In What Way Is Hamlet Relevant in Our World Today? Essay

In that question, the word Hamlet is not underlined because the play itself is not nearly as relevant as a whole as Hamlet the person is. The play is full of allusions, jokes, and implications that is difficult for a modern audience to pick up on and understand their significance to the overall work. After all, Shakespeare wrote this as a performance piece that was to help pay the bills as much as it was to be a work of art. This is in no way to suggest that Shakespeare was just trying to make a quick buck and did not say anything profound through his play. This is to merely clarify that exactly how the events happen and the minor details and nuances of their telling are less important than the character of Hamlet himself. Hamlet’s growth in his view and philosophy about life is the most significant aspect of this work. Hamlet is facing what any young person faces. True, not everyone loses his father via murder, has a mother that remarries his father’s murderer, murders their ex-girlfriend’s father shortly before she herself dies (commits suicide?), kills his girlfriend’s brother, and murders his stepfather as he dies of poisoned drink and blade both. In fact, those events in isolation aren’t particularly common, but to have even two or three in conjunction is more than unfortunate, and all of them to fall on a single young man is downright unfair to say the least. Even before he discovers his father’s death is murder by Claudius, he remarks, â€Å"How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable/Seem to me all the uses of this world!†, indicating how he already feels at a loss for what to do with himself. This is just after he’s been told he won’t be able to return to college as he’d planned to do. Young people today still have their future plans disrupted by tragedy; whether it is personal, such is the case with Hamlet, or financial in nature. As the play moves on, Hamlet meets the Ghost, Ophelia stops speaking with him, and his madness (?) begins. The scene Ophelia describes to Polonius in which Hamlet enters her sewing room disheveled, â€Å"And with a look so piteous in purport/As if he had been loosed out of hell/To speak of horrors,–he comes before me.†, is overlooked as only important to evidencing Hamlet’s madness. In fact, it is quite the contrary. This is a moment in which Hamlet, though saying nothing, portrays through his body language all the anguish he feels in his dilemma. At this point, he is aware of his options: Avenge his father’s death and face the consequences, or accept his lot in life and make the best of it with Ophelia, the woman he loves. To be torn between rocking the boat, sticking it to the Man, and risking everything, or just living on your knees as best you can is an agonizing and contemporary decision that people of any age, but especially young people face daily. Hamlet goes on to explore a far more morbid option, which sadly some teens choose. â€Å"To be, or not to be: that is the question:/Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer/The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,/Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,/And by opposing end them?† The suicide he muses about is twofold. There is the physical act of suicide, but also the suicide of a long, unsatisfying, unfulfilled life. This is the first time he voices it explicitly, but the theme has been building since his first remark on the unprofitability of this world. As with most youths, he comes to decide in favor of life, if for no more reason than the fear of an unknown, possibly worse, or worse, possibly nonexistent afterlife. The morbidity of Hamlet’s musing increase appropriately as he lounges about unrecognized as Ophelia’s grave is being dug. â€Å"Imperious Caesar, dead and turn’d to clay,/Might stop a hole to keep the wind away:/O, that that earth, which kept the world in awe,/Should patch a wall to expel the winter flaw!† The best of us are little more than dirt and a name after death. Whether it’s the scenery or all the death Hamlet is cognizant or even responsible for, he’s moved from his own mortality and fragility to the general statement about humankind. This sort of realization is still very much a part of maturing and growing as an imperfect person in an imperfect world today. The final stage in Hamlet’s philosophical growth is evidenced as complete by his remark to Horatio before his (supposedly sporting) duel with Laertes. â€Å"If it be now, ’tis not to come;/if it be not to come, it will be now;/if it be not now, yet it will come:/the readiness is all:/since no man has aught of what he leaves, what is’t to leave betimes?† This sort of Zen-like acceptance of what his life has meant and been up until this point, and the directions available to him allow him to prevail, even though he dies, in his mission to purge the Danish court of the rottenness (Claudius, whom his father is contrasted with) Marcellus mentions in Act One. In the end, Hamlet becomes his own man, and if descriptions of his father are anything to go by, a man of whom his father would be proud. He refuses to compromise with the appearances of his world and instead opts to face the hard realities. It costs him his life, but it also made his life worth living, down to when he drinks the rest of the poison so that Horatio will not. In doing so, he both implicitly and explicitly charges Horatio’s life with a purpose, â€Å"If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart/Absent thee from felicity awhile,/And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain,/To tell my story.†. Even though his life ended prematurely, he died fulfilled. Throughout the play, his comprehension of his world and his influence grows, and he makes an inspiring, albeit tragic, change for the better. Hamlet’s life, minus the woeful details, are a highly relevant portrayal of the philosophical growth of youths yesterday, today, and near certainly tomorrow.

Dystopian society Essay

Societies that are futuristic in settings are what we call a dystopian society. Dystopia is literary the opposite of what a utopian community will be like. In dystopia, everything is distorted where people are ruled by either a strong-opposed individual through the use of militarism or technologies and also by technology themselves. Citizens of a dystopian community doesn’t hold their own rights and are usually treated inhumanely, creating a fearsome and dark environment. Short stories such as â€Å"The Lottery† written by Shirley Jackson typically follows a dystopian society. The author first introduces the story to be a utopian community where she describes the day as â€Å"clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green (Para. 1).† This entices our feeling of comfort and invites us to see what this day is all about, not knowing of what might happen in the end. The fact that Jackson first introduces us into such a calming scenery but ends it in such a misery, dehumanizes the mindset that such a â€Å"perfect† community can hide such monstrous activity. Dehumanization is a great deal in this short story where the villagers are blindly following the tradition of stoning the lottery’s winner to death and treating the event like a festivity. Dehumanization is also seen through the villager’s actions such as: â€Å"The people had done it so many times that they only half listened to the directions; most of them were quite. wetting their lips. not looking around (Para. 20).† Jackson creates this sense that these villagers have done it so many times that they don’t even care anymore and just what this lottery to be over with, so that they can go back to their daily lives. The villagers were describe as quite because they don’t want to make the lottery any longer than it is already and it can also be taken up as an acceptance to the events that follows. Some are wetting their lips which creates this anxiousness and ill-minded thoughts of wanting to kill someone. Excitement that they too will have a bountiful year again through the sacrifice of one of their own. Fear is yet another convention of dystopia that Jackson utilizes in this short story. Fear of the unknown by the audience and the fear of death. Fear is seen through the character of Tessie Hutchinson, who in the beginning of the story where like everybody else. She was nonchalant to the event and was conversing with the villagers like normal people would but all of this changes after she was picked by the lottery. She screams and tell everyone how â€Å"it isn’t fair, it isn’t right (Para. 80),† which contradicts her actions in the beginning. Fear is also seen where the villagers were â€Å"not looking around (Para. 20),† which describes how they individually doesn’t want to see the faces of the people who they will have to kill or know that they can be the one to die that day. The black box that contains the papers of the lottery is a symbolism of fear in the story. It presents death not only by the use of the color black but also because it holds the one paper that is the deciding factor of being the winner of the lottery. This is seen as â€Å"the villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool (Para.4),† where they are unconsciously afraid of the lottery but doesn’t protest about its effects. Work Cited â€Å"Dystopias: Definition and Characteristics.† Readwritethink.org. ReadWriteThink, n.d Web. 18 Jan 2013 â€Å"The Lottery.† American Literature. N.p, n.d Web. 18 Jan 2013

Justify the Need for Keeping Records and Describe the Types of Record You Would Maintain

Record keeping enables the teacher to provide evidence of individual student’s charter from the start to finish of a course. It enables to plan, organize and to create best learning environment for the learners. This is classified depending on the subject taught, organization and any other records needed as per UK regulations. JUSTIFICATION FOR RECORD KEEPING Accurate records taken throughout the course facilitates both teacher and student to continuously assess the effectiveness of the teaching and learning relationship. Gravells, (2008) states â€Å"you need to keep records of how your learners are progressing. Being organized with an accurate record for every student helps me in assessing the student’s need and to give a positive feedback on â€Å"how things are going. † On another level, it also keeps me in check as to whether or not I need to refine any aspect of my teaching. Record keeping also helps in taking key decisions when assessing the learner for s uccessful completion of the course (ie) assignments, lab test reports, etc. It is also noteworthy that every individual has different learning needs which needs to be accommodated by a single teacher. Without proper planning and accurate record keeping, it is impossible to deliver results. In short, record keeping, helps me and the learner to set goals and track progress. TYPES OF RECORDS: There are different types of records to maintain depending on what we need them for. As a lecturer, I would maintain three different types of records. 1. Teacher’s records 2. Learners records 3. Mandatory records Teacher’s records: This constitutes of all the records that is needed by me to deliver a course within a subjective frame of time. As a Lecturer, this is usually my first record and plan to deliver the subjects allotted to me. I will be explaining this more in the following sections: Scheme of Work: This is a framework prepared by me based on the syllabus to teach throughout the course. It contains teaching methodology, when, what and how to teach, tutorials, discussion details and assessment plans. It contains a plan of how to assess the learners understanding and making sure that all learning outcomes are achieved. Lesson plan: I always ensure that I have a lesson plan for every subject I teach. This plan contains all details of every day activity. It contains learning objectives for that particular day, teaching procedures, required materials, assignment and details about learner’s appraisal for that day. This level of detailed planning from a teacher’s end is required for a consistent delivery of any course material. Both scheme of work and the lesson plan will enable the teacher and the learner to spread the weight of the lessons into sizable chunks to ensure the required understanding and subject knowledge is achieved. LEARNERS RECORDS A learner’s record helps to track individual student’s performance. It clearly identifies the area of strengths and weaknesses of a learner. From a lecturing perspective, it gives me focus as to where the learners need more or less. The different types of learner records are classified as below: Individual Learning Plans (ILPs): ILPs are developed in conjunction with the learner to assess strengths, performance, progression and barriers to learning. According to this, I can plan to support their developmental needs. Progress report: Progress reports are nothing but scorecards. The progress report gives us the exact percentage/numbers in each area though not in any details. Both teachers and the students get pointers from this, which can lead into development of ILPs. This is by far the most widely used record in all types of learning environment. Assessment course forms: Assessment course forms are usually developed by the awarding bodies for individual courses. These are then given to tutors to assess competencies of students for that particular course. It is mainly used for scoring/giving feedback in exams/assessments. It provides the assessor, the learner’s grasp for the subject and helps tutors to refine the ILPs accordingly. MANDATORY RECORDS Attendance Register: It is used to monitor learner’s presence. This helps to improve learners overall academic performance and to get higher grades and reassessing the teaching methods. Personal details records: This is a basic record required by any organization to admit candidates to a course. It contains contact details, next to kin, previous qualification, experience and achievements. It enables the institute to match candidates to right course. These details are maintained and managed according to the confidentiality agreement and Data Protection act 1998. Health and safety records H&S records are maintained by both organizations and teachers respectively. These contain any risk assessments done for individual classrooms and/or buildings to maintain safety and security for all accessing the site.

Marketing Management of BMW Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Management of BMW - Coursework Example This research is being carried out to evaluate and present marketing concepts and customer segmentation at BMW in Munich. At the next level, the use of appropriately customized techniques of customer segmentation has helped the organization to keep its customers loyal, a rather difficult target if taking into consideration the level of competition in a global automotive industry. Keeping organizational sales high is considered as a key priority for marketers worldwide. However, often, the responses of the public to the marketing techniques used by organizations are not the expected ones. Usually, the reason is the fact that these techniques are not aligned with the customers’ needs. It is proved that existing marketing strategies of BMW are similar to those used by most firms in the automotive industry; still, BMW has managed to create a unique brand image which, combined with marketing techniques for securing customer loyalty, has offered to the organization a significant adv antage towards its competitors. Meeting the customers’ needs is a key role of marketing. These needs are also described through the terms wants and demands. These three terms have the similar role: to show the willingness of customers to acquire a product/ service. According to Stokes and Lomax the role of the three terms can be made clear through the following explanation: ‘in case that sufficient people want a product/ service then marketing has to match this demand with the supply of a product that meets this need’. This means that in the context of marketing the terms customers’ needs, wants and demands have the similar meaning; simply, each one of them reflects a different aspect of customers’ desire to acquire a product/ service. On the other hand, Doyle and Stern make the following distinguish in regard to the above terms: a need is something that it is absolutely necessary for covering basic human needs; food is such need. When the desire of a customer is made specific, then the term ‘want’ should be rather used. Asking for ‘a burger of a particular fast food brand is a want’

Summary and Critical Analysis Project Compensation and Agreements Essay

Summary and Critical Analysis Project Compensation and Agreements - Essay Example fee method of billing does not put so much into the experience of the employee which is a downside into motivating employees to have experience to work. It simply focuses on the kind of service provided before pay is issued. A fixed fee account provides a fixed fee for the services being offered and which requires an in depth knowledge of the service being provided. This is only effective for experienced designers who are aware of their services (Piotrowski 100). In a cost plus percentage markup method, the customer is the one who benefits more as they are passed all the discounts from the suppliers leading to low cost of purchase. This however works only on the residential clients whose purchases are relatively smaller. Square foot method is payment by the number of square foots meaning the more the square foots the more the pay. It is effective in commercial industries as it boosts productivity and motivates employees to work even harder. The best method from all the methods above and others is the combination method that combines several of the methods taking into account experience and market among other factors (Piotrowski 105). Any service provided in the field of design demands a contract with a list of specifications necessary to provide guidance. The contract requires several basic requirements which have to be followed if it is to be considered valid. These elements include an offer, counteroffer and acceptance where the terms of the design are discussed and the price is provided. It is concluded by mutual agreement and a letter to seal the deal and provide physical evidence of the deal (Piotrowski 112). The contract is a perfect way to not only protect the interests of the client but they protect the work of the designer as well from frauds. A statute of frauds is provided which provides guidance on the frauds that can be prosecuted. If the contract document lacks names such as that of the client and address as well as a clear description of the

Ethics (relating to information technology) Essay

Ethics (relating to information technology) - Essay Example An action may be legal but unethical or illegal but ethical." (Any classification of ethics is considered as being the study of particular values and customs of a person or group, and applied ethics are most commonly used in the information technology field. This is an "applied discipline of philosophy that attempts to apply ethical theory to real-life situations. The lines of distinctions between meta-ethics, romantic ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics are often blurrybut it can also depend more on general normative principles, such as possible rights of self-rule and right to life." (Frauenheim, 2006). The applications here are enormous, and the issue of ethics is one of the most major and significant within this. The given article relates very strongly to the issue of ethics then, as it discusses how ethics is presented relating to e-businesses: due to the convenience that is brought to the table by these e-businesses, the issue of ethics changes quite a bit, because now the general public does not have to leave their home and drive anywhere anymore, they can simply access everything that they need from their computer in the comfort of their own home.

Asian Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Asian Philosophy - Essay Example The T’ien-t’ai school was founded on the Lotus Sutra as interpreted by Chih-k’ai who was a Chinese monk in the sixth century. The T’ien-t’ai school was doctrinal and is portrayed by its stress on reflection in addition to philosophical substance. It viewed the Lotus Sutra as holding the paths for deliverance through practice. It hence was a connection between the dominant Northern Chinese progress of Buddhism as a religion of conviction and discipline and the southern scholastic tradition (ibid). The Hua-yen school was based on the Indian Avitamsaka Scripture. The primary principle of the school is dharmadatu, the general causation of the dimension of the law. The dimension of the law is the dimension of the whole universe in all domains. The philosophical development of general causation was natively Chinese. It was an expansion of the Buddha’s account of dependant beginning so as to explain the emergence of the universe as synchronized (Lai, 2007). Ch’an emphasized on dhyana or deliberation. Deliberation was a general practice in all kind of Buddhism, Chinese and Indian. Numerous of the initial texts interpreted into Chinese were because of the enthusiasm of the Chinese intelligentsia and several Taoist’s appreciation of deliberation. Nevertheless, numerous of these texts were difficult and occasionally conflicting which resulted in to a definite exposure in Chinese practice (ibid). The Pure Land School was above all conviction based and devotional in custom. Its focus was on faith in Amitabha Buddha. The foremost form of custom was in dedication and calling the name of Amitabha so as to acquire his deliverance and hence rebirth in the pure land of the west. This school substantially abandoned the essentiality for self-improvement through the Buddha’s principles of the path to salvation (Peach, 2002). If I were to choose among the four schools of Buddhism, I will prefer Pure Land Buddhism because its

Service Quality of Sports Centre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Service Quality of Sports Centre - Essay Example The interview focused n 5 different factors of service quality level which are tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. In order to capture how the five different factors measure up, 21 different types of questions are generated. These questions are marked using the Likert Scale. Then depending upon the relative importance of the five dimensions, the preset 21 questions are rearranged and marked and weighted accordingly. In order to produce better statistical report, the sample composition is analyzed. In order to analyze the composition of the sample, descriptive statistics like bar diagram, cross tabulation, pie charts and correlation statistics are applied (Bailey and Pearson, 2003). These tests are applied on demographic characteristics of the respondents or the fixed factors of the respondents. The next section of the analysis reflects upon the assessment of the importance of each dimension of service quality as perceived by the customers. In order to analy ze two types of tests are conducted, one is the factor analysis or the factor reduction method and the other one is the descriptive statistics analysis (Baroudi, 2003). ...The next step of analysis involves testing the various aspects of service performance. The various aspects are measured on two different ways. One involves the direct recordings on the Likert scale and the other on is the derived rating after adjusting the readings according to the relative importance or weight (Bentier and Bonett, 2008). These two types of readings are tested using the principal component analysis. In the last stage cross tabulations are done. This cross tabulation indicates the level up to which the satisfactions vary according to the characteristics of the user. 1. Sample composition The sample composition is analyzed by using cross tabs and simple pie charts, bar diagram and correlation statistics. The pie charts are used to show the composition of the male and female and the composition of th e type of people from each subject area. Fig 1: Male and female composition Source: author’s source It is evident from the diagram that the study included more number of males and the number of females. The male percentage is 75%, while the female percentage is 25%. The next analysis is the examination of the crosstabs between frequency of use and gender. Fig 2: Bar Chart Source: author’s source The users among male students show higher frequency than the users among female. There is one very important point in this analysis. The number of non users in male is significantly more than the number of users among male. Among male most of them used the sports centre twice a month, while users among females most of them used it only once.

Global health Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Global health - Assignment Example In the year 2005 alone, over 17.5million persons succumbed to cardiovascular diseases. This is a staggering 30% representation of deaths globally (World Health Organization, 2014). Deaths related to cardiovascular diseases is mainly common in developing countries and global health stakeholders need to improve healthcare systems in such countries. Malnutrition is another health issue that still needs to be eradicated globally and in particular, in the developing world. At the present, mortality rate among children aged 5years and below stand at 7.5million annually. This is a case whereby preventable measures may involve establishing efficient healthcare systems and funding to sustain such systems in the long term basis. On another note, infectious diseases is also causing headache to global healthcare stakeholders such as the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2008 alone, over 6.7 million persons succumbed to infectious disease. This prevalence rate is higher compared to persons who die from natural causes or other man-made catastrophes (Ney, 2012). HIV/AIDS is still a menace globally and new infections are reported almost on a daily basis. Much has been done to eradicate Tuberculosis; however, while the treatment is free, Tuberculosis is still a major cause of death in the developing world as a result of ignorance and lack of concerted effort from healthcare stakeholders in various countries, especially the developing world Malaria on the other hand, records high mortality rate among children aged below five years because a lack of primary prevention, and in particular, the Sub-Saharan Africa (Lavery et al., 2013). The solutions to global health problems require a thourough research by the major stakeholders. This allows the establishment of proper mechanisms or policies to deal with global health problems and avoid the mismanagement of funds channeled to solve the various global health problems. The

Summary of Choosen Article (3-5 paragrphs) Research Paper

Summary of Choosen Article (3-5 paragrphs) - Research Paper Example In 1998 to 2000, 263 gastroenteritis outbreaks occurred and only 3 were a consequence of rotavirus. The main predisposing factor is unhygienic conditions. Prevention is through disinfection of environmental surfaces especially those contaminated with fecal matter (â€Å"Notes from the field,† 2011). In relation to the epidemiological triangle (agent, host, and environment) human acts as the reservoir for rotavirus is. The virus is transmitted through ingestion of fecal matter or fomites. Environment wise, the virus is found in temperate regions. The virus is transmitted through indirect contact since it enters the body through ingestion. Host factors that increase the chances of contacting the rotavirus include age whereby the most vulnerable are young children who have increased exposure to the virus. Additionally, the old people living in care home are at a risk (Anderson & Weber, 2004; (â€Å"Notes from the field,† 2011). The level of immunity affects the risk of infection. The old people and young children have low immunity and are at higher risk of contracting rotavirus. Additionally immune-deficient people have higher chances of contracting the virus. The low infection rates in adults as compare to children shows overall protective immunity is important in preventing infections. Pre-existing conditions that may increase the rotavirus infection include poor hygiene among residents and or staff in retirement home and care homes. Health Behaviors that can be used to prevent the disease include vaccinations and isolation. Moreover, proper hand washing is crucial in rotavirus infection and outbreak of rotavirus gastroenteritis (â€Å"Notes from the field,† 2011). The external conditions and influences affecting the spread of rotavirus include the waste disposal techniques. Biologically, use of disinfectants helps in elimination of the virus

Sexual Child Abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sexual Child Abuse - Essay Example Recent researches have shown that many times the abuser himself had been a subject to child abuse in his or her past or has been a subject to physical violence. Abusers are usually self-centered lack ability to coping skills and have no understanding of child behavior pattern and treat them devastatingly without feeling for them.Another cause contributing to sexual child abuse is the mental state of abuser. History of abuser often reveals coping up with financial stress and depression in past, psychological illness. Abuser often belongs to a broken family or he has been neglected during his growth period which had affected his behavior and thinking adversely.Pedophilia is a psychiatric disorder often co related with neurological disorder in which abuser develops sexual interest for prepubescent child so it is also one of the causes of child sexual abuse. Pedophilia if not treated or repressed leads to severe consequences.it does not have any cure but it do have therapies that help th e abuser to cope up with his state. Pedophilic patients often stop sexual abuse when a child starts to develop secondary characteristics of adulthood. Sexual child abuse might be a single event or it may continue for several years.History of abusers have reveled consumption of excessive alcohol and drug intake, family troubles and poverty which is one of the main causes contributing to prevalence of sexual child abuse. Abuser might continue his harassment for over years which devastatingly damage. the personality and behavior of child. Children born to heavy alcoholic parents are at a greater risk of to suffer from sexual abuse in near future due to lack of interest of parents in the house which provides an opportunity to abuser to take advantage of the situation as such parents cannot provide much protection to their children due to their habit of alcohol. (Hornor, G., 2010) Sometimes abuser involves in sexual harassment of child just for the sake of fun and pleasure without caring for the child. These are some of the factors and causes that lead to sexual child abuse and harassment. Many researches indicated that abusers were a subject to amnesia. Another reason for sexual child abuse is that sometimes abuser does not feel sexual feelings for people belonging to their own age

Emily Dickinson Essay Example for Free

Emily Dickinson Essay Religion and spirituality can affect different people’s lifestyles in different ways. In the case of Emily Dickinson, her religion affected her writing. Emily Dickinson seemed to have written her poems based by religious influence; the poems â€Å"Some Keep the Sabbath going to Church† and â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death† are both examples of how religion influenced her poetry. Emily Dickinson did not at all have a sort of a rough upbringing or childhood, as it was in fact, very pleasant for the most part. She was born on December 10th 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts. The town she had grown up in, coincidentally, was noted as a center of education, based on the Amherst College. Her family was very well-known in the community, so her childhood home was often used as a meeting place for visitors. In school, Emily was known for being a very intelligent student, and could create original rhyming stories to entertain her other classmates. She loved to read, and was extremely conscientious about her work (Tejvan par. 2-4). However, Emily Dickinson’s father was extremely strict. He was determined to bring up his children in an extremely proper way, causing his daughter to both hate and love him at the same time. He would censor the types of books allowed in the house; any books that were found to be too inappropriate would have to be smuggled in the house without his knowing. Emily described it as â€Å"his heart was pure and terrible† (Tejvan par. 4). Because of these actions, Emily was extremely respectful to both her father and other older male figures. However, she still loved her father in every way she could, and wished to be the best daughter she could ever possibly be (Tejvan par. 2-4). After her childhood, Emily Dickinson lived isolated from the world for the remainder of her life. Despite her remote lifestyle, Dickinson still actively read and still communicated with people with whom she felt the need to keep in contact. Her brother moved in next door to her after attending law school and marrying his wife. Her younger sister followed Emily’s example and also lived in almost complete isolation at her home. Her siblings and brother’s spouse acted as both family and companions during Dickinson’s lifetime (Emily Dickinson Poets.org par. 2). At the time of Dickinson’s life, there was a â€Å"revival of evangelical Christianity† (Tejvan par. 2). Because of this, she would rarely refuse to tell people she was Christian, making her religious views hard to explain. However, Emily Dickinson defined herself as a pagan, and her religious views had a very strong influence on her poetry. As a Calvinist, Dickinson was brought up to believe that men were undoubtedly sinful and that most of humanity was doomed to hell. A small portion of humans would be saved, however, and throughout her life, there was an increasing pressure for Emily Dickinson to announce herself as the saved. Regardless, she never deemed herself saved, causing her to be seen as an outcast from the rest of her peers (Tejvan par. 2-5). At a first look at her poems, it would seem that she was an atheist, or just has a â€Å"lack of spiritual inclination† (Sumangali par. 2). Dickinson did not pay much attention, or was not able to grasp religious doctrine such as original sin. Emily Dickinson did attend church regularly, and the sermons she attended influenced her poetry. While she did not have identical beliefs to those surrounding her, Dickinson had a faith in her own spirituality, making her seem to have more knowledge of God than the people around her. She did not claim to fully understand God, or to have faith in all of His ways. Nonetheless, she did not fear God, or fear being sent to Hell (Sumangali par. 1-10). Therefore, she was not as religious-obsessed as the people around her. This could also explain why she lived in isolation, because as everyone else was caught up in trying to be saved, she was living out her life the way she wanted. Dickinson’s religious and spiritual outlooks are reflected in her poetry. The poem â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death† is one of Dickinson’s many poems influenced by her religion. In this poem, Dickinson is trying to depict herself from beyond the grave, as if she has already died. She describes how she was too caught up in her own life to be stopped by death; hence the title of this work. It also explains that she, unlike the people around her who are so focused on being saved by God when they die, was so busy with everything else to care. The first stanza in the poem, â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death / He kindly stopped for me / The Carriage held but just Ourselves / And Immortality† (â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death† 1-4), describes death practically picking up the author in a carriage with just themselves and immortality. Then in the second stanza, Death’s civility is Dickinson explaining that Death is teaching her to give up all of the things that had made her busy, so she could enjoy the Ã¢â‚¬Ë œride’ to the end of her life. The third stanza is Emily Dickinson explaining all of the things in the world that she is leaving behind, some that she was toopreoccupied to notice before. The transitions she uses between the stanzas, are of her leaving the old world and entering a different, gloomier one: â€Å"We passed the Setting Sun / Or rather – He passed us† (â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death† 12-13). In this stanza, she finally realizes that she is dead and her past life is gone. Her death becomes a bit physical too, with her describing her gown and the chill outside, and the same in the next stanza. The final stanza describes what Dickinson meant by Immortality in the beginning of the poem. She describes how, even though it had been centuries since she died, to her it only feels like a day (Cullina, Chainani, et al par.7-14). In this poem, Dickinson gives death a personality, and the personality she gives death reflects the personality she gives to God. She portrays death as a journey after a busy life, which lasts an eternity but does not feel very long at all. Another one of Emily Dickinson poems, â€Å"Some keep the Sabbath going to Church†, more literally relates to her view and practices of religion by describing faith. The first stanza in Dickinson’s poem talks about how different people keep their religious views alive. She says that â€Å"Some keep the Sabbath going to Church / I keep it, staying at Home† (â€Å"Some keep the Sabbath going to Church† 1-2). She describes that in going to the Sabbath, they are giving their faith to the Lord. She then goes on to say, that by staying home and worshipping God at home is keeping her faith and relationship with God in a more real and alive way. In the following stanza, she describes how some people wear their robes to prove their righteousness to God and the faith, while Dickinson does not need to prove her faith to others, she proved to herself enough how much God means to her, and does not need to try and prove her love of God to everyone else. This stanza helps explain that a person who has to convince others that they are true to God means that their inner self does not agree that they are as faithful as they really should be. S omeone who is truly faithful to God would not have to brag or show it off to the rest of the world, but they would know inside of themselves that however they act they will be sent up to heaven. The final stanza explains that God is always preaching, but the sermon is not the type heard at Church. He preaches every day and going to mass will not affect how He preaches. No matter if a person is faithful in others eyes or not, she explains that there is not any doubt of His undying love for His truly good, and faithful people. Emily Dickinson uses her poem to say that it is not necessary show off a person’s faith to others, to be rewarded with heaven. She says that true believers do not have to show off to the world the fact that they are going to heaven by wearing robes, attending mass, and declaring themselves â€Å"saved†. The true believers know that they are going all along, whether they prove it to everyone else or not (â€Å"Exposing the Hypocrisy of Religion in Emily Dickinson’s Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church† par. 1-6). As religion has a strong influence on many people’s lifestyles, Emily Dickinson’s religion and her true spirituality had a strong influence on her poetry. Two of her poems, â€Å"Some Keep the Sabbath going to Church† and â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death† are both examples of how religion influenced her poetry. Works Cited Cullina, Alice, Soman Chainani, and et al. Emily Dickinsons Collected Poems Study Guide : Summary and Analysis of Because I could not stop for Death GradeSaver. N.p., 26 Jul 2009. Web. 30 Apr 2012. Dickinson, Emily. Some Keep The Sabbath Going to Church. Johnson, Thomas H. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. New York: Back Bay Books, 30 Jan 1976. Print. Dickinson, Emily. Because I could not stop for Death. Johnson, Thomas H. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. New York: Back Bay Books, 30 Jan 1976. Print. Emily Dickinson Poets.org. Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 10 Apr 2012. â€Å"Exposing the Hypocrisy of Religion in Emily Dickinson’s Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church†. 123HelpMe.com. 30 Apr 2012 Pettinger, Tejvan R. Emily Dickinson Biography. BiographyOnline. N.p., 26 June 2006. Web. 10 Apr 2012. The Spirituality of Emily Dickinson†. Sumangali. N.p., 10 May 2008. Web. 10 Apr 2012.

The Internally Displaced Persons Criminology Essay

The Internally Displaced Persons Criminology Essay Chapter 2 Internal Displacement has long been a concern of the international community due to its significant implication in international humanitarian engagement especially that it has far reaching and multifaceted consequences to the displaced. It indiscriminately affects human condition and interaction whether it is political, economic or social. It has been observed that displaced persons, especially the more vulnerable groups, are placed in helpless positions and often experienced human rights violations, discrimination and loss of social and economic rights (Turner, 2000; Kellenberger, 2009). In addition, the reality of insufficient or lack of IDP data as proven in the Southern Mindanao can be a hindrance to the humanitarian efforts to address the plight of the IDPs . This is attributed to poor access to comprehensive and updated data on internal displacement. In fact, the need to quantify data is proven to be a major and methodological challenge to all humanitarian actors (Norwegian Ref ugee Council, 2002). As such, there is a need of IDP profiling to determine the degree and accurate numeral account of displacement. In turn, patterns could emerge from these data that can be used to forecast or influence future decision of migration and provide sufficient response to the situation of the IDPs. Data Profiling The first step in responding to the plight of the IDPs is identifying them. The process of collecting data of IDPs is called IDP profiling which is defined in the Guidance on Profiling internally Pisplaced Person (2008) as the collaborative process of identifying internally displaced groups or individuals through data collection, including counting, and analysis, in order to take action to advocate on their behalf, to protect and assist them and, eventually, to help bring about a solution to their displacement Prior to the released of the said guidelines by the Norwegian Refugee Council, each displacement monitoring agencies have their own criteria on what are necessary and what should be included in their reports. This leads to some inconsistency and lack of data (Acketoft, 2008; Ferris, Cernea, Petz, 2011) which posed problems in synchronizing data during analysis and further comprehension on the nature and vulnerabilities of IDPs as shown in recommendations of various studies regarding IDPs. The said IDP guidance released by the Norwegian Refugee extensively promotes proper collection of information as it cites a list of what are the necessary variables needed to consider and this includes the number of displaced persons, disaggregated by age and sex and location/s, the place where displacement happens. Whenever possible, additional information could be included, but not be limited to: cause(s) of displacement, patterns of displacement, protection concerns, humanitarian needs, and potential solutions for the group/individual, if available. IDP profiling is one of the bases of the government agencies on how to do their duty as the primary responsible in securing the lives and welfare of the people. It is because reliable data is necessary for country strategies and operations, fund raising and advocacy. Better data is therefore a means to improve the humanitarian response After all, core data is essential for good planning of humanitarian assistance and protection. Since IDP profiling is merely identification of existing IDPs and their circumstances, the consolidation of IDP data is essential to be able to maximized available data and the next step after IDP profiling. In consolidating IDP data, the analysis during this stage will show the true scenario of the plight of the IDPs and from it derived a clear comprehension of their vulnerabilities and needs. Internally Displaced Persons To be able to properly do IDP profiling, it is essential to first comprehend what is an Internally Displaced Persons or IDPs. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights and natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border (Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, 1998). The description provided by the GPID (1998) highlights two elements: the range of movement and the nature of movement.  The former means that the IDPs move within the country and remain in the jurisdiction of the national government. Meanwhile, the latter describe the situation of IDP and the causes of displacement. IDP move away from their normal place of residence because of several factors beyond their control such as armed conflict, generalized violence, human rights violations and disasters. All the factors have something in common; they are threat to the survival of the people in their previous place of abode and many, with no choice, thus compelled to move sometimes to the unknown. Walter Kà ¤lin (2008), one of the framers of GPID, in his book entitled Annotations of the Guiding Principles he noted that the above description is not a legal definition since being an IDP does not bestow a legal status since there is no need for it. This is because the rights and guarantees of the IDPs are already inherent in their character as a human being and as habitual citizens of their countries. More than that, the government is primary responsible to their well being since its duty is to safeguard the rights of its citizens. Types of IDPs IDPs can be systematically categorized into two distinct types based on the cause of displacement: conflict induced and environment induced IDPs. Conflict Induced IDPs Conflict induced IDPs are describe as people who were forced to flee due to threat of or active armed hostilities, generalized human rights violation in their area of residence. These people are in danger due to the armed hostilities that may be international (between at least two states or between government and national liberation) or non-international (between armed groups or between government and armed insurgents) in scope. If not, the danger may lie behind internal tensions and disturbances that fell short of armed conflict but still involve violence perpetuated by armed insurgent groups and/or government agents to instill or maintain peace in their area of habitat. In conjunction, the government and/or armed insurgent groups may transgress the rights of these people guaranteed by the national and international human rights law and may or may not endanger their life or freedom through persecution. These factors inflict fear upon these residents and thus forced them to move to o ther place to seek refuge (Kà ¤lin, 2008). Environmentally Induced IDPs The UNHCR has define the environmentally displaced persons as those who are displaced from or who feel obliged to leave their usual place of residence, because their lives, livelihoods and welfare have been placed at serious risk as a result of adverse environmental, ecological or climatic processes and events (Gorlick 2007) as quoted in Forced Migration Policy Briefing 1 (Boano, Zetter, Morris, 2008). It should be noted that the aforementioned definition of environmentally induced displacement has made no reference regarding cross-border movement so the movement of displacement can be within the country or have cross international borders. This study will refer the environmentally induced IDPs as people who flee within the borders of their country due to negative environmental activities and disasters that may be natural or human made such as landslides, flash floods, typhoons, and fire, which perilously endanger their life and their material and economic possessions. Vulnerabilities of IDPs IDP primary concern during displacement is a place to stay due to the fact that they lose/ left their house and other material possessions. They have left their residence to search for a place where in their physical security and integrity can be protected. In addition, they are often deprived of means to restore self-reliance and, subsequently, develop tendency to depend on humanitarian assistance since they lack access to livelihood and work opportunities . Most of them are sheltered in evacuation centers wherein most of the times are crowded. They became prone to illness such as diarrhea, pneumonia and other communicable diseases due to unsanitary condition and congested situation which sometimes lead to death (Philippines: Death and Disease IDP camps, 2009). Another concern is the loss of documents essential for receiving benefits or recognition before the law carried away by typhoon, storm and the like or left behind at home where theyll be at risk if they return to recover it. Without these essential documents, IDPs may be denied of basic services Out of these misfortunes, IDPs experienced a disruption or, in some cases, destruction of their social organization since the family members was separated or disrupted. In addition, there is sometimes reorganization in the family, wife or the eldest child becoming head of the household with the death or disability of the husband or the parents, which aggravates the condition of the IDPs. Vulnerable Sectors Among the IDP population, there are several sectors namely children, women, elder and persons with disabilities, who requires special attention due to their special circumstances (Birkeland, 2009). Internally Displaced Children The Guiding Principles of Internal Displacement and in tandem with the Convention of the Right of Children guaranteed the rights of children from prohibition of their enslavement, use in forced labor and participation or recruitment in armed hostilities. The Principles has also laid down the childrens rights to family life which means they have the right to be reunited with their family and to education. However in reality, children are at high at risk to be conscripted in armed hostilities, most commonly by insurgent or terrorist groups. They are  highly  susceptible  to be  exploited as porter or domestic servants or slaves. Even in environmental induced displacement,  they, especially unaccompanied minors,  can still be exploited  to sexual violations and likely to be neglected and trafficked The 2010 IDMC report on Internal Displacement also said that recruitment remained a grave and particular risk for many internally displaced children. It was seen that recruitment is a form of livelihood for some IDPs facing poverty. IDP camps and informal settlements continued to be prime recruiting grounds, as children there were relatively densely gathered, often without access to education (particularly those of secondary-level age) and unable to engage in other livelihood activities. Children are often exposed to high risk of physical violence and attack when travelling to and from school. Displaced children were also unable to access education because of fees, damaged infrastructure, and other displacement-related factors in 27 countries in 2010 . Moreover, children also lost their identification documents essential to receiving benefits or recognition before the law. Governments and institutions may deny them the services such as enrolment to school, medical services and claim to their properties since they cannot produce legal documents. Internally Displaced Women Women are  entitled  to protection against violence and exploitation, equal access to humanitarian assistance, services and education, and participation in decisions affecting them as explicitly stated in the Principles (Kà ¤lin, 2008). They are very vulnerable and needed to be protected from gender-based violence and sexual exploitation. In some cases, the wife has to replace their husband as breadwinner of the family especially during conflict wherein her husband may or may not die or left disabled. Besides, pregnant women do need special care due to their condition and the trauma of displacement only aggravates their condition. In the displacement, they are highly susceptible in risk delivering of a child because according to the UN Population Funds (UNFPA) Philippines country director, Suneeta Mukherjee, They are very vulnerable because they cant stop from delivering when their time comes. The number one problem is that the whole thing could be septic, the mother and the bab y could get infected and die. Vulnerability of women, such as single mothers and girls, are increasing due to domestic violence among other threats, and the lack of assistance reaching people with special needs. The high rates of trauma and anxiety, particularly among women and children, are more likely caused by the exposure to violence and grief over the death of loved ones . The status of internally displaced women has still remained difficult even though the efforts by international agencies are extensive. In all countries, displaced women who have become heads of households have had to support their children and older members of their family without a steady income, relying on piecemeal support. In merely providing adequate food, not to mention housing, health care and other services, burdens the displaced women in dealing with it . Elderly Displaced Persons   The elderly can have great difficulty in accessing humanitarian assistance. Moreover, they are most likely unable to flee quickly during conflict or disaster and unable to properly protect themselves from harm during times of conflict. Even among them, elderly women are more vulnerable. In some countries where the elders are eligible to receive state pensions, elders are unable to claim their entitlements due to lack of documentation. Additionally, they can easily succumb to illness while fleeing or in evacuation camps According to David Hutton (2008), Older people have often been overlooked in disasters and conflicts, and their concerns have rarely been addressed by emergency programs or planners. Until recently, older peoples needs in disasters and conflicts were addressed only by broader adult health and humanitarian programs. This has changed as several recent emergencies highlighted this populations vulnerabilities. Internally Displaced Disable Persons Disabled Persons are often easily separated from their families and find themselves left on their own. They are very prone to exhaustion and malnutrition due the difficulty of travel to safety and even in evacuation camps. Besides, they are predisposed to be discriminated or be subject to degrading treatment due to their disability. Moreover, the Relief Web report compiled on February 29, 2012 stated that, The problem is that those who are physically weak can hardly go to evacuation centers and access humanitarian aid. Its paradoxical, but it is often those who need it the most who struggle to receive assistance.(Briefing Kit for Philippines (the): Bringing Humanitarian Relief to, 2012) Humanitarian Assistance Historically, displacement has always been one of foremost causes of humanitarian engagement since the start of international humanitarian system. The displacement may endure for days, months and even decades. As such, the USAID recognizes in its Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons Policy that IDPs have needs that can be systematically divided into four phases: emergency phase, care and maintenance phase, reintegration and transition phase, and long term development phase. Emergency Phase Emergency phase is the period of displacement of the IDPs. In this phase, IDPs usually require basic necessities since they are most likely unable to bring emergency supplies due to the upheaval. In their condition, IDPs need immediate help or assistance that typically consists of shelter, food, water, clothing, medical assistance, sanitation systems, and protection (USAID, 2004). Care and Maintenance Phase Care and maintenance phase is the period where IDPs are somewhat settled in evacuation camps or temporary settlement. In this phase, IDPs tend to need access to education, trauma counseling, family tracing, protection from exploitation. Usually at this stage, IDPs are particularly vulnerable to exploitations and in need of protection since illegal recruiters can easily persuade the members of the families to work in abusive jobs since they are in desperate need of source of livelihood. During this phase as well, humanitarian agencies must prepare the IDPs to eventual return to their home through training and support for self reliance Reintegration and Transition The transitional reintegration phase is the period wherein the IDPs are either returning back to their residence prior to displacement or resettlement to a new area of residence. In this phase, IDPs often need transportation back to their home, protection from involuntary return, help to reclaim their land and rebuild houses and businesses, assistance for demining, support to establish accountable local governance and stronger civil society, and programs to reconcile lingering ethnic or political tensions and safeguard the rights of female-headed households. During this phase of transition and reintegration, IDPs often go back to their homes and find their properties destroyed or occupied by others. The damaged infrastructure devastated local economies, weak civil administrations, simmering social and political tensions, and lingering security risks that left behind by the conflict or disaster adds to their vulnerability. Furthermore, conflicts may erupt again exposing the returning IDPs in yet again vulnerable situation. Some IDPs never return home and must resettle permanently in new communities when their home prior to displacement is no longer feasible for habitat Long Term Development Phase In the long-term development phase, IDPs who have returned home or resettled permanently into new communities need assistance to construct or repair water systems, health systems, schools, and transportation routes. Resettled IDPs also need access to vocational training and business or agricultural loans and inputs. Population displacement can negatively affect stability and the longer-term development prospects of a nation. Prolonged displacement typically disrupts or reverses progress made in schooling, healthcare, food production, sanitation systems, infrastructure improvements, local governance, and other sectors fundamental to economic and social development. Failure to address the long-term development needs of previously uprooted population risks new cycles of national instability and population displacement Global trend In the current state of this research the proponents have an access only on disaggregated data of conflict-induced and environment- induced IDPs. Additionally, in effect of late recognition unlike conflict induced displacement which has numerous of monitoring agencies, environmental induced internal displacement has no long history of annual systematically collected and analyzed data base . When adding up the figures of conflict-induced IDPs and environmentally induced- IDPs featured in the website and annual reports of Internal Displacement Monitoring Agency (IDMC), the result is as shown below, although fluctuated in 2009, the number of IDPs remain considerably high. Figure 1. Global Trend of IDPs in millions (2007-2011) Philippines trend of IDP One of the biggest contributors on the abovementioned global estimation of internally displaced persons is the Philippines. In the last decades there are already millions of people who have been internally displaced by armed conflict and human rights, specifically during military operations against Muslim and Communist insurgencies as stated by IDMC. In addition, the numbers of IDPs is fluctuating but never goes lower than 20,000 since 2000. As of 2009, there are at least a total of 750,000 people or maybe more, were displaced in the fight between Armed forces of the Philippines (AFP) and MILF (DSWD, 15 May 2009). Even during the ceasefire between AFP and MILF in July 2009, there were still hundreds of thousands of people living collectively in centers and camps known by the government as evacuation centers, relocation sites and with host communities . Aside from internal conflicts, the country is also geographically situated at the western edge of the Pacific Ocean and sits on the ring of fire which is  prone to geologic and natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions seasonal typhoons, storms and flash floods (World Atlas). Since it frequently encounters natural disasters, this consequently caused displacement, at times in large scale with hundreds of thousands displaced in a single event. For instance in 2009, the Typhoon Ondoy displaced a total of 500 000 people while the typhoon Pepeng was another 500 000 . Moreover, the Center for Research and Epidemiology Disasters (CRED) disclosed that the  Philippines rank first in 2010 as the most  hazard prone country in the world (See, 2010). Region XI: Traces of IDP The Region XI: Davao Region as well accounted several traces of displacement. The New Peoples Army (NPA), communist military group, established fifteen NPA fronts in this region, totaling roughly 800 fighters. Based on several news articles they employed ambush, kidnapping, arson, extortion and liquidation of anti- NPA civilians as methods to pursue their vision. As such, the government conducts series of military operations to weaken the presence, to stop the above stated activities and capture the rebels. As a result mass displacement occurred in fear of being caught in crossfire or being misidentified either NPA or military supporters. For instance, in April of 2007 hundreds of families evacuated as a result of pursuit operations done by military in Brgy. Manay, Panabo City after NPA raided the Davao Penal Farm (Bwaga, 2007). Also, as cited in country displacement profile NDCC estimated that there are 2,060 people displaced at the end of April 2009 in Talaingod, Davao del Norte (I DMC, 2009) Besides the aforementioned military operations in the region, the Davao region is vulnerable too to environmental disasters. The Geo Hazard maps of MGBXI showed landslide and flood prone areas and almost all provinces are at risk to landslides and susceptible to flashfloods. The graphs below show the numbers of sitios/ barangays and numbers of families per province that is vulnerable to mass displacement due to flashflood and landslides in 2009. For instance, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in region XI (MGBXI) declared Sitio Panganason as no habitation zone due to recurring landslide since 2007. Another is that the flashflood in Matina-Pangi, Davao City forced 3000 families to flee their homes and sought refuge in evacuation centers (Tesiorna, 2011). Figure 2. Sitios/Barangays susceptible to Mass Figure 3. Families susceptible to Movement due to Flashflood Landslides displacement due to Flashfloods and Source: MGB XI Landslides Issues of the IDP Data Despite the pursuit of various organizations, both international and local, in the collection of data of the IDPs, there are still various anecdotes that imply the difficulty of generating accurate data on IDPs. In fact, there is a poor access to a comprehensive and updated data regarding IDPs and even if there is such access, public distributed information is often difficult to validate with regards to origin and reliability (Norwegian Refugee Council, 2002). The same sentiment was implied by IDMC in their course of gathering statistics of IDPs. Since population movements in Mindanao are observed to be frequent and official registration has been incomplete, according to IDMC, these made reliable figures on the number of IDPs hard to come by. Besides difficulty in gathering data, Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN), as cited (IDMC, 2011), has also noted that there are existing discrepancies in the IDP reports between the governments and international organizations. In particular, the Philippine government usually issues the lowest figures which can be misleading. In addition, despite the number of IDPs tallied, the phenomenon of internal displacement is still largely disregarded in the region. An anecdote about one RDMMRC director, who stated that there is no IDP in Davao in the aftermath of the Matina-Pangi flashflood, comes into mind. Moreover, the IDP phenomenon in the Davao region is overshadowed by the internal displacement in other regions. Hence, there is a need to acknowledge existing internal displacement in the region so that the concern of the IDPs can be properly responded. There are only various incident reports that can be easily accessible but there is no consolidated data and established trend a vailable to the public. Indeed, the need to quantify IDPs is a major practical and methodological challenge that needed to be prioritized by humanitarian actors. Monitoring Agencies International organizations such as IOM, IDMC, ICRC, USAID, and governmental agencies like NDRRMC, and DSWD take data profiling seriously to improve their humanitarian activities and lessen the human suffering around the world. IOM International Organization for Migration is an international organization committed to uphold a humane and orderly migration that benefits all. It is a leading international agency working with governments and civil society to advancement of the understanding of migration issues, encourage social and economic development through migration, and endorsement of the human dignity and well-being of migrants as reflected in its credo. IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, be they refugees, displaced persons or other uprooted people (IOM, 2012). Currently, climate change is an emerging threat to human security. As a response, IOM has three main objectives in facing this threat. First is to prevent forced migration resulting from environmental factors, as much as possible through reducing vulnerability and promoting adaptation to environmental and climate changes such as disaster risk managements. Second is to provide assistance and protection to affected populations, and seek durable solutions. Lastly is to facilitate migration as an adaptation strategy to climate change. To fulfill these objectives, IOM conducts several activities such as offering a forum for  policy  dialogue among states and NGOs, undertaking extensive research, conducting operational activities like humanitarian response and developing comprehensive strategies to better manage environmental migration and to address potential impacts of migration on the environment with the cooperation of partners like government and both international and local NGOs (IOM, 2012). Above and beyond, designation of an institutional focal point for internally displaced persons by the government is important. By designating an institutional focal point for internally displaced persons, the government demonstrates a clearest recognition of national responsibility for responding to internal displacement. It facilitates coordination on the issue and cooperation both within government and with local and international partners to ensure that the needs of internally displaced persons are not overlooked. This is the rationale on the reason why governments, such as the United States government and Philippine government, create institutional focal point for internally displaced persons or adds that responsibility to agencies in charge of social developments in their country. IDMC The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) is a leading international body monitoring internal displacement worldwide established in 1998 by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) at the request of the United Nations. It runs an online database  that provides comprehensive information and analysis on internal displacement in countries around the world. It contributes to improving national and international capacities to protect and assist the millions of people around the globe who have been displaced within their own country as a result of conflicts or human rights violations as well as by natural disaster. In 2009, IDMC has started publishing annual global estimates of the worldwide scale of internal displacement caused by sudden-onset disasters. They are developing knowledge of the nature and patterns of displacement over time caused by different types of disasters. They are highlighting the specific rights and needs of displaced populations and the vulnerabilities of women, children and men who are particularly at risk. Other than that, they are raising awareness, building capacity and contributing to the development of policies and guidance for national and international actors in order to advocate for the protection of disaster-displaced populations (IDMC, 2011). Through the IDP database, reports and other publications, the IDMC promotes awareness and concern to the IDPs, points to gaps in the response of governments and the international community, and promotes durable solutions in line with the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement ICRC The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), established in 1863, works worldwide to provide humanitarian help for people affected by conflict and armed violence and to promote the laws that protect victims of war. It is an independent and neutral organization wherein its mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. The ICRC works primarily in situations of armed conflict and other situations of violence. In situations of armed conflict, IDPs are first and foremost civilians, and thus at the core of the ICRCs mandate. It is the ICRC that constantly reminds the parties to conflict of their obligations to protect the civilian population, as set out in the core rules of international humanitarian law. Also, they play significant roles during natural and human-made disasters by providing aid to the victims of natural disasters, both through the local work of the member Societies themselves and through the Federations international support for that work. In fact, they were entitled as the worlds largest provider of humanitarian aid. They act before, during and after disasters and health emergencies to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people. (ICRC, 2010). USAID The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has special interest in the protection of the IDPs. As one of the principal international donors in the field of internal displacement and humanitarian protection, USAID is driven by humanitarian and development concerns as well as political and security considerations. This is reflected in October 2004 when USAID adopted its Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons Policy, becoming the first donor organization to ever issue a policy statement regarding internally displaced persons. The specific purpose of the Policy and Implementation Guidelines is to ensure that a broad, integrated approach is used to reduce the human costs of population displacement and that long-term development is not reversed. This is done by providing assistance programs ranging from early emergency phase to long-term development phase. It is also responsible for ensuring a coherent response from the US gove rnment and the international community. In addition, it acknowledges particular characteristics of IDPs such as their lack of specia

Euro Disney Case Study

Euro Disney Case Study Disney Company is one of most successful operator of theme parks in the world, and their theme park in America and Japan achieved great success but the situation in Europe is not so good. The article uses some aspects of the Hofstedes cultural dimensions and Trompenaars research on organisational culture to compare the cultural difference between America and France, then find out three mistakes that the company made in managing its Euro Disney operation through the case study. In the following sectors, the three lessons the company should have learned about how to deal with diversity based on its experience will be described. More rapid development in the trend of multinational companies, the cross-cultural management has become a major part of business. The purpose of this paper is to obtain some favorable factors to the future development of Euro Disney by the above analysis. Trompenaars classify the corporate culture into four kinds: the family, the Eiffel Tower, the guided missile and the incubator. The dimensions he used to distinguish different corporate cultures are equality-hierarchy and orientation to the person-orientation to the task (Sanchez, Paul. 2004) . The America corporate culture is belong to the third one, this kind of corporate culture has task-oriented characteristics, the employees should comply with some fixed rules and have high efficiency. The employer always pay more attention to your work results rather than the process, they request the employees should be loyal to the professions and projects greater than be loyal to the company, so the atmosphere in the company is some serious. Compared to the America corporate culture, the French corporate generally do not have terms of the corporate culture. The French company will never give you a sick book which tell you what you should do and which kind of language you should speak, but th ese things are very clarified to every branch. Only in this way the culture can show flexible and efficient. Many people will find it very strange how could be so efficiency under the circumstance that having not a detail arrangement and rules. This is a wonderful phenomenon in The French corporate. In a word, the French company pay more attention to human and the corporate culture which think highly of the deep-rooted relations between people and there is a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere in the company. The three mistakes In determining the target market did not take into account cultural differences Euro Disneys choice of location focus on the aspects of financial and population, then Euro Disney theme park located in the populous central Europe. Disney executives did not see that Mickey Mouse and intellectuals in the region of the left bank of the Seine in Paris can not live in harmony and France is serious about their intellectual. In retrospect, Paris is not the best place to establish such a theme park, so the establishment of the Disney parks is a declaration of war to intellectuals of French. Disneys manager stated publicly some of the criticism is the nonsense of a small number of business would not help them a favor. This may can be well operated according to American culture, while the French pay more attention to their own cultural elite and regard this refute as attack of national quality. Having not adequately take into account the habits of the French when arrange the service kinds Disney do not provide breakfast because they think that the Europeans do not eat breakfast. In addition, the Disney company does not provide alcoholic beverages within the park, but the French habits are different, they are used to drinking a cup while taking lunch, which aroused the anger of the French. Disney executives did not estimate that the European are not interested in vacation in theme park so much, in the attitude of Disney Company the European will be happy about spending a few days in a theme park like the American and Japanese, but middle-class in Europe just want to get away from everything around and go to the coast or the mountains, and Euro Disney is the lack of such appeal. No combination of French culture to the local staff management Disney has taken global standard model as same as the Japanese business, they transplanted the American culture to France directly then doing this result with a serious clash of cultures. The Disney Company use many measures that departed with the local culture, for example, in the Euro Disney, the France worker are requested to comply with the strict appearance code as the other theme parks in United States and Japan do, the workers are asked to break their ancient cultural aversions to smiling and being consistently polite to the park guest even must mirror the multi-country makeup of its guest. In addition, the Disney Company brought their U.S. Pop culture to France and fought hard for a greater local cultural context. The French people think that this is an attack on their native culture, so they adopted an unfriendly attitude toward to the arrival of the Disney, including the protest come from the intellectual and th e local residence and farmers. The three lessons Multinational companies should target market accurately Even in the same country or regional market, the traditional culture makes different control power to different people. Multinational companies should be fully based on detailed market research to find the weak links in the market and make a breakthrough, use the point to an area model to expand. For example, McDonalds opened in the Chinese market, its target is no longer work for the busy working-class, but the children. The golden arches mark, the joy atmosphere of the shop, the furnished toys, full of playful ads, as well as various promotional activities specifically carry out for children, these have a tremendous appeal to the target customers . McDonald think that adult eating habits difficult to change, only those children whose taste not yet formed are the potential customers of Western fast food culture, the McDonald received Broad market recognition and have huge market potential. Multinational enterprises should pay full attention to the importance of the influence of cultural differences on marketing Face to the new multiple culture environment, the multinational enterprise should take an objective acknowledge about the cultural differences of the consumer demand and behavior and respect it, abandoning the prejudice and discrimination of culture completely(Burnett, Sally-Ann, Huisman, Jeroen, 2010). Moreover, multinational enterprises should be good at finding out and using the base point of communication and collaboration of different cultures and regard this base point as the important consideration factor when plan to enter the target country market. After all, the fundamental criterion for a successful business enterprise is whether it can integrate into the local social and cultural environment. The multinational enterprises should improve the sensitivity and adaptability to the different culture environment. Multinational enterprises should make full use of the competitive advantages of cultural differences and promote international marketing The objective of international cultural differences can also be the basic demand points of different competitive strategy. In the international market, launching culture marketing activities and highlighting the exotic culture and cultural differences in the target market can open the market quickly. Companies should strive to build cross-cultural two-way communication channels, it is necessary to adapt to the hosts cultural environment and values and carry out the business strategy of localization to make it can be widely accepted by the host country local government, local partners, consumers and other relevant stakeholders . Effective cross-cultural communication on the one hand contribute to cultural integration, but also can create a harmonious internal and external human environment for corporate management. Conclusion From the Euro Disneys failure in the initial stage, we should realize deeply that cultural factors play enormous role in the process of expanding overseas of the enterprises and lack of cross-cultural awareness will bring out failure of the business. With the increase and deepen of the economical contact, transnational marketing received more and more attention. If the multinational companies can not handle properly the culture difference between foreign markets and home market in the whole marketing management process, the result will be that low profit with higher cost even lead to bankruptcy.

The Physics Of Scuba Diving Essay -- Scuba Diving Descriptive Process

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to swim with the fish and explore the underwater jungle that covers two-thirds of the earth's surface? I have always been interested in water activities; swimming, diving and skiing, and I felt that scuba was for me. My first dive took place while on a family vacation. I came across a dive shop offering introductory dives, which immediately caught my interest. After much convincing (my parents), with my solemn assurance that I would be careful, I was allowed to participate in a dive. I was ready, or so I thought. The slim basics such as breathing were explained and I was literally tossed in. Sounds easy enough, right!, well WRONG!!. From the moment I hit the water, my experience was much less than fun. I quickly sank to the bottom into a new world, with unfamiliar dangers. I really wasn't ready for this experience. I was disorientated, causing me to panic, which shortened the length of my dive, not to mention my air supply. Let's just say I would not do that again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To start exploring the underwater world, one must first master a few skills. Certification is the first step of learning to dive. From qualified professionals one must learn how to use the equipment, safety precautions, and the best places to dive. This paper is designed to help give a general understanding of the sport and the importance that physics plays in it. Self- contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, or SCUBA for short, is a hell of a lot of fun. However, there is considerably more to Diving than just putting on a wetsuit and strapping some compressed air onto ones back. As I quickly learned, diving safely requires quite a bit more in terms of time, effort, and preparation. When one goes underwater, a diver is introduced to a new and unfamiliar world, where many dangers exist, but can be avoided with proper lessons and understanding. With this knowledge the water is ours to discover. The Evolution of Scuba Diving Divers have penetrated the oceans through the centuries for the purpose of acquiring food, searching for treasure, carrying out military operations, performing scientific research and exploration, and enjoying the aquatic environment. Bachrach (1982) identified the following five principal periods in the history of diving which are currently in use. Free (or breath-hold) diving, bell diving,... ...tary, research, business, or recreation, hundreds of thousands of people are heading for the depths, to experience the unknown. My advice for a new diver is to do it right. Get the proper certification and make each dive a safe one. When a diver is fully trained, and in good mental and physical condition, safe diving can be one of the most enjoyable of experiences. The true beauty of the underwater world, coupled with the marvelous almost-weightlessness of floating with neutral buoyancy is an indescribable experience. Bibliography: Ascher, Scott M. Scuba Handbook for Humans. Iowa : Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. 1975. Cramer, John L. Ph.D. Skin and Scuba Diving: Scientific Principles and Techniques. N.Y.: Bergwall Productions, Inc. 1975. Ketels, Henry & McDowell, Jack. Safe Skin and Scuba Diving, adventure in the underwater world. Canada : Little, Brown and Company (Canada) Ltd. 1975. Koelzer, William. Scuba Diving, How to get started. Pennsylvania :Chilton Book Company. 1976. Resneck, John Jr. Scuba, Safe and Simple. New Jersey : Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1975. Tillman, Albert A. Skin and Scuba Diving. Iowa : Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers. 1966.

Biography of Guy de Maupassant :: essays research papers

Biography on Guy de Maupassant   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Guy de Maupassant was born on August 5, 1850 at Chateau de Miromesnil in France. He was a descendent of a very old French family. As a boy, Maupassant went to school at Yvetot in Normandy, and then attended Lycee at Rouen. During his childhood and youth in Normandy, he picked up a great deal of experiences that he later put to use in many of his writings. When Maupassant was eleven years old, his parents got separated. This was probably the most significant events in his life in that his mother retained custody of him. His mother was the sister of a close friend of Flaubert, one of the most famous nineteenth- century writers. She turned to Flaubert for advice on him. Flaubert began tutoring him on various subjects, mainly writing. Maupassant's association with Flaubert brought him into the French literary circles. Even though Maupassant was often a member of gatherings which included such famous writers such as Flaubert, Turgenev, Zola, and Daudet, he had little interest at the time for a career of writing for himself. As an adolescent he was much more interested in sports than writing, especially rowing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Maupassants education was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War, in which he served as a member of the French army. After the war was finished, he entered the French civil service. He first served with the Ministry of Navy and later with the Ministry of Public Institution. During the between 1873 and 1880 he also served as a literary apprentice under Flaubert. At this time, Maupassant realized his weakness as a poet and concentrated on developing his skills as a writer of prose fiction. Maupassant wrote a collection of short stories that were published with a writers such as Bola, and Huysmans. Maupassant work outshone all the others by far. This is Maupassant became recognized as a writer. He became one of the most famous and well paid French Biography of Guy de Maupassant :: essays research papers Biography on Guy de Maupassant   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Guy de Maupassant was born on August 5, 1850 at Chateau de Miromesnil in France. He was a descendent of a very old French family. As a boy, Maupassant went to school at Yvetot in Normandy, and then attended Lycee at Rouen. During his childhood and youth in Normandy, he picked up a great deal of experiences that he later put to use in many of his writings. When Maupassant was eleven years old, his parents got separated. This was probably the most significant events in his life in that his mother retained custody of him. His mother was the sister of a close friend of Flaubert, one of the most famous nineteenth- century writers. She turned to Flaubert for advice on him. Flaubert began tutoring him on various subjects, mainly writing. Maupassant's association with Flaubert brought him into the French literary circles. Even though Maupassant was often a member of gatherings which included such famous writers such as Flaubert, Turgenev, Zola, and Daudet, he had little interest at the time for a career of writing for himself. As an adolescent he was much more interested in sports than writing, especially rowing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Maupassants education was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War, in which he served as a member of the French army. After the war was finished, he entered the French civil service. He first served with the Ministry of Navy and later with the Ministry of Public Institution. During the between 1873 and 1880 he also served as a literary apprentice under Flaubert. At this time, Maupassant realized his weakness as a poet and concentrated on developing his skills as a writer of prose fiction. Maupassant wrote a collection of short stories that were published with a writers such as Bola, and Huysmans. Maupassant work outshone all the others by far. This is Maupassant became recognized as a writer. He became one of the most famous and well paid French

The Gravity Model of Trade

THE GRAVITY MODEL OF TRADE 1 Assignment 1: The Gravity Model Of Trade: Do Size And Distance Matter For The Exports Of Japan? THE GRAVITY MODEL OF TRADE 2 Abstract In the field of international economics, the gravity model for trade reveals that bilateral trade is directly proportional with the extent of the economy (usually expressed in GDP) and inversely proportional with the geographical distance between the analysed entities. The present report illustrates the model for the case of Japan, elaborating the trade patterns created among it and its 9 main trade partners.The parameters for the gravity equation are estimated and the relation between GDP and exports for the countries in question are depicted through a scattered plot, for a more in-depth view on the connections. By testing the model it can be observed that the trade relations of Japan are being influenced by the size of the economy and the distance to the trade partners. (JEL F100, F170) THE GRAVITY MODEL OF TRADE 3 The la w of universal gravitation was published by Isaac Newton as a general physical law.Its application was later on spread into various fields of research, succeeding to explain a series of scientific phenomena. In international economics, the gravity model of trade is used in order to predict bilateral trade flows in respect to the economic performance (measured in GDP) and distance between the two states taken into consideration. The present report aims to illustrate the gravity model of trade for the particular case of Japan, revealing how size and distance influence the country’s exports, centering the study on the relation among Japan and its 9 top trade partner countries.The model will be tested by estimating the parameters of the gravity equation, namely the elasticities for GDP and distance. In order to estimate the gravity equation, the R statistical software has been used. The data set contains information regarding exports, GDP and distance to destination country, retr ieved from the 2011 International Trade Statistics Yearbook of the United Nations. All data has 2011 as the year of reference. The GDP value for each country has been converted into billions of USD, in order to maintain the same unit of measure.Example: China’s GDP 2011 = 47. 16 trillion CN? ;exchange rate: 1$ = 6. 4588 CN? ;therefore, China’s GDP for 2011 amounts to 7,298,147 millions USD. Figure 1 shows Japan’s trade as percentage of the exports of the top-9 export destinations in 2011, versus the GDP as percentage of the total GDP reported by the top-9 export destinations. As it can be seen, China does a lot more trade with Japan than even with the U. S. A, the main reason being the small distance between the two states, which THE GRAVITY MODEL OF TRADE reduces transportation costs.In addition to this, the cultural factor has also to be taken 4 into consideration, as both Japan and China are Asian cultures sharing similar values and tastes; therefore they hav e a look-alike pattern of trade. The linear equation appears as it follows: z = 12. 03 + 0. 05 x1 – (-0. 15) x2 The coefficients of correlation in respect to GDP are b = 0. 05, therefore there is a weak relationship between trade and one country’s GDP. The coefficient of correlation in respect to distance is c=-0. 5, therefore there is also a weak relationship between trade and the distance between Japan and the trade partner country. The direct effect is that trade increases by 0. 05% when the partner country’s GDP increases by 1%, while it decreases by 0. 15% when the distance to the partner countries increases by 1%. The mean and the standard deviation (descripted variables) have been computed for the variables: GDP, exports, distance. GDP: mean= 1556897. 3, standard deviation= 2417090. 79 Exports: mean= 58211. 7, standard deviation= 52047. 57 Distance: mean=4319060. , standard deviation= 3462913. 81 The results obtained depict that the model it is indeed ver ified, but the correlations are not strong enough in order to fully explain the patterns of trade between Japan and its 9 main trade-partners. Nevertheless, we can observe that both distance between countries and the size of one country’s economy are factors that influence the trade between two states. THE GRAVITY MODEL OF TRADE 5 References: American Economic Association, JEL Classification Codes Guide. Retrieved October 6, 2012 from: http://www. aeaweb. org/jel/guide/jel. hp Centre d'Etudes Prospectives et d’Informations Internationales (CEPII) (2011). Geodesic Distances. Retrieved on October 6, 2012 from: http://www. cepii. fr/anglaisgraph/bdd/distances. htm International Monetary Fund. (2012). International Financial Statistics Yearbook 2012. Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund Krugman, Obstfeld, and Melitz (2012), International Economics Theory & Policy, (9th edition), Pearson Education United Nations. (2011). 2011 International Trade Statistics Yearbook. New York: United Nations. Retrieved on October 14, 2012 from: http://comtrade. n. org/pb/CountryPagesNew. aspx? y=2011 United Nations Statistics Division, Countries or areas, codes and abbreviations. Retrieved October 15, 2012 from: http://unstats. un. org/unsd/methods/m49/m49alpha. htm THE GRAVITY MODEL OF TRADE 6 Table 1 Japan’s Trade Partners Country Exports (millions USD) China USA Republic of Korea China, Hong Kong SAR Thailand Singapore Germany Malaysia Netherlands 162062. 1 127679. 0 66167. 5 42954. 4 37530. 60 27264. 60 23505. 50 18796. 00 17945. 80 GDP (millions USD) 7298147. 00 14660400. 00 1116247. 00 243666. 00 345672. 00 259849. 0 3607364. 00 287943. 00 838112. 00 2098111. 00 10855. 59 1156. 67 2891225. 00 4612997. 00 5326388. 00 9298341. 00 5329095. 00 9303377. 00 Distance (km) Source: Data retrieved from the 2011 International Trade Statistics Yearbook of the United Nations (2011 – year of reference) Table 1 THE GRAVITY MODEL OF TRADE 7 Figure 1. Which a re the closest trade partners for Japan? This figure illustrates Japan’s trade as percentage of the exports of the top-9 export destinations in 2011, versus the GDP as percentage of the total GDP reported by the top-9 export destinations.

Development of a Home Messaging and Communication System Essay

This is group coursework. Groups should have between 3 to 5 people. Do only one of the assignments described below. Read everything before you decide which to tackle. Assignment 1 – Home Messaging System Many people live in a house or flat with others. People may live fairly independently with different interests and routines, or they may be more closely involved with each others’ lives. Whichever is the case, they will probably need to coordinate their activities with each other. They may benefit from ways of recording and sharing reminders about events such as appointments or significant dates. They may need ways to record and coordinate over tasks such as chores around the place. They may benefit from ways of indicating problems, requests for information or action, ways just saying â€Å"hello† and ‘greasing the wheels’ of communal living, or even ways of addressing conflicts if they occur. The messages people currently leave for each other can take many forms. They may use Post-its, whiteboards, pinboards or other surfaces that can be written on. The practices of information sharing may evolve over many years and are often designed to fit carefully into peoples’ lives. However, written messages may have disadvantages: they tend to be static and not easily updated; they also are fixed in one location, whereas people are mobile and may need access to notes and messages even when they aren’t at the location where the message was created. Coursework Instructions Research, prototype and evaluate a digital Home Messaging device or system that people in a house or flat can use to share the kinds of information they need to coordinate activities with one another and enable good, happy social relations. The details of what they can do will depend on what you find out by doing some user-research. The system you develop should have an interface within a shared space, but may also work in coordination with devices at other locations. Assignment 2 – Mobile Museum or Art Gallery System Museums and art galleries make an important contribution to our cultural landscape. A visit to a museum or art gallery can happen for many reasons. People may want to learn, be reflective, to be entertained or to have a fun day out with friends and family. People may have a deep interest in what they will see there or they may just want something to do on a rainy afternoon. Image by EmilySuran (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Digital technology can provide opportunities for enhancing these experiences in a number of ways. They may offer information before a visit. During a visit users might want information or to communicate in some way. Mobile devices can be location-aware. For example, this can be done using QR codes. A QR (Quick Response) code (see image below) is a matrix barcode which can be scanned by a device fitted with a camera (such as a smart phone). A user could scan a code next to an exhibit to launch some location-based service. And after the visit there may be some follow-up activities, perhaps using information about what interested them. A QR code Coursework Instructions Research, prototype and evaluate a system that could be used by people to enhance their experiences in museums and/or art galleries in some way. The service could provide information and/or enhance shared experiences. It could help them learn or make things fun. The system could integrate with a web-based system to allow people to do things before or after a trip. Again, the details of will depend on what you find out by doing some user-research. General Instructions Whichever project you do it must involve the following major activities: 1. user-research 2. prototyping 3. evaluation 4. prototype revision In other words, follow an iterative design approach. Each step should inform the next. It should be clear how the research has informed the design, and how the evaluation has informed the revised design. As an alternative to traditional user-research methods you might like to try auto ethnography. Auto ethnography is an approach which seeks to describe and systematically analyse personal experience. If you do this you will be graded on the methods you use to acquire and analyse useful experiences and the quality of the insights that this gives you. For any activity that involves human participants you must complete a Middlesex University School of Engineering and Information Sciences Research Consent (Form C) and a Declaration Form and Ethical Approval Request (Form D). Have your consent form approved by your tutor before you start each phase of user engagement and have them sign your form D. The forms can be found in the ‘Useful Forms’ section of the Middlesex University, School of EIS – Ethics & Research Webpage. Assessment The work will be assessed in parts: Group Progress Review Presentation – 25% of total mark The presentation should describe the work you have done and your plans for completing the assignment. Group members will only receive a mark if they make a reasonable contribution to the presentation, with each receiving the same mark. Individual Final Report – 75% of total mark The final report should be no more than 4000 words (not including appendixes). Each group member will receive an individual mark. The report should be structured as follows (maximum marks awarded are shown in brackets as a percentage of marks awarded for the report): * Introduction (10%) * User Research (15%) * Prototype (15%) * Evaluation (15%) * Prototype revision (10%) * Discussion (10%) * Appendices containing all appropriate ethics forms1 (15%) An additional 10% will be awarded for presentation of the report. All marks will depend on the separate submission of your raw data. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. http://www.eis.mdx.ac.uk/research/groups/Alert/Ethics_Research/forms.html