European Economic and Monetary Union

Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is a single currency area within the European Union single market in which people, goods, services and capital move without restrictions. It creates the framework for economic growth and stability and is underpinned by an independent central bank and legal obligations on the participating Member States to pursue sound economic policies and to coordinate these policies very closely.As trade between the EU Member States reaches 60% of their total trade, EMU is the natural complement of the single market. This market will work more efficiently and deliver its benefits more fully with the removal of high transaction costs brought about by currency conversions and the uncertainties linked to exchange rate instability. EMU and the economic performance of the Euro area will have their largest external effects on neighboring economies in western Europe and on developing and transition countries with important trade and financial links to Europe, including countries that link their currencies to the Euro. Among emerging market economies, those likely to be most affected are the transition countries of the central and Eastern Europe and the Baltics.The global environment has been favorable in a number of respects for the transition to EMU and the achievements of its objectives. The strong demand for euro-area exports from industrial countries at more advanced stages of the business cycle and the depreciation of the currencies of euro area countries over the past four years fostered a strengthening of growth in the euro area and helped to offset the effects of the Asian crisis. There are also challenges for EMU in the global economic environment: The crisis in Asia and other emerging market economies could produce adverse spillover effects and make the monetary policy more difficult to carry out. The continuation of the crisis could result in weakening of the external demand, which, in turn, could dampen confidence and domestic demand. The financial market volatility could increase the uncertainty in assessing the economic indicators. The economic crisis in emerging markets could influence the commercial banks in the euro- area to make substantial provisions for non-performing loans. It is, of course, impossible to predict the properties of the behavior of the exchange value of the Euro. With regard to broad trend, it seems likely that the Euro will tend to appreciate against the U.S. dollar and pound sterling over the next few years, but depreciate against the Japanese yen when Japan†s economic recovery begins. The United Kingdom and the United States have reached relatively advanced stages of their cyclical upswings, with resources more fully utilized than in the euro area, the Euro†s initial value comparing to the pound and the U.S. dollar can reasonably be considered to be below its medium-term equilibrium. As the economic recovery in Europe proceeds and the growth in the U.K. and U.S. economies slows, the Euro will most likely appreciate against those currencies. On the other hand, Japan economy remains in the critical position. The resumption of moderate growth will lead to a recovery of the yen. Thus Euro is expected to depreciate against the yen over the next few years. According to some widely made predictions: Euroland's capital markets, from equities to corporate bonds to municipal finance, will grow exponentially in coming years as the removal of cross-border currency risk drives pan-European markets. The Euro will stand alongside the dollar as the second-most-important currency in the world, reflecting its coming role in global trade and finance as well as its common usage by 290 million Euroland citizens. The new central bank has been given the independence to pursue price stability as a primary objective. This feature will affect the credibility of the ECB positively and thus the investors would see the Euro as a stable store of value in the next decade. Once the single currency takes effect, the national central banks of the euro area will reduce their international reserve holdings. Trade within the euro area will be denominated in a single currency and will no longer need to be backed by international reserves. Estimates of the EMU countries† resulting surplus of international reserves range from $50 billion to $230 billion. The scenarios that are presented in the European Commission Forward Studies Unit†s report regarding the economic situation in Europe towards the year 2010, reflect the possibilities rather fairly. I personally find the report an accurate study containing precise predictions. Out of the five futures for Europe, I think the Scenario No.3 seems the most logical and possible theory to occur. The reason I chose this particular scenario is because it focuses on the following issues: Transformation of the public sector Efforts to include Eastern Europe Agreements on unemployment issues Turning hierarchical pyramids on their heads Although in some countries public administrations such as central, regional and local government have started to make preparations for the introduction of the Euro, in general the evidence is that such organizations have taken few practical steps to prepare for the changeover. The grounds mainly are that they have plenty of time because they operate largely at the ‘retail end of the marketplace' and that they will need to await the circulation of the new notes and coins. The view of the Federation des Experts Comptables Europeens (FEE) is that this is a risky and potentially costly strategy and that early preparation is essential to reduce both risks and costs. Public administrations therefore ought to be preparing their own management and operations systems now for the changeover to the Euro according to advice issued by FEE. In the near future, member states would often present the Commission with their convergence programs, which would also assess long term prospects for the public sector. These programs would indicate the durability of deficit cuts in the countries whose public economies have been urgently trimmed to meet Euro conditions. Economic growth and structural reforms to reduce cost pressures on the budget are permanent methods but, for example, special taxes need to be supplemented by corrective measures to ensure permanent budget discipline. Indeed, the views of member states about the long term public economy could diverge when their euro-eligibility is assessed and the choice of euro members has to be explained to the public. The European Union is currently being enlarged to include the transition countries of the Baltics and Eastern Europe. The countries that intend to join the union will need to show progress toward meeting the Maastricht criteria. Potential EU members must overcome a number of challenges. They need to progress with privatization and to continue to reduce government involvement in their economy while disassembling monopolies, removing trade restrains and developing flexible labor markets. Six countries-Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia-have received favorable opinions from the Commission on their applications. These countries have already made good progress in meeting the guidelines of the treaty. In this particular scenario No.3, the accession negotiations of the Union with Turkey is mentioned. I personally think without the contributions of the Eastern Europe and the Baltics the future objectives of the Euro and the European Union can not be accomplished. Especially the future admission of Turkey to the Union is vital regarding the geographical position of this country, which not only connects Europe to Asia but also, forms a bridge of culture, a common ground between people from different horizons. However the Union still ignores the importance of Turkey†s role in various agreements and settlements made between Europe and Asia which are vital for the future of EU. But in the next decade as it starts to see the big picture, the efforts of the Union to include the Eastern Europe in the game would increase remarkably. Strong growth will allow further progress in reducing the euro zone's high jobless rate. Some of the member†s unemployment rate decreased drastically by keeping the game close to the euro zone standards. Job growth has been spurred by record low interest rates, a result of cuts from high levels to assure euro zone convergence. Low rates are fueling domestic demand, especially consumer spending and construction. Business investment is also gaining. Still, global weakness is depressing exports, and that's why job growth is expected to slow a bit in the second half. Even as construction, agriculture, and services, especially tourism, post solid growth, manufacturing jobs fell . The governments plan to cut prices in regulated utilities, likely to be followed by efforts to reform pricing in retail distribution and certain services. Some member countries have a lot of employees who want to work more hours. So automatically a connection is established between the government and the public. In 2010 the governments together with other businesses, local authorities and community associations would continuously try to move the obstacles in the way and make it easier for the unemployed citizens to find a job in a satisfying environment. â€Å"Turning hierarchical pyramids on the heads†. That phase itself made this scenario No.3 look more real than the others. Europe has a long history and the Europeans have lived through more dramatic events than any other culture of the world. It is now time to give the people of Europe something special. Only but only if † the hierarchical pyramids† are turned on their heads, will the Europeans thoroughly support the EMU and the Euro. Transformation of the public sector, efforts to include Eastern Europe and the efforts on the critical unemployment issue are all a part of the strategy in the new epoch † Shared Responsibilities†. It is now time that people take the real issue in their hands and get in charge. The times when everything is expected from the governments are over. For the professional organizations of Europe the launch of the Euro presents an important organizational and even philosophical challenge. By bringing down barriers to cross-border trade, the Euro makes a pan-European perspective crucial for efficient and effective operations. Many companies are, therefore, focusing on changing their culture, not their organizational structure. To be successful, Europeans will no longer be able to look at themselves as operating with complete autonomy; rather, they will have to see themselves as operating within a federation of businesses that, while independent, share common responsibilities.

Working at Mcdonalds

Dillon mundy Mr. Varner Composition 1 11/4/21 â€Å"Working at McDonalds† Amitai Etzioni In the passage â€Å"Working at McDonalds† by Amitai Etzioni he starts off by stating that â€Å"McDonalds is bad for your kids†. He doesn’t feel this way because of the food, but instead of the mass production jobs they offer our youth. He says studies show two thirds of high school students have part time jobs in the food chain business, and McDonalds is the pioneer, trend-setter, and symbol.Amitai states that of course at first these jobs seem right, and may seem to bring up work driven, self-reliant youngsters, but what they really do is undermine school attendance and involvement, teach you few skills that are useful in life, and demean the values of teenagers. He thinks work should teach you the fruits of labor and self-discipline. He said that McDonalds has a job that is uneducational in several ways.He says it is far from providing opportunities for entrepreneu rship, self-discipline, self-supervision, and self-scheduling. He feels most teenage jobs these days are what most social scientists call â€Å"highly routinized† which means that everything you do at the job is the same all the time, which offers no room for creativity or initiative. There are very few studies on if today’s jobs are turning our youth into assembly line robots, but one of the few is a study conducted by Ivan Charper and Bryan Shore Fraser in 1948.The study relied mainly on what youth wrote on a questionnaire rather than observations of fast food jobs. The study revealed that the jobs have nothing to offer skill wise. A 1980 study be V Harrel found that among students that worked 25 hours per week while in school their unemployment rate years later was half of that of the seniors who didn’t work. This goes to show that most kids that work in fast food while in school are usually stressed to drop out of school and get swallowed up in the fast food world.The studies conducted do show that they develop teamwork and working under supervision, however it must been seen that this learning is not exactly educational or wholesome and that it’s trying to teach us blind obedience. It shows that teens are more interested in the reward of money, and status, than credits in a calculus course. So parents should see that teen employment isn’t exactly educational though it does offer some things, but it can also be abused.I have to agree with Etzioni, I myself have worked in fast-food jobs and have gained nothing from them except a quick dollar. He is very persuasive in this essay, and makes some really good points. I like when he talks about today’s jobs turning the youth into assembly line robots, I completely feel him on that, because the job is so repetitive you never do anything different. He really caught my attention with this essay. Working at Mcdonalds Teens and Jobs In the essay, â€Å"Working at McDonald's,† Malta Textron talks about his belief that working, especially at fast food chain restaurants can be bad for teenagers. Working, for teenagers under some circumstances can be bad for them but sometimes its good depending on the daily schedule of whomever is working. If the teen is still in school, working is bound to affect their involvement and attendance in negative ways. Though it's true that while working you gain on the Job experience, Edition believes it ant really help If it comes at the cost of education while teens think the opposite.Fast food Jobs do have an advantage earning money while also learning how to manage the money they make. It boils down to whether or not risks outweigh the benefits when working Jobs like this which all depends on the current situation of the teen. To begin, the Edition writes how he believes Jobs don't go well with keeping up schoolwork and can get In the way of attendance. This i s the same for nearly all extracurricular activities most are after school so It's likely to get In the way.When I as in high school I had a friend John who tried to juggle a job, schoolwork and a football altogether but in the end he chose to give up football because he couldn't make it to any of the practices. The author also takes into account that if students don't have enough time to study their grades will drop without question. It comes down to the decision of which activity to give up to make room for work. More than half the time students will abandon the sport to find more study time Like in my friend John's case. Second, the author addresses the problem that I think has two sides to the coin.He believes that jobs generally don't give any training that would help outside of the work they would be currently doing. This is true because most of the skills taught in fast food restaurants are for the simple things like running the register or working the fryer. Many of the Jobs themselves could be done as good or better by a nine- year-old because of how simple the work Is. Most aspects of this type of job wouldn't help anyone In the future much less a teenager. Once they no longer work there anymore, the skill is useless unless they still plan on working in the same type of Job.There are a couple of things that can be learned from a fast food Job that might help with other Jobs the future. If you've ever been too McDonald's or any other fast food restaurant and had a bad worker serving you, you might have gotten a little annoyed. Work ethic Is very Important at a fast food place or any workplace for that matter. In other Jobs, If you are not quick and efficient, you might not make It very far in your work. Also, workers learn how to work with different types of people this helps them in later experiences in a work force.Getting an impatient customer is a good example, when presented with a problem like this it helps prepare you for other situations like it in the future. This is not always easy but will serve as great experience for jobs in the future. Lastly, Textron explains that working doesn't teach teens how to manage their is that you learn the value of a dollar from your own mistakes. Having money and working for that money helps teens to understand that money isn't free and shouldn't be wasted. When teenagers want to buy something they'll simply go buy it only to mind later that they could have gotten it at half price had they waited on a sale.Also teens will try to rent things they want from â€Å"pay later† businesses like rent a center instead of buying it when they have the money to do so Just to learn that not only is it more expensive this way but if they miss a payment the rightful owners could repossess it at any time. Often times this could lead to debt, but if they are lucky their parents might help them out. â€Å"Students who worked at least 25 hours per week while in school, their unemployment rate four years later was half of the noirs who did work. This means that most of those that began in fast food Jobs stayed in that area of work or simply became unemployed. There are plenty of pros and cons to working at an early age, while it could interfere with school it can also help teens develop a good work ethic and learn from their mistakes. If they don't get the chance to make these mistakes before they move away, the consequences could be a lot more devastating. The question the author wants the reader to consider in all this is, can the risk worth the reward?

Lena Baker vs Annette Lyes

The Lena Baker and Anjette Lyles are two-court cases that are very questionable in court decision. Lena Baker shot and kill Ernest B. Knight who had remove her from her home and locked in a the gristmill. Baker was sentenced to Death. Anjette Lyles was a woman who murder four people Ben F. Lyles Jr who was her first husband, Joe Neal Gabbert who was her second husband, Julia Lyles who was her former mother in law and Marcia her daughter. She was sentenced to the State Hospital for the Insane in Milledgeville. Georgia's In Lena Case, the Judge put to gun on the stand to intimidate the court to give him the verdict.Her trail lasted less than day. Even with the right to fast and speedy trail in my opinion that was to fast for the defense to cast enough doubt in any juror mind. The Judge gun influenced the jury to give him the verdict he wants. Those two alone is enough for a mistrial. The Governor granted Lena a sixty-day reprieve so that the Board of Pardons and Parole could review the case. In January 1945, the board denied clemency. Baker's execution date was rescheduled for March 5, 1945. She was taken to Reidsville State Prison on February 23, 1945.Sixty years later the state of Georgia accounted that it had made a mistake and that Lena Baker should have been sentenced to a lesser serious crime. I think that the death should be removed from the books because innocent people are sentenced to death each year. The Death pleanty here was unreasonable everyone knew what was happening was wrong but still happened. In the Anjette case, her poison four people . Anjette plan these murder out and commit them. She had her trail and was sentenced to death. She would have been the first white woman sentenced to death and people were not happy about that.The governor step in and appointed a sanity commission consisting of a psychiatrist, psychologist, and medical doctor to examine Lyles. The conclusion the team presented to the Board of Pardons and Paroles was that the pri soner was insane. The Board commuted her death sentence, and Lyles was sent to the State Hospital for the Insane in Milledgevillethe Insanity plea in this case was unreasonable everyone knew what was happening was wrong but still happened. took form Document by Mr. Sutton Word for Word. 2005 took form Document by Mr. Sutton Word for Word.

A Company Policy for Electronic Information and Communications Essay

A Company Policy for Electronic Information and Communications - Essay Example This policy is formulated with the intention of ascertaining certain standards, to which the employees of the company should comply while operating computers and internet. The electronic communication tools are usually utilized by employees with the intention of conducting business operations effectively. The policy devised by the HR Director of the company will comprise the following contents or steps: The employees of the company using computers as well as internet services are required to utilize them with responsibility. Moreover, the employee should maintain measures to protect the information resources. The policy will provide guiding principles in order to ensure that electronic communications, as well as information technologies, are used in an appropriate manner (Safe Technology, â€Å"Workplace Template and Specimen Policy†). The objective of the policy will be to ascertain that the electronic resources of the company are used properly. Computers and internet services will be usually used for accessing as well as sharing of valuable information of the company. In this context, these technologies of the company are regarded to be an important factor for accomplishing the current as well as future activities of the company. The employees should acknowledge the rights of others in relation to their privacy as well as intellectual property. Furthermore, this policy will depict the standards as well as principles with which employees must abide by while utilizing the computers and internet services of the company (Safe Technology, â€Å"Workplace Template and Specimen Policy†). The formulated policy will be applicable to all employees of the company as well as other people who are granted the facility of accessing computers and internet services. The company possesses the right to monitor as well as investigate over all the communications which are performed through the network using the company’s computers and internet facility. Moreover, the company  can perform this monitoring or review activity with the objective to ensure that its interests remain intact and any untoward incident does not arise through means of the technological front.

Reflection paper on CHRISTIANITY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflection paper on CHRISTIANITY - Essay Example One of such depictions is the film, â€Å"Kingdom Of Heaven’ by Ridley Scott which was released recently in 2005. This movie takes place during the 12th  century in specific during the second crusade. Although this film is a work of fiction it does provide a historical account for the events that took place during that time. The plot of the film is based on the character of  Balian of Ibelin. He was a French blacksmith who follows his father to fight in the crusades. The main events of this film are the falling of the kingdom of Jerusalem and the power struggle between the Muslims and Christians over Jerusalem. Through the character of  Guy de Lusignan, this film is depicting the rising greed in different rulers that was present at that time. Guy is the husband of Sybilla, the king’s sister. After the death of King Baldwin IV, Sybilla took the throne and named his husband the king of jerusalem. Guy was a person who was greedy and intended to rule after the death of King Baldwin, it was his greed of expanding the empire and establishing a Christian Kingdom and so he wanted to provoke a war with Muslims so he could be successful in his goals. This character portrays another aspect of the crusades that was the aspect that much noble man took part in this war not primarily because of religion, but because of other personal reasons. This film is not one of those films that show just one side of the event. It managed to show both the sides of the crusades. It portrayed the side of Muslims, which is usually absent in the western media. It showed how it was actually the idea of some angry churchmen who took upon their self to rid the world of impurity that is Muslims, and this simple idea lead to one of the greatest wars in the history. It also highlighted that the Crusades then provoked the peaceful Muslim world to fight back, which resulted in a lot of loss of property and life. The movie itself shows how the violence turned Muslims into warriors who fought to

Macroeconmics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Macroeconmics - Essay Example The article also interprets the new data regarding unemployment in United States. It explains that the important factors in lower unemployment rates are reduction in participation rate and the performance of the private sector. The article also discusses how government officials are trying to settle on the budget crisis and informs the audience regarding the potential harmful consequences if any settlement is not reached. It is also discussed that although unemployment is decreasing, new jobs are not adding in the economy as they were 2 months ago. This shows that there is a decreasing trend in the increasing jobs in the economy. The decreasing trend depicts how budget crisis is negatively affecting the economy and especially the job market. Public companies are not hiring employees because they are unsure as to what will happen in the coming few months. The budget crisis therefore is significantly affecting the economy. Another indication of the importance of the unemployment data can be seen by the performance of stock markets. Usually good news such as decrease in unemployment has a positive effect on the stock markets and investors start to invest in the markets. This did not happen as the markets did not react well to the news. The market reacted in a good way for sometime but this positive reaction was not long lasting which shows that people still have reservations regarding the state of the economy. Stock market performance is an important indicator as to how people perceive the new information and in this case it shows that the news can be regarded as a mixed report. The article also discusses that the new unemployment data reveals that the economy is recovering but the whole process is very slow. The new jobs were added because private companies increased their hiring but government hiring is still in the negative. This again indicates the overall picture of the economy. The article

Buddism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Buddism - Essay Example Buddhism is considered a philosophy and a religion at the same time, due to various reasons. First, it is a philosophy since it is a way of life. People have to adhere to the set standards of the way of life to be connected to the religion. Without focusing on this, one cannot be considered to be a Buddhist. In its philosophy or way of life, it is stated that people allied to Buddhism should have acceptable standards of behavior. This means that all the people in the religion have to adhere to the set standards to be considered as followers of the religion and philosophy. In many instance, the people have to connect their way of life to an awakening call. They have to change their way of life as they have been â€Å"awaken† from their previous lifestyle. This shows that when a person is joining Buddhism, they have to change their way of life to fit the religion. This will go a long way in ensuring the religious norms are observed to utter optimum. Buddhism as a philosophy in t he world has been elaborated to mean love for wisdom. The people in Buddhism must have unending love for wisdom to develop as straight and obedient followers of the religion. Since this is the vital element of the religion, anyone wishing to join the religion must adhere to the philosophy of awakening, and elaborate on unending need for wisdom. In the Buddhism teaching, people with freedom have to lead a better way of life due to their decisions on matters in the world (Keown, 6). With their increasing wisdom, they are able to make decisions that are for the benefit of their life and the religion as a whole. As a Buddhist, the immortal love for wisdom is a practical lesson that should be adhered to and protected. Since this is the core element in the religion, the love for wisdom was split into three main parts. Simplifying the love for wisdom was a practical element that ensured the people allied to the religion understood the message to core. In the first presumed path of the love for wisdom, a person allied to the Buddhism religion should lead a moral way of life. This is an acceptable standard that has been highlighted by the Buddhism culture. All the people that are in the religion should have a connection to other people that lead a moral life. As such, there is a need to have universal way of life, which is moral. This is by avoiding any activities that may be deemed mortal to the Buddhism culture. As such, leading a universal way of life that is moral is an element that needs to be achieved in the Buddhism culture. According to the Buddhism philosophy, people have to consider their away of life as sacred and only attempt activities that are acceptable. This is both in the society and the normal way of life (Keown, 7). With such in mind, the Buddhism culture will have a dominant society that initiates morality in the society. When a person leads a moral life, it creates a scenario where people accept the religion and its philosophical grounds. In bringi ng up the Buddhism culture, the prince, Buddha had been distracted in his early life. He was raised in the loyal life as a prince and had loyal life of ease. This was a life that would shield him from the miseries and cruelties of the world, which made the prince, live lavishly. However, he was often distracted by sensual pleasures and this led to luxurious living. With such a living, he had never encountered any form of

COMEDY - INFORMATIVE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

COMEDY - INFORMATIVE - Essay Example o involved with the charity, through the earnings made by selling pixels from this website, I would be able to expand the area of social work and contribute to the good cause on an individual basis. As soon as you buy pixels from us and formalities are completed, you would be able to upload your picture within 5 minutes and have your own web space! So there you have the differential element that is not found in the suggested site. We also let you earn by sharing our revenues with you. Yes, I want you all to realize your dreams of becoming a celebrity! With just 10 cents, have your own web-space where you can advertise yourself to the whole wide world. Think unique with your space and rock the world, buddy! As soon as you have the IDEA that takes everyone by its exclusivity and funkiness! Apart from that we will also help you make money by sharing our revenues with you when people click your homepage. The larger the numbers of visitors on your webpage, the more money you get. Our primary affiliates would be the sponsors who would be gaining business through your homepages. For example; if you are slimming center then the hotels and fast food centers that promote healthy living would become sponsors when they advertise in our website. Thus, affiliate marketing would be our major earning

Are woman in the Arab world oppressed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Are woman in the Arab world oppressed - Essay Example Souheila (2006) is of the firm opinion that Arab women are breaking down barriers to gain greater freedom. They should not be judged by the veil that they adorn. The veil is merely a requirement of the Islamic religion to hide the contours of the body so as not to attract the opposite sex. The west considers the veil as a symbol of religious cruelty or oppression. Our Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan once said, â€Å"I am afraid we are seeing that trend today in the tensions between East and West, with each side encumbered by stereotypes of what the other must be like. To hear some in the West, all Arab women are backward and oppressed†¦.† While woman in the Arab world are seen to be oppressed, they do enjoy political and social rights, and the media should be showing the other side of the Arab woman in our world today. The role of woman varies from one country to the other. In Kuwait women have participated in the country’s elections for the first time ever (Souheila). As far back as 1979 cabinet, the first female minister was appointed in Jordan. In the field of education, about 55% of the college graduates in Saudi Arabia are women while 57% of the university-age women in Tunisia are enrolled for college education. In Syria, women make 15% of lawyers and 13% of judges apart from 20% of university professors. Women hold 34% of all private sector businesses in Riyadh and 25.6% in Jeddah (Ahmed, n.d.). Four thousand Saudi business women hold bank accounts worth $11.5 billion and Saudi women also hold 20% public company shares. A Saudi woman has also been appointed head of an UN agency. According to the Jordanian Constitution, all Jordanians are equal before the law, have the right to assume public office and the right to work. The government of Jordan signed the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in December 1980, which was

Critical Analysis of Early Childhood Pedagogy Article Essay Example for Free

Critical Analysis of Early Childhood Pedagogy Article Essay Argument stated that early childhood curriculum needs to be analyzed because the old curriculum was introduced by another culture. â€Å"Early childhood curriculum as defined by Haliwell is also called â€Å"cultural construction work† (Ashby, Grieshaber, p 127) and trading post between boundaries of culture, generations, and sexes (Ashby, Greishaber, p 128). † Consideration is given to the child centered education in order to answer the questions on what to be taught, who decides and who are the learners to develop childhood curriculum into â€Å"person-making† (p128). 2. Is the statement of the problem clear in the beginning to the end? The readings concluded that early education in the past did not respond to the changing circumstances (p. 139) makes it unclear since the circumstance of Australia is becoming a nation with multi-racial population contradict the point that traditional education in the past brought by European countries and the west did not respond to change. Statement is incoherent towards a universal outlook or people go through a phase of â€Å"inculturation â€Å"which if traced back came out from the west or European in origin. See more: how to write a critical analysis outline 3. Evidences that support the arguments which is leading to the conclusion. The argument is to consider the present trend with regards also to the so called child centered learning elaborated in the examples by the PCF (see pages 137-138). However, it did not provide other evidence on the effects of the child centered learning option which undermines classroom behavioral patterns or the teacher and pupil relationship. 4. Relevance of the evidence that support argument is it up to date? Moreover, it criticizes that the old or early childhood programs legitimated diverse cultural viewpoints (page 138). Evidence gathered to answer the question about who to teach and be thought and what should be taught was not very well implicated in the succeeding arguments although it discusses on the aboriginal culture of the nation. 5. Is there sufficient evidence to prove the case? Relevance? What is missing? The argument is to determine the best approach in the present childhood curriculum. However, there are no sufficient evidences if the past or the present trends are successful. 6. What (if any) would be a better order to present to strengthen the line of reasoning? The paper is to consider the methods of teaching early childhood education. What is missing are the comparative analysis or the pros and cons of both the early trend and the new trend which is child-centered. The argument discussed several avenues of conflict especially when culture, sex and generation gaps are examined. 7. Are there examples of flawed reasoning? Attempts to persuade the reader through an appeal to the emotions? Is evidence interpreted and used correctly? The reader is appealed to the emotion of seeking identity to a fast changing world and competencies in teaching (page 137-138). Article did not answer the question on how early childhood education should be taught in Australia. Further there is no conclusion for instance concluding that Child centered pedagogy must also become teacher focused.

Design of an Interactive Graphics Framework

Design of an Interactive Graphics Framework Design of an Interactive Graphics Framework to Instruct Students on Computer Architecture Hardware Literature Review: The curriculum recommended by the ACM/IEEE-CS joint task force and documented in the computing curricula (ACM, 2013) defines a body of knowledge incorporating a wide variety of core topics one of which is computer architecture. Many of the topic areas within the body of knowledge are abstracted from a specific hardware implementation, computer architecture is one area for which specific implementation is essential (Taipala, 2014) as this course plays an important role in the computer science curriculum and also Students need to understand computer architecture in order to structure a program so that it runs more efficiently on a real machine. In selecting a system to use, they should be able to understand the trade off among various components, such as CPU clock speed vs. memory size. The pie chart below shows that computer technicians contribute more to total growth in science and engineering occupations which can be inferred as more number of jobs and a student can manage to get a job easily after graduation but few of the students from engineering and technology and majority of students from contrasting fields face difficulties in understanding computer architecture The computer involves many inter-related topics: digital logic, microprocessors, embedded systems, operating systems, and compiler and programming languages. This inter-relationship is pointed by Nisan and Schocken (2005) in the following way: â€Å"Of course machine language is also an abstraction an agreed upon set of binary codes. In order to make this abstraction formalism concrete, it must be realized by some hardware architecture. And this architecture, in turn, is implemented by a certain chip set, registers, memory units, ALU, and so on. Each level hides the artifacts and mechanisms of the previous lower level which makes the subject even more difficult to understand for students. This abstraction can be described by a top-down as well as a bottom-up approach. To encompass the whole domain and deal with its growing complexity, Knuth (2003), in his keynotes, recommended using a bottom-up education approach but this approach may not be efficient as in this hierarchy, the asse mbly language is the lower programming language and each of its instruction is the translation of one unique machine instruction which is the microcode of hardware activation. Hyde, in his book the Art of the Assembly Language, wrote that although assembly language has a pretty bad reputation, it is required to understand the backstage operation of computer processors (Hyde, 2003). It is a means of making the interaction of the hardware (CPU, memory, I/O) and software (the program) comprehensible (Yehezkel. 2003). The importance of learning computer architecture and the difficulties encountered by teachers assisting the students in understanding the course have been well documented (IEEE Micro, 2000; Cassel et al., 2000). Hence to improve the teaching of computer architecture, instructors must search for better pedagogical methods and tools. Moreover, at the curriculum level (as shown in the previous section), great efforts have to be invested to integrate the theoretical and practi cal aspects of computer architecture topics. Methodology: Based on a survey of software tools and technology Processing and Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) are the computer graphics languages which are appropriate for doing the above mentioned work. These open source software are can build interactive programs easily with 2D or 3D outputs. Firstly an inventory of concepts needs to be created and sorted. These concepts are converted to interactive graphical simulations in order to help students understand better. To build an effective graphics framework data must be collected both from students who are enrolled in the computer architecture course and faculty who teach that course. Data can be collected by questionnaires or by conducting formal interviews with students and professors involved with computer architecture course, interview with faculty members gives the subject of study and interview with students helps in finding out on what topics they need more emphasis (Leibovitch, 2011), results from these interviews and questionna ires collectively outputs the ultimate topics which have to be converted to interactive graphical simulation. â€Å"Cheryl A Schmidt’s Complete CompTIA Guide to PCs† book covers all the fundamental topics of computer architecture and hardware which is appropriate for this research. Purdue University Calumet offers a course named computer architecture (ECET -11000) to freshmen which uses the above mentioned book as textbook and the course syllabus is designed according to the book. Information in their website clearly describes that the class attracts at least 20 students every semester since five years hence 20 counts of data can be collected. After looking at the results of interviews the topics can be finalized and can be converted to interactive 3D models and simulations (framework). Pre test and post test are given to students and these test results can be analyzed to check if this research helps in making the computer architecture course interesting, fun and easil y understandable. Data Collection: Eight to ten computer architecture text books from well established publications and authors need to be analyzed to create the inventory of concepts and these concepts are given as questionnaires to students to finalize and sort based on complexity. Questionnaire 1 (Sample questions to students, questions subject to change): The first three questions reveals about the knowledge of students about computers and their academic background, fourth question outputs the need for this research to be done and the rest of the questions are aimed at gathering the difficulty level of the course which presents the primary data that has to be converted to 3D models. Years and extent of association with computers? Concentrated major? Did you take any computer course(s) before, if yes please list them? How efficient is conventional learning experience with textbooks and labs? On a scale of 1 to 5 please rate the level of difficulty of the below mentioned concepts. Identification of parts of a mother board Mother board connections (assembling and disassembling a PC) Identification of different ports and their uses Different memory devices and their classification Configuring memory (RAM) Installing Hard Disk Redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID technology) Sound drive installation Optical drive installation How a printer works Encrypting a file folder After analyzing the data from the above questionnaire the interactive graphical framework can be completed by using graphical tools and then be tested in class with the students and tests can be conducted, the students are tested on few computer architecture topics without the frame work then they are provided with the framework and tested again on the same questions. Analysis of the test score data can be used to draw conclusion about the efficiency of the framework in helping the students to deeply understand the course making it easy, fun and interesting. Test 1 (Sample test questions to students): The following test questions are designed according to the topics which are converted to 3D models and simulations, since the actual data is not yet collected these questions are subject to change. This test is conducted twice once without the framework and again with the framework. Even the questionnaire 1 will be given to students as post test after they have used the framework to see if they change the options from difficult to easy. What steps have to be taken while disassembling a PC? What is the use of RAID technology? How do you encrypt a file folder? How does a printer work? How do you configure RAM and calculate video memory Mention any five ports and write their uses. What type of hard disk will be chosen according to the type of CPU? Compare PATA, SATA, SCSI and SAS hard drives. Identify the parts of the below given motherboard In the following section, the basic units of the computer are presented. Illustrate, using arrows, the connection between the units. Describe the function next to each arrow. Data Analysis: The objective of this project is to help students to learn computer architecture course with building an ease in understanding and interest. To achieve this objective the interactive graphics simulator must be tested for its effectiveness. Questionnaires and interviews from students and faculty of computer architecture courses reveal the topics which are complex and have to be built in graphic simulation to make them look simple and easy. Questionnaires given to students have a scale of one to five which can be marked according to the level of difficulty of the specific concept. By analyzing the data quantitatively which is the concepts which get four or five marked in majority will be chosen to be converted to simulation. After the simulation is completed it is given to students and faculty to explore and go along with the computer architecture course. The main data analysis method to get the best result for this project is prestest and posttest. Description of the Pretest and Posttest The pretest was conducted before the course began, with the aim of determining the prior knowledge on the subject. The posttest was conducted at the end of course with the intention of determining the level of comprehension. Since the actual data is not collected the results cannot be interpreted and the questionnaires can be subject to change. The results of questionnaires before the simulator and after using the simulator are compared, if the student score in the posttest has increased drastically the simulator is considered to be effective and if there is no change or very less increment in the score then the simulator has to be developed more effectively. The figure below shows the example overall score of each student when compared to the percentage of correct answers vs prestest and posttest. Figure 1 In figure 1 the student has improved drastically after using the simulator but on the other hand if the results are opposite the simulator has to be developed more effectively. To develop a more effective simulator each question has to be compared with itself from pretest and posttest. The bar chart below represents the sample comparison of each correct answer to the question by the number of students from pretest and posttest. Figure 2 shows answers to questions which have improved and which have not improved. The first four questions in the questionnaire give the data about acquaintance of course to the student hence these four questions are removed from the comparison chart in Figure 2. From this result analysis can be made that the answers which have not improved are the concepts which are still difficult for the students to understand and be given a second thought to improve them in a different manner in the simulator thus improving its effectiveness. This way the simulator can be developed to achieve one hundred percent of usage in the class of computer architecture making the course easy, interesting and fun. Figure 2 References: Taipala, D. (2014) Teaching Computer Architecture in an Online Learning Environment using Simulation and Peer Instruction, 30(1), 87-98. Lazowaka, E.D. (2010). Where The Jobs are†¦ Retrieved from  http://www.cccblog.org/2010/01/04/where-the-jobs-are/ Nisan, N., Schocken, S. (2005) The Elements of Computing Systems, Building a Modern Computer from the First principles, MIT Press Stephen J. A., Roberts, E. (2008, July) â€Å"Point/Counterpoint. Technology curriculum for the early 21st century, Communications of the ACM, 51(7), 27-32. Leibovitch, C. Y. R., Levin, I. (2011). Reinforcing and Enhancing Understanding of Students in Learning Computer Architecture.Navigating Information Challenges. Hyde, R. (2003, September). The Art of Assembly Language Programming. Chapter 6: Memory Architecture. Retrieved from: http://webster.cs.ucr.edu/AoA/Windows/HTML/MemoryArchitecture.html. Lazowaka, E.D. (2010). Where The Jobs are†¦ Retrieved from  http://www.cccblog.org/2010/01/04/where-the-jobs-are/ IEEE Micro. (2000). Special Issue on Computer Architecture Education, 20(30). Joint Task Force on Computer Engineering Curricula: IEEE Computer Society/Association for Computing Machinery, Computer Engineering 2004: Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Computer Engineering, 30-31. Retrieved from: http://www.eng.auburn.edu/ece/CCCE/ Yehezkel, C., Ben-Ari, M., Dreyfus, T. (2007). The contribution of visualization to learning computer architecture, CSE on Special Issue on Teaching Hardware-software, 2(17), 117-127. Yehezkel, C. (2003). Making program execution comprehensible—one level above the machine language. 35(3), 124 – 128. Knuth, D. (2003). Bottom-up education, keynote in Proceedings of 8th annual conference on Innovation and technology in computer science education. Retrieved from: http://iticse2003.uom.gr/Iticse_day3 Kumar, D. and Cassel, L. (2002). A state of the course report: Computer organization and architecture. SIGCSE Bulletin, 34(3), 175 – 177. Purdue Calumet Class schedule. Retrieved From: https://banwebf.purduecal.edu/pls/proddad/Webctlg.P_CtlgProcInput?inputsubjcode=ECETinputsymbol==inputcrsenumb=11000inputcoursetype=2inputreqind=2callpage=clistquery Cheryl A(2014). Complete CompTIA Guide to PCs. Sample pages retrieved From: http://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780789749765/samplepages/0789749769.pdf