World Com Case

WorldCom: internal audit lessons to be learnt On June 9 2003, the U. S. Bankruptcy Court of New York issued a report on the WorldCom accounting fraud that expands on the court's earlier findings of mismanagement, lack of corporate governance, and concern regarding the integrity of the company's accounting and financial reporting functions. Supervised by former U. S. Attorney General Richard Thornburgh, the study was commissioned by the court to investigate allegations including fraud, mismanagement, and irregularities within the company.One section of the more than 200-page report, â€Å"Accounting and Related Internal Controls,† details WorldCom's weaknesses in internal and external audit processes. It also expands on the failings within the internal audit reporting structure, where the tone at the top â€Å"fostered an environment to allow the fraud to go undetected. † The report cited a lack of independence in the company's internal audit reporting structure, which w as not challenged by the audit committee or external auditors.Observations on internal audit reporting and processes Internal auditing mission and scope According to Thornburgh's report, internal auditing was focused primarily on maximizing revenue, reducing costs, and improving efficiencies. The group performed audits and projects that would be seen as adding value to the company, rather than monitoring the adequacy of internal controls to reduce risk. It did not, for the most part, trace transactions to the general ledger or verify journal entries that supported financial accruals.Internal controls with an impact on accounting policies were not systematically evaluated or monitored by internal auditing, and findings were not communicated with the external auditors. Thornburgh's report noted that this was a serious weakness in the internal control evaluation process that was not questioned by the audit committee or external auditors. He indicated that internal auditing's narrow foc us may have contributed, in part, to the company's failure to detect some of the accounting improprieties.Management's influence over The internal audit department's mission and scope was not internal auditingtruly independent. In spite of the dual reporting line to the audit committee, the internal audit group reported and answered to senior management, including the chief financial officer and chief executive officer, who were both implicated in the fraud. Thornburgh indicated that the viability of the internal audit department was dependent on the â€Å"whim† of senior management.For years, internal audit leadership sought to gain company acceptance by focusing on value-added audits and projects rather than monitoring the sufficiency of internal controls. Management would assign special, non-audit projects using unscheduled resources, and the internal audit department did not meet its audit plan objectives, in part, because of the time and resources devoted to these projec ts. Lack of budgetary resources seriously Internal audit resources were insufficient in comparison to impacted the internal audit function peer companies.The audit committee failed to follow through on discussions with internal auditing about the adequacy of staff. WorldCom's internal audit department was half the size of internal audit departments in peer telecommunication companies, according to the 2002 Global Auditing Information Network study, conducted by The Institute of Internal Auditors. The Thornburgh report concluded that internal auditing's limited resources were inappropriate from an internal control perspective, given the international breadth and scope of the company's operations and challenges.Lack of substantive interaction with After 1997, internal auditing had little interaction with the external auditors company's external auditors, other than at quarterly audit committee meetings where both gave presentations. The external auditors did not receive internal audit reports and did not rely on internal audit work in their audits. Even though internal auditing identified internal control weaknesses in its final reports, there was no coordination with the external auditors to ensure that those weaknesses were not material, because the external auditor would report no material weaknesses in its own audits.No one confirmed whether or not the internal and external auditors were communicating about such issues and analysing the materiality of the weaknesses identified by internal auditing. Deficiencies were noted in the annual The risk assessment used during the internal audit planning internal audit planning process process did not involve quantitative factors to measure risk with respect to internal control weaknesses or prior audit findings. The level of risk was determined by assessing whether or not the audit would add value, i. . , enhance revenue or detect significant cost savings. If an audit area's level of risk did not meet these criteria, the audit would be considered low risk and would not be performed. Deficiencies were noted in the Thornburgh was concerned by the influence of management internal audit process and on the conduct and scope of internal audits as well as the the completion of audit reportsfinal reports. From the inception of the internal audit department — in or about 1993 — until January 2002, nternal auditing did not have uniform internal procedures relating to the conduct of audits, preparation or retention of reports and associated work papers, compilation and dissemination of management's response to recommendations, conduct of follow-up audits, or steps to address repeated failure to take corrective action. Thornburgh found no explanation why uniform procedures were not developed prior to January 2002. In addition, he found unwarranted influence by management in the preparation of final audit reports and recommendations.He felt that the language of many audit reports appeared to b e negotiations between the internal auditors and management. In addition, management's responses were not always presented to the audit committee. The report did note that internal auditing appeared to have performed its responsibilities diligently, given its limited resources and management pressures. Most internal audit reports identified internal control weaknesses, and many highlighted weaknesses identified in prior audits that ere not corrected to the satisfaction of the internal audit department. Internal audit improvements The internal audit department made several changes to improve the internal audit function in the company since the 2002 financial restatement and the adoption of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Internal audit management: †¢Increased staff by adding 12–15 auditors who are licensed certified public accountants, and anticipates hiring approximately 10 additional auditors. Strengthened training by requiring each professional staff member to obtain 8 0 hours of continuing education annually. †¢Added financial audits to the audit schedule, in addition to operational audits. †¢Created an internal audit team to task with the external auditors in connection with financial audits, communication, and planning. †¢Strengthened the risk assessment methodology to include an evaluation of materiality, audit frequency, changes in internal controls, and concerns by management, the audit committee, and the external auditor.

Cyber Bullying Essay Essay

â€Å"Give me some nude pics or I’ll post the picture of you last night at the party on Facebook †. This is an example of cyber bullying and nearly 43% of kids have been bullied online, 1 in 4 has had it happened to them more than once. However, you hold the power to change someone’s life with small actions. In other words, â€Å" Change can begin with simple actions/gestures â€Å". Nevertheless, everyone must be aware of how cyber bullying could affect somebody, to be alert of the situation, and how to prevent it from happening or helping a victim. Cyber bullying causes psychological, emotional, and physical stress. It can cause a higher risk of depression and anxiety. Being a victim of this abuse can lead to lower confidence, self-esteem, and your sense of security. It can affect your performance in school, also destroy your reputation, but worst of all, cyber bullying can lead to suicidal thoughts. Multiple teens have gave up their lives because of cyber bullying and for what ? A coward hiding behind a computer screen ? This needs to sto therefore if you stand up for your peers it does help and YOU can start a chain reaction. If you get trapped in cyber bullying, it is hard to get out because it is an on-going cycle and the bully can see you as a vulnerable target. It can affect you for the rest of your life if you don’t take action or help a friend. 1 in 10 victims will inform a parent or teacher, but what about the other 9 ? They hide it in until they are mentally suffering. We must change our actions and stand up to these bullies. Many others have been waiting for someone brave enough to take a stand, all it takes is one person and others may join to help stop it. However, if you are the victim don’t get deeply involved before its to late so show no emotion and interest in the situation and inform a trusted parent or guardian. One way to prevent cyber bullying is to know what to look for. Such as, signs of impression, harassment, and public humiliation. Afterwards, take immediate action. For example, attempt to identify the cause, stop responding to the bullies message, block the bully, change your account  settings and most importantly save the evidence. Next, get outside help but don’t wait too long or else it would be too late. If it gets that serious inform law enforcement. Finally, the best way to prevent cyber bullying would have nothing against you so the bully can’t work with anything. Also don’t participate in cyber bullying. For example, your friend is teasing someone online don’t participate, tell them to stop. If you stand up for others, others will too, it all starts with a simple action and people will join in. They are just waiting for someone brave enough. We must be aware of this situation and it all starts with a small action. If everybody joins in on this, those small actions can turn into a great opportunity to open the door and help these victims and resolve the matter. Everybody can help so we must stand by each other because together we are stronger. This is a serious situation and 90% of teens seen social-media bullying and said they have ignored it. We must change these actions to help our society.

Charles Wheelan

From 1997 to 2002, he was the Midwest correspondent for The Economist. He has also written for the Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Yahoo! Finance. Wheelan is a regular contributor to the Motley Fool Radio Show on National Public Radio and to the Eight Forty-Eight program on WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio. Naked Economics, Wheelans first book, is an introduction to economics for lay readers. And Wheelans Naked Statistics (2013) is an introduction to statistics. He has also recently written The Centrist Manifesto. Works [edit] Books Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science, W. W. Norton, 2002. ISBN 0-393-04982-5 Revealing Chicago: An Aerial Portrait, Harry N. Abrams, 2005. ISBN 0-8109-5874-0 Introduction to Public Policy, W. W. Norton, 2010. ISBN 0-393-92665-6 10 1/2 Things No Commencement Speaker Has Ever Said, W. W. Norton, 2012. ISBN 978-0-393-07431-4 Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data, W. W. Norton, 2013. ISBN 978-0-393-07195-5 The Centrist Manifesto, W. W. Norton, 2013. ISBN 0-393-34687-0

Structural Fires and Structural Failures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Structural Fires and Structural Failures - Essay Example Efforts started in 1980 to keep track of fires and take measures to reduce structural failures and after three decades, the damages in casualties as well as property reduced by almost fifty percent. Structures were classified into different types to better access the parameters and predict the time the fire takes to consume the structure. This classification also gives firefighters better assessment to fight or counter fires. The speed by which fires spread throughout the structure depends on three major factors; oxygen source, fuel and the heat source. Oxygen is necessary for burning and air is the primary source, the interior of the structure provides fuel source for burning and different components burn with different speeds, and finally; some elements of the structure contribute towards the heat source which raises the air temperature to a point where everything bursts into flame and it is known as flashover. Structural fires reaching flash point are almost impossible to control and often lead to structural failure. Structure Types Structural fires are classified as per type of structures, depending on their external and internal composition of construction materials. Since every material burns with a different rate and in turn produces heat as well as smoke. Heat released contributes towards raising temperature of local air, which results in flash over. Every structure has different set of materials and that is why each structure takes different time to reach flash over. The structures are classified into five types with ascending rates of burning. Type I consists of structures with steel and concrete used to provide structural strength, making it the most resistant to fires. Type II uses steel to reinforce the structure of the roof, which provides additional support for the structure and in particular delays roof collapse. Type III is ordinary structures with exterior and interior made of brick and mortar, which are non-combustible. The interior may also have laminated or fire retardant wooden floors. Type IV is heavy timber structures which rely on timber to reinforce the structure, however, the exterior walls are made from bricks. Type V are wooden structures with wood used to form the basic frame of the structure, as well as, exterior and interior (Dunn, 2013). In simple, structures with steel and concrete, that is Type I and II, are the most resistant to fire as they are capable of handling heat generated for longer durations, whereas, structures with wood, either interior or exterior are destroyed at a faster rate, which includes Type IV and V. Occupancy Types Occupancy type involves type of activity the structure is designed for and therefore, classified accordingly for fire hazards. Structural fires are a result of human actions and the type of occupancy dictate regulations for a specific structure. Some of the groups among this classification include Assembly, Business, Education and Factories. These groups are subdivided de pending on type of activities carried out within the structure. In general, fire hazard increase with increase in the number of occupants within the structure as well as the scope of activity. Factories are more susceptible to fires than any other group, because, they involve manufacturing and storage. The materials involved are much more hazardous and chances of fires are much

Architecture and Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Architecture and Strategic Management - Essay Example (Hale, 2000; P 5) Clustering distribution centers in a single geographic area is among the new trends. There is also a move towards transportation specialization, such as companies that depend on substantial parcel air transport. Labor availability and technology advances are factors driving many companies to consolidate their distribution and structural systems into fewer but larger, regional facilities. However, not all companies are consolidating their distribution centers: in many areas, the consolidation trend itself is producing a new generation of smaller, local distribution centers. Experts say that new logistical handling systems and greater outsourcing-in particular, the increased use of third-party logistics providers-seem to be driving this trend. This trend has had a large bearing on how architects are being perceived. With the advent of management as a wholesome science that has trickled into every industry and profession, architects are now expected to handle the managerial aspects of construction and design. One of the major implications for this is cost control and financial projection, health and safety management as well as development control. When involved in a project, the major fo... When involved in a project, the major focus is on the economics and what can be achieved within a given budget. Passing this down to the architects has various dimensions to it. The creative part can be better coordinated and decided in the initial stages so as to avoid chaos later. The demerit of this is that the focus might shift from the creative to the strategic management options where some architects might be ill equipped to handle such responsibilities. The solution to such a problem is a short course or orientation program in financial and development management when educating or selecting architects. Incident Command System for High Rise Buildings Risk is also a major part of the strategic management and development part of a structure. The above diagram is a depiction of an example of sectorisation for a high rise building. The sectorisation for high rise buildings must consist of the optimum deployment and utilization of resources. Managing a high rise building is a matter of creating sectors so as to give out commands easily and smoothly in case of strategic, tactical and operational importance. The sectors for operation must include: Vulnerability assessment & intrusion detection systems Risk assessment & risk management Backups & business continuity planning Disaster recovery planning Computer incident response teams Digital investigation & incident post-mortem Privacy & anonymity in cyberspace; censorship & content filtering Management responsibilities & liabilities The future of information assurance Professional development The Harrow Court Incident The Harrow Court Incident refers to the tragic chain of events where two firefighters - Firefighter Wornham and Firefighter Miller - lost their lives on the 2nd of February, 2005. The

Self-build Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

Self-build - Dissertation Example Findings revealed that the self-builders are satisfied with most of their projects’ aspects and all share a desire to promote self-building to other families. However, self-builders find the planning and permission gathering process tedious and tend to consume much of their time, money, and energy. Therefore, policy reforms regarding planning and permissions are suggested to alleviate the hardships that self-builders face even at the early stages of the project. Most importantly, the study revealed that planning is a significant component of self-building which primarily influences cost and build time. Self-builders should therefore, take it incumbent upon themselves to put the same effort to planning as they would the actual building. Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 Table of Contents 2 List of Figures 3 Chapter 1 – INTRODUCTION 4 Chapter 2 – EVALUATION OF SELF-BUILD CONSTRUCTION METHODS 7 Chapter 3 – REVIEW OF THE PROCESS OF SELF BUILDING 14 Looking / Finding Land 15 Financing the Self-Build Project 15 Designing the Self-Build Project 16 Planning the Self-Build Project 16 Choosing the Building System 17 Project Management 19 Compliance with Building Regulations 20 Building Contract 22 Compliance to Health and Safety 23 Materials and Scheduling 23 Chapter 4 – ANALYSIS OF THE PILOT STUDY DATA 26 Chapter 5 – CONCLUSION 43 REFERENCES 45 Appendix 1 – SURVEY INSTRUMENT 48 List of Figures Figure 1: Greatest Motivation to Self-Build 27 Figure 2: How Land was Availed of for the Self-Build Project 28 Figure 3: Factors which Facilitated Availment of Land for Self-Build Project 29 Figure 4: Early Problems Encountered in Self-Build 30 Figure 5: Type of Land / Plot Purchased or Used 31 Figure 6: Mortgage Type Availed 32 Figure 7: Build System Used 33 Figure 8: Total Floor Area 34 Figure 9: Status of Self-Build Home 35 Figure 10: Self-Build Project Budget 36 Figure 11: Percent of Budget Covered by Loan 37 Figure 12: Pers on Who Handled the Self-Build Project 38 Figure 13: Build Time 39 Figure 14: Level of Satisfaction on the Outcome of the Self-Build Project 40 Figure 15: Suggested Self-Build Reforms 41 Chapter 1 – INTRODUCTION The construction industry in the United Kingdom provides employment to about 2.4 million people. The sector contributed 8 per cent to the UK Gross Domestic Product. The construction sector also supports all other industries and government services in the UK in terms of their dominant role in the establishment of buildings and infrastructure. This may yet be a signal that as of 2010, the construction sector is springing back up from the slump in 2009 precipitated by the deepening recession (The Construction Industry Training Board, 2010). A review of the construction output reported by Office for National Statistics (2011), however, revealed that total output from the sector dropped by 18.3 per cent in February of this year, from last quarter figures. New work output de creased by 19.1 per cent, while repair and maintenance plummeted by 16.8 per cent. The largest decrease in construction output was in new work for private housing at 23.3 per cent. This documented decline may well be a consequence of the problem of housing affordability which Riley (2005) forecasted to be getting worse in the coming years. The government lost no time in implementing interventions to ease out

Biostatistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Biostatistics - Essay Example 2012, p. 772). Here, the P value is greater than 0.05, and yet the authors say that the differences were not significant. However, the statement means that the evidence presented in the case was not strong enough to consider that the means were different. i. Number of pregnancies is discrete or discontinuous variable. This is because for the subjects to be included in the study they had to be pregnant. Pregnancy takes a distinct value because one is either pregnant or not. ii. Clinical attachment loss (CAL) measured in [whole] millimetres (mm) is a continuous variable because it is a mean of the distances from the cento enamel junction and the center of the pocket. The distances can take on any numerical values hence are continuous variable. a) Mean of maternal age of women with preeclampsia in the sample is a true reflection of the population. This is because the sample mean age and standard deviation are equal to the population mean age and standard deviation. This shows that the population is normally distributed and is in line with some of the assumptions that are prerequisites for accurate statistics (Lomax 2007). b) The most likely maternal age of a woman with preeclampsia drawn at random is 28.5 years. This is because in a normal distribution, the mean, mode, and the median are the same value (Lomax 2007). If the mean of the population is 28.5 years, it implies that the mode and median are also 28.5 years. Therefore, there are high chances that a woman drawn at random from the population is 28.5 years, which is the mode of the population. c) It is expected that 95% of the population lie between the age of 19.5 and 37.5 years. The empirical rule states that in a normal distribution, almost all values lie within 3 standard deviations of the mean (Grafarend 2006). About 68% lie within one standard deviation, 95% within two standard deviations, and 99% within three standard deviations. It follows that 95% of the population lie

The Effectiveness of The Bank of England Policies in Overcoming the Essay

The Effectiveness of The Bank of England Policies in Overcoming the Crisis - Essay Example This essay offers a comprehensive analysis of activities, that the Bank of England realizes to manage the inflation, with a focus on effectiveness of the Quantitative Easing Programme, which is among the mechanisms applied by the bank to stabilize the economy. It is argued in the paper, that the use of the Quantitative Easing of may cause higher inflation in future. The BOE applies both monetary policy and Quantitative Easing mechanism as the inflation management tools, to ensure that the inflation level does not surpass the lower or the higher limits as predetermined. The concept of inflation refers to a situation where there is a general rise in the prices of goods and services in an economy, within a specified period of time. Monetary policy refers to a mechanism applied to reduce the inflation rate, through the BoE introducing a period of higher interest rates, which targets to reduce both the consumer and the investment spending, and thus lower the quantity of money that is circulating in the economy. The Quantitative Easing mechanism is an unconventional method of managing inflation, which is applied under circumstances where the monetary policy does not generate the desired effect, in enhancing the stability of the economy The risks associated with the Quantitative Easing mechanism is its potential to cause future inflation, through capital flights and the stagnancy of production of goods and services, since the mechanism does not affect the interest rates, which in turn determines the production in the economy. ... In doing this, the Bank of England applies various mechanisms, which include: Monetary policy This refers to a mechanism applied to reduce the inflation rate, through the Bank of England introducing a period of higher interest rates, which targets to reduce both the consumer and the investment spending in the economy, and thus lower the quantity of money that is circulating in the economy (Griffiths & Wall, 2007 p22). This way, the general prices of goods and services in the economy will be lowered, considering that there would be less money in the economy, which cannot support the higher prices. The change of the official interest rate by the Bank of England is applied in the situation where the amount of money that is being spent in the economy has grown at a higher rate, compared to the volume of the output produced, in terms of the goods and services (Qfinance, 2009 p249). Thus, the Bank of England sets an interest rate, at which it lends to the other financial institutions withi n the UK, which in turn affects the interest rates at which such financial institutions, which include the commercial banks, the building societies or the insurance companies, will attach to their loans and mortgages, which they advance to their customers. In addition, the change in the interest rates also affects the prices of other financial assets such as the shares and the bonds, while also influencing the exchange of the country’s currency against those of other countries (Mishkin, 2010, p77). All these changes serve to influence the demand by consumers and businesses, thus affecting the spending that such consumers and businesses make in

Financial Appraisal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Financial Appraisal - Essay Example These three financial aspects must be that, in order to run or execute them, it necessitates substantial inputs in terms of costs and they must entail a wide range of benefits upon their execution (Kirkpatrick & Weiss 2006). As such, the costs and the subsequent benefits must be subjugated in terms of money or they should be such that, their worth can be estimated considering the monetary terms. Further, it can be said as a systematic process by which alternative utilization of wide variety of resources are examined with a great focus on assessment of factors, which are likely to influence a decision (Gupta 2011). They include; benefits, affordability, goals, risks, costs, funding, needs and options among others. In some cases, it is used to mean the same thing as economic appraisal. It entails methodologies, which are put in place in an effort to assist in establishing and defining problems and thereby finding ways to solve them. As such, these solutions should be those that aim at offering the best value for money (Carroll 2006). This is ideal when it comes to matters concerning public expenditure. In this context, it is mostly used as a catalyst for planning as well as public investment approval relating to the three notions of financial aspects. This paper aims at establishing a good financial appraisal that best gives a good value for money taking into account, projects, policies as well as programs (Lock 2007). Financial appraisal tools and methodologies A good financial appraisal is the one that incorporates the use of various financial appraisals tools. As such, these tools are used in different stages involved in the process of development and by differentiated individuals who have a stake in the business (Lefley & Ryan 2011). For instance, there are situations where, a financial appraisal tools developer or applicant tends to appraise the site using such approach as residual land. In such a case, the costs, value, as well as returns maybe used to esta blish the potential value of the land, which they are ready to give out in exchange with the land but must be subjected to a negotiation. In this example, there are assumptions made and as such, before they are applied, it must be ensured that they are tested. This test is usually done against a framework associated with planning as well as the extant policy (Dayananda 2009). The developer, in most cases, is likely to have come up with appraisal tools that are more of an in-house nature. This is important as the in-house appraisal tools, aided by commercial accounting software, they do reflect the processes related to accounting and of which are internal (Nagarajan 2004). Moreover, there exist other financial appraisal models used in the public sector. These models are exclusively designed to suit a particular use usually in the process of planning. As such, they are used primarily in situations in which the impact of finance involving the affordable housing aimed at assessing the c ontribution of grant as well as additionality, if any, that affordable housing may achieve, are to be considered (Tosh & Rayburn 2003). Both the Affordable Housing Development Control Toolkit as well as Development appraisal tools are spreadsheet based financial appraisal models and as such, they are effective if utilized to see these functions through. Again, the HCA is also efficient as it produces an appraisal model commonly known as Area Wide Viability. This kind of an appraisal model has the capability to test the viability of alternative sites that differ in terms of their characteristics (Morden 2007). There are other projects that involve expenditure considering the public sector. Considering these projects and expenditures, there is a great deal of likelihood that there will be

See the instructions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

See the instructions - Research Paper Example Two planes hit world trade center that eventually collapsed (Bodden, 25). The events of this day changed the airport security procedures in relation to modern aviation. The terrorist attacks reduced the passenger’s confidence in air travel. There was massive job loss, and many companies went to receivership. A solution was needed fast since the terrorist attack threatened the existence of the industry. Airport security was about to receive a transformation that would remain as a mark in the aviation industry. It was clear that old security systems used previously were not working in the industry. Modern aviation airport security changed from the events of that fateful day. The country was quick to introduce full body scanners backed by the NTC regulations (Price and Forrest, 64). Previously airport security was limited to only x-ray scanners used to search and screen passengers. The procedure proved to be ineffective as 19 terrorists entered passenger planes and led to massive loss of life and over 10 billion $ in property loss. Airport security also started screening passengers using other databases from other arms of the government. The screening is intense for passengers who fail to produce government issued IDs in United States of America. The homeland security introduced the blacklist that contains names of passengers who are not allowed to board planes. The blacklist contains people who are as a potential threat to the passengers and the crew on board. The type of luggage that passengers carry onboard a flight is after discovery of the possibility of liquid bombs aboard airlines. Some of the airlines introduced armed flight marshals to act in case of any danger. The new measures increased the cost of air travel but effectively boost security on airlines. In conclusion, the events of September in 2001 changed the way airport security is conducted concerning modern

National Foundation for Educational Research Essay Example for Free

National Foundation for Educational Research Essay Over the last century different techniques have been used to organise children within schools according to what the public and government asked for and needed. For example after the Second World War the number and size of schools increased, the tripartite system of secondary education was introduced and there was increased competition for grammar school places Sukhnandan and Lee (1998 pg. 13). There was a drive for excellence and the 11 plus exam leant itself easily to the administration of streaming. However during the 1960s research was carried out that suggested streaming had negative social consequences for pupils, which could have been the catalyst for the shift of emphasis from excellence to equality. This resulted in a shift from streaming to mixed ability teaching that continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Ability grouping, in the form of setting and within class grouping, was sometimes used in higher year groups for linear subjects such as maths, science and modern languages but mixed ability was the main grouping method. The essay question implies that again there has been a shift, this time to setting. Boaler et al (1998) seems to imply that pressures from the government are to blame for this move; suggesting research (Gewirtz, Ball Bowe, 1993 cited in Boaler et al 1998) indicates some teachers regard the curriculum set out in the 1988 Education Reform Act as incompatible with mixed ability teaching implying that they have no choice. Todays Governments seem to be increasingly interested in achieving goals and raising standards, even if this means children missing out on the social advantages of mixed ability grouping. Setting seems to reinforce social divisions, as there are a higher proportion of boys, children of lower socio-economic status, children born in the summer and those of ethnic minority backgrounds in the lower sets (Boaler, 1997a, 1997b. Oakes, 1982. Sutton, 1966. Cited in Sukhnandan and Lee, 1998. ) whereas children in mixed ability classes tend to come from a range of different backgrounds. I find this quite extraordinary, as the Scottish Parliament has recently spent millions on an anti-racism campaign. Surely segregating the children, albeit unintentionally, will undermine the message sent out by this campaign? The essay will discuss the advantages and disadvantages research has told us concerning setting. It will begin with the discussion of the effect of teachers attitudes and expectations of the set that they are teaching. It will then discuss the limitations pupils face by being placed in sets. It will discuss the social gap created by teaching children in sets. It will also discuss the advantages to the teacher of teaching children in sets and the advantages to the pupils. The essay compares setting to mixed ability teaching on several occasions this is because mixed ability teaching was the technique used before the recommendation to use setting also there seems to only be limited research on the other forms of grouping. Research has shown there to be both advantages and disadvantages to setting. Boaler et al (1998) demonstrated many disadvantages to setting. In their paper they cited a worrying statistic Jackson (1963) 96% of teachers taught to streamed ability groups meaning they taught all the children without consideration into their individual differences. Boaler et al (1998) made reference to some of the experiences of pupils in setted mathematics classes, they reported that their teachers consistently made comments such as youre in the top set, you should be able to do this and youre in the bottom group your not going to learn anything. These attitudes are undoubtedly detrimental for the child. Boaler et al (1998) reported that children in higher sets were disadvantaged because their teachers had too high expectations of the children they were teaching, one third of the children taught in the highest sets felt they were being pushed to hard, that their lessons were paced too fast and they were under too much pressure to succeed because of their teachers expectations and the competitive ethos between pupils in higher sets. This was discovered to really upset certain children, Boaler et al, (1998) I mean I get really depressed it really depressed me, the fact that everyone in the class is like really far ahead and I just dont understand. It was reported that girls were the most affected by this citing the fact that although girls have been reported to be overtaking boys in all subjects boys still get the highest grades in mathematics (where the use of setting is dominant). The complete reverse was reported for those in lower sets, who felt that their lessons were too slow; they werent being challenged so lost interest. They believed that their teachers had no faith in them. This would then lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, they have no option but to perform to the set that they are allocated, if they are not encouraged then they will languish in the bottom sets their entire school life. This causes a self fulfilling prophecy, if they are told that theyre incapable of anything more they will begin to believe it, so they wont try to do anything more. Even if the children in the lower sets worked to be moved up into the higher sets they are unlikely to be successful. Teachers teach the children in specific sets to different tiers of an exam, so those in lower groups will not learn the same things as those in higher groups so movement between the sets would be difficult. The idea that children are taught to specific tiers is generally problematic because children are allocated to sets up to three years before they sit the exam and as mobility is rare this can have detrimental effects on their attainment if they were aware that they could only get a low grade. Boaler et al (1998) reported that only some children actually knew the implications of this. The teachers high expectations of those in higher sets and low expectations of those in lower sets causes a further social gap between the sets, those in the top sets will be called boffins and those in the lower sets will be seen as stupid. This is further intensified by the allocation of better qualified and more experienced teachers to higher sets even though research suggests (Black and Wiliam, 1998, p42 cited in Boaler et al 1998) that this type of high quality teaching is more beneficial to those children in lower sets who need more guidance as they are more easily distracted. The lower ability children will recognise that the higher ability children are seen as better and again this will have detrimental effects on their self-esteem causing them to become interested in anti-educational activities where its cool to be alienated (Hallam article from TES website, Passmore 2002) and will heighten the rift between the ability groups. In a mixed ability class for example there is a reduced distinction between childrens ability, which is beneficial to the children. There is even the suggestion that children of lower ability use those of higher ability as role models. A further problem could be caused because of a distinction made between academic and vocational subjects. Only subjects such as Maths, Science, English and Modern Languages are set while subjects such as Art and Music are mixed ability as a general rule. Children who are good at art and music may not feel as valued as those who are good at maths. The emphasis for teachers seems to be applied to children in higher sets because they get taught by the best teachers and get taught in the best classrooms. Also the children who arent interested may distract other children in these mixed ability groups. Ultimately this will lower their self-esteem and have a negative effect on their attainment in and feelings for the subject. Of cause there must be advantages to setting otherwise the First Minister wouldnt have recommended it. One major advantage is that, compared to mixed ability teaching, its easier for teachers to implement as they can pitch work at a level that is more appropriate for the level the children are at. In mixed ability teaching a large majority of the class are unsupervised while setting lends itself to whole class teaching. This would appear to benefit those children in both higher and lower ability groups. Children in higher ability groups could be neglected and left to get on with their work in mixed ability classes while in sets these children will be given more attention, the children in with less ability will feel less inferior and more confident in groups of children with similar ability. Another benefit for high ability children is that low ability children who dont want to learn will not distract them. The government is aiming to raise standards so its understandable to want to give children of higher ability a better chance. Research (Kulik and Kulik, 1982. 1987. Cited in Sukhnandan and Lee, 1998. ) shows that gifted and high ability children achieve more when placed in sets than they do when placed in mixed ability groups. Its believed by some that high ability pupils benefit in groups with similar ability because it increases motivation by providing appropriate challenges and competition. There is also the implication that the children will be like-minded, facilitating the opportunity for them to discuss and bounce ideas between each other. Possibly the main reason why the First Minister recommended this form of ability grouping is because all the research conducted in this area conflicts resulting in there being no truly consistent findings on the effect of ability grouping for pupil achievement. His recommendation could therefore be based on the fact that setting is easier for teachers so it is more likely children will be taught effectively. His main concern appears to be with raising standards and setting is easier to manage and improve than mixed ability teaching as set guidelines can be given for the attainment targets for each set. The blame for these inconsistent findings has been given to the research methods used. Theres a suggestion made that the outcome of ability grouping isnt the only thing being tested. The quality of teaching, the teachers expectations, the pupils expectations and the materials available will all effect the pupils achievement. The evidence seems to produce more disadvantages to setting than advantages. The main ones being social rather than necessarily academic. However a child will perform better if they are happy and confident. Being labelled as set 6 is not good for a childs self esteem or confidence especially when teachers reinforce the idea that they are not as good as those in higher sets. This ultimately leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy, which eventually causes the child to lose all interest. If the First Ministers objective really is to raise standards then shouldnt he be focussing on these low ability children and trying to raise their attainment levels? High ability groups also suffer because of the expectation that they are more capable than they actually there. To improve this it might be necessary to re-teach teachers on pupil differences and explain that all the children within the set are not identical. For this to occur theyd have to be a reduction in the emphasis placed on meeting targets, teachers need the flexibility to return to areas that children are finding difficult. When all said and done isnt education for the benefit child? The First Ministers recommendation needs to be accompanied by guidelines for teachers on how they can avoid the negative effects of homogeneous grouping. These guidelines should include careful planning, using well-defined targets and remaining aware of the negative effects of ability grouping (GB. Scottish Office. HMI, 1996. Cited in Sukhnandan and Lee, 1998. ) There could also be a move away from emphasis on academic achievement to more recognition of non-academic achievements to restore the self-esteem of children in lower ability groups (Elton Report, 1989. Taylor, 1993. Cited in Sukhnandan and Lee, 1998. ) His recommendation was probably the right one considering the drive to raise standards and make teachers lives easier. Because of the lack of conclusive evidence for what type of grouping is more beneficial academically for the child he was right to choose the method that could be most easily implemented and controlled. However this lack of conclusive evidence means that more research needs to be carried out to discover what the best form of grouping is. To do this researchers will have to establish what is ultimately best for the child, possibly new ways of grouping could be developed or the old ways upgraded.

High School Dropout Rates Essay Example for Free

High School Dropout Rates Essay High School dropout is referred to student quitting high school prematurely or before graduation. Many reasons and factors are responsible for dropping out of school. Dropping out of school may be a singular reason of the child or a logical agreement between the child and the parent. Some reasons are due to intention to go find work, avoidance of bullying, depression from poor grades, and unplanned pregnancy at school. Most students find the easy way out of a monotony of life in getting themselves out of the normal routine, in a way this is a behavioral disorder. In lieu of psychologist argument, dropping out is the withdrawal from pulling out from a social institution most especially for the reason of â€Å"disillusion and development of apathy to the conventional values in such institution. Dropout Rate With the graduation rate of about 71%, number of dropout constitutes one of the factors for the non-graduating 29%. The rate of high school dropout is silently becoming an epidemic. Commonly, students’ age category is within the range of 16-24 years. According to the United State Department of Education, though the overall rate of dropout seems to be on a downward trend since 1960 till date, it is important to note however, that there exists a sharp uneven distribution in the record across regions, race and gender. For example, Hispanics high school dropout is put at 41 per cent of the existing figure of 9.  3% for both male and female since 2006. And it is worthy of note that this population sums about 17% of the entire population of youth in the stated age bracket. Male population makes up about 60% of dropout rate. Rate of dropout among Non- English speaking youth is higher than the English speaking youth, researched by Cardenas (Jay P. Greene 2002). Students from poor home with poor standard of living are economically disadvantaged constituting the major group among the incidence of dropouts in United States. The trend for Hispanics dropout rate is increasing yearly. The National Centre for Education Statistics submitted that Hispanics dropout rate doubles what is obtainable in about a decade ago. With the current progression and increased immigration, the Hispanics are expected to top the populous minority list in the United State totally about 21% from the present 17%. This will definitely deposit a significant increase in the growth of high school dropout for the youth age by the end of next year. Economic Importance of High School Dropout The worry about the incidence of dropout is the future implication of decreased human potentials to function productively in the growing complex world. Human technological advancement, compliance with ICT revolution, and human capacity empowerment all have their foundational preparatory ground from students leaving high school. It is crucial age in ones development that should not be corrupted with dropout. High school diploma in a way contributes to higher income and improved economic status. Moreover, their involvement in crime is a major menace posed to the society. In addition, they depend longer on State’s support whereas such support could have been invested into another productive arm of the economy. In conclusion, it is a collective issue; the society is yet to completely wipe out incidence of high school dropout. The failure to do so is endangering the future of the economy with unqualified generations of poorly educated ones. The need to safeguard the looming silent epidemic is here. Let us safe our tomorrow and say no to high school dropout.

Marketing Audit Of Primark Stores Limited

Marketing Audit Of Primark Stores Limited This report will start with an exhaustive examination of the internal factors of the organisation with a critique of its Marketing Mix. A SWOT Analysis will then be performed to get more evidence of where the company is standing now. The fourth part of the report consists of the auditing of external environment of the business with the help of a very effective tool which is PESTLE factors. To perform marketing audit in best possible manner another tool named Competitive Analysis will be employed which is also known as Porters 5 Forces Analysis. Here a broader view is adapted by looking at the fashion retail sector as a whole along with competition as faced by Primark Stores Limited. Marketing Audit of Primark Stores Limited A marketing plan clearly defines all the decisions relating to the marketing mix for the given product or service. Then each of the mix elements would be made into a plan at a further tactical level in the organisation to be implemented. The framework remains basic and unchanged at marketing and corporate level. It can be simply described as: Where are we now? (Audit) Where are we going? (Objectives) What are the alternative ways of getting there? Choosing the best option and developing an action plan (Tactics) Implementation and Control (Cravens and Piercy, 2003) The question of the report clearly indicates the researcher to focus upon the marketing plan, the implementation of which begins with a marketing audit. This report will attempt to do the marketing audit of Primark Stores Limited. Primark needs no formal introduction as being a value clothing retailer in UK; now more so when people are worried about the economy and employment. It has in total 207 stores across Europe in countries like Ireland (Trading as Penneys in Ireland), UK (145 Stores), Spain, The Netherlands, Portugal, Germany and Belgium (www.primark.co.uk). Primark outperformed MS this September with 17 per cent increase in profits and figure of  £233million (www.dailymail.co.uk). This Company is chosen for two other reasons as it being a prominent player in affordable fashion retail sector (www.gurdian.co.uk) and secondly the writer has worked in the retail sector and is hoping to secure a graduate placement in the same industry. Critique of Primarks Marketing Mix This Marketing Audit can prove useful in evaluation of the companys marketing, since evaluation compares results with expectations the findings should prove interesting and helpful. (Cravens and Piercy, 2003) Gillian and Wilson, 2003 suggest that a distinct competitive position as compared to other companies can be established and sustained through the manipulation of the elements of the marketing mix. In UK, services account for greater economic output as compared to manufacturing. In retail sector as well equal importance is placed on customer service and thus the 7 Ps of Marketing Mix are considered here. Primarks 7 Ps analysis is described below: Product: This is the first element of the marketing mix, the product is widely understood as the tangible and physical entity that is bought and sold. However there are three levels of a product namely the Core Product, the Actual Product and the Augmented Product. This is briefly explained in the diagram below: three_levels.gif Source: www.marketingteacher.com In case of Primark the Core Product is the Benefit that one gets by buying clothes and fashion accessories acceptance in society, protection from weather conditions, etc. The Actual Product will be clothes that are sold in stores and Augmented Product will be after sale services like refund and exchange. This also includes tools like Product Management, New Product Development, Product Life Cycle, Customer Life Cycle and Branding. It can be said that Primark has mastered its mix in an efficient way and this P has been added in the best possible manner. It has a product range comparable to any other clothes and fashion retailers. One can buy from socks to over coats and also home decoration products like bed sheets and so on. Price: Pricing consist various decisions and choices to price the product or service provided. This in broader sense includes terms of business, discount structures and pricing strategies. Pricing strategies can range from Value Pricing, Promotional Pricing, Psychological Pricing, Product Bundle Pricing and Geographical Pricing. The diagram below attempts to simplify the strategies: pricing_matrix.gif Primark without any doubt falls into Economy Pricing and that has been the key ingredient for the success of the company and also in making it more known brand name than its parent company which is Associated British Foods. It is undoubtedly a no frills low price retailer with cheapest rates in the market for majority of its products. Place / Distribution: This element refers to logistic and channel management, physical distribution of the goods and services. It is apparent from the pricing and policies of the company that it does not sell its products online. It has done very well in terms of the location of the stores in majority of town centers as well as high streets and Oxford Street Branch is one strong example of it. This is a key ingredient which Primark is suggested to re-evaluate as there is one more tool which is the most effective in todays retail environment which is e-retailing which can be used to its benefit with careful consideration. Promotion: Promotion is supposedly the most considered P among the other elements and in writers experience and the elements of Promotion Mix would form a very large chunk of the Marketing Budget of any retail company. Primark claims that it can deliver its products to the customer at cheaper rates which are thanks to their no promotions policy. (www.primark.co.uk) This can be claimed as the best strategy suited to a no frills retailer like Primark to maintain feasibility. People: As consistent with the concept of marketing itself, people form the most important part of any service offered to the customer. It consists of tasks like employee selection, training and motivation. Employees are the brand they are selling in many ways. Primark has struck a good balance with this P in the mix making the Primark team full with energy and team spirit. Rigorous recruitment process takes place to test the individuals patience and swiftness in serving customers. Physical Evidence: This can be said that the products itself are the major part of the physical evidence and looking at the things like packaging, layout, dà ©cor and ease of access, Primark can be said to have well designed layouts where products can be found with less effort. However as the case with many no frills companies, other retailer would get more score on this P comparatively. Process Management: Here the process management would cover right from when customer enters the store to when they leave the store. This experience would be considered process and this is also a weaker element in the marketing mix of Primark for it being a very busy place to shop at and at many instances good tend to be damaged if not selected carefully. (Hartley, 2004) Primarks SWOT Analysis Being one of the most frequently used tools, strategic importance of SWOT Analysis is many a times undermined. The outputs suffer at some occasions due to the superficial ways in which it is conducted (Gillian and Wilson, 2003). Its rigorous implementation however could greatly assist in two major purposes: To separate meaningful data from just interesting data. To discover what the company can do to exploit its competencies within its market segments in present and in future. SWOT-Analysis-sm.jpg Source: www.bizstrategies.biz Weihrich, 1982 also argue that using same inputs in TOWS pattern increases their recognition and fully integrates them into strategic planning process. Discussing Primarks SWOT: Strengths: Vast Product Range and Cheap Prices Part of Ethical Trading Initiative with workers rights taken care of. UKs second largest clothing retailer according to volume. (www.tnsglobal.com) Selling around 20 Own Brand Labels. Weaknesses: Bad name with allegations of child labour and worker rights. Criticised due to quality of clothes many times. Weak in terms of Augmented Product. (Figure in Section 2) Opportunities: Expansion in European countries. Improvement of Brand Image. Use of e-retailing. Threats: Competitors make use of Promotion element very well. Asdas own brand- George. Few shops degrading the name of the brand due to bad quality of service and unmaintained and shabby merchandising. Primark clothing.jpg Analysing PESTLE factors for Primark There is an argument that it is many a times not the customer but the external factors that decide what happens in the market. For example insurance companies are directly or indirectly involved with the design of smoke detectors and activists can demand of design change in dolls. (Salancik and Upah, 1978) For Marketing Audit to be realistic one of the binding necessities is to study the external trends. Amongst various approaches, analysing PESTEL factors is deemed best which include political, economical, sociological, technological, legal and environmental issues. Political Factors Government regulations in terms of worker health and safety. Primarks UK energy consumption is sourced against green power generated and sold into the grid by British Sugar. Economical Factors Economic turbulence might actually encourage the customer to buy cheaper clothes and save some money. In this way the economic factor has been a blessing in disguise for Primark. Sociological Factors UK Charity War on Want investigated and reported that the conditions of the workers in Bangladesh had not improved after all the problems with Indian Suppliers. Primark products are not considered to be very good in quality and thus rejected by many segments of customers. It is believed you will come across people wearing same t-shirt or other piece of clothing about 10 times in a day if it is bought from Primark. Technological Factors It is keeping ahead of the competition in a way by getting Entropy Software Platform developed by BSI Management Systems, which will enable global visibility and better management control in line with its ethical trade strategy. (www.bsigroup.com) Legal Factors It had to face legal issues regarding the child labour allegations. Its expansion in Europe might have undergone extensive legal checks to ensure it is abiding by the local laws. Environmental Factors It has to consider the environmental sustainability issues and it has also acted upon it by dumping plastic bags and giving away paper bags. Recent news shows that due to Throwaway Fashion in last five years, textile waste has rise from 7 percent to 30 percent. It is being called The Primark Effect. (www.dailymail.co.uk) Primarks Michael Porters 5 Forces Analysis Porter, 1980 emphasised that the first determinant of a firms profitability is the attractiveness of the industry in which it operates. The second determinant is competition. This led him to device five forces that determine the nature and intensity of competition within the industry which are described in the diagram below: Source: www.businessballs.com Based on: Michael Porters Five Forces of Competitive Position Model Threat of New Entrants Risk Very Low: High cost of setup. Power of the Supplier Risk Very Low: No single big supplier and less bargaining power of suppliers. Power of the Buyer Risk High: Competition in Market and no switching cost. Competitive rivalry Risk Moderate: Few low price retailers with similar vast range of products. Threat of the Substitutes Risk Moderate: Existing low price retailers but none that can be called a substitute. Conclusion This report started with an introduction to Marketing Plan and the first function of it which is Market Audit. Primark Stores Limited is chosen for various mentioned reasons. A critique of its Marketing Mix followed with a SWOT Analysis which gave a deeper insight into the companys current standing. Auditing of external environment of the business was then carried out with the help of PESTLE factors and Porters 5 Forces Analysis. It is apparent from the study that there are two areas namely its Brand Image and Online Presence that Primark need to work on and on the other hand it position is quite strong and its marketing mix very effective. This report concludes with a quote by Porter which summarises the whole study very coherently, 1998 Pp.142: Competitive Strategy means taking offensive or defensive actions to create a defendable position in an industry, to cope successfully with competitive forces and thereby yield a superior return on investment for the firm. Firms have discovered many different approaches to this end, and the best strategy for a given firm is ultimately a unique construction reflecting its particular circumstances. [Word Count: 2094 words]

What Is Organization? Essay -- Management

To organize means to determine what activities are necessary for a specific purpose and to encourage them in groups, which are assigned to individuals. An organisation is a complex social system, which brings together many individuals for a given purpose. It is also an arrangement of personnel to facilitate the accomplishment of a given purpose through the allocation of functions and responsibilities. To further understand the definition of organisation let us consider the definition developed by Max Weber. Like any other field of study, and like organisation themselves, organizational analysis has a tradition. That tradition leans heavily on Max Weber, who is known for his analysis of bureaucracy and authority, topics that will be considered later. Weber also concerned himself with the more general definitions of organisation. In his definition he first distinguishes the "corporate group" from other forms of social organisation (Weber, 1947). The corporate group involves "a social relationship with either closed or limits the admission of outsiders by rules... so far as its order is enforced by the action of specific individuals whose regular function this is, of a chief or `head' and usually also a administrative staff." This aspect of the definition contains a number of elements that need further discussion, since they are basic to most other such definition. In the first place, organisation involves social relationship. That is, individuals interact within the organization. However as the reference to closed or limited boundaries suggests, these individual are not simply in random contact. The organisation (corporate group) includes some parts of the population and exc... ...inciples, developing models of organisation that were overly rational and mechanistic. The Type 2 theorist, to a large degree, represented a counterpoint to the rational-mechanistic view. The current stage of organisation theory more fully reflects the contribution of the type 3. Contingency advocates have taken the insights provided by the earlier theorists and reframed them in a situational context. Nevertheless, we should not conclude that the findings of the earlier management thinkers would be useless in the future. For, example many of the concepts developed by early classical writers are still of value today; the study of the management task in terms of functions performed and the use of management principle as guides to actions are still very much with us and are expected to remain valuable. Few who manage will be able to escape at least some of their impact.

Transculturation Essay example -- Literature Poem Africa Essays

Transculturation A familiar lesson in elementary history might be that a conquered people will generally acculturate into the dominant culture of their conquerors. However, the process of how these two cultures interact is often not that simple. For example, the term transculturation was coined in the 1940s by sociologist Fernando Oritz to describe the process by which a conquered people choose and select what aspects of the dominant culture they will assume (Pratt 589). Unlike acculturation, transculturation recognizes the power of the subordinate culture to create its own version of the dominant culture. In an essay entitled, "The Arts of the Contact Zone," author Mary Louise Pratt argues that transculturation does not have to be confined to the social spaces where disparate cultures intersect; it can be extended to everyday situations, such as the classroom. However, though Pratt recognizes that transculturation can take place on a very personal level, she still fails to discuss the emotional natu re of transculturation. An analysis of Derek Walcott's poem, "A Far Cry from Africa," using scholar Homi Bhabha's concept of "mimicry" will give a deeper understanding of Pratt's vision of transculturation by redefining it as a process of personal struggle by which each individual in a subordinate group is moved to choose and select which aspects of the dominant culture he or she will assume. "A Far Cry From Africa" is the story of a man half African and half English, who is witnessing the death and destruction of his homeland resulting from the English colonization of South Africa. In his description he does not, however, favor one side over the other, but focuses rather on the injustices of both cultures. At the end of the po... ... Works Cited Bhabha, Homi. "From 'Of Mimicry and Man: The Ambivalence of Colonial Discourse' in the Location of Culture, pp. 85-92." Stanford Presidential Lectures and Symposia in the Humanities and Arts. 02 March 2000. 15 September 2000. <http:// prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/bhabha/biblio.html>. Bradley, Heather M. "Conflicting Loyalties in 'A Far Cry from Africa'". Literature of the Caribbean. The Scholarly Technology Group, Washington and Lee University. 1997. 15 September 2000. <http://landow.stg.brown.edu/post/caribbean/walcott/ bradley2.html>. Pratt, Mary Louise. "Arts of the Contact Zone". Ways of Reading. Ed. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky. 5th ed. Boston: St. Martin's, 1999. 582-596. Walcott, Derek. "A Far Cry from Africa". Derek Walcott Collected Poems 1948-1984. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1986. 17-18.

The Cemetary and Loss in Faulkner’s The Sound and Fury Essay -- Faulkn

The Cemetary and Loss in Faulkner’s The Sound and Fury On the sixth page of the novel The Sound and The Fury, Caroline Compson informs her son Jason that she and her other son Benjy are "going to the cemetery." The sense of loss that runs through much of Faulkner's work, especially The Sound and The Fury, can be found in the quiet, black-and-white world of the dead. In a cemetery one is reminded of lives lost and lost lives. Faulkner honors both in his novel. The story reveals a multilayered cacophony of loss. The trees and the grave stones in the Laurel Grove cemetery have been around for a long time. So has the Compson family. Yet, I get the impression reading The Sound and The Fury that time is running out for Faulkner's fictional dysfunctional family. By the end of the story the...

Media is Responsible for the Rise of Criminal Cases Amongst Youngsters

Media is Responsible for the rise of criminal cases amongst youngters. Good afternoon respected judges, teachers and my fellow bosconians. I am going to speak for the motion. Increasing violence is becoming an inalienable problem attributed to every society. According to recent public opinion pools the crime rate is disquietingly growing and if something is not done soon, this phenomenon will become a real calamity. Escalating aggression, especially among the young generation is extremely harmful to the society as a whole.To the most common factors instigating teen violence belong undoubtedly to aggressive films and games, in a word, Media! The youngsters nowadays have completely different opportunities of organizing their free time. One of them, and probably the most popular, is TeleVision. The range and variety of TV programs is widespread and, according to the scientists, this is the media who is responsible for the increasing growth in crime.A few days back i just entered a room where two of my cousin were there one was 11years old and the other 7years and i heard them talking about wwe and even saw them copying the violent actions. This is what Media is growing in, Violence. The media can have a powerful influence on young, impressionable children. India, as a developing country, most of the families have started to own television sets and radios. Furthermore, many youth spend an inordinate amount of time consuming violent media and inappropriate music .Various studies â€Å"have found that YOUNGSTERS may become ‘immune’ to the horror of violence; gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems; imitate the violence they observe on television; and identify with certain characters, victims or victimizers† The media’s use of violence as a form of entertainment has had a negative effect on our society by desensitizing people, especially youngsters, in bringing out aggressive behavior, attitudes, and values.As the amount of prog rams through television, stereos, video games, and satellite dishes increase, media industries are competing for the loudest, most shocking idea to get the attention of the viewer. Throughout the years society has become more liberal. No longer are couples required to sleep in different beds on TV shows and the typical â€Å"clean, happy, family† often represented in shows throughout the 60s and 70s had been replaced with more racy, sexual themes to catch the viewers attention. Out of everyone present over i can say surely that most you watch â€Å"how i met your mother† .Does it not portray what i said right now. Violence and sex have become effective methods in promoting movies and television shows. Often these themes are used to the producer’s advantage as hooks before commercials, in avertisements, and in previews as a glimpse of something exciting that can be shown in a short period of time and interest the consumer. Action films have a high degree of fight s, killings, special effects, and explosions to keep the attention of an audience. Violence is big in many action movies because it is not culture-specific and requires less complexity .Today, violence is being used in media for thrill, which is likely to develop an urge to kill or hurt, in young minds. Those who have criminal instincts together with intelligence and need fast money can easily get inspired by such serials and movies with heavy dose of violence. Media just to gain publicity has started highlighting all the criminal cases and telecasting them. The youngsters facing problems in their lives and after repeatedly trying to overcome the problem but have not succeed yet have started to resort to all sorts of crime.It was just reported 2 days back that A youth allegedly raped a 15-year-old girl in Rajasthan's Alwar and uploaded a video clipping of the act on Facebook. When an asinine psychologically disturbed individual posts such a violent video on a popular social-website, there is a strong possibility that at least one of the viewers will be inspired by such a video, and will be tempted to imitate the act in the video, and this will lead to a crime! As media grows, the exposure to such violent stories has also increased, and it is believed, that such an exposure has inspired a number of people to act violently and commit crimes.Movies like don escalate violence in young minds because at the end the criminal is the hero. Young minds if suffering from problems may resort to such hideous actions. Media should promote the dignity of women instead of disgracing it.They are portraying them as a commodity which can be sold in the market. Media should give more importance to spread knowledge about useful stuff and contribute in shaping young minds and showing them the right path to follow . Media today is the satan in disguise , disillusioning young minds to the path of horror and hepling them achieve their aims and aspirations through negative ways.

Translator As My Dream Job Essay

Ever since I began studying English, I have always wanted to become a translator, translating Chinese into English so that people in other countries can enjoy Chinese poems and stories. Becoming a translator isn’t easy. It takes great patience and perseverance/ (Needless to say heartfelt effort and willing persistence is absolutely needed./ It is a step by step progress that involves confidence, patience and hard work.) Firstly, as a middle school student, I must improve my reading comprehension in both languages so that I can choose the appropriate words when I am translating something. Secondly, in order to become good enough to be a translator, I must learn and use effective learning strategies. I’m still only a middle school student, so I have a long way to go. I hope that I will be able to go to college and become a real translator some day. Ã¥  ¦Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã§ ¯â€¡Ã¯ ¼Å¡My dream is to become a successful doctor, helping those sick people and saving their lives. I hope everyone can have an opportunity to receive excellent treatments for their illnesses without having to pay much or just enjoy them free. Of course, I know to achieve my dream , there is a long way to go. I need enough knowledge and experience, so working hard in school will promote me to be a professional doctor. Now everything I do is close to my dream. I feel life is filled with hope and is colorful, and I have enough confidence to realize my dream. Beginning: My dream is to become a __________, +V-ing. ââ€"†My dream is to become a kindergarten teacher, teaching, talking and playing with my dear children. ââ€"†My dream is to become a professional photographer, showing people a different point of view and helping them find a new world in a single photo. Reason: There are several reasons. ââ€"†a kindergarten teacher –I can be myself by opening up my heart, wearing a sincere smile and maintaining a young, optimistic and energetic attitude to life. What’s more, I want to try to ensure that our children experience a memorable childhood by playing musical instruments, painting, singing, swimming and etc. The most important of all, I plan to create a good  circumstance in the kindergarten that every kid can seek out their own hobbies and have an interesting childhood to remember. How: Of course, I know to achieve my dream , there is a long way to go. ââ€"†To reach my dream I will take photography classes in summer and take a photography course in school. The only way to realize my dream is just do it! have enough confidence in yourself Ending: Once I become a doctor, the world is waiting for me to make a difference. With my persistent passion and endeavor, I am sure that I can climb over this mountain, no matter how high or tough it is. My enthusiasm and persistence can motivate me to pursue my dream. Now it’s the time! I always feel fortunate that I got through an unforgettable childhood, for I was never forced to learn what I was reluctant to learn and for I had the opportunity to go to various parks almost every week, going close to nature or making greetings to animals and plants.

Connecting New Urbanism And Sustainable Development Environmental Sciences Essay

Before the set up of the analytical model, it is a must to analyze the correlativity between the sustainable development, new urbanism, garden metropolis construct and new town construct. So the survey can be more specific and meaningful. First it discuss about the connexion between new urbanism and sustainability. Second, it discuss the about the connexion between the sustainable development and garden metropolis construct. For the following portion, the survey methodological analysis which includes the analytical model, informations aggregation methods and the justification for the indexs and choice of instance survey will be delivered as below. Besides, for easiness of illustration, a flow chart of the survey attack is shown in Figure 1.Connection between new urbanism & A ; sustainabilityThis is a demand to place the relationship between the new urbanism and sustainability by analysing how to societal, economic and environmental sustainability can be achieved through the rules of new urbanism. It can be a strong mention in measuring the sustainability of New Town development in Hong Kong.Social sustainabilitySocial sustainability can see as the four elements. There are societal inclusion, societal equality, societal coherence and societal stableness. Different land usage would be brought different lodging mix in a community. It would convey people from different background and it assist accomplish societal inclusion. Besides societal inclusion can set up harmony civilization in a community. The low-income category can bask a comparable life environment as the rich people do. Besides the bing broad scope of lodging types can convey occupation chances ; it should guarantee hapless can acquire a occupation from it. All in all, Social equality should be achieved by guaranting an equal distribution of benefit and resources. Social coherence is the engagement of citizens in societal life. By the creative activity of walkers friendly environment and unfastened infinite can supply topographic point for societal assemblage and promote interaction. Besides historical and cultural heritage should be good preserved. As a consequence a sense of belonging would be established. Social stableness is critical to supply a harmoniousness environment to occupants. Urban safety is a must in advancing societal stableness. Safety can construe as low offense rate and unemployment rate.Economic sustainabilityEconomic sustainability can be achieved by striking a balance between the production and the ingestion of a community. In other words, to supply a ego contained community to accomplish the economic sustainability. For the production, the lodging mix within the town will convey different type of occupation chances, such as retails, commercial and industrial. So that the different type of people can happen a suited occupation within the town in order to hike the concern. Besides from the point of views of occupants, it can decidedly salvage transit disbursal and the commutation clip. For the ingestion, most likely, as the new town have a distance to the metropolis Centre. It should supply shopping installations for the occupants. It increases the ingestion and boosts the economic system of the new town. Government besides plays a dominant and of import function when sing the sustainability of a new town. For illustration, plan a threshold population to back up the economic feasibleness of the public theodolite system. Besides authorities should supply different supports to hike the concern environment and chances.Environmental sustainabilityEnvironmental sustainability could be achieved by environmental protection, resources preservation. A good planned new town can to the full use and efficaciously utilize the land and can forestall urban conurbation and protect environmentally vulnerable country. For illustration, by supplying sufficient green belt can supply more unfastened infinites for recreational land usage. On the other manus, it can besides advance resources conversation. High denseness development is the characteristic of new town development. High denseness of development favours the public conveyance system. By the debut of environmentally friendly conveyance can decidedly diminish and command air pollution. Besides a good planned public conveyance system can promote occupants to cut down the usage of private auto, consequence in conserving resources cut down dodos fuel ingestion. Furthermore, with a different types of land us within new town, people can run into their demands within new town. They did non necessitate to go to the metropolis Centre. It is decrease the commutation clip. Besides, it encourages cycling and walking within the town, so that it can accomplish the environmental sustainability.Connection between Sustainable Development & A ; Garden City ConceptAs said, fundamentally, sustainable development means to run into the demands of nowadays without consisting the ability of the hereafters coevalss to run into their ain demands and accomplish the balance in the environment, economic system and society. On the other manus, garden metropolis is the beginning of new town construct ; its aims are self-contained and balanced development. With the aims of garden metropolis construct, it should concern with the three countries. In this chapter, it will province out the connexion between the sustainable development and garden metropolis construct.Socia l AspectFor societal sustainability, it chiefly deals with the issues of societal life and sufficient community installations to keep a self-contained community. For community installations, as discuss, garden metropolis construct concern about the sufficiency of community installations, infirmaries, constabulary station and fire Stationss, to keep to self-contained community. On the other manus, sufficient community installations can heighten the societal sustainability of new town. The end of garden metropolis is to develop a balanced town in the facet of economic, societal and environment. The proviso of green belt as an border is utile in supplying a high criterion life environment. Furthermore, the original end of new town is to supply a self-contained community and balanced development. So that occupants can bask higher populating standard. On the other manus, sustainable development negotiations about the quality of life which the construct is similar to new town construct and garden metropolis construct.Economic AspectHarmonizing to Garden City Concept, it proposes production and ingestion should be in the same topographic point. Besides, by be aftering different types of land usage within the town, for illustration, commercial land usage ; it can supply different employment chances to local occupants. It can heighten the economic sustainability and carry through the end of self-containment. Harmonizing to the theoretical account of Garden City, it clearly shows the form, sequence and location of different land utilizations. Community installations are located at the chiseled town centre. It can move as a focal point of the community and it can heighten a strong sense of belonging. Besides, harmonizing to the garden metropolis construct, it stated the bound of maximal population. Therefore, this can hold better resources allotment..Environment AspectFor garden metropolis construct, it concerned the life environment to the rural countries. For the new town in Hong Kong, there are many environment steps to command the air pollution, noise pollution and H2O pollution and supply a better life environment. For the sustainable development, all the environment protections should be done in order to supply a pleasant environment for our following coevals. For the garden metropolis construct, the border of the town is surrounded by a green belt. For the new town, saving of green belt and natural environment are besides the major issue, there are plentifulness of green belt and besides organize an border for some of the new towns. It can supply a pleasant and harmony environment. For the garden metropolis construct, it is suggested that the town should be linked with the railroad web. Besides pathway and bike way are well-planned to associate up within the town. For the new town, it besides suggests that the usage of rail-based development, environmental-friendly conveyance for illustration, bikes, so that it can cut down the usage of energy ingestion, heighten the environmental sustainability.DecisionThe outgrowth of garden metropolis construct, new urbanism and sustainable development are indispensable to supply better life environment. After the survey of these constructs, the analytical model can be set to measure the sustainability of new town development in Hong Kong.Analytic modelGiven the significance of new town constructs and popularity of new town, in the first portion of the survey, literature reappraisal about sustainability, new town construct and the Principles of New Urbanism will be by and large reviewed. In the 2nd portion of the survey, new town development in Hong Kong will be illustrated under the same model used in the old portion. For put to deathing a utile rating, a full and clear statement of standards is a must. In order to explicate a typical set of rating standards for new town public presentation in Hong Kong, the pertinence of the rating standards will be based on the Principles of New Urbanism, Hong Kong Planning Standards & A ; Guidelines, and the SUSDEV 21 Indexs. By utilizing the three different criterions, the more accurate and convincing rating can be found. In regard of each identified standard, appropriate measuring yardsticks will besides be determined for bespeaking new town public presentation. In the 3rd portion of the survey, the public presentation of the selected instance, Tai Po, will be evaluated. Tai Po New Town will be analyzed in two degrees. They are the major degree and the micro degree. The rating consequences will exemplify the extent of new towns in accomplishing the aims. Last, recommendation will be given to acquire better be aftering to NDAs.STUDY GOALLiterature ReviewPrimary DataSecondary DatasInterviewHKPSGThe Principles of New UrbanismSustainability Indexs( SUSDEV 21 )New Town Planning start from 1970sEvaluation OF CASE STUDY-TAI PO NEW TOWNMarco LevelFORMULATE A SET OF EVALUATION CRITERIASustainabilityNew Town ConceptNew UrbanismRECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONData CollectionSurveyMicro LevelChart 4.1: Flow Chart of Study ApproachEvaluation Criteria and Evaluation IndexsBy and large, the aim of this survey is to reexamine the sustainability of new town development in Tai. Po. After the literature reappraisal on the old new town plan in Hong Kong, I do bel ieve physical planning is the most cardinal portion and give birth to the development of new town. So to transport out a utile research, it is meaningful to transport out a survey chiefly concentrate on the planning issues. In order to transport out meaningful survey, foremost, it is a must to place all the cardinal issues. Second, from the cardinal issues, it should be able to abstract some indexs from the cardinal issues. Third, the standards should be comprehensive, utile and have supportive grounds to demo the direct linkage between the indexs and standards. After the literature reappraisal, I would wish to utilize the measurement theoretical account that set up by Kan ( 2008 ) as a base. The ground that I choose her theoretical account is that her theoretical account is base on the rules of new urbanism. In her theoretical account, she summarizes all the cardinal points from each degree and identifies all the cardinal issues and put indexs to mensurate it. This is rather similar to my preliminary planning, as I would wish to analyze the sustainability in the position of physical planning. Furthermore, in order to transport out a more comprehensive survey, base on Kan ‘s theoretical account, Hong Kong Planning Standards & A ; Guidelines ( HKPSG ) , 2030 Evaluation Criteria, SUSDEV 21 Indicators will function as a mention and criterion to modify some indexs and standards.MARCO LEVELKEY THEMESEVLUATION INDICATORSEvaluation CRITERIAEnvironmental QualityAir Pollution The sum of pollutant should run into the criterion from Environment Protection Department ( EPD )Environmental Friendly Transport MeasuresNumber of Stations Provided At least one station should be provided for each major vicinity in every new town to let 10-minutes walking trip Resident ‘s Satisfaction Towards Fares of Public Transit The higher the occupants ‘ satisfaction towards the menus of public theodolite, the most sustainable it is Time Required to Travel to City Centre The shorter the clip required to go to the metropolis Centre, the more sustainable it isHigh Density DevelopmentDomestic Plot Ratio A maximal domestic secret plan ratio of 5 should be applied for any new town development in Hong Kong Residents ‘ Satisfaction Towards Built Form and Quality of the Environment The higher satisfaction towards built signifier and quality of the environment, the more sustainable it isPreservation of Green BeltAreas that Zoned Under â€Å" Green Belt † Around 25 % to 40 % of the land within a New Town should be zoned for environmental preservation that needs to accomplish environmental sustainabilityProvision of Open SpaceAreas that Zoned Under â€Å" Open Space † Around 10 % to 15 % of the land within a new town should be zoned for recreational and leisure chase that needs to accomplish environmental and societal sustainabilityWell Defined Town Centre and EdgePresence of Town Centre A town Centre that can run into occupants ‘ day-to-day necessities demands should be provided Presence of Edge Manmade barriers and natural barriers should be provided to make a well defined borderTable 4.1 Key Themes, Evaluation Indicators and Criteria at the Marco LevelMICRO LEVELKEY THEMESEVLUATION INDICATORSEvaluation CRITERIAWalkable and Cyclable EnvironmentUser Friendly Cycling Paths and Bicycle Parking Areas The higher the use of bike waies and bike parking countries per hebdomad, the more sustainable it is Connectivity Between Residential Estates and Neighbourhood Centre Presence of uninterrupted prosaic pavements and prosaic crossings Presence of Bridgess and metrosBalanced Mix Of HousingRatio of Population and Housing Mix A 50:50 split between private and public lodging should be adopted to develop a sustainable new townSufficiency of Various Types of Open SpaceTypes and Areas of Open Spaces Provided Green unfastened infinite within residential estates should be providedMix of Activities and ServicesTypes of Activities and Services Offered Social, educational, retail, medical, cultural and transit activities should be provided within the vicinity Residents ‘ Satisfaction Towards Mix of Activities Provided The higher the occupants ‘ satisfaction degree towards the mix of activities the vicinity, the more sustainable it isCompact NeighbourhoodWalk-to Time and Distance to Transit Stations and Major Shopping Centres Walking clip should be within 10 proceedingss to let easy walking Walking distance should be within 1000m to let easy walkingTable 4.2 Key Themes, Evaluation Indicators and Criteria at the Micro LevelMICRO LEVELKEY THEMESEVLUATION INDICATORSEvaluation CRITERIADistinctive Design of Public BuildingsDesign of Public Buildings in Tai Po New Town Creation of landmarkPreservation of Historical HeritageBeing of Preserved Historical Building and Landscape To look at the ranked historic edifices and the declared memorials in Tai Po New townTable 4.3 Key Themes, Evaluation Indicators and Criteria at the Micro LevelJustifications of Selected New TownRecent old ages, there are several paperss or theses related to the rating of first and 3rd coevals of new town. They are normally making the comparing between the first coevals and the 3rd coevals of new town. In no uncertainty, this is good to hold such theses with the end of doing betterment planning in the hereafter. On the other manus, the clip spread between first and 2nd coevals is comparatively short comparison with others, so it finds that the 2nd coevals of new towns is ever being ignored. There is a deficiency of comprehensive theses to mensurate or reexamine the 2nd coevals of new towns. In order to acquire an overall reappraisal of different coevals of new towns, so that it can complement with other bing rating of new town development between the first and the 3rd coevals. Therefore, it is a must to hold a deep rating of the 2nd coevals of new town. Tai Po is the 2nd coevals of new town. Tai PO New Town, covers a development country of about 2898 hectares for current population of 292 600, is the biggest graduated table along the 2nd coevals of new town ( Civil Engineering and Development Department, 2009 ) . With such sort of graduated table of development, it is utile to carry on an rating in it.Data CollectionData aggregation can be divided into two parts. They are the primary informations and secondary informations.Primary DataSite VisitsSite Visits will be conducted in Tai Po New Town to roll up the primary informations. Besides photos will be taken for a clearer account.SurveiesSurveies will be conducted to obtain occupant ‘s sentiment about the sustainability of their living topographic point. Surveies were carried out on 15th-17th February 2010 from 12p.m to 6p.m. the entire sample size is 100 occupants which live in Fu Ming Sun. A questionnaire has been set for this specific study activity ( See Appendix ) .Interv iewSupplying an alternate beginning to carry on the qualitative information, a societal worker who works in Tai Po Community Center will be interviewed.Secondary DatasDesktop ResearchTo specify the range of survey, the desktop researches chiefly come from the books, diaries from library. To explicate the rating standards and rating of the new town, informations from Outline Zoning Plans, the authorities planning papers and paper, Census and Statistics.DecisionThe methodological analysis can acquire a comprehensive reappraisal of the selected new town.

GATTACA: ‘Vincent is supposed to be weak. Yet his strength of character is the key to the story.’ Essay

‘Vincent is supposed to be weak. Yet his strength of character is the key to the story.’ Discuss. The film text ‘Gattaca’, directed by Andrew Niccol can be seen as a piece that draws many parallels to the world that we live in today. One such parallel is the fact that often in society, the ones who are at a disadvantage are the ones who display the greatest strength of character. Niccol uses Vincent as the vehicle through which he demonstrates how strength of character can neutralise and overcome disadvantages faced. Gattaca portrays a society that no longer takes into consideration a person’s character. Vincent’s refusal to ‘play the hand he was dealt’ is his key to success. The text makes a clear distinction between ‘human’ and genetic traits. So clear is the distinction that Niccol uses separate vehicles to display each set of traits. As the traits and the vehicles clash, Niccol creates a sense of sympathy for Vincent as he is portrayed as the disadvantaged and weak in society in the sense that he does not possess the physical and mental assets that make him a valued member of society. A key example of this is the recurring games of ‘chicken’ between Vincent and his genetically superior brother Anton. Anton beats Vincent time and time again as is expected of Anton by society. However, when Vincent bests his brother one day an emphasis is placed on the manner in which he beat his brother. â€Å"You wanna know how I did it? I never saved anything for the swim back!† This creates the impression to the viewer that Vincent did not win with superior stamina, skill or physical strength, rather he won as he possessed traits lik e courage, determination and grit, traits that are lost in the geno-centric society in which he loves but traits that are valued and admired in todays society. The text can be seen as parallel to today’s society as often it is those who are faced with the greatest disadvantage who succeed. Vincent’s journey is a classic tale of 1 against the world or in this case 2 against the world. At every bend society is there to stop Vincent from achieving his lifelong dream of going to space. Even his parents try to prevent him from attaining  his goal, â€Å"Vincent, the only way you’ll see the inside of a spaceship is if you’re cleaning it.† This coming from his father can be seen as the ultimate discouragement but instead Vincent uses it to spur himself onwards and upwards both literally and figuratively. In relation to the real world, notable figures like Oscar ‘Blade Runner’ Pistorious overcame what is seen as a severe athletic disability in today’s society to compete at the 2012 London Olympics. While it is not uncommon to hear of ‘rags to riches’ tales in todays society, the one notable difference between today’s society and Vincent’s society, is that disadvantaged people are given every chance to make the most of their life (in 1st world countries), yet in Vincent’s society the disadvantaged are shunned and are viewed as a blight on society. Gattaca is a reminder that you cannot judge one on their outwardly appearance or in Gattaca’s case, a persons genetic composition. As the saying goes, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover.’ Vincent is once again used as the vehicle through which Niccol conveys this message. To the eyes of society, Vincent is an ‘invalid’ with inferior physical capabilities, high risk of heart failure and other deficiencies and with a â€Å"life expectancy of 30.2 years.† However, because of the ‘faceless’ society that Vincent lives in (which refers to personality as much as it does to physical appearance) he lacks the opportunity to progress with his life as his strengths of character are not held in anywhere near the same esteem as desirable genetics are. Vincent claims, â€Å"There is no gene for fate.† This is in reference to the fact that he is of the belief that genes aren’t everything, even if society has such beliefs. Rather there is an element in every human being that makes him or her truly unique and this is what Vincent prides himself on, the fact that his assets which are undeterminable by genetics are what makes him the person that he his. While the society in which Vincent lives in regards Vincent as weak and inferior, his character is both key to his success and the story as without his steely resolve and fierce determination there would be no story as society would continue to function as it was designed. Parallels can be drawn with Vincent’s plight and the journey’s of figures in our society like Oscar Pistorious. Gattaca serves to compound the message that has been  passed down through generations by reasserting that you shouldn’t judge a person before you know them personally. Vincent refuses to ‘play the hand he was dealt’ and this is the focal point around which Gattaca was told.