Scenario planning for the future of Energy Essay

Scenario planning for the future of Energy - Essay Example After decades of thought and consideration, countries have mutually consented to get rid of cars altogether. Now, in 2030, roads are crowded with bicycles. People are generally happy to use bicycles because they have not only obviated the need to use oil, but has also rapidly decreased the number of road accidents. The bicycle-bicycle collision is far less as deadly and dangerous as a car-car collision used to be few years ago. Besides, regular peddling has been a good source of exercise and has helped people burn their calories. In the midst of Shanghai lives Chen with his family in a condominium. Today is Chen’s final exam, and he needs to get into the school within fifteen minutes. He lives one and a half miles away from the school. He catches his bicycle, but the tire is punctured. He can not wave to a taxi because there are no taxies, no bus, no car whatsoever! Mum and dad have gone to work over their respective bicycles. Chen has only two options to reach the school, eit her walk his way up to the school, or else, seek lift from somebody else. But most bicycles are overloaded because that is the only thing people have as a means of travel. Normally, if a person does not have a bicycle of his own, he/she has to suffer, though Chen is lucky enough to find a cyclist, Koto, with no one sitting on the back seat. Chen asks Koto the favor to drop him to school. Koto agrees to do the job provided that Chen purchases him a tin of cooking oil since he comes from a very poor family and can not afford to buy the cooking oil. Chen agrees and the two set off. Second Story: Saudi Arabia is suffering from a financial crisis as a result of her inability to meet the global demands of oil. Saudi Arabia’s predictions of her oil reserves have turned out to be overstatements which had no concern with reality. In reality, Saudi oil reserves had been depleting at a dangerous rate and much of the oil has been drawn out of the known reserves till 2025. For the last fi ve years, Saudi Arabia has reduced the supply of oil and is now suffering from a financial crisis. Ted, a teenager, turns the TV on to hear the news. Newscaster: Saudi Arabia’s attitude is being criticized for the turmoil in oil supply. For the past twenty years, Saudi Ministers have been making unnecessarily optimistic statements about their ability to make uninterrupted and sustained supply of oil to the world for a long period of time. Saudi Ministers have always been reluctant to get their oil reserves audited nor have they ever revealed accurate information about the volume of oil reserves. Much of the disparity in the demand and supply of oil in the contemporary age is attributed to the non-serious and inconsiderate attitude and short-term vision of the oil producing companies in Saudi Arabia. Experts are of the view that had Saudi Arabia allowed the auditing of her oil reserves and generate correct information about the oil reserves, it would have been possible for the world to take precautionary measures in time. The economy of Saudi Arabia has declined as a result of the reduced oil supply. Third Story: The New York City in 2030 looks totally different from the way it looked in 2010. On the roof of every house, there is a solar panel that faces the sun and revolves according to it in order to keep its surface exposed to the sunlight throughout the day. On every garage, there is a car that is driven by biofuel or electricity. Every individual

Letter to the editor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Letter to the editor - Essay Example Does dieting cause weight loss?No, dieting does not cause weight loss, on the contrary it is the main contributor of obesity among many people. The reason as to why dieting results to weight gain instead of weight loss is that by not eating, one is bound to get hungry. Whereas people that are not dieting eat only once, this is not the case for persons on diet. This is because unlike their counterparts not on diet, these people consume little food but on several occasions (Brune). Hence, at the end of the day such people end up consuming more than those who are not on diet. People on diet have the belief that fats cause obesity; hence, they avoid food enriched with fats and opt for carbohydrates. According to Brune, this ends up doing more harm than good to those on diet. Studies show that too much consumption of carbohydrates promotes the increase in blood sugar levels causing high insulin levels. Insulin is directly responsible for increase of fat storage in the body. It is therefore evident that instead of weight loss, dieting plays a major role in weight gain. Although many researchers claim dieting does more harm than good to one’s body, not everyone is in agreement with this claim. This is because some researchers claim that dieting indeed causes weight loss. For instance, according to Yuhnke (2), there are certain types of food that if consumed could result to cutting of calories. According to Yuhnke, some of the foods that one ought to consume while on diet include Egg-Tofu, Sandwich pepper and Sardines pepper. Dieting is the process where one restrains from the normal consumption of food in a move to reduce his or her weight. Although many people have the perception that dieting results to weight loss, it is not the case. This is because studies show that dieting makes one fat instead of slim. The reason why dieting promotes weight gain is because it triggers body hormones hence making them behave as if they are starving and are

MARKETING RESEARCH FOR A NEW MATERNITY CARE PRODUCT LINE NORTON Essay

MARKETING RESEARCH FOR A NEW MATERNITY CARE PRODUCT LINE NORTON CHILDRENS HOSPITAL - Essay Example Along this line, a marketing research is required to produce the needed information. (Please see Appendix B.) As far as identifying the problem, there is actually none. This is being stated because the hospital has the capabilities to introduce and establish the proposed maternity care unit. It is only as to how extensive the new product line should be to capitalize on the local market, which indeed appears to be a captured market, and to therefore maximize the earnings of the hospital. The concern of the top hospital men is therefore more on the leverage of answers rather than of a problem. There are no problems. Instead, there are answers that must be sought in making the final decision on whether or not to push the project. The aims of the research is (1) to obtain as much information on the reaction of the local market to the idea of establishing a full-service maternity care department or division in the children's hospital, and (2) to document all these information and data to become the basis of management on whether or not to so push through with the introduction and establishment of the new product line. The research design uses statistical data gathering with 270 responde... Aims of the Research The aims of the research is (1) to obtain as much information on the reaction of the local market to the idea of establishing a full-service maternity care department or division in the children's hospital, and (2) to document all these information and data to become the basis of management on whether or not to so push through with the introduction and establishment of the new product line. Research Design and Procedures The research design uses statistical data gathering with 270 respondents in the local community. The demographical spreads are divided into age, gender, marital status, education and income. Upon the other hand, the questions regarding preference have been anchored on the reputation of the hospital, quality of care, distance from home, advice from doctor, advice from friends, advertisements, friendliness of the staff, maternity facilities, nursery facilities and maternity insurance. In the end, the results will be quantified as to maximum, minimum, median and mean. The survey taking is to be done directly on a person-to-person basis for each respondent as this is the most effective approach. In sum, statistics will be the prime source of information and data that will serve as the main tool in the decision making process as envisioned by the management of the hospital.2 Results of the Samples 1. Overall demographics Among the respondents, the most come from females, married, aged 26 to 40, have obtained some college education, and with income range from 70,000 to 99,000, while the least come from males, never married, aged 41 to 55, high school graduates, and those with income less than 20,000. (Please refer to Appendix E.) 2. Interest in the Idea of a Children's Hospital For those

What event of the 20th century has had the greatest impact on the Essay

What event of the 20th century has had the greatest impact on the world in which we live today Justify your answer and describe the relationship between the ev - Essay Example The Second World War, which raged between1939-1945, although primarily a war between European nations had a ripple effect, and soon countries as far flung as America, Japan, China were actively involved in the war. This war strengthened the notion that wars are conflicts fought between societies, populations and ideologies and not just battles for annexation. This war also had far-reaching impact on the economies of the world and led to the creation of new economic policies which brought about greater affluence as well as advances in science and technology. The world, after 1945, or rather, after the end of the Second World War, had a distinctly different look. Apart from the damage to humans, their habitats and industry, the war led to a re-alignment in the political and social sphere. The division of the world into pro-U.S. and pro-Russia camps emerged and capitalism and socialism began to define economic systems. Up until the Second World War, Germany had dominated Europe and Europe the world, but now the era of European supremacy was over. The age of global supremacy had begun. Europe, which was economically, politically and socially shattered by the war, lay in debris, but from this debris sprung new nations, because the bankrupt European nations could not control their colonies, spread all over the globe. The process of decolonization had begun, and the end of the war saw numerous new nations being added to the world map. One of the most important of these, in terms of impact, was the nation of Israel. It was born out of the idea that Jews needed a place which they could call their own, and since Judaism as a religion, had roots in Palestine, a portion of this Arab populated and Arab speaking land was handed over to the Jews. A resolution passed by the newly formed United Nations Organization partitioned Palestine into separate Jew and Arab states. While the Jews were overjoyed, the Arabs resented this snatching away of their

Top Two Issues Facing Community College Essay Example for Free

Top Two Issues Facing Community College Essay This topic came up repeatedly as I was researching critical issues for higher education in the community college environment, the vo-tech training schools, and the four-year postsecondary schools. Grace Chen (2011) writes â€Å"Community college leaders have not yet formed a consensus on what it means for students to be college ready, which could impact the quality of the education received†. This is a problem is because the receiving institutions make the entrance requirement and the core subjects (math, English, reading) in these various schools use various tests/standards for placement of students. Also, for the community college, there is no guarantee that adult students will attend in cumulative semesters so there is much more re-teaching required. Community college students can be as young as 16 and still in high school very driven to attend a post-secondary environment, or they can be a middle-aged person who is divorced, a single parent, just laid-off trying to gain some skills to re-enter the workforce. This â€Å"major issue facing community colleges, according to this study, is finding the right incentives and support to keep students in school† (Chen, 2011, Keeping Students in School, para.1). Arizona participated in a multi-state study that specifically looks at community colleges as the â€Å"Road to Nowhere.† Complete College America (2012) has a four step solution to â€Å"close remediation exit ramps†. These steps are: strengthen high school preparation, start students in college-level courses with built-in, co-requisite support, embed needed academic help in multiple gateway courses, and encourage students to enter programs of study when they first enroll. Transferability While I knew in my experience as a K-12 educator that this is a concern I had no idea that it was considered a â€Å"critical issue† to the point of earning my honor of spot number two! Working with credit transfer agreements (Dual Enrollment, Articulation, Concurrent Enrollment) I am aware of the difficulty that community colleges have in tracking data for students. As part of a federal/state R-POS (rigorous program of study) team I’m also acutely aware of how difficult it is to get data from a community college. In addition to the above-mentioned reasons, there is a consensus that transferability is a very difficult problem in the community college environment. According to the College Board (2011), â€Å"four-year institution leaders have been warned before about the need to enroll more transfers†. One reason is because during recessions and economic declines high school graduation rates tend to decline. This is a typical time for a community college to increase enrollment. â€Å"Despite considerable effort already generated†¦levels of transfer from community colleges to four-year institutions can be improved† (Pusser Levin, 2009, Executive Summary, para. 9) References Chen, Grace. June 2, 2011. What are the Biggest Issues Facing Community Colleges Today? New Study has Answers. http://www.communitycollegereview.com/articles/354 College Board. 2011. Improving Student Transfer from Community Colleges to Four-Year Institutions —The Perspective of Leaders from Baccalaureate-Granting Institution. http://advocacy.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/11b3193transpartweb110712.pdf Complete College America. April 2012. Remediation-Higher Education’s Bridge to Nowhere. http://www.insidehighered.com/sites/default/server_files/files/CCA%20Remediation%20ES%20FINAL.pdf Pusser, Brian and Levin, John. December 2009. Re-imagining Community Colleges in the 21st CenturyA Student-Centered Approach to Higher Education. http://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2009/12/pdf/community_colleges_reimagined.pdf

Benefits and Issues in using Learning Logs

Benefits and Issues in using Learning Logs A learning log is an learning tool which is designed to improve the learning experience, while facilitating exchanges between students and teachers. Learning logs are used in schools all over the world, and there are a number of different approaches to them. In addition to being used in predictable school environments, learning logs can also be very beneficial to homeschoolers and other students pursuing non-tradition education. A learning assessment refers to the measurement of a students capabilities, progress and academic outcome. Learning assessments are important because both students and teachers can get a clear picture of what a student can do academically rather than what he or she cant do. When conducting a learning assessment, instructors consider past and present academic performances as well as the students values, behaviors and attitudes toward learning TASK ONE LEARNING LOGBOOK INTRODUCTION A Learning Logbook is basically a log or record or journal of your own learning. It is not necessarily a formal academic piece of work. It is a personal record of your own learning. As such it is a document which is unique to you and cannot be right or wrong. A Learning Log helps you to record, structure, thinks about and reflects upon, plan, develop and evidence your own learning I prompted to use my Learning Logbook from time to time in my Study Guide, but I didnt limit my entries to just these occasions. It could also be useful to explore ideas in a Discussion Forum. If I could keep my log electronically, I might even copy sections from my log for insertion into the discussion forum or vice versa. Using the logbook in this way helped me to reflect on all of the information presented in the Class and to come to my own understanding of it. Managing Study Time There are only so many hours in a day, a week, and a term. I cannot change the number of hours, but I can decide how to best use them. To be successful in Class, I must be carefully managing my study time. Here is a strategy for doing this. Term Calendar At the beginning of a module, I prepared a Term Calendar. Update it as the term goes on. Here is what I did to prepare a Term Calendar. Record my class assignments with their due dates and my scheduled tests. Record My planned Class activities. Record my planned module activities. Record my known out-of-Class activities. Weekly Schedule Each Sunday before a Class week, I prepared a Weekly Schedule. Update it as the week goes on. Here is what I did to prepare a Weekly Schedule. Record my daily classes. Entered things to be done for the coming week from my Term Calendar. Review my class notes from the previous week to see if I need to add any Class activities. Add any out-of-school activities in which I would be involved during the week. Be sure to include times for completing assignments, working on projects, and studying for tests. These times may be during the Class day, right after Class, evenings, and weekends. Daily Time Table Each evening before a Class day, I prepared a Daily time table for the next day. Place a next to each thing to do as my accomplish it. Here is what to did to prepare a Daily time table. Entered the things to do for the coming day from my Weekly Schedule. Entered the things that still needed to be accomplished from my Daily time table from the previous day. Review my class notes for the day just completed to see if I need to add any school activities. Add any out-of-school activities in which I will be involved the next day. My Weekly Schedule had more detail than my Term Calendar. My Daily time table had more detail than my Weekly Schedule. Using a Term Calendar, a Weekly Schedule, and a Daily time table helped to make the best use of my time. I developed my own ideas on using the log but the following points helped me initially: Date each entry Clearly distinguish entries about myself and my life from information about my study. Separate my summaries and notes of readings and lectures from my opinions, comments and reflections on these, working on a computer, use a different font or format to distinguish each. My Learning Log I used is: plan my study and make revisions as needed; write down questions for my tutor as they arise; make notes that help me to carry out my study, e.g. on essay writing, preparing for examinations, previewing and reading texts in depth; document my reading and viewing so that notes can be readily accessed for assignments and examinations; Document my reflections on my progress, problems encountered and ways that I might resolve them. TAKING NOTES Attended regularly the lectures and try to make detailed notices, but if some reasons I could not attend a lecture, I tried to get notes from a friends ( class mate) and if I could not understand some parts of lecture, I contacted the lecture during the office hours for more clarification. The field notes were written by hand on lined paper. They consisted of jotted notes and mental triggers (personal notes that would remind me of specific things when it came to writing the notes up). I took some direct observational notes recording what I saw where this was relevant to the research questions and, as I was aiming to get a sense of the culture and working environment, I also made researcher inference notes I found the notes taking process itself helpful, as it ensured that I listened carefully and decoded information. Not all the information I recorded was relevant, but noting what I found informative contributed to my ability to form an overview on re-reading. However, the reliability of jotted notes alone can be questionable. For example, the notes were not a direct transcription of what the subjects said but consisted of pertinent or interesting information. Firstly, the most obvious thing that I discovered was the advantage of working as part of a group. I learned that good teamwork is the key to success in class activities when time and resources are limited. As everyone had their own point of view, many different ideas could be produced and I found the energy of group participation made me feel more energetic about contributing something Secondly I discovered that even the simplest things on earth could be turned into something amazing if we put enough creativity and effort into working on them. Learning Journal Last weeks lecture presented the idea that RIT is the most useful module as a student studying Research in Information Technology module makes this an important issue for me and one I was thinking about while reading journal, texts, and other material is to gain more confidence while I was doing my assignment The first thing I tried in order to read and summarized a journal article is to understand the author and kept in mind e.g. Author of journal always have an argument they are trying to convince something but Also can be good or bad, but I didnt take what author said on blind faith, I questioned them When I read journal articles always remember that I did to write a paper based on what I read e.g. focus on the information in the article that is relevant to my research, think critically about what I read and tried to build my own argument based on it. Basically I look the structure of the article; most research articles follow the same specific format. First I red abstract and conclusion because this have got the main point and if I find anything in the abstract or conclusion that is important for my paper then I search for the information but if I need more information then I read the whole sections. Take notes on the Article Journal There are a few major ways to take notes, but this is a personal style choice I have taken. Pay attention to what each section is about; usually have the most important information. Take notes while I am reading (that way I dont have to go back and re-read it when am doing my assignment) Write summarizing notes for main points ( in the margin, or on a separate pieces of paper ) Highlight only very important quotes or terms. Reference I sometimes read journal articles which seem to need references to assert this module. Nevertheless, I do expect to see adequate reference for assertions. It may take the form of reference to previous writers, or it may be the reference of my own experience or my own arguments, but if it is needed, it will be cited in such a way as to enable me to find it if I wish. More to the point, I expected theory to be used to answer some questions and to pose others, rather than simply regurgitated for its own sake. Im really going to stick my neck out now for what it is worth, I expect a dozen or more references for a module assignment. But I do not expect such reference to be cited uncritically, on the basis that, if someone else has already said it and manage to get it published, it must be true Literate I know this is unfashionable and probably politically incorrect, but in practice I find it difficult to get past it. Literacy is not a sufficient condition to meet PGD level requirements, but in my book it is a necessary one. By literacy I mean: No spelling mistakes No (or very few) grammatical solecisms. No sentences without verbs like this one Punctuation which helps me to make sense of the text. No misused words or malapropisms. . TASK TWO 2.0 CRITICALLY REFLECTIVE REPORT 2.1 INTRODUCTION Critical Reflection in my context is a process of considering what I have learned, how useful it is, and how it may affect my future personal and career development. Critical reflection helps me to give some coherence to my learning by relating it to what I have already known, and to my plans for the future. The nature of reflection is very varied. Reflection may encompass The module is extremely well organized, when I first came into this Module, I really didnt know what to expect. I thought it would be just the same as other module. I was wrong. What we learned on this module is more detailed, I feel like I have become better in researching and presentation. I know this will help me in future. This module did meet my expectations. So many students told me it wasnt an easy module and that it was demanding compared to other module. I am not very satisfied at my progress but I think it wasnt bad at all I gave the module almost all the attention it required. Learned so many new things and Im glad that I did. Things were explained over and over again in this module until I really felt I fully understood. Overall, this course was good. 2.2 MAIN REPORT Method During my studies in Post Graduate Diploma in Strategic Business IT Research in Information Technology Ive had to use a multi case study system especially for the research and know how, Due to my quest for information by this system, Ive come about the following draw backs: Lack of appropriate material, appropriate text books for additional research at the learning centre has proved to be a major drawback. However Ive been able to resort of other ways for gaining excess to the appropriate material. Purchasing the books, however being in a 3rd world country, such text books and write ups arent always freely available, which would cause me to have to order these from abroad but given the short time this isnt the best way not to mention the shipping cost. The Internet has been a great resource, however again, some of the best information has to be paid for or ordered using a credit card, something again which isnt freely available to all in a 3rd world country. However, Ive been able to work my way around this obstacle by trying to dig persistently and deeper in to the internet to seek out the appropriate material. Another cause of concern was that during the Tutorials, not all were effectively reviewed and detailed constructive criticism wasnt freely given so as to en-better the students work. This left the student(s) to reflect on ones work and at times get their fellow students to review the work and comment. Learning Outcome Topic Managing Time In this topic I learn how to manage my time during my studies, deciding what am suppose to do, analysing what am doing and categorized my goals e.g.:- Work goals, family goals, community goals and self goals. Planning my activities performed during the day, how long is spent on each activities, listing all the things I must do including schedule activities. To identify what am currently doing and determine whether am spending my time efficiently, categorized the time identified according to time table, activities performed during the day. Assessment Its an academic essay demonstrates both knowledge of topic related to academic writing. A report is a structured document written for a particular purpose and aimed at a specific audience. It should provide clear and concise information written in a formal, academic style. Written Coursework Basically in his topic I have learned how to write a coursework by following three stages. i. Essay Structure ii. Essay type iii. Report structure Before that read the assignment carefully and start working on it reasonably and asked the lecture questions if not clear about anything relating to the assignment. Planning Do understand how to plan Assignment analyzing question asked, reflection on the issue raised and gathering raw material. Draw up a plan of the assignment. Writing Up Understand how to write assignment Sustained Review Do revision of what I have done in the class text book and during my revision I make notice, summarized my notice divide material into topic. Presentation Clarity of oral communication and well developed inter personal skills when interacting in a group or one to one are attributes that makes more successful student, professionals and all round communicator. Listening skills Really key in to what the person is saying and not saying, to look for the meaning and the feelings behind what is being said, to think about and mentally process what I hear eg. Pay attention, show that am listening. Taking notes Basically in this topic I learned how to take notes e.g.: listen and note key points and supporting details. But in this topic we didnt learned how to record lectures, may be because of its involve more time and resources. Working in team Firstly, the most obvious thing that I discovered was the advantage of working as part of a group. I learned that good teamwork is the key to success in class activities when time and resources are limited. As everyone had their own point of view, many different ideas could be produced and I found the energy of group participation made me feel more energetic about contributing something. Background of Critical Reflection By June 2010 it was the end of the Module RIT, I began to realize how demanding this module is, but fortunately, I also realized that I learnt a lot from it. I think my choice to take this course was a good idea. I enjoyed it although it was difficult, this course was the most challenging course, I took this module RIT and I have struggled with it up till the final. As a whole it was a good learning experience, but not an easy one. This is a free elective for me and my performance hasnt been even close to that of other major module. The grade that I get in this module is the lowest compared to other module this semester that is why I re- sit for the second time On successful completion of this module I will be able to identify the broad context of ICT problems, including the problems condition, identifying possible contributing factors, and generating alternative solution strategies. Exhibit good teamwork skills and serve as effective members of multidisciplinary project teams. To critically valuate alternate assumptions, approaches, procedures and result related to IT problems. To create something to integrate ideas into solution, to propose an action plan, to formulate a new classification scheme. To apply knowledge to new situations to solve problems using required knowledge or skills I believe I have benefited a lot from this module. Completion of this module is considered by me to be one of the greatest and proudest accomplishments and for me the next logical step is to take Master of Science in Strategy Business Information Technology Many students become frustrated and find this module difficult because they do not have the cognitive skills required to process information properly, this include ability to analyze, evaluate, retain information, recall experiences, make comparisons and determine action I feel this module has helped me in many ways.   The exercises and moments of frustration in class when I did not understand something or could not get something to work, suddenly became clearer as I tried to apply some of my knowledge to the actual situation.   I was amazed at how  much information I had picked up in class and how quickly the lingo became familiar to me.   Without the instructional  techniques used in this module, the course portion would not be very beneficial.   Sure, anyone can learn procedures and how to make a research, but the understanding of how, what, when, where and why are never very clear.   This is appreciated more than you will ever know. I do not feel there are any significant areas in which the program should be altered.   Everyone has their own weak area and mine is probably in the math portion of the program.   Concepts relating to module are sometimes hard for me to grasp, but I eventually get a handle on them and comprehend their meaning.   Many of the students relate that they have a hard time following the instructional methods in some of the classes, but in my opinion, this is simply a lack of attention, desire, and dedication.   You cannot learn if you do not come to class.   I am amazed at the low attendance in some of the classes.   I really appreciate the support and guidance I got from IMIT especially our lecture Mr. Japhet and Ms. Priti Punatar not only to me but all PGD students. They wanted us to pass with flying colors. They had time for us whether during or outside the lectures, they wanted us to be the best and made every effort to ensure that we achieved that. They went out of our way to help us and hopefully, our results will show that their efforts were not wasted! I believe that the skills that they taught us in this module will be really helpful in the future, Also, I learned a lot about the right way of making presentations and project The Analysis The forming during the early stages of the course. This occurred during Lectures 1 and 2 ( managing time to Peer assessment) whereby a few topics were discussed, such as how to handle a full days work with the extra studying wed now had and trying to understand the syllabus As a result the students were able to participate more fully knowing we had to give our best as the group depended on each one. The forming was highly successful and showed the students had learnt to depend not only on the Lecturer but also on each other. The storming Stage The storming stage was made up of various factors which would include interpersonal issues and reactions due to the answers or responses that we as students received from the lectures. Another case was the delay in starting classes as at times the lecture would wait for all students to arrive, or him-self was late. The students were able to address this in a prompt and professional way by having a group meeting with the Lecturer and address the matter. One thing which was a drawback was the short of one of the students who postpone the course, which in effect broke up one group (which had two students) and cause the remaining student to join the remaining group (of two students), hence the result was that the entire study sessions were now made up of one group having 3 students. 2.3 CONCLUSIONS In conclusion I think this module and specially the module were very beneficial. Module (RIT) skills are invaluable in many different situations. There are some thing that I have done within a group that fits in with the RIT as discussed in the Peppard Book, whether I realized it or not, many of specific reports ,however, I think are often for granted. They are beneficial to realizing the scope and keeping it in focus. In conclusion, I have come to learn that what did I read for this module apart from notes, and what grabbed my attention†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Reflective thinking demands that I have recognized that I bring the valuable knowledge to very experience. It helps; therefore to recognize and clarify the important connections between what I have already known and what I have leant. It is a way of helping to become active, aware and critical. Recommendations Accredited Partner (IMIT) and NCC should commit to the intentional review and strengthening of every Accredited Partner structure and resource that can support transformative learning. NCC should establish routine ways to hear students voices, consult with them, explore their opinions, and document the nature and quality of their experience as a student TASK THREE (Please refer to Power point slide)

The Democracy And Non Democracy Politics Essay

The Democracy And Non Democracy Politics Essay This paper gives brief ideas about democratic and non-democratic systems in modern world. The definitions of democracies and non-democracies vary from person to person. Furthermore, there are variety of explanations and democratic models, such as direct democracy and representative democracy (Heywood, 2007). Just the term of democracy can change into diverse ideas. For the term of non-democracy, it may be easier for people to understand, but in fact it has indistinct divisions between some non-democratic regimes. Besides the definitions of these two terms, this paper will explores the dissimilitude between democracies and non-democracies. And it includes necessary examples for the comparison. Introduction Nowadays, democratic system is popular around the world. No matter Western or Asian countries, people praise democratic systems highly and believe this is nearly the perfect political system in the world. But there still have non-democratic systems in the world. What is non-democracy? And what are differences between democracies and non-democracies? Different political scientists have different explanations for the meanings of democracies and non-democracies. Moreover, non-democracies are different from democracies in theories and practices. This paper aims at introducing the ideas about the definition of non-democratic systems and focuses on three dissimilarities between democracies and non-democracies. Definition of democracies and non-democracies Before comparing democratic and non-democratic systems, we first need to define the terms democracy and non-democracy. Democracy has a wide range of meanings and applications. Heywood (2007) defined democracy as rule by people; democracy implies both popular participation and government in the public interest, and can take a wide variety of forms (p.448). According to McLean and McMillan (2012), democracy as a descriptive term is synonymous with majority rule (democracy). In the democratic systems, election or voting is the way to apply the principle of majority. Simply speaking, democracy is a political system that enables ordinary citizens to participate and influence in the politics. In this paper, democracy is referred to the liberal democracy which is the broadest accepted form of democracy (Heywood, 2007). Liberal democracy is a form of indirect, representative democracy and is based on competitive election. It also divides the state and social community clearly (Heywood, 2007) . The term of non-democracy is rarely seen in political dictionaries, but it can be easily understood by just reversing its meaning with democracy. Non-democracy is a system of rule by individual or a small group of people, not all people. Contrary to democracy, people are ruled by minority in non-democracies. Totalitarianism, dictatorship, authoritarianism, Fascism and other political systems are all included in non-democratic systems. Modern people view non-democracies as autocracy, savageness and cruelty (Ezrow and Frantz, 2011). Some non-democratic countries, like Singapore and Malaysia, seem like democracy (Ezrow and Frantz, 2011). So, a well-defined definition is important. In this paper, non-democracy is defined as the system of rule by a person, a party or a small group of people which means non-democracies imply that little mass mobilization and limited pluralism (Ezrow and Frantz, 2011). And Sliwinski (2012a) suggested that there are three types of non-democratic regimes: dic tatorship, authoritarianism and totalitarianism. In order to simplify the situation, this paper mainly focuses on these three kinds of non-democratic systems. Robertson (2004) gave a clear definition to dictatorship is a form of government in which one person has sole and complete political power (p.145). McLean and McMillan pointed out totalitarianism (2012) regulates every aspect of state and private behavior (totalitarianism) and Robertson said that how to decide totalitarianism is the way to use the powers. Robertson shared the same idea with McLean and McMillan in the concept of authoritarianism, he pointed out that authoritarian ignores public opinion and uses forceful ways to rule over the country. McLean and McMillan even pointed out that the existence of dictators is one of the main elements for totalitarian regimes in the twentieth century (dictatorship), like Stalins Russia and Hitlers Germany. However, Robertsons view (2004) is differed from that of McLean and McMillan. He stated that dictatorship, authoritarianism and totalitarianism do not have required relationship, Authoritarianism needs not, strictly speaking, be a dictatorship and well not be totalitarian (p.33). Although Robertson disagreed with the idea that dictatorship, authoritarianism and totalitarianism have some kind of connections, we cannot deny that these three political systems are, in some extent, similar to each other. Authoritarianism and totalitarianism also limit peoples political rights, but the latter one even control the private lives of its people. Moreover, as these three kinds of political regimes restrict peoples political rights, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish them. But anyhow the comparison in this paper is: the comparison between liberal democracy and dictatorship, authoritarianism and totalitarianism. Comparison between democracies and non-democracies Separation of powers V.S. Domination of powers One of the main differences between democracy and non-democracy is the control of power. The democratic regimes separate the government powers; divide it into legislation, execution and adjudication. However, for the non-democratic regimes, the powers are only held by the ruler which means the ruler is the legislator, the executive and the judge of the state. The democratic system needs checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power, so it makes use of the separation of powers. The legislature controls the legislative power, the administrative holds the executive power and the judiciary controls the jurisdiction. These three powers are to make and change laws, to put laws into action and to make judgments on laws respectively (Sliwinski, 2012b, slide 22). These three political institutions can then mutually supervise and contain each other which can efficiently limit the power of the government. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, if one holds all the powers in his own hands, he will use the power to maximize his interests and ignore others interests and rights. The modern political thinkers John Locke and Montesquieu then believed that the power of the government should be restricted in order to avoid the appearance of tyranny and the corruption of powers. Locke suggested in order to protect peoples rights, there should be checks and balances. And Montesquieu was the first political thinker suggesting the idea of separation of powers. He believed that every government should divide its powers into three and this is largely influenced the American constitution and the Western political systems (Gingell, Little Winch, 2000). For the non-democratic regimes, they centralize the powers in their own hands. Non-democracies dominate the powers and through the monopolistic power, they fully exercise their authorities without limitations. Even though some of the regimes establish some resembling institutions to create an illusion of the separation of powers, the powers are actually combined in the regimes hands. The most efficient way to fulfill their aim -stabilizing the regimes status and power is to monopolize the powers. In The Prince, Machiavelli suggested the rulers should hold the absolute power with any way to preserve his power and regime (Gingell, Little Winch; Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2009). Thus, non-democracies can be seen as the embodiment of Machiavellis idea the use of absolute power. However, we should be aware that the maximization of powers is for the safe of the state, not for the ruler. And the non-democratic systems are contorting this point: they abuse the power just for the ir own interests, but not for their states and people. Here are some examples. The best model for the separation of powers in modern democracies is the system in United States. The separation of powers is clearly stated in the United States Constitution. The Congress only has the legislative power; the President of the United States holds the executive power and the Supreme Court enforces the judicial power. They are divisible and their powers do not overlap the power of one another. This practices the idea of mutual restraint on power. Therefore, the American political system embodies the idea of the checks and balances (Heywood, 2007). For the non-democracies, Soviet Union is a good instance. It was established in 1922 and ended in 1991. Soviet Union did not separate the powers, so that there were no limitations of powers for the party and the state. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union centralized three powers together and controlled the society and state tightly. Political equality V.S. Political inequality In the democratic countries, people have the chance to participate in the politics, this mainly presents by votes and elections. But for the non-democracies, they have lots of limitations in political participation which their people cannot actually involve in the political activities. The elections represent the political equality between people. From the view of liberal democracy, this means that the value of everyones vote is equal; no one will have a higher value of vote then the others (Heywood, 2007). Through the elections, it embodies the idea of political equality because the citizens do have the chance to express their views to the government by their own votes. It has no doubt that elections are important. According to Heywood, elections give the public the opportunity to affect the political process and decisions. In liberal democratic system, there is regular election within several years. People can take this chance to show their satisfaction towards the governments administration in past few years and also influence the political scene in the next several years. The most significant thing is that all the citizens do have the vote in their hands; no matter they are males or females, wealth or poverty or they are blacks or whites. From this perspective, people are equal politically and even socially (Heywood, 2007). Democratic countries, like the United States, the United Kingdom and France, have regular election system for their citizens to involve in politics and to express their political aspects. Therefore, the political equality also implies the widespread political participation. However, in the non-democratic regimes, it is usual to apply political inequalities. Not all the people in the regime can get the right to vote and only a small group of people control the political powers. This means some people are more influential in politics than the others. Even the non-democracies introduce elections to their citizens, the regimes secretly manipulate the elections in order to repress the opposition parties. For example, in Egypt, the economic elites are more political influential after 1984. Egypt is a single-party regime which is ruled under the National Democratic Party (NDP). In 1984, the businessmen supported the NDP and the ruler Mubarak; since then, they gain more political power by joining the party (King, 2009). The poverty, who is mainly the Egyptian workers and peasants, lost the opportunity to participate in the political activities (King, 2009). Even though Egypt has the electoral system, it still regards as non-democracy because the electoral syste m is dominated by the NDP (King, 2009; Ezrow Frantz, 2011). According to King, the NDP do not let the opposition parties to grow in strength and most important is that the party is able to allot the votes of labors and peasants. Not only in Egypt, other non-democracies, like China, Burma and Iran, do not have political equality and wide political participation. Freedom V.S. Constraint Another main difference between the democracies and non-democracies is the freedom of the citizens. In a democratic society, people enjoy the freedoms under the laws which mean their freedoms are protected by laws. Nevertheless, the non-democratic regimes usually restrict the freedoms of the people. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) regulates all people in the world have the rights to enjoy their freedoms. Freedom House, which is non-governmental organization, conducts researches on the countries degree of freedom and its annual report can be deemed as democratic report. Many political scientists use the report as the ratings of democracy. This implies that freedom is one of the fundamental elements in modern democracy. Most of the democratic countries have high rates of freedom, according to the Freedom in the World in 2012, like the countries in the Western Europe, which adopt the electoral democracies, all enjoy the rating of Free in the report. People in democratic countries enjoy their freedoms and rights because democracy is to protect all peoples interests both majority and minority. However, it is wrong to say that there is freedom, then there is democracy. Undoubtedly, it needs a certain degree of freedoms to form democracy. As the participation in polit ics do implies the freedoms of opinion and expression, speech and assembly, it is impossible for a democratic country works without the enjoyment of freedoms (Hovde, 1949). On the contrary, people under the non-democratic regimes normally do not enjoy most of the freedoms because the regimes disregard peoples rights and freedoms. Most of the regimes repress the freedom of speech, assembly and freedom of the press. Why do non-democracies constrain these freedoms? It is because they need to unite their peoples thought and ideology together with the regimes in order to prevent rebellion. North Korea, the totalitarian regime nowadays, is the best-suited example. The mass media in North Korea is fully controlled by the government and the media compliment blindly on the regime and the Kim family. The thought and daily lives of North Koreans are strictly controlled by the government. The North Koreans cannot leave the country; otherwise they will be regarded as traitors. Therefore, they do not enjoy any freedoms at all. Another Asian country Singapore also restrains citizens freedoms (Burton, 2010). The Singaporean government repressed the freedom of the pres s in the country by enforcing the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act (the Press Act) in 1974 (Rajah, 2012). And in the recent Press Freedom Index, Singapore was ranked a very low score 135 out of 179 countries. According to Rajah, the Singaporean government also carried out the Religious Harmony Act and the Public Order Act in order to restrict the freedom of religion and freedom of assembly of its citizens. Conclusion The definitions of democracies and non-democracies are wide and diversified, by narrowing their definitions, we can explore some main differences with them. There are three main differences between democratic and non-democratic regimes include: the control of power, the degree of participation in politics and the rate of freedom. The democracies separate its power into three (legislation, execution and adjudication), achieve political equality and carry out broad political participation, and let their citizens enjoy freedoms. On the contrary, the non-democracies monopolize the powers, limit the political participation within their supporters and imply political inequality, and repress the freedoms of their people. The studies about democratic and non-democratic regimes need to continue from time to time, in order to explore more possibility and rationality about them.