Trickster Tale Revised Essay Example for Free

Trickster Tale Revised Essay Lions are the only cats in the animal kingdom with a mane. A lions mane, which is to say, the majestic head of hair growing around the large male cats neck and framing its face is central and unique to its appearance, and   has always been an iconic symbol of a lions strength and physical fortitude, and one which appears to crown and affirm his title as the apparent king of the jungle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   But the lion wasnt always king of the jungle, and it didnt always have its mane.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Once, in the far stretches of an African savannah, where every animal was said to be born and breathed into existence, there lived a maneless male lion, who lacked confidence in his appearance and was unsure of himself, but at the same time, was cunning and malicious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One afternoon, Lion traveled the extent of the savannah looking for a waterhole, and   came across a creature with four spindly legs and a set of what appeared to be branches of wood stemming from above its head, who went by the name Deer. Deer told Lion that it was the first time he had ever seen a creature who appeared so plain and was devoid of any markings and distinctive features whatsoever.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lion was insulted by Deers disparaging remark, but told Deer that he had never seen as more common a creature as well, because many of the creatures Lion has come across with bore the same twigs or branches of wood on their heads, and that contrary to Deers remark, Lion, not having the said feature, was in fact, what made him distinct and unique. This brought Deer to contemplate on his appearance. Lion persuaded Deer to rid himself of the bland thing stemming from his head which made Deer plain, and Deer did as Lion directed, removed his horns and walked away, pleased and elated by his apparent newfound uniqueness. Lion, upon Deers departure, took the horns, and wore it for himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pleased with his change of appearance, Lion proudly roamed the savannah, and upon reaching the waterhole, came across an animal whose skin was covered with striped markings of black and white, who was called zebra. Zebra told Lion that he knew of many animals which grew horns above their heads, but none which bore the same markings of black and white as his. Lion, refusing to be categorized among the many animals who shared the features he thought would separate and distinguish him from the rest of the creatures in the grasslands, and finding that the lie he told Deer appeared to be, in fact, true, dispatched of his horns, and took Zebras stripes for his own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bearing stripes of black and white, Lion was on his way home when he saw Cheetah, who bore black circular markings against his brown flesh, stood looking at Lion, laughing. Lion demanded to know what Cheetah found hilarious, and Cheetah replied that Lions black and white stripes not only look unnatural and unsophisticated against his flesh, but was about the most ridiculous thing he had ever seen in the grasslands so far. This incensed and angered Lion the most as he had gone through great lengths reinventing himself, and being called ridiculous and laughed at to his face was more than he could take. So he rid himself of the unnatural and unsophisticated markings that was Zebras and was about to take Cheetahs spots for his own when Cheetah evaded him. Lion ran after Cheetah, but Cheetah proved too fast for him to apprehend. As though speed wasnt already enough of a factor, his pursuit of Cheetah brought him across various obstacles, including pool of sticky mud, which Lion arose from exhausted and grimy, and after which, he gave up the chase and retired to sleep.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the instance of his waking, Lion finds that the sticky pool of mud which he narrowly escaped not only clung and melded to his skin, in a rich golden brown, but stuck a significant amount of a similar color appearing as hair, covering the skin surrounding his face,   from the expanse of wilted grass in the savannah in which he slept in. Over time, The golden grass approximating hair would adapt, meld, and grow with Lions physicality, and with it, his confidence, self assurance and courage would develop and grow as well. The audacity of his actions, and the said confidence and self assurance brought about by his change of appearance would later on bring him into being proclaimed as king of the jungle.

Genetically Modified Organisms In Agriculture Environmental Sciences Essay

Genetically Modified Organisms In Agriculture Environmental Sciences Essay important environmental benefits with little or no risk. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been the subject of debate for many years, with many people either completely for or completely against their mass production and sale. But what exactly is a GMO? It is defined as an organism whose characteristics have been altered by the insertion of a gene from another organism using genetic engineering techniques, usually to give the recipient more desirable traits for human exploitation. In agriculture, this is most often increased pest or herbicide resistance in genetically modified (GM) crops. The question of risk associated with GM crops has divided opinion amongst both experts and the public; however there still does not seem to be any conclusive evidence for either benefits or risks on the environment where these organisms are cultivated. This essay will address some of the popular issues raised with regard to environmental benefits and risks and try to weigh up the pros and cons of GMOs in agriculture. With the ever-increasing human population, our planet is being put under more and more pressure as we try to keep up with the demands for resources. It is estimated that food production will have to increase by 70% by 2050 to provide the predicted 9.1 billion people with enough food (Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 2009). But with the continued expansion of human populations, we shall also see a further shortage of land suitable for agriculture. The answer to these problems came when genetic engineering allowed us to customise an organismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s characteristics to our desires; increasing crop yield, or reducing damage by pests, thereby allowing a greater quantity of crop to be harvested from the same amount of land. One of the main characteristics desired in a cultivated crop plant is a resistance to pests such as insects and weeds. Since their introduction in 1947, there has been a steady increase in the use of synthetic pesticides to reduce crop losses caused by insects, weeds and diseases (Phipps and Park, 2002). However, an estimated 43% of total world production of the major crops is lost each year, with a further 10% lost after harvesting (Oerke et al. 1995). The use of pesticides has been linked to negative effects in the environment; the loss of UK farmland biodiversity such as insects and bird species and the change in food sources of farmland birds (Ewald and Aebischer, 1999). In GM crops, insect resistance is achieved within the plant DNA itself, so the need for the spraying of pesticides is much reduced. The most common gene selected for insect resistance is extracted from a bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis because it produces toxins which are sensitive to a specific group of insects including the European corn borer, corn earworm, south-western corn borer and corn rootworm (Schuler et al. 1998). Plants containing this gene are called Bt varieties. In 2000, out of a global total of 5.3 million hectares of cotton grown, 3.2 million hectares were Bt varieties (James, 2000). China is one of the largest producers of cotton, with cotton farmers relying heavily on pesticides, however, in a survey conducted during 1999 and 2000, pesticide use on cotton plants was reduced on average from 55kg (on non-Bt varieties) to 16kg (on Bt varieties) per hectare, and the number of times sprayed was reduced from 20 to 7. Also, the survey reported that the use of toxic organochlorines and organophosphates was almost completely stopped (Huang et al. 2001). This evidence is supportive of the use of insect resistant GM crops because there is less need for the use of pesticides which have a negative effect on the biodiversity of the environment. However, this method may result i n the evolution of resistant pests, which would make the GM crop redundant and therefore re-establish the need for stronger pesticides until a substitute is found for the Bt gene (Hails, 2000). Furthermore, an Australian study has discovered that Bt toxin is found in the roots of modified plants at similar concentrations found in the leaves. This means that the toxins can pass into the soil easily, not only from degrading leaf matter, but also directly from the roots and could potentially lead to an accumulation of toxin in the soil or in the organisms which digest it; insect larvae and microbes. In this way, GM crops could have an indirect impact on biodiversity of insects (and their predators), non-target plants and the soil environment about which we still have only limited knowledge (Vadakattu and Watson, 2004). Alongside pesticide resistance, the other main desired trait of engineered crops is a tolerance to herbicides. 63.7% of GM crops grown in 2005 were engineered with herbicide tolerance (James, 2005). The plants are modified to be resistant to one powerful herbicide called glyphosate, which means that farmers can grow the crop and spray it with one application of glyphosate herbicide to kill any weeds, but the crop itself will not be affected. This is advantageous because it reduces the cost to the farmer and also reduces the run-off of sprayed herbicides into the surrounding ecosystem (Whitman, 2000). The average reduction in herbicide use on GM soybeans in the USA when studied proved to be around 10%, and although it made 16 herbicides redundant, the usage of glyphosate increased 5-fold (Phipps and Park, 2002). The biggest risk associated with herbicide resistance comes from potential gene transfer across species to close relatives, thereby creating an unregulated hybrid of a GM plan t. If this relative is considered a weed, resistance to the herbicide will result in a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"super weedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, where it cannot be killed using glyphosate and farmers must revert back to physical processes such as tilling, which in turn accelerates soil erosion and nutrient leeching (Hail, 2000). Yet there is remarkable evidence from canola oil seed farmers in Canada of the positive effects of growing the herbicide tolerant (Ht) variety; in 2000, when 55% of all canola grown was Ht, the total amount of herbicide used was reduced by 6 million kg, 31.2 million litres of diesel fuel were saved which in turn saved Canadian $13.1 million and 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere (Canola Council of Canada, 2000). The report also described how farmers have adopted a zero or minimal tillage strategy to control weeds, which has the environmental benefits of less soil erosion and less carbon released into the atmosphere; it is estimated that 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide are no longer released, so one could say that GM crops may help reduce the rate of global climate change. At present, it appears that there are important benefits and disadvantages of herbicide tolerance, but that more research into the probability of hybridisation with non-desired species should be carried out in order to establish a balanced argument. Currently, the advantages seem to outweigh the disadvantages, but this situation may change in the future if resistance spreads to other species. The question of hybridisation has always surrounded GM crops, but the risk of a hybrid plant surviving in the natural environment and establishing a population has always been considered extremely small. The potential for a crop to hybridise with a weed is dependent on numerous factors: the relatedness of the species, geographical location and sexual compatibility to name a few. However, even if a GM crop were to hybridise with a weed relative, the resulting cross would be dependent on a different set of factors in order to be successful and reproduce; it must overcome all normal plant limiting factors such as competition, nutrients, light etc. but also be able to reproduce itself and survive over many generations. The likelihood of a hybrid surviving in the wild is extremely small, yet it is important to remember that the risk does exist and that such a plant would have a higher fitness, be potentially more invasive and likely out compete its relatives, resulting in extinction throu gh hybridisation (Conner et al. 2003). In fact, extinction caused by the introduction of GM crops is a larger problem than originally anticipated. Farmers all over the world are favouring high-yield, Ht and pest resistant crops which gain more profit than their natural relatives, resulting in uniform monocultures. Currently, 1350 traditional crop species face extinction, with an average of 2 species being lost every week, because they are being replaced with engineered versions of themselves (FAO, 2003). Genetic engineering does not stop with crops. There exist today GM trees designed for better quality timber or ease of paper production, and GM plants used in biofuels. Much research is being done on GM animals for use as a food source and use in medicine, although none have yet been licensed to be sold. From an environmental point of view, one of the most interesting applications of GM comes in the form of phytoremediation. Scientists have genetically engineered bacteria to clean polluted and contaminated soil, and plants which can take up heavy metal residues from the soil (Meagher, 2006). Conclusion There has been and still is much debate over the safety of GMOs, with particular emphasis on GM crops because they have the potential to alter ecosystems, and because they ultimately end up on our plates. While the effects on human health are substantially risky, they are beyond the topic of this essay. The cultivation of GM crops has become more widespread since their introduction, with 25 countries now growing them commercially and many more growing them on a trial basis (James, 2008). With continuing research into genes, it seems inevitable that genetic engineering of crops will continue in order to produce the best, most desirable crop possible, while also minimising the environmental impacts. There is evidence for both sides of the argument concerning benefits and risks to the environment, however, not all GM plants behave the same way. The advantages of Ht canola in Canada are obvious, yet in other species the tolerance is not so great and additional spraying is still required. This may be down to geographical location, soil type or farming practise, but it is important to remember that there is no uniform behaviour of GM crops. The environmental benefit of pest resistance is a reduced use of pesticides thereby increasing biodiversity by only targeting specific problem pests instead of killing all the insects in the vicinity. However, this is met with many potential risks such as; accumulation of Bt toxin in the soil which may reduce soil biodiversity, possible evolution of resistance in target pest species and the need to stack genes for resistance to pests which are not affected by the Bt toxin. The environmental benefits of Ht crops include reduced spraying of herbici des which in turn will reduce run off and contamination of water sources, reduced tilling of soil which decreases soil erosion and requires less mechanical management of fields, which means less carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere to contribute to global warming. The main risk of Ht crops is the potential for hybridisation and invasion of a resistant weed species. From this analysis, we can see that one modified crop may have more advantages than disadvantages, yet for another gene there are more disadvantages than advantages. It is difficult to know what to think about the situation. While we still do not know the impacts these crops may have on the environment and the ecosystems they exist in, some may say that we should not grow them until we know more, but will we ever know how they will behave in the natural environment if we only experiment with them in a laboratory? To conclude with my own opinion, looking at the bigger picture, GM crops will not offer us any environmental benefits because ultimately they are grown for human consumption, meaning the human population will continue increasing because food is not a limiting factor. More food will result in more people, which will lead to the continued exploitation and destruction of our planet. As a species, we have overcome the forces of natural selection through the development of medicine and with the expanding use of GM crops, it looks like we are set to overcome the limiting factor of food availability.

Danny Santiagos Famous All Over Town :: Famous All Over Town

Danny Santiago's Famous All Over Town  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      When I was little I remember driving across country, going to Florida, and past neighborhoods that were anything but mine. They had old houses that looked like they were going to fall down any minute, real trashy looking. In Colorado, my house was nice and always kept up. I sat in the car wondering what kind of people lived in those run down places and what they were like. The answers came to me years later when I read the book, Famous All Over Town, by Danny Santiago. The main character, Chato, is a young Hispanic boy living in a neighborhood like the ones I saw when I was little. After reading the book, although I never thought I would have anything in common with people who lived like that, I learned that Chato and I have do have similarities, but we have more differences. There aren't very many similarities between Chato and I, but there is one, and it's a big one. We both have families that love us. Lena, Chato's sister takes care of him after he gets home from the hospital. Then he begins to think about his family and how glad he is to be home. "Lena loved me, my mom loved me, and my father loved me, it seemed" (45). All of Chato's family loves him and he loves being with them. In my house, you would find the same kind of environment and I can relate to some of Chato's family life. However, Chato's family is not always nice to him. His family has many problems, such as everyone keeping secrets from each other and everyone lieing to each other. For example, Chato's father is having an affair and everyone knows about it, but they all keep it from Chato. When he finds out he is very mad at himself and things he is dumb for not knowing, while everyone else does. "She knew, they knew, the whole damn town knew, except only dumb, stupid me" (l46). In my fa mily, however, everyone is honest and you would never see anyone keeping something that important from the others. Another example of how Chato's family is different, is shown when Chato is having a bellyache and his father things that he is faking it. He tells him, "Shut-up, crybaby-coward" (26). His father is not being very nice to him because he is sick.

Modern Man In Search Of A Soul by C.G. Jung Essay -- Modern Man Search

Modern Man In Search Of A Soul by C.G. Jung In his book, Modern Man In Search Of A Soul, C.G. Jung gives a layperson insight into his ideas on dream analysis. Jung's primary objective in this book is to educate the reader as to what a psychoanalyst does when analyzing a patient's dreams. The principal message in the section of the book centered on dream analysis is that dreams should never stand alone. Dreams are meaningless in a vacuum, but on the other hand when put against a strict set of rules, they are oftentimes misunderstood. The unconscious is a fluid entity and cannot be handled either in isolation or with a static set of guidelines. Dreams are reflections of the unconscious and can represent many different things inside of a person. Modern Man In Search Of A Soul describes the techniques of dream analysis that a psychoanalyst following Jung's ideas would ideally follow. In the time when Modern Man In Search Of A Soul was written, 1931, many psychiatrists did not believe in the unconscious. Jung says that the unconscious exists and that without it dreams would be "merely a freak of nature". Without the unconscious the dream would simply be a group of memory fragments assembled in a strange order. With the unconscious dreams represent a window into the inner thoughts which are causally related to neuroses and are therefore important in a patients treatment. Apart from the therapeutic implications of this hypothesis, it can lead to scientific insight into psychic causality. Therapists who are interested in the scientific aspects of dream analysis will find that their scientific understandings are therapeutic and will most likely share them to gain insight on the present neurosis. During the course of an analysis, which may last many months, dreams often become deluded and make less sense. This is because a relationship will develop and the analyst's interpretations are clouded by their previous judgements of the person. This does not allow for any change in the patient's inevitable movement from their initial state to their cured state. If dreams remain clear and understandable throughout an analysis, then the therapist has yet to touch on an important aspect of the patient's neurosis. Serving to influence the interpretations of dreams is very commonly the type of relationship between therapist and patient. Jung gives an example of t... ...ph interpreted, meant that in three days he would be released and pardoned by the Pharaoh. Subsequently he would be restored to his post as cupbearer. Joseph saw this dream in the conscious context and could manipulate it in a fluid manner. He saw that wine and its production was the primary force in this man's life. Thus the three branches were what would grow in three days, signifying a release in three days. Using the fruit of the release, he would create wine for the Pharaoh. This meant that with his release he would once again hold the Pharaoh's cup and be restored to his position. This fits with Jung's model for interpretation. The baker's dream, as interpreted by Joseph, lead to a very different end. The dream meant that in three days the Pharaoh would behead the baker and put his head on a pole for the birds to eat. Following Jung's theory, the three baskets were what could be made for the Pharaoh in three days. The baking was the life of the baker, and thus having the birds eat his baking was, through the interpretation on the archetypal bird, was the ending of his life. The exactness of Joseph's interpretations were due mainly to the mystical nature of the Bible.

Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman as Epic Tragedy Essay -- Death Sal

Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman as Epic Tragedy   Ã‚  Ã‚   Aristotle's Poetics defines the making of a dramatic or epic tragedy and presents the general principles of the construction of this genre. Surprisingly, over the centuries authors have remained remarkably close to Aristotle's guidelines. Arthur Miller's twentieth century tragedy Death of a Salesman is an example of this adherence to Aristotle's prescription for tragedy. It is significant to test Aristotle's definition and requirements of tragedy by comparison and contrast, against a contemporary tragedy and to make observations with regard to what influence society and culture may have on the genre. This discussion however, will be confined to the realm of plot and the more notable aspects of the construction of the incidents in tragedy because of the complexity of this element. Aristotle's attention throughout much of Poetics is directed towards the requirements and expectations of plot.   Plot, 'the soul of tragedy', Aristotle says, must be an imitation of a noble and complete action. In Death of a Salesman, Miller does provide a complete action, that is it has what Aristotle identifies as a beginning, a middle, and an end. These divisible sections must, and do in the case of Death of a Salesman, meet the criterion of their respective placement. Whether Miller provides a nobel action, however, is an issue of culture. Willy Loman ultimately takes his own life so that his son Biff may benefit from the insurance money that he will receive. The question then, is according to our culture is his suicide noble? Since Willy's suicide is perpetrated for Biff's benefit, one could view this act as sacrifice. Sacrifice is in our culture, a pious and admirable quality, one of... ...ath of a Salesman' Twentieth Century Literature.   January, 1972. 19-24.   Rpt. in World Literary Criticism.   Ed. Frank Magill.   'Arthur Miller' Detroit: Gale Research, 1992.   2366-2368. Hayman, Ronald.   Arthur Miller.   New York: Frederick Ungar, 1972. Hoeveler, D. J.   'Ben's Influence.'   Arthur Miller?s Death of a Salesman: Modern Critical Interpretations.   Ed. Harold Blum.   Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1988. 72-81. Magill, Frank.   'Death of a Salesman.'   Master Plots.   Englewood Cliffs: Salem, 1976.   1365-1368. Miller, Arthur.   Death of a Salesman.   New York: Penguin, 1949. ---.   Conversations With Arthur Miller.   Jackson: Mississippi UP, 1987. Parker, Brian.   'Point of View in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.'   Arthur Miller: A Collection of Critical Essays.   Ed. Robert Corrigan.   Englewood Cliffs:   Prentice Hall, 1969.   98-107.

High School and Education Essay

1a) Cultural Deprivation -Intellectual Development: development of thinking and reasoning skills. Theorists would argue that many WC homes lack educational books, toys and activities that would help stimulate a child’s intellectual development. Douglas- WC pupils scored lower on test of ability, as their parents are less likely to support their children’s intellectual development. Bernstein and Young- mothers choose toys that influence intellectual development. Criticism: WC may not be able to afford these toys etc. -Language: children fail to develop necessary language skills and grow up incapable of abstract thinking and unable to use language to explain, describe, enquire and compare. Restricted & Elaborated code; Bernstein. MC have an advantage as the elaborated code is used by teachers, text books and exams. Also MC pupils are already fluent speakers (socialisation) so they ‘feel at home’ in school and are more likely to succeed. Criticism: Bernstein describes WC speech inadeq uate. -Attitudes and Values: Parents attitudes and values are a key factor affecting educational achievement. Douglas- WC parents place less value on education. Feinstein- the lack of interest is more important than financial hardship or factors within school. Many WC subcultures have different goals, beliefs, attitudes and values from the rest of society. Hyman- WC subculture is a self-imposed barrier to educational success. Sugerman- Fatalism, Collectivism, Immediate Gratification, Present-time Orientation. WC children internalise the beliefs and values of their subculture through the socialisation process meaning under-achievement. -Compensatory Education: Policy designed to tackle the problem of CD by providing extra resources to school and communities in deprived areas. E.g. Sure Start, Education Action Zones etc. Criticism: Don’t see the real cause of under-achievement (poverty and material deprivation). -Criticisms: Keddie; CD is a myth and blames victims. A child cannot be deprived of their own culture they are just culturally different. Troyna and Williams; teachers have a ‘speech hierarchy’ where MC speech is highest. Blackstone and Mortimore; parents attend fewer parent evenings as they may work longer hours/less regular hours or put off by school’s MC atmosphere. Also may not help their children’s progress as they lack the knowledge. -Studies show that WC children are more likely to leave school from the age of 16 and are less likely to go on to sixth form and university. Also working-class children are more likely to start school unable to read, and are more likely to fall behind in reading, writing and number skills. 1b) Material Deprivation -Referred to poverty and lack of material necessities (housing/income). -Stats; 32% of WC students were considering moving out of the family home to attend university. 90% of failing schools are in deprived areas. 33% of those receiving free school meals got 5 or more A*-C GCSE grades. 90% of ‘failing’ schools are located in deprived areas. -Housing- overcrowded housing means less space to do work, play, sleep etc, and greater risk of accidents. -Diet and health- lower intakes of energy, vitamins and minerals. Poor nutrition -> weaker immune system -> lowering children’s energy levels -> get ill easier (poor attendance at school). WC children are more likely to have behavioural or emotional problems. -Financial Support- WC children lack equipment and miss out on school trips. They also make do with hand-me-downs (results in being stigmatised/bullied). Children living in poverty take on jobs (baby sitting, cleaning, paper rounds) which has a negative impact on their school work. Also very few go on to university. The government has tried to tackle this problem, e.g. EMA, raising the school leaving age and providing free-school meals. -Criticisms: Ignores internal factors and cultural deprivation. 1c) Cultural Capital -Bourdieu suggested MC culture is as valuable in educational terms as economic capital. The forms of knowledge, values, ways of interacting and communicating ideas that MC children possess are developed further and rewarded by the education system (qualifications).WC have a lack of cultural capital which leads to exam failure. They also ‘get the message’ that education isn’t meant for them thus they truant/leave school early/provide no effort. -Education, economic and cultural capital can be converted into one another. E.g. MC children with cultural capital are better equipped to meet the demands of school and gain qualifications. Wealthier parents can convert their economic capital into educational capital by sending their children to private schools, and paying extra tuition. -Gewirtz: sees how greater parental choice of school has benefited one social class more. Study; 14 London schools with interviews from parents and teachers. She found that differences in economic and cultural capital lead to class differences in how far parents can implement choice of secondary school. She identifies three main types of parents; privileged-skilled choosers (MC parents who used their economic and cultural capital to gain educational capital for their children), disconnected-local choosers (WC parents whose choices were restricted by their lack of economic and cultural capital), and semi-skilled choosers (mainly WC who were ambitious for their children but lacked cultural capital). Internal Factors (class difference) 2a) Labelling -Attaching a meaning to someone. Teachers often attach labels regardless of their ability or attitude. -Howard Becker- Did a study based on interviews with 60 Chicago high school teachers; they judge pupils to what they think is the ‘ideal pupil’. WC children were furthest (regarded as badly behaved). -Cicourel and Kitsuese- Did a study of educational counsellors in an American high school; they claimed to judge students according to their ability, however, they judged students on their social class/race- MC have more potential than WC children. -Rist- Did a study of an American kindergarten; the teacher used information about children’s background and appearance to place them into separate groups. At the front was the ‘tigers’ (MC, given complex work), ‘cardinals’ and then the ‘clowns’ (given easy work like drawing). -Sharp and Green- Did a study about a ‘child-centred’ primary school; children picked their own activities, teachers felt when a child is ready to learn they will seek help. However, teachers believed that children who weren’t ready should engage in ‘compensatory play’. Their findings support the interactionist view that children of different class background are labelled differently. They argue that the negative labelling of the WC is also the result of inequalities in wider society. 2b) Self-Fulfilling Prophecy -A prediction that comes true because it has been made. Step 1: Teacher labels pupil and makes predictions. Step 2: Teacher treats the pupil accordingly. Step 3: Pupil internalises the teacher’s expectation which becomes part of their self-concept/image, and becomes the kind of pupil the teacher believed (prediction is fulfilled). -Streaming: involves separating children into different ability groups (streams). Each group is taught differently. Studies show that the self-fulfilling prophecy is likely to occur once streamed. WC children are usually put in a lower stream as they aren’t ‘ideal pupils’. It is difficult to move up into a higher stream thus are locked into their teachers expectations -> self-fulfilling prophecy as the children live up to their teachers expectations by under-achieving. 2c) Pupil Subcultures -A group of pupils who share similar values and behaviour patterns. They emerge as a response to the way pupils have been labelled (reaction to streaming). -Lacey: Differentiation- process of teachers categorising pupils according to their ability/attitude/behaviour. Polarisation- process in which pupils respond to streaming by moving towards one of the two opposite extremes. Pro-school subculture- placed in higher streams, remain committed to the values of school and gain status through academic success. Anti-school subculture- placed in lower streams, have inferior status. -Hargreaves: There are two distinctive subcultures: Conformists and Non-conformists delinquents (a delinquent subculture that helped guarantee their educational failure). -Woods: argues that rather than seeing pupil subcultures as either conformist or deviant, it is more realistic to see a variety of possible adaptations/responses to the schooling process. Pro-school: Ingratiation (pupils who try to earn the favour of teachers), Opportunism (those who vary between teacher and peer approval), Compliance (pupils who conform for instrumental reasons), Ritualism (pupils who go through the motions), Colonisation (pupils who avoid trouble, but will deviate if there is less punishment). Anti-school: Ritualism, Retreatism (not opposed to school values, but not concerned about achieving success), Colonisation, Intransigence (deviate and aren’t bothered about the consequences), Rebellion (pupils have little regard to school values and reject school teachings). -Ball: found that when the school abolished banding, the basis for pupils to polarise into subcultures was largely removed and the influence of the anti-school subculture declined. However, differentiation continued. As a result, class inequalities can continue due to teachers labelling. -Limitations: Deterministic: assumes that once pupils are labelled, they have no choice but to fulfil the prophecy and will inevitably fail. Ignores wider structures of power: blames teachers for labelling pupils but fails to explain why. 2d) Marketisation and Selection Policies -Marketisation is a policy that introduces market forces of supply and demand into areas run by the state. Marketisation has brought in; Funding formula (giving a school the same amount of funds for each pupil), Exam League Tables (ranking schools based on their exam performance), Competition among schools to attract pupils. -A-C Economy: Schools need to achieve a good league table position to attract pupils and funding. However, this widens the class gap in achievement. The A-C economy is a system in which schools ration their time, money, effort and resources to those who will get 5 A*-C GCSEs to get a high rank. -Educational Triage: sorting pupils; ‘those who will pass anyway’, ‘those with potential’, ‘hopeless cases’. Those classed as hopeless cases are ignored (self-fulfilling prophecy and failure). -Competition and Selection: Schools with a good league table position will be placed to attract other able/MC pupils. Thus improves the school’s results and makes it more popular which increases funding. Popular schools can afford to screen out less able and more difficult pupils, unpopular schools are obliged to take the, get worse results, and get less funding. Cream skimming: selecting higher ability pupils, who gain the best results and cost less to teach. Silt-shifting: off-loading pupils with learning difficulties, who are expensive to teach and get poor results. -Attraction: creating school contracts to attract parents, buying things like pipe organs to get a ‘traditional’ image of the school (attracting the MC), grant maintained and city technology colleges provide vocational education in partnership with employers (another route to elite education). Ball et al suggests that schools spend more on marketing themselves to parents, and spend less in special needs in other areas. -Marketisation and selection – created a polarised education system, with successful, well-resourced schools at one extreme, and failing un-resourced schools at the other; blurred hierarchy. External Factors (ethnic differences) 3a) Cultural Deprivation -Intellectual and linguistic skills: Major cause of under-achievement. Many children from low-income black families lack intellectual stimulation and enriching experiences. This leaves them poorly equipped for school because they have not been able to develop reasoning and problem-solving skills. Also the language used by black children in inadequate for educational success. Also those who don’t speak English at home may be held back educationally. However, Mirza and Gillborn note that Indian pupils do very well despite not having English as their home language. -Attitudes and Values: Lack of motivation is a major cause of the failure of black children. Many children are socialised in a mainstream culture of ambition, competitiveness and willingness to make scarifies to achieve long-term goals. Black children are socialised into a fatalistic subculture. -Family structure: Failure to socialise children adequately is the result of dysfunctional family structure. Many black families are headed by a lone-mother; their children are deprived of adequate care because she has to struggle financially due to the absence of the male breadwinner. The absence of the father also leads to the absence of the positive role model. Charles Murray: would lead to the under-achievement of some minorities. Pryce: Asian pupils are higher achievers because their culture is more resistant to racism and gives them a greater sense of self-worth. Black culture is less cohesive and less resistant to racism. Thus they have low self-esteem and under-achieve. -Asian families: Driver and Ballard: they bring educational benefits as the parents have more positive attitudes towards education, higher aspirations and are therefore more supportive. Lupton: respectful behaviour towards adults was expected from children, and had a knock-on effect in schools. Khan: parents are ‘stress ridden’, bound by tradition, and controlling. -Criticisms: Driver: ignores positive effects of ethnicity on achievement. Lawrence: black pupils under-achieve because of racism not self-esteem. Keddie: victim-blaming theory. They under-achieve because schools are ethnocentric and favour white culture. Compensatory Education: it is an attempt to impose on the dominant white culture on children who have a culture of their own. Critics propose 2 alternatives: Multicultural education: recognises values of minority cultures and includes them in the curriculum. Anti-racist education: challenges the prejudice and discrimination that exists in schools and wider so ciety. 3b) Material Deprivation -Stats: 1) Pakistani and Bangladeshi women are more likely to be in low-paid jobs. 2) 15% of ethnic minority households live in overcrowded conditions. 3) Unemployment is three times higher for African and Bangladeshi/Pakistani people. -Gillborn and Mirza argue that social class factors don’t ignore the influence of ethnicity. When we compare pupils of the same social class but different ethnic origins, we still find differences in achievement. 3c) Racism in Wider Society -David Mason: ‘Discrimination is a continuing and persistent feature of the experience of Britain’s citizen’s of ethnic minority origin’. -Rex: shows how racial discrimination leads to social exclusion and how this worsens the poverty faced by ethnic minorities. E.g. housing; minorities are more likely to be forced into substandard accommodation than whites. -Noon: two people with the same qualifications and experience applied for a job. However, the white person got the job, rather than the Indian. Thus shows that ethnic minorities are more likely to face unemployment and low pay. Internal Factors (ethnic differences) 4a) Labelling and Teacher Racism -Interactionists: They see that teachers picture an image of the ‘ideal pupil’. But they see that black and Asian far from the ideal pupil. This leads them to label black pupils as disruptive and aggressive, and Asian pupils as passive and a problem they can ignore. -Gillborn and Youdell: due to racialised expectations, teachers were quicker to discipline black pupils than others for the same behaviour. -Black pupils: Teachers misinterpreted their behaviour as threatening/challenge to authority. Pupils then responded negatively and further conflict resulted. This may be why many black pupils are excluded, and their stereotypes may cause them to be in lower sets (under-achievement). -Asian pupils: Teachers assumed that they would have a poor grasp of English and left them out of class discussions or used simplistic childish language. They also felt isolated when teachers mispronounced their names or teachers expressed disapproval of their customs. 4b) Pupil Responses and Subcultures -Fuller: Study of a group of black girls in year 11. Found that the girls conformed as far as school work was concerned. They worked consistently, but gave the appearance of not doing so (positive attitude to academic success, but preferred to rely on their own efforts than teachers). Fuller sees that pupils may still succeed even when they refuse to conform, and negatively labelling doesn’t always lead to failure (no self-fulfilling prophecy). -Mirza: Study of ambitious girls who faced teacher racism. The study failed as their coping strategies restricted their opportunities and thus under-achieved. She found that racist teachers discouraged black pupils from being ambitious through the kind of career advice that was given to them. The colour blind: teachers who believe all pupils are equal but allow racism got unchallenged. Liberal chauvinists: teachers who believe black pupils are culturally deprived and had low expectations of them. Overt racists: teachers who believe blacks are inferior and discriminate against them. -Sewell: Four ways in which boys respond to racist stereotyping: Rebels (rejected both the goals and rules of school, conforming to the stereotype of the ‘black macho lad’. Saw white boys as effeminate), Conformists (keen to succeed, accepted the school’s goals and avoided stereotypes from teachers or their peers), Retreatists (disconnected from both school and black subcultures), Innovators (pro-education but anti-school). 4c) The Ethnocentric Curriculum -Ethnocentric: attitude/policy that gives more value to one culture and ignores the rest. -The curriculum is very ethnocentric (favouring white culture). E.g. in teaching languages; non-European languages are ignored (also other cultures in literature, art and music). However, in history, black history is taught, but it is focused on slavery. This may produce lower self-esteem to black pupils as this image of black people as inferior undermines them and may lead to failure. 4d) Institutional Racism -Institutional racism: discrimination that is built into the way institutions operate. -Schools tend to set schemes for the gifted and talented, and vocational schemes for the less academic e.g. black and Asians. External Factors (gender differences) 5a) Girls -Feminism: McRobbie shows that magazines in the 1970’s emphasised the importance of getting married. Whereas, nowadays, they contain images of assertive, independent women. Also soap operas now highlight the importance of self-esteem and personal choice for young women. -Family: Sine the 1970’s there have been major changes in the family. For example: an increase in divorce rates, increase in cohabitation and a decrease in the number of first marriages, increase in the number of lone-parent families (female-headed) and smaller families. These changes affect girl’s attitudes to education. Such as: the increase in female lone-parent families may mean more women need to take on the breadwinner role. This creates a new adult role model for girls- the financially independent. To achieve this, women need well-paid jobs, and thus good qualifications. Also the increase in divorce rates suggests that girls can make their own living. -Employment: 1970 Equal Pay Act (illegal to pay women less for the same job as men), Sex Discrimination Act. Women’s employment has risen due to the service sector and flexible part-time work. 1975- The pay gap between men and women has increased. Women are now breaking through the ‘glass ceiling’ (keeps them out of high-level professional managerial jobs). -Ambitions: Sharpe- study involved conducting interviews with girls in the 1970’s and 1990’s. In the 1970’s the girls felt that education with unfeminine and if they were interested, it would make them unattractive. In the 1990’s, the girl’s ambitions had changed, and thought careers are more important as they can support themselves. 5b) Boys -Feminisation of education: Schools do not nurture ‘masculine’ traits such as competitiveness and leadership. Also coursework has created differences in educational achievement. -Shortage of male primary school teachers: Strong positive male role models both at home and at school cause may cause under-achievement. 16% of men are primary school teachers. 42% said they made them work harder. Yet, Myhill and Jones found they felt male teachers treated boys harshly. -‘Laddish’ subculture: WC boys are more likely to be labelled as sissies and subjected to homophobic verbal abuse if they appeared to be ‘swots’. Boys were more concerned to be labelled by peers than girls, as it is a threat to their masculinity. Thus, WC boys rejected schoolwork to avoid being called ‘gay’. Epstein- ‘real boys don’t work’ if they do, they get bullied. Internal Factors (gender differences) 6a) Girls and Achievement -Equal opportunities policies: Policies such as GIST and WISE encourage girls to pursue a career in non-traditional areas. The National Curriculum has removed one source of gender inequality by making girls and boys study mostly the same subjects. Also schooling has become meritocentric. -Positive role models: The increase in female teachers shows that women can achieve positions of importance and giving them non-traditional goals to aim for. -GCSE and coursework: Girls are more successful in coursework as they are more conscientious and better organised. Sociologists argue that these characteristics and skills are the result of early gender socialisation. E.g. girls are likely to be encouraged to be neat, tidy and patient. This puts girls in a better place as they achieve greater success. Elwood- not the only cause of the gender gap. -Teacher attention: Teachers paid more attention to boys as they are attracted to reprimands. This may explain why teachers have more positive attitudes to girls, whom they see as cooperative, than to boys, whom are seen as disruptive. This may lead to self-fulfilling prophecy in which successful interactions with teachers promote girls self-esteem and raise the achievement levels. -Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum: Sexist images have been removed from learning materials. This may help raise girl’s success levels- more positive images of what women can do. -Selection and league tables: Girls are more likely to be recruited from good schools as they are more attractive to schools. This may create a self-fulfilling prophecy. -Feminists: Liberal- See that further progress will be made by the continuing developments of equal opportunities, and see education is a meritocracy. Radical- System still remains patriarchal. E.g. sexual harassment continues, education still limits their subject choice and career options, females are less likely to become head-teachers.

Accounting Information Systems Solution Trial Exam

Exam Name___________________________________ MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) Which of the following types of organizing the information systems function would you be most likely to find in a small company with 20 employees? 1) _______ A) represented within each major division of the company B) as departments within each functional area C) as a separate, centralized department D) none of the above 2) Decisions that are unique, rapidly changing, and not easily specified in advance are best suited to which type of system? 2) ______ A) MIS B) ESS C) DSS D) TPS 3) Buying or selling goods over the Internet is called 3) _______ A) an extranet. B) an intranet. C) e-business. D) e-commerce. 4) ________ uses a set of integrated applications to address all aspects of the customer relationship. 4) _______ A) MIS B) CLE C) CRM D) CLU 5) You work for a highly successful advertiser that is just about to expand nationally. Of utmost importance will be finding a way to store and disseminate their clients' continually updated branding guides, which include multiple image files and text documents, to all of the firm's branches.What system will best serve these needs? 5) _______ A) an extranet with KMS capabilities B) a CRM C) a TPS with KMS capabilities D) an intranet with KMS capabilities 6) Which type of system would you use to forecast the return on investment if you used new suppliers with better delivery track records? 6) _______ A) MIS B) ESS C) DSS D) TPS 7) The Smart Site Solution system used by Johnny's Lunch to help identify the best locations to open new franchises is best categorized as a 7) _______ A) POS system B) KMS C) CRM D) DSS 8)Which of the following occupations would NOT be categorized as an â€Å"interaction† job? 8) _______ A) engineer B) business manager C) operations manager D) sales representative 9) The CPO is responsible for 9) _______ A) overseeing the use of information technology in the firm. B) making better use of existing knowledge in organizational and management processes. C) ensuring that the company complies with existing data privacy laws. D) enforcing the firm's information security policy. 10) Decision-support systems are often referred to as business ________ systems. 0) ______ A) analysis B) intelligence C) information D) modeling 11) An information system for ________ would NOT be categorized as a KMS. 11) ______ A) distributing documents B) documenting the expertise of company specialists C) discovering new sales channels for a product D) enabling the discovery of new product applications 12) What is the most important function of an enterprise application? 12) ______ A) enabling a company to work collaboratively with customers and suppliers B) enabling business functions and departments to share information C) ncreasing speed of communicating D) enabling cost-effective e-business processes 13) The principal liaison between the infor mation systems groups and the rest of the organization is a(n) 13) ______ A) CTO. B) systems analyst. C) programmer. D) information systems manager. SHORT ANSWER. Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or answers the question. 14) The ________ function is responsible for attracting, developing, and maintaining the firm's workforce. 14) _____________ TRUE/FALSE. Write ‘T' if the statement is true and ‘F' if the statement is false. 5) ESSs are designed primarily to solve specific problems. 15) ______ 16) Decision-support systems help managers make decisions that are unique, rapidly changing, and not easily specified in advance. 16) ______ 17) ESSs are designed to serve the middle management of the organization. 17) ______ 18) Operational management is responsible for directing the day-to-day operations of the business and therefore needs transaction-level information. 18) ______ 19) Decision-support systems use internal information as well as informati on from external sources. 19) ______ Accounting Information Systems Solution Trial Exam Exam Name___________________________________ MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) Which of the following types of organizing the information systems function would you be most likely to find in a small company with 20 employees? 1) _______ A) represented within each major division of the company B) as departments within each functional area C) as a separate, centralized department D) none of the above 2) Decisions that are unique, rapidly changing, and not easily specified in advance are best suited to which type of system? 2) ______ A) MIS B) ESS C) DSS D) TPS 3) Buying or selling goods over the Internet is called 3) _______ A) an extranet. B) an intranet. C) e-business. D) e-commerce. 4) ________ uses a set of integrated applications to address all aspects of the customer relationship. 4) _______ A) MIS B) CLE C) CRM D) CLU 5) You work for a highly successful advertiser that is just about to expand nationally. Of utmost importance will be finding a way to store and disseminate their clients' continually updated branding guides, which include multiple image files and text documents, to all of the firm's branches.What system will best serve these needs? 5) _______ A) an extranet with KMS capabilities B) a CRM C) a TPS with KMS capabilities D) an intranet with KMS capabilities 6) Which type of system would you use to forecast the return on investment if you used new suppliers with better delivery track records? 6) _______ A) MIS B) ESS C) DSS D) TPS 7) The Smart Site Solution system used by Johnny's Lunch to help identify the best locations to open new franchises is best categorized as a 7) _______ A) POS system B) KMS C) CRM D) DSS 8)Which of the following occupations would NOT be categorized as an â€Å"interaction† job? 8) _______ A) engineer B) business manager C) operations manager D) sales representative 9) The CPO is responsible for 9) _______ A) overseeing the use of information technology in the firm. B) making better use of existing knowledge in organizational and management processes. C) ensuring that the company complies with existing data privacy laws. D) enforcing the firm's information security policy. 10) Decision-support systems are often referred to as business ________ systems. 0) ______ A) analysis B) intelligence C) information D) modeling 11) An information system for ________ would NOT be categorized as a KMS. 11) ______ A) distributing documents B) documenting the expertise of company specialists C) discovering new sales channels for a product D) enabling the discovery of new product applications 12) What is the most important function of an enterprise application? 12) ______ A) enabling a company to work collaboratively with customers and suppliers B) enabling business functions and departments to share information C) ncreasing speed of communicating D) enabling cost-effective e-business processes 13) The principal liaison between the infor mation systems groups and the rest of the organization is a(n) 13) ______ A) CTO. B) systems analyst. C) programmer. D) information systems manager. SHORT ANSWER. Write the word or phrase that best completes each statement or answers the question. 14) The ________ function is responsible for attracting, developing, and maintaining the firm's workforce. 14) _____________ TRUE/FALSE. Write ‘T' if the statement is true and ‘F' if the statement is false. 5) ESSs are designed primarily to solve specific problems. 15) ______ 16) Decision-support systems help managers make decisions that are unique, rapidly changing, and not easily specified in advance. 16) ______ 17) ESSs are designed to serve the middle management of the organization. 17) ______ 18) Operational management is responsible for directing the day-to-day operations of the business and therefore needs transaction-level information. 18) ______ 19) Decision-support systems use internal information as well as informati on from external sources. 19) ______