Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Managing People, and Marketing sections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words
Managing People, and Marketing sections - Essay Example Cummins Westport Inc. manufactures in China with Dong Feng Engine Co. They are headquartered in Indiana, Columbus USA and have 500 Distributor locations, they have a presence in 131 countries and have 24200 employees worldwide. Cummins has been providing CNG, Diesel and other engines to Bus manufacturers. Their basic product line is manufacturing of electric generators powered either by diesel or even by LPG. Due to the lucrative margins in the CNG bus manufacturing market, Cummins is evaluating the possibility of launching their own CNG bus. Their long term vision is to diversify into the production of alternate fuel heavy vehicles. They believe they have the necessary market intelligence, technical experience and knowledge, manufacturing edge and the brand â€Å"Cummins†has a repute of quality and reliability in the engine & generator market. However, there are pitfalls in this seemingly lucrative opportunity including the marketing of the new product and its launch and most importantly the human resource aspects including how to motivate employees? Finding the right leadership? And team friction. As identified by the management of Cummins in their brief to Creative Chaos, they would like to explore the CNG bus market manufacturing potential in which they already operate and are well-known for their high quality and reliable CNG engines that they manufacture. The only difference is that this time they want to manufacture & assemble the complete bus. However, the current market for CNG buses in USA is waning and has reached saturation. This is a statement supported by the following facts: A high number of Alternative Fuel Vehicles made available every year include the E 85 type vehicles (hybrid technology). CNG vehicles comprise of a very small number(AFDC Alternate Fuel Development council) It has been observed that from the year 2002, when the CNG buses manufactured were as many as 1200,the number of CNG buses
Monday, October 28, 2019
The disabled children Essay Example for Free
The disabled children Essay The truth is that inclusion, as a system has gained nationwide attention in the last thirty years. Inclusion advocates, such as The Association of Persons with Severe Handicaps, argue that all disabled children should be included. The National Council on Disability recently stated that most students with sensory impairment should be taught in regular classrooms (Special Education Report, 1993). At the very least deaf children education programs contemplating inclusion (IEP) must consider the following issues(U.S. Department of Education, 1992): communication needs and the childs preferred mode of communication; linguistic needs; severity of hearing loss and potential for using residual hearing; academic level; social, emotional, and cultural needs, including opportunity for peer interactions and communication. According to Irene Leigh, a deaf psychologist, the concept of inclusion is positive and useful for many children with disabilities, but a generalized application which does not take into consideration the special individual characteristics and needs mentioned above might have serious psychosocial repercussions for a considerable number of children and adolescents with hearing problems.(Leigh 73) One of the benefits inclusion brings is the opportunity for the student who is deaf to live at home. Deaf students who attend a special school that is beyond commuting distance must live at the school during the week. Students in an inclusion placement in their local school are able to be with their families during the week and the proximity to the area where they live provides opportunities to develop neighborhood friends. Daily association with hearing students in an inclusion setting also helps students who are deaf to develop their ability to communicate with hearing people, leading to skills they will need in later years. The study carried out by professor John Luckner, in the division of Special Education of the University of Northern Colorado, identified successful students who were deaf or hard of hearing and were receiving education in general education settings in order to examine the factors contributing to their success. Students acknowledged five main factors: their own effort and perseverance, the support from their families, the high standards their school friends set for them, the use of a variety of equipment to socialize as well as to learn (FM systems, hearing aids, text telephones, computers and close captioning) and sports which were not only enjoyable from the socializing point of view but very useful as a way of learning life skills. Dr. Ann T. Halvorsen, Professor of Special Education assures that â€Å"Inclusive settings provide far more variety in activities, and stimuli are not so easily controlled. The pace of a general education classroom is typically faster and more spontaneous. Ensuring that students have the opportunity to practice skills sufficiently in such a dynamic environment is critical†(100). Inclusion also provides good opportunities for learning the standards of the hearing world. Students who are deaf and attend schools for children who hear may be able to master the norms of hearing society better than those who are immersed in the culture of a special school for students who are deaf. It’s important to take into account that the education of deaf children needs and benefits from the inclusion of deaf adults at all stages. In fact, some years ago, many children in integrated settings did not even realize adults existed. Harris Sterling wrote about some children who thought they would become hearing when they became adults, others thought they would die or just fade away somehow since they had never had an adult role model (cited in Stone 1994). The subject of the adult role model is a very important one. It is essential that the schools make every effort to attract adult people into the school system. But they must be careful not to employ them only as aides or assistants because children will notice that the deaf person is always in a lower status position than the hearing teacher. It is really positive for children to see deaf and hearing professionals sharing power and making decisions together, this avoids the feeling that they will grow up to be forever told what to do by hearing people in the hearing world (Stone 66). Another advantage of inclusion is the possibility deaf or hard of hearing students have to choose an academic or vocational program that suits them from a wider range of choices in their home school district than in their nearest special school. Although states differ in policy and practice, there is a model for broad programming that reaches beyond state borders. The National Agenda for Moving Forward on Achieving Educational Equality for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students (2005) offers a set of priorities designed to narrow the gap between deaf and hearing students based on the belief that communication access is a fundamental human right and that every deaf and hard of hearing child must have full access to all educational services. The goals of the National Agenda consider inclusion as a good option for deaf or hard of hearing students only when it constitutes the â€Å"least restrictive environment†for them, once each individual case has been evaluated and the best placement options have been considered. Deaf and hard of hearing students should count on placement options that provide for their language and communication needs. What constitutes the â€Å"least restrictive environment†(LRE) for deaf and hard of hearing students must be determined by considering their communication and linguistic needs as well as their educational, social, emotional, cognitive, and physical abilities and needs. For some deaf and hard of hearing children, a special school is truly â€Å"least restrictive,†just as for others a regular classroom is LRE. In either case, the child’s needs, not a generic concept of LRE, must determine what is truly LRE for each individual child. According to the National Agenda, deaf and hard of hearing children are entitled to access the general curriculum. Too often the concept of â€Å"general curriculum†is confused with â€Å"least restrictive environment†or with placement in a regular classroom. The two concepts are separate and distinct. Every deaf and hard of hearing child, whether in a regular classroom or a special school or program for the deaf, should have full access to the general curriculum as consistent with his or her needs. The National Agendas success in bringing attention to the need to achieve these goals has occurred as a result of the shared roles, responsibilities and commitments of professionals, parents, and consumers throughout the United States. Inclusive education was initially seen as a special education service, but the focus is now on creating inclusive schools which unify resources and integrate programs in such a way that all students in the general education classroom are benefited. Unlike integrated or mainstreamed students, students who receive inclusive education are members of the general education classroom community. According to Halvorsen Neary :â€Å"the single most identifiable characteristic of inclusive education is membership. Students who happen to have disabilities are seen first as kids who are a natural part of the school and the age-appropriate general education classroom they  attend†(3)  Acceptance that the deaf students have social and educational skills and motives similar to those of their hearing partners may greatly stimulate the hearing majority to develop a willingness to learn about deaf language and culture. Inclusion as equals can not be possible for deaf and hard of hearing students if it is only them who have to make all the accommodations (Connor 2006). The whole general education community as well as society will benefit from inclusion, if the concept is applied conscientiously. Inclusion provides opportunities to experience diversity of society on a small scale in a classroom, develops an appreciation that everyone has unique characteristics and abilities, develops respect for others with diverse characteristics, develops sensitivity toward others limitations, develops empathetic skills, helps teachers recognize that all students have strengths, increases ways of creatively addressing challenges, develops teamwork and collaborative problem solving skills, promotes the civil rights of all individuals and supports the social value of equality. The word inclusion for deaf and hard of hearing students cannot be seen simply as a placement decision. It must refer to a philosophy which maximizes the child’s abilities and potential, facilitates communication with others, permits the child to act as a full participant in his education and promotes the development of positive self-esteem. To be included, a child must feel included. Any program or school which calls itself inclusive must meet these criteria. References Connor, M.J. (2006) Mainstream Inclusion of Deaf Children and Young People.               Principles and Tensions. Retrieved March 2009 from               http://www.sersen.uk.net/docs/deaf-inclusion.doc Halvorsen, A.T. Neary, T. (2001). Building inclusive schools: Tools and strategies               for success.  Boston: Allyn Bacon, 3 Leigh, I.W (1994) Psychosocial Implications of Full Inclusion for Deaf Children and              Adolescents. Implications and Complications for Deaf Students of the Full               Inclusion Movement, 94-2, 73 . Retrieved March 2009 from http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/13/c5/05.pdf The National Agenda Steering and Advisory Committees.(2005). The National Agenda               for Moving Forward on Achieving Educational Equality for Deaf and Hard of               Hearing Students. Retrieved March 2009 from               http://www.tsd.state.tx.us/outreach/pdf/national_agenda.pdf Nowell, R. Innes, J. (1997) Educating Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing:
Friday, October 25, 2019
Virtual Communities, Open Communication, and the End of Nationalism :: Functions of Communication
People have boundaries that are constructed by them to keep unwanted intruders from penetrating. Similarly, countries have the same type of boundaries and borders, both serve as checkpoints and to identify what is trying to penetrate their borders. If we would be willing to create a stronger sense of tolerance and equality, rather than such a strong sense of nationalistic views that tend to separate people, using the technology of the 21st century, then we can actually harness the power, and break down our boundaries both physical and emotional in nature. From Gutenbergs printing press to Thomas Edisons telephone, technology has advanced our lives in many ways. The 21st century is considered to be the computer age, because of the advancement of computers. Whether you go to a school or use a public facility, there are computers at the read for almost anyone who needs one. Computers have paved the way for a stronger communication link between people, whether its across the street or across the world. Computers, also, have helped create a sense of togetherness by creating what has been dubbed as a Virtual Community. In these communities people can come together and unite to share their common characteristics or thoughts, regardless of who is on the other end. John Perry Barlow, a writer and the author of , Is There a There in Cyberspace? describes virtual communities as, A new locale of human community-never mind that the whole thing was being conducted in were words by minds from whom the bodies had been amputated. Never mind that all these people were deaf, dumb, and blind as paramecia or that their town had neither four seasons nor sunsets nor smells (165). Barlows thoughts are that no matter who you are, you can be apart of a community that fits you. The bonds that hold the communities together are a strong relationship and common level for a particular thing, view, and or person. John Hockenberry, who is a news correspondent for NBC, and was a host for the MSNBC show Edgewise, wrote the article, The End of Nationalism?, which speaks about how computers can help countries come together and end our strong sense of nationalism and break down the walls that we put up. To allow people to communicate with those who they traditionally would not socialize would be a real step toward a more peaceful society. In Hockenberrys article End of Nationalism he says, Today it is possible to address the world without having to show a passport that identifies you culturally, ethnically, and religiously (264).
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Theism vs Antheism
Do you believe in God? God is a being that no one has ever been able to prove exists. When someone chooses to believe in God; that decision is based solely on their faith. It is a decision that someone decides in their heart, which is often based on experiences in their life; whether they are simply personal experiences or religious ones. It is not a secret to anyone that God has never been be seen, heard, nor touched by any living human according to history and the present day. Though, the bible gives the personal testimonies of many righteous men of God’s goodness and existence, how can one prove that to be true? According to Nils Ch. Raught (2007) â€Å"If [an] argument from religious experiences is to be successful, we must focus our attention on those religious experiences that closely resemble ordinary perceptual experiences†(p. 180). So, I will give you my personal account of God’s goodness in my life and why I personally believe Theism makes a stronger case than Atheism. In January of 2005, my wife and I decided it was time to have another baby. Right after our decision, we found out that my wife was pregnant right away! We were so happy to be adding another addition to our family; our eldest daughter was already five at the time and we didn’t want to have our children too far apart. We were incredibly excited and made our announcement that Valentine’s day to all of our friends and family. Everything was going great until my wife went to one of a doctor appointment for her first trimester pre-natal serum screening tests. Basically, this testing will determine if the fetus has any chromosome problems that include Down syndrome. This test is optional, even though my wife was never told that during her visit. The visit went fine and the nurse told her that she would be contacted if the tests came back abnormal. Well, three days later my wife had a message on her phone from the nurse saying she needed to call about her blood results. My wife was a mess. She cried and said she knew something was wrong. After talking to the nurse my wife’s fears were confirmed; the blood results had come back abnormal. This was an eye opening experience for my wife and I. We decided that if we were going to have a Down syndrome child that we wanted to prepare ahead of time, since we knew that they have special health care needs. We scheduled an Amniocentesis and had to wait two weeks to get that test done. They were the two longest weeks of our life. My wife was a nervous wreck and I was too. During this time, we spent a lot of time praying and just trusting that no matter what the outcome was; this is what was meant for our family. Not being mad at God was hard; even though I had never felt as close to him before in my life! Finally, the day came for the test and again we had to wait three days for the results. On the third day, we found out our baby was perfectly healthy and that we were having another little girl. Even though, in our situation, God blessed us; I know he let us go through this situation so we could grow closer to him. I could feel his presence in my life during that trying time. Not only did my wife give birth to a beautiful baby girl, she also had our daughter on her Mother’s birthday. This is very significant because her mother tragically died in a car accident in November, of 2003. My wife went into labor naturally and had our daughter on my mother-in-laws birthday! We truly felt like God was blessing us! We felt as though for trusting in God and being patient he was rewarding us. In conclusion, one must ask themselves; do I have a purpose in my life? Am I looking at the big picture here? After my body physically dies someday, is that it? Personally, I think not. When one adopts the Atheist point of view, that choice accepts there is ultimately no superior being and no life after physical death. According to Nils Ch. Rauhut (2007) â€Å"[If] we conclude that God does not exist, we are faced with a different situation. While we are then free to dismiss most religious activities as nonsense, we consequently have to accept the idea that we are finite beings who live in a universe without ultimate meaning or purpose†(p. 173). I cannot accept that humans exist to live without any ultimate meaning or purpose; especially when we live on a planet that is so complex and beautiful. Can any scientist tell us how the Universe came into existence? Or, how old it is? There are creatures on Earth that are still being discovered today! Perhaps, one could look at the beauty in a sunrise or sunset. Perhaps, one could believe in God when they watch their new born babies eye lashes grow over the course of a week after they’re born; it is truly amazing! God created all things with such imagination and carefulness-each living thing is amazingly unique and has a purpose on this Earth no matter how big or small that purpose may be. In my opinion, Atheism is a belief that doesn’t leave much to look forward to. Though, it may be hard to explain God’s existence because he cannot be physically seen or heard, it shouldn’t be so hard to believe that the human race was created for purpose; one that exceeds this life on Earth.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Deadly Beauty Essay
Descriptions of beauty are thrown at us everyday in various and opposing views. While many people stay with the belief that beauty is internal, society’s view of beauty is propelled at us from every angle. Just turn on the television, open a magazine, or surf the web and you will find yourself bombarded by the idea that being sexy and being beautiful are synonyms. Critics argue that this view of beauty is causing our women and even some men to alter their bodies in damaging ways. While I agree that the way today’s society views is damaging and unrealistic, but I also do not believe this is a new occurrence. Throughout history various societies have caused their subjects to do damaging and dangerous things all for the sake of what they called beauty. Beauty has become superficial and a term that is dangerous and used as a weapon to control the mindsets of others. The word beauty is described in the dictionary as â€Å"the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.†(Merriam-Webster 2012). So why throughout history has the human race associated beauty with physical appearance? The ancient Mayans went to vast lengths to change their physical appearances. Mayan mothers flattened their children’s heads with boards and hung objects in front of their newborn’s eyes to make the baby’s eyes crossed (Frater 2009) Both of these things were highly desirable forms of Mayan beauty but caused serious physical damage to the body. Corsets in the Victorian era were used to mold a women’s body into the curvaceous form they desired. The sacrifice they paid for this look were broken ribs, fainting spells, and in extreme cases, kidney problems from having a corset to tight. Today across the world people still become ensnared in the trap of so cietal beauty. The Padang women in Burma stretch their necks with long brass coils to attain the long necks that their culture desires (Tao, 2012). The spirals are started when a girl is around five or six and by the time they are adults they have around twenty brass rings that adorn their neck. The brass rings cause their collarbone to cave down and crush the vertebrae in their spines and their collarbones but the women refuse to take off the rings because it is what their culture views as beautiful. In American society numerous women and even men go under the knife to achieve the look they want through plastic surgery. For a substantial fee, one can change the shape of their nose, increase or decrease breast size, reshape a jawline, or even remove fat from unwanted areas. Less dramatic alterations are made on a daily bases through applying makeup, waxing away unwanted hair, and straightening or curling hair. It’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to live up to the beauty standards of society. Although I know that all the pictures of beautiful women the media throws at me are highly photo-shopped, it still hasn’t prevented me from trying to achieve the perfect body and stunning looks that I gaze upon. In ninth grade I became anorexic. As a slightly over weight kid I became self-conscious about how skinny all the â€Å"beautiful†girls were. Even though I witnessed the ones who had zero personality and others who were downright evil, I felt that personality was worthless because being beautiful was what really mattered. I read countless articles on how to lose weight and how many calories each item of food contained. The more weight I would lose, the more compliments I would get on how beautiful I had become. Fortunately I was able to get help before it caused too much damage in my life. It still has repercussions on my life though, even now I find myself thinking a bout how I could get my body to look like those that are featured in the magazines and television. Instead of starving myself I have taken to makeup to contour my average face to look more alluring. I don’t necessarily enjoy putting on makeup. It causes me to question if I’m actually beautiful or if I’m just putting on a mask trying to fit in to the masquerade. This doesn’t stop me from applying it to my face in an almost every morning ritual. The false hope that I’ll live up to those photo shopped beauties keeps me adding new products to my collection. I want to be that Cover girl I see on the commercials. If I put on my L’Oreal Paris mascara, maybe more people will notice my eyes and appreciate them. I forget to practice what I preach and forget that my beauty is found within my personality and how I treat others. Instead I let myself worth be defined on how my physical features compare to models I see. There will never be unified description of beauty and the opposing arguments will bicker between each other until the world ends. Media will be blamed for the destructiveness of beauty through their highly edited photos and almost anorexic models. We as people must not forget that it is not just the media to blame for the way beauty is morphed but also ourselves. We have a choice if we are going to follow blindly along or challenge our societies descriptions on beauty. Past societies had to have had brief thoughts about the pain they were putting their bodies through, but still chose to accept it instead of challenging the view. We allow our cultures to use beauty as a weapon against us if we keep following blindly after descriptions our society throws at us we will never be able to find the true beauty that lays just beneath the surface of our skin. Works Cited Merriam-Webster. (2012) Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beauty?show=0&t=1354774384 J Frater. (2009, September 09). 10 facts about the Mayans. Retrieved from http://listverse.com/top-10-fascinating-facts-about-the-mayans/ Marky, C.N., & Markey, P.M. (2012). Emerging Adults’ responses to a media presentation of idealized female beauty: An examination of cosmetic surgery in reality television. Psychology Of Popular Media Culture,. 209-219 doi:10.1037/a0027869 Tao, Huai Sua. (2012, May 22). Long Neck Villages. Retrieved from http://www.ascensionatsea.net/Thailand/Thai_longnecks.htm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)