The Idea of Nature and its Essence

The Idea of Nature and its Essence The idea of nature is one of the most widely employed in philosophy and by the same token one of the most ill-defined. Authors such as Aristotle and Descartes relied on the concept of nature to explain the fundamental tenets of their views, without ever attempting to define the concept. Even in contemporary philosophy, the idea is oftentimes employed, in different forms. So, what is nature? Nature and the Essence of a Thing The philosophical tradition that traces back to Aristotle employs the idea of nature to explain that which defines the essence of a thing. One of the most fundamental metaphysical concepts, the essence indicates those properties that define what a thing is. The essence of water, for instance, will be its molecular structure, the essence of a species, its ancestral history; the essence of a human, its self-consciousness or its soul. Within the Aristotelian traditions, hence, to act in accordance with nature means to take into account the real definition of each thing when dealing with it. The Natural World At times the idea of nature is instead used to refer to anything that exists in the universe as part of the physical world. In this sense, the idea embraces anything that falls under the study of the natural sciences, from physics to biology to environmental studies. Natural vs. Artificial Natural is often used also to refer to a process which occurs spontaneously as opposed to one that occurs as the result of the deliberation of a being. Thus, a plant grows naturally when its growth was not planned by a rational agent; it grows otherwise artificially. An apple would hence be an artificial product, under this understanding of the idea of nature, although most would agree that an apple is a product of nature (that is, a part of the natural world, that which is studied by natural scientists). Nature vs. Nurture Related to the spontaneity vs. artificiality divide is the idea of nature as opposed to nurture. The idea of culture becomes here central to draw the line. That which is natural as opposed to that which is the outcome of a cultural process. Education is a central example of a non-natural process: under many accounts, education is seen as a process against nature. Clearly enough, from this perspective there are some items that cannot ever be purely natural: any human development is shaped by the activity, or lack thereof, of interaction with other human beings; there is no such thing as a natural development of human language, for instance. Nature as Wilderness The idea of nature is at times used to express the wilderness. Wilderness lives at the edge of civilization, of any cultural processes. In the strictest reading of the term, humans can encounter wilderness in very few selected places on earth nowadays, those were the influence of human societies is negligible; if you include the environmental impact produced by humans on the whole ecosystem, there may well be no wild place left on our planet. If the idea of wilderness is loosened a bit, then even through a walk in a forest or a trip on the ocean one may experience that which is wild, i.e. natural. Nature and God Finally, an entry on nature cannot omit that which perhaps has been the most widely employed understanding of the term in past millennia: nature as the expression of the divine. The idea of nature is central in most religions. It has taken numerous forms, from specific entities or processes (a mountain, the sun, the ocean, or fire) to embracing the whole realm of existents. Further Online Readings The entry on Laws of Nature at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.The entry on Aristotle’s Natural Philosophy at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Myths About Obama - The 5 Wackiest Myths About Obama

Myths About Obama - The 5 Wackiest Myths About Obama If you believe everything you read in your email inbox, Barack Obama is a Muslim born in Kenya who is ineligible to serve as U.S. president and he even charters private jets at taxpayer expense so the family dog Bo can go on vacation in luxury. And then there is the truth. No other modern president, it seems, has been the subject of so many outrageous and malicious fabrications. The myths about Obama live on through the years, mostly in chain emails forwarded endlessly across the Internet, despite being debunked over and over again. Here is a look at five of the silliest myths about Obama: 1. Obama is Muslim. False. He is a Christian. Obama was baptized at Chicagos Trinity United Church of Christ in 1988. And he has spoken and written often about his faith in Christ. Rich, poor, sinner, saved, you needed to embrace Christ precisely because you had sins to wash away - because you were human, he wrote in his memoir, The Audacity of Hope. ... Kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt Gods spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth, Obama wrote. And yet nearly one in five Americans - 18 percent - believe Obama is a Muslim, according to an August 2010 survey conducted by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The are wrong. 2. Obama Nixes National Day of Prayer Numerous widely circulated emails claim President Barack Obama refused to recognize the National Day of Prayer after taking office in January of 2009. Oh Our wonderful president is at it again .... he has cancelled the national day of prayer that is held at the white house every year .... sure glad I wasnt fooled into voting for him! one email begins. Thats false. Obama issued proclamations setting the National Day of Prayer in both 2009 and 2010. We are blessed to live in a Nation that counts freedom of conscience and free exercise of religion among its most fundamental principles, thereby ensuring that all people of goodwill may hold and practice their beliefs according to the dictates of their consciences, Obamas April 2010 proclamation read. Prayer has been a sustaining way for many Americans of diverse faiths to express their most cherished beliefs, and thus we have long deemed it fitting and proper to publicly recognize the importance of prayer on this day across the Nation. 3. Obama Uses Taxpayer Money to Fund Abortions Critics claim that the health care reform law of 2010, or Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, includes provisions that make up the broadest expansion of legalized abortion since Roe v. Wade. The Obama Administration will give Pennsylvania $160 million in federal tax funds, which weve discovered will pay for insurance plans that cover any legal abortion, Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, said in a widely circulated statement in July 2010. Wrong again. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department, responding to claims that federal money would fund abortions, issued a stern rebuttal to anti-abortion groups.Pennsylvania will - and has always intended to - comply with the federal ban on abortion funding in the coverage provided through our federally funded high risk pool, the Insurance Department said in a statement. In fact, Obama signed an executive order banning the use of federal money to pay for abortion in the health care reform law on March 24, 2010. If the state and federal governments stick to their words, it does not appear taxpayer money will pay any part of abortions in Pennsylvania or any other state. 4. Obama Was Born in Kenya Numerous conspiracy theories claim that Obama was born in Kenya and not Hawaii, and that because he was not born here he was not eligible to serve as president.The silly rumors grew so loud, however, that Obama released a copy of his certificate of live birth during the presidential campaign in 2007. Smears claiming Barack Obama doesnt have a birth certificate arent actually about that piece of paper - theyre about manipulating people into thinking Barack is not an American citizen, the campaign said. The truth is, Barack Obama was born in the state of Hawaii in 1961, a native citizen of the United States of America. The documents prove he was born in Hawaii. Though some believe the records are phony. 5. Obama Charters Plane for the Family Dog Uh, no. PolitiFact.com, a service of the St. Petersburg Times in Florida, managed to track down the source of this ridiculous myth to a vaguely worded newspaper article in Maine about the first familys vacation in the summer of 2010. The article, about the Obamas visiting Acadia National Park, reported: Arriving in a small jet before the Obamas was the first dog, Bo, a Portuguese water dog given as a present by the late U.S. Sen Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and the presidents personal aide Reggie Love, who chatted with Baldacci. Some folks, eager to jump on the president, mistakenly believed that meant the dog got its own personal jet. Yeah, really. As the rest of us toil on the unemployment line, as millions of Americans find their retirement accounts dwindling, their hours at work cut, and their pay scale trimmed, King Barack and Queen Michelle are flying their little doggie, Bo, on his own special jet airplane for his own little vacation adventure, one blogger wrote. The truth? The Obamas and their staffer traveled in two small planes because the runway where they landed was too short to accommodate Air Force One. So one plane carried the family. The other carried the Bo the dog - and lots of other people. The dog did not have its own private jet.

Genetically Modified Crops) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Genetically Modified Crops) - Research Paper Example When it comes to food, one has to be absolutely sure about safety and health of human beings. Absence of surety makes GMC unsafe for human health. There are also risks that some genetically modified crops can increase resistance of different antibiotics and this can lead to health issues (Conway, 2000). This type of resistance can render any antibiotic useless and can prolong illness. In genetically mutated crop, different genes are artificially introduced and some of these genes can increase resistance to important medicines like antibiotics. Genetically modified crops are also unpredictable because no one knows how they will be reacting with natural human genes and our bodily function. The pose risk to human health because modified genes can react with human body and lead to health issues and other types of illnesses. GMC has also been found to produce health defects and organ failures in animal testing (Dona & Nitoyannis, 2009). This is also a significant reason to worry about genetically modified food and crop. Animal testing has showed its dangers and therefore it is only logical to assume that these crops might also pose risk of organ failures in human beings. One of the main benefits if genetically modified crops is that that it can end famine and shortage of food problem from the developing countries. Most developing countries face shortage of food and this can be eradicated through use of genetically modified crop as it increases efficiency of crops and make it more resistant to pests. Genetically mutated crops can also help farmers of developing countries where soil is not fertile enough to sustain good crop yields. Through these crops, farmers can increase their output which can in turn lead to prosperity for farmers. There are also economic benefits of the crop as it offers protection from pests. Farmers can save significant amount of money on pesticides. Also these crops increase output and this makes it more economical

The Role of Women in the Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Role of Women in the Society - Essay Example In the historic times women had to face a lot of difficulties they were torn out from their rights and endured men’s unfair and barbaric behavior. They were ruled and controlled over by a men-oriented society, now things have changed; women have indeed risen from their past stature. They fear not the dominant and authoritative gender, instead they stand parallel and rose up to the challenge of being treated as the inferior one. Women today are independent unlike the ancient times, when traditionally women played the roles of an obedient daughter, caring sister, loyal wife and a loving mother. Education has diversified the typical role of a woman that they have played for so many years. Today women opt to become business women, mathematicians, engineers, doctors, economists they even appear for elections. Throughout the last 3-4 centuries the changes that women have undergone are phenomenal. They have made their foothold in politics, offices yet still have power over the househ old stuff, because women were considered dumb and absurd. There have been times when women were abolished from making their voice heard in many areas of life because they were seen as less informed and less learned for example in politics, government policies they were even stripped from their right of casting votes for the presidential elections. Although now in modern times the workforce in any organization is full of hard working and powerful women. Despite the many drastic changes that have been in the world there had also been a one more subtle one which is the role that women play now in the household. Over the time women from being the homemakers, housewives and caretakers of the children have switched places with being the bread winners just like men. Women were considered as followers but now they have exchanged places and become leaders of the society (Kleinberg, 1988). Gradually women are overtaking men’s quotient level. The stereotypical character women have playe d for so long is now dissolving, which was that women would stay home and take care of the children, cooked, washed dishes and cloths, cleaned the house all in all took care of the domestic house responsibilities while men earned. The broader picture has changed, now women and men of the house both take care of the domestic chores and earn. Despite all the changes, women still face one troublesome situation even in the modern times which is the offensive negative sexual attention women receive. They bear insulting comments in the work place and are considered as a â€Å"piece-of-meat†. One out of 6 women becomes victims of sexual assaults while for men the ratio is 1 out of 33. The vast difference in these statistics is not shocking because women have always been treated in that way some nations are still unsafe for women to go out freely without a male companion. Even though women have evolved, gained success and yet they have un-succeeded in gaining respect. While women hav e been tagged with ugly sexist comments and terms, they are making their ground in numerous occupations educations, politics, etc. Although women have evolved from being mere housewives, still they are held responsible for the household day to day chores. Though the work is as not as tough as in the older times because manual work has been replaced with more modern technologies and methods. It is an awkward fact that there is a sense on embarrassment attached to the notion of being a housewife. In many nations the thought of staying home, awaiting the return of their husband is looked upon as a waste of man power. Woman now is considered as a being with potential that should do their bit for the betterment of economy. Mothers are given all

Assistive Technology On Disabled Students Impact Education Essay

Assistive Technology On Disabled Students Impact Education Essay Abstract This study proposes to determine the impact of Assistive Technology (AT) on disabled students in South African higher institutions. The disabled people in any society are generally facing many debilitating quandaries, including physical, emotional and physiological degradation. As a result, empowering people with disabilities to realize their self-esteem as well as enhance their skilling and employability represents an interesting and challenging task to government, industry, interest groups and individuals worldwide. However, the emerging assistive technology provides a unique opportunity to alleviate the challenges of people with disabilities. Exploiting this novel technology, our current goal is to determine the impact of AT on disabled students in South African higher institutions. Randomized control group pre-test and post-test experimental design will be used for impact determination. Cronbach alpha will be used to measure the reliability of the data solicited from participatin g students in a kind of participatory survey. Bootstrapping statistics will be used to analyze the result of the experimental design and correlation will be used to discover relationship between data samples. As a case study, we would like to validate our design using randomly selected students from University of Pretoria, Tshwane University of Technology and University of Witwatersrand, which due to their closeness to the researchers makes the study cost-effective. We are hopeful that our design would be systemic enough to be easily extrapolated into other institutions. The expected contributions of this study are to: (a) explore different types of AT available to disabled students, (b) determine the user-friendliness of the AT, (c) compare the performance of disabled students with non-disabled peers and (d) determine the impact of AT on disabled students in South African higher institutions. Keywords: Assistive Technology, disabilities, South Africa, disabled students 1. Introduction The disabled people in any part of the world are generally facing many debilitating quandaries and they are not experiencing the kind of comfort, dexterity and optimism that most non-disabled people enjoy. The number of people with disabilities, continuous to insistently increase due to high rate of accidents, natural disasters, diseases and increasing number of aging people. For instance, disabled people in South Africa account for 5% (2  255  982) of the total population (Statistics South Africa, 2001), which significantly outgrows the previous statistics of (please supply previous statisticsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.) and in many parts of the world, the story is sympathetic. As a result, the impact of having some more people with disabilities in our society than ever before is immeasurable. The South African government has embarked on encouraging initiatives to have more disabled South Africans obtain formal education as a way to provide succour so that disabled people are better empowe red in the society. For example, the Ministry of Education improvises that South African schools should provide AT services and equipments for disabled students to enable a balanced (free and appropriate) public education. These initiatives make the use of AT practically relevant in our schools be it higher or lower institutions of learning. An emerging AT is any mobile device or infrastructure that can be used to maintain or improve the capabilities of individuals with disabilities (IDEA, 1990). With careful planning and guidance, the vast number of AT devices and software can be potentially beneficial to disabled students (Duhaney Duhaney, 2000). AT can enable people who are suffering from a wide range of natural disabilities to enjoy more comfortable lives. These technologies are being used at home, schools, work places and also in communities as a whole by disabled people (Howell, 1996). The use of AT is allowing people with disabilities to be more independent, productive, self-confident and for them to easily integrate into the mainstream society. The technology, for example, can enable a student with physically impaired hands or arms to be able to operate a computer with a switch or an onscreen keyboard, a mute student to communicate using a device that speaks and a student who cannot walk can be assisted to do so with specialised mechanical devices (Mirenda, 2001). As a result, the impact of AT on disable students in South Africa is undoubtedly enormous. Moreover, not only is AT beneficial for teaching and learning purpose, the living style of disabled students can be greatly improved socially by allowing them, for instance to play games and communicate fluently. However, many issues and obstacles such as lack of AT knowledge, training, funding, poor coordination between service providers and technology developers as well as fear of these technologies are hindering the successful application of AT in the society at large. That is why this study proposes to evaluate the impact of AT on disable students in South African higher institutions. 1.1. Problem Statement and Research Questions Today, the greatest challenge confronting the South African students with disabilities is to smoothly integrate into the society, participate in a competitive educational system and be equipped for the professional economic world. A number of emerging technologies: assistive and adaptive have been developed to cater for disabled students. But, very little literature has been written about these novel technologies. Additionally, the evaluation of their impact on the end-users has also not been widely reported. One way to ensure best outcomes for disabled students in South Africa would be to evaluate the impact of AT on these students. To do so, different types of AT would have to be identified and equal opportunities would have be given to disabled and non-disabled students to compete. Thus, a participatory research is necessary to determine the impact of AT on disabled students in South Africa. The main research question to solve in this study is: what is the impact of AT on disabled students in South Africa? To answer this question satisfactorily, first it is important to identify various AT available and determine their contributions towards improving the academic performance of disabled students in South Africa. As result, following research sub-questions will be squarely addressed in order to solve the main research question. What are the different types of AT are available to disabled students? How user friendly are the available AT to disabled students? Does AT smoothly integrate disabled and non-disabled students? Does the use of AT improves the academic performance of disabled students? How is AT used by disabled students to facilitate social networking? What influence is AT playing in the life of disabled students? 1.2. Goals and Objectives of the Study The core goal of this study to determine the impact of Assistive Technology (AT) on disabled students in South African higher institutions. This could help to uncover some unresolved issues introduced by disabled students on the impact of AT in their learning environments. This goal will be accomplished by implementing the following primary objectives. To identify different types of AT that are available to disabled students in South African higher institutions. To determine the user-friendliness of the available AT to disabled students in South African higher institutions. To determine whether the use of AT smoothly integrates disabled students with non-disabled students. To determine whether the use of the AT improves academic performance of disabled students in South African higher institutions. To determine how is AT used by disabled students to facilitate social networking. To determine the influence that AT is playing in the life of disabled students? 1.3. Expected Deliverables Within a 2 year project leading to an award of MTec degree, it is important to ensure that there are clear expectations for what can be delivered in these timescales. We hope to deliver the following. A comprehensive account of disabled students learning experiences and a clear documentation of the impact of AT on disabled students. A set of recommendations for practitioners, support staff, institutional managers and program developers on ways to manage the challenges of disabled students in the society. 2. Literature Review Most of the recent literature focusing on the impact of ICT on students in Universities across the world can be classified into three sources: Literature and case studies that have been developed from publicly funded studies to determine the impact of AT in higher education exist in academic domains and are mostly inform of case studies (e.g. Skills for Access, DART, ALERT).Other studies that support this include Seale(2006). Research studies that have explored the general education experiences of disabled students exist in both academic and non-academic domains (e.g. BBC, OUCH, SKILL). Other studies that support this include; (Mortimer Crosier, 2006), Shelving et al. 2004 and (Fuller et al. 2004). Research studies that have explored the specific e-learning experiences of disabled students Have generally been conducted in the UK,an example of this is Draffan et al. (2007) in a survey of the use of and satisfaction with AT by disabled students in UK higher institutions. Another survey by Cobham et al. (2001) also tried to explain the specific experiences of disabled students when using AT. The important conclusion from these studies is whether their findings are true for all students, especially the disabled students who may need emerging technology such as AT effective learning? The unique novelty of this study in relation to these studies listed above are abvious.With the use of participatory research methods, this study shall; (a) be a voice for the disabled students; (b) get raw (first hand) information from the uses themselves. This enables to answer the paradigm of Nothing about me, without me since the users are involved in every phase of this study. The important conclusion from these studies is whether their findings are true for all students, especially the disabled students who may need emerging technology such as AT effective learning? In particular, some of the most significant change in the education of students with disabilities in South Africa has been the initiative to adapt the inclusive education theory into their education system (Patton, 1992). This form of initiative is mainly a collaborative setting that includes a content specialist paired with a learning specialist and then leads to sharing of the teaching responsibilities, which will later benefit the education of all students. The use of inclusive education may change from one institution to other, but it clearly indicates that it is extremely important as enabler for students to achieve their ultimate educational goals. The rapid developments in innovative ICT infrastructure, particularly in the field of AT rekindles the hope and aspiration for those who have so long been deprived of opportunities with which life has burdened them: visual impairment, physical disability, hearing impairment and Communication impairments (Levin Scharffenberger, 1990) . More importantly, disability is being recognized as a social construct created by ability-oriented and ability-dominated environments. Traditional methods for studying the impacts of AT on disabled students in South African higher education includes: (a) interviews, (b) questionnaire surveys and (c) focus groups. However, in recent time, there has been a need to develop methods and practices that enable the student voice to be more focus on AT studies (Levin Scharffenberger, 1990). However, it should be clarified that efforts to include disabled students in studies of the impact of AT in the learning environments may need new alternative methods besides the traditional methods. Researcher can draw their learner-centred AT research studies from two related filed methods to analyse the impact of AT on disabled students in universities, these include: (a) participatory design and (b) participatory research. These methods are commonly used for designing AT and to incorporate the related fields of user-centred design, co-design and inclusive design (Hanson, et al., 2007). Participatory design according was defined as th e involvement of disabled students throughout the entire phases of the study (Hanson et al. 2007). This study involves: (a) working directly with the disabled students to fully participate in the study from phase one throughout to last phase, (b) involving the real disabled students in their real contexts, ignoring window dressing to keep the deficiencies of their school secret, (c) a continuous cycle of development and evaluation phases until both the researcher and research participants (disabled student in this case) reach an agreed solution, (d) dual participation between participants (disabled students) and designers in development of key AT methodologies. The benefits of participatory design methods are obvious when researching intensive study on the disabled students and how they use these technologies in daily activities (Davies et al. 2004). The strong in-depth analysis offered by such methods appears to be highly applicable to research studies focusing on hearing the stude nt voice. This study, therefore nominates participatory methods to be used to explore the impact of AT on disabled students in three higher education institutions in South Africa, taking three universities: (a) University of Pretoria, (b) University of Witwatersrand and (c) Tshwane University of Technology as a case study. This study advocates that there is the need for research to be written from the disabled students perspective and that is why participatory research is an appropriate approach for this study. Although most of the educators in south Africa are trying to make sure that the disabled students use the same technology as non-disabled, it has been hard for the disabled students to deal with the fact that most of the software being developed do not accommodate the aspect of inclusive education and design for all (Fischer, 1995). Research Design and Methodology The methodology of this study will try to demonstrate how the use of participatory methods of research will be used to show how the goals and objectives and problems questions of this study were meant. The most common forms of participatory methods are by use of interview plus, questionnaires and focus groups. The first objective (to identify different types of AT that are available to disabled students in South African higher institutions.), this study shall design a template of various AT from different literature study on AT. This AT template is then presented to the research participants (disabled students) to choose what are the different types of assistive technologies they are currently using. The second objectives (to determine the user-friendliness of the available AT to disabled students in South African higher institutions), this study proposes to include in the questionnaire a question that enables the disabled students to select one option from 1-10 how user friendly they think the AT they are using are. The higher the number, the more use-friendly that participant feels about that AT. The third objective (to determine whether the use of the AT improves academic performance of disabled students in South African higher institutions), this study proposes, after ethical approval has been granted from the various university, this study shall ask the University Authorities to provide academic transcripts of the research participants, to see if using these ATs have helped them improve on their academics. The fourth objective (to determine how is AT used by disabled students to facilitate social networking), this study proposes with the use of a questionnaire and interview plus, the research participants will be asked to choose or list the social networks that they are using at that current state and how much easier ATs have helped these students while using these social networks. The fifth objective (to determine the influence that AT is playing in the life of disabled students), this study proposes to have a controlled and experimental sample of participants. Since the South African government encourages the use of inclusive design, most of the ATs are used by both the disabled students and their non-disabled peers. During the interviews and answering of questionnaire, the research participants shall be asked to list how they feel ATs have helped them; both negative and positive responses shall be encouraged. Thus study will encourage these participants to even include non-academic influences of ATs on them. The focus group and interview plus shall be mainly used when the participants and answering to the questionnaire. These forms of participatory research methods shall also be used to enable the research participants to provide any additional information that they feel that this study might have left out. This study shall during the first focus group meeting provide each research participant with the proposed questions that this study intends to use. Each participant shall be asked to first tick which questions they feel are relevant to this study. Using an excel sheet, every question shall be listed in one column and another column showing how many students have chosen a particular question. This number is then divided by the total number of research participants to determine the mean score. The higher the mean score, the more relevant a question is to this study. The same format shall be used when deterring the best relevant data collection tool to use. These mean scores can also be classified as alpha scores. 3.1 Overview of data collection tools The data collection tools that will be used in this project consist of (a) interview plus (b) questionnaire and (c) focus groups. The use of these tools is not unique to research that uses a participatory approach; several general studies of disabled students in higher education have employed these methods. However, what is unique about the use of these data collection tools in this study is that participation influenced the nature and focus of each tool: 4. Project Plan 4.1 Summarised Project Plan WORKPACKAGES March April May June July August September October November Startup/Project Planning Communication Questionnaire Student recruitment Phase 1 all inclusive Phase 2 purposive Data collection Data Analysis Evaluation /Reporting Table 1:Project Plan 4.2 Master Project Plan Work package and activity Outputs Start date End Date WORKPACKAGE 1: Startup/Project Planning Objective: To provide project management for the project 1. Produce project plan, workpackages, and dissemination plan. march Ongoing 2.Reading of project material Gathering literature from library and internet March Ongoing 2. Choose of University to use List of University March March 3. Write Chapter One Presentation of Proposal March June WORKPACKAGE 2: Communication Objective: Maintain communication with Cordinator, and external interested parties Team Communication with Cordinator Minutes of meetings/emails weekly March Ongoing Academic and Student Services Staff University of Minutes of meetings/emails weekly March Ongoing External interested parties (Disability South Africa) Minutes of meetings/emails weekly March Ongoing Focus Groups Minutes of meetings/emails weekly July Ongoing WORKPACKAGE : Questionnaire Objective: Develop questions that will answer the Goals and Objectives Developement of Assisitve Technology Types Questionnaire Questionaire May May Developement of Goals and Objectives related questions Questionnaire May June Revised Chapter One Hand in Research Proposal(Chapter One) June July WORKPACKAGE 3: disabled Student recruitment Phase 1 all inclusive Objective: Participation of max available of disabled students Student Services support and Ethics Committe Acceptance of outline questions and support of project July July (Re)formulate interview questions with disabled students Pilot / Questionnaire acceptable to participants and evaluation of changes made. July August Data Analysis from initial questionnaires and contact with students from Phase 1 Analysis and report on outcomes of initial questionnaire, e-mails and discussions with students. August August WORKPACKAGE 4: Phase 2 purposive Objective: Recruitment of students who agreed to participate during Phase 1 Participatory research of methodology initial discussions,on-going evaluation and implementation Analysis and report on Methodologies August September Interviews/ participation/development of artefacts Analysis of interviews summary report September September WORKPACKAGE 5: Data collection Objective: Systematic Storage and re-formatting of data Collection of Data from participants Raw data available to team September September Accessible Multimedia artefacts Data available to team with captions, text descriptions, etc. September September WORKPACKAGE 6: Data Analysis Objective: Evaluation of all the data and other artefacts collected Analysis of interview data from Phase 2 Synopsis of transcripts accepted by individual participant September October Analysis of all artefacts provided by participants Agreement with participants, as to which artefacts are used for dissemination. Ocotober October Analysis of all external the data gathered in relation to the project. Agreement with team as to inclusion of external data relating to the project e.g. accessibility guidelines etc. October October WORKPACKAGE 7: Evaluation /Reporting Objective: Evaluation of methodologies used and completion of progress and final reports Progress report Draft to Advisory Group and Team Itemised report of progress to date October November Final evaluation of the questions used and Research Question Report Draft summary report detailing how the research questions have been addressed and drawing out lessons learned from the particular institutional context; October November Methodology Critique and analysis Draft report of a critique of the chosen methodology November November Recommendations/Guidelines on impact of the use of Assistive Technologies Draft recommendations and guidance for practitioners, support staff, institutional managers, learners, content providers, instructional designers, technical and program developers November November FINAL THESIS Hand in final research paper November November Table 2:Master Project Plan showing the activities that will be involved

Case Analysis Chapter

Susan Weeper's proposition to collaborate with Central Transport In transforming the direction of SAAB. Susan wants to attract larger retailers In the Mid-Atlantic States by adding services such as warehousing, transportation delivery, and Inventory management to their business model. Susan is proposing the idea to Jean because Central Transport has experience in these areas, and Central Transport has worked with SAAB Distribution in the past.Susan also approached Washman's Food Markets as a potential customer for SAAB Distribution's new services. Washman's Food Markets already offer an array of additional services to customers, such as in-store bakery, in-store cooking demonstrations, and take-out options. 1 . The competitive market place for SAAB has changed tremendously over the last five to seven years. The rate of change for the competitive market place Is driven by several external forces Including globalization, technology, organizational installations, empowered consumers, an d government policy and regulations.For example, the Impact of the consumer Is much more direct than It was seven years ago. Today, the consumer has placed increased demands at the retail level for an expanded variety of products and services. This explains why Washman's business model offers so many added services to customers shopping in their grocery store. By offering these additional services, Washman's can set themselves apart from their competitors. It is important that SAAB focus on the customers, and be flexible and responsive to them. 2.Central Transport could experience many advantages in the proposed venture. First off, Central and SAAB have worked successfully with each other in the past when SAAB transformed its operations to respond to challenges In the competitive market place, therefore It will be a fairly smooth collaboration, since the two have previously done business together. The new proposed venture would also be a relatively successful business opportunity be cause Central already has experience in the areas of warehousing, transportation delivery, and inventory management.It would be a great opportunity for Central to expand their current market as well as open up many new windows for business. This would increase Centrals profit margin. 3. SAAB and Central could face a number of issues if they were to follow through with the new proposed venture. Some possible issues include supply chain networks, complexity, inventory development, information, cost and value, performance measurement, technology, transportation management, and apply chain security.It Is important that both SAAB and Central address these problems and issues appropriately in order for the new venture to run smoothly. By hilariousness In summary, this case is about SAAB Distribution's CEO, Susan Weeper's proposition to collaborate with Central Transport in transforming the direction of SAAB. Susan wants to attract larger retailers in the Mid-Atlantic States by adding serv ices such as warehousing, transportation delivery, and inventory management to their business to seven years.The rate of change for the competitive market place is driven by several external forces including globalization, technology, organizational example, the impact of the consumer is much more direct than it was seven years other in the past when SAAB transformed its operations to respond to challenges in the competitive market place, therefore it will be a fairly smooth collaboration, since Centrals profit margin.

Essay on SOME Help to the Homeless - 2501 Words

SOME Help to the Homeless Every year approximately 2.3 to 3.5 million people go homeless in the United States of America. Twelve million adults in the US were homeless in the year 2001, or are still currently without a permanent home (â€Å"Homelessness in the U.S.†). How does this happen in â€Å"the land of opportunity?† We think of ourselves as one of the greatest nations in the world, yet citizens are living a life of poverty, often without food, clothing, and shelter. When most people think of fighting homelessness, they think of providing medical assistance, showers, and counseling services for those who suffer mental illness, trauma, and substance abuse. Although these necessities are imperative in helping a significant†¦show more content†¦Society labels him with stereotypes, such as â€Å"other† and â€Å"deviant,† often refusing to serve or to be in close proximity to this homeless person (Wright 7). Such treatment destroys a person’s dignity and sel f-respect. SOME is a unique organization, for it not only provides the needy with food, clothing, and shelter, but the volunteer group also offers medical, dental, personal hygiene, and counseling services (Foundation). With this type of attention, the homeless can escape the negative labels that society forces on them because they do not appear to be homeless. By offering these special personal services, SOME instills a sense of personal dignity in a homeless person. The lack of dignity that these individuals feel is a direct effect of society’s disrespect for the lower class. The stereotypes of the homeless conceived by upper social classes, cause the lower class to lose any respectable role they may have in society. A homeless man in Oberlin, Ohio says, â€Å"Many of us historically invisible people, in our quest for visibility, have chosen to take the routes of organization and alliance building. Often we tend to find that our muted voices have more resonance, bass, and credibility within these snugly, institutionally sanctioned cubby holes† (Laymon). After failing to get sufficient help throughShow MoreRelatedShould Homelessness Be Criminalized?1747 Words   |  7 Pagesdiscussed topics around the world is homelessness. Each and everyday more and more people become homeless. People around the world have tried numerous times to resolve this dilemma. This situation is growing and it s starting to spiral out of con trol. One solution that s getting popular the more we let this situation grow is that criminalizing the homeless is good. People cannot criminalize the homeless. Homeless people should not be criminalized because they have nowhere to go, they have it hard enoughRead MoreKelsey Bradley. Kendra Gallos. English Iii Honors. 6 April1619 Words   |  7 Pagesground becomes a bed and some nights it may be located under a bridge or even on a park bench. The smells that linger from other homeless people sleeping close by is nauseating but soon goes away because it becomes a way of life. Hunger has set in and begging people for food is the only option. People in society tend to label the homeless as alcoholics or drug abusers. The homeless people who choose to do such things set a bad example for homeless individuals who truly need help. Homelessness affectsRead MoreHomelessness Of The United States Essay1459 Words   |  6 PagesSixty-nine percent of those who were homeless were in sh eltered locations and 31 percent were found in unsheltered locations† (Facts). People living in poverty are most likely have a high risk becoming homeless. Many other reasons why becoming homeless is due to economic conditions such as unemployment and increasing housing costs (Why). In addition, with all the new economic rules they are at higher risk of losing what they have already. In certain areas, homeless people are families, single mothersRead MoreThe Problem Of The Lgbt Homelessness852 Words   |  4 Pagesonly certain races are homeless but that is not true. Thirty nine percent of Non-Hispanic whites are homeless compared to seventy six of the general population. Forty two percent of African-Americans are homeless compared to eleven percent of the general population. Thirteen percent of Hispanics are homeless compared to nine percent of the general population. Four percent of homeless are Native-American compared to one percent of the general population. Two percent o f homeless were Asians (â€Å"facts†)Read MoreThe Problem Of Becoming Homeless Essay1485 Words   |  6 PagesSixty-nine percent of those who were homeless were in sheltered locations and 31 percent were found in unsheltered locations† (Facts). People living in poverty are most likely have a high risk becoming homeless. Many other reasons why becoming homeless is due to economic conditions such as unemployment and increasing housing costs (Why). In addition, with all the new economic rules they are at higher risk of losing what they have already. In certain areas, homeless people are families, single mothersRead MoreThe Homelessness Of The Homeless1745 Words   |  7 Pagesdiscussed topics around the world is homelessness. Each and every day more and more people become homeless. People around the world have tried numerous times to resolve this dilemma. This situation is growing and it s starting to spiral out of control. One solution that is getting popular the more w e let this situation grow is that criminalizing the homeless is ok. People cannot criminalize the homeless. Homeless people should not be criminalized because they have nowhere to go, they have it hard enoughRead MoreTaylor s Campaign : The Homeless1690 Words   |  7 PagesThe Homeless Kristal Lopez California State University, Fullerton Sociology 371 Section 02 Abstract Homeless are people who do not have the basic necessities to survive which leads them to living on the streets. In places like Santa Monica there are many homeless and rather than the city addressing the problem they are just making it like it doesn’t exist. Forcing the homeless to fix the situation when they are not able to get through. Middle class Santa Monica residents see the homeless as aRead MoreEssay about Persuasive Speech: We Must Fight Homelessness 972 Words   |  4 Pages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Specific Purpose:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To persuade my audience to help fight homelessness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Central Idea:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With more help for the homeless we can make America better for everyone   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Attention   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I. Imagine for a moment that youre not in this classroom. A. Instead your outside, but you not walking to class or your dorm, your living there.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. Imagine for a moment that you yourself are homeless.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1. You have no shelter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2. When itRead MoreWhat Can Be Done to Stop Homelessness in America Essay522 Words   |  3 PagesHomelessness is across the world some places are better that other but every place on earth has homeless people. This paragraph is going to be why the issue is important how it affects people and what people and you can do to help. This is an issue that is important to me after this I hope you do something to help the homeless. This issue is important because there are between 750,000 and 1.3 million people that are homeless and that is just in America and that number is getting bigger due to economicRead MoreThe Problem Of A Program1465 Words   |  6 Pages200 million people that are homeless, which is including the recorded 1 million children as well. This is an obvious issue because there is no need for there to be homeless when there are available resources to help them. They have programs put in place to help out the homeless, but it is not working because they do not have the resources to do everything that needs to be done.. We need to create a system or a program that receives donations that will help out the homeless individuals in China, adults