Features Of Classical Criminology - 779 Words

â€Å"Criminology† is a difficult term to define because it is open to interpretation, some may argue that â€Å"criminology† is the scientific study of criminals and the crimes that they commit. It incorporates numerous disciplines such as law, sociology, history and physiology as well as other disciplines like victimology which are more focused disciplines within criminology. Sutherland (1939) gives the view that criminology is based around â€Å"three great tributaries† these are: The study of crime, the study of these that commit crime and the study of criminal justice and penal systems. Within this essay these main criminological elements will be discussed: Classical Criminology, Classical Criminology mainly occurred because of the violent and†¦show more content†¦All of which are useful in understanding crime and punishment. Beccaria’s main ideology behind classical criminology is the principle that â€Å"it’s better to prevent crime then to punish them†. In today’s modern society this can be achieved by crime prevention theories. Beccaria’s main criminological arguments are: Punishment that criminals receive shouldn’t be to excessive because this doesn’t always deter individuals from committing crime, and Beccaria argued that in some cases it actually is likely to increase crime, he also argues that the law shouldn’t restrict individuals, as well as that he argues that the infliction of harm should determine the grievousness of a crime. Beccaria had three fundamental approaches to crime prevention, he argued that these three fundamental principles were vital in order to reduce crime and decrea se the harshness of the judicial system. These principles are Certainty, celerity, and severity. Certainty is the idea that if punishment is likely to happen, then people will be less likely to commit crimes and deviant behaviour. Celerity is the idea that the law must be consistent and clear, this is vital within the judicial system because it provides a grounding and acts a deterrent because it is clear to criminals what will be the repercussions of their criminal actions. Severity within the judicial system means that the lawShow MoreRelatedClassical Criminology : Criminal Justice Policies And Against The Spiritual Explanation Of Crime Essay1087 Words   |  5 PagesClassical Criminology is focused on the punishment of crime rather than the causation of crime. The classicism theory of criminology is the concepts of legal system and its approach during the 1700’s (‘Enlightenment period’). It is argued that Classical criminology was a â€Å"protest against tho se criminal justice policies and against the spiritual explanation of crime†.1 Features of Classical criminology still have a large impact on legal systems, like the concept of proportionality. There are manyRead MoreThe Classical School Of Criminology996 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Classical School of Criminology was established. The Classical School of Criminology was founded by Cesare de Baccaria and Jeremy Bentham. The Classical School of Criminology has played a very important role in implementing changes to the criminal punishment system. One of the most significant features of the Classical School of Criminology is its stress on the person as a human being who is competent enough to calculate whether or not they will commit a crime (Lilly, 2011). The Classical SchoolRead MoreClassical, Biological And Psychological Theories901 Words   |  4 Pages Early classical, biological and psychological theories have helped shape the burgeoning world of criminology. Many of the ideas they held were unique, however, some key principles are still in use by there modern counterparts. Classical psychological theories, focused on two main concepts; personality and behaviorism. Personality theories helped improve cognitive sciences and behaviorism called attention to social learning with a focus on behavioral conditioning. For example, Ivan Pavlov, a prominentRead MoreEssay about Criminological Theories1544 Words   |  7 PagesThere are many different aspects of criminal justice policy. One in particular is the different theories of crime and how they affect the criminal justice system. The Classical School of criminology is a theory about evolving from a capital punishment type of view to more humane ways of punishing people. Positivist criminology is maintaining the control of human behavior and criminal behavior. They did this through three different categories of Biological studies, which are five methodologiesRead MoreClassical and Positive School of Criminology Essay1020 Words   |  5 PagesThe Classical School of Criminology and the Positive School o f Criminology are two of the main theories that try and explain the behavior of delinquents. The Classical School of Criminology was developed in the late 1700s by Cesare Beccaria. Classical theorists were trying to decrease punishment and obtain equal justice for all. According to Beccaria and Jeremy Bantham, and English philospther, human nature is characterized by three central features: 1) People are not bound by original sinRead MoreClassicalism vs. Positivism1546 Words   |  7 Pagescriminologists everyday. Criminology is an ever growing field, mainly because there is more and more research occurring and new theories linking people and crime coming out everyday. Below the main field of criminology there are many subfields that have different theories and philosophies on what they believe link criminal behavior. Two of the main criminology perspectives are Classical Criminology and Positivist Criminology. Although these two are both studied in the criminology field, their viewsRead MoreThe Classical School Of Criminology776 Words   |  4 PagesCh3 q1. The major principles in the classical school of criminology include as a being, one makes fundamentally sane decisions, and those decisions come from liberated will that is accompanied wi th coherent choosing. Another standard is painfulness and happiness, which are used as determining factors of human conduct. As a deterrent, violations of the law set the standard for the rest of society to abide by. Ones principles of acceptance and non-acceptance are inherent in our lives, in which it cannotRead MoreThe Classical School And The Positivist School881 Words   |  4 Pagesaddressing and discussing the two schools of criminology, which respectively are the classical school and the positivist school. I will begin by comparing and contrasting the historical background of both schools using the founders of each school. I will then continue the paper by comparing their assumptions, their findings and their key policy implications. I will do this by explaining each school’s purpose and goal. I will then argue and explain how the classical school is respectively stronger than theRead MoreCriminology Theories1039 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Criminology† is the study of crime from a social perspective by researching the nature and management of crime and the social impact of crime on society involving the causes and consequences behind the matter. This is a generalised explanation of what â€Å"Criminology† involves as it is too difficult to create an exact definition because the topic is so complex from continuous growing historical roots and evolving theories which will be explored within the main body of this essay. It is said by SutherlandRead MoreBiological Determinism And Crime Of Criminology1595 Words   |  7 PagesDeterminism and Criminality Throughout the history of criminology, each theory dominates and gains support than others though different period of time. This essay will first discuss the argument for biological determinism which mainly focuses on phrenology. The idea of Darwinism also links to Lombroso’s idea that a person’s bad behavior can be predicted and should be eliminated will also be discussed. The second part of the essay will emphasis the classical theory and how in contrasts with the positivism

Terrorist Theories Of Al Qaeda - 1426 Words

Do you remember where you were on Tuesday, September 11, 2001? Well if you do, then this should be a memory refresher, but if you don’t, heres something for you to learn. There were four airlines that were hijacked by the Islamic Extremist Group, Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda had planned to use a suicide attack against the United States. At 8:45 am, two of the four hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, the third plane hit the Pentagon in Washington DC and the fourth plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. This day, was going to change America forever. Since the terrorist attacks, there has been many conspiracy theories that put fourth to what â€Å"actually happened†. As these conspiracies come, they range from planes not even hitting the Twin Towers but bombs that destroyed those buildings to the government knowing and going along with the plan of attack. Even though that the government says they made up the attack now, the 9/11 attack did happen how we thought it happened because of Islamic Extremist group thinking that America is weak, thousands of people died and we ended up going to war to find Osama Bin Laden. One might say that the government did not plan the 9/11 attack. Heres what the Islamic Extremest group is and what their purpose for their attack was. Islamic Extremist group consist of two aspects of extremist, interpretations and pursuits of the Islamic ideology. Though the group doesn’t entail violence, even thought it doesShow MoreRelatedThe Bombing Of Twin Towers1654 Words   |  7 Pagesbuildings in the world. Lot’s of people worked for it and visited there. They had almost controlled U.S. economy when they were existed. However, they got attacked on Setember, 2001. The attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda on the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The attacks consisted of suicide attacks use d to target symbolic U.S. landmarks. Due to the attacks many bad effects were occured. First, hundreds of thousandsRead MoreConstructivism: Social Theory of International Politics by Alexander Wendt1057 Words   |  5 PagesConstructivism Alexander Wendt in his work entitled Social Theory of International Politics (1999) explain the basic propositions of constructivism, arguing that â€Å"structures of human association are determined primarily by shared ideas rather than material forces; thus, identities and interests of purposive actors are constructed by these shared ideas rather than given by nature† (Palan, 2000, p. 576). As such, these shared ideas construct identities and interests. In this regard, Wendt supportsRead MoreArmenian Secret Army For The Liberation Of Armenia1365 Words   |  6 Pages The second case will be represented by nationalist terrorism. In this case study I will Identify and describe the groups involved. The terrorist group for this case study will be Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA). Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia was a Marxist-Leninist Armenian terrorist group was founded in 1975 with the intention of compelling the Turkish Govern ment to acknowledge publicly its alleged responsibility for killing over 1.5 million innocentRead MoreThe Justification Of War And The Vietnam War792 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Vietnam War or Terrorism in the Afghan War. The right time for war is a fine line between a just war and an immoral act of mass murder. The Afghanistan war was a just war according to the The Just War Theory because on September 11, 2001 the US was attacked by the terrorist group al-Qaeda, but the Vietnam War was not truly justified because there was no direct attack on the United States, the U.S. only went to help stop communism. There might have been a different way to resolve the conflictRead MoreGovernment Or Controlled Demolition? Essay1219 Words   |  5 PagesGovernment or Controlled Demolition The September 11 attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda in the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. They attacked the Twin Towers in New York City. There are different conspiracy theories with the 9/11 attack but the most important conspiracy theory is that the collapse of the twin towers were the result of controlled demolition by the government rather than structural failureRead MoreWhy Do Some States Engage In War? This Has Been A Crucial1744 Words   |  7 Pagesinternational context. Throughout history, many influential thinkers have come up with theories to explain the nature of the international system and the behavior of states. Liberal theories such as the democratic peace theory argue that war can be justifiable if it represents the establishment of a democratic government, which would then represent a collective good for the international system. On the other hand, realist theories incl uding structural realism believe that a state should engage in war if itRead MoreThe First Wave Of Terrorism1740 Words   |  7 Pagesmost well known founding figures of terrorism studies, joined UCLA in 1962 as a political theorist and later he became a founder and editor of Terrorism and Political Violence (UCLA). The idea of religious terrorism coincides with Rapoport’s (2004) theory on the waves of modern terrorism, especially the fourth wave. Rapoport (2004) contends that modern terrorism should be split into waves with each wave being prevailed by a certain ideology. The fourth wave, which is the current wave today, is motivatedRead MoreThe Latest Terror Threat: Targeting the Elements of the US Information Infrastructure981 Words   |  4 Pagespotential terrorist attacks striking America and its interests seems to have faded into the proverbial background of our collective consciousness. With a transfer of power from the hawkish Bush Administration to President Obama and his more diplomatic approach, major media outlets in print, on television and in the blogosphere, which just a few years ago regaled with patriotic fervor while espousing the possible peril awaiting the nation, have all but abandoned their coverage of terrorist activityRead MoreTerrorism And The Middle East And Muslims1412 Words   |  6 Pagesacross Persia. At the time, Hashshashin forces were too small to go to war conventionally, so they assassinated city governors and military commanders in order to create alliances with powerful militaristic neighbors. For instance, they murdered Janah al-Dawla, ruler of Homs, to please Ridwan of Aleppo, and then assassinated Mawdud and Seljuk emir of Mosul, as a favor to Damascus. The Hashshashin also carried out assassinations as form of retribution. However, under some definitions of terrorism, suchRead MoreThe United States Military Operations1694 Words   |  7 Pageseven stronger and amazing points of view that support the justific ations of military presence by the U.S. in Afghanistan. The main reasons for the military operation by the U.S. in Afghanistan were to fight the â€Å"war on terror† and to weakening the terrorist organisation network worldwide as a measure to restrict training, travel and to prevent radicalisation of the fundamentalist worldwide. This essay will now discuss the justifications of the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan through the realist

Intimate And Sensate Spaces Film Studies Essay Free Essays

string(91) " They reach out and prosecute with our innermost desires of seeking comfort within a home\." Do memorable experiences permeate architectural boundaries to give us a sense of belonging, and to what extent does the content of memory exist in familiarities of darkness, aroma and topographic point? As our lives become entwined with the physical occurrences in this universe we seek a sense of comfort in the topographic points we most closely associate with. Familiarities of darkness, aroma and topographic point along with their intangible properties stimulate our memories of past experiences and reaffirm our presence in this universe. In clip these topographic points become hoarded wealths of memories and weave through our reinforced environments structuring our journey and doing it meaningful. We will write a custom essay sample on Intimate And Sensate Spaces Film Studies Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Introduction 1 ) Historic illustrations of how Gothic Cathedrals and Egyptian temples became symbols of clip and experience. 2 ) Analyzing the decreasing animal familiarities and duologues between infinites and our lives and the transparence tendency in modern edifices today. 3 ) Phenomenology as looking at architecture through our ain witting experiences and the undertaking of Architecture to construction and happen our being in this universe 4 ) The purpose of this essay to research the content of what makes topographic points memorable by understanding the relationship between familiarities of darkness, aroma and topographic point. Body A Intimate infinites and Geometry of Feeling in Phenomenology of Architecture Contemporary readings of brilliantly illuminated infinites and overexploitation of transparence in infinites decreasing our sense of intimate life. The human as a traveler, as a place inhabitant, as a melancholiac and how memories of topographic point infuse him with feelings of familiarity. B 1 ) Familiarity of Darkness Different personifications of darkness in literature, art The Significance of the Shadow How darkness constructions nostalgic images of the yesteryear. The nexus between darkness and memory Symbolic nature of Mental imagination of darkness The ability of darkness to rise the power of other senses. 2 ) Familiarity of Aroma Sense of odor and its ability to transport the individual to different kingdoms of clip Link between darkness and sense of odor Experiencing architecture through the sense of odor The connexion between memory and olfactory property 3 ) Familiarity of Topographic point The nexus between sense of odor and topographic point Sensate topographic points as powerful contents of memory Building and its intimate relation to its context Genius Loci and the phenomenon of topographic point Atmosphere and character of a topographic point 4 ) Design as an appropriate medium of look in being able to retrieve our past experiences and reaffirming our presence in this universe. 5 ) Using Design as a museum of clip, poignance and recollection in carry throughing our desires for intimate connexions and associations with this universe. 6 ) How we translate intimate spacial and centripetal experiences into the cloth of Architecture Tactile stuff looks Treatment of visible radiation and shadow Journey through infinites and altering spacial experiences Establishing a strong contextual relation between the edifice and its environment 7 ) Reviewing the practical possibilities through built illustrations and instance surveies of Architects like Peter Zumthor and Alvar Alto. Decision Introduction As our lives become entwined with the physical occurrences in this universe we seek a sense of belonging in the topographic points we most closely associate with. ‘What is losing from our homes today are the possible minutess between organic structure, imaginativeness and environment ‘ Kent C Bloomer and Charles W Moore. ( as quoted in Pallasmaa 2005: P 41 ) How cognizant are we of the function of Architecture as a topographic point of memory in our lives? Architecture over coevalss has portrayed legion aspects of our physical being in this universe, be it emotion, faith, civilization or recollection. Our perceptual experiences of infinites are influenced by our figments of imaginativeness and recollections of past experiences, be it chapters of a novel, scenes of a movie, glances of a metropolis or narratives of loved 1s, all soaked with times of familiarity and nostalgia. Historic illustrations of such environments have borne testament to this thought in the signifier o f Egyptian temples where we witness the silence of the dead and Gothic cathedrals where the eyes are drawn upwards along the arches to the mighty image of God as among the legion wonders of architectural experiences. However, modern infinites of today seem so subtle in their ability to travel us and raise within us wonders of clip and memory. Or is it this turning accent on transparence and openness in modern architecture that has led to decreasing sensitivenesss towards the perceptual experience of infinites as being an confidant and sensate representation of our lives. For the grade to which we observe elements of shadow and the feelings they construe in us, hints of odor and their ability to transport us to different kingdoms of clip and the ambiance of a topographic point, is deserving oppugning. The theory of Phenomenology explains the ethos of architecture as being tasked with non mere physical building of signifiers and maps but besides the manifestation of human experiences and emotions in the edifices we reside in. In kernel our intent as interior decorators is to carry through our interior desires of topographic points that comfort us and make an intimate bond between worlds and their reinforced environments. Contentment in design exists in the individual sing the architecture in all its kingdoms and our environments would be uncomplete representations of our lives if they are barren of memories and experiences. This essay aims to analyze the complex kingdom of familiarity in darkness, aroma and topographic point that have pervaded the really cloth of architecture in the yesteryear and go component and indispensible elements of memorable infinites, therefore taking me to oppugn whether memorable experiences permeate spacial boundaries to give us a sense of belonging, and if so so how do we animate such experiences in the context of modern spacial design. Intimate and Sensate Spaces Intimate infinites are a sense of realisation of the affectional, sensate and memorial features of a topographic point. They reach out and prosecute with our innermost desires of seeking comfort within a home. You read "Intimate And Sensate Spaces Film Studies Essay" in category "Essay examples" Architecture ‘s undertaking lies non merely in the physical manifestation of the edifice but besides in the intimate journey of the individual sing the architecture in all its signifiers. Intimate experiences habituate our being in this universe and embody deeper significances and apprehension of mundane life. As competently suggested by Pallasmaa, ‘It is clip that we considered whether signifiers or geometry in general can give rise to architectural feeling ‘ ( P410 ) As mentioned earlier the great wonders of architectural experiences such as Gothic cathedrals and Egyptian temples ne’er failed to travel us and shock us at their magnificence. We realize that they so played close attending to the significance of shadow and visible radiation which were important design elements in the experience they aimed to incarnate. So how so do we inculcate familiarities, enigmas, inquiries, nostalgia and melancholia in our modern twenty-four hours opposite numbers when they seem so vivacious, crystalline and unfastened in their visual aspect? As appropriately suggested by Luis Barragan ‘We have lost our sense of intimate life, and have become forced to populate public lives, basically off from place ‘ ( quoted in Pallasmaa 2005, P47 ) Ultimately the homes we reside in are meant to convey us closer to our reinforced environments, construction our being and non detach us and do us distant animals in the chase of void. Multisensory infinites Familiarity of Darkness Darkness more frequently seen as the absence of visible radiation has been associated with many different intensions that have played an influential function in the manner we perceive a dark infinite ; in short darkness has its ain narrative. Panic and offense scenes in literature, memories of the past captured in vintage frames, nostalgic lonely scenes described in poesy and more frequently than non an creative person ‘s picture expresses a deep apprehension of the contrast between dark and light. Further lucubrating on the personification of darkness in literature, a notable illustration would be the significance of darkness portrayed by Shakespeare in his tragic drama Macbeth which in many important scenes depicted the dark sky as a cloak of privacy that the supporter ‘s call upon when perfidy and slaying befall them. Another illustration would be from Junichiro Tanizaki ‘s in congratulations of shadows wherein he describes the symbolic representation of a lacque r dish as being tantamount to savoring the darkness of the room. ( Pallasmaa, 2005 ) These illustrations are of import landmarks of mentions when we begin to chew over over the avenues that darkness as an component has opened up in our twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours lives and moreover introduced into it a personal spacial dimension. Example from the architectural uncanny. Our perceptual experience of darkness is affected by the mode in which the oculus observes analyses and visualizes the material objects around us. The oculus has the ability to divide what we want to see from what we prefer non to see, which is strongly manipulated by the strength of visible radiation in a infinite. The sense of vision determines our connexions with infinites, signifiers and stuffs likewise, and ignites our ideas, imaginativeness and emotions. Darkness so is no longer merely an ambiance of concept in the physical dimension of infinite but it starts to pervade and unify with the darkness of the head even. Therein develops a new continuum of perceived dark infinite, more merely understood as symbolic imagination of darkness, which exists in the boundaries of our phantasies, dreams and imaginativeness. The intimacy of these connexions is straight affected by the contrast of visible radiation and shadow in a infinite, as noted by Pallasmaa ( 2005, p46 ) ‘During ove rmastering emotional experiences, we tend to shut off the distancing sense of vision ; we close the eyes when dreaming, listening to music, or fondling our darling 1s ‘ He farther goes on to explicate the significance of shadows and darkness in chanting down the acuteness of vision and in bring oning our inner ideas and feelings that otherwise seem elusive and hibernating. ( Pallasmaa 2005 ) Obviously plenty, darkness structures our immediate sensate and intimate experiences of minutes gone by or enfold our head with new found associations of clip and infinite. We chose to either remain confined to the darkness of physical infinite or in bend explore the boundaries of fanciful dark infinites. Memories are the consequence of these geographic expeditions within our heads that take topographic point in the presence of elusive visible radiation and deep shadow infinites. Memories are like scenes in a drama or chapters of a book that journey from one facet to another making a assortment of experiences for the individual walking through the infinite. As claimed by Pallasmaa that streets of old towns and metropoliss with their dim lit scenes appear more challenging than modern overly lit streets and towns oftoday. ( Pallasmaa, 2005 ) It about seems as if darkness and shadow play an instrumental function in raising up images of past experiences and exciting our ideas. Reaffirmed herein by Pallasmaa once more when he explains ‘The human oculus is most absolutely tuned for dusk instead than bright daytime. Mist and twilight rouse the imaginativeness by doing ocular images ill-defined and equivocal ‘ ( 2005, P46 ) More frequently than non we enjoy and gaze with admiratio n at the simple admirations of the dark sky, be it a star lit sky, a cloudy sky, a full Moon dark. Memories resonate in these infinites, infinites that give us the chance to be a portion of the admirations of nature, or experience times that we long for. When we begin to understand these elaboratenesss in the look of visible radiation and shadow, or duologues between atmosphere and our organic structure we begin to oppugn the elaboratenesss and duologues between our yesteryear and nowadays and look frontward to determining of new memories in the hereafter. The functions of visible radiation and darkness are interestingly linked yet absolutely balanced and it is for those grounds that we begin to develop new found associations with infinite that in many ways seem intimate and fond to our being. Memorable topographic point experiences are profoundly infused with infinites we most closely associate with. Darkness and shadow in their ain manner create a sense of purdah and enigma that all right tune the character and ambiance of a topographic point to comfort our senses and comfort us in times of demand. Many a clip ideas in our head have a inclination to look in an equivocal and unorganised manner, likewise shadow excessively creates an atmosphere of obscureness and wonder that spurs our imaginativeness and memories. On the contrary, topographic points of bright visible radiation and utmost strength weaken our esthesis of topographic point and personal experience. ( Pallasmaa 2005 ) As farther critically explained by Pallasmaa that the be st manner of subjecting people to insanity is with the usage of utmost degrees of visible radiation strength which erases any hint of personal infinite and idea. ( Pallasmaa 2005 ) Darkness in its confidant and sensate characteristic goes a measure farther to convey to illume the other senses in our organic structure. Darkness subdues the ocular esthesis of the oculus, automatically exciting the power of other senses such as touch and odor. It is in the presence of deep shadow that we depend on the heightened power of our other senses to see and closely prosecute with a infinite. Familiarity of Aroma Aroma, besides termed as an olfactive sense though preponderantly a ignored facet in architecture, is in fact one of the strongest centripetal characteristics in our organic structures and the deepness of experience and experiencing it covers is although unseeable but enkindled clip and once more through built-in tactile and ocular qualities of a infinite. It is an indispensible constitutional component of spacial design, raising up ocular imagination and personal penetrations of memories and infinites, transporting us to different kingdoms of clip. More simplistically set frontward, scent engages dialogue with nature through air current, H2O, location, flora as portion of the external environment and duologue with infinite through furniture, stuffs, and ocular entreaty in the interior environment. We ever trace ourselves back to a topographic point in clip through our sense of odor be it elusive or overmastering. As notably marked by Barbara and Perliss that olfactory property const itutes a powerful content of memory, perforating our inner ideas and exciting our emotions. Furthermore they bring back and refresh forgotten or hibernating minutes and experiences from within us. ( Barbara and Perliss 2006 ) Even though aroma by itself is a powerful tool in the remembrance of memory, it best exists when supported by the other senses, working in tandem to make a multisensory experience. How to cite Intimate And Sensate Spaces Film Studies Essay, Essay examples

Eccentricity and Teddy Bear free essay sample

I use the word weirdo to label a person to be odd or not normal. 2. The fundamental distinction lyer is comparing is that eccentric doesnt want anything to do with society. He only cares for himself. The weirdo whole world constantly seeks to get back into society. He wants to be known in society. 3. I think television starts would be the most high ranked weirdo behavior because not all celebrities are eccentric. For the eccentric behavior i think athletes would be he most eccentric because a lot of athletes a good and dont really care about society but care more about their sport. 4. lyers illustration of a man with a teddy bear in his hand and a man with a gun represents the difference between eccentric and weirdo. Eccentric carries a distinguished Latin pedigree that refers to anything that is neutral or positive. This lead back to show how a teddy bear is good. We will write a custom essay sample on Eccentricity and Teddy Bear or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Weirdo has its mongrel origins in the Old English wyrd meaning fate or destiny. So, the man holding a gun in his hand represents darkness. 5. I think lyers illustration are more likely to be more familiar to his readers are eccentrics because teenagers generally want to live on their on rules and expectations. 6. lyers definitions of eccentric and weirdo distinguish the words by explaining that eccentric is more on the non-harmful side. The weirdo however is on the dangerous side. 7. yer illustrates that the British peer threw over his Cambridge fellowship in order he live in a bath and became so ardent a champion of water that he was willing to give anyone silver coins to anyone who would drink his favorite beverage. The weirdo is all together more mysterious that leaves no reflection in societies mirror. 8. lyer uses examples Jerry Lee Lewis, Gary Gilmore and Bernard Goetz. 9. lyer uses the comparison between geniuses and psychopaths to show that both are out of the ordinary. If the successful are often strange, then being strange is a way of becoming successful. 0. Great Britain, is more often associated with the maladjusted weirdo because Britain is presented so strong a center from which to depart. In Japan there are only four psychiatrists in all Tokyo. There are only a few eccentricity is a mark of confidence, weirdness inspires fear and rage. strategies and the organization method of the story. My answers to the questions changed in many ways because now that I know what the author is comparing I can answer the questions correctly. Eccentricity and Teddy Bear free essay sample 1. I use the word weirdo to label a person to be odd or not normal. 2. The fundamental distinction Iyer is comparing is that eccentric doesnt want anything to do with society. He only cares for himself. The weirdo whole world constantly seeks to get back into society. He wants to be known in society. 3. I think television starts would be the most high ranked weirdo behavior because not all celebrities are eccentric. For the eccentric behavior i think athletes would be the most eccentric because a lot of athletes a good and dont really care about society but care more about their sport. 4. Iyers illustration of a man with a teddy bear in his hand and a man with a gun represents the difference between eccentric and weirdo. Eccentric carries a distinguished Latin pedigree that refers to anything that is neutral or positive. This lead back to show how a teddy bear is good. We will write a custom essay sample on Eccentricity and Teddy Bear or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Weirdo has its mongrel origins in the Old English wyrd meaning fate or destiny. So, the man holding a gun in his hand represents darkness. 5. I think Iyers illustration are more likely to be more familiar to his readers are eccentrics because teenagers generally want to live on their on rules and expectations. 6. Iyers definitions of eccentric and weirdo distinguish the words by explaining that eccentric is more on the non-harmful side. The weirdo however is on the dangerous side. 7. Iyer illustrates that the British peer threw over his Cambridge fellowship in order the live in a bath and became so ardent a champion of water that he was willing to give anyone silver coins to anyone who would drink his favorite beverage. The weirdo is all together more mysterious that leaves no reflection in societies mirror. 8. Iyer uses examples Jerry Lee Lewis, Gary Gilmore and Bernard Goetz. 9. Iyer uses the comparison between geniuses and psychopaths to show that both are out of the ordinary. If the successful are often strange, then being strange is a way of becoming successful. 10. Great Britain, is more often associated with the maladjusted weirdo because Britain is presented so strong a center from which to depart. In Japan there are only four psychiatrists in all Tokyo. There are only a few eccentricity is a mark of confidence, weirdness inspires fear and rage. In my answers I realized that this time I feel like I understand a little bit more on the strategies and the organization method of the story. My answers to the questions changed in many ways because now that I know what the author is comparing I can answer the questions correctly.

Movement against the British Rule in India

Free Essays on Role Of African-Americans During The Civil War

The foundation for black participation in the Civil War began more than a hundred years before the outbreak of the war. Blacks in America had been in bondage since early colonial times. In 1776, when Jefferson proclaimed mankind's inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the institution of slavery had become firmly established in America. Blacks worked in the tobacco fields of Virginia, in the rice fields of South Carolina, and toiled in small farms and shops in the North. Foner and Mahoney report in A House Divided, America in the Age of Lincoln that, "In 1776, slaves composed forty percent of the population of the colonies from Maryland south to Georgia, but well below ten percent in the colonies to the North." The invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793 provided a demand for cotton thus increasing the demand for slaves. By the 1800's slavery was an institution throughout the South, an institution in which slaves had few rights, and could be sold or leased by their owners. They lacked any voice in the government and lived a life of hardship. Considering these circumstances, the slave population never abandoned the desire for freedom or the determination to resist control by the slave owners. The slave's reaction to this desire and determination resulted in outright rebellion and individual acts of defiance. However, historians place the strongest reaction in the enlisting of blacks in the war itself. Batty in The Divided Union: The Story of the Great American War, 1861-65, concur with Foner and Mahoney about the importance of outright rebellion in their analysis of the Nat Turner Rebellion, which took place in 1831. This revolt demonstrated that not all slaves were willing to accept this "institution of slavery" passively. Foner and Mahoney note that slaves find the significance of this uprising in its aftermath because of the numerous reports of "insubordinate" behavior. Individual acts of defi... Free Essays on Role Of African-Americans During The Civil War Free Essays on Role Of African-Americans During The Civil War The foundation for black participation in the Civil War began more than a hundred years before the outbreak of the war. Blacks in America had been in bondage since early colonial times. In 1776, when Jefferson proclaimed mankind's inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the institution of slavery had become firmly established in America. Blacks worked in the tobacco fields of Virginia, in the rice fields of South Carolina, and toiled in small farms and shops in the North. Foner and Mahoney report in A House Divided, America in the Age of Lincoln that, "In 1776, slaves composed forty percent of the population of the colonies from Maryland south to Georgia, but well below ten percent in the colonies to the North." The invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793 provided a demand for cotton thus increasing the demand for slaves. By the 1800's slavery was an institution throughout the South, an institution in which slaves had few rights, and could be sold or leased by their owners. They lacked any voice in the government and lived a life of hardship. Considering these circumstances, the slave population never abandoned the desire for freedom or the determination to resist control by the slave owners. The slave's reaction to this desire and determination resulted in outright rebellion and individual acts of defiance. However, historians place the strongest reaction in the enlisting of blacks in the war itself. Batty in The Divided Union: The Story of the Great American War, 1861-65, concur with Foner and Mahoney about the importance of outright rebellion in their analysis of the Nat Turner Rebellion, which took place in 1831. This revolt demonstrated that not all slaves were willing to accept this "institution of slavery" passively. Foner and Mahoney note that slaves find the significance of this uprising in its aftermath because of the numerous reports of "insubordinate" behavior. Individual acts of defi...

Cal week 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cal week 6 - Essay Example This activity was carried out throughout the week and there was also a discussion of the strengths and limitations of the use of the stakeholder management approach within organizations during the process of strategic management and decision making (Marquardt and Marquardt, 2011, p. 99). There was an assignment on posting a literature review to the discussion relating to the stakeholder management approach. The assignment involved the critical identification of key arguments, new insights of the articles, and the application of the literature review to a personal experience (Pedler, 2011, p. 16). I have learned a number of things from both the readings and the class members. First, I have learned that managers have a complex task of making sure that their actions satisfy all the interest groups of an organization. This has expanded my understanding as to why managers need to avoid being biased in order to avoid conflicts of interests (ONeil and Marsick, 2007, p. 88). Second, I have also learnt that managers are required in an ethical manner in order to achieve fairness in addressing the issue of fairness among different stakeholders. This is because they have the duty of preserving and serving the interests of all the stakeholders of the organization. Third, I have come to appreciate the importance of team work in discussing week modules. I had a number of discussions with class members and this improved my understanding of the module. I have also learned that people have different interpretations of a common literature material. This is because class members would post diff erent ideas on the discussion board. This offered the best opportunity for learning (Kember, 2000, p. 34). The concepts from the classroom have been very helpful during the learning module. I have applied the concepts from classroom lessons to solving real life problems. For instance, the concept of stakeholder management approach can be

Multiculturalism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Multiculturalism - Term Paper Example The political and demographic aspect of Multiculturalism has received a considerably high level of importance in society today. This refers to the diversity of two or more cultures in the same region or country (Kymlicka, 2012). A comparative analysis and evaluation of various countries policies on immigration shows a clear disparity in terms of level of acceptance and recognition of the minority immigrant community by the natives. Europe still lags behind in terms of adjusting their rules to accommodate immigrants among themselves and treat them as equal in terms of socio-cultural and political rights and privileges. United States has been promoting a similar cultural diversification campaign but is yet to fully realize its efforts. Canada is at the center of multiculturalism debate due to its popular positive approach that stands out in terms of global cultural tolerance rating. Today, the world experiences the highest level of globalization, thus people from different cultures hav e been forced to interact and live together. For this reason, multiculturalism remains an important aspect in the 21st Century. This proposal explores the aspect of multiculturalism and its importance in society today. It takes a particular look at the case of Canada where this social concept has gained much prominence and highest comparative unity. The political input into the issue within urban centers in Canada gives an insight into the positive contribution of multiculturalism in the society. Although there are four aspects of multiculturalism i.e. demographic, prescriptive, holistic, and political, we narrow it down to a specific case to exhaust the factors surrounding its applicability. This proposal will first explore the meaning of multiculturalism in broad terms. This is important, as different people have assigned meaning to this term, based on different principles. However, it will be core to understand multiculturalism as being grounded in

Soft system Methodology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Soft system Methodology - Essay Example Compare to hard problems soft problem are difficult to define. Feasibility study is an important phase in the software development process. It enables the developer to have an assessment of the product being developed. It refers to the feasibility study of the product in terms of outcomes of the product, operational use and technical support required for implementing it. Economic Feasibility: It refers to the benefits or outcomes. We are deriving from the product as compared to the total cost we are spending for developing the product. If the benefits are more or less the same as the older system, then it is not feasible to develop the product. In the present system, the development of the new product greatly enhance the accuracy of the system and cuts short the delay in the processing of Birth and Death application. The errors can be greatly reduced and at the same time providing great level of security. Hence, we do not need any additional equipment except memory of required capacity. Operational Feasibility: It refers to the feasibility of the product to be operational. Some products may work very well at design and implementation but may fall in the real time environment. It includes the study of additional human resources required and their technical expertise. Technical Feasibility: It refers to whether the software that is... Technical Feasibility: It refers to whether the software that is available in the market fully supports the present application. It studies the pros and cons of using particular software for the development and it's feasibility. It also studies the additional training need to be given to the people to make the application work. Implementation Plan The main plan for the system developed is to upgrading and existing system to proposed system. There are mainly 4 methods of upgrading the existing system to the proposed Parallel Run System Direct Cut-Over Method Pilot System Phase-in Method Parallel Run System: It is most secure method of converting from an existing to anew system. In this approach, both the systems are run in parallel for a specific period of time. During the period of if any serious problems were identified while using the new system, the new system is dropped and the older system is taken at the start point again. Direct Cut-Over Method: In this approach, the existing system is converted to the new system abruptly, some times over a weekend or even overnight. The old system is used until a planed conversion day. There exist no parallel activities. Pilot Method: In this approach, a working version of the system is implemented in one art of the organization such as a single work area or department. When the system is deemed complete it is installed through out the organization either all at once (direct cut-over) or gradually (phase-in). Phase-in Method: In this method, a part of the system is first implemented and over time, other remaining parts are implemented. SYSTEM ANALYSIS Analysis is the detailed study of the various operations performed by a system and their relationships within and outside of the system. A key question is:

Development of Corporate Governance in Nigeria

Development of Corporate Governance in Nigeria   Literature Review The code of corporate governance Over the years, Nigeria has experienced rapid development with regards to corporate governance. This can be noted in the 2003 Code of Corporate Governance (SEC Code), the 2006 mandatory Code of Corporate Governance for Nigerian Banks post consolidation (CBN Code) and most importantly the 2007 Code of Conduct for Shareholder Associations in Nigeria (SEC Code for shareholders). {(now revised in 2011) update the dates for the different codes}. According to Grienenberger (1995), corporate governance can be defined as The legal and practical system for the exercise of power and control in the conduct of the business of a corporation, including in particular the relationships amongst the shareholders, the management, the board of the directors and its committees, and other constituencies. The main issue with corporate governance is that it is often viewed as the separation between ownership (shareholders) and control (managers). Jensen and Meckling (1976) state that managers will only be as incentivized to add value to shareholders in proportion to what they stand to personally gain. Schacht (1995) then argues that corporate governance represents the friction that managers and owners of public companies face in the involvement of the productive level of shareholders in corporate policy and administration. Nigeria was a British colony therefore it adopted the corporate governance system of the British and its history of corporate governance stems from the colonial times when the private sector was dominated by British companies (Okike 2007, Ahunwan 2002). After she gained her independence in 1960, there was a great economic liberation and the government developed domestic ownership and control of the Nigerian private sector (Akpotaire 2005). The framework of corporate governance adopted was still that of the British. For instance, there was the replacement of the Companies Ordinance of 1992 by the 1968 (how can the 68 replace the 92) Companies Act but the biggest influence was the UK corporate law (Adegbite and Nakajima, 2010). It is not unimaginable that since the corporate governance of Nigeria mirrors that of the British so closely, the effectiveness would be somewhat guaranteed. Unfortunately this has not been the case. It could be easily explained by the fact that the corporate la ws and regulations in the UK are not complementary, reflective or applicable in the Nigerian business environment (Adegbite and Nakajima, 2010). Okike (2007) states that though the framework of the corporate governance in Nigeria mirrors that of the UK, the same cannot be said in terms of application or ingrained principles. Ultimately, it seems the legal or corporate governance codes governing corporations have not been developed with the peculiarities of Nigeria in mind. The issues that are specific to the cultural and political environments have also been ignored (Okike, 2007) and these are of utmost importance especially when considering the unstructured and informal nature of the Nigerian economy (Yahaya, 1998). In the years that follow, I believe this error was trying to be corrected by making codes to reflect Nigeria as a country and her corporate environment. According to Adegbite et. al (2012) The primary statute empowering shareholders in Nigeria to intervene in a companys affairs is the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 1990 (as amended). In addition to this as stated above was the 2003 Code of Corporate Governance (SEC Code). Adegbite et. al (2012) goes on to state that this code has as one of its core focuses to promote the rights and responsibilities of shareholders. It expressly states that the company or board should not discourage shareholder activism whether institutional or by organised shareholders groups. It further states that the annual general meetings (AGMs) should be an avenue for shareholder participation in the governance of the company. Furthermore, there should be a director who represents the interests of minority shareholders who occupies a seat on the board. Okike (2007) believes that these are all efforts of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to promote shareholder activism as well as the rights of minority shareholders in the Nigerian corporate governance code. As a result of all these developments, there have now been an emergence of many private initiatives which have been encouraged by the government such as The Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), the Nigerian Shareholders Solidarity Association (NSSA), the Proactive Shareholders Association of Nigeria (PROSAN), the Association for the Advancement of the Rights of Nigerian Shareholders (AARNS) amongst other shareholder associations. These have developed mainly to give minority shareholders a chance in a sector that has been dominated by majority shareholders when it comes to block voting. The issue of Politics and its impact on Shareholder Activism In a recent study, Adegbite et. al (2012) state that an environment of unhealthy and vast politicking is created when shareholder activism is used as corporate governance mechanism in Nigeria. It is believed that this is as a result of the countrys brand of politics, in other words expressing that this is a challenge that is quite peculiar to Nigeria. It denotes that though shareholder activism is somewhat a universal practice, certain characteristics of different regions warrant an understanding before said practice can be carried out correctly. Most literature on shareholder activism is based on the Anglo-Saxon construction of markets as prior to independence from the British, the Anglo Saxon-based system of corporate law and regulations was in place in Nigeria (Adegbite and Nakajima, 2010). This is founded on the neo-liberal conception of democratic politics where there is freedom and rights within legitimate institutional boundaries. Also, under the same umbrella of this ideology is shareholder activism, as it is an essential characteristic to the financial markets (Adegbite et. al 2012). This has led to little thought being given to the effect that the post-independence stage of political democracy has on the way in which different things are practiced and in particular, shareholder activism. Given these points, lets look further into the democratic political state of Nigeria. Nigeria gained her independence on October 1, 1960. In the 56 years of her independence, she has been vastly ridiculed with the plague of corruption. This has been evident in the politics of the nation, the way business is conducted both local and international and the general way of life of her people. Unfortunately, we follow this through many years of various scandals such as Cadbury 2014 and infamously Shell 1990 to present. It would be almost obvious that this corruption tremendously affects the business environment and by extension, shareholder activism. This can be evidenced by looking at independent corruption indexes. In appendix 1, we see extracts from various reports from the Transparency International (2013) which is a non-governmental organisation. These reports show Nigeria ranking 136 out of 178 countries (178 being the most corrupt country) in the corruption index as well as having a score of 26 (100 being corrupt free). More importantly, in the index of corruption b y political parties, Nigeria scored 4.7 out of 5 (5 being extremely corrupt). This data is one that cannot be ignored in the analysis of the political environment of the country having a direct/indirect effect on shareholder activism. Adegbite et al. (2012) also compare the World Bank index which is based on six broad measures: (1) voice and accountability, (2) political stability, (3) government effectiveness, (4) regulatory quality, (5) rule of law and (6) control of corruption. Three countries are examined namely Nigeria, Denmark and the United Kingdom. The latter mentioned countries score very low on the corruption index in the Transparency International reports and so its no surprise that in the World Bank Anti-Corruption and Governance Index, the same results are observed with Nigeria scoring less than 28% in all 6 categories while Denmark and the United Kingdom score higher than 80% across the same categories. These results all highlight the same issue. It is the implications of the Corrupt and greed driven Nigerian politics and political culture on business conduct, corporate governance and shareholder activism in particular (Adegbite et. al 2012). In light of all of this, it would be unfair not to mention that there are steps taken to mitigate this issue of corruption especially in the attitude towards corporate governance. Only a few years ago, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) dismissed the Chief Executive Officers and Executive Directors or eight Nigerian banks on charges of corruption, fraud and bad corporate governance (Adegbite and Nakajima, 2010). These steps are definitely in the right path to getting the country to where it needs to be but the fact still remains that this is a serious consideration when addressing corporate governance and shareholder activism in Nigeria. As this has been established, the different matters around shareholders associations and institutional shareholders have been discussed below. Institutional shareholders and Non-institutional shareholders (shareholder associations) The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has been in existence for about 46 years. It has over 260 listed securities including 10 Government Stock, 55 industrial loans (Debenture/Preferences) stocks and 195 equity/ordinary shares of companies with a total capitalisation of about 875.2 billion naira. Shareholding in Nigeria has grown rapidly to an estimated 10 million (Amao and Amaeshi, 2008). There have been a series of events such as the privatisation programme in Nigeria that has massively impacted the share ownership. In the early stages of the programme, the privatised companies offered over 1.3 billion shares for sale to the public. There was a huge influx of first time buyers as well others amounting to over 800,000 shareholders. Between 1989 and 2005, over forty government-owned companies were privatised (Tanko II, 2004). Small individual shareholders coming together to form shareholders associations and large individual shareholders are categories of Non-institutional shareholders. (Crespi Renneboog, 2010; Poulsen et al., 2010; Song Szewczyk, 2003; Uche, C., Adegbite, E. and John Jones, M. 2016). The way in which shareholder activism is carried out and achieved by small and large individual shareholders is mainly attributable to their shareholdings (Connelly, Tihanyi, Certo Hitt, 2010; Crespi Renneboog, 2010; Johnson, Schnatterly, Johnson, Chiu, 2010; Uche et al., 2016). Due to the amount of shareholdings that small individual shareholders possess, they are at a disadvantage in the matter of having influence over management. In order to combat this, small individual shareholders often combine voting rights with that of other shareholders thus increasing their influence when engaging in shareholder activism. By doing so, they bypass the need for large block holding. Coordination by small individu al shareholders is then achieved by using organizations such as shareholders associations. While this teamwork doesnt result in the influence of corporate strategy or board nominations, Strickland et al. (1996) states that it brings about certain advantages such as successful shareholder-initiated proposals documented in countries such as the United States of America. Shareholders associations are a registered group mainly consisting of small individual shareholders while Institutional shareholders is a term for entities which pool money to purchase securities, real property, and other investment assets or originate loans. Institutional shareholders include banks, insurance companies, pensions, hedge funds, REITs, investment advisors, endowments, and mutual funds. In this section, the relationship between these two will be analyzed as well as the effects their union or otherwise has on shareholder activism. According to Uche, Adegbite and John Jones (2016), prior literature has shown how beneficial collaborations between shareholders associations and institutional shareholders have been in shareholder activism. Examples of this is institutional shareholders using their proxy votes to support shareholder proposals. However, there has been little work done in this area regarding a developing country as well as the effect that activism carried out by shareholders associations has on institutional shareholders (Uche, Adegbite and John Jones, 2016). According to Mulgan (2000) and Uche et al., (2016) Accountability is considered to be an activity that requires the accountee to engage in questioning, assessing and criticizing when holding the accountor to account. It is believed to be a two way conversation between accountee and accountor. Uche et al., (2016) notes that the accountability relationship theory isnt discussed in a corporate environment by Mulgan (2000) but similar characteristics have been identified in the relationship between the board members and management. These characteristics were identified by Roberts et al., (2005) as questioning, probing, discussing, informing and encouraging. In addition, it is evident that shareholder activism share these same features. This is because Institutional shareholders and shareholders associations involve in discussion, probing and questioning management at AGMs and other private meetings (Uche et al., 2016; Roberts et al., 2006; Solomon and Darby, 2005). These conversations with shareholders associations and institutional shareholders also allow companies to gain insight into different issues on social, ethical and environmental issues which in turn aids in promoting corporate matters aime d at the public (Solomon and Darby, 2005; Amao and Amaeshi, 2008; Johed and Catasus, 2015). As mentioned in earlier sections, Nigeria is home to many shareholders associations. There are more than thirty organisations unlike other more developed countries such as the United Kingdom which usually has only one association engaging in shareholder activism (Amao Amaeshi, 2008; Adegbite, Amaeshi Amoa, 2012). Uche, Adegbite and John Jones (2016) importantly highlights the importance of the structure of shareholders associations in Nigeria. These associations are made up only of small individual shareholders. The reason this is important to note is because of the impact it has on strategies carried out by the organisations. It also indicates the amount of influence or lack thereof that these organisations may have on the management of companies and thus shareholder activism. In shareholder activism, the expectation is that the shareholders are able to exert a certain level of influence over management of a company which will allow them to facilitate change in strategic outcome or managerial decisions (Ryan and Schneider, 2002). This influence is much easier when there is an independence between the activists and management of the company involved. This can be seen in the analysis between institutional shareholders, shareholders association and management within the boundary of shareholder activism (Uche et al., 2016; Becht et al., 2008; Catasus and Johed 2007; Crespi and Renneboog, 2010; Ingley and Van der Walt, 2001; Johed and Catasus 2015). The independence noted in relationships between shareholders associations and managements of companies allow for the association to have an increased influence over management (Uche et al., 2016; Poulsen et al., 2010) A lack of independence is noted in easily pressured institutional shareholders. This causes these type of investors to rather guard the relationships formed with managements of the company involved for their own benefits .This type of behavior is usually noted in passive institutional shareholders than active institutional shareholders (Uche et al., 2016; Almazan, Hartzell and Starks, 2005; Brickley, Lease and Smith 1998; Marler and Faugere, 2010). Prior literature has shown that there is a difference in the way various institutional shareholders carry out shareholder activism. This allows them to benefit in different ways from the way others carry out their activist activities (Uche, Adegbite and John Jones, 2016). Active institutional shareholders will benefit from things such as coordinated voting with other institutional shareholders or shareholders associations while the same may not be the case for institutional shareholders that are passive. Passive institutional shareholders as the name suggests, have a more laissez-faire attitude towards shareholder activism. They prefer to avoid any direct activist activities while benefiting from that which active shareholder institutions and shareholders associations have fought for (Brav, Jiang, Partnoy, Thomas, 2008). These passive institutional shareholders in Nigeria are usually hedge funds or pension funds who focus on short term benefits and dont want to disrupt the business relationships built with these companies. It is argued that shareholders associations dont experience this same dynamic between them and management of any company in questions regarding shareholder activism (Uche et al., 2016; Stratling, 2012). However, according to Uche et al., 2016, Adegbite et al., 2010 and Yakasi, 2001, it has been reported that some shareholders associations in Nigeria develop relationships with management because of financial benefits obtained outside of the business relationship. This then leads to a lack of independence and hinders the shareholders associations from acting as accountees and holding the accountors (management of the company in question) to account. Prior research notes that different shareholder groups have different agendas that they pursue and though these may be similar in multiple cases, they can also differ. This is as a result of their interests and time horizons being different (Uche et al., 2016; Goranova Ryan, 2014; Ingley Van der Walt, 2001). Individual shareholders usually invest smaller stakes over a short period of time while institutional shareholders such as pension funds will invest massively over a long period of time. Fundamental differences such as these cause conflicts between the groups in shareholder activism. For instance, hedge funds prefer short term pay puts thus are more short term oriented (Uche et al., 2016). Ultimately, in Nigeria, institutional shareholders do not participate enough in shareholder activism especially in comparison to shareholders associations. As noted in earlier paragraphs, due to the small holdings of individual shareholders who make up shareholders association they are not able to practice shareholder activism as effectively as they should (Uche et al., 2016; Amao Amaeshi, 2008; Okike, 2007; Yakasai, 2001). Despite this, it has been noted that shareholders associations have been of great help in holding management of companies accountable by resisting the fraudulent sale of corporate sales and sacking of poorly performing corporate executives through shareholder activism (Uche et al., 2016; Aderinokun, 2003; Chigbo, 2000). The Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) code (both 2003 and the revised code in 2011) avidly encourage institutional shareholders and organised shareholders groups to actively engage in shareholder activism so as to improve practices (SEC Code, 2003; SEC Code 2011). While institutional shareholders are not there to usurp the role of monitoring agencies, they are in a better position to pressurise companies to take shareholder accountability and interest more seriously (Chung Talaulicar, 2010; Roberts et al., 2006). In the face of previous scandals and governance and accountability problems in Nigeria, institutional shareholders now have another opportunity to fight for improved governance practices so as to create better shareholder values (Ahunwan, 2002; Bakre, 2007; CBN, 2006). According to Yakasai (2011) and Ajogwu (2007), Institutional shareholders are in a better strategic position than small shareholders to engage with corporate managers. Their influence can bridge the gap of communication between shareholders and really have an impact on corporate governance practices. All of this highlights the importance of both institutional shareholders and shareholders associations to practice shareholder activism (together and independently) independent of management of companies so as to relinquish all forms of bias in order to improve the effectiveness of shareholder activism in Nigeria. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Introduction This chapter illustrates the methodology used in this research to achieve my results. Research methodology is crucial to any research as it highlights the reasoning behind methods chosen to achieve the aims and objectives of this research (Kothari, 2004). The purpose of this paper is to clearly state what Shareholder Activism is and take a closer look into Sub-saharan Africa, more specifically Nigeria. It will also highlight three main areas that grossly affect the practice of shareholder activism in Nigeria as well as offer suggestions that could make the experience a much more efficient and effective one. To achieve this, this chapter has been divided into various sub sections namely, research philosophy, approach, strategy, time horizons, data collection and data analysis. Research Philosophy Research philosophy is an over-arching term relating to the development of knowledge and the nature of that knowledge. (Bandaranayake, 2012). According to Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2003), research philosophy is dominated by three main views namely Positivism, Interpretivism (Social Constructionism) and Realism. Positivism as described by Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2003), is a view that often adopts the philosophical science of the natural scientist. This research perspective is one of utmost objectivity, completely independent from the researcher and unaffected by the research or its results. Interpretivism/Social Constructionism views reality as based on human practices formed by human interactions with others and the world in which they live in, developed within a social context (Crotty, 1998). The intent of this approach is to understand the subjectivity of reality of the people being analyzed in order to deduce the background and reasoning of their motives in a way thats applicable to them. (Ramanathan, 2008). The key differences between Positivism and Interpretivism (Social Constructionism) are highlighted in the table below by (Ramanathan, 2008). Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2003) state that Realism is applied to the study of human subjects, recognizing the importance of understanding peoples socially constructed interpretation and meaning, or subjective reality, within the context of seeking to understand broader social forces, structures or processes that influence, and perhaps constrain, the nature of peoples views and behaviours. According to Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2003), it will be misleading to think of any research philosophy as better than the next. Ultimately, all three philosophies serve different purposes depending on the objective of the research. Nonetheless, business situations such as shareholder activism are complex and unique to different individuals circumstances and environment. Shareholder activism in Nigeria cannot be discussed without addressing the corporate governance environment of the country. According to Grienenberger (1995), Corporate governance can be defined as the legal and practical system for the exercise of power and control in the conduct of the businessof a corporation, including in particular the relationships amongst the shareholders, the management, the board of the directors and its committees, and other constituencies. This definition highlights two things that are very important. This is the fact that this is a legal and practical system. Every country has its own legal system that may derive its origin from many things such as the country which it was colonized by to the general way of life of the people. This in fact is the same for how business is conducted as well. Therefore, it is without doubt that an understanding of the countrys systems and the way in which things are done is essential for any well informed analysis to be made. This has therefore led me to choose interpretivism/social constructionism as my research philosophy as I believe that the characteristics of this philosophy such as aiming to increase the general understanding of the situation, gathering rich information from which ideas are induced and including stakeholder perspectives are all exactly the approaches I need to undertake in order to appropriately understand all the drivers involved in shaping shareholder activism in a developing country such as Nigeria. Research Approach When considering what research approach to use in research, there are two theories available. These are: Deduction (Testing theory) and Induction (Building theory). Deduction approach as the name implies involves the researcher having a proposed theory (usually involving two or more variables) which they then collect data against, analyse and draw conclusions in support of or opposing the original thesis (DeGracia et al., 2014). Induction approach on the other hand involves observing different cases or scenarios and then developing a general hypothesis around ones findings (DeGracia et al., 2014). This approach allows for a less rigid methodology and openness to varying explanations of what is going on (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2003). The table below shows the differences between Deduction and Induction approaches to Research by (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2003). Box 4.1 Major differences between deductive and inductive approaches to research Deduction emphasises Scientific principles Moving from theory to data The need to explain causal relationships between variables The collection of quantitative data The application of controls to ensure validity of data The operationalisation of concepts to ensure clarity of definition A highly structured approach Researcher independence of what is being researched The necessity to select samples of sufficient size in order to generalize conclusions Induction emphasises Gaining an understanding of the meanings humans attach to events A close understanding of the research context The collection of qualitative data A more flexible structure to permit changes of research emphasis as the research progresses A realisation that the research is part of the research process Less concern with the need to generalise The induction approach will be taken as this research looks into human behaviours and social construct within a certain environment. Furthermore, I will be making use of qualitative data alone to suit the approach adopted by Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, (2003). This is because my research is looking into the problems associated with the lack of effectiveness of shareholder activism in Nigeria. This means that I am looking into the issues surrounding application, human behavior towards corporate governance and shareholder activism. Therefore, the induction approach as well as the use of qualitative data is the best way to get the different stakeholder perspectives and gather the right information within a less rigid structure that will enable the appropriate analysis to be conducted. 4.4 Research Strategy According to Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, (2003), there are different research strategies namely: Experiment Survey Case study Grounded theory Ethnography Action research Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies Exploratory, descriptive and explanatory studies. For the purpose of this research, grounded theory will be used. This is because it is mainly used in the inductive approach and will allow for a more thorough insight into the issues associated with the objectives set in this research by using interviews (Corbin and Strauss, 1990). My source of data will be interviews and archival records as it allows me to capture insights into events associated with shareholder activism through the personal accounts of individuals experiences (Hendry et all., 2007; Useem et al., 1993). As this research paper is focused on Nigeria, I have limited access to data as I am currently in the United Kingdom. Therefore, I have conducted telephone interviews with seasoned individuals practicing shareholder activism because it was more cost and time efficient to do so. I believe using these will give me a well-rounded view of the issues that need to be identified. Time Horizons There are two types of time horizons focused on by Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, (2003) namely Cross-sectional studies and longitudinal studies. Cross- sectional studies have to do with research on a particular hypothesis at a particular time, while longitudinal studies involve researching a certain phenomenon over an extended period of time. This research focuses on Shareholder Activism in Nigeria, over the years there has been very little written on this subject matter. My aim is to add to the body of knowledge which exists in current times. In this case, I will be applying cross-sectional studies and focusing on the periods from the early 2010 to present day 2016. Data Collection The main research method in this paper will be the interviews conducted with persons that are knowledgeable on the subject. As I am not very conversant with the subject matter, speaking with these people will aid in expanding my knowledge. It is quite expensive to travel to Nigeria from the United Kingdom therefore, telephone interviews will be conducted as it will save time and costs. I also plan on using archival records as I believe this will provide context to my research thus allowing me to form a well-rounded grounded theory. Data Analysis Various solid articles and books will be used to aid in my coding and analysis of the intervi

Feudalism and Capitalism Essay -- Economics Economy Norma Rae Essays

Feudalism and Capitalism Economic processes are those involving the production and distribution of goods and services. However, they do not alone determine this production and distribution. There is an interrelationship of economic, cultural, environmental, and political processes that all help to shape each other. Nothing that we do can be defined as a single process, for it is the interaction itself that helps to produce the final results that we observe. To understand this more fully the following basic definitions may be of use: "Cultural Processes" are those that involve the creation and transfer of knowledge-the production of meaning. "Political processes" are those by which we establish and enforce rules, and they have to be reproduced and communicated by way of cultural processes. And finally, "Environmental Processes" are processes and transformations of matter into other matter or matter into energy through various activities. From this one can see that the "state" of the environment is affected by culture, politics, and economics. To reiterate, we can't talk about economics and the questions that it attempts to resolve, without talking about or at least including these other aspects because they all interact and must be considered as well. There are a number of fundamental questions that economic systems attempt to solve: How does one gain access to the resources needed to produce new and useful goods and services? How does one get humans to perform the labor? How do you organize the production process? How do you get the produced output into the hands of consumers? And finally, who gets the surplus and what do they do with it? Using these questions as a basic framework, one can attempt to dete... ...")] References "Feudalism." http://www.maricopa.edu/academic/cult_sci/anthro/lost_tribes/Feudalism.html Korten, David C. "Life After Capitalism." November 1998. http://www.ratical.org/many_worlds/capitalism.html "Middle Ages: Age of Feudalism." http://www.intelliseek.com/cgi- bin/nphProFusion.pl?queryterm=feudalism&option=all&display=10&totalverify=0&auto=all&engine1=AltaVista&engine2= "Organized Labor." Wysiwyg://16http://www.britannica.com/b†¦article/9/0,5716,115719+1+108786,00.html Professor Gabriel course web page http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/filmcourse.html Shadab, Houman. "Capitalism: Frequently Asked Questions." 1996. http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~shadab/ "The Rise of Feudalism." http://www.ukans.edu/kansas/medieval/108/lectures/feudalism.html "What's Wrong With Capitalism." http://www.geocites.com/Paris/2159/capindx.html

Delta Airlines

The use of new technology, such as internet e-check-in and self-service kiosks, allows the processing of a significant number of passengers to be decentralized from the airport itself. This allows a better use of airport staff resources and reduces bottlenecks while, more significantly, allowing more departing passengers to be processed. Frequent flyers and business flyers who tend to travel with little luggage and appreciate any time-saving measures are currently leading the way in self-service check-in use. The other functions of self service kiosks are the kiosks help customers shave 5 to 15 minutes off the time they have to stand in line. Passengers can use the kiosks to check in for their flights, get boarding passes for originating or connecting flights, select or change seats, request to stand by for an upgrade, check baggage, change flights, and initiate multiparty check-ins. Delta plans to add more than 400 kiosks and enhance functionality to include international check-in and fee collection. With this change, Delta will offer customers more than 800 kiosks in airports nationwide. Airports such as Northwest and Delta airlines are now finding that the self-service kiosk is a valuable tool in the reduction of queues. But while the kiosk technology has been around for some time, it has still taken the industry a lot of coaxing to make passengers comfortable with the technology. The self service kiosk technology includes networked special-purpose microcomputer terminals * Video touch screens * Built-in thermal printers * Magnetic-stripe card reader The TouchPort which is being manufactured by Kinetics USA provides the best of the available technology system for the implementation of the Self service kiosk. The system consists of: * Intel ® P4 Processor 2. 8 GHz * 15† Touch Screen Display (Optional 17† Touch Screen Display Available) * 8† Wide-format Thermal Printer * Magnetic â€Å"Dip† Style Card Reader * Built-in System Support * Snap & Go Installation * Ease of Serviceability * System Reliability * The system is completely customizable and can be modified to include a large number of features as per the requirements of the buyers. Moreover, the system is easy to maintain is not very costly also. Ans2. -Delta customers will benefit from: –  · Broader reach and enhanced functionality – More than 400 enhanced kiosks will be available in 80 U. S. cities by the end of 2002.  · Quicker transaction times – Delta customers who use kiosks will receive a boarding card in less than one minute, on average.  · Dedicated customer service agents – Delta provides customer service agents dedicated to assisting customers with kiosk usage and baggage check. Self-service check-in kiosks are just one product in an array of technology enhancements provided by Delta to make travel easier for its customers. Delta offers the industry’s most extensive line of virtual check-in products available, including virtual check-in through delta. com, a toll-free telephone line, wireless Palm Powered handhelds and Web-enabled phones. Additionally, Gate Information Display Screens (GIDS) and Flight Information Display Screens (FIDS) are other technology products designed to save customers time, while keeping them informed. Delta Air Lines, the world’s second largest carrier in terms of passengers carried and the leading U. S. airline across the Atlantic, offers 5,590 flights each day to 410 destinations in 71 countries on Delta, Delta Express, Delta Shuttle, Delta Connection carriers and Delta’s worldwide partners. Delta is a founding member of Sky Team, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. Without the use of such information kiosks, the customers had to spend a lot of time waiting in the queue for checking-in the airport. Moreover, the customers who are frequent travelers and business class people who do not have much time get annoyed with such long waiting times. As a result, such a system would definitely help the travelers and a lot of customers would be delighted to use this system and it creates a lot of value for the company as well. Ans3. – These fully automated information kiosks provide a very high business value for the airline industry which is one of the most emerging fields because of the increasing globalization. Thus a large no of people keep travelling for business purposes to various countries. These corporate people do not like spending their precious time waiting in the queue to check-in to the airport. As a result, the implementation of such self service kiosks are always of a very high value for the airline industry as it helps them getting more customers. Yes, they do give an airline company a lot of competitive advantage. When an airline company implements such an information system, by which a customer can do all the things sitting at home and has to just walk in to the airport half an hour before his flight would surely give that company a competitive advantage over the others who are not implementing. Because the customers of those airline companies have to spend a lot of time after coming to the airport when the other company lets them do everything at their convenience. Traveling for business or pleasure isn't what it used to be. In order to develop and maintain brand loyalty while streamlining operations in an increasingly competitive global market, airports, air carriers and hoteliers have been challenged to transform their business processes and integrate new forms of customer-facing technology. Self-service technology has played an important role in this industry transformation. Today, travelers can manage air, hotel, train, and rental car reservations and check-in using kiosk, web or mobile applications. Increasingly, these applications support preferences ranging from dietary restrictions to airplane seating to hotel room/bed types and much more. In addition, travelers can use self-service kiosks while at an airport, hotel or off-site location, bypassing long queues. While selfservice travel kiosks have the potential to improve the traveler experience by making traveling easier, quicker and more enjoyable, some travelers may experience barriers when trying to use them. Self-service kiosks often utilize touch-screens which can be difficult if not impossible for persons to use if they are blind or have low vision or mobility impairments as a result of age or disability. Providers of self-service travel kiosks are increasingly interested in removing such barriers in order to: †¢ Continuously improve the traveler experience and differentiate themselves. †¢ Build brand loyalty in an increasingly competitive global market †¢ Capture market share for the growing segment of travelers with disabilities, whose annual business and leisure.

How to Come Up With Great College Essay Ideas

How to Come Up With Great College Essay Ideas SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Writing the college application essay is a tough gig. You’ve got to be charming, personal, memorable, and insightfulall in under two pages! But I’m going to tell you a secret: half of a great personal essay is a great topic idea. Ifyou’re passionate about what you’re writing, and if you’re truly documenting something meaningful and serious about yourself and your life, then that passion and meaning will come alive on the page and in the mind of your reader. So how do you come up with an essay idea? The best way is to brainstorm your way to an event from your life that reveals a core truth about you. In this article, I will help you do just that. Keep reading to find 35 jumping off points that touch on every possible memory you could harness, as well as advice on how to use your brainstorming session to fully realize your idea for an essay topic. What Makes an Essay Topic Great? What does your application tell admissions officers about you? Mostly it's just numbers and facts: your name, your high school, your grades and SAT scores. These stats would be enough if colleges were looking to build a robot army, but they aren't. So how do they get to see a slice of the real you? How can they get a feel for the personality, character, and feelings that make you the person that you are? It's through your college essay.The essay is a way to introduce yourself to collegesin a way that displays your maturity. This is important because admissions officers want to make sure that you will thrive in the independence of college life and work. This is why finding a great college essay topic is so hugely important: because it will allow you to demonstrate the maturity level admissions teams are looking for. This is best expressed through the ability to have insight about what has made you into you, through the ability to share some vulnerabilities or defining experiences, and through the ability to be a creative thinker and problem solver. In other words, a great topic is an event from your past that you can narrate, draw conclusions from, explain the effect of. Most importantly, you should be able todescribe how it haschanged you from the kind of person you were to the better person that you are now. If you can do all that,you are well ahead of the essay game. How Do You Know If Your College Essay Topic Is Great? Eric Maloof, the Director of International Admission atTrinity UniversityinSan Antonio, Texas hasa great checklist for figuring out whether you're on the right track with your essay topic. He says, if you can answer "yes" to these two questions, then you've got the makings of a great essay: Is the topic of my essay important to me? Am I the only person who could have written this essay? So how do you translate this checklist into essay topic action items? Make it personal.Write about something personal, deeply felt, and authentic to the real you (but which isnot an overshare). Take a narrow slice of your life: one event, one influential person, one meaningful experience – and then you expand out from that slice into a broader explanation of yourself. Always think about your reader. In this case, your reader is an admission officer who is slogging through hundreds of college essays. You don’t want to bore that person, and you don’t want to offend that person. Instead, you want to come across as likable and memorable. Put the reader in the experience with you by making your narrow slice of life feel alive. This means that your writing needs to be chock-full of specific details, sensory descriptions, words that describe emotions, and maybe even dialog.This is why it’s very important to make the essay topic personal and deeply felt. Readers can tell when a writer isn’t really connected to whatever he is writing about. And the reverse is true as well:deep emotionshows through your writing. Writing with deep emotion: because you can't just stick smileys all over your college essay. Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now: Coming Up With Great College Essay Ideas Some people know right off the bat that theyhave to write about that one specific defining moment of their lives. But if you're reading this, chances are you aren't one of these people. Don't worry - I wasn't one of them either! What this means is that you - like me - will have to put in a little work to come up with the perfect idea by first doing some brainstorming. I've come up with about 35 different brainstorming jumping off points that ask questions about your life and your experiences. The idea hereis to jog your memory about the key life events that have shaped you and affected you deeply. I recommend you spend at least two minutes on each question, coming up with and writing down at least one answer - or as many answers as you can think of. Seriously - time yourself. Two minutes is longer than you think! I would also recommend doing this over several sittings to get your maximum memory retrieval going - even if it takes a couple of days, it'll be worth it. Then, we will use this list of experiences and thoughtsto narrow your choices down to the one topic idea that you will use for your college essay. Brainstorming Technique 1: Think About Defining Moments in Your Life What is your happiest memory? Why? What was good about it? Who and what was around you then? What did it mean to you? What is your saddest memory? Would you change the thing that happened or did you learn something crucial from the experience? What is the most important decision you’ve had to make? What was hard about the choice? What was easy? Were the consequences of your decision what you had imagined before making it? Did you plan and game out your choices, or did you follow gut instinct? What decision did you not have any say in, but would have wanted to? Why were you powerless to participate in this decision? How did the choice made affect you? What do you think would have happened if a different choice had been made? What the most dangerous or scary thing that you’ve lived through? What was threatened? What were the stakes? How did you survive/overcome it? How did you cope emotionally with the fallout? When did you first feel like you were no longer a child? Who and what was around you then? What had you just done or seen? What was the difference between your childhood self and your more adult self? What are you most proud of about yourself? Is it a talent or skill? A personality trait or quality? An accomplishment? Why is this the thing that makes you proud? Kevin was inordinatelyproud of his full and luxuriant head of feathers. He hatedbeing called a bald eagle, always posting on his Facebook that the "bald" is short for "piebald," or multicolored. Brainstorming Technique 2: Remember Influential People Which of your parents (or parental figures) are you most like in personality and character? Which of their traits do you see in yourself? Which do you not? Do you wish you were more like this parent or less? Which of your grandparents, great-grandparents, or other older relatives has had the most influence on your life? Is it a positive influence, where you want to follow in their footsteps in some way? A negative influence, where you want to avoid becoming like them in some way? How is the world they come from like your world? How is it different? Which teacher has challenged you the most? What has that challenge been? How did you respond? What is something that someone once said to you that has stuck with you? When and where did they say it? Why do you think it’s lodged in your memory? Which of your friends would you trade places with for a day? Why? If you could intern for a week or a month with anyone – living or dead, historical or fictional – who would it be? What would you want that person to teach you? How did you first encounter this person or character? How do you think this person would react to you? Of the people you know personally, whose life is harder than yours? What makes it that way – their external circumstances? Their inner state? Have you ever tried to help this person? If yes, did it work? If no, how would you help them if you could? Of the people you know personally, whose life is easier than yours? Are you jealous? Why or why not? Svetlana was always jealous of climbers whose mountaineering careers weren't limited to flowers and small shrubbery. Brainstorming Technique 3: Recreate Important Times or Places When is the last time you felt so immersed in what you were doing that you lost all track of time or anything else from the outside world? What were you doing? Why do you think this activity got you into this near-zen state? Where do you most often tend to daydream? Why do you think this place has this effect on you? Do you seek it out? Avoid it? Why? What is the best time of day? The worst? Why? What is your favorite corner of, or space in, the place where you live? What do you like about it? When do you go there, and what do you use it for? What is your least favorite corner of, or space in, the place where you live? Why do you dislike it? What do you associate it with? If you had to repeat a day over and over, like the movie Groundhog Day, what day would it be? If you'd pick a day from your life that has already happened, why would you want to be stuck it in? To relive something great? To fix mistakes? If you'd pick a day that hasn't yet occurred, what would the day you were stuck in be like? If you could go back in time to give yourself advice, when would you go back to? What advice would you give? Why? What effect would you want your advice to have? For Matilda, the main challenge of time travel was packing. Just how do you fit one of those giant Elizabethan ruffle collars into a carry-on? Brainstorming Technique 4: Answer Thought-Provoking Questions If you could take a Mulligan and do over one thing in your life, what would it be? Would you change what you did the first time around? Why? Or, if you could take another crack at doing something again, what would you pick? Something positive – having another shot at repeating a good experience? Something negative – getting the chance to try another tactic to avoid a bad experience? Which piece of yourself could you never change while remaining the same person? Your race? Ethnicity? Intellect? Height? Freckles? Loyalty? Sense of humor? Why is that the thing that you’d cling to as the thing that makes you who you are? Which of your beliefs, ideas, or tastes puts you in the minority? Why do you think/believe/like this thing when no one else seems to? What are you most frightened of? What are you not frightened enough of? Why? What is your most treasured possession? What would you grab before running out of the house during a fire? What is this object’s story and why is it so valuable to you? What skill or talent that you don’t have now would you most like to have? Is it an extension of something you already do? Something you’ve never had the guts to try doing? Something you plan on learning in the future? Which traditions that you grew up with will you pass on? Which will you ignore? Why? Finnigan couldn't wait to introduce his future children to his family's birthday tradition - lemons. Brainstorming Technique 5: Find a Trait or Characteristic and Trace It Back What are three adjectives you’d use to describe yourself? Why these three? Which of these is the one you’re most proud of? Least proud of? When did you last exhibit this trait? What were you doing? How would your best friend describe you? What about your parents? How are the adjectives they’d come up with different from the ones you’d use? When have they seenthis quality or trait inyou? What everyday thing are you the world’s greatest at? Who taught you how to do it? What memories do you have associated with this activity? Which aspects of it have you perfected? Imagine that it’s the future and that you’ve become well known. What will you become famous for? Is it for something creative or a performance? For the way you will have helped others? For your business accomplishments? For your athletic prowess? When you make a speech about this fame, whom willyou thank for putting you where you are? What do you most like about yourself? This is different from the thing you’re most proud of – this is the thing that you know about yourself that makes you smile. Can you describe a time when this thing was useful or effective in some way? Thinking about her punk crewcut always made Esme smile. That hair was made to rock. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. How to TurnYour Brainstorming List Into an Essay Topic Now that you have a cornucopia of daydreams, memories, thoughts, and ambitions, it's time to thin the herd, prune the dead branches, and whatever other mixed metaphors about separating the wheat from the chaff you can think of. So how do you narrow down your many ideas into one? Use the magic power of time. One of the best things you can do with your stack of college essaytopics is to forget about them. Put them away for a couple of days so that you create a little mental space. When you come back to everything you wrote after a day or two, you will get the chance to read it with fresh eyes. Let the cream rise to the top. When you rereadyour topics after having let them sit, do two things: Cross out any ideas that don't speak to you in some way. If something doesn't ring true, if it doesn't spark your interest, or if it doesn't connect with an emotion, then consider reject it. Circle or highlight any topics that pop out at you. If it feels engaging, if you get excited at the prospect of talking about it, if it resonates with afeeling, then put it at the top of the idea pile. Rinse and repeat. Go through the process of letting a few days pass and then rereading your ideas at least one more time. This time, don't bother looking at the topics you've already rejected. Instead, concentrate on those you highlighted earlier and maybe some of the ones that were neither circled nor thrown away. Trust your gut instinct (but verify). Now that you've gone through and culled your ideas several times based on whether or not they really truly appeal to you, you should have a list of your top choices - all the ones you've circled or highlighted along the way. Now is the moment of truth. Imagine yourself telling the story of each of these experiences to someone who wants to get to know you. Rank your possible topics in order of how excited you are to share this story. Really listen to your intuition here. If you're squeamish, shy, unexcited, or otherwise not happy at the thought of having to tell someone about the experience, it will make a terrible essay topic. Develop your top two to four choices to see which is best.Unless you feel very strongly about one of your top choices, the only way to really know which of your best ideas is the perfect one is to try actually making theminto essays. For each one, go through the steps listed in the next section of the article under "Find Your Idea's Narrative." Then, use your best judgment (and maybe that of your parents, teachers, or school counselor) to figure out which one to draft into your personal statement. Handing out trophies toyour top three ideas is entirely optional. How to Make Your Idea Into a College Essay Now, let's talk about what to do in order to flesh out your topic concept into a great college essay. First, I'll give you some pointers on expanding your idea into an essay-worthy story, and then talk a bit about how to draft and polish your personal statement. Find Your Topic'sNarrative All great college essays have the same foundation as good short stories or enjoyable movies – an involving story. Let's go throughwhat features make for a story that you don’t want to put down: A compelling character with an arc. Think about the experience that you want to write about. What were you like before it happened? What did you learn, feel, or think about during it? What happened afterwards? What do you now know about yourself that you didn’t before? Sensory details that create a â€Å"you are there!† experience for the reader. When you’re writing about your experience, focus on trying to really make the situation come alive. Where were you? Who else was there? What did it look like? What did it sound like? Were there memorable textures, smells, tastes? Does it compare to anything else? When you’re writing about the people you interacted with, give them a small snippet of dialog to say so the reader can â€Å"hear† that person’s voice. When you are writing about yourself, make sure to include words that explain the emotions you are feeling at different parts of the story. An insightful ending. Your essay should end with an uplifting, personal, and interesting revelation about the kind of person you are today, and how the story you have just described has made and shaped you. Draft and Revise The key to great writing is rewriting. So work out a draft, and then put it aside and give yourself a few days to forget what you’ve written.When you come back to look at it again look for places where you slow down your reading, where something seems out of place or awkward. Can you fix this by changing around the order of your essay? By explaining further? By adding details?Experiment. Get advice. Colleges expect your essay to be your work, but most recommend having someone else cast a fresh eye over it. A good way to get a teacher or a parent involved is to ask them whether your story is clear and specific, and whether your insight about yourself flows logically from the story you tell. Execute flawlessly. Dot every i, cross every t, delicately place every comma where it needs to go. Grammar mistakes, misspellings, and awkward sentence structure don’t just make your writing look bad – they take the reader out of the story you’re telling. And that makes you memorable, but in a bad way. Hint: writing that's flawless definitely did not wake up like this. The Bottom Line Your college essay topicneeds to come from the fact that essays are a way for colleges to get to know the real you, ayou that is separate from your grades and scores. A great way to come up with topics is to wholeheartedly dive into abrainstorming exercise. The more ideas about your life that tumble out of your memory and onto the page, the better chance you have of finding the perfect college essay topic. Answer mybrainstorming questions without editing yourselfat first. Instead, simply write down as many things that pop into your head as you can – even if you end up going off topic. After you've generated a list of possible topics, leave it alone for a few days and then come back to pick out the ones that seem the most promising. Flesh out your top few ideas into full-blown narratives, to understand which reveals the most interesting thing about you as a person. Don’t shy away from asking for help. At each stage of the writing process get a parent or teacher to look over what you’re working on, not to do your work for you but to hopefully gently steer you in a better direction if you’re running into trouble. What’s Next? Ready to start working on your essay? Check outour explanation of the point of the personal essay and the role it plays on your applications. For more detailed advice on writing a great college essay, readour guide to the Common Application essay prompts and get advice onhow to pick the Common App prompt that’s right for you. Thinking of taking the SAT again before submitting your applications? We have put together the ultimate guide to studying for the SAT to give you the ins and outs ofthe best ways to study. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: