Ben & Jerrys Company Analysis - Short Essay Example for Free

Ben & Jerry’s Company Analysis – Short Essay Companies like Ben & Jerry’s could definitely be affected by high inflation because of the consumer spending. When the consumers are forced to pay higher prices for products or services that are a necessity, they cut back on products or services that are a luxury. Luxuries that are not a necessity to live like gasoline for vehicles or gas to heat homes or even food will not be bought. Any company that sells a luxury item that is not a necessity to live can be affected by high inflation. With inflation, the price of everything goes up. With that said, the price for companies to buy supplies goes up, meaning that in order to cover their overhead, they will need to find a way to make that money back which could mean layoffs or raising the price of their goods or products. In a recession, companies like Ben & Jerry’s could also face the possibility of being negatively affected because of the demand of consumers. Very much like inflation, recession has the same effect; the consumers do not want to spend their money on luxury items. With the recession, there are more people unemployed who are just barely getting by, therefore, will refuse to spend any money on something that does not decide whether they have a home or not, which includes a luxury item like ice cream. Ben & Jerry’s could also be affected because of their stock prices. During a recession, the price of stock usually declines. So, their revenue would be affected as well as their stock, which would result in bad overall performance of the company. Speaking from personal experience, any luxury item that I absolutely do not need, I do not buy. I simply cannot put myself in a position to not pay a bill because I want to â€Å"treat† myself. With all this said, Ben & Jerry’s provides a reasonably priced luxury item that I would consider a â€Å"feel-good† luxury item. Everyone loves ice cream, young and old. Consumers still need to have a quality of life with the changing economic conditions and if buying an affordable luxury item gives them that, they are going to splurge and buy it. Unlike other luxury items, such as getting clothing and spa appointments, the consumer still gets to feel good and not go broke. Ben & Jerry’s makes a one of a kind product, their flavored ice cream, which makes it an easy buying decision for the consumer. The text book also explains that McDonald’s is not hit as sensitive to the economic conditions for the same reason. Their food is reasonably priced and the consumer still gets to feel like they are â€Å"treating† themselves to restaurant food without breaking the bank. Ben & Jerry’s has social, product and economic condition missions that make them popular in their industry. Not only do they care about making a profit, but they care about their people, environment and planet. They have mission statements for each of these and they follow through. As a consumer, I would rather buy my luxury item from a company that cares about something other than making a buck like their competitors. They make their ice cream to support causes like the recent Imagine Whirled Peace flavor that hosted a competition and donated money to them to support their peace cause. They also have a foundation that gives grants to non-profit organizations that are working for progressive social change. They hold fund-raisers and rally days. They provide hope, awareness and celebration. They also use naturally and humanly produced ingredients as part of one of their missions as well, which is something that would usually increase the price of any products, but with this company, it is just part of their offering. All in all, they provide more than just ice cream to the consumers which makes them less vulnerable to the economic shocks. Ben & Jerry’s Company Analysis – Short. (2017, Jan 20).

Organizational Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organizational Issues - Essay Example This film features the manner in which many institution of learning handle the students with potential in athletics. The film also shows the failure of these institutions with regard to preparing of these students who are on various scholarships. This has made the students to be less responsive to the external environment after completion of studies. In this context social pressure means an external initiative by a particular sect aimed at influencing business operations to conform to its intentions. This culminates in misleading of the organizations given that they are compelled to pursue weird goals. The major sours of external pressures in organizations are highlighted in this film. These include activists, the government and the society. Institutions of learning are perfect example of organizations with the highest influence of external social influence. In this regard, it is incumbent upon these institutions to inculcate the students with proper skills, which will enable them to fit in the job market especially after graduations. Unfortunately, some institutions fail to consider the skill requirements of all eth students. In this regard, students with athletics talent are ignored, which leads to thwarting of their dreams of becoming champions in the athletic realm. This also slows the adoption of this group of students to the external environment of athletics after completion of The role of external social pressure in influencing of organizational ethics is great. In this regard, the institutions of learning are socially bound to perform to the expectation of the community and the government. Good performance is a good gesture and it is usually in response to the implied external social pressure from the community and the state. The community will require the institutions to perform well in order to provide the best candidates in

Microcredit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Microcredit - Essay Example From the research paper of Agnes Loteta Dimandja, the economical status of Africa and the status of the women of the region and the present situation of the country in context of the human rights of the women can be concisely understood. Statistics from IMF, World Bank and other institute revealed that the poorest person on the earth lives in the Sub-Saharan Africa and probably she is a woman. As per the current situation of the Africa, where the basic human right are being violated, women are denied their dignity. It has been observed that the women in these societies came to be some of the first victims of the ongoing situation of violence and this is because of their internal wars. Women in these nations are found to beg for peace as peace is something that should exist as the necessary condition for development. This picture depicts the dominated position of the African women (Dimandja, 2004). Niara Sudarkasa has conducted a study regarding the status of the women in the indigenous African Society. As per her view, in the African Societies the female and the male have been time and again described as the complementary and separate. Usually it has been seen that, whenever any writer compare female and male in Africa, in most of the occasions, they certify men with a higher status and to be in a better situation and the women are portrayed as a saddle in home and domesticity (Sudarkasa, 1986). Wail S. Hassan has discussed about the â€Å"Man & Masculinity† in his article â€Å"Gender (and) Imperialism†. In his article, he had added the view of Judith Butler, who argued that gender assumed normative masculinity which has balanced against the femininity interpreted as deviation. This normative masculinity declares itself in colonial dissertation. During that time, as per the Frantz Fanon and Cornel, the racial discourse has symbolized the

Macbeth Essay Example for Free

Macbeth Essay Since the Mesopotamian era of 3000 B. C. numbers have been an essential part of life and are easily found throughout society, imbedded in religion, intertwined in mythology and commonly related with superstitions. Even in the twenty-first century people still believe in ancient numerical superstitions, such as the lucky number seven, or the unlucky number thirteen. During the seventeenth century William Shakespeare uses societal superstitions in his famous tragedy, â€Å"Macbeth†, by writing in a threefold literary pattern. Shakespeare reinvents the number three by relating in to evil and darkness throughout the play, providing it with a new superstitious meaning. â€Å"Macbeth† follows the transformation of the title character from thane to king, sane to evil. After putting down two rebellions against the King of Scotland, Macbeth is awarded title and favor with the gracious King Duncan. When greeted by three mysterious witches, they prophesy that Macbeth will be made Thane of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland. They also prophesize that Banquo will beget a long line of Scottish kings but will never be king himself. Macbeth and Banquo treat their prophecies sceptically until some of King Duncan’s men come to thank the two generals for their victories in battle and to tell Macbeth that he has indeed been named thane of Cawdor. In attempt to aid the prophecy, Macbeth murders the good Duncan and is crowned King of Scotland, but once his great goal to be king is achieved he begins to fear the prophecy brought forth to Banquo. In fear of being overthrown from the throne Macbeth goes on a psychotic rampage attempting to protect his future while ruining his sanity and brings upon himself his own demise. While entangling the threefold literary pattern into a tragic plot, William Shakespeare presents the appearance of three apparitions, the three murders, and the character choice of three witches to precipitate evil at the presence of the number three. Shakespeare turns the conventional and traditional meaning of three’s upside down in act one, scene one when he begins to relate the number to evil. Threes are commonly related to stability and completeness; in religion there is God omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, in time there are three divisions, past, present and future, and three grammatical persons- me, myself and I. In a dark and ominous meeting, Shakespeare introduces his audience to three women who will continue to haunt Macbeth throughout the play: the three weird sisters. As the first characters the audience has the pleasure of meeting, the witches set the mood for the entire play with a sense supernatural as â€Å"instruments of darkness† (I. iii. 136). In the opening scene of the play each witch speaks three times within the first eleven lines, the first two being â€Å"When shall we three meet again / In thunder, lightning, or in rain? coupling three undesirable and threatening circumstances, suggesting constrictions and limitations as these three things generally happen at the same time. The triplet pattern begins with this, giving a false sense of stability until to the audience until the witches state that what is â€Å"fair is foul, and foul is fair† (I. i. 12). This suggests that the stability of threes is actually a farce and will bring instability and chaos. Before t heir meeting with Macbeth, the fist witch informs her sisters that she has planned revenge against a sailor whose wife refused to share her chestnuts. Through her description of her plan, Shakespeare reveals to his audience that they posses great power but with limits unlike an instrument of fate would have. She plans to transport through a â€Å"sieve† (I. iii. 9) to curse him but she is not powerful enough to have him shipwrecked, only to have his ship â€Å"tempest-tossed† (I. iii. 26), showing their limits. As the first witch explains her plan she speaks in triplets, â€Å"I’ll do, I’ll do, and I’ll do† (I. iii. 11), to emphasize her evil intentions. When Macbeth and Banquo present themselves to the witches just moments later, they greet Macbeth â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! / All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! / All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter! † (I. iii. 51-53). Three greetings that seem so fair â€Å"of noble having and of royal hope† (I. iii. 59) are sure to turn foul. The greetings mimic the common greeting of the New Testament, â€Å"All Hail† (Matthew 28. 9). In Matthew 26. 49, Judas prepares to betray Jesus to the Sanhedrin and Roman soldiers. His plan is to identify Jesus by greeting him with a kiss so that the soldiers will know which man to arrest. Judas approaches Jesus, saying, Hail Master. The witches greet Macbeth in a similar fashion, and, as Judas betrayed Jesus, so do the witches betray Macbeth. This mirroring comparison shows Shakespeare cutting all biblical and holy beliefs in the number three, using religious evidence to eliminate the idea that three is a number of stability. Shakespeare even has his three witches speak in contradictions to create moral confusion and increase the presence of evil, such as when the witches characterize Banquo as â€Å"lesser than Macbeth, and greater† (I. iii. 68). After stirring up quite a bit of trouble, the witches vanquish, not to be seen again until the first scene of the fourth act. The signal to begin their evil incantations is brought to the witches by three meows of a â€Å"brinded cat† (IV. i. 1). Again, the witches take turns, speaking in a threefold pattern, taking their turns and presenting a rhyming, triple statement to open the act; â€Å"Thrice the brinded cat hath mewd. / Thrice, and once the hedge-pig whined. / Harpier cries â€Å"‘Tis time, ‘tis time† (IV. i. 1-3). While working on concocting brew the witches chant around a cauldron, throwing in various items, taking turns to add their contributions, dividing the ingredients into three separate groups. When Macbeth arrives to the cavern he greets the witches as â€Å"secret, black, and midnight hags† (IV. i. 48), three negative descriptions dripping with evil connotations. The â€Å"weird sisters† (III. iv. 165) conclude the evil presence within triplet patterns by presenting three mysterious visions or apparitions to Macbeth, in order to provide him with the same sense of false security that the audience had felt initially. With thunder roaring in the background, Shakespeare thrusts his main character into various situations that would terrify any person â€Å"milk of human kindness† (I. v. 7). When Macbeth is faced with the three apparitions they bring him fair sounding news that is doomed to be destructive and â€Å"foul† (IV. iii. 28) because of the threefold predictable pattern. When the first of the three mystical spirits appears to Macbeth in the form of a floating warhead, warning him to â€Å"beware Macduff† (IV. i. 81), Macbeth shrugs it off, already knowing this. When the second apparition appears as a bloody child, it tells Macbeth that no man born of a woman can do him harm. This gives Macbeth great confidence: Then live Macduff: what need I fear of thee (IV. . 93). Finally, the third ghost appears as a child wearing a crown with holding a tree in hand. This phantom is the one to stir Macbeth’s blood and spook him and has him demanding to know the meaning of the final vision. The child tells Macbeth that he â€Å"shall never be vanquished [†¦] until/ Great Birnam Wood [comes] to high Dunsinane Hill† (IV. i. 105-106), a seemingly impossible task, but in the Shakespearean world of three’s, things are not as they seem. This, giving Macbeth false security, is followed by a procession of eight crowned kings all similar to the one before. The final king carries a mirror, showing a seemingly endless lineage of kings, frightening Macbeth into overbold, unthinking irrationality, contrary to his previous semi-thoughtful behaviour. The three apparitions all in still a false sense of self-assurance in Macbeth but after Shakespeare’s triplet patterns have caused nothing but grief during the play, the audience is able to see through the prophetic ghouls that act as symbols, foreshadowing the way the prophecies will be fulfilled. The warhead suggests a third rebellion, the first two put down by Macbeth while the third is caused by his treacherous ways in a turn of events that can only suggest that if Macbeth hasn’t died the first two times, then the third time’s the charm. The bloody child of the second vision is the image of Macduff as a babe â€Å"from his mother’s womb / untimely rippd† (V. viii. 19-20), delivered through caesarean section. This minor technicality that evades Macbeth is the key to his downfall, and thanks to his ignorance he believes he is invincible. The line of kings, thrust in Macbeth’s face is his last hope, the finishing blow. With the knowledge that there will be men who â€Å"are too like the spirit of Banquo† (IV. i. 127) Macbeth subconsciously knows that all hope is lost to him, but he clings to the second apparitions speech, claiming that he cannot be harmed by any person born of a woman. The terrible three’s that Shakespeare entangles into the apparition’s doom-filled messages not only anticipate the death of Macbeth, but also lead him to it. It is by his self-assurance, pride and ambition that Macbeth believes he will survive, hearing only what he wishes from the prophecies. Since the prophecies suggest he will be fine, Macbeth takes it to heart and believes so without watching out for himself; he does not attempt to prevent the rebellion, nor does he stay in the castle when he knows he is a target because â€Å"none of woman born [can] harm Macbeth† (IV. i. 91-92). By presenting these ghoulish visions, the witches lead Macbeth to his death by power of suggestion and lack of a complete digestion of the situation on the title characters part. The witches’ prophetic ways also lead Macbeth to far worse things than pride. Macbeth is urged by the third prophecy of being king to kill Duncan, King of Scotland. Although his wife is the â€Å"spur† (I. vi. 25) who pricks the horse of intent, the intent is spawn from the prospect of his hopes coming true. The third prophecy leads him to murder, using trickery to make the fair prospect of being King derive from such a foul act as unjust murder against the â€Å"gracious Duncan† (III. vi. 3-4). If Macbeth had stayed content with the first murder he could have lived a happier life, but troubled by the prophecy presented to Banquo, Macbeth fears for his throne and sets out to murder his best friend in a foolish attempt to disprove the prophecy. Macbeth performs his second murder. While this time, instead of doing it himself, Macbeth hires two murders, but as the fates have it a third joins the informal party. With the third murderer present, a seemingly easy kill has become a challenge and struggle because three is a crowd. If the third murderer was Macbeth, unable to stay away from the murder of his self-sworn enemy, it is no doubt that he tagged along to fulfill the destruction of a prophecy, only intensifying its after effects. Macbeth becomes miserable and his mind is unclear; the second murder had haunted him and caused him great fear. If not for the prophecies and initial trickery, Macbeth would have not stopped to rage against a friend that had been so dear to him and would have not killed Banquo in an attempt to save his own life, that was previously not in danger. The first two murders written by Shakespeare mainly show cause, but the third and final brings a big effect. With Macbeth murdering the innocent wife and children of Macduff, just because he fears Macduff knows the truth about Duncan’s murderer, the intent of murder changes. The first two were intended to attain and keep a powerful position, but when his pride and fear get the better of him, Macbeth hires men to commit the third murder with no sense of regret, as he had after murdering Duncan (â€Å"I am afraid to think what I have done† (II. ii. 66)). Nor is Macbeth mentally disturbed, as he had been after murdering Banquo, seeing ghosts. After the third murder, Macbeth is a well-seasoned professional and becomes emotionally detached from his victims as they become but another dead. The third murder backfires and works against Macbeth, only spurring the intent of Macduff to slaughter him more savagely than before. Shakespeare pushes the idea that there needs to be a third murder in order for symmetry and regulation, but by adding in a third murder, Shakespeare is able to, again, shatter all former pretences about the stability of the number three, changing its relationship to represent evil. While using triplet speaking patterns, triplet events and groups of three people, Shakespeare uses three savage murders, three frightening apparitions and three ugly, diabolical and manipulative witches to present the number three as a superstition, dragging along evil wherever it goes. While Shakespeare uses the number three to predict and present evil throughout the tragedy â€Å"Macbeth†, he strives toward changing societal views of the number. With a simple beheading, Macbeth’s tragic downfall is complete and caused entirely by the three prophecies foretold by the three witches who showed Macbeth the three apparitions and encouraged him to commit three murders. By introducing the three witches first, Shakespeare relates the number three to the hags immediately and through their chaotic destruction of people’s lives by influencing their sins, the witches represent all the evil of the prophecy.

Pompeii Apartments :: Architecture Building History Essays

Pompeii Apartments The Pompeii apartments are located in the middle of a town called La Habra, population roughly fifty-five thousand. They lie nestled in an apartment community, nearby two other apartment complexes. For the residents, this offers a moderately inexpensive housing alternative to living in a house, most of which are small or expensive in La Habra. Nearby, actually on the other side of a wall, pass the cars on Beach Boulevard, the major thoroughfare of the town, which connects La Habra to the rest of Orange County and four freeways that participate in the Los Angeles/Orange County freeway system, notorious nationwide for its complexity. Hence, the apartments offer convenient access to the rest of the southland. In ancient Rome, Pompeii was a typical town, founded in the seventh century BCE between two Greek colonies in what is now southern Italy. When the neighboring volcano Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, the city and many of its inhabitants were encased in ash, which served to preserve the area in its same condition for centuries. For this reason, Pompeii is an extraordinary example of the Roman towns and their inhabitants' ways of life. Many of the paintings on the walls of the houses, for example, still survive, as well as imprints in the ash of the various plants used in the gardens of wealthy townhouses. These townhouses, or domuses, offer a glimpse into the lives of the upper class of Roman citizens and their expressions through art and architecture, much of which remains as it did almost two thousand years ago. There are many similarities between the Pompeii apartments and a townhouse of historical Pompeii, accompanied by just as many differences. To begin with, the modern construction materials of the apartments are nothing similar to the brick and concrete walls of the Pompeiian domus. The apartments use wooden frameworking with drywall and fiberglass insulation, covered on the outside with a flame resistant stucco. Typical to apartment construction now, these materials are a technological leap from ancient Rome. Another difference appears in the ground plan and design of the structure as a whole compared to that of a Roman townhouse in Pompeii. Where a domus would have an axial design centered on the line of the fauces, atrium and tablinum in the front of the building, the apartments have a central grass area with trees, bordered on all sides by the building. Access to the apartments comes through gates at the corners of this quadrangle design instead of through a single front entrance.

Does Culture Determine Your Theory of Mind Essay

What has distinguished Homo sapiens from non-human organisms is their ability to develop a theory of mind (Scholl & Leslie, 2001). Premack & Woodruff (1978) originally defined theory of mind as being the tendency to make attributions about behaviour based on acquired knowledge of mental states, such as belief, desire and intention. An equally important aspect of theory of mind concerned the individual’s ability to understand the subjectivity of mental states, comprehending that other individuals have desires and beliefs that differ significantly from one’s own, an understanding that is highly important to human functioning (Baren-Cohen, 1995). This essay questions the influence that culture has on the development of a theory of mind. What was of primary interest in this essay was to investigate the extent to which theory of mind was characterized by universal processes of development and whether underlying cultural factors were responsible for the timing and development of theory of mind. Certain marked cultural differences were suggested as influential variables which could determine the development of a theory of mind, these being parenting styles, number of siblings and executive function which were thought to play a pivotal role in the development of a cultural identity (Lillard, 1998). In the context of cross-cultural comparison, a critical assessment of the false-belief task was conducted. The validity and reliability of the false-belief task was analyzed in relation to the development of theory of mind, and alternative explanations and measurement tools were provided which would allow for a more sensitive and reliable cross-cultural comparison to be made. Described as onto-genetically universal, theory of mind is a construct of human psychology and biology that is universally applicable to every culture (Liu, Wellman, Tardif & Sabbagh, 2008) . A unanimous result from twenty five years of research has reported that a theory of mind is developed in early childhood and exhibited from the age of five or six years old as result of progressive stages of development (Lillard, 1998). Many researchers (e. g Liu et al. , 2008; Wellman, Cross & Watson, 2001) have observed parallel developmental trajectories between western and non-western cultures in relation to the age at which a child acquires a theory of mind. Callghan, Rochat, Lillard, Claux, Odden & Itakura (2005) observed the cross-cultural development of theory of mind in samples of 12-31 children and declared there to be a ‘critical period’ of development between the ages of three and five years old when children begun to conceptualize and understand the difference between belief and reality. From a remote bush community in western Africa, to a mountain village in Peru, researchers (e. g. Avis & Harris, 1991) have observed the universal development of a theory of mind. The communicative purposes of theory of mind are invaluable to the survival and higher functioning of human kind. Cross-culturally, theory of mind is relevant in order to teach, deceive, inform and share planned actions (Baren-Cohen,1999). However, although this cognitive development is fundamental and pivotal to human functioning, research in this field of investigation has challenged the universality and applicability of theory of mind postulating that cross-cultural variations were responsible for determining and influencing the timing and stages at which theory of mind developed. Many prominent research studies have been published in the literature, arguing for the influence of culture on the development of a theory of mind (Wellman et al. , 2001). Astington (2001) has argued that although cross-cultural variation does not reflect a child’s ability to acquire a theory of mind, there may perhaps be sociocultural variances in early childhood experience that could potentially influence how and when a child achieves theory of mind. Similarly, studies have observed a discrepancy in the timing of development across certain industrialized cultures, an example being Canada and the United Kingdom (Wellman et al. 2001), and Japan and North Korea (Oh & Lewis, 2008). A meta-analysis of cross-cultural performance on false-belief tasks was conducted by Liu et al. , (2008) which investigated whether culture contributed to the development of theory of mind. A meta-analysis was conducted on 200 conditions (16-24 children per condition) of children from mainland china and Hong-Kong in order to assess whether the difference in cultural beliefs and values between these two culturally diverse samples had a significant impact on the timing of development. Increasingly more westernized and individualistic, Hong-Kong was predicted to mirror the North American trajectory of development in that children would be more likely to perform above chance on the false-belief task. Liu et al. , (2008) observed that Chinese children were more likely to under-perform on false-belief tasks in relation to their Japanese counterparts and that this resulted in a difference of up to 2 years in timing of false-belief acquisition. However, like many comparison studies, the results of this study were potentially confounded due to relatively small sample size. A condition of 16-24 participants did not allow for methodological error or research bias. Contradictory evidence and potential methodological errors in relation to cross-cultural comparisons has resulted in a thorough examination of the measurement tools used to study theory of mind. A seemingly reliable and valid measurement tool, the false-belief task has to some extent dominated the theory of mind model over the course of twenty five years (Dennet, 1978 as cited by Wellman et al. 2001). Astington (2001) reported that there exists â€Å"a danger in letting a single task become a marker for complex development†, as reliance on a single measurement construct can record potentially confounding results, leading to improbable and invalid conclusions. The ‘chocolate and cupboard’ false-belief task was developed by Wimmer & Perner, (1983) in order to assess whether a child had the ability to understand that their mental representations of the world differed from reali ty. Many researchers have found methodological flaws in the false-belief task claiming that it is unnecessarily difficult (Sullivan & Winner, 1993). A cross-cultural study conducted by Wellman et al. , (2001) confirmed that many children failed the false-belief task due to confusion and lack of understanding. A secondary criticism of the false-belief task has been made in relation to the limitations it places on performance in that it does not take into account fundamental components of theory of mind (De Rosnay, Pons, Harris & Morrell, 2004). Therefore, in order for a valid cross-cultural comparison to be made it was necessary to examine other important mental states such as emotion, desire and intention (De Rosnay et al. , 2004). A five step Theory of Mind scale was developed by Wellman & Liu (2004) in order to conduct a cross-cultural comparison of theory of mind. Preschoolers in North America (Wellman & Liu, 2004) , Australia (Peterson & Wellman, 2009) and Germany (Kristen, Thoermar et al. 2006) were found to follow the same ordered sequencing of conceptual developments, these being diverse desires, diverse beliefs, knowledge access, false beliefs, hidden emotions (Shahaeian, Peterson, Slaughter & Wellman, 2011). Although an identical trajectory of development was reported in many western cultures, a study conducted by Wellman et al. , (2004) discovered an interesting cross-cultural difference in relation to Chinese preschoolers who, although following the same steps of development, completed them in a different order with knowledge access being learned before diverse beliefs. Although there does not appear to be a cross-cultural difference in the mastery of theory of mind, the emphasis placed on knowledge access in Chinese preschoolers over diverse beliefs in western preschoolers is consistent with the importance that collectivist societies associate with social harmony over self-expression and individual beliefs. Reliance on one particular measurement tool has resulted in many extravagant and inconclusive claims being made, one such example being that researchers have associated a below chance performance on a false-belief task with an underdeveloped theory of mind (Astington, 2001). However, many researchers have argued that a three year old’s failure on the false-belief task could be indicative of linguistic underdevelopment or confusion rather than an absence of theory of mind. Leslie (2000) conducted qualitative reviews of cross-cultural performance on false-belief tasks in order to assess whether certain aspects of the methodology were inconsistent across cross-cultural testing. Methodology was found to differ in relation to the type of question asked, nature of the protagonist and type of task. Similarly, there was an inconsistency in the phrasing of the questions across many of the studies, with certain children being asked a question in terms of belief (Where does John think his chocolate is? ) or in terms of speech (where does John say his chocolate is? ). Efforts to reduce methodological error and improve performance have been made by many researchers (e. g. Chandler, Fritz & Hala (1989) in order to demonstrate the plasticity and flexibility of theory of mind. Chandler et al. (1989) found that if the experimental design of the false-belief task was manipulated by implying deception and trickery, performance was more likely to increase. A cross cultural comparison reported similar results when young children actively participated in deception. However, although these results may have provisionally provided an explanation for improved performance, it must be noted that above chance performance on this task did not confirm a child’s ability to conceptualize but mere ly emphasized their ability to ‘play along’ . Due to flaws in methodology and reliance on the false-belief task, researchers have failed to provide consistent and valid results in relation to a cross-cultural comparison of theory of mind. In light of these contradictory results and inconclusive explanations, alternative variables have been analyzed in order to expand on the literature pertaining to cross-cultural differences in theory of mind. Vinden (2001) was of the opinion that the development of a theory of mind aptly reflected parental influence in relation to cultural and moral expectations. Children emulated and modified their behaviour according to their parents’ example, therefore for a child to be capable of predicting and understanding another individuals’ mental state positively reflected parent-child intervention in the early years of their childhood. A cross-cultural comparison of theory of mind assessed whether parental attitudes of Korean-American and Anglo-American mothers influenced how their children developed mental states such as desires, beliefs and intentions (Vinden, 2001). Two previous studies conducted by Kim, Kim & Rue (1997) and Farver, Kim & Lee (1995) reported certain cultural differences between Korean-American and Anglo-American individuals. Korean-Americans were reported as valuing interdependency, social harmony and self-control in favour of individual orientation, symbolic play and independence, traits which were synonymous with the individualistic Anglo-american society. Importantly Korean-American parents were seen as obeying an authoritarian structure of parenting in contrast with Anglo-American parents who favoured an authoritative model . In light of the results obtained by the Kim et al. , (1997) study, it was hypothesized by Vinden (2001) that children of authoritative mothers would be more likely to outperform children of authoritarian mothers on the theory of mind tasks. The results reported were surprising, in that five year old children of authoritarian Korean-American mothers outperformed their Anglo-American age mates on theory of mind tasks, however children of authoritarian Anglo-American mothers were found to under-perform on theory of mind tasks. What could be concluded from this study was that performance on theory of mind tasks could in fact be influenced by parenting styles, but what constituted acceptable parenting was subjective to cultural introspection. In other words, a similar endpoint of development was reached across cultures, due to parenting styles that obeyed a cultural value system (Vinden, 2001). Similarly, a cross-cultural comparison of theory of mind has been made in relation to the number of siblings a child may have. A study conducted by Ruffman, Perner, Naito, Parkin & Clements, (1998) reported a remarkable finding that suggested how a child’s theory of mind could be predicted based on the number of older siblings they possessed. According to Brown, Donelan-McCall & Dunn (1996), children with older siblings developed mental representations about the world around them through symbolic play. Many researchers have argued for the importance of symbolic play in establishing a theory of mind (Leslie, 1987) due to the fact that through discussion and pretend play younger children were exposed to false-belief situations enabling them to emulate the behaviour exhibited by older siblings. However, it is important to remain critical when discussing the importance of symbolic play due to the fact that although above-chance performance on theory of mind tasks may be recorded, the extent to which conceptualization and false-belief is properly understood demands further explanation. Reiterating what has been previously stated by Vinden (2001), it was important to acknowledge that, although the same end point of development was reached across cultures, the stages of development differed based on cultural intervention. In recent years, the skills associated with executive function have been proposed to contribute to the development of theory of mind (Moses, 2001). Many researchers interested in cross-cultural comparison have conducted studies in order to ascertain whether the development of executive skills is directly influenced by cultural beliefs and values. Interest in this area of research has come about due to the importance of understanding theory of mind in conjunction with the development of cognitive processes (Moses, 2001). Executive function is an umbrella term used to describe a plethora of cognitive processes such as inhibition, verbal reasoning, problem solving and working memory which contribute to the development of theory of mind. Executive function has been assessed across a diverse range of cultures in order to determine whether development of executive function skills differ across cultures, and whether this difference in development affects the acquisition of a theory of mind.

High School Educational System in Contrast

Name: Lily High School Educational System in Contrast between Canada and China With the development of a progressive and civilized society, education becomes a greater priority. In separate countries, there are distinct differences in the systems and methods by which education is practiced. The Canadian secondary school educational system is different from the Chinese education system in four main areas: the subjects offered for study, requirements for graduation, the authority of the teachers and the physical aspects of the institutions.The first obvious difference in the education system between Canada and China is in the subjects that are offered for study. In China, there are two systems for students to choose in high school: a departmental system consisting of liberal arts and science. The students who choose liberal arts will study Mandarin, English, History, Mathematics, Politics, and Geography. For those who choose science, the preferred courses will be Chinese, English, Math ematics, Biology, Physics and Chemistry. According to BC Ministry of Education (2008), in Canada, there are two ways for students to choose: required and elective courses. For instance, required courses are planning, language arts, mathematics, fine arts and applied skills, social studies, science and physical education and are offered as the students only choices. Furthermore, elective courses have more flexible options. Surely, choosing any courses that interest students is important, as long as their electives are over twenty eight credits.The second difference between China and Canada is in the requirements for graduation. In China, students have to take college entrance examinations, which are the most important academic exams in China. In addition, students will receive placings that are arranged from the higher to the lower grades. The marks they get will influence whether they are able to graduate, to repeat the courses or to leave school and enter the workforce as only part ially skilled. Conversely, in Canada, the requirements for graduation are easier than they are for students in China.Students in Canada are required to obtain just forty eight credits from the required courses, twenty eight credits from the elective courses, as well as four credits from graduation transitions (BC Ministry of Education, 2008)2. Other noticeable differences between Canada and China involve issues of the authority possessed by teachers. In China, teachers are like parents, in contrast, teachers are more like friends or mentors in Canada. Chinese teachers always emphasize the importance of rote learning and the value of marks.However, Canadian teachers give students more freedom and offer the opportunity to develop their interests. Furthermore, Chinese teachers are much stricter than Canadian teachers. Sometimes, a teacher in China can punish a student by assaulting them, which is due to the fact that teachers in China are held as being above question, while by law. Can adian teachers are not allowed to physically attack their students in any way. (Farran, S. , 2009)3 The final distinct area of difference between Canada and China is the physical aspects of the learning environments.For instance, the sizes of the classes in China usually are composed of approximately sixty people, but classes in Canada normally are a maximum of about thirty people. Statutory holidays are different, too. Chinese students are free from January to February for one month to celebrate Spring Festival and in July and August for two months because of the extremely hot weather. Canadian students are free during a part of December to celebrate Christmas during Winter Break, and this holiday is usually about three weeks without school.In China, students have to go to school in the evening to study; however, Canadian students have the choice of taking extra classes or tuition, but this is optional. In conclusion, the subjects offered for study, the requirements for graduation, the authority of the teachers and the physical aspects of the institutions are the main contrasts between the Canadian and the Chinese secondary school educational systems. Education is an essential component of a successful and potentially prosperous life, and a definitive part of the core competency of a nation.Therefore, how to form a more innovative yet completely effective system of education requires constant exploration, development and implementation of methods that maintain high standards and improve to the highest quality for the students of the world’s future. Reference: 1 BC Ministry of Education (2008). At a Glance Requirements – What You Need to Graduate. Retrieved 2012, from BC Ministry of Education 2 BC Ministry of Education (2008). At a Glance Requirements – What You Need to Graduate. Retrieved 2012, from BC Ministry of Education 3Farran, S. (2009). CAN HIGH SCHOOL GRADES BE TRUSTED?. MacLean’s, 122(44), 92-96