Intro to Environmental Science Flashcard

Intro to Environmental Science

Googles Strategic Plan Analysis Essay

Googles Strategic Plan Analysis Essay Google Strategy Plan Analysis Essay Google Strategy Plan Analysis Essay Google Inc. is one of the largest and most powerful technology companies dealing with internet related products and services. Although the company started from a humble beginning, it has grown significantly, and developed some of the most convenient applications and online services that we use today. These applications include Gmail, Google Earth, Google Chats, and Google Maps among others. The company has managed to win the competition against former giant corporations such as Yahoo, Alta Vista and Microsoft. The current paper presents a strategic plan for this giant technology company for a period of five years starting from 2014. Four strategic goals discussed in this paper include; to become the primary interface of the world, to improve the quality and access to the internet, to â€Å"own the home† and to control more of the purchase cycle. By becoming the primary interface of the world, the company plans to be the main choice in all internet and non-internet related oper ations of our daily living. In terms of â€Å"owning the home† the company plans to have gadgets and appliances that will be used in all aspects of living, at home and even at the workplace. By controlling more of the purchase cycle, Google plans to influence the commercial activities’ patterns of its customers and increase its share of the financial pie by indulging more into the commercial world. Improvement of the quality and access to the internet will be the key goal of the company’s expansion and efficiency as most of its activities require reliable and convenient internet connections. The Most Dominant Search Tool The most dominant search tool on the web today is Google; a company that was born in 1998 in a garage, in the minds of Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Google has seen a rapid and steady growth and success story from nothing to becoming the dominant search engine in less than 8 years. Today, Google Inc. is the largest multinational company that specializes in various internet-based products and services. These products and services include software, online advertising technologies, cloud computing and search services among others. The company has several subsidiary companies such as YouTube, DoubleClick, Songza and feedBurner. On the 10th of August 2015, Google announced the reorganization of its interests as a holding company, and became the leading subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. After the restructuring process Google became the umbrella company for the entire Alphabet’s internet interest (Google, 2015). Over the years, Google has made significant strides in the world of internet related products and services, creating some of the most widely used online services that had previously not been thought of. These products and services include a combination of search engine options, photo and file sharing platforms, Google maps, operating systems and applications that run in a vast array of devices among many other life changing inventions and ideas. It is evident that Google made these strides in the contemporary world owing brilliant ideas and strategic planning and effective implementation of such strategies. This paper seeks to explore Google’s strategic plan, paying attention to its mission and vision, assets, competitiveness, challenges and opportunities, and its strategic goals. Mission and Vision Statements Since 1998, Google has grown according to the guidelines provided in its Mission and Vision statement, which has led it to its current position as one of the most powerful and valuable brands over the globe. Its Mission statement outlines the strategies of business, such as the creation of new products and services. It is focused on innovation and excellence. Furthermore, Google’s Vision statement pushes the company to achieve new heights through rapid innovation and excellence. The company’s success can be attributed to the company’s efforts to fulfill their Mission and Vision statements. Google’s Vision statement is â€Å"to provide access to the world’s information in one click.† This vision statement reflects the nature of the company’s business. The most popular product of Google is the search engine service, which provides easy access to information to and from people around the world. There are three fundamental variables in this Vision statement; accessibility, world’s information and one click. The company gets world’s information by searching webpages. It then maintains databases that contain the indexes of these webpages. Finally, the firm fulfils the accessibility variable by providing its search engine services to all people around the world with access to the worldwide web. The one click component here signifies the ease of access to information to anyone and anywhere on the planet. Google’s Mission statement is â€Å"to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.† Since its foundation, the company has focused on creating proprietary algorithms that maximize its effectiveness and ensure that people have access to the information they need. The Mission Statement has four variables; world’s information, organization, universal accessibility and usefulness. The company effectively follows its Mission and Vision statements by searching webpages, and organizing the information through its proprietary algorithm. It then provides universal accessibility to this information through their search engine services available worldwide. Summary of Internal Assets Assessment The main stakeholders of Google include; investors, users, employees, advertisers and developers. Google provides services to more than 12 billion users every month and this translates to more than 70 percent of the world searches. In the US, Google has more than 89 percent of the mobile search market. This is a huge clientele base and the strategies are aimed at keeping them happy and satisfied. Google has more than 53,600 full time employees and generates about 66 billion dollars in revenue globally (Statista, 2015). Their guiding organizational value and culture focus on the user, and they believe in doing something â€Å"really well.† The company also believes in fast internet connections and â€Å"democracy† on the web. The provision of fast online services and the ability to choose from an assortment of available services help Google to achieve their mission, and it is evident they have become the largest online goods and service provider among the available. Goog le has achieved these milestones by providing valuable and organized online services at convenient level that is imperfectly imitable, like in mobile gadgets and devices (Jurevicius, 2014). Summary of External Environment Factors Google’s external factors are mainly based on technological changes, and they serve either as opportunities or threats to the company. The outlook for the industry and market is very promising, especially if the company will be able emphasize its strengths and work to seal its weak points. The most significant political factors among Google’s external environmental factors include; globalization, stable political climate in major markets and state-sponsored online companies that pose a threat. These political factors in Google’s external environment are mainly opportunities. Globalization increases the demand for online advertising. The stable political climate in major markets minimizes obstacles to the firm’s expansion. Economic factors that will impact Google include rapid economic growth of developing countries and continued economic stability in major markets. These factors present an opportunity for growth as they create a momentum that can be exploi ted by the company for global expansion. As for social and cultural factors, there is a rising diversity of users in today’s world, which presents an opportunity, and as noted, the increase in the use of social media advertising poses a threat to Google’s main revenue producer. Technological factors include the significantly rising growth rates of internet access in developing nations and rapid adoption of mobile gadgets and devices globally. An improvement on the available mobile-friendliness of available online products and creation of new ones to meet changes in global markets will boost the company’s growth. Despite the fact that Google generates most of its income online, the company is subject to ecological and environmental factors. The increasing awareness, spread of environmentalism, and growing interests in sustainable businesses present an opportunity for Google to integrate these factors into its product and service delivery. This will improve customer responses as most people perceive environmentalism and sustainability in a very positive way. Legal factors have a significant influence on the operations of the company. The increased regulations on online privacy and intellectual property rights give a chance to Google to improve its privacy measures and protect its clients, in addition to discouraging the violation of intellectual property rights. This will give clients a sense of security and they will be happy with Google’s online services. These factors present an opportunity for the company to achieve its vision and strategy, which will be faced with a few challenges, although the company has a potential to overcome these threats and accomplish its mission and vision (Google, 2014). Assessment of Industry Competitiveness Google is well suited to compete with companies that offer similar goods and services. With the ever changing and rising diversity of internet users, tapping this opportunity will give Google a competitive advantage over potential rivals. There is reported an increase in social media usage, which can be perceived as a threat as some social media websites like Facebook are being used for advertising. However, Google still has an advantage, since its ads are found in different websites providing different kinds of information to a wide variety of clientele. Based on Porter’s Five Forces analysis on Google, competitive rivalry exerts a significant force on the company. Threats of substitution and new entries are moderate considerations to the business industry environment. The bargaining powers of both suppliers and buyers are minimally significant factors, and Google should focus on addressing the strong forces of competition. The diverse set of products comes with a diverse set of competitors, and the only significant threat is the low switching cost to other similar companies (Smithson, 2015). Summary of Opportunities and Identified Key Challenges There are numerous opportunities that can be a boost to Google if they are exploited to their full potential. These include The driverless car that Google is working on could significantly improve Google’s income in addition to bringing convenience in the society, especially for people who are unable to drive. Google’s Nest is developing â€Å"the internet of things.† This is a low level Operating System(OS) meant to run on a variety of devices, creating a communication layer like a weave that will allow devices with low level OS to communicate, making it easy to control them. Robotics projects. Google owns several robotics projects that create a variety of robots ranging from robotic dogs to disaster response robots. Other Moonshot projects in their development stages, such as project Loon and Project Glass. There are also key challenges faced by Google today, and moving into the future. These include; Overdependence on search. Today, more than 80 percent of the profits made by Google are generated from search. This shows that they are heavily dependent on search services, indicating that if the search service collapses, the company will face extreme difficulties in raising revenues. State-sponsored online companies pose a threat to Google, as in the case of the Chinese government’s control of large firms in China. Strategic Goals Google has a strategic plan to be effected in the course of five years starting from 2014. This plan consists of four strategic goals. To become the primary interface of the world. In our day-to-day activities, we connect, create and discover, and we use a bunch of tools that primarily make our lives better. Although these tools have constantly changed over the years, they are a fundamental part of who we are. The primary strategy of Google here is to become the ultimate life tool, to be the primary lenses between the customer and everything else, to be the link between a person and the world around him or her. There is power and beauty in connecting the things that are used to shape the world around us. Google seeks to provide the option to live almost every aspect of our daily lives through its interface. This strategy will tighten their hold on search in addition to opening up new revenue models. For instance, a Google made gadget wakes a person up in the morning, he or she runs on a Google Glass enabled treadmill, and then a self-driving car takes that person to work. At work, the person spends the entire day using Google business applications on Google devices, ordering food, chatting with family and friends on same devices, and then watches TV shows in the evening when he or she gets home (Wilson, 2014). To improve the quality and access to the internet. Google’s operations, growth and the speed of innovation are closely related to and dependent on widely available and fast internet connections. Today, Google is exploring all possible pathways to achieve this goal. Google fiber will continuously rollout to different areas around the globe, putting pressure on other similar service providers to deliver cheaper and faster services. This strategy can also be implemented within the wireless industry, carrying out small implementations to meet customer demands while staying away from government watchdogs. In the near future, Google will facilitate more high speed Wi-Fi networks similar to the one in Chelsea, New York, in public transportation and neighborhoods to make more partnerships between Google and companies with similar visions. Projects like Loon will create additional connectivity, aiming at connecting more than 50% of the world’s population that is not yet connected by 2018 (Wilson, 2014). To â€Å"own the home† The house or home is one of the main focuses of Google’s strategic plan. A home provides a self-contained environment that gives opportunities for technological innovation, especially when it comes to connectivity, automation and content. Google’s acquisition of Nest puts the company in a leading position to build on smoke alarms and digital thermostats to conquer the emerging connected home and security market. These markets are coveted by cable and telecommunication companies, but Google has an upper hand when it uses central development platforms such as Android (Wilson, 2014). Content is the main aspect of Google’s strategy for the home. Competitive TV products in specific Google Fiber Areas and Chromecast are turning into solid content platforms, with access to contents such as NFL among other deals to expand its Google Play service. New content owners are continuously brought to YouTube Platform in paid YouTube channels, generating more revenues. Automation is also on the strategic plan, with companies like Boston Dynamics aimed to create robots that will help out in executing household chores. To control more of the purchase cycle. Currently, Google only enjoys a small portion of the commerce pie, which they seek to increase significantly by 2018. Google plans to use online ads to influence different aspects of products purchased. For instance, they seek to connect online advertisement to retail shops and stores by sending taxi to pick the customer for free and take them to the store to purchase the item they clicked on an advertisement online. Google is also expanding product comparison tools by offering the â€Å"recent press† around Google’s Flight Search evolution. They also plan to add purchasing functions in the main content platforms such as YouTube, Chromecast and Glass. Possible moves to increase their percent of the purchase cycle in the near future will include acquisition of more companies with unique yet fundamental products and services (Wilson, 2014). SMART Objectives for Each Strategic Goal To become the primary interface of the world. To become the primary choice of connection by 2020 To create gadgets and devices that will enhance convenience and connectivity in day-to-day life To provide primary and secondary connections between gadgets in the office To improve the quality and access to the internet. To provide fast internet connections with other partners in major cities by 2020. To expand Google Fiber network by 150 percent in the next five years. To provide low cost fast internet connections in 100 cities in the developing countries that will exhibit potential for growth by 2020. To â€Å"own the home† To set up content streaming services including big league games like the NFL To establish and maintain a strong customer base for Nest’s products, like smoke alarms and thermostats among other. To provide affordable â€Å"home office† working packages for users in major cities in the next two years. To control more of the purchase cycle. To increase the share of purchase cycle by 10 percent in every financial year until 2020 To use online advertisements to market goods and services offered by Google and its subsidiaries in order to increase revenue by 15-20 percent by 2018 To roll out more products and services that are market oriented in the next financial year. Placeholder Sections Marketing Plan Google is more than just a search engine as it specializes in technology and innovation. The search engine serves as a window to all sorts of webpages, videos, clouding books and music. The company’s main income is generated by an advertising program called AdWords. The program uses Keyword-based ads that are sold to companies. For instance, if one sells spectacles and sunglasses, they bid against other similar dealers for the highest place in the order at which the search results appear to customers (Studymarketing.org, n.d.). Implementation Plan The company will invest available resources in implementing plans while paying attention to the small details, especially regarding customer preferences and satisfaction. Google is also willing to invest significant amount of resources to smaller firms with the capacity and the knowhow to create revolutionary gadgets, inventions and services. Other companies with similar interests that are looking for strong, both short and long-term partnership with Google will be highly considered. The rolling out of better quality and access to the internet, especially in the developing world will open up opportunities to exploit numerous untapped potential for the numerous products and services offered by Google. Human Resources Plan One of the main human resource tricks by Google is to make employees happy and satisfied. A team of experts will be hired regularly to test employees and gather information on how to improve products and service provision to customers. Keen attention is to be paid to the small things that have a great impact, such as the welfare of employees, namely health, and ensuring minimal wastage of precious resources such as time. Data will be used to establish the way of thinking among employees, and how to better manage the operations of the company. Financial Plan There is a concerted financial plan put in place that ensures the growth of revenues in an accelerating pace. The available resources will be invested in key areas that exhibit maximum effectiveness in managing costs and generating revenues. Resources will be made available to new expansion projects, innovations and developments that show great potential for growth. A team of experts will be working round the clock to forecast possible future financial results and determine the best pathways to invest the company’s resources along with the pursuit of the short and long-term goals. Contingency Plan Diversification will be a key goal for the company going into the future. Generating income from different angles will shield the company from collapsing. However, in case of any unfortunate occurrence and if Google is adversely affected, the company has set aside enough resources to raise the company back to its feet and start operations again. The company has agreements with other financial institutions that will ensure provision of enough resources to fund the company back to operation in case of a disaster.

Cte d'Ivoire Outline & Report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cte d'Ivoire Outline & Report - Research Paper Example Since the issue of who will lead the country has already been resolved, Ivory Coast is in the process of moving forward and breaking all barriers caused by war. The government has concrete plans on turning the fortune of the country. In addition, foreign aid and investments have been pledged to boost the country’s economy. Another issue that prevents Ivory Coast from improving is the lack of human capital development. The level of investment provided to improve cocoa farmers is low. The government needs to pay attention to this segment as majority of the population are into agriculture. Prices of commodities have to remain competitive and taxes should be reduced. I. Country Profile The Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, also known as Ivory Coast is a country situated in West Africa. The country has a total land area 322,460 square kilometers and shares borders with Liberia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The southern boundary of the country includes a 515-coastline from the Gu lf of Guinea. Ivory Coast’s terrain includes lagoons in the southeast, dense forests in the southwest, and savannah areas in the north. The west part of the country is mostly mountainous with wide plains. The country’s climate is warm and transitions from tropical to equatorial. Ivory Coast experiences heavy rains during the months of June to October and dry periods from December to April. The average temperature is at 25 to 30 degrees Celsius with the lowest at 10 degrees Celsius and highest at 40 degrees Celsius (CIA, 2011). As of July 2011, Cote d'Ivoire has an estimated population of 21,504,162 which ranks the country 56th in the world. The population comprises of major ethnic groups; the biggest which is Akan with 42% of the total population. The other ethnic groups from largest to smallest include Gur, Northern Mandes, Krous and Southern Mandes. Each year, the population of the country increases by 2.0 percent with a birth rate of 31 per 1,000 people and death ra te of 10 per 1,000 people. Life expectancy on the average is at 57 years with males reaching 56 years and females reaching 58 years (CIA, 2011). Ivory Coast’s largest city is Abidjan where the seat of government is located. The capital city of Yamoussoukro and the government is divided into 19 regions and 81 departments. Other main cities include Bouake, Daloa, Korhogo, San Pedro and Divo. The country’s official language is French but the use of English has been observed. About 39% of the people are Muslims, 32% are Christians, 12% are indigenous and the rest have no established religion. Ivory Coast is 51% urbanized and the rate on urbanization is at 3.7% change annually. Literacy rate is at 49% where 61% of the men and 38 of women can read and write. In terms of age structure, 57% are aged between 15 to 64 years old, 40% are between 0 to 14 years old and the rest of the population is over 65 years old (CIA, 2011). II. History There have been documents stating there w ere pre-historic human settlements in Ivory Coast. Most of the groups that established communities in the country were tribes that broke away from powerful groups in West Africa. The lush forests have served as barrier preventing foreign tribes from coming in. Hence Ivory Coast has limited foreign influence and has limited awareness as to what is happening outside. During the 18th century, most communities were

Apples Supply Chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Apples Supply Chain - Essay Example Apple’s supply chain management is under strict surveillance. The production and management of the product is checked at every point by the designers and the authorities. The designers of Apple’s I-Phone work closely with their suppliers so that they can control them. They work with the suppliers and the manufacturers all through the production procedure so that they can have a close look at every minute detail of the goods. On the other hand, some electronics manufacturers deploy the entire industrial process of the supply chain into the hands of the third party service provider like Solectron or Flextronics (Nahmias and Olsen, 2015).One of the distinguishing features of Apple Inc. is that it invests huge sum of money in the creativity and design of its I-phone. They make sure that they have acquired licenses and made acquisitions of technology firms beforehand so that they can use their products in its series of goods and services. They also supervise market research and conducts product-testing to upgrade their products with the aim of achieving higher profit. Quality defects of the items are identified and plans are sketched out to minimize the danger of quality degradation. Apple Inc. stands first when it comes to branding. So to maintain its uniqueness, it spends massively in its Research and Development (Satariano, Burrows, 2011).Since it focuses solely on the innovation of its products, it misses out with increasing the number of features in its devices. Dell has a number of configurations.

The Problems Of Indiscipline In Rivers

The Problems Of Indiscipline In Rivers Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate The Problems of Indiscipline in Secondary Schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. One hundred teachers constituted the study sample. Questionnaire was administered to teachers to obtain data for five research questions. The statistical tool used to analyse the raw data was percentage method. The results showed that lack of corporal punishment, irregular payment of teachers salaries, poor administration constitutes the major problems to indiscipline in schools. In this regard, it was suggested that corporal punishment should be introduced in schools; also, more and adequate incentives should be provided to the teachers. CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Education in any perspective finds its usefulness in the areas of moral, intellectual, social and spiritual development of the child. This development to a great extent is a function of the quality of the educational system, which is partly measured on the basis of students discipline. Discipline constitutes one of the fundamental, critical and challenging functions of the teacher. Mostly, when viewed from the fact that students whom they manage their affairs are drawn from different home background, accommodates the influence of peer groups and thus, were bound to exhibit different patterns of behaviour that may not conform with the instructional standard of the school. Discipline is an aspect of school function which if not well maintained can render the school system ineffective. School discipline as a matter of fact is seen as a vital element in the process by which students are enabled to function in the society. The general idea underlying this fact is that if the school is situated in the society and it is hoped that the products of these schools will be absorbed into the society, the students must therefore be made to develop rule-following and law, adding habits so that they conform to the general social expectations of the main culture absorbing its basic attitudes and beliefs, Sieber and wilder (1997:70) point out that a society without rules is inconceivable, and rules without attitude of disapproval towards them are inconceivable. In the English Elementary School, obedience was enforced mildly without any military goal in mind and in that discipline was seen essentially as a process of obedient training for society at large. On the other hand, thinking of discipline in terms of training for society, Docking (1990:4) says it may encourage a schooling for subordination where teachers use their disciplinary authority to satisfy some unfulfilled need within themselves so that they are to view children as a means rather than as ends. The promotion or maintenance of effective discipline is essential if organised group action is to be effective or productive whether the group is a club, society, a union, a company, a business or industrial concern or a nation. The word discipline connotes that the members or a group should reasonably conform to the rules and regulations, which is the code of behaviour which have been formed for it or by it, so that every one may benefit by them. Peoples morale or industrial peace are definitely proper by maintenance of discipline if the members of a group do not abide by the rules of the organisation, it may collapse. Chaos, confusion, disobedience, disloyalty and antisocial or anti-organisational activities develop to the detriment of every one. In the word of Spriegel (1997:34) discipline is the force that prompts an individual or a group to observe the rules, regulations which are seemed to be necessary to the attainment of an objective. It is a factor, which restrains an indivi dual from doing certain things, which are deemed to be disruptive for the group objectives. It is also the exercise of restraint or the enforcement of penalties for the violation of group regulations. Thus, discipline can be said as an attitude of the mind, a product of culture and a particular environment which promotes an individual to willingly co-operate in the observance of the rules of the organizational to which he belongs. School discipline is often seen as an important ingredient in the process by which children are enabled to function in the society because living in the society entails living in association with certain agreed rules, which govern ones behaviour. Thus, keeping order in the school is a multi-faced problem associated with range of interacting factors, such as the child himself, home and neighbourhood influence, changing societal values and expectations, the school and its natural environment, and the individual teacher. The problem of indiscipline is more apparent among secondary school students all over the world. Indiscipline among them has attracted serious attention of scholars and administrators. These scholars and administrators attributes to their state of development. They opine that when students notice certain biological changes signalling maturity in the course of the growth and development, they tend to misbehave by faulting school rules and regulations Mukhargee (1995:17). Indiscipline is a mode of life not in conformity with rules and non-subjected to control. By extension, the term connotes the violation of school rules and regulations capable of obstructing the smooth and orderly, functioning of the school system Adeyemo (1995:22). School rules and regulations in most cases affect students more than any other thing because they are made by the school authorities in order to guide and protect the students while in school. Statement of the Problem In the teaching and learning process certain identifiable problems of indiscipline militate against its success and achievements. That means for effective teaching and learning to take place there must be discipline in order to make reasonable achievements. In spite of the effort so far made by the government for the past eight years to curb indiscipline in our secondary schools, delinquency, truancy, disobedience, absenteeism, etc. are some of the problems of teaching and learning in our secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. This study is therefore interested in addressing the problems of indiscipline so that teaching and learning will improve in our schools. Purpose of the Study The general purpose of this study includes the following: (a) Determine the factors underlying the problem of maintaining effective discipline in secondary schools. (b) Ascertain the effects of such factors on academic performance. (c) Make recommendation on the areas that would solve these problems. Research Questions The study shall be guided by the following research questions: What factors are responsible for school indiscipline? What are the effects of such factors on students academic performance? What are the strategies adopted by teachers to prevent classroom indiscipline? Does the rate of indiscipline among secondary school students increase or decrease for the past three years? Are girls more receptive to instruction than boys in secondary schools? Significance of the Study The importance of this study includes the following: (1) To provide information for government and school administrators about the solution to the problems of school indiscipline. (2) To provide relevant data about the causes of indiscipline from teachers perspective. (3) To make recommendations and suggestions that possibly could help solve the problem of indiscipline. Scope of the Study The study focus on school indiscipline from twenty-two (22) selected secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State. Definition of Terms For the purpose of this study, the following terminologies shall be defined thus: Student: A person who is studying in a school, especially a secondary school. Secondary School: This is a school for young people between the age of 11 and 16. Regulation: This is an official rule made by authority. Discipline: This is the practice of training people to obey rules and regulations. Indiscipline: This is lack of discipline, control in the behaviour of a group of people. CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE The chapter can be reviewed under the following headings. 2.1. Students discipline in Nigeria schools 2.2 Imperative of indiscipline in secondary schools 2.3. Causes of indiscipline 2.4 School indiscipline and academic achievement 2.5 School rules and regulations on student discipline 2.6 The concept of in loco-parentis and its relationship to students discipline 2.7 Student discipline and classroom management 2.8 Strategies of curbing indiscipline 2.9 Summary of the literature reviewed 2.1 Students Discipline in Nigeria Schools According to Matsoga (2003:54) violence and misbehaviour exist in Nigeria schools. This lack of discipline which interferes with the teaching and learning process, manifests itself in various ways including bullying, vandalism, alcohol and substance abuse, truancy, inability or unwillingness to do homework etc. Moswele (2004:146) and Matsoga (2003:53). Vandalizing school property is at rampart and this has influenced the government to introduce school fees in order to mend, that which was broken such as window, panes, furniture and walls. Theft is also common. For instance, in 2003 students in one senior secondary school broke into a biology laboratory to steal ethanol Banda (2004:16) some of these students lost their lives and others lost their sight. In another senior secondary school, 19-year-old boy committed suicide after fighting with another student over a borrowed plate Maleka (2003:162). These horrible acts left the nation speechless, not knowing where such behaviour originates. These incidents sprang the debate on the use of corporal punishment in schools which concluded that Nigeria cannot do away with it, but it has to be used guardedly Maleka (2003:162) and Keorang (2004:51). Experience had it that, teachers may ask for transfers; while parents withdraw their children from schools with numerous cases of student misconduct such as the one mentioned above. 2.2 Imperative of indiscipline in secondary schools Discipline in these schools is now passing through an eclipse. The problem of indiscipline is found everywhere, therefore, students do no longer believe in hard work as the only honourable path to success. Slangs connoting examination malpractice like choke exhibit, dagbo, omokirikiri and the like are common during examination time and they are expressed in such free but shameful that one somehow think that it does not mean anything. Children of the high and low, big and small, powerful and the downtrodden are involved in varying degrees. At this juncture, it would be worthwhile to highlight some of the prevalent cases and acts of indiscipline amongst secondary school students. 1. Cultism Cultism has suddenly become the giant monster that has swallowed up our ethics and morals; any student who fails to belong is quickly packed off the stage by either being intimidated out of school or killed. Many have been forced to join counter cultist group, which often produced fatal consequences. Section 329 (1) of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria defines cultism (secret cult) as an association that uses secret signs, oaths, rites or symbols and which is formed to promote a cause, the purpose or part of the purpose which is to foster the interest of its members and to aid one another under any circumstance without the regard to merit, fair or justice to the demerit of those who are not members. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦who members are sworn to observe oaths of secrecyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 2. Indecent Dressing Near naked and other forms of nudity is the order of the day in our schools. Kpakol (2004:62) argues that peer pressure, self-indulgence, and dress to kill-the deliberate habit of putting on seductive clothes to attract those of the opposite gender sexually or throw off balance emotionally. In this connection Bellow, (1993:3) states that school discipline is the training which produces in children self-restraint, orderliness, good conduct, operation and the habit of getting the best out of themselves. It involves intellectual and moral education as opposed to mere order and instruction. 3. Curriculum content Any society whose educational system is careless about the need of the society is doomed. It thus, not enough to have a curriculum. It is most important that the curriculum relates and adequately takes care of the entire societal aspiration. Our curriculum today is greatly deficient in moral education as contained in the curriculum is shabby and neglected. In some schools, it is not even taught. The subjects of History, Civic and Nature study and so on that immediately inculcates the ideal nation building to the youth are abolished social studies and integrated science that is fashioned in their stead has proved to be incapable in content and practice. 4. Parental Training Charity it is said begins from home. A parent who is not firm with his children and lets them go the bad is not kind to them. Parents do not often consider the future welfare and success of their children as of great importance. Firmness is not shown by constant scolding, beating and fussing, this is to many educators indicates weakness. In addition, some parents are always quarrelling and fighting. This definitely makes the students not to have affection and develop negative attitude to life. In school, that student may be and always picking quarrel with his peer because this is what he grew up with. 2.3 Causes of Indiscipline Indiscipline as we have noted elsewhere is not a new phenomenon. It has engaged the attention of many writers and authors at different levels. Causes of indiscipline in secondary schools are numerous. They include school society, wrong ideals, idleness, lack of good leadership, injustice, lack of realistic rules, bad home training and upbringing, etc. Okoroma (2000:1109) and Nwankwo (1991:67) note that the causes and symptoms of indiscipline are many and vary from school to school and from place to place. In their view, some symptoms of indiscipline include general unrest and deliberate breaches of school rules, peaceful and violent demonstration, mass disobedience, truancy, delinquency, absenteeism, drug use and abuse, as well as drunkenness. Shakaran (1997:47) and Nwankwo (1991:67) have identified the causes of indiscipline in secondary schools in Nigeria to include authoritarian methods, bad staff behaviour, harsh school rules, poor communication, results, lack of adequate school facilities, influence of home and society. In this paper, we however, proffer a multi-dimensional approach to this burning issue of indiscipline in our secondary schools; hence our consideration of the causes of indiscipline will be multi-dimensional. 1. Social Influence There has become a sudden shift from merit to lack lustre. Achievements are no longer measured by commitment and capability but influence and material wealth who you know than what you are measured up in terms of merit, is what determines promotion. Thus, a student need not burn the night candle. 2. Corruption This is the oldest son of indiscipline. This son has grown up that it often stands shoulder to shoulder with its father indiscipline. What permeates all the stretch of our society today is how to make it quickly. Public finance meant for welfare programmes that would have stemmed the aid of mal-behaviour in our youths and adolescents gets diverted to redundant programmes or private pockets. To such extent, there is no motivation in those who should be seen to be disciplined. With empty stomach, ragged dressing, hopeless accommodation, intolerable health, there is no way a person can resist temptation. 3. Rural-urban Drift Closely related to the issue of government policy and corruption is the issue of rural-urban drift. A writer once said that everyone is a village by root. The rate, at which our youths and adolescents migrate from the serene, quiet and less atrocious life in the village to the noisy, burdensome, busy and unnecessarily over populated cities, is alarming. One identified reason for this as outright lack of basic facilities and infrastructure in our villages. Where there is any, it is often in a state of despair so grossly inadequate that no youth would see his mate coming home from the city without being tempted to taste the city. This sudden transformation from the village to city life is bound to produce unpalatable consequences. This explains why secondary school students are engaged in crimes nowadays either to be able to sustain the tempo of life in the city or in preparation to get to the city. 2.4 School Indiscipline and Academic Achievement In classroom teaching, discipline implies the control of a class to achieve desirable behaviour. The concept of school discipline and school rewards has the similar objectives of assisting students to make maximum achievement in their academic pursuits. According to Nwankwo (1991:67) discipline behaviour involves characteristics such as self-sacrifice, diligence, co-operation, integrity, consideration and sympathy for others as well as the fear of God. He goes on to say that discipline is a system of guiding the individual to make reasonable and responsible decisions. In classroom teaching, discipline means the control of a class to achieve desirable behaviour. Discipline involves self-control; a disciplined person knows and takes the right course of action. He is guided not simply by self-interest, but also by consideration of interest of others. A disciplined individual is also guided in his behaviour by moral and social principles. Factors of indiscipline that lead to low academic achievement are common with student from socio-economic status families Alumode (2002:84). This is because teachers are often prejudiced against youth from low socio-economic status families and show preferential treatment to students from high socio-economic status families Manster (2001:297). Another reason is that peer influences on low socio-economic students are often antisocial and delinquency prone, emphasizing early marriage for the girls and gang activities for the boys Conger (1993:13). Blodsoe (2005:28) believes that the quality of interaction among members of the adolescents family influence the degree of discipline and success in school work. According to him, the studies of the family relationship of bright, high-achieving students versus under-achieving high school students shows that the high achievers more often than under-achievers describe their parents as typically sharing vacation and ideas as understanding, appro ving, trusting, affection etc. encouraging (but not pressuring) with respect to achievement and over restrictive or severe in discipline. 2.5 School Rules and Regulation on Discipline The Education Act of 1999 has documented some rules and regulations that govern student discipline in Nigeria schools. It stipulates methods and procedure for minor and severe disciplinary measures such as corporal punishment, suspension and student expulsion. Rules and regulations are drawn for the orderly conduct of the school affairs. Some of them are written and others are implied and they recognised by law. Addressing the issue of rules and regulations Nwangwu (2009:142) state that: The Schools Board and individual school authorities have the right to make any reasonable rules and regulations for the orderly conduct of school affairs in the interest of the entire school and school system. The fundamental point raised above is that those provisions are made by relevant authorized bodies to direct and spell out the relationship between teachers, student and school authorities. The responsibility is therefore on every member of the school system to respect and obey the rules, as any breach must be followed by the application of appropriate disciplinary measures. The courts of law shall always put into consideration the reasonableness and constitutional right of the school rules and regulations. Rules that encroached on a constitutional right of students will invariably be invalidated by courts. 2.6 The Concept of in Loco-Parentis and its Relationship to Students Discipline In educational circle, the special relationship which exists between students and the schoolteacher regarding discipline is termed in loco-parentis. It is assumed that the teacher in performing certain roles especially as it relate to control of parental jurisdiction. According to Remmlein and Wane in Igwe (1998:82) in loco-parentis means in place of the parent, charged with some of the parents right, duties and responsibilities. The implication is that schoolteachers or authorities stand in place of parents in respect to students education and discipline. By this it is expected that teacher have the invariably contracted with parents to perform some of the duties and functions of the latter. The teacher is therefore expected to act reasonably in this capacity. In present, the teachers acting in loco-parent is to discipline an erring student, and should ensure that the punishment was done reasonably and in good faith in order to avoid costly and embarrassing court cases. The teacher should act within the limit of this principle, because according to Eferakaya (1998:17), school officials who perpetuate acts of indiscipline can no longer be protected by the in loco parentis doctrines the courts are quite convinced that the school is incapable of assuming full parental responsibilities. 2.7 Students Indiscipline and Classroom Management The International Dictionary of Education formally defines discipline as a term to describe teacher classroom control or general restraint of pupils behaviour Lingworth (2004:18) argues that coercion can never be a method of educating in the sense that where teachers tend to interpret control of threats thereby forcing students to learn what he has taught them is far behind the truth. Another interesting aspect of discipline and administrative control is the use of scientific procedures known as behaviour modification based on the learning theory developed by Skinner who advocates some technique and positive reinforcement such as using rewards to bring about and maintain desired behaviour combined with extinction behaviour i.e. weakening undesired behaviour by ignoring it or by otherwise removing its reward consequences. However, the work of Lauwerys (1999:42) is discovered to be in contrast with the scientific procedures of behaviour modification and psychodrama work of Piaget. His work on classroom management focuses attention on the teachers public demonstration that he knows what is going on, his ability to facilitate smooth transaction from one activity to another and handle movement and type of demand he makes from pupil. There is bound to be conflict when administration in school is taken to be rigid and regimentation, where students have to fear administrations rather than respect them. Fagbula (2002:80) in his work concludes that teachers rather than settle their minor matters take them to the school administrators create a problem to administrative control of schools. Bad administrative control can hinder effective discipline tone in the school. These can take the form of giving bad and inadequate food to students, ineffective teaching, bad staff behaviour, authoritarian methods of administ ration, high school rules, arrogant attitude of the school prefects, unsatisfactory curricula, poor examination results, poor communication between administrators and school pupils. 2.8 Strategies for Curbing Indiscipline It is imperative to ensure that the best behaviours and conditions are inculcates, established and maintained for effective learning to take place in our secondary schools. This can be realised if we accept that the teacher has the power to impose discipline by using some sort of power over this students. However, this is only possible to a little extent, for it to have meaningful impact it must also take into account the psychological needs and development level of the student. A well-managed school begins with thorough advance planning by the school head and the teachers. Accordingly, extrinsic and intrinsic motivation should be used, positive and negative motivation, provision and satisfaction of students need the teacher having adequate knowledge of the subject, teaching students how to learn and making them to use their time effectively. The school environment should be busy, and an active place in which the students and teachers know that they are on the same side working together to achieve something worthwhile. Such an environment is likely to establish mutual respect, and a mild reproof or expression of disappointment on the part of the teacher will enhance discipline. Cleanliness and tidiness of surrounding, not being excessively noisy or disruptive when others are working, taking care of communal property, and punctuality exhibition of normal courtesies expected by the society to be observed. The rules can be established by quite persistence and good example by the teacher. In essence, good discipline enables the sort of psychological need proposed by Maslow and others to be satisfied. This is because most disciplinary cases are as a result of unfulfilled basic needs. The teacher should look carefully at each level including the most basic psychological one of nutrition and ventilation. 2.9 Summary of the Reviewed Literature The chapter examined the concept of indiscipline as it derived from the word discipline. Discipline here means a mode of life in accordance with rules, subjected to control. Therefore, indiscipline means lack of control in the behaviour of a group of people. Relating the above to the school environment, indiscipline could be referred to as inability of a person to live in accordance with school rules and regulation; it is the breaking of rules and regulations of institution. Imperative and causes of indiscipline were discussed from the multi-dimensional perspective, which include cultism, indecent dressing, curriculum content, parental training, societal influence, corruption and rural-urban drift. Again, school indiscipline and academic achievement, which implies the control of a class to achieve desired behaviour was discussed. The chapter also examined school rules and regulations on discipline, which are drawn up to regulate school activities for the orderly conduct of the school affairs. The concept of in loco-parentis and its relationship to student discipline, which is the special relationship that exist between students and the school teacher regarding discipline, because the teacher is expected to stand in place of the parent in respect to students education and discipline. Finally, strategies of curbing indiscipline which include pedagogical, social and psychological techniques of curbing indiscipline in secondary school were proffered. CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This chapter presents the research methodology to be adopted for the study. It is organised under the following heading: Research Design, Population of the Study, Sample and Sampling Technique, Instrumentation, Validity of the Instrument, Administration of the Instrument, and Data Analysis Technique. 3.1 Research Design The research design adopted for this study is the descriptive survey research design, which is concerned with condition or relationships that exist and practices that prevail. Specifically, it is concerned with identified the problems of indiscipline in secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. 3.2 Population of the Study The population of this study is 440 persons, who are teachers in the twenty-two (22) secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. 3.3 Sample and Sampling Techniques A stratified random sampling technique was used for the study. Out of twenty-two (22) secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area, ten (10) were sampled out through the ballot system; this represents 46% of secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government. In each school, ten (10) teachers were randomly selected to give 100 teachers, which represent 52% of the total number of teachers in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. Thus, the sample for this study is made up of 100 respondents. 3.4 Development of Research Instrument The instrument for this study is questionnaire titled Questionnaire for Teachers on indiscipline problems (QTIP). It was developed for this study and addressed to various respondents with structured questions developed based on the objectives of the study and the literature reviewed. The instrument is divided into two (2) sections (A and B). Section A deals with the personal data of the respondents; section B sought responses to items on factors, which militate against the effective maintenance of discipline in secondary schools. The questionnaire adopted the 4-point Likert summated rating scale with values: Strongly Agree (SA) = 4; Agree (A) = 3; Disagree (D) = 2; and Strongly Disagree (SD) = 1. 3.5 Validity of the Instrument The instrument was given to the supervisor and senior lecturers in the department who are experts in educational management to examine and make corrections. They scrutinize item by item and decide its validity to elicit the necessary information needed to provide adequate answers to the research questions. The final draft of instrument was designed to reflect corrections of the experts in the department. Also the researcher ensured that the five interested research problem areas, which militate against the effective maintenance of discipline in secondary schools to ensure that it is adequate enough to measure, what is supposed to measure and ensuring that the desirable result is achieved. 3.6 Administration of the Instrument The instrument for this study was administered personally by the researcher. The completed copies were retrieved on the spot while the others were retrieved later. 3.7 Data Analysis Technique The responses was based on the 4-point Likert summated rating scale will be analysed and presented in table by means of percentages. A decision on the research questions was made to arrive at by dividing frequency of occurrence by the total number of respondents and multiplied the product by 100, that is: Frequency of occurrence x 100 Number of respondents 1 CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA In this chapter the data collected is presented and analysed as follows: Research question one: What factors are responsible for school indiscipline? Note: the following was used to analyze the work. Strongly Agree (SA) = 4 Agree (A) = 3 Disagree (D) = 2 Strongly Disagree (SD) = 1 Table 4.1 Factors of school indiscipline S/NO

Stephen Hawking Essay -- Stephen Hawking biography Essays

If you casually mention the name Stephen Hawking in conversation, you are likely to get a number of reactions from people.Some people know him from cameo appearances in movies or TV shows like The Big Bang Theory. Others have leafed through his popular book, A Brief History of Time. People recognize him as an outspoken representative for the disabled, and a leader of the scientific community.But how many people know him for his research? Professor Hawking has certainly lived an impressive life, and he is an inspiring public figure.With all the distractions surrounding Professor Hawking, most people forget about the groundbreaking discoveries that he has helped develop in the science of Cosmology.Through this essay, I hope to share some of his scientific work the reader. Like with any story, we must begin at the beginning.Stephen William Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, exactly 300 years after the death of Galileo.He came from a relatively modest background.His family did have a rather strong academic tradition though.Both of his parents had attended and graduated from Oxford, and his father, Frank, was appointed Head of the Division of Parasitology at the National Institute of Medical Research after the end of World War II.His family lived in the small town of St. Albans.When Stephen was 10 he was sent to St. Albans School, a private school with an excellent academic reputation.Stephen was naturally gifted and remained near the top of his class.He ran with a small group of friends who were all good students and they spent a great deal of time discussing intellectual matters.Hawking graduated from St Albans and was admitted to Oxford on a scholarship1. Many scholars are surprised to hear that Hawking did his undergrad... ...agraph comes from White & Gribbin pgs. 175-182 15) The preceding paragraph comes from Hawking pgs. 139-146 16) The preceding quote comes from White & Gribbin pgs. 187-188 Sources: - Hawking, Stephen. (1988). A Brief History of Time. New York: Bantam Books. (pp 191). - Hawking, Stephen & Ellis, George. (1973). The Large Scale Structure of Space-time. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (pp 364). - White, Michael & Gribbin, John. (1992). Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science. New York: Dutton. (pp 293). - Hawking, Stephen. Does God Play Dice?. Public Lecture http://www.hawking.org.uk/pdf/dice.pdf - Hawking, Stephen. Space and Time Warps. Public Lecture http://www.hawking.org.uk/pdf/warp.pdf - Hawking, Stephen. The Beginning of Time. Public Lecture http://www.hawking.org.uk/pdf/bot.pdf

Chinese Qing official vs. Japanese Meiji

Much have been told about the historical background of China and Japan, particularly on the part of their history that the Western powers intruded their land.Also, versions have been aired countless times on who really had the best policy or the best response towards the invasion of the Western powers. China claimed they are. Japan claimed they are.The debate below is hypothetically set after the Opium War when China was again subjected to Western subjugation while claiming that they had the best response towards Western invasion. Japan, on the other hand, claims the same thing.Opium WarDuring about 1830s, the Chinese government exerted much effort in halting the illegal smuggling of opium products by the Western, particularly the British. Apart from the unhealthy effects of opium smoking among the Chinese, there was a considerably economic damage that happened mainly caused by the â€Å"drainage of cash silver† from China to be paid for the illegal imports[1].The trades striv ed for a long time as millions and millions among the Chinese (simultaneous with the corruption among custom officials) got addicted to the illegal imported product. In 1838, the Chinese emperor finally did something for the illegal trade to stop—or to try to stop, at least.Given the situation, the emperor had no choice but to resort in to some sort of repression and suppression among the people of China. The emperor ordered summary executions of Chinese drug traffickers.But then, the British government still allowed the importation of the â€Å"addictive† and illegal products. The situation made the ire the Chinese government and resorted to the evil atâ€Å"CHINESE QING OFFICIAL VS. JAPANESE MEIJI† PAGE#2its roots. It was during the time of Lin Tse-hsu, the special Imperial Commissionerwhen the rage heated up.   The Opium War was just an introduction into more complicated events that came.Below are the hypothetical claims of both China and Japan of which of them employed or implemented the best response or policy towards the Western invasion after the Opium War while their country faced the threat of further invasion.Letter to Japanese Meiji (from a Chinese Qing Official)ATTENTION: MEIJI EMPEROR OF JAPANThis letter is intended to be read by any Japanese Meiji official. This is to manifest that it was China, particularly us, the Qing dynasty who did the best response towards the Western invasion after the Opium War.I am writing this letter not just to boast but to put everything in place.China has been described by some historical accounts as a country which has been found to have a string of â€Å"humiliating defeats.† This speaks very well on the part of the history timeline when Japan and the Western powers claimed victory over the domination of some parts of China.And I think it is about time to correct what has been said against China although some people do not consider history as an important matter.In terms of internation al strategy and ideal response, I can proudly claim that the Qing emperor’s response or policy was the best way against the Western invasion.The Qing emperor was determined to maintain the autonomy of China and to protect China from further invasions especially of the Western powers. Also in the nineteenth century, China experiences setbacks in it economy. In the same time period, China tradingâ€Å"CHINESE QING OFFICIAL VS. JAPANESE MEIJI† PAGE#3system was monopolized by the Portuguese and then Spanish, French, and British traders followed the trend. [2]China stood firm against further invasion, so in the trading system, the West was pushed to follow certain trading guidelines which were centuries-old guidelines imposed by the Chinese.[1] Ha, Zhang. â€Å"Understand and Treat with Historical Issues Correctly†.   2005. April 14 2007. .[2] Chinese Repository. Vol. 8, February 1840.