Emerging ClassroomTechnology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Emerging ClassroomTechnology - Research Paper Example One clear and concise field this has been exhibited is in the education sector where digitalization has been seen taking over the previously existing means of offering learning services in school settings. Some levels of instructions like the higher education may be slightly ahead of the others (elementary, secondary and high schools) in instilling and embracing such technology. The use of tablets in the classroom setting can be a critical and efficient technique as students pursue education. Owing to the fact that the tablets are portable, have an extensive display and easier input of data, these appliances are absolutely what people will have to look out for in the next five years especially in the high schools, targeting the adventurous teenagers (Rouse Margaret, July 2014). In the medicine-related subjects like Biology, students can conduct studies on bones just by zooming in and out the input high-quality images unlike taking a whole high school class for an unnecessary trip to a medical school. In the case of an educational field trip, the students can take pictures of some of the principal physical sources of information they would not want to forget. They can later view these images of high quality anywhere and anytime without necessarily having to travel back to the fields. The high school students too will enjoy live recording of the lectures in the next five years lest this technology is implemented. The students can watch some of the captured important steps a lecturer may be explaining, for instance, in a chemistry practical class where steps are important for scoring marks. Repeatedly watching these video clips can be more enjoyable and an easy to remember method of ideas. The tablet can also be useful when it comes to storage of books. It has enough storage space that can store a large number of written and published books alike within just an A4

Exam questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Exam questions - Essay Example They include introduction, research questions and objectives, literature review, methodology, results and findings, discussion and conclusions. Introduction provides background of the study and the statement of the problem. Before carrying out a research, researchers need to identify the problem to be solved. Researches are used in developing solutions to particular problems. In order to create a deeper understanding on the problem, the background of the study will provide a synopsis of some of the theoretical aspects involved within the study. The second section is research questions and objectives. Once a research problem has been identified, researchers have to develop various objectives/aims attainable at the end of the research. Whilst attaining such aims or objectives, there are questions that researchers need to develop and provide their answers. It is in answering research questions that research objectives are attained. Literature review is a section that provides short desc ription as well as critical evaluation of previous works related to the topic of study. Literature review section in most cases surveys scholarly articles, books, and other relevant materials whilst aiming at offering an overview of the importance of such works on the topic of study. Methodology defines the overall plan and materials applicable in conducting the research. Methodology section usually involves population under study, sampling methods, data collection, analysis, and presentation methods. Through this section, researchers are able to chronologically state how the study was conducted. Results and findings involve displaying of collected data from the sample. Here, the researcher provides all the results and information found during the research. It is important to provide results and findings since they form the basis or evidence of making discussion and conclusions. Discussion and conclusions section is the last of the six, which uses the results and findings to critica lly analyze the concepts of the study. Based on the topic of research, discussions and conclusions aim at providing an in-depth analysis of the data obtained in a view to answering research questions and attaining research objectives. In most case, conclusions of researches are accompanied by generalizations and recommendations. Part 2 Research in an academic journal article is likely to differ from research presented in a daily newspaper. Firstly, research in a journal article is likely to have the aforementioned six parts; introduction, research questions and objectives, literature review, methodology, results, discussions and conclusion, which are not likely to be found in daily newspaper research. Whereas daily newspaper researches reports aim at presenting what occurred in a given scenario, research reports on journal articles will always identify the problem within a scenario whilst developing appropriate solutions. Notably, research reports in daily newspaper will not provide a discussion of other works in relation to the topic of discussion whereas research reports in journal articles will have to identify what previous studies indicated on the topic. It is also evident that while research reports in daily newspapers do not provide a general idea of a given topic, the research reports in academic journal articles will always present a general view of the problem under scrutiny. Daily newspaper reports may not entail serious ethical standards like consent from the participants but for reports on

Peer Group Relationships in Age Groups

Peer Group Relationships in Age Groups In the media, peer groups are made out to be the bad kids around the back gates at school they are publicised as those who make teenagers take up smoking, drugs and underage drinking but is this reality or the media hand picking out the sections to make a story? During this dissertation, I will look at what age peer groups are most influential; when are they a negative influence and at what age people most depend on their peer group. I chose this topic as it is an area of interest and relates to my psychology studies, I want to pursue this further at university and it will give me a deeper understanding in psychology and my prior knowledge will give me an advantage. This topic covers both psychology and sociology which will give me an insight to a new area as well as Furthering Pre-Knowledge. I will use many different resources during this essay including the internet, books, journals and e-resources; I will keep a bibliography of all references as well as in text citations. So, what defines a peer group? Collins English Dictionary puts it nicely as a social group composed of individuals of approximately the same age, whereas The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy adds a little extra by explaining it is a group of people who share certain social characteristics, such as age, class, occupation, or education, and interact on a level of equality. An individual may be a member of several peer groups, including friends, schoolmates, and co-workers. By looking into the effects of peer groups and their importance on different ages, I will be able to see whether all they are important for is making teenagers go down the wrong road, or whether their uses start at a much earlier age and are crucial to our development, new views show that a childs early relationships have a large effect on later growth and development. During this dissertation I will look at both sides to determine the age when peer groups are at their most influential and fundamental toward people focussing on the differences between peer groups in young children and those in adolescence. Peer Age Relationships Some believe that peer groups are a great participating factor in building our cognitive development; others think it lures teenagers into a detrimental environment. Edwards (1992) said, the increasing use of preschools, organized playgroups, and child care arrangements has brought the age of access to peer relations down near the beginning of life (p.197) whereas Erwin (1998) said, childrens earliest relationships are normally with the primary caregiver, usually the mother, and the rest of the immediate family. Edwards believes that peer groups are fundamental from the very early stage of pre-school to gain the ability to succeed in life, whereas Erwin believes young peer relationships are only with immediate family and do not strengthen until adolescence. How are peer groups defined in both young childhood and adolescence? By establishing this, I can look deeper into the two age categories and delve into how peer groups affect children in these groups and the use of their peer gr oup. Young Children Some theorists, such as Bowlby, Freud and Rutter suggest that early childhood is a sensitive period in life for social development; they also believe that certain types of peer experiences during this period can have an impact on the childrens later behaviour. Theorists such as Berndt, Hoyle and Bulowski theorize that one of the most influential factors that could have an effect on the stability of friendships is the initial quality of the friendship. Accordingly, friendships that have a positive, solid foundation will be more likely to withstand the test of time compared to friendships based on more negative attributes (e.g. mutual aggression, control) (Human behaviour, 2011). Young Children Infants People usually think that infants are not old enough to understand peers and they show no preference to people, many parents believe this is their only chance to hand pick their childs friends, but typically, infants orient toward peers by 2 months of age, make simple gestures by 3 to 4 months, and direct smiles and vocalizations to peers by 6 months, meaning that infants are aware of their peers and can distinguish and make decision, they are just more subtle at this age (Vincze, 1971). Among infants and toddlers, friendship has often been defined in terms of peer familiarity, consistency of interactions between the partners, and/or the mutual display of positive affect, sharing, and plays. For example, in research conducted by Howes (1983), dyads were considering friends if: at least 50% of their social initiations resulted in social interaction (mutual preference) one or more exchanges of positive affect occurred between partners (mutual enjoyment) One or more episodes of reciprocal or complementary play occurred between partners Howes found that 60% of toddler friends sustained their relationship over a period of months, and in 1992, Howes reported that toddlers friendships (particularly cross-gender friendships) often lasted well into the pre-school years. As said earlier, Erwin (1998) disagrees with this research and believes childrens earliest relationships are normally with the primary caregiver usually the mother and the rest of the immediate family. During the first two years of life, infants do not spontaneously seek out other children for interaction or for pleasure, even though six month old infants may look at and vocalize to other infants, they do not initiate reciprocal social play with each other (Human behaviour, 2011). Ross (1990) has shown that toddlers peer relationships are unique, in the sense that both partners tend to adjust their interactions they conduct with each other, and interact in ways that are different from the ways they treat other children (Young childrens peer relations and social competence, handbook of research on the education of young children, 2006). Young Children Pre School Years Vandell Mueller (1980) think that by as early as 2 years old, children prefer certain peers over others as play partners. Between two and five years of age, childrens interactions with each other become more sustained, social and complex. Solitary play is dominant among three year olds, but this strategy shifts to group play by five years (Human behaviour, 2011). It has been theorized by Howes (1992) that at this age, children have a level of emotional maturity to a degree that enables them to form close ties with their peers. Because pre-schoolers are better able to conceptualize, reflect on, and describe their friendships when they are at this age when compared to infants and toddlers, researchers have been able to use childrens self-reports to assess friendships (Price Ladd, 1986), although other theorists would argue that although they have a better understanding of their friendships, they still havent reached a full awareness of their peers and therefore you cannot rely on sel f-reports from 2 year olds, although, by the second and third years, toddlers begin to engage in more sophisticated forms of games and repricol play which shows that they are gaining peer awareness. The significance of peer relationships increase and change with age, peer relationships become increasingly stable, intimate and personally significant by 3 years, children usually have 22 contacts and Erwin (1998) believes children start to use the term best friend from the age of 4 and Hayes (1978) also found that preschool children could not only name their best friends they could also articulate reasons for liking them. Adolescence Adolescence is generally the term used for teenagers, the time when children are going through the most changes including puberty. It can be broken up into three sub categories, early (11-13 years); middle (14-18 years); and Late adolescence (19-24 years). The adolescent years have traditionally been treated (and still are by many authors) as an area of interest distinct from the rest of childhood (Erwin 1998). The sociology of adolescence has been dominated by a social problems approach that is, basic research has centred on those phenomena which appear to characterize adolescence as a period of individual crises (Credo reference, 26th Feb 2011). Relationships during this era have often been examined as entities separate from and largely discontinuous with those that went before, despite the glaring obvious proposition that the groundwork for transition in adolescence must have been laid in childhood (Coleman, 1995). During adolescence, peer relationships become more important and influential than parent relations. Early Adolescence Social relations are organized around the peer group rather than families or individual friends. (Credo reference, 22nd Feb 2011). The rapid growth of the teenage population as experienced in the 1990s has led to a rise in adolescent peer groups simply because the sheer increase in the number of peers that young people have has increased. (Steinberg, 1996). As the importance of the family in the adolescents life declines, whether it is from a divorce or from normal growth, friends move to the forefront. Friends are usually peers, that is, people of the same age, with similar backgrounds and interests. Peer group membership answers adolescents concerns about many things including their changing bodies. Discussing their fears with other young people experiencing similar physical changes and asking similar questions about their impact helps adolescents to accept their physical development. In several ways, the group reassures the individuals that they are acceptable and not abnormal. Pe er groups can help adolescents accept their physical development by devising means to hide it. Body differences appear less different when people dress alike. Each group has its own look, from sophisticated dressy, to designer labels, to ratty jeans and T-shirts, to whatever is handy. Each group presents an identifiable image through a style of dressing that clearly states what is acceptable. (Kaplan, 1993). Acknowledging that by early adolescence, peer groups have a significant influence on childrens behaviour Middle Adolescence Peer pressure is heightened during this stage and is mainly seen as a negative influence that provokes behaviour such as underage drinking and sex. Some researchers believe the children in this stage which are part of the in crowd are more susceptible to peer pressure than those who friends with peers who are kind, nice and well-liked (Science daily, 23rd Feb 2011). In a contemporary society, peer groups have become an increasingly important context in which adolescents spend time. Modernization has led to more and more age segregation-in schools, in the workplace, and in the community. Todays teenagers spend far more time in the exclusive company of their peers than their counterparts did in the past (Steinberg, 1996). Becoming a peer group member meets many adolescent concerns about social expectations as well. Late Adolescence Many teens try to balance school work with part-time jobs, dating and other activities. Todays teens also deal with an uncertain national economy, violence, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases. With all this, teens lack the experience and the coping and problem-solving skills that would help them make good decisions about handling these stresses. Without such skills and given the almost complete absence of their families support, teens are at the mercy of their friends immature ideas about how to solve problems (Kaplan, 1993). Young people need to develop independence from their parents. They need to learn decision-making skills, to act on their own and learn to live with the consequences. But young teenagers find these goals confusing and the ways of achieving them even more so. They feel dependent on their parents because they privately know that they lack the confidence and the skills to succeed in the outside world alone. Adolescents, however, deeply resent this need an d view it as a sign of weakness, often covering up with arguments and impulsive behaviour (Kaplan 1993). Development Young Children Peer groups can have an effect on a young childs sense of well-being and belonging which are increasingly important concerns as education and child care settings have become a significant role in childrens daily lives throughout the world. Child rearing is acknowledged as a collaborative endeavour between families and early childhood education and care institutions (OECD 2006). Peer relations are high priority because of the fun and pleasure a child will get from being in the company of other children, which is most evident in play. Non-parental early childhood arrangements have proliferated because parents need to be employed and cannot simultaneously care for their children. Although, throughout the 21st century, these arrangements of early childhood care are seen as a means of enrichment for the child to help establish their developmental needs by meeting new people and other children to gain dependence from their parents and that is where peer groups start to enhance a child from one of the earliest stages in our lives. These adaptations have created the need for early years practitioners to think and act in new ways to help establish this development. Positive attachment relationships with caregivers influence childrens formation of positive relationships with peers and children who are in less conflict with peers are more likely to form positive relationships with caregivers (Howes, 2008). Interactions with peers (meaning other children) develop through multiple and recursive interactive experiences which are well scripted social exchanges that are repeated many times with only slight variation (Bretherton, 1985). From this, the child forms an internal representation of a relationship with a playmate, and from those playmate relationships friendships could evolve children who engage in repeated and complex interactions with a given playmate are more likely to represent the partner as a friend and the content of these interactions will influence the quality of the resulting friendship (Kernan, 2010). Factors affecting peer development A childs participation in peer activities and their social ability relies on a number of contributing factors which can either have a positive effect on their ability to create new peers. Relationships with caregivers As mentioned earlier, children who have strong attachments to their primary caregiver are concurrently and longitudinally more socially competent with peers even when controlling for parental attachment quality (Howes 1999; Pianta et al 2002). We sometimes incorrectly assume this is because sociable children from good relationships with all people, peers and caregivers. However, in order to master peer relationships the child needs to be able to explore and experiment with peers whilst making forays back to a trusted adult, if a child feels valued and supported they are more likely to make these steps and form stronger relationships, but those children who dont form a relationship with their caregiver are more susceptible to pick fights, refuse to let somebody play or hide from a bully as they dont believe they have the support of the adult (Kernan, 2010). In the introduction, it was mentioned that the first peer relationship a child makes is with their primary caregiver, whether thi s is with their mother, father, or teacher it is essential that children create the strongest bond possible with this figure in order to have the confidence to establish new bonds with other people including other adults and children their own age. When children are new to peer groups they dont know the games or the players which puts them at a risk of exclusion or withdrawing from already formed groups, this makes them miss the opportunity to play with others and develop new social interaction skills with other peers. This makes the time when a child enters a new environment such as a classroom an important setting for the development of peer relations. Setting A childs setting is a main contribution to their social development, for example, imagine a classroom setting in which most of the interactions were harmonious and respectful, in which children and adults worked together on projects, in which a child who was distressed or frustrated was comforted and helped, and in which laughter and other expressions of positive affect predominated. Contrast this with a classroom setting in which children were ridiculed for being different, talked to and touched in a harsh rejecting manner, competed rather than helped each other, and the general tone included mistrust and anger. We can imagine that the social development of children would take two different paths in these two extremes. Because encounters with peers become experiences of living within a group for the child, it is impossible to understand the social development of a child as isolated from the group (Kernan, 2010). Time and permission The main place where child to child relations are made are during play, which means the caregiver must create an environment that values play so they can have the physical space, materials and encouragement to pretend and play together. If a child is playing with another child and this is interrupted and they are separated, it may result in the children thinking it wasnt allowed, so it is essential that this importance doesnt fade into the background. Howes and Wishard (2004) say that the amount of time children engage in complex pretend play has decreased over the 20 years they have been observing in local programmes. This decrease is consistent with anecdotal reports that programmes are providing relatively little unstructured time for children to play. Without the time and permission to have play with other children, this could have a negative effect on a childs social and peer building skills. Strategies focussed on peer building The Government published its first national play strategy, earmarking  £235 million to: Make sure that every residential area has a variety of high-quality places for all children to play safely and free of charge à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ as a direct response to demands from children, young people and their families for better play facilities. (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2008) This strategy will help to raise awareness for the profile of plays importance in childrens development, and people from all background have access to this funding. Although, despite the 2004 Children Acts statutory duty for government bodies to take into account the views of children when planning services, there is little evidence of this in this play strategy. 9 000 children were involved in the consultation of the strategy, but this was done online and the ages of the children were not given, and it is highly unlikely that the younger children who will be most affected by the scheme would have been part of this consultation. There were 42 800 respondents aged 19 and under that gave their opinions about services in the areas in which they lived, although this may be applauded, the views of the local population of more than 130 000 children from birth to seven years making up 39 per cent of those 19 and under were not surveyed. The BIG lottery fund is a grant making non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom created by the Government to administer funding to suitable causes following the creation of the National Lottery. This organisation decided to give  £155 million to Childrens Play initiative which was based on the recommendations of the 2004 play review Getting Serious About Play which defined play as what children and young people do when they follow their own ideas, in their own way and for their own reasons the report also mentioned how play was a key factor in development for a childs social wellbeing and their ability to form peers both early and late in life (2004). When the programme finished, 90% of Local Authorities reported that the programme had raised the profile of play, 48%of portfolios said BIG funding had helped them to secure extra funds and unexpected outcomes achieved included enhanced parental engagement, increased social and community cohesion (BIG lottery fund, 2006) There are also courses available for those to study child development and play to help enhance the social skills of children and so those primary caregivers like nursery nurses will now have a bigger insight into exactly what a child needs and how to achieve that to help them gain the skills needed to have the confidence to build more relationships when they advance to the older stages and have to gain ore peer relationships. Northumbria University currently have 12 courses available for early years, these include early years and disability studies to learning in families, schools and beyond. Most of these courses contain topics related to play and child development. The development of courses and funding which is now available shows how early childhood has become more recognisable as a major stepping stone in the formation of peer groups and their ability to give us fundamental skills we will recall on later in life. Peer Pressure Adolescence Most commonly, peer pressure is seen as the time in our lives when peers have the most influence over us Google will bring up over 3 million results for the search peer pressure. There are links including ways to deal with peer pressure, definitions and past newspaper articles that are related to peer pressure. 9 out of 10 teenagers will give in to peer pressure whether it is simply wearing similar clothes or under age alcohol and sex. Peer pressure can have a devastating effect on those in adolescence but it also beneficial by getting a teenager to do something they want to, but just dont have the courage or confidence for. Positive effects of peer pressure Friendship Amongst peers, teenagers will find friendships and acceptance and share experiences with these other teenagers that will build lasting bonds. Adolescence is a tough time of a persons life, you go through puberty start new schools and have exams and have to make some life changing decisions, having friends around you whilst going through this stage can have a positive effect on you. Studies such as the Effects of Friendship on Adolescents Self-Esteem by Thomas J Berndt and Keunho Keefe show that friends can build self esteem and bring out the confidence in people. When in a strange environment, it has been proven that when accompanied by a friend, your heart rate lowers. Positive Examples Peers can set good examples for each others. Having peers who are committed to doing well in school or to doing their best in a sport can influence a person to also be more goal-oriented. The same applies for peers who are kind and loyal which can influence them to build these qualities in themselves. Peers do not have to be somebody you know, for example watching Tom Daley diving at the Olympics could encourage another person to aspire to be like Tom. A teenager is more likely to copy somebody their own age than somebody older, so having a positive role model from the same age group (e.g. Taylor Swift for singing) is a type of peer pressure than can have a positive effect on somebody. Feedback and advice Adolescents are going to listen their peers, who can give them advice and feedback on trying new ideas explore beliefs and discus problems. They can help them to make decisions such as what courses to take, what haircut to get and issues such as how to deal with family arguments. This advice could help a teen through a rough patch and help them make life changing decisions for the better. It can encourage them to try new things, for example joining the school gym or art club. Socializing Peer groups give opportunities to people to try out new social skills, allows people to get involved with others friends of friends so to speak and gives them a chance to expand their circle of friends. Peers can help each other to build relationships or to work out issues. Encouragement Peers can encourage other peers to work hard to hit specific targets, such as getting a solo in the school concert or they can encourage you to study and aim high for your exams as well as listen and support them when they are upset or troubled and they can empathize with each other when they have experienced similar difficult situations. New experiences Some teens could be involved in clubs, sports or religious groups and they could help other teens to get involved in these too, helping them to gain new experiences, new likes and dislikes. Negative effects of peer pressure Although there are positive effects to having peers in adolescence, there are also negatives and a lot of stresses which can come from peers during this age. They can pressure people into doing something they are uncomfortable with such as shoplifting or doing drugs. These pressures can be expressed openly for example have a drink, its only one drink, everybody else is doing it or it could be more indirectly by simply providing alcohol at a party. But most peer pressure is much more subtle, without talking, a peer could let somebody know how they must dress, talk or the attitudes they should have towards school, parents and teachers in order to win their approval. This pressure to conform can be much more powerful than the more direct pressure; they dont want to look awkward or uncomfortable, so when unsure of what to do in a situation, they naturally look to others for cues about what is and what isnt acceptable. Drugs Peer influences have been found to be amongst the strongest predictors of drug use during adolescence. It has been argued that peers initiate drug use by providing, modelling and shaping attitudes to drugs. There was a study done by Farrell and White to determine how much peer pressure affected adolescent drug use, they included factors such as family are you more likely to conform with drug users if you were from a single parent family, no father or lived with a step parent. The results showed that although those who were living without a father figure were more likely to participate in drug use, it could not outweigh the strong relations between peer variables and the frequency of drug use found within the study, which replicates the findings of previous studies that have also found peer variables to be amongst the strongest predictors of adolescents drug use. Although, drugs are not just marijuana or heroin and other types of really bad illegal substances, drugs also include alco hol and cigarettes. Underage drinking is one of the leading causes of teenage death it makes you think irrationally, drink and drive or even binge drink until you are unconscious; all of these effects of alcohol usage increase the chances of ending up in hospital or six feet under. Although, peer pressure is not the only factor leading to underage drinking, there are other influences such as relationships with parents, parental or sibling drinking and the media. Underage smoking is a common peer pressure problem; someone who starts smoking at the age of 15 is three times more likely to die due to cancer than someone who started in their late twenties. According to a two year study by Carlos Bolanos, teenage smoking can lead to depression in adulthood. Teenagers are 80% more likely to try smoking underage if their friends and family also smoke; this is an immense amount of peer pressure to put onto an adolescent. Sex Many teens particular males feel the pressure to have sex before they are ready. According to research 63% of teens believe that waiting is a good idea, but few of those actually do wait. 1 in 3 boys aged 15-17 feel the pressure to have sex, often from their male friends, whereas only 23% of females within the same age range say that they feel the same pressure. This factor is what is making schools rethink about the delivery of sex education, and the need to introduce sex education at a much younger age. Although, there are other contributing factors such sexually transmitted diseases and the rise in teenage pregnancy, reports in 2003 showed that 1 in 7 sexually active 14 year olds have been pregnant, the report did not say whether they had continued with the pregnancy. (Colin, 2003) Conclusion

The Prioress of The Canterbury Tales :: Canterbury Tales Essays

The Prioress of The Canterbury Tales    In the poem, by Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer depicts the people of the church and describes them as people who are not the sole embodiment of people who have sworn themselves to God, and to live by the four vows that the church requires them to commit themselves to. The Prioress, a Nun, is no exception, but Chaucer does not directly say how she represents the four vows but rather it is what he does not say that leads people to believe the Prioress is the exact opposite of what is expected of a nun that has committed herself to the four vows.    Men and women of the church are expected to live in poverty and hold no worldly possessions. The Prioress spoke of owning little dogs, which is strictly prohibited in a convent, and treating them exceptionally well and being extremely attached to them. By owing these dogs she violated the vow of poverty but the most apparent item that she owns is a gold broche that and leads the reader to believe that she was not entirely devoted to the church.    Chaucer spent a great deal of time explaining how she was extremely obsessed with her etiquette, that hints to the reader that she is more suited to be a beloved lady rather than a nun. In the days of Chaucer, women used excellent etiquette to attract and keep lovers. This indicates that the Prioress in not completely faithful to her vow of chastity, but rather a woman of promiscuity.    The vow of obedience, in reference to the Prioress, is probably the most odd vow of the four, since he never mentions it. While Chaucer is describing the Prioress he never once mentions how she serves God or nothing of that sort. This leaves the reader wondering if she serves God well or does not, but it is obvious that she has failed to follow the other vows and that this one is no exception.    A nun should pray, study, do service to God, and live a confined life free from temptation, but the Prioress has already violated the first three vows and those have to be followed to successful fulfill the vow of obedience.

Koloon Case Study

Abstract This case study examines the decision making process of the Kowloon Development Company to the PrecisionTree decision tree software from Palisade. The Kowloon Development Company was faced with a major decision about their future investments. The General Manager of the Kowloon Development Company is usually involved in billion dollar investments, accurate decisions are needed. The company has to make a decision over the decision to purchase a new development project the total site area being 16,000 square feet. The objective is to use the use the Decision Tree software from Palisade, to determine the decision for the Kowloon Development Company whether or not to purchase the property. Decision trees provide a formal structure in which decisions and chance events are linked in sequence from left to right the general manager of the Kowloon Development company must decide whether to recommend the purchase of the 350 million dollar property and what would be the rate of return of the investment. He also needed to know whether or not the property would be best served developed or left undeveloped. He knows that if he doesn’t make a decision the board of directors would invest the money for two years at six percent. After performing the test using the PrecisionTree software the correct decision should be to invest 350 million. The only way to guarantee the highest rate from the investment would be 420 million, and if the Kowloon Development Company decided to purchase the property they would only receive a maximum rate of return 394 million for a developed piece of land. Property Investment Decision Introduction Kowloon Development Company is an investment company, involved in the investment, development, and management of properties. BusinessWeek) The company develops and sells residential, commercial, and large office buildings in Hong Kong. It also provides property management services for the projects developed by the company, luxury residential and serviced apartments, and commercial buildings and public housing estates. The company also involves in the property dev elopment, investment holding, property management and security services, financial services, retail, construction, film distribution, provision of consultancy services, property trading and investment. BusinessWeek) As of December 31, 2008, its investment properties comprised primarily retail shops and offices, covering approximately 75,000 square meters of gross floor area; and managed properties covered a gross floor area of approximately 560,100 square meters. (BusinessWeek) In 1998, the Kowloon Development Company was faced with a major decision about their future investments. The General Manager of the Kowloon Development Company is usually involved in billion dollar investments, accurate decisions are needed. Statement of problem The company is quarreled over the decision to purchase a new development project the total site area being 16,000 square feet. The general manager of the Kowloon Development company must decide whether to recommend the purchase of the 350 million dollar property and what would be the rate of return of the investment. He also needed to know whether or not the property would be best served developed or left undeveloped. He knows that if he doesn’t make a decision the board of directors would invest the money for two years at six percent. Determining Risk A structural change in the property market is anticipated as a result of a vastly growing pension fund industry in China, and as there is a renewed interest in Hong Kong and China properties from foreign funds since early 1998. Both domestic and foreign funds will need to find investment opportunities in real property. Foreign funds look at real estate as a long-term investment. They adopt serious and professional approaches in selecting projects, and they want to associate themselves with professional, reliable and respectable consulting firms. HKUST/CEIBS, 1998). Property investors almost all originating from HK and commission a practicability study on property investment and development in Hong Kong; have faced the problem of finding appropriate discounting rates in their analyses. The discounting rates should accurately reflect the opportunity cost of capital and consequently the systematic risk of the project. Quite often, determination of the discounting rates, or the â€Å"hu rdle† rates, has been based nothing more than intuition. However, â€Å"hurdle† rates lead to incorrect investment decisions ecause high return projects are by definition more favored than low return ones. The drawback is that the absolute expected return of a project is very high, but it is still not high enough to compensate for the high risk that has to be borne. Or conversely, a project may be expected to generate very modest return, but this return is already higher than its riskiness. In other words, the expected return of a project must be commensurate with its risk, or more precisely, it’s systematic or market risk. (HKUST/CEIBS, 1998). Observation The objective is to use the use the Decision Tree software from Palisade, to determine the decision for the Kowloon Development Company whether or not to purchase the property. Decision trees provide a formal structure in which decisions and chance events are linked in sequence from left to right. Decisions, chance events, and end results are represented by nodes and connected by branches. The result is a tree structure with the â€Å"root† on the left and various payoffs on the right. Probabilities f events occurring and payoffs for events and decisions are added to each node in the tree. With PrecisionTree, you’ll see the payoff and probability of each possible path through a tree. (Palisade) The first decision is to decide whether or not to bring someone to determine the future selling price that cost 500 thousand dollar we can also calculate the amount the Kowloon Development company would make if the decided to invest the money rather than purchase the land, that price was determined to be 420 million. The next step in the decision making process was to take the information from the investigating crew provided and determine that if we purchase the land would the highest rate of return would come from selling the property developed or undeveloped. The investigating firms were also used to determine the appropriate development ratio as well as the associated construction and interest cost were. The firm estimated that the cost of construction at HKD 106 million for a development ratio of 5. 5, or HKD 150 million for a development ration of 7. 8. With the information provided the next decision was to determine whether or not to apply for the higher development ratio, there was a 60 percent chance that the application would get approved and if it was approved there was a 50 percent chance that there would be an 80 million additional cost associated with the approved application. Results PrecisionTree determines the best decision to make at each decision node and marks the branch for that decision TRUE. Once your decision tree is complete, PrecisionTree’s decision analysis creates a full statistics report on the best decision to make and its comparison with alternative decisions. Palisade) As Results the correct decision should be to invest 350 million. The only way to guarantee the highest rate from the investment would be 420 million, and if the Kowloon Development Company decided to purchase the property they would only receive a maximum rate of return 394 million for a developed piece of land as seen in the graph. Re ferences BusinessWeek. (June, 1) BusinessWeek Company Description Retrieved January, 12 2012, from http://investing. businessweek. com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot. asp? ticker=34:HK Carmona, M. 2006) Designing mega-projects in Hong Kong: Reflections from an academic accomplice. Journal of URBAN DESIGN 11(1): 105–124. HKUST/CEIBS (1998), Hang Cheong Surveyors Limited (A management case study developed as a basis for class discussion), 4-5. Karakiewicz, J. (2005) The city and the megastructure. In: M. Jenks and N. Dempsey (eds. ) Future Forms and Design for Sustainable Cities. Oxford: Architectural Press. Kikutake, K. , Otaka, M. , Maki, F. and Kurokawa, K. (1960) Metabolism 1960 – A Proposal for New Urbanism, in proceeding of 1960 World Design Conference, Tokyo: Organizing Committee of World Design Conference. Lau, S. and Wang, J. (2005) High-Density, High-Rise and Multiple and Intensive Land Use in Hong Kong: A Future City Form for the New Millennium. In: M. Jenks and N. Dempsey (eds. ) Future Form and Design for Sustainable Cities. Oxford: Architectural Press. Palisades. (January 14) Palisades Product description retrieved January 14, 2012 from http://www. palisade. com/precisiontree/ Worpole, K. (2000) The Value of Architecture: Design, Economy and the Architectural Imagination. London: Royal Institute of British Architects Future Studies.

Controlling Organized Crime Essay

The following research will discuss how to control organized crime from different perspectives, principles, and theories. It will also encompass the problems presented by organized crime and the relationships it must establish to be successful and for its survival. This research will also explain how federal laws limit law enforcement agencies effectiveness to combat organized crime. There are probable solutions to some of the issues that we have today with organized crime tribunals. Organized crime groups are criminals that operate by conducting lawful and unlawful acts. In many occasions these organized crime groups own legitimate business, which works as a tool to launder money and camouflage their illegal activities. Criminal organizations are similar to major corporations in the aspect of providing a product that the public wants and demands for. They provide to their market an array of illegal comforts and not limited to; gambling, prostitution, narcotics, weapons, and stolen e lectrical products at a marked down rate. Criminal organizations would not be involved with any acts that do not result in a profit. Law enforcement studies have determined different theories that can assist in determining the reasons why the public in a particular geographical location have decided to partake in criminal activities. Many people fall to be victims to organized crime. They are affected by the drugs and other illegal activities that are brought into their community. Some victims are killed by organized crime groups for an array of reasons. Criminal justice scholars have established three major theories that assist law enforcement agencies to determine the origin of these criminal organizations. The alien conspiracy theory mainly consist of immigrants with different cultural believes and way of life (Lyman & Potter, 2007). In most cases this group of people have joined together to fight against government suppression. It is important to understand these reasons so law enforcement agencies can gather information by using tactics that will not raise the criminal organizations suspicions and be able to gather intelligence. The community and social networks in geographical locations are important factors that must be taken in to consideration when studying these criminal groups. Law enforcement agencies must determine if these locations life demands exceed the individual’s resources. When an individual is in a bad situation they may analyze the pros and cons of a criminal life and rationally decided that there are better opportunities and benefits turning to a criminal life style, this is called the rational choice theory (Lyman & Potter, 2007). To control criminal activity law enforcement has implemented severe punishments for crimes that relate to providing illegal substances or acts to the public. This method of controlling crime is called the deterrence theory (Lyman & Potter, 2007). Organized crime is combated at multiple levels federal and local. Local governments determine the methods and the intensity of law enforcement in their regions. It is ultimately there decision and responsibility to combat organized crime in their area. Because corruption and organized crime is primarily found in areas with deteriorated social development it is important that the local governments provide better opportunities for society. In these cases the government is inadequate and in most cases it fails to provide the proper financial means. Furthermore, it lacks a strong judicial system. Law enforcement agencies encounter legal limitations at all times when dealing with criminal cases. Many of those limitations can be found in the United States Constitution. Others are as simple as area of jurisdiction. For example: If an investigation leads officers to another state, they would need to notify their judicial and law enforcement agencies of their presence and be granted authority to continue their investigation in their area. Levels such as local, state, and national law enforcement exist and they may only execute arrest within their are a of operation. Otherwise they would need to get approval and if the approval is not granted any evidence found will be dropped from evidence. Also a limitation, such as the Fourth Amendment of the constitution prohibits law enforcement from illegal search and seizures. For example: If a law enforcement agent is investigating a Mafia member they must first gather sufficient evidence that shows with a doubt that there is probable cause and also be granted a search warrant by a judge. These procedures require tedious amount of work and time. The longer the process takes the efforts put into surveillance the more likely it is that the criminal will become aware of law enforcement presence and change their methods. The Fifth Amendment protects the accused and leaves the burden of proof to the prosecutor, which works from intelligence gathered by law enforcement. The Organized crime control act of 1970 and the RICO act are law passed to control organized crime groups from racketeering into legal business es. The patriot act extremely lowered restrictions to law enforcement agents giving them the authority to implement to their tactics wiretaps, audit of business records, and surveillance of people involved with terrorist groups. Because many organized crimes groups are involved with terrorist groups in the purchase and sell of products the patriot act granted the opportunity to law enforcement to investigate on suspects that were hard to reach before the patriot act became active. The most effective solution to fighting organized crime is for law enforcement agencies to work together at local, state, national, and international levels. In many occasions organized crime groups have people that aid them in political power positions. Government employees should be subject to a full back ground check and affiliation research to ensure that they are not assisting or co-working with any known criminal groups. Furthermore, these checks must also be performed in the military to ensure that we are not training individuals that are affiliated to criminal groups and inadvertently making them stronger. Organized crime groups are large profitable organizations. Law enforcement agencies are working together to implement laws and new tactics to reduce their criminal activity. It is imperative to understand that it requires the three groups of the judicial system to effectively combat organized crime. While the police enforces and neutralizes criminal activities the government must provide options to society to deter them from supporting or joining criminal activities. â€Æ'References Lyman, M. D., & Potter, G. W. (2007). Organized crime (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.