Monday, December 23, 2019

The Effect of Divorce on Children Essay - 1104 Words

The Effect of Divorce on Children Divorce, once uncommon in our society, is now becoming more and more frequent, disrupting our childrens state of well-being. Some children of divorced families have long-term behavior problems such as depression, low self-esteem, poor school performance, acting out, and difficulties with intimate relationships. Children with divorced or divorcing parents often have a sense of abandonment, because their parents become too preoccupied with their own psychological, social, and economic distress that they forget about their kids? needs (Lamb and Sternberg, 1997). In 1988, Professor Jeanne Dise-Lewis conducted a survey of 700 middle school students. The students were asked to rate certain events as†¦show more content†¦Parental Actions: Custodial and Nonresidential Children?s behavior, development, and adjustment to divorce is affected closely by the actions of both of their parents. In a typical divorce situation, one parent has custody of the children and the other is c onsidered to be the nonresidential parent. Children whose nonresidential parents continue to support them financially, whose custodial parents are psychologically healthy, and those who can maintain a meaningful relationship with the nonresidential parent tend to be affected less by the divorce (Lamb and Sternberg, 1997). The nonresidential parent who supports the children economically through child support also tends to spend more time with the children. The situation is improved when there is no conflict between the two parents. Divorces do not always have to be bad; in some cases a divorce can offer members of dysfunctional families the chance to escape from family related stress and conflict (Zinsmeister, 1996). When ex-husbands and wives can work through their problems and go on with their lives, divorces can be considered successful. Personal Experience In the United States, about 45% of all first marriages are now dissolved, and in the United Kingdom, 41% divorce within 14 years (Lamb and Sternberg, 1997). Divorces are happening all around us. Most of us can relate directly, or have some friends that have been affected by divorces. Two of my closest friends now belong toShow MoreRelatedEffects Of Divorce On Children And Divorce1460 Words   |  6 Pagestoday’s world, most people accept divorce or separation as a way of life. Parents are unaware or do not understand the damage it can have on their children. However, in some instances, it is better to get out of an abusive relationship because that can be as toxic as divorce. On average, 50% of children who are born with married parents, will experience divorce before the age of 18 (Children and Divorce Baucom, 2010-2017). Along with divorce statistics, 40% of children in America are raised withoutRead MoreDivorce Effect On Children : Divorce1825 Words   |  8 PagesApril, 2016 Divorce Effect on Children Divorce seems to become more and more common nowadays. Divorce can be a simple or complicated process depending if children are involved. This process can have negative and positive effects in a child s life. A divorce is the legal process of a marriage coming apart. A divorce with children involve cost more and takes about eleven months for the marriage to end. The majority of the divorces happening in the United States involve children. Divorce has differentRead MoreThe Effects Of Divorce On Children And Children1255 Words   |  6 Pages The effects of divorce on children Throughout time, people from all over the world have chosen to live together, or â€Å"get married†. Marriage is a beautiful thing, but there are some couples who are unable to maintain their relationship, because they choose divorce as a solution to cope with the problems between husband and wife. Although divorce can be solution to cope with problem between the husband and wife, it still has dangerous effects especially on their children. Children with divorced parentsRead MoreEffect Of Divorce On Children1068 Words   |  5 PagesEffects of Divorce on Children While divorce may reduce strain on a failing marriage, it may cause damaging effects on the children. Often times parents are too concerned on the marriage to notice the effects on children. From the way parents react in front of the children to new marriages all can directly affect the daily lives, and behavior of children. Though, there are ways to mitigate some of the issues that can come with divorce, possibly avoiding some of the effects all together. UnfortunatelyRead MoreDivorce : The Effect On Children1084 Words   |  5 PagesNicole Halterman Professor Tausch CTI 102 D Written Communication 4 October 2014 Divorce: the Effect on Children In today’s society, divorce has become a normal occurrence. Married couples today are getting divorces due to many different reasons; conflicts in the marriage, a loss of romantic feelings, perhaps a spouse is having an affair, or other types of problems. Most divorces have children that are really young and due to their age, they do not have any idea how to deal with this type of situationRead MoreDivorce And Its Effects On Children1296 Words   |  6 Pages50% of all the children born to married parents today, will experience the divorce of their parents’ before they are eighteen years old. Divorce in and of itself doesn’t necessarily harm a child, but the conflict between parents does. A child’s behavior correlates directly with the effects of their parents’ separation. Deep emotional wounds are created before, during, and after divorce and separation. It is rare that you find a child that actually wants their parents to separate, unless the ma rriageRead MoreDivorce And Its Effects On Children1343 Words   |  6 Pagesknow that the divorce rate in the United States hovers around fifty percent, including forty percent under the age of 21. In that fifty percent one of every six adults is likely to go through a divorce twice. Not only does divorce affect the adults involved, but forty percent of children in the United States will experience parental divorce (Portnoy, 2008). Children with divorced parents struggle with negative consequences emotionally, mentally, and academically compared to those children from intactRead MoreDivorce And Its Effect On Children998 Words   |  4 PagesDivorce has become very popular in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, on average 50% of marriages result in a failed marriage. This percentage has been at it’s all time high. Not many couples have sustained a successful marriage in present days. Divorces have been around for a long time, and unfortunately kids have a lways been affected the most according to their age. As a result of divorce, there are many children that have to go through this situation at a very young ageRead MoreThe Effect Of Divorce On Children847 Words   |  4 Pagesbecome more unmanageable. According to Sirvanli-Ozen, recent studies confirm that the impacts of divorce on children are not restricted to the childhood period but are manifest during adolescence and adulthood as well. Many studies on the subject show that children who have experienced parent divorce have a lower degree of psychological accord and lower socioeconomic status in their adulthood (Amato Keith, 1991b; Biblarz Raftrey, 1993; Ross Mirowsky, 1999; Amato, 1996) and have more problemsRead MoreEffect Of Divorce On Children1207 Words   |  5 Pagesmarriages that end in divorce has been steadily increasing. When a marriage ends children are impacted and it’s not only emotional and devastating the couples but this also has a huge effect on the children of all ages involved. Many parents go thro ugh a divorce disaster with little knowledge of the effects that the children may go through. Some of the most common impacts that divorce has on children include the fact that children tend to start to blame themselves for the divorce, adjusting in areas

Sunday, December 15, 2019

A Critique of the Crito and an Argument for Philosophical Anarchism Free Essays

string(209) " of the mugger and the unjust state, they suffer only in their reputation, losing the respect or fear and subsequent power they might have otherwise enjoyed, yet which, for their failure, they do not deserve\." A Critique of the Crito and an Argument for Philosophical Anarchism by Forrest Cameranesi In this essay I will present a summary and critique of Plato’s dialogue Crito, focusing especially on Socrates’ arguments in favor of his obligatory obedience to the Athenian state’s death sentence. In response I will argue the position that no one naturally holds any obligation to obey the arbitrary commands of another (or any body of others such as a state), and further that no one can come to hold such obligations even by contract; although people may still be obligated to obey commands issued to them, when what is commanded is obligatory independent of it being commanded by anyone. Thus I will argue that that if, as both Socrates and Crito presume, the command that Socrates be executed is contrary to true justice (that is, contrary to any natural moral obligations, independent of its legality), then Socrates has no obligation to obey it; and in fact those tasked to carry out the order are morally obligated to disobey it, and by their obedience become conspirators to a moral crime. We will write a custom essay sample on A Critique of the Crito and an Argument for Philosophical Anarchism or any similar topic only for you Order Now The dialogue begins with Socrates in prison, awakening to Crito’s presence in his cell, Crito having bribed the guards to gain entry. After brief pleasantries and some talk of when the day of Socrates’ execution will fall, Crito admits to Socrates that his purpose there is to free him from prison and take him abroad to Thessaly, which he assures him can be successfully done thanks to the aid of a number of foreign benefactors. But Socrates is hesitant to leave, believing himself obliged to remain and allow his punishment to be completed, even though his sentence, they both concede, is unjust. Still, Socrates is eager to be convinced otherwise, if Crito can do so by means of reason, and so Crito plies Socrates with many arguments in favor of his escape, arguing not only that it is possible and desirable to escape, and that Socrates could live well outside of Athens, but that it is the just thing to do: for the sake of the welfare of his children, who will suffer without his care; for the sake of standing fast against his enemies in the state of Athens, who are attempting to wrong him by this sentence; and for the sake of his friends’ reputations, which will be besmirched by those who know either Socrates nor his friends, and will think that Socrates died only because his friends could not or would not buy his freedom. But Socrates dismisses these arguments, especially the last, arguing at length that the opinions of the many are not a relevant consideration in any such decision; a very important argument, to which I will return later in this essay. For now the relev ant point is that Socrates’ only concern, in the question of whether or not to escape, is whether or not escaping is just; not what people at large may think of their decision or what other consequences may follow from it. On the topic of justice, and counter to Crito’s argument that Socrates is obliged to fight back against wrongs committed against him, Socrates suggests (and Crito accepts) the principle that to return harm for harm is harmful, to return evil for evil is evil, to return injustice for injustice is unjust, etc. ; and thus that such vengeance ought not be perpetrated, for it is just as harmful, evil and unjust as the act being avenged, and one must never do such wrongs. Socrates considers it harmful and unjust to the state to disobey its laws, and feels thus obligated to obey them instead, for to do otherwise would be harmful, unjust, and wrong; and here I disagree with Socrates. Though I accept his principle of justice, that one must not return wrongs in kind for to do so is merely to do more wrong, I do not believe that merely resisting attempted harm to oneself necessarily harms the attacker; and even if the attacker does suffer harm from the resistance it is as a result of his own wrongdoing, not any wrongdoing on the part of the defendant. If someone attempts to strike at me, I step out of his way, and he falls on his face as a consequence, I have not harmed him, although he has come to harm. If he attempts to strike at me, I hold up a shield, and he injures his fist upon it, I have not harmed him, although he has come to harm. Somewhat more analogously to the case at hand, â€Å"harm† may come to a street gang initiate whose initiation task is to mug me, inasmuch as he loses his status within the gang (and perhaps the gang itself loses status in the community), should I evade him and escape; but certainly I did not do that harm, though it was a consequence of my actions. Likewise, â€Å"harm† may come to the state as a consequence of successful disobedience against it, inasmuch as its power and thus its authority will be less respected, but this is not the same as the disobedient one directly harming the state, say in the way a foreign conqueror would. None of these situations involve doing anything directly to harm the aggressor, but rather only the consequences of the aggressor’s own actions failing. Thus, such resistance is not prohibited by the principle that one ought never do harm, for one is not doing harm merely by evading harm, even if harm indirectly results as a consequence of such evasion. Certainly we would not say that it is obligatory to allow oneself to be assaulted or robbed, even if we say that to retaliate in kind is forbidden. In all these circumstances, the aggressors are being harmed as a consequence of their own actions; and in the latter two cases, of the mugger and the unjust state, they suffer only in their reputation, losing the respect or fear and subsequent power they might have otherwise enjoyed, yet which, for their failure, they do not deserve. You read "A Critique of the Crito and an Argument for Philosophical Anarchism" in category "Essay examples" In my third example, as in the case before Socrates and Crito, the only loss suffered is a loss of reputation and the power that reputation often entails. This connection between reputation and power is an important facet of my argument, for it is self-evident to me that the only significant power the state itself has is its reputation, the respect and obedience that people give to it; with no obedient subjects to enforce its laws over those who are not so obedient, or with insufficient portions of the populace willing to tolerate such enforcement, the state would have no power. In fact I argue that in such a case the state would not exist; and really, that no states ever truly exist, in any strict sense. There are merely masses of people, with an assortment of opinions on what is good, bad, morally neutral, permissible, impermissible, and obligatory; all of whom exert whatever influence they can manage, by whatever means they find best, to see that their opinions on such matters are enforced — that justice, as they understand it, prevails. And when some person or block of people manages to secure sufficiently unchallenged influence ver the behavior of the other people in an area (that is, when sufficient people act to enforce one code of behavior and a sufficient portion of the remainder tolerate them), we falsely attribute the existence of some sort of social entity above and beyond the collection of individual people, and call that entity the â€Å"state†. But even a monarch only has his power because enough people believe in and support the monarchy, and enough of the remainder tolerate it; as has been demonstrated wherever a monarchy was overthrown from within by a democratic revolution. It is important to note, however, that this does not mean that democracy entails legitimacy; it only means that all states are on some deep level democratic, differing only in the degree that the people delegate their power to other people, in effect casting their vote as â€Å"whatever he says. † The prevailing opinions may still be entirely wrong; I merely claim that it will nearly always be the majority opinion which prevails. I say â€Å"nearly† because this phenomenon is dependent upon the relatively small differences in true personal power between most individuals, which are quickly diluted in larger groups, but still present in sufficiently small groups. A knight may be stronger and more skilled than any peasant, but it does not take many fed-up peasants working together to counter the power of that knight, so as the size of the group the knight is a part of grows, his relative power over the whole group decreases rapidly, unless it is bolstered by the support or at least tolerance of other members of the group. Thus for groups of any significant size, the differences in personal power between individuals can be safely ignored, and so the determining factor is not who supports a position but how many support it). The opinions of the people who encompass the legislature of this â€Å"state† — be it one person as in an absolute monarchy, some minority in an oligarchy, or the majority in a direct democracy — then become â€Å"the law†. Those things judged by such people as obligatory become required by law; those things judged as forbidden become prohibited by law; and those things judged as permissible are allowed by the law. But in any form of government, especially in a direct democracy such as ancient Athens, the laws of men are nothing but the opinions of men backed by power, that power resting ultimately in the will of the majority; the only differences between government thus being the degree and structure of power delegation, and what the opinions of those delegates are. With it thus established that states are no more than masses of people and their laws no more than the opinions of said people backed by power, not only do I object to Socrates’ insistence that he must be obedient to the state’s death sentence, but it is plainly obvious to me that Socrates himself ought to conclude this, if he was to be consistent with his own earlier position that the opinions of men, as such, are irrelevant, no matter what power they may be backed by. But why, my dear Crito, should we care about the opinion of the many? † says Socrates. â€Å"Good men †¦ are the only persons who are worth considering†. Crito eventually concedes this point, agreeing that the opinions of the many are irrelevant; only the opinions of good men matter. But what is it that makes a man good? Is that not part of what is at question here: which sorts of acts are right and which are wrong, which are just or unjust? (A good man, I take it, being one who acts ri ghtly or justly). Certainly being good cannot be merely being seen as good in the eyes of the many, or supporting the commands of the many, for then the opinions of the many and the opinions of good men could never conflict, as good men by definition would always be of the opinion that the majority is right; and Socrates’ statements differentiating their opinions would make no sense. So Socrates must agree that goodness is something objective, independent of the opinions of the many. Yet in the dialogue, after Socrates and Crito discuss at some length their agreement to disregard the opinions of the many in considering what ought or ought not be done, and to consider only what is or is not just, Socrates proclaims â€Å"From these premises I proceed to argue the question whether I ought or ought not to try to escape without the consent of the Athenians†. But from where does this concern for the consent of the Athenians come, when we have just disregarded the opinions of the many (in this case the many of Athens); for what is consent if not simply the opinion that something ought to be permitted? Socrates answers, in the voice of the Laws of Athens (speaking to him): â€Å"You, Socrates, are breaking the covenants and agreements which you made with us at your leisure, not in any haste or under any compulsion or deception, but having had seventy years to think of them, during which time you were at liberty to leave the city, if we were not to your mind, or if our covenants appeared to you to be unfair. In short, Socrates is concerned with his obedience to the people of Athens (or at least the government collectively representing them) because he feels he has implicitly agreed to be bound by the decisions of the Athenian government by remaining in the city. But in response I argue that no one can, by any contract implicit or explicit, alter the natural moral obligations which are binding on all men at all times. The most exemplary and broadly agreeable instantiation of this principle is that one cannot sell oneself into slavery, for all men have natural rights (which is to say, obligations naturally owed to them by others) which they cannot give up even if they so choose. For instance, if we grant that all are naturally obliged to refrain from striking me except in such instances as I consent to them doing so, then while I may vary whether or not I consent to be struck, and thus vary whether or not it is morally permissible to strike me at that moment, I cannot vary whether or not it is morally permissible to strike me contrary to my consent, for it is naturally obligatory that none do so. That is, I cannot, in a morally binding way, agree that â€Å"henceforth so-and-so may strike me as he pleases regardless of my consent at that moment†. Any such contract offering terms contrary to natural obligations is invalid; and thus contracts of slavery, whereby one waives all of ones natural rights (which is to say, all obligations naturally owed to oneself by others), are the epitome of invalid contracts. This relates to the situation at hand with Socrates and Crito in that a contract to obey the arbitrary commands of some entity (e. g. the state of Athens), provided only that they are issued forth in prescribed proper manner (e. . by the formal proceedings of the Athenian court) and otherwise irrespective of the contents of those commands, seems to me no different than a contract to slavery, with the entity in question (the state) as the slave master; for what is slavery but complete subjugation to the arbitrary will of another? Socrates himself admits this similarity, saying (once again in the voice of the Laws, speaking to himself) â€Å"can you deny in the first place that you are our child and slave? Yet Socrates has a reply here as well, already quoted above: he has had many years in which he was free to leave the city if he did not wish to be bound by its laws, and by remaining he has implicitly agreed to be bound by them. Certainly a man cannot be a slave if he is free to leave his bonds at any time. But I respond that even such â€Å"voluntary† bonds are contractually invalid, for remaining on the lands of another still does not make one subject to the arbitrary will of the landowner. The only obligation owed to the owner of some property, as such, is to refrain from acting upon his property contrary to his consent. Likewise the only punishment the property owner may apply simply for disobeying his commands (but not violating any natural obligations, e. g. harming someone or their property, which may warrant further punishment) is to refuse him the use of his property; in the case of land, ejecting him from the premises. By voluntarily entering and remaining in my home, my guests do not become subject to my arbitrary authority, to be enforced as I see fit; at most I have the authority to eject them from my home, if I grow tired of their presence there. Nor by voluntarily entering a corporate office do I become subject to the authority of the corporation, beyond the revocability of my permission to remain therein. Likewise, even if we grant that the city of Athens is the property of the state of Athens (i. e. of its people collectively, rather than parcelled out into individually owned plots), the greatest punishment morally justified simply for behaving in ways the state dislikes (but not in any way which is truly unjust) is banishment from the city. Thus, while the state may have the moral authority to forbid and punish legitimate injustices (which I agree it does, though no more so than any individual), it does not have the moral authority to enforce its arbitrary will upon those who reside within its borders; it merely has the authority to eject them from its lands if it chooses to do so, for which it needs no cause at all, if it is indeed the legitimate owner of those lands. Thus if Socrates truly believes that he has done nothing unjust, then he should not (if accepts my principle regarding contracts and natural obligations) feel subject to the punishment decreed for him, though he may concede the state’s authority to banish him, if he holds the state to be the legitimate owner of the city. I would further question whether it is right to presume that a state is the legitimate owner of its territory (rather than each citizen owning their own portion in private, as well as some public portions in common), and thus whether it even has the authority to banish the disobedient; but that is another lengthy topic, for which I do not have room in this essay. In conclusion, I see no reason for Socrates to consider the will of the people of Athens (as channeled via their government) binding pon him; and I believe he should seek an answer to the question at hand, whether or not to escape from his punishment, solely by asking whether he has done anything to warrant that punishment — and it appears that he believes he has not. There is no guarantee that his opinion on this matter is correct; the state of Athens may in fact be correct, and thus Socrtes’ punishment just. But to defer to the public opinion over one’s best judgment is never epistemologically sound. Men of reason do not turn to authority, even democratic authority, to answer questions of biology or chemistry or physics, but instead we appeal to evidence and sound logical arguments to determine the answers; and I see no reason why questions of ethics should be subject to any less rigorous and independent methodologies. By denying that any person, text, or institution has any special epistemic or alethic authority (the ability to magically divine or reveal the truth, or to create it by fiat), we do not deny the existence of objective truth. Nor by denying that any king, law book, or legislature has any special deontic authority (the ability to magically divine or reveal our obligations, or to create them by fiat) do we deny that there are objective standards of justice. In both cases we merely concede that we are all in the same standing regarding truth or justice, respectively; and we leave it to each individual to seek it for themselves, to sway others with arguments where they can, and to act upon it as they deem necessary or appropriate, regardless of decrees or prior agreements to the contrary. How to cite A Critique of the Crito and an Argument for Philosophical Anarchism, Essay examples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Online Therapy free essay sample

Little by little the internet and technology are expanding to incorporate more aspects of our daily lives. The expansion is so vast, one can now do Just about anything online. On line advances has no doubt positively contributed to businesses, education, communication, and quality of life in general, but when does one draw the line? Healthcare is a very serious subject because it deals with peoples lives and well being. Potential problems that may arise from it are not monetary, like those involved with losing a Job or failing a school course, but deal with lives and peoples weakest and perhaps most uncontrollable side of life. Psychological disorders usually arise from events and sources not under the control of patients. Unlike purchasing the wrong stock at the wrong time or having an unsuccessful online business presentation, depression, addiction, phobias, and other psychological disorders are delicate matters that are not a result of bad decision making, however, much like every service the internet offers us, cyber psychology does have its advantages and disadvantages. Disadvantages and Solutions: The first glaring disadvantage is the loss of essential elements with the lack of face to face interactions. The fact that psychology is the study of behavior, it is imperative for a therapist to get a grasp on the patients complete behavior, which includes, but is not limited to, facial movements and body movements, tone of voice, posture, and appearance. To fully understand a client, a therapist must be able to be privvy to this side of the individuals personality to accurately diagnose and ultimately heal a problem or disorder. One way to solve this disadvantage could be for the therapist to request an initial face-to-face assessment that can then be followed by online treatments of various sorts. This enhances the screening process and leaves no room for misinterpretation or misdiagnosis that can arise from lack of personal interaction. Also, for cases or procedures involving video conferencing and webcam interactions, it is crutial for websites to continue to improve the video quality to avoid missing any words or movements that may be crucial to analyzing behaviors. Maybe once video conferencing is perfected, it will increase the validity of such therapeutic media and allow it to replace the need for an initial in person interaction. A second concern involved with web therapy is security. We are surrounded by warning signs oncerning various web securities, including scams, hacks, and phishing sites. In the past, we have seen many cases serious enough to make it to the news to increase awareness and warn people of the seriousness of certain situations. It is almost possible for hackers to invade most sites and this compromises the privacy of patients personal and diagnostic information. Also, confirming the validity of particular sites may be hard on some people since scam sites go into extreme measures to mimic credible sites. The fact that most on-line therapies require payment in advance, may seem tempting for people who make a living from online camming. Another potential leak in privacy may unintentionally arise from the clients themselves; the use of public computers or implying improper security features and practices to ones personal computer. To counteract security problems, websites are constantly working on maintain security and privacy. It is important for releasing financial or personal and emotional information. Psychologists are required to practice therapy in state(s) of which they are licensed for practice. Cyber therapy offers ways to go around that law. A patient, for example, may claim different residence to receive treatment from a particular therapist of agency. Also, since the world wide web spreads, well, worldwide, theres a chance that some of the sites are run internationally and this may give rise to cultural disconnect problems from misunderstanding situations, actions, and settings. Proper monitoring should be implemented on cyber therapy websites to avoid such breaches and complications. Advantages of Online Therapy: There are several advantages associates with online therapy. Time is something that seems to be becoming more scarce and harder to manage. Finding a service that can be molded around ones schedule, convenience, or from the privacy of ones ome is important to many people in todays fast paced way of life. Online therapy also offers a geographic advantage for people living in rural areas or people with transportation limitations. In addition, people with physical disabilities may now have an easier method of behavior therapy that does not interfere with their health issues. Finally, a very crucial advantage is financial. Online therapy makes it cheaper and thus easier to receive mental health therapy. Because of the lack of an office or facilities, transportation expenses, and the availability of different program levels to hoose from, therapy became an attainable thing and a cry for help that was heard by cyber space. The options of sending an email or having a telephone therapy session gives many benefits with the elimination of extended time charges and various office visit associated expenses. Websites Offering Online Therapy: The Online Therapy Institute is a website designated primarily for therapist seeking to introduce online therapy as an option to their practice. It offers intensive information about how to set up an online therapy site and what the rules and regulations are and general guidelines to follow to provide proper therapeutic echniques. It also assists therapists in the initial stages and provides a reference for any upcoming issues. E-Therapists Online provides services for patients seeking online therapy via e- mail, private chats, and phone counseling. It provides clear instructions on how to begin therapy and also price guideline. Payment is due prior to therapy. For example, an e-mail session costs $39. 95 and 4 e-mail sessions cost $149. 00. Telephone or chats cost $95. 00 for 60 minutes and $623. 00 for 7 60 minute chats or calls. Headworks is another website similar to e-therapists online. In addition to the ervices that e-therapists online provides, they offer free self-help information and customized services. Conclusion: Online therapy definitely has its advantages, but it should also be handled carefully. Not all cases of mental health should be able to be treated via cyber psychotherapy because some are much more complicated and need in person therapy. Once this service is solidified, this service will be more ideal for people who are in need of minor therapy, interaction with people, behavioral help, and guidelines in life but are unable to do face-to-face therapy for geographical or financial constrains.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Parian marble sculpture at The Louvre an Example of the Topic Arts Essays by

Parian marble sculpture at The Louvre The Winged Victory of Samothrace is one of the most celebrated visual art sculptures in the world from the Hellenistic era. The sculpture depicts the goddess Nike as she descends from the sky with outstretched wings over her shoulders. It originally formed part of the Samothrace temple that was an homage to the gods. Victory was situated at the prow of the ship in her triumphant pose. Before this statue of Nike lost her arms, they were cupped around her mouth in an effort to announce the Greek victory at Lartos. Need essay sample on "Parian marble sculpture at The Louvre" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed This statue is notable of the Hellenistic era due to its naturalistic pose and the way her garment appears to be flowing so effortlessly. The wind blown garment gives the impression of motion and movement, as if being blown by the breeze of the sea. Given that she was placed at the prow of the ship, the sculpture was a stunning and emphatic symbol for reestablishing the grandeur of Greek civilization after the struggles and battles of the Peloponnesian War that involved all of the Greek city-states, including Athens. In the wake of the poverty following the war, Greek art had very little resources to finance many sculptures. In this way, the sculptures that were created tended to reflect the changing state of affairs in Greek society. The most notable trend during the Hellenistic era was the portrayal of individual gods and goddesses in natural poses that displayed a great range of emotions. It is unknown who actually created the Winged Victory of Samothrace, but whoever it was continued this trend and expanded upon it with the insertion of the flowing garments and the wings. Nike's body is in a state of returning from motion and her left leg is strong and shown bare out the side of the garment. Her chest is pressed out in a posture of confidence and femininity and you can almost see through the garments enough to make out the shape of her skin and the contours of her stomach. Her head is absent on her shoulders and has never been found, although other portions of her body that have fallen off have been recovered. This statue demonstrates the mastery of movement and form being perfected during this era, despite its current incompleteness. This piece of infamous art embodies the return to reality following a devastating period of violence and war. Greek artists sought to capture the human form in all of its naturalness, expressing the emotions and postures that came to define this era. Winged Victory of Samothrace continues and expands this style of the Hellenistic age with its emphasis of grace and beauty in the flowing attire of the goddess Nike returning from the sky with the message of Victory. Works Cited Antiquites grecques, etrusques et romaines. The Louvre Museum. Retrieved 7 April 2009, from cnt_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.louvre.fr/llv/oeuvres/detail_notice.jsp?CONTENTcnt_

Monday, November 25, 2019

Free Essays on Childhood Depression

Childhood Depression Childhood depression is a major issue in America. It is an issue that should not be taken lightly and any child that is experiencing symptoms of depression should be treated or helped in any way possible. Here are three articles that I read that gave me more information and insight on this childhood illness. The diagnostic criteria and key defining features of major depressive disorders in children are the same as the are for adults. However, recognition and diagnosis of the disorders may be more difficult in youth for several reasons. The way that symptoms are expressed varies in youngsters. In addition, children and young adolescents with depression may have difficulty in properly identifying and describing their internal emotions or moods. For example, instead of communicating how bad they feel, they may act out and be irritable towards others, which may be interpreted simply as misbehavior or disobedience. Some signs that may be associated with depression in children include frequent vague, non-specified physical complaints such as headaches, muscle aches, stomach aches, or tiredness. Also, frequent absence from school or poor performance in school, talks of efforts to run away from home, outbursts of shouting, complaining, unexplained irritability or crying, being bored, lack of interest in playing with friends, alcohol or substance abuse, social isolation, poor communication, fear of death, extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure, increased irritability, anger, hostility, reckless behavior, and lastly, difficulty with relationships. In this article that I read, depression relates to a child’s cognitive development. If a child is missing school or concentrating on other issues during class time, they won’t be able to develop intellectually. Also, their physical development can be effected if they are depressed and expressing reckless behavior or experimenting with drugs and or alcoho... Free Essays on Childhood Depression Free Essays on Childhood Depression Childhood Depression Childhood depression is a major issue in America. It is an issue that should not be taken lightly and any child that is experiencing symptoms of depression should be treated or helped in any way possible. Here are three articles that I read that gave me more information and insight on this childhood illness. The diagnostic criteria and key defining features of major depressive disorders in children are the same as the are for adults. However, recognition and diagnosis of the disorders may be more difficult in youth for several reasons. The way that symptoms are expressed varies in youngsters. In addition, children and young adolescents with depression may have difficulty in properly identifying and describing their internal emotions or moods. For example, instead of communicating how bad they feel, they may act out and be irritable towards others, which may be interpreted simply as misbehavior or disobedience. Some signs that may be associated with depression in children include frequent vague, non-specified physical complaints such as headaches, muscle aches, stomach aches, or tiredness. Also, frequent absence from school or poor performance in school, talks of efforts to run away from home, outbursts of shouting, complaining, unexplained irritability or crying, being bored, lack of interest in playing with friends, alcohol or substance abuse, social isolation, poor communication, fear of death, extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure, increased irritability, anger, hostility, reckless behavior, and lastly, difficulty with relationships. In this article that I read, depression relates to a child’s cognitive development. If a child is missing school or concentrating on other issues during class time, they won’t be able to develop intellectually. Also, their physical development can be effected if they are depressed and expressing reckless behavior or experimenting with drugs and or alcoho...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Book Analysis The Male Brain

The Male Brain Similarly to Loan Breezinesss The Female Brain, Lethe Male Brain takes us through the changes throughout the lifetime of a male brain. It breaks down each stage of a males life and takes a look at the happenings of their brains from boyhood, through their teen years, into relationships and children, finally ending with the mature male brain. The Male Brain explains many of the biological reasons, along with the learned reasons behind many of the common traits and behaviors found in males.The focus of this analysis will be on how male brains differ from females, and whether that gives them n advantage or disadvantage in work settings. It will include how the early development of boys brains effects their traits and personalities, how men and women differ when it comes to emotions, and how all of these things contribute to the historical stereotype that men are better leaders than women. As Brazening explained, from a very early age boys are interested in completely different things than girls.Although I dont agree with her idea that boys are programmed to act a certain way, believe that part of their traits belongs to their biological hardwiring and the other are due to their ultra and upbringing. As it says in The Male Brain, at a young age boys are more likely to take risks and break rules. This relates directly with Eagle and Carols Through the Labyrinth when they state women presumably evolved a strong concern with their own personal safety as well as tendencies to be fearful and anxious and to avoid danger and risk. These statements translate very well into the stereotypical man when it comes to his career. While most of the time women are afraid to take risks, as it said in the TED talk Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders, men are willing risk takers which leads to egger paybacks, especially in their careers. Women are also more concerned with how other people f eel and everyone getting along, however beginning when boys are around a year old they begin ignoring their own mothers facial expressions. At this age, the opposite happens in little girls.They read and react to the slightest look of disappointment or anger on their mothers face almost immediately. This could contribute to the fact that when men grow up they are more self-centered and concerned with their own career, while women are worried about how others feel. Referring again to the TED elk View We Have Too Few Women Leaders, they stated that men are more likely to take credit for their own achievements, while women give a lot of credit to those who helped and supported them. This is one of the traits that men have which give them more opportunities to be promoted and join higher ranks in the work force.Another point that Brazening made was that during their younger years, boys are obsessed with and imitate their dads, uncles, or any other male role models that could be considered alpha males. Believe that this obsession with alpha males could lead to the strong drive hat men have to become one, whether it is in the ir home or their workplace. Again, strength and aggression are mentioned a lot. In her book Brazening states, by age two, a boys brain is driving him to establish physical and social dominance. All these traits and behaviors either taught or wired into boys at such a young age, all contribute to their actions and behavior as they grow older and climb the ladders in their careers. The common issue of men accuse women of being too emotional and women accuse men of not being emotional enough is explained very well in the male brain. From personal experience, I have seen relationships not work out just because one person doesnt feel the other is listening, or one doesnt react the way the other was hoping for. After reading this book I realize that all of this due to the fact that men and women process emotions differently.When faced with a problem, a man doesnt respond emotionally, instead his brain looks for a way to solve it. I think Brazening says it best when she states The male brain is a lean, mean, problem-solving machine. Faced with a personal problem, a man will use his analytical brain structures to find a solution. This leads to others getting annoyed by male responses because they feel as if their emotions are not being acknowledged and instead are being given advice and direction that they didnt want to hear. As hurtful as this can be in personal situations, I feel like it could be proven helpful in professional work situations.As it says in Eagle and Carry, women usually respond in a manner that acknowledges others rights and their own rights, giving a more emotional response. Men also react to situations by hiding their emotions. If they are scared or nervous their instincts tell them to mask that ND not show those feelings in their facial expressions. They learn at a young age that acting cool and hiding their fears are the unwritten laws of masculinity. believe that the differences in how men and women react to emotions and how they use their emotions gives men another advantage in the work force.After comparing both The Female Brain and The Male Brain, it has changed my views a little bit about how men are natural leaders. I believe that in our society today men are better suited to handle leadership roles. The use of their aggression and self-preservation is the type of traits that get people far in their careers in our world today. It is more likely that doing whatever it takes is hardwired into a males brain than females. In The Male Brain it says Instinctive male-male competition and hierarchical fighting is driven by both hormones and brain circuits. I interpret this as men having it built into their brains that they need to be the best no matter what. I dont feel like women have the same instincts. Women are more worried about how others feel and their emotions. As it says in Eagle and Carry, Women emerge more often than men as the social facilitators. This means that they trivet to help people get along but dont usually hold much power themselves. I believe that women dont hold as many executive jobs as men because to climb to those roles in todays society require someone who looks out for themselves before others.Another aspect of men fitting the leadership role better is due to the fact that they dont react to emotions as women do. The fact that men try to come up with solutions to problems is ideal for todays work force. The fact that they can pull of an instinctive poker face could also help when it comes to making deals, making tough decisions, ND controlling their emotions. However, I do believe that there are some leadership roles that require more of a womans emotions and consideration.That being said, those leadership roles usually arent what we think of in our society when we think of powerful leaders. All in all, after the comparison of the male and female brain I do believe that males have quite a few biological and cultural traits that give them an advantage over women in the workforce. Its not that I dont believe that women cant be successful, I just believe in order for them to climb the ladder n their careers, especially the corporate one, they need to learn some of the traits that men are born with.Eagle and Carry put it perfectly when they say Changes in the psychology of women and men follow f rom changes in their roles. The early development Of the brains Of boys, the differences in response to emotions between men and women, and the natural leadership qualities that men possess have been giving them an advantage in the work force. However, I feel that as society changes, women will be able to adapt and make more progress and become just as successful in their careers.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

What role, if any, do you think that race should play in deciding who Research Paper

What role, if any, do you think that race should play in deciding who should be admitted to colleges and universities and why How important do you think diversity should be on a university campus - Research Paper Example In order for this to occur, factors including experience, income, socioeconomic status, marital status, and sexual orientation should also be considered in equal measure to race in order to effectively ensure a diversity policy and promotion. Organizations such as the NAACP actively promote better opportunities for African-American citizens in areas of politics, public service, education and human rights. This organization was established to ensure fair treatment for black citizens and works to advocate their rights in a variety of business, professional and personal environments where they might be considered at risk populations for discrimination. Why do organizations such as this exist? It is due to pre-existing stereotypes and prejudices against black citizens that still linger today that give them a disadvantage in hiring and sometimes education. The NAACP recently developed a film competition with support of the American Red Cross, Sony Pictures, and Best Buy in order to help students of different races to present their own innovative social solutions using film to exploit their diverse opinions (naacp.org, 1). The NAACP was chosen as an example so as to reinforce that there are already a large volume of advocacy groups that continue to protest to legislators and senior-level decision-makers to ensure they are given equal opportunities as other races in society. Their efforts are ongoing and continue to change the hiring and recruitment policies in business and the college environment. Because they already have such a well-known and influential backing, universities should pay less attention to race when recruiting and focus more on recruiting the most talented and motivated students regardless of their race. It is likely that groups such as the NAACP will continue to motivate legislators to add more diversity policies

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Genetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Genetics - Essay Example Genes are the basics of genetics (Nadeau & Dudley 2011, 1015). Genes are packed in bundles referred to as chromosomes. They are threadlike structures that are located inside the nucleus of a living being. For a human being, there are 23 pairs of chromosomes meaning that there are a total of 46 chromosomes (De Koning & Haley 2005, 386). Of these pairs of chromosomes, 1 pair is the sex chromosomes that determines the sex of an individual and their body characteristics. The other pair of chromosomes is referred to as autosomal chromosomes and their function is to determine the rest of the body make up. Gregor Mendel is referred to as the father of genetics due to his study of the inheritance in pea plants. A gene contains an allel that is inherited from both parents i.e. tongue roller and non-tongue roller are alleles for the ability to roll the tongue and more than two allels can exist for any specific gene but only two of them will be found in an individual. Allels may be similar or different and if they are identical for a gene are referred to as a homozygous. If the organism has two different alleles for a gene, it is a heterozygous. He hypothesized that these allels separate randomly during gametes production i.e. an egg and a sperm that will carry only one allel for the inherited trait. When they unit each gamete will contribute its allele restoring the paired condition of the offspring (Moore 2001, 21). This is referred to as the law of segregation. He also found out that each individual pair of alleles will separate independently of the other pair of alleles during the pro cess of gamete formation and referred this as the law of independent assortment. He also described that if the two allels of an inherited pair are different (heterozygous), only one will determine the organism’s appearance and will be referred to as the dominant allele while the other one is the recessive allele. He referred this as the

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Obamacare Essay Example for Free

Obamacare Essay â€Å"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones weve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.† Those words were famously spoken from Barack Obama during his election period. Following through with those words, he begins to make change in the country. Change isn’t easy, yet you hope it’s worth it in the end. The USA seems to be standing on both sides of the fence when it comes to the changes the President is making with healthcare. March 23, 2010 Obama signed into law Affordable Care Act, or better known as Obamacare. Together with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, it represents the most significant government expansion and regulatory overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 (www.obamacarefacts.com). Obamacare was enacted to provide affordable health insurance to 44 million uninsured Americans and to reduce the growth in health care spending. Obamacare has done some important things already, such as prohibiting insurance companies from dropping your coverage if you get sick and has been working with insurance companies who will not cover a person because of a pre-existing condition. However, as with all change there are two ways at looking at the new bill. Obamacare will drastically affect the low-income families in a positive way. In America healthcare is so difficult to afford for the average low-income family, Obama has placed the care on a sliding scale. The expansion will cover over 15 million low-income individuals and families below the 133% FLP mark. However each state has the option to opt-out of providing coverage for the poor. By not providing coverage for the poor, it will leave 2-3 million people without coverage. States that decide to opt-in employers will have to respond by laying people off and making full time employees part time to avoid Obamacare penalties and taxes by not implementing the program. Others will not expand beyond 50 employees to avoid the bill’s mandate’s (Shenk, 2013). The average consumer will see a difference because some businesses are adding surcharges to invoices in to help make up the cost of healthcare coverage for their employees. On a positive note, there would be no annual or lifetime limits, children can stay on their parent’s plans to age 26; FDA can approve more generic drugs driving prices down and breaking monopolies and protections against discrimination for gender, disabilities and domestic abuse. And there will be significant tax credits to the small businesses with less than 25 employees, to help offset the costs of providing coverage to their employees. Obamacare will certainly challenge the nation over whether it wants a national system to be dependent on Washington or rely on dual federalism that protects freedom. The bill doesn’t allow the American citizen the option, if they want to offer or accept coverage; they have to have it or they will be penalized. That doesn’t allow much freedom of choice, however at least they are being offered the opportunity to coverage. Despite the rocky road Obamacare has had to start, it has lived to see another day and each day the kinks are worked out. This bill is here to stay. So, as cchange isn’t always easy, the average American citizen can say that the law will be beneficial to them as individuals, their families, communities, and country.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Nature and Death in Walt Whitmans Song of Myself Essay -- Song of Mys

There are many "popular" topics used frequently by authors. Love, religion, and war are some favorites. Two other such topics we typically read about are nature and death. The two can be discussed separately or they can be related to each other. Walt Whitman, a lover of nature, tackled these subjects in "Song of Myself" from Leaves of Grass. Another author who does the same is William Cullen Bryant. Though two very different writers with different styles, they share some of the same ideas. "Song of Myself" is a celebration of life and God. Whitman loved everything imaginable about nature. He loved people, animals, and himself. Throughout this extensive poem, Whitman mentions "red" people (Indians), "negros," butchers, women, the poor and the rich. He believed that all are good in some way or another and all people are equal. He loved them all for their own special reason. He also loved animals. Stanza thirteen praises the beauty and worthiness of oxen, tortoises, and mockingbirds. He believed all living things were connected. People are linked with the mar... Nature and Death in Walt Whitman's Song of Myself Essay -- Song of Mys There are many "popular" topics used frequently by authors. Love, religion, and war are some favorites. Two other such topics we typically read about are nature and death. The two can be discussed separately or they can be related to each other. Walt Whitman, a lover of nature, tackled these subjects in "Song of Myself" from Leaves of Grass. Another author who does the same is William Cullen Bryant. Though two very different writers with different styles, they share some of the same ideas. "Song of Myself" is a celebration of life and God. Whitman loved everything imaginable about nature. He loved people, animals, and himself. Throughout this extensive poem, Whitman mentions "red" people (Indians), "negros," butchers, women, the poor and the rich. He believed that all are good in some way or another and all people are equal. He loved them all for their own special reason. He also loved animals. Stanza thirteen praises the beauty and worthiness of oxen, tortoises, and mockingbirds. He believed all living things were connected. People are linked with the mar...

Monday, November 11, 2019

Fast food restaurant Essay

Introduction Fast food is very common in Hong Kong. We can find at least one fast-food restaurant nearby. McDonald, KFC, Burger King, Triple O’s, Cafe de Carol can be found everywhere in Hong Kong. Fast food means that the food can be prepared and served very quickly. It can save us time and is convenient. [pic][pic][pic] The aim of this report is to investigate fast food culture in Hong Kong nowadays. Firstly, trend of fast food culture in Hong Kong would be given in order to get further understanding of fast food. Secondly, negative impacts of fast food would be discussed. Thirdly, despite the fact that Hong Kong people are more aware of their health, fast food restaurants have emerged. Lastly, comparison between fast food shops and fast-service shops would be mentioned to find out how these two types of shops affect customers’ choice of catering. Mr. Victor Chan, the Managing Director of the Triple O’s, Hong Kong franchise, was interviewed to find out the answer. Current situation [pic]Fig. 1 Top 10 Global Markets for weekly Fast Food. According to the survey from ACNielsen (Refer to figure1), Hong Kong has the highest percentage of eating fast food in the world, with 61 per cent of people eating fast food at least once a week. The survey was conducted in October 2004 over the internet in 28 countries and regions across the Asia-Pacific, Europe and the US. It showed that more and more people are obsessed with fast food. Nine per cent of Hong Kong people visited fast-food restaurants at least once a day; 86 per cent of people visited at least twice a month. In the first nine months of this 2004, Hong Kong people visited fast-food restaurants on average seven times a month and spent $ 160. The survey revealed fast food has become a part of Hong Kong people’s lives. Hong Kong people are in fast pace of life. People have less time to eat and are busy to work. It makes fast food become more and more popular because it is convenient and comfortable. It replaces the position of traditional restaurants and these fast food shops have dominated our society gradually. Negative impacts of traditional fast food There are thousands of fast food shops in Hong Kong. They have totally changed eating habit and daily life of Hong Kong people. Albeit fast food is delicious and tasty, it brings several health problems. Fast food contains lots of fats and high calories. For example, McDonald’s provides a Big Mac, large fries and a large Coca-Cola drink which have 1430 calories. In fact, 2000 calories is the maximum amount a person needs in each day. Big Macs in Hong Kong contains more fat and cholesterol than those in the world. According to nutritional information on the company’s website, each Hong Kong burger weighed 560 calories but 80 calories is more than Australia, 67 calories more than Britain and 60 calories more than the Middle East. Obviously, fast food leads to obesity and diabetes, and increases the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. Apparently, fast food contains high calories and lack in nutrition. Fast food is not proper meal that people can eat every day. Besides this, facing the influence of mass media and the trend in Hong Kong, slim body figures are encouraged. Therefore, Hong Kong people realize the importance of health. They are willing to eat healthy food with low calories and fats. In order to meet the demand of healthy and higher nutritional food from Hong Kong people, fast food shops start to provide healthy food to customers. For example, McDonald’s try to give more choice to customers by providing healthier food, likes fresh salad and low fat yogurt. Fast food culture in Hong Kong has changed. Emergence of Fast-service food shops in Hong Kong Interview with Triple O’s – White Spot Because of the rise in living standard and change in eating habits of Hong Kong customers, traditional fast food shops, such as McDonald’s and KFC, can no longer meet the demands of customers. The emergence of a brand new type of catering choice – fast-service food shops, introduces a new dining experience to Hong Kong customers, thus, bringing a positive and striking impact to the catering industry. One of the most successful fast-service food shops in Hong Kong is Triple O’s – White Spot, which was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1928, best known for its hamburgers In 2003, Triple O’s expanded its business to Hong Kong, setting up the first shop in the Great food hall in the basement of Pacific Place, Admiralty. Until 2010, there are already 5 Triple O’s established throughout Hong Kong, in which the franchises each record more than twice as many sales as the average location in BC. In order to know more about fast-service food shops, an interview has been conducted with the managing director of the Triple O’s, Hong Kong franchise, Mr. Victor Chan. [pic] [pic] Triple O’s – White Spot aims to provide high quality, home-made and healthy fast food and family-friendly services to create a new kind of dining experience to customers. According to Mr. Chan, Triple O’s’ in Hong Kong have to follow strictly the menu and ingredients set by the Canadian headquarters to ensure its high food quality. For instance, unlike traditional fast food shops that only focus in lowering their production cost, Triple O’s’ milkshakes are made of fresh milk and premium ice-cream. Burger beef is from Australia, delivered fresh to Triple O’s in Hong Kong, not frozen. Mr. Chan added that Triple O’s’ menu will not change in order to suit the appetite of Hong Kong customers, therefore resulting in a limited choices of food in their menu compared to other fast food shops. In order to provide freshly made burgers, it usually takes up to 5 to complete a whole meal set. That is why customer-friendly service is provided in Triple O’s. Instead of ‘self-help’ service in traditional fast food shops, waiters will deliver meals to customers in person, offering customers efficient dining services. Besides that, because of the insistence of high quality ingredients, price of food is again higher than that of fast food shops. Yet, it does not affect customer’s choice of catering since they are now enjoying a higher living standard, willing to spend more for the return of good food and nice service. Triple O’s’ success is also a result of change in eating habits and perceptions of Hong Kong customers. The idea of ‘thin is in’ is widely spread by the mass media, people are getting more conscious about their physique and health, leading to the rise of a new kind of eating habit – healthy eating. Believing that traditional fast food shops’ only provision of deep-fried food, customers tend to look for healthy, yet, delicious fast food for substitution. Triple O’s hit the exact demand of customers. ‘Food in Triple O’s is generally low in fat and that no preservatives and artificial flavours are added in. Vegetarian burgers and lots of vegetables are included in every meal set in order for customers to achieve a balance diet,’ said Mr. Chan, ‘healthy cooking methods are also used, such as roasting and grilling of burger beef and chicken stripes with refined olive oil rather than deep-frying. Fries with potato skins are again intended to provide dietary fibre for better digestion of customers. † Customers are free to choose according to their personal preference, having a custom-made burger in any way they want, like whether to add in any dressing in their burgers. Another special feature of Triple O’s is that there is no advertisement about it at all. â€Å"We rather spend our money in purchasing high quality ingredients than wasting them on advertising. We believe that with our food and service, reputation can be build up in no time. Once again, we prove ourselves right! † said Mr. Chan. Marketing is clearly not the major concern of Triple O’s. â€Å"From the fast food shops’ point of view, we (fast-service food shops) have become a huge competitor to the traditional fast-service shops. Like McDonald’s, they are, in fact, following our way in preparing food and provision of service. However, since there is vast difference between us and traditional fast food shops, we don’t treat them as a direct competitor. Our aim is not only to provide fast food to customers, but a new dining experience, which makes us unique in the catering industry. † Mr. Chan concluded by the end of the interview. Comparison between Fast food shops and Fast-service food shops Fast food shops have always been one of the dominating choices of catering. Yet, in recent years, there are a definite increasing number of fast-service food shops in Hong Kong, which result in an intense competition between the two. In the following table, we use the example of McDonald’s (fast food shops) and Triple O’s (fast-service food shops) to show the major differences between fast food shops and fast-service food shops, which affect customers’ choice of catering. [pic] [pic] |Differences |Fast food shops (McDonald’s) |Fast-service food shops (Triple O’s) | |Quality of food |Low |High | |Ingredients used |Use of low quality ingredients to cut off production cost| Strictly follow the Canadian headquarters’ use of high | | |e. g. |quality ingredients e. g. | ||milkshakes – milk, water, and milk |milkshakes – fresh milk and premium | | |powder |ice-cream | | |burger meat – organ meat mixed with |Burger meat – Australian imported, | | |bread crumbs and onion |pure beef | |Method of cooking |Deep-frying |Grilling and Roasting | |Health consciousness |Less |More | | |- lack of vegetables and fruits in the menu |- inclusion of vegetarian food choices | | |- unhealthy cooking method used |- healthier cooking methods used | | Flexibility of ordered food |Standardized food |Immediate, Custom-made e.g. | | |- Burgers are pre-made for purchase, which follow a |- Customers may add in more vegetables in their burgers or | | |uniform standard. |choose not to add any dressings at all. | |Food choices |Wide variety |Limited as it must follow the menu of their headquarters in | | |- Burgers, fries, ice-cream, different types of |Canada | | |fried-food, soft drinks, pies†¦ |- burgers, fries, onion rings, chicken stripes, milkshakes | |Characteristics |Fast, convenient | High quality of food, | | | |brand new type of dining experience | |No.of shops in HK |More |Less | |Cost |Low |High due to the high quality of ingredients used | |Services |Less |More | | |- provides only ordering services in the cashier |- provides not only ordering and packing up services, but | | | |also delivery of meals to customers like restaurants | |Advertisements |More |None | | |- wide coverage via the mass media (e. g. TV ads, the |- building up reputation by customers’ word of mouth | | |Internet, newspaper) |- money used in quality ingredients rather than in | | | |advertisements | From the above comparison, we can see that fast-service food shops introduces a brand new kind of catering experience to Hong Kong by providing high quality of food and efficient, customer-friendly services. As customers are being more health conscious, fast-service food shops seem to have hit the market, drawing enormous attention from customers of other types of catering choices, especially those of fast-food shops. Customers also enjoyed the idea of ‘immediate and custom-made’. Customers are able to order in according with their preferences. Burgers are freshly made with A-grade ingredients immediately upon order, which freshness of food can be completely guaranteed. Together with the efficient and friendly service provided, fast-service food shops seem to fulfill and satisfy the demands of picky customers. The success of a few fast-service shops in Hong Kong is inevitably bringing in a competitor to traditional fast-food shops. Conclusion In the past two decades, Hong Kong has inevitably been an international city under the great influence of fast food culture. As the only demand for food is efficiency, the mere provision of fast and convenient food could already satisfy the demands of most customers. Yet, with the improvement in economic level, living standard and change in eating habits of customers, fast food shop could no longer provide them with what they want. Customers are more willing to enjoy quality and healthy food and nice service when dining, thereby, leading to the introduction of fast-service food shops to Hong Kong. Fast-service food shops bring in huge impacts and brand new ideas to the fast food world. Not only efficiency, quality of food, provision of service and health consciousness should be brought into considerations in order to fulfill the demands of customers. The emergence of fast-service food shops provides a new choice of catering for customers, which leads to intense competition between fast food shops and them. Competition between the two definitely brings positive impacts to the catering industry. Traditional fast food shops seem to realize their shortcomings and need of change, now even McDonald’s follow the way of fast-service food shops by providing immediate-made burgers instead of pre-made ones. Because of the vast difference between fast food shops and fast-service food shops, it is difficult to determine at this stage that which one of them can dominate the fast food industry. The only thing for sure is that customers are, always and forever, the winner in this match, having to enjoy the great food! Reference OWikipedia OOfficial homepage of Triple O’s Hong Kong OSouth China Morning Post OHong Kong Yahoo OACNielsen OHKUSPACE [pic] [pic] [pic] Vocabulary Sheet – Fast Food Culture |Word (parts of speech) |Meaning | |Dietician (n) |a person who is an expert in nutrition or dietetics | |Fast-food addict (n) |a person who is addicted to fast-food | |Americanization (n) |assimilate to the customs and institutions of the U. S. | |Delicacies (n) |something delightful or pleasing, esp. a choice food considered | | |with regard to its rarity, costliness | |Sedentary (adj) |characterized by or requiring a sitting posture | |Coronary (adj) |of or pertaining to the human heart, with respect to health | |Superficial (adj) |shallow; not profound or thorough | |Standardize (v) |to bring to or make of an established standard size, weight, | | |quality, strength | |Unpalatable (adj) |not palatable; unpleasant to the taste | |Franchise (n) |the right or license granted by a company to an individual or group| | |to market its products or services in a specific territory | |Variant (adj) |tending to change or alter; exhibiting variety or diversity | | Proliferate (v) |to increase in number or spread rapidly and often excessively | |prominent (adj) |standing out so as to be seen easily; conspicuous; particularly | | |noticeable | |Prevalent (n) |widespread; of wide extent or occurrence; in general use or | | |acceptance | |Ubiquity (n) |the state or capacity of being everywhere, esp. at the same time | |Detrimental (adj) |causing detriment; damaging; harmful | |Umpteen (adj) |innumerable; many | |Flavor-enhancing (adj) |enhancing the flavor of food | |Paramount (adj) |chief in importance or impact; supreme; preeminent | |Consumer-friendliness (n) |products of non-harmful elements to consumers |

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Automobile and Cars Essay

The official definition of an automobile is â€Å"a passenger vehicle designed for operation on ordinary roads and typically having four wheels and a gasoline or diesel internal-combustion engine† (Merriam-Webster 51). There is no one person accredited for the invention of the automobile, but rather a collection of advancements that evolved into the modern-day automobile (Smith 12). Today, there are approximately 600 million passenger vehicles in existence worldwide, with numbers rapidly increasing in emerging economic â€Å"power countries†, such as China and India (Smith 23). A Flemish man named Ferdinand Verbiest introduced the first design for a self-propelled vehicle in 1672, in China, nearly one hundred years before the first internal combustion engine (Smith 25). From the late seventeenth century to the early nineteenth century, a series of vehicles, all propelled by steam, were constructed and demonstrated worldwide (Smith 34). The steam car was a superior machine in the nineteen hundreds (Smith 34). Steam cars were responsible for everyday travel, commercial transportation and even held land speed records (Smith36). It wasn’t until 1807 that the world’s first internal combustion engine was created, in France, by Nicephore Niepce (Smith 36). Another leader in the creation of the internal combustion engine was Francois Issac de Rivaz, who revolutionized the fuel that the engines ran on (Smith 36). Early automobiles powered by internal combustion engine ran on fuel made of powered and coal mixed with oil or a mixture of elements, such as hydrogen and oxygen (Smith 36). In 1824, and Englishman named Samuel Brown adapted the steam engine to burn gasoline and created the first gas vacuum engine (Smith 38). Sir Dougald Clerk, of Scotland, was accredited in 1876 for designing the first successful two-stroke engine (Smith39). In 1890, Wilhelm Mayback created the first four-cylinder, four-stroke engine (Smith39). Everything changed in 1885, when vehicle engineering took a sharp turn towards the future in regards to efficiency and affordability, thanks to the German inventor, Karl Benz (Smith 49). As the market for economical automobiles in the late nineteenth century began to grow, the need for industrial production was pressing. Benz patented the first four-stroke engine to be placed in his company’s production automobiles in 1888 (Smith 50). The first large-scale assembly production lines appeared in the early 1900s, many of which are still around today (Smith 24). Oldsmobile and Ford were two of the first companies to successfully mass-produce vehicles to meet the vast automotive market needs. American entrepreneur, Henry Ford, invented and improved the assembly line and installed the first conveyor belt system in his automobile manufacturing plant, based in Detroit, Michigan (Smith 95). Assembly lines reduced production costs by training workers to become experts with one specific part of the automobile or machinery, thus reducing production costs (Smith 97). Ford introduced the Model T in 1908, which could be assembled in an unprecedented ninety-three minutes. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, governments began to create and enforce automobile safety and environmental regulations (Smith 103). The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations is a working party of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the goal of this organization is to facilitate international trade by creating a uniform model of regulations for vehicle design (Corbett 67). The UNECE is also responsible for creating and enforcing regulations on vehicle safety among automotive manufacturers (Corbett 69). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one million people are injured or fatally wounded on the world’s roads annually (Corbett 70). Some examples of vehicle regulations include seat belts, air bags and laminated windshields (Corbett 71). Seat belts limit the forward motion of the driver or passengers and absorb kinetic energy by stretching to retain movement if an accident occurs (Corbett 71). Air bags inflate to cushion to cushion the impact of the vehicle occupants and are placed in various locations in the vehicle’s interior, such as steering wheels, dash and doors (Corbett 71). Laminated windshields are designed to remain in one piece when impacted to prevent shattering, while maintaining visual clarity just after an accident has occurred, allowing the driver to safely redirect themselves from harm’s way (Corbett 71). There are also regulations for vehicle’ side windows and back windshield (Corbett 72). Windows and rear wind shields must be manufactured with tempered glass, which breaks into granules with minimally sharp edges, rather than splitting into jagged fragments as ordinary glass does (Corbett 72). Many new luxury features, such as paint color choices, differences in interior and upgraded designs and environmental features much as electric or hybrid engines in the twentieth century emerged on the market (Anderson and Anderson 167). The modern day automobile is a vehicle of evolutionary change and has transformed exponentially over the last several centuries. Today, the leading manufacturers of automobiles are Toyota (Japan), General Motors (USA), Volkswagen (Germany) and Ford (USA) (Corbett 22). These leading manufacturers all embody features and characteristics that make their product and branding unique and memorable, as well as abiding by worldwide government standards which include regulations of vehicle safety, environmental protection, energy efficiency and theft resistance (Corbett 13-16, 18). The evolution of motor vehicles from the seventeenth century to present-day is astounding. It would be reasonable to argue that the automobile is the single most evolved piece of modern machinery of all time. Motor vehicle usage has evolved over time, beginning with use for personal leisure and developed for commercial transportation, public transit and racing. The transformation of production and assembly, as well as the addition of customizable features mark the individualistic ideals of the twenty-first century. There no doubt, motor vehicles will continue to evolve throughout time with environmental needs at the forefront worldwide and the ever-growing necessity of increasing luxury among automobile owners. Works Cited Anderson, Curtis Darrel, and Judy Anderson. Electric and Hybrid Cars: A History. Chicago: McFarland, 2010. Print. Corbett, David. A History of Cars. New York: Gareth Stevens Publishers, 2005. Print. Merriam-Webster, Inc. , . Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. 11th. New York: Merriam-Webster, Inc. , 2003. Print. Smith, Kaelyn. A Brief History of Automobiles. New York: Webster’s Digital Services, 2011. Print.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

Great Railroad Strike of 1877 The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began with a work stoppage by railroad employees in West Virginia who were protesting a reduction in their wages. And that seemingly isolated  incident quickly turned into a national movement. Railroad workers walked off the job in  other states and seriously disrupted  commerce  in the East and Midwest. The strikes were ended within a few weeks, but not before major incidents of vandalism and violence. The Great Strike marked the first time the federal government called out troops to quell a labor dispute. In messages sent to President Rutherford B. Hayes, local officials referred to what was happening as â€Å"an insurrection.† The violent incidents were the worst civil disturbances since the Draft Riots which had brought some of the violence of the Civil War into the streets of New York City  14 years earlier. One legacy of the labor unrest in the summer of 1877 still exists in the form of landmark buildings in some American cities. The trend of building immense fortress-like armories was inspired by the battles between striking railroad workers and soldiers. Beginning of the Great Strike The strike began in Martinsburg, West Virginia,  on July 16, 1877, after workers of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad were informed that their pay would be cut 10 percent. Workers grumbled about the loss of income in small groups, and by the end of the day railroad firemen began walking off the job. Steam locomotives could not run without the firemen, and dozens of trains were idled. By the next day it was apparent that the railroad was essentially shut down and the governor of West Virginia began to ask for federal help to break the strike. Approximately 400 troops were dispatched to Martinsburg, where they scattered protesters by brandishing bayonets. Some soldiers managed to drive some of the trains, but the strike was far from over. In fact, it began to spread. As the strike was starting in West Virginia, workers for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad had begun walking  off the job in Baltimore, Maryland. On July 17, 1877, news of the strike was already the lead story in New York City newspapers. The New York Times coverage, on its front page, included  the dismissive headline: Foolish Firemen and Brakemen on the Baltimore and Ohio Road Cause of the Trouble. The position of the newspaper was that lower wages and adjustments in working conditions were necessary. The country was, at the time, still stuck in an economic depression which had been triggered originally by the Panic of 1873. Violence Spread Within days, on July 19, 1877, workers on another line, the Pennsylvania Railroad, struck in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With the local militia sympathetic to the strikers, 600 federal troops from Philadelphia were sent to break up protests. The troops arrived in Pittsburgh, faced off with local residents, and ultimately fired into crowds of protesters, killing 26 and wounding many more. The crowd erupted  in a frenzy, and trains and buildings were burned. Summing it up a few days later, on July 23, 1877, the New York Tribune, one of the nations most influential newspapers, headlined a front-page  story The Labor War. The account of the fighting in Pittsburgh was chilling, as  it described federal troops unleashing volleys of rifle fire at civilian crowds. As word of the shooting had spread through Pittsburgh, local citizens rushed to the scene. The outraged mob set fires and destroyed several dozen buildings belonging to the Pennsylvania Railroad. The New York Tribune reported: The mob then began a career of destruction, in which they robbed and burned all the cars, depots, and buildings of the Pennsylvania Railroad for three miles, destroying millions of dollars worth of property. The number of killed and wounded during the fighting is not known, but it is believed to be in the hundreds. End of the Strike President Hayes, receiving pleas from  several governors, began moving troops from forts on the East Coast toward railroad towns such as Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Over the course of about two weeks the strikes were ended and  workers returned to their jobs. During the Great Strike it was estimated that 10,000 workers had walked off their jobs. About a hundred strikers had been killed.   In the immediate aftermath of the strike the railroads began to forbid union activity. Spies were used to ferret out union organizers so they could be fired. And workers were forced to sign yellow dog contracts that disallowed joining a union. And in the nations cities a trend developed of building enormous armories that could serve as fortresses during periods of urban fighting. Some massive armories from that period still stand, often restored as civic landmarks. The Great Strike was, at the time, a setback for workers. But the awareness it brought to American labor problems resonated for years. Labor organizers learned many valuable lessons from the experiences of the summer of 1877. In a sense, the scale of the activity surrounding the Great Strike indicated that there was a desire for a widespread movement to secure workers rights. And the work stoppages and fighting in the summer of 1877 would be  a major event in the history of American labor. Sources: Le Blanc, Paul. Railroad Strike of 1877. St. James Encyclopedia of Labor History Worldwide, edited by Neil Schlager, vol. 2, St. James Press, 2004, pp. 163-166. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Great Railroad Strike of 1877. Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History, edited by Thomas Carson and Mary Bonk, vol. 1, Gale, 1999, pp. 400-402. Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Customer Relationship Management Bachelor Essay

Customer Relationship Management Bachelor - Essay Example This paper seeks to highlight the conditions when a comprehensive CRM program becomes useful even necessary for an organization, what processes and operational aspects should be the focus of this program, its possible risks and benefits, and what is the best CRM model a company experiencing a particular customer relationship problem can adopt. For this purpose, the essay sets a scenario involving a manufacturing firm, which we shall call Company A, whose interaction with customers can stand improvement. With this in mind, one of the company executives presented a blueprint for a CRM program for the consideration of top management. Management was duly impressed and appointed the executive as consultant to study and handle the program's implementation. Two weeks after the consultant's appointment, the Managing Director calls his attention to complaints over the way company operations and employees' behavior fail to promote good customer relations. In effect, the problem is laid at the door of the Operations Manager, who has direct responsibility for company processes and people that affect its dealings with customers. Thus, operations become the main target of the consultant's study to determine how the company can adopt and benefit from CRM. This paper assumes the role of the consultant as it evaluates the problem and proposes a specific CRM plan based on a study of how the company's people, processes and operations can be realigned and managed for them to interact better with customers. 2. The Problem in Perspective CRM is all about systematic gathering and retrieval of customer-related data and is thus associated with the Internet and computers, which skill is not among the criteria used in hiring managers, especially operations managers. Operations managers are usually hired more for their decision-making and people handling abilities than for their computer skills, such that insufficient knowledge of information management restricts their control of overall operations (Boughman, 2003). They may be knowledgeable about the company's processes and people but this does not make for good customer relations if the operations manager has no access to the wealth of information about customers offered by a CRM system. The problem is worse at Company A, where the study found that the operations manager lacks control even over the attitudes of the staff, which as a rule has been described as flippant and rude to customers. There is no open line of communication between the front office and the backroom office. This lack of coordination often results in the gathering of customer records that are either inaccurate or incomplete, while purchase orders often get lost in the shuffle. Missing in customer records are such vital data as names, addresses, purchase histories, service and support contacts. Readily available knowledge about customers and their buying patterns is considered one of the most valuable assets of a business organization. A company without any geographic and demographic

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Applying Training Concepts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Applying Training Concepts - Essay Example As the business environment has changed, so have the skill requirements. This necessitates identification of training needs analysis. The training strategy is essentially aligned with the business objectives but the situation that Wal-Mart now faces, is more of youth employment. The youth come with their own expectations of the job role and their career progression. Besides, as employee turnover in the retail sector is high, cross-training becomes essential. Now more than 20% of Wal-Mart employees have university degrees. To retain talent and to assure career progression, Wal-Mart needs to identify talent with good skills and potential. The training needs of such employees would differ from mainstream employees. Such employees are sent to the US for specialized training but in Asian countries and particularly in China, Wal-Mart identified that some of the best people could not communicate in English fluently enough to benefit from the training in the US (Trunick, 2006). As the situat ion has changed, organizations would have to reinvent themselves to retain talent. This requires identification of training needs. ... Besides, the employees or the associates, as they are known at Wal-Mart, must have different qualifications for different function areas such as on the sales floor, in logistics and in the back room. Training needs of each individual associate would differ based on the job role. The trainer is responsible to conduct the training needs analysis without which training may be rendered ineffective. TNA is conducted based upon the objectives of the organization and can be conducted at the organization, person or the task level. When all of these are integrated it provides an effective strategy (Leat & Lovell, 1997). The training needs should be best directed to match the organizational needs. In the retail sector organizational effectiveness results from customer satisfaction which in turn depends upon process improvement. Therefore, Wal-Mart would need to explore the organizational climate in addition to the skills resources available. At the task level, the training needs analysis would be based on the demands of the job role. The associate in that particular position would be able to reveal inherent difficulties that may not be readily apparent. At the individual or the person level also TNA would help improve performance and employee development and career progression. TNA is not merely meant to assist employees in their work but to achieve greater proficiency and satisfaction. A typical TNA, according to Chiu, Thompson, Mak and Lo (1999) would aim to answer four related questions: Source: Chiu, Thompson, Mak and Lo (1999) Therefore, to conduct TNA at the organization, person and task level requires gathering information. The first step therefore, at Wal-Mart should be to conduct an initial

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Market Segmentation for the Coffee Market Research Paper

Market Segmentation for the Coffee Market - Research Paper Example The following diagram shows the income distribution (media per capita income in 2009) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana area. (Source: â€Å"Baton Rouge..†) As per the media per capita income distribution in Baton Rouge in 2009, the Whites have high inflow of income as compared to other groups. The chart indicates that the Hispanic is ranked just below Whites in case of media per capita income distribution. The 2010 census reflects that the Baton Rouge’s population comprises of 50.02% African American, 45.7% Whites, 2.62% Asian, 0.18% Native American, and 0.49% other races (Louisiana’s report†¦). The historical trend figures point that the percentage of Whites in the city’s population gradually increases over the last two decades. The White’s population growth together with improvements in living standards offers potential advantages for the coffee market. This type of market segmentation assists the coffee industry to easily identify the purchase powe r of consumers and to design cost-effective promotional tactics for different market segments. A number of surveys have indicated that as compared to blacks, whites like coffee more. Hence, the Whites may turn out to be the potential market segment for the company. However, majority of the African Americans and Asians are also regular users of coffee. Targeting strategy While developing a targeting strategy for the coffee market, it is necessary to analyze the coffee consumption culture of the population. (Source: â€Å"2008 National Cofee Drinking†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) The given figure indicates the graphical representation of the outcomes of the â€Å"2008 National Coffee Drinking Trends Study†. This study focused on the coffee consumption trends in different age groups and published a comprehensive report detailing coffee trends over the last eight years. From the above chart, it is clear that the percent of coffee drinking in the United States is directly proportional to the ag e of the population. The graph clearly illustrates that people over the age 60 are more likely to drink a lot of coffee as compared to other age groups. Likewise, youngsters between the age of 18 and 24 are less likely to drink coffee as they are heavily attracted to modern beverages. It is advisable for the company to target people over the age 30, because the trends study shows that youngsters very rarely take coffee. However, a growing coffee consumption trends is seen among the age group 25-39; therefore, it is also advisable for the company to give more focus on this group of consumers as potential prospects. Target segment descriptions As we discussed earlier, a major proportion of the Baton Rouge’s population represents Whites and African Americans even though the city is an agglomeration of different cultures. The demographical information show that the city’s 35.8% of the total households are married couples whereas 40.8% are non-families (â€Å"Private hard money†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). The 2010 census data reveal that the Baton Rouge’s average household size is 2.42 while its average family size is 3.12. The percent of people living under the age groups of below 18 is; 18-24; 25-44; 45-64 and 65 and above is 24.4%, 17.5%, 27.2%, 19.4%, and 11.4% respectively (BatonRouge). The population trend indicates that there are only 90.5 males for every 100

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 12

International Relations - Essay Example Sen (2002) identify the misconception surrounding globalization. He identifies globalization as an ancient practice. The definition of globalization is well portrayed by the number of activities a country is involved in. There is need to outline globalization as a current phenomenon. A distinction should be made between globalization and westernization, the focus should on how the concept affects sovereignty of a given nation. Globalization provides a different concept form that experienced during the 20th century. The then period was characterized by European dominance. This meant that national all over the world where under the jurisdiction of European nation. The shift in balance begun in mid 20th century where United States and the Soviet Union ruled over international matters (Baylis et al. 75). The concept infringed on the rights other nations. The core nation enjoyed political and economic dominancy (Baylis et al. 207). Globalization creates a level playing ground, this means that setting standards to be used by different nation in their domestic matters. This meant that the oppressed nations felt the need to focus on alternative means to create opportunities for themselves. Sen (2002) acknowledges the ancient worries and how this is being transformed. Countries are them working on models based on global requirement. The interdependent between nations has created a platform where current events depend on global patterns rather than domestic components. Sen (2002) indicate a different pattern on global events. The concept of loss and profit sharing within states indicate the nature in which globalization has influenced issues. The common market protocol means that identifying risks within a given economy and applying global components to deal with them effectively. The profit sharing portfolio among major global unions and partnership means that the earlier gains experienced by a given

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Peer Editing for Essay Writing

Peer Editing for Essay Writing The aim of this study was to find out whether the use through Wikispaces helps to correct errors made in essay writing by Form Four students of a Smart School in Kinta district, Perak. This final chapter provides a summary of this research study. It is divided into four parts: conclusions, implications, limitations and recommendations for both practice and further research based on the findings discussed in Chapter 4. Conclusions The following conclusions are based on the three research questions of the study. Each question and its associated conclusions will be discussed. Research Question 1- What are the errors that L2 students frequently edit in essay writing? This study has found that grammar is the most frequently edited language aspect in essay writing by the L2 students. Even though, weekly coding sheets and frequency analysis showed different outcomes for DE1 and DE2, Table 4.1 proved that grammar is still considered as the frequently edited language aspect with a total of 307 (37.4%) errors. This is in line with similar findings of several previous studies as mentioned in the literature review (Maros et.al, 2007; Muhari, 2008; Nor Hashimah et. al., 2008; Darus and Subramaniam, 2009; Darus and Khor, 2009; Wee, 2009). The interview transcripts revealed that the students concentrated more on grammar compared to other language aspects since grammar is indisputably an essential element of second language writing (Frodesen Christine, 2003). Furthermore, field notes illustrated that the students in this study seem to learn new knowledge of the five language aspects, and they did not repeat the same mistakes in following essay writing. In fact, the students realization of being critical for other language aspects besides grammar came into an act after gradual practice of peer editing through Wikispaces. Conversely, sentence structure is reported as the hardly used language aspect by the students in the DE1 and DE2. Research Question 2-How does the use of peer editing through Wikispaces help in correcting L2 students writing? The findings of this study suggested that in general peer editing through Wikispaces could help to reduce errors in L2 students writing. The primary findings from the students essays reported that the students were able to correct most of the errors quite well through online collaborative activity. The language errors identified could be used as a guideline for L2 students to equip themselves with the adequate knowledge and skills in writing essays. They would be benefited the most if they were able to comprehend the conventions and features of this specific context. However, as for the unidentified errors by students, the teacher plays the critical role in emphasizing them in the classroom. The teacher should clearly explain the rules and give a lot of examples as well as provide ample of opportunity to the students to use, produce and practice on their own. This can be done by getting them involved in various immersion activities in class and outside the classroom. It will eventually help the learners to be more aware of the particular language aspects in their essays. Besides that, there were also tendencies for students to correct errors wrongly when editing others work. This situation could be overcome through consistent practice of peer editing. Both questionnaire and feedback forms revealed more positive impressions of the students towards the usefulness of peer editing through Wikispaces in correcting L2 students writing. Additionally, several characteristics and strengths of Wikispaces also supported the peer editing activity. In short, peer editing through Wikispaces is seen as a valuable learning process which can foster independent learning. Research Question 3-How do L2 students respond to the feedback provided by their peers through Wikispaces? Based on the analysis of interview transcripts, it can be concluded that majority of the students showed mixed responses when receiving and giving comments on Wikispaces. But overall, the students were satisfied with the kind of comments given by their group members due to several good reasons: comments given were useful, helped them to increase knowledge, correct mistakes in essays. Apart from that, a number of usefulness of the comments and benefits from peer editing and giving comments to others were also pointed out with reference to the selected descriptions taken from the interview transcripts. In a nutshell, the findings have led the researcher to conclude that the use of peer editing through Wikispaces is an effective alternative way in correcting errors in students essay writing. Implications The implications of this study can be best explained by three aspects, namely (i) pedagogy, (ii) social, and (iii) technology. These are elaborated in the paragraphs below. Pedagogical Implications Students The use of peer editing through Wikispaces has the potential to uphold various pedagogical approaches such as case based learning, collaborative pedagogy strategy-knowledge co-construction activities.Students This technique which serves as an accessible alternative way of error correction also supports the designed learning activities that are to perform in any group dynamics. Hence, this allows the students to share, negotiate and co-construct information on error correction in their writing. The peers can even provide suggestions and advices through discussion tab. In other words, the platform itself is considered as an appropriate space for students whereby they can take ownership of their own pages in groups. Nevertheless, peer editing through Wikispaces helps to promote learning in the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). At this point, students enjoy working in groups. They learn more by working in groups rather than they work by themselves. Through the correspondence and collaboration among the group members, the students do stand a chance to discover and learn about the grammatical rules from their peers. Both correct and incorrect versions act as a guide to the students on what is right and what is wrong. In the initial stage, they may make miscategorise the errors, but it will be better after consistent practice. Teachers The students English proficiency is different in a class, which can be perceived through various errors students have made in their essays. In an ESL teaching context where the classroom population is becoming larger and larger, its a good channel for a teacher to know his or her students learning through the errors or mistakes they make. So teachers should make record of these errors and analyze them to find the possible causes of them, and then decide on the proper way to enable students to learn from the errors. In this study, one can see that its common for students to make the so-called mistakes, and that through peer editing activity such mistakes can be corrected generally, which can not only improve the students language proficiency, but also promote their sense of perfecting the language in writing. The teacher plays the role of moderator and facilitator. Wikispaces features enable the teacher to track and monitor students development process (history logs). It helps to keep systematic records of daily reflections, announcements, due dates and attendance. Text-editor: Teacher posting of instructions and other resources (multiple modes) by teachers a platform for students to rationalize and explain their actions (decisions) in the course of their activities Comment feature-allows the teacher to provide feedback when necessary: errors wrongly corrected and errors which are not identified. In addition, it also promotes collaborative learning. Social Implications Peer editing through Wikispaces supports a variety of interactions and their dynamics: peer-peer, student-teacher. Students can publish their thoughts and obtain feedback from the others at any time. They do not have to depend much on the teacher. Students can turn to others for help when they encounter problems through asynchronous communication: group discussions and personal messages. It is a safe and comfortable learning environment for students to work within. Students are able to draft and modify postings before and after publishing. This will likely give them time to think, amend and improve on the postings suitable to their audiences or for other specific purposes. Additionally, Wikispaces utilities support group work as well as foster group dynamics cohesiveness. Technological Implications The peer editing activity through Wikispaces is a web-based application. Thus, it can be conveniently accessible all time (as long as there is Internet connection). Students could easily learn and use as it does not require any high technical skills to set up the account. Particularly, the text editor toolbar is similar to that of Microsoft Word. This may then serve as an advantage for those students who are computer literate. Limitations of the Study A number of limitations were present in the research. These limitations need to be noted and considered in relation to the research procedures and research findings. Basically, there are three limitations: time constraints, small sample size and limited capacity of doing peer editing on Wikispaces. Firstly, this research was actually scheduled for eight weeks of data collection. But somehow, the data collection procedures which have been planned earlier could not be carried out due to the school holidays. As a result, the researcher has to shorten the duration to five weeks after negotiating with the administrators of the school. In fact, the researcher decided to spend more time then what has been scheduled in order to give the students more guidance and pace to do their peer editing in the computer lab. Although the latter data collection went on well, but still it would have been better if more time with were provided for the research procedures. Secondly, the findings are achieved based on the small sample size, covering only one Smart School located in Kinta district, Perak. There are still many Smart Schools located all over Perak and other states. Besides that, there are also many National schools with similar facilities and criterion participants. Therefore, the researcher suggests carrying out further studies on this topic involving other Smart Schools and National Schools in Malaysia. Thirdly, students were found having some difficulties while doing the peer editing on the same page at one time. It seemed that clashes and overlapping disrupted the students attention while editing. In this situation, it is vital for the teacher to plan the design of the Wikispaces properly at the initial stage as Wikispaces comes with a blank space. The teacher may group up the students but necessarily assign each student with their own page. This solution will definitely reduce the probability of future clashing during the peer editing sessions. Recommendations From the conclusions, the present study proves that the use of peer editing through Wikispaces gives positive implications for the teacher (the researcher) and the students. Therefore, this action which serves as an alternative way in correcting students errors in writing should be implied in secondary schools. However, several recommendations for practice and thereafter for future research are discussed below. Recommendations for Practice As for recommendations, the use of peer editing through Wikispaces should be exposed to teachers in schools. Certainly, there are teachers who are not aware of the benefits of peer editing and giving comments to others in terms of the students essay writing. Furthermore, some are busy with their daily work. They do not have enough time to spend on trying out this kind of technique with their students. Perhaps, as for the start, it is recommended that may be the head panels should be given the training, and later an in-house training can be given to rest of the teachers. Other than that, the use of peer editing through Wikispaces is a suitable learning technique that helps and leads the learners to be independent learners. Nowadays, most the students are no longer the quiet and passive ones in the classroom. Students prefer something new, challenging and suit their interest as well. Teachers impart knowledge to the students. Then, students will themselves discover the knowledge on their own and apply them into other matters. Recommendations for Future Research In the light of the limitations with regard to the findings available to the researcher, it is recommended that further research related to error correction is needed. It would be interesting to find out the A profound study involving each type of would provide further information on the pattern of in a specific context. The information derived from the findings on language errors was insufficient for making any generalization. In terms of the itself, much work needs to be done to uncover some knowledge on the .With all these studies, hopefully all the underlying can be overturned and bring benefits to all. Summary This chapter has presented the conclusions, implications, limitations and recommendations for both practice and further research based on the findings discussed in the previous chapter. The conclusions have shown that the use of peer editing through Wikispaces has a great impact in correcting errors in the L2 students essay writing. This alternative way has proven to be an effective technique and the students involvement in the peer editing was thus enhanced. Students could correct most of the errors quite well through online collaborative activity. Furthermore, most of the findings obtained were fared positively. These outcomes show that the use peer editing through Wikispaces should be employed in teaching and learning of writing. This study has further implied in three aspects: pedagogy, social and technology. Last but not least, limitations of the research were highlighted and recommendations for both practice and future research were suggested.