Becoming Self Directed Learners

For an individual to be successful there is a need to become a self-directed and a self-aware learner. Being one entails the person to exercise habits which can influence his success. These habits are the so-called Habits of the Mind, which are presented in this paper, are most important to be practiced by both students and professionals in order to acquire knowledge and in order to discover that learning is, indeed, fun and exciting.In the context of being a self-directed learner, it is very evident that there is a need for an individual to possess skills and talents which makes him unique and which can make him the best student and professional he can be. However, to direct one’s self is not an easy tasks for it takes one to have patience and understanding that everything in the surrounding comes from a certain origin and that is what has to be discovered in the learning process. Moreover, self-directed learning and being a self-aware one makes an individual acquire more kno wledge other than what is taught and given within the four walls of the classroom.As mentioned, having to practice the 16 habits of the mind is the important factor which greatly influences a person’s success and his way towards being a self-directed and self-aware learner. Other than these 16 habits, there are also other factors which are important; these includes focusing one’s attention on the tasks and responsibilities being assigned to and being able to have that initiate and common sense to take necessary actions should the need arises.This paper clearly discusses how a student and a professional must engage themselves in behaviours and attitudes which can contribute to their success. INTRODUCTION All individuals have the intention of becoming a successful professional in whatever field one wants to engage himself in. There are factors which can influence the success of a person. It all starts in having a god foundation of basic, secondary and tertiary education. Academic institutions must, therefore, give the best instructions to all students so they can land a good job soon after they graduate.On the other hand, the success of a student could not only be attributed to the instructions given the teachers within the four walls of the classroom. There is also a need for the student to learn things on his own, to explore the world and to discover things which are not taught in school. It is a fact that everything is not learned from school. Some things are learned through experiences; reading books, newspapers; watching television shows and browsing the internet. These are not only the sources of information. There can be a lot more should a student is willing to devout much time of it.One of the many factors in which a student must develop in his early years of schooling is the ability to direct his own self towards the learning process. To possess the ability of self-directed and self-aware learner makes him easy to understand the instructi ons given by the teacher and to discover the wonders of the world. A self-directed learner and a self-aware one is one of the important behaviours each student must have in order to achieve what they want to achieve and in order to become what they want to be in the future.Successful business and government leaders in the country have the initiative to learn and discover things on their own; thus, they have practiced being a self-directed and a self-aware learner. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION Students use various ways to learn and students have various intellectual levels, either. But this must not hinder one’s desire to be ahead of others and to learn new things other than those being taught in school. One of the attributes of being a self-directed learner is the ability to apply the 16 Habits of the Mind. These habits have been characterized by successful personalities in the world.These include having the persistence and perseverance to complete a task, being an impulsive manag er, to listen to others with understanding and empathy, to think with flexibility, have the ability of metacognitition, to strive for accuracy, to question and pose problems, to apply past knowledge to new situations, to think and communicate with clarity and precision, to gather data through all senses, to respond with wonderment and awe, to create, imagine and innovate, to take responsible risks, to think interdependently and to remain open to continuous learning.These habits focus the attention of the students and professionals on the processes and strategies to engage in an effective learning environment. (Campbell) The behaviour to direct one’s self to learning is a process and a psychological predisposition of the learner. In this process, the learner, on his own, identifies his needs, defines his learning goals and develops and implement the learning plans. Those who are successful in the practice of this process are those who are highly ready for self-directed learnin g which happens to be a complex mixture of knowledge, skills, habits and attitudes.(Guglielmo,P) In addition, self-directed learning is natural process in which it has not lost its power to output a high quality education which can bring fulfilment. For self-directed learning, the learner must choose the content on his own, be able to determine schedules, to learn with great passion and to lead and live a very productive life. Self-directed learners have the initiatives to develop learning style on their own. They are responsible in their own time and action. (Langerfeldt)For a student or a professional to become a successful self-directed and self-aware learner, one must possess the ability to engage himself in new styles and ways to acquire knowledge. With the advent of information technology, there are various styles which can then be applied by anybody who craves success. Being a self-directed and self-aware learner requires one to be a leader on his own. Being a leader means be ing real, being authentic. Being a leader also means focusing one’s strengths on the tasks assigned and to never forget that there is always a room for improvement and being a leader means to capitalize on one’s uniqueness.(Ambler,2006) In addition, there is a need for an individual to raise his awareness on the things that matter most. To raise self-awareness, one must be given choices regularly. For the teachers, there is a need to put himself on the learner’s shoes, the teacher must analyze the advantages of this type of learning and the teacher must be able to employ effective strategies to ensure that learning is facilitated in the most easy and convenient way. (Chojnacka,2000)To become a self-directed and self-aware learner, one has to practice mindfulness- that is to focus on the most important things which can contribute to the success of his own self and to the company, in general. There is also a need for an individual to know himself so he can make ch oices on how he can respond to the demands of the people around him and the situation he might encounter in the future. When one has an in-depth understanding of his own self, it is much easier for one to be consistent and to follow and trust those people who are sincere. (Ambler, 2007)The most important factor to influence one’s success is having the ability to direct one’s self in learning and be more aware of the people and the environment in which he is a part. Another characteristic of becoming a self-directed learner is the ability to be resourceful – to explore, investigate and delve into the reasons behind the existence of things. Being enrolled in the world class academic institution is not the only assurance to become a successful and an influential person; but also having the ability to lead one’s self towards the endless quest for knowledge.Students must always remember that learning is a continuous process; hence, they must acquire skills whi ch can make them different from the rest. In self-directed learning, the learner must be able to understand and recognize that learning includes actions on their part and they must acquire certain skills and knowledge to meet their learning needs. There must also be strategies in which these are flexible and adaptable to the learner to ensure that the process is conducted in a very smooth flow. (Wulff, Burke & Hurley, 2001)CONCLUSION In the world where competition is so stiff and strong, there is a need for an individual to possess skill which makes him ahead of others and which makes him more saleable than others. This starts in having the ability to learn and engage his self in activities which can enhance his critical-thinking and logical skills. To become a self-directed and self-aware learner, one must have the reasoning ability and the initiate to take actions on how to uncover the truth behind the existence of everything.Not only should this be sought by the learners but also the unending process of learning must be fully understood. It is, therefore, important for students and professionals to become self-directed and self-aware learners in order to excel and to bring pride and glory to the organization in which one works. It may not be an easy task to become a self-directed learner; however, it is a very fulfilling one. Lastly, in the area of learning, being a self-directed and self-aware are important behaviours which students and professionals must possess.RECOMMENDATION Becoming a successful student or professional is no easy task for one must be a self-directed and self-aware learner. To become such, it is recommended that students, as early as their education years, must practice the habits of the mind in order to exercise their thoughts and to invoke their reasoning ability to be able to cope with the demands of the people and the environment. It is also important for the teachers to give activities to students which allows them to think rationa lly and with deep understanding on what they are doing.In the same manner, in the professional world, there is also a need for an individual to engage his self to activities which enhances greater chance of developing his skills such as listen and understand that no two people or situation are the same. The attitude of listening and understanding are two most important factors for one to become a self-directed and self-aware learner. In addition, it is also recommended that an individual must, at all time, use his initiative in attacking problems. REFERENCES Ambler, G. (2006). †Leader, Be Yourself†. Retrieved on May 3, 2009 at [WWW] http://www.thepracticeofleadership. net/2006/04/03/leader-be-yourself/. Amber, G. (2006). â€Å"The Practice of Mindfulness†. Retrieved on May 3, 2009 at [WWW] http://www. thepracticeofleadership. net/2007/07/18/the-practice-of-mindfulness/. Campbell,J. â€Å"Theorising Habits of Mind as a Framework for Learning†. Retrieved on M ay 3, 2009 at [WWW] http://www. aare. edu. au/06pap/cam06102. pdf. Chojnacka,E. (2000). â€Å"Raising Self-awareness in advanced Learners Practicing Listening Comprehension†. Retrieved on May 3, 2009 at [WWW] http://www. iatefl. org. pl/tdal/n3selfaware. htm. Guglielmo,P. (2003).â€Å"Becoming a More Self-Directed Learner†. Retrieved on May 3, 2009 at [WWW] http://media. wiley. com/product_data/excerpt/49/07879650/0787965049. pdf. Langerfeldt, B. (2009). â€Å"Self-Directed Learning-The Seven Benefits of Designing your own Education†. Retrieved on May 3, 2009 at [WWW] http://ezinearticles. com/? Self-Directed-Learning—The-Seven-Benefits-of-Designing-Your-Own-Education&id=1054279. Wulff,S. ; et al. (2001). â€Å"Guided Self-Learning: Strategies for distance and On-site Education†. Retrieved on May 3, 2009 at [WWW] http://www. uwex. edu/disted/conference/Resource_library/proceedings/01_7. pdf.

Cost and Southwestern University Essay

Southwestern University (SWU), located 30 miles southwest of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, has witnessed tremendous growth in its football program (see Southwestern University: A, in Chapter 4). With that growth, fueled by the hiring of legendary coach Bo Pitterno, has come more fame, the need for a bigger stadium, and more complaints about seating, parking, long lines, and concession stand prices (see Southwestern University: C, in Chapter 6). Southwestern University’s president, Dr. Joel Wisner, was not only concerned about the cost of expanding the existing stadium versus building a new stadium, but also about the ancillary activities. He wants to be sure that these various support activities generate revenue adequate to pay for themselves. Consequently, he wants the parking lots, game programs, and food service to all be handled as profit centers. At a recent meeting discussing the new stadium, Wisner told the stadium manager, Hank Maddux, to develop a break-even chart and related data for each of the centers. He instructed Maddux to have the food service area break-even report ready for the next meeting. After discussion with other facility managers and his subordinates, Maddux developed the table below. This table shows the expected percent of revenue by item, the suggested selling prices, and his estimate of variable costs. Item | Selling Price/Unit | Variable Cost/Unit | SalesUnits | Soft drink | $1.50 | $ .75 | 10000| Coffee | 2.00 | .50 | 5000 | Hot dogs | 2.00 | .80 | 2000| Hamburgers | 2.50 | 1.00 | 5000| Misc. snacks | 1.00 | .40 | 3000| Maddux’s fixed costs are interesting. He estimated that the prorated portion of the stadium cost would be: salaries for food services at $100,000 ($20,000 for each of the five home games); 2,400 square feet of stadium space at $2 per square foot per game; and six people in each of the six booths for 5 hours at $7 an hour. Maddux wants to be sure that he has a number of things for President Wisner: (1) break-even point in dollars for all food sales; (2) realistic sales estimates (for instance, he wants to know how many dollars each attendee is spending on each food item at his projected break-even if attendance grows to 70,000); (3) what sales per attendee would be if attendance remained about 27,000; and (4) what his unit sales would be at break-even, that is, what are his sales of soft drinks, coffee, hot dogs, and hamburgers. He felt this latter information would be helpful to understand how realistic the assumptions of his model are.

Week 2 CYB632 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 2 CYB632 - Assignment Example In this case, the attacker sends a packet to a host with a forged IP address. The host then sends an acknowledgement waiting for the response. However, this response is never given and hence the unanswered queries accumulate in the buffer of the device being targeted. When many spoofed queries are sent, these results in the overflow of the buffer and the network device may crash (Liska, 2003). Secondly, IP spoofing can also be used in man in the middle attacks. In this case, the attacker is able to intercept the traffic that is heading between two given devices on a network. This helps the attacker monitor network traffic and may gain access to sensitive information such as passwords and usernames. Unfortunately, it is usually difficult for users to know the traffic is being intercepted by the attacker since each packet is eventually forwarded to the desired destination. The best countermeasure that can be used to address IP spoofing is ingress filtering performed by routers. In this case, the routers check that all the incoming packets are from legitimate sources or machines. If the router determines that the IP address on the packet is not in the address block the interface is connected to, then the packets are dropped. A penetration testing report gives the results of a vulnerability assessment and the penetration test of a given system in an organization (Lee, 2009). This report also offers recommendations on how the risks identified can be mitigated. A penetration test report is important to any organization or business. First, this report helps the organization enhance the security of its systems. In the modern world, the damage that can be caused by hackers can be extensive, and this may significantly affect the operations and survival of the organization (Lee, 2009). Therefore, the pentest report helps identify vulnerable areas within systems and provides guidelines for addressing them. This helps the

Risk Management - Critical Analysis Research Paper

Risk Management - Critical Analysis - Research Paper Example In addition, I also focused my analysis on how the history of the scenario contributed to the current state of affairs. I made a conclusion that top managers must be change-oriented to serve the interest of the company, external and internal customers. I also recommended that firm must ensure that change-resisting managers are dismissed to realize the company objective. In this paper, I will showcase how I managed to restore normality based on the risk of employee mass dismissal that led to strike within my workplace. The employee had been complaining about poor working conditions, as well as poor wage packages in our company for a long period of time, but the top management did not take any actions. The situation became worse with time as the manager was rigid and resisted change at all levels. The commandeering style of leadership that he portrayed at the workplace never augured well with the employee who decided to join hand to benefit from a collective bargaining but all their grievances fell on deaf ears. Several peaceful boycotts followed putting the company operations at a risk. Production declined to a greater degree, and the sales volume reduced to a worsening condition with lower employee productivity due to dissatisfaction. The top management ignored the pieces of advice that arose from the emergency and risk department to which I led an d thus it became very difficult to counteract the scenario proactively before it gets out of hands. I tried on several occasions to talk to the executives about the impending risk attached to the employees’ job dissatisfaction ranging from the threats of shuttering the brand image, low sales and even the collapse of the company. However, the executive would never buy any of my ideas as they have more positional power and authority of my position. The results were the company worsened reputation, low sales, massive loyal customers withdrawal with the greater possibility of the company collapse. I will,

The Roles of Product Life Cycle Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Roles of Product Life Cycle - Case Study Example The main objective of product policy is to evaluate the risks and hazards that a product can cause during its life cycle by incorporating all the phases of product development, the possible players, trade policy and procurement, economic instruments, materials regulations, inter-trade agreements, environmental and labeling laws, and product design (Charter & Tischner, 2001). For this reason, product policy encompasses corporate policy and planning, development, portfolio management, life cycle assessment, brand management and marketing strategy. The other key concerns are reflecting good science, protecting confidential business information, avoiding technical barriers to trade and ensuring that a product has timely access to appropriate markets around the world (Gorchels, 2007). In effect, product policy refers to all aspects of development and management of a firm’s product, including branding and packaging. It also looks at key issues related to the 4Ps of marketing  œ product, price, place and promotion – to determine if the product will have good exchange value, at what price will it appeal to consumers, which particular market should it be addressed, and what marketing strategies should be employed to actualise the desired sales transaction.The initial step in observing an effective product policy is to define the core product, such that in the case of a car manufacturer like BMW, the firm decides if it will be a luxury top-of-the-line vehicle or a moderately priced sedan. Then the firm assesses the benefits that customers will derive from the core product. Next, the product is built around the core, which involves the design, packaging and the features calculated to provide the desired benefits and quality. Good practice of product management dictates that a new product stays longer at the

RFID Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

RFID - Coursework Example One of the Companies that provide that Radio Frequency Identification Device services is ODIN; it is considered to be one of the leading international companies that offer RFID software. This software is currently highly applied in large business companies that intend to track their services or products. Moreover, ODIN has also facilitated the provision of RFID software that is currently applied in tracking of vehicles and passengers in planes. One of the risks associated with RFID technology is ascribed to privacy of information; experts have argued that improper application of this technology may lead to jeopardy of the privacy of information transferred. On the other hand, increased cost of operations is another risk associated with the implementation of this technology. This technology has also been associated with enhanced processes of operations; that is, it has reduced the amount of time needed to handle certain aspects of business operations. Technology experts have also asserted that the use of Radio Frequency Identification Technology has also been associated with enhanced security i.e. in the transport sector. The risks associated with the use of Radio Frequency Identification Technology can be reduced through implementation of proper security measures i.e. use of passwords to access information transferred from RFID gadgets installed in vehicle and

The Social group to which people belong can influence their health and Essay

The Social group to which people belong can influence their health and their quality of care - Essay Example eals that ethnic minority groups are increasing quickly in number, (this may be attributes to some immigration and to differences in fertility rates) and account for 73 per cent of Britain’s overall population growth. The trend among minority ethnic groups is to concentrate in urban areas, in particular London. The table below, as available from the Office for National Statistics, will help us understand the distribution of the population of UK into different ethnic groups. Research has shown that minority groups suffer from worse health and have also a lower level of health consciousness. The social class to which a person belongs seems to be the overriding factor in determining the level of health he enjoys and the healthcare he receives. Studies underline the differences that exist in the incidence of ill health depending on the social class. It has been noticed that there are higher incidences of infective and parasitic diseases (like pneumonia), violence and poisonings among lower social classes where the victims often even include children. Adults in these classes are more likely to suffer from cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease than Whites belonging to a more affluent class. a. There are a higher proportion of smokers among minority ethnic groups. Due to their social disadvantage there is more likelihood that they have grown up in a household with exposure to tobacco smoke and they become smokers at a very young age. This happens when the brain is still developing and causes irreversible developmental changes. Awareness to the negative effects of nicotine is very low among these groups. b. Health care inequality has been found to be based on ethnicity differences rather on the disparities in religion. The areas in which the study was carried out had a high percentage of Muslim population (53%) mostly of African, Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin. There is clear evidence of higher smoking rates among men in this population and higher

Historical Speeches and the WOW Factor Assignment

Historical Speeches and the WOW Factor - Assignment Example Kennedy prefers repeating some praises that will have impact on the people and prompt them to continue with the same spirit. These include, â€Å"†¦Let them come to Berlin...† which he was addressing to the world and other people who preferred the communists’ way of governance. He also chooses figurative words and statements like â€Å"....indivisible† and â€Å"sober satisfaction† when referring to the state of freedom and relieve of the people respectively. The writer’s major technique encompasses appreciating and shunning any incidence of demeaning the audience. This is via giving the hope of maintaining their struggle coupled with stating great things in future that will result from their hard resolutions to stand for the truth and justice. He also refers to his audience as an example in the world where each state ought to emulate besides deriding the communists’ erection of a wall meant to hold its subjects captive. Kennedy’s then speech in this context was effective due to the neutral ground that he adopted regarding the assassination coupled with his remorseful state. He shunned all cases that will lead to blame games and called upon the people to focus to the future, where there will be equality and love among America’s races (American Rhetoric, 2001). i. â€Å"to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King -- yeah, its true -- but more importantly to say a prayer for our own country, which all of us love -- a prayer for understanding and that compassion of which I spoke† (American Rhetoric, 2001). iii. â€Å"†¦.Weve had difficult times in the past, but we -- and we will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; and its not the end of disorder.. † (American Rhetoric, 2001). Kennedy decided to use a low tone in this particular speech compared to other occasions when addressing the

Market Model Patterns of Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Market Model Patterns of Change - Essay Example This paper aptly examines the patterns of change in the Wal-Mart market model. Wal-Mart is a perfect example of a business operating in an oligopolistic market structure. This is because they have low prices in the market enabling them compete healthily with other businesses dealing in similar products/services. Secondly, Wal-Mart operates with fewer sellers in the market giving them mutual interdependence over the other firms in the business. The long term effect of Wal-Mart operating an oligopoly will result to rise of economies of scale.This is because they will take advantage of having been in the markets to put barriers to other business wishing to join the business. Secondly, Operating under oligopoly market structure, Wal-Mart may collude to form a monopoly form of market structure, therefore, dictating their terms in the market. As a short term effect, Wal-Mart will be forced to renew their strategies of working because they will be facing different competitors in the market (Roberts & Berg, 2012). Secondly, Wal-Mart will enjoy controlling its market share for short period of time, but because the market is free for other to join, they will soon lose their popularity in the market as new firm producing same products will be cropping up to share the market it enjoyed. An example is that today, Wal-Mart may holds a substantial share in the market by its products but the case will be different in a year or two because there will be other new companies providing same products and at even better quality. There are various factors affecting the degree of competiveness of Wal-Mart. They involve both internal, external and delegations and functions of the management. The productive measures affecting Wal-Mart competitiveness is their capability in retailing. The business has various stores situated in various strategic places. These stores seek their profits by retailing their products through high volumes and using low mark-ups to give them a competitive advan tage over other business dealing in the same line of products. Secondly, Wal-Mart achieves their competitiveness owing to their standardized pallets, tight delivery schedules and computerized tracking. This has given them an edge over many businesses dealing in the same line since they are not in a position to raise enough capital to ensure efficiency in the systems. They are also able to use their technology as a source of marketing, therefore, minimize on their revenue spending. Thirdly, Wal-Mart prices play a significant role in influencing their activities and encouraging their competitiveness to other businesses. This is because it is an economy of scale, therefore, they purchase raw materials at a much cheaper price compared to other businesses that are not yet economies of scale. They also distribute their stock to a large numbers of stalls located strategically hence minimizing cost related to transport and other related activities. Being an economy of scale, Wal-Mart is off ering prices for its products that cannot rejected by the customers and in the process enjoys a large customer base for their products/services (Dunne, 2011). An accurate price determination of Wal-Mart’s competitors will significantly influence pricing decisions in Wal-Mart. The two chief competitors of Wal-Mart include

WEEK 8 DISCUSSION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

WEEK 8 DISCUSSION - Essay Example From the onset, one can acknowledge the fact that the content in the seminar articles do have a strong correlation to the doctoral study it delves on international finance, the current market trends in a dynamic global world, the capital markets of various economies, and the financial dynamics of running international businesses (MacCarthy, & Atthirawong, 2003). As clearly stipulated in the journal articles, the doctoral study also follow a rather similar approach in that it identifies the need for continual change in business technology and marketing strategies in order to meet the demands of the diverse global market (MacCarthy, & Atthirawong, 2003). The journal articles identify stringent international policies and unwillingness by concerned government authorities to cooperate with international companies as major hindrances to international trade. This is particularly so in Asia where cultural and environmental restraints determine the nature of business in Asian countries especi ally India. This is commensurate with the doctoral study topic in that the two identify as far as aspects of international trade are concerned. Some of the research methods posed in the seminar articles such as quantitative methods are essential in the doctoral study in that the seminar articles add more information to the case study due to the proximity of the two cases of study (Sinkovics, Penz, & Ghauri, 2008). The Asian perspective will help in answering the research question concerning the socio-cultural and environmental factors that influence the business behavior of Indian corporates with respect to international companies (MacCarthy, & Atthirawong, 2003). It is evident from the peer-reviewed journals that both the quantitative and qualitative methods of research design are viable in conducting research on international business perspectives.

Ethics Program for Nonprofit Management Consulting Services Essay Example for Free

Ethics Program for Nonprofit Management Consulting Services Essay Our clients are placing a high level of trust in us and we must honor that commitment by ensuring no confidential information is disseminated outside our company or to those inside the company who may have a conflict of interest. Above all else we will be professional with our clients and work to the best of our ability to provide them with unrivaled service. Since we specialize in working with nonprofit companies the majority of clients we work with will have an Ethical Code as well. When available we will take their Code of Ethics into account for any work we will be doing where we act on their behalf. Since we work with many nonprofit and volunteer based organizations we encourage everyone to volunteer and donate time as they see fit with the following guidelines; 1) Volunteering will not be done to curry favor with the business before they are a client. 1) Volunteering will not be done during an active consulting project with the company you are consulting with. 2) It is up to you to determine if volunteering for one of our clients will result in a conflict of interest. Training Program All New-Hire employees will receive a minimum of Four (4) hours of Ethics training during their first week with the company. At a minimum the following will be covered; 1) Code of Conduct 1) Actual ethical situations that have arisen with the company in the past a. Bribes / Gifts b. Conflicts of Interest c. Relationships with Clients 2) Who to talk to if an ethical situation or question arises d. Owners e. Ethics Point Hotline At the end of the training you should be able to understand the following items (Ferrell, Fraedrich amp; Ferrell, 2008); 1) Recognize Situations that might require ethical decision making 1) Understand the values and culture of the organization ) Evaluation the impact of your ethical decisions on the company 3) The difference between your ethical values and those of the companies. During your training if you have any suggestions to add or have ethical situations you’d like to discuss please do not hesitate to bring it up with the trainer. We understand that everyone has had experiences in personal life and when working with other companies. Those experiences can help us expand and improve upon on our existing training and update our Code of Conduct as required. Training Program – Yearly Refresher At a minimum of once a year, the entire company will convene for an Ethical Situations Round Table. Topics will include newsworthy stories of other companies and any closed ethical issues within the company. This is a time not only to discuss ethical situations but to work as a group in finding the ideal solution to how the company should handle similar issues. We want to be a step ahead and be prepared for events that could affect the company. Reporting/Monitoring of Discussing an Ethical Situation During your time with the company you may run into situations that you would like guidance on. The Owners of the company have an open door policy for talking about these issues. It is better to talk about them before they happen than after they happen though. The Owners will work with you on the situation for the best outcome for the company. They are invested in the company and ensuring the company makes ethical decisions ensures long term growth and profitability. Alternatively we have contract with Ethics Point to provide a hotline for reporting or discussing ethical situations if you do not feel comfortable talking with the owners about the situation in question. Your call to Ethics Point (Hotline Reporting -, 2012) will be confidential but information about the situation will be reported to the owners so they can work through the situation. The company also leverages Microsoft Exchange for monitoring E-mails of all Employees to proactively deal with potential ethical issues that may arise while working with our clients. Due to this type of monitoring we highly recommend that personal issues are not dealt with using your business e-mail address. Investigating Ethical Issues or Situations The company has contracted with Ethics Point to handle the investigation of any serious Ethical situations. Due to the nature of Ethics Violations it can be a conflict of interest in our small company if the Employees or Owners were tasked with these investigations. We also do not want to create a hostile atmosphere during or after the investigation. During an investigation your cooperation with Ethics Point is required. Failure to cooperate with the Investigation will lead to disciplinary actions that may include termination of employment. Disciplinary Action for Ethics Violations While we hope that we are able to provide you with enough training, reinforcement and the cultural atmosphere to be able to avoid an ethical issue, it does happen. Violations of the Code of Conduct will be handled by the CEO with recommendations from Ethics Point if they are if they are handling the case. Action will be based on the following items: 1) Damage of reputation or character of the company 2) Loss of Clients 3) Actions taken by the company to remedy the situation Action taken will be one or more of the following: 1) Additional Ethics Training 2) Leading one of the Yearly Ethical Discussions 3) Volunteer time with the Nonprofit of your choice 4) Time off w/ out Pay or use of vacation 5) Transfer of Account(s) to another consultant 6) Termination of Employment Reviewing and Improving our Ethical Culture At the end of each year after the yearly discussions all aspects of the Ethics code will be reviewed and updated as required. With the ever changing business environment and new situations that are constantly popping up in the media it becomes mandatory that we do our best to keep the Ethics program relevant. With all things relating to the Ethics Program we encourage feedback and suggestions throughout the year, not just at the yearly meeting. All suggestions received throughout the year will be discussed by the owners frequently and any changes to the program will be made. The ethics program belongs just as much the Company as it does the employee. The employees will rely on it as a frame of reference for how to work through difficult situations and the company will rely on it to guide the employees in their daily activities. If the company is successful the employees will be successful. In addition to the yearly meetings and annual review of the Ethics Program, every 3 years Ethics Point will audit the program and supply recommendations that may be implemented.

Cognition, Memory and Perception Essay Example for Free

Cognition, Memory and Perception Essay Forgetting is the inability of a person to retrieve, recall or recognize information that was stored or still stored in long term memory. (McLeod, S. A. 2008). In terms of short term memory, forgetting is caused by interference between past and new information that most modern accounts that holding on to. In some older models, forgetting is explained using a process of passive deterioration of information. Comparing both accounts, interference seems to have a better explanation of forgetting. Secondly in terms of long term memory, forgetting occurs when one fails to remember and unable to reactivated the memory circuit of given information. In general, forgetting seems to happen in between short term and long term memory. It will occur when information is to be encoded or information is not linked to any memory circuit through interference. (â€Å"What is forgetting in psychology? †, 2008). However, nowadays, there are theories of forgetting in cognitive psychology that are still difficult to test by researches, because one may in fact not forget, but have trouble retrieving information from one’s memory storage. For examples, one forgets about an event such as attending a friend’s birthday party just because the individual were only remembering another event that is more important to him such as a wedding dinner. The examples of the theories of forgetting are encoding failure, decay theory, interference theory, retrieval failure, motivated forgetting and repression. The author of this paper will going to critically asses on the psychological theories on why people forget. According to Freud (1901), the father of the psychoanalytic school, believed that one will forget of what threatens them. For example, experiences that express in abusing, horrifying, hurtful, tense and ego-dissatisfying will pushed back to the unconscious. Based on the opinion of writer on this paper, it is not necessarily that one just forgets about what threatens them but also forgets the information that does not seem important to them. This scenario is similar to the theory of encoding failure whereas the particular information in short term memory that did not manage to encode in the long term memory and the information did not enter to the memory. Besides that, encoding failure also can be result of stress. Based on Yerkes-Dodson Law, too much stress results can cause performance to decline, sometimes sharply if cognitive or nervous breakdown is triggered. A downturn can also be caused by excessive attention to a task such that extra factors that are important get missed. Secondly, the decay theory, this theory suggests that memory traces in the brain will fade over time through lack of use and become inaccessible. Decay theory suggest that forgetting is a psychological process and it is an idea that when a memory has a physical or chemical trace of the experience in the brain when it is laid down. This traces will fade as time passes unless it is reinforced through repeated times of use. For example, when a person meets a new friend, the name of the friend is just like a trace to the brain. But when the person did not manage to meet up with that new friend for a few days, the name of the friend will slowly decay and might not recall it after. However, researchers have not shown that decay theory causes forgetting of something that is stored in the long term memory. In addition, based on the author’s opinion, memory such as driving skills, riding bicycle skills and swimming skills would not decay even though after a period of time, not every memory trace will fade over time. Some studies of the hippocampus have shown a pattern of rapid and then gradual decline of neutral pathways by Anderson (1995).Besides that, there are two types of the interference theory that is, proactive interference and retroactive interference. The definition of the proactive interference is when old information interferes with the new information that cause forgetting. Example of proactive interference theory is when a person who learned many formulas in additional mathematics for a year and learned new sets of formulas for modern mathematics for a month and the person will interfere with the knowledge of additional mathematics while doing modern mathematics. On the other hand, retroactive interference occurs when new information learned interfere with the old information that stored in the memory. Remembering the names of the new students by a lecturer is an example of retroactive interference where the new students name will nterfere with the names that were previously stored. However, researches pointed out that real life interference might not occur so readily. The retrieval failure theory was proposed by (Tulving amp; Thomson 1973). This theory is known as a cue dependent forgetting that explains forgetting as inability to retrieve material due to an absence of the right cues. In order that one person to retrieve information from the long-term memory, they must depend on the type of cue or prompt which they use and this theory explained that why sometimes that one who unable to remember the material that is certain in our memory. For example, a person cannot remember doing his homework until him or her saw the workbook on the table. This proves that the workbook provide the right retrieval cue. According to Freud (1901), the retrieval of the repressed memories is possible only under special circumstances using a few psychoanalytic techniques. On the other hand, there is a tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon (TOT) that could help one to retrieve forgotten memories. TOT is an example of how we intentionally search for cues that will prompt the retrieval of a specific memory. For example, a person that forgets their neighbor pet’s name and only remembers the dumbbell which hangs around the neck of the pet. By reading the word dumbbell, TOT assists the person to recall that the neighbor pet’s name was Dumble. Furthermore, the motivated forgetting is a case of retrieval failure referred to Freud, (1901). What it actually meant by motivated forgetting? According to Freud (1901), motivated forgetting is that we are motivated to forget the events or actions that is painful that cannot be solve in the memory by pushing it into the subconscious and actively repressing with it. In other words, these experiences are repressed in the unconscious and unable to retrieve when needed. Besides motivated forgetting causes oneself repression of memory, it is possible that one forgets is based on instructions of others and also known as the intentional forgetting or directed forgetting. Anderson, Baddeley and Eysenck (2009) stated that intentional forgetting also refers to forgetting which is initiated by a conscious goal to forget. McNally, Clancy, and Schacter (2001) also stated that loss of autobiographical memories, especially memories for unpleasant or disturbing events has used to explain the intentional forgetting. However, based on the author’s opinion, motivate forgetting on the memories of pain, unpleasant, and disturbing events are unhealthy to one’s body, physically and mentally. What if the capacity of the subconscious has a limit and it cannot continue to repress any more of the memory of negative events, it will causes an unwanted pressure and stress on the individual emotionally and lead to suicide if it reaches the limit. Last but not least, theory of repression, proposed by the psychologist Sigmund Freud. Freud (1901) stated that the unpleasant memories such as sexual abuse, bullying, torture or any traumatic experience which undergoes the psychological process which automatically and unconsciously prevents emotionally distressing memories from coming into our conscious awareness. In the event or experience in the present such as watching a video, hypnosis or hearing music may triggered the repressed memories back into conscious awareness. However, he stated that, repressed memories cannot deliberately bring back unless it was triggered. The memory researches pointed out that the retrieval memories come back into awareness through suggestion by the patient’s therapist in fact are false memories. In the nutshell, all the theories above that have discussed which are the encoding failure, decay theory, interference theory, retrieval failure, motivated forgetting and repression. Overview of this research, readers can determine that every theories of forgetting have relation between one another and it is all related to the short-term memory and long-term memory. If the short-term memory does not exist, there is no long-term memory. In the author’s point of view, some of the theories that have discussed above are too narrow in scope and did not manage to cover all the factors such as emotion of a person that will lead to forgetting. In the author’s opinion, every psychologist that is doing on the same research should investigate and plan the experiments together so that all the psychologists able to brainstorm on their findings and share their thoughts together in order to improve their theories. Besides that, I believe that, all the human being does not want to repress all those negatives events that had ever happened in their lives into their subconscious mind. This is because after repressing or suppressing those memories into the subconscious mind, it would not provide safety precautions in terms of physically and mentally to everyone. What if one day, one person those who suffer from sexual abuse and torture since childhood and triggered that memory back and do the same thing to others. This will lead to even more people suffers.

Canadas Decision To Withdraw From The Kyoto Protocol Politics Essay

Canadas Decision To Withdraw From The Kyoto Protocol Politics Essay Canadas decision to leave the Kyoto Protocol in 2011 resulted in countless debates and controversy in Climate Change discussions. This paper therefore aimed to provide answers to the ethical question whether Canada decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol was a move in the right direction. To do that, the issues of moral responsibility, justice as well as Canadas interest in a global economy were analysed as it relates to the Kyoto Protocol. The research concluded that Canada should not have withdrawn from the Kyoto Protocol according to the moral obligations in reducing global greenhouse emissions as well as the financial burden to meet such a reduction in emission is relatively constant over time. Keywords: Kyoto Protocol, justice, moral responsibility INTRODUCTION The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets over a five-year period (2008-2012) for 37 industrialized countries and the European community. This was done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions causing global warming which sum up to an average of 5% compared to 1990 levels. While the Convention encouraged industrialised countries to stabilize GHG emissions, the Protocol commits them to do so, this being the major distinction between the Protocol and the Convention. Recognizing that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of GHG emissions in the atmosphere as a result of more than 150 years of industrial activity, the Protocol places a heavier burden on developed nations under the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. (UNFCCC). The Government of Canada officially notified the UNFCCC on December 15, 2011 that Canada would exercise its legal right to withdraw formally from the Kyoto Protocol. Canada was committed to cutting its greenhouse emissions to 6% below 1990 levels by 2012, but in 2009 emissions were 17% higher than in 1990. Environment minister Peter Kent cited Canadas liability to enormous financial penalties under the treaty unless it withdrew. In order to fulfil its obligations, the country would have to purchase a significant and costly amount of international credits using funds that could be invested on domestic priorities. (Government of Canada). Canadas decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol resulted in a lot of debate and controversy whether or not the Protocol is effective and provides the long-term solution the world seeks to the problem of Climate Change. Our goal in this essay is to analyse whether Canada decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol was a move in the right direction. The responsibility of the government of Canada to take (in) actions on the treaty represents an ethical issue. To what extent is Canada obligated to other countries of the world as well as to current and future generations of mankind on global warming? Was Canada ethically right to withdraw from the treaty? Should Canada put aside its own interest in order to be more committed to the Kyoto Protocol and help solve the global issue of climate change? In order to provide answers to these questions, a detailed analysis of the issues at hand has been carried out. Section two describes the role of Canadas responsibility as well as its moral claims in Climate Change negotiation. Section three discusses the issue of International justice as it relates to the Kyoto Protocol while section four assesses Canadas interest in global discussions on Climate Change. A number of concluding remarks based on the preceding precepts were provided in section five of this paper. RESPONSIBILITY: ASSESSING MORAL CLAIMS IN INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATIONS This chapter addresses the role of responsibility to climate change negotiations. The issue of how to measure and compare Canadas responsibilities to other countries in terms of climate change mitigation has been controversial, not least with respect to comparisons between the large emitters, such as the US and China. But, what really defines the term responsibility? According to Ellermann et al., to be responsible for something harmful is to be worthy of blame for it (Ellermann, Hà ¶hne and Mà ¼ller). Blame/responsibility in the context of climate change should be seen based on certain acts (i.e. emission of greenhouse gases) that cause global warming. For example, if someone smokes a cigarette in a closed room filled with people, and if the smoke emissions resulting from this act are deemed to be harmful to other people, then they may be judged to deserve unreserved blame just because the emissions are harmful or because they smoked voluntarily, in the full knowledge of the harmfulness of the emission. Such a person is considered to be morally responsible as opposed to be casually contributing. The key difference between being morally responsible and causally contributing is that the former causes the greatest harm to everyone and is to be blamed while the latter (Co2 exhalation while breathin g in the room) causes insignificant problems and should not be blamed. We can therefore infer that since climate impacts are anthropogenic, it would inevitably have a large number of causes and actors, each either morally responsible or causally contributing to global warming. So, the question arises, Is Canada morally responsible or casually contributing to the problems of climate change? To put in other words, Should Canada be among countries to be blamed from changes in the climate? Canadas GHG emission in a global context To assess the moral responsibilities of Canada to climate change, it is important to compare Canadas situation with other countries in term of greenhouse gases (GHG) emission. According to the International Energy Agency, Canadas CO2 emission from fuel combustion in 2009 accounted for approximately 2% of global emissions (International Energy Agency). In other words, Canada is the 7th largest emitter of global emission in the world. Macintosh HD:Users:eds:Desktop:Screen Shot 2012-12-28 at 6.50.47 PM.png Figure : Distribution of world carbon dioxide emissions from fuel combustion in 2009 (International Energy Agency) Likewise, if comparison is made from the total CO2 emission equivalent per capita, Canada is one of the worlds largest per capita GHG emitters. Canada ranks 15th out of 17 countries for GHG emissions per capita and earns a D grade  [1]  (The Conference Board of Canada). In 2008, Canadas GHG emission was 22 tonnes per capita, significantly higher than the 17-country average of 15 tonnes per capital. Between 1990 and 2009, Global emissions of CO2 have increased by 38%, while Canadian CO2 emissions have increased by less than 19% (Minister of Environment Canada). Figure : GHG Emissions in 2008 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per capita (The Conference Board of Canada) It can therefore be concluded from both figures that Canada is a major emitter of greenhouse gases causing global warming and is therefore morally responsible to the changes in the climate. One of the main reasons for its increase in GHG emissions has been the growth in exports of petroleum, natural gas, and forest products. However, there is great chance to substantially reduce Canadas GHG emissions by utilizing lower emitter technologies and increasing energy efficiency. Assessing Canadas commitment to International Climate Change negotiations Since it has been established that Canada is morally responsible to changes in the climate, to go ahead with a decision to be involved in global negotiations on climate change appears to be the next logical thing to do. When Canada ratified the Kyoto protocol on December 12, 2002, it firmly demonstrated its support for the UNFCCC process, as well as its commitment to meet specified targets under the treaty. Canada had committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emission by 6% over the 1990 baseline levels during the first commitment period from 2008-2012 (Minister of Environment Canada). This was considered to be an optimistic target for Canada as its GHG emissions steadily increased after Conference of the Party 3 (COP-3) to the extent that the 6% reduction from 1990 levels now translates into an actual reduction of approximately 21% from 1990 based on current GHG emissions levels (UNFCCC). However, in December 2011, Canada announced its withdrawal from the first implementation period (2008-2012) of the Kyoto Protocol. This was supported by a speech from Canadas Environmental Minister, Peter Kent: . . . Kyoto Protocol- for Canada is in the past. As such, we are invoking our legal right to formally withdraw from the treaty. This decision formalizes what we have said since 2006 that we will not implement the Kyoto Protocol This withdrawal aimed to avoid an estimated $14 billion penalty as a result from Canadas failure to meet its emissions reduction targets when the Kyoto Protocol expires on December 31, 2012. Canada, however still remains a part of the UNFCCC process for negotiating the next implementation period. After its withdrawal from the Kyoto protocol, Canada proposed a new strategy by committing to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 17% below 2005 levels, or 607 Mt, by 2020, under the Copenhagen Accord (Minister of Environment Canada). In order to achieve this goal and its renewed commitment to climate change mitigation, Canada has introduced four major initiatives including: passenger automobile and light truck GHG emissions regulations, heavy-duty vehicle emissions regulations, regulations on coal-fired electricity generation, and regulations in other key sectors including oil and gas (Minister of Environment Canada). Canada also indicated its willingness to continue to engage in UNFCCC negotiations to support the establishment of a fair and comprehensive global climate change regime as well as to contribute $1.2 billion in new and additional climate change financing by the end of fiscal year 2012/2013. This is to assist developing countries efforts to reduce GHG emissions and adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change (Minister of Environment Canada). However, Canada would not invest any money to the new Green Climate Fund until all major emitters accept legally binding reduction targets and transparent accounting of greenhouse gas inventory. In other words, this funding was taken from previously existing aid package (Kent). Now, going back to the research question, Should Canada have withdrawn from the Kyoto Protocol? Based on the principles of moral responsibilities (as defined earlier), we believe Canada withdrawal from the Kyoto protocol was a wrong decision. According to a state responsibility principle of international law, every internationally wrongful act of a state constitutes the international responsibility of that state (International Law Commission). Furthermore, in the international environment law context, it stated that there is a state right to exercise exclusive sovereignty over the use of land, natural resources and the environment within its territorial boundaries. This right is not unlimited and must not violate on the rights of other states to the use and enjoyment of their environment. In the context of its moral responsibility to other countries, Canadas excessive GHG emissions (as discussed earlier) and its subsequent withdrawal from the Kyoto protocol leads to an internationall y wrongful act. With an earlier commitment to the Kyoto obligation and a continuing non-compliance with its emissions targets, it is still linked to specific moral consequences as a breach to a morally binding treaty. Furthermore, Canadas climate change strategy under the Copenhagen Accord has no global emissions targets for 2020 or 2050. The accord solely proposes listing the voluntary targets of developed and developing countries. Therefore, based on the current assessment of country pledges, it will put the world on a track toward 3.5 to 4 degrees of warming in 2020, which still causes higher warming and bigger threat to the global ecosystem compared to the studies of 2 degrees warming limit set by IPCC (Heinberg). On the other hand, Canada did dropped out of Kyoto just over a year before the end of the first commitment phase as they think that they would not meet Kyoto targets by the end of the first commitment phase. It was reinforced with the fact that the major emitters of GHG were not included in the Kyoto Protocol, such as China and India. Moreover, this could lead other countries facing their own economic problems to follow suit, and consequently weaken the only internationally ratified agreement in emissions reduction, making it more difficult for the next implementation period or even other future agreements to succeed, which, again, depends on the moral will of the nations that will sign the agreement. However, these views remain arguable. In the next section of the essay, the discussion of Canadas withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol will be based on international justice; whether it was legally fair to the global community to withdraw from the Protocol. JUSTICE IN CLIMATE CHANGE The precise definition of the word justice in climate change is still a topic of debate. In general, justice is a term that is used interchangeably with fairness. In principle it represents a concept of moral rightness. In this section, the concept of justice within the Kyoto Protocol will be discussed and how it influenced Canadas decision to drop-out of the agreement. The Kyoto Protocol created a framework, built on the principles agreed to under the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. One of this principles state that: The Parties should protect the climate system for the benefit of present and future generations of humankind, on the basis of equity and in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. Accordingly, the developed country Parties should take the lead in combating climate change and the adverse effects thereof (UNFCCC,Article 3, Principle 2). The goal of the Protocol is the reduction of greenhouse gases by developed countries (Annex I), while allowing developing countries (non-Annex I) space to increase their emissions. The Protocol also charts a path way for global cooperation via market-based regulatory instruments. Countries must meet their targets primarily through national measures according to the treaty. However, the Kyoto Protocol offers them an additiona l means of meeting their targets by way of three market-based systems: emissions trading (known as the carbon market), clean development mechanism and joint implementation. These mechanisms help parties meet their emission targets in a cost-effective way and help stimulate investment in renewable sources of energy (UNFCCC). Figure 3: Kyoto Protocol Participation Map (UNFCCC) Justice of the Kyoto Protocol and Canada The Kyoto Protocol framework has two implications to international justice particularly relevant for any discussion involving a broad participation of countries in climate mitigation. They include grandfathering principle and the per capital approach. These two concepts would be extensively discussed in this section of the paper in relations to Canada. Grand Fathering Principle Firstly, the Kyoto Protocol uses the grandfathering principle by recognizing the 1990 emission levels of developed countries as a basis for determining emission limitation targets. This limits the ability of the Protocol to include the participation of developing countries in the future (Aslam,175). Compared to the current emissions of developed countries, developing countries have very low emission levels. However, there seem to be a gradual yet rising trend of emission levels among developing countries particularly Indian and China. From the perspective of the government of Canada, this is one of the setbacks of the Kyoto Protocol. Developing countries which are not bound to cut emissions will be the major pollutants in the future, while present industrialized nations are required to reduce emission levels. This translates into an economic cost for developed countries which would result in unequal economic positions. Also it raises the question of why Canada should bare more respon sibility compared to developing nations with rising emission levels, knowing that in the near-future it will no longer be one of the major players in climate change. Grandfathering enabled national targets to be negotiated without any discussion of a long-term, environmentally sound, collective target for all countries-both developed and developing nations. Secondly, no clear rule was created to help differentiate targets between Annex I countries (Aslam,175). This can be translated in the fact that while in 1990 (the reference year for Kyoto Protocol emission levels), Canada had already taken up some actions to reduce Green House Gases, other countries of Annex I (for example former Soviet Union countries) did not take any measures to reduce greenhouse gases. Thus, the Kyoto Protocol creates a certain injustice towards countries like Canada which has taken some action in the past, but which is not taken into account in the protocol. This lack of capacity within the Kyoto Protocols to involve developing countries in order to have any future success represents the greatest problem of the treaty. Also, the Protocol fails to differentiate between Canada and the rest of Annex I countries and fails to take into account future major climate change contributors. This increases the burden on the present day developed nations like Canada and creates a lack of fairness between the agreements of participating parties. This resulted in a number of proposals which have the purpose of expanding participation while also honouring the Climate Convention principle of differentiation among nations. One of the most controversial approach focuses on equal per capita entitlements (Aslam,176). Per Capita Approach The per capita approach implies dividing the total greenhouse gas emission (in mega tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) of any country equally among the number of people living in that country. It is a key indicator to represent, for example, the economic output or emissions of each individual in a particular country. This is used to determine how much each country should be allowed to emit in relation to its population size. The per capita indicator helps evaluate emission discrepancy among countries (Aslam,176). It can also help facilitate an acceptable emissions-related burden-sharing agreement among countries of different population size. Although some concerns exist regarding the application of the per capita approach, it remains very difficult to ethically justify any unequal or disparate claims to a global commons, such as the atmosphere (Aslam 184). In the context of climate change, the greatest efficiency gains in the design of a Green House Gas tradeable permit policy stem from utilizing the low-cost mitigation options of developing countries(even if no additional mitigation is forthcoming from this group itself) and then from requiring emission reductions from developing countries at some future date (Rose and Stevens, 359). Using such a per capita allocation system in climate change negotiation, when compared to other approaches, causes developing countries generally to gain more in terms of relative benefit. This should be fine to all parties involved-both developed and developing countries because as discussed in the section of moral responsibilities, most developing nations are casually causing as opposed to morally responsible for climate change. It follows that such a system would encourage more developing countries to join global agreements and thus attract an earlier possible entry to the negotiation table. Such a sch eme should result in emissions trading to maximizing the benefits. Furthermore, owing to the nature of climate change and its associated complexities and uncertainties, any effective approach needs to be flexible to incorporate future scientific developments as well as accommodate variations among countries. A suitable per capita approach is one that is able to tighten or relax yearly contraction on emission budgets, as well as realign its overall reduction trajectory to respond to any change in GHG concentration target. However, the per capita approachs flexibility to account for the differing national circumstances is limited. Quantified emission levels, such as the ones used for the per capita approach, do not account for the social quality of these emissions-that is, it cannot clearly distinguish between luxury and survival emissions (Agrawal,1). Also, there is a big impact on the disparity of emissions among nations by factors such as geographical or climatic conditions and the structure of the respective economy and energy supply, which such s implified indicators simply fails to take into consideration(Aslam,190). This represents a big problem for Canada due to its vastness, cold climate and the economy which is focused on energy production. In comparison to developing countries, adopting such a system forces Canada to the losing end of the rope. The per capita emissions rights as a defining concept of justice in Climate change discussions causes the worlds largest nations- such as China and India- to be significant net gainers, while principal losers would be the nations now having high per capita emissions-Canada would lose a great deal (see Figure 2). Also, as a follow up to the preceding argument, the notion that larger states tend to be poorer makes the per capita approach very attractive. But this can result in a crude and even arbitrary way of redistributing wealth as not all large states are poor and not all small states are rich. Also the distribution is made to both greenhouse gases winners and losers as some rich or poor states will face much more serious consequences due to climate change while others are far less vulnerable. This is a drawback to this scheme as the per capita system fails to take this into consideration (Posner and Sunstein,12). Another serious drawback for states like Canada is the fact that with the per capita system, governments that would adopt policies to promote economic growth would have to face penalties due to the fact that such policies would increase Green House Gas emissions leading to more warming of the climate(Posner and Sunstein,13). The proposed per capita system seems even less attractive from the perspective of Canada compared to the grandfathering principle. Thus, one of the reasons for Canadas withdrawal from the agreement is that it fails to agree with the concept of justice as defined and implemented by the Kyoto Protocol. Due to the different responsibilities of carbon emission between developed countries and developing countries (as is shown in Figure 3) and also the differences within the developed countries (United States, Japan, and Canada), a lot of effort has to be made to redefine the concept of justice within the Kyoto Protocol. From the year 2009 to 2012, United Nations Climate Change Conferences held annual conferences to strengthen the effect of justice among other issues within the protocol and at the same time, reach more agreements. However, little progress has been made during these processes. For developed states like Canada, the concept of justice within the Kyoto Protocol still remains elusive. However, respecting the emission targets of the Protocol would represent a heavy financial burden to the government of Canada, to meet the demands would result in a conflict with its own interests. CANADAS INTERESTS IN CLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATIONS Climate change has a price tag and it could be very expensive. Cutting the emissions by amounts agreed by the Kyoto Protocol in little more than a decade requires a massive financial cost to the government of Canada. In this section of the essay, we hope to look into Canadas interest in respecting the emission targets of the Kyoto protocol. To do this, we hope to answer two questions: What is the total financial cost to the government of Canada to respect the emission targets of the Kyoto protocol? More importantly, are these costs justified? Secondly, how important is Canadas relationship with the United States with respect to climate change negotiation? Canada: Financial cost of respecting emission targets of the Kyoto Protocol Respecting the emission targets of the Kyoto Protocol represents a huge cost to Canada. But, what exactly is the financial cost? It was estimated by the Canadian Chamber of commerce that the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol will cost about $30billion, or 2.5% of the Canadas GDP by 2010 (Montreal Economic Institute). It was also estimated by the Liberal cabinet in 2002 that a loss of 200 000 jobs and a decrease of 1.5% in the Canadian GDP was inevitable (Bà ¶hringer). The cost of climate change for Canada could rise from roughly $5 billion per year in 2020 to between $21 billion and $43 billion per year by the 2050s (National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy Canada). This cost depends upon a combination of factors: the growth of global emissions and the economic and population growth of Canada. However, global mitigation leading to a low climate change future reduces costs to Canada in the long term. This reinforces the argument that the world would benefit environmentally and economically from a post-2012 international climate arrangement that systematically reduces emissions from all GHG emitters including Canada over time. On the contrary, if firm measures are not taken when it is still possible to do so, no one can accurately predict the weight of the consequences that can happen. We believes that abiding to the Kyoto Protocol will cost much less than the possible consequences of climate change problems, such as the increase of extreme meteorological phenomena. We also believe that the progress in adopting the Kyoto Protocol will reduce greenhouse gases as it will become costly to pollute and easier to adopt best environmental practices. Canadas relationship with the United States United States represents Canadas strongest ally within the North America. But, what is the relationship on the issue of Climate Change? Interestingly, Canada follows the same path with both past Bush and current Obamas administration of the United States (Ljunggren). Canada was widely criticized for withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol. Some were of the opinion that Canada ends a decade-long saga that began in earnest when George W. Bush walked away from the global climate treaty in 2001. Others continue to argue that the close links between the two countries meant that Ottawa ultimately felt it had to follow Washingtons lead and ignore the diplomatic fallout. Furthermore, the plan Canada will follow instead of the Kyoto Protocol is almost identical to Barack Obamas plan for the United States. The Canadian governments current plan, which would cut emission by 17 per cent of 2005 levels by 2020, is almost identical to the strategy of the government of the United States. Both countries are committed to pursuing a practical and sustainable plan to address the Climate problem (Minister of Environment Canada). Canada fully acknowledges the problem of global warming and the well-being of the earth is also an important issue to North America. However, the cost to respecting the Kyoto Protocol can be justified. Although, the goals of the Protocol were established not by science, but by political negotiation but they do provide the long-term solution the world seeks to the problem of climate change. Furthermore, Canada argues that the Kyoto Protocol could have potentially significant repercussion for the global economy and is therefore arbitrary and ineffective. It goes on to say the Protocol is fundamentally flawed and is not the correct vehicle with which to produce real environmental solutions. However, finding another workable solution to the problem of global warming do not represents the way forward as the cost to Climate change mitigation is likely to be constant over time. CONCLUSION The Climate is changing due to anthropogenic causes; hence, the goal of the Kyoto Protocol is to protect the climate system for the benefit of present and future generations of humankind. Canadas decision to leave the Kyoto Protocol in 2011 resulted in countless debates and controversy in Climate Change discussions. It argues that the Kyoto Protocol do not provide the long-term solution the world seeks to the problem of climate change. It however remains committed to pursuing a practical and sustainable plan to address the problem of global warming. The purpose of the essay was to analyse whether Canada decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol was a move in the right direction. This analysis involves the moral responsibility of Canada to climate change negotiations, justice as it relates to the Kyoto Protocol as well Canadas interests in a global economy. A number of arguments based on these concepts were considered and documented in this essay. Based on the principle or moral responsibility, we believe Canada withdrawal from the Kyoto protocol was a wrong decision. As discussed in the essay, the increase of Canadas GHG emission is strongly related to the problem of global warming and apparently has a strong negative effect on other countries in terms of the usage of the environment. Canadas decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol the only internationally ratified agreement in emissions reduction shows that it may violate the right of other states in the near future. The Kyoto Protocol framework (as it relates to international justice) has two implications particularly relevant to any discussion of broad participation in climate mitigation. They include the grandfather principle and the per capita system. The failure of the Protocol to address emission cuts by developing countries-the major pollutants in the future, clearly reflects its setback. Thus, one of the reasons for Canadas withdrawal from the agreement is that it fails to agree with the concept of justice as defined and implemented by the Kyoto Protocol. Due to the different responsibilities of carbon emission between developed countries and developing countries, a lot of effort has to be made to redefine justice within the Kyoto Protocol. Finally, Climate change has a price tag and cutting the emissions by amounts agreed by the Kyoto Protocol in little more than a decade requires a massive financial cost to the government of Canada. However, the cost to respecting the Kyoto Protocol can be justified. Although, the goals of the Protocol were established not by science, but by political negotiation but they do provide the long-term solution the world seeks to the problem of climate change. Furthermore, Canada argues that the Kyoto Protocol could have potentially significant repercussion for the global economy and is therefore arbitrary and ineffective. However, finding another workable solution to the problem of global warming do not represents the way forward as the cost to Climate change mitigation is likely to be constant over time.

Inherent and Instrumental Values in Ethics :: Happiness Life Papers

Inherent and Instrumental Values in Ethics The distinction between inherent and instrumental values in ethics could, in my view, be said to represent a contemporary version of both the eudaimonistic distinction between virtues as instruments and forms of happiness as the goals or ends to be achieved through these instruments, and of the deontological distinction between duties and the summum bonum to be, at least ultimately or in an afterlife, achieved through them. The paper identifies and explores what appears to be a threefold relationship between inherent and instrumental values. First, their mutual inseparability is found to be based in the very concept of instrumentality. Second, their parallelism in the relevant respects is seen also to be rooted in their instrumental relation. Third, and very significant, the inherent and instrumental values are discovered to be reversible so that what were inherent values can often become instrumental and vice-versa. Finally, and most importantly, the value and richness of human life is perceived to be nothing else than the function of the richness in values in ethics as well as in other spheres of human life. I. Introduction John Dewey holds the value concept as controversial since a survey of the current literature of the subject discloses that views on the subject range from the belief, at one extreme, that so-called 'values' are but emotional epithets or mere ejaculations, to the belief, at the other extreme, that a priori necessary standardized, rational values are the principles upon which art, science, and morals depend for their validity. And between these two conceptions lies a number of intermediate views. (1) One intermediate view says that values in general are things, beliefs, actions, emotions, and attitudes which are found acceptable, desirable, and even praiseworthy to the individual, to society, or to both of them. (2) We find as many different kinds of values as there are different areas of human life-intellectual, emotional, aesthetic, religious, moral, political, economic, etc. The distinction between inherent and instrumental values applies equally to each one of these fields. This ch apter, however, will limit itself to the inquiry into the nature and relationship of the inherent and instrumental values in the field of morality with only an occasional excursus into other fields. To indicate the meaning of these two kinds of values we could begin by saying that the inherent values are, roughly speaking, the desired results achieved through the operation of the instrumental values. Inherent and Instrumental Values in Ethics :: Happiness Life Papers Inherent and Instrumental Values in Ethics The distinction between inherent and instrumental values in ethics could, in my view, be said to represent a contemporary version of both the eudaimonistic distinction between virtues as instruments and forms of happiness as the goals or ends to be achieved through these instruments, and of the deontological distinction between duties and the summum bonum to be, at least ultimately or in an afterlife, achieved through them. The paper identifies and explores what appears to be a threefold relationship between inherent and instrumental values. First, their mutual inseparability is found to be based in the very concept of instrumentality. Second, their parallelism in the relevant respects is seen also to be rooted in their instrumental relation. Third, and very significant, the inherent and instrumental values are discovered to be reversible so that what were inherent values can often become instrumental and vice-versa. Finally, and most importantly, the value and richness of human life is perceived to be nothing else than the function of the richness in values in ethics as well as in other spheres of human life. I. Introduction John Dewey holds the value concept as controversial since a survey of the current literature of the subject discloses that views on the subject range from the belief, at one extreme, that so-called 'values' are but emotional epithets or mere ejaculations, to the belief, at the other extreme, that a priori necessary standardized, rational values are the principles upon which art, science, and morals depend for their validity. And between these two conceptions lies a number of intermediate views. (1) One intermediate view says that values in general are things, beliefs, actions, emotions, and attitudes which are found acceptable, desirable, and even praiseworthy to the individual, to society, or to both of them. (2) We find as many different kinds of values as there are different areas of human life-intellectual, emotional, aesthetic, religious, moral, political, economic, etc. The distinction between inherent and instrumental values applies equally to each one of these fields. This ch apter, however, will limit itself to the inquiry into the nature and relationship of the inherent and instrumental values in the field of morality with only an occasional excursus into other fields. To indicate the meaning of these two kinds of values we could begin by saying that the inherent values are, roughly speaking, the desired results achieved through the operation of the instrumental values.

Zarathustras Prologue and Three Species :: essays research papers

Summary of â€Å"Zarathustra’s Prologue and Three Species†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the beginning of the story a man named Zarathustra who was thirty years of age had left his home to go live in the mountains. He had lived in solitude of the mountains for ten years. The text said, â€Å"He enjoyed his spirit and his solitude, and for ten years he did not become weary of it.† I believe that Zarathustra move to the mountains and lived a solitary life to get more in touch with himself. He probably wanted to get to know himself more spiritually. Until one day he finally decided to leave his life of solitude and begin another journey of his own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During his journey down the mountain, Zarathustra did not encounter anyone. All of that began to change as Zarathustra was walking through a forest and encountered an old man. The old man began to speak to Zarathustra. It had seemed like the old man had met Zarathustra many years ago; he believed that he had changed after living a life of solitude. I believed the old man caught on to the fact that Zarathustra was leaving the mountains, and assumed that he was going to back to civilization. The old man told Zarathustra, â€Å"You floated in the sea of solitude. Alas, will you go ashore?† When the old man said that, he meant that Zarathustra was finally going to be among other people for the first time in along time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After journeying through the forest, Zarathustra had finally arrived at a town. He noticed that many people where gathered around a marketplace waiting for a rope dancer to perform.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Zarathustra decided to speak to the people. He wanted to teach the people the way of the superman. He made a lot of deep philosophical points about the superman. It seem like no matter how much he tried to prove his point to the people of that town, he just could not get to them. All they did was laugh and ridicule him. Because of this, it made him sad. Zarathustra mentioned, â€Å"They do not understand me; I am not the mouth for these ears.† He started to think the reason behind this is that he had lived in the mountains for too long. He believed living in mountains had made his soul calm and clear, and that is the reason the people do not understand him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I will briefly talk about one the three speeches.

Enron and its Shortcomings Essay -- essays research papers

Enron’s overall business practices are not ethical. One business practice of Enron that I think poses an ethical issue is their attitude towards its employees. They create a highly competitive and a result oriented business atmosphere. They used a system where they would rank employees every half a year and fire employees who ranked on the bottom 1/5 of the scores. This kind of attitude where only results matter and if you don’t produce anything good you will get fired will only hurt the company. This promotes unethical behavior and getting what needs to be done to get good results no matter what and if you do well you will receive big bonuses. This approach towards Enron’s employees did not have very good utilitarian reasoning. This doesn’t help employees morale and psychological satisfaction. The cost of this kind of approach was very low because in fact you will weed out the slackers but the results Enron had where employees afraid to question unethica l situations in Enron in fear of their jobs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another section of Enron’s business practice that is definitely not ethical is their accounting methods. In a technical aspect their accounting methods were fine, but this was only because of a loophole. Andrew S. Fastow was described as a financial whiz kid because of these loopholes that he knew how to take advantage of. Some of these things that he, and Enron, were able to take advantage of were the setups of special purpose entities. They would setup these special purpose entities and have either their friends or employees to invest in these special purpose entities so that Enron my say that their debts and liabilities are actually under the special purpose entities and not of Enron. This made it look like Enron didn’t have as much debt as it should have had. A second practice in the accounting methods that were not ethical was their manipulation of their revenue. What they did was to make either their earnings more or inflating their stock. They would make sure that any potential deals that could make money in the future they wrote down in the books in the present, which is not a good accounting practice. Also they used sham swaps with other companies that would buy products and services with each other to make it look like they where making sales and money, when in fact that all they did was trade some assets and wrote a sale.... ...d of the day. Enron’s legal responsibility was low while their economic responsibility was relatively high. They wanted to make money but they where doing it the illegal way, and because of this their social responsibility was just terrible. In the end of the company no matter what was done all the illegal actions were catching up to them and this showed to the world how irresponsible Enron was. They were not socially responsible to any of their stakeholder. The stocks fell and their company went into bankruptcy, many people lost money. Employees lost their jobs and life earnings, and because Enron was a huge company the end of Enron had a ripple affect. All other companies that worked with Enron lost business and they might have had to cut back on costs. Customers lost because they didn’t have the services of Enron, a company that deals with electricity, water, broadband, pulp, paper, and lumber. Creditors had to write off loads of bad debt because Enron would not be able to pay it back. Companies should take a look at Enron’s approach to business and learn that you need to responsibly balance all three responsibilities of business to have a successful business in today’s world.

School Counseling

Which is the most difficult part being a school counselor? After I read the ASCA Model on page 9 of textbook, I knew the leadership, advocacy, teaming and collaboration and systemic change are all what school counselors should focus on. I also learned that school counseling is a profession that focuses on the relations and interactions between students and their school environment with the purpose of reducing the barriers in order to help students to success. In my opinion, the team-member and collaborator is the most challenging for a school counselor in an urban school setting.Because as an effective team-member and collaborator, school counselor work with teachers, administrators and other school personnel to make sure that each student succeeds. However, sometimes working with other school setting educators is not very easy. For example, some teachers do not like to follow the advices from counselors, they believe that their ways are perfect. Hence, they do not want to hear the v oice from counselors. I understand everybody has different ideas, but I also believe that our students will get benefits if we can work together as a team.We share our opinions and hear everyone’s advice. Because our goals are same, we all hope each student succeeds. Even though the coloration is challenging and difficult, we still need to do it with our efforts. What the elements for school counseling as a profession? Threatened by who? From the framework for a school counseling program, there are four elements of school counseling of a profession, foundation, delivery system, management system, and accountability. On the page 9 of the textbook, foundation includes beliefs and philosophy, mission statement, ASCA national standards.Delivery system includes school guidance curriculum, individual student planning, responsive services and system support. Management system includes agreements, advisory council, use of date, use of time and calendars. The last one, accountability includes results reports, school counselor performance standards and program audit. I think school counseling profession may be threatened by other educators, like teachers, principals and other administrators. Sometimes school counselors cannot get enough support for a new idea, some changes cannot get approval by high level administrators or supervisors.From the supporting articles, we have to get more effective data to prove our idea is right. Being a counselor, we must do more research in order to get sufficient evidence if we want to persuade teachers or other educators to accept our changes or new ideas. Because counselors are not in the classroom, no direct relationship with students likes teachers. Hence, our advice or new idea is not easy to be accepted by teachers. For dealing with these difficulties, the most effective way is research! Using data to speak! Compare the traditional and contemporary model?The most recognizable models for school counseling focused on the â₠¬Å" three Cs† of school counseling: counseling, consultation, and coordination. These three elements are all what traditional model has. However, as school counseling system was improved and developed in today’s world. The contemporary model still includes counseling and coordination as well as leadership, advocacy, collaboration and teaming, and assessment and use of data. From the ASCA National Model, the skills of leadership, advocacy, and collaboration and teaming are emphasized as very important and essential elements of being a school counselor.And it also needs efforts to improve systemic change. Comparing with the contemporary model of school counseling, the traditional model just has three basic elements. For the contemporary model, more positions and skills were involved for school counselors. School counselors spend more time to develop and maintain relationships with students, teachers, parents, administrators, and community resource educators. As the change s from traditional model to contemporary model, leadership becomes an important role in our school counseling.According to Philiips, leadership involves influencing others to create a shared commitment to a common purpose. Then, the other new model element advocacy is also effective, advocates in schools work to reduce barriers that lead to achievement gaps between poor and minority students and their more advantaged peers. Our end goals are all making students to be successful. After that, collaboration and teaming part is difficult but necessary. It is an essential process for promoting systemic change. As our last week discussion, we all noticed the power of assessment and use of data.We need to do effective research in order to support our new ideas and changes. Without doubts, data use is also a bright improvement of being one of the new elements for school counseling. After knowing the differences between traditional and contemporary model, we can see that school counseling sy stem is really on the right track to move. More useful skills came out in order to promoting student achievement. For Comprehensive School Counseling Progams, Describe, compare, and contrast the Missouri Model and the ASCA Model. Are these models relevant and/or realistic for school counselors in urban schools?After reading the chapter four, it is good to know a new model of school counseling program. The comprehensive guidance program model is also known as the Missouri model in 1917. In this model, it includes self-knowledge and interpersonal skills, life roles, settings, and events, and life career planning. It also offers three elements and four components. The elements include the content of the program, the organizational framework, and resources. Four components include guidance curriculum, individual planning, responsive services, and system support.We have already familiar with the ASCA model. For the ASCA National model, the framework has four elements. (foundation, delive ry system, management system and accountability). It also has four themes. (leadership, advocacy, teaming and collaboration and systemic change) ASCA National Model is conducted in collaboration with key partners, monitors student progress, is driven by data, seeks improvement, and shares successes with stakeholders. For the Missouri Model, it presents a complete framework that can be adapted for each school.Being a school counselor, these developments are indeed good for our students. Especially, the life career development can help student’s development awareness and acceptance of themselves and others, also help students develop and incorporate practices that lead to effective learning, responsible daily living, finally help students understand and use a decision-making process in determining their life goals. As we know, the purpose of both Missouri Model and ASCA National Model is providing a framework for counselors to promote academic achievement, career planning, and personal social development.Theoretically, these models are good in urban schools from above aspects. However, the reality is different. For an example, we all know systemic change and collaboration are not easy to do. Even though these models give us many valuable instructions to help our students, sometimes we still have many difficulties from various realities. the roles of the â€Å"resource broker† and explain the â€Å"School Change Feedback Process (SCFP)? After reading the article by Colbert and Kulikowich, I learned a new term: resource broker and a new process: School Change Feedback Process (SCFP).The role of resource broker is offered to help counselors with data-driven programs. A resource broker is a school professional who functions as an active force to identify, provide access to, and ensure the utilization of resources that enhance student development. (Colbert, R. D. , & Kulikowich, J. M. (2006)) As a resource broker, it includes teacher efficacy in progra m assessments when data show inequities in student access to rigorous academic classes. Hence, the resource broker indeed plays an important role in school counseling.After that, regarding to a role for school counselors in education reform, the research produced the emergence of a new method called the School Change Feedback Process (SCFP). It has four steps in the SCFP process: 1. Obtain teacher efficacy beliefs. 2. Share teachers' efficacy beliefs with the principal and teachers. 3. Incorporate teachers' beliefs into the ongoing education reform or school improvement plan implementation with continuous feedback. 4. Obtain teachers' beliefs again, and repeat the cycle.In this process, three basic counselor responsibilities includes identify resources, gain access to resources and ensure the utilization of resources. According to ASCA, â€Å"School counselors must show that each activity implemented as part of the school counseling program is developed from a careful analysis of s tudent needs, achievement and related data†. Hence, we should use data to monitor student’s progress. Being a school counselor, we should use database to disaggregate data related to achievement, attendance, discipline, and so forth to develop action plans.In additional, school counselors also work with principals and teachers. So, using SCFP is a good way to corporate with them. As we all know, getting the efficacy from teacher is very important. Hence, resource broker helps counselors with data, then using SCFP to get feedback in a contemporary urban school setting. concept of â€Å"behavioral momentum,† as discussed in Lee's article. Explain how this concept, and those of high-p and low-p tasks, might be relevant to school counselors?The term behavioral momentum is described as â€Å" the dynamics of behavior in changing environments†. Nevin indicated that behavior possesses a momentum much more like physical objects. The high-p request intervention is based on the theory of behavioral momentum. A high-probability request sequence is an intervention that practitioners can use to make it more likely that a nonpreferred behavior will occur. For this intervention, many requests with a high probability of compliance is delivered just prior to a request with a low probability of compliance.In this article, it gave us an example to understand, â€Å"a teacher may ask a student to take out a pencil (high-p request), write his or her name on a piece of paper (high-p request), and write the date at the top of the paper (high-p request), immediately prior to asking the student to begin math seatwork, a low-p activity†. The responses generated by the high-p requests carries over and increases compliance to the request that had previously resulted in noncompliance. The effects of high-p request sequences have been examined.From this example, we can clearly know what is high-p and what is low-p. In our counseling program, we can use thi s method to help our students in academic work. It indeed has many advantages to help students to succeed. Teachers can spend more time on direct instruction, as opposed to managing student behavior. Then, decreasing the work of students who are already behind academically may have a negative effect on skill development. After that, teachers can use these tasks to make transitions more efficient and to increase proficiency at performing those same high-p tasks.