Unplug Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unplug - Essay Example The documentary highlights the terrors associated with technology. Technology has transformed the way people act and interact in the contemporary society. Electronic devices drive people to distraction. For instance, texting and driving is a multitasking activity that has caused the death of several drivers because of the associated distraction. Technology calls for self-restraint, just like any other beneficial invention in the current century. I was unable to honor the pledge to unplug for 24 hours because I cannot live without my devices. In fact, I spent more time on my devices during that time, than I did previously. It is difficult to avoid technology owing to its varied benefits such as communication with friends, and entertainment purposes. Life would undoubtedly be extremely boring without the current technological trends, which are unquestionably addictive. It is difficult to understand why the directors made a documentary like DSKNECTD, considering I am using a laptop to type my assignment, about the film, while watching it on

Factors Affecting Academic Performance Essay Example for Free

Factors Affecting Academic Performance Essay Like many Americans caught up in the economic downturn, college students are worried about money. Now research indicates that financial worries may affect their academic performance. This years National Survey of Student Engagement, released on Thursday, reveals that more than a third of seniors and more than a quarter of freshmen did not purchase required academic materials because of the cost. Roughly equal shares, around 60 percent, said they worried about having enough money for day-to-day expenses. And 36 percent of freshmen and 32 percent of seniors reported that financial concerns had interfered with their academic performance. Since 2000, Nessie, as the survey is known, has collected wide-ranging data to help colleges develop effective educational practices and promote engagement. Students are asked, for instance, how much time they spend studying, whether they get involved with campus organizations, and how they interact with their professors and peers. This year the researchers, based at Indiana University at Bloomington, also assessed how the economy was affecting students at a subset of the 546 American colleges that participated. The survey examined students employment, finding that among freshmen, nearly 20 percent worked on campuses, and about 30 percent worked elsewhere. For seniors, those proportions were about a quarter on campuses and more than half elsewhere. Students working off campuses logged more hours: More than half of seniors working on campuses worked less than 15 hours a week, but 40 percent of full-time seniors in off-campus jobs worked more than 16 hours a week; 20 percent logged 30 or more hours. Other research has found that working up to 20 hours a week can increase students engagement and improve their academic performance, but that a greater time commitment can be detrimental. In this years survey, more than half of full-time seniors who worked 21 or more hours a week said their work schedule interfered with their studies. Yet 60 percent of those students said they had investigated working even more hours to help cover the cost of college. Related Content Grades and Tests May Miss What Matters Most in Learning Charts: How Financial Worries Are Affecting Students Alexander C. McCormick, director of the survey, says institutions should consider such findings an opportunity to get a better sense of the financial stressors that shape students academic experiences. Most colleges, he points out, know which students have on-campus jobs. But administrators could do more to figure out how much time students spend working off-campus, and whether those commitments threaten their academic success. You can never do enough to understand who your students are, Mr. McCormick says. But collecting data is the easy part. The really hard work is up to the colleges and universities, to figure out what the data mean and what they want to do in response.

The Differences Between Internal And External Sources Of Business Finance Finance Essay

The Differences Between Internal And External Sources Of Business Finance Finance Essay Businesses require financing in order to operate. The source of this finance can be either internal or external and furthermore it can further subdivided into long or short term. Long terms sources are those that provide finance for more than a year while short term provide for less than a year; Internal sources of finance come from within the business and do not require the agreement of anyone beyond directors and managers of the business. (LOE 2010:317). The long term sources of internal finance include retained profits while short term sources include selling of inventories, extending period of credit from suppliers and stricter credit control over funds owed by credit customers (LOE 2010). Sources of finance are considered short term because they can easily be reversed in the short run. External sources of finance on the other hand require(s) the compliance of potential shareholders (LOE 2010:317) and in this case the company owes outside institutions or individuals (Brindley 200 8). According to LOE (2010), long term sources of external sources of finance include ordinary shares, preference shares, long term loans, finance leases, hire purchase agreements etc. While short term sources of external finance include bank overdrafts, debt factoring and invoice discounting. Difficulties SMEs face in raising adequate finance: SMEs face numerous challenges in raising enough finance for their business. According to Propoarco (2009:13) difficulties in gaining access to financing constitute the main stumbling block for SME development in Sub Saharan African. This is caused by a number of factors. First, there are inadequate personal funds and resources to fully fund the business and this requires that they look for external sources of finance where they are likely to encounter further challenges. Lack of collateral Banks require guarantees in the form of assets, forecast of business growth etc in order to approve long and short term loans and ensure that they can get their money back through payments or by selling off the defaulters assets. Unfortunately most SMEs do not have many assets in the business name as they are start ups and this poses challenges. Moreover, because some SMEs are sole proprietorships, it can be difficult to separate the SMEs assets from those of the business owner (oecd.org). Banks are therefore weary of providing funding where there is no clarity especially when it is unclear regarding the health of the business and its assets. There is no guarantee that the SME can sustain loan payments. High Cost of finance, Too high interest rates that are unsustainable. SMEs are considered high risk because they have a high failure rate and therefore more likely to default on loans (ITC 2009). As such, in order to counter their risk of lending to such enterprises, banks charge high interest rates. This in turn makes access to funding expensive for SMEs compared to larger organisations that are not viewed as high risk. SME owners sometimes lack access to information regarding where to access funds and may not be aware of the requirements in order to access these funds ITC 2009). Moreover SME may not have a clear and well constructed business plan that details the business path over the next few years; a key requirement for most financing institutions; or the business plan may be poorly constructed and not have key information (oecd.org). In addition banks may require pertinent information such as credit rating, credit history in order to make well informed decisions. Unfortunately as a start up, an SME might not have this information. Moreover the company may not have kept this information or the companys funds may be intertwined with the owners personal finances, making it difficult to produce this information. Such regulatory constraints make it challenging for SMEs to access financing. The loan application process itself may be too lengthy and complicated such that the SME owner gives up (ITC 2009). SMEs can also be pessimistic about outside investors and would rather keep it in the family. As such they are not open to financing ideas that involve outsiders taking part ownership or control of the companies. This therefore limits their financing options. Possible Advice and Solutions SMEs have several options regarding where and how to access funding. SMEs can access finance through venture capitalists. These are individuals who provide funding to start up companies with exciting ideas that promise high returns and they offer funding to start ups, to businesses that need to achieve a turnaround, that need to expand etc(LOE 2010). However in certain cases venture capitalists may require equity or control in the said business in return. Non- governmental organisations (NGOs) have also devised programmes in order to provide funding for SMEs because of the difficulties of accessing fund in the mainstream. Oikocredit an NGO in Ghana for example offers funding for SMEs (Mensah 2004). USAID Development credit authority also provides funding for SMEs. Governments have also taken interest in this issue and through initiatives such as Small firm loan guarantee scheme in the UK (LOE 2010: 357) and Africa Development Bank, governments help SMEs that lack security to access funds by being the guarantors of a large percentage of the loan. Grants and subsidies are also available for example through the Ministry of SMEs in Zimbabwe. Listings on alternative stock exchanges such as Altx in Johannesburg (RHPS.com) and AIM in the UK allow smaller businesses to list and float shares with less stringent requirements thereby raising equity finance. Wealthy individuals, already successful in business, called business angels (LOE 2010) invest in SMEs through a shareholding to assist start ups or SME expansion plans. This can be in the form of a single individual or a consortium. While they dont get involved in the day to day operations of the business, they do take an active interest. And can be a valuable source of business skills and experience. According to ITC (2009), trade credit (where collateral is not required) and cash advances from customers can be short term source of finance for SMEs.

Small man who led a big nation Essay examples -- essays research paper

The Small Man Who Led a Big Nation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mahatma Gandhi was a national icon for the people of India between the years 1869 and 1948. He is still remembered all over the world today. To follow the path of Gandhi one must traverse all regions of India, from the houses of the highest officials to the poorest villages where the word poverty does injustice. Gandhi led a fearless resistance against the British government, that oppressed his people, and an endless pilgrimage to lift the spirits of his people(the people of India) to maturity. Gandhi was very unique in his approach as he preached non-violence and led a life similar to that of the most downtrodden people of India.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gandhi was born into a family of high standing. His family had been advisors of some of the rulers of India.(Spodek 663) Gandhi’s mother, Putlibai, was a traditional Indian woman; she was of high morals and deeply religious. In Gandhi’s later years his mothers impact is apparent as he fasts many times and becomes a vegetarian. She also had a moral influence on her son. One of Gandhi’s early teachers encouraged him to cheat on a spelling test in order to impress a school inspector, but he refused. Despite all his good traits Gandhi was a below average student and did not show much promise in academics.(Wolf 171) Nevertheless he traveled to England to attend law school in 1888 in accordance with the desires of his family. He studied for three years in London where he â€Å"began to come alive, intellectually and spiritually†(Wolf 171).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon his return to India, Gandhi was hired by an Indian firm to take a case in South Africa. While there Gandhi witnessed several cases of injustice against himself and the Indian population in South Africa. Gandhi himself was thrown out of a first-class train car because he was not white. The demeaning approach the government of Africa took against the Indian population ignited Gandhi’s fire to fight human injustice. This began Gandhi’s communal living and his methods of resistance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gandhi established a new form of nonviolent resistance against government he called satyagraha or â€Å"truth force†. Satyagraha â€Å"manifested in self-sacrificing, non-violent mass demonstrations, demanding that the persecutors recognize the immorality of their own position and ... ...nd traveled with the poor he helped them feel connected with the other leaders of the movement. One of Gandhi’s greatest marches towards independence was the Salt March. The British had a monopoly on salt production and sale. Gandhi marched 241 miles to the beach and gathered his own salt and this led to hundreds of peasants doing the same. That is just another example of Gandhi going to jail for his cause.(Wolf 173)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During his time, Gandhi shined as a spiritual reformer and political activist to try and change the hearts of his opponents. His characteristic non-violent movements have been copied by many great men that have come after him. He held himself no higher than the poorest man of his country and that is why his country loved him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited Sherman, Dennis. World Civilizations . Massachusetts:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mcgraw-Hill; 1998. Spodek, Howard. The World’s History. New Jersey: Prentice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hall; 1998. Wolf, Ken. Personalities and Problems. Massachusetts:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McGraw-Hill; 1999.

O Henry’s Furnished Room Essay

The short story is about a young man searching for his love in a furnished room. He meets the owner of the furnished room that his love has rented recently. In the latter part of the story, the young man commits suicide in the same room where his love committed suicide, too. Moreover, the landlady tells to a friend that she knows the girl that the young man is looking for but she does not tell him because she is greatly taking care of her reputation and her business. She wants no one to know that someone committed suicide on her room because it won’t attract lodgers. INTRODUCTION This paper aims to analyze some stylistic features of O.Henry’s short story â€Å"the Furnished Room†, in order to make further analysis of O.Henry’s particular writing style and its specific effect. The short story was written not just to appraise the young man’s true love to his beloved but to reveal the truth that the capital society makes people cold-hearted. People in that society tends to be indifferent and cruel. They are the ones who LITERALLY mind their own businesses. STYLISTIC ANALYSIS 1. Lexical features and the according effects Adjectives Most of the vocabularies in the story are simple and easy to understand. But it’s obvious that the author also employs many complicated and abstract words, especially the adjectives, in order to create the complex atmosphere in the story. For example, when the author describes the room which the young man rents , large amount of adjectives like â€Å"faint ,sunless, viscid, unholy, rank, foul and tainted, haggard, perfunctory, sophistical, ragged, gilt, gay-papered, desolate, musty, dank, cold†¦Ã¢â‚¬  are used. They can bring visual imaginary and aid the description of the room and the things in it. Actually many of these adjectives are not common words and it’s a little difficult for the reader to understand them. The propose of using these vocabulary may be the author’s intention to let the reader to have a authentic feel of that room and the whole society. Complex word may help produce this kind o f feeling. Noun Phrases One main character of the story is Mrs. Purdy, the landlady. The author tries to describe her in details using some specific noun phrases, such as â€Å"an unwholesome, surfeited worm; her throat seemed lined with fur; furry throat†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Through that way more information of the landlady is added and a vivid figure of a disgusting woman was shown. This ugly appearance of the landlady can really provide a background of her hardheartedness mentioned later. 2. Syntactic features and the according effects This article contains various types of sentences, both simple and complex structure. The author uses not only declarative, but also â€Å"inverted sentences, subjunctive mood, indirect speech†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , aiming to achieve particular effect, such as to emphasize someone or something. Take the specific followings for example: (1) â€Å" Restless, shifting, fugacious as time itself, is a certain vast bulk of the population of the redbrick district of the lower West Side.† The â€Å"first is most important† principle is employed here. At the beginning of the passage, the author uses syntactic inversion to emphasize the unstable atmosphere of the district, aiming to present the background of the whole story at the first sentence. (2) â€Å"†¦ it would be strange if there could not be found a ghost or two in the wake of all these vagrant ghosts.† The subjunctive mood here shows the author’ attitude towards the real world and emphasizes the cruel reality of the society. (3) â€Å"To the door of this, the twelfth house whose bell he had rung, came a housekeeper who made him think of an unwholesome, surfeited worm that had eaten its nut to a hollow shell and now sought to fill the vacancy with edible lodgers. This sentence is rather long and complex, including one inverted sentence and three attributive clauses. The complexity is helpful for the description as it gives and withholds information. The step-by-step revelation can make the sentence coherent and close linked. The reader can be deeply impressed of the situation it describes. (4) â€Å"They comes and goes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ; â€Å"we has our living to be making†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (the landlady) The short form and grammatical mistake of these sentences prove that the landlady is not actually well-educated and her utterances can reveal her real character to the readers. 3. Phonological features and the according effects In the view of phonology, the story has a specific feature produced by the character of Mrs. McCool, the landlady’s friend. She speaks with non-standard English and sounds strange. (1) â€Å"Now, did ye, Mrs. Purdy, ma’am?† said Mrs. McCool, with intense admiration. â€Å"You do be a wonder forrentin’ rooms of that kind. And did ye tell him, then?† (2) â€Å"Yis, ma’am; ’tis true. ‘Tis just one wake ago this day I helped ye lay out the third floor, back. A pretty slip of a colleen she was to be killin’ herself wid the gas Compared with Mrs. Purdy, Mrs. McCool speaks with non-standard English which is full of grammatical mistakes. The underlined words show some features of â€Å"Black English Vernacular. It implies that maybe she is poor-educated and simple-minded. Her social status can aid with making up the background of the story. 4. Semantic features/figures of speech and the according effects The use of characteristic figures of speech in this article is frequent and effective. Obviously the rhetorical devices here can make the description more realistic and impressing. Take some examples from the story for support. (1) â€Å"their vine is entwined about a picture hat; a rubber plant is their fig tree.† Traditionally â€Å"vine† and â€Å"fig tree† are often planted in house yard and here they stand for stable and happy family life. The author uses metaphor to show peoples’ eager for happy family life, which is not restless any more. (2) â€Å"†¦a housekeeper who made him think of an unwholesome, surfeited worm that had eaten its nut to a hollow shell and now sought to fill the vacancy with edible lodgers.† The author describes the landlady as a â€Å"worm† in order to dram a vivid picture of a greedy woman who always hungers for profit. The employment of animizing produces special effect which may make the reader smile and i mpressed. (3) â€Å"It seemed to have become vegetable; to have degenerated in that rank, sunless air to lush Lichen or spreading moss The carpet in the room are said to become â€Å"vegetable, lichen and moss†, which are disgusting things. What the atmosphere of the room is like can be clearly shown through that metaphor. (4) â€Å"†¦ but it was like a monstrous quicksand, shifting its particles constantly, with no foundation, its upper granules of to-day buried to-morrow in ooze and slime.† The simile here is quite obvious which compare the city as â€Å"quicksand†. It draws a real picture of the cruel city and society which is a heaven and also a hell. The reader may understand why the hero of the story feels desperate and commits suicide hopelessly. CONCLUSION Through the analysis of the stylistic features of O. Henry’s short story â€Å"the Furnished Room†, it can help the reader more understand the writing style of the author. The author uses specific adjectives and phrase to emphasize his description; employs some complex sentences to achieve particular effect; employs some rhetorical devices, such as figures of speech, to make his story more, picturesque; also use the special way of â€Å"surprise ending† to produces the irony and surprising effect at the end of the story.

Workplace Communication Skills for ESL Classes

Workplace Communication Skills for ESL Classes In workplace communications, with friends, strangers, etc. there are unwritten rules that are followed when speaking English. These unwritten rules are often referred to as register use or workplace communication skills when referring to employment. Good workplace communication skills use can help you communicate effectively. Incorrect workplace communication can cause problems at work, cause people to ignore you, or, at best, send the wrong message. Of course, correct workplace communication is very difficult for many learners of English. To begin with, lets look at some example conversations to help understand  the correct type of register use in various situations. Examples of Correct Register Use (Wife to Husband) Hi honey, how was your day?Great. We got a lot done. And yours?Fine, but stressful. Pass me that magazine, please.Here you go. (Friend to Friend) Hi Charlie, can you give me a hand?Sure Peter. Whats up?I cant get this to work.Why dont you try to use a screwdriver? (Subordinate to Superior - for workplace communications) Good Morning, Mr. Jones, may I ask you a question?Certainly, how can I help you? (Superior to Subordinate - for workplace communications) Excuse me Peter, we seem to be having a problem with the Smith account. Wed better get together to discuss the situation.Thats a good idea Ms Amons, would 4 oclock suit you? (Man Speaking to Stranger) Pardon me. Do you think you could give me the time?Certainly, its twelve thirty.Thank you.Not at all. Notice how the language used becomes more formal as the relationship becomes less personal. In the first relationship, a married couple, the wife uses the imperative form which would be inappropriate with a superior in for workplace communications. In the last conversation, the man asks using an indirect question as a means of making his question more polite. Examples of Incorrect Register Use (Wife to Husband) Hello, how are you today?Im fine. Would you mind passing me the bread?Certainly. Would you like some butter with your bread?Yes, please. Thank you very much. (Friend to Friend) Hello Mr. Jones. May I ask you a question?Certainly. How many I help you?Do you think you could help me with this?Id be happy to help you. (Subordinate to Superior - for workplace communications) Good Morning, Frank. I need a raise.Do you really? Well, forget about it! (Superior to Subordinate - for workplace communications) Hey Jack, what are you doing?! Get to work!Hey, Ill take as much time as I need. (Man Speaking to Stranger) You! Tell me where the  supermarket is.There. In these examples, the formal language used for the married couple and friends is much too exaggerated for daily discourse. The examples of for workplace communications, and of the man speaking to a stranger, show that the direct language often used with friends or family is too impolite for these types of for workplace communication. Of course, correct for workplace communication and register use also depends on the situation and the tone of voice you use. However, in order to communicate well in English, it is important to master the basics of correct for workplace communications and register use. Improve and practice your recognition of workplace communications and register use in various situations with the following quiz. Workplace Communication Quiz Test yourself to see how well you understand correct register usage in these following workplace situations. Choose the appropriate relationship for these phrases from the choices listed below. Once you have finished, continue down the page for the answers and comments on the correct choices for each question. ColleaguesStaff to ManagementManagement to StaffInappropriate for the Workplace Im afraid were having some problems with your performance. I would like to see you in my office this afternoon.What did you do last weekend?Hey, get over here now!Excuse me, do you think it would be possible for me to go home early this afternoon? I have a doctors appointment.Well, we went to this wonderful restaurant in Yelm. The food was excellent and the prices were reasonable.Listen, Im going home early, so I cant finish the project until tomorrow.Excuse  me  Bob, would you mind lending me $10 for lunch. Im short today.Give me five bucks for lunch. I forgot to go to the bank.You are an extremely handsome young man, Im sure youll do well at our company.Excuse  me  Ms  Brown, could you help me with this report for a moment? Quiz Answers Im afraid were having some problems with your performance. I would like to see you in my office this afternoon. ANSWER: Management to StaffWhat did you do last weekend? ANSWER: ColleaguesHey, get over here now! ANSWER: Inappropriate for the WorkplaceExcuse me, do you think it would be possible for me to go home early this afternoon? I have a doctors appointment. ANSWER: Staff to ManagementWell, we went to this wonderful restaurant in Yelm. The food was excellent and the prices were reasonable. ANSWER: ColleaguesListen, Im going home early, so I cant finish the project until tomorrow. ANSWER: Inappropriate for the WorkplaceExcuse  me  Bob, would you mind lending me $10 for lunch. Im short today. ANSWER: ColleaguesGive me five bucks for lunch. I forgot to go to the bank. ANSWER: Inappropriate for the WorkplaceYou are an extremely handsome young man, Im sure youll do well at our company. ANSWER: Inappropriate for the WorkplaceExcuse  me  Ms  Brown, could you help me with this report for a moment? ANSWER: Management to Staff Comments on Quiz Answers If you were confused by some of the answers, here are some short comments that should help you understand: Management to Staff  - In this sentence management, although unhappy, is still polite when asking an employee to come in for a critique.Colleagues  - This simple question is informal and conversational and therefore appropriate among colleagues.Inappropriate  - This is the imperative form and  is therefore  inappropriate for the workplace. Remember that the imperative form is often considered rude.Staff to Management  - Notice the polite form used when speaking to a superior at work. The  indirect question form  is used to make the question extremely polite.Colleagues  - This is a statement from a discussion about a non-work related topic among colleagues. The tone is informal and informative.Inappropriate  - Here an employee is announcing his / her plan to management without asking. Not a very good idea in the workplace!Colleagues  - In this statement a colleague politely asks another colleague for a loan.Inappropriate  - When asking for a loan never use the imperative form!Inappropriate  - The person making this statement would be considered guilty of sexual harassment in the United States. Management to Staff  - This is a polite request.