Performance Appraisal of Al-Arafah Islami Bank Limited

1. 0 Introduction Every company has its own vision and mission. Achieving of its vision and mission is primarily depends on the performance of the employees. If the employees are not dedicated to their works, they will not achieve company’s mission as well as its vision. It is the duty of the Human Resource department in a company to measure the performance of the employees and based on their performance appraisal report and considering the need of the organization assigning employees with different training and development programs so that the employees can develop their skills as well as contribute in the development of the organization.As a result, the organization can achieve its goal from their employees. This performance appraisal and training program has great impact on financial institution to achieve its targeted profit and competitive advantage. As a part of our BBA Program, our Human Resource Management Course Instructor Mr. Faisol Chowdhury assigned us to prepare a report on the employee performance measurement in an organization, the training and development program offered in an organization and the benefit the organization gets from these training and development programs.We have selected our report topic as, â€Å"Performance appraisal, training and development programs and its benefits in AL-Arafah Islami Bank LTD†. 1. 2 Background of the Company: Al-Arafah Islami Bank Limited is a scheduled commercial bank. With the objective of achieving success here & hereafter by pursuing the way directed by Allah and the path shown by His Rasul (SM), Al Arafah Islami Bank Ltd was established under the Bank Companies Act 1991 and incorporated as a public limited company under the Companies Act 1994 in Bangladesh with the primary objective to carry on all kinds of banking business in Bangladesh.The Bank is listed with Dhaka Stock Exchange Limited and Chittagong Stock Exchange Limited in 1998. For the purpose of maintaining boost modern manageme nt, advanced technology, good profitability and steady growth transparency Al-Arafah Islami Bank started its journey in 1995 with the said principles in mind and to introduce a modern banking system based on Al-Quran and Sunnah. A group of established, dedicated and pious personalities of Bangladesh are the architects and directors of the Bank. Among them a noted Islamic scholar, economist, writer and ex-bureau craft of Bangladesh government Mr.A. Z. M. Shamsul Alam is the founder Chairman of the bank. His progressive leadership and continuous inspiration provided a boost for the bank in getting a foothold in the financial market of Bangladesh. A group of 26 dedicated and noted Islamic personalities of Bangladesh are the member of executive committee of the bank. MR. Badiur Rahman and MR. Ekramul Hoque are the existing chairman and the managing director of the bank. Now AIBL is one of the top ranked banks in Bangladesh. Recently it has introduced its 100th branch milestone by openin g its 100th branch in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar. AIBL annual Report, 2011) Vision: †¢ To be a pioneer in Islamic Banking in Bangladesh and contribute significantly to the growth of the national economy. Mission: †¢ Achieving the satisfaction of Almighty Allah both here & hereafter. †¢ Proliferation of Shariah Based Banking Practices. †¢ Fast and efficient customer service. †¢ Quality financial services adopting the latest technology. †¢ Maintaining high standard of business ethics and competitive return on shareholders' equity. †¢ Firm commitment to the growth of national economy. †¢ Innovative banking at a competitive price. Attract and retain quality human resources. †¢ Balance growth. 1. 3 Objective of this report: We have prepared this repost based on two purposes: Primary Objective †¢ To provide detailed information about the performance appraisal process of AL-Arafah Islami Bank LTD †¢ To provide detailed information on t raining and development †¢ To figure out the benefits of the training and development program Secondary Objectives †¢ It is an assessment criteria for our MGT-351 (Introduction to Human Resource Management Course) †¢ It is a practical implementation of our theoretical knowledge 1. 4 Scope of the StudyAs we have an assigned topic we have covered only that certain topics in this report. For covering that certain topics we talked to the Human Resource Division head and the training institute principal of AL-Arafah Islami Bank LTD. As a result we got some valuable information about the performance appraisal method of bank and their training programs which helped us to justify our theoretical concept of performance appraisal, training method and its real life benefit. As AIBL is a Shariah based Islamic bank we have also gathered some valuable information about Islamic banking system. 1. Methodology For making any report we have to collect primary and secondary information which reflect the actual situation of the company. We have collected both primary and secondary data for making our report. I. Primary data: The data we have collected from Mr. Md. Rafiqul Islam, Deputy Managing Director of AIBL, Mr. Mazharul Islam, Vice President & the Head of HRD, AIBL, Mr. Zahid Hasan, Assistant Vice President & Principal of the AIBTRA through interview are considering as primary data. II. Secondary data: The data we have collected from their AIBL website (http://www. al-arafahbank. om), Annual Report, periodicals, various books, articles etc regarding banking activities, different literature and official records ) are considered as secondary data. 2. 0 Literature Review 2. 1. 0 Performance Appraisal: What is Performance Appraisal? Performance Appraisal (PA) means evaluating an employee’s current and previous performance relative to his or her performance standards. (Dessler & Varkkey 2012, p. 318) Performance = f (A, M, O) A = ability, M = motivation, O = opportunity It is not a process that happens once a year or every six months, but one that happens every day.It should focus solely on employee performance improvement. It is an element of the Performance Management system. Performance appraisal always involves 1) Setting work standard 2) Assessing employees actual performance relative to those standard 3) Providing feedback to their employee with the aim of motivating him or her to eliminate performance deficiencies Potential Benefits of Performance Appraisals There are a number of potential benefits of organizational performance management conducting formal performance appraisals (PAs).There has been a general consensus in the belief that PAs lead to positive implications of organizations. Furthermore, PAs can benefit an organization’s effectiveness. One way is PAs can often lead to giving individual workers feedback about their job performance. From this may spawn several potential benefits such as the individual workers becoming more productive. Other potential benefits include: †¢ Facilitation of communication: communication in organizations is considered an essential function of worker motivation. It has been proposed that feedback from PAs aid in minimizing employees’ perceptions of uncertainty.Fundamentally, feedback and management-employee communication can serve as a guide in job performance. †¢ Enhancement of employee focus through promoting trust: Behaviours, thoughts, and/or issues may distract employees from their work, and trust issues may be among these distracting factors. Such factors that consume psychological energy can lower job performance and cause workers to lose sight of organizational goals. Properly constructed and utilized PAs have the ability to lower distracting factors and encourage trust within the organization. Goal setting and desired performance reinforcement: Organizations find it efficient to match individual worker’s goals and performance wi th organizational goals. PAs provide room for discussion in the collaboration of these individual and organizational goals. Collaboration can also be advantageous by resulting in employee acceptance and satisfaction of appraisal results. †¢ Performance improvement: Well-constructed PAs can be valuable tools for communication with employees as pertaining to how their job performance stands with organizational expectations. At the organizational level, numerous studies have reported positive relationships between human resource management (HRM) practices† and performance improvement at both the individual and organizational levels. †¢ Determination of training needs: â€Å"Employee training and development are crucial components in helping an organization achieve strategic initiatives†. It has been argued that for PAs to truly be effective, post-appraisal opportunities for training and development in problem areas, as determined by the appraisal, must be offered . PAs can especially be instrumental for identifying training needs of new employees.Finally, PAs can help in the establishment and supervision of employees’ career goals. 2. 1. 1 Performance Appraisal Methods: Many organisations have eliminated formal appraisal programs, preferring a structured hiring, training and organisational culture centric employee performance. Most organisations still practice some sort of appraisal methods to evaluate employee performance. A mixture of different appraisal methods is always recommended for a better and meaningful result. (Dessler & Varkkey 2012, p. 324) GRAPHIC RATING SCALE: The graphical rating scale is the simplest and most popular method for appraising performance.A graphical rating scale list traits (such as â€Å"communication or teamwork†) and a range of performance values (from â€Å"uncertainty† to â€Å"outstanding† or â€Å"below expectation† to â€Å"role model†) for each trait. The superv isor rates each subordinate by circling or checking the score that best describes the subordinate’s performance for each trait. [pic] Alternation ranking Method: Ranking employees from best to worst on a particular trait, choosing highest, then lowest until all are ranked [pic] Paired Comparison method: Paired comparison method helps to make the ranking method more precise.For every trait (quantity of work, quality of work, and so on), you pair and compare every subordinate with every other subordinate. Forced Distribution Method: The forced distribution method is similar to grading on a curve. With this method, anyone can place predetermined percentages of rates into several performance categories. The proportions in each category need not to be symmetrical. Critical Incident method: Keeping a record of uncommonly good or undesirable examples of an employee’s work related behaviour and reviewing it with the employee.Manager then uses the record to assess the employees ’ performance when it is time for PA. Not helpful for comparing employees and making salary decisions. Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS): A behaviourally anchored rating scale (BARS) is an appraisal tool that anchors a numerical rating scale with specific examples of good or poor performance. Essay Description: A written statement describes employee’s strengths, weaknesses, past performance and future development. Managers write the descriptions of the employees. So, good writing skill is the pre-requisite for this method.Management by Objectives: MBO is a comprehensive and formal organization-wide goal setting and appraisal programme, used sometimes as a primary appraisal method or a supplementary method. Electronic Performance Monitoring: Electronic performance monitoring (EPM) systems use computer network technology to allow managers access to their employees computers and telephone. So managers can monitor employees rate, accuracy and time spent working o utline. 2. 1. 2 Performance Appraisal Problems (Dessler & Varkkey 2012, p. 333) †¢ Unclear Standard – Most of the appraisal scales are unclear.Standards and traits are interpreted differently by different people. †¢ Halo Effect – When a supervisor’s rating of a subordinate on one trait biases the rating of all other traits. E. g. an unfriendly employee will often be rated ‘unsatisfactory’ for all traits rather than just for that specific trait. †¢ Central Tendency – Tendency to rate all employees the same way – the middle of the rating scale; which is usually rating an average rating. †¢ Leniency or Strictness – Tendency to rate all subordinates either ‘high’ or ‘low’. Biasness – Tendency to rate employees based on their differences on age, race, sex, background and other characteristics. 2. 2. 0 Definition of training and development: Training means giving new or current empl oyees the skills they need to perform their jobs. It is the process of providing employees with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to successfully perform their current job. It usually involves teaching operational or technical employees how to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently. (Dessler & Varkkey 2012, p. 274)Development is the process that provides employees knowledge, skills and attitudes they will need to perform jobs at present and jobs they aspire to in future. It is generally aimed at helping top level executives better understand and solve problems, make decisions, and capitalize on opportunities. The cost and budget of development program is higher than training. (Dessler & Varkkey 2012, p. 295) 2. 2. 2 Training Programs There are several training programs- (Dessler & Varkkey 2012, p. 283) †¢ On the job training: It having a person learns a job by actually doing the tasks by him. Apprenticeship: It is a process by which people become skilled wor kers, usually through a combination of formal learning and long-term on the job training. †¢ Job instruction: listing each job’s basic tasks, along with key points, to provide step-by-step training for employees. Sometimes position description (PD) can be used as job instruction. †¢ Coaching: Under an official appointed teacher employee learn the basic tactics of the job. †¢ Mentoring: linking an experienced employee with less experienced employee to share experience, knowledge and skills. Helping someone to change his attitude, not his skills. Lectures/Seminar/Workshop: Lecture is a quick and simple way of providing knowledge to large groups of trainees. †¢ Audiovisual/Multimedia: Audiovisual based training techniques like DVDs, films, PowerPoint, and audiotapes are widely used. †¢ Vestibule: Vestibule training is a method in which trainers learn on the actual or simulated equipment they will use on the job, but are trained off the job(perhaps in a s eparate room or vestibule). †¢ Computer Based Training (CBT): With computer based training, trainers use interactive computer-based and DVD system to increase knowledge and skills. Role Play: Role playing is to create a realistic situation and then have the trainees assumes the part (or roles) specific person in that situation. †¢ Action Learning: Action learning programs give managers and others released time to work analyzing and solving problems in departments other than their own. †¢ Assessment centres (in-house / off the job) : centre that assesses participants performance, benchmark this against established standards, and consider remedial resources. E. g. Ernst & Young. Simulated training: provides trainees with the opportunity to learn on the actual or simulated equipment while off the job in a risk free environment. E. g. driving, medical examinations, pilots. †¢ E-learning: learning delivered, enabled and mediated by electronic technology. E. g. compute r / internet web based training sessions on cost effective, OH&S issues. †¢ Vestibule Training: training that takes place away from the production area on equipment that closely resembles the actual equipment used on the job. 2. 3. 0 Development methods (Dessler & Varkkey 2012, p. 296) There are several development methods-Job Rotation: Job rotation means moving managers from department to department to broaden their understanding of the business to test their abilities. Action Learning: Action learning programs give managers and others released time to work analyzing and solving problems in departments other than their own. Case study: giving employees a written description of an organisational problem to diagnose and solve. Management games: computerised management game where trainees are divided into five or six person companies, each of which has to compete with the other in a simulated marketplace.Outside seminars: attending seminars arranged by outside organisations. E. g . AHRI. University programs: continuous education programs in leadership, supervision etc. Role Play: Role playing is to create a realistic situation and then have the trainees assumes the part (or roles) specific person in that situation. In house Development centers/Corporate University: In house development center typically offer a catalogue of courses and programs aimed at supporting the employers’ management needs.Executive Coaches: Executive coaches is an outside consultant who questions the executive’s boss, peers, subordinates, and (sometimes) family in order to identify executive’s strengths and weakness and how they can capitalize their strength and overcome the weakness. 3. 1. 0 Performance Measurement in AL-Arafah Islami Bank LTD. AIBL has its own Human resource department. Personal data and the records of service and performance are recorded and maintained separately for each employee by HRD. HR executive and HRD head regularly measure their employe e’s performance.For measuring performance HRD of AIBL use APR (Annual Performance Report). Annual Performance Report (APR): (AIBL employee’s service rule p. 27) A system of annual report on the work and conduct of the employees will be laid down by the Board and such report will be called Annual Performance report(APR) and the bank may also call for special performance reports on any employees as and when considered necessary in the interest of the bank. AIBL has two specific format of APR (annual performance report): I.Operational post: It includes 27 traits. Operational employee’s (CEO, DMD, EVP, SVP and etc. ) performance is measured based on this 27 traits. II. Micro Finance & Logistics Posts: It includes 18 traits. This APR format is applicable for non-officer grade employee like filed supervisor, field assistant, Driver, Armed force, MCG(Messenger cum Guard) Operational post (APR format) Annual Performance Report (APR) (AIBL employee’s service rule p. 74) Personal Traits of the Officer under reporting (To be filled in by the reporting officer) |SL. No. Traits | Mark Secured | | | |Excellent | | | |Excellent |Very Good | |1 |Foundation course on Banking(Batch-I/2011) |1 |45 | |2 |Foundation course on Banking(Batch-II/2011) |1 |39 | |3 |Laws & Regulations in Bangladesh for Foreign Exchange Transaction & International Trade |1 |42 | |4 |Investment Operation & SME |1 |49 | |5 |Audit of Foreign & Exchange Trade Operation |1 |29 | |6 |Orientation Course on Banking |1 |45 | |7 |Orientation Course on Banking |1 |36 | |8 |Audit of Investment Operation |1 |27 | Development Programs that are offered by â€Å"Al-Arafah Islami bank† †¢ Job Rotation: For developing employee HRD of AIBL rotate the job and responsibility of each employee on a regular basi †¢ Action Learning: Action learning programs give managers and others released time to work analyzing and solving problems in departments other than their own. †¢ Case study: During the probation period, a written description of an organizational problem given to employees to diagnose and solve †¢ Workshop: workshops are organized by AIBL on a regular interval. Workshops organized by AIBL in 2011 (AIBRTA training & workshops 2011) S/L |Subject |Number |Participants | |1 |Capacity Development in ICC & Internal Audit |1 |21 | |2 |AML Compliance: Independent Testing Procedure |1 |27 | |3 |UCP-600 and its Application |1 |50 | |4 |Implementation of Web Based EXP from matching Through Online System |1 |23 | |5 |Al-Arafah Solar Energy Investment Scheme Management |1 |40 | |6 |Al-Arafah Solar Energy Investment Scheme Operation |1 |29 | |7 |Prevention of Money laundering and Fraud-Forgery in Banking |1 |41 | |8 |Security measures in handing Cash, Cheques and Instrument |1 |42 | |9 |BACH, MICR Cheque & Instrument and Security measure |1 |48 | |10 |Automation In Banking Operation in Bangladesh |1 52 | |11 |Green banking & Environment Risk Management |1 |44 | |12 |AML & CFT Issues(Batch-I/2011) |1 |49 | |13 |AML & CFT Issues(Batch-II/2011) |1 |44 | |14 |Operation Risk Associated with manual payment |1 |40 | |15 |UCP-600 |1 |48 | |16 |Asset Liability Management & Profit Maximization |1 |48 | |17 |General Insurance: bankers issues |1 |44 | |18 |Legal Process of Investment Recovery |1 |38 | |19 |Salesmanship in handling Foreign Remittance |1 |41 | |20 |Supervisory Review Process |1 |30 | |21. |Environment Risk Management & Investment Risk Management |1 |30 | |22. |Asset Liability Management & Profit Maximization |1 |40 | |23. |Renewable Solar Energy Management |1 |42 | |24. |Renewable Solar Energy Operation |1 |51 | |25. Readymade Garments Industry finance in AIBL |1 |48 | |26. |Implementation of Web Based EXP from matching Through Online System |1 |56 | |27. |Green Banking & Environment Risk Management |1 |21 | |28 |Functions of Internal Control & Compliance Division |1 |46 | |29 |Shariah Implementation in Aibl (batch-I) |1 |28 | |30 |ShariahImplementation in Aibl (batch-II) |1 |23 | |31 |AML & CFT Issues |1 |45 | |32 |Control of Primary Securities against Investment |1 |51 | |33 |UCP-950 |1 |23 | | | | | | Outreach Workshop: Outreach workshops are very helpful for providing development programs outside the Dhaka city. (AIBRTA training & workshops 2011) 2011 following outreach workshops are organized by AIBL S/L |Subject |Number |particepents | |1 |Sariah Implementation in Aibl(Veneue Agrabad, Khulna, Zindabazar, |1 |90 | | |Bogra branch) | | | |2 |Money Laundering prevention 2011(lead bank AIBL, Venue: Jhalakathi |1 |33 | | |branch) | | | Executive Workshop: AIBL organizes executive workshop for top level executive. 2011 following executive workshops are organized by AIBL |S/L |Subject |Number |Participants | |1 |Stress Training 1 |42 | |2 |Core Risk management |1 |42 | |3 |CAMEKS Rating & Banks health |1 |35 | |4 |Preparedness for BASEL II |1 |40 | |5 |Internal Control & Compliance |1 |42 | |6 |Corporate Gove rnance |1 |35 | †¢ Role Play: After completing each topic in the training institute, each trainee is sent to the nearest branch of the bank to implement his learning into the real life †¢ In house Development centers/Corporate University: AIBTRA typically offer a catalogue of courses and programs aimed at supporting the employers’ management needs. 3. 3. Organizational Benefits of Training & Development program Productivity: (M. Islam 2012, pers. Comm. , 26 November) Training is a process of learning as well as the function of acquired knowledge aiming at better performance of the employees, while development involves not only the related process but also helps the employees in building up their personalities, at the same time as, improving their progress towards the actualization of their full potentials. In order that the total performance may be improved, organizations need to have trained and experienced people. AIBL practices training and development for their employees with the thinking that their efficiency will increase.They think that these programs are very important for the preparation of the employees with the necessary skills that are required for particular jobs. Besides, failing to reach an expected level of performance of the employees or declines in the productivity also require training and development programs to be administered in the organizations. Team Spirit: Building team Spirit is very important for any organization because everyone in the organization work as a team and most of the time they are dependant with each other. So if they have no team spirit and team coordination then they will be failed to reach the goal and more value to the company. The complexities of various jobs emerge the importance of training and development programs.So AIBL train their employees for building the team spirit among the employees because they know when they practice the team spirit among the employees then the production level ultima tely increase. Organization Climate: This bank is one of the most disciplined Banks with a distinctive corporate culture. Here they  believe in shared meaning, shared understanding and shared sense making. Their people can see and understand events, activities, objects and situation in a distinctive way. They mould their  manners and etiquette, character individually to suit the purpose of the Bank and the needs of the customers who are of paramount importance to us. The people in the Bank see themselves as a tight knit team / family that believe in working together for growth. Health Work Environment:The offices of the Bank situated in the heart of city, generally in commercial surroundings. Offices are centrally air conditioned and well decorated with modern furniture and sophisticated technical Banking equipment. With the advancement of  Technology, offices of the Bank’s are now become paperless; most of the banking tasks are recorded and accomplished here with stron g banking software. They are continuously training employees for getting used to it and employees are learning and implementing very well. Inter and intra office communications are generally held by telephone, fax, internet and cell phones. The interior decorations of the office look gorgeous.Employees do their task in a safe and healthy environment Image: For the image of the company they give training and development to employees because as a big company they have some reputation to other companies and if they want to make them as a strong competitor they should maintain a good image both in the whole industry and to the customer. Profitability: The main agenda of any business is to make profit. For making profit they have to maintain quality products and services and to produce product efficiently. AIBL has different companies and every business’s main purpose is to make profit. So they think about the other factors behind this success so they arrange training and developm ent.Communications: The increasing diversity of today's workforce brings a wide variety of languages and customs. For being successful, it is also important to maintain communications among the employees and the other clients. So it is very important how to communicate with them and in which way it will be more effective. For this reason AIBL arranges some training and development program for their employees. They mainly do this for mid level and top level employees. Ethics: Today's society has increasing expectations about corporate social responsibility. Also, today's diverse workforce brings a wide variety of values and morals to the workplace.So for maintaining ethics they arrange some training and development program and practice this in their organization. Employee Benefits By providing training and development employee also get benefitted from it. Some of the benefit is given below: Training Improves Job Satisfaction: The training program improves the job satisfaction of the employee because when any employee get training then he/she become more efficient about his/her job. He/ she will be rewarded for his/her performance or can get recognition from senior employees which will motivate them. Training gives them knowledge which they share with others and they come out with so many ideas which involve them into work more.So, when his/her efficient level goes up and does the job more efficiently, then the salary of the employee goes up and overall the satisfaction level improves. Increased Employee Motivation: AIBL arranges some orientation program about their new technologies. So when the employees get some information about it and know how it works, then they are more motivated to do the job. But sometimes it’s not about a ‘new’ way of doing things, and simply about reminding each other about the ‘best’ way of doing things. Like any relationship, your employee relationships can get stale unless you consistently invest tim e and effort to remind them how important they are to you, how valued their contributions are, and critically that they are all part of one team—the same team Reduced employee turnover:Training and development increases employee’s motivation so that they eager to do his/her job with the company. So the employee turnovers become low and they tend to stay in the organization for long period of time. 4. 0 Findings ? We have found that all the employee of Al Arafah Islami Bank Limited has got training and thus the employee performance shows great potentiality and skill. The analysis also shows the respondents have got variety of experiences which is taking banks performance upward. ? A respondent as employee of Al Arafah Islami Bank Limited seems in young age and all of the employee educational level exceeds masters which are providing banks performance a great rhythm. Most of employees got 60 days entry level training which is known as Foundation Course and 5 to 10 days m id level training because here number of employees is higher than advance or other level. The bank provides advance and other level training according to their succession plan or situation. ? In Al Arafah Islami Bank Limited the respondents as employees got both on the job training and off the job training from the bank but unfortunately the employees did not international training from the abroad. ? Respondents show that training and development program provided by the bank is well organized and equipped. It also considered that training and development programs are directed and controlled by skilful trainer and these programs are based on banks working activities. Respondents as employees of Al Arafah Islami Bank agreed that training provided bank is beneficial for their working performance. So we can see training and development program provided by Al Arafah Islami Bank has positive effect on employee performance. 5. 0 Recommendations †¢ Al Arafah Islami Bank Ltd is arrangin g initial training employees but in mid level and advanced level they are not arranging well length programs. Al Arafah Islami Bank Ltd must be arranged training program and increase length of these types of training before sending employee which types of training will necessary for the trainees in future and one of the advantages s that no hindrance with regular activities. For these reasons, customer service of the bank will be increased and customer satisfaction will increase. †¢ TNA is essential for every bank to carry out the banking activities and to reach its goal. We know that TNA is the difference between standard performance and the actual performance. The bank should measure TNA before sending for training. Higher authority will take appropriate decisions for each employee to measure TNA and must be fair in their work. †¢ Though the trainers are very much skilful and knowledgeable persons sometimes they are not understand the trainee’s needs or their lack ing. So they must make know the need of trainees. The training and development department of Al Arafah Islami Bank Ltd provides the training to their employees try to improve the training and maintain international standard which helps the bank to reach its mission and vision. 6. 0 LIMITATIONS Followings are the limitations of the project work taken by us: ? One of the limitations of this project study is of the time limitation. Since the duration of our project study is of 4 weeks, it is somehow difficult to fully know any organization like AIBL in this limited time  period. ? Senior managers and others officers in AIBL are also very busy. They do not have enough time for solving our queries in details. Some respondents were conservative as they were hesitated to express their real opinion. ? Main limitation of this report was that the bank did not disclose all the data and main information for obvious reasons, which was could have been very much vital 7. 0 Conclusion Al-Arafah I slami Bank started in 1995 with the said principles in mind and to introduce a modern  banking system based on Al-Quran and Sunnah. Al-Arafah Bank is one of the markets leading bank in the banking sector and it has already proved its presence and contribution in the socioeconomic prospect. For the economic development of a country banking sector plays a vital role .In this project, we briefly discuss about organizational background, mission, vision and in topic analysis we elaborate performance appraisal, training and development program and its benefit. We can conclude that to compete with other bank Al Arafah Islami Bank needs skilful employees this is achieved by the effective training program. They have passed 16 years and  today they have established their own service and Brand with much goodwill. But still they  have problems and they are lagging behind with their competitors. Finally for the betterment of the organization, we hope that if they  take the above mentione d suggestions into account, they will definitely surpass its close  competitors in the banking service. References:Al-Arafah Islami Bank Ltd. , 2012, Employees’ Service Rules 2009 Al-Arfah Islami Bank Training and Research Academy, 2012, AIBTRA training & workshops 2011 Dhaka AI-Arafah Islami Bank Ltd. , 2012, Annual Performance Report 2011 Al-Arafah Islam Bank Ltd.. , 2012, Company Overview, [online] Retrieved December 13, 2012 , from , http:// http://www. al-arafahbank. com/ Dessler, G. & Varkkey, B. , 2012, Human resource Management, Pearson, India Wikipedia, 2012, Performance evaluation, Potential benefits of PA, [online], Retrieved December 13, 2012 , from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Performance_appraisal [pic][pic][pic] ———————– 32 – 1 –

Lawrence Joseph Ellison: On Leadership Style Essay

As the article recounts, Lawrence Joseph Ellison, Larry to many, is an adopted child of a Russian emigrate when his unwed mother left him to them. He used to be a mediocre in his class. However, with his self-confidence and goals set in mind, he conquered all the discouragements he got from the people around him and proved them wrong when he started to work on a database project for the Central Intelligence Agency. As of the moment, Larry Ellison owns 23% of the $18 billion-worth Oracle Corporation which is a producer of database softwares being used in thousands of giant business companies all over the world. The success of the organization and of ensuring to bring about innovation is largely dependent on Larry’s notion on leadership. Leading is said to be a human activity and being such, one has to be familiarized with the styles, traits and characteristics of a leader to become an effective one. A leader is mainly focused on influencing people to follow the directions set by him such as goals, perspective and attitude towards work. He or she is also tied up with a set of â€Å"standard† proficiency in decision-making where the executive aspect of being a leader is taken into account, in problem-solving where the analytical aspect is being considered, in managing problems where one should be well-able to handle pressure and stress, in managing power and influence in which the proper control of a leader is being exercised and in building trust to be able to get a sound faith from his subordinates (Nacamara, 1997). As can be seen, Larry spends not much time in Oracle, rather, he is more inclined in yacht-racing. He does not even have his own office. He leaves the tasks to his senior partners. He has an aptitude for delegating tasks all over his team and this type leadership skill is of delegation type. This type of leadership based from Heathfield (1997) is situational such that the style is dependent on the task, the capacity and knowledge of the team or the individual, the time and the resources available and the results which are aspired for. For Larry, he empowers his employees by delegating them with tasks that allows them to contribute their best efforts and to further succeed. As the founder of his own company, he has an attitude of wanting total control over it. He still has a great confidence in his self and, with a trusted, bright-minded people as his staff that dutifully and faithfully follows him, succession planning is yet far from his mind. Larry, in his style, also has trimmed down his company of people he gets does not get along with. He fires people which he thinks wants to rise up in his company and claim to be the next heir or when his executives start to give him advices on how to run his business. Moreover, with his perceptive yet impulsive trait, he puts his capital to dying companies and older versions of programs and works into unifying them. For some people, Larry’s moves are too risky in this age when technology and software companies are fast-emerging. Though he is good at delegating in tasks in his company, he should already have by a clear plan on who’s going to be his successor. If he has a good faith in his employees that they have learned great competence from him, he should also be open to the idea that one day one of his executives will be an heir to his company. Leading his company forever is possible not physically since he also has to retire in his job. Yet, his leadership skill which may have been a legacy for his employees is what is going to be intangibly forever. Daly (2003) asserted that leadership skills can be studied and learned and for that, people are expected to constantly improve their ability to lead. Being such, he would be more confident that his company will be in good hands after he steps down from his throne and spend more time to his family and yachts. References: Barret, VM. , (2006, August 14). Irreplaceable? Retrived, February 22, 2008, from http://www. forbes. com/forbes/2006/0814/082. html Daly, NR. (2003, January 1). Characteristics that count: nine leadership traits that translate to on-target actions. Retrieved February 22, 2008, from Healthfield, S. M. (1997). Delegation as a Leadership Style. Retrieved, February 22, 2008, from http://humanresources. about. com/cs/manageperformance/a/delegation. htm. McNamara, C. , (1997). Overview of Leadership in Organizations. Retrieved, February, 22, 2008, from www. managementhelp. org. mht.

Accused of witchcraft Essay Example for Free

Accused of witchcraft Essay The Crucible (395) , John Proctor (276) , Mary Warren (139) , Elizabeth Proctor (106) , Witch (2) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints ? Parris : Why not? Now there are no spirits attacking her, for none in this room is accused of witchcraft. So let her turn herself cold now, let her pretend she is attacked now, let her faint. (He turns to Mary Warren.) Faint!  Act 3, Page 85  This is when the court first has the idea of getting Mary to prove the other girls are frauds by getting her to pretend to faint. She will not because she is afraid of what the girls will do to her. Or cannot, for fear of the court  This is one of the highest points of tension in the whole play because everything and everyone is focused on Mary, relying on her in one way or another to either tell the truth or to lie. But there is so much pressure on Mary that she can’t say anything. The pressure builds and builds until Mary cracks then Abigail launches a perfectly timed attack. Just when people are confused about whom to believe Abigail turns on Mary and makes them believe her.  The girls turning on Mary is a dramatically effective part in act three. This is because when the girls turn on Mary you feel sorry for her due to the fact she is torn between telling the truth to the court or joining the girls again to prevent them from accusing her.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Mary Warren, do you witch her? I say to you, do you send your spirit out?† Danforth, Act 3, Page 87  When Danforth asks her this question Mary snaps and pushes herself away from Proctor.  Mary Warren, Act 3, page 88  This is when Mary’s delicate relationship with Proctor breaks down and she will no longer cover for him and put herself at risk from being accused by the rest of the girls.  Abigail : (Looking about the air, clasping her arms about her as though cold): I – I know not. A wind, a cold wind, has come. (Her eyes fall on Mary Warren.)  Mary : (Terrified, pleading): Abby!  Mercy : (Shivering): Your Honour, I freeze! Proctor : They’re pretending!  Hathorne : (Touching Abigail’s hand): She is cold Your Honour, touch her!  Mercy : (Through chattered teeth ): Mary, Do you send this shadow on me?  Act 3, Page 87  This is when the girls first start to turn on Mary, she is a very fragile person and when they start to turn on her she doesn’t know what to do. She was used to pointing the finger of accusation not having it pointed at her and on her own she can’t cope. So she betrays the truth and goes back to the safety of the girls and being the accuser not the accused. Mary finally breaks down and accuses Proctor of witchcraft. Fearful for her own life, Mary realizes that the only way to save herself is to accuse Proctor of coercing her into attempting to overthrow the court. In this case the accusation contains some truth: Proctor did force Mary Warren into testifying, yet in this case the purpose is to promote true justice rather than to dispute it.  Elizabeth lying to protect Proctor is a dramatically effective part in act three because there is a lot of tension when Elizabeth is brought into the court. Miller uses dramatic irony when Elizabeth doesn’t know that Proctor has confessed to lechery and that they are testing her to see if Proctor was telling the truth. Elizabeth doesn’t know that it is Abigail that is being tried and so she lies to protect her husband but in fact by lying she is in the eyes of the court proving that her husband is a liar. Miller uses the frustration of Proctor as his wife is lying but there is no way he can tell her that by trying to protect him she is actually getting him into more trouble â€Å"Look at me, to your own knowledge, has John Proctor ever committed the crime of lechery! (In a crisis of indecision she cannot speak.) Answer my question! Is your husband a lecher!†Ã‚  Danforth, Act 3, page 91  You can see by this, that Danforth doesn’t give Elizabeth much choice and practically puts the words into her mouth. By saying is your husband a lecher he leaves her no choice but to say â€Å"no†. What kind of woman would call her husband a lecher in front of a court? â€Å"(There is a knock. He calls to the door.) Hold! (To Abigail.) Turn your back. Turn your back. (To Proctor.) Do likewise. (Both turn their backs- Abigail with indignant slowness) Now let neither of you turn to face goody proctor. No one in this room is to speak one word, or raise a gesture aye or nay. (He turns towards the door, calls.) Enter!  Danforth, Act 3, Page 90  The Audience feel frustrated because all that Elizabeth has to do is tell the truth and Abigail’s ruthless revenge will be stopped and the truth will be brought to light but there is no way Elizabeth could know this so she does what she thinks is the right thing and tries to protect her husband. In this scene Miller uses dramatic irony very effectively. Danforth makes the trial look fair but in fact gives Elizabeth no choice  but to lie.  Danforth : â€Å"Answer my question! Is your husband a lecher!  Elizabeth : (Faintly): No, sir.  Danforth : Remove her, Marshal.  Proctor : Elizabeth, tell the truth!  Danforth : She has spoken. Remove her!  Proctor : (crying out): Elizabeth, I have confessed it!  Act 3, Page 91  This point is the dramatic climax of the whole scene because it is the point where Elizabeth finally finds out what she has done, and she is distraught. Hale tries to reason with Danforth when he says, â€Å"Excellency it is a natural lie to tell† this shows that Hale is the voice of reason but for most of the time he is not listened to, like Proctor who spoken sense throughout – both are shut out in their ways. To save her husband from accusations of witchcraft, Elizabeth must condemn him for lechery. Miller establishes that Elizabeth is an honest woman who never lies, yet at the moment in which her honesty is most critical she chooses the noble yet practical lie that she believes will defend her husband. As Hale notes, it is a natural lie for Elizabeth Proctor to tell, yet an incredibly ill timed one; Elizabeth Proctor chooses dishonesty at the precise moment that her integrity matters the most. Act 3 of ‘The Crucible’ is so effective because Arthur Miller uses a wide variety of emotions for his characters and a good variety of action. One minute the scene can be rather quiet with just simple conversation and the next minute it can be very chaotic with characters hurling accusations and abuse at each other. The reason this play is so effective is because Miller uses moments of calm as well as moments of extreme action, if it was just action, action, action all the time the audience would become immune to it and the really important parts wouldn’t stick in your mind as much. Act 3 is relevant to the play as a whole because it is the Act where a lot of important things happen and it is the most dramatic, with a lot of tension and anger between different characters. It is what the first two acts have been building up to and you could say it is the climax of the whole play.  When Arthur Miller wrote the play, â€Å"The Crucible† in 1953 the contemporary audience could relate to the play due to the media coverage that was occurring at the time. This era was concerned with the political movement of communism; the McCarthy trials. The contemporary audience saw Miller’s play as relevant because of the effects of mass hysteria- the destruction of the community in Salem. Miller felt that the play had relevance although he didn’t write it for that.  The reason why the crucible is still so widely liked even though the witch trials are long gone is because it demonstrates the terrible effects of mass hysteria and what it can do to normally rational people.  The story reminds its readers of an ugly blemish on human history. It reminds us that man is not perfect, and that we can make mistakes. However, even with these mistakes, we can cleanse ourselves and purify ourselves by making right what is wrong. Accused of witchcraft. (2017, Nov 01).

Antibiotic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Antibiotic - Essay Example Bacteria are microorganisms present in many water and soil habitats. These microorganisms are diverse in terms of shape, size and ability to cause infections. While many of bacteria species are non-infective, some strains cause infectious diseases including respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera, anthrax and many others. Antibiotics are increasingly being used in agriculture to prevent and treat bacterial infections in livestock. Antibiotic agents are also being used in livestock feeds and water to prevent and control bacterial infections. This therefore suggests that different types of antibiotics are being given to healthy livestock. These drugs accumulate in the body, creating antibiotic residue that is eventually eliminated from the system if the drugs are discontinued. However, the increased use of antibiotics in livestock has raised concerns about growing bacterial resistance against these drugs. Current efforts in agriculture focus on producing healthier livestock. This trend has led to increased use of antibiotics to promote growth, fight infections and compensate for unsanitary rearing conditions. However, the accumulation of antibiotics in food animals (antibiotic residual) poses significant risk to humans. For instance, antibiotic overuse in livestock as been associated with increased antibiotic drug resistance in humans. This leads to high levels of the drug in the system of these animals. High concentrations of the drugs kill most of the bacterial strains in these animals, especially the strains that are sensitive to the particular drugs or drug combinations. However, the sustained exposure of bacteria to antibiotics leads to the selection of bacterial strains that have the capacity to withstand high drug levels. These bacterial strains develop resistance to the drug and their relative population exceeds that of the sensitive bacterial species. This is especially

Unit iii assesment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Unit iii assesment - Coursework Example Some activities can be complex for proper time estimate. Project guidelines support the breaking down of activities that take more than 10% of the project schedule. Normally, the breakdown technique reduces activities to smaller tasks making it easier for the project manager to estimate the duration of tasks performed by workers accurately (Kerzer, 2001). Expert judgment involves contracting the services of experts who have experience and reputation for knowledge of a particular field in estimating activity duration. Managers use expert judgment over internally generated estimates if it is available at a reasonable cost (Kerzer, 2001). Project managers who have knowledge about the resources of a particular activity can calculate the efforts necessary for the project and arrive at its duration. This involves adding the amount of labor time for completion of the activity to the time needed for obtaining materials. This technique is advantageous as it allows managers to track the usage of resources and make comparisons with estimates (Kerzer, 2001). Both large and small businesses use this technique in estimating the duration of projects. Managers calculate the time it takes to produce a certain amount of output and make necessary adjustments for economies of scale (Kerzer, 2001). This technique involves listing resources needed for a project and totaling the corresponding costs. This technique is mostly used for complicated projects. Resources listed may include equipment, services, and material costs (Kerzer, 2001). Cost per unit can be used to evaluate simple projects. Typical applications of this technique include building and renovation costs. Unit costs can be obtained from industry associations or from prospective suppliers (Kerzer, 2001). An empirical approach is applicable when the project is typical of the industry or other firms have done similar projects in the past. This technique involves evaluation of systems with statistical information

Immigration In Relation To Texas Government Research Paper

Immigration In Relation To Texas Government - Research Paper Example In Texas, the immigration reform coalition of Texas is the most notable interest group against immigration into the United States. The interest group supports migration into the United States but on a reasonable level. They argue that although they have no disrespect for immigrants, it is appropriate to notice the rising levels of immigrants. Their claim on this is valid since most immigrants in Texas are from Mexico. It is a common case that drugs infiltrate the border into Texas. The most cases of drugs supplied by immigrants are in border counties like Maverick County. The immigrants not only cause huge population influx but also an increased crime rate (Arnold 40). This interest group, therefore, demands a secured and well defined border. This is on the notion that not all immigrants enter the United States legally. They interest group reiterates that not all immigrants enter the United States with a good intention. Some come with the aim of harming. This interest group wants an overhaul in the immigration policies and laws. They demand that policies should be set up to curb the sanctuary cities. An overhaul of the immigration policies will also derail magnets that draw illegal immigrants into the United States. The Federation for immigration reform (FAIR) is an interest group that seeks to facilitate and broadens immigration policies. It majorly focuses on reforming the immigration policies in America. This is through organizing legislative and political topics across the country. This interest group has been successful in making Congress pass the immigration reform bill. This was after a bipartisan vote in Congress. Clearly, interest groups take a major role in immigration issues. Public opinion plays an important role in immigration issues. It is through public opinion that interests groups develop (Strauss 100). The interest groups influence political parties. It is in line with this that there is a notable chain of relationship between these groups. In Texas, public opinion maintains a clear stand that border security and immigration issues are critical issues to be addressed. A minority in Texas believe that setting up stricter laws and policies will reduce immigration problems. The larger majority, however, maintains that there is the need to reform the immigration laws to accommodate more immigrants. Some oppose amnesty and relate that it is the reason why the immigration laws cannot be well reformed. The questions, in the opinion polls, are simple, clear, and do not influence opinions towards supporting stricter immigration laws. In America, the Republican Party wants stricter laws to be imposed for illegal immigrants. They want sanctions on individuals who hire illegal aliens. The Republicans also want border security enhanced (LeMay 127). They suggest that no amnesty should be granted to illegal aliens. The Democrats, on the other hand, want the United States to have more borders that are open. In Texas, the Democrats are m ostly Hispanic, and it is in line with this that they mostly support open borders and less strict immigration policies and laws.

Newspapers and Television Media Forum Types Essay

Newspapers and Television Media Forum Types - Essay Example The researcher states that there are immensely significant problems that both newspapers and television point out, and under the domains of the political regimes, the same become even more important. These touch upon the negativities that have marred the politics of the time, the constant developments happening for the sake of the masses, the inter-linkages and relationships that have cropped up every now and then amongst the political forces, and so on and so forth. The need is to understand how the newspapers and television have been able to cover just about everything that is of interest to the general audiences, who are the masses indeed. The element of exposing the political process is something that comes out in the open with the incorporation of the newspapers and television in the long run. What is even more necessary is an understanding that newspapers and television have been associated with finding out the details that no other avenue of life has been able to muster up. Th e element of persuasion attached to both newspapers and television is there because people depend on them for their credibility that they bring to the fore. Merely the fact that the news is present on the airwaves or in the print suggests that it has credibility which could be trusted upon and sought verification from the people who are in charge of the same. However, there are trust issues amongst the people from different cross-sections of life but more or less, the people do believe the written word and the news that are run on the television. Within a political campaign, the persuasion is a core basis of the work that the newspapers and television do. Both these media forums basically educate and inform the voters about the role of the political parties and the campaigns that are being done. What is even more significant is the fact that the element of persuasion gets an indelible impression on the minds and hearts of the people if they have read it in the newspapers or seen it for their own selves on the television. An element of belongingness seems to come along with what is there on the newspapers and on television. This is the reason why many political campaigns center on the usage of both newspapers and television for their political mileage as well as to reach select target audiences. This is one of the core reasons why immense success has been achieved within the related ranks under the discussion of persuasion leading up to the political campaigns and processes.

The Global Justice Concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Global Justice Concept - Essay Example   The government is grounded on the concepts of fairness, equality, justice, and protection of the people's mutual interests. The government must do its share to ensure the citizens achieve their unique societal goals and objectives. The social contracts, including the United States constitution, reduce or prevent constant wars among individuals and communities. The social contracts ensure everyone will strive to comply with the contracts' provisions of justice for all stakeholders (Souryal 75).  Christian Unity Model  During John Winthrop’s sailing towards the brave new world, the Puritan religion’s Winthrop espoused his fellow ship passengers to become the beacons or guides for all humans everywhere (Gardner 106).   The New World is the current United States of America. Winthrop is a rich land owner and government officer in England. The ship was going to propagate the Christian brand of justice in the New World environment, in the other part of the world. The speech was done during his 1630 trip to New England. Winthrop's speech persuaded his fellow ship travelers to firmly establish the New England society's ecclesiastical (religious) government format.   Under the format, Winthrop convinced his fellow Christian followers to ensure the citizens of the New World will implement all religious policies or concepts. Winthrop insisted his fellow Puritan followers must establish the civil government, not the military government, within the New England community (Gardner 106).

Student Learning Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Student Learning Methods - Essay Example Learner-centered learning environments are founded on the principal that learning is an active process. Learning is an interaction between the student and text, involving the activation of prior knowledge and relating new ideas to preexisting schemata. Based on this paradigm learner-centered environments engage the student both personally and intellectually and provide the best method for meeting the needs of all learners. In teacher-centered learning environments, the more traditional and widespread approach, the teacher is viewed as the focal point and leader of learning. The teacher is the authority, leaving the students in the passive role as receivers of knowledge, rather than active constructors of that knowledge. That knowledge is finite and discrete. In teacher-centered learning the lessons are instructionally driven, leaving the students unengaged intellectually and emotionally. These traditional methods include memorization, completing worksheets, reading a text and answering predetermined questions - demonstrating knowledge of the "right" answer. In this form of learning there is limited activation of prior knowledge, and therefore students struggle to create personally significant meaning. This is because in teacher-centered learning the background, values and interests of the learner are nonexistent. The student is passively filled in with information, rather than engaged in his own learning process. Learning environments are controlled, organized and with an emphasis on independent seatwork. Lessons, classwork and homework are results-driven. This unresponsive and static approach also fails to meet the needs of special needs populations, because lesson goals and objectives are standardized, meaning students must adapt to t he methods oftentimes with some students unable to engage the teacher's attention to meet their needs. Assessment One of the most significant challenges in teacher-centered learning is in assessment. Using traditional methods such as standardized tests rather than qualitative measures, teacher-centered learning places the emphasis on performance and repetition of facts. It leaves little room for students to construct their own meaning based on their own experiences, cultural background, values and interests. This causes a mismatch between goals and assessment. For this reason, many times students can appear to understand material in one format, yet in another appear unsuccessful during assessments because of the focus on success rather than on learning. Characteristics of Learner-Centered Environments Theoretical Basis In learner-centered environments the student becomes the actor in his own learning, and therefore the teacher becomes the facilitator to that learning by designing learning activities which actively engage the learner. This is based on the theory that all know- ledge is organized in schemata - the underlying connections that allow new experiences and information to be aligned with previous knowledge (Landry, 2002). Activities: Engaging and Adaptive As the designer of lessons rather than an authority, and with the understanding that Students exhibit various strengths and weaknesses in learning styles and modalities, the teacher's role is to create activities which are varied and engage these differences, rather than repress

Most effective means of disciplining a child Essay

Most effective means of disciplining a child - Essay Example It simple term, discipline teaches children to follow rules and this sometimes involve some form of punishments such as time-outs and spanking. The issue of discipline may sound straightforward, but many parents are greatly frustrated at one time when it comes to choosing the effective means of disciplining their children. This is because parents always endeavor that their children be respectful, respectful, and grow up as adults who are well-behaved as none of the parents wish to be accused of raising spoiled children (Kalat, 2014). Therefore, the paper compares and contrasts spanking and time-outs with the view of providing parents with some insights on the effective means of disciplining children. It gives the advantages and disadvantages of using these means of discipline on the child and tries to shed more light on effective discipline technique and barriers to good behavior among children. According to Arnall and Elicksen (2008), the discipline technique that a parent chooses w ill largely depend on the kind of inappropriate behavior that the child displays, the child's temperament, the age of the child, and the parenting style. Time-out is one the frequently used techniques when it come to disciplining and directing the behavior of children. This technique works best when a particular rule has been violated and with children between the age of 2 and 5 years. However, it can also be used in the entire childhood and some steps must be followed for it to work. Because it works best when particular rule are violated, rules must be set ahead of time and decision must be made and explained to the children on the behaviors which will attract punishment. The person or the parent using this technique then chooses a time-out spot which is usually a boring place devoid of distractions such as a chair. The parent then begins the time-out by giving the child a few warnings and sending him/her to the time-out place if he/she repeats the bad behavior. The parent then se ts a time limit for the child once he/she sits quietly on that spot as this will help the child to know when the time out ends. This is usually 1 minute for every year of the age of the child, which means the number of minute’s increases as the child grows. When these time ends, the parent allows the child to go back to his normal activities whether it is reading or playing. Some of the advantages of time-outs are that it invites little adult emotion, limit behaviors of children; simple to do, increases consistency, assists parents in calming themselves down and is transferable among care-givers. Despite, these numerous advantages, this technique is not always the effective means of disciplining children as it only attains short term goals of preventing misbehavior. Perhaps, it is sometimes the most controversial technique as it fails to teach co-operation or problem solving skills, invites power struggles, incite resentment, anger, and frustration as well as promoting retali ation and rebellion. To a larger extent it discourages parental attachment, increases sibling animosity, encourages the perceptions that time-out is a negative punishment, and fails to recognize the uniqueness among children (Kalat, 2014). As a result of these numerous disadvantages, several parents agree that sometimes spanking is the effective means of disciplining children. Majority of parents think that spanking is effective, not because it was the

Early Childhood Education and Children Essay Example for Free

Early Childhood Education and Children Essay Are there any benefits for children stay one of parent with them at home? Mothers who stay at home are helpful for their family. Many mothers prefer to give their children to their mothers, but if there is not grandmother to care child, that will be problem especially if the child is still baby or infant. Mothers are compelled to find a place to put their child there. Many kinds of places that may mothers join their child to stay there and to have education, such as to educational settings which consist of early child education, pre-school, nursery school, and pre-kindergarten. Also, there are many places to get care and education for children nanny, governess, babysitting, au pair, and extended family, for example. In fact, mother’s decision; that choosing stay with her children at home or going to work and joining her children in convenient place, is important critical for her. A mother who stays at house are more probable to have time to be involved with their children. Those mothers who stay home is able to become more completely involved their children activities. For example, mother will give carful and interest for her children. Moreover, many people mention to needs childhood such as feeding, sustenance, and nurturing. Most women have been housewife to be breadwinners, and to be caretakers. â€Å"Child care can cost up to $15,000 for one year in the United States. Approximately six out of every ten children, or almost 12 million children, age five and younger, are being jointly cared for by parents and early childhood educators, relatives, or other child-care providers† (Lynn, 2002). Indeed, many societies have been assumed that women will stay home and take care of their children while their spouses go out and work. In addition, woman pregnancy suffers to go out and doing hard work many hours without rest times, but when she stay home will get time to have rest and lying. Many mothers work to be ready for unexpected situations like a husbands unemployment, husband’s death, a divorce, or sickness. In fact, nobody wants to be working more than eight hours a day and missing his or her family life. In encouragement of mothers who want to work, Dr. Phil says that many mothers optimism to be a parent and pursue an occupation and they often become miserable when they are stuck just in a parenting capacity. If the child is mothered by a parent who is feeling frustrated and depressed and empty, that is not a good thing, he says. Even though some parents are now separated, father continues in the role of primary caregiver to his children, while mother continue to support her family. A man is not hard to give up the traditional role as breadwinner. However, A woman can be more responsibility to earn money and take care for her family. A lot of women have been socialized to be service workers for their societies, not solely to be housewife. Some time a man feels difficult to abdicate some things like giving up self-worth, feelings of masculinity and personal power. It can be tough on men, especially in the beginning. In conclusion, its these deeper issues. Making the decision to stay home with your children or join the workforce can be a difficult process. It appears approximating employed moms just cant success. Every woman has dream to be effective in her society and earn money, but she will face challenges with her care children. Sources 1. Dr. Phil: http://drphil. com/articles/article/284 2. Olson, Lynn (2002). [According to the 2002 Quality Counts survey conducted by Education Week, approximately six out of every ten children, or almost 12 million children, age five and younger, are being jointly cared for by parents and early childhood educators, relatives, or other child-care providers. Starting Early]. Education Week 21 (17): 10–11. Retrieved 24 November 2012.

In Mass Boom Wing Structure Engineering Essay

In Mass Boom Wing Structure Engineering Essay Wing structure is a main part of the aircraft which transmits resist applied loads and provide and maintain aerodynamic shape. Mass Box beam Box beam Multi-spar Delta Wing http://www.free-online-private-pilot-ground-school.com/images/wing-components.gif FIGURE 1: Wing components (http://www.free-online-private-pilot-ground-school.com/aircraft-structure.html) 1.1 Mass boom structure In mass boom wing structure there are flanges with one or two spares to bear the bending and the torsional load is carried by spar webs. The outer wing is only works against the buckling due to shear forces with help of the ribs and span wise stiffeners. Mass boom structure is mostly use on slow aircraft with thick wings and low wing loadings. (Torenbeek.E 1999, p259) C:UserscompaqDesktopCapturen.PNG FIGURE 3: Typical single spar Mass boom structure (SYNTHESIS OF SUBSONIC AIRPLANE DESIGN, 1988) Advantages in Mass boom structure Tapered booms are uncomplicated to manufacture and might be modified to the local stress level preferred. High stress levels are achievable. Disadvantages of Mass boom structure Failure of spar boom is catastrophic, due to the absence of fail-safe characteristics; the mass boom wing structure is no longer used in new transport aircraft designs. Due to the high stress in the spar boom the deflections under bending loads are large. The skin plays no part in, the absorbing the bending moment so that is not used very efficiently. If two-spar configuration is used, the spar height is less than the airfoil thickness. The forces in the spar booms due to bending are thus increased and more material will be required. Many ribs are required to stabilize the spar booms. The skin will be buckle when loaded if no stringers are used; this will adversely affected the aerodynamic cleanness. (Torenbeek.E 1999, p260) 1.2 Box beam structure In box beam construction there are thin skins or webs and stringer jointed in box shape. This wing designed to carry shear, bending and torsional loads. Box beam structures incorporate skin panels, which are stressed only to take shear forces, but also the end load due to bending. From the point of view of fail-safe design and stressed skin structure is much better than the mass boom type. (Torenbeek.E ,1999, p260) This method is more suitable for aircraft wings with medium to high load intensities and differs from the mass boom concept in that the upper and lower skins also contribute to the span wise bending resistance. Another difference is that the concept incorporates span wise stringers to support the highly-stressed skin panel area. The resultant use of a large number of end-load carrying members improves the overall structural damage tolerance. http://www.scribd.com/doc/39959654/WING Advantages of box beam structure The advantages of the box beam will be evident when considerable skin thickness is required to obtain sufficient tensional rigidity on wing design for high speed and thin, high aspect ratio wings. In lightly loaded wings, however the stress level in the upper skin will be kept fairly low to avoid buckling and the differences in weight will be small as compared with the mass boom type. Disadvantages of box beam structure Interactions among the ribs and stringers are a main advantage of the box beam, because of these ribs has to go by the stringers or path of the load can be fail. Also this structure has many joints which make the wing structure heavy. It needs more assemble time, increases complexity, stress concentration areas and manufacturing cost.( http://www.scribd.com/doc/30983628/olaestruclayout-1#) 2. MATERIAL SELECTION FOR THE WING STRUCTURE Several significant factors considered when selecting materials for aircraft structural applications. http://www.scielo.oces.mctes.pt/pdf/ctm/v20n3-4/v20n3-4a11.pdf Materials properties such as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ultimate stress à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Yield stress à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Stiffness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Temperature limits à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Corrosion resistance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fatigue resistance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fracture toughness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fragility at low temperatures à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Crack growth resistance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ductility à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Maintainability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Reliability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fabricability The main group of materials used in aircraft construction has been: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Wood à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Steel à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Aluminum alloys à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Titanium alloys à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fiber reinforced composites Aluminium alloys usage in structural parts In aircraft structures Aluminium alloys are mainly used since its a relatively low-cost, simply produced and machined. Rib is a structural part of the wing to which keeps the aerodynamic profile, and oppose the distributed aerodynamic pressure loads along with the skin, distribute concentrated loads into the structure redistribute stress around any discontinuities Increase the column buckling strength of the stringers through end restraint.( http://www.scribd.com/doc/30983628/olaestruclayout-1#) Increase the skin panel buckling strength. Group 7000 aluminium alloy used in Compression applications like this, where static strength is more important than fatigue or damage tolerance. It is also used in Upper wing surfaces and beams. Wing Spars Transmit bending and tensional loads. Produce a closed-cell structure to provide resistance to torsion, shear and tension loads. (http://www.scribd.com/doc/30983628/olaestruclayout-1#)These usually comprise thin aluminium alloy webs and flanges, sometimes with separate vertical stiffeners riveted to the webs. The flanges are extruded or machined and bolted or riveted onto the webs. Skin is to form impermeable aerodynamic surface, Transmit aerodynamic forces to ribs stringers, Resist shear torsion loads.( http://www.scribd.com/doc/30983628/olaestruclayout-1#) Aluminium alloy used to manufacture the wing. Aluminium alloys and their recommended applications Material Recommended Application 2024-T3, T42, T351, T81 Use for high strength tension application; has best fracture toughness, slow crack growth rate and good fatigue life. 2224-T3, 2324-T3 8% improvement strength over 2024-T3; fatigue and toughness better than 2024-T3. 7075-T6, T651, T 7351 Have higher strength than 2024, lower fracture toughness, and use for tension applications where fatigue is not critical. 7079-T6 Similar to 7075 but has better thick section properties than 7075. 7150-T6 11% improvement strength over 7075-T5. Fatigue and toughness better than 7075-T6. 717-T6, T651 Use for compression application. Aluminium-Lithium 10% lighter, 10% stiffer and superior fatigue performance than other AL alloys. PM Aluminium Higher strength, good fatigue life, good toughness, higher temperature capability and superior corrosion resistance. TABLE 2: ALUMINIUM ALLOYS AND THEIR RECOMMENDED APPLICATIONS (FROM AIRFRAME STRUCTURAL DESIGN, SECOND EDITION 2002, p 102) Wood The first aircraft were constructed from wood since Wood has a good Strength/weight ratio about 0.1 same as aluminum alloys. http://www.scielo.oces.mctes.pt/pdf/ctm/v20n3-4/v20n3-4a11.pdf Steel Steel are applied in various components in an aircraft. Steel is used for highly stressed Components because of its high strength. Titanium Titanium has an excellent relation stress/weight, good Resistance to corrosion and good creep proprieties. Its uses are limited for special proposes. http://www.scielo.oces.mctes.pt/pdf/ctm/v20n3-4/v20n3-4a11.pdf 3. BENDING MOMENT REDUCTION OF THE WING The bending-moment is the force at each location on the spar that bends the wing upward during normal non-inverted flight, the force rotating the wing around the fuselage. The bending-moment is zero at the wing-tip and maximum at the root. But its value is not proportional across the span. In other words, it is not half as much at the wing mid-point as it is at the root. In fact, the mid-point bending-moment is only about a 1/4 of the root value. A340-200 is a modern passenger transport design which has box beam structure wing with 197ft wing span and 610,000 lb maximum takeoff weight.( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A340#Specifications) Bending moment = (Total weight*Total wing span)/8 FIGURE 5: BENDING MOMENT VS SPAN POSITION The  maximum bending moment  magnitude occurs at the  wing  root Wing weight is linearly proportional to the wing root bending moment. Therefore if we reduce the weight of the aircraft by using light material it can reduce the maximum bending moment on the wing root. Also the wing span is proportional to bending moment; the bending moment can be reduced by reducing the wing span of the aircraft. Wing with high aspect ratio with entire swept box structure wing moves towards the root and therefore forward of the aircraft. Then in order to maintain balance smaller wing lift and larger tail plane lift will be required. The inboard shift in the lift will decrease the wing root bending moment. When engines are mounted on the wings, their weight is obviously going to be borne by the wing structure, along with inertia loads as the aircraft maneuvers. Thrust forces from the engines will also be carried by the wings. With pod-mounted engines the thrust force is bellow the wing and so this tends to twist the wing. This can be used to balance the effect of the aerodynamics of the wing which creates a nose down pitching moment. Another advantage of wing mounted engines is that their weight is close to the area in which lift is produce. This reduces the total fuselage reducing the shear force and bending moment at the wing attachment to the fuselage. So putting the engines on the wings provides bending relief. (Wilkinson 2009,p 32) Outboard fuel tanks reduce the wing bending moment. If the landing gear is not mounted under the wing it reduces the wing weight and it also reduce the bending moment of the wing. Braced wings reduce the wing weight by 30% and it helps to reduce the bending moment of the wing. C:UserscompaqDesktopUntitled.png FIGURE 6: LOADING EFFECTS ON A WING 4. EFFECTS OF WING THICKNESS TO WING WEIGHT The thickness of the airfoil affects the drag, maximum lift, stall characteristics and the structural weight. The thickness is generally given as a ratio of the chord which is referred to as the thickness ratio or the thickness to chord ratio (t/c). An airfoil with a high thickness ratio decrease wing weight since both bending and torsional thickness increase with increasing the thickness. (Roskam, J, 2002, p69) Wing weight is strongly affected by thickness, particularly for cantilever wings. Thicker is lighter FIGURE 7: Effect of Thickness Ratio on Wing Weight (Airplane Design, 2002) GD method (Roskam, J, 2002, p69) to estimate the wing weight of the commercial transport aircrafts Ww = {0.00428(S0.48) (A) (MH) 0.43 (WTO nult) 0.84 ( Ã‚ ¬) 0.14}/ [{100 (t/c) m }0.74 (Cos Æ’â„ ¢1/2)1.54 ] (Roskam, J, 2002, p69) Definition of terms and data of Boeing 747-400 Ww = Structural weight of the wing S = Wing area in ft2 = 6027.78  ft2 A = Wing aspect ratio = 7.4   WTO = Takeoff weight in lbs = 875,000  lb nult = design ultimate load factor = 1.5  Ã‚ ¬ = Wing taper ratio = 0.37 (t/c) m = Maximum wing thickness ratio Æ’â„ ¢1/2 = Wing semi-chord sweep angle = 33.50 MH = Maximum Mach number at sea level = 0.885 This equation is valid only in the following parameter ranges MH from 0.4 to 0.8 (t/c)m from 0.08 to 0.15 and A from 4 to 12 Ww = {0.00428(60280.48) (7.4) (0.885) 0.43 (875000ÃÆ'- 1.5) 0.84 (0.37) 0.14}/ [{100 (t/c) m }0.74 (Cos 33.50)1.54 ] When (t/c)m is 0.08,Ww = 36747.3657 When (t/c)m is 0.15 Ww = 23078.37734 From the above calculations we can come to a conclusion that the thicker wing is lighter than the thinner wing. (1494 Words)

Sleep Monitoring System Technology

Sleep Monitoring System Technology Fully equipped quilt Improve your sleep with new media and communication technology Explosion of information and advance of technology boost our life into a faster paced mode than ever before. This fast paced life increases the productivity of the whole society, but at the same time, brings healthy problems to an increasing number of individuals. Sleeping is one of the most important aspect of our daily life, as well as a critical period for fixing the damage we have done to our bodies in the daytime. However, more and more people are losing their sleeping due to the pressure comes from outside world, leading to a vicious circle to their health. The product, a quilt, introduced in this article will be devoted to improving sleep and health conditions of the group of people who have sleep disorders and potential health problems. It will make use of the known facts of health indicators and existing technologies to inform the current health condition of the user and help with getting better experience in sleeping. Health Indicator Detector There are many things that people will use every day, the one with the longest consecutive using period is our quilt. The quilt I design takes advantage of this characteristics, making use of touch-skin sensors to detect and monitor user’s health indicators in a quiet and precise way. One of the basic functions of this part is measuring body temperature. Traditional mercury thermometer will not be used, instead of it, infrared thermometer will be a better way to go. An infrared thermometer is a thermometer which indicates temperature from a part of the thermal radiation emitted by the object being measured. It can be used to help aim the thermometer, to describe the devices ability to measure temperature in a certain distance. By knowing the amount of infrared energy emitted by the object and its emissivity, the objects temperature can often be determined (Infrared Thermometer). Another basic function for this part is measuring heartbeat. Since the heartbeat’s contraction is equal to the pulse, which is how many times a minute, our arteries expand because of the increase in blood pressure originated by our heartbeat. So the heartbeat is a very vital health parameter that is directly related to the soundness of the human cardiovascular system (Microcontroller Measures). The microcontroller, fingertip will be used for measuring heartbeat. Heartbeat will pump the blood go through the body and that makes the blood volume inside the finger artery to change too. This fluctuation can be used on an optical sensing mechanism to put on the fingertip. The signal can also be used in this microcontroller to calculate the volatility, it is actually in the heart rate is magnified. (Microcontroller Measures) Both these heartbeat measuring machine and infrared thermometer two devices will be placed in a Wi-Fi environment, and the data which is collected from the user will be transmitted to the personal computer. Users can set a certain indicator, if the data exceeds the normal values, it will warning the user to go to the hospital to check their body whether they have health problems or not. Wireless Sleeping Respiration Monitor To achieve the goal of monitoring users’ respiration while sleeping, respiration sound sensor will be needed for the quilt. In addition, after detecting sleeping hazards like respiration arrest or sleep apnea, vibrate module hidden inside of the quilt will function to wake up the user to prevent further risk. The whole system consists of three major parts, monitoring and data collection device, wireless communication devices and vibrating wake-up device. Monitoring and data collection device, as known as respiration sound sensor, will sense the user’s respiration sound, reduce the noise, amplify and digitalize the signal and pass it to wireless communication module. Wireless communication device will take over the collected data, encapsulate it and then send it via either Wi-Fi connection or Bluetooth connection. Those connections are connected with a device with data processing power, our smartphones will easily serve the purpose. After processing the received data, the data processing device will inform the vibration unit whether it needs to wake up the user based on the result comparing to the data in an online database. If the vibration module receives the signal to wake up the user, it will send pulse vibration to user’s body to wake them up. The significance of the advantage is that sensors could be close to user’s nose and mouth to collect much better and precise data without interrupting or hindering the proper sleeping process. It improved the user experience by a remarkable amount from head-wearing devices with similar functions. In addition, the data is amplified and sent to user’s smartphone, a hand-held device, which increases the scalability. We could achieve more usage of the existing sensors by programming the applications on those hand-held devices, and keep them working properly and even better by distributing software/firmware updates over the internet. What if the computing devices is installed into the quilt? Users will feel hard to fall asleep because it is too heavy, and there could be hazards when the computing unit overheats over a period of intensive data processing. So using external hand-held device reduces the total weight and potential hazard of the quilt and in the meantime increase s the processing power and stability (Patent). Sleep Monitoring System There is no doubt for the importance of sleeping, but because of the quick paced and high pressure environment, we cannot have a good sleep, which will threaten our health. But with the development of advanced technology, we can use it to trace our sleeping status, to find the problems and solve it, in order to improve our sleeping quality. There are many applications exist on the phone, like in IOS platform, in the Android system and in the Windows Phone. The principle for smartphones and applications to monitor the sleep status are similar. They place an accelerometer in the phone to sense your action like turn over while you sleeping, in order to determine the depth of sleep. Of course, compare to the professional equipment, the monitor of mobile phones is not that much accurate, but the cost is much lower than other equipment. However, studies show that the radiation phone emit will affect the quality of our sleep. According to the working principle of the smartphone, an accelerometer can also be placed in the quilt, it will percept the user’s motion during sleep more precisely. There will also a small microphone in the quilt, it can record user’s fudge while their sleeping. Like I mentioned in the Health Indicator Detector, the recorder is also connected with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, transmitted to the personal computer or application on the smartphone. Besides this, tiny speaker can also be placed with the microphone, since the system can be connected with the personal computer, user can play some white noise in the speaker, which can be used to block snoring and other unwanted sounds, leading to deeper, more restful sleep (White Noise). When the system find out the user enter a deep sleep, it will pause playing the white noise. This system can be used by anyone who even has little knowledge of scientific facts about sleeping or biology to easily track their status of sleeping. Reports could also be generated for a day, a week or a month based on the stored data in the personal computing device. It is really helpful for users to figure out what the trend of sleeping quality is like, either becoming better or worse. Additionally, the reports could be used for consulting doctors and physicians for what they need to improve their sleeping. Conclusion This quilt is not a product with totally new media or communication technology. It is a practical product with many existing technologies to provide an innovative service, and all the technologies used in this product have been used in years and are very mature in the market. However, products that can provide the similar convenience as the quilt does haven’t been found yet. Tossing and turning will not be a huge obstacle anymore for them to fall asleep with the help of white noise. Potential health hazards could also be found out be various monitoring system and data analyzing device. We can imagine that if this quilt arrives in store, it could save an enormous group of people with sleeping problems and using the media and communication technology to serve people, to help them feel better when the night comes. Citations Infrared Thermometer.Infrared Thermometer. OMEGA Engineering Inc., 1999. Web. 19 Apr. 2014. Microcontroller Measures Heart Rate through Fingertip.Instructables.com. Instructables, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014. White Noise Benefits and Uses.White Noise Cds.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.Patent CN102860840A Wireless Sleeping Respiration Monitor.Google Books. Ed. Yujuan Quan, Qingnan Liu, Lei Wang, and Deming Chen. Google Patents, 09 Jan. 2013. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.

Ineffective Argument in Jessica Statskys Essay, Children need to Play,

Jessica Statsky, in her essay, â€Å"Children need to Play, Not Compete† attempts to refute the common belief that organized sports are good for children. She sees organized sports not as healthy pass-times for children, but as onerous tasks that children do not truly enjoy. She also notes that not only are organized sports not enjoyable for children, they may cause irreparable harm to the children, both emotionally and physically. In her thesis statement, Statsky states, â€Å"When overzealous parents and coaches impose adult standards on children's sports, the result can be activities that are neither satisfying nor beneficial to children† (627). While this statement is strong, her defense of it is weak. One of the assumptions Statsky makes is that, â€Å"One readily understandable danger of overly competitive sports is that they entice children into physical actions that are bad for growing bodies† (627). This statement rests on the assumption that children would not perform any â€Å"physical actions that are bad for growing bodies† (Statsky 627) without organized competitive sports. This is simply untrue. Children jump from swings, climb trees, skateboard, â€Å"pop wheelies† and otherwise put themselves in physical peril with alarming regularity. Children’s free and unorganized play often results in broken bones and stitches, even for the most timid children. Statsky also makes another faulty assumption, which is that competition is an adult imposition on the world of children’s play. She says in her article, â€Å"The primary goal of a professional athlete – winning – is not appropriate for children† (629). Children compete to win in the same way that adults do, and they do so on their own without any adult pressure. Common playground gam... ...petitive sports can cause lasting harm and have no benefits for these children (Statsky 627), then examples of how childhood competition negatively affected individuals years after the fact would go a long way to proving her accusation. As Statsky's thesis rests on the assumption that adult imposition of competition and organization in children's sports makes the games neither satisfactory nor beneficial to the children, then lack of benefit must be shown along with lack of satisfaction. The existence of unsatisfied child athletes in organized sports is no indication that children are somehow unsuited to competition and team sports. Works Cited Statsky, Jessica. â€Å"Children Need to Play, Not Compete.† Reading Critically Writing Well: A Reader and Guide. Ed. Rise B. Axelrod, Charles R. Cooper, and Allison M. Warriner. 7th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2005. 627-631.

Democrats and Republicans View Points Essays -- Politics

Since the beginning of their inception the Republican and Democrats have had a great divide on their perceptions of what is best for this great nation of ours. Republicans and democrats are distinct in several ways above all in their ideas, politics and world views. Republicans seem to be known as conventional or cautious and they seem to embrace economic equity beyond any other thing. Whereas a Democrat seems to be more open minded and they stand for government supported programs. The purpose of the paper is to analyze, compare and contrast the two parties positions on the issues of same sex marriage, race based affirmative action and illegal immigration. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia â€Å"Affirmative action" means constructive periods reserved to rise the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. Fletcher (1996) stated â€Å"Affirmative Action was spiraling unpleasant as Republicans in Congress and state legislatures across the country criticized the issue†. America gives the impression to be held up with fair-mindedness as equality which increases questions in the minds of many who are not acquainted with the unique purpose of Affirmative Action. This will always be an ongoing problem throughout history but has come a long ways from the early nineteen hundreds. Racial discrimination is noticed more in schools and in the workplace. Springer (2003) reported that the New York Times surveyed a few thousand respondents and found that eighty percent of black respondents believed in affirmative action. Republicans are said to have old-fashioned american main beliefs. They trust that people who are skilled for a profession should g... ... 4 (Dec , 2003), pp. 289-311 Published by: Springer Articles Stable URL: http:// www.jstor.org/stable/3657306 Margaret E. Dorsey and Miquel Diaz- Barriga Senator Barack Obama Immigration Reform – Journals of Black Studies, Volume 38, NO. 1, The Barack Obama Phenomenon (Sep., 2007). Pp. 90-104 Published by: Sage Publications, INC.Articles Stable URL: http:// www. Jstor. Org/stable/40034404 Stoyan Zaimov Same Sex Marriage stirring Battle for the Heart and Soul of the GOP, Observers Say The Christian Post (Jan. 2012) Michael A. Fletcher Washington Post Staff Writer (Sept 18, 1996) pg. A12 http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/10/democrats-push-to-repeal-defense-marriage-act/ http://prospect.org/article/democrats-gay-marriage-problem-0 http://www.gop.com/2008Platform/Values.htm http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/affirmative-action/ (Apr 1, 2009)

What is Virtue Epistemology? :: Philosophy Virtues Ethics Papers

What is Virtue Epistemology? This paper functions as a brief introduction to virtue epistemology, a topic that has enjoyed a recent gain in popularity among analytic philosophers. Here I maintain that the defining feature of virtue epistemology is its focus on the intellectual virtues and vices rather than the evaluation of belief. What constitutes such a focus? And, what are the intellectual virtues? In the first section, I enumerate five different ways in which virtue epistemologists might focus on the virtues. In the second, I discuss four topics pertaining to the nature of the intellectual virtues themselves: (1) are the virtues natural or acquired?; (2) are they skills?; (3) are they instrumentally, constitutively, or intrinsically valuable?; and (4) what relation do they bear to truth? Throughout the paper, I identify which virtue epistemologists are partial to which views, and in this manner, catalog much of the recent debate. In conclusion, I suggest some topics for future study. I have no answer to these arguments, but am finally compelled to admit that there is not one of my former beliefs about which a doubt may not properly be raised; and this is not a flippant or ill-considered conclusion, but is based on powerful and well thought-out reasons. So in future I must withhold my assent from these former beliefs just as carefully as I would from obvious falsehoods, if I want to discover any certainty. — Rene Descartes (1) Much of contemporary analytic epistemology is still steeped in a vigorous form of Cartesianism. Granted, there are some analytic epistemologists who have denied Descartes' foundationalism, and others who, in preserving foundationalism, have rejected the infallibility of foundational beliefs. Still others have attacked his internalism, doubted the seriousness of the threat of skepticism, or attempted to eradicate the abstract, isolated "I" of the Meditations. But, despite this seemingly comprehensive critique of Cartesianism, one of its essential elements has escaped widespread criticism and currently operates as a background assumption in much of contemporary epistemology. This element is the basic Cartesian framework itself, which dictates the primary objects of epistemic evaluation, and in so doing, directs the course of epistemological inquiry. As indicated by the passage above, Cartesian systems focus on the evaluation of beliefs or propositions believed. A perfunctory survey of current epistemological theory will confirm its focus on the evaluation of beliefs. For, even those who reject other facets of the Cartesian program routinely concentrate on justification and knowledge.