I will Design and Carry Out my PEP on the Basis of me Being a Football Player Essay

I will design and carry out my PEP on the basis of me being a football player. I am 14 years and 6 months old and have been playing football since about the age of 5. I enjoy the game and I am quite good at it. Although I am quite good I would like to train to become better at the sport and increase my overall fitness level. I am generally fit but there is definitely room for improvement and I will look to do so. When I leave school I plan to join the British Army so I would like to become fit so that I can fulfil my plans. Over the 6 weeks that I carry out the training regime I will give it 100% and really try to improve my fitness and footballing skills. I want to make the best of my ability at football so I can enjoy what I do and hopefully it will benefit the Sunday league club that I play for. I play for Aspull Juniors. I have done so for 5 years now and enjoy playing for the team. I play in the centre of midfield and play in more of a defensive role. This position allows me to put a lot of effort in and influence the game. I am a good tackler of the ball and can pass good as well. For the job that I do on the football pitch I need to have a good stamina (so I can cope with the demands of the football math), good flexibility (so I don’t stretch my muscles when making tackles), good balance (to pass the ball and make vital tackles), strength (to out muscle opponents and kick the ball far), speed (to get to the ball quicker than the opponent), and good reaction time (this is so I can react to the ball quicker than an opponent.) My PEP should help me to improve all of these skills and as a result I will become a better football player. I have never suffered any long-term injuries of any kind and have no recurring injuries. Other sports that I enjoy to do are fishing, golf, tennis and table tennis. Although I do none of these sports competitively I am interested in them and have done for fun. PEP For my PEP I will use a pyramid session to gradually increase my fitness during the 6 weeks. I will use a badminton court as my guide and say that double the length of the court is equal to one length. I will increase the lengths as the program progresses to create an overload required to increase my fitness. I chose a pyramid session because I feel it is the most reliable way of increasing my fitness. Also I know that it will be easier to create an overload in either the amount of lengths or exercises that I do if I use a pyramid session. From when I have used this session in the past I have found that it always gives me a good workout and can be used to good effect. I will start and progress my PEP over the weeks using the FITT principal. I will increase the frequency by doing more exercises and by doing more running more often. I will increase the intensity by increasing the amount of exercise that will be done. I will do this by adding more lengths onto my pyramid session and more exercise in between. I will increase the time by putting more time into the exercises in between runs. The type will also be changed. I will change the fitness test that I will do after the pyramid sessions each week. The PEP that I have designed is one that I think will improve my overall fitness the most and also improve the skills that I need as a football player. It will start with a 5 minute jog. This jog will warm up my muscles so that they are not too stiff to stretch otherwise I will increase the chances of a ripped or torn muscle. After the jog I will move on to my stretches. They will be thoroughly carried out so not to allow any muscle injury whatsoever can occur. The stretches are one of the most important parts of the PEP and must be done with care and thought. If these are not done correctly than I will run the chance of pulling or tearing a muscle. The Pyramid Session starts by running the maximum amount of lengths you are wishing to do and then gradually working your way down until there are no more lengths to complete. In between lengths you are required to do exercises. For example, if I was planning to do 16 lengths I would do 16 lengths then a chosen exercise. After the exercise you then do 15 lengths then the exercise, then 14 lengths then a exercise and so on until there are no more lengths to complete. This Pyramid Session will progress throughout the 6 weeks of the PEP. Week 1 I will be doing 10 lengths, Week 2 and 3 I will be doing 12 lengths, Week 4 and 5 I will do 14 lengths and for the final week I will do 16 lengths. As the weeks progress an overload is created which will help me improve my fitness. The Warm Up For my warm up I will be doing a 5 minute jog around the All Weather pitch. The warm up is to warm the muscles up before stretching so I do not pull a muscle. I will time myself and be sure not to strain myself as this too could result in a pulled muscle if not careful. The Leg Exercises – Squats, Burpees, Switch Overs, Star Jumps These exercises will build up my leg muscles and allow me to put more power into a shot or long pass. These exercises will build up the strength and power in my legs and will allow me to hit a ball further and this will improve my skill as a football player. I have done more leg exercises than arm and body exercises because I feel that my legs are needed more on a football pitch. The Body Exercises – Sit Ups, Crunches The body exercises that I will do will allow me to build up my middle body muscles and will help me to become stronger and flexible in that area. This will help me when I play football because I will be able to adjust the middle part of my body easier and this will help me when I am playing. The Arm Exercises – Bench Press, Press Ups By doing these arm exercises it will improve my upper body strength and this will make it easier to shrug off opponents when challenging for a ball in a game. The exercises will build up the muscles in my arms and this can help when taking a throw-in. The Cool Down For the cool down I will do a light jog and then stretch. The cool down is to prevent lactic acid from settling in the muscles and producing cramps. This is just as important as the warm up and is needed to prevent injury after the PEP. Stretches Hamstring- I would sit on the ground then bend over front wards and touch the top of my shin, I would hold this for 10 seconds. Then I would sit up rest and then bend over front wards again only this time touching the toes rather than the shin. Quads- I would stand and balance myself against a wall with one arm then I would grab the left leg bend it backwards so the foot is touching my bum and hold for 10 seconds. Then I would stop rest and change legs. Groin Stretch- I would sit on the ground and put the soles of each foot together in a yoga sort of position. Then slowly put pressure on the inside of each leg to stretch the groin. Upper Arm- Place one arm in front of me and place the other arm underneath the arm that is held out and grab the shoulder. After this swap arms and do exactly the same. Hold each stretch for 10 seconds. Week 1 The warm up and the stretches went well and I then began my Pyramid Session. I had planned to do 10 lengths this week. I found that the Pyramid Session worked well. I completed the 10 lengths with ease but the exercises were quite challenging. At the end of all the lengths and exercises I found myself out of breath but I was pleased with the work I had done. I then went out onto the all weather pitch to do a 50 metre sprint. I did the sprint in 8.12 seconds which was a personal best. After the sprint I did a 5 minute jog and then stretched for 5 minutes. Evaluation I was very pleased with what I did this week but thought that I could handle more lengths than what I had done. The exercises that I did were quite demanding but I thought they would be easier to handle next week and was looking forward to the challenge. I was extremely pleased with the speed that I achieved in the 50 metre sprint and although it wasn’t a huge amount of time I did beat my personal best. Week 2 This week I had set myself 12 lengths to do but I wasn’t particularly worried about the task ahead. I started off with the 5 minute jog and a thorough stretch and then I began my Pyramid Session. The session went well again this week. Similar to last week I found that the exercises were again quite tough and challenging but the lengths were completed without much difficulty. After the Pyramid Session this week, I had set my self the throw/catch ball test. This was not physically challenging but I had to concentrate to get the 35 score that I got. This was not the best score I had ever had but I was pleased with the result. Evaluation I was again pleased with this week. The increase in lengths never really affected my performance this week. They were more challenging than the previous week but never caused a major problem throughout the session. The throw/catch ball test that I did was more about finding a rhythm and concentrating rather than a physical test. Week 3 After the initial warm up and stretch I moved onto another week of the 12 length Pyramid Session. This week it again never caused a huge problem but I was still tired towards the end of the session. The exercises still caused similar problems as they did in the first week and were tiring. It was this week when I began to feel an improvement in my fitness. After I completed the Pyramid Session I then went and did the muscular endurance test in the hotel foyer. My previous best at this test was 100 seconds but this week I nearly doubled that score with 190 seconds. I was extremely pleased with this result. At the end of the session I did a 10 minute cool down. Evaluation I found that the 12 lengths didn’t pose too much of a problem for me this week and I was looking forward to the challenge of 14 lengths next week. I think that the exercises again provided a challenge for me and I began to feel the improvement in my fitness. I was extremely pleased with the score I achieved in the muscular endurance test. I think that I did well this week and was looking forward to the next few weeks ahead. Week 4 Due to a Dentist appointment I was unable to complete the regime at school. As a result I set up a training course on a football field behind my house and carried out my session to the best of my ability taking the environment and lack of equipment into condition. I worked hard for 1 hour and was pleased with the workout I had. Week 5 This week was my first attempt in school of attempting the 14 lengths I had set. Firstly, I did the warm up and stretches then got started with the Pyramid Session. It began like the others had but towards the end I found that this session was a lot more tiring than the previous weeks. At the end my legs were aching and I was really tired. I had created the overload and felt the affect. Although I was tired I was pleased with the task I had done and was looking to the week ahead. The test this week was a standing broad jump. I managed to get a score of 1 metre 52 centimetres. I was quite pleased with the score although it was not a personal best. After the test I went outside where I did a 5 minute jog and stretched off to avoid cramped muscles. Evaluation I was pleased with the effort that I put in today and could feel a definite improvement in my fitness. I thought that 14 lengths were very challenging and along with the leg, arm and middle body exercises produced a Pyramid Session which would challenge me. The standing broad jump that I did was not spectacular but I was pleased with the result. Week 6 For this week I was supposed to do 16 lengths, but because I missed week 4 I decided that I would carry on with 14 lengths. I went outside and did the warm up followed by the stretches then went inside to carry out the Pyramid Session. The 14 lengths were challenging but I felt an improvement in my fitness and they were easier to complete than the lengths last week. The test for my final week was a repeat of the throw/catch ball test. I carried it out in the Sports Hall and beat the score I had gotten previously. I got a score of 33, beating the score of week 2 and equalling my personal best. Evaluation I was pleased with the work that I had done in my final week. I found that the 14 lengths in the Pyramid Session were easier to complete than the previous week. I was pleased with the level of my fitness and was pleased with the score I achieved in the throw/catch ball test. Final Evaluation Throughout my PEP I have seen my overall fitness gradually increase from week to week. I would definitely say the regime has been a success and recommend it to people wishing to improve their fitness. The Pyramid Session provides a challenge from week to week and the exercises between the lengths make it a very demanding regime. I was pleased with the work that the exercises did and at the end of the 6 week program saw an improvement in my leg muscles, middle and upper body strength. I am extremely pleased with the improvement and success that the PEP has had.

Leadership Styles and Their Effect on CEOs Essay

Abstract The purpose of this essay is to analyze, compare, and contrast the leadership styles of two influential CEOs. I have collected information from many internet sources that elaborate on the life, achievements, and misfortunes of Jack Welch and Steve Jobs, and how they overcame their obstacles to become the best CEOs of all time. Leadership Styles and Their Effect on CEOs Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive. Jack Welch and Steve Jobs exemplify the true meaning of what a leader is. Their personality traits of being conscientious open to experiences, extroversion, persistent, and passionate has led them to be the most phenomenal visionary leaders of their time. Jack Welch was the chairman and CEO of General Electric between 1981 and 2001. During his duration at GE, he managed to introduce a fresh and innovative leadership style. Welch developed a ranking system that put employees in one of three categories. The top 20 percent were â€Å"stars†, the middle 70 percent were the crucial majority, and the bottom 10 percent were weeded out (Bloomberg, 1998). I admire and strongly agree with Welch’s management approach of making employee’s accountable. If you are hired to perform a job, then expecting results of a certain quality is justified. In addition, I believe that Welch’s passion for productivity and results allowed him to achieve effective performance management within his company. Results create success, and I believe most people tend not to raise their standards high enough if there are not serious repercussions that follow, such as being dismissed for not providing results. Welch most notable achievement was increasing the market value of the General Electric firm. As CEO he increased it from approximately $12 billion when he took over, to a colossal $505 at the time of his retirement (Management, 2012). He managed to make GE the world’s second largest company with a market capitalization that was only exceeded by Microsoft. Through hard work and perseverance Welch managed to attain legendary status of being one of the greatest CEOs of all time. Leadership Styles and Their Effect on CEOs Steve Jobs was an entrepreneur, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. As the CEO of the company, Jobs covered the development of the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, and on the services side the company’s Apple Retail Stores, iTunes store, and the App store. The success of these products under Jobs provided stable years of financial return, and propelled Apple to become the world’s most valuable publically traded company. The reinvigoration of the company is regarded by commentators as one of the greatest turnarounds in business history (Gallo, 2011). Jobs was a â€Å"one-in-a-billion† innovator with a bulldog mentality. He created a vision and relentlessly drove it into completion. Jobs was a demanding perfectionist who always aspired to position his business and products at the forefront of the technology industry by understanding and setting trends with innovation and style. His reputation was built on being a brutal force and often destroyed staff for their â€Å"bozo† ideas and typically shrugged off his associates suggestions in favor of his own gut instinct. Moreover, he only wanted what he called â€Å"A-players†. Meaning that they had to be brilliant and he insisted that under the threat of being fired, that they would never reveal any of Apple’s secrets inside or outside of the organization (Juarez, 2011). In summary, both Welch and Jobs are extraordinary leaders who demonstrate charismatic and transformational leadership styles. They both have very similar qualities in wanting to produce results. However, they differ because Welch’s management style was cut throat in the sense of firing employees who did not perform. Yet, he was still open to the ideas of managers and employees, and empowered them. On the other hand, Jobs leadership style is regarded as unconventional and being a dictator, who only listens to his own intuition. References Bloomberg, L,P. (6/28/2012). How Jack Welch Runs GE. Business Week. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://www.businessweek.com/1998/23/b3581001.htm Gallo, F. (3/17/2012). What Kind of Leader Was Steve Jobs? Calypso Consulting. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://www.chinacalypso.com/content/what-kind-leader-was-steve-jobs Juarez, A. (10/5/2011). A Different Kind of Leader. Studying Systems for a Humane and Sustainable World. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://saybrook.typepad.com/complexity/2011/10/a-different-kind-of-leader-steve-jobs-1955-2011.html Management Strategies From A Top CEO. (4/16/2010). Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://www.investopedia.com/articles/financial-theory/10/manage-business-like-jack-welch.asp#axzz2CpmsLsRK

Lamb to the Slaughter: How Did Social Roles Allow Mrs. Maloney to Get Away with Murder

Amber Lopez Mr. Lopez AP English III February 4, 2013 Snapped: How Mrs. Maloney got away with murder In the short story â€Å"Lamb to the slaughter† by Roald Dahl, Mrs. Maloney gets away with killing her husband and nobody really suspects her of doing so because she's a woman. The setting and time period of the story plays a large role because this is still an era when men and women had gender roles. Mrs. Maloney isn't a suspect to her husband's murder because she had an alibi and one of the main reasons was she had the gender role of the typical house wife.In the story the detctives do not suspect Mrs. Maloney of killing her husband because her gender roles as a woman are being fragile, dumb, incapable of doing anything that needs physical force, does nothing but cook, clean, take care of the house, tend to her husband, and above all she is pregnant which helps her get away with murdering her husband. Mrs. Maloney is the typical house wife that always tends to her husbands ev ery need. When she kills her husband and the detectives come to her house to investigate his murder they do not expect her to have done such a thing.The detectives believed that her husband was hit behind the head with a heavy blunt object and her gender role being a woman let alone a pregnant woman help her get away with murder. Since she's a pregnant woman her gender role helps her seem fragile and weak Incapable of carrying a heavy object and exerting enough force to kill someone, so that's one of the reasons she gets away with murder. Another reason Mrs. Maloney gets away with killing her husband is that she basically worshipped him, she lived for him. Mrs.Maloney did everything she possibly could make her husband a happy man, the way it should be in those times. In the story it shows how much Mrs. Maloney loved her husband, and how she enjoyed being a house wife. The police officers and detectives notice that Mrs. Maloney seemed to be grieving over her husband's death, and they didn't know about Mr. Maloney's intentions on leaving Mrs. Maloney, so it makes her look less suspicous. Last but not least Mrs. Maloney was a smart woman, and created an alibi. Men in those times thought women were dumb, and they were also supposed to be virtuous and innocent.So when the detectives questioned her she had the perfect alibi. To men a woman could have never been able to do such a thing because they were too innocent, and since they were considered dumb they knew she would've been caught if they would have killed someone. In Conclusion, the gender roles of women played a large role in the story because it hepled Mrs. Maloney get away with murdering her husband. The detectives obviously had stereotypes about her being the typical house wife and she played along, so Mr. Maloney's murderer will remain a mystery. DUN DUN DUN

Study of Nurse Workarounds in a Hospital Using Bar Code Medication Research Paper

Study of Nurse Workarounds in a Hospital Using Bar Code Medication Administration System - Research Paper Example The implementation of BCMA technology might impact negatively on the nurses’ attitudes toward the medication administration process. This, in turn, might make work processes more difficult to nurses while administering medication to patients. This paper will provide a response to Goodner’s journal article as regards to nurses’ perception to the use of BCMA system and then provide my judgment over the issue. It will also review three other journal articles to demonstrate if they agree with my viewpoint. Finally, the paper will list my evaluation and three points of criteria used in my judgment. Research reveals that medication errors are the most frequently experienced preventable errors at (19%) according to Gooder (2011). Gooder notes that most (34%) medication errors take place during medication administration. The impacts of these errors are directly related to patients and can cause grave injuries. It is for this reason that the Institute of Administration (IOM) recommended the introduction of bar coded medication administration system (BCMAs) as a solution to medication administration errors. This, argues Gooder, will reduce medication errors by about 86%. This is true because it will enhance the prevention of patient injuries, which have characterized most of today’s hospitals. On the other hand, the technology will also improve the overall quality of services offered in the hospital. With the application of the technology, there will be faster administration of medication and improved accuracy in service delivery. This will improve the overall satisfaction o f patients. In spite of the benefits of the BCMA system as regards error reduction, Gooder notes some concerns about its safety and effectiveness. Among the concerns is the non-compliance with the BCMA system by nurses in many hospital settings.

Playworkers' Responsibilities with Regard to Common Forms of Abuse Essay

Playworkers' Responsibilities with Regard to Common Forms of Abuse - Essay Example They should be able to make full and correct records of everything and also know the laws which demand the required action (e.g. Children Act 1989) Finally, their greatest responsibility is to the child first, so the attitudes of caring kindness, empathy, and support must be present. They need to listen, question appropriately (for age), offer help and support. Thus a knowledge of support systems and services is necessary. Identification, Consultation, Referral, Initial Assessment, Planning, Strategy Planning Meetings, and after all these, either of two strategies may be put in place: 1. Services offered to child and family to ensure its future welfare is secured, or 2. Child's name is placed on the Child Protection Register and further assessments, meetings and reviews of progress will continue. Flowcharts 1 5 The playworker will have input, as someone who knows the child and its circumstances. If they have raised the concerns, they should make clear and correct records, consult with managers and colleagues, and those in other child protection roles, usually beginning with Social Services.

STRATEGIC ANALYSIS case assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

STRATEGIC ANALYSIS case - Assignment Example To achieve, the social organization aims at helping parents, educators, other residents, as well as additional stakeholders with emphasis on developing a safe learning environment for children. The first goal of HCZ was to set up a seamless system with necessary support to the child before birth through to adulthood in college. The goal was to have a best-practice conveyor belt. The biggest problem faced by the social organization was evaluating and measuring the success of the same. Secondly, the top management at HCZ aimed at helping children from humble and troubled backgrounds to grow actively and become healthy adults within their respective communities. HCZ aims at building a society with healthy children and the community simultaneously. In the process, the focus of the institution went on important groups and frequency. To help children grow into responsible adults, HCZ attached two strategies to this goal. Children remained under the watch of responsible parents. It was expected that the caring parents would be ideal models for children to learn from as they grow. The second strategy was exposing children to the right healthcare, social stimulation, intellectual ascendancy, as well as continued guidance. To run the project effectively, the management integrated the two strategies into the overall model upon which the institution ran. In his opinion, the president and Chief Executive of the social organization felt that pursuing a zone approach stood out as the best framework for the development of the entire project. In its design, the methodology meant the project will have cumulative and a scalable influence on the sampled population. Furthermore, the management at HCZ put in place strict geographical boundaries that guided delivery of services. The success of zone approach relied on obtaining sustainable funding. Sourcing for additional money was important to achieve meaningful growth. In the process, HCZ

How is Nagarjuna's concept of emptiness different from original Essay

How is Nagarjuna's concept of emptiness different from original Buddhist philosophical teaching - Essay Example In this way, he argued that emptiness does not represent a thing since it is not something one can point at and identify neither can one grasp it with the hand. The idea of emptiness means that things lack the element of natural being or in other words they have no soul or natural being. Nagarjuna argued that there is nothing in the world that possesses a soul or essence which means that they have no permanent unique base (Olson 167). This shows that if things do not have a natural existence or essence, it means they are not independent. Emptiness in this respect clarifies that things are fundamentally relative and therefore, cannot exist on their own. This philosophy of Nagarjuna goes against original Buddhist philosophies that identified the soul as an intrinsic being that can exist on it own even after death. Nagarjuna additionally, states that emptiness is not superior and does not judge other views because in itself it is empty. For instance, Nagarjuna touches on the issue of ex istence or non-existence and concludes that human beings overlay a personality on things that are not there. He says that the ideas of existence and non-existence are only formed in the minds of human beings which mean that emptiness destroys ignorance, gullible and blind concepts. In this way, the Four Noble Truths like knowledge and truth exist in the mind and are able to eliminate the issue of ignorance (Olson 168). It is clear from Nagarjuna viewpoint that emptiness is meant to destroy the erroneous human perception to ensure that people see things and experiences as they truly should be. He adds that emptiness is not a self-proven reality that is meant to object the issue of non-emptiness. He cites that human should therefore, not get attached to the constituent of emptiness in itself, because it is not something substantial that people need to cling onto. In Nagarjuna’s ideas, human beings should detach themselves from mental and emotional inventions since they lead peo ple to transcend their personhood. In this respect, humans are required to free themselves from any ideas or events which include the concept of emptiness. The natural nature of emptiness is emptiness which leads to the ultimate truth instead of the ultimate truth by itself (Olson 168). Nagarjuna believes that emptiness is not a concept that can be proven or defended because it is not a position at all. The concept of emptiness means that all questions end since there is no position to defend. The question of nivarna (spirit or heaven) arises and does it mean that it does not exist? In Nagarjuna explanation, there is no suggestion or intention that is legitimate in absolute sense. It is a philosophy where Nagarjuna ensures that humans understand that they need to eliminate mental and emotional attachment to extraordinary concepts and take up simple insight to the nature of things. In this respect, it is possible to understand nivarna from Nigarjuna philosophy since he says that all extraordinary things are empty which shows that nivarna is also empty. This conclusion clarifies that nivarna is devoid of any forms of unfairness, particularities and even of definitions (Olson 169). In addition, nivarna is devoid of all sorts of representations and verbal differentiations which mean it is not independent. It is clear that Nagarjuna says that nivarna and the idea of

Organizational Performance Measurement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organizational Performance Measurement - Essay Example As a whole and general principle, a critical viewpoint differs or can be said as it is outside of the managerialist course in order to learn strategy as a definite organizational process. Through research and several other reviews it was seen that there are many approaches that are critical to strategic management and one of them is the processual school that asserts to illustrate how strategy is actually made from bargaining, constructivist, and embryonic perspectives. But the case is that processual approaches keep some promise however quickly move en route for prescriptive managerialism. Next I would add about a more profound critique from critical theory and postmodern insights. Strategy can be witnessed as a set of practices and discussions which promotes influential rationality it also reiterates hierarchical relations of power and most of all analytically privileges the interests and perspectives of particular groups. This approach has been important in probing the principles of strategy what it lacks is the point that its focus on discussion and lack of concern with the reality of strategy is to a very valid extent its potential weakness. The third and final approach that I like to discuss is drawn from Gramsci which gives an offer from a historical materialist perspective, this approach pays more attention to the actual content of strategy. Here the debatable point is that the strategic exploitation of discursive, managerial, and monetary resources in supporting or challenging supremacy suggests a strategic notion of power and a political standpoint on corporate strategies to exercise market power, influence government policies, , discipline labor and refuse to accept pressures from social groups. This approach also points to a more encompassing image of liberation strategies. Next we can asses the corporate culture in order to get the perspective about the organization involved. Corporate culture is often determined by the beliefs of the people at the controls -- and this culture can affect the way individuals in the organization respond to adversity. For example, a corporate culture based on top management's belief that "No matter what, employees will always work as little as possible, so it's our job to monitor them closely" can foster mistrust and an "us/them" thinking style. In Adaptive terms, this would create a less resilient organization. Senior management can use the Adaptive skill set to build a corporate culture that endorses a flexible, optimistic approach to handling adversity. They can learn to identify their own and their company's cultural "thinking style". They can then check it for common errors in logic and identify the consequences of the style to themselves and to the organization. Corporate Governance and organizational performance To understand the better functioning of a corporation one must know about the corporate governance which is identified as a field in economics that examines how to secure efficient running of organization by the utilization of incentive mechanisms, such as agreements, organizational designs and legislation. This is often limited to the question of improving financial performance, for example, how the corporate owners can secure/motivate that the corporate managers will deliver a competitive rate of return. It is the system

Tobacco Shop Franchising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tobacco Shop Franchising - Essay Example The reason stems out of the fact that people are often more aware of the product or service offered by a franchise and prefer it to those offered by lesser-known outlets. Another benefit of signing the franchising agreement is that the franchisor has already proved that the operations in this market conducted in this particular manner can be successful. As the Pipe Dreams has been around for eight years and has established a network of franchisees, of which it is known that they have had a high success rate in the past, one can be certain the franchisor has proved that the chosen layout and location of the tobacco shops, the developed pricing policy and assortment of the tobacco goods offered are successful. Moreover, for Ralph Emerson to be able to run his tobacco shop effectively he needs the knowledge and feeling of the goods' peculiarities and the consumer preferences. Probably, in his previous career as a librarian he may have accumulated some knowledge about the tobacco and cigars, most probably through the hobby, but it can not be compared to the expertise of the well-known tobacconist whose ideas have proven their validity during the eight-year period. Therefore, the training and guidance in the assortment choice and the shop decoration is of high importance in this case.

Report - analyse of policy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Report - analyse of policy - Term Paper Example The anonymity policy of the organization is elaborately dealt with in the report and the report seeks to offer certain recommendations based on the findings of the analysis of the policy. The significance of lifeline services have increased immensely as the modern man’s life has become more complex, more problems centered, tensed and emotionally turbulent. In this respect, the tele-counseling services of lifeline 13 11 14 in Australia deserves primary importance as the Australian lifeline answers around 450,000 calls per year from people needing emotional support from almost all parts of the nation. For over 45 years Lifeline has provided Australians with access telephone counselling service for mental health support. Counseling involves a partnership between a client and a mental health professional â€Å"such as a psychologist who is licensed and trained to help people understand their feelings, and assist them with changing their behavior† (Counselling and Therapy). All lifeline staffs are trained to deal with Lifeline callers. The customer friendly policies of the Lifeline in Australia make it unique and approachable to all sects of people: the serv ices of the lifeline are open to all and it offers counseling service that ‘respects everyone’s right to be heard, understood and cared for† (Lifeline: About 13 11 14. 2008 ). The lifeline offers services on many sensitive issues such as family and relationship issues, mental health concerns, suicide prevention and support, abuse and violence, loneliness and life direction, taking into account the fact that the needs of the people can vary â€Å"genders and age groups and between rural and metropolitan areas† (Lifeline: About 13 11 14. 2008 ). The major aim of the lifeline telephone counselors is to provide emotional support to the needy customers in order to enable them to face the challenges of life rather than running away from them. This report analyses the

Treatment of wastewater for reuse purposes Research Paper

Treatment of wastewater for reuse purposes - Research Paper Example Wastewater can be filter and treated to be from all of the containments or some of the containments. Wastewater can be utilized in many applications. Wastewater can be utilized in the agriculture in both the treated and untreated forms. Untreated wastewater is rich is macro nutrients and thus the crops easily in untreated wastewater but it is not environmentally safe as it posses danger to the biodiversity of region. The chemical in the untreated wastewater can easily enter into the food chain and thus can harm the human life. Treated wastewater is not only goof for the plants but also for the environment. Wastewater can also be utilized for the industrial purposes. It can be utilized to cool down the internal combustion engines that generate power in the power plants and to reduce the temperature of the steam in the steam turbine generators. Introduction The increase in the population of the world proposed many problems. One of the major problems is the shortening in the supply of p ortable water. The fresh water sources are depleting as the population is increasing. On the other hand, the natural hydrologic cycle is much affected by the impact of human activity. One way to reduce the burden on the fresh water resources is to reuse the wastewater after treating it and then utilizing it for various purposes. The process of treating the wastewater not only makes the water safe of the biological environment but also for the industrial purposes. Today, an average home consumes as much water in a month that our ancestors have used in years. The modern water utility habits in urban regions made some parts of the world to remain in the water stressed regions. Most of the rivers in the world are unable to reach the oceans due to the heavy human burden on the rivers. Water reuse is the only key to reduce the impact on the portable water resources in the world. There are several techniques to treat the waste water. All the evolved processes have different economic aspect s. The basic sewerage wastewater treatment system ascorbic digestion method consumes less energy and utilizes the natural biotic microorganisms to make the water safe for the environment. How in order to attain the drinkable quality, it undergoes different other steps like the disinfection, sedimentation filtration, filtration, etc. The water quality is considered to be environmentally safe after ascorbic digestion and can be used for the irrigation purposes. The water quality produced thus is rich in nutrients that are made during the breakdown of the sewage wastes and thus good for the agriculture (Drechsel, Scott, Raschid-Sally, Redwood & Bahri, 2009). In urban localities this type of water is safe after disinfection it and removing slug from it. This water is safe for drinking after undergoing different processes but most people prefer not to take this water as the primary drinkable water. It is most utilized to flush the toilets and for laundry purposes (Tchobanoglous & Burton, 2003). Water treatment can be 100 percent efficient or more than 100 percent. It means that the

Biculturism and Marginalization Essay Example for Free

Biculturism and Marginalization Essay * Ross-Sheriff (2011) commented that international migration patterns have * changed as a consequence of broad social, political, economic, and environmental * trends and explained the causes of the driving forces were including war, * globalization, urbanization, and changing cultural norms regarding social roles and * responsibilities (Ross-Sheriff, 2011). With these complex trends of migration * patterns, Van Hear (2010) viewed migration as a process which was an integral part * of broader social transformations, but which also had its own internal dynamics with * other factors related to the migrating process, shaping social transformation in their * own way. Migration was also linked in complex ways to class, gender, generation, * ethnicity and other social factors, which were embodied in positions in home and host * communities, and in work and domestic relationships, all of which might be * transformed in the course of the migratory process (Van Hear, 2010). To understand this complex process of migration, especially under changing circumstances of one culture to another, it might be useful to build conceptual tools for understanding these transitory processes in migration studies and in social science more widely (Van hear, 2010). They also include mediating agents and transitions that need also to be accounted for, as well as intersections among class, gender, generation, ethnicity and other social ruptures as well as the main driving forces of migration (Van Hear, 2010). Of course there were other important concepts such as relations between time and space, between dynamics or processes and outcomes, and between structure and agency that needed to get attention (Van Hear, 2010). However, it is impossible to discuss all different theoretical concepts involved in different types of migration process in the current limited study. Rather, this study tried to focus on psychological impacts such as ethnic identity and self-esteem on migration through acculturation processes particularly on family- related migration because different patterns of migration produced different communities and resulted in producing different migrant identities including varying levels of psychological distress (Jones, 2008). Further, few empirical studies have focused on migrant adults populations. Most migrants identification related literatures tended to relate more for adolescents or young children because identity formation might be particularly challenging in this cohort, especially when the values and beliefs of their natal culture differed significantly from those of the host society (Sodowsky, Kwan, Pannu, 1995; as cited in Farver, Narang, Bhadha, 2002). Therefore, this study focused on ethnic identity and self-identification issues of adult migrants’ themselves within a family structure according to different theoretical models relevant to adaptation of new cultures, because family was the basic instrument in the society (Nesdale, Rooney, Smith, 1997). In fact, most cultural acquisition theories developed and evolved in 1990s. when international migration became a key issue in international politics at the beginning of 1990s. As Castle (2002) argued that migration, development and international relations were closely connected as migration was a major factor of transformation for both sending and receiving countries for different types of migrants (Castle, 2002). With this perspective, this study generally focused on those migration culture acquisition theories developed in 1990 rather then looking at current perspectives in the most recent literatures, which actually have evolved from these original theories in 1990s (Castle, 2002). As the findings from these research studies has had been mixed or sometimes contradictory, it was important to understand the exact nature of the relationship between migrant ethnic identification and the acculturation process both need to be specified and assessed properly with coherent measurements and theoretical assumptions (Nesdale et al. , 1997). Important theoretical concepts: ethnic identity, acculturation, biculturism, and marginalisation. According to Phinney (1990; as cited in Farver, Narang Bhadha., 2002), ethnic identity and acculturation were related but separate constructs. Ethnic identity involves an individual’s self-identification as a group member, a sense of belonging to an ethnic group, attitudes toward ethnic group of membership, and degree of ethnic group involvement (Farver et al. , 2002). The term acculturation was defined in anthropology as those phenomena, which resulted when groups of individuals having different cultures came into continuous first-hand contact with subsequent changes in the original pattern of either or both groups (Redfield, Linton, Herskovits, 1936; as cited in Birman, 1994). Although acculturation was a neutral term in this context (that is, change might take place in either or both groups), in practice, acculturation tended to induce more changes in one of the groups than in the other (Berry, 1990a; as cited in Berry, 1997) Berry (1997) argued that in all plural societies, cultural groups and their individual members, in both dominant and non-dominant situations, must deal with the issue of how to acculturate. According to Berry (1997), four acculturation strategies were introduced: assimilation, separation, marginalization, and integration. When individuals do not wish to maintain their cultural identity and seek daily interaction with other new cultures, the assimilation strategy is defined. In contrast, when individuals place a value on holding on to their original culture, and at the same time wish to avoid interaction with others, then the separation is defined (Berry, 1997). When there is an interest in both maintaining one’s original culture, while in daily interactions with other groups, integration is the option; here, there is some degree of cultural integrity maintained, while at the same time seeking to participate as an integral part of the larger social network (Berry, 1997). Last, when there is little possibility or interest in cultural maintenance (often for reasons of enforced cultural loss), and little interest in having relations with others (often for reasons of exclusion or discrimination) then marginalization is defined (Berry, 1997). However, this acculturation categories model has been criticized methodologically (Rudmin, 2003, 2009; as cited in Schwartz et al. , 2010) because all four of Berry’s categories were represented in the same way by creating the two by two matrix of acculturation categories between high and low. However, the cut off point between high and low was arbitrary and would differ across samples, making comparisons across studies difficult, resulting in the fact that all four categories existed and were equally valid (Rudmin, 2003; as cited in Schwartz et al., 2010) and suggesting that not all of Berry’s categories might exist in a given sample or population, and that some categories might have multiple subtypes (Schwartz et al. , 2010). In particular, Berry (1997) viewed the term â€Å"biculturism† as referring to acculturation that involved the individual simultaneously in the two cultures that were in contact in integrative ways, which appeared to be a consistent predictor of more positive outcomes than the three alternatives of assimilation, separation, or marginalization. Berry and his colleagues (Sam Berry, 1995) assessed the acculturation strategies of various immigrant groups in North America and the results showed that bicultural individuals experienced less acculturative stress, anxiety and fewer psychological problems significantly, while marginalized individuals suffered the most psychological distress, including problems with self-identification and cultural alienation, which adversely affected their self-esteem (Farver et al. , 2002). However, Shiraev and Levy (2007) explained acculturative stress as a negative feeling that a marginalized person might experience as a distressing psychological reaction to any unfamiliar cultural environment based on the assumption that person and groups undergoing any social and cultural change should experience a certain amount of psychological distress. Generally, many early definitions of acculturation focused on exposure to two cultures simultaneously as a culture shock, which was a reactive state of specific pathology or deficit, rather than taking advantage of being bicultural (Berry Annis, 1974; Shiraev et al., 2007). The validity of marginalization as an approach to acculturation by Berry (1997) was also questioned (Del Pilar Udasco, 2004; as cited in Schwartz et al. , 2010). Schawartz et al. argued that the likelihood that a person would develop a cultural sense of self without drawing on either the heritage or receiving cultural contexts would be less likely to. The marginalization approach might be true only for the small segment of migrants who rejected both their heritage and receiving cultures (Berry, 2006b). Indeed, studies using empirically based clustering methods have found small or nonexistent marginalization groups and scales that attempted to measure marginalization typically had poor reliability and validity compared with scales for the other categories (Cuellar, Arnold, Maldonado, 1995; Unger et al. , 2002; as cited in Schwartz et al. , 2010). As described earlier, the impact of migrant ethnic identity on psychological distress had comparatively diverse points of views if they were either negative or positive reactions, depending on different theoretical frames. For example, Social Identity Theory (Tajfel Turner, 2001) and Self-Categorization Theory (Turner, 1987) emphasized more on the importance to individuals of their identification with particular social groups. Social Identity Theory (Tajfel Turner, 2001; as cited in Yip, Gee, Takeuchi, 2008) viewed a possible explanation for why ethnic identity might buffer the effects of discrimination. According to this theory,individuals chose from an array of possible social identity groups and, once those groups were chosen, individuals focused on the positive aspects of their in-group, which helped to boost their own esteem, suggesting that ethnic identity was more important to their overall identity (Yip et al. , 2009). In contrast, if ethnicity was a central component of ones identity, it might actually exacerbate the effects of discrimination, resulting in a greater negative impact on mental health, according to self-categorization theory (Turner, Hogg, Oakes, Reicher, Wetherell, 1987; as cited in Yip et al., 2008), suggesting that people should be more in tune with environmental cues that were relevant to an important aspect of their identity. That is, experiences of racial discrimination might be such a cue relevant to their ethnic identity. Indeed, research suggested that African American adults and adolescents who reported strong racial centrality were also more likely to report experiences of racial discrimination (Neblett, Shelton, Sellers, 2004; Sellers, Caldwell, Schmeelk-Cone, Zimmerman, 2003; Sellers Shelton, 2003; as cited in Yip et al., 2008). However, despite this emphasis by social theorists, they tended to forget the larger literature that involved with both ethnicity and the acculturation process (Liebkind, 1993; 1996; as cited in Nesdale, Rooney Smith, 1997). First of all, these different findings resulted from lack of inclusion of acculturation itself as a variable methodologically when acculturation was considered as a phenomenon in research designs (Sam and Berry, 2006). Without including acculturation as a variable, the explanations for human behavior similarities and differences across populations would remain incomplete (Sam et al. , 2006). Second, a further criticism of the acculturation literatures was that the same two acculturation processes, and the same four-acculturation categories, characterized all migrants equally—regardless of the type of migrant, the countries of origin and settlement, and the ethnic group in question, according to Berry’s (1980) model and other similar approaches (Sam et al., 2006). Finally, the vast majority of studies in the acculturation literature have focused on behavioral acculturation (Schwartz et al. , 2010). That is, most widely used acculturation measures included primarily (or only) items assessing language use and other cultural practices (e. g. , Cuellar, Arnold, Maldonado, 1995; Stephenson, 2000; Szapocznik, Kurtines, Fernandez, 1980; as cited in Schwartz et al. , 2010) due to accepting the fact that cultural practices might provide only a fair proxy for cultural adaptation (Schwartz et al., 2010). Theoretical frameworks for acculturation research Shiraev Levy (2007) claimed that cross-cultural psychologists usually used three approaches to examine human activities in various cultural settings. They were the sociobiological approach, the sociological approach and eco-cultural approach (Shiraev et al. , 2007). In particular, the eco-cultural approach emphasized both the environment and the individual were seen as open and interchanging systems (Shiraev et al., 2007), introducing John Berry whom originally developed this theory further in contemporary cross-cultural psychology. Shiraev et al. (2007) also pointed out that specialists should to be able to explain how, why, and to what extent people differed from one another, when ecological, biological, cultural, and acculturation factors were identified and taken into consideration (Berry, J. W. , Poortinga, Y. H. , Segall, M. H. , Dasen. P. R. ,1992; as cited in Shiraev et al. , 2007). In related to the concerns pointed by Shiraev et al. (2007), Berry (1997) argued earlier there were important links between cultural context and individual behavioural development, demonstrating what happened to individuals who developed in one cultural context when attempting to re-establish their lives in another one through his acculturation research framework, by confirming the fact that acculturation was one of the most complex areas of research in cross-cultural psychology because the process involved more than one culture and in two distinct senses (Berry, 1997). According to Berry (1997), the concept of acculturation was employed to refer to the cultural changes resulting from different ethnic groups encountered, while the concepts of psychological acculturation and adaptation were employed to refer to the psychological changes and eventual outcomes that occur as a result of individuals experiencing acculturation. In another words, acculturation phenomena resulted from contact between two or more cultures and research on acculturation had to be comparative in order to understand variations in psychological outcomes that were the result of cultural variations in the two groups in contact (Berry, 1997). In particular, this framework viewed the integration model of acculturation strategies the most desirable among other strategies, considering it the same as the biculturalism model (Berry, 1997). For example, Berry and his colleagues (Berry, 1980; Berry, J. W. , Kim, U. , Power, S. , Young, M, Bujaki, M. , 1989; Berry, Kim, Minde, Mok, 1987; Sam Berry, 1995 as cited in Farver et al., 2002) Assessed the acculturation strategies of various immigrant groups in North America and the result showed that integration was the most psychologically adaptive attitude, arguing that integrated or bicultural individuals experienced less acculturative stress and anxiety and manifested fewer psychological problems than those who were marginalized, separated, or assimilated, whereas marginalized individuals suffered the most psychological distress, including problems with self-identification and cultural alienation, which also affected their self-esteem (Farver et al., 2002). However, Phinney, Cantu, and Kurtz (1997) found that American identity was associated with self-esteem only for non-Hispanic Whites, but not for other ethnic groups. These mixed results as explained above raised two issues in the acculturation literatures. First of all, cultural practices might offer only a substitute for cultural adpatations, as Portes and Rumbaut (2001 as cited in Schwartz et al., 2010) mentioned that many Asian American young adults in their sample were not proficient in their native languages, even though they still perceived their identification with their parents’ countries of origin and maintained many of their values (Schwarz et al. , 2010). Secondly, most researchers on biculturism did not sufficiently define an accurate operational definition of biculturism so that interpretation of those research results were problematic (Birman, 1994). Indeed, one finding in the United States, was that self-identification as American was markedly higher in non-Hispanic Whites than in ethnic minority groups (e. g. , Devos Banaji, 2005; as cited in Schwartz et al. , 2010) and many White Americans did not perceived themselves as members of an ethnic group (Schildkraut, 2007; as cited in Schwartz et al. , 2010). In brief, different operational definition problems of acculturation arose from different theoretical models of acculturation regarding to their assumptions (LaFromboise, Coleman, Gerton, 1993). LaFromboise et al. (1993) assumed acculturation as one of substitutes among the biculturism models. Biculturism as defined in this theory was viewed as the alternation model, which implied an individual in two culture contacts could be competent in both cultures without losing one of the cultures’ competencies in distinct cultural contexts as alternation model, whereas, fusion model meant a blended cultural identity, consisting of a synthesis of aspects of both cultures (LaFromboise et al., 1993). However, Berry’s (1997) integrating approach of biculturism differed from the bicultural model (LaFromboise et al. , 1993; as cited in Birman, 1994) and it emphasized more on the relationship between the two cultural groups based on its implicit assumption that one of two cultures were higher than the other within a single social structure (LaFromboise et al. , 1993). Benet-Martinez and colleagues found that â€Å"blended† bicultural individuals tended to report higher self-esteem and lower psychological distress than a marginal population (Chen et al. , 2008 as cited in Schwartz et al. , 2010) because the consistent availability of both cultural flows within the person’s everyday life increased the ease of activating the correct cultural schema in accordance with their environmental situations (Schwartz et al. , 2010). In contrast, Tadmor, Tetlock, and Peng (2009) argued that the bicultural model considered those marginal individuals in positive ways, when there was little interest in cultural maintenance and little interest in having relations with others, suggesting positive aspects of being a marginal person might be (1) sharing his or her condition with others of the same original culture; (2) engaging in institutional practices that were shared by other marginal people; (3) experiencing no major frustration from social expectations; and (4) still perceiving himself or herself to be a member of a group (LaFromboise et al., 1993). According to Sam and Berry (2006), many studies of how migrants coped with intercultural contacts had discrepancies in the ways in which they were operationalized and measured. As no standardized or widely accepted acculturation measures existed, it was necessary to design a clear and explicit formulation of acculturation instrument in order to assess acculturation adequately (Sam et al. , 2006). Further Sam and Berry (2006) pointed out that most empirical studies widely used a self-report type of questionnaires that had been recognized limitations such as social desirability, emphasizing obtaining divergent validation by source of information other than the respondents’ reports. Therefore, it is vital to understand each theory within its specific assumptions and not to generalize across all situations regardless of their similar findings (LaFromboise et al. , 1993). As this study discovered migrants’ acculturation processes so far within specific theoretical frameworks, literature findings in different research were mixed as to whether individuals could be highly acculturated and at the same time be strongly identified with their ethnic group (Farver, Narang, Bhadha. , 2002). These confusing problems initially evolved because of the context in which migration arrangements and their acculturation processes were fundamentally transformed and increasingly uncertain due to globalization (Landolt Da, 2005). Shiraev Levy (2007) suggested a new approach to cross-cultural psychology in the twenty-first century, which was linked to the concept of globalization. Globalization was defined as a proliferation of cross-border flow and transnational networks due to new technologies of communication and transport that allowed frequent and multi-directional streams of people, ideas and cultural symbols (Castle, 2010). Castle also argued that globalization leads to major changes in the character of international migration. In other words, the context for migrant incorporation has already changed radically and will continue to do so. The rise of multiculturalism itself rather than assimilation or biculturism is one sign of this, but is not the end of the story: new forms of identity and belonging go beyond multiculturalism (Castle, 2010). Even though there is limited empirical evidence for clear statements for globalization, there probably are highly cosmopolitan groups who feel at home everywhere such as global business and professional elites might correspond with this image. But most members of transnational communities fall between these extremes, and probably have contradictory and fluctuating identities (Castle, 2002). Conclusions This study explored that a special case of cultural psychology was the study of how individuals respond to situations where they were in transition between their original culture and another that differed from it in some respects in terms of acculturation, especially within a specific theoretical frame that could apply to the specific situation (Adler Gielen, 1994). There was no single theory widely accepted by all social scientists to agree with the emergence and perpetuation of international migration patterns in the world under globalization (Van Hear, 2010),suggesting that the contemporary migrating context in which such migrating arrangements were realized fundamentally kept transforming so that it became increasingly uncertain (Landolt and Da, 2005). Although the topic of cultural contact and individual’ change has attracted considerable attention in contemporary cross-cultural psychology, the field has been characterized by a lack of theoretical coherence, definitional problems with key constructs, and single sample studies that limit the external validity of empirical cross-cultural research (Ward and Kenney, 1994). As acculturation is a process which takes place over time, and which results in changes both in the culture and in the individual culture changes, it would be ideal o compare two sets of data are compared over time using the same people. However, in practice, it is impossible in most acculturation research settings (Sam et al. , 2006). Instead, a common alternative to longitudinal research is cross-sectional research in which a time-related variable, such as length of residence or generational status can be used for the generalizability of acculturation theories (Sam et al., 2006). In general, researchers of migrating studies need to be aware that it is the selective nature of the sample that happens across all migrating research. That is, individuals who chose to migrate would be different from those who do not (Sodowsky, G. , Kwan, K. , Pannu, R. , 1995; as cited in Farver et al. , 1997). Finally, acculturation research generally focused on immigrants assumed to be permanently settled in their new host countries. As a result, the terms â€Å"migrants† or â€Å"international migrants† referred to the same type of migrants collectively. Moreover, many countries were both sending and receiving countries for different types of migrants, or in the process of transition from one type to the other (Castel, 2002). Therefore, where applicable, it is viable to design acculturation research studies classifying different types of migrants. References Adler, L. L. , Gielen, U. P. (Eds. ). (1994). Cross-cultural topics in psychology. Westport: Praeger Publishers. Berry, J. W. (1980). Social and cultural change. In Triandis, H. C. , Brislin, R. (Eds. ). Handbook of cross-cultural psychology (pp. 211-279). Boston: Allyn Bacon. Berry, J.W. , Kim, U. , Power, S. , Young, M, Bujaki, M. (1989). Acculturation attitudes in plural societies. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 38, 185-206 Berry, (1990a). Psychology of acculturation. In Berman, J. (Eds. ). Cross-cultural perspectives: Nebraska Symposium on Motivation (pp. 201-234). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. Berry, J. W. (1997). Immigration, acculturation, and adaption. Applied Psychology: An international review, 46(1), 5-68. Berry, J. W. , Annis, R. (1974). A cculturation stress. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 5(4), 382-397. Berry, J. W. , Kim, U., Minde, T. , Mok, D. (1987). Comparative studies of acculturative stress. International Migration Review, 21, 591-511. Berry, J. W. , Poortinga, Y. H. , Segall, M. H. , Dasen. P. R. (1992). Cross-cultural Psychology: Research and application. 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American Psychologist, 65(4), 237-251. doi: 10. 1037/a0019330 Sellers, R.M. , Caldwell, C. H. , Schmeelk-Cone, K. H. Zimmerman, M. A. (2003). Racial identity, racial discrimination, perceived stress, and psychological distress among African American young adults. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 44(3), 302-317. Seller, R. M. , Shelton, R. M. (2000). The role of racial identity in perceived racial discrimination. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(5), 1079-1092. Shiraev, E. , Levy, D. (2007). Cross-Cultural Psychology: Critical thinking and contemporary applications. Boston: Pearson Education Inc. Sodowsky, G. , Kwan, K. , Pannu, R., (1995). Ethnic identity of Asians in the United States. In J. Ponterotto (Ed. ), Handbook of multicultural counseling (pp. 110- 130). Newbury Park: Sage. Stephenson, M. (2000). Development and validation of the Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale (SMAS). 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Implementation of Lean Manufacturing Principles

Implementation of Lean Manufacturing Principles In their Journal of Engineering, Project, and Production Management article, Development of a Framework for a Lean based Water and Energy Efficiency Assessment Tool, Davies and Merwe (2015) discussed the most suitable lean manufacturing principles that enhance the energy and water utility, consumption and their effects on improvement of energy and water efficiency. The authors identified that the South African industries are facing issues regarding the increased energy consumption and increased prices for water for the consumption of the manufacturing industry and mainly concentrated on implementing lean manufacturing tool for increasing the efficiency of energy and water resources by reducing the wastes (2015, p.98). Lean manufacturing principles are useful for continuous improvement through the elimination of various forms of wastages in the process. About five lean manufacturing principles are utilized for the suggestion of model or framework for improving the performance of the m anufacturing processes, thereby eliminating the wastage in the processes, that include identifying the value, describing the value stream, building a flow, establishing pull production and seeking for perfection (2015, p.99).ÂÂ   By considering the five lean principles, the authors identified the aspects behind the wastage of energy and water that include leakages, the inefficient size of the equipment, idle time, shortcomings in the engineering management and loss due to the heat (2015, p.100). The major aim of the authors is effective utilization of water and energy within the organization, by implementing lean manufacturing principles. The value stream mapping (VSM) is a graphical tool which is the combination of various lean manufacturing tools that represents the information about the manufacturing process logically in a specified manner. The authors selected VSM as the effective lean tool for improving the energy and water efficiency by eliminating the wastages. The propo sed planning map can be drawn by the lean practitioner and based upon the analysis of prepared map the necessary activities are implemented for process improvement. The VSM which is drawn based on the present state of the industry, is basis for the Water Energy Stream Map that is clearly explained by the author. The WESM (Water Energy Stream Map) mapping involves mainly three phases that include analysis phase, design phase and implementation phase. In analysis phase, the practitioners gather required data for analysis and the present status of energy consumption graph can be developed and water and energy management opportunities are determined. In the design phase, the future state of the map can be prepared by considering the data gathered in analysis phase (2015, p.103). The final phase or the implementation phase involves implementing various activities for the improvement of the process based upon the design which in turn is based upon the various ground realities ascertained during the analysis phase (2015, p.104).ÂÂ   The authors also discussed the forecasting methodology for comparing the forecast of water or energy consumption with the actual consumption after the implementation of the frame work for identifying the improvement in the process with WESM framework. The authors have chosen regression analysis as the statistical tool with R2 to determine the strong correlation between the variables and an R2 of 0.75 or more to signify strong relationship in between water or energy consumption as the dependent variable and production volume as independent variable. The authors have suggested further research towards ascertaining the effectiveness of usage of the tool (WESM) in the manufacturing sector usage (2015, p.105). Strength and validity of claims Davies and Merwe (2015) have provided supportive information for their claims which are represented in the article. The authors have claimed that a suitable tool is required for ascertaining the factors, increasing the efficiency of water and energy and developed WESM framework, based on the value steam stream mapping of the lean tool (2015, p.103). The authors expect that focusing on continuous improvement will increase the energy and water efficiency in long term and implementation of lean tools are helpful to enhance the efficiency of water and energy, thereby reducing wastage in the process and the authors clearly mentioned that the consumption of power and water are high in South African industries, with evidence by collecting the data of power and water consumption in various fields (2015, p.100).ÂÂ   The authors identified that different categories of energy wastages that include leakages, sizes of the equipment, idle time, engineering management and heat losses in the pr ocess. The authors strongly believe that these wastes can be eliminated by using lean tool Value Stream Mapping (2015, p.102). By using VSM, it is easy to eliminate nonvalue-added activities in the process which results in increasing the efficiency of output. The authors also mentioned about utilizing the forecasting methodology for determining the performance of the WESM framework regarding whether it improves the energy and water efficiency or not (2015, p.104). Qualitative and quantitative methods have been utilized towards strengthening the claims and hence providing the validity of the overall claim of implementing the lean methodology and tools for achieving the efficiency of the water and energy resources. Recommendations I strongly believe that the article provides good knowledge regarding the implementation of lean manufacturing principles for improving the efficiency of energy and water. The wastages in consumption of energy and water can be reduced through the implementation of lean manufacturing principles within the organization. In this article, the author mainly focuses on the challenges which are faced by the South African manufacturing industries, so that this article is helpful to the manufacturing industries. I would like to recommend this article to the various manufacturing industries to reduce their energy consumption costs by eliminating wastage and for the students, researchers, industrial professionals to improve their skills and knowledge in production management through lean management approaches and tools used in this research document. There is a scope for further research in ascertaining the suitability of the forecasting method for the efficiency of the tool and the tool for th e usage in all the different industrial sectors. References Edward Davies, Karl van der Merwe. (2015). Development of a Framework for a Lean based Water and Energy Efficiency Assessment Tool. Journal of Engineering, Project, And Production Management, 5(2), 98-106. Retrieved from: http://www.ppml.url.tw/EPPM_Journal/volumns/05_02_July_2015/ID_116_5_2_98_106.pdf

Advantages of Virtual Reality in Education| Proposal

Advantages of Virtual Reality in Education| Proposal Assignment 2 Research Proposal (i) Research aim and questions In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) technology has been introduced and incorporated into education. However, its relationship with students second language acquisition remains unclear though there are a few researches in the last decade. In this research proposal, I will examine the main advantages of using VR in second language acquisition and analyse its effectiveness on improving students self-efficacy based on previous studies. Meanwhile, I will highlight the areas that require further examination and propose my plan to address the following questions: a) Major Question: How can Virtual Reality (VR) improve students self-efficacy in learning a second language? b) Sub questions: 1. What factors affect effectiveness of using VR to improve students self-efficacy in second language acquisition? 2. What is the difference between using VR and traditional immersion classroom in terms of improving students self-efficacy?3. To what extent can VR improve students self-efficacy on long term? (ii) Hypotheses to address The following hypotheses are given based on my literature reviews on previous studies and my formulated questions: 1. Using VR can improve students self-efficacy in second language acquisition. 2. Using VR in second language learning could improve and sustain students self-efficacy on long term. 3. Students find it more comfortable speaking target language to VR rather than in a face-to-face conversation. 4. Using Head Mounted Display (HMD) are more effective than computer screen in improving students self-efficacy. 5. Using VR is more effective to improve students self-efficacy than immersion language classroom. (iii) Definitions of key terms In this part, three key terms, Virtual Reality, Affective Filters and self-efficacy, require definition: a) Virtual Reality (VR) The term Virtual Reality was used to describe 2D online multiplayer websites that is based on conventional communication through text input (Lin Lan, 2015). However, Monahan, McArdle, Bertolotto (2008) observe a significant development of 3D graphic technology that enables VR to be much more immersive and 3D powered.   Lin Lan (2015) concur that the difference between the VR nowadays are significant from the original concept as they provide authentic life experience through its 3D virtual environment rather than just watching graphics from a computer screen. Hence the term can be best described a system that creates an authentic virtual 3D graphic world where users can view and interact through multi-sensory inputs from external devices (Pan, Cheok, Yang, Zhu, Shi, 2006). As a result, the definition of Virtual Reality in this proposal is focusing on the technology that involves using personal computer or Head Mounted Display (HMD) in classroom education (Limniou, Roberts, Papadopoulos, 2008) since this definition enables my proposal to focus on its highly immersive 3D graphic features that enhance the interactions between users and the virtual world. b) Affective Filters Affective Filters hypothesis is proposed by Krashen (1982) to describe attitudinal factors relate directly to acquisition (p.31) that act to prevent input from being used for language acquisition. (p.32). He categorizes the Affective Filters into three: learners self-confidence, motivation and anxiety (p.31), which are closely related to the concept of self-efficacy as below. c) Self-efficacy The term self-efficacy can be defined as peoples judgment of their capabilities to organise and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances (Bandura Schunk, 1981, p. 31). Furthermore, Pajares Schunk (2001) contextualise the term in education as students ability to persist and be resilient when facing challenges in learning. Finally, it is noteworthy that self-efficacy is considered by Oliver, Purdie, Rochecouste (2005) as one of the major affective factors in students process of learning second language acquisition, which fits into Krashen (1982)s hypothesis of Affective Filters. (iv) Literature Review In this section, I will present connections between using VR and improving students second language acquisition from my readings. Firstly, I will explain two advantages of using VR in second language learning from previous studies. Afterwards, two researches are presented and discussed to respectively highlight the features of VR technology and to establish the correlation between use of VR and improvement of learners self-efficacy. Finally, it is equally important to discuss the limitation of these researches as my proposed research aims to address these issues later. a) Benefits of using VR in second language learning To start with, two major advantages are identified in using VR in students learning in language: reduction of Affective Filters and synchronised linguistic and physical co-presences. Reduction of affective filters in using VR in language learning has been established by multiple studies. Schwienhorst (2002) suggests a major difference between conducting a role-play with real person and with a VR is that language learners feel less embarrassed when making mistakes in their conversations since they are aware of the non-judgemental nature of using VR. Furthermore, Moschini (2010) concurs that because second language learners feel that unlike a real person, VR is non-judgemental when their speak, which encourages them to interact with others in the virtual world and ultimately, making them feel more confident and less stressed. In addition, Schwienhorst (2002) points out the possibility of practice the same conversation for much longer time in VR provides learners with higher chance of succeed in speaking as they feel less pressured with more confidence in completing the designated tasks. Another benefit of using VR in language classroom is that VR synchronises learners physical and linguistic co-presences, which results in more effective communication. Clark Marshall (1981) believe that in order to communicate effectively, it is important to reach mutual knowledge in their conversation between two interlocutors. One important indicator of its effectiveness is the level of synchronisation of learners physical location and linguistic one. They furtherly point out that communication cannot be effective unless conversation happens in the same location with speakers physical one, which is not always the case in second language learning, suggested by Schwienhorst (2002). He believes that using VR bridges the gap between learners physical locations and linguistic co-presence since it offers this immersive environment that makes learners to believe they were somewhere else. Henderson, Henderson, Huang, Grant, (2009) extend that students choice of location words can be faci litated through using VR when they communicate through videolink due to the merge of physical and linguistic co-presences. b) Second Life research study The first research by Henderson et al. (2009) establishes the correlation between using VR in language learning and its effectiveness on improving students second language acquisition. Meanwhile, another The Second-Life research is a quantitative research study at Monash University that utilizes VR platform Second Life to improve Chinese language learners self-efficacy (Henderson et al., 2009). They design a virtual world where students need to use their created avatar to collaborate with other learners to complete certain Chinese language learning tasks, such as identifying and placing order on Chinese dishes in a Chinese restaurant. Throughout the research Henderson et al. (2009) observes a significant improvement in learners self-efficacy as their survey suggests that student believe VR offers a learning experience more authentic and relevant to real world. They conclude that students self-efficacy could generally improve by incorporating VR in second language learning. c) Tag Along Role Play research study A more recent study, TagAlong Role Play, by Mock (2016) at MIT highlights a few key features of using VR in education due to its continuous technological development. Unlike using the computer screen in the Second-Life research, TagAlong Role Play incorporated Google Cardboard device, a kind of Head Mounted Display (HMD), into language learning (Mock, 2016). He identifies two major differences between using Google Cardboard and its predecessors: higher affordability and 360 degrees spherical view. The first feature, concurred by Sharples, Cobb, Moody, Wilson (2008), makes VR technology significantly more accessible to all students in classroom, rather than just a few due to its low cost of purchase. Another implication is that the device is easier to maintain and use compared with its predecessors, making it possible to access to students of different age (Mock, 2016). Another key difference between using Google Cardboard and a computer screen is the 360 degrees spherical view offered by the former. Rand et al. (2005) suggests that using HMD devices could offer higher level of immersion for learners, which is witnessed in the TagAlong Role Play research (Mock, 2016). Instead of navigating using keyboard, learners simply need to look around when wearing HMD and the tracking system will adjust the image they see accordingly. Thus, this more immersive environment, according to Rand et al. (2005), could elevate sense of presence of VR users, which could ultimately translate into higher level of synchronisation between physical and linguistic co-presence (Schwienhorst, 2002). The TagAlong Role Play research offers some new features of VR in language education that could not be feasible a few years earlier, which brings some new potentials that have not been examined yet. d) Limitations and future directions Despite all the benefits and features of VR mentioned above, it is important to argue that there are certain limitations of the researches above, which require further research on these issues. To begin with, the effectiveness of using VR to improve students self-efficacy on long term remains unexamined. Despite the conclusion drawn by Henderson et al. (2009), they concede that whether such improvement will sustain on long term is not yet confirmed since their study was conducted in a single lesson. Moreover, Bandura (1997) acknowledges the challenge students face when their high self-efficacy does not translate into better result, which could significantly impact their self-efficacy in negative way. Hence, as Henderson et al. (2009) suggests, a research with longer term is required to determine the effectiveness. Secondly, the impact of those emerging mobile VR devices in second language acquisition has not yet been fully discussed. The devices used in the Self-Life study are different from what we understand as VR in this proposal since Henderson et al. (2009) explain that students used personal computer on an online website in the study. However, in the past several years, VR industry has undergone a revolutionary development in making these devices smaller and more mobile, especially with the Head Mounted Display (HMD) (Lin Lan, 2015). Therefore, it is only recent that VR could be deployed in language learning classroom on 1:1 ratio due to these developments. However, Mock (2016) acknowledges the implications of such development need further examination. Finally, Quinn Hussey (2003) note that Little has been published on its [VR] efficacy compared to conventional training methods (p. 164), which challenges the pre-conception that VR is necessarily more effective than other learning methods. Furthermore, they suggest that using VR as the sole instructional tool might make learning less effective rather than what we anticipated. Even with VR being used as supplementary learning tool, its higher effectiveness compared with traditional learning methods are not yet conclusive (Crosier, Cobb, Wilson, 2000). Therefore, a research comparing the effectiveness of VR with other immersive learning environment, such as language immersion classroom, is warranted for further studies. (v) Significance of the research The aim of this research is to contribute to the existing knowledge of self-efficacy in second language acquisition. Besides, it will examine the issue in a school context rather than in a university classroom. In addition, it compares the effectiveness of VR with traditional immersion language classroom. Most importantly, it explores the factors that could be related with the use of VR in learning process. Hence, four major significances are explained as follows: Firstly, this research aims to contribute to the knowledge of self-efficacy, which plays a crucial role in students second language acquisition. Henderson, Henderson, Huang, Grant (2009) suggest that self-efficacy is an important indicator of students learning performance in future, which is concurred by Oliver, Purdie, Rochecouste (2005) as they believe students with high level of self-efficacy are more likely to achieve successs in learning compared with their low-level counterparts. Meanwhile, the relationship between students self-efficacy and their proficiency in reading and listening is emphasised by Mills, Pajares, Herron (2006) through their research with French learning university students in the United States. To contrast, Krashen (1982) points out that regardless of language learning capacity, if a student has very high affective filter due to low self-confidence or motivation, what student learned in class is unlikely to translate into higher performance in future. Thu s, it is important to examine the factors of learners self-efficacy in second language acquisition, among which could possibly be related to the features of VR technology although the exact variables are not yet clear. Secondly, this research aims aims to investigate the effectiveness of VR in improving students self-efficacy in secondary school context. Although Henderson et al. (2009) observe signficant improvement in students self-efficacy from their studies, the context of a secondary school classroom might be quite different from a university one. In particular, Pajares (2006) implies that compared with adult learners, self-efficacy plays an even more important role in adolescent learners learning and achievement since the latter usually have very limited options in motivation, which makes them less resilient than adult learners. As a result, he suggests that adolescent students are unlikely to continue their learning if they do not have a sustainable self-efficacy to complete their learning. Therefore, it is important to research on the effectiveness of using VR on secondary school context so as to provide a clearer picture on how effective VR is in improving self-efficacy in a different educ ational context. In addition, this research aims to compare the effectiveness of VR with other teaching methods in language teaching. As Ausburn Ausburn (2004) and Bowman McMahan (2007) suggest that despite all the positive result of using VR in education industry, researches comparing VR with those more traditional teaching methods are rarely conducted. Quinn Hussey (2003) also concur that using VR might not necessarily a more effective teaching methods than others, contradicting with studies from Wong, Ng, Clark (2000) which suggests that VR is indeed more effective when it comes to training dentistry students. In the context of second language acquisition, although it is still inconclusive to suggest VR is indeed more effective than immersion, it will be exploratory to compare the effectiveness between the twos, which could re-shape our definition of what an immersive language classroom looks like. Last but not least, this research focus on the factors that determine the effectiveness of VR in improving self-efficacy rather than seeing VR as a powerful tool itself. Ausburn Ausburn (2004) caution the danger of assuming the tool can be effective without considering of all the contexts and relevant variables. One of the factors could be software design of the VR program as suggested by Riva (2003) who argues that simply having the most advanced device is not enough for VR to be effective in education, rather we need to have a compatible software in order to maximize its effectiveness. Otherwise, as she suggests, the effectiveness could decrease significantly if the ecosystem cannot sustain the learners sense of presence by making them to believe what they see is real. From this example, we can assume more factors should be explored when it comes to effectiveness of VR, especially on improving students self-efficacy, which is part of the objectives of this research. (vi) Methodology Firstly, pragmatism is chosen to be the methodological paradigm due to the nature of this research. Gray (2004) suggests that for pragmatists research tend to focus on a practical issue/phenomenon and idea is true only if the issue can be addressed in a practical manner. In the context of this research, pragmatism is best represented by that aim that using VR will hopefully improve students self-efficacy, a practical challenge we are facing in second language learning classrooms every day. As a result, the theoretical perspective of pragmatism encompasses the design of this research. In addition, due to the nature of pragmatism in this study, it is designed to be a mixed methods research with two stages of quantitative and qualitative approaches respectively. However, the qualitative stage of the study will be emphasized to answer the main question of this proposal, which is considered as a qualitatively-driven research that incorporates quantitative research to ensure a more comprehensive insight of the problem (Johnson, Onwuegbuzie, Turner, 2007). Therefore, methodologies of both stages are presented as follows: First stage is designed to be an quasi-experimental research (quantitative) aiming to validate hypothesis on the correlation between using VR and improving students self-efficacy in language learning. Creswell (2012) defines experimental research as to test an idea, practice or procedure to determine whether it influences an outcome or dependent variable (p.295). Another advantage of using experimental research is to have control group to exclude the non-necessary variables that could distract our understandings of such relationship. Hence in this proposal, the hypothesis that using VR can improve students self-efficacy in long term will be examined by this approach and using experimental research could enable us to establish the potential connections in between. Second stage is based on the Ground Theory for qualitative research, aiming to explain the factors that influence the effectiveness of VR in improving the learners self-efficacy. In his book Gray (2004) suggests the Ground Theory approach to be best involved when there is not a clear agreement on the theoretical framework of certain issue, which is the case for using VR researches in education (Ausburn Ausburn, 2004). Finally, Gray, (2004) points out that the Grounded Theory could help develop theoretical framework that could be practical in assisting educators, which aligns with the pragmatic paradigm of this research. (vii) Methods Based on the methodologies above (quasi-experimental and the Grounded Theory), the first stage involves experimental research (quantitative) using control group and analytical survey before the second stage, based on the Grounded Theory in qualitative research, involves semi-structured interview and open-coding analysis. Finally, it is crucial to secure all participants confidentiality throughout this research. Designated sample groups will consist of two Year 9 classes with student number at around 15 for each group, who are current students at a same Australian secondary college. Each group are expected to have a gender ratio at around 1:1 and have a same second language learning background. One class will involve using VR in their second language learning while the other will be a language immersion classroom without using VR. Stage 1: Control Group Survey Research (Quantitative) First step of the research is to establish control group to manipulate the independent variables in this research. As Gray (2004) suggests that although ideally the sampling groups should be assigned randomly, in reality this is not always the case. It is predicted that the control group will be pre-determined according to school but two classes of similar context could be chosen. Such context includes students gender ratio, age, second language learning background, student number, etc. to minimize distracting effects on the dependent variable, which is students self-efficacy in this research. More importantly, control group enables the research to compare the effectiveness between using VR and simply using language immersion pedagogy in second language classroom within a highly structured approached as identified as a main feature of control group (Gray, 2004). Secondly step involves ongoing collection of data for analytical surveys from both groups within a timeframe of one month. The survey is designed to measure students self-efficacy before and after using VR in language learning. Compared with the Second-Life study from Henderson et al. (2009), a months period enables this research to gain insight into the effectiveness of VR on students self-efficacy during a much longer term in comparison to only a single lesson. Questionnaires will be designed based on the research hypothesis and online survey tools will be utilized to collect students attitudes towards using VR in language learning. Finally, one-way ANOVA approach is chosen for data analysis in this stage, aiming to establish the correlation between the dependent and independent variables although Punch (2005) cautions that the two groups of humans will almost certainly have different independent variables, making the conclusion less likely to be generalized. Stage 2: Semi-Structured Interviews In this stage data will be collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews with both groups first. Individual interview will be conducted during class time with semi-structured questions that enable the researcher to focus on the research question while remaining flexible for open-coding later. Using such technique, as suggested by Newton, (2010), provides us with rich data in gaining insight into participants context, which is considered crucial in helping participants discover the factors that influence their self-efficacy in second language learning and its relationship with using VR. Finally, the interview recording will be transcribed for data analysis. Finally, the Ground Theory approach is implemented when analysing collected qualitative data from the interview. One highlighted feature of the Grounded Theory is Open Coding, which, according to Gray (2004), involves categorization of different concepts while comparing with each other. Then questions should be asked based on the result of coding before conceptualization of more general categories. Afterwards, using axial and selective coding enable researcher to narrow down the categorization and focus on the variables that influence students self-efficacy in second language learning (Gray, 2004). Finally, he also highlights an advantage of mixed methods as using both analytical surveys and interview enable researcher to triangulate the data to get a clearer insight here. Therefore, it is hope that at the end of this stage, factors that influence the effectiveness of VR improving learners self-efficacy could be summarized. Confidentiality It is paramount for this research to obtain written consents from the following participants after them being fully informed of the research: School administrations/leadership, participating school principal in this case. Participating school staffs, this includes classroom teachers, ICT department and other educational support staffs. Participating students parents/guardians from both sampling groups The implementation of obtaining consent will adhere with relevant policy by using the checklist provided for ethical approval (University of Melbourne, 2017). In addition, the research will ensure the data involved will be protected and remain anonymous to maintain confidentiality and this includes the data from staffs, parents and participating students. Furthermore, during the semi-structure interview stage, it is important to ensure coding when collecting and analysing all interview notes, transcripts and recordings. (viii) Assumptions This proposal is assumed based on: VR devices are affordable to classroom in which each student can access one VR device.   Contrary to what Chittaro Ranon (2007) suggest that most classroom cannot afford Head Mounted Displays (HMD), the TagAlong Role Play study using Google Cardboard clearly shows such disadvantage is diminishing with the technological advancement of VR devices (Mock, 2016). Therefore, it is assumed that school can afford one device, such as Google Cardboard, for each student so their exposure to VR could be maximized. Using VR in second language classroom does improve learners self-efficacy from at least a short-term. This assumption is supported by the Second-Life research in which Henderson et al. (2009) demonstrate a significant improvement in short term research. Both research and control groups will be taught by one same teacher who will be teaching same content using the same curriculum around approximately the same timeframe. This aims to minimize the impact of different teachers influencing students self-efficacy in the ways that are not part of this research, which is supported by Pajares (2006) teenagers are particularly susceptible to teachers belief and what they say in classroom. These assumptions enable the research to focus on the factors that improve students self-efficacy through using VR in second language classrooms. (ix) Limitations Two limitations are identified and discussed while possible solutions are proposed as follows: Firstly, the control group might vary in different independent variables and thus impact the validity of the survey data. This is a one concern mentioned by Crosier et al. (2000) as they concede it is highly challenging to find equivalent groups in real life and more importantly, as Ausburn Ausburn (2003) argue against the notion that one technology could solve the problem without taking into account of all the social contextual background. This will result in lowered external validity of the comparison result between the VR group and the language immersion only group. Therefore, it is important to use data reduction technique when analysing them to minimize the impact of irrelevant variables (Punch, 2005). By implementing the technique, the researcher could stay focused on establishing the correlation between the desired independent and dependent variables. Secondly, another concern is the participants health in relation to use VR for longer time. This concern is raised by Mantovani, Castelnuovo, Gaggioli, Riva (2003) who observe temporary disorientation and nausea among VR users after using for a longer time. However, they admit this effect is largely caused by those out-of-date VR devices. As for solution, using lighter and more recently developed VR device, such as Google Cardboard, can significantly reduce the effect (Mock, 2016). Moreover, he suggests switching from stereoscopic to monosporic viewing mode could minimize such effect. Therefore, Google Cardboard device is chosen to be the VR equipment in this research to give participants options to reduce the effects. Finally, regardless of the equipment, it is important to inform participants, their parents/guardians and school leadership of such concern before the commencement of the research. References Ausburn, L. J., Ausburn, F. B. (2003). 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Language Learning in Virtual Reality Environments: Past, Present, and Future. Ed A Pragmatic Marriage: Analysis A Pragmatic Marriage: Analysis A pragmatic marriage, very popularly known as an arranged marriage is incredibly common in many parts of the world due to the common notion that relying on the family to select a potential spouse is considered an advantage as they have years of wisdom and experience. The biggest plus point is that there is a intentional attempt taken to match the two families which includes the bride and groom on the wide ranging parameters of social status, financial strength, background, educational opportunities and similar lifestyles as well as the physical appearances of the bride/groom as every family will want to provide their offspring with protection, happiness and a secure life. This concept is thought to tremendously increase the probability of the marriage succeeding. On the contrary, the two people are complete strangers to each other when their marriage is arranged by their family, thus they might take time to develop a level of comfort and understanding after marriage. Getting to know each other before marriage allows partners to have better respect and perception for each others needs and desires. The advantage being that ample time is achieved to explore both the positive qualities and the negative qualities about each other and learn to deal with it, well in advance before marriage thus, creating a satisfactory level of comfort after marriage effortlessly. Love marriages are ideally based on many factors such as friendship, respect, familiarity and understanding. Whereas in arranged marriages, one is forced to marry a stranger with whom they have no history or bond with. In most cases, the parents and relatives are often domineering and try to compel their child into a relationship he/ she doesnt agree with. This creates a complicated situation that may compel the partners to live together lifelong in a marriage that they are not content with. Besides popular love lore like Heer Ranjha and Sohni Mahiwal, India has always followed a long tradition of arranged marriages. In the Indian society, love marriages are considered taboo and Indian weddings are often associated with arranged marriages. Statistics reveal that the divorce rate in India is only 2% as compared to the other parts of the world such as United States with a divorce rate of 50%. This cannot be considered as a reliable statistical figure due to the fact that in India divorce is also considered taboo. Therefore, whether they like being with their spouse or not isnt the priority. They are just forced to stay in that relationship for the rest of their lives. Women have been known to become a victim and to stay on and bear a violent relationship for the sake of respect in society, family pride, parents self esteem etc. Compromise and amendments form the foundation for a woman in an arranged marriage, mainly because the married couple does not have any fixed notion s or expectations from one another and they are not provided with any alternatives. Women continue to remain in sadistic relationships to maintain their familys dignity and respect and also have to be incredibly selfless and surrender to his/her fate. The woman is regarded as a means to the continuation of the family name as well as a willing slave to her husband. According to the Press Trust of India (2010), Marriage can be forced to save honour, and women can be murdered for rejecting a forced marriage and marrying a partner of their own choice who is not acceptable for the family of the girl. Therefore arranged marriages tend to be sexist. Being in the 21st century, arranged marriages are now considered as an outdated notion. These days individuals believe that no third party can understand the workings of a persons heart other than them themselves. Love can also cloud ones mind and keep them from seeing the faults of their potential mate making it easier to compromise. In some parts of the world, arranged marriages should be completely outlawed as parents tend to take wrong use of it. Arranged marriages are considered as an illegal activity as this archaic method benefitted the arent more than their offspring. Some parents arrange marriages for their children within social circles itself. Others did it for the monetary rewards offered by the other family. Therefore, arranged marriage is sometimes considered as a business deal between two families as they look into the property, wealth and status of the family in the society and then finalize the relationship. Also, some of these pre-planned marriages were used as a bargaining chip to cease a war between opposing family feuds. For example, throughout history as far back as the Romans and the Greeks, the war was sometimes averted by the marriage of opposing cultures as a means to peace and prosperity. In an arranged marriage there are different sorts of pressures faced by the girl and the boy to be fair-skinned and physically attractive. In India the evil of dowry system, concept of matching horoscopes and the caste and community issues, is sometimes taken to its extreme levels and has greatly contributed to the argument against arranged marriages. Getting to know the spouse before marriage is what plays the most prominent role in marriage satisfaction, but fulfilling this requirement depends on how much freedom were given to know our opposite sex, before marriage. Unlike our prospects of the ongoing transition from arranged marriage to freedom of mate choice, position of parents in selecting childrens mates has not really subsided. According to a research done by Xu Xiaohe and Martin King Whyte (1990), in 20th century, Chinas communist initiated supporting freedom of mate choice for young people, while they were also opposing dating culture (Xiaohe and Whyte, 1990). Although this research solely includes Chinese society during 20th century, middle easterners have faced rather similar situation even in 21st century. When parents and the society support this type of strategy, parents can actually put the title of arranged marriage away, as well as keeping their authority vital. Meanwhile, they dont let their children date anyone , unless they meet the person in person. In this case, they are actually letting their children meet and know their future spouse before marriage, so they have given them the opportunity to get to know that specific person before marriage, which could be considered an opportunity to fall in love or to develop bonds, but they arent actually letting them know the opposite sex. They are so worried that they prefer to keep their children naÃÆ' ¯ve, rather than letting them risk their relationships, dating wrong people. Some people may think as long as you get to know your partner before marriage, its enough. But we believe in this case, you havent married the person you were in love with; youve just found a decent partner to marry, because you were supposed to marry someone eventually. In arranged marriage, the importance of getting to know your partner before marriage is completely overlooked, which leads marriages to failure. Besides, when you dont know how people from your opposit e sex behave, think, talk or react to specific matters, and what are the things that they care about, misunderstanding is the first burden which will add to discontentment of your arranged marriage. Its not deniable that the ones who are forced to arranged marriages find ways to compromise with their spouse; because the criterions of knowing a marriage as satisfying are not simply limited to how couples get married. When couples are younger, they tend to assess level of their marriage satisfaction by their wealth or even political status. As time goes by, even presence of grand children can affect their evaluation of their marriage. For instance, our own grandparents got married when they didnt even know what marriage is; so they were never asked about who they prefer to choose as spouse; However, if you ask them whether they were satisfied with their marriage or not, they wouldnt express discontentment. Because if they had had dreams about marriage, they had put them aside to reach a compromise with the life they were forced to have, and if they didnt have an idea of marriage, they never found out what love match is. This doesnt mean that couples who get married with love match es always stay as content as theyd been at the first place, but it does confirm the fact that normally, the ones who marry their love of their life, are more satisfied with their marriage, than couples who are already content of their current life, but got married based on arranged marriage. In the survey done by by Xu Xiaohe and Martin King Whyte (1990), it is stated that variations of mate selection do not involve just two categories, but a continuum from total parental control to total freedom of choice Along with this continuum. So basically, when we oppose arranged marriage, were not just against the gist of arranged marriage, but also against the strong authority that parents have over the procedure of getting married. Arranged marriage must be banned, because the ideology behind this type of marriage follows extremely dogmatic patterns regarding parental authority that make lives of couples miserable.