Chinese Schools Essay

Chinese schools have come a long way since the colonial days. Over the years and with the evolution of the national education system, Chinese schools have had to face countless threats to their survival. Despite this, Chinese schools have gained popularity and have enjoyed high enrolments, even among non-Chinese students. It has been reported that at least 10 percent of students studying in Chinese schools come from non-Chinese backgrounds. A number of factors contribute to this growing phenomenon. First, Chinese schoolteachers are well known for their high level of commitment. For this and other reasons, students from Chinese schools often excel in public examinations especially in Science and Mathematics. The other attraction of Chinese schools is that students are required to learn an additional language, Mandarin, which is a highly marketable skill in the job market. Chinese Education: A Historical Perspective The beginnings of Chinese education in Malaysia can be traced to the early nineteenth century. It was recorded that by 1815, there were already three Chinese schools in Malacca. One was founded by the London Missionary Society. With regard to the other two, sociologist Yang Qinghuang suggests that â€Å"at least one would be a school founded by the Hokkien people. † Scholar Zheng Liangshu suggests that some old-type Chinese schools might have existed in the Straits Settlements since the end of the eighteenth century. For a long time, Chinese schools in the Straits Settlements received neither help from the British government nor assistance from the government in China. Despite this, they thrived —funded mainly by clan and dialect associations. When faced with political and financial difficulties at the turn of the twentieth century, the Ching government of China changed its attitude towards overseas Chinese and began to promote Chinese education outside of China. It implemented educational reforms based on a proposal by Zhang Zidong. Following the reforms, the curriculum was revised to include Chinese Classical Literature, History, Geography, Mathematics, Moral Education, Physical Education and other optional subjects like Commerce and Drawing. In Malaya, Chung Hwa Confucian School in Penang not only adopted this new curriculum (it was the first to do so), it went further to include English as a subject. Support from the Ching government, however, was short lived. It ended with the fall of the dynasty. Chinese schools that attempted to run modern educational programmes (with a modern curriculum and incorporating English as a subject) faced enormous challenges. On the one hand, they were constantly in need of more funds. On the other hand, they lacked competent teachers. Furthermore, they had to compete with the more established English schools. Even so, there were five hundred Chinese schools with modern educational programmes established in Malaya and Singapore in 1920. By this time, textbooks for these schools had departed from the classical into the vernacular Chinese language (baihuawen). Because of their impressive growth, the British government decided that it could no longer afford to ignore Chinese schools. On 29 October 1920, it introduced the Regist ration of School Ordinance to restrict the activities of Chinese schools in the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States by way of registration and inspection. In 1935, control was further tightened: textbooks and teachers from China were prohibited. Only local materials and Malaysian-born teachers were allowed, and activities in Chinese schools came under strict scrutiny. Despite these challenges, Chinese education continued to thrive until it was suspended at the time of the Japanese Occupation of Malaya. After the war, Chinese schools resumed operation. By 1946, their number had ballooned to more than one thousand in Malaya. However, following the Barnes and Fenn-Wu Reports (June 1951) and the Education Ordinance 1952, Chinese education was exclude d from the national education system. The Chinese community rallied to form Jiao Zong (United Chinese School Teachers Association of Malaya, UCSTAM) and Dong Zong (United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaya, UCSCAN) to safeguard Chinese education. The Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) joined in. Its president then, Tun Tan Cheng Lock spoke these memorable lines, â€Å"†¦Chinese in Malaya †¦ should be given Chinese education †¦ The dialect or mother tongue can be likened to a person’s shadow, and is inseparable from the person himself/herself†¦ † (translated from Chinese). Efforts to safeguard Chinese education became even more difficult following the Razak Report in 1956 and the Education Ordinance in 1957. Thereafter, Chinese primary education was officially included in the national education system, classified as standard-type primary schools with Chinese language as the medium of instruction. However, Chinese secondary schools were excluded from the system when the Lower Certificate of Education examination (L. C. E) was introduced in English. This was not in accordance with the promise of fairness to other ethnic languages in the country as specified in the Razak Report. Furthermore, the Chinese community were horrified by the terms of reference in Paragraph 12 of the Razak Report: â€Å"†¦the ultimate objective of educational policy in this country must be to bring together the children of all races under a national education system in which the national language is the main medium of instruction. † Paragraph 12 was subsequently omitted following strong opposition from the Chinese community headed by Jiao Zong. Both the Rahman Talib Report (1961) and the Education Act (1961) reaffirmed the education policy as stated in the Education Ordinance 1957. Since government financial aid was vital to the survival of Chinese secondary schools, more than half of the 41 Chinese secondary schools then had little choice but to ‘convert’ itself into English medium national type secondary schools. On hindsight, many Chinese view this decision as a big mistake. The remaining 14 schools refused to give in, and have remained ‘independent’ to this day. The MCA facilitated this ‘conversion’ as it was satisfied with the verbal promises made by the Education Minister that â€Å"the government has no intention to exercise its authority granted under the Act to change Chinese primary schools to national schools† and that â€Å"Chinese schools are allowed to allocate one third of their curriculum for learning Mandarin and Chinese literature. † As a consequence of this concession made at the secondary  school level, development of Chinese education in Malaysia was restricted thereafter to the primary school level. The New Education Act 1996 posed an even bigger threat. It threw into question the status of national-type schools that were not established under Section 28 of the new Act. In fact, prior to this during the initial stage of implementing the ‘3R system’ (Reading, Writing & Arithmetic) in 1980, Chinese schools had already been challenged to forgo their medium of instruction. Materials for learning all subjects except Mandarin were available only in Bahasa Melayu. In response, Dong Jiao Zong and various Chinese guilds and associations submitted a memorandum to voice their opposition to the Ministry of Education in 1981. The schools were given the assurance that the government had no intention of changing the character of Chinese schools. However in the ensuing years, Chinese schools were asked to consider the concept of ‘integrated schools’ (1985) and Vision Schools (proposed in 1995, implemented in 2000), in addition to the latest â€Å"2-4-3† resolution that sought to introduce the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English (proposed in 2002, implemented in 2003). Despite these challenges, Chinese schools seek to maintain emphasis on the â€Å"Five Aspects of Formal Education in Confucianism (Wuyu Jiaoyu)† namely, moral (de), intellectual (zhi), physical (ti), social (qun ) and aesthetic ( ei) education. Until today, Chinese schools m continue to value discipline, respect for the elderly, courtesy, personal character and morality, rather than marketable skills such as computer literacy, Mathematics and Science. Some Reflections How does the development of Chinese education affect the church community i Malaysia?  n Should we stake our claims to citizenry and defend our right to be educated in our own (mother tongue) language? What about racial integration? Is it possible to promote Chinese education without further polarising the different communities? First, we have a moral basis for defending Chinese education. Being given the choice and having the opportunity to be educated in one’s own language is a universal human right according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948. Chinese education ha s existed in this country since the nineteenth century. As such, I believe we ought to defend the right of its existence in the same way as we would for the education of other ethnic communities in their own languages. Second, there is value in the Chinese school culture that is worth speaking up for. Even though outsiders might consider the Chinese community uncompromising in its stand with regard to educational issues, it must be pointed out that it is not just about safeguarding the Chinese language but it is also about retaining the ideals of holistic education. Furthermore, Chinese schools have a tradition of nurturing dedicated schoolteachers, and the Christian community should be at the forefront to encourage this culture of service and excellence. In the past, many of them have had to pay a high price for their conviction and dedication by becoming ‘martyrs’: Zhuang Xiquan, Chen Taomin and others were deported for opposing the Registration of School Ordinance 1920; Lim Lian Geok and Yen Yuan Chang were deprived of citizenship in 1961; Lim Huang Sheng and Sim Mow Yu were jailed under the Internal Security Act in 1987. Chinese education aids evangelistic work among the Chinese community. It provides students with a better understanding of the Chinese culture. Whereas in the past, the content of Chinese education was often influenced by traditional beliefs and practices, the Chinese education system today is more open to intellectual discourse on rethinking and repositioning the Chinese identity. The main grouse against Chinese schools is the lack of racial integration since students come from predominantly one ethnic background. The question we must ask is, is this acceptable or healthy in a multi-ethnic society like Malaysia? Most advocates for Chinese education would argue that it is less than ideal but what choice do they have? If national schools were to adopt a more holistic philosophy, and their teachers showed a more credible record in terms of commitment and disciplining of students, and if they provided students with the opportunity to study their own languages, racial integration would be less of an issue and Chinese students would be more  evenly distributed between national and Chinese schools. Despite this obvious shortcoming related to racial integration, I still advocate Chinese education for what it offers. Clearly, through its holistic philosophy and track record, it has produced many responsible citizens through the years. Chinese education continues to play a significant role in nation-building and church life in Malaysia. Florence Kuek lectures Mandarin at Universiti Teknologi Mara.

Cosmic Race Essay

The term â€Å"Cosmic Race† is also known as â€Å"La raza cosmica† which was based on the opinions of some Mexican Scholars in the 1920’s who held that since the Latin Americans held the blood of all the races, the transcended the races of the â€Å"Old World†. This term basically embodies the idea that traditional, exclusive concepts of race and nationality can be transcended in the name of humanity’s common destiny (MacLachlan, 1980). While the idea of the origins or creation of the â€Å"Cosmic Race† has been attributed to other races, there is no denying that it was the Spaniards who played a major role in this. The open-mindedness, in this case the open philosophy and attitude of Spain regarding culture and society, was influential in creating this cosmic race. Spain realized that the key to being able to build a vital and flourishing economy in the colony was to build a common denominator for acculturation by both Indian and European races (MacLachlan, 1980). Spain was able to accomplish this by establishing and expanding the colonial political and ecclesiastical institutions, the economy, society, and the role of women in the Mexica Society. Further proof of this was the policies of Spain regarding women as they encouraged the women to participate in economics and politics by providing the women during that time with extensive legal rights (MacLachlan, 1980). These factors and the methods by which Spain cultivated the Mexica Empire are brought on by the characteristic of Spain as being â€Å"open-minded†, which in turn led to the creation of the â€Å"Cosmic Race. † References: MacLachlan, C. and Rodriguez, J. (1980) The Forging of the Cosmic Race: A Reinterpretation of Colonial Mexico. University of California Press,

Health Information Management (HIM) Departmental Layout Project Assignment

Health Information Management (HIM) Departmental Layout Project - Assignment Example ient’s records department so the records and the offices will have to be adequately accommodated in a design that will not be cramped or that would render some areas hard to access. The main considerations are not just aesthetics but rather functionality and ease of access. The design guidelines for the project are to ensure a well developed space with the required offices and other partition areas in the most aesthetically pleasing way possible in consideration of the whole hospital unit’s visual unity. The spaces have to consider lighting and ventilation as much as possible especially for the office areas and other partitioned spaces that will be occupied by people. The design must ensure that the work flow moves smoothly with no interruptions and in the most efficient manner to ensure speed and quality of work (Alexi et al 2005). The design guideline should ensure at all times that the work travels in a straight line and the locations are properly founded. It should also ensure that the isles carry the load to their best advantage, and eliminate any waiting by the workers which should all have adequate working space and not be cramped. The tools must be at their proper places, and each individual should also be at their best

See the attachment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

See the attachment - Essay Example Mainstream economists believe that producers usually employ the cheapest input method while the consumers substitute towards spending on products that are manufactured by cheaper input methods. Mainstream economists posit that labour may not adapt its supply in conjunction with the demand but a flexible market mechanism in the labour market as well as in the goods and financial market may equate the number of jobs available with the number of job seekers. The audience for this genre are manufacturers and the students who are interested in understanding the labour and the commodity markets. Manufacturers would always want to understand the best mix for labour in a particular industry so as to employ the most appropriate and cost effective mix in production. For academic purposes, the students and other people interested in the economic activities may be interested in understanding the connection between labour and production. This genre is very informative as it informs about the labo ur market relationship with production. It highlights how market mechanisms in the labour market affect technique of production and finally the result of the labour input. This genre attempts to explain an economic phenomenon, which most people do not understand. An economic expert who has a deep insight of activities taking place in the labour market can therefore write the genre. 2 Economy is dependent on transportation, taxes, poverty, education, environmental preservation and immigration. These factors are interrelated and play an integral part in the growth of economy. There are various challenges facing the factors determining economic growth rate. For instance, there is a problem between expansion of roads and transportation system and the need to protect the environment, which is also an important economic aspect. Transportation is an important aspect of resource distribution and should therefore be evenly distributed. However, because of inability to expand it imposed by fa ctors such as financial constraint developing a centralized transportation location may be very useful in ensuring proper distribution of resources. Environmental pollution may hinder economic growth but since there should be economic activities going on regardless of environmental challenges, few of the activities such as housing and transportation may be allowed to ensure minimal pollution of environment. Education is another significant factor that can catapult economic growth but because it is a scare resource, the government should mostly concentrate on educating children living in poverty because the rich can afford their children’s education. In fact, due to scarcity of educated individuals, educated immigrants may just feel the gap and produce quality. The audience for this genre is policymakers, government workers, students and players in an economic growth sector. Policymakers and government workers would utilize this information to understand economic drivers that can help a country’s or a region’s economies. Additionally, economic students may also use the genre as a good source of information regarding economic growth and development. The purpose of this genre is to inform the audience about the main economic drivers, their impact and significance in the economy. The genre highlights different factors affecting economic growth

Community Plan, Implementation and evaluation Research Paper

Community Plan, Implementation and evaluation - Research Paper Example Asthma is another disease that is prevalent among this demographic group. On an observational trip, it was noted that all classes had at least one obese student. In an interview with a school nurse, she contended that the school had disease prevention and health promotion activities and that asthma was not uncommon at the school, although obesity was the biggest issue. The paper, therefore, chose asthma and obesity as the school risks of the greatest concern. It has to be noted that whereas there has been some success countering asthma in public American schools obesity remains a major problem to date. Healthy People 2020 have put obesity as its number one health problem for eradication by using weight status and nutrition, in ensuring reduced risk of chronic disease through maintaining a healthy body weights and consuming healthy diets. Obesity is linked to other chronic diseases like asthma and through management of obesity; therefore, these diseases can be prevented. The Nutrition and Weight Status’ objectives emphasize individual behavior and environments that support healthy weight maintenance and eating habits, which, in this case, should be in settings like communities, schools, and organizations. School is an important setting for achieving a quality health culture as identified by Healthy People 2020. ... This is especially important in order to counteract advertising of junk food that is all over the mainstream media while promoting improvements to an environment that encourages outdoor recreation, biking, and walking (Shediac-Rizkallah & Bone, 2010). The plan will revolve around three objectives, one of which will be fostering the demand and availability of healthy food using involvement by family, incentives, and education. This will seek to build on an already existing program by the Healthy Corner Stores Initiative, which is an incentive program that seeks to reward business owners and consumers for making a choice for healthy food (Shediac-Rizkallah & Bone, 2010). The objective seeks to integration of education and promotion of healthy eating into all aspects of Sherwood Elementary activities. The second objective is expansion and support of fitness programs driven by the school and community around the school, which are low cost and, in the case of those at school, free. This w ill also seek to create hospitable environments for, cycling and walking along the streets around the school and within the compound. To achieve this objective, there will be an assessment of community and school based fitness facilities in existence, as well as research best practices for weight management and other groups for mutual support that will seek to design a program for Sherwood Elementary School (Shediac-Rizkallah & Bone, 2010). Leaders in the school should also be sought out for training, as well as the creation of a structure for the celebration and promotion of active lifestyles and weight reduction. The third objective will be the development and coordination of school-wide

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Essay

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) - Essay Example The policies of IFRS are more advanced and precise for meeting the changes in the new accounting and audit systems, so US is also moving towards IFRS. The US GAAP is actually concept based, whereas IFRS is based on principles. The methodology of these two frameworks and the accounting treatments are also different. In US GAAP, the research is mainly based on the literature but in case of IFRS, the rules are mainly based on reviews and patterns of facts. Table of Contents International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 4 Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) 5 Different between IFRS and GAAP 5 International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is a principle based framework created to develop new standards of accounting and auditing. The International Accounting Standards (IAS) was renamed as IFRS and the policies of IAS was also changed or renewed under this. The IFRS was constructed to develop a globalised accounting an d auditing model. The IFRS approves three main accounting models: The current cost accounting, maintenance of financial capital in the units of the constant purchasing power and the capital for maintaining nominal monetary units. IFRS follows three basic assumptions: Going on Concern: It states that an entity will continue its activities and any form of hindrance would not stop it from doing so. The assumption for proper and stable measuring units: The changes in the purchasing ability of functional currency excluding the 26 percent p.a. for consecutive 3 years can be considered immaterial for not considering the capital maintenance as stated in the guidelines of IFRS. Purchasing Power: It considers the constant power to purchase at all levels of inflation and deflation in relation to the consumer price index. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) The Generally Accepted Accounting principles (GAAP) are the rules in relation to accounting and auditing which are used for pre senting, and preparing the financial reports or statements for different entity. It includes the policies for the entire accounting and auditing industry. The GAAP is actually set or formulated by the Government Accounting Standard Board (GASB). The basic objectives of GAAP are: To safe guard the interest of the investors. To help the authorities take important financial decisions. It plays a significant role in maintaining records. It improves the performance of the organization (Cerritos, n. d.). Different between IFRS and GAAP The basic difference between IFRS and US GAAP framework are: Inventory: Under the system of IFRS, the LIFO system cannot be used, but in GAAP both LIFO and FIFO are allowed. So companies have choices in the second case. Cost of Development: In case of IFRS the

Critically evaluate the policy network model Essay

Critically evaluate the policy network model - Essay Example In this case, we can expect too that solution can be best achieved through network of elucidation. NETWORK OF PROBLEMS: AN OVERVIEW OF POLICY NETWORK MODEL Introduction In our society today, there are many things in which we are trying to explain and identify why such things occurs. We also try to analyze situations or problems to come up with a solution that we thought to be a result of the observations. Well, this is the essence of being an analysts - This give us the right to be coined as analysts because we try to explain everything based on the content and what the other had perceived it to be and eventually lead us to create our own unique perception on that issue also with of course basis. In this part, we will be dealing on a policy model that is known to be one of the most influential models in these days in policy making. A policy network model by Rod Rhodes states that policy is prepared because of the interactions made between the pressure groups and the policy makers. .. . Policy Network Model As it were discussed and stated in the lecture presentation about policy analysis made by Dr. Adam White entitled ‘Theories of the Policy Process’, he identified there that a policy network model focus on policy subsystems. Primarily it focuses on subsystems because the actors involved may not be in line with the hierarchical structure. Leader’s prerogative on matters of laws or policies and other matters which involved the state (individual level of analysis) is not the only source of policies as well as state laws because there are multiple actors involved in here. The players in this model are the groups that make the state work as a whole which is consist of the departments and bureaucracies as well as interests groups in the states. We can label them as the trans-governmental or transnational actors coined in the complex interdependence theory. The policy outcome is indeed made because of the departments and bureaucracies’ intermed iations with each other together with the interest groups. These components are the main actors bounded by their beliefs and norms in the society in governance (Scharpf 1998, p.195). Furthermore, actors operate through interdependent relationships, with a view to achieve their personal goals by collaborating with each other (Bevir & Richards 2009, p.1). In a broader sense, what makes the policy are not because of the leaders’ ability alone to rule and create policy to make its country better but rather, it is a product of collective individual’s rational thinking ability shaped by their societal norms and its interactions to the government bureaus – their exchange of resources; and policy makers. â€Å"Policy network analysis stresses the importance of

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT - STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION AND CHANGES Essay

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT - STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION AND CHANGES - Essay Example Realization of the objectives is the benchmark for assessment, making it a routine for the management to employ creative strategies for effective achievement of the objectives. Implementation becomes a nightmare for many companies where commitment, assessment and review become distinct parameters without coordination and synergy, always frustrating initially vibrant ideas. Suitability studies are carried out alongside feasibility as well as acceptability levels, in order to ascertain its applicability in the specific area of interest. For efficiency in management and delivery of results in as far as policies are concerned, strategic planning is usually the solution. The specific areas of action are identified and appropriate solutions projected are brought out for implementation. The conversion of intentions into desired actions goes hand in hand with tackling of the factors that hinder the implementation of the strategies in efficient management. Leadership and management skills are the key solutions to strategic management, where each set of skills complement realization of objectives. Leadership skills offer one portion of the puzzle while management skills offer the other. Mintzberg’s model of management provides that strategic management goes farther than the mere formulation of strategic policies. A clear articulation of the mission, goals and objectives goes hand in hand with the successful implementation of the strategic plan. Prior plans are therefore put in place for the necessary implementation approach, since formulation and effective action are different things in strategic management. The identification of the mission, vision and goals of the organization before the specific strategy formulation usually addresses the real management problems in advance. Lamb (1994, p.ix) states that strategic management is a continuous process that requires frequent review and change to keep up with the pace in the market. The ever changing business environment

Nature of the early republic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nature of the early republic - Essay Example This rebellion soon spread to the other colonies and the situation was aggravated by King George's proclamation that the colonies were engaged in rebellion. With this the war of independence commenced. On the 4th of July 1776 the declaration of independence was adopted and with this the United States of America was formed. Initially the British had to contend with only the Americans but gradually other European powers joined the fray. In France there was a great deal of public support for the American cause and it began to provide aid to the American colonies. Further a treaty of alliance was signed between France and colonies. According to this treaty France would support the colonies in their struggle with the British. This resulted in a war between Britain and France in 1778. The beleaguered British proffered the olive branch to the colonies and on the 3rd of September 1783 the independence, freedom and sovereignty of these American colonies were recognised by Britain. Thus, despite several initial hardships the Americans emerged as a strong and coherent nation (THE ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE: Chapter 3). Subsequent to the achievement of independence Congress passed a resolution on the 10th of May 1776, requiring the colonies to form new governments that would enhance the happiness and safety of their constituents. Accordingly most of the states drew up their own constituents. In order to protect certain rights whose infringement had led to secession from Britain, a bill of rights was incorporated into these constitutions. Some of these were freedom of speech, freedom of elections, freedom of the press and the right to change the government. A major problem faced by this fledgling nation was that of expansion in the western part of the United States.... This essay stresses that a major problem faced by this fledgling nation was that of expansion in the western part of the United States. The pioneers had settled here and these places were highly dispersed. Since, they were isolated by mountain ranges and large distances from the political authorities in the east, they had formed their own governments. Moreover, these far flung lands were claimed by several states and no resolution of this dispute seemed to be in sight. This problem of over lapping claims was resolved by states like New York and Virginia, which ceded all their claims to these territories. In this manner national sovereignty was strengthened. This paper makes a conclusion that the new policy repudiated the time-honored concept that colonies existed for the benefit of the mother country, were politically subordinate, and peopled by social inferiors. Instead, it established the principle that colonies ("territories") were an extension of the nation and entitled, not as a privilege but as a right, to all the benefits of equality. On the 21st of February 1787 a conference was held in which the Virginia plan was proposed by Madison. The Constitution proposed in this convention was sent for ratification to the 13 states of the Union. Delaware was the first state to ratify it on the 7th of December 1787. The Congress is not empowered to decide as to whether a particular person is to be tried or not. This power is vested solely with the executive.

The History of Literacy instruction in Spanish and in English Essay

The History of Literacy instruction in Spanish and in English - Essay Example At least one scholar, who is listed in the article, began to take on traditional concepts that had existed up until that time. In 1999, Goodman’s classic What’s Whole in Whole Language was written on the topic and, once translated into Spanish and Venezuela, came widely distributed among the region. The book was so popular that it was translated into English six years later. In the 1980s publications about literacy in Spanish began to reflect an understanding of the psycholinguistic view. As early as 1984, Dubois began questioning traditional, word-based approaches of teaching reading in favor of taking a psycholinguistic view. In 1989, Goodman’s classic What’s Whole in Whole Language was translated into Spanish in Venezuela and widely distributed throughout Latin America. The demand for the book was so great that it generated a newer translation into Spanish only six years later. When one scholar affiliated with the author moved to Mexico, the materials in the local schools were changed thanks to ideas and those of other constructivist educators. In fact, the first grade primer of the series tells one in the article that, â€Å"showed the drastic difference this text represented from the former government-approached text, Mi Libro Magido (My Magic Book), with its practice sheets that required students to repeat syllabus and practice penmanship. In the 1990’s the government started to take better control in controlling educational methods. According to the case study the practice of phonics is more likely to be constructive when students are taught the different sounds of words and then are taught be blend them together. Other, more traditional approaches take longer and a lot of people are opposed to change, but administrators, scholars, and teachers really believe they have something here being able to teach the same thing easier and in a shorter period of time. This is the mark of phonics

There Is a Fine Line Between Reality and Illusion Essay Example for Free

There Is a Fine Line Between Reality and Illusion Essay How can we distinguish between reality and illusion? Is reality an illusion, or is an illusion simply reality? Albert Einstein once stated that ‘reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one’. The statement suggests that what we interpret to be real may well be an illusion and this is evidenced mainly through dreams and aspirations. For example if someone has dreamt of one day being a doctor their reality, which is described as the state of things that actually exist, shifts or changes in order for that idea to become real. Reality is tangible while illusion is a faculty or activity of imagination. What may be reality for one person may be an illusion for another and this is clearly evidenced through many situations that we as individuals face. What is real is often clouded by the concept of illusion for example the idea of what is glamorous, the difference between what is beautiful and what is real is distort by the media and its false interpretations. However it is not only the media that can distort reality from illusion, the virtual world of computer games and Internet socializing has revolutionized the Nintendo 64 and the plain old phone call. We are now able to find solace inside the world of an Avatar or pet puppy that our parents never let us bring home, and instead of having real friends we can have as many as one thousand without even meeting them. Our emotions and mental state also contribute to the way in which we interpret our reality; it has proven to be a major impact of how we see things and importantly how we react to it. The reality of today is what Einstein most famously predicted, that we as individuals sometimes find it difficult to interpret the real world from illusion. It may often occur that an individual chooses to disregard what is real and accepts their illusions. This can be portrayed when we are faced with a really dismal time in our lives and in order to cope we convince ourselves that one-day it will change, as T. S Elliot suggested ‘humankind cannot bear too much reality’. Blanche DuBois from ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ has a similar reaction to her reality. Her reality is that she has lost the love of her life to suicide, no longer remains a teacher and does not own any assets as she has lost the property known as Belle Reve. In order to endure her life Blanche rejects her reality and manipulates it with lies, makeup and lighting in order to hide from the truth. ‘I don’t want realism I want magic’, Blanche desires for a life of pure happiness and excitement, however her imagination is indistinguishable from her reality and the series of lies and dimmed lights soon begin to fade as she is met with Stanley Kowalski. Stanley Kowalski, a brutish and arrogant realist finds it difficult to understand Blanche’s reality. Unlike Blanche, Stanley needs reassurance that what he knows is perfectly real and reliable. In the play the two characters continuously disagree with each other and eventually Stanley’s animalistic behavior threatens Blanche’s safety. Blanche and Stanley are a great example of how one individual’s reality is different to another’s, these conflicting ideas and perceptions of life occur often between people and have been proven to cause disagreement. People around us have great influence of how we perceive things although there are other major influences that contribute to our perceptions for instance the media. The media has brought forward many deceiving images of models and famous Hollywood stars. These images of super skinny models with perfectly shaped bodies and teeth are portrayed to convince the audience that what we see is not only real, but also normal. We are lead to believe that if we wear special stockings that our fat will magically disappear, but who said that fat was ever ugly? No one just decided one day that a little cellulite was atrocious; it is the media that guides and influences our perception over what is socially acceptable. The Hollywood stars of today seem almost out of this world if you like, for example Lindsay Lohan who appears to have a ‘perfect’ and glamorous life is forced to steal a necklace, so how perfect is her life? Each time a magazine reports Charley Sean drunk and causing a public nuisance the world is captivated by his actions. Why is it that we find other peoples realities so fascinating? And why is it that we enjoy the escapism of entering the life of another? The twenty-first century has allowed Internet gaming to create fictional characters such as an Avatar to represent the virtual life of an individual gamer. Amy Taylor, 28, whose online avatar alter ego is named Laura Skye, divorced her husband because of his betrayal to her in the online game known as Second Life. She claims ‘it may have started online, but it existed entirely in the real world and it hurts just as much’, the online virtual world of gaming caused such an influence over Amy Taylor and her husband’s life that real life and the game were clouded. Reality and illusion in this case seems bewildered. Our emotions are a major influence over the way we interpret life, when one is in a state of depression, your reality is surrounded by negative energy and therefore it is influenced by our state of mind at that present time. In my personal experience I have witnessed the life of depression through a family member and often their reality is surrounded by the boundaries of fear and anxiety, and nothing can develop beyond those walls, happiness seems a mile away. Similarly Stella Kowalski’s love for Stanley has a major influence over her life and what she perceives to be real. It appears that she is blinded by their lustful relationship and can see no faults in his brutish behavior. Stella undoubtedly chooses Stanley’s reality over Blanche’s and this is evidenced in the ending scene of the play where she allows her sister to be taken away even after the suspicion of Stanley abusing her. Behavior like this is also conveyed in everyday situations where woman who have been viciously abused and beaten remain with their partners because of fear that they will be alone. Stella finds Stanley to be a safe haven; she ran away from her life in the South to a life in a one-bedroom apartment in New Orleans and despite the diversity between the different lifestyles, she much prefers her life with Stanley. It is clear that her love for Stanley is great, and that regardless of his behavior she finds solace within his presence. The difference between reality and illusion can sometimes be unclear due to factors such as the media, our emotions and also our state of mind. Reality is not a fixed idea and in the end is controlled by the individual; there are aspects that manipulate reality however it is solely in the individuals view to separate the conflicting worlds of reality and illusion.

Planning practices and training Essay Example for Free

Planning practices and training Essay I am going to do my practise sessions for a beginner, who has little experience and very basic skills in trampolining, such as straight bouncing and stopping. By the end of these sessions, they should be able to do a short sequence of simple skills, becoming more confident and fluent in the execution of them. Each sessions length will depend on the time needed to learn and practice a skill. Routine: 1. Tuck jump, 2. 1/2 twist jump, 3. Straddle jump, 4. Full twist, 5. Pike jump 6. Seat drop to feet. Warm up: Pulse raising activities: o 20 straight bounces with correct arm movements on the trampoline, 5 star jumps and 5 leaps, on the floor. o These simple exercises are appropriate for younger children (usually beginners) and as they are easy. o They also use the muscles required in trampolining. (Quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles.) Mobility activities: o 10 shoulder shrugs, 10 large circular motions with arms (forwards and backwards) neck movements, elbow and knee flexions and extensions and hip rotations. o These loosen the joints to be used, (shoulders/hips/neck) and help injury prevention. o They are simple. Stretches: o Quadricep stretch, by holding the foot behind the performer and pushing the hips forwards slightly. o Hamstring stretch, by bending one leg at the knee and putting the other leg out straight so that the heel is on the floor. The hands should rest on the bent knee. o Calf stretch, by putting one foot back and parallel but not adjacent to the other foot, and pushing down on the back heel until a slight strain is felt. This warm up should be done before each session and will increase heart rate, so the body is warm. By the end of the sessions, the performer will probably be suppler (more flexible) therefore will have to push the stretches further. Their cardio vascular endurance should increase too. Warm down: o 10 straight bounces and walking around the trampoline 2 times to decrease the HR and rid of any lactic acid. Gentle stretching will increase flexibility. Session 1: Aim-Learn and practice shapes. Tuck, straddle and pike jumps. (Duration-1 hour) Warm up. Start by showing a demonstration of each skill separately. Teach and do a broken down run through of each slowly and finally re-demonstrate the skill. Tuck jump-At the top of the bounce, the knees are bought up t the chest and the hands to the shins. Push the legs back down afterwards, and stop. Straddle jump-At the top of the bounce bring both legs out to the side and to the front, so an angle above about 100`dergees is formed. Touch between the knees and the feet, anywhere on the shins. Bring legs back together, down and stop. Pike jump- Involves bringing both legs out straight in front of. Ideally, the angle between the trunk and the legs should be 90à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. The legs should be squeezed together, straight, with pointed toes, and the hands should touch the tops of the legs anywhere between the knees and toes (although the nearer the toes the better it is.) These should be learnt in about 40 minutes on a class of 5-8 performers. Practicing of the skills should take place for 20 minutes, so the performers can learn the feel and begin to improve their feel of the skill-specificity. Warm down. Session 2: Aim-Practice and develop tuck, straddle and pike jumps. Learn and develop 1/2 and full twists. (Duration-1hour, 15 minutes) Warm up. Start by practicing the skills from session 1. Do these, correct and improve for 15 minutes. Show a demonstration of and 1/2 twist, to introduce variation. Explain and teach it: To twist, the performer should stretch out of the trampoline and twist with the arms above the head. Look for the mats as reference points. Practice 1/2 twists for 25 minutes. Show a demonstration of a full twist, to introduce variation. Explain and teach it: To twist, the performer should stretch out of the trampoline and twist with the arms above the head. Look for the mats as reference points. Practice full twists for 30 minutes. These are more demanding. Control and tension are required for good twists. This will overload the performer with information with this session, but a lot will need to be practiced. Warm down. Session 3: Aim-Practice shapes in a sequence, e.g. 3 tuck jumps, 3 straddle jumps then 3 pike jumps. Practice twists. Start to integrate twists on the end of skills, to introduce variation. (Duration-1hour, 10 minutes) Warm up. Practice skills separately from session 1 to refine the skill, for 10 minutes. Practice twists for 20 minutes, to build confidence in the performer and to improve the skills. This will help the performer consolidate knowledge and progress. Do each of the shaped bounces with a 1/2 twist before. Do the skill again with a 1/2 twist after. Practice these for 40 minutes. This is using overload methods to teach here. Each performer will find this tricky at first but will get to an appreciation of the joint skills and will probably be able to do them by the end of the session. Session 4: Aim- To introduce the seat drop skill to the performers and practice the shaped bounces with full twists and 1/2 twists before and after each skill. (Duration-1 hour, 10 minutes.) Warm up. Practice full and 1/2 twists so the performer is confident with them. 10 minutes. Practice each shaped bounce with a 1/2 twist before and after, then with a full before and after the skill. Do this for 30 minutes. Demonstrate, explain and teach the seat drop. This move sounds easy, but it is more difficult to do well. For a good seat drop, the performer should stretch to the top of the jump pushing the hips forward slightly at the same time. On the way down, pointing the toes towards the mat will allow the performer to land sitting on the trampoline. The correct position is with the legs together, leaning slightly backwards with the hand just behind, and to the side of, the bottom. Fingers should point the same way as the toes. Integrating moves into/out of seat drops introduces variation. Practice and get familiar with the seat drop position and practice from standing and with a small bounce beforehand for 30 minutes. Getting more confident. Warm down. Session 5: Aim Improve seat drops and run through routine in two stages, then as a whole. (duration-1 hour,15 minutes) Practice shaped bounces with 1/2 and full twists before and after for 10 minutes to refine the skills together as one. Do specific skills then practice as a whole. Re-talk through and demonstrate seat drops, as these are a more difficult skill. Practice seat drop position, seat drops from standing and seat drops with a small bounce before, for 20 minutes. Go through skills 1-3 of the routine until they run smoothly together and practice. Approximately 10 minutes. Go through skills 4-6 of the routine until they run smoothly together and practice. Approximately 15 minutes because the seat drop adds difficulty. Run through the whole routine until it runs quite smoothly. About 20 minutes. The performer should have shown progression through the last five sessions, and can now apply them fully to a routine. Warm down. Session 6: Aim- to refine the routine as a whole. (Duration- 1 hour, 10 minutes.) Warm up. Practice seat drops with height for 15 minutes. Go through the whole routine, spotting any difficulties and practice the difficulties, i.e. skills 3-5 could be hard to do. Do this until the performer is comfortable with the difficulties, for up to 30 minutes. Practice the whole routine through for 20 minutes.

Framework of Sustainability for SMEs

Framework of Sustainability for SMEs Sustainability: Integrating the Literature to Develop a Framework for SMEs Abstract Business today is called to consider sustainability or corporate social responsibility. Is this call meaningful or relevant to SMEs? Using the taxonomy of Garriga and Mele the literature on the broad spectrum of work related to sustainability and CSR is reviewed to develop a framework for SMEs, structured around the simple concepts of why, when, what, how and where. Further work with the framework will answer two questions; the circumstances of how SMEs engage in sustainability and what are the unique aspects of this sustainability for SMEs. Introduction Over recent times there has been a growing demand for business to consider corporate sustainability. Most large public companies are engaging with the concept in some way as evidenced by the production of Sustainability or Corporate Social Responsibility Reports (Bartells, 2008). Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) are less likely to be engaged and some would argue they are not even sure what the concept means or whether it is relevant (Redmond, Walker, Wang, 2008; Spence, Jeurissen, Rutherfoord, 2000; Vives, 2006). There is a large body of literature on the aligned concepts of sustainability, corporate social responsibility, corporate social performance, global responsibility and corporate citizenship, with a variety of perspectives, definitions and assumptions. There is no integrated theory or framework broadly adopted by scholars and in fact there have been only a few attempts at this (Garriga Melà ©, 2004; Jones, 1983; Montiel, 2008; Wood, 1991). Within the SME literature there have been calls for research to develop a theoretical framework to understand CSR and SMEs (Jenkins, 2006; Thompson Smith, 1991). Whilst there is a growing body of literature focused on SMEs it is often merely descriptive and uses a single theoretical lens. A broader model encompassing a wider range of theoretical perspectives may have more utility. The utility and practicability of the framework as a tool for small business will be tested as part of a lager project to develop, from case study research and the literature, a useful integrative framework, to assist SMEs to engage with sustainability in the most appropriate and relevant way for their business. The normative approach frequently used in studies of large organisations whilst ideal may not be the most pertinent to SMEs. This paper aims to develop a practical theoretical framework unifying the spectrum of theoretical and empirical approaches and focussing in particular on the needs of SMEs. The paper starts with an outline of the concept of sustainability and a review of the unique aspects of SMEs. It then moves into a review of the literature using a taxonomy based on Garriga (Garriga Melà ©, 2004), considering both theory development and empirical studies. From this the most relevant elements are drawn together to develop a number of propositions regarding both the circumstances of how SMEs engage in sustainability and what are the unique aspects of this sustainability for SMEs. To add to the practicality of the framework it will be structured around 5 dimensions; Why, when, what, where and how? What is Sustainability At the outset a normative definition with regard to sustainability is required to anchor this work. Corporate sustainability is an umbrella concept (Gond Crane, 2008) which integrates the social, environmental and economic dimensions into business operation. Within these three categories, there are a range of elements which are comprehensively detailed in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI, 2006). Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is often used interchangeably with sustainability in the business world and large companies may have either a CSR or sustainability report with little notion of the long theoretical tradition behind each of the terms. In the academic literature there are quite different origins of the two. It is worth digressing to briefly explore the history and overlaps of the terms. CSR as defined by Carroll encompassed four elements, economic, ethical, legal and philanthropic (Carroll, 1979). This was later refined to three with philanthropic being incorporated into the economic or ethical space depending on the logic (Schwartz Carroll, 2003). Until Woods work in 1991 there was no mention of the natural environment within the CSR literature (Wood, 1991). In parallel, during the late 80s ecological modernisation implored business to consider its environmental impact and look for solutions to environmental problems (Mol Sonnenfeld, 2000). Also in the 80s, as a response to the UN movement on sustainable development, business or corporate sustainability was developed, focusing not only on profit, but on the social and environmental impacts of business. Thus there were three independent movements CSR (predominantly social/ethical), ecological sustainability (predominantly environmental) and sustainability (economic, social and environmental). This differentiation still exists in scholarship. When one considers the divisions within the Academy of Management there exists both Social Issues in Management (SIM) the natural home of the CSR scholars and Organisation for the Natural Environment (ONE) the natural home of the environmentalists. Those who chose the sustainability path exist in both divisions and are not completely at home in eith er. The concepts of CSR and sustainability are becoming closer. Some scholars now argue that environmental issues are an explicit subset of CSR (Agle, Mitchell, Sonnenfeld, 1999; Waddock, 2008) . Montiel claims that both CSR and sustainability now include the economic, social and environmental elements, with sustainability more integrated and with different questions asked by researchers in each paradigm (Montiel, 2008). The difficulty remains in the implicit versus explicit definitions. CSR literature often includes the environment implicitly. The risk is that what is implicit can be overlooked, and so CSR could exist without considering the environment, but in sustainability the environment is explicit, although not exclusive. Social and economic considerations are also explicit in sustainability. This is one reason sustainability is more appropriate then CSR as the focus this work. There is another subtle difference between the two with CSR being more concerned with an ethical perspective, and a requirement that involvement must be voluntary and beyond any legal requirements. This last concept is not considered in sustainability. Research on CSR often reflects on individual activities tagging philanthropy and volunteering as evidence of CSR (Jenkins, 2006; Porter Kramer, 2002) . Corporate sustainability is focused more on the long term and has no relative measure against any legal requirements. Two key concepts are clearly defined in sustainability and less explicit within the CSR literature, particularly earlier papers. These are upstream social impacts in the supply chain and the expanded concept of product stewardship. Product stewardship refers to the environmental or social impact of the product from raw material, through manufacture and its useful life to disposal impacts. The supply chain factors include the social impacts on employees and communities u pstream in the supply chain. As a final clarification, sustainability in some work focuses only on the environmental case (Bansal Roth, 2000; Tilley, 2000), however in this paper the term sustainability refers to the wholesome integration and consideration of the dimensions of economic performance and social and environmental impact into a business, and is very much aligned with the approach that has been described as Corporate Sustainable Development (Bansal, 2005). In an ideal world sustainability is a normative concept with business understanding that it has a wider responsibility than simply an economic outcome and must consider its impact on the social and ecological environment it operates in now and for future generations. The major focus of the larger project, of which this paper forms a part, is to determine if this is real and meaningful for SMEs or if there is a more appropriate definition and framework for SMEs. SMEs There are a few definitions of SMEs in the literature. For this exercise we will adopt a definition of businesses between 10 and 200 employees (the Australian Bureau of Statistics definition of SMEs). They tend to be owner operated. There is much evidence that SMEs are different to large firms and hence behave in different ways. Generally they are independent, multi-tasking and cash strapped (Jenkins, 2004; Williamson, Lynch-Wood, Ramsay, 2006) more flexible and less formalised (Aragà ³n-Correa, Hurtado-Torres, Sharma, Garcà ­a-Morales, 2008; Lefebvre, Lefebvre, Talbot, 2003), have a shortage of management skills (Luetkenhorst, 2004), are unlikely to use costly professional advice (Spence, Schmidpeter, Habisch, 2003), and manage stakeholders with whom they have personal relationships (Jenkins, 2006). When the economy is tough SMEs have to focus on short term survival as they generally do not have the depth of resources of larger firms (Luetkenhorst, 2004). This suggests a resource constraint in adopting new approaches to work wether focused on sustainability or strategic management. This is explicitly stated as an inhibitor for SMEs to adopt CSR (Kuhndt, Volker, Herrndorf, 2004). A contrasting view suggests a shared vision, proactively driven by the founder, combined with the innovativeness and flexibility, will actually encourage adoption of better practices in SMEs and in the case of one study, better approaches to environmental management (Aragà ³n-Correa et al., 2008). There is a comprehensive body of work on SMEs and sustainability, which tends to show evidence of attention to some of the elements of sustainability within SMEs almost accidently (Lawrence, Collins, Pavlovich, Arunachalam, 2006; Roberts, Lawson, Nicholls, 2006), very little affiliation with CSR (Jenkins, 2006) or environmental impact (Petts, 2000; Redmond et al., 2008) and a general disengagement with sustainability (Vives, 2006). All papers argue the importance of looking at small business because of its aggregated size and impact and its difference to large business where a much more substantial body of work has been undertaken. In the review of the theoretical approaches relevant empirical or descriptive work from the SME literature will be considered. Taxonomy of the literature There are a number of articles which detail the history of scholarly endeavours into CSR, sustainability and aligned concepts (Bansal, 2005; Carroll, 1999). Suffice to say that after 50 years no single theory or integrative framework exists which brings together the disparate views of corporate sustainability, stakeholder theory, natural capitalism, resource based views of the firm, corporate social responsibility, global responsibility, sustainable leadership and corporate citizenship, into a framework beneficial to business operators and not just academics. From an empirical approach, the Sustainable Leadership model of Avery developed using a grounded theory methodology (Avery, 2005), contains many elements from most of these theories as does Stubbs Sustainability Business Model (Stubbs Cocklin, 2008) and will be reviewed later. Garriga and Mele published a taxonomy of the CSR field in 2004 based on the work of Parsons who identifies four problems in any dynamic system; that of building and distributing resources; the economic aspect, that of allocating and prioritising resources; the political aspect, that of maintaining social relationships; the social aspect and that of ensuring actors display the right values; the ethical aspect. Using these dimensions, theories based on the prime organisational goal of wealth creation Garriga identifies as instrumental theories, those based on the responsible use of the social power of organisations are defined as political theories, those based on integrating social demands to satisfy todays stakeholders are integrative theories and those based on normative values unbounded by time and environment, they term ethical theories. The authors add that most theories will have elements of all four aspects with a strong focus on one area, used as the basis for segmentation (Ga rriga Melà ©, 2004). A limitation of the review is that it focuses on predominantly American literature and ignores salient literature such as global responsibility (GR) developed in other geographies. Considering the context of the business system or the surrounding institutions (Luetkenhorst, 2004; Matten Moon, 2008), focusing on a single geography gives the narrow focus of a single business system. A second limitation is that the theories considered are all firm centric and so papers that look at how external institutions can impact CSR activities are not considered. Finally the work does not include the literatures outside of the traditional CSR space so ecological modernisation and business sustainability are excluded. The following will include a review of the broader literature omitted from Garrigas paper. The taxonomy chosen is relevant given the empirical evidence of its elements in the CSR activities and motivations of large companies (Whitehouse, 2006) To develop an integrated framework for SMEs, this paper must cover off a broader range of literature which includes institutions that may impact on SMEs involvement with sustainability. With this and the limitations of the Garriga taxonomy in mind, expansion of the concept of political theories to look at external as well as firm centric theories is appropriate. This group will be called institutional theories after Powell and Di Maggio (DiMaggio Powell, 1983). In the following sections each of these four groups, ethical, instrumental, integrative and institutional is explored in more detail, considering the main theories within each group, any supporting empirical or SME research. Finally the most relevant questions and implications for SMEs are extracted to develop propositions which form the bones of the integrated framework. Ethical theories Within this group are considered theories that are predominantly ethical arguing that it is the responsibility of business to look beyond the financial bottom line to the wider context and impact of business on the societies in which it operates, in a relatively unbounded manner, because it is the right thing to do. All strategic management theories have some moral or ethical underpinning (Phillips, Freeman, Wicks, 2003) however they are only included in this group when this is the primary focus of the theory. Under review will be CSR, normative stakeholder theory and global responsibility followed by a review of relevant empirical or SME work. Corporate Social Responsibility in its original form was an ethical theory. Developed in the USA as early as the 1950s it was unabashedly normative, â€Å"the social responsibility of business encompass the economic, legal, ethical and discretionary expectations that society has of organizations at a given point in time† (Carroll, 1979, p. 500). The normative version of stakeholder theory is also ethical; â€Å"Stakeholder theory begins with the assumption that values are necessarily and explicitly a part of doing business† (Freeman, Wicks, Parmar, 2004, p. 364). Normative stakeholder theory is differentiated from the applied or integrative use of stakeholder theory in that it generalises on which stakeholder interests should be considered and admonishes managers that these stakeholders must be considered in decision making (Phillips et al., 2003). In the last few years a new â€Å"global responsibility† literature has developed in Europe. The concept has its origins in CSR however the new label is proposed on the basis there are greater pressures from technological progress and globalization, moving so fast, that neither ethics nor legal frameworks can keep up. Thus it is up to business owners to fill this ethical vacuum and develop a new business model based not on making profit but on making progress. De Woot states: â€Å"In a global economy the raison dà ªtre of the firm is to ensure economic and technical progress that furthers human progress and facilitates the type of society we wish to have† (de Woot, 2005, p. 113). The corporation is viewed as a source of energy and creativity which has led to massive global development. DeWoot seeks to change the focus of this energy towards progress, not just profit, and to fill the gaps in global governance. Global Responsibility supersedes CSR, claiming that both corporate and social are too narrow (Antal Sobczak, 2004). Perez defines global responsibility in more detail, identifying responsibility for actions and their consequences in a global context which implies extensions to the societal, environmental and time dimensions in which we are used to operating. The responsibility is borne both by the organisation and its â€Å"social representatives†, with responsibility owed to shareholders, external authorities and other stakeholders (Perez, 2003). Beyond the strict definition of the words, the intent of both concepts is the same, for business to be motivated by more than the â€Å"single thought† (de Woot, 2005, p. 39) or profit motive and consider both a wider goal and a wider sphere of impact. A number of authors identify two opposing models of company orientation aligning one with a firm response to the ethics of global responsibility or CSR and the other with a sole focus on profit. The former has been called the Rhineland model (Albert, 1992; Avery, 2005) and is expressed by Perez; â€Å"The manager considers that his mission, and that of the enterprises he manages, is a multiple one: he must of course be competitive to do otherwise would be suicidal but also, as far as possible, be attentive to his internal and external partners, think about the environment and future generations, in short be globally responsible† (Perez, 2003, p. 82). The opposing perspective is the Anglo US model (Avery, 2005) and follows the ideology of the single thought (de Woot, 2005). It is this differentiation which leads to a contentious issue in the CSR literature. Much of the CSR literature talks about the need to go beyond legal requirements (Carroll, 1999) however once this is int erpreted through the lens of the national business system it can be seen why this has come about. The lack of regulation in the American corporate context, to address other than financial imperatives, requires that if a company is considering its social impact it must go beyond compliance. In the European context many of these requirements are bound up in institutional aspects of the local business model. Matten and Moon refer to this as implicit and explicit CSR (Matten Moon, 2008). This international context of the institutions, cultures and norms of the society in which firms are rooted needs to be considered in much of the discussion about CSR and sustainability, particularly when we talk of institutional literature. Much of the work stemming from United Nations initiatives around sustainable development such as the Brundtland Report and the Global Compact also stem from an ethical perspective. The argument is about the rights of the worlds peoples and hence the dual obligation on business to maintain the ecological environment for the benefit of future generations and to be responsible for the social impacts on society today. The common thread amongst the ethical arguments is that they are all focused on why these broader issues should be a responsibility of business. They do not venture into what or how: this will come from subsequent literature. There are relevant empirical studies which help to develop this â€Å"why† concept further particularly for SMEs, which will now be reviewed. Empirical work on ethical theories of sustainability, CSR or normative stakeholder theory is sparse (Berman, Phillips, Wicks, 2006). No research investigating global responsibility and business could be found, although there are a number of descriptive case studies of business which are used to show evidence of a global responsibility approach (Antal Sobczak, 2004; Zinkin, 2004). De Woot identifies that small business is unable to make the changes required alone and this will only happen through their professional associations (de Woot, 2005). Within the descriptive literature on SMEs and the adoption of CSR or sustainability there is considerable evidence that there is an ethical motive behind some business activities which could be considered a part of the CSR spectrum (Condon, 2004; Graafland, van de Ven, Stoffele, 2003; Spence et al., 2003). Jamalis work in Lebanon reached a conclusion that is typical of many studies: â€Å"there was a high level of convergence regarding a philanthropic conception of CSR that was characterized as an obligation parallel to the business rather than being integrated into it. All six SME managers (with no exception) equated CSR with philanthropy, which they considered as a necessary activity independent of mainstream business transactions.† (Jamali, Zanhour, Keshishian, 2009, p. 364) This is not unlike the early view of CSR, where the key issue was philanthropy as an activity of the firm somewhat separate from the firms business. Spence has looked deeply at the personal ethics of small business owners and how this impacts their business operation, to identify four orientations; profit maximisation, subsistence priority, enlightened self interest and social parity (Spence Rutherford, 2001). This frame gives us some insight into the utility of ethical theories of CSR. For those who have a social orientation, ie those exhibiting enlightened self interest or social priority an ethical theory may have utility in further integration of sustainability into the business beyond mere CSR activities. For those with a profit maximisation focus, however ethical theories are unlikely to entice operators to be involved. Which begs the question if ethical theories are only useful to those who are ethical then do they have any utility at all? And yet maybe they do and the focus needs to be to inculcate business to understand that if they claim to be ethical they need to take on De Woots call and use their energy to change t he way their business operates and strategically incorporate the new paradigm into their daily operations. It may be that it is the inability to gain traction with ethical arguments that led truly committed individuals such as Elkington and Hawken to develop their work as instrumental theories and encourage business buy in this way. In summary the research shows that for SMEs an ethical intent of the owner may lead to adoption of sustainability or at least elements of CSR. This will be considered further as propositions are developed to build the framework. Instrumental theories Within the taxonomy, instrumental theories are defined as those that argue that CSR can be adopted as a means to achieve an economic end. In other contexts they are termed the Business Case (Dyllick Hockerts, 2002; Epstein Roy, 2003). Garriga includes Friedmans shareholder maximisation theory, the work of Porter on social investments in a competitive context, Prahlad on the bottom of the pyramid, Harts natural resource view of the firm, and work on cause related marketing. To this can be added Natural Capitalism and the triple bottom line. Harts Natural Resource Based view seeks to engage business to maintain and protect the environment by exhorting a firm to consider a wider view of the resources available to it, and extend from the traditional consideration of capital and labour as the only constrained resources to include the natural resources it uses. In particular it asks a firm to consider pollution prevention, product stewardship and sustainable development. The theory is instrumental because it argues that over time the adoption of this strategy will lead to competitive advantage, which in the current business paradigm equates to more profit (Hart, 1995). The theory is extended to a model for how to integrate sustainability through the sustainable value framework a somewhat integrative model however clearly focussed on creating shareholder value, which may be a broader construct then profit alone (Hart Milstein, 2003). One concept clearly articulated in this framework and absent in many others is that this i s a strategic choice and should be part of the strategic decision making framework of the firm. Patagonia is held up as a company whose successful growth and green reputation is based on successfully integrating the elements of natural resource based theory into its strategy (Fowler Hope, 2007). Porter weighed in on the environment debate in the 90s arguing that to be green would lead to long term competitive advantage albeit at a potential short term cost (Porter Linde, 1995). This is very much an instrumental or profit oriented approach. He came late to consideration of CSR and unsurprisingly has also taken an instrumental approach. The profit motive is explicit in his comment; â€Å"The essential test that should guide CSR is not whether a cause is worthy but whether it presents an opportunity to create shared value that is, a meaningful benefit for society that is also valuable to the business† (Porter Kramer, 2006, p. 84). Prahalads plea for multinationals to engage in developing products appropriate for, and taking their business to, developing countries, whilst altruistic, is again instrumental. The focus is that business can make money with the approach (Prahalad, 2002). Since this is a call to multinational corporations this is unlikely to be relevant for the SME framework, except potentially to the extent of product development. The Triple Bottom line is another instrumental approach. Elkington comes from a personal conviction that the world must change (Elkington, 1999), with an argument that is not unlike DeWoots global responsibility argument. This is his personal motive for raising awareness. However in developing his theory and identifying the seven pillars of a sustainable future and thus calling others to action he relies on a business case and clearly states that the reason is not about ethics or religion (Elkington, 1999) He avoids the argument for a paradigm shift and reverts to a business case argument almost as if he were trying to seduce business to accept his ideas and unwittingly do the right thing by the environment. The theory of Natural Capitalism has a similar thread. It is again easy to confuse the theory with the ethics of the creator. The four pillars are increased resource productivity, waste elimination through closed loop material circuits, an economic shift to a solutions based business model and investment in natural capital. However as the proponents states: â€Å"that enable business to behave responsibly towards both nature and people while increasing profits, inspiring their workforce and gaining competitive advantage† (Lovins Lovins, 2001, p. 99). They are profit focused and thus instrumental and move from the â€Å"what† typical of most instrumental theories and extend it in to a â€Å"how† which we typically see in Garrigas integrative theories. As a generalisation instrumental theories tell us what to look at to achieve competitive advantage or profit. There is a focus on material usage, waste and physical resources (Hart, 1995; Lovins Lovins, 2001), product stewardship (Hart Milstein, 2003), symbiotic partnerships (Elkington, 1999), relevant social issues (Porter Kramer, 2006) and on marketing and business models (Elkington, 1999; Lovins Lovins, 2001). From a theoretical perspective we now have why, what and a little on how. The following paragraphs review the empirical work on SMEs and instrumental theory to further inform the framework. There is significant empirical work testing the validity of the business case argument. Orlitzkys meta-analysis of this body of work shows that there is a correlation between corporate social performance and corporate financial performance (Orlitzky, Schmidt, Rynes, 2003). This finding gives an additional utility to this group of theories for the profit motivated adopting the new ethics of CSR or sustainability makes a contribution to profit so we have a why as well as a what. Ethicists however take issue and question whether the ends adoption of CSR justify the means taking it on because it adds to profit (Gond, Palazzo, Basu, 2009). Within the SME literature there is a strong case argued that contribution to profit is critical and when this can be demonstrated practices which form part of the sustainability agenda may be adopted (Castka, Balzarova, Bamber, Sharp, 2004; Williamson et al., 2006). Studies show that cost savings and competitive advantage can be gained from attention to the environment (Aragà ³n-Correa et al., 2008), successful implementation of eco-efficiency and environmental policies was motivated by a business case (Cà ´tà ©, Booth, Louis, 2006; Kerr, 2006, p. 34) and application of Harts strategies are directly applicable to SMEs (Avram Kà ¼hne, 2008). When looking deeper into the literature for the items identified in the discussion of instrumental theories, ie material usage, waste and physical resources, symbiotic partnerships, relevant social issues and marketing and business models, it is only the clear business performance characteristics which resonate and are considered (Williamson et al., 2006). In considering the integrative framework it will be necessary to consider what elements identified should be considered given the limitations of SME resourcing. Integrative models Integrative models consider how social demands are integrated into a business. They do not have the scope of ethical theories and are bounded in the present what social issues demand the attention of the business now. In Garrigas taxonomy integrative theories include stakeholder management, corporate social performance, issues management and public responsibility. Dunphys pathways framework (Dunphy, Griffiths, Benn, 2007) and Tilbury and Wortmans organisation development methodology (Tilbury Wortman, 2004) are added into this class. Integrative theories developed because an ethical notion of CSR is holistic and does not help the manager in determining the granularity of what issues to address and how to address them. In developing the idea of CSR as a process, issues management, Jones states â€Å"Corporate managers do not advance by asking abstract questions but by making the pragmatic, specific decisions that confront them in the operation of their business.† (Jones, 1980 , p. 60). Similarly in her 1991 paper, Wood develops a practical framework from the previous theoretical work on CSR and corporate social performance, integrating principles, process and outcomes (Wood, 1991). Within the GR literature Thevenet also tries to develop an integrative form of global responsibility in an attempt for relevance. For GR to be effective he suggests business is responsible to expose and train managers, to develop personal reflection and maturity without which he claims ethical decisions cannot be made, â€Å"The key to global responsibility will be, at the end of the day, behavioural responsibility from people† (Thevenet, 2003, p. 124). With a prima facie base in ethics the separation between integrative and ethical theories is ambiguous. The difficulty is that once the theory becomes integrative and focused on application, the origins become less significant and the same process can be used for different reasons. At the extreme is the work of Gond on the Mafia as an organisation which on the surface can be said to exhibit many CSR best practices yet is patently not an ethical organisation. Practices include; developing good relationships with the local community and stakeholders (albeit using

Social Penetration Essay -- Psychology Essays

Social Penetration "Decisions about self-disclosure - whether to reveal one's thoughts, feelings, or past experiences to another person, or the level of intimacy of such disclosure - are part of the everyday life of most persons" (Derlega and Berg, 1987, p. ix). The decisions one makes on the issue of whether or not to self-disclose with others affects not only the types of relationships one will have with others and how they are perceived, but also how well they know themselves. Clearly, self-disclosure plays a major role in the development of close relationships. Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor, the theorists behind Social Penetration theory, recognized this fact and designed their theory to illustrate and explain this process of self-disclosure through social penetration. In this paper, I will explain Altman and Taylor's Social Penetration theory and the framework behind it, offer come critiques that have been made about the theory by other communication scholars, and present examples of studies conducted using the ideas of social penetration. To understand the idea of Social Penetration theory, one must first understand the ideas behind it, and more specifically, its framework. The theory focuses around the idea that within every relationship social penetration processes exist. Altman and Taylor (1973) explain that these processes include "verbal exchange, nonverbal use of the body, use of the physical environment, and interpersonal perceptions - all of which are exhibited at different levels of intimacy of encounter" (p. 3). The goal of Social Penetration theory is to describe the "formation, maintenance, and dissolution of close relationships" (Derlega & Berg, 1987, p. 5). According to the theory, the form... ...ocial penetration theory. I used Griffin's text mainly as a source for my critiques of the theory. Jourard, S. M. (1971). Self-disclosure: an experimental analysis of the transparent self. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. This publication is another psychology oriented edition about self-disclosure. I didn't use any information from this book because it was all repetition from the other sources I gathered. I used the other source information because I found it more reputable. Tannen, D. (1986). That's not what I mean! How conversational style makes or breaks relationships. New York, NY: Ballantine. Deborah Tannen, the author, is the theorist behind genderlects. The only information I used from this book was the quote about the differences between how men and women are seasoned to communicate. Nothing else was relevant to my topic.

Essay on A Society of Oppression in A Handmaids Tale -- Handmaids Ta

A Society of Oppression in A Handmaid's Tale      Ã‚   As the saying goes, 'history repeats itself.' If one of the goals of Margaret Atwood was to prove this particular point, she certainly succeeded in her novel A Handmaid's Tale. In her Note to the Reader, she writes, " The thing to remember is that there is nothing new about the society depicted in The Handmaiden's Tale except the time and place. All of the things I have written about ...have been done before, more than once..." (316). Atwood seems to choose only the most threatening, frightening, and atrocious events in history to parallel her book by--specifically the enslavement of African Americans in the United States. She traces the development of this institution, but from the perspective of a different group of oppressed people: women.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Like the institution of slavery, women in Gilead were enslaved through biblical justifications. According to the Commanders, God intended the ultimate power to be in the hands of man, not only because man was created first, but also because it was woman's temptation that expelled them both from the Garden of Eden. Women, therefor, must be controlled by man. Slave traders and owners also justified the enslavement of Africans, arguing that slave labor existed extensively in the Bible (Jews were enslaved by the Egyptians, for example), and therefor God did not condemn the institution. Once a master acquires slaves, or a Handmaid, he must rule over them effectively, to assure that they will meet his needs. To so, the term "human" must be taken out of consideration (for that may evoke some sort of pity or compassion) and replaced with the term "it"--detonating property. This is clearly demonstrated when Offred reflects on the ... ...at the top of the underground railroad...Canada's position would be to do what she always does: try to remain neutral without antagonizing the superpower to the south," (320).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After reading The Handmaid's Tale, one may conclude that Margaret Atwood is not simply feeding her readers history, but rather warning them of our future. We may, for example, see modern day oppression in homosexuals. Various religious groups doom them to Hell, rights are taken away from them (the right to marry, for example)...the list goes on. As Atwood says of The Handmaid's Tale, "The novel exists for social examination..." (316). One can only hope that our history of social oppression will cease to repeat itself if only we can learn from the past.    Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1986.

Low Participation Rates amongst Latino Parents in Education and Metho

One of the most crucial topics in education is the involvement of parents in their child’s school as well as their education. For the past few decades research has been conducted about the involvement of parents in their community schools as well as the influence that is has. However, it has been noted that it is within minority communities and families where there is the least amount of involvement in their child’s school and education, more so in Latino communities. Although the amount of involvement does not necessarily reflect the parents concern of the child’s academic performance, educators have proclaimed that parental involvement does in fact help the student perform academically better: â€Å"Various studies indicate that parental involvement is salient in determining how well children do in school at both the elementary and secondary school levels† (Christian et. al., 1998). Yet, it has come to many educational leaders attention that there has b een a steady decline in parental involvement across the country and Latino and other minority communities seem to have the lowest number of participation in their school. Many researchers have investigated and still do to find the cause of why there is a lack of parents involved in school within these minority communities. â€Å"Parental involvement has become of the centerpieces of educational dialogue among educators, parents, and political leaders. The presence of more parents in the workforce, the fast pace of modern society as a while and the declining role of the family have all been reasons that some social-scientist have pointed to explain an apparent decline in parental involvement in education†(Coleman & Hoffer, 1987). This is one of the growing believed reasons in why there ... ...viting parents no matter the gender, class, or race to become involved in their school. Martinez-Cosio’s case in her article is a perfect example of what occurs daily to parents whom try to get involved, more so Latinos. However, this is not always the case. Researchers are digging deeper into the more emotional aspect of why Latino parents tend to lack in parental involvement in the schools. â€Å"The women felt that the school was an extension of their home, and that the teachers served as surrogate mothers† (Ramirez, 2003). Latino women see school as another home for their child as well as see the teachers as another mother to their child; therefore, it is easy to conclude that mothers do not participate in their child’s school because they believe that the â€Å"surrogate mothers† take care of everything involved within the school while they take care of home issues.

Antony and Cleopatra is based upon a dualistic vision of experience, the world of Rome pitted against the world of Egypt

Antony and Cleopatra is based upon a dualistic vision of experience, the world of Rome pitted against the world of Egypt. Rome is associated with military glory, honor, and moral duty and this is clearly depicted by the imagery used throughout the play. Through Cleopatra's words in Act 1 Scene1, the audience gets some insight into the Roman way even before Shakespeare introduces it on stage. â€Å"If the scarce bearded Caesar have not sent his powerful mandate to you, ‘Do this, or this; Take in that kingdom and enfranchise that. As she tries to predict the message form Rome, she creates an image of a powerful and commanding Caesar whose sole concern is to ensure the political superiority of the Triumvirate. Shakespeare uses the character of Caesar to represent Rome and therefore creates the idea of a politically-motivated nation. The news from the messenger in Act 1 Scene 2 also supports the political urgency of Rome as it creates images of war and conquest that is occurring back in Rome. He speaks of Fulvia coming into â€Å"the field† and the â€Å"conquering banner† of Labenius, who is an enemy of the Trimuvirate. However, the battle of Actium which occurs after the separation of the Triumvirate is where imagery truly serves to illustrate the military urgency that is associated with Rome as images of ships, sails, swords and battle give the audience a greater understanding of the emphasis they place on war and the preservation of power. This is obvious in Caesar's words as delivers commands for war; â€Å"Strike not by land; keep whole. Provoke not battle till we have done at sea. Caesar's words help to define the Roman vision of experience: militaristic and male, marked by heroic restraint in difficult circumstances, a willed ability to combat one's deepest feelings, a sustained composure when everyone else is falling apart. Egypt, on the other hand, presents a stark contrast to the political world of the Romans. Egypt represents instinctive passion, extravagant love, fertility, and magnanimity. Just as Caesar represents Rome, Cleopatra's character is used to represent Egypt as a whole. The extravagance of Egypt becomes immediately obvious as Cleopatra enters in Act 1 Scene 1. She enters with a flourish of fanfare, a train of female servants and eunuchs fanning her which evokes an image of absolute comfort and relaxation. There is no hint of political concern as she and Antony profess their love to each other in extravagant words which highlight their instinctive passion. This is reflected in Antony's response to Cleopatra's question of the extent of his love; â€Å"Then must thou needs find out new heaven, new earth. † There are also various references to food and drink in Cleopatra's words and these images serve to create a sense of pleasure which is associated with eating. She refers to her ‘salad days' as she speaks of her youth. She also requests â€Å"music and moody food† to quell her anxiety about Antony's return to her. The atmosphere of pleasure in Egypt is emphasized by Antony in Act 1Scene 1 as he expresses his wishes to indulge in the gay abandon and revelry of Cleopatra's kingdom; â€Å"There's not a moment of our lives that should stretch without some pleasure now. † Another important illustration of the contrast between Rome and Egypt is the imagery that depicts the change in Antony's character. Through the observations of other characters in the play, Shakespeare makes obvious the deterioration of Antony's political prowess and power. The description of this decline usually consists of a juxtaposition of imagery of strength and fortitude with that of weakness and submission. The strength of character is associated with the Antony in Rome who held his political duties in high regard. He deteriorates into a â€Å"doting mallard† of Cleopatra in Egypt where it appears that the atmosphere of abandon and relaxation has cast a spell over him, making him forget his duties as one of the most powerful men in the world. He is described as â€Å"The triple pillar of the world transformed into a strumpet's fool. † This creates the image of deterioration for one who held great power. The imagery of strength versus weakness used in Scarus' speech in Act 1 Scene 1 also portrays the decline in Antony; â€Å"His captain's heart which in the scuffles of great fights hath burst the buckles on his breast, reneges all temper and becomes the bellows and the fan to cool a gypsy's lust. † The strength of Antony's character before his indulgence in the pleasure of the East is enforced by the imagery used in Caesar's tribute to Antony in Act 1 Scene 4. He describes Antony with images of strength and resilience' â€Å"at thy heel did famine follow, whom thou fought against,† â€Å"thou didst drink the stale of horses The contrast between Rome and Egypt also highlights the underlying themes of masculine order versus feminine order as well as the role of the woman . In Rome the masculine ethos which, while having room to honour women in certain limited ways, has little place for them in public life, other than as useful political tools or upholders of very masculine ideals or as producers of soldiers. There is little respect for them as is obvious in the imagery used by various Romans to describe Cleopatra. She is described as a lustful gypsy which is an image used to degrade her character. When Octavius thinks of how his sister should enter Rome in a manner fitting her importance, the only images he can reach for which might express his feelings are ones taken from the vocabulary of military triumphs: â€Å"The wife of Antony should have an army for an usher. † It is significant that he can convey his high esteem and strong feelings for her only in images more appropriate to a returning triumphant general. On the other hand, the woman holds a role of utmost importance in Egypt. Cleopatra's position as queen is the primary image of this. Enobarbus' tribute to her also creates an image of her infinite power and freedom as a woman. something entirely at odds with the Roman emphasis on predictable order, law, and consistency. â€Å"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety. † In Cleopatra's palace, women talk openly about explicit sexuality. They are attended by men and this creates an image of female superiority. They express their sexual feelings, joke about sexual matters, and establish a close female community. The image of the horse in relation to Antony and Cleopatra's sexual encounters is one of few images that used to express sexuality. This highlights the ability of the woman to be open and expressive as opposed to that of Rome who is expected to be reserved and serve their men. Another major theme of the play to which imagery gives great insight is that of the love between Antony and Cleopatra. They profess their love for each other in an exaggerated style, using images of vastness to describe the extent of their feelings. In Act 1 Scene 1 when Cleopatra claims that she will set a limit (bourn) on Antony's love, he responds â€Å"Then must thou needs find out new heaven, new earth. † This trend continues throughout the play. Even in death their love is made evident by the imagery used in their speech. Cleopatra's motivation for suicide is her reunion with Antony in death; â€Å"I am again for Cyndus, to meet Marc Antony. † This creates the image of their first meeting and emphasizes the immortality of their love as she wishes to recreate that moment in the afterlife. Cleopatra herself finalizes this as she says â€Å"I have Immortal longings in me. † Another main focus of the play is politics and the desire for power. This gives rise to ‘worldliness' of the play as the Romans seek to preserve and expand their empire. The political strategies never remain confined to Rome and there is frequent mention of the capture of neighbouring countries The imagery used reinforces the sense of grandeur and the huge scope of the drama.. It is seen from Act 1 Scene 2 when the messenger form Rome describes Labenius conquering lands from Asia, Euphrates, Syria, Lydia and Ionia. There are also frequent images of the sea and the earth in relation to politics which give a sense of vastness and help to highlight the importance of politics and world conquest. This is illustrated by Cleopatra as she describes war as â€Å"the world's great snare. † Some of the political imagery used to describe Antony also helps to reinforce the huge scope of the drama. He is called â€Å"the greatest prince of the world,† â€Å"the demi- Atlas of the world,† and â€Å"the crown o'th'earth. † He is not only a strong leader in Rome but a â€Å"triple pillar of the world† as Rome's empire extends all over the globe. In examining the imagery of love and politics in Antony and Cleopatra, the underlying theme of war versus love cannot be ignored. This is made evident in the imagery in Antony's words as he struggles to find a balance between upholding his political duty and indulging in passion with Cleopatra. A prime example of this is when Antony is about to leave for war in Act 4 Scene 4. As Cleopatra tries to lace his armour he calls her â€Å"the armourer of my heart. † The image of armour gives a sense of impending war but Antony uses it to convey that Cleopatra has captured his heart. This contrasting imagery occurs several other times in the play, even in the same scene when he gives her a â€Å"soldier's kiss. † The juxtaposition of war and love illustrates Antony's conflict of choice between love and duty. It also helps to illustrate how he downplays the importance of war and politics in the face of love. Antony himself acknowledges this as he admits that he lost to Caesar at sea because he trusted Cleopatra's fleet to help him win the battle; â€Å"My sword made weak by my affection. â€Å"