In the Going and your last drive Hardy Essay Example

In the Going and your last drive Hardy Essay Example In the Going and your last drive Hardy Paper In the Going and your last drive Hardy Paper The sudden loss of a loved one can reveal that a seemingly intimate, idyllic relationship can in fact be complex, distant and lifeless. Thomas Hardy attempts to portray this idea in his works The Going and Your Last Drive. In The Going Hardy illustrates that a feeling of wistful, nostalgic regret results from concentrating on the negative aspects of lost relationships. In Your Last Drive however he indicates that although there may be no afterlife, the dead live on in our memories and through imaginative recreation. Hardy manages to depict these concepts through his intricate control of language. Sudden, unexpected loss can leave one grief stricken, isolated and melancholic. A sense of frustration and blame is created by Hardy in the first stanza of The Going. Hardy questions his lost loved one asking why did you give no hint that she was about to pass away. Angry that she didnt alert him to her imminent death, Hardy harshly blames her using the adverb why. His loved one is said to have been indifferent quite. She ignored his feelings, possibly unconcerned about, and uncaring towards him, as depicted by the adjective indifferent. This feeling Hardy might have returned. Hardy uses euphemisms such as where I could not follow as he doesnt wish to accept his loved ones passing. He attempts to escape reality and isolate himself from the real world; obviously hurt deeply by her death. In the second stanza Hardy begins to grieve and lament. Hardy says how she never bid goodbye. He is sorry that she didnt say farewell to him. This portrays Hardy differently; not angry and blaming but rather sorrowful and regretful. Hardy is said to have been unknowing of her passing and how it altered all. The alliteration of altered all draws attention to huge impact of the death on Hardy. A feeling of torment is created in the third stanza as Hardy states that she made him think that for a breath it is you I see. Hardy momentarily believes he sees his wife; his eyes are seeing what he wants, to be able to view his wife again. The alliteration of darkening dankness portrays Hardys state of mind: bleak, sombre and gloomy. However in the end Hardy only sees yawning blankness which sickens him, illustrating his intense yearn for another moment with her. The comfort and support of a loving relationship can be easily lost due to negligence. A feeling of wistful, nostalgic regret results from concentrating on the negative aspects of lost relationships. Returning back to the early years of their relationship, Hardy attempts to remember the positives of their marriage in the fourth stanza. He describes how his wife (the swan-necked one) would muse and eye him. The verb muse shows that Hardy was captivated by her youth and beauty. In the fifth stanza, in contrast to the previous, Hardy turns to the negatives in their marriage, wondering why they didnt revive the original joys. Hardy asks whydid we not speak, illustrating their neglect. Hardy wonders why they didnt remember those days long dead. The adjective dead suggests that the initial happiness of the start of the relationship didnt continue. However, it could also portray how the marriage was almost lifeless and empty due to their disregard and mistreatment. Hardy regrets that he and his wife didnt seek to strive that times renewal. This shows that they didnt attempt to revive their initial feelings or rekindle their romance. Emotionally struggling in the last stanza, Hardy cant get over his grief. He states how alls past amend, illustrating his inability to repair his relationship with his wife due to her passing. I seem but a dead man Hardy says: ready to sink down soon. This shows that Hardy is waiting for the end, for death to take him and rid him of his pain and bereavement. The punctuation (ellipsis and hyphen) and fragmented syntax in the last stanza breaks down the poems rhythm. It also helps to portray Hardys factored thoughts and inability to order his emotions. In the last line of the poem Hardy states that he didnt expect that his wifes passing would undo me so. Hardy didnt think that her death would distress him as immensely as they had grown apart. The tragedy of loss can leave one pondering over their past actions; lifeless, depressed and confused. We sometimes use our imaginations as a means of escaping the grief and suffering of tragic loss. In Your Last Drive Hardy creates a bleak, reminiscent mood throughout the poem. Hardy establishes a setting by the moorway portraying a sense of desolation and isolation. The adjective undiscerned is used to describe the deceased, showing that she wasnt to know that she would be in a week the face of the dead. This illustrates that one will never pinpoint the exact date they will pass away. Hardy contrasts the face of the dead with that haloed view, between death and heaven, foreshadowing her imminent death. Like in The Going Hardy uses euphemisms instead of describing her graveyard. The resting-place is said to have been alien from you [the deceased]. The adjective alien emphasises the deceaseds ignorance of her impending death. In the third stanza Hardy describes how he was unable to read the writing upon your face. Hardy wishes to illustrate that you cant foresee a persons passing, oblivious until they have gone. Hardy in the fourth stanza portrays the lack of communication between the living and the dead. Hardy uses the speech of the deceased to bring back the lost persons voice, creating intimacy and complexity. The loved one says how I shall not know emphasising the ignorance of the dead. In the last stanza Hardy agrees with the dear ghost stating that never youll know. This inversion emphasises that never will the dead be alert to the livings problems. The last line of the poem is full of juxtaposition with Hardy saying you are past love, praise, indifference, blame. This emphasises the tension and conflict in complex relationships. Hardy is unsure of how to remember his wife now that she has passed away; whether to remember the positives or negatives of their marriage. At the sudden conclusion of an intimate, complex relationship, confusion and reminiscence reign. Hardy attempts to show the complexity and tension in relationships that once seemed intimate and idyllic. In The Going and Your Last Drive Hardy tries to portray the effects loss has on the one left behind. He shows that one is left frustrated, grieving and lifeless after the loss of those closest to them.

More Answers to Questions About Commas

More Answers to Questions About Commas More Answers to Questions About Commas More Answers to Questions About Commas By Mark Nichol Here are a few questions I have received recently about insertion or omission of commas. 1. When there are two introductory clauses, as in â€Å"In fact, to that end, let’s work hard as a team,† I’m wondering whether a comma should follow â€Å"to that end† or whether including another comma so close to the one following â€Å"In fact† looks cluttered. I would retain the second comma, because I would retain it if â€Å"In fact† were omitted, and I prefer to be consistent. The choice is a matter of preference between open (less) and close (more) punctuation, and I believe that close punctuation is more conducive to clarity and smooth reading. (However, you might also consider whether â€Å"in fact† is, in fact, necessary. It is superfluous as I just used it, and although I don’t know the context of the preceding sentence(s) in the source material, it’s likely extraneous in the statement you provided, too.) 2. I’m never sure when to use a comma before because and when not to. I’ve read various explanations but am still confused. Would it be accurate as a rule of thumb to omit a comma when the word only can be inserted in front of because without changing the meaning? In your example, the change would read, â€Å"The convention will be delayed until Tuesday [only] because of the threat of Tropical Storm Isaac now bearing down on Florida.† If the sentence is still true with only inserted, then omit a comma before because- does this work as a rule of thumb? In a sentence constructed like the example above, when the verb phrase (â€Å"will be delayed†) is not negated, a comma is omitted regardless of the presence or absence of only. It is required, however, in â€Å"The convention will not begin on Monday, because of the threat of Tropical Storm Isaac† (which is better organized as follows: â€Å"Because of the threat of Tropical Storm Isaac, the convention will not begin on Monday†). The absence of a comma in â€Å"The convention will not begin on Monday because of the threat of Tropical Storm Isaac† invites the reader to ask, â€Å"Why, then, will it begin on Monday?† This question, obviously, does not reflect the meaning intended. Another Daily Writing Tips reader provided this citation from The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style: â€Å"When because follows a negated verb phrase, it must be preceded by a comma when the because clause explains why the event did [or will] not take place.† 3. I’ve generally been using a comma before then in a sentence, but I find places it doesn’t sound like it’s needed. When I did a search online, I found that people have different opinions. Does it really matter? Can it be done either way for style, or does there always have to be a comma before it? In an â€Å"if . . . then† statement, a comma preceding then is necessary: â€Å"If I agree, then she’ll be happy.† If the comma is deleted, then might seem, at least initially, to refer to time (equivalent to â€Å"If I agree at that time, rather than at another time, she’ll be happy†), so, for clarity, insert the comma. Note, however, that an â€Å"if . . . then† statement doesn’t necessarily require then. The second sentence in this paragraph has that structure but lacks then (except referring to the word as a word, which doesn’t count). The sample sentence could be written, â€Å"If I agree, she’ll be happy.† Here, too, omitting the comma would create ambiguity: Someone reading, â€Å"If I agree she’ll be happy† might begin to assume that the writer is concurring that the other person will be happy at some other time, and that the sentence is merely an introductory phrase, only to find that no additional wording (for example, â€Å"she’ll appreciate that I share her opinion†) follows. In a sentence such as â€Å"I had a cup of coffee, then set to work,† the comma is also required. However, if a conjunction precedes then (â€Å"I had a cup of coffee and then set to work†), the comma is omitted because it is redundant to the conjunction. When then is employed as an emphatic filler (â€Å"What, then, is the point?†), though, the comma is of course necessary as the second in a pair of punctuation marks that bracket the parenthetical word. Writing that deviates from these rules may still be understandable though perhaps after possible initial confusion but it’s colloquial and doesn’t reflect well on careful writers. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Punctuating â€Å"So† at the Beginning of a SentenceProbable vs. PossibleOppose and Opposed To

Beach Rental Case study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Beach Rental Case study - Assignment Example That will ensure that they have good accommodation and a good environment in which the students can be working from. The efficiency of the company can be done by measuring of the efficiency of workers in the company. The measurement of performance by employees is a critical thing for ensuring that there is success in the running of a business organization. The measurement of performance is done so as to ensure that the employees of a company provide value for the money that they earn. Performance may be measured by the number of hours worked or by the quality of work done or the output that accrues from an individual or group of employees. The report will give details of a number of performance measurement metrics that may be used by the Company. Performance measurement metrics The measurement of the performance of employees is a thing that is advantageous to the company. Performance measurement usually ensures that there is equitable distribution of incentives. The performance measu rement also ensures that there is increase in efficiency and productivity in the company. A performance metric that is effective should ensure that there is a gauge that is accurate and one that would ensure that the employees are valued according to their performance and output in the company. Productivity metrics One of the components of measuring the performance of a company or business is by the use of productivity. Productivity metrics usually measures the amount of work done by an employee within a specified time period. Employees usually have a different learning curve. That means that new employees would be less productive as compared to old and experienced employees. In a manufacturing company, productivity can be measured by the total output of an individual in a specified time period. In a sales department, productivity is usually measured by the total sales made by a single employee. Efficiency metrics Efficiency can be described as an attempt to increase on productivity by utilizing minimum resource or by the use of the most cost-effective method. Efficiency usually deals on cutting on time of production and the costs that are incurred during production. That can be done by the company introducing processes that are efficiency and using quality raw materials that are cheap so as to ensure that there is cost cutting. Training metrics Training among employees usually increase on the performance or productivity of employees. The training of employees would ensure that the employees use the most cost effective working processes. The training efforts should be quantified so as to measure the level of productivity that accrues from the training of employees. Goal setting The use of performance review systems that are collaborative usually ensure that supervisors and their juniors are able to set their own personal goals that should be achieved so as to increase the efficiency of the company or business. That can be termed as management by the use of obj ectives and that can be done so as to individually measure the performance of an employee. The employees of the company should undergo training so as to ensure that they are efficient enough in the execution of their roles in the business. Design process Analysis The first process that is involved in designing the training is analysis. The objectives and goals have to be analyzed so as to be able to develop the

The yellow wallpaper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The yellow wallpaper - Essay Example The persona is the woman who due to her condition (temporary nervous depression.) the husband puts her in a secluded upper room with the intention of availing total rest meant for quick recuperation. The husbands’ idea draws consensus from his brother in law. Therefore, woman acts as the recipient of her husband decisions’ actualization since he is a doctor (Wang 11). The room where she lives comprises of torn yellow wallpaper and after a close examination, she makes out an image of entangled woman seeking liberty from numerous aspects that restrain her. The account intensively utilizes dramatic irony, setting and symbolism with the intention of transmitting its message to the reader indirectly. The â€Å"Yellow wallpaper’s† symbol of an entangled woman by numerous aspects restraining her from freedom represents the persona of this account (Wang 10). The woman in this account is a recipient of all ideas from her husband and brother due to the condition she is experiencing. Besides, all her arguments do not have any significance towards recuperation, but disregarded because she is ailing (Wang 14). The restraints encompass the ideas of the husband and those of the brother in law. Besides, the author of this account has selectively chosen its setting, which is also part of the elaboration and reference all through, whereby the persona is capable of interacting with it. Account’s inception entails the application of dramatic irony evidenced when the persona is explaining the room chosen to house and give her the in tended rest; its explanation does not fit the abode of an insane person (Wang

Human Resources Essay Example for Free

Human Resources Essay Human resources involves a wide variety of activities related to the arrangement and implementation of organisational policies, the requirement of opportunities for monitoring, evaluation and change and the application of resources to the fulfilment of organisational ends. Aspects of people management include: * The recruitment, retention and dismissal of staff. * The training, development and promotion of staff. * Liaison with employee organisations and trade unions. These are areas with which the human resources staff is involved. The overall purpose of the human resources function can for that reason be identified as: * To attract and retain good high-quality staff. * To ensure that the organisation operates within the law in relation to employment and health and safety. The Philip Markham organisation believes they will not be successful if they do not have the commitment of all staff and intend to look after all their employees needs through the functions of the human resources department. Finance The overall contribution of the finance function can be grouped in to three main areas: Preparing accounts. Preparing wages and salaries. Obtaining capital and resources. Philip Markham employs ten members of staff in the finance department. The department makes sure internal customers receive the money they are owed and customers pay their bills. To keep control of finances the organisation allocates different department budgets and expects them to keep to there planned levels income and expenditure. Finance also has the task of preparing all the accounts each year so that they comply with legal responsibilities to the Inland Revenue. They also complete VAT returns to HM Customs and Excise. Pete Martin the management accountant at Philip Markham is responsible for checking that production levels and sales are on target. He advises all internal customers who are the directors, about the current financial health of the organisation on a weekly basis. An additional responsibility for the finance function is advising the organisation about more money for the purpose of expansion to buy raw materials or expensive equipment so it can remain competitive obtaining extra finance, called CAPITAL at the best rates possible. Production The contribution production makes to the overall business is to make a product and provide a service. The core function of the production department is to obtain the resources required by the organisation and transform those into a product. The production function is also concerned with organising the resources to produce the goods and service in the most appropriate way. Philip Markham carry out three different operations in their production department, these are as follows: Purchasing Manufacturing Despatch The layout of the production area has been designed to maximise the flow of materials when producing the shirts from cutting to finishing. The cutting area is near to the stores so that materials can be transported the minimum distance. Quality control is extremely important to Philip Markham and each team cutters, machinists and finishers is responsible for ensuring that quality is right at every stage of the process. The shirts and ties pass to the packing department, which is part of despatch. All items are boxed and labelled and goods linked to the correct paperwork and the dispatchers that each box includes the correct delivery note and advice note for the haulier. Also part of the production function is purchasing staff and the designers. Purchasing is responsible for obtaining the best quality fabrics at the best prices and making sure all raw materials are delivered on time. Sales and Marketing The contribution sales and marketing makes to the overall business is to identify what the customer needs and providing it. The activities of sales and marketing include: Market research to find out what customers need and customer opinions on proposed and existing products or services. Promotion to inform the customers that their particular organisation can fulfil these needs. Sales to provide the goods or service the customer thinks he or she needs. The contribution of sales and marketing is vital in that it directly influences the number of sales that are made and as a result the profitability of the company. Each functional area operates to support the business aims and objectives and a range of activities goes on in each one. How the functional areas interact with one another is important. For an organisation to be efficient and effective there must be links between the people who work in different functional areas, especially when their activities overlap. Philip Markham is aiming to set up an e-commerce site to sell classic menswear and their objective is to be the leading British supplier of this type of clothing on the Internet within the next two years and double sales home and abroad within the same period. In order to achieve such a particular set of aims and objectives the organisation will need the support of a representative from finance, production and sales and marketing. The finance representative can present all the facts and figures that need to be considered when exploring this venture. The overall budget set-aside for web-page development and marketing is à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½80,000 in the first year. Tina the financial manager believes this is generous given the financial position of the company. She believes it will be vital to control costs of setting up this new venture and to focus on those products that will bring in the most profit for the company. Her key consideration is that the site should be secure (identified by a padlock symbol), as payments will be made over the Internet. She has also advised that because VAT regulations differ, a separate order form would need to be completed by purchasers from abroad. The site would have to have a communications link with finance as all payments must be logged, collected and recorded by finance before orders are fulfilled by dispatch. Finance would have to notify dispatch when payments had been received. Only then can goods can be sent. The production representatives Tariq Choudrey (Production Director) and Marsha Webb (Manufacturing Manager) have concerns about the Internet site. Marsha believes there is a limit as to how much production rates can increase to meet additional orders without sacrificing quality. Details which need to be addressed are as follows: The cutting tables new tables have been requested for two years. They are essential if orders increase at a cost of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½15,000 each. The eleven sewers produce on average five shirts a day each. The maximum which can be produced without additional staff is seven unless quality is sacrificed. The three finishers spend a lot of time on special orders. More staff will be needed in this area unless the website only allows for standard orders. The despatch manager advises unless more mechanisation is introduced more staff will be needed if orders have to be completed quickly. It would be easier to sell knitwear and overcoats on the website most of which are supplied by other companies. However the suppliers of knitwear and overcoats would need at least two months notice if the volume of orders were going to increase substantially. The manufacturing manager supports the overall ideas but stresses it is absolutely no use trying to sell goods which cannot be produced in a reasonable time period as this would do more harm than good to the companys reputation. Production need to be involved in the communication process at all times unless they are fully aware of what is happening at all times there wont be any goods to sell. The sales and marketing function are excited by this new venture. Jade Marsh (sales and marketing director) would like to see the task of setting the website given to a professional web development firm who are likely to charge à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½40,000 to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½50,000 for a site with multi-media images. This will be vital to show the type of fabric that can be selected, the colour and the designs especially for the ties. The site must be user-friendly quick to access and use and that it can cope with a large number of hits without crashing. She believes the key date for it to be finalised is September, so that the company can benefit from Christmas orders. In order for the site to be marketed it will cost money, it must be registered with good search engines. She would like to have special offers to tempt visitors to return again. All stationary must be reprinted to include the website address. During the first year the site needs advertising as widely as possible. The sales and marketing director believes that the e-commerce should be located in marketing (as it is a method of selling goods). Ideally she would like two more staff, one to join the mail-order team and be responsible for Internet orders and another to join customer services in case there are any problems with goods sold over the Internet. She believes this would minimise communication problems as all sales will be controlled in one area. She estimates that the company could sell 200,000 shirts and 150,000 ties if a good job of setting up and marketing the website was accomplished. The human resources function is concerned about three main aspects. Where the website operations will be controlled. How the website will be developed. Kim Fields the administration and IT service manager believes she should have control of website operations as she is IT manager especially as computer staff are responsible to her. She believes maintenance of the site will be crucial, it is important to set it up fairly quickly and then it can expand. Kim considers the most sensible route for website development would be to hire their own multi-media web developer to set up the page and sub-contract specialist parts to an outside firm if needed. In addition a programme/copywriter would be needed. The software and other associated costs would be about à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10,000. Having these staff would mean that the website could be continually updated in house. Keith is concerned about the effect on staff, he is anxious that the mail-order clerks should be trained to be able to print off and process orders arriving through the website as well as carrying out their current job. He thinks they will need extra help at busy periods such as Christmas. If the website is to be successful than eventually another member of staff may be required. He believes it to be more sensible to move this group of staff to the HR/Admin department so there would be better communications with the computer staff. Keith considers any communication problems during planning the stages can be solved by regular meetings between the IT and sales staff. Finance will also need to be included. Philip Markham has always aimed to produce menswear of excellent quality at affordable prices. The fabric used for shirts is of highest quality and designers aim to produce new designs each year. The functional areas which relates to these aims is the production department, finance department, human resources and sales and marketing. The first action to take would be in human resources the company needs to recruit the best people for the job including cutters, machinists, and finishers and look after them whilst they work. The finance function make sure that a budget is maintained when buying materials, paying wages and embarking in market research when embarking on achieving these particular aims. The finance function can give up-to-date information on the level of expenditure at any time. The production function uphold quality control at Philip Markham ands each team cutters, machinists and finishers is responsible for ensuring that quality is right at every stage of the process. Production is responsible for obtaining the best quality fabrics at the best prices and making sure all raw materials are delivered on time Human resources relates to these aims because their function is to recruit and train staff to meet all customer needs in relation to providing a service. The function incorporates company policy to treat employees fairly and equally in all aspects relating to their employment. A content workforce will achieve a friendly atmosphere and staff are keen to help consumers as well as each other.

Adolescence in The Master of Disaster by Guy Vanderhagae Essay

Adolescence marks the turning point of an individual's life, establishing the foundation of their development. It is during this phase that individuals leave behind the comfort of childhood and enter a reality beset with new perceptions of life. There are many stages of life, each enclosing its own distinct characteristics. As evident in the short story, The Master of Disaster, written by Guy Vanderhaeghe, adolescence involves growth as an individual, both physically and emotionally. Although each phase has its own challenges and difficulties, adolescence proves to be the most difficult stage of life to overcome. Through examination of the situations in the story, it becomes apparent that adolescence involves experiencing emotional conflicts between friends, searching for one's identity amid a period of change and overcoming the negative influence of peer pressure. Adolescence is a stage of life, overwhelmed by emotional conflicts between friends. It is a period of time where emotional instincts are weighed more than good judgement, when making decisions that will alter the outcome of the future. As evident in the story, there exists a strong emotional bond between Bernie and Kurt, "Whatever I withheld from Hiller, whatever would have been unspeakable in the company of the others was confided to Kurt Meinecke." (Vanderhaeghe, 59) It is apparent that trust is the foundation of their friendship. Trust is the firm belief in the reliability, truth and strength of an individual. However, Bernie decides to betray this trust, in choosing not to advise him of the intentions of Norman Hiller, "Norman was the flashy type, the guy who collected followers, collected them the way he did baseball cards and Superman comic boo... ...ents experience a time of mixed emotions between friends. They tend to make decisions, not with their head, but instead with their heart. Furthermore, adolescence is the turning point, through which individuals shape their identity. However, this proves to be difficult during a period of change, mentally and physically. Finally, within this transition, young people have the tendency to find reassurance in their peers. Nevertheless, this can often lead to negative peer pressure. The need for acceptance exists, so they are inclined to be vulnerable to influence. In a fast paced society, where constant change is inevitable, the transition from child to adult proves to be the most difficult. It is at this point in life, that adolescents shape the outcome of the future. Work Cited Vanderhaeghe, Guy.  Things as They Are?  Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1992.

Reduce,Reuse and Reclycle Essay

Practicing these three steps (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) helps us lessen the environmental impact that manufacturing and distributing products have on our environment. Reducing waste is the most effective 3 R practice, because it means not producing unnecessary waste in the first place – So there is zero impact on the environment. If we reduce what we buy and use in the first place and reuse wherever possible, fewer things need to be recycled and the amount of waste we produce will fall. The next best is Reuse, because it extends the life of a product. That item still had to be made but it is used over and over, reducing the need to make new stuff. Recycling in the end is the reprocessing of materials. It helps reduce pollution caused by waste and the need of raw material so that rainforests can be preserved. BENEFITS: We are going to give you some tips and practical examples how to save money, energy and the environment. 1. Do not waste food, make sure that you buy what you are going to consume, give leftovers to your pets or discard them in a responsible way. (Environmental friendly). 2. Grow your own vegetable, fruits, and flowers. 3.  When you leave a room always turn the lights off – Do not forget to switch off all the electrical equipment’s, turn down your emersion heater. 4. Instead of using dishwasher, wash dishes by hands from the sink 5. Always turn the tap off when you wash your teeth. You do not need the tap running when you are brushing your teeth. 6. Instead of buying a lot of books, you can borrow from the library or charity shops. 7. Do not automatically get rid of your old newspaper; use it in place of paper towels to clean glasses and mirrors. Shred it to make packaging materials, use it as a fire starter. 8.  Reuse junk mail envelops for your own mail. Just put a label over the see through window or if the envelop has a bar code at the bottom, run a black marker through it. 9. Do not dump water you use to cook vegetable; water your plants with it. 10. Use the public transport (trains, undergrounds) rather than cars to reduce pollution. ADVANTAGES OF RECYCLING: Recycling uses much less energy than producing new materials from scratch. This means less fossil fuel is burnt and less greenhouse gas is emitted. The vast majority of materials collected from your doorstep are recycled and used in the UK. This means less fuel is used to export waste and import new materials. Recycling helps to reduce pollution, Co2 emissions caused by waste and preserve natural resources for futures generations. Recycling is one of the best ways for you to have a positive impact on the planet in which we live. It is so important to both, the natural environment and us (Human beings). N. B: However, recycling still creates some pollution because it is an industrial process. That’s why â€Å"Reduce and Reuse† are the most important of the 3 R practice. Did you know? Recycling Aluminium uses only five per cent of the energy and emissions needed to make it from raw materials. Each year in the UK, we go through over 1. 2 million Tonnes of electrical waste. (That’s the equivalent of 150 Thousand double decker buses). Prevention is better than cure as the doctors say. Therefore, we must act fast as the amount of waste we create is increasing all the time. We are going to conclude our topic with this wise and pertinent citation of Margaret Mead: â€Å"Never doubt a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. †

Extended Essay: How Does Culture Influence Social Conformity to Groups? Essay

Introduction I still remember my first day of American Government class freshman year. The teacher asked us, â€Å"What are the three branches of government?† I wanted to raise my hand and say â€Å"Judicial, congressional, and executive.† But no one else raised their hands. I thought to myself, â€Å"No one else knows it, maybe I don’t know it. I don’t want to stand out on my first day. Better just keep my hand down.† As it turns out, my answer was correct. However, conformity got the better of me. Conformity is modifying one’s behaviors or actions because of others. The influence of conformity can be subdivided into informational (being influence because of information) and normative (being influenced because of social pressure) influence. Conformity is an important topic because conformity has a profound impact on human behavior in groups. Collective human behavior can almost be defined by conformity. Humans constantly look to others for support and kn owledge, and when we see others act in a specific way, we mimic it in the form of conformity. To take on a more global view of conformity, it is important to understand how cultural differences between different civilizations impact the ways in which the people of those cultures will be affected by conformity. Perhaps someone from the United States will conform more than someone from Germany, or China, or Mexico. Then we must undertake the question, â€Å"how does culture influence social conformity to groups?† In this essay we will first take a look at what conformity is and what may cause it within a culture, and then we will discuss three aspects of a culture that may modify that culture’s levels of conformity. The first major factor we will examine is the level of food accumulation within the society. The second major factor we will examine is the impact of a country’s industrial development on conformity. The third major factor that we will examine is how individualism or collectivism will influence a culture’s level of conformity. Social Causes of Conformity Sherif defined conformity as â€Å"being influenced by the judgments of others.† (Sherif, 1935) In the context in which we are speaking, conformity can be defined as the modulation of one’s behavior or judgment due to influence of a group. Sherif’s conformity experiment was designed to show how the judgments of others would influence the judgment of a test subject. Sherif used the autokinetic effect as the subject of judgment. The autokinetic effect is when a dot of light in a dark room appears to move because the eye has no other frame of reference. Subjects were instructed to observe the light and tell researchers the distance the light moved. Sherif operationalized his variable by first testing subjects individually and then testing them in groups to see how this would affect their reported observations of how far the light moved. If the reported observations of the dots movements converged to a central measure, Sherif would know that conformity had played a r ole in altering his subject’s judgment. What Sherif discovered was that when subjects were tested individually, their judgments of the dots movements varied greatly, anywhere from 2 to 15 inches (Sherif, 1935). When the subjects were then tested in groups, their measurements maintained a distinct level of divergence from each other. However, when the subjects were tested first within a group, the subjects’ average judgments of the dot movements converged within a particular range that would imply that the subjects were abiding to a common norm that had been established in the group. In addition, when the subjects were later tested individually, their judgments on the dot movement would diverge from the group norm, but less significantly than when the subjects were first tested individually. Sherif wrote that he felt this was the most significant observation of his experiment. What Sherif observed is one of the key factors of conformity- that the norms which people conform to are not always intentionally established, but can occur naturally, and these naturally occurring norms will be conformed to due to man’s tendency to want to fit in as a part of the group. This is reinforced by another one of Sherif’s observations during this experiment. During the last session of his experiment, Sherif added the question â€Å"Do you think you were influenced by the judgments of the other persons in the experiments,† to which 25% of the subjects responded that they were. Sherif commented that this was a comparatively small amount of subjects relative to the results. Although it is possible that some subjects lied and responded no to this question, it is possible that some of the 75% of subjects who said they were not influenced by the other subjects in the experiment were likely unaware of the fact that they were being influenced, showing that peo ple can unknowingly conform to naturally established norms. Although Sherif’s experiment was not cross-cultural, it can still help us understand why people conform to their individual cultures. Sherif speculated that the cause of conformity was man’s desire to fit in to the group. In a cultural context, this means that if a person is a part of a culture, then that person would have desire to modulate their actions so that they fit into their specific culture. This also suggests that the more immersed one is in their culture, the more conformity will be emphasized in that culture and the more they will conform to their culture. So although Sherif’s experiment was not cross-cultural, the conclusions drawn from his experiment can still help us understand the relationship between culture and conformity. In 1951, Asch sought to try another conformity experiment that would respond to the critique of Sherif’s experiment that the stimulus was too ambiguous. Instead of using an ambiguous stimulus like the autokinetic effect, Asch used a very concrete stimulus. For his experiment, four lines were shown on a projector and subjects were asked which line of three matched the other line. In groups of 8, what subjects didn’t realize was that the other 7 people in the group were actually confederates of Asch, instructed to all unanimously give the wrong answer twelve out of eighteen times. Asch’s aim was to see if this unanimous agreement in the group of a blatantly wrong answer would socially pressure the subject into going along with the group. In this experiment, unlike Sherif’s, the group was intentionally trying to get the subject to conform, and the group’s response to the stimulus was clearly incorrect. Under normal circumstances, subjects gave incorrec t responses less than 1% of the time. However when the pressure of the group was applied, the number of incorrect responses rose to 37%, with 74% subjects conforming to the confederates’ responses on at least one critical trial. Asch had shown something about conformity that Sherif was unable to prove- that conformity could cause a subject to go against their own judgment and conform to the group. Asch speculated that conformity could occur due to a distortion of the subject’s on any one of three levels: perception, judgment, or action. If there is distortion on perception, then the subject perceives the stimulus incorrectly and is unaware of the conflict, and believes the group to be correct. If there is distortion of judgment, then the subject is aware of the conflict but conclude the majority is correct and reject their own judgment. If there is distortion on the action level, the subject is aware of the conflict, concludes the group is incorrect, but goes along with them anyways due to pressure. Asch also determined the two types of group influence. If the subject is influenced because they think the group is better informed than them, this is informational influence. If the subject conforms because they want to fit in with the group, this is called normative influence. Asch also performed tests in this experiment to see how other factors would affect a subject’s conformity. One variation of this experiment Asch performed was adding and subtracting people. Asch discovered that as few as only three confederates was enough pressure to get the subject to conform, but that the more confederates there were in the experiment the more likely it was that the subject would conform. Asch also performed experiments where subjects gave their answers in private, where one confederate would agree with the subject, and where the differences between the lines was smaller. When subjects gave their answers in private, normative influence is eliminated and conformity dropped significantly. When one confederate would agree with the subject, conformity dropped to only 5%, an 80% decrease. This is one very crucial fact about conformity. When one person breaks the unanimity of a group, the normative influence is eliminated. When Asch made the differences in the line lengths less significant, conformity increased. The data collected from this experiment and Sherif’s observations, demonstrate another significant aspect of conformity. The more ambiguous something is, the more humans will tend to conform. This is because when humans are uncertain of what to do in a situation, we look to other humans for information. This is applicable to a real life scenario such as the â€Å"grey area† of morals. When humans see something morally wrong, they will typically go along with what the majority is doing, and will usually not intervene. Although Asch’s experiments were not cross-cultural, the conclusions of his experiments and the theories of conformity formulate d from them can most definitely be applied to a cross-cultural context, such as how culture affects conformity. First of all, Asch determined that there were two types of conformity; normative, which is the influence caused by social pressure, and informational, influence caused by insecurity in one’s own knowledge. These can both be applied to how people conform to cultures. Normative influence can be caused by. If one is completely immersed in a culture, there is normative influence to fit into that culture. Informational influence can be a creation of culture. If a part of the culture is teaching the youth of that culture, than they are subject to the informational influence of their culture. Second, Asch showed that the more people in a group, the stronger the social influence. This could imply that a larger culture may have higher levels of conformity than people of smaller cultures. Third, Asch showed that unanimity is extremely significant to a culture’s levels of conformity. This may imply that the stricter a culture is, and the fewer dissenters from the culture there are, the stronger the social influence the culture will have on its subjects. The Effect of Levels of Food Accumulation on Conformity in a Society In 1967, J. W. Barry wished to replicate Asch’s conformity experiment as a cross-cultural experiment to see how differences in the cultures would correlate with their levels of conformity. Barry divided the peoples he was studying into two basic groups. The first group was societies with high levels of food-accumulation such as agricultural and pastoral societies, and the second was societies with low levels of food-accumulation such as fishing and hunting peoples. Barry recreated Asch’s line-length conformity test between the Temne peoples of Sierra Leone in Africa, an agricultural people, and the Eskimo of Baffin Island, a hunting people in northeastern Canada. Barry’s aim was to see how levels of conformity would vary between these two distinctly different cultures. Barry formulated his hypothesis by studying each culture and observing characteristics of their cultures that he thought would be pertinent to levels of conformity. Barry studied cultural characteristics of each peoples such as how they characterized success in their cultures, how lenient each culture was when rearing their young, if the peoples were typically group reliant or self reliant for success in their cultures, and of course, if they were a high food-accumulating society or if they were a low food-accumulating society. Barry hypothesized that there would be a correlation between the different cultures’ levels of food accumulation and their levels of conformity; more specifically, in the Temne’s agricultural, high food-accumulating society would show higher levels of conformity than the Eskimo’s hunting-oriented, low food-accumulating society, where he expected to find lower levels of conformity. Barry tested the two different cultures using a variation of Asch’s line test. Instead of having eight confederates supply false responses to the test subject, the subject was presented with a sheet of paper with 9 li nes on it, and was asked to match the top line with one of the lower lines by length. But before responding, the researcher would say, â€Å"I am going to give you a hint. Most Temne (or Eskimo) people say this line (an incorrect line) is equal in length to the one at the top. Which one do you say?† (Barry, 1967) After performing his experiment, Barry found that the difference in conformity rates between the Temne and Eskimos was great enough and with statistical significance, so it confirmed his hypothesis that the Temne peoples did in fact show higher rates of conformity than the Eskimo peoples. Barry’s conformity experiment shows how culture affects conformity. Barry studied two different cultures and noted significant differences between them, and then tested each culture the same way to measure their respective levels of conformity. Barry discovered a key characteristic about conformity- the connection between how a society collects food and their conformity level s. Although that is a broad connection, Barry’s theory was that how food is accumulated in a culture affects other aspects of that culture such as leniency in parenting, levels of independence granted to children, and what characterizes success, and these factors are what determine the levels of conformity for cultures. Low food accumulating societies have very independent individuals and characterize success with independence whereas high food accumulating societies have very interdependent individuals and characterize success through community. Impact of Modernization on a Country’s Levels of Conformity Another significant difference between cultures that can impact levels of conformity is how industrialized and modernized they are, and studying how this has affected levels of conformity among the people of that country. In 1984, Kagitcibasi did just that. Kagitcibasi performed a study on the â€Å"value of children† (Kagitcibasi, 1984) to attempt to understand how several cultures on different levels of modernization would place the importance of raising children (with reference to quantity), and what characteristics the peoples of those cultures would find desirable in their children. Kagitcibasi studied nine countries- Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Germany, and the United States. Kagitcibasi performed 20,403 interviews with families from these countries and asked them questions regarding what characteristics they would find most desirable in children. Subjects from countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines said the most desirable quality in a child was to obey their parents. On average, 86.5% of subjects from Indonesia said obedience of parent was the most desirable quality in children, and 82% of subjects from the Philippines agreed, as opposed to the United States, where only 39% of subjects said obeying one’s parents was the most desirable characteristic in children. On the contrary, 49% of American subjects surveyed said being independent and self-reliant was the most important characteristic in children, whereas only 20% of Indonesian subjects said the same thing. In the United States, being independent and self-reliant was the second most chosen characteristic among subjects surveyed, second only to being a good person. However, even higher than the United States’ percent of subjects putting emphasis on independence and self-reliance is that of Singapore and Korea. This is an interesting observation because many studies have found collectivist (predominantly Asian) cultures to be more oriented towards conformity and less towards indiv idual independence. But if this observation is studied with respect to industrialization and modernization, it is observed that these countries have gone under extremely rapid industrialization, which could have modulated the nuclear family model in these countries to be more westernized, thereby emulating the west in levels of conformity as well. Kagitcibasi observed that overall, it is the nuclear family level which most impacts the levels of conformity in a culture; by which it is meant that factors such as industrialization impact the nuclear family model, which in turn impacts a country/culture’s levels of conformity. Kagitcibasi developed the â€Å"Old Age Security Value† theory (Kagitcibasi 1982a). The Old Age Security Value is the theory that there is additional value in raising children in underdeveloped nations because if they are raised in a conforming way, which stresses values such as family loyalty, they will be more likely to take care of their parents when they become elderly. The Old Age Security Value is less significant in industrialized nations because industrialized, modernized nations typically provide services such as healthcare, whereas a more traditional, less developed nation would not, meaning the elderly are more dependent on their children to care for them in old age, which will encou rage raising children to be more compliant to parents. The Old Age Security Value concept relates to industrialization and conformity because the more industrialized a country is, the more the less significant the Old Age Security Value is, and therefore the less conformist the society will be. What we can ultimately understand from Kagitcibasi’s research on the correlation between industrialization and conformity is that less industrialized countries will be more culturally inclined to compliance, due to a modulation of the nuclear family model in which families are more dependent on each other for care and therefore put emphasis on compliance when raising children to encourage family loyalty and obedience of one’s parents. Impact of Collectivism vs. Individualism on Conformity Collectivism is the social belief that the good of the group is more important than the good of the few or the individual. On the other hand, individualism is characterized by the belief that each member of the group should be independent and self-reliant, without a need to consider the wellbeing of the group as a whole. When one considers the characteristics of conformity – compliance, assimilation, putting the group above oneself, etc., it seems logical that collectivists would have a greater predisposition to conformity than individualists. Professor Oh of Konkuk University wanted to test this premise with relevance to normative and informational influence. Oh’s aim was to see if in an experiment, subjects from a collectivist culture (in this case India) would conform more than subjects from a collectivist culture (America). He also wanted to see if they would conform more in normative influence tests than in informational influence tests. Oh hypothesized that the In dian subjects would not only conform more, but would conform more specifically in normative influence tests. Oh performed an experiment with half Indian and half American subjects, in which subjects were asked what the lowest appropriate probability of successfully for a risk to be taken, such as winning an election of a sort. Under the condition of exposure, subjects were only informed of what â€Å"other subjects† had said was an appropriate probability of success for the risk to be taken, but not why. Because the reason why was not explained to subjects, any conformity on this test must have been because of normative influence because they were given no further information to better their judgment. Under the condition of persuasion, subjects were informed of â€Å"other subjects’† responses, and as to why they made their decisions. Subjects were then left to decide for themselves based on more given information relevant to be given stimulus their own response . If subjects modified their judgments under this condition, it would be because they felt they were then better informed of the conditions of the stimulus. The average of the subjects’ conformity scores was measured by the change in pretest to posttest response. The results of this experiment showed that Indian participants were far more inclined to conform then American participants. In addition, changes in conformity levels due to internalization were not shown with statistical significance between Indian and American subjects, while changes in conformity levels due to compliance were shown with statistical significance. This confirmed Ho’s hypothesis that collectivists are more inclined to conform to the group norm then individualists with regard to normative influence. One limitation of Ho’s experiment however, was that he did not use face-to-face social influence, but only informed subjects of what other â€Å"subjects† had stated in a second-hand m anner. This would’ve negated some level of the compliance influence, which could have produced responses of higher levels of conformity between American and Indian subjects. Ho’s experiment examined a direct relationship between culture and conformity- the collectivist vs. individualist relationship. He studied two cultures and saw how subjects from each would respond differently to tasks involving conformity. Ho’s research helps us better understand this relationship between collectivism and conformity in a culture because his research showed that subjects of a collectivist society showed higher levels of conformity than subjects of an individualist culture. Conclusion In this paper, I analyzed three aspects of cultures that can influence a culture or society’s levels of conformity. I analyzed the relationship between food accumulation and conformity, the relationship between modernization and conformity, and the relationship between collectivism and conformity. Examining each of these relationships, it is evident that cultures that are characterized by community and societal unity tend to have higher levels of conformity than their more individualistic counterparts. This was shown by the Temne in Sierra Leone, Africa, who were culturally very focused on the community. This was also shown by the several less modernized countries in Kagitcibasi’s study of modernization on conformity, whose cultural focus is care for the family. Lastly, this was shown by the Indians in Ho’s study, who showed high levels of social conformity as a sample of a collectivist society. From all these results we can conclude that culture influences socia l conformity to groups in that people in cultures characterized by community and social unity are more subject to social conformity than peoples of individualistic cultures because the emphasis they put on community causes the peoples of those cultures to be more conscious of the judgments of others and therefore more likely to modify their own judgments and conform to match those around them. References Independence and conformity in subsistence-level societies: Encyclopedia of Urban Ministry UYWI :: Urban Youth Workers Institute. (n.d.). UrbanMinistry.org: Christian Social Justice Podcasts, MP3s, Grants, Jobs, Books | Home. Retrieved August 23, 2013, from http://www.urbanministry.org/wiki/independence-and-conformity-subsistence-level-societies Barry, J. (1967). Independence and Conformity in Subsistence-Level Societies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 7(4), 415-418. Retrieved August 16, 2013, from the USF LIbrary System database. Bond, R., & Smith, P. B. (1996). Culture and Conformity: A Meta-Analysis of Studies Using Asch’s (1952b, 1956) LIne Judgement Task. Psychological Bulletin, 119(1), 111-137. Kagitcibasi, C. (1984). Socialization in Traditional Society: A Challenge to Psychology. International Journal of Psychology, 19, 145-157. Retrieved August 16, 2013, from the USF Public LIbrary System database. McLeod, S. (n.d.). Asch Experiment – Simply Psyc hology. Simply Psychology – Articles for Students. Retrieved August 23, 2013, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html Oh, S. H. (2013). DO Collectivists Conform More Than Individualists? Cross-Cultural Differences in Compliance and Internalization. Social Behavior and Personality, 41(6), 981-994. Retrieved August 16, 2013, from the USF LIbrary System database. Sherif, M. (1935). A Study of Some Social Factors in Perception: Chapter 3. Archives of Psychology, 27(187), 23-46. Retrieved August 16, 2013, from the USF LIbrary System database.

History of Ngo Essay Example

History of Ngo Essay Example History of Ngo Essay History of Ngo Essay The changing face of volunteering in India 26 September 2006 by Patralekha Chatterjee Stepping carefully around the pits and mounds, four men approached the only source of light to be seen a small kerosene lantern burning inside a mud and grass hut. There were four residents inside a couple and their two children, 10 and eight. They dug the pits, cut the rock and hauled it to the trucks, all without salary. They were bonded labourers, bonded for life and for generations to the owner of the pit because some ancestor sometime had borrowed money and had been unable to pay it back. Two of the four men who visited the hut that night in 1985 were from a nongovernmental organization called Bandhua Mukti Morcha (Bonded Labour Liberation Front). The other two were journalists brought by the NGO to prove that bonded labour a form of slavery did exist right in the nations capital. After the visit, the men from the NGO went to the police station to lodge a complaint, because bonded labour is illegal in India, and so is child labour in a profession as hazardous as this. The complaints, and the articles written by the journalists after the visit, were part of the NGO campaign to make the government implement the law. Every day, different NGOs all over India are doing things like this. Sometime it may be taking a sample of water from a well that has been polluted by a nearby factory, getting the water analysed and then filing a public interest petition in a court to force the factory to follow anti-pollution laws. Another time, it may be a heated debate with a bureaucrat on why all citizens should have the right to be informed about all government decisions that affect their lives. Though the term NGO became popular in India only in the 1980s, the voluntary sector has an older tradition. Since independence from the British in 1947, the voluntary sector had a lot of respect in the minds of people first, because the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi was an active participant; and second because India has always had the tradition of honouring those who have made some sacrifice to help others. In independent India, the initial role played by the voluntary organizations started by Gandhi and his disciples was to fill in the gaps left by the government in the development process. The volunteers organized handloom weavers in villages to form ooperatives through which they could market their products directly in the cities, and thus get a better price. Similar cooperatives were later set up in areas like marketing of dairy products and fish. In almost all these cases, the volunteers helped in other areas of development running literacy classes for adults at night, for example. In the 1980s, however, the groups who were now known as NGOs became more specialized, and the v oluntary movement was, in a way, fragmented into three major groups. There were those considered the traditional development NGOs, who went into a village or a group of villages and ran literacy programmes, crEches for children and clinics, encouraged farmers to experiment with new crops and livestock breeds that would bring more money, helped the weavers and other village artisans market their products and so on in short became almost a part of the community in their chosen area (usually in rural India) and tried to fill all the gaps left in the development process by the government. There are many examples of voluntary organizations of this kind running very successfully in India for the last five decades. Perhaps the most celebrated example would be the treatment centre for leprosy patients run by Baba Amte in central India. The second group of NGOs were those who researched a particular subject in depth, and then lobbied with the government or with industry or petitioned the courts for improvements in the lives of the citizens, as far as that particular subject was concerned. A well-known example of an NGO of this type is the Centre for Science and Environment. It was a CSE who picked up that sample of well water and then submitted the results of the chemical analysis to a court because the organization had not been able to get the factory to change its polluting practices in any other way. In the third group were those volunteers who saw themselves more as activists than other NGOs did. Of course, all NGOs undertook a certain amount of activism to get their points across they petitioned the bureaucrats, they alerted the media whenever they found something wrong and so on. But this third group of NGOs saw activism as their primary means of reaching their goals, because they did not believe they could get the authorities to move in any other way. Perhaps the best-known example of an NGO in this category is the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save Narmada Campaign), an organisation that opposed the construction of a series of large dams in a large river valley of central India. The members of this NGO believe that large dams worsen water scarcity for the majority of the people in the long run rather than solve the problem, and they oppose the displacement it entails upstream of the dam. When the NBA found that it could not persuade the planners in India to agree to its point of view, the NBA members put up pickets, held demonstrations and tried every other way they could think of to oppose the construction of the first of the big dams. Most of the NBA member went to jail a number of times as a result. Right now, some of them including celebrated novelist Arundhati Roy face the prospect of being jailed again, because they criticized the Supreme Court of India when the courts decision on dam construction did not go in their favour. There is no strict boundary between these three groups of NGOs in fact, Baba Amte is now an important member of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. And whatever be the category a particular NGO falls into, all of them play an important role in modern India they hold the politicians accountable to the people. India is a representative rather than a participatory democracy. Once the elections are over, the politicians who run the federal and state governments do not really need to go back to the electorate for every major decision there is no tradition of referendums in India, as there is in Switzerland or Denmark. So, in the five years between on election and another, the NGOs and parts of the media, to some extent are often the only means available to the citizens to voice their opinions on any decision taken by a government. In a large developing country like India, there are numerous gaps left by the government in the development process sometimes by intention, sometimes due to lack of funds, sometimes due to lack of awareness. These are the gaps that many NGOs try to fill in modern India. Some of them may work in areas that the government does not want to get into like fighting discrimination on the basis of caste. Most Indian politicians do not really want to upset the existing caste hierarchy in his or her constituency, because the politician is dependent for votes on the dominant castes of that particular constituency. In the process, laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of caste are often ignored unless there is an NGO working in the area that is willing to take up the cause of those being discriminated against.

SAT Scores for Athletes

How Do Ivy League Schools Recruit ACT/SAT Scores for Athletes SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you a student-athlete hoping to play for an Ivy League school? Then you’re probably curious about the recruiting process. How do Ivy League schools recruit student-athletes? And how can you increase your odds of getting into an Ivy League school as a student-athlete? Read on to learn what the general college recruiting process looks like and how it differs from Ivy League recruiting. After, we'll go over the basic academic requisites you must have to get into the Ivy League, and show you what the typical Ivy League recruiting timeline looks like. Feature Image: Andrew Turner/Flickr How Does College Recruiting Work? First off, what exactly is college recruiting and how does it work?College recruiting refers to the recruiting of student-athletes. Basically, it’s the process of colleges reaching out to current high school athletes (mainly those who have a lot of potential to do well in college-level sports) with the hopes of getting them to apply to and attend their school. Many college sports teams are part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a nonprofit organization that oversees more than 1,000 colleges and half a million student-athletes. Here’s how the NCAA describes its recruiting process: "Recruiting happens when a college employee or representative invites a high school student-athlete to play sports for their college. Recruiting can occur in many ways, such as face-to-face contact, phone calls or text messaging, through mailed or emailed material or through social media." While colleges that are members of the NCAA may reach out to student-athletes directly, you, too, may initiate contact with colleges and/or coaches you’re interested in playing for. You can read our other guide to learn more about how college athletics recruiting works, but for now, here’s a brief overview of the general recruiting process: Step 1: College coaches make contact with high school student-athletes (or vice versa) Step 2: Student-athletes visit college campuses to learn more about the schools' athletic programs Step 3: Coaches visit high schools to evaluate student-athletes’ performances in their sports Step 4: Colleges offer scholarships to the student-athletes they want to play for them Step 5: The student-athlete makes a (non-binding) verbal commitment to play sports for a certain school Step 6: The student signs a Letter of Intent,a document stating that the student plans to attend and play sports for a certain college in exchange for a one-year athletic scholarship Next up, we’ll look at how Ivy League schools specifically recruit high school students for their college sports teams. How Does Ivy League Recruiting Work? 4 Key Differences We’ve gone over the general college recruiting process, but what about the Ivy League? For the most part, the Ivy League recruiting process is very similar to the process described above. Like other schools,Ivy League schools take time to reach out to skilled high school athletes and evaluate their abilities in their respective sports.After, students offer a verbal commitment to attend the school before submitting their actual application for review. In spite of these similarities, there are four key ways in which Ivy League recruiting differs from general college athletics recruiting. We’ll go over these here. #1: Higher Academic and Athletic Expectations As you likely know, the Ivy League is famous for its academic achievements, low acceptance rates, and top rankings on college lists. On theUS News Best National Universities list, all Ivies are ranked among the top 15 colleges. In addition,acceptance rates for the Ivies range from just 15% (for Cornell) to as low as 6% (for Harvard).These high stakes are evidently part of the reason that academic expectations are so high for prospective student-athletes. While you might assume that strong athletic skills are all you need to play for an Ivy League school, in reality you’ll need to also have top SAT/ACT scores, evidence of a challenging course load, strong transcripts, and an all-around impressive college application. (We’ll go into more detail later about what you need to have in order to get accepted to the Ivies as a student-athlete.) But it’s vital not to forget the importance of athletics in the Ivy League, too. After all, the Ivy League was originally founded as a group of higher institutions that stressed both academics and athletics. Here’s how the official Ivy League website describes the significance of athletics and student-athletes (all bold emphasis mine): "Ivy League schools share a tradition of academic excellence and broad-based, successful NCAA Division I athletics. The Ivy League annually finishes among the top Division I athletics conferences in national competitive rankings, and Ivy League student-athletes earn the country’s best records in the NCAA Academic Performance Ratings, operating under the Ivy League model of athletics as a significant educational component of the student's undergraduate experience." As this quotation emphasizes, the Ivy League isn’t just known for its academia but also for its NCAA Division I sports teams. (There are three divisions in the NCAA- Division I is the highest.) Therefore, what’s ultimately at stake for Ivy League schools when recruiting student-athletes are both their academic and athletic reputations. Women's basketball, Yale vs Columbia (kkimphotography/Flickr) #2: No Athletic Scholarships- Only Need-Based Unlike other NCAA colleges, the Ivy League schools do not give out any athletic scholarships to prospective student-athletes. Rather, they offer only need-based financial aid, and this goes for all applicants- not just student-athletes. Here’s what the Ivy League itself says about this policy: "Ivy League schools provide financial aid to students, including athletes, only on the basis of financial need as determined by each institution’s Financial Aid Office. There are no academic or athletic scholarships in the Ivy League. A coach may assist a prospective student-athlete to obtain an estimated financial aid award, however only the Financial Aid Office has the authority to determine financial aid awards and to notify students officially of their actual or estimated awards." Ivy League schools often give estimates for need-based aid to prospective students and student-athletes.You may compare these offers with any other offers you receive from different schools (including other Ivies). #3: The Academic Index (AI) In order to determine which student-athletes are strong contenders for Ivy sports and academics, the Ivy League established a system called theAcademic Index (AI). This point-based system is used to rank prospective student-athletes on the basis of academic factors, namely GPA and standardized test scores (SAT/ACT and SAT Subject Tests).(It used to include class rank as well, but since fewer high schools calculate this, it’s no longer part of the AI.) According to an article in TheNew York Times, the Ivies created this system in the 1980s as a way to ensure that "no vastly underqualified recruit has been admitted at a rival institution [another Ivy]." While many are aware of the AI, how this number is ultimately calculated is largely a secret. It’s typically said to have a score range of 170 to 240, though other sources claim it usessmaller scales of 1-9 or 1-6, on which either the lowest or highest number is considered best.Due to the confidential nature of the AI, it can be difficult to determine whether you’re likely to qualify for admission as a student-athlete to an Ivy League school. The New York Times article mentioned above states that student-athletes typically need at least a 3.0 GPA and an 1140 on the SAT (this is for the very old SAT from before 2004, however, so its relevance is debatable). Additionally, the minimum AI required for Ivy League schools can vary widely depending on the institution.In other words, the AI needed for admission to Princeton is likely higher than the AI needed for admission to Penn, as Princeton is a higher-ranked Ivy with a lower acceptance rate. You can look for Academic Index calculators online, but know that most are pretty inaccurate and won’t really help you figure out whether you’re on track to getting into the Ivy League as a student-athlete or not. #4: The Likely Letter The final big difference between the Ivy League recruiting process and the general college athletic recruiting process is what’s called the likely letter. This letter is sometimes issued before an official admission decision is given out and basically just says that a student is very likely to be admitted,provided there are no sudden issues with the student’s college application, academic performance, etc. Here’s what the Ivy League website states about likely letters: "This letter means that as long as the applicant sustains the academic and personal record reflected in the completed application, the institution will send a formal admission offer on the appropriate notification date. Only the Admissions Office can issue a likely letter, and only after receiving a completed application and all required materials. Likely letters may not be issued prior to October 1 of the prospect’s senior year in high school." Likely letters are often issued by Ivy League schools in place of Letters of Intent. Since Ivies don't offer any athletics-based financial aid, they cannot offer Letters of Intent(which specifically agree to give student-athletes admission and a year of athletics-based funding). That said, note that likely letters are not always issued to prospective Ivy League student-athletes, and not getting one doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be admitted. In addition to Ivy League schools, other tier-one colleges in the NCAA might offer likely letters to student-athletes they want to attend their schools. However, the majority of schools follow the general recruiting process and use Letters of Intent. Women's swimming, Dartmouth (D Allen/Flickr) What Do Recruits Need to Get Accepted to the Ivy League? Just being a great athlete doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get accepted to an Ivy League school; you also need to have a strong academic record, complete with a good GPA and high SAT/ACT scores (including SAT Subject Test scores, if required). And you don’t want to flub your application by submitting a subpar college essay or lukewarm letters of recommendation. Below, we explain exactly what you should have to increase your chances of getting accepted to an Ivy League school as a student-athlete: #1: A Rigorous Course Load All applicants to the Ivies, whether you’re a student-athlete or not, should definitely havea record of succeeding in challenging courses.Here’s what the Ivy League states on its website in regard to admissions criteria for student recruits: "Ivy League schools base admissions decisions on each candidate’s academic achievements as well as personal strengths and accomplishments, such as athletic achievement, other extracurricular activities and community service. Remember: To best prepare for admission to an Ivy League school, and as a strong basis for a rigorous college education, you should take the most challenging high school classes available to you throughout secondary school. The following courses are recommended: four years of English; four years of a single foreign language; three years of history/social science; four years of mathematics; four years of science; frequent practice in writing expository prose. Consult the website of each institution for more specific recommendations" These are the general recommended courses for prospective student-athletes to the Ivy League.As noted, be sure to consult individual schools directly for more information on what specific classes you should take to further increase your odds of getting accepted. #2: A High GPA Besides a rigorous class schedule, you’ll have a stronger chance of getting into the Ivy League if you have a high overall GPA. Ideally, you’ll have at least a 3.0 GPA, or B-average. This is a minimum recommendation, though, so know that it's probably better to aim for something closer to a 3.5 (or even higher).Check out our guidefor tips on how to raise your GPA. #3: Strong Standardized Test Scores Part of your Academic Index number will be based on your SAT/ACT scoresand SAT Subject Test scores(if you took any Subject Tests- most Ivy League schools require or recommend them). But what scores specifically should you aim for? Unfortunately, we can’t give you an exact answer as to what good ACT or SAT scores for Ivy League athletes are. What we can do, though, is show you what kinds of SAT/ACT scores admitted applicants to the Ivy League typically get.The following chart giveseach Ivy League school’s 25th and 75th SAT/ACT percentiles: School 25th %ile SAT 75th %ile SAT 25th %ile ACT 75th %ile ACT Brown 1440 1580 31 34 Columbia 1470 1590 32 35 Cornell 1410 1570 30 34 Dartmouth 1410 1580 30 34 Harvard 1470 1600 32 35 Princeton 1470 1590 32 35 Penn 1450 1570 31 34 Yale 1490 1600 31 35 As a student-athlete, you shouldn’t need to aim as high as the 75th percentile, which, at all Ivies, is extremely close to (if not) a perfect score (though there’s of course nothing wrong with aiming this high!). Rather, it’ll be more helpful to use the 25th percentile score for the Ivies you’re applying to as a general benchmark for what you should aim for. And if you can score higher than that, even better! But what about SAT Subject Test scores? Again, it’s impossible for us to give you exact scores to aim for. Generally speaking, though,most admitted applicants to the Ivy League (including non-athletes) score in at least the 700s (out of 800) on their Subject Tests. While you likely don’t need to aim this high on your SAT Subject Tests, definitely shoot for a score that’s above average- if possible, in at least the 75th percentile. Men's rowing, Princeton (Princeton University Rowing/Flickr) #4: An Overall Impressive Application Finally, you’ll need to make sure that your overall application is impressive. This means you should have the following: A cogent and well-written personal statement/essay A strong extracurricular background (Pro Tip: Don’t worry if most of your extracurriculars are sports-related- in fact, this "spike" is exactly what Ivies are looking for in applicants!) Effective letters of recommendation A good interview (if required) Just like any other Ivy League applicant, you must take care to craft a compelling application that will make the school want to admit you.Don’t just assume that your athletic prowess will automatically get you accepted. Even the most skilled student-athletes can get rejected for things such as sloppy essays or poor interviews! Ivy League Recruiting Timeline Overview Now that we’ve gone over what you need to raise your chances of getting into the Ivy League as a student-athlete, you're probably wondering what the Ivy League recruiting timeline looks like. The exact timeline will likely vary depending on the Ivy League school(s) you’re applying to and on what sport you play. For example, look at the differences between the NCAA’s 2017-18 calendars for Division I Football and Division I Men’s Basketball. For the most part, though, the biggest and most important aspects of recruiting will happen during your junior year of high school. There will also be lots of different periods of recruiting, which are defined as follows: Dead Period: Coaches may not have any face-to-face contact with prospective student-athletes but may communicate by email, mail, and/or phone. Quiet Period: Coaches may only meet in-person with student-athletes on-campus and may not visit students’ high schools. They may communicate by email, mail, and/or phone. Contact Period: Coaches may come to students’ high schools to watch them play and may have in-person contact with them, either on- or off-campus. They may also contact student-athletes by email, mail, and/or phone. Evaluation Period: Coaches may come to students’ high schools to evaluate their athletic performances and skills but may not meet with them in-person off-campus. However, they may continue to reach out to student-athletes by email, mail, and/or phone. Here is a very general overview of what you can expect in the Ivy League recruiting process at each grade level in high school: 10th Grade and/or Earlier Prospective student-athletes can make contact with Ivy League schools and Ivy League coachesto express their interest in applying as a student-athlete. (You may begin this part of the process even earlier, in 9th grade.) Students take unofficial campus visits to Ivy League schools they're considering playing for. Wrestling, Cornell (Jenn Vargas/Flickr) 11th Grade September to November: This is generally a quiet period for college recruiting. This means that while Ivy League coaches may not come to your high school to watch you play, you may visit the campuses directly to speak with coaches and may contact coaches via email, phone, and/or mail. Considertaking your first SAT/ACT at this time. December to February: This is typically a contact period, meaning coaches from Ivy League schools may come and watch you play and may meet with you in-person. Spring: Around this time, student-athletes are typically offered at least one official campus visit.This is also usually an evaluation period during which Ivy League coaches may come to high schools to evaluate prospective student-athletes' skills. There will typically be some dead periods thrown in, too, making this is an ideal time toretake the SAT/ACT. 12th Grade July 1 (before applicant’s senior year of high school): This is when Ivy League coaches may give prospective student-athletes' information, such as their transcripts and test scores, to Ivy League admissions committees for a preliminary evaluation. Fall: Students begin officially applying to colleges/Ivy League schools. Read our guide to learn when the most common college application deadlines are. Consider taking the SAT/ACT one last time before your applications are due. Winter/Spring: If you get a likely letter, you'll get it after October 1 but before the school’s official admission decision (which is usually around March or April). Remember that not all Ivies give out likely letters, so not getting one doesn't necessarily mean you've been rejected. Recap: How Do Ivy League Schools Recruit? The Ivy League has some of the most prestigious colleges and also many successful sports teams. As a result, Ivy League schools often look for applicants who are gifted in both athletics and academics. If you're a student-athlete considering applying to the Ivy League, you’ll need to have a strong GPA, evidence of a rigorous course load, and high scores on the SAT/ACT and SAT Subject Tests. Here are the biggest differences between Ivy League recruiting and general college recruiting: The Ivy League has much higher expectations in terms of academics and test scores The Ivy League offers only need-based scholarships- no athletic scholarships The Ivy League uses something called an Academic Index (AI), a point-based system to rank student-athletes based on their GPAs and test scores The Ivy League (and other NCAA Division I schools) often offer likely letters to prospective student-athletes who are likely to be admitted As for the Ivy League recruiting timeline, expect to have the most important events happen during your junior year of high school. This is when Ivy League coaches may begin contacting student-athletes and visiting high schools to evaluate their skills. What’s Next? Got more questions about the college recruiting process? Take a look at our in-depth guide to college athletic recruiting to learn even more about what the process entails. Curious about the NCAA?Read about the differences between the different NCAA divisions, and get the full lists of NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III schools. Interested in sports but not sure which ones to pursue? Our guide offers tons of helpful tips to help you pick the best high school sport for you. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research Paper Example The frames were set in a simple indoor background which was predominantly blue. Beside the two frames arranged one on top of the other was the name of the product in a vertical box bordering the whole height of page. The top of the said box the website the customer can check for additional information, SliderStyle.com was presented (Note: Due to the fact that the ad was used on 2003, the website is no longer connected to the product). In the lower part of the box, the brand name Kyocera, the model name Slider V5, and the network provider Virgin mobile were shown. The caption â€Å"do U slide?† was the main advertising line that focused on the sliding feature of the mobile phone model (Kyocera 34). The advertisement presented key elements important in a magazine advertisement such as visually appealing, targeting a specific audience, and intellectually stimulating. Analysis of the Kyocera Advertisement The study of a magazine advertisement is important to be able to determine t he different reasons and principles related to the moves undertaken by manufacturers and service providers in relation to improve the sales of products. Advertising is an important form of marketing communication to be able to make the product known to the target market (Kitchen 12). The Kyocera advertisement met the different factors pertinent to printed advertisements. One factor in a printed advertisement is the presentation. The Kyocera ad was presented in a visually attractive manner with the different elements contributing to the total impact of the ad such as the colored presentation, the male and the female model and how they look, the images in the ad, the information about the product and the different representations used. Advertising is an integration of the different principles of visual presentation and marketing techniques, thus, the term â€Å"integrated marketing communications† can be considered related to the presentation of the ad (Grove, Carlson and Dorsc h 37). Based on the work of Kitchen (2006), advertising is a synergy of multidisciplinary tools, procedures and principles (p.12). The visual effects in the advertisement aided in the successful presentation of the main impact. Specifically, this is the changes in the height of the male model as a corresponding representation of the compact and the slide-open form of the Kyocera Slider V5 mobile phone. This factor is the main selling point of the product which is versatility. Other factors contributed in attracting audience’s interest towards the advertisement. One is the visual presentation of the two almost identical frames. The upper frame was showing the male model as a short guy, the female model being taller and the mobile phone was in the compact form. The lower frame presented the male model as being taller than the female model, while the mobile phone was in its slide-open form. The two frames visually can be considered very similar to the game â€Å"spot-the-differ ence† which creates a relaxed feeling in relation to viewing the ad. The blue background added to the effect. Even the mood elucidated by the cool and relaxed male model created an impression that the product is for the audience with the same characteristics. The simplicity and the clean finish of the other frame served as the final missing element to the whole impact of the ad. Based on the study by Vanden Bergh and James (1990), â€Å"