Issues in contemporary management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Issues in contemporary management - Essay Example In fact, some economic pundits project that the economy of China may overtake that of the U.S. in the next few decades. However, despite all these good fortunes, research indicates that China has not improved the working conditions for its workers to ensure their satisfaction (FoxNews.com 2012). This is because the government appears not to have enacted adequate laws to protect its labor force from unethical employers if media reports are anything to go by. The country’s media has reported several incidences of labor unrest in many companies in the country, which generally points at poor working conditions and rights violations by employers. For instance, the media has reported several instances of suicidal tendencies by Apple workers according to Green (2012). What is certain is that most workers at Apple resort to suicide when the management is not ready and willing to listen to their grievances and take action. Such behaviors by management can be termed unethical because it shows lack of management’s commitment to the worker’s welfare and well-being (Gayle 2012). This paper will examine the contemporary management issues at Apple in China in light of the high incidences of suicide in the company over the last few years. It is undisputable that Apple products command very high demand in the world. Nevertheless, the working conditions at most of its supply chain appears wanting if the number of suicides and labor unrest being experienced at its supply chains in Chain are anything to go by. For instance, Foxconn Company, one of the main manufacturers of Apple products in China has been making headlines mostly for bad reasons (He 2009). This is because a year hardly passes without labor unrest being reported. Reports indicate that most of the worker’s at Apple supply chains have been protesting through threats of suicide while other go to the extent of not just threatening, but by committing suicide. What is worrying is that the trend has been in place for quite some time now unabated. Ramzy (2012) reports that at least 14 workers committed suicide at Foxconn in the year 2010. However, Qiang (2012) also noted the number has so far risen to 18 following two reported cases of suicide with the last case having been reported on 14 June. However, to make mater worse, the company appears not to have learnt anything from the past suicides that have been committed in the company. This is because Moore (2012) recently reported another mass protest by least 150 Foxconn workers who were threatening to commit mass suicide in the company over poor working conditions in the company. Moore (2012) reported that the workers climbed on the rooftop of the factory in their numbers before threatening suicide. However, the management of the company pleaded with them before being coaxed away. Moore (2012) reveals that the protest began on 2 January 2012 following a move by the managers of Foxconn Company to shift close to 600 employee s to new production lines. However, the managers are reported to have made this move without providing enough training to the workers to be able to handle the new tasks they were being given (Ramzy 2012). In addition, one of the protesters said that as much as this was being done, they were being paid just piecemeal (McGrath 2012). The protesters stated that the salaries they were being offered by the company have made them poorer than they were before since it does not commensurate with the living standards of the

Why government should make fossil fuel illegal Research Paper

Why government should make fossil fuel illegal - Research Paper Example The by-products of oil, along with coal, together known as ‘fossil fuels,’ are the major contributors to what is commonly referred to as ‘greenhouse gasses’ being pumped into the atmosphere at a phenomenal rate, the effects of which are causing the Earth’s climate to change. According to all peer-reviewed scientific studies, if the quantity of greenhouse gasses being spewed into the air by automobiles, power plants and factories is not greatly reduced and quickly, the earth and its inhabitants will experience catastrophic consequences in the not too distant future. Fossil fuels are doing great harms that cannot be justified therefore should be illegal much as another other product that causes death and destruction. The people of the Middle East will have to rise up, as they currently are, to dispose their leaders. The best path for other countries, in this respect, is to stop funding them. This paper will discuss the most vital reason to criminalize f ossil fuels, pollution and global warming. The greenhouse effect occurs naturally. When the sun’s light penetrates the atmosphere and strikes the earth’s surface only about two-thirds of the solar energy of the impact is absorbed by the earth. The remaining third reflects off the earth then back into space. Gases consisting primarily of nitrogen and oxygen located in the atmosphere act in the same manner as the glass roof of a greenhouse. These gases act like a bubble surrounding the earth and allow all the available sunlight to enter but trap the majority of this solar energy which, in turn, warms the earth. This is a natural yet tenuous balance which is made more unstable by man-made gases which adds to the total amount of gases. This continuing build-up of gaseous substances in the atmosphere traps more of the solar energy and reflects less. This increasing trend is the reason the earth is warming and its climate changing. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) makes up only a tiny f raction of naturally occurring gases in the atmosphere but constitute approximately half of man-made fossil fuel greenhouse gases. (Lean, Pearce, 2006). The very apparent, inarguable scientific facts regarding man-induced CO2 gases exacerbating the greenhouse effect are not apparent to some who are arguing the evidence with questionable evidence and logic. For example Anthony Lupo author of the article â€Å"Anthropogenic Global Warming: A Skeptical Point of View† postulates that CO2 is not a pollutant at all which is a short-sighted theory, at best, to anyone who has seen black plumes of CO2 smoke pouring out of factory smoke-stacks into the formerly clean air. Lupo claims CO2 is beneficial for plants and occurs naturally in the atmosphere which is true but only when considering naturally occurring amounts which are small and not the excessive quantities which have been emitted worldwide over the past 100 years. According to Lupo climate change is more a regional occurrence and does not affect the entire earth. â€Å"Regionally, climate has been shown to change rapidly in the past and will continue to do so in the future. Life on earth will adapt as it has always done. Life on earth has been shown to thrive when planetary temperatures are warmer as opposed to colder† (Lupo, 2008). Further, Lupo says that scientists will not be able to prove one way or the other if climate change is happening for many decades to come. As if the well documented rising ocean levels and melting Polar ice caps are not an indicator. Lupo believes, or at least writes that today’

What Students Have to Say Middle School Students Essay Example for Free

What Students Have to Say Middle School Students Essay Abstract The central research question of the study asks: how do middle school students experience learning mathematics in middle school mathematics class? The additional research questions that guide the study ask: what are some of the barriers to learning mathematics in middle school mathematics class and what causes students to understand certain mathematics concepts in middle school mathematics class? The purpose of the study is to discover and understand middle school students’ experiences learning mathematics in middle school mathematics classes. Qualitative methods are utilized, and a basic design is employed that uses the interview, document collection, and field notes in order to gather data. The results of the study show repetitive themes communicated by the participants related to how hard middle school mathematics is, how students have to work on mathematics problems by themselves, the fast pace at which middle school students have to work, student disruptions in the mathematics classroom, students playing and talking in the mathematics classroom, and that there are many skills, tools, and resources within the middle school mathematics class that help middle school students learn mathematics. It is concluded that learning mathematics in middle school mathematics classes can be an intimidating experience especially in light of the fact that some of the teachers give little help and that the pace at which some teachers move may be a little too fast for some students. It is also concluded that middle school mathematics students cannot learn mathematics effectively in the presence of competing stimuli such as students talking about things other than mathematics or students simply playing in class. Conversely, however, it is concluded that students have positive experiences learning and understanding mathematics in middle school mathematics classes as a result of certain skills, tools and resources being in place. Based off of the findings of the study, it is recommended that the study be replicated using other American sub-cultures, the â€Å"new† findings of the study be tested as hypotheses, the data from the study be rereviewed, and that the study be completed using observations as the primary means of data collection. Dedication I thought long and hard about to whom (or what) this work should be dedicated. The list would be too many if I were to dedicate to the many possible prospects. As such, I finally remembered who was there with me—unconditionally—up to and through this point in my 44 years on this earth. So, I dedicate this work to myself. Selah. iv Acknowledgments To me, it would make no sense whatsoever if I did not acknowledge my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It would be almost just as nonsensical if I did not acknowledge my wife and children who endured the time I took away from the family as I completed this dissertation—for the former, all praise is due, and, for the latter, thanks for hanging in there with me. This work represents the culmination and expression of a journey I began many years ago. Beyond the journey, the completion of this dissertation is the truest of paradoxes in that it is the beginning of the end. Yes, the acknowledgements already made go without saying; however, and unbeknownst to many, acknowledgement must be made to an individual who is responsible for the impetus and motivation that is and has been an integral part of my journey from having no high school diploma to completing a terminal degree. This individual was the only person who had the effect on  me that engendered a desire to embrace education, so (just under God—smile), one of my greatest acknowledgments go to (the then) Lieutenant Michael Evans (during our tour at the Anti-Submarine Warfare Operations Center [ASWOC] at Guam). I can say with an utmost of certainty I would not be making this acknowledgment if it were not for all of his positive words about the importance of education and the related encouragement about why I should embrace it—Thanks Lieutenant Evans. v Table of Contents Acknowledgments List of Tables CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION Introduction to the Problem Background of the Study Statement of the Problem Purpose of the Study Rationale Research Questions Significance of the Study Definition of Terms Assumptions Limitations Nature of the Study Organization of the Remainder of the Study CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW Theoretical Framework of the Study Mathematics Achievement Mathematics Underachievement In the United States Factors that Impact Mathematics Achievement—the Child Other Factors that Effect a Child’s Achievement in Mathematics Factors that Impact Mathematics Achievement—the Teacher vi v ix 1 1 2 5 6 8 11 11 13 14 16 17 18 20 20 21 24 26 33 37. Other Problems Linked to the Teacher that may Impact Student Achievement in Mathematics Factors that Impact Mathematics Achievement—School Climate Summary CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY Statement of the Problem Research Questions Research Methodology Research Design Population and Sampling Procedure Panel of Experts Sources of Data Validity Reliability Data Collection Procedures Data Analysis Procedures Ethical Considerations Summary CHAPTER 4. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Descriptive Data Data Analysis Results Summary vii 42 43 52 57 59 60 60 61 63 65 67 70 72 73 80 86 92 94 95 95 103 105. CHAPTER 5. RESULTS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary of the Study Summary of Findings and Conclusion Recommendations Implications REFERENCES APPENDIX A. INTERVIEW QUESTION GUIDE/PROTOCOL APPENDIX B. COMPLETE LIST OF CODES AND THE FREQUENCIES IN WHICH CODES OCCURRED ACROSS ALL CASES/PARTICIPANTS 107 107 109 121 124 127 142 144 viii List of Tables Table 1. Student Demographic Data and Student Dynamics Data for the School District During the 2011-2012 School year 96 Table 2. Participant Descriptive Data Table 3. Participant Responses to Research Question Three 96 119 ix CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION Introduction to the Problem Within American schools, the current standards-based reform prompts school districts to use standardized tests to account for and highlight the academic progress of its students. In short, these standardized tests emphasize core content areas of learning. Of these core areas, mathematics and reading are the subjects upon which most states report (No Child Left Behind [NCLB] Act of 2001, 2002). Between mathematics and reading, today’s American youth experience lower achievement in mathematics than in reading (Boe Shin, 2005; Ketterlin-Geller, Chard, Fien, 2008). Researchers highlight a myriad of factors that have a potential for contributing to why students experience lower achievement in mathematics to include both cognitive and affective explanations (Koutsoulis Campbell, 2001). However, American mathematics underachievement, at least from grades three and four to grades seven and eight, cannot be explained by a number of important factors since factors that impact mathematics achievement have been shown to be consistent across grade levels through much of the research (Boe Shin, 2005). As a result and because little research has been found related to student perceived experiences in mathematics, it is the intent to listen to what the much ignored student in educational research has to say about his or her experiences in mathematics classes. In previous studies, when getting information about or directly from the student, much of the research involves post-secondary students (Anthony, 2000; Moody, 2003). Therefore, the current study attempts to directly garner the collective voices of a small 1 group of regular education middle school students. The study is accomplished by using a qualitative research methodology and a basic research design (Creswell, 2009; Merriam, 2009). Consequently, students participate in face-to-face semi-structured interviews in order to gather data about the experiences they have had in mathematics classes. Incidental to the interview process, documents offered by participants or asked for by the researcher are collected. Additionally, as suggested by Miles and Huberman (1994), field notes are collected as a third source of data. In turn, in an attempt to â€Å"make sense out of text and image data† (Creswell, 2009, p. 183), a systematic process is used to analyze collected data from student participants so as to identify some themes, patterns, and relationships that emerge between the participants’ experiences in mathematics classes and the actual phenomenon of being a part of the middle school mathematics class. Background of the Study Student learning of mathematics has been characterized as being either cognitive or affective (Singh, Granville, Dika, 2002; Winstead, 2004). For a long time, researchers have only considered the cognitive aspects of the student when providing explanations for student learning and academic achievement; however, recent research has considered the affective component of the student when providing explanations for learning and academic achievement (Singh et al. , 2002). Despite the explanation for how students learn, it is now known that there are a number of factors that play a role in student learning and achievement both in general, and more germane to this study, in middle school mathematics classrooms (Stevens, Olivarez, Lan, Tallent-Runnels, 2004). 2 In a study conducted by Singh et al. (2002), a number of important factors were pointed out as salient pieces to students’ learning of mathematics. Within middle school mathematics classrooms, a student’s achievement is a behavioral outcome that is impacted by other factors within that environment  (Schweinle, Meyer, Turner, 2006). More specifically, the researchers of the above mentioned study observed how a mathematics teacher’s instructional practices greatly impact a student’s impetus and subsequent achievement within that environment. Other researchers support the idea that student mathematics achievement is an outcome response that stems from factors such as test-taking, the level of mathematics, task difficulty, self-perception, and utility or intrinsic value (Eklof, 2007; Trautwein, Ludtke, Marsh, Koller, Baumert, 2006; Watt, 2006). In the case of test-taking, evidence points towards students taking low-stakes test less serious than high stakes tests (Eklof, 2007). In one study, it was found that a positive correlation existed between providing eighth grade students with a monetary incentive and their subsequent effort and test achievement (O’Neil, Abedi, Lee, Miyoshi, Mastergeorge, 2004). However, in the same study, it was found that a similar incentive had no effect on twelfth graders and their respective effort and test achievement (O’Neil et al., 2004). Karmos and Karmos (1984) found that the level of motivation to achieve in mathematics was stronger in boys than in girls, but, in a study conducted by Brown and Walberg (1993), no correlation was found between the level of motivation to achieve in mathematics and the sex of the child. All of the aforementioned research has made it known that test-taking is a factor that impacts student mathematics achievement in both negative and positive ways. 3 Other research has shown that there is a connection between the level of mathematics (i. e. , Pre-Algebra, Algebra, or Geometry) and how difficult the mathematics task is and student mathematics achievement (Trautwein et al. , 2006; Watt, 2006). Both studies conducted by the aforementioned researchers showed that despite the level of mathematics or the difficulty of the mathematics task, boys were still more motivated and displayed higher levels of achievement within higher level mathematics classes. The level of mathematics was shown to impact student mathematics achievement in the case of middle school students who show a decline in their ability to obtain success in mathematics courses (Eccles et al. , 1993). Another study showed this same diminished achievement ability in mathematics at the high school level (Chouinard Roy, 2008). A study conducted by Watt (2006) showed, although indirect, the difficulty of mathematics tasks impacts a female student’s mathematics achievement, choices in advanced mathematics classes, and choices in mathematics related career choices. In similar fashion, student achievement in mathematics has been impacted by such things as the student’s own self perception of mathematics as well as the student’s intrinsic and extrinsic values. Students’ achievement at higher levels of mathematics courses dwindles as they get into higher grades as these higher levels of mathematics are perceived by students as being more challenging (Eccles et al. , 1993; Chouinard Roy, 2008). In this same vein, Skaalvik and Skaalvik (2004) found that boys may perceive themselves as being better at mathematics than girls. Other literature suggests that mathematics achievement can be an outcome construct of one’s intrinsic and extrinsic value (Ryan Deci, 2000). Andrews and Hatch (2002) clarify that intrinsic value is the desire to do something that is self-satisfying while extrinsic value is the desire to do 4 something to get an outside reward (such as pay). Unfortunately, factors that deal with the student and teacher are not the only variables impacting student performance within the United States. Other researchers have pointed towards the climate of the school as yet another piece that effects mathematics achievement for students within the United states with the brunt of the effects of diminished mathematics achievement being felt by students at the middle school level (Cohen, Pickeral, McCloskey, 2009; Good Weinstein, 1986; Kuperminc, Leadbeater, Emmons, Blatt, 1997; Rutter, 1983). According to Boe and Shin (2005), data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) presents a larger problem that involves American students lagging behind other industrialized nations in mathematics achievement at all grade levels. For American students in the middle school, 31 percent of included industrialized nations scored better in mathematics. For many of these American students, there are a myriad of factors that come into play that impedes access to and achievement in mathematics; many of these factors have been proven to negatively impact a student’s overall success in mathematics (Center for Teaching/Learning of Mathematics, as cited in Newman, 2008; Pustjens, Van de gaer, Van Damme, Onghena, Van Landeghem, 2007; Fuchs et al.  , 2008; Newman, 2008; Walsh, 2008; White-Clark, DiCarlo, Gilchriest, 2008). As for middle school mathematics students, providing some explanations of the phenomena of learning mathematics has become a continued priority of research (Singh et al. , 2002). Statement of the Problem There is a gap in literature regarding regular education middle school students’ experiences learning mathematics in mathematics classes. This gap in literature 5  perpetuates a practice problem for administrators of education as administrators focus more on the needs and wants of the administration instead of the needs and wants of the student (Armstead, Bessell, Sembiante, Plaza, 2010). For many of the studies completed concerning today’s youth, the research does not taken into account the perceptions of the student except in cases in which the research involves post-secondary students (Angier Povey, 1999; Anthony, 2000; Moody, 2003). Armstead et al.(2010) suggest that when soliciting information directly from the student, a clearer picture of what has and has not changed in the classroom is garnered. Furthermore, DeFur and Korinek cite the importance of getting information directly from students and state that, overall, getting information directly from the student is the equivalent of a â€Å"powerful tool for school improvement† (2009, p. 15). Preble and Taylor (2008) put it succinctly by stating the voice of the student is a valuable source of information. As a result of the aforementioned absence of the much ignored student in educational research and because little research has been found that asks middle school students about their experiences learning mathematics within the mathematics classroom, it is the goal of this dissertation to investigate those experiences as perceived by this group of students. Purpose of the Study Ultimately, the purpose of this study is to discover and understand middle school students’ experiences learning mathematics in mathematics class. Collected data regarding these experiences will more than likely have spoken to the larger problem that involves American students lagging behind other industrialized nations in mathematics achievement at all grade levels (Ross, 1992; Tschannen-Moran et al. , as cited in Charalambous, Philippou, Kyriakides, 2008; Chouinard Roy, 2008). In American 6 schools, underachievement in mathematics has placed us far behind other industrialized nations (Boe Shin, 2005). Much research has been done in an attempt to explain possible causes to mathematics underachievement, and this study is completed in order to provide further contributions to that body of research. Research on mathematics at the middle school level is important as achievement in mathematics at the middle school level may determine course enrollment and mathematics choices in high school (Singh et al. , 2002). Additionally, mathematics achievement at the middle school level is an indicator of other things such as students’ abilities to handle advanced mathematics courses that are predicated on middle school mathematics skills. Moreover, mathematics achievement at the middle school level makes available or limits postsecondary and occupational opportunities for students as they move from childhood to adulthood (Gonzales et al. , 2008; Singh et al. , 2002). Unfortunately, while there is a great deal of literature on mathematics that highlights such things as mathematics achievement as well as other mathematics phenomena, little is done in terms of interviewing the middle school student directly when it comes to mathematics research (Angier Povey, 1999). To date, when students are involved directly in mathematics research, the participants are postsecondary students (Anthony, 2000; Moody, 2003). As a result, the purpose of this dissertation is to listen to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade middle school students from one middle school within a large school district in the eastern United States regarding their experiences learning mathematics in mathematics classes. In a few past studies, getting information directly from the student provided for an assessment of the needs and wants of the student as opposed to the needs and wants of 7  the administration (Armstead, Bessell, Sembiante, Plaza, 2010). In the same fashion, by soliciting the thoughts and experiences of the student, a clearer picture of what has and has not changed in the classroom can be ascertained (Armstead et al. , 2010). Having provided a collection of experiences pertaining to learning mathematics in mathematics classes, data students share about such experiences should resonate in the form of their beliefs, attitudes, likes, dislikes, motivation, lack of motivation, etc. when it comes to being a part of a middle school mathematics class. By gaining this type of information, the proposed study is also meant to contribute to mathematics instruction by providing teachers, principals, superintendents, and curriculum specialists with data that highlights both impediments and compliments to middle school students’ acquisition of and overall achievement in mathematics courses. Simultaneously, the intent of this study is to yield data that may also help school administrators to determine whether or not the proper resources are available for students to learn mathematics as well as to train school personnel and teachers in matters regarding the presentation of mathematics concepts. Rationale A study such as this one requires the view of the participants being studied—the students. Accordingly, a Social Constructivist philosophical stance has been undertaken that follows under the assumption that â€Å"individuals seek understanding of the world in which they live and work† (Creswell, 2009, p.8). For many of the studies completed concerning today’s youth, the research does not taken into account the perceptions of the student (Angier Povey, 1999). When gathering information directly from the student, much of the research involves post-secondary students (Anthony, 2000; Moody, 2003). Therefore, the current study takes the Social Constructivist stance in an attempt to 8 construct some meaning from what middle school students have to say concerning their experiences in mathematics classes. In many studies, listening to what the student has to say about his or her own experiences pertaining to a specific phenomenon provides for an assessment of the needs and wants of the student as opposed to the needs and wants of the administration (Armstead, Bessell, Sembiante, Plaza, 2010). In the same fashion, listening to what students have to say about their own experiences provides a clearer picture of what has and has not changed in the classroom (Armstead et al. , 2010). Although little has been gathered in the way of actually interviewing and listening to the middle school student concerning mathematics in general, the research suggests the importance of considering that actual words of the student as, in the case of the current study, listening to the experiences of the middle school student regarding their experiences learning mathematics in mathematics class can be the equivalent of a â€Å"powerful tool for school improvement† (DeFur Korinek, 2009, p. 15). Preble and Taylor (2008) conclude that the voice of the student is a valuable source of data. Mertens (1998) suggests that qualitative research usually dictates a Social Constructivist approach. In identifying the phenomena as described by middle school students, such a stance should provide for the collection of qualitative data surrounding their experiences in mathematics classes through â€Å"multiple stages of data collection and the refinement and interrelationship of categories of information† (Creswell, 2009, p. 13). As part of a larger basic design, the collection of data within this study is accomplished through face-to-face interviews (of which middle school students are the participants), the collection of report card documents, and the collection of field notes. Collected data is constantly compared with emerging categories of information (i. e. , relationships between 9 the students’ experiences and their actual beliefs, attitudes, likes, dislikes, motivation, and/or lack of motivation when it comes to being a part of a middle school mathematics class (2009). In short, the Social Constructivist, qualitative, basic approach of this study provides for the most complete investigative and exploratory coverage of the phenomenon experienced by middle school students in the form their collective experiences in middle school mathematics classes. Because little research has been found that asks the middle school student directly through interviews about his or her experiences within the mathematics classroom, this study is a rational choice and contributes to current mathematics practices used in America with the overall goal being to get children to do better in mathematics. Additional rationale behind conducting a study such as this one evolves from following recommendations for further research by previous researchers surrounding motivation and mathematics. Such recommendations include (a) â€Å"further research on the relationship between test-taking motivation and test achievement† (Eklof, 2007, p. 311), (b) how different aspects of affect interact with each other (Hannula, 2006), (c) the â€Å"need for more research regarding the measurement of affective and motivational variables† (Singh et al., 2002, p, 331), or, in the case of this study, (d) what are the learning experiences of middle school students in mathematics classes. The reason behind conducting a study dealing with students’ perceived experiences in learning mathematics is to contribute to a body of knowledge in which a gap exists. Ultimately, this dissertation is closely linked to providing educational practitioners and educational law makers with some understanding of the phenomenon at hand that could be used to further fine tune teacher quality and selection, modify school—based as well as educational 10  policy in general, create relevant, appropriate, and applicable curriculum, and/or create appropriate placements for students during their matriculation through middle school. In this sense, doing a study such as this one is worthwhile. Research Questions The central research question that guides the dissertation is as follows: R1. How do middle school students experience learning mathematics in middle school mathematics class? The additional research questions that guide the dissertation are as follows: R2. What are some of the barriers to learning mathematics in middle school mathematics class? R3. What causes students to understand certain mathematics concepts in middle school mathematics class? Significance of the Study The current standards-based reform is largely predicated upon education being conducted utilizing research-based ideals (Deshler et al. , 2001). The reform has been occurring in order to provide some cohesion and consistency across local and state educational lines. Engaging in research-based educational practices also provides for a standardization of such practices that is the sounding board and foundation for our current standards-based educational practices and the larger No Child Left Behind (NCLB) policy. In this same vein, the current study is significant. At a federal level, there are many boards and councils that attempt to document mathematics achievement as well as provide suggestions to improve such achievement (Gonzales et al. , 2008; National Mathematics Advisory Panel [NMAP], 2008; National 11 Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 2000). In an attempt to continue to contribute to the larger body of research that mandates proven ideas and practices, mathematics research has become a major priority (McKinney, Chappell, Berry, Hickman, 2009). As such, the current study is being offered in order to augment research that seeks to contribute to current mathematics practices used in America. Of course, the overall goal is to get children to achieve at higher levels in mathematics. In terms of mathematics learning and achievement, much has been written about mathematics achievement as an outcome variable that is preceded by a multitude of factors that impact the subsequent behavioral response of students in mathematics classrooms (Schweinle et al. , 2006; Singh et al. , 2002). As a result, doing a study such as this one is in keeping with recommendations for further research by previous researchers. Within the realm of identifying the experiences of middle school students learning mathematics in mathematics classes, a gap exists in the literature when it comes to such experiences as perceived by these students that necessitates that further research be conducted. Studying this area in mathematics contributes to an area of research that has not taken into account what the actual middle school students say about their experience learning mathematics in the middle school mathematics classroom. Overall, the significance of conducting this study is closely linked to providing educational practitioners and educational law makers with some scientific information that could be used to further fine tune teacher quality and selection, modify school—based as well as educational policy in general, create relevant, appropriate, and applicable curriculum, and/or create appropriate placements for students during their matriculation through school. 12 Definition of Terms The following terms are used operationally in this dissertation according to the definitions provided: Affective learning. The dimension of learning that is concerned with the reactions, feelings, and emotions of the learning (Buchanan Hyde, 2008). Attitude. A predisposition to think or act in a particular way in response to a specific stimulus (Fitzsimmons Barr, 1997). Child. An individual who has not attained the age of consent for medical care or for research activities in the jurisdiction in which the research will be conducted (Jonsen, 1978). Coding. The process of organizing qualitative research information in chunks or segments before ascribing any interpretation or meaning to the collected information (Rossman Rallis, 1998). Content standards. Broad, measurable statements about what students should know and be able to do (MSDE, n. d. d). Cross-sectional. A process used to gather data over the course of a few weeks as opposed to over several months as with a longitudinal process (Creswell, 2009). Mathematics Belief. Describing what students see as true in mathematics, in the classroom, and within themselves (Op ’T Eynde, De Corte, Verschaffel, 2002). Middle school. A school configuration in the United States, which in recent decades, includes students in grade six through eight, or occasionally grade five through eight (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2000). 13 Middle School Mathematics. Middle school mathematics is a specific set of learning expectations for the middle school level that emphasizes the learning, development, and strengthening of computational fluency with fractions, decimals, and integers, measurement, statistics, problem-solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connections, representation, and, the ability to represent ideas algebraically and geometrically (NCTM, 2000). Nuremberg Code. A set of standards established for the conduct of human research as a result of Nazi leaders committing and conspiring to commit war crimes against humanity during World War II (Byerly, 2009). Social constructivist philosophical stance. A basic set of beliefs that guide a researcher’s actions during research. A Social Constructivist stance is a stance that follows under the assumption that â€Å"individuals seek understanding of the world in which they live and work† (Creswell, 2009, p. 8). Standardized test. A tool used (either in paper and pencil or on the computer) to measure student academic achievement (Higgins, 2009). Standards-based reform. â€Å"An attempt to boost the academic achievement of all students by establishing rigorous educational standards for all, aligning instruction with those standards, and using accountability assessments to measure progress toward meeting those standards† (Voltz Fore, 2006, p. 331). Assumptions The following assumptions, based off of the characteristics of qualitative research outlined by Creswell (2007), are present in the study: 14. 1. Data is collected in the students’ natural setting where students experience the phenomena. 2. In qualitative research, the researcher is the primary instrument. In this sense, although data is collected by conducting face-to-face interviews, gathering documents, and taking field notes, that data is mediated through the researcher (Patton, 2002). 3. Multiple sources of data (the interview, documents, and field notes) are collected. 4. A variety of procedures are employed in order to check the accuracy of findings within the study (Gibbs, 2007). 5. In an attempt to â€Å"make sense out of text and image data† (Creswell, 2009, p. 183), a systematic process is used to analyze collected data from student participants so as to identify themes, patterns, and relationships that emerge between the participants’ experiences in mathematics classes and the actual phenomenon of being a part of the middle school mathematics class. 6. The research follows under the assumption that themes and categories emerge as the research process progresses. 7. An inductive form of data analysis is used. 8. The study uses a Social Constructivist lens. 9. The researcher makes interpretations of what research participants reveal in each interview as well as what the researcher collects in terms of documents. It is assumed that such interpretations cannot be separated from the researcher’s own background, history, context, and prior understanding (Creswell, 2009). 10. A holistic account of the phenomenon under study is reported. Additionally, 15 11. The sample size is large enough to provide an understanding of the experiences of middle school students learning mathematics in mathematics classes.

Gaming Affect The Socialization Media Essay

Gaming Affect The Socialization Media Essay Online games  are actually run by the server form internet browser and it requires connecting to internet. The internet is a network that linked computer networking in worldwide, and it is access to average people nowadays, these linked computers transmit data through Internet protocol (IP) and it allows usher to download, upload, sending message and search from internet. What is gamer? Gamer are people who play video/online games (Dictionary.com, 2012). A gamer is a royal player of electronic games, especially for the gaming devices like computer and PSP for such games, and in more recent trend is playing online games. Teenagers Teenagers is any people who aged between 13 years old to 19 years old, (UrbanDictionary, 2012). According to National geographic (2011), teenager like to act different, they are aspire to become adult and always involve in complex behaviors like smoking, sex before married, gambling and also online gaming. Parents According to Oxford Dictionaries.com (2012), parent refer to a persons father and mother and the person who give birth and raise a children. Parents always worry and concern to their children, especially the children facing the development stage in the aged between 13 years old to 19 years old (UrbanDictionary, 2012). Parents are seldom concerned about teenagers to engage in academic activities like sport and reading, as these are the activities seen as healthy social behaviors. The reasons why teenagers playing online games There are some basic reasons why teenagers easy to get attracted by online games. First is the price of games, games are cheap and even free for download through online space. Second reason is the competitive behavior, most gamer will spend so many time to hit the games result and also compete with the others gamers through online, they play non-stop to complete the mission on game to get digital reward like new weapon. We all like to be superior at something. For a teen who isnt necessarily a brilliant student, he/she may be ranked in the top 5 in worldwide for Tetris Battle. The sense of subjugating digital competitor is self-satisfying and isnt too difficult once teenagers has played a game for long time. Maintaining the position of rank in the online games become a serious business, and they putting effort in the hours as a way to achieve it (Hartney, 2011). What is addiction? Addiction has long been understood as a person unable to control one habit, alcohol or drug use (Hartney, 2011). This is because of the physical effects of these substances on the body, especially the brain, people often think that real addiction only occur when people often use these substances(Robinson Berridge, 2003). People also can develop addictive behavior, such as online gaming, even quite ordinary and necessary activities, such as exercise and diet (Charlton Danforth, 2007). What Is Game Addiciton According to Hartney (2011), game addiction is a form of computer addiction or internet addiction. Game addiction often happen on teenagers, over 70% of children aged between 13 and 19 years old play games once in awhile , while 40% of adolescents play an online multiplayer game (Van Rooij Van den Eijnden, 2007). Online gaming allows teenagers to behave very differently from their real life, like a shy child can suddenly became active; a passive child can become aggressive (CRC, 2011). According to research from University of Southern California, the growing popularity of online video games, it will increase the risk of game addiction. The popular games such as World of Warcraft, the massive multi-online role playing games attract gamers to behave in different role in real life if gamers spending in excess of 40 to 50 hours per week playing games, this allow the happen of game addiction(Yong,2009). Gaming affects family relations MMORP is the game with virtual social environment created by multiple gamers. A study conducted by the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University in UK has examined the social interactions that occur both within and outside of MMORPs (Cole and Griffiths, 2007). The study showed MMORPs can be extremely social games, with the high percentages of gamers making life-long friends and partners. The gaming addict stops interacting and participating that the real-life relationships, gamers only spend time on playing games (Kolo and Baur, 2004). Games addiction strain relationships with family. According to the study by Brigham Young University, undergrad Jensen Walker (2009), was based on the information from 813 college students, the more time students spent playing video games, the worse their relationships with parents and friends. This is because the gamers have problems making social connection after spending too much time on online gaming. Some teenagers lying or hiding gaming use to family, they lie to family about what they are really doing on computer, and usually tell them that they are using the computer for work and study (Yong, 2009). Teenagers misuse money in order to spend in game-related items, some of them steal money from family members, and they lie to their family, all to find more time to play the game, this make their relationships with family worst. Teenagers spend more time in front of computer becomes withdrawn from their family and the quality of relation between families members drift apart. Walker said relationship quality is one of a cluster of things that we found to be modestly associated with video games. Research Problem: With the advancement of technology today, the new technology seems to create another problem, which is game addiction. According to an article in the CRC Health Group Educational website (2011), the advance technology has created a lot of games with better graphic, features and characters. The problem of game addiction is increasingly in diverse of age range and especially in teenagers, some teenagers even addicted to the fantasy of gaming and ignore to their family, school, homework and friends. A study done by Brand, Borchard and Holmes (2009) in Australia, they found that game addiction affects on different age range of people which 8 % are over 55 years old, the average age of game players is 29 years old and most of them are male. In the research of Hauge and Gentile (2003) show that most of the game addiction appears in male and game addiction will also cause the problem of lower school performance and aggressive attitudes and behavior. The issue of game addiction has widely research by the Western researcher, but there is less research on the Asian context especially Malaysia, Malaysia is a multicultural country with diverse of culture and value of races. In Malaysia, cyber cafà © are easily found in anywhere. With the growth of economy, more and more people own a computer in their house. This has convenient the teenagers to play games either in their house or outside the house. Teenagers may spend a lot of time on playing games and playing games among teenagers have become a very common thing. In Malaysia, the issue of students skips class because they want to go for playing games is a rifeness phenomenon. Whether these students have got addicted to gaming? So this research want to find out how much time teenagers in Malaysia use to play games and accompany their parents and also to see whether teenagers will lie to their parents for their gaming habits. This all will conclude and show that whether the research o f game addiction on the Western context are applicable to the Malaysia context. Research Question: Does gaming can affect the relationship between teenagers and their parents? Research Objectives Main Objective: To find out whether gaming can affect the relationship between teenagers and their parents. Sub Objective: To find out how much time teenagers spend on playing games. To find out how much time teenagers spend in the family activities. To find out whether teenagers will lie to their parents about their gaming habits. Research Scope: In this research, the sample used will be the teenagers. According to Dictionary.com, teenager is referring to people who are age between 13 to 19 years old. This research is a quantitative research which using questionnaire to collect data from the samples. The samples selected are the purposive sample which is in the categories of non probability sample which the sample must be the teenager which are 13 to 19 years old. The location is the 3 Internet cafà © around Penang Island area and the teenagers will be asked question like How old are you? before giving the questionnaire to the sample to make sure the person answering the questionnaire are the correct sample. This can filter out the other non target sample and reduce the chance of getting conflict in answering questionnaire and also reduce the unnecessary error in sampling. Before distributing the questionnaire to the targeted sample, the questionnaire will gone through a pilot test on 30 of the TARC students to verify and refined the question in the questionnaire to make it more relevant and effective in gathering data. The research will be conducted for about 1 week in 3 different Internet cafà © in Penang Island area. The sample size is 150 target teenagers and 50 samples for each of the Internet cafà ©. This is due to the time and financial limitation so the sample size has to cut down into 150 peoples. Significance of Study: The game addiction in teenagers has become a common social issue since the development of technology. The researcher has done a lot of research on this issue but most of them are based on the Western context and the result cannot be generalized as same with the Asian context. Malaysia is a multicultural country with a diverse culture and ethnicity, the peoples mind thinking and behavior also not the same. So this research aim to find out whether game addiction will affect the socialization between teenagers and their parents in Penang are which the research sample are targeting on the teenagers of Penang. The result found out will contribute to the research field in the topic of game addiction as reference for the future research. This research will also motivate and encourage the other researchers to find out more proof and evidence in this topic. The development of research will help to identify the reason and effect of gaming in the society and will contribute in aiding this social issue. Society can understand the gaming reason and effects and also will alert the authority group and parents in paying attention to this social issue. Chapter 2: Literary review What is online game? According to Kramer (2000), in the past games are the activities that related to release pressure and to get fun. Every activity that makes you happy and brings you pleasures is a game, for example like playing Barbie dolls, listen to music and dancing. It is an activity to help you release stress and give you a pastime and amusement. In the present society, the term of games is usually linked to online games (Puentedura, 2010). Online game (web game)  is actually run by the server form internet browser and it requires connecting to internet. The internet is a network that linked computer networking in worldwide, and it is access to average people nowadays, these linked computers transmit data through Internet protocol (IP) and it allows usher to download, upload, sending message and search from internet, example like download and playing online games (yourmaindomain.com, 2012). Nowadays, there are so many online games provided for free and can be play for unlimited time, the freew are programs allow player to download and play. Besides, playing online games also make the opportunity to generate revenue from promoting the downloadable version. Promotional games are normally featured with limited in order to get the user buy the full version. For most of the online games that available on internet are written in Java languages (Programming language and computing platform, (Java.com, 2012).). Gamer Gamer is people who play video/online games (Dictionary.com, 2012). A gamer is a royal player of electronic games, especially for the gaming devices like computer and PSP for such games, and in more recent trend is playing online games. When we think about the term gaming and online game, we will directly linked the stereotypically gamer are teenagers (Hartney, 2011). According to Shimai and Kishimoto (1990), male have more chance to involve in online gaming. The research done by Silvern and Williamson (1987), has shown that men have more experience in online gaming, this is because the different beliefs exist to gender. Teenagers Teenagers is any people who aged between 13 years old to 19 years old, this is one of the important stage of changing in mental and also the physical (UrbanDictionary, 2012). The examples of changes boys and girls go through the puberty like become aggressive, sexual maturity and psychological changes. This process may happen in different age and time. According to National geographic (2011), teenager like to act different, they are aspire to become adult and always involve in complex behaviors like smoking, sex before married, gambling and also online gaming. Teenager are the part of the social group, the way they behave does not necessarily have to be negative. But most of the time teenagers refer to socially undesirable behaviors, such as over gaming, rather than socially desirable behaviors, like reading. Although it could be applied to either and either could be a positive or a negative experience for the individual. Teenager need to face the problem of Peer pressure, they are e asy to get influence and vulnerable to the peer pressure. This is due to the stage of changing when they spend less time with their parent and start to become more independent. They are not yet ready in understanding their own understanding about the relationships with others or the consequences of their behavior, this is because they are under mature. This will cause them to involve in behaviors that maybe wrong and unethical (Hartney, 2011). Parents According to Oxford Dictionaries.com (2012), parent refer to a persons father and mother and the person who give birth and raise a children. Parents always worry and concern to their children, especially the children facing the development stage in the aged between 13 years old to 19 years old (UrbanDictionary, 2012). Parents are seldom concerned about teenagers to engage in academic activities like sport and reading, as these are the activities seen as healthy social behaviors. In parents perspective, addiction is a complex process, which is caused by many different factors. Teenagers always have been worries to engage in the potentially addictive activities, such as online gaming, gambling, drug use, sexual behavior and also other unethical activities (Ledwith, 2012). According to a study by Sneed and Runco (1992), parents are not all oppose to the gaming habit of their children, for them, gaming is not just about negative effects. By playing online, their children can train their eyes-hand coordination, killtime and be familiar to the use of computer, but it also included some negative effect like the risk of taking potentially aggressive behavior, waste money to buy gaming products and also increase of the competitive values. For sure, parent also worry about their relationship with children will become drift apart. Even the side effect of gaming is very terrible, parents still willing to buy them the gaming devices, such as computer, PSP, smart phone and other devices that can play game and access to internet. They provide the opportunities for their children to access and play games, but they hope children can use it wisely (Berthelsen, 2009). According to McGillicuddy-DeLisi (1985), parents behavior is the example to their children. Inside the family context, gaming can be happened not only on children or teenager, but also parents. Parents might also play online games before and continued their gaming life after married. Some parents playing online game s mostly believe that gaming can help children to learn about the usage of computer, so they allow their children to play online games. Goodnow and Collins (1990) also argued that parents knowledge and beliefs should improve on understanding of parental actions. These beliefs and knowledge can be the use of computer to progress online gaming. The reasons why teenagers playing online games There are some basic reasons why teenagers easy to get attracted by online games. First is the price of games, games are cheap and even free for download through online space. For example, teenagers buy the top up card for only RM10 from 7-eleven to update their gaming tools on facebook games called Boomz. Second reason is the competitive behavior, most gamer will spend so many time to hit the games result and also compete with the others gamers through online, they play non-stop to complete the mission on game to get digital reward like new weapon. We all like to be superior at something. For a teen who isnt necessarily a brilliant student, he/she may be ranked in the top 5 in worldwide for Tetris Battle. The sense of subjugating digital competitor is self-satisfying and isnt too difficult once teenagers has played a game for long time. Maintaining the position of rank in the online games become a serious business, and they putting effort in the hours as a way to achieve it (Hartney , 2011). To extent and level up their games point, teenager become more and more aggressive to achieve target on gaming, example finish all level of Angry Birds to save the eggs. Third reason is the peer influence, teenagers follow what the friends do and act the way that they like (Steinberg, 2011). Since everyone playing online games, teenagers hate to become isolated and they tend to follow the trend, they enjoy playing online games and sharing the experience among their friends. Next reason is because to make new friends through online gaming, online games mostly have many players and they might not know each other at first, they can chat and share experience, it becomes a social contact in online space, these reasons may become the cause of game addiction (Horan, 2010). Teenagers playing games through online in order to manage feeling of depress like loneliness and anxiety (Saisan Smith, 2012). When faced stress and have a bad day, we will find our ways to escape from the problems and s eek for something fun to release stress, for example like gaming. Effects of online gaming According to CRC Health Group Educational Website (2011), there is several effect of online gaming usually occurring on teenagers. Spend too much time on gaming and having problem to complete their home task and also home work. Teenager have problem to manage their time wisely when playing games, they can play nonstop, hours per hours just to achieve the digital reward of online games, this become a problem to them because they cannot complete their task in real life and even concentrate on study at school. According to Yong(2009), teenagers who playing video games oftenly will have trouble like falling and losing grades at school. This is because homework becomes less of important and priority to them, they only care about the ranking of online games and also the world of cyber space. They also become more and more aggressive because of the competition on online games. Online gaming will also cause the negligence to consume foods and beverage, for example, they seldom to take food a nd even drink; they have some physical symptoms like dry eyes, headache or backache and also sleep disturbances isolation. Besides, they become reluctance to communicate with friends and family after school, and lack of communication skill to associate with people in real life. This will gradually affects their relation with parents. Game Addiciton Addiction has long been understood as a person unable to control one habit, alcohol or drug use (Hartney, 2011). This is because of the physical effects of these substances on the body, especially the brain, people often think that real addiction only occur when people often use these substances(Robinson Berridge, 2003). People also can develop addictive behavior, such as online gaming, even quite ordinary and necessary activities, such as exercise and diet (Charlton Danforth, 2007). According to Hartney (2011), game addiction is a form of computer addiction or internet addiction. Game addiction often happen on teenagers, over 70% of children aged between 13 and 19 years old play games once in awhile , while 40% of adolescents play an online multiplayer game (Van Rooij Van den Eijnden, 2007). Online gaming allows teenagers to behave very differently from their real life, like a shy child can suddenly became active; a passive child can become aggressive (CRC, 2011). According to re search from University of Southern California, the growing popularity of online video games, it will increase the risk of game addiction. The popular games such as World of Warcraft, the massive multi-online role playing games attract gamers to behave in different role in real life if gamers spending in excess of 40 to 50 hours per week playing games, this allow the happen of game addiction (Yong,2009). Gaming affects family relations MMORP is the game with virtual social environment created by multiple gamers. A study conducted by the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University in UK has examined the social interactions that occur both within and outside of MMORPs (Cole and Griffiths, 2007). The study showed MMORPs can be extremely social games, with the high percentages of gamers making life-long friends and partners. The gaming addict stops interacting and participating that the real-life relationships, gamers only spend time on playing games (Kolo and Baur, 2004). The behavior of gaming will strain relationships with family. According to the study by Brigham Young University, undergrad Jensen Walker (2009), was based on the information from 813 college students, the more time students spent playing video games, the worse their relationships with parents and friends. This is because the gamers have problems making social connection after spending too much time on online gaming. Some teenagers lying or hiding gaming use to family, they lie to family about what they are really doing on computer, and usually tell them that they are using the computer for work and study (Yong, 2009). Teenagers misuse money in order to spend in game-related items, some of them steal money from family members, and they lie to their family, all to find more time to play the game, this make their relationships with family worst. Teenagers spend more time in front of computer becomes withdrawn from their family and the quality of relation between families members drift apart. Walker said relationship quality is one of a cluster of things that we found to be modestly associated with video games. For most of the teenager, the important way to overcome the addiction on game is to find alternate way to overcome these difficult of feelings, it is very important to take serious on finding ways to reduce stressful situations.

The origins and aims of Dependency Theory

The origins and aims of Dependency Theory Dependency theory was established in 1950s by Raul Prebisch. Prebisch and his friends developed it in an attempt to understand why some countries in the world remained underdeveloped. There was a concern that the richer nations were prospering while poverty heightened in the underdeveloped nations (Kendall, 2010). During that time, research showed that the economic practices in the wealthy nations were instrumental in the poor countries deterioration. These results contrasted with the neoclassical theory that had stated that economic growth benefited all the countries. According to Prebisch, the exports made by the poor countries directly benefited the rich countries since they use them as the raw materials for their industries. Surprisingly, these rich countries export the end products to the poor countries. Consequently, the rich countries earn foreign exchange at the expense of the poor countries (Kegley, 2009). Some of them include the small internal markets in the underdeveloped countries, failure of the poor countries to make a change, and restriction of the poor countries to export their products. It is for this reason that the scholars developed the theory of dependency. Consequently, scholars developed the dependency theory in an attempt to justify the intensity of poverty in the underdeveloped countries (Pfeffer, 2003). Earlier on, the neoclassical theory condemned the poor countries, attributing their economic status to their delay in handling making important economic decisions. However, the dependency theory opposed their views with claims that poverty in these countries resulted from exploitations by the capitalists (Ghosh, 2000). The dependency theorists argued believe that the international imperialists are instrumental in the perpetuation of dependency in the poor countries. One of these theorists is Andre Gunder Frank who asserts that further underdevelopment of the poor countries is caused by the capitalists economic practices (Daft, 2010). Dependency theory is based on the Marxist theories that explain the reasons for the international inequality. They assert that economic elites use idealism and realism ideologies in order to justify disparities among the wealthy and poor countries worldwide (Brewer, 2010). Therefore, dependency theory bases its arguments on the Marxist theories. Dependency theory argues that the developed countries use the concept of class to establish certain strategies that guard and support their needs. There are certain principles of the dependency theory that are based on the Marxist theory. First, it states that the world is segmented into certain classes based on economy rather than politics. It asserts that the economy is superior to politics. Therefore, the theory holds that the imperialists created global state system so as to address the interests of the rich countries and organizations (Johnson, 2009). This explains the ongoing poverty in the poor countries, and prosperity in the wealthy nations. The rich and the poor countries form vital parts of the world system. That is the rich countries are that the central rich nations that posses and prosper from the natural resources (John, 2007). On the other hand, the poor countries give the majority of the human and natural resources that the rich nations exploit. Therefore, the rich nations take advantage of the poor countries resources in furthering their economic activities. As a result, the economic gap between these countrie s widens. Additionally, the theory argues the global economic laws perpetuate the international inequality. For instance, one of these influential laws is the World Trade Organization (Ritzer, 2003). The dependency theory and the other Marxist theories try to explore ways of addressing the issue of international economic difference. One of these ways is involves the efforts to bring change among themselves. They should make viable economic decisions and policies that are capable of changing their status in a way. This means that their strategies should aim at freeing them from the economic bondage by the strong international forces. They should also champion for the reduction of the wealthy countries control on their economic activities. For example, they should seek ways of breaking the import barriers in the case of the import substitution. Although Frank is not the initiator of the underdevelopment theory, he made it very popular (Bardach, 1998). He borrowed a lot of Paul Barans work. He believes that capitalism is caused by underdevelopment in the developing countries in the world. There are certain reasons that led to the uneven development in these countries. Furthermore, Frank maintained that the increase in the imperialism in Europe is influential in transforming the world into one global system. He further explains the extent to which these capitalists had gained access to the Latin America. Subsequently, this has a negative impact on the countrys economy. This, in turn, results in uneven development across the nations. For instance, there are some places that we realize positive development while others record underdevelopment. This happens because the world system consists of the metro-polis satellite relations. These relations are used by the satellite but not committed to the satellite. Using the examples of Chile and Brazil, Frank explains that Chile had an experience of monopoly of imperialists structure (Martin, 2002). As a result, these metropolis relations facilitate a stronger bond between the capitalists and the metropolises to their respective centers. It also extends the capitalists rule to the businessmen, stockholders and the tenants. In Brazil, Frank had the same ideas on the effect of capitalism in the country. He explains the transmission of these capitalistic effects from the merchants to the tenants. Additionally, Frank elaborates on the involvement of the monopolistic system in the countries. According to him, this system involves the poor usage and wastage of a countrys resources in the system (Chilcote, 2003). The unequal expropriation and appropriations lead to the development and the underdevelopment of the countries; hence the difference in the economic status. Imperatively, Frank elaborated on the operations of the satellites and their effects on the world system. First, he explains that the political, social, and cultural aspects are linked to the metropolis. Secondly, establishes that a metropolis is having dependent progress. Thirdly, there are weak bonds between the satellites and the metropolis. The fourth idea is that strengthening of these links might result in further underdevelopment of the metropolises. Nevertheless, Frank opposed the notion that underdeveloped world had more than one economies; the current and the ancient economies. He explains that capitalism had deepened its roots in Latin America. Though these countries seemed to be doing ell economically, there was a decrease in the performance of the export industries. For example, there was a decline in the productivity of the sugar company in Brazilian North-East (Petrella, 2003). This collapse was as a result of weak ties between the metropolises. Therefore, anything that looked like feudal characteristics results from underdeveloped imperialism. There are certain criticisms of the dependency theory by certain scholars. Just like any other theory, dependency theory has its share of strengths and weaknesses. To start with, dependency theory has the following strengths. Firstly, the theory analyses the inequality existing between the poor and the rich countries. Moreover, the theory breaks some political bonds and explains reasons why the wealthy nations are taking advantage of the poor countries (Doukhan, 2003). Also, dependency theory dismisses the neoclassical theorys claim that the existing global inequality is caused by the poor countries laziness. In stead, it argues in favor of these underdeveloped countries and blames the imperialists. On the contrary, certain scholars argue that the theory has some limitations. One of the weaknesses concerns the theorist, over-generalization and over simplification. Explicitly, frank should have investigated other parts of the world other than Latin American situation. In such a situation, it is essential different parts of the world, for example, the African countries and Asia (Martin, 2002). Therefore, his ideas are not realistic in that he used a few examples in his arguments. Another weakness of the dependency theory is that does not explain other factors that lead to underdevelopment other than the role played by the wealthy nations. The terms core and periphery are different from the terms traditional and modern. Additionally, dependency theory is weak in that in Frank failed in his attempt to provide solutions to the situation. His suggestions were very unrealistic and over-ambitious. Moreover, these solutions created certain dependencies among themselves. For example, it was impossible for Cuba to disentangle itself from the economic dominion with the USA (Willer, 1999). Furthermore, Frank attempted to prove that the imperialism is the major cause of the economic difference. Instead, he bases arguments on unrealistic perceptions. In addition; the theory is weak in that Frank failed to consider all class relations in his ideas. He also misinterpreted the Marxists concepts. Frank only addresses market relations. Some critics also challenge the theory by maintaining that it will cause corruption; with the higher markets and the other markets. Corruption is quite intense in the government industries than in than in others. It also causes lack of competition in the industries of both wealthy and poor countries. The completion is as a result of the restriction of imports to the poor countries, and subsidization of inducements (Ghosh, 2000). Finally, dependence theory encompasses certain scholars such as Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin, Fernand Braudel, Giovanni Arrigi, Samir Amin, Hans Singer, Frank Gunder and Raul Prebisch. In conclusion, dependency theory is influential in explaining the international inequality in terms of economy. Dependence theory asserts that the disparity is a resultant of the imperialism by the powerful and wealthy nations in the world. Therefore, they take advantage of the poor countries, hence widening the gap between them. However, there are a lot of criticisms on the theory that display more weaknesses than the strengths. Therefore, this theory may not be suitable in the explaining global inequality.

High School to the NBA? Essay -- Argumentative Basketball Persuasive E

High School to the NBA? The National Basketball Association, more commonly known as the NBA, is a league that millions of people in the world are familiar with. Fans of this association range from toddlers to senior citizens. The men employed by the NBA are friends, fathers, husbands and sons, but some people these men are heroes. So many fans look to these men as role models and want to shadow their every move. The NBA players are all very talented and their life styles are quite unique. The constant traveling and practicing is hard to get used to. As the game of basketball ages, young men are becoming more and more skilled. Although the skill might be there, boys right out of high school are not mentally or physically ready to go straight to the NBA. A law should be passed claiming that these young men should have to be enrolled in college before they are allowed to enter into the NBA. These young men are simply not ready for the changes that come with going straight from high school to the NBA. High scho ol basketball is like playing with children compared to the level that the pros play at. My junior year of high school I took a public speaking class. I met a boy whose name is Brian Johnson. At the time he was a sophomore, yet he was not just an ordinary sophomore. He stood a tall six feet nine inches and weighed two hundred and thirty pounds. He was recruited from a small town in North Carolina by my school’s basketball coach and given a great opportunity. The chance to be able to play high school ball in a private school gave Brian the opportunity to be recognized by more colleges. Even though Brian and I are quite opposite in many ways, we seemed to click right away in class and have been best friends ever since. Si... ... high school which will be this May, he may be up for the NBA draft. Brian has done the math and knows that between the money from the team contract and a shoe contract add up to millions of dollars for about three to five years. That is a lot of money and Brian is quite aware of the fact that he would be able to support his family comfortably. Yet, with all of this knowledge, Brian knows that he needs to go to college to get an education and gain more experience on the court. Not all of the young men who have the same or more talent then Brian are mature enough to make the right decision. I just believe that there should be a law that forced these skilled young men to go to college before they were allowed to enter the National Basketball Association. I think that this would eliminate some major mistakes that end up creating problems in one’s career and even life.

Essay --

Creative Analysis & Solutions value of businesses SYSTEM REQUEST - CENTRALIZED SYSTEM FOR ELECTRONIC RESERVATION AND BILLING Business Need: This project has been initiated to replace the existing paper based reservation and billing system with the centralized system for electronic reservation and billing of the customers to provide the best personalized service to the target customers. Executive Summary: Currently we are in a project initiation phase. Following is the list tasks we will be doing throughout the project tenure. We have got approval from Mr. Jim and Mrs. Marlene Dodge, owner of this project for the system request. Based on the assumptions we have made en economic feasibility chart. Tasks associated with the project in each phases: Phase Tasks Deliverables Explanation Project Initiation 1. Create Project Charter Project Charter It is an official document from the sponsor. It describes the mission of the team and how to accomplish that mission. 2. Complete feasibility analysis Constraints and Assumptions Feasibility Analysis determines whether to go forward with the project or not. It also covers the risks associated with the project which is very important to understand before the approval of the project. This is the most important deliverable of the initiation phase. Following areas will get covered in Feasibility Analysis. a] Technical Feasibility: Deals with the risks associated with the use of applications and technologies while the project is going on. It's always risky if we use an unfamiliar application or technology. ... ... 1 1 6 10 13 12 13 14 18 19 19 20 21 22 23 24 38 29 38 39 48 34 48 49 50 49 49 49 51 52 52 References: 1] Systems Analysis and Design - Dennis. Wixom. Roth 2] www.google.com 3] http://www.tryonassoc.com/pdffiles/Task%20List%20-%20Project%20Management.pdf 4] http://www.ofm.wa.gov/ocio/pmframework/initiation/planning/schedule.asp