Free Essays on Frederick Douglass’ Status Elevation Through Disassociation From Slavery

Frederick Douglass states he got himself lamenting his own reality. Douglass is mortified by his bondage status, and endeavors to raise himself in other’s eyes. Douglass expounds on servitude from a third individual perspective, liberated from individual records. Douglas accomplishes training; something exceptionally unprecedented for slaves. He asserts his dad is a white man, while not having any evident affirmation recorded as a hard copy. Adjusting his name from Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey to Frederick Douglass changes his personality and evacuates his â€Å"slave† character. Douglass’s account takes on an unobtrusive tone about his arrangement as a slave as he battles to seek after a raised status in the public arena. Douglass’ relate is written as an outsider looking in perspective, expelling him from the state of servitude. He expels himself so effectively on the grounds that recorded as a hard copy the account, he is not, at this point a slave. In any case, deliberately or subliminally, Douglass shows his raised status by composing and through his acknowledgment as an autobiographer. Alluding to the slaves’ emotions about the Great House Farm, and not his own hoists his position and disassociates himself from servitude in the reader’s mind. â€Å"The slaves chose to go to the Great House Farm, for the month to month remittance for themselves and their individual slaves, were particularly eager (Douglass 270).† Although Douglass writes in third individual regularly, he picks the account voice when he retells about his instruction, permitting him to turn into a liberated slave. Training for Douglass was achievable because of Mrs. Auld, the white young men, and his own diligence. Since Mrs. Auld was the primary educator Douglass had, perusing enabled Douglass to find out about prospects and increase a longing to improve his condition. Closer to his age, the white young men helped him figure out how to peruse, and imparted inside him a need to get equivalent with them. â€Å"Have not I as great an option to be free as you have (Do... Free Essays on Frederick Douglass’ Status Elevation Through Disassociation From Slavery Free Essays on Frederick Douglass’ Status Elevation Through Disassociation From Slavery Frederick Douglass states he got himself lamenting his own reality. Douglass is mortified by his subjugation status, and endeavors to raise himself in other’s eyes. Douglass expounds on servitude from a third individual perspective, liberated from individual records. Douglas accomplishes training; something extremely remarkable for slaves. He certifies his dad is a white man, while not having any evident affirmation recorded as a hard copy. Adjusting his name from Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey to Frederick Douglass changes his personality and evacuates his â€Å"slave† character. Douglass’s account takes on an unassuming tone about his arrangement as a slave as he battles to seek after a raised status in the public eye. Douglass’ relate is written as an outsider looking in perspective, expelling him from the state of bondage. He evacuates himself so effectively in light of the fact that recorded as a hard copy the account, he is not, at this point a slave. Nonetheless, deliberately or subliminally, Douglass shows his raised status by composing and through his acknowledgment as an autobiographer. Alluding to the slaves’ sentiments about the Great House Farm, and not his own raises his position and disassociates himself from subjugation in the reader’s mind. â€Å"The slaves chose to go to the Great House Farm, for the month to month stipend for themselves and their individual slaves, were curiously excited (Douglass 270).† Although Douglass writes in third individual regularly, he picks the story voice when he retells about his training, permitting him to turn into a liberated slave. Training for Douglass was feasible because of Mrs. Auld, the white young men, and his own steadiness. Since Mrs. Auld was the main educator Douglass had, perusing enabled Douglass to find out about prospects and increase a longing to improve his condition. Closer to his age, the white young men helped him figure out how to peruse, and ingrained inside him a need to get equivalent with them. â€Å"Have not I as great an option to be free as you have (Do...

Financial Statements Essay

There are four fundamental budget summaries that organizations use. They start with salary proclamation, explanation of owner’s value, asset report, and the announcement of incomes. Company’s use salary proclamations to report how much cash they have made and the amount they have spent over a predetermined timeframe. The announcement of owner’s value is utilized to report any adjustments in value from a company’s total compensation or total deficit, just as report changes in the owner’s ventures and withdrawals over a predefined timeframe. The monetary record is utilized to report a company’s money related situation anytime. This announcement incorporates data, for example, what kinds of benefits and their sums, liabilities, and value. The announcement of incomes is the last archive out of the four essential fiscal summaries. This announcement is utilized to report how much cash an organization is getting (receipts), and the amount they are spending (installments), during a particular timeframe. Any progressions found in resources and liabilities on a monetary record mirror the incomes and costs found in the salary explanation, which thus brings about additions or misfortunes for an organization. The announcement of incomes reports more data concerning the money resources that are recorded on an accounting report and a connected, however not really the equivalent, as the net gain found on the company’s salary articulation. Fiscal summaries are only numbers on a record when they’re all alone, however together, they give important and amazing data to an organization to settle on exceptionally critical choices about how to run their organization, and how to settle on choices for their organization later on. The data is likewise significant for financial specialists to settle on shrewd and taught choices for putting resources into organizations.

Looking for Gothic Writing Inspiration Here Are 15 Vampire Novels You Should Read

Looking for Gothic Writing Inspiration Here Are 15 Vampire Novels You Should Read If you plan to write a vampire novel, you should first explore the variety of vampire tales that have shaped the genre. Weve compiled this list for writers looking for various approaches to the vampire character and mythos. From early works like Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (which predates Bram Stokers Dracula by 26 years) to the modern biker babe/vampire killer protagonist of Skinwalker by Faith Hunter, here are 15 unforgettable vampire novels you should read to inspire your own writing.Although Bram Stoker created the seminal vampire tale, other novels have been written that define the genres modern place in literature. Photo by Leonardo Yip on Unsplash.#1. Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le FanuCarmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu is a gothic novella that later influenced Bram Stokers seminal work, Dracula. The story is narrated by a young woman, Laura, who falls prey to a female vampire named Carmilla, who is later revealed to be Mircalla, Countess Karnstein. The story is prese nted as part of the casebook of Dr. Hesselius, who can be seen as the original detective of the occult in literature.#2. Dracula by Bram StokerDracula by Bram Stoker has been the inspiration for countless film and stage adaptations and remains the most influential vampire tales of literature. The story is told through a series of letters, diary entries, newspaper articles, and ships log entries, and centers on a young English solicitor, Jonathan Harker, who finds himself surrounded by unspeakable evil on a business visit to Count Draculas castle in Transylvania. Upon returning home, he finds that the evil has returned with him, threatening the very souls of those he holds most dear.#3. Interview with the Vampire by Anne RiceInterview with the Vampire is Anne Rices debut novel that tells the hypnotic story of vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac, through his confessions made to a reporter. From revelations about his vampire origins and his maker, the charismatic Lestat de Lioncourt, to his relationship with Claudia, a young girl Lestat turns into a vampire to keep Louis close, Interview with the Vampire is full of dark beauty and longing in the face of death and destruction in old New Orleans.#2. The Vampire Lestat by Anne RiceThe Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice is the follow-up to the first novel of The Vampire Chronicles, and is narrated by Lestat de Lioncourt himself, offering sometimes contradictory explanation for the events told by Louis in Interview with the Vampire. Moving from the 18th century to the late 1980s, the story follows Lestats lifeâ€"from his noble beginnings in Auvergne, to his life in Paris, to becoming transformed into a vampire and his search for the most powerful vampire, Marius de Romanus. Once he finds Marius, he is introduced to Those Who Must Be Kept, Akasha and Enkil, the progenitors of all vampires who have been sleeping for many years, inspiring Lestat to do the unimaginable and awaken them.#3. The Queen of the Damned by Anne RiceThe Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice is the third novel in her The Vampire Chronicles series, and explores the extensive history and mythology of the origin of the vampires, dating back to Ancient Egypt. It also follows the exploits of the newly awakened Akasha, who has been inspired by Lestats music to kill her husband and force Lestat to be her consort. As her bloodthirsty reign grows stronger, the book follows modern vampire covens attempt to keep her from destroying 90 percent of the worlds human men and establish a new Eden in which women will worship Akasha as a goddess.#4. The Historian by Elizabeth KostovaThe Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is a debut novel that blends the history and folklore of Vlad ?epe? and Count Dracula in a combination of genres, including travelogue, gothic, adventure, detective fiction, epistolary epic, and historical thriller. In particular, the novel explores the relationship between the Christian West and the Islamic East through the characters of Paul, a p rofessor, and his 16-year-old daughter (who is curiously, never named), as they go on a quest to discover Vlad the Impalers tomb. It became the first debut novel to become number one on The New York Times bestseller list in its first week on sale and as of 2005, it was the fastest-selling hardback debut novel in U.S. history.#5. I Am Legend by Richard MathesonI Am Legend by Richard Matheson is a post-apocalyptic horror novel set in Los Angeles that has been massively influential in the development of the zombie-vampire genre. It has since been adapted into multiple films, including The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971), and I Am Legend (2007). It tells the story of Robert Neville, the sole survivor of a pandemic that has taken most of humanity and turned the rest into blood-sucking, pale-skinned, and nocturnal vampires.#6. The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck HoganThe Strain, written by Oscar-winning director Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan, is a tale of a vamp iric virus that overtakes New York. It is the first installment in The Strain Trilogy, and was followed by The Fall (2010) and The Night Eternal (2011). The plot centers on a Boeing 777, which arrives at John F. Kennedy International Airport, taxies across the tarmac, and then suddenly stops. Since all communication has gone dark, an alert is sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where Dr. Ephraim Eph Goodweather, head of a rapid-response team that handles biological threats, is sent to investigate. Goodweather and Dr. Nora Martinez board the plane, finding everyone except four people dead. What follows is a vampire tale that will not soon be forgotten, as the city tries to contain the pandemic, along with the help of Del Toros own Van Helsing, Abraham Setrakian, an elderly Romanian Jew who has first-hand knowledge of these dark thing creatures, from his time spent in a death camp in Treblinka.#7. Salems Lot by Stephen KingAs Stephen Kings second novel, Salems Lot is rumored to be his favorite of all his books. The plot, as with most Stephen King books, involves a writerâ€"this one, named Ben Mears. He returns to the small town he lived in as a child (Jerusalems Lot or Salems Lot for short) in Maine, as vampires are taking over and the towns original inhabitants are succumbing to a dark power. In a 1987 interview, King told Phil Konstantin with The Highway Patrolman magazine: In a way it is my favorite story, mostly because of what it says about small towns. They are kind of a dying organism right now. The story seems sort of down home to me. I have a special cold spot in my heart for it!#8. Fledgling by Octavia ButlerOffering an unusual view of vampires, Octavia Butlers Fledgling is more science fiction in its exploration of the Ina, who are simply another species (although vampiric) coexisting with humanity. The story centers on the life of Shori Matthews, a 10-year-old girl who discovers that she is actually a 53-year old vampire. There is no monstrosity and abnormality, no deviant sexuality and decadenceâ€"Butlers vampires are biological rather than supernatural. They are vampires who are not antagonistic toward humans, but instead, create close-knit Ina-human communities where they cohabitate with selected humans in symbiotic relationships.#9. Some of Your Blood by Theodore SturgeonEpistolary novels seem to be the most comfortable storytelling form for vampire tales, and Some of Your Blood by Theodore Sturgeon reiterates this pattern. Named one of the Top 40 Horror Books of All Time by the Horror Writers Association and from one of the godfathers of modern science fiction comes this story of a soldier who returns home different than how he left. Between visits to the Army psychiatrist, Philip Outerbridge, a young soldier named George Smith reveals a shocking secret via therapyâ€"one that involves him drinking the blood of others during emotional crises.#10. The Passage: A Novel by Justin CroninJustin Cronins The Pa ssage begins in the near future in an apocalyptic (and later, post-apocalyptic) world full of vampire-like beings who have been infected with a contagious virus. The virus began with an experiment performed on convicts to find a drug that enhances human immunity but was carried by a species of bat. The novel spans 90 years of colonies of humans who attempt to survive among these now superhuman creatures who drink blood. Within this setting, we meet Amy, who was abandoned by her mother when she was younger and who is now part of the shadowy experiment. As Special Agent Brad Wolgast tracks her down, he learns the truth of her past and vows to protect her.#11. Children of the Night by Dan SimmonsChildren of the Night by Dan Simmons follows a research team to Romania, where they find a orphaned child whose blood is linked to that of Vlad Tsepes, the original Dracula. Immunologist Kate Neuman adopts the baby, believing that he may hold the secret for curing cancer and AIDS. As the child is kidnapped but agents of the ancient clan, Kate and her friend, Father Mike ORourke, must find Joshua and get him back before it is too late.#12. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine HarrisDead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris is the story of Sookie Stackhouse, a cocktail waitress in small-town Bon Temps, Louisiana, and is the inspiration behind the HBO series True Blood. Sookie can read minds, which makes her too odd to dateâ€"until a talk, dark, and handsome man enters the diner and she cant hear what he is thinking. Having waited for someone like Bill Compton all of her life, Sookie falls hard for him, only to learn that he is a vampire. When grisly murders begin to plague the town, dating a vampire is suddenly not all its cracked up to be.#13. Sunshine by Robin McKinleySunshine by Robin McKinley takes place in an alternate universe, after the Voodoo Wars have taken place between humans and the Others, which are vampires, werewolves, and demons. The protagonist is Rae Sunshine Seddon, wh o is abducted from her familys old lakeside cabin by vampires, and held captive in an abandoned mansion with a vampire named Constantineâ€"the enemy of the gang who kidnapped her. Although Rae is brought to the mansion as bait for Constantine, she remembers a forgotten magical power that her grandmother taught her, and develops a symbiotic relationship with the vampire.#14. The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee CharnasThe Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas is the tale of Dr. Edward Lewis Weylandâ€"a professor by day and a vampire by night. While his need to feed on human blood is biologic rather than supernatural, he struggles to interact with society and find meaning in it despite his uncommon need. This novel is truly a different take on the vampire tale and should not be missed, especially for its character development.#15. Skinwalker by Faith HunterSkinwalker by Faith Hunter is the story Jane Yellowrock, a shapeshifting, hardcore motorcycle rider who is the last of her kind, ha ving descended from Cherokees who could turn into any creature they desired. Shes also a vampire hunter for a living and has been hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans, to hunt a rogue vampire who is going around killing his own kind.

Essay on Beauty Pageants Exploitive or Beneficial

Are Beauty Pageants Exploitive or Beneficial? To tell the truth, the questions like this are somewhat baffling. The term â€Å"exploitive† here presupposes that women who participate in them are exploited because they are graded by the looks of their bodies without taking into account what good persons they are. The winners are exploited because they are given the sense of false superiority. The losers are exploited because they feel inferior. Are singing contests exploitive for the same reasons? We take into account only the person’s ability to sing without noticing how nice he or she may be in all the other respects. And all who lose also feel inferior to the winner without being guilty of that. The same goes for IQ testing, athletic competitions and any competitions in general. There is no competition that takes the entire person into consideration and there are no competitions where there are no winners and no losers – they are supposed to include competition, no matter how trite it may sound. What is the fundamental difference between all of them and beauty pageants? They are told to the state of object. I have a very strong suspicion that the majority of their opponents are women that cannot be very proud of their outlook and try to prevent the ones who can from doing it, for it is unclear why they are so particular of opposing them? If you don’t like beauty pageants, don’t participate in them. I am no lover of such events myself; to put it more exactly, I don’t care about them at all. Yet, it is revolting to think that people who have nothing to do with it think they have right to prevent the ones who are willing to participate and organize them from actually doing it.

The Theme Of Social Inequality In Battle Royal By Ralph...

Social inequality is something people would not expect to be influenced by setting. The story â€Å"Battle Royal,† by Ralph Ellison explains that a young boy grows up to learn the harsh reality of being an invisible man. The author does this by putting the main character in the story, though situations that make him realize that he is diminished from society. The meaning of the story is supported by the setting of where different things take place throughout the story. Places such as the main ballroom played an important role. The ring of where the battle royal took place between the classmates can also be looked at to see how the narrator explains his point. Not to also forget, that the author sets a scene with a young white woman to be able†¦show more content†¦The events turn south one the protagonist is made to partake in horrific humiliating events to entertain the white upper-classmen. It all began when he was invited into the hotel ballroom that he would begin being told what to do or what to say or act. The way the room was set up, put a boxing ring in front of a row of chairs from all three sides. The battle royal expresses the way in which members of the black community are looked at by whites. They are nothing but a source of cruel amusement, At worst, they are non-existent. The battle royal allows the town leaders to express their aggression toward the black boys in a way that they believed was â€Å"safe† (Wallace 2013). Immediately after the main character arrives to the boxing ring is when he faces a new challenge that he must overcome. This fight between classmates has him worried that he might not even get a chance to give his speech. The author implies that the setting of the boxing ring can intimidate anybody if there were in the same position. The author states that â€Å"I want to get at that ginger-colored nigger. Tear him limb from limb†¦I stood against the ropes trembling† (Ellison 208). This hostile e nvironment allowed the readers to see what position the main character finds himself in the middle of. This boxing ring allows readers to get a better picture of what the story is about. The use of an environment where he is forced to do something while blindfolded and beaten for entertainmentShow MoreRelatedEssay about Battle Royal, by Ralph Ellison1897 Words   |  8 Pagesactions of whites. One individual who overcame the relentless struggles was Ralph Ellison. Ellison, a famous author, depicted racial segregation in the 1940’s through a fictional short story entitled â€Å"Battle Royal.† Battle Royal symbolized the actions of what â€Å"other† people became accustomed to. Blacks were thought to be socially inferior and live in the shadows of whites. The idea which Ellison uses to paint â€Å"Battle Royal† consists of that when one sex or race treats another as an object or animalRead MoreThe Tragedy Of The Harlem Renaissance1086 Words   |  5 Page sHarlem renaissance was very important to African American literature because it was it brought new attention to it. During the renaissance African American literature along with black art and music began to be followed by mainstream America. In Ralph Ellison novel Invisible Men was published in 1952 was another example about how race played in American society. The novel portrayed an African American men whose skin considered him invisible. The story builds up on what makes him invisible and the struggleRead MoreRalph Ellisons Invisible Man And O. J. : Made In America1692 Words   |  7 PagesRace and Opportunity play a grand role connecting the novel Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, and the documentary O.J.: Made in America. Both stories are set within the pit of corruption held throughout the nineties, and display obvious connections between the narratives. The legacy of Orenthal James Simpson is described in this documentary by the currency of events which were occurring during his rise to fame. As for the novel, Invisible Man, various situations during the multiple charactersRead MoreInvisible Man By Ralph Ellison909 Words   |  4 PagesInvisible Man by Ralph Ellison is a novel which embodies the universal theme of self-discovery, of the search to figure out who one truly is in life which we all are embarked upon. Throughout the text, the narrator is constantly wondering about who he really is, and evaluating the different identities which he assumes for himself. He progresses from being a hopeful student with a bright future to being just another poor black laborer in New Your City to being a fairly well off spokesperson for aRead MoreThe Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison2489 Words   |  10 Pagesâ€Å"I AM AN invisible man.† A story of obstacles of durable struggle, but hope, and everlasting search for voice in a narrow-minded society; The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison depicts the dehumanization and feeling of being ostracized in society, of one man. Imagine a time when everyone you encounter have a racial thought or credibility toward your own races, never considering the fact that who you are as a person does not matter worth a dime. You are better determines on shade of your ski n which hide

The Street Hawker Free Essays

Street hawkers are very common in India. They can be found here, there and everywhere. There is hardly any village, town or a city without street hawkers. We will write a custom essay sample on The Street Hawker or any similar topic only for you Order Now They have been there for countries. They go from one town to another town and street for selling their various articles. A street hawker comes with his basket full of fruits, vegetables, sweets, and articles of general use. He may come with a big bundle of clothes or shawls on his back. He is very useful. He brings the bazaar to our door-steps and makes life easy and convenient. He is welcomed by all, particularly by ladies, old men and children. He has no fixed hours. If he is there in this colony in the morning, he will be in the next street in the evening. He has his own way of selling goods and calling the customers. The things he hawks are cheaper. On seeing him come children and ladies flock him to purchase things of daily need. He can also liked by schools during recess time. His eatables are liked by school children as they are cheap and tasty. There is a lot of haggling. Sometimes a hawker has to come to terms with his old customers and sell things on reduced rates. Sometimes hawkers cause nuisance by distributing the peace of the locality by their loud cells. They often throw wrappers, fruit-skins and leaf-plates here and there. Many a time a hawker may indulge in theft or stealing. An anti-social element may also be there in the guise of a street hawker. It is not safe to purchase things from unknown hawkers. Hawkers should be registered and licenced to check cheating and mal-practices. They may cheat small children and supply cheap and harmful eatables. Sometimes a hawker may turnout a child-lifter. Thousands and thousands of poor people earn their daily bread by hawking. It is a very useful self-employment which can be started with a very small amount of money. There is no harm in earning one’s bread and butter by hawking. Government should try to help them by giving loans on cheap rates of interest. Their lot should be improved as citizens of the country. As hawkers, they render a useful service. Instead of becoming a burden on the society, they support themselves and their families by adopting this profession. So far no social group or government agency has done anything to organise them. How to cite The Street Hawker, Papers

Improving Academic Achievement And Through -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Improving Academic Achievement And Through? Answer: Introduction Students enrolled in higher education face several learning challenges. For some students, time management is an issue in learning and for others, coping with reading materials become challenging. Despite these issues, one of the main limitations found in student is that they are not active learners. This can be said because they have little interaction with their peers or tutor during the learning process (Fook Sidhu, 2015). Hence, collaborative approach is needed so that students excel in the process of learning. Due to this limitation, active learning approach has been recommended to students so that they deeply engage in their education for different purpose. Students can achieve this by different management such as peer-to-peer interaction, group discussion, collaborative assignment and group participation. This kind of participation in active learning activities can decrease failure rates and increase enthusiasm for learning among students (Armbruster et al., 2009). Although m any types of active learning methods has been mentioned, however the main focus of this report is to evaluate the role of peer-to-peer learning in promoting students independence. Exploration in this area will help to determine how peer-to-peer learning can influence key learning outcome of students. Findings and discussion Peer-to-peer learning is the process of two-way or reciprocal learning activity, which involves mutual sharing of ideas, knowledge and experience between participants. This form of participative learning with peers helps students to develop the skills of working collaboratively and receiving valuable feedback regarding their knowledge from peers (Kelly Katz, 2016). Peers may be anyone with good expertise in the area of study or little experience in study. However, people in the role of a tutor or expert practitioner cannot be regarded as peers. Hence, seniors, classmates or colleagues can regarded as peers in the learning process. Peer-to-peer learning is highly encouraged for students because it plays a major role in promoting students independence. This can be said because peer learning increases confidence of students and develop their competence in area of study or practice. The research study by Stone, Cooper Cant, (2013) also supports the fact students who want to acquire pro fessional skills should engage in peer learning. The author proved this point by exploring the role of peer learning on developing communication and critical thinking skills in undergraduate student nurses. The evaluation of effects of peer learning on students revealed that peer learning promotes independent study and problem solving skills in students. Such students developed sense of autonomy in learning and understood their responsibility in education. This proved that students get benefit from peer learning process. Another argument regarding the benefits of peer-to-peer learning process for student is that they easily accept information in this process of learning. This can be said because they can always approach their peers for advice and guidance. Peer-to-peer learning process also has the advantage of addressing barriers in the learning process. For instance, when students engage in the process of learning, they often develop anxiety when fail to interpret new concepts in their subject. Stress, anxiety and shame are some negative emotions that students develop during the learning process. This happens both for novice as well as proficient learners. However, when such students get the opportunity of peer tutoring, they develop a sense of belonging and their anxiety is reduced too. Interaction with peer and students enhance the knowledge acquisition process. This clarity in learning process opens opportunities for independence in their future professional careers too. After placement in their desired professional post, they are able to solve their problems independently (Stone, Cooper Cant, 2013). Peer learning is also favored by many educators because it has an impact on developing social skills among students. This is also related to promoting independent in students because social skills facilitate good academic and employment performance. Poor social skill is the reason for adverse learning experiences among students. They develop low self-esteem when they face challenges in the acquiring new ideas. However, Mellado, Valdebenito Aravena, (2017) argued that cooperative learning methods like peer tutoring is an effective strategy that can enable students to achieve academic objectives. Investigation on skill development in children after the peer tutoring program has showed that students have made improved their social skills and developed confidence in expressing themselves. This proved that peer-to-peer learning is an innovative learning framework as contributes to personal development of students. Social skill is necessary for students today due its future implications i n their job role. Hence, getting to closely interact with peers brings changes in students behavior and this process facilitates development of communication skills. When they discuss with peers regarding their lessons, they ask questions as well defend different point of views. This helps students to resolve their cognitive challenges (De Backer, Van Keer Valcke, (2015). Therefore, peer tutoring has become a powerful resource in education context as it improves social skills and enhances satisfaction in the learning process too. Students should embrace peer tutoring because of its ability to develop communicative and collaborative behavior in patient. The main problem for students who are enrolled in higher education is that they become disengaged from their study once they submit their assessment work. They do not make any judgment about what issues they faced during completing the work or miss opportunities for crucial learning (Thomas, Martin Pleasants, 2011). In short, it can be said that they become passive recipient of assessment outcomes. The review of literature has revealed students motivation is an important criterion in effective learning. However, lack of motivation in some students is the reason for poor accounting achievement. In the context of this problem too, peer learning is found beneficial in developing learning outcome and facilitating meaningful learning among students. Razak See, (2010) has explained that peer learning is one tool that promotes attainment in students and increases their motivation to review and comprehend lessons. The benefits of peer learning can also be explained by theoretical model of social constructivism, which states that progress in learning occurs under the guidance of others (Kiraly, 2014). Hence, this element is provided by peer learning within groups, as students can get help from experts and assimilate ideas that cannot understand on their own. Students get the opportunity to actively convey ideas to their peers and solve their problems under the guidance of suitable peers. The benefits of peer learning for promoting students independence are understood from discussion on four valid points that improves learning outcome of students. Peer learning process has also found favor according to different social learning theories. For instance, Vgygotskys social constructivist theory has importance implications for peer learning. He gave idea about a zone of proximal development (ZPD) which showed that potential development of a person occurs when they engage in problem solving under experts guidance (Kiraly, 2014). This implies that effective knowledge acquisition can occurs under the guidance of experts. This further emphasizes the if students collaborate with their peers, they can become confident learners. Conclusion The report gave an insight into the common issues faced by students when they learn in a isolated environment without any interaction with others. With evidence regarding the need for active learning process among students to engage in learning, the report proceeded with the discussion on peer-to-peer learning method as an active learning activity. Four comprehensive arguments were presented evidence based findings that proved how peer-to-peer learning can promote students independence. The four role of peer learning on students learning included creating sense of belonging and reducing anxiety among students, improving social skills and confidence in students, promoting independent study and critical thinking skills and facilitating meaningful learning. The importance of peer learning is also proved by the theoretical model of social constructivism. Hence, all these points justified the effectiveness of peer learning method on promoting students independence in learning. This report has implications for education sector and universities so that institutions increase the opportunity for students to engage with their peer to achieve academic success. Recommendation Based on reviewing the findings on the impact of peer-to-peer learning on students independence, it can be said that learning organizations can play a key role in encouraging students to engage in collaboration with peer. Hence, some key recommendation to engage students in collaborative learning by interaction with peers includes the following: Higher universities should implement peer learning programs in universities so that group discussions enhance meaningful learning process. Motivation of the students in the learning process should be encouraged by developing assessment process for students. This will help to identify glitches or barriers that impede students from learning new concepts in an effective manner. While implementing peer learning programs, peers should give sufficient time to students so that factors contributing to anxiety in student are identified and proper solution is given to students to address conflicts during the learning process. The interest of students in peer learning process should aroused by implementing short educative sessions in universities. In addition, participation in peer tutoring should be encourages by strategies like rewards for academic achievement. References Armbruster, P., Patel, M., Johnson, E., Weiss, M. (2009). Active learning and student-centered pedagogy improve student attitudes and performance in introductory biology.CBE-Life Sciences Education,8(3), 203-213, doi:10.1187/cbe.09-03-0025 De Backer, L., Van Keer, H., Valcke, M. (2015). Exploring evolutions in reciprocal peer tutoring groups' socially shared metacognitive regulation and identifying its metacognitive correlates.Learning and Instruction,38, 63-78, available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2015.04.001 Fook, C. Y., Sidhu, G. K. (2015). Investigating learning challenges faced by students in higher economics.Procedia-social and behavioral sciences,186, 604-612, doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.001 Kelly, P., Katz, L. (2016). Comparing Peer-to-Peer and Individual Learning: Teaching Basic Computer Skills to Disadvantaged Adults.International Journal of Adult Vocational Education and Technology (IJAVET),7(4), 1-15, DOI:10.4018/IJAVET.2016100101 Kiraly, D. (2014).A social constructivist approach to translator education: Empowerment from theory to practice. Routledge, available at: https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=enlr=id=mcoJBAAAQBAJoi=fndpg=PP1dq=A+social+constructivist+approach+to+translator+education:+Empowerment+from+theory+to+practice.+ots=d6VaPJ2lE4sig=5QtRjsGLMNmlQqKay4-kbWf1XfA#v=onepageq=A%20social%20constructivist%20approach%20to%20translator%20education%3A%20Empowerment%20from%20theory%20to%20practice.f=false Mellado, M. E., Valdebenito, V., Aravena, O. (2017). Peer tutoring to develop social skills among university students.Int. J. of Pedagogies Learning,12(2), 147-159, available at: https://www.adamhousepress.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/5Mellado.pdf Razak, R. A., See, Y. C. (2010). Improving academic achievement and motivation through online peer learning.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,9, 358-362, doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.164 Stone, R., Cooper, S., Cant, R. (2013). The value of peer learning in undergraduate nursing education: a systematic review.ISRN nursing,2013, available at: https://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/930901 Thomas, G., Martin, D., Pleasants, K. (2011). Using self-and peer-assessment to enhance students future-learning in higher education.Journal of University Teaching Learning Practice,8(1), 5, Available at:https://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol8/iss1/5

5 Critical Concepts You Must Understand to Ace ACT English

5 Critical Concepts You Must Understand to Ace ACT English SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The ACT English can be overwhelming. There are so many questions! And they're mostly just underlined text: what are they even asking? Of course, that confusion is the whole point: it's what makes this part of the test hard. What does that mean for you? Because the ACT test writersrely on yourconfusion about the formatto confuse you, the questions themselves usually aren't that difficult. In order to excel onthe English section of the ACT, you first need to understand how it's organized- if you're not yet clear on that, take a look at our post laying out exactly what's tested on the ACT English. Onceyou know the basics of how this section of the test work, you just have tolearnhow to approach it. Do that, and you’ll find that the English section is surprisinglysimple! There are five key points you need to understand about the ACT English: ACT English Isn't the Same as High School English The ACT Tests a Limited Set of English Concepts You Always Need a Plan You Can Use the Format to Your Advantage Rushing Will Hurt Your Score Let's go through these one at a time. Feature Image Credit: CollegeDegrees360 #1: ACT English Isn't the Same as Everyday InformalEnglish A lot of students believe that since they speak English the English section should be easy, right? Not quite. Even students who excel with writing and grammar in school can struggle with the ACT English because the testhas its own logic. The ACTwill sometimes consider sentences that would be fine with your English teacher wrong, while some of the constructions that are correct on the test would make your teacher cringe. Answers That Sound Right but Are Actually Wrong A common strategy on the ACT English is to "listen" for errors and pick the answer that "sounds" correct. This approach is certainly helpful for picking out some of the more obvious errors, but the test will use it against you. There are a lot of questions about constructions that we routinely misuse in spoken English- they may sound right, but they're actually wrong. Take "should of" for example: If he didn't want to be late, he should of taken the shorter route. Soundsfine! But this is actually a misspelling of "should've," the contraction of "should have." If you say both "should've" and "should of" out loud, you'll notice that they sound almost identical. The correct version of the sentence is: If he didn't want to be late, he should'vetaken the shorter route. I don't recommend relying on "listening" for errors, but if you do plan to do so (and even if you don't) make sure to study the errors that we routinely make when speaking: pronouns, subject-verb agreement, word choice, and commas. Unfamiliar Grammar Rules Even more confusing are the ACT English's unique grammar rules, manyof which will becompletely new to youor evencontradict what you've been taught in school. With that in mind,the most important advice I can give you about the ACT English is to approach the test on its own terms. For example, a common error I see students make is assuming that the most formal answer is the best one. In school you're expected to use very formal English for essays and assignments, so shouldn't the ACT want the same thing? But it doesn't quite work that way, as you'll see in this example. This question asks for an answer that does two things: "provides the most specific detail" and "maintains the style and tone of the essay." Choices A and B can be ruled out because neither one provides specific details. That leaves answers C and D, which both specify that the kiln's temperature rises above a thousand degrees- the difference between them is one of tone. If you're looking for the most formal answer, D seems correct; however, that answer is unnecessarily wordy and doesn't fit with the more conversational style of the passage itself. As such, C, which provides the relevant detail in a tone that fits into the passage, is the correct answer. You can't assume that the ACT English follows the same rules that you've been taught in school; instead, you have to understand what the test itself wants you to know. The ACT English is not like this(Â © David Shankbone) #2: The Rules for ACT English May Be Weird, but There Aren't That Many of Them If, as I just told you,a lot of what you already know about English is useless on the ACT, then what do you need to know? In short, you must know the specific set of rules that the ACT considers important, as well as how those rules are tested on the ACT. Well, luckily, the types of questions on the ACT Englishare extremely limited, which makes this section of the test surprisingly easy to study for.These questions fall into two categories:usage and mechanics (~55%) and rhetorical skills (~45%).I'mnot going to detailall the concepts you need to know- take a look at our complete guide to ACT grammar rules for that- instead, I'm going to help you start analyzinghow the ACTwritersdesign questions. Remember that the ACT tests conceptsin context, so it's less important to know the names of terms of the reason behind rules than to understand how to spot and correct errors. Usage and Mechanics The usage and mechanics questions are divvied up into three categories: sentence structure, which includes sentence fragments, run-ons, misplaced modifiers, and parallelism grammar and usage, which includes subject-verb agreement, verb tense, pronoun usage, and adjectives and adverbs punctuation, which includes commas, apostrophes, dashes, colons, and semi-colons. To do well on the usage and mechanics, you have to both know the grammar rules as definedby the ACT andunderstand how to spot those errors in practice. That means studying the concepts- see our in-depthguide to the ACT English(coming soon!) or our guide to the best ACT books- and then drilling yourself with real ACT practice passages, which you can find in the Official Guide to the ACT or online. Because the ACT is standardized, these topics are tested in certain defined ways that you will see again and again. For example, a lot of verb tense questions are actually subject-verb agreement questions in disguise: all the answers are in different forms, but only one is correctly conjugated. As you practice, keep an eye out for these types of tricks- the better you get at understanding the logic of the questions, the higher your score will be. Rhetorical Skills Rhetorical skills questions are the ones that really confuse a lot of students, since they aren't even remotely similar to the test questionsyou seein school. The ACT categorizes them in to three groups: organization, which covers transitions and sentence and paragraph order strategy, which covers sentence additions and main idea questions style, which covers redundancy and word choice. Though each type of rhetorical skills question has its own quirks, they're almost all governed by two basic principles: All prose should be as clear as possible. You must answer the question you're being asked. That may sound like gibberish, so let's break it down. When I say that you should prioritize clarity in picking answers, I mean that you want to focus on finding the clearest answer, i.e. the choice that provides all of the necessary information and nothing more, in the most straightforward way possible.Phrasing questions will try to confuse you with extra words that sound smart or important: don't let them fool you! My second point may seem superfluous (of course you have to answer the question!), but it's just as important as the first. On the ACT English, the test itemsthat involve actual questions will ask you for very specific things. You must read these questions carefully and pick the answer that best fits the criteria they lay out. Let's look at an actual rhetorical skills question to see how to apply these ideas. None of these answers involve a lot of extra words, but C and D are both phrased slightly confusingly, so we can probably rule those out. Next, let's look at what exactly the question is asking for: a specific and vivid description of the underwater terrain. Now we can definitely be sure that C and D are wrong- they're both quitevague. Moreover, we can see that A must be the correct answer, since it's the only one that gives a sense of what the underwater scene actually looks like. Now that we've covered how the ACT English is different from what you might expect, let's cover the tools you need to tackle this admittedly weird test successfully. #3: Always Have a Plan of Attack Because the format of the ACT English is so different from the tests you take in school, it's easy to get confused or overwhelmed and end up approaching the passages haphazardly, looking at each underlined section individually. Don't do this! Because the test is designed to test grammar concepts in context, looking at only the underlined portions will cause you to miss questions. Instead, you want to have a strategy for how you approach passages that you use every time you take the test, whether it's for practice or the real thing. Different methods work best for different people, and you'll have to decide what makes the most sense for you. However, every goodstrategyshares one vital principle: no matter where in asentence the underlined section appears, you must always read to the end of the sentence. If you don't do this, it will hurt your score- a lot. For a full breakdown of the pros and cons of different strategies, take a look at our post onthe best way to approach the ACT English passages. Below I've included a quick take on two possible approaches. The Best Strategy for ApproachingACT English Passages Like I said before, every student has their own way of approaching things. However, I've found that the strategy that best minimizes the potential for misunderstanding context is to first read each paragraph and then go back and answer all the questions about that paragraph. Let's walk through how this works in an actual ACT Passage. In this example, you start by reading the first paragraph, until the purple line. Then you answer the questions that are marked with purple boxes. You can see how having read the entire paragraph makes answering question 26, which asks for the sentence that "most effectively introduces the information that follows," much easier. You'll still needto be especially careful with questions 27 and 28, since they appear in the same sentence- in these cases, make sure to look at both underlined portions and consider whether the answer to one will affect the answer to the other. Once you've completed the two-step process for that paragraph, you move on to the next one. Read down to the green line, and then answer the question marked in green. On a real ACT English section, you would repeat this process for each paragraph in each passage. Strategy for Those who Struggle with Time Though the above strategy is ideal, as it gives the clearest understanding of the context for each question, you may find that it's too time consuming. If you are running out of time on the English section with more than a couple of questions of left, you may want to focus more closelyon the underlined portions of the passage. In this strategy, you read only the sentences that contain underlined portions (you still have to read the entire sentence, though), answering the specificquestions as you go, and then going back to any big picture questions at the end.You can see how this approachworks in the example below. 26 is a big picture question, so we skip the blue highlighted portion, and go straight to pink sentence. We read that and answer 27 and 28. Next,we readthe yellow sentence, answer 29, read the green sentence, and answer 30. Finally, we return to the blue sentence and answer 26. For a full passage, you follow the same pattern but for all 15 questions. This strategy can work, but it's not nearly as reliable as the first one. I don't recommend it if you're shooting for a score higher than a 25. (In case you're curious, the correct answers for the questionsabove are as follows: 26. G, 27. D, 28. F, 29. A, 30. G) Remember: always have a plan! #4: Use the Structure of the Test to Your Advantage Once you masteryourapproach to the passages, you'll need to learn how the ACT English questions work. The best way to do that is just to look at, practice with, and analyze as many real ACT questions as possible. Keep in mind that the test is multiple choice and consider how you can usethat to your advantage. Here are a fewtips toget you started. Strategy: Consider How the Answer Choices are Different from Each Other Let's say you look at an underlined portion and don't see anything wrong: you should just bubble A (for no change) and move on, right? Not quite. Just because you don't recognize the error immediatelydoesn't mean there isn't one. Instead, try looking at the answers. What's the difference (or differences) between them? Once you figure that out, you'll know what kind of question you're dealing with- whether it's a subject-verbagreement or idiomatic usage question, for example. Let's look at some examples: Even without knowing the context, wecan see that this a question about punctuation. Looking back at the sentence, you could then determine what factors willaffect the correct punctuation here: maybe there's adash earlier in the sentenceand you need another one to properly punctuatea interjection or maybe this punctuation mark falls between two independent clauses, making the semicolon correct. Next, we've got a trickier case: Inthis example, we can see that there are two questions at issue: whether"therefore" or "in addition" is the correct transition and whether a period or a comma is the correct punctuation. With two concept questions like this, you can narrow down choices based on one of the issues, even if you aren't sure about the other one. Strategy: Don't Get Too Attached to Your Own Idea ofthe Answer We've talked about what to do when you aren't immediately sure what's going on with a question, but what about the times when you immediately know what's wrong and how to fix it? For the most part, those occasions are the best case scenarios- you should still read all the answer choices and double check to make sure you aren't falling into any traps, like failing to read to the end of a sentence or missing a "not" in the question, but usually you'll be able to quickly determine the right choice and move on. However, there will be times, especially when dealing with the rhetorical skills question, that you come up withthe perfect answer only to find that there's no choice even remotely similar to it. Don't panic! Think about what the erroris, rather than what would be correct, and eliminate any answers with the same mistake. Then try to narrow down the rest of the choices. Once you've got it down to one choice, plug that back into the sentence and see if it makes sense. Strategy: Eliminate Identical Answers This is a pretty simple strategy, but a lot of students find it really helpful: If two answers are functionally identical, they must both be wrong. Think about it this way:if you have a transition question and "Furthermore" and "Moreover" are both answer choices, how can you choose between them? You can't, because they mean the same thing. As such, both answers must be wrong. The exception to this rule is if there are more than two answers that are all the same. In that case, you've probably missed the part of the question that says "Which of the following would NOT be acceptable?" Go back and check. Keep an eye out for these kinds of patterns as you study- they're invaluable for conqueringthe weird world of the ACT English! This is good advice for every section of the ACT! #5: Don't Rush! After reading all this advice, you may be wondering how you will possibly get through the whole English section of the ACT in just 45 minutes. After all, it includes five passages and 75 questions, which is quite a lot. However, if you try out a couple of practice sections, you'll find that they go much faster than you expect. In fact, manystudents make a lot of careless mistakes because they're rushing to get through the test and then end up with time left over at the end. If you have more than one or two minutes left at the end of the English section and are missing more than a handful of questions,you're moving too fast. Even ifyou do find yourself running out of time, it may not benefit you to speed up. Rushing will always hurt your score. You may be better off guessing on some of the questions at the very end or skipping some of the time consuming big picture questions than you would be struggling to get to every single question in the allotted time. What's Next? Now that you understand the big picture of the English ACT, drill into some specific grammar topics, starting with our complete guide to commas. Aiming for that elusive perfect 36? Try our guide to getting a 36 on the ACT English from a perfect scorer. Or maybe after that you're considering switching to the SAT? Make sure you understand the differences between ACT English and SAT Writing first. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Foreign Policy of the Obama Administration

Foreign Policy of the Obama Administration Free Online Research Papers â€Å"There is a great exhalation of breath going on around the world. We’ve got a lot of damage to repair.† This are the words of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which I believe best describe the expectations and the also the objectives of the new American President Barack Obama. There is no doubt that those, who followed the 2008 US Presidential Elections, have witnessed history in the making, because this event will not affect only the future of the US but also of the entire international scene. But what damage exactly is Hillary Clinton speaking of? What are the main concerns of this Administration? Of course the immediate challenge of the Barack Obama is resolving the Economical crisis. But what I think to be one of the main reasons for which Obama was elected is the change he promised at an international level. What he must face first is the unpopularity of the US in the world, unpopularity that represents a great setback when it comes to Foreign Affairs. This problem is best described by Madeline Albright, former Secretary of State, who, when asked about the image of the US in the world, said: â€Å"I feel very strongly about this country, and what an exceptional country it is. But I honestly think it is about as bad as I’ve seen it†¦ I think Iraq will go down in history as the greatest disaster of American foreign policy – worse than Vietnam.† In his first major foreign policy speech of his campaign given on April 23, 2007 to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Obama delineated his foreign policy goals, emphasizing five key points: bringing a responsible end to this war in Iraq and refocusing on the critical challenges in the broader region,; building the first truly 21st century military and showing wisdom in how we deploy it,; marshalling a global effort to meet a threat that rises above all others in urgency – securing, destroying, and stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction,; rebuild and construct the alliances and partnerships necessary to meet common challenges and confront common threats, and while America can help others build more secure societies, we must never forget that only the citizens of these nations can sustain them. As we see grand U.S. foreign policy goals will likely remain the same: The US will still wants to discourage security competition in Europe and Asia, prevent the emergence of hostile great powers, promote a more open world economy, inhibit the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and expand democracy and respect for human rights. Since 9/11 the campaign against global terrorism has been the central aim of American foreign and defense policy and with Obama as Commander-in-chief we will witness a return to where it started, Afghanistan. Right from his opening speech, Obama, expanding on his foreign policy, implied that he planed to set in motion the process of withdrawing from Iraq and maintaining the concentration over the conflict in Afghanistan. As one who considers himself to be a pragmatic when it comes to foreign policy, he stated even as early as 2002, in a speech, against the Iraq War, â€Å"I don’t oppose all wars†¦ What I am opposed to is a dumb war†¦ a rash war, a war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics†¦ I know also that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to its neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military is a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history. I know that even if a successful war against Iraq will require a US occupation of undetermine d length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences.† Obama believes that the war was a strategic blunder and opposed it from the beginning: â€Å"This war distracts us from every threat that we face and so many opportunities that we could seize. This war diminishes our security, our standing in the world, our military, our economy, and the resources we need to confront the challenges of the twenty-first century. By any measure, our single-minded and open-ended focus on Iraq is not a sound strategy for keeping America safe.† He is on record as wanting to withdraw US forces from Iraq within 16 months. Given the decrease in violence in Iraq since the US ‘surge’ there has been greater responsibility of Iraqi affairs transferred to the Iraqi government themselves, this maybe possible. However, because it is a delicate situation any hastily withdraw of US forces may prove counter-productive as there is the potential for violence on a major scale to erupt again. As we said before, while the number of US troops in Iraq will decrease, the number in Afghanistan will rise as key decisions will be made on re-deployments. The Afghanistan/Pakistan region is central to US interests. This hot spot is of immense strategic importance not only to American security but also to global security. This area could also be seen as a potential bridge between South and Central Asia. Obama wants to focus American energies on the region. This is evident given his decision to visit Afghanistan before Iraq when he toured the Middle East in July 08. In a speech made also in July 08 Obama stated if elected president he would send more combat troops to Afghanistan, about 17,000, and focus on training their security forces, increase the non-military assistance in order to change the mindsets and livelihoods of the population in the hope that the economy would grow. And although he wants to change the US policy on Pakistan by tripling non-military aid to the country and help build a strong democracy which in turn would help towards securing nuclear weapons from terrorists and rogue states. What Obama is trying to get accomplished in Afghanistan and Pakistan is the disruption, dismantling, and defeat of al-Qaeda, the destruction of any al-Qaeda safe haven, to protect the Afghan government and to fortify the capability of the Afghan security forces and government to improve the protect of their population. There is also tension between India and Pakistan who both possess nuclear weapons. This conflict has been ongoing since August 1947 when India and Pakistan were created from British India. Recent developments in this conflict involve the Kashmir region with Pakistan controlling the northwest portion, India controlling the central and southern portion and China controlling the northeastern portion of Kashmir. The Obama Administration has received criticism in response to the lack of immediate interest in India, many of the former Bush Administration underlining the importance of having India as an ally in the region and urging Obama to improve his relations to the South-Asian state. Iran will also be high up on the agenda for President Obama. In July 07 Obama said he would meet with the leaders of Iran and other rogue states such as Syria and North Korea without pre-conditions. Now this stance has changed slightly to meeting them only after the proper ground work has been established and at a time and place of his choosing. It must be noted however, that the use of force against Iran has not been ruled out by Obama but he did say that â€Å"it would be a profound mistake for us to initiate a war with Iran.† Talking about the plans he has for the situation in the broader Middle East, in his Foreign Affairs article in July/August 2007, Obama stated that if elected President he wants a clear and strong commitment to the security of Israel and identify and strengthen those who are committed to peace and isolate those who seek conflict and instability. In relation to Syria, a similar process to that of Iran will be pursued, that of diplomacy and pressure. In regard to the problems between Israel and the Palestinians Obama expressed concern that Israeli settlements and demolition of Arab homes in East Jerusalem will slow down the peace process. Together with Secretary of State Clinton he also sustained the idea of establishing a Palestinian state a solution encouraged by Israeli Foreign Minister and opposition leader-to-be Tzipi Livni, but not sanctioned by Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu. Obama also reprimanded the denial of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism declaring: Six million Jews were killed more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless, ignorant, and hateful†¦Threatening Israel with destruction or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve. Obama believes the US should work closely with China and Russia to address the major issues facing not only the US but the world, climate change and spread of nuclear weapons. These issues are global problems which require global solutions thus working closely with these major powers is essential. Relations with China and Russia have been largely tranquil since 9/11, however this may change in the near future especially with Russia given the recent disagreements with the US over Georgia and the Polish missile defense. The main principles that should describe the US relations with Russia in the near future are co-operation and consultation. The first step worth mentioning would be the fact that Russia deferred its plan to place missiles on the Polish border near Kaliningrad after being assured by the Obama Administration that the former plans of deploying a missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic are being reviewed. Of course, there still remain grounds on which the two â€Å"superpowers† will not agree upon, like recognition by the US of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states or the existence of any type of sphere of influence. What’s more, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has been negotiating the reduction of nuclear inventories on behalf of the Obama Administration. Also President Obama met with President Medveev, and both declared that We are ready to move beyond Cold War mentalities and chart a fresh start in relations between our two countries. On July 6, 2009, President Barack Obama and President Dimitry Medveev held a three hour meeting in the Kremlin in Russia. They agreed to a reduction of their nuclear stockpiles within seven years after a new treaty is created. The START I treaty, which is the current nuclear weapons agreement between the two countries, expires in December 2009. With China economic issues may prove to be the key in US/China relations. Obama has argued for a strategy combining engagement and balancing, and encourages China to play a greater role in finding solutions to global problems. He is noted as saying â€Å"we will compete with China in some areas and cooperate in others. Our essential challenge is to build a relationship that broadens cooperation while strengthening our ability to compete.† On April 1, 2009, Obama and Hu Jintao announced the establishment of the high-level U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue co-chaired by Hillary Clinton and Timothy Geithner on the U.S. side and Dai Bingguo and Wang Qishan on the Chinese side. The meeting took place on July 27-28, 2009 in Washington, D.C. Closer alliances and increasing cooperation between the US and Russia and China will have another advantage when it comes to another situation that merits close US attention in the new Obama administration, North Korea. Recently its leader Kim Jong II has been reported as being in bad health thus the country faces an uncertain future and there is a risk that it will restart its nuclear program. It looks likely that China will be the key in persuading North Korea to pursue a non-nuclear path. Concerning Africa, Obama and many of his advisors have strong views on humanitarian intervention and given the fact that many African countries are in a volatile situation, and what some people may believe is Obama’s responsibility to protect, especially on the African continent, given his ancestral roots, the use of force maybe more prevalent. At some point in his campaign Obama mentioned that one of his main concerns for was trying to stop what U.S. officials have termed genocide in Darfur, fighting poverty, and expanding prosperity. Also an immense consideration will be directed towards the tensions in Sudan, Somalia and eastern Congo. A number of analysts consider that by nominating Susan Rice, the former assistant secretary of state for African affairs, as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Obama showed that he would make the African continent the main priority of his administration. On January 13 2009, Hillary Clinton depicted the foreign policy objectives of the Obama administration in Africa as rooted in security, political, economic and humanitarian interests. She added that some of the Obama administration objectives would comprise combating al-Qaidas efforts to seek safe havens in failed states in the Horn of Africa; helping African nations to conserve their natural resources and reap fair benefits from them; stopping war in Congo; ending autocracy in Zimbabwe and human devastation in Darfur. On April 8, 2009 Richard Phillips, a captain of an American cargo ship, was taken hostage by Somali pirates, in a unsuccessful effort to take over the Maersk Alabama. A rescue mission was carried out at the order of President Obama and on April 12, 2009 he was rescued. A memorandum of understanding with Kenya was signed by President Obama in which it was stated that pirates captured of Kenya’s coast are to be tried in Kenyan courts. This choice was deeply criticized, due to the existing fear that it would endanger relations with the Somalia President, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, on who, according to The New York Times, „the world is counting to tackle piracy and beat back the spread of militant Islam, two Somali problems that have flared into major geopolitical ones. Concerning Somalia there has been also talk that the US may supplement its arms consignment to Somalia from 40 tones to 80 tons, even as other reports show that part of these weapons may have ended into the hands of al-Shabab, the main opposition in Somalia. Due to globalization, China, Brazil and India along with a stronger European Union make it inevitable that the US no longer calls the shots alone in this new dispensation. Globalization requires more cooperation. Thus the concept of a single superpower world no longer fits. In Brazil, cooperation seems hard to achieve after the instatement of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which contained a Buy American clause. Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim informed President Obama that Brazil will contest U.S. economic protectionism, which has become a concern after the latest economic recession. Also in the Western Hemisphere there is the issue of Cuba. On the subject of Cuba, Barack Obama declared in 2008 that, if elected, he will base his policy on libertad, and that he will urge the implementation of democratic reforms and that he will negotiate with the Cuban government a possible release of political prisoners. After being elected Obama enjoyed a great support from president Raul Castro with his idea of closing the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, although both Raul Castro, and his brother Fidel advocate a more radical measure, that of shutting down the entire Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and giving back that territory to Cuba. In concern to the embargo over Cuba, Obama is still against lifting the embargo, in his view a valuable tool in convincing the Cuban government to accept any type of reform , even though the United States House of Representatives is trying to alleviate certain travel and cash transactions imposed against Cuba by the U.S. In the same region we have the problem of Honduras, whose president was arrested and exiled, actions reprimanded by Obama. This resulted in the suspension of economic and military aid to the Honduran government. Then there is Venezuela. Although Barack Obama showed to be conciliant with Venezuela the Venezuelan President Hugo Chvez made it rather clear that he does not consider that the new American administration will bring along any changes. He even used tactless remarks to show his disapproval towards the American President: Dont mess with me, Mr. Obama, advised Chvez, who has been president of Venezuela since 1999. Then he accused the US President of not being aware of the situation in Latin and of not knowing the â€Å"suffering† that the US and Europe caused to the state of Latin America. Obama responded: We have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms, but I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations. In Europe the issues that arose relate, except for Russia, to Estonia, Switzerland, Kosovo, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Estonia was and continues to be a small but vital ally of the United States in Afghanistan. President Ilves stated that while Estonia, like its allies, had experienced severe losses, they would make a huge effort and will not abandon the mission in Afghanistan. Regarding Kosovo, the United States is continuing its policy of recognition of the Republic of Kosovo under the Obama administration. The Obama administrations foreign policy toward Switzerland was characterized in a March 2009 editorial for The Guardian as increasingly hostile. Indeed, Obama always pressed for a clear out on tax havens , even as a senator Obama supporting the Stop Tax Havens Act of 2007, which acknowledged Switzerland as among 34 Offshore Secrecy Jurisdictions. In response the conservative Swiss Peoples Party proposed a number of disciplinary measures for Bern to inflict on the United States, including rejection of Guantnamo Bay prisoners and repatriation of Swiss gold from the U.S. On February 28, 2009, Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz suggested that Switzerland might need to make a few concessions on matters of bank secrecy in light of the financial crisis in order to avoid being sanctioned as an uncooperative tax haven. Former United States Ambassador to Switzerland Faith Whittlesey advised the Obama administration against taking too hostile an attitude with a government she characterized as stable, responsible[and] reliable, warning that a decline of relations with Switzerland could lead to greater economic chaos. Later the Obama Administration expressed their willingness to negotiate with Switzerland†. The Obama administration achieved a diplomatic victory when Switzerland stated that it would adjust its policy to OECD standards and from this time forth cooperate with foreign bodies on matters of international tax evasion. The United States assured the government of Ukraine that it would continue to support Ukraine’s bid to join NATO despite Russia’s objections, and that the reconstruction of US – Russia relations will not come at Ukraine’s expense and once again rejected the idea of a Russian sphere of influence: We must apply state sovereignty to all nations and that includes nations like Georgia and Ukraine. In London, questions came up concerning Obamas goals as regards to the future of the special relationship between the U.S. and its past colonial administrator. Some believe that Obama will approach relations with the U.K. in a more businesslike, less personal way. Nevertheless, on March 1, 2009, Brown addressed the topic of joint Anglo-American leadership to combat the recession in a column for The Sunday Times. He declared that he and Obama would talk about a global new deal that would support integrated action by different national governments to drive away the effects of the economic crisis, as well as international collaboration to establish the reform of challenging industries, such as financial corporations. Ties with Turkey were strained under the George W. Bush administration, in part due to Turkish military operations into northern Iraq in 2008. Visits were made by Obama’s staff and Obama himself in an attempt to restore the strategic partnership between the United States and Turkey. He said Turkeys accession to the European Union would send an important signal to the Muslim world and firmly anchor the country in Europe. The trip celebrated Obamas foremost visit to a Muslim majority country. Obama has emphasized that a secure rapport with a stable, democratic, Western-oriented Republic of Turkey is a vital U.S. national concern. His administration stated that the U.S. will sustain the encouragement of democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression in Turkey and sustain its efforts to join the European Union, which the president confirmed on his April visit. In the beginning, we mentioned that Obama considered himself to be a pragmatic. He also presents himself as an idealist and therefore would agree with an element of Bush’s foreign policy – freedom’s universal appeal, though he would differ when it comes to the use of force abroad to bring about freedom. The means employed to achieve the ends of US foreign policy is where Obama and his democratic administration differ from that of Bush. While Bush’s methods depended more on a one-sided use of force which was more state-centric, Obama prefers a joint tactic with a stress on non-state actors and non-traditional security threats. Obama believes that America is stronger and is more respected when it works with its allies and institutions in order to protect American power. The international system is looked through the lens of globalization rather than a contest between states. States need to work together to discover incorporated and joint answers to the different international threats every state faces: â€Å"dangers that cannot be contained within the borders of a country or by the distance of an ocean.† Even though the management of the US military and its use of force will be the central element to the success of any of the foreign policy challenges facing the new Obama administration, Obama wants to increase the number of US military personnel and increase their ability to fight insurgencies and advise foreign forces. In other words, he wants to increase the role of the non-conventional way of war. In his Foreign Affairs article Obama affirmed that, â€Å"The Bush administration responded to the unconventional attacks of 9/11 with conventional thinking of the past, largely viewing problems as state-based and principally amenable to military solutions.† However, military solutions to these problem states have proven not to be the case in the post-Cold War world. Obama has shown a tendency to shift the focus of American foreign policy away from its traditional reliance on the use of force, to more of a strengthening of non-military elements of state-craft such as diplomac y and state-building. In his New Strategy for a New World he said, â€Å"Instead of pushing the entire burden of our foreign policy on to the brave men and women of our military, I want to use all elements of American power to keep us safe, and prosperous, and free†¦ I will pursue a tough, smart and principled national security strategy, one that recognizes that we have interests not only in Baghdad, but in Kandahar, and Karachi, in Tokyo and London, in Beijing and Berlin.† Although the main reason of his election is the message of change which he transmitted, President Barack Obama, and also his staff, declared that not every decision made in the past will be repudiated. Given Obama’s message of change and the fact that he has presented himself as a pragmatist, focusing on diplomacy and partnership, many may be surprised about his style of foreign policy in the fact that it may not produce the dramatic shifts that they anticipate. The US has to consider its geo-political position and will not want to make any rash changes in its foreign policy which may be seen by friend or foe as a sign of weakness. Furthermore, it must also be noted that during Bush’s second term there was a move away from the unilateralist state-centric approach that dominated his first term in office, to more multilateralism with a focus on diplomacy in the style that Obama has advocated. In January 2006 US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice introduced a document known as Transformational Diplomacy which set out how US foreign policy will be conducted in the final years of the Bush administration. There was a greater emphasis on diplomacy and working closely with alliances. Rice portrayed it as, â€Å"working with our many partners around the world†¦ and building and sustaining democratic, well-governed states that will respond to the needs of their people and conduct themselves responsibly in the international system.† Moreover, we only have to look at the examples of the change in Bush’s second term term; the deal with North Korea to contain its nuclear arms development, the acceptance of the idea of a timetable for Iraqi withdrawal, contemplating diplomacy with Iran, and talks with some elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Unfortunately for Bush his 8 years in office will be remembered for the foreign policy of his first 4 years – the Bush doctrine of preventive war. The changes in foreign policy in his second term have been rather overlooked by the vast majority of people. However, Obama is the one who emphasized during his campaign the importance of diplomacy. Like Secretary of State Clinton declared: We must use what has been called smart power, the full range of tools at our disposal - diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal and cultural - picking the right tool or combination of tools for each situation. With smart power, diplomacy will be the vanguard of our foreign policy. We will conclude with one of the best and to the point descriptions of what Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne describes as â€Å"The Obama Doctrine†, and that is a form of realism unafraid to deploy American power but mindful that its use must be tempered by practical limits and a dose of self-awareness. Bibliography: 1. http://allafrica.com 2. http://blogs.wsj.com 3. http://finance.yahoo.com 4. http://inthesenewtimes.com 5. http://levin.senate.gov 6. http://news.bbc.co.uk 7. http://uk.reuters.com 8. alertnet.org 9. allheadlinenews.com 10. america.gov 11. barackobama.com 12. breitbart.com 13. cfr.org 14. cnn.com 15. dailytimes.com.pk 16. foreignaffairs.org 17. foreignpolicy.com 18. foxbusiness.com 19. ft.com 20. guardian.co.uk 21. haaretz.com 22. huffingtonpost.com 23. hurriyet.com.tr 24. iht.com 25. latimes.com 26. my.barackobama.com 27. newstoday.co.za 28. nytimes.com 29. poligazette.com 30. politico.com 31. reuters.com 32. rferl.org 33. state.gov 34. swissinfo.ch 35. telegraph.co.uk 36. telegraph.co.uk 37. themoscowtimes.com 38. timesonline.co.uk 39. usatoday.com 40. voanews.com 41. washingtonpost.com 42. whitehouse.gov Research Papers on Foreign Policy of the Obama AdministrationAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Hip-Hop is ArtPETSTEL analysis of IndiaTwilight of the UAWDefinition of Export QuotasQuebec and CanadaOpen Architechture a white paper19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andBringing Democracy to Africa

HR Cases Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HR Cases - Case Study Example As a director, I should not ignore Fred’s frustration as it could pass on to others or have a more detrimental effect on Fred’s performance and/or performance of the team. In order to address Fred’s discontent and attitude, I would first evaluate his performance and provide a feedback about his behavior. I would acknowledge his contribution and appreciate his efforts. Along with Joan, I will chalk out a plan that would include additional responsibilities for Fred which will also help in preparing him for the next level of promotion. This will keep him motivated and focused towards the task. I will chalk out a plan for his future and set expectations along with a performance monitoring process. It is very difficult to retain an employee who has decided to move on. Retention of employees should be an ongoing process by constantly keeping them motivated and having an understanding of their needs and expectations. In the present situation, in order to retain Ezra, I would offer him with additional responsibilities in the managerial cadre which will keep him motivated. I would make a commitment that Ezra’s profile for the next opening in managerial position would definitely be considered. Although the educational aid programs have been very helpful in enhancing the process performance, I feel this program should be provided to employees in recognition of their valuable contribution to the organization for specific period of time. Moreover, a commitment from employees receiving such benefit should be taken which will ensure that the company is recovering its investment. This commitment can be in the form of a contractual agreement or bound by money and/or other benefits provided to the employee. The bank would require attendance details of Wittman and other employees of this department. It would also require the log-in

Amazon Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Amazon - Case Study Example Some aspects of Amazon’s operations are characteristic of a manufacturing organization while some are characteristic of those of a service organization. The manufacturing aspects are manifest in the company’s library of software. Although Amazon provides this software for free to merchants and independent programmers, it charges a fee when these users use the software to sell their products and services through Amazon. Amazon’s operations that are characteristic of a service organization include the online platform it provides to its customers, which enables them to purchase goods through a simple mouse click. The marketing of Kindle and Kindle-related products also has aspects of both manufacturing and service provision. Kindle is a software-hardware platform that enables users to access electronic print material. The manufacturing component is manifest in the Kindle electronic device which Amazon manufactures and sells to customers. The service component is manifest in the access to electronic print material that Kindle provides to users at a fee. Therefore, when marketing Kindle, Amazon has to market both the unique features the device provides and the unique services that customers can obtain through it (Griffin, 627). Q2 Amazon’s operations almost entirely depend on technology in one way or another. In most cases, the technology involved is computer technology. Firstly, Amazon’s service operations are anchored on the internet. Amazon’s business platform is located on the internet and, therefore, the company has to invest in computers and accessories that facilitat e internet access and software development. Similarly, Amazon’s customers have to get on the internet in order to access the company’s platform. To do this, they require the use of computers, iphones, tablets, cell phones or any other device that provides internet access. Furthermore, operations that facilitate service provision at Amazon’s facilities are highly automated. Workers use computer programs to monitor and manage customers’ orders. Finally, a system of automated bins and chutes is responsible for sorting goods and moving them to and fro the shelves (Griffin, 626). Amazon’s manufacturing operations are also highly dependent on computer technology. The manufacturing operations include the development of software programs for Amazon’s library of software service and the production of the company’s Kindle device which is a software-hardware platform that provides instant access to electronic books, newspapers, magazines, journa ls and other electronic print material. The development of software is a manufacturing activity that involves the development of software programs from scratch using computers as well as software developing tools and programs. This software is availed to merchants and independent programmers who may use it to sell their products through Amazon at a fee. In addition, Amazon develops Kindle’s software using computers and software developing tools. Finally, Amazon manufactures the Kindle electronic device whose hardware component is based on computer technology (Griffin, 626). Since Amazon does not have facilities or resources for manufacturing electronic devices, it usually contracts other companies with that ability to manufacture the device on its behalf. Q3 Amazon has

Methodology: Impact of Stigma on Offender Employment

Methodology: Impact of Stigma on Offender Employment Design An experimental design will be used in this research. This study will use a mixed design, with disclosed criminal convictions (group 1, 2, or 3) as the between subjects variable, and judgments of job applicant as the within subjects variable. The independent variable in this research will be the disclosure of criminal convictions. The dependant variables will be the attitude towards the job applicant, and the participants political ideology. Procedure 60 participants were collected overall, with 20 participants for each experimental group. These participants were gathered via my personal social media and the universitys SONA system. These participants were all over the age of 18, in order to give consent, but their age and gender was not tested. Once I had established my participants, I collected their email addresses and then emailed them a copy of my participant information sheet, so that they had a few days before the research took place to read over what is expected of them and decide that they definitely wanted to take part. The data was gathered over a three-week period, until all participants had taken part. Before the experiment took place, the participant was presented with a consent form for them to provide informed, written consent to take part in the experiment. They were informed that they could leave at any time if they no longer want to take part in the research. All research took place in a quiet, but public room, such as the labs in P5 and the study rooms in the library. The participants all sat the experiment individually to ensure their decisions were not influenced by others, but also to make availability easier for the participants. They were randomly allocated into 1 of 3 groups using an online generator. In all groups participants were asked to pretend they were employers in a hotel that is looking to hire. The participants were given a job description that listed the duties required and the skills the applicant needed to possess to get the job. They were then given one of 3 CVs, all included the same personal and working information, however, in group 1, no criminal convictions of any kind were included. In group 2 the applicant disclosed a previous minor criminal conviction (a record for possession of a class C drug, an offence that would not lead to incarceration). In group 3 the application disclosed a major criminal conviction which they have been previously incarcerated for (poss ession of a firearm with criminal intent). The participants were then given an 11-point questionnaire that asked them to rate the extent to which which they believe the applicant fit certain requirements of the job description. Next, participants were given the 20-point Ideological Consistency Scale (Pew Research Centre) to measure their political ideologies, to assess whether the participants political ideology effects their likelihood to employ the person. This is based on the hypothesis that liberal minded people are more open minded, and so would be more likely to believe that people can change, and so may be more likely to give someone a second chance. Once the experiment was finished, participants were given a debrief sheet, explaining that the purpose of this research is to see if the participants preconceived stereotypes of ex-offenders effected their perception of the applicants personal and working abilities. Participants were also informed that they can withdraw all their data from the experiment at any point, up until 16/03/2017. Analysis The data was analysed using Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). A one-way ANOVA was used to analyse the data gathered from the judgements questionnaire in order to compare the mean attitude towards the applicant and the standard deviation across the 3 groups. The data gathered from the ideology scale was analysed against the data from the judgements questionnaire using a ANCOVA in order to assess the impact of the participants ideology on their likelihood to employ the person. Materials An example job description, a 20-point Ideological Consistency Scale (Pew Research Centre) to measure their political ideologies. The questions of the ideological scale are split into 10 conservative position questions and 10 liberal positions questions. Individual questions are scored as +1 for a conservative response, -1 for a liberal response and 0 for an unsure response. Scores on the full-scale range from -10 (liberal response to all questions) to +10 (conservative response to all questions). An 11-point questionnaire to measure participants judgements of the job applicant. Each question on this scale receives a score out of 10, which is the number the participants indicate on the Likert scale. Question 1 is not scored, the answer of yes or no is simply to compare the participants initial judgement of the applicant. The overall score for this scale will be out of 100. Participants The participants were all over the age of 18 to give informed consent, and of any gender. A lot of participants were students, which made the participant selection process easier, but students were not necessary. Participants were not required to have any specific characteristics in order to take part in the study.ÂÂ   They were selected via social media and the universitys SONA system. While I did not foresee many potential risks to participants, it is possible that they may have become distressed, embarrassed, or fatigued while taking part in this experiment. To deal with these potential risks, participants were informed that they can stop the experiment at any moment and leave, or they can continue later if they would like. The participants were also informed that they could go and talk to someone at student support if they need to, and would be provided with links to online help, such as the SANE organisation, if requested. No deception was involved in this research. The full aims of the experiment were not disclosed to the participants, for example, they were not informed that it is their willingness to employ the applicants with criminal convictions that is being analysed, but the basic facts of the experiment were not lied about. All research took place in daylight hours, in a safe, public space. Participants were informed that they could withdraw from the experiment at any point. The participant information sheet, the debrief sheet, and myself before the experiment took place explained that participants can withdraw from the experiment at any time, during the experiment, they just needed to explain that they do not wish to continue anymore. My email address was included on the participant information sheet and the debrief sheet, so if participants wanted to withdraw from the research after the experiment has taken place, then they could send an email and then be withdrawn. Participants consent forms were coded, and these codes were placed on their questionnaires and data, in order to ensure that all data is completely anonymised. The consent forms were then locked away to ensure that I was the only person who could view the identity of the participants. Any data that included anything that could lead to a participant being recognised was removed. All physical data was kept inside a locked draw that only I have the key to, to ensure that nobody can access it, and all electronic data was encrypted with a password that only I know, so it cant be accessed. All data will remain this way until after dissertation marks are received, at which point the physical data will be shredded and the electronic data will be electronically shredded. Discussion Previous research by Maruna King, (2004) suggests that the success of ex-offenders re-entry into society is dictated by the attitudes of the community around them. Within this research, only 41% of participants in the ex-offender group stated that they would employ the candidate, compared to 81% in the control group. Because of this, it could be proposed that the main difficultly ex-offenders face upon re-entry into non-institutionalised society is battling preconceived stereotypes that society places upon them. In the criminal record group, 57% of participants said that they would employ the candidate, which, while being a significant increase when compared to the ex-offender group, still suggests a strong prejudice towards those who have had issues with the criminal justice system. This is a concern, because, while neither offence in the two conviction groups suggest that the candidate would have trouble dealing with customers and staff, both groups showed a significantly lower me an score in every question presented to participants. The findings from this research are consistent with previous research that suggests society does stereotype ex-offenders, which may lead to stigmatisation in terms of employment desirability. For example, when asked how suitable do you think the candidate would be at maintain high professionalism with customers and staff? participants in the control group exerted a mean response of 8.4, however, when asked the same question, participants in the group were the candidate revealed a previous incarceration had a mean response of only 4.4, potentially signifying that the participants believed by having been to prison, it would be unlikely that the candidate would be proficient. This supports Fehn (2004)s theory that ex-offenders are normally stereotyped as being educationally illiterate and socially inadequate, and are therefore unable to act in a professional manner within a workplace. However, Goffman (1987) emphasised that while a status may be stigmatising in one social context, it can also be worn as a badge of honour in another, and those who can relate to the stigma are likely to serve as sympathetic others. In the context of this research, it could be suggested that some participants in the criminal record and ex-offender groups would in fact be more likely to give higher ratings to the candidate because they can sympathise with the situation. Goffman (1963) acknowledges that those with personal familiarity to ex-offenders and individuals who have criminal records are more likely to see past the stereotypes surrounding them, and therefore reduce the stigmatising attitudes towards this group. Furthermore, Braithwaite (1989) notes that reintegration is more likely to be successful when ex-offenders are viewed as members of the in-group that have made mistakes, rather than dangerous, incurably criminal individuals. Although the results from the coefficient analysis of variance where inconclusive, it is evident that the ideology of the participants did have an impact on the participants total score. Table 3 shows the comparison of the mean total score for those who were reported as consistently conservative compared to consistently liberal. For the control group, the difference in mean total score is not noteworthy, however, in both the criminal record group, and the ex-offender group, the mean total score is significantly lower for those who were consistently conservative than those who were consistently liberal, suggesting that those with consistently liberal core political values were more likely to remove the stigma surrounding the applicant, and instead simply assess how suitable the candidate was for the job at hand. Unnever and Cullen (2007) suggest that people with conservative core values hold more disciplinary attitudes towards those who violate the law, and are more opposed to the rei ntegration of ex-offenders into society. Chiricos, Welch, Gertz (2004) found that those with conservative core political values are more likely to uphold the stigmatisation of ex-offenders and criminals, primarily due to the belief that criminals are unlikely to ever be fully rehabilitated, and so will always be criminal.ÂÂ   However, because those with liberal core values are more likely to blame society for crime (Welch, 2007), it is proposed that they will be more compassionate when dealing with ex-offenders and individuals with criminal records. This theory is maintained by Demski McGlynn (1999) who found that those who identified with liberal values were more willing than others to rent an apartment near a halfway house for recent parolees. Chiricos et al., (2007) demonstrates how an individuals confidence in the criminal justice system can lead to stigmatisation. They suggest that those who trust the legitimacy of the criminal justice system should therefore place conviction in the justice systems evaluation of a persons guilt and moral character. This leads to stigmatisation because imprisonment is one of the most severe forms of punishment available in the UK, and so is seen as a thorough basis for condemnation. Therefore, it can be proposed that those who trust the justice system would be unlikely to have confidence in employment abilities of an ex-offender, or even someone with a criminal record, because it is probable that they believe that people who have served time must have the lowest form of moral character. However, perceptions of over leniency in terms of treatment of offenders may also lead to increased stigmatisation. The ideology consistency scale given to participants in my research contained four quest ions about the government, and those who chose the negative responses were classified as conservative. Unnever, Cullen, Fisher (2007) found that white people, conservatives, and victims of crime are more likely to challenge the police and courts for being too lenient on criminals. These groups of people often believe that most criminals have not paid penance for their crimes, and so deserve stigmatisation upon release, particularly within the employment sector, as they believe criminals should not be given employment over law abiding citizens (Messner, Baumer, Rosenfeld, 2006). Due to the continuously increasing numbers of imprisonment rates, the support of sometimes violent stigmatisation of ex-offenders, and the rising rates of recidivism, is its more important than ever to combat the stigmatisation of ex-offenders, particularly in the employment sector. Ward Brown (2004) established that offenders who experienced meaningful relationships with prison staff were more likely to experience effective reintroduction into society. Similarly, Dowden Andrews (2004) discovered a correlation between recidivism and interpersonal relationships between offenders and staff. While In no way does correlation equal causation, it is evident that contact with individuals from noninstitutionalised society while incarcerated can benefit offenders upon release. This concept is supported by Wagner, Tropp Pettigrew (2009), who demonstrated that contact between opposing groups is a powerful and effective way of reducing prejudice. However, my results indicated that participant s did not feel it was appropriate for an ex-offender, even somebody who is highly qualified for the job at hand, to be around both staff and customers, suggesting that they may not have had previous experience with somebody who has been to prison. A drawback to this research is that participants were never asked whether they had experienced contact with an ex-offender, doing so may have led to a greater understanding as to why the participants stigmatised the candidate in the criminal record and ex-offender groups. However, the impact of contact with ex-offenders may have led to increased stigmatisation, depending on whether the experience was positive or negative. For example, Wikstrom Loeber (2000) explains that in disadvantaged communities with high imprisonment rates, an individual may develop more lenient views of ex-offenders, because in areas like this, incarceration is not an abstract concept, but something that is experienced frequently. Living in these communities means that an individual is less likely to stigmatise ex-offenders, and so it is probable that ex-offenders would not experience negative employment desirability. However, because communities like this are usually disadvantaged and poverty stricken, findin g employment, even as a law-abiding citizen, may be increasingly difficult (Wikstrom Tafel, 2003). Though the theory that contact with ex-offenders may significantly reduce stigmatising behaviour, a major disadvantage of this is that many members of the public may avoid any possible interactions with ex-offenders. My results indicated that participants feel that customers would feel uncomfortable being around somebody who has been to prison. Crisp Turner (2009) developed imagined contact, produced to be an extension of the classical contact paradigm, in order to show valuable aspects of contact with offenders, but without provoking anxious emotions within participants. This may be useful in helping decrease the stigma surrounding ex-offenders, because imaging contact may enable society to disregard fear, which may lead to increased contact, and potentially understanding the individuals behind the stereotype, which could then decrease the negative employment desirability surrounding ex-offenders. Unnever Cullen (2009) suggested that a further way to reduce the stigmatisation of e x-offenders is to demonstrate empathy towards them. Johnson et al., (2009) discovered that when participants were encouraged to feel empathy they recommended less severe punishments to a hypothetical defendant, and were more likely to examine and empathise with reasoning behind criminal acts. Because of this, it could be proposed that if the public were able to understand why offenders committed criminal acts, particularly those from poor and disadvantaged neighbourhoods, they may be more likely to be empathetic, and therefore disregard the stigmatism of the violent and incurable criminal, which may lead to more employers being willing to hire ex-offenders. Obviously, not everyone feels like the stigma towards those who have been incarcerated should be reduced. As highlighted earlier, many believe that using stigma as a general criminality deterrent is effective at preventing further crime. Undoubtedly, this may be the case for some communities. However, for people living in high crime areas, usually poor, disadvantaged, and essentially forgotten by the government, crime is only ever increasing. It is in areas like this that offending, and then subsequently reoffending is highest, meaning that a large minority of people at some point will have been to prison, or at least will have a criminal record. It has been acknowledged numerous times that employment is one of the best ways to decrease reoffending rates, but generally, society holds such a negative view of ex-offenders that employment is rare. Perhaps, if the stigma against individuals who have committed crimes is reduced, finding employment as an ex-offender may be easier, and so r eintegration could be more successful. In hindsight, even my using the term ex-offender could be seen as pre-conceived stigmatisation. Classing someone as an ex-offender creates a disastrous cycle where in which the individual being referred to is unable to move on from their past transgressions, which could be detrimental to rehabilitation. Also, it is unclear at which point a person progresses from offender to ex-offender. The majority of the literature I reviewed when researching this topic refers to individuals who have previously been incarcerated as offenders, without identifying whether these people did in fact reoffend, and if not, why they are still being referred to as an offender. It is issues like this that represent the ever-present stigma ex-offenders face; while they may have served their sentence, and been successfully rehabilitated back into society, they will always be associated with the word offender and whatever negative connotations and stigma that brings with it. A limitation of this research is that the sample size of 60 is incredibly small compared to the population of the UK. The small sample size may have contributed to the non-significant relationship between ideology and stigmatisation of ex-offenders. An issue with small samples is that they do not usually have the ability to represent the larger population, and therefore are not generalizable. However, gaining a sample size of even 60 was difficult in the time allotted for data collection, and so future research should attempt to replicate the findings, but with a larger sample size, in order to test for accuracy. A further limitation is that I did not ask for reasoning behind answers, and so, although it is evident that stigmatisation did occur, I cannot provide the specific reasons why participants stigmatised the candidate in the criminal record and ex-offender groups. This limits findings to understanding the influence of stigmatisation on ex-offenders employment desirability, and does not allow investigation into how reducing stigmatisation effects employment. The purpose of this research was to establish whether the stigmatisation of ex-offenders effects their ability to gain employment, and whether peoples political ideology has an impact on their attitudes towards ex-offenders. Overall, this research has found that preconceived stigmatisation did effect the participants attitude towards the applicant with a criminal record, and the applicant who had previously been incarcerated. Within this research there was a significant decrease in the mean scores for each individual question asked about the applicant, and the overall judgement of the applicant in the criminal record and ex-offender group, when compared to the control group, representing stigmatisation towards individuals who hold criminal records, and those who are ex-offenders. This study also analysed whether the participants political ideologies effected their attitudes towards the applicant with the criminal record and the ex-offender applicant, and while the analysis of covaria nce was not significant, the data showed that in both the criminal record group, and the ex-offender group, the mean total score is significantly lower for those who were consistently conservative than those who were consistently liberal, suggesting that those with consistently liberal core political values were more likely to remove the stigma surrounding the applicant, and instead simply assess how suitable the candidate was for the job at hand. It is evident from both this research, and all the previous research conducted beforehand, that stigmatisation is detrimental to ex-offenders trying to find employment. To rectify this, it could be suggested that future employers allow ex-offenders and individuals holding criminal records a watershed period, where in which they do not have to disclose their previous convictions until a set period of time has passed after employment. It should be stressed that this is only suggested for minor offences, in order to give employers and other staff members a period of time to get to know the individual before knowing of their previous offence. Hopefully, this could mean, as suggested by Hirschfield Piquero (2010), that people in the individuals working environment would be able to witness first hand that not all ex-offenders conform to the abstract stereotype unwillingly placed upon then, and so may be more likely to employ ex-offenders and disregard stigma, when compared to employers wh o have had no contact with anybody that has been incarcerated.