessment is complete it is very necessary to prioritize and review the recommendations, define the risks, validate the opportunities and the requirements for implementing the supply chain strategy. 2. Explore strategies used by organizations to develop and maintain effective supplier relationships: ? determine suitable strategies with regard to the development of relationships with suppliers, using appropriate web-based technologies ? evaluate the effectiveness of strategies used by an organization ? devise effective systems for relationship maintenance The breakthroughs achieved in web-based technology have made us realize the importance of information exchange that can play a vital part in the competitive strategies adopted by different organizations. It is possible t o maintain good business to business and business to consumer supplier relationships by means of web based techniques. Extensive telecommunication networks are used to develop and maintain effective supplier relationships. Electronic trading is one such method which has effectively helped to maintain vendor relationships (Croom 2000). Another web based technique used to maintain effective supplier relationship is that of electronic warehouse management. It is now possible to inform a client well in

Anything Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Anything - Essay Example The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) design leads to harsh debate concerning key principles of economic freedom between Republican and Democrat Senators as well as their representatives. Once Congress passed PPACA Republican, affiliated groups filed a suit with the Supreme Court that criticized the constitutionality of the law since it considers a universal mandatory health insurance. The group argues that the act contravenes the principles of American constitution that enshrines the preservation of freedom. Influential opinion in the political world has significant levels of political and economic and political consensus in the principles highlighted under the act. Prior to the deliberation of the Act, United States health care lacks obligatory insurance. The situation creates significant number of people that have never had an insurance contact. Impoverished people lack the funds to pay for their health bills. Now that the country adopts the Act, the burden of health bill lies with the state health system. Those that oppose the bill cite that the system as a whole is more expensive to manage compared to any other developed country. With the new system, America is likely to spend more than $7000 per capita on health care and that is double the expense in United Kingdom and Japan. Clinton administration is unable to convince Congress to pass that bid. The benefit of PPACA includes (1) significant reforms that include the removal of preexisting condition clauses for all the health insurance plans. (2) The new health insurance covers immunizations and preventive care. (3) The plan will serve to reduce the long-term cost in health since preventiv e treatments imply low costs.(4) The plan will cover unmarried children under their parents cover until they are over 26 years. The conflicting issue is that it is mandatory to contract a health insurance for all employees. The only exception is the poverty level that becomes part of the Medicaid

Perfect Personal Statements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Perfect Personal Statements - Essay Example I have always been charmed by advancements in technology, which have facilitated progress in terms of the development of electronics. My interest in electronics began when I received a Gameboy gift from my parents. Since then, my desire to learn more about anything concerning electronics has grown by leaps and bounds. I believe I am profoundly suitable to study electronics since challenges, which a normal domain of the Gameboy world, typically bring out the best in my abilities. I relish the opportunity to think creatively and imaginatively and take immense pleasure in learning the intricacies of how electronics function. Since my childhood, I have been satisfied with my level of intelligence and constantly establish new goals and objectives to help stretch my mind and imagination in a better manner than previously. I always allow my experiences to shape my thoughts, while simultaneously holding on firmly to my convictions and what I have learned in the past. This continues to be my way of life. In order to supplement my interest in electronics, I took quite a number of computer courses in the high school curriculum over the years. In addition to my enhanced knowledge of computer, I took an English 4 course during which I grew exceedingly passionate regarding photography, as well as video editing. In my spare time, I love playing video games, watching quizzes and shows on technology gadgets, discovery channels and science. These games and shows enable me keep up with the latest trends in the electronics world, as well as appreciate the latest and greatest technologies and gadgets from across the globe. When I first came to the US, I loved listening to classic rock, which played a pivotal role in enhancing my knowledge of the English language.

Anything Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Anything - Essay Example The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) design leads to harsh debate concerning key principles of economic freedom between Republican and Democrat Senators as well as their representatives. Once Congress passed PPACA Republican, affiliated groups filed a suit with the Supreme Court that criticized the constitutionality of the law since it considers a universal mandatory health insurance. The group argues that the act contravenes the principles of American constitution that enshrines the preservation of freedom. Influential opinion in the political world has significant levels of political and economic and political consensus in the principles highlighted under the act. Prior to the deliberation of the Act, United States health care lacks obligatory insurance. The situation creates significant number of people that have never had an insurance contact. Impoverished people lack the funds to pay for their health bills. Now that the country adopts the Act, the burden of health bill lies with the state health system. Those that oppose the bill cite that the system as a whole is more expensive to manage compared to any other developed country. With the new system, America is likely to spend more than $7000 per capita on health care and that is double the expense in United Kingdom and Japan. Clinton administration is unable to convince Congress to pass that bid. The benefit of PPACA includes (1) significant reforms that include the removal of preexisting condition clauses for all the health insurance plans. (2) The new health insurance covers immunizations and preventive care. (3) The plan will serve to reduce the long-term cost in health since preventiv e treatments imply low costs.(4) The plan will cover unmarried children under their parents cover until they are over 26 years. The conflicting issue is that it is mandatory to contract a health insurance for all employees. The only exception is the poverty level that becomes part of the Medicaid

China Versus India Economic Growth Research Paper

China Versus India Economic Growth - Research Paper Example In terms of per capita GDP, India is way behind China with only $1124 compared to China’s $7518. (Runckel, 2002) China has a remarkably well developed infrastructural system. A number of prime factors that have developed a vast difference between the two countries’ economies, this include; labor development, manpower, water management, communication, healthcare services and facilities and also civic amenities (Zeng & Bigsten, 2006). All these key aspects become clearly defined in China, a nation that has placed positive impacts in the country's economy turning it to a leading in the world (Runckel, 2002). Although India has in the recent times grown and developed tremendously, it still faces problems such as unemployment, poverty, lack of civic amenities and many more. Unlike India, China has continued investing large amounts toward the development of manpower and strengthening of its infrastructure (Chow, 2001). Furthermore, in the sector of manufacturing, China is way ahead of India. In terms of world rankings, China is the third largest nation in manufacturing just behind America and Japan (InternationalMonetaryFund, 2006). India is at the distant 12th and this point out to the fact that its success in expanding the nation’s service industry is yet to be seen in the sector of manufacturing (Zeng & Bigsten, 2006). China was quick in embracing globalization and other open market economies. While the liberalization of India’s policies started in the early 1990s, China had by the mid 1980s welcomed Direct Foreign Investment and also private investment (Chow, 2001). This introduced a significant change in the country’s economy and its Gross Domestic Product increased considerably (Zeng & Bigsten, 2006) Nevertheless, India enjoys a large upper hand over China in the sector of IT/ BPO (Runckel, 2002). India’s documented earnings from the BPO sector in 2010 alone were $49.7 billion, while China’s earnings were $35.76 billion (InternationalMonetaryFund, 2006). In the world’s top ten BPO list, seven India cities feature prominently while only a single city from China is on the list (Runckel, 2002). Also, despite China being one of the Socialist countries, it started towards the match to liberalization of its economy way ahead of India. This strengthened its economy to a great deal (InternationalMonetaryFund, 2006). China is also lagging behind India in tax incentives. Its capital market lags behind India’s capital market in terms of transparency and predictability (Zeng & Bigsten, 2006). India’s stock market is highly transparent and predictable. India possesses Asia’s oldest stock exchange, The Bombay Stock Exchange. China is home to both Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchange (Zeng & Bigsten, 2006). As far as the issue of capitalization gets concerned, Bombay Stock Exchange is smaller than Shanghai Stock Exchange. Shanghai Stock Exchange holds $1.7 trillion with about 8 49 listed companies while Bombay Stock Exchange owns $1 trillion with close to 4833 listed companies (InternationalMonetaryFund, 2006).  In spite the size that makes the two different, BSE operates on the principles of global guidelines and is highly stable because of the quality of the listed corporations (Runckel, 2002). Over the years, both these two

Skills for running a small business

Skills for running a small business SKILLS FOR RUNNING A SMALL BUSINESS There are a number of skills required to run a business. You will need to use the skills you have and probably develop new ones as well It is often not possible for one person to have all the skills, in this case you might consider taking on staff or perhaps a partner to fill the gaps What kind of skills do you think are needed to run a business? Skills relating to products or services Management skills Recording and checking performance skills Selling skills Administration skills Previous experience, although not a skill will help The ability to recognise your own strengths and weaknesses 1. Skills relating to products and/or services Some products or services require specialist skills to produce or provide Even if you buy your products or services in, the people in your business that deal with customers still need a detailed knowledge of what is on offer You will need to think about these skills for your business, do you have them, are you planning to develop them, or are you going to employ someone who has them? 2. Management skills Henry Fayol suggested there are 5 primary functions of management, to be a successful manager you will need to have or develop skills in these areas. Planning Organizing Leading Co-ordinating Controlling (processes, performance etc, NOT people) Some people now think Fayols ideas are a bit old fashioned, however the basic principles of management remain the same A more modern writer, Katz, identified 3 main components to being a good manager Technical skills about the product or service Human skills, interacting with others and leading effectively Conceptual skills, coming up with new ideas, decision making and problem solving 3. Recording and checking performance skills One of the main roles of a business owner is to monitor how well the business is doing so that things can be changed if needed Performance standards need to be set, these should relate back to the aims and objectives and be SMART Actual performance is measured, information is collected. What information would your business need to collect? Actual performance is compared to the standards, if they are being met no further action is needed Corrective action is taken where required How good are you at following this kind of process, do you have an eye for detail, are you likely to follow up and measure? You will need to make use of your organisational and analytical skills 4. Selling skills As a small business owner you may need to use personal selling to get your potential customers to buy Good communication skills Persuasion skills An awareness of buying signals from customers (Observational skills) The ability to close a sale (Negotiation Skills) Good listening skills Identifying product needs in the customer Good product knowledge A lot of these skills can be learnt if you dont have them 5. Administration skills . Administration skills are vital to any business. To be good at administration you need to have a logical approach, be well organised, pay attention to detail and have good communication skills Accurate organisation of customer files and data Letter writing, faxing, emails, telephone calls etc (Technological skills) Preparation and dispatch of invoices, paying bills Managing budgets 6. Previous experience (although not a skill, this would be useful) If you have already worked in a similar company or related business this will help you. Also if you are basing your idea around a hobby or interest this may also give you some expertise If you have worked in a similar business you may have seen problems in that one that help you to avoid them yourself 7. Strengths and Weaknesses No-one is good at everything so you need to be honest about what you can and cant do Recognising your strengths will help you build the business around things you are good at Weaknesses should not be ignored. Once you are aware of them its important to implement a strategy to either eliminate them or prevent them from undermining the business Training you could enroll on a course, possibly with a local college. There are also lots of companies around that specialise in training so you might be able to contact one of them. Beware though, sometimes they can be very expensive, particularly if they are specialised Take on a partner if they compliment your skills this may be a good idea. There may be no upfront expense associated with this but they will expect a share of the profits Do some business networking this is where you attend events that attract other business people, you can talk to them, make contacts, get advice and possibly sales leads as well. For most small businesses this is an excellent option. Business Link, Chamber of Commerce and trade associations are sources that can help with this Employees you could always advertise for an employee with particular skills. Specialist employees may expect   higher salaries so could be expensive There are a number of areas that you can get professional help in. It can be really expensive so be sure you know what youre getting into before you commit. What kind of professions do you think can help? Business consultants you can employ experienced business people who will share their expertise and knowledge Accountants Most small businesses will need to employ a professional accountant, particularly to set up the legal status of the business and produce the annual accounts Solicitors will advise on any legal matters, contracts and the like with regards to the business Business Link an organisation set up by the government (Department for Trade and Industry), they offer services similar to business consultants but because they are government funded they are cheaper. You may have to wait for them, they are generally very busy You are now ready to do a skills audit. You need to perform an objective and accurate assessment of your suitability and the skills you possess to run the business you have chosen. You need to appraise your own skills and abilities honestly and identify any gaps For the first part you need to compile a list of the skills needed to run your business and a realistic assessment of whether or not you have them at the moment. You now need to put an outline job description together that describes the skills needed to run your business. Skills relating to products or services A keen interest in the product sold by my business shal be a necessity n the working of the company, Also a ability to know the whole of the procut along with its functionality shall also be required. It would also be needed that a ability to answer customer demands in regards to a product, to run the business smoothly. Obvioulsy therefore in light of this a ability to use and demonstrate the product shall be required along with a ability to market the product as well as the business enteprie itself. Management skills Team management shall be needed when running my business, especially in the field of marketing. Whereby groups of ndividuals shall market the product outside the company, and therefore good management technique shall need to be drawn upon. Furthermore to this senior management shall be needed to direct the company and its product as the business gros and develops. This ability to lead the business shal undoubtably be a massive requirement in regards to moving th company forward in the future. Recording and checking performance skills Recording and checking the companies performance shall be a necessity as in any other eneterprise. Particularly in the business of a new innovative product, market analysis and checking shll be a hugely needed requirement. Furthermore a ability to check company financial performance shall be needed to ensure the company is hitting projected performance targets as a whole. Selling skills A strong ability to sell the product of which we sell shall be neededwithin my business, for It continued success. A ability to sell the product in bulk orders would be preferable and also to sel the product in a friendly manner too. Also when sales are lost an ability to record and suggest how the sale went wrong shall also b e a required skillset. Administration skills Administration skills as in any business shall be critically important. In order to run my business successfully a srong administration skillset shall be needed. This shall allow for all paperwork and smaller tasks within the business to all be completed to a standard that ensures the company in kept up-to-date in all its work and legality documents. Previous experience, although not a skill will be useful Internal audit Strengths Weaknesses External audit Opportunities Threats Skills Assessment Team Member (Anonymous) Skill Administration Skill Management Skill Selling Skill Product Knowledge Skill Operations Skill Customer Service 1 3 3 2 3 5 3 2 4 4 2 2 4 3 3 5 3 1 2 5 2 4 3 2 2 3 4 1 Tally Priority Rating Scale 1-5 (1=Good, 5=Poor) Statement 1 Your selling skills within your business at the momen its its greatest quality. However its clear that the area of operations can greatly do with improvement Statement 2 Operations is a poor area of your business to date, in terms of how everything works and things fit together however management like selling is a better quality existing. Statement 3 Your customer service at the moment is good, however a better knowledge of the products you shall would be of greater use and further help your customer service. Statement 4 Your management skills however currently good theres a great amount of room for improvement in this skillset. This can be achieved by leading your employees more effectively of which shall also cross over and improve your results for the operations section of your business. Skills I need to run my business Do I currently have these Evidence Selling Skills in regards to the product Good Customer Service I feel that currently my selling skills are of a good standard however would greatly need improvement in the future. In order to run my product based business to a successful level. It key therefore that this skill is worked upon and developed. Along with a ability to sell, with my business being around a product good customer service shall be essential. It shall be preferred that I develop a good level of customer service skills that are used throughout my business. Selling products within young enterprise group. Speaking to customers of young enterprise and helping with order placements. Skills I need to develop Purpose for development How will I achieve this By When Need to develop operations skills To improve my ability to work a business. And to get it functioning towards a objective. Allowing for the business to run smoothly and operate successfully. This shall be key in ensuring my business is of a good working level and leads to a strong company as a whole. I shall achieve this by working on the area of operations within a business. I shall therefore take roles relating to operations more frequently and work in those areas with great care in order to improve within that particular area. I aim to achieve this particular goal by February 2010. Target Review point 1:   February 2010 Date achieved Evidence If not achieved how   can you achieve them in the future Target Review point 1: April 2010 Date achieved Evidence If not achieved how   can you achieve them in the future

The Code of Chivalry in The Once and Future King Essay -- Once and Fut

The Code of Chivalry in The Once and Future King      Ã‚  Ã‚   T.H. White's novel The Once and Future King presents a code of chivalry that outlines the expected knightly behavior of the time. This particular code stresses loyalty to one's liege, love and respect toward women, and absolute devotion to justice. At the height of Arthur's kingdom, this code was widely accepted by all. However, as Arthur's kingdom begins to decline, the code of chivalry begins to hold less importance among the people. The fall of Arthur's kingdom is directly related to the absence of the code of chivalry in the behavior of the Knights of the Round Table. Sir Lancelot betrays Arthur when he has an adulteress affair with Guenever. Sir Lancelot also disrespects women when he leaves Elaine to be with Guenever in Camelot. King Arthur himself is disloyal to justice when he allows Guenever to be rescued by Lancelot.    The love triangle of Arthur, Lancelot, and Guenever is a constant theme throughout every account of the Arthurian legend. Geoffrey Ashe's The Arthurian Handbook states that "We may say that these knights are expected to serve their King..."(81). The revelation of the affair finally comes when Sir Agravaine shouts, "'Traitor Knight! Sir Lancelot, now art thou taken'"(White 569). Lancelot was summoned to Queen Guenever's bedroom, and Sir Agravaine is finally exposing the affair and gaining revenge on Lancelot for unhorsing him many times in the past. The two people that Arthur trusts most are Guenever and Lancelot. Arthur is well aware of the affair between the two, but chooses to pretend that nothing is going on. Due to this naivety, Arthur earns the disrespect (and even hatred) of Agravaine and Mordred, who eventual... ...misuse of justice make way for Mordred and his ideas to take root in Camelot. All of these actions eventually lead to Arthur chasing Lancelot and waging war upon him, while Mordred takes over in Camelot. This symbolizes that there is no middle ground between good (Arthur) and evil (Mordred). As good dissipates, evil always grows stronger. However, the same goes for evil dissipating and good rising to power. Given the time period in which T.H. White wrote (post World War II), White is speaking of the downfall of Hitler and the rise of a new order in Europe.    Works Cited Ashe, Geoffrey. The Arthurian Handbook. New York, USA: Garland Publishing, 1988 Morris, Rosemary. The Character of King Arthur in Medieval Literature. Cambridge: Brewer Publishing Co., 1982 White, T.H.. The Once and Future King. New York: Penguin Putnam, 1987   

Comparing Social Classes in Toni Morrisons Recitatif and Guy de Maupas

Comparing Social Classes in Toni Morrison's Recitatif and Guy de Maupassant's The Necklace  Ã‚   Toni Morrison's "Recitatif" and Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" portray social classes according to the influence of the narrator. Therefore, the overview of the presented classes is biased. Although "Recitatif" and "The Necklace" provide images of several different classes, the class level of the narrator conveys generalizations about each of the respective class levels relative to the story. While the society level of the narrator of "The Necklace" is fairly obvious through careful reading, the social status of Twyla, the narrator of "Recitatif" is directly stated. Twyla's husband, Josh, is a firefighter. Therefore, he is a member of the working, middle class society. Their extended household lives in an average neighborhood and the family members lead common lives. Although the main character of "The Necklace" is also a member of the middle class, the narrator belongs to a wealthier society. This is evident through the narrator's description of Mathilde. For example, the very first sentence of "The Necklace," "She was one of those pretty and charming girls who are sometimes, as if by a mistake of destiny, born in a family of clerks" (67), indicates that Mme. Loisel is shallow and self-centered. Although the narrators of "Recitatif" and "The Necklace" are from different classes, each employs similar methods to create sympathy for their respective society and malevolence toward the class of the story's antagonist. Although Twyla and Roberta both display several character flaws in "Recitatif," Roberta is the ultimate wrongdoer. Twyla and Roberta begin having problems with their friendship followin... ... of fiction. Though frequently overlooked, this factor often affects a story's plot with as much of an impact, if not more, as the setting and point of view. Generalizations regarding the different levels of society are subtly intertwined with other important facts. The society of a short story's narrator, whether the narrator is an active character or outside the story, is an influential factor concerning the presentation of the different classes in the story, therefore directly affecting the plot. Works Cited de Maupassant, Guy. "The Necklace." Understanding Fiction. 3rd ed. Eds. Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1979. 67-74 Morrison, Toni. "Recitatif." New Worlds of Literature: Writings from America's Many Cultures. 2nd ed. Eds. Jerome Beaty and J. Paul Hunter. New York: Norton, 1994. 210-225   

Fashion, Gender and Identity

‘Gender is a meaning that a culture assigns to sexual differences' and within gender, ‘masculinity and femininity are the divisions that a culture creates between behavior and ‘characteristics considered to be appropriate to men and women' (Bernard, 2007, 185- 186). Fashion aids in the social construction of gender through separating male and female fashion and promoting the stereotypical feminine figure. From the days of stays and petticoats to corsets and crinolines and now with padded bras and ‘Spans', fashion has seen centuries of shrinking and augmentation of the body to achieve the sexualities, feminine' shape.The communicative function' of the body and they way in which it is McCollum is like a ‘language' – a ‘cultural communication' (Descanters, 1997, 11). Being ‘feminine' is Just one of many ‘performances' that people can choose to present and a person's choice to follow more typically feminine or masculine styles can pr ovide an insight into who they are (Gauntlet, 2008, 11). Although certain guidelines may be socially expected, in the western world, we are largely in control of what we wear and thus are perpetually communicating some element of personal identity every time we get dressed, whether it is intentional or subconscious.Using the visual examples of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France and a fashion icon in the late 18th century and Lady Gaga, a current fashion and pop icon, this essay demonstrates how, even though centuries have passed, the practice of augmenting and shrinking the figure through fashion garments to achieve a feminine' shape has continued to perpetuate social constructions of femininity. Then, the example of Andre] Pelvic is used to demonstrate how appearance can communicate identity, in particular gender identity.Beginning in the 16th century in Europe, Women's bodies were universally forced onto bizarre, unnatural shapes' (Smith, 1998, 5). Stays, petticoats, corsets and cr inolines with stiff fabric, boning and wire were used to force the body into the desirable feminine' silhouette of the time. Constant dissatisfaction and change with the idealized shape of the body reinforced the idea that the natural body needed to be ‘improved and restricted' to be considered attractive (Smith, 1998, 5).We see this trend continue into modern day clothing and undergarments. This constant restriction and augmentation, which occurs almost solely to the female body, aids in the social construction and communication of gender. Illustration of Marie Antoinette by Panderer-Login, from Encyclopedia Figure 1 Britannica Image Quest A royal exemplar existed in the form of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France from 1774 until 1792 – a time when all of Europe was ‘culturally and stylistically influenced' by France, during the Rococo era (Coving, 2006, 56.Descanters, 1997, 35-36). The desired feminine physical ideal at this time was the ‘hourglass female fi gure: a tiny waist, ample bosom and large hips which enhanced femininity (Tallahatchie-Villas, 2007, 36-37). Marie Antoinette had to ‘learn to be a woman (or at least how to perform indemnity)' through the molding of her body with fashion garments (Goodman, 2003, 6). In Figure 1 (above) the Queen is depicted with her hand resting on her commodious and voluminous skirt, serenely gazing into the palace.It can be seen that her body is distinctly shaped to the ‘hourglass' figure that Tallahatchie-Villas (2007) refers to as an image of ‘enhanced femininity – the tightly laced corset has shrunk her waist and her bosom is being flattened and pushed upwards to have an overflowing effect. At the same time her hips have been augmented by a large pannier shaped undergarment and gathers and ruffles of fabric add to the luminous result. Corsets had been present since the beginning of the 17th century, initially made with an iron structure, which was replaced by whalebone in the 18th century.At the beginning of the 18th century, the farthing' – a framework of hoops' that aristocratic women had previously worn to provide volume under their skirts – was replaced by the crinoline (Charles & Carl, 2010, 30). The crinoline augmented the size of the hips and changed shape to follow changing fashions in the desired feminine physique. In the early 18th century the shape of the crinoline was round, it then came oval and then ‘conical' (Charles & Carl, 2010, 30).By the mid 18th century they had become a ‘pannier' shape meaning ‘side hoops' or false hips' – a shape that was flat on front and back and extended on the wearer's left and right, giving her exceedingly wide hips (Cumming, Conjunction & Conjunction, 2010, 148). This is the shape we see in Panderer-Aligns illustration of Marie Antoinette in Figure 1 . In this illustration there are a number of elements of composition and execution that support the conclusion that the molding the Queen underwent were both expected and desirable at this time.There is the artist's decision to place her in a standing position in which the full scale of her skirt can be realized, the addition of shading to emphasize her bust, and dark shadowing around the waist that functions to reduce its size. The enormity of the Queen's gown in relation to her head and the background of the portrait ensure that her curvaceous feminine shape instantly draws the viewer's eye. The artist's decision to contrast the rich, dark objects in the background with pale colors to illustrate her in the foreground again draws attention to this almost ethereal feminine form.One wonders how widely this image as distributed, given our knowledge of Marie Antoinette influence on fashion. Queen Marie Antoinette was known as the ‘Queen of Fashion' and her choices in clothing were closely documented, publicized and duplicated by women throughout the whole of Europe (Weber, 2007, 1). Her wardr obe has even provided inspiration for current designers such as Much Dulcet for her millinery collection at the Autumn/ Winter 2012/13 London Fashion Week and John Gilligan for his Spring 2010 Couture collection for Dior in Paris (Clearing, 2012. Maida, 2010).The consequence of her choice to conform to the notion of molding her body, restricting and augmenting – wrought undergarments and fashion garments – to achieve the hourglass shape ensured this practice remained in fashion and in turn contributed to the social constructions of the feminine physical ideal. After the fall of the monarchy at the turn of the century this fashion of restricting and augmenting the body, molding it to achieve the ideal feminine' physique, persisted. The use of the waist- shrinking, bust- raising corset was continued into the nineteenth century, although steel boning began to be used instead of whalebone.By the mid sass, ‘cheap, mass-produced' corsets were developed and became a tab le of nearly every woman's wardrobe (Gag & Steele, 2005, 291). At this time, flexible sprung-steel rings suspended from cloth tapes' known as ‘Hopkins' were in fashion and augmented the size of the wearer's hips (Gag & Steele, 2005, 317). The corset remained in fashion into the early twentieth century, when it had become a ‘straight front' corset that ‘pushed the pelvis back and the bosom forward,' forming the desired feminine physique at the time – the ‘S' silhouette (Gag & Steele, 2005, 293).The fashionable body in this period was augmented towards the back with use of a bustle skirt. In the sass, the fashionable female figure was ‘boyish and flat- cheesed,' so the waist shrinking corset and wired underskirts became largely obsolete, but the practice of restriction remained in fashion as the breasts still had to be tightly bound, this time to conceal rather than enhance' (Smith, 1998, 5).In 1939, and then after World War II, Tallahatchie-Villas ' image of ‘enhanced femininity with a tiny waist, ample bosom and large hips' returned to fashion again and brought with it the return of the corset and fuller skirts (Tallahatchie-Villas, 2007, 36-37. Gag & Steele, 2005, 293). From the sass onwards the process of restriction and augmentation to achieve the desired feminine physique dictated by fashion at the time has continued. A review of more recent trends and products and fashion exemplars appears below.Currently there is no singular feminine' silhouette that is being dictated by fashion. In some areas of fashion media we are seeing the same boyish thinness as in the twenties and in others there is a push for the ‘real', curvaceous shape (Abraham, 2012). There are still some ‘corset enthusiasts' and elements of these undergarments such as boning and full skirts are still being used in many women's garments as well as in haute couture fashion. There is a myriad of other new garments encouraged by fashion for wo men to restrict, augment and mold their bodies into any desired shape.A few products currently on the market include the Wastepaper' – a tubular piece of Lacy worn to slim the waist and flatten the stomach; the ‘High-waist Long Leg Brief which is designed to provide ‘under-bust and tummy support, hip and thigh contouring, and a nice boost for your butt'; as well as ‘Padded Shaper Panties' which have two round foam pads to give you a ‘perfectly rounded derriere' and padded bras to increase bust size (Morgan, 2012). Compared to the days of corsets and crinolines, he variety of ways in which fashion encourages women to squeeze, expand and mold their bodies have grown.Figure 2 – Photograph of Lady Gaga at the 2009 MET Music awards. Photo courtesy of Getty Images, 2009 Lady Gaga, is Without question, the world's biggest pop star' and a current fashion icon (Robinson, 2010, 280). She famously morphs her body into the sexualities feminine hourglass sha pe with boning, padding and structured garments – often designed specifically for her by current avian garden fashion designers such as Giorgio Airman and Nicola Fortieth for Thither Mugger (Fleming 2012.Nick, 2011). In the above photograph (Figure 2) Lady Gaga is wearing a Jean Paul Guiltier padded and boned body suit, which drastically shapes her figure into the curvaceous, hourglass silhouette of ‘enhanced femininity that Tallahatchie-Villas refers to (2007). The boning restricts the size of her waist while the undermine and padding on the cups over her breasts raise and shape the bust and the padding on her hips augment their size.Although this is an exaggerated example and would not be considered a ready- to- wear garment that women would be seen in on the street, Lady Saga's style choices are influential on how women choose to dress in mainstream culture. More than four hundred years after the first corsets and petticoats came into fashion, we see that the process of restricting and augmenting the female body to achieve a look considered to be feminine is still widespread.Through encouraging this practice and promoting a desired feminine physique that is difficult to attain naturally, fashion aids in the social construction of gender. An individual's choices about the clothes, make-up, accessories and styling that they adorn before venturing into public can communicate a lot about who they are. At the name time, the changeable and impermanent nature of these external applications meaner that no definite assumptions of a person's identity can be made and these variables can easily be manipulated by the individual, allowing them to become who they would like to be.An individual's unique interpretations of, and resistances to conventional fashions is known as ‘appearance style' and is a medium through which individuals can ‘announce' who they are or who they want to become (Gag & Steele, 2005, 34). There are some elements of appeara nce that we are accustomed to observing and processing almost immediately when we look at a person. For example when you see a stranger, it is highly likely that you will be able to tell if their gender is male or female almost instantly and their appearance style aids in this immediate recognition.When you observe the combination of their choice of hair cut, cosmetics, clothing, accessories, shoes and mannerisms; you can draw a conclusion about what gender that person is ‘announcing that they are. This shows that the individual has the power to manipulate these components of their appearance to communicate their understanding of their personal gender identity. An example of how successfully appearance can provide an insight into gender identity and also how easily it can be manipulated can be seen through examining performances of Andre] Epic.Pelvic is biologically a man but models as both a male and a female. At his first fashion week – New York Fashion week Fall/Wint er 2011/12 – he walked in five menswear shows and four homeowners shows and this number has since grown (Morris, 2011). Pelvic explains how he began to mold himself into the typically feminine aesthetic, creating an appearance style that would be read as female – he grew and dyed his hair, ‘started wearing skinny Sears†¦ Hopping in the women's aisle and putting on make-up' (Morris, 2011). Pelvic was voted the ninety- eighth sexiest woman in the world in Fem. ‘One Hundred Sexiest Women' list last year (Peck, 2011, 24). Figure 3 – Andre] Pelvic in ‘Hem' ad campaign. Photo courtesy of Hem from Hollywood Planet, 2011 In the above ad for the Dutch department store ‘Hem', Andre] Pelvic is pictured wearing their ‘mega push up bra' underneath a close-fitted top and a figure hugging dress (Freeman- Greene, 2011).The bra is claimed to ‘add two cup sizes' to its wearer's bust, which it has achieved successfully with Epic's originall y flat chest (Quicker, 2011). His body has been manipulated so that his appearance style masticates his gender as female. His hair is long and blow-dried in a typically feminine style, he is wearing make-up and a necklace, his arms are void of hair and his body has been manipulated to augment the bust with padding. He attempts to channel the poses that female models often make by moving and looking at the camera in a fluid and dramatic' manner (Morris, 2011).The close up angle of the photos and the choice of shots where Pelvic is making direct eye contact with the camera enforces the believability of Epic's feminine appearance. The success of the communication of Epic's gender identity as female in this advertisement monstrance the extent to which an individual can communicate who they are or would like to be through their appearance. As an audience we almost automatically assume Pelvic to be a ‘beautiful, Victorians Secret queue bombshell' (Abraham, 2011).This mutual communic ation and interpretation that can be achieved through manipulating the variables of appearance style allows for an individual's look to say much about who they are. Fashion aids in the social construction of gender through separating male and female fashion and promoting the stereotypical feminine figure. In numerous entities past and continuing into the present, the practice of women using wire, steel, elastic and padding to McCollum their bodies to the fashionable shape of the time has been common, even expected.We have examined how Queen Marie Antoinette encouraged this practice in the 18th Century by wearing a corset to nip her waist and enhance her bust as well as hoop pannier skirts to widen her hips. In the 21st Century it has been demonstrated that this body distortion is still common with pop icon Lady Gaga wearing a boned and padded body suit that provides her with that feminine, hourglass shape. We then saw how this practice is so typically expected to be feminine that th e biologically male model Andre] Pelvic can display his female gender identity by donning a padded bra. Fashion, Gender and Identity gender is a meaning that a culture assigns to sexual differences' and within gender, ‘masculinity and ‘femininity are the divisions that a culture creates between behavior and ‘characteristics considered to be appropriate to men and women' (Bernard, 2007, 185- 186). Fashion aids In the social construction of gender through separating male and female fashion and promoting the stereotypical feminine figure. From the days of stays and petticoats to corsets and crinolines and now with padded bras and Spans, fashion has seen centuries of shrinking and augmentation of the body to achieve the sexualities, feminine' shape.The communicative function' of the body and they way in which it is molded is like a ‘language' – a ‘cultural communication' (Descanters, 1997, 11). Being ‘feminine' is Just one of many ‘performances' that people can choose to present and a person's choice to follow more typically feminine or masculine styles can provide an i nsight into who they are (Gauntlet, 2008, 11). Although certain guidelines may be socially expected, in the western world, we are largely in control of what we wear and thus are perpetually communicating some element of personal Identity every time we get dressed, whether It Is Intentional or subconscious.Using the visual examples of Merle Antoinette, Queen of France and a fashion Icon In the late 1 8th century and Lady Gaga, a current fashion and pop Icon, this essay demonstrates how, even though centuries have passed, the practice of augmenting and shrinking the figure through fashion garments to achieve a ‘feminine' shape has continued to perpetuate social constructions of femininity. Then, the example of Andrea Pelvic is used to demonstrate how appearance can communicate identity, In particular gender identity.Beginning in the 16th century in Europe, Women's bodies were universally forced onto bizarre, unnatural shapes' (Smith, 1998, 5). Stays, petticoats, corsets and crin olines with staff fabric, boning and wire were used to force the body Into the desirable friendly' silhouette of the time. Constant dissatisfaction and change with the Idealized shape of the body reinforced the Idea that the natural body needed to be ‘improved and restricted' to be considered attractive (Smith, 1 998, 5). We see this trend continue into modern day clothing and undergarments.This constant restriction and augmentation, which occurs almost solely to the female body, aids in he social construction and communication of gender. Britannica Image Quest A royal exemplar existed in the form of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France from 1774 until 1792 – a time when all of Europe was ‘culturally and stylistically influenced' by France, during the Rococo era (Coving, 2006, 56. Descanters, 1997, 35-36). The desired feminine physical ideal at this time was the ‘hourglass female figure: a tiny waist, ample bosom and large hips which enhanced femininity (Tallah atchie-Villas, 2007, 36-37).Marie Antoinette had to ‘learn to be a woman (or at least how to perform indemnity)' through the molding of her body with fashion garments (Goodman, 2003, 6). In Figure 1 (above) the Queen is depicted with her hand resting on her commodious and voluminous skirt, serenely gazing into the palace. It can be seen that her body is distinctly shaped to the ‘hourglass' figure that Tallahatchie-Villas (2007) refers to as an image of ‘enhanced femininity – the tightly laced corset has shrunk her waist and her bosom is being flattened and pushed upwards to have an overflowing effect.At the same time her hips have been augmented by a large pannier shaped undergarment and gathers and ruffles of fabric add to the luminous result. Corsets had been present since the beginning of the 17th century, initially made with an iron structure, which was replaced by whalebone in the 18th century. At the beginning of the 18th century, the farthing'  œ a framework of hoops' that aristocratic women had previously worn to provide volume under their skirts – was replaced by the crinoline (Charles & Carl, 2010, 30).The crinoline augmented the size of the hips and changed shape to follow changing fashions in the desired feminine physique. In the early 18th century the shape of the crinoline was round, it then came oval and then ‘conical' (Charles & Carl, 2010, 30). By the mid 18th century they had become a ‘pannier' shape meaning ‘side hoops' or false hips' – a shape that was flat on front and back and extended on the wearer's left and right, giving her exceedingly wide hips (Cumming, Cunning & Cunning, 2010, 148). This is the shape we see in Pannier-Aligns illustration of Marie Antoinette in Figure 1 .In this illustration there are a number of elements of composition and execution that support the conclusion that the molding the Queen underwent were both expected and desirable at this time. There is t he artist's decision to place her in a standing position in which the full scale of her skirt can be realized, the addition of shading to its size. The enormity of the Queen's gown in relation to her head and the background of the portrait ensure that her curvaceous feminine shape instantly draws the viewer's eye.The artist's decision to contrast the rich, dark objects in the background with pale colors to illustrate her in the foreground again draws attention to this almost ethereal feminine form. One wonders how widely this image was distributed, given our knowledge of Marie Antoinette influence on fashion. Queen Marie Antoinette was known as the ‘Queen of Fashion' and her choices in clothing were closely documented, publicized and duplicated by women throughout the whole of Europe (Weber, 2007, 1).Her wardrobe has even provided inspiration for current designers such as Much Dulcet for her millennia collection at the Autumn/ Winter 2012/13 London Fashion Week and John Gillig an for his Spring 2010 Couture collection for Dior in Paris (Clarinda, 2012. Maida, 2010). The consequence of her choice to conform to the notion of molding her body, restricting and augmenting – wrought undergarments and fashion garments – to achieve the hourglass shape ensured this practice remained in fashion and in turn contributed to the social constructions of the feminine physical ideal.After the fall of the monarchy at the turn of the century this fashion of restricting and augmenting the body, molding it to achieve the ideal feminine' physique, persisted. The use of the waist- shrinking, bust- raising corset was continued into the nineteenth century, although steel boning began to be used instead of whalebone. By the mid sass, ‘cheap, mass-produced' corsets were developed and became a table of nearly every woman's wardrobe (Gag & Steele, 2005, 291).At this time, flexible sprung-steel rings suspended from cloth tapes' known as ‘Hopkins' were in fash ion and augmented the size of the wearer's hips (Gag & Steele, 2005, 317). The corset remained in fashion into the early twentieth century, when it had become a ‘straight front' corset that ‘pushed the pelvis back and the bosom forward,' forming the desired feminine physique at the time – the ‘S' silhouette (Gag & Steele, 2005, 293). The fashionable body in this period was augmented towards the back with use of a bustle skirt.In the sass, the fashionable female figure was ‘boyish and flat- cheated,' so the waist shrinking corset and wired underskirts became largely obsolete, but the practice of restriction remained in fashion as the breasts still had to be tightly bound, this time to conceal rather than enhance' (Smith, 1998, 5). In 1939, and then after World War II, Tallahatchie-Villas' image of ‘enhanced femininity with a tiny waist, ample bosom and large hips' returned to fashion again and brought with it the return of the corset and fuller sk irts (Tallahatchie-Villas, 2007, 36-37. Gag & Steele, 2005, 293).From the sass onwards the process of restriction and augmentation to achieve the desired feminine physique dictated by fashion at the time has continued. A review of more recent trends and products and fashion exemplars appears below. Currently there is no singular feminine' silhouette that is being dictated by fashion. In some areas of fashion media we are seeing the same boyish thinness as in the 2012). There are still some ‘corset enthusiasts' and elements of these undergarments such as boning and full skirts are still being used in many women's garments as well as in haute couture fashion.There is a myriad of other new garments encouraged by fashion for women to restrict, augment and mold their bodies into any desired shape. A few products currently on the market include the Wastepaper' – a tubular piece of Lascar worn to slim the waist and flatten the stomach; the ‘High-waist Long Leg Brief whic h is designed to provide ‘under-bust and tummy support, hip and thigh contouring, and a nice boost for your butt'; as well as ‘Padded Shaper Panties' which have two round foam pads to give you a ‘perfectly rounded derriere' and padded bras to increase bust size (Morgan, 2012).Compared to the days of corsets and crinolines, the variety of ways in which fashion encourages women to squeeze, expand and mold their bodies have grown. Figure 2 – Photograph of Lady Gaga at the 2009 MET Music awards. Photo courtesy of Getty Images, 2009 Lady Gaga, is Without question, the world's biggest pop star' and a current fashion icon (Robinson, 2010, 280). She famously morphs her body into the sexualities feminine hourglass shape with boning, padding and structured garments – often designed specifically for her by current avian garden fashion designers such asIn the above photograph (Figure 2) Lady Gaga is wearing a Jean Paul Guiltier padded and boned body suit, which d rastically shapes her figure into the curvaceous, hourglass silhouette of ‘enhanced femininity that Tallahatchie-Villas refers to (2007). The boning restricts the size of her waist while the underwear and padding on the cups over her breasts raise and shape the bust and the padding on her hips augment their size.Although this is an exaggerated example and would not be considered a ready- to- wear garment that women would be seen in on the street, Lady Saga's style choices are influential on how women choose to dress in mainstream culture. More than four hundred years after the first corsets and petticoats came into fashion, we see that the process of restricting and augmenting the female body to achieve a look considered to be feminine is still widespread.Through encouraging this practice and promoting a desired feminine physique that is difficult to attain naturally, fashion aids in the social construction of gender. An individual's choices about the clothes, make-up, accesso ries and styling that they adorn before venturing into public can communicate a lot about who they are. At the same time, the changeable and impermanent nature of these external applications means that no definite assumptions of a person's identity can be made and these variables can easily be manipulated by the individual, allowing them to become who they would like to be.An individual's unique interpretations of, and resistances to conventional fashions is known as ‘appearance style' and is a medium through which individuals can ‘announce' who they are or who they want to become (Gag & Steele, 2005, 34). There are some elements of appearance that we are accustomed to observing and processing almost immediately when we look at a person. For example when you see a stranger, it is highly likely that you will be able to tell if their gender is male or female almost instantly and their appearance style aids in this immediate recognition.When you observe the combination of t heir choice of hair cut, cosmetics, clothing, accessories, shoes and mannerisms; you can draw a conclusion about what gender that person is ‘announcing that they are. This shows that the individual has the power to manipulate these components of their appearance to communicate heir understanding of their personal gender identity. An example of how successfully appearance can provide an insight into gender identity and also how easily it can be manipulated can be seen through examining performances of Andre] Epic. Pelvic is biologically a man but models as both a male and a female.At his first fashion week – New York Fashion week Fall/Winter 2011/12 – he walked in five menswear shows and four womanlier shows and this number has since grown (Morris, 2011). Pelvic explains how he began to mold himself into the typically feminine aesthetic, creating an appearance style that would be read as male – he grew and dyed his hair, ‘started wearing skinny Jeansà ¢â‚¬ ¦ Shopping in the women's aisle and putting on make-up' (Morris, 2011). Pelvic was voted the ninety- eighth sexiest woman in the world in Fem.. ‘One Hundred Sexiest Women' list last year (Peck, 2011, 24). Figure 3 – Andre] Pelvic in ‘Hem' ad campaign.Photo courtesy of Hem from Hollywood Planet, 2011 wearing their ‘mega push up bra' underneath a close-fitted top and a figure hugging dress (Freeman- Greene, 2011). The bra is claimed to ‘add two cup sizes' to its wearer's bust, which it has achieved successfully with Epic's originally flat chest Quicker, 2011). His body has been manipulated so that his appearance style communicates his gender as female. His hair is long and blow-dried in a typically feminine style, he is wearing make-up and a necklace, his arms are void of hair and his body has been manipulated to augment the bust with padding.He attempts to channel the poses that female models often make by moving and looking at the camera in a flui d and dramatic' manner (Morris, 2011). The close up angle of the photos and the choice of shots where Pelvic is making direct eye contact with the camera enforces the believability of Epic's feminine appearance. The success of the communication of Epic's gender identity as female in this advertisement demonstrates the extent to which an individual can communicate who they are or would like to be through their appearance.As an audience we almost automatically assume Pelvic to be a ‘beautiful, Victorians Secret issue bombshell' (Abraham, 2011). This mutual communication and interpretation that can be achieved through manipulating the variables of appearance style allows for an individual's look to say much about who they are. Fashion aids in the social construction of gender through separating male and male fashion and promoting the stereotypical feminine figure.In numerous centuries past and continuing into the present, the practice of women using wire, steel, elastic and paddi ng to mould their bodies to the fashionable shape of the time has been common, even expected. We have examined how Queen Marie Antoinette encouraged this practice in the 18th Century by wearing a corset to nip her waist and enhance her bust as well as hoop pannier skirts to widen her hips. In the 21st Century it has been demonstrated that this body distortion is still common with pop con Lady Gaga wearing a boned and padded body suit that provides her with that feminine, hourglass shape.We then saw how this practice is so typically expected to be feminine that the biologically male model Andre] Pelvic can display his female gender identity by donning a padded bra. When examining these three examples, it becomes clear that the molding of the body into the feminine physical ideal through restriction and augmentation is communicative of the wearer's gender, whether intentional or projected by society, and provides an insight into who they are.