Compare and discuss contrast Essay Example for Free

Compare and discuss contrast Essay 1. Launched non-complete version of their website. Consumers get very annoyed when the e-commerce website they are trying to shop does not work. In software related commerce, one of the biggest complaints from users is insufficient testing for bugs before marketing to the public. 2. Annoying pop-up windows and Cumbersome Interface The multiple pop-ups further slowed down user download times and took away the sense of user control. When making a purchase most consumers prefer to make their own decision without pressure from pushy salesmen. From personal experience, most consumers prefer to seek out information as needed instead of having it pop up in another window. 3. Miss Boo, Shopping Assistant This virtual shopping assistant seemed crazy. Why did Miss Boo say Tie me up, tie me down in a shoe that looks like its been attacked? This irrational verbiage symbolized the dementia in design that was systemic in the website. When the company icon/mascot says irrational things it reduces consumer confidence in the products and services provided in the website. 4. Usability In Boo.com case, there was a big disconnection between the bandwidth required to run the website multimedia and actual bandwidth of average consumers. Consumers simply did not have the bandwidth to shop at Boo. com, or the right program (Macromedia Flash) to load the images. People were not ready for the excessive graphics, movies, audio, and video. * Unable to alter customer buying behavior Boo. com was unable to attract customers in large numbers, nor was it able to generate a sufficient level of repeat customer from the small number of clients that did use its services. Few people are happy to buy clothes without first trying them on, which represented a fundamental problem for Boo. D. What could Boo. com have done differently that might made it a success? * Technology First Solutions The technology that was supposed to power Boo. com did not work. As with everything else, the concept for its Web site was extraordinarily ambitious, with complex global distribution and multiple currencies and dazzling interactive features. And it was to have been built from scratch, something the technology team came to realize was difficult, if not impossible. Management spending was unprecedented for a dot. com. By the time the site was supposed to go live in May 1999, Boo. com had run up a $600,000 bill from Hill Knowlton, the companys public relations firm, mostly for setting up lunches with fashion editors for the founders. Hill Knowlton threatened to stop working for Boo. com because the firm was not paid on time. Ms. Leander, a former Elite model who was also Boo. coms marketing chief, hired Roman Coppola, Francis Ford Coppolas son, to direct the companys TV ads, featuring nerdy young people in urban chic clothing, which were part of a $42 million campaign for the big introduction. That included $25 million worth of advertising in magazines, newspapers, and billboards. Many employees said they received a mobile phone, a Palm hand-held device and an American Express card. Salaries were high for a dot-com on the make. III. Compare and discuss contrast between Staples. com Boo. com Usability It has been obvious from day one on the Web that what people want is fast downloading, information rich websites. Speed is a critical factor that drives Web usage. When people come to a website they are invariably looking for information. They dont want to hang around. They dont want to be left waiting. The best website is the one that gets them the right content fastest. In general, usability was a big issue for Boo. Consumers did not have the bandwidth to shop at Boo. com, or the right program (Macromedia Flash) to load the images. During then, the common folk were not ready for the excessive graphics, movies, audio, and video. Also, the annoyance of Miss Boo, their online helper, also detracted people from shopping at Boo. com. As more problems arose, Boo forgot about their customers. Staples. com has not committed the same mistake. It has built a portal based on what customer wants, content rich and fast downloading. This was clearly indicated by Staples. com portal recent won of a prestigious award for best business-to-business site from MIMC, the Massachusetts Interactive Media Council. (www. boston. internet. com/news/article. php/494001).   Convenience Feedback from customer commented that Boo web site was very complicated to navigate through, which meant that it was very difficult to make comparisons between the different brands that were stocked. According to Mori (2000) the ability to find product information and to compare prices is a very attractive feature for Internet shoppers. The Staples. com web site on the other hand has been designed for usability, reduced clicks, time-saving navigational tools, and personalized time-saving features for quick access. * Interaction Interaction is the means of relationship-building with individual customers by providing timely pre-sales information and excellent after-sales support. Boo. com has no strategy of building up customer relationship. The company suffered from very low rates of customer retention. Staples. com offers tremendous online resources that provide personalized, right time customer information. When you place an order, Staples encourages you to sign up for e-mail reminders, which will be sent to you BEFORE you run out. Once you receive the e-mail you can access Staples. com directly, buy what you need and your new supplies will be on their way. Product matchmaker- products are listed specific to the customer personal equipment. Plus, order history and a favorite shopping basket will keep track of items that are continuously purchased for fast checkout! This strategy clearly scored a big plus in term of building good relationship with their customer. * Brand Image For any new start up, making itself known is a big challenge. In Boo. com case, it spent relentlessly to create it brand image. The management committed $25 million to an advertising budget, a huge sum for a start-up. The company chose to advertise in expensive but trendy fashion magazines such as Vanity Fair as well as on cable television and the Internet. Staples. com has an easier path for it inherited the brand name from its parent company Staples Inc. * Vision or Strategy The creators Boo. com had a great vision, but failed to support that with a good strategy. First, the company had failed to consider potential competition from its main competitors who have strong brand name such as Lands End, and Nordstrom. Second, it is evident that little market research was done as Boo. com strived to sell a good (clothing) that was hard to sell on the Internet. As for most shoppers, they prefer to touch, feel, and try on clothes before buying it. Third, they failed to consider their resources as they launched their websites simultaneously in several countries. Staples. com has both a vision and good strategy. It has established a vision of creating outstanding customer service through a great Web experience. With this vision, it laid the strategy foundation that the key to online success and increased market share was to make its e-commerce site as usable as possible. Staples wanted the site to be customer-driven: to support customer needs in an easy-to-use, intuitive way. Conclusion There would be various reasons for failure in EC such as lack of funding, incorrect revenue model, and so much more, but typically, no business model should ever ignore the golden rule customer satisfaction. Strategic planning clarifies what an EC project should do or focus on with respect to the companys mission and the given business environment. To start or to survive companies must learn from the lesson of others failure and successful stories. Appendix A: Critical Success factors (Extract from: http://www. e-bc. ca/) Critical Success Factor Definition Competitive Advantage 1. Convenience The usability of the web site for the purpose for which it was designed: for example, to assist, buying or selling, to find information, to track a process. Users find it easy to carry out the process, so they are more likely to use the site and return to it. 2. Brand Image The ability to build up a brand name for the e-commerce business, and its products and services, using online and offline brand-building techniques. The more awareness a business can generate for its site, the greater the volume of traffic and potential for sales. 3. Interaction The means of relationship-building with individual customers by providing timely pre-sales information and excellent after-sales support. The business builds up a critical mass of loyal customers. Reference: 1. e-business infrastructure: Lessons from failure, Computer Finance, Dec 2000, p11 2. Mack, Ann M. , Stayin Alive, Adweek Eastern Edition, 06/12/2000, Vol. 41 Issue 24, p68 3. Turban, Efraim, King, David. , Lee. , Warkentin, Merill. , Chung, H. Michael. (2002) Electronic Commerce 2002: A Mangerial Perspective, Prentice Hall.  http://www.hostelworld.com/

Strategies for Sustainable Rice Farming

Strategies for Sustainable Rice Farming LOW CARBON INITIATIVES: A RURAL APPRAISAL OF VARIOUS MITIGATIVE STRATEGIES USED BY RICE FARMERS AS A SCHEME FOR SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA SAVANNA. INTRODUCTION Most of the warming that has occurred since mid-20th century is due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, human activities including modern agriculture contribute to the production GHGs and on the overall, about 14% of GHG emissions comes from the agricultural sector (IPCC, 1996). Several naturally produced and human produced GHGs trap heat. CO2, CH4, and N2O are long-lived in the atmosphere and are the major contributors to positive increases in radiative forces (IPCC, 1996). Agricultural activities are significant producers of CH4 and N2O, of the three main gases that are influenced by land management and that are responsible for the potential greenhouse effect, CH4 has the 2nd greatest climate forcing potential of 27% CAST, (1992) arising from enteric fermentation of farm animals and rice cultivation. BACKGROUND In Nigeria, rice is one of the major cereals grown for food, the cultivable land to rice lies under five major ecologies namely: rain fed upland, rain fed lowland, irrigated rice, deep water and tidal mangrove swamp (Olayemi, 1997). Although Nigeria is the largest rice producer in West Africa and 85% of the total production comes from the north FAO (2012), rice production still seeks an increase in yield to meet the budding population and reduce importation. According to Bello (2004), Nigeria has the potential to produce enough rice for its needs and even export but this is not achieved now because the technology, management practices and the efficiency with which farmers use resources influence productivity. JUSTIFICATION Self-sufficiency in rice production is the goal of the Nigerian government, this has prompted the government to find ways of boosting local rice production (Bello, 2004). Rice paddies have been identified as major CH4 source induced by human activities and Nigerian paddies are not left out. This poses a challenge as researchers are faced daily with the challenges of how to mitigate or adapt to climate change, increase adoption of low carbon practices in all sectors and ways to implement their findings in local and global context of sustainable resource management. Consequently, estimating CH4 emissions from rice paddies and evaluating the low carbon practices used by farmers has become a pressing issue for assessing GHG impacts from agroecosystems and development of mitigation options at local scales for sustainable resource management. Objectives: Spatio-temporal mapping of lands cultivated to rice from 1983 to 2013 in the study area. To compare the CH4 emissions from upland and lowland rice fields. Assess the understanding of climate change and various low carbon practices among rice farmers for environmental protection. Understand the challenges associated with the adoption of low carbon options for rice cultivation. METHODOLOGY To achieve the stated objectives, the study will involve Geo-spatial analysis, field measurements and socioeconomic survey. The study area: The study will be carried out in the savannah belt of Nigeria, Bida zone in Niger state will be selected for the study because of its long history of rice cultivation and its proximity to National Cereal Research Institute, where technologies for cereal cultivation emanate and are disseminated. The zone consists of three Local Government Areas (Lavun, Bida and Gbako) and has a total land area of 6, 181 km2. Geo-spatial analysis Data: Cloud free-Ortho-rectified Landsat images of the area for the years 1983, 1993, 2003 and 2013 will be acquired from image vendors. Analysis: ArcGIS and IDIRSI geo-spatial tools will be used for the analysis of the Images. The images will be overlaid and an area of interest will be created from the overlay. Ground truthing will be done to aid supervised classification of the false and true composites of the area. The map of the dominant land use change of the area will be generated for each year. Accuracy assessment of the classification will be done, image differencing of the land cover maps will quantify the changes in land sizes cultivated to rice. Methane measurement: CH4 emission will be measured by using a portable methane gas meter (Gastech, Australia). Surface CH4 measurements from uplands and lowlands will be taken by inverting a 70mm diameter plastic funnel on the soil surface, the inlet tube of the CH4 meter will be connected to the funnel to read CH4 concentrations (Kartik and Nanjappa). Sampling procedure and Data collection A multistage sampling will be adopted for the study. First, two administrative wards will be randomly selected from each Local Government Area, for the second stage, two villages will be selected randomly from each selected ward and at the third stage, 20 rice farmers from each selected village will be randomly selected to give 80 farmers per Local Government Area and a total of 240 farmers from the zone. To allow for pre-testing and errors, 300 questionnaires will be printed. The sampling frame will focus on adult rice farmers who live in the communities and have been farming for over 25 years based on the assumption that these respondents will have adequate experiential knowledge about the subject matter. Primary data on the understanding of farmers about climate change, its effect on paddy farming, low carbon practices used and the challenges associated with the use of these practices will be collected by administering structured questionnaires to respondents in the study area. Statistical Analysis All data collected will be analyzed, using computer based Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) and STATA. A multiple linear regression will be used to link socioeconomic factors with factors that influence land use. REFERENCES CAST, 1992. Preparing U.S. Agriculture for Global Climate Change. Task Force Report No. 119. Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, Ames, IA. Facts and Figures about Niger State, Assessed from http://www.nigerstate.gov.ng/epubl/Facts%20and%20Figures%20about%20Niger%20State1.pdf Kartik V. and Nanjappa A. Phytocapping: An Innovative Technique to Reduce Methane Emission from Landfills. Assessed from methaneflux paper (Environmental Research Journal).pdf Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 1996. Climate Change 1995. The Science of Climate Change. The Contribution of Working Group I to the Second Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, New York. Impact of Trade on Domestic Rice Production and the challenge of Self-sufficiency in Nigeria Assessed from www.warda.cgiar.org//RicePolicy/Chuma.E/Chuma.E.Nigeria.Pres.ppt. Olayemi, J.K 1997. The Nigerian Rice Industry: Performance, Problems and Prospects. A research report prepared for Food and Agricuktural Organisation, FAO; December 1997. UNCCS (United Nations Climate Change Secretariat), Emissions Summary for Nigeria, http://unfccc.int/files/ghg_data/ghg_data_unfccc/ghg_profiles/application/pdf/nga_ghg_profile.pdf WEBSITES USED www.ricenigeria.com EXPECTED RESULTS AND THE RELEVANCE OF MY PROJECT TO CLIMATE CHANGE The distinctiveness of this study is that it seeks to incorporate the experiences of rural farmers in understanding the challenges associated with adopting Low carbon initiatives at local scales. This project aims at: Describing the local perception of climatic vagaries in their environment Characterizing the prevalent land use patterns in recent times. Characterizing the various local conservation practices used by rice farmers for resource conservation. Describing the effects and constraints of adopting resource protection practices. The study would reveal the changes in land cover as mediated by increase in productivity over the past thirty years in the study area and the associated methane emissions. This would be helpful in the design sustainable resource conservation measures for climate protection. As well, the study will reveal the awareness level of the respondents’ on some facts about climate change and variability, its toll on rice farming and various measures used to adapt to these changes. Since considerable attention has not been given to measuring results from adaptation and mitigation activities, results from this study hopes to be a working tool for the Nigerian government in the development of a simple Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) plan that is more readily useable by farmers through capacity building and technology development or transfer. This study will also provide insight into local resource conservation strategies that can be improved upon for sustainable resource management. The dataset will therefore become a working tool for the government, legislators, private sector, civil society and other stakeholders for appropriate understanding on the trends of greenhouse gas emission from paddies in Bida zone for necessary policy formulation on strategies to reduce the emissions in order to improve ecological system conservation and mitigate global warming. Please explain how you intend to communicate the project results during and after the sponsorship period and which target groups you particularly want to address. (2,000 characters max. The ultimate foci of this study is to raise public awareness on the amount of greenhouse gases released from paddies, it also intends to assess the low carbon strategies used by farmers and the challenges associated with using them. The major target groups are the locals and government officials. Although, the communities have limited expertise at some stages of the study, I intend to work in partnership with them for their ability to suggest strategies that would facilitate data collection and ensure that the data collected are representative of the community during the study. This will be done by clearly explaining the purpose of the study to the community head, since he has a very good knowledge of the community and can help ensure that all factors required for the study is provided. The proximity of the National Cereal Research Institute (NCRI) will be of great assistance during the study and dissemination of results. They will be helpful in providing previous research results and some experimental techniques that will be invaluable in the design of the survey. Usually, conveying research results requires wisdom to avoid rejection. Before communicating the research results to the entire community, results will discussed with the study team from NCRI and the community representatives. Also, since the FADAMA intervention programmes that serve as an intermediary between the government and the communities are common around the study area, assistance will be sought from the FADAMA facilitators during the study and when communicating the research results to the government to enhance acceptance for policy formulation. Timeline of the project, including milestones TIME FRAME (MONTHS) ACTIVITY 1-2 Arrival in Germany, Intensive German language course 3 Reconnaissance survey, acquisition of project materials and pretesting of questionnaire 4-6 Questionnaire administration and analysis. 7-10 Image acquisition, geospatial analysis and ground truthing 11-12 Preliminary write-up and corrections 13-14 Presentations and submission This study is expected to cover a one calendar year period, although this proposed duration is subject to modifications from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

The Medieval Crusades: Launched to Spread Worship of Dionysus :: European Europe History

The Medieval Crusades: Launched to Spread Worship of Dionysus Although it is a popular notion that the crusades of the Eleventh through Thirteenth Century Europe were launched to spread Christianity, it is a seldom realized fact that they were actually launched to spread the worship of the Greek God Dionysus. While many fundamentalist radicals and even some historians who ought to know better will dispute this,it is,nevertheless,true. During the Middle Ages in Europe,there were a series of ten religious crusades launched over a period of three centuries.It is commonly believed that these were organized and carried out by Christian religious leaders to unite more territory under the red and white flag of their cherished religion. The fact that accounts of the Crusades were recorded as they are in the history books is due to the overwhelming influence exerted by overzealous religious leaders on historians of the day.It is an unfortunate fact that little remains of the historical representations of what actually happened. While the Church leaders of the day destroyed all written account of who initiated the ten Crusades and what really occurred in the course of these religious conquests,the true story of what happened survives to this day.High in the mountainous terrain of Northern Turkey exists a tribe of dedicated monks who,with their female counterparts,still engage in the rituals of Dionysean worship,just as they have for centuries in their mountaintop isolation. These are the chosen few who engage in the festivals of uncontrolled drinking and the shared group enjoyment of their female members characterizing their worship of this fun-loving God.It is to these few that practice not the self-denial of the Christian Church,but rather the indulgent,free-spirited way of the Dionysean following that the true story of the Crusades is known. While the historical accounts of the participants and the motives behind the Crusades are inaccurate,they do correctly identify the routes taken by the Crusaders.Their objective was to come up through Europe,eventually arriving in Turkey,staging festival after festival along their way,in much the same manner as the original followers of Dionysus did. After that,however,they planned to return through what is now the Soviet Republics,so as to avoid angry festival-goers recovering from the ill effects of excessive alcohol consumption and various social diseases contracted during the festivities.After the tenth Crusade,after numerous military encounters with opposing religious groups occupying various territories,they had arrived in Turkey. There,a tremendous celebration and public orgy was held,as this would be their final destination before returning home. Unfortunately,however,the group lingered too long and was overrun by unruly,hung-over citizens.The Dionysean company's chariots and wagons were burned,and they were forced to flee into the mountains of

In ken keseay’s one flew over the cuckoo’s nest a psychiatric ward beco

In ken keseay’s one flew over the cuckoo’s nest a psychiatric ward becomes a metaphor for the oppressive nature of society In ken keseay's 'one flew over the cuckoo's nest' a psychiatric ward becomes a metaphor for the oppressive nature of society. This symbolic novel relays the story of an inmate standing up against the powerful forces that operate a mental institute. This novel represents more than man vs the institutions. The novel compels us to think about just how thin the line is that separates insanity from sanity and treatment from control. One flew Over thee cuckoo's nest represents a heroic struggle of personality against an institution of mindless conformity. Change becomes relevant in each character in the ward all through the influence of mcmurphy. The central character chief bromden experiences a remarkable outbreak as mcmurphy brings him out of his shell. Chief bromden is a paranoid schizophrenic as well as the narrator of the novel. Kesey uses the mental hospital as a metaphor for the oppression he sees in the modern society. This makes us questi...

The Architecture of Moshe Safde Essay -- Architecture

Moshe Safdie is an architect who really examines how a building can shape an area. Not only how the space may look but its functionality, impact on the environment, and impact on the surrounding community. He seeks to engage and enrich the communities making unique and inviting spaces to fit the needs of each project. (Safdie Architects) One of Safdie's most well known buildings is Habitat 67 (or Habitat). The concept of Habitat began in Safdie's master's thesis. He submitted the idea to the 1967 World Exhibition and, when it was accepted, established his own firm to help see its completion. (Safdie Architects) A series of carefully planned and stacked concrete blocks, Habitat seeks to create a space where every resident of the apartments would have access to natural lighting and a private garden area. It was the building that launched Safdie into a very successful career at a fairly young age (being 29 when it was built). The use of natural light and intimate spaces inside larger vessels have carried throughout all his work regardless of exterior design. (TED) Due to his Jewish heritage and early success, he established a second office in Jerusalem in order to help restore the city. (Sheets) In 1976, one of the projects he received was an extension of Yad Vashem Holocaust museum to be dedicated to the one and a half million children that died during the Holocaust. He felt there were already so many museums dedicated to information about the Holocaust that he wanted to take a different approach to this one. Instead of old clothing and drawings of the survivors, he proposed they tunnel into the hill to a cave below and using images such as photographs and a single candle to convey the heaviness of the loss of the children. T... ...ometimes I don't like the messages I see, pieces such as Serrano's Piss Christ conveys a message that a Jackson Pollack just doesn't. Pendulums can only swing so far before they come back. The art world, like everything, reflects this. It seems the reverse has already began in many ways though only the future will say for sure. Works Cited Arc Space. 1 August 2005. 1 June 2012 . Architect's Newspaper. 1 June 2012 . Safdie Architects. 31 May 2012 . Saieh, Nico. ArchDaily. 26 July 2010. 1 June 2012 . Sheets, Hilarie M. "Architectural Extrovert." ARTnews April 2011: 60-63. TED. March 2002. 31 May 2012 . The Architecture of Moshe Safde Essay -- Architecture Moshe Safdie is an architect who really examines how a building can shape an area. Not only how the space may look but its functionality, impact on the environment, and impact on the surrounding community. He seeks to engage and enrich the communities making unique and inviting spaces to fit the needs of each project. (Safdie Architects) One of Safdie's most well known buildings is Habitat 67 (or Habitat). The concept of Habitat began in Safdie's master's thesis. He submitted the idea to the 1967 World Exhibition and, when it was accepted, established his own firm to help see its completion. (Safdie Architects) A series of carefully planned and stacked concrete blocks, Habitat seeks to create a space where every resident of the apartments would have access to natural lighting and a private garden area. It was the building that launched Safdie into a very successful career at a fairly young age (being 29 when it was built). The use of natural light and intimate spaces inside larger vessels have carried throughout all his work regardless of exterior design. (TED) Due to his Jewish heritage and early success, he established a second office in Jerusalem in order to help restore the city. (Sheets) In 1976, one of the projects he received was an extension of Yad Vashem Holocaust museum to be dedicated to the one and a half million children that died during the Holocaust. He felt there were already so many museums dedicated to information about the Holocaust that he wanted to take a different approach to this one. Instead of old clothing and drawings of the survivors, he proposed they tunnel into the hill to a cave below and using images such as photographs and a single candle to convey the heaviness of the loss of the children. T... ...ometimes I don't like the messages I see, pieces such as Serrano's Piss Christ conveys a message that a Jackson Pollack just doesn't. Pendulums can only swing so far before they come back. The art world, like everything, reflects this. It seems the reverse has already began in many ways though only the future will say for sure. Works Cited Arc Space. 1 August 2005. 1 June 2012 . Architect's Newspaper. 1 June 2012 . Safdie Architects. 31 May 2012 . Saieh, Nico. ArchDaily. 26 July 2010. 1 June 2012 . Sheets, Hilarie M. "Architectural Extrovert." ARTnews April 2011: 60-63. TED. March 2002. 31 May 2012 .

Bmgt 488 Chp 8 Exercise 6

Page 286-287 6. You have prepared the following schedule for a project in which the key resource is a backhoe. This schedule is contingent on having 3 backhoes. You receive a call from your partner, Brooker, who desperately needs 1 of your backhoes. You tell Brooker you would be willing to let him have the backhoe if you are still able to complete your project in 11 months. Develop a resource schedule in the loading chart that follows to see if it is possible to complete the project in 11 months with only 2 backhoes.Be sure to record the order in which you schedule the activities using scheduling heuristics. Activities 5 and 6 require 2 backhoes, while activities 1, 2, 3 and 4 require 1 backhoe. No splitting of activities is possible. Can you say yes to Brooker’s request? Legend |ES |ID |EF | |SL |RES |SL | |LS |DUR |LF | RESOURCE | | |Schedule the resources load chart with ES and Slack updates | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ID |RES |DUR |ES |LF |SL | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |1 | | | | | | | | | | | |1 |1 |1 |0 |5 |4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |2 |1 |2 |0 |3 |1 |1 |1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |3 |1 |3 |0 |3 |0 |1 |1 |1 | | | | | | | | | | | |4 |1 |2 |2 |7 |3 | | | | | | | |1 |1 | | | | | |5 |2 |4 |3 |7 |0 | | | |2 |2 |2 | | | | | | | | |6 |2 |2 |7 |9 |0 | | | | | | | | | |2 |2 | | | RESOURCES SCHEDULES |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |1 |1 |2 |2 | | | |RESOURCES AVAILABLE |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 | | Yes, you can give Brooker one backhoe, however, you have increased the risk of being late if a delay should occur. List the order in which your activities were scheduled. (3, 2, 1, 5, 4, 6)

Learning English: A Lesson in Language and Culture

To those outside the educational system, the teaching of language may seem to be a simple communication of skills from one person to another.   For those involved in education, however, language instruction has long been linked to cultural bias and social engineering, leading to debates over the notion of a â€Å"neutral language.†Ã‚   Such a language would facilitate the exchange of objective concepts such as spelling, grammar, and pronunciation without imposing subjective cultural constructs such as beliefs abut class, gender, and religion. As languages originate and develop in response to needs and conditions all too human, and therefore highly emotional, it is unlikely that any truly neutral language exists, and this is particularly evident when we consider the English language. The teaching of English has sociocultural implications that extend far beyond the learning environment, and this is best demonstrated by examining the relationship of Standard English to other varieties of English as well as to other languages being taught. The distinction between standard and vernacular forms of a language is based on the perceived differences between the educated and the uneducated.   The term â€Å"standard,† when used to describe language, generally refers to that form of the language that is used for formal and written applications by those who occupy the highest ranks of society.   Rules governing its usage tend to be rather strict and resistant to change. In contrast, a vernacular is the colloquial language used informally by a group of people, much less rigid in its forms and much more liable to change.   An online version of the Oxford English Dictionary, the recognized authority on the English language, exemplifies this divisiveness in its definition of the noun â€Å"vernacular† as â€Å"the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people of a country or region.†Ã‚   Aligning the vernacular form with so-called â€Å"ordinary† folks naturally infers a similar association between the standard form and less ordinary people, the literate elite who use it. This lofty status is often justified by reference to the wealth of classical literature, historical documents, and scientific/technical writings that exist in both British and American Standar1d English.   An understanding of Standard English provides access to these canons and to the educational systems that utilize them.   These systems offer the knowledge and expertise necessary for the highest levels of professional and intellectual achievement.   Simply put, a better than average knowledge of Standard English offers a better than average chance at attaining prominence in highly skilled and specialized areas such as education, business, or technology (Brindley 208). Whether this effect is seen as favorable or unfavorable depends, as most things do, on the perspective through which it is viewed.   Any experience that affords people greater personal control over important life issues may seem universally appealing, yet insistence upon teaching only Standard English has evoked considerable controversy (Brindley 205).   Those who advocate the teaching of Standard English writing in a way that emphasizes its reliance on stringent rules and formats have been accused of perpetuating a desired status quo (Brindley 226-227). By learning Standard English, students are carrying on a long tradition of literary scholarship that has yielded many important intellectual gains and brought the western world to the forefront in industry and science.   Detractors see the teaching of Standard English as an imposition of social norms that depend on conformity and narrow-mindedness.   By forcing people to think in constrained ways about language, teachers are hindering both creativity and individuality for the sake of convention (Bourne 243). Such adherence to uniformity often puts the learner in an uncomfortable and confusing situation, as when the home background and the educational environment clash in terms of language.   Katharine Perera describes the difficulties encountered by children being taught Standard English while living in homes and neighborhoods where the vernacular is the mode of expression. For them, a change in their manner of speech represents an invalidation of their customary way of life and may create barriers between them and their peers.   The experience of speaking one way with friends or family who share their idiom, only to then be told by teachers that this language is wrong, forces most children to reluctantly choose one identity at the expense of the other (cited in Brindley 212). Concern over this loss of identity has fueled heated disputes in â€Å"mother-tongue† contexts, where English is taught as a first language and some form of it is used by much of the population as a native language (Brindley 206).   Davis and Watson report that in Australia, post-war migration increased the nation’s multiculturalism while weakening the influence of a common British legacy.   Responding to the resultant search for a national identity, the Australian curriculum acknowledges the relationship between this identity and language yet also recognizes the diversity that exists within â€Å"Australian Standard English† (cited in Brindley 206). The Australian Education Council’s statement on the English curriculum sets Australian English apart from American or British English chiefly by differences in vocabulary and pronunciation, and describes this national variety of English as a combination of the Standard Australian English used in schools and several vernacular forms, any one of which a student may use at home.  Ã‚   The curriculum statement also advises that Standard Australian English should be taught as an extension of local idioms and not as a replacement for them. Although the report further stresses importance of Australian Standard English because of its role in educational structures, professional fields, and spoken communication, it also recognizes the value of vernacular forms and the cultural backgrounds they represent.   Its national plan for teaching English also notes that language changes in respect to context and purposes, and it urges that students be made aware of this fact so they can apply their language skills accordingly.   The Council also officially confers equal status to standard and local forms of English, viewing neither one as inherently superior to the other (cited in Brindley 207) Sue Brindley relates that the issue of the relative worth of different language forms is intensely debated in Britain, where the world’s richest history of English has led to much linguistic diversity.   Standard English is an integral part of the official school curriculum, yet there is no consensus about exactly what constitutes standardized English and how it is connected to a student’s home variety (Brindley 208).   A Department for Education and Welsh Office statement cites strict observance to rules of vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and pronunciation as the distinguishing features of Standard English to be taught in England and Wales, yet this description is too vague to give a precise definition. Although the British policy encourages the use of standardized language for both written and spoken applications, it also recognizes that spoken English is more spontaneous and therefore less apt to conform to the same rigorous criteria used in more carefully planned written applications (cited in Brindley 210).   By associating Standard English with qualities like precision and clear diction, the British curriculum contradicts the viewpoint of many linguists and educators, as well as the sentiments expressed in the Australian English statement, by implying that school-sanctioned standardized forms are linguistically superior to other varieties (Brindley 211).   The obvious counterpart to this attitude is a belief that vernacular forms of English are inferior. Brindley speaks of educators who are concerned that such a prejudicial position will necessarily lead to a gradual erosion of the traditional cultural values that underlie the home life of those whose first language is the vernacular. Some teachers have taken it upon themselves to teach Standard English in a way that does not discriminate against home-based language varieties and, by extension, their associated ways of life. In this manner, they hope to allow students to derive the benefits inherent in a multicultural approach: a greater fund of knowledge about languages, a richer social experience, and a keener appreciation of different manners of thinking (212-213). In countries where the native language is not English, there is every bit as much controversy regarding the cultural aftereffects of learning English.   For people living in geographical areas marked by poverty and need, an education in English may be seen as a way to rise to the echelons of power and privilege.   Yet for those already enjoying that power and privilege, the promotion of English for the masses may be seen as either a welcome conversion or a dangerous threat.   Anthea Fraser Gupta’s account of the spread of English in colonial India traces the complicated history of the English empire’s influence over native Indians.   When Great Britain officially endorsed the teaching of English to Indians, the intent was to introduce not only the language of the United Kingdom but also its cultural and religious values. British officials were in effect attempting to create darker-skinned versions of themselves, seeing the inculcation of western ideals as a means of eradicating a way of life that they considered idolatrous, immoral, and unrefined ( 190-191).   At the same time, Indians in positions of power worried that giving the lower classes a glimpse of what was possible through an English education worked against their interests.   S.N. Mukherjee (cited in Gupta 192) reports that the Calcutta upper classes feared that those below their social rank would become dissatisfied with their inferior status. More than a hundred years after the events chronicled in Gupta’s account, teachers of English still encounter resistance from pupils who either feel that language is being forced upon them or resent social exclusion from English-speaking society (Bourne 243-244)..   Despite this, Jill Bourne informs us that the current trend in non-English speaking countries is to incorporate English language lessons into the primary school system.   Even in Malaysia, where this is not endorsed, private schools offer English instruction to students whose wealthy parents are willing to pay for what they perceive as an important step on the road to social success (244). Several countries, including Germany, the former Czech Republic, Hungary, Malay, and Hong Kong, have implemented some form of what America calls Language and Content Teaching, which blends language instruction with course content.   The focus is shifted from the English language to the curriculum material, which is presented through the medium of English.   However, in most parts of the world where English is taught, the emphasis remains on English as a subject itself (Bourne 244).   This suggests that for most nations, what is truly being sought is not an adoption of English values but the attainment of proficiency in a language that offers access to more profitable pursuits. It is easy to understand why countries such as Hong Kong, whose economy is deeply invested in international commerce, would feel pressured to acquire English fluency.   English is a major language of trade, and an inability to speak it proficiently is a definite disadvantage in the business arena.   This becomes clearer when we consider it on a smaller, more personal scale.   Anyone who has spent time among people who shared a common, foreign language knows the frustration and stigmatization that can result from an inability to communicate easily and appropriately with others. There is a natural human desire to feel connected to others in some way, and language provides an excellent means of achieving that sense of belonging.   When essential life factors such as economic, social, and professional standing are at stake, language becomes even more crucial. This relationship between modes of communication and key life issues is precisely why the concept of a neutral language is a hypothetical one.   The teaching of any language involves the transmission of much more than rules about grammar and pronunciation.   It inevitably requires some measure of cultural change on the part of the learner, and in the case of English instruction those changes can have profound effects upon many major aspects of life.   For this reason, educators and students alike must respect the various forms of language as reflections of valuable cultural and social traditions. Works Cited Bourne, Jill. â€Å"English for Speakers of Other Languages.† Learning English: Development and Diversity. Eds. Neil Mercer and Joan Swann. UK: The Open University, 2002, 243-270. Brindley, Sue, with contributions from Swann, Joan. â€Å"Issues in English Teaching.† Learning English: Development and Diversity. Eds. Neil Mercer and Joan Swann. UK: The Open University, 2002, 205-228. Gupta, Anthea Fraser. â€Å"English and Empire: Teaching English in Nineteenth Century India.† Learning English:   Development and Diversity. Eds. Neil Mercer and Joan Swann. UK: The Open University, 2002, 188-194. â€Å"vernacular.† Compact Oxford English Dictionary. 2005. http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/vernacular?view=uk (3 Dec. 2005).