Thursday, September 19, 2019

Project Management for Information Systems Essay examples -- Business

Project Management for Information Systems Abstract Information systems (IS) projects are vulnerable to resource cutbacks and the increasing complexity of systems and advances in information technology make finding the right personnel difficult and the associated development costs high. Good project management is essential for success. Some alignment methodologies include IBM's business systems planning (BSP), Robert Holland's strategic systems planning, James Martin's (1989) information engineering and method/1 from Anderson Consulting. Critical success factors (Rockart, 1979) methodology focuses on identifying key information needs of senior executives and building information systems around those key needs. Williams, (1997) identified four steps to system planning. Earl (1989) proposed five alternate strategy frameworks which project managers should consider when deciding how the system will enhance the business function. Standard business strategy methods are used to identify such opportunities by using: value chains, application searching and information analysis (Earl 1989). Project managers may decide that major changes to business processes may be required. Change management is important for project managers and business leaders, starting at the project phase and continuing throughout the entire life cycle. Employees need training to understand how the system will change business processes. Technology factors relate to the system software, support for legacy systems and the IT infrastructure on which the system will be put on. Information systems are powered by information technologies which need to last throughout the system development life cycle. Introduction The responsibility for achievin... ...Manufacturing Systems, 5, 1, 31-8. - Rockart, J.F., 1979, "Chief executives define their own data needs", Harvard Business Review, 57, 2, 81-93. - Rosario, J.G, 2000, "On the leading edge: critical success factors in ERP implementation projects", BusinessWorld, Philippines. - Scheer, A, Habermann, F, 2000, "Making ERP a success", Communications of the ACM, 43 , 3, 57-61. - Sumner, M, 1999, "Critical success factors in enterprise wide information management systems projects", Proceedings of the Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS), 232-4. - Wee, S, 2000, "Juggling toward ERP success: keep key success factors high", ERP News, http://www.erpnews.com/erpnews/erp904/02get.html. - Williams, L.T, 1997, â€Å"Planning and managing the information system - a manager's guide†, Industrial Management & Data Systems Volume 97 Number 5 1997 pp. 187-191 Project Management for Information Systems Essay examples -- Business Project Management for Information Systems Abstract Information systems (IS) projects are vulnerable to resource cutbacks and the increasing complexity of systems and advances in information technology make finding the right personnel difficult and the associated development costs high. Good project management is essential for success. Some alignment methodologies include IBM's business systems planning (BSP), Robert Holland's strategic systems planning, James Martin's (1989) information engineering and method/1 from Anderson Consulting. Critical success factors (Rockart, 1979) methodology focuses on identifying key information needs of senior executives and building information systems around those key needs. Williams, (1997) identified four steps to system planning. Earl (1989) proposed five alternate strategy frameworks which project managers should consider when deciding how the system will enhance the business function. Standard business strategy methods are used to identify such opportunities by using: value chains, application searching and information analysis (Earl 1989). Project managers may decide that major changes to business processes may be required. Change management is important for project managers and business leaders, starting at the project phase and continuing throughout the entire life cycle. Employees need training to understand how the system will change business processes. Technology factors relate to the system software, support for legacy systems and the IT infrastructure on which the system will be put on. Information systems are powered by information technologies which need to last throughout the system development life cycle. Introduction The responsibility for achievin... ...Manufacturing Systems, 5, 1, 31-8. - Rockart, J.F., 1979, "Chief executives define their own data needs", Harvard Business Review, 57, 2, 81-93. - Rosario, J.G, 2000, "On the leading edge: critical success factors in ERP implementation projects", BusinessWorld, Philippines. - Scheer, A, Habermann, F, 2000, "Making ERP a success", Communications of the ACM, 43 , 3, 57-61. - Sumner, M, 1999, "Critical success factors in enterprise wide information management systems projects", Proceedings of the Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS), 232-4. - Wee, S, 2000, "Juggling toward ERP success: keep key success factors high", ERP News, http://www.erpnews.com/erpnews/erp904/02get.html. - Williams, L.T, 1997, â€Å"Planning and managing the information system - a manager's guide†, Industrial Management & Data Systems Volume 97 Number 5 1997 pp. 187-191

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Human Trafficking and the International Sex Industry Essay -- Asia Pro

Human Trafficking and the International Sex Industry Human trafficking refers to the movement of persons across borders for forced labor, sexual exploitation or other illicit activities. Sex trafficking is the most lucrative sector of human trafficking America, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Eastern Europe, and Russia. The global political economy, political corruption, human rights, gender and ethnic stratification, and migration are all related to human trafficking. In many developing countries globalization has brought masses of wealth to the elite at the expense of the poor. Consequently, many women of the poorer classes leave their homeland in search of opportunities for employment. These women are disproportionately affected by poverty, lack of access to education, discrimination, racism, and lack of economic opportunities. International migration is an important aspect of sex trafficking. Manuel Castells While migration has always been a part of human existence it now exists as a more profitable network. We are living in a networked society in which globalization over and over. These are some reasons why human trafficking is the fastest growing and third largest criminal industry in the world (Polaris Project 2003). Kevin Bales’ book, â€Å"Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy,† describes people in such conditions who endure modern forms of slavery, including sex slavery. The life narrative of a Thai girl named Siri, as told to Bales, illustrates how sex slavery happens to vulnerable girls and women. Siri was born in Thailand to a poor farming family. Under the structural adjustment policies of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the Thai government has taken former government subsidies a... ... Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001. 187 -215. Kyle, David, Rey Koslowski, ed. Global Human Smuggling : Comparative Perspectives Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001. Polaris Project Said, Edward . Orientalism . New York : Pantheon Books, 1978. Skrobanek, Siriporn, Nataya Boonpakdee, Chutima Jantateero. The traffic in women : human realities of the international sex trade. London ; New York : Zed Books Ltd, 1997. Taylor, Jacqueline Sanchez. â€Å"Se x Tourism in the Carribean.† Tourism and Sex: Culture, Commerce and Coercion . Ed. Stephen Clift and Simon Carter. London; New York: Pinter, 2000 Clift. 187 -215. Truong, Thanh -Dan. â€Å"Serving the Tourist Market Female Labor in International Tourism.†Femin ism and Sexuality: A Reader. Ed. Stevi Jackson, Sue Scot. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

King Lears Blindness Essay -- essays research papers

Although it is never too late to learn, those lessons learned in old age are the most difficult and the most costly. In his play KING LEAR, Shakespeare illustrates that wisdom does not necessarily come with age. The mistakes that Lear and Gloucester make leave them vulnerable to disappointment and suffering at a time in their lives when both should be enjoying peace and contentment. Although both Lear and Gloucester achieve wisdom before they die, they pay a dear price for having lived life blindly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lear and Gloucester both illustrate that wisdom does not always come with age. Lear asks his three daughters to express their love for him in public. Both Goneril and Regan have no problem competing for his love, but when it is Cordelia’s turn she refuses to compete because she feels, she can’t express the way she feels through words. This refusal enrages Lear, hurts his pride, and causes him to make the foolish mistake of disowning Cordelia:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ...................................for we   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Have no such daughter, nor shall ever see   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  That face of her again. Therefore be gone   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Without our grace, our love, our benison.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ( I, i, ll 261-264 )   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Because of Lear’s high position in society, he is supposed to be able to distinguish the good from the bad; unfortunately, his lack of sight prevented him to do so. Lear’s first act of blindness is his foolish need of displayed affection by his daughters. First, he was easily deceived by his two eldest daughter’s lies, then he was unable to see the reality of Cordelia’s true love for him, and as a result, banished her from his kingdom. Lear... ...red in brambles and other weeds, now he has been dressed in new clothing. Also, he has awakened with no recollection of how he arrived at where he is now, but he does remember the lessons he has learned. Do not trust the gilded serpents Regan and Goneril, and give your excess to thy fellow man so that he does not have to live in poverty and despair. Unfortunately Lear and Gloucester’s lesson was hard earned, and paid for with blood, including their own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From foolishness to suffering and to learning through there mistakes, both Lear and Gloucester have taken a trip around the Wheel of Fortune. Lear’s downfall was a result of his failure to understand that appearance does not always represent reality. Gloucester avoided a similar demise by learning the relationship between appearance and reality. It is amazing that only through great hardships, such as Gloucester having his eyes plucked out, could he and Lear receive true insight. Unfortunately, Gloucester’s blindness cost him his eyes and a natural relationship with his son. Lear’s blindness ended up costing Cordelia her life and consequently the life of himself.

Isolation in Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte, is set in the detached Yorkshire moors during the early nineteenth century and depicts the lives of two contrasting families. Because Wuthering Heights was written during the Romanticism movement, many characteristics of the movement are reflected by the novel. The characters' reasons for becoming isolated are universal and can be connected to situations found in modern music. Bronte reveals universal aspects of the human condition by highlighting the manner in which the characters become isolated- either by their own choice or unintentionally.Catherine has made herself ill by refusing food and drink for days. Believing she is on the verge of death, Catherine becomes hysterical and remembers her childhood with Heathcliff. During this episode, Catherine reveals her true feelings about her marriage to Edgar and her longing to be a child again. â€Å"I had been wrenched from the Heights, and every early association†¦ at that time, had been conve rted at a stroke into Mrs. Linton†¦ : an exile, an outcast† (pg. 118). Catherine has unintentionally isolated herself from where she belongs and is miserable in the high-society culture of Thrushcross Grange.Although Catherine believed raising her social status and obtaining material objects would make her happy, it is not the case. Catherine does not fit in with the mannered and refined society at the Grange and realizes she truly belongs with Heathcliff. Catherine longs to be a child again because she had freedom in nature with Heathcliff, her true love. A similar situation occurs in A Billion Ernies' â€Å"Hermit Crab†. In this song, the anonymous speaker feels tortured and alone although they have all the material objects one could wish for. This is torture at its finest state/ My blankets are warm and there's too much on my plate/ †¦ but I think I'll sleep under the stars tonight/†¦ I feel content†¦ lying on a rock, sleeping in a tent/†¦ I' ve got everything I need right here/ I thought I had it all† (A Billion Ernies). Warm blankets, a plate of food and a glowing fireplace do not satisfy the speaker. The speaker feels isolated in her/his current situation and longs to be free. Having freedom in nature fulfills the speaker more than having materialistic wealth. The speaker in â€Å"Hermit Crab† and Catherine were isolated in their situations although they had material riches.Both realize where they truly fit in, where they could be free from isolation, and no longer believe material objects and riches lead to happiness Catherine Linton has recently given birth to a child and passed away. Shortly thereafter, Isabella unexpectedly arrives at the Grange flustered and upset. Isabella tells Nelly of a violent fight between Hindley and Heathcliff, which has caused her to run away. These evens cause Edgar Linton much grief and he to chooses to isolate himself from society. â€Å"He refrained from going anywhere where he was likely to see or hear of Heathcliff.Grief, and that together, transformed him into a complete hermit† (pg. 173). Edgar Linton experiences intense grief as a result of the death of Catherine Linton and the fleeing of Isabella and isolated himself at the Grange. These events cause Edgar to question where he belongs and his purpose in the world, which he contemplates while isolated. Similarly in â€Å"What Hurts the Most†, by Rascal Flats, the anonymous speaker is lamenting the loss of a loved one. The speaker's loved one passes away before he has a chance to say everything he wants to her, which is what hurts him the most. It's hard to deal with the pain of loosin' you everywhere I go†¦ / It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone/ Still harder gettin' up, gettin' dressed† (Rascal Flats). The speaker finds it difficult to live without his loved one and see the friends of his loved one. Simply getting up in the morning is difficult for the speaker because he is now questioning the world. After the death of a significant person, facing society is difficult and sorrow causes isolation and confusion. Many of the universal, everlasting truths of the Romantic movement are still present in prose today.Even in today's society, people feel isolated when they do not belong in a place, no matter what the reasons. Worldly objects do not bring happiness and only a sense of belonging brings freedom from isolation and peace of mind. Also, even in modern times, the loss of someone close causes mixed emotions about life and a person's sense of belonging. The death of a loved one continues to cause such intense lamentation that a person may choose to isolate himself/herself from society. The human condition is timeless.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Positioning the Tata Nano †Case Memo

Positioning the Tata Nano – Case Memo Introduction: Tata Motors Limited (TML), a part of Tata group, a highly respected conglomerate has a product that will revolutionize the way India travels. The team was successful in delivering a car that meets the goal price of 1 lakh rupees. People welcomed it with high pre bookings and initial sales. But it has been found that the car didn’t hit the target market. The initial excitement faded away leading to drastic downfall in sales. We have analyzed the case to bring out the strengths and marketing strategies that TML can play to improve upon its sales. Strength: . At 1 lakh, price is the major strength of Nano. It has been priced between the cheapest car and a bike. 2. Fuel efficient car in the Indian market. 3. Easily accommodate a family of four. 4. Tata group is the most respected corporates in India. This gives TML an advantage as people trust the brand. 5. The compact design provides easy maneuverability in the congested city traffics. Weakness: 1. Positioning of the product as a cheap car. 2. Capacity limitation due to postponement of new factory lead to lottery based delivery. 3. Absence of enough TML dealers to cover the length and breadth of the country. . Low margin for the dealers. While TML provided 4 to 10 percent dealer margin for Nano the dealer margin was only 2 to 3 percent. Opportunities: 1. TML team views nano as an opportunity to provide a safer means of transport to a typical Indian family which rides on a motorcycle. The two wheeler segment presents itself as a great opportunity to nano to tap in. 76 % of automobile sales is in two wheeler market. 2. A large percentage of Indians lie in the middle class income range. Presently their disposable income is on the rise due to better job opportunities.The fact that this section of people doesn’t have a car and also prefer to own one if affordable provides TML with unprecedented market opportunity. 3. Rising fuel prices will be adv antageous to Nano as it is fuel efficient when compared to other cars in the same segment. 4. The new Sanand factory will help achieve the scale of operation . Threats: 1. The major threat for Nano is from the cars placed in mid-sized segment. Paying a bit more customers get a larger car with bigger engine and a longer track record. 2. Incidents of some Nanos catching fire also deterred customers from buying the car.Although the fire was due to foreign electronic particles it did dampened the market sentiments. 3. Nano missed its target market and it was catering to a market of second car buyers. 4. The advanced versions which were well above 1 lakh were selling more than basic model. This led to critics criticize that Nano might increase the congestion in roads. 5. Political threats like Singur land problem. The SWOT analysis of Nano provided a picture of the product and the brand. We have used 4 Ps of marketing mix to further analyze the different aspects of Nano. Product:While de veloping Nano the whole team had one objective to provide a low cost car without compromising on the quality of the car. TML went on with the following strategies to achieve this goal. 1. Nano was the most fuel efficient and economical car. 2. Three models are available: Nano, Nano CX and Nano LX. Nano had only the basic features without power steering, power windows etc. The other models had extra features. 3. The car was designed to accommodate more in less space. Engine was kept in rear portion to achieve this goal. 4. The suppliers were also roped into the design.They made light weight , low cost parts designed especially for Tata Nano. 5. Nano had parts supplied from 100 suppliers. The suppliers viewed this as a new opportunity to develop their capabilities. 6. The engines for Nano were developed by TML itself. Tata nano has a 624 cc 2 engine cylinder. The car as a product achieved its stated goals. But unexpected incidents of some Nanos catching fire led to build up of negativ e outlook on the quality of the product. Tata did took steps to ensure the quality of the product. 1. It fitted additional safety parts in every nano. . TML had four nanos touring all over India to prove that their product is capable of withstanding all conditions. TML could have gone for safety certifications but the cost prevented it from providing basic safety measures like air bags and anti-lock brakes. Pricing: Pricing is the USP for Nano. The whole product evolved around the goal price of 1 lakh. Apart from the lower price of Nano TML also had cut dealership margins. 1. Only the basic model was priced at 1 lakh while the other variants CX and LX were priced at 157,808 and 181,438 rupees. 2.Dealer margins for nano were between 2 to 3 percentage with a 1 percent discount off the full dealer cost if the dealer paid cash up front. 3. Although nor confirmed by TML it is believed that manufacturer margin was around 15 percent. The basic model with 1 lakh pricing failed to lure the c ustomers while the advanced models with higher prices had more takers. Distribution: 1. Inadequacy of dealerships was bothering TML as they couldn’t reach out to the target market. 2. TML had 214 dealerships spread over 28 states in the country. 3. TML followed an unique model for pre bookings. It took leverage of other Tata group companies.The pre booking forms were made available in Croma ,Westside stores, World of Titan and Tata Indicom exclusive stores. In addition the pre booking can be done through online or from SBI banks. 4. The land problem led to capacity limitation. The initial production was limited to 50,000 nanos. 5. A lottery system was used to allocate cars to people who had pre booked it. 6. TML had an idea to promote entrepreneurial engineers to assemble the car at a rural location where distribution was not available. But this idea was dropped due to concerns on warranty. Promotions: Promotion of nano was a major task ahead of Ratan Tata.TML needs to adjust its marketing strategies in order to sell the volume of cars that could be produced with the new plant. The following are the ways in which the product was promoted. 1. Right from the beginning Nano was promoted heavily by advertisements. The car was advertised as cheapest car in the market. 2. TML concentrated on the price aspect alone in its campaigns. This had negative impact on the minds of customers that the car may not be on par with its qualities. TML should make sure to change the perception of customers so that they don’t view nano as low cost car but an affordable car with quality standards.The quality standards and safety measures have to be promoted vigorously as the people expect these features when investing 1 lakh rupees. Conclusion: TML has a product that will help the millions to get a decent and safe way to travel. Unlike the second car buyers, the middle class i. e. the first time car buyers will view nano as a way to travel along with family. It leads to high expectations on safety and quality since individuals never risk the safety of their family. TML has to make sure that the product is rightly positioned as the one with necessary quality standards and high safety measures to rope in a middle class customer.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Home video game Essay

1: Why the rapid growth of Atari? Why the 1982-85 collapse? How did Nintendo rebuild the industry? What was its strategy? After Bushnell settled on Atari, his first built was the simplest game, which people knew the rules immediately, and this game could be played with only one hand. Then, Bushnell talked his way into a $ 50000 line of credit from a local bank to start his business. By 1974, 100,000 Pong-like games were sold worldwide, and although Atari manufactured only 10 percent of the game, the company still made $3. 2 million that year. Atari had a rapid growth because it is a new industry, and Atari does not have any competitor at that time. So, Atari is the only company in this home video game industry, and it has a huge power of supplier with no competitors and substitutes. After 1976, about twenty different companies were crowding into the home videogame market, Atari still has more than 50% market share in the industry. Until 1978, Atari estimated that total demand would reach 2 million units. In 1982, Atari lost $500 in the first nine months of the year. Part of the blame for the collapse was laid at the feet of an enormous inventory overhang of unsold games. With more and more new games hit the market, the average price would goes down and the profits goes down as well. Nintendo established a commanding worldwide position by the end of the decade. The first step of Nintendo was to license video game technology from Magnavox. Then, Nintendo tried to develop its own video game machine (Famicom) that combined superior graphics processing capabilities and low cost. In the US, Nintendo established a subsidiary named as Nintendo of America (NOA) by 1980, and Nintendo repositioned the market in U. S. NOA spent about 2% of sales budget for advertising and also sought out promotion partner, and it practiced careful inventory management in releasing its new games. In conclusion, Nintendo made an innovative new game system which had some competitive advantages such as cheaper, superior image quality, faster hardware processing and a connector that can be used for future addition of a modem and keyboard. 2: How was Nintendo able to capture value from the home video game business? First of all, with the video game industry’s collapse, none of the company seems to have anything to do with the with the home video business except Nintendo. So, it was a big chance for Nintendo to monopolize the video game business, and it was a good chance to negotiate and license other companies to develop games for its system. Secondly, Nintendo has good market position and distribution in United Stated. Thirdly, Nintendo has good game designing and technology, and it uses the regulation, contract and patent license to limit the market share of other game companies. 3: How was Sega able to gain market share from Nintendo? With Sega’s first game Periscope, Sega built up a respectable export business. Then, Sega realized that great games drove sales and more powerful technology gave game developers the tools to develop more appealing games. Sega also licensed other companies to develop games for the Genesis platform, but asked for lower royalty rates than Nintendo. Despite aggressive marketing in the 80s, it wasn’t until the introduction of Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991 as a direct competitor to Nintendo’s Mario character that Sega was able to capture a meaningful amount of the market with its Genesis console. The key point was Genesis does what Nintendo don’t, and Sega version out sold Nintendo’s two to one. 4: Evaluate the competitive strategy of 3DO. What flaws can you see in 3DO’s approach? The vision for 3DO was to shift the home video game business away from the existing cartridge-based format and toward a CD-ROM-based platform. The belief at 3DO is that the superior storage and graphics processing capabilities of the 3DO system would prove very attractive to game developers, allowing them to be far more creative. In turn, better games would attract customers away from Nintendo and Sega. The 3DO’s strategy was to license its hardware technology for free. However, only a few 3DO titles were available by the Christmas period where reports suggested 150 titles, and sales of the hardware were slow. As can be seen, 3DO did good at its software, but bad at its hardware. As a result, 3DO announced that it would either sell its hardware system or move into joint venture. 5: How come the Sony Play Station has succeeded where 3DO failed? Sony set up a retail channel separate from its consumer electronics sales force, and Sony has a good communication with retailers before the launch to find out how it could help them sell the play station. Sony targets its advertising for PlayStation at specific generation and age range. So, Sony focused on it retailers and customers, and it has a good market position. On the other side, 3DO only focused on its products but lack of the communication with its retailers and customers. 6: What drove Microsoft’s decision to enter the industry with its X-box offering? Because before Microsoft entered the home video game industry, it was no stranger to games. Microsoft had long participated in the PC gaming industry and was one of the largest publishers of PC games. X-box was based on Microsoft’s PC technology, and it would be much easier for software developers to write game for. Microsoft enter the industry because with annual revenues in excess of $20 billion worldwide, the home video game industry is huge and an important source of potential growth for Microsoft. 7: What lessons can be learned from the history of the home video game industry that has been used to help launch the Sony PlayStation II and Microsoft’s X-Box? Do Microsoft and Sony appear to have learned and applied these lessons? The lesson can be learned from the history of the home video industry was to focus on R&D, market positioning, cost leadership, innovation, technology and communications. Sony PlayStation II has consumed about 1. 3 billion in R&D, and Sony actually loses money on Sony PlayStation machine but gain from game CDs. On the other side, Microsoft’s X-Box cut X-box price over time but guaranteed a profit margin. There are three technical factors determined the quality of a video game: data width (in bits), clock speed (in MHz), and the amount of RAM (in bytes). Both Sony PlayStation II and Microsoft’s X-Box have their own competitive advantage in these technologies, and they also both are good game designers.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Muti-racial success in schools

It is interesting to note the results of Grace Kao’s study of a multi-racial group of high school students with focused on how students from different races varied their measurement or definition of success. Individuals have set criteria, which over the years served as the standards in perceiving how one student can consider himself or herself successful. Students have classified their classmates belonging to different race and create mindsets based from physical differences like skin color and from natural origin or based from cultural characteristics. Changing or modifying student’s perception on success will not be an easy thing. The educator must consider the existing perceptions, skills, and knowledge of the students in attempt to modify their meaning of success. Every student must be encouraged to discover his or her potential and make use of it to the fullest. Academic institutions should have well rounded programs that will cater to and showcase the students’ unique abilities. In this manner, they will realize that being academically successful does not only pertain to passing a course, attaining high grades, receiving awards, or earning good jobs but more importantly, success is using potentials to their fullest and being satisfied with their performances. It must also be clear to them that an individual can be considered successful regardless of race or ethnicity. There should also be avenues for knowledge and skills sharing among multi-racial students. In this manner, they will develop appreciation of what they can offer and what others can share with them.   Healthy competition and respect for individuality must be consistently promoted. There is nothing wrong with multi-racial students setting their own standards of success, but these perceptions should not limit them from being truly successful in life. The challenge for educators is how to create a learning atmosphere that can motivate students to do away with stereotyping based from race and ethnicity and to treat one’s self as a unique individual with a set goal in his or her academics to be successful. References Kao, G. (2000). Group Images and Possible Selves Among Adolescents: Linking Stereotypes to Expectations by Race and Ethnicity, Sociological Forum, Vol 15 no 3, 2000. Retrieved, April 17, 2007, from http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~grace2/kao.soc.forum.2000.pdf. Race and Ethnicity. Retrieved, April 17, 2007, from http://www2.austincc.edu/jtaylor/outlinech9.htm. Wikipedia. Perception. Retrieved, April 17, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/