Literary Analysis Essay Example for Free

Literary Analysis Essay To write a good story, not only ideas take place. You need to use literary devices in order to provide a good story. The best mentor to look up is Sue Monk Kidd. She used a lot of literary devices in her story which is called The Secret Life of Bees. The three main literary devices which she used throughout her story are: epigraphs, character development and allusions. â€Å"Heat would make a person do strange things.†(112).Specially we see this when is described Lily’s hard life without the main person of her, without her mother. Since her mother died she is an orphan and her father doesn’t care for her even though she has her nanny that loves her. Not only she needs her mother to care for her or love her, but also she needs her in daily life to help her going through her childhood and teenage problems that every single person goes through. The most common literary device which you will see, while you read the book are epigraphs. This is shown in the beginning of every chapter, giving the readers many hints and some sort of warning of what might be happening in the story. This is an optional device which you choose to use. But it put epigraphs to give you clues on what she will talk next. This is one example: â€Å"A worker [bee] is just over a centimeter long and weighs only about sixty milligrams; nevertheless, she can fly with a load heavier than herself.† –The Honey Bee (257) The Secret Life of Bees. This foreshadows you that the main character who is Lily, a 14-year-old girl, is carried too much responsibility on her shoulders, about what she’s going through. Other device that develops ones story, being the most important device in my opinion, is the character development. It pictures the things that the character goes through and how they change throughout the story, most of the characters change a lot during the whole book .Character development explains every detail, until the final touch that that character goes through. We see the main character Lily develops so much through this story. In the beginning we see her as an innocent girl, which she does everything to find out more about her mother. Last but not least†¦allusions. Why is it important to put them in your story? Allusions as you know, is the reference of something that has happened in history,that everybody knows about. If you put them in your story, you make  your story real. You make the readers feel it, actually live it. Sue Monk Kidd uses allusions to help you understand what is going on in more details. That’s what you should do. Some of the allusions which are very important to be named is where the author put in THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT. This automatically touches your brain by telling you that this was in the 60’s and that the colored people where fighting to win their rights. Also adding, it brings you that feeling that you think you’re living in the story, being able to relate in anyone’s everyday life. Another allusion is the WAILING WALL which May writes on it every time somebody dies. In conclusion to this, Allusions help the story by allowing the audience to relate and apply these reasoning’s in their lives. Briefly explained, the three literary devices which would be good to include in stories are: epigraphs, character development and allusions. This brings your story to a point that the reader believes they are actually living the story, feeling every single detail of it. So, all in all, literary devices increase more use of detailed writing and allows people to understand what is going on.

The desire for wealth and possessions

The desire for wealth and possessions Materialism in American Society Over the course of the last century America has undergone many societal changes, none of which have had as great an ethical effect as the nations transition towards ever increasing materialism. Materialism, or the desire for wealth and possessions, has faced virulent opposition for thousands of years from both religious institutions and social activists. Throughout time, materialism has been widely slandered not only as spiritually corrupting, but also as a major cause of a multitude of societal ills throughout the world. Although absolute materialism would obviously be awful for all involved, to date materialism has overall been very positive for American society, driving it towards ever-greater productive, intellectual, and ethical heights. First, the most obvious benefit bestowed upon America by materialism is the increased productivity of its people. With the attainment of wealth and possessions as the predominant motivation, it is to be Is American materialism increasing? Is American materialism increasing? To answer this question, we need only look at the current buying trends in present day society. Even a cursory glance at these trends would cause the question to be answered with a resounding YES! The pursuit of the American dream has become rather costly in that it is fraught with a large quantity of material possessions. The requirements to â€Å"keep up with the Joneses† are becoming more and more burdensome. Americans are made to feel that they absolutely must have certain things that had not even been invented just a few years ago. The increase in high tech, computerized, and digitized devices in the areas of electronics and household appliances has altered the landscape of the American home and family. What has fostered and fed these new trends? First and foremost, Americans will continue to subscribe to the pursuit of material goods, especially high tech devices for two basic reasons: the need for comfort and the need for entertainment. The deep, sometimes unspoken desire is to be coddled, catered to, and distracted. Embedded in this need for comfort and entertainment is the need for easy, quick access to information and resources. So, along with popping the family dinner into a microwave oven and eating the meal in a room with perfect temperature control, bill paying can be done from the comfort of home without ever writing a check or mailing an envelope. One can simply place his or her laptop on their laps from the comfort of any room in the house (thanks to a home-based wireless network), type in a few digits and press â€Å"go.† Any topic may be researched from the limitless stores along the information highway from how to treat a skin rash to exploring ancient religion s. Next, a parent can â€Å"talk† back and forth with a son or daughter in college or to an elderly mother halfway across the world. Such things were virtually unheard of many years ago. After the bill paying, research, and e-mailed correspondence, one can relax in the family room and choose from literally hundreds of movies or programs accessed through their cable or satellite TV provider. The picture will be viewed on a screen nearly covering the entire wall while the stereo sounds fill the entire room. These are just a few of the things that have become necessities, along with video games, luxury cars, summer homes, boats, designer clothing, and disposable contact lenses. These are the â€Å"must haves† of the American dream. Families, couples, and individuals expend hours, days, and years of their lives to obtain these things so that they may feel that they have â€Å"arrived† and so that they may be comfortable. This increase in American materialism, unfortunately, exists along with other less fashionable increases; teen suicide, depression, divorce, the disintegration of the family, bankruptcy, and despair. It does not appear that those living by the law of materialism are necessarily happy or fulfilled. The increase in the pursuit of things is evident; satisfaction from possessing these things is suspect and spurious. Jesus declared in John 10:10b, â€Å"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.† He also asked the rhetorical question, â€Å"Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?† (Matthew 6:25b). While Americans continue to search and work for the â€Å"full life† it is urgent that they also discover the real source of full life. Materialism And Consumerism In The 1920s A crucial transformation to the structure of American culture during the 1920s was the rise of consumerism and materialism. As the country experienced an extraordinary economic boom, the outlook of America shifted. People began receiving higher wages, and there was a sudden increase of spending on discretionary goods which advertisements claimed people could not live without. The progress of the automobile industry, radio and motion picture production, and advanced technologies made it possible for this great escalation of the economy. There were many notable critics of the decade that made their opinions known in various ways. One such critic was F. Scott Fitzgerald, who wrote the novel The Great Gatsby. In this novel, he is critical of the 1920s as the obsession of consumerism and materialism flourish throughout the United States. Fitzgerald feels that it is this mindset that ultimately leads to the tragedies and miseries at the end of the novel, as well as at the foreseen end of t he 1920s. The Great Gatsby portrays an image of abundant leisure and excess, which parallels similar ideas with those of the 1920s. To illustrate this, Nick Carraway, the storys narrator, compares his â€Å"eye-sore† of a house with the man In addition to Jay Gatsby, materialistic and consumerist elements are also present in other characters in the novel. Daisy Buchannan becomes conscious of the fact that her husband Tom is cheating on her, yet she does nothing about it. It can be argued that she doesnt confront him, or threaten to leave him because Tom has all the money that she could ever need. That is what truly matters to Daisy and what will always make her happy, not honesty and commitment, but financial benefits. Also all the people in attendance at Gatsbys parties are guilty. They have no problem showing up at his home to party, drink, and dance all night long, but when it came to his funeral, â€Å"the minister glanced several times at his watch so I took him aside and asked him to wait for half an hour. But it wasnt any use. Nobody came† (p. 182). This shows that all those materialistic party-goers werent really friends of Gatsby, but just there to use him for his wealth with no common courtesy for him. Another character in the novel, Jordan Baker, seems to be rather superficial in her outlook on life. She appears to lie her way out of bad situations she may get herself in, and her lack of honesty and careless attitude are some of the factors that turn Nick away. Nick says â€Å"she wasnt able to endure being at a disadvantage† (p. 63). Another character, Meyer Wolfshiem, Gatsbys business associate, apparently had been the man responsible for fixing the 1919 World Series. It is fitting that Fitzgerald included a Wolfshiem type of character in his novel, for the fixing of the World Series mirrored the idea that money could buy any American utterly anything, even love and happiness. As Americans continued to gain material prosperity, in return, they began to lack spiritual wealth and strong religious faith. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald depicts a world in which value systems have been distorted and religion faded. It illustrates a nation that gets too caught up in the moment to reali 1. The theory or attitude that physical well-being and worldly possessions constitute the greatest good and highest value in life. Advertising generates new needs and establishes brand loyalties. Ads alert people to both new products and new versions of old ones. Consumption today is not only about keeping up with the Joneses. The labels you wear, the food you eat, the restaurants you frequent, the haircut you flaunt, where you go on holiday, even your spiritual cravings are social symbols. What is happening to the average man, the man who is caught in the web of a consumerist and materialistic culture with all the temptations it offers him? The general scenario is one of utter helplessness and nobody seems to have any control over his future. Added to this is the acquisitive tendency of those who are tempted to go for all kinds of things the market offers. A kind of insatiable greed seems to have taken control of all of us and no effort is being made anywhere to limit ones wants. And this has become a global phenomenon and no country seems to be free from it. Thus the average man finds himself to be tr! In conclusion, most advertisements do not tell the whole story. They neglect to tell you the problems that their car can cause the environment. In most of these cases the advertising agency attempts to gain your interest through certain aesthetics in the ad. I chose to show a car ad because they have so many components that directly effect society and the environment in a harmful way. Because car ads like to show you what the ideal car (without pollution) would be like, society needs to simply keep in mind that what you see is NOT always what you get. Carbon dioxide is another gas released through exhaust emissions. It isnt dangerous directly to humans, but it is considered to be a â€Å"green house gas.† A â€Å"greenhouse gas† is a gas that is associated with global warming. Global warming is the gradual increase of temperature due to human activity. Certain gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and ozone allow radiation from the sun to break through the atmosphere and go to the earths surface. Global warming affects all living things on the entire planet.1 In a few ads, like the Outback commercials, you see the car in the wilderness with green lively trees and wild life flourishing. A true, maybe exaggerated, depiction would be animals suffering from car pollution and the sky covered by smog. One of the most important things that is neglected is the fact that, there may not be a hugely visible affect of pollution where you are but in other parts of the world there is plenty; in other words, we have only one Eart h. The fact that most of society does not care enough about the environment to take a bus, or carpool to minimize the amount of hydrocarbons in the air, only encourages manufacturers. Sure society can say that in a few years we wont have to worry about these emissions and there is nothing to worry about now. That sounds great, except following the trend of the human race thus far, we have only created more harmful and destructive things such as the atom bomb and biological warfare. The thing to keep in mind is that the things that affect the environment now may be gone in a few years, but who is to say there will not be something even worse Materialism: As Seen Through Four Different Authors As defined materialism refers to the theory that physical matter is the only reality and that everything, including thought, feeling, mind, and will, can be explained in terms of matter and physical phenomena. Although it is far too easy to merely look up the definitions of materialism understanding the concept is rather difficult. To help with the comprehension of materialism we take a look at four renowned authors who are tied to the idea of materialism. These four men are Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Morton Fried, and Marvin Harris. First we take a look at Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles, who collaborated to produce Feuerbach: Opposition of the Materialist and Idealist Outlook. Both Marx and Engles were idealist in every sense, they grasp on reality was far reaching. Although they were both idealists, Engles believed that ideas where what shaped people, and that if a person where to think like a wealthy land owner they would indeed start feeling like a wealthy land owner. Marx on the other hand had a more sensible approach he felt that means of production were what drove society not ideas. The things in particular that drove society were not only basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and protection, but also, money, need for material things, division of labor, exchange, and ownership. Ownership is a concept that ties in with materialism, ownership as presented in the article has various forms. The first form of ownership is tribal ownership which is limited to within the family. This is followed by state o wnership which is where there is a collaboration of many tribes which have the power to control the workers only under their state ownership. Finally, there is estate property which gave rise to the concept of princes and peasants. As we can already see these different Materialism I can get no satisfaction There is something perverse about more than enough. When we have more, it is never enough. It is always somewhere out there, just out of reach. The more we acquire, the more elusive enough becomes. -Unknown. Materialism is todays religion. We always value ourselves by what we wear, what we drive or how much we can spend. Brands are taking over the world very fast and today a 3 year old child is more likely to recognize and remember McDonalds than to know his last name. (Lynas, 2007) As the quantity and variety of brands and products grow, so does our need to have it all, apparently we can get no satisfaction. But what is materialism and why is it spreading so quickly around the world? The two most important definitions of materialism include those of Belk (1984,1985) and Richins and Dawson (1992). Belk describes materialism as â€Å"believing the acquisition and possession of thing is the ultimate source of happiness†. Richins and Dawson define materialism as a â€Å"set of centrally held beliefs about the importance of possessions in ones life.† The people who follow this trend are the perfect consumers, willing to buy anything the industry convinces will make them feel better. They are easy prey for advertisement and follow it without further thinking. When buying they are low involved and not pay attention to the product characteristics. But why do people focus so much on their possessions and turn into materialists? Researchers have found that family communication is a decisive factor when determining if a person will become materialistic or not. Families where parents do not fulfill the childrens needs, adolescents who do not have good communication with their parents and who make social Ethics Of Materialism Repercussions of Materialism Materialism and the want of consumer goods, has proved to be a prevalent force in the last century. When superficially thinking about materialism, one would not immediately register that there is a relationship between materialism and ethics; although, under examination, we can see that there is indeed a great association between the two. Are materialism and the obsessive consumer culture we have made for ourselves ethical? Peoples opinion on this question can be polar opposites. Some people believe that materialism has great benefits for the technological and economic growth, while others argue that materialism strips people of their individuality and creates unethical division between the rich and the poor. Its very easy to understand why someone would chose to live a life full of materialism as there is a lot of luxuries, lavishes and comfort. However, looking at it deeper, consumers have now become victims of this never ending cycle of materialism where they always want the newes t and latest goods. Also, people who cannot afford to pay for these products try and find illegal and immoral ways to gain wealth so they can be accepted in society. So, although materialism promotes technology and modernity, excessive amounts of it creates a division between social classes, which causes poor people to act unethically in order to live up to the materialistic standards society has created. The goal of a materialistic life style is to be on the top of the social hierarchy, to be recognized as the most powerful and to be able to flaunt the greatest amount of luxuries. Without consciously realizing it most of us judge others on their status and position in society. This means, that we are internally programmed to look at people based on the amount of materialistic goods they have. This is one of the main reasons why people who can not afford to live up to the materialistic standards set by the privileged, have to resort to unethical means American Materialism Materialism in American Society Over the course of the last century America has undergone many societal changes, none of which have had as great an ethical effect as the nations transition towards ever increasing materialism. Materialism, or the desire for wealth and possessions, has faced virulent opposition for thousands of years from both religious institutions and social activists. Throughout time, materialism has been widely slandered not only as spiritually corrupting, but also as a major cause of a multitude of societal ills throughout the world. Although absolute materialism would obviously be awful for all involved, to date materialism has overall been very positive for American society, driving it towards ever-greater productive, intellectual, and ethical heights. First, the most obvious benefit bestowed upon America by materialism is the increased productivity of its people. With the attainment of wealth and possessions as the predominant motivation, it is to be expected that the majority of Americans go to great lengths to attain material success. Even with such a relatively short lifetime as a nation, Americas capitalist beliefs have catapulted it to the forefront of the world as the only true modern superpower. One of the most significant factors contributing to Americas dramatic rise in power is the capitalistic drive for success and achievement, a love for material possessions that has manifested itself in the typically American value of hard work, both in ones profession and in school. Since education and socioeconomic position are closely correlated, it is not surprising that America is the worldwide leader in higher education. Not only does America produce great thinkers, but it also attracts the best and the brightest of other countries, people who are drawn to Americas freedom of thought and the material possibilities that abound. So many great minds have made America a land of unprecedented innovation. The copious amounts of money Materialism Materialism: Can it make you Happy? Can Greed and Materialism lead to true happiness? â€Å"Greed is good. Greed is right. Greed works and greed will save the USA.† (Wall Street) â€Å"Cause we are living in a material world and I am a material girl† a theme in one of Madonnas most famous songs. Greed and materialism stand in apposition to any manifestation of true happiness. People are under a false perception that money will solve all of their problems and as a result bring them their utmost joy and happiness. Many psychologists, philosophers, and religious figures throughout the ages have refuted this assertion. People in American society take money very seriously because it can either make or break your life choices. In order to fit in todays society Americans feel the need to obtain material assets so that they are looked upon as being â€Å"in style† or being economically sufficient. Money and greed is the main factors that cause people to be in debt. People today work hard to obtain wealth and success not so that they can be happy but just because they want to â€Å"keep up with the Jones†. Money can only make you happy temporally because if you are working hard just so that you can buy material things you really are not going to enjoy them because all o f your time and energy is put into maintaining your material wealth by working extra hard. It is Normal to think that money is not everything in life, although in the world we live in your not going to accomplish anything or get anywhere or even live a life that is considered normal to the world without money. Even though you cannot buy love or happiness you are very unlikely to find either if your living under a bridge. We rely on money, if all the money in the world disappeared tomorrow the world, as we know it would collapse. Everything is connected to money in some way. Everything essentially has a price tag on it if your pocket is fat enough. This is what makes money extremely appealing. But money shouldnt be the Materialism Is The Root Of All Evil There is an old adage which says, â€Å"The root of all evil is money.† This, however, is not true in America. In America, money is not the problem, the love of money, or materialism, is the problem. Materialism is at the core of our American dream. We grow up learning that success is rooted in material wealth and power. We live in a country where material things mean more to the general populous than a good education, where material things dictate the amount of money we spend, and where material things motivate our lives in most every way; something needs to change. Realizing that we are corrupted by materialism is not difficult. What is difficult, however, is finding a solution to the problem. Habits recognizes the difficulty by saying, â€Å"And since we have believed in that dream for a long time and worked very hard to make it come true, it is hard for us to give it up, even though it contradicts another dream that we have- that of living in a society that would really be worth living in.† (Bella, et. Al. 285) Materialism is closely tied to our individualism. We are taught to pursue our materialistic American dream, to get ahead in life, to be somebody, to pursue our own happiness. Even our own Declaration of Independence assumes we are individuals first and for most: â€Å"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. . .† For Americans to be primarily self-reliant and selfish is not surprising. Americans only do what is beneficial to themselves, if it helps someone along the way, then thats great, but helping people is not their initial motive. In order to have the necessary balance between individualism and community, we must be willing to give and then, only after giving, take what has been given to us. If we learn to give, and then take what has been given to us, we Materialism In the oxford English dictionary materialism is described as a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values. This theory is far more than a simple focus on material possessions. It states that everything in the universe is matter, without any true spiritual or intellectual existence. We live in a world surrounded by and composed of matter. It is natural; therefore, that we may become distracted from spiritual or intellectual pursuits by material possessions, but this is frequently where problems occur. We can become obsessed by a desire to obtain them, or simply frustrated by the need to maintain them. In a short play called Rodeo written by Jane Martin, a young girl name Lurlene, becomes unsuitable for the rodeo because she doesnt dress like a showgirl and wear material clothes (Martin 9). In an essay called Super-Size It written by Lisa Colletti, consumer commodity and must need material possessions are major concerns in the daily lives of Americans. Money is a valuable thing and wasting it on unnecessary items is a sin. Contrary to popular belief, Americans spend on average $3500.00 a year on unnecessary products such as a new iPod, a flat screen TV, a computer, clothes, dining out or a vacation. Nowadays, new products advertised on TV make the people watching it feel as if they need to buy that item. This is the problem with Americans; we buy what we dont need just so we can say I have that! And show off to our friends. We spend money we dont have just to be up to date with the latest fashion trends. Its unethical what this world is coming to, what happened to the days were people watched every penny they made and only bought necessary items. Stores that have been in business for decades are being remodeled by new management in order to lour in customers. In the same fashion, Lurlene from the story Rodeo is kicked to the curb by new management because she is not up to date with the new fashion True Materialism It is human nature for people to desire material possessions. Our material yearnings are an attempt to satisfy are need to special and wanted. In a world where most of society defines â€Å"socially acceptable† as the material possessions one owns such as, the latest clothing, the biggest house, or the fastest car one comes to believe that you need all of these things to be viewed as a part of society. For many, work has taken over community life and has had a major effect on happiness. Advertising has also become a primary determinant of our satisfaction, and is only a small part of a larger materialistic culture in which we are not only enticed customers but also prominent consumers. We have been beguiled into believing that material possessions will bring satisfaction and happiness. We imagine ourselves as being more than we are and in this we see how powerful images are. As a teenager I have fallen victim to the web of deceit and lies that has been spun by the stereotypical belief that we need to buy the latest fashion or the best technological devices. I put a lot of effort in my appearance and my material possessions. I watch and look at the advertisements and the images presented within them wishing that I had, or could afford what they are selling. I have come to realize that I am a very materialistic person and that I buy expensive phones, cars and clothing in order to appear better than others who do not have what I have. For instance, I wanted a new cell phone that cost well over four-hundred dollars. So I got a second job just to afford it. Another instance was when I bought my new car. It is a 2006 Phantom. I now have three jobs just to afford the car note, insurance, gas, and general up-keep of the car. This only goes to show that I have become so enamored with the desire for material possessions that I will go to unearthly lengths to obtai n them. Some of the possessions I have show me for what I want to be, but not for who I really am. My cell phone, Has America known its finest hour? Are we losing our religion and sanity as well? What is wrong with our society anyway? These are baffling questions that are frequently being asked by more and more people, even the media. From environmental pollution to spiritual pollution, from artificial food to artificial joy these are the side effects of the pursuit of materialism (a by-product of the American Dream, as we know it). Today, everything is fair game in the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain and personal responsibility, not to mention the absence of morality and a wholesome values system. Is America at risk of reaching a point of no return, or worse becoming a third world nation? According to universal laws, its all a simple matter of cause and effect or as its been said â€Å"as you sow so shall you reap.† What we are witnessing is the powerful consequences of these laws from which no one is exempt. We live in a time characterized by a modern battle between good and evil which can be defined as limited awareness (the norm) and integrity and enlightenment (which are the exception). Its a time when chaos and anarchy are the order of the day. While technologically we may live in a space age, morally we are still living in the stone age as reflected in our social ills, the failure of our systems and institutions and the growing conflicts both domestically and internationally. One of the greatest human tragedies is not the lack of resources and/or control over our own circumstances, but rather the lack of awareness. Whether we realize it or not, the current climate of insanity, including terrorism, is a reflection of a moral and spiritual crisis. Its indicative of our denial of our own spiritual roots and the perception that we are separated, which eventually leads to conflicts and even wars. An engineer can look at the foundation of a building under construction and tell you its eventual height and even fate of a structure. Similarly, a society is as strong and free as the pillars of the spirit upon which its built. Spiritual roots are the foundation upon which total prosperity and peace and harmony are built. When we reject concepts of spirituality, integrity and morality we also deny the greatest part of our existence (our spirit) which enables us to prosper and experience a fuller life of meaning, purpose, real joy, fulfillment and peace (inner and outer). By so doing, we also deny our access to the ultimate real and positive power, the ever-present force (God) that builds and doesnt destroy. Thats because we are spiritual beings experiencing the human experience and not the other way around. As such we were designed and meant to live a life of meaning and purpose through spirit and integrity beyond the narrow boundaries of the material world. In a materialistic-driven society where vanity, not virtue, is worshipped, all the things we used to hold dear like, religion, marriage, family, loyalty, faithfulness, hard work, and being of service to the community are no longer sacred. Instead consumerism, in the spirit of â€Å"He with the most toys lives,† rather then â€Å"He with the most joys lives,† is promoted and driven by profit and greed to the point that even a holiday like Christmas is now more of a marketing concept and devoid of any real meaning. The media, especially Hollywood, is also at fault. Rather than celebrating excellence and the human spirit, by promoting positive concepts such as personal responsibility, making a difference, tolerance, kindness, giving and sensitivity to the human condition, the media produces shows and movies that celebrate human weakness, vanity and perversion. These productions promote social ills such as anti-social behavior, excessive self-indulgence and entitlement, instant gratification, greed, corruption, compromised integrity and obsession with external, shallow values, including the obsession with fame, fortune, and youth. This has led to a significant increase in substance abuse, senseless violence in our schools, and increased teen suicide. You can blame it all on the pursuit of the American Dream, as we know it, which is an illusion based on a materialistic values system characterized by corruption, greed, compromised integrity and the erosion of morality whereby the love of power overcomes the power of love. It certainly does not represent the true spirit of America, which was based on perspiration, innovation, risk and reward and where the focus used to be on a strong work ethic, high integrity, family and community. All of which created a nation of producers with an enviable prosperity that created real joy and fulfillment. Its obvious that America has gone off track and is in desperate need for healing and revival if we are to maintain a free and thriving nation, not to mention our leadership in the international arena. The solution to restoring our spirits and our economy is through increased awareness and by reconnecting with our spiritual roots. Awareness can be used as a useful tool to better understand the unity of life, our place in the universe and ourselves. By understanding ourselves better, we come to understand God as the

Factors That Influence Consumers To Consume Honey Marketing Essay

Factors That Influence Consumers To Consume Honey Marketing Essay There are numerous of explanations when it comes to exploring the factors that influence consumers to consume honey products. The portrayal of honey congregated importance ever since it has been commonly used in both medical and domestic needs and as well as beauty needs. The oldest and most pioneer natural sweetening agent is honey where it has been exists for over centuries. (Aparna Rajalakshmi, 1999). Honey is a foundation of readily accessible sugars, protein, acids, nitrogen, amino acids, minimal amount of minerals and a number of other micro quantities of modules like pigments, aroma, flavour, phenolic compounds, colloids, sugar alcohol and vitamins (Crane et al, 1975). It takes 50000 bees to produce 500 pounds of honey in one year. Overall, most of the honey in the world is produced by the Apis Mellifera which better known as the honey bee and the other one would be the Apis Cerana which is regarded as the eastern honey bee. Average Range Standard Deviation Fructose/Glucose 1.23 0.76 1.86 0.126 Fructose, % 38.38 30.91 44.26 1.77 Glucose, % 30.31 22.89 40.75 3.04 Minerals (Ash), % 0.169 0.020 1.028 0.15 Moisture, % 17.2 13.4 22.9 1.46 Reducing Sugars, % 76.75 61.39 83.72 2.76 Sucrose, % 1.31 0.25 7.57 0.87 pH 3.91 3.42 6.10 Total Acidity, mcq/kg 29.12 8.68 59.49 10.33 True/Protein, mg/100g 168.6 57.7 56.7 70.9 Table .1 Composition of Honey (National Honey Board, 1996) In peoples perspective, the quality of the product will be the key success factor of honey product where industries of honey maker faced challenges for making and maintaining as well as preserving of honey products. Nevertheless, honey plays an essential role of contribution towards the medical field as it is generally healthy and popular. On the other hand, brand reputation of honey is going competitive around the world as countries such as India, Yemen, New Zealand, Australia, Saudi Arabia and etc. come in as big competitors to gain the largest honey manufacturer title. While for the pricing for honey is vary depending on the saturation, the level of harvesting, taste, colour, country origin and many more. Physical appearance also important as it plays an intrinsic and extrinsic role for consumers. Nowadays, honey is consumed all over the world nonetheless. To add on, the Americans in the US are the largest consumers of honey followed up by Chinese in China and the Germans in Germany. Though there has been a moderately steady of consumption of honey for the last five years, however the weather and superiority still maintained as the key factors manipulating the world market. (AAFRD, 2005). There have been studies on the average world consumption of honey which is about 220 grams per inhabitants per year. Thus, the average consumption of honey in developing and developed countries is 133 and 650 grams per inhabitants per year respectively (Napolitano et al, 2006). With the increasing of market size and the increasing consumer demand each year, honey makers have to search for new approaches and to learn to understand the consumer need in order to increase their product satisfaction and customers loyalty. Thus, the increase in consumers satisfaction will affect positively towards product sales. Therefore, this research is a study on how quality of product, medical condition, brand reputation, physical appearance and pricing can affect the consumers satisfaction in purchasing honey products. The manufacturing process of honey is simply beyond belief and amusing. The first stage will be the removal of full honeycombs from the hive. For the removal of honeycombs, the bee hive will have to be either immunise with smoke to force the bee to come out or simply sweep the bees off the combs gently and guide them back to hive or a separator board will be positioned to close the honey chamber off from the brood chamber. This is depicted in Diagram 1 and 2. When honey is finally squirted out, the comb is then reinserted carefully. Secondly, the honeycombs will then be unsealed where at least two-thirds capped are placed into a transport box and taken to a location where there is free of bees. Thirdly is the extraction of honey where the honey combs are inserted into an extractor which is a large drum that draws out honey. Then comes the processing and bottling where honey is poured into tanks and heated to 120 °F (48.9 °C) to liquefy the crystals. After that, the condition is l eft for 24 hour. Any bee parts or pollen that rose up are being skimmed off. Last but not least, the honey is then propels into jars or cans for shipment. There are several methods for removing honey combs. The beekeeper can either sweep the bees off the combs and guide them back into the hive or inject a puff of smoke into the hive. When the bees sense the presence of fire, they gorge on honey in an attempt to take as much as they can with them before fleeing. Somewhat tranquilized by engorgement, the bees are less likely to sting when the hive is opened. Alternately, a separator board can be placed between the honey chamber and the brood chamber. When the bees in the honey chamber discover that they have been separated from their queen, they move through a hatch that allows them to enter the brood chamber, but not reenter the honey chamber. Diagram 1 Removal of honeycombs Source: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Honey.html#b A typical hive used in beekeeping. Diagram 2 The Structure of honey comb Source: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Honey.html#b Table 1: World honey production and consumption in 2005 Countries Production (1000 metric tons) Consumption (1000 metric tons) No. of bee hives No. of bee keepers Ukraine 71.46 52 RussiaRussia 52.13 54 SpainSpain 37.00 40 GermanyGermany  (*2008) 21.23 89 1,000,000 90,000 HungaryHungary 19.71 4 RomaniaRomania 19.20 10 GreeceGreece 16.27 16 FranceFrance 15.45 30 SerbiaSerbia 3 to 5 6.3 430,000 30,000 DenmarkDenmark  (*1996) 2.5 5 *150,000 *4,000 United StatesUnited States of America  (*2006, **2002) 70.306* 158.75* 2,400,000 12,029** (210,000 bee keepers) CanadaCanada 45 (2006); 28 (2007) 29 500,000 13,000 ArgentinaArgentina 93.42 (Average 84) 3 BrazilBrazil 33.75 2 AustraliaAustralia 18.46 16 New ZealandNew Zealand 9.69 8 313,399 2602 ChinaChina 299.33 (average 245) 238 7,200,000 7,200,000 TurkeyTurkey 82.34 (average 70) 66 4,500,000 IranIran 3,500,000 IndiaIndia 52.23 45 9,800,000 South KoreaSouth Korea 23.82 27 VietnamVietnam 13.59 0 TanzaniaTanzania 28.68 28 EgyptEgypt  (*1997) 16* 2,-00,000* 200,000* Central African RepublicCentral African Republic 14.23 14 South AfricaSouth Africa  (*2008) ~2.5* ~1.5* 92,000 1,790 Table 1 Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), August 2007. Table 1 shows the world honey production and consumption in the year 2005. The available details in the table are production level (1000 metric per tons), consumption level (1000 metric per tons), number of bee keepers and bee hives. Countries that have been selected in this research are Ukraine, Russia, Spain, Germany (2008), Hungary, Romania, Greece, France, Serbia, Denmark, United States of America, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, China, Turkey, Iran, India, South Korea, Vietnam, Tanzania, Egypt and Central Africa Republic. Problem Statement/ Research Questions Consumers always confirm that the value or quality of the product is acceptable or equivalent to the amount of money they paid for. It is unquestionable that customer perceived value as the ratio of the perceived benefits (Monroe, 1990). In other words, customers always expect the highest and best quality of the product for what they had paid for. There have been studies of forbidden honey imported in China by the United Kingdom and the European Union and Canada due to the content of the chemical, Chloramphenicol which is a type of slow process destructive antibiotic that can caused toxicity in human health. (Ingram, 2002). This is because large packers and manufacturers have no concern over business ethics and quality management by mixing the specific honey with the American honey in order to decrease their overall cost. Therefore it has become cheap honey that has commonly been used in daily intake. Some consumers have been deceived by cheaper price marketing strategies. Researchers argued that price promotion occasionally does not bring positive effect on purchase intention but negative effects. There has been some figure of consumers that do not check the origin country of the honey from the container which eventually will lead to misinformation. Nevertheless, consumers do not have the initiatives to know more about the legal packaging and nutrition level as they presumed its totally safe to consume. They simply are being deceived by the fake messages. This practice may lead to the development of contraband or fake honey to be delivered globally through black market. Also, most of the commercial honey was thinned by added syrups. There have been evidence to support the idea of product packaging can affect the consumers buying behaviour. All the aspect such as colour, shape, brand belief, designs, brand personality, and brand image plays an important role in affecting consumers buying behaviour in purchasing honey because consumer do not actually think intensely about all brands at all before they walked into the store to buy. More than 70 percent of purchase decisions are achieved through at the point of sale after a detailed market research is conducted (Connolly and Davidson, 1996). Honey products have been developing from health supplements field to economic development field. In the past issue has triggered a lot of numbers of academicians and researchers to conduct a thorough research on this issue. Few research questions they arose are as follow: What is the Malaysians level of understanding of honey products? Does the quality of the products affect the consumption of honey products among consumers? Does the medical conditions played an important role in affecting the consumers satisfaction and buying decision? Does the brand reputation affect the consumption of honey products among consumers? Is physical appearance really important in order to affect the consumers to purchase honey products? What are the correlations between consumption of honey products and pricing? Research Objectives In order to answer all the research questions, the following objectives are clearly defined: To determine the level of understanding of honey products among Malaysians. To investigate the relationship between the quality of products and consumption of honey products. To explore the relationship between the medical condition affecting consumption of honey products. To define the relationship between the reputation and consumption of honey products. To explain the relationship between the physical appearances which may affect the consumption of honey products? To clarify the relationship of pricing affecting the consumption of honey products. Significance of study The topic on the factors that affect the consumers to purchase honey products has seldom been discussed in recent research. Upon the completion of this research shall grant more essential information and guidance to the honey maker industries as the honey served well in economics and health fields. Nevertheless, this research is beneficial to those who are interested in learning more about consumers behaviour toward honey products and factors affecting it. Also, the independent variables served as a strong purpose to the honey maker industries as the research might help the industries to change the method and implement the necessary strategy in term of manipulating the strategy related to honey in order to enhance the competitive advantage in modern marketplace. Lastly, this research also studies the behavior and satisfaction of consumers purchasing honey products. Honey industries have made a great impact on employment and economics in the agricultural and health field. People with experiences in honey and bees can easily being employed by honey manufacturer companies, pharmacies, traditional medical store and hospitals because those businesses lack of potential input (Mclane, 2012). Scope of study This research mainly focuses on middle age adults in Malaysia as they are the primary consumers of honey products because their percentage of buying intention is higher compared to young adulthood and elderly. The age of middle adulthood is 30 to 65 (Cattin and Wattink, 1982). The middle age adults are the most suitable candidates for this research because their physical fitness and mental obligation start to decrease as age is catching up to them or maybe they purchased honey products for their family usage. Therefore, they are the one who need honey products and most importantly is that they are the categorized group whom are willing and able to pay for honey products as supplements (Ee, 2012). Operational Definition The independent variables are quality of the product, medical condition, brand reputation, physical appearance, and pricing while the dependent variable is consumption of honey products. Quality of product The variety of types and characteristics of a specific product to its ability to meet given requirements and in degree of excellence. Medical condition The benefits of health which can be obtained by undertaking the product. Brand reputation The recognition which has increased the clearness and accessibility to information through mission statement, marketing and affiliation. Pricing Customers perceived value. Different pricing methods vary depending on the degree of importance on selection, estimation, evaluation of cost, comparative analysis and market situation. Consumption of honey products The act of consuming the honey and also the ways applying the product. Consumers behavior towards honey products Comportment of an individual or groups acquiring, using, and disposing of products, services, ideas or experiences. Also includes the study of understanding consumer thoughts, actions and feelings. 1.7 Organisational of Research Chapter 1 discuss about the introduction of the honey products and factors influencing the consumers purchasing of honey products. Then, there is the background of the study followed up by the objectives and problem statement which has been clearly defined here. The background of the research mainly covers the managers who are part of catalyst of virtual product development as sample in this research. This chapter also covers the significance of the study, the scope of the study and the operational definition. Chapter 2 is examine the past literature review that are related to this field, factors affecting the consumers to purchase honey products. This chapter is more on extracting the past researches done by researchers on the dependent and independent variables involved. Chapter 3 will describe the research methods that were employed in conducting this research in order to find out the tendencies of the consumption of honey responding to the independent variables. The theoretical framework and hypothesis will be shown in this part .Lastly, the sampling design and data analysis method will be discussed in details in this part. Chapter 4 express all the analysis of the data collected done by using the Statistical Process for Social Science (SPSS) version 17. The frequencies and percentage of the demographic profile is shown in this chapter. Three tests are done in this research to test the hypotheses which are the Reliability Test, Pearson Correlation Test and Multiple Regression Analysis. Chapter 5 shows the discussion of the hypotheses .Each hypotheses is explained in details and the latter part of the research is the implications and recommendations for the research study. Lastly, conclusion is made to sum up the entire research. Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 Introduction The literature review is a documentation of the related studies from past researchers, with the objectives to deliver supporting evidence for the research. Furthermore, literature review is designed to provide a clearer preview and logical presentation to the studies. In this particular research, the literature review is divided into three sections which consist of introduction, brief history, dependent variable and independent variable. The introduction will be the explanation of the meaning literature review while the brief history will be the description of past history of honey industry in the world. Nevertheless, the dependent variable will be the consumers behaviour of purchasing honey related products. On the other hand, the independent variables are the quality of products, medical condition, brand reputation, physical appearance and pricing. 2.2.1 Brief history of honey industry (world) Honey has been in the history of mankind since 2100 B.C. where researchers found the evidence on the written wall of the Sumerian and Babylonian civilisation as well as in Egypt and India. Researchers even assumed that honey existed even earlier than the civilisations. Hunig was given as a supplementary English name for honey where it was then been well recognised as sweetener used by many people (Filippone, 2012). Back in those days, honey is nevertheless considered as essential in terms of food, beverages, furniture polishes and glosses as well as medical purpose (Crane, 1975). Honey has also often been used as practices of currency exchange, tributes or offerings (Ransome, 2002). Honey industry in the world has faced a lot of obstacles such as global weather patterns in Argentina and Chile where the extreme temperatures and dry humidity affect the honey drastically and market manipulation of honey price in Europe. As a result, the US crop is estimated at the end of the year to decline to approximately 150,000,000- 160,000,000 pounds which is one of the lowest crops ever recorded the history of honey production (Phipps, 2012). Likewise, the honey production in 2005 had been decline to as much as five percent worldwide (Flottum, 2005). There has been research from Anton (1995) where farm management is practiced so that the organic food management can meet the Federal regulations of safety and quality of food supply including Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the Nutrition Labelling and Education Act. Still, beekeeping has never failed to be one of the primogenital forms of animal husbandry the world has ever known. (McNulty et al, 2006). As an implication, honey has been serving as an important benchmark and standard for both consumers and suppliers in the honey industry ever since (Baltrusaityte et al, 2007). As nutrition knowledge has been expanded and was put as a priority in science field, many people were pretty well-aware of understanding the assortment and types of foods, their nutritional composition and human dietary in their daily life. Soon from gaining the knowledge, people were somehow able to indicate the relationship between different type and combination of food and the links and good health as well as food intake. (Valentine, 2000). Since then, honey industries have been making a giant leap as essential food supplement for human (Aparna and Rajalakshmi, 1999). Also, there has been a research defining the price of organic honey being relatively high in the market demand (Phipps, 2012). 2.2.2 Consumer behaviour towards honey products Consumer behaviour is undoubtedly defined as the behaviour that consumers project in searching for, using, purchasing, evaluating, and disposing of products and services that they assume will satisfy their needs (Pelau, 2011). The term is defined in order to have a better understanding and information on the relationship between consumer behaviour and the marketing concept as well as market segmentation, targeting and positioning (Hawkins pg 11, 2010). Customer satisfaction is considered as the top notch of the whole idea of consumer behaviour as its defined as customers feelings towards a certain value of the product or service that was received as a result of using a specific organizations proposing in precise use situations which is essential (Woodruff, 1993). Own Total Product Consumer Decision Superior Value Process Expected Competitors Total Sales Product Perceived Value Delivered Customers Satisfaction Figure 2.1 Creating Satisfied Customers Source: Consumer Behaviour: Building Marketing Strategy 11th Edition 2010 pg 24 Figure 2.1 shows on how to create satisfied customers especially for industries that grow from its emerging status into large scale. There has been a research showing that most of the consumers usually comprehend themselves bearing with risks instead of benefits (Reid, 2000 a,b). This occurrence is based on habitualized behaviour and decision making as most of the consumers always purchase it repeatedly until they are familiarized and put their trust in it which is better known as superior value expected. From the occurrence of sale, customers perceived value were delivered and satisfaction is obtained (Pelau, 2011). According to Phipps (2008), industries that sell natural products tend to generate a connection bond and send confident messages to consumers so that there will be an increase of consumption level, new products are developed, consumers perception value boosted and the increased entrance of higher quality products into the market. Occasionally, there are consumers which want to obtain high quality of food products with unique and exclusive characteristics (Madas et al, 2011).Not overlooking that consumers always put their interest and their money into foods that are free of contaminants, pesticides, chemicals and other health risks so that they are somehow able to feel assured in their rational mind (Mintel Organic Foods, 2006, p.1). Some of the consumers react to the purchase decision making are sometimes based on past experience (Robert Douglas, 2001). However, most of the consumers always purchase the product or service based on emotional aspect rather than rational aspect and its important to capture their buying decision by projecting superior value of the product or service which can be done through mass media and advertising. Consumers are usually influenced not only by economy but psychology as well (Leon et al, 2011). Nonetheless, human behaviour can be best explained by the Theory Planned Behaviour (TPB) as the theory are widely used in managerial decision making in order to link between attitudes and behaviour of a customer (Sommer, 2011). It is the way of understanding on how an individual would react and behave in a specific manner which is influenced by attitudes, norms and perceived behavioural control (Smith et al, 2007). The Theory Planned Behaviour is a detailed development of reason-based actions which explained; people do what they like and intend to do whereas people do not do what they dislike and not intend to do (Fishbein, 1975). The fundamental elements of the Theory Planned Behaviour are behavioural beliefs and attitude toward behaviour, normative and subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and lastly the behavioural intention (Ajzen et al, 1986 Chan et al, 1993). Behavioural beliefs are the understanding of consequences or particular behaviour while attitude toward behav iour is defined as progressive or adverse valuation of self-performance of the particular behaviour (Ajzen, 1991). Normative norm is an individuals perception based on peer or family influence while subjective norm is an individuals acuity based on societal normative pressure (Kuhl, 1985). Then again, perceived behavioural control refers to peoples perception of their ability to execute an assigned behaviour. Lastly, the behavioural intention is the autonomous probability that he or she will participate in a given behaviour (Committee on Communication for Behaviour Change in 21st Century, 2002). Mutually, the Theory Planned Behaviour has a higher rate of success in forecasting the intentions rather than the behaviour aspect (Armitage et al, 2001 Sheeran, 2002 Sutton, 1998). Understanding consumers behaviour and purchasing patterns especially on product line are extremely crucial in order to create inevitable customers satisfaction level (Leon et al, 2011). Without potential consumers to purchase honey products, there will be decline opportunity for honey makers to survive in the natural food industry (Anton 1995). 2.2.3 Quality of Product The meaning of quality refers to any situations and perception where consumers decisive roles and patterns are manipulated (Oliver 1997). Due to its differences, there are many meanings. Quality of product is well-defined as superiority or excellence of performance and apparent quality of a certain product which judged and assessed based on consumers perception and opinion (Aaker1991). A typical characteristic of an object to its degree of superiority is known as quality (Conklin Thompson, 1993). There are people who favour quality as the originator or determinant of satisfaction because the customers are the one that define and perceive quality (Cronin Taylor, 1992; Sullivan, 1993; Spreng and Mackoy 1996). Product quality can be examined under two different categories which are objectives quality and perceived quality (Brunso et al, 2005). Measuring the quality is fixed by intrinsic and extrinsic value. The intrinsic value denotes to something that are interrelated to the physical form of the product such as colour, appearance and volume whereas extrinsic value is related to non-physical form of the product such as branding and product information (Zeithaml 1988 and Steemkamp 1997). There has been a research done by Anderson and Sullivan in 1993 stating that consumers may have different preferences or obligations with respect to which characteristics of a product quality need to be improvised simultaneously, and, to what extent just to get more satisfactory result. This is because attitude of the consumers are credentials for satisfaction which links the relationships between quality perceptions and the product itself (Maria, 2003). Attitude of the consumers can either be constructive or inauspicious depending on the quality of product they received (Fishbein Ajden 1975). Therefore, product owners need to find out the missing links and think out of the box to give solutions and improvisations on the products if its been found under dissatisfactory level in order to maintain customers loyalty (Pearson, 2006). Product from industrialized countries such as China, United States of America and the European Union are supposed to have higher quality compared to those from less developed countries such as Vietnam and Iran (Cordell, 1992). For honey maker industries, the quality of honey is primarily branded by its sensorial, chemical, physical and microbiological characteristics. Each and every honey products that been manufactured have to be under license, approved by International Honey Commissions and meets the requirements by governments food safety authority (IMAQE) in order to gain customers trust and loyalty (Mariana et al, 2011). For Products Performance Serviceability    Reliable Reasonable Price    Ease of Use   Maintainability Durability   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Simplicity Aesthetics Available   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Safe   Ã‚     Ease of Disposal Figure 2.2- The content of quality for products Source: http://www.bexcellence.org/What-Is-Quality.html For a product to achieve its maximum potential quality in order to satisfy consumers requires to achieve most of the attributes such as outstanding performance to execute, reasonable price to purchase, durable, easily available everywhere, easily to be service, user friendly, simple as possible, safe, reliable, easily to maintain, aesthetics and easily to dispose (Based on Figure 2.2). The tool for measuring quality which has been suggested by Petrick (2002) is divided into four sub groups which are quality outstanding, reliability, trustworthiness and consistency. On the other hand, consultation advice from industry experts and product samplings are often the key to maintain a high level quality of the product (Elder 2005; Ross 2005). Nonetheless when the quality of the product is good or reliable, consumers dont mind and willing to pay more extra for these attributes (Figure 2.2) as they are well aware that the virtue of quality surpassed quantity (Cronin Taylor, 1992 and Sullivan, 1993; Spreng and Mackoy 1996). However, consumers tend to understand the quality information provided on the label as well as based on their observations in order to purchase a certain product. A good quality product can constructs customer pleasure and delight while an inferior quality product will lead to customers dissatisfaction and irritation (Kotler Armstrong 2010). 2.2.4 Medical Condition Medical condition can be classified as condition which the occurrence of medical problem that needs to be treated or managed (George, 2012). Diseases from major to minor state or even the sign of disease which occurred on an individual is also considered as medical condition (Rod, 2009). People nowadays have always been concerning about health preservation and improvement especially for themselves and their family (Schifferstein and Oude, Ophuis, 1998; Tregear et al, 1994) .Consciousness on the nutrition, health, and quality of food they eat has bec

Vocational Teacher Education Reform Essay -- Teaching Educate Essays

Vocational Teacher Education Reform The reform movements of the 1980s triggered numerous demands to reexamine and reform the way students and their teachers are educated. This Digest examines the implications for vocational teacher education emerging from general teacher education reform movements. It discusses how excellence in vocational education teaching can be achieved and proposes 21st century models for vocational teacher education. Impacts of Reform Movements on Vocational Teacher Education Several of the major reform initiatives of the 1980s and early 1990s argued that improving education requires improving teacher quality and, accordingly, teacher education. Numerous changes in teacher recruitment, preparation, and certification were proposed. (For a detailed list, see Hartley, Mantle-Bromley, and Cobb 1996.) In response to the calls for reform, general teacher education programs raised admission standards/exit requirements; revised curricula to reflect multiculturalism and new K-12 standards; paid more attention to pedagogy, teaching practice, and relevance; included clinical experiences in public schools and other learning environments; and proposed new model standards/principles for licensing beginning teachers (Lynch 1997). As of 1989, the only major impacts of national education reform movements on vocational teacher education at the macro (national) level were stiffer requirements for entry into teacher education programs and, to a lesser extent, more credit hours/time devoted to student teaching/clinical-type experiences with public schools (Lynch 1991). Until 1993, the discussion of reform of teacher education in the vocational education literature was limited to individual authors' suggestions f... ... R.E., and Venable, W. "Implications of Increasing Numbers of Nontraditional Students for Vocational Teacher Education Reform." In Beyond the Debate, pp. 95-102. University Council for Vocational Education, 1988. (ED 303 639) Rudolph, J.; Fry, B.; and Barr, L. "Factors Affecting the High School Curricula and Their Implications upon Vocational Teacher Education." In Beyond the Debate, pp. 82-94. University Council for Vocational Education, 1988. (ED 303 639) Sharp, G. "Post-Fordism, the Vocational Curriculum and the Challenge to Teacher Preparation." Journal of Vocational Education and Training48, no. 1 (1996): 25-39. Tozer, S., and Nelson, R.E. "Vocational Teacher Education: Emerging Patterns for General Studies, Academic Majors, and Professional Education." In Beyond the Debate, pp. 18-37. University Council for Vocational Education, 1988. (ED 303 639) Vocational Teacher Education Reform Essay -- Teaching Educate Essays Vocational Teacher Education Reform The reform movements of the 1980s triggered numerous demands to reexamine and reform the way students and their teachers are educated. This Digest examines the implications for vocational teacher education emerging from general teacher education reform movements. It discusses how excellence in vocational education teaching can be achieved and proposes 21st century models for vocational teacher education. Impacts of Reform Movements on Vocational Teacher Education Several of the major reform initiatives of the 1980s and early 1990s argued that improving education requires improving teacher quality and, accordingly, teacher education. Numerous changes in teacher recruitment, preparation, and certification were proposed. (For a detailed list, see Hartley, Mantle-Bromley, and Cobb 1996.) In response to the calls for reform, general teacher education programs raised admission standards/exit requirements; revised curricula to reflect multiculturalism and new K-12 standards; paid more attention to pedagogy, teaching practice, and relevance; included clinical experiences in public schools and other learning environments; and proposed new model standards/principles for licensing beginning teachers (Lynch 1997). As of 1989, the only major impacts of national education reform movements on vocational teacher education at the macro (national) level were stiffer requirements for entry into teacher education programs and, to a lesser extent, more credit hours/time devoted to student teaching/clinical-type experiences with public schools (Lynch 1991). Until 1993, the discussion of reform of teacher education in the vocational education literature was limited to individual authors' suggestions f... ... R.E., and Venable, W. "Implications of Increasing Numbers of Nontraditional Students for Vocational Teacher Education Reform." In Beyond the Debate, pp. 95-102. University Council for Vocational Education, 1988. (ED 303 639) Rudolph, J.; Fry, B.; and Barr, L. "Factors Affecting the High School Curricula and Their Implications upon Vocational Teacher Education." In Beyond the Debate, pp. 82-94. University Council for Vocational Education, 1988. (ED 303 639) Sharp, G. "Post-Fordism, the Vocational Curriculum and the Challenge to Teacher Preparation." Journal of Vocational Education and Training48, no. 1 (1996): 25-39. Tozer, S., and Nelson, R.E. "Vocational Teacher Education: Emerging Patterns for General Studies, Academic Majors, and Professional Education." In Beyond the Debate, pp. 18-37. University Council for Vocational Education, 1988. (ED 303 639)

Destruction in Erich Maria Remarques All Quiet on the Western Front :: All Quiet on the Western Front Essays

Theme of Destruction in Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front Everyone knows what war is. It's a nation taking all of its men, resources, weapons and most of its money and bearing all malignantly towards another nation. War is about death, destruction, disease, loss, pain, suffering and hate. I often think to myself why grown and intelligent individuals cannot resolve matters any better than to take up arms and crawl around, wrestle and fight like animals. In All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque puts all of these aspects of war into a vivid story which tells the horrors of World War 1 through a soldier's eyes. The idea that he conveys most throughout this book is the idea of destruction, the destruction of bodies, minds and innocence. The author starts off his book with a note highlighting the meaning of this book. It is as follows: This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war.(Intro) Right after reading this paragraph, I knew that none of this book was to be comical or heroic. It was not going to be one of those stupid stories romanticizing war and making heroes out of men who killed more of the enemy than anyone else; this book was about destruction. These few lines before chapter one set the whole tone for the rest of the book. Glory does not exist in this story, only death and sadness. The story takes place through the eyes of a German infantryman named Paul Baumer. He is nineteen and just joined up with the German army after high school with the persuasion of one of his schoolteachers, Mr. Kantorek. Paul recalls how he would use all class period lecturing the students, peering through his spectacles and saying: "Won't you join up comrades?"(10). Here was a man who loved war. He loved the "glory" of war. He loved it so much as to persuade every boy in his class to join up with the army. He must have thought how proud they would be marching out onto that field in their military attire.

Facility Planning

To provide patients with quality health care services, it is important to improve health care facilities and build new facilities to accommodate the growing population. Community or facility need for the building or renovation An emergency room is an area in a hospital that provides treatment to patients with acute illness, trauma and other medical emergencies. Harlan Medical Center provided emergency care to 25,000 patients last year. This makes the facility the most experienced and busiest hospital in the area. To accommodate the growing demand of services I have decided to renovate the department. Renovating the emergency room will make a huge difference in terms of capacity for serving the community. Type of population you are serving HMC emergency department will provide quality health care services to every individual in the community. The new renovations will services the residents of Harlan, and the resident of all the surrounding counties with the population of more than 250,000. As mentioned before the emergency department provides patients with rapid treatment for sudden illnesses or trauma. The patients are made up of different races, genders and ages. Description of the facility that you have selected The proposed renovations to the new emergency room will be greatly beneficial and invaluable to the medical center. Making the renovations should not only improve treatment times but should also attract new patients to the facility. The first renovation would be the addition of 22 new private treatment rooms. These rooms will be used for patients with more serious injuries as they will be treated as VIP (very important person) guests. For some people a trip to the ER is unnerving in itself. However, if having a private room can provide a sense of calm and ease nerves, then having a private room is exactly what the patient should get. The second improvement will be the addition of 16 general treatment rooms. These treatment rooms will be geared toward patients with less serious injuries. The goal of these rooms will be to turn them over within two hours or less to keep patient census low and discharges steady. A third improvement that will help keep discharges steady will be the addition of 2 â€Å"fast-track† rooms for rapid medical evaluation. The concept â€Å"fast-track† is just what it means; fast service. The fast track rooms will be for treatment of acute illnesses such as stitches and nose bleeds, etc. The goal of the â€Å"fast-track† rooms will be to diagnose and treat the patients with minor injuries within an hour or less. However, by doing this will allow for acute treatments to be handled swiftly and more in depth cases to be handled accordingly. There will be multiple dedicated staff working in each area of the new ER. Finally, the last addition to complete the new renovation will be two new trauma rooms. This addition will allow for multiple serious cases to be treated and transported into the facility that might otherwise be treated elsewhere. Shorter wait times along with faster discharge ratios should definitely entice new patients to come to the facility and generate new revenue. Conclusion Emergency department are the busiest departments in a medical center. To cut back on wait time for patients a renovation needed to take place. With all the new addition to the emergency department patients wait time will be shorter and rapid discharge ratios will keep patients coming back. We all know the saying first impressions are everything and the same holds true with emergency departments.

Divorce Essay

The Beginning of the End Growing up I always believed divorce was the worst mistake a couple could make. Now that I am older I now have a different view on divorce. My parents divorced when I was seventeen years old, and since going through this experience I view divorce differently. Although most people think of divorce as a negative thing, I think sometimes it turns out to be the best decision for everyone involved. When I was a little girl all I would hear from people is how divorce was wrong and couples should always work out their differences.My parents would always assure me that â€Å"no matter how much we fight, we will never get a divorce†. As the years went on things started changing in my parent’s relationship and we saw their marriage starting to dissolve. My sister and I could see that they were no longer the happily married couple they had been for the past 25 years. Eventually my father’s personality started to change, and he no longer was interest ed in family activities or spending quality time with my sister and I. He was not the dad we had known our whole lives. After realizing his behavioral changes he finally went to go see a professional.After a few sessions with the doctor and many counseling sessions with my mom, my dad was diagnosed with depression. We had already seen first hand what depression could do to a marriage, as his parents had gotten divorced after my dad’s mother was diagnosed with depression. As time went by I saw my father’s depression taking a toll on my mother’s happiness and her daily attitude. I wanted both of my parents to be happy, but was that too much to ask of them to stay together? I knew my father had changed and was not the same man my mom had fallen in love with 25 years earlier.My dad was no longer the fun, ambitious, adventurous guy my mom had met back in college. Instead my dad was bitter, had frequent outburst, and a constant negative outlook on life. When my parent s finally reached the decision to divorce my family knew it was going to be a tough road ahead. Although my sister and I were upset we knew it was for the best, it was just going to take some adjusting. Luckily the divorce was very civil and my parents are still able to maintain a peaceful relationship for the sake of my sister and I. We both know my parents love us and that the divorce had nothing to do with anything we had done.My dad has since gotten help and my sister and I visit him often. He is getting back to the fun, loving, kind man we all knew him to be. Unfortunately, my dad waited to late to make changes in his life to save his marriage. Today, my parents are both in healthy relationships with other people. My sister and I enjoy spending time with both families and feel blessed these new people are in our lives. I had a very negative view on marriage when my parents told me they were divorcing, but since that time I feel not everyone gets divorced and marriage takes a lo t of work.Although the divorce was hard to swallow, it is good to see both of my parents happy again. Now that my parent’s divorce is final everyone seems to be more peaceful and happy with their lives. I am not saying divorce is the right decision for everyone, but I am saying depending on the situation sometimes it is the best choice. I have learned through my experience not to judge others that are divorced because everyone’s situation is different. I feel my parents made the right decision for our family and I am a stronger, and happier person as a result.