Saturday, January 25, 2020

The Effects Of Task Based Listening English Language Essay

The Effects Of Task Based Listening English Language Essay In the Malaysian educational context, the main purpose of English language instruction is to prepare learners for effective and efficient communication in English in their social and professional situations (Chitravelu et al, 1995, p.4). In many organizations, English is the main language of communication and one needs to be competent in English in order to succeed and advance in the respective organization. The importance of English language as a global language has always been a major motivating feature in the learning and use of the language in Malaysia especially as a medium to gain information in science and technology, commerce and trade as well as for entertainment and media. In April 2000, there was an issue highlighted in the mass media about the reasons behind the inability of some 39,000 graduates in the country to get a job. Tan Sri Musa Mohamad the Minister of Education at that time as quoted in the New Straits Times stated that, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ employers did not just lo ok at ones qualification but also factors like personality, potential, English proficiency and experience. This implies that job seekers should try to achieve certain level of mastery of English to help them secure appropriate jobs particularly in private sector. Besides, job interviews for professional vacancies in critical fields like Law, Accountancy and Engineering are generally understood to be conducted in English (Hanapiah, 2004) In many contexts where English is regarded as a foreign as opposed to a second language, there are many problems in developing real communicative competence in learners including the ability to listen and comprehend properly. Brown and Yule (1983) believe that many language learners regard speaking skills as the criteria for knowing a language. They defined fluency as the ability to communicate with others much more than the ability to read, write and comprehend oral language. However, learning to talk in the foreign language is often considered to be one of the difficult aspects of language learning for the teacher to help students with. Unlike written language, it is also not easy to provide good models of spoken language for the foreign learners. According to Bygate (1987), one of the basic problems in foreign-language teaching is to prepare learners to be able to use the language. How the preparation is done and how successful it will be, are very much depending on how the teachers understand the aim of teaching the language (p.3). The main features of speaking which can be traced to the processing conditions of communication involve the time factor in which the words are being spoken as they are being decided and understood. The fact that the language is being spoken as it is being decided affects the speakers ability to plan and organize the message, and to control the language. Thus, mistakes often occur in the message and in the choice of words during a conversation (ibid. p12). 1.3 Objective The objective of the study is to investigate the effects of task-based listening activities on the speaking performance of FELDAs EFL learners. The difference in students speaking performance before and after undergoing the Task -Based Listening activities would be one of the main concerns in this study. A comparison will be drawn between the TBL and non TBL classes to see whether there is any difference in students speaking performance. Besides, students confidence to speak is another area of interest to be investigated in this study. It is hoped that the study will be able to identify any significant difference in students level of confidence to converse in English after undergoing the Task- based listening activities as compared to those who have not been exposed to the activities. Another objective of the study is to investigate FELDAs EFL learners attitude towards the implementation of the task-based listening activities. Expressions of either positive or negative feelings towards the task-based listening activities will reflect impressions of the effectiveness of the activities in enhancing students speaking skill. 1.2 Problem Statement Speaking is considered one of the most difficult language skills to acquire among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. In rural setting schools, particularly in the FELDA (Federal Land Development Authority) scheme, there is a lack of exposure and communicative use of the English language. Most students regard English as serving very limited function once they leave the classroom and as such they hardly see the need to use it in their daily life. As in the classroom setting most EFL learners rather remain silent or resort to rote learning when they are required to respond to a speaking task. As such, it is a demanding task for language teachers to provide sufficient inputs for students to be competent speakers of English (Bygate, 1987). Students usually feel insecure about their level of English and face problems communicating as well as expressing themselves in the target language. As a result, they rather remain silent as they are in fear of making mistakes and do not show active participation in speaking lessons. Ian G. Malcolm (1987) refers to the guarded and taciturn behavior of students who refuse to speak as the shyness syndrome and that this problem has been reported of Polynesians in New Zealand, various American Indian groups, Hispanics in the United States, Black Americans and Southeast Asians. Malcolm quoting Tan (1976) and Salleh (1981) says that many pupils in Southeast Asian classrooms are bilinguals whose use of the classroom language is hesitant. Yap (1979) also quoted as saying that the frequent complaint mainly in secondary schools is that learners do not respond or take too long to respond, or speak too softly (cited in Gaudart ,2003, p.2) Emphasis should thus be given to address this problem as speaking is an important element in mastering English language. Therefore, it is important to explore new methods of teaching in order to enhance students speaking performance and confidence to use the language. 1.4 Research Questions The study attempts to answer the questions that follow: 1) What is the speaking performance of FELDA learners after undergoing task-based learning activities? 2) Do task-based listening activities enhance EFL students confidence to speak in English? 3) What are the attitudes of the FELDA EFL learners towards task-based listening activities in enhancing their speaking performance? 1.5 Significance of study The findings may provide language teachers with specific language teaching procedures to enhance ESL learners ability and confidence to communicate orally in English. Besides, in a wider scope, the study can also be used as the yardstick in designing supplementary materials to assist teachers in teaching speaking skill more effectively in the Malaysian classrooms. 1.6 Definitions of terms The following terms are significant in this study: 1.6.1 Task-based Listening Activities Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) or Task-based Instruction (TBI) makes the performance of meaningful tasks central to the learning process. The Task-based listening activities which will be used are based on authentic materials used in teaching second language. Nunan (1999) defines authentic materials as spoken or written language data that has been produced in the course of genuine communication, and not specifically written for purposes of language teaching. The materials are based on the real world context outside classroom in situations in which they really occur. Gebhard (1996) suggested some examples of the authentic materials that may serve as source for lesson planning including for listening and speaking class. The authentic listening- viewing materials include TV commercials, quiz shows, cartoons, news clips, comedy shows, movies, soap operas, professionally audio-taped short stories and novels, radio advertisements, songs, documentaries and sales pitches. In this study, the task based listening activities will include the use of audio CDs on selected stories and songs. Throughout the implementation of the activities students are required to respond to certain tasks related to the selected materials following the framework for task-based learning proposed by Jane Willis (1996) which comprise of pre-task, task cycle and language focus. Among the tasks suggested include listing(e.g. brainstorm/ fact finding), ordering or sorting (e.g. sequencing/ ranking), comparing (e.g. matching/ finding similarities or differences), problem solving (e.g . analysing real situation/ decision making), sharing experience (e.g. narrating/opinions) and creative tasks which includes all the tasks mentioned. 1.6.2 Speaking Performance Speaking in a second language involves the development of a particular type of communication skills. Because of its circumstances of production, oral language tends to differ from written language in its typical grammar, lexical and discourse patterns (Tareq Mitib, 2009). A person can be considered to be able to perform well in speaking skill when he is able to speak a language using the components correctly for example by making the right sounds, choosing the right words and getting the constructions grammatically correct. Pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary tasks will focus on the need for practice in language accuracy. At the same time, one also needs to get a clear message across and this involves choosing appropriate content or ideas to suit a situation, e.g. deciding what is polite or what might appear rude, how to interrupt or how to participate in a conversation. (http://www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistant/pdf/Unit4.pdf ) 1.6.3 School Based Oral Assessment Previously the English SPM examination had an oral examination component which was graded based on the candidates comprehension of a dialogue text and the ability to respond to a pictorial stimuli. However, the test was considered to be inadequate since students proficiency in English language continued to drop to the point where prospective employers in private and government sectors complained about the inability of graduates to converse in even the most rudimentary situations (Vinodini Murugesan, 2003). In 2002, the School-Based Oral Assessment (SBOA) was implemented for the first time on Form Four students who will be sitting for SPM in 2003 to replace the old oral assessment and this time it is considered to be in line with the communicative language teaching approach adopted in Malaysian schools. The School-Based Oral Assessment (SBOA) consists of 4 Models. The models are Model 1:Individual, Model 2:Student-Prompter, Model 3:Pair work and Model 4: Group work. Students are to be assessed twice in Form Four (using Model 1 and 2) and once in Form Five (using either Model 3 or Model 4). Marks are given based on students ability to converse on a topic effectively with appropriate responses, speak fluently using correct and acceptable pronunciation, speak coherently, speak the language using a wide range of appropriate vocabulary within context and speak using correct grammar. In some cases, students can actually request to repeat the test if deemed necessary especially when they are n ot satisfied with their mark. The total mark for each assessment is 30. When the students are in Form 5, the best mark among the three assessments will be taken and submitted together with other School Based Assessment Marks for SPM examination to the Malaysian Examination Board (Lembaga Peperiksaan Malaysia). 1.6.4 Confidence Confidence can be defined as a belief in one own ability to do things and be successful (Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary, 7th ed., 2005, p.318). It is ones perceptions of ones own abilities to achieve a stated outcome. ARCS Model of Motivational Design developed by John M. Keller of Florida State University identified Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction as the four steps for promoting and sustaining motivation in the learning process. According to Keller, confidence helps students to understand their likelihood for success. If they feel they cannot meet the objectives or that the cost (time or effort) is too high, their motivation will decrease. Besides, confidence also provides objectives and prerequisites that help students to estimate the probability of success by presenting performance requirements and evaluation criteria. It allows for small steps of growth during the learning process, provide feedback and support internal attributions for success. Not only lear ners should feel some degree of control over their learning and assessment, they too should believe that their success is a direct result of the amount of effort they have put forth (Keller, 1983 and 1987 cited in http://www.learning-theories.com/kellers-arcs-model-of-motivational-design.html.). Confidence in speaking involves ability to speak the target language fluently using the right rules and appropriate choice of words. In speech situation, thinking, listening and speaking go on almost simultaneously and people expect feedback on or response to what they have said almost as soon as they stop speaking (Chitravelu et.al, 1995). Anxiety of making mistakes is one of the major obstacles that learners have to overcome in learning speaking because most of the time learners are reluctant to be judged by listeners. Of all the four language skills, speaking skill is probably the one most affected by personality features. Students who are confident and have experienced success are likely to be more motivated and more willing to try harder. Therefore, teachers have an important role in building up students confidence to speak by being sensitive, sympathetic and encouraging as well as selecting material that is motivating and within the ability of the students (ibid). 1.6.5 Attitudes Attitudes refer to a persons way of thinking or feeling about somebody or something; the way that he or she behaves towards somebody or something actually shows how the person thinks or feels (Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary, 7th ed., 2005, p.85). The measurement of language attitudes provides information that is useful in teaching and language planning (Richards, Platt and Platt, 1997 cited in Tareq Mitib, 2009). In this study the EFL learners attitudes towards the Task-based listening activities will be measured through the use of a questionnaire which will be developed from the findings from focus group discussions. The questions will comprise of an adaptation of Gardners (1985) Attitude/ Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) and Rossett (1982) Needs Analysis questionnaire. 1.7 Limitation/ Delimitation Since this study will be carried out within a relatively short period of time on students with average to good proficiency of English, it would thus be interesting to see if using task-based listening activities on a lower English-proficiency group of EFL students with varying time spent would have a different effect on the results. Thus, this study might not be able to represent the whole FELDA scheme students speaking performance because only two groups of students from a school will be selected. Further studies need to be conducted in order to seek similarities or differences on this issue. Chapter 2: Review of Literature 2.1 Relationship between listening and speaking Speech involves communication between people and the rules that apply to all forms of interpersonal behaviour also apply to speaking behaviour (Chitravelu et.al, 1995, p.59). Graham-Marr (2004) mentioned many reasons for focusing in listening and speaking in EFL classroom and one of them is the fact that speaking skills have been found to be a fundamental skill necessary to succeed in life. The ability to speak in the target language has always been associated with the success of learning the language. Before a person can speak the language he learnt, he should first be able to listen and understand the language. Listening should be the first and foremost skill to be acquired in learning a new language because understanding spoken words is prerequisite to speaking, reading and writing; and that comprehension should precede reproduction. Listening skill transfers to other skills and promoting listening skills before focusing on oral skills can result in increased second language acqui sition. (Cheung, 2010). The relationship of listening and speaking skills was further elaborated by Goss (1982) who claimed that listening is a process of taking what you hear and organizing it into verbal units to which you can apply meaning. Applied to speech processing, listening requires that you structure the sounds that you hear and organize them into words, phrases, sentences, or other linguistic units. Bowen, Madsen and Hilferty (1985) (ibid) defined listening as attending to and interpreting oral language. The student should be able to hear oral speech in English, segment the stream of sounds, group them into lexical and syntactic units (words, phrases, sentences), and understand the message they convey (p. 73). Gary (1975) cited in Ghazali, (2003) said that giving pre-eminence to listening comprehension particularly in the early stages of second language teaching and learning contributes advantages of four different types, namely cognitive, efficiency, utility and effective. As such, Doff (1988) added that speaking skills cannot be developed unless listening skill is also developed. In order to have successful conversation, students must understand what is said to them because later on the ability to understand spoken English may be very important for studying, listening to the radio or understanding foreign visitors. To develop this ability, students need plenty of practice in listening to English spoken at normal speed (p.163). A listening lesson gives students the opportunity to listen to native speakers conversations if the related materials are well-chosen, and, listening to the target language a lot can help the students improve in their pronunciation (Gethin and Gunnemark, 1996). Bruton (1997:14-15) argues that students need to listen to prepare themselves for their future listening. They need to listen in order to know how to produce. The better students understand what they hear, the better they will take part in spoken interactions. Although students usually face difficulties to understand the language produced by the native speakers in the listening activities, teachers have to be creative to tackle the problem by exposing students to more of the materials. At the beginning of the listening activities, teachers help may still be needed to explain to the students what is required from them. However, the dependency on teachers can slowly be eliminated later on when the students are working on the act ivities or in their groups. In order to measure the effectiveness of any speaking lesson, students need to be tested. The two main aspects of direct procedures for testing speaking according to Nation and Newton (2009) are the way in which the person who is being tested is encouraged to speak and the way in which the speaker performance is assessed. The first procedure can include interviewing, describing something for someone to draw and discussing while the latter can include rating scale, communicative result and assigning marks for the parts of an outcome (p.171). 2.2 Task-based Instruction in Language Classroom In task-based language teaching (TBLT), syllabus content and instructional processes are selected with reference to the communicative tasks which learners will (either actually or potentially) need to engage in outside the classroom and also with reference to theoretical and empirical insights into those social and psycholinguistic processes which facilitate language acquisition. Among the features identified by Nunan (1991) for this approach is the emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language, the introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation, the provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on language, but also on the learning process itself, an enhancement of the learners own personal experiences as important contributing elements to classroom learning and an attempt to link classroom language learning with language activation outside the classroom. According to Brown (2001), Task- based Language Teaching (TBLT) puts tasks at the centre of the methodological focus. The learning process is viewed as a set of communicative tasks that are directly linked to the curricular goals they serve. The main characteristics of TBLT according to Ellis (2003) include the natural or naturalistic use of language, learners-centred activities rather than teacher-centred, focus on form and tasks serve as the means for achieving natural use of language. Ellis also claimed that the traditional approach of Present, Practice and Produce (PPP) are inadequate. Some critics also supported this and viewed PPP as clearly being teacher-centred and therefore sits uneasily in a more humanistic and learner-centred framework (Harmer, 1988, p.66). Task can be defined in various ways. Nunan (1999) in Bahrami (2010) for example, defined a task as a piece of classroom work that involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while their attention is focused on mobilizing their grammatical knowledge in order to express meaning, and in which the intention is to convey meaning rather than to manipulate form. The task should also have a sense of completeness, able to stand alone as a communicative act in its own right with a beginning, middle and an end. (p. 25). Long (1985a) as cited in Nunan (1991) suggests that a task is nothing more or less than the things people do in everyday life like for examples buying shoes, making reservations, finding destinations, and writing cheques. Breen (1987) similarly suggests that a task is any structured language learning endeavour which has a particular objective, appropriate content, a specified working procedure, and a range of outcomes for those who undertake the task. Task is therefore assumed to refer to a range of work plans which have the overall purpose of facilitating language learning-from the simple and brief exercise type, to more complex and lengthy activities such as group problem- solving or simulations and decision making (p. 23). Prabhu (1987) stands as the first significant person in the development of Task-based instructions in language classrooms. He defines a task as an activity which required learners to arrive at an outcome from given information through some process of thought, and which allowed teachers to control and regulate that process (cited in Tareq Mitib ,2009). Nunan (1989) further defines a task as a piece of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while their attention is principally focused on meaning rather than form (p.10). He suggests that in all definitions of tasks, one can see communicative language use where the learner focuses on meaning instead of linguistic structure. Many people have studied the implementation of Task-based instruction in language classrooms and have advised using tasks in language classrooms because students motivation rises through assigned tasks. On looking at the positive results that the use of tasks may bring about in the EFL classroom, it can be said that using a variety of tasks in class gives positive results (Ruso, 2007). Bahrami (2010) examined the influence of four specific types of task-based activities of matching, form-filling, labelling and selecting on the listening ability of 90 senior EFL learners of Sadra English Institute of Darood .The data for the quasi-experimental study included two task-based tests of listening comprehension and a test of language proficiency. The result shows that there was a significant relationship between the three tasks of matching, labelling and form filling on the other hand and listening comprehension on the other. However, there was no relationship observed for the task of selec ting and listening comprehension. In conclusion, not only the listening-comprehension skill of the EFL students tended to improve through exposure to task-based input; it is also proven to be suitable for students of various levels. Similarly, Tareq Mitib (2009) who also adopted a quasi experimental design to study the effects of Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) on developing speaking skills among the Palestinian Secondary EFL students from two schools in Israel concluded that the method succeeded in improving the students speaking skills and develop students attitude towards English language. It was found that girls speaking skill improved more than the boys when classroom practice was organized and authentic as in the case of TBLT. Boys on the other hand, did better in the conventional teaching situations. Tareq therefore claimed that task-based language teaching can be the solution for the lack of exposure to authentic English as it enabled students to practise using the language through different activities in real world tasks and in a stress free atmosphere. This finding conforms to Underwood, (1998); Gethin and Gunnemark, (1996) and Kenworthys, (1987) claims, that, exposing students to native speakers o f English Language through listening gives them the opportunities to acquire the correct model of English pronunciation which will eventually leads to intelligibility (cited in Ghazali, 2003). Awang and Md. Supie (2011) stated that, one of the main issues in second language learning is ESL learners who are less proficient in the language opt to avoid speaking in English language classes. Some learners might find speaking English in front of the class as very intimidating. In a way it implies that regardless of how many English classes students have attended, if they do not practise the language, they will not be able to improve their communication skills as well as their self-confidence. Both researchers proposed that task-based speaking activities would enable students to communicate easily as the activities are usually conducted in pair work or group work. As such, a study was conducted in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia(UTM) on 30 second year students from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering enrolled for the Advanced English for Academic Communication course in semester 2, 2007/2008. A set of questionnaire was designed and distributed to find out the students perspectiv es on task-based speaking activities in fostering their communication in English. This study also seeks to find out which types of Task-Based Speaking Activities (TBSA) that highly promotes learners communication in English. The types of task-based speaking activities used in the study were problem-solving, information-gap, and sharing personal experience or feelings. Results show that all the 30 participants agreed that task-based speaking activities improved their communication in English because the activities offered opportunities to practise the language. It was also found that students with low level of proficiency in English also participated in the TBSA during English classes and they were not intimidated by their low level of proficiency. As for the activities, problem-solving is found to be the most preferred type of TBSA that encouraged participation and use of English language. Other study related to the use of TBL includes an exploration of the implementation of TBLT in three primary classrooms in Hong Kong by Carless (2001). The subjects of the case study were three female English teachers who implemented task-based innovation over a seven months period in their primary one and primary two classrooms with children aged six to seven. Results reveal that there was a certain amount of interplay between different issues studied like for example, the more positive the teachers attitude towards TBLT, the more likely she was to take time doing the preparation of the supplementary materials for her class or to allocate time for carrying out activities (cited in Tareq Mitib, 2009). Despites many positive feedbacks of using TBL on EFL and ESL students, there are also evidences of sceptical perceptions on its implementation. One of them is in a case study conducted by In-Jae Jeon and Jung-won Hahn on EFL teachers perceptions on the practice of TBLT in Korean secondary School Classroom in 2005. Data were collected through questionnaires from 228 teachers at 38 different middle and high schools in Korea. The overall findings of the survey show that even though majority of the respondents have a higher level of understanding about TBLT concepts, teachers still retain some fear of adopting TBLT because of perceived disciplinary problems related to classroom practice. Other reason for teachers fear to adopt TBLT is related to their lack of confidence. Hence, much consideration should be given to overcome the potential obstacles such as on the part of the teachers before TBLT can really be successfully implemented. 2.3 Theoretical Framework of TBL Task-based learning (TBL) seems to gain currency since the publication of Jane Willis Framework for Task-Based Learning in 1996. N. Prabhu originally popularizes TBL in early 80s and since then has influenced subsequent models of Task Based Teaching such as Willis (1996) who developed a framework for task-based learning. Prabhu (1987) used a task-based approach with secondary school classes in Bangalore, India in his Communicational Teaching Project beginning 1979. Reports on the Bangalore project indicated that a syllabus organized around problem solving tasks and feedback can effectively accomplish and in many ways improve on what a traditional linguistic syllabus provides (cited in Tareq Mitib, 2009, pp. 53). In Framework for Task-Based Learning (1996), Willis proposed a three stages process of carrying out TBL. The stages include: pre-task (introduction to topic and task), task cycle (planning and reporting) and language focus (analysis and practice).The framework can be illustra ted as below: FRAMEWORK OF TBL (Jane Willis, 1996) Pre task Introduction to topic and task instruction (Exposure) Task cycle Use expose to tasks (6 tasks Types), planning (prepare to report outcomes), reporting, post task (optional) Focus on forms Language Focus Analysis: learners focus on form, Ask about language features Practice: teacher conduct activities TASK (Introduction to topic/ task) TASK CYCLE ( Task /Planning /Report) LANGUAGE FOCUS (Analysis Practice) In the Pre-Task stage, the learners and teachers explore the topic and the teacher may highlight useful words and phrases while helping students to understand the task instructions. The purpose of pre-task is to prepare students to perform the task in ways that will promote acquisition. As for the Task Cycle stage, the students perform the task in pairs or small groups while the teacher monitors or facilitate the lesson from a distance. During this stage students will also plan on how to report or present to the class what they have done and how they do it. At the same time teacher should encourage students to communicate in the target language while helping students to prepare w

Friday, January 17, 2020

Software Development Outsourcing

Outsourcing is an arrangement in which one company provides services for another company that could also be or usually have been provided in-house. Nowadays, outsourcing is a trend in a competitive software development and it is expanding all over the world. Software development is very much suitable for the better working of a company. This means that another company is hired to do the task of software development. Outsourcing the software development projects can be advantageous, but sometimes if it is incorrectly executed, it can result to unusable projects. In this article, let's see some of its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of Software Development Outsourcing: Cost efficiency – companies don't have to worry about buying expensive software and hardware. Software development technology indulge it. Lower Training cost – it is very expensive thing to give trainings to the new employees. Normally, three or more days are consumed. So, by hiring services from a software outsourcing company, the time and efforts are saved. Time – due to strict time line of some software projects, it is become required to outsource a component of software development projects in order to meet the time demand of the projects. Software companies take credit of immediate pool of skilled developers. Skills – in a situation like software companies outsource, sometimes need a skilled personnel for software development technologies. The disadvantages of Software Development Outsourcing: Disappointment – companies can produce code of a poor quality. It involves here who will be the responsible for maintaining the code or project. Need of Constant Management – one of the main reason why projects fail because there is no good manager. A leader who is in constant communication to the clients and also understands the needs or requirements of the clients. Testing is more difficult – generally, testing phase is the most difficult stage in system's development life cycle. You will undergo more testing cases. If you test a piece of software that was developed in an offshore in-house and find a problem, so there's a need to communicate to the offshore vendor. This could cause problems because the offshore vendor might not be able to propagate the problem. It could possibly easy to fix the problem if they could see the machine. Or maybe the problem is not properly communicated. These are the different advantages and disadvantages of software development outsourcing.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Bible ( Chr 105 Oa2 ) - 1558 Words

Tabitha Sanders Introduction to the Bible (CHR 105-OA2) Anderson University December 5th, 2016 Final Exam 1. Using the book, notes, and biblical text itself, choose two of the Gospels and compare and contrast their presentation of the life of Christ. Be sure to include how things like the authors’ background and audience affect their message. I have decided to compare and contrast the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. In the book of Matthew, we begin with the angel coming to Joseph and telling him of the son that Mary will bare him. The angel says to name him Jesus and tells him that he will save the people from their sins. This clearly marks Christ as the savior from the start. It can be seen that Jesus is the healer of many when he is presented with sick people, because he heals them. He heals those who are sick, mental, and possessed. He is seen as a teacher when he goes to the top of the mountain and speaks to everyone that is listening, he teaches them what is right from then on. He is seen giving healing powers to his disciples and sending them forth to heal and teach the people of his ways. He is seen as a miracle worker, when he walks on the waters of the sea and calms them and then allows Peter to walk on the water toward him. He is seen as a leader as well, in the many times that he leads his people to where they need to be. He is seen as forgiving, in the many times he forgives and tells others to forgive. He is seen as the Messiah, which was clear from the

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

A Checklist Developed By Dr Bob Hare - 1302 Words

What is a psychopath? Psychopathy is usually defined as a personality disorder characterized by antisocial behaviour, lack of empathy and remorse and bold superficial behaviour. A checklist developed by Dr Bob Hare identifies the key traits of a psychopath which is used universally to identify psychopaths. The main features of psychopaths include: †¢ Superficial charm †¢ Grandiose sense of self worth †¢ Pathological lying †¢ Cunning/manipulative †¢ Lack of remorse/guilt †¢ Emotionally shallow †¢ Callous/lack of empathy †¢ Failure to accept responsibility for own actions †¢ Lack of realistic long-term goals †¢ Impulsivity Introduction Upon deciding what sentences to give to criminal psychopaths, we must consider multiple factors. Firstly I will discuss the issues with the classification and diagnosis of psychopathy, the importance being that if the wrong diagnosis is given it could cause a problem with criminal judgements. The management and treatment of psychopaths must also be examined, exploring their reactions and responses to different types of environments and treatments and significantly their likelihood of reoffending if released. Finally it must be decided whether psychopaths should be held criminally responsible for their actions (and therefore sentenced to prison) or be entitled to the insanity defence and be sent to a psychiatric hospital to be treated, where the psychopath would usually spend longer time than if they were sentenced to prison. If a psychopath is guilty ofShow MoreRelatedHp Transformation Leadership21564 Words   |  87 PagesTRANSFORMATION Leadership at HP | Under supervision of DR. Ahmed Farouk | | This report will present transformation process of hp corp. By discussing the following topics: Organization background, organization culture specifically â€Å"hp way†, One of the leaders who leaded the company towards a great transformation, hp before and after the transformation and finally discussing the role of the human resource in the transformationRead MoreProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 Pagesmanufacturing electronic components for the military. After the war, Hyten continued to prosper. Hyten became one of the major component suppliers for the Space Program, but did not allow itself to become specialized. When the Space Program declined, Hyten developed other product lines, including energy management, building products, and machine tools, to complement their automotive components and electronics fields. Hyten has been a leader in the development of new products and processes. Annual sales are inRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Wor ds   |  1617 Pagesabout the principles of effective relationships for a very long time, the history of humankind illustrates that these principles have not always been practiced. Especially in our current day, what we know and what we demonstrate do not always match. Dr. Bob Moorehead of Seattle’s Overlake Christian Church, who resigned his own position under a cloud of accusations, described it this way: The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways but narrowerRead MoreLibrary Management204752 Words   |  820 Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Figure 10.6. The Stages in Recruiting and Hiring . . . . . . . Figure 10.7. U.S. Librarians Reaching Age 65, 1990–2034 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Figure 11.1. Orientation Checklist for New Employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Figure 11.2. Performance Ranking in a Forced Distribution Rating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Figure 11.3. A Graphic Rating Scale . . . . . . . . .

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Great Gatsby Analysis of the American Dream - 1775 Words

The Great Gatsby is a novel that illustrates the society in the 1920s and the associated beliefs, values and dreams of the American population at that time. These beliefs, values and dreams can be summed up be what is termed the American Dream; a dream of money, wealth, prosperity and the happiness that supposedly came with the booming economy and get-rich-quick schemes that formed the essential underworld of American upper-class society. This underworld infiltrated the upper echelons and created such a moral decay within general society that paved the way for the ruining of dreams and dashing of hopes as they were placed confidently in the chance for opportunities that could be seized by one and all. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates the†¦show more content†¦The results of her dream and the methods she used to accomplish her dream led to the unhappiness of her marriage, when she again tried to capture happiness whilst still keeping her dream in front of her it ended in the trage dy that The Great Gatsby depicted. If Daisy had indeed been concerned with happiness, as was implied throughout the novel, then she would not have been as concerned with money as she obviously was - she would have waited for Gatsby to come back from the war and not have married Tom; a decision based on her thoughts of what her life should have been life and a decision that cost her her happiness. The moral decadence and carelessness of the American dream is also illustrates accurately in Daisy in the situation of the killing of Myrtle and her abandonment of Gatsby just before and after his death. The fact that she ran over Myrtle without stopping and did not have the bravery to tell Tom shows how Daisy was always thinking of herself and of her own comfort rather than the safety, wellbeing and feelings of others. br brWhilst Toms interpretation of the American dream does involve money it is not his prime concern as it is with many of the other characters. His dream also concentrates of power, gained through the prestige that is associated with old money. His self-confidence and utter belief in his superiority are an exampleShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis1744 Words   |  7 Pagesthe American Dream From a distance, the American dream is a hopeful one- that anyone, regardless of race, class, or gender, can become successful and wealthy if they possess ambition and the ability to work hard. However, when scrutinized, this rosy view clearly shows ignorance towards societal issues such as misogyny, racism, and income inequality and instead focuses on the notion of having an extravagant home, fancy cars, and a happy family- all of which symbolize the great American dream. FitzgeraldRead MoreThe American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis1497 Words   |  6 PagesFitzgerald’s novel, the Great Gatsby is one of the most meticulously written story of all time. This book incorporates different themes, yet the shadiness of the American Dream is the most significant one. The American Dream designates that one starting very low on their economic or social status and getting success and wealth trough their arduous work. Having a big house, a nice car and a happy family show the succ ess of the American Dream. This dream is also shown by the concept of a self-madeRead MoreThe American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis749 Words   |  3 PagesThe Great Fantasy Idealism is the paramount theme in â€Å"The Great Gatsby.† Each of the characters have a craving for self-definition and a high position in society. The story is shaped by the ideals each of these characters hold. These ideals allude to the American Dream, along with the superficiality and corruption associated with it. Fitzgerald uses Jay Gatsby as a medium to portray hopeless romanticism, fantasy fueled ambition, and failure to achieve self-contentment. Gatsby is characterizedRead MoreAnalysis Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby1142 Words   |  5 PagesThe American Dream is one of the most prevalent themes in The Great Gatsby. It is essentially the belief that, regardless of social class, anyone can become wealthy and famous. In the novel, Jay Gatsby attempts to reunify with Daisy Buchanan by achieving great wealth, but he fails and dies having been unsuccessful in his mission. Though it may appear to some that Gatsby, the main character of the novel, has achieved the American Dream, it turns out to be a massive illusion. When, following Gatsby’sRead MoreThe American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis906 Words   |  4 PagesTorres Mrs. Heffelman English 11 September 26, 2017 The American Dream can mean a lot of different things depending on who is asked. Some will answer that it is the freedom of religion or the ability to move between class. Others define it as the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. For Jay Gatsby and many others, the American Dream is about gaining wealth and material possessions in the attemptRead MoreThe American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis1367 Words   |  6 Pagesidea of the American Dream, where qualities of hard work and ambition are shown. The novel The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald embodies many themes; however the most significant one relates to the corruption of the American dream. The American Dream is defined as someone starting low on the economic or social level, and working hard towards prosperity and or wealth and fame. By having money, a car, a big house, nice clothes and a happy family symbolize s the American dream. This dream also representsRead MoreThe American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis1428 Words   |  6 PagesThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald contains many themes; however, the most noteworthy one identifies the American dream. This Dream likewise speaks to that people, regardless of who he or she is, can emerge to rich in life through their own works. The dream is spoken to with the aid of the mind of an unbiased man or woman, who strives to perform an objective to become tremendously effective. The Great Gatsby is a novel that indicates what happened to the American Dream in the 1920s, which wasRead MoreThe American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis903 Words   |  4 PagesThe American Dream: A Fruitless Endeavour The 1920’s, famously known as the Jazz Age, was a major turning point in America’s soaring economy. However, as a result, amassing wealth in exorbitant amounts and throwing extravagant parties became socially acceptable and the conservatism and the old-fashioned values of the 19th century were left behind. The roaring twenties also coincided with the prohibition period which saw bootleggers make millions off the sale of contraband and brought life to undergroundRead MoreThe Great Gatsby American Dream Analysis761 Words   |  4 Pagesobtained. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald suggest that the American Dream is an illusory, the people who pursue it are Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, and Myrtle, and this pursuit is ultimately unattainable. In the roaring twenties known as the Jazz Age, many people wanted to become rich, most people were bootleggers and Wall Street stock brokers. Alcohol was illegal and the Wall Street stocks were higher than ever before. The Great Gatsby is an extended critique of the American Dream. And this critiqueRead MoreThe American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis758 Words   |  4 PagesThe American dream is a idea that anyone can reach prosperity and success by determination and hard work. Everyone has equal opportunity to achieve this dream. This may not be the case in this tragic love story, The novel The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald. By corruption, unfaithfulness, and entitlement we see a different view of the American Dream. Through the characters and plot in the novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald suggests the pessimistic view that the American Dream of social mobility is a

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Philosophy Course Summative Assignment Free Essays

Inspiration Project It Is your objective to apply three (3) of the philosophical theories studied In class to a number of songs and make a presentation to the class, which Illustrates some of your Insights. Step One: Find Three (3) Songs Think of some of your favorite songs. See If the lyrics to any of your favorite songs reflect some of theories that we studied In class. We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy: Course Summative Assignment or any similar topic only for you Order Now Remember, our units of study In this course Include: Human Nature, Metaphysic, Ethics, Epistemology, Social and Political Philosophy. Step Two: Apply the Theories to the Songs Once you have picked your three songs, apply the theories from class to the songs. Make point form notes that clearly link the theories to the songs. You may apply more than one theory to each song but you must have at least 3 different theories in total, at least one per song. Step Three: Conference With Your Teacher Arrange a ‘Culminating Task Conference’ with your teacher at which you will present: A point form summary of your song choices, showing which theories you plan to use for each song. Lyrics to your 3 songs. An explanation of which song you plan to present to the class (see below). Step Four: Prepare a Report using the point form notes as your guide, write a 1000-word (more or less) report that illustrates how your chosen philosophical theories are reflected in the songs. Your report will include an analysis of each song and an application of at least one theory per song. Your report will work best if you present the lyrics and analysis to one song together before moving on to the next song. Please include references and a resource list. Step Five: Present a Song using a program like Powering, make a presentation that brings ONE of your chosen songs to life. Inning your song as the background music, make a video presentation using photos and the song lyrics to Inspire your viewers. Make sure your video presentation reflects the philosophical view that you feel Is present In the song. Due Dates: Conference: Written Analysis: prevention: Philosophy: Course Assumptive Assignment By plaza It is your objective to apply three (3) of the philosophical theories studied in class to a number of songs and make a presentation to the class, which illustrates some of your insights. Think of some of your favorite songs. See if the lyrics to any of your favorite songs fleet some of theories that we studied in class. Remember, our units of study in this course include: Human Nature, Metaphysic, Ethics, Epistemology, Social and Political Using the point form notes as your guide, write a 1000-word (more or less) report that Using a program like Powering, make a presentation that brings ONE of your chosen songs to life. Using your song as the background music, make a video presentation using photos and the song lyrics to inspire your viewers. Make sure your video presentation reflects the philosophical view that you feel is present in the powerboat/DVD. How to cite Philosophy: Course Summative Assignment, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Accommodation Food Services Industry Sheet -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Accommodation Food Services Industry Sheet? Answer: Introduction Marketing is considered as the basic pillar of any business organisation and the primary determinant of the success of an organisation regardless of the industry it operates in. The marketing process of a business is controlled by two major environmental factors that are internal and external. Internal environment of an organisation is consisted of the primary stakeholders involved, whereas, the external environment can again be divided into two major segments that are micro and macro (Kumar, Rahman Kazmi, 2013). The report will be focusing on the macro environmental factors that are considered as uncontrollable as the managers are unable to modify or regulate the macro environmental factors. These factors plays active role in determining the success of a business. The managers are responsible for altering the business operations accordingly to the external forces for attaining competitive advantage in the market. The focus will be given on the contemporary hospitality industry of A ustralia. The forces that will be investigated are political and legal, social-cultural, economic, technological, demographic and competition (Gupta, 2013). The focus of the report will be narrowed down to the hotel industry of Australia that is the primary part of the contemporary hospitality industry for better understanding the forces and its impact on the organisations. Macro Environmental Analysis Macro environmental analysis is the study of the external uncontrollable forces that determines the competitiveness of an organisation in a particular market. Managers often uses PESTLE analysis tool for understanding the possible nature of the macro environment. The PESTLE stands for political, economical, socio-cultural, technological, legal and environmental factors (Ho, 2014). However, managers changes the components according to their requirement of knowledge. The domestic and international factors that will be used for understanding the macro environment of contemporary hospitality industry of Australia are Demographic, economic, competition, society and culture, political and legal and technology. Demographic Slow but steady demographic change in the Australian population resulted into multiculturalism. There is a significant rise in the Asian and Middle Eastern population within Australian brings considerably change in the culture and shifts the taste towards a multicultural approach (Hugo, 2013). This makes it necessary for the hospitality organisation to take similar approach for being competitive. However, this facilitates them in addressing a multicultural international tourist. Hence, requirement of both the primary target population becomes similar. However, it makes it difficult for the organisations to cope up with the change, as it is cost effective. Economic Purchasing power per capita of Australian population reflects a figure of $44414 USD that is significantly high and represents the disposable income of the population (tradingeconomics.com, 2018). This represents a stable economic condition of Australian population, which is beneficial for the hospitality industry. Moreover, economic growth of the world provides suitable situation for the Australian hospitality organisation to flourish in the present and upcoming years. Competition Competition in the hospitality industry is considerably high due to the presence of greater number competitors in the market. Moreover, the similar services provided to the customers increases the tension in the competition. This tension increased in recent times due to the expansion of the international organisation in the Australian territory. Society and Culture The industry has to entertain a large number of international customers that can be considered as the primary source of profit along with significant domestic travellers. Moreover, increasing globalisation resulting into cross-cultural population requires the organisations for setting international customer service and accommodation (Yu, Byun Lee, 2014). On to it, the constantly changing trend in the customers lifestyle demanding constant modification of the service provided. This put Australian hospitality organisation under severe pressure for copping up with the shift in trend for gaining competitive advantage. Political and Legal Stable political scenario has positive impact on the contemporary hospitality industry of Australia and supported in attraction of international travellers. Australian commonwealth government has set some key legislative acts that governs the service quality of the industry that are competition and consumer act 2010, Australian consumer law and National trade measurement legislation (business.gov.au, 2018). CCA communicates the relationship between all the mediators of hospitality service provides securing the fair-trading and competition around the nation (accc.gov.au, 2018). Australian consumer law makes it mandatory for the hospitality organisation to provide equal benefits to the customers irrespective of state (consumerlaw.gov.au, 2018). National measurement act lastly safeguards the uniform use of the units and standards around the country, which provides equal opportunity for the hospitality organisation that ultimately ensures the quality of the products delivered to the cust omers (measurement.gov.au, 2018). Moreover, GST and tax concessions set by the government ensures fair price for the products being delivered that ensures fair competition in the market. Technology Technological adaptation in hospitality industry is dependent on the technological advancement of the target customers and the willingness to pay for the services. Australia is one of the holiday destinations for the international customers that put the hospitality organisation under pressure for constantly upgrading their technological support for getting competitive advantage in the market (Wang et al, 2016). This requires them to set international standards for their technological adaptation for both attracting and supporting the customers needs. On to it, their promotion and booking is also largely dependent on the modern technology and requires the use of social networking, online activities, online presence and involvement of third party booking agencies (Leung et al, 2013). Moreover, the technological advancement of the domestic market also expects the organisations to adopt updated technologies in their business operations. Conclusion The above macro environmental analysis of Australia for the contemporary hospitality industry communicates the appropriate nature of the market enjoyed by the organisations. The political and legal factors promote and entertain tourism within Australia that plays profitable for the hospitality industry. The fair act of the nation ensures the quality of services provided by the organisations. This helps the organisations enjoy similar benefits for the similar quality products being delivered to the customers. Moreover, technological advancement of the country also facilitates in attracting customers from both national and international target market. Technological advancement further helps adopting digital media marketing, which further helps in addressing the international customers as the services offered are communicated through various digital modes to its target market. Moreover, technological integration in the business helps both serving the customers with greater efficiency an d understanding their experiences through online feedback system. The society and culture also have positive impact and facilitates the industry to grow over the market. This however, has a negative stance due to the multiculturalism. The multicultural customers create the need of having diversified products for addressing the diversified need. However, with increasing number of international organisation expanding their reach in the Australian market facilitates in creating competitive market. The economic and demographic factors on the other hand help reducing the tension and provide the customers a wide range of products and services that helps every organisation to have its share in the market. Reference accc.gov.au. (2018). Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Retrieved 27 January 2018, from https://www.accc.gov.au/about-us/australian-competition-consumer-commission/legislation business.gov.au. (2018). Accommodation and food services industry fact sheet. Retrieved 27 January 2018, from https://www.business.gov.au/info/plan-and-start/develop-your-business-plans/industry-research/accommodation-and-food-services-industry-fact-sheet consumerlaw.gov.au. (2018).Resources and guides Australian Consumer Law. Retrieved 27 January 2018, from https://consumerlaw.gov.au/business-and-the-acl/ Gupta, A. (2013). Environmental and pest analysis: An approach to external business environment.Merit Research Journal of Art, Social Science and Humanities,1(2), 13-17. Ho, J. K. K. (2014). Formulation of a systemic PEST analysis for strategic analysis.European academic research,2(5), 6478-6492. Hugo, G. (2013). The changing demographics of Australia over the last 30 years.Australasian journal on ageing,32(S2), 18-27. Kumar, V., Rahman, Z., Kazmi, A. A. (2013). Sustainability marketing strategy: an analysis of recent literature.Global Business Review,14(4), 601-625. Leung, D., Law, R., Van Hoof, H., Buhalis, D. (2013). Social media in tourism and hospitality: A literature review.Journal of Travel Tourism Marketing,30(1-2), 3-22. measurement.gov.au. (2018). Measurement Legislation. Retrieved 27 January 2018, from https://measurement.gov.au/measurementsystem/Pages/MeasurementLegislation.aspx tradingeconomics.com. (2018). Australia GDP per capita PPP. Retrieved 27 January 2018, from https://tradingeconomics.com/australia/gdp-per-capita-ppp Wang, Y. S., Li, H. T., Li, C. R., Zhang, D. Z. (2016). Factors affecting hotels' adoption of mobile reservation systems: A technology-organization-environment framework.Tourism Management,53, 163-172. Yu, Y., Byun, W. H., Lee, T. J. (2014). Critical issues of globalisation in the international hotel industry.Current Issues in Tourism,17(2), 114-118.