The Undisputed Truth About Persuasive Essay Topics Higher English That the Experts Dont Want You to Hear

The Undisputed Truth About Persuasive Essay Topics Higher English That the Experts Don't Want You to Hear Persuasive speech refers to a type of verbal argument directed at convincing the audience of a person's verdict or stance. Persuasive essay persuades the reader your viewpoint is the proper perspective and it is not overly tough to write it once you learn to structure the outline. Deciding on the most suitable topic for a persuasive speech is occasionally not such an easy issue to do as it might appear. Persuasive essay is also referred to as the argument essay. The thesis could relate to a wide selection of different philosophical or political difficulties. It will give you a guideline on how to go about with writing the essay. Your thesis ought to be relevant so the post can use a structure that's flexible in order to fit in the shoes of the readers. An argumentative paper is part of the persuasion. Weave in your perspective to produce your essay unique. You should also understand how to compose a persuasive essay, namely how to organize sections of the persuasive essay in how that will get the job done best. Every argumentative essay ought to have an opposing view which can help you to prove you're right. There are several persuasive essay topics to pick from to finish your high school or college assignment. Argue that public higher education has to be free for everybody. On the flip side, some argue that the price of college leaves students with crippling debt they'll never have the ability to repay. In such a situation, a student must pick an ideal topic to write about. Persuasive speech is one of the most fascinating kinds of speeches. If you must compose your whole essay in 1 day, do your very best to give yourself breaks so you don't burn out. If you've ever taken an on-line class, you understand how different it can be from a conventional face-to-face course. Overall, you can observe that writing a persuasive essay isn't a brain surgery. All persuasive essays are like argumentative essays. Good persuasive essay topics need to be persuasive. Moral argumentative essay topics are a few of the simplest to get carried away with. Perform extensive research on the subject of your choice and make an impressive persuasive speech that individuals will remember for long. At the exact same time, it's an amazing persuasive essay idea. When you're picking your topic, remember that it's much simpler to write about something which you presently have interest ineven in case you don't know a good deal about it. There are several intriguing topics that c ould be become a persuasive essay if you take the opportunity to think about doing it. Most issues can have essays on all the aforementioned questions. Discover which of the topics, you currently have a fairly good background on which will make it possible for you to have a relative edge. The issue, nevertheless, is that not all businesses can be relied on to deliver quality essays on time so you need to be cautious in selecting one. Sure, with this kind of a tremendous selection of topics to pick from, picking just one may be challenging. The list you'll find here is not aiming high simply to persuade people who you're right. Many people wind up covering the exact tired topics they see in the media daily, just because they can't produce a better idea. It is preferable to search online because it will conserve a plenty of time. You're a true topic enthusiast! Clearly, you ought not purposely select a topic that will bore your audience. If you get to select your own topic, that's fantastic. Whichever topic you select, always don't forget the value of literature sources.

The Bridge Between Suicide And Life - 1402 Words

Connecting the bridge between suicide and life Kevin Briggs is a retired California Highway patrol officer, who spent much of his years â€Å"patrolling the southern end of Marin, county which includes the Golden Gate Bridge† (Briggs).As many may connote this bridge with much positivity such as, to have a great view of San Francisco, others may connote it as the bridge that took their loved one . This bridge has been used numerous times for a suicide attempt. Suicide according to Vernon J. Geberth, M.S., M.P.S., is defined as the intentional taking of one’s own life (Geberth.). At a recent Ted Convention, Kevin delivered his inspiring and courageous speech titled â€Å"The Bridge Between Suicide and Life†, which argues the many consequences of suicide and the lasting effects it has on their loved ones. One of the main topics Kevin mentions in his speech is the fact that suicide is preventable and it doesn’t necessarily need to happen. In the audience of Kevin’s TED Talk were women and men who ma y have faced suicidal thoughts and or currently suffering from the loss of a loved one due to suicide and even the general population that may not be experiencing none of the following but are simply just listening for future references.Rhetorically, Kevin conveys this argument through rhetorical approaches such as rhetorical questions, logical evidence and even personal experience. Majority of Briggs, speech is composed of real-life testimonials of those he has encountered while patrollingShow MoreRelatedThe Golden Gate Bridge Essay1221 Words   |  5 PagesThe Golden Gate Bridge is â€Å"considered to be one of the best and most beautiful examples of bridge design† (Poel and Royakkers 110). Unfortunately, this bridge is also the USs most popular place to commit suicide (110). Due to this fact, bridge designers decided that they needed to consider the option of installing some sort of suicide prevention system. Before any decision was made, the ramifications of both implementing a system and not implementing one had to be considered. Deciding whetherRead MoreThe Death Of Dying Is Never Lovely1173 Words   |  5 Pagesher dropping from a precipice. The fall would have resulted in certain death if not for the attached cable halting her torso, SPLAT! Suggesting in the essay, â€Å"That jumping-off San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge would be a lovely way to go† (Roach, 2001). There are people that are desperate in life and choose this picturesque setting; the beauty of protruding boulders stippled within the grass covered hills; the silhouette of San Francisco pasted against the horizon or the white capped waves of theRead MoreCrime And Punishment By Fyodor Dostoevsky1708 Words   |  7 PagesPunishment, great attention is paid to Raskolnikov’s inner life, yet it is equally important to attend to those outside forces that affect him. A significant but overlooked part of the novel, then, is how the city of St. Petersburg affects Raskolnikov. Through my reading, I found it interesting that Raskolnikov regularly traverses the city’s bridges and uses them as a place for reflection. Overall, there are twenty-five appearances of the word â€Å"bridge† in the novel, and so they appear in many differentRead MoreConfucianism In Monkey Bridge915 Words   |  4 PagesMonkey Bridge, Lan Cao illustrates ho w several features of mythology and tradition affect the life of a Vietnamese family during the Vietnam War, and as they migrate to North America. The story of Monkey Bridge revolves around Mai, a young, Vietnamese immigrant adjusting to life in America, and her mother, Thanh, who has difficulty separating from Vietnamese traditions after leaving her country. Ultimately, Thanh’s beliefs of filial piety, folktales, and karma, lead her to take her own life. In theRead MoreMental Illnesses Are Common Throughout The United States Essay1503 Words   |  7 Pagesacts can be attributed to serious mental illness.† When society is exposed to the idea that mental illnesses play a huge role in violence, the stigma surrounding mental health continues to exist. There’s a statistic that discredits the correlation between mental illness and violence. Unfortunately, most people aren’t aware of the statistic, but I’m here to share it: People who have mental illnesses are ten times more likely to be victims of a violent crime than the general population. Please keep thatRead MoreThe Death Of Suicide And Suicide891 Words   |  4 Pages, 2015 Suicide is an occurrence in life that society does not want to talk about. Social knowledge is minimal at best about how to approach communication with those affected by suicide. The stigma about suicide is vastly misunderstood, unfounded and should not exist. Learning about suicide is very important not only for society but for those who have to suffer and live with the â€Å"social blight† society has created about this sad problem. There are various reasons for attempted suicide such asRead MoreBless Me Ultima By Rudolfo Anaya1730 Words   |  7 Pagesexperience life for yourself. You live your life in search of what you like or don’t like; what you believe in or don’t believe in. Growing up and finding your way is something all children experience, but what if your way of life is already planned out for you? What if you have no decision over your future? This life burden is evident throughout the novel Bless me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, the main character Antonio Marez did not have the ability to search for what he wanted to do in life. AntonioRead MoreAdios, Nirvana by Conrad Wesselhoeft Essay719 Words   |  3 Pagespiss off of a bridge into a snowstorm, it feels like youre connecting with eternal things†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this was the first quote that struck my mind with a great force while reading Adios, Nirvana. in this dramatic novel, a 16 year old boy named Jonathan overcomes the suicidal thoughts to join his dead brother, Telemachus, who died to a bus accident one night while getting johnathan some cold medicine. In the beginning of the book, jonathan immediately attempts suicide by jumping off of a bridge,but to his surpriseRead MoreAn Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge By Ambrose Bierce Essay1484 Words   |  6 PagesBierce led a relatively full but tragic life. After losing his sons Day and Leigh to suicide and alcoholism respectively, his wife left him for another man (â€Å"Ambrose Bierce†). His struggles with death and the inequity of life are evident throughout his literary works. â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge† illustrates many of the power struggles that Bierce was fighting throughout much of his life. Much of the first half of the story focuses on the conflict between civilian and soldier. Our protagonistRead MoreSuicide Is A Self Imposed Death951 Words   |  4 Pages Suicide is a self-imposed death that is known as the most stimulating hurtful loss that can be suffered by family members and the ones that love you. Some people use this as an option to escape the pain a suffering that they are going through. Most of us can barely visualize the suffering that leads to suicide and the pain left behind in the wake. When the person who commits suicide is young, the damage is even more intense. This paper will reflect the topic of suicide and how it relates to death

Psychology of The Individual

Question: Discuss about the Psychology of The Individual. Answer: Developmental Psychology Adolescence Adolescence is the time in the life of a person when many physical changes start to happen along with some crucial psychological changes, in terms of interpersonal, emotional, social and cognitive psychological developments (Hoffnung et al., 2013). The growing is influenced by the external factors like religion, culture, environment, media and school. Adolescence is marked by three situations of the life stages that include physical, cognitive with emotional and social development. Physical development starts with the beginning of the adolescence and radical changes appear known as growth spurt. Secondary sexual characteristics begin to appear and affect the psychology of the individual regarding his self-realization and development of relationships. With the appearance of the physical signs of development, they start considering themselves as adults and modify their activities and appearances accordingly (Haynie Piquero, 2006). During this period of my life, I experienced several changes as I proceeded towards a sense of independence with a developing physique. I started to develop new interests with occasional moody attitude. Cognitive development is marked by the formation of an intellectual growth spurt and the adolescent becomes capable of thinking about his surroundings and the world and faces the challenges of life more firmly. Piaget described this stage as the stage of formal operations where the process of thought is based on reasoning and the evaluation of the abstract proportions and the alternative outcomes respectively (Hamilton et al., 2014). The level of reasoning is enhanced in this stage that helps the individuals to deal with the worldly aspects. During this stage of my life, my career interests started to increase and my working ability was increased. I got interested in the near future along with the present. Emotional and social development is marked with the sexual and gender development and this becomes the center of concern along with the biological changes. Behavior that is gender appropriate is exhibited and interactions of mixed genders tend to affect the development of the individual. Peers and parents deliver the messages of unacceptable and acceptable behavior (Oberle et al., 2010). This stage of my life was marked by the development of sexual attractiveness concerns and feelings of passion and love. Opinions of parents were ignored and friends became important. My understanding of this stage is that an individual steps into the stage of discovery with adolescence, discovering the world around him and discovering himself with the curiosity and reasoning of an explorer. Older Adulthood Older adulthood is the stage of life where the individual tries to find the satisfaction and meaning of life rather than becoming disillusioned and bitter. The conflict between despair versus integrity is resolved and is marked with or without the physical and mental deterioration (Ebner, Freund Baltes, 2006). Older adulthood is marked by three situations of the life stages that include physical, cognitive with emotional and social development. Physical development in this stage includes the changes in the elasticity of the skin, changes in posture and hair thinning. There are also numerous internal changes that take place in the various organ systems in this stage (Steger, Oishi Kashdan, 2009). My perception for this stage of life is that the psychology of the individual is affected with aging. Interaction and communication become difficult with gradual deficits in the process of hearing and the physical activities are curtailed with the decreased sense of competence. The individual start to feel themselves as fulfilled in the journey of life. Cognitive development is marked by the decline in the intellectual capacity of the individual with increasing age. This is marked by reduction in performance of the tasks that are dependent on processing speeds and reaction time. However, the judgments that are based on experience get refined. My perception of this stage is that although the cognitive skills are diminished with aging, the training process of imaginative technique can improve the performance and reaction time of the individuals. Their experience can play a vital role in the adaptation of the training techniques (Salthouse, 2016). Emotional and social development is another stage of development for the older adults according to the theorists Levinson with Erikson and Erikson. The individual starts reminiscing about his past and reviews their achievements in life, regarding goals and challenges (Riediger Freund, 2008). Relationships tend to develop at retired age and successful aging comes with adaptability. Married life becomes more satisfying and the declines with losses become resilient. My perception of this stage is that individuals in this stage become more pragmatic with reasoning and they tend to enjoy their leisure and social activities more, as they approach the end of their lives. My understanding of this stage is that successful aging begins with social support from friends and family members, as they tend to provide better mental and physical health in the last years of life. References Ebner, N. C., Freund, A. M., Baltes, P. B. (2006). Developmental changes in personal goal orientation from young to late adulthood: From striving for gains to maintenance and prevention of losses.Psychology and Aging,21(4), 664-678. doi:10.1037/0882-7974.21.4.664 Hamilton, J. L., Stange, J. P., Kleiman, E. M., Hamlat, E. J., Abramson, L. Y., Alloy, L. B. (2014). Cognitive vulnerabilities amplify the effect of early pubertal timing on interpersonal stress generation during adolescence.Journal of Youth and Adolescence,43(5), 824-833. doi:10.1007/s10964-013-0015-5 Haynie, D. L., Piquero, A. R. (2006). Pubertal development and physical victimization in adolescence.Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency,43(1), 3-35. doi:10.1177/0022427805280069 Hoffnung, M., Hoffnung, R. J., Seifert, K. L., Burton-Smith, R., Hine, A., Ward, L., ... Swabey, K. J. (2013). Lifespan Development: A chronological approach. Oberle, E., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., Thomson, K. C. (2010). Understanding the link between social and emotional well-being and peer relations in early adolescence: Gender-specific predictors of peer acceptance.Journal of Youth and Adolescence,39(11), 1330-1342. doi:10.1007/s10964-009-9486-9 Riediger, M., Freund, A. M. (2008). Me against myself: Motivational conflicts and emotional development in adulthood.Psychology and Aging,23(3), 479-494. doi:10.1037/a0013302 Salthouse, T. A. (2016). Continuity of cognitive change across adulthood.Psychonomic Bulletin Review,23(3), 932-939. doi:10.3758/s13423-015-0910-8 Steger, M. F., Oishi, S., Kashdan, T. B. (2009). Meaning in life across the life span: Levels and correlates of meaning in life from emerging adulthood to older adulthood.The Journal of Positive Psychology,4(1), 43-52. doi:10.1080/17439760802303127

Society And Its Influence On Conventionality Essays - Empiricists

Society And It's Influence On Conventionality Essay Conventional and Sterile Tuesday Nov. 07, 2000 It is my understanding that people grow up in a society of conventional and sterile ways of life. Some societies have a tendency to raise people to be similar in their way of thinking. People are educated to have the same morals, beliefs (within their own culture), and, or opportunities at an education. The ways in which these people are raised does not give a chance for independent thinking, and creativity. My idea of societies being Conventional and sterile, is the way that society has influence people, from they day they were born. Society has a tendency to make people like robots, trapped from independent thought. People who often wear different clothes, and who have piercing and tattoos, often stand out from the rest of society. Older generations may frown upon these ways of expression, simply because they were taught to think conservatively from the time they were born. I agree with the statement, From childhood upwards, everything is done to make minds of men and women convent ional and sterile. From the time everyone starts school, children are put into grades were everyone is at the same level of learning, and with people of the same age. The state is justified in insisting that children shall be educated (Essay- Thought and Style, p.141). Russell explains that society's beliefs linger on the idea that education is important. Children are expected to get good grades by every parent and a child who do not do well in school, is seen as one who may not succeed in the future. This relates to the idea that many people in our society are rased on the same morals, and beliefs. In education, many students feel as though they are becoming sterile. They are unable to express themselves, and there are too many boundaries that do not allow them to be creative. One time I heard a teacher say, Stick to the guidelines, and nothing too fancy. This implies that people grow up having their minds conventional and sterile. People who share the same religious beliefs are taught the same concepts, and grow up believing certain ideas. As mentioned by Bertrand Russell, Any questioning of the received opinion arouses hostility, (Essay- Thought and Style, p.140). Russell is referring to the idea of the Church against science, how society does not like change. The Catholic Church denied great innovators such as Galilao (he came up with the idea that the earth revolves around the sun), but the Church could not accept this idea. People cannot accept new ideas because it is how they were brought up to believe. Bertrand Russell also says interests are bound up with old beliefs (p.141). People in India don't eat cows because it's against their religion. The Thugs of India honestly believe it their duty to commit murders, (p. 142). Suggesting that they have no morals and values upon which they were raised on. These kinds of religious, and cultural beliefs make people sterile and conventional. History dictates many great examples to offer this concept. To obtain a good lifestyle there are several steps which one must take in order to achieve this. Education is an important commodity to society. A good education is required for a good career. This is one of the society's methods of making people sterile, and conventional. A normal job consists of a nine to five work hours, five days a week. The term white collar, is often used. Lifestyle also effects people's opinions and ideas. There are also boarders to establish the rich, middle class, and those who live in poverty. It is an assumption of mine that people believe they are unable to break a particular life cycle, this can happen within a family. If a person is poor, and their parents did not go to university, they think the same will happen to them. Society has a great influence on the way people think. The way people dress also depicts the people's lifestyle. Fashion is a way of expression although society degrades anyone who dresses differently. Teenagers who are dressed in all black are perceived as dark and depressed. Those who dress well are

The Battle of the Falkland Islands - World War I

The Battle of the Falkland Islands - World War I The Battle of the Falklands was fought during World War I (1914-1918).  The squadrons engaged on December 8, 1914, off the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.  Following his stunning victory over the British at the Battle of Coronel on November 1, 1914, Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee turned the German East Asia Squadron for Valparaiso, Chile. Entering port, von Spee was compelled by international law to leave after twenty-four hours and first moved to Mas Afuera before heading to Bahia San Quintin. Assessing his squadrons situation, von Spee found that half his ammunition was expended and that coal was in short supply. Turning south, the East Asia Squadron set a course around Cape Horn and made for Germany. British Commanders Vice Admiral Doveton Sturdee2 battlecruisers3 armored cruisers2 light cruisers German Commanders Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee2 armored cruisers3 light cruisers Forces in Movement Pausing at Picton Island off Tierra del Fuego, von Spee distributed coal and allowed his men to go ashore to hunt. Departing Picton with the armored cruisers SMS Scharnhorst and SMS Gneisenau, the light cruisers SMS Dresden, SMS Leipzig, and SMS Nurnburg, and three merchant ships, von Spee planned to raid the British base at Port Stanley in the Falklands as he moved north. In Britain, the defeat at Coronel led to a rapid response as First Sea Lord Sir John Fisher assembled a squadron centered on the battlecruisers HMS Invincible and HMS Inflexible to deal with von Spee. Rendezvousing at the Abrolhos Rocks, the British squadron was led by a rival of Fishers, Vice Admiral Doveton Sturdee, and consisted of the two battlecruisers, the armored cruisers HMS Carnarvon, HMS Cornwall and HMS Kent, and the light cruisers HMS Bristol and HMS Glasgow. Sailing for the Falklands, they arrived on December 7 and entered the harbor at Port Stanley. While the squadron stood down for repairs, the armed merchant cruiser Macedonia patrolled the harbor. Further support was provided by the old battleship HMS Canopus which had been grounded in the harbor for use as a gun battery. von Spee Destroyed Arriving the next morning, Spee sent Gneisenau and Nurnberg to scout the harbor. As they approached they were surprised by fire from Canopus which was largely hidden from view by a hill. Had Spee pressed his attack at this point, he may have scored a victory as Sturdees ships were cooling and ill-prepared for battle. Rather, realizing he was badly out-gunned, von Spee broke off and headed for open water around 10:00 AM. Dispatching Kent to track the Germans, Sturdee ordered his ships to raise steam and set out in pursuit. Though von Spee had a 15-mile head start, Sturdee was able to use his battlecruisers superior speed to run down the tired German ships. Around 1:00, the British opened fire on Leipzig at the end of the German line. Twenty minutes later, von Spee, realizing he could not escape, turned to engage the British with Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in the hope of giving his light cruisers time to flee. Taking advantage of the wind, which caused the funnel smoke from the British ships to obscure the Germans, von Spee succeeded in striking Invincible. Though hit several times, the damage was light due to the ships heavy armor. Turning away, von Spee again attempted to escape. Detaching three of his cruisers to pursue Nurnberg and Leipzig, Sturdee pressed the attack on Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Firing full broadsides, the battlecruisers pummeled the two German ships. In an attempt to fight back, von Spee tried to close the range, but to no avail. Scharnhorst was put out of action and sank at 4:17, with von Spee aboard. Gneisenau followed a short time later and sank at 6:02. While the heavy ships were engaging, Kent succeeded in running down and destroying Nurnberg, while Cornwall and Glasgow finished off Leipzig. Aftermath of the Battle As the firing ceased, only Dresden succeeded in escaping from the area. The light cruiser evaded the British for three months before finally surrendering off the Juan Fernndez Islands on March 14, 1915. For the crew of Glasgow, one of the few surviving British ships that had fought at Coronel, the victory at the Falklands was particularly sweet. With the destruction of von Spees East Asia Squadron, commerce raiding by warships of the Kaiserliche Marine was effectively ended. In the fighting, Sturdees squadron suffered ten killed and 19 wounded. For von Spee, casualties numbered 1,817 killed, including the admiral and his two sons, as well as the loss of four ships. In addition, 215 German sailors (mostly from Gneisenau) were rescued and taken prisoner. Sources World War I Naval Combat: Battle of the FalklandsFirst World War: Battle of the FalklandsHistory of War: Battle of the Falklands

Scariest Halloween Happenings

Scariest Halloween Happenings Theres nothing like a good haunted house to get you in the spirit of Halloween. Remember going to your hometowns haunted house as a child? Creeping down spooky hallways, feeling the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when you sense the presence of someone else nearby, screaming as they jump out at you and then laughing with relief when you make it to the end in one piece? Well, imagine this experience, only with large scale pyrotechnics, hundreds of actors dressed in creepy costumes, goosebumps inducing soundtracks, rides, shows and more. For those who love a good scare and want to experience the best, check out the following events: Tustin, California. The 17th Door Its a sure bet for those who want a really good scare. In fact, you might even get too scared, which is why the hosts give you a password that allows you to leave if you find yourself losing it somewhere among the pig-faced demons and other monsters that haunt the 17-room scare-a-thon. Uttering â€Å"Mercy† will get you a quick passage to safety. Expect to be touched and to possibly get wet. Los Angeles: Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood It boasts creepy mazes where youll encounter characters from AMCs The Walking Dead series, a Terror Tram called The Purge where youll be hunted by murderers in masks, a series of scary rides featuring scenes from The Transformers, The Revenge of the Mummy, Jurassic Park, and a Simpsons ride to lighten the mood if it gets too intense. Finally there are four unique â€Å"Scare Zones† featuring chemically deformed monsters, a creepy Christmas theme, zombie soldiers and a lawless riot with murderers on the loose. The sets, actors and scenes are all top notch Universal Studios productions. Possibly the highest quality fright party on earth. Dark Harbor The Queen Mary crew hosts a terrifying event. Once aboard, youll find mazes, monsters, creepy music by composer Jaymie Valentine. Trapped on the boat with nowhere to go, youll have no choice but to let the terror overtake you. You can even book a room to take advantage of the creepy shows and nightmare inducing scare-a-thon. Orlando: Universal Studios It offers a totally unique Halloween event in Orlando. Featuring 9 haunted houses with themes like: Walking Dead, Freddy vs. Jason, Insidious, The Purge, An American Werewolf in London, 25 Years of Monsters Mayhem, Run: Blood, Sweat and Fears, 3D Asylum in Wonderland and Body Collectors. Seven scare zones and shows including Bill Teds Excellent Halloween Adventure, All Nite Die-In and Evils Roots. As always with Universal Studios, expect some of the most spectacular sets and special effects you could imagine. Las Vegas: Fright Dome Fright Dome at Circus Circus hotel is one Vegas biggest Halloween attractions. No costs have been spared to transform the hotel into an enormous haunted house. Make your way through giant spider webs, with man-eating spiders ready to pounce, be pursued by ghosts, goblins, Freddys and Jasons. Scary music, creepy lighting, mazes and live shows. Youll need nerves of steel to make it through this experience without screaming. Philadelphia: Terror Behind the Walls The former Eastern State Penitentiary transforms the enormous complex into the annual Terror Behind the Walls. Touted as one of the best haunted house experiences in the U.S., this event boasts 200 actors in full costume, animation and some of the most skin-crawling soundtracks, This year, two more attractions have been added to the traditional four. Returning are the popular Infirmary, Detritus, Lock Down, Machine Shop and debuting are Break Out and Quarantine 4D. Enter if you dare! Chicago: The 13th Floor The 13th Floor is a haunted house event that helps you understand why most buildings dont have a 13th floor. This nightmare-inducing experience is famous nationwide. With a ride that makes your stomach drop 13 floors, some of the best creepy actors and scary music, youll get your fright fix at this terrifying event. Buying a ticket allows you entrance to â€Å"Feral Moon† and â€Å"Dead End District: Wrong Turn† where you enter the truly twisted world of the events creators. Dont expect to sleep at night after visiting the 13th Floor. Whichever event you attend, make sure you steady your nerves and bring a friend to grab on to when the terror overtakes you. And if you prefer to scare somebody instead of being scared, you should try these Halloween pranks on your friends. Have fun and Happy Halloween!

Marketing Research Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Marketing Research - Coursework Example The Supply chain is now an integral part of the manufacturer base. It is very important to avoid cancelled orders or penalties for late delivery. Process Flow: A logical process flow has been created. This details the outline steps required, to act as a basis for the design of the final version of the Supply Chain model we are going to ultimately recommend. Transportation: It is necessary to develop a transportation technique which will be able to process the predicted supply by the year 2020. This will depend on the forecasting of demand, which at times can be unpredictable. Effective Supply Chain Management: This is closely related to shareholder value. Effective supply chaining management is required, alongside global sourcing strategies to capitalise on the potential margins emerging currently in emerging markets. Product Decline in Oil Industry: The evidence indicates that products of the Oil industry in the immediate future will be handled in declining quantities, but at greater costs. This needs to be addressed via the Supply Chain protocols we intend to instigate. 3rd Party Sourcing of Supplies/Services: The recent trend has been to outsource supplies and services. This can cause problems when there are disruptions to service. Effective Supply Chain Management will enable identification of critical tasks, and the interdependencies with suppliers, in order to provide swift resolution to problems and pre-empt possible future problems in order to avoid them. Supply Chain Leadership: The effectiveness of the supply chain is only as good as the management and control of the service. Technological changes are not in themselves, enough to provide effective and efficient throughput. The greater benefits are

Job Analysis; Descriptions and Specifications Case Study

Job Analysis; Descriptions and Specifications - Case Study Example Job analysis can be conducted using qualitative tools such as interviews with existing clients or quantitative tools such as surveys or comparison to similar job roles in the competitive job market at other companies. Once parameters of the skills and knowledge needed to perform a job have been identified, it becomes easier for HR professionals to determine new pay categories that are competitive or directly in-line with job role function. New performance appraisals can also be developed to help human resources track performance of the employee in this job to determine whether goals are being met based on research findings. The entire process can be research intensive, however it helps leadership understand each job role and have a form of documentation available that helps the business identify with strengths or weaknesses of the job or how to better allocate resources if redundancies between job roles are identified. After conducting research, the skills, knowledge and abilities needed to successfully perform the job are documented. This could include educational credentials or the mental and physical needs of the job, depending on the environment and the complexity of the role. For example, research might indicate that typing speed of at least 60 words per minute is required to manage multi-tasking activities in the job, therefore the new job description will indicate that interviewers should be looking for people with high manual dexterity and speed. Either through observation, interviews or other measurement tools, the description is designed to best fit what has been discovered about the skills needed to accomplish the job tasks successfully. Pay grades are then determined based on what has been identified related to skills and the job role. Job analysis would also determine whether performance goals are being met properly based on research

Taxation Tasks Essay Example for Free

Taxation Tasks Essay 1) Patty owned Patty’s Cakes in Jacksonville, Florida. She sold her business to Fruity’s, Inc. a national pastry company. There was a non-compete agreement in the contract for the sale of her business. In the non-compete, Patty agreed not to work in any capacity in the food industry for 10 years on the entire east coast. A court would likely determine that the non-compete agreement a) violates federal law b) is unenforceable c) is enforceable d) both A and B 2) A liability that may extend from an employee to the employer if the employee is acting within the scope of his or her employment at the time the liability arose is called: a) vicarious liability b) employee liability c) employer liability d) adverse liability 3) A person who contracts with a principal to perform a task according to her or his own methods, and who is not under the principal’s control regarding the physical details of the work is called a/an: a) Contingent worker b) Temporary worker c) Independent contractor d) All of the above 4) Benita works as a nursing assistant in a retirement home run by Cottonwood Care Centers, a national operator of facilities providing care for the elderly. Benita works 53 hours a week. After looking at her payroll stubs for the past 6 months, she concludes that she has not received sufficient overtime pay. She complains to her supervisor but the company takes no action. a) Benita can bring a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) b) Benita can bring a complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor, under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) c) Benita can bring a complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor, under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). d) Benita can bring a complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor, under Executive Order 11246 5) Ling frequently stocks shelves for Ace’s Market on an as needed basis. Ace pays Ling $5 per shelf. One day Ling falls off a broken ladder while stocking a shelf. Line is seriously injured: a) If Ling is determined to be an independent contractor, he is eligible for workers’ compensation b) If Ling is determined to be an employee, he is eligible for workers’ compensation c) Ling is eligible for workers’ compensation whether he is an employee or an independent contractor d) None of the above 6) ABC, Inc. solicited bids from various independent contractors to landscape the grounds of its new office complex. Drew, head of facilities management told Patty, his secretary, that he would not accept any bids from Hispanic contractors. Drew explained that he would authorize hiring only American contractors to work on the grounds. A Hispanic contractor brings a lawsuit against ABC for discriminations. a) Drew’s refusal to hire Hispanic companies is a violation of the Independent Contractors Act of 2006. b) Drew’s refusal to hire Hispanic companies is a violation of the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act c) The Hispanic contractor cannot prevail in a discrimination case because John’s conversation with his secretary is confidential and cannot be used as evidence. d) Drew’s refusal to hire Hispanic companies is not a violation of the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act because that law does not cover discrimination against independent contractors. 7) BRC Partners is a consulting firm. Sam and Arnie are analysts for BRC. Sam was hired as an employee and Arnie was hired as an independent contractor. They both work in the same BRC office under the same supervisor. They both must work Monday through Friday during the standard business hours. Both are required to report to weekly staff meetings. Sam is paid a salary and the proper federal and state tax withholdings are made. Arnie does not receive benefits like retirement and health insurance and his is paid by the project with no federal and state withholdings. Arnie signed a contract that clearly stated he was an independent contractor and not an employee. a) BRC has properly classified Arnie as an independent contractor b) BRC has improperly classified Arnie as an independent contractor c) BRC has improperly classified Arnie as an independent contractor, however, its contract with Arnie is binding and BRC will have no liability under federal or state law for the misclassification. d) BRC has improperly classified Arnie as a independent contractor, however, its contract with Arnie is binding and BRC will have no liability under federal and state law for the misclassification, but Arnie will have liability under federal and state law. 8) Pilar is hired by Axel, Inc. as an independent contractor. To avoid a determination by the IRS that Pilar has been misclassified as an independent contractor, Axel should: a) provide training to Pilar b) pay her by the hour c) pay FICA d) none of the above 9) Clarence works as an independent contractor for the law firm of Kafka, Rivera and Grisham. a) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his Social Security (FICA), estimated federal income tax payments, estimated state income tax payments and Medicare. b) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his FICA and Medicare and the law firm will be responsible for withholding payroll deductions for his federal and state income taxes. c) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his Social Security (FICA) and Medicare, but the law firm will be responsible for making estimated federal income tax payments, estimated state income tax payments for him. d) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his Social Security (FICA), withholding deductions for his federal and state income taxes and Medicare. 10) Which of the following is not covered by the EEOC’s definition of contingent worker? a) an employee hired through a staffing firm b) a temporary, seasonal, or part-time worker c) an applicant d) an independent contractor

Euthanasia should not be legalized in America :: Free Euthanasia Essay

Euthanasia refers to the intentional bringing about of the death of a patient, either by killing him/her, or by letting him/her die, for the patient’s sake to prevent further pain or suffering from a terminal illness. Euthanasia is a complex issue in many underlying theological, sociological, moral, and legal aspects. Its legalization is heavily debated around the world, with strong arguments made for both sides of the issue. The supporters of euthanasia often repeated that â€Å"We have to respect the freedom of the patient" or â€Å"people should be able to exercise control over their own lives and death.† However, Euthanasia, by nature, is â€Å"wrongfully killing† or â€Å"mercy killing†, and if we allow any type of euthanasia, all sorts of negative affects might follow, and our commitment to improve the lives of the terminally ill might be weakened. In essence, nothing is worse than our right to life itself being diminished in value from the theological perspective. The debate of legalizing euthanasia is not about the right to commit suicide or to assist in suicide. It is about placing the lives of the weakest among us in the hands of people other than themselves who often have self-serving agendas. Once society gives a group of people the right to end life, our right to life disappears behind red tape. The principle of the sanctity of human life is a fundamental ethical norm and the value of life is not negotiable. Therefore, a reasonable prudent person should not accept the practice allowing their lives be taken away by others. Secondly, from the sociological perspective, euthanasia is the tragedy arises from pressure exerted by a materialistic, self-centered society which increasingly embraces the notion of â€Å"throwing away† human beings. There are people who would allow physicians to kill their parents and grandparents once they cease to function as providers of life’s necessities and opportunities. After many years of service, mom and dad, granny and grandpa are treated like dogs, they are sent to the hospital to be injected with a lethal overdose of drugs. Supporters of euthanasia lie to themselves and others by saying that they want to end suffering. Their true motive is to get rid of those who become a problem, so they can enjoy their lives with more time and money. Thirdly, from the medical morality perspective, euthanasia is assisting suicide that violates the morals and values of the medical world.

Pros & Cons of Television Essay

Nowadays television plays an important role in everyone’s life. By being the source of information, it provides an endless entertainment for the whole family units. As a result, every family now owns a television and television is now becoming a very useful device for every family. So, in this situation we should say that there many advantages and disadvantages in watching television. And this is the time to discuss the advantages first. Firstly, the television brings us news from all over the world through local T.  V channels and satellites T. V channels about political happenings, social events, festivals, sports news and weather forecasting. There are also many programs showing the beauties and sceneries in the world that we can see and enjoy without spending money travelling there. Furthermore, television can be considered as a source for the students to improve their subject knowledge and general knowledge. There are several channels which provide many programs that can help students in their studies. Read more: Advantages of television essay Especially, students who are doing science as a subject they can gather more knowledge by watching Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel and more. As we all know in science there many more things which are very difficult to see the processes with our naked eyes. Such as Amoebas, life cycle of bacteria, and behavior of viruses. However, because of the television now students can see those processes just by watching television. Thus it can help them to improve their studies. For housewives and elderly people those who most of the times stay at home the television, in fact, their best friend and their best company. As well as, the programs designed to teach children like ‘Sesame Street’ are useful for kids’ English knowledge that shows vocabulary, simple mathematics, science history and arts. Such learnings are ideal for kids who are in early childhood. For the present we have considered the advantages of the television. Now let’s discuss about the disadvantages of television. Because of the television, social problems such as educational and health regarding to teenagers, are becoming worse. These were exposed by a research done lately that teenagers in most of countries are addicted to television programs. As a result of this addiction that teenagers are used to forget their studies and neglect homeworks. As instance, this kind of issues were recorded specially so during Sirasa Super Star reality television program which have been telecasted on Saturdays and Sundays. Students wasted a lot of time by concentrating on that T. V show instead of studying. As side effect of this, in 2005 O/L and A/L results have been reduced. Similarly that they are dillying-dallying in front of the television teenagers are come up with health issues like adipose and defects of vision. These kinds of social problems would become worse issues in future. Another bad issue of watching television is that some of the programs which are carrying bad scenes are not being filtered. Therefore this can be affected to the growing age of the teenagers as their minds are not really matured. Withal, most of the teenagers love to experience new adventure things and to imitate super heroes like superman, spider man and etc†¦. Therefore, sometimes, many of the teenagers come up with fateful disasters. As instances, in by-gone times, few deads were recorded because of imitating superman by kids and also lot of teenagers experiencing dangerous narcotics. When looking the main reasons of these circumstances are that programs being telecasted by television. As well as, the reasons for crimes done by teenagers are also the films which were shown in television as crime, barbarian films, robbery cases, murder cases, drug dealing and smuggling films. As example, lately, a student who was in America shot his colleges and his lecturers with a gun in his own collage. Finally, that student also committed to suicide by himself. For these tragics, to distort his mind, television have strictly affected to him. At last we should say that television brings more advantages and more disadvantages for human beings. Though, in one hand as we appreciate one of our of information and communication source, in other hand we should be responsible that the parents should also supervise their children to control them from watching unnecessary things from the television.

Organizational Behavior Concepts: General Electric Essay

Introduction Every business has a set of key characteristics or values that make up an organizational culture which is unique to its business. Organizational behavior examines â€Å"the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organization’s effectiveness† (Robbins, 2005). The purpose of this research paper is to identify and evaluate General Electric’s (GE) organizational culture, organizational behavior, and customer service standards. We will also uncover how successful GE has been in implementing organizational behavior concepts in the following three categories: (1) motivation, (2) group behavior, (3) organizational culture. General Electric has their organizational values posted right on their website. By doing so, they have provided written expectations to their employees regarding ethical behavior and integrity in the work environment. These values reflect the energy, spirit, and solid foundation of the  company, articulating a common code of organizational behavior. Also, GE’s bold set of management strategies is aimed at increasing innovation and improving productivity to make the company more competitive. GE’s organizational culture is considered one of high ethical standard in the corporate world. According to The Age of Ethics (KPMG, 2007) â€Å"GE now has one of the best ethics compliance programs in existence_†_, says Larry Ponemon, national director of Business Ethics Services at KPMG†. General Electric Since Thomas Edison started General Electric in 1876, the company has steadily grown into a tremendously successful organization and one of the largest companies in the world. Several management and organizational strategies have been used through out the years in order to attain the current status of the firm. When looking at an organization’s cultural appeal, one must first decide what they are looking for; what appeals to me may or may not appeal to someone else. There are a few categories within GE’s organizational culture that appeals to me personally. These categories include but are not limited to: Leadership: It is important for a company to allow leaders to have the freedom and flexibility to contribute their knowledge and expertise in both their daily job and at company levels. â€Å"At the top, we don’t run GE like a big company. We run it like a big partnership, where every leader can make a contribution not just to their job, but to the entire Company† (Immelt, J., 2005). Work Environment: A company should provide a pleasant and vitalizing work environment that is easy to balance with my personal life. â€Å"GE is an invigorating place to work. Ours is a high-performance culture that emphasizes high-integrity business practices as well as work/life balance† (Our Culture, 2008). Training and Education Programs: Successful companies provide additional training and educational benefits that will enhance employee leadership  capabilities. â€Å"We invest nearly $1 billion a year in career development for our employees at every level of professional growth.† (Leadership Programs, 2008). Part of the culture and behavior of GE is the use of sigma six. â€Å"Six Sigma is a highly disciplined process that helps us focus on developing and delivering near-perfect products and services† (Six Sigma, 2008). Sigma is a statistical term that measures how far a given process deviates from perfection. The central idea behind Six Sigma is that if you can measure how many â€Å"defects† you have in a process, you can systematically figure out how to eliminate them and get as close to â€Å"zero defects† as possible. Six Sigma has changed the makeup of GE-it is now the way we work – in everything we do and in every product we design† (Six Sigma, 2008). Within GE, an employee can be certified in Six Sigma, either as a black belt or a master black belt. These titles hold prestige for the employees and add to employee motivation and employment satisfaction. When discussing the organizational culture within a company such as GE, we can break management concepts down into three categories. According to Argenti (2002), organizational behavior in organizations is usually broken down into three main areas: Individual level elements: managing individuals Group level elements: managing teams Elements of organizational structure: managing the organization Not only can the application of organizational behavior principles improve an organization’s effectiveness, organizational behavior provides a manager the information and knowledge needed to manage an effective workforce (Argenti, 2002). With the advent of organizational perspectives, the analysis of why people instill their presence in an organization is not only because of self-aimed goals of growth and enhancements, but also to locate themselves in a social place in accordance to the area of their perceived belonging  (Stroh, Northcraft and Neale, 2002). Motivation Motivation is central to understanding behavior in organizations and a key managerial factor. Two aspects of motivation are structuring tasks to satisfy worker and organizational needs and providing the proper direction for worker actions (Stroh, Northcraft and Neale, 2002). There are a number of factors when it comes to the difference in worker performance. One of these factors is related to different levels of ability among employees. Differences in ability arise from the simple fact that there are significant individual differences that affect work performance. The effort expended by the employees toward the realization of organizational goals greatly depends upon the status of behavioral motivations (Vasu, Stewart and Garson, 1998). GE has implemented theoretical frameworks in order to generate further explanations in behavioral motivation not only of the employees but the organization as well. GE uses a goal-setting theoretical framework_._ Basically, the theoretical concept implicates the application of goals as driving forces that provide the basic idea of what and when to achieve a certain target. Management by Objectives (MBO) is one example that exemplifies the application of objectives in order to achieve the final formulated outcome of the plan, goals (Robbins, 2005). Jack Welch, CEO from 1981 – 2001, set two clear and simple goals for GE and outlined several targets for reaching those formulated goals. The goals were to become the most competitive corporation in the world and to become the nation’s most valuable corporation. Jack Welch created an organization tension in 1981 aimed at motivating these changes by redefining GE’s goals and targets (Cushman, 2003). GE also uses a reinforcement theoretical framework. Reinforcement is used to enhance desirable behavior. The application of reinforcement theory is central to the design and administration of organizational reward systems. Well-designed rewards systems help motivate behavior, actions, and accomplishments, which advance the organization toward specific business  goals. Strategic rewards go beyond cash to include training and educational opportunities, stock opinions, and recognition awards. GE makes good use of the principle of employee participation wherein employees participate in the decisions that determine the methods to be used in the achievement of organizational objectives. GE provides promotions especially for those employees that obtain satisfactory performances as evaluated by the human resource department and approved by managerial committees (Cushman, 2003). Furthermore, incentives vary from salary increase to travel privileges where the main aim is to motivate the workforce. Group Behavior â€Å"A group is defined as two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives† (Robbins, 2005). Groups can be either formal or informal. According to Robbins (2005) these two groups are described as: Formal groups – Defined by the organization’s structure, with designated work assignments establishing tasks. In formal groups – Encompass the behaviors that one should engage in are stipulated by and directed toward organizational goals. From 1985 up to the present, General Electric started to place in service work teams in order to facilitate cooperative behavior and leadership as aimed by their high-involvement strategy (Miller, 2002). As far as team building, GE implements a Five-Stage Model for group development within the organization. According to Robbins (2005) the five stages include: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. In addition to these five stages GE has also implemented a pre-stage. According to Miller (2002) the breakdown for GE’s five stage model is as follows: Pre-stage 1: GE screens the capacity of every employee upon application and  all throughout performance in order to disseminate employees in the rightful function. Stage 1: Forming: Upon achieving the rightful components of the team through HR jurisdiction based on employee evaluation, formation of the tem is initiated. Stage 2: Storming: Work teams are in effect given new _property rights_ while being guaranteed a great deal of control over performance standards. Stage 3: Norming: Work teams are given strong guarantees of employment security to ensure that employees do not put themselves out of work by increasing production. Stage 4: Performing: Workers were generally guaranteed opportunities for training, restraining, and promotion. Stage 5: Adjourning: Fourth, compensation schemes have been changed in order to provide equity among work teams in the firm through profit-sharing plans or stock ownership plans. Organizational Culture Organizational culture is comprised of the mind-set, experiences, beliefs and values of an organization and its employees. Currently, there are seven primary characteristics of organizational culture as described by Robbins (2005): innovation and risk taking, attention to detail, outcome orientation, people orientation, team orientation, aggressiveness, and stability. All indications are that GE successfully embodies five of the seven primary characteristics of organizational culture: Innovation and Risk Taking: GE employees focus on innovation as their basis for taking calculated risks for change in the areas of transforming health care, cleaner power generation, exploring nanotechnology, aviation technology, greenhouse gas reduction, and global research facilities  (Innovation, 2008). Attention to Detail: GE employees focus on attention to detail in such areas as customer service, quality and assembly of products, meeting performance targets, enhanced decision-making through training and education. People Orientation: GE considers their more than 300,000 employees to be their greatest asset, and they are â€Å"passionate about making life better with new ideas and technologies† (Our People, 2008). Team Orientation: A significant part of GE’s culture as a global company involves nurturing diverse and cross-cultural teams in such areas as public relations, automotives, global research, nanotechnologies, and marketing (Our Culture, 2008). Aggressiveness: Though GE provides the tools and environment necessary for employees to be aggressive and competitive, it is ultimately up to the employee themselves to demonstrate hard work. Organizational culture essentially provides a company with a concrete anchoring point, even if the meaning it carries is vague and only imperfectly transmitted. An organizational culture also involves the expression of emotion, and by this venting of emotions organizational culture can assist employees in dealing with stress. As GE continues to grow and evolve, the company’s organizational culture will be subject to periodic changes and updates. Conclusion From everything that I have found, it is apparent that GE’s organizational culture is both ethical and customer-responsive. All indications are that GE has obtained its current status through the successful applications of organizational behavior concepts; specifically through motivations guided by specific goals and reinforcement plans. GE has successfully implemented theoretical frameworks through goal-setting, reinforcement, involving  employees in the decision processes and offering incentives such as: salary increases, travel privileges, stock options, and bonus plans. GE has successfully implemented group behavior tactics using the Five-Stage Model, with the addition of the pre-stage described in _Managerial Dilemmas: the Political Economy of Hierarchy_, for group development within the organization. Finally, GE successfully embodies five of the seven primary characteristics of organizational culture. Under CEO Jack Welsh, and current CEO Jeff Immelt, GE was able to communicate their vision of Six Sigma and training and development programs at GE. They were also able to become successful because of a belief in the employees and their talent. One of the most important traits a leader can have besides communication skills is the ability to see the potential of an individual and make that individual not only see it too but also live up to that potential. Based on the above findings, my evaluation of GE’s organizational culture is that they do provide a strong framework for positive attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values that would be appealing to almost anyone looking for job satisfaction and advancement within an organization. Reference: Argenti, P. A. (2002). _The Fast Forward MBA Pocket Reference_. John Wiley and Sons. Cushman, D. P. (2003). Communication Best Practices at Dell, General Electric, Microsoft, and Monsanto. SUNY Press. Immelt, J. (2005). _GE Imagination at work_. Retrieved May 17, 2008, from http://www.ge.com/company/leadership/index.html Innovation (2008). _GE Imagination at work_. Retrieved May 28, 2008, from http://www.ge.com/innovation/index.html KPMG, (2007). The age of ethics. Retrieved May 28, 2008, from KPMG Web site: http://www- old.itcilo.org/actrav/actrav-english/telearn/global/ilo/code/ageof.htm Leadership Programs (2008). _GE Imagination at work_. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from http://www.gecareers.com/GECAREERS/html/us/ourPeople/leadership.html Miller, G. J. (2002). Managerial Dilemmas: The Political Economy of Hierarchy. Cambridge University Press. Our Culture (2008). _GE Imagination at work_. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from http://www.ge.com/company/culture/index.html Our People (2008). _GE Imagination at work_. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from http://www.ge.com/company/culture/people.html Parhizgar, K. D. (2002). Multicultural Behavior and Global Business Environments. Haworth Press. Robbins, S. P. (2005). _Organizational behavior_ (11 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Six Sigma, 2008 Retrieved May 31, 2008, from GE Web site: http://www.ge.com/railservices/about/sixsigma.html Stroh, L. K., Northcraft, G. B., & Neale, M. (2002). _Organizational Behavior: A Management_ _Challenge_. New York, U.S: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Vasu, M., Stewart, D., & Garson, D. (1998). _Organizational Behavior and Public Management_. CRC Press.

Skills for Life Assessment and Learning Guidance Essay Example

Skills for Life Assessment and Learning Guidance Essay Example Skills for Life Assessment and Learning Guidance Essay Skills for Life Assessment and Learning Guidance Essay Please note that this content is based on the Skills for Life Assessment and Learning guidance booklet Initial and diagnostic assessment a learner-centered process. The original booklet can be found at: http://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/assessment/assessmentguidence.aspx. This adapted version is part of the Being functional resource which builds on effective practice to support the planning and delivery of functional skills. For more information, go to www.excellencegateway.org.uk/beingfunctional. What is an initial and diagnostic assessment? Initial and diagnostic assessment begins the process of getting to know learners and building a relationship with them. Initial assessment happens at the time of a learnerâ„ ¢s transition into a new learning programme. It is a holistic process, during which you and the learner start to build up a picture of their achievements, skills, interests, previous learning experiences and goals, and the learning needs associated with those goals. This information is used as a basis for negotiating a course or programme. Diagnostic assessment helps to identify specific learning strengths and needs. It determines learning targets and appropriate teaching and learning strategies to achieve them. This is important because many learners have higher-level skills in some areas than in others. Diagnostic assessment happens initially at the beginning of a learning programme and subsequently when the need arises. It is related to specific skills needed for tasks. The two processes are closely linked: diagnostic assessment adds to the information gathered from initial assessment. Together they help you and the learners to use this information in order to: * personalise learning; * develop individual learning plans; * begin the process of assessment for learning that will continue throughout the learnersâ„ ¢ programme; and * make links to progression routes and prepare for the next steps. A positive experience Initial and diagnostic assessment can be among learnersâ„ ¢ first experiences of your organisation and will influence their early impressions. If the experience is positive, active and involving, this will help to create a climate in which learners are able to negotiate and take responsibility for their learning. You can help make the experience positive for learners by: involving them â€Å" do the assessment with themâ„ ¢ not to themâ„ ¢; helping learners to take an active part will encourage motivation and independence; building their self-esteem and sense of self-worth; recognising their strengths and achievements, not just their weaknesses; linking initial and diagnostic assessment to their own aspirations, such as their career choices or aspects of their everyday lives; taking the opportunity to discuss issues such as cultural perceptions, learning difficulties or disabilities that might form barriers to success and lead to career stereotyping; using active listening skills to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect, build relationships with learners and make each learner feel valued; encouraging and establishing a level of trust so that issues for learning can be discussed openly, in context, and dealt with constructively; and making the assessment relevant to their specific context for learning, which will enhance their confidence and self-esteem. Initial and diagnostic assessment: methods and approaches Initial and diagnostic assessment should involve a range of methods and approaches, none of which is sufficient on its own. It is important to evaluate the quality of information obtained from particular methods. Once you have begun to get to know the learners and their learning preferences, you will be better able to select the appropriate assessment methods. The diagram below shows a range of possible methods. Adapted from The initial assessment toolkit (Key Skills Support Programme, 2007). Documents and records give evidence of achievements and include qualifications, records of achievement, references, non-academic certificates and awards. Self-assessment gives learners some idea of where their strengths and weaknesses lie. It is vital to take learnersâ„ ¢ own views into account and to make the most of this knowledge. Discussions and interviews allow teachers and learners to get to know each other. They also provide an excellent opportunity to feed back the results of other assessment methods and to probe more deeply. Assessment tools can play an important role in objective initial and diagnostic assessment of functional skills. Tools are also sometimes used to assess occupational skills and learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Structured group or individual activities during induction and early parts of the programme allow learners to apply specific skills. A free writing task, for example, gives a rounded picture of how someone actually writes. Such a task also helps to put learners at the centre of the assessment process because they can write about themselves and their interests. Observation gives a broader picture of the whole person and how they perform in a range of contexts. This will give insights into learnersâ„ ¢ strengths, how they work with others, how they think, how confident they are and how willing they are to ask for help. Try this: 1.Make the assessment relevant to learnersâ„ ¢ context and interests. This may mean planning activities or using assessment tools related to learnersâ„ ¢ vocational areas or everyday interests. Providing a context for the assessment helps the learners to see how skills can be transferred. 2.Gather information from activities that learners carry out in other parts of their programme. For example, you can: a.observe them on a work placement; b.use examples of their writing to assess their skills. 3.Select a blend of assessment methods to suit individual learners and their circumstances. Tools for assessing functional skills/Skills for Life Tools that have effectively supported the assessment of Skills for Life could be adapted to provide support for assessing functional English and functional mathematics and incorporate functional ICT. It is important that the following points are understood. Functional skills standards should be applied and adhered to. For more information on functional skills and the standards, go to www.qcda.gov.uk or the Ofqual website at www.ofqual.gov.uk/. It is important to recognise that the levelâ„ ¢ of a functional skill is determined by a combination of factors: familiarity of the situation or problem to the learners; independence of the learners in identifying and selecting the skills they will need, and in tackling the situation or problem; complexity of the situation or problem the learners are tackling; and technical demand of the skill required. Learners whose functional English, functional mathematics or functional ICT is being assessed should be able to: consider a problem or task; identify the functional skills (whether English, mathematics or ICT) that will help them to solve it; select from the range of skills in which they are competent (or know what help they need and who to ask); and apply their skills appropriately. Any terminology used should be consistent with that of functional skills (for example, LLNâ„ ¢ should be replaced with functional Englishâ„ ¢ and/or functional mathematicsâ„ ¢, as required). Assessment may highlight areas of individual support learners may need which could enable them to achieve goals and targets agreed as part of their individual learning plans. Initial assessment tools provide information about learnersâ„ ¢ current levels of functional skills, measured against national standards. They are useful in helping to match learners to an appropriate learning programme and in directing further, more in-depth, assessment. Diagnostic assessment materials assess all aspects of functional skills. There are also materials that can be used to explore whether learners would benefit from further assessment for specific learning difficulties (such as dyslexia). Specific diagnostic tasks should be selected and used at the start of a learning programme but also regularly throughout the programme to assess particular skills as further needs are identified. Diagnostic materials help you to discuss and agree with individual learners: learning targets for both consolidating existing skills and developing new ones; recommendations about how the learner will tackle new learning; and their own priorities: for example, skills needed at work. For details on functional skills standards and tools built specifically for the assessment of functional skills, see the Want to know moreâ„ ¢ section on page 8. Who carries out initial and diagnostic assessment What skills are needed Staff who carry out initial assessment are able to: understand the whole assessment process; present it to learners in a positive and constructive way; value and engage with learners; use a variety of approaches appropriate to individual learners and their context for learning; interpret results appropriately and give professional feedback to learners; recommend learning programmes; and refer learners for further expert assessment. In addition to the above, staff who carry out diagnostic assessment can also: use the outcomes to plan individual and group learning; and monitor progress. It is important that staff involved in initial and diagnostic assessment are well trained and able to use professional judgement. A team approach ensures consistency and reliability and increases staff confidence and skills. If tools are used as part of the assessment process, staff need to have training in using them effectively. Feedback from assessment Giving timely, constructive feedback to individuals is crucial to effective initial and diagnostic assessment. Try this: 1.Stress the positive. Always celebrate what learners have done well. This helps to build confidence. 2.Seek learnersâ„ ¢ views and value their contribution. This will help them to get better at assessing their own work, which is vital to their becoming independent learners. 3.Frame questions carefully and use prompts such as Would you like to say more about thatâ„ ¢. 4.Pause for a few seconds after questions have been posed or responses have been given, to encourage learners to carefully consider and expand on what they say or have said. 5.Be specific. Avoid generalisations such as There are a lot of inaccuraciesâ„ ¢ and instead focus on individual points which you can discuss with the learners. This will enable them to set their own individual short-term targets with guidance from assessment as evidence. 6.Focus on things learners can change, and avoid overloading them with too much feedback at once. 7.Look for ways forward together. Share ideas and explore solutions rather than always putting forward your own suggestions. 8.Agree what you will both do as a result. This could include agreeing new targets or planning learning opportunities. Feedback is not a one-way process. Invite learners to comment on what you do as well. Using the data from initial and diagnostic assessment For you and the learners Information from the initial and diagnostic assessment process should be used to develop individual learning goals and targets and to inform appropriate teaching and learning strategies and use of resources. It should be recorded in the individual learning plans, session plans and schemes of work. Effective use of assessment data: makes sure that planned learning is grounded in the learnersâ„ ¢ needs and priorities; avoids learners wasting time by going over old ground unnecessarily; and reduces the risk of learners being frustrated by tasks that are beyond them. Data should be shared with all staff supporting the learners so that all learning can be differentiated to take account of their strengths and needs. It is important that where learners are following vocational pathways, vocational and functional skills staff work together to plan learning in response to the findings from initial and diagnostic assessment. This ensures that learners have opportunities to develop functional skills in their vocational context. For managers and the organisation Good initial and diagnostic assessment make a significant contribution to the overall quality of provision by: ensuring that learners are on the right course or programme; maintaining motivation; and improving learnersâ„ ¢ achievement and progression. Your organisation should require you to record assessment results on the Management Information System (MIS). Assessment data should be collated and analysed to ensure that programmes offered are appropriate for learnersâ„ ¢ skills profiles. Key messages from the assessment data relating to particular programmes should be fed back to curriculum teams to inform the development of appropriate teaching and learning strategies, so that all learners are provided with suitable opportunities to develop and progress. How initial and diagnostic assessment fit in with other assessment processes Want to know more To find out more about functional skills: www.qcda.gov.uk For support with functional skills: www.fssupport.org/ Rethinking induction (cross-curricular): http://tlp.excellencegateway.org.uk/tlp/xcurricula/index.html Rethinking induction (Engineering): http://tlp.excellencegateway.org.uk/tlp/eng/resource/rethinkinginduc/index.html Motivational dialogue: http://tlp.excellencegateway.org.uk/tlp/personalisation/md/resource/#content.php Top tips introduction If you are a manager or teacher with responsibility for teaching and learning, the curriculum or quality assurance, using these booklets will support you in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating high-quality assessment practices for functional skills provision. Just as in other programmes, your assessment practices for functional skills need to align themselves to the needs of learners and to help deliverers to provide the best possible advice and feedback, so that the learners are able to develop English, mathematics and ICT skills and become more aware of their skills and how they select and use these skills to achieve their educational, employment and life goals. Everything we know about good assessment can be transferred to assessing functional skills. In particular, the assessment for learning principles, which encourage learners to take a role in their assessment as a way to develop awareness and independence, are very useful to functional skills managers and practi tioners. This resource allows you to benefit from best practice in assessment using lessons from assessment for learning. The following practical tips can be used to address particular issues or development needs in your organisation. The booklets contain key messages, checklists and flowcharts that can be adapted for a wide range of audiences and purposes, such as staff/team development, working with learners, guidance notes or handouts. The booklets can be used together to support improvement at each stage and type of learner assessment: initial, diagnostic, formative and summative. The Top Tips leaflets listed below offer some practical suggestions for getting the most out of the information and guidance contained in the accompanying booklets. 1.High-quality assessment processes â€Å" guidance for managers 2.Using skills checks 3.Initial and diagnostic assessment 4.Individual learning plans 5.Assessment for learning All the leaflets can be downloaded as Word documents and customised with your own logos and text to suit your individual purposes. Please note that in the resource Being functional, numbers 2, 3 and 5 accompany CPD activity 1: Assessment for learning and numbers 1 and 4 accompany CPD activity 3: Whole organisation approach. Initial and diagnostic assessment Top Tips â€Å" some practical suggestions For staff Use the leaflet as a staff development tool, together with the initial and diagnostic assessment checklist which can be downloaded from: http://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/assessment/assessmentresources.aspx Tailor this to your organisation to provide a focus on what is well-developed practice and practice that needs further development. The Feedback from assessmentâ„ ¢ section on page 5 provides an effective checklist for staff involved in assessing learners. This good-practice guidance applies to giving all feedback, and you could use it in staff training â€Å" perhaps using role play. Remember that functional skills focuses on how learners select and apply their skills in context. So ensure that your initial and diagnostic assessments look at how well, how confidently and how independently learners use their skills. Allow them to comment on their confidence and how well they feel they used their skills. For learners The information can be adapted for learners to explain the assessment processes that will happen, often during induction sessions. This will enable you to tailor the information to your own organisationâ„ ¢s assessment processes. For example, the information from page 1 may be adapted to speak directly to the learner: Initial and diagnostic assessment begin the process of getting to know you and working together. Initial assessment happens when you move onto a new learning programme and helps us to build up a picture of you and your skills, interests and achievements ¦ Ask learners to comment on their skills and confidence themselves, allowing you to note their speaking skills and self-awareness while promoting their ownership of their skills and of their learning. For managers You could adapt the Using the data from initial and diagnostic assessmentâ„ ¢ section on page 6 as a memo or notice to staff, particularly at key points during programmes. The information could be used to develop staff practice in effective information sharing and underline the importance of completing and reporting such data in an accurate and timely manner. It can also raise awareness of the importance of this information in enabling managers to make decisions and to monitor systems. The Information Mapping Action Plan, which can be downloaded from http://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/assessment/assessmentresources.aspx provides additional resources for identifying who needs what information from assessment processes and why. The visual representation of how initial and diagnostic assessment fit with other assessment processes (page 7) could be adapted to make a poster for display in staff workrooms and resource centres. Information For staff The text of the leaflet or relevant sections e.g. Initial and diagnostic assessment: methods and approachesâ„ ¢ on page 2, could be customised to your particular organisation so that staff involved in assessment have access to up-to-date and focused information about the processes in place. Changes to systems and processes (such as data collection or use of specific tools) can then be made easily and speedily. For learners Information about your vision to ensure a positive experience of assessment for learners could be adapted from the A positive experienceâ„ ¢ section on page 1. This could be used in course brochures and programme information for parents and learners to promote understanding and good practice. This could also be used in learner feedback, allowing you to judge how positive the experience has been for learners. For managers You could adapt information on approaches, tools and data management from the following sections: Initial and diagnostic assessment: methods and approachesâ„ ¢ (page 2); Tools for assessing functional skills/Skills for Life (page 3); and Using the data from initial and diagnostic assessmentâ„ ¢ (page 6). Use these sources to create a brief summary for managers to use with a range of audiences such as governors, inspectorate, programme funders and cross-organisation sharers of information (such as diploma consortia). Used together with information from other leaflets in the series, specifically High-quality assessment processes: guidance for managers, this could provide a comprehensive overview of assessment to support effective practice and disseminate these approaches more widely. Sections on Initial and diagnostic assessment: methods and approachesâ„ ¢(page 2) and Tools for assessing functional skills/Skills for Life (page 3) could be used to develop an audit and review process for assessment materials currently in use in your organisation. This could also include protocol for evaluating potential new materials and methods supported by a reflective cycle (which might include processes support by the IfL: www.ifl.ac.uk/cpd). Examples of key prompts: What Establish key definitions and main priorities. Agree on what this means to you and your organisation and identify both positives and negatives. So what Reflect on why this is important and the impact that it could have, both on your practice and, ultimately, on your learners. Now what Explore opportunities to improve and agree next steps. Record and reflect on the steps as you take them.

Biology Word Dissections - Understanding Science Terms

Biology Word Dissections - Understanding Science Terms Pneumono-ultramicroscopic-silicovolcano-coniosis.Yes, this is an actual word. What does it mean? Biology can be filled with words that sometimes seem incomprehensible. Similar to how many biology students will dissect a frog, by dissecting these words into discrete units, even the most complex terms can be understood. To demonstrate this concept, lets begin by performing a biology word dissection  on the word above. Well take this long, seemingly impossible to understand word and break it down into its affix components to make it much easier for us to understand. To perform our  word dissection, well need to proceed carefully. First, we come to the prefix (pneu-), or (pneumo-) which means lung. Next, is ultra, meaning extreme, and microscopic, meaning small. Now we come to (silico-), which refers to silicon, and (volcano-) which refers to the mineral particles that make up a volcano. Then we have (coni-), a derivative of the Greek word konis meaning dust. Finally, we have the suffix (-osis) which means affected with. Now lets rebuild what we have dissected: Considering the prefix (pneumo-) and the suffix (-osis), we can determine that the lungs are affected with something. But what? Breaking down the rest of the terms we get extremely small (ultramicroscopic) silicon (silico-) and volcanic (volcano-) dust (coni-) particles. Thus, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is a disease of the lungs resulting from the inhalation of very fine silicate or quartz dust. That wasnt so difficult, now was it? Key Takeaways Similar to how many biology students will dissect an animal, by performing a biology word dissection, even the most complex terms can be understood.Once you understand the common prefixes and suffixes used in biology, obtuse words are much easier to understand.For example, a large word like: pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis can be broken down into its constituent parts. After parsing, we realize that it is a disease of the lungs resulting from the inhalation of very fine silicate or quartz dust. Biology Terms Now that weve honed our dissection skills, lets try some frequently used biology terms. For instance: Arthritis(Arth-) refers to joints and (-itis) means inflammation. Arthritis is the inflammation of a joint(s). Bacteriostasis(Bacterio-) refers to bacteria and (-stasis) means a slowing or stoppage of motion or activity. Bacteriostasis is the slowing down of bacterial growth. Dactylogram(Dactyl-)  refers to a digit such as a finger or toe and (-gram) refers to a written record. A dactylogram is another name for a fingerprint. Epicardium(Epi-)  means upper or outermost and  (-cardium)  refers to the heart. Epicardium  is the outer layer of the heart wall. It is also known as visceral pericardium as it forms the inner layer of the pericardium. Erythrocyte(Erythro-) means red and (-cyte) means cell. Erythrocytes are red blood cells. Okay, lets move on to more difficult words. For instance: ElectroencephalogramDissecting, we have (electro-), pertaining to electricity, (encephal-) meaning brain, and (-gram) meaning record. Together we have an electric brain record or EEG. Thus, we have a record of brain wave activity using electrical contacts. Hemangioma(Hem-) refers to blood, (angio-) means vessel, and (-oma) refers to an abnormal growth, cyst, or tumor. Hemangioma is a type of cancer consisting primarily of newly formed blood vessels. SchizophreniaIndividuals with this disorder suffer from delusions and hallucinations. (Schis-) means split and (phren-) means mind. ThermoacidophilesThese are Archaeans that live in extremely hot and acidic environments. (Therm-) means heat, next you have (-acid), and finally (phil-) means love. Together we have heat and acid lovers. Additional Terms Using our new found skills, we should have no trouble with the following biology related terms. Angiomyogenesis (angio - myo - genesis): This is a medical term that refers to the regeneration of heart (myocardial) tissue. Angiostenosis (angio - stenosis): This term refers to the narrowing of a vessel, typically a blood vessel. Angiostimulatory (angio - stimulatory): Angiostimulatory refers to the stimulation and growth of blood vessels. Biotroph (bio - troph): Biotrophs are parasites. They do not kill their hosts as they establish a long-term infection as they get their energy from living cells. Bradytroph (brady - troph): This term refers to an organism that experiences very slow growth without the presence of a particular substance. Necrotroph (necro - troph): Unlike biotrophs, necrotrophs are parasites that kill their host and survive on the dead remains. Oxalotrophy (oxalo - trophy): This term refers to the metabolism of oxalates or oxalic acid by organisms. Once you understand the commonly used prefixes and suffixes, obtuse words are a piece of cake! Now that you know how to apply the word dissection technique, Im sure youll be able to determine the meaning of the word thigmotropism (thigmo - tropism).

Fashion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Fashion - Research Paper Example She also proclaimed and advised that the society ought not to underplay the repercussions of the situation, with regard to the message that most personalities had sent earlier (Breward, 2002). Furthermore, in accordance with a magazine that communicates issues regarding and surrounding the fashion confines, it was devastating that approximately 80% of young ladies in the fifth grades via twelve had been under influence of such fashion magazines, with regard to the images displayed (Davis, 2005). They confessed that most of these advances within the fashion magazines contained material that would probably alter their feeding habits and intake of various substances. Moreover, in the pro-anorexia programmes, posters communicating the notion of participation in television fashion shows and purportedly combing their magazines for ‘thinspiration’. However a bit intricate intelligence exists regarding whether the ubiquity of the excessively thin models results into persons outs ide the fields to innovate disordered feeding or fully blown food consumption chaos. Generally, Dr. Broft confessed that in the course of their working with their patients, this notion of the thinning always arises. Additionally, the psychiatrist within the foodstuff consumption program in the Columbia psychiatry explicated additionally that feeding disorders are extremely intricate based on their aetiology. Additionally, it is reasonable to proclaim that disclosure may be a truth in the innovation of feeding disorders and that an unfussy connection had not been conventional. In addition, the national affiliation of health prospects that the lifetime pervasiveness of anorexia is approximately 1.5% of the adult populace in the U.S.A. However, between the age gap of twelve to eighteen year olds is around 2.5%. Additionally, there immense risk prospects inclusive of their femininity and age among others as influences and the past (Breward, 2002). In accordance with a psychologist at th e Cleveland clinic, disclosure to skinny models could probably take a role. Moreover, though skinny models are not the reason behind feeding disorders, they may trigger or elicit a prospect in up keeping a feeding anomaly (Furze, 2011). Additionally, she proclaimed that if a lady has an establishment for a feeding anomaly and takes most of their time browsing via fashion papers can be one of the prospects that elicit a negative feeling of their body, which initiates them into feeding disorders, like excessive eating. Moreover, consummate research has introduced a relation of the two purporting that there has not existed any single descriptive scientific explication. Furthermore, specialists proclaim that her explication is one of the most fascinating on how the general media can implicate on bodily issues and image regards too. Becker’s exertion has concentrated on Fiji, where she discovered the entry of television coincided with, among other things, an augmentation in disord ered feeding, inclusive of throwing up to lose or take critical control of weight. Additionally, a following up research discovered that peer disclosure was specifically strong, with allies deliberating and internalizing the general media images (Davis, 2005). Though Becker warned against projection of such results to the American, she proclaimed

Reasoning Paper Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reasoning Paper - Personal Statement Example In general, conflict is an affliction common to all of people, but the ways that people "struggle" with one another are quite diverse. One employee might not ever discuss important issues, yet the next will argue incessantly over minutia. There is a touch of idealism revealed in our belief that appropriate control over the process of communication may lead to more equitable, humane, and satisfying forms of conflict than are often experienced. Still, the relationship between communication and conflict is not straightforward. Sometimes the ostensibly "best" forms of communication lead to the worst consequences and vice versa (Dixit and Nalebuff 2003). My description of communication in conflict entails a logical sequence of steps. The conflict situation shows that one must be able to describe what people do when they have conflict; for example, they may lash out, apologize, sulk, laugh, or disclose. The second step in analysis is to describe the characteristics of communication systems . This involves a shift in the level of analysis from individual messages to recurring patterns of communication. System characteristics are potentially more revealing than individual styles. A particular form of communication, say a single angry outburst or even a series of outbursts, may reveal little about the interpersonal relationship that is observed until the recurring events that elicit the outbursts are understood (Hardt and Harris 2007). This is hardly a new idea but it is difficult to put into practice. It is simply easier to describe individual conflict styles than it is to describe patterns of interaction. Our discussion focuses on five properties of conflict patterns: variety, symmetry, continuity, stationarity, and spontaneity. Although individuals behave strategically at times, at other times conflicts proceed without clear goals and plans. Much conflict behavior is experienced as "just happening." The spouse who is criticized by the other may automatically respond w ith a counter complaint and not make a reflective choice about those behaviors (Hardt and Harris 2007). In this conflict situation, affect is a second important dimension. Some styles are hostile (e.g., confrontation), others are neutral or friendly (e.g., conciliatory behavior and humor), and still other styles, such as conflict avoidance, are inconsistent or unclear in the sort of emotion expressed. The implications of affect are reasonably straightforward. Generally, people who are more compatible (i.e., satisfied, well-adjusted, and the like) are more friendly to one another. For example, they make fewer confrontational statements, speak in a more positive vocal tone, sit closer together, touch one another more, and so forth (Dixit and Nalebuff 2003). During the conflict, evasive comments can occur when one employee asks a question or makes a statement about conflict and the other employee responds ambiguously. Evasive comments are related to the understanding of "disqualification." Disqualifying comments can occur when employees see themselves in a "bind" (i.e., a way to avoid a conflict situation). When given a choice between the acceptation of decision, and a disqualifying response, employees usually say that they would choose the latter (Hardt and Harris 2007). The heavy use of denial by roommates is to be expected, given the awkward and unprecedented social arrangement that roommates have

How the Internet has Changed the way we live Essay

How the Internet has Changed the way we live - Essay Example Department of Defense gave birth to ARPANET which later became the internet. The visionaries who saw great potential in using computers to share information on research in scientific and military fields laid the spark of internet's birth. In 1962, J.C.R. Licklider of MIT proposed a global network of computers. Leonard Kleinrock developed the packet switching which is the basis of internet connections. In 1965, Lawrence Roberts connected a Massachusetts computer with a Californian one over dial-up telephone lines. The ARPANET, first brought online in 1969, initially connected four computers at universities in southwestern US. Ray Tomlinson, in 1972, brought e-mail to ARPANET. He was the one who introduced the symbol-@- to connect the username and address. The internet was designed to provide a communication network that would resist nuclear attacks. The early users were computer experts, engineers, scientists and librarians. During the '60s and '70s, Frederick G. Kilgour of the Ohio College Library Center led networking of Ohio libraries. In the mid 1970s, New England, the southwest states, Mid Atlantic states, etc. joined it to form national, later, international networks. The ARPANET matured in the '70s due to the TCP/IP architecture proposed and developed by Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf. USENET was born in 1979 with the Unix to Unix Protocol invention. Newsgroups were introduced to exchange information throughout the world. Though it was not a significant part of the Internet (due to the lack of TCP/IP), it played a vital role in the development of the Internet. BITNET appeared in1981 and it connected the mainframes of IBM and also provided mail services. SCNET, developed in 1984, grew into NSFNet, the backbone of Internet. In 1986, when it was developed, it gave access to a number of super computing centers. More departments started making use of the Internet. Hence, more tools and resources were needed. More universities, organizations and libraries got connected and Internet became harder to track. In 1991, the first friendly interface to the Internet was developed. In July, 1992, Delphi, the first national commercial online service offered Internet access to its subscribers. In 1993, Microsoft Internet Explorer was developed. With the release of Windows 98 which the browser well integrated in the desktop, Bill Gates capitalized on the Internet. The Internet Boom The impact of the Internet is too enormous that it takes a lifetime to elaborate on it. Business entered the Internet arena. Advertising showed up to attract consumers. Online shopping entered a faster pace. Consumers found it easy when they could compare prices. Delphi's free offer of web pages, chat rooms, community building centers, etc. made the Internet more and more on demand. High-speed connections spread. Cable modems and digital subscriber lines replaced the older, slower ones. Wireless access bloomed. Now, we even have small, portable devices that can be used to access the Internet like, the pocket PC, game machines, GPS devices, etc. Let us discuss how Internet affects the various fields of our day to day lives. IMPACTS ON BUSINESS In the beginning, the use of Internet remained to searching and mailing. With the rise of more innovations, people started applying technology to various fields. Business is one such field which was rewritten by the entry of Internet. ECONOMY We saw the days when anything was