Renewable Energy Literature Survey Dissertation

Renewable Energy Literature Survey - Dissertation Example It demonstrated how capital can be obtained for project financing through a combination of debt and equity investment, debt being available through bank loans, institutional debt or through public markets. The paper mentioned the possibility of procuring equity from internal or external sources in public and private markets, and sponsorship through developers, contractors, equipment suppliers, operators, off-takers and fuel suppliers, who are active equity investors. The factors limiting project finance of renewable energy power projects (REPP’s) were examined. The author indicated that resource and technology risks were high and that financial institutions lacked the experience in evaluating risks related to REPP’s. The author also noted that with the rapid change in technology and the shortage of REPP technology engineers, they would have lacked the technical expertise in this area to assess and monitor REPP’s. ... This therefore results in a smaller margin for project financing and consequently puts pressure on costs related to maintenance and overheads. The author also pointed out that government policies, which are often unpredictable, greatly affect the economies of REPP’s. The paper gave focus to the importance of equity, seeing it as the main protection against risks. Lenders will therefore favour equity contributions in the initial part of the project. Lenders see equity investment as a form of commitment by the developers and sponsors. The author also found that security was another significant consideration for the lender, so they would implement safeguards such as a fixed charge over the projects site; a floating charge over the assets of the projects company; requiring that all cash flow be paid into a project account where they would have control, and contingency funds in place for unforeseen problems. The experience and credit worthiness of all participants would also be con sidered by the lender. There financial strengths would be assessed and the ability of these parties to carry out their contractual obligations with the project company would be determined. The article highlighted a number of risks that should be considered. The risk areas include the project itself, technology, construction, fuel/resource, the market, regulatory risks, mitigation and pass through. Project risks affect the amount, timing and availability of funds for the project finance. For technology lenders want to ensure that it is tested and proven, and that it will not be obsolete anytime soon. In relation to the construction risks the paper looked at the probability of cost overruns and delays in completion; most importantly

Coca Cola Entry Methods and Strategy Analysis

Coca Cola Entry Methods and Strategy Analysis Introduction Since the Coca-Cola was formulated by pharmacist Dr. John Stith Pemberton in Jacobs Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia in the U.S., passing by 140 years it became the worlds largest soft drink company in term of manufacturer, distributor and marketer in non-alcoholic area, and operates in more than 200 countries servicing over 16 million people different Coca-Cola products every day. The products in Coca-Cola company including sparking drinks and still beverages such as waters, juices and juice drinks , teas , coffees , sports drinks, and energy drinks. (Coca-Cola website 2010) Brand as the definition is A name, a sign, symbol or design or combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of either one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate the from the competitors (Kotler 1984, p442) . Brand is a symbol, an attitude and a culture to the people which can show their own personalities and life. A good brand is not only a name and a promise is not only a memory in peoples mind however it can influences peoples life. The brand Coca-Cola now is one of the most valuable brand ($66,667 million) including 500 soft drink brands in the company. Beside the most valuable brand Coca-Cola, the company still have another 12 brands which are over $10 hundred million consist of Diet coke, Sprite, Fanta, Coca-Cola zero, Glaceau, Powerade Minute Maid , Georgia etc(Coca-Cola website 2010), (annual report 2009) Foreign direct investment (FDI) FID which means investment in manufacturing and service facilities in a foreign country with an intention to engage actively in managing them-is another facet of the increasing integration of national economies. (Kotabe Helsen) The biggest investment in foreign market is direct investment, as the company investment the new manufacture in the foreign country to develop their local product and easy to control the price come from the raw material details. Such as HP make the direct investment in some majored market around the world, including India. (Kotler and Armstrong). Generally the foreign direct investment can help the company developing deeper relationship with government, customers and local supplier, at the same time improved their image in the target country because they create jobs. Also the foreign direct investment have the disadvantages like government changing , falling markets, frankly speaking the company have no chose but can build the effective operations to accept this. This first Coca-Cola bottling manufacture factory was established in Beijing in 1981, to got the benefits from direct investment, until now there are 35 bottling company and 29 manufacture factory for Coca-Cola products in china, more than 30,000 people working in Coca-Cola,99% stuff are Chinese local . Network models (alliances and joint ventures) Alliances An operate joint venture is an agreement for the partners to collaborate but does not involve any equity investment. (Kotabe Helsen) For the fierce of the business, more choose face to the customers in the market, however how can the company satisfy the customers multi-choice of the produce is an impotent to the company management. However the marketing partnership will be the first choice to enhance the value to customers. For instance two different company become to alliance their retailers has to be treat they are customer too, cause they may not in the same industry and market, therefore two different company to be alliances can support their sales channel ,design and implemented co-operative advertising campaigns. (Keller, aperia, georgson2008) 2000 in china , Coca-Cola and Lenovo (top technologies company in china) home computer together becoming to the marketing partner, with Lenovos high-tech image to match the Internet Express, Coca-Cola with this alliances for the first step to connected with internet and also it is a required of the development of the technology. In Chinese technology marketing, Lenovo has hundreds of stores and thousands of dealers spread all over the country, with the lager channel system, Coca-Cola to be well -know brand in china .(Lenovo website 2010) Joint ventures Joint ventures is the participation of two or more companies in an enterprise in which each party contributes assets, owns the new entity to some degree, and share risk.(Hollensen 2004) Joint ventures as the important strategy to the company developing their global business, before the FDI (Kotabe Helsen) most of the company choose corporation with the local company to help them entry the new marketing, therefore the most of the local company have majority market share in their industry, so it is easily and fast to the foreign company to introduce the product and build their services net work in the new marketing. Two top companies in the world Coca-Cola and nestle joined marketing force called Coca-Cola and nestle refreshments(CCNR) as the beverage partners worldwide (BPW)since 2001, the fifth-fifty joint venture held by the two companies. The joint ventures concentrate on the reedy-to-drink tea excluding the US and Japan, probably create the new values for all shareholders both of two companies. Before to cooperate with Coca-Cola, Swire Groups services consisted of property, aviation, beverage, marine services, industry industrial; COFCO is the largest oil and foodstuffs import and export company in china, also have food manufacture, hotel management and financial services, list by the magazine as one of the top 500 companies in the world; the Kerry group also the top oil and foodstuffs company have the high market share in china. In china Coca-Cola with the three partners in a joint venture bottling plants-Swire Group, Kerry Group and COFCO (China Oil Foodstuffs Corporation), responsible for the implementation of the beverage production, sales and building the marketing channels. The responsibilities for Coca-Cola are brand promotion, marketing development and control the liquid forms of cooperation. (Annual report 2009) (COFCO website). Read phonetically Dictionary View detailed dictionary Chinese culture Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another Culture, in this sense, includes systems of values; and values are among the building blocks of culture (Hofstede 1980, p21). To understand the different culture in different countries is a main principle for the global company enters the foreign, unknown market. Some of the culture elements like history, religion, ethnicity, family, language, social class, politics, income, etc, are very important when the company doing the business in foreign counties, so according to the different culture in different country to make the company localization strategy is helpful to the company for the long-term business to entry the new global market. China is one of the worlds oldest history of more than 5,000 years, has the territory area of 9.6 million square km, with the sea area of about 4.73 million square km, second largest country in the world. (China culture 2010). Coca-Cola in china While Coca-Cola was succeeded in penetrating nearly every country of the world, it has never been able to separate itself from the image of overpowering US brand (Hollensen 2004). For help to raise the international profile of the brand further Coca-Cola entry the third biggest country in the world -china. Therefore Coca-Cola is one of the earliest US company entries Chinese marketing since 1927. The first bottling manufacture factory established in Shanghai and Tianjin, this is the first time that Chinese people drink the new types, high-quality drinks. In 1930, in Qingdao the third bottling factory was established, till 1948 Shanghai become the first city outside Unites exceeded sales 100 million boxes. (Coca-Cola website 2010) After the restored diplomatic relations between china and the Unites States in 1979 , the first 28,000 boxes of bottled and canned Coca-Cola products were shipping from Hong Kong to mainland china to sales, since the Chinese marketing opening to the global ,the first Coca-Cola bottling manufacture factory was established in Beijing in 1981, until now there are 35 bottling company and 29 manufacture factory for Coca-Cola products in china, more than 30,000 people working in Coca-Cola,99% stuff are Chinese local . over the past 5 years of business in china the Coca-Cola company to be the main leadership in Chinese soft drink market, china become the worlds third largest market for Coca-Cola as well.(Coca-Cola website 2010) Segmentation (Kotler and Armstrong) statistics the definition of market segmentation as involves individuating a market in to smaller groups of buyers with distinct needs, characteristics, or behaviours that might require separate marketing strategies or mixes. Market segmentation is the subdividing of a market into distinct subsets of customers, where any subset may conceivably be selected as a target market to be reached with a distinct marketing mix. (Kotler 2010) The major segmentation elements for consumer markets are: Geographic, Demographic, psychographic and Behavioural. (Kotler and Armstrong2010) Developing the global businesses for the geographic and operating segmentation Coca-Cola divided the world into six parts: Eurasia, Africa, Europe, Latin American, North American and Asia Pacific.(Annul report 2009) Coca-Cola company purchase the vehicles for the factory to responsible for the drinks to retailers and giving free refrigerators, umbrellas to retailers, the company trying to find the different ways to perfect their customer services. once the people will think about Coca-Cola when they want to drink ,no matter where you are ,you can fine a Coca-Cola around you ,like grocery stores, restaurants, street vendors, convenience stores, movie theaters and amusement parks, the products covered among many others public squares. (Coca-Cola website 2010) (Annul report 2009) Therefore the fierce completion push the company must provide more products to satisfy the customers choice, for the entry the variety beverage field Coca-Cola try to transform itself into a localized comprehensive. on the other hand Coca-Cola was alliances with one of the Chinese largest internet services website companyTencent to developing their youth marketing in china, the star product of Tencent company is QQ (similar with MSN , is a instant message software), until march 5, 19:52:58 ,Tencent QQ announced that the number of the current users exceeded 100million .with this cooperation ,Coca-Colas iCoke website (www.icoke.cn) introduced the use of 3D QQ Tencent game show , QZONE personal space, QQ theme packages ,to be the first comprehensive online community for young consumers with a new experience of communication.Listen Read phonetically Target market and positioning strategy A target market is a chosen segment of market that a company has decided to serve. (David Jobber 2010 p 261) A clear target is helpful to the company to understand the costumers demand and favorite, easier to design the target product to the target customers. For instance CNN target its news program me, that is why CNN has globally, concentrate to the distribution effort in to hotels room, for the business people they can see the CNN news wherever they are.( David Jobber 2010) There are 3 key points of the Coca-Cola company-quality, customers and consumers. As the leader of beverage market, in the fierce international competition, Coca-Cola company does not pre-localization strategy, as the first global company to annoy the new localization theory think local, act local to the whole world, the main principle about this theory is relevant to the basic conditions of the different countries to make different decisions and strategy. Since the Coca-Cola has the 30% market share in US, the company theory is to satisfy every customers demand, the aim for the whole company to make the everywhere and easy to buy, so pervasiveness, price, value, preference to be the sales goal for Coca-Cola Company .The Coca-Cola Company is always Been the one of the first enter to developing marketing and build their strong positioning. Coca-Cola will no longer focus on formal product but it committed to expand its beverage varieties. From the style of oolong tea to a new era of mixed fruit drinks, high-calorie energy drink, or even to the most basic drink-water. Coca-Cola company follow give the world a coke, begin according to peoples teats in different countries to tailored drinks. Marketing mix Chinese marketing mix marketing mix is the set of market tools the firm uses to implement its marketing strategy. The major marketing mix tool is classified into four board four groups, called the four Ps of marketing: product, price, place, promotion (Kotler and Armstrong 2010 p 36) Product strategy Produce decision involves deciding what goods or services should be offered to a group of customers (David Jobber 2010 p 17) A good whatever the design, the brand, the price, the main objective should be according to the customers demand. The most important element is new product development. Because the change of the technology and taste, product become out of fashion probably or defeated by the competitors, so company should replace them to satisfying customers needs. As the developing of the society, more and more pay attention about their quality of living and health, people in order to keep their weight to reduce to eat some high energy food and even drinks.co ca-ca la at this time to be the extension of the market to made the coke without sugar and no calories but plenty of taste called diet coke in 1982, within two years it had become to the top diet soft drink in the world. In 2008 another successful product Coca-Cola zero was published. (Coca-Cola website) China has almost four or five thousand years history to drink tea, to the Chinese people tea is not just drink it is a type of culture. For this especially culture Coca-Cola made the product strategy for Chinese marketing to sale Nestea ice rush lemon tea, and design a new product for Chinese people called Smart to enhance the marketing competitions. Pricing strategy Pricing strategy is a key element and basic element of the marketing mix, for instance, the Spending on product design (product), advertising and salespeople (promotion), Transportation and distribution (place). So the pricing strategy should be very clear about objective, ethos, factor and influencing, and also the discount and allowance in some transactions. (David jobber 2010) The main principle in Chinese economic marketing are vast land and large numbers of population, varieties raw materials, nevertheless the another issue of the marketing is the low cost of the labor force. However compared the product price between china and other countries, the price advantages is obviously appeared. Place strategy Place involves decisions concerning the distribution channels to be used and their management, the locations of outlets, methods of transportation and inventory levels to be held. The aim of the place strategy is to choose the right time and place to do available produce and service. (David Jobber 2010 p 19) To build an effective distribution channel is a best way to cooperate to the retailers, and wholesalers, because they will fine the good way to sale the product and also analyses the market to help the marketer to change the marketing planning at the first time. The Coca-Cola s partner in china have the effective marketing occupation, the Swire group occupied southern part and central part market ,Kerry Groups business including North , Southwest, and Beijing, COFCO control sites including the northwest, northeast, Hunan, Hainan, and other areas, so for the share market area Coca-Cola s sales market channel like a big net hold the whole China. Promotion strategy Promotion mix: advertising, personal selling, sales promotions, public relations, direct marketing and online promotion.(David jobber 2010, p18) With the globalization of trade, many best international companies gradually enter the Chinese marketing, the best way to publicity is advertising, the effective advertising strategy for the foreign company must be care the basic conditions of the target country and the domestic customers demand. For the long term Coca-Cola advertising in china is coupled with the US vision of the Chinese commentary, the advertising was full of typical American style and American personality .Since 1999, Coca-Cola have been adjusted their advertising strategies in china , for the first time the Chinese stars , the traditional mascot ,family relations and friendship appeared in the advertising stories. The localization in china also appears on product packaging the most successful one produced for Chinese traditional festival- New Years Day, they put the 12 zodiac in the cans (this is the first souvenir to use Chinese theme around the world, worthy to collected and commemorative) for this new packaging Coca-Cola use Chinese culture to design the cans with 12 animals. Also as the New Year gift Coca-Cola change the normal size to family Value Pack, for another point of view satisfied the costumers demands. Coca -cola is the longest-serving sponsor since 1928. 2008 was the fantastic year for Coca-Cola when china held the Olympic game in Beijing; it is create a unique opportunity to the world to understand a new china and new Coca-Cola china. another agreement was signed at the great wall in Beijing between Coca-Cola company and IOC about sponsor responsible ,from 2009 to 2020 during winter Olympics in Vancouver, summer games in London and Olympic games in 2014,2016, 2018 until 2020.(Coca-Cola website) (BBC news) Conclusion As the sum up of all factors and model during Coca-Colas global business strategy, for a past 140 years Coca-Cola use their product, brand, cultural to infiltrate into the propelss life and impression of the taste from generation to generation. For the fierce of the competition and development of economic and technology ,Coca-Cola will meet more challenge and good competitors in the future, how can they conquer everything and according to methodthink global, act local,and still following the company work give to the world a Coca-Colais a worthy question need to considering in the next step. Listen Read phonetically Dictionary View detailed dictionary Appendix (Finger 1. The list of Coca-Cola products) PRODUCTS SERVED AT THE WORLD OF Coca-Cola (except US) Product/Brand Country of Sale / Group Stoney Tangawizi Tanzania / Africa Fanta Exotic Fruit Punch Uganda / Africa Krest Ginger Ale Mozambique / Africa Sparletta Sparberry Zimbabwe / Africa Bibo Candy Coco-Pine South Africa / Africa Sunfill Mint Djibouti / Africa Bibo Kiwi Mango South Africa / Africa Sunfill Blackcurrant Mauritius / Africa Smart Apple China / Asia Sprite Ice India / Asia Fanta Apple Kiwi Thailand / Asia Smart Watermelon China / Asia Crushed Lemon Bahrain / Asia Nestea Ice Rush Lemon Tea China / Asia Aquarius Citrus Taiwan / Asia Vegitabeta Japan / Asia HI-C Ume Japan / Asia Beverly Italy / Europe Fanta Magic (Blue Grape) Estonia / Europe Mezzo Mix Germany / Europe Kinley Bitter Lemon England / Europe Fanta Pineapple Greece / Europe Nestea Raspberry Iced Tea Spain / Europe Nestea Lemon Bulgaria / Europe Nestea Peach France / Europe Lift Manzana Chile / Latin America Fanta Kolita Costa Rica / Latin America Inca Kola Peru / Latin America Simba Guarana Paraguay / Latin America Ciel Aquarius Jamaica Sun Mexico / Latin America Delaware Punch Honduras / Latin America Nestea Light Peach Brazil / Latin America Nestea Mango Mexico / Latin America Finger 3. Some of the Coca-Cola product in china (some of localization) (Finger 4. Specific product designed for Chinese marketing) (Figure 5: Coca-Cola alliances with Lenovo to public the Coca-Cola /Lenovo laptop) (Figure 5: Coca-Cola to be the sponsor of Beijing Olympic Game 2008) (Figure 5: Coca-Cola alliances with Tencent) (Figure 6: the spread of the bottling factory in china)

In Support of Parenting Education Essay -- Child Development

In a perfect world, every child would be wanted and loved, and all parents would have the capacity and the desire to raise children who are healthy, mentally and physically strong, and displaying high moral integrity. Sadly, this is not the case. Some parents are, unfortunately, not much interested in what happens with their children. Other parents are not pleased with what is happening in the home with their children but do not know what to do to create effective change. Still other parents are unaware that there is another way, a better way, of parenting. Parent education could help in all of these scenarios. The literature demonstrates that parenting interventions improve the quality of the relationship parents have with the children as well as improving child social behavior (Scott, O’Connor, Furth, Mathias, Price, and Doolan 2010). Programs have been particularly effective when delivered to motivated, ethnic majority parents, but there has been little study of programs that serve as interventions aimed at preventing a wide range of poor outcomes associated with antisocial behavior, such as involvement in risky lifestyles, low school attainment, and a lack of satisfactory friendships (Scott et al.). There are, of course, problems associated with delivery of parenting programs; the greatest challenge is getting parents to participate when there is no mandate that they do so. Skilled personnel may be another issue; urban areas may have sufficient counselors and educators, but rural areas may not. A third issue is cost, although, as pointed out by Scott et al., â€Å"programs can i n theory be justified since in the long run they should reduce the high cost of antisocial behavior arising from increased use of services, higher levels... ...t effective when parents take an interactive part. Works Cited Brannon, Diana. â€Å"Character Education—a Joint Responsibility.† Education Digest 73.8 (2008): 56- 60. Parker, David C., Nelson, Jennifer S., and Burns, Matthew K. â€Å"Comparison of Correlates of Classroom behavior problems in schools with and without a school-wide character education program. Psychology in the Schools 47.8 (2010): 817-827. Reinberg, S. (2010). U.S. kids using media almost 8 hours a day. HealthDay News January 20, 2010. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday /635134.html Scott, Stephen; O’Connor, Thomas G.; Futh, Annabel; Mathias, Carla; Price, Jenny; and Doolan, Moira. â€Å"Impact of a Parenting Program in a High-Risk, Multi-Ethnic Community: the PALS Trial.† Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry 51.12 (2010): 1331-1341.

A Response to “How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading” Essay

Summary: John Holt is a former teacher who shares personal anecdotes in his essay â€Å"How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading.† Holt remembers taking a traditional approach to teaching as a beginning elementary school teacher. He initially thought that quizzing students over assigned readings and requiring them to use a dictionary to look up unfamiliar words was a best practice. However, a conversation with his sister challenges him to think critically about the effectiveness of his style, and he realizes his â€Å"methods were foolish† (359). An avid reader, Holt recalls he never looked up words in a dictionary as a child, but the lack of a dictionary did not make him any less intelligent or appreciative of language. He, like many other literate people he met, developed his vocabulary by encountering the same words â€Å"over and over again, in different contexts† (359). Holt’s understanding of what it takes to nurture a love of reading in children from an early age evolves throughout the essay. He argues that reading would be a more enjoyable experience for children if parents and teachers allowed children to read stories that interest them and not expect them to understand every word or interpret every meaning behind it. Critique: I discovered several strengths and weaknesses in Holt’s argument. I agree with him that it is unrealistic to expect children to look up words in a dictionary to appreciate words. Holt is not against using a dictionary as long as the reader uses it practically to look up words that interest him or her. To look them up in order to fulfill an assignment, however, will not promise vocabulary development. It is possible that forcing words upon a beginning reader will do more harm than good. For most children, learning how to read is similar to learning a new language, and this skill set improves with practice and patience. I also agree when he says we must s careful not to embarrass students if they make mistakes; this method usually causes the student to give up altogether. However, Holt’s argument at times seems biased and over generalized. For example, he asserts â€Å"that for most children school was a place of danger, and their main business in school was staying out of danger as much as possible† (360). His implication that children hate reading because they fear making mistakes is valid, but I disagree that most of them view their teachers as literary predators. Children’s attitudes about reading and education in general are affected by a number of factors such as learning styles, personality, the acquired habits, and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. To place the blame on â€Å"us† teachers in his inclusive comments about how we humiliate and shame children through our teaching methods is unfair because I can think of several examples where this is not always true or was not necessarily true during the time he wrote the essay. His suggestions about how teachers should assess and evaluate student writing contradicts many of the modern teaching guides I have read, which posit that holistic grading includes teacher and student feedback. Application: Holt’s essay allowed me to think critically about my own teaching methods and reflect on what has worked successfully in the classroom and what has not. Many college students take English because it is a requirement and their attitudes toward writing are much like the freshma n that Holt describes in the conclusion of the article. They are very anxious about their writing even if they are strong writers, and they seldom write for pleasure rather than for necessity. Holt discourages teachers from using reading as a tool for public humiliation and promotes student-centered learning, which I advocate. While I realize there are students who depend on being told exactly what to do for each assignment they are given, I have observed that most students thrive when they have control over what they learn and discover new ideas independently and collectively. This is type of learning is supported by positive reinforcement. Rather than settling on any one way to motivate students, I realize that effective learning comes from an array of different approaches, and sometimes old-school teaching methods still are useful. Works Cited Holt, John. â€Å"How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading.† The Norton Reader. Eds. Peterson, Linda et. al. 13th edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. pg. 358 – 366.

Individual Assignment Essay

Determine which level of measurement— nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio—is used in the following examples. The Association of Accountants is conducting a survey to determine the ranking of the top 100 accounting firms in the world. Ordinal How many years did it take you to earn your college degree? Ratio On a questionnaire which asks for gender, males are coded as 1 and females are coded as 2. Interval Respondents are asked to rate a list of high-tech companies as excellent, good, fair, or poor in terms of their service delivery. Ordinal Cereal brands are arranged in an ordered sequence in which an equal interval exists between each point. Interval LeBron James wears the number 23 on his jersey. Nominal The length of time it takes the winner of a marathon to cross the finish line. Ratio Students are asked to rank computer manufacturers. Interval The brand of charge card used by a customer. Nominal The pin number used to access your checking account. Nominal Which sampling method—simple random, systematic, stratified, cluster, convenience, judgment, quota, or snowball—is most appropriate for the following examples? The unemployment rate is calculated each month by the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The survey consists of 50,000 households in about 2,000 counties and cities in all 50 states. Simple Random A researcher for Kraft Foods selects five states randomly, and then selects 10 supermarkets chains within each state to call for a phone survey as test markets for a new cookie. Quota A new pr oduct researcher would like to investigate the use of virtual teams. After conducting an interview with a manager, she asks for the names of other managers that use virtual teams. Convenience A news reporter asks people on the street their opinion about the president’s new bill. Snowball Jamie select Denver, Colorado; Chicago, Illinois; and San Diego, California as test markets for a new potato chip line base on her experience with these markets. Judgment A researcher instructs field interviewers to interview customers of different cell phone companies in a nearby shopping mall so that they each interview 10 AT&T, 8 T Mobile, 6 Verizon, and 4 owners of other cell phone providers. Convenience The Consumer Price Index represents a sampling of 90,000 items from 364 categories, chosen from 20,000 retail stores in 85 geographically distributed areas that are chosen to be as similar as possible. Cluster A finance professor wants to know how many MBA students would be willing to take a course in international finance this summer. She surveys students in the class she is currently teaching. Convenience Which hypothesis-testing procedure would you use in the following situations? The mean time an American family lives in a particular single-family dwelling is 11. 8 years. A sample of 100 families in the Sycamore, OK area shows the mean time living in a single family residence is 12. 7 years. Can we conclude that the time people live in Sycamore is significantly more than the national average? One Sample Z-Test A researcher would like to know if there is a significant difference in clothing purchases between full-time working women, part-time working women, and women who are homemakers. ANOVA Eighty percent of those who play the state lottery never win more than $100 in one play. A sample of 500 players was drawn and the mean winning was $125. One Sample Z-Test A drug manufacturing company conducted a survey of customers. The research question was as follows: Is there a significant relationship between packaging preference (size of the bottle purchased) and economic status? There were four packaging sizes: small, medium, large, and jumbo. Economic status was categorized as follows: lower, middle, and upper. Regression Hypothesis Test A company has 24 salespeople. The test must evaluate whether their product knowledge has improved or remained unchanged after a training program. T-test of dependent samples A computer company has a brand loyalty rating of 6. 8 on a 7 point scale. Is this company’s rating significantly different from the industry average of 6. 4? Two-tailed One Sample T-Test The manager of an office supply store wanted to determine which color folders she should discontinue based on low sales. The colors stocked were black, blue, red, green, and purple. ANOVA

An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge

An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge At the beginning of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," we see a man standing over a bridge with a noose about his neck, as his execution is about to happen. The man has a thought before he is to be thrown over the side, and that is "If I could free my hands," from which an entire story develops. He sees himself escaping after the rope snaps and swimming in the creek while dodging shots from Union soldiers making his way home. At the moment of his arrival, his neck snaps for us to discover that he never left the bridge, and that all that had happened was in his mind in the instant that he was falling off the bridge to his death.The illusion of his mind is difficult to go through, but upon closer inspection, we see the little expression of reality on this alternate reality that Farquhar is experiencing.No mind games committeeAs he frees his hands, he gives reference to his own "superhuman strength." He also begins to note his surroundings with an ability that no human being can posse ss, as he can now see the "veining of each leaf - the very insects upon them," as his mind attempts to assure him that he is truly alive and experiencing these things around him.The entire story could not have taken place were the point of view from a source, other than one that could see into Peyton Farquhar's mind. Were it could be taken from anyone else, they would simply have seen him standing at the edge of the bridge, get thrown over, and his neck snap. But in taking you into the mind of the main character, we are unable to expect the ending that we as readers receive, because...

Study of the conflict at the Burial at Thebes The WritePass Journal

Study of the conflict at the Burial at Thebes Study of the conflict at the Burial at Thebes Introduction The conflicts between the major characters in The Burial at Thebes are concerned mainly with three important issues that continue to be relevant to different times and cultures. When we look at the meaning of conflict we can say it can be defined as ;   the struggle or clash between opposing forces,or opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible wishes or drives, sometimes leading to a state of   emotional tension Collins English Dictionary 2005.p355. When we look at the play itself, the major characters are Antigone, her sister Ismene and Creon the King of Thebes. The play revolves around the burial of Polyneices, brother of Antigone, who was killed in battle and the observance of specific funeral rites that were the custom of the that time. It was a decision, by Creon of how this burial was to be   carried out that caused the conflict   between these major characters,   although the issues underlying this conflict ran much deeper than that. Antigone,   would not accept the decree of King Creon, who said that Polyneices would not be allowed a normal funeral with full honours , as befitting a soldier dying on the battlefield, because he had declared   him a traitor and enemy of the state . His body would be publicly dishonoured by being   ;- dumped, disposed of like a carcass, left out for the birds to feed on, if you so much as throw him the common handful of clay youll have committed a crime,and whoever breaks this law,Ill have them stoned to   death.   Seamus Heaney 2004 ,The Burial at Thebes p.2,and 3. Although in ancient Greece at that time women were not   allowed to speak in the Council and had hardly any civil rights they did   have certain funereal roles regarding laying to rest and lamentations for   the deceased . Therefore, Antigone had some justification in her assertion that her remaining   brother should have proper funeral rites. However, Creon a newly appointed King   was not in a very secure position and had to assert his authority over his subjects by being a firm ruler. The crown being thrust upon him as he was next in line and having declared Polyneices a traitor would not change his mind. Thus the area of conflict ensued, and both being characters of very strong wills neither would back down. Therefore the issues that have arisen between these major characters can be summarised as the following:- Firstly, is the question of conscience for Antigone, concerning personal and family loyalty against   obedience to the King and Country, and which should take precedence. In this instance should Antigone go against the Kings wishes and bury her brother with due dignity, on penalty of death, or obey the decree of King Creon and allow him to be publicly dishonoured as a traitor?. In this instance she justifies her position as being in accordance   with the law of the gods to honour the dead which is above that of of the King and the law of the land. It   therefore raises a conflict of loyalties between   public morality over private duty, and which should prevail.   Secondly there is the issue of womens rights and gender issues when living   in a male dominated society , as highlighted by  Ã‚   Ismene   saying;-   two women on our own faced with a death-decree. Women ,defying   Creon?.Its not a womans place. Were weak they are strong. Seamus Heaney ,The Burial at Thebes 2004 p.5. Ismene in this instance is portraying the weaker compliant feminine position while Antigone could be seen as showing the stronger masculine side . This issue is also highlighted several times later in the play when Creon referring to Antigone says;-Have I to be the woman of the house and take her orders?. No woman will dictate the law to me and women were never meant for this assembly,from now on theyll be kept in their place again Seamus Heaney Burial at Thebes 2004 p22,24,27. The final area of conflict involves excessive pride or hubris and nemesis or retribution as a result. This   is an area of great interest for the Greeks and often featured in their literature. In the play Creon disregards the advice of the fortune teller and the pleas of his son, and with his stubborn character insists on carrying out his decision despite the consequences to have Antigone punished. The punishment is death for disobeying his orders and Creon refused to rescind this   until it was too late, thereby paying the ultimate penalty of losing his wife ,son and future daughter in law, as a result of his actions. These conflicts between the the major characters with Creon representing the state and inflexible government and Antigone embodying individual freedom, championing justice and individual rights and the urge to rebel. While Ismene representing the softer subservient side conforming to the rules especially as a woman in a male dominated society, have similarities with issues that continue to be relevant to different times and cultures. When Antigone was performed in France in 1942 it was surprisingly not banned by the occupying Germans, despite the fact that Antigone could be seen as representing France championing individual freedom when   Creon could be seen as portraying the occupying German forces and Ismene the Vichy government. The situation in Northern Ireland was also seen as an example of how the individual characters of Antigone and Ismene   could be used to illuminate the conflict;- that is in individuals as well as in society,representing two   opposing influences that often co-exist :the impulse to rebel and the impulse to conform for the sake of a quiet life OBrien C.C. (1968) The Listener ,reprinted in AA100 The Arts Past and Present Cultural Encounters Book 3 p221. Further comparisons can be made when after   9/11 regarding a new sense of the plays relevance Heaney said;-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There was the general worldwide problem where considerations of state security posed serious threats to human rights. Then there was the   obvious parallel between George W. Bush and Creon AA100 The Arts Past and Present Cultural Encounters Book 3 p.222. This comparison was further enhanced when considering the invasion of Iraq and the â€Å"war on terror† when George W. Bush and the   White House   Administration asked if you are in favour of state security or not ? If you dont support the eradication of this tyrant in Iraq and the threat he poses you are on the wrong side in the war on terror Heaney (2004) Progamme note,for Abbey Theatre Production of the Burial at Thebes, 2004.   AA100 Cultural Encounters, Book 3, p227.   This can be likened to the situation with Creon when he addresses the Citizens of Thebes and says   in effect that if you support   me you are a patriot but if you support a woman who has disobeyed the   law this in itself is a traitorous act so you, therefore in turn become a traitor, which becomes an either/or choice. Whoever isnt for us      Is   against us in this case. Heaney (2004) The Burial at Thebes,p3. The final example of the relevance and conflict of its characters  Ã‚   when Nelson Mandela was in prison where   they put on the play Antigone and he played the part of Creon. Mandela saw the character as somewhat of heroic figure, as he would not give in, even under the most trying circumstances and   used the conflict between Antigone and Creon as an inspiration for his own struggle for freedom. When we look at the reasons why the original play was enacted in Ancient Greece, we can confirm that it was put on for primarily a male audience and no slaves or women were allowed. Females took no part in public life at that time and were seen as second class citizens as witnessed by the attitude of Creon. The audience were also members of the assembly or court and had to attend as part of their   civic duties and going to the play as a duty showed them how it was relevant to their life at that time by putting the audience in the shoes of the characters. The actors wore masks to i dentify their personalities by typifying an expression and the whole production was designed to educate in a moralistic way, and also teach about leadership and democracy. The subject of the play is a tragedy , where a major figure or hero   has apparently everything but then falls from grace mainly due to a flaw in his (or her)character , in a conflict of the mind and cannot escape from their beliefs. In Burial at Thebes the stories of Antigone, Creon and Ismene can be seen as tragic   raising issues with conflicts of loyalty, duty, individual   rights, divine law and justice. These conflicts also moulded by a style of leadership which can be seen as patriotic, but merciless and blindly inflexible and are all human issues that continue to be relevant as much today as well as in the passage of time since the original play was written in the 5th century BCE. Bibliography Collins English Dictionary seventh edition   2005,Harper Collins,Glasgow. Seamus Heaney (2004) The Burial at Thebes, Faber and Faber,London. Hardwick,L.(2008) Cultural Encounters in R.D.Brown(ed) Seamus Heaneys ,The Burial at Thebes, (AA100 Book 3) , Milton Keynes, TheOpen University,pp 183-235.

How to Find ACT Scores by High School and District

How to Find ACT Scores by High School and District SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Searching for the perfect high school or school district for you or your child? You've come to the right place. When looking at different high schools or different school districts, average ACT score can be a helpful comparison tool. Average ACT score can help estimatethe quality of education and quality of students at a particularhigh school or schooldistrict. There are a few different ways to find averageACT scores by high school or district. I’ll explain the different methods and why you should care about average high school ACT scores. How to Find a District orHigh School’s Average ACT Score: Your Options Beloware four methods fortracking downa public school’s average ACT score. The best option for you will depend on your homestate: Searchthe Department of Education website. (Note: This only works for PUBLIC high schools. Also, this is the ONLY way to find average ACT scores by school district.) Searchthe school’s website (however, not all schools publish this information on their websites). Emaila school administrator. Google search, "[High School Name] Average ACT Score." The best method is to use the Department of Education’s website for your state. Later on, I’ll explain how to find a district’s or specific public high school’s average ACT score using this method.This is the only way to guarantee you’re getting up-to-date, correct, unbiased information. This method will notwork for the following states: Alabama Arizona Arkansas Connecticut* DC Delaware* Hawaii Idaho* Iowa Maine* Massachusetts* Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey* New Mexico New York* North Carolina* North Dakota Ohio Oregon Rhode Island* South Carolina* Vermont* Virginia* Washington* * While these states don't provide ACT data, they do provide SAT data by high school. For information on how to find SAT data, read our guide to SAT scores by school. For private high schools or in states listed above, you could try to look on the high school’s website, do a Google search, or send an email to an administrator at that high school asking for the average ACT score. Be aware that there may be obstacles tofindingACT scores by high school.Websites and internet searches can often have outdated information (i.e. ACT score averages from three years ago)ornot even post this data.Additionally, administrators may also give you outdated information if they haven’t seen the most recent statistics. Also, it may take some administratorsa while to respond to your request if they have abusy schedule or are on summer vacation. How to Use the Department of Education’s Website to Find ACT Scores byHigh School or District Do a Google Search for your state’s Department of Education.Search â€Å"[State Name] Department of Education.†I did so below for Florida’s Department of Education.The state’s Department of Education website will usually be the first search result: After opening the Department of Education website, you should see a search box in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. In this box, type â€Å"ACT score† or â€Å"ACT data.† That search should bring up the ACT data for the state (see below). Typically the first result will be the one you want to view. Select the option that will provide you access to the most recent ACT data. The first link above says ACT, ACT, and AP Data while the second link says ACT, ACT, and AP Data Archive. This suggests the first link will have the most recent data while the ACT, ACT, and AP Data Archive most likely provides the data from previous years. The first link brought me to the page below: NOTE: for Florida, the most recent ACT data was from 2013. Other states may have 2014 ACT data available already. If you’re looking for data for a specific public high school, select the option that will show you ACT School Means.It will probably not be labeled the same for your state, but it should haveâ€Å"ACT† and â€Å"School† in the title. This link will provide you with school specific data. If you’re looking for data to compare different districts, select the ACT District Means spreadsheet. The district option only provides you with the average ACT scores for each district in the state (without breaking it down by high school). You’ll have to download the spreadsheet to your computer (which it should do automatically when you click on the link).A large excel spreadsheet should open that looks something like this: The exact informationthis document shows will vary by state, but all of them should list high school names and corresponding ACTscores (typically as a composite score). Sometimesthe state lists both the average composite score and the average sectionscores (English, Math, Reading, and Science). The Florida document does this, and it also provides information onthe number of 12th-grade students enrolled, the number of ACT test-takers, and the percentage of ACT test-takers by high school. To find the average ACT score for the public high schools you’re interested in, type Command + F function on your keyboard to search the spreadsheet. If you’re unable to get to this ACT data through your state’s Department of Education website, you should contact your state’s Department of Education (the contact information should be on their website).Usually, the Department of Education has a specific phone number or email to contact if you’re in search of data. If you’re unable to get in contact with the Department of Education or if you want ACT data for private high schools, then you should email or call the high school you're interested in. Why Care About a High School’s Average ACT Score? You should care about a high school’s average ACT score because higher ACT scores can indicate a better quality of education and a better quality of student at that school. While the ACT explicitly measures a student’sacademic ability, it can also measure how much a student cares about his or her education. ACT preparation can drastically change a student's score.If a student has slightly above-average intelligence, he or she can get a very high or even perfect ACT score with enough practice. Therefore, a student’s ACT score reveals both their academic ability AND how hard they’re willing to work. Since the ACT measures academic abilityand your education is largely responsible for what information you learn, the better your education, the better you’ll perform on the ACT. Though, as I said above, your ACT score is also affected by how much you prepare for the test. If a high school’s average ACT score is above-average, I’d venture a guess that the students at that school are more invested in their education and more committed to getting into a good 4-year college than students at other schools.These students likely study more and invest more time in preparing forthe ACT,and they are thereforemore likely to get accepted into selective colleges in the future. If you're concerned aboutyour child receiving a quality education and beingsurrounded by hard-workingstudents, consider sending them to a school or school district with a higher average ACTscore. Devil’s Advocate: Why Shouldn’t You Rely Too Heavily on Average ACT Score? While a school’s average ACT score can give an estimate ofthe quality of education and caliber of students at that school, average ACT score may not tell you the full story. For instance, some public high schools have magnet (or gifted) programs that you apply to that are separated from the â€Å"regular† track at that high school. These programs often have a higher caliber of student and better teachers than the rest of the school. My public high school had an International Baccalaureate magnet program. The admissions requirements for this program were high while there were norequirements for students on the â€Å"regular† high school track. This program had better teachers who only taught IB classes.For these reasons, I’d guess that the average ACT score for IB students was higher than the average ACT score for students on the â€Å"regular† high school track. However, the published average ACT score for my high school does not distinguish between IB and non-IB students. Instead, the number incorporates the scores of all students at the school.For this reason, you can’t figure out what the caliber of education and student will be within this specific magnet program at my school. Another reason average ACT score should not worry you too much is that a big part of your ACT score is how much effort you put into preparing for the exam.If you ultimately decide to attend a high school with a low average ACT score, you’re not necessarily going to have a low ACT score yourself.It doesn’t matter which high school you attend, you can still work hard, learn the test format and strategies, and achievea high score on the ACT. That being said, you should try to attend the high school with the highest caliber of students and teachers.That way, you receive the best education you can, you’ll be challenged in school, and you’ll be well prepared for the ACT. What’s Next? Trying to decide where to go to high school? Consider an IB school. Not sure what extracurriculars to do in high school? Learn about how to join Student Council, how to start a club, and how to pick a sport. Interested in doing a summer program? Learn about medical summer programs, summer sports camps, volunteering, Emory's Pre-College Program, and Boston University Summer Challenge. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Why does a blue sky have white clouds Why do the clouds appear red at Essay

Why does a blue sky have white clouds Why do the clouds appear red at sunset. What is the "Green Flash seen in some sunsets in Hawaii - Essay Example This phenomenon is due to the process known as Mie scattering, one which is responsible for the white colour of the clouds at daytime. At one point, theory suggests that clouds appear red at sunset because of the earth’s pollutants. The red colour of the clouds is a reflection of the sun’s beam of light striking the polluted atmosphere of the earth. This reflection comes from the smoke, smog and other gases emitted from factories, vehicles, and so on that are hit by the sun’s radiant beam of light. On the other hand, the phenomenon could also be explained by the idea of wavelength. Particles in the atmosphere like oxygen and nitrogen can scatter violet and blue light from the sun due to their size. Thus, the more we are closer to the sun, the more we would see sky as blue during day time. However, at sunset, considering that there must have been too much blue and violet light that has been scattered for the day, allowing the observer to see light of longer wavelength, clouds may substantially appear red. This is called Rayleigh scattering. The Green Flash seen in sunsets in Hawaii is one of the most spectacular events in the place. This is due to light refracting in the atmosphere. At sunset, the different colours of light rays from the sun are refracted at the atmosphere. The refraction provides varying colours that may overlap each other. At some point, the green one may overlap the other in a flash, which is a brief and sudden phenomenon. That is why it is called a green

Understanding Cross-Cultural Issues in the Contemporary World Essay

Understanding Cross-Cultural Issues in the Contemporary World - Essay Example Today, we have multinational companies that operate across different continents and regions of the world thanks to the concept of globalization. Yet, every community or society has its own unique culture. It is interesting to know how the cultural differences play out in this global village context. Globalization has intensified cultural interaction, leading to emergence of multi-cultural societies (Liu, 2012: 94-95). Culture is a strong element that influences the behaviors, perceptions, and attitudes of a community. Based on this understanding, it is important to establish how these cultural influences play out when people from one culture interact with those from a different culture. This forms the basis of this study. The study purposes to investigate the integration of Korean culture in the UK culture. This study will be relevant to understanding cross-cultural issues in the contemporary world because it focuses on a real cross-cultural integration. 1. How do Koreans perceive UK culture? This research question will focus on the perceptions that Koreans have when they interact with UK citizens in the UK. The main objective of this research question will be to highlight the cultural disparities and or similarities between Koreans and British citizens. 2. How do Koreans react to the cultural disparities or similarities when they come to the UK? This research question focuses on the reaction of Koreans when they come to the UK. The main objective of the research question is to identify specific responses, whether cultural assimilation or isolation, of Koreans in the UK. It will also highlight the aspect of cultural dominance. Culture can be defined as the unique shared characteristics of a group that differentiates it from other groups (McLaurin, 2006: 9; Herzog & Leker, 2011: 58; Moore, 2004: 5). Therefore, different communities can be identified by their unique cultures. In identifying a group’s

Contract law assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Contract law assignment - Essay Example She intends to use the machine both for her restaurant and for family meals. One of the clauses in the sales contract, which is drafted in technical legal language, read as follows: â€Å"Electromart cannot be held responsible for any loss or injury whatsoever caused by any defects in the manufacture or design of any goods sold.† Melinda also enters into an on-site service contract for an extra  £45. In the service contract Electromart agrees to repair the dishwasher if it breaks down within one year of purchase. One of the clauses in the service contract provides: â€Å"The customer bears all the risk of all repairs and nether Electromart nor any of its employees whatsoever accept any liability for any injury, damage or consequential loss, howsoever caused, arising out of any work done or omitted to be done in respect of any insured product.† 1. May a seller (not the manufacturer) of a manufactured product avoid liability from defects of the product by including in its contract the following clause: â€Å"Electromart cannot be held responsible for any loss or injury whatsoever caused by any defects in the manufacture or design of any goods sold.† 2. May Electromart avoid liability as repairer of the product it sold to Melinda by providing in the contract the following clause: â€Å"The customer bears all the risk of all repairs and neither Electromart nor any of its employees whatsoever accept any liability for any injury, damage or consequential loss, howsoever caused, arising out of any work done or omitted to be done in respect of any insured product.† Under the given facts, two days after the machine is delivered the dishwasher floods, causing  £2,000 damage, and  £200 lost business in the restaurant. With only two days having passed when the machine was a delivered, it would be very correct to conclude that he machines was defective especially that facts

Graduates vs undergraduates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Graduates vs undergraduates - Essay Example Today, more than ever before nursing professionals are faced with challenges like catering to a global population, from diverse backgrounds and dealing with a whole host of problems that such situations throw up. Besides, with the advance of technology and an increased life span, the adult population with chronic illness makes up a significant percentage of today’s patients. In addition to healing the sick, nursing professionals today have to shoulder the added burden of the changing needs of their profession in order to deliver good and cost effective care to their patients. Holistic care that is based on the physical, mental and emotional well being of the patient is the goal of every nursing professional, whether graduate or undergraduate. A health care system, needs a human interface in order to translate a health care plan and maximize its benefits to the patient. This is one of the important roles carried out by the nursing profession. Besides delivering good and cost ef fective health care, the nursing professional must also be capable of focusing on prevention rather than on cure. Understanding advances in technology and using this knowledge to educate communities on ways to lead healthier lives is an important aspect of the entire nursing profession.

Art as a Spiritual Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art as a Spiritual Practice - Essay Example When practiced properly and with full attention it can prove to be a staircase to where one wishes to go. It can show you the way towards consciousness if the person is seriously interested. And here art refers to any kind of a creative act; whether it be drawing, painting, pottery, sculpture, or even performing arts such as dancing, singing or acting. Each of these activities requires proper concentration on the part of the performer and cannot be taken as a joke if one really wishes to attain proficiency and work out professionally. And when one is serious regarding art he may be able to look at it as a spiritual discipline. Ann Biddle was a dancer who expresses her spirituality through such means. She had had a tough early life and she was always interested in God and spiritual disciplines, such that she looked for them in her talents. She danced, acted and chanted. And in each of these activities, she was able to find the spirituality she had been in search of. In fact, she even got some ideas for her work when engrossed in spiritual practices. Another example is that of Willi Singleton who understood pottery as a form of spiritual practice. He did not look at pottery as something through which he supplied people with pots and plates; in fact, he gave his work a totally new meaning and found spirituality in it. When he is working he experiences a meditative transformation and thus this practice becomes a meditation for him. Lydia Garcia is yet another lady who found spirituality in art, wood carving in her case. Her marriages did not bring her much happiness and she let go after three marriages and looked for spirituality. She admits that whenever depression visited her and she felt low it was a spirituality that helped her regain comfort and confidence.  

Old Habits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Old Habits - Essay Example My own family members have become the greatest examples of these phenomena in my life. To comprehend this procedure or perceive the power of the cosmic force which is beyond our comprehension, the trajectory of my life consisted of the actions which fell into close counter, begins with the story of my brother Matt. Matt is my sibling and he is a great lover of adventure. This love of his life suddenly changed his entire life. However, it was not his destiny alone that was shaped with the deeds for which he was responsible. There were people around him like my mom, Deb and my dad, Steve and me whose lives were greatly affected by the transition in Matt’s life. As a family the lives of each member is closely related and influenced by the actions and lifestyle of other members in the family. Actually, this feeling itself gives a feeling of coherence. A family is like a complete picture where each member and their life is a fragment of the jigsaw puzzle. A single fragment missing would never allow completing the puzzle and the story. Matt and my life are not an exception in this regard and the fate of our parents proved fatal for us to a great extent. There was a time when my mom and dad were almost on the verge of losing their job. Threat of financial crisis is greatest in today’s materialist world. ... I mentioned the fact earlier that every integrated bit, every single member complements and completes the picture of a happy family. One day we all went together for hunting and very unfortunately at the dusk, we lost one of our dogs and never saw him again. This is why I repeatedly keep stressing on this factor. I am well aware with the consequence of a missing member in the prevalent picture perfect concept. The three different stories evolve out from the same platform called family. The three different incidents might seem fragmented incidents of life. They may seem bizarre. But all these events are united at a plane which greatly effect, move and influence the lives of all the members of the family. I want to give a very clear and in-depth introspection to this very simple and mundane factor which often escape the attention of the human mind. But the fact that neither it is mundane nor is it unimportant attracts a close attention. And this fact at times can bring forth an entire different set of actions which can alter the fate of a family or a generation altogether. Matt was a victim of this socio-economic change. His actions were not guided solely by his own will. At times, I sincerely feel that external conditions were responsible to a great extent for the predicament which he had to meet. I watched Matt through the glass door made for the visitors to watch the critical patients at the I.C.U. Matt was lying on the hospital bed. His blue-colored uniform reminded me the fact time and again that he loved blue. He wanted to wear something blue at the prom-night in his high-school graduation party. He was fortunate to get that touch of blue; but alas it was the I.C.U uniform. Matt was looking handsome. I could see only his face but that vision was

Art as a Spiritual Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art as a Spiritual Practice - Essay Example When practiced properly and with full attention it can prove to be a staircase to where one wishes to go. It can show you the way towards consciousness if the person is seriously interested. And here art refers to any kind of a creative act; whether it be drawing, painting, pottery, sculpture, or even performing arts such as dancing, singing or acting. Each of these activities requires proper concentration on the part of the performer and cannot be taken as a joke if one really wishes to attain proficiency and work out professionally. And when one is serious regarding art he may be able to look at it as a spiritual discipline. Ann Biddle was a dancer who expresses her spirituality through such means. She had had a tough early life and she was always interested in God and spiritual disciplines, such that she looked for them in her talents. She danced, acted and chanted. And in each of these activities, she was able to find the spirituality she had been in search of. In fact, she even got some ideas for her work when engrossed in spiritual practices. Another example is that of Willi Singleton who understood pottery as a form of spiritual practice. He did not look at pottery as something through which he supplied people with pots and plates; in fact, he gave his work a totally new meaning and found spirituality in it. When he is working he experiences a meditative transformation and thus this practice becomes a meditation for him. Lydia Garcia is yet another lady who found spirituality in art, wood carving in her case. Her marriages did not bring her much happiness and she let go after three marriages and looked for spirituality. She admits that whenever depression visited her and she felt low it was a spirituality that helped her regain comfort and confidence.  

Born Global Firms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Born Global Firms - Essay Example These firms are established to go global from the first day with a general view that the world is a single market and not an extension of the domestic market. Currently, there is a rapid increase in these firms, most of which have their origin from developed economies. Most of these firms are technological in nature and take advantage of the high technology developments in these countries. However, the firms are not limited to technology but are distributed across other areas as well. This report seeks to understand born global firms to details regarding their formation and the mode of operation. Born Global Firms Introduction Born global firms are business entities that are formed with the single purpose of doing business internationally. From its formation, a born global firm has the main objective of attaining a competitive advantage from harnessing resources and selling its products in many countries, and in most cases, these firms go global within their three years of inception. Multinationals are usually referred to as global firms, though there are major differences between multinationals and born global firms. ... Therefore, the main differentiating factor in these firms is that they have a borderless worldview and all their strategies are geared towards achieving a global presence. In this report, born global firms will be investigated in detail to understand the reasons behind the rapid increase in such firms in the recent past, how the companies undertake their operations, their features and the challenges that these firms face in their operations. The aim of this paper is to derive a better understanding of born global firms, the mode of operations in the global market and their differences from the conventional multinational organizations. Background study Michael Rennie coined the born global tag name in 1993 after studying a new concept of new firms that were established with the single purpose of competing on a global scale to harness resources in a number of countries at the same time (Jones et al., 2011). The interesting aspect of these firms is in the way a small firm is established with the single intention of meeting the varying needs of customers on a global scale. Such an approach requires a new focus in understanding the concept behind internationalization of firms and the need to attain a global status today. The new concept of a born global is to satisfy the need of customers on a global scale from its first day of inception, in that the firms are internationalized by design and not by emergence (Jones et al, 2011). In international trade models, a firm wishing to go global has to outlay the initial investment and make the entry costs before it commences operating globally.  

Main aim of education to promote individual differences education essay

Main aim of education to promote individual differences education essay This essay endeavours to analyse the statement that the main aim of education is to encourage individual differences. It puts forth the ethical claim that our education systems should not standardise students but help them develop as individuals in their own right. In order to present a balanced view to the reader, this literary piece draws upon the works of philosophers and educators from as far back as 360 BC. It is concluded that given the challenges faced by man in the 21st century, it only makes sense that education should support individuality. Introduction In the discourse of this paper, I aspire to investigate the aim of education as a facilitator for encouraging individual difference. The paper has been divided into four parts. I first discuss the significance of the nature of the student-teacher relationship and then explore the theoretical and practical realms of the two main educational systems of the 21st century. In the third segment of the essay, I compare the two educational structures on the basis of their support for promoting individuality. The paper is drawn to a close with a conclusion that authenticates the claims of this essay. Importance of the Student-Teacher Relationship In the opening chapter of their book, The Study of Education (2009), Bates and Lewis present an autobiographical account on education written by Wendy, an early years educator. While exploring the early years of her childhood, Wendy puts forth her feeling of disconnect with education due to the ineffective teaching practices that built up a foundation of fear around the very term. She describes her head teacher as being a strict authoritarian whose teaching philosophy was modelled on Lockes empirical pedagogical approach that described the childs mind as a blank sheet of paper that needed instruction from an exterior source in order to form ideas and opinions ( Locke, 1924). Wendy says, I loathed her for her remoteness and retreated into myself whenever she taught a lesson in our class (Bates and Lewis, 2009, p. 10). This diminished Wendys confidence and interest in learning and made her question her intelligence quotient. However, when she shifted to a slightly progressive learning environment where the teacher was not a scary figure, she not only became an A student but thoroughly enjoyed the learning process. Her fear of education disappeared and there was a sheer boost in self confidence (Bates and Lewis, 2009). Bates and Lewis (2009) use this example to put across the criticality of the relationship between the learner and educator. The online pocket Oxford dictionary (2006) defines the term relationship as the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected. Thus, it goes to say that the nature of the connection between two human beings is the most important feature in a relationship. This principle can be applied to student-teacher relationships as well. Studies have proven that a close and positive relationship between teachers and students has a direct impact on the academic achievement, behaviour and adult life of the student (Jones, 1981). For instance, as Jacqueline Zeller (n.d.), lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, points out, when children are provided with a sense of safety and security afforded by close relationships with teachers, they not only enjoy the process of education but also develop into well-rounded adults. However, when children are yelled at by the teacher, they feel rejected and frightened and tend to shun education (Zeller, n.d.). When students choose to drop out of high school, it is usually not a spontaneous decision but one that has been reached over a period of time mainly due to the presence of feelings of academic frustration and defeat or socio-cultural issues (Alliance for excellent education, 2009). A paper written by Rouse (2005) for the symposium on the Social Costs of Inadequate Education, New York, points out that these high school dropouts earn, on average, $260,000 less than a high school graduate. Thus, the ineffective flow of communication between the teacher and student has more consequences than we manage to comprehend. This brings up the question that if a positive student-teacher relationship is so important, why do we still see such varying student-teacher dynamics in the current day classroom scenario? The best way to understand this would be by exploring the two main teaching methodologies which define our academic world today: the traditionalist and progressive education system. Traditionalist education system A traditional teaching environment is a teacher-centric setup, where the role of the teacher is directive and rooted in authority (Novak, 1998). This teaching methodology arises from the realist philosophy of education that promotes the integration of the mind and body. Therefore, here theoretical learning is on the same footing as experiential education. This approach is mostly based on John Lockes educational philosophy (Locke, 1693). Locke, the 17th century British philosopher, believed in the immanent perspective of the child (James et all, 1998). He was of the opinion that the childs mind is a blank slate and knows nothing. It is up to extrinsic factors to provide information in order to instigate thoughts and opinions (Locke, 1813). Thus, while the student is important in this educational system, the main role is played by the teacher, who is more knowledgeable and experienced in matters of the world. Textbooks and workbooks are used as the primary teaching aids that help the t eacher fill up these knowledge holes in the minds of the students (Novak, 1998). In this educational setup, students are assessed via written and oral examinations (Novak, 1998). Since this a standardised testing system, the results are variable within the classroom, depending on each childs cognitive ability (McNally, 1974). However, there is a demand for a more balanced academic result with an exceptionally high class average, which affects the reputation of the school (Novak, 1998). Thus, teachers tend to spend most of their time perfecting students via repetition and rote learning. Traditionalists usually tend to adhere to a fixed curriculum; therefore, it is usually not possible to learn the content in context (Johnson and Johnson, 1991). Also, since there is more emphasis on the realist ideology of individualized learning rather than on group activities (Novak, 1998), the teachers prefer a linear classroom layout. Thus, desks and chairs are generally arranged in rows. It is interesting to note that though this education system has its roots in the realistic realm, the lack of implementation of the established education policies and rules makes learning more abstract. For instance, Locke laid emphasis on the soundness of the body and mind (Locke, 1693). He also believed that character-building and morality did not have to be formed by forcing children in a particular direction. He was of the opinion that once the knowledge was imparted to children and they were shown the path, they would be capable of integrating theory with practice. However, the present day scenario in traditionalist schools suggest otherwise. The teacher has to grill the students over and over again in order to attain a half decent result (Novak, 1998). Also, Locke was not very keen on the idea of punishment. In his essay, Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693) he states that punishment does more harm than good to the child. However, what we see in traditionalist schools is a belief in the Kantian notion of the original sin (Kant, 1900). The system practices the concepts of sin and virtue, where a sin is met with punishment and a virtue with a reward. Thus, force is generally used by educators to discipline students and make them obedient (Novak, 2008). Another example is that of the nature of education. Contradictory to Lockes belief, traditionalists look upon education as a duty and obligation that students must fulfil. The Kantian view that education is not a matter of desire but a call of duty holds much weight here (Kant, 1900). This idea can be understood through an elaborate example presented by Plato, an idealist Greek philosopher whose work has affected generations in philosophical thought. In his book The Republic (360 BC), Plato puts forth the allegory of the cave, which mainly focuses on the process of attaining enlightenment. This is a brilliant allegory since it covers the metaphysical, epistemological and ethical aspects of the idealist education philosophy and also sheds some light on human nature (Plato, 360 BC). The allegory is written in the form of dialogues between Socrates, Platos teacher, and Glaucon, Platos older brother. Socrates asks Glaucon to imagine an underground cave with its mouth opening toward the light (Plato, 360 BC). A group of people have lived here since birth, their legs and heads are chained so that they cannot move and they sit facing a blank wall (Plato, 360 BC).There is a fire blazing at a distance behind them and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised walkway with a wall in front of it. The prisoners watch the shadows projected by people carrying all shapes and sizes of objects and stuffed animals while walking down the raised path. Socrates describes these shadows as the closest versions of reality available to the prisoners (Plato, 360 BC). When these prisoners are liberated they move around the cave and find it hard to adjust to their new realities. The bright light from the fire hurts their eyes causing them to flinch with pain. It is not a welcoming change (Plato, 360 BC). What Plato is trying to convey here is that the prisoners have suddenly moved from a position of relative ignorance to a position of relative knowledge and the entity responsible for liberating them is the teacher. Thus, Plato makes a blatant point that education is not a pleasurable process but a painful procedure that needs to be forced upon people. Socrates then describes the prisoners journey to the higher world where they have the sun. The sun is used as a non-religious metaphor for attaining enlightenment. He states that the prisoners had to be forced to reach the mouth of the cave, implying the requirement of a compulsory authoritarian approach adopted by the teacher (Plato, 360 BC). Socrates then illustrates to Glaucon how the enlightened prisoner journeyed back into the cave to share his newfound knowledge with the others (Plato, 360 BC). Naturally, his ideas were refuted by the prisoners; for them the images on the wall still defined the ultimate truth of their realities. However, out of a sense of moral Platonic responsibility, which here is to pity the unenlightened minds, Socrates put forth the idea of using compulsion to educate the prisoners; after all the current teacher also had to be forced to go out into the light (Plato, 360 BC). This allegory echoes a resonating theme in the traditionalist education system. Progressive teaching methodology A progressive education system follows a student-centric teaching approach. Here the role of the teacher is that of a facilitator of education rather than an authoritarian instructor (University of Vermont, n.d.). Today we can find a number of different styles of progressive educators. However, the common thread running through them all is that they share the conviction that democracy means active participation by all citizens in social, political and economic decisions that will affect their lives (University of Vermont, n.d.) This approach has its roots in John Deweys model of education. Dewey was an American philosopher and educator who played an important role in defining the meaning of education during the late 19th and early 20th century. He founded the philosophical school of pragmatism with Charles Sanders Pierce and William James (Weber, 1960).Unlike ancient philosophical movements, such as idealism and realism, that trace their origins to Europe, the pragmatic system of thought first emerged in the United States of America. For the pragmatists, democracy is a deep concept rather than a political decision-making plan. It is the idea through which people form their social theories and beliefs about the nature of their world (Dewey, 2004). Dewey applies this concept of democracy to education in his book Democracy and Education (Dewey, 2004). He describes education as that reconstruction or reorganization of experience which adds to the meaning of experience, and which increases ability to direct the course of subsequent experience (Dewey, 2004, p. 83). Thus he considers education a social process and believes that students learn best when indulging in real-life group activities. It is interesting to note that unlike the ancient idealist dualism of the mind and body or the realist collaboration of theory and practice, pragmatism majorly advocates experiential learning. It harbours a general mistrust in theoretical abstraction or ideal speculation of any kind (Weber, 1960). It is a grounded ideology that believes in the functionality and practicality of the real world. It can be said that pragmatism is a derivative of realism. However, stark differences can be found between the two ideologies in terms of their metaphysical, epistemological and ethical principles (Ulich, 1961). Dewey did not believe in formulating fixed aims of education, since he opposed the segregation of the means from the end. In his opinion, the means, or journey, could result in more pleasure than the desired end (Dewey, 2004). Conquering the world, as Alexander the Great learned, is less desirable than having more worlds to conquer (Weber, 1960, p.265). Similarly, in a progressive classroom the main aim is to insure that the children are comfortable, since this is where their actual learning takes place. Here, children are not educated to be prepared for life; instead, education is considered life itself (Dewey,2004). The education system supports an interdisciplinary curriculum, which is more focused on the needs of the students rather than pre-defined tasks and subjects set out by the management or the teacher. By doing so, the students are not only given the power to participate in the decision-making process but are also given the freedom to learn by constructing their own knowledge (Dewey, 1956). In his book Democracy and Education (2004), Dewey talks about the humanistic nature of living beings. He describes the student as the biological child, the psychosocial child and the social child. Thus, when the learner comes to school he brings with him all the connotations, principles and experiences associated with his persona, which are appreciated and nurtured. Since progressive educators consider education to be a social phenomenon, more emphasis is laid upon group work rather than on individual learning (University of Vermont). Most of the classroom activities are tailored according to the group dynamics in the class, while keeping in mind the democratic theme of the education philosophy. However, with freedom comes responsibility (University of Vermont).It then becomes the duty of the teacher to instil the correct value system in the students. Keeping such points in mind, there has been a debate on the ultra child centric approach adopted by this school of thought. To summarise, it can be said that in a progressive teaching environment, the process of education is considered one that makes learning enjoyable (Novak, 1998). Here, learning is usually carried out as a collaborative or a co-operative process and seldom an independent task. Education then is not limited to the individual but to the community as a whole. Due to this approach, the students not only develop a social work ethic but also learn to engage in the exchange of ideas and opinions (Novak, 1998). Comparison between the two methodologies: promotion of individual differences On average, a child spends five to seven hours a day for approximately ten months a year at school (Labaree, 1999). Since students spend most of their childhood and youth at their place of education, it is necessary for the institution to have a calm and happy environment. However, not many children can call their school a fun and pleasurable place (Labaree, 1999). Teachers across the world are aware of the differences in cognitive ability of children in the same class (Perdew, 1953). However, usually only children studying in a progressive learning environment benefit from this awareness. The main reason behind this is the inflexibility and lack of time in the traditionalist curriculum (Novak, 1998). The traditionalists consider children as socially constructed beings who live in a world structured by adults, where the code of conduct, rituals and language belong to the dominant group. It is, therefore, the moral responsibility of the adults to prepare the child for his or her entrance into the real world (James et al, 1998). The child is looked upon as an object that lacks the characteristics of functioning as an independent entity (Toren, 2006). Thus the attention of the teacher is mostly focused on the childs aim of becoming instead of the concept of being. The student is not given much space to learn by exploration and experiment. He is se en as a future adult rather than as a young human being in his or her own right (Uprichard, 2008). Therefore, the majority of a childs school years in a traditionalist setup can be looked upon as: a becoming; tabular rasa; laying down the foundations; shaping the individual; taking on; growing up; preparation; inadequacy; inexperience; immaturity (Jenks, 2005) With such ideas in place, where is the time for the teacher to work on the individuality of the students, promote their differences and appreciate them for who they are? This gives rise to the infamous thought process through which students get accustomed to extrinsic motivators and attend school for attaining a certificate or a degree rather than knowledge (Labaree, 1999). Therefore learning becomes a grade-oriented process. In his book The Farther Reaches of Human Nature, Maslow (1993) states that students in a traditionalist system respond to grades and scores like chimps do to poker chips. Socio-cultural differences like class, creed, gender, physic, language, ethnicity and differences in economic backgrounds usually tend to be a major cause of concern for teachers. However, given the restraints of the traditionalist setup, the teachers are often forced to believe that the number of differences among the children in a classroom is less than the number of similarities among them. Thus, they should focus more on the positive, the similarities (Perdew, 1953). On the other hand, in a progressive classroom, instant care would be provided to make sure that the students feel welcomed and at ease in their learning environment. It must be noted that when the traditionalist education system was developed it was the ideal education structure, considering the composition and requirements of the society in the pre-modern era(Weber, 1960). The child not only attended school but also took part in activities such as farming, weaving, animal husbandry and milling. This helped with his/her over all development (Weber, 1960). Thus, it successfully met the need of the hour. However, since times have changed, societies have advanced, economies have undergone a sea change and people have become more conscientious of their needs and desires, the ideals of such an education system have become rather obsolete (Weber, 1960). Let us take the example of the Maple Bear teaching methodology. Maple Bear is a Canadian early childhood and elementary education system. Its progressive education charter concentrates on learning through experience and exploration (Maple Bear, n.d.). Our Mission is to provide a high quality Canadian  style early childhood and elementary education in a safe, secure and stimulating environment that will provide students with a foundation for lifelong learning (Maple Bear, n.d.). Today, there are Maple Bear schools in countries such as Korea, India, Bangladesh, Turkey and Morocco. Each of these schools attracts students from diverse cultural and economic background with varying levels of cognitive ability. It is noteworthy that the demand for Maple Bear schools is increasing by the day, which speaks volumes about their education philosophy. Currently, India is leading the tally with twenty-four Maple Bear institutions (Maple Bear, n.d.). This is especially interesting because the country already has a well-established education system in place (The World Bank, n.d.). Since the early years are the most formative for a childs development, could the increase in the number of Maple Bear schools possibly be due to a lack in the present, mainly traditionalist Indian education system? Are people beginning to realise the importance of promoting individual differences? Conclusion In todays world, where economic paradigms are changing at the drop of a hat, where education systems are modelled on the interests of industrialisation, where there is no guarantee that a degree will provide a job, why are we still slotting students into water-tight compartments? (Robinson, 2010) Why are we alienating children on the basis of their cognitive and socio-cultural differences? Why are we killing their individuality and in turn costing them their creativity? The majority of schools today adopt a production line mentality wherein little emphasis is laid on divergent thinking and the child is mostly taught to indulge in linear and convergent thought processes (Robinson, 2010).With the progress in educational research, teachers can now easily use tactics such as the aptitude-by-treatment-interactions which is a research methodology used to explore alternative aptitudes, attributes or traits and alternative instructional methods (Jonnasen and Grabowski, 1993, p. 10). The German Philosopher, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, (Brainy Quote) had said, You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist. This statement can be interpreted to support the belief that it is only natural to have differences among individuals. Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, stated that All men are created equal (Jeudwine, 1919). This statement is a traditionalist claim that has caused much unrest in the present society. If all men were created equal, why are there differences among us? This statement should be altered to the democratic idea that all men should be treated as equals (Dahl, 2003). It is only then that people can learn to maximize their potential. Throughout human history, people have been shunned by society due to their differences. However, many of these societal rejects did great things and helped the human race move forward. Thomas Edison, Galileo Galilei, Jean-Jacques Rousseau are only a few examples. It is difficult to envision a world without their contributions. They succeeded in spite of the system. Imagine what could happen if the system itself promoted and rallied for encouraging individual differences among people? In the cutthroat competition of the 21st century, where everyone is exploring their niche to get ahead in the rat race (Robinson, 2010), it seems only fair that differences in individuals should be supported from a very early age. Therefore, schools should employ teachers who have the right motivation for teaching, increase the student- child ratio and invest in teachers training programs which are extensive and rigorous in nature. What the teacher really needs to learn is how to put pedagogical theory i nto practice rather than the details of fifth grade mathematics. Difference is the course of invention and adoption of new idea and new behaviour patterns. It is the challenge to the old, to the formal, to the status quo, and to reaction. it instigates the dynamism of change. The success of individual differences in the area of technology suggests to us the potentiality of a similar expression in social invention. Our culture suffers from a dearth of new ideas and new approaches to life. Our need is to encourage difference and evaluate it, selecting among new proposals whose which seem to suggest the most fruitful outcome (Perdew, 1953) Thus, for us to move forward by promoting a sense of social justice and facing the economic and cultural challenges of the 21st century, the main aim of education should be to encourage individual differences.

The New Testament :: Bible Religion Christian Christianity

The New Testament I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Primary Source of the Knowledge of Jesus a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Proclaims the Incarnation -- the Word made Flesh -- Jesus becomes Man b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fulfillment of the Promise of the Old Testament II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Collection of books (proclaiming the fulfillment of God’s promises through His Son, Jesus) a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gospels i.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Written by the evangelists – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  CCC 125 = Gospels are the heart of all the Scriptures as they are the primary source of life and teaching of Jesus iii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Main sources of information about the historical Jesus iv.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Faith testimonials announcing the good news of salvation; evangelists are not primarily interested in the historical details of Jesus’ life -- primary interest in the good deeds he performed, the words of salvation he taught, and the meaning of his passion, death, resurrection and glorification v.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not all alike 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mark – suffering servant 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Matthew – humanness of Jesus 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Luke – Gospel message is for all 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John – emphasizes the symbolisms within Jesus’ life vi.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Synoptic Gospels 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  how Jesus lived 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Matthew, Mark and Luke vii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John’s Gospel – what Jesus meant b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Acts of the Apostles i.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Written about the time following Pentecost (for abt 30 yrs) ii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Luke’s sequel to his Gospel c.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Epistles – letters i.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pauline (13 books) – dealt with particular problems faced by the early Church and continued proclaiming faith in Jesus to be its central focus 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7 of the books directly attributed to Paul; the others were probably written by disciples of his ii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Epistle to the Hebrews – defines the priesthood of Jesus iii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Catholic Epistles – encouraged the universal church to keep the true faith and live Christ-filled lives d.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Revelation (The Apocalypse) – another book full of symbolisms written to aid Christians under persecution to remain loyal to Jesus and His teachings. III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How did the writing of the Gospels come to be? – 3-stage process a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The life and teaching of Jesus ------ period of time from Jesus’ birth until his death ------- what he did and taught b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Oral preaching about Jesus ------ from Pentecost until the actual written form of the Gospels c.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Written Gospels ---- written over a 35 yr period ------ Mark around 65AD, Matthew and Luke between 75-85AD and John during the last decade of the first century. Each evangelist adapted his materials keeping in mind the circumstances of the particular audience for whom he was writing†¦.each had different audiences. i.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most of what we know about Jesus’ early life comes from Matthew and Luke --- birth, Magi, Flight to Egypt, circumcision, Slaughter of the Innocents, boy Jesus in the Temple, Joseph ii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Catholic Church maintains the dogma of the virgin birth --- no brothers or sisters ------ the text that refers to Jesus’ brothers and sisters uses a word that also means cousins