Value added Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Value added - Coursework Example Although some view this exporting of raw materials to be beneficial, it is in order to say that the value-added industries succumbs losses in terms of employment to the public. Value-added for processing the raw materials allows for growth in the economy since it is considered efficient in comparison to export of the latter. If a company exports raw materials, as opposed to processing it themselves, the cost of the input is high due to the travelling costs, processing amounts and other expenditures at hand. In this case the value-added becomes low thus less efficient. Also, value-added for processing raw materials helps in the company’s operations strategies compared to value-added for exporting the raw materials. This is seen in the amount of money that is saved within the company. Obviously, with the right equipment to process the raw materials to the final product, valuable costs are saved and so the value-added industry prevails. It is cost effective and reliable in terms of value-added for processing raw materials compared to value-added for exporting the raw materials. Time spent to effectively process the raw materials to a finished product is favourable to consider in adding value to the item. Putting this into consideration then we have that value-added for exported raw materials is low compared to that of value-added for processing the same raw materials since there is less time involved in production of the raw materials within a firm than to export them for

Corporate Social Responsibility Challenges for Coca Cola

Corporate Social Responsibility Challenges for Coca Cola Corporate social responsibility (CSR) promotes a vision for the accountability of businesses in a wide range of stakeholders beyond shareholders and investors. The main areas of interest of CSR are the protection of the environment and welfare of workers, community and society at large, both today and tomorrow. The concept of CSR is based on the idea that companies are no further independent, but they are closely connected to the society. The traditional views on the competitiveness, survival and profitability of businesses no longer exist. The Coca Cola Company has fully implemented all the variables of CSR. While it is not a company that applies dishonest practices (such as Mc Donalds), it could be said that it seeks the maximization of profit but also believes in CSR and the contribution of the business to the prosperity of society. However, there is a difference. It has gone much further and has developed a code of ethical business conduct. This business conduct is communicated to all interested parties. Terms of reference Corporate Social Responsibility Stakeholders Business Ethics Multinational Companies Procedure (Methodology) The present paper is based on discussing corporate social responsibility theory and how the Coca Cola Company implements it. The research is based on CSR literature and the Coca Cola Corporate Social Responsibility Report as well as on some informal interviews with executives of Coca Cola Hellas. Some of the reasons that make companies adopt CSR principles are: 1. The shrinking role of government. The decrease of government funds, coupled with the growing distrust of the state regulations has led to the implementation of voluntary and non-regulatory initiatives. 2. The existing demands for greater corporate disclosure. There is an increasing demand for corporate disclosure on behalf of the stakeholders involved, such as customers, suppliers, employees, etc. 3. The increasing interest of customers. There is evidence that the ethical behaviour of companies has an increasing influence on customers purchasing decisions. 4. Growing investor pressure. A survey by International Environics (Frazer 2005), revealed that more than one quarter of the shares Americans own, was purchased by taking into account the ethical values of the companies. 5. The competitive labour markets. Employees seek more than just a salary and bonus. They want employers whose philosophies and operating practices suit to their own values. To be able to recruit and keep qualified employees, companies are obliged to improve working environment. 6. Relations with suppliers. Since interested parties are increasingly concerned about business matters, many companies take steps to ensure that their partners behave in a socially responsible manner (Alexander and Buchholz 1978). Some of the positive results that can occur when companies adopt corporate social responsibility are the following: Benefits for the company: Improved economic performance. Lower operational costs. Improved brand image and company reputation. Better sales performance and customer loyalty. Increased productivity and quality. Increased ability to keep qualified employees. Access to funds for capital purposes. Diversified employees/workforce. Safe products. Benefits for the community and the public: Charitable contributions. Employee volunteer programs. Corporate involvement in community programs in education, employment and programs for the homeless. Product safety and quality (Arlow and Cannon 1982). The concept of corporate social responsibility is now established in the global business agenda. However, many hindrances need to be overcome. An important challenge for the modern enterprise is the need for more reliable progress indicators in corporate social responsibility, along with the implementation of CSR strategies. The issues of dialogue and transparency can help the business be more reliable, and at the same time to reach the standards of other firms (Dierkes 1990). Critics of CSR, question the relationship of CSR to the nature of the business and believe that its incentives are insincere and hypocritical. They believe that it is more efficient to impose governmental and international regulations to make sure that companies act in a manner that is socially responsible. With regard to the relationship of CSR to the nature of the business, critics argue that the aim of the business is production and profit maximization for shareholders. Theorists such as Milton Friedman and others go a step further and argue that the goal of companies is to maximize returns to shareholders, and that only people can have the social responsibility, companies are only responsible for their shareholders and not for the society as a whole. While acknowledging that companies should respect the laws of the country in which they work, they have no further obligation to the society. Some people think that corporate social responsibility is incompatible with the nature and purpose of the business, but also that it is an obstacle to free trade. Those who argue that CSR is incompatible with capitalism and in favour of neoliberalism suggest that improvements in health, human life and infant mortality are due to the economic growth caused by the free business activities. In the theory and criticism to the CSR, the separation of firms according to their behaviour in relation to profit / ethics is included. Under this separation, the behaviour of enterprises is defined as follows: 1. The Amorals who seek only to maximize profit and return profits to shareholders. 2. The Loyalists who believe that their only obligation is not to derogate the law. 3. The Sympathizers who recognise the need to listen to the messages of society. 4. The Suspicious, in other words, the businesses that understand the need to combine profit with morality and make corporate values. 5. Finally, the Believers who are the firms that have developed and follow a code of ethics which has been notified to all interested parties (Caroll 1991). Most businesses (the Coca Cola company is among them) are between the two poles i.e., on the one hand, they want to achieve profits and have satisfied shareholders and on the other they want to conform to the social imperatives) and the current trend is that CSR can improve to a large extent long-term business profitability because it minimizes the risks and weaknesses and offers a range of potential benefits such as improved brand image and the involvement of employees. Other critics of CSR argue that some companies like the British American Tobacco, etc. use CSR to distract public attention from ethical issues raised regarding their core operations. They argue that some companies start CSR programs for the commercial benefits enjoyed by raising their reputation in the public or the government. They argue that companies exist only to maximize profits, and they do not promote social interests (Frazer 2005). Another problem is when companies promote CSR, they are also committed to sustainable development, but in reality, they engage in harmful business practices. For example, Mc Donalds while it promotes CSR, the salaries of its employees are very low. They work in unhealthy environments, and its products are a health risk because of their high fat content. Despite these problems and the use of CSR by certain companies to cover up bad business practices it could not be supported that all companies operate in the same way. Findings According to the Coca Cola Corporate Social Responsibility Report (2010) the CSR programme of the company is the following: The main objective of the CSR programme is Sustainability. This is expressed through the actions of the company in the following areas: consumer health, packaging and recycling, water stewardship, employee development, involvement of suppliers and energy and climate. Regarding of Consumer Health, the company wants to meet the modern life trends of consumers. For this reason, it has broadened the product portfolio with products that are not fattening, and it has reduced the amount of calories in its beverages by 88% according to school beverage guidelines. It has also supported Michelle Obamas campaign (Lets Move) with the initiative Clear on Calories. With respect to the axis of Packaging Recycling, the company introduced PlantBottle, which is a fully recyclable PET bottle made from a blend of petroleum based materials and up to 30 per cent of plant-based materials (Coca Cola CSR 2010). Coca Cola has also managed to achieve high recycling rates of its bottles (99 per cent in Europe and 92 per cent in North America). Regarding Water Stewardship, the company strives to improve the efficiency of water use. It has improved the use of water by 3.5 per cent from 2008. It current average water use ration to make one litre of its products is 1.67 litres. The development of employees is a further objective of the CSR of the company. The company believes that employees are the foundation for success. In its previous CSR programs, Coca Cola has created special programs to attract, retain and develop the skills and abilities of employees. These programs enable employees to properly exploit their potential while developing leadership skills and talents needed by the company in all sectors and in all countries. Its current CSR programme promotes employees equality regarding diverse cultures. According to the first Employee Engagement Survey, Coca Cola has improved the levels of its employee engagement, whereas on the Corporate Equality Index of the Human Rights Campaign it has received a 100 per cent score. Finally, with regard to energy and climate, the company co-signed the Copenhagen Communique. It was a supportive action to the global agreement on climate change. For the second year in the row, it has reduced company carbon footprint. Recommendations Coca Cola was based on the 6 pillars of business ethics i.e. contribution to economic growth, creation and preservation of jobs, contribution to training, protection of the natural environment, contribution to the development of the region and finally contribution to the fight against social rejection (Lantos 2001). To achieve these goals, Coca Cola involved all stakeholders i.e. employees, shareholders, consumers and their movements, and local governmental bodies and NGOs. If the pillars are examined one by one the following can be seen: For the employees, Coca Cola has created a healthy and safe working environment, it is against discrimination (in terms of gender, race, nationality), the remuneration offered to employees is satisfactory (Coca Cola supports that the wages offered are above the average level of wages, and that it implements benchmarking regarding remuneration). Regarding consumers, Coca Cola is famous for its marketing abilities. Given its global nature, it pays special attention to the different cultures of people. Furthermore, it targets both to the moral and sustainable consumption through the production of environment-friendly (regarding the chemical composition, packaging, etc.) products. It has also set up recycling programs for their products and consumer training programs to recycle its products. Coca Cola has followed all the basic rules of the CSR theory, and its programs are successful. Its programs are long term and include many activities. Its strategy includes environment care, dialogue with all stakeholders and is in line with both its history and activities. Coca Cola provides job positions and is taxed. For example, Coca Cola Hellas specifically paid 100 million euros in income taxes. 1,084.1 million euros in salaries and benefits and 2,441.8 million euros to suppliers for materials required e.g. packaging and services. Coca Cola is also interested in philanthropy. In 2007 it gave more than 10 million euros to charity programs. The aim of all these programs is the achievement of sustainable development and where this is not achieved to the desired level, Coca Cola has established the necessary controls to achieve it by changing the rules and models. In this context, Coca Cola uses and social accounting, which is the disclosure of data (other than financial) on the activities of the company in social, ethical and environmental issues. This disclosure is not required by law. Coca Cola publishes an annual Corporate Social Responsibility Sustainability Report, which is included in the material provided to stock exchange markets for investor information. In order for social accounting to present factual and reliable data, Coca Cola implements annual audits and inspections by external partners. At the same time, it has created management systems (including all operational functions) to achieve this aim. Communication with all stakeholders is a key element of its strategy because this is the only way it can achieve continuous improvement in every activity. Consequently, the CSR programs of Coca Cola are considered as highly successful and worthy of emulation by other companies. Coca Cola appears to have long term CSR programs because every year it communicates its actions and its faith in it. The author suggests to continue do so because the global conditions (economic, social) impose CSR programs and on the other hand, it is a way to give value and thus achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. The value includes all stakeholders. The suppliers feel that they cooperate with a reliable company that respects its agreements and society and is a partner who will help them grow. Employees acquire a sense of identity and identification with the company because it respects human rights and recognizes their contribution. Value for the customers because they see that the company produces products that respect human health and the environment in which they live. Value for partners (banks, etc.) who perceive that the company is trying to develop and understand the messages of the market. Value for shareholders because the company remains a leader, understands the needs of consumers, acts accordingly, and as a result it is profitable. Value to society by offering programs that governments cannot provide and aimed at improving the quality of life of people suffering. All these lead eventually to profit maximization and the market value rises and as a result the company is not only profitable but also consumers have a positive opinion about it. Conclusions Coca Cola is a multinational company. As such it has to implement management practices worldwide. Therefore, it establishes standards in all its operations and exploitation of employees, and environmental destruction are out of the question. On the contrary, it implements CSR programs for environmental protection as well as charity programs. It has also never been involved in corruption issues or in issues involving child labour. However, it recognizes the fact that there is always place for further improvements in employee and environmental issues. Therefore, each annual Coca Cola CSR report includes additional practices in these areas.

Titanium Essay -- Biology, Biomaterial, TNA

1. INTRODUCTION: Titanium has played a successful biomaterial in biomedical application especially for orthopedics (bone-anchoring systems), dentistry, drug delivery, and nanotherapeutics in treating bone cancer and arthritis. One of the treatments of bone cancer patients is the replacement of cancerous bone with implant material. The current implant materials have implemented coating technology (such as Calcium phosphate or hydroxyapatite) which gives good cytocompatibilty but over the time it gets encapsulated with the surrounding bone cells and lead to poor osseointegration. An augment of current implant material, we used nanotechnology application tailoring nanoscale topography on conventional implant material into TNA by anodization process. Our aim is to study the cellular interaction of the cells attached to the TNA material compared to several selected control material such as TiP (pure Titanium without surface modification), glass slides other alloy that commonly been used as implant materia l in human. This study is important in order to study whether this material is save from any genotoxicity or oncogenic effect before been use as human implant material. We have performed several preliminary studies, of the cells culture with TNA compared with control material. The morphology characterization by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) result shown cells spreading and cytoplasmic extension of cells, but not able to observe neither filipodium nor lamellipodium of the cells cultured on the TNA if compared to the test-control material. We hypotheses these cytoplasmic extensions could penetrate inside the nanotubes cylindrical-like structure. From this we suggested the TNA topography may assist the protein adsorption and pro... ...both numerical and structural chromosome changes and can give risk to cancer (Stewenius, Y., et al. 2005). 3.4 Potential application in cancer treatment From several previous studies have shown, this TNA technology have a potential application in cancer treatment. Mainly in bone cancer treatment, where we can used as implant material to replace the bone lost due to the cancer. Besides study by Enrique Mele ´ndez (2002) have reported this titania technology have potential as chemotherapeutic agent. Lee, C., et al (2010) also supported Enrique Mele’ndez study, where they concluded that this titania have potential therapeutic application for cancer thermotherapy due to the excellent photothermal properties and high biocompatibility. Therefore our study is important, in order to prove whether the titania is save to be used in this medical treatment application.

Cheating and Video Game Player

Cheating is an act of lying, deception, fraud, trickery, imposture, or imposition. Cheating characteristically is employed to create an unfair advantage, usually in one's own interest, and often at the expense of others. Cheating implies the breaking of rules. There are plenty ways to cheat, you can cheat in a relationship, academically, and in games. Cheating is when a person misleads, deceives, or acts dishonestly on purpose. For kids, cheating may happen at school, at home, or while playing a sport. Some kids cheat because they're busy or lazy and they want to get good grades without spending the time studying. Other kids might feel like they can't pass the test without cheating. Even when there seems to be a â€Å"good reason† for cheating, cheating isn't a good idea. At school, in addition to cheating on a test, a kid might cheat by stealing someone else's idea for a science project or by copying a book report off the Internet and turning it in as if it's his or her original work. Copying someone else's words or work and saying they're yours is a type of cheating called plagiarizing. Cheating in video games involves a video game player using non-standard methods for creating an advantage beyond normal gameplay, usually to make the game easier, or may also create unusual effects which do not necessarily make the game easier to play, such as giving characters different appearances, such as large heads. Cheats sometimes may take the form of â€Å"secrets† placed by game developers themselves. Cheats may be activated from within the game itself (a cheat code implemented by the original game developers); or created by third-party software (a game trainer) or hardware. Cheating in a relationship is usually a symptom of an unhealthy relationship. It destroys friendships, breaks trust, and causes guilt, anger, hurt and many other negative emotions. Cheating in relationships is not going to last. There are several reasons why cheating, adultery, infidelity and extra marital affairs often occur in many relationships. People are complicated and appearances can be deceptive. Cheating in relationships depends upon several factors. One important factor is the choice of a partner or spouse. If the choice is not in line with what they require or wish, or with what their partner can give them, there is a chance of cheating. Cheating also occurs when people fail to give their relationships priority by putting time and energy into them. Another major reason is the failure to understand the issues that led to infidelity in the first place. Many people do not want to analyze the role they played in the failure of a relationship. In most cases, they blame others for things that went wrong rather than look inward for complete understanding. Cheating often occurs in many marital relationships. Communication is here the most problematic issue. For a myriad of reasons, partners get little time to talk about feelings with each other, particularly negative feelings. In some relationships, partners are not allowed to share unhappiness. Misunderstandings also make people feel that their spouse does not want to hear their problems. So they do not talk about difficulties. The lack of a sense of empowerment, issues of self esteem and unequal partnership are also significant problems in any relationship.

Theory and Practice of Work with Young People

‘The group constituted an open air society, a communal gathering which had great importance socially, culturally and economically. ——— During each nightly meeting the young worker, once fully integrated, listened, questioned, argued and received unawares an informal education..' (Roberts in Smith, 1998:24). Describing his experience of street groups in the early part of the 20th century, Roberts uses the term ‘informal education' to describe the accidental learning that took place as a direct result of the interaction between young working men. But can what we call ‘informal education' in the 21st century be described as accidental? Mark Smith argues that whilst: ‘Learning may at first seem to be incidental it is not necessarily accidental; actions are taken with some purpose. The specific goal may not be clear at any one time – yet the process is deliberate.' (Smith, 1994:63). Throughout this assignment I shall be exploring the term ‘informal education', examining its origins and meanings, its purpose and practice. Using historical information to examine the early roots of present day youth work, I shall asking whether anything has really changed in the past 150 years by exploring the issues that I face in my day to day practice as a youth and community worker. In 1755 Jean Jacques Rousseau published his work ‘A Discourse on Inequality' and argued that as civilisations grew, they corrupted: ‘Mans natural happiness and freedom by creating artificial inequalities of wealth, power and social privilege' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/thinkers/et-rous.htm) In 1801 Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi published How Gertrude Teaches Her Children. Like Rousseau, Pestalozzi was concerned with social justice and he sought to work with those he considered to be adversely affected by social conditions, seeing in education an opportunity for improvement. (Smith, 2001). In the first half of the 20th century John Dewey published three books that built on the earlier work of educationalists like Rousseau and Pestalozzi. These works heavily influenced the development of informal education as we know it today since they: ‘Included a concern with democracy and community; with cultivating reflection and thinking; with attending to experience and the environment.' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/thinkers/et-hist.htm#theory). In 1946 Josephine Macalister Brew's book Informal Education: Adventures and Reflections, brought informal education into the realm of youth work. This was followed in 1966 by The Social Education of the Adolescent by Bernard Davies and Alan Gibson. Since then there have been numerous works on the subject of informal education, most notably, in relation to youth work, those of Tony Jeffs and Mark Smith. So what exactly is informal education? Like many terms in use today, it is widely used to describe an enormous variety of settings and activities. In 1960 the Albermarle Report used it to describe youth work provision as: ‘The continued social and informal education of young people in terms most likely to bring them to maturity'. (in Smith, 1988:124). Houle (1980) favoured the experiential definition of informal education describing it as ‘education that occurs as a result of direct participation in the events of life' (In Smith, 1988:130), whilst Mark Smith said ‘one way of thinking about informal education is as the informed use of the everyday in order to enable learning' (Smith, 1988:130). In 2001 Smith went further, describing informal education that: ‘* works through and is driven by conversation * involves exploring and enlarging experience * can take place in any setting' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm) And of its purpose: ‘At one level, the purpose of informal education is no different to any other form of education. In one situation we may focus on, say, healthy eating, in another family relationships. However, running through all this is a concern to build the sorts of communities and relationships in which people can be happy and fulfilled.' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm). Whilst I would agree with Mark Smiths definition of informal education there is and has been an enormous diversity of opinions, theories and explanations of exactly what sort of community we need for people to be happy and fulfilled. Smith's assertion that the role of informal educators is to work towards all people being able to share a ‘common life' with an emphasis on: ‘Work for the well-being of all, respect the unique value and dignity of each human being, dialogue, equality and justice, democracy and the active involvement of people in the issues that affect their lives' (Smith, 2001, http://www.infed.org/i-intro.htm) involves a commitment to anti-oppressive practice that is expounded in much of the literature surrounding the field of informal education. But this has not always been the case and can we hand on heart honestly lay claim to practicing liberating education in our work today? Whilst Rousseau, Pestalozzi and Dewey all identified structural inequalities and believed that ‘education is the fundamental method of social progress and reform' (Dewey in Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/archives/e-texts/e-dew-pc.htm) the application of their theories were not always applied to the work of those who first began providing services for young people. Indeed early ventures into the field of youth work are often seen as controlling not liberating and as overtly oppressive instead of anti-oppressive. ‘The early youth service history in both England and Wales has been described – as a time when work with young people was characterised by both appalling social and employment conditions and by rapid social and political change caused by the development of an industrialised urban society' (Jones & Rose, 2001:27) It is within this context that intervention by middle class societies and organisations in the 1800's was seen to be necessary in order to rescue, control and/or rehabilitate young, working class people. Concern over the working conditions of children and young people brought into being an array of groups, clubs and educational services and policies designed to rescue and protect young people from the worst excesses of employment practices and the failure of working class parents to provide a suitable and controlled home life. ‘Working class adolescents were thought to be most likely to display delinquent and rebellious characteristics – because it was widely assumed that working class parents exercised inadequate control over brutal adolescent instincts' (Humphries 1981 in Smith, 1988:9) This moral underclass discourse lays the blame for social inequalities, poverty and disaffection solely on the shoulders of the working class themselves because: ‘The problems faced are then seen not so much as structural but as personal. The central deficit is often portrayed as emotional or moral' (Smith, 1988:56). And it also suggests that: ‘Their behaviour, without coercion and control, will mean that they will remain unable to join the included majority' (Payne, 2001: handout) By the end of the 19th century, compulsory education and a growing number of welfare statutes meant that youth workers focus shifted from welfare and rescue to a concern with the moral character of young people which was underpinned by the growing influence of Victorian family ideology. ‘The Victorian middle class had very definite ideas about the ideal family and the desirability of imposing such an ideal upon the whole of society.' (Finnegan, 1999:129) This was: ‘Not just a family ideology but also a gender ideology. It was a careful and deliberate attempt to reorganise the relations between the sexes according to middle-class ways and values and then define the outcome as somehow being natural' (Smith, 1988:4) Thompson says of this view: ‘To describe, for example, the traditional male role of breadwinner as ‘natural' adds a false, pseudo-biological air of legitimacy.' (Thomspon, 2001:28) This was at a time when the ‘discovery' of adolescence by Hall and Slaughter and a biologically determined explanation of human behaviour meant that: ‘Those who saw it as their duty or job to intervene in the lives of young people, now had a suitable vocabulary of scientific terms with which to carry forward their intentions' (Smith, 1988:9) The Biological determination of human behaviour further justified differentiated gender roles within the family as well as creating an: ‘Ideology of adolescence marked out (by) a biologically determined norm of youthful behaviour and appearance which was white/anglo, middle class, heterosexual, able bodied male' (Griffin, 1993:18) However, just as family ideology was a driving force in determining social relations at the beginning of the twentieth century; it is just as powerful here in the twenty-first. Roche & Tucker say that: ‘It is through the use of the representations (discursive messages and images) contained within ‘family ideology' that social policies and educational and welfare arrangements are constructed and maintained.' (Roche & Tucker 2001:94) Gittins agreed: ‘Family ideology has been a vital means – the vital means – of holding together and legitimising the existing social, economic, political and gender systems.' (Gittins in Roche & Tucker 2001:94) This is significant if Driver and Martell are correct in asserting that present day ‘Labour increasingly favours conditional, morally prescriptive, conservative and individual communitarianisms' (Driver & Martell, 1997:27) which Etzioni believed would right the social problems of today that are attributable to the ‘failure of people to exercise social and moral responsibility' (Etzioni in Henderson & Salmon, 1988:22). Etzioni emphasised the role of the traditional nuclear family in inculcating in children the right moral standards and he described communitarianism saying: ‘Communitarians – call for a peer marriage of two parents committed to one another and their children' (Etzioni in Henderson & Salmon, 1988:22) Like the Victorians, present day government can be seen as equally keen to legislate into being their ideology of the nuclear family through the use of stricter divorce laws and punitive measures imposed on single parents. The decision to cut lone parent premiums from income support and child benefit in 1998 are examples of a willingness to impose their ideology on society as a whole despite the fact that what they are proposing as ‘normal' or ‘natural' is not bourn out statistically. ‘The ideological norm of the nuclear family is often presented as if it were a statistical norm whereas, in fact, only 23% of households follow the nuclear family pattern of biological parents with their dependent children.' (Thompson, 2001:28) Michael Anderson also points out that despite the belief that the traditional family has only recently become fragmented, marital break up was a regular feature of 19th century Britain and is not peculiar to the 20th century. Comparing marital dissolution caused by death in 1826 and by death and divorce in 1980, Anderson concluded that: ‘The problem of marital break-up is not then new – (it) was clearly, statistically, an equally or even more serious problem' (Anderson in Drake, 1994:73) However, this desire and determination to bring about a particular kind of society influenced by a set of morals and ideals is reminiscent of Mark Smiths definition of the purpose of informal education as: ‘A concern to build the sorts of communities and relationships in which people can be happy and fulfilled.' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm). The only real difference lies in the definition of what makes for community fulfilment and happiness. Smith says that informal education: ‘Involves setting out with the intention of fostering learning. It entails influencing the environment and is based on a commitment to certain values..' (Smith, 1999:19). It would not be difficult to describe the efforts of the middle class in the 19th century in such a way although with our 21st century eyes we now believe we can read the intended control and oppression of working class communities behind their ideals. But in the 21st century are we actually doing much better? If our suspicions concerning the intentionality behind the actions of Victorian middle class youth workers are correct, can we say our own intentionality is any purer? If intentionality can be understood as power as defined by Bertrand Russell when he says that power is the ‘production of intended effects' (in Jeffs & Smith, 1990:5), we could be accused of wielding power in order to create the sorts of communities and relationships in which people can be happy and fulfilled' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm), according to our own philosophies, beliefs and current hegemonic principles, in much the same way that we accuse the middle class philanthropists of the 19th century. Is the ability to wield power to effect change in the lives of others conducive with a practice that has at its heart a commitment to anti-discriminatory practice which: ‘Means recognising power imbalances and working towards the promotion of change to redress the balance of power' (Dalrympole & Burke, 2000:15). As professional workers we can also be considered middle class? All of which begs the question, have we more in common with our predecessors than we like to think? It is certainly possible that they too thought they were operating with the same ‘moral authority' that Jeffs & Smith describe as part of an informal educators role in: ‘Being seen by others as people with integrity, wisdom and an understanding of right and wrong' (Jeffs & Smith, 1999:85) Especially in their desire to provide a ‘strong guiding influence to lead them (young people) onward and upward socially and morally' (Sweatman, 1863 in Smith, 1988:12). No doubt they would also have agreed with Kerry Young's description of youth work as supporting ‘young people's moral deliberations and learning' (Young in Banks, 1999:89). But early youth workers cannot be described as concerned with equality and anti-oppressive practice. On the contrary, their work was: ‘Contained within particular class, gender, racial and age structures: a woman's place was in the home, to be British was to be best, betters were to be honoured and youth had to earn its advancement and wait its turn' (Smith, 1988:19) This made life extremely difficult for anyone who did not fit the stereotypical image of British youth. Tolerance and respect for other races and religious systems was not a feature of informal education and, for example, the estimated 100,000 Jewish immigrants that arrived in Britain between 1840 and 1914 had great difficulty: ‘Maintaining a distinctive culture in a climate of oppression and restriction – (coupled with) pressures – to acculturate to middle-class norms' (Pryce, 2001:82) So what of my practice, of my intentionality? Do I operate from a moral underclass ideology that blames homeless young people for their situation or do I work from a redistributive discourse that sees the issue of poverty as central to the exclusion these young people experience? Can what I do in my day to day practice be termed informal education? Am I concerned with oppression and anti-oppressive practice? Much of what I and Nightstop as an agency do in our work involves enabling young people to live within a system that is discriminatory, unfair and biased towards a particular form of family ideology that suggests that young people should remain dependent on their parents until financially independent or aged 25 which means that they are entitled to lower rates of benefit. Even those young people who work find themselves living on lower wages than their older colleagues. Christine Griffin argued that the discovery of adolescence: ‘Emerged primarily as a consequence of changes in class relations as expanding capitalist economies demanded a cheap and youthful labour force' (Griffin in Roche & Tucker, 2001:18) Even today the notion that young people deserve less pay than their elders finds voice in the policies of the minimum wage which offers no restriction on wages for 16/17 year olds and a lower rate for those aged 18-22. Our continued involvement in teaching them to budget their reduced incomes could easily be described as an expression of an ideology that believes that it is the lack of skills these young people have that cause them difficulties in surviving the benefit and pay systems rather than a belief in the failure of the systems to provide adequate means of survival. And if this was all that we do we could not be described as informal educators if part of the formulae for informal education involves: ‘Equality and justice, democracy and the active involvement of people in the issues that affect their lives' (Smith, 2001, http://www.infed.org/i-intro.htm) However, whilst enabling young people to develop the skills necessary to live independently we also encourage them to question the inequalities they face and the ideologies underpinning them. By engaging young people in conversation, which Jeffs and Smith say is ‘central to our work as informal educators' (Jeffs & Smith, 1999:21), and asking ‘is that fair' and ‘why do you think that is' we encourage them to question things they take for granted as normal and natural and involve them in what Freire described as ‘problem-posing' education which encourages people to critically examine the world so they may: ‘Perceive the reality of oppression, not as a closed world from which there is no exit, but as a limiting situation which they can transform' (Freire, 1993:31). I do not believe the same can be said for the work of early youth workers and much of the work they undertook can be understood as designed to maintain the status quo, to silence the witnesses to oppressive regimes and to control the masses that were beginning to organise themselves via the emergence of trade unions. Emile Durkheim described this type of education as ‘simply the means by which society prepares, in its children, the essential conditions of its own existence' (Giddens, 1972:203), which can be understood as a form of social control. ` The process which enforces values and maintains order is termed social control` (Hoghughi, 1983 in Hart, 2001, youthworkcentral.tripod.com/sean1.htm) Again the question arises, as informal educators in the 21st century are we doing much better? Sean Hart believes we may not. Social control within a context of community work may be regarded as a process of continuity. Indeed much community work, especially that of those with right wing political ideology, involves self-help and making the best of what you have. Thus, it could be argued that this kind of work reinforces the current hegemony and deflects from attempts to challenge the oppression it creates. (Hart, 2001, youthworkcentral.tripod.com/sean1.htm) The difficulty in this for my work is that the young people with whom I work must learn to make the best of what they have and the daily grind of finding enough to eat means that they have little energy left for dismantling oppressive regimes. As Friere said: ‘One of the gravest obstacles to the achievement of liberation is that oppressive reality absorbs those within it and thereby acts to submerge human beings consciousness' (Freire, 1993:33). And as they struggle with meeting their most basic of needs I sometimes find it difficult to justify my continuing commitment to educate them about inequality when their overwhelming deprivation is viewed from my comfortable, middle class life style. The inescapable ethical dilemma is very clear since their need pays for and justifies my existence as the manager of Nightstop. As Mark Smith says the welfare professions: ‘Provide a rich source of desirable jobs – for members of elite and middle class groups where such groups can enjoy varying degrees of power, privilege and freedom in their work' (Smith, 1988:58). And I certainly do have power, not only within my own organisation but within local government departments who actively seek my input on the development of services for homeless young people. But in order to ensure that I do not ‘help to maintain the system which supports (me)' (Smith, 1988:58) I now encourage those systems to interact directly with the young people for whom services are being designed at the same time as encouraging young people themselves to play an active part in service development by helping them develop their social intelligence. This can be described as: ‘An understanding of social rules which govern our interactions and an ability to follow or manipulate these to achieve our ends.' (Graham in Hunter, 2001:75). and although this means that I favour David Clarks model of community ‘as a collection of social systems and of individuals in community as affected by different systems' (Hunter, 2001:20) and of community development as ‘opening systems up to each other' (Hunter, 2001:112) this does not fit with Freire's view that: ‘The solution is not to â€Å"integrate† them into the structure of oppression but to transform that structure so that they can become â€Å"beings for themselves' (Freire, 1996:55). However, I also believe that young people themselves have the ability to transform the structure by virtue of their active involvement within it since I do not see young people as incapable of making a vital and valuable contribution to their communities. In this I seek to avoid the accusation that I have a ‘lack of confidence in the people's ability to think, to want and to know' (Freire, 1996:42). The same cannot be said of the youth workers in the early 20th century who felt it necessary to improve young people but without the welfare and rescue focus found it necessary to have other ways of encouraging young people to attend. This was resolved in so far as young people were to be attracted by leisure opportunities whilst support from the ruling classes could be enlisted via the aims of moral improvement so close to their heart. Baden-Powell's identification of citizenship as an answer to problematic youth in 1907 enabled him to offer up scouting and its emphasis on: ‘Observation and deduction, chivalry, patriotism, self-sacrifice, personal hygiene, saving life, self-reliance, etc' (Jeal, 1995:382) Claiming this would produce a new generation of young people who would fit more closely the ideals sought. In other words he described his practice in terms likely to fit the dominant ideology of the day in order to secure the support he needed to continue the work. Again reminiscent of today since: ‘Attempts to attract changing sources of funding have usually been accompanied by promises to elicit from young people whatever behaviour was required by the particular funding body' (Young in Banks, 1999:78). I encounter the dilemma between the needs of my organisation for funding and the desire to end the stereotypical classification of homeless young people on a regular basis as I am frequently required to describe homeless young people in terms that are labelling and oppressive in order to meet the criteria and therefore the ideology of funders which suggests that young people should be capable of independent adult life but whose efforts are actually ‘ consistently thwarted by (their) relegation to the status of a dependent underclass' (Henderson & Salmon, 1988:30). The new youth service of 1900s found that: ‘While clubs have exploited the need for recreation among working class adolescents, and combined this with their being vehicles for a conservative ideology, they did not necessarily attract large numbers' (White early 1900's in Smith, 1988:14). Concern with the numbers of young people attending youth provision is no less today than it was then. The continued need of sponsors, whether statutory or voluntary, for statistical information concerning the use of facilities and opportunities, means that we are ever pushed towards quantifying our work for evaluation purposes instead of concentrating on the quality of provision. Mark Smith says that: ‘Part of the reason for the failure to attract working class young people lies in the tension between social provision and improving aims' (Smith, 1988:14) and although he was describing the dilemmas of early youth workers I believe this is also present today. If informal education has purpose then it cannot be anything other than improving, even Jeffs and Smith say that informal education works to the ‘betterment of individuals, groups and communities' (Jeffs & Smith, 1999:83). And if we are not honest and open about our improving aims, can young people be said to be participating voluntarily from a position of informed consent? The need to ‘improve' and ‘socialise' young people has continued to be a recurring theme throughout the 20th century within government policy. The Education Act of 1918 gave Local Education Authorities the power to spend money on the ‘social training of young people' (Smith, 1988:34). Circular 1486, In the Service of Youth (Board of Education, 1939) which said that youth services should have ‘an equal status with other educational services' (Nicholls, 1997:8) talked of the disruption the '14-20 age group had suffered in its physical and social development' (Smith, 1988:34). Circular 1516, The Challenge of Youth said the aim of an LEA should be to ‘develop the whole personality of individual boys and girls to enable them to take their place as full members of a free community' (Nicholls, 1997:9) whilst Circular 1577 (Board of Education 1941) required young people to register with their LEA and ‘be interviewed and advised as to how they might spend their leisure time' (Smith, 1988:35). In 1960 the Albermarle Report portrayed ‘the main job of youth work as being to help young people to become ‘healthy' adults' (Smith, 1988:49) although Mark Smith argues that the ‘second element of Albemarles vision for the youth service (was) the containment and control of troublesome youth' (Smith, 1988:71). In 1966 the Home Office Children's Department began planning: ‘Community Development Projects – to aid work preventing family breakdown and juvenile delinquency' (Nicholls, 1997:20) which effectively takes us back 100 years. Informal education since then has taken on many guises, from concern about dwindling numbers of young people attending provision, to a growing awareness that there are young people who do not attend at all, the ‘unattached' youth. However it is the continuing response to a problematic discourse that has characterised the series of moral panics about young people that has in the past and continues today to shape youth work. Conclusion Although a growing political awareness of the needs of young people who have been marginalised and excluded by society because of their race, gender, disability, sexuality and class etc., led to targeted work that was and is ‘issue based', youth work has, throughout the past 150 years, maintained its associational character (Smith, 2001). However, recent work has begun to concentrate more on the individual than the ‘social groupwork' (Smith, 2002, www.infed.org/youthwork/transforming.htm) Smith says is fundamental to informal education. The linking of the youth service to the Connexions Strategy with its emphasis on surveillance, control and containment, coupled with an individual, case work emphasis will mean that: ‘The concern with conversation, experience and democracy normally associated with informal education is pushed to the background' (Smith, 2002, www.infed.org/youthwork/transforming.htm) Working to state led objectives and targets that are fed by a communitarianist ideology that focuses on the family mean that what informal educators do in the twenty-first century does not differ greatly from the work undertaken in the 19th and the assumption that adults have a right to intervene in the lives of young people, from a variety of hidden agendas and purposes continues unchallenged. In 1944 Paneth asked: ‘Have we been intruders, disturbing an otherwise happy community, or is it only the bourgeois in us, coming face to face with his opponents, who minds and wants to change them because he feels threatened? Or do they need help from outside? (Paneth, 1944 in Smith, 1988:37).

Employability and Professional Development

Employability and Professional Development Introduction Employability is the capability of an individual to be initially employed, continue being employed and get a new employment when needed. However the definition has to take into account the fact that employability relies on the labour market more than the capacities of each worker.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Employability and Professional Development specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The classical definition of employability therefore seems to blame the victim for not demonstrating a capacity to handle a job when in actual reality there are only a limited number of jobs available. On the other hand, an interpretation of the definition of employability might be that given the scarcity of jobs, those who are able to manoeuvre the competition and emerge as the most suitable for the job are deemed to be more employable than the others. According to Weinert (2001), the development of worker’s employ ability is dependent on the development prospects of the organization and its environment and the needs of the workers for personal development. While most of the initiatives and procedures of evaluating skills rest with the employer, a worker is still expected to voluntarily dedicate effort to become suitable. Organizations have different tools for evaluating a worker’s competencies including, assessment of occupation orientation, competencies portfolios indicating the worker’s knowledge of what she or he can do, skill referentials that indicate the difference of the requirement of a job post and the actual skills possessed by the worker at the given time. An individual’s employability is affected by the employability of others. When everyone has a degree, then the possession of the degree is only a ticket for the individual to still fit as a candidate for the job. Employability is not only about having the requirements of a given job but also about knowing the chances one has for the job compared to other job seekers.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In view of this dependence of an individual’s employability on the employability of others, then the true definition of employability as defined by Brown, Hesketh Williams (2002) is the â€Å"relative chance of finding and maintaining different kinds of employment†. Employability in the business environment Business leaders and politicians remind us that in order to be efficient as a nation we have to be knowledgeable, skilled and have the capabilities that employers seek in the knowledge economy. National governments are no longer able to guarantee job placement in a competitive environment where workers are becoming abundant. A worker’s employability undergoes examination at the hiring moment, during the work contract and at the time of dismissal (Wei nert et al. (eds.) 2001). The more a business is knowledge driven, the higher its dependence on the employability as the sole competitive edge in the market. Employability is a replacement of the bureaucratic career structures that employers used to evaluate their workers. The elimination of bureaucratic career structures makes organizations lean and flat. As a result, these organizations undergo a number of restructurings that make employees surplus or change the skill mix of different jobs in the organization. It is advisable that employees match their competencies with the requirements of the industry so that they remain employable in their current organization or in other organizations in case they are considered a surplus in their current jobs (Drucker 1993). The dynamics of the global economy have made the notion of job redundancy extend from semi-skilled and unskilled workers to cover managers and other professionals. According to Drucker (1993), employability is a shift of p ower in the global capitalism. People are less motivated to commit to one organization for a lifetime and instead have the energy and entrepreneurial spirit that drives them to explore more opportunities. Organizations that depend on the skills of these workers are there at the mercy of the workers who have the knowledge, skills and insights desired by the organization. As people move away from long-term company careers, they enjoy more economic freedom. As a result, young workers are able to bypass organizational hierarchies and obtain senior management jobs while still in their thirties.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Employability and Professional Development specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although companies put a premium on intellectual capital of important employees to be the drivers of innovation and value additions that gives the company a competitive advantage, the actual organizational environment has a majority of the workers depending on average skills to perform most of their occupational tasks. In terms of graduate employability, it is worth noting that the influx of graduates in the labour market is constant. Most graduates enter the labour market with heavy debt from student loans and believe that they deserve better payment so as to repay their student debts. The extent of the belief that the higher your professional qualifications the higher your pay depends on the number of people having the same qualifications who are interested in the same jobs and the number of jobs available. Therefore, the employability of a graduate increases with further education, as long as the competition in the labour market does not increase their qualifications (Brown, Hesketh Williams 2002). As individuals, more importantly graduates, increase their employability on certain jobs, they diminish their employability for other jobs. The career choice taken specifies a person’s employabili ty on that field and technically shuts out the person from becoming employable in other fields. Therefore when making a choice of becoming employable in a given field, it is important to note that one is cutting off the options of getting employment in other professions. A case for personal development Increasing ones employability in a given field has the effect of reducing one’s employability in the same field but on lower levels where one is seen to be overqualified. Personal development is one of the ways of ensuring that one remains employable. Employability of an individual is traced to the ability of the individual and their will to modify their qualifications to fit the current demands inside the organization or on the external employment market (Drucker 1993). In reference to the social theory, employability is an individualization of the worker selection process in an increasing serve economy that encompasses economic, political and social changes (Gonon et al. (eds .) 2008). In personal reference, the understanding of where I am in terms of employability to my professional position of choice gives me an upper hand to position adequately my presentation to fit the employers’ requirements for specific jobs.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Employers want an employee who adapts to the changing state of the organizational environment and refocuses their core competencies to deliver solutions for moving the organization closer to its goals. With the improvement of my personal performance, I am able to demonstrate that I fit this criterion. My ability to breakdown my obstacles or problems and pinpoint solutions will come in handy for any employer seeking a key skill in tackling dynamic challenges in the organization. I have accomplished a personal analysis of my qualities and can present potential employers with references to where I used the given quality to produce positive change. This is certain to increase my employability by demonstrating to employers that in addition to the required skill, I have the necessary quality to ensure that work delivery is in accordance to the employer’s expectation and that in case of unforeseen difficulties, I am able to navigate with minimal assistance. I understand my weaknesse s and strength areas of my personality and will only position myself to be appointed for jobs that can fully employ my personality strengths and require little or no skills in areas that I show a personality weakness. In addition, I will be seeking additional skill training so that I improve on the areas where I am weak so that the weakness does not become a disadvantage in consideration of other people’s employability. By coming up with priorities for personal development in line with my career goals, I feel more confident in my employability. I understand that with the right skill and quality mix, I stand a chance of negotiating with a potential employer on the compensation of my job such that I will be okay in terms of social status and be able to reap the financial benefits of my employability. Setting priorities for personal development has given me a morale boost to face the challenge of kick starting my career. I now allocate the importance of each activity I engage in according to its relevancy to my career objective and what the activity adds to my personal development (Verhaar Smulders 1999). To sum up, my understanding of the increasing role of knowledge in the creation of wealth by organization and my contribution to an organizational success through my appropriate application of skills and competencies serves as my encouragement to continue in my personal development. Reference List Brown, P., Hesketh, A. Williams, S. 2002, Employability in a knowledge-driven economy, working paper 26, retrieved from web. Drucker, P. 1993, Post-capitalist society, HarperCollins, London. Gonon, P., Kraus, K., Oelkers, J. and Stolz, S. (eds.) 2008, Work Education and Employability, Peter Lang, Bern. Verhaar, C. H. A. Smulders, H. R. M. 1999, Emplyability in practice, Journal of European Industrian Training, vol 23, no. 6, pp. 268-274. Weinert, P., Baukens, M., Bollerot, P. P.-G M. and Walwi, U. (eds.) 2001, Employability: from theory to practice, Trasactio n Publishers, New Brunswick, NJ.

Where to Find the Best DBQ Examples

Where to Find the Best DBQ Examples SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips One of the best ways to prepare for the DBQ (the "document-based question" on the AP European History, AP US History, and AP World History exams) is to look over sample questions and example essays.Doing this will help you to get a sense of what makes a good (and what makes a bad) DBQ response. That said, not all DBQ essay examples are created equal. I’ll briefly cover what makes a good DBQ example and then provide a list of example essays by course. Lastly, I’ll give you some helpful tips on how to best use sample essays in your own preparation process. What's a Good DBQ Example? Without a doubt, the best sample resources come from the College Board.This is because they are the ones who design and administer the AP exams. This means the following: Any DBQ essay example that the College Board provides will include a real DBQ prompt All samples are real student responses from previous years, so you know they were written under the same conditions you'll have when you write your DBQ- in other words, they're authentic! They not only have scores but also explanations of each essay's score,in accordance with the rubric Each prompt includes several sample essays with a variety of scores Some DBQ examples outside those available from the College Board might be worth looking at, particularly if they highlight how a particular essay could be improved. In general, though, a superior example will do the following: Include the prompt and documents:It will be much easier for you to see how the information from the documents is integrated into the essay if you can actually look at the documents themselves! Have a score:Seems simple, but you'd be surprised how many DBQ examples out there in the uncharted internet don't have one. Without a real, official score, it's hard to gauge how trustworthy a sample actually is. With that in mind, I have compiled lists, organized by exam, of high-quality example DBQs below. Don't spend all your study time sharpening your pencil. Every DBQ Example Essay You Could Ever Need, by Exam Here are your example essays! We'll start with AP US History, then move to AP European History, and finally wrap up with AP World History. AP US History: Official College Board Examples Because of the test redesign in 2015, there are right now only four official College Board sets of sample essays that use the current rubric: 2018 Free-Response Questions| Sample DBQ Responses 2018 2017 Free-Response Questions| Sample DBQ Responses 2017 2016 Free-Response Questions| Sample DBQ Responses 2016 2015 Free-Response Questions| Sample DBQ Responses 2015 If you want additional sample question sets, you canlook at older College Board US History DBQ example response sets.To look at these, click "Free-Response Questions" for a given year. For the corresponding DBQ examples and scoring guidelines, click "Sample Responses Q1." Note that these examples use the old rubric (which is integrated into the Scoring Guidelines for a given free-response section). General comments on the quality of the essay, outside information, and document analysis still apply, but the score is on a 9-point scale instead of the current 7-point scale, and some of the particulars will be different. Older DBQs had up to 12 documents, while the current format has six to seven documents. If you do look at older DBQ examples, I recommend using the current rubric (as of 2017)to re-grade the essays in the sample according to the 7-point scale. I'll also give more advice on how to use all these samples in your prep later on. Mr. Bald Eagle is an AP US History DBQ grader in his spare time. AP European History: Official College Board Examples Unfortunately, there aren't as many sample resources for the AP Euro DBQ compared to the other AP history tests because 2016 was the first year the AP Euro test was administered in the new format. This means there are only three sets of official samples graded with the current 7-point rubric: 2018 Free-Response Questions|Sample DBQ Responses 2018 2017 Free-Response Questions|Sample DBQ Responses 2017 2016 Free-Response Questions|Sample DBQ Responses 2016 The rest of the existing available samples were graded in the old 9-point format instead of the 7-point format implemented in 2016. In the old format there were6 "core" points and 3 additional points possible. The old rubric is integrated with the sample responses for each question, but I'll highlight some key differences between the old and current formats: With the old format, you were given a brief "historical background" section before the documents There were more documents- up to 12- but the current format has six to seven There was an emphasis on "grouping" the documents that is not present in the current rubric There was also explicit emphasis on correctly interpreting the documents that is not found in the current rubric While the essential components of the DBQ are still the same between the two test formats,you should definitely refer to the current rubricif you decide to look at any old AP European History samples. You might find ituseful to look at old essays and score them in accordance with the current rubric. Here are the old sample DBQ questions and essays, organized by year: 2015 Free-Response Questions|Sample DBQ Responses 2015 2014 Free-Response Questions|Sample DBQ Responses 2014 2013 Free-Response Questions|Sample DBQ Responses 2013 2012 Free-Response Questions|Sample DBQ Responses 2012 2011 Free-Response Questions|Sample DBQ Responses 2011 You can get samples in the old format all the way back to 2000 from the College Board. (Click "Free -Response Questions" for the questions and "Sample Response Q1" for the samples.) Consider how you might integrate this castle into the DBQ that is your life. AP World History: Official College Board Examples The World History AP exam transitioned to a new format to more resemble AP US History and AP European History for the 2017 test. This means that there are only two past exams available that use the current DBQ format: 2018 Free-Response Questions|Sample DBQ Responses 2018 2017 Free-Response Questions|Sample DBQ Responses 2017 In the old format there were7 "core" points and 2 additional points possible. The old rubric is integrated with the sample responses for each question, but I’ll highlight some key differences between the old and current formats: There were more documents- up to 10- but the current format has six to seven There was an emphasis on "grouping" the documents on the old rubric that is not present in the current rubric There was also explicit emphasis on correctly interpreting the documents that is not found in the current rubric In the old rubric, you needed to identify one additional document that would aid in your analysis; the new rubric does not have this requirement The essential components of the DBQ are still the same between the two formats, although you should definitely look at the current rubricif you study with any old AP World History questions and samples.You might find ituseful to look at the old essays and score them according to the current rubric. Here are old AP World History questions and DBQ sample responses, organized by year: 2016 Free-Response Questions|Sample DBQ Responses 2016 2015 Free-Response Questions|Sample DBQ Responses 2015 2014 Free-Response Questions|Sample DBQ Responses 2014 2013 Free-Response Questions|Sample DBQ Responses 2013 2012 Free-Response Questions|Sample DBQ Responses 2012 Don't worry, the old format isn't as old as this guy right here. How Should I Use DBQ Examples to Prepare? Now that you have all these examples, what should you do with them?In this section, I'll give you some tips on how to use example DBQs in your own prep, including when to start using them and how many you should plan to review. What Should I Do With These DBQs? Officialsample essay sets are a great way to testhow well you understand the rubric. This is why I recommendthat you grade a sample setearly on in your study process- maybe even before you've written a practice DBQ. Then, when you compare the scores you gave to the official scores and scoring notes given to the samples, you'll have a better idea of what parts of the rubric you don't really understand.If there are points you are consistently awarding differently than the graders, you’ll know those are skills you'll need to work on. Keep giving points for the thesis and then finding out the sample didn't get those points? This tells you to work more on your thesis skills. Not giving points for historical context and then finding out the AP grader gave full credit? You need to work on recognizing what constitutes historical context according to the AP. Check out mytips on building specific rubric-based skills in my guide on how to write a DBQ. Once you've worked on some of those rubric skills you're weaker in, such as evaluating a good thesis or identifying document groups, grade another sample set.This way, you can see how your ability to grade the essays like an AP grader improves over time! Obviously, grading sample exams is a much more difficult processif you're looking at examples in an old format (e.g., AP European History or AP World History samples). The old scores as awarded by the College Board will be helpful in establishing a ballpark- obviously a 9is still going to be a good essay using the current 7-point scale- but there may be some modest differences in grades between the two scales. (Maybe that perfect 9is now a 6out of 7due to rubric changes.) For practice grading with old samples, you might want to pull out two copies of the current rubric, recruit a trusted study buddy or academic advisor (or even two study buddies!), and have each of you re-grade the samples. You can then discuss any major differences in the grades each of you awarded. Having multiple sets of eyes will help you see if the scores you're giving are reasonable, since you won’t have an official 7-point College Board score for comparison. How Many Example DBQs Should I Be Using? The answer to this question depends on your study plans. If it's six months before the exam and you plan on transforming yourself into a hard diamond of DBQ excellence, you might do practice grading on a sample set every few weeks to a month to check your progress to being able to think like an AP grader. In this case, you would probably use six to nine official sample sets. If, on the other hand, the exam is in a month and you are just trying to get in some skill-polishing, you might do a sample set every week to 10 days. It makes sense to check your skills more often when you have less time to study because you want to be sure that you are focusing your time on the skills that need the most work. For a short time frame, expect to use somewhere in the range of three to four range official sample sets. Either way, you should be integrating your sample essay grading with skills practice and doing some practice DBQ writing of your own. Toward the end of your study time, you could even integrate DBQ writing practice with sample grading. Read and complete a timed prompt and then grade the sample set for that prompt, including yours! The other essays will help give you a sense of what score your essay might have received that year and any areas you might have overlooked. There's no one-size-fits-all approach to using sample sets, but in general they are a useful tool formaking sure you have a good idea what the DBQ graders will be looking for when you write your own DBQ. Hey, where can we find a good DBQ around here? Closing Thoughts: Example DBQs for AP History Tests Example DBQ essays are a valuable resource in your arsenal of study strategies for the AP history exams. Grading samples carefullywill help you get a sense of your own blind spots so you'll know what skills to focus on in your prep. That said, sample essays will be most useful when integrated with your own targeted skills prep. Grading 100 sample essays won't help you if you aren't practicing your skills; rather, you'll just keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Make sure you aren't using sample essays toavoid writing practice DBQs either- you'll want to do at least a couple, even if you only have a month to practice. And there you have it, folks. With this list of DBQ examples and tips on how to use them, you are all prepared to integrate samples into your study strategy! What's Next? Still not sure what a DBQ is? Check out my explanation of the DBQto learn the basics. Want tips on how to really dig in and study for AP history tests?We've got a complete how-to guide on preparing and writing the DBQ. If you're still studying for AP World History, check out ourtop AP World History study guide,or get more practice tests from our complete list. Want more study material for AP US History? Look into this article on the best notes to use for studying from one of our experts. Also, read our review of the best AP US History textbooks! Want to improve your SAT score by 160points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

A Linguistic Look at Spanish

A Linguistic Look at Spanish Ask a linguist what kind of a language Spanish is, and the answer you get may depend on that linguists specialty. To some, Spanish is primarily a language derived from Latin. Another may tell you that Spanish is primarily an SVO language,  whatever that is, while others may refer to it as a fusional language. Spanish is classified as either an Indo-European or Romance language based on  its origins.Spanish is classified as a mostly SVO language because of its commonly used word order.Spanish is classified as somewhat inflectional because of the extensive use of word endings used to indicate attributes such as gender, number, and tense. All these classifications, and others, are important in linguistics, the study of language. As these examples show, linguists can classify languages according to their history, as well as according to the languages structure and according to how words are formed. Here are three common classifications that linguists use and how Spanish fits in with them: Genetic Classification of Spanish The genetic classification of languages is closely related to etymology, the study of the origins of words. Most of the worlds languages can be divided into about a dozen major families (depending on what is considered major) based on their origins. Spanish, like English, is part of the Indo-European family of languages, which includes the languages spoken by around half the worlds population. It includes most of the past and current languages of Europe (the Basque language being a major exception) as well as the traditional languages of Iran, Afghanistan, and the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. Some of the most common Indo-European languages today include French, German, Hindi, Bengali, Swedish, Russian, Italian, Persian, Kurdish and Serbo-Croatian. Among Indo-European languages, Spanish can be further classified as a Romance language, meaning that it is descended from Latin. Other major Romance languages include French, Portuguese, and Italian, all of which have strong similarities in vocabulary and grammar. Classification of Spanish by Word Order One common way of classifying languages is by the order of the basic sentence components, namely the subject, object, and verb. In this regard, Spanish can be thought of as a flexible subject-verb-object or SVO language, as is English. A simple sentence will typically follow that order, as in this example: Juanita lee el libro, where Juanita is the subject, lee (reads) is the verb and el libro (the book) is the object of the verb. It should be noted, however, that this structure is far from the only one possible, so Spanish cant be thought of as a strict SVO language. In Spanish, it is often possible to leave out the subject entirely if it can be understood from the context, and it also is common to change the word order to emphasize a different part of the sentence. Also, when pronouns are used as objects, the SOV order (subject-object-verb) is the norm in Spanish: Juanita lo lee. (Juanita reads it.) Classification of Spanish by Word Formation In terms of how words are formed, languages can be classified in at least three ways: As isolating or analytical, meaning  that words or word roots dont change based on how they are used in a sentence, and that the relationship of words to each other are conveyed primarily by the use of word order or by words known as particles to indicate the relationship among them.As inflectional or fusional, meaning that the forms of the words themselves change to indicate how they relate to the other words in a sentence.As  agglutinating or agglutinative, meaning that words are frequently formed by combining various combinations of morphemes, wordlike units with distinct meanings. Spanish is generally viewed as a somewhat inflectional language, although all three typologies exist to some extent. English is more isolating than Spanish, although English too has inflectional aspects. In Spanish, verbs are nearly always inflected, a process known as conjugation. In particular, each verb has a root (such as habl-)  to which endings are attached to indicate who is performing the action and the time period in which it occurs. Thus, hablà © and hablaron both have the same root, with the endings used to provide more information. By themselves, the verb endings have no meaning. Spanish also uses inflection for adjectives to indicate number and gender. As an example of the isolating aspect of Spanish, most nouns are inflected only to indicate whether they are plural or singular. In contrast, in some languages, such as Russian, a noun can be inflected to indicate, for example, that it is a direct object rather than a subject. Even names of people can be inflected. In Spanish, however, word order and prepositions are typically used to indicate the function of a noun in a sentence. In a sentence such as Pedro ama a Adriana (Pedro loves Adriana), the preposition a is used to indicate which person is the subject and which is the object. (In the English sentence, word order is used to inidicate who loves whom.) An example of an agglutinative aspect of Spanish (and of English) can be seen in its use of various prefixes and suffixes. For example, the difference between hacer (to do) and deshacer (to undo) is in its use of the morpheme (a unit of meaning) des-.

Native American Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Native American Art - Essay Example In addition to this unity of rhythm in both artistic products, each seemed to have an overarching, celestial quality overlaid upon the foundation rhythm. In the Friendship Dance, this is accomplished by the various vocal tones produced by the singers. The austerity of the rock arts basic geometric shapes is likewise raised to a different plain by embellishments of a more abstract nature. These include sweeping arches over the heads of characters and lines that could almost be described as suggesting movement of the figures. One difference between the two media is their feeling of accessibility. For me personally, the Friendship Dance seemed to be inviting me to come and join in some sort of festivity. The rhythm of the drums and the vocals, although foreign to my ear and understanding, sounded inviting and welcoming. On the other hand, the rock art was a wonder to behold, but seemed very cold to me. It did not make me feel as though I would ever be a part of the world that it was depicting. While I appreciated the nature of the art, I came away feeling as though you really had to be a Native American to really â€Å"get† what the rock art was all about. On the other hand, I felt that the Friendship Dance had the ability to communicate across cultural

Defining Leadership and Providing a Brief Overview of Leadership Essay

Defining Leadership and Providing a Brief Overview of Leadership Theories - Essay Example Thus, a leader may also be described as a person with the authority and/or the position within an organization capable of influencing the people around them and making decisions that people around them are willing to follow. There are 5 different types of leadership styles2 namely Directive (Authoritative), Delegative (Free Reign), Participative (Democratic), Consultative and Negotiative. Directive (Authoritative) Leaders are characterized as individuals who instruct their employees on the ways to perform a task without allowing them much leeway to give their own thoughts or display independence. The leader exercises firm authority over his employees and makes sure that they follow his rules and guidelines in performing a task. Delegative (Free Reign) Leaders, segregates and hands out the tasks to their employees and allows them to make decisions and decide on how a task should be performed. However, as the leader will still be held accountable for the decisions made and the fact tha t this style is not entirely democratic, situations may arise whereby employees may be assigned work rather than being allowed to participate actively on how a task should be done or completed. ... They often motivate their employees with incentives or words of encouragement to push them in the same direction as the rest of the team. 2.0 Case Study Analysis 2.0.1 Leadership at Swatch In my opinion, the leadership paradigm displayed at Swatch is that of the Consultative style. Although the leadership lies on both Hayek Senior and Nicolas Hayek Junior to drive the organization forward, they allow their employees to contribute and participate in brainstorming for new ideas and allows for new project teams to come up with ideas. Leadership seems widely distributed across the Swatch Group with only a small number of positions existing to ‘head’ different sections. The Group does not believe in bureaucracy and has very little formal hierarchy. The employees are given the discretion to develop ideas and lead project teams in their own areas. There is room for growth and independence for the employees working with Swatch. Based on the case study, it would seem that the org anization is quite dependent on the energy and influence of the Hayeks as both senior and junior Hayeks are very involved in the business. They are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide ‘hands on’ assistance to various levels of needs in the Group. Although leadership seems widely distributed across the divisions at Swatch, it is mentioned that if the Hayeks dislike a product or idea, the company’s morale is said to decline but morale is notably high if the Hayeks are behind an idea. That clearly shows how important the Hayeks are in the organization. In terms of securing the future leadership of the organization, Hayek Senior has placed members of his family in significant positions within Group to ensure the longevity and growth

Week 5 Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Week 5 Discussion Questions - Essay Example The reason that total quality can positive influence the sustainability initiatives of a company is because the implementation of total quality leads to continuous improvement through an organization. For example if a company is spending too much on electricity bills the total quality system of company will identify the deficiency so that the manager can implement alternative solutions to remedy the situation. Lowering energy usage is a sustainability practice can help the environment because it reduces the dependency of petroleum derivatives and helps decrease the CO2 emissions the business activity of a company generates. A common practice of total quality system is the use of benchmarking. Benchmarking involves selecting a demonstrated standard of performance that represents the very best performance for processes or activities very similar to yours (Heizer, et al. 1996, p.84). The use of benchmarking can help improve sustainability by imitating environmentally friendly practices other companies are implementing. If a manager learns that another company with compatible operation implemented a process that allows the use of recycle water in the manufacturing line benchmarking that practice can help achieve greater sustainability. A sustainability plan positive impacts internal stakeholders in a variety of ways. A sustainability plan can help improve the working condition of the employees of the company. For example if the company has manufacturing processes that are releasing toxic gases a sustainability plan can identify that deficiency in order to apply alternative solution to fix the problem. Once implemented the employees quality of life at work and long term health is going to improve. Another potential improvement that a sustainability plan can provide to the employees is improving the temperature and moisture levels of a facility in order create greater comfort for the

Introduction to Financial Accounting Assignment

Introduction to Financial Accounting - Assignment Example Investors adopt this trading strategy because they would want to make big profits in as less time as possible, particularly when they perceive stocks as being overpriced. To short sell, an investor must have a margin account with the broker, for which the investor has to meet the initial margin requirement which is a proportion of the total investment that has to be paid in cash. For e.g., if an initial margin requirement is 50% on the total investment of  £10, 000 then an investor has to pay  £5000 in cash which is initial margin deposit and can borrow the rest of the amount. 1(f) Margin trading is purchasing stocks by borrowing money from the broker. For margin trading, an investor would need a margin account which has a specific initial and maintenance margin requirement (Reilly and Brown, 2003, p. 128). Investors opt for margin trading because it provides them with financial leverage or in other words, increases their buying power. If the margin in the account falls below the maintenance margin, the broker calls the investor to put in more cash in the account so that the margin can be maintained. This is known as a margin call (Reilly and Brown, 2003, p. 128) Therefore the range of maintenance margin values within which I will not get a margin call is values lesser than  £184652.9 and equal to or greater than  £163052.75 during the entire investment period. 2 (d) In order to find out if diversification would reduce the risk of the portfolio, the correlation of assets must be studied (Reilly and Brown, 2003, p. 245). The greater the number of negatively correlated assets in a portfolio, the lesser will be the risk. RSS and BLT correlation coefficient is 0.3637 which shows that the two stocks are moderately correlated, that might not help much in diversifying the risk of the portfolio.

Scientific Research and Writing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Scientific Research and Writing - Assignment Example As a result, its consumption faced the major set back in its making history. Many physicians, as well as nutritionists, warned their patients against consuming large amounts of chocolate. Recent discoveries on biologically active phenol compounds such as cocoa that are currently used in making chocolate has widely changed the perception of the society about the same. In relation to this recent breakthrough extensive and intensive research has been stimulated into looking at the effects of chocolate consumption on ageing, oxidative stress, blood pressure regulation, and in controlling atherosclerosis (Matsui, Ito, Nishimura al, 2005). This research investigates the association between chocolate consumption and the occurrence of acne among college girls from Oklahoma State University. This research seeks to establish the contributions of chocolate in the occurrence of acne among college girls from Oklahoma State University. The research also seeks to validate the hypothesis that chocolate consumption is the major cause of acne among college girls from Oklahoma State University. The null hypothesis guiding this research is that chocolate consumption is not linked to the occurrence of Acne among college girls from Oklahoma State University. 50 female students were used in this experiment. The population was picked at random and divided into five groups (again at random). Four groups will be subjected to consuming milked chocolate at the rates of 10g, 20g, 30g, and 40g respectively. The fifth group will the control group and will be subjected to 0g of chocolate consumed per day. The experiment will be done mainly during the afternoon hours when most of the students are through with their classes and are relatively willing to consume the food. The relationship between chocolate consumption and the occurrence of acne will be determined by

Freud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Freud - Essay Example He believed irrespective of whether the behavior is normal or abnormal, it has its influence from the psychological motives, which are often unconscious. This belief of Freud is called as psychic determinism. These theoretical words help in the explanation of what is called as "Freudian slip". The later work of Freud emphasized that the psyche was divided into three parts and they are the Id, Ego and the Superego. The unconscious Id represents itself as the primary process of thinking of a person's most basic necessities satisfaction type of thoughts. The word Id thus represents the most common and essential needs to be addressed by a person. In the case of Superego there rests socially induced conscience that has been counteracted by the Id on the grounds of moral and ethical conduct. Thus, Freud presented that the Superego of the person many a times counteracts the basic necessities that are required to be addressed. Freud addressed the superego as the unconscious and the ego as a largely conscious state of mind. He had advocated that the ego stands in between the id and the superego in order to balance the two i.e. superego and the id. Thus, a balance of the most primitive needs and the moral/ethical beliefs is being achieved by the in-between penetrative presence of e go. Freud believes that a healthy ego shall help provide the ability by virtue of which one can successfully adapt with the outside environment in a manner that holds the identity of both the id and the superego. Freud especially held the focus of his attention to the study and research on the dynamic relationship that exists between the id, ego and superego. He held special attention to the manner in which the three entered into a conflict. We would now like to throw some essential light on the work of Plato and Socrates. Plato was a Greek Philosopher and was a student of Socrates. He was the founder of the Academy in Athens, where Aristotle was a student. Under the guidance of Socrates, Plato wrote philosophical views. He had contributed to the world of knowledge a very precious collection of manuscripts. The Plato's writings present themselves with debates as related to the best possible form of government. Plato had also held the focus of his writings on several other subjects. The central theme of Plato's work has been a conflict that exists between the nature and convention. This is related to the role of heredity and the environment on the intelligence and personality of humans. The more the pleasures of the body fade away, the greater to me is the pleasure and charm of conversation. -Plato, Greek philosopher, The Republic, 4th century BC What progress we are making. In the Middle Ages they would have burned me. Now they are content with burning my books. -Sigmund Freud Thus, the debate as presented rested on the platform of nature versus nurture. We can notice here that Plato and Socrates have placed ethics upon reason. They have marked the essential practice of following the good as ethical and thus essential. However, the ethics have been excluded from the Freud's conception of the superego, ego and Id description. Thus, the point that some people will not confirm to some actions can be due to their realization of them being ethically wrong. This ethical ground on which the performance of an action is not

Scientific Research and Writing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Scientific Research and Writing - Assignment Example As a result, its consumption faced the major set back in its making history. Many physicians, as well as nutritionists, warned their patients against consuming large amounts of chocolate. Recent discoveries on biologically active phenol compounds such as cocoa that are currently used in making chocolate has widely changed the perception of the society about the same. In relation to this recent breakthrough extensive and intensive research has been stimulated into looking at the effects of chocolate consumption on ageing, oxidative stress, blood pressure regulation, and in controlling atherosclerosis (Matsui, Ito, Nishimura al, 2005). This research investigates the association between chocolate consumption and the occurrence of acne among college girls from Oklahoma State University. This research seeks to establish the contributions of chocolate in the occurrence of acne among college girls from Oklahoma State University. The research also seeks to validate the hypothesis that chocolate consumption is the major cause of acne among college girls from Oklahoma State University. The null hypothesis guiding this research is that chocolate consumption is not linked to the occurrence of Acne among college girls from Oklahoma State University. 50 female students were used in this experiment. The population was picked at random and divided into five groups (again at random). Four groups will be subjected to consuming milked chocolate at the rates of 10g, 20g, 30g, and 40g respectively. The fifth group will the control group and will be subjected to 0g of chocolate consumed per day. The experiment will be done mainly during the afternoon hours when most of the students are through with their classes and are relatively willing to consume the food. The relationship between chocolate consumption and the occurrence of acne will be determined by

One of the themes of block 5 is the way in which characters may be Essay

One of the themes of block 5 is the way in which characters may be portrayed in prose fiction, and in drama. Select two characters from different works studied - Essay Example Euripides and Shaw bring out these traits by allowing the characters to express their feelings, giving them social status which goes a long way in defining them as individuals and exploring their sensitivity. In this regard both writers have used direct as well as indirect methods of characterization. Euripides uses the technique of exposition to give an insight into Medea’s character and to provide a history of her background thus far. The nurse delivers this introduction and at the very onset, we are able to divine her personality and a glimmer of the devastation she is capable of wreaking on those who unwisely cross her. According to the nurse, â€Å"Her mind thinks in extremes†¦ She’ll not put up with being treated badly†, she is a creature of violent passions and has committed horrifying acts in the name of love, but now her ardent love has soured and â€Å"She’s a dangerous woman† (Euripides, 2006)1. Thus his Medea creates a powerful impression even before she comes on stage. Euripides uses the essential tool of drama – dialogue, to allow Medea to express her feelings and plans for revenge. Thus the audience manages to get first-hand information about her inner-most thoughts and emotional state. Further he allows her actions to speak for themselves. It is Medea’s ability to act on schemes devised by a mind twisted by the suffering inflicted on her person that makes her particularly dangerous. Euripides makes her character convincing by revealing suitable provocation that goads her onto such dastardly excesses like murdering her own children. Euripides uses indirect characterization as well in his portrayal of Medea. The other characters react to her personality, thereby offering fresh insight into her character. For example there is a scene where Creon exiles her out of fear for the safety of his family. He tells her, â€Å"†¦ you’re a clever

Reading Adornos Thoughts On Brave New World Philosophy Essay

Reading Adornos Thoughts On Brave New World Philosophy Essay Theodore W. Adorno, sociologist, philosopher and musicologist collected the most fundamental problems of the 20th century in his writings, which serve as a useful guide to understand and decipher not only the historical events of the last century, but modern literature as well. Adorno was a prominent member of the Frankfurt School, a school of Neo-Marxist interdisciplinary social theory. Other well-known thinkers of the age as Marx Horkheimer, Walter Benjamin, Herbert Marcuse and Jà ¼rgen Habermas were and are also widely read members of this group. Adornos collection of essays, Prisms, published in 1967, includes studies in contemporary German social thought, besides, it touches upon Huxleys Brave New World, works by Walter Benjamin, Proust and Kafka. Although his essay, Aldous Huxley and Utopia shows a strong sociological approach, I find that he highlights several aspects of the novel hidden or not fully fleshed for scholars of literature. The essay sets out from a diagnosis claiming a shock of the individual. The promise of the New Land (Americas) turns out to be a sugar-coated slogan, where opposingly one does not prevail but perish with some exaggeration. Immigrants no longer seek prosperity, but only wish to pull through. They have to adjust to the new system, where has arisen a civilization which absorbs all of life in its system, without allowing the unregimented mind even those loopholes which European laxness left open into the epoch of the great business concerns( Adorno, p97). The intellectual needs to eradicate himself to integrate into the new world of commercialism to survive. This realization results in panic, which according to Adorno, manifests itself in Huxleys novel. The act of dehumanization is obvious in Brave New World, but Adorno proceeds claiming that the individuals literally cease to exist. Men are no longer merely purchasers of the concerns mass-produced consumption goods but rather appear themselves to be the deindividualized products of the corporations absolute power (Adorno, p98). The Fordian world succeeds in the fusion of the self into the system itself. The satirical alteration of the motto of the French Revolution: Community, Identity, and Stability magnifies the fundamental principles of the system. Everyone is unconditionally subordinate to the functioning of the whole (Adorno, p99). One particularly shivering example of this is the recycling of the dead. Identity is a witty choice, since it implies two absolutely conflicting meanings. The first association can be the identity of an individual, referring to ones possession of a set of unique traits; meanwhile identity also signifies the state of being identical with the surround ings. The Fordian system has precisely done the latter by not only manipulating the psyche of the individuals, but pre-conditioning them biologically. Stability indicates the achieved harmony by the aforementioned; however, it also results in a lack of progress. It is unspoken still indicated that the ultimate goal of the system lies within itself, that is, merely to uphold the system. This coincides with Adornos observation as well, since he later states that the blame rests with the substitution of means for all ends( Adorno, p100). The lack of purpose is hidden behind the fancy celebration; the hollow cult of the devices. This is a result of the objectification of the modern era. Adorno explains in The Dialects of the Enlightenment that the Age of Enlightenment declared knowledge as the ultimate goal banishing God in order for man to reach a god-like, omniscient position. With the gained knowledge man subordinated his surroundings. Things are present or re-formed in the world to suit and serve humans. As a result of this desire, things are represented by their mere functions. They no longer possess an aura as Walter Benjamin put it in his essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. In the capitalistic settings of the modern era, everything is looked at as a piece of merchandise. Civilians are defined by what they purchase. Huxley extends this line of thought, objectifying the individual itself into a product. Due to the several stages of conditioning, Adorno says that the Fordian people surrender to the system; abandon their desires, without even being aware of their sacrifice. This reveals the systems strike of genius. Adorno raises a lot of thought provoking questions concerning Huxleys utopia, but I wish to concentrate rather on his critical judgements regarding the shortcomings of the book. He claims that the orgy-porgy sessions, the prescribed short-term change of sexual partners give witness to the interchangeability of the individuals. Its highest moral principle, supposedly, is that everyone belongs to everyone, an absolute interchangeability that extinguishes man as an individual being, liquidates as mythology his claim to exist for his own sake, and defines him as existing merely for the sake of others and thus in Huxleys mind, worthless (Adorno, p104-105). I agree with his remark on people being created in order to serve others as one of the main reasons of the loss of identity. However, Adorno also argues that if the people are as exchangeable, then the totalitarian authority of the Fordian world has no stable grounding to gain support from. Domination may be defined as the disposition of one over others but not as the complete disposition all over all, which cannot be reconciled with the totalitarian order (Adorno, p105). I am rather certain Adorno was more acquainted with the philosophy of totalitarianism; nevertheless, I find the interchangeability of the people an efficient tool to control the masses. Although the civilians often have sexual intercourses, they lack any personal relationships as their simplistic and shallow dialogues also reflect. Still, the archaic desire of man, namely, to belong and to love is present in the Fordian people, only they are given the mystified concept of Ford and society, both designed to be incomp rehensible to love and serve. Their cramped insistence on the system is due to their conditioning, and the impossibility of belonging to anyone else. No wonder the Fordian system banished the concept of family to the realm of the uncivilized. Adorno is correct on the one hand that there is a disposition of all over all, but this will the civilians possess is ironically vague and meaningless since they dont get true joy out of personal intercourses. They are a herd of sheep waiting for the shepherds orders. With the abolition of the self, the Fordian Controllers achieved creating a mass wishing to actually belong to and melt into the greater being that is society. The Controllers do not have to manipulate the minds of the individuals but one unconscious mind of billions. Another one of Adornos curious instances is Huxleys use of rigid opposites. The erotic collision of Lenina and John is for some reason seen as the scene à ¡ faire by Adorno mirroring the clash between the two worlds. He regards Johns surrender to Leninas preconditioned charm to ease the tension between the world of the conventional and the natural. With John, who is associated with Shakespeare, evoking the values of the lost world Huxley had banished culture to barbarianism. Johns falling for Lenina does not symbolise conventions conquering nature, but Johns natural inability to overcome the new world. John is rather the already mentioned modern intellectual who realizes his possibilities and panics without reaching an alternative solution. Adorno, however, claims that the opposing extremes are in accordance with the utopian tradition. Huxley cannot understand the humane promise of civilization because he forgets that humanity includes reification as well as its oppositeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦subjective are realized, but only by being objectified. All the categories examined by the novel, family, parents, the individual and his property, are already products of reification (Adorno, p106). The objectification of such concepts is indisputable still they evoke personal experiences and derive from subjective perceptions. Such archaic notions possess a past of their own; they carry their own myths and how they evolved. What Huxley wishes to do is to highlight the fundamental human values represented by these concepts. Adorno criticises the depiction of the Savage as neurotic and states that the novel ceases to be a social criticism with the fall of John. Adorno rather enhances the importance of Bernard Marx. He claims Bernards organic inferiority and inevitable inferiority complexà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [and] moral cowardice (Adorno, p106) to be his most dominant traits due to the Jewish pattern; however, he sees Bernards character as the voice of social critic. The rebellious behaviour of Bernard expires with the satisfaction of his sexual needs by the desired women. He abandons his opposing views when he ceases to be an outcast. Bernards character turns rather into the emblem of arrogance. The same happens when innocent leaders become intoxicated with power. The depiction of the Savage to say the least of it is imperfect. Still his reactions are in a cause and effect relation. His actions do result in a comical end due to his self-sacrifice was in vain. Another interesting point in Adornos essay is the objectification of happiness. In the Fordian world happiness derives from the satisfaction of peoples artificial needs. Adorno recalls a scene from the novel in which Lenina and the Savage watch a Fordian circumscribed movie. This episode shows the retarded perception of happiness. He [Huxley] believes that by demonstrating the worthlessness of subjective happiness according to the criteria of traditional culture he has shown that happiness as such is worthless. Its place is to be taken by ontology distilled from traditional religion and philosophy, according to which happiness and the objective good are irreconcilable (Adorno, p111) Considering subjective happiness, it can only exist when there is subjectivity, namely, individuals and their own personal desires. However, in the case of the Fordian world we cannot speak about true individuals, or subjective happiness. Therefore, what we encounter is broadly speaking objective happiness with its preconditioned uniformity however retarded it is. Although they achieve objective happiness it does not coincide with the objective good from the past ideologies. It rather draws a retarded good with it, that is, a constant satisfaction transforms into an animal status quo. The aforementioned film amplifies uselessness and pointlessness of this retarded happiness which is subjectively perfect though objectively meaningless. Adorno quotes what Mond answers to Johns accusation regarding the degradation of man. Mond claims that a set of postulates always have to be chosen, in order for a community to function. Huxley contrasts Johns conscious choice of suffering and Monds som aic problem solving technique. The reader is given two choices according to Adorno: the choice is between the barbarism of happiness and culture as the objectively higher condition that entails unhappiness (Adorno, p112). Adorno makes another thought provoking observation concerning the extreme ideology of individualism in the modern era as the counterpoint of totalitarian rule. He notes this ideology in Huxleys novel as an unreflective individualism asserts itself as though the horror which transfixes the novel were not itself the monstrous offspring of individualist society (Adorno, p115). In my research so far, no other author has stressed this aspect of the book. The Fordian system is so dehumanized that the reader does not linger on the thought of who has actually thought up this world of utter control. The Controllers seem only the executives of power as if the main authority lied elsewhere. The power of the system and this does not come as a surprise by now, lies within the system itself. The mystification of Fords person, the conditioned minds of the people and the fragmented knowledge scattered around the Alphas, Betas and Epsilons create a world of blurry water, in which the strong current o f the system keeps the particles in motion. There is a constant circulation without any individual development. This is the reason why Fordian people are never left in peace to meditate; they are conditioned to remain active, so their awakening of consciousness is prohibited in more than one way. But let us return to Adornos line of thought, For Huxley, in the authentic bourgeois spirit, the individual is both everything because once upon a time he was the basis of a system of property rights and nothing, because, as a mere property owner, he is replaceable (Adorno, p115). Once again, Adorno draws a strong parallel between the capitalistic world of commerce and the social world, due to which the individuals and their relations to the outside world are dramatically transformed. Adorno finds the vanity aspect of the book, on one hand appropriate, but on the other, a bit too reactionary. He claims this approach to root from the impotence of presumption (Adorno, p116). Futility does dominate Huxleys novels regarding all characters. Bernard is paralysed by his own inferiority, and criticises the system until he is no longer an outcast. But at the moment of recognition from his cast, he willingly gives up his views, since all his conditioned desires are met to. Johns character dissolves into a meaningless figure, since his actions lack any result. Even Mustapha Mond, a superior figure compared to the two above mentioned symbolizes vanity. His private collection of books and all the knowledge he had gained from them have little importance. He has made the sacrifice of banning his own interests for the sake of humanity (according to the Fords dictionary). Although he values them fascinating, he holds them to be a memorial of the old civilization. Adorno most strongly criticizes Huxley for giving humanity simply two alternatives. Humanity must not only choose between totalitarian world state and extreme individualism (Adorno, p107). In excuse of Huxley, the author himself stated in Brave New World Revisited that he repented proposing only two alternatives in his novel. Maybe this book simply serves as a mirror to the sinister transformations of the modern age, although I doubt it has no other thought provoking ideas. Still Adorno is right, although his own essay lacks any momentum of this sort. What would be a possible solution to tear ourselves out of these tendencies, have remained unsaid by both authors. In Adornos essay, scholars can benefit from his ideas concerning the death of the individual; the interchangeability of subjects; Huxleys rigid opposites; objectification of self and happiness; individualism taken to extremes; vanity and reduced alternatives. Some may find my interpretation of his ideas too simplistic, but my aim was to transpose his ideas into the interpretation of Brave New World as a piece of literary work. My objections concerning a few of his observations are game-like, in order for other readers to feel free to take the field against famous scholars. But with all my respect, I find Adornos writings brilliant, well argued texts, which should be quoted a lot more often in literature studies.