Employee Motivation and Effective Job Performance Essay

â€Å"It seems that the ethos of â€Å"shared sacrifice† evoked by this past generation has gone by the wayside. In place of the Greatest Generation, we are now in the midst of what might be termed the â€Å"greediest generation,† whose hallmark include an insatiable appetite for the trappings of status and wealth† (Monheit, 2010, p.272). Studies show how effective upbringing can influence the independence of an individual and the roles these characteristics play throughout adulthood (Lekes, Gingras, Phillippe, Koestner Fang, 2009). In addition to providing structure, consistent rewards and punishments must exist to reinforce that behavior. These traits learned throughout adolescence are detrimental for managers in determining employee motivation†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Adolescence is a critical developmental period because the life goals and behaviors that individuals adopt have long term consequences for their well-being† (Lekes, 2009, p.858 ) and heavily influence their ideology and interdependence. Requiring youth to adhere and behave within boundaries set by parents, sets precedence for adult behavior. The major factor in creating responsibility and structure is setting clear and concise rules, guidelines and expectations followed with constructive feedback (positive or negative) that â€Å"enhances perceptions of competence and control as opposed to feelings of helplessness† (Farkas et al., 2010, p.269) Administering positive (or negative feedback) must follow many guidelines to ensure effectiveness. Firstly, administering rewards (or punishments) must be contingent upon a behavior and reinforced at the time of transmittal to ensure the individual understands the purpose of the reward in hopes for repeated behavior. The act of administering rewards also has a large effect on the receiver as studies have shown how the facial expressions displayed during a presentation can override the reward [or punishment] being administered (Korkonda and Hunt, 1989, p.320). Ensuring the reward is suitably for the behavior is important for reinforcement of that behavior. For example, reallocating work from a bad performer to a good performerShow MoreRelatedHuman Resource Management And Risk Management1415 Words   |  6 Pagesrisk, human resources are pervasive in the business. Human resource management is most effective when integrated with decision making throughout the business. This leads to re cognition that each production, financial, and marketing decision has a human component or influence. Which choice is made, how the decision is carried out, the follow-up and monitoring depend on people. Isolating management team and employee issues from production, financial, and marketing management frustrates people and createsRead MoreIndividual Employee Performance1129 Words   |  5 PagesIndividual Employee Performance: Motivation, Ability, and Beyond Jenny Collage Abstract The success of an organization relies heavily on the performance of its employees. Understanding Individual employee performance is a systematic approach to assigning work and expectations, supporting and enabling employee efforts, providing assessment and feedback, and following through with appropriate recognition or correction. Hibba (2007). There are a number of factors that contribute to employee performanceRead MoreReaching Maximum Employee Performance and Productivity in a Strategic Working Environment662 Words   |  3 Pagesenvironment which are among methods to improve productivity and reduce cost that impact an employee’s motivation in today’s workplace. In the government sector it is a continuous concern. Owners and managers of any businesses across the United States all have the same problem as it pertains to reducing cost and time management. This problem has to do with reaching maximum employee performance and productivity in a strategic environment (Workplace strategies). Many government contractors, ownersRead MoreCorrelation Between Employee Motivation And Job Performance Essay1098 Words   |  5 Pagesorganization. An employee performance appraisal can act as motivation for an employee to improve his productivity. When an employee sees his goals clearly defined and is measured against the set goals and objectives, a need can be identified about the future strategies of employee motivation. In this review, I will look at and explore the multiple arguments of the management research articles. So, the question I must ask: is there a positive correlation between employee motivation and job performance? BodyRead MoreWhy Job Design Is An Effective Mechanism For Providing Employees Voice1713 Words   |  7 Pagesevaluate whether job design is an effective mechanism to provide employees voice. Buchanan (1979) defines job design as â€Å"the specification of contents, methods and relationship of jobs in order to satisfy technological and organizational requirements as well as the social and personal requirements of the jobholder.† Job design arranges and often rearranges responsibilities and relationships associated with various tasks and determines authority and interdependence of various jobs so as to reduceRead MoreKeeping Suzanne Chalmers1433 Words   |  6 Pages * Chalmers is not the first valued API employee who has requested a meeting and then announced her intention to leave the company. * Numerous employees who leave API are millionaires, from generous share options at API. * Many employees stated reasons such as stress, long hours, and disconnect from the family for leaving API, however; they will join a start-up company with some of the same problems. * Suzanne tells Thomas Chan that her job is becoming routine. PROBLEM The problemRead MoreThe Importance Of Performance Management And Appraisal Management Essay1748 Words   |  7 Pageskey importance of performance management and appraisal management in an organization, respectively. Both managerial processes have its own identification when it comes to the importance of being addressed by managers and the organization. In order for an organization to have success there have to be a good performance, since poor performance will derail the organization’s progression to succeed. Additionally, there is performance appraisal, which normally stems from the performance of employees andRead MoreMotivation To Improve Performance Through Employee Involvement.1571 Words   |  7 Pages Motivation to Improve Performance through Employee Involvement Charlese Mason Leadership and Organizational Behavior; 520 Dr. Laura Jones Strayer University February 13, 2017 Content 1 Introduction (Motivation through Involvement) 2 The Important Road Ahead (Optimizing Value and Performance) A. What is Motivation B. What is Employee Involvement 3 Leading Characteristics (Management Styles/Organizational Behavior) A. Understanding the Sticks and Carrots Read MoreEmployee Retention Practices And Motivation Theories865 Words   |  4 PagesWeek 3 reading was related to motivation theories and explained the employee motivation affects on employee retention. Reading, examines how developing and implementing employee retention practices create a competitive advantage. This reading provides a connection between the effective employee retention practices and motivation theories as well as how these efforts serve as a strategy to increasing organizational performance. Also, making the case for financial importance in maintaining suchRead MorePerformance Appraisals and Employee Performance1035 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Performance Appraisals and Employee Performance: Performance appraisals are constantly viewed as burdensome tasks that employers would like to avoid despite understanding the significance of evaluating the performance of employees. This consideration is further fueled in organizations and companies with minimal pay raises and bonuses as well as those with downsized compensations. Organizations that take similar initiatives to deal with current economic challenges also experience difficulties

Aggressive Behavior, Heredity and Environment Essays

â€Å"You are what you are because of heredity and environment.† Personal development are influenced by a person’s interactions with the physical and social environments. A persons personality is based on both heredity and environment. Special attention given to a child is very needed. Friends or peers also influences an individual’s personality. Influences on a child or person can be both positive or negative. An individuals environment and friends ethniticy are an important component of their positive or negative behavior. Aggression is one of many characteristics of temperaments. There is happiness, confidentiality, etc†¦ But I will talk of aggression. There are many different causes of aggression. A child or person experiences aggression†¦show more content†¦At some cases, aggression is inherited. All or most of their life, aggression is a daily temperament in their homes. It is most likely they will have aggressive behavior their whole life if not most of it. Parents are very influential in a childs life. They need to have special attention towards their child and refrain from aggressive behavior in their childs presence. There are many expectations that a child wants from a parent. The only true acceptance they can find is in their home. Many times, a peer or friend will have negative effect on a child so the only safe place to find acceptance in their homes. We are what we are from the play of both heredity and environment. There are for interaction styles that a parent can perform to influence their child in both negative and positive behaviors. These interaction styles are Authoritative, Authoritarian, Permissive, and Uninvolved. Parents with authoritative styles are firm, caring, and explains the rules. The children of this parent will tend to develop high self-esteem, confidence, security, good grades, and less aggressive behavior. Authoritarian interactive styles stresses conformity, detaches little communication a nd causes their child to be withdrawn, poor communication skills, defiant, have poor social skills and high chance of expressing aggressive behavior often. Permissive interaction styles allows child to have full freedom, have low expectations and fewShow MoreRelatedToy Evaluation Paper650 Words   |  3 Pagesfrom the bulleted topics and issues. This paper will also include summaries on toys that may encourage violence and aggression, toys that may promote pro-social behavior, gender stereotyping in toy selection, and cultural stereotyping or, lack of cultural awareness in toys. Influenced Behaviors; Toys can influence a child’s behavior, and his or her identity. Children are given toys that demonstrate different significance about aggression, different genders and how to interact with each otherRead MoreChild Development: Heredity and Environment1240 Words   |  5 Pagesor even environment versus heredity leads to the question of: does the direct environment or the nature surrounding an adolescent directly influence acts of delinquency, later progressing further into more radical crimes such as murder or psychotic manifestation, or is it directly linked to the hereditary traits and genes passed down from that individual adolescent’s biological parents? To answer this question one must first understand the difference between nature, nurture, environment, and heredityRead MoreEssay about Human Growth and Development1057 Words   |  5 Pagesthey relate to human growth. Moreover, heredity and the environment are two important factors that affect the growth and development of every individual. Therefore it is of great benefit to examine how these factors influence human development, from the day of conception though the entire life span. Theories of Human Growth and Development There are six main theories related to human growth and development. All the theories point to some specific behaviors and attitudes that happen throughout theRead MoreMy Primary Personal Thinking Style1316 Words   |  6 Pagesus our degree of commitment to forming social ties and seeks out for a close relationship with others. Affiliate people enjoy others company, and they are trustworthy. They also share their opinion easily and give advice to others to form warm environment. My result on the affiliate style is 93%, and it is in a high range. Survey said that â€Å" this type of people tend to be most efficient and comfortable in the company of others. Also will strive to improve and maintain healthy relationships that areRead MoreNature or Nurture: What Determines Our Behavior? Essay506 Words   |  3 Pagesvigorously. It is quite evident that we all obtain certain characteristics and abilities through heredity factors, but many still argue that this is not the only explanat ion for how our lives are determined. The argument of nature versus nurture is still being discussed by many, although both have been seen to have an impact on our life experiences. The role of nature, by name, basically states that all human behavior is simply just instinctive, as if we are all encoded to act and react a certain way toRead MoreThe Evolutionary Factors That Have Shaped The Genetics That We Inherit From Our Parents1049 Words   |  5 Pageshuman development is determined by heredity. NURTURE This has to deal with our environment; it refers to all the environmental factors that have influenced us since we began to grow. Nurture affects the way our human potential is actualized. Empiricists believe that is the environment which shapes and influences human behaviour. Over the years there has been a controversy among psychologist on which one of the two contribute more to behaviour genes or environment. Some researchers emphasized the exclusiveRead MoreEssay on Nature vs Nurture: Genetics vs Environment1617 Words   |  7 Pagescriminal or aggressive behavior and violence is caused by biological or environmental factors has proven to be one that has caused a dispute for many years now. The biological or genetic factor of violent/criminal or aggressive behavior is certainly a much talked about topic. The idea that certain individuals could be predisposed to violence is something definitely deserving of doing research about. The nature vs. nurture topic has been a continuing debate for many aspects of human behavior, includingRead MoreNature vs. Nurture1655 Words   |  7 PagesNature Vs. Nurture For centuries psychologists have argued over which plays the larger role in child development, heredity or environment. One of the first theories was proposed in the seventeenth century by the British philosopher John Locke. Locke believed that a child was born with an empty mind, tabula rasa (meaning blank slate) and that everything the child learns comes from experience, nothing is established beforehand. Years later, Charles Darwin brought forth his theory of evolution,Read More White Fang Essay624 Words   |  3 Pagesshows how love can tame natural behavior and instincts. White Fang learns to love Weedon Scott, which produces a desire in him to do anything that pleases Scott. This includes having Scott’s children climb and play with him, learning to leave chickens alone, even though he enjoyed the taste. 3. Naturalism Naturalism in this book means that people and other creatures that become victims of their heredity and environment. White Fang is a victim to his heredity because he is one-fourth dog andRead MoreIs Personality Based On Science?986 Words   |  4 Pagespleasure-seeking impulses called the id, a reality-oriented executive named the ego-, and an internalized set of ideals- called the superego. The id stores unconscious energy. It tries to please our basic motivations to survive, reproduce, and be aggressive. The ego is the conscious mind and it tries to satisfy the ids impulses in realistic ways that will bring long-term benefits rather than pain or destruction (source*****). The superego otherwise known as our conscience focuses on how one ought to

Swot Analysis for Salesforce.com free essay sample

Salesforce. com is a provider of application services, which allow organizations to share customer information on demand. The company reported healthy customer additions during recent years, which enhances its top line growth and market position. However, the intense competition in the industry may affect the operating performance and profitability of the company. Strengths| Weaknesses| Healthy customer additionsSignificant market positionFocus on research and development| High dependence on the Americas| Opportunities| Threats| Growing demand for cloud servicesBusiness expansionIncreasing presence in Asia PacificPositive outlook for CRM market| Intense competitionEconomic slowdownPrivacy concerns| Strengths Healthy customer additions Salesforce. com recorded robust customer additions during recent year. The company provides on-demand CRM services, applications and platforms to the customers located worldwide. Its customers include small, medium size, and large businesses. Robust customer additions resulted in the strong growth of subscription, professional service and support revenues, increasing from $497. 1 million to $1,076. million. Healthy customer additions enhance the company’s top line growth and its market position. We will write a custom essay sample on Swot Analysis for Salesforce.com or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Significant market position The company delivers integrated, completely customizable enterprise applications to companies of all sizes. Across the industry, the company is recognized as one of the major CRM technology providers for capital markets. Salesforce. com was ranked third on Forbes’ list of 25 fastest growing technology companies, with 40% earnings per share growth and five year sales growth of 72%. Besides, the company is the largest on-demand vendor, making up about 50% of the market. Focus on research and development Salesforce. com has been investing a significant amount on technology development over a period of years. The company upgraded its major products and introduced new products in the recent times, besides is creating a new set of service to accelerate customer and partner success with buying and selling enterprise cloud computing applications. Focus on research and development helps to the company remain competitive in the market place with significant offerings. Weaknesses High dependence on the Americas Salesforce. om is significantly dependent on the Americas for its revenues. In 2009, the company recorded 72. 1% of its total revenues from the Americas, 17. 7% from Europe and 10. 2% from Asia Pacific. The weak economic outlook for the American economies adds to this business risk. For instance, the company competes with huge technology players such as SAP and Oracle, who provide CRM offerings and have a diversified geographic presence. High dependen ce on the Americas increases the business and country specific risks to the company and restricts its growth opportunities when compared with competitors. Opportunities Growing demand for cloud services The worldwide demand for cloud computing services is forecast to record strong growth in coming years. Cloud computing is a computing infrastructure model which enables delivery of software as a service. This reduces the upfront royalty or licensing payments, investments in hardware and other operating services. Salesforce. com has a significant presence in the cloud domain with various offerings including the Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, cloud platform for CRM, and cloud infrastructure for various applications. Growing demand for cloud and Software as a Service will facilitate the company’s revenue and market share growth in coming years. Business expansion Saleforce. com is focusing on business expansion activities, investing in new operations and entering into various strategic collaborations. The company joined forces with Unit 4 Agresso, parent company of financial software specialist CODA, to from FinancialForce. com, a new company. Besides, the company invested in Practice Fusion, the leader in free, web-based physician practice application, entered into strategic alliances to launch new fferings with Cisco, and partnered with Adobe to integrate Force. com platform. Business expansion through new investments and strategic alliances will enhance the company’s operations and offerings, thereby increasing its customer base and revenues. Increasing presence in Asia Pacific The company has a long-established presence in the Americas and Europe, and is increasing its presence in fast growing markets such as Asia Pacific. The Asia pacific is the company’s fastest growing market, with a revenue growth of about 72% in 2009. The company’s increasing presence in a growing Asia Pacific market will enhance its revenues and market position. Positive outlook for CRM market The growing investments in technologies, which enhance productivity, provide insight into customer behaviors, and growing online commerce, sales and marketing activities are expected to enhance the CRM market future and increase the company’s top line growth and customer base. Threats Intense competition The company operates in a highly competitive CRM, enterprise business applications, and development platforms market. The company competes primarily with vendors of packaged CRM software, whose software is installed by the customer directly, and companies offerings on-demand CRM applications. Intense competition may affect the operating performance and profitability of the company. Economic slowdown The worldwide economy is presenting a challenging business environment. The GDP growth rate for the US is expected to drop in coming years, primarily due to the turmoil in the financial markets, very weak housing market indicators and negative consumer opinions. These weak economic conditions are resulting in the reduction of client’s software and IT budgets, bankruptcies, which could diminish the demand for Salesforce. coms services. Economic slowdown could impact the company’s operations in future. Privacy Concerns The increasing privacy concerns may reduce the effectiveness of the company’s solutions. Privacy concerns may cause customer’s to resist providing the personal data necessary to allow them to use service effectively, and this could reduce demand for the company’s service.

The Arts Of Russia Essays - Russian Ballet, Symbolist Poets, Vesy

The Arts Of Russia Russian Art, Music and Literature The Arts play a large role in the expression of inner thoughts and beauty in life. From dance and music to art the concept of life is shown through the various ways in which we interpret it. The arts play a valued role in creating cultures and developing and documenting civilizations. Russia has been developing the its culture for as long as anybody could think. Nowadays, Russian painters and musicians are quickly becoming well known among each and every one around the world. It should be no surprise that the rich Russian culture is producing so much talent, and everyone around the world seems to enjoy it. Great artists such as Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky (music), Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov (literature), and Marc Chagall (art) have shared Russias culture with the rest of the world. Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky is mostly known for his great musicals. One of his greatest musicals The Nutcracker has been turned into an ice show in United States of America. Peggy Flaming, Nicole Bobek, Todd Eldredg, and Brian Orser along with others star in the beautiful and magical ice show. The Nutcracker is a story of a young girl (Clara) who receives a Nutcracker doll as a Christmas present from her Godfather (Drosselmeier), and with the help of a little magic, the doll comes to life in her dreams. Everybody, especially children, love to watch how these ice champions bring the Christmas story of the Nutcracker to life. The Swan Lake is also a very known production of Tchaikovsky. The well-known theme of the tragic Swan-Princess from Swan Lake seems to embody the intense, heartfelt, romanticized suffering which Tchaikovsky music gives voice to so often. Numerous people around the world listen to Tchaikovsky when they are either in a bad mood and want to relax or just to break away fr om the world and go to an imaginary world. In music competitions countless of musicians perform Symphony no. 6 in B minor to have a chance at winning the competition. Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov is a very known poet, novelist, playwright, translator, and essayist who pioneered Russian modernism. He first gained critical recognition when he published (with A.A. Lang) Russkie simvolisty (1894-95; Russian Symbolists), an anthology of original poems by Russian Symbolists as well as of translations from the French. This work was an important landmark in the Russian modernist movement, and Bryusov eventually became the recognized leader of Russian Symbolism when he assumed in 1904 the editorship of its leading critical journal, Vesy (The Scales). The most important of Bryusov's own ten volumes of original poetry published between 1895 and 1921 were Tertia vigilia (Third Vigil), Urbi et orbi (To the City and the World), and Stephanos. As a poet Bryusov displayed great technical skill and erudition in his mystical and eroticized treatments of history and mythology. Poets, all around the world, after reading his poems started to write in a more spiritual wa y. His highly ornate and cerebral poetry also evinces qualities of coldness, detachment, and artificiality. His prose fiction includes the novels Ognenny angel (The Fiery Angel) and Altar pobedy (Altar of Victory). Having broken with the Symbolist movement in 1910, Bryusov taught literature after the Russian Revolution and held teaching and publishing posts until his death. He is best remembered for his efforts as a translator, critic, and essayist to raise the stature of modern poetry in Russia. He influenced people such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. to pursue a modernist movement. Marc Chagall, one of many Russian born, great painters and designer. He is distinguished for his surrealistic inventiveness. Chagall distinctive use of color and form is derived partly from Russian expressionism and was influenced decisively by French cubism. Crystallizing his style early, as in Candles in the Dark, he later developed subtle variations. His numerous works represent characteristically vivid recollections of Russian-Jewish village scenes, as in I and the Village. His works have been displayed all over the world. A canvas completed in 1964 covers the ceiling of the Opera in Paris, and two large murals hang in the lobby of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. His works have influenced many of the

Part D of Appendix C Essays

Part D of Appendix C Essays Part D of Appendix C Essay Part D of Appendix C Essay The steps you took in the recording process How the steps you took support the principles of accounting The general goal of financial reporting is to be able to keep track of where your money goes. It also lets you know what your profits are and what expenses you have going out. This way you and your investors can see how the company is doing or it will let you know if you’re not making anything and need to get out before the company goes under too far.As for the steps that I took in the recording process, is I took a look at was coming in and going out. Here you want to make sure that everything is recorded correctly and under the proper headings. For example, say your investor gives you $25,00. 00 dollars to invest in your company; well here you would put account receivables as a debit. The reason for this is because it is an income or profit that you can use. Something else, you have account payable, this is where you put what you pay an employee and it goes under credit because you have to pay that expense out of the company pocket.Have to make sure that everything is recorded correctly just in case the company gets outdid. The steps that I took help the principle of accounting by showing everything. Making sure the correct dates were put down and for what goes with that. I also made sure that each input was put in the right category. This shows all the statements that are in financial accounting. The company has to have all four statements in order to be successful.

Using the Keyword Final with Inheritance in Java

Using the Keyword Final with Inheritance in Java While one of Javas strengths is the concept of inheritance, in which one class can derive from another, sometimes its desirable to prevent inheritance by another class. To prevent inheritance, use the keyword final when creating the class. For example, if a class is likely to be used by other programmers, you may wish to prevent inheritance if any subclasses created could cause problems. A typical example is the String class. If we wanted to create a String subclass: public class MyString extends String{ï » ¿} We would be faced with this error: cannot inherit from final java.lang.String The designers of the String class realized that it was not a candidate for inheritance and have prevented it from being extended. Why Prevent Inheritance? The main reason to prevent inheritance is to make sure the way a class behaves is not corrupted by a subclass. Suppose we have a class Account and a subclass that extends it, OverdraftAccount. Class Account has a method getBalance(): public double getBalance(){ return this.balance; } At this point in our discussion, subclass OverdraftAccount has not overridden this method. (Note: For another discussion using this Account and OverdraftAccount classes, see how a subclass can be treated as a superclass). Lets create an instance each of the Account and OverdraftAccount classes: Account bobsAccount new Account(10); bobsAccount.depositMoney(50); OverdraftAccount jimsAccount new OverdraftAccount(15.05,500,0.05); jimsAccount.depositMoney(50); //create an array of Account objects //we can include jimsAccount because we //only want to treat it as an Account object Account[] accounts {bobsAccount, jimsAccount}; //for each account in the array, display the balance for (Account a:accounts) { System.out.printf(The balance is %.2f%n, a.getBalance()); } The output is: The balance is 60.00 The balance is 65.05 Everything appears to work as expected, here. But what if OverdraftAccount overrides the method getBalance()? There is nothing to prevent it from doing something like this: public class OverdraftAccount extends Account { private double overdraftLimit; private double overdraftFee; //the rest of the class definition is not included public double getBalance() { return 25.00; } } If the example code above is executed again, the output will be different because the getBalance() behavior in the OverdraftAccount class is called for jimsAccount: The output is: The balance is 60.00 The balance is 25.00 Unfortunately, the subclass OverdraftAccount will never provide the correct balance because we have corrupted the behavior of the Account class through inheritance. If you design a class to be used by other programmers, always consider the implications of any potential subclasses. This is the reason the String class cannot be extended. Its extremely important that programmers know that when they create a String object, its always going to behave like a String. How to Prevent Inheritance To stop a class from being extended, the class declaration must explicitly say it cannot be inherited. This is achieved by using the final keyword: public final class Account { } This means that the Account class cannot be a superclass, and the OverdraftAccount class can no longer be its subclass. Sometimes, you may wish to limit only certain behaviors of a superclass to avoid corruption by a subclass. For example, OverdraftAccount still could be a subclass of Account, but it should be prevented from overriding the getBalance() method. In this case use, the final keyword in the method declaration: public class Account { private double balance; //the rest of the class definition is not included public final double getBalance() { return this.balance; } } Notice how the final keyword is not used in the class definition. Subclasses of Account can be created, but they can no longer override the getBalance() method. Any code calling that method can be confident it will work as the original programmer intended.

Jews in Early Modern Venice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Jews in Early Modern Venice - Essay Example The paper throws light on Jewish culture as well. The hurdles that the efforts on part of music composers had to go through. Most of their efforts were shunned, by the neo-religious elements of the society. There is focus on the community service and the values that prevailed in Venice; their religious practices; the stones that were thrown on them in the form of bills passed by the Vatican government; The various communities that lived within the Jews are also talked about at great length. Their origins, their impact, their whereabouts, their contributions and their status are also discussed. The Levantines, enjoyed the highest economic strata and were later even allocated a separate portion in the Ghetto. Last, but not the least, the paper also elaborates on the architecture of the ghettos as well. The interiors, the exterior, the dos and don'ts of these places called the squalos and the grandeur associated with them Venice has long been recognized as one of the most multicultural and multi ethnic niches of the world. Situated across eastern Italy, it is a unique amalgamation of 40 different islands. Its length is approximately 40 km long and it varies in breadth from 5 to 10 km. Venice has served as a safe haven for various segregated communities of all times, of refugees and of barbarians. Several islands act protect the land from coastal waters of the open sea, with 3 main inlets moving out of the estuary. It has served as the center of trade between eastern and western European countries ever since 330 A.D. and has been a haven for a vast number of communities coming from different ethnic, religious and social backgrounds. That is why; Venice has never had a pure mythical identity; but home and shelter to refugees, a negative place, and a welcome land for people escaping the barbarians. Embedded in the fabrics of their society, in the confines of the city are Jewish ghettos. Also called the Ghetto Vichhio, Ghetto Nuvissmo or Ghetto Nuovo, they are occupied by a relatively more affluent class of the Jews. Ghettos are segregated areas of the society that harbor the shunned ones. They have been preeminent havens of various societies and eras, but gained prominence during the time of the Nazis. In the days of World War II, Jews were kept in these ghettos before being transported to the death camps. Huge walls were built around the fortifications of the ghettos, to protect the community from the events like Christmas and Easter. The History of the Jews in Venice Jews came on the forefront in the tenth century. This was when documents asking for permission to let Jews embark on a ship were refused. Restrictions were relaxed on the Jews in the late fourteenth century as they were allowed to enter the city. In 1508, the Jews ganged up with the natives to help the government fight the Papals' forces called the League of Cambrai. Even though the forces of Venice lost the battle, this event marked the influx of thousands of Jews in the Venice. The crowd that swarmed in the streets of Venice, escaping the warring tribes. The conflict was resolved and Venice recovered most

Future Career Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Future Career - Personal Statement Example This allows me to use my imagination and creativity alongside the technical skills I have developed which allow me to conceive a problem from a wide range of perspectives. Business is an interesting field with as many variables as engineering, and perhaps less predictable outcomes. Exceptions to business common sense can produce exceptional results; the same can rarely be said of engineering. The very value of education in this field is one of hot debate, from entrepreneurs proud to have left school with nothing to the MBA hotshot riding the corporate inside track - it is a discipline where success by any means can be argued as valid. As a highly successful student of facts and natural laws, this is a highly intriguing idea. For all I can learn from lectures and research, there is always a higher level to aspire to - always a rival with an edge of natural flair. An academic analysis, for example, of a systemic change can soon fail without the personal skills to 'sell' it to the workers. I have spent a long time developing my brain; I now want the chance to test my heart, soul and guts. There are numerous obstacles but the interesting part is to overcome the obstacles and run a smooth form of business. My parents have taught me that a balance between activities is always necessary for a healthy lifestyle. I engage in spending my free time constructively by serving the community and doing several jobs in my free time. I love reading business books. Just as I believe the highest level of success in business comes from drawing on every ounce of talent and ability, I believe that success in life comes through engaging every talent. The Cass MSc in Management enables graduates from a wide range of disciplines to develop real world knowledge and skills in key areas of modern management - it is this that most appeals to me, bringing the whole of my real world and life experiences to bear on how I do business. Through this program I hope to graduate with the confidence to sensitively and intelligently apply practical quantitative skills, which are required for a successful career in risk management. I chose to join the program to further polish out mytechnical and quantitative knowledgeof different specialist risk management areas, such as financial modelling, valuation theory, credit derivative pricing, and credit portfolio management. My strong technical groundingandquantitative skill from my current studies will have a definite impact on my career, qualifying me for a more specialized risk manager role. As much as a personality is important in business decision making, a person is also important in their society. While decisions can be made without feeling and individuals can try to exist as islands, both states seem unnatural and dangerous - oversimplified models that ignore a greater complexity. Activities I enjoy are enjoyable because of the interplay between myself and my community - the term 'altruistic' does not quite match, because I believe that every positive action brings broad rewards. I can rationalize this as a kind of karmic belief structure, but really it comes down to an analytical approach - what is good for a system or business should permeate all levels to bring mutual benefits. My natural talents have been nurtured thanks to the good will and determination of others. As a product of a global society, I try to carry out activities that make a positive impact

Shakespeares Sonnet 12 and Seamus Heaneys Blackberry-Picking Essay Example for Free

Shakespeares Sonnet 12 and Seamus Heaneys Blackberry-Picking Essay Endeavor to confront Times scythe or surrender to fatalism? Compare and Contrast Shakespeares Sonnet 12 and Seamus Heaneys Blackberry-Picking By Sally, Kuok Si Nok, School of Translation and Interpreting, Beijing Language and Cultural University Human in all ages races through lives in an everlasting fight against time. Mens struggle against nature has been a timeless theme in the literary world. From the early 17th century Sonnet 12, Shakespeares When I do count the clock that tells the time, to Seamus Heaneys Blackberry-picking, written in late 20th century, both poems addresses the effect of Times scythe on the transience decayed in nature as a natural cycle of life; however, while Shakespeare adopts a positive attitude in suggesting procreation to defeat time as a temporary solution, Heaney reflects on the inevasible disappointment at the interference of natural law. To address the theme of natural cycle, Shakespeare employs elaborated diction and juxtaposes contrasting ideas to measure the passage of time, nature and youth through life: In line 1 and 2, brave day sunk in hideous night reflects the daily passage of time, line 3 and 4 link nature to humankind, by first evokes a flowers wilting stage to the image of black hair naturally aging an turning grey, line 5 to 7 discuss the progression of season from canopy to barren of leave, to white and bristly beard, indicating snow and winter. Since Heaney metaphorizes old man as white beard on the bier, it can be suggested that he also compares young maid to violet prime and young man to lofty tree. Thus, the implicit use of figurative language hints the universal law of nature on all creatures throughout Sonnet 12 a number which symbolizes hour and month (passage of time). With regard to Heaneys techniques of expression, he visualizes the decaying process of blackberry by reminiscing a childhood activity in rural Northern Ireland. In the poem, the specific temporal markings like late August, for a full week, At first, just one and every year vividly demonstrates the time sequence of blackberry growing before ultimate rot; the employment of color and texture like green, red, purple glossy and hard serves not only to illustrate the ripening blackberries, but also impact on the readers taste and tactile sensation. Most importantly, the reminiscence itself, utilizes both the perspective of Heaney as a young child and an adult looking back, and the half-rhyming pattern suggesting imperfect memory, both symbolize the passage of time and ageing process. The last line Each year I hoped theyd keep, knew they would not. suggests a repetitive emotional behavior and disillusionment, highlighting the natural law of life. Shakespeare and Heaney, though addressing the same theme, differ in the motivation and the attitude toward Times scythe. The former speaks of sterility of bachelorhood and recommends procreation as a means of immortality in the form of human race, whereas the latter blends autobiological account of disillusionment in rural life with the natural decay of blackberry, impacting the reader on the spiral of disappointment. In Sonnet 12, Shakespeare displays a strident attitude to persuade: first, brave day sunk into hideous night the antithetical choice of word establishes a stark contrast, not only between day and night, but above all, the courage and futility of battling against indefensible nature, for brave is meant to imply a visual brightness and gallantry. A man begins his live bravely, wanting to explore the world around him and learn as much as he can. Once he has reached his prime he begins to sink into his twilight years, and his beard begins to turn silver. The girls who once flocked to him have either been married or have lost interest. His beauty has waned, and been replaced by the wrinkles and gray hair that mark old age. His life continues thus until he dies; leaving the world with no one to keep his memory alive. Therefore, the repeated brave in the last line means to endure something without showing fear; in this case, that which much be endured is death, or time that will take thee hence. Second, the progression of natural creature to human emphasizes the universally incessant movement of time, further frightening his bachelor friend and readers. Lastly, the third quatrain shifts in tone and the speaker begins to talk directly to the young man, warning the inescapable fate of his beauty being engulfed by decay and eventual death. The personification of flowers images the general obligation of all creatures forsaking ones sweets and beauties to nourish offspring. Together with muscular rhyme, the palindrome-like metaphor pushes the poem to a climax. In Blackberry-picking, Heaney frames the the progression of pleasure to disappointment by two separated stanzas: he first describes his enthusiasm for picking blackberries, from tasting the first black berry of the season to the frenzy of excitement with the involvement of his peer friends; he then reflects on how his attitude towards the berries evolves into revulsion as the berries decay. Together with half-rhymes and abovementioned poetic structure, the elaborated diction and imagery associated with greed, lust, violence, sex and horror further highlight how the speaker laments the effect of time on joyful life and pleasure, both sharing a transitory nature. In line 3 and 4, one of the two only full rhymes of clot and knot invites readers to compare them, reinforcing the stark contrast between hard, unripened and soft, ripe berry. Amongst, the metaphor of a clot draws a comparison between the first berry of the season and a blood clot, first highlighting its soft juiciness and deep rich color of the berry and then associating it with flesh and blood. This introduces the sensual nature of berry-picking, which later violent and guilty association await. Words like flesh, thickened wine summers blood, hunger and lust are strong expression of human desires, usually pathological craving, which implies the intoxificating effect of the berries on the children and foreshadows of the loss of innocence in coming adulthood (Passage of time). The young ravenously gorge on the blackberries, tasting the stains upon the tongue and lust for Picking The enjambment of Picking marks the start of the next section of the poem the actual picking of blackberry, which can be perceived as the crime scene of human crippling nature. The children are sent out by hunger and desire, disregard of their inked-up hands and mouths, and randomly gather all possible containers like milk can and jam-pots in order to satisfy their bottom-less lust for berry. They frantically scour the hayfields and potato-drills, seemingly forbid any berry, ripe or not, to spare from their blood-stained mouth, oblivion to treasuring their spoils and throw them in until the tinkling bottom has been covered with green ones- fantasizing endless gratification. The last two lines in the first stanza push the crime, or the process of lust, to a climax, by juxtaposing the victims mutilated corpses staring like a plate of eyes and the assailants sticky palms like Bluebeards an allusion of a black fairytale in which a lord married a succession of bosom girls before murderi ng them. The second stanzas choice of word is the antithesis of the first: Rat-grey fungus, stinking, fruit fermented and sour starkly contrast with the not-long-ago euphoria, as the berries start to rot and go moldy, marking the post-climax downward slope of emotion plunging to the bottom. Thus, it may hint that Heaney subtly associates the arch-like process of pleasure to that of a sexual intercourse, by both diction and alliteration. Starting from first and flesh, to briar, bleached our boots and big blobs burned in the middle, then followed by pricks and palms, ending with filled we found a fur and fruit fermented, the deliberate use of alliteration pattern draws association to a complete process of copulation. Linguistically speaking, the labiodental /f/ hints the arousal and foreplay, then progress into bilabial /b/ implicating orgasm, finally ends with plosive /p/ and fricative /f/, indicating sudden stop of sensual pleasure along with frustrated insatiability. Therefore, when Heaney i ntroduces the speaker I lamenting that it wasnt fair and always felt like crying, he acts like a petulant child or a dissatisfied teenager. â€Å"At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. â€Å"That all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot.† â€Å"Each year I hoped theyd keep, knew they would not.† These full-rhyming couplets act as a framing device by introducing the first taste of blackberries and the excited frenzy of picking that stem from it, whereas the second couplet epilogue with Heaneys disillusionment by using antithesis to express the futility of fighting against fleeting time, from the perspective of an adult as he recognizes and looks back to the fundamental contradiction in his idea. Nevertheless, Heaney might sound less indulgent if he is alluding to a deeper significance metaphorizing blackberry and sensual pleasure as life itself. Hence, within this interpretive framework, Heaney can be understood as mirroring the same literary skill and message that Shakespeare conveys explicitly: using natural decay to intimate humans own mortality. Yet, the difference lies in the strong contrast in attitude and motivation, in which Shakespeare confidently persuades his bachelor friend whereas Heaney helplessly laments on his overwhelming fatalism.

Humorous Wedding Speech by Brother of Groom -- Wedding Toasts Roasts S

Humorous Wedding Speech by Brother of Groom Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the bridesmaids, I must thank Donald for his kind words. I must also thank all of you for coming today - I know how hard it is to get a day release. As Donald’s lighter brother – sorry, I meant little brother, which is simply a reference to the fact that he is older than I am, and nothing else – I would also like to welcome Liz into the family. I think you’ll find the Endeans to be a warm and open family - but never play cards with any of us. Historically, June is the traditional month to marry, and these origins actually date back to medieval times when people only properly bathed once a year, typically during May when the weather improved. It’s true. June therefore became a popular marriage time, mainly because that's when people smelled their best. And if you know Donald at all, you’ll believe why June is a good month for him to marry as well. And if you don’t know him, just take it from someone who shared a bunk bed with him for 4 years. As Donald’s younger brother, it’s wonderful for me to be doing this job today. And, in being asked by Donald to be best man, I think it’s an admission from him that I am the best person and therefore the best son. So, in my role as best son, I’d like to inform my mother and father that it was not me who drove your car into the side of the house. It was not me who broke th... ...ternoon - that’s for Liz later on this evening. Donald, you are an extremely lucky man to have met Liz, and I’m slightly dumbfounded as to how you persuaded her to agree to marry you. But I’m delighted that you did. And Liz, it is a wonderful pleasure to welcome you to our family today. And whilst I continue on this uncharacteristically sincere note, I'd like to express my heartfelt congratulations to you both, and to thank you for choosing me as best man. You may well now regret it, but of course – it’s too late. Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to invite you all to stand and raise your glasses in a toast to my brother, Donald, and his new wife, Liz – to the new Mr and Mrs Endean.

Essay on Australian Culture Essay

The composers of In Sydney’s Suburbs, An Endless Summer and Love Letter: McIver’s Baths have helped me to further understand Australian culture by using a variety of language devices and techniques to uncover the Australian culture. Chris West, the author of In Sydney’s Suburbs, An Endless Summer reveals that Australians respect the harsh landscape and presents beach culture as a prominent aspect n the lives of Australia. Helen Pitt, the author of Love Letter: McIver’s Baths, uncovers Aboriginal beliefs in Australian principles and shows that multiculturalism is freely accepted in Australian society. West conveys the Australian landscape to be harsh and rugged, yet respected and valued by Australians. West personifies the land and describes how it â€Å"points like a crooked finger†. The use of the verb â€Å"points† gives the land an intimidating quality. West continues to describe the land as â€Å"a patch of God’s country. † The juxtaposition of the two phrases suggests that the Australian is feared but respected and cared for by Australians. This comparison has broadened my understanding of the Australian culture. This idea is similar to Pitt’s description of the beach â€Å"which is as curvy as the female form. † The simile creates a unique attractiveness, which is intriguing but is appreciated in Australian culture. Both West and Pitt expose an underlying appreciation of natural beauty in Australia, confirming my understanding of Australian culture. Pitt has employed the use of figurative devices that helped extend my understanding of Australian culture. â€Å"You nursed me†¦your swell embraced me in a way she no longer could. † The use of apostrophe gives the baths motherly qualities. The verbs â€Å"nursed† and â€Å"embraced† mimic the actions of a mother caring for her child. The quote also alludes to the old Aboriginal beliefs that the land is mother. This reveals that Aboriginal culture and beliefs are still present in today’s society and highly respected in Australian culture. In West’s article, there are also allusions to Aboriginal culture. He describes children playing on the beach â€Å"under the watchful eyes of black-clad elders†. Both composers display an aspect of Aboriginal culture and its importance in Australian society, thus deepening my understanding of Australian culture. In West’s article, beach culture is displayed as a prominent aspect in the lives of Australians. He describes businessmen and how they â€Å"peel off their swimsuits in the beachfront parking lots, towel down and don sober business attire then drive straight to work. † The use of the verb â€Å"peel† suggests that the beach and beach culture is part of them, that it’s in their skin and soul. Pitt reinforces the idea that being at one with sea and its surrounding environment is what is truly valued in Australian society. â€Å"I took refuge in your barnacled depths, reacquainting myself†¦with what it meant to be Australian. † Both composers explore the notion that having connection with the beach is genuinely valued in Australian culture, thus challenging my understanding of Australian culture. In Pitt’s article, multiculturalism is celebrated by showing the freedoms that we as Australians, no matter what cultural heritage we have, are able to enjoy. â€Å"Muslim women frolicking in burkinis†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The use of the verb â€Å"frolicking† suggests that the women feel comfortable enjoying the Australian environment without fear of prejudice from other cultures. The revelation of the carefree attitude towards cultural diversity in Australian culture has expanded my understanding of Australian culture. West also presents the acceptance of a diverse range of culture in his article. â€Å"Families of newly arrived Mediterranean immigrants fetch extravagant picnics†¦from the trunks of Japanese-built sedans† Both composers clarify that people of other cultures and religions are accepted and welcomed in Australian society. The confirmation has contributed to my understanding of Australian culture. By manipulating a range of language devices, both composers have challenged and reinforced my understanding of Australian culture, beliefs and values. West and Pitt both confirm that the harsh yet spectacular landscape of Australia is respected and cherished in Australian culture. They both uncover Aboriginal beliefs that are still present in today’s society. Multiculturalism and beach culture are both thoroughly exposed by West and Pitt. In Sydney’s Suburbs, An Endless Summer and Love Letter: McIver’s Baths have definitely helped me to further understand Australian culture.

How Stressed Children Are in a Primary School Essay

The recent publication of a Cambridge research paper on high stress levels amongst UK primary school children made national headlines. It told parents of an uncomfortable truth that primary classrooms are not the places of fun and learning that typifies an idealistic notion of education in the UK. It spoke of stress, anxiety and worry in classrooms, where children show signs of distress due to high expectations, excessive workloads and having to shoulder unrealistic responsibilities. But just how accurate is this picture? Is it possible to expect young children to understand the complexities of the manifestations of stress and the inaccuracies of self-appraisal given possible low levels of emotional literacy? This paper explores how feasible it is to collect accurate data from children about their own stress and evaluates how such information can be collected. It concludes that there are a variety of ways of gaining information about stress from children, some better than others, but leaves no doubt that children can be ideal subjects for such research if the design and execution of the study is given due consideration. The world of primary education, it would seem, from anecdotal evidence from parents of primary school pupils, is not what it used to be. Clichà ©s such as ‘its not like it was in my days!’ or ‘school was much easier and more fun in the olden days!’ can often be heard echoing across parents groups in school  yards or in local supermarkets. But is school such a difficult place for children today? A recent paper, published by a Cambridge University research group would suggest that life in a primary school is not as stress free as most parents would want to assume. In order to help understand this uncomfortable notion, this paper will explore whether children are capable of giving accurate information about their stress levels and how this could be collected. Stress research is a well established field spanning eight decades, from Walter Cannon’s seminal work in 1927 on flight and flight, to Mark Kovacs’ recent paper on ‘Stress in the Workplace’, (Kovacs 2007). It fact it seems that there are very few areas of modern life that stress research has not touched upon. In relation to everyday activities, research covers stress at work (eg Kovacs 2007, McCarthy & Sheehan,1996), stress in the street (Brennan,1993), paradoxically there has been studies around stress in leisure activities (Noakes 1991) and crucially for this paper, stress in school environments (eg Williams & Gersch, 2004; Murray and Harrison, 2005 and the recently published Cambridge Primary Review paper 2007). The subject base for stress research has also been highly eclectic, ranging from stress in the elderly (Hodgson, Freedman &, Granger, 2004), to stress at birth and even stress levels in individuals not yet born, (Graham, Heim, Goodman, Miller and Nemeroff 1999). There is a case to be argued however, that very much like the Freudian theory of psychosexual development, there appears to be a relative ‘hiatus of interest’ in the levels of stress in children between the ages of 6 and 11. This crucial period of education covers the majority of Key Stage 1 and all of Key Stage 2 and it would seem to be a pivotal juncture in a child’s education. It is in this period that most children will be structuring their leaning patterns and assimilating vast amounts of knowledge in all areas of the school both academic and social. It could be considered somewhat remarkable therefore that there is relatively less stress research done in education at this age. It is particularly pertinent when we consider that this active period of learning is then brought to a close with the mandatory Key Stage 2 SAT papers. It is perhaps this singular event that indicates, for most pupils, their rights of passage into the world of secondary education where structured exams and revision regimes are rife. So why is it that research during this ‘Latency Period’ (Freud 1905d) of a child’s educational  development is so under represented? It could be because it now appears to be a relatively settled period in a child’s educational life. It may be that in most areas of the UK, the predominantly two-tier education system has removed a major period of transition half way through this phase of schooling. This process of downsizing transitions eradicated a well defined cause of stress in pupils and exaggerated difficulties in coping (Rudduck.J, 2004; Lohaus. A, 2004). However could it also be argued that models of stress and theories for coping with traumatic events are not comprehensive enough to cover this very specific area of children’s development in such settings? It is important therefore to explore how adult models of stress address environmental and personal issues and whether these can be attributed to children in a primary classroom. Stress models for adults Modern stress research has placed itself firmly within the interactionist perspective characterized largely by Lazarus and Folkman (1984). Their model for the possible development of stress explores the essential thought processes that occur in any given situation and the judgments the individual makes in assessing their own ability to cope with the demands placed upon them at any one time. This ‘appraisal’ and subsequent stress levels are governed primarily by recollecting previous performances and the effectiveness of learned coping strategies in similar situations. It seems clear then that by using the interactionist model, there may be opportunities to provide greater opportunities to understand children’s stress in the classroom. In order to fully explore this area, it seems pertinent to start by delving into specific models of stress that add to our knowledge about its development in adults and explore whether these could be used with children in a primary s chool environment. One such model that may be relevant to this paper was developed by Palmer, Cooper and Thomas (2001) who looked at stress in the workplace. This model proposes that there are six contributors to the development and/or the management of stress levels in and around most places of work. These mitigating factors include work/environmental demands, support, change and the worker’s role within the ‘company’ (see below). It would seem on first inspection that this is truly an adult model of stress as it is located in adult world of work. However as  there do not appear to be any established or substantial research as yet, to determine the difference between ‘work’ being in an office, a factory or a shop and ‘work’ as in a classroom, it could be argued that if the ‘classroom’ was seen as a workplace and pupils considered ‘employees’, Palmer et al’s model does have some relevance. Below is Palmer et al’s mo del as published in the ‘Health Education Journal’ 2001. Figure 1: Palmer, Cooper and Thomas’s model of stress in the work place (2001) A Stress model for children? Using the key structure of this model, it is possible to transpose details into a new representation that may be appropriate to help explore stress in children in a school situation. This process of transformation can largely be done by ‘translating’ words and terminology used in the flowchart above into words relevant and applicable to similar aspects of a school environment. A typical example of this would be that the reference to ‘employees’ would need to read ‘pupils’. Perhaps the more difficult aspect of this translation relates to its exploration of ‘negative outcomes’. It is clear that increased and sustained stress levels in children is less likely to lead to coronary heart disease or RSI in the short term than it would in adults, so perhaps more pertinent aspects of this section of the model would relate to an escalation in poor behaviours or higher absenteeism. Table 1 below shows a complete translation of Palmer et alâ₠¬â„¢s terminology using this ideology. Once this translation of meaning has been established then it appears that this model does provide some insight into possible factors that may contribute to stress levels in children. Further exploration of Palmer, Cooper and Thomas’s model would establish how these factors would impact upon the individual and at the whole school level. Table 2 on page 7 shows how Palmer et al’s structure would apply to a school model. It seems clear that there is a probable link between stress levels of a child in the classroom and organisational dysfunctions in the structure of the classroom and possibly to aspects of the whole school. This new model also shows where possible stressors come from for the pupil and how this could be managed to alleviate higher levels of stress across a school environment. It could be argued that a central difficulty in attributing the interactionist perspective model of stress to children is flawed by the intrinsic tenet of the model. Lazarus and Folkman (1984) believe that the essential tool of stress appraisal is the ability to reflect on past experiences to determine the individual’s ability to cope with the current situation. How then, does this model apply to young children whose experiences are more limited than those of an adult? Does this lack of experience allow a young child the ability to accurately evaluate past experiences against past  performances? An example of this could be when pupils are required to complete the Key Stage 1 SAT papers. Even though teachers will have tried to prepare each pupil with several practices in answering unfamiliar maths and literacy booklets, the actual test is unfamiliar due to the heightened expectations of the day itself. How are pupils able to reflect on past experiences of this? Perhaps the best that can be achieved is the familiarity with the style of the test but not necessarily with the SAT day itself. If this is the case, when the interactionist perspective is extrapolated to Key Stage 2 SATs it is likely that a bad experience in the Key Stage 1 SAT papers will affect perceptions of performance during the SAT tests in Year 6. Using this model, it must be argued that in order to achieve better results in Key Stage 2 SATs, there is a case to be made to enhance the positive experiences of sitting formal tests at an earlier age. This could be achieved by either taking away the pressure to achieve in Year 2 or indeed use these tests and tasks to give the pupils positive experiences to build upon. It is likely that a bad experience in Year 2 increases the likelihood of future failures or anxieties. To facilitate this process the model outlined in table 2 above could be used to facilitate good practice, improve support mechanisms, strengthen positive relationships and encourage a greater ability to handle change. This may also have a positive impact on the pupils and the whole school in the long term. The adaptation of Palmer, Cooper and Thomas’s model will allow a school practitioner the opportunity to affect whole school social dynamics by focusing upon the ‘potential hazards’ and being pro -active in offsetting the negative impact they can have on a school environment. But how successful have primary schools been so far in this role? Stress in the classroom In October 2007 the Cambridge Primary Review explored life in a primary classroom from a child’s perspective. The process of data collection, which took place between January and March 2007, collected evidence from a whole range of professionals in the primary education sector as well as people drawn from the wider community. These subjects included children themselves, who are referred to as ‘witnesses’ in the paper. In total there were nine Community locations in different parts of England, culminating in a total of  87 witness sessions, attended by over 750 people. This is clearly an important piece of research that cuts across cultural boundaries and local government differences. It would seem that this research is an amalgamation of collective thought, however there may be some difficulties with interviewing subjects such as children which will be explored in greater detail below. However such research conclusions cannot go unnoticed for long and immediately after its publication in academic circles, their conclusions made national headlines. It was this research that spawned a raft of emotive headlines across all forms of media in the UK. Articles fronted by ‘Children ‘stressed and depressed’ and ‘Primary Cause for concern’ were used offering direct quotes about what causes children such stress, citing: â€Å"the gloomy tenor of ‘what you hear on the news’ or by a generalised fear of strangers, burglars and street violence.† ITN webpage – Friday 12th October 07:05 am Furthermore articles in the media were concluding that: ‘ †¦our young children are anxious, badly behaved, stressed, depressed and obsessed with the cult of celebrity’ Garner, 2007 page 1 These emotive and somewhat generalized media headlines, alongside the Cambridge’s research papers demonstrate that there appears to be a high level of stress and depression in primary classrooms, but there is also a lot of anxiety in the ‘media’ at the possibility of there being stress and depression in the classroom. These headlines echo Mays’ conclusions who observed in his paper in ‘Stresses in Children’ (1996): ‘ there is still much to frighten, to frustrate and to intimidate a growing child’ (page 41) But just how successful are research methods and models of stress in helping to clarify and explain possible sources of stress in the primary classroom? Is it possible to accurately measure stress in children given some of the constraints of data collection? Perhaps more importantly are children able to understand the complexity of stress responses and have sufficient levels of emotional literacy to be able to accurately describe whether they are stressed or not? It seems a foregone conclusion, in stress research, that the respondent themselves is able to understand what stress is and how it affects them and to be able to recognise when they are stressed or not in given circumstances. It seems that collecting stress data from children is fraught with implicit difficulties. However, this should not deter such research being completed; it means only that the data collected may need a greater level of analysis and more rigorous reflection to be able to make any real conclusions. Collecting Stress data from Children There are two key difficulties with any stress research, both of which are applicable when exploring stress in children. The first central problem is that there is an absence of a common definition of stress and this makes research difficult due to the amorphous nature of how stress can manifest itself in different individuals (Ramsden 2007a). The second, somewhat related difficulty is that the vocabulary used to describe stress is often used loosely or interchangeably. It is not uncommon to read in books and research papers subsequent paragraphs using terms such as stress, anxiety, and worry to describe similar aspects of this phenomenon. Furthermore there is a central need to take care when referring to stress in terms of how it would change a person’s demeanor and/ or thought patterns. Stress research refers to stress as both a definition and a symptom. This can be somewhat overcome by trying to establish key differences in terms of relating anxiety as a symptom of stress, in very much the same way as references are made to headaches, depression and irrational thought, all of which may be as a direct result of the stress a person is under. However some research is now suggesting that stress, anxiety and depression are indeed co-variants and the inter-relationship and synonymous presence of all of these problems  together may indeed be: ‘ the rule rather than the exception.’ Compass and Hammem (1996)pg 242 If this comorbidity of anxiety, depression and stress has such strong bonds, then trying to ascertain what the differences are between these manifestations may be an impossible task. If this is the case then the interactionist perspective may indeed be the significant filter that holds such research together. By taking the essence of the Lazarus and Folkman (1984) model, the reason why a person feels they can’t cope is of secondary importance to the fact that they feel they can’t cope with current demands. Furthermore if such feelings of helplessness are born out of, or are exacerbated by, depressive tendencies then this is irrelevant to the basic fact that the individual feels they can’t cope with demands and therefore will be stressed. This tenet must then hold true for stress research into children. It does not seem to matter why the child feels stressed, the fact that they do, means that they are! That is, provided that they understand what feeling stressed i s, which falls back to the central difficulty of how effectively can you measure a phenomenon such as stress within a child when a child may not understand the phenomenon themselves? However, this then leads onto another dilemma. If it can be demonstrated that the children at the centre of the research have obtained a sufficient level of emotional literacy to determine what being stressed feels like, then to collect stress data in children, a methodological choice between two specific models needs to be made. The first strategy for collecting data uses the principle underlined by Selye (1934) that stress is a biological response to the environment and therefore it is possible to use biometric measures such as blood pressure and galvanic skin responses An alternative model such as that proposed by Lazarus and Folkman (1984) uses reflective self analysis to determine the individual’s ‘perception’ of their own stress. This second method can be collected in a number of ways but perhaps the most basic, but not necessarily the most simplistic, is either through questionnaires and/or interviewing the individual themselves. Before these qualitative methods are  discussed it is important to explore the more quantitative methods of data collection in children. Some of these discussion points can be found in Ramsden (2007b) which explores variations in data collection in greater detail, however it does not elucidate how they can be utilized with children and therefore it is worth touching on some of those points again but with specific reference for research with children. Biometric data collection in children If the argument is that children do not have the experiential capability to understand what stress is and the ability to describe accurately how they are feeling, or indeed able to recognise when they are stressed, then it seems plausible to assume that a more standardized, less subjective and fundamentally, a less reflective method of data collection is needed. In terms of stress research, the collection of such ‘clinical’ information must revolve around measuring biological responses rather than a child’s ability to tell the researcher when they are feeling stressed, and how this is different to when they are not feeling stressed. This biological method of data collection has its foundation in some of the earliest research into stress. Some of the very first experiments into the stress response were conducted by Hans Selye (1907-1982), an endocrinologist who conducted his work largely in the first half of the Twentieth Century. In his studies, he used biometric measurements from laboratory rats to determine the level of stress they were under. Selye, who was later given the accolade of the first person to define stress, referred to it as: † a non-specific (i.e. common) result of any demand on the body, whether the effect be mental or somatic† page 32 (Selye1936) His definition may well have some value here. If we take the stance that young children are indeed unable to identify accurately what stress is, then we should be measuring this ‘non-specific’ demand on the body in a purely biological way. It would seem plausible then that by observing children in a primary school throughout a typical day or week, and by taking regular  measurements, there may be a case to correlate variations in biological states at certain times of the day. Collecting data such as changes in blood pressure, pulse rates and sweating may give an insight into times when the body is under stress and when the child is calmer and more relaxed. This information could then be matched with events, observations and activities and correlated to show changes in responses to situations encountered. Using this method it should be relatively easy to find out whether participation in SAT tests or some other social situations, that blood pressure, pulse rates and GSR increase to reflect the physical, and by default, the emotional state of the child, and therefore conclude that this was or was not a stressful event for them. There may be a problem with this type of research however. Apart from some of the ethical difficulties, there is a crucial observation to be made. It could be argued that for children, the actual process of data collection may affect their stress levels. It could also be surmised that the actual method of data collection can be as stressful as the event in itself and therefore eradicate any impartiality in the result. There may be echoes here of the ‘Hawthorne effect’ (Roethlisberger & Dickson, 1939). Although a concept that has been applied to business models, it is worth exploring a little here. First established by Elton Mayo, Fritz Roethlisberge r and William J. Dickson who saw it as: ‘a temporary change to behavior or performance in response to a change in the environmental conditions.’ Roethlisberger & Dickson (1939)., page14 This definition is a salient one in this discussion. It could be argued that even if the outline of a study was not described to children, and even if the children were not aware that they were being studied so closely, there would be a difference in their day because at somepoint some interactions are needed to measure changes to their physiological state. This would be even more prevalent if these changes were happening alongside other stresses such as SAT tests. It seems therefore that by measuring a response, as Shaver (1981) highlighted, evokes close links with the Hawthorne principles. ‘Almost no matter what experimental conditions were imposed†¦.the investigators had obviously influenced the subjects’ behavior merely by studying that behavior.’ Kelly Shaver p272 In order to measure stress in a primary classroom then, some continuous measurement needs to happen that can be compared to a baseline. This in itself could be problematic. For some children the basis of their stress and the source of their fears and anxieties may come from the school environment itself. If being in the school itself is a cause of high levels of stress, it would be very difficult to ascertain a baseline to measure relative changes to stress levels in the individual. Studies into autistic children in some school environments (Hiroshi 1991) show that for many individuals school can be one continuous bombardment of stressful events. Extensive studies into school phobia at the primary level (eg: Place, Hulsmeier, Davis and Taylor, 2002; King and Ollendick, 1989) also indicate that it would be very difficult to determine a relaxed state for a baseline. In order to address this quandary, one possible method of data collection would be to use a portable blood pressure (BP) kit for example that would pose less intrusive method that enables an individual’s BP to be taken automatically without the need to stop and prepare for the examination. But this in itself causes problems apart from the physical tightening process of blood pressure being taken, it also serves as a reminder that they are being observed. This could be offset however by having a period of acclimatization where the individual being measured would get used to such routines and this may normalize the influence of the measurements being taken. Studies using adults seem to suggest that repetetive BP monitoring does not interfere with the validity of the data (Georgiades, Lemne, De Faire, Lindvall, Fredrikson,1997; Steptoe and Cropley, 2000) but the evidence to suggest that this is the case in studies using children as subjects is not clear. In the absence of any certainlty as to whether collecting biometric data in children can provide reliable evidence, it is important to explore other ways of gathering primary data from children. Qualitative methods of data collection with children As discussed above, in order to collate qualitative evidence of stress in children, there needs to be a clear understanding of a child’s ability to know when they are feeling stressed as opposed to when they are feeling relaxed. Fortunately for the stress reasearcher in this field, there is now a plethora of commercial teaching materials available to schools on Emotional Health and Well-being. Furthermore with ‘Being Healthy’ formally on the national agenda through the Every Child Matters (ECM) outcomes (eg Every Child Matters: Change for Children. DfES publication -1110-2004), the PSCHE curriculum in the primary school seems full of opportunities for even the youngest of children to explore their own emotions. It can be said therefore, that pupils in today’s primary schools are better equipped to discuss their emotional state than they have ever been. It seems fair to assume from this, that there only needs to be some basic ground work teaching to occur to give children the necessary vocabulary and a sense of introspection required to respond to stress-related questions and produce meaningful results. Nevertheless, even with this encouraging notion, it is important that the researcher does not lose sight of the influence they may have when trying to obtain children’s views. As with any socio-psychological research, and especially any involving children, ascertaining views on levels of stress or trying to clarify what causes stress does not lead to the adult influencing the responses or the conclusions the child makes about a given situation. This is of particular interest to stress research because of its important in the Lazarus and Folkman (1984) model of Cognitive Appraisal. It is vital, that that the child themself, determines whether a particular situation was stressful or not, rather than the adult implying to the child that it was. This effect is known as ‘Psychological Causality’ and is important in stress research with children. Herbert describes this phenomenon as: ‘†¦the tendency in young children to attribute a psychological motive as a cause of events’ Herbert page 23 (1996) Although Psychological Causality is not usually associated with stress research, it is important to bear in mind that it may be a factor when determining sources of stress in the primary classroom. Especially if this research is conducted in and around other stresses such as SATs, school performances or parents’ evenings. In order to clarify what these stresses are, further research into this field is needed and would help to clarify the influencing factors of data collection. The use of questionnaires One formal method of collecting quantitative information is the use of questionnaires. Perhaps their greatest strength is that it can provide a fair and rigorous structure to the questioning procedure. By handing out questionnaires to all the children, each child will have the opportunity to answer the same questions as everyone else. This rigidity also allows the researcher the ability to analyse statistically the evidence. The use of questionnaires for children is not uncommon and can provide a useful insight into many research areas. The use of a questionnaire as a method of collecting data from children is not without its difficulties however. The first point and perhaps the most salient is that formalising questions through prose has two basic problems. 1. Do the questions allow children the opportunity to give answers that are meaningful to the research question? 2. Will the wording of each question be interpreted by children in the way the researcher wanted them to be answered? Because of these two issues, It is very important therefore to focus on the wording of these questionnaires so that specific vocabulary such as stress, anxiety, worry and nervousness are not misconstrued by the reader and answered in different ways. It seems that once again a lack of a formal definition of stress hampers validity and structure in research design. It seems that compiling a flawless stress questionnaire is very difficult. Fife-Schaw (2000) takes this notion further: ‘Designing the perfect questionnaire is probably impossible’ Fife-Schaw pg159 Nevertheless, even with such limitations, a questionnaire may be useful in ascertaining information but will need some very careful planning. Bath and North East Somerset Council provide some helpful guidelines in their ‘Children in Need Handbook’ on principles for using forms and questionnnaires with children and young people. This information offers advice suggesting that some feedback about the results are done ‘†¦either immediately and/or at a later session’, but most importantly in the implementation of the questionnaire to: ‘Allow plenty of time’ Bath and North East Somerset Council ‘Children in Need Handbook’ (2007) page 47 Giving children enough time to read and process the questions raises a number of key issues, all of which may impact on the validity of the answers collected. Central to these difficulties is the child’s ability to reflect appropriately on their own changing emotional states and determine which events, if any, could be regarded as being under stress. It could be that this variance in what children understand about stress may invalidate results as it may be difficult to ascertain any consistency amongst the data. This could mean that some children need additional or supplementary support in answering the questions. If the questions need to be read out or explained to the child then this could influence how the child answers the question. An immediate concern to the researcher therefore, is whether the responses given reflect the child’s true feelings or ones that are dictated by the way the question is received? This difficulty in ascertaining consistency however may not be such a diffcult obstacle in collating data as it could be in other areas of research. Once again the Cognitive Appraisal model is able to lessen these problems. If the assumption is that all primary children have a ‘basic’ understanding of what stress is and how it affects them, then any reference  to feeling anxious, stressed and or upset in a particular sitaution is pertinent to their ‘assessment’ and therefore their perception of the situation. This data can then be used qualitatively by the use of any ‘thematic analysis’ technique to attribute feelings associated with the notion of stress, irrespective of the possible misuse of language by children. It seems that using markers or coding systems can help capture a variety of words used and still maintain an acceptable level of structure to the analysis of the data. The questionnaire may also need some modification in the format according to the child’s developmental stage (Sadock and Sadock 2000). Given all of these variables and constraints, perhaps the more flexible method of collecting data would be to talk to the children directly. Interviewing children Interviewing children needs careful handling. Chan highlights the difficulty children have when answering open ended questions such as ‘How did you feel ?† to unknown adults, indicating that many may respond with a passive response such as â€Å"I don’t know’, Chan (2005). Conversely in an interview scenario, Breakwell highlights the problem of ‘Acquiescence Response Bias’ (ARB) when asking children direct or closed questions such as ‘Did you feel stressed?’ She feels that the ARB often leads a child to say â€Å"Yes† to any question posed by an adult, irrespective of their own true feelings. Her advice however may not necessarily be helpful given Chan’s perspectives. Breakwell (2000) advises: ‘Questions should be posed so that they are not open to a yes – no response’. Page 245 How then can a researcher obtain collectable data on levels of stress in children that has some validity? The answer to this may be by looking closer to the research subjects. The age of the child is going to be important and can affect the structure of the interview. In some cases it may be necessary to have an adult in with the researcher who can be used for moral support but the choice of the adult needs very careful thought. The ‘Save the  Children’ organization issue a very clear message about the sensitivity needed when choosing this person. ‘Ensure that adults are out of the way – except for the translator and perhaps a project worker, teacher, or another adult that the child knows and trusts.’ Taken from Save the Children/ ‘Interviewing children’ (2007) accessed on the web 17.11.07 In some cases however, especially where children are older and more confident in their social interactions, it may be sufficient to interview the child on their own but in a less formal and more relaxed environment. Furthermore, whether adults are present or not, the interviewer should not limit themselves to interviewing and/or questioning by the use of words alone. By structuring the communications around other activities it may be possible to elicit emotional responses through activities such as play, drawings or model building Gabarino and Stott (1989). Whatever the technique used to interview children, and whatever the age or developmental stage they may be at, it seems the central responsibility of the researcher is to make the child feel at ease with the information-giving process. It should be a central skill of the researcher to design an environment where natural, or as close to natural, observations can be made. The research design should take into account where children feel at ease in giving information to adults. It is fortunate for many pedagogical researchers that school environments are constantly interloped by adults seeking answers to questions. It would seem common in most Primary Classrooms that professionals such as Ofsted, Educational Psychologists and Speech and Language Therapists are more of a visible part of the school environment than ever before. At least for research purposes, it seems that children are used to being observed by visitors in school in one capacity or another and where children’s voices are being sought over some issue on a regular basis. Conclusion It seems that those parental opinions voiced in the playground or in lines at the local supermarket echoing dismay that school is ‘not what it used to be’ are correct on one level. Primary school environments today are more attuned to assessments being made and where adults conducting observations are more commonplace. Classrooms are regular hosts to a whole variety of adults making some evaluative judgments on one issue or another. Children are required to prove themselves in one academic discipline or another at all ages and where children are given numerous and onerous responsibilities in and out of a school environment. Stress in our society is pervasive, it touches the lives of almost everyone and it would seem that age is no barrier to stress being present, even in the youngest of subjects. Therefore if we need to consider whether children are suitable subject for stress research, it would seem that there is no reason why a well structured, ethically sound study on stress levels amongst children could not be carried out in any primary school. Children, it would seem, are well equipped in the modern primary classroom to cope with the rigors of such scrutiny. References Bath and North East Somerset Social & Housing Services (2007) ,Children in Need Handbook, P.O. Box 3343,Bath.BA1 2ZH Breakwell.,G.M(2000) Interviewing. Taken from Breakwell.G.M, Hammond.S and Fife-Schaw, C Research Methods in Psychology. Sage Publications Brennan.E, (1993) Street Stress, Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 6, No. 0643. Cannon. W, (1929). Bodily changes in pain, hunger, fear, and rage. New York: Appleton. Chan, R. Interpersonal psychotherapy as a treatment model for depressed adolescents with chronic medical problems. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2005; 10: p88-101 Compass.E and Hammem.C.L,(1996). Child and Adolscent depression Covariation and Comorbidity in development Cited in Stress, Risk and Resilience in Children and Adolescents: Processes and Mechanisms, and Interventions edited by Haggerty.R.J; Sherrod.L.R,Garmezy.N, Rutter.M. Department for Education and Skills (2004) Every Child Matters: Change for Children DfES publication. Milton Keynes Fife-Schaw.C.(2000) Questionnaire Design Taken from Breakwell, Hammond and Fife-Schaw (2000) Research Methods in Psychology. SAGE Publications, London Freud, S.(1905). Three Essays on Sexuality and Other Writings.(1901-1905) Translated by James Strachey. London: The Hogarth Press, 1953. Frydenberg. E,(1999). Health, well-being and coping? What’s that got to do with education? Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, vol. 9, no. 1, p. 1-18 Garbarino.J and Stott.F.M,(1989). What Children Can Tell Us, San Francisco and London, Jossey-Bass Inc. Garner,R.(2007),. Stress in the Classroom, The Guardian. Friday 12th October 2007 p1 Georgiades A, Lemne. C ,De Faire.U , Lindvall.K, Fredrikson, M (1997) Stress-induced blood pressure measurements predict left ventricular mass over three years among borderline hypertensive men European Journal of Clinical Investigation 27 (9), 733–739. Graham Y. P, Heim. C, Goodman,S, H,. Miller,A.H & Nemeroff,C,B.(1999), The effects of neonatal stress on brain development: Implications for psychopathology, Development and Psychopathology 11: 545-565 Gore.S, Eckonrode.J,(1996) Context and process in research on risk and resilience. Cited in Stress, Risk and Resilience in Children and Adolescents: Processes and Mechanisms, and Interventions edited by Haggerty.R.J;Sherrod.L.R,Garmezy.N, Rutter.M. Herbert,.M (1996) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children. BPS Blackwell Publishers Hiroshi, K.(1991) School Refusal in Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, March, vol. 21, no. 1, p. 1-15 Hodgson N, Freedman VA, Granger DA,(2004). Biobehavioral correlates of relocation in the frail elderly: salivary cortisol, affect, and cognitive function. Journal of American Geriatrics Soc Vol:52 pp1856–62 Jackson.D,(2006). Playgroups as protective environments for refugee children at risk of trauma. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, vol. 31, no. 2, p. 1-5 King.N.J, and Ollendick.T.H, (1989) Children’s anxiety and phobic disorders in school settings: classification, assessment, and intervention issues. Review of Educational Research, Winter, vol. 59, no. 4, p. 431-470 Kovacs,M. Stress and Coping in the workplace.The Psychologist. Vol 20, No9 p548-550 Lazarus, R.S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal and Coping. New York: Guilford. Lohaus. A, (2004) School transition from elementary to secondary school: changes in psychological adjustment. Educational Psychology, vol. 24, no. 2, p. 161-173 Marr, N and Field T Bullycide: death at playtime, an expose of child suicide caused by bullying, Success Unlimited, 2001 Margalit, M; Kleitman.T,(2006) Mothers’ stress, resilience and early intervention European Journal of Special Needs Education, Volume 21, Issue 3 pages 269 – 283 McCarthy,L and Sheehan E (1996)Bullying: from backyard to boardroom, (Eds), Millennium Books Murray.E and Harrison.L, (2005). Children’s perspectives on their first year at school: introducing a new pictorial measure of school stress. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, vol. 13, no. 1, p. 111-127. Noakes, T.(1991), Lore of Running, Champaign, Illinois: Leisure Press Palmer S, Cooper C, Thomas K.(2001)Model of organisational stress for use within an occupational health education/promotion or wellbeing programme –a short communication. Health Education Journal;60(4):378-80. Place.M, Hulsmeier.J, Davis.S and Taylor.E, (2002). The Coping Mechanisms of Children with School Refusal. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, June, vol. 2, no. 2, p. 1-10. Ramsden, G (2007) Change as a possible contributor to stress levels in Educational Psychologists. Research paper submitted as part of doctorate at University of Sheffield Roethlisberger, F.J.; Dickson, W.J. (1939). Management and the Worker. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, New York Rudduck.J, (2004) Some neglected aspects of transfer and transition. Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, University of Manchester. The text is in the Education-line internet document collection at: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00003901.htm, pp. 10.accessed on 19.10.07 Sadock BJ & Sadock VA (2000)- Kaplan & Sadock’s Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, Lippincott Williams& Wilkins, New York Save the Children (2007) Interviewing Children taken from www.save thechildren.org.uk/en/docs / guidelines _interview_children.pdf accessed on 17.11.07 Selye, H: (1936). A Syndrome Produced by Diverse Nocuous Agents; Nature.Vol. 138, p 32-33 Shaver. K, (1981) Principles of Social Psychology, 2nd ed., Winthrop Publishers; Cambridge, MA. Steptoe A, Cropley M. (2000) Persistent high job demands and reactivity to mental stress predict future ambulatory blood pressure. Journal of Hypertension 18:5, 581-586 Varma,V.P (1973) Stresses in Children, University of London Press Ltd, London. Williams. M, Gersch.I, (2004) Teaching in mainstream and special schools: are the stresses similar or different? British Journal of Special Education, vol. 31, no. 3, p. 157-162