Target Market

What is meant by â€Å"target market†? The focus of marketing effort is people. The goal is to reach a subset of the population who may be interested in your particular product. That group of people is your target market. The term target market is used because that market is the target at which you aim all your marketing efforts. The markets you are trying to reach are people with common characteristics that set them apart as a group. The more you know about a target market, the more precisely you can develop your marketing strategy. Describe the probable demographic characteristics of the target market for the following products (Measurable statistics such as age, income, or occupation): Jaguar: Definitely the wealthy, upper class or higher middle class people. Most likely an older, wealthier target market. Chevy Cobalt: Middle class people who are looking for an affordable car with good gas mileage. Age of the target market is probably mid-20s to senior citizens. McDonalds: From 5 years old to 95 years old. Lower Class, Middle Class, and even Upper Class people buy and consume McDonald’s products. They market happy meals for kids, late night snacks for young people, breakfast and coffee for older people. Ruby River Steak House: Aims their products at all age and classes as well. They advertise it as a family establishment with good food. I don't have one here in Louisiana but it is similar to our Outback Steakhouse which has that target market. Is it possible to identify a single market for two distinctly different products? Yes it is, there are many product combinations that can interest a single market. It builds sales in a business, and promotes other business as well. To understand the key sources of network value, it’s important to recognize the structure of the network. Some networks derive most of their value from a single class of users. An example of this kind of network is instant messaging (IM). While there might be some add-ons for the most popular IM tools, they don’t influence most users’ choice of an IM system. You pretty much choose one IM tool over another based on how many of your contacts you can reach. Economists would call IM a one-sided marketone-sided marketA market that derives most of its value from a single class of users (e. . , instant messaging). (a market that derives most of its value from a single class of users), and the network effects derived from IM users attracting more IM users as being same-side exchange benefitssame-side exchange benefitsBenefits derived by interaction among members of a single class of participant (e. g. , the exchange value when increasing numbers of IM users gain the abil ity to message each other). (benefits derived by interaction among members of a single class of participant). But some markets are comprised of two distinct categories of network participant. Consider video games. People buy a video game console largely based on the number of really great games available for the system. Software developers write games based on their ability to reach the greatest number of paying customers, and so they’re most likely to write for the most popular consoles, first. Economists would call this kind of network a two-sided markettwo-sided marketNetwork markets comprised of two distinct categories of participant, both of which that are needed to deliver value for the network to work (e. g. video game console owners and developers of video games). (network markets comprised of two distinct categories of participant, both of which that are needed to deliver value for the network to work). When an increase in the number of users on one side of the market (say console owners) creates a rise in the other side (software developers), that’s called a cross-side exchange benefitcross-side exchange benefitWhen an increase in the number of use rs on one side of the market (say console owners) creates a rise in the other side (software developers).. Example – IM is considered a one-sided market, where the value-creating, positive-feedback loop of network effects comes mostly from same-side benefits from a single group (IM members who attract other IM members who want to communicate with them). Video game consoles, however, are considered a two-sided network, where significant benefits come from two distinct classes of users that add value from cross-side benefits by attracting their opposite group. In the game console market, more users of a console attract more developers who write more software for that console, and that attracts more users. Game availability is the main reason the Sony PlayStation 2 dominated over the original Xbox. It is possible that a network may have same-side and cross-side benefits. Xbox 360 benefits from cross-side benefits in that more users of that console attract more developers writing more software titles and vice versa. However, the Xbox Live network that allows users to play against each other has same-side benefits. If your buddies use Xbox Live and you want to play against them, you’re more likely to buy an Xbox. ) Can you think of other product combinations that would interest a single market? Taking a closer look at businesses, you can actually see cases where a particular target market for one product is more likely to buy another. The example that was given for this assignment was consumers that prefer Apple products that drive Volkswagens. Another example of this would be the target market of 18 – 25 year old males. There are a number of products that this particular set of individuals are marketed to, ranging from stereo equipment to video games. The coalition between hip hop clothing (urban wear) and high tech music devices to me would be the strongest.

Life partner Essay

Characteristic mostly considered by men when choosing a Woman as their Life Marriage is a sacred contract between a woman and a man. It is where a couple begins the long journey of life with shared love, harmony, cooperation, tolerance and comfort with each other. The Commitment of marriage is one of the most recommended acts in Islam. The Qur’an has described this relationship between men and women, which brings love, harmony, trust and compassion, in the most moving and eloquent terms: â€Å"( And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your hearts)† (Qur’an 30:21) Therefore selecting a life partner is one of the most crucial decisions that we have to make in our lifetime, because marriage is a lifelong commitment where you will face difficulties in life. A couple should be able to tackle the daily problem they will face in raising a family. Both the husband and wife play their own prominent role in building a happy family. . One of the main tasks of a wife is build a respectable family to the society. Hence, a man should think carefully when selecting a woman to be his wife, a mother to his children and the main pillar in his family. This report consists on man’s perspective of selecting a life partner. Further, the report will show the characteristics that he will look into before selecting his life partner Religious One of the most important characteristics is finding a religious woman. The righteous woman is the foundation of a healthy family. Allah (swt) states, â€Å"Women of purity are for men of purity, and men of purity are for women of purity† [24:26]. The Prophet (pbuh) said, â€Å"Do not choose a wife for her wealth or beauty. Her wealth will cause her rebellion, and her beauty will cause her corruption. You must consider her faith and religiousness for marriage† [Mustadrak al-Vasa’il, On Marriage Ch. 13]. A righteous woman is the greatest blessing that a husband can get. He can find comfort and rest after the exhausting struggle of earning a living. If the woman is religious then only the family will be brought up in the light of Islam. Beautiful Human being has a tendency of attracting to pleasant things. Most of the  time, the first thing a man tends to see in a woman is her beauty. Sometimes the perfect figure, the soft skin, the mesmerizing eyes makes the man blind of what is beneath the outside appearance. The real beauty of woman is not her physical appearance, the true beauty lies within inner self. A Man would rather get to know a woman and discover that her heart is pure and caring. For example, a beauty contest winner can be a cruel person. Therefore, her beauty is of no use to others if she is ill-treating to others Obedient and respectable A woman must be obedient and should respect her husband. She should be always eager to please him and make him happy. She should be happy to help him in different stage of life. An ideal wife should be someone who is willing to do the household work despite poverty and hardship. For example; if the husband is very poor, the wife should not be complain about buying unnecessary thing. The woman must have respectable character, which the society expects. She should practice and follow cultures and values accepted in the community such as a married woman should show modesty in clothing. Understanding In every marriage there comes times when there are differences in opinions, problems relating to financial, raising children, sickness. During these times, the couple should tackle the problem by respecting each other’s feelings and through open communication. The woman should be willing to listen to her husband and understand the situation instead of making the problem worse. For example; as in a famous idiom â€Å"making a mountain out of a mole†, A couple might be arguing about each other’s political view and that disagreement may lead to a divorce. In a healthy marriage, the couple should be able to understand each other’s behavior and accept that nobody is perfect. The woman should be able to comfortably talk and share her wants and suggestions to her husband. The bond between the husband and wife should be based on mutual trust. Therefore, the ideal wife should be trust worthy. Conclusion. As an old saying, â€Å"Behind every successful man there is a courageous woman†. Hence, a man can choose his life partner wisely. The task on a man’s hand in  choosing the ideal wife is not an easy job. The decision should be taken with immense thinking. The must -have characteristics must be given great emphasis in order to make the marriage life prosperous and fruitful. The decision a man takes today will affect his children in the future. REFERENCE LIST Islamic voice Retrieved August 1998 Retrieved 25-February-2012 from http://www.islamicvoice.com/august.98/marriage.htm The Ideal Muslim Woman and Her Husband Retrieved August 1999 Retrieved 28-February-2012 from http://www.wefound.org/texts/Ideal_Muslims_files/herhusband.htm

Organizational paradigms Essay

Every organization is different and there is no perfect organizational paradigm that fits an organization in all situations. Even though the most common organizational paradigms are hierarchies, holarchies, coalitions, teams, congregations, societies, federations, and matrix organizations there are many more kinds that exist which are a combination of these with a few extra attributes. â€Å"What is clear is that all approaches have different characteristics which may be more suitable for some problems and less suitable for others† ( Horling & Lesser, 2005) I feel that among these organizational paradigms a combination of hierarchical and team based designs offer the best of the attributes. Because, hierarchical structured organizational is one of the oldest and time tested paradigms with very clear advantages over the other paradigms. A hierarchical organizational design helps decomposition and that is its major advantages. In addition, hierarchical organizations are formed with number of departments each with a hierarchy of its own and that helps the organization tackle large scale projects and scaling is comparatively easy depending on the need of the situation. They are also the simplest to understand and induction of new employees and their reporting system are comparatively more systematic and well organized. The trouble with hierarchical systems, however is that they tend to develop bottlenecks and decision making processes tend to take longer. That is the reason, for my belief that if the hierarchical organization create teams within itself, it would improve the overall flexibility of the organization and avoid the creation of bottle necks. Because teams are set of employees who work towards a common goal supporting and coordinating with each other. Whenever a larger problem crops up that cannot be handled by individuals the team can take care of them and take the organization forward. References Horling & Lesser, 2005, A Survey of Multi-Agent Organizational Paradigms, retrieved May 14, 2009 from http://polaris. ing. unimo. it/didattica/cas/L6/Lesser_OrgParadigms. pdf

Clinical immunology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Clinical immunology - Essay Example n recipients of any organ transplant, in whom the prevalence of morbidities such as systemic hypertension, diabetes mellitus, renal insufficiency, and malignancy remain high as compared with the general population. The barriers to short and long-term success of transplant procedures are predominantly the result of incompatibility between donor and recipient, acute and chronic rejection, and complications of long-term pharmacologic immune suppression. This is the reason why clinicians need to consider several factors prior to transplantation. Examples of conditions to be studied include, but are not limited to: 6. Susceptibility to and prevention of the adverse consequences (e.g., nephropathy, systemic hypertension, diabetes mellitus, malignancy) of current post-transplant immunosuppressive regimens (Department of Health and Human Services, 2003). In many cases of transplantation the histocompatibility barrier between recipient and donor remains a problem in that it will activate immune responses leading to graft rejection. Because HLA plays such a dominant role in transplant immunity, pre-transplant histocompatibility testing seems important for organ transplantation. In order to appreciate the role of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) in transplantation, we must first consider the structural and functional aspects of HLA molecules. HLA antigens are controlled by a series of highly polymorphic genes on the short arm of chromosome 6, referred to as the human MHC. These genes have been classified into major categories. HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-C encode for Class I molecules consisting of a 45kD glycopeptide chain complexed to a 12kD ï  ¢2-microglobulin chain encoded by a nonpolymorphic gene on chromosome 15. The genes in the HLA-DR, HLA-DQ and HLA-DP regions encode for Class II molecules consisting of a ~30kD ï  ¡-chain and a ~28k D ï  ¢-chain. These HLA class I and class II alloantigens can induce transplant immunity at both humoral (antibody) and cellular (T lymphocyte)

The market entry strategies for a Logistics firm based in Germany Essay

The market entry strategies for a Logistics firm based in Germany - Essay Example Exporting involves marketing and sales of products which are produced domestically but send to other countries for sales. This is a very traditional method which helps in selling and earning revenue of those products which can be produced in adequate amount in the country. As in exporting the goods are produced in the home country, so the investments related to foreign production are not required (Hisrich 198). In case of exporting, most of the expenses are incurred for marketing. Exports are of two types: a) direct export, and b) indirect export. Direct exports works best when the volume of goods to be exported is small. It involves direct sales of goods to other countries without any intermediaries. While in case of indirect export the export takes place through intermediaries. Control over the product does not remain with the exporter (McDonald, Burton, and Dowling 208; Kotabe, and Helsen 299). Advantages 1. The foreign market and the representatives can be chosen. 2. The trademark, goodwill, patent rights can be protected. 3. Rate of sales is higher. Disadvantages 1. The start-up cost is higher and the risk is also higher. 2. Requirement of information is also higher in case of exports. 3. Marketing the products requires longer time. Licensing Licensing agreements developed by the firm allows the foreign firm to either develop or market the product of the company for a specific time period. In this case, the licensor is the home country provides limited resources and rights to the licensee to the host country. These rights include managerial skills, patents, technology or trademarks for making it possible for the host country to manufacture or market the products (Doing Business Internationally 13). The licensor may take onetime payment, royalty payments, or technology fees. Since this is considered as the mode of entry, so the transference of information in between the licensee and the licensor is strong and the decision of developing the license also strongly depends on the government of the home and host country’s governments (Hoskisson 282; Kotabe, and Helsen 301). Advantages 1. Achieve additional revenue for technical knowledge and services. 2. Can be expanded rapidly as not much risks involved. Disadvantages

Philosophy and Social Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Philosophy and Social Justice - Essay Example According to the report findings unemployment usually happens when employers do not give a chance to people who are mere undergraduates to prove themselves at work, or when there is no one who y helps others get a job. A just society is not one where people would only selfishly think that each one should struggle for himself. A just society is where people struggle not only for themselves but for others as well. Lastly, racism only exists if there is a selfish view that one’s race is more superior to another. In short, the just society that I imagine is one without selfishness.As the discussion stresses the philosophy of Confucius is the means to achieve my idea of a just society. According to Confucius, â€Å"If [the people] be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of honor and respect, and moreover will become good†.  This philosophy known as ethical humanism is one where what is being drawn out is the natural kindness in people. This philosophy is based on the idea of Ren, â€Å"a humane principle rooted in empathy and feeling for others†.   This means that society operates by learning the rules of propriety. If such rules are learned, what happens is that the people who learn these rules naturally develop honor and respect for themselves and for each other.  If this philosophy of Confucius is taught to and instilled in the youth of the society, this society will most likely become what is ideally just.

Human resources management (Employee Recruitment PRACTICES) SESSION Essay

Human resources management (Employee Recruitment PRACTICES) SESSION LONG PROJECT 1 - Essay Example The company was started with the mission of providing its customers with best products and services at reasonable prices. The company’s signature states its main aim and clearly highlights what the company has to offer to its customers – ‘Save Money. Live Better’. Wal – Mart’s focuses on its main values – Respecting individuals, Service to the customers and Striving for excellence (Wal-mart, 2008). Wal – Mart has over 971 discount stores, 2447 supercentres, 132 neighbourhood stores and 591 Sam’s club in the US at present. The company has seen immense growth and is spread over 14 countries with a total of almost 2.1 million employees. The company’s profits have been enormous. Wal – Mart has recorded revenues of over $378,799 million as of the year end January 2008. The company mainly earns its revenues from the United States; however it does face a lot of competition from both the local as well as the global retailers (Money Central, 2008). Wal – Mart holds such a high number of personnel in terms of their employee details. This is not an easy task and requires a high level of expertise. Wal – Mart realises that it is essential to have good people at work is a very essential aspect of every business. According to Lee Scott the CEO of the company, "To grow, we have to attract and retain good people" (Retail Merchandiser, 2003). With the increased globalisation and the increases expansion of Wal – Mart worldwide, the CEO believes that the rising standards and needs of this is clearly seen on the need for excellent quality employees. Wal – Mart’s chairperson also mentioned that the company provides for jobs to everyone across the globe with a choice of flexibility where the person can decide how much they want to do, i.e. either work in a small town and be content or move to a more faster and competitive metro. The company basically provides for

Women of the Bible Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Women of the Bible - Dissertation Example However, lack of adequate literature focusing on this particular aspect has forced its conclusion to remain unresolved. In the discussion henceforth, women of the Bible will be elaborated. Eve Since the beginning of life on earth, as per the Biblical narrations, distinctions between the gender roles of men and women were made clear by God when he had given life to Adam and Eve – who is the first woman on earth. As God had spoken, â€Å"This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman’, for she was taken out of man†. The narration in Bible states about her calm life filled with all sorts of pleasure a human mind can think of, with her husband Adam, until both were banished from Eden on doubting God. It was since then that God has punished the womankind with all the miseries in life and that she shall be ruled by the mankind – â€Å"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing: with pain, you will give birth to chil dren. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you†. The inspiration that can be drawn from Eve’s life is rather a caution to those who refuse to accept the authority of God. Nevertheless, although God had banished her from heaven, he had also promised a just avenge by her offspring to demolish her enemies. Sarah The narrations of the Bible depict Sarah as a much more complicated character than Eve was, while it also illustrates her as a right-doer and a wise-chooser between the right and the wrong.

Rapid Appraisal of Articles About the Pressure Ulcer Article

Rapid Appraisal of Articles About the Pressure Ulcer - Article Example The study of Kordestani et al. (2008) aimed to compare the wound healing rate and incidence of infection in wounds treated with either bioactive dressing (dressing with hydrophilic mucopolysaccharide, chitosan) or conservative treatment (gauze) (p. 323). Data were collected from 85 patients with diabetic ulcers but due to attrition, only 54 patients were analyzed. The result of the study found out that a statistically significant difference (p

Hocheng Philippines Corporation Essay Example for Free

Hocheng Philippines Corporation Essay Hocheng Philippines Corporation has been well-known for their finest creations of bathroom fixtures and accessories. It has acquired latest high-tech machineries and equipped workforce to provide high-quality porcelain products which is considered to be their main priority. Most of their production relies on these machineries that might result to interruption if there will be some technical problems experienced. Back up plan should be established to at least avoid delay in production. Safety in workplace is essential and should not be neglected by the management. There is a Violation Receipt which is intended for strict compliance with the rules regarding proper attire for safety. Someone noticed to be in violation will be reprimanded. Though, while exploring all the sides of the plant, I saw employees not in their uniforms, only wearing shorts and are topless which maybe is permissible to the management since these specific employees are under casting process. On the other hand, I noticed that there are a lot of ceiling fans that help in fast drying of the clays molded/ceramics that make much of the dust spread in air around the place which requires wearing of masks whenever in the workplace, but none of them wears one. This could be a huge risk in their health. The company must provide a strong policy regarding the implementation of wearing mask every time they are exposed to dust, come up with an excellent way to oblige employees in obeying with the plant instructions for worker protection and inform them about the hazards. Furthermore, there is only a little supervision from the management to its employees in actual testing of the outputs. One of them disclosed that before packing, testing the ‘flush’ should be made, but this is sometimes made randomly, and not for the entire units. There should be someone responsible for ensuring that all products went under testing and that all the employees are doing their jobs, most especially for those employees sleeping during lunch breaks. Someone must be roaming around, to check if none of them does that during work hours. Good thing about the production process is that it is well automated which minimizes human intervention and speeds up the process. But its huge reliance to machines results to possible delay in production if even just one part of it fails to function properly. If the machine crashes or experiences some technical problems, the production will be in halt. Thus, back up equipment or plan should be prepared by the management in case this happens. Sanitation and freshness were well-emphasized by the company. Of course, those are essential and of a great deal to their consumers. As a matter of fact, it was shown in the video that the pans used in baking are regularly and intensively cleaned and how these are cleaned but none was indicated about cleaning the machines used. Dough is not only placed on the pans, these also touch other parts of equipment before reaching the packaging section. It is impossible that these machines will never be subject to dirt, even if it is in a closed area. Therefore, they should find a way to maintain these machines sanitized, cleaning them regularly as possible without affecting the time allotted for the production. Upon observing in a short span of time, though in a limited view, a huge bulk of dough came into my attention. It was at the floor. I have no idea regarding the plan for that filthy dough but most probably, it is not going near our mouth. Hence, it should be segregated to a separate container, clearly emphasizing that it is no longer to be used for production to ensure that confusion will be avoided and that there is no chance of accidentally including it to clean ones. Strength Hocheng Philippines Corporation has been well-known for their finest creations of bathroom fixtures and accessories. It has acquired latest high-tech machineries and equipped workforce to provide high-quality porcelain products which is considered to be their main priority. As what one of the employees said, â€Å"We do not let our product even with just a small slight crack reach our customers. † In fact, all processes have TQC (Total Quality Control). There is QA (Quality Assurance) every month, like an auditing to randomly check if quality requirements are met to have quality-products. It serves as systematic requirement, a comparison with a standard. In addition to this, every certain period, there is four-hour training for skills development of the current employees. Kanban System is implemented in the company. It is a scheduling system for lean and JIT (Just-in-time) production, which has been proven to be a great way for improvement in the entire production. And, there is automation in maintaining/monitoring inventory. To simplify and speed up in updating the inventory level, the company uses barcode. However, for those items that are broken or defective, updating in inventory system is done manually and it is handled by three people, eliminating the possibility of having false information regarding these outputs. HCG uses Proximity scan (through ID) in entering the plant. This improves efficiency and reduces the possibility of deception. Furthermore, check list of materials to be used for casting is prepared by an immediate supervisor and if the materials prepared are found out to be insufficient, the employees themselves will approach a person in charge to have material requisition. Also, there is move ticket to authorize every time there will be transferring of materials. Almost stages in the whole system require documentation. Even for those items that are to be disposed, are being accompanied by appropriate records which help in audit trail purposes.

Hinduism What Makes It Very Appealing Theology Religion Essay

Hinduism What Makes It Very Appealing Theology Religion Essay South Asia particularly, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan has billions of population who follow and practice Hinduism. Hinduism, todays oldest living religion, is practiced by most of the natives of above countries as well as the people who have migrated from these nations to other parts of the world. Alone in India 82% people are Hindus (Moore 487). Hinduism is a unique religion without fundamentals. It is an agglomeration of religious, cultural, and philosophical ideas and practices. Thereby, Hinduism, a heterogeneous mixture of numerous traditions has its own value and set of beliefs. Hinduism, one of the oldest religions in the history, is a blend of various cultures and is legendary for its controversial origin, religious beliefs, and multiple deities. Hinduism or the religion of Hindus, has largely unknown origins because of its great shape and unclear authors of its sacred texts. There is always a controversy regarding the origin of Hinduism since centuries. The term Hinduism derives from the Persian word that refers to the Sindhu (or Indus) river which is situated in northwest India. Hindu was first used in the 14th century by Arabs, Afghans, and Persians to describe about the people of that region. In spite of this lack of definitive origin, there are two theories, Out of India Theory and Indo Aryan Theory that deal with the history of Hinduism. As per out of India Theory, Hinduism is entirely born in India. The original house of the Hindus was India; later they spread out to central Asia and thence to Europe (Modi 11). Historians, of this theory, generally hold that the origin of Hinduism can be traced to the ancient civilization of Indus Valley. Fairy extensive archeological evidences support this theory of origin before 4,000 years. Found aged rock paintings and depictions in the caves at Northern India are main bases to conclude that Hindus were in India who migrated to north and west later. The second theory or Indo Aryan Theory basically says that a group of nomads called Aryans moved to the India and mixed with the natives. However, this theory of origin has been under contemporary scientists belief and increasing challenge. According to this theory, the Artic, of all places w as the original home of these people who migrated to India in course of centuries. Initially, these migrants populated central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, and finally India. These pre-historic migrants or Aryans were considered as honorable and noble people, who invaded the Indus valley civilization and invented Hinduism along with the natives. These Aryans spoke a language that in its refined form came to be known as Sanskrit, which is believed to be the oldest language in the world. Due to the lack of supporting proof, this theory has now been proven to be flawed one and is considered nothing more than a myth. According to scholars, the evolution of Hinduism may be divided into three periods: the ancient (6500 BCE-1000 AD), the medieval (1000-1800 AD), and the modern (1800 AD to present). About 1500 B.C. the Indus valley was invaded from the east by the Aryans. By the year 1000, the basic doctrines of Hinduism had been formed, and the ancient period of Hinduism gave way to the medieval period. The modern period of Hinduism began about 1800 with the introduction of British rule into India. In addition to the unclear origin, another reason of Hinduism to be a unique is its basic tenets. Hinduism embraces a great diversity of  beliefs about the universe, God and the path to liberation. In Hinduism, the cosmos is represented by the various elements which represent the mass. In Indian mythology, the whole universe is consists of strong radiation represented by the term OM which is the essence of all mantras, the highest all mantras and the divine word. OM consists of three sounds: the vowel a, the vowel u, and a nasalized m. It is said that OM of Hinduism and Amen of Christianity have similar sound and meaning as well. In case of God, for Hindus, he is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent beyond any attributes of shapes, color, and formà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.In general, Hindus consider God not just as the supreme and almighty one, but also the personal one whom the individual can worship. Basically, the divine trinity of Hinduism is formed by Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh who p ossess the characters corresponding to creation, preservation, and annihilation. Hinduism considers diverse aspects of God, in multifarious form. Thereby, it is sometimes viewed as polytheistic or believing in many gods (Rosen 33). As, Hinduism is a cluster of diverse belief and traditions, the prominent themes of Hinduism include the authority of the Vedas (the oldest Indian sacred texts), the Brahman (the ultimate reality), law of karma, right actions, reincarnation, and liberation from the cycle of rebirth. The Vedas are the most ancient religious texts of Hinduism-indeed; they are the oldest religious texts in an Indo- European language. All the religious realms and divine pantheons are described in the vast corpus of mythological and ritual Vedas. Vyas, a holy priest wrote all these Vedas, that Hindus believe. Even, Lord Krishna mentions about the importance of Vedas in Bhagavad Gita (part of Hindu largest Epic Mahabharat): I am seated in everyones heart and from me come remembrance, knowledge, and forgetfulness. By study of Vedas, the goal is to know only me; and it is only I who truly know these texts, indeed, I am the creator of the final truth (The Bhagavad Gita 15.15). There are four main Vedas where whole Hinduism is elaborated: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda, and the Atharwaveda. Except Vedas, Hindus believe in caste system too, where Brahmans or Brahmins lie on top. A Brahmin is a member of the highest priestly caste in Hinduism who performs priestly services. Brahmins as well as Vedas are two concepts that are fundamental to Hinduism and differentiate the faith from Buddhism and Jainism. Hindu scriptures explain the ultimate reality as Brahman which is obviously the source of all things. It is said that Brahman is the ultimate mystery without any attributes and qualities which is behind the universe and all the Gods. It is pure, indivisible, infinite, incorporeal, and all pervading likewise the sky. To know about life, it is necessary to know the Brahman and the Atman which is the self, the soul, the principle of individual life. Some people feel that a message of Hinduism is, through meditation and contemplation; an individual must come to realize the fact that the Brahman is Atman. The idea that humans soul transfer into a new body after death is a main theme of Hindu tenet and this process happens over and over in a continuous cycle known as Samsara. Throughout these lives, Karma is the one which keeps an individual imprisoned by trans-migratory cycle and determines the quality of next reincarnation. Karma means deed or action. Each souls unique destiny is determined by the universal law of Karma. Hindus also believe that by good Karma the cycle of Samsara can be escaped when a soul reaches a stage known as  moksha (liberation). One who is free from ignorance and sins is eligible for Mokshya and after this point; the soul will reside in heaven. Moreover, truth, meditation, yoga, piousness, honesty, celibacy, prayers, penance, cleanliness, non-violence are other tenets of Hindus. Hindus perform different religious practices and rites according to the age of an individual with the help of trained priest or chaplain serving family. Naming, weaning, hair cutting, marriage, death are different rites throughout a Hindus life. The most important and never a-parting relationship and most engrossing event of a Hindus life is marriage. It is subjected to be the most prolonged and an endless conversation however; those who remain unmarried are also treated with the upmost respect, if he has a pious motive. The bride and bride groom start their lives together where fire is taken as witness. The couples make seven rounds around the fire and each round has its specific promise which they are supposed to keep throughout their married life. In case of remarriage, the Hindu society allows a widower to remarriage however, widows are never allowed to remarry and have affairs throughout their lives. After marriage, the funeral or death ceremony comes second important and this d iffers from caste to caste. The closing moment of a Hindus life is associated with number of actions. After death, the body is destroyed, ideally on the bank of river with fire. Afterwards, Hindu mourning lasts one year, during which a large number of ceremonies have to be performed for the Mokshya or liberation of the Soul. Hinduism is generally associated with multiple deities and does not advocate the worship of one particular deity. Home is the center of religious practices for Hindus. Deities are represented by a complexity of images and idols symbolizing divine powers. Each home has an idol, a picture or at least an image to worship. Cleaning and sprinkling the holy water are common ways to make the house holy and livable for God. In addition, Hindus go to different temples very frequently to worship different gods. Hindus view the Supreme Beings cosmic activity as comprised of three main tasks: creation, preservation, and dissolution. There three tasks are associated with three deities Brahma,  Vishnu  and  Shiva which are fundamental deities of Hinduism and they stand as  creator, preserver and destroyer respectively. Lord Brahma brings forth the generation and represents the creative principle of the Supreme Being. Where, Lord Vishnu maintains the universe and represents the eternal prin ciple of preservation. Lord Shiva represents the principle of dissolution and recreation. All future characters in Hinduism are connected somehow with these three deities. A Hindu deity represents a particular Supreme Being. These three deities together form the Hindu trinity. One must clearly apprehend that these three gods present the same power, the Supreme Being in three different aspects and are not independent. Bansi Pandit says, The oneness of the three gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva or Mahesh is brought out by the mystic symbol AUM where A represents Vishnu, U Shiva and M Brahma. After deities, Hindus also worship planets, trees, animals, and even spirits. As per Hindu scriptures, living beings are not apart from God, since, he resides in each and every one of the creatures in the form of atman (BG 10.39). Hence, each living being is a solitary manifestation of God. In addition, Hinduism has always been an environmentally sensitive philosophy and contains the earliest messages for sustentation of environmental and ecological balance. Thus, Hindus worship nine planets as God because it is believed that these angelic bodies in the cosmos affect every aspect of human lives and are responsible for all the good or bad times one faces in life. Among them, the sun has a major role and is worshipped in different forms. The holy Gayatri mantra is solely dedicated to the sun: Let us mediate on the adorable splendor of sun; may he arouse our minds with his golden beams. After the solar system or planets, Hindus also worship animals and plants such as cow and holy basil. The priests say that just looking after a cow in itself is a form of worship. Holy basil which is often called Queen of herbs is the mother medicine of nature. Generally each Hindus home has a basil plant in courtyard and the house is considered incomplete if it does not have a basil plant somewhere in residence. In India this plant is hallowed for more than five thousand years as a healing balm for body, mind and soul. As Hinduism is a mixture of different castes, cultures, and is comprised of many varying beliefs such as pantheism, monotheism, polytheism, and atheism; it seems very unique in comparison to other eastern religions. Even though philosophers and historians have controversy regarding Hinduism, Hindus do not have any contradiction among their beliefs.

Designing an Oral English Teaching Course

Designing an Oral English Teaching Course Introduction: Context Defining context is necessary for developing any course plan because the students, stakeholders and setting of the course have a large impact on all that is taught and learned. The very concepts of teaching and learning are culturally dependent and therefore care must be taken to match student and stakeholder expectations. Or in some cases it may appropriate to gently push the boundaries of what is acceptable and in so doing reveal a new way of learning and thinking. A cursory knowledge of the context is often not enough to push such boundaries. â€Å"The more information you have about the context the more able you will be to make decisions and to plan an effective course† (Graves 2000, p 18). This oral English course will take place at Leshan Teachers College in the mid-sized city of Leshan, in Sichuan province, China. This institution could be considered a 3rd tier college which grants bachelors and associates degrees to students headed for careers as secondary and elementary teachers. A minority of these English majors will go on to careers in translation, business or tour guiding. A minority will also go on for further study in various graduate fields. The institution offers no guidelines for the course except that the textbook titled Challenge to Speak by Wilson, Olson, Li, Chen and Yao (2005) be used as a text. The teacher is required to develop their own test for use in the course. The 1st year students enrolled in this course come directly from high school and the majority of them are from rural areas of Sichuan province. Many of their families work in agriculture or serve as migrant workers in factories or on construction projects in the eastern provinces. Students are often disappointed at being assigned to study at Leshan Teachers College. Many had hoped to attend somewhere with more prestige, but in spite of some initial disappointment, most are willing to study hard to improve their English. Previous to having this class, many of the students have not had a foreign teacher. Though they have studied English for at least 6 years in elementary and high school, they generally dont see English as a way to build relationships. Most of their focus in their English studies had been on reading and writing with the goal of doing well on the college entrance exams. Most of them lack the oral ability or confidence to consider beginning a conversation with the foreigners that they may occasionally see in their daily life. Though educational philosophies are gradually changing throughout China, the college entrance exam still dictates that much rote learning take place. In foreign language teaching, theories of grammar-translation and audio-lingualism predominate. Generally, students are not taught to question their textbooks, their teachers or their learning methods. Students typically follow their teachers recommendations and assignments very closely and rarely initiate studies on their own. That being said, their powers of memorization and grammar knowledge are usually quite good in comparison to their ability to speak extemporaneously in conversation. The course meets one time per week for two 45 minute periods. Due to a late arrival on campus and a week of military training, the 1st year students semester lasts only 12 weeks. With the distractions that come with adapting to life in new surroundings, the 1st semester of the 1st year typically features a lighter academic load. Many of these students have not been away from their parents before and this obviously affects students in different ways; some embrace their new-found independence while some long for home. I. Teacher Beliefs Though a course or a language program is set in a specific locale, and may try to incorporate the desires and needs of many students and stakeholders, ultimately the composition of the course or program flows from one source: the beliefs and identity of the teacher. Successful teaching requires knowledge beyond just the subject being taught; only through self-knowledge can a teacher fully inhabit the combined public and private persona that a teacher must assume (Palmer, 1998). The beliefs of a teacher regarding the subject being taught and nature of teaching and learning will have significant implications in the design of a course; however, a teachers worldview may impact his or her teaching approach in ways that are just as significant, but perhaps less apparent. Since language teaching often involves cultural differences between teachers and students, teachers may need to adjust some of their beliefs when or if they significantly violate the cultural norms of students (Graves, 2000; Lingenfelter Lingenfelter, 2003). While Johnson (1998, as cited in Graves, 2000) points out that many of a teachers beliefs can be difficult to articulate or can hide under the surface of his or her teaching, my experiences with the cross-cultural frictions found in language classrooms have often raised to my consciousness beliefs and values that would have remained hidden in monocultural classrooms. As teachers engage with different student populations, study language acquisition theory or perform action research, they may alter some aspects of their beliefs. This is only natural. The possibility of change ought to propel a teacher toward constant reevaluation of their beliefs because only an intimate acquaintance with ones beliefs allows a teacher to articulat e why a particular lesson was effective or ineffective (Graves, 2000). Nature of Language Just as language is constantly evolving and adding new words from a multiplicity of sources, so my beliefs about the nature of language continue to evolve. Originally, I had viewed language as primarily driven by the lexicon. Through performing action research on form-focused approaches, I have come to realize that grammar plays a role that is nearly as important as vocabulary (Eberly, 2008). But, language goes beyond mundane concerns such as conditional forms or definitions extracted from dictionaries; when forms and words are artfully rendered into literature, the result is somehow more than the sum of its parts. Language is capable of exquisite beauty, but it is not only in its ability to represent the physical world where this beauty is apparent. Its ability to capture the minute inner-workings of the self is peerless among the fine arts, at least in my view. As a literature major in my undergraduate years, I may be biased, yet Ive found the habit of reading literature and writing a journal to be the best means of understanding myself. Language is not only something one engages in alone, it is also a means to develop relationships. Though meanings occasionally get obscured in our speech with others, language is what separates us from animals and allows us to work together as villages, countries and with people from around the world to achieve mutually beneficial objectives. Love, as a supreme human experience, would be incomplete or impossible without language as a means of expressing that love. Language Learning My beliefs on language learning grow out of my view of language and out of my awareness of myself as a learner. The relational nature of languages and my level of connection to native speakers have played a large role in my success in learning Chinese and Korean, and my comparative failure in learning Spanish in high school and as an undergraduate. Coming from a largely monocultural area of Ohio limited my exposure to native Spanish speakers. So, during my high school and undergraduate days, I saw Spanish as book-bound and irrelevant to daily life perhaps akin to how some of my students feel toward English today. Yet living in Korea and China while I have studied those respective languages has allowed me to know the people that are connected with the languages. It has been my relationships to those native-speaking people friends, colleagues, students and above all teachers that have energized my studies and made me successful. This is very much in line with Vygotsky (1978) who first noted the crucial role that sympathetic interlocutors play in forming L1 competence in children (as cited in Lightbown Spada, 2006). Brown (2001) carried this into the L2 arena with his interactive approach which in essence declared that it is through meaningful interaction that learning occurs most effectively. Curran also recycles some of these relational ideas in his Community Language Learning approach (Brown, 2001). World View Not only do my beliefs on this issue arise out of my experiences as a language learner, they are also rooted in my spiritual understanding of my relationship to God. The Bible is a record of mankinds relationship with God and according to the Bible, humans were created for the express purpose of being in relationship with God. The arrival of Jesus on earth heralded the willingness of God to send and sacrifice his only Son so that believers might relate to more than just a book or a set of laws; through Jesus, an intimacy with God is possible. My life has been a gradual discovering of just how fulfilling this relationship can be. But though Jesus calls everyone into relationship with Him, He does not force anyone into a relationship they may not desire. This freedom of choice is an important element in any relationship and endues the weaker party with an agency, or freedom of choice, which is a necessary element in establishing an inquiry-based educational environment (Freire, 1996). Language Teaching This type of mutually respectful relationship causes not only an increase in knowledge about the other with whom one is in relationship, it also forces a reevaluation of the self as the two mutually define and refine each other. Language teaching approaches that do not in some way promote learner introspection run the risk of creating automaton learners, who, when left to their own devices, lack the ability to carry on with their learning. Undoubtedly, some implicit learner reflection on teaching and learning philosophies is inevitable when the teacher is from another culture. Yet, deliberate activities and assignments which nudge students toward greater reflection of their learning processes and preferences have been shown to lead to greater student proficiency over the long term (Snow, 1996; Brown, 2001). A host of surveys and inventories like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Rebecca Oxfords Strategy Inventory for Language Learners (SILL) have frequently been incorporated into l essons as a way to make learners more self-aware (Brown, 2001). However, the simple insertion of these surveys into a lesson does not a reflective learner make, as I have found in the past. The teaching approach itself must be designed to give students some experiential knowledge of whatever declarative knowledge such surveys may inculcate. By introducing learner-reflective strands into an approach, a teacher can foster one of the paradoxes which Palmer claims must be present in a successful classroom; the space of the classroom â€Å"should honor the ‘little stories of the student and the ‘big stories of the disciplines and tradition† (Palmer, 1998, p. 74). II. Needs Assessment Feeling that I know myself well after articulating my beliefs, there is a temptation for me to take some aspects of needs assessment for granted, especially since I have taught at the Leshan Teachers College (LSTC) for nearly 3 years. This is my 2nd year teaching freshman oral English and though I didnt do extensive formal needs assessment last year, I feel very cued-in to student needs in terms of affect, pragmatics and pronunciation. Also, part of my action research (Eberly, 2008) involved significant assessments of the grammaticality of my students speech, so I feel especially familiar with struggles the students may face in this area. Through classroom activities and conversations outside of class, I have learned much about the future plans, hopes and dreams of many of my students. Yet, student populations are not monolithic and even though the collectivist nature of Chinese culture makes it tempting to paint different groups of students with the same pedagogical brush, there wil l undoubtedly be subtle and not-so-subtle differences from year to year or group to group. The foregoing introduction has largely ignored what is potentially the biggest advantage, for experienced teachers in familiar environments, in incorporating well-planned needs assessment into their course: the effect on the learner. In addition to providing the teacher with information about how to structure the course initially or alter it as it progresses, needs assessment helps the learners to reflect on their learning, to identify their needs, and to gain a sense of ownership and control of their learning. It establishes learning as a dialogue between the teacher and the learners and among the learners. (Graves, 2008, p. 98) The dialogic nature of assessing needs is one way in which students can be â€Å"heard to speech,† a process which Palmer (1998) describes as necessary not only for the development of interpretive and analytic skills, but also as an affirmation of the humanity of the student. My hunch is that needs assessment rarely takes on a dialogic quality in traditional Chinese classrooms, which tend to be teacher-fronted or hierarchical (Hu, 2002; Pratt, 2007). Yet the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks that may stem from students initial confusion or discomfort when facing the task of assessing their own needs. Pre-course Needs Assessment Dialogue often is thought to occur between two parties, yet there are other interlocutors who contribute to the process of analyzing needs. Though they may not participate directly in the classroom, they nevertheless have important contributions to make to the direction of the course. The overarching goal of oral English classes in the view of the administration of the LSTC is to prepare students for the TEM4 oral English exam during their sophomore year. For this reason, the foreign teachers at LSTC rarely teach courses to students beyond their sophomore year. For teachers who are unfamiliar with their setting, a discussion or interview with the dean or other departmental leader would be necessary as an initial needs assessment to help establish the criteria for the course. Though I have not spoken to many parents of my students during my time here, my hunch is that they would see test preparation as the main objective of any oral English course, or any other course for that matter. A secondary concern for administrators and parents alike is the oral English requirements for any post-graduation job that the student may deign to pursue. As future elementary and secondary teachers, the students will likely need good facility with pronunciation, but fluency will not be as important. This is slowly changing though, and more and more top secondary schools are demanding teachers who can teach in English. For students who opt for other careers involving English, including business, tour guiding and interpretation, all facets of their oral English will need to be well-developed. I see the value of washback from the TEM4, which is scored on the basis of student competence in pronunciation, grammatical accuracy and fluency through the modalities of an impromptu speech, dialogue and story retelling (Wen, Zhao Wang, 2001). Yet I would seek to augment the criteria of the TEM4 with several of my own. As a firm believer in the value of relationships, I would argue that pragmatic, cultural and confidence-building activities are necessary to promote relationships between the students and foreigners. Though students and other stakeholders may not see much need for these skills, the day of Chinas full integration into the international community is fast dawning. Ive seen almost exponential growth since my arrival here in opportunities for students and recent graduates to go abroad. Also, as Chinas economic growth rate continues to outpace much of the rest of the world, foreigners flock here in increasing numbers to work, study and tour. Beyond these potential encounte rs with speakers of English, the students will have 3 or 4 other foreign teachers during their 4 years of study at LSTC and the ability to form relationships with these native speakers of English will to some degree determine a students success in those courses. The following table consists of stakeholder data collection procedures and descriptions. The procedures contained therein do more than just provide the teacher with a means to assess the needs of students, they also seek to enable students to self-assess. Though student self-assessment is not a significant facet in Chinese pedagogy, I feel these assignments will benefit them in their future language studies and in their life in general. Table 1: Stakeholder Data Collection Procedures Pre-field needs assessment Since my course is a mere 14 hours of total class time not counting the test, incorporating student input into my needs assessment will have to be done as efficiently as possible.   As a way to collect basic initial information, a survey questionnaire will be distributed on the first day of class and assigned for completion as homework. (see appendix A)   Assigning the survey as homework will allow students to use their dictionaries and work at their own pace.   The questionnaire has 2 main foci in addition to basic information needed for classroom administrative purposes.   One focus is students self-perceived weaknesses and strengths in relating to native English speakers.   Another focus is pronunciation; in what ways have students learned pronunciation, successfully or unsuccessfully, in the past? Because the Challenge to Speak 1 textbook by Wilson E., C. Olson, H-Y. Li, X-N. Chen B-H. Yao (2005) will be used in the course, the initial survey includes a list of the language functions included in this text and students are asked to rank their top three preferences in terms of functions to study during the semester as well as designate any of the functions they already feel comfortable performing.   In addition, a significant portion of the initial pronunciation needs assessment will occur in the second week with a recording and transcription project that will test students self-awareness of their pronunciation and spoken grammar. Field needs assessment In conjunction with an action research project on pronunciation, much of the on-going needs assessment will be performed concurrently with end-of-cycle data collection.   These attempts to gauge students feelings on both pronunciation and wider classroom issues will have to be done delicately to avoid overwhelming students who may have difficulty seeing the purpose behind providing the teacher so much subjective feedback.   Each of these short end-of-cycle questionnaires will feature 2 questions requiring written answers and 5 Likert survey items as well as opportunities for students to write further questions or comments about the course.   The initial 2 questions about pronunciation are likely to change from cycle to cycle; however, the Likert statements will remain the same.   Interviews with 3 students will be performed at the conclusion of each cycle, with the intention of gaining deeper insights into some of the issues raised in the surveys. Objective feedback will be obtained through the use of in-class recordings.   Though checking pronunciation will be the overarching goal of this technique, secondary information will be gleaned about the students ability to stay on task, interest in the activity, comprehension of directions, etc†¦ Recordings will be made in both small-group and whole-class settings. Post-field needs assessment My hope is that a large portion of the assessment and analysis at the conclusion of the course can be accomplished through a repeat of the initial recording and transcription project assigned during the second week of class.   By having students record and transcribe a passage which incorporates the gamut of English phonology as well as respond to several prompted questions, I hope to gauge their pronunciation and awareness of themselves as speakers.   If they produce fewer errors overall and are better able to articulate their pronunciation and grammar errors the second time through, I will consider them successful learners who have completed a successful course. III. Developing Learning Outcomes The challenge in developing learning outcomes is to balance the learning space between an authoritarian approach in which the teacher is constantly forcing their goals upon the students and an anarchist approach in which each student pursues their own agenda.   Undoubtedly needs assessment plays a role in giving the students a voice in planning the outcomes of a course.   Yet I have found in my particular locale in China that students accustomed to a teacher-centered approach may have difficulty in articulating what they hope to learn in a course.   Thus in attempting to maintain a space that is both â€Å"bounded and open,† in the words of Palmer, (1998, p. 74) I have often erred in the bounded direction.   I hope in this course, through dialogic needs analysis and attempting to articulate that which my students may find difficult, to be â€Å"open to the many paths down which discovery may take us, to the surprises that always come with real learning† (Palmer, 1998, p. 75). Of course this is not to say that the teacher should approach every course with a blank mindset and allow the students to do all the leading.   Taking into account the context of the course and the beliefs of the teacher will start a teacher down the road of formulating goals for a course.   But it is important to follow up on this start and define the course goals as precisely as possible.   A course â€Å"will be effective to the extent that its goals are sound and clearly stated† (Richards, 2001, p. 112).   The better able the teacher is to articulate the goals, the more succinctly they will be able to inform their students of the direction of the course an important consideration for a course with less than 14 hours of class time. While there are a plethora of philosophies and frameworks to draw on when establishing goals,   I find myself most adherent to theories of cultural pluralism as defined by Richards (2001) and the framework of ATASK formulated by David Thomson (as cited in Graves, 2000).   Obviously, there are pieces from each of the 5 philosophies described by Richards that I find attractive, yet my setting and beliefs make cultural pluralism the most relevant and accessible to me and my students.   I think the inclusion of a teacher parameter in the ATASK (Awareness, Teacher, Attitude, Skills, Knowledge) acronym allows me to articulate learning goals that I may have for a particular course.   Though social reconstructivists or critical pedagogues may wish to explode the teacher/student dichotomy, I dont think we can throw all power structure out the window.   The ATASK framework allows me to view myself as a learner and my students as teachers, which is something likely to be beneficial to both of us. The following table briefly outlines my goals and objectives according the to ATASK framework.   The pre-course portion of my needs assessment informs some of these goals and objectives.   Table 2: Though it is te Designing an Oral English Teaching Course Designing an Oral English Teaching Course Introduction: Context Defining context is necessary for developing any course plan because the students, stakeholders and setting of the course have a large impact on all that is taught and learned. The very concepts of teaching and learning are culturally dependent and therefore care must be taken to match student and stakeholder expectations. Or in some cases it may appropriate to gently push the boundaries of what is acceptable and in so doing reveal a new way of learning and thinking. A cursory knowledge of the context is often not enough to push such boundaries. â€Å"The more information you have about the context the more able you will be to make decisions and to plan an effective course† (Graves 2000, p 18). This oral English course will take place at Leshan Teachers College in the mid-sized city of Leshan, in Sichuan province, China. This institution could be considered a 3rd tier college which grants bachelors and associates degrees to students headed for careers as secondary and elementary teachers. A minority of these English majors will go on to careers in translation, business or tour guiding. A minority will also go on for further study in various graduate fields. The institution offers no guidelines for the course except that the textbook titled Challenge to Speak by Wilson, Olson, Li, Chen and Yao (2005) be used as a text. The teacher is required to develop their own test for use in the course. The 1st year students enrolled in this course come directly from high school and the majority of them are from rural areas of Sichuan province. Many of their families work in agriculture or serve as migrant workers in factories or on construction projects in the eastern provinces. Students are often disappointed at being assigned to study at Leshan Teachers College. Many had hoped to attend somewhere with more prestige, but in spite of some initial disappointment, most are willing to study hard to improve their English. Previous to having this class, many of the students have not had a foreign teacher. Though they have studied English for at least 6 years in elementary and high school, they generally dont see English as a way to build relationships. Most of their focus in their English studies had been on reading and writing with the goal of doing well on the college entrance exams. Most of them lack the oral ability or confidence to consider beginning a conversation with the foreigners that they may occasionally see in their daily life. Though educational philosophies are gradually changing throughout China, the college entrance exam still dictates that much rote learning take place. In foreign language teaching, theories of grammar-translation and audio-lingualism predominate. Generally, students are not taught to question their textbooks, their teachers or their learning methods. Students typically follow their teachers recommendations and assignments very closely and rarely initiate studies on their own. That being said, their powers of memorization and grammar knowledge are usually quite good in comparison to their ability to speak extemporaneously in conversation. The course meets one time per week for two 45 minute periods. Due to a late arrival on campus and a week of military training, the 1st year students semester lasts only 12 weeks. With the distractions that come with adapting to life in new surroundings, the 1st semester of the 1st year typically features a lighter academic load. Many of these students have not been away from their parents before and this obviously affects students in different ways; some embrace their new-found independence while some long for home. I. Teacher Beliefs Though a course or a language program is set in a specific locale, and may try to incorporate the desires and needs of many students and stakeholders, ultimately the composition of the course or program flows from one source: the beliefs and identity of the teacher. Successful teaching requires knowledge beyond just the subject being taught; only through self-knowledge can a teacher fully inhabit the combined public and private persona that a teacher must assume (Palmer, 1998). The beliefs of a teacher regarding the subject being taught and nature of teaching and learning will have significant implications in the design of a course; however, a teachers worldview may impact his or her teaching approach in ways that are just as significant, but perhaps less apparent. Since language teaching often involves cultural differences between teachers and students, teachers may need to adjust some of their beliefs when or if they significantly violate the cultural norms of students (Graves, 2000; Lingenfelter Lingenfelter, 2003). While Johnson (1998, as cited in Graves, 2000) points out that many of a teachers beliefs can be difficult to articulate or can hide under the surface of his or her teaching, my experiences with the cross-cultural frictions found in language classrooms have often raised to my consciousness beliefs and values that would have remained hidden in monocultural classrooms. As teachers engage with different student populations, study language acquisition theory or perform action research, they may alter some aspects of their beliefs. This is only natural. The possibility of change ought to propel a teacher toward constant reevaluation of their beliefs because only an intimate acquaintance with ones beliefs allows a teacher to articulat e why a particular lesson was effective or ineffective (Graves, 2000). Nature of Language Just as language is constantly evolving and adding new words from a multiplicity of sources, so my beliefs about the nature of language continue to evolve. Originally, I had viewed language as primarily driven by the lexicon. Through performing action research on form-focused approaches, I have come to realize that grammar plays a role that is nearly as important as vocabulary (Eberly, 2008). But, language goes beyond mundane concerns such as conditional forms or definitions extracted from dictionaries; when forms and words are artfully rendered into literature, the result is somehow more than the sum of its parts. Language is capable of exquisite beauty, but it is not only in its ability to represent the physical world where this beauty is apparent. Its ability to capture the minute inner-workings of the self is peerless among the fine arts, at least in my view. As a literature major in my undergraduate years, I may be biased, yet Ive found the habit of reading literature and writing a journal to be the best means of understanding myself. Language is not only something one engages in alone, it is also a means to develop relationships. Though meanings occasionally get obscured in our speech with others, language is what separates us from animals and allows us to work together as villages, countries and with people from around the world to achieve mutually beneficial objectives. Love, as a supreme human experience, would be incomplete or impossible without language as a means of expressing that love. Language Learning My beliefs on language learning grow out of my view of language and out of my awareness of myself as a learner. The relational nature of languages and my level of connection to native speakers have played a large role in my success in learning Chinese and Korean, and my comparative failure in learning Spanish in high school and as an undergraduate. Coming from a largely monocultural area of Ohio limited my exposure to native Spanish speakers. So, during my high school and undergraduate days, I saw Spanish as book-bound and irrelevant to daily life perhaps akin to how some of my students feel toward English today. Yet living in Korea and China while I have studied those respective languages has allowed me to know the people that are connected with the languages. It has been my relationships to those native-speaking people friends, colleagues, students and above all teachers that have energized my studies and made me successful. This is very much in line with Vygotsky (1978) who first noted the crucial role that sympathetic interlocutors play in forming L1 competence in children (as cited in Lightbown Spada, 2006). Brown (2001) carried this into the L2 arena with his interactive approach which in essence declared that it is through meaningful interaction that learning occurs most effectively. Curran also recycles some of these relational ideas in his Community Language Learning approach (Brown, 2001). World View Not only do my beliefs on this issue arise out of my experiences as a language learner, they are also rooted in my spiritual understanding of my relationship to God. The Bible is a record of mankinds relationship with God and according to the Bible, humans were created for the express purpose of being in relationship with God. The arrival of Jesus on earth heralded the willingness of God to send and sacrifice his only Son so that believers might relate to more than just a book or a set of laws; through Jesus, an intimacy with God is possible. My life has been a gradual discovering of just how fulfilling this relationship can be. But though Jesus calls everyone into relationship with Him, He does not force anyone into a relationship they may not desire. This freedom of choice is an important element in any relationship and endues the weaker party with an agency, or freedom of choice, which is a necessary element in establishing an inquiry-based educational environment (Freire, 1996). Language Teaching This type of mutually respectful relationship causes not only an increase in knowledge about the other with whom one is in relationship, it also forces a reevaluation of the self as the two mutually define and refine each other. Language teaching approaches that do not in some way promote learner introspection run the risk of creating automaton learners, who, when left to their own devices, lack the ability to carry on with their learning. Undoubtedly, some implicit learner reflection on teaching and learning philosophies is inevitable when the teacher is from another culture. Yet, deliberate activities and assignments which nudge students toward greater reflection of their learning processes and preferences have been shown to lead to greater student proficiency over the long term (Snow, 1996; Brown, 2001). A host of surveys and inventories like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Rebecca Oxfords Strategy Inventory for Language Learners (SILL) have frequently been incorporated into l essons as a way to make learners more self-aware (Brown, 2001). However, the simple insertion of these surveys into a lesson does not a reflective learner make, as I have found in the past. The teaching approach itself must be designed to give students some experiential knowledge of whatever declarative knowledge such surveys may inculcate. By introducing learner-reflective strands into an approach, a teacher can foster one of the paradoxes which Palmer claims must be present in a successful classroom; the space of the classroom â€Å"should honor the ‘little stories of the student and the ‘big stories of the disciplines and tradition† (Palmer, 1998, p. 74). II. Needs Assessment Feeling that I know myself well after articulating my beliefs, there is a temptation for me to take some aspects of needs assessment for granted, especially since I have taught at the Leshan Teachers College (LSTC) for nearly 3 years. This is my 2nd year teaching freshman oral English and though I didnt do extensive formal needs assessment last year, I feel very cued-in to student needs in terms of affect, pragmatics and pronunciation. Also, part of my action research (Eberly, 2008) involved significant assessments of the grammaticality of my students speech, so I feel especially familiar with struggles the students may face in this area. Through classroom activities and conversations outside of class, I have learned much about the future plans, hopes and dreams of many of my students. Yet, student populations are not monolithic and even though the collectivist nature of Chinese culture makes it tempting to paint different groups of students with the same pedagogical brush, there wil l undoubtedly be subtle and not-so-subtle differences from year to year or group to group. The foregoing introduction has largely ignored what is potentially the biggest advantage, for experienced teachers in familiar environments, in incorporating well-planned needs assessment into their course: the effect on the learner. In addition to providing the teacher with information about how to structure the course initially or alter it as it progresses, needs assessment helps the learners to reflect on their learning, to identify their needs, and to gain a sense of ownership and control of their learning. It establishes learning as a dialogue between the teacher and the learners and among the learners. (Graves, 2008, p. 98) The dialogic nature of assessing needs is one way in which students can be â€Å"heard to speech,† a process which Palmer (1998) describes as necessary not only for the development of interpretive and analytic skills, but also as an affirmation of the humanity of the student. My hunch is that needs assessment rarely takes on a dialogic quality in traditional Chinese classrooms, which tend to be teacher-fronted or hierarchical (Hu, 2002; Pratt, 2007). Yet the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks that may stem from students initial confusion or discomfort when facing the task of assessing their own needs. Pre-course Needs Assessment Dialogue often is thought to occur between two parties, yet there are other interlocutors who contribute to the process of analyzing needs. Though they may not participate directly in the classroom, they nevertheless have important contributions to make to the direction of the course. The overarching goal of oral English classes in the view of the administration of the LSTC is to prepare students for the TEM4 oral English exam during their sophomore year. For this reason, the foreign teachers at LSTC rarely teach courses to students beyond their sophomore year. For teachers who are unfamiliar with their setting, a discussion or interview with the dean or other departmental leader would be necessary as an initial needs assessment to help establish the criteria for the course. Though I have not spoken to many parents of my students during my time here, my hunch is that they would see test preparation as the main objective of any oral English course, or any other course for that matter. A secondary concern for administrators and parents alike is the oral English requirements for any post-graduation job that the student may deign to pursue. As future elementary and secondary teachers, the students will likely need good facility with pronunciation, but fluency will not be as important. This is slowly changing though, and more and more top secondary schools are demanding teachers who can teach in English. For students who opt for other careers involving English, including business, tour guiding and interpretation, all facets of their oral English will need to be well-developed. I see the value of washback from the TEM4, which is scored on the basis of student competence in pronunciation, grammatical accuracy and fluency through the modalities of an impromptu speech, dialogue and story retelling (Wen, Zhao Wang, 2001). Yet I would seek to augment the criteria of the TEM4 with several of my own. As a firm believer in the value of relationships, I would argue that pragmatic, cultural and confidence-building activities are necessary to promote relationships between the students and foreigners. Though students and other stakeholders may not see much need for these skills, the day of Chinas full integration into the international community is fast dawning. Ive seen almost exponential growth since my arrival here in opportunities for students and recent graduates to go abroad. Also, as Chinas economic growth rate continues to outpace much of the rest of the world, foreigners flock here in increasing numbers to work, study and tour. Beyond these potential encounte rs with speakers of English, the students will have 3 or 4 other foreign teachers during their 4 years of study at LSTC and the ability to form relationships with these native speakers of English will to some degree determine a students success in those courses. The following table consists of stakeholder data collection procedures and descriptions. The procedures contained therein do more than just provide the teacher with a means to assess the needs of students, they also seek to enable students to self-assess. Though student self-assessment is not a significant facet in Chinese pedagogy, I feel these assignments will benefit them in their future language studies and in their life in general. Table 1: Stakeholder Data Collection Procedures Pre-field needs assessment Since my course is a mere 14 hours of total class time not counting the test, incorporating student input into my needs assessment will have to be done as efficiently as possible.   As a way to collect basic initial information, a survey questionnaire will be distributed on the first day of class and assigned for completion as homework. (see appendix A)   Assigning the survey as homework will allow students to use their dictionaries and work at their own pace.   The questionnaire has 2 main foci in addition to basic information needed for classroom administrative purposes.   One focus is students self-perceived weaknesses and strengths in relating to native English speakers.   Another focus is pronunciation; in what ways have students learned pronunciation, successfully or unsuccessfully, in the past? Because the Challenge to Speak 1 textbook by Wilson E., C. Olson, H-Y. Li, X-N. Chen B-H. Yao (2005) will be used in the course, the initial survey includes a list of the language functions included in this text and students are asked to rank their top three preferences in terms of functions to study during the semester as well as designate any of the functions they already feel comfortable performing.   In addition, a significant portion of the initial pronunciation needs assessment will occur in the second week with a recording and transcription project that will test students self-awareness of their pronunciation and spoken grammar. Field needs assessment In conjunction with an action research project on pronunciation, much of the on-going needs assessment will be performed concurrently with end-of-cycle data collection.   These attempts to gauge students feelings on both pronunciation and wider classroom issues will have to be done delicately to avoid overwhelming students who may have difficulty seeing the purpose behind providing the teacher so much subjective feedback.   Each of these short end-of-cycle questionnaires will feature 2 questions requiring written answers and 5 Likert survey items as well as opportunities for students to write further questions or comments about the course.   The initial 2 questions about pronunciation are likely to change from cycle to cycle; however, the Likert statements will remain the same.   Interviews with 3 students will be performed at the conclusion of each cycle, with the intention of gaining deeper insights into some of the issues raised in the surveys. Objective feedback will be obtained through the use of in-class recordings.   Though checking pronunciation will be the overarching goal of this technique, secondary information will be gleaned about the students ability to stay on task, interest in the activity, comprehension of directions, etc†¦ Recordings will be made in both small-group and whole-class settings. Post-field needs assessment My hope is that a large portion of the assessment and analysis at the conclusion of the course can be accomplished through a repeat of the initial recording and transcription project assigned during the second week of class.   By having students record and transcribe a passage which incorporates the gamut of English phonology as well as respond to several prompted questions, I hope to gauge their pronunciation and awareness of themselves as speakers.   If they produce fewer errors overall and are better able to articulate their pronunciation and grammar errors the second time through, I will consider them successful learners who have completed a successful course. III. Developing Learning Outcomes The challenge in developing learning outcomes is to balance the learning space between an authoritarian approach in which the teacher is constantly forcing their goals upon the students and an anarchist approach in which each student pursues their own agenda.   Undoubtedly needs assessment plays a role in giving the students a voice in planning the outcomes of a course.   Yet I have found in my particular locale in China that students accustomed to a teacher-centered approach may have difficulty in articulating what they hope to learn in a course.   Thus in attempting to maintain a space that is both â€Å"bounded and open,† in the words of Palmer, (1998, p. 74) I have often erred in the bounded direction.   I hope in this course, through dialogic needs analysis and attempting to articulate that which my students may find difficult, to be â€Å"open to the many paths down which discovery may take us, to the surprises that always come with real learning† (Palmer, 1998, p. 75). Of course this is not to say that the teacher should approach every course with a blank mindset and allow the students to do all the leading.   Taking into account the context of the course and the beliefs of the teacher will start a teacher down the road of formulating goals for a course.   But it is important to follow up on this start and define the course goals as precisely as possible.   A course â€Å"will be effective to the extent that its goals are sound and clearly stated† (Richards, 2001, p. 112).   The better able the teacher is to articulate the goals, the more succinctly they will be able to inform their students of the direction of the course an important consideration for a course with less than 14 hours of class time. While there are a plethora of philosophies and frameworks to draw on when establishing goals,   I find myself most adherent to theories of cultural pluralism as defined by Richards (2001) and the framework of ATASK formulated by David Thomson (as cited in Graves, 2000).   Obviously, there are pieces from each of the 5 philosophies described by Richards that I find attractive, yet my setting and beliefs make cultural pluralism the most relevant and accessible to me and my students.   I think the inclusion of a teacher parameter in the ATASK (Awareness, Teacher, Attitude, Skills, Knowledge) acronym allows me to articulate learning goals that I may have for a particular course.   Though social reconstructivists or critical pedagogues may wish to explode the teacher/student dichotomy, I dont think we can throw all power structure out the window.   The ATASK framework allows me to view myself as a learner and my students as teachers, which is something likely to be beneficial to both of us. The following table briefly outlines my goals and objectives according the to ATASK framework.   The pre-course portion of my needs assessment informs some of these goals and objectives.   Table 2: Though it is te

Hypoxia-mediated Selection of Cells with Diminished Apoptotic Potential

Cancer: Necrosis vs. Apoptosis Cancer is the second leading cause of death in humans. A cancer cell is a cell that has mutated from its original form and will often grow at a more rapid rate than normal. The body has built certain mechanisms to protect itself from these types of cells. One of the physiological processes the body uses to kill off these cells is apoptosis. Apoptosis is sometimes called "cell suicide". When the body detects that a cell's DNA has mutated and cannot be repaired, the cell will somehow trigger itself to self destruct. Up until 1972, scientists hadn't really looked carefully at how cells die. Once they did, it was apparent that two things could happen: necrosis or apoptosis. Necrosis was the term used to describe all cells that had died. However scientists have found that necrosis and apoptosis are two different processes. Necrosis is a result of outside forces acting upon a cell, causing it's destruction. Upon destruction of the cell in this manner, the internal contents of the cell are leaked into the local environment, which can be extremely harmful. In contrast, a cell dying by apoptosis does not release it's contents and potentially harm neighboring cells. Apoptosis is actually an active process within the cell. A process triggers some other process (which is not quite clear) inside the cell and tells the cell to start disassembling itself. When this happens, instead of releasing harmful chemicals into its environment, the cell is thought to send parts of itself to other surrounding cells to digest it. Roles of p53 and bcl-2 in Apoptosis The authors above and other scientists believe that the expression of the p53 gene is required for apoptosis. The p53 gene has been labeled as the tumour su... ... increases as oxygen is reduced, those cells with mutated p53 have a slower increase in death rate in hypoxic regions, compared to those cells that have normal p53 expression. This seems to point to the fact that the hypoxic regions are actually setting up a natural selection for the p53 deficient cells, and possibly other mutations resistant to death. Treatment Problems This can cause a problem when treating these cells with radiation and chemotherapy. These treatments attack the cells and attempt to destroy the DNA within the cell. This will usually cause an increase in the rate of apoptosis within the area treated. However if the cells in the area have built up a resistance to apoptosis they have built up an effective resistance to the chemotherapy and radiation. These facts could explain why the p53 gene is the most commonly mutated gene in human cancer.

A Comparison of Willy Loman of Death of a Salesman and and Torvald Helmer of A Dolls House :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Characters of Willy Loman from Death of A Salesman and Torvald Helmer of A Doll's House In the stories "Death of A Salesman," and "A Doll's House," there are many similarities. I went on to pick one character from each story whom's similarity interested me the most. The characters I picked were Willy Loman from "Death of A Salesman," and Torvald Helmer of "A Doll's House." I picked these characters because of their motivation to make it to become successful. Willy Loman, a sixty-year-old traveling salesman, is having trouble lately because he can't seem to keep his mind on the present. He keeps drifting back and forth between reality and memory, looking for exactly where his life went wrong. Having been demoted to a strictly commissions salesman, as he was in the beginning of his career, Willy begins to wonder what missed opportunity or wrong turn led his life to this dismal existence. Torvald Helmer is businessman who has recently been promoted to the position of Manager of the Savings Bank. A scrupulous man, Torvald lives his life according to society's norms both professionally and personally who feels reputation plays a big part in his success. Both stories are about a climb for success that leads to betrayal. The story "Death of A Salesman," comes with the symbolic meaning of the death of an "American Dream," or the ridding of illusion as it applies to the American Dream. The story "A Doll's House" the title reflects the main character's life and how she was treated like treasure such as a doll. Both Willy and Torvald lives are similar to the fact that they are both trying to provide for their families, but in the end they discover a great loss. Willy Loman a salesman and a firm believer in the "American Dream," had the notion that any man can rise from humble beginnings to greatness. Willy Loman motivation to become successful was he felt that he believes success comes from being well liked not worrying about qualifications and being popular you well always come out on top. Willy is a Multifaceted character who portrayed a deep problem with sociological and psychological causes and done so with disturbing reality.

Poverty and Rural Areas

I-INTRODUCTION Poverty remains the most critical social problem that needs to be addressed. Philippines' poverty line marks individuals earning less than 16,841 Peso a year. According to the data from the National Statistical Coordination Board, more than one-quarter (26. 5%) of the population falls below the poverty line in 2009. ]This figure is a much lower figure as compared to the 33. 1% in 1991. The decline has been slow and uneven, much slower than neighboring countries who experienced broadly similar numbers in the 1980s, such as People's Republic of China (PRC), Thailand, Indonesia (which poverty level lies at 8. %) or Vietnam (13. 5%). This shows that the incidence of poverty has remained significantly high as compared to other countries for almost a decade now. The unevenness of the decline has been attributed to a large range of income brackets across regions and sectors, and also unmanaged population growth. The Philippines poverty rate is roughly the same level as Haiti. The government planned to eradicate poverty as stated in the Philippines Development Plan (PDP). The PDP for the next six years are an annual economic growth of 7-8% and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).Under the MDGs, Philippines committed itself to halving extreme poverty from a 33. 1% in 1991 to 16. 6% by 2015. Understanding Philippine poverty II-CURRENT ISSUES Understanding Philippine poverty By BERNARDO VILLEGAS MANILA, Philippines – There have literally been dozens of studies on Philippine poverty over the last decade or so, by economists in Philippine universities, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and other international agencies. The latest one is entitled â€Å"Examining recent trends in poverty, inequality, and vulnerability† written by Dr.Jose Ramon Albert and Mr. Andre Philippe Ramos of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) which has produced over the years some very useful policy-oriented studies that can guide decision making in both the government and the private sector. The conclusion of the study is not a very happy one. As based on statistics released by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) for 2000, 2003, and 2006, poverty in the Philippines is seen not to have substantially changed since the start of the millennium.Although there was a reduction of the proportion of the population who were considered poor from 33. 6 percent in 2000 to 30 percent in 2003, the poverty rate in 2006 increased to practically where it was at the beginning of the millennium at 32. 9 percent. Poverty has remained mostly unchanged and has also continued to be a predominantly rural phenomenon, with three out of every four persons found in the rural areas. The outlook looks even bleaker if the Philippine economy continues to grow at the same pace as it did in the last decade or so.It will take more than 17 years for half of the poor to exit poverty even if the per capita incomes of all persons in the country were to increase uniformly by 2 percent annually (adjusted for inflation). It will take an average time of 40 years for the poor to exit poverty if annual growth per capita is at 1 percent. It is quite evident from these projections that the Philippine economy must grow at 7 percent or more annually for the next ten or more years for there to be a significant reduction in poverty.A 7 percent growth in GDP would mean about 5 percent annual growth in per capita income since population growth is a little under 2 percent per annum. The experiences of the East Asian countries over the last twenty years (especially China) is that a growth of at least 7 percent in GDP annually for 20 years or more can make a significant dent on mass poverty. The Philippines has not attained this sustained growth of 7 percent or more over the last two decades mainly because of flawed economic policies based on import-substitution industrialization and an utter neglect of countryside a nd agricultural development.We can be optimistic that the 7 percent or more growth is attainable in the next decade or so because lessons have been learned from the past errors. Today, there is greater emphasis on export-oriented industrialization and more importantly, there is keener focus on rural and agricultural development. A greater portion of the capital budget of the Government is being spent on farm-to-market roads, irrigation systems, and post-harvest facilities. No longer is agriculture considered as the Cinderella of development. The study of Dr. Albert and Mr.Ramos also showed that in the rural areas, those at the lower and middle portions of the income distribution benefited less from growth during the period studied than those at the upper end of the distribution. They found out that while inequality went down as a whole for the country and urban areas for the period 2000 to 2006, the rural areas suffered from increased inequality largely brought about by differences in the top of the income distribution ladder. In view of these changes in income distribution, headcount poverty in the country decreased only by 0. 7 percent.Had there been no worsening of the inequality seen in the rural areas where the upper-income groups were the ones who benefited more from growth, headcount poverty would have fallen from 33. 6 percent to 22. 6 percent. The very modest gains in the fight against poverty can be attributed to improper targeting mechanisms for propoor projects and the absence of monitoring and evaluation systems for program implementation. The authors recommended that propoor public interventions that do not seem to have an impact should be reoriented, especially those with implementation and targeting issues.Policies and programs oriented toward the prevention of the transmission of poverty from one generation to the next, â€Å"especially by way of human resource investments and population management† must be essential components of any s ustainable reduction strategy of poverty and vulnerability. The authors have something positive to say about the controversial program of the present Administration of conditional cash transfers to the poorest of the poor. They opine that a conditional cash transfer program, if well executed and monitored, shows promise. Improving nonfarm income in rural areas must also be a policy thrust.My view is that these nonfarm incomes can come from tourism, transport and telecom, processed food products, housing and construction, garments and clothing accessories and other small and medium-scale enterprises that can be located in the rural areas once road and telecom networks are improved. The Philippine nautical highway is a real asset for the mobilization of non-farm rural employment. The Report concludes that sustained economic growth can dramatically reduce poverty (which would mean at least 7% annual GDP growth for the next twenty years) but this entails a serious management of resource s, â€Å"including population management. If by population management, the authors mean a drastic redistribution of the 93 million people in the Philippines away from monstrous urban areas like Metro Manila to the sparsely populated regions such as Isabela, Cagayan, Aurora, Quezon, Bicol, Leyte, Samar and numerous other rural areas, then they are right. With improved rural infrastructures such as farm-to-market roads, domestic seaports and airports, telecom facilities and educational institutions, this more efficient distribution of population will go a long way to reducing poverty in the rural areas.But if they mean reducing family sizes, the authors are contradicting themselves. They repeat over and over again that poverty is predominantly a rural phenomenon and is concentrated in the households of small farmers who are poor because they have been deprived by the State of the support infrastructures they need to earn decent incomes. They have to draw water from the rivers, plow t heir fields with the most primitive methods, bring their goods to the market using roads in the most horrible state of disrepair, etc. How can you tell these rural families to have only two children?The only resources they have precisely are their children, who many times are asked to leave school at an early age because they are needed for farm work. Until the rural infrastructures are significantly improved, these rural families would need and want to have many children. III-DEDUCTIVE REASONING REFLECTING: IF POVERTY WILL HAPPEN TO OUR FAMILY WE WILL FACE IT TOGETHER I WILL HELP MY PARENTS TO EARN MONEY SO THAT WE CAN EAT 3X A DAY . INTERPRETING: Condition  where people's basic  needs  for  food, clothing, and shelter are not being met.Poverty is generally of two  types: (1) Absolute poverty is synonymous with destitution and occurs when people cannot  obtain  adequate  resources  (measured in  terms  of  calories  or nutrition) to  support  a minimum level of physical  health. Absolute poverty  means  about the same everywhere, and can be eradicated as demonstrated by some  countries. (2) Relative poverty occurs when people do not enjoy a certain minimum level of living standards as determined by a  government  (and enjoyed by the  bulk  of the  population) that vary from country to country, sometimes within the same country.Relative poverty occurs everywhere, is said to be increasing, and may never be eradicated. APPLYING: More people need to realize that jail really is not worth the trouble, when a legal system for earning is available, as long as, one is willing to learn about it. Those who work jobs that they hate, do so, because they have no other choice or cannot see what other choices they do have. Millions of people go to work every day, angry with their boss or superior, and dread walking in the door.Their job does nothing to stimulate their learning or allow them to gain anything new. It is a damn sh ame that many jobs have become departmentalized dead-end, non-money making positions. You routinely go in and do the same thing over again, there is no growth out of your position. It is not meant to have a direct impact on profits, but does have an indirect effect on profits. The poverty problem, like I said earlier, is just a lack of knowledge. There are plenty of people who simply do not have the knowledge they need or require, to progress forward.There are some people who have addiction problems, and ended up homeless, because they were most likely not brought up properly. This is attributed to many different factors, but most of all family. EVALUATING: Rapid Population Growth Given that the population of the Philippines is increasing at a rapid rate of 2. 36% per year, it can be translated as an increase of more than 5,000 people daily in a country, which already has an increase of more than four million poor people since 1985. In 1985, the absolute number of people living in p overty was 26. 5 million.This increased to 30. 4 million in 2000 and from 2006 to 2009, increased by almost 970,000 Filipinos from 22. 2 million to 23. 1 million. As the Philippines has financially limited resources and a high poverty rate, the rapid increase in population has become a problem because there is already insufficient resources to support the population, which leaves much fewer resources to improve the economy. From 2003 to 2006, even though the Philippines experienced above-average economic growth, the poverty incidence actually increased as a result of its population growth rate.Unemployment Poverty reduction has not kept up with GDP growth rates, largely due to the high unemployment rate, high inflation rate and wide income inequality. From 2000 to 2009, the economy of Philippines grew by 3. 2% on average annually, which was on par with the economic performance of its neighbors. However, this recent growth did not translate into more jobs. Unemployment in the Philipp ines has been high in comparison to its neighbors, at around 7. 5% to 8. 0% since 2006.Sources: Philippine Development Plan: Asian Development Bank (ADB), 2010; National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) *Average for the period 2001-2010 As the world’s second largest archipelago, the Philippines have faced difficulty in job creation due to its inability to attract more foreign, direct investments. Diwa Guinigundo, whom is the Central Bank Deputy Governor, mentioned that while capital flows are turning to the emerging markets, foreign, direct investments to the Philippines remain relatively low due to the weak investment climate.The Philippines have hefty business procedures, poor tax and customs administration, weak protection against expropriation and high-energy cost. This poor investment climate has limited the Philippines ability to grow and create jobs. Therefore, the poverty rate remains constant over the years. SOLVING PROBLEM: 1. Employment generation Carefully an d extensively planned employment programs funded by the government can spur growth in jobs. Industries requiring substantial labour forces can also be given significantly larger aid from the government.Focus should be placed on developing companies that offer sustainable and long-term jobs to the community. Companies should also budget sufficiently for employee training and related community programs, so that employees and prospective employees can keep their skills relevant and up-to-date. 2. Drawing on various social institutions to fund poverty fighting programs e. g. charities, research institutions, U. N. , non-profit organizations, universities. Money funnelled from every organization available adds up to powerful sums that can produce tangible change.When organizations develop an interest, albeit vested, they tend to be more strongly motivated. Organizations that have a concrete goal to achieve with strict project plans are able to efficiently concentrate their efforts into p roducing change. For this reason charities with numerous middlemen organizations should be discouraged to ensure money reaches those in need. Importance should be given to organizations that follow the teach a man to fish ideology rather than the give the man a fish one, unless in extremely dire emergency circumstances. 3. Transparency in government spendingWhere and how a government chooses to spend taxpayers’ money and its own revenue should be visible to the media and the common man. This makes governments accountable for their actions and inaction becomes easier to pinpoint and address. It also discourages corruption in government systems. For example, transparency will be especially beneficial to civilians whose government might be allotting money to its nuclear weapons program instead of to its poverty programs. CONCLUSION The main problem in our country nowadays is poverty. Many experts made a research on how to solve it.Most in the community of the Philippines are gra ving. But sad to say that until now it is still in the stage of calamity. Poverty happens everywhere. They think citiesmay offer them a better-off living. They think they'll be much better off living in the cities than in their own villages, which only offer them natural resources. Being rich and having a great sum of money instantly are often the cause of massive exodus. What happens later is beyond their expectations; they become jobless, homeless, and the worse impact is that they are unable to return to their villages for they don't even have money to return.Most poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness. Poor children are the most prone to this and are often the victims to malnutrition, deficiencies, diseases and ultimately deaths caused by hunger. The persons who are in the position must have enough knowledge about the solutions on the p roblem. They should make a step by step process to ensure the proper on the global major problem.