A Brief Note On The Culture Of Terrorism - 1518 Words

Culture of Terrorism The Culture of Terrorism The thesis of this paper is that the attacks of 9/11 were the catalysts of a world culture of terrorism that is used by propaganda and censorship to blur the politics of globalization and technology, and restructure a totalitarian society. This paper will argue that the businesses of â€Å"the U.S. media shill factory† (Borjesson, 2004, p.165), the plottings of the â€Å"brand based† (Klein, 2000, P.421) corporations, and the multi-national oil giants influence sectors of government by using deliberate strategies of censorship and propaganda to discredit government effectiveness, alienate populations, and seize control. What is the correlation between censorship and propaganda? â€Å"Intelligent men must†¦show more content†¦A new social order can only be reconstructed by a flow of chaos that compels a populace to request and even accede to such a change. It is essential to this paper that this began to surface publicly during â€Å"the mass popular movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s† (Chomsky, 1988, p.39-40). It was evident in the social activists who protested against the culture of violence that erupted. It was seen in the youth, in the universities, and in the government that had presided over the baby-boomer, white middle class economic boom between 1945 and 1963. This quiet center of American society floated unaware of the iceberg that lurked below, the â€Å"military-industrial complex† that Eisenhower warned of just before he left office in 1961 (â€Å"The Avalon Project†). Eisenhower also noted that â€Å"until the latest of our world conflicts, the U.S. had no armament industry† (â€Å"The Avalon Project†), but society was about to be torn apart. National leaders were assassinated. Kent State students protested Nixon’s unauthorized invasion of Cambodia, which he concealed from Congress. The Vietnamese War also brought the violence of arms directly to the American people along with â€Å"massive amounts of heroin being smuggled into the States in the bodies and body bags of GI’s killed in Vietnam† (Borjesson, 2004, p.165). Although â€Å"it was clear to us that CIA protection of international narcotics traffickers depended heavily on the

Newspaper Analysis Free Essays

The front page of a newspaper provides a great deal of information on various subjects. Most newspapers include a weather forecast, an index or brief description of articles inside the paper, and a small sports scorecard to accompany the local and national news. Newspapers also concentrate on how to grab the attention of readers. We will write a custom essay sample on Newspaper Analysis or any similar topic only for you Order Now They most commonly use a larger, darker type of print, mixture of color, and/or pictures on the front page of the paper. A newspaper s job is to update people on the happenings around the world as well as in their own community. Community size often may influence or even dictate the findings on the front page of a newspaper. Normally the front page of a newspaper lets a person in on the findings throughout the remaining sections of the paper. A small index, or article description containing page numbers, usually shows a reader what the rest of paper contains. Accompanying this index, usually a forecast of the weather to come in the next few days manages to make it on the front page also. Some papers actually save the die-hard sports fans some time by having a miniature scoreboard recapping the scores of the day before. Remember that this doesn t apply to all papers only to some. Newspapers constantly look for more readers and to help attract these readers many attempt to dress up their paper. While some papers remain basic and plain, others add color and size to font in a try to appeal to readers. Background color adds a little life to an otherwise regular dull off white that normally associates itself with newspapers. The larger font highlighted in bold to draw the eyes of a reader in that direction gives each article its own personalized title instead of simply a lead in to the article itself. Negative effects, also come from the attempt at adding life to the paper. A few readers become disgusted with the constant multiple page articles. The large font makes articles small space assigned to it that much smaller, so readers frequently find themselves finishing articles on a second page. Pictures commonly graze the front page of newspapers. From local events to national disasters they provide for a break in reading. Even when reading a book, many people skim the pages looking for pictures to give an image to the writings in that book. The pictures do not necessarily link with the articles on the page either; many pictures make the paper without a story behind them. These pictures commonly differ from place to place. If a person were to pick up a small town newspaper they would most likely notice a range of articles from the town wide garage sale to the result of the football game on Friday night. If a person were to pick up a larger based newspaper, they would notice more articles dealing with the community. The difference between newspapers varies ever so slightly. When a person views or observes the pictures from the big city paper they may find some government officials shaking hands or people from another country with distraught looks overcoming their faces. In a local community the newspaper more than likely will not contain pictures pulled off the associated press wire. Pictures on the front page of a small town paper will show children swimming, playing at a local park, or the rodeo queen. A person won t catch these pictures on the cover of a large paper; in fact, articles similar to these most likely would not exist in larger papers. Like pictures, articles also differ from community to community. Not many small papers feature articles about how the President signed another bill or influenced another treaty. The small papers will contain articles about the local chamber of commerce or the recent school board bond issue. The larger newspaper will discuss a variety of national news and possibly work in some details of how the stock market is rising or falling. The larger paper covers so many different communities it is important for them to keep people up to date on the latest news nationally with their sources. With sources obtained by the larger paper their ability to cover national news makes them the money. Different papers cover different topics or issues. Newspapers bring information about various subjects to people. People in return relay this information to other people, in effect notifying others of the happenings in our world. The importance of the newspaper takes us back in history to the time of the Sons of Liberty. They were not far enough advanced to produce a newspaper and disperse it among the colonies. They had to send representatives to meetings to tell of their mistreatment by the British. This only happened through organized meetings at different times. Small newspapers cover local news happening around several communities. Even though it covers several communities, small papers create a feel of a hometown paper. Large papers just don t create that feel of a hometown paper even though they also cover many communities. These papers are relied on to bring the people the national news that escapes the smaller papers. Their emphasis on national news makes them the leading sellers. Every newspaper covers their fair share of news, only each paper s front page will contain the news they will exhibit throughout the remaining of their paper. Simply put remember to find national news go to the big city paper and for your local news pick up a small newspaper. How to cite Newspaper Analysis, Essay examples

Australian Competition and Connection Consumer Commission

Question: Discuss about the Australian Competition and Connection Consumer Commission. Answer: Introduction: Coles is a huge brand in Australia and the provisions of the Competition and Consumer Act, 2010, (Cth) apply on the company. To meet with the regulatory compliance of this act, Coles has opted for a few strategies. These strategies include providing better shopping experience to its customers, improving the quality by use of fresher produce and offering better value by lowering the prices of weekly shopping basket. The Annual Report of Coles for the financial year 2015 stated its objectives as delivering a better store network; focus on freshness and creating trusted value. By supplying better quality products, Coles is working towards creating trusted value. Coles Online is a part of the company which also shares the same strategy of providing better services, by making shopping easy for its customers. This strategy has a clear and strong focus on delivering savings to its customers. Coles Express had introduced trusted Every Day Value pricing in its stores for fulfillment of this strategy (Coles, 2015). The slogans of the company, used from time to time are aligned with the, objectives of the Act. Whether it is the slogan used in 1980s of You'll find the best value is at Coles New World"or the one used from 1998 to 2003, which was "Serving you better, Coles has ensured that the objectives of the Act are met. The current slogan of the company Down Down promotes competition (Mortimer, 2015). The strategies of Coles seem plain advertisement criteria, but a careful observation of the wordings clarifies the objective behind these strategies. The Act, through its various provisions, provides that a business has to ensure that the produce provided to the consumers, is safe for human consumption. Further, the products which have a low shelf life have to be provided to the customers, within the shelf life of such product. The act also provides that the inertest of the consumer have to be secured. All the strategies of Coles reflect the objective of the Competition and Consumer Act, 2010. The objective of this Act is to enhance the welfare of the Australians by promoting competition, free trading and providing provisions for consumer protection (Australian Government, 2016). The strategy of Coles is to provide fresher products to its customers. By providing fresher produce, the company sets examples to its competitors to ensure that the consumers ultimately benefit from its business. A better store network would ensure that the customers do not face any hassles in their shopping experience. One of the strategies of Coles is to provide better products at lower values. By ensuring a combination of better product with low costs, a sense of competition is attained. The other companies would also move towards providing such services. The consumer would get better products at lesser prices. This would again promote competition. Coles had its share of problems with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The Court in the case of ACCC v Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd [2014] FCA 1405 held that the company was engaged in unconscionable conduct and levied a penalty of $10 million on it (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, 2014). The judge held that the misconduct of Coles was deliberate, repeated and serious. Further, the judge held that the company had misused its bargaining power and the conduct of Coles was contrary to the conscience (Australian Competition Law, 2015). This created a huge problem for Coles as it failed on its strategies to promote competition. On the basis of above case, certain recommendations have been drafted for Coles to improve the management activities of the company, in order to comply with the competition law. The main recommendation for Coles is that, it has to ensure that the incidents mentioned in the above case are not repeated. It should conduct its business in a way which is considered as conscience. It should, at no instance, threaten to harm its suppliers who refused to comply with the Companys demands. Coles has to promote fair trading in its business, along with promoting competition amongst the businesses. Coles has to ensure that it does not indulge in any sort of misleading and deceptive conduct. Further, as the unconscionable and misleading conduct has been prohibited through this Act, Coles has to make sure that it does not take part in such conduct. There has already been a case against Coles in this regard, and any more cases would mean that the company fails to achieve its strategies of creating trusted value. There is also scope of improvement in the management activities of the company to ensure compliance of competition law. The company is working towards providing fresher produce but by creating a better supply chain, the time of getting the produce from suppliers to the supermarket can be reduced. This would ensure that the consumers gets fresh produce and promotes competition. To conclude, it is recommended to the company that they follow the provisions of the Act strictly and ensure that the instances of unconscionable conduct are not repeated. Keeping in view the incident that occurred, the grounds for successful negligence along with the consequences to Bungee World Ltd (BW) have been enlightened here. Recommendations are also provided to resolve the potentially damaging public relations problem in the best possible way. Negligence is the civil wrong done where a duty of care was owed by a person towards another person and the person failed to fulfill this duty, which resulted in a loss or injury to the other person. To establish that the liability arose under the tort of negligence, certain elements have to be present. These elements include a duty of care, a breach of such duty of care, a loss or injury as a result of breach of the duty, and that the loss or injury has to be relevant and not too remote. As per the Civil Liability Act, 2002 (NSW), a person is not considered as negligent unless the risk was predictable, the risk was not at all insignificant and in similar circumstances a prudent person would have taken proper precautions. A landmark case in the duty of care is the case of Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 (Boella and Pannett, 1999). Further, a standard of care has to be ensured as was seen in the case of Bathurst Regional Council v Thompson [2012] NSWCA 340 (Sheehan, 2012). Though a defense is available to the breaching party which states that, a person has to ensure his own safety when the risks are presumed. In such a case, the aggrieved party cannot sue the breaching party as they failed to take the duty of care for themselves. This was also established in the case of Mulligan v Coffs Harbour City Council (2005) 223 CLR (High Court of Australia, 2005). But, in the case of Rootes v Shelton (1967) 116 CLR 383, 385-6, the judge held that when the risk is inherent, the people are bound to accept it to engage in the risky sports (Swarb, 2016). And so, this cannot be referred as a defense by the breaching party. Damage is not only the physical damage, but also the emotional distress. In the case of Baltic Shipping v Dillon (1993) 176 CLR 344, it was held that the applicant could recover damages for the emotional distress that resulted from the breach of duty of care (Australian Contract Law, 2013). In the present case, BW was providing the services of Bungee Jumping for a fee of $50. Further, a waiver form had to be signed by the customers to undertake this activity. As has been established from the famous cases, this does not reduce the liability of BW in case of an injury. BW owed a duty of care towards Loki and had to ensure that the equipment for the bungee jumping was safe and secure. Further, the risk of corrosion was inherent due to the sea moisture present in the air. In this case, BW is liable for negligence as it breached the duty of care it owed to Loki. Further, as stated above, the injury does not have to be a physical and a mental injury is enough to claim damages under negligence. In this case, Loki did not suffer any physical injury but suffered a nervous shock. So, he can successfully sue BW for negligence. As a result of this negligence action taken by Loki, BW will be liable to pay Loki the monetary damages, as a remedy for the injury which Loki suffered. This is a potentially damaging public relations problem and so an effective crisis management is needed to resolve this problem. It is recommended to the Board that the problem should be assessed properly and an understanding should be gained regarding the potential stakeholder, which is Loki in this case. The Board should take steps in providing compensation to Loki before he takes any legal action. This would not only save the costs of legal proceedings, but also act as a shield against the damage done to Loki, as well as, to the image of the company. It is also recommended to the Board to ensure that the faulty equipment is changed and that all the old equipment is checked for its durability and safety. The Board should properly advertise the remedial actions taken as well as the voluntary compensation provided to Loki, so that the image of the company, in the eyes of the public, is improved. Lastly, it is recommended to the company formulate a proper crisis management team which can anticipate, identify and monitor such crisis which have a negated impact on the image of the company (Bernstein, 2016). The 10 minimum employment entitlements which are provided to the workers in Australia as per the Fair Works Act, 2009, are known as the National Employment Standards, or NES. An enterprise agreement or any other registered agreement, an employment contract, or an award are not allowed to provide such conditions, which are less than the NES or the national minimum wages. It can be rightly inferred that the NES and the national minimum wage cover the minimum entitlements for the workers in this country. The 10 minimum entitlements as are stated in the NES includes requests for flexible working arrangements; annual leave; maximum weekly hours; parental leave and related entitlements; long service leave; fair work information statement; personal careers leave and compassionate leave; community service leave; public holidays; and a notice of termination and redundancy pay (Fair Work Ombudsman, 2016). These standards apply to all such employees who are covered in the national workplace relations system by the NES, irrespective of the registered agreement, employment contract, or the award. Casual employees are also eligible to NES entitlements, when it relates to an unpaid compassionate leave, an unpaid carers leave, the Fair Work Information Statement, or the community service leave (Fair Work Ombudsman, 2016). The head of human resources of an Australian engineering company needs to ensure that the company does not contravene these standards. These standards contain that the maximum standard working week should be within the limits of 38 hours for any full time employee, along with the reasonable additional hours. It has to be ensured that the right to request some flexible working arrangement is present. The parental and adoption unpaid leave of 12 months should be available for the employees along with a right to seek an additional 12 months. The paid annual leave of four weeks should be available with the employees for each year, on pro rata basis (The Australian Workers Union, 2016). Further, a ten day paid personal or carers leave should be available with the employees for each year, on pro rata basis, along with two days unpaid carers leave for each permissible occasion, and two days paid compassionate leave for each permissible occasion. The head of HR also has to ensure that proper leaves for jury service, as well as, for emergencies and natural disasters are provided to its employees. Such person also has to ensure that the new employees receive the Fair Work Information Statement. The employees have to be entitled to take the public holidays and the entitlement be paid for ordinary hours for such days. Lastly, the long service leave and notice of termination as well as redundancy pay has to be made available (Fair Work Ombudsman, 2016). The section 3 of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) defines the term consumer. A person who acquires goods or services and the amount paid for such goods or services does not exceed $40,000, is a consumer (Australasian Legal Information Institute, 2016). Such goods and services must be used for personal only and not for re-supply, to fall under the category of consumer. Further, Section 21 of the ACL contains provisions regarding unconscionable conduct in relation to the goods or services. Section 21(1) prohibits a person from supplying or acquiring goods and services, to or from, a person in a manner where the conduct is considered as unconscionable (Australian Competition Law, 2014). Though, the sections of ACL do not define what is considered as unconscionable conduct and hence, reliance is made to the Courts to consider whether an act can be termed as unconscionable conduct or not (Find Law Australia, 2016). The courts generally rely on the following points to consider the conduct as unconscionable conduct: the strength in the bargaining capabilities of the consumer and the supplier; if the consumer was required to comply with the conditions of the supplier, which were not reasonable in the interests of the consumer, and the suppliers conduct had forced the consumer to comply with such conditions; whether or not the consumer had a clear understanding regarding the appropriate documents related to the supply of goods and services; whether the supplier exerted any pressure or undue influence on the consumer; and such circumstances where the consumer could have taken the goods or supplier from any other supplier. If a supplier is found guilty of contravening the section 21 of the ACL, such supplier is then liable to civil pecuniary penalties of $220,000 for persons (other than body corporate) and for body corporate the penalty amount is $1.1 million. Further, the enforcement powers and remedies can also be applied on the supplier for contravening this section. These include injunctions, damages, substantial notices, undertakings, infringement notices, and non-punitive orders, amongst the other things (Australian Consumer Law, 2013). As the sale of the Ono water filter amounted to $2000, Rebecca would be considered as a consumer under the ACL. Dave had used undue influence on Rebecca and forced her to purchase the filter. Further, he used his strength of bargaining position and forced Rebecca to waive the cooling off period. Rebecca had no need to purchase the filter but the unconscionable conduct of Dave compelled her to buy the filter. Hence, Dave contravened the sections of ACL and as a result, Rebecca has the right to seek compensation from Dave. Further, Dave is also liable to civil pecuniary penalties of $220,000. References Australasian Legal Information Institute. (2016) Competition And Consumer Act 2010 - Schedule 2. [Online] Australasian Legal Information Institute. Available from: https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/caca2010265/sch2.html [Accessed on: 20/09/16] Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. (2014) Court finds Coles engaged in unconscionable conduct and orders Coles pay $10 million penalties. [Online] Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Available from: https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/court-finds-coles-engaged-in-unconscionable-conduct-and-orders-coles-pay-10-million-penalties [Accessed on: 20/09/16] Australian Competition Law. (2014) Section 21: Unconscionable conduct in connection with goods or services. [Online] Australian Competition Law. Available from: https://www.australiancompetitionlaw.org/legislation/provisions/acl21.html [Accessed on: 20/09/16] Australian Competition Law. (2015) ACCC v Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd ACCC v Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd [2014] FCA 1405 (22 December 2014). [Online] Australian Competition Law. Available from: https://www.australiancompetitionlaw.org/cases/2014coles.html [Accessed on: 20/09/16] Australian Consumer Law. (2013) The Australian Consumer Law: A framework overview. [Online] Australian Government. Available from: https://consumerlaw.gov.au/files/2015/06/ACL_framework_overview.pdf [Accessed on: 20/09/16] Australian Contract Law. (2013) Baltic Shipping v Dillon High Court of Australia (1993) 176 CLR 344. [Online] Australian Contract Law. Available from: https://www.australiancontractlaw.com/cases/baltic.html [Accessed on: 20/09/16] Australian Government. (2016) Competition and Consumer Act 2010. [Online] Australian Government. Available from: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2011C00003/Html/Volume_1#param2 [Accessed on: 20/09/16] Bernstein, J. (2016) The 10 Steps of Crisis Communications. [Online] Bernstein Crisis Management. Available from: https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/the-10-steps-of-crisis-communications/ [Accessed on: 20/09/16] Boella, M., and Pannett, A. (1999) Principles of Hospitality Law. 2nd ed. UK: Thomson Learning, pp 16-17. Coles. (2015) Annual Report 2015. [Online] Coles. https://www.coles.com.au/~/media/files/coles/pdfs/industry%20reports/467372_coles_annual_report_2015_18.pdf [Accessed on: 20/09/16] Fair Work Ombudsman. (2016) Fair Work Information Statement. [Online] Australian Government. Available from: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/ArticleDocuments/724/Fair-Work-Information-Statement.pdf.aspx [Accessed on: 20/09/16] Fair Work Ombudsman. (2016) National Employment Standards. [Online] Australian Government. Available from: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employee-entitlements/national-employment-standards [Accessed on: 20/09/16] Find Law Australia. (2016) Consumer law: What is unconscionable conduct?. [Online] Find Law Australia. Available from: https://www.findlaw.com.au/articles/4474/consumer-law-what-is-unconscionable-conduct-.aspx [Accessed on: 20/09/16] High Court of Australia. (2005) Mulligan v Coffs Harbour City Council [2005] HCA 63. [Online] High Court of Australia. Available from: https://eresources.hcourt.gov.au/downloadPdf/2005/HCA/63 [Accessed on: 20/09/16] Mortimer, G. (2015) Down, down but not different: Australias supermarkets in a race to the bottom. [Online] Queensland University of Technology. Available from: https://eprints.qut.edu.au/92666/2/92666.pdf [Accessed on: 20/09/16] Sheehan, E. (2012) Council fails in reliance on s 42 defence accident on steps of rotunda in park - Bathurst Regional Council as Trustee for the Bathurst City Council Crown Reserves Reserve Trust v Thompson [2012] NSWCA 340. [Online] Curwoods Lawyers Case Notes. Available from: https://casenotes.curwoods.com.au/?p=2002 [Accessed on: 20/09/16] Swarb. (2016) Rootes V Shelton; 1965. [Online] Swarb. Available from: https://swarb.co.uk/rootes-v-shelton-1965/ [Accessed on: 20/09/16] The Australian Workers Union. (2016) National Employment Standards. [Online] The Australian Workers Union. Available from: https://www.awu.net.au/national-employment-standards [Accessed on: 20/09/16].

Holocaust And Wiesel Essays - Satmar, Human Rights Abuses

Holocaust And Wiesel In early 1944 the town of Sighet, Transylvania was overran by the Nazi war regime as it rapidly expanded across Europe and parts of Asia. In this town a young religious man named Elie Wiesel was questioning the intent of the German army and the rumors that were circling about them. Although he had heard that the Germans were planning mass genocide of the Jewish race, the common feeling throughout the town was that Hitler could never exterminate every Jew. Early in Wiesel's Night, he recounts his experiences in the Holocaust and he expresses his undying faith and belief that god would never allow Hitler's regime to run its course. When the Nazi army finally reached the town of Signet, the Jews were forced from their homes and relocated into the town's gettos. It was the seventh day of Passover, and according to Wiesel, "the race towards death had begun."1 The Jews were slowly removed from the large getto of Sighet and shipped to the smaller, "holding" getto where they were separated according to sex, age, and physical ability, and prepared for shipment to Auschwitz. The day that Wiesel and his family were to be moved to the smaller getto of Signet, Wiesel demonstrates his faith in God by awaking early to perform his daily prayers. As he prepared to leave his home he said, "I looked at our house, where I had spent so many years in my search for God; in fasting in order to hasten the coming of the Messiah; in imagining what my life would be like. Yet I felt little sorrow."2 This passage is symbolic of his first parting with his faith in God. Yet he still believed in God, he was beginning to understand that a God should not let mass extermination happen to his people. While he was sub-consciencly loosing his faith in God, he still felt that there was strength in humanity and that human morals would never allow the burning of Jews. Upon Wiesel's arrival at Auschwitz he caught his first glimpse of the crematories he exclaimed to his father, "I [do] not believe that they can burn people in our age...humanity would never tolerate it."3 Yet after his father convinced him of the horrible truth his faith in god could never be restored. Wiesel's father, after fully realizing the full horror of the concentration camps, said a small prayer to God, and to this Elie reacted with utter defiance. "For the first time, I felt revolt rise up in me. Why should I bless His name? The Eternal, Lord of the Universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank Him for?"4 Although Wiesel still believed in the presence of God, he felt that in God's silence he was defying the Jews and their faith in him. How could someone you are so devoted to be absent in your greatest time of need? Wiesel said that he sympathized with Job, and I feel that the similarities between Wiesel and Job are numerous. Both were very religious men who put their faith before all other, and yet both found that their faith brought them nothing but suffering. Both felt that they deserved a more peaceful and humane existence because of their undying devotion, yet both lived in the cruelest situations for some time. Wiesel felt that man was stronger that god because throughout the Holocaust his fellow prisoners continued to praise God and believed that God allowed the Holocaust in order to benefit the Jews in some strange way. Wiesel felt that because of all the torture that the Jews were subjected to their continued praise proved that they were ignorant to the fact that God was not a source of supreme justice. Wiesel continued to despise God for the remainder of the Holocaust, yet from this new independence he found power. "I felt very strong. I was the accuser, God the accused...I was terribly alone in a world without god and without man."

Audio Lingual Method Essays

Audio Lingual Method Essays Audio Lingual Method Essay Audio Lingual Method Essay 1 GGGV 2044 METHODS IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Semester 2 2009/2010 AUDIO-LINGUAL METHOD: A DISCUSSION (INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT) LECTURER: DR. HAMIDAH BT. YAMAT @ AHMAD LISA KWAN SU LI A123040 TESL/2 2 1. 1 INTRODUCTION The Audio-lingual Method (ALM), by its very name – â€Å"audio† and â€Å"lingual† – refers to a language teaching approach that focuses on two aspects of language, namely listening and speaking. Unlike its predecessor, the Grammar Translation Method, which focuses on reading and writing skills, this approach chooses to emphasize on the first two stages in the natural order of language learning (listening, speaking, reading followed by writing) with the belief that learners who are better speakers and listeners consequently make better readers and writers. The ALM has a firm foundation in the theories of both structural linguistics and behavioural psychology, and thus incorporates techniques and strategies that advocate the concepts and assumptions of language learning from both schools of thought. The structural linguistics view of language learning says that language is learned through awareness and specific attention to the patterns and structure of the language. One of the ALM’s main characteristics is its use of repetition and drills that draw learners’ attention to the patterns of the target language which are subsequently memorized and repeated to automaticity. Language learning from the view of behavioural psychology on the other hand, occurs by conditioning and habit formation of accurate responses to stimuli. The right response for a stimulus is modelled by the teacher beforehand and then drilled into the learners repeatedly until such responses become a â€Å"habit† that enables learners to successfully produce accurate responses without clues or prompting by the teacher. This discussion aims to further understand the Audio-lingual Method and explore the advantages and disadvantages of employing it in the second language classroom. The author als o puts out her recommendations for the use of the ALM in the second language classroom. 2. 1 HISTORY By the first half of the twentieth century, the Direct Method had lost its popularity in the U. S. However, it is believed that the decline of the Direct Method brought about the emergence of the ALM. As Brown (2001) puts it: â€Å" by the middle of the twentieth century, the Direct Method was revived and redirected into what was probably the most visible of all language teaching â€Å"revolutions† in the modern era, the Audio-lingual Method. † The U. S. educational institutions at the time still believed that a reading approach like the Grammar Translation Method was more practical than an oral one. Therefore the 1930s and 1940s saw the Grammar Translation Method going strong in all schools across the U. S. However, after World War II, the U. S. saw an urgent need for her to be orally proficient in the language of her allies as well as foes. This led to a drastic change in 4 the current view of language teaching from a mere reading approach to one with a heavier emphasis on aural and oral skills. Special intensive language programs were developed by the U. S. army which came to be known as the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP), or more simply, the Army Method. In the 1950s, the Army Method was renamed the Audiolingual Method. 3. 1 PRINCIPLES OF ALM Some of the main principles of language learning in the ALM are stated by Alkhuli 2005 (as cited by Abdel-Rahman Abu-Melhim in the International Forum of Teaching and Studies). One of these principles is that the second language learning process should be similar to that of first language acquisition. This complies with the natural order of language learning which is listening, speaking, reading and finally, writing. It is believed that the learner first learns to speak what he has listened to, then read what he has spoken, and write what he has read. Therefore, the ALM emphasizes on listening and speaking skills in order to facilitate the progress of reading and writing skills besides increasing communicative competency. Another principle is that the second language is best acquired by habit formation. A habit is created when an action is repeated and is subsequently produced 5 in response to certain stimuli almost without conscious activity. This is achieved via the repetitive pattern practices that are part and parcel of the ALM. Translation of the target language into the native language is considered harmful and will hinder acquisition of the second language. Such translations are believed to impede the mastery or control of the second language. When the target language is used in all circumstances in the classroom, learners learn to make direct connections between the vocabulary and its semantics in the target language itself, which is ideal for effective second language learning. However, these principles are merely assumptions. Counter-arguments include: second language learning is completely different from native language acquisition in many different aspects. In addition, the natural order of language learning that the ALM stresses on is irrelevant because the four language skills can be developed simultaneously rather than sequentially. The learning of a second language is not necessarily a process of habit formation where responses are elicited by stimuli, but also involves the cognitive. Finally, translation into the native language has proven a useful technique indeed in learning a second language, demonstrated in methods such as the Grammar Translation Method. 4. 1 MAIN FEATURES As aforementioned, the ALM follows the natural order of language learning. The use of repetitive drills is justified in shaping a new â€Å"habit† for learning the second 6 language. Stimuli-responses are expected and correct ones are immediately reinforced as conditioning, concurrent with the views of behavioural psychology. The native language also plays a minimal role in the ALM. Only the target language is used within the classroom by both teacher and learners. New material in the target language is also introduced in dialogue form, closest to a natural situational context for learners to gain communicative competence and skills. Modeling is done by the teacher whereby a particular structure of sentence is spoken and learners repeat the sentence, mimicking its sound patterns and intonation, and aiming for identicalness. Slips in learners’ pronunciation of words in the sentence are immediately corrected by the teacher to avoid formation of â€Å"bad habits†. Grammar rules are not taught explicitly but are expected to be induced by the learners through the various examples and patterns that are exposed to them during the lesson. Contrastive analyses are also done between the native language and the target language in order to draw learner’s attention to differences in pattern, structure and sound system of both languages. 5. 1 TECHNIQUES There are many techniques employed in the classroom that advocate the underlying principles (or assumptions) of the ALM, and are also based on the aforementioned two main schools of thought for the said method. 7 One of the main techniques used is of introducing new learning material in the form of a dialogue. A model conversation is analyzed, broken down and memorized through mimicry. Dialogues are seen as a natural conversational ontext that will aid learners in applying learned structures and vocabulary. Many drills are used in the ALM. The backward build-up drill (expansion drill) breaks down a difficult sentence into smaller parts. Usually the last phrase of the sentence is repeated by the learners and then parts are added on, or expanded, until learners are able to repeat the complete sentence without further trouble. Single-slot substitution drills require the learners to substitute in cues given by the teacher into a particular slot in the sentence. Multiple-slot substitution drills on the other hand, require a higher level of competence from the learners. Learners must recognize particular slots within the sentence to substitute the cues given by the teacher, occasionally having to alter subject-verb agreements as well. Other drills include the repetition drill, chain drill, transformation drill and question-and-answer drill. (Refer to Appendix A) 6. 1 ADVANTAGES As compared to an extreme method like the Grammar Translation Method, where reading and writing are so stressed on that speaking and listening skills are neglected, ALM does develop the aural/oral skills of learners. Learners through the ALM are able to participate in situational contexts competently. 8 In addition, learners are more aware of the phonetic aspects of the language. Through modeling and mimicry, learners pay more attention to proper pronunciation and intonation. Errors in pronunciation are immediately dealt with, while correct responses are positively reinforced. Learners are sensitive to the intonation and are aware of their different functions of questioning, requesting, pleading etc. Through substitution drills, learners also learn to recognize the borders between the phrases that make up the sentence. They are also exposed to a variety of different sentences that have similar structures through repetition drills as well. Transformational drills help learners familiarize with question tags and their corresponding answers, affirmative and negative sentences and even active and passive ones. Such a wide variety of sentence and question structures serve to enhance learners’ communicative ability. 7. 1 DISADVANTAGES Although the drills that are the ALM’s distinguishing feature may be considered one of its strengths, they are also its weakness. Such drills leave no room for creativity, causing learners to lose interest or feel bored in the classroom. When learners lose their motivation, it negatively affects their progress in second language learning. New vocabulary learned is also limited in context. Instead, the sound system and grammatical patterns are emphasized on more. Learners are taught set phrases in gruel repetition in response to certain questions, where the form and structure are 9 highlighted. Consequently, learners are only drilled to respond correctly with answers that are expected of them without caring much for its meaning. For example, the set phrase, â€Å"Fine, thank you,† is taught as a response to the question â€Å"How are you? † which learners use even when they feel otherwise. This phenomenon is comparable to robots that have no cognition and only give particular responses to particular stimuli! There is rarely any variation in learners’ responses other than the ones that have been taught. Therefore, interaction and dialogue is very schematic and unnatural. In short, communicative competence is still called to question. Learners of the ALM may be able to participate in conversations, but they are rarely spontaneous and it is observed to be rather a case of regurgitating the â€Å"right† responses in a certain situational context from memory. Should they not be able to recall the set phrases that have been learned, they are at a loss as to how to respond to the questions and conversational prompts of the other speaker. 8. 1 RECOMMENDATIONS From the discussion above, it is evident that although communicative competence is insufficient, the ALM drills provide learners with a multitude of structures and grammatical patterns that form the basic foundation for communication. The challenge is to help learners apply the knowledge they have gained to communicating effectively and in a natural manner. 10 However, this cannot be done if drills are continuously insisted upon in the classroom. A degree of flexibility is needed on the part of the teacher to allow spontaneous and natural conversation to take place after drilling them as well. Unguided dialogue practice forces the learners to apply what they have been drilled with into a communicative setting, taking into consideration the meaning of the phrases learnt with relevance to the given situation. Model conversations can still be provided, but spontaneous ones allow for creativity and variety in responding according to the individual learner. Communication becomes more natural. With regards to learner motivation, the responsibility is shouldered by both the teacher and the learners themselves. The teacher needs to, again, be flexible and allow for elements not necessarily ALM-like to be incorporated into the lesson, if only for the sake of breaking the monotone. Drills can still be employed of course, but in more interesting ways like role play and physical activities. In essence, the teacher should be creative in her strategies with the aim of increasing the communicative competency of the learners rather than teach by the book. Learners as well, play a major role in their own learning progress. They should maintain a high level of self-motivation by actively participating in tasks and activities and being attentive at all times. 9. 1 CONCLUSION The ALM definitely has its pros and cons in a second language classroom. However, the disadvantages and negative implications can be overcome if a slightly more eclectic approach to second language teaching is taken. Some teachers may stubbornly hold fast to the rules of the ALM and refuse to stray from it. In such a case, the 11 objective of second language teaching should be questioned. Is one’s loyalty to the method or to the goal of aiding learners in achieving communicative competence? If it is the latter, it does not matter what method is used in the classroom as long as ultimately, learners gain valuable communicative skills. As Celce-Murcia illustrates (as cited by Abdel-Rahman Abu-Melhim in the International Forum of Teaching and Studies): â€Å"Today, language students are considered successful if they can communicate effectively in their second or foreign language, whereas two decades ago the accuracy of the language produced would most likely be the major criterion contributing to the judgment of a student’s success or lack of success. † (1991, p. 125) One single method should never be used exclusively in the classroom because it shall always remain flawed. It is the teacher’s responsibility to determine her teaching goals and appropriate methods to be used; where an eclectic one might better achieve those goals. Therefore, the teacher of a second language must be prepared to modify and adjust her methods to suit the different learning needs of the learners. 12 APPENDIX A Here are examples of the different drills used in the Audio-lingual Method: Repetition drill Repetition drill is the normal drill, usually used to teach the lines of the dialogue. Students are required to repeat after the teacher’s model until they are almost identical. Chain drill The Chain drill uses maybe the first few lines of a simple dialogue. The teacher begins by addressing a student, or asking him a question. The student responds, then turns to the student beside him and asks him a similar question. The second student responds and the chain goes on until each student has participated. This allows for the teacher to check learner’s speech. Transformation drill The teacher may give learners a question, and the learners are then required to formulate an answer from the form of the question given, and vice versa. Or, an affirmative sentence is given and learners need to transform it into the negative. This can be used for teaching active and passive sentences, as well as direct and reported speech. Question-and-answer drill This drill allows for learners to practice answering questions accurately and rapidly. It can also be done the other way round, where the learners form the questions on cue. 13 REFERENCES Abdel-Rahman Abu-Melhim. 2009. Re-evaluating the Effectiveness of the Audiolingual Method in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. International Forum of Teaching and Studies 5(2): 1-9. Britto, Rory. 2009. The Dissipation of Methods in ESL: Expanding to Fill the Void. The Journal of Education p. 75-84. Brown, H. Douglas. 2001. Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy, p. 13-37. Second edition. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. Larsen-Freeman, Diane. 2000. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. Second edition. New York: Oxford University Press. Savignon, Sandra J. 2001. Communicative Language Teaching. Theory Into Practice 26(4): 235.

With reference to specific topics and issues, discuss whether the Essay

With reference to specific topics and issues, discuss whether the current spread of Western culture is a positive phenomenon or a threat to diverse cultures around the world - Essay Example The spread of Western influence maintains both negative and positive impacts on cultures, making it rather subjective as to whether this extension of Western values and beliefs poses a threat or an opportunity for foreign cultures. Not all cultures are founded on Western values. Western values, typically those of the United States, Canada and Great Britain, are founded on individualism, a set of values that place particular emphasis on securing the goals and needs of the individual rather than maintaining concern over group desires (Wagner 1995). Nowhere else are these values reflected than in American-style consumption patterns that often include opulence and excess as the individual attempts to justify their social class or social status using material goods as a tool for identity formation. The United Nations (2001) identifies that there is a growing concern that Western values being spread on the heels of globalisation is degrading cultural capital (unique tastes and values) and creating a type of social deprivation when Western culture is superimposed over other diverse cultures. How, though, could social deprivation be attributed to Western consumption behaviours? There are many collectivist cultures across the world that have been built through years of patriarchal values and respect for familial traditionalism. Collectivist cultures maintain a very strong belief in the integrity of group membership and often build their personal identities and goals on the sentiment and opinion of important social reference groups and family members (Cheung et al. 2008). Collectivist societies seek to provide protectionism for important familial figures where it is commonplace to preserve their security and well-being. In most instances, Western individualism defies the importance of building social trust when interacting with different cultures, wanting to gain instant self-gratification whilst collectivists emphasise the importance of

Internet and UK Tourism Industry Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

Internet and UK Tourism Industry - Coursework Example It has been used for various transactions from information transfer to interpersonal communications. Businesses have greatly improved with the onset of internet usage. The utilization of internet has come to the point of it becoming a necessity rather a luxury. The popularity of the internet usage has made it a subject of various studies not only in the academe but including industries that nowadays depend on it. The properties, advantages as well as the disadvantages have been the focus of these studies. The introduction of internet as one of the modes of communication has made significant changes in the lifestyle on the people. It began in the 1980s as the Computer Revolution and now it became the Computer and Internet Revolution. During the computer revolution, the computer usage has increased rapidly and between 1985 and 1999, the usage of computers at work or at home increased from 30 percent to 70 percent as the increase in computer ownership rose from 15 percent to 60 percent (Kim, 2001). Consequently, these factors have made businesses change their strategies. They introduced e-commerce in which consumers can exchange goods and avail themselves of the services offered by companies thru the internet. E-commerce follows the same basic principles as traditional commerce that, buyers and sellers come together to exchange goods for money. But unlike traditional commerce in which the consumers go to a particular place to avail necessary products, they can visit the web sites of multiple vendors anytime, any day to compare prices and make purchases online. But this does not only benefit the consumers, the sellers as well can cut costs and expand their market. Because they sell over the internet, which can be accessed globally, they have the potential to market their products or services worldwide and are not limited by the physical location of a store. At the same time, internet technologies also permit sellers to track the interests and preferences of their customers with the customer's permission and then use this information to build an ongoing relationship with the customer by customizing products and services to meet the customer's needs. Nielsen (2005) wrote that there is an upward trend in global online shopping. Popular items purchased on the internet are books at 34%, videos and games at 22%, airline tickets and reservations at 21% and clothing and accessories at 20%. The study also showed that even one percent of the total population purchase using the net does not necessarily mean successful online sales but it is still important for retailers big and small to understand the factors that drive brand equity and site usage. It also shows that sites and brands with higher brand equity attract higher visitation and sales. But e-commerce has also its downside; some costumers are reluctant to buy products which need actual assessment such as furniture and appliances. Some also consider shopping a social experience; they may be going to a store with family or friends. Security and assurance of transactions are also some factors why some consumers are apprehensive to use the internet for purchases (Microsoft Encarta 200 7). According to a survey by HM Revenue and Customs, web users especially in the UK are using the internet to make their lives easier. The surveys shows that the top three uses of internet are researching