New York State standards Essay

It is important for grade 4 pupils to meet the standards for English Language Arts set forth in the New York State standards. It is in the light of this that great attention must be paid to the way English is taught in the grade 4 classroom. When a teacher prepares and delivers his or her lessons in English, she should do this with the objective of making sure that his or her pupils meet the standards of the State of New York in mind. The standards should be her guide as he or she delivers the lessons in English and administers both oral and written tests to find out whether or not his or her students have mastered the required skills. What educational strategies and instructional methods may be employed to ensure that grade 4 pupils meet the standards for English Language Arts set forth by the State of New York? One of the skills ( Education Planet, 2010) that grade 4 pupils are expected to have is being able to listen and speak in formal and informal settings wherein they are expected to talk with people of different ages, genders, and cultures. One instructional method (Nada’s ESL Island, 2000) that can be used to ensure that grade 4 pupils achieve the above mentioned skill is the communicative approach. In the communicative approach, the teacher gives more emphasis on language functions rather than on language structures. As such, when the teacher designs a lesson, her lesson is focused on a language function such as greeting a person, telling a story, giving directions, or asking for help with something. She then decides what language structures are suited for a particular language function. For instance, prepositions can be taught for pupils to learn how to give directions. The LEA or Language Experience Approach (Nada’s ESL Island, 2000) may be utilized by the teacher in teaching the uses of the different parts of speech. What the teacher does is make the pupils read a line of text. Then she asks questions like â€Å"What words were used to describe the flower? † and â€Å" What words were used to describe the mountain? †. The teacher may then tell the pupils that words like pretty, colorful, tall, and big are called adjectives and that adjectives are words used for describing. What about listening? What strategies or instructional methods can be utilized to develop listening skills among pupils? Pupils have to learn to become active rather than passive listeners. Here, the teacher can make use of the cloze test wherein the pupils are asked to listen to the teacher read a short poem twice. The pupils are then given a copy of the poem with some words left out. The pupils are to fill in the missing words after listening to the reading of the poem. With regard to developing skills in speaking, the teacher can make use of the audiolingual method wherein the teacher first teaches the pupils a set of expressions like â€Å"May I help you? †, â€Å"What time is it? † and â€Å"How do you do? †. She then asks the pupils to repeat each expression after him or her. The teacher can later have the pupils engage in a role play wherein they are given the chance to put into practice the expressions they have learned. Aside from acquiring listening and speaking skills for formal and informal situations, grade 4 pupils ( Education Planet, 2010) are also expected to learn how to write for social interaction and produce written messages to establish, maintain, and enhance personal relationships with others. One way of teaching writing with this purpose in mind is through the use of the interactive journal. How is this done? The teacher sets the topic for the class to write about. She then pairs off the students and makes sure that each pair has a small notebook. Pupil A then begins by writing something about the topic before turning the note over to his or her partner pupil B who reads and reacts to what pupil a has written about the topic. From time to time the teacher goes around to check to make sure that the students are not deviating from the topic. Letter writing could also be a useful activity in developing the pupils’ social interaction skills. For example, after talking about how to take care of the environment, the teacher may ask pupils to write a letter to their congressman or mayor. The State of New York ( Education Planet 2010) expects grade 4 pupils to also be able to listen and read to evaluate experiences, ideas, information, and issues by using evaluative criteria from different perspectives and by recognizing the difference in evaluations based on different sets of criteria. One technique ( Nada’s ESL Island, 2000) that the teacher can use to achieve this goal is the interactive approach to reading. Here the pupils do not only read but also interact with the material. By asking questions, the teacher allows the pupils to predict what will happen before the next part of the story is read, say whether or not they have the same experience as that of the character or characters in the story, comment on the actions of the characters, or even tell whether the story happened in real life or not. Grade 4 pupils ( Education Planet, 2010) are also expected to learn how to speak and write for critical analysis and evaluation by presenting opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information, and issues clearly, logically, and persuasively with reference to specific criteria on which the opinion or judgment is based. This goal can be attained by asking Why and How questions about a topic that had been read or listened to instead of the usual What, Who, and Where questions. Pupils may also be taught how to write and speak critically by asking them â€Å"What do you think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"What if†¦Ã¢â‚¬  questions. Such kind of questions would allow them to present their opinions and judgments on an issue that had been read or listened to. Another standard that was set by the State of New York ( Education Planet 2010) is grade 4 pupils should be able to listen and read for literary response which involves comprehending, interpreting, and critiquing imaginative texts in every medium, drawing from personal experiences and knowledge to understand the text, and recognizing the social, historical, and cultural features of the text. In order to achieve this, the teacher can use the top down approach wherein the pupils can bring to fore their experiences and present knowledge in understanding the text. The pupil uses his or her experience and current knowledge to be able to relate to the text. The child’s schema is also utilized in being able to understand the meaning of each word and sentence in the text. Another skill ( Education Planet, 2010) that grade 4 pupils are expected to have is being able to speak and write for literary response which involves presenting interpretations, analysis, and reactions to the content and language of a text. Here the teacher can make use of the interactive approach in reading wherein the pupils are mad to interpret a line or a word in a poem. They are also made to react to the content of a poem or story and give their opinion and judgment regarding its contents either orally or in written form. Grade 4 pupils ( Education Planet, 2010) are also expected to speak and write for literary expression which involves producing imaginative texts that use language and text structures that are inventive and often multilayered. To develop this skill in the pupils, the teacher (Nada’s ESL Island, 2000) can make use of the KWL method. Here the pupils are asked to put down what they already know about the topic that will be discussed or text that would be read. The teacher then asks the pupils to write down or say what they expect to learn from the topic or text. After the teacher discusses the topic or read the text, the pupils are asked to write down or say what they have learned from the discussion of the topic or the reading of the text. Based on what they have learned, the pupils may create a new story or composition as a kind of learning synthesis. The State of New York ( Education Planet, 2010) also aims to develop in the pupils the ability to listen and read to acquire information and understanding which involves collecting data, facts, and ideas; discovering relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and using knowledge from oral, written, and electronic sources. The research method can be used to develop the above mentioned skill in the pupils. While listening to a text being read, the pupils are asked to pay close attention to important pieces of information and note these down in their notebooks. The same thing would be done as the pupils read a piece of text. The teachers may guide the pupils in using semantic maps which the pupils used to organize the pieces of information that they have picked up from listening to or reading the text. Semantic maps also allow the pupils to see the relationship among the different ideas. Aside from semantic maps, pupils may also be taught how to construct charts which also help organize pieces of information they have picked up. The State of New York ( Education Planet, 2010) also expects pupils to be able to speak and write to acquire and transmit information which requires asking probing and clarifying questions, interpreting information in one’s own words, applying information from one context to another, and presenting the information and interpretation clearly, concisely, and comprehensively. One method that the teacher could use to develop this skill among the grade 4 pupils involves prereading, reading, and postreading activities. In the prereading activity pupils are made to scan or skim the text. They are afterwards asked to come up with questions that they might want to ask about the material. The pupils then read the text and while reading, they try to look for answers to their own questions. They later present their answers to the class. With regard to asking questions, the teachers could invite a fireman, for example, to talk about his profession. After his talk, the pupils are encouraged to ask questions regarding what they listened to. What other educational strategies and instructional methods can the teacher utilize to improve the reading, speaking, writing, and listening skills of grade 4 pupils? With regard to improving the listening skills of the pupils, the teacher may dictate to the pupils a piece of text line by line. As she reads each line twice, the pupils write down each line in their notebooks. After the last line of the text had been read, the teacher reads the text again and asks the pupils to check what they wrote as they listen to the teacher read the text. Another educational strategy that the teacher can employ to improve the listening skills of grade 4 pupils is to have them listen to the teacher playback a recorded newscast or story. The teacher may opt to playback the recorded newscast or story twice. He or she then gives the pupils an exercise to answer to test how well they listened to the recorded newscast or story. The test can be a fill in the blanks or multiple choice type of exercise. These can de done again and again until the pupils attain an acceptable level of mastery. The speaking skills of grade 4 pupils can be improved by introducing them to debate. Here the pupils are given the chance to express their opinions, views, and judgments regarding an issue. Asking grade 4 pupils to retell a story they have read is also a good way of improving the speaking skills of grade 4 pupils. The pupils retell a story in front of the class through the use of visual aids. They may also be encouraged to create their own stories and share it with the rest of the class. Teaching pupils how to conduct an interview is another way of improving their listening and speaking skills, One pupil could play the role of TV reporter while another pupil could be the person being interviewed. To apply what they have learned about interviewing people, pupils could be asked to interview, let us say, the nurse in their community and have them report the results of the interview in front of the class. Show and Tell is also a good way of developing the speaking skills of grade 4 pupils. They may be asked to bring to class a favorite pet or toy and talk about these in front of the class. The pupils might also be asked to draw any picture and then call them one by one to the front of the class to talk about their picture. What educational strategies or instructional methods may be employed to improve the writing skills of pupils? Aside from journal or letter writing, grade 4 pupils may be taught how to write a haiku or a tanka on any topic of their choice. They could then share with their classmates what they wrote. Other activities that could improve the writing skills of pupils are poster making, making greeting cards. The integrated approach can also be used to improve the writing skills of grade 4 pupils. For example, the teacher could conduct a simple experiment inside the classroom. While the teacher is doing the experiment, the pupils can write down what they observe and their conclusions after the teacher finishes conducting the experiment, The teacher could also have the pupils read a story and organize the sequence of events as they happened in the story. Based on the arranged sequence of events, the pupils could be asked to rewrite the story. With regard to improving the reading skills of the pupils, the teacher could make use of SSR or Sustained Silent Reading wherein the teacher sets aside a few minutes of the period to allow the pupils to read their favorite book. This sustains pupils’ interest in reading. DRTA or Directed Reading Thinking Activity ( Nada’s ESL Island, 2000) can also be utilized by the teacher to improve the reading skills of grade 4 pupils. The teacher first reads the title of the text and he or she asks the pupils what they think the story is going to be about. He or she then solicits different answers from the pupils. The teacher then reads the first paragraph of the story and stops to ask the pupils what they think will happen in the next part of the story. He or she writes their predictions on the board. After reading the next part of the story the teacher erases the answers on the board that are no longer needed. The procedure goes on until the story is finished. The pupils may be asked to write a summary of the story. Aside from DRTA, the ETR or Experience Text Relationship (Nada’s ESL Island, 2000) method may be utilized to improve the reading skills of grade 4 pupils. The teacher begins by asking the pupils what they know about the text that is going to be read. The teacher then reads the story along with the pupils and pausing every know and then to discuss the part of the story that had just been read and ask what the pupils thin will happen in the next part of the story. After the story had been read, the teacher discusses the story with pupils and ask them to relate it to their personal experience. The PreP or the Prereading Plan (Nada’s ESL Island, 2000) also helps in improving the reading skills of grade 4 pupils since it attempts to trigger previous knowledge and provide background knowledge which will help the pupils understand what they are reading. The teacher begins by introducing a main concept to the pupils to prepare them for what is to be read or listened to. For instance the teacher could start by saying, â€Å" Today, we are a going to talk about a planet. Who can tell me what a planet is. † He or she then allows the pupils to give their own ideas of the concept and lists these down on the board or on a chart. After correcting some misconceptions about the topic or idea, the teacher asks the pupils to write something about the idea by utilizing the words on the board or on the chart. After having written something about the topic, the pupils are now ready to read the text that talks about the topic they wrote about. The SQ3R or the Survey Question Read Write Review (Nada’s ESL Island , 2000) is another method that is utilized by teachers to help improve the reading skills of grade pupils. The teacher first asks the pupils to look at the title, the headings of paragraphs, the introduction , and the conclusion of the text that they are about to read. This helps the pupils gain an idea about the text before they actually start reading it. The pupils are then asked to read the questions at the end of the text so that more or less they will have an idea of the kind of information that they are expected to look for from the text. The teacher may now ask the pupils to read the text. The teacher reminds the pupils to take note of ideas and words that they do not understand and to read the text the second time around. The next things that the pupils are asked to do is to write the answers to the questions found at the end of the text. They may read the answers aloud in front of the class. The teacher advises the pupils to review that they wrote to ensure that the information remains fresh inside their minds. Teachers (Nada’s ESL Island , 2000) also utilize story grammar to improve the reading skills of grade 4 pupils. Pupils are taught the four major components of story grammar which are main character and main problem or conflict, character clues which involve the actions of the characters, their dialogue, thoughts, physical qualities, and their reactions to other characters and events, the solving of the problem or conflict, and the theme of the story. Breaking down the story into the above mentioned components help the pupils understand easily what they just read. Semantic maps may also be used as an organizer of the components of story grammar. Strategic Reading (Nada’s ESL Island 2000) is quite similar to the other approaches used in teaching reading to grade 4 pupils. The teacher begins by asking the pupils what they know about what is going to be read and what they expect to learn. Afterward, the teacher employs Click and Clunk while the pupils are reading the first part of the text. Clunks are the words or ideas that pupils find difficult to understand. The teacher helps the pupils â€Å"fix† the clunks as they continue reading the text. The same thing is done for the other parts of the text. The teacher wraps up the reading activities by asking the pupils to say what they have learned from what they just read. With Sample Reading Strategies, (Nada’s ESL Island, 2000) teachers ask the pupils to say what they know about what is going to be read, write about an experience related to the topic, say something about the title of the text that will be read, make predictions about the contents of the text, skim the text for general ideas, or read the opening part and the closing part of the text. While reading, pupils may encounter words that are not familiar. The teachers help the pupils figure the meaning of the words by using context clues. Pupils may be also asked to predict what would happen in the next paragraph or draw pictures to show what they understand about what they have read so far. After reading, pupils may be asked to make an outline, a chart, a map or diagram to show what they have understood about the text. They may also be asked to retell what they have read or relate what they have read to their own experience. CBLI or Context Based Language Instruction makes learning language for pupils also interesting. In CBLI, the teacher makes use of real life texts rather than nursery rhymes or classic stories. Real life text may be in the form of a news article, recipes, posters, advertisements, or brochures. The teacher uses these to help pupils understand how language structures are applied in real life. For example, recipes, posters, and advertisements make plenty of use of action verbs. Instructional leaflets also make use of a lot of action verbs as well as prepositions. Sugestopedia is another method that teachers use to teach language to grade 4 pupils. Before having pupils read the text, the teacher prepares the mood of the classroom by playing soft music. She then asks the pupils to close their eyes and listen carefully to what is going to be read. Music helps condition the mind of the pupils and allows them to concentrate on what is being read. Aside from sugestopedia, teachers also help improve the listening and comprehension skills of the pupils by asking them to perform the appropriate action for a word. For example when the teacher says â€Å"sit†, the pupils sit down. When the teacher says â€Å"stand† the pupils stand up. When the teacher says â€Å"Step backwards† the pupils move one step back. This helps the pupils become with the meaning attached to words aside from becoming familiar with the words themselves. There are many other techniques that teachers can employ in honing the English communication skills of grade 4 pupils. However, the technique that must be employed by the teacher should be suitable to the learning abilities of grade 4 pupils. References (2010). English Language Arts State Standards for New York. Lesson Planet. Retrieved August 20, 2010 from http://www. lessonplanet. com. (n. d. ). Ideas for Teaching Writing. Kim’s Korner for Teacher Talk. Retrieved August 22, 2010 from http://www. kimskorner4teachertalk. com. (2000) Teaching Second Language Reading. Nada’s ESL Island Resources for Teachers and Students. Retrieved August 20, 2010 from http://www. Nadaisland. com.

Language is not only the problem faced by International students in the UK

In recent years, coming to the UK have became a attractive option for students who want to get further education with the higher quality. Because the UK is famous by its impressed education in the history. However, the increasing number of international students does not mean it is undemanding to study in the UK without facing any difficulty or it is much easier than before as a oversea student. In fact, there are numerous problems they have to solve for a meaningful oversea study experience.When referring to this topic, language has always been mentioned as an unavoidable issue for these students who are far away from their motherland. But language is not the only problem faced by international students in the UK. There are many difficulties such as differences in learning and homesickness. Language can be the main problem for all the international students even if the student is a native speaker of English, such as Americans, Australians and Indians.The reason is that students who come from an English-speaking country can be proficient in daily English, but it does not mean that they can skip this obstacle. For example, although most of the students have to get a high enough score in TOEFL or IELTS for being accepted by the school they want, they may still be unfamiliar with some terms for the subject they studied (Bamford, 2008). In other words, the ability of using English can be a barrier that every international student has to overcome. Otherwise, they would be trapped in their little safe zone and ended up as a person without sufficient confidence.So language can be the main problem for international students in the UK, but precisely it is definitely not the only issue. Because obviously, it is impossible to be a good international student by such a easy way. Differences in learning will also make oversea students feel confused at the beginning of their British life. As reported by David, Brian, Anne, Claire and Sinead (2006), in some cultures it is depr ecated to raise doubts about what the teachers said, which is totally different from the academic culture in the UK.For students who have got accustomed to this way of learning, critical thinking, which plays an important role in school life in the UK, can be difficult to adapt to the new study atmosphere and it needs time to get used to it. Differences between academic cultures are inevitably driving some international students into corner. Similarly, they must force themselves to make appropriate adjustments which is required for their study in the UK, or they would be stuck in a dilemma.Learning how to behave properly in a completely different environment of study can be a serious challenge for those students who get used to keep silence and take notes without thinking of its value. Homesickness is another conspicuous problem which make international students feel troubled. The main features of homesickness can be defined as the surrounding images about home in their minds, an in tense desire to go home, a sad emotion because missing home(Adrian, 1997).For most of oversea students, it is their first time to live further from home for perhaps thousands-miles away. In other words, it is reasonable that they would feel lonely without their family especially when some bad issues happened in their homeland. If these students can not get rid of homesickness, their whole life would be exposed in danger. Similarly, students who soak themselves in the bad mood of homesickness were likely to lose their faith in life and stayed unmotivated.As the result, they would be failed in their study and also make their family and friends down, which is the last achievement they want to reach in the world. In conclusion, international students in the UK have to face many problems, including but not limited to language. Besides language, difficulties in learning and homesickness also can not be ignored. There are still many problems which did not be mentioned in this essay. So it can be hard to deal with so many problems for international students in the UK. But it is also a unique opportunity for them to upgrade themselves.

Jefferson’s Justification for the American Revolution Essay

Even after fighting in the American Revolutionary War began at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, most colonists still hoped for reconciliation with Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson saw a need to justify this revolution in the eyes of the people. He, and other founding fathers, knew that for this revolt to be successful, all thirteen colonies and their citizens must be united in a common goal. For Jefferson to achieve unity amongst the colonists, he had to show that violations of law and abuse of basic rights existed under the current British rule. Read more: Mini qs in American history essay The Declaration of Independence, written largely by Thomas Jefferson, is a statement of what government is and from what source it may derive its powers. It begins with a summary of those inalienable rights that are the basis for a free society and to protect those rights, what powers a just government may exercise. By Jefferson’s own admission, the Declaration of Independence contained no original ideas, but was instead a statement of sentiments widely shared by supporters of the American Revolution. As he explained in 1825: Neither aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, nor yet copied from any particular and previous writing, it was intended to be an expression of the American mind, and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit  called for by the occasion. Jefferson’s most immediate sources were two documents written in June 1776: his own draft of the preamble of the Constitution of Virginia, and George Mason’s draft of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Ideas and phrases from both of these documents appear in the Declaration of Independence. They were in turn directly influenced by the 1689 English Declaration of Rights, which formally ended the reign of King James II. During the American Revolution, Jefferson and other Americans looked to the English Declaration of Rights as a model of how to end the reign of an unjust king. (Maier, 1997) â€Å"The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Davenport, 2009) The Declaration then goes on to list specific violations against the colonists by the King. These â€Å"violations† made it clear to the population that they were being treated unfairly and that they had every right to revolt against the King, who Jefferson refers to as a â€Å"tyrant†. As the war was already raging, the Declaration of Independence gave further justification for America’s independence. There was clear separation amongst the states as to if the revolution was founded. Jefferson’s listing of abuses and violations of basic rights are clearly aimed at the King of Britain and his monarchy. The Declaration brought recognition of these injustices to every citizen, and hence, justification of the American Revolution. After the war, another challenge remained; how to prevent these abuses from occurring in the new republic? Enter the Constitution of the United States of America, 1788. The Constitution, by both its design and the terms used as written, limits government to the powers delegated. Our Constitution is a closed legal and logical system that declares itself and the laws made pursuant to it, to be the supreme law of the land, and that is the only law that it allows. There is no room in it for â€Å"inherent sovereign immunity†.  The purpose of government is to maintain a society which secures to every member the inherent and inalienable rights of man, and promotes the safety and happiness of its people. Protecting these rights from violation, therefore, is its primary obligation. (Maier, 1997) â€Å"The Supreme Law of the Land† is â€Å"The Constitution as it is written† and the laws made pursuant thereto. Its interpretations are not the supreme law of the land. They are mere interpretations that may or may not be correct, or may even be dishonest and treacherous to it. â€Å"Who will govern the governors?† There is only one force in the nation that can be depended upon to keep the government pure and the governors honest, and that is the people themselves. They alone, if well informed, are capable of preventing the corruption of power, and of restoring the nation to its rightful course if it should go astray. They alone are the safest depository of the ultimate powers of government. (Coates, 1999) I know no safe depositary of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power. — Thomas Jefferson to William C. Jarvis, 1820 In the Constitution and the first ten amendments, it is clear that the government remain, â€Å"of the people†. Also, that no state or local government shall supersede the authority of the federal government or revolt against it. By representation in the Senate and Congress, each state is given a voice in the federal government. The last hope of human liberty in this world rests on us. . . . If we move in mass, be it ever so circuitously, we shall attain our object; but if we break into squads, every one pursuing the path he thinks most direct, we become an easy conquest to those who can now barely hold us in check. I repeat again, that we ought not to schismatize on either men or measures.  Principles alone can justify that. If we find our government in all its branches rushing headlong, like our predecessors, into the arms of monarchy, if we find them violating our dearest rights, the trial by jury, the freedom of the press, the freedom of opinion, civil or religious, or opening on our peace of mind or personal safety the sluices of terrorism, if we see them raising standing armies, when the absence of all other danger points to these as the sole objects on which they are to be employed, then indeed let us withdraw and call the nation to its tents. But while our functionaries are wise, and honest, and vigilant, let us move compactly under their guidance, and we have nothing to fear. Things may here and there go a little wrong. It is not in their power to prevent it. But all will be right in the end, though not perhaps by the shortest means. — Thomas Jefferson to Colonel Wm. Duane, 1811 Obviously, Jefferson and the founding fathers saw that too much power was given a monarchy and the Constitution clearly shows how power is to be divided in the new republic. Basic civil rights are also listed so that they cannot be infringed upon or abused. By declaring these rights and division of authority, the republic and its Constitution, ensures that these abuses will not happen again. As the Declaration of Independence united the colonies, so too did the Constitution unite the people’s rights. REFERENCES Coates, Eyler (1999). _Thomas Jefferson on Politics & Government._ Retrieved May 4, 2009, from http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/ Davenport, Anniken (2009). _Basic Criminal Law – The Constitution, Procedure, and Crimes._ Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall Publishing Maier, Pauline (1997). _American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence._ New York: Knopf Publishing.

Raymond Williams and His Contribution to the Study of Culture Essay

Raymond Williams and His Contribution to the Study of Culture - Essay Example The essay "Raymond Williams and His Contribution to the Study of Culture" discusses the brief introduction and historical background of the development of cultural studies; theories and theorists advocating the cultural materialist approach; Raymond Williams on cultural studies and cultural materialism and the relevance of cultural materialism in current context. The explanation of cultural materialism is grounded on the theoretical fundamentals of leftist culturalism and Marxist analysis. Williams views culture as a productive process. In accordance with the Marxist theoretical framework, cultural materialism is an elaboration of historical materialism - a way of understanding the diverse social and material production of the works of art. For Williams, culture is located within flexible but identifiable boundaries. The idea of culture with boundaries is problematic and a complicated issue in the age of globalization. Williams theory of cultural materialism describes the relationshi ps between culture and society. Culture is denoted, according to Williams, as a whole way of life material, intellectual and spiritual. This definition is relevant even in today’s globalization period to understand the complicated patterns of diversified cultural relationships. The various perspectives of ‘common culture’ in Williams’ theory include social relations at work, organized politics, public entertainments. The new modes of communicative production in today’s cultures are the technological advancements.

The Dynamic Nurse-Patient Relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Dynamic Nurse-Patient Relationship - Essay Example This essay discusses Orlando’s nursing model, the dynamic nurse-patient relationship, and analyzes how this theory can be applied to nursing practice at the individual, family/group, and community/population levels. Introduction Ida Jean Orlando formulated her theoretical models of nursing in relation to her theory of dynamic nurse-patient relationship, and expanded them to involve the distinctive role of nursing in patient care. She examined the aspects that reinforced or hampered the incorporation of mental health doctrine in the curriculum of basic nursing. She developed the dynamic nurse-patient relationship model to provide nursing practitioners a model of efficient nursing practice. She investigated nursing patient care on medical-surgical settings, not individuals with psychiatric disorders in psychiatric facilities (Orlando, 1961). She recognized three aspects of nursing practice: the uniqueness and creation of nursing knowledge, the professional role of nurses, and th e relationship between nurse and patient. A nursing context comprises the patient’s behavior, the nurse’s response, and all that does not alleviate the patient’s suffering. Patient distress is associated with the failure of the person to satisfy or express his/her needs. Orlando’s Nursing Model The dynamic nurse-patient relationship is derived from the assumption that the relationship between the nurse and patient is mutual, which means that the behavior or decision of one influence the other. Orlando (1961) argues that the nursing role is different from the medical role and that the response of nurses is based on the urgent needs, demands, and experience of the patient. Basically speaking, the theory claims that nursing is one-of-a-kind and autonomous because it focuses on the need of an individual for help or support, actual or probable, in an urgent condition. The manner by which nurses relieve this vulnerability is reciprocal and is performed in a clo sely controlled or profession way that requires education and expertise. Orlando (1961) argues that one’s behavior or response must be derived from reason, not set of rules. Her theory is regarded to be an interactive model for it suggests a particular practice of planned, purposeful one-to-one nurse-patient relationship to reinforce the best nursing care intended to take care of a patient’s needs. The nursing process is activated by the behavior of the patient. The behavior of a patient, regardless how trivial, should be seen as a call for help. Patient behavior could be expressed verbally and nonverbally. When a patient needs something that cannot be met without the aid of another person, vulnerability or helplessness arises. If the behavior of a patient does not clearly express a precise description of the need, then setbacks in the relationship between the nurse and patient may occur and make it hard for the nurse to sufficiently deal with the need of the patient. A better understanding, appreciation, or resolution of incapable patient behavior becomes a main concern for the nurse for the condition will probably deteriorate sooner or later and make sufficient care, or the delivery of required assistance or support, more and more problematic. The response, decision, and behavior of the nurse are aimed at alleviating unproductive patient behavior and satisfy urgent needs as well. Patient behavior triggers a nurse response, which is the beginning of the nursing process. Proper or correct nurse response is composed

Major global crimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Major global crimes - Essay Example Society is a very important component of any criminal justice system. There are four or five major types of societal set ups as far as law is concerned. Fork communal society is that considered to be barbaric/ primitive. It is associated with people of low education levels and economic backgrounds. The society have few law personnel hence more law offenders goes unpunished while suspects goes untried. But repeated offences could be punished by harsh or unusual punishments. This type of society is common in Africa as well as Middle East countries. Urban commercial societies are characterized by few stipulated laws. The king or some religious leaders could be mandated to create their own laws to guide the community as a whole. The punishments to law breakers are indefinite but they are harsh enough to pass some warnings to the rest of the society members. Urban industrial society is another kind of society set up where law abiders are provided with some kinds of incentives. Police in t his kind of society are given the responsibility to protect people’s property from theft and any kind of vandalism. Lastly, bureaucratic societies are the current or modern society set ups in different parts of the world. They are characterized by comprehensive written laws as well as law professionals like lawyers, judges, police forces with different specializations in accordance with various crime types. An international law comprise of the generalization of several legal traditions as a unit. The international law is formed in such away that each state or tradition is fully represented. This is to eliminate any kind of biasness. Several legal traditions exist and they include; common law which is majorly associated with Britain and its former colonies, civil law is associated with some African and European countries. Socialist law on the hand comprise of modified versions of civil law. Such modifications are in accordance with Marxist-Leninist theories among other theorie s. This kind of law is majorly associated with Russia and its neighbors. Islamic law is drawn from religious point of view and is associated with all countries where Islamic exists. Policing is the initial stage of encounter between the law offender and the criminal justice system. The police are expected to do some investigations following some crime then make arrests. However, a special kind of police reinforcement called Law enforcement agency may be required should the criminal be regarded harmful to the society or the country in general. The police may be compelled to use some legal forces to ensure social as well as public orders are adhered to. Even though different countries and states has different police structures, common role of police is to maintain law and order, further more, they are meant to serve the society with total equality. Court is a judicial unit where criminal cases are heard before their verdicts are provided. The main aim of the courts is to render justic e to both the accused and the plaintiff. Several countries have different court systems. For instance, USA among other nations regards a defendant as either guilty or not guilty and not innocent as applied in other countries. USA uses the adversarial system where both the defendant and the plaintiff argue the case by giving their

Why do firms exist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Why do firms exist - Essay Example A simple, yet, complete definition of firms may help in starting the debate about why they actually exist. Fisher, Prentice & Waschik (2010), define firm as â€Å"a group of workers and managers, collectively called labor, and a group of physical assets, like machinery in a manufacturing operation or computers in a service sector firm, collectively called capital, which produce goods and/or services (p. 14). This definition provides three major areas where people are involved with the firms. People, firstly, work for or manage the firms as labor, secondly they invest in businesses and firms to earn profits and giving firms the strength of progress in the form of capital, and lastly people use the products or services offered by the firms. Hence, our life is, in one way or the other, dependent on firms. It is a way of earning for one group and a way of gathering necessities of life for the other like food stuff, clothing, and professional services like legal, educational or healthcar e services and so on. Owing to the importance of firms in our regular activities and modern life, this paper aims to answer the question: why do firms exist? In doing so, this paper will provide perspectives of different researchers and their theories to justify the claims made. Theory of Firm Theory of firm necessitates by trying to predict how the business would carry out their prescribed strategies to achieve their ultimate goal and that is profit maximization. The theory of firm helps predict and explain other alternatives and decision made by the company. Traditionally it was based on having sole goal of profit maximization. But most recent analysis, theories and researches suggest that sales maximization or market share that is satisfying the needs of the customers along with satisfying its legitimate stake holders, combined with satisfactory profits may be the main purpose of businesses in short term as well as in long term to survive. Traditionally companies’ were fol lowing stock holder theory that is managers had one objective of maximizing share holder value. For example a company would not mind shutting down a branch in a region or country and resulting in thousands of people being unemployed and affecting the whole economy of that region or country. Despite these factors, the managers would have let the factory moved to another region or country because labor is cheap and plentiful there. Traditional theory suggested companies to disregard safety practices or other practices to preserve social responsibilities, according to theory, as they would have to spend money over it which reduces profit. However, if such avoidance of such actions charges the companies with substantial penalty or case file or dereputation resulting in more expenses (fines) than the companies were encouraged to provide equipment and running the safety policy. The risks of fewer sales by customer boycotting the company’s products are also avoided by adopting such practices in the modern business arena and companies would fall into instrumental form of skate holder theory (Schroeder, Clark, and Cathey 2010, pp. 124-128). Stake holder theory is referred as 21st century theory where the organizations are so large that they can affect the whole society significantly. This broader impact of organizational procedures and processes suggest that they cannot just be responsible to share holders i.e. obeying stock holder t

Communicating During a Downsizing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 28

Communicating During a Downsizing - Case Study Example The slogan for the operation is â€Å"transformation with reaffirmation† meaning that change is inevitable but there is always a reason for it. Through a deep deliberation, it is decided that the best method to inform the employees that they are being let go is the use of the face to face communication due to how serious the issue is. It is important to explain to the employees the need for change, the method of handling it, and the necessary support available to the hospital employees. Much control is to be given to the employees and for this reason the use of open communication. Employees willing to undergo early retirement are to forward their details. Basing on the respond the action can be taken to layoff those willing and save those willing to remain. Those laid off are to undergo counseling, attend workshops on resume building, issued with recommendations from the hospital, and anything that is of benefit to the career of the employee and life (Lehman & Dufrene, 2011). A clear timeframe for the layoff events is created so that everyone is aware of the sequence of events for the layoff. It helps in ensuring that everyone has the desired information about the process. A track record of how the employees are coping with the change is formulated through a series of records to ensure a seamless flow of events. It gives a control tool to help when the need arises. However, the process is not expected to be definite as there is no easy layoff but the aim of the communication is to ensure that the employees understand the need for change. The plan is also to help the hospital maintain its reputation and do what it has done (Lehman & Dufrene, 2011).   The hospital is faced with a situation where 200 employees out of 1500 should downsize. It is a fact that the hospital does not operate in isolation but in the environment that needs consideration in effecting the step. The general public is another element to consider in effecting the issue. The government, the local community, the investors and other friends of the hospitals to be put into consideration (Clampitt, 2009).  

ASSIGN WRITER #4328 - Philosophy Unit - Business & Professional Ethics Essay

ASSIGN WRITER #4328 - Philosophy Unit - Business & Professional Ethics Journal Entries - Essay Example The primary role of an organisation, however, is to maximise profit, this is often best achieved by globalising, and this too is an ethical consideration for them in terms of self interest one. Thus, business imperatives and environmental concerns are often at odds with each other. Domestic household waste is also an environmental hazard yet householders are not penalised for not recycling or for purchasing products with environmentally damaging packaging, why then must there be an obligation for business owners and not wider society? Yet, the current state of the environment is a global concern with scientists only forecasting so many years before we pass the point of no return. Adopting an environmental ethic is a must for organisations but seeking a less damaging approach to globalisation is an alternative to the forced localisation that Norberg- Hodge (2001) is suggesting, which may also be unethical. Globalising businesses should place an onus on reducing carbon emissions but sh ould they have to cease international trade to do so? Childhood obesity has officially reached epidemic proportions but as Michele Simon points out in Government Abandons Children to Big Food (2006) food and beverage companies still refuse to take any social responsibility and curb advertising deliberately aimed at children. There are numerous ways that companies target children, companies deliberately purchase advertising time slots to air advertisements during children’s programming and specifically market to the child. Persistent children then harangue unsuspecting parents; the ethical consideration here is whether or not companies should be permitted to target children. This type of marketing also encourages social divide when parents can not afford or are themselves ethically opposed to the food or beverage being advertised, children who are

Invention Synopsis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Invention Synopsis - Essay Example Many alternative fuel sources like electricity, LPG, CNG etc. have been discovered and develop but the problem doesn’t seem to go away. Something needs to be done about it. During the mid and late 1970’s, Elsbett of Germany began works on a new type of fuel for automobiles, Vegetable oil. The concept of SVO (Straight Vegetable Oil) was born. It is the concept that diesel engines can also run on vegetable oil (Addison, n.d). This oil can be unused or recycled. Recycled vegetable oil must be clean, free of any water or particles. Vegetable oil serves as a substitute for diesel fuel which is the prime fuel source for heavy transport such as trucks and busses. These make up a large percentage of commercial and private transport. Converting these vehicles to run on an alternative source could save millions of dollars on oil purchases. Apart from commercial vehicles, a significant percentage of private vehicles are also diesel powered. If converted to SVO, this could further improve the situation. Furthermore, there are conversion kits and services available for gas/petrol powered cars. People, who do not own diesel powered cars, would definitely want to convert seeing the sharp drop in fuel prices. SVO fuel is cheaper than diesel and much cheaper than petrol. So, what’s the catch? Until now, the vehicles that have used vegetable oil fuel have done it privately or individually. Companies do provide conversion services and filtering and recycling of used vegetable oil on a small scale, but nothing is being done on a scale comparable to other primary fuel sources. Maybe this is the reason why it’s not getting popular. My idea is to provide this service on a bigger scale. A company that has a contract with local restaurants and food outlets to purchase this used oil at low prices, filter and recycle it and provide it to the general public. With the growing fuel prices today, a proper outlet for a cheaper fuel source would be a welcoming

Psychological Impact of Socio-Political Factors Essay Example for Free

Psychological Impact of Socio-Political Factors Essay A society is composed of distinct cultures which identifies itself from others. The cultures of societies are distinct and peoples lives are usually patterned from prevalent traditions, practices and beliefs within that culture. Culture could be held responsible in the upbringing of an individual. People continuously conform on the dynamic culture of the society as they adhere on the norms, practices and values. Culture is an ever-changing feature of a society and incessantly develops and redefines attributes based on lifestyles and conditions. It is influenced by various factors that create sustained tight cultures. This will further result on the variations in cultures of a global society. We attribute cultural differences in its historical and ecological context. Socio- political factors also influenced our culture. These factors influence psychological appendages of an individual. As world trade and globalization are greatly emphasized, interaction across culture is increased and cultural diversity becomes a hindrance to fully achieve its objectives. Socio-political factors are in many forms and are inherently embedded in culture. These factors play significant role in molding the identity of a particular society. Socio-political factors are founded based on our beliefs and values and our behavioral tendencies and they were accustomed in our daily lives (Schneider, 2004). Stereotyping There were so many social groups in every country and it makes that particular nation a diverse geographic area. We could easily picture a collage of the various social groups but we could fail to include the real identities and configurations of these social groups (Stangor Schaller, 1996). We may generate a statement on the perception of the characteristics and utilized it to describe the whole group. For example, Germans are hot-tempered and African Americans are rowdy. This process of thought depicts the conventional definition of stereotypes in social psychology, in which stereotypes are regarded as the main picture portraying the totality or the representation of a particular group of individuals. Stereotyping could also exist in the minds of the persons who are being stereotyped (Stangor Schaller, 1996). Stereotyping is a type of socio-political factor where we categorized people based on our beliefs. Perception plays a large part in the social context. Stereotyping is how we perceive people as established by a particular circumstance. In the course of time, stereotypes are considered synonymous to certain constructs that is ordained in the study of stereotypes. Stereotypes are considered as products of categorization, labels, schemas- these constructs tend to overlap each other for they were closely related (Schneider, 2004). Stereotypes is a result of our behavior towards others, it also affect our behavioral patterns toward different kinds of people. There is a substantial participation of group members in fostering stereotyping in people. Shared experiences suggested that stereotypes grew impliedly when members of a particular group perceived a certain category on the other group of individuals (Schneider, 2004). We think in-groups and out-groups as natural phenomena and we perceive them differently. Categorization of groups evolved into stereotyping. Stereotyping could render negative implications, this includes depriving opportunities to the persons being stereotyped based solely on the biased belief of the one assessing them. Stereotyping could be an individual problem and shall consider that it is not a shared knowledge, but when the perception was common in all members of the community; its effects become more noxious because it affects the whole society in the same way (Stangor Schaller, 1996). Stereotyping, therefore, could be looked at two perspectives. It could exist in the persons mind, as representations of a persons beliefs and values. It could also be viewed as a piece of societys social fabric, a part of a larger scale of commonly shared perception of social groups (Stangor Schaller, 1996). It becomes a question if the existence of social reality is individualized or dwell as a shared understanding. The particular distinction between the two lies mainly in the assumed relevance of this common knowledge and its importance and impacts on the lives of each individual within the social group (Stangor Schaller, 1996). Racism Stereotyping could evolve into other socio-political factors that may render detrimental effects. Racism can be widely utilized in everyday life. The concept of racism is negatively burdened, injected with political and moral descriptions. Therefore, claiming someone to be a racist is considered as inappropriate and even immoral. The definition is inclined for connoting political abuse. The definition also offers significance in the field of academics and raise political and moral argumentation (Miles Brown, 2003). Racism is the generalized body of information, real or imaginary, pertaining to a person or group of individual that render benefits or gain on the racist and expense on the one being judged (Memmi et al. , 1999). Racism is the mistreatment of people based on their race. We all belong in a particular race, human race. This resulted from the inequality in the social structures and configurations. It is also a product of inequitable and unequal stratification of economic, political and social means (Sherover-Marcuse, 2000). Racism is defined improperly. There is no established definition for racism, if we would think philosophically, if racism is defined as morally and politically undesirable. There must be a shared understanding on why it is unacceptable. the definition could not established a concrete criteria on whether an account is racist or not. Utilizing the existing definition, we could be all racists. If the broad definition will be adhered, then it impliedly says that American people are all racists (Miles Brown, 2003). Sometimes the description on the person being discriminated is inaccurate and they were being judged based on their color and cultural identity. Thus, it result to social empowerment of the racists and the judgments were passed into concurrent society that affects everyone (Sherover-Marcuse, 2000). Sexism Another socio-political factor that becomes a major dilemma in the society is the concept of sexism. Sexism directs us in the delving into gender studies, but it is a critical issue for it deals with a lot of aspects of gender inequality. Sexism is the inherent belief of the superiority of a particular sex over the other and therefore claims the right to be dominant in society (Curry, 1995). This will lead us in perceiving that in conventional society male is dominant over the female specie. This is evident in our history books and even in the holy scriptures of religions. Most of the messages were addressed to males. The dominance of males connotes the inferiority of females and the deprivation of prerogatives and rights enjoyed by the other sex. Many uprisings of the women sectors have been accounted in history in attempt in obtaining liberation and equality in treatment and opportunities. For example, the acquisition of suffrage is a pivotal event in womens history and the ability to participate in major economic and political activity was celebrated by women in the society. Although there are claims that sexism no longer exists in our society. We could say that it is impliedly manifested through various of means. There were still claims in mistreatment in the workplace and females were not given equal opportunities. Mass media greatly contributes in reinforcing the concept of sexism through the portrayals of women in ads and programs depicting the traditional concept of women as inferior, weak, dependent and as home providers. There is a lack of portrayal of the emerging female specie- dynamic, strong and nurturing. Psychological Impact These socio-political factors have an undeniable psychological impact to a culturally diverse individual. Each person was raised in a society with inherent culture established that distinguished the group of individuals to other group of individuals. Every one of us is composed of layers of cultural learning ascribed or acquired that make up the totality of our individuality. These layers of cultural teachings were acquired through various influences. Every individual was shaped ethnicity, race, religion, education, profession, organization and parents. These attributes are the primary factors that affect the formation of the individuality of a person. Ones gender, peers, family and origin are also vital in redefining the ones cultural identity (Gardenswartz Rowe, 1998). Because we acquired our cultural teachings in different sources we are programmed differently and were reared heterogeneously. Therefore our individual differences make us culturally diverse. The socio-political factors aforementioned could be well-explained and examined under the specific branch of psychology- Evolutionary Psychology. This new branch of psychology is focused on establishing explanations on mental and psychological traits of individuals. There is a growing symbiotic and significant relationship between environmental and social psychology. Evolutionary theory is slowly infiltrate social psychology researchers. Evolutionary psychology examines new frontiers with specialty, like the socio-political factors mentioned above (Perilloux Webster, 2008). It was argued that these factors shaped a persons psychological mechanisms. It was stated that the concept of self do not exist but it was layers of psychological mechanisms (Perilloux Webster, 2008). These socio-political factors discussed above are somehow interconnected with each other. Stereotyping could render significant psychological impacts in the upbringing of an individual. They may obtain wrong information about persons they stereotyped. For stereotypical roles, though shared by a lot of people could not be regarded as true. Stereotyping will reflect implicit behavioral comments like that there are roles more appropriate for men and women. This will create a general perception that some roles are only intended for a particular sex and that the other could not offer strong decisions and capabilities in participating in these certain fields (Swim et al. , 2001). This also indicates that men are better in male-dominated fields (Swim et al. , 2001). Due to the stereotypical roles and attributes being tagged to persons, they were undermined of their capabilities and capacities. It will also say that women are inferior and passive (Swim et al. , 2001), which is untrue about women nowadays. More women are participating in the fields dominated by male before and show exemplary performance in doing tasks. But the greatest implication would be an animosity for women (Swim et al. , 2001). Because of stereotyping, people will create an attitude towards the stereotyped individual.

Middle School and Happiness Essay Example for Free

Middle School and Happiness Essay Happiness comes in all shapes and sizes. What makes you happy may not make someone else happy. The idea of happiness may not be the same for any two people, or maybe not for anyone you come across with. Happiness is an emotion causes by thousands of things. It is an abstract idea that cannot be fully described. What makes you happy changes as you get older, you do not like the same things your whole life so it is normal that your interests start to change. Like mentioned before not everyone has the same interests and cannot feel happiness from the same things. From firsthand experience I can say that I am the perfect example of finding different happiness. They have changed from my years in elementary school, middle school, and high school. Let’s start with elementary school. When I was in elementary school what brought me happiness was having time to spend at my friend’s house after school. Because I lived far away from the school that I attended I didn’t really know anyone in my neighborhood. There were days though that my parents would let me go to a friend’s house and stay there for a few hours while they got out of work. I didn’t have to be at my grandma’s house bored so that made me really happy, and I had a lot of fun while I was there so that made it even better. Another thing that made me feel happiness was being able to go two days out of the week to band practice. I liked being able to play my instrument and making beautiful sound come out of something so little. Playing with the band was my thing I could not stop smiling and feeling all this joy inside as I played. When the director put his arms up and signaled us to start playing was so thrilling knowing that we were about to make beautiful music all together. I think back and see how simple things made me really happy as a child. Now let’s talk about middle school. While I was in middle school I was still in band and yes it still brought me happiness. The main thing that brought me happiness while I was in middle school was being a little more free from home and my parents. If I remember correctly it was seventh grade that I went to my first dance, you can imagine my excitement. When I was at the dance my friends and I were having a great time, we were laughing and  dancing the whole time. Because it was my first dance it was a very fun time, and it brought so much happiness to be able to share that experience with my friends. When I was in high school all of my interests changed and even now I have the same interests. I found my passion for singing so I auditioned to join the school choir and I made it. Being in choir class was the best thing that I did when I was in high school. The happiness that I felt when I walked into that class every day I have no words to describe it. To top it all off when I started to sing and hear the chords we would all make together gave me the chills. There was not a single day that passed where hearing myself and others around me sing was not magical. When I would have a bad day I waited for third period to talk into class grab my folder from my cubic and start to sing and just forget about everything. Music was my escape from being upset, it was the way for me to forget about what was going on in my life. The happiness I felt was so great, even now I turn to music for help and comfort. In conclusion, happiness is an abstract emotion that cannot be easily defined. Not everyone feels happiness in the exact same way or from the same things. But no matter where our happiness comes from we all feel it. We feel it as kids, as teenagers, and as adults. Even though what causes us happiness may change the characteristics of it do not. The smile, the giggle, and the butterflies in your stomach do not disappear. From firsthand experience I know that we all go through phases, but not matter how old we get, we are always going to be happy.

History Of English Intonation English Language Essay

History Of English Intonation English Language Essay Many people think that pronunciation is what makes up an accent. It may be that pronunciation is very important for an understandable accent. But it is intonation that gives the final touch that makes an accent native. Intonation is the music of a language, and is perhaps the most important element of a good accent. Often we hear someone speaking with perfect grammar, and perfect formation of the sounds of English but with a little something that gives them away as not being nativespeaker.Therefore, it is necessary to realize that there is more than the correct pronunciation of the vowels and consonants of a language. This is very important and we do stress it in other articles. But it is only one of the three components to an accent, pronunciation, intonation, and linking. In other places we will examine the correct pronunciation of vowels and consonants, and linking, the way that syllables within a word, and the beginning and ending of words come together. Two useful abstractions: To understand how intonational transcription works, you must understand two different kinds of abstractions which the system relies on. The first is a phonetic abstraction, namely that there is something which we can call intonation, a well-defined set of linguistic phenomena all working together to determine the pitch pattern of an utterance. This abstraction is very useful because it is fairly easy to get a good measure of what listeners perceive as the pitch pattern. We can do this by extracting the fundamental frequency of the voiced parts of the utterance, a task which is computationally quite easy. We can then take the fundamental frequency pattern, and analyze it as the result of a set of linguistic categories with a number of specific purposes, and an algorithm which implements the categories as events in the pitch of the utterance. Two points to note here: 1) not all intonational categories have the same function; being an intonational category only means that the category has a specific and categorical effect on the pitch pattern. 2) these categories do not determine all aspects of the pitch pattern; variou s other non-linguistic differences, such as emotional state, degree of involvement in the speech, and individual differences such as ones due to sex, also affect aspects of the pitch pattern. The second is a functional abstraction. These intonational categories can be classified with respect to the two major types of prosodic functions. Prosody can be described as consisting of head mechanisms and edge mechanisms. Head mechanisms are those which act to pick out one piece of an utterance as different than its neighbors, while edge mechanisms indicate which items go with which by marking the edge of a larger grouping. Intonational categories in the English system similarly function either to pick out syllables which are more stressed than their neighbors, or to mark the final edge of a piece of an utterance which is to be interpreted as a group. Edge marking tones boundary tones and phrase tones. The intonational categories which you will likely find most intuitive are the ones which are used to mark edges. One reason for this, I believe, is that the English orthography actually writes some of these differences. For example, consider the following pair of sentences. 1) This is a test sentence. 2) This is a test sentence? If you convert these into speech (by reading them out loud), you will note a very salient difference in the pitch contour at the end. In 1) the pitch falls throughout the last word, often ending with a little bit of creaky voice, while in 2) the pitch rises throughout the last word, perhaps ending higher than anywhere else in the entire sentence. Such differences in pitch pattern reflect discourse-related differences such as is captured by the use of the question mark in 2). At a full stop, our system indicates the possibility of four different contours, the two which appear in likely renditions of 1) and 2), and two more, one which you will likely produce in the non-final members of a slowly rendered list, and one which you might produce when calling someone in for dinner. In the transcription system, you will see these represented in the following way (more or less). The fall in 1) is low throughout, and so is indicated as LL% (two lows with the % indicating the final boundary). The rise in 2) is high throughout, with a very brief rise to a super-high at the end, and so is indicated as HH% (two highs). The so-called list boundary starts low and rises slightly at the end, and so is indicated as LH%. The last one which appears in calling chants is basically high throughout, and differs from the HH% (question marker) in that it does not rise to a super high. Thus, since it is high to start with, it starts with a H, and since it is not as high as the super high at the end, it is relatively low, and so is indicated with a L%. This makes for a neat 4-way distinction as below, given with stereotypical examples of places where you might find them. (Note these are not the only places you will find them!) LL% Terminal fall statements. HH% High plateau with upped high at end covert questions. LH% Low plateau with little rise at end internal to lists. HL% High plateau with no rise to a super-high end of calling chants Head marking tones pitch accents. If you go back and reproduce the items in 1) and 2) again, and this time concentrate on the area aroundtest, you will very likely notice a large difference in pitch pattern in this region in addition to what is going on at the end. The wordtest is a critical portion of the utterance in most prosodic analyses of English, because it is the last item which bears some degree of stress, usually called tonic or sentence stress. I chose this sentence because the words test sentence form a compound, and one of the peculiarities of English compounds is that they are most stressed on the first half. Thus,test is the most stressed syllable in the last content word in the sentence. In stressed locations such as this, English speakers also implement tonal events. Such events are often called pitch accents,, pitch because they involve parts of the pitch pattern, and accents because they are involved in making a particular syllable more prominent. Stressing this syllable makes it stand out from its neighbors. Thus, the tonal events ontest are head-marking events. Here, like the boundary tones just discussed, there are tonal differences associated with different discourse conditions. In 1) you very likely will produce the stressed item with a high pitch somewhere on it, while in 2) you very likely will produce the stressed item with a relatively low pitch. Thus, the difference between vanilla statements and covert questions is not only in the presence of LL% boundary tones in one and in HH% boundary tones in the other, but also in the presence of a H accent in one, but a L accent in the other. Since there is a categorical difference in how you use pitch to stress the tonic item, you need to have a categorical difference between H* and L* accents. (The star here indicates that the tone is associated with the stressed syllable.) In addition to using relatively high and low pitch, there are more complicated rising and falling pitch accents which differ from the simple low and high accents in what they indicate. Our system captures these differences in the local use of pitch in the accent by combining Hs and Ls in various ways to get rises and falls. Thus, in addition to H* which indicates a generally high pitch around the stress and L* which indicates a generally low pitch around the stress, we can also have H+Ls (falling accents), and L+Hs (rising accents). To illustrate the difference between a simple H and a L+H, consider the following two conditions: 3)We will be having you read bunches of utterances for some obscure reason related to why anyone would be interested in linguistics. The first is a test sentence. Its just there for practice. 4)The first is not a real sentence, the first is a test sentence. In producing test sentence in 3), it is likely there will not be an appreciable rise in pitch, while in 4), where it explicitly contrasts with the precedingreal, it is likely that there will be an appreciable rise in pitch from the is a tot est. In fact, it is a general property of contrasting items that they get rendered with a relatively low pitch on the material preceding the stressed item and a sudden rise to a peak on the stressed syllable. If you read over 4) several times, emphasizing the contrast more and more each time, this rising pitch event associated witht est will become more and more apparent.. In 4) the rising accent is seen in the relationship in pitch between the items immediately preceding the stressed syllable and the pitch on the stressed syllable itself. However, there are other examples of rising pitch accents in which the low pitch predominates in the stressed syllable, and the high does not become realized until very late in the syllable or in the following s yllables. Pierrehumbert Hirschberg (1991) discuss fairly clear examples of this accent such as the following: 5) A: Alans such a klutz. B: Hes a good badminton player. Here the intended meaning of the second response is that B is not sure that playing badminton qualifies one as not being a klutz. In the intended rendition there is a low pitch onbad and a rising pitch on the immediately following syllable, and then another fall to a general low ending in LH% phrase tones. Another example they discuss is the following: 6) A: Did you take out the garbage? B: Sort of. A: Sort of!?! Here, the intended rendition of Sort of starts low inso rt and rises, and then falls and rises again at the end. The intended meaning is very much like that in 5), namely, B is not really sure what she did counts as taking out the garbage. As rendition ofsort of in the last line has exactly the same pattern as Bs, a rise throughsort followed by a fall and a rise at the end, though the rises and falls are more exaggerated. Whats important in each of these cases,badminton in 5), and both sort ofs in 6), is that the stressed syllable exhibits a distinctly low pitch and the rise which comes much later than the rise in 4). In order to annotate this difference, Pierrehumbert used the * to indicate which part of the contour is to be associated with the stressed syllable. Thus, the contour in 4) is annotated as a L+H*, since the H part appears on the stressed syllable, and the L part simply comes some time before it. By contrast, the contour in 5) and 6) is annotated as a L*+H, since the L part happens on the stressed syllable, and the H part appears some time thereafter. Pitch Range. : One final aspect of intonational modeling must also be mentioned, that is the notion of pitch range. As I noted above, the tone category sequences do not all by themselves determine the pitch contour for an utterance, but other non-linguistic (non- conventionalized) factors also affect the final realization of pitch. One approach to handling these less conventionalized effects, such as what may be due to emotional involvement, is to allow for modulation of the overall range of the pitch movements. The general approach used in most models is to specify a pitch window, which indicates the range of pitch to be used at any given time. The top of the window is where you find the Hs and the bottom of the window is where you find the Ls. This window can be affected by a number of different factors, which work in different ways. Some factors are global in that they typically affect a large portion of speech. Take, for instance, the effects of emotional involvement. When people get irate, the re is a strong likelihood that the both Hs and Ls will be higher, and that the difference between the Hs and Ls will be bigger. This larger and higher window will often affect entire sentences. You will also likely find such global shifts in window size if you examine how people do narratives which include parentheticals and quotations. Parentheticals often are rendered with a narrower window, while quotes often involve a larger window. Other factors which affect pitch range can be localized to one particular location in the utterance. The most commented upon is the effect of downstep (sometimes called catathesis). Downstep is a very regular lowering and narrowing of the pitch range which happens in the presence of the accents. In Pierrehumberts analysis, any tone which is composed of two tones (the rising L+H and falling H+L accents) also trigger downstep. You can easily imagine this effect in an emphatic rendition of the following sentence. 7)I dont want horses and dogs; I want sheep and cats. If you are contrasting horses with sheep and dogs with cats, you will very likely produce this sentence with L+H accents on all four items (probably L*+H onhorses anddogs, and L+H* onsheep andcat s). If you do so, you will also notice that the second item in each list,dogs andcat s, will both be lower in pitch than the first,horse s, andsheep. This conventionalized lowering is taken to be due to the downstepping effect of the complex rising accents. One can also see this conventionalized downstepping very clearly in phrases with multiple accents rendered in a finger-wagging lecturing style where the clear intent of the style is to indicate that you should know this by now. For example, 8) You just dont seem to get it. Insert tab A into slot B. Repeat it four times. In this situation, the rendition of the last two sentences, which we can assume have been rendered several times before in the extended discourse, will likely not exhibit huge rising or falling accents. Nevertheless, I have heard this sort sentence produced with clear downsteps between each accent. Due to sentences like these, one must conclude that the occurrence of downstep does not necessarily demand the obvious existence of rising or falling accents. In Pierrehumberts analysis, this is due to the H*+L tone category which is locally the same as a plain H*, except that it triggers the lecturing downstep effect. In other systems, such as the ToBI revision, this downstepping is marked with an explicit marker (an exclamation point placed before the affected accent.

Comparing Conrads The Secret Sharer and Heart of Darkness :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Similarities in Conrad's The Secret Sharer and Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad's books, The Secret Sharer and Heart of Darkness, both deal with each of our "dark selves". These books also have similarities which are overwhelming. In describing the true inner self of humans, Conrad used many symbols which have become apparent in many of his novels. Conrad uses the same or very similar objects in many of his works. Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness in 1899 to recount his voyages in the Congo. Conrad hid most of his meaning in his words using a form of writing known as "stream of consciousness". This made it difficult for people to find the true meaning of his work. After about ten years, Conrad realized that he would have to get his point across in an easier to understand book. This book was The Secret Sharer. Both of these books include the hero wanting to meet or developing a fascination for a truly evil character. In Heart of Darkness, Marlow is very eager to meet Kurtz. Marlow is so eager, in fact, that he eventually starts to panic when he thinks he will never meet him. Marlow realizes that Kurtz is a very evil person, but this does not stop him from wanting to meet this incredibly remarkable person. In The Secret Sharer the Captain saves a murderer from almost certain death without knowing what the man has done. Later, The Captain has a discussion with the man and finds out his name is Leggatt. Leggatt tells his story and the Captain becomes more enthralled with Leggatt ever so more. When Leggatt tells the Captain he has committed a murder, the Captain does not throw him overboard. Instead, the Captain harbors this criminal because he feels a connection with Leggatt that he has never felt before. In both stories the hero identifies with his evil counterpart to the point that they actually become one in their own minds. Conrad wanted to show the evil that exists within all of us. The bulk of Conrad's stories deal with sea voyages because of his extensive sailing as a young man. The ship in his writing can be thought of as symbolizing the journey through life, a vessel of sorts.

Why JT Rocks! :: essays research papers

I'll say straight up that I'm not nor ever was an N'sync fan. The 80's are over and so is the mandate for me to listen to and love pop..I like a bit more substance to my music. But even still, some albums or songs are so catchy, with great beats that even as pop or r&b records they make you run out to the store and purchase them. I thought this was the case w/ Timberlake, as the first single from his Justified had me boppin' my head and tapping my toes. No doubt about it, Justin has soul and can sing, so I figured with this new album he would let the whole world know who he is. Houston, we have a problem..... First off, before you notice anything else about Justin's album the first thing that strikes your mind isnt his vocals or style, but who the producers are. Within 6 seconds of each song it becomes apparent who was on the boards that day i.e. Neptunes, Timbaland, Mcknight etc. Now, maybe it was Justin's intention to have as many flavors as possible on the album to show his range, which isnt a bad thing neccesarily, but I feel that the production overshadows the man on the mic. Justin is never really able to make a song his 'own', and that is a key thing with great artists. Even if they dont write or produce a song, great artists have the ability to make it their own, to make it impossible for anyone else sing the song in with quite the same impact- this is not the case with Justin. He does an admirable job with each song, and as I said, the boy can sing...but b/c of his lack of ability to make each song his own, the album sounds a bit schizophrenic or rather like a long impersonation 'Justin performs Timbaland' 'Justin performs Neptunes' etc. Production should never overwhelm a song, but complement the artist's style seamlessly(see Aaliyah's Aaliyah album). Maybe next album, Justin will have more of an identity to bring to the mic. And speaking of a lack of identity, that is my next gripe with the album...Justin trying way too hard to be Micheal Jackson. Now to you younger kids out there who cant recall the late 70's and mid to early 80's, this may seem like a new sound. But, all you

Waste Land Essay: Impact of Images on the Structure of The Waste Land

Impact of Images on the Structure of The Waste Land      Ã‚   Many of the images that give bounds to the structure of "The Waste Land" relate to the annual cycle of life with which ancient peoples closely bound up their own lives. Eliot himself points out the importance of the ancient cycle of life by acknowledging a "general indebtedness," as the anthologists' introduction to the poem points out, to Sir James Frazer's The Golden Bough and especially the volumes Adonis, Attis, Osiris. These two volumes deal with ancient beliefs about cycles in the life of vegetation and with ceremonies meant to insure fertility. (Introduction 2146)    References to the vegetation myths are sprinkled throughout the poem. For instance, Stetson's friend asks, "That corpse you planted last year in your garden,/ Has it begun to sprout?" (lines 71-72) As a footnote to the text points out, this is a distortion of the ritual death of a fertility god who was reborn later in the year, symbolizing the death of plant life in winter and its rebirth later in spring. (note 8, 2149) The details of the rituals differed from culture to culture, as did the name of the god, but all stemmed from the response of a people to the dying and rebirth of plant life through the seasonal cycle. (Introduction 2146) The poem, in fact, begins with the regeneration of plant life in April, in which lilacs begin to sprout from the "dead land" and in which "dull roots" are revived with "spring rain." (lines 1-2, 3-4) Other references to the ritual death and rebirth of a fertility god can be found, for instance, in the fourth section, "Death by Water." In this section , the death of Phlebas the Phoenician is associated with a ritual at Alexandria in which a representation of ... ...e quest restores both the fertility of the land and the potency of the king.    Works Cited and Consulted: Abrams, M.H., et al. Footnotes to "The Waste Land" in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Sixth Edition, Volume 2. General Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993. Abrams, M.H., et al. Introduction to "The Waste Land" in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Sixth Edition, Volume 2. General Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993. Eliot, Thomas Stearns. Footnotes to "The Waste Land" in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Sixth Edition, Volume 2. General Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993. Eliot, Thomas Stearns. "The Waste Land" in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Sixth Edition, Volume 2. General Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993.   

Absolutism in 17th Century Europe

Absolutism in Europe changed the role of nobility completely in every country. For example, in France, nobles lost a lot of their power due to Louis XIV and his predecessors; also, in Eastern Europe, rulers such as Frederick William of Prussia changed the status of the nobility with his polices. In France, starting with Henry IV, the status of nobility started to fall when Henry started the idea of â€Å"nobles of the robe† in which middle class citizens could buy nobility from the king. This diluted the nobles, which weakened their power and hurt them considerably.Louis XIII and his son continued this and took more of their power away as well. Cardinal Richelieu started the intendant system, which recruited members of the middle class t watch the nobles and report back to the king. This took away power from the nobles to have less influence in the government of France. Continuing the intendant system, Louis XIV had also built the palace of Versailles and forced the nobles to move in. This caused the nobles to fight for the attention of the king and they focused less on the issues of France.Also, living in the palace of the king, one could always watch the nobles to make sure they weren't planning, for example, an uprising. In conclusion, French kings took steps to ensure absolute power and took away the power of the nobles. In Eastern Europe, however, the nobility was dealt with in a different way. For example, in Prussia, nobles gave power to Frederick William for a few reasons: one, to stop Swedish and Polish influence; second, to stop the invasion of Tartars from Russia.For this decision, nobles lost political power in Prussia, but in 1653, Frederick William gave them more power in something else, controlling serfs: he allowed a hereditary subjugation of the serfs in order to appease the Junkers, or noble class. While Frederick William was in power, he believed in a strong, standing army. He increased military spending through taxation, which was twi ce the amount of Louis XIV. He forced the Prussian nobility to pay the taxes by having soldiers act as tax collectors and policemen.This effectively decreased the power of the nobility by seizing power for the king. In conclusion, Frederick William took away power from the nobles, while also giving them power over other areas, such as serfdom. Absolutism in Europe differed from East to West. How the power of the nobles was affected depended on the king and the area of the country, such as Louis XIV of France or Frederick William of Prussia. Each king had their own ways of effectively limiting the political power of the nobles.

Metabical Case Study Summary Essay

The Cambridge Sciences Pharmaceuticals (â€Å"CSP†) is an international healthcare company that had completed successful clinical trials for its newest weight loss prescription drug, Metabical. With the final FDA approval expected, Metabical’s launch was set for January 2009 and a clear marketing communications strategy needed to be in place before the launch. With 10 years and $400 million spent on research and development, it was imperative that CSP positions Metabical correctly in the marketplace. Optimal segmentation, targeting, and positioning were important factors to consider in order to ensure that the launch as well as post-launch marketing of the drug yielded strong sales and product longevity. Key Issues Analyzing the market and segmentation, and identifying the needs of the customers. The optimal marketing campaign would guarantee a better-off position of Metabical after the information search and alternative valuation that customers may perform. Furthermore, Metabical needs to be affordable and effective as it will only be available as a prescription drug and, at least initially, the patients would be required to purchase it as an â€Å"out of pocket† expense. Customers †¢General United Sates population struggling with excess weight (By 2000, 34% of the population was overweight, 25.8% classified as obese, and 4.7% was in the severely obese category) †¢End consumer (the patient): Moderately overweight people with the BMI of 25-30 †¢Men and women between the age 45-74 †¢Individuals with income between $40,000 and $80,000+   Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Health care providers who would prescribe the medication as this is not a over-the-counter (â€Å"OTC†) drug †¢Managed healthcare insurance companies Customer decision making process: Need Recognition and problem awareness: a. Overweight Consumers – Many health and social stigmas are centered around excess weight. 35% of the respondents of the CSP sponsored market research are trying to lose weight and 15% of those are comfortable using drugs to reach ideal weight. The campaign must be focused in activating the latent needs of this segment (see Table 1, Annex). b. Healthcare providers – Health care providers are already aware of the benefits that a reduction in weight would play in their client’s health. However, they are not successful in counseling them to establish long-term healthy diet habits and exercise routines. Information search a.Overweight consumers – Once the customer has recognized the information and the need then he/she can research through personal sources such as family, friends, testimonials, advertising, promotions, and sales persons or contact the expert healthcare providers. b.Healthcare providers – Healthcare providers receive information reading through medical journals, attending conferences, and speaking with science and medical sales representatives and other experts. Evaluation of Alternatives: a.Overweight consumers An alternative for Metabical would be a plethora of OTC solutions such as Alli, the only FDA approved OTC drug, and a dietary supplement ephedra. These alternatives, however, are associated with various and serious negative side effects. The fact that Metabical is the only weight loss product that requires prescription may be a point in its favor, as a sign of safety and effectiveness. Metabical is also only required to be taken once a day. b.Healthcare providers: The vast majority of alternatives for Metabical either have a negative effect or are not regulated by the FDA. Metabical represents a safer choice, in legal terms, to recommend its use. As the only FDA approved drug, Metabical can stimulate substantial weight loss in customers and provides a comprehensive support and long-term weight maintenance program that enhances the success of the drug.

Race and Prejudice Essay

I think it affects everyone, even if it occurs at a subconscious level. I will be the first to admit that I am prejudice: I judge people daily by how they dress, talk, and look. Prejudice has a heavy psychological impact on the ones to whom it is directed at; it shows the ignorance of the person displaying the prejudice; and yes, I believe prejudice can be lessened, but I it will never be eliminated. There is no reason for us to judge people based on their looks, they didn’t get to choose to whom they were born. Yet so many times I find myself doing this, everyone does, even if they don’t admit it. Prejudice can have a wide range of implications on the person to whom it is directed at. I believe that lots of times we don’t see these effects immediately, but they show up later on in the person’s life. An example of this would be a black person who grows up in an all white community. Throughout his life, he is made fun of because he acts â€Å"white† ( he tries hard in school, gets good grades, is smart). This kid could always feel alone, because his black friends disown him for acting white, and his white friends are subconsciously prejudice against him simply because he is black. This is a tough situation, and is extremely true in the lives of a lot of kids. Not to pick on black people or anything, but I heard a report some time ago that only 2% of black kids make it out of the â€Å"hood†. It is extremely hard for them to overcome everyone making fun of them because they don’t conform to being a â€Å"gangster†. The person displaying the prejudice shows the ignorance of that person. Most kids get their prejudice roots from their parents at a very young age; it can come from a ton of different situations where the parent makes a comment, joke, etc, about a certain group. It also can come from the environment, in which the child grows up, and different situations that the child is involved in or witnesses. That being said, it is not an excuse for the person to be racist against the entire group, be it ethnic, social, or any other grouping. Ayn Rand says: â€Å"A genius is a genius, regardless of the number of morons who belong to the same race – and a moron is a moron, regardless of the number of geniuses who share his racial origin.† I strongly agree with this statement: we must judge only on a person’s productive ability. This is hard to do, but when it comes down to it, the only thing that matters is a person’s ability and how well he can work. In conclusion, there is no way that prejudice will ever be abolished in any society; it is futile to even try. As you can see from the previous paragraphs: prejudice has a dramatic impact on a person’s complex. Prejudice only shows the ignorance of the one who is displaying it, and prejudice can be lessened, but will never be absolutely destroyed.

Coca-Cola vs Pepsi Essay

wo of the largest and most profitable corporations in the United States are the Atlanta, Georgia based Coca-Cola Company and the New York based Pepsi Cola Company. While both are called â€Å"colas† they both attempt to address the same target tastes but from different approaches. Coke was the first on market with what is still a â€Å"secret† formula and Pepsi followed with a similar (not exact) taste. Since taste is very much a factor of your personal likes, either or neither may appeal to you or seem sweeter (Inforefuge.com. 2011). This paper will discuss the similarities and differences in the processes used by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo for place, price, and promotion. Place and Price The marketing exposure of PepsiCo and Coca-Cola is everywhere ranging from commercials, billboards, and mail advertisements all over the world. Although they target the same markets, they both use different approaches to their marketing strategies. This is evident when comparing the two companies’ websites. When browsing the Coca-Cola website you will experience a more conservative style; there is not a variety of colors besides the traditional â€Å"Coca-Cola red† in which, most their products are packaged and advertised. It is the complete opposite for PepsiCo, as their website flashes promotions for free music downloads and reminds browsers that they are the official drink sponsor of the NFL. After browsing the websites and comparing the two, you will come to understand that Coca-Cola has more of an International approach to marketing, whereas PepsiCo caters to more of the American†¦ coca The Coca Cola corporation is a beverage company and is defined to be the most well known trade mark in the world, and it is justly so. The Company owns or licenses and markets more than 500 nonalcoholic beverage brands, primarily sparkling beverages, but also a variety of still beverages, such as waters, enhanced waters, juices and juice drinks, ready-to-drink teas and coffees, and energy and sports drinks. It owns and markets a range of nonalcoholic sparkling beverage brands, which includes Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite. The Coca Cola products appeal to a wide range of people throughout the world from all races, genders, and ages. Coca Cola is well  known for its worldwide popularity as its products are sold to over 200 countries. The company business units include Eurasia and Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America, Pacific, Central Japan, and Great Plains and Honest Tea, Inc., in the United States . Coca-Cola and Pepsi are the two most popular and widely recognized beverage brands in the world. They have been competing in the soft drink sector for over a century and both companies enjoy a high degree of brand consciousness globally. Both companies try to market as part of a lifestyle. Coca-Cola uses phrases such as â€Å"Coke side of life† in their website, while Pepsi uses phrases such as â€Å"Hot stuff† in their web, to promote the idea that Pepsi is â€Å"in sync† with the cool side of life. Ironically, both Pepsi and Coke have similar beginnings: both were created in the 19th century and both were the results of the experimental work of innovative pharmacists. Coke was created in 1886 by Atlanta pharmacist John Pemberton while Pepsi was developed in 1898 by North Carolina pharmacist and drugstore owner, Caleb Bradham. The primary purpose of this report is to identify and analyze the two dominant companies in the soft drink industry and determine the strongest performer as an investment opportunity. Ability to pay current liabilities The current ratio is mainly used to give an idea of the company’s ability to pay back its short-term liabilities (debt and payables) with its short-term assets (cash, inventory, receivables). The higher the current ratio, the more capable the company is of paying its obligations. A ratio under 1 suggests that the company would be unable to pay off its obligations if they came due at that point. While this shows the company is not in good financial health, it does not necessarily mean that it will go bankrupt, as there are many ways to access financing, but it is definitely not a good sign. Based on the financial statements below, Coca Cola has a current ratio of 1.17 while Pepsi is at 1.10. The current ratio can give a sense of the efficiency of a company’s operating cycle or its ability to turn its product into cash. Comparison of Pepsi and Coca Cola Financials Introduction Coca-Cola and Pepsi are the two most popular and widely recognized beverage brands in the world. They have been competing in the soft drink sector for over a century and both companies enjoy a high degree of brand consciousness globally. Both companies try to market as part of a lifestyle. Coca-Cola uses phrases such as â€Å"Coke side of life† in their website, while Pepsi uses phrases such as â€Å"Hot stuff† in their web, to promote the idea that Pepsi is â€Å"in sync† with the cool side of life. Ironically, both Pepsi and Coke have similar beginnings: both were created in the 19th century and both were the results of the experimental work of innovative pharmacists. Coke was created in 1886 by Atlanta pharmacist John Pemberton while Pepsi was developed in 1898 by North Carolina pharmacist and drugstore owner, Caleb Bradham. The primary purpose of this report is to identify and analyze the two dominant companies in the soft drink industry and determine the str ongest performer as an investment opportunity. Ability to pay current liabilities The current ratio is mainly used to give an idea of the company’s ability to pay back its short-term liabilities (debt and payables) with its short-term assets (cash, inventory, receivables). The higher the current ratio, the more capable the company is of paying its obligations. A ratio under 1 suggests that the company would be unable to pay off its obligations if they came due at that point. While this shows the company is not in good financial health, it does not necessarily mean that it will go bankrupt, as there are many ways to access financing, but it is definitely not a good sign. Based on the financial statements below, Coca Cola has a current ratio of 1.17 while Pepsi is at 1.10. The current ratio can give a sense of the efficiency of a company’s operating cycle or its ability to turn its product into cash. In this particular case, Companies that have trouble getting paid on their receivables or have long inventory turnover can run into liquidity  problems because they are unable to alleviate their obligations. Because business operations differ in each industry, it is always more useful to compare companies within the same industry. This is another side of the rivalry between these corporations. Profits over the past three years The Return on Assets (ROA) is an indicator of how profitable a company is relative to its total assets. ROA gives an idea as to how efficient management is at using its assets to generate earnings. Calculated by dividing a company’s annual earnings by its total assets, ROA is displayed as a percentage. Sometimes this is referred to as â€Å"return on investment†. The formula for return on assets is: ROA = Net income / Total Assets. The Return on Equity is the amount of net income returned as a percentage of shareholders equity. Return on equity measures a corporation’s profitability by revealing how much profit a company generates with the money shareholders have invested. ROE is expressed as a percentage and calculated as: Return on Equity = Net Income/Shareholder’s Equity. (Investopedia.com) Based on their financial statements, Coca Cola got a return on assets of 16.19%. Over the same period, PepsiCo return of assets was 9.27%. The return on equity for Coca Cola was 38.09% while Pepsi’s was 29.86%. All these numbers suggest that Coca Cola is giving a better performance than Pepsi in 2010. Pepsi is not delivering as much value to stockholders as Coca Cola. Cash Flow and Investment valuation ratio Pepsi and Coke both offer similar dividend yields of 3%. Although Pepsi’s dividend payout ratio is slightly lower than Coca Cola’s, the difference is marginal. (Finance) The Dividend Payout Ratio means the percentage of earnings paid to shareholders in dividends. The payout ratio provides an idea of how well earnings support the dividend payments. More mature companies tend to have a higher payout ratio. This ratio is calculated as Dividends per share / Earnings per share. The Dividend payout ratio for Coca Cola is 48.2% while PepsiCo is 34.8% The price/earnings ratio (P/E) is the best known of the investment valuation indicators. It is the measure of the share price relative to the annual net income earned by the firm per share. The P/E ratio has its imperfections, but it is nevertheless the most widely reported and used valuation by investment professionals and the investing  public. The financial reporting of both companies and investment research services use a basic earnings per share (EPS) figure divided into the current stock price to calculate the P/E multiple (i.e. how many times a stock is trading (its price) per each dollar of EPS). A high PE ratio generally indicates increased demand because investors anticipate earnings growth in the future. The PE ratio has units of years, which can be interpreted as the number of years of earnings to pay back purchase price. The price/earnings ratio for Coca Cola is 12.97 while PepsiCo is 16.24. (YCharts, 2011) Decision about which company is better for an investment Possibly one of the biggest rivals in Corporate America today, the battle between Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP) continues to baffle not only consumers but investors as well in determining which product is a better buy. While both companies have had recent problems in emerging nations such as India by having their products be condemned for improper ingredients, a shakeup like this might be necessary to promote future growth for possibly undersold equities. While both Pepsi and Coke stand to benefit from a recovery in consumer spending, it appears that Pepsi has stronger fundamentals. For investors looking for safe dividend stocks with strong growth potential, Pepsi looks like the better choice. In terms of fundamentals, Pepsi seems to have the slight advantage. While Coca-Cola does have the higher figures, Pepsi has the better margins in terms of operating margins, revenue, and profit which is more important for growing companies. Pepsi also has, according to Yahoo Finance, been upgraded more times than Coca-Cola during the last few months, signaling a favorable sentiment among investment banks. In terms of guidance, both companies look to secure better procedures in the emerging markets with their products which should hurt earnings for a while but eventually boost them due to economies of scale. However, recently Pepsi has had positive surprise EPS statements during its quarterly results. While Coca-Cola has also reported similar reports, the findings were at a much smaller margin, barely affecting shares. What is more important, in determining a choice between these equities, is the technical analysis involved. During the past year Coca-Cola has only remain in a five dollar range, showing little fluctuation patterns for speculators or investors. While such a figure may be encouraging for fixed income  advocates, in reality, since 2000, Coca-Cola has barely fluctuated at all in its 20 point range, showing no signs of potential growth. While the situation is unfortunate, it looks as if, like Microsoft, Coca-Cola has increased in terms of value to its maximum, and pretty soon diseconomies of scale may be evident for this once prosperous company causing shares to drop in the future. On the other hand, Pepsi has seen continued growth throughout its tenure in a nice steady growth pattern. While speculators may not be encourage by the slow appreciation of the stock, long term investors may favor such a pattern as it does not seem the price of Pepsi has peaked. The company is still in the prime of its career and should carry the stock to higher numbers in both fundamentals and shares for at least one more decade. By investing now, investors have the opportunity to see Pepsi rise to near 80-100 points by 2010 and possibly even further by 2015. While the wait may be more tedious than other penny-stocks, the process will be relativity stress free as investors will be allowed to see their capital gains appreciate over the years. Such as a process is also favorable with its dividend payoff which allows for reinvestments to increase gains. Non-Financial criteria to consider About Pepsi, recently has appointed a CEO with an Indian background who may look more favorable than Coca-Cola to the emerging markets. Such a basic presence may add increased pressure to Coca-Cola to spend more money on advertisements and other apparels to strike a similar chord in these markets as its soft drink counterpart. While it is genuinely assumed that Coca-Cola is the king of its industry, times are slowly changing for the worse for this tremendous corporation and looking more and more favorable its hated rival in PepsiCo. According to stock analysts, Pepsi has a lot more exposure to commodities with respect to its Frito-Lays and Quaker Oats, when commodity prices were falling; it gave more wiggle room on the bottom line. But now that commodity prices are probably going to increase in the next year to year and a half, which opens up the door for Coke to expand their lead. Coke always held the bigger market share in the United States. But at times, Pepsi fueled by smarter and more aggressive advertising campaigns, moved ahead. U.S. Consumption of carbonated soft drinks has steadily declined in the past decade. Part of that comes down to the array of  alternative beverages the market now offers.