Pros and Cons of Using a Plus-Minus Grading System

Student and Faculty Views of Plus-Minus Grading Systems Working Paper Series—07-11 | December 2007 Jim Morgan (928) 523-7385 James. [email  protected] edu Gary Tallman Robert Williams All professors at: Northern Arizona University The W. A. Franke College of Business PO Box 15066 Flagstaff, AZ 86011. 5066 Student and Faculty Views of Plus-Minus Grading Systems Introduction Many colleges and universities have adopted or are considering adopting a grading system that provides a larger number of marking choices than the A through F whole-letter system. This usually takes the form of a plus-minus (+/-) grading system in one version or another.While a variety of reasons have been put forth for the move to +/- grades, a key motivation is the belief that a +/- grading system can either reverse the progression of grade inflation or counter its effects by establishing more grade choices so that performance can be more effectively differentiated. This paper first reviews studies of th e prevalence in American colleges and universities of +/- grading systems and, perhaps more importantly, the prevalence of schools not using +/- systems who could potentially benefit from a shift to use of this form of grading system.Because of limitations found in available data, a targeted analysis of grading systems of a selected set of universities has been conducted. The results of this secondary research are briefly reported in the second section below. Results of the first two sections indicate that there remains a substantial set of schools that do not currently utilize +/- grading and might be considering a shift to this form of grading system. Next the paper reviews literature dealing with faculty and student perceptions of +/- grading systems and the effects of these systems on the level and distribution of grades and on student effort.Substantial differences in the perceptions of the two groups are found. The major focus of this paper is the analysis of how faculty and s tudent perceptions of the benefits of a +/- grading system differ and what the motivations for these differences might be. The technique used to explore these questions is a survey of both faculty and student reactions to a hypothesized change to a +/- grading system at a mid-size public university in the Southwest. The results indicate that the faculty is much more supportive of a change than are students.Insights as to why each group views the effects of the hypothesized change differently are explored in the paper with possible explanations for the differences found in expectancy theory, a popular theory of human motivation that suggests students and faculty will each react to the change in a way that is likely to produce positive benefits for them, and in resistance to change theory which seeks to identify the factors causing resistance among groups affected by a change. Our study shows that each group perceives the effects of the change differently and that some students and fa culty members have very strong commitments to their views.Examination of the Extent of Use of +/- Grades A study by the American Association of College Registrar and Admissions Offices reported that 36% of institutions (both 2 and 4 year) in 1992 used pluses or minuses in grading whereas 56% of such institutions did so in 2002 [Brumfield, 2005]. Thirty-two institutions moved to a +/- system over the ten year period. Private schools were much more likely to use a +/- system than public schools. This continues the trend noted in the prior ten year period when a 12% increase in institutions using a +/system was noted [Riley, Checca, Singer, & Worthington, 1994].In order to further evaluate the use of +/- and other extended category grading systems, on-line catalogs of a representative sample of one fourth of all AACSB accredited business schools were reviewed to determine each school’s undergraduate grading policy. A total of 99 schools were surveyed, 71 of them public and 28 pr ivate. Table 1 shows the distribution of grading systems used. Three basic grading systems were identified: systems using pluses-minuses, systems using a single intermediate grade and traditional whole-letter grading systems of A, B, C, D, and either E or F.Note that about one third of the schools continue to use whole-letter only grading systems. Among public schools, 30 of 71 (42. 5 percent) use only whole-letter grading. Plus-minus grading systems are clearly the most prevalent type of grading system among this group of schools. To clarify the notation used below, the A+ to C+ system would use the grades A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C , D, F, while an A+ to D- system would use A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F and so on. The plus or minus typically raises (lowers) the grade by . or . 33 grade points. As the table indicates, many schools 1 do not allow pluses and minuses across their full range of grades. The grade of A+ creates the possibility of a GPA greater than 4. 0 and, probably for this reason; only 9 of the 60 schools with a +/- system include an A+. Four of the 9 schools using the A+ resolve the GPA problem by recording the A+ as a 4. 0 when calculating GPAs, so that the A+ becomes just a notation on individual course grades. Schools also differ with respect to the bottom of the +/- range.Most frequently, pluses and minuses are used all the way down through the D-, however, due to issues relating to transfer grades and determining the grade required for satisfying prerequisites, a number of schools terminate the use of pluses and minuses with the D+ (they do not use a D-) and others stop at the C+ or even C- level. TABLE 1 Distribution of University Grading Systems Number of Schools Using 60 1 8 4 3 16 27 1 7 4 3 32 32 Plus and Minus Grades A+ thru C+ * A+ thru DA- thru C+ A- thru CA- thru D+ A- thru DB+ thru DSingle Intermediate Grade AB, BC & CD AB and BC Whole-letter Only A thru F The A+ grade is counted as a 4. 0 for 4 of the schools us ing an A+ Systems using a single intermediate grade are far less prevalent than the +/- systems. The single intermediate grade is typically listed either as the concatenation of the two grades it lies between, such as AB for the grade between an A and a B, or as a plus without a corresponding minus. In these systems the grade points awarded for the intermediate grade are half way between the two related whole-letter grades (a 3. 5 for an AB or a B+). Why the Movement to +/- Grading?The proportion of institutions using +/- grading systems increased by 12 percent from 1982 to 1992 [Riley, Checca, Singer, & Worthington, 1994] with the trend continuing. There are three reasons typically cited as motivation for universities to change to a +/- grading system. They are concerns over grade inflation, ability to differentiate between students and ability to motivate students to aspire to learn more. A substantial body of literature details the existence of grade inflation in American college s and universities.One study [Levine, 1994] surveyed 4,900 college graduates from 1969 to 1993 and found that the number of A’s awarded had quadrupled and the number of C’s had dropped by two thirds. +/grading shows some promise in reducing grade inflation. In a recent article the author cites evidence of other studies plus his own analysis of the experience of Berry College to conclude that the implementation of a +/- system halts and in some cases produces a minor reversal in grade inflation [Bressette, 2002]. This effect is not equal over all majors.Majors that traditionally have low GPA’s are affected less by a change to a +/- system than majors in a high GPA major [Bressette, 2002]). 2 Proponents of a +/- system also believe it better differentiates students and that it is fairer or more precise. Researchers have found that grades are more reliable indicators of student performance as the width of a grade interval is narrowed [Singleton & Smith, 1978]. The existence of grade inflation in combination with the traditional A-F grading system effectively reduces the grades available and widens the range of student performance represented by each grade.The introduction of +/- grades increases the grades available and narrows the interval for each grade. In majors where grading is more holistic however, faculty believe the additional grade choices create less precision in student evaluations [Quann, 1987]. It is also argued that students are motivated to work harder under a +/- system. Anecdotal evidence in the form of student quotes indicates that they must continue to work through the entire semester to earn a grade under the more refined +/- system.The chance of earning a higher grade may be a motivator (plus) but the risk of earning a lower grade (minus) might be an even stronger motivator according to one study [Cullen et al. , 1975]. Evidence to the contrary is present in a study of economics classes at a mid-size Midwestern universit y that concluded students who chose +/- grading were not significantly more motivated than students who did not [McClure & Spector, 2005]. Student and Faculty Attitudes Toward +/- Grading As noted above, the momentum is toward adoption of a +/- grading system.However, fully one third of all schools currently use a whole-letter grading system. As these schools contemplate a change to their grading system it will be important for them to recognize the differing perceptions of benefits and costs that major stakeholders have. The major focus of this paper is the analysis of how faculty and student perceptions of the benefits of a +/- grading system differ. A recent study of business school faculty and students identified a substantial gap between the expectations and perceptions of the two groups with respect to grading and academic rigor [McKendall et al. , 2006].In addition, articles and editorials in student newspapers of universities considering adopting +/- grades suggest that this type of change in grading policies is always controversial. Such changes are typically proposed by the faculty and often opposed by students [Brown Daily Herald, 2006]. Students have noted that the use of a +/- system that does not include an A+ grade tends to lower the GPAs of the best students since they potentially have many current A grades that could become A minuses, but relatively few B and lower grades that could be raised by the plus grade [Storelli-Castro, 2006; Daily Athenaeum, 2006].Perhaps the clearest evidence of how students view +/- grading versus traditional grading occurs when students have a choice in a particular class. Humboldt State University made the +/- system optional. Student choices were tracked in six introduction to programming classes. Students overwhelmingly chose the traditional grading system over the +/- system, although students who chose the +/- system earned more pluses than minuses [Dixon, 2004]. Students from another university were quoted as arguing that the +/- system would increase the intrinsic value of an ‘A’ and help in identifying the very best students [Bressette, 2002].A survey of faculty documenting their actual use of a voluntary +/- grading system conducted at Ball State University provides evidence of variation in faculty support for such a grading system [Malone, Nelson & Nelson, 2000]. The survey asked graduate faculty how extensively they used the +/- system. Seventy-six percent indicated it was used considerably with assistant professors and those at the university for 1-4 years indicating the heaviest usage. Full professors use it less as did those with over 15 years service.The colleges that used it most were Architecture, Communication Sciences and the Humanities. The colleges that used it the least were Business, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Psychology. Business used the +/- system far less than any other unit in the University. No explanation was proffered for the differences b y college. The differing perceptions of faculty by disciplines were noted in another study that concluded â€Å"Faculty believed that the meaning of a grade varies more across disciplines than across institutions† [Ekstrom & Villegas, 1994]. While the studies noted above point to a variety of student and faculty attitudes toward +/grading, for the most part these studies have not examined the conceptual bases for student and faculty attitudes. There are at least two theoretical perspectives that may be useful in explaining these attitudes. The first is resistance to change theory and the second is expectancy theory. Resistance to change theory is quite intuitive and simply states that affected parties tend to resist change to their environment, work or otherwise.Literature describing reasons for resistance to change is well established and many of the major elements cited today were identified many years ago. A 1966 American Management Association keynote presentation identif ied a number of factors that cause people to resent and resist change [Burns 1966]. While this presentation dealt with the work environment, many of the factors identified also apply to the type of change dealt with here. Here in paraphrased form, is a partial list of the factors identified: 1.The change was poorly communicated and the parties involved do not understand the purpose of the change. 2. The parties involved lacked any involvement in planning the change. 3. The belief that the cost of the change is too high versus the potential benefits to be received from the change. 4. The pervasive belief that the current way of doing things is perfectly adequate. 5. The fear that the new system will fail. 6. The failure to consider the habit patterns of those affected by the change and the impact of the change on those habit patterns.In a more recent study, Goltz and Hietapelto [2002] found that employees (or students in our most likely case) resist change when it decreases their pow er or degree of control over stimuli affecting them. A second theoretical explanation of why evolution to a +/- grading system would be resisted can be found in expectancy theory. Expectancy theory, first conceptualized by Vroom [1964] and relying on the work of earlier scholars such as Tolman [1932], Rotter [1954], and Atkinson [1956], represents a cognitive approach to explaining human behavior.The models picture human beings as active, thinking, learning and predicting creatures. People learn to perform certain behaviors (or at least increase the chance of performing the behavior) that they expect would lead to positive outcomes. Consequently, humans are not just products of their environment but they are active in attempting to understand the environment in terms of threats and opportunities. For example, students may perceive a change to +/- grading as a threat. Some of the studies cited above suggest that +/- systems not including an A+ grade do tend to reduce the grades of th e best students.More generally, students may believe that +/- grades serve to reinforce the importance of grades, that lower overall GPA’s will result from the change and that higher levels of incremental study time will be necessary to prosper under a +/- system. The expectations of lower GPA’s, also carries with it graduate school acceptance concerns as well. Finally, the issue of +/- grading is much more personal to students as they rightly understand that the effect of the change applies directly to them. Faculty, on the other hand, do not take the change nearly as personally.Faculty may perceive greater flexibility and greater justice in grading with a +/- system and they might also expect that the +/system would be more motivational to students which would cause them to have a favorable attitude toward a +/- grading system. Survey Methodology This section describes a survey of student and faculty opinions about the introduction of a +/grading system at a mid-size d university in the Southwest. The university currently uses a whole-letter grading system with only the grades A, B, C, D, and F.The variant of +/- grading system being considered is one that adds grades of A-, B+, B-, and C+ to the set of potential grades with + grades being recorded at . 3 points higher than the base grade (e. g. 3. 3 for a B+) and – grades being recorded at . 3 points less than the base grade. 4 Respondents were asked whether they Favored, Opposed or Didn’t Know About or Care About a change to the grading system that would utilize the +/- grading scheme described above. Those who either Favored or Opposed were then asked to rate the strength of their opinions as either: care only slightly, care somewhat strongly or care very strongly.The results of these two questions were combined to produce a 7 point scale with values ranging from Very Strongly Support to Very Strongly Oppose (see Table 2). Respondents were also asked to describe the reasons for their support or opposition. Results of this open ended question were recorded and categorized with up to two reasons being recorded for each respondent. In addition respondents were asked to provide additional information that might be related to their views of the proposed system. Students were asked to indicate their class standing, their GPA, and the college of their major.Faculty members were asked to indicate their college and their length of service at the university. The survey of students opinions was collected by a group of Marketing students who randomly solicited responses from students entering and leaving commonly used buildings across the campus. The survey of faculty was collected on-line through an e-mail solicitation. Examination of the demographic distribution of responses suggests that the respondents are broadly representative of the students and faculty respectively.The 1433 student responses represent just over 10 percent of the count of student on the surveye d campus, while the 433 faculty responses represents over 50 percent of the eligible pool of faculty members. Hypothesized Relationships Based upon the literature reviewed in the previous sections, the following hypotheses about faculty and student attitudes toward the introduction of +/- grades are proposed. H1 – Faculty are more supportive of a +/- system than students. There is some evidence that a move to a +/- grading system may reduce the progression of grade inflation or perhaps reverse it.Therefore, faculty who are concerned about the effects of grade inflation would be expected to be supportive of a +/- grading system. Based upon expectancy theory. Both students and faculty may have resistance to change reasons for opposing the new system, but these reasons are likely to be stronger for students. Students may view any change in the grading system imposed by faculty as a potential threat to their GPA. Students also are likely to feel less involved in the change and ha ve less understanding of the purpose for the change.Thus, students would be expected to resist the change to a +/- grading system. H2 – Freshmen will be more supportive of +/- grades than upperclassmen. Class standing can also be expected to affect student responses to a change in grading system. Upperclassmen have more experience with the current grading system. They may feel that they have learned how to work within that system effectively to optimize their grades. Resistance to change tends to increase, as individuals have more experience with and more of a stake in an existing system.Thus, we hypothesize that freshmen will be more favorable toward +/- grades than upperclassmen. H3 – As a student’s GPA increases, support for +/- grades decreases. Since most +/- grading systems, including the one described to our respondents, do not include an A+ grade, expectancy theory suggests that students with very high GPAs have a rational reason to believe that +/- grad es are more likely to lower than raise their GPAs. For example, consider a student who has earned As in 80 percent of her/his courses and Bs in the other 20 percent leading to a 3. 8 GPA.For that student, the new grading scheme could only lower and not raise 80 percent of her grades while, for the remaining 20 percent, the grade could be either higher (a B+) or lower (a B-). On the other hand, since the system proposed in this survey does not include a C-, a student who has earned 80 percent Cs and 20 percent Bs under the whole-letter system has 80 percent of his/her grades that could only be increased by 5 the +/- grading system. Therefore, we hypothesize that students with higher GPAs will be less favorable toward the use of +/- grades than student with lower GPAs.H4 – As the average grade issued in a student’s college increases, support for +/grades decreases. The average grade in the college where a student is majoring can also be expected to affect responses to +/ - grading. Students in colleges where a very high proportion of As are currently given would have reason to fear that +/- grades would lower average GPAs issued in their unit. In a college with a 3. 2 average grade we might expect that 40 percent or more of the grades issued are As and that 40 percent of grades could not increase, but could only be lowered by the introduction of a typical +/grading system.By comparison, a college with a 2. 7 average grade would be expected to be issuing much fewer As, so that use of +/- grades could potentially either raise or lower nearly all of that unit’s grades. In addition, at least one empirical study [Bresette, 2002] found this type of effect as discussed above. For this reason, we hypothesize that students, in keeping with the predictions of expectancy theory, will be less favorable toward +/- grades the higher the average grade issued by their college. H5 -Faculty support for +/- grades will become less favorable as tenure at the sch ool increases.Faculty views of +/- grades might be expected to vary with the length of time that a faculty member has taught under the current grading system. As a faculty member’s experience with using the existing grading system increases, they, like students, may become comfortable with that system and therefore may be more resistant to change. In addition this type of effect was found in one of the empirical studies cited above [Malone, Nelson, & Nelson, 2000]. H6 – Faulty support for +/- grades will be more favorable as average grades issued in their college increase.The grading culture of the college in which a faculty member teaches may also impact their views of +/- grades. Faculty in colleges with high average grades might logically feel a greater need for additional grading options to better reflect student performance, whereas faculty in colleges with lower average grades might feel that the current system provides adequate assessment of student performance. On the other hand, since faculty are responsible for issuing grades, differences in current grading practices across colleges tend to reflect the grading preferences of the faculty in those colleges.Faculty in colleges with high average grades may be less likely to feel that grade inflation is an important issue. Thus, faculty support for +/- grades may be either stronger or weaker in colleges with high average grades. We believe the desire for additional grading options will be the stronger of the two effects. Survey Results In analyzing the survey results, we will first look to see whether student and faculty opinions about the use of +/- grades differ. Table 2 below shows summary data about student and faculty opinions. There is a strong divergence between student and faculty opinions about the proposed use of +/- grades.Over half of faculty respondents support +/- grades at least somewhat strongly while only 15 percent of students share this level of support. Almost half of the student respondents oppose +/- grades at least somewhat strongly, and many of the remaining students are relatively indifferent to, rather than supportive of, +/- grades. A Chi-squared test of the null hypothesis that the distribution of faculty opinions and student opinions do not differ has been conducted and the null hypothesis is rejected at the . 0001 level, indicating that there is a significant difference between the opinions of the two groups thus supporting hypothesis one. TABLE 2: Distribution of Opinions of Students and Faculty About Use of +/- Grades Students Count Percentage 64 4. 4% 148 10. 3% 145 10. 1% 289 20. 0% 129 8. 9% 332 23. 0% 336 23. 3% 1443 100. 0% 0. 0001 Faculty Count Percentage 126 27. 0% 123 26. 4% 48 10. 3% 26 5. 6% 18 3. 9% 57 12. 2% 68 14. 6% 466 100. 0% Support Very Strongly Support Somewhat Strongly Support Slightly Don’t Know / Care Oppose Slightly Oppose Somewhat Strongly Oppose Very Strongly Chi-Square test p-value The next set of tables provides an analysis of the degree to which student opinions about +/grades vary across different categories of students.First we look at the effect of class standing, that is, do views differ between freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Table 3 presents these results. The Chisquare test indicates that the distributions are significantly different and inspection of the table shows very clearly that sophomores and juniors tend to be most strongly opposed to use of +/- grades. Freshmen and seniors do not support use of +/- grades, but are less strong in their opposition and more likely to be indifferent or care only slightly about the grading alternatives.Sophomores and juniors may feel comfortable with the current grading system and be more reluctant to change, while freshmen have less familiarity with the existing system and seniors feel that they would not be personally affected by any change providing support for hypothesis two. TABLE 3: Student's Class Standing vs Student' s Opinion of Use of +/- Grades Freshman 5. 4% 11. 6% 13. 2% 22. 1% 7. 8% 19. 8% 20. 2% (258) 0. 0045 Sophomore 3. 2% 10. 3% 10. 6% 20. 1% 7. 1% 28. 0% 20. 6% (339) Junior 5. 3% 8. 2% 7. 4% 15. 6% 10. 3% 22. 5% 30. 7% (417) Senior 4. 1% 11. 5% 9. % 22. 1% 9. 9% 21. 9% 20. 7% (416) Support Very Strongly Support Somewhat Strongly Support Slightly Don't Know / Care Oppose Slightly Oppose Somewhat Strongly Oppose Very Strongly Students in Category Chi-Square test p-value Table 4 summarizes the distribution of opinions among students in different grade point average categories. Since, the +/- grading system does not include an A+, students with very high GPAs might rationally assume that they personally have more to lose (through A-s and perhaps B-s) than they have to gain (through B+s), and thus oppose the change.The results of Table 4 support this idea, the Chi-square test indicates that students with differing GPAs do differ in their views of +/- grades and students with higher GPAs ar e systematically more inclined to oppose using +/- grades thus supporting hypothesis three. Student respondents were asked to indicate the college of their major. Since the classification of colleges differs substantially across universities this information is not directly comparable to other 7 universities. However, it would be of interest to know whether the grading rigor of a student’s college affects student opinions about +/- grading.Students in colleges which currently give many high grades may feel that they have more to lose from the use of +/- grades than students in other colleges. The university in question has six colleges. Two of them have issued grades which, on average, were below a 2. 8 over the last 3 academic years, two issued grades which were on average between 2. 8 and 3. 1 over that period, and two issued grades which were on average above a 3. 1 for that period. TABLE 4: Student's GPA vs Student's Opinion of Use of +/- Grades 2. 00 or Less 8. 7% 8. 7% 13. 0% 39. 1% 0. 0% 13. 0% 17. % 100. 0% (23) 0. 0001 3. 50 or More 3. 5% 9. 8% 9. 5% 15. 0% 8. 1% 26. 6% 27. 5% 100. 0% (346) Support Very Strongly Support Somewhat Strongly Support Slightly Don’t Know / Care Oppose Slightly Oppose Somewhat Strongly Oppose Very Strongly Students in Category Chi-Square test p-value 2. 00-2. 49 5. 8% 9. 1% 9. 1% 33. 9% 10. 7% 16. 5% 14. 9% 100. 0% (121) 2. 50-2. 99 4. 3% 10. 6% 11. 1% 24. 7% 10. 6% 20. 1% 18. 5% 100. 0% (368) 3. 00-3. 49 4. 7% 10. 7% 9. 4% 15. 6% 8. 4% 24. 8% 26. 4% 100. 0% (572) Table 5 shows the distribution of student opinions across these categories.The Chi-square test for equal distribution does indicate that there is a significant difference in the distribution of responses. Opposition to +/- grades is strongest and support for them weakest among students in colleges issuing the highest average grades thus supporting hypothesis four. This result should be interpreted somewhat cautiously however, because of the natural co rrelation of average grade with the student’s own GPA examined in Table 4. That is, in general, students in colleges issuing high grades are more likely to have high GPAs.Next we examine how faculty opinions about +/- grades vary across different faculty categories. First the length of service at the university is examined. Much like the situation described for students, it might be hypothesized that faculty who have been at the institution for a long period of time will be less likely to support a change in a grading system that they are used to and comfortable in using. TABLE 5: Average GPA Issued in Student’s College vs Student’s Opinion of the Use of +/- Grades Average GPA Issued in Student’s College ;lt; 2. 2. 8-3. 1 ;gt;3. 1 6. 0% 3. 8% 2. 6% 11. 6% 10. 5% 8. 5% 9. 6% 11. 7% 7. 6% 19. 8% 22. 0% 16. 3% 9. 1% 10. 5% 5. 8% 24. 9% 19. 8% 27. 1% 19. 1% 21. 7% 32. 1% (450) 3. 1 21. 0% 28. 6% 31. 5% 35. 3% 21. 4% 23. 8% 11. 8% 11. 4% 8. 8% 2. 5% 5. 7% 7. 2 % 3. 4% 4. 3% 3. 9% 16. 8% 12. 1% 9. 9% 9. 2% 16. 4% 14. 9% (119) 0. 1329 (140) (181) Support Very Strongly Support Somewhat Strongly Support Slightly Don't Know / Care Oppose Slightly Oppose Somewhat Strongly Oppose Very Strongly Faculty in Category Chi-Square test p-valueThe reasons given by students and faculty members for supporting or opposing use of +/- grades are summarized in Tables 8 through 11. These tables were assembled by categorizing open-ended responses. In the case of respondents opposing +/- grades, there were a number of somewhat distinct 9 responses that were still logically related in an overall category. In those instances the overall number of occurrences in the general category is presented, but the distribution of responses within the subcategories is also presented.Table 8 summarizes reasons given by students supporting the use of +/- grades. The predominant reason given was that the system would provide grades that are more accurate and provide a more refin ed measure of performance. The second most prevalent reason – that +/- grades provide a more appropriate reward for the effort is somewhat related. Other rather frequent reasons given were the feeling that +/grades will raise GPAs and the belief that they will increase incentives for students to work hard in classes.In contrast to the 35 students who felt that +/- grades would raise GPAs, Table 9 indicates that 10 times as many students (352) believe that +/- grades will have a negative impact on grades. It seems clear that fear of lower grades was the most important factor in the overall negative view of students toward the +/- grading system. Just over 100 students indicated that they oppose +/- grades simply because they prefer the current system and either see no reason to change or do not like the new system.Students also criticized the new system as being overly complicated, increasing stress and placing too much focus on grades, requiring more work of them to receive t he same grades, and having a potential negative impact on employment, scholarships, and/or getting into graduate school. TABLE 8: Students' Reasons for Supporting +/- Grades Number of Comments Grades are More Accurate/Refined Provide More Appropriate Reward for the Effort Will Raise GPA's Increased Incentives to Work Harder Will increase the Reputation of the School Other Schools Use Them 145 43 35 21 7 5Reasons for faculty support for +/- grades are summarized in Table 10. The two most prevalent reasons cited closely parallel the top two reasons for support provided by students. First, that grades will be more accurate and refined under a +/- system (identical to the students’ top response) and second that they are fairer or better for the students (similar to the students’ response of – provides more appropriate reward for effort). Other prominent reasons for support included the belief that +/- grades will help combat grade inflation, and that they will impro ve student motivation. 0 TABLE 9: Students' Reasons for Opposing +/- Grades Number of Comments In SubIn Category Category 352 164 145 32 11 104 54 50 38 34 21 16 15 9 8 5 Negative Impact on Grades An â€Å"A† is an â€Å"A† (is difficult enough) It will lower my GPA Achieving 4. 0 is More Difficult Heard from ASU / Lower Grades Prefer Current System Like current System / no reason to change Don't like the change System is more Complicated Too much pressure / stress Will require more study time for the same grades Puts too much focus on grades Negative Impact on Scholarships/Employment/Grad.School Doesn't motivate me more Like high School/Grade School Changes School's Atmosphere TABLE 10: Faculty Reasons for Supporting +/- Grades Number of Comments Grades are More Accurate/Refined Grades are Fairer/Better for Students Will Combat Grade Inflation Will Improve Student Motivation Better / Easier for Faculty (Feel better about grades given) Will Improve Student Feedback 173 50 26 23 12 10 Reasons for opposition to +/- grades among faculty were varied (see Table 11). Most commonly cited is the idea that the change poses more costs than the benefits it provides.The next most frequent concern was the belief that grade challenges and arguments over grades would be increased since more students would be near a boundary between grades. Somewhat related to this are concerns that grades will be more difficult (physically and emotionally) for faculty to construct and compute and that the particular grade given will be arbitrary. Interestingly almost as many faculty believed that +/- grades would have no impact on or would increase grade inflation (17) as believed that +/- grades would reduce grade inflation (26). Finally, 10 faculty members expressed concern that +/- grades would overemphasize grades. 11TABLE 11: Faculty Members' Reasons for Opposing +/- Grades Number of Comments In SubIn Category Category 39 14 9 9 7 24 21 17 17 10 7 10 6 4 3 2 Cost versus Be nefit Current System is OK (no need for change) No Benefit to Change No Benefit to Students High cost to change with Little Benefit Will Increase Grade Challenges/Arguments Grading Will be More Difficult for faculty Grades are More Arbitrary Grade Inflation Impact Will Encourage Grade Inflation Won't Reduce Grade Inflation Overemphasis on Grades Emphasizes Grades versus Learning Adds to Student Anxiety over Grades Not used by Employers / recruiters May Hurt Student Grad School chancesConclusions This study examined the extent of use of +/- grades in AACSB accredited business schools by collecting data from 99 such schools. Sixty percent of the schools use some variant of a +/- grading system, 32 percent use only whole-letter grading and the remainder use a single intermediate grade. A survey of faculty and student opinions about a move to +/- grading at a mid-sized university in the Southwest provides a number of interesting insights. There is a strong divergence between student and faculty opinions.Over half of faculty respondents support +/- grades at least somewhat strongly as compared to only 15 percent of students. Nearly half of student respondents oppose the change at least somewhat strongly. Students and faculty supporting the +/- grading system cited very similar reasons for their support – the belief that grades will be more accurate and refined and the belief that grades will be fairer or better for students. Some students also indicated the change would provide incentive to work harder. Some faculty felt it would combat grade inflation and improve student motivation.Students who oppose the change believe there will be a negative impact on GPA’s (352 students believe this versus 35 who believe grades would improve). The next most prevalent student comment was that they prefer the current system and see no need for a change. Faculty who opposed the change commented most frequently that there is little benefit from the change and next th at it will increase grade challenges or make grading more difficult for faculty. Opposition to the change was strongest and support for +/- grades was weakest among students in colleges issuing the highest average grades.In addition, sophomores and juniors and students with higher GPAs tend to be most strongly opposed. This suggests that student opposition to a +/- grading system could be reduced by implementing it in a phased manner (starting with the freshman class) and by finding a way to incorporate a grade of A+. In addition, resistance to change theory suggests that it is important that the reasons why the use of +/- grades might be in the best interest of students be effectively communicated throughout the process and that students groups should be involved early in any proposal to institute +/- grades.

When Did The Nazis Decide On Genocide? Critically Discuss With A Focus On The Jewish Population Of Europe

Introduction The current essay examined the question of when the Nazis decided on genocide with a specific focus on the extermination of European Jewry. While it is difficult to pinpoint a precise date for the commencement of the Final Solution, this essay suggests the policy was decided upon by high ranking Nazis in 1941 and, finally, legally codified in 1942 in the Wannsee Conference. The Confluence of Several Dangerous Ideas No political idea simply becomes government policy overnight; rather, the process from one to the other occurs in complex ways. Indeed, the critic Christopher Browning, who penned an entire book titled The Origins of the Final Solution (2005), broadly concludes that there is no specific origin or beginning point, as such. As Browning puts it, â€Å"there is no clear and unambiguous dividing line between origins and implementation that would be valid for all regions of Europe under German occupation†. For this reason, trying to pinpoint the precise moment that the Nazis, so to speak, decided on genocide is problematic. For instance, if we wish to identify the senior level administrative policy decision on the Final Solution, we may reasonably cite the 20th of January 1942 as a key date: this was the date of the Wannsee Conference, whereat the â€Å"policy agreement† for the â€Å"Final Solution of the European Jewish question† was formulated, thereby outlining â⠂¬Å"the procedural guidelines for the future exterminations for physically healthy Jews were laid down once and for all†. (The procedure in question was liquidation via hard labour.) Yet manifold instances and legal rulings prior to this admittedly significant moment testify to a good deal of genocidal forethought long in advance of the Wannsee Conference. One of the primary critical difficulties in unlocking the truth behind the Nazis’ policy of genocide is the cloak of euphemism the Reich upheld to conceal the reality of their dreadful actions. â€Å"Final Solution† is itself a euphemism, as is (or, perhaps better to say, was) the term â€Å"concentration camp† (standing in for â€Å"extermination camp†). Because the Nazis employed a discourse of obscurity in their legislative pronouncements, it can be difficult to get to the truth of the matter. As it happens, the difference between what official Nazi language would suggests and what historical f acts prove to be the case represents a vast semantic gulf. Although it is hard as a contemporary reader to distance oneself from the connotations of the term â€Å"concentration camp†, one should bear in mind the extremely different implications this term evokes as compared to â€Å"extermination camp†. Such semantic dissonance is rife in Nazi legislature and official Reich discourse. As a result, scholars note the â€Å"appearance of contradictions between policy and practice†: an issue which can be explained with reference to â€Å"the euphemisms used† to â€Å"cloak† major implementations of liquidation programmes. While 1942 may be described as the year in which the formal decision was taken and, in effect, made policy, there are good grounds to mark 1941 as the year in which an integral Party decision was taken: that set the course for the systematic extermination of European Jewry. As a consequence, the scholar Richard Breitman argues that th is was the year in which the â€Å"fundamental decision to exterminate the Jews† was made; and that, in direct consequence of this decision, â€Å"the Final Solution was just a matter of time – and timing†. The Final Solution was at this inception stage targeted very specifically at European Jews. This is to do firstly with geographical reasons. Germany as a European country bordering on a number of other European countries was more directly in contact with European Jews than those from other continents. While the Nazis’ official hatred for the Jews was not in theory localised (indeed, Hitler despised the Jews as a race, as opposed to a religion on nationally heterogeneous people), in practice the European Jews felt the brunt of its brutality. This very likely had a lot to do with Hitler’s bearing a specific resentment for German Jews (a distinction which the Fuhrer tried to negate), whom, for various and highly dubious reasons, he blamed for causi ng Germany to lose the First World War. Interestingly, there is some debate as to how much Hitler actually knew about the Final Solution and all its grisly details. In this regard, an entry from Goebbels’s diary recounts an episode from December of that year. Hitler had gathered all the highest ranking Nazi officials to his Berlin apartment for a special meeting, the Reichsleiter and Gauleiter. The journal runs: â€Å"Concerning the Jewish question, the Fuhrer is determined to make a clean sweep. He prophesied to the Jews that if they were once again to cause a world war, the result would be their own destruction†; Goebbels goes on to affirm that the latter ominous assertion was â€Å"no figure of speech†. Indeed it was not; the policy was already underway. This commenced with the 1941 invasion of the USSR, whereupon was witnessed the â€Å"crystallisation of a general policy of killing†. At the same time, large numbers of Jews from Easter and central Eur ope were being shipped out to camps, with fatal intent. Conclusion The aforementioned obliqueness of Reich discourse makes it impossible to say for sure how informed and involved Hitler was in the Holocaust; how and when the decision for genocide was made. But we may nonetheless posit an informed surmise. By the end of 1942, the evidence clearly indicates, Hitler knew exactly what was going on and was fixed on a course of action: genocide. References Bloxham D, Kushner T, Kushner A R J, The Holocaust: Critical Historical Approaches (Manchester University Press, 2005). Breitman R, â€Å"Plans for the Final Solution in Early 1941† (1994) German Studies Review, 17, 483-489. Browning C, The Origins of the Final Solution (Arrow Books, 2005). Cesarani D, The Final Solution: Origins and Implementation (Taylor and Francis, 2002). Falk A, Anti-Semitism: A History and Psychoanalysis of Contemporary Hatred (Praeger, 2008). Fleming, G. Hitler and the Final Solution (University of California Press, 1991). Kerr J, Germany, 1919-1939 (Heinemann, 2003).

History Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

History - Scholarship Essay Example The debate on constitution mirrors divisions, which marred the American society during early periods. While the Federalist supported constitution ratification and a powerful national government, the Anti-Federalists advocated for a national government, which is weaker and also opposed the approval of the constitution. The division between Federalists and Anti-Federalist would give birth to political parties trying to woo people to buy their ideologies. The united state’s first party system was comprised of the Federalist Party formed by Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party also known as Anti-Federalist (Pickard, 2010). The Federal Party started experiencing opposition in 1790 following Hamilton’s mentioned the possibility of the central government assuming state debts. Republicans, under the leadership of Jefferson, supported the views of older Anti-Federalists accusing Hamilton’s administration for monarchism. A few years later, the Democrats merged with the Republicans to form one national party. During 1800s, the Republican Party gained more popularity as the Federal Party was implementing laws that appeared to favor a powerful national government, which never resonated well with people. Consequently, Democratic-Republicans emerged victorious in 1800 elections with Jefferson becoming the new President (Pickard, 2010). This marked the demise of Federal Party power with Democratic-Republican Party seizing

Bombing of Pearl Harbor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Bombing of Pearl Harbor - Essay Example Due to its massive impact on the foreign and war policy, the attack is also considered a defining moment in the US history. Rightly, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared December 7, 1941 as the date, country would live in ‘infamy.’ Later ‘Remember Pearl Harbor’ became a universal theme in the wartime propaganda (Slackman, 1990). Pearl Harbor is 10 square miles of navigable water located on the southern coast of Oahu island in Hawaii. It had capacity to hold large warships and submarines. Even prior to the transfer of Pacific Fleet from San Diego on the west coast in 1940, Pearl Harbor was under development as a major naval base. The revamping of the Pearl Harbor had begun in 1936. At the time of attack, the Pearl Harbor was equipped with an industrial plant for repair and maintenance of warships and oil tanks for fuelling purposes. Central to the Harbor was a Naval Air Station for fighter planes. However, facilities Pearl Harbor were grossly inadequate to meet the needs of Fleet and its large manpower. The housing and recreational facilities were grossly inadequate for thousands of sailors, marines, and soldiers even though a massive project was underway for proper accommodation of the Pacific Fleet and thousands of its marines and sailors. The inadequacy of facilities had rendered the Fleet handicapped and vulnerable to attack. As a result, the morale of the forces was on the low ebb. Roosevelt too was convinced of the vulnerability of the Pearl Harbor, but the White House repeatedly ignored warnings and intercepted messages of an impending attack. The attack was master-minded by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet. The attacking force was immediately commanded by Vice-Admiral Chuichi Nagumo. Senior officers ensured that planning was text-book perfect, but Japans limited energy resources was the weakest link in the plan (Maechling, 2000). Consequently, the attack plan was complex and it

Cambrian Explosion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Cambrian Explosion - Research Paper Example Some of the animals with basic animal bodies include arthropods such as insects, crustaceans, and trio-bites, cnidarians like jellyfish and corals, mollusks such as shellfish and squids, echinoderms like sea urchins and sea star, and chordates such as vertebrates. The Cambrian exposition occurred during the Cambrian period that began 570 million years ago and ended 510 million years. According to Meyer et al. (2001), the Cambrian exposition occurred within a window of 20 to 40 million years during the Cambrian period. According to BBC, (2015), the Cambrian period began 545 million years ago and ended 495 million years ago. The Cambrian period was characterized by the sudden emergence of living organisms in the sea. Although geologists are lucky to identify some Cambrian fossils, there was no life on the land. According to Darwin’s theory, the Cambrian exposition is based on the existence of changing environmental conditions that cause genetic modification of genes. The major cause of the Cambrian exposition is believed to be a rapid increase in the oxygen level in the atmosphere. An increase in oxygen level in the atmosphere occurred approximately 2.3 or 3 million years when numerous microorganisms released oxygen to the atmosphere through photosynthesis. The second oxygen increase event occurred approximately one billion years ago and resulted in the development of various complex organisms during the Cambrian period. The link between the increase in oxygen levels and development of complex organisms is confirmed by various past events. For instance, the oxygen concentration is believed to have increased from 10 % to 21% in the past 425 million years. The event resulted in the evolution of vertebrates thus attaining essential features. Secondly, high oxygen concentration level in the atmosphere resulted in an increase in insect size (Koch & Britton, 2009). According to Penumaka (2011), the earth was covered by glacier 580 million years ago thus

Introducing students to the theory of multiple intelligences Research Paper

Introducing students to the theory of multiple intelligences - Research Paper Example This test just touched upon the verbal, logical-mathematical and spatial intelligence. Gardner believes that the capacities are woven into the brain and neuronal network (2006). He feels that there is depth to intelligence and plenty of observation is necessary to gauge the intelligence levels. The intelligences are classified as linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalistic (Gardner, 2006). These intelligences have to be elicited by the teacher and parents. The capacities are flexible and can change through various enriching experiences. Education works upon these flexibilities. The genius however is decided by the genetic constitution just as the person of low intelligence. The spatial and musical intelligences are rather vague in nature and it is not definite whether these are genetic in constitution. Gardner’s experiences as a psychologist, who has examined patients recovering from traumatic brain inju ry, have brought forward the Theory of Multiple Intelligences (1983). MI helps schoolchildren in many ways. Teachers get an idea of the children’s strengths and can develop a curriculum which suits their capacities. Teamwork among the teachers is encouraged by the technique. Education is promoted as art forms and games which the children identify with. Schools plan various educational experiences for children from different backgrounds. Observation of the child in class and how he misbehaves is the first method of assessing intelligence and which of them is more developed in the child (Armstrong, 2009). The linguistically inclined child will be talking frequently. The spatial child will be a daydreamer. The child with more of the interpersonal intelligence tends to socialize and has more friends. The bodily kinesthetic child is always fidgeting. The naturalistic child may bring a pet to class without necessarily taking permission (Armstrong, 2009). The next observation should be when it is leisure time. The linguistic child will read books while the spatial child will be drawing (Armstrong, 2009). The socializer will be playing impromptu games with a group of friends. The bodily kinesthetic child will be involved in building activities. The naturalistic child may be looking at the fish in the aquarium or standing in front of an animal cage. The musical child may be singing. A checklist for multiple intelligences for schoolchildren may be completed for each child by the teacher. This contains easy-to-note behaviors for each pattern of intelligence Records are kept of behavior in class and in the playfield. School records of performances in class are also maintained (Armstrong, 2009). The theory of multiple intelligences is first explained to the children. A sample question would be â€Å"How many of you are intelligent, raise your hands† (Armstrong, 2009). The younger children would raise more hands as they are innocent and believe in their intell igence. The teacher calling them word smart or logic smart or music smart or picture smart, each child can feel he is smart. This encourages the children to cooperate and participate in the assessment of their own intelligence. Various activities may be planned for holding the interest of the children and developing their intelligences: â€Å"career day, field trips, biographies, lesson plans, experiential activities, wall displays, readings, board games, stories and

Business Proposal for a Partnership Firm Assignment

Business Proposal for a Partnership Firm - Assignment Example The assignment "Business Proposal for a Partnership Firm" discusses the organizational structure and the management team of Millimeters which is supposed to be a partnership firm with three partners involved in it. They would hold the managerial positions in three separate departments and would work as full-time employees of the company. Luz having experience in the field of procurement and budgeting would be responsible for the same. Christopher having experience in the field of operations management would be responsible for the daily operations and management of the company. The daily scheduling activities related to the store and the future requirements for the store, all would be managed by Johnathan. Apart from these three, other staffs would assist them in their job. The company would also hire specialists in each field of services that are supposed to be offered by the company. There are no significant weaknesses of the company regarding the technical knowledge and relevant business activities that are required to be performed to run the company successfully. However, the three owners of the company being new in this field of running a home improvement store business can prove to be disadvantageous for the company in managing its resources effectively and efficiently. In due course of time, this deficiency could be overcome easily through increased knowledge of running the business. A well-constructed personnel plan has been developed for the company to help in running the business efficiently.... Personnel Plan A well-constructed personnel plan has been developed for the company to help in running the business efficiently. The three owners of the company, apart from getting a share in the profits of the company will also receive remuneration for their respective managerial functions being conducted in the company. The personnel plan has been as such that it would include the three managers in the form of its owners, on cashier would be handling all business matters concerned with cash inflows and outflows of the company. Initially there would be four specialists meant for four different services to be offered by the company initially and they would be on-duty at all times during the business hours. The supporting staffs and workers would total around 8 to 10, working on an average every day. The personnel plan constructed for the company has been summarized in the table give below (Table - 1). It includes the first five years’ forecasted figures regarding the salaries and wages of the employees of the company. Table – 1 (Personnel Plan) Â   Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Luz Angela Lopez 50,000 55,000 60,000 65,000 65,000 Christopher Mong 45,000 50,000 55,000 60,000 60,000 Johnathan Douglass 40,000 45,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 Specialists 100,000 125,000 150,000 175,000 200,000 Cashier 20,000 22,000 24,200 26,620 29,282 Others 10,000 11,000 12,100 13,310 14,641 Total Payroll 265,000 297,000 339,200 376,620 404,282 Total Personnel 15 18 20 22 22 Financial Analysis Seating up of the About Millimeters business concern would require a significant amount of investment initially. The major portion of this initial funding would be borne by the three owners of the company.

H.I.V in the Homeless in San Francisco, CA Essay

H.I.V in the Homeless in San Francisco, CA - Essay Example San Francisco is located within California, USA and is one of the leading regions in HIV prevention amongst other services such as, care, and treatment from the initial stages of the epidemic within the United States. The region is recognized for provision of high quality HIV care that also involves administration of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Such healthcare services within San Francisco benefits all residents regardless of their financial abilities. San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) has considered health of the community as priority since such initiatives are crucial in reducing morbidity and mortality in those living with HIV-infections. However, methods of initiating and administering ART have changed over time. Originally, ART was recommendable only for those who were immune compromised (either a CD4 cell count under 200 cells) (Kushel et al., 2006). However, there has been increase towards CD4 count on which ART was recommendable. This was due to availability of information on the adverse effects of HIV even in the presence of moderate immunodeficiency. This was also because of record decline in ART-related toxicity and pill burden. In the year 2011, there was pronounced evidence of the effect of ART on reduced risk of sexual transmission of HIV. The publication of such information triggered debate over the risks involved in delaying therapy. However, in 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reviewed its policy and advised citizens on recommendations that ART.

International Business Strategy in HR of the Chinese MNCs Dissertation

International Business Strategy in HR of the Chinese MNCs - Dissertation Example As the discussion stresses the MNCs have started dominating the world market and how they manage their personnel on an international scale is considered critical to the success of globalizing strategies. When firms operate across boundaries the organizational culture is secondary to the national culture.From this paper it is clear that most studies in international business focus on the success and failures of MNCs from developed countries in developing and emerging economies. However, in recent times MNCs from emerging economies such as India and China have also been making entry into developed as well as developing nations. The theories of internationalization are based on the MNCs from developed countries. These may not applicable to MNCs from emerging economies as they lack the expertise in best practices. They particularly face issues in HR management due to lack knowledge of cultural integration. This is because the MNCs from emerging markets come from a national, cultural and institutional background that differs from the developed country MNCs. This gives rise to the importance of understanding the cultural context and its contribution in the success and failure of the emerging MNCs.  Since the Chinese MNCs have been venturing overseas with the support of the government, it has been considered essential to evaluate how national cultures can make an impact on the HRM practices. Bunchapattanasakda and Wong (2011) contend that nations with comparative advantage would tend to transfer their home practices to their overseas subsidiaries but those with low comparative advantages may be forced to adopt the overseas practices. Several MNCs in Europe and the US were taken over by Chinese companies such as China Mobile and TCL but they failed to operate the takeovers successfully (Cao & Forrest, 2011). The main reason cited has been the lack of experience to handle the organization due to language and cultural barriers. The Chinese MNCs could not win the suppor t of the stakeholders due to limited global visibility. Networking and guanxi, typical of Chinese culture, did not appear to work in western business environments. Fan, Nyland and Zhu (2009) suggest evaluating the factors that drive the Chinese MNCs to integrate their operations globally. One of the main causes of failures that have emerged is the lack of knowledge in managing human resources by the Chinese managers. Xhang (2003)

Human resource presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human resource presentation - Essay Example Advocates of the theory like Peter Denholtz believe that the e-cigarette could be a start to a new era of productivity. In modern busy working environment, people do not find time to leave their office seats and go out to the stairs to have a smoke. This is where e-cigarettes are helpful. It is not injurious to the health of other people, and normally co-workers would not mind someone smoking this type of a cigarette. So with an e-cigarette, an employee would not lose his focus from work as he would not have to look for a smoking area every time he wants to smoke (Pyrillis 6). Celia Joseph, an employee of Fisher and Phillips in Philadelphia, is of the opinion that it all comes down to the needs and corporate culture of an organization. Employers would have to figure out their HR policies. They would have to figure what type of a ban to place. For example, a ban on using e-cigarettes could be placed because of the tobacco it contains or because of the vaporized smoke it emits. If the ban is placed because of tobacco and not the vaporized smoke then, an employer would have no objection in people smoking in the workplace (Pyrillis 8). Pyrillis, Rita. â€Å"Electronic Cigarettes Strike Up Controversy Among Employers.† October 25, 2013. Workforce. Web. October 15, 2014

Government is the monopoly of legitimate use of physical power” Essay Example for Free

Government is the monopoly of legitimate use of physical power† Essay Functions of the Ruling Officer: * Promote interest and welfare of the people * For the benefit of the governed * Protection of the inhabitants * Administration of justice * Advancement of the physical, economical, social and cultural well- being of the people * Preservation of the state from danger (internal external) Ideal Qualities of Governing Politician: * Shall have the brains and ability * Political maturity * Experience â€Å"In order to govern people he does not know or understand, he ought to possess the talent of a genius and extraordinary knowledge. † * Jose Rizal â€Å"The government who fulfils the satisfaction of human expectation is good. The Government that DOES NOT serve the needs of the people but governs to protect the interest and welfare of a few at the expense of many is not good.† * Zulueta â€Å" Government is the monopoly of legitimate use of physical power† * Max Weber * The government is committed to promote: * general welfare, * morals, * intelligence, * social justice * Ultimate happiness Rizal on the Family * Family- the basic and oldest social institution, a very important factor in shaping the character of a child. Family determines: * Child’s social class * Religious orientation * Language * Upbringing of the children Children are Expected to be: * Loyal * Obedient Parents’ Legacies to children: * Rectitude of judgement * Generosity of rights * Steadfastness in adversity â€Å" The greatest honour that a son can pay his parents is integrity and a good name.† Rizal on Livelihood * Rizal vehemently objected Carl Marx’s Communist ideology. * He regarded livelihood as the government’s focal points to alleviate poverty Communism * ideology referring to the equal distribution of wealth. * The government scoops up all the wealth and distributes them evenly or as needed. Means of having a viable livelihood program: * Equal land ownership * Regulation of capital * Government buys from landlords and place it on workers â€Å"Regulation of Capital† was essential to combat the ill effects of capitalism. Each person’s wealth is based on his own personal production. Rizal on Justice â€Å" Justice is a constant and perpetual will to allot to every man what he is due.† Twin ideals of Justice System * Swiftness- occurrence of a speedy trial * Fairness- justice itself â€Å"Justice delayed is justice denied.† No person shall be deprived of life, liberty and property without due process of law.

Environmental Impact Upon Health Essay Example for Free

Environmental Impact Upon Health Essay We humans have captured the environment to make our lives beautiful but through our activities and materialistic pursuits, we have made environment the biggest enemy of our health. We have ourself created an environment which has given us all leisures of life but on the other hand we have dug the walls of unhealthy livings also in it. In 1997, Department of Health Canada passed a report which stated: â€Å"The built environment is part of the overall ecosystem of our earth. It encompasses all of the buildings, spaces and products that are created, or at least significantly modified, by people. It includes our homes, schools and workplaces, parks, business areas and roads. It extends overhead in the form of electric transmission lines, underground in the form of waste disposal sites and subway trains and across the country in the form of highways. † (Hancock, 2000) In the contemporary society of today, built environment is the most crucial aspect of our lives. All over the world, more than 85 per cent of people are living in urban dewllings and 80 per cent of Europe and North America have urban population. These urban settlements are creating an adverse impact on the natural environment. They are using maximum amount of the world’s resources and in return are producing maximum waste from them. Even leRiche and Milner (1971) explained in â€Å"Epidemiology as Medical Ecology,† â€Å"One of the most striking changes in the ecology of man has been the growth of cities. † (Hancock, 2000) The WHO Expert Committee on Environmental Health in Urban Development (WHO, 1991) pointed that: In some respects, urbanization can itself be considered to be a key variable in the health equation: when the pollution produced by a densely packed population outstrips the natural absorptive capacity of the citys ecosystem, adverse health effects can be increased where controls are lacking or unreliable. † (Hancock, 2000) Urban civilization cannot be termed as a natural ecosystem as it is completely built by humans encompassing almost whole globe in its vicinity and destroying the very concept of being â€Å"Natural†. It is a complex human ecosystem which constitutes both physical environment created by humans and the social, economic, cultural and political environments in which the humans survive. In North America itself, human beings spend around 90 percent of their time inside the four confines of their doors, another 5 per cent in their cars and remaining just 5 per cent outside. And outside too, they are spending maximum time in the vicinity of the built urban environment. It is a general trend of humans to consider the poor diet or just lack of exercise as an excuse for their bad health but they hardly consider the ill effect of the built environment with the housing characteristics, patterns in land use, transportation etc. It is evidently proved without doubt that when these different modes of our living standards are not created keeping the ecological balance into consideration, the ecosystem collapses (Jackson Kochtitzky, Online Edition) which deteriorates our health causing stress, chronic diseases etc. The haphazard urban development leads to the climate and atmospheric changes, pollution and ecotoxicity, resource depletion and reduced habitat and bio- diversity. (Hancock and Davies, 1997) The subject that encompasses the link between these human endeavors and the public health is known as human ecology. This human ecology can provide integrative, holistic and radical perspective on health issues. (Hancock, 2000) Catalano in 1979 propounded that there is an utmost need that the health issues must take into consideration economic and social processes which shapes community, so as to prevent any spread of diseases. Hancock, 2000) The metapopulation theory gives an enduring account of urban ecosystems and the human aspect of the study of the urban systems can be done by the â€Å"human ecosystem model,† which deals with the social components which are the part of the human system and its connections to ecology. (Niemela, 1999) The Mandala of Health is a model, which establishes the relationship between the natural sciences and the social sciences and gives suggestion at every level of human activity corresponding to its environment. Hancock Perkins, 1985) Another model, which has incorporated the most important characteristic of ecosystem, is a Butterfly Model of Health. In this model, health is related to societal, economical goals and patterns and biological resources for self-renewal. This model states that number of biophysical and socioeconomic holarchic environments represented by wings, which exert an influence on the health of any individual or whole population. There are number of biological and behavioral filters that engulf the human beings. The nature, people and these factors affect each other. People are considered as healthy when the two wings of the butterfly are in equitable balance within their own dimenisons. In other words, when the biological and other factors maintain equilibrium in nature, it will lead to the healthy individuals. (VanLeeuwen, Toews, Abernathy Smit, 1999) Overall we can say that the health of the human beings is dependent on the health of the natural ecosystems and the planet. Therefore it is utmost necessary to keep the urban ecosystems healthy keeping in mind both its physical and social dimensions such as health of the population with regard to the mental well being, the social well being of the urban community with regard to their social and cultural aspects, the quality of different components that make the built environment, the quality of the environment in the vicinity of the urban sphere like clean air, clean water, soil, prevention of noise pollution and the urban ecosystem on the overall ecosystem of planet. Indicators of Population Health at the Community Level formulated a model known as the Healthy Community model. (Hancock, 2000) This model reflects on the environmental, social, economic, cultural and political factors that lead to the health of urban populations. There are three main parts, which make up the healthy community model. These are community, environment and economy, which in turn possess three qualities like livability, viability and sustainability. These qualities are related to our living styles and we humans have to make the best use of the available resources to maintain these qualities for our healthy lives. For e. g. Traffic causes respiratory problems because it causes air pollution and noise pollution. This healthy community model provides answer to the best way possible to control traffic. The theories and models show how we can maintain and improve human and ecosystem health, which will require changes in the way the urban settlements are planned, designed and worked upon. Canadian Public Health Association Taskforce on Human and Ecosystem Health in 1992 said in a report: â€Å"Human development and the achievement of human potential requires a form of economic activity that is environmentally and socially sustainable in this and future generations. † (Hancock, 2000) We cannot change the urban settlements but we can sort out ways by which we can reduce the pollution, and make our environment the most beautiful and healthy place to live in.

Happiness And Thought Disorder Philosophy Essay

Happiness And Thought Disorder Philosophy Essay Everyone in life should be happy and the thought of happiness being a disorder should not be a thought someone have in there mind. In A proposal to classify happiness as a psychiatric disorder, Richard Bental argues that happiness is a major affective disorder. Although Richard Bental includes many arguments, I will focus on his argument that happy people have been shown to exhibit biases judgments that prevent them from being realistic and unrealistic opinions, and that happy people are not psychiatrically disordered. I will explain my opinion on happiness give reason in why happiness should not be called a disorder. I will argue that Richard P. Bental makes an argument that he believe must be true, but doesnt seem to be and the argument seems to be unsound. Realistically, people in life will not think of there state of happiness being a disorder that need attention, Therefore Happiness should not be considered a major disorder with bad side affects. First I argue that happiness is not a cause for therapeutics concern. Statistically not many people have made a doctor visit for being happy all the time. I make more sense for people to go to therapy for stress and miserable about things. Without signs of happiness and smile you can not attract many relationships and friends in life. Good Form Test: The argument seems to be deductive. Without a doubt the author sticks to his thought of happiness being a disorder. I argue that it is not likely for to attend therapy concerning problems with being happy. Although the author seems to have researched the topic, it is not proven that the disorder and side affects of happiness are anyway a bad side affect that affects that person life. In life when people seem to be happy and live a great life, it has almost always given them better chances of living than unhappy people. True premises test: I believe the Author thought of happy people needing therapy if controversial and false. The author goes on and explains research and why people should go to therapy but statistically I do not believe many happy people will seek therapy. Many people seek therapy when there seems to be greater problems that a doctor will have concern about. I believe the author would accept my argument after looking over statistic and talking to a therapist to view that average of how many people visit for problems on happiness. S2: Happiness is known for having low stress and good work performance, therefore it does not seem to be the type of stress the Bental explains. I will argue that a better term called Generalized Happiness Disorder is a better explanation than Bental view on disorder.(Sabah,Karima)GHD is now as a large part of the population and the effects are low stress, productive work, and positive social relationships. I believe more people can relate to this view point of happiness being a disorder versus Bentals. Bental believes that happiness is a disturbance of the nervous system and is very rare in some parts of the world. I believe that everyone finds ways to be happy in there own way, and at some point of time everyone will find ways in life to be happy. Good Form Test: The argument seems to be deductive. There is an article that explain happiness and a disorder with nothing but positive outcome which is opposite as the authors explanation. The author gives examples of what other people thinks of happiness which is more of a positive case. Bental still believes that happiness can cause abnormalities and bad nervous system. I this is invalid. True Premises Test: Again I believe the author is controversial and his premises for the argument seem false. Based on the Generalized Happiness Disorder happiness is a good state on being and the effect are not related to Bentals S3: People being happy in life does not require them having to take medication therefore, happiness should not be considered a disease that disturbs the body. When people smile it is a sign of happiness and smiling takes less muscles in your body than frowning. It is statistically proven the depression will be the second largest killer after heart disease by 2010. After reading over percentages like this it is not likely that a person wants to compare there happiness to a disorder or disease. Good Form Test: This argument seems to be deductive. The author seems to make and invalid point but believe you cannot deny his conclusion. When happiness enters the body it is a healthy change for the body and its not harmful. Unless a person is abnormal he/she does not need medication for a happy condition. True Premises Test: I believe the authors argument is controversial and false. Based on the facts about depression more people are known to take medication and have complication in life fro m sadness and depression. I believe my arguments are also Deductive and pass the true Premises test. Many people in life would disagree in going to therapy for reason of happiness and, many people would agree with the Generalized Happiness Disorders rather that Bentals viewpoint Overall the state of being happy is more acceptable to people as a Generalized Happiness Disorder rather that psychiatric disease that needs therapeutic attention. Happiness may cause changes to you body but will always make better changes that sadness. Happiness is not a disorder that need attention, but its a disorder that people should look at in a good way. The GHD is the best was to explain happiness as a disorder. You should ignore that concept feeling the need for therapy and help in a happy state of being.

Feminist Bashing of Tennessee Williams and A Streetcar Named Desire :: Feminism Feminist Women Criticism

A Streetcar Named Desire and the Gay Roots of Feminist Straight Bashing  Ã‚     Ã‚   Tennessee William's A Streetcar Named Desire is widely considered the highest achievement of 20th Century American theatre. Stanley Kowalski is a symbol of the heterosexual male. Significantly this male icon is portrayed as a rapist. In 1947, Tennessee Williams (through Blanche DuBois) also describes Stanley as "sub human," a term that would inspire outrage if it had been used against Jews, blacks, women or gays. The play is a good example of how Williams, a homosexual, contributed to the "modern malaise" by undermining the legitimacy of heterosexual males, females and the family. Williams' complex motives may explain the motivation of feminists today. Homosexuals have suffered persecution. This doesn't automatically elevate them morally nor immunize them from political criticism. Personally, I believe in live-and-let-live. That's why I wasn't prepared to discover that homosexuals, in particular, lesbian feminists, are not so tolerant of heterosexuals like myself. They are conducting a vicious attack on heterosexual institutions that society no longer can afford to ignore. Currently the attack comes from the feminist movement, which is led by lesbians. In "The New Victorians"(1996), Rene Denfeld documents how feminists are no longer concerned with equal opportunity, but are dedicated to transforming heterosexual society. Heterosexuality is regarded as the root of all oppression and homosexuality is seen as the remedy. "For many of today's feminists, lesbianism is far more than a sexual orientation, or even a preference. It is, as students in many colleges learn, an ideological, political and philosophical means of liberation of all women from heterosexual tyranny†¦" In their ruthless quest for power, feminists behave like Marxist zealots, quietly infiltrating the education and legal systems, government bureaucracy and media. They institute quotas that give women preference in education and employment regardless of merit, regardless that women may already be over represented. They display a cult-like, totalitarian attitude to dissent, refusing to debate, suppressing free speech and slandering people who hold opposing views. It may seem absurd that gays and lesbians who represent about four per cent of the population should attempt to transform society. Of these only a minority is promoting these goals. But these activists have used specious guilt tactics to capture the moral high ground. With the complicity of the media and politicians, they wield power way out of proportion to their numbers.

The African Experience: A Curse or Blessing :: Research Papers

The African Experience: A Curse or Blessing The native African places an immense amount of importance and respect on Nature. Its effects determine certain predicaments that control and direct African lives, and how outsiders, especially Westerners, perceive them. Never before has a group of people followed so religiously and faithfully a baffling phenomenon such as nature. Nature worship has deep roots in the African tradition and is now a full and indispensable branch of the African heritage. Nature defines Africa to the world as the â€Å"Cradle of Mankind.† To the African, Nature also acts as a mediator between the gods in the heavens and man on earth. This relationship, I feel, has been greatly misinterpreted by the vacuous and ethnocentric civilized world: it has been tagged as ‘black magic,’ ‘voodoo,’ and other meager figments of unfortunately parochial imaginations. What an insult! Oh may the gods forgive them, for they know not what they do. â€Å"In the beginning was the water, and the water was with god, and the water was god.† This quote clearly defines how the natural elements such as land (earth), sun, moon, lightning, and, in this case, water are considered not just as the vital necessities that help sustain life but as the gods of life. They are built honorary shrines as an act of appreciation and appeasement. In Egypt, in northeast Africa, a great temple was built for Isis, the water god. This temple was built so flamboyantly as an attempt to try and reflect architecturally how important the Nile is to the people of Egypt. Without the Nile, Egypt would have been a barren, desolate place, incapable of supporting life; just an eastern extension of the Sahara Desert. Therefore, the great river is considered a miracle, a miracle from the gods, given in order that man may continue to exist and not be annihilated. Hence the magnificence of the Temple of Isis. African peoples had a lot of mysteries in their continent which they tried to explain. And once again, they turned to their superiors in the supernatural world, the gods. For example, if lightning should strike, that would be an ominous sight, implying that the gods are angry with the people; an extraordinary harvest or rain after a long, intolerably dry season would be considered as an act of favor towards man by the gods. All this was the Africans’ way of trying to understand the unexpected and to explain the inexplicable, functioning much as science does in contemporary Western society. Why, then, does this entire system connote barbarism or a rustic, undeveloped mentality when used in its original context, or when approached by the

Catherine II :: essays research papers

"Women fell under her spell as well as men, for underlying her engaging femininity was a masculine strength which gave her the courage to present a bland and smiling mask in the face of the greatest tribulations." Sophia Augusta Frederica was born into a small Prussian kingdom in 1729. Her hometown was in Stettin, Germany. Her birth was a great disappointment to her parents, her father, Prince Christian August of Anhalt- Zerbst and her mother, Johanna Elizabeth, daughter of the prince of Holstein – Gottorp. Both parents had hoped for a son. After they did finally have a son, she was neglected even more. Although, when her parents discovered that she had a good memory, they encouraged her to study religion, history and geography. Besides learning, Sophia also became more interested in hunting and riding horses rather than what were considered more feminine past times and was somewhat of a tomboy. Throughout her life, her mother only spoke to her to criticize her. Her father cared very much for her, but was too engrossed with his military work to show her much affection. She spent much time with her governess who taught her to question everything and everybody and to trust her own common sense. Her guidance from her governess and her ability to be independent at a young age helped her to later become a strong leader. At a very young age, she wished to marry her second cousin, Peter Ulrich, who later changed his name to Peter Fyodorvich. Elizabeth I of Russia chose her to marry her son, Peter Fyodorvich. Catherine prepared for the role of czarina by studying the Russian language intently. Love played no role in her thoughts to marry Peter; Catherine was only interested in the throne. As a strict Lutheran, Catherine’s father was very unhappy about Catherine marrying a Russian Orthodox. Her father wrote her letters begging her not to abandon Lutheranism. Catherine was determined to gain the respect of the Russian orthodox, so when she became deathly ill, she called for a Russian orthodox priest instead of a Lutheran. She won the trust and sympathy of Russia. On June 28, 1744, Catherine was baptized into the Russian orthodox faith. The next day she and peter Fyodovich had an elaborate betrothal at the Cathedral of St. Sophia. She married Peter in August of1745, and their marriage was a disaster from the beginning. Peter was very immature and spent most of his time playing with toy soldiers. 2/1/952 "The marriage was a complete failure. The following eighteen years were filled with deception and humiliation for her." Peter hurt Catherine deeply when he told her of women in the court that he loved

Explain the Importance and Benefits of Assessment for Learning Essay

Assessment for learning is an essential part of a child’s education as it defines whether or not the objectives of teaching are being met, assessments affects decisions about grades, educational needs of children and in some cases funding. Assessment for learning is a significant way to raise a pupil’s academic achievement and is centred on the belief that in order for children to progress in school then they must understand the purpose of their learning, where they are in relation to this purpose and how they can achieve their goals. Assessments will help a pupil reflect on their own development which in turn will help them recognize and appreciate their own strengths as well as developing an insight into themselves as students. If a child is given the opportunity to discuss their learning either with a teacher or one of their peers then they will develop a deeper understanding of their learning which can build confidence and motivate them as students. Effective assessment will identify individual educational needs of all children as well as informing them about their specific performances and achievements, this will then allow teachers to utilise approaches that are personalised to the needs of a child. Assessment can be used not only to measure learning but also to promote learning by teaching children how to ask questions as well as answering them, by emphasising to a child that it is acceptable to ‘Have a go’ and that by giving the wrong answer it is still learning.

Accenture Social Media Analysis

Accenture neighborly Media abridgment MKT 436 Ian Cartmill Zach Crawford Edwin Huang Tyler Whitsett Introduction Accenture PLC is one of the leading consulting firms in the ground and has developed an extensive amic qualified media plat constellation to expand its progress to in the bank line world. Accenture underwayly has a interlocking of well-disposed media across umpteen platforms including Facebook, cheep, YouTube, and LinkedIn. through with(predicate) with(predicate) Facebook and chirrup, Accenture segments its markets by region, type of service, and c beer options by making a Facebook summon or chirrup draw exclusively for that market.With Accentures YouTube page, a wide diverseness of boob tubes ranging from video blogs to educational substance on ac friendship growth. Fin wholey, through LinkedIn, Accenture profiles its diametric service as well as connects with professionals who would be facial expression for their function. In increment to the tradi tional neighborly media sites, Accenture operates legion(predicate) contrasting applications through Facebook, iTunes, Google sour as well as its bring on got on line of credit publication, Outlook. after(prenominal) a description, an analysis leave be given to measure the public presentation of Accentures fond medias efforts.Finally, recommendations testament be given on how Accenture give the axe improve their efforts to reach a wider audience. Social Media Description Accentures Facebook and Twitter heraldic bearing is extremely mountainous which is ushern by the legion(predicate) pages on these sites. Currently, Accenture has oer 40 disparate pages on Facebook and 30 different Twitter handles (A1), each catering to a point market. Ab appear half of these pages argon targeted base on the region or country in decree to entrust nurture exactly aimed a countrys business environment.Within each of the countrys pages, discussions and interactions occur with kn obs and users through contests, interviews, philanthropic endeavors in the region done by Accenture, and reading the compevery translates on different industries. normally the countrys page give display resume opportunity associationsin parliamentary procedure to salve acquiring new endowment fund for the phoner. If c beer opportunities ar non listed on this page, an individual career page is listed to provide information on career opportunities at Accenture in that region.On Accentures of import Facebook and Twitter pages, different examples of management, operations, market, and other strategies are presented so all customers shadower see the take of analysis they allow receive from an Accenture team. Also, articles compose by Accenture are sh take on the pages that mark from work events to in depth stories on industry trends constantly are affix calendar workweekly. Finally, the last sets of pages on Facebook and Twitter are used to provide customers with an in-depth look into the different work provided by Accenture.For example, the Sustainability function Facebook page provides links to articles and case studies on sustainability in a business in order to expurgate cost and create efficiencies (http//www. facebook. com/accenturesustainability go). They too engage their customers and users through surveys, games and other actions that keep users coming back to their page. In addition to Accentures Facebook and Twitter pages, YouTube and LinkedIn provide a unique and different way to reach out to their customers.Through their YouTube account, Accenture is able to provide different types of new information to both(prenominal) current and effectiveness new customers with its 251 videos (A1). For example, a nifty Markets video blog is used to chance on different topics related to capital markets and the touch of managing the risks with them. In another set of videos, a video podcast shows different traits of a last performance bu siness model that can be emulated by other companies.All content that is put up on the YouTube account is used to attract new customers to what Accenture does and provide existing thickeningele insights as to how Accentures strategies can better their companies. This is a more(prenominal)(prenominal) than than casual look at Accentures customer attraction actions. For a more formal approach to collide withing new customers and staying attached with current clients, LinkedIn is utilized. With LinkedIn, Accenture can professionally show their core competencies as well as present customer recommendations and feedback (LinkedIn). They similarly set up their corporate culture through employee reviews and insight.To go along with Facebook and Twitter, they also have a careers page to continue acquiring talent in every medium possible. beyond the typical companionable media realms in which more or less companies are involved in, Accenture has also braggy into new areas that di fferentiate themselves in the sociable media merchandising. This is done through Accentures online journal, Outlook, and the victimisation of apps to further their marketing efforts. Outlook provides a unique connection to existing and possible customers by giving articles that can be anything from industry precise trends or news program to skill and service actions.This demonstrates the level of expertise Accenture can provide to new customers, and dish out in providing additional gos to their current customers. Finally, by and by all traditional online forms of social media are exhausted Accenture also provides many of the homogeneous marketing sites in the form of planetary apps for the iTunes and Google Play markets. This gives customers the ability to see all content and information on the go as most business mass are. These applications allow a mobile stochastic variable of Outlook and other service specific applications (Google Play). Social Media AnalysisAlthoug h Accenture has tapped into the most popular social ne 2rks, they dont utilize them to their salutary potential. Their main strength across the social networking platforms is the ability to reach current and potential customers, employees, future hires, students, and anyone who might be fire in what Accenture has to tin. An example is their applications through iTunes and Google play. On iTunes they have 14 mobile apps and on Google Play they have 11 apps compared to Ernst & news 6 apps on iTunes and 3 apps on Google Play (A1). Some apps are duplicates some are strictly for employees, plot of land others are for the public.The apps range from a depicted object Postal Forum to Financial Services to Lux in Arcana. Since it is available on iPhone and Android platform, they are targeting the most popular smartphone users. another(prenominal) metric to consider how large their social network presence is their main Facebook page, Accenture has over 145,000 likes compared to E & Y with 15,000 likes (A1). With these many options and a well-known presence, they are able to increase their brand awareness and vex themselves as knowledge experts in that field. Another strength Accenture has with their social platforms is that they are endlessly adding content to them.On their Twitter feed, they tweet an intermediate of 66 times a week along with additional links in the message compared to E & Ys 20 tweets a week (A1). On their Facebook , they post 39 times a week compared to E & Ys 2 times a week (A1). More tweets and posts, enables them the opportunity to be spy more by the market. This is shown through how many Facebook users are talking intimately(predicate) them. Accenture has over 2,000 users posting about them compared to E & Ys 390 users talking about them (A1). A weakness of their social networks is the lack of integrating across the different platforms.An example is their YouTube and Twitter page. In their description, it scarce provides a link t o their foot page instead of including their Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes store, and Google Play. ( somewhat Accenture). After an analysis of their YouTube channel, we determined that they could include more in their descriptions by including a thick of the video, tags, and follow up information. They assume to bear it easier for users to dive further into Accenture if necessary. Another weakness of their social networking outline is that it does not interconnected a form of a excite/pull outline.Their current push strategy is not creating an atmosphere of a two way interaction. On their pages, they do not engage or follow up with the users to keep them coming back. Although they ask questions in their tweets, they are not going out of their way to search for potential topics they could straighten a user about. From comparing Accentures social media networks to Ernst and girlishs networks, they both use the same platforms but Accenture has a big social media prese nce with more content. In Twitter, Accenture has over 62,000 following with over 5500 tweets compared to E & Ys 37,000 followers and 2,600 tweets.On LinkedIn, Accenture has over 600,000 followers with 179,000 employees on it compared to E & Ys 364,000 followers and 114,000 employees on LinkedIn. Accenture has the most presence and content in every category except for the keep down of YouTube videos they have. Accenture has 251 compared to E & Ys 485. managerial Recommendations The heart of a successful e-commerce strategy is the ability to attract and engage a potential customer by offering easy bother to a variety of different information channels about your company.Although Accenture offers many different informational channels that merelyify who they are and what services they can offer to potential clients, these channels are not easily admissionible. When doing a honest search of Accenture on Google, you initially see a link to Accentures meshingsite along with a few key rowing with light descriptions. In order for Accenture to attract and gain new clients they need to have access points to all of their different social networks.These social media access points will allow Accenture to uphold its marketing message to a larger business demographic who will ol itemory perception more comfortable operating in one of these social media domains. Accenture also necessitate to do a better barter at educating its customer base by explaining who Accenture is as a company and what winning of services they offer to potential clients. As it stands now customers who go on Accentures company website have to navigate through web page after web page to find a simple description on which the company is and what services they offer.Accentures homepage is full of key words and links to other parts of the companys website. I would recommend that the include information on abide by added services that would differentiate itself for contests. Accenture should el aborate on its many value added services that it has done in the past on projects that reduced cost, amend performance, innovative features, speed responsiveness and customization. These value added services will not only attract and sustain customers it will also help Accentures bottom line by causing customers to pay a higher premium for services rendered.Since most of the services that Accenture offers to its customers are intangible they need to do a better subcontract at trying to make their services feel more tangible, instead of just offering detailed, long worded business plans and short, non-descriptive statements on services provided. Accenture could further demonstrate services that they provided to past customers through cost nest egg graphs, cleverness improvement charts, and customer testimonials. Also, to reduce customer uncertainty and address any questions a potential customer might have I would recommend that Accenture have a live web patron messaging service on their home page.This service would allow the customers to speak in real time to a customer service representative. These simple tweaks to Accentures homepage will reduce some of the unknowns and risk that all customers undoubtedly face when searching for a new company to do business with. In order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of B2B marketing Accenture should adopt a CRM system like its lead competitor Ernst & Young did to manage its client customer base.Ernst & Young adopted a CRM software program called Aprimo to perform the following functions targeted direct e-mails, on-going lead management, inbound interactions via Web form submission, Webcast registration and follow-up, and project management (task duty assignment and follow-up) for their national and regional marketing teams (Shadick, 2012). many a(prenominal) of the components of the information within Ernst & Youngs Aprimo CRM system are shared with customer relationship departments within the firm.Fo r example, opportunities are collected from events, tradeshows, sponsorships, webcast and direct communications, which are then distributed to the appropriate individuals for follow-up (Shadick, 2012). With the toleration of CRM systems like Aprimo, Accenture would have real-time access to clients interest and inquires allowing them to thin their response to new and existing clients needs. ratiocination In Conclusion Accenture is a very dynamic B2B company that utilizes virtually all of the media outlets available to modernize and attract new customers.Accentures B2B marketing campaign is unique in the fact that it leverages its current ongoing business initiatives with its own customer base through an online diary called Outlook. This journal boldly talks about what Accenture is doing now and in the future for its client base. This and many other creative marketing/informational channels that Accenture has created brings assurance and a grit of trust to customers who are unce rtain with partaking in a service that really doesnt produce a tangible solvent and cost thousands, if not millions, of dollars to perform. Works Cited Shadick, David (2011).Ernst & Young Better Manages B2B Marketing with Aprimo Marketing, Sun. 17 Nov. 2012. . Services. Linkedin n. pag. LinkedIn. Web. 17 Nov 2012. . Apps by Accenture. Google play n. pag. Google play. Web. 17 Nov 2012. . Accenture. About Accenture n. pag. YouTube. Web. 17 Nov 2012. . Appendix A1 Social entanglement Metrics