Importance of Negotiation: Planning

Negotiation Strategy: Planning is Critical University of Phoenix Krystal Torrez Week 2 In negotiation the underlying interest of the party is equally as important as the outcome of acheivment. To meet the desired goals negotiators must be aware of the uniquely different needs and accomodations each desired goal requires. By accepting the differences between each desired goal the team will be better prepared in finding appropriate strategies and solutions. Negotiation should always be approached in a serious, well thought out manner to result proactively. Lack of planning often appears at the negotiating table as too much reliance on demands and ineffective attempts to persuade the opponent (Cronin-Harris, 2004). Author Cathy Cronin-Harris discusses good planning based on five strategies below, which may be the difference between effective negotiation and failed negotiation. In effective negotiation, establishing and ranking priority interests, assessing opposing parties’ priorites, understanding the representation of money, careful planning of factual inquiries and principle based money moves are the five strategies of planning in negotiation. Prior to negotiation each party should thouroghly study possible outcomes, priority interests, and the ranks of importance all the different interest of the desired outcome may have. The reason for ranking items by importance is to have less important items to offer as trade during the process of the actual negotiation. Understanding the opposing parties’ desired outcome and priorities is also significantly inportant in planning for a smooth negotiation process. By understanding the desired outcomes of both parties involved a possible solution may be achieved benefiting both parties. Prior to the process of a negotiation the negotiator must undertsand what money is representing if money is a possible outcome for either party. Most times money is only considered a substitute of satisfaction. However, by being aware of what the money is being used as a substitute for may allow the negotiator to creatively offer other ooptions more closely related to the real underlying issue. Allowing problem solving to be more beneficial to both negotiators. The careful planning of factual inquiries may result in the surfacing of new data. By allowing time to be curious and asking questions the negotiator may find a different plan of action. Although, all negotiators fear being taken advatnage of, information may result in outcomes positively affecting both parties. Lastly, prior to the launch of the negotiation appropriate money moves must be established. By establishing reasonable offers a negotiator may be more successful in receiving the amount set out for. In closing, proper nplanning in regard to negotiation may not only lead to professional confidence but acheivment of the desired outcome. By appropriately planning a strategy for a negotiable scenario, both parties may receive desired results, rather than, repeatitive bargaining. Works Cited Cronin-Harris, C. (2004, December). Negotiation Strategy: Planning Is Critical. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from www. phoenix. edu: http://search. ebscohost. com/login. aspx? direct=true&db=bth&AN=15290421&site=bsi-live

Metabical Analysis Essay

All other Weight-Loss Options in Exhibit 2 are more expensive that the target $30/ month out of pocket cost. No other weight loss option offers cost containment cards. No other product combines two mechanisms for weight loss: Metabical combines two pharmacologic mechanisms to produce weight loss: Fat blocker, meditonan and appetite suppressant, calosera. Due to the dual mechanism, the medications can be dosed in lower levels and therefore have a better safety profile and fewer side effects than either of the medications that have similar mechanisms, Meridia (prescription appetite suppressant phentermine) or Xenical (originally prescription fat blocker, now over the counter in a lower dose with fewer side effects, Alli) Metabical is dosed once daily, which leads to better patient compliance than over the counter Alli, which must be taken with each meal in order to block fat absorption. Metabical is FDA approved, which demonstrates efficacy and relative safety as compared to over the counter or herbal remedies. Metabical is dispensed by prescription only, which allows physicians to have more control and awareness of what their patients are taking, and to coordinate the use of Metabical with other prescription drugs in a group of patients (moderately obese), who are prone to obesity related disease states, such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, and joint injuries. Metabical is the only prescription weight loss medication with an indication for moderate obesity (BMI 28-30). Other prescription weight loss preparations are indicated for morbidly obese patients with BMI < 30. * As a prescription drug, physicians are also able to combine Metabical with nutrition counseling or behavior modification support.

Biotechnology

Biotechnology Essay The welfare and development of todays student-athlete is central to the administration of Big Ten Conference intercollegiate athletics. Providing opportunity for young men and women to mature in a wholesome and healthy way is critically important to our universities. A commitment exists at all levels of our universities to providing the resources to support the welfare of Big Ten student-athletes. At the 1996 NCAA Convention, the Division I membership debated a number of issues related to financial assistance for student-athletes. Limitations on Pell Grants, stipends awarded by the federal government for educational purposes, were removed. Discussions took place, and continue to occur, on ways to liberalize rules on how student-athletes can earn money from work done during the off-season. Around the same time, the NCAA Executive Committee increased the annual funding of the special assistance fund from $3 million to $10 million. Big Ten institutions provide more than 6,400 young men and women opportunities to play on 250 intercollegiate teams. These young people receive more than $42 million annually from Big Ten institutions in grants-in-aid (tuition, room and board, books). While receiving the opportunity for a world-class education, they compete with and against some of the finest amateur athletes in the country. Needy student-athletes in the Big Ten may receive up to $2,000 annually above the value of their grant-in-aid via federal aid and are eligible for cash payments from the special assistance fund for items like clothing, emergency trips home and other special needs. Big Ten universities also assist student-athletes in identifying summer employment opportunities, career placement and catastrophic-injury insurance plans. They also assist with a $1 million insurance plan that financially protects student-athletes with professional sports aspirations in the event they suffer a disabling injury. Today, the system that served so many so well and for so long is being called into question by the media, the public and even by some coaches and student-athletes. They assert that some student-athletes in football and basketball should be paid for their participation. They believe that the market forces that drive professional sports, or any other private-sector activity, should provide the controlling principle for the relationship between the student-athlete and the university. This issue of financial assistance for student-athletes is critical to defining and examining the relationship between intercollegiate athletics and higher education as we approach the 21st century. While we must be open to novel approaches and new ideas, paying student-athletes to play is not supportable within the context of Big Ten intercollegiate athletics now or in the future. In my view, revenues derived from intercollegiate athletics are the sole property of the institution and should be expended in support of the broadest array of mens and womens educational and athletics opportunities. Thus, revenues are earned in private-sector activity and spent within the confines of the university for appropriate educational purposes. Some critics of college athletics cite the economic and educational exploitation of the student-athletes who participate in our major revenue sports as a major flaw in the system. We believe the educational and the lifetime economic benefits associated with a university education are the appropriate quid pro quo for any Big Ten student-athlete, regardless of the sport. For many decades, Big Ten intercollegiate athletics has been funded largely by revenues from mens basketball and football programs. This situation is not likely to change in the foreseeable future. Our institutions have sponsored sports programs that enabled outstanding athletes such as Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Red Grange, Archie Griffin, John Havlicek and Dick Butkus (the list is endless) to obtain an education and play their sport, in turn providing resources for educational and athletics opportunities for such people as Suzy Favor, Jesse Owens, Mark Spitz and Jack Nicklaus. Under this system, people like John Wooden and Gerald Ford played alongside student-athletes much less famous, but equally deserving of an intercollegiate athletics experience. Intercollegiate athletics has provided, and will continue to provide, opportunities for social mobility through education for future generations of young men and women. We must ensure that all young people admitted to our universities are prepared to compete academically so that the overall student-athlete academic outcomes are compatible with their peers within the general student population. Recent efforts to raise NCAA initial-eligibility standards are attempts to counter the argument that unprepared student-athletes are being admitted and then exploited for their athletics contributions. Ten mens basketball and football events and more than 300 million Americans watch these sports on television. Ticket and television revenues derived from those sources are shared among our members so that each university can sponsor the .

Evaluate communication skills in role play Essay

Evaluate communication skills in role play - Essay Example Summary of Scenario The scenario given is based on the relationship between Kelly, an elderly individual living in a nursing home and Mary, the care giver. Kelly is the age of 80 and requires basic assistance for daily living activities; however, she is still fairly independent with her actions. Mary goes to give Kelly her morning breakfast and is accused of stealing Kelly’s money as she is the only one in the room. Mary states that Kelly should look in her purse again to see if the money is there; however, Kelly refuses and continues to become aggressive toward Mary. After this point, there are two methods of communication that are used. The first is with Mary who tells Linda, the manager, about the given scenario and what the results are. The second is when the message is communicated to Doreen, the daughter of Kelly. Doreen tells her mother to look in her purse where the money is found. Kelly and Mary also go into the room to resolve the conflict; however, the money has bee n found and an apology is made toward Mary. Theories of Communication The first application that can be seen with the scenario between Kelly and Mary is based on behavioural theory. This theory states that the communication and motivation which is used may alter the behaviours which one takes as well as the intentions which are a part of the theory. When using persuasive communication in the right manner, the behaviours alter and a different mood is created toward the situation (Fishbein, Cappella, S1: 2006). When looking at the scenario between Kelly and Mary, it can be seen that the motivation factors alters the behaviour. Mary first tries to alter the situation by calming Kelly down and motivating her to look in her bag. However, the behavioural response leads to aggressive behaviour toward Mary. The motivation at this point is used in a negative manner because of the situation. The same concept of behavioural theory is applied when Doreen steps in. The communication is used in a non – threatening manner and Kelly is able to express her concerns thoroughly. This allows Doreen to motivate Kelly to look in her bag. The response isn’t negative because of the way the information is communicated to her mother. The communication that was used negatively is one which may directly be associated with Mary as well as with Linda later during the scenario. According to Eric Berne, the negative communication is one which is not only based on this scenario. Reactions and experiences also may create a psychological response to the situation. If the communication approach is one which constitutes a psychological reaction or triggers a memory, then a negative response may occur. The scripts which may lead to a negative reaction include protocol, script proper and adaptation. The protocol of Kelly is relayed through her instant reaction of believing that Mary took her money. The script proper is also a retelling of past experiences and psychological responses t o the situation. The adaptation is retrieved when a change in attitude and understanding of the situation is correctly applied (Stewart, 7: 2007). When looking at this situation, it can be seen that the negative response was based only on psychological responses. The relation that Kelly has with both Mary and Linda triggers a negative reaction or protocol which Kelly believes is true. This can be seen in the overall

Comparitive Criminal Justice from a Global Standpoint Research Paper

Comparitive Criminal Justice from a Global Standpoint - Research Paper Example Based on these points of view, the shifts in crime control are mainly the outcomes of the internal pressures of development, notwithstanding temporal and spatial realities. Second, the world system assumptions have argued that present developing nations are reliant upon, and to differing extents, developed nations. Thus, the changes in crime control in any nation, despite of its developmental condition, are mainly the outcomes of external pressures, with respect to a shifting political economy. And lastly, the opportunity assumptions have disputed that crime control show a combination of developing physical resources and social contexts (Cochrane et al., 2004). Therefore, changes in crime patterns, throughout time, are mainly the outcomes of intermingling internal and external forces. And so it becomes clear: With globalization, international competition and exchanges of products and services, culture, knowledge and information emerges the global progress in crime control. However, these global growths are not unburdened by the domestic realities of politics, social change, nationalism and policies. Therefore, it is promoted in this paper that the completely integrative comparative discussion of crime control should consider these sets of forces, particularly as they interrelate with one another. From a global perspective, a depressing result of the weakening of the relationship between the East and the West has been the entry of disagreement, conflict and global crime. An outcome of the end of the Cold War during the recent decade has been the global increase in border and transnational crimes, particularly those related to the illegal exporting and importing of products and services. With the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the weakening of transnational regulations all over Eastern Europe, and the launching of the free

The Challenge In The Community IPE Event, Supported By The Management Essay

The Challenge In The Community IPE Event, Supported By The Management And Sociology Workshop - Essay Example Its components include descriptive, feelings and analysis. First, it is important to understand that Gibbs model as a reflective practice has been associated with leaning based on the experiences and in its entirety, has always played a very significant role as a strategy used by professionals as a lifelong learning. The practice is also credited for being a process that promotes quality of care and catalyzes professional and personal growth and thus bridges the gap between practice and theory. To this end, the paper will examine the IPE challenge and relate it with the Gibbs model. Inter-professional education (IPE) involves students from different health disciplines engaging in practice learning through mentorship and collaborative activities. It plays a vital role in educating and developing healthcare professionals (Carpenter, & Dickinson, 2008).This reflective writing is based on the challenge in the community IPE event and it is supported by the sociology and management workshop. Gibbs reflective cycle will be used in this paper. Gibbs cycle involves six stage approaches to learning, this include description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action plan. Description On 31st of March, as an audiologist, I attended the IPE event challenge in the community together with different healthcare professionals such as Social workers, Nurses, Pharmacists, physiotherapists and respiratory technicians. The aims was to work as professionals in our own fields and identify the best professional relationships to ensure that service users get the desired quality services.

What is Capital Budgeting Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What is Capital Budgeting - Statistics Project Example The NPV for corporation B is also higher than for corporation A. The difference is not very significant at less than 10%, but in the absence of other information, it would appear that corporation B fetches higher present value. The NPV represents today's value of projected future cash flows. The rate of discounting should approximate the bank rate, and the 10% figure given should be seen in this context. The difference in NPV between the two alternatives would be inadequate to support any decision, given that there would inevitably be some uncertainty in the projections of revenue and cost. The IRR is higher for corporation B than for corporation A. Since the company has limited funds to invest and since each of the alternatives requires equal funding, corporation B is a better choice in terms of IRR. IRR is the most relevant measure in this case since the firm has limited funds and has to make a choice between the two corporations available for acquisition. Again, the difference in IRR between the two corporations is too small to support any decision in real life. The Pay-back period is the same for both corporations, so no difference can be made on this account. Both corporations are equal in terms of the payback period. The payback figure is easy to calculate, but it can be misleading. Acquisition of a corporation should consider risks inherent in its projected earnings and continued revenues (Jean-Jacques, 2002, p55). The pay-back figure would not be an important consideration unless a diversification into a highly risky line of business was to be involved. Future cash flows that have not been discounted do not have much value in a business situation. Profitability Profitability is better in the case of corporation A. This could be because corporation B has secured a bigger market share through price competition, and seems to have a policy of cutting margins in order to retain its market position and business volume. It may be a matter for management intervention after an acquisition, for declining margins are most often difficult to reverse and can affect the long-term financial health of an enterprise. Discounted Payback The discounted payback period is one year more than if we consider nominal values of annual cash flows. This is the case with both corporations. This measure is more meaningful than plain pay-back. The effect of discounting is almost the same for both corporations, delaying pay-back by about a year. The discounted pay-back in the fifth year is not particularly attractive.

Wxy Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Wxy - Article Example The partly poor rents land and diversify their sources of income by working on low-wage jobs. The plainly poor have lowest paying jobs and are landless. The poorest of the poor are destitute, they have few assets and they are shackles (Norton). Beggars in Bangladesh are example of the poorest of the poor. Most percentage of the world’s rice is produced through irrigation farming but the remainder of the rice is grown in fragile rain-fed uplands, flood prone areas and rain-fed lowlands. 90 percent of world’s rice consumption and production is accounted by Asia. More than half of poor in Asia obtain 50 percent of their calories from the rice which is grown in fragile environments. Farmers in these fragile environments face submergence and drought, poor soils and diseases and numerous insects. Biotechnology research of rice is currently underway to address quality and quantity constraints in both fragile and favorable ecosystems for existing varieties of self

You can choose a topic related to the theme listed below Essay

You can choose a topic related to the theme listed below - Essay Example According to Department for International Development report, migration to the urban centers is important in alleviating poverty (p. 13). This development has been good for the region as it has seen the turning of the region into a known economic power that is able to sustain itself and see the erection of various mega structures that are not found in any other part of the world. The development has come with various side effects some of which include population surge which is expected to rise more by 2020. The cities in the region are flocked with visitors from other parts of the world being many. With the population continuing to increase, questions of sustainable development arises as it is evident that after such, the population may be too much to handle, the traffic, and the industries. This essay will therefore explore city life in the gulf and evaluate the developments witnessed from sustainability point of view. Most gulf countries have witnessed the recent form of development with their urban centers growing and the population increasing double fold. However, as much as this is good for a developing nation or urban center in production of labor and market, it is also dangerous as at times the population may be a threat to sustainability. The quality of life in most of the gulf cities is at a critical condition with more people flowing in to have a share of the good economic run that is being witnessed at the period. Urbanization as indicated above is a result of good economic performance and an increase in the population. This leads to the formation of an urban center with the same social amenities that were available being used or being the center of more people who keep on streaming in. Planning is an important part of any society which may include a city or even a country. With the population increasing at such a rate, social life in the cities has become quite unbearable with more mone y needing to be put into

What is Katniss's greatest character flaw Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What is Katniss's greatest character flaw - Essay Example The main character of the book is Katniss Everdeen, Living a life of misery under the feet of the capitol Katniss and her family is deprived of every little joy of life by the oppressive rule of the government who then steps forward to change the system as it is now and restore happiness and dignity of the poor in the society. Katniss has been portrayed as a very intelligent, independent, and courageous sixteen year old girl in the book. But there is another side to Katniss which slightly flaws her personality and distorts her image portrayed in the entire book. No doubt the character of Katniss is very interesting and the best part is the connection it sparks with the readers. However, it is slightly flawed as she lacks one of the major characteristic that is morality in her character. It is true that she faced countless troubles and hardships in her life which as a result made her into a stronger person, but still it is not justified for her to be concerned only about her personal goals by putting others life in danger. By examining the book one can extract out that Katniss was a girl who was deeply attached to only 1 or 2 people in her life. She was emotionally closed to others; hence all her emotions were concentrated on those two most important people in her life. She cares only about her motives despite the fact that unlike her not everyone was playing the game with the same motive and had an intention of winning only but there were several other reasons as well. She clearly lacked moral grounds and her actions were not justified. It would be a disgrace to the word hero if someone says that she possessed the elements and qualities of a hero. Although, her early life was tainted with miseries and oppression which caused her to be the person she has become now but her actions are still not justified. She can be called as a person who fought to save her

A Theoretical Vision of Community Essay Example for Free

A Theoretical Vision of Community Essay Introduction and overview of a theoretical vision of community The following document outlines the defense of my theoretical vision of community. It will address the extent to the vision is informed by my particular beliefs and understandings regarding the nature in which a society can more efficiently function. It will also delve into some of the perspectives of communitarian vision in relationship to this particular theoretical vision, and will look into areas of human personality and agency as mechanism for the success and failure of past and future visions of community. The document will also address some of the more intricate theories of knowledge and moral truths, as well as the details of logistics as to how such a community will function in a democratic fashion. Priorities on rights and morals within the community will be addressed, as well as the general systems of social welfare. The concept of equality will be introduced as a force within this envisioned community, and will be analyzed in terms of its meaning within this vision of community. This vision of community will base itself mainly on Conservativism and the visions of group behavior and community from such philosophers as Allen Bloom, Alasdair MacIntyre and Russell Arben Fox. My particular theoretical view of community is quite simple to state, and yet very difficult to enact. It is a view that believes that the human experience is not sustainable if one only works towards individual liberties. It is important to understand the web of relationships to which we all belong. These webs can consists of our relationship to the environment and the earth, our relationship to our local and global community and our relationship to our families, friends and other social networks. By understanding the complex webs of existence that determine the human condition, we can begin to conceptualize a community that is sustainable. Currently we are functioning within a paradigm of an unsustainable collective reality. My vision of community perceives of a group collective whose members dedicate a minimal amount of attention, energy, and resources to projects that uplift the collective. This brings up one of the other principle understandings in my envisioned group. It is that the exclusive pursuit of individual interests, rights and freedoms places an enormous burden on the social and physical environment. Individual rights and freedoms can only work within the greater paradigm of the collective reality that encases it. And so, my vision recognizes the need for human rights and the existence of human agency, while at the same time it recognizes the existence of the human collective. In this sense, my vision gives equal rights to the collective experience as to the individual experience. When considering the state of institutions and organizations in America, one must reconsider the notion of community and morality within a group paradigm. I envision a theoretical community based on much of the resurgence of communitarian ideas. Disturbing trends towards crime and social disorder, as well as an all-prevailing attitude that gives emphasis towards self-affirmation and self-interest. Communitarian ideas focus on restoring integrity in human community efforts and institutions, especially in the administrative and localized realms. Within communitarian studies, one can begin to perceive a renewed interest in a community that fights for basic ideals regarding the human individual character, integrity, and the virtues and values which manifest themselves in the public sphere. My vision of community calls for the embodiment of communitarian ideals and policy approaches which begin at the micro-level of the human individual experience, branching out to the macro-level of cultural and institutional development. The basis of the vision involves a union of individuals committed to becoming the change that they wish to see in the world. This involves the education of good personal conduct and personal responsibility, a notion that has unfortunately seeped out of the basic frame of reference of many individuals of our modern time. This theoretical vision of community is based on a more Conservative approach to the philosophical notion of morality and human decision-making, as well as the functioning of society as a unit. An important aspect of this theoretical vision for society is an idea that as individuals can work as communities that assert moral standards for conduct, we can reduce a reliance on costly government programs. In an economic sense, there is an underlying moral standard for conduct as well, as the individual may think more towards empowering a group of people instead of his own personal interests for gain. In this sense, the theoretical vision for a community is an optimistic take on the nature of the human being as a capable individual for decision-making, given the right education and values. It is true that humans tend to act in selfish ways, but through the creation of community there can be a mental shift whereby the individual can begin to open in awareness. This opening in awareness comes from the direct experience of the benefits involved in creating a society based on cooperation of common goals for the common good. This can only be ingrained into the mind of the individual through the actual experience and practice of living in a community that strives for the common good. Similarly, the modern 21st century society has inspired the mind to search for individual and immediate satisfaction. The communitarian approach considers itself to be the â€Å"essential optimistic view that has animated Americans throughout our history.†[1] I agree that communitarian policy has brought forth positive change in the creation of social and community awareness, as well as the creation of social action that works towards reversing the trends of self-interest alone. If I had to adhere to one particular form of Communitariansism, it would be the Ideological approach to social wellbeing. This approach bases itself on a perceived observation of deteriorating social networks, and an attempt to correct that deterioration by increasing social capital. In my vision of community social capital can be increased by observing what Robert Putnam calls the collective value of all social networks and the inclinations that arise from these networks to do things for each other. To directly quote The Responsive Communitarian Platform:   Ã‚  Ã‚   Many social goals . . . require partnership between public and private groups. Though government should not seek to replace local communities, it may need to empower them by strategies of support, including revenue sharing and technical assistance. There is a great need for study and experimentation with creative use of the structures of civil society, and public-private cooperation, especially where the delivery of health, educational and social services are concerned. The role of the human individual: agency and personality in the community vision The Communitarian approach focuses mainly on the advocating of social capital and the furtherance of the community through an agreement on particular values and morality choices. In my vision of community, this is also one of the strongest aims for the collective. And yet, within that collective import, my vision also holds space for the acknowledgement of human free will, personality or agency. If one creates an ideological or theoretical vision based only on an awareness of the social collective, one misses the duality that exists between the individual and the group as a paradigm of human existence. It is important to understand that human agency is still the motivating force behind all collective vision. Without the personality of the individual, groups would merely consist of collective drones marching to the beat of the loudest drummer. The collective vision of social capital resurgence can only function against the greater backdrop of human individual change and awareness. And so, the basis of this paradigm of collective change is one that acknowledges the need for individual education and the evolution of self. The great irony is that many libertarians or freedom and rights advocates believe themselves to be â€Å"free,† when actually they are merely working within a different paradigm that limits the development of the individual. Allan David Bloom notices this irony in his groundbreaking work The Closing of the American Mind. â€Å"The most successful tyranny,† he states, â€Å"is not the one that uses force to assure uniformity but the one that removes the awareness of other possibilities, that makes it seem inconceivable that other ways are viable, that removes the sense that there is an outside. (p. 249) Bloom’s ideas on human agency and social control are based on preserving certain philosophical truths for later generations. His book is a critique of the contemporary university, and yet we can find within in it the even greater critique of American society. He believes that modern liberal philosophy was responsible for the crisis, stating that the notion that â€Å"a just society could be based upon self-interest alone, coupled by the emergence of relativism in American thought had led to this crisis.† This belief embodies the heart of my vision for a communitarian-based social reality. Here we can clearly see how while the recognition of self-interest, personality and human agency exist and are important, it is through the creation of a solid commitment to the well-being of the whole that the human agency of action can be stimulated to put energy and effort into that ideal. And so, the vision entails a training of the human agency, an education of the individualism and self-interest that, if left unchecked can lead to the social crisis and the void of spirit that we find in America today. In his critique on American universities, Bloom discusses this void of spirit. As it now stands, students have powerful images of what a perfect body is and pursue it incessantly. But deprived of literary guidance, they no longer have any image of a perfect soul, and hence do not long to have one. They do not even imagine that there is such a thing. (p. 67) Bloom discussed how the failure of contemporary education has lead the modern human being to be stunted in the development of self. Modern life in America offers us all the promises of material gain and monetary success, yet these are small mundane offerings being misrepresented as â€Å"success.† The search for commercial gain as the most highly valued element of the human life has poisoned the human soul. I am therefore in full agreement with Bloom that the individual must be educated to search for philosophic truths and self-awareness. In this sense, a huge part of the community vision involves the commitment in each and every individual towards the search for higher truths beyond self-interest and material gain. Macintyre and a theory of morality My theoretical vision of community resonates with the writings of Alasdair Macintyre and his belief that â€Å"the best theory so far† for understanding human morality is the tradition of Thomistic Aristotelianism. Macintyre worked within the tradition of virtue ethics, which states that the most effective way of determining human morality is to actually look into the habits, virtues and knowledge surrounding how one actually lives their life. I am attracted to this particular understanding of moral reason because it resonates with my belief that it is more important to â€Å"be† and â€Å"do,† than to merely come up with lofty ideals that remain in one’s speech and not in behavior. This approach is so elegant in that it focuses on how to make the most out of an entire human life. Many other theories focus on specific issues such as gay rights, abortion, women’s rights and religious debate, but in my vision of community, these issues are merely symptoms of the greater problem. It is more important for each human being to focus on their own good judgment than on the issues that society is debating upon. By focusing on good judgments, meaning honesty, not creating ill will, working to have good speech towards others, non-violence, etc., one creates good character for oneself. The underlying morality of my community, therefore, is not based on anything that any one agency or institution â€Å"decides upon,† but is wholly based on the virtues of life that enable good behavior to emanate naturally from individuals committed to integrity. MacIntyre, who bases himself on the Aristotelian idea of an ethical teleology, believes that right and wrong are more important than the formal rules that attempt to encourage them. MacIntyre emphasizes the need for a community of individuals committed to the highest good. These individuals must be engaged actively in the â€Å"practice† of what he calls â€Å"goods of excellence† rather than any commitment to some exterior moral agent. This, once again, fully parallels my own understanding of an ideal community, whereby the â€Å"proof is in the pudding† of individual action, not within the individual need for rights. Universal morality and truth My vision of community is based on the belief that there is in fact a universal objective moral or truth. At the same time, I am not claiming that I myself can outline what those universals are, nor can I explicitly define a notion of moral truth, but as the saying goes, â€Å"I know it when I see it.† Truth is an experience whereby ones witnesses and experiences. When I speak of morality and value systems throughout this document, it is important to mention that I am not referring to any hard-coded set of rules to be used indiscriminately by force, but am referring to the instilling of values within the individual that actually allow them to become more free. Freedom, in this sense, refers to becoming a more peaceful, aware human being. A part of this peaceful nature entails not harming others, or oneself. And so, when I refer to the education of youth, it does not mean an indoctrination of a group of people, but more an opening of the mind, so as one becomes less and less focused on the individual success, and more and more focuses on the good of all beings. In this sense, I do adhere to the existence of truth as a human universal. This human universal is that we are all looking to lead a life which reduces human suffering, and increases a peaceful existence. The tactics and recommendations provided herein are merely stepping stones to reach that greater freedom. Tradition and traditional values The role of tradition in this vision of community is only tradition-based if that particular tradition works in adherence to the ideals on community up-lifting and the advancement of virtue. Only traditions have the capacity to inspire a community to move forward should be given precedence. Traditions, no matter what ethnic or racial background they come from, are only valuable if they are steeped in the wisdom of the collective reality. This means that traditions that are self-centered or and driven by greed should be avoided. Traditions that work towards special interests of a few very powerful should be ignored. This means that if one were to analyze the current American government or economy, one could determine that much of the tradition of the capitalist society is based on the search for individual material gain. In this sense, the tradition of laissez faire economics and capitalism may be a tradition that could be remedied. On the other hand, there are many American traditions which are based on the spirit of community which should be given space for growth. The value of family and friendship networks, the emphasis placed on spiritual and religious adherence, and the feeling of patriotism towards the country (not government), could be considered as positive traditions. And so, tradition plays a role in my vision of a community inasmuch as the tradition can prove to play a correlating role within the greater scope of the vision. In another sense, my vision of community does take a more conservative approach to ethical matters, and in this sense, may be considered to be steeped in â€Å"traditional values.† Such values include the notion of family, parenting and education. In order to instill a sense of values and morality into the human individual, it is important to start with the new generations. In this way, it is the responsibility of parents to instill certain values of moral education and integrity into their children. This is done by setting an example, not through words alone, but through actions. I believe that most children today are being given an education by teachers or from the mass media. This is an unfortunate fact. The examples that parents are giving it one of the mass consumer, obsessed with acquiring the next technological advancement, or purchasing the latest designer clothes. Most parents are products of the individual-based society. They are so focuses on themselves, that they forget to remind their children of the importance of the greater social reality. Other parents who are less selfish are under huge societal pressures to make enough money to keep up with the current standards of living. These parents, while they may have the desire to educate their children in a good way, simply do not have the time and flexibility to attend to their moral and educational duties. Once again, children are left to be educated by under-paid, over-worked teachers and even worse, the mass media. In my vision of community, workplaces play a crucial role in reestablishing some of the more â€Å"traditional† values involving family life and parenting. Parents, particularly those with young children, need to be given the opportunity for more flexible work schedules. For the sake of the upcoming generations, parents need to be present at the educating forces in the child’s life. Programs such as paid and unpaid parental leave, flextime, shared jobs, opportunities to work at home, and for parents to participate as volunteers and managers in child-care centers, are an integral part of the more traditional vision of family and child education. Furthermore, there needs to be a shift in the collective conscious on how we value parenting. Child raising needs to be given new precedence as one of the most important things that a human being can ever endeavor to attempt. Also, continuing with an adherence to traditional values, it is important that human individual have support with the raising of children. It has been consistently shown that single parent households often have a more difficult time in raising children. This is not to place a moral judgment on single parents, but is just to say that women or men who are left to be single parents should be given more social support due to the sheer lack of resources that they have. Schools represent one of the main areas where the establishment of good morals can be ensued. Because the American family has become so weak, the capacity for parents to provide proper education has been greatly impaired. Schools now play the major role in the character formation of the next generation. Therefore, in the envisioned community, not only do parents and communities play a role in proper education, but also educational institutions would recognize the incredible role that they play in shaping the moral education and value system of students. Tolerance, equality and the creation of peaceful idealism How can a school teach value systems without getting involved in religious issues on morality? Once again, we can come back to the principals discussed earlier in the document, on universal truth. I feel that no one in the community would argue with an organization that teaches us to work for the dignity of all human beings. Nor would anyone be inclined to argue with the teaching of equality, respect and tolerance. Human equality is the highest virtue of this perceived theoretical society. All persons should be treated as equals, and the discrimination of any human being is unacceptable. Of course, these are lofty ideals but we must have some sort of ideal that we can try to work towards. In this sense, we must create an arsenal of peaceful idealism. Peaceful ideals include a peaceful resolution to conflicts. Violence, in any form, should be avoided. Basics such as lying, stealing and killing are universals to be avoided. One could also state that a democratic government which fosters participation from all citizens could be considered as one that works toward peaceful idealism. Totalitarianism and authoritarianism are not. Equal pay for women and men, as well as equal pay for all ethnic groups is another part of peaceful idealism. Much in the same, this ideal can be applied to globalization as well. With the onslaught of the widely spreading mass media and rapid forms of travel and communication, we must also extend our idea of the collective to include the global collective. These same ideals, because they are not religious or culturally or even politically based, can be applied to any group of people. The nature and scope of democracy Like Robert Putnam, I believe that social capital is a key component to building and maintaining democracy. The political setup of society today is a false democracy. The perceived democracy of American society today is actually the an oligarchy of a few very influential, powerful, wealthy corporations. In my envisioned community, there would be much more local participation in politics. Ordered liberty, rather than unchecked, unlimited individual and corporate license would be obtained not through force, but through the cultivation of education which is based on shared values. These shared values are not limited to any particular culture, but are universal values that assure a respect for one another’s rights. In the same, the democracy is based on policies that are accepted as legitimate by the social reality, not policies that are imposed through force. Any political policy that works through force will only be successful at masking the problem. The government of my community would be a real democracy, representative and participant democracy that was responsive to the needs and realities of all community members, regardless of race, gender or religious background. This can be done by creating ways to make citizens of the community feel that they actually have a voice within the decision making process, whether by direct vote or by fostering programs for wellbeing and education. An important part of a democracy is the diffusion of information to the population of citizens. Government needs to be transparent. Similarly, corporations and governments alike must modify their practices to reduce the role of private money, special interests and corruption. Voting is another method for keeping the community constituents involved in the decision making process, but it is not the only method. Being involved in non-political activities such as community volunteering and relief efforts, or social work and fundraising is another way to affect change on the community and be responsible members of society. Economic responsibilities include paying one’s taxes to enjoy social works. Justice In the words of Bloom: The most successful tyranny is not the one that uses force to assure uniformity but the one that removes the awareness of other possibilities, that makes it seem inconceivable that other ways are viable, that removes the sense that there is an outside. (Closing of the American Mind, 249) Law may prescribe that the male nipples be made equal to the female ones, but they still will not give milk. (Closing of the American Mind, 131) The following quotes embody my vision of the creation of collective community in regard to its attitude towards justice. Law and justice systems are only affective inasmuch as they are working towards the truth, or the embodiment of the human universals and peace principals. The justice system of this theoretical society must therefore work towards correcting behavior through education and persuasion. Most methods of the current justice system involve either coercion or through the fear of punishment. This simply masks deeper hidden social ills. What we end up with is a nation full of costly prisons and uneducated human beings, rather than programs which foster education and reasoned judgment.   The realm of justice lies not in unrestrained individual freedoms, nor in harsh governmental control, but in the balance between the two: the communitarian social space. Social justice is one such area of understanding in the community space. This involves the notion of reciprocity. All members of society feels that it is indebted to the collective, just as the collective society feels that it is indebted to its members. In order for social justice to exist, all members must feel a responsibility towards the community effort. Individual rights and responsibilities towards the collective My vision of community gives priority to the â€Å"good† for the collective over the rights of the individual, only if the collective good is something that has been agreed upon by the social reality. This means, the â€Å"good† has been determined by individuals that are clearly searching for higher truths and values in their lives. These values are based on the uplifting of others as a social collective. This approach embodies the need for balance between the rights of the individual (which it also recognizes) and the responsibility that the individual has towards the collective. This means, if the individual is given a plethora of rights, then there must be an exact correlation of strong responsibilities at hand. In this sense, the age-old saying, â€Å"To whom much is given, much is required,† rings true. If I am committed to ensuring the best for the collective, and I am responsible for looking out for the social well-being, the certainly I am an individual that can enjoy many rights. On the contrary, if I am a self-centered individual, only looking out for my own material gain, my rights need to be limited, as I am certainly likely to do grave harm to the social collective. My vision of rights and the collective good is based on a belief that contemporary society has been too liberal in bestowing rights and individual autonomy. This has come at the price of individual and social responsibility. That said, there are many rights that all individual should have. This includes basic human rights like the right to good healthcare, education, a safe living environment, and basic employment. These are rights that all human beings are entitled to. It is of utmost importance to mention that my vision of community, while placing much emphasis on the collective good, does, in no way, place disregard on human rights. I am of the firm belief that the more and more one works towards collective responsibility, the more one can enjoy the rights and freedoms that one is entitles to. Simply bestowing rights to uneducated, self-interested human beings is no freedom at all. Rights and freedoms are only freedoms according to how each and every individual uses them. And so, all individuals in my theoretical vision of community should enjoy a clean environment, public education and works programs, as well as equality under the law. And in this sense, the community or society works at maintaining the delicate balance between individual rights and the collective enjoyment of agreeing upon certain individual limitations. Many critics of a more conservative, non-liberal approach to the philosophy of community cite the First Amendment as an important right. I believe that the First Amendment is an incredibly important right, but that also we should consider the rights of the victims of such a right. Take for example an extremely racist, sexist person. If they have complete freedom to speak their minds, they are doing so at the cost of the wellbeing of others. In a sense, their freedom is incurring on the freedom of the victim of their words. Imagine that that individual is a member of a college campus, and that his words spark an onslaught of sexist and racist behavior on campus. In this case, a college-wide program educating individuals on the benefits, logic and rationale behind having a more tolerant mind state would be helpful to the community by promoting inter-group understanding. This is an example of how we can work to create awareness, understanding and tolerance as morals and values of the highest level, without sacrificing the First Amendment. This can occur because there are some universals of truth that all humans can live by. And so, we should have complete freedom in all sense, if and only if, that freedom does not cause harm to another being within the collective. This is an aspect of the human universals that have been discussed in his document, and is the cornerstone of the greater vision of my view of a theoretical community. Social welfare I believe that the government should not be the sole institution to provide social welfare programs. This involves caring for the sick and elderly, the homeless, the poor and for new immigrants. I believe that we should work as a community to address these problems on a local level, and that government should only intervene if our social systems (as small collectives) fail. Big government programs have proven time and again to be costly and inadequate at meeting the needs of specific local levels.   In the case where it is absolutely necessary, nationwide programs could be established. But once again, I believe it to be much more effective to work to affect change on a micro-level first. This means that social welfare should be attended to by families first. By educating people more and more, there will be less need for the national government to have to intervene. This is a positive step in actually giving individuals more freedom of choice in their lives. By giving the national government power to create social welfare programs, we are actually taking more and more power out of the hands of the local constituent communities. Social goals regarding welfare can be achieved through a partnership between local groups and institutions. A creative use of structures of both civil and private society could be used to create health, education, and social care systems that empower individuals at a local level. Community and excellence of character Russell Arben Fox speaks of a communal authority in his essay, Activity and Communal Authority: Localist Lessons from Puritan and Confucian Communities. While not very fashionable in today’s modern Western society, Fox urges us to look at some of the lessons we can gain from the communal spirit and the goals of excellence of character in both Puritan and Confucian communities. Both cultures work at understanding human arrangements based on ideals of behavior that work towards a moral character or a universal â€Å"worldview† for correct behavior. As we move more and more towards a more relativistic globalized macro culture, we are losing the role of the overarching harmony that must exist within the global â€Å"melting pot.† We are so focused on relativism and cultural differences that we attempt to function as a collective within a chaotic collective mindset. The notion of harmony in Fox’s work is a pivotal part of my own idea of peaceful idealism and human universals. And while I do not agree with either Confucian nor Puritan communities on their ideas of authority, I do believe that contemporary society could learn very valuable insights into their ideas on boundedness, interconnection and harmony. The, Confucian understanding of communal harmony could be easily applied to the justification of the new trend towards localism in the face of mass globalization. Confucian and Puritan understandings are an attempt at arriving at some of the universals that have been discussed through the paper. My vision of community is contingent upon the notion of excellence of character, and it is within this paradigm that all other aspects of society fall into place. But how can we arrive at this Confucian harmony, this excellence of character for the greater social whole? Excellence of character is based on a human dignity and the respect for all beings. I believe that by instilling this value into humans, we can arrive at a responsive community that will be the best form of human organization possible. Self-inquiry is a huge part of the process, and in this sense, human agency is very important to maintain social wellbeing, but at the same time, shared deliberation among the people is also pivotal. My vision of peaceful idealism and human universals may seem utopian. But how can we being to make a better world if we do not first create an ideal or an utopia with which to work towards? This cannot be achieved through authoritarianism and coercion, but through genuine conviction of change within the individual. My vision may seem utopian, but quite frankly, I believe that it is the only hope for a movement towards peace and wellbeing in the world. The global community, on both a global and local level, must work towards programs that deal with the pressing problems that threaten our lives as human beings. More and more we are plagued by war, environmental degradation, social and political unrest and technological breakdown. It is my belief that through the education of collective responsibility, individuals may actually begin to heal some of the great psychological, emotional, social and physical stresses that they are under. And so, the theoretical vision of community is one that is based on a renewed commitment to the social space, a renewed commitment to human rights and equality, and a new commitment to discovery and healthy intellectual debate on human truths and universals. Within this healthy debate, we can hope to achieve a greater understanding of not only the human individual experience, but also the collective one. Resources    Bloom, Allan. 1987. Closing of the American Mind, New York: Simon Schuster. Fox, Russell Arben. Activity and Communal Authority: Localist Lessons from Puritan and Confucian Communities. Friends University MacIntyre, Alasdair. After Virtue. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1981, 2nd edn. 1984. MacIntyre, Alasdair. The MacIntyre Reader. (Knight, Kelvin (ed.)) Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1998. Putnam, Robert. Communitarianism, National Public Radio, February 5, 2001. Sandel, Liberalism and the Limits of Justice, 143. [1] The Communitarian Network, Responsive Communitarian Platform Text. http://www.gwu.edu/~ccps/platformtext.html

Student Stress Essay Example for Free

Student Stress Essay Being a student can be the most exhilarating time of your life. New friends, new places, new challenges can all add up to a huge buzz. But all those things can also make student life seem a total nightmare. Financial worries, debt, exam pressure, burden of homework, relationship problem, parental pressure and so on, these all together buildup students stress, which can overwhelm any student. Stress is one of the biggest problems and challenges facing students who seek to get a good education today. One model that is useful in understanding stress among students is the person-environmental model. According to one variation of this model, stressful events can be appraised by an individual as threatening or challenging (Lazarus 1966). When education is seen as a threat, stress can elicit feelings of helplessness and a foreboding sense of loss. When students appraise their education as a challenge, however, moderate stress can bring them a sense of competence and an increased capacity to learn. Stress is one of the biggest problems facing contemporary students. More than half of students (53%) said they had become more stressed since starting university, according to the Student Living Report 2003, an ongoing survey of student experiences carried out by MORI for the UNITE Group plc. Medically, a little pressure can boost up students enthusiasm of study. However, over stress, over work and taking too much stress of life might lead students to an extreme depressive state where a person in would even commit suicide. Stress is obviously a common and the biggest obstacle on students road to success. Stress is one of the biggest challenges for students. Identified by Longman Advanced American Dictionary (page 1441), stress is the continuous feelings of worry about your work or personal life, which prevent you from relaxing. Therefore, stress comes from the students themselves. For the sake of gaining good education and earning a brilliant student life, students themselves have to eliminate this kind of feelings. In other words, fight against themselves to pull out those feelings from the brain, which is the largest challenge since the strongest enemy is self. Though stress is increasing, as humans brain evolving to be stronger, we as the successors of the world can certainly handle it. How to beat stress? Optimize your business and pull ahead of your competition! Live optimistically, we can conquer everything! Lazarus, Richard S. PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND THE COPING PROCESS. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966. Katz, Joseph, and others. NO TIME FOR YOUTH: GROWTH AND CONSTRAINT IN COLLEGE STUDENTS. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1969. http://www. mori. com/polls/2002/unite. shtml. UNITE STUDENT LIVING REPORT 2003. 21 January 2003 LONGMAN ADVANCED AMERICAN DICTIONIARY (2001): Page 1441.

Effect of Discounting on Climate Change

Effect of Discounting on Climate Change Introduction Climate change can be termed as the single largest problem that we as a humanity are facing at present. Since the 1960’s- when for the first time the perils of greenhouse gas emissions on climate were reported- the gravity associated with demand for action on climate change has only been increasing.Though the impacts of climate change are already being felt in terms of increased frequency of disasters and changing weather patterns, a majority of the impacts are to affect future generations only. This raises many questions on whether to act on climate change now or later. The role ethics has to play in tackling such an issue is immense. Individual perceptions, their choices and what defines morality for them all come in to light while determining action on climate change. Since the formation of UNFCCC, under which international negotiations on climate change are being held, the weightage on acting against climate change has been catapulted to a global level. The framework has seen many international agreements on cutting down the global emissions of greenhouse gases and building resilience among communities to tackle climate change. But the costs involved in acting against climate change and arresting the global temperature change to such a level so that it doesn’t prove catastrophic to the future generation is huge. Nicholas Stern, an economist, had published a report- The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change- in 2006 for the British Government which had given an estimate of one percent of global GDP that is required to arrest the impacts of climate change. This estimate was revised in 2008 to two percent of the global GDP accounting for faster than expected climate change. To put things in perspective two percent of global GDP acco unts for close to US$1.5 trillion when the World Bank estimate of the total global gross domestic product of US$74.9 trillion is taken into consideration. Such values aren’t small and require enormous funding from countries world over to act against the impacts. Hence action on climate change, though ethical, has huge implications on the global economy. This economic implication of acting on climate change becomes more precarious when we take into consideration the fact that climate change is set to have its worst impacts on the generations to come. This leaves us with the question of whether to act now or leave it to the future generations to tackle the issue of climate change. Corporations and for that matter countries in itself would act only if they see some incentives in acting now, else one wouldn’t want to sacrifice their economic growth which transcribes into well being in the present. What drives international climate negotiations in formulating policies for climate change mitigation is something called as the social cost of carbon (SCC). SCC helps us in estimating the benefits (climate) of decision making. Social cost of carbon can be termed as the the economic damages associated with a small increase in carbon dioxide. This dollar figure also represents the value of damages avoided for a small emission reduction. Hence such an economic value is what drives nations to act on climate change. Higher the value of SCC, higher is the perceived threat from climate change, which in turn increases the urgency required to act on climate change. Higher values also indicate a negative impact of climate change on the future GDP projections of nation states, hence acting on climate change is incentivising nations by insuring their future GDP against the perils of climate change. But for arriving at a social cost of carbon we need to consider what is called an optimal ‘r ate of discount.’ Arriving at a rate of discount is based on what ethical stand one takes, hence this value might hugely vary from person to person. Aspects such as how much you value intergenerational equity, how much are you ready to sacrifice in the present, how do you expect technology to improve in the future and what do you expect to happen to economic growth in the future all come into play while arriving upon a discount rate. This paper would aim to look at the ethics of discounting taking into consideration the various values for discount rates proposed by economists and the implications that these values have on the policy measures we adopt. Existing literature in this area would be reviewed, shedding light on the various arguments/viewpoints centered around choosing different discount rates for climate change action. This process of reviewing literature in itself might be a limitation as the paper would rely on the arguments put forth by authors of respective papers for choosing a certain discount rate. This paper would initially discuss about the evolution of discounting and its relation to climate change and then move onto reviewing existing literature in this field and finally concluding the discussion by stating the author’s viewpoint. Literature Survey Discounting is a financial term that which means a debtor has obtained a right to delay the payment to a person who has lended the amount, a creditor, for a defined period of time by paying a certain fee. This discount is usually associated with something called a discount rate. In simple terms discount rate can be defined as the rate at which the amount owed must be raised to delay payment for one year. A discount rate is what what determines the discount rate and not vice versa. Discounting Factor is another term that is used in context to discounting. Discount factor is the percentage rate required to calculate the present value of future cash flow. What these values mean in terms of climate change and their implications on climate policy shall be discussed in the next few paragraphs. With the basics of discounting know lets move onto the role discounting has to play on climate change mitigation decisions. To figure this out let us look at some questions that economists seem to be in love with while determining the amount we should spend to fight climate change: How much will you be willing to spend to make your child richer by certain amount in the future? And what about the amount that you would be willing to spend to make your grandchild, or your great- great-great grandchild in the distant future richer by the same amount? The answers to these questions might shed light on the future of the planet. Most economic analyses of climate change have concluded that we should be spending only small amounts to combat climate change now, ramping up slowly over time. This conclusion is argued against by climate scientists who say that immediate action is the only way to arrest the serious ramifications of climate change. And the disagreement arises from the above mention ed questions, on how much do you value the future generations’ welfare in terms of a monetary value. The worst consequences of climate change, as mentioned earlier in the introduction, are likely to unfold only over decades or centuries. This means that the present generation is only set to see the beginning of what might be the worst consequences of climate change, with the future generations bearing the maximum brunt of it. Hence, the decision of how much to spend now to arrest climate change in the future weighs itself on assessing how much it is worth to us now to prevent that future damage. As driven by human tendency we would be prefer money now over money later, and hence economists typically figure that our willingness to pay for preventing a dollar worth of damage in a year, or in a decade is less than a dollar. This percentage less is called the â€Å"social discount rate.† What is of importance is figuring out what this discount rate should be. For a short period of time, the easier way is to consider the prevailing market rate of interest. This is similar to a loan that you have taken at a certain interest rate. After all, if you happen to get a bank loan at an interest rate of 7 percent, then getting a dollar in a year is essentially equivalent to getting a tad over 93 cents now. What this essentially implies is that, economically, it would make sense for you to spend 93 cents today if it helps you in avoiding a problem that would otherwise cost you one dollar a year from now. This can be put in other words: a dollar of the projected future impacts has gotten discounted to 93 cents today. But when this is played over many years the results are very peculiar. The following example is cited from an article published in Science News: â€Å"For example, at a 5 percent annual interest rate, a penny that belonged to Julius Caesar would have expanded to the bogglingly huge sum of 3 – 1041 dollars today — more than the entire world economic output over the last 2,000 years multiplied by the number of stars in the sky.† And what this essentially means is that discounting, at a 5 percent social discount rate, would shrink any imaginable catastrophe today to far less than a penny in Caesar’s time, and an economist would have therefore recommended that Caesar not spend even so tiny an amount to avoid it. The mind boggling amount this discounting would result in besides being absurd, would also silence the people wanting action on climate change because of the huge monetary implications. It is very difficult to overlook the effect any constant discount rate (like the 5 percent rate used in the above example) on the future growth potentials which is going to be exponential and explosive. So even considering a moderate social discount rate of say, 2 to 3 percent, economists will have a very hard time trying to justify the amount spent on combating climate change in the present. Instead, economists would suggest to invest this amount in savings and our future generations will be rich enough to live well inspite of all the damages from climate change. But an exception to this is Nicholas Stern. In 2006, he wrote the The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review which concluded by suggesting that we should invest one percent of world GDP immediately to combat climate change. Otherwise, he said, the chaos resulting from climate change could cost twenty percent of world GDP per year. But this was arrived at by setting the social discount rate to near zero. The discount rate he had taken into consideration while arriving at the conclusion was severely criticized by many economists. Underlying assumption is that people would prefer a dollar today than a dollar in the next year are a hundred years from now. Economists are still at loggerheads over this, on whether to: Either accept an assumption that is argued as economically unjustified (a close to zero social discount rate), or conclude that we should accept climate change without a fight. A third alternative which is more likely to remain unentertained is that the economic valuations fail to shed light on the issue at hand. Let us now look into the argument put forward by Stern in his â€Å"Economics of Climate Change† report for taking a near zero discount rate. This paper has already referred to the Stern Review in its earlier sections. The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change is probably the most comprehensive survey of the economics of climate change published until thus. The lead author of the review, Sir Nicholas Stern, from besides being a distinguished economist, he has also made important contributions to areas of public and welfare economic theory that are particularly relevant to climate change economics. His conclusion that we should act now by investing on acting against climate change as it would have more serious implications on the future generations in strongly contended by leading economists. Stern, in his review had said that we should invest one percent, which was revised to two percent in 2008, of the global gross domestic product for acting climate in order to curtail the ravaging impacts of climate change in the future which, otherwise, might lead to huge losses to the tune of 20 percent of global GDP every year in the future. After the first chapter’s brief summary of the scientific evidence for climate change, the next few chapters have devoted considerable attention to the ethical issues revolving around the choice of discount rate. â€Å"This represents the economist’s trade-off between the welfare of different generations and is hence the key to the way that different distributions of consumption over time can be ranked in terms of social welfare.† The Review states that â€Å"The ethical framework of standard welfare economics looks first only at the consequences of actions (an approach often described as ‘consequentialism’) and then assess consequences in terms of impacts on ‘utility’ (an approach often described as ‘welfarism’). The standard welfare economic approach has no room, for example, for ethical dimensions concerning the processes by which outcomes are reached. Some different notions of ethics, including those based on concepts of rights, justice and freedoms, do consider process† (p. 29). The Review also takes a consequentialist approach, which is in line with standard welfare economics, and makes judgements that are both explicit and implicit concerning the distribution of welfare and of consumption across generations. Discounting and the Stern Review It is now well now that in h (i.e. the avoidance of the damage that climate change might otherwise do under what is known as a ‘business as usual scenario’).

The Crusades Essay -- European History Europe

The first crusade was started by Pope Urban II in the year 1095 with goals of liberating the sacred city of Jerusalem and the holy land from the Muslims. What started as an appeal by Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos for western mercenaries to fight the Seljuk Turks in Anatolia quickly turned into a wholesale Western migration and conquest of territory outside of Europe. In July of 1099 Knights from western Europe captured the city of Jerusalem, thus establishing the kingdom of Jerusalem and other crusader states. Although the gain of Jerusalem lasted less than two-hundred years. The major turning point of Western power was the first crusade. Urban planned the departure of the crusade for August 15, 1096, the Feast of the Assumption, but months before this a number of unexpected armies of peasants and lowly knights organized and set off for Jerusalem on their own. They were led by a charismatic monk and powerful orator named Peter the Hermit of Amiens. The response was beyond exp ectations: while Urban might have expected a few thousand knights, he ended up with a migration numbering up to 100,000 — albeit mostly unskilled fighters, including women and children. Lacking military discipline, and in what likely seemed to the participants a strange land (eastern Europe) with strange customs, those first Crusaders quickly landed in trouble, in Christian territory. The problem faced was one of supply as well as culture: the people needed food and supplies, and they expected host cities to give them the foods and supplies. Having left Western Europe early, they had missed out on the great harvest of that spring, following years of drought and bad harvest. Unfortunately for the Crusaders, the locals did not always agree, and this qu... ...m to fast and then march in a barefoot procession around the city walls, after which the city would fall in nine days, following the Biblical example of Joshua at the siege of Jericho. On July 8, 1099 the crusaders performed the procession as instructed by Desiderius. The Genoese troops, led by commander Guglielmo Embriaco, had previously dismantled the ships in which the Genoese came to the Holy Land, Embriaco, using the ship's wood, made some siege towers and seven days later on July 15, the crusaders were able to end the siege by breaking down sections of the walls and entering the city. Some Crusaders also entered through the former pilgrim's entrance. Having captured Jerusalem and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the crusading vow was now fulfilled. However, there were many who had gone home before reaching Jerusalem, and many who had never left Europe at all.

Napoleon Bonaparte Essay -- History Biography Biographies Essays

Napoleon Bonaparte   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Napoleon Bonaparte is considered to be one of the greatest conquers and captains of modern times. In history perhaps no one person has ever aroused so many intense opposite emotions. Perhaps no one had ever claimed as much of the admiration, fear, and hatred of all men as did Napoleon. Napoleon was a man with many sides. He started many of his challenging voyages and defeats as a young child and they continued throughout his life. He had many accomplishments and many defeats that affect the world in which we live. Napoleon plays a very big part in history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, at Ajaccio, in Corsica. His parents were Charles Marie Bonaparte and Marie-Letizia Ramolino who also lived in Corsica.. Although Corsica was Napoleon's home most of his schooling was conducted in France. On December 15, 1778, at the age of nine, Napoleon left Ajaccio to go and study the French Language at a school in Brienne. Later, at the age of sixteen, Napoleon decided to enter the artillery so that maybe his brains and industry would balance his lack of outward advantages. On October 28, 1785 he joined the LA Fere located in Valence. A little over ten years later he decided to get married to Joshephine de Beauharnais from Martinique in the Indies. After many years of marriage, Napoleon realized that his wife was getting older and he had no heirs, so in 1809 he divorced her to look for a younger bride. In 1810 he met and married Archduchess, Marie Louise the eighteen-year-old daughter of Emperor Francis I of Austr ia. During their marriage Napoleon and his new wife conceived one child, a boy also named Napoleon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Napoleon was a man known for his greatest powers and successes as a leader. One of the many successful things Napoleon did early in his life was develop a highly successful military strategy. His tragedy consisted of starting a battle with an enemy while holding his forces back. He would then look for the enemies weakest points and throw all his strength against that point. This newly developed strategy helped him to win many of his attacks such as his attack on and defeat in Italy against Austria and his battle and defeat in Egypt against the Turks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After Napoleon's defeats in Egypt he returned to France where he seized control of the French government in November 1799. After ten years of revolut... ...n hands. However, in the states he created, Napoleon granted constitutions, introduced law codes, abolished feudalism, created efficient governments, and fostered education, science, literature, and arts. Napoleon still remains one of the outstanding figures of his time even though he was selfish in his power and had some occasional defeats.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today in the world in which we live many people look back at Napoleon as a legend. Although he has many lasting affects on the world and holds a very important part in history, today that kind of aggressive dictatorship would not be tolerated. When people look back at Napoleon's leadership they think of all the needless wars and lives that were lost due to his obsession with power. Today, people would not want to live under the strict control of any form of government like dictatorship. When many people think of this form of government they are very cautious because with dictatorship comes a very restricted life. People do not want any one individual to have all the power because bad decisions are made sometimes and the people have to pay. People would rather have control of their own government instead of it having control of them.

Bernoullis Principle and the Wing :: physics bernoulli principle

Well we all love flying in planes from one place to another but have you ever wondered how those large vehicles stay in the air? The answer of coarse is the wings. Now that you know that wings keep a plane aloft you are probably wondering how they work. Wings keep a plane in the air because of Bernoulli's principle. In the following pages you will learn who Bernoulli was and how we can apply his principle to the wing model. Daniel Bernoulli ( 1700 - 1782 ), son of Johann II Bernoulli, was born in the Groningen, Netherlands. At the age of 13, Daniel was sent to Basel University to study philosophy and logic. Later he obtained his master's degree in philosophy at the age of sixteen. Although Daniel was interested mainly in mathematics, his father pushed him into the medical field where he could profit the most. Again, Daniel attended Basel and other colleges around Europe where he obtained his doctorate in medicine in 1720. While studying medicine in Venice, Daniel published his first book entitled Mathematical Exercises. Daniel soon became interested in fluid flow while working with the flow of blood and blood pressure. With the help of the famous scientist Euler, Daniel published his most famous book Hydrodynamica in 1738. In this book Daniel discusses equilibrium, pressure, and speed in fluids which led to Bernoulli's principle. Read on to find out about his principle. The Bernoulli's equation explains the how pressure and velocity are affected as liquid moves through a tube with segments of different area. The fundamental rule shown here is as the speed of a fluid increases, its pressure decreases. Now we can apply this rule to a wing traveling through air, otherwise known as an airfoil. When an airfoil is tilted upwards the air above the airfoil travels faster than the air below the airfoil because it has a greater distance to travel. The higher velocity above the airfoil creates a drop in pressure and the lower velocity below the airfoil creates an increase in pressure. This results in a "push" from the bottom otherwise known as lift. Since the wing is also angled upward a downward push is created from the trailing edge also pushing the airfoil upward. All of this allows a plane to fly. More efficient designs in wings have been made to allow maximum lift for different types of planes.

Multiculturalism in Early Childhood Education Essay

In recent times, early childhood education is becoming more diverse. Early childhood providers are required to attempt many challenging tasks. One of the most difficult of these is providing our children with diverse, multicultural experiences. (Ogletree & Larke, 2010) Since the beginning of times, young children have been raised by their families, extended families, clans and communities. Even today, most childcare homes and many early childhood programs tend to be fairly consistent and quite similar to the child’s home background. Parents tend to choose childcare and early childhood programs based on whether the programs match their own views of education and discipline. (Tarman & Tarman, 2011) Programs nowadays are expected to provide the children with experiences outside of their groups, offering opportunities to teach them to be tolerant, respectful and accepting of differences. (Derman-Sparks, 1989) Bennet (1995) described multicultural education â€Å"as an approach to teaching and learning that is based upon democratic beliefs and seeks to foster cultural pluralism within culturally diverse societies and an interdependent world. † In Singapore, where we have a culturally diverse population, it is essential to be sensitive towards each other’s cultural practices, beliefs and views. Thus, the reason to include multicultural education into the early childhood education system deems as important. The logical reason being that brain research has proved that the â€Å"prime time† for emotional and social development in children is from birth to twelve years of age. (Abdullah, 2009) Issues in Including Multicultural Education in Early Childhood Education There are several issues that do not allow multicultural education to permeate the early childhood programs in Singapore. Curriculum The curriculum of a center shows the process in which learning outcomes will be achieved. Therefore, including the goals and objectives of multicultural education into the center’s curriculum is essential. It has to be infused throughout the curriculum. Good early childhood pedagogy reflects and empowers the diverse cultural backgrounds of the children and families with whom they work. (Robinson & Jones, 2006) Including children’s identity into the daily programming and planning of the early childhood curriculum is considered necessary for developing their self-esteem as well as cultivating their appreciation for diversity that exists more widely in our society. (Abdullah, 2009) In Singapore, multicultural education is not a mainstream issue. With Singaporeans being more aware of issues and events through globalization and internet, it is truly essential that multicultural education is included in schools. Quah (as cited in Berthelsen & Karuppiah, 2011) has discussed the expanded ethnic and religious awareness strain among Singapore in recent years. Recent cases such as the wearing of the Muslim head-dress in government schools drummed up a buzz around the diverse ethnic groups in Singapore and resuscitated ethnic strains. These cases show that government policies need to be re-evaluated painstakingly so as to safeguard cultural harmony and maintain respect for cultural diversity. Thus, gaining support from the Government to deal with this issue indepth is significant. Language Development Usually the educational system in most countries applies the national language as the medium of instruction. However, multiculturalism and the distinguishment of the important role of language in studying makes it compulsory for differing qualities of dialect, abilities and correspondence styles to be recognized, esteemed and utilized within all early childhood services. The procurement for children to study the majority language whilst maintaining their first language ought to be underpinned and energized. This obviously is to propose bilingualism or in any event underpin for the home dialect as a strategy even at the unanticipated youth level. (Abdullah, 2009) Research has demonstrated that there can just be favourable circumstances to the child other than ensuring and regarding home dialect. (Hakuta, 1986) This primary issue and challenge for the procurement of bilingual training is one of human assets. Relatively few countries will have the personnel who themselves are bilingual or multilingual. Consequently, children with languages other than the national language to look, maintain and to develop and broaden their language and concept development within early childhood services. (Vuckovic, 2008) All children have the chance to listen to, utilise and study the majority language in a steady environment where assets, materials and individuals are utilized to scaffold their learning in a majority language. Early Childhood Education Staff. Staff working in childcare centers and early childhood education programs has the ability to create an impact on the children’s developing attitudes towards cultural diversity more than any other person in the child’s life. This is an undeniable fact. It is crucial that staff go through appropriate training or staff advancement programs, which include the essential knowledge, skills and attitudes for such an avocation. Teacher must take the steps necessary to better themselves as teachers in multicultural education settings. With the changing face of today’s classrooms, there is a growing need to address multiculturalism an diversity awareness. (Riskowski & Olbricht, 2010) Training courses for early childhood educators might as well have components in both content and conveyance that address diversity of cultures. (Verma, 2003) Pre-service preparation in the form of actual scenarios where teachers are set in multicultural or classrooms made up of cultures different from their own are particularly adequate in getting them to re-look at their existing convictions and biases. (Jacobson, 2003) This type of learning emphatically influences teachers’ manners towards teaching in diverse settings. Pre-service learning has the potential of enabling teacher candidates to stand up to challenging issues of social inequities and to start the deconstruction of lifelong attitudes and the development of socially just educators. (Baldwin, Buchanan & Rudisill, 2007) Issues Affecting Child as a Learner Children need an education, which allows them to take their place in this multicultural society. A child as young as two and three years are familiar with human distinctions and this mindfulness is connected with the improvement of specific disposition. An essential socialization as well as preferences and habit pattern in the early years of life leaves a preserving impact on the individual. .(Jacobson, 2003) These findings feature the importance of bringing social values and attitudes to children’s attention during this critical developmental period. Using this evidence, it becomes clear that early childhood community needs to address the needs of multicultural children and their unique families. These children include biological, multiracial and multi-ethnic children in blended homes, foster homes, adoptive homes and a variety of biological homes. In the early years, the child’s family assumes the leading role in socialising the child to the conduct, beliefs, convictions and plans held inside their culture. (Garbarino, 1992) With the rise in the amount of working parents and children partaking in group programs from an early age, preschools have likewise turned into compelling socialisation force. (Berthelsen & Karuppiah, 2011). Young children who live in a multicultural community experience social differences firsthand; it is part of their world. Then again, other children who live in a monocultural group frequently have challenges comprehending and tolerating an environment that is not the same as theirs. Knowing increasingly about the noteworthiness of children’s voyages between home and school and the impacts of these adventures, teachers can help these children unite the universes of home and school and all different worlds that they might experience in theirdaily lives. (Vuckovic, 2008) Pressures from mass media likewise push an impact on children to fit in with a uniform set of necessitites, dialect, method of articulation inshort, a whole way of life. They are exposed to a ‘counter culture’, which declines and demoralizes articulation from expressing their culture of origin. Regularly, this brings about immense pressures for the children, with parents demanding adherence to the old customs, with traditions practised in the home and frequently in activities outside the home. The consequence is that by and large, parents get estranged from their children who are attempting to comprehend and adapt to their transitory sub-culture, yet endeavouring to make a successful modification into another society, which secretively and frequently unintentionally denies them this right. ( Lin & Bates, 2010) Misconceptions in Teachers The most common issue is misconceptions in multiculturalism. Educators are unsure of their own ability to define what their role is in teaching culture. Teachers need the knowledge, skills and positive attitudes to know what to teach and how to teach. (Berthelsen, & Karuppiah, 2011) Teachers need to teach in a way that will meet the needs of all of their students. It may not be easy and may require more attention, time and effort. An issue teachers face is that pre-service teachers are leaving their courses unassuming to educate in today’s diverse classrooms. The dominant parts of them are leaving courses after just having one or two essential modules on educating in a multicultural setting. They are not ready for interacting with different cultures than the shielded ones that a large portion of them live in. (Lin & Bates, 2010) They are not ready for the distinctive needs controlled by today’s multicultural student population. They end up being not as qualified in this area as they should be. One reason for this could be that teachers express that students oppose multicultural education. (Atwater, Freeman, Bulter & Morris, 2010) Why is this the case? Everyone holds his or her beliefs about things. The zone of multicultural instruction is no distinctive. One of the first things that a teacher must do is to analyse herself. She ought to perceive how the conclusions, convictions and viewpoints that she holds influence the curriculum that she is planning to teach. Whether purposeful or not, a teacher’s comtemplations, recognitions, inclinations and sentiments can likely be depicted to her students. (Nichols & Dong, 2011) A â€Å"tourist approch† towards multiculturalism where cultures are only taught through celebrations, food and traditional clothing is a very common sighting in Singapore. (Berthelsen & Karrupiah, 2011) It is both disparaging and trivializing and does not give a genuine comprehension of different societies. (Derman-Sparks, 1989) Teacher need to comprehend their own particular convictions about cultures and differing qualities so as to execute multicultural education programs viably with young children. Teachers should take the steps important to better themselves as instructors in multicultural settings. This is no feat that can be accomplished overnight. Multicultural Education in Singapore Singapore is a multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-religious society. Our population comprises mainly Chinese, Malays, Indians and others. Multicultural education is not a mainstream issue in Singapore. While the government has been capable to keep up peace and congruity through its political, social and financial strategies and unique days, it does not manage the issue in profundity. As Singaporeans are presently for the most part more mindful of issues and occasions around the world through globalization and the web, it has become progressively critical for Singapore to think about multicultural education in schools. In the meantime as empowering differences through conservation of the social personality of the racial and ethnic aggregations in the nation, the government has likewise attempted to work towards building social union around diverse assemblies, which offered ascent to the trademark ‘unity in diversity’. (Berthelsen & Karuppiah, 2011) For multicultural education to be viable, it must be taught in the early years of education and strengthened in the later stages. Since children’s attitudes to their and other social assemblies start to structure in the early years, early childhood educators can impact the improvement of uplifting demeanor towards others, as well as consolidating an educational program concentrate on tolerance wand cross-cultural understandings of others. Early childhood educators, however, cannot adopt a â€Å"tourist approach† to multiculturalism which generalizes other societies and transforms the multicultural educational module into a â€Å"tourist curriculum†. ‘Tourist curriculum† which educates about cultures through festivals and antiquities of society, for example, food and traditional clothing, is both disparaging and trivializing and does not give a genuine comprehension of other cultures. Teachers need to understand their own beliefs about culture and diversity in order to implement multicultural education programs effectively with young children. (Berthelsen & Karuupiah, 2011) A survey was done by Berthelsen & Karuppiah(2011) to find out their understandings of multicultural education and their perceptions of its importance in early childhood education. This was conducted in Singapore among a variety of teachers workingin private and public kindergartens and childcare centers. The participants came from different ethnic groups in Singapore. Perceptions about multiculturalism and children’s learning In this case study, they found that most teachers had restricted comprehension of multiculturalism. They saw multiculturalism as just regarding race and in the connection of Singapore. About 60% of the participants expressed that multicultural education implied having information of one;s culture and additionally other cultures. They believed that this learning is sufficient and would immediately carry individuals out of diverse societies together. Another 40% showed that children learn prejudices, dispositions, convictions and qualities from the adults around them, parents and teachers. They communicated convictions that schools assume a paramount part in educating children about diverse cultures. Beliefs about teaching for multiculturalism The same group of teachers were asked their beliefs about teaching for multiculturalism. Twenty of them thought directing a multicultural program implied examining distinctive cultures regarding their food, clothing, celebrations, traditions and so forth. This brings it back to the â€Å"tourist approach† that Derman-Sparks(1989) implied when educating about multiculturalism. They did not go past a tourist point of view in advancing an ‘anti-bias’ approach to educating and researching the distinctive cultures. Thirteen others said preschool centers should treat kids of diverse cultures similarly and decently. Sixteen teachers thought individuals might as well put stock in multicultural education and be supportive of it. The greater part of teachers who had constructive encounters in multicultural situations or with multicultural individuals were likewise more agreeable than others without such encounters in examining multicultural issues. A few teachers had reservations about talking over â€Å"delicate† issues, for example race or religion. Professional learning needs about multiculturalism Based on the survey done by Berthelsen & Karuppiah(2011), the teachers comprehended that they needed to understand more about multicultural education. They agreed that teachers needed knowledge, skills and positive attitudes to know what to teach and how to teach. However, the teachers did not explicitly discuss the vitality of individual reflection to comprehend their own particular prejudices, demeanor, convictions and qualities, and how these could influence their educating and learning. There were no critical or elaborated ideas on the challenges and opportunities to implement multicultural education programs. Recommendations James A. Banks, a specialist in multicultural education, has developed the five dimensions of multicultural education. He realised that in his work, numerous teachers considered multicultural education as simply content integration, meaning utilizing samples, information and data from diverse cultures. (Ogltree & larke, 2010) The five dimensions are content integration, knowledge constructions, equity pedagogy, prejudice reduction and empowering school culture and social structure. He desired for teachers to have the skills and knowledge and racial attitudes needed to work with people from diverse groups and to use a wide variety of strategies that cater to a wider range of students. (Banks, 2002) Content Integration Teachers should use several different approaches to integrate content about racial, ethnic and cultural groups into the curriculum. One of the most popular is the Contributions Approach. When this approach is used, teachers insert isolated facts about ethnic and cultural group heroes and heroines into the curriculum without changing the structure of their lesson plans and units. Knowledge Construction It helps students to understand how knowledge is constructed and how it reflects the experiences, values, and perspectives of its creators. In this approach, the structure, assumptions, and perspectives of the curriculum are changed so that the concepts, events, and issues taught are viewed from the perspectives and experiences of a range of racial, ethnic, and cultural groups. The center of the curriculum no longer focuses on mainstream and dominant groups, but on an event, issue, or concept that is viewed from many different perspectives and points of view. This is done while at the same time helping students to understand the nation’s common heritage and traditions. Teachers should help students to understand that while they live in a diverse nation, all citizens of a nation-state share many cultural traditions, values, and political ideals that cement the nation. Multicultural education seeks to actualize the idea of e pluribus unum, i. e. to create a society that recognizes and respects the cultures of its diverse peoples united within a framework of democratic values that are shared by all. (Banks, 2002) Prejudice Reduction According to Banks, this dimension is important in creating a â€Å"more positive racial and ethnic attitudes. † Basically, this dimension is the aspect of education where the teacher helps to lessen the amount of prejudice within students. Equity Pedagogy Teachers change their methods to enable kids from diverse racial groups and both genders to achieve. Empowering School Culture and Social Structure James Banks talks about looking not just at individual classrooms, but at the total school culture to see how to make it more equitable and using the other four dimensions to create a safe and healthy educational environment for all. James Banks’ five dimensions support that a child’s racial attitudes can change but education must start early and that early childhood programs are the perfect place to start multicultural education. (Vuckovic, 2008) Teachers As such, how can we make this a better transition for both teachers and the children? Sheets(as cited in Nichols & Dong, 2011) said, â€Å"all teachers can begin and most evolve into culturally competent educators; however, it is important to become conscious that the ardous journey from novice to expert requires hard work, relentless commitment, and a high investment of time and energy†. Two evident approaches for joining multicultural education with teacher education programs are infusion versus segregation, and culture-specific versus culture-general. (Melnick & Zeichner, 1997) Ladson-Billings (as cited in Berthelsen & Karuppiah,2011), proposed a basic structure for breaking down teacher preparation programs. She argued that, paying little mind to prospective teachers; race, ethnicity or backgrounds; the educational module should include a target on comprehending the way of pre-service teacher relationships and the cultural bases of the educational program, educating and society. The education of teachers should boost self-reflection on values and beliefs about cultural difference and advocate the studying approaches, which allow for teacher inclusion that is dymanic, significant and ethno-linguistically appropriate. The plans of Melnick and Zeichner (1997) and Ladson-Billings (as cited in Berthelsen & Karuppiah, 2011) could be connected to teacher education programs for early childhood education in Singapore. Such programs might investigate how preschool educators characterize and conceptualize multicultural education; fuse investigations of the history of race relationships; and use careful investigations and field encounters to provide teachers with chances to gain greater knowledge, skills and understandings of their own culture as well as of other cultural and language groups in their society. In particular, they should learn how to advance suitable programs for young children that consolidate encounters to permit children to comprehend cultural differences and encourage relationships between children of distinctive cultural backgrounds. Environment There is a need for physical environment where children are well versed to reflect the cultures represented by the children working within it. For example, pictures, books, art, music, activities, cooking and recognition of certain significant days important to each culture can reflect this orientation. (Jacobson, 2003) There is a need to advocate in children, knowledge of the similarities and contrasts in cultures, underscoring the likeness while encouraging an inspirational demeanor towards and delight in the differences. This could be attained through celebrating various holidays, enjoying reading material, folklore, music, art, games and introducing foods of various cultures. There is a need for a social or racial match between some educating staff and children in schools to be accomplished. This shows how the administration and teachers work together to decrease racial stereotypes and prejudices in the school and increase democratic attitudes, values and behaviours. The support from management is definitely essential. (Banks, 2002) Conclusion Multiculturalism is worthwhile undertaking in early childhood education based on our country’s population. It prepares children for the challenges of the globalized world. To attain the above, early childhood settings need to plan an environment, which puts forth diversity positively through resources, and materials that do not sustain stereotypes. It is also essential that a multicultural education, from pre-school onwards permeates the whole curriculum. It is inadequate to commit a component regularly reputed to be ‘ethnic studies’ to a corner of the syllabus or to a half hour period for every week. Most desirable is that interpersonal relations ought to be passed on by long-term and rational modeling and that knowledge gained ought to be by first-hand experience. Important implications need to be addressed before infusing it into the early childhood curriculum and equal collaboration between children, teachers, parents, administrators, employers and the wider community is essential. (Vuckovic, 2008) 2800 words References Abdullah, A. C. (2009) Multicultural education in early childhood: Issues and challenges. Journal of International Coopeation in Education, 12(1) Atwater, M. , Freeman, T. , Butler, M. , Morris, J. (2010). A case study of science teacher candidates’ understandings and actions related to the culturally responsive teaching of â€Å"other† students. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education. 5. 287-318. Baldwin. S. C. , Buchanan, A. M. , & Rudisill, M. e. (2007). 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Student views of diversity: A multicultural mathematics activity. Viewing transformation during the middle school years. Multicultural Education. 2-12. Sheets, R. (2009). What is diversity pedagogy?. Multicultural Education. 11-17. Tarman, I. , & Tarman, B. (2011). Developing effective multicultural practices: A case study of exploring a teacher’s understanding and practices. The Journal of International Social Research, 4(17). Verma, G. K. (2003). Ethnic diversity and multicultural education: Cross-cutting issues and concepts. Proceedings of The International Conference on Globalization and Multicultural Perspectives in Education, Penang, Malaysia, 3-4 Dec. 2003. Vuckovic, A. (2008). Making the multicultural learning environment flourish: The importance of the child-teacher relationship in educating young children about diversity. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 33(1).