Performance Appraisal Essay Example for Free

Performance Appraisal Essay Appraisal is a procedure by which an organization assesses employee performance based on present standards . The main purpose of appraisals is to support managers effectively, staff companies and deal with human resources, and to develop efficiency . Being â€Å"part of an organization measurement process†, performance appraisals serve that purpose by showing employees how to improve their performance, establish goals for employees and helping managers to evaluate subordinates’ efficiency and take actions related to hiring, promotions, training, job design, compensation and terminations. In the last 30 years companies use the employee evaluations not only for administrative purpose, but also for motivational and organizational planning purposes. The object of this paper is to understand and explain the role of human resources which to ensure the effective and efficient use of human talent to accomplish organizational goals in a company. Human Resources Management deals with what can or should be done to make working people more effective and satisfied. In a few words, the management of human resources means that they must be recruited compensated,  trained, and developed. It is HRM’s responsibility to make job analysis (describe work and personal requirements of a particular job), to communicate to the employees performance standards (translate job requirements into levels of acceptable / unacceptable performance) and to coordinate performance appraisal programs. Thus, all aspects of human resources managements are critical to an organization’s ability to adequately effectively provide a quality work force. In fact, performance appraisals are a significant part of performance management system responsible for designing a work environment in which â€Å"people can perform to the best of their abilities.† Job description The focus in this paper is on presenting information about conducting a performance appraisal for a bus driver position. I choose this position because, bus drivers are important for our contemporaneous society which is in a continued development. This aspect implies the need of more connections between places, more transits and travel for people. It is essential that this action be done in the most safety and comfortable ways. The behaviour of each bus driver employee has to be evaluated and improved if it is necessarily. The training programs are the key in helping drivers learn how to deal with difficult people and avoid violence while on duty. Making a job analyse, bus driver is a position is responsible for transporting people from one place to another for work, errands, school, or other reasons. Takes fares from passengers, issues receipts, announces routes, and ensures passengers get out safety. Their primary responsibilities imply transport people, operate bus, and drive regu lar routes on a schedule or on chartered trips. They obey traffic laws, stop frequently and check the bus tires, lights, and oil and other basic maintenance. They have to report mechanical problems and accidents. May load and unload passengers’ luggage. A bus driver has to deal with unruly passengers, assist disabled ones and keep passengers informed of delays. Bus drivers are employed by urban transit system, elementary and secondary schools and private transportation companies. According to Service Canada the job prospects in this occupation is good having an annual average salary of 43,895. Thus, customer service skills are important because of the interaction with passengers. For a school bus driver is essential to ensure the safety of the children, which  may include accompanying students across the street and providing first aid in emergencies. The following skills are very important for a bus driver: active listening, operation monitoring, social perceptiveness – being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do, equipment maintenance, operation and control, reading comprehension, coordination, time management, speaking, and critical thinking using reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. Performance appraisal method Measurement of bus driver performance starts with the evaluation of skills and effectiveness during and following the year of work. The primary objective of performance appraisal is to establish whether drivers are performing their job safely serving the customer adequately, and following work rules, policies, and procedures that ensure efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Analyzing the above information and knowing the job description for a bus driver, the behaviourally anchored rating scale (BARS) would be a good method for performance appraisal. This method scales points and is defined by statements of effective and ineffective behaviours. It puts together the benefit the benefits of narratives, critical incidents and quantified scales by attaching a rating scale with specific behavioural examples of good or poor performance. It provides better appraisals than the other tools. The evaluator has to show which behaviour on each scale describes an employee`s performance. For constructi ng the BARS process imply the generation of critical incidents the development of performance dimensions, the relocation of incidents, the scale of the incidents and the development of final instrument. Managers have a file folder for each employee, which can be hard copy or electronic. Critical incidents are important employee actions which help or hurt performance. The BARS is developed by a committee that includes both subordinates and managers. Thus, the main advantage of this method is that personnel outside HR department join with HR staff in its development. Of course, the employees will have a greater acceptance of the performance appraisal process and its measures. In the same time BARS requires considerable time and effort to develop it. Another disadvantage is that a  scale designed for one job might not apply another. For example, the BARS for a bus driver will contain the rating scale from 4 (exceeds expectations) to 1 (unsatisfactory) and its evaluation of safety, timeliness, student conduct, bus cleanliness and care, and attitude. Identification of appraiser Appraisal and feedback system should be made by a multi-rate assessment because bus driver position is multifaceted and people see different things. A range of people are asked to assess an individual against company framework. The feedback can be from subject`s staff, from their bosses and from colleagues and clients and passengers. This is called 360 ° appraisal. The intention of it is to give a boarder and more objective assessment of employees’ competence. This multi-rate feedback is only use when manager has 4-8 people reporting to them. It is important that the employee do not know how any evaluation team member responded ensuring the anonymity concept of 360 ° system. The exception of this rule is the supervisor`s rating. When this feedback comes from more people, it may lessen bias or prejudice. In the same time, feedback from peers and other may increase employee self-development. In the conclusion of this paragraph, remind that HR department has the primary responsibility for supervising and coordinating appraisal program. Conclusion A valuable performance appraisal program makes feedback and instruction to employees and gives a useful framework to the managers and to the supervisors which asses their staff’ performance. The conduct appraisal program should be set up once and reviewed whenever the manager and the employee meet for the regular performance report or periodically: annual or once every six months. Preferable, managers and supervisors should consecutively estimate and direct employees so that performance imperfections do not go unexamined for a long period of time only to be discerned and debated at the functioning appraisal survey. In summary, the performance appraisal for a bus driver position it’s important for the evaluation of this position’ skills but also for the safety of passengers in  their work and personal environment and their daily activities. That’s why a serious and concrete performance and appraisal method should be applied in a schedule planed time in al l the transportation company. Bibliography Belcourt, Monica, Singh Parbudyal, Bohlander George, Swell Scott. Managing Human Resources. Toronto, Ontario: Nelson Education, 2014. Service Canada, http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/qc/job_futures/statistics/7412.shtml Sage Publication, http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/45674_8.pdf Transportation Research Board, www.30hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2006/Profile

Effect of Country Development on Technology

Effect of Country Development on Technology Introduction Technology is becoming increasingly very important to the success of all business firms, and to the national economic growth. The process of globalization is driven by technology development and the ability of corporations to uplift the use of technology effectively and rapidly. The technological gap between developed countries and emerging nations has narrowed but still remains huge. The first step to narrowing the gap is for emerging nations to absorb technology successfully. The rapid economic growth achieved by the newly industrialized economies has generated a vast amount of research on the mechanism behind the economic take off. According to F. Montes-Negret (2008), progress in developing countries reflects the absorption of pre-existing technologies not at the frontier inventions. In general terms, catch up refers to the ability of a country to reduce the gap in productivity and income with respect to the leading international countries (Fagerberg-Godinho,2005). Perez (1988) views catching up as a question of relative speed in a race along a fixed track, according to him, technology is understood to be a unidirectional process. Furthermore, he observes that every country is a beginner in terms of the newly emerging techno-economic paradigm, which implies the possibility of being a latecomer. Research has shown that in the catching-up process, the late-comer does not simply follow the path of a technological development of the advanced countries. Instead, they would rather skip some stages or even create their own individual ways which are different from the developed countries. By doing this, it may result in the developing countries becoming latecomers in technology advancing. For the country to have growth in economy and industrial development, it needs to have an absorptive capacity and ability to tap in the worlds technology pool. Cohen and Levinthal (2000) explains absorptive capacity as the ability to assess the value of external knowledge and technology and to make necessary investments and changes to absorb and apply these changes in a productive manner. The development of new-to-the world knowledge can be considered to be innovative which can be a costly learning activity that a country can employ in order to catch up with others through technology absorption. Innovation and technology absorption are two distinct processes, that is, innovation promotes absorptive capacity because the generation of human capital and new ideas, and the associated knowledge spillover effects, help build absorptive capacity. RD is a key input into innovation and is also an input into absorption capacity. Absorption of technology is considered a necessary step to promote the development of human capital and the productive base, paving the way for innovations at the global knowledge frontier. Research and development (RD), patents, trade, and foreign direct investment are major channels of technological absorption, allowing diffusion of new ideas and manufacturing best practices among countries and firms. R D is a key input into innovation and is considered to be a very important key in the absorption of technology (Cohen and Levinthal). Rogers (2003) defines examples of technology absorption as the adoption of new product and manufacturing processes developed in other countries; upgrading of an old product or process, licensing technology, improving organizational efficiency and achieving quality certification. This paper will discuss how properly designed economic policies can significantly influence the degree to which a country absorbs new technology, that is, it will discuss the pre requisites for technology catch ups. The need for a stable and conducive policy framework and a business-friendly investment climate is what makes the countrys ability to absorb technology and knowledge, and this depends on its organization and the skills of its workforce. Further more the paper will discuss the channels that developing countries can use to catch up with other developed countries through technology absorption such as trade flows, foreign direct investment (FDI), RD and patents. Literature Review The very rich literature on catch-up through technology is full of countries that in the past decades have managed catch up with the developed countries, others that have succeeded ahead and several that have fallen behind in technology and failed to be par with the developed world (Abramovitz, 1986). More research has identified a series of factors that have affected the sources of catch-up. One of the elements is regard to the presence of learning and capabilities in the domestic firms (Bell and Pavitt, 1993, Kim, 1997; 1999, Lall, 2001, Kim and Nelson, 2000, Lee, 2005). Catch-up countries should try to adopt the Schumpeterian view of the process of innovation, according to which economic agents are likely to innovate as a reaction to unexpected changes within the economic environment (Schumpeter, 1947). From the early traditional literature that emphasized how it was possible to close the gap though transfer of technology and the imitation of easily available technology, the liter ature on competences has forcefully moved to show the central role of the process of capability accumulation by domestic firms and the need of various types of capabilities for catch up: absorptive capabilities, innovation capabilities and complementary assets in order to adopt, adapt and modify technologies developed elsewhere or eventually generate new ones. Actually, the most current research has shown that any process of development and growth implies some kind of innovation, and that sequences of steps in the capability building process are necessary for development. The literature has also stressed the role of social capabilities (Abramovitz 1986) and the broad institutions of a country, including the research infrastructure (Mazzoleni and Nelson,2006) and financial institutions (Gerschenkron, 1962). In the catching up in income per capita or productivity public policy has often played a major role in different ways and forms in several countries such as Japan (Johnson,1982), Korea (Kim 1997), Taiwan (Wade, 1990) and Brazil (Mani, 2004). Also the upgrading of the level of human capital has proven a key element for catching up (Fagerberg and Godinho,2004 and Bernardes and Albuquerque, 2003). The literature further shows how technology in growth is the missing link between the developed and the less developed countries. There is a possibility of a catch-up scenario in the event that less developed countries are able to access and employ developed technology. In other words, less developed countries would grow at a higher rate until at such time that the differences between developed and less developed countries are negligible. This can be shown by the experience of East Asian countries (World Bank, 1993). Catching up is usually assumed to be dependent on the level of human capital and knowledge. Capital is a necessary tool for the economic success in the world today, because the countires need the capacity to mobilize knowledge and to use it to the fullest. A study by the World bank (2009) indicates that countries in the Sub Sahara of Africa (SSA) must harness both more capital and more knowledge. These African countries needs to invest heavily in physical infrastructure and productive capacity. However, maximizing productivity and achieving competitiveness will depend upon success in augmenting human capital and raising its quality. This has been shown by Namibia as it was ranked the second and fifth respectively in terms of technological sophistication and prevalence of foreign technology licensing in the competitiveness report. However, firm level absorption of this technology remains low as the country was ranked 15th. From this case we can learn that the use of technology require s skilled labor force. As earlier pointed out, investment in human capital remains a critical issue for Namibia and other developing countries. The use of technology requires supporting infrastructure such as good telecommunication and energy in particular. (?) Nations such as Australia, Chile, Malaysia, and Spain have responded by developing cross-sectoral policy frameworks to promote science, technology, and innovation. Within Sub-Saharan Africa, Mozambique, Rwanda, and South Africa have led the way with similar cross-cutting strategies. Other SSA countries that have produced national science and technology policies since 2000 include Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe (Mouton 2008). Better education system can assist the developing countries in †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Pre Requisites for technology catch up Technology absorption is often regarded as a pre requisite for breaking up a high cost economy and creating an economic competitive market internationally. The initial gap for countries which are trying to catch up with technology should not be too wide for them to be able to absorb knowledge from technological leaders. Moreover, late comers must have, or create, sufficient absorption capabilities. In this context, sufficient absorption capabilities are described as having qualified researchers who are able to understand external knowledge spillovers and recognize their value in operation. Developing countries need a strong human capital base that will be able to understand the new innovative systems that have been put in place by the advanced countries, hence they need well developed scientific, engineering and technical skills. Cohen and Levinthal (1990 pg .129) suggest that accumulated knowledge increases both the ability to put new ideas into practice. If the stock of knowledge i s increased, in general, additional learning will be facilitated. The growth of knowledge adds value to the countrys ability to adapt to new ideas thus becoming fast in catching up with technology. Technological progress depends on more than being exposed to foreign technologies. How fast it spreads within a country is at least as important and depends on the domestic technological absorptive capacity, the quality of technological literacy of the population and the quality of the business climate. Although major centers and leading firms may be relatively advanced, the rural population and the majority of firms do not exploit the best technologies, often because the necessary infrastructure and human competencies are not available. This may lead to some lags in technology catch up for developing countries. Nelson and Rosenberg (2003) explains the importance of the link between science and technology as this is one of the important tools for technology catch up. The technological progress requires the mobilisation, co-ordination and integration of many different types of knowledge, and thus involves different types of knowledge producing organizations like firms, research institutes, and universities. Research organizations should be able to communicate to each other about technology innovations that are occurring within their countries. This will enhance knowledge diffusion. With respect to the co-ordination and integration of knowledge across the research sector, communication or even interaction is needed. This can be accomplished by co-operation, strategic alliances, clusters, and networks, all of which install channels along which knowledge can be communicated. If communication exists within countries, the developing countries may be able to learn this as a good tool for success in technology absorption. Knowledge is no longer the disciplinary monopoly of a few institutions of higher learning; rather, it is becoming the product of problem-solving endeavors conducted within a shifting network of often informal professional interactions (Gibbons and others 1994; Gibbons 1998). The technological progress in developing countries is mainly a process of adopting and adapting to pre-existing technologies, hence developing countries perform relatively little when it comes to research. For the developing countries, technological progress mainly occurs through the adoption and adaptation of already existing technologies. The rapid increase in technological achievement owes much too increased linkages between developing and developed countries. Globalization in the form of imports of advanced products, and the transfer of business process technology through foreign investment and increased linkages with emigrant populations have increased the exposure of developing countries to more sophisticated technologies. Technology absorption needs stable and conducive policy framework hence policy makers should ensure that openness is maintained, they need to concentrate on strengthening domestic competencies, promoting the dissemination of technology and reinforcing the local business environment in order to avoid the constrain on technological progress in developing countries. Patents as indicators of Technology absorption SUMMARY Catching up does not necessarily need to be viewed in a linear and unidirectional way. As long as technology is understood as a cumulative unidirectional process, development will be seen as a race along a fixed track, where catching up will be merely a question of relative speed. Speed is no doubt a relevant aspect, but history is full of examples of how successful overtaking has been primarily based on running in a new direction.xiv Indeed, in new fields such as biotechnology, the developing countries are making efforts to move to the scientific frontiers but they plan to apply the acquired knowledge in developing products that are more relevant to local needs. [T]he larger the technological and, therefore, the productivity gap between the leader and the follower, the stronger the followers potential for growth in productivity; and, other things being equal, the faster one expects the followers growth rate to be. Followers tend to catch up faster if they are initially backward.xv The explanation for this paradoxical suggestion has to do with the level of technology embodied in a countrys capital stock. Developing countries with the relevant human capital base are always presented with new windows of opportunity for entering new technological systems. But doing so requires other skills such as the capacity to monitor international trends, formulate long-term strategies and determine the locational as well as infrastructure advantages of the country. Most African countries, for example, do not have the capacity or the requisite institutional arrangements for monitoring technological advantages. Planning efforts are usually of a short-term nature and therefore unable to accommodate technological requirements for long-term growth. In more recent years, most countries have been forced to adopt short-term planning strategies to enable them to implement macro-economic stabilisation programmes. However, the challenge now is to put in place longterm structural adjustment programmes which are based on industrial transformation. Technological catch-up may also involve the use of advanced technologies to deliver new products and services that do not necessarily compete with those developed in the industrialised countries. Many of the products of biotechnology, for example, may be relevant to certain locales and of little interest to the major firms. Their technological requirements, however, may be just as high as those for the products of the leading firms. The paper has shown that there are three points of entry into the game of technological competition. The first relates to the accumulation of basic technological competence in society. This is related to human capital formation. A country without the requisite technical competence is unlikely to make sustained advances in technological development. The second issue is the ability of a country to make an early entry into a particular technological system. This step can only be achieved where the first one has been accomplished. The last issue is the potent ial for a country to occupy particular technological niches as part of a strategy for industrial learning. With the widening range of technological trajectories and systems, the opportunities for the developing adopting any of the three strategies or combinations thereof are relatively high. To achieve improvement of production technology, i.e. technological progress, on a large scale, relatively more scientists and engineers must be engaged in research directly integrated in production of goods and services as opposed to the university and public research sector. Notwithstanding that universities and public research institutes play an important role in developing new products and processes, the majority of research is done by firms (Nelson and Rosenberg (1993)). For new products or processes developed by universities or research and development (RD) institutes, both domestic and foreign, to be implemented in firms roduction processes, the innovation must be adapted to firms specific organizational structure and production processes. This implies that firms understand the innovation and are able to revise it. Firms will have to do research themselves (Cohen and Levinthal (1989)) and might even have to repeat parts of the original research process, since they have only pa rtial knowledge about the innovation. This has important implications for the organisation of RD personnel: they should be employed in production as well. More RD personnel in production of goods and services will increase the possibilities for absorption and diffusion in this sector. because a weakening economic performance that threatens a return to the economic conditions of the 1990s would be a great human tragedy. But maintaining the current momentum, and accelerating growth wherever possible, requires measures that will substantially enhance economic competitiveness and nurture expansion of new tradable activities. To realize these objectives, The key to economic success in a globalized world lies increasingly in how effectively a country can assimilate the available knowledge and build comparative advantage in selected areas with good growth prospects, and in how it can enlarge the comparative advantage by pushing the frontiers of technology through innovation. The global knowledge economy has drawn attention to the value of â€Å"national innovation systems in the competition among nations (Nelson 1993; Porter 1990; Stern, Porter, and Furman 2000; Thurow 1999; World Bank 1999). Institutions that generate skills and knowledge, such as universities and rese arch institutes, are essential components of a national innovation system (NIS). In essence, an NIS is a melding of institutional capacities, coordination mechanisms, communication networks, and policy incentives that fosters innovation-led gains in economic productivity. In this web of institutional relationships, innovation can arise at any point. During the past decade, most African countries have pursued national economic growth strategies within the framework of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). Until recently, many PRSPs have been oriented toward attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, an internationally accepted set of performance targets spanning poverty alleviation, agriculture, and access to basic services. Concern with explicit growth promotion efforts as the means for sustainable poverty reduction is a relatively recent—but readily accepted—shift of strategic approach (Commission for Africa 2005). Bibliography Nelson, R. and E. Phelps (1966), Investment in humans, technology diffusion and economic growth, American Economic Review 56, 1/2, 69-75. Harding, T. and J. Rattsà ¸ (2008), Looking abroad to understand productivity growth: the world technology frontier and industrial sector productivity in South Africa, mimeo, Department of Economics, NTNU. Cohen, W.M. and Levinthal, D.A. (1989), Innovation and Learning: The Two Faces of RD,The Economic Journal, 99, pp. S.569-596. Cohen, W.M. and Levinthal, D.A. (1990), Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on Learning and Innovation in Administrative Science Quarterly, No. 35, pp. 128-152 Nelson, R.R. and Rosenberg, N. (1993), Technical Innovation and National Systems, in Nelson, R.R. (ed.), National Innovation Systems: A Comparative Study, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 3-21 Nelson, R.R. and Winter, S.G. (1982), An Evolutionary Theory for Economic Change, Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press. Calestous Juma and Norman Clark; Technological Catch-Up: Opportunities and Challenges for Developing Countries, 2002, London , Print Publishers Hiroyuki Oba and Hrushikash Panda; Industrial developmeny and Technology absorption in the Indian Steel Industry, 2005, allied Publisher, New Delhi The World Bank, 2009, Accelerating catch-up, Tertiary Education for Growth in Sub Saharan Africa, Washington D.C J.Ratlso, Puzzles of Convergence and Catching Up;Regional Income growth in Norway, Department of economics , Norwegian university of Science and Technology

Dylan Thomas Essay -- Biography Biographies Essays

Dylan Thomas Dylan Thomas was born in Wales during the First World War. Raised in Swansea, "the smug darkness of a provincial town"(Treece 37), Thomas was educated as an Englishman. At the age of seventeen, Thomas left school and opted to forgo the university and became a writer immediately. He published his first book, 18 Poems, in 1934. His skill and artistic ability astounded critics. This "slim, black covered, gilt-lettered bardic bombshell"(Treece ix) put Thomas on the literary map. Unfortunately, this poetic genius succumbed to alcoholism at the age of thirty-nine. In his short lifetime, Thomas published some of the most disturbing and touching literature of the century. The poetry of Dylan Thomas is his way of expressing and confronting the good and evil aspects of the world that troubled him to the grave. In his youth, the poetry and folklore of his native Wales fascinated Thomas. He mimicked their styles and composed stories of his own. Although his father insisted that Thomas attend a university, he "adduced the example of Bernard Shaw"(Ellmann 510) and decided to pursue his dream of becoming a professional writer. He felt that continuing his education would only stand in the way of his dreams. Thomas’ first attempt at becoming a poet, 18 Poems, fulfilled this ambition. Packed "with enough poetic dynamite in it to shake young writers and critics for a decade"(Treece ix), 18 Poems supplies an excellent exhibition of Thomas’ struggle with reality. Its works are full of twisting and turning images that present the conflicts of the world. In "The Force That through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower," Thomas comments on the role of nature as both the creator and the assassin. As the creator, nature is "The force ... ...my individual struggle from darkness towards some measure of light"(Treece 39). It is poetry full of graphic, detailed images of nature and the duality of the world. Thomas saw the world in terms of good and evil. This belief forced Thomas to "stride on two levels"(Treece ix). It was not possible for him to discuss the beauty of nature without discussing its ugliness as well. As a result of this view of reality and the world around him, Thomas’ poetry is "an unconducted tour of Bedlam"(Treece ix). Works Cited Ellmann, Richard and Robert O’Clair. Modern Poems. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1989. Emory, Clark. The World of Dylan Thomas. Coral Gables: University of Miami Press, 1962. Thomas, Dylan. Quite one Early Morning. New York: New Directions Publishers, 1960. Treece, Henry. Day Among the Fairies. Los Angeles: Norwood Publications, 1978.

Snap Shot of a Dog Essay -- English Literature Essays

Snap Shot of a Dog James Thurber is a famous and popular American writer and artist. His humorous prose and drawing are never gay because the enthusiasm is dampened by melancholy. His fantastic characters are mostly animals whose balance of life is distorted and disturbed by a malignant fate. ‘Snap Shot of a Dog’ is taken from THE THURBER CARNIVAL which contains his most impressive work. Many of his writings and drawings deal with dogs. He understands them and he has the gist of being able to communicate his understanding to the reader. This piece is typical of Thurber. It is both humorous and serious as his writings usually are. The story flows along easily and smoothly and the reader has the impression that the writer is talking to him. The writer looks upon the dog sympathetically and at times affectionately. Rex was the name of the author’s pet dog. He was no doubt a dog of his own type who was fond of adventures. This account is as such written objectively. The dog has been dead long ago. The memory of the dog is still fresh in the mind of writer when he wrote this story. Rex was a bull terrier. He has a strong built. Indeed he was a beauty. The writer and his two brothers loved it dearly. He was a faithful dog and carried out all the orders of his maters. There was nothing impossible in his world. The writer describes certain qualities of his pet. Though he was strong and pugnacious yet he never started the fight. He had a gentle nature. He never bit anybo...

Earnest Hemingway :: essays research papers fc

Earnest Hemingway Earnest Miller Hemingway was born in Oak Park Illinois. After graduating from high school, he got a job at a paper called "Kansas City Star". Hemingway continually tried to enter the military, but his messed up eye, hindered this task. Hemingway had managed to get a job driving an American Red Cross ambulance. During this expedition, he was injured and hospitalized. Hemingway had an crush for a particular nurse at that hospital, her name was Agnes von Kurowsky. Hemingway continually proposed to her, and she continually denied. When Hemingway healed his injuries, he moved back to Michigan, and had wanted to write again. When he married Hadley Richardson and was working in France, as a foreign correspondent, for the "Toronto Star". In 1925, he wrote a book called "In Our Time", which was marketed in New York. The next year he published a book called "The Sun Also Rises", a novel where he had his first success. "The Sun Also Rises", deals with a group of desultory people in exile from France and Spain-members of the "lost generation", a phrase made famous by Hemingway himself. In post-war years, Hemingway spent most of his time writing books. But, when his first marriage failed, and had a son, John, he had married Pauline Pfeiffer, who had his next 2 children. Based in Paris, he had traveled for skiing, bullfighting, fishing, or hunting that by then had become what most of his work was all about. Hemingway, started writing short stories, among them was "Men Without Women" in 1927, and "A Farewell to Arms" in 1929. This story shows a love story within a war time setting. Many people believe that Hemingway, did his writing at this period of his life. He once confessed "If I had not been hunting and fishing, I would have probably been writing." Hemingway's stories were based on adventure, and different aspects of it. His love of Spain, and his love of bullfighting, led him to write a book called "Death in the Afternoon". During the 1930's, Spain was in a civil war, still having ties in Spain, Hemingway made 4 trips their. He raised money, for a party called the "Loyalists". He wrote a book about it called "The Fifth Column". In this book, the narrator is the protagonist. From more experience in Spain, he wrote a book called "Whom the Bell Tolls" in 1940. This book was the most successful writing, based on sales of the book. All of Hemingway's life, has been fascinated by wars. For example, in "A Farewell to Arms", he focused on how war had

Washington, Adams, Jefferson Presidencies

Washington, Adams,and Jefferson Presidencies Washington Inauguration elected by electoral college unanimously April 30, 1789 1st real test of constitution defined lots of roles and traditions of executive Washington's Crew Sec. Of State- Jefferson Sec. Of Treasury- Hamilton Sec. Of War- Henry Knox Attorney General- Edmund Randolph Pres. met with these men regularly for advice on major policies Creating Court System only court mentioned in the constitution was supreme court Judiciary act of 1789- one chief justice and 5 associate judges could make decisions on constitutionality 3 district courts and three circuit courts of appeals Hamilton to address the govt. financial difficulties assumption- consolidate debts from states to natl. govt. and pay off protect the â€Å"infant† industries- high tariffs to collect duties on all imported goods and limit competition natl. bank- depositing govt. funds and print bank notes to stabilize US currency Arguments of the national bank Elasti c clause- can create laws which are necessary and proper loose constructionist constitution permitted everything not expressly forbidden Washington agreedFeared that states would lose power that the federal govt. gained strict constructionist forbade everything it didn’t permit weak central govt. in favor of states Birth of Political Parties Federalist- Hamilton, Adams and Marshall aristocracy encouraged industry favored alliance w/ great Britain strong central govt. Dem-Republicans-Jefferson and Madison associated w/ masses development of agriculture Washington and NA's Indian intercourse act 1790- congress regulate trade w/ Indians and western land acquired by treaty Americans continued to settle on Indian lands ed to bloody scrimmages TIMMMMMMMMBBBBEERRRRRRR! Battle of Fall Timbers NW Ohio US army led by General Anthony Wayne defeated some Indians Treaty of Greenville Ohio territory given to Americans and open to settlement Whiskey Rebellion angered by excise tax on distil led whiskey small band of PA farmers march toward Philly attacking tax collectors on the way Washington sent 15,000 troops led by Hamilton causes rebellion to collapse Jefferson disagrees new govt proves effective in handling crisis West SideAfter states gave up western land claims congress encouraged western settlement Public Land Act (1796) orderly procedures for dividing selling federal lands at a reasonable price VT '91 KY '92 TN '96 Proclamation of Neutrality (1793) believed America could not handle a European war went against popular belief and chose to stay out of war Jefferson resigned from the cabinet in disagreement Disrespecting Washington French minister Edmond Genet continued pressure Washington after Proclamation broke all and talked directly to the people to support the French WA wanted ambassador removedJefferson supported the removal french recalled Genet remained in US and became citizen Jay Treaty (1794) Jay was sent to Britain to talk about seizures of US ships B ritain agreed to withdraw troops and pay damages for ships America agreed to pay debts angered French supporters maintained neutrality Pinckney Treaty effect of Jay Treaty Spain wanted to consolidate holdings in America Thomas pinckney minister to Spain Spain agreed to open lower Mississippi and New Orleans to America without paying duties Spain agreed to accept US claims to Florida’s northern boundary US agreed on nonaggression in WestWashington's Farewell Address wrote letter to American people warned about : not getting into European affairs, no political parties, no permanent alliances, avoid sectionalism left after two terms and set the precedent for future presidents Election of 1796 active political parties participated in election federalist candidate- John Adams Dem-Republican candidate-Jefferson Adams won by three votes Jefferson became vice president runner-up becomes vice presidents XYZ Affair French warships and privateers began seizing American merchant ships Ad ams sent delegation to Paris to negotiate inisters known as XY and Z requested bribes to enter negotiations America Reacts millions for defense but not one cent for tribute most Americans were outraged and wanted war with France Adams popularity sky rocketed when he refused and raised and army led by Hamilton waged undeclared naval war convention of 1800- no more alliance and don’t have to pay for cargo Federalist strengthen public anger against France strengthened the federalist in congress hoped to enact laws to limit their political opponentsNaturalization Act ncreased the years needed to become a US from 5 to 14 years most immigrants voted Dem-Republican Violating Rights to prevent french revolutionaires from entering the country and crippling Dem-Republicans Alien acts- authorized the president to deport any aliens considered dangerous Sedition act- made it illegal for newspaper editors to criticize govt. KY and VA resolutions state legislatures enacted nullifying laws o f alien and sedition acts KY and VA adopted a resolution- written by Jefferson and Madison both declare states had a right to nullify a federal law Judiciary Act of 1801 o ensure that federalists would continue to control courts Adams used this to add last minute appointments known as â€Å"midnight judges† Marbury v. Madison John Marshall ruled that supreme court did not have power over Jefferson judiciary act of 1789 unconstitutional Jefferson was awarded victory in exchange for Judicial Review Election of 1800 federalists lost popularity hatred of alien and sedition acts taxes for maintaining an army republicans nominated Aaron Burr and Jefferson federalists nominated John Adams Revolution of 1800Thomas Jefferson and Aaron burr tied with 73 votes Hamilton supported Jefferson and HOR elected Jefferson first transition from 1 party to other w/o violence indication constitution would endure federalists changed power Dem-Republicans Ease of Transition maintained national bank and debt repayment attempted to win trust of federalists carried out neutrality policies set by Washington and Adams Republican Principles reduce military eliminated a number of federal jobs repealed excise taxes lowered national debt only republicans were named to his cabinetLouisiana Territory french gained territory from Spanish napoleon wanted to sell the land fighting British stopping rebellion in Santo Domingo US interested Spanish officials revoked right of deposit duty free use of New Orleans prevent America from getting involved in European affairs. Lewis and Clark started in St. Louis in 1804 and arrived on west coast in 1806 increased geographic and scientific knowledge of new territory strengthened us claims to Oregon territory improved relations with natives developed maps and land routes Negotiation for the TerritoryJefferson sent ministers to France to accept an offer no higher than 10 million no deal British American alliance napoleon offered 15 million minister acce pted purchase of louisiana territory americans approved power to purchase land not in constitution purchased land for good of country used power to make treaties senate ratified Consequences of Purchase doubled size of country remove foreign presence from borders extension of western lands strengthened Jefferson vision of agrarian society increased Jefferson’s popularity showed federalists to be weak.

Learning is a process Essay

Learning is a process, which requires mental capability for it to happen. There are various means by which learning takes place for example there is observational learning, intuition, or through experience. Learning is a continuous process, which happens throughout the life of a person. In education, learning takes place from the time one starts attending a classroom. This paper reflects on the experience that I have had on teaching student to learn. At the first instance, this is not an easy process because it involves making a student open up his or her mind so that grasping of the instruction can take place well in the mind. Most students find it difficult to learn out of many reasons. One of the reason I have realized make students fail to learn how to read fast is fear. Most of them have fear to make a mistake as they start reading. This fear hinders them from attaining degree of learning that they are supposed. Another factor that affects the rate of how children learn to read is the rate of mental development (Arends & Kilcher, 2009). This is because children have different rates of mental development. Those children who learn to read faster than the others are the ones who have faster rate of mental development. I have learned that it is difficult to teach children in the same classroom due to the different rates by which the children learn. Therefore, what I do is to attend to individual students. This allows those children with low rate of learning to feel embarrassed by other who are able to learn first. This also helps the students who are quick learners not to feel dragged by their counterparts who are slow learners. Another thing that I have noticed about students as they learn to read is that they do not like so much supervision. When the students are given freedom to learn more by themselves they tend to learn faster than when as a teacher I try to push them and giving them direction on how to learn. Freedom helps them to be more open to the learning process as they feel they are not intimidated. They also find time to challenge each other as they try to memorize the words they have learned to read. I have found that the best way to enhance learning to students is to allow them do much of the learning by themselves. The work of the teacher would be to give directions, guide them, and then allow them to take charge. The students also learn faster when they are allowed to learn in groups. This allows the students to assist each other to learn some of the difficult things when they are free. Children always feel embarrassed when you show them, for example, to read some words but the following day they have forgotten. I have realized that this can make a student even take longer time to learn because of this embarrassment. So I realized that the best thing a teacher can do to prevent this is to start with the most simple concepts of learning, then move slowly to the more difficult ones. By this, the student mind develops, as the concepts become more difficult (Burns & Sandra, 2004). Slowly by slowly the student is able to grasp even difficult concepts without much difficulty. A student also needs a lot of encouragement and praise even if he or she fails to understand what is being taught. This acts as a motivating factor to a student to work harder. References Arends, R. & Kilcher, A. (2009) Teaching for Student Learning, Taylor and Francis. Burns, T. & Sandra, S. (2004). Teaching, learning and study skills: a guide for tutors, New York, SAGE, 2004