Tuesday, December 24, 2019

I Am Praying For You - 1053 Words

I’m Praying for You My cell phone sings me a familiar tune every weekday morning. â€Å"Ugh, ok, ok, I’m up.† Carefully pulling the blanket off, Aiden, my chubby cheeked, doe eyed infant, greets me tugging on my hair. Looking over at him I whisper, â€Å"Let’s go wake up sissy.† He smiles back, flaunting his two new bottom teeth. Just another Friday morning for me, but for my kids, it’s the day of their long anticipated playdate. I dash to the kitchen, get breakfast ready, manage to change a diaper and get out the door by 8:30am. My jubilant 5-year-old, Aundrea, skips ahead of me, in her favorite purple tutu and pink knee-high socks. I nervously command her: â€Å"Dre! Stay close, please.† â€Å"Ok, mommy.† She smiles at me and leisurely starts walking†¦show more content†¦The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Atheist as: â€Å"a person who does not believe in the existence of a god or any gods.† (Merriam-Webster) When this subject comes up, my parenting skills are the frequent subject of examination. People tend to thrust aside, how well behaved, empathetic and benevolent my children and myself are. The difference between what I teach my children, as far as morals, is uncomplicated. I omit any form of deity. As a child, I was inquisitive. Every time my dear mother beckoned, I answered with a question. My mother’s responses rarely satisfied my eager intellect. She habitually resolved with â€Å"because the bible tells you so†¦.† So, when our television was flooded with starved, crying children, I asked her: â€Å"Mommy, why are those kids so skinny and crying? Is God going to send them food?† â€Å"If it is god’s will, he has a plan for them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  before she could finish my brassy mouth spilled out: â€Å"Mommy, are you sure god really exists?† Her hand walloped across my 9-year-old jowl. This only sparked my curiosity even more. I was coached into believing that I was being watched every hour of every day, by a god. This was my parent’s way of cultivating my moral compass. My parents inadvertently taught me, their religion was the only reason they weren’t schmucks, there was no genuine moral in them only the fear of this deity; Instead of trying to ingrain, the importance of being philanthropic without any form of retaliation.Show MoreRelated Hamlet Soliloquy Act 3 Scene 3 Essay778 Words   |  4 PagesHamlet Soliloquy Act 3 Scene 3 Hamlet has just watched Claudius praying for forgiveness in the church and has been hiding and waiting for his chance to kill him. â€Å"Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; And now Ill dot. And so he goes to heaven; And so am I revenged. That would be scannd:† Hamlet is saying that if he kills his uncle while he is praying, will his father be avenged because as he is confessing his sins to god if hamlet killed him then he wouldRead MoreFight for your life More times than not people take their life for granted and never think800 Words   |  4 Pagesbefore you, often times you dont get a warning sign or a flashing caution lights, screaming† watch out.† Sometimes there is nothing you can do to prevent life from hitting you like a five ton semi truck. You find your true strength only when being strong is the only choice you have. Waking up to half of your hair, now laying on your pillow, no longer attached to you. Struggling to pull your weak, fragile self out of bed, you must run to the bathroom because you are nauseated, yet you have noRead MoreSpiritual Leader Peter At The Prison Gate930 Words   |  4 Pages Peter was a leader in the church, so he had prayed for God to work things out. They were constantly in prayer. Once he was freed with the leading of the angel Peter took a visited to the home of Mary. While a group of people were gathered there praying, he knocked, and a servant came to answer the door. When she realized who it was, rather than open the door, she ran to let everyone else know Peter was there. When she told the people gathered together, they did not believe her. Meanwhile, PeterRead MoreAn Islamic Country Called Saudi Arabia915 Words   |  4 Pages I am from an islamic country called Saudi Arabia. The whole population in there is Muslims. Practicing religious stuff for a religion that is other than Islam is prohibited in my country. So when you are born you do not have a choice but to be a Muslim. I am not complaining about it, actually I could not be more grateful that i became a Muslim. Islam is a peaceful religion regarding the militant groups that distort the image of Islam. When I was growing up I Started to do many rituals such as prayingRead MoreThe Top Ten Myths About Prayer Essay938 Words   |  4 Pageslisten to me. I really don t know how to pray. These nagging questions are simply myths about prayer. 1. It s hard to pray. That s what is so much fun about a myth. It s easy to show the truth through it. Praying is easy. Like anything else, if you want to do it really well, okay, that will take a little time. But, think of all the prayers that will be answered on your way to getting good at it. Whew. Also, and this is no myth, life is much harder to do when you don t pray. 2. I am not worthyRead MoreI Am A Monk From A Small Church952 Words   |  4 PagesChristians. I come to you today in deep personal peril. I have built my career making Icon frames my entire life. I once felt I was helping people seek refuge with our glorious god. Connecting them to not just to our holy saints but also to Christ himself. Yet now I stand wondering if I have strayed them wrong. Have I sent my fellow men, woman, and even children to damnation while I profit. I am a monk before an artisan, yet I may have cursed my fellow followers to hell. This is why I am here, I want findRead MorePersonal Narrative Essay - My Family1001 Words   |  5 Pagesnext morning he was walking perfectly, without a limp. That was one of the blessings that my family experienced this past year. The Spiritual discipline that has been most helpful in establishing my relationship with God is both worship and prayer. I have already made prayer a part of my life. Every Tuesday my family gets together and we have a family prayer. This includes my whole extended family. we all get together and we pray. We pray about our family, our church, the kids, the youth, and everyoneRead MoreMy Catholic Church The Good And Bad Essay1416 Words   |  6 Pagespersonal experiences I have had with my Catholic Church the good and bad. Faith and miracles happen when you pray a lot to Jesus may be due to someone being sick or having a premature baby that is at high risk just by praying and having faith can get you out that bad situation you are in, without god I’m no one. Superstition is something I personally believe in because it is something I was raised with it since I was a baby. My personal experiences with church are very good and bad I am catholic becauseRead MoreLetter Of Writing A Letter1009 Words   |  5 PagesI usually start my letters off by immediately wishing the person well and informing them that I am praying that the letter finds them in great spirits, but I feel like I owe you an apology first. We have been talking about writing one another letters for some time now, but I have been very slow about getting mine to you. I hope you can forgive me. I assure you, once we begin, it will be far more frequent and consistent. I think writing letters is such an intimate way to share your knowledge, experienceRead MoreBeing Close Friend With My Religion884 Words   |  4 PagesBeing Close Friend with My Religion Do you ever get know you about your religion or become close friend with it. When I used to live in Portland, OR I do not know much about my religion because I was too busy trying to fit in with others or trying to practice others religion. Also, I was not comfortable to wear hijab and skirt to school because off what I was hearing and the reason why I need to wear it for. However, when I learned about Islam I felt like I was in different world. The most important

Sunday, December 15, 2019

English Language and Students Free Essays

string(92) " the consequences of the lack of speaking skill while giving military presentations abroad\." 1: Introduction At present, speaking a foreign language represents one of the essential requirements of today? s society. Besides other skills and knowledge, it is considered as one of the most influencing factors while applying for a job or sustaining in a particular work position under the condition of advancing the language level. Based on my work experience, I can confirm that knowing a foreign language is a necessity for everyone in general, mainly for my students – soldiers. We will write a custom essay sample on English Language and Students or any similar topic only for you Order Now These people are required to reach a sufficient level in a foreign language in order to accomplish military assignments in missions abroad. Teaching foreign languages, mainly English, for these military purposes is provided by the Defence Language Institute in Vyskov where I have been working as an English teacher for almost three years. My principal goal is to provide the soldiers with as efficient English lessons as possible because it will be them who will have to deal with international relationships and take measures for solving various situations. The main reason for choosing this topic for my bachelor thesis was realizing how important speaking is in everyday situations. No matter where we are, either in the Philippine Republic or in a foreign country, English conversation plays a crucial role in understanding each other and dealing with different kinds of uncovered problems. It means school teachers need English to communicate with their colleagues – native speakers.. Even if they come from America, England or Australia and their accents differ, it is just a question of time for teachers and also students to adjust to their speech and distinguish differences in pronunciation. Being able to keep a fluent conversation with a native speaker is viewed as the main goal of students, which underlines the importance of speaking skills in a student? s point of view. Therefore, in my thesis I decided to concentrate on communicative activities which might be helpful for English teachers and enhance their students? communicative skills. 1. 1: Statement of the problem This research would â€Å"What is the effectiveness of implementing speaking zone at the University campus? † 1. 2: Objective of the study The objectives of my studies are: 1. To review the concept and importance of speaking skill. 2. To analyze the factors that are effective in speaking skill. 3. To explore the new ways of speaking skill. 4. To recommend how they improve speaking skill in English at University campus. * * 2: Discussion 2. 1. SPEAKING * 2. 1. 1 Speaking as a skill For most people, the ability to speak a foreign language is synonymous with knowing that language because speech is for them the basic means of human communication. English learners no longer expect the traditional approach of their teachers based on developing mainly the grammatical competence and using methodology popular in the past. Today, teachers are expected to provide their students with useful active knowledge of the foreign language, not just theory about the language. Communicative approach focuses on a balance between fluency and accuracy and is the most suitable for those students whose aim is to gain confidence in speaking and conversational abilities. Nevertheless, speaking in a foreign language has often been viewed as the most demanding of the four skills. â€Å"While listening and reading involve the ability to correctly receive messages and are therefore referred to as receptive skills, speaking and writing, on the other hand, involve language production and are referred to as productive skills. † (Harmer 1995, 16) Producing spoken language has often meant a difficulty and an obstacle for English learners. There might arise a question why. The answer is obvious. In the natural spoken language students are required to be aware of characteristics of fluent speech, such as reduced forms, use of slang or idioms, fixed phrases, collocations and most importantly the pace of speech. All of these have to be taken into consideration while practising conversation in class. Without these, our spoken language would sound bookish and unnatural. To avoid this, it is essential to introduce and practise â€Å"real† communication with our students ithin the learning process. If it is neglected, it may be a reason why students are often shocked and disappointed when using a foreign language for the first time whilst interacting in foreign environment. They have not been prepared for spontaneous communication and could not cope with all of its simultaneous demands. The embarrassment is usually caused by students’ inability to adjust to native speakers’ speech. This is natural and adjures patience while learning to sp eak or communicate in a foreign language. As I already mentioned, native speakers are a great support and the opportunity to communicate with them means even greater encouragement for our students. Although it is quite demanding for students to keep up in conversation with them, they take it as an advantage in their studies. Most English learners are actually familiar with the fact that the best way to advance their speaking skills is adjusting to it in an English speaking environment. 2. 1. 2 Difference between speaking and conversation Although the terms â€Å"speaking† and â€Å"conversation† may seem clear, they often get misunderstood. Speaking as a skill taught at schools presents the student’s ability to express his or her opinions, thoughts and ideas to a particular matter. Speaking practice, which is usually based on storytelling, giving speech or presentation, is the necessity for later successful conversation. Nevertheless, the focus on speaking activities has diminished in recent years. This has been caused by many factors, especially by realizing the need of everyday communication. As I mentioned above, giving speeches or presentations is not what we concentrate on in our lessons. Even though these are crucial prerequisites for later conversational practice, the teachers tend to focus on communicative activities as the main goal of speaking lessons. I have no objection to this, but it is essential to mention the importance of presentations for military English learners working for the Ministry of Defence and the consequences of the lack of speaking skill while giving military presentations abroad. You read "English Language and Students" in category "Language" For this reason, it is very important for teachers to think through the purpose of speaking and communicative activities being prepared for lessons and also the target group of learners. Nolasco (1987, 3) mentions that being able to speak reasonably correct and even fluent English is one thing, but being able to engage in on-going, interactive, mentally satisfying conversation is another. Conversation is such a natural part of our lives that many people are not conscious of what happens within it. However, conversation follows certain rules which should be obeyed in order for participants to feel relaxed and be satisfied with it. Arthur (1987, 5) adds that the main purpose of conversation is the exchange of information among people. While communicating, our students may find themselves in different social situations playing various social roles and the main task for language teachers is to prepare them for these real situations they might participate in. This also includes leading students to develop the ability to initiate and sustain conversation whenever it occurs. 2. 1. 3 Students’ motivation to participate in a speaking lesson When students learn a foreign language, they very often accumulate a lot of knowledge (grammatical rules, lists of vocabulary items), but then they find out that they cannot actually use this language to communicate when they want to. Scrivener (2005, 147) claims that there seems to be some difficulty in moving language from passive knowledge into active usage. Without experience in using the language, learners may tend to be nervous about trying to say things. Partly they may fear seeming foolish in front of others, they may worry about getting things wrong they may want to avoid teacher’s comments or correction and so on. It takes quite a long time for some students to express themselves, which leads to long embarrassing pauses while learners are trying to find out how to say what they really want to say. One of the best ways of helping learners to activate their knowledge is to put them in â€Å"safe† situations in class where they are inspired and encouraged to try to speak a foreign language. Teachers should try to create such activities in which learners feel less worried about speaking and less under pressure. Nevertheless, the teacher is not the only one whom the students’ success in speaking is based on. There are also motivational factors, differing from student to student, which influence his progress in the spoken language. Harmer (1991, 4-6) distinguishes extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. He claims that students? attitude to speaking the language may be affected by different factors from the outside, such as people in close surroundings, previous speaking experience in a foreign language or the job opportunities offered after mastering foreign language communication. All of these represent extrinsic motivation. Although extrinsic motivation is nowadays a driving force for most students, without intrinsic motivation no goal in improving the speaking skill could be achieved. Success is also based on students? willingness to learn to speak a foreign language, which may be influenced by the teacher? methods used in teaching communication and, above all, his or her personality. Considering these, teachers should realize how important role they play in encouraging the students to learn to speak a foreign language. Students’ personalities also play an important role in determining how quickly and correctly they will manage a speaking task. Those students who are risk- takers, unafraid of making mistakes, are generally more talkative but usually make many errors. Those who are shy may take a long time to speak confidently, but when they finally manage it, their English contains fewer errors. The aim of both types of students is the same, indeed – to use the language correctly and fluently. To achieve this goal the teachers should try as much as they can to break the silence in the classroom and get the students speak no matter how many mistakes they make or how long it takes them to produce sentences. In order to decrease shyness while speaking in front of the whole class, students may be offered the opportunity to work in groups or pairs, which is a suitable approach for enhancing the active language use. Harmer (1991, 7-9) points out different motivational factors depending on the age and level of the students. Children’s and adolescents’ motivation to speak a foreign language is irrelevant for the purpose of my thesis because, as mentioned above, I deal with adult English learners and their motivational needs for a foreign language communication are substantially different from the others. I concentrate on intermediate students who represent the majority in my classes. Their English is good at this stage but they are motivated by a primary goal of achieving a more advanced level of the language. They already know a lot and are able to have a conversation about every day matters but sometimes there might occur some problems. One of them is often the feeling that they are flooded with the new complexity of the language and cannot cope with it. Teachers, when having found this out, should focus on building up the knowledge students already have and assure them they can speak the language well enough to understand and be understood. Ur (1991, 274-280) declares that â€Å"motivation is very strongly related to achievement in language learning. † This statement results from teaching practice showing that eager learners willing to invest effort in speaking activities are likely to make greater progress. On the contrary, those sitting silently at the desk without desire to be involved in any kind of speaking activity, may find themselves stuck to be able to improve their speaking skill. Having noticed this, teachers should encourage low-motivated students to develop the interest in communicative activities. Ur (1991, 281) describes some strategies to enhance students’ motivation to speak in a lesson. The principal one is selecting the topic carefully to make it as interesting for students as possible. If the teacher’s choice fails in the class, there should be no panic or embarrassment. The possible solution to this situation may be asking the students to vote for a topic they would be interested in talking about. Varied tasks are also suggested for a successful and efficient speaking lesson as well as using visuals to enhance students’ motivation to speak. Average pictures copied from different sorts of textbooks and workbooks do not encourage adult learners to speak anymore. Based on my teaching experience, adult learners prefer to be set into real situations, dealing with real and current news items concerning today’s world and society. To satisfy students’ expectations, teachers should be supplied with sufficient amount of authentic materials, such as newspapers and magazines. The speaking tasks could be based on describing the photos to each other and guessing the place in the world where the action has happened. Connection between the picture and reality makes it even more tempting for students to express their points of view to a particular event and, at the same time, the teacher’s goal is achieved as well – getting students to speak and communicate with each other. 2. 1. 4 Accuracy versus fluency Accuracy and fluency are terms characteristic for a successful and fecund conversation. Scrivener (2005, 160-162) declares that accuracy is the ability to speak correctly without making serious mistakes and therefore a greater use of instant teacher’s correction within a speaking activity is appropriate. On the contrary, fluency is the ability to speak confidently without irrelevant pauses or hesitation, however, often with making major mistakes. In this case, instant correction may be inappropriate and could interfere with the aims of the speaking activity. Teachers should be aware f whether their main goal in a speaking activity is accuracy or fluency and adapt their role in class eligibly. If the main aim is to get students to speak, then one way to achieve that would be reducing teacher? s contribution. It is supposed that the less he or she speaks, the more time and space it will allow the students to. If the main aim is accuracy, the teacher should concentrate on student s? mistakes and devote time to their correction. However important speaking without mistakes is, a promoted trend at present seems to be to lead students to a fluent conversation in every day situations. Taking this into consideration, this approach best fits the needs of today? s society which is based on fast exchanges of information. Nevertheless, it would be injudicious to qualify accuracy as less important in communication and underestimate its importance. It is also essential for the ability to speak a foreign language well. 2. 1. 5 Correcting students’ mistakes Fluency Activities In a fluency activity the teacher is expected to monitor the class and encourage the students to speak with minimum interfering and correction. This technique is called scaffolding. Scrivener (2005, 162) states that â€Å"it is a way a competent language speaker helps a less competent one to communicate by encouraging and providing possible elements of conversation. † In practice it means to encourage the weaker one by nodding, eye contact, repeating the last word in order to encourage the speaker to continue, asking tag questions, etc. The aim of this encouragement is to make a student speak as much as he or she is able to. Considering a fluent activity, correcting the mistakes should be done after finishing this activity. Suggested techniques are the following: ) writing the sentences used during the activity on the board and discussing them with the whole class b) writing incorrect sentences used during the activity on the board and encouraging the students to make correction c) inventing and writing down the story that includes some errors the teacher overheard during the activity and students try to find them and correct them d) writing out two lists A and B – each list contains ten sentences from the activity but some of them are correct, some of them incorrect. Students work in two groups and their task is to decide if the sentences are either correct or incorrect and why Accuracy Activities In an accuracy based activity the teacher is required to correct students? mistakes whenever possible. While practising accuracy, students become aware of their own mistakes in speaking straight away because the teacher does not wait until finishing the task. This approach is suitable while focusing on grammar mainly and enables the students to realize and correct their mistakes and also prevent their recurrence. 1. 2 COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES Every speaking lesson should be based on communicative activities which fulfil two important language learning needs. They encourage the learners to acquire language knowledge and prepare them for real-life language use. Achieving the outcome requires the participants to interact, which means not only speak with a person but also listen to what he or she is saying and react to it. 2. 1. 6 Importance of pair work and group work Pair work and group work present ways of organizing the class while teaching speaking. The teacher? s responsibility is to choose a suitable communicative activity depending on what is going to be practised – either fluency or accuracy – and organize the students into pairs or groups. In some activities such as role plays and guessing games, pair work is essential. On the other hand, discussions and debates require group work and enable the students to express their opinions on a given topic within the group. After that, the spokesman of each group notifies the rest of the class about the conclusion they have reached. This may lead to a following discussion among groups and if the topic is amusing, the speaking lesson seems to be enjoyable for both students and the teacher, too. Advantages of pair and group work There are many reasons for pair and group work to be used in the lessons. First of all, they provide the students with a lot more practice than working as a whole class. Students also feel more comfortable to speak to one or two people rather than the whole class and the teacher. Moreover, speaking to just a few people is closer to real-life situations. Pair and group work allows each student to work at the pace of his or her small group or pair. The teacher is no more considered the only source of information but the students learn from each other. This creates opportunities for learners? knowledge to be shared. In order to be successful, learners need to become accustomed to using English without the teacher? s permanent support. Therefore, working in pairs or groups helps them to build up their independence and confidence for further conversations. The advantages of pair and group work can be noticeable not only from the learner? s but also the teacher’s point of view. It provides the teacher with more time to work with weaker students and encourage them, by participating in a role play or discussion, to communicate. Teachers can also benefit from a great availableness of different communicative activities being offered in bookshops and on the internet nowadays. The variety of materials for pair or group work speaking practice is praised by most of them and their use has proved to be very efficient for speaking skill improvement. Slight disadvantages of pair and group work However efficient and useful pair and group work is, it may sometimes cause little problems while practising speaking. According to Doff (1989, 141) the noise belongs to these obstacles the teachers have to overcome during lessons. Usually the students themselves are not disturbed by the noise, it is more noticeable to the teacher observing pairs or groups. However, the noise created by pair and group work demonstrates learners? engagement in a speaking task and gives the teacher visual evidence of students? involvement. Considering this, the success in working in pairs or groups depends mainly on the students? and the teacher’s approach. Another fact Doff (1989, 141) mentions is the difficulty to control the whole class during a communicative activity. To stop activity getting out of control, it is important to give the students clear instructions, define the speaking task clearly and set up a routine, so that students accept the idea of working in pairs or groups and know exactly what to do. 2. 1. 7 The role of a teacher in communicative activities The teacher is a facilitator of students? learning and as such he has many roles to fulfill. Freeman (1986, 131) describes him as a manager of classroom activities. In this role, one of his major responsibilities is to set up activities that promote communication. During the communicative activities he acts as a consultant answering students? questions, offers advice and provides necessary language items. One of the most important roles is to make sure that students know what they are supposed to practise and check if they do it effectively. These roles are called a conductor and a monitor. Although there is a great number of various activities which may be used in speaking lessons, their use would be confusing and pointless if they would not be logically organised. Being a good organiser should be an ability possessed by every skillful teacher. Considering the facts mentioned above we can conclude that the teacher? s personality in a learning process is very important not only while participating in the activity but also while monitoring the students. The teacher? s less dominant role in communicative activities offers the students the opportunity to be involved in conversation and improve their speaking skills to be able to cope with the real-life situations. * 3: CONCLUSION In my thesis I tried to deal with speaking as one of four basic skills and highlight its importance in everyday situations. My aim was to distinguish speaking and conversation since these terms are commonly used but often get mixed up. I pointed out that conversation plays a crucial role in our lives and without it we would not be able to exchange the information and share our knowledge. I also dealt with motivation as an essential factor for language learners and classified its types – extrinsic and intrinsic, with the emphasis on the teacher? s personality which influences the students? willingness to participate actively in the learning process. I mentioned native speakers as a great source for our teaching practice and described the ways they may encourage the students to carry on studying a foreign language. To feel confident while learning to speak a foreign language, the students are supposed to be put in a „safe environmentâ€Å". This prevents them from embarrassement or anxiety when they are asked to express themselves. I tried to explain this term and suggested possible ways to decrease students? concern about speaking. Due to students? different personalities and also abilities to speak a foreign language, I dealt with pair work and group work as the ways of organizing the class. I mentioned the advantages of this kind of work, especially reducing tension in class, creating a pleasant atmosphere and building up students? independence and confidence. Pair work was evaluated as more useful since it is closer to real-life situations and dealing with them is the main aim that the students are heading for. Another area I focused on, were communicative activities and their categorization : information gap activities, discussions, role plays, simulations and guessing games. I characterized them and evaluated the interaction they offer to prepare students for real-life language use. In connection with them, I dealt with terms accuracy and fluency and explained the importance of distinguishing them due to teacher? s objective within the lesson. I introduced different techniques for correcting mistakes in either accuracy or fluency communicative activities and also described the roles of a teacher and requirements which he or she has to fulfil to manage the roles successfully. By means of this thesis I realized how important it is for the teacher to have a great amount of information concerning teaching speaking to be able to provide the students with efficient conversational lessons. The methodology literature I was reading through enabled me to have a look at a speaking skill from a different point of view and think about this issue more deeply. All the theoretical information I gained from this literature was used in the practical part of my thesis. Based on that, I reached several findings. One of them was realizing how important role motivation plays in the learning process. It was proved that students? progress in speaking a foreign language depends on motivation and encouragement from their teachers. I found out that if there are no stimulating factors and the students are not motivated, it leads to boredom in class. To prevent this, entertaining communicative activities and interesting topics proved to be very useful and effective. Another fact which I found reasonable while evaluating presented activities, was distinguishing them according to the teacher? s objective. The fluency activities proved to be essential while practising fluent conversation to prepare students for the real world. On the other hand, the accuracy ctivities focused on grammar and due to them the students were given the opportunity to practise the correct use of foreign language. Since using various types of communicative activities proved very beneficial in my classes, I would like to recommend them to all teachers whose aim is to improve their students? communicative skills. 4: Recommendation 1. Living through a situation and finding to use the language as a compelling force always helps in acquiring a s ound language habit. Can be teacher of English devise such situations when it is the second or the third language to learn?. It is not uncommon to find that the child even when he is at play he uses the new sounds as he hears them being used by other children in his play groups, without even knowing what each sound or word means. In a very short time he has learnt the meanings of the words by using them in the right place at the right moment. 2. Meaning of words must be allowed to be explored and they are learnt and remembered better. Equivalents, if used, often weaken the impression of the new word and thus tend to damage pupils interest in learning a language. Certain though around a great deal of difficulty stimulators learning. It must be guaranteed that the living personality of the teacher makes use of new word in all kinds of contexts and situations. 3. The proper plan is to adopt new sounds, words and structure patterns into well designed course which ensures gradual yet through repetition so that correct forms, construction are established in the mental habits of the pupils. Pupils should not have a free choice of grammatical form and structure. * * * * * * * * * * 5: References 1. Harmer, J. (1991). The practice of english language teaching. Essex:Longman, 296p. , ISBN:0-582- 046564 1. Scrivener, J. (2005). Learning teaching. Oxford:Macmillan Publishers Lim, 431p. , ISBN:1- 4050- 1399- 0 2. Ur, P. (1991). A course in language teaching. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 375p. , ISBN:0-521-44994-4 3. Thornbury, S. (2005). How to teach speaking. Essex:Pearson Education Limited, 156p. , ISBN:0-582-85359-1 4. Littlewood, W. (1994). Communicative language teaching. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 108p. , ISBN:0-521-28154-7 5. Celce, M. M. (2001). Teaching english as a second or foreign language. Boston:Heinle;Heinle, 584p. , ISBN:0-8384-1992-5 6. Ladousse, G. (1987). Role play. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 182p. , ISBN: 0-1943-7095 7. Doff, A. (1989). Teaching english. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 286p. , ISBN: 0-521-348641 8. Freeman, D. (1986). Techniques and principles in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 142p. , ISBN: 0-1943-4133 9. Nolasco, R ; Arthur, L. (1987). Conversation. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 150p. , ISBN: 0-19-437096-8 10. Hadfield, J. (1990). Intermediate communication games. Essex: Jill Hadfield, 105p. , ISBN: 0-17-555872-8 How to cite English Language and Students, Essays

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Organizational Learning And Transformation -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Organizational Learning And Transformation? Answer: Introduction Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, better known as ANZ bank is considered one of the largest as well as the most successful organization in Australia. It is also considered a leading bank in New Zealand. The case study analysis the bank`s case. The organization started its journey as the Bank of Australia in 1835, in the city of Sydney (Anz.com.au. 2018). In 1838, the company started its office in Melbourne where its head quarter is located in. The organization is a popular attraction for investors with its majority of shareholders in Australia. The company also operates in several other countries apart from New Zealand and Australia, which are Europe, the Pacific Asia and Dubai. Since its inception, the organization is one of those few companies who have been able to maintain a good performance by reflecting consistent profits (Arnold et al. 2015). Even during the global financial crisis in 2009, the company was able to upheld their name and earn profits. The banking corporation has been divided into five prime units, which comprise of Australia, Asia Pacific and Australia. The retail services offered by the company include services like credit card services, mortgages, deposits and other banking transactions. The organization is involved in various fields like Wealth Management, Institutional and Operations Technology and Shared Services and commercial banking (Buble, Juras and Mati? 2014). The report elaborates on the three broad aspects given in the case study which range from the elements of organizational change, the various challenges faced by managers to implement the internal change and the key attributes of the ANZ leaders. Answer to the first question: Attributes related to Change In the year 1990, John McFarlane was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer at the ANZ. This move was taken after the organization was going through certain turbulent times. Mc Farlane along with his management team brought about a huge change in the organization. The primary motive of the given programme was to bring about considerable change in the operations of the bank and to bring about sustainable innovation and achieve comparative advantage. The various highlights of the program and various characteristics have been discussed in the given case (Buble, Juras and Mati? 2014). After he was appointed as the CEO, it was seen that the bank had started making considerable profits and McFarlane was praised for his leadership style and management capability with special reference to bank finances. At that time, the banking industry of Australia had been facing considerable problems and distrust prevailed. It was at the same time when many banks had closed down, as they could not cope up with the various charges, which had increased tremendously at that time. The distrust had raised and prevailed in the banking industry was because the perception of the various citizens of the country had changed about the given company. This distrust was converted into an advantage by the new CEO of ANZ who undertook major steps to remove the distrust and improve the image of the bank in front of the nationals (Canterino, Cirella and Shani 2017). McFarlane took various steps to improve the scenario. Some of them have been stated below: Criticism of various banks, which had taken actions and retreated from serving the various rural communities. The rural committees of Australia comprised of various tribals who felt left out. Addressing the issues relating to empowerment of women in the banking Industry in Australia. He believed that women were equally capable and should be given higher roles in various banks. John is also considered one of the first few leaders in the globe who had taken interest in the issue of the corporate social responsibility that needed to be taken by the companies for the welfare of the society they function in. His immense talent in this particular field helped him to gain a competitive advantage in this regard and helped the bank to operate to the new operations effectively. These efforts of the McFarlane helped the citizens to view the banking industry in a new light once again. When John McFarlane had joined the organization, he had promised to bring about a vast number of changes in the organization (Cooper 2015). He had intended to reflect profits in the bank and change the perception of the people. The primary action taken by the CEO was that he started a cost-cut drive, which led to the reduction of redundant bank labor in the branches. He also believed at lowering the risk quotient of the bank and investing in the recently emerging markets. The transactions and operations related the head office of the bank was sent through a complete change. The operations were restructured, streamlined and thousands of unnecessary staff was removed from the office. The costs had risen tremendously before John was appointed which was reflected in the cost to income ratio of the bank. After his appointment, the ratio was brought down adversely. McFarlane realized the importance of the retail customers and shifted their focus from corporate clients to the retails one. H is estimate was correct and the business of the organization increased considerably. The organization took its first step towards changed in the year 2000. The CEO of the bank wanted to change the positioning of the bank into a bank with a human face (DuBois et al. 2015). The leadership team comprising of various executives, which was lead by John, was named the Perform, Grow and Breakout, as a management consultant, McKinsey and Company was appointed which was trusted with the responsibility of providing the company with new solutions. At first, the consultancy was given the responsibility to study the culture of the bank. The results displayed various problems relating to the present values of the banking organization. It also showed various problems relating to the value orientation of the various employees of the company and the way in which the bank was being perceived by the bank. The organizational report reflected to a positive result with respect to result orientation and goals of the organization (Farrell, Kawecki and Branham 2017). However, this was not th e case of orientation of the employees who believed that the banking organization ANZ was filled with hierarchy and extreme bureaucracy. They also believed that the management withheld hold amount of relevant information with them and that there was a lack of transparency in the organization. Hence, after this observation was made, it was seen to it that the values and cultures of the organization were made based on the viewpoint of the employees as well and not just the vision of the senior management. McKinsey also compared the bank to various other leading organizations present in the country. In terms of financial performance and operational excellence, the company fared extremely well. However, as stated earlier the company scored low in comparison to others in terms of values. Eleven measures, which included aspiration or mission, goals or targets, feedback related to the performance of the business unit, organizational approach, financial control, coordination and control, motivation related to opportunities, consequence management and motivation related to values, were considered (Fernandez 2017). John McFarlane after the given report formulated strategies under the Perform, Grow and Breakout Programme. As analysed from the given result of the report by McKinsey, the primary focus of McFarlanes strategy related to the Breakout, which was related to the cultural orientation and value system of the organization (Keskes 2014). After the given strategy was carried out, the banking corporation formed a new process in reference to the transformation of culture and the major initiatives taken by the company were: breakout charters breakout workshops and, Breakout consulting. The emotional ability and development of personality was the main area of concentration in the area of employees with respect to the Breakout workshops. The business projects were the main area of the breakout chapters. These projects, which were chosen, were closely related to the various culture and value aspect of the bank. The Breakout consulting refers to the process by which the diagnostic and consulting services are provided in the organization so that they are able to help the business units in performing better. One of the key points of the breakout program was that it was carried out on all the employees in the given organization and even across the various units as well as branches of the baking corporation (Malhotra and Hinings 2015). The given program took place for a period of around two to three days. The primary motive of the program was to provide the various employees the ability and the tools to realize their given potential and think in detail about the various motivating factors present in the given organization. The purpose of the program also included towards helping the given organization in increasing its engagement of the employees and to help it to optimize its work processes. The aims as well as areas of advancement were recognized by the various employees with the help of this program. The given change was brought about in the culture of the organization after the realization and observation of the CEO of the given organization. The Breakout project was also followed by a performance management of the employees whereby the employees of the organization could be retained and build (McCleskey 2014). The major phases relating to the performance management program relating to ANZ are: Performance planning Coaching which is interrelated to the performance of the employee and, Assessment of the given performance. It was realized that the process of performance management is of utmost relevance and that it needs to be clear and also measurable. The targets that will be set out by the management for the employees should be realistic. The manager and the employee will be required to sit together and discuss the various targets. The first phase of performance management involves performance coaching which requires meetings at regular intervals of the employees with their managers so that their capabilities are bold up throughout the year. This helps in tracking of the progress. The primary focus of the move is to make sure that the performance and value system of the employee is developed according to the set plan (Monzani, Ripoll and Peir 2015). The e particular program at the ANZ Banking Corporation also aimed at development of the personal goals of the employee. Hence, in the section, the various highlights of how the organizational transformed over the years has been elaborated. The above-discussed points are therefore the major features of the transformation of the organization after the appointment of McFarlane as the CEO of ANZ. Answer to the second question: Internal Change in the Organization Under the supervision and guidance of John McFarlane, various changes took place throughout the organization. These changes could be easily witnessed and were relevantly designed for identifying and developing talent throughout the organization. The primary focus of the banking corporation has always been on the learning of the employees at every level of the banking department (Nanjundeswaraswamy and Swamy 2014). The bank makes use of advanced global systems in order to see to it that the right knowledge is given to the right customers when required. The management also aimed to bring about an internal cultural change in the organization, which it implemented through three basic leadership programs that were introduced by John McFarlane. He brought about huge investments in the leadership programs. The given program started with identification of efficient leadership in the organization, which was carried out by the human resource department of the organization. The HR managers and the line managers conducted a program together, which was popularly known as The Emerging Leader Radar Talent program (Saeed et al. 2014). The given program conducted steps, which were useful in identifying young talent in the company. However, while this program was being implemented, the company was faced by certain challenges. These challenges include challenges like engagement of the various employees. Engagement of the various employees proved to be a huge challenge because the organization is relatively large. McFarlane also faced a huge amount of challenge in getting support from all the employees. The employees were quite restricted in their thoughts with respect to culture. They did not want new reforms, which according to them would result in the mitigation of the essence of the organization (Saleem 2015). The action plan in order to address the given challenges was that the organizational change was not only bought about in the lower part of the organization but also in the top management. The change, it was decided that will be bought about in the top management first and then in the rest of the organization. This fulfilled the main aim of the CEO, to build a trust factor among the employees. The data and statistics, which were analysed, post the change as per the staff survey reflected that there was significant improvement. The satisfaction level has improved greatly from 50% in 1997 to 62% in the year 2001, 78% in 2002 and lastly 85% in the year 2004. Since the adoption of the above stated program and its success, the ANZ has become one of the leading organizations in the globe (Sethuraman and Suresh 2014). It has become the most engaged workforce around the globe. Leaders who want to bring about the change in the organization need to take steps from the given. Another primary challenge that the company faced was with regard to the tenure of the CEO, John McFarlane. There was a time when the bank was exposed to the telecommunications industry. The industry had collapsed in 2000 and this has affected the organization adversely (Prooijen and Vries 2016).Other banks started giving the organization fierce competition during the reign of McFarlane. Hence, during this phase, he undertook certain wrong decisions, which had an adverse impact on the organization. Answer to the third question: Leadership Attributes The CEO of the company, John McFarlane entered the organization at a time when the organization was under a crisis phase. The role played by the leader was that of providing guidance to the rest of the organization and taking the organization to a phase whereby the whole structure of the organization had to be changed (Shani and Noumair 2017). McFarlane took a big initiative and made sure that the image of the company was changed to `a bank with a human face`. McFarlane also started concentrating on Corporate Social Responsibility and was one of the first leaders to do so. Another good characteristic about the author was that he realized the importance of employee involvement in an organization and involved them in various performance management activities and setting the targets task. Michael Smith replaced McFarlane as the CEO of the ANZ in 2007 and took the organization forward with his capability. Under the guidance of the new leader Smith, the organization got the AA certification. Smith`s main goal was to make ANZ one of the most popular banking corporations round the globe (Sommer, Sprog and Andersen 2017). Various losses of jobs had resulted from the organizational change activities. Hence, to avoid this Smith focused on efficiency and transparency, which aimed to improve the profitability of the organization. The current CEO of the organization is Shane Elliott. The banking industry is undergoing changes right now and these will be reflected and acted upon by him. Conclusion Therefore, it can be concluded that leadership plays a key role in the transformation of the organization and that the organization can undergo a change only if it gets proper guidance and help. The change in the cultural process of the organization is not an easy task and involves change in the attitude of the employees as well. The middle level managers have a lot to learn from the senior leaders as well. Hence, it would not be incorrect to say that organizational change is a result of leadership style. References Anz.com.au. ,2018.ANZ Personal Banking | Accounts, credit cards, loans, insurance | ANZ. [online] Available at: https://www.anz.com.au/personal/ [Accessed 21 Jan. 2018]. Arnold, K.A., Connelly, C.E., Walsh, M.M. and Martin Ginis, K.A., 2015. Leadership styles, emotion regulation, and burnout.Journal of Occupational Health Psychology,20(4), p.481. Buble, M., Juras, A. and Mati?, I., 2014. The relationship between managers leadership styles and motivation.Management: journal of contemporary management issues,19(1), pp.161-193. Canterino, F., Cirella, S. and Shani, R., 2017. Leading organizational transformation: an action research study.Journal of Managerial Psychology. Cooper, D., 2015. Effective safety leadership: Understanding types styles that improve safety performance.Professional Safety,60(2), p.49. DuBois, M., Hanlon, J., Koch, J., Nyatuga, B. and Kerr, N., 2015. Leadership styles of effective project managers: Techniques and traits to lead high performance teams.Journal of Economic Development, Management, IT, Finance, and Marketing,7(1), p.30. Farrell, M., Kawecki, B. and Branham, R., 2017. Collaboration, Communication, and Partnerships for Effective Organizational Transformation. Fernandez, S., 2017. The impact of leadership styles on values and performance.Journal of Health Visiting,5(1), pp.34-37. Keskes, I., 2014. Relationship between leadership styles and dimensions of employee organizational commitment: A critical review and discussion of future directions.Intangible Capital,10(1). Malhotra, N. and Hinings, C.B., 2015. Unpacking continuity and change as a process of organizational transformation.Long Range Planning,48(1), pp.1-22. McCleskey, J.A., 2014. Situational, transformational, and transactional leadership and leadership development.Journal of Business Studies Quarterly,5(4), p.117. Monzani, L., Ripoll, P. and Peir, J.M., 2015. The moderator role of followers personality traits in the relations between leadership styles, two types of task performance and work result satisfaction.European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology,24(3), pp.444-461. Nanjundeswaraswamy, T.S. and Swamy, D.R., 2014. Leadership styles.Advances in management,7(2), p.57. Saeed, T., Almas, S., Anis-ul-Haq, M. and Niazi, G.S.K., 2014. Leadership styles: relationship with conflict management styles.International Journal of Conflict Management,25(3), pp.214-225. Saleem, H., 2015. The impact of leadership styles on job satisfaction and mediating role of perceived organizational politics.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,172, pp.563-569. Sethuraman, K. and Suresh, J., 2014. Effective leadership styles.International Business Research,7(9), p.165. Shani, A.B.R. and Noumair, D.A. eds., 2017.Research in organizational change and development. Emerald Group Publishing. Sommer, F.M., Sprog, J. and Andersen, R.N., 2017. Research workshops as a Means to individual and organizational learning and transformation. InOLKC2015. van Prooijen, J.W. and de Vries, R.E., 2016. Organizational conspiracy beliefs: Implications for leadership styles and employee outcomes.Journal of business and psychology,31(4), pp.479-491.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Major American Writers Essays - Robert Frost, Frost,

Major American Writers The honored title of "Major American Writer" tends to be ambiguous and ill defined in part because each individual reader holds preconceived notions about what characteristics a writer should possess to be classified as a major author. Every work an author creates combines with the others to form a body of material on which the writer is judged. This class on Major American Writers studied five authors with completely different genres, writing styles, and general appeal. The choice for these particular authors was based on criteria unique to the instructor. Since every reader requires different characteristics, this paper will outline my specific criteria for a Major American Writer and apply those to Robert Frost and Henry James. Frost is a perfect example as defined by my characteristics of a major writer. His work embodies all the features necessary to categorize him as such. While James's work is well critiqued and studied, he does not meet my criteria for a major writer. His work falls short in some of the fundamental requirements. There are four specific criteria by which I define a Major American Writer. The most important for the significance of an author is the relevance of the writings to human nature. Timeless works of literature or poetry connect with the audiences' innermost emotions. The nature of the world is constant change and if the work of an author is not able to transcend the change it will be forgotten or obsolete. One thing constant enough to be the focus of the work is the human condition. Another criterion for a Major American Writer is that the substance of the work must also engage the reader. Writing cannot be effective without an audience. If the author has no impact on people the material written accomplished nothing. Engagement may come about through the entertainment value or intellectual interest, neither being of greater importance. Style as well as substance is necessary when discussing criteria for an author to be a Major American Writer. The technical aspects of a work, such as narrator and form, are important in a work because they are ways to distinguish a superb writer from a mediocre writer. The last criterion for a Major American Writer is the overall impact on literature. Major authors should have the ability to reshape or redefine literature or public thought in some manner. Considerations of the author's contributions to the genre as well as the world of literature are consequential when deciding to include the writer in the category of a major writer. Not every author who is considered as a major writer needs to totally fulfill all the criteria set forth. There are many other considerations that could qualify an author for this honor. These four conditions are simply a starting point for qualification. The first writer I chose to examine is Robert Frost. He expressly fulfills all four criteria for qualification as a "Major American Writer". Many of his poems deal with the innermost workings of the human experience. He beautifully illustrates difficult to explain emotions with prose and poetry. His poem "The Road Not Taken" reveals the conflict between choices made and choices passed. This is not something easily expressed in words, but Frost eloquently makes his point. The second criterion Frost meets is the engagement of the reader. The excellence in his work lies in the fact that anyone can read and enjoy his writings. There are levels of meaning that can be read in a very basic, literal manner or studied for complexity of meaning so as to engage lay readers or scholars. "After Apple-Picking" is as much about picking apples as it is about life and death. Frost's writing style also helps his writing to be accessible and to engage the reader. This writing form fulfills the third criterion for a "Major American Writer." His style of blank verse and unrhymed lines give the poetry a tone of normal conversation. The technique is followed almost continually throughout his poetry revealing his dedication to the technical aspect of writing as well as the artistic. Metaphors are present in his work but not dominating to the point of convolution. They relate to the actual events in the poem and attribute the work a deeper meaning. A lyrical poet with a passive style, Frost allows the audience to decide the meaning of the poem. He attempts not to show too much personal influence on the reader's understanding. Frost's work left a legacy on the world that will not soon be forgotten. A modernist poet, he combined

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

How to Conjugate the French Verb Craindre (to Fear)

How to Conjugate the French Verb Craindre (to Fear) Craindre  (to fear)  is an  irregular -re verb  thats conjugated like all other  French verbs ending in -aindre,  -eindre, and  -oindre.  This is evident in the conjugation table below that shows the simple conjugations of craindre; compound conjugations that consist of the conjugated auxiliary verb avoir and the past participle craint are not included in the table. Craindre: Conjugated Like all verbs ending in -aindre Irregular -re verbs fall into a few patterns that make memorizing their conjugations a little easier: verbs conjugated like prendre, verbs conjugated like battre, verbs including mettre and all its derivatives, those including rompre and its derivatives, and a fifth group including all verbs that end in -aindre like craindre, -eindre like peindre, and -oindre like joindre. A final group of very irregular verbs, such as dire, à ©crire, faire, have such unusual and unwieldy conjugations that they follow no pattern and need to be memorized in order to use them. The fifth group of verbs ending in -aindre like craindre drops the d in the stem in both singular and plural forms and adds a g in front of the n in plural forms. Other verbs like craindre include:   contraindre   to force, to compel  plaindre  Ã‚  to pity, to feel sorry for Usage and Expressions   Craindre is a transitive verb thats used in numerous idiomatic expressions. It can be translated as to fear, to be frightened of, or to be afraid of. The causative se faire craindre means to intimidate. craindre Dieu  Ã‚  to go in fear of / to fear Godcraindre le pire  (familiar)   to fear the worstNe crains rien.  Ã‚   Have no fear. /  Never fear. / Dont be afraid.Il ny a rien craindre.   Theres no cause for alarm. / Theres nothing to fear.Sa grosse voix le faisait craindre de tous ses à ©là ¨ves.  Ã‚  His booming voice made all his  pupils  afraid of him.Elle sait  se faire craindre de ses subordonnà ©s.   She knows how to intimidate her subordinates.Je ne crains pas les piqà »res.  Ã‚  Im not afraid  of injections.Il y a tout craindre dune intervention militaire.   One can expect the worst from a military intervention.Craignant de la rà ©veiller, il a retirà © ses chaussures. He took off his shoes for fear of waking her up.Je crains de lavoir blessà ©e.   Im afraid Ive hurt her.Je crains fort quil (ne) soit dà ©j trop tard.   Im really afraid its already too late.Je crains que oui / non. Im afraid so / not.Ça craint le froid. Its s ensitive to cold.Ça craint. (very informal) Its a real pain. craindre pour quelquun / quelque chose to fear for somebody or something Simple Conjugations of the Irregular French -re Verb Craindre Present Future Imperfect Present participle je crains craindrai craignais craignant tu crains craindras craignais il craint craindra craignait nous craignons craindrons craignions vous craignez craindrez craigniez ils craignent craindront craignaient Pass compos Auxiliary verb avoir Past participle craint Subjunctive Conditional Pass simple Imperfect subjunctive je craigne craindrais craignis craignisse tu craignes craindrais craignis craignisses il craigne craindrait craignit craignt nous craignions craindrions craignmes craignissions vous craigniez craindriez craigntes craignissiez ils craignent craindraient craignirent craignissent Imperative (tu) crains (nous) craignons (vous) craignez

Friday, November 22, 2019

Catholic scandal

Bishop acknowledges the role of crisis Dallas (AP) - American Roman Catholic bishop started a historic gathering of civilian sexual abuse on Thursday and after their mistake triggered the crisis, Infiltration Photo AP Slide AP AP Photo Slide AP Photo Catholic Church Abuse The controversial audio / video casualties are required to further tolerance and accountability Church (WFAA, Dallas) Bishops, Discussion on Sexual Abuse by Pastor (AP) We will take action to propose a recommendation aimed at reforming the efforts of the Church's abuses. The American Catholic Children Sexual Love Scandal occurred in 2002, and it is reported that many archbishop leaders transferred to a new pastor instead of reporting or demolishing a pastor abusing a minor. The scandal involved almost all of the parishes of American Catholics, including 4,400 pastors and 110,000 children abused between 1950 and 2002. Child marriage is legal in several countries. For example, in Yemen, more than a quarter of girls ar e married before 15 years of age. Just in 2010, a 12-year-old bride from Yemen died of internal bleeding after intercourse. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for a 12-year-old girl from Saudi Arabia to marry an 80-year-old man. Child sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church is a long-standing story that proves that it can be said to be one of the most historical scandals of the century. This is a scandal embodied in Mashiel and embodied in Macheel, effectively destroying the belief and trust that Catholics and Roman Catholics do not have, is the oldest religious institution in the Western world, to the ancient Rome I am back. Times. In addition to the New York Times article Sexual Abuse and the Catholic Church: Why It's a Story, countless other magazines, magazines, television stations continue publishing and broadcasting the media on church sexual abuse scandals . Just in 2016, New Yorker announced an article entitled Understanding Catholic Abuse by President Benedict. The C atholic Church is currently suffering from a very serious and serious scandal, Catholic priests and pedophiles sexual abuse. Last year, the Catholic Church had to distribute more than $ 100 million to the resolution of sexual abuse. But when the two Catholic priests in Boston were accused of abusing over 100 boys and young people, the crisis became mainstream. Churches around the world have influenced this scandal. - Cults can be defined as a group of people centered on human religious, social or political ideology (Martin, 2003). This is a sport that respects certain people, uses operation techniques to recruit members and collect funds. Cults require that members fully fund their work and use it to fund the members and provide sexual services for the benefit of the leaders.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Business management - Starbucks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business management - Starbucks - Essay Example Information obtained from http://investor.starbucks.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=99518&p=irol-irhome, also posits to the effect that â€Å"Starbucks purchases and roasts high-quality whole bean coffees and sells them, along with fresh, rich-brewed coffees, Italian-style espresso beverages, cold blended beverages, a variety of complementary food items, a selection of premium teas, and beverage-related accessories and equipment, primarily through company-operated retail stores.† The company also sells coffee products and tea through other channels like licensed retail stores. According to information obtained from its official website, Starbucks was established in 1985 and its operations are mainly guided by its mission statement: â€Å"To inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup, and one neighbourhood at a time.† The company also strives to be the world’s leader in production of fine coffee. Its success as the world leader in the coffee industry can be attributed to the differentiation strategy it uses. This report will specifically focus on the United States Segment where the company has its own stores as well as licensed stores. Starbucks is very popular in the US and of notable concern is the fact that its operations are also shaped by trade practices as well as regulations such as North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).The economic forces in the US also shape the operations of the company. However, the US operating segment contributed 69% of total net revenues for the fiscal year 2011. 1.1 Task A: ANALYSIS OF STARBUCKS’ EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT This section of the report critically analyses Starbucks’ external environment. PESTEL analysis will be used to analyse the macro environment while Porter’s five forces model will be used to analyse the micro environment. This part of the paper will also identify the opportunities and threats that exist in the external market. 1.2 PESTEL Analysis There are vario us external factors that shape the operations of Starbucks and PESTEL is an acronym for political, economic, social, technological, environmental as well as legal factors impacting on the operations of the organisation and this too is going to be used to carry out the external environmental analysis. The table in index 1 shows the external factors that impact on the operations of the above mentioned company. Starbucks FY11 Annual Report (2011) shows that the company managed to raise the highest amount of revenue of $11, 7 billion from its operations. This is the highest amount of revenue to be generated by the company after the global economic recession that was witnessed in the US around 2007-2009. The success of the company can be attributed to the external factors that are obtaining in the environment where the company operates. As shown in appendix 1, political stability in the US plays a pivotal role in the success of the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Take a filed trip to a toy store or toy section of a sopping Essay

Take a filed trip to a toy store or toy section of a sopping center....... the rest of the question you will see it when i uploa - Essay Example Gender by itself is neutral and does not have any significance other than its biological function until society provided a meaning to it through social construct. In its primitive definition, gender through its genitalia only serves the call of nature to excrete waste from our body. As toddlers, we are not even aware of it nor cared about it because society’s definition and construct of gender roles is not yet imposed on us. Until of course we begin to grow up and begin to interact with her various elements that begun with our parents who call us boy or girl and assign us roles in multitude of ways from labeling us as boy or girl and with it, the expectation and the roles we should play. Thus, we are told not to do this or that because we are girl or boy or told to do this or that because we are a girl or boy as a part of instilling social construct to us. Toys help create and reinforce strict definitions of gender. Toy is one of the implements of society that effectively defi nes to us the meaning and significance of our gender. It helps us to reinforce what should be a male or female through the symbolism and functionality of toys. You can call it brainwashing because it practices to perform the roles and functions expected of us by society at large. For example, girls play dolls because they are expected to be nurturers and dolls serves as a practicing kit on how to perform such role. Boys on the other hand plays trade tools such as cars, helmet etch as a conditioning tool that they ought to have a craft or a job to be a man as a expected by society. These toys have social meanings as well. For the toys of the boys, they convey   Ã¢â‚¬Å"control, strength,  efficiency, competitiveness, toughness, coolness under pressure† (Flores, nd) while for the girls, their toys also orients them about †cooperation, mutuality, equality, sharing compassion, caring,...emotional expressiveness† (Johnson cited in Flores, nd). In a way, social constr uction perpetuates gender stereotyping as it already â€Å"boxes† us into gender roles beginning from our childhood. Such, when one enters a toy store as an adult, one cannot help but be drawn to the section to the gender that we are oriented to. The imposition of society’s social construction of gender manifests when we visit a store because we are drawn to the section of the toys (male or female section) where our respective genders are oriented or accustomed to. These toys however are more than tools of fun. They are also symbolisms of what is expected of us or as our training of the roles that we have to play in society. For example, As a male, one is expected to play only with toys that reinforce his gender role or identities. Role that is expected of him by his peers (which could be very strong if he is adolescent) to be strong, virile, rough and competitive. Thus, he would be expected to play cars, guns, robots, swords or any symbols of the toy that represent an d reinforce his virile masculinity which is necessary for his role in society. Women on the other hand will manifests similar attachment to toys that her gender is oriented to. She may find it uncomfortable to be in the men’s section of toy store and instead will play with dolls that reinforce her gender role. Thus, it would not be an exaggeration to say that social construction which is â€Å"how society groups people† exerts such a powerful influence on us that it dictates

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Performance Appraisal Essay Example for Free

Performance Appraisal Essay Performance appraisal is a universal phenomenon with the organization is making judgement about one is working with and about oneself. It serves as a basic element of effective work performance. Performance appraisal is essential for the effective management and evaluation of staff. It aims to improve the organizational performance as well as individual development. Performance is an employee’s accomplishment of assigned work as specified in the critical and as measured against standards of the employee’s position. The term â€Å"Performance Appraisal† is concerned with the process of valuing person’s worth to an organisation with a view to increasing it. EXERCISE : STEP 1: Divide participant in group of 3. STEP 2 : Let them to select upon themselves a manager, an employee and an observer. STEP 3 : Assign each group with one scenario to begin with. STEP 4 : Each scenario will take approximately 5 min to play. STEP 5 : manager and employee has to take part in play and observer has to write down the Observations. STEP 6 : Observer has to focus on following questions – †¢ What worked? †¢ What didn’t? †¢ How did the â€Å"manager† shows caring during the play? †¢ How did the â€Å"employee† react to a caring approach? †¢ Was the manager candid with the employee? How? †¢ How did the employee react to the candid approach? †¢ Did a collaborative effort surface? Describe it? Different scenarios are : Scenario 1 : Was it that important? Manager : You’ve missed the three of those meetings during the last two quarter. Employee : But I thought they were optional. I’ve been missing meetings all week. I never realise it as a problem Manager : Well I am telling you now your attendance is mandatory. But that’s not the only reason you scored low in this category.. You also been consistently coming to work late. Employee : But I am always here by 8:15. The switchboard doesn’t even open until 8:30. Manager : ( Ad lib from here, and see where it takes you! ) Employee : ( Ad lib from here, and see where it takes you! ) Scenario 2 : Are you done yet? Manager : I know you are working hard on this report I assigned, but you keep getting them to me late. I can’t prepare next year’s budget unless I know exactly how much money each contract brought in this year. So you are going to have to get them into me by tomorrow afternoon, Okay? Employee : Sorry, sometime I have trouble prioritizing.. I didn’t realised they were that important. Manager : Well, they are important, and I need your report on time from now on. Okay? Employee : ( Ad lib from here, and see where it takes you! ) Manager : ( Ad lib from here, and see where it takes you! ) In that manner we can assign different scenario to different groups. STEP 7 : Now the manager and employee are going to provide with a paper and they were asked to write down the behaviour of one other in role play. ( In this way manager appraise their employees performance and employee appraise their managers performance. ) STEP 8 : Finally observer has to share his observation with others.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Comparing Maya Angelous Graduation and Liliana Hekers The Stolen Part

Comparing Maya Angelou's Graduation and Liliana Heker's The Stolen Party    Maya Angelou's "Graduation" and Liliana Heker's "The Stolen Party" share a common theme. Each author demonstrates through young girls that life's experiences, especially as a child, teach important lessons. Although Angelou's "Graduation" and Heker's "The Stolen Party" share a distinct resemblance, they also differ. The main similarity is that Margaret from "Graduation" and Rosaura from "The Stolen Party" are both excited about a day that they consider special or important. Margaret's big day revolves around her graduation from the eighth grade at the Lafayette County Training School. Margaret and her entire family are so proud of her accomplishments and achievements. Margaret felt high aspirations for the future and high hopes of all her goals being attainable. Margaret brags: My work alone had awarded me a top place and I was going to be one of the first called in the graduating ceremonies. On the classroom blackboard, as well as on the bulletin board in the auditorium, there were blue stars and white stars and red stars. No absences, no tardiness, and my academic work was among the best of the year. I could say the preamble to the Constitution even faster than Bailey. (572)    Rosaura's big day revolves around a birthday party she was invited to by Luciana. Luciana is the daughter of Senora Ines. Senora Ines is a lady Rosaura's mother cleans for in the afternoons. Despite her mother's initial wishes, Rosaura was determined to attend Luciana's birthday party. Heker writes, "She wanted to go to that party more than anything else in the world. 'I'll die if I don't go' she [Rosaura] whispered" (614). Margaret and Ro... ...ade this little girl come to life with words. Margaret was so natural, so life-like, so truthful. Heker's "The Stolen Party" is a work of fiction and is told in third person. Although Rosaura seems realistic and believable, her character was not as fully revealed as Margaret's.    Margaret and Rosaura were both young girls living in environments where certain things or people were not accepted. Through childhood experiences both girls have learned substantial lessons about themselves and the way others view them that should remain with them the rest of their lives.    Works Cited Angelou, Maya. "Graduation." Literature for Composition. 4th Ed.   Sylvan Barnet et al. New York HarperCollins, 1996. 570-578. Hecker, Liliana. "The Stolen Party." Literature for Composition. 4th Ed. Sylvan Barnet et al. New York HarperCollins, 1996. 613-616.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Entertainment Industry in Mexico

Overview of Entertainment Industry in Mexico By: Jennifer Tarleton Date: November 15, 2010 GEO 111 World Regional Geography Instructor: David Harris South Piedmont Community College TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Actors and ComediansP. 1 II. Singers and MusiciansP. 2 III. Production CompaniesP. 3 IV. BibliographyP. 5 Business is booming for Mexico's entertainment industry. Mexico promotes itself as choice destination for filmmakers, but problems threaten to stunt industry's growth. The entertainment industry in Mexico faces two serious challenges.The first challenge is to generate an environment that the entertainment industry can prosper and second, to protect intellectual property. A stable business environment is vital to the success of the entertainment industry in Mexico. I. Actors, Comedians, Films The history of Mexican cinema goes back to the ending of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th but some movies have rediscovered just recently. The â€Å"silent film† industry in Mexico produced several movies; however, many of the films up to the 1920s have been lost and were not well-documented.The Mexican cinema golden era occurred during the 1940s. The origin of early filmmaking is generally associated with Salvador Toscano Barragan. Toscano compiled the country's first fictional film, titled Don Juan Tenorio. By 1906, 16 movie salons opened their doors to accommodate the popularity of cinema in Mexico City. Actors such as Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete, Cantinflas, Joaquin Pardave, Maria Felix, and Dolores del Rio gained their recognition. The themes during these years touched all aspects of Mexican society. The majority of the productions were comedies and dramas.Mexico's most famous contribution to popular cinema is perhaps the beautiful Mexican actress Salma Hayek who has endeared herself to thousands of fans across the world. Hayek is the first Mexican national to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. She is one of the most prominent Mexican figures in Hollywood. Some of today’s most popular comedians also have Mexican roots. George Lopez is one of the top five highest grossing comedians in the world. Lopez, a Mexican-American, was deserted by his father at birth but was raised by his maternal grandmother.Lopez has received several honors for his work and contributions to the Latino community. In September 2004, George was honored with the â€Å"Spirit of Liberty Award† presented by People for the American Way. In August 2005, Time magazine recognized George as one of â€Å"The 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America†. Another large sector of the entertainment industry in Mexico is the adult entertainment industry. The adult entertainment industry in Mexico is worth around one billion US dollars, and employs around 20,000 in direct and indirect jobs.While this entertainment industry produces revenue it also causes problems. Many film stars were diagnosed with various sexually transmitted di seases, including HIV. II. Singers and Musicians Mexico has a rich musical history. Mexico has a musical history that is full of cultural contrasts, with many different musical styles and influences. The popularity of the Mexican music goes back to the 16th century. Mexico's musical tradition shows strong folk as well as modern influences. However, the various music traditions have managed to unite Mexican society into one popular musical culture.Modern Mexico's music lovers are equally swayed by the tunes and rhythm of traditional music like mariachi and ranchero songs as well as by the Latino beats of hip-hop and salsa. The music industry has also brought considerable economic advancement to Mexico-generating jobs, bringing long-term investment and spawning a number of parallel businesses related to the industry (e. g. , recording studios and radio stations). Mexican music is popular in not only in Mexico but also in America and Europe.The famous Mexican American singers and music ians are playing a crucial role in keeping their traditions alive. The Mexican music is lively and offers pure entertainment. The singers like Jade Esteban Estrada, Selena, La Mafia, Roy Benavidez, Freddy Fender, Hector P. Gracia are some of the famous contemporary singers. III. Production Companies Mexico has a flourishing film industry and has produced a number of internationally acclaimed film directors. â€Å"There's no question that Mexico is one of the brightest hopes for the future of our company †¦ It's one of five key global markets. (Sumner Redstone) Redstone is the chairman and CEO of the entertainment conglomerate Viacom. Viacom’s holdings include MTV, Nickelodeon and Blockbuster Video. Redstone is optimistic about the prospects of connecting with Mexican audiences and growing with the market in coming years. Mexico is also building its reputation as a destination for filming. According to Kevin Trehy, executive producer for Warner Brothers Productions, the real value of Mexico being used as a location shoot is that the local community reaps benefits at a rate four times the cost of production.Miguel Angel Davila, president of Cinemex, a national chain of movie theaters, sees growth potential for his business in Mexico too. Many films raise many unanswered and perhaps unanswerable questions about where Mexico has been and where its people, politics, and culture are headed.V. BIBLIOGRAPHY http://www. museumstuff. com/learn/topics/Mexico_City::sub::Culture http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/George_Lopez http://latinmusic. about. com/od/countrie1/p/PROBASICS17. htm http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Film_industry

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Inflation of Singapore

Bachelor of Commerce (Bridging) Intake 17 Elements of Economics Contents Introduction3 CPI inflation4 MAS inflation5 Private road transport5 Accommodation6 Recommendation7 Conclusion8 References9 Inflation here up 5. 5% in December Introduction Last December, Singapore’s inflation, which is defined as a persistently rising price level, rose to 5. 5 per cent on a year-on-year basis. The author states that CPI inflation is due to the accommodation and private road transport higher contribution. Furthermore, the author also mention the MAS core inflation increased to 2. per cent year-on-year due to the ongoing pass-through of earlier increasing costs. The report from December’s MAS’s Recent Economic Developments in Singapore further supports the author’s article. In this discussion, it could be argued that consumer demand for housing and transport are the major factors, which Department of Statistic Singapore reported, contribute to the increment in inflation . In addressing the challenge of the governments to meet the consumer demand, the paper will mention a few discussions and a recommendation about the issue on inflation of Singapore.CPI and MAS Inflation CPI inflation CPI, or Consumer Price Index, measures the average of the prices paid by urban consumers for a â€Å"fixed† basket of consumer goods and service (Michael Parkin, 2011). In Singapore, the major contributing â€Å"fixed† baskets are Housing, Food and Transport. In total, these three factors are more than half of the entire CPI. Data extracted from the December 2011’s CPI report is using year 2009 as the base period, which is derived from a Household Expenditure Survey.As Singapore inflation rates are published monthly, the Singapore Government is preventing bad or fictional speculations of future inflation. [pic] Source: Department of Statistic Singapore, 2012 Below table showing partial data of Singapore CPI December 2011 |FOOD |2,205 | |HOUSING |2, 548 | |Accommodation |2,002 | |Fuel & utilities 357 | |Household durables |189 | |TRANSPORT |1,553 | |Private road transport |1,166 | |Public road transport |366 | |Other travel & transport |21 | |Source: Department of Statistic Singapore, 2012 |MAS inflation MAS’ core inflation is stated as a smaller amount than the CPI inflation in this article. This difference is due to MAS monitoring a core inflation measure that excludes components of â€Å"Accommodation† and â€Å"Private road transport†. Private road transport Data from Department of Statistic Singapore states that the overall inflation of transport increased 10% from last year’s December with a detailed 12. 2% increment for the sub category â€Å"Private road transport†. Singapore Government controls the number of vehicles on the island via placing a quota on COE.In mid October 2011, the Singapore Government announced that the annual growth rate will be decreased smoothly until end of 2014 as vehicles population is growing faster than the government’s vehicle growth rate (Tony Ng, 2011). With the sharp increase in COE premiums in June and July 2011 (MAS, 2012), car prices surged, therefore defining the 12. 2% increment in â€Å"Private road transport†. As COE supply is tight, private road transport costs will remain firm. Hence, contribution to the increased inflation is not entirely from private road transport, but from the other main â€Å"fixed† basket, Accommodation.Accommodation Singapore’s economy recovered fast unexpectedly, this is good news but with backlash as Singapore’s infrastructure programmes could not keep pace, causing shortage in the housing program (Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 2011). Since property cooling measures were introduced by the government in year 2010, properties firms claimed that the number of deals closed have dropped by 30% compared to a year ago (PropertyWire, 2011). One of the new measures is th at home owners being required to sell off their flats first before qualifying to the higher bank loan of 80% of next purchasing flat’s value.Most sellers prefer buy first, then sell (Eugene Lim, 2011), causing them to disqualify from the higher loan and only facing with the maximum 60% loan from the banks. Now they have to produce 40% of purchasing flat value from their own cash. With such conditions, sellers are commanding higher cash premiums or cash over valuation (COV) resulting in more expensive or inflated resale flats. On the other hand, people who turn away from resale flats, with factor from the supplies of new flats that are slow in completion, are looking into rental accommodation.The other new cooling measurement the government has introduced is the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP). It is defined that flats can be only being rented out after five years, increased from the previous one to three years period. As more Singaporeans and other people in Singapore are loo king for completed dwellings, the inflation in accommodation is caused by high demand and low supply. Recommendation [pic] Supply and Demand Graph Source: Irena Asmundson, 2010. Demand and supply curves are charted as shown above.As prices rises, suppliers are willing to produce more and consumers buying less (Irena Asmendson, 2010). In addition, the demand for accommodation is high and the supply is low, Singapore accommodation’s price has inflated. To solve this increasing demand and shortage of accommodation, Singapore government has been producing more HDB apartments. From the key statistic from the Housing and Development Board, there are 43,030 apartments under construction in the fiscal year of 2010/2011, a 20. 8% increased from the previous fiscal year.A huge increase of 68. 6% apartments completed from the previous year further reinstate the government’s effort to lower the shortage of accommodation, but the total bookings for new flats are 17,419, less than h alf the number of apartments under construction. This difference can be defined as a huge number of unsold or surplus apartments as HDB in the market. If this is to be true, the huge number of unsold apartment will lower the prices, causing suppliers to produce less and consumers buying more. ConclusionSingapore CPI inflation rate in December is hugely contributed from the factor of accommodation and private road transport. In conclusion, the increased COE premiums and accommodation shortage can the detailed explanation. The Singapore government has been doing readjustment in the property market and private road transport. With introduction of new cooling measures and building of more new apartments, the government can curb or lowered the accommodation inflation rate. Inclusion with the huge surplus of unsold apartment, the accommodation inflation rate can be lowered to with the demand and supply law.Word count: 932 References Michael Parkin, 2009. Economics. 10th edition. Pearson A ddison Wesley Department of Statistic Singapore (2012, January 25). Singapore Consumer Price Index December 2011. Department of Statistic Singapore. Retrieved from http://www. singstat. gov. sg/news/news/cpidec2011. pdf [Accessed 6 February 2012] Matthew Bishop (2004, April). Economics A-Z. The Economist. Retrieved from http://www. economist. com/economics-a-to-z/i#node-21529397 [Accessed 6 February 2012] Monetary Authority of Singapore (2011, December 8).Recent Economic Developments in Singapore. Monetary Authority of Singapore. Retrieved from http://www. mas. gov. sg/resource/eco_research/eco_dev_ana/Recent_Economic_Developments. pdf [Accessed 7 February 2012] Tony Ng (2011, October 19). COE premiums hit record hit. AsiaOne Motoring. Retrieved from http://www. asiaone. com/Motoring/News/Story/A1Story20111019-305931. html [Accessed 8 February 2012] Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (2011, August 14). National Day Rally 2011. Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore. Retrieved from ht tp://www. pmo. gov. g/content/pmosite/mediacentre/speechesninterviews/primeminister/2011/August/Prime_Minister_Lee_Hsien_Loongs_National_Day_Rally_2011_Speech_in_English. html [Accessed 8 February 2012] Property Wire (2011, October 10). PropertyWire, Asia. Shortage or resale flats driving up prices in Singapore. Retrieved from http://www. propertywire. com/news/asia/singapore-real-estate-shortage-201110105661. html [Accessed 8 February 2012] Irena Asmundson (2010, June). Finance and Development. Back to Basic: Supply and Demand. Retieved from http://www. imf. org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2010/06/basics. htm [Accessed 9

Thursday, November 7, 2019

This Earth of Mankind Essay Example

This Earth of Mankind Essay Example This Earth of Mankind Paper This Earth of Mankind Paper This report is based on an interview of Pramodeya Ananta Toer which explains the background thought processes of his four book series the â€Å"Buru Quartet† however the references taken shall be based solely on the first book of the quartet â€Å"This Earth of Mankind†. Pramodeya says that the idea for Minke the male protagonist of the quartet was based mostly on â€Å"Willem Wertheim† a Dutch scholar, this seems mostly ironic as one of the main antagonists in the novel happens to be the Dutch government and it is against Dutch colonialism that Minke stands up but as Toer says â€Å"He brought out the characters who had been erased from our history. Not only this but also â€Å"I had students pore over newspaper stories from the period and wove episodes into the plot† thus it cannot be said that the lead character was based solely on one inspiration, however we do see that Minke happens to be more ambitious than his fellow countrymen and also has a more enlightened attitude which does have a European or in this case Dutch in nature and hence could explain Toer saying he was based on Willem. We also notice the similarity of the book with the events at the time when Toer was writing the book such as the power of the ruling government to take over private businesses in order to run them ‘fairly† and act as caretakers as seen in the Dutch taking over the Nyai’s business, and we also see the apparent class system and high level of social segregation which was still present in Toer’s time, it also seems that Pramodeya did have a direct source to base Minke on in the form of the Philippine novelist ‘Jose Rizal’ who was executed by the Spanish in 1896 after three years of imprisonment and torture for championing freedom from colonial rule however he does not mention this. We also see that Minke’s main enemy other than the Dutch was Robert Surhoff a man so confused by his own birth that he develops a superiority complex in order to make himself appear better than his fellow countrymen as can be seen by his calling Minke Indo all the time considering the title ‘Bupati’ beneath him even though it was a position of power more than he could ever have this however was one of the numerous people suffering from similar Psychological problems due to the changing time. The idea as Toer says came from an Eurasian gang organized by the Dutch to terrorize the people of Jakarta and this is also pretty much what Robert Surhoff is also doing, another thing that is also most remarkable is the irony of the situation that the very people they try to imitate and please, by harming their own brethren in order to get their acceptance do not treat them with much respect and also consider them below their level. Which can be seen in the novel that the Dut ch born first son of Mr. Mellema is given preference to the property over Mellema’s half Dutch children this concept is a forerunner to the idea of 2nd class or 3rd class citizenship which is still another form of Racism left over from colonial rule. Pramodeya’s inspiration from other works such as John Steinbeck’s â€Å"Of Mice and Men† and the works of Gorky and Tolstoy are quite evident. Pramodeya integrated the running theme of â€Å"Try to understand each other† from ‘Of Mice and Men’ into his quartet as it seems the only way out of the problem that the colonials and the colonialists are facing is if the two groups try and understand each other and Pramodeya in a way is showing what happens when individuals and communities on a whole do not understand the other persons view point and try to assert that they are right or superior over the other. Other concepts also evidently integrated in the novel taken from Steinbeck’s novel are dreams, loneliness, how mans prosperity achieves cruelty, powerlessness, and uncertainty of the future - or fate. All seen in the life of Minke and how he progresses through out the first novel as not only his rise to fame gain him the enemity of his Rubert Surhoff and Mellema but also that of his brother to an extent and also that he dreams of changing not only his life but also the life of his fellow people however in the face of the unexpected events and ‘fate’ he was helpless/powerless. Also from Gorky’s work we see Pramodeya geting the idea of showing the social fabric of Indonesia in the novel and to show the distinctive charecterists of Indonesian people and to give a psychological aspect to the novel.