Project time managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Project time managment - Essay Example This paper explores the importance of developing a time-phase baseline for project planning, management, and performance evaluation. For a project’s successful implementation and effective monitoring, cost- and time-phased baselines are some of the key approaches often used. Specifically, since most projects have definite periods for completion, a time-phased baseline for project planning and implementation is highly recommended3. Without such a baseline, there would be nothing to measure project progress against, during or after its implementation. Time-phased baseline helps in comparing the projected time value of against the delivered time value. That is, has a project really been completed and used within the anticipated time or has the estimated quantity of project been delivered in the planned time4? A time-phased baseline for project planning and evaluation thus assists in answering the question of whether a project has been started and finished at the expected time5. By being in a position to measure the budgeting of time in a project, stakeholders are better placed to detect and address problems s uch as delays and stoppages for improvements. A time-phased baseline thus helps project stakeholders to evaluate how well a project runs and to measure the accuracy in time estimations6. Additionally, once the accuracy of time estimation has been established, time-phased baseline for project evaluation can be used for similar projects or modified for other related projects. Time-phased baseline thus helps one to assess his/her ability to estimate project cost, labor, time, and overall performance. Importantly, time-phased baseline helps in establishing whether enough time has bee allocated for the different project phases7. That is, any over- and under-estimations of time are dealt with once detected. Finally, time-phased baseline is useful in allocating

The Implementation of International Treaties (with Specific Reference Essay

The Implementation of International Treaties (with Specific Reference to the United Nations Convention for Biological Diversity - Essay Example ‘Implementation’ in legal terms refer to the different regulations, laws, policies, and various other initiatives and measures adopted for fulfilling the obligations as made mandatory under an environmental agreement (Donald, 2002). Implementation of environmental policies, at a global level, is liable to face more issues than implementing at a national level. This is owing to the fact that global implementation depends on mutual collaboration between different countries that have their own set of political, socio-economic and environmental issues, and are under voluntary obligations to follow the treaties; hence it is difficult to hold them responsible for failure in adhering to and implementing the convention guidelines. States with emerging economies may find that implementation of global environmental policies lacks feasibility. Such countries would prefer to allocate public funds for promoting socio-economic growth, instead spending money on safeguarding and regulat ing environmental resources. In developing nations (often, also observed in developed countries) increasing populations and demands for bettering the quality of life, a pressure develops on state governments to relax environmental protection norms. Keeping the challenges and the need for environmental protection in mind, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was created in 1992 for promoting worldwide sustainable environmental development. CBD is an international body that evolved from the Earth Summit (June 1992), also known as the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro. The chief aims this Convention are: â€Å"conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources, including by appropriate access to genetic resources and by appropriate transfer of relevant technologies, taking into account all rights over those resources and to technologies, and by appropriate funding† (Convention On Biological Diversity, 1992, p. 3). The Convention takes into account many issues that range from safeguarding natural resources, to making â€Å"use of traditional knowledge, innovations and practices relevant to the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of its components†(ibid, p. 2), arranging for incentives in cases where there have been sustainable use of environmental resources, and transfer of science and modern technology. In this context, this research paper will study and analyse the 1992 Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD) in order to review the issues faced while implementing global environmental policies. In recent years, countries have become dependent on different international bodies to promote cooperation between States at a global level on various aspects (Lane, 2006). International treaties have turned into foundation stones for various multilat eral regulatory efforts along with being an institutionalised kind of global collaboration, a process based on notions of shared sovereignties (Sharma, Chettri, Gurung and Shakya, 2007). Increased institutionalised collaboration in the recent years has created a complex mosaic of agreements at the global, regional and bilateral levels (Kim, 2003). Even after 2 decades since its inception, CBD continues to be one of the most important global

Business Of Maxis Berhard Management Essay

Business Of Maxis Berhard Management Essay According to McElhaney, CSR is a business strategy that is integrated with core business objectives and core competencies of the firm, and from the outset is designed to create business value and positive social change and is embedded in day to day business culture and operations. The most researched and proven financial benefits of effective strategic CSR can be found in the areas of human resource and talent management, reputation and branding and operational cost savings. CSR is the continuous commitment by businesses to behave ethically and contribute to the economic development while improving the quality of life in the workforce as well as the society at large. CSR is believed to have a positive relationship with a companys goodwill and also be a means to a more profitable operation. (Lenguyen, 2011) Why are profit-oriented companies interested in corporate social responsibility? According to (Mohamed Sawandi, 2007), only providing for the needs of a customer is not sufficient. Some truly enlightened companies always ensure that their interest is in line with societal needs and they will take this into consideration in their business planning. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) describes corporate social responsibility as a balanced approach for organizations to address economic, social and environmental issues in a way that aims to benefit people, communities and society. (Leonard McAdam, 2003) According to Richardson ,et al., (1999), CSR behaviours can be defined as discretionary actions undertaken by companies that are intended to advance their social issues. Joyner, et al., (2002) noted that CSR are categories of economic, legal, ethical and discretionary activities of a business entity as adapted to the values and expectations from society. They also added that, CSR are the basic expectations of the company regarding initiatives that take the form of protection to public health, public safety, and the environment. In this concept, they explained that values and ethics influence the extent of a corporations perceived social responsibility that is influenced by societal activities, norms or standard. In todays world, CSR can be defined as regards to all aspects of business behaviour so that the impacts of these activities are incorporated in every corporate agenda (Orgrizek, 2001; Coldwell, 2001) Factors Influencing CSR The primary role of business is to produce goods and services that society wants and needs. According to Coldwell (2001), a business only contributes fully to a society if it is highly efficient, highly profitable and has socially responsible agendas. Based on the literatures definition of CSR, CSR behaviours are not constant over time or space. Social expectations and pressure for specific types of CSR have varied over time and are contingent on the nature of the company (Richardson, Welker Hutchinson, 1999). A study by Windsor (2001) showed that social responsibility is achieved when the corporation conforms to the prevailing norms and expectations of social performance in a given society. CSR is also influenced by the ethics of the firm or organizations. Ethical motivation can guide the business or organization to do the right thing without any external pressure or governmental constrain. Joyner, Payne Raiborn (2002) contended that people believe businesses are amoral, when in fact they generally embrace the values of ethics in doing business. They cited several factors that serve to legitimize their position and one of the factors is society, which expects moral behaviour of the business when it cries out against immoral labour practices or environmental policies. According to Ogrizek (2001), business leaders are starting to acknowledge some of the market benefits and competitive advantages for companies who put into place a comprehensive CSR policy. This means that a business with a strong stance in corporate responsibility will attract top talent and reputation. Maxis Corporate Social Responsibility Any corporations business goal is to provide value and incentive to its shareholders. Therefore, profit-oriented corporations or organizations are not a charitable organization although sometimes it is in their direct interest to support charitable activities. Furthermore, sometimes corporations or organizations carry out certain activities that governments should undertake, although they are not government agencies. It is beneficial for the corporations to carry out such socially responsible activities. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is defined as categories of economic, legal, ethical and discretionary activities of a business entity as adapted to contribute to the values and expectations of society. (Joyner, et al., 2002) CSR is also the continuing commitments by any business organization whereby they emphasize the ethical elements in their management and overall organizational structure (Richardson et. al, 1999). At the same time, companies are responsible for national economic development by improving the quality of life of the whole workforce and their families as well (Abbott Monsen, 1979). Maxis believe that its CSR program contributes a great amount to societal development as advances in technologies can bring direct benefit to communities. As Malaysias leading mobile telecommunications operator, the company is committed to supporting national aspirations on areas of education, technology and youth. (Maxis, 2012) CSR involves various aspects such as economic factors, legal requirements, ethical orders and discretionary demands. In this high-tech era, business environments are susceptible to changes in these factors. In order to be a leading mobile telecommunication provider, each firm must be fully aware and sensitive to the impact of these factors. The effect of these factors may add to the firms corporate image and financial performance. (Mohamed Sawandi, 2007) The Maxis Bridging Communities (MBC) was launched in 2002 with the aim of enriching communities with access to education opportunities through information communication technology. MBC has taken a firm commitment to ensure stronger and sustainable programs by developing key initiatives in: Bridging the digital gap: Education and development of Malaysians Employee Volunteerism Environment CSR actually portrays the image of the firm itself. It shows what the company has done to fulfil its corporate duty to ensure the firm is not only good in providing the service but also plays its roles by contributing something to the community (Tilt, 1994). In order to have a good relationship with the community, the firm should do something beneficial for the community. Within the company itself, there is also a platform for social contribution especially to the employees. For example, in Maxis Communication Berhad, there are a lot of privileges that have been provided to the staff such as medical treatment, advantages in communication services, increment of salary and etc.

A Worn Path :: essays research papers

The Journey of Life As I began to read this short story about a painful and tedious trek an aged grandmother endures she has made for the last three or four years to the city with one intention in mind, to get a medicine for her chronically ill grandson. On a cold December day she repeats the same journey again. As we read, it appears to be about a long journey the woman has made throughout the entire story, but by carefully examining the theme, it tells us that there is a greater message than just a long trek. In the story â€Å"A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty, an old woman whose human spirit is full of dedication, dignity and high morale overcomes tremendous obstacles of life in the name of love. Phoenix Jackson is the protagonist of the story who is an African- American woman, old and probably disabled. As one person says in the story â€Å"You must be hundreds years†(Welty, p365) addressing Phoenix. All of these characteristics are the evidence that the journey is not going to be easy, but her faith in God and strong relation with nature accommodate her on the way. She understands nature by designating it as a â€Å"guardian† when her dress gets caught in the bush. â€Å"Thorns doing your appointed work. Never want to let folks pass†(Welty, p364), says Phoenix while taking her dress carefully out of the bush. When she has difficult times such as fatigue and the fall in the bush, she addresses to God by reaching her hand to Him, but nothing reached down to her. It is not her time to leave the Earth yet, so God sends her a hunter, instead, for help. With her belief in God, her goal to finish her journey and her love for her grandson, she conquers all obst acles on the way. The most difficult obstacle on her way is a young white man who actually helps her stand up when she falls, but he still poses as a great danger to her because of his prejudiced beliefs against black people. Eudora Welty creates two protagonists of opposite race for the purpose of showing racial discrimination in society. By meeting Phoenix and the hunter can get into societal conflict if Phoenix becomes aggressive against his attitude. Yet, she avoids any verbal and physical confrontations and still manages to get even in the game.

Gay Marriage Outline Essay

In early times, same-sex marriage was not considered taboo and in many cultures, it was encouraged. Random History (2011) explains that in the early civilizations of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, the union between couples of the same-sex was recognized by the kingdom. During Greek’s early years, attraction between a man and another man was normal and was considered an expression of love. â€Å"The main considerations in same-sex relationships in early history were often love, beauty, and excellence of character rather than gender† (Random History, 2011, p.1). Same-sex marriages were often believed to be more pure than a heterosexual marriage. Marriage was believed to be the union of two people based on love. A marriage consisting of two males or two females, if women had the right to get married, was not frowned upon. It was not until the rise of Christianity that a negative attitude towards same-sex marriage became introduced. The belief that marriage was based on pro creation and any relationship that was non-procreative began to increase in many societies. Random History’s 2011 research describes how Eastern religions varied in their views about homosexual marriages. Japanese Buddhism records the most tolerant attitude toward homosexuality, praising it for its mystery. Today, there are no religious or political limitations on homosexual behavior in Japan. Sexuality is considered a private matter and lacks any restrictions. â€Å"The sacred texts in the Hindu tradition, the Vedas, did not restrict homosexuality, but rather viewed it as perverse† (Random History, 2011, p.1). Other things, such as mixed race relationships were considered more offensive than homosexuality. Random History (2011) also explains how in the thirteenth century, the first laws banning sodomy were introduced and were strictly enforced. Through the next centuries, homosexual behavior became deviant and was punished. Due to the belief that homosexual behavior was wrong, the belief that heterosexual relationships were normal became popular among the majority of countries. By the nineteenth century, heterosexuality became the most believed standard for relationships. Although the debate for same-sex marriage became noticeably public in the late twentieth century, it was not until 1993 during a Hawaiian case, that the issue became national news. The ruling of the case stated that the restriction of marriage and its benefits to  opposite-sex couples were unconstitutional. â€Å"The Defense of Marriage Act, which was introduced in 1996, was almost a direct response to the Hawaiian case, declared that no state would be required to recognize a same-sex marriage from another state, and also defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman† (Axel-Lute, 2002, p.1). By that same year, a majority of states passed laws prohibiting same-sex marriage. Since then, states have defined their own definition of marriage. Despite the fact that the debate over same-sex marriage is relatively new in the United States, five states have made same-sex marriage legal, as well as Washington D.C. According to the Florida’s Domestic Partnership (2010), currently, there are only two states that recognize same-sex marriages, New York and California. In California, the marriage is only recognized if it was before proposition 8. Ballot Pedias 2008 research explains how proposition 8 is a statewide ballot proposition in California. The people of California voted for the illegalization of same-sex marriage. Though some people are against same-sex marriages for religious reasons, not allowing same-sex marriages is discrimination. Same-sex marriages should be legalized because the discrimination same-sex couples receive is emotionally traumatic, and unfair. The most influential reason against same-sex marriage is based on religion. Many people believe that procreation is the ideal reason for marriage. Their belief is that same-sex couples do not have the capability to produce children which is the basis for marriage. However, when two of the most influential religious icons dis cussed marriage, child bearing was not a reason for two people to get married. â€Å"It is highly significant that Jesus and Paul, while both referring to the creation story, never once mention procreation or physical sexual difference in their teaching about marriage† (Sullivan, 1997, p.79). Both men stressed how the quality of a relationship was the most important aspect for marriage. If marriage is reserved for having a child, then same-sex marriages are not an issue. â€Å"There are countless ways to ‘have’ a child. Not all of them amount to doing the same thing† (Meilander, 1996). Many same-sex couples employ artificial insemination to conceive a child. Liz Tracy’s 2011 article interviews Maria and Vivian, a lesbian couple who were married in New York last year. The two have a 21 year old daughter by artificial insemination. During a marriage ceremony, the church’s only engagement is to  give its blessing. â€Å"The church does not, in fact, marry anyone. People marry each other. The state, not the church, defines the nature of legal marriage† (Sullivan, 1997, p.68). Sullivan (1997) also states how the church has blessed fields when crops have been planted, MX missiles, new houses, and warships whose sole purpose is to kill and destroy. There is no reason the church should not bless a relationship in which two people vow to be faithful and love each other for all eternity. Supporters of same-sex marriage believe the bill to allow same-sex marriage should be crafted in a specific way that will help win votes from people of faith. â€Å"The measure would not force religious organizations to grant marriages to same-sex couples, a move that would make the government benefits of marriage equal for gay and straight couples but still allow the sacrament of marriage to be defined by churches† (Groeninger, 2012, p.2). If the bill was written and carried out in a certain way, the church would not have any association with same-sex couples getting married because the process would be carried out in a courtroom. The American gay rights movement, which became heated in the 1970’s, defined marriage as oppressive, sexist, and a heterosexual institution, according to the National Organization of Women’s 2012 studies. By the government prohibiting same-sex couples from getting married, they are denying them rights that every other American has. â€Å"Marriage is a unique legal status conferred by and recognized by governments all over the world. It brings with it a host of reciprocal obligations, rights and protections† (National Organization of Women, 2012, p, 1). There are numerous rights and responsibilities that are associated with marriage. Same-sex couples are being discriminated against because they are not allowed any of these rights. The National Organization of Women’s 2012 research details many of the 1,138 federal rights, protections and responsibilities that come along with marriage, which same-sex couples are denied. Social Security benefits upon death, disability or retirement of spouse, as well as benefits for minor children, workers’ compensation protections for the family of a worker injured on the job, exemptions from estate taxes when a spouse dies, exemptions from federal income taxes on spouse’s health insurance are all denied to same-sex couples. The discrimination and denial of marriage and its benefits of same-sex couples can be emotionally traumatic at times. â€Å"Because literally hundreds  of important legal, economic, practical, and social benefits and protections flow directly from marriage, the exclusion from this central social institution wreaks real harm on real life same-sex couples everyday† (Sullivan, 1997, p. 129). Same-sex couples are denied the right t o make decisions regarding their partner’s health or medical treatment. Sullivan (1997) also explains how same-sex couples are not allowed to adopt their partner’s children or how lesbian mothers are often denied custody of their children. One of the most common arguments against same-sex marriage is society’s image of the ideal family. â€Å"The public acceptance of homosexuality subverts the stability and self-understanding of the heterosexual family† (Sullivan, 1997, p.146). Conservatives believe that the ideal family includes one father and one mother. Both of the parents influence their children in a certain way. Many believe that a same-sex couple cannot raise a child properly because the child is not raised with both fatherly and motherly qualities. However, Sullivan (2012) also discusses how even though some parents may be disappointed that their child will not produce a grandchild, they would still prefer to see their child find someone to love and live with and share his or her life with. If a child is surrounded by two parents who love them, they will develop and grow as any other child would. Many states have legalized civil unions since 2000. Although civil unions provide legal protection to same-sex couples, they are only recognized at the state level. Many believe legalizing same-sex marriage is not an urgent issue because civil unions are becoming legal in more states. â€Å"Giving same-sex couples the right to visit a loved one in the hospital, make end of life decisions and inherit property through civil unions was considered the middle ground† (Groeninger, 2012, p.1). There is a vast amount of differences in a marriage and civil union. Debatepedia’s 2011 research explains how civil unions are separate and unequal because people in a heterosexual relationship have access to civil unions, yet same-sex couples do not have access to marriage. Civil unions are unequal because they are not recognized state to state. A same-sex couple in a civil union is denied the all of the rights that come with marriage. Also, civil unions do not receive any federal benef it. â€Å"Because the federal government does not respect civil unions, a couple with a civil union will be in a kind of limbo with regard to governmental functions  performed by both state and federal governments, such as taxation, pension protections, provision of insurance for families, and means-tested programs like Medicaid† (National Organization of Women, 2012, p.1). The debate over same-sex marriage will forever rage until it becomes legalized. Same-sex relationships have been a part of history since the ancient times. Not allowing same-sex marriage is discrimination. Couples are denied financial benefits heterosexual couples receive. Same-sex marriage should be legalized so couples will have the right to make decisions regarding their partner’s health and medical treatment as well as allowing them to adopt one another’s children. Designing the bill a certain way will enable to church to stay uninvolved, since religious reasons are the most common reason fo r people being against same-sex marriage. Legalizing same-sex marriages will create equality for all people in a relationship and defeat the injustice among same-sex couples.

Life & Wessex King Essay

Life in the past was characterized with lots of battles between rival territories. This resulted to the rise of powerful empires and the measure of power during those days was through the number of wars fought. Warriors of those days were called Vikings. A Viking also denotes a pirate, merchant or explorer. These Norsemen normally used long ships to travel in the sea to all the places of their interest and used the same vessels to fight their enemies. The Vikings are traced to have originated in the early 17th century in the German territory. The initiator of Vikings in the Iceland is Erik the red. He lived all his life ruling his people after which his son picked the mantle from him (Gwyn, J. 2000). SCANDINAVIA The term Scandinavia is both a historical a major geographical part in the world. There exist also a people who are identified as the Scandinavians. According to the geographical setting, Scandinavia is located in the Northern Europe, a place called Scandinavian Peninsula. The kingdoms that existed in the Scandinavian region include: Finland, Norway and partly Denmark. A lot of research done also reveal that Sweden and Iceland also form part of this robust history. All these regions put together are further referred to as Nordic region. The geographical orientation of Scandinavia is rather ambiguous. The region spreads from the Norwegian Fjords all the way to the low areas in Denmark through the Scandinavian Mountains and to the archipelagos of Sweden and Norway. This region has diverse group of people and for this reason, there exist more that one dialect. The languages that were spoken in these regions included Norway, Sweden and Denmark dialects. These people usually understood each other and thus had mutual understanding. DO THE VIKINGS RIGHTFULLY DESERVE THE REPUTATION THAT THEY WERE CRUEL, MURDEROUS BARBARIANS? WHY? WHY NOT? The Vikings performed most of their ventures through wars. It is evident that a normal way of dressing was to be attire that is characteristic of a warrior. The males had war uniforms all the time. From the first time that the Vikings entered a territory, war had to be fought. It is mandatory that people must die in the event of war. The death of people was so common to these northern tribes that any one could talk of them to be cruel and murderous. Other ventures like sea piracy and looting were associated with brutality and blood shed. The victims of such encounters were left counting their losses if they were not dead. Erik who is one of the founders of the Vikings movement was actually observed to murder many people in his native land until he was expelled to go to exile, the result which led to the discovery of Ice land. EXPLAIN THE ROLE OF WESSEX, IN REGARD TO THE VIKINGS IN ENGLAND. The Wessex territory was known for its great power during the year 878. This territory had great potential that any attacker could admire. Te Wessex King of that time planed for a very efficient army that was to fight and defeat the Viking warriors. This king managed to resist the Vikings and with time became pronounced as Alfred the great. His territory was a centre for trade, commerce and administration. The Vikings however invaded this land and took loots from it as usual. The Wessex region acted as a real opposition to the advances of the Vikings. Every one feared the Vikings. The sight of these raiders approaching a region would send cold shivers down the guts of every king. King Alfred however managed to escape them, even though he was later cornered. The Wessex region became a home of habitation to some Vikings although others separated from the settling camp and continued with invasion. Wessex became a point mark towards bringing an end to the Viking advances in war. HOW DID THE VIKINGS CONTRIBUTE TO THE BREAK-UP OF THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE? The Vikings were a major threat to the kings during the Viking age. The Vikings attached Carolingian empire in the year 885 and 886 leading to the defeat of their kings. In 845, the Viking warriors sailed to seine in France and attacked it. The end result of this was a defeat to the Carolingian empire and the kings that followed were just puppet rulers who were initiated by the Vikings. This led to the fall of this empire and it took along time to come up again. EXPLAIN THE VARIOUS PHASES INVOLVED IN VIKING RAIDS. Vikings mainly had 3 phases of raids. The very first phase said to have lasted from 790-840. The Vikings used very shallow draught long ships. They always used these ships because they were suitable majorly for surprise attacks in the coastal towns. The size of these vessels was so small so that the Vikings could rush and attack very fast. With this they attacked Frisia and Aquitane. The second level of attacks occurred between 841 and 875 and the number of raids increased. The Vikings attacked by killing or enslaving their victims. With this, the attacks proceeded to the Mediterranean Sea. 876 to 911 saw the introduction of the third phase. With this, the Vikings started to invade frnce and other parts of Europe. They also developed their own fleets that were used to attack distance empires.

Common Household Chemicals That Are Dangerous Mixtures

Common Household Chemicals That Are Dangerous Mixtures Some of the common chemicals found in your home shouldnt be mixed together. Its one thing to say dont mix bleach with ammonia, but its not always easy to know what products contain these two chemicals. Here are some household  products you may have around the home that shouldnt be combined.   Bleach With Acid Toilet Bowl Cleaners This mixture can result in toxic, potentially deadly fumes. Bleach With Vinegar Vinegar is a type of acid. Toxic chlorine vapor is produced. Dont mix chlorine bleach with any acid. Bleach With Ammonia This is toxic. Potentially lethal vapors are produced. The main danger comes from chloramine vapors. Different Brands of One Type of Product Dont mix different cleaners together. They may react violently, produce toxins, or become ineffective. Highly Alkaline Products With Highly Acidic Products Acids and bases (alkalis) can react violently, presenting a splash hazard. Acids and bases are caustic and may cause chemical burns. Certain Disinfectants With Detergents Dont mix disinfectants with quaternary ammonia listed as an ingredient with a detergent. The effectiveness of the disinfectant may be neutralized. Bottom Line Chlorine bleach is sometimes called â€Å"sodium hypochlorite† or â€Å"hypochlorite.† You will encounter it in chlorine bleach, automatic dishwashing detergents, chlorinated disinfectants and cleaners, chlorinated scouring powder, mildew removers, and toilet bowl cleaners. Do not mix products together. Do not mix them with ammonia or vinegar. Read the labels of products in your home and following instructions for proper use. Many containers will state the most common dangers from interaction with other products.

Commonly Misspelled Words Quiz

Commonly Misspelled Words Quiz In each of the following pairs, only one is a word; the other is a common misspelling of that word. Guided by the brief definition, see if you can identify the correctly spelled word in each set. Then compare your answers to those on the bottom of the page. Commonly Misspelled Words The act or process of absorbing something; occupying the full attention or interest.(a)  absorbtion  (b)  absorptionHappening unexpectedly or by chance. (a)  accidentally  (b)  accidentlyLying beyond what is evident; deliberately and deceptively concealed.  (a)  alterior  (b)  ulteriorRelating to the North Pole or the region near it. (a)  Arctic  (b)  ArticThe character * used as a reference mark in printing. (a)  asterick  (b)  asterisk  At a basic level or in a basic manner. (a)  basically  (b)  basiclyAcknowledging someones achievements or good fortune.  (a)  congradulations  (b)  congratulationsCertain, clearly defined, having distinct limits.  (a)  definate  (b)  definiteTerrible, calamitous. (a)  disasterous  (b)  disastrousTo cause someone to feel self-conscious or ill at ease.  (a)  embarass  (b)  embarrassA perfect example of a class or type.  (a)  epitome  (b)  epitomyThe systematic study and desc ription of a language.  (a)  grammar  (b)  grammerSerious, grave, causing pain or anguish.  (a)  grievious  (b)  grievousA sweet white confection.  (a)  marshmallow  (b)  marshmellow The science of numbers and their operations.  (a)  mathematics  (b)  mathmaticsA low indistinct sound; an abnormal sound of the heart.  (a)  murmer  (b)  murmurA legislative body or a formal conference for the discussion of public affairs.  (a)  parliament  (b)  parlimentA right or privilege held by a person or group.  (a)  perogative  (b)  prerogativeWithin the limits of ability.  (a)  possible  (b)  possableA right or immunity granted as a benefit or favor.  (a)  priviledge  (b)  privilegeEndorse as fit or worthy.  (a)  recommend  (b)  recomendIrreverence toward a hallowed person, place, or thing.  (a)  sacreligious  (b)  sacrilegiousNot fully worked out or agreed on.  (a)  tenative  (b)  tentativeA disastrous event.  (a)  tradegy  (b)  tragedyWordiness.  (a)  verbage  (b)  verbiage Here are the  correct answers  to the Quiz on 25 Commonly Misspelled Words. (b) absorption(a) accidentally(b) ulterior(a) Arctic(b) asterisk(a) basically(b) congratulations(b) definite(b) disastrous(b) embarrass(a) epitome(a) grammar(b) grievous(a) marshmallow(a) mathematics(b) murmur(a) parliament(b) prerogative(a) possible(b) privilege(a) recommend(b) sacrilegious(b) tentative(b) tragedy(b) verbiage Next:Only One Is a Word: Another Quiz on Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Struggle with Writing Papers

How to Struggle with Writing Papers How to Struggle with Writing Papers For some students writing a paper is a disaster. Some of them find it time-consuming and monotonous, thus they soon become very bored. Others would rather deal with some other type of assignment. A number of students think they dont have enough skills to cope with paper writing. However, practically any activity that is new can prove to be difficult without proper preparation. People learn how to ride a bicycle, cook, or do yoga. Writing good papers is also a skill every student can learn to develop. So, why not start right now? First, many people find writing a boring activity. Of course, if you sit at your desk without any ideas on how and what to write, youll wind up spending more time then needed on your paper, and it will probably be of poor quality. You will be bored, and you will receive a poor grade. On the other hand, if you have a plan, you will know what exactly you should do, and youll have no time to become bored. Determine your priorities, break your tasks into several smaller sub-tasks and establish deadlines. By doing so, you will know that if you put something off till tomorrow, you will have to do more the next day to stick to your schedule. This may motivate you to stay focused. Another problem many students face is a lack of ideas. Well, you dont have to be extremely creative to write a paper. Just think about possible topics for your paper from time to time. For example, mull possibilities over in your mind while you are on the subway or walking to the supermarket. Take your notebook with you and write down ideas that pop into your head. Take a sheet of paper, sit down, and write everything you can think of concerning your topic, even the craziest ideas. When you are finished, you can select the ones that will work for your paper. Brainstorming helps you find a solution you didnt expect to think of earlier. If these strategies do help and you feel you are in a rut, you can always consult someone more experienced. That person might be your teacher or a friend who has already written a paper on a related topic. You could just google the topic. Perhaps someone has already explored or researched a topic that interests you. You can use their ideas as a springboard to come up with your own thoughts. Finally, dont be afraid to make a mistake while working on your paper. Keep in mind that practice makes perfect. You will develop a draft of your paper to proofread and edit several times. Once youve finished writing, though, take a break to clear your head. Read your paper the next day with a fresh mind. That will help you to perceive it in a different way. All the fragments that need to be corrected and all the mistakes and inaccuracies will be apparent to you. It may take some time, but this is a reliable method that works for many students. You may already be familiar with some of the tips described above, or you have your own methods for how to write a paper; however, all of these tips combined will probably help you make writing a paper a more enjoyable experience. Our online custom paper writing service is designed to help students with writing different academic papers contact us now!

Constitution Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Constitution Paper - Essay Example 3. â€Å"He has rejected his Assent to Statutes, the majorly wholesome and important for the civic good†. These remains tackled by the whole constitution through establishing the configuration of the state and in Article IV paragraph 2 â€Å"This constitution†¦ shall be the highest statute of the earth† 4. â€Å"He has forbidden his Governors to pass Statutes of instant and imperative significance, unless postponed in their function till his Assent must remain acquired†; and when so postponed, he has completely ignored to listen to them†. This remains handled through the listed powers in Article I section 8. It narrates what the state remains permitted to perform and in Amendments 9 and 10 where everything else remains preserved to the individuals and the governments. 5. â€Å"He has assembled collectively legislative organs at areas uncommon, uncomfortable, and far from the store of their civic Records for the one aim of tiring them into conformity w ith his steps†. This remains tackled through Article I Section 4 â€Å"The parliament shall meet at least one time annually, and such congregation must be on the earliest Monday in December, except they through statute select a varying day†. ... (At this moment, no restrain of periods had remained fixed). b. Assembly has the authority to lay and collect taxes and control trade with foreign countries, and within the governments. c. The judicial authority will remain vested in a single highest court and lower courts. d. To suggest modifications to the Constitution, two thirds of the two Houses vote to suggest a modification. To approve an alteration, three fourths of the government parliaments should endorse it. e. Assembly has the authority to form and promote military and navy, and to create policies and guidelines for the military and navy to stand by. The Great Compromise remained an accord made amongst the parties to the Constitutional Convention that the American state could have two houses in Assembly: the Senate where every government has double senators and the House of Representatives where every government has several Representatives founded on demography. Due to the Great Compromise of 1787, the Constitution offere d for crucially varying kinds of Representation in the House and Senate. Membership in the House remains relative to the demography of the government. The figure of Representatives to which every government remains permitted has determination each ten years following a countrywide poll, or head tally has remained taken. In the initial Assembly, every party to the House signified 30,000 constituents (Peterson, 2009). Through the 103rd Assembly, the middle House party signified almost 600,000 constituents. Initially, the figure of Representatives increased with every poll, from 105 the 1790 poll to 435 following the 1910 poll. Then Assembly solidified the figure at 435 to maintain the House at a controllable dimension. The

How has Iranian Cinema Destabilised the Political Structure Dissertation

How has Iranian Cinema Destabilised the Political Structure - Dissertation Example From the research it is clear that Iranian cinema has survived complicated transformation and oppressive restrictions that corresponds with the tumultuous socio-political experiences of the country itself. Emerging from one restrictive regime and entering yet another era of restriction, Iranian cinema has suffered through various degrees of oppression ranging from rejection by Islamic clerics on the grounds that Iranian films are instruments of Western corruption to simple rejection on the grounds that Iranian films do not portray Iran in an idealistic light. At the same time, Iranian cinema has also been utilized by Islamic clerics and regime leaders as a propaganda tool to influence popular thought and behavior. Despite the socio-political challenges, Iranian cinema has gained a reputation characterising it as among the world’s â€Å"most innovative national cinemas†. The success of Iranian cinema is largely attributed to its advanced artistry and its socio-political narratives. Contemporary and more especially, post-revolutionary film-making in Iran presents a mirror image of daily life and social and political issues in Iran. Thus the new Iranian Cinema has been described as capturing and sharing an â€Å"open image† of Iranian society and politics. Thus it has been argued that contemporary Iranian cinema has essentially humanized the people of Iran for both national and international audiences. ... nema 31 The Green Movement 42 Arab Spring 45 Bibliography 48 Filmography 50 Introduction Iranian cinema has survived complicated transformation and oppressive restrictions that corresponds with the tumultuous socio-political experiences of the country itself. Emerging from one restrictive regime and entering yet another era of restriction, Iranian cinema has suffered through various degrees of oppression ranging from rejection by Islamic clerics on the grounds that Iranian films are instruments of Western corruption to simple rejection on the grounds that Iranian films do not portray Iran in an idealistic light. At the same time, Iranian cinema has also been utilized by Islamic clerics and regime leaders as a propaganda tool to influence popular thought and behaviour (Gregory, 2008). Despite the socio-political challenges, Iranian cinema has gained a reputation characterising it as among the world’s â€Å"most innovative national cinemas† (Blankson & Murphy, 2007, p. 14 4). The success of Iranian cinema is largely attributed to its advanced artistry and its socio-political narratives (Ridgeon, 2000, p. 3). Contemporary and more especially, post-revolutionary film-making in Iran presents a mirror image of daily life and social and political issues in Iran. Thus the new Iranian Cinema has been described as capturing and sharing an â€Å"open image† of Iranian society and politics (Chaudhuri & Finn, 2003, p. 38). Thus it has been argued that contemporary Iranian cinema has essentially humanized the people of Iran for both national and international audiences (Zeydabadi-Nejad, 2010, p. 1). It can therefore be argued that the humanized image of the people of Iran by the aesthetic and realistic representations of social and political issues have worked together to destabilise

Why was King Leopold so Successful in suppressing information about Essay

Why was King Leopold so Successful in suppressing information about his congo ventures - Essay Example Today, the whole rubber terror created by King Leopold has been forgotten altogether, and is not discussed at all. In the book, King Leopold’s Ghost, the author Adam Hochschild refers to this fact as â€Å"the great forgetting.† The book sufficiently offers a well researched account of the brutality, greed and exploitation that Africans were offered by the King Leopold. Through this book, the author has made an attempt to revive all events of primary importance that speak of the long forgotten brutality that King Leopold displayed in Congo. Throughout the book, the concept of Leopold has been shown as larger than life. Paradoxically, the title of the book refers to the ghost of King Leopold, and not his physical being which raises many questions in the mind of the reader. The last chapter of the book named the â€Å"great forgetting† answers all of these questions and also talks about the biggest tragedy among all that have been talked about in the preceding chap ters. King Leopold made a lot of wealth from Congo and his operation made the Congolese incur a lot of cost in all respects. However, all of it suddenly came to an end after the independence of Congo in 1971. Belgium became a part of the European Union.

Risk Management in Brewin Dolphin Holdings Plc Essay

Risk Management in Brewin Dolphin Holdings Plc - Essay Example The object of analysis for the purpose of this assignment is Brewin Dolphin Holding PLC (BDH), a company that offers investment services to its client. The industry in which the company operates is the financial services. Brewin Dolphin Holding offers private investment advice to its richly diverse customers. The company operates in the following markets: England, Wales and the Channel Islands, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Bell Lawrie, Wise Speke in the North of England, and Hill Osborne in the East Midlands. This shows the extent of local market coverage by the Brewin Dolphin plc. BDH operates several subsidiaries which are wholly owned. The subsidiaries include Brewin Nominees Limited, North Castle Street (Nominee) Limited, and Brewin Dolphin Limited (that manages investments). In the recent past, the company formulated and implemented a new strategy that boosted the transformation rate of the services offered and increased the overall growth rate. The company operations are divided into two segments such as the investment management and corporate advisory and broking. Under the investment management segment, the following are the investment management advisory services provided by the company: pensions (including self-invested Pension plans), inheritance tax relief, ISAs and other tax-efficient investments, and international investment portfolios. Under the Corporate advisory and broking segment, the following activities are undertaken: market research, trading and sales services, and activities involving merger and acquisitions, debt advisory services among others. There is an increase in the demand for personal financial management advisory services. Thus, there is an anticipation of future growth in the market. The driving force behind the increase in demand is the increasing rate at which the society strives to become financially independent. In the United Kingdom alone, two million individuals were estimated to own liquid assets in excess of  £ 100,000 by the end of the year 2012. By that time, only  £ 548 billion of the funds were under the management of wealth management companies in the UK. Out of the eleven wealth management companies, Brewin Dolphin managed 15% of the total funds, giving a market share of 15%.

Colonialism in Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Colonialism in Africa - Essay Example The indigenous people in Africa reacted differently to European colonialism. Most of them were against the colonial powers since they saw it as a way of undermining their cultural values and practices. The colonial powers came with a new system of formal education and religion that Africans were not ready to adopt. The Europeans also introduced new systems of government that collided with the systems that governed the indigenous people. The chiefs and other leaders of the African communities lost their significance in their own land. Many African communities went into war with the Europeans to drive them out of their countries. Although there is a number of the countries that collaborated with the European rule, this was only based on a short-term basis after which they resisted. The major goal of the American Revolution is to attain the independence of America by fighting back the control by the British government. Initially, the colonies did not have problems with the British powers because there was no direct parliamentary control by the British. Following the Indian and French wars between 1754 and 1763, Britain lost huge amounts of money that had to be recovered. The colonial power imposed taxes on the colonies without their knowledge to pay for the huge national debt. This was the initial action that outraged the colonialists and the primary factor that led to the violent revolution that followed. From 1765 to 1783, the rebel colonialists in the American colonies rejected the aristocracy imposed to them by the British.

Judaism and the Jews in New York Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Judaism and the Jews in New York - Term Paper Example American Jews are American citizens having Jewish faith and Jewish ethnicity and whose origin also is from other countries. A wide range of Jewish cultural traditions and a full spectrum of Jewish religious observance are apparent in the Jewish community of America. The Jews of America live overwhelmingly in the suburbs of the largest American cities. The American Jews by every measure constitute to be one of the highest socio economic groups of the United states and they share almost all the characteristics of the upper middle class urban Americans. Depending on demographic studies and religious definitions, the United States is home to the world’s second largest Jewish community. This paper in particular intends to describe Jews in New York and their religion ‘Judaism’. Who is a Jew? The Jews represent a group of people having some unique characteristics rather than a distinct race or ethnic group. Although the Jews originally came from the Middle East, many a n umber of races and people have joined together in Jewish communities over the centuries, especially after Jews were forced out of Palestine in the second century A.D. In America, they engaged in marriages with Christians and formed a mixed community. It is evidently, a common Jewish heritage that passed down from generation to generation that binds the group together. And for the Jews in New York also, the binding element is their religion. Although most often, Judaism is used as a term referring to the Jewish religion, sometimes it is used to refer to all Jews. In other words, one does not have to be religious to be Jewish. In general, one is Jewish if one is born of a Jewish mother or converted to Judaism. Unlike Christians, they are still waiting for the arrival of a Savior who would integrate all the Jews who have been scattered and gone astray. Advent of Jews to America There is no unanimous opinion among the historians as to when the first Jews came to America. Although many b elieve that Jews reached America in the ancient period either when they were attacked by aliens or when they faced persecution from the Christians, no solid evidences are available to prove this argument. As Adler and Huhner point out, still it is believed that the first Jews came to North America in 1654 and settled in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam which was later renamed as New York. Most of those who came were refugees from Recife, a Dutch colony in Brazil. It was when the Portuguese attacked the colony the Jews left Recife and headed to Holland. But as they ran out of money they were forced to settle at the Dutch colony of North America (Adler and Huhner). The newly came people were granted permission to inhabit in the American soil and to practice their religion and customs and this marked the beginning of a new community and religion in the land of America. The migrant Jews assimilated into the culture of Native Americans in all aspects of life. In other words, they had to imbibe the basic characteristics of the American community as forming distinctiveness was not possible challenging the customs of the natives. All together, the modern Jewish culture in America embodies an international culture of secular communities of Jewish people and the indigenous practices of the natives. Jews continued migrating to America on realizing it was a secure place for them. During the middle decades of the 19th century, there were considerable

Colonialism in Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Colonialism in Africa - Essay Example The indigenous people in Africa reacted differently to European colonialism. Most of them were against the colonial powers since they saw it as a way of undermining their cultural values and practices. The colonial powers came with a new system of formal education and religion that Africans were not ready to adopt. The Europeans also introduced new systems of government that collided with the systems that governed the indigenous people. The chiefs and other leaders of the African communities lost their significance in their own land. Many African communities went into war with the Europeans to drive them out of their countries. Although there is a number of the countries that collaborated with the European rule, this was only based on a short-term basis after which they resisted. The major goal of the American Revolution is to attain the independence of America by fighting back the control by the British government. Initially, the colonies did not have problems with the British powers because there was no direct parliamentary control by the British. Following the Indian and French wars between 1754 and 1763, Britain lost huge amounts of money that had to be recovered. The colonial power imposed taxes on the colonies without their knowledge to pay for the huge national debt. This was the initial action that outraged the colonialists and the primary factor that led to the violent revolution that followed. From 1765 to 1783, the rebel colonialists in the American colonies rejected the aristocracy imposed to them by the British.

Globalization and North East India Essay Example for Free

Globalization and North East India Essay I.Introduction Ever since the term ‘globalization’ appeared for the first time in the second half of twentieth century no other word has meant so many different things to different people and has evoked as much emotions. The forces of globalization affect virtually every country in the world. It has opened the door of many new opportunities as well as formidable challenges. All spheres of life–social, political, cultural and economic–have been subjected to both the positive and negative elements of globalization. With all its promises on the overall qualitative improvement of life and social harmony, some see it as the saviour of universal peace and prosperity. On the other hand, rising mercury of its negative elements some condemn it as a new kind of chaos. While everyone welcomes the new opportunities that has emerged one cannot simply leave those negative elements unattended. Therefore, the main task now is to analyze, understand and manage globalization doing our best to harness its benefits and keep those negative consequences at bay. 1 India joined the club of globalized economy in 1991when its economy is under the spell of fiscal and balance of payment crisis which compel her to initiate several structural adjustment programme and economic liberalization. Since then, India’s share to the global economy is getting larger. Today, looking at overall health of the economy and growth performance2, India seems to have struck the right note of the globalization string. With its vast natural and human resources and ability to synchronize the speed of change taking place in the international market, many have considered the India’s economy as one of the most resilient economy in the world. Now, the most pertinent question arises in the recent years is; has the benefits of globalization disbursed to all the regions of the Indian union? Certainly the answer is NO. India’s attempt to tackle the problems of income inequalities has been going on since independence under the centralized planning system. It, however, failed to provide the necessary growth impetus to the poorer states to reduce regional disparities in any meaningful manner in spite of four decades of economic planning. In the post globalization era, considering the size and diversity of the country, shrinking role of government would ultimately be a failure to achieve the set objective. With the opening of economy, states with better infrastructure facilities, better skill labour and work culture, investor friendly environment and more importantly states which can reform themselves in accordance to the need of the market oriented economy have attracted much of the private investment–both national as well as foreign. These states have grown much faster than states which are not, leading to widening disparities.3 This has posed a great challenge to academicians and polic y makers, even though globalization is an uneven process with unequal distribution of benefits and losses, who must ensure the benefits of globalization be distributed to all the regions/states of Indian union. Secondly, to what extent the high growth rate achieved so far has been translated into development for the well-being of its people? It is all the more necessary to ascertain the magnitude of development because development shouldn’t be seen as mere enhancement of national or personal income as it alone cannot serve the objective of securing the socio-economic equality. High growth rate achieved so far is a big accomplishment as the resources so generated could be utilized for developmental purposes to meet the desired social ends.4 It would, however, be highly injustice and misleading to interpret economic growth and economic development synonymously, yet a popular cynicism among the political circle in particular, as development covers much wider range and value. In short, achievement of higher growth rate should be reflected in terms of quality of life of the people. The failure to realize the value of high growth is the main reason for the rejection of ‘shining India/feel good factor’ slogan of the ruling party in 2004 general election. This implies that the higher growth rate achieved so f ar in the post globalization period could not be translated in terms of improvement in the quality of life of the common people. According to Sen any reform programme should consists of three R’s–reach, range and a reason–which every responsible individual should analyze, understand and act accordingly. The values of high growth often depend on what the size, composition and nature of that growth do to the lives and freedoms of the people involved.5 With the increasing concern of widening of inter-state disparities and lack of development, it is highly imperative to assess the effects of globalization on North East India-a relatively uncharted region of the country-as fifteen years is long enough to give some clear pictures. With this objective, the present study attempts to locate the clues of the following quarries; has the region been able to gain from the benefits of globalization? What are the major issues and challenges confronting or likely to confront in the coming years? What are the unexplored opportunities that can be harnessed? This would require examining the prevalent scenario of the region in the pre and post globalization period. The present study shall cover 1980 to 2005 considering 1991 as the dividing year of the two periods. The study has been organized into five sections including introduction. In section II, a brief profile of NE states has been sketched. In section III, some of the issues and formidable challenges needed to be addressed sooner than the later has been discussed. In section IV, discussed the unexplored opportunities in the region. Finally, we conclude the study in section V . II.North East Profile The North East India comprises of eight contiguous states6 of highly undulating hilly terrains, covering 263,179 sq km which is about 8% of the total geographical area of the country. The region is one of the landlocked regions of South Asia. About 4500 km i.e. 98% of its border is with five different countries of South Asia–Nepal, Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh. No other region of the Indian union share common border with so many different countries connecting with the heartland through the tenuous 22 km Siliguri corridor. The region is the home of extraordinarily diverse mosaic of ethnic groups having distinctive social, cultural and economic identity, more akin to their South Asia neighbours than main land India. The total population of the region is about 38 million, 3.8 per cent of the country’s total population, of which Assam contributes 68 per cent of the total population. Assam recorded the highest density of population with 340 per sq. km., which is also higher than the national average of 313 per sq. km., followed by Tripura with 305 per sq. km. Otherwise, the region is sparsely populated with an overall density of population of 149 per sq. km. Table 1 The decennial growth rate recorded in most of the states during the previous decade is higher than the national level of 21.54 per cent. Nagaland recorded the highest growth rate (64.46 per cent), also highest among the states of the Indian union, followed by Sikkim (33.25 per cent) and Meghalaya (30.65 per cent). Only Tripura (16.03% per cent) and Assam (18.92 per cent), two of the most populated states, have recorded lower growth rate than all India level. The region is richly endowed with bio-diversity, hydro-potential, minerals like oil and natural gas, coal, limestone, dolomite, graphite, quartzite, sillimonite etc. and forest wealth. Over 10 per cent of forest products requirement in the country are met from this region only. The region has a very high potential to generate hydropower i.e. about 80 per cent of the total hydropower potential in the country. Arunachal Pradesh alone is expected to generate 2,67,474 MW i.e. 30 per cent of the total available in the country. With varied geo-climatic condition, the region is ideally suited for horticulture, floriculture and other plantation crops. A variety of fruits like pineapples, banana, orange, lemon, mango, papaya etc. grow abundantly in the region. The region is famous for most number of orchid varieties in the country. Tea is the major plantation crop grown in the region and is the largest producer in the country contributing over 95 per cent of the total production. The region is also richly endowed with varieties of medicinal plants having high value in the international market. But, due to the lack of proper infrastructure, transport and communication system and geo-political condition of the region these resources largely remained untapped. Source: Report of the Twelfth Finance Commission, p 61. The region is grossly deficient of infrastructure to tap the available resources and push the economy forward. An examination of the infrastructure index–a composite profile of the availability of physical, social and institutional infrastructure available in the states revealed that all the states of the region are at the lowest rung of the infrastructure index ladder. It shows that the level of infrastructural development in the region is almost negligible. In terms of human development index–a composite index capturing the three dimensions of human development viz. economic, education and health-the region have done reasonably well than most of the states of Indian union. Among the eight states, Assam ranked the lowest, which has been placed in lower middle category and Mizoram in high category while rest of the states are either in high middle or middle category. The success of these states in this regard is mainly induced by the education sector. Apart from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya the literacy rate in the remaining states, as shown in Table 1, are higher than the national average. The economy of the region primarily depends on agriculture sector contributing over 40 per cent of the income and employ about 70 per cent of the total working population. Although NSDP share of agriculture sector has declined to about 30 per cent, the number of population dependent upon this sector continued to remain high even in the post globalization period. The decline in the NSDP’s share of agriculture sector has been more or less compensated by the increase in the share of service sector. That is, the service sector growth rate during the corresponding period is commendable. Nevertheless, the industrial sector in the region continued to be in pathetic condition. Industrially the region is one of the most backward regions in India. Only Assam, and to some extent Meghalaya, have moved ahead of the rest of the states in terms of industrial development whose industrialization centered on tea, oil and timber. An examination on the overall annual compound growth rate of NSDP in the region revealed that there is a slight improvement in post globalization period though varies from stat to state. Source: http://mospi.nic.in/rept%20_%20pubn/ftest.asp?rept_id=nad03_1993_1994type=NSSO Note: * At 1980-81 prices, ** From 1993 to 2002 only, †  at Current Price, a denotes Acceleration, d denotes Deceleration During the decade of 80s only Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland experienced higher annual compound growth of NSDP than the national level. However, in the post globalization period i.e. 1991-2002, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura have performed better than the national level. The growth rate experienced in these states is not only higher but also accelerating. Though the NSDP growth rate of Manipur is lower than the national level but higher than the previous decade and is accelerating. While Assam’s growth rate is lower in the post globalization but grows at an accelerating rate which is a positive sign. In the post globalization period the growth performances in the region have improved marginally. The higher growth rate of NSDP in the region is mainly induced by higher and accelerating growth rate of service sector. The higher growth rate of NSDP experienced in some of the states is not commensurate with the growth rate of per capita income. The per capita income growth rates of all the states, baring Tripura, falls below the national level in the corresponding period. While Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Nagaland have worsened, the performance of Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura seem to be relatively better than the previous decade. The lower growth rate of per capita income experienced may be attributed to high growth rate of population, particularly poorer section of the society. The percentage of population living below the poverty line in the region continued to remain high. Only Mizoram seems to have done exceptionally well in poverty eradication where the percentage has declined from 36 per cent in 1983 to 19.47 per cent in 1999-2000. In the remaining states there is only a marginal decline in poverty ratio. In 1983, the percentage of population living below the poverty line at national level is much higher than that of all the states of the region. It is just the reversal in 1999-2000-all the states other than Mizoram have higher percentage than national level of 26.1 per cent. Over one-third of the population is still consists of the most vulnerable section of the society. Further, an examination on the per capita per month consumption expenditure revealed that the inequality in the per capita monthly consumption expenditure has also increased in spite of the improvement in the growth performance in the post globalization period. In 1993-94, Assam has the lowest per capita per month consumption expenditure followed by Manipur and Sikkim. These three states are even lower than the national level of Rs. 328.18 per month. However, in 1999-2000, only Assam and Sikkim experienced lower per capita per month consumption expenditure than that of national level of Rs. 590.98 per month. The increase in consumption expenditure in the globalization era is quite impressive. At the same time, inequality in consumption expenditure, as revealed by the Gini coefficient8, has also increased in most of the states which is an indication of widening disparities among different sections of the society. This implies that the benefits of higher growth rate experienced, though marginally, in the post reform period have not been tickled down to the poorer sections of the society in the desired pace and the problem of income inequality within the state has worsened. An overall scenario of the region in the post globalization period is not very impressive as in the case of other region of the Indian union. This may be attributed to the prevailing geo-political condition in the region and attitude of the central government in tackling the issues of the region. In the following section we shall examine some of the issues and challenges which required an immediate attention. III.The Challenges Being one of the most neglected regions of the Indian union, overall state of affairs in the region is quite alarming. The unattended issues and problems of the past are being accumulated, multi-layered and have become multifarious. Over and above, the mounting pressures of emerging challenges of rapid transformation need to be countered. The clock is ticking fast and situation in the region is very delicate which may explode anytime from now if not tackled carefully. At this juncture the old habit of alibis and hinting would only aggravate the maladies of the past and swell negative elements of the globalization. Instead, it is the time to think and act collectively. The region has more issues to be addressed and challenges to face than any other parts of the country. Of which, the three most important areas which require immediate attention are insurgency, infrastructure and governance. All the other issues are derivatives which would dry up once these three are addressed. a.Insurgency The problem of insurgency in the region has a long history. The insular politics and Delhi centric approach of the Indian government is at the core of much of the discontents, widespread criticism, feelings of subjugation and notion of being colonized. There is a constant fear in the minds of the people that their identity is being eroded due to the submergence into the vast ocean of Indian humanity.9 The people of the region started alienating themselves and the feeling of self-determination started to germinate. With the aim of preserving their own identity various ethnic groups inhabiting in the region, undisturbed for centuries, began to differentiate among each other severing the local ties and affinities and started to struggle with arms.10 Thus, insurgency has mushroomed in the region and the secessionist movements, either for sovereignty or for separate homeland, began to lock horns leading to a vertical division among various ethnic groups. Therefore, prior to any policy pro gramme to resolve the problem of insurgency in the region, the political processes that has been framed and pursued to convert a breeding ground of insurgencies must be reversed first. Simultaneously, the attitude and security obsess mindsets of the central government should also change and embrace the region with open arms so as to restore the lost confidence of the common people. Insurgency is the major problem inflicting the region. With the passage of time it has increasingly become more complex and difficult to understand as their objectives, role and activities varied widely.11 In the name of nationalist movement they were involved and interfered in every state’s affairs including household chores, like a moral police, of their people. Each insurgent group runs parallel government. In a way, apart from Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, all the remaining states have multiple governments. The problem of insurgency has become the stumbling block in the course of development. It foundered every development strategy and hampered all the developmental works. Kidnapping, extortion, killing, bandh, strikes and curfews have become the order of the day. At the same time, the numbers and activities of the plain criminals masquerading as insurgents have also increased alarmingly. Today, the region has become the killing field and specialized in the export to death bodies, if not the manufacturing products. In short, the region has reached the pinnacle of the industrialization of insurgency and criminalization process. It would not be easy to find the solution. However, keeping in mind the rising global terrorism, it would be wise to work on a holistic approach for amicable solution sooner than the later. At the same time, what every insurgent group, operating in the region, should realize is that the formation of separate homeland or attainment of more autonomy or sovereignty is not the solution because within itself formation of new group with new demand can not be ruled out. b.Infrastructure The rich natural and human resources available in the region could not be utilized to the full extent mainly due to the geo-political condition, including ever-deteriorating law and order, which has a lot of implication on the development of must needed infrastructure. The negligence of the central government in the past and due to the problems of insurgency at present resulted into the gross deficiency of infrastructure in the region. This has crippled the free flow of factors as well as products. In such a situation, it would be hard for the region to accrue the benefits of globalization. It is also not surprising to find the lack of FDI inflow in the region. During January 2000 to Mach 2006 the region received only 9 million US dollar i.e. 0.04 per cent of the total FDI inflow in the country. The lack of infrastructure, as revealed by the infrastructure index given in Table 2, has not only spoiled the prospect of economic development but has also created a horizontal division amon g various ethnic groups affecting the fabrics of social harmony in the region. All the â€Å"constituent states of the region are internally locked–themselves locked and locking out others, unable to connect with each other physically in terms of poor transport links, and more seriously, unable to make connections intellectually and emotionally with their closest neighbours, or even with and among their own people.†12 It has displaced the common understanding and linkages for peaceful coexistence and regional cooperation. In order to reconnect the lost connectivity, trade and commerce and more importantly to foster emotional attachment among various ethnic groups inhabiting in the region infrastructures like roads, transports, communications electricity, banking etc. must be developed adequately. Such exercise would not only enlarge the base for the growth of the economy in the region but also enhance the regional cooperation-an engine of growth in this era of globalization. Underdevelopment breeds insurgency and insurgency retards development. Th is two are mutually reinforcing. This is a classic case of vicious cycle of underdevelopment-insurgency-underdevelopment. Therefore, any policy programmes either to resolve the problems of insurgency or development of much needed infrastructure should go concurrently and not sequentially as it hampered the progress of one another. Further, as it has been asserted in the Planning Commission report on Transforming the North East, the approach of the central government should change from â€Å"planning for the North East to planning with the North East†.13 This implies that, under the prevailing circumstances mere allocation of funds or implementation of new policy would not suffice to tackle the problems in the region. Considering the emotional sentiments of the inhabitants and sensitivity of the issues, the region must be handled with care. Every developmental programme for the region should have the consent of the inhabitants and needs to be executed with sincerity without delay. c.Governance â€Å"The state is responsible for the creation of conducive political, legal and economic environment for building individual capabilities and encouraging private initiatives.†14 It would, however, depend on the quality of the governance–mechanism, processes, systems, structures and institutions that guide the social, economic and political relationship. Good governance exercises its legitimate political power in a manner that is perceived as equitable, non-discriminatory, socially sensitive, participatory, transparent and accountable to the people at large. This includes not only the process of transformation of human and natural endowments to a socially desired ends but also reveals the long term vision and commitment of the state to secure human well being and sustained development of the people.15 The state of governance in the region is in pathetic condition. Government machinery is on the brink of collapse. Corruption, squandering of public funds, deteriorating law and order, lack of transparency and accountability, bureaucratic rigmarole, insensitivity and so forth are quite rampant in the region. There is widespread allegation of insurgency-government officials-bureaucrats-politician nexus, including law enforcing agencies, and siphon off public funds. All this has eroded the individual capabilities and institutional capacities to meet the social objectives. Until and unless the quality of governance has been improved, no matter how much is the fund earmarked for whatever the policy programme initiated would not be successful and only the common people have to bear the brunt. Taking into consideration of the paradigm shift in the development strategy and the amount of funds allocated16 in recent time, we may no longer be able to blame the central government in the near future. The present state of affairs in the region is past deed of the central government and what the future generation will face would be decided by what our government has done today. IV.Opportunities The economy of the region has been disrupteded by the forces discussed in the preceding section in spite of her rich natural resources. Besides the natural resources, many new opportunities have also emerged with the changing contour of world economy that can boost the economy of the region. But, the need of the hour is to focus on those areas which would lead to growth of the economy, develop the sense of participation and can extinguish the social and political chasm. The two main areas that can boost the economy are as follows: a.Tourism Tourism is one sector where the region has comparative advantage. This industry is highly competitive where the tourists have a wide range of choices and look for good value of their money. With bountiful nature’s breathtaking scenic beauty, salubrious climatic conditions, extraordinarily diverse rich art and cultural heritage of the people, this region can become a hotspot for eco and adventure tourism. Tourism industry involves a vast network of business activities relating to attracting, receiving, accommodating, managing and servicing of tourists. These include hotels, restaurants, transport agency and several other related activities. The development of this industry would promote national integration and international understanding, generate employment and revenue and provide prospective buyers for local manufactured products especially handloom and handicraft products–a dyeing industry due to lack of access to market. Tourism can generate more employment per million of rupees spent than any other activities. It can generate jobs in the remotest corners for unskilled to highly specialized skilled workers which would help in the realization of plan objectives. It would also enlarge the base of locally manufactured products. All this, however, would be possible only when there is well-developed infrastructure like transport and communication and sense of participation of the people of the region. b.Border trade The lack of connectivity and access to market, the main causes for under utilization of resources and weak resource-industry linkages, have set the economy of the region by half a century behind. The region has lost the markets in her neighbourhood, particularly in Bangladesh, due to partition, insurgency and diplomatic strains and tensions. Due to the peripheral location and stiff competition from mainland industries having better access to critical inputs like finance, technology and management, the base of traditional manufacturing in the region has been eroded leading to deindustrialization. While resource base can support a variety of industries at all scales, the existing industrial structure, dominated by small-scale demand based industries has not been developed proportionately. This has widened the gap between resource base and industrial structure in the region. Further, due to the restriction of free movement of men and material across the border, the notion of isolation h as developed in the minds of the people. It is in this context, there is a strong argument to develop border trade. In this increasingly borderless world, establishment of border trade would not only provide an opportunity to revive the local manufactured units but also serve as a transit corridor for the mainland big industrial units to explore the vast Asian market. This would also bring the centrality and visibility of the otherwise peripheral north eastern region.17 It is with this vision that ‘look east policy’ was initiated in 1991. Unfortunately, as old habits die hard; the central government still continues to live in the shadow of security obsessed mindset and prefers inward looking approach. As a result, even after fifteen years of implementation of border trade agreement, it has failed to invigorate the region’s trade with their neibhouring countries. As a result, India’s look east policy has, by and large, bypassed the region. The percentage of trade with neighbouring countries have zoom up to 8 per cent of the country’s total volume of trade in 2003-04 from a mere 1.7 per cent in 1987-88. However, over two-third of the total volume of trade with these countries flow via Bay of Bengal while the land borders of the region have been left for transit corridors for illegal trade . The tepidity of the central government in implementation of the policy has only led to rise in the porosity of these borderlands. An impressionistic assessment reveals that there is a rise in negative activities like cross-border insurgency, gunrunning, smuggling drugs, narcotics and AIDS, money laundering, trafficking women, illegal immigration etc. which further add to the existing multifarious problems in the region. Conclusion Globalization has become the most potent force emerged in recent time. It virtually affects every walk of lifepositive or negative. Unlike other regions of the Indian union, North East India is more likely to swamp by its negative effects. The region is at the throes of discernible crisis. Since 1991, there has been increase in inequality and unemployment, decline in the quality of the governance, rise in smuggling, trafficking, illegal immigration, corruption, squandering of public funds, escalation in insurgency related activities, etc. These have led to underdevelopment and erosion of the capacity of the individual and quality of life. A sense of deprivation has developed particularly among the educated youths of the region. The clock is ticking fast and fuse is not long. It is time to work on a holistic approach to resolve problems in the region. Notes 1. Chanda, Nayan, 2003, â€Å"What is Globalization? Coming Together: Globalization Means Reconnecting the Human Community†, YaleGlobal Online, http://www.globalenvision.org/library/8/567. 2. Recently it has been argued that the turning point of higher growth rate in India was 1980 but not 1991 as perceived by many. For more details see Nayyar, Deepak. 2006. â€Å"Economic Growth in Independence India: Lumbering Elephant or Running Tiger?†, Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 41, no. 15, pp. 1451-1458. 3. Some authors even argued that coastal states with open port facility have outperformed non-coastal states in the post globalization era. For more detail see Kishore, Adharsh. 2002. Towards an Indian Approach to Globalization, http://www.rba.gov.au/PublicationsAndResearch/Conferences/2002/kishore.pdf. 4. Sen, Amartya, 2005, â€Å"The Three R’s of Reforms†, Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 40, no. 19, p. 1. 5. ibid., p. 1. 6. Sikkim becomes the member of North East Council on December 2002 after an amendment of the NEC Act 1971. Since then all development purposes of the state has been treated at per with the other seven states of the region. However, the addition of Sikkim in the North Eastern Region is yet to be reflected in the literature of NER. 7. The Report of the Special Group on Targeting Ten Million Employment Opportunities per Year over the Tenth Plan Period has viewed that Current Daily Status (CDS) is the better measure to capture unemployment than Usual Principal and Subsidiary Status (UPSS). 8. The National Human Development Report 2001 provides the estimate of Gini Coefficient for rural and urban area only. It does not provide the combine estimate of the two. 11. For more detail analysis see Roy, Sanjay K. 2005. â€Å"Conflicting Nations in North-East India†, Economic and Political weekly, vol. 40, no. 21, pp. 2176-2182. 12. Prabhakra, M. S. 2004. â€Å"Is North-East India Landlocked?†, Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 39, no. 42, p. 4608. 13. GOI. 1997. Transforming the North East: Tackling Backlogs in Basic Minimum Services and Infrastructure Needs, High Level Commission Report to the Prime Minister, Planning Commission, http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/ne_exe.pdf, p. 2. 14. GOI. 2001. National Human Development Report, Planning Commission, http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/nhdrep/nhdreportf.htm, p. 114. 15. ibid, p. 114. 16. Apart from all the constituent states being classified as Special Category States, establishment of NEC and induction of DoNER speaks the volume of fund allocated to this region. 17. Verghese, B. G., op. cit. Reference Ahluwalia, Montek S. (2000): â€Å"Economic Performance of States in Post-Reforms Period†, Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 35, no. 19, pp. 1637-1648. Bajpai, M. (2002): â€Å"A Decade of Economic Reforms in India: The Unfinished Agenda†, Working Paper no. 89, Center for International Development, Harvard University, http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/CID/cidwp/089.pdf. Barbora, Sanjay (2006): â€Å"Rethinking India’s Counter-insurgency Campaign in North-East†, Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 41, no. 35, pp. 3805-3812. Baruah, Sanjib: â€Å"The Problem†, http://www.manipuronline.com/North-East/November2005/theproblem23_2.htm. Bhattacharya, B. B. S. Sakthivel (2004): â€Å"Regional Growth and Disparity in India: A Comparison of Pre and Post-Reform Decades†, http://iegindia.org/worksakthi244.pdf. Chanda, Nayan (2003): â€Å"What is Globalization? Coming Together: Globalization means reconnecting the human community†, http://www.globalenvision.org/library/8/567. Ghosh, Madhusudan (2006): â€Å"Economic Growth and Human Development in Indian States†, Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 41, no. 30, pp. 3321-3329. GOI (1997): â€Å"Transforming the North East: Tackling Backlogs in Basic Minimum Services and Infrastructure Needs†, High Level Commission Report to the Prime Minister, Planning Commission, http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/ne_exe.pdf. GOI (2001): â€Å"National Human Development Report†, Planning Commission, New Delhi, http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/nhdrep/nhdreportf.htm GOI (2002): â€Å"Report of the Committee on India Vision 2020†, Planning Commission, New Delhi, http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/pl_vsn2020.pdf. GOI (2004): â€Å"Report of the Twelfth Finance Commission (2005-10)†, Ministry of Finance, http://finance.rajasthan.gov.in/doc/12fcreng.pdf. Grare, Frederic Amitabh Mattoo (2003): Beyond the Rhetoric: The Economics of India’s Look East Policy, Manohar Publishers Distributors, New Delhi. Gupta, K. R. (2005): â€Å"Liberalization and Globalization of Indian Economy†, Gupta, K. R. (ed.) Liberalization and Globalization of Indian Economy, vol. VI, pp. 304-315, Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, New Delhi. Humanshu (2007): â€Å"Recent Trends in Poverty and Inequality: Some Preliminary Results†, Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 42, no. 6, pp. 497-508. Khanna, Sushil (2005): â€Å"Economic Opportunities or Continuing Stagnation†, http://www.manipuronline.com/Economy/November2005/stagnationoropportuny18_1.htm. Kishore, Adharsh (2002): Towards an Indian Approach to Globalization, http://www.rba.gov.au/PublicationsAndResearch/Conferences/2002/kishore.pdf. Kurian, N. J. (2000): â€Å"Widening Regional Disparities in India: Some Indicators†, Economic and Political weekly, vol. 35. No. 7, pp. 538-550. Nayyar, Deepak (2006): â€Å"Economic Growth in Independent India. Lumbering Elephant or Running Tiger?†, Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 41, no. 15, pp.1451-1458. NSSO (1997): Employment and Unemployment in India, 1993-94, 50th Round, Report No. 409. NSSO (2006): Employment and Unemployment Situation in India, 2004-05, 61st Round, Report No. 515. Prabhakra, M. S. (2004): â€Å"Is North-East India Landlocked†, Economic and Political Weekly, vo. 39, no. 42, pp.4606-4608. Ramachandran, H.: â€Å"Governance and People’s Participation†, 15 Background Paper: Vision 2020, http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/reportsf.htm. Roy, Sanjay K. (2005): â€Å"Conflicting Nations in North-East India†, Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 40, no. 21, pp. 2176-2182. Sen, Amartya (2005): â€Å"The Three R’s of Reforms†, Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 40, no. 19, pp. 1971-1974. Sinha, A. K. (2005): â€Å"India: Steps Towards Liberalization and Globalization†, Gupta, K. R. (ed.) Liberalization and Globalization of Indian Economy, vol. VI, pp. 315-330, Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, New Delhi. Sinha, Aseema: â€Å"Globalization, Rising Inequality, and New Insecurities in India†, http://209.235.207.197/imgtest/TaskForceDiffIneqDevSinha.pdf Upadhyay, Archana (2006): â€Å"Terrorism in the North-East: Linkages and Implications†, Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 41, no. 48, pp. 4993-4999. Verghese, B. G.: â€Å"Unfinished Business in the North East: Pointers Towards Restructuring, Reform, Reconciliation and Resurgence†, Seventh Kamal Kumari Memorial Lecture, http://www.freeindiamidia.com/economy/19_june_economy.htm.

Teaching Writing Skills To Vietnamese Students Education Essay

Teaching Writing Skills To Vietnamese Students Education Essay Background of the problem Writing skill which includes language, private knowledge and skill, emotion and the interaction of personal opinion is difficult and challenging to learn and develop for many students in EFL contexts in general and in Vietnam in particular. In Vietnam, there are many teachers of English who even believe that teaching writing skill to EFL learners is more complex than teaching other communicative skills (Mazdayasna Tahririan, 2001). Although language learners have to learn hard to have good compositions, they still have made a variety of errors or mistakes when writing. In other words, EFL learners often feel stressful and anxious when writing in a foreign language (Spratt Leung, 2000). Consequently, language teachers and researchers have made an effort to know how they can do to help students be able to minimize their mistakes in their writing. However, they also admit that it is impossible for them or any teacher to read and correct all the students compositions on writing lessons because correcting written work is time-consuming (Ur, 1999, p.74), especially for large classes. Peer feedback (also peer correction, peer response or peer review) with its advantages can be a promising way which can be used to encourage students to read and give comments and suggestions together for enrichment of their peers writings before the final versions of their products are submitted to their teachers. Peer correction works as a vital part in the process approach to teaching writing because it helps learners realize their learning level as well as their demands for enhancement of writing ability. Brown (1994) and Gipps (1994) have the same opinion that feed back is one of the main factors in the process of English learning and teaching. Many other researchers, for example, Paulus (1999), Min (2006) promote the idea that verbal and written feedback should be applied to foster writing skills. This strategy, thus, has been used popularly on the writing lessons of many English classes in Vietnam consisting of those at centre of Informatics and Foreign Language, Thai Nguyen College of Education, Thai Nguyen Uni. Ur (1999, p.74) states that peer correction can help us not only save time, but also develop the critical reading skill for content, organization, style and language accuracy. Additionally, peer feedback can receive an efficient method to make students to have critical thinking of writing and assessment skills than teacher feedback. In other words, peer feedback helps learners make good use of their own effort to make their writings expressive and effective. However, in spite of its roles and impact on the process of writing, peer feedback has not been paid much attention in Vietnam. Some researchers such as Tran (2007), Phan (2007) who are interested in peer response in writing introduce their point of view, knowledge and experience about this topic in their researches which show the present state of employing peer feedback learners attitude and especially offer some suggestions to better the current response training. Purpose of the study As mentioned above, it is not difficult to find out studies which research the role of peer feedback in writing skill on the way to foster it. However, the writer of this study with to do the research to know about the fact of peer feedback in Vietnam in general and the Centre of Informatics and Foreign Language, TNCE, TNU more clearly. This study also investigates whether peer feedback can have positive impact on ESL writing process among pre-intermediate non major students at this Centre or not; they can revise their own writing works to develop their writing skill or not and how this process really happens. Bearing in mind, the writer decides the research with title Using peer correction in teaching writing skill to help Vietnamese college non-major students at CIF, CE, TNU reduce errors in their written compositions Research question(s) or statement of hypothesis This study aims at finding answer to the following research question: How can peer correction helps EFL learners reduce mistakes in their written compositions? The question is addressed to one of the writing classes that I am teaching this term in Centre of Informatics and Foreign Language, College of Education, Thai Nguyen University with the aim to examine how peer correction affects the process of revising and writing a complete composition of my students here. Organization of the study This study can be divided into five chapters. In this chapter, background of the EFL writing in local context is given and the aim of this study is also identified. Chapter 2 mentions some reviews of the literature which go through related literature and researches, in which, general of writing teaching and a brief idea of peer feedback in writing skill will be focused. In chapter 3, the writer describes the methodology and processes of the research. Chapter 4 presents data analysis and findings. Chapter 5 gives some implications of the study, summarizes main point discussed in the study, indicates some limitations and proposes some suggestions for the further researches. Lastly, the final parts of the study are appendixes and references. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Overview of writing process Lannon (1989) claims that writing is a process delivering meaningful messages and including its own specific goal. This process requires students to work hard instead of regarding it as an uncomplicated act (Byrne, 1988). However, in language teaching and learning process, Tribble (1996, p.3) defines writing as a language skill that involves not just a graphic representation of speech, but the development and presentation of thoughts in a structured way. This means writers need to arrange their ideas logically and systematically. There have been different approaches to teaching writing EFL classes but two most popular ones are product approach and process one. Product approach can be the traditional method of writing which stresses the final outcome of the writing process as well as grammar, usage, form and mechanics of the composition. Students are often asked to write a similar paragraph basing on the model and using new taught structures, vocabularies or any aspects of language. A fter that, the teacher will correct students writings or feedback in the class commonly means the correction of the students language errors (Mazdayasna Tahririan, 2001, p.56). Therefore, students find difficult to know why and how they made errors to avoid repeating them on the next tasks. Though thanks to this method students can sometimes reject errors (Tribble, 1996), it does not encourage students create in writing at all, the use of language is manipulate of fixed patterns; the patterns are learned by imitation (Pincas, 1962, p.185). Over the last forty years, there has been remarkable interest in writing process. There are many researchers and educators suggesting language teachers that they should pay attention to students writing process instead of only their final writing version (Paige Way, Joiner and Seaman, 2000). Process writing can contain stages such as rewriting, writing, revising and rewriting or editing. However, Reid (1993) supplement this process with three more stages, namely, responding, evaluating and post-writing, in which peer feedback is focused more in responding. Prewriting: something done before drafting such as choosing a topic, brainstorming, collecting data, organizing. Composing / drafting: actually writing. Revising: selecting organization, structures, edition or collection word. Rewriting: completing stage step by step. Responding: getting the teacher and peers responses, discussing with them about papers to improve the content. Evaluating: receiving marks or scores from the teachers. Post-writing: any activities happened after completing rewriting and getting assessment (role-play) Cresswell claims that to as students to exchange their writing draft is an effective way to foster their learning autonomy and help them become alert reader when proofreading their partners written tasks (2000). As the result, they also have critical thinking when they read their own paper to find and correct themselves their mistakes in those, i.e. their writing ability can be develop (Markino, 1993). It is necessary to allow students to have more time to write and get feedback from their teachers and classmates, and then rewrite the drafts so that they can let reader be abele to understand their idea expressed on the paper better (Frankenberg-Garcia, 1999). Definition and some types of errors Different researchers have different ways to categorize errors. In this study, the writer only wishes to refer one of classification strategies based on the relation to comprehensibility given by Burt and Kiparsky (1972) because of its close concern with the notion of mistakes mentioned in this study. These researchers divided error into two main types: global errors and local ones. Henclrikson (1978) notes that we will be able to realize which error is global or local, because error can be regard as communicative or non-communicative ones. According to Ellis (1997), while global errors such as over generalization or simplification have an effect on explanation of the whole structure of sentence, local error just affect a single factor in sentences, i.e. word, phrases, closures or grammatical morphemes. Burt and Kiparsky (1974) also claim that global error have higher hierarchy than local errors. Thus the global ones seem to be care about and be corrected more than local ones Norish (1983). However, those local errors can be considered as minor ones, error in tense and aspect, they are popular mistakes of English writing learners. Peer feedback and its impact on reducing mistakes and developing writing skill Knowledge is best acquired through negotiated interaction (Grabe Kaplan, 1996, p.380). There are many approaches to error correction and also definitions of peer feedback from many linguists and experts. According to Richards, et al, Peer feedback is an activity in the revising stage of writing in which students receive feedback about their writing from other students-their peers. Typically students work in pairs or small groups, read each others compositions and ask questions or give comments or suggestions (1992, p.268). Some other researchers of EFL writing state that feedback play an essential role in the process of writing. Keh (1990) claims that giving feedback means giving comments and suggestions, which helps the writer edit his or her composition. Through teachers or classmates feedback, students can know what kinds of mistakes they made and how to cope with those mistakes. Therefore, if students can get a productive feedback, they can correct their own errors and avoiding making the similar mistakes in the later writing tasks. It is wise for teachers to require learners responsibilities for their own writing performance and their peers ones because of the strong effect of peer feedback on students review as well as their writing skill. Zamel (1987) supposes that peers are actual and direct readers or reviewers. In the fact that, there are a number of methods teachers utilize to assist students check their mistakes but indeed teachers seem to not be able to resolve the problem individually. Students play the parts of both writers and readers or givers and receivers. Hefernick (1983) regards peer editing as learning and teaching instrument for teachers and learners because students can give helpful feedback each other. Peer writers can edit their own written compositions basing on the readers remarks and comments (Mendonca and John, 1994; Rollison, 1998), so the writers can be better at learning writing. Students can also have superior performance by the student-to-student activities because these activities are often more detailed than teacher feedback (Caulk, 1994). Also, Mangelsdorfin thinks that peer review can help many students to have diverse perception about their topics as well as foster the ideas and make them more clearly in the EFL writings. Therefore, researchers believe that peer feedback can have a positive effect on classroom dynamics and can help to train learners in skills they need to become autonomous (Spratt et al, 2005, p.157). Joyce (1997) employs a research to explore main strategies so as to respond to the EFL students composition writings. After the twelve-week period, by comparing the initial writing sample and the third one after using peer editing, he shows that writing competency of students grows strongly and concludes this strategy is efficient and necessary. In the research conducted by Wong (1999), peer correction was carried out and discovered by qualitative data to ease the process of EFL writing in four factors: grammar, rules and concepts, meaning and emotional elements. In addition, it helps students improve awareness of writing skill. Quantitative findings of this study introduce 97% students admit that they want to apply peer correction in the future. It is important to stress that the writer of this study learns a lot from Wong research, and longs to use some his methods in this research to examine whether it is suitable for the writer teaching fact. Kurt and Atay (2007) also experimented with 86 Turkish Prospective Teachers of English. Those participants are divided into 2 groups: Experimental group (writing an essay and receiving peer feedback) and control group (writing an essay and receiving teacher feedback only). This study concluded that peer feedback helps Turkish PTs reduce writing anxiety and it is really considered as a complementary factor of the teacher feedback. Despite its advantages, peer response has its own weakness. Its procedure requests the training and organization from the teacher as well as it depends on students ability of collaboration with peers. Many students give their partners too general and ambiguous reviews. They make their peers find it difficult to understand and catch messages or information. The writing ability, thus, seems to not improve (Tsui Ng, 2000). CHAPTER 3: METHODS AND PROCEDURES Methods of the study The research is done qualitatively in the context of a 30-student English class. They are non-major students; their level of English proficiency is pre-intermediate and their writing ability is average. In this report, the writer uses two research tools to collect and analyze the needed data, i.e. recording and interview. Recording is used to record the process of peer correction. Chosen subjects were invited to record their discussions and then they were transcribed (Appendix C) for analyzing. Voice recorder is chosen instead of video recorder to prevent their discussions from the presence of another people, which may interrupt their current process of peer correction. The writer also hopes that through recordings she can derive how students check and correct their writings each other and what types of mistakes are corrected most. The second tool used in this study is interviews with students at the end of the research to study whether this strategy is really suitable for them or not, that is, expose students attitude toward peer correction strategy as well as their opinions and get their suggestions to make this process better. According to Herbert and Irene (1995), in interviews students need to know the way of actual listening. Because they are pre-intermediate non-major students, they can only use English during the interviews, so they can speak in Vietnamese and then the writer record and translate them into English. Procedure As a matter of ethics, the whole procedure of teaching and learning is implemented similarly to all students of the class after all of them give consent to be part of the research. However, due to the limit of the study, I only focus to record and interview the learning engagement of two students (who I call anonymously in this report as A1 and A2 as a matter of ethics) during this process as the data for analysis. The writer after considering carefully decide to make peer correcting tasks in class. Before the real peer correction, the writer design some exercises to introduce the way to check a composition. They were guided to focus on some discrete mistake. Items are subject-verb agreement, spells, tense, verb form, number, part of speech. The structure of sentence, content, and organization of the composition/essay is also asked to be commented. Firstly, the students were asked to check sentence by sentence and then, they worked in pairs to check the paragraph (Appendix B) This research lasted for 8 weeks, and the writer chose 3 topics to ask students to write, discus and correct and then rewrite before submitting to give the teacher. These topics are informal letter to a pen friend; a descriptive passage about a close relative in your family; a biography passage of a famous person. During this process, the writer asks students to give them tape-recorder to record their own discussions. In this paper, interviews are well-prepared. After recording them, the writer will transcribe and translate them (Appendix ?) ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS Data analysis Analysis of data from the recordings The writer, in this part, wish to learn about the process of peer correction through discussions taken recordings of subjects and interviews between the writers and them. After that, the writer would assess the result of the recorded discussions and interviews. It is undeniable that peer correction help students improve EFL writing a lot, although the level of subjects is not high, they can give comments on a variety of types of mistakes language such as article, preposition, S-V agreement, infinitive or gerund an sometimes even whole structure of the composition or word choice. When correcting mistakes, they also give some suggestions and explain the reasons for those mistakes. Below are some examples in collected data. Extract 1(topic 1, A1s composition) Before correction: She and I are very different but we got on well together. She is short and Im tall. She likes stay at home and watch television with my parentss. A2: Ok. Sentence 1 is ok. In sentence 2, you should use get, not got, simple present. Next sentences let me see, here, like add v-ing not bare verb. My parentss, I dont know my parentss here mean, without possessive mark is correct. Do you agree? A1: Yeah of course After correction: She and I are very different but we get on well togetherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. She is shorter than meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. She likes staying at home and watching television with my parents Extract 2 (topic 1, A2s composition) Before correction: My young brother is a 15 year old and I am 20 year old. My brother learn at Song Cong town and I learn at TN college of education. A1: My young brother is a 15 year old. You dont need an article here, it is not a noun and years, not year. Its plural. My brother learn at Song Cong town and I learn at TN college of education, wrong form of the verb the third singular person. A2: Okie. Learns not learn After correction: My young brother is 15 years old and I am 20 years old. He learns at Song Cong town and I learn at TN college of education. Extract 3 (topic 2, A1s composition) Before correction: I was born in a family of farmer. My parents are workers in a company and my brother is married and works for the post office. A2: I dont understand the next sentences. I was born in a family of farmer. My parents are workers in a company. Why? A1: Oh, so so sorry, I mean classes in society. But I cant express this idea. A2: Working class, you mean? Or you will not ? sentence. Are you clear? Now, next, any brother is married, was, not is and works for the post office. After correction: My parents are workers in a company and my brother is married and works for the post office. Extract 4 (topic 2, A2s composition) Before correction: Its verry wonderful. A1: Verry? Wrong spelling. Its Very. Can you find out the sentence? A2: Yes. Thats right. After correction: Its very wonderful! Through recordings, the writer also realizes that apart from getting knowledge to improve their writing skill, students are very interested in their discussions. They seem to feel confident and have responsibilities with their task. Analysis of data from the interviews The information from the interviewed reveals students thoughts, feelings and ideas toward this process. Although A1 has not tried peer correction before, she is convinced of this strategy after this study. She feels that she can realize her mistakes clearly and correct them. She is also able to avoid repeating on the next task. She wants to work in group of 3 or 4 to get more feedback from her peers. That means she admit the role of the peer feedback in developing her writing skill. Extract 6 (interview between the writer and A1) W: Will you use this strategy again? A1: Yes, of course. W: Can you give some suggestions to make the process better? A1: I like working in group of three or four. Thats all. W: Thank you very much! Unlike A1, A2 has used this strategy many times. Therefore she has a lot of experiences. Her ideas express her deep understanding of peer correction. She also likes it and she knows how it assists her in her writing process. However, she stresses the role of the teacher in the process of revising. Extract 7 (interview between the writer and A2) A2: I like it. But I still want teachers correct it finally. W: Why do you think so? A2: Because I myself sometimes find out my own mistakes. My partner can help me that. Moreover, when reading the text of my partner, I can learn something from it. However, there are some mistakes we cant correct we need teacher. ! Findings According to the data analysis from the two lessons, it can be personally concluded that the most important feature that makes my students to engage more in the lesson is the kind of assessment which forces them to learn although the meaningfulness of tasks also more or less affect the level of engagement the most meaningful tasks to my students are tasks that can help them to pass the tests at the end of the semester not tasks that give them reasons to communicate as I expected REFLECTIONS This study has given me a chance to know more about my students, about what goes wrong with them when they are not engaged in my reading class. In the study, I also have chance to access a number of researches of many experienced language educators and teachers, from which I obtain new knowledge of language teaching and learning in general and knowledge of meaningful tasks in teaching extensive reading in particular. During the research, I also learn more about the methods of doing research in a scientific way. Firstly, I learn to look at the situation of my English teaching and learning critically and make research questions with the hope of improving it. I also learn to arrange and organize my ideas and my work systematically to fit the timetable of the research procedure. But the most important thing is that I learn how to put my background knowledge into the knowledge repertoire of related previous studies to have a broader view of the situation and to make my research skills (such summarizing and synthesizing) useful by activating them creatively and critically. However, the research still has some drawbacks regarding the methods of data collection and analysis that I might change in my next research if I have more time. Firstly, instead of just doing the research on 2 lessons, I intend to do research from the beginning of the semester so that my students not only have chances to choose the texts themselves but also have chances to choose the topics they are interested in. Moreover, when I observe them in the whole semester, the effect of other aspects like the pressure of testing, the emotion of learners, etc. can be avoided and thus, the data I collect may become more reliable. Secondly, instead of interviewing my students after the research, I will interview them during the research, which may give me more chances to adjust my lessons to be more suitable and meaningful to them. CONCLUSION To sum up, the research has brought to me some important lessons of English teaching and learning in general and of working with my students in particular. Firstly, the research affirms for me that extensive reading activities are good activities that students want to do. It is not because in the activities, students have opportunities to choose the texts of their own interest and at their own level of proficiency but also because extensive reading activities give them another environment of reading in which they are not in pressure to read. Thus, they can comfortably improve their English fluency. It is also proved by the research that students are more engaged in the extensive reading activities when the tasks are more meaningful to them. More specifically, in my case that means the tasks that give my students a more meaningful reason to complete engage them more. However, it is also noted that the purpose of learning for mark (i.e. learning to prepare for final-term tests) should also be taken into considerations as a factor that affects the engagement of students. 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