Oedipus Tyrannus through Freuds eyes Essay Example for Free

Oedipus Tyrannus through Freuds eyes Essay Oedipus Tyrannus is deemed as Sophocless magnum opus and is undoubtedly the most famous of all Greek tragedies. Aristotle went to the extent of calling it a perfect play. It was first performed in around 425 b. c. , only just after a plague that had wreaked havoc on Athens, Oedipus Tyrannus was set in Thebes, a city which was also facing the same catastrophe. King Oedipus was informed by the Creon, the brother of Oedipuss wife, Jocasta that the city will remain a sufferer unless and until the slayer of the previous king is convicted. Oedipus promised to discover the killers identity and to prosecute him. Ignorant of the fact that he himself was the murderer, Oedipus unremittingly trailed the truth until he found his own guiltiness and blinded himself so he might never catch the sight of his father in the afterworld. A Freudian analysis of Sophocles Oedipus Rex (the King) would point out that Oedipus truly had an incestuous nature. This was exposed not only by Oedipus marriage to his own mother, by whom he had children, but also by his unreasonable preference for his daughters, Antigone and Ismene. While the attention he showed to his daughters was profound and braced with sexuality, he dismissed his sons as creatures who are able to look after themselves. Although he was unconsciously attracted to his daughters, he also had this fear in his mind that his daughters would become pariah and will be unable to marry. Freud thought that all the men since birth harbor not a natural repugnance to incest, but the contrary which is an instinctive sexual attraction to the mother. He says, â€Å"[The experiences of psychoanalysis] have taught . . that the first sexual impulses of the young are regularly of an incestuous nature† (Totem and Taboo, p. 160). He also emphasized that each male anchorage undecided feelings towards their fathers. But surely I must fear my mothers bed? (Oedipus Tyrannus, line 576) When Oedipus throws this question to his wife Jocasta, he is totally oblivious of the profundity of his words. The Messenger has just informed him about the murder of King Polybos of Corinth, Oedipus’ supposed father. Now free in his mind from the intimidation of Apollo’s foretell that he would kill his father, Oedipus here desires to validate with his wife that, as his hypothetical mother (the queen of Corinth) is still living, he must still look into that for fear that he sleep with her, as the oracle also foretold. But his words touch a more primary issue: Why is the forecast that he will sleep with his mother so horribly threatening and vile? Oedipus is actually calmed and contented about the natural death of his supposed father Polybos, as in his mind this frees him from the concern that he will someday kill his father. Freud had suggested an interesting explanation of the source of the taboos against incest and parent murder. In the primitive civilization, people lived in groups dominated by the most powerful male, the father, who hold a sexual monopoly over the group. When each of his sons grew to an age where he would challenge the fathers supremacy in order to get a part of the action, so to challenge, the fathers forced them to leave the group. After so many sons had been so treated like this, they resolute to cooperate in order to remove from power their father and get hold of the females, their mothers, for themselves. With their collective strength, they killed the fathers. In civilized society, Freud observed, proscription against such crimes go unsaid, but this is not evidence that we no longer harbor such wishes. The conscience of mankind which now appears as an inherited mental force was acquired in connection with the Oedipus complex. However, from Sophocles text, it would seem that Oedipus does everything in his power to avert these two crimes. Freud too examines the play from this vantage point although, under the novel concept of unconscious motivation, moral condemnation gives way. Freud’s perspective added another dimension to previous simplistic disputes as to whether an action was freely willed, and thus subject to moral injunction, or determined by fate. Freudian intentionality implied that there were actions which, though not intended (consciously), nevertheless were compulsive enactments of inner latent wishes (Hamilton 1993, p. 209).

A Study On British Airways And Iberia Management Essay

A Study On British Airways And Iberia Management Essay The learning point behind this assignment is to assess the financial consequences of the merger of British Airways and Iberia. In this activity I have studied the importance of Merger activities and how does the merger of BA Iberia will benefit the stakeholders. In short words I have execute a strategic analysis of the merger plan between the two organisations with the help of various strategic tools and models. 2. Introduction: 2.1 Merger and Acquisition In the contemporary world Merger and Acquisition is an inevitable tool for the organisations willing to expand and make a mark in the highly globalised market. In the first half of 2007, there appeared no end in vision to the unprecedented global boom in Merger and Acquisition, it even outstripped the dot.com era of the late 90s. But things appeared rather difficult with the so-called sub-prime credit crunch making credit availability scarce and expensive towards the end of 2007. There is no suspicion to the fact that at the multi-billion dollar deal end of the market, credit crunch did build a brick wall to the Merger Acquisition activity for the financial buyers. There are still plenty of strategic investors looking to expand in spite of the doom and gloom of the credit market. Merger and acquisition will still be required to fill up the growth gaps that organic growth cannot fill. [The European Consulting MA Report 2008, Equiteq p12] 2.2 History of British Airways British Airways was formed in 1974 by the merger of two British government owned airlines the BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corp.) and the BEA (British European Airways). BOAC operated long hauled international routes whereas; BEA operated Short hauled European routes. BA was floated on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in 1987, when it acquired the competitor British Caledonian. In 1992 BA acquired Dan-Air. In the drive to make itself more competitive BA introduced the oneworld alliance in the 1990s. BA airways acquired 9% share in Iberia in March 2000 for  £155m (Ptas 41 billion). Today, BA is the UKs largest international airline flying to 148 destinations and fleet of 245 aircrafts in service. [www.ba.com/history] 2.3 History of Iberia Iberia was founded on June 28, 1927 by Horacio Echeberrieta. It was not only Spains first airline, but also the first to fly between Europe and South America (as of 1946), the first to establish a walk-on air shuttle service (between Madrid and Barcelona), and the first in Europe to offer an international frequent flyers customer loyalty programme (Iberia Plus).Today Iberia is an international transport group operating in around 100 airports. It is a member of one of the most important airline alliances, oneworld, and is renowned for its corporate social responsibility. Iberia is a Leader in Spain and in the Europe Latin America market. It flies to more than 100  destinations  all over the world. It has Europes most modern fleets. [www.iberia.com/uk] 2.4 Research objectives As the title of my Research and Analysis project suggests the main objective of research was to study the drivers and the financial and operational consequences of a merger between the renowned BA and Iberia. Research Questions and Objectives: Strategic analysis of the Merger decision The first objective of this assignment was to analyse the strategic decision of merger. How did the Environmental Variables affect the decision of the merger and what are the strengths and weaknesses of the decision? What would be the effect of the culture of both the organisations on the decision? How would the resultant organisation benefit from the merger? How will the decision fulfil the expectations and aspirations of the stakeholders? Identify the stakeholders and analyse how will the merger affect them? What are the views of the stakeholders on the merger decision? How will the fears and resistance of the employees and other stakeholders resolved? What were the Financial and Operational Consequences of the merger? After the above questions were answered, I wanted to find out what will be the financial and operational consequences of the merger, to what extent will these organizations be successful to maintain and acquire their merger objectives. What will be the ultimate effect of the whole event on the resultant organisations constitution, its management and the financial report? 2.5 Research Approach/Methodology: The Research was started with the collection of background information on Merger and Acquisition and the basic information on BA and Iberia. The main objective of this was to gain the understanding of the topic area and the acquaintance with the organizations in concern. After the general background information the preliminary research was conducted to outline the research methods to be used, and the sources for information to be collected. The research is mainly based on the qualitative and quantitative information collected from the secondary data sources like books, case study materials, annual reports, magazines, news paper articles and online search engines. The information gathered is analyzed using The Johnson, Scholes and Whittington (JSW) model of strategic management. It consists of three elements Analysis, Choice and Implementation as explained below: The Strategic position/analysis Strategic Choices Strategy into action (implementation). [ACCA Paper P3 Business Analysis The Complete Text 2007/08 p10] 3. Literature Review 3.1 Merger and its types A merger is a complete absorption of one company by another, wherein the acquiring firm retains its identity and the acquired firm ceases to exist as a separate entity. [Corporate Finance Fundamentals by Ross, Westerfield Jordan, Eighth Edition Chapter 25 p816] Acquisition by merger results in a combination of assets and liabilities of the acquired and acquiring firms. 3.1.1 Advantages and Disadvantages of using a merger to acquire a firm: Advantages A primary advantage is that a merger is legally simple and does not cost as much as other forms of acquisition. The reason is that the firms simply agree to combine their entire operations. Revenue Enhancement is one of the important reasons for an acquisition. The combined firm may generate greater revenues than two separate firms. Increased revenue come from marketing gains, strategic benefits and increase in the market share and reduced competition. The driving force behind many mergers is the concept of synergy. The synergy of two like companies joining forces can often increase revenues drastically. One of the other important reasons to merge is that a combined firm may operate more efficiently than two separate firms. Operational efficiency increases through economies of scale and complementary resources (missing ingredient of success). All firms must invest in working capital and fixed assets to sustain an efficient level of operating activity. A merger may reduce the combined investment needed by the two firms. Disadvantages A primary disadvantage is that a merger must be approved by a vote of the shareholders of each firm. Obtaining necessary votes can be time-consuming and difficult. Furthermore the cooperation of target firms existing management is almost a necessity for a merger. This cooperation may not be easily or cheaply obtained. 3.1.2 Types of merger Mergers may be broadly classified in Congeneric Merger Congeneric merger occur where two merging firms are in the same general industry, but they have no mutual buyer/customer or supplier relationship. Congeneric mergers are of two types (a) Horizontal merger: In this case both the companies are in the same stage of production and also in the same industry e.g., a car manufacturer merger with a car manufacturer (b) Vertical merger: Two companies selling different but related products in the same market e.g., a cone supplier merging with an ice cream maker. Conglomerate. A conglomerate is a combination of two companies engaged in entirely different businesses together into one overarching company. There are two types of mergers that are distinguished by how the merger is financed. Purchase mergers As the name suggests, this kind of merger occurs when one company purchases another. The purchase is made with cash or through the issue of some kind of debt instrument. Consolidation mergers With this merger, a brand new company is formed and both companies are bought and combined under the new entity. 4. Analysis 4.1 Strategic Analysis of the merger decision The study of the Environmental Variables using the PESTEL and SWOT analysis was conducted at this stage of the research to evaluate the points for the merger of the BA and Iberia. The Analysis of these factors affecting the decision is detailed as follows: 4.1.1 PESTEL Analysis Political Factors: One of the preconditions for the merger deal is getting appropriate confirmations from the UK and Spanish Civil Aviation Authorities as to the suitability of the UK and Spanish bodies and as to the implementation of the structure. Economic Factors: Merger is expected to generate annual synergies of approximately à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬400 million. The new group will combine the leading positions of both the companies, attain EOS and substantially increase the market share, thus enhancing their presence in international longhaul markets. Social Factors: Merger is expected to bring significant customer benefit. BA customers will gain access to 59 and Iberia customers will gain access to 98 new destinations with better frequencies, connections and reduced prices. Technological Factors: BA customers will benefit from modern fleet of aircrafts of Iberia airlines. Legal Factors: Merger cannot go ahead without appropriate antitrust and other regulations clearance. Iberia reserves the right to terminate the agreement if the outcome between BAand its pension trustees on the deficit is not satisfactory. 4.1.2 SWOT Analysis Strengths The new group will save some à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬400m annually by cutting overlapping routes, and by combining maintenance, office functions and business-class lounges. The pair may also have more muscle when it comes to negotiations to buy new planes from Boeing and Airbus.   The BA/Iberia merger will increase BAs dominance at Heathrow with 44% of take-off and landing slots this winter. It is impossible for any other airline to replicate their scale. There is a compelling strategic rationale for the transaction, which is expected to generate annual synergies of approximately 400 million Euros, and benefit both companies shareholders, customers and employees, Weaknesses Iberias cabin crew have just finished one round of strikes and are promising more in a dispute over changes to their jobs. BAs attempts to cut cabin crew and freeze pay could also result in strikes. Ground staff and pilots are equally willing to use industrial action to get their way. The attempt to keep two separate brands alive, with separate corporate operations could eat into some of the advantages of the merger and even prove to be a potential diseconomy of scale. Opportunities This enhanced scale and ability to compete with other major airlines and will enable BA-Iberia to participate in future industry consolidation opening the door for BAs long-held ambition to forge a partnership with American Airlines. The merger will create a strong European airline well able to compete in the 21st century. Threats The credit crunch has hammered ticket sales (especially of premium priced Business class tickets) and fuel has been expensive.  The International Air Transport Association, an industry body, estimates that total losses for the worlds airlines this year will be some $11 billion. 4.2 Expectations and Aspirations of the Stakeholders of the organisations A stakeholder can be defined as someone who has an interest in the well-being of the organisation ACCA course notes from Kaplan financial for Paper P3 Business Analysis In this context, the stakeholders can be identified as the shareholders, managers, employees and suppliers of BA and Iberia and the customers, government, locality and society at large. Success in the strategic decisions can not be achieved without regard to the stakeholders. Shareholders: Shareholders are the owners of the organisations; it is the duty of the organisations to act in the best interest of its shareholders and to maximise their wealth. The benefits of the merger to the SHs can be listed as follows: The anticipated annual revenue of the combined group estimated to be 15 billion euros. Expected cost saving of about 400 million euros a year. The combined group will be the third largest airline. Increased market share and dominance. Suppliers: The merger is set to create the third largest airline and hence bound to reduce the bargaining power of the suppliers. Managers employees: Employees play a vital role in the success of the organisation. Thus the organisation has a duty towards its workforce. According to the recent updates merger is unlikely to bring any benefits to its staff, on the contrary both the organisations have ambitious plans to cut costs by way of redundancy and pay cuts. The unite union has asked for assurances to avoid compulsory redundancies. Customers: According to the sources, the customers of the combined grouped are said to benefit from; Better frequencies More connections Competitive prices Access to more VIP lounges Enhance frequent flyer benefits Government: The government are interested in taxes from the revenue, higher the revenue more the tax. Furthermore it is interested in maintaining healthy competition and abiding of the antitrust law. The deal is expected to improve the future revenue and requires clearance from antitrust and other regulatory organisations, thus it is not threat to the governments interests. Locality and society at large: Locality and society expect the combined group to maintain and improve its CSR policies. The organisations are responsible to the surroundings and the environment in which they operate. 4.3 Financial Consequences The graph reflects the loss making position on BA. There has been an increase in revenue for the year 2009 as compared to 2008. The loss thus can be attributed to the high operating expenses which increased to  £9,212 million in 2009 from  £7,880 million in 2008. However the Operating income increased just to  £8,992 million in 2009 from  £8,758 million in 2008. Key Performance Indicators/Key Growth Indicators The KPIs and KGIs can be used to compare the performance of the organisations. Kpis indicate the improvement in performance, while Kgis indicate the growth of the organisation. The KPI in this scenario can be noted as: Liquidity Ratio The liquidity ratio shows the companys ability to pay its debt. Hence higher the ratio better the performance of the organisation. Earnings per Share (EPS) The performance can be measured based on the return to the shareholders. The increase in EPS reflects the efficiency in performance Number of passengers per year The figures show that the number of passenger carried per year will substantially increase after the merger and thus making TopCo a leading airline in terms of passenger. This is reflected in the figures shown below. Figure 1.1 Figure 1.2 5. Conclusion Objective 1 The strategic analysis showed that the merger is bound to bring various benefits to the consolidated group. The merger will help the companies to reduce the costs and hence reduce the loss to a certain extent. The merger will increase the market share of TopCo and make it the third largest airline company given benefits to its customers and shareholders. There are certain weaknesses which can be overcome and the merger opens up various opportunities and synergies for the future growth. Objective 2 The analysis shows that the shareholders and customers are bound to benefit from the merger decision. However, there is a considerable amount of risk of redundancies and pay cuts due to heavy cost cuts by both the organisations. Objective 3 The financial analysis reflects the need to substantially reduce the operating costs. The merger plan is set to set to save 400 million euro a year from reduced costs. Hence the merger decision can be beneficial in driving the organisations through the economic crisis.

The Evolution Of Jet Engines :: essays research papers

The Evolution of Jet Engines The jet engine is a complex propulsion device which draws in air by means of an intake, compresses it, heats it by means of an internal combustion engine, which when expelled it turns a turbine to produce thrust, resulting in a force sufficient enough to propell the aircraft in the opposite direction (Morgan 67). When the jet engine was thought of back in the 1920's the world never thought it would become a reality, but by 1941 the first successful jet flight was flown in England. Since then the types of engines have changed, but the basic principals have remained the same. In 1921 thoughts of a jet engine were based upon adaptations of piston engines and were usually very heavy and complicated. These thoughts were refined in the 1930's when the turbine engine design lead to the patent of the turbojet engine by Sir Frank Whittle of Great Britian. It was Sir Whittle's design that lead Great Britian into the jet age with the first successful flight. At the same time, the Germans were designing there own jet engine and aircraft which would be one of the factors that kept Germany alive in World War II. With technological advances by the allies a prototype turbojet known as the "Heinkel He 178" came into a few operational squadrons in the German, British, and the American air forces towards the end of World War II. These jets finally helped the allies to win the war against the axis powers(Smith 23-27). A later development in the jet industry was the overcoming of the sound barrier and establishing normal operations up to and beyond twice the speed of sound. Also air force bombers and transports were able to reach and cruise at supersonic speeds(Silverstein 56-70). In the late 1950's civil transcontinental jet services started with the Comet 4 and the Boeing 707. In the mid 1960's all major jet manufacturing companies revised their present engines with new materials such as aircraft aluminium which made them lighter and turbine changes so they could compress the air at a much higher pressure so the engine can produce much more thrust.The first supersonic airliner is the twin turbojet Concorde which flies at over twice the speed of sound which was brought into regular service in 1976(Smith 27-30). The one company that dominates the private jet industry is Bombardier which makes the Learjet turbofans, they have an approximate cruising distance of 1880 nautical miles(Jennings 103). In the future, turbojet engines will continue to further develop due to the technological advances made. As in graphite composite wings, thermoplastic

Welton College in Dead Poets Society Essay -- essays research papers

Dead Poets Society positions the audience to see Welton as a rigid, oppressive and destructive place. Throughout the unravelling of Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society, the audience are often faced with the reality that attendance at Welton College would be undesirable. The physical and mental stresses endured by students due to the harshness and unforgiving nature of the school is underlining in many instances. Strict and unyielding authoritarian figures compel pupils to live in a damaging and caustic world, and to be placed under immense levels of anxiety and tension. The cruel world in which our impressionable young characters are forced to live in results directly in the tragic death of Neil Perry. During the screenplay, Welton is repeatedly shown to be a school where pupils are entrapped. Religious followers of the â€Å"Empty Vessel Theory†, Welton’s authority confine students to the four walls of their school building, and to the four wall of their mind. This theory reinforces the feeling of imprisonment Neil felt before his suicide. The boys are educated by books, and rely heavily on note-taking and on the blackboard. Classrooms, illuminated by single bulbs and devoid of natural light, give definite impressions as to the students’ state of mind. The lack of luminosity illustrates the deficiency in vigour, vitality and vividness of the boys, and similarly defines the students’ attitude to school life in general – gloomy, mournful and depressed. Similarly, the boys’ faces are usually shrouded in darkness, emphasising the deficiency in cheerfulness, and in the ending of their free spirit and will. Imprisoned physically, mentally and sp iritually, the boys are unable to wander on the path to self-discovery, and instead are forced to ... ...boys are forever compelled to do as adults say. The lack of trust and love for the boys is telling in many scenes and the constant disregard for their opinions and views brings about the untimely death of a youngster driven to the edge. Throughout the screenplay, Weir proves that it is the horrendous surroundings of the boys which cause the death of Neil Perry. Young students, especially in their adolescent years, need to be supported and encouraged and to feel value in society. Welton’s authority confirm on many an occasion their inability to cater to such demands. They succeed only in quashing mental, physical and spiritual sustenance of their students. Parents, who sent their children to such an austere academy, should have thought twice. The scars inflicted at Welton last a lifetime – and drastically reduce the length of Neil Perry’s young life.

deviance :: essays research papers

Deviance is an individual's or group's behavior, ideas, or attributes that some people in society find offensive, wrong, immoral, sinful, evil, strange, or disgusting. This definition consists of three parts. Expectation: Some behavioral expectation must exist. Violation: There must be a real or implied violation of the expectation Reaction: An individual, group, or society must react to the deviance The strain theory by Robert Merton believes that American society pushes individuals toward deviance by overemphasizing the importance of monetary success, while failing to emphasize the legitimate means to achieve that success. Cultural Transmission Theory by Edwin Sutherland states that deviants learn patterns of behavior form the people with whom they associate on a regular basis. Not only do they teach us the techniques for committing deviant acts, but also a set of beliefs and attitudes that justify or rationalize the behavior The Anomie Theory was coined by Emile Durkheim and it refers to the condition of normlessness, in which values and norms have little impact and the culture no longer provides adequate guidlines for behavior. Deviance is also thought of as an individual choice because it appears that the consequences of doing it are more desirable than the consequences of doing something else. The choice is as simple as weighing the pros and cons. Biological theories are a bit weak due to all the exceptions to the rule. William Sheldon proposed that deviance is in the body type. Other theorists say its in the extra Y chromosone Psychologists have attributed antisocial behavior to the conscious mind being too weak to overcome the strength of the id. Labeling theorists attempt to explain how cultural and individual perceptions create and sustain deviant idetities. A deviant is not different from you or I, they are just labeled deviant successfully. Has led sociologists to distinguish between primary and secondary deviance. Primary deviance is the original behavior that leads to the application of the label to an individual. Secondary deviance is the behavior that people develop as a result of having been labeled Functions of Deviance Deviance actually helps teach society's rules providing illustrations of violation. It is functional in that it 1) causes the group's members to close ranks 2) promotes group solidarity 3) help clarify what society really believes in 4)teaches normal behavior by showing us what is abnormal. Durkheim stated that deviance is "an intergral part of all healthy societies." There seems to be a disjunction between means and ends, such as the emphasis on wealth and success without many legitimate means to achieve them.

Asian Americans Essay

Asians are not a homogenous group. They do, however, constitute a significant minority group in the United States. Asian Americans represent many distinct subgroups that speak different languages, worship through different religions, and practice different customs and beliefs. The main groups are East Asians (Chinese, Japanese, Korean), Pacific Islanders, Southeast Asians (Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian), and South Asian (Indian and Pakistani). Threads of similarities may run through the subgroups, but they all have distinct histories, origins, and cultural roots. Among these groups, differences also exist within national groups, families, and individuals themselves. Some Asians were born in the United States, while others come from abroad. Some are affluent and come with highly developed skills while others are barely literate. Regardless of success or acculturation, many Asians are stereotyped as the â€Å"model minority† because often the Asian student is often the one who is at the head of the class and is the valedictorian at graduation. Many people believe that the Confucian ideas that stress family ideals, respect for elders, deferred gratification, and discipline, are the reason for high educational achievement. Studies show that Asian Americans are more likely to believe that success in life is connected to what has been studied in school. American schooling may contradict the fundamental cultural beliefs of Asians because it emphasizes individualism and competition, while the ethnic identify of Asian children is often based on their relationship to the group and allegiance to family. Academic achievement and upward mobility are viewed as an obligation for the maintenance of the family, which is the responsibility of all family members. Additionally, Asian parents teach their children to respect authority, feel responsibility for relatives, and show self-control. School failure is seen as a lack of will, and this failure can be alleviated by increasing parental restrictions. Baruth and Manning (1992) claim that Asian American children need reinforcement from the teacher, and work more efficiently in quiet, wellstructured surroundings. These children appear to be more dependent, conforming, and obedient by placing the family’s welfare before their own desires. Asians may be confused with the apparent teacher/student informality of the American classroom, and function better with structure and organization. (Baruth & Manning, 1992). Asian cultures also value the idea of humility and/or self-effacement. Children may not volunteer to participate in the classroom until specifically asked by the teacher. Drawing attention to oneself by virtue of misbehaving might cause great distress and result in â€Å"losing face† because children are taught to value silence, listen more than speak, speak softly, and be modest in dress and behavior. The following suggestions are offered by Feng (1994) as a formula for teachers to address issues concerning the diversity of Asian American cultures. It should be noted, however, that these suggestions could be implemented for any ethnic group. Get to know the customs, values, and traditions of various cultures, and learn the conditions under which students came to the United States. Try to visit the students’ homes and get to know the families. Learn a few words of the students’ native language to set the tone for communication. Encourage native language use at home. Use English-proficient interpreters with parents. Try to learn the children’s names and pronounce them correctly. Be careful not to encourage discord between home values and school expectations. For example, if the home expectation is conformity, don’t encourage the child to challenge the teacher. Academic expectation should be based on ability rather than stereotypical beliefs. Peer tutoring can be used for children who are not yet proficient in English. Know who make decisions for the child and utilize the natural support system. Develop strong home-school links for communication. Avoid assumptions about children’s prior knowledge and experience (e.g., not every child has experienced a birthday party). Discover what you can about Asian parent networks. The best way to remove a cultural barrier is to appear sincere. Common Characteristics of Many Asian Cultures (Culture grams) Greetings: Bow or nod Individuals do not touch each other Little or no public display of affection Stand far apart (even farther than Americans do) Gestures: Smiling and laughing often indicate embarrassment Little or no affection is shown in public It is impolite to speak loudly Hand and arm gestures are not often used in conversation People’s sneezes are not usually acknowledged. People are beckoned by waving all the fingers with the palm of the hand facing down. Pointing is done with the entire hand. Japanese say no by shaking the hand from side to side with the palm forward, and point to themselves with their pointer finger facing their nose. People must sit erect with both feet on the floor; it is impolite to put an ankle on the knee. Yawning is impolite. Vietnamese men do not offer to shake hands with women. General attitudes: Society is group oriented. Loyalty is to the group, the family, and to one’s superiors as opposed to personal feelings. Humility and self-effacing comments are normal. It is essential to act similar to or in harmony with the crowd. People strive to conform in appearance (even when wearing the latest Western styles, people must try to look like everyone else). Reserve and modesty must be observed at all times. It is important to save face at all times, for self and others. People will often allow others to escape potential embarrassment with dignity. Goals and decisions are made with the good of the group in mind, not for the personal benefit of any individual. Time: Being late is impolite. People are prompt or a little bit early (for social as well as business affairs). Family: The family is extremely important. The family has a strong tradition of respect and loyalty. There is a strong sense of family reputation and family obligation. Elders  are highly respected. Many members of the extended family (particularly in- laws) live together. Cultural Backgrounds Teaching and learning styles reflect cultural backgrounds. Students who have teachers from their same culture have little problem understanding the cues provided by the teacher. Students will already be familiar with the appropriate interactional behaviors expected in the classroom. Some students are from cultures with values that promote field dependence (a more community oriented style), while other cultures are inclined to be field independent, which encourages independence and competition. With proper instruction, field-dependent and field- independent students can learn to be bicognitive; that is, their learning styles can be expanded to function appropriately in any given situation. Teachers need to provide activities that incorporate all types of learning styles. If they are aware of their own cultural learning styles and preferences, teachers will be better prepared to recognize the learning styles of their students. Stereotyping Stereotyping can happen when false and exaggerated characteristics of a group are attributed to the individual, but socio typing involves an accurate generalization about cultural groups as a whole. If teachers misinterpret the learning style data and make decisions based on incorrect assumptions, students can be hurt or limited in their school experience. Mainstream teachers are often at odds with their diverse students because they are unaware of the differing cultural values they bring to the classroom. To promote effective teaching, teachers need to plan curriculum and instruction to incorporate the learning styles of their students. If students are uncomfortable in class, they may become bored, unresponsive, or test poorly. Classroom Interaction Based on cultural norms, participation structures describe the interactions of students in the classroom, when and how to speak, and what to speak about. Teachers may misinterpret inappropriate or awkward classroom interaction, as every culture has individual norms that dictate proper classroom behavior and student-teacher interaction. Directness in speech is valued in the American cultures. â€Å"Don’t beat around the bush,† â€Å"Get to the  point,† and â€Å"The bottom line is†¦,† are indicators of the values placed on direct speech. â€Å"Indirect speech† is an objective of cultural patterns held by Asians, Native Americans, and many Latin American cultural groups. It is important to â€Å"save face† by not embarrassing others or shaming another person. High-context cultures (such as Japanese) do not have to talk much because the members of the society communicate with intrinsic knowledge of how others think, feel, and what they ex pect. Low-context cultures (such as American, Swiss and German) must be very specific and explain everything- what is expected, what the rules are, and how things should be done. These cultural expectations are mirrored by how people think and act. Body Language Miscommunication occurs during verbal interaction as well as through body language. Kinesics (the study of body language) includes facial expressions, posture, gestures, body movements, eye contact, or any ritual, that conveys messages or meaning for a culture. The Japanese bow is an example of kinesics. From the American standpoint, a bow is just a hello or good-bye gesture. However, to the Japanese (and some other Asian cultures), a bow can be quite complex because a deeper meaning can be conveyed by the bow. The lower-status individual must begin the bow, and must bow lower than the higher-status person. When the individuals bowing are equals in society, the bow is simultaneous and of the same depth. It can be erroneous to attempt to read someone’s behavior based on our own frames of reference. Nonlinguistic Communication Every culture has its own way of depicting the following domains of nonlinguistic communication: Paralinguistic: Sounds that accompany language and vocalizations that replace speech. Kinesics: The study of body motion, gestures, unconscious body movement. Oculesics: Eye contact and motion to indicate meaning. Individuals from some cultures show respect and interest by making eye contact (e.g. Americans) while other cultures show respect by not making eye contact (i.e., Haiti, and Puerto Rico). Haptics: Location, frequency, and contexts in which people touch. Proxemics: The unconscious use and organization of personal space. Chronemics: Perception and use of time. Monochronic time: Doing one thing at a time, in a linear fashion (e.g., American). Polychronic time: Doing many things at a time (e.g., Hispanic). All cultures operate on their own systems of communication, and these beliefs will be manifested within the everyday context of the classroom. Knowledge of nonverbal communication specific to other cultures will help teachers to understand the students they teach, and well as students’ parents. Educators must be careful not to make the mistake of judging people’s emotions by using their own cultural indicators. Not everyone shows grief, anger, happiness, and embarrassment, or other emotions in the same manner. Students with teachers from their same culture have little problem understanding the cues provided by the teacher and the appropriate interactional behaviors expected in the classroom. Those children and teachers from differing cultures do not know the rules of each other’s cultural rules and have difficulty inte rpreting correct teacher-student interactions. Although not the panacea to end all classroom problems, effective teaching is more apt to take place if both the teacher and student are aware of the benefits of integrating appropriate instructional materials that correspond with culturally congruent teaching and learning styles. Knowing that cultural patterns drive behavior, teachers who are aware that their students have differing cognitive styles are able to adapt their classrooms to include activities that incorporate all types of learning in their teaching. The teacher will begin to understand why some students experience problems when their natural learning styles are incompatible with the teaching style of the teacher. Various researchers have pointed out that Asian students tend to be highly visual learners. Hispanics are generally auditory learners, and non-Westerners are more inclined to learn through tactile and kinesthetic modes. The following information is given as a general guide for teachers to better understand the needs and styles of individual students. Individual personalities will always preside over the overarching cultural characteristics, yet teaching will be more effective and teachers can make modifications and adaptations to their curriculum and if they are aware of cultural differences. Hispanics Carrasquillo (1991) notes that Hispanic students are diverse due to different backgrounds, but they may share general experiences through family  structure, religious beliefs, and general customs. Spanish-speaking cultures include people from many countries (including the United States) with unique characteristics. The common thread is the fact that they all speak Spanish, albeit with varying degrees of fluency, accents, intonation, verb structures (i.e. tu, usted, and vos) and certainly different connotations for similar words. These societal variations can be likened to the differences among the United States, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, and South Africa. Culture grams (produced by Brigham Young University) offer cultural information as an â€Å"aid to the understanding of, feeling for, and communication with other people.†

The Ride-Sharing

The way people move from one location to another can be hard to satisfy their schedules, either because of congestion or the delay of the taxi that maybe far away. The ride-sharing is the current solution to overcome the problems caused by traditional transportation with the prime goal of splitting and reducing costs. The ride-sharing is concept where driver and passenger share the same destination. This project proposes (On my way) an android application to help improve one's mobility through sharing economy concept. This alternative will be a good way to save money, protect environment and quickly reach your destination. We will use ride-sharing Smartphone application, GPS and database system.IntroductionDespite the big revolution on car sharing services offering to people transportation from one place to another in their daily routine, reducing costs and traveling time. But, many areas doesn't have enough transportation networks, meaning that either they have a very low supply, having no public transportation at all in a certain time window, or the available options are too expensive. Certainly traditional ride-sourcing app like uber , careem are offering to people transportation from one place to another in their daily routine. At these traditional businesses, passenger have to go to the same destination every day, that mean that passenger have to meet up every day different driver going to the same location, wasting fuel, time, money and increase traffic congestion. Consequently, people (student, employee, etc.) does not know when which colleague is working at the same place, which impedes carpooling. In that subject, our idea came with a sharing economy concept to save us all from the horrors of pricey cab rides.ObjectivesThe objective of the project is to present a mobile application which provides a communication system between car owners and passengers. Objectives will be as: Design and develop an application server and a mobile application for users to access the ride-sharing service through their smartphones Design and implement a database that will communicate with our mobile applications to a ensure all features Provide some features like geo-localization, trip sharing requests, etc. The project will be treated by Waterfall Model. Waterfall Model is Cascade pattern which can be listed below consecutively. clarified requirements, systems and software design, implementation and unit tests, Integration and test of the system, Documentation and maintenance.Expected BenefitsReduce the ride costs both for driver and passengers.Passengers will be able to find for a ride, suitable to their situation.When reducing the number of cars on the road, our system will decrease pollution and the need for parking space and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions (CO2).Avoiding lonely trips will make the ride more conform and less driving stressAs the mobility sector continuously supports the authorities in the organization of public transport and mobility in urban and rural areas, it is familiar with topics such as congestion reduction and carbon footprint. From this perspective, sharing economy concept will be the solution to reduce the number of single-person trips by car. In that f ield, a shared ride can simply be used to integrate with colleagues and discuss social subjectsRelated WorkFlinc app :Flinc is the free ridesharing app for daily use. You can find drivers and passengers on your way to work, to university and just for fun. If you travel together, you can meet nice people, save money and quickly reach your destination. Register now for free and organize your ridesharing for short distances.LyftThe Lyft app is cheaper than a taxi, faster than the bus, and easy to use. Travel anywhere you want to go without needing rental car services or figuring out bus routes – we'll give you a ride right to your destination.