Retention Policy on BS Tourism

INTRODUCTIONThe impact of the world tourism had made a significant spearhead in these recent years due to the rise in world economies and upsurge in global domestic consumption, which resulted to higher domestic capacity of individuals to consume and purchase. One of the prime beneficiaries of this high purchasing power and consumption is the world tourism sector, which relies from the chain of global interdependency of its diversified and complex actors from the international and national down to the domestic and local level.The Philippines is one of the more diversified and intercultural countries in the world apart from the beautiful sceneries and beaches it could offer. It is one of the reasons that in the recent years, there is a consistent influx of tourists, whether local or foreign, to the world-renowned tourist spots in the country. Thus, there is a renaissance in the tourism sector and industry. Furthermore, the tourism sector had contributed 5. 9% to the country’s G ross Domestic Product in 2011 as per the National Statistical Coordination Board.The tourism sector had in its manpower   3.8 million employees, or 10. 2 percent of national employment in 2011, according to data gathered by the National Statistical Coordination Board. As a result on this on-going growth, the Tourism sector requires the qualified manpower, which would cater the demands of this sunrise industry. The requirement of skilled and qualified manpower in the Tourism Industry in the Philippines necessitates the importance of proper and appropriate skills and training for the trainees and students in the Vocational, Technical and Tertiary academe, who vie to enter the tourism and hospitality sector.One of these institutions offering the much needed education and training suitable for the requirement of the tourism sector is the Lyceum of the Philippines University. The Lyceum of the Philippines University is one of the premiere universities in the country and one of the prim e movers on the academe of global competitiveness. The university had appropriately seen the result in the upsurge in world and domestic tourism sector and recognized the importance of introducing formal education in the tertiary level, which caters the manpower needs of this growing sector.One of these courses offered is the Degree Bachelor of Science in Tourism, among others in the related field. Nonetheless, one of the focal point in the academe is the quality of graduates with the highly specialized field of expertise they may offer to their potential employers. Furthermore, the Lyceum of the Philippines University, through the College of International Tourism and Hospitality Management, had introduced the Retention Policy in the B. S Tourism course, in order to ensure, the academic excellence of their students in this particular course.This retention policy is the requirement of at least a general point average of 2. 75, in order for a student to remain in the course program. I f the students failed to pass the 2. 75 average, he or she is required to follow the following rules: all students’ GPA should be 78 (2. 75) or higher 1st offense = the student will be given a verbal warning 2nd offense = student’s maximum load will be reduced by 3 units 3rd offense = student’s maximum load will be reduced by 6 units 4th offense = the student will be expelledHence, this research question arises from the foregoing: What are the impacts, advantages and disadvantages of the University’s Retention Policy over the tourism students of Lyceum of the Philippines University. Background of the Study Lyceum of the Philippines University is one of the prime universities located in the heart of the Metro. The Retention Policy is designed to maintain the high standard of hospitality education in LPU in order to meet the requirements of the profession. This research study will provide vital information, on how the retention policy can affect the standar ds of students and the faculty in the university.This research would focus on the freshmen and sophomore students B. S. Tourism since they would be greatly affected by the Retention Policy as compared to the Junior and Senior students in the program. Firstly, since the first and second years in the tertiary level deals mainly on the General Subjects in the curriculum as compared to the third and fourth years, whom the student focus their attention with their major subjects and on-the-job training.Secondly, the first and second year students are in a situation when either they are  forced to enter the program since it is the â€Å"in-demand† and â€Å"fad† courses; or convinced by their parents and peers; or spur of the moment, as compared to the third and fourth years, where they had decided that this would be their career for life. Lastly, the subjects were chosen, since they comprise the bulk of the students in the course. There would be a comparative study in term s on the advantages and disadvantages of the retention policy. The comparison would be the advantages and disadvantages on the perspective of the students involved as opposed to the standing of LPU in the academic community.Statement of the Problem This study aims to answer this question: What are the advantages and disadvantages of Retention Policy of the Lyceum of the Philippines University on 1st year Tourism students in terms of: a. study habbit b. students perspective towards the new rules that the school will implement pertaining to retention policy Objectives of the Study This study aims to attain the following:To know the advantages of Retention Policy to 1st year Tourism Students To know the disadvantages of Retention Policy to 1st year Tourism Students To know the effect in study habbit of students regarding Retention PolicyHypothesis of the Study Lyceum of the Philippines University Manila will be implementing new selective Retention Policy starting First Semester of next school year. All students GPA should be 78 (2. 50) higher or else they have to follow some regulations regarding of the new policy. The action proposed by the participants is to have a better understanding about the impacts, advantages, and disadvantages of retention policy to the tourism students of LPU as perceived by the students. Significance of the Study Administrators of LPU-Manila.This study will be of significance to the Administrators of the university, for their better implementations of the rules and regulations within the campus, specially those that concerns the image of the institution and the welfare of their students. LPU-Manila Tourism Students. Awareness of this study would help the tourism students to be aware of their education and standards of the school. This study will also help them hone their skills and expertise in the field of Tourism Management. This research, in a way, can also inspire them on how they can be more productive and better citizens for the betterment of their future.Future Researchers. This research is important for those future researchers, who will conduct a study similar, or in relation to the above topic, for this to serve as their reference or guide. They can also improve other areas that will not be cover during the duration of this study. Scope and Limitations This study will embodies on the advantages and disadvantages of retention policy to the 1st year tourism students. Due to the limited time frame for this research to be conducted, this study will no longer dwell on other factors aside from those who mention in this study.Aside from the time frame, the researchers will also limit their respondents to 100 LPU-Manila Tourism Students especially the freshmen and sophomore since they would be greatly affected by the Retention Policy as compared to the Junior and Seniors students in the program for in-depth study, and a probable up close interview that will be relevant to this research Definition of Terms In or der to understand definitely what the researcher wants to convey in this work, the following terms and phrases are defined: Complex – a group of culture traits relating to a single activity, process or culture unit.Whole made up complicated or interrelated parts. Consumption – Major concepts in economics and also studied by many other social studies. The act or process of consuming resources. Diversified – reducing risk by investing in a variety of assets. One of the two general techniques for reducing investment risk. Any risk averse investors will diversity to at least some extent with more risk averse investors diversifying more completely than less risk averse investors. To increase the variety of the product. To balance defensively by dividing funds among securities of different industries or different classes.Influx – arrival or entry of large number of people or thing. A coming in examples : an in influx of tourists. Inter- cultural – form o f communication that aims to share information across different cultures and social group. It used to describe the wide range of communication process and problems that naturally appear with in a organization made up of individuals from the different religions, social, ethnic and educational background. Competence is the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with people of other cultures.Inter- dependency – a relationship in which each member is mutually dependent on the others. This concept differs from dependence and some are not. Man power – the number of people working or available for work or service. Power available or supplied by the physical effort of human beings and the total supply of person available and fitted for a service. Renaissance – a cultural movement the spanned the period roughly from the 14th to 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Age and later spreading to the rest of Europe.Contributed the development of th e conventions of diplomacy and in science an increased reliance on observation. Retention – the act of retaining. The conduction of being retained, capacity or power of retaining. An ability to recall or recognize what has been learned or experience. Spearhead – someone who leads or initiates an activity. Influence in an undertaking or development. To serve as leating element. Upsurge – the strength or quantity of something. A rapid or sudden rise. World renowned – widely know an acclaimed.

Consumer Behavior Case Study Analysis Essay

During overview of discussions on user behavior and buying decisions, cultural and economic empowerment decision-making, usually needs an evaluation of who will experience advantages or costs as a consequence of a specific decision. For main decisions, the evaluations can include a number of stakeholders – workers, investors, clients, loan providers, vendors and government departments, amongst other people. The more precise we can be about persons and groups which may experience advantages or costs from a specific decision, the more likely you will demonstrate that fair decisions will be made. User behavior is about the results of decisions on identifiable persons and groups. Here you will observe the way the cultural and economical effects of decisions on recognizable persons can alter with time. A short review which describes a few of the fundamental elements behind the objective of this analysis includes, but not restricted to the following: 1. Promote good causes of user behavior and buying variations. 2.Increase sensitivity to a better knowledge of variations. 3.Offer an atmosphere for searching how ideas, generalizations and presumptions regarding various buying decisions restrict efficiency and interactions. 4.Analyze and eliminate misconceptions regarding Apple ® and Hong Kong Disneyland ® marketing methods. Analysis and Assessments There’s a wish to keep a creative atmosphere which will encourage persons to reach their maximum potential. In 2 case studies, one with Apple ® and the other with the Disney world Organization, administration has got the duty to determine ways to enhance income by making careful and fair attempts to fix imbalances in areas which affect user behavior and buying decisions. The goals of both companies are to: generate an atmosphere which will lure the persons or groups to offer chances for efficiently buying the best product and service. Both companies are preoccupied with long-term expansion and operating efficiency; from all sections of the society; and to guarantee organization compliance with federal, state and regional laws, and relevant national rules outside of the U.S. These attributes are essential for an organization to keep a competitive advantage in the international market. It seems interesting to find out precisely what related problem needed handling the most – attempting to know ways of interacting among different groups. Varied groups stayed dedicated to each other, for example, Asians, Middle Easterner’s, Caucasians, Blacks, and Hispanics generally assist groups within their own nationality. To go to more efficient understandings one must analyze the connections and know the part of varied communication. The implications by not interacting groups lead to misunderstandings, avoidance, lack of less listening, mismanaged interactions, insufficient progress in developing relationships. â€Å"The latest version of Apple’s iPhone has usually been a powerful seller all over the world, except in Japan. Although some experts had predicted that Apple would sell a million pieces of its latest iPhone in Japan, modified estimations put the figure at more like 500,000 phones. Therefore what’s the issue? The cell phone uses the quicker 3G network and provides a touch monitor. And Apple iPods as well as computers are famous in Japan. Apple iPhone’s utilization of the 3G network isn’t a big deal in Japan, since 3G accessibility has been a standard feature on Japanese mobile phones for many years. And as far as the touch screen is involved, some Japanese users believe that they would have issues becoming accustomed to it. Probably the greatest obstacle facing Apple, however, is what the iPhone doesn’t have. Keep in mind, Japanese users enjoy a few of the world’s most technologically sophisticated mobile phone qualities, for example â€Å"a high-end color screen, digital TV-viewing ability, satellite navigation service, very good music player and digital camera.† One more â€Å"must have† function in Japan, lacking  in the iPhone, is â€Å"emoji,† that is clip art which can be included into sentences to create e-mails more appealing. Additionally, several cell phones in Japan let their consumers to use their mobile phones like debit cards or railway passes.† â€Å"Debate began brewing at Hong Kong Disneyland before the park opened up in autumn 2005. At Disney amusement parks all over the world, marriages and wedding receptions are a lucrative business. Disney is intending to deliver shark’s fin soup as an alternative on wedding party meals at Hong Kong Disneyland. Obviously, Disney desires to display its love for Chinese customs, and affirms that it’s not doing anything more than following regional standards-the meal is regarded a crucial part of a Chinese wedding celebration, and may cost at as much as $150 at the ideal eateries. But, ecological groups from all around the globe are up in arms on the possibility of Disney offering this soup that highlights a noticeable difference between Chinese and Western customs. Even though shark’s fin soup has been a Chinese favorite for 200 years, some ecological groups are worried that China’s growing prosperity has resulted in a larger desire for unusual varieties. For instance, Hong Kong authorities lately ceased a delivery of 1,800 freeze-dried penguins which were being smuggled into mainland China. A few animal supporters are scared that down the road complete varieties might be endangered.† Consumer Behavior and Why It Matters There’s an inspiration which is rooted in tradition, which impacts the way we obtain and gain. Persons are inspired based on the strength and wish either to buy things in relation to a typical or to flourish in competitive pricing scenarios. Most of an organization’s achievement depends upon many elements: personal and occupational experiences, product development, and the kind of company. Other elements can result in satisfaction, for example organization buying policies, marketing methods, cost elements, user requirements and interpersonal relationships. Finding good and legal rules of user behavior, can present practical factors  to building upon latest forums. There are many primary means of keeping and coping with user behavior problems that contain: what we pay attention to; the way we respond to other people; and becoming role models by way of teaching and coaching. The roles we perceive in user behavior should be practical in setting with our rules. In any tradition, thousands of things can be built and used to express several ideas. Most companies would have a hard time thriving internationally if existing tradition and values weren’t congruent with today’s varied culture. Understanding Diverse Cultural Barriers and Roles As analyzed in our text, the ability of sharing cultural power causes excitement and devotion in other people. Tapping into varied inspirations (i.e., Advertising agency BBDO’s (Chicago) recent â€Å"GenWorld Global Teen Study† revealed a substantial alternation in the world’s teens) and abilities in other people so as to pursue objectives helps us internationally. If we let us to build up and know many traditions, we can interact and make new cultural ideas. The composition of traditions has a number of features which help us build upon the underlying structure for marketing. Finding the moral and legal rules of traditions can offer practical factors to building upon latest forums. As also mentioned in our text: â€Å"It is usually hard for an organization intending to conduct business in overseas countries to carry out cross-cultural user research. For example, it is not easy within the Islamic countries of the Middle East to carry out Western-style consumer research. In Saudi Arabia, for example, it’s banned to stop people on the streets, and focus groups are not practical since most meetings of 4 or more people (except for family and spiritual meetings) are banned. American companies wishing to do business inside Russia have discovered a restricted amount of specifics of user and market data. Likewise, marketing research info on China is usually insufficient, and questionnaires which ask private questions arouse doubt. For that reason marketers have tried different ways to generate the information they require. For instance, Grey Advertising has provided cameras to Chinese kids so they can get photos of the items they like and don’t like, instead of ask them to describe it to an unknown person.  Additionally, AC Nielsen conducts focus groups in cafes and children’s playrooms instead of in meeting rooms; and Leo Burnett has posted researchers to China just to â€Å"hang out† with users.† There are many basic methods for keeping and modifying traditions which include: what we focus on; the way we respond to other people; and becoming role models by way of teaching and coaching. The roles we see in traditions should also be practical in establishing with value systems. We may motivate input about suitable values and practices for applying our traditions to promote products or services. Most companies would have a hard time thriving if existing tradition, traditions and values weren’t congruent with today’s varied culture. Choosing to reach for the varied market is not necessarily the ideal, but it’s best when we can examine techniques to offer variety in dealing with positive roles to boost businesses. Additionally, the increasing varied languages create difficulty in addition to variations in problem-solving styles and behavioral roles of persons. Language is a part of tradition, and yet it’s so varied. It is key to tradition as it is the way by which most language is learned and communicated. In any tradition, thousands of things may be built and used to express several ideas. The tensions between group and individual language interests may be highlighted through the free ride and sucker-effect ideas. Based on the person’s situation, persons use language and tradition so as to intimidate and change conditions. One example would be, when persons know and speak the English language when it’s easy and other times pretend they don’t know or speak it. Identifying Lessons Learned Apple ® and Hong Kong Disneyland ® marketing lessons developed around offering a standard which would not be rewarding along with a conventional idea which didn’t resonate all over the world. The tradition of numerous communities represents an intricate pattern of values and anticipations shared by many people all over the world. There are traditions described with shared ideas, ideologies, values, beliefs, presumptions, objectives, attitudes, and norms.  One must recognize the importance of varied traditions so as to know it, particularly where major values regarding the tradition are generally nice. Even though we might have common knowledge on particular norms, research depending on world views will assist us to build up new senses when we constantly convey them within traditional system. Several organizations show different ways of interaction and development at different levels, occasions and scenarios. Organizations for example Apple and Hong Kong Disney may move towards a balance when coping with other traditions. Nonetheless they might differ in personal traditions, which could vary from one atmosphere to another. Their attitudes and belief, might propose methods for knowing how everybody can personally relate. Modern society in general may benefit from good cultural differences, just like we do personally. For that reason, much may be discovered a person’s history by recognizing there are differences, knowing the social systems, and understanding that structure and development variables impact our activities in the manner we build upon personal customs. Conclusion America is usually regarded as the great meeting place in which people from any background can integrate into a single culture. This idealistic way of thinking isn’t relevant in the country these days. A more practical viewpoint is among cultural user behavior or multiculturalism. Varied user behavior and spending brings different sets of abilities and experience to the maximum and plays a role in the general progress and success of a company. Apple ® and Hong Kong Disneyland ® Corporations have to recognize, and several companies have, that user behavior adds to the bottom line by creating a status which helps lure fresh buyers. Companies need to see that User behavior administration can be viewed as a reaction to the need to recognize, value, and take advantage of various backgrounds. Different social groups have different ideals, styles, and people, who have a considerable impact on how they conduct business. Instead of penalizing or curbing the various administration styles as they do not  comply with conventional styles, companies must look to these differences as benefits. Not just does varied buying achieve exactly the same results like conventional styles, additionally, it may improve the company’s competitive standing in the business field. Additionally, it is crucial that administration be conscious of the significance of respecting user behavior.

Functional Behaviour Analysis educ6162 Case Study

Functional Behaviour Analysis educ6162 - Case Study Example Self expression can also make a child behave in a certain way in order to make her independence very clear. The child can also be in need of some tangible rewards like money which makes her feel good. In order to be accepted, a child might behave in a certain way so as to impress her peers or adults. A child’s behavior can be in form of revenge in order to get back at others whether it was real or imagined. Finally, a child...’s behavior is way of escaping from a particular activity or group (Cooper.J.T., and Heward,W 2007). Functional behavior assessment Summary Statements for each Major Trigger and/or Consequence Distant Setting Event Immediate Antecedent (Trigger) Problem Behaviour Maintaining Consequence Function 1 lonely Ignoring the child Sucking and chewing on toys Help her obtain peer attention attention 2 ignored by peers Failing to get a desired object that is visible but out of reach Pulling hair bows and clips Tell her no any time she pulls it and engage her in other activities Acceptance or affiliation 3 change of activity Interrupting the child from an event Pulling away and or dropping on the floor Leave her alone Control 4 There are a lot of people in the room Giving an event that is not preferred by child Leaving designated areas When she walks away appreciate her Escape or avoidance (Briggs, 1993) Support Planning Chart 1 Triggers Behaviours Consequences Ignoring the child Function: attention sucking and chewing toys Interacting with the child She can cause harm to herself Preventions New Skills New Responses Universal Providing her with the right materials for playing teaching her and providing a number of rules for her to follow providing her with engaging activities to avoid being lonely secondary being a role model to the child Inputting the right behaviour to the child To Challenging Behaviour if she stops, praise and if not tell her that the object can cause her harm To New Skills Teach her on how to seek attention appropri ately plan to ignore her not to ignore her when she needs attention social reinforcement teach her appropriate social skills Support Planning Chart 2 Triggers Behaviors Consequences Being ignored by her peers Function: acceptance or affiliation pulling hair bows and clips Her peers talk negatively about her Preventions New Skills New Responses Universal providing her with clear directions when she requires something help her communicate well especially that she suffers from language delay and disability secondary I being a role model to the child is important Ii doing a rehearsal with the child on what is supposed to be done To Challenging Behaviour If sashi responds by requesting the clip praise her if she

It is intended that small claims should be subjected to a process that Essay

It is intended that small claims should be subjected to a process that is easy to use and cheap for litigants. To what extent do - Essay Example This is important, because the small claims court is clogged with cases, according to the Bello (2010). There were 84,000 cases that were heard in the small claims court system in 2008, which most commonly include consumer compensation cases for faulty services, faulty goods and personal injury; cases for wages owed; and debt recovery for corporate creditors (Bello, 2010). The purpose of the small claims court, according to Bello (2010) is that they are informal courts – litigants can represent themselves, because the focus is on a process that is easily understandable to everybody. Evolution of the Small Claims Courts The evolution of the small claims court procedures have evolved. In 1973, according to the Bello (2010), the upper limit for the small claims court was only ?75. Obviously, the amount has grown substantially by then, and is going to grow even more. More importantly, the process has been streamlined by the changes in the Civil Procedure Rules which stated that, i n 1998, that there would be one set of rules for the civil claims in the high court and the county court, and that there would be special provisions made for small claims. ... This TCE Act, according to the HM Court and Tribunals Service, instituted a way of handling reviews and appeals. There is an Upper Tribunal, which decides appeals from the First-tier Tribunal. Each of these tribunals are also split into Chambers, each of which have their own rules and procedures. What this has done, according to the HM Courts and Tribunals Service, is provided a single mechanism by which a litigant may appeal the tribunal's decision. The Upper Tribunal's decision is not final, however, as it may also be appealed to the Court of Appeal (HM Court and Tribunal's Service). Mediation Probably the most important method that is being used to streamline the process of small claims, is the process of mediation. This has made the process cheaper and easier to use, at least in theory. Tagg (2010) explains that mediation in the English and Welsh courts began around 20 years ago with commercial disputes, and around 10 years ago for small claims issues. The rules of mediation are governed by Civil Justice Reforms implemented in 1999, and codified in the Civil Procedure Rules. In the small claims court system, according to Tagg (2010), there were reforms put into place in 2005/2006, in which the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) was made free to users. This is because the low amount of the claims would make paying for mediation not cost-effective. The small claims mediation service, which was implemented in the Manchester County Court after the reforms, was the most effective, and resulted in the greatest satisfaction and settlements. So, this was rolled out across England and Wales, and has since become well-established. This is a voluntary service (Tagg, 2010). The mediation process has some aspects in common, according to Reid (2007). Reid

Roles of AdministratorsWK3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Roles of AdministratorsWK3 - Essay Example Staffing is one of the differentiators between both types of administrations, as private administrators can command their will freely in the staff management. Change management, on the other hand, is not easy to handle regarding policy shifts in public administration. Employees create a number of hurdles. The private sector uses the tools of profit and loss smartly to enhance performance. Coming to preferences, budget is very critical in public administration. There are procedural similarities, but cost planning is given higher importance in private management. Compare and Contrast the Roles of Administrators in the Public and Private Sectors Definition of Public Administration The core elements of public administration are policy management, resource management, and program management. These functions of public management are defined by the Interagency Study Committee on Policy Management Assistance. According to Mushkin’s Report, public management also includes personnel man agement, workforce planning, shared bargaining and union-management relations, appraisal of production and execution, organization, financial control, and examining study, program, and control audit. Regarding case studies, the public domain is in the learning stage only while analysis of case studies is one of the leading methods to manage functions in the private sector (Allison Jr., 2006). Similarities Between Public and Private Administration The general management functions, as summarized in the acronym POSDCORB, are similar: planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting. All these functions are not necessarily connected and related (Allison Jr., 2006). Organizing and Staffing Organizing and staffing are integral functions to control internally. The manager creates structures and processes for shared functions. Staffing goes side by side by appointing the right individuals in the related job, both in public and private administration (Allison Jr., 2006). Directing Personnel and the Personnel Management System The strength of an organization, whether public or private, is reflected through the expertise and awareness of its workforce. It is the function of the personnel management system to recruit, finalize, train, reward, and punish the staff by showing the pink slip to a human resource. Such human resource functions, similar in both sectors, help an organization in achieving its aims by taking particular instructions from management (Allison Jr., 2006). Managing Performance Different management information systems such as operations and capital budgets, accounts, reports, and statistical systems, performance evaluation and product approximation help managers in both sectors in decision-making and in valuing growth in the realization of aims (Allison Jr., 2006). Differences Between Public and Private Administration Some labels could be similar in both public and private administration, but the meaning is different. Tal king about the differences in the internal segments of administration in the private sector, it is the topmost critical task of a chief executive officer to make a judicious selection of employees. Both private and public sector organizations can work remarkably when responsibilities are shouldered by right people (Allison Jr., 2006). The pathways of executives of both sectors in staffing are different. Private sector administrators can lock plants, shift leading managers, hire and fire at will. On the other hand, policy changes are

Limitless by Neil Burger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Limitless by Neil Burger - Essay Example This anecdote connects the movie Limitless in a very crucial manner because the movie is essentially a sci-fi or psychological thriller that has taken over brain power and intelligence, making the audience around the world understand the ill effects of drugs through strong and strange visuals and graphics. Bradley Cooper is the main character in the movie Limitless, directed by Neil Burger, released on the 18th of March, 2011. The film is based on the novel ‘The Dark Fields’ written by author Alan Glynn, which speaks about a rather surreal trip taken by a man desperate to find new ways to living life, without any obstructions. The movie follows the life and times of Eddie, (played by Cooper), a struggling writer living in the dingy areas of New York City, trying to make a name for himself, but to no avail. However, one fine day, he chances upon some NZT pills, a drug he is told, which will increase human access to his brain by a 100% instead of the normal 20% that most h uman beings that was available to most human beings. Cooper begins to take the pills, feeling a drastic change in his everyday routine, as the pills sharpen his skills and make him feel more energised than ever before. They provide him with the opportunity to feel manic and think extremely fast, making him finish the first ninety pages of his book within an instant. He shows the book to his publisher, and to his surprise, the publisher loves it and accepts it; this makes Eddie think that the pills were effective and that taking them on a daily basis could indeed change his life. The film then follows the course of Eddie’s dosage as he has an encounter by Russian thugs and tries to restore his past by comprehending and fixing his relationship with his ex wife. Several murders and violent scenes take place as Eddie gets mixed with villains that are out to get him and his pills, and the film also goes through a series of medical complications because soon Eddie witnesses that al most every person who had ever taken those pills has either died or is seriously ill and in danger of passing away very soon. He too begins to undergo blackouts and fits and cannot understand what is wrong as he begins to see that everyone around him is dying. Furthermore, the addiction caused by the pills does not help him in trying to overcome what has become his deepest and darkest fear. Nonetheless, he tries to increase his dosage in order to get more and more clarity of thought on everything that has been happening around him and all these scenes have been captured with great skill by the director, as well as the cameras that have helped to portray them so wonderfully on screen. The film undergoes a whirlwind of emotions on part of Eddie who begins to experience a plethora of negative emotions ranging from afraid to angry and repenting. The morals within the movie are decidedly unconventional in nature because even though Eddie has become addicted to the drugs, he tries to free himself from their clutches, despite having constant revelations of the drugs doing him good instead of harm. The entire concept of the movie as well does not confuse the audience when it comes to intelligence vs. mental capacity. What the movie does ask the audience to understand is that even though the pills might have helped Eddie in tapping his potential as an author, how do they help his passion for living life after the book has already been turned in and made him famous? The film provides for some heavy scenes which may remind

The Islamic Empire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

The Islamic Empire - Essay Example The Muslim physicians were very early and keen experimenters too, and they invented many surgical techniques and dietary improvements. Unlike Christian doctors of the period, they believed in active intervention to heal people and had considerably more success than western monks and nuns, who mainly offered basic nursing and religious support. 3 The Christian Crusades started out as pious journeys which individuals made as a way of doing penance for their sins. They were extensions of local pilgrimages to various churches and holy places and people banded together to set off for Jerusalem, which was revered above all places on earth because of its association with Jesus Christ. Over time the need for protection against the hazards of the journey grew more intense, whether from opportunist robbers or from some powerful Islamic figures who resented the Christian presence on their lands. The people who went on the large scale and well-armed pilgrimages were usually noblemen and their en tourage, and they were motivated by greed and a sense of adventure, rather than religion. Kings and churches supported the crusades also for political and economic reasons since they distracted people from troubles at home and offered chances to bring back spoils of war. Inventing a horrible enemy encouraged people to become mercenaries and defend their own culture. In an imitation of Islamic ideas, the concept of a â€Å"Holy War† was used to drum up support but in fact, a lot of this was just propaganda with no real basis in fact.

Basis of Grammatical Evidence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Basis of Grammatical Evidence - Essay Example From the two perspectives, there is a contrast basing on the issue of spying, which is a form of investigation patterns, which incurred and propelled by various participants in both texts. Text 1 adopted from the Arabs news Germany summons U.S. envoy over Merkel phone spy suspicion and Text 2 adopted from the New York news Anger Growing among Allies on U.S. Spying Table1: The clause structure types: Transitive Intransitive Active Passive Long Short Text: 1 1.8kol,5 8 18 1 5 Text: 2 14 9 16 3 8 From the table 1 it gives a clear indication that in both texts transitive clauses have been used more that intransitive clauses. In addition, there is an active voice more than passive voice. We define a transitive clause as one that involves the actor and the goal initiated. In consideration of intransitive, either it is termed as the absence of the actor or goal initiated from the clause availed in the texts. The author has used a total of 14 transitive clauses and 9 intransitive clauses to bring about the essence of tasks required. Table2: Process types analysis of text 1 and 2. Text 1 Text 2 Material 48% 65% Mental 19% 15.9% Verbal 29% 2.5% Relational 2% 20% Interpretation: text usually represents a grammatical norm and both processes and participants are present. Grammatical representations play a vital role since it is one of the best indicators in which texts think or the way of seeing operations present in texts. More so, process analysis is a provision of pictures, which depicts more information about the text, and the prevailed hidden messages termed as ideologies of the scholar. From the table above, we realize that material processes, as well as texts, usually occurs frequently as compared to other processes availed. Text 1 is from the Arabs news. It states out a high frequency of material processes, indicating 48 % of the physical workings involving suspicion summon that was initiated on the Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone call line during his offici al duty in Berlin. Physical norm is evident here in consideration of the following activities that were availed during the process. â€Å"The American ambassador was summoned for talks with Foreign Minister Westerwelle this afternoon.† AFP quoted this from a foreign ministry spokesperson. Moreover, this text represents 29% of verbal processes, showing that the text is news text. Going by scholarly research, we find that the author behind this news wants to consolidate his texts with humor and a sense of real talk evident as per the availed text line from the article. This text line is â€Å"The position of the German government will be presented clearly. The move comes a day after Merkel named President Barack Obama on Wednesday demanding answers after learning that U.S. spies may have monitored her phone. A statement by the chancellor’s spokesperson, Steffen Seibert, says Merkel warned Obama warned this would constitute a â€Å"breach of trust† between the all ies.† Similarly, a mental process is evident in this article with an approximate percentile of 19%. This shows that the author believes and have a strong desire and feelings towards the issue of suspicion as far as the aspect of phone monetization is of concern. â€Å"Among close friends and partners, as the Federal Republic of Germany and the U.S. have been for decades, there should be no such monitoring of the communications of a head of government,† the statement said, according to AFP.†Ã‚     

Write a book review on any book dealing with Islam as a religion Essay

Write a book review on any book dealing with Islam as a religion - Essay Example But Abu Bakar controlled the Muslims with his wisdom. He ruled for two years and was succeeded by Omar. A man of rules, Omar played an important role in Muslim’s revival and also many areas were conquered in his era. His era shows the great development within Muslim world, not only as they conquered different parts of Middle East and Africa, but also he solved many conflicts within Muslim world. He established few basic practices. He remained as a Caliph for almost a decade and during this time, Islam spread worldwide and he conquered large are of land as well. Hence, his era could be called the unforgettable era of Muslims. He established the first public treasury and also financial administration for the first time. Umar succeded by Usman, the third Muslim Caliph, ruled for almost twelve years. Islam spread worldwide during his era. He arranged the Koran in an order and spread it all over with the same order. The Koran that is read by Muslim today is the same version. He was murdered by few young men, as anarchy among Muslims started at that time. He was succeeded by Ali, Shia Muslims consider him as their spiritual leader. Ali was famous for his bravery, his rule is still remembered as the one which kept Muslims united. But after all these Caliphs, Muslims never get united again. After telling about the four Caliphs, writer stated about Ummayad Caliphs. It was established in 661 and last for a century. Damascus was the capital of Islamic World which got wider till that. It includes a great part of Asia and some part of Europe as well. Ummayad era is remembered as a golden era. Islamic conquests continued during this time, including Asia and Europe, the main parts conquered at that time were Central Asia, Spain, France and Indian subcontinent. Not only they did well in Defense side but also they did great at founding and organizing the basic social and legal institutions of the

'Estimating Project Costs' Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

'Estimating Project Costs' - Assignment Example Cost is also the most important parameter of exclusive concern for higher level management, accountant, customer and other stakeholders of project and cost estimation is also performed during project planning phase. Appropriate cost estimation is very crucial for the successful development and delivery of project. It shall not only facilitate all resources allocated to the project but also an important factor for the client concern. That’s why this is Project Managers core responsibility to come up with realistic cost estimation for project considering all factors and dependencies in mind so that client can be provided with exact cost requirement of project and further allocations of resources can be made possible with cost requirement. Now the question arise how is it possible to define good initial estimates of cost for any nature of project. Cost is the factor that has link with every entity of project like for any construction project it might be aggregate of cost related to construction material, machineries used for construction, cost of human resources(engineers, architects, labors, technician, plumber etc) and other costs. Another example is of software development project, costs associated with such nature of project shall be of infrastructure used for development, cost of human resources(business analyst, software developers, design architect, testers etc),critical computer resources, memory requirements and any other costs even cost of pizza or refreshments for team members. Let’s discuss three estimation types that can be relied upon by Project Managers for defining initial estimates of cost for their project. At the initial level of project when requirements are not vivid it is difficult to come up with accurate initial estimates of cost and time. There is always possibility of uncertainty in

Except for Native Americans Essay Example for Free

Except for Native Americans Essay These are very powerful words. Even though Native Americans were the first settlers’ of the continent, they were considered immigrants. This paper will discuss the issues these people faced, such as stratification, pluralism, discrimination, etc. It will also describe the role of politics, public policies and economics within this group. The tale of Native Americans, like other ethnic groups, is a tale of deceit. It began when Christopher Columbus and his European friends first came to North America. Columbus assumed he reached India; therefore he had no problems with calling the native people â€Å"Indians†. These indigenous people taught the Europeans how to survive on their continent. They were experienced in hunting and gathering so they felt it was only fair to share their knowledge to help a fellow man out. In return these men brought diseases to these tribes and forced them into a type of slavery. â€Å"As a conquered population, the subordination of Indians occurred through a highly conflictual process. An indigenous group invaded by a more powerful settler group can only capitulate or, more commonly, resist. This ordinarily makes for a high level of conflict and rejection of assimilation into the dominant group† (Marger, 2012). The North American settlers’ deemed the natives uncivilized and inferior (pertaining to technology). Contact and ethnocentrism is a factor of stratification but are not as important as competition and differential power. The land, as a valued resource, caused competition between Indian-white relations. The land was not viewed as private property. The Europeans’ technological skills are what gave them the advantage in war. â€Å"When the vastly superior arms of the colonialists were combined with the inability of Indians to resist the diseases introduced by the Europeans, it was inevitable that whites would prevail in the struggle for resources and that Native populations would decline† (Marger, 2012). The natives did not want to conform to the culture of the new settlers’. They were furious with them and did not want to take on anything they had. The notion of Indians as â€Å"savages† speaks to the prejudice and discrimination that was brought up earlier. This served as reasoning for stripping them of their land. Once it was established the â€Å"Indians† posed no threat to the Europeans, they produced a racist ideology that allowed them to treat these indigenous people as less than human. Some people were forced onto different reservations, thus birthing negative stereotypes, attitudes and actions. As if breaking the Native Americans down and shedding them of their land was not enough, the Europeans’ forced them to assimilate. Native Americans, in order to be a part of the American way, had to give up their religions and put Christianity in its’ place, â€Å"denying Indians native languages and substituting English, and reducing education to an effort to ‘civilize’ Indians† (Marger, 2012). Their children were separated from their families for years at a time when they were placed in boarding schools, run to by the government. They were taught to speak English, wear Westernized clothing, and pray as Christians (Marger, 2012). Government policies had two goals, in a nut shell, it wanted to â€Å"(1) eliminate the Native American population as an impediment to western settlement and the needs of an expanding American economy, and (2) eradicate Native American cultures and political forms† (Marger, 2012). No matter where the Native Americans reside, urban areas or on reservations, they are below the national average on majority of the socioeconomic measures (I.e. , income, education, health care, and etc. ) These give the Europeans more reasons to stereotype and discriminate. Indians were and are still on the bottom of the hierarchy and therefore the minority. To conclude, the natives have been through so much and have yet to come back from it all. Their land was taking over and they were forced to conform to the ways of the Europeans. The Europeans’ superiority meant their culture was more enhanced and therefore needed to be implemented. Discrimination was strong. The disdain for the natives was exemplified when their children were taking away from their families so they can be taught to speak English, and other ways of the West. Today, Americans are showing sympathy for the continued predicament of the Native Americans. Although we cannot take back what happened, expressing sympathy is a positive start. Reference Marger, M. (2012). Race and ethnic relations: American and global perspectives (9th ed. ). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Carrefour A French Multinational Retailer Marketing Essay

Carrefour A French Multinational Retailer Marketing Essay Introduction Carrefour, a French multinational retailer, was establised by the Fournier and Defforey families as a supermarket in 1959. In 1963, new concept hypermarket, was discovered and invested. Since then, Carrefour owned up to 5,200 stores worldwide, reaching out to 26 countires and region (refer to appendix A). In particular, for Asia, Carrefour have invested in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, India as well as Singapore with approximately 361 hypermarkets, 17 supermarkets and 2 other formats of stores (refer to appendix B). Opening its first store in 1997, Carrefour was the first to introduce hypermarket concept in Singapore, where everything can be purchased under one roof (aisaone business 2012; Krishnan 2012). Oxford dictionaries (online) defines hypermarket as a very large self-service store with a wide range of goods and a large carpark typically situated outside a town. Carrefour had two stores in Singapore; Suntec City and Plaza Singapura. Subsequently, in 2000, Giant, a major hypermarket retailer, joined the market, competing with Carrefour. As a result, Carrefour was not progressing well. Reported by numerous news (refer to appendix C), in a press release on 28 August 2011, Carrefour announced the decision to close its two stores in Singapore by the end of 2012. This decision was reached because Carrefour realized that there is no expansion and growth prospect in Singapore that brings them to a leadership position in the long term. Marketing Problem Segmentation/ Customer Research For 15 years, Carrefour has been providing consumers with one-stop service but it did not turn out as expected. Concluded by Krishnan (2012), Carrefour came in with the mind-set that consumers in Singapore would avoid frequent shopping and hence, would buy as much as possible within a trip. Unfortunately, this prediction was not accurate as this behaviour was not seen popular in Singapore. In addition, both Carrefours outlet was located in central hub which in customer perspective brings significant inconvenience such as high travelling cost and traffic congestion. Moreover, Carrefour does not offer unique products that appeal to consumers, enticing them to choose Carrefour over other retailers and local grocery shops (Krishnan 2012). As a result, Carrefour was observed to be targeting at the wrong country and customer segment, facing huge hurdle in attracting consumers with their one-stop shopping proposition, location and products offered. Sales and Distribution Research Being a hypermarket that offers a wide range of food items and non-food items such as appliances and clothing, Carrefour is in a direct competition position with grocery retailer, supermarket such as NTUC FairPrice (Ng 2012) as well as appliances chains such as Best Denki (Krishnan, 2012), which might eventually affect their sales. On top of these competitors, Giant, a hypermarket open by Dairy Farm Group, is their major competitor. Reported by Krishnan (2012), Giant offers consumer lower price, compensating and outweighing travelling cost. Giant is also able to control consumers behaviour as products sold seems to be more appealing to broader segment of market. Hence, with these competitors at hand, Carrefour did not operate as well as expected. Looking at Carrefours 2011 sales report, illustrated in the pie chart below, the highest contributor of 43.2% is France. Aisa, has the lowest contribution of merely 9% which is approximately à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬73 Million (with the closure of Malaysia and Thailand stores). Source: http://www.carrefour.com/cdc/finance/key-figures/our-key-figures-/key-figures-folder/breakdown-sales.html In addition, reported by TODAY news (2012), in 2009, Aisa has accounted for 7.9% of Carrefours total sales of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬85.9 billion, with Singapore contributing only à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬85 Million (TODAY/CNA 2012). Comparing it with 2011 annual report, sales revenue in Singapore have decreased. Therefore, the failed in Carrefour may be due to its strong competition in Singapore with its direct and indirect competititors. Objectives The main purpose of this research proposal is to investigate the perception of consuerms towards Carrefour against their competitors in Singapore. The objectives of the research proposal are as follows: To evaluate Carrefours performance in comparision to its competitors To examine factors influencing consumers behaviour in patronizing its preferred hypermarket/supermarket retailer To ascertain what kind (demographic, geographic, psychographic, behavioural) of consumer frequent Carrefour To investigate the degree of brand loyalty consumer have towards Carrefour Research Design Research Question With the aim of achieving the objectives set, research questions have to be formulated. The following are some example pertaining to the research proposal. Which of the supermarket respondent most frequent? In selecting a supermarket, what are the factors that respondent consider most? Rate the level of awareness respondent have towards Carrefour (1 being the most and 7 being the least) How frequent do respondent shop at any of Carrefours outlet? What are the prominent difference between Carrefour and other supermarket? Research Method Aliaga and Gunderson (2000) quoted from Muijs (2011, p.1) defines quantitative research as a method that explains the phenomena of collecting numerical data that are analysed using some mathematically based methods, in particular statistics. The researcher will thus be adopting a quantitative approach, employing primary research personal survey method, focusing on the phenomenon of consumers decision for patronizing a supermarket; their intentions, behaviour and attitude (A study on factors considered by consumers for patronizing a retail outlet 2010) and gather information on consumer awareness towards Carrefour compared to its competitiors. Personal Survey Malhotra and Birks (2007, p.265) and Malhotra (2010, p.211) defines survey as a method that gathers information based upon questioning respondents a variety of questions regarding their behaviour, intentions, attitudes, awareness, motivations and demographic and lifestyle characteristics. Most researcher noticed that survey is simple to administer and hence is a popular quantitative measure amongst all. Although it is argued that survey can be uncontrollable as respondents may be unable or unwilling to provide accurate responds (especially to motives or sensitive questions), it is recognised that due to the limited alternatives available, data collected will be consistent across and variability of results will be reduced (Malhotra 2010; Malhotra and Birks 2007; insights from decision point 2012). Rea and Parker (2012) further argues that commercial enterprises often use surveys to formulate market strategies for the potential widespread use, performance of new and existing products as well as finding out their market value. These aligns to the researchers aim and objective, to gather information on factors that affects consumer patronage behaviour as well as perception of consumer towards Carrefour. Furthermore, due to the surveys fixed-response alternative questions nature and consistent data gathered, coding, analysing and interpreting of survey results are relatively simplier for researchers compared to observation or experiment method. Appendix D shows a diverse survey techniques, and compares them against numerous factors, shown on appendix E. Personal interviwing street survey, occurs when respondents are intercepted while shopping or walking on the street (Malhotra and Birks 2007). Personal survey technique is a method to collect relevant data from target group and evaluation becomes easier (A study on factors considered by consumers for patronizing a retail outlet 2010), generalising the entire target population from a small amount of data gathered (Rea Parker 2012). Additionally, personal survey allows the researcher control the environment, to source for potential surveyee personally, collecting data from the right target segment (Gibran 2010; Rea Parker 2012). Moreover, response rate in persoanl survey can be significantly high as compared to other methods such as mail survey and speed of collecting data is also moderately high. Due to the characteristics of personal survey in appendix E, personal survey will be conducted by the researcher on consumers who patronize any supermarket or hypermarket in Singpaore to collect valuable data on their patronizing behaviour and their level of awareness towards Carrefour against their competitors. Formulate a plan Gibran (2010) suggested that, survey techniques includes selecting respondents randomly from the studied population in an unbiased mannar and having a standardized questionnaire for all respondents. However, Rea and Parker (2012) claims that physical characteristics of surveyee such as attire, cleanliness, manners etcetera is important when selecting respondent. On top of that, sample survey, where data will only be collected from a fraction of the studied population (Statistics Canada 2003, p.2; Rea Parker 2012), will be exploited by the researcher. It is noted that sample survey provides a economical and quicker way of obtaining sufficient information in the field. Hence, in this research, studied population refers to a representative number of consumers, particularly middle-aged women, who patronize any supermarket in any given time. As mentioned, there are two different issues. To attain the objectives, the questionnaire will be targetting at these two issues seperately where specific questions will be asked sequentially. First part of the questionnaire will focus on the factors affecting consumer partonage behaviour while the second part on consumers awareness towards Carrefour. Structured questionnaire, the degree of having a standardisation on data collection (Malhotra and Birks 2007), will be executed by the researcher in a formal and prearranged order,thus having a direct collection process. Although unstructured questions allows respondent to best express their attitudes and opinions towards the topic discussed (Malhotra 2010, p. 343), it will not be address as this is a quantitative research. Hence, the questionnaire will only contain structured questions. Most questions in the questionnaire will be in a likert scale (nominal scale) and respondents will be required to rate them accordingly base on their attitudes and behaviour. Rea and Parker (2012) recommends that sample size must be selected in an appropriate microcosm of the working population. They further concludes that larger samples yield higher degree of accurancy than smaller samples and hence researcher have to weigh the degree of accurancy with time and cost available. Analyze Data Before collating the results through computer-assisted programme, coding will be employed to facilitate capturing of data. This means that researcher will be allocating numerical values to every possible result of each question, giving it meaning (Malhotra 2010; Malhotra Birks 2007). Structured questions will be coded before the fieldwork is performed, while for unstructured questions, responses will be coded after the fieldwork (Statistics Canada 2003; Malhotra 2010, p.455). After which, coded values will be stored into the computer to analyse the questionnaires. As explained by Statistics Canada (2003, p.3), computer-assisted programme enables researcher to directly enter questionnaires into the computer and data will be captured and transform into readable format. Another benefit to computer-assisted programme is that inconsistent and invalid data will be identified instantly for researcher, providing a user-friendly and convenient form of identifying invalid data. The computer-assisted programme used will be SPSS, where data will be analysed into tabular or graphical form (Rea Parker 2012), making comparisons and interpret results for statistical analysis that will be reflected in the research proposal. As this research is about consumers behaviour towards patronizing, the research requires multivariate statistical technique where there are two or more measurements of each element and the variables are analysed simultaneously (Malhotra 2010, p.466). As mentioned, this research involves understanding the patronage behaviour. Hence, responses of the factors that affect respondents behaviour are dependent on each other. For example, respondent patronage behaviour will depend on the location, price, products offered etc. As such, referring to appendix F, a classification of multivariate techniques, the researcher is able to evaluate results with several methods such as cross-tabulation. Conclusion In summary, with the intention of discover the factors to consumer behaviour as well as establishing Carrefours market position in Singapore, the researcher have decided to employ personal survey method. Survey results will be analysed through coding followed by SPSS thereafter by the researcher to interpret these surveys into readable tables and graphs. Limitation Survey may seem to be the best suitable method for this research but it is time-consuming. As mentioned, this research is base on sample survey, which implies that it will not be 100% accurate as not everyone in the studied population is surveyed. Expected contribution With the mentioned objectives, and the methods used to meet these objectives, the researcher believes that this research will be able to contribute to Carrefour in analysing the reasons to their failure in Singapore, thus making improvements in other countries. This research can also set Carrefours management to react fast to changes in other international market, expending their market and prospects.

Problems Faced by Asian Students in English Pronunciation

Problems Faced by Asian Students in English Pronunciation Introduction Speaking regarded as the most important and difficult micro-skill of the four skills in foreign language learning. Most adult non-native students of English in the UK particularly Asian students face a lot of difficulties when they speak English and they sometimes get frustrated when they could not understand or be understand by native speakers of English. Therefore, they encounter the same problems that confront any students studying in a foreign culture, such as grammar, pronunciation, listening comprehension and different cultures. Also, it is difficult for them to adjust to the English language especially when they speak it. They may have difficulty understanding class lecture, making them feel reluctant to participate in class discussion, seminars and tutorials. This essay will first explain and evaluate only one issue that face adult Asian students in UK when they speak English which is English pronunciation. Therefore, pronunciation is a difficult aspect in language learning f or adult Asian students which lead to real barriers to communication and can contribute to motivation with native English speakers. This essay also will examine what are the most frequent difficulties encountered them in English pronunciation, the factors that affecting the pronunciation of non native students of English , some solutions to surmount the difficulties of mispronunciation among Asian adult students and finally it will throw some light on the implications of language teaching. Literature review: Teachers of English as a FL or a L2 know so well how important pronunciation is. Nevertheless, sometimes it has been obvious that a teacher has been paid little attention to the students pronunciation in the process of second language learning and teaching. Celce Goodain(1991) states that over the past years, there have been different views about the value of teaching pronunciation in language teaching and they reported that the cognitive approach and grammar translation reading based method which used by teachers attach no importance to pronunciation. However, in the direct approach, pronunciation is considered important. In addition, Jack and William (2002) reported that pronunciation is no longer considered as an indispensable aspect in a foreign language teaching. According to Beebe (1984,51), `Most current textbooks in English as a second language either ignore the teaching of pronunciation or rely primarily on old stand-bys-to teach non-native learners to pronounce English accurately. Trammell (1993) also indicates that instruction in pronunciation has been deemphasised due to the new teaching methods like the Communicative Approach. Communication is an important need of in daily life and it should be the primary purpose of language learning and teaching . Therefore, teaching English speaking to non-native students of English how to speak English accurately and fluently with native speakers of English is one of the general objectives of the foreign language teaching. According to Yule (2006: 33), language is primarily speech and it is more basic to language than the written form. Knowles (1987) argue that written language is permanent and looks imperfect version of the spoken language whereas spoken Language is more elusive. It is clear that we all speak and hear the sounds spoken in our environment first before we write or read. For instance, child before goes to school, he will speak before write because he will acquire his first Language from his family when he imitates what they said. It is seem that as long as one can communicate with others in the second language, everything is fine but the questions is ,how can communicate with people fluently if your pronunciation is incorrect? Beebe (1984) insists that pronunciation always affect what we communicate and how well we communicate it, and therefore it should be take seriously. Weeren Theunissen(1987: 109) pointed out: Firstly, good pronunciation allows one to be better understood. It gives the speakers oral production a certain redundancy. And this can help to get a message across more effectively as a learning objective because of it is high pay off. The number of sound, sound clusters and intonation pattern in a Language is finite, as is the alphabet. Once the system has been mastered, it can be used, thus giving it fundamentally an infinite scope. Thirdly, a deviant pronunciation means that one is immediately marked as non-native abroad. Harmer (2007) suggests that if students want to be able to speak fluently in English, they need to be able pronounce phonemes correctly and appropriate stress and intonation. Pronunciations of students need to be good enough to communicate the message so that it is understood by other speakers of English. Therefore, most Asian adult students have difficulties to pronounce words or sentences correctly which can be a major cause of misunderstandings. They have difficulties in recognize sound of English, word stress( which part of a word are more heavily stressed that is spoken louder and longer), sentence stress( which part of a sentence can be more heavily stressed), sounds in connected speech( how to link the sounds together in a sentence),and finally in intonation(how our voice rises and falls at a certain point of the sentence).From my own experience as a teacher in a secondary school, most students have potential pronunciation problems when they speak English. They have problem wi th stress and intonation that they unable to put the right emphasis on the right part of the word. Also they have problems with vowels bends and consonants blends as well. For example, sounds likeea and ou can be confusing them because when they listen to the audio recordings, it can be very difficult for them to pick up the subtle blends of two or more vowels. Additionally, In consonants blends, they have problem with th sound because they are not accustomed to putting t and h together to form th sound to reproduce. It is clear that pronunciation is so difficult to learn. The first language of most overseas students effect on learning the second language. Problems that face Asian students in English pronunciation: Most Asian adult students work and study hard to become very fluent in English. However, there are many different varieties of spoken English and non-native students may have achieved fluency such as knowing correct grammar and knowing a large numbers of vocabulary especially when they have been taught by non-native speakers but they have a non-standard accent which make the use of English difficult for native speakers of English to understand. Vowels Celce-Murcia, Brinton and Goodwin (1996) states there are different types of vowel sounds in English pronunciation. Firstly, received pronunciation. It has twelve monophthongs (single or pure vowels).Secondly, eight diphthongs (double vowels) and two thriphthongs (triple vowels).therefore, some of in Asian students like Arabices , Japanese and Chinese have fewer vowels in their first Language which lead to have problems with hearing and pronouncing these distinctions of vowel sounds. For example, Japanese language has only 5 vowels /i/,/e/,/a/,/É‘/,/o/. According to, Kenworthy(1987) there are five vowels letters which are (a, e, i, o, u) .They map to 13 different sounds. For instance, the letter is pronounced differently in the words: boat, boot, out and hot. This is one of the problems that encountered by Asian adult students in pronunciation subject. They have problem with the /a/ sound (e.g. at) because it is not easy for them to hear and pronounce this sound. Also, they could not differentiate between the long sound/a/ and the sound/e/ (e.g. paper-pepper).They also have problems in differentiating between the long/e/ and the short /i/ (e.g. eat-it). Furthermore, diphthongs in English are difficult to learn and definitely tribal markers in English. .They are also very easy for native speakers of English to identify but not easy for non-native speakers of English. So, speech sounds which involve a slide from one vowel to another is the biggest problem which face Asian adult students when they speak English. For example, theou sound in the word out is a blend of /ah/ and /oo/. Several of diphthongs are quiet subtle .For instant the long /ee/ sound in the words feel and fear is a blend of /ee/ and /ah/ as (fee-ah). Celce-Murcia , Brinton and Goodwin ( 1996 ) Consonants Kota(2006) stats that English consonants are less difficult than vowels. Most languages have the sounds which are represented by the letters d, t, s, and z .Nevertheless, some languages do not use certain consonants which can be difficult for non-native speakers of English. For examples, the r and l sounds are not used by Japanese and Korean native speakers. Then, the so- called ra-la distinction is especially difficult for them. They have also difficulty to distinguish between /b/ and /v/ sounds. The /th/ sound is not simply to use it in the naÃÆ' ¯ve language. It can be difficult for Vietnamese students. Therefore, they substitue a /zh/ instead of /th/ as in: /zh/ese problems may be caused by pollution. Also, he adds that there are more consonants in English than in Japanese language .Therefore, the /f/, /v/ /o/, A/, /s/,/3/,/ts/,/d3/ do not exist in the Japanese consonantal system. In addition, Munro((1993) states that some Arabic language do not make use of separate sounds for /b/ and/p/.then, they have difficulty to distinguishing and pronouncing b and p sounds as in : do not bark while I park the van. The difference is quite subtle. They may confuse z withj .These problems cause misunderstanding by native English speakers when they communicate with each other From my own experience as a Libyan student at Leicester University in the UK, I had a car accident in university road because the weather was slippery and snowing which cause that the brake of my car was out of the control. After that the police came to me and asked me some questions about the accident. I said to him I feel slippery. The problem here, the police wrote in the report driver feel asleep but he did not write what I said I feel slippery .I think that was a misunderstanding between the police and me because of my language. He misunderstand me because of his linguistic constraints particularly his heavily -accented English. Other problems which face Asian adult students, is dropping medical stopped consonants. Some of them tend o drop stopped consonants such as, sounds /p/ and /k/ from the middle of poly syllabic words. For example, Chinese students tend to drop the difficult c from the word of success. They say/ suhsess/.Also, some native speaker of English pronounce the word accessory as/ assess or ee/ instead of / ack-sess-or-ee/.(Dalton,1994) Syllable structure: According to Joanna Heather (2003), English allows for in syllable structure a cluster of up to three consonants before the vowel and four consonants after the vowel as in the words straw and glimpsed. Therefore, the structure of syllabus cause issues for speakers of many languages. For instance, Japanese students usually try to in between the consonants (e.g. desk-/desks/) becomes desukusu or in the word milk shake / mIlk ʃeIk/ becomes mirukushȆ¡ku.Kota(2006) there are two types of syllable in English which are open syllables( CV) and closed syllables( CCCVCC).On the other hand, Japanese only permit one type of syllable which is open syllable. For example, Word meaning syllable Ke hair CV Kare boyfriend CVCV So, Words in Japanese do not end with consonants and it Japanese does not allow both initial and final consonants. Knowles (1987) maintains that some Asian students who first languages end in vowels, they often tend to make all English words end in vowels. For example, they pronounce the word make as /meIkÉâ„ ¢ / instead of/ meIk/. Also, they sometimes find it is so complicated when native speakers of English may drop consonants in the more complex blends (e.g. the word months, they say /mɆ¦nÉ µs/ instead of / mɆ¦nos/. Rhythm and Cadence: Brown (2001: 121) pointed out that cadence is the pattern of stresses within a sentence and rhythm refers to the beat syllabus. If each one were marked by tapping fingers on a desk: rat a-tat-tat-tat TAT of this. He adds that the main issue that trips up Asian adult students that British English are stress timed whereas most Asian languages are syllable timed. Stressed syllables are roughly equidistant in time and they like the sound of the mechanical tat-tat-tat-tat of gun machine with equal length to each syllable. However, native English speakers stretch syllables at the same time like putting emphasis on some syllables and not others. For instance,hi. Wonderful to see u again .They say this sentence like this hiiiii woooood fl to seeeeeee yu agaiaiainn. This mean, won- see- gain is both emphasized and lengthened but other syllabuses in the sentence are so lightly and shortened spoken. According to Kota (2006), stress time in English is one of the problem that encounter Asian students particularly for Singaporeans students. They speak in the way which is very difficult for English speakers to understand. Intonation Roach, (2002: 50) defines intonation as the rising or falling pitch of the voice while pronouncing words or syllables. He believes that intonation enables speakers to express their emotions and attitudes when they speak. The most problematic area of pronunciation for most Asian students is intonation. They find it extremely difficult to hear tunes or identify the different patterns of rising and falling tones. Therefore, some Asian languages have less pitch variation than English especially Japanese language.They use pith changes to mark stress on the word level which result the so-called monotonous intonation. Wong(1987) suggests that English as a tonal language(not using tones).We can understand the words in isolation but if we put them together in sentences, the meaning of the sentence may change by a shift in tone. For example, Are you going to the library?(low-then-high on word library) but if u wondered which of two persons agreed to get the list of books, the same words would have a different emphasis Are you going to the library?, and the tone for you would be rather deep which is different from the first question. Jack and Willy (2002) introduce other problems in English pronunciation .Firstly, difference between spelling and sounds. There are lots of words in English language which have silent letters. Therefore, most Asian students specifically Pakistani students pronounce these silent letters unknowingly which make them mispronounce the words. For example, knowledge, kneel .These two word have k silent letter which they should not pronounce it at all. Secondly, multiple sounds of the same letters are also one of the issues that encounter Asian adult students. This mean there are many letters and combinations of letters which produce numerous sounds at different place. For instance, the letter c produces two sounds like s and k (e.g. circle, car) and also ch letter produce three sounds as ch,k andsh. Factors affecting the English pronunciation of Asian students: The effect of native language: Every language in the world has different accent and varsities is true that non native speakers speak the target language in a different way. Sometimes, they speak highly different than native speakers of English do. Avery Ehrlich (1987:9) calls the foreign accent the nature of which is determined to a large extended by a learners native language. Then, native language of speaker may influence on the pronunciation of the target language. Jack and Willy(2002: 184) states that the way we speak is a part of our identity ,that is, phonemic differences between language cause, a target language which will be spoken with a foreign language. Some Asian students specifically Turkish adult students have difficulty in some English sounds or words that are not exist in their first language. For example, the sounds/ÃÆ' °/ and / ÆÅ ¸/ are not exist in Turkish language which lead Turkish students to face difficulty to pronounce these sounds when they speak English. So they produce these sou nds under the influence of their first language. Then, the influence of native language is inevitable. The factor of age: This is the most important factor in learning English pronunciation. If someone wants to pronounce a foreign language with a native like accent, he/she should start to learn it during his/her childhood. For example, children who start learn English language in foreign language speaking people environment. As a result, they have more advantage than the children who learn the second language in their motherlands. Krashen (1988) mentions that people who expose their second language during childhood, they achieve higher foreign language proficiency than those who beginning as adults. It seems that age is the main factor which effect on adults English pronunciation. They are difficult for them to learn English language after puberty. Therefore, it is better to learning it in short run and should be started in puberty. Phonetic Ability: According to Jack and Willy (2002) pointed out that some people who have a good ear, they have the ability to discriminate between the two sounds accurately. So, learners phonetics ability affects the development of their pronunciation. Kenworthy(1987) believes that the influence of age is an efficient factor for phonetics ability. Because it is so difficult for adult students to have more ability in pronunciation than immigrants children who start their learning process in a second language speaking environment. The Amount Exposure: Many non native speakers have not opportunity to practice the English language in their motherlands. English also do not only used in the classroom. If the learners live in an English- speaking country, the learners will have opportunities to listen and speak with native speakers of English. Conversely, there will no advantage for learners if they live in a non English speaking country. Kenworthy (1987) insists that exposure can be a contributory factor but it is not necessary factor for developing adult learners pronunciation. Learners should make use of it is opportunities, if they are aware of the necessity of being exposed to the second language. If the learners do that, they will be more successful in case of improving their pronunciation. Personality and Attitude This factor affect the pronunciation of most Asian adult students in a bad way if the learners have negative attitudes for the English environment .learners or they are introverted students. From my own experience as a student in the UK, I am one of the students who are introverted or shy. Therefore, I usually do not take part in classroom activities; seminars and tutorials .Whereas extrovert students have more chance to improve their pronunciation. Brown (2001) states attitude of the students toward the new language have an effective role in pronunciation learning. Also, if the learners have a good attitude for the target culture, they can develop their pronunciation accurately. If the learners have some prejudices on the second language and its society, this event will influence their approach to the language. It is clear that these above factors are effective in the learners pronunciation and also exert much influence on the adult learners. So, teachers play a significant role for helping adult learners to develop their English pronunciation. Also, they should pay attention to the students concern for pronunciation because they are not aware of the way that they speech. Therefore there are lots of methods and types of teaching English pronunciation which help Asian adult students to overcome the difficulties of it. They will also help them to acquire an accurate pronunciation and improve their speech. Solutions to surmount the difficulties of mispronunciation among Asian adult students:- Teaching pronunciation:- Jigsaw: Pennington (1996) maintains that jigsaw is a form of information gap. Students work in pairs or small group to exchange their information. They try to combine words with each other to create sentences. These sentences consist of words that the learners have difficulty to pronounce these words. For example, in the word rise which has the letters s that they must pronounce it as z and producing /raIz/ e.g. I was surprised that the raisings rise! B-Tongue Twister: This kind of activity helps adult Asian students to say difficult words and phrases so quickly. Celce-Murcia (1987:55) stress that there is a little transfer from practice to natural information. But, if it is needed and necessary, they can be used. Example: Paul piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. 2-Drilling Techniques There are lots of drills which helps adult Asian students to improve their English pronunciation. They are very useful for teaching the correct pronunciation of the words and sentences. A- Saturation drill Wong (1987) proposed it is vey suitable for all position of the problematic sound. For instance, the sound /s/ as a problem sound. It can be drilled in its three positions Initial media final See leasing peace Seem clinic purse Substitution drill Dalton (1994) says that this drill can be applied by substituting any sound instead of other sound. For instance,/t/ sound instead of /ÃŽÂ ¸/ and /d/ in place of /ÃÆ' °/( e.g. this is thin/tin.) It is clear that there are other ways helps learners to overcome difficulties of pronunciation .First, media which give to the students positive advantage especially when they watch standard English news channel like BBC. Second, is practice. Students should practise English with native speaker or non native speakers of English to improve their English speaking Conclusion: To sum up, teaching pronunciation is one of the important areas of foreign language teaching. Most overseas students especially Asian adult students encounter troubles when they try to communicate with native speakers of English. Then, communication should be the primary purpose of language learning and teaching. One crucial part of effective communication for Asian adult students to grasp is: comfortably intelligible pronunciation. They have certain difficulties such as produce correct sound and recognition of English sounds, understanding of stress and intonation, difference between spelling and sounds and other problems. Therefore, it should be studied in the early age (from puberty) to eliminate these problems and also to overcome the negative influence from the first language interference. Teachers must be a ware of the techniques which help students improve their pronunciation according to their age, ability, needs, attitudes and expectations. Count words (3200) Classroom Implications: Appendix I: Generally, pronunciation is really complicated process in foreign language teaching. There are some of sounds which have similar sounds but have different meanings. This can be causing much confusion to the learners. Therefore, most ESL students have problem with English pronunciation when they speak English. From my own experience as a teacher in Libyan secondary school, I used several ways to teach pronunciation which can be benefit all learners. Firstly, introducing phonemes .because the biggest problem that faces them is the distinguage between sounds. For example, in the words fat, mat, cat, sat, the letters /f/, /m/, /c/, /s/ are the phonemes which are the beginning letters of these words. Phoneme makes the distinct difference between similar words. After that, students listen and repeat these different sounds and then identify them. For the best result, I introduce phoneme in pairs. (e.g. the /f/ and/v/ sounds).They listen and speak them and also repeat simple words like( fat- vat)Secondly, practicing phonemes for making the sound accurately. I drew pronunciation diagrams on the blackboard because they help them to know how to hold the tongue and lips. For example, the sound /th/ in #the word this and thank. Anxiety is usually common among students when they lean pronunciation. Then, I usually use some verbal games such as, handclap rhythms and jazz charts which can help them to improve their speaking and relieve much of pressure. Appendix II: Students listen to audio recordings and they practice what they hear because recordings get them attuned to stress, intonation, pitch and phonological distinctions. For example: Listen and say what word you hear: is it from column (a) or column (b)? Some words are unusual. Appendix III Word stress and intonation Listen and mark the stressed syllable. Daughter- orbit-planet- computer- meaning- handle-homework- hospital derision. 2-Read these sentences and mark the pauses with / and mark the intonation pattern with à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ and à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å". People who look different from others in some way are interesting. The one who looks bored is my sister. The latest design, with CD player is very expensive. A tidy, conventionally decorated room with everything in its place is boring.

Don Pepe :: essays research papers fc

Like Castro, Gueverra, and Sandino, Jose Figueres Ferrer holds a place as one of the most important revolutionary and political forces in Latin American history. This so-called “father of modern Costa Rica'; led his country to revolution and eventual democracy. Known affectionately as “Don Pepe'; by his admirers, Figueres was both an enemy of communist and a thorn in the side of the United States. While putting down a communist regime and allying himself consistently with the U.S., Figueres was also a strong socialist and nationalist and would prove to be an enigma to U.S. policy makers during his terms as president. Despite the praise and admiration that Figueres enjoyed, a much darker side to his administration as well as an unmistakable duality in his dealings with the U.S. and democracy itself is seen in his political history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Following a time of democracy in Costa Rica, in the early 40’s, then president Rafael Calderon allied himself with the Costa Rican communist party, Vanguardia Popular as well as the Nicaraguan dictator Somoza. Figueres would then give a radio speech disdaining Calderon and his actions which would lead to Figueres’ exile to Mexico in 1942. (Cockcroft, 232) Figueres returned in 1944, and an alleged fixing of the 1948 Costa Rican election was the window that he had been waiting for. Supported by the governments of Guatemala, Cuba, and the U.S., Figueres and his Army of National Liberation would force the surrender of President Picado, a puppet of Calderon, and the Vanguardia forces, Figueres would seize control of Costa Rica as the head of the revolutionary junta for eighteen months. Control was then turned over to the rightful winner of the 1948 election, and Figueres would return for three terms as president, the first in 1953 and the final beginning in 1970. (Longley, 3)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During his interim term following the revolution and his subsequent terms as president, Figueres would institute a number of changes that would steamroll Costa Rican democracy. Don Pepe began by extending suffrage and full political rights to blacks and women, a certain democratic move. He then instituted a ten percent tax on the very wealthy, which had no considerable backlash politically in Costa Rica due to the surprisingly large middle class. Figueres also established a presidential term limit and created an independent Electoral Tribunal to oversee future elections. In perhaps his most amazing and debated decree, Figueres disbanded the government army, thus protecting himself from the possibility of an out of hand military. Don Pepe :: essays research papers fc Like Castro, Gueverra, and Sandino, Jose Figueres Ferrer holds a place as one of the most important revolutionary and political forces in Latin American history. This so-called “father of modern Costa Rica'; led his country to revolution and eventual democracy. Known affectionately as “Don Pepe'; by his admirers, Figueres was both an enemy of communist and a thorn in the side of the United States. While putting down a communist regime and allying himself consistently with the U.S., Figueres was also a strong socialist and nationalist and would prove to be an enigma to U.S. policy makers during his terms as president. Despite the praise and admiration that Figueres enjoyed, a much darker side to his administration as well as an unmistakable duality in his dealings with the U.S. and democracy itself is seen in his political history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Following a time of democracy in Costa Rica, in the early 40’s, then president Rafael Calderon allied himself with the Costa Rican communist party, Vanguardia Popular as well as the Nicaraguan dictator Somoza. Figueres would then give a radio speech disdaining Calderon and his actions which would lead to Figueres’ exile to Mexico in 1942. (Cockcroft, 232) Figueres returned in 1944, and an alleged fixing of the 1948 Costa Rican election was the window that he had been waiting for. Supported by the governments of Guatemala, Cuba, and the U.S., Figueres and his Army of National Liberation would force the surrender of President Picado, a puppet of Calderon, and the Vanguardia forces, Figueres would seize control of Costa Rica as the head of the revolutionary junta for eighteen months. Control was then turned over to the rightful winner of the 1948 election, and Figueres would return for three terms as president, the first in 1953 and the final beginning in 1970. (Longley, 3)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During his interim term following the revolution and his subsequent terms as president, Figueres would institute a number of changes that would steamroll Costa Rican democracy. Don Pepe began by extending suffrage and full political rights to blacks and women, a certain democratic move. He then instituted a ten percent tax on the very wealthy, which had no considerable backlash politically in Costa Rica due to the surprisingly large middle class. Figueres also established a presidential term limit and created an independent Electoral Tribunal to oversee future elections. In perhaps his most amazing and debated decree, Figueres disbanded the government army, thus protecting himself from the possibility of an out of hand military.

walruses :: essays research papers

WALRUSES Walruses are one of the largest seals or related to the seal species living in the Arctic Circle. I researched the description, behavior, survival, and interesting facts that may come in handy. Walruses may have a social life but still be treacherous. The species of walruses can be gray, brown, or reddish depending on the weather. For example, when the sun is out and, stays out for a period of time they may be reddish. Walruses can weight 1,000-4,000 pounds. Walruses gain alot of their weight from what they eat and how much they eat. Walruses can be as long as 9-14feet long. My research animal has a small head and tiny black eyes you could hardly see. Walrus’s adaptations to survive in the cold are their tusks, blubber, and eating two times a day, which keeps them alive. The walrus’s most important survival tools are their tusks. Walruses live in the Arctic Region. Walruses can live on ice floes for a long period of time. When walruses migrate they start at the Chuckcki Sea and end at the Bering Sea. Unlike birds, female walruses do not lay eggs they give live birth. Walrus’s average life span is forty years, unless humans or natural enemies hunt them. Normally walruses eat 3,000-6,000 clams per eating. Their favorite foods are clams, snails, and mussels. Polar bears are walrus’s natural enemies. This is so because polar bears try to eat walruses. Walruses protect themselves from enemies such as polar bears with their tusks. Walruses are unique because they have a very social life. Although if they’re mad they are capable of damage a steady, sturdy boat or injure human. Walruses are some how related or one of the largest seals. Also walruses tusks are made out of ivory. So you can see, walruses have many social skills and tend to eat alot. Also, walruses can have a very long life span because how large they are. I really enjoyed researching on the walruses for many reasons.

Walcotts Collected Poems and Roys The God of Small Things :: comparison compare contrast essays

Post-Colonial and Post-Modernist View of Walcott's Collected Poems and Roy's The God of Small Things      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Language was not so much a distinguishing sign of a soul or spirituality, which animals do not possess, as a social practice which enhanced survival of the species"-Nietzche. Nietzche reminded twentieth century intellectuals of the decisive role of language in the construction of human experience of 'reality'. With his 'perspectivism' and relativism, truth, whether artistic or scientific was seen as a social matter and a linguistic product, the displacement of one set of figures of speech by another, with knowledge the interrelations of signifiers in a field of experience made of prior interpretations. (Irving Howe, 80).    Thus in Walcott's poems and in Roy's 'The God of Small Things' modernism was further routed by inversion of ethical values as power tools for survival and exploitation, and of art as a veil over a reality describable only as wanton, godless procreation. This conception of a dynamic world of super changed energies of unimaginable force, often in violent conflict and ever-changing relations, came to resemble Freud's concept of id.    We observe, in their writings (Walcott and Roy) the apparently rational surface of consciousness hides a mass of tangled and conflicting desires, impulses and needs. The outer person is a mere papering-over of the cracks of a split and waring complex of selves driven by life and death instincts.    Walcott in his poem 'The Divided Child' writes,    There was your heaven ! The clear glaze of another life, a landscape locked in amber, the rare gleam. The dream of reason had produced its monster : a prodigy of the wrong age and colour. (Walcott 145).    According to him, language was not the transparent tool for the objective representation of a stable reality: ethics was not expressive of a discovered system of absolute values or religion other than a desire for parental protection throughout life.    He writes in his poem 'Lampfall,' And I'm elsewhere, far as I shall ever be from you whom I behold now, Dear family, dear friends, by this still glow The lantern's ring that the sea's Never extinguished Your voices curl in the shell of my ear. (Walcott 95).    When Roy was asked in an interview, 'What does it mean to be Indian?' she replied: 'Do we ask, 'What does it mean to be American or to be British?