Qualitas of Life Foundation Profile

Qualitas of Life Foundation Profile Introduction A great number of people experience difficulties related to financial issues such as insurance or mortgage being an obstacle for these individuals to live in adequate living conditions instead of thinking about methods that can be used to save their houses or other property.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Qualitas of Life Foundation Profile specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this respect, financial literacy can be considered one of the most appropriate methods to improve the literacy of population in financial issues related to accounting, budgeting, and taxes. The Qualitas of Life Foundation is a non-governmental non-profit organization that deals with immigrants that live in the United States of America. The main function of this organization consists in helping Hispanic immigrants and their families to adjust to the financial policies and prevent scams towards these people. In other words, people should be aware of their rights and duties and should be able to act in accordance with numerous laws and acts in different areas of the financial sector. Qualitas Of Life Foundation: A Brief Overview The organization that should be described in this section was founded by a philanthropist Marcela O. de Rovzar, a Mexican individual with an â€Å"extensive career in capacity building and fundraising†1. The skills and talents of this person and her desire to help immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries enabled her to arrange the operation of this program. Every step in this organization is taken to improve the living condition of people that are not aware of peculiarities of financial issues I the United States of America. Classes are conducted in English and in Spanish though Spanish is the prevailing direction as most immigrants speak Spanish outside their primary job including educational environment. In this respect, staff members of this organization are requeste d to be fluent in English as well as in Spanish to convey the message effectively and be adequate representatives of the organization in the business environment. Speaking and writing activities are conducted in order to explain financial concepts to people and make them practice their newly-acquired skills and knowledge. Accounting and budgeting can help them to arrange their finances in terms of family income and numerous bills to be paid.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As the organization’s main function is closely related to the branch of financial education, the Qualitas of Life Foundation conduct classes and provides Hispanic immigrants with opportunities to obtain knowledge necessary for adequate organization of family finances. Besides, the organization is actively performing building and sustaining functions as a community member establishing relations with community-based organizations and making agreements to various financial institutions.2 Every member of the community can take part in the educational activities aimed at â€Å"bring[ing] together diverse groups of Mexicans and Hispanics in support of the immigrant community†3 in order to â€Å"financial literacy for Mexican and Hispanic immigrants.†4 In other words, the organization has built connections with related institutions including the immigrant community that provides immigrants with high degree of support and counseling. Financial literacy is the basic concern for Hispanic immigrants though there are many other difficulties; so, people have to take every chance to improve their skills and raise competitive advantage to be able to get a god job and provide their families with adequate financial support and education. The Way Of Governing CEO and his/her functions The organization is ran by a board of this organization and an Executive Director whose major functions include â€Å"management, accounting and administrative duties, as well as implementing fundraising strategy set by the Board President†.5 In other words, the managerial duties are prevailing for the CEO in this organization. As the Qualitas of Life Foundation is a non-profit organization, the accounting includes investments and arrangement of funds in terms of financial literacy programs and attending of immigrants in financial workshops.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Qualitas of Life Foundation Profile specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, the CEO can be considered the major person to report to the Board President and Board of Directors. In this respect, all initiatives suggested by the board are to be fulfilled and supervised by the Executive Director. As the primary functions of the CEO of this organization concern the financial workshops activities, this person has t o be knowledgeable in financing and education as well as possess good interpersonal skills. Adrin Franco is the person that currently obtains the position of the Executive Director at the Qualitas of Life Foundation. He is knowledgeable in administration and accounting as well as in educational issues. However, the organization is searching for a person to obtain this position instead of Adrin Franco while the start date is the January 2011.6 Besides, one of the functions of the new CEO will include the fundraising duties and other activities for mobilizing resources.7 In this respect, administration and management are of primary importance for the executive director of a non-profit organization like the Qualitas of Life Foundation. Size of the governing board The current members of the governing board are President and founder Marcela Orvaà ±anos de Rovzar, secretary Mariel Creo, and board members Alexis Rovzar, Gregorio Schneider, Jose Luis y Eugenia Guerrero.8 Though the size of the board might have been changed, the change was helpful because of a number of factors. The first factor concerns the operation of the board and its functions: As the main function of the organization includes the educational workshops related to financial literacy of Hispanic immigrants, it is necessary to organize the work of literacy seminars and classes and establish relations with other financial institutions and educational nonprofits as a part of the cooperation program. The next function of the board includes building and sustaining of the reputation of the organization in order people could rely on the results of the program. Moreover, the CEO reports directly to the board while he is also able to introduce certain changes to the board.9 As a rule, the changes are introduced into the organization in rare cases, mainly due to global changes in the market that can shift the priorities and alter some new vision of the problem hence presenting new ideas for solving new probl ems.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this respect, another function of the board is supervision of the work performed by the CEO and approval of his/her activities in terms of granting permission for introduction of changes or other strategic initiatives into organization. So, as the organization works mostly with people that need to improve their financial literacy, they should be ready to take into account the factor of people that includes many aspects. Most of these aspects concern job opportunities, income level, level of education, and general perspectives for employment and further work in the United States of America for Hispanic immigrants. Changes in the governing board Though changes in the Board of Directors can happen in future, it is necessary to take into account that the peculiar features of the organization require certain skills and abilities from people that can be appointed to managerial positions. In this respect, the person that can be a member of the Board of Directors in the Qualitas of Life Foundation should be knowledgeable in administration and accounting, certain financial issues though the basics of financial issues can be sufficient for the member of the board, educational issues, and bilingual approach. It is more likely that the changes in the governing board are not happening due to the fact that the founder remains the Board Director of the organization whereas all other positions are obtained by people who know their business and can contribute greatly to the overall success of the organization. Challenges And Weaknesses Potential weaknesses Potential weaknesses for the organization include the risk management in terms of the global financial crisis and other circumstances that can shift the priorities with regard to employment opportunities and necessity for providing people with financial education. Moreover, experienced administrators who know English as well as Spanish can turn out to be inexperienced in accounting and financial issues. In this respect, l ack of efficient staff members can become a real threat for the organization as the most experienced financial expert can fail to acquire Spanish in order to be able to convey the message to the class. This weakness becomes more threatening with regard to the rising number of immigrants that may want to learn financial literacy to maintain their families adequately. As a result, the organization can face difficulties with hiring appropriate employees who are engaged in education and accounting at the same time. Another potential weakness of the organization concerns the investments that include funding of the Qualitas of Life Foundation by the government though it is a non-governmental organization. The major part of the educational materials is the donation of other educational and financial institutions such as Banamex (Citigroup), â€Å"Little Sisters of the Assumption in East Harlem, Adelante Alliance in Brooklyn, HANDS and Mercy Center in South Bronx, and El Centro and the Jew ish Community Center in Staten Island†.10 Besides, the organization works with other nonprofits on the territory of the United States and Mexico. This means that the alliances are closely related and some difficulties encountered by one organization can be faced by others. Finally, the organization should be more concerned about leadership competences that are of primary importance for the organization that deals with people and educational issues. In this respect, managers have to focus more on the development of leadership competencies so that people were encouraged to acquire knowledge and improve their financial literacy. The potential weakness of this concept concerns the ability of the immigrant community to provide its members with adequate encouragement and counseling in case of certain difficulties. In other words, the organization should monitor the activities of the program members to know the difficulties and be able to predict some changes to respond to those adeq uately. However, the same aspect can be successfully transferred to the competitive advantage. Existing challenges Existing challenges that are relevant to the work of the organization include lack of connections with community members and insufficient support of Hispanic immigrants from other community members in terms of their financial education activities. In this respect, all connections that have been established till the current moment have to be sustained in order to prevent discouragement of people that take part in this program. In other words, members of the organization should monitor and supervise the members of the program so that they could demonstrate their achievements to the full extent. Encouragement and more active involvement can be achieved through advertising which can be considered one of the existing weaknesses. People can learn about the program and its opportunities from friends and other members of the community if they are active participants of the comm unity life in the United States whereas some immigrants fail to sustain relations with the community after arrival. Leadership and its development should be of primary importance for the organization with regard to the rising number of people that have appropriate skills for this type of activity though are discouraged from it. Development of leadership competencies can ensure that all members of the Hispanic immigrant community are active participants of the financial literacy programs. Cultural aspect is very important in terms of the leadership concept.11 Thus, people can fail to adapt to the leadership development policies due to lack of leadership principles in their culture. However, the members of the Hispanic community seem to be very active and ambitious in terms of active participation in the program. Ways of solving problems All the problems that exist in the community in the current moment can be solved with the help of adequate policies adopted for improvement that can be reached in the shortest possible time. In this respect, it is necessary to manage the activities of the organization adequately and try to prevent the slightest difficulties that may possible occur. As prevention is more effective and less harmful than treatment of the developed problem, the manager should adopt the most relevant way for monitoring and surveying the activities typical for this organization. Besides, the most challenging issues may concern the changes in the global market that can hardly be foreseen by an ordinary manager though risk management and appropriate policies can help the organization in managing similar issues. Choosing more adequate style of leadership can be rather helpful in the situation of the global competition. â€Å"Today, people frequently discuss leadership style, which shifts the emphasis from character, which is internal and, to a large extent, inborn, to behavior, which is external and learnable.†12 In this respect, the manager can i ntroduce certain practices that are aimed at examination and identification of the leadership more appropriate for this or that person. Developing leadership competencies in Hispanic immigrants, the members of the organization can find future employees that will adequately provide other generations and waves of Hispanic immigrants with financial literacy services. Moreover, a problem should be defined before being approached; so, the organization can invite an independent expert who is knowledgeable in risk management and similar issues to identify the problem and suggest some ways for solving it. Ongoing Success Models of work The primary issue that should be discussed with regard to the current situation in the organization concerns the funding of the project as the organization can fail to operate effectively relying only on the governmental fees as the source of funding. So, the organization can be invested by educational organizations. Besides, companies interested in financial education of their employees can make agreements with this organization for providing them with adequate services. This means that the organization can become partially nonprofit and partially for-profit. In this case, the organization can continue to provide Hispanic immigrants with services aimed at improving their financial literacy for free as it is a nonprofit organization. At the same time, members of the organization can provide other organizations with similar services for some costs. For instance, the Qualitas of Life Foundation can provide ordinary people with the same services requiring fixed costs to be paid. This option can be interesting for individuals and organizations. Though the organization works in accordance with ordinary class activity model, it is necessary to emphasize its effectiveness because it enables people engaged into this activity to ask certain questions and re-ask if they do not understand something. In this respect, Hispanic immigrants do not only gain knowledge important for their financial issues in family and budgeting but can also be used to improve the existing knowledge in the area of finances and accounting. Adaptation to increase likelihood success The success of the organization is obvious though it can be increased as well as all other benefits of the Qualitas of Life Foundation. Thus, â€Å"†¦understanding and cultivating leadership†13 can be used to increase the success of the organization after thorough analysis of changes that can be potentially implemented and considered beneficial for the organization. In other words, all policies that might be implemented to the organization should be approved by the Board of Directors.14 After endorsement of changes and various beneficial methods and models, it is necessary to plan the implementation of those practices so that the operation was not ruined with application of the previous and new techniques simultaneously. Adaptive capacity is reported as highly important for the organization in case of implementation of various changes.15 The changes should be adjusted to the organization in terms of strategies and methods used in various areas of the organizational activity resulting in success. If the manager fails to apply innovation effectively to the organization, it should be changed because the innovations can be inappropriate for certain sectors of human activity including nonprofit educational organization working with Hispanic immigrants illiterate in financial issues. Conclusion To conclude, it is necessary to overview the general principles of the Qualitas of Life Foundation. This organization is a non-governmental and nonprofit one. It provides Hispanic immigrants with financial education services aimed at increasing the level o living of immigrant population that inhabits the territory of the United States. In other words, the competitive advantage of this organization is that it provides people that are members of the immigr ant community with financial literacy services aimed at improving the level of living and preventing scams that can be faced by immigrants due to differences in financial issues, accounting, and taxes. Every member of the community can obtain the financial education for free because the organization is funded by nonprofit funds such as the governmental fees and programs. Development of leadership competencies and adequate implementation of innovative practices and methods can help the organization to sustain success with regard to changing priorities all over the globe and instability of financial issues because of the financial crisis. Crutchfield, Leslie R., Heather McLeod Grant, Fuqua School of Business (Duke University), and Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship. Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2008. Print. Dees, J. Gregory, Jed Emerson, and Peter Economy. Enterprising Nonprofits: A Toolkit for Social Entrepreneurs. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2001. Print. Dym, Barry, and Harry Hutson. Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2005. Print. Qualitas of Life Foundation, 2008. Web. Footnotes 1 Qualitas of Life Foundation, 2008. 2 Qualitas of Life Foundation, 2008. Op. cit. 3 Ibid. 4 Ibid. 5 Qualitas of Life Foundation, 2008. Op. cit. 6 Ibid. 7 Dees, J. Gregory, Jed Emerson, and Peter Economy. Enterprising Nonprofits: A Toolkit for Social Entrepreneurs. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2001. Print, 63-65. 8 Qualitas of Life Foundation, 2008. Op. cit. 9 Ibid. 10 Qualitas of Life Foundation, 2008. Op. cit. 11 Dym, Barry, and Harry Hutson. Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2005. Print, 35-36. 12 Dym and Hutson, Op. cit., 37. 13 Crutchfield, Leslie R., Heather McLeod Grant, Fuqua School of Business (Duke University), and Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship. Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2008. Print, 212. 14 Dees et al., Op. cit., 41. 15 Crutchfield et al., Op. cit., 131.

Crystal Flower - How to Crystallize a Real Flower

Crystal Flower - How to Crystallize a Real Flower Heres how to crystallize a real flower to make a beautiful decoration. Crystal Flower Materials You can do this project with any type of real (or fake) flower. Flowers with strong stems, like this thistle, work very well because the stem can support the weight of the crystals. If you use a fragile flower or a seed head, you may wire the stem or support it with a pipecleaner to help it support the weight. The crystals will absorb pigment from the flowers, producing a pastel tint, or you can add food coloring to the solution to color the flowers. Real flowerBoraxHot waterFood coloring (optional) What To Do Find a cup or jar large enough to hold the flower.Pour boiling water into the cup.Stir in borax until it stops dissolving. Add food coloring, if desired.Place the flower in the cup. You can tie a string to the stem of the flower and hang it in the cup from a pencil if you are concerned about crystals sticking the flower to the cup, but it isnt usually a big deal.Let the crystals grow for a few hours to overnight, depending on how thick you want the crystals to be.Remove the flower from the cup and gently place it on a paper towel to dry.You can place the flower in a vase to display it. Edible Crystal Flower If you substitute sugar or even salt, you can made an edible crystal flower. The principal is the same, but the crystals typically require a day or longer to grow. To get sugar crystals on a flower, add as much sugar as will dissolve in boiling hot water. Feel free to add food coloring or even a drop or two of flavoring. Let the solution cool to near room temperature before adding the flower. Place the container in a quiet location. You may need to break a top crust off the solution and occasionally move the flower to keep it from sticking to the sides or bottom of the container. You could suspend the flower in the liquid by tying it to a pencil or butter knife laid across the top of the container. The sugar solution is much thicker (syrupy) than the borax solution, so its best to attempt this project after youve mastered easier-to-grow crystals. Learn More Make a Glow in the Dark FlowerBorax Crystal SnowflakeMake Colored Flowers

An outline marketing plan for the next year for Atlantic Quench301 Essay

An outline marketing plan for the next year for Atlantic Quench301 - Essay Example The global beverage industry is dominated mostly by the fruit juice products. The soft drinks industry includes aerated drinks, carbonates, fruit juices, tea, coffee, etc. The industry is growing at a rate of more than 4 percent annually (Marketline, 2014). The growing health concerns of the consumers have lead to increased popularity of healthy fruit juices. However, the choice of fruit is market dependent, as different market has different taste preferences (marketsandmarkets, 2014). This study is based on the marketing strategies and upcoming marketing plans of Atlantic Quench Cranberries Inc. It also includes the analysis of the competitive forces present in the industry by using porter’s five forces analysis, and the SWOT analysis of the company. In 2013, the global soft drinks market made revenue of $ 624,363.5 million, which represents a growth by 4.2 percent from 2009 and 2013. The Asia-pacific market grew by 6.9 percent ($169,360.7 million) whereas the European market saw relatively less growth of 2.4 percent ($188,413.7 million). In 2013, the market consumption also increased by 3.9 percent to 571.9 billion litres (Marketline, 2014). The carbonated soft drinks (CSD) industry has declined severely in U.S as the consumers are gradually giving up consuming CSDs to curb the growing epidemic of obesity across the nation. Studies have shown that the added sugar in the CSDs is responsible for the obesity among the consumers (Marketline, 2014; Wang, Bleich and Gortmaker, 2008). As a result, the consumers are switching to consumption of fruit juice drinks, as is considered as a healthier beverage which does not contain any added sugar (CBI, 2011). This change in consumption pattern has increased the sale of packaged fruit juice products. In U.K, from 2008 to 2013 the fruit juice industry has grown by 10 percent to  £4.8 billion (Marketline, 2014). The fluctuation of price of raw fruits has declined the

European free trade zone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

European free trade zone - Essay Example The seven member countries of EFTA including Austria, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland were not willing to be the part of the European Economic Community at that time. Finland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein joined EFTA later. Under the EFTA treaty, the member countries made a partnership in order to form and manage a free trade zone, and they initially established such a region among themselves; the free trade area then eventually broadened to include the European Community. By the formation of a European free trade zone, the member countries aimed â€Å"increased productivity, a more efficient use of resources, the expansion of economic activity and full employment as well as promoting financial stability and improving living standards† (â€Å"European free trade area†). Gradually, some countries left the EFTA and presently the EFTA comprises Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. In 1992, EFTA made agreements with EEA (Euro pean Economic Area) to aid its members to join the European internal market freely. These agreements contained specific provision regarding the preservation of social policy, consumer rights, environment, and company law and statistics. In addition, the agreement also included various provisions for the mutual cooperation of EEA-EFTA Member States in various areas such as researches and development, information technology, education, industrial operations, tourism, multimedia sector and civil protection (â€Å"European free trade area†). As Ranchev and Georgi point out, in Southeast Europe, seven countries including Albania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Macedonia, and FR Yugoslavia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 27th June 2001 for the establishment of a free trade zone in that area (1-13). After the collapse of the Iron curtain, two free trade areas namely Baltic Free Trade Area (BAFTA) and Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) were for med so as to stabilize the countries under these areas for membership of the EU. However, the original members from both these areas left the agreements and joined EU after the enlargement of EU in 2004. CEFTA has spread its operations to Southern Europe by adding members from Western Balkans and Moldova regions. The EU not only operates as a free trade area but it engages in more widespread operations with its predecessor, the European Economic Community. The EU offers services to EFTA members by sharing its single market through European Economic Area and it maintains provisions for making free trade agreements with most other European countries. Presently Europe includes three multi-lateral free trade areas in addition to the European Union which maintains a single market and one former-FTA. Crises to European Free Trade Zone The European free trade area has faced a large number of crises from the beginning of its history. Although, the free trade zone implementation process for Southeast Europe has been well structured, many economists opine that this trade liberalization process may result in adverse economic impacts. Ranchev and Georgi strongly argue that the concept of free trade zone would raise potential threats to the sustainable economic growth of the

Coffee in the Philippines Essay Example for Free

Coffee in the Philippines Essay This Euromonitor market report provides market trend and market growth analysis of the Coffee industry in Philippines. With this market report, you’ll be able to explore in detail the changing shape and potential of the industry. You will now be able to plan and build strategy on real industry data and projections. The Coffee in Philippines market research report includes: Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends Detailed segmentation of international and local products Historic volumes and values, company and brand market shares Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth. Robust and transparent market research methodology, conducted in-country Our market research reports answer questions such as: What is the market size of Coffee in Philippines? What are the major brands in Philippines? How significant is vending in coffee distribution? How does the increasing nuber of speciality coffee shops impact retail sales of coffee? What are the future prospects for instant 2-in-1 coffee, 3-in-1 coffee and 4-in-1 coffee? How are coffee pods performing in Philippines? Why buy this report? Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders Track key industry trends, opportunities and threats Inform your marketing, brand, strategy and market development, sales and supply functions This industry report originates from Passport, our Hot Drinks market research database. Each report is delivered with the following components: Report: PDF and Word Market statistics: Excel workbook SAMPLE ANALYSIS TRENDS Instant coffee mixes continued to gain popularity in both off-trade and on-trade channels in 2010. Rising demand for these products was due to the ease in preparation with minimal time involved, which is highly valued by Filipinos with busy lifestyles and busy consumer foodservice operators as brewing fresh coffee makes it difficult to meet demand. Nevertheless, the type of instant coffee used in on-trade establishments is usually different from off-trade brands as food establishments with high volume consumption commonly work with coffee manufacturers to produce customised mixes made from freshly-ground coffee beans and with added flavours, but come in instant powder format. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE In 2010, Nestle Philippines continued to dominate coffee with an 81% share of off-trade volume sales and an 89% share of off-trade value sales. This was mainly due to the strong brand recognition of Nescafe, as its name is synonymous with coffee in the Philippines, and the extensive distribution network in both modern and traditional retail channels. The well-diversified product portfolio of Nescafe in instant coffee has also enabled the company to capture a broader range of consumers – from low-income Filipinos to health conscious coffee drinkers. PROSPECTS Longer working hours and busier lifestyles for Filipinos, along with the desire to streamline operations amongst foodservice establishments, are all expected to increase the demand for instant coffee mixes over the forecast period. Nevertheless, consumption of fresh coffee is expected to improve over the same period. Higher demand should be driven by a niche group of affluent consumers who are willing to pay more and focus on quality rather than convenience.

The Greek Economy :: essays research papers fc

The Greek Economy Agriculture The Greek economy depends a lot on agriculture. One quarter of the Greek workforce is engaged in farming, and agriculture constitutes about 15% of the domestic production. Not much attention has been drawn on the agricultural sector of the economy. The farms are pretty small, the division of inheriting land has reduced the average size to 3,4 hectares (8 acres) and it is really difficult to use mechanised equipment efficiently. Yields are also low due to the dryness and erosion of the soil. Let's take a look at the yearly output of some major crops: tobacco 142000, wheat 2.6 million, tomatoes 1.9 million, oranges 780000, corn 2.1 million, sugar beet 1.9 million, grapes 1.6 million, olives 1.5 million, potatoes 850000 and cotton 222000. Livestock included some 10.8 million sheep, 3.5 million goats, 800000 head of cattle, 31 million poultry and 1.2 million pigs. Forestry and Fishing The Greek government owns the two-thirds of the forestland and has materialised her plans i.e. to replace the trees that were destroyed during World War II. About 2.9 million cu m of timber were annually cut in the late 80's and approximately the 75% of the harvest was hardwood. Fish exports are limited because of the widespread consumption of fish products within Greece. However in recent years thousands of tons of fish are exported each year, due to the ever increasing development of fish farms in the country. In the late 80's the annual catch totalled 135000 tons, from which 80% was consumed within Greece. Sponges are the main marine product exported. Mining Mining is of little importance to the Greek economy. We should mention though the annual output of minerals in tons: bauxite 2.3 million, iron ore 1.3 million and magnesite 884400. Also, about 279200 cu m of marble were quarried. Petroleum, salt, chromium, silver, zinc were also produced. Manufacturing Approximately one fifth of the Greek workforce is engaged in manufacturing, which contributes 18% of the annual gross production. The manufactured products include: food, beverages, tobacco, textiles, clothing, chemicals, cement and wine. Athens is the manufacturing center of Greece. Currency and Banking The national currency of Greece is drachma. The central banking institution is the Bank of Greece. The biggest banks of Greece are the National Bank of Greece, with 470 domestic branches and the Agricultural Bank of Greece with 420 branches. Foreign Trade Generally Greece spends each year much more on imports than it receives from exports. This "imbalance" is offset to a certain extent by tourist revenues and by remittances from Greeks living abroad. In the 80's the imports totalled 3 trillion drachmas and exports earned 1.5 trillion drachmas.

Can Computers replace Teachers?…No Essay

I don’t believe it can be true! I will now justify my reasons. Teacher is the best guide of a child.One machine can do the work of 50 ordinary men. But no machine can do the work of one extra-ordinary man.and teachers are extraordinary It would be easier for a computer to build informative children but to repair a broken one a teacher is needed.. These days there is an onslaught of technology on the modern classroom. Teachers, administrators, parents, and students alike are being told that technology is the whetstone with which we can all sharpen our education system. Technology can open doors, expand minds, and change the world. That may be true, but it’s not the panacea that it’s been made out to be. As much innovation as the iPad may bring to the classroom, it’s not going to replace a teacher anytime soon. In fact, the influx of technology like iPads means there is a greater need for teachers. We need teachers who are part early adopter, part integrator , and part mad scientist. The modern teacher is willing to take chances and able to figure out just not how technology works, but how it works for each student, and where its use is most appropriate.A computer can never do all these. I too believe that personalized tech-infused learning is the future of education. However, There is a problem.It’s not about the technology. Rather, the sleek and ever more powerful devices that are coming down the pipeline are simply one part of a teacher’s toolkit. The technology is not the lesson, it is there to enhance the lesson. Our classrooms are changing, and without a doubt they will look quite different in five or ten years than they do today. New technologies are being developed quickly, and with so many different trends taking hold, it is yet to be seen what will be shaken out and what will stick. BUT One thing we feel strongly about: teachers aren’t going anywhere. Whatever word you choose – teacher, tutor, preceptor, or something else – the role a teacher plays in the classroom is huge. Everyone knows this on a personal level, and can identify a teacher or mentor who has had influence on us or changed our trajectories in a positive way. They encourage students when they struggle, and inspire them to set and reach for their goals. They are role models, leading by example and giving direction when necessary. A computer can give information, but a teacher can lend a hand, or an ear, and discern what’s necessary for a student to succeed, and to want to succeed. A computer is also unable to meet the emotional needs of the students. While  teache can relate to their her students by their past experience as they too are humans. Teacher can solve a child’s problem but of course computer can’t solve a child’s problem. A computer cannot keep order in a classroom so what would keep the students behaving? They would only misbehave more when someone isn’t there to tell them that what they are doing is wrong! So yes, technology is going to play a critical role in the future of education. But not as big a role as that of a teacher.

Discuss the concept of adolescence as a social construct Essay

Adolescence describes the transitional stage in a teenager’s life, from childhood to adulthood, where an individual evolves physically, psychologically, emotionally, cognitively and socially. It is a defined social category that is expressed through immaturity and unpredictability and allows an individual to learn and discover their sense of self and identity. The idea of adolescence came into perspective after children were expected to take on adult roles as soon as they were mature enough to, going straight from puberty to adulthood. As society changed and moulded, so did the ideas about life stages, which is evident in Erikson’s theory. Adolescence is the perfect example of our modern societies ‘social construction’. A social construct is a sociological theory based upon categorised groups in modernised cultures, devised by social constructionists who view knowledge of reality as ‘established’. Adolescence was invented because of these social constructions in westernised cultures which depend entirely on the society in which it is used. Although the concept of adolescence is commonly used and referred to in westernised cultures, it does not exist in most developing countries as they aren’t exposed to the resources which educates them about it. Instead of going through adolescence, teenagers in developing countries go straight from childhood to adulthood and have no time to develop interests or a sense of identity. Erik Erikson established a theory about the life stages of a human, starting from infancy and ending at maturity (65+). Through the use of a ‘maturation table’, Erikson was able to emphasize a wide and cohesive set of life skills and abilities that function together within an individual. Although he discussed all of the life stages, he focused on the adolescent period more thoroughly as he felt that it was a crucial stage for an individual to develop their identity. The ‘identity versus role confusion’ is a crisis which is typically evident during early to middle adolescence. It outlines the struggle an individual faces in finding stability between developing a  sense of forming a unique identity while still being accepted and â€Å"fitting in† with society. Erikson believed that when teenagers adequately navigated their way through this crisis, they would transpire into having a clear understanding of their individual identity and easily share this new ‘self’ with others. However, if an individual is unable to navigate their way through this crisis period, they may be uncertain of who they are which can result in a lack of understanding, leading to disconnection from society and the people around them. If youth become stuck at this stage they will be unable to become emotionally mature adults, according to Erikson’s theory. This period of an individual’s life allows them to investigate possibilities which will lead them to discovering their own identity based upon the result of their explorations. A westernised culture that embraces the life stage of adolescence are the Indigenous Aboriginals of Australia. The aboriginals embrace adolescence by engaging in a tradition known as â€Å"Walkabout†, which passes a boy from childhood to adulthood. Although this tradition has been around for centuries, some Aboriginals in today’s society still partake in it but have adjusted some of the regulations. Walkabout refers to the journey an adolescent boy undertakes, alternating from a laid back playful child to a responsible and mature man. Throughout this deeply spiritual and reflective stage of an Aboriginal boy’s life he will experience a greater connection to the land and nature, which ultimately becomes a part of their identity as a man. At the beginning of time the ancestors created paths for the men to follow while going on Walkabout, leading them through songs and ceremonies that connected them to important waterholes, food sources and landmarks. These paths were known as ‘songlines’ and essentially enhanced their cultural and spiritual connection with the land and their ancestors. After 6 months of living in the wilderness and exploring who they are as a person, they return with a sense of wholeness within themselves and with world around them enabling them to pass through adolescence and into adulthood. Sub-Saharan Africa lies south of the Saharan desert and is one of the most challenging places for an adolescent to live. Most of the teenagers that live in Sub-Saharan Africa aren’t given the opportunity to experience adolescence as they tend to go straight from being a child to being an adult  and taking on fully fledged adult responsibilities. The health and safety of an adolescent girl in this area can be placed at risk, as they are often forced to abandon childhood before they’re ready, limiting their chances to grow as a person, gain an education and a sense of identity. Being a young girl in Africa, it is not only unfortunate, but also very common to fall pregnant and have a baby at the age of 16 or younger. Due to this, many girls have to leave school and are forced into the world of adulthood. Enduring motherhood at a young age can make a girl particularly vulnerable to violence and most girls that live in Sub-Saharan Africa may experience abuse at least once in their life. Sexual violence and pressured sex is common, especially among female adolescents and young women. Younger mothers are more likely to experience complications or death due to pregnancy and childbearing. In Australia, teenagers experience what it’s like to go through adolescence by developing a sense of identity, achieving independence, developing a positive state of mind and discovering skills for future life stages. Although all these things can positively impact the period of adolescence, some teenagers may use this to their advantage and can endure in some dangerous behavioural activities. The most common adolescent activity that most Australians experience, is schoolies. Schoolies marks the end of tertiary education and adolescents embark on this by going on a holiday with their friends of choice, partying and experimenting with alcohol and even drugs. From youth to adulthood, schoolies week is seen as a transitional period of an individuals life which marks the transition from the discipline of school to the plunge of freedom that they partake in. In conclusion, adolescence is a period of ones life where an individual can embark on new experiences, gain a sense of identity, learn about themselves and discover who they are as a person. Although not all people go through adolescence, it is a major growing period for a person’s life and if they choose to embrace this positively it will b enefit them for the rest of their lives.

Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde Essays - Novellas, Free Essays, Term Papers

Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde Essays - Novellas, Free Essays, Term Papers Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde Chapter 1 The story begins with a description of Mr. Utterson, a lawyer in London. Mr. Utterson is a reserved, conservative man who does not reveal his true, vibrant personality. He tolerates the strangeness and faults of other. Early in his life, he watched as his brother fell to ruin, and it is noted that he is often the last respectable person that men who are turning to evil or ruin have to talk to. This foreshadows Utterson's involvement with upcoming evil. Mr. Utterson is friends with Richard Enfield, although the two are totally different from one another. They always took walks with each other on Sundays no matter what else they might have to do. As they walk down a lane on Sunday that would usually be crowded with merchants and children during the week, Enfield points out an old building without many windows, and only a basement door. Enfield tells a story of how, one night at about 3:00 am, he saw a strange, deformed man round the corner and bump into a young girl. The strange man did not stop but simply walked right over the young girl, who cried out in terror. Enfield rushed over and attended the girl along with her family. Still, the strange man carried on, so Enfield chased him down and urged him back. A doctor was called and Enfield and the doctor felt an odd hatred of the man, warning the man that they would discredit him in every way possible unless he compensated the girl. The strange man agreed to offer 100 British pounds. Enfield notes that the man is like Satan in the way he seems emotionally cold to the situation. The strange man presented a cheque signed by an important person, which they together cashed the next morning. Enfield states that he refers to the building as Black Mail House. Utterson asks Enfield if he ever asked who lived in the building, but Enfield explains that he doesn't ask questions about strange things: the more it looks like Queer Street, the less I ask. The building appears lived in, and the two men carry on their walk. Enfield continues that the strange man he saw that night looked deformed, though he could explain how. Utterson assures Enfield that his story has caught his interest. The two agree never to talk about the story again. Chapter 2 The same evening, Utterson came home. Instead of reading until sleep at midnight, he poured over the will of his friend Henry Jekyll, a doctor and very educated man. The will stated that Jekyll's possessions and position should be handed over to Mr. Hyde, a friend that Utterson had never heard nor met. Utterson went to the house of Dr. Lanyon, an old school and college friend of Utterson's and Jekyll's, and asked him about Hyde, but Lanyon had never heard of him. Lanyon uses several evil references when talking about Jekyll, such as devilish, and gone wrong, foreboding evil relations between Jekyll and Hyde. Utterson knows something is wrong between the two. Utterson can't sleep for the rest of the night. Utterson considers how the strange man Enfield spoke of could trample a child and care nothing for it. Utterson staked out the door of the strange building looking for the strange man, whom he also believed was Mr. Hyde. One night, he found him. He confronts him as he is about to go inside the strange door, and finds the strange man is indeed Mr. Hyde. Hyde is unpleasant, cool, defiant, and confident. Utterson convinces Hyde to show his face, and Hyde suggests Utterson should know his address, implying that he knows of Jekyll's will. Utterson refers to Hyde to himself as troglodytic, meaning a primitive human being, detestable and unpleasant. Utterson decides to try and visit Jekyll at the late hour. At Jekyll's home, he learns from the servants that Hyde never east dinner at Jekyll's house, but is always there in the laboratory, with his own key. The servants rarely see him, but they have orders to obey him. Utterson leaves, and reflects upon his own life, what evil deeds he may be guilty of, and what bad things his friend Jekyll may have done in his life. He decides that this Hyde must be gravely evil, far worse than anything Jekyll may have ever done. Utterson decides to try and discover what evil things Hyde has done and may be doing, but fears that his friend Jekyll will object. To finish, Utterson again considers the strange will of Jekyll, specifically that it he

Composing With an Implied Audience in Mind

Composing With an Implied Audience in Mind Definition The term implied audience applies to readers or listeners imagined by a writer or speaker before and during the composition of a text. Also known as a  textual audience, an implied reader, an implied auditor, and a fictional audience. According to Chaim Perelman and L. Olbrechts-Tyteca in Rhetorique et Philosophie (1952), the writer predicts this audiences probable response to and understanding of a text. Related to the concept of implied audience is the second persona. See Examples and Observations below. See also: AudienceAudience Analysis  and  Audience Analysis ChecklistAdaptationEssayImplied AuthorNew RhetoricPersonaReading Examples and Observations Just as the speaker need not be, and usually is not, identical with the author, so the implied audience is an element of the poem itself and does not necessarily coincide with a given chance reader.(Rebecca Price Parkin, Alexander Popes Use of the Implied Dramatic Speaker. College English, 1949)Just as we distinguish between a real rhetor and rhetorical persona, we also can distinguish between a real audience and an implied audience. The implied audience (like the rhetorical persona) is fictive because it is created by the text and exists only inside the symbolic world of the text.(Ann M. Gill and Karen Whedbee, Rhetoric. Discourse as Structure and Process, ed. by Teun A. van Dijk. Sage, 1997)[T]exts not only address concrete, historically situated audiences; they sometimes issue invitations or solicitations for auditors and/or readers to adopt a certain perspective for reading or listening. . . . Jasinksi (1992) described how The Federalist Papers constructed a vision of an impartia l and candid audience that contained specific prescriptions for how the real audience should evaluate the arguments being addressed during the constitutional ratification debate.(James Jasinski, Sourcebook on Rhetoric. Sage, 2001) Every reading of an argument yields an implied audience, and by this, I mean the audience on whom the claim is understood to be made and in terms of which the argumentation is supposed to develop. In a charitable reading, this implied audience is also the audience for whom the argument is persuasive, the audience which allows itself to be influenced by reasoning.(James Crosswhite, The Rhetoric of Reason: Writing and the Attractions of Argument. University of Wisconsin Press, 1996)Readers and Mock ReadersI am arguing . . . that there are two readers distinguishable in every literary experience. First, there is the real individual upon whose crossed knee rests the open volume, and whose personality is as complex and ultimately inexpressible as any dead poets. Second, there is the fictitious readerI shall call him the mock reader whose mask and costume the individual takes on in order to experience the language. The mock reader is an artifact, controlled, simplified, abstracted out of t he chaos of day-to-day sensation.The mock reader can probably be identified most obviously in subliterary genres crudely committed to persuasions, such as advertising and propaganda. We resist the blandishments of the copywriter just in so far as we refuse to become the mock reader his language invites us to become. Recognition of a violent disparity between ourself as mock reader and ourself as real person acting in a real world is the process by which we keep our money in our pockets. Does your toupee collect moths? asks the toupee manufacturer, and we answer, Certainly not! My hairs my own. Youre not talking to me, old boy; Im wise to you. Of course, we are not always so wise.(Walker Gibson, Authors, Speakers, Readers, and Mock Readers. College English, February 1950) Real and Implied ReadersIn Wayne Booths terms, the implied author of a text is the creator of an implied reader. But one does not need to agree with Booths conclusion that the most successful reading is the one in which the created selves, author, and reader, can find complete agreement (Rhetoric of Fiction). On the contrary, the pleasure of the text may arise from the readers refusal to play the role sketched out by the implied author. Viewed in this way, the rhetorical drama of the essay resides in the conflict between the conceptions of self and world that the reader brings to a text and the conceptions that the persona attempts to arouse.(Richard Nordquist, Voices of the Modern Essay. University of Georgia, 1991)

Supreme Court Rulings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Supreme Court Rulings - Essay Example Perhaps the most important aspect of this case is that the decision of the court to convict Johnson was against his right to symbolic speech, and was in the interest of ‘keeping the peace’ and retaining the flag as a symbol of unity. The fact that Johnson was acting in the interest of freedom of speech, using the desecration of the flag to illustrate his perspective, was considered by some (but by no means all; the final decision by the Supreme Court was 5-4 in Johnson’s favor) to be against the First Amendment. The First Amendment was brought into question here because it suggests that any individual in the United States has the freedom of speech, but the issue here is that flag-burning is not a vocal act but a physical one. It was questionable for some whether Johnson’s act should have been protected by the First Amendment or not (). The decision of the Supreme Court led to the invalidation of laws prohibiting the burning of the flag in 48 out of the 50 s tates. The majority evidently found that flag-burning was inappropriate in many cases but not a legal issue, as Johnson would have been free to burn the flag in private. Additionally, flag-burning was not found to be a unique act, in that it should not be separated from the rulings of the First Amendment simply because it is not a vocal act; it is a act symbolic of freedom of speech. Those who were against the choice felt, however, that Johnson was being inappropriate, and that the flag is a sacred or revered object that needs to be protected. Many also felt that as flag-burning had the potential to cause outrage, it was in the interest of peace to ensure that punishment was given. The importance of this case is that it shows that freedom of speech is alive within the United States, despite the fact that this aspect of the First Amendment seems to protect acts that many Americans find unsavory. It is difficult to say which side was in the right here, as is evidenced by how close the ruling of the Supreme Court is. It seems sensible to protect the flag as it is an emblem of the United States, but freedom of speech is another sacred emblem. It seems necessary to uphold the values of both, although perhaps freedom is more valuable than the simple imagery of the flag. Lee v Weisman Lee v Weisman is one of the most important cases in U.S. history because it was the first Supreme Court case regarding the freedom of religion and prayer in schools. Weisman, the father of a child graduating from Nathan Bishop Middle School, sought a restraining order on a rabbi who was due to speak at his daughter’s graduation ceremony. This was refused, and the parents decided to attend the ceremony, despite the fact that it was voluntary. After the ceremony, the family continued to seek litigation, and the vote was decided 5-4 in the Weisman’s favor. The main reason for this decision is that the constitution forbids all types of coerced prayer (not just forced), despite the fact that this prayer was written to be nonsectarian and inclusive. The fact that the Weisman family had a choice in whether to attend the graduation ceremony was also not found to be a suitable defense, because it is such an important occasion that, despite the fact the choice was there, no real choice was offered. The thought of the opposition was that the prayer was ensured to illustrate the