Race to the Top Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Race to the Top - Research Paper Example The assessment was supposed to be common for everyone throughout the state for purposes of uniformity. Disabled students were considered so they could also participate in the program. Those with the language barrier especially in English were given special accommodations. The program was meant to measure certain standards that previous programs could not. The main aim was to make scoring uniform so that colleges could use the same results for placement purposes. The discussions of the pros and cons of that program are meant to help us decide on whether the program was effective or not. Cons The first issue is that the program applies the use of multiple-choice questions in their assessment. In as much as such kind of questions reduce subjectivity when marking and scoring, they have been shown to narrow the curriculum. In addition to this, scanty reading and guesswork is highly used when answering such questions leading to untrue scores. It is impossible to tell what a student knows a nd what concepts were never understood. There was the introduction of performance tests in the 1990’s to help improve on the programs. These kinds of assessment included doing practical work, science experiments and extended essays, which enabled the student to apply theory into practice. This was to be seen as a success, but a problem arose in reliability of the scores; score results in some places could not be used to make any important inference. The tests were made of fewer questions and this meant that the area covered was not as extensive as any test should. The seriousness of the validity of performance tests was so vast that by 2002, only a few such kind of tests were given. Seeing all these disadvantages, the federal funding decided increase the number of tests and instead use a range different types of assessments. Nevertheless, this would increase the total cost of developing the tests and even scoring. It was also seen that teachers are forced to pull out of schoo l to score the tests and the inability of such teachers to engage in other activities that foster professional development. Teachers are bound to learn more during their first scoring exercise but this would change over time because of the teacher’s knowledge that scores are compared. In as much as there is professional improvement in instructions given to class, it is very hard for a teacher to change instructions that will cater for the unique needs of each student. In cases where a student was required to express what they know like in performance tests, language and inability to write essays was a hindrance to the accomplishment of many students. Apparently, only valid test scores can be used to make inferences, valid tests are those that give the same result if issued to the same group for a second time. However, such scores cannot be used to test teacher and principal quality because they do not directly do so. This may seem like very small areas but in terms of test re liability and validity, a problem in a small area is bound to make the whole test insignificant. Pros In order to know if an assessment system works, it is important to subject it to rigorous effectiveness exercises. Also for validity, it is important to make tests uniform and to standardize the conditions under which every test is given (Dietel 4). This kind of system enabled educators to perform the two exercises

McCrae & Costas Five-Factor Model Essay Example for Free

McCrae Costas Five-Factor Model Essay McCrae and Costa’s Five-Factor model of personality is said to be predictive in certain behaviours such as honesty, job performance and procrastination. This Five-Factor model applies to organisational testing because personality is a crucial part in understanding the interests and abilities of an applicant within a business. There have been several criticisms of the Big Five and how accurately it can describe a person’s future performance. These criticisms will be discussed in length in this essay. The essay will also consider the usefulness of the Big Five within psychological assessments. Personality can be defined as â€Å"the dynamic organisation of systems that determine the individual’s characteristic patterns of behaviour, thought, and feeling† (Sibaya Nicholas, Personality, 2008). Simply put one can describe personality as the aspects of a person which make them unique (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). Personality attributes have successfully been studied over centauries and investigators have concluded that the personality domain can be best described by five â€Å"super ordinate constructs† (Digman, 1990). A personality trait is â€Å"a durable disposition to behave in a particular way† and the five-factor model has become the dominant idea of a personality structure (Weiten, 2007). The five-factor model of personality came about as a result of Hans Eysenck’s two dimensions of personality. Eysenck’s theory comprised of neuroticism-stability and extraversion-introversion and he later added the third dimension known as psychoticism (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). Eysenck’s theory also concluded that personality traits could largely be determined by genetics (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). Eysenck’s theory of personality dimensions was a â€Å"precursor of the five-factor model† developed by Costa and McCrae (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). The five-factor model can be seen as the most recent approach to personality and personality traits. Costa and McCrae argue that personality traits derive from five higher order traits. These traits are now known as the â€Å"Big-Five† (Weiten, 2007). Similar to Eysenck’s view on personality traits Costa and McCrae concluded that genetics play a substantial role in personality (Digman, 1990). An example of genetics playing a role in the development in personality traits can be seen in the study of twins. Jim Lewis and Jim Springer were identical twins separated at birth in 1940 (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). These twins were later reunited and research showed that they had similar personality traits. The twins both drove the same model car; they both smoked heavily and liked the same brand of cigarettes (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). A further impact of the five-factor model is that it has shown in studies that this personality study applies across cultures and is widely identifiable in different cultures around the world (Weiten, 2007). The five-factor model states that there are five core personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. These form a mnemonic, OCEAN, which is often used for remembering the personality traits (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). Openness applies to the openness one would have to an experience. Openness is often associated with traits such as curiosity, imagination and flexibility (Weiten, 2007). McCrae states that openness can determine one’s political attitudes or ideologies (Weiten, 2007). Conscientiousness relates to traits involving well disciplined and well organised people and is associated with people being diligent within the workplace (Weiten, 2007). Extraversion relates to people who can be categorised as outgoing or sociable people (Weiten, 2007). Agreeableness relates to one’s ability to be sympathetic, trusting and modest (Weiten, 2007). Agreeable personality traits have been known to be associated with a constructive approach to dealing with conflict but agreeable people have also been known to be aggressive (Weiten, 2007). Neuroticism relates to people who are anxious or hostile (Weiten, 2007). People who score high in this personality trait have been known to over re-act to stressful situations (Weiten, 2007). Organisational psychology â€Å"focuses on role related behaviour, group pressure, commitment to organisations and patterns of communication† (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). In order for an organisational psychologist to determine this behaviour certain organisational testing or psychological assessments need to take place. A psychological assessment is a â€Å"standardised measure of a sample of a erson’s behaviour† (Weiten, 2007). Psychological assessment is one of the oldest and most focussed areas of industrial-organisational psychology (Weiten, 2007). Psychological assessment focuses on an individual’s difference in behaviour and their individual job performance and then develops ways in which they can measure or predict such performances. Testing enables psychologists to select people for jobs, assess one’s potential and develop people. Testing can often lead to labelling of people and selection for jobs, promotions or training has often been made in accordance to these labels. The importance of psychological assessments within the workplace is that they enable the perspective employer to have predictions about the applicant’s future performance and how that applicant may behave in the future. An example of how psychological assessments are beneficial and important can be seen in the use of a personality test. A personality test â€Å"measure various aspects of personality, including motives, interests and attitudes† (Weiten, 2007). Personality tests can be helpful because they assist in personnel selection within business and industry (Weiten, 2007). A sub-division of personality tests is ‘interest inventories’ which determine the interest of an individual in relation to the interests needed to do the job. An example of ‘interest inventories’ can be seen in the need for a sales person to have a personality type that is an extrovert. The example of the sales person can also explain the importance of psychological assessments within the work environment because without this form of testing perspective employers would be unable to employ people that are specifically suited to the position on offer, e. . an extrovert. The use of psychological assessment in business begins when the candidate is still in the selection process. The applicant for a perspective job will first consider the job analysis. A job analysis is the process of obtaining information about a job by determining what duties, tasks or activities it entails in order to perform the job successfully (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). Following a job analys is the applicant would then submit an application and begin the selection process. A selection process can be described as the process of identifying who will be hired from the pool of applicants (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). The applicant will then undergo psychological assessment which involves a prediction of the applicant’s knowledge, abilities, attitudes and personality traits. The way in which these tests help with the selection process are that they are the best predictors of performance and behaviour on the job (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). Now that the selection process has been explained one can similarly link the development and promotion process to psychological assessment. With development or promotion the worker will have to undergo psychological testing to ensure that their abilities and interests fit with the promotion available. The five-factor model applies within the workplace because it enables employers to evaluate employee’s personalities and make use their personality traits to the best of their abilities. Research has indicated that the Big Five traits are able to predict specific behaviour (Weiten, 2007). The Big Five’s ability to predict this behaviour can be seen as beneficial in the workplace. An example of how the Big Five can benefit an industry can be seen in the personality trait ‘conscientiousness’ because it has been said that conscientiousness correlates with honesty, higher job performance and a lower alcohol consumption (Weiten, 2007). This being said one can understand that the Big Five traits allow a perspective employer the ability to employ conscientious workers. Many of the Big Five traits are related to career success (Weiten, 2007). The five-factor model can be used in the selection, development and promotion of employees because it allows the employer to predict what qualities the applicant has. The example used previously about the sales rep needing to be an extrovert is a perfect example of how the Big Five apply to selection, development and promotion. The five-factor model would allow the employer of such sales rep to be able to select candidates that fit the personality type that is required for the job at hand. Similar to this the employer could use the five-factor traits to determine whether an existing employee fits the personality required in a job opening and therefore the five-factor model applies to promotions within business as well. A further benefit to the Big Five is that an employer can determine an employee’s weak traits and develop them further thus improving the workforce. The use of the Big Five within occupational testing has been criticised by many psychologists and researchers as they feel nit does not adequately determine one’s ability to perform a task. A common criticism is that there is a fundamental need for more than five traits (Weiten, 2007). An example of this can be seen in recent studies that state that honesty-humility should be a sixth trait. Another criticism is that studies have shown that the five-factor model can discriminate against people. In the case of South Africa this criticism of the five-factor model only improved the outcome of the test because the discrimination led to changes in legislation which protect the rights of people and state that only valid testing may be done (Sibaya Malcolm, 2003). The legislation protecting people’s rights within organisational tests has encouraged the use of these tests in the selection of new employees. Studies have also shown that the Big Five are not necessarily a reflection of one’s personality but rather a reflection of their â€Å"test-taking skills† (Ones, Reiss, Viswesvaran, 1996). This criticism states that the results of the five-factor traits test are a reflection of one’s â€Å"cognitive ability and years of education† (Ones, Reiss, Viswesvaran, 1996). This criticism is not necessarily a negative aspect as it only ensures better use of the Big Five within organisational testing because education is an important aspect to one’s personality. There are two main criticisms of the five-factor model. These are the â€Å"frame of reference effect† and â€Å"socially desirable responding† (Hanges, Dickson, Smith, 2001). Critics argue that the five-factor model is not useful because it is too broad to be applied to psychological assessment (Schmit Ryan, 1993). The first criticism is the frame of reference effect which states that the image the average job applicant would like to convey will have an effect on the psychological assessment (Hanges, Dickson, Smith, 2001). The frame of reference effect can be explained better if one considers that a job applicant will be guided by their self-presentation (Schmit Ryan, 1993). An employee will stand to gain or lose from the results of the psychological assessment and will therefore may alter their response to be in line with what would be considered the correct response (Hanges, Dickson, Smith, 2001). This ‘altered response’ by the job applicant can be seen as a â€Å"ideal-employee† frame of reference where as the response given by a volunteer would be seen as a â€Å"stranger-description† frame of mind (Schmit Ryan, 1993). The second criticism of the five-factor model is the socially desirable response. The â€Å"socially desirable response† can be divided into two sub-groups. Firstly there is â€Å"self-deception† which is the â€Å"unconscious tendency to see oneself in a favourable light† (Schmit Ryan, 1993). Secondly, there is the theory of â€Å"impression management† where a person is consciously aware that they are putting up a false front in order to create a better impression (Schmit Ryan, 1993). The concept of socially desirable responses has undergone three studies which examined the effect of the socially desirable response. The result of these three studies found that in a test of â€Å"fake good vs. honest responses† the personality reliabilities were higher in the fake good (Hanges, Dickson, Smith, 2001). A further study was done on socially desirability consisting of three sample groups. The sample groups were the job applicant, the job incumbent and the student (Hanges, Dickson, Smith, 2001). The results of this study much like the results of other studies showed that the job applicant showed more socially desirable responses than the job incumbent (Hanges, Dickson, Smith, 2001). When defining personality some may argue with Freud’s opinion that personality is largely hidden and unknown. This definition of personality would parallel the argument that the five-factor model is a poor predictor of job success as well as suggesting that it is unethical to use the five-factor model within employment procedures (Hogan, Hogan, Roberts, 1996). This argument could stem from criticisms such as the effect of socially desirable responses, the frame of reference effect and the thought that the five-factor model is limited by only considering five traits. Although these criticisms all have a valid argument one cannot help but believe the evidence that a well-constructed personality assessment is a valid predictor of job performance and it enhances fairness in the employment process (Hogan, Hogan, Roberts, 1996).

Essay on Fame in Djerassi’s Cantors Dilemma -- Cantors Dilemma Essay

Dreams of Fame in Djerassi’s Cantor's Dilemma  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   Opportunistic scientists, the most hypocritical deviants of the modern age, revolve around the scientific method, or at least they used to. The scientific method once involved formulating a hypothesis from a problem posed, experimenting, and forming a conclusion that best explained the data collected. Yet today, those who are willing to critique the work of their peers are themselves performing the scientific method out of sequence. I propose that scientists, or the "treasure hunters" of that field, are no longer interested in permanent solutions, achieved through proper use of the scientific method, and rather are more interested in solutions that guarantee fame and fortune. Fame and fortune as a motive for scientific discovery is a popular theme in fictional writing, especially in Cantor's Dilemma by Carl Djerassi. Cantor's Dilemma is a novel of the struggles of two scientists through life and a Nobel Prize "campaign". As one digs deeper into the context of the novel, one finds it similar to that of a political race, a fight for glory. For example, the "Cantor-Stafford experiment", the first tumorigenesis experiment tested in the novel, was not validated before its findings were published. This example fails to meet the standards of the scientific method because a conclusion was reached before experimentation was fully executed. Surely any true scientist would know such conclusions to be unsuitable and not "Nobel" worthy. Yet, Cantor and Stafford, both, won a Nobel Prize for their work. Kurt Krauss in Cantor's Dilemma, an opportunistic scientist, is the extreme of scientific deviance. As a fellow scientist and a competitor, Krauss is charged with the duty of ch... ...o not believe my experience has changed the ways of the scientist at that company. Both in fiction and in real life a certain breed of scientists has decided to ignore the scientific method and chase dreams of fame. With that fame, they hope to dig deep into our pockets and reap the benefits of their poor workmanship. It is most evident from the examples given that these scientists, who have seemingly reversed scientific evolution, no longer care for true science and the scientific method, but rather are interested in personal glory. 1 Carl Djerassi, Cantor's Dilemma (New York, New York: Penguin Books, 1991), pg. 113. 2 Djerassi, Cantor's Dilemma, pg. 113. 3 Abbott laboratories, medical news, (http://www.plsgroup.com/dg/72da.htm), 5:25 p.m. 9/23/97 4 "Cold Fusion Times", (Wellesey Hills, MA http://world.std.com), 7:15 p.m. 9/23/97      

Skin Color in Black Like Me :: Black Like Me Essays

Black Like Me  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Skin Color    What is the value of skin color?   In the biological point of view, it is worth nothing.   In the social point of view, it represents community standings, dignity, confidence or something people have never imagined.   In the story Black Like Me, by John Howard Griffin, a white Southern reporter, who is the author and the main character, experienced an unforgettable journey in the Deep South.   Mr. Griffin has a heart, which is filled with curiosity; he therefore undertook a significant project.   He took several medical treatments to change his skin pigments from white to black in order to write a report. To create a successful project, Griffin had to leave his wife to be a temporary African American.   Being an African American brought him many unfair encounters.   However, after he changed back to a Caucasian, the attitude of everyone had immediately turned, and they treated him well.   Mr. Griffin felt bad, and he told everyone about his experiences by writing book s and attending press interviews.   Throughout these hard times, one can read this book and find out the characteristics of the author, how he saw the light bulb, and the truth that he wanted people to understand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mr. Griffin was a middle age white man who lived with his wife and children.   He was not oriented to his family.   He decided to pass his own society to the black society.   Although this decision might help most of the African Americans, he had to sacrifice his gathering time with his family.   â€Å"She offered, as her part of the project, her willingness to lead, with our three children, the unsatisfactory family life of a household deprived of husband and father† (Griffin 9). Leaving Mrs. Griffin and his children would deprive them of the care they needed.   Even though he was not oriented to his family, he was full of courage.   He was willing to discuss topics that people hesitated to talk about, trying new ideas that people were afraid to do.   After turning back to his own skin color, he attended most media conferences and also wrote books about what he had gone through.   During those interviews, Griffin was ve ry considerate.   He requested Wallace, a reporter, to report carefully so that he would not hurt his African American friends.   â€Å"Please†¦ Don’t mention those names on the air.

Gender Roles in Children’s Literature

Everything we read constructs us, makes us who we are, by presenting our image of ourselves as girls and women, as boys and men† – M. Fox It is a well known fact that children’s literature holds an important role in the development of young children. It has the power to teach, offer meaning and serve purpose all while being entertaining. Children’s literature is a widely available resource that offers children a plentitude of insightful information. Within the pages children’s books lies an immense resource of tools that aid in the development of character for children, and conveys.Gender is an important aspect of development and is a commonly explored theme in children’s literature. Children gain information from many sources such as teachers, family and friends, but they also gain it from literature. Like in every culture the roles of gender in America are an important part of its culture. Gender Identity is a crucial part of a child’ s development because it helps children to see themselves in relation to others. A child develops their sense of gender at a very early age, for most children gender identity begins to develop between 18 and 30 months.After a child has developed their sense of gender they begin to realize that gender is stabile; girls grow up to become woman and boys grow up to become men. By the time a child is the age of four or five they have come to prefer participating and playing in activities that are defined by society as gender appropriate. It is during childhood that children begin to fall victim of stereotypical behaviors. For example girls refusing to play with trucks or wear pant because it is not considered feminine by society. Lawrence Kohlberg an American Psychologist outlines the stages of gender development.Kohlberg outlines gender development in three stages. The first being Gender labeling, in this stage children identify others as male or female based on physical appearance. The second stage is when children begin to recognize that gender is stable over time; gender stability. And the third stage is gender consistency; children understand that gender is permanent. But what influences children to know what’s appropriate for their gender? The answer may be found in a theory known as Gender Schema. The Gender Schema is a psychological theory that explains how children develop their gender roles.This theory suggests that children learn about male and females roles from the society in which they live in. This theory also suggests that children adjust their gender behaviors to conform to the gender expectations of their culture. Children acquire cultural information about their gender roles from a variety of sources; parents, teachers, family, media and literature. Through literature children are exposed to characters that outline the expected behaviors for each gender. Children take the information given to them and then try to conform themselves to what is expected of them.Because of this children are unable to know their full potential, forcing them to abide within their given roles. Since the beginning of time gender has defined ones role in society. â€Å"Like class, race and ethnicity, gender shapes just about every part of our lives. † (Macions pg 90). Society places roles and expectations for each gender that are played in out in every aspect of life; home, school, work, playgrounds and literature. As children develop they are subjected to messages from society, which helps them to gain understanding of the world around them and molds them into their given roles.The way, in which gender roles are portrayed in children’s literature, significantly contributes to the development of children’s gender roles and how they are perceived by society. It is important to teach children about gender roles since it is something that society holds in regards, but most of the time in literature it is done unequally. The portrayal of gender in literature is based off of the expectations of society and places bias on gender. Boys are portrayed as strong, adventurous, independent and capable and often play the roles of fighters, adventurers and rescuers.Girls are portrayed as sweet, naive, dependent, sensitive and emotional and play roles such as caretakers, princesses and mothers. The roles of gender portrayed in literature are often a reflection of the views of society and do not offer objective insight. Even though it is important to teach children about gender roles, the fashion in which it is done in does not allow children to see beyond those expectations. If a young girl is constantly read stories about a woman’s role as a housewife, homemaker and mother, she will assume that’s what is expected of her and will not know society will allow her to be anything she wants to be.Gender roles in children’s literature are linked to gender stereotypes. Gender stereotypes have always been a part of society and are seen in almost every aspect of life. Stereotypes are defined as â€Å"exaggerated descriptions applied to every person in the same category. † (Macions p. 72). For every ethnic, racial and gender category society places stereotypes to describe certain groups of people. Gender stereotypes in children’s literature are portrayed in the traits, role behaviors, physical characteristics, and occupations of characters in children’s literature.The common messages in children’s literature about gender put emphasis on the traditional roles of men and woman. Unfortunately traditional roles are often unequal and place males as dominant over woman. Traditional gender encompasses the concept of masculinity and femininity. In many countries around the world, the traditional roles of gender are greatly valued. The traditional role of gender places woman as the homemakers and men as the provider. â€Å"Girls are always shown as passive and girls are always shown as being active. † (BookStove. com).With such emphasis on tradition, children’s literature does not allow children to see past the stereotypical expectations of society. It is no wonder why gender inequality in children’s literature is so prevalent when society places unequal views upon gender. Unfortunately much of the children’s literature today contains gender stereotypes as previously discussed. One would most likely assume that this is something of the past but it is as present today as it was in past decades. A reason for this could be that â€Å"Gender-role development is one of the most important areas of human development† (Noppe).Since gender roles are an important aspect of development for children, it is a significant topic in literature. However in the majority of children’s books the main characters are predominantly male, thus limiting opportunities for girls to identify with and validate their own gende r. The male gender has been the dominant of the two sexes since the beginning of time, which explains why male characters are dominant in children’s books. The majority of children’s books have a male as the main character, leaving females with the minority of literary experiences aimed for them. In an analysis of children’s book titles by S.Ernst it was â€Å"found that male names represented nearly twice as often as female names† (Tsao). Ernst also found that books that had gender neutral and girls names were actually about boys. Gender roles and stereotypes force young children to conform to traditional stereotypes regarding gender. Because of this, boys feel pressured to live up to the standards of masculinity while girls feel pressured to be feminine. Gender based beliefs are incorporated into a majority of literature written for children. Even though the stereotypical divide between males and females is not a large as it was 40 years ago, it is stil l present today. When they are repeatedly given stereotypical messages, their choices of what they want to become or accomplish is limited by these gender stereotypes† (Bookstove. com). Today both males and females are doctors, soldiers, teachers, athletes, government leaders, stay at home parents and much more, however this is not fully represented in children’s literature. Females in children’s literature are all too often â€Å"portrayed in a narrow and biased way† (Bookstove. com). Over the past few decades societal changes in gender roles have lead the stereotypical beliefs of gender to represent something different than what it used to.With so many changes in the views of society you would think that children’s literature would reflect these changes but all too often they do not. And most often the books that do challenge the beliefs of society draw great controversy causing them to be put on the back burner in favor of more traditional childr en’s books. The stereotypical roles of gender that are portrayed in children’s literature have been the cause of much controversy in recent years. However a solution to remedy the abundance of gender stereotypes in literature has not yet been reached.It is believed that the ideas of masculinity and femininity are too deeply embedded in society making it especially difficult to change. Every aspect of society is shadowed with stereotypical beliefs that are perceived through media, advertising, literature and socialization. These models are a constant reassure that exploits gender stereotypes. According to Bookstove. com, guidelines were implemented in an attempt to eliminate sexist roles in children’s literature. These guidelines were expected to encourage a healthier development of gender for young children but unfortunately did not persist to combat the situation.Thus making it evident, that stereotypes are too deeply rooted in society. It will be interesting t o see how the issue pans out over the coming decades. Gender identity is a crucial part of a child’s development and will most likely remain a common theme amongst children’s literature. The views of gender depicted in literature may prevent children from participating in activities that would best suit their capabilities and personalities. It is important to understand and learn the expectations of society but children’s literature does not fully allow children to develop concepts of individuality.Today society places value on individuality and does not limit life chances to certain genders, but this is all too often not shown in children’s literature. In order to help children in the process of gender identity one must realize that children need chances to interpret the world around them without the insight and beliefs of society. Hopefully in time children’s literature will steer away from the stereotypical beliefs of gender and focus on non-tra ditional gender roles, allowing children to see themselves in many different aspects.Works Cited Macions, John J. Social Problems. New York: Pearson, 2008. Noppe, Illene C. social. jrank. org. 1 December 2010 . Tsao, Ya-Lun. â€Å"Gender Issues in Young Children's Literature. † Reading Improvement (2008). â€Å"Unknown. † 12 3 2007. Bookstove. com. 5 December 2010 . â€Å"Gender Development: Gender Schema Theory. † Encyclopedia of Women and Gender: Sex Similarities and Differences and the Impact of Society on Gender. Oxford: Elsevier Science ; Technology, 2001. Credo Reference. Web. 06 December 2010. Fox, M. (1993). Men who weep, boys who dance: The gender agenda between the lines in children’s literature. Language Arts, 70 (2), 84-88. [EJ457107].

A Various Powerful Organizations in England Essays

A Various Powerful Organizations in England Essays A Various Powerful Organizations in England Essay A Various Powerful Organizations in England Essay The basic alma for this unit is to provide novices with a perfect understanding of how various organizations operate the powerful influence of stakeholders and the relationship between the business and its external forces which are local, national and global environment. 1. 1 Before I go straight Into answering this question I will Like to briefly explain what an organization is, An organization is a social entity that has a collective goal and is linked to an external environment. There are seven different type organizations in England. Each of these organizations have their purpose which they serve. . Sole trader. This Is a business that Is owned by one person, and Is controlled by the same individual. Their purpose is to render special services to customers, as they are sensitive to customers needs since they are closer to them. 2. Partnership. This is a type of business that is owned by two or more people. They raise capital to form this kind of business. There Is increased credibility among customers and supplier, the purpose for this kind of organization Is for the both of them to bring skills and employ workers to reduce unemployment 3. Private limited company. This is a type of organization in which the business is owned by share holders, but cannot be sold to the public, and also, Its stock cannot be traded on the stock market. They have a duty to pay tax and all other revenue to the government. 4. Public limited company. This type of Organization is owned not by one individual but by the public, they sell shares to the public since they are quoted the stock market. They employ large number of employees; engage In International trade that earn the country foreign exchange and revenues. . Co-operatives. This Is the type of organization that the roofs or persons come together for the purpose of each member and the public. 6. Franchises. This is the type of organization that gives right to another company to use their name. Their rules, norms and style of franchiser are followed according to how I set out. The franchisee has to pay a certain amount. They pay tax and revenue to the Public sector. This type of organization is own and run by the government. 7. Government. They are the local or federal investment. 8. Non profitable organization. This type of organization is set up not to make profit, they receive donations, to help the less privileged In the society. COMPANY PROFILE Marks and Spencer Is one of Auks leading retailers, which have over 21 million people visiting their stores every week. They offer high quality stylish, home product and great value clothing, and also quality foods, responsibly sourced from approximately 2,000 suppliers worldwide. They provide work for over 78,000 people In the UK and abroad, and they have over 700 UK stores, plus an increasing worldwide business. They have specific values, goals, missions and visions. Their main vision is to have a specific standard compared to others. Their main mission is to give self-improving OFF quality. Www. Merchandiser. Co. UK). 1. 2. Marks and Spencer as one of I-J leading Retail Company have a large number of stakeholders both internal and external, so they will go to any length to meet the expectations of these stakeholders. Employees. He employee are those individual in the company that put their effort to make sure that Marks and Spencer are running from day to day, they are the internal stakeholders in the company, meeting their expectations is of most importance, these expectation may range from wage levels, working condition, personal growth and Job security, since they are humans and all hose conditions are meant, their production level will increase greatly. Customers. The customer are the people that make Marks and Spencer who they are today, Marks and Spencer have to work so hard to met their expectation by producing reliable and affordable product at all times. Shareholders. These people are the investors they are very much interested in the share and affair of the company. Marks and Spencer have to meet to their need by offering security to their investment, market value of investment, dividends and liquidity of investment. Suppliers. The suppliers are those people that Marks and Spencer depend on to apply their good to met their expectation, Marks and Spencer have to offer security of contract, ensure the growth of the organization and also met up to their regular payment. Society. These group of people are those people around the environment they try to avoid discrimination and they make sure that Marks and Spencer produce safe product which will make the environment safe and healthy to live.. Government. The governments are the rule maker that governs every business in the I-J, to meet their expectation is the regular payment of taxes and following the rules set out by them. 1. . In a business organization, the manner of handling stakeholder is of most important and it is the responsibility of Marks and Spencer to ensure that is done because of its status. Reliability. There should be reliability in the company, Marks and Spencer should earn the trust of their customer, in order for this to be done the production and quality of their goods should be at its best at all time. And it is essential to innovation new product. Responsiveness. Responsiveness is a law which is bound by every company in England which has been set out by the government as a center for very company to follow. In that way mark and Spence must also respond to those laws, this can increase the output of the goods because the quicker response to customers needs the better. Design with quality. The goods and services offered to customers should be of good quality and latest design. There is nothing as constant as change in this world. Customers always forget about the price with the passage of time, but good quality remains as long as it does exist. It is essential that the goods should not be considered sold to the customers until the customer has used it and e/she is satisfied with the product. 2. 1 An Economic system is a well planned and organized way in which a nations resources are allocated in a national society. The following are ways in which a nation allocates its resources. Command economic system: this is whereby the resources are allocated by the government through their planning system. They also decide government, employees and consumers. All system is owned by the government. Free Market economy system: This kind of economical system can also be called the price system simply put is a means of allocating resources in which the resources are even out by the market mechanism and the company have the power to decide what to produce and the most important economic problems are been resolved by private individuals in the company. Mixed economic system: This is the kind of system that portrays the characteristics of both the market and command economy these resources are allocated by the government and the stakeholders as well and this system is owned by the two parties I. E. Government and the investors as well. Some of these resources are allocated through market system or price and other are allocated by the state. 2. 2 Fiscal Policy, has to do with how changes in the level and rules of taxation is carried out by the government, and also the how the government changes the spending in to influence the economy. In England, it is expected of every business to pay 40 % higher rate and a 20% standard rate. On selected product there are some special taxes which is up to 16. 5% plus and other condition. Monetary Policy, The circulation of money and supply of money is determined by the rules made by the central bank, currency board or other regulatory committee, and this at the end affects the interest rates. Monetary policy is the act of determining the way banks store their money in their vaults or reserve. In March 2009, (MAC) Monetary Policy Committee declared it would be decreasing bank rate to 0. % and also stated that this current rate wouldnt reduce below that current rate. But in order for stimulate the economy with monetary value series of purchase asset need to be done. 2. 3. Competition Act 1998. This act was made to stop practices that discourage competition and free trading between business organizations. The banning of abusive character by a company or anti-competitive practices can be spread in industry. The impact of this in Marks and Spencer is that the clothing aspect of M will get free trading and at the same time bringing out the best in M. Enterprise Act 2002. The Enterprise Act 2002 is policy of the Parliament of the United Kingdom have made lot of changes to I-J competition law with respect to mergers and also changed the law governing liquidation bankruptcy. Free trading Act 1973. These deals with company that come together and the misuse the monopoly power in the market. This does not affect the clothing aspect of M since clothing industry is not monopoly and the law also abides with offenders who try to discourage free trading. 3. 1 Even though companies have the right to fix its price of goods this also depends on the market structure at that particular time. Below are some of the factors that determine the output and pricing decision off business. (1) Supply and demand. Demand is how much in quantity the customer want the product while supply is the amount of quantity a company produce out to the market. For a company like marks and Spencer the higher the demand the higher the supply and also the price will increase because of the increase in demand. Same goes to decrease in demand the lower the supply. (2) Elasticity of Demand. This is whereby goods or service changes of some of their product there will be an increase in sales. (3) Elasticity of Supply. This is whereby a company responds whereby there is a change in price of goods or services. So if the prices increase so will supply. (4) Economies of Scale. This is defines in how much quantity a company produces goods; because the more products you produce and the more the customers buy it in numbers will be cheaper, so this give competitive advantage to smaller company. 3. . Market forces A market force is the relationship and interaction between supply and demand in a market. The organizational response to market forces is very necessary for the company to stay important in the market. T will also have a direct contact to its profits and reputation. For example in England, in the real estates industry, the prices of selling house and the price of letting out houses has increased because everyone want to come and stay in England, this means that demand of home has increased and the same time the supply will increase at the same time. And also ruing the summer season in England summer clothes such as sandals, bikini sleeveless etc are also high in demand, so with this the prices tend to increase with the demand its dealing with. The external factor which change the planned behavior production, these factor must be strictly monitored stay competitive and important in business For any company to be able to participate in the business industry the external factor must be put into effect below are the list of external factors that change the behavior of planned production. Political Forces: these are governmental rules which govern business activities in the United Kingdom. We have various business rules and policies, which are: The law governing business, foreign policies, political stability all this rules and policies help to shaping productions with companies in the United Kingdom. Cultural Forces: this is the fundamental way people behave during production. Many companies in the I-J have started introducing this system into place because of the diverse culture here. That shows most company considers each individual. Economic Forces: this conceal of all the various forces which include economical impact of very business. This include supply, production, monetary policy etc. Al this form to make production a reality. Technological Environment: Technology has succeeded in bringing the world together, and thereby making the world a global village. In some ways technology has aided the restructuring of business positively, an instance is the online mode of selling goods, providing services to customers, and also the trade of ideas. Marks and Spencer in a good way is an example of a business organization that technology has made a huge impact on, more sales are being made online and he payments for these goods have also been made easier using the online mode. Social and Global Environment: Education, corporate and globalization which is the agreement between foreign nations, WTFO principles, and other treaties and convention are treaties of social factor Foreign nations have come together to make changes on the social factor of education 4. 1 . International trade is buying and selling of goods and rendering of services services across national borders. It is of vast importance not Just for a single country but all the countries because without international trade the economy of a country and enable to display their manufactures to display at international level. This has been very important in the continued existence of I-J businesses because the raw materials that are used to produce the final products are mainly imported from abroad. 4. 2. Impact of Global factors on Uk organization help in better business strategy, because it has created free trade among countries in the WTFO. Business are also affected by the external environment. World Trade Organization (WTFO). This is the organizational bodies that deal with rules that concern trade between nations. The major aim is to assist business and importers to attain their aim in conducting their business. Or example a company like Primary import clothing material from china, since the raw material is cheap and labor is quiet affordable to other most customer, there is totally no tariff or tax when Primary is trading within countries in the WTFO. Technological Factor. Technology is one the factor that help shape the economy since the world is speedily becoming a worldwide village, the social media has assist Marks and Spencer to promote their goods and services to the public and also sales are made online which sake sales faster. Economical Factor. The economical factor involves the change in worldwide economy. A rise in the standard of living will apply to the increase in demand of the product. With the current worldwide recession that hit the I-J, marks and Spencer has impacted in a negative way. Government Factor. The governments are always a factor because they make a law that controls the country. 4. 3. EX. Policy on Business. The impact of this policy on Primary is that to improve quality of Jobs, promote gender equality and pay the wage due across all employee and combat poverty and social exclusion. EX. Policy on Competition. This law ensures that there is free completion, rather than some cartels running the business and fixing price, the impact of this is that Primary can improve on their service and compete freely with other competitors. EX. Policy on agriculture (CAP). This law protects farmers by ensuring good standard of living. Provide stable and safe food products to its consumer, this is a very good impact on business because Primary will be relaxed because with this law it is sure its getting the standard raw material for the production of its finished products. EX. Policy on Science and Technology. Member of the EX. Have been encouraged to invest 3% of their in R by 2020. Which is estimated to create about 3. 7 million Jobs and increase GAP by nearly ‚800 billion, the impact of this will be since there is employment then there will be more money in circulation and the sales rate will increase as a result. EX. Policy on education. The EX. Shall contribute to the development of youths and the provision of quality education all across its members. The impact of this to UK business organization is that there will be more qualified work force to run business and make good financial returns at the end.

Misinterpretation of Correlation Essays

Misinterpretation of Correlation Essays Misinterpretation of Correlation Paper Misinterpretation of Correlation Paper Correlation in statistics is the measure of the association between two variables. The number computed in correlation is known as the correlation coefficient. The correlation coefficient’s value ranges from -1 up to +1. The -1 value means that there is a perfect negative association between two variables. The +1 value means that there is a perfect positive association between two variables. A coefficient of zero means that there is no association between two variables (Agresti Franklin, 2007). The next paragraph will analyze the scenario regarding John’s computation of correlation coefficient and Tom’s interpretation of the correlation coefficient. One often misinterprets the use of correlation in statistics. In the scenario, Tom made a misinterpretation of the correlation coefficient. Correlation measures the level of association between two variables. Association does not demonstrate causal relationship between two variables. The correlation coefficient stated in the scenario is 0.85. This means that there is high association between the medication and the stomach upset. This high association can be a ground for testing the causation between the medication and stomach upset. In order to test for causation, two variables must be associated to each other. The 0.85 correlation coefficient is not enough to say that the medication is the cause of Tom’s stomach upset. Thus, Tom’s statement is incorrect. If would be more correct if Tom states that there is an association between the medication and his stomach upset. Misinterpretation of data is one of the usual problem people encounters. Data can be seen everywhere, from newspapers up to the television sets. Statistics is a powerful tool used in interpreting data. Without proper knowledge in statistics, many data misinterpretation may rise. These give a hint about how important statistics is in one’s everyday life. References Agresti, A. Franklin, C. (2007). Statistics : The art and science of learning from data. Upper Saddle River, N.J. Pearson Prentice Hall.

A Typology for foodservice menu development

A Typology for foodservice menu development Creating a menu for vegetarians, many food services do not think about the specifics of the nutrition of such people. Moreover, a lot of additional factors are to be considered about vegetarians while developing a menu fir them. Much attention should be paid to the reasons people have applied to which choosing their diet.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on A Typology for foodservice menu development specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The food services are to understand the psychology of vegetarians to make sure that they have developed the menu for them correctly and to know some particular rules according to which the menu is to be developed. Amir Shani and Robin B. DiPietro in their article Vegetarians: A typology for foodservice menu development† discuss the problems the food services ace when they are about to develop a menu for vegetarians. Firs of all, the authors state the fact that the research in t he sphere is not enough. The food service menu development is the theme which is considered in many journals, however, the problem of vegetarian menu is not usually discussed. Dining is one of the Western activities and vegetarians want to have a perfectly developed meal if it is possible. Therefore, paying much attention to the motivation for being a vegetarian as the main factor food services should refer to while developing a menu, the authors of the article have decided to consider the problem as close as possible. The authors refer to the following difficulties in developing the menu, lack of knowledge about vegetarian food, absence of the notification in the menu that a food is vegetarian, limited variety of choice of the vegetarian food, presence of the hidden meat in the food, such as beef flavoring, etc., and the inability to understand the reasons why people consume vegetarian food which is really important. Dwelling upon the reasons of the little research in the sphere, t he authors refer to the problem of boring and unsatisfying attitude to vegetarian food. However, this is not really correct and many cooks begin to pay more attention to vegetarian food in several reasons.Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More First of all, many people become interested in vegetarian food. Second, the demand on such kind of food encourages the cooks create something interesting and the development of the vegetarian menu becomes a new issue for the restaurants. Moreover, the tendency to healthy nutrition increases the number of those who prefer vegetarian food, however, there are people who are vegetarians because of other reasons. Amir Shani and Robin B. DiPietro are sure that the reasons why people have chosen vegetarian diet should be considered while developing the vegetarian menu as to meet the desires of different customers, the restaurant is to try to satisfy the needs of each of the customers. The individual approach is really important as trying to direct attention to each particular customer, the restaurant is going to win in comparison with the food service where the menu is directed for all vegetarians without differentiation. Trying to differentiate the vegetarian diets with the purpose to pay attention to consumers’ needs, the author identify health-concerned vegetarians, weight-concerned vegetarians, sensory vegetarians, comfort vegetarians, religious vegetarians, economically vegetarians, social vegetarians, ethical vegetarians, environmental vegetarians, and humanitarian vegetarians (Shani and DiPietro 70). Depending on the reasons why people have chosen not to eat meat and other products of living origin, people will choose the meals in the menu. Therefore, the restaurant managers are to consider the needs of each group mentioned above and to make sure that the menu is going to contain the items which are going to satisfy the needs of each category. The article is valuable for its recommendations for the further research and implications for practitioners. The authors have conducted the literature review and they able dwell upon the future of the sphere. Thus, the authors of the research want to direct the restaurant managers who want to attract more clients to heterogeneous market segment. The researchers are sure that the motivation for following the vegetarian market is important in choosing the products. Therefore, the food service managers are to develop the menu in accordance with the needs of the customers. The authors conclude that the main factor the restaurant managers are to pay attention to is the strictness of the diet.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on A Typology for foodservice menu development specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To the point, while developing the menu for vegetarians, managers are to pay attention to market segmentation, appropriate staff training, menu design, and small details which may be really important. The example of such detail is the serving of the soy milk along with of cow milk. Developing an effective menu â€Å"Foodservice operators must regularly develop new products and tweak old ones to pique consumer interest and attract repeat business† is the statement which serves as the prologue in the article Developing an effective menu by Heather Henstock. The main idea the author of the article wanted to deliver to the audience is the idea that changes in the menu are obligatory. No matter how successful the menu is, the managers are to understand that only constant and regularly improvement may be a guarantee of success. The Nice Easy Grocery shops are chosen as the example at the beginning of the article. The shop has been selling the particular type of salads and the products were successful, however they could not reach their full pote ntial. The hiring of the new chiefs to the store helped to conduct the slightest changes which have increase the potential of the menu and of the shop as a result. The authors of the research have made the change in the menu the central idea for the discussion. Moreover, the author states that the changes are to be conducted regularly in order to make the clients interested in the future changes. Thus, if the customers get used to the fact that ach week (month, decade) the restaurant change the menu, the increase of the visitors in the day of changes may be observed as people like changes, they are interested in new dishes and the ability to provide the customers with what they want is exactly what should be the main idea of the menu development process. Heather Henstock stresses the idea that demographic and psychographic factors are to be considered while developing the menu. The menu developers are understand what kinds of clients attend their restaurants and how the choice of th is or that meal may impact their desire to come to the restaurant again.Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The menu developers are to understand that the food which is too popular in one part of the city may be absolutely out of demand in another. This is connected with people and their preferences in eating. In combination with the changes which are to be present in any restaurant, the menu developers are to remember about the meals which are too popular to be changed. Thus, if a menu developer will provide the changes in the product some particular group of people attend the restaurant for, they will not come to the restaurant again if they fail to get what they need. Therefore, the author of the article stress on the idea of rational changes to the menu while its development. Along with changes, the author of the article recommends to pay attention to the absolutely new products which may be interesting to the consumers. There are a lot of meals and products and it is impossible to have all the variety of items in the menu of one specific restaurant. However, the attempts to add somet hing new o the menu should be encouraged as this is one of the aspects of a change. Presenting a new product in the menu, the menu developers will have to remove one of the items from the menu. To the point, it is economically advantageous to remove the items from the menu which are out of demand and substitute those with the changed or the new ones. The author of the article states that the failure of provide changes to the menu may spoil the reputation of the restaurant. People live in the modern civilized world where globalization plays an important role. Globalization of all spheres of human life has created the circumstances that people got used to constant changes and improvement. Stable life is not what people have got used to. Therefore, when people do not see the changes (in the menu in his case) they lose interest. Those who do not want the customers to lose the interest in their restaurant should regularly change the menu and implement the novelties as the part of the men u development process. Henstock, Heather. Developing an effective menu. Convenience Store Decisions 22.10 (2011): 62-66. Print. Shani, Amir, and Robin B. DiPietro. Vegetarians: A typology for foodservice menu development. FIU Hospitality Review 25.2 (2007): 66-73. Print.

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 6

Assignment Example It involves the selling of a discretionary product which may not be bought by the clients in situations of financial hardships unlike fuel and food stuffs. The products in this nature are heterogeneous and perishable since they best sell only up to the time of departures. Those that are packaged are often inseparable. However, the tour industry is in most cases highly structured with high degrees of specialization in the businesses within it in functions that are driven by the core business. Its structure is largely a function of consumers travel abilities and their selection of travel products that they choose to buy. The travel industry is structured into different forms including; inbound and outbound which refer to offering services to clients from other regions as well as serving clients from the same regions. Short haul and long haul; referring to the type of a market that a client comes from whether near or far away. Operators and resellers; referring to whether the company is moving its own products or the products of others in the market by either taking a commission or charging a mark up. Package Travel, Group Travel, and Independent Travelers; Involves selling the services in a package, this may be spread into package holidays for the group travelers, or personal travelling for certain clients who do not prefer group travel. It is further structured into travel operators which include; travel agencies, outbound tour operators, ground operators, local service providers and travel resellers and portals (Osterwalder, 2009). Tourism industry is one of the leading employment creation world-wide and is among the top-five leading industries in terms of employment creation. It provides a broad scope of support to businesses and service provision across the industry sector. In many countries in Europe and America, tourism business is mainly small to medium in size. Irrespective of size, tourism

How convincing are assertions that training and development contribute Essay

How convincing are assertions that training and development contribute to firm levels of performance - Essay Example This is what led to the concept of Human Resource Management, which later became Strategic HRM, due to transformed corporate thinking that HRM needs to be integrated with strategic organizational management. One of the key functions of HRM is training and development of the human resource to increase their competence in performing both individual and group tasks (Thang et.al, 2008) organizations believe that by incorporating of High Performance Work practices (best HR practices) such as training and development, they also enhance their levels of performance (Wilkowska, n.d). This paper examines the accuracy of this assertion, that training and development of an organization’s human resource enhances organizational performance. So, exactly how convincing are the assertions that training and development contribute to firm levels of performance? This question puts a new dimension into the universally acknowledged truths that training leads to enhanced organizational performance a nd knowledge generates growth. ... The assertions that training and development contribute to firm levels of performance are not only convincing but also indeed true, at least to the extent to which they can be applied in organizational strategic management with successful results. Extensive research has proved that training and development enhances employees’ skills and abilities thus creating future returns in form of increased productivity and enhanced organizational performance (Tamkin, 2005). The human resource is a very interesting factor of production at every organization’s disposal, which if utilized to the maximum, has an incredible capacity to yield certain capabilities that are unique to every organization (Quartey, 2012). For instance, training imparts skills and there is increased product value when employees are highly skilled than when they are not (Booth and Snower, 1996), and this can be a source of competitive advantage to the organization (Latif, Jan and Shaheen, 2013), and more so, s uch capabilities cannot be duplicated by rival organizations. It is also undoubted that the human resource is the most valuable asset to every organization because it is directly in charge of the daily execution of organizational strategic plan. In recognition of this fact, most global organizations are moving towards achieving their strategic goals by working through people, rather than working by people. A survey in Britain revealed that many organizations fund training and development as investment towards building a highly qualified, motivated, and committed human resource that can yield quality value for the organizations (Felstead et.al.1997). Training and development not only leads to skills development, but also directly affects attitudes of the

WORLD LITERATURE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

WORLD LITERATURE - Essay Example of various aspects of life; yet it is through literature that we learn the main pillars of life – situations, examples, and lessons learnt and taught by the characters and heroes of various epics in literature. They take us through the course of and pessimism of oneself, war, rage, anger, rebelliousness, power, wealth, slavery, death, stolen human rights, greed, hatred to the extreme ends of romance, wild imaginations of seduction and erotic wishes between loved ones, and how they conquer all possible; yet unpredictable boundaries that would arise along the way in order to always protect, save, and live with one another no matter how impossible it might have been for them to unite and re-unite, but they were the heroic characters who taught us what love, devotion, loyalty, and sacrifice without thinking twice was truly all about – basically being the original edition. How the love grew much more between them during their hardest moments; when it would have been consider ed acceptable to some extent to fall apart and give up due to their difficult situations that obliged them to live apart from one another whether it was because of social class differences, religion, family standards, war, etc. It is through literature where we learn to expect the unpredictable whether good or bad. After all, nothing in life could ever be perfect even in literature; there were ups and downs of hardship that they experienced along their journeys, yet their lives; in terms of the stories and epics of their time that we still read, learn, and further enlighten our knowledge with until today are always going to be kept under a special umbrella of everything being creatively, beautifully portrayed and depicted. In my literature research paper, I will introduce, explain, and elaborate on various personalities, and situations, and how the characters and heroes acted and reacted in different incidents, and furthermore; I will; discuss differences and similarities throughout my

Guidance and Support to Meet Learning Needs Essay

Guidance and Support to Meet Learning Needs - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that special needs are requirements that occur naturally in people thereby necessitating particular attention on them. They may be psychological or medical. They usually lead to problems in learning for students. The difficulties that such students experience in learning is normally not associated with mental disability. The students possess a certain degree of intelligence, but their brain may fail to register information in the desired manner, thereby making it difficult for them to grasp information fast especially in learning institutions. Nevertheless, they are capable of studying and succeeding in academics. There are many characteristics that are exhibited by students with learning disability. These can be helpful to the teachers while trying to identify the students with special needs. The students occasionally fail to pay attention for a long period and are easily diverted by external occurrences beyond the classroom. They are norm ally forgetful and have problems of time consciousness. It is therefore difficult for them to make a proper time plan. The problem can also be exhibited in their inability to write legible handwritings and their reduced capacity to read. They usually omit some words while reading as well as pronouncing some letters incorrectly. This may be attributed to their inadequate coordination of the eyes and the hands. Understanding and adhering to instructions is usually difficult with a poor reasoning capacity, and therefore they fail to make sensible objectives.

Paying for College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Paying for College - Essay Example There are some people who believe that though college expenses is one of the largest disbursement in a person’s life span, it should be treated as an investment which will give better income, extended career prospects and higher personal contentment as returns throughout one’s life. However, this investment is only possible at a minimum cost therefore, it is necessary to reduce college expenditure. My goal, in this paper, is to establish the point that reduction of college expenditure is absolutely indispensable. To achieve this goal, I have put forward the various reasons for reducing college expenditure in five different sections. In the first section, I have discussed about the negative impact of the debt burden on the parents and students who take loans to pay for higher education because of which reducing cost of education becomes necessary. The second section tells us how this high cost is affecting parents of all classes in the society which makes minimization of higher education costs urgent. In the third section, I have thrown light upon the fact that the high cost of education has made it inaccessible to most of the undergraduates in U.S. which in turn, is creating a deficiency in the workforce of the country. I have ended the paper with the fourth section in which I have discussed how reduction of high costs of college education will make U.S. competitive in the global economy. I have concluded with the fifth section where I have uphold the point that reduction of college education cost is deemed necessary and discussed, in brief, the steps which colleges and the federal government should undertake to reduce the high cost of higher education. However, before discussing these five sections, I would like to put forward the statistical trends of the increase in cost of higher education in recent years. STATISTICAL TRENDS The tuition fees of colleges and universities have been increasing four times faster than the inflation rate (see Fig. 1 ). The cost of educating has soared 439% since 1982 for colleges. The average tuition and fees is around $20,000 annually at a public four year college and it is nearly $30,000- $35, 000 at a private college (Chaudhari). Moreover, it has been predicted that the cost will rise as high as $ 1, 25,000 for a public college and $ 2, 50,000 for a private college by 2015. On an average, families shell out $64 billion annually to send 13.9 million students to public colleges and universities (Immerwahr). According to Rampbell, on an average parents pay for around 37% of the total cost of attending colleges from their savings and income, around 10% of the cost is arranged through borrowing by parents and rest of the expenses are borne by the students themselves or by taking financial aids. Fig. 1 College Tuition and Fees vs. Overall Inflation Debt Burden. There have been recent debates on whether college education should be reduced or not. According to me, it should be reduced because studen ts who study with borrowed money have to face lot of difficulty in paying it back in the long term, though there are some fortunate ones who get grants and scholarships (Chaudhari). There is great concern over the amount of debt students have to take for higher education, though some people argue that financial aids are easily available and payable for students who are willing to

Guidance and Support to Meet Learning Needs Essay

Guidance and Support to Meet Learning Needs - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that special needs are requirements that occur naturally in people thereby necessitating particular attention on them. They may be psychological or medical. They usually lead to problems in learning for students. The difficulties that such students experience in learning is normally not associated with mental disability. The students possess a certain degree of intelligence, but their brain may fail to register information in the desired manner, thereby making it difficult for them to grasp information fast especially in learning institutions. Nevertheless, they are capable of studying and succeeding in academics. There are many characteristics that are exhibited by students with learning disability. These can be helpful to the teachers while trying to identify the students with special needs. The students occasionally fail to pay attention for a long period and are easily diverted by external occurrences beyond the classroom. They are norm ally forgetful and have problems of time consciousness. It is therefore difficult for them to make a proper time plan. The problem can also be exhibited in their inability to write legible handwritings and their reduced capacity to read. They usually omit some words while reading as well as pronouncing some letters incorrectly. This may be attributed to their inadequate coordination of the eyes and the hands. Understanding and adhering to instructions is usually difficult with a poor reasoning capacity, and therefore they fail to make sensible objectives.

Designing Public Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Designing Public Policy - Essay Example 1 Toward a Gender-Neutral Policy: Protecting the Rights of Men Executive Summary Overview of Problem - Domestic violence rates in the U.K. have remained high despite laws aimed at criminalizing domestic violence and increasing the reporting of violent offenses to the police. Domestic violence is the cause of as much as 25 percent of all reported violent crime (British Crime Survey report, 2007-08). Surveys from the Home Office and a British Crime Survey have revealed that men were the victims in more than 40 percent of domestic violence incidents reported between 2004 and 2009. Yet cultural biases and gender pressures prohibit men from reporting acts of violence against them from women. â€Å"Domestic violence is often seen as a female victim/male perpetrator problem, but the evidence demonstrates that this is a false picture,† said a 2010 report from the charity group Parity. Outline of the Problem Introduction - This paper proceeds from the understanding that domestic violen ce as a whole – and violence against men in particular - represents a far more pervasive problem than is reflected in current government policy. This perspective provides the basis for a discussion of constraints, and of opportunities, to strengthen the rights of male domestic violence victims in the U.K. Recent proposals and subsequent inhibiting factors will be discussed, followed by the presentation of a targeted policy initiative. 2 Context: Summary and Identification of Impacted Group - The intent of this paper is to recommend a program for adopting a more equitable policy stance vis a vis improved victim advocacy for men. The outcome of a more enlightened approach would be heightened awareness of a far more troublesome issue than has generally been understood. As the government moves ahead with a test program intended to better protect domestic violence victims, policy should reflect a more balanced approach to gender –based violence. Otherwise, men will be vulne rable to what may well amount to cursory justice. Cause of the Problem: Impact of Current Conditions - In 2009, the Labour Party announced its intention to give police unprecedented authority in domestic violence situations. Their proposal included Domestic Violence Protection Orders, also known as Go orders, which would require violent offenders to leave their homes immediately for up to two weeks, giving victims a respite during which they could reflect on their situation in safety and determine a course of action. Offenders who violate the terms of a Go order would be in contempt of court, subject to further criminal charges and could be incarcerated. Previously, only offenders placed under arrest could be removed from the premises. A Go order would give police extensive discretionary power to act on behalf of a victim believed to be in imminent danger. Despite its non-gender-specific language, the scheme has been criticized for giving police too much leeway to act based on confl icting information and 3 possibly spurious claims made at the scene of the crime. This is troubling in light of the fact that police, in general, have too little training to accurately assess and react to often confusing circumstances surrounding a domestic violence event. Men continue to be responsible for domestic violence incidents by a considerable amount, however, the 2009 study revealed that violence against men rose considerably between 2004 and 2008. Nearly 3,000

Critical thinking Essay Example for Free

Critical thinking Essay 1. State the four logically possible ways in which evidentialism could go about justifying its beliefs? Briefly evaluate each of the options. [20] Evidentialism holds four logical possibilities in an attempt to justify their beliefs. There is historical evidence, negative apologetics, minimal evidence, and the Holy Spirit. The first step is Historical Evidence. Evidentialists tend to resort to historical evidence as a very important method (i. e. the resurrection). The reason historical evidences are so important is because, as long as minimal facts (those agreed upon by all) are used, the audience cannot deny the conclusion of the premise. Historical evidence allows for a one-step process for converting one to Christianity. Historical evidences have a lot of credibility. A second step is negative apologetics. This form attempts to debunk those arguments said against Christianity. Negative apologetics defends the faith against outsider claims to Christianities fallacies. A third step is minimal evidences. This is used primarily in reference to the resurrection. In an attempt to prove the legitimacy of the resurrection, an evidentialist would use facts and concepts which all people agree on (i. e. the tomb was empty, eye-witnesses, etc. ) and lead the individual into the conclusion that the resurrection took place. If one accepts these minimal evidences, then the conclusion of the resurrection has to follow. It is important for evidentialists to find common ground with the people whom they are speaking with to prove their point. A fourth step is the recognition of the power of the Holy Spirit. The bible is absolutely clear that it is only through Him that one can be regenerated; it is not by the will of the flesh. Due to this concept, evidentialists understand the importance and reliability they have on the Holy Spirit. It is only Him who can use to evidences to illuminate the heart. These are the four steps of an evidentialist. 2. What is foundationalism? What makes foundationalism in general something which Plantinga calls â€Å"classic foundationalism†? How would Plantinga critique such a view? [25] Foundationalism is a belief which is based on another belief. It is the concept that one belief always has to have a reason to be believed; for it is based off of a previous belief. Evidentialists hold to this method of reasoning, asserting the great importance of always having a defense for one’s beliefs. Plantinga explains this method of reasoning starting from the Enlightenment, and was promoted by Plato, Aristotle, etc. It is referenced as classical because it is old and has been the method of reasoning for a very long time. Plantinga separates himself from this view, believing it to be fallible. While it is important for certain beliefs to be based on rational thought, Plantinga does not agree that all should be. He would claim that there has to be at least one thought or one set of beliefs which are basic. Plantinga explains basic beliefs as those which are not based on a previous belief, but rather accepted through experience or memory (i. e. eating breakfast). Plantinga critics Foundationalism by stating that there has to be at least a certain amount of beliefs which are basic (not based on a previous belief) because all people need a starting place for rationalization. Despite those who hold to Foundationalism, it is important for all to understand that there are always certain beliefs which we take for granted; simply because somebody told us so. We will not have a reason for every belief. 3. Explain Frame’s concept of rationality (the linear progression, narrow versus broad circularity). Explain each concept fully. [10] Frame’s concept of rationality is interesting. The circular explanations of his thoughts are explained as following: My faith is based on my rationality, and my rationality is based on the rationality of God. The reason this is circular is because, if our faith were based on our rationality, and our rationality was based on the rationality of God, one could connect the dots and say that God’s rationality enables our faith. This is the circular reasoning which Frame explains. The linear progression states that, due to God’s rationality, we have faith. As our faith is based on God’s rationality, our rationality is based on our Faith. Hence, our rationality is based on the rationality of God. This linear progression was stated in Frame’s chapter as following: God’s rationality Our Faith our rationality. This is the linear explanation of Frame. 4. How does Bahnsen evaluate Stein’s epistemological criterion – â€Å"one can justify a belief only by the use of logic or reason†? [10] As Stein claims that one needs logic or reason to have a justified belief, Bahnsen accuses Stein of borrowing this concept from the Christian world-view. Before engaging on the grounds of logic and argument, Bahnsen clearly states that the atheistic worldview cannot be based on reason for there is no room for that within the theory of evolution. Due to the fact that one accepts that world view, they cannot begin justifying it based on logic and reason which are fundamentals within the Christian world-view. Bahnsen accuses Stein of borrowing from the Christian world view, making him epistemologically self-aware of his paradox. 5. State three differences between compatibilist and libertarian views of freedom; explain each of the differences. [15] 6. State four reasons why we accept genetic information as being structured or specified. Briefly explain each reason. [20] Genetic information is stated as being structured due to the process of elimination. The first question would be to discover whether it was formed by Law. Due to the fact that it is not contingent, the question of design would fall to the next level which is that of chance. When one questions whether it was done by chance, the immense complexity within the cell eliminates this possibility and brings it to the concept of design. When looking at DNA (A=T, C=D) or proteins (amino acids), and seeing what is required for human life, the immense complexity within the cell would eliminate the possibility of law or chance. It must be structured. Also, the concept of time and fossils do not allow for the immense amount of time demanded by evolutionists for the process of life to have evolved. The more complex we understand the cell to be; the less likely it is that it wasn’t structured or specified.

E Waste Management Processes In Malaysia Environmental Sciences Essay

E Waste Management Processes In Malaysia Environmental Sciences Essay With rapid technological advancement, increasing demand of electrical and electronic as well as short lifespan of the products has lead to the increase in e-waste generation. Hence, E-waste generation has become a concern. E-waste management requires different approach compare to conventional management of traditional wastes. This is because of E-waste complex characteristic where its contain hazardous substances which pose risk to human health and environment. Understanding E-waste management and to determine the best approach is a difficult task due to lack of study in Malaysia and reliable data on management system. This paper aimed to assess the current practice of E-waste management in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. The data presented in this paper derived mostly from the secondary sources of various literatures and interview with main stakeholders in e-waste management were conducted in order to understand the current issue and problem in e-waste management. Managing E-waste in Malaysia is challenging due to its hazardous characteristic and the generation currently at an alarming rate where it is reported that E-waste will be expected to triple output in next five years. Therefore, the cooperation from all level of management from key stakeholders is needed in order to ensure the risk of E-waste can be control at the minimum level. Keywords: Electrical and electronic waste, E-waste, management Introduction In view of the vision 2020 aim for Malaysia, the countrys wish to become a fully develop nation in the year 2020 has meant that Malaysia is not only encourages economic and social growth, but also environmental issues are addressed (Pelle Getke, 2008). One of the major environmental problems in Malaysia is the production of new waste in the waste streams namely electrical and electronic waste. Electrical and electronic waste, also known as electronic waste or electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), or in short called e-waste is consist of electrical or electronic products that can be categorized into white goods or bulky waste such as refrigerators, washing machines and brown goods such as computers, televisions, mobile phones, etc when comes to its end of life for their current owner (D.S Khetriwal, 2007). It also can be define as waste types that consist of broken or unwanted electronic appliances. E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste issues in the world where it forms 1% of solid waste on an average in developed countries and is expected to grow to 2% by 2020 (UNEP, 2007). The quantities of e-waste are predicted to grow substantially in future both in industrialized countries and in developing countries, with the potential to triple their e-waste by 2010 (UNEP, 2008) which is no exemption for Malaysia. With manufacturers continue to update and invented new electrical and electronic equipments, this has caused the lifespan of old product tend to decrease and this also becoming one of the factor contributes to the rapid growing of waste in today world. Statistics on the total quantity of e-waste generated per year in Malaysia is indistinguishable. However, e-waste generation is directly related to number of appliances used in the country (IMPAK, 2006). Table 1 shows the amount in unit on electrical and electronic product in Malaysia for year 2003. Table 1: The amount of electrical and electronic product for year 2003 Product Amount (Unit) Computer 4, 183,684 Mobile Phones 11,124,000 Television 4.500,000 Radio 9,400,000 Refrigerator 3,500,000 Data source: Era Hijau, 2008, Department of Environment With the growth of electrical or electronic equipments consumed in this country, the management of waste will be a key issue that needs to be urgently addressed especially in e-waste management. The problems that can be identified are the absence of proper mechanism and standards of disposal where it often end up in the waste streams either through recycling or landfill (ToxicLink, 2003). It can be assumed that the disposal of obsolete electrical and electronic products is fundamentally driven by the production of new ones where it implies that the growth in global electronic production of 4.4% in 2002, 6.8% in 2003 will result in similar growth in e-waste management (William, 2005). Without proper management system especially in disposal processes, hazardous materials contained in e-waste can be release into the environment and this will potentially give adverse effect to human health (M. Macauley, 2003). Therefore, it is very important to have a better e-waste management in order t o reduce it effects to both human health and environmental ecosystem in the future. Current status of E-waste management in Malaysia Developing countries usually lack of proper storage spaces or disposal area for e-waste causing their e-waste mixed in domestic landfill, burned with household waste or stored in the attic for years. This problem also occur in Malaysia where most of e-waste end up in landfill as there is no mechanism of proper recycling or safe disposal. The disposal of e-waste in uncontrolled way can pose risk to environment and human health where there are growing of e-waste winding up unnoticed in landfill (NST, 2007). Besides that, many facilities are unable to process e-waste due to constraints in space and handling problem (EQR, 2006). The existing collection and disposal system is inadequate in handling such wastes. This is because the management of e-waste is different with management of solid waste. According to D.S Khetriwal (2007), conventional waste management policies suited to handle traditional waste types and cannot be applied in the case of e-waste due to its characteristic which con tains both highly toxic substances as well as valuable materials which can be recovered. Malaysia already has existing regulation on scheduled wastes where e-waste were categorized under SW110 in First Scheduled of Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulation 2005, but this regulation not directly dealing with e-waste from household. Currently, there is no mechanism of proper segregation or disposal system to encourage public recycle and discard e-waste. The continue generation of e-waste over time, together with lack of structured mechanism of institutional framework and inadequate infrastructure causing e-waste management not well set up. Even though at present electrical or electronic appliances are rarely disposed of inadequate manner, but with little regulation in place, this has created hazards to local populations, as well as to the environment. Study area and data collection The number of electrical or electronic industries in Malaysia is rising. Thus, increased in the consumption of electrical and electronic products is due to its utility in our everyday life. This indirectly explained why the numbers of electrical and electronic waste is increasing. As the urbanization continues to take place, the management of waste is a major public health and environment concern in urban areas of many developing countries. The concern is serious, particularly in the capital cities. Therefore Shah Alam, Selangor is chosen as the starting point for the research. Shah Alam is the capital city for the State of Selangor where it consists of well planned and modern town with the state administrative centre in a spacious and pleasant environment. Shah Alam is an urban city in Petaling and Klang District which is located about 25 kilometres (15 miles) west of the countrys capital, Kuala Lumpur. In 1978, it replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the State of Selangor due to Kuala Lumpurs incorporation into a Federal Territory in 1974. Shah Alam was the first planned city in Malaysia after independence in 1957. Shah Alam has a similar urban layout to Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya with housing areas occupying most of the city (55.2  km ²) and commercial centres scattered around the different seksyen (sections). There are about 56 sections in total within 24 zones. Shah Alam is the State of Selangor capital city, has experienced a rapid urbanization and industrialization in the last decade. Urban area where chosen because of the highest communication services are concentrated in urban areas compare to rural areas and most of the development still concentrated in urban areas. The production of E-waste in this area can be assumed as quite high and the management of E-waste by waste generators, recyclers and disposal are crucial. Figure 3.2 shows amount of E-waste generated in Shah Alam is the highest compare to others area in the State of Selangor. Figure 3.2 Amount of e-waste generated in Selangor Area in 2009 Source: DOE Shah Alam report, 2009 Personal interview were conducted with relevant stakeholder that consist of regulatory framework government officials responsible for E-waste management process, as well as senior managers within the E-waste recycling industries (SW. Chung, R.Murakami-Suzuki, 2008) in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. As this is exploratory research, many stakeholders have been approached and interviews were conducted to obtain the understanding on e-waste management issues and problem, opinions and their view. Before meeting the respondents, information has been searched for knowing the involvement of stakeholders in the e-waste management (M. Schluep et al., 2008). The interviews were conducted with stakeholders that were responsible with the management of e-waste in Shah Alam and also directly involved in e-waste management in Malaysia. On the other hand, the respondent were chosen based on convenience sampling where only person that willing to cooperate in this study will be interviewed. This type o f sampling technique was chosen due to limited time and finance. After the interview, the interviews are transcribed and the transcript of each interview was sent back to the interviewee (s) for comment and further questions (P. Manomaivibool, 2009). Secondary data was extracted from a collection of key documents. These documents were collected through library and document searches from many stakeholders including government agencies, industry and business. Collections of key documents consist of documents in the form of publications such as reports, journals, books, and internets. The data gathers are source from report of e-waste inventory project in Malaysia, annual publication of IMPAK magazine by Department of Environment (DOE), Malaysia and environmental quality report of DOE, Malaysia. The data presented in this paper derived mostly from the secondary sources of various literatures and interview with main stakeholders in e-waste management were conducted in order to understand the current issue and problem in e-waste management in Shah Alam, Selangor and Malaysia generally. Trend of e-waste generation Figure 1: Quantities of e-waste generated in Selangor, Malaysia Table 1: Number of e-waste contractors in Selangor, Malaysia. 2007 2008 2009 Number of contractor in Selangor 27 28 27 Data source: DOE, Selangor report, 2007, 2008, and 2009. In the e-waste inventory project of Malaysia report, e-waste is expected to increase in five year ahead and further. This is because at that time the level of public awareness regarding e-waste is increasing due to e-waste had become an important environment issues in 21st century. The other factor that may contribute to the increase of e-waste is due to technologies advancement where people lifestyle change where the replacement of old product with new ones that much better, affordable and easy to use in the future. Even nowadays people are depending on gadgets such as computers and mobile phones in communicating with people around the world. This data only reflects the e-waste that is collected as disassembled components from industries (Malaysia Inventory Report, Accessed on 11/10/2009). Data on quantities of e-waste generated in Shah Alam were gathered from inventory recorded by e-waste contractors for Department of Environment, Selangor using a consignment notes. The increase of e-waste quantities generated give impact to the management of e-waste. The main objective in e-waste management is to reduce the e-waste generated from ending up in landfill site and to reduce the cost of managing e-waste where it contain both highly toxic substances and valuable materials. In 2005, Malaysia has issue e-waste as an environmental concern and marked it as new category of scheduled wastes. Before Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulation 2005, there are no regulations for e-waste but in Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulation 1986, the discarded batteries containing lead, mercury, nickel or lithium from battery manufacturing plants are coded under scheduled waste S271. However, E-waste is defined as used electrical and electronic equipments categories as scheduled waste in First Schedule of Environment (Scheduled Wastes) Regulation 2005 and been coded as SW110 after takes effect on 15 August 2005. When e-waste become new category of scheduled waste in Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulation 2005, contractors in Selangor that involved in e-waste recycling and processing are bound to obtain license from Department of Environment, Selangor. With the enforcement of EQSWR 2005, the activity of e-waste inventory were carrying out by DOE, Selangor began in 2007. The number of e-waste contractors license under DOE is about 27 contractors in 2007 and 28 contractors in 2008 but reduce back to 27 contractors in 2009. There are two factors contribute to this reduction; firstly because of economy crisis in 2008 and effected e-waste generated in 2009. This has show in the graph where the amount of e-waste generated in 2008 decrease from 10916 MT/year to 10369 MT/year in 2009. From the literatures sources, when the economic crisis happens, firstly affected is the electronic industry. As a result, the production of electronic product decreasing as well as the quantities of e-waste generated. And secondly because of competition between these contractors result in some of them become passive and some are active. Moreover too many players but the volume e-waste collected is not enough and the high costs for e-waste become a burden to these e-waste contractors. Also according DOE Shah Alam officer, they do not have any data or quantity for each e-waste generated. For this time being, the only data exist is for the whole of SW110 wastes. Figure 1: Quantities of e-waste generated in Shah Alam, Selangor Table 2: Amount of e-waste (MT/year) generates and number of e-waste contractor in Shah Alam, Selangor. 2007 2008 2009 Number of contractor in Shah Alam 9 10 12 Data Data source: DOE, Selangor report, 2007, 2008, and 2009. E-waste generation is different with other hazardous household waste and scheduled waste generated by industries and business sources. The generation is not regular. Its depending on how the individual handle they product during the equipment working lifespan. There are no reports on types of e-waste generated from household as this waste end up mixed with other waste goes to landfill or informally handle by illegal collectors or scrap collectors. Malaysia has issue e-waste as an environmental concern and marked it as new category of scheduled wastes in 2005. Before Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulation 2005 takes effect, there are no regulations for e-waste. However in the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulation 1986, the discarded batteries containing lead, mercury, nickel or lithium from battery manufacturing plants are coded under scheduled waste S271 [12]. However, E-waste is defined as used electrical and electronic equipments categories as scheduled waste in First Schedule of Environment (Scheduled Wastes) Regulation 2005 and been coded as SW110 after takes effect on 15 August 2005. When e-waste become new category of scheduled waste in Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulation 2005, contractors in Selangor that wanted to involved in e-waste recycling and processing are bound to obtain license from Department of Environment, Selangor. With the enforcement of EQSWR 2005, the activity o f e-waste inventory were carrying out by DOE, Selangor began in 2007. Figure 1 show that the amount of e-waste generated in Shah Alam is increasing from 5331 MT/year in 2007 to 5388 MT/year in 2009. Amount of e-waste collected by e-waste contractors in Shah Alam is assumed to be all or major portion of e-waste generated in Shah Alam eventually goes to the nearby recyclers and or disposal facilities. However, the generation of e-waste depends on the consumption and production of electrical or electronic product in that year. Currently, the number of e-waste contractors in Shah Alam was increase from only 9 contractors in 2007 to 12 contractors in 2009 as showed in Table 2 where it consist of one full recovery facility and other is partial recovery facilities. However, there are still unknown and unlicensed contractors in Shah Alam operating e-waste collection, recycling and processing. One of the identify company is Scrap Computer Trading Sdn Bhd that located in Shah Alam area. The increase quantities of e-waste each years and without proper management system especially during disposal process, the hazardous materials contain can release into the environment will potentially give adverse effect to human health [15]. In the e-waste inventory project of Malaysia report, e-waste is expected to increase in five year ahead and further. This is because at that time the level of public awareness regarding e-waste is increasing due to e-waste had become an important environment issues in 21st century. The other factor that may contribute to the increase of e-waste is due to technologies advancement where people lifestyle change where the replacement of old product with new ones that much better, affordable and easy to use in the future. Even nowadays people are depending on gadgets such as computers and mobile phones in communicating with people around the world. This data only reflects the e-waste that is collected as disassembled components from industries (Malaysia Inventory Report, Accessed on 11/10/2009). Data on quantities of e-waste generated in Shah Alam were gathered through inventory recorded by e-waste contractors for Department of Environment, Selangor using a consignment notes. The increase of e-waste quantities generated give impact to the management of e-waste. The main objective in e-waste management is to reduce the e-waste generated from ending up in landfill site and to reduce the cost of managing e-waste where it contain both highly toxic substances and valuable materials. Current Status on E-waste management in Shah Alam, Selangor Shah Alam is one of well planned city; the residential areas were located on the site of federal highway and industrial zone on the other. Table 3 shows the e-waste generators, type of e-waste collected by e-waste collectors in Shah Alam, Selangor. Generators in Shah Alam consist of electrical and electronic manufacturers, assemblers, individual consumers, government organizations, corporate users such as banking sectors, etc. Table 3: E-waste generators, type of e-wastes and e-waste collectors in Shah Alam, Selangor. E-waste generators Type of E-waste E-waste collector Manufacturing Industries Disassemblies such as metal scrap, ICT board, rejected wires, etc License e-waste contractor under Department of Environment Government organization, institution Whole unit of e-wastes such as computers, telephone, printers, etc Alam Flora Sdn Bhd; License e-waste contractor under Department of Environment Individual households, publics Sub-unit of e-waste or whole unit of e-waste Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) Types of e-waste generated depend on type of generator and each quantity generated or collected are different from each other. E-waste generate from multinational electrical and electronic manufacturing industries such as Panasonic Sdn Bhd, JVC (M) Sdn Bhd and larger business such as banking sectors, ICT sectors, etc are well collected by licensed contractors. However e-waste generated by individual household uncommonly collected because of quantities of e-waste produce is in small amount. This is because individual households not are regular generator for e-waste compare to business. According to Macauley et al 2003, generally electronics wastes generated by businesses more homogeneous which are comprise of large quantities than electrical waste generated by households [13]. Consignment Notes (Inventory Track System) Sell to other recyclers or local/domestic market Partial Recovery Facilities Licence Collector Generator Kualiti Alam Sdn Bhd Full recovery facilities Disposal of e-waste residue Treatment Alam Flora Sdn Bhd, Local Authority Collect from the public Recyclable materials such as metals scraps and plastic scraps Unlicensed collector Unknown 2nd raw materials Sell to the manufacturers Figure 2: E-waste management in Shah Alam, Selangor E-waste management practice in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia E-waste collection E-waste management in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia is summarized in Figure 2 above from the waste generation until the disposal of the waste. E-waste derived from manufacturers usually consists of disassembled components such as plastic scraps, metal parts and wires which are collected mostly by license e-waste contractors. E-waste generate from domestic area were collected by waste concessionaires such as Alam Flora Sdn Bhd, Solid Waste Management Sdn Bhd. According to Alam Flora officer, they have launched a campaign for collection of e-waste from the public started in year 2006 and focuses only to the unit of computer waste. However for e-wastes collected from the domestic areas will not undergo any separation process because absence of segregation facility and therefore e-wastes collected will be sent straight to landfill site. Alam Flora Sdn Bhd does not provide any facility related to collection of schedule wastes and metals because the value for recycling materials is low and the cost for it proper management is high compare to management of conventional wastes. For Shah Alam residents that wanted to discard their E-waste, Alam Flora also provided call and pick up services. Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) is a local authority in Shah Alam has involved in 3Rs campaign but they focus is not specifically on e-waste. MBSA do not send e-waste to the landfill but e-waste collected to recycling center for further disposal. MBSA indirectly involved in e-waste management for Shah Alam. MBSA has provided a recycling center for Shah Alam community to dispose their bulky wastes and recyclable wastes that include e-wastes. This recycling center known as Shah Alam Recycling Center located in Sekyen 17, Shah Alam, Selangor. With the initiatives located by MBSA to this community; it can be a starting point for e-waste from households to be managed properly. E-waste recycling At present, there are about 12 licensed e-waste contractors in Shah Alam which are responsible in collecting and recycling e-waste. According to DOE of Shah Alam, Shah Alam has 11 registered e-waste contractors with only one company having full recovery licenses. The listed e-waste contractor can be found at DOE website. The rest with partial recovery licenses only allowed carrying out collection, disassembly, segregation, and packing. However, only approved full recovery licenser is allowed to conduct precious metal recovery by utilizing chemicals and electrolysis processes. E-waste collected were dismantled and separated into various part or components which also consist of recyclable and non-recyclable items. The recyclable item usually after processing will be packed for resale locally or export to other countries. Sometimes the recyclable part or component will be distributed to other companies for reuse. E-waste collected by license contractor will be further send whether to partial recovery facilities or directly to full recovery facilities. Partial recovery e-waste contractor also act as a middleman in collecting e-waste from the generators. Usually they used their own transportation to collect e-waste from the waste generators according to tender sign. Recycling process that carry out in partial recovery facilities include manually dismantle into part or component and segregate them into recyclable or non recyclable components. Type of component that usually can be extracting from e-waste is metal scraps such as cooper, steel and aluminum. For plastic scrap usually this type of waste will be sold to other recyclers from domestic market or local market as secondary raw materials. However, for material that had been separate, sorted and crushed in partial recovery facility still considered as scheduled wastes where it need to further treated at prescribed premises. At full recovery facilities, they provide services where most of the item will be recovered for better end products. Beside physical treatment process, chemical treatment (stripping) will be used in order to minimize waste from ending up in landfill sites. The products from e-waste recovery become secondary raw materials for other uses in manufacturing sectors. Disposal of E-waste E-waste generate in electrical and electrical industry were mostly disposed in the provide bins as either provided by the waste generator or the waste contractor depend on types of E-waste disposed. With the structure mechanism of E-waste management by the industries, the waste disposed is recorded using consignment notes where the quantities of E-waste produced is inventory. Some of non recyclable part or component of E-waste will be treated either in full recovery facilities or disposed at Kualiti Alam facilities. DOE also has given license to Kualiti Alam in collecting e-waste as they are one of the responsible agencies in Malaysia that handle scheduled wastes. The final product of e-waste recovery is the e-waste residues. These residues will be sent to sanitary landfill in Bukit Nanas together with other wastes that are not recyclable and non hazardous for further disposal processes. Obstacles in e-waste management Data from the interview are analyzed. During the analysis, code were renames, clustered and group into four issues and problem discussed by the respondents about e-waste management. In the management aspect, e-waste is very complex because of it tendency to cause serious environmental problem in developing countries as in Malaysia. Obstacle identified is technical issues, lack of trained personal, legislation, financial, infrastructure and awareness. Technical Issues The waste generators were responsible with the management of their own scheduled waste include e-waste. Unlike solid waste management where theres by now have a structured mechanism. According to [name must not be reveal], the volume of the electrical and electronic waste is depends on the EE production and current economy status. Another problem is they cannot afford for the other technology or equipment to process electrical and electronic waste except man power. However, there also some manufacturers in Selangor still selling e-waste to unlicensed collector or recycler because the price offer is high. E-waste contractors in Selangor, mostly collect e-waste from EEE industry but not for household e-waste. Lack of improper e-waste disposal, this is because the waste generators do not have suitable places to dispose their waste. In Malaysia, there are still small number of facilities who involves with e-waste processing and recovery. Waste collected from manufacturers or large business were dismantle and separate into various parts and components for resale or recycle or recovery locally while household e-wastes were discarded in municipal bins and disposed off in landfill. Lacking of environmental standards and advanced recycling technologies where most of partial recoveries adopted very simple and uncultured methods in order to achieve higher return as much as possible. From the interview conducted with the partial recovery companies, there are two reasons the collectors cannot afford for a better recycling technologies; a) The equipment is too expensive and; b) The volume of e-waste is small while there are a numbers of collectors out there. If they bought the facilities, it will was te their time and money just like the incinerator case. Currently as in Selangor and Malaysia as general, e-waste were collected while only precious metals are extracted. The recycling processes usually have low recycling rates as for the informal sector where the major thrust for recycling is precious material extraction due to which the other hazardous components are usually dumped in landfill and fate sometimes unknown. However for the formal recycling units the efficiency is less as the collections targets are not met and lack of efficient technologies. According to Dato Nadzri Yahaya, theres an informal sector is going-on where they involved in collecting e-waste dumps with other household waste. The garbage contractors with they own initiative will informally sort out waste that can be recycle such as plastics, aluminum, e-waste, etc before other non-recyclables waste sent to the landfill sites. However, disposal of E-waste from household is an issue where these wastes dispose in the municipal bins together with other wastes as there is still no segregation unlicensed collector where they collect this waste and process only certain part or compo nent of E-waste and treatment for others is unknown. Even the television for example put together with other waste outside the resident premises, after couple of hours, the waste gone and the fate of the waste is unidentified. Financial Issue There is not much to discuss about financial issues because this paper focus more to management per se. In Malaysia, E-waste has been treated same as scheduled waste except it is not to dangerous and contaminated if directly contact with this wastes. Currently, there is no financial scheme or initiatives given to the e-waste recyclers by government. According to officer from Kualiti Kitar Alam, the recyclers especially scrap collector that not control or license under DOE buy e-waste from waste generators with high price and the treatment for the waste collected by this parties is unknown. Sometimes, most of the waste contractors consist of illegal contractors or recyclers. Legislation Issue Malaysia already has existing regulation on scheduled wastes where e-waste were categorized under SW110 in First Scheduled of Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulation 2005, but this regulation not directly dealing with e-waste from household. Currently, there is no mechanism of proper segregation or disposal system to encourage public recycle and discard e-waste. The continue generation of e-waste over time, together with lack of structured mechanism of institutional framework and inadequate infrastructure causing e-waste management not well set up. Even though at present electrical or electroni