The Wine of Astonishment Essays - Bolo, Bolo Bolo, Earl Lovelace

In Earl Lovelace's book The Wine of Astonishment two main characters arise Bee and Bolo. Bolo's character is a warrior and he directs the people to the path of empowerment by way of the warrior for that is what he knows and who he is. Bee's character is a man of faith, patience, and a man of his people. Bee also chooses a path of empowerment for the people of the village that is defined by his character, he guides the people to the path of faith. The journey in the book has both men put their characters and paths of empowerment to the test. Who succeeds? Patience, a man of faith, and a man of the people are how I describe Bee's charcter in this book. Bee demonstrates his patience when it is tested against Corporal Price. Prince comes to the village to enforce the law against the Spiritual Baptist. Bee decides it is best to practice in the manners of the Catholics and Anglican until he one day starts preaching in the original manner of the Spiritual Baptist. After that vitalizing serm on he continues till Corporal Price raids the church. Bee realizes that for the benefit of his people they, he must wait, be patient till this injustice is lifted to preach again in the Spiritual Baptist way. Bee is truly a man of the people. In the incident when Corporal Prince raids the church Bee's first thoughts were for the people. Bee tells them Brethren, please don't run. Please don't give them the excuse to brutalize you. He knew how the police would act toward the congregation and he wanted to protect his people. Bee puts the people of the village first for he is a man of the people. Bee is a man of faith. He puts his faith in the Spirit, and the people to stay strong. In continuing with the occurrence of the raid from Corporal Prince you can see Bee's faith. The faith Bee has for the Spirit and the people when the congregation is walked though the village after being arrested and Bee joins in the hymn started by Sister Isabel which the whole congregation then joins. The hy mn goes I never get weary yet, I never get weary yet, Forty long years I work in the field, And I never get weary yet. Saying they have done this a long time now and they have still stayed strong. Here Bee puts his faith in the people and the Spirit together from the uniting of the congregation in the song of the Spirit. Bee is a man of faith, his people, and of patience, with these examples you can understand why I characterize Bee in this manner. The first descriptive words you read about Bolo are rising like a spear out of the back row, with the rest of the congregation, to sing the first hymn was Bolo. With a new kind of toughness about him, a warrior still. I would character Bolo as a warrior defiantly. He is a soldier for his people in this time of oppression. Bolo started as a warrior in the beginning and ended as warrior. When he began as a warrior with stickfighting as the book describes Bolo was in Bonasse, the champion stickfighter, the king, leading the village in battle s down the length and breadth of the island. Bolo fought in pride for the warrior inside during those times of stickfighting. Bolo's warrior disposition continued when Corporal Price was transporting the congregation (including Bolo's mother) to the police station for breaking the law of worshiping in the Spiritual Baptist manner. Bolo made a stand for the people he was their soldier willing to fight even being out numbered. The book refers to how Bolo headbutted Price till he went down. At same time Prince was going down the 9 other police office jumped Bolo. He continued to fight and fight till his head was split open by a police officer. Bolo was a warrior no matter the odds he had to face. The last demonstration of Bolo's warrior character was when he stood on the porch with Primus's 2 girls that he had taken earlier. He

Free Essays on Oil Sands

Oil is one of the most important resources consumed in modern day society. It provides not only raw materials for the making of plastics and other synthetics, but it also provides fuel for energy, industry, heating, and transportation. The fuels that are extracted from oil contribute to more than half of the world's total supply of energy. Oil provides fuel for automobiles, tractors, trucks, aircraft, and ships. Oil products are used to heat homes and commercial buildings, and it is also used to generate electricity. Oil products are the basic materials used for the manufacture of synthetic fibers for clothing, plastics, paints, fertilizers, insecticides, soaps, and synthetic rubber. The use of oil as a source of raw material in manufacturing is vital to the functioning of modern day industry. This critical analysis explores the history of oil, the oil sands process, and the economic impact of oil on the modern world. The oil industry goes way back, this sector has been an influential force to society as early as 1880. Oil’s primary use in the 19th century was for candles, grease, and lamp fuel in Canada. It wasn’t until the First World War in which this sector started to boom. By the turn of the century, oil started to fuel cars, tractors, trucks, industrial equipment, and airplanes in Canada. This era was known as â€Å"the Great Oil Age†. Oil began to shape people’s lives, cities, and countries. At the turn of World War II a new discovery of oil had been accomplished in the fields of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Finding these gas fields impacted the Canadian economy with a mighty force. â€Å"By 1990 that industry produced 550 times as much oil as in 1930, 165 times as much natural gas. And Canada’s producing provinces, especially Alberta, soon found their economies driven by powerful petroleum engines.†(Reference #2) The process involved in removing the oil sand from the mine and extrac... Free Essays on Oil Sands Free Essays on Oil Sands Oil is one of the most important resources consumed in modern day society. It provides not only raw materials for the making of plastics and other synthetics, but it also provides fuel for energy, industry, heating, and transportation. The fuels that are extracted from oil contribute to more than half of the world's total supply of energy. Oil provides fuel for automobiles, tractors, trucks, aircraft, and ships. Oil products are used to heat homes and commercial buildings, and it is also used to generate electricity. Oil products are the basic materials used for the manufacture of synthetic fibers for clothing, plastics, paints, fertilizers, insecticides, soaps, and synthetic rubber. The use of oil as a source of raw material in manufacturing is vital to the functioning of modern day industry. This critical analysis explores the history of oil, the oil sands process, and the economic impact of oil on the modern world. The oil industry goes way back, this sector has been an influential force to society as early as 1880. Oil’s primary use in the 19th century was for candles, grease, and lamp fuel in Canada. It wasn’t until the First World War in which this sector started to boom. By the turn of the century, oil started to fuel cars, tractors, trucks, industrial equipment, and airplanes in Canada. This era was known as â€Å"the Great Oil Age†. Oil began to shape people’s lives, cities, and countries. At the turn of World War II a new discovery of oil had been accomplished in the fields of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Finding these gas fields impacted the Canadian economy with a mighty force. â€Å"By 1990 that industry produced 550 times as much oil as in 1930, 165 times as much natural gas. And Canada’s producing provinces, especially Alberta, soon found their economies driven by powerful petroleum engines.†(Reference #2) The process involved in removing the oil sand from the mine and extrac...

Management Of Health Programs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Of Health Programs - Essay Example The above definition exemplifies the pivotal role a leader plays in any kind of organisation. The burden of responsibility is only multiplied when it comes to the precarious field of Healthcare Management. Apart from closely scrutinising the organisational growth, a Healthcare manager is expected to cater successfully to the needs and expectations of the patients, to be sentient to the advanced medical technologies and to ensure the safety and authenticity of various medical procedures and drugs. In the demanding health care sector, a health care manager's responsibilities extend beyond mere managerial duties. The biggest challenge faced by health care executives in present day scenario is restricting health care costs. The global health industry is already reeling under high costs, and thus a true leader should be able to devise a cost efficient method to provide enhanced treatment to patients at affordable prices. He must judicially utilise the available resources and also include technology as one of the major tools of development. The ability to envision and inviegle people into sharing the same vision is one of the vital traits of an efficient leader. According to a survey conducted by the EPIC-MRA (2007) , more than one-third (36%) of the respondents valued an envisioned leader. This attribute is even more significant in the healthcare field where the manager has to make some rather grueling decisions with a human life at stake. This foresight along with a deep knowledge of the limitations of his staff can help a healthcare manager to explore hitherto unknown ideas to solve problems as and when they arise. Given the unpredictable nature of the field, where emergencies develop by the minute, a healthcare manager should be able to juggle his resources around dexterously to achieve maximum success rate. A positive work environment is essential for tapping the full potential of the employees in any field. With unpredictable hours and stressful subject matter, the healthcare field is particularly demanding. The healthcare manager's role, thus, becomes crucial. He must be successsful in creating a constructive atmosphere, which would in turn increase proficiency and restrict failure causing elements. A manager must involve, and get involved with the staff and promote a free flow of ideas and thoughts. The manager should also seek feedback on his own performance, while encouraging that of his staff. Assigning challenging responsibilities tailored according to the individual staff members can significantly improve job satisfaction. A leader must recognize the individualistic traits of his staff and give them duties accordingly. A leader must possess strong communicative skills, in almost every field. Due to the very nature of the job, a manager is required to deal with people on multiple levels. A manager must have the necessary cognitive skills to converse not only with his immediate employees, but also with seniors and clients. In the healthcare field, the manager's job becomes even more challenging since he has to deal with patients and their families too, who can be quite pressing and demanding. Additionally, the manager also has to correspond with the pharmaceutical suppliers, public health agencies,

Race and the White American Community Term Paper

Race and the White American Community - Term Paper Example One factor that is common amongst all people in my community is that we have all immigrated to America three, four or five generations ago. We have been struggling over the generations in order to decide whether we want to adopt the identity of a pure American or at least remain, in part, associated with our background. There are few people amongst our community that is reluctant to break ties with their original homeland and thus, introduce themselves to the society as Italian Americans, French Americans or Scottish Americans. In my own family, we prefer to be called Americans, although we are originally Dutch. A vast majority of White Americans like me choose to be called Americans because this is what we are today. My ancestors were Dutch, but I am as American as anybody with the ancestors residing in this place for centuries is. In an attempt to adjust in this society, my ancestors have been working quite hard trying to dismantle their original identity, and I want to take their efforts to a further level. From the very moment my ancestors entered America, they were strongly urged by the society to forget their past, their original language and also make sure that we don’t get to learn or speak that. ...   Many people in my community are xenophobic, and they have the most unusual and strangest reason for being xenophobic than anyone can imagine. Conventionally, people develop xenophobia because they fear that the immigrants would consume the job and other opportunities that would otherwise have been available to them, but in this case, people of my community are xenophobic because they think that in-pour of the immigrants into the US from all parts of the world would suppress white Americans as a community. White Americans have conventionally maintained an edge over other races in America because of the white American majority. Whenever we talk about minority, we generally mean the people of color. However, with the rapid increase in the number of immigrants, multiculturalism is heavily cultivating in America and people of my community fear that one day, the population of the people of color would be so much that it would be sufficient to outnumber the white Americans as a majority . Thus, people of my community are xenophobic because they see themselves as a minority in the near future (Blake, 2011). This is the fundamental reason why many amongst them want to make racism a norm because they see the display of racism as a way out of the problem. I am anti-racist. I am a white American but my thoughts are way different from those of the majority of people in my community. When I tend to study the cultural experiences of people belonging to other races, I find that they are quite inconsistent with the way we suppose a democratic nation to be.  

Civil Rights in the 1960s Essay Example for Free

Civil Rights in the 1960s Essay Have you ever sat down and wondered to yourself, what it would be like if schools, restrooms, restaurants, and even public transportation were still segregated today? The majority of people who were born after the 1970’s take for granted how lucky we are as a country and nation to have overcome slavery and the steps against racism we have battled are way through. Slavery was ended when Abraham Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and was later ratified in December of 1865. Though this law ordered the end to slavery it did very little if nothing to stop the racism that was given towards blacks or any other minority. Until the late 1950’s not many presidents or Congressman had tried to legislate civil rights laws. The Civil Rights struggle that heated up to its climax in the 1960’s was neither a simple nor wanted task by any means. Many Presidents tried taking on the civil rights movement starting with Harry S. Truman. Truman was not for racial equality among blacks and often said so, but he wanted fairness and equality before the law (Patterson 378-382). Once Truman got the ball rolling for the first time since Abraham Lincoln, Truman pushed for a Civil Rights bill and the movement quickly started to escalate and it became one of the main issues of American politics. The next man to take office was John F Kennedy; Kennedy acted as though he had plans to address civil rights issues and is known for saying â€Å"Ask not what your country can do for you†¦ask what you can do for your country† in his inaugural address( ). Kennedy’s plans were never met in his short time as president due to assignation in 1963. Kennedy dying meant Lyndon Johnson was the next president to take president and her went on to make the next big civil rights legislation when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was established. It took the support of millions and the lives of thousands for our country to realize that people should not be segregated because of their ethnicity or color of their skin. One of the first and largest groups of civil rights movement supporters was young people and in particular college students. A college student in 1963 saw a very different daily landscape than a current college student sees today. Today kids grow up side by side with minority kids throughout their daily lives; back then they might have been the lucky few and grown up looking at blacks as equals, but more than likely they viewed them as inferiors, or even just plain animals. Then these young racists knew know better and went away to College and found themselves in one of the first places you could find support of the civil rights movement. There are many reasons to why the ball picked up speed so fast at universities. The first reason being the young people of the 60’s had not lived alongside slaves or indentured servants nor did they see the great depression or WW2 as had many of their parents and politicians of the times, so they had a different view on racism. The young people of the 60’s were viewed by the older generations specially those of the south, as being soft for not having to deal with the hardships they had to such as the great depression and the World Wars ( ). Instead of going to work before graduating high school like people in the1920’s and 1930’s people were graduating high school and even getting jobs. This caused for a more educated and affluent generation which usually runs along with having certain moral standings such as treating people of a different race equally to people of your own. With a generation bigger than ever before and more people going to college than ever before it caused for a huge explosion of self-freedom. There was many different ways students would show there want of freedom (Patterson 407-408). A very common practice in the 1960’s was for blacks and fellow college students to have sit-in’s at all white diners or transportation places. These sit-ins consisted of a group or single African American going in and taking a seat where only whites are allowed to sit and refuse to leave. Hundreds of sit-ins occurred around the nation and many taking place on university campuses run by students themselves. Several of these sit-ins are famed for the effectiveness they afterwards achieved and others for the violence that was caused upon the protestors (Patterson 382-386).The most famous case is the story of Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks was on a public bus in the racist Montgomery, Alabama when the bus driver asked her to give her colored seat to a white man, because the white section was full. Rosa refused to get out of her seat and it resulted in her getting arrested. Rosa was not the first African American to refuse leaving her seat for a white person but she was viewed by th e NAACP as the best case to fight in court.( ) In the famous words of Jesse Jackson, â€Å"In many ways, history is marked as before and after Rosa Parks. She sat down in order that we all might stand up, and the walls of segregation began to come down( ).The support of white students to follow fellow African American students to sit-ins was not always there. Local and national news stations started to air live footage of what was happening on the streets to protestors of segregation. The emotion put on a young college student when they see one of their peers that attend college to get an education just like them gets blasted with a fire hose from ten feet away or gets viciously attacked by police dogs. This picture caused thousands of other students to want to fight for change as well. Along with the new access to live feed news there were people such as Martin Luther King Jr. who were doing all they could to paint the realistic picture of the life of an American black man during segregation. Luther got his point across in multiple ways including his famous memoir, â€Å"Why We Can’t Wait†, in this memoir he explains how horrible the everyday life of an African American in America can be and how politicians for years have just looked over the horrific treatment of blacks and that it has been too long and the time is now(King Jr 11-13). Besides the sit-ins occurring across the nation African Americans and whites were also organizing marches to protest segregation as well. Along with the marches inspiring speeches such as Martin Luther King’s famous â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech were given. King’s 17 minute speech that was given in front of over 250,000 Americans on the steps of Lincoln Memorial, is one of the most well-known and moving speeches in American history(Patterson385-386). A large number of the people in the crowd were college students, due to the appeal Martin Luther King drew from young people. He gained this appeal by talking of equality of races and the chance for any man or woman to become whatever they pleased and not be held back due to race, religion or any other difference a person may have. While students saw the abuse blacks were taking simply for the color of their skin they started to join together on marches and attending civil rights rallies. The more the King, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, and many others protested and spread the word of unfair treatment the more support of younger generation people began to support the civil rights movement. Another reason for the large involvement of college students within the civil rights movement of the 1960’s was due to the dramatically growing amount of student organized groups that were fighting for true democracy and equality to all. One of these organizations was the Students for Democratic Society (SDS). SDS was founded in 1960 but had roots dating to the early 1900’s; the goal of SDS was to mainly protest and voice the message that equality to all and peaceful means makes a successful country ( ). SDS was not the only organization that was taking big steps to get the civil rights movement moving, there were hundreds if not thousands of organizations that were meeting about and protesting the civil rights movement. These groups were known for telling young people what they wanted to hear and some even became militant groups. Membership in these organizations grew drastically once Lyndon Johnson started sending more and more troops into Vietnam. The Vietnam War itself had little impact on the civil rights movement of the United States, but it did however portray the world image that America was not going to let communistic governments take control of countries and deny their own people of civil rights. Many Americans did not agree with the war and saw it was neither the time nor the place to go and fight a war on foreign soil when the devastating effects of WW2 were still in the back of people’s minds. The largest critic of the war was overwhelming young people, they saw themselves as the ones being sent to die for a reason that was not worthy of American lives. Though segregation and a war in Asia seem to have little in common on the surface, during the reform of the 1960’s they found each other going hand in hand. Many African Americans of the United States believed that if we were fighting in a foreign country to reserve their people’s civil rights, then they would soon get their civil rights protected as well. They were mistaken and by this and the huge support of the anti-war movement and the animosity growing against the current segregation laws molded into one giant movement. This movement being carried by young people, who saw the possibility of change, carried throughout the nation and became the biggest civil rights movement in American history since abolishing slavery (Patterson 413-422). Now that we have an idea of what growing up with segregation looks like and how it can split a nation in two, I think I can say that joining the activist movement when it began in the 1960’s was almost a no brainer to many young people of that generation. They had a tremendous amount of pressure from their fellow black peers to be viewed as equals, they had an unwanted war fueling a large part of the country, and they were also a generation that believed in change and ending the horrible acts that were committed under segregation. With all the pressures from outside sources and the generation as a whole going through a freedom crisis, college students came together and became the perfect torch barrier’s for the civil rights movement.

Effects of Globalisation in Education Essay

Effects of Globalisation in Education Essay Globalisation has brought about many changes in human lives. Globalisation, which started off in the West, was brought about by many factors. Some of it is the the emergence of the information technology and also the economic competition between different countries (Jarvis, 2007, p. 44). Here, it is obvious that globalisation was about the economic benefit at first and later had also impacted many others categories of human lives such as education and environment. The impacts and effects of globalisation could be seen everywhere, from the food industry to the music that one listens. Some would argue that globalisation benefitted the mass, and therefore it is something good. However, some would refute by saying that globalisation has also had some negative impacts. Therefore, I would like to find out and discuss the effects of globalisation specifically in education. This paper would examine closely the effects of globalisation in education in terms of commodification, internationalis ation, citizenship and also accessibility of knowledge. This essay would argue that although globalisation brings some positive effects, it also brings some negative effects that sometimes could be considered to outweigh the benefits of it. The arguments will be put forward by first defining globalisation and then highlighting some of the different types of globalisation. This will be followed by discussing the impact of globalisation in education in terms of commodification, internationalisation, citizenship, and accessibility of knowledge. Last but not least, this essay will discuss the implications for teachers in a Malaysian secondary school classroom. Definition of Globalisation There are tremendous amount of literature on the definition of globalisation. Globalisation seemed to an easy word to define at first. However, there are many definitions of it where each and one of these definitions are looked from various different perspectives such as social, economy and political perspectives. From an political point of view, Beck (2000, p. 11) defines globalisation as a process through which transnational actors undermine sovereign national states with varying prospect of power, direction, identities, and network. From a communication point of view, globalisation as a concept refers to both to the compression of the world and the intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole (Robertson, 1992, p. 8). Similarly, Luke (2005), stated that globalisation is how the world is shrinking in the sense that people can communicate to each other instantaneously through the use of technology especially the internet. On a different plane, Waters (1995, p. 3) looks at globalisation as a social change where physical boundaries of place on the social and cultural aspects are diminishing and the public are aware that it is diminishing. Looking from a social perspectives or point of view, globalisation is the escalation of global social relations which connect far localities in such a way that local events are influenced by events occurring in the far distance and vice versa. (Held, 1991 cited in Morrow & Torres, 2000, p. 29). Therefore, it can said that globalisation is the weakening of the physical boundaries surrounding the nation or states, in which affects aspects of human life such as culture, social interaction, economy, politics and many other aspects. The less visible boundaries mean that people are more likely to interact with each other. If the interaction is between people or party of same position or status, the interaction could be in a neutral way. However, if the interaction is between people or party of unequal status or power, the more privileged will tend to influence the less privileged it can also happen that the less privileged might want to imitate the more privileged in order to live the same condition as the opposite party. When looking at the definitions of globalisation, it is important to also highlight the different types of globalisation. Here, cultural, economy and political globalisation will be discussed closely. Cultural globalisation is about the spread of one stronger element of culture, which in many cases, would be the American culture. This is done through the American media which penetrates most parts of world. Songs, films, and many more are easily available around the world (Jarvis, 2007). Besides, he also argues that many new cultural institutions have become industries where these institutions are trying to sell their culture. However, one would argue that cultural globalisation could also strengthen the culture in particular society if the member of the society choose to resist the wave of global influx of different foreign culture. According to Jones (1998, p. 146), cultural globalisation includes deteriorating religious mosaic, a deteriorating cosmopolitanism and diversity, widespread consumption of simulations and representations, global distribution of images and information and universal tourism. Therefore, it can be said that cultural globalisation is the process where the l ocal cultural aspect of a community disappears in certain rate and substituted with a global culture. On the other hand, economy globalisation includes several aspects such as transnational companies. Transnational companies are companies that operate at a global level without needing to follow a certain nations law and regulation (Bottery, 2006). These companies bring profit to the nation through taxation. These companies possess a huge influence as they are not bound to a countrys law. Transnational companies have power beyond the nations or the states (Jarvis, 1998). Besides, economy globalisation also includes the bigger organisations such as International Monetary Fund (IMF) which provides loan and fund to developing countries. However, it is crucial to highlight here that this economy globalisaton is the setting of other types of globalisation (Bottery, 2006). This is because economy is the source of income and the setting of work for people. According to Jones (1998, p. 145), economy globalisation includes freedom of exchange between localities with flows of services and symbo lic commodities, balance of production activity in a locality determined by its physical and geographical advantages, minimal direct foreign investment, flexible responsiveness of organisations to global markets, decentralised, instantaneous and stateless financial markets and free movement of labour. Political globalisation looks at the diminishing power of the state where due to globalisation, the power is local authority might be weakening. According to Jones (1998 p. 146), political globalisation is portrayed through an absence of state sovereignty and multiple centres of power at global, local and intermediate levels, local issues discussed and situated in relation to a global community, powerful international organisations predominant over national organisations, fluid and multi-centric international relations, a weakening of value attached to the nation-state and a strengthening of common and global political values. Thus, the meaning of being a certain country or nations citizen also gets blurred. The notion of citizen is not as a unified and unifying concept as before when there is certain loss of nation-state sovereignty, or the erosion of national autonomy (Burbules and Torres, 2000, p. 14). The Effect of Globalisation in Education Having looked at the brief categorization of globalisation in general, this section will focus on the effect of globalisation in education. This section will look at commodification, internationalisation, citizenship and accessibility of knowledge. Commodification is the term used to describe commodification can be seen in two ways, the displacement of use values by exchange values or in general to describe how consumer culture becomes embedded in daily lives through various ways (Ball, 2004, p.4). This consumer culture that is a global phenomenon today has also affected the education sector. Commodification of education is evident from the primary school to the higher education. Many are affected by, especially the parents and the students. Due to the competition for the entrance of an excellent school, parents and the learner will be under a lot of pressure to prepare themselves so they can qualify to this prestigious or high-league table-ranked schools. The society without noticing is drawn to this concept of education commodification due to the societal pressure. Similarly, the teachers and staff in these schools are forced to work hard to maintain the schools league table position so they can maintain the financial support from the government. The demands of competition, the information provided by League Tables, pressures from the state for performance improvement and target-achievement and per-capita funding, in a period of spending constraints, work together to create local economies of student worth where schools compete to recruit those students, most likely to contribute to improvements and performance (Ball, 2004, p. 10). Therefore, in this situation the commodification of education does not really seem to benefitting the learners, or the even parents. This cycle of incentives for performance is not something good as it contradicts with the value of education. Due to globalisation, the power of sovereign has been reduced. Instead, there is a new concept of citizenship emerging (Capella, 2000).Capella argues that in light of globalisation, citizenship has run away from private sphere and is more open. Besides, democracy is also a sign of the reduced function of citizenship. This has also an effect in education where the introduction of module and courses on being a global citizen. These courses also echo the concept of democracy. .Another effect of globalisation is the internationalization of education. Internationalisation is the process of intergrating an international or intercultural dimension into the teaching, research and exercise function of the institution (Knight, 1994, p. 16 cited in Knight, 1999). Internationalisation is about globalisation. Internationalisation happens usually at higher level education. There are many reasons for the internationalisation of the higher education. One of it is the internationalisation will help foreign policy of a country. Through internationalisation, a country will be perceived as welcoming and friendly to the different cultural aspects. In other words, internationalisation will indicate that the country appreciates the various cultures that exist are open to accepting them. On an economic point of view, internationalisation will help attract investment from foreign countries to a country. This will boost the countrys economy through the investments (Knight, 1999 ). By internationalisation, the quality of teaching and learning process could be improved. This is because internationalisation encourages acceptance of various culture and integrates this in the teaching and learning process. The students will be exposed to various source of knowledge about the world. This knowledge of the world will help the learners to understand and make sense the difference and similarities people around the world have from one culture to another. Besides, internationalisation will also encourage partnership between various universities around the world. This is because through internationalization, one common medium of interaction will be chosen between the cooperating universities, which will likely to be English. Having a common language and some similarities will further encourage cooperation work between universities from different countries. Another effect of globalisation in education is that the accessibility of knowledge. Through the internet, many different kind of knowledge are readily accessible on the internet (Robertson, 1992). This means the acquisition of knowledge by students are much faster since there they have wide range of knowledge available for them. This would help students and teachers in their learning process. This rapidly growing information on the net could facilitate learning process by providing references and validating certain concepts that the learners are confused or unable to comprehend. Besides, the teachers and learners can build a network system through the net where they can talk and communicate with teachers and students from any part of the world through the internet. This would help teachers and learners to create a global view of education n based on their communication with people from around the world. However, this might also be a problem for the students since with the huge amoun t of information available on the net, the reliability of some of the information is sometimes questionable. Therefore, it is important for the learners to be able to distinguish between reliable and unreliable information. Besides, it is also important for them to be able to choose and pick which information that is suitable for them. The downside of this body of knowledge available on the internet is that it cannot be accessed by people in certain parts of the world where the communication technology is not at par with the latest communication technology (Burbules, 2000). This in a way widens the gap between the education progress in a developed country with a well-equipped information technology facilities and the education progress in a developing country with poor information technology facilities. In a less progressed country where it is already a struggle to maintain teaching and learning process, the people will not know what they have missed by the lack of facilities. Another aspect of the manifestation of the accessibility information is the distance learning (Foley, 2003). Distance learning is the teaching and learning process which does not happen in a physical classroom, but instead happens in a virtual classroom. This distance learning was already available before the existence of the internet through the use of post. However, the invention of the internet has taken distance learning into a whole new level. Distance education has enabled more people to gain access to education through the many different types of online courses offered by universities and other online course providers. One of the benefits of this distance learning is that the learning process can be done in learners own time, without any peer pressure form classmates. However, the drawback of distance learning is that the reduced or loss of the human touch in the learning and teaching process. Human touch in the form of communication with one another is important in learning. Implications to Teaching and Learning Process in a Malaysian Secondary Classroom. Having discussed the impact of globalisation in education on a global level, tis section will try to relate back the impact of globalisation in education in a Malaysian context, specifically in a Malaysian secondary classroom. Malaysian secondary classroom consist of students for the age of thirteen to seventeen. These students come from various backgrounds. First and foremost, one of the main implications the effect of globalisation in a Malaysian context is the teachers and students should be aware of the effect of globalisation in education to the Malaysian education system and also to the global education policy and reforms. Here, the teacher training college plays a crucial part in incorporating the effect of globalisation in education to the teacher trainees. This is so that future teachers will be aware of the effects of globalisation and then try to inform the students and then create awareness in the students. Besides, it also a teachers responsibility to make the learners aware of the multi dimension of globalisation that exist beyond Malaysia. This will help the learners to be able develop critical thinking based on their awareness of the world around them. Furthermore, the appreciation of unique multicultural society that exists around the world, not only in Malaysia should be made known to the learners. On a similar note, it is important to realise that a teaching method or education policy that is a success in one environment is not necessarily can be taken and put it into another context. This might not work as the context is as important as the policy itself. Another implication that can be drawn from the discussion above is that it is important to realize that the abundance of information and knowledge available on the internet comes with a price as well. The implication of these to the Malaysian education especially in a secondary classroom is that the learners should be equipped with the necessary skill to filter the knowledge and then distinguish between facts and non-facts. In order to do this, the teachers should give some exposure of this kind of activity in the classroom. This will help learners, the secondary school students to be able to pick and choose the fact from the rest. Besides, it is also important to be able to pick the information which is useful for the individual rather than using all the information available. CONCLUDING REMARKS Globalisation is a powerful process that has influenced many aspects ranging from education to politics and economy. Even in the field of education, globalisation has touched and influenced many parts of education. The internationalisation, the distance learning, the new form of citizenship and commodification are the examples of the endless effect of globalisation in education. On the surface all these seem to be having a positive effect on the education section. However, upon detailed scrutiny of these impacts on teachers, educators and learners in particular, it is evident that globalisation can also negatively impact the learners, teachers and educators. The crucial question here is whether these negative effects outweigh the positive or vice versa. Besides, another thought provoking question is whether the advantages of globalisation is worth fighting for. Therefore, a future teacher who would be directly in the education system facing all this kind of situation should be aware of the impact of globalisation in education and are able make conscious decision about it.

Sony Marketing Plan

A Company Profile Leslie Siedlak Marketing 470 Professor Schramm February 13, 2013 Executive Summary Sony is a global manufacturer of electronics both for consumers and professional markets. Sony’s most popular products include digital cameras, televisions, personal gaming systems, and personal computers. Sony competes with many other companies in the consumer electronics market including Samsung, LG, and Apple. Current Market Situation In the consumer electronics market, competition is at an all time high.With new technologies emerging constantly (3D TVs), it has become increasingly important to be the first and most innovative company. According to Yahoo Finance and MarketResearch. com, in 2014 the consumer electronics market is forecasted to have a value of $289. 5 billion, an increase of 14. 1% since 2009. SWOT Analysis Strengths: * Founded in 1946, Sony has become one of the well-known brands in the consumer electronics market. * History of innovation. From the Walkman to the Blu-Ray disc. * The Playstation, a home gaming system, is one of the company’s most popular products on the market.The Playstation been successful since inception and still has tremendous consumer demand. According to TechCrunch. com, sales of the Playstation 3 reached over $70 million in cumulative sales since its inception in 2006. * Not only is Sony in the consumer electronics market, but it has its own recording label and Sony Pictures Entertainment, which produces television and films. Weaknesses: * The high cost of media production has affected Sony’s pricing strategy. As a result, the company is losing an increasing amount of money and market share. * Too much diversification.Many consumers are confused as to what Sony produces. With music labels and entertainment/film studios, Sony has shifted from its core competency as a consumer electronics brand to a brand with too many forks in the fire. Opportunities: * To integrate its product line, Sony can take ad vantage of both its music and entertainment ventures and incorporate their gaming systems to deliver value added content. * Since Sony’s acquisition of $645 million in Olympus, Sony has the opportunity to enter the healthcare industry. Olympus has a 70% global market share in endoscopes.Since Sony provides image sensors to Olympus, Sony could benefit even more by acquiring these stakes. Threats: * Price competition from competitors such as Apple, LG, and Samsung * Hackers have been known to invade the Playstation network, which resulted in stolen customer information such as credit card numbers and addresses. Objectives Sony’s objectives focus on society and reducing impact on the environment. Reducing the impact on the environment includes all parts of R&D, especially finding ways to reduce waste in product packaging and distribution.Sony believes in full disclosure of product information and performance of the company. Marketing Strategy Sony’s marketing strat egy includes invigorating a brand that was once so popular in the market. Creating solid customer loyalty is also a large part of the Sony marketing plan. Action Plan Sony has developed a series of slogans over the years including â€Å"The One and Only,† â€Å"It’s a Sony,† and â€Å"Like No Other. † Currently Sony’s slogan is â€Å"Make. Believe. † The current slogan is representative of Sony’s commitment to reinvigorating the brand.It wasn’t until 2009 that Sony launched its first advertisement. Sony has used several celebrities in their marketing strategy in the past. To show how real 3D looked, Sony used Peyton Manning and Justin Timberlake targeting both sports fans and music fans alike. Slogans like Sony’s make consumers believe they are purchasing a product that is superior to others on the market and helps consumers to develop a deeper brand loyalty. To increase market share and awareness, Sony continues to use popular celebrities to endorse their products.From Taylor Swift to previously mentioned Justin Timberlake, Sony understands that targeting younger consumers leads to a deeper brand loyalty. Financial Projections In Quarter 2 of 2012, Sony slashed its financial forecast due to slow game sales and less than stellar sales of its new gaming system, the Playstation Vita. The original forecast was projected at 16 million units sold of both Vita and Playstation Portables worldwide. Today, Sony has cut that projection by a large amount, down to just 10 million units by March 2013, which will result in a total financial loss of $198 million Implementation ControlsImplementation control is designed to assess whether the overall strategy should be changed in light of unfolding events and results associated with incremental steps and actions that implement the overall strategy. † After the security breach if Sony’s Playstation, Sony launched a â€Å"Welcome Back† campaign af ter countless customers private information was hacked. Sony presented customers with 4 new games to show their appreciate for their loyalty during the hacking. Summary Analysis Sony is diversified in the market both in consumer electronics and those for professional use; this leads to a tremendous opportunity for growth.Sony also focuses on a wide variety of products from cameras to gaming systems, which could lead to domination of the consumer electronics market. Sony however, is not doing very well in marketing their products to the consumer. They are too diversified in comparison to successful companies such as Apple, who stick to a few products in the same realm and have created tremendous customer loyalty over the years. Sony seems to be confused on what to do, whether to be in consumer electronics or marketing towards professional markets. Sony should focus on one market in order to gain profits and develop a stronger following.