Federal Express (Canada) Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Federal Express (Canada) - Case Study Example Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Background 4 Statement of Problem(S) or Issue(S) 5 Situation Analysis 6 Analysis of Alternatives 8 Recommendations 9 Implementation or Action Plan 9 Reference 10 Appendices 11 Background Desktop Innovations (DI) is recognized as one of the renowned organizations operating in software sector, which enhanced at a rapid pace in this era of globalization and industrialization. The underlying cause of this fact is high level of incorporation of information technology (IT) and automation in every aspect of business operations. This has facilitated the organizations operating in this sector like DI to augment its productivity and profitability (McDougall & Dorken, n.d.). According to the evidences provided in the case scenario, it can be observed that to enhance the corporate image and brand loyalty, DI attempted to display its software products in the trade show organized in Charlotte in North Carolina. This might also facilitate DI to attract new arra y of customers, leading to amplification of its dominance over other competing corporations of the similar industry. For this reason, the office manager of DI desired to transport two different types of software packages from the head office of Kitchener, Ontario with the help of Federal Express (FedEx). Besides, due to loss of bill in the midpoint, the parcel of DI could not arrive at the stipulated location at exact time, resulting in varied types of intricacies. This resulted in initiation of investigations by the management of DI in order to realize the lost box from FedEx (McDougall & Dorken, n.d.). Statement of Problem(S) or Issue(S) DI is one of the reputed organizations of software segment, attempting to offer innovative products and /or services to its customers. The main attempt is to enhance the dependency and consistency of the customers, resulting in augmentation of its brand identity and portfolio among other competitors in the market. Besides, in order to retain the m arket share and distinctiveness, it is essential to attract new array of consumers. In order to do so, DI attempted to transport two diverse types of software packages to the markets of Simpsonville, South Carolina to be displayed in a trade show through a trader which would lead to amplification of its brand awareness and total sales, which is extremely essential in this era of competitiveness. Unfortunately, the loss of the invoice bill of one of the product packages by FedEx resulted in varied types of difficulties for the management of DI. This type of negligence by one of the world renowned logistic providers resulted in a critical situation for the dealer of DI. As a result of this negligence in the delivery system of FedEx, the dealer of DI became unable to display the products within the trade show in North Carolina. Due to which, it lost large number of prospective customers, ensuing decline of its brand image and revenue, which might prove extremely challenging in future p eriod (McDougall & Dorken, n.d.). Situation Analysis In order to evaluate the competitive advantage of DI, it is extremely necessary to analyze its position in the market. It includes evaluation of both internal and external environments of DI, with the help of SWOT and Porter’

Immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Immigration - Essay Example With terrorism a recurring threat in the country, the United States has enacted a number of immigration policies that some individuals argue infringe on the core values of the country. This essay considers the complex elements of United States immigration policy in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the United States economic structure and argues that immigration and must continue to remain core values of America. National security depends on the U.S. taking immigration standards seriously. Some policy makers want to shut down or limit the borders because they fear what happened on September 11th. They should reflect though upon what happened on September 12th, as the nation joined together and mourned the loss together. Regardless of where individuals have all come from, America is their home. America cannot be on lockdown because they fear a terrorist strike. The United States is vulnerable. The government cannot guarantee protection to 300,000,000 people at all times. If the United States knows who is entering the country at all times along with what their goals are, they could all sleep a little more soundly at night. The majority of the American population believes the country’s immigration policy is too lenient. Ewing notes, â€Å"†¦a solid eighty percent of Americans polled by CBS- New York Times after the trade center bombings agreed that it is too easy for foreigners to enter the U.S†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . People believe American officials are not policing the borders, yet amnesty has been discussed as a way to remedy this immigration concern. They also believe they are not keeping up on expired visas and adequate background checks are not in place to ensure that we they are letting in people that will enhance society. The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) (2005, pg. iv) notes, â€Å"†¦the great American â€Å"melting pot† has begun to

PC&D_Inc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

PC&D_Inc - Case Study Example Similarly, innovation formed part of the organization’s approaches to its successful ventures (Docenti, 1986: 1-7; Hill and Jones, 2012: 167, 168). Though the company later faced challenges into productivity, it previously had successful initiatives towards value creation. PC&D achieved value creation through innovation into quality products that were highly regarded by consumers. This for instance established the company as a national market leader. Similarly, marketing initiatives that were achieved through a strong marketing team and a determined sales team ‘added value’ to the company’s ability to generate revenues (Docenti, 1986: 1-9; Hill and Jones, 2012: 167, 168). The company’s major resource was its employees and management. While it shared same raw materials with its competitors, it was able to organize its management and employees towards successful competitive advantage. The essence of the company’s employees was demonstrated when it lost its sales team leading to declined revenues (Docenti, 1986: 1-9; Hill and Jones, 2012: 167, 168). The success that was realized by the company before its fall was therefore because of its expansion and competitive advantage strategies, its successful value creation and its resource in dedicated human

One of the Major EA Frameworks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

One of the Major EA Frameworks - Essay Example to the Zachman Framework is that the same composite issue or item can be explained for diverse reasons in diverse ways using diverse types of descriptions. These descriptions can be for instance textual or graphical (Goldberg, 2008). The Zachman Framework gives the thirty six essential categories for wholly describing everything; especially complex issues such as manufactured products like appliances, constructed structures like buildings and enterprises like the associations and all of its technologies, people and goals. The framework gives six diverse transformations of a theoretical thought, not growing in factors, but transforming from six diverse views. It permits diverse individuals to look at similar issues from diverse views. This sets a holistic perspective of the atmosphere, a vital capability illustrated in the framework design (Goldberg, 2008). In 2001, the Zachman Framework was employed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA). The required methodology in all aspects of the VA enterprises varied from data, business processes, location, technical, personnel and perspective requirements. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Department of Veterans Affairs planned to execute an architectural project fully based on the Zachman Framework. In 2001, this Framework was used as a reference replica to commence the enterprise architectural planning. Somewhere in between, the Veterans Affair Zachman Framework Portal was created. In addition, the Veterans Affair Framework Portal is still in use as a reference replica for instance in the determination of EA information collected from various businesses and project source documents (Donald 2008). The Zachman Framework has vastly been used as a means of providing structures for Information... This paper researches on Zachman Framework and explains its strengths and weaknesses. The researcher of this essay also includes the framework’s purpose, scope, principles, and the kinds of structures it uses, as appropriate to the framework. The essay also aims to include at least two examples of organizations that have used the framework and briefly discuss them. Views give the mechanism of obtaining information concerning the relationships that are vital in the architecture. Methods state the individuals who organize and gather information. They build the views in a means that helps guarantee the accuracy, integrity and completeness. Experience and training sustains the application of tools and use of varying methods. The Zachman Framework is an EA framework for enterprise architecture. It provides an official and greatly planned way of presenting and defining an enterprise. It has two dimensional sorting matrix based on the connection of six communication phrases. These ph rases are what, why, when, where, how and who with six rows with an agreement to rectify changes. The Zachman Framework is not a methodology. This is because it does not entail any specified process or method of collection, management, or using the data that it explains. This framework is named after its designer John Zachman, who developed the impression in the 80s at IBM. By applying the Zachman Framework to Service Oriented Architecture, the SO architect creates a framework for accepting the connection among the diverse elements of a successful SOA.

Three part assingement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Three part assingement - Research Paper Example That notation provided by the program is often readily understandable among the management personnel, developers, and analysts. The main initial aim was to reduce the communication gaps that usually exist among various organizational departments or within enterprises. Moreover, it helps to ensure that Extensible Markup Language (XML) documents are designed for the execution by diverse business processes and such processes must remain visualized within the common notations. The diagrams that are developed through the BPMN programs are often assembled from sets of core elements; hence, making it easy for non-technical and technical observers to evaluate and understand the process involved in any given management process. These underlying core or primary elements are often categorized into three main groups known as the flow object, swimlanes, and connecting objects. The flow objects are geometric figures including rectangles, circles, and diamonds that usually denote specific event and activities (Brocke and Rosemann, 2010). These elements in the flow objects are often interconnected with connecting objects that usually appear as dashes, solid, or dotted lines that sometimes include arrows that show process direction. On the hand, swimlanes are geometric signs that resemble lane lines that are found in the Olympic swimming pool bottom. They are often denoted as straight lines that usually run lengthwise in the rectangle marked or known as pool. The main function of the swimlanes is to organize the diverse flow of objects into categories of similar functionality (Brocke and Rosemann, 2010). Regardless of diverse properties of the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), it main function aims at simplifying the understanding of numerous and varied business processes. Question 2 Challenges Numerous businesses often face series of challenges especially when undergoing any form of organizational change since the business process improvement for businesses is sometim es inefficient. Nearly all the management process change often experiences a push back that might emerge through forms and criteria including prioritizing the work (Halpin, Selmin, Soffer, and Proper, 2011). The prioritizing the work often emerges when there are multiple opportunities thereby making it difficult for the management to identify the most vital opportunity to undertake. Additionally, the business may experience the avoiding scope creep as a challenge during an organizational process change. This often occurs when the change team veers away from the main or initial focus of the change being initiated. The management may also experience the getting engaged challenge. This often occurs when BPI has sponsored processes that in actual sense does not exist (Halpin, Selmin, Soffer, and Proper, 2011). There are numerous challenges that are often experienced by organizations when they are initiating or rolling changes in the organization or in an organizational process; therefor e, the change team must determine and analyze the possible challenges towards effective change initiation and implementation. How Information Systems Support Business Process The circulation of information is quite vital for the operation and management of business processes. The computer based type of management information system often aims at reducing cost and increasing organizational information processing capabilities (Halpin, Selmin,

Economist Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economist - Assignment Example Marshall started with metaphysics, specifically "the philosophical foundation of knowledge, especially in relation to theology." The Metaphysics led Alfred to ethics, specifically a Sidgwickian version of utilitarianism; ethics, on the other hand, led Alfred to economics. This was so because economics played an essential role in the provision of the preconditions for the improvement of the working class. Marshall’s ethical views continued to be a dominant force in his thinking even though he turned to economics (Marshall & Palgrave Connect, 2013). During his time, Marshall was viewed as the most influential economist. In his book Principles of Economics (1881), Marshall brought out the ideas of supply and demand, marginal utility and cost of production into a single whole. As an extension to what he had done, he brought up the elasticity price of demand. He in addition, contributed to the economic welfare both consumer surplus and producer surplus. He developed the standard demand and supply graph which demonstrates a number of basics that regards demand and supply including market equilibrium, law of diminishing returns, supply and demand curves, law of marginal returns, interrelationship between price and quantity with respect to demand and supply, and the ideas of producer and consumer surpluses (Marshall & Palgrave Connect, 2013). Economists now use this model in various forms using different variables in demonstrating several other economic principles. Ideas and theories that could only be explained in words can now be r epresented visually with the help of this model. Marshall’s models are now critical throughout the study of economics simply because they allow fundamentals or theories being explained to be represented clearly and concisely (Marshall & Palgrave Connect, 2013). Marshall had a vision of dramatic social change which involves the sharp reduction of inequality and the elimination of poverty. He saw that it was

Narativo komposisyon Essay Example for Free

Narativo komposisyon Essay Republic of the Philippines Camarines Norte stages college Daet, Camarines Norte Daniel R. Baà ±aga BSOA III-a Specialized office procedure September 5, 2013 Medical records Managements Sub title: Medical records Management for an on-going illness or injury Introduction Medical records managements is the one that give an necessary information that help a person to locate things quickly within your medical records managements. It is the process that you need to follow in medical office managements by keeping some important documents. A good medical records managements system could mean the difference between life and death for some individuals. Managing records is the best to achieve the goal of certain office because if you apply it in your life it can help us to provide a proper system. Discussion A more sophisticated method of records keeping as recommend for an ongoing illness or injury. Unfortunately. The insurance industry is paper intensive so you will have plenty to work with. Hanging files, including box-bottom ones, are perfect for handling the paper volume you’re apt to have. Because your health situation will be an ongoing project, your goal is to be able to quickly find what you need it, especially when talking with doctors and or insurance claims specialists. Create a separate file foe the following categories: 1. Medical bills you receive from health provides abs, hospitals. 2. Insurance claims you file with the insurance company 3. Insurance claims that have been paid by your insurance company. 4. Medical bills you have paid. 5. All prescription drug information past and currents. 6. Receipts for out of pocket expenses. 7. Test results from medical provide. 8. Hospitals discharge order Conclusion Medical records are the documents that explain all about the history, clinical findings, diagnostic test results, pre and postoperative care, patient’s progress and medication. If written correctly notes will support the doctor about the correctness of treatment. Inspite of knowing the importance of proper records keeping in India, it is still in the initial stages. Medical records are the one of the most important aspect on which practically almost every medico-legal battle is won or lost. Reference Printed materials Own idea Google chrome Submitted to: Mr. Edwin Oro

Are networks important to entrepreneurs when starting new business

Are networks important to entrepreneurs when starting new business In this essay, I have chosen to write a report about why networks are important to entrepreneurs when starting a business. In this essay, I will analyse and describe the use of social relations in the business establishment process, and the benefits behind networks in entrepreneurship. I will write this essay using my findings in books, articles, newspapers and the internet. I will try to not only produce a logical argument concerning why networks are important, but try and apply theories to back up my view and points. I will also use my personal understandings of why networks are important to entrepreneurs, but reflecting understandings and knowledge I gained by interviewing an entrepreneur. Main Body An entrepreneur is an individual who has a new idea, or enterprise who accepts the financial risks to capitalising on that idea and undertakes a new financial venture. The word entrepreneur derives from the French language, which applies to any individual who is starting a new project or business. (Hisrich, Peters, Shepherd, 2006). To some economists, an entrepreneur is someone who is willing to take the risks of starting a new business if there is an opportunity for them to make profit out of the idea. The concept of entrepreneurship was first created in the 1700s, and the meaning has evolved ever since. There are hundreds of different theories and explanations for defining entrepreneurship. However, all economists and business academics agree entrepreneurs posses behaviours like: initiative taking, the structuring and restructuring of social and economic social mechanisms to turn resources and situations to practical account and lastly the acceptance of risk or failure (Hisrich, Pe ters, Shephard 2006). My definition of an entrepreneur is someone who has an idea, and the idea progresses from just being an idea, to becoming a passion, something that an entrepreneur would sacrifice a lot to see succession in. So why are networks important to entrepreneurs? People usually develop relationships with people like themselves. Athletes develop ties with other athletes, wealthy people develop ties with other wealthy people, and educated people develop ties with other educated people. Its part of our nature, we tend to be attracted to those who are similar to us. So what is the reason for this? Perhaps we feel more comfortable when around those who are similar to us? I believe the answer is yes. Socially similar people, even when competing against each other, spend time in the same locations, which cause relationships to occur (Swedberg, 2000). Having a large network range matters. People with larger contact networks gain better paying positions than people with smaller networks . Network range, indicated by size, is the primary measure (Cosson, 2010). Its simple, the more people you are in contact with, the quicker you will learn the tricks and shortcuts. Dragons Den is a television show, broadcasted on BBC, on which entrepreneurs pitch their ideas in pursuit of securing an investment from one of the dragons (the investors). However, most of the entrepreneurs arent exactly interested in the investment, but the network of contacts that the investor can offer the business. Whenever an entrepreneur secures an investment, they ask the dragons a series of questions concerning whether they have the right contacts which the entrepreneur could use in their business. Having social networks is important, full stop. In any type of activity you take part in, there are advantages of having acquaintances who possess knowledge in that. Being a student, I know the advantages of building friendship with those who are on the same degree scheme as me. At times if I struggle, there are always people that I can turn to for guidance. Its the same concept with an entrepreneur. No matter how clever you are, or how academically brilliant you are, you will always face problems, and at times, these problems could have major impacts on the whole business. Networks help you Accomplish a positive relationship with people who are knowledgeable in a specific field, not only will it strengthen your option of networks, but it can help the entrepreneur enlarge their networks to get important information and resources from their contacts (Wiklunk, 2006). The next advantage is positioning, entrepreneurs position themselves within a social network to shorten the route the more experienced others took to get what they need. Its about finding shortcuts, and possessing a selection of experienced contacts can help you find these shortcuts faster (Burt, 1992). Networking between entrepreneurs is a very effective tool, it various advantages (Cosson, 2010): To improve commercial acumen Encourage collaborations between similar businesses Support one another, help to enlarge the specific market that youre involved in A personal network, consists of all those individuals whom the entrepreneur has direct relations to, this includes individuals like employees, suppliers, partners etc. Strong tie relations are those that the entrepreneur can count on and trust weak tie relations are only casual; people rarely have emotional investments in them. So what is the importance of sustaining weak ties?. Reflecting on Granovetters (1973) reasoning, which links weak and strong ties together, states that entrepreneurs are typical to be found in positions where centrality is high, this allows them to many diverse sources of information (Landstrom, 2009). To explain Social Networks in basic terms, the acquaintances of our friends, are also our friends (Aldrich and Kim, 2005). However, a personal network is a high density network, due to all the persons involved in that network being well known to each other. My interpretation of this is that it is important to sustain a balance of weak and strong ties. In basic w ords, its word of mouth, which plays a crucial role in starting or operating a new business. You might not know the contacts, but perhaps maybe your strong ties are in some form of relation to those weak ties, and that creates a flow of information which the entrepreneur could benefit from (Cosson, 2010). . The social network concept is the relationship between an entrepreneur and the networks of contacts they have who provide them the resources that are important in starting a business and most importantly successfully running the business (Carsrud, Brannback, Brannback 2007). These acquaintances usually have some form of experience and knowledge concerning that specific field. Every entrepreneur, has, or believes to have some kind of knowledge to be capable of running the business, but they also need complementary resources to produce or improve their products (Casson, 2010). The contacts dont necessarily have to be formal, they can be informal, such as friends, family or people who studied on the same degree scheme as you in university. These networks are absolutely crucial in obtaining a successful business (Ross and Brown, 1993). Those acquaintances who guide the entrepreneur to success are their social capital, and one of their key elements of their networks (Casson, 2010). Social Capital is a concept which means the connection and relationship between social networks, in this case, between the entrepreneur and their network. This can be seen as an investment for the entrepreneur. The word investment shouldnt necessarily mean financially investing in a product or company, but, anything that you establish and become part of that is beneficial to you in the long term (Burt, 1992). I personally believe formal networks are as crucial to an entrepreneur as informal networks are. The entrepreneurial process has many lonely and difficult times. Its part of becoming successful. There will be times when establishing a moral-support network is critical. The moral-support network is your friends and family, in simple words, people who make you happy (Hisrich, Peters, Shepherd, 2006). There will be times where even a single phone call from a friend or family will make you feel better, someone to encourage you to pick yourself up and carry on in pursuit of succession. Friends are a critical part of moral-support network, not only can they provide you with honest advice, the form of advice and opinions that others might not be so comfortable in delivering, but they can also provide you with assistance and you can confide with them without the fear of criticism (Cosson, 2010). Although not necessarily true, most entrepreneurs have parents who also own their own businesses or small firms (Cosson, 2010). Young entrepreneurs are able to take advantage of the experience a nd knowledge their parents possess and use it when developing a business of their own. However, a problem comes with this scenario. Off course family members are helpful at particular aspects when giving advice and feedback, however, too much dependence on family members may impact and restrict the entrepreneurs network. Economists stress that dependence on family members may limit an entrepreneurs networking circle. Entrepreneurial parents are a great source of information, there is no doubt about that, but knowing the limit of how much information to acquire from them is critical. You have to interact with the real world, the hard world, to be able to substance a successful business. Sooner or later your parents will be incapable of giving you information, and in that situation, you have no choice but to turn to networks outside your family zone (Birley, 1985). A study by Aldrich, Rosen and Woodward (1987) has suggested that those entrepreneurs with variable networks are more like ly to experience better results. The applicants of the research, reported to have a higher than average number of contacts per week with core network members (Landstrom, 2010). A close friend of mine, Irfan Patel, after 4 years of planning and research, owns his own business, Citybeat53. Citybeat53 is a business that offers young talented musicians events and advertisement through its own channel of networks. it provides opportunity to those who need guidance and help. Irfan is a Music Engineering graduate from the University of Leeds. After graduating, he successfully secured an internship to work for SONY BMG. As he explained, whilst being an employee for Sony BMG, he learnt an ocean of information and skills. He believes it was due to the people he worked with, all of whom had side activities and businesses. Whilst working at the company, he formed a relationship with a colleague who specialised in organising concerts, book signings and formal events. And he began a string of net works for Irfan. Using those networks, Irfan managed to gather enough information and resources to create this incredibly unique business. As he explained, when the business established, the first year was the loneliest and most difficult time he has ever experienced. He explained that if it wasnt for the relationships he formed whilst working for Sony BMG, he would have never made it this far. He values the network he established in London, more than achieving his degree. At times, he believe that maybe he should have done things differently, maybe taken different routes, but he believes everything that has happened to him counts as experience. To conclude this essay, I have learnt that to be a successful entrepreneur, its critical to obtain a variety set of networks for yourself. To set up a successful new business, you must make relations with those who you believe can help you gain better results. By reading through this essay, I have learnt that not only the entrepreneurial experience is a hard and at times, long process, but it can affect an individual mentally. By carrying out a research about this field, I have learnt that those entrepreneurs who constantly try and expand their networks, and use their social network contacts to learn about new opportunities, often find a shorter route to success than those solo entrepreneurs (Wiklunk, 2006). Trying to expand your network of contacts is like investing in a flow of information, at a cost of putting the effort of finding those contacts and maintaining a positive relationship with them. By looking at different types of theories and stories from entrepreneurs, I learnt th at the majority of experienced entrepreneurs advice those younger entrepreneurs to expand their range of networks, and most importantly, maintain a diversified network. Weak ties are as important as strong ties. Entrepreneurship is about change, its about offering the market something unique, and throughout the entrepreneurial process, the entrepreneur will face environmental changes, changes which can be extremely challenging, hence the entrepreneur needs to be prepared to face these challenges. Having a network becomes like mechanism, a device created to help you to successfully respond to these changes.

Relationship Between Multiculturalism and Liberalism

Relationship Between Multiculturalism and Liberalism In the context of political thought, it would be so hard to think of multiculturalism separate from liberalism. Beyond the scope of political theory, the internal and external dynamics of the countries, the relationship between state and the society have been built on the values of democracy and liberalism. This essay aims to explore and explain the relationship between multiculturalism and liberalism –especially liberal egalitarianism within the frame of minority rights. Multiculturalism started to manifest itself in the political realm after 1980s. There are two main events that triggered the rise of multiculturalism: Firstly, after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, nationalism has become the prominent element of the democratization process. Secondly, a new wave of nationalism has risen among some groups in Western democratic countries. It has been observed that even the Western states that built on liberal values could not completely overcome the problems regarding ethnic and religious groups in their societies. Now, we live in more and more diversified and multicultural societies. Immigration and minorities have been an imminent part of the debates of everyday politics for a very long time. The politicians include their views and policies in their electoral campaigns, surveys are held to get more information about public opinion and more importantly political theorist are looking for new ways and perspectives as coping or integrating strate gies. For instance, the question of the illiberal minorities and the risk of them to violate the liberal principles was always there as a problematic and debatable one. Thus, this case brings us two important questions to discuss: To what extent should we protect the minority rights and how should we recognize the minority identities? For many, it is an undoubtedly accepted fact that liberal state should be neutral but what should be the attitude of this neutral state when it comes to the clash between the values of majority and minority? If we ever need to take one thing for granted in liberal state, it would be the strong idea that each individual should have the necessary rights and opportunities to follow the ways which lead them to a good life. Moreover, individuals should be free while deciding on their own understanding of good life and should pursue their goals freely. Therefore, this principle requires that individuals who are coming from different backgrounds from the majority and having different religious and cultural customs and values should also pursue their understanding of good life without giving up their own. Another important aspect of liberal ideology concerning individual rights is that no state or government has the right to conceptualize a project of good life and impose it upon its citizens. (Kukathas, 1992: p. 108) Thus, in my opinion any attempts stepping out of this line could be easily labelled as assimilative regarding religious and cultural minorities. At this point, it would be notable to remind that, in the liberal state, an individual’s realm of freedom ends when another individual’s begins. This is accepted as another important principle of liberal state regarding individual freedom which is also seen as a guarantee of the individual freedom of each member in the society. In this case, the rights that groups have been entitled could go as far as that they would threat or violate the human rights and values. What should be the attitude of the liberal state about an intervention? Do individuals choose to be a part of these groups and communities? The Proper Attitude of the Liberal Egalitarian towards Multiculturalism Liberal egalitarians favour a system in which state treats its citizens equally and creates such an environment that each member of the society gets a fair share from the resources and available opportunities. Although, this might seem as a clear principle at first sight, two conclusions can be driven from this principle. First, the state should not intervene with the distribution of resources or try to balance the gap its citizens and second, liberal egalitarian attitude requires that each religious and cultural community should have equal chance to survive and continue to practise their customs in the society. In contemporary modern democratic states such as UK, France, USA and Canada we see that states spare necessary social, political and financial resources for the survival and continuity of different religious communities and minority cultures. The reason for that is culture is considered as an important aspect in shaping one’s own identity and his/ her own interpretatio n of good life. The second point of view acknowledges that the state should be neutral and acts within the frame of laissez faire liberalism. Otherwise, the state can create inequalities among its citizens by implementing redistributive policies or entitling minority groups with special rights. Thus, the state should take the minimum part in the affairs of different cultural and religious groups and by nothing or minimum it allows citizens to be treated equally. (Patten, 1992, p.1-3) Kymlicka and Multiculturalism Debate Kymlicka locates his whole ideas on liberal theory and he is an important successor of liberal tradition. Thus, he places individual autonomy prior to the community and communal values. As a political philosophy, liberalism has often been seen as primarily concerned with the relationship between the individual and the state, and with limiting state intrusions on the liberties of citizens (Kymlicka,Liberalism, p. 1). For some scholars, this component of liberalism is seen as a strong one about multiculturalist affairs. In my opinion, this can be easily seen as one of the weaknesses of liberalism when it comes to the deal with the problems regarding minorities and minority rights. If we are stuck with the idea that liberal ideology is the only roof under which both majority and minority values can be represented and peoples can live happily together. In one of his essays, Two Models of Pluralism and Tolerance, Kymlicka also argues against Rawls’s ideas about individual rights and defends the capabilities of group rights. Whereas Kymlicka believes that a well-functioning model can be built on the idea of group rights, some scholars like Kukathas argue that there is no necessity for abandoning the liberal ideology’s individualist principles and create new inequalities. (Kukathas, 1992: p.4) Thus, this part will be focused on this second form of tolerance which is named as group rights by Kymlicka. (Kymlicka, 1992: p.1) Kymlicka’s theory is also famously known for his distinction between different types of minorities based on their cultural aspects. According to him, there are societal cultures of national minorities and the cultures of poly ethnic societies. National minorities are the ones who continuously claim for their self-governmental rights. It is hard for them to get satisfied just by being entitled to some special rights. For them, self-government is the only option for their survival in multicultural society which is composed of a majority and different minority groups. Kymlicka argues that poly ethnic groups would always be weaker and less demanding in their right claims because of the fact that they are immigrant communities. Their right claims would be about practicing their cultural and religious customs. These communities should always bear in mind that they come from another country and culture to be hosted in a new one and they also have some duties such as learning a new la nguage or integrating with the local community. In his book, Politics in the Vernacular, Kymlicka frequently uses the term ‘societal culture’ and states that societal culture should be considered as a fundamental basis for the modern state. It is a concept consisted of both private and public spheres of life which is composed of a common language which has historical roots on a given territory, common educational, political, legal institutions. Moreover, societal culture is mostly the result of a national building process and it includes linguistic standardization and institutional integration. (Kymlicka, 2000: p. 53) Thus, he goes one step further from the idea that culture is an important aspect of self- respect and self-recognition which paves the way for self- realization i.e. a good life. He adds institutionalization and certain functioning administrative mechanisms to the shared history and values. National minorities mostly have certain tragic events, massacres or genocides in their history and they always feel or face the threat of assimilation or discrimination in the nation building process. This is why Kymlicka makes certain distinctions between immigrant groups and national minorities. National minorities face with the results of the events that they did not have no say in the decision making process in the most undesirable ways whereas immigrants mostly (here he seems to forget that some immigrants are forced to leave their countries because of wars or other terrific events) leave their country,in which they could practice their culture in the ways they want, voluntarily for the sake of better economic opportunities. What Kymlicka understands from citizenship based on group differentiated rights is that ensuring the justice between members of different groups. Thus, the idea behing establishing group rights are not only about the idea of that communal rights are prior to individual ones but also about the need for establishing different rights for different groups according to their needs and vulnarabilities in the society. ( Luoboyck, p.9) Tolerance vs. Recognition I think in the most of the relevant literature, scholars did not pay enough attention to the distinction between tolerance, acceptance and recognition. Specifically, for the followers of the liberal tradition, the emphasis has always been on the rights, equality, equal rights, equal opportunities, equal treatment and so on without even asking the people that ‘is that what you really want?’ It is observed that these ‘different’ people are not only in the need to be differentiated but also recognized as who they are. The special rights that they are entitled to by liberal democratic state do not always give them to chance of being recognized or accepted in the eyes of the members of the society or even before law. This is why the ideas of Taylor is really important in the multiculturalism debate. ( Taylor, 1994: p.25) In the history of politics, there has been an important shift from honor to dignity which has also come with the emphasis on the equalization of rights and identities. The age of the ‘more privileged’ citizens has come to an end, at least in the eyes of the state and before law. It would be very optimistic to claim that all inequalities have been disappeared in this way. As Taylor argues, for many people this equalization only brought an equality for civil rights and voting rights. There are also others who claim that it also has affected the socioeconomic aspects of life but I would not agree with them. It requires more than changing votes to shape public opinion and regulate everyday life which contains many social and economic inequalities like equal pay or integrated settlement policies. Although, there are still many problems to overcome, equal citizenship has been accepted as an universal value. Thus, in the new age of politics of difference, liberal egalitarians should be ready to reconsider the classical understanding of the principles of liberal democratic state in order to give more than they used to. They should be ready to present a lot of rights and immunities in order to recognize and accept the differences and try not to create a melting pot. Some still might argue that individual rights come before communal or group rights but the implications of this idea is mostly seen in Anglo- American world. (Taylor, 1994: p.32) I think this is one of the major reasons for why in Anglo- American world, there is always an on-going effort for creating a common identity, one nation, one language for all on the one hand, and promoting the ‘self’ and the individualism on the other. In my opinion, from the perspective of Taylor, they can easily be accused of implementing assimilation strategies in the name of creating a melt pot. This would be a dangerous trap that the liberal state should carefully avoid. The equal use of resources, equal rights and treatment and state’s ‘hands off’ laissez faire policies may lead to the danger of extinction for some cultures and identities. In today’s political realm, the functioning of state mechanisms prove that the state cannot isolate itself from the decision making process of cultural affair. As Kymlicka and Taylor also mentions, the state still has the power of making decisions about official language, some religious ceremonies, official languages that are used in education, public radio and television broadcasting. Thus, the state still remains as a powerful figure to decide which cultures and religions continue to exist in the society. Thus, the liberal state should be ready to intervene when and where there is a necessity. When it comes to the features of these special rights for minorities, Lubbock indicates some principles. First, he states that all the members of the community in question have to accept the culture as it is acknowledged and there must always be an open door for anyone wants to exit in necessary cases. Moreover, a liberal democratic government can never adopt an attitude which tolerates illiberal actions of minority cultures or their customs. The basic principles of human rights are always prior to other policies and special rights. Second, liberal democratic governments have the responsibility to keep the religious and special cultural practices of minorities at a minimum acceptable level which would be ‘sufficient enough’. If a minority group is able to practice their customs at a sufficient level, than there would be no part to take for government. Otherwise, government should intervene and try to create a balanced situation in order to make sure that the minority peo ple in question are able to practice their culture and religion. Thus, while polyethnic groups are being protected by some special rights within the boundaries of existing laws and regulations, this should not allow these groups to have internal restrictions. The intention behind establishing polyethnic rights is to protect these groups from external suppressions and the danger of extinction or assimilation. Thus, it would not be so rightful to allow polyethnic groups to have the right to make regulations and restriction on its members’ individual rights and freedoms. ( Loobuyck, p.8-9) New Challenges Kymlicka believes in the supremacy of societal cultures over immigrant groups and more importantly lesbian and gay community. It appears to me that Kymlicka andh his contemporaries do not give enough importance to LGBT community as a minority group which has serious right claims. In many books of Kymlicka, there is nearly no words about LGBT people and recently he tackled the issue with respect to the Quà ©bà ©cois gays and lesbians and his use of language gives the impression of he is not quite familiar with the gender studies literature – he does not even use the term LGBT. â€Å" Gay separatism would involve cutting oneself off from the culture one was raised in, and relinquishing one’s sense of national identity and cultural membership. Thus gay nationalism is neither feasible nor desirable for most gays. The task, therefore must be fight homophobia within the larger society, to gain recognition and acceptance for gays and lesbians within its schools, media, cour ts, businesses and so on† ( Kymlicka, 1992: p. 90- 95) Although, Kymlicka continues to produce valuable ideas and theories, it should be accepted that there are some challenges that he could not foresee. The liberal democratic state would also be challenged by the problems or right claims that come from contemporary political movements and groups which do not have to be ethnicity based. Now there are the questions of the right claims of non-ethnic groups particularly LGBT community, forced migration, refugees and new generations of immigrant communities who did not choose to migrate but their parents made a decision to migrate like the Turkish people in Germany. In these situations, it becomes harder to talk about a matter of choice. In these cases, is it still possible to claim that societal culture and the minority groups that are based on societal culture are more valuable than the others? This could be one question that the liberal state had to answer. These ideas blur the line between integration and assimilation. It should be considered that the members of these groups are also political subjects that can influence the legislations through their political power. Thus, the leading elements of liberal state should consider the option of recognition rather than mere inclusion and integration with the majority. Conclusion This paper has opened the debate with the strong relationship between liberalism and multiculturalism to elaborate the question of â€Å"How far should liberal egalitarians be prepared to countenance the special rights claims of minority cultures?†. References

John Keats Speech :: essays papers

John Keats Speech The writer I have chosen to speak about is the romanticist John Keats. I chose this particular poet as I believe his ideas are the best expressed of the composers we have studied. I have looked at "Ode on a Grecian Urn," "Ode on Melancholy" and "Ode to Autumn" and I think some important comparisons can be drawn from them. Each poem has been chosen because I think that the ideas conveyed in them are among the more significant in Keats's works. "Ode on a Grecian Urn" discuses the idea of immortality in a picture, and how if a moment is captured on an urn then does it exist always? It seems the theme of this poem came from a phrase of Leonardo DiVinci: "Cosa bella mortal passa e non d'arte." Translated, this means mortal beauties pass away, but not those of art. "Ah, happy, happy boughs! That cannot shed your leaves, nor ever bid the spring adieu." Keats uses personification in this example to make the tree branches seem like they are happy and enjoying the situation. In the third stanza the word "forever" is repeated: "And, happy melodist, unwearied. Forever piping songs forever new. More happy love, more happy, happy love. Forever warm and still to be enjoyed. Forever panting, and forever young." This repitition is done to draw attention to the word forever which makes the reader appreciate the true meaning of the poem, which is the debate over immortality and death and what immortality means. The second poem I have studied is "Ode on Melancholy." The idea behind this poem is that with any intense feeling of joy and happiness, a sad and melancholy feeling must accompany it. Or to simplify this, what goes up must come down. This poem is an escape from the inevitable pain as to expect a light not to cast shadows. Keats uses personification in this poem. "Sudden from heaven like a weeping cloud." And, "Veiled melancholy has her sovran shrine." These two examples use personification to exaggerate the feelings being expressed and to help explain Keat's thoughts. To help explain joys and melancholy's interactions Keats personifies joy to be a male and melancholy to be female. This helps the reader understand how joy and melancholy are contributing factors to each other. The third and final poem I have studied is "Ode to Autumn.

mind vs machine :: essays research papers

In 1792 Mary Wollstonecraft in her work A Vindication of the Rights of Woman posed the question, "In what does man's pre-eminence over the brute creation consist?" She answers, "In reason and virtue by which mankind can attain a degree of knowledge." Today, no one would argue that man and woman are not intellectually equal, or that humans have a superior intellectual capacity over the brute creation, but what would they say about humankind versus the machine? We have always felt ourselves superior to animals by our ability to reason -- "to form conclusions, judgments, or inferences from facts or premises"(Random House Dictionary). Philosophers have argued for centuries about what defines reason, now on the dawn of the 21st century this age old question must be revisited. Since the ENIAC, the first mainframe, hummed to life in 1946, the chasm between humankind and machine has appeared to dwindle. Computers have insinuated themselves into the lives of millions of people, taking over the performance of mundane and repetitive tasks. With the constant improvement of computer technology, today's super-computers can outperform the combined brain power of thousands of humans. These machines are so powerful that they can store an essay sixteen billion times longer than this one in active memory. With the development of artificial intelligence software, computers can not only perform tasks at remarkable speed, but can "learn" to respond to situations based on various input. Can these machines ever procure "reason and virtue," or are they simply calculators on steroids? We have now reached the point where we must redefine what constitutes reason in the 21st century. On the intellectual battlefield, in February 1996, thirty-two chess pieces, represented the most recent challenge to the belief that thought is exclusive to humans. Kasparov, the world chess champion, faced off against one of IBM's finest supercomputers, Deep Blue. Chess, a game of logic and reason, would be a perfect test of a computer's ability to "think." In the Information Age battle of David vs. Goliath, the machine clearly had the advantage. Deep Blue is capable of playing out 50- 100 billion positions in the three minutes allotted per turn. Nonetheless, the silicon brain was no match for the cunning intellect of the human mind. Deep Blue lacked the ability to anticipate the moves that Kasparov would make. In preparation for the game, Kasparov adapted a strategy of play unique to the computer.

Mercan System Inc.

The company was established in 1980 by Eugene Mercan and the first product was a desalinator. In 1996, the product line included desalinators, particle filters, ozonators, ion exchange resins, and purifiers. In 1996, sales revenues was almost $400 million (annual growth average 12% for past five years), with an expected profit close to $50 million. In 1999, water purifier was added to product line by using brand name â€Å"Delight†.The company has identified a market for its water purifier in developing countries where there is a huge, profitable and attractive market for clean water. Rahul Chatterjee, an International market liaison has been gathering information about the Indian market for home water purification devices. Statement of the Problem Mercan Systems would like to thrive in developing countries. They are seeking market entry elements and entry strategy to the Indian market for home purification devices.The entry strategies would then be compared with those of two other Mercan liaisons who focused on Argentina, Brazil, and Indonesia. Indian Market for Home Water Filtration and Purification The characteristics of this market is complex but Chatterjee found out that there are about four or five competitors in the market with only one or two companies in India’s 25 states. The market may be in its early growth stages and many Indians felt the need for improved water quality. Target Market 44million households comprising of: 40 million households of middle- and upper-middle-class households in the United States and the European Union †¢4 million households who had similar values and lifestyles In addition, 50% of our target market used boiling to make clean water, 40% of our target market used a mechanical device to improve their water quality while 10% of the target market owned neither a filter nor a purifier and seldom boiled their water. Market Segmentation Traditional Method for Home Water Purification: Boiling- Two to five liter s of water for 10 minutes, allow it to cool, and hen transfer it to containers for storage (often in a refrigerator). This procedure is cumbersome, time consuming, and ineffective in removing physical impurities and unpleasant odors. Before storage they will filter their boiled water through â€Å"candle filters†. Water can become recontaminated during handling and storage. Mechanical Methods for Home Water Filtration and Purification: Candle Filters -Low price depend on material (plastic, porcelain or stainless steel) and easy to use. Candle filters were slow, producing 15 liters (one candle) to 45 liters (3 candles).It is needed to be removed, cleaned, and boiled for 20 minutes. Price Rs. 350 to Rs. 1,100. Water Purifiers – These are better than Candle Filters. There are three steps, the first removed sediments, the second objectionable odors and colors and the third harmful bacteria and viruses. Price is Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 7,000. The remaining 10% of the target market owned neither a filter nor a purifier and seldom boiled their water. Strategic alternative courses of action: Market Entry Options 1)Whether to go to Licensing 2)Whether to go to Joint Venture )Whether to go to Acquisition 4)Do Nothing Decision Tree Factor to Consider 1)Qualitative information 2)Quantitative analysis 3)Recommendation Qualitative Information Foreign Investment in India Licensing: Involves supplying key purifier components and license fees will be calculated by per unit basis over the item of the agreement Joint Venture Company: Involves partnering with an existing Indian company and splitting profit equally. Acquisition: Involves purchasing an existing Indian company, then expand to include the water purifier with this arrangement.All profit will belong to Mercan Systems, Inc. Three Business Plans for Indian 1. Apply for market entry to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board, Secretariat for Industrial Approvals, Ministry of Industries. 2. Approval of any royalties and fees, remittances of dividends and interest by Reserve Bank of India, Ministry of Finance. 3. A consulting firm has assured Chatterjee that approval is â€Å"Virtually guarantee† by his consulting firm. Attractiveness of the Indian Market Tax Rates and Average Return on Assets: Corporate tax rates in India probably were somewhat higher than in the United States †¢The average return on assets for all Indian corporations in recent year was almost 18%, for United States corporations was about 11%. Delight Purifier: Uses a combination of technologies to remove four types of contaminants found in potable water: sediments, organic and inorganic chemicals, microbials or cysts, and objectionable tastes and odors. This technology is used to purify water to a level beyond WHO standards. There were two models that were countertop and wall-mount. Positioned as a quality productCompetitors There are many competitors though the three major competitors are: Eureka Forbes This is a Joint venture company between Electrolux (Sweden) and Forbes Cambell (India) which began operations in 1982. The company first brand name was â€Å"Aquaguard† (used ultraviolet rays to kill bacteria and viruses) with a price of Rs. 5,500 and second brand was â€Å"Puresip† (used polyiodide resin to kill bacteria and viruses) with unit price of Rs. 2,000. The company used 2,500 person salesforce (directly on households) to sell Aquaguard and independent dealers to sell Puresip Ion ExchangeThe company began operation in 1964, they use brand name was ZERO-B (Zero-Bacteria). The product ZERO-B purifiers uses a halogenated resin technology which helped prevent iodine deficiency diseases and permitted purified water to be stored up to eight hours without fear of recontamination. Consumer needs to replace the halogenated resin at a cost of Rs. 200 every year. Singer This is a company that might be a suitable partner to manufacture and distribute the Delight purifier. Singerâ €™s product contained nine stages (removed sediments, heavy metals, bad tastes, odors, and colors, killed bacteria and viruses, fungi, and nematodes).The product life of flow rate is at 3. 8 liters per minute was at 40,000 liters (4. 4years for 25 liters per day), but slower liters per minute was 70,000 liters (7. 6 years for 25 liters per day). They described their product as â€Å"state of the art† and singer was a well-known and respected brand name in India Other competitors include: The Delta – Is a carbon copy of Aquaguard, Alfa Water Purifiers, Symphony’s Spectrum, The Sam Group – is â€Å"Water Doctor† purifier, and lastly Batliboi Other Relevant Information about Competition †¢Sales volume of ZERO-B and Singer was around 60,000 units in 1996. Sales volume of Aquaguard and Puresip was 190,000 units. †¢More than 100 Indian companies made and marketed candle filters. †¢All of purifier sales came from large urban areas and o nly ten to fifteen percent of the entire Indian population could be reached. Pros & Cons of alternative means of entry Licensing Pros: There is relatively low risk and low cost associated with this alternative. Also there will be no need for Mercan to study India's culture Cons: Mercan will not have control over activities of Licensee and they may lose image Joint venturePros: Mercan will be actively involved and would have control over business activities Cons: High cost and high risk is involved. There will be low returns and long-term payback period Acquisition Pros: Cost savings and fewer local restrictions may come with this mode of entry Cons: High cost and high risk is involved Distribution Channel/ Place used by competitors Eureka Forbes: Uses 2,500 persons sales force and independent dealers. Ion Exchange: Uses door-to-door sales force and consumer advertising. Singer: Uses 3,000 independent dealers, 210 owned showrooms, and 400 salesmen.Product ; Price Product Positioning Activities of competitors Promotion: Eureka uses Television, newspaper and magazine advertising; Ion Exchange uses Television advertising while Singer uses television, newspaper, outdoor and transit advertising. Quantitative Analysis Licensing: –Capital cost of production facilities and equipment = $30,000 –Cost of office facilities and equipment = $5,000 –Annual fixed cost ranged between $15,000 – $40,000 –Average royalty = Rs. 300 –Total cost (min) = $30,000 + $5,000 + $15,000 = $50,000 –Total cost (max) = $30,000 + $5,000 + $40,000 = $75,000 Exchange rate is 1$ = Rs. 35 –B/E (min) = ($50,000 x 35) ? 300 = 5,834 units –B/E (max) = ($75,000 x 35) ? 300 = 8,750 units Joint Venture/ Acquisition- Four Regions (110,000Units) SkimmingPenetration DealersalesforceDealerSalesforce Initial InvRs. 8,000,000Rs. 8,000,000Rs. 8,000,000Rs. 8,000,000 Fixed CostRs. 7,000,000Rs. 14,000,000Rs. 7,000,000Rs. 14,000,000 ContributionRs. 650/ UnitRs. 500/unitsRs. 300/unitRs. 200/unit B/E Inv12,308units16,000 units26,667 units40,000 units B/E contribution10,770 units28,000 units23,334 units70,000units % market9. 79%25. 45%21. 21%63. 64% Total Contribution contribution*110,000)Rs. 71,500,000Rs. 55,000,000Rs. 33,000,000Rs. 22,000,000 Joint Venture/Acquisition- Two regions (55,000units) SkimmingPenetration DealersalesforceDealerSalesforce Initial InvRs. 4,000,000Rs. 4,000,000Rs. 4,000,000Rs. 4,000,000 Fixed CostRs. 4,000,000Rs. 7,200,000Rs. 4,000,000Rs. 7,200,000 ContributionRs. 650/UnitRs. 500/unitsRs. 300/unitRs. 200/unit B/E Inv6,154units8,000 units13,334 units20,000 units B/E contribution6,154 units14,400 units13,334 units36,000units % market11. 19%26. 18%24. 24%65. 45% Total Contribution (contribution*55,000)Rs. 35,750,000Rs. 7,500,000Rs. 16,500,000Rs. 11,000,000 Joint Venture/Acquisition- National Market (430,000units) SkimmingPenetration DealersalesforceDealerSalesforce Initial InvRs. 30,000,000Rs. 30,000,000Rs. 30,00 0,000Rs. 30,000,000 Fixed CostRs. 40,000,000Rs. 88,000,000Rs. 40,000,000Rs. 88,000,000 ContributionRs. 650/UnitRs. 500/unitsRs. 300/unitRs. 200/unit B/E Inv41,154units60,000 units100,000 units150,000 units B/E contribution61,539 units176,000 units133,333 units440,000units % market14. 31%40. 93%31%102. 3% Total Contribution (contribution*430,000)Rs. 279,500,000Rs. 215,000,000Rs. 129,000,000Rs. 6,000,000 Recommendation From both quantitative and qualitative analysis strategic focus on rural or smaller urban areas would not be wise, at least at the start. Cost of skilled labor in India was around Rs. 20 to Rs. 25. Mercan Systems Inc. should find an Indian partner. Joint Venture/ Acquisition using the skimming pricing strategy with dealers will be most profitable. Need to use promotion like TV commercial, magazines etc. The company can invest 1% of total contribution for promotion activities by using TV commercials and magazines (1% of 279,500,000= Rs. 2,795,000 advertising).

The Academic Standards of Schools Today

College or technical schools are supposed to be the gateway to higher paying careers, but most are not all that they are cracked up to be. The standards and goals that society wants met are continually not being met by the students today. Also, many higher learning facilities lack the funds to provide positive learning environments for students. For these reasons and many more are keeping the students of today from benefiting fully from schools. Society today has to make some new choices for the students of tomorrow, choices that will carry them into the next millennium. Society can either â€Å"lower standards so that everybody â€Å"passes† in a way that looses all meaning in the real world† or † raise standards and then meet them† (Barber 479). I personally believe in raising our expectations and doing whatever is needed to meet them. Our countries standards are among the lowest in the world and † at the same moment as we are transferring our responsibilities to the shoulders of the next generation, we are blaming them for our own generation†s most conspicuous failures† (Barber 472). Every election year the candidates use something about education as one of their platforms, but few ever carry through with them once they are elected. Most education bills die in congress in some shape or another and the ones that actually make it through congress, are usually ineffective because they have been changed and modified to the point of ineffectiveness. Also, many of the learning facilities today lack the funding to provide adequate, positive learning environments for students. Underpaid teachers and professors who † make less than accountants architects, doctors, lawyers, engineers, judges, health professionals, auidiors, and surveyors† and thus many student disregard teachers as role models. If people see someone who can score touchdowns or dunk a basketball making millions while their teachers are scraping bottom to survive, then how can an educator possibly motivate them to learn (Barber 470). Many people chase after their â€Å"dreams† of money instead of seeing the reality of learning. Although society today rates an education as one of their top priorities, they still allow learning facilities to become broken and run down. Like animals, children and adults file into buildings with bad floors, horrible plumbing, leaky roofs and ceilings, and pack into desk, usually 35+ per educator. Today the government spends $35,000 a year to keep someone behind bars and only a fraction of that to keep them in school (Barber 475). Tuition, room, and board at most colleges now come to at least $7,000, not counting books and fees. This might seem to suggest that the colleges are getting rich. But they are equally battered by inflation. Tuition covers only 60 percent of what it cost to educate a student, and ordinarily the remainder comes from what colleges receive in endowments, grants, and gifts† (Bird 498). Its about time we started to provide more money. Funding more for education wont solve every problem but no problem can even begin to be solved without it. The so-called higher learning facilities of today are selling students short when it comes to their education. Properly funding the education system and setting new standards for the future is an important part of education reform. Education reform for the US is a vital part of insuring the future for students and bringing them up to the standards set by other countries. The Academic Standards of Schools Today College or technical schools are supposed to be the gateway to higher paying careers, but most are not all that they are cracked up to be. The standards and goals that society wants met are continually not being met by the students today. Also, many higher learning facilities lack the funds to provide positive learning environments for students. For these reasons and many more are keeping the students of today from benefiting fully from schools. Society today has to make some new choices for the students of tomorrow, choices that will carry them into the next millennium. Society can either â€Å"lower standards so that everybody â€Å"passes† in a way that looses all meaning in the real world† or † raise standards and then meet them† (Barber 479). I personally believe in raising our expectations and doing whatever is needed to meet them. Our countries standards are among the lowest in the world and † at the same moment as we are transferring our responsibilities to the shoulders of the next generation, we are blaming them for our own generation†s most conspicuous failures† (Barber 472). Every election year the candidates use something about education as one of their platforms, but few ever carry through with them once they are elected. Most education bills die in congress in some shape or another and the ones that actually make it through congress, are usually ineffective because they have been changed and modified to the point of ineffectiveness. Also, many of the learning facilities today lack the funding to provide adequate, positive learning environments for students. Underpaid teachers and professors who † make less than accountants architects, doctors, lawyers, engineers, judges, health professionals, auidiors, and surveyors† and thus many student disregard teachers as role models. If people see someone who can score touchdowns or dunk a basketball making millions while their teachers are scraping bottom to survive, then how can an educator possibly motivate them to learn (Barber 470). Many people chase after their â€Å"dreams† of money instead of seeing the reality of learning. Although society today rates an education as one of their top priorities, they still allow learning facilities to become broken and run down. Like animals, children and adults file into buildings with bad floors, horrible plumbing, leaky roofs and ceilings, and pack into desk, usually 35+ per educator. Today the government spends $35,000 a year to keep someone behind bars and only a fraction of that to keep them in school (Barber 475). Tuition, room, and board at most colleges now come to at least $7,000, not counting books and fees. This might seem to suggest that the colleges are getting rich. But they are equally battered by inflation. Tuition covers only 60 percent of what it cost to educate a student, and ordinarily the remainder comes from what colleges receive in endowments, grants, and gifts† (Bird 498). Its about time we started to provide more money. Funding more for education wont solve every problem but no problem can even begin to be solved without it. The so-called higher learning facilities of today are selling students short when it comes to their education. Properly funding the education system and setting new standards for the future is an important part of education reform. Education reform for the US is a vital part of insuring the future for students and bringing them up to the standards set by other countries.