Collaborative E-learning in Saudi Arabia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cooperative E-learning in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example The new advancements give the special chance to e-learning as a feature of the dynamic instructive procedure. The advanced education organizations in Saudi Arabia can utilize the e-learning assets to improve the nature of the conveyed instruction. Community oriented e-learning has the upside of being adaptable for the students and the coach. It is additionally profoundly important for bunch work since there is the need of class conversations which should be possible in online structure. Thusly, the individuals from the gathering would have sufficient opportunity to reevaluate their situation without the social weight of the eye to eye contact (Flexible Learning Website). Another angle worth referencing is the capacity of the understudy to establish the tone of the learning procedure. In this manner the student can understand the benefit of assuming liability for his/her own improvement. As it were, e-learning trains the understudy to be proactive and take a fundamental part during the time spent obtaining new abilities. Diverse learning styles are additionally tended to by setting the accentuation on one own pace of learning (Flexible Learning Website). The advantages of e-learning can be experienced particularly in Islamic nations, for example, Saudi Arabia. As per the Koran a lady can't be seen without her cloak by guys aside from her closer family members. The male educators may encounter troubles from strict embodiment while instructing to female understudies. Albeit direct instructing was utilized before 1990, it is not true anymore. The issue is developed by the absence of female teachers in advanced education ( Mirza, 2007; Using Distance Learning Technologies to Deliver Courses in a Segregated Educational Environment). The most advantageous approach to address this issue is through e-learning. Innovation may be incorporated in such cases. One model is the shut circuit TV which is utilized by the educator to convey a talk to female understudies who get the data legitimately at the female grounds. Another example is the utilization of broadcast communications at the King Saud receptacle Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. The program is arrangement in a manner to such an extent that a course is educated to both male and female understudies simultaneously, with both auditoriums being inside nearness to each other. In actuality, the male and female auditoriums are straightforwardly contiguous each other. Every understudy has an individual customer machine associated through a neighborhood to the teacher's PC ( Mirza, 2007; Using Distance Learning Technologies to Deliver Courses in a Segregated Educational Environment). All things considered, e-learning may present different issues to the guide and the understudies. In spite of the fact that, it is profoundly intuitive, it cuts the immediate contact between the educator and the understudies. It prompts powerlessness to grasp the material and misconception of the genuine reason for contemplating the specific subject. Great usage of separation learning requires incredible information on the pre-owned programming and immaculate PC education There are teachers as well as understudies who need more opportunity to obtain the particular abilities required for the execution of the e-learning. Another part of e-learning is the general freedom of the learning procedure which may be hard to understudies with terrible time-the executives propensities. They would be scared by the advancement of the others while not having the option to set schedule for their

THE REAL VALUE OF INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL AND HOW IT IS INCLUDED IN A Essay - 1

THE REAL VALUE OF INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL AND HOW IT IS INCLUDED IN A COMPANYS FINANCIAL STATEMENT - Essay Example The information on an association is what is at time alluded to as the intellectual prowess; accordingly, insightful capital can be seen as the elusive resources utilized by the organization really taking shape of its administrations and items. Scholarly capital, in this way, can be thought to be the key parts of the company’s benefit and misfortune articulations, just as its monetary records. In that capacity, the estimation of a business is, thusly, contained its income created through its scholarly gifts, monetary resources, scholarly resources, and physical resources (Barney, et al., 2001). Three components of scholarly capital include: Human capital predominantly contains the qualities gave by business representatives through use of mastery and aptitudes ‘know how’. This segment of scholarly capital isn't possessed by an organization, and in this manner when a representative leaves the organization, the human capital thusly diminishes (Peloso, 2008). Human capital can, along these lines, be utilized to gauge how successful an organization is utilizing its kin assets as a proportion of advancement and innovativeness. Basic incorporates the strong foundations, databases and procedures of an association that empowers the human money to work. Segments of auxiliary capital incorporate structures, procedures, programming, etc. Moreover, auxiliary capital likewise incorporates things, for example, data framework, restrictive databases, innovative work foundation offices and organization’s picture. The decent variety of auxiliary capital requests that it is separated into: procedure, advancement, and association capital. Procedure capital incorporates strategies of projects and the methods that execute and upgrade the conveyance of administrations and products. Advancement capital incorporates impalpable resources and scholarly properties of the partnership. Hierarchical capital, then again

UK Schools in Anti-Gay Marriage Scandal

UK Schools in Anti-Gay Marriage Scandal The OE Blog Serious questions have been raised about the impartiality and non-political nature of UK schools after claims emerged that some may have encouraged students to sign a petition against same sex marriage. The Department for Education is investigating after it emerged that the Catholic Education Service sent a letter to all Catholic secondary schools, arguing against the legalisation of gay marriage, which is currently being debated in the UK. The letter describes marriage as “a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman” and argues that “neither the Church nor the State has the power to change this fundamental understanding of marriage itself”. Equal rights campaigners have been angered by the rhetoric of the letter, which sets out a “Catholic vision of marriage”, which it subtly implies necessitates the participation of both a male and female partner in order to be successful. But its referral to the importance of marriage as enshrining the production and education of children has been deemed offensive by many activists, as gay adoption is legal and common in the UK. The letter also inadvertently angered many others by referring to “an instinctive understanding that the stability of a marriage provides the best context for the flourishing of their relationship and for bringing up their children.” Many might interpret this as outright criticism of unmarried cohabiting couples, single parents and unmarried mothers and fathers, as it explicitly suggests that their children are likely to suffer as a result of their choices. The main objection to the letter, however, centres not on its contents, but on the fact that it was sent to schools at all, as, by law, politically one-sided arguments are not allowed to be promoted to children by teachers or schools. The idea is that schools should provide a ‘safe space’ for education and development free from the risk of political influence, prejudice or bias. But the Catholic Education Service has tried to circumvent this problem by claiming that “the Catholic Church’s view on the importance of marriage is a religious view, not a political one”. This is a tricky area, as Catholic schools have indeed always been allowed by law to teach sex and relationships education that is in line with the teachings of the church, including stressing the importance of marriage. The furore over schools teaching potentially harmful or prejudiced ideology to children has recently centred on Michael Gove’s pet ‘free school’ scheme, as the government’s ‘laissez-faire’ attitude towards these schools has raised fears that they would be allowed to indoctrinate children with extreme religious and social beliefs. In fact, a similar row erupted in February, when a booklet condemning homosexuality was handed out at Catholic schools in Lancashire. The fear is that the Equality Act of 2010 (which protects students from discrimination on the grounds of their protected characteristics, including sexual orientation) does not extend to the contents of the curriculum, meaning that potentially deeply damaging attitudes such as homophobia might be legally ‘taught’ in the classroom. Those concerned about this politicisation of children in education have been further enraged by the claim, reported by pinknews.co.uk, that one school actually went as far as to stage a presentation about the issue and “urge” pupils to sign the anti-gay marriage petition. The article also includes a quote attributed to Greg Pope, the deputy director of the Catholic Education Service, in which he admits asking schools to “draw attention” to the petition. There are fears that this politicisation of vulnerable students at a time in their lives when they are arguably most open to influence, particularly from trusted authority figures such as teachers, could extend further under the new free school regime. Not to mention the potential knock-on-effect on the marginalisation and persecution of pupils in schools whose sexual orientation does not conform to the attitudes being promoted in RE lessons. It is surely problematic to conform to an Act that protects children from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation on the one hand, and yet allow the teaching of homophobic ideology on the other, as the two must inevitably be inextricably linked. It seems some greater clarification will be needed from the Department for Education to prevent such issues from taking centre stage on the curriculum again in the future.

Twinkle, Little Star - 1512 Words

Twinkle, Little Star Entwined within two poems, one titled Bright Star and authored by John Keats, the other called Choose Something Like a Star penned by Mr. Robert Frost, emerges the similar theme of the human need for stability and sense of permanence. Although varied in literary devices, sub themes, and structure the like poems strongly convey this common ideal and do so with the powerful icon of the star, or the heavens. The star historically represents the eternalness of the heavens and the unattainable by human beings. Initially, Keats establishes the immediacy of his words in speaking directly to the star in question. The use of apostrophe in the very opening line, as Mr. Keats addresses the star, Â…would I were steadfast as†¦show more content†¦All of the above mentioned words are instructive and bland in reference to human emotion. Rather than wanting the unrealistic fortune of being the eternal star itself, Frost suggests knowing the secrets of its longevity i s of a more comprehendible nature. Accessing word choice and tones are not the only methods Frost and Keats use to align meaning in their work. Structure and movement are also woven masterfully in to guide a path from entertaining prose, to ultimate meaning. Easily the most obvious difference in style is that Bright Star is a Shakespearean sonnet. Fourteen lines in all and constructed with an (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG) rhyme scheme, the piece is armed with words and ideas of dream-like wishes and unreachable odds. Comparatively, Choose Something Like a Star follows a disjointed rhyme scheme and is categorized into no particular style of poem, equipped with 25 lines. Generally, the piece follows a mimicked system to that of Keats modeled by an (AABA AA CBCB) rhyme scheme; however it does include several couplets lodged about (hence, the AA). While a rhyme scheme incorporated at all always implicates a natural movement, it can also work reversely to create a more matter-of-fact approach to p rose. Specifically, Robert Frosts disorderly schemes remove the romantic effect of flow seen in Keats poem. It is not, essentially, as ‘nice to read nor as easy to maneuver. Keats steady pentameter reemphasizes the dreamlike essence that is so vividlyShow MoreRelatedRole of Music in My Life1518 Words   |  7 Pagesat kindergarten. I do a lot of performance that are related with music when I’m in my school age and I really enjoy it. I can say that music has become part of my life. Even in kindergarten, I had been taught by music such as ABC’s song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Happy Birthday song, If You Are Happy and others. There are so many different categories and genres of music such as ballad, rock, Jazz, hip hop, pop, techno and others. Whatever kind of music that I heard, it always gives joy and entertainmentRead MoreAnalysis of The Hollow Men by T.S. Eliot Essay1367 Words   |  6 Pagesthe overall feeling of the hopelessness in just the opening lines, W e are the hollow men / We are the stuffed men(lines 1-2) establish a grim feeling of emptiness. Images like This is the dead land / This is cactus land#8230;Under the twinkle of a fading star (lines 39-44) create a bleak, dry, desert land setting. The theme of the poem parallels those of Conrads Heart of Darkness (Smith). The degradation of ritual (religious or otherwise) and the emptiness or reduction of human to childishRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Blazing Sun 2271 Words   |  10 Pagesâ€Å"Twinkle, twinkle little star, how you wonder what we are†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The ghostly figures sing, standing in the hall. Everything goes dark, but Daniel can hear voices talking. He is unable to make out what they are saying though. It sounds like a different language of some kind. There is one word he is able to recognize, ‘Virgo’. â€Å"Hello, what is going on?† Daniel says, hoping for some kind of answer. The chatter of voices continues, as if Daniel said nothi ng. â€Å"When the blazing Sun is gone†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Repeats as it didRead MoreDescriptive Essay : Sleep, My Mother 1737 Words   |  7 Pagesparents would leave me soon, I could feel it, they always smiled a little bit more when we made trips like these, I would be hauled into the car, gripping what little luggage I could throw together, and sent to a relatives for the night. There, I would be ushered into an assuredly uncomfortable and terrifying room, and left in the dark with the instruction to rest. I was six now, and perhaps I would finally be permitted to stay out a little longer. I couldn’t remember when we had driven this way beforeRead MoreWriting And Writing Of Writing952 Words   |  4 Pagesdid not make any mistakes. Over my years of writing I have enhanced my expressiveness, originality, and creativity. Growing up, I loved writing poems. My love for poems developed from listening and loving nursery rhymes such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Mary Had A Little Lamb, Ring around the Rosie, and many others. When I was five years old, I wrote and presented a poem of mine in my church auditorium with members present. I had anger problems growing up, and my psychologist taught me to let outRead MoreDescriptive Essay : Unforgettable Strangers1373 Words   |  6 Pagesthousands of people wondering what I would do. What instrument would I play? Would I make a mistake? Would I be any good? Most people probably saw a short girl wearing a floppy pink dress and assumed I would be playing a basic rendition of â€Å"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.† I did n’t blame them. I would have made the same assumption. The only difference was that I wasn’t part of the crowd. I was up on stage, and for the moment, I only had to please myself. I broke the silence with a soft, lingering note thatRead MoreEssay on Nicki Minajs Negative Influence on Your Children674 Words   |  3 Pagesfemales doing certain things, and I thought I had to do that exactly. The female rappers of my day spoke about sex a lot and I thought that to have the success they got; I would have to represent the same thing. Minaj was named the 2011 Rising Star by Billboard. Brent Staples of The New York Times suggests that some consider her, The most influential female rapper of all time. Nicki’s music plays on all the hottest stations and many channels on your television at home. Young people areRead MoreDescription And Description Of Center 11335 Words   |  6 Pagesaround both centers. We learned that music is helpful in cognitive development because it is very rhythmic and repetitive. So and SSO †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..center used the xylophone to play twinkle twinkle little star and using hand movements to sing the itsy bitsy spider. With activities such as these that used their hands to represent stars and make diamonds in the sky and represent spiders with their hands, they were encouraging fine motor skills . Read MoreMy Childhood Memories Of My Grandfather And Me1223 Words   |  5 Pagesthings on our way to his house, we always sang â€Å"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star†. I remember looking out the windows while we sang and admired the beauty of the night. Coming up to the big red barn I knew that we were almost there. My grandparents lived near Saint Peter, Minnesota on Lake Washington. And every night after eating dinner, we would make a fire, look out upon the lake, and lay on the grass looking for constellations. My favorites were the Little Dipper and the Big Dipper. But of course, weRead MoreStars and Nuclear Fusion Essay662 Words   |  3 PagesA star is luminous point in the night sky that is a large, Indecent bodies like the sun. Stars are made up of big exploding balls of gas, mostly hydrogen and helium. The sun is similarly a star made up of huge amounts of hydrogen, undergoing a continuous nuclear reaction like a hydrogen bomb. Stars come about when vast clouds of hydrogen, helium and dust contract and collapse due to gravity. The clouds came from astronomical plasma from â€Å"The Big Bang†, but the dust comes from the supernovae of

Essay on The Three Modes of Persuasion Socrates Apology

Ciara Watson The Three Modes of Persuasion: Socrates’ Apology In speaking of effective rhetorical persuasion, we must appeal to our target audience in a way that will get them to accept or act upon the point of view we are trying to portray. Aristotle said that we persuade others by three means: (1) by the appeal to their reason (logos); (2) by the appeal to their emotions (pathos); and (3) by the appeal of our personality or character (ethos) (Corbett and Connors 32). When Socrates, an infamous rhetorician, gave his â€Å"apology† to his fellow Athenians after being accused of atheism or not believing in the gods and corrupting the youth with similar teachings, he employed all three modes of persuasion to prove his innocence. Despite the†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"After long perplexity, I thought of a method of trying the question. I reflected that if I could only find a man wiser than myself, then I might go to the god with a refutation in my hand† (Plato 199). He validated his belief in the oracle to disprove the accus ation of his atheism and show this as the reason behind his â€Å"mission to find a wiser man.† In â€Å"Socrates: A Companion to the Philosophers, John Beversluis says, â€Å"This disappointing venture had convinced him that the god was right: no one is wiser than Socrates, albeit only in the modest sense that, unlike the others, he does not claim to know what he does not know.† In Alexander Sesonke’s review of â€Å"Plato’s Apology: Republic 1†, he boasts Socrates appeal to logos writing, â€Å"His method in Republic 1 as throughout the early dialogues, is to seek truth via refutation; to elicit opinion and then confront it with a contrary opinion held with equal firmness. It is a method requiring great logical agility whose exercise is based upon the faith that conviction and truth are to be achieved by finding in each respondent the true voice of his true self.† Despite facing the death penalty, Socrates logically defends his way of life and maintains his composure. In a large portion of his speech Socrates used the syllogism to appeal to his audience’s reason. The syllogism was a schematic device that Aristotle invented to analyze andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Benjamin And Plato s Apology872 Words   |  4 Pagestake center stage in a discussion, which essential evolves it into a term of rhetoric. The combinations of those three modes of persuasion really make or break any kind of protest or critique. Within the passages of the book of Amos and Plato’s Apology, both hold those main three concepts within their rhetoric. Regardless of the subject, time period, or religious view, having those three components is what makes and supports a good healthy discussion, which, in my eyes, effectively appeals to the audienceRead MoreCMNS 304 Notes Essay5778 Words   |  24 PagesLECTURE 4 Rhetoric = Art of persuasion (form and content = important) Craft of effective communication, message and convincing people to act Logic - reasoning / grammar - written language Notion of Expectation = What do you expect to be convinced? Logic = Presentation that shows truth and the opposite 2 Kinds of Logic Formal (ways of making statements that can be math proved/ scientifically proved â€Å"if not this, then that† Informal (everyday reliance, involves persuasion) May use techniques of deception

Oprah Winfrey’s 2008 Stanford Speech Free Essays

This speech was about three lessons that Oprah Winfrey has come across in her professional and personal life. She talked about striving to be yourself and not anyone else and how you can grasp failure and turn it around by embracing it and finding the solution, and lastly how happiness comes when you give back to others. Her first lesson was about striving to be your own self; she talked about in the beginning of her professional career when she had a job in Baltimore as a news anchor. We will write a custom essay sample on Oprah Winfrey’s 2008 Stanford Speech or any similar topic only for you Order Now She was constantly holding Barbara Walters as the image she wanted to be in her career and wanted to be like. So she was always trying to talk like Barbara, look like Barbara and act like Barbara†¦ And she kept getting it wrong. She felt the need to be spontaneous and more of herself when she would read some of the headings†¦. Especially upsetting headings with disasters involved. So she would sometimes not pre-read any of headings until she was live so it would come across more realistic. She once covered a story of a horrible fire and afterwards ran to the scene and helped the fire victims by providing blankets. She never lost her empathy. She ran into some barriers during this job that ultimately helped her find her true purpose in life. The first barrier was that her boss let her know that they did not like the way she looked, and that they wanted to give her a new name that they thought would be more â€Å"friendly† and would be remembered by the public. She refused to change her name but did try to improve her looks by getting a perm that eventually made her hair fall out. She was let go from her position as the news anchor and placed on a talk show instead. It was there on the talk show that she felt she was at home and knew she had found her purpose in her life. So here she learned that she should never try to be anyone other than herself†¦ and that when you are doing something you are supposed to do you will feel right about it. She referred to it as feeling â€Å"at home†. Her second lesson was about embracing your failures and leaning with them instead of resisting them to find the solution. She talked about some of her failures and how she gained from them instead of being devastated. She mentioned her job loss in Baltimore†¦ at first she was upset but it turned out to be one of the best things to have ever happened to her because out of t she would up on a television show and found her place in her future HUGE professional life. She talked about how your gut can tell you a lot. When you are doing something you’re supposed to be doing your gut will let you know it. When you’re doing something you probably shouldn’t be doing, your gut will also tell you. Something just won’t feel right. That th ere is an inner voice inside you that you must follow and that it guides you through life. She calls is â€Å"life’s whisper†. Oprah stressed that when devastation hits you, take a step back and ask â€Å"what is this trying to teach me? She told the story of building a school in Africa for girls and took so much effort into making sure the building was perfect for the girls. Then she found out that one of the dorm matrons was suspected of sexually abusing the girls. She expressed how devastating this was to her and that she had to take a step back and ask herself what was the lesson here? She realized she was paying attention to all the wrong things. That she built that school from outside in, when what really mattered was the inside. She also expressed that she feels you never stop learning. She was referring to the graduates of Stanford that their education journey does not end her and that looks to the earth as a huge school never ending learning experience, and that she is still learning to this day. She went over a few quotes by her father and by BB King. Her last lesson was about giving back to others. And in order to be happy you MUST give back to others. And with that comes happiness. It gives you gratitude and makes you feel good. She also said to be a part of something bigger than yourself because life is a reciprocal exchange. She expressed that giving back is the greatest lesson of all to her. She talked about how in her career how she has given back in numerous amounts of ways and gave advice for whenever you’re in a mess, you help someone else get out of a mess†¦ whenever you are in pain, help someone else in pain, whenever you have a loss help someone else with a loss†¦. She talked about how the founders of Stanford University lost their son and how they took their pain and sorrow and channeled it into grace and started the University and helped other people with children like their son. She told the students that whatever their career may be that they use their ability to help others and pass along greatness. She ended with a Martin Luther King, Jr. quote. Speech Analysis Oprah gained the audience’s attention right away because she is a widely known influential media leader. She is the Oprah Winfrey. She started by telling the audience she had a secret and that one of the students Kirby (Gail King’s daughter) was her god daughter and gave a quick story of how she knows Kirby and how proud she was of her god daughter for graduating. This was also part of an attention getter. Oprah used good eye contact and her voice manner was very pronounced and sure of herself. She is obviously a very experienced speaker, being Oprah. She used humor throughout her speech such as saying â€Å"Stanford† with a serious tone in her voice. She kept her speech very relatable to the graduates of Stanford by talking about her professional career and all her goals she met and would occasionally talk to them specifically and give them advice about when they go out in their career how they can help, or not to give up because of failures, etc. Oprah had good body gestures and moved her arms around when talking, gave great pauses for emphasis and looked around at the audience. She did not seem to read her speech word for word, but rather just glance down at her notes and just speak freely of her own experiences. She talked a lot about her college career in the beginning of her speech which also gained attention from the graduates. O Oprah’s vocal tone was as always, inviting and I think that really kept the audience engages and very attentive towards her and what she was saying even though her speech was pretty long (30 min). Oprah was never repetitive and her examples were very witty and relatable. She gave each audience member two books from inspirational writers that she claimed helped her with her own life. She joked with the audience saying she wished she could have gotten everyone cars, but couldn’t pull it off. Oprah’s speech was very inspirational, impacting and I believe left a huge impression and impact on those 2008 graduates’ lives. I loved the speech and am happy I watched it and picked this one to analyze. How to cite Oprah Winfrey’s 2008 Stanford Speech, Essay examples

International Education, Its Benefits and Issues

Education scholars argue that international education helps in creating awareness of other people’s cultures, world regions, and further makes students familiar with global and international issues. It also helps in fostering the spirit of multiculturalism as a key driver of globalization enabling students to communicate in foreign languages amongst other benefits.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on International Education, Its Benefits and Issues specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the extent of international education to achieve these goals precisely is dependent on the existence of homogeneity of its approaches deployed by global education institutions. To determine whether this homogeneity exists, it is rather pertinent that a comparison methodology exists for all international education institutions to adopt. However, this paper argues that various problems exist in making international comparisons . The first problem in making international comparison stems from the existence of differences in the definition of the term itself. The term international education attracts valid and often highly debated definitions. Some scholars have considered the meaning of the term from two general perspectives, which are dependent on levels of student’s involvements. One perspective lies on the perception that international education prepares students from differing nations to take an active part as participants in social, economic and political matters of an interconnected world (Cambridge Thompson 2004, p.162). To achieve this, it is necessary that students learn foreign languages. Spellings (2007) supports this argument and further argues that learning foreign languages would enable the U.S people to communicate effectively the American ideas and also values while in return America would come to a better understanding of various global issues (Spellings 2007, p.5). Realization of this dream is apparently impossible due to the existence of varying emphasis on specific areas in international education. Making comparison is then also a problem. As a way of example, Spellings (2007) argues that, in China, Thailand, and the European Union, it is compulsory for the student to study foreign languages.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Compared to America, only 44 percent of high school students studied a foreign language in 2002 with less than 1% studying Korean, Urdu, Japanese and Russian combined (Spellings 2007, p.6). The second approach in defining international education is looking at it as an education that helps in transcending various national borders through promotion of exchanges of various people of different nationalities. In this context, international education entails students travelling to do their studies in various higher learning institutions branche s established in foreign nations as a part of exchange programs (Cambridge Thompson 2004, p.167). This is the position also held by Ignacio and Morentin (2003) who argue that international education is education for international understanding and helps in fostering democracy, peace and human rights among the global society (pp.5 -8). However, Cambridge and Thompson (2004) contest this view. They argue that â€Å"the majority of international schools operate in a variety of local contexts and usually students do not travel terribly far to attend an international school because they reside with their parents, who are expatriates working in a country that is not their home, and attend an international school in their locality or a nearby city† (p.166). In this context, the decision to attend an international school is not by virtue of the need to foster international understanding but because of circumstance. In making comparison of international education, data relating to va rious educational systems coupled with their interrelationships in different nations is necessary. Such data include data on the conditions in which various education systems function in respect to demographics coupled with social-economic traits of the population including public support, special groups of student and financial resources (Schleicher 1999, p.216).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on International Education, Its Benefits and Issues specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Though this data may be available in different nations, variation in structure and governance in international education systems makes educational comparisons a nightmare. This implies that despite such data being widely accurate and sufficient to meet the demand of national requesters, the data may cease being of any significance in relation to international education comparisons due to the existence of differences emanating from differing classifications and definitions. Apparently, education systems may not be possible to hold constant to facilitate validity of various comparisons especially in situations where education frameworks systems and various policy priorities keeps on changing with time. Arguably, one can achieve precise comparisons through narrowing down objects of international education comparison to a given common denominator, for instance age. However, Spellings (2007) informs that â€Å"while about 34 percent of white adults had obtained a bachelor’s degrees by age 29†¦the same was true for just 18 percent of African American and 10 percent of Hispanic adults in the age cohort† (pp.4-5). This shows that differences in term of object under comparison exist and hence uplifting the difficulties of making valid comparisons. Different perspectives of viewing functions of education introduce challenges in making comparisons of international education. As a way of example, some nations s ee education as serving public interests. Others see education as a â€Å"commodity† subject to action of various theories of improvement such as accountability theories, and new public management approaches (NPM). Indeed, Schellenberg (2004) reckons that â€Å"the privatization of education today introduces industry to the provision of education in a new way and changes the notion of education as a public institution to education as a marketable product† (p.80). Lack of harmonized view of function of education makes its international comparisons difficult. This holds true based on the sense that, upon its commoditization, it is a product bought by those who can afford it (OECD 2005). Seeking positions in the international schools consequently ceases from being a way of ensuring harmonization of valid people’s cultures to an opulence living style.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Arguably consistent with Schellenberg (2004), â€Å"as the state’s role in providing education changes, its citizens lose the opportunities in the educational systems to develop all the capacities required for full citizen participation (p. 94)†. On the other hand, where people perceive education as serving public interests, promoting international understanding being one of them, seeking international education evidently serves as a means of breaking down national borders, and exposing students to job opportunities internationally. Different emphasis of certain areas of education also poses problems to making comparisons of international education. Spellings (2007) contend that while the U.S higher education focuses more on creativity and a critical thinking, other nations such as Japan emphasize more on mathematics and technical subjects often making them more competitive both economically and educationally (p.4). Ideally, this implies that attempting to make interna tional comparisons of these two national educations, a common object for analysis is not evident. Consequently, in an endeavor to make students competitive internationally, the U.S needs to focus more on the areas where other nations are emphasizing. From this argument, it is perhaps evident that the focus of international education is valid. While some nations have economic gain associated with it, others seek fostering harmonization of people beliefs and values across the globe and hence common platforms for comparison fail to exist. In my own opinion, and in the light of the above problems in making comparisons of international education, I do not believe that it is possible to make international comparisons. From one dimension, it is apparent that differing nations have different emphasis of their education systems. Where students study in foreign nations emphasizing on technical subjects like math and engineering like in Japan (Spellings 2007, p.4), it is likely that they would follow the same emphasis in selecting their area of specialization as opposed to the emphasis subjects in their native nations. Consequently, making comparison of international education in the two nations is problematic by the fact there lacks common objects of comparison. Additionally, differing demographic characteristics of varying groups under comparison in different nation also makes the whole idea of comparing international problematic. For instance, in cases of differences of average ages at which people acquire bachelor degrees introduces problems in making comparison since people of different ages are anticipated to have differing cognitive abilities. Conclusively, a shift on the way people and state see the functions of education, nonexistent of differing common objects for comparison, and differing areas of educational emphasis make comparisons of international education impossible. Additionally, as argued by Schellenberg (2004), â€Å"as the state’s role in pro viding education changes, its citizens lose the opportunities in the educational systems to develop all the capacities required for full citizen participation† (p. 94). Appreciation of one’s citizenship in the international schools indeed goes far in forming the basis of examination of differences between ones national affiliations and affiliations of other people belonging to different nations in an endeavor to foster international understanding. References Cambridge, J Thompson, J 2004, ‘Internationalism and Globalization as Contexts for International Education’, Journal of Comparative and International Education, vol. 34 no.2, pp.161-175. Ignacio, J Morentin, D 2003, What is International Education? UNESCO Answers, UNESCO Centre, San Sebastian. OECD. 2005, ‘Education Trends in Perspective Analysis of the World Education Indicators 2005 Edition: Trend in Education Participation and Outputs’, Source OECD Education, vol. 1 no.8, pp. 7-51. Sch ellenberg, M 2004, ‘Globalization and Citizenship Education: Implications for the Nation State’, Canadian and International Education, vol. 33 no. 1, pp. 75-98. Schleicher, A 1999, Comparability Issues in International Education Comparisons. OECD, Paris. Spellings, M 2007, ‘Fostering Global Understanding through International Education’ International Educator, vol.16 no. 2, pp. 4-6. This essay on International Education, Its Benefits and Issues was written and submitted by user Ray Wolfe to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Human Clone Ethics essays

Human Clone Ethics essays Most people think they know what cloning is. They would define it, probably, as taking a piece of one plant or animal and using it to make another just like it. In fact, Brannigan points out that the term "clone" was very likely first used in botany to describe the process of budding. (12) He also notes that Webster's digital dictionary explains that the word is from the Greek kion, which means "twig." Current uses of the term include scientifically oriented ones; scientists use the term to describe asexual reproduction of an identical copy of an organism, and is something that happens naturally in bacteria, algae, plants and yeast. In addition, it is the method by which the human body grows and repairs itself, although higher life forms gave it up as a reproductive method 500 million years ago, leaving it to only those primitive organism mentioned. (Brannigan, 12) Considering that "cloning" is a natural activity taking place in our bodies every daywhen we get a cut, grow some hair and so onand has been a factor of reproduction for a minimum of 501 million years, why is there a debate at all' If it is a natural process, why shouldn't humans have the Within the question lies part of the impetus for the debate. Cloning as debated by clergy, philosophers, and politicians is not natural but rather the result of interference and manipulation by scientists. To scientists, who see it as simply part of their job, there is no debate about doing it, although there is some about how far it should go. The following investigation will set forth some of the main arguments of the major professional stakeholders, that is, scientists, clergy, philosophers and politicians (who may or may not represent popular opinion). But first, there are some scientific realities, beyond the simple definition of the word, that bear examina...

Human Clone Ethics essays

Human Clone Ethics essays Most people think they know what cloning is. They would define it, probably, as taking a piece of one plant or animal and using it to make another just like it. In fact, Brannigan points out that the term "clone" was very likely first used in botany to describe the process of budding. (12) He also notes that Webster's digital dictionary explains that the word is from the Greek kion, which means "twig." Current uses of the term include scientifically oriented ones; scientists use the term to describe asexual reproduction of an identical copy of an organism, and is something that happens naturally in bacteria, algae, plants and yeast. In addition, it is the method by which the human body grows and repairs itself, although higher life forms gave it up as a reproductive method 500 million years ago, leaving it to only those primitive organism mentioned. (Brannigan, 12) Considering that "cloning" is a natural activity taking place in our bodies every daywhen we get a cut, grow some hair and so onand has been a factor of reproduction for a minimum of 501 million years, why is there a debate at all' If it is a natural process, why shouldn't humans have the Within the question lies part of the impetus for the debate. Cloning as debated by clergy, philosophers, and politicians is not natural but rather the result of interference and manipulation by scientists. To scientists, who see it as simply part of their job, there is no debate about doing it, although there is some about how far it should go. The following investigation will set forth some of the main arguments of the major professional stakeholders, that is, scientists, clergy, philosophers and politicians (who may or may not represent popular opinion). But first, there are some scientific realities, beyond the simple definition of the word, that bear examina...

Human Clone Ethics essays

Human Clone Ethics essays Most people think they know what cloning is. They would define it, probably, as taking a piece of one plant or animal and using it to make another just like it. In fact, Brannigan points out that the term "clone" was very likely first used in botany to describe the process of budding. (12) He also notes that Webster's digital dictionary explains that the word is from the Greek kion, which means "twig." Current uses of the term include scientifically oriented ones; scientists use the term to describe asexual reproduction of an identical copy of an organism, and is something that happens naturally in bacteria, algae, plants and yeast. In addition, it is the method by which the human body grows and repairs itself, although higher life forms gave it up as a reproductive method 500 million years ago, leaving it to only those primitive organism mentioned. (Brannigan, 12) Considering that "cloning" is a natural activity taking place in our bodies every daywhen we get a cut, grow some hair and so onand has been a factor of reproduction for a minimum of 501 million years, why is there a debate at all' If it is a natural process, why shouldn't humans have the Within the question lies part of the impetus for the debate. Cloning as debated by clergy, philosophers, and politicians is not natural but rather the result of interference and manipulation by scientists. To scientists, who see it as simply part of their job, there is no debate about doing it, although there is some about how far it should go. The following investigation will set forth some of the main arguments of the major professional stakeholders, that is, scientists, clergy, philosophers and politicians (who may or may not represent popular opinion). But first, there are some scientific realities, beyond the simple definition of the word, that bear examina...

Word Choice Amount vs. Number - Proofeds Writing Tips Blog

Word Choice Amount vs. Number Word Choice: Amount vs. Number It can be tempting to think that the subtleties of word choice don’t a major difference to your work. But whether you’re writing an academic paper, a business report or even a novel, picking the right words for the right situation can make your writing stand out from the crowd. Getting words confused or mixed up, on the other hand, can detract from an otherwise great piece of work. Take the words amount and number, for instance. Both are terms used to deal with quantities, so many people use them interchangeably. But they do in fact have importantly distinct meanings, so using the wrong one makes it harder for the reader to follow exactly what you mean. Worry not, though! Here at Proofed we are dedicated to helping people express themselves fully and clearly, so we’ve prepared this little guide on how to use amount and number correctly. Amount (Uncountable Quantities) Typically, when used as a noun, the word amount refers to the sum or whole of a quantity which would be difficult or impossible to count, for example: There is a large amount of sand in the desert. It can also be used as a verb, meaning to total or equal: After the financial crash, losses amounted to four billion dollars. Number (Countable Quantities) The word number, of course, can refer to figure (e.g., 1, 2, 3). In this context, though, we’re interested in its use as an expression of quantity: The number of people at the party was enough to cause a problem. The key is that â€Å"number† refers to a specific, countable quantity. This is made clearer if we think about how â€Å"number† can also be used as a verb: After reading the note, David knew his days were numbered Here â€Å"numbered† indicates a limited quantity of days which could be counted. Amount or Number? One way of working out which word to use is to ask yourself whether the quantity described could be counted. For instance, the phrase â€Å"a large number of sand† wouldn’t make sense because â€Å"sand† is an uncountable noun. So if you’re referring to an unspecified but countable quantity of something, such as pebbles or people on a beach, use â€Å"number.† But if you’re referring to something you can’t count, such as happiness or water, the word you need is â€Å"amount.† You can find more advice on vocabulary in the word choice archive section of our academic blog. And don’t forget that Proofed’s expert proofreaders are available to provide guidance on word choice, grammar, spelling and formatting for everything from resumes to PhD dissertations. Why not upload a free 500-word sample today and see if Proofed can help put the finishing touches on your written work?

Performance Measurement to Performance Management Essay

Performance Measurement to Performance Management - Essay Example When performance is at par or even better than standards previously set, then the business' financial condition also improves. Budgets are either increased or decreased in support of better organizational survival, Since there are usually many competitors around. When performance measured passes the standards set, salary and other benefits are given for satisfactory performance. Management must have a meeting with the line and staff organization and the organization's goals, strategy, mission, vision, values and strategy to accomplish the goals, purpose of goal and standard setting must be implemented. The employees and stockholders are encouraged thru regular trainings/meetings that they are part of the success and failure of the entire organization. The performance measures give the employees the daily challenges to be conquered. Integration places standards where needed in accomplishing strategic business ventures. Integration also helps hasten change. When actual work is compared with performance, the difference or similarity of the actual against the standards set is compared and management makes the needed decisions for the further improvement of over-all activity. 2.1 Performance Measurement - Measuring performance quantitatively tell us whether our goods, services done by employees have increased or decreased or even remained the same. They help management decide on ways and means to improve performance of some products which have not performed according to pre - set goals. Measurement performance can tell whether the following criteria are in order: a) We are doing as pre- expected b) If customers like our product/service and come back. c) If manufacturing processes are controlled. d) Adjustments can be made to improve present performance. Performance measurement provides us with the needed details to make intelligent decisions. Performance is usually done by taking done the number of units and unit price of goods sold or cost of goods bought. The products could be listed as 1,000.,000 units of product sold at $5.00 each. The actual units sold or produced by the manufacturing department are then compared with pre-determined standard or goals which was agreed upon. Usually the standards or goals are agreed upon between all departments involved. A too high standard may cause some discouragement with the employees. A too low standard may sometimes cause idleness. Units of measurement could be hours, meters, nanoseconds, dollars, reports, number of errors, length of time spend or to be spent These the usual basic of measurement Sometimes, other units of measurement are used. The unit of measurement could be miles per gallon ( for analyzing daily gasoline expenses ), fire accidents in a year ( oganization' s safety program) , number of units produced per day ( sales analysis). This sounds better than the unit of measurement in the prior paragraph. What is important is that the unit of measurement used should be the one to show variances between actual and standard performance Some categories of performance evaluation are enumerated below: 1) Effectiveness - Simply put, actual performance meets the goal set. ( Doingthe job the right way.) 2) Efficiency - Doing the job required at the least possible cost. ( Doing thingsthe right way.) 3) Quality - Products sold or services given meets

Nutrition and Dietetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Nutrition and Dietetics - Essay Example Among the most common lifestyle, medical complications associated to poor dietary include obesity, diabetes and ulcers among others. This implies that food is an important determinant of the spread and the ability of individuals to manage their medical histories. The dietary balance provides an effective means of eradicating some of the diseases. Nutritionists carry out extensive researches through which they determine the best foods and nutritious value in the foods thus influencing patients’ diet in order to fasten the healing process. The body requires adequate energy to facilitate such basic functions as respiration. After ensuring the provision of such basic amounts of energy to the body, the nutritionists thus engage in the discovery of nutritious content that influence the genes of the patients thus hastening the healing process. Nutrigenomics help nutritionists by providing the relationship between nutrients and the numerous diets. Effective research in the branch of n utritional genomics thus helps determine the most appropriate food for diverse medical conditions (Artemis, 2010). Study of genotype in the treatment approach to T1DM Genetics plays a role in T1DM . There is a genetic predisposition in the occurrence of the disease. This is related to Mendelian genetics where the expression of the genes is based on the dominant or the recessive ones. This is where the phenotypic expression of the genes or allele come into play in the treatment used or T1DM. In doing this, the treatment adopts an approach which looks for expressive genes for insulinase. Any defects noted in relation to this are then noted earlier for the adoption of the right lifestyle factors. All this is made possible y learning the genotype in terms of allele expression. Muller (2003) notes that adopting an approapriate risk free lifestyle should then be embraced. Insulin in the genotype of T1DM The absence of insulin in the body thus results in the increase of the blood sugar lev el as the glucose levels go unregulated. Diabetes mellitus is the most common diabetes. The causes of the disease vary with most being lifestyle complications. The study of genotype is fundamental in the treatment and prevention of the disease since among the most common causes includes the ingestion of more sugar. As stated earlier, Nutrigenomics is the study of the relationship between nutrients in the foods people eat and the structure of the cells. This makes Nutrigenomics integral in the formulation of effective dietary combinations to help mitigate the susceptibility of the form of diabetes. Researches have shown that the disease arises from numerous eating disorders, which Nutrigenomics can therefore help alleviate. Possible Solution to T1DM Currently, the above condition presents a challenge to the medical world. This is because the condition has no known therapeutic cure. In fact, the condition can only be managed administered insulin shots. However, the appropriate solutio n as presented by Brethauer (2013) would be to adopt an appropriate attitude and behavior in terms of nutrition as well as lifestyle. One should exercise frequently and avoid potential risks such as fatty and sugary foodstuffs. Limitations of the study of genotype in the treatment of T1DM However, Nutrigenomics has several limitations key among which is that it takes time. Unlike drugs that

Volunteer Management Has Become An Important Issue Management Essay

Volunteer Management Has Become An Important Issue Management Essay In a letter declaring September 11th a National Day of Service and Remembrance, President Barack Obama stated, No force for change is more powerful than that of Americans who are making a difference in their communities (Stewart, 2009, p. 28). Individuals who donate their time and expertise to help organizations address a need or concern are examples of these Americans who are making a difference in their communities (Stewart, 2009). Organizations over the past decade have seen a great deal of change in competition from globalization and market demands, causing them to rethink the way they are managed. This applies to both private sector and non-profit/public sector organizations, if they wish to survive in todays economy. Due to the United States economic downturn, non-profit and public sector organizations must find ways to efficiently manage their scarce resources. One of these scarce resources is a well trained and faithful volunteer workforce. Restricted budgets often make it ha rd for management to hire the sufficient number of employees needed to carry out the organizations mission, so a volunteer workforce can help fill those gaps. Volunteer workforces have become essential to fully performing everyday operations from basic office clerical work to arranging and holding fundraising events. Background Volunteer management has become an important issue today because organizational leaders must recruit, retain and motivate their volunteer workforce effectively. A number of organizations report that more volunteer assistance is needed, despite the fact that many Americans are already donating their time. This is why organizations must rethink the way they manage volunteers to recruit and retain the best individuals available. If organizations fail to look at the management of their volunteer workforce, they run the risk of losing their volunteers or not finding new qualified volunteers. In the past, a number of non-profit and public sector organizations had an abundance of individuals who were willing to lend a helping hand. However, times have changed in todays society. With a growing number of organizations needing volunteers and peoples lack of available free time, it has become essential to recruit and retain the appropriate volunteer candidates for the right jobs. Volunteers hav e a number of organizations to choose from, and they will choose the organization whose mission and values most closely align with their mission and values. Over the years a number of authors and researchers have introduced techniques and/or explored issues related to volunteer recruitment, retention and motivation. When developing a way to recruit volunteers, one might look at the talent management approach or a marketing plan that includes the four Ps (Product, Price, Place and Promotion). If improving volunteer satisfaction and retention is a priority, then the human resource management approach and the constructive feedback approach might help. However, neither recruiting the right volunteer nor retaining them is going to matter if the organizations cannot keep them motivated. This is where the psychological contract perspective comes into play, by ensuring volunteers feel appreciated and valued for their donated time. These techniques and approaches help organizations to recruit, retain and motivate volunteers. Purpose The intention of this study is to closely examine the management styles of volunteer programs and how they affect volunteers motivation, recruitment and retention. Today a number of individuals are volunteer coordinators, or responsible for managing volunteers, at organizations located throughout Central Illinois. Unfortunately, there are times that they feel ill equipped to fully understand how to manage volunteers in a way that maximizes retention and reduces turnover. At the same time, the findings of this study can help other volunteer managers and organizational leaders in the Central Illinois community improve their work with volunteer workforces. Ultimately, the individuals who volunteer will be impacted and/or helped by this study because the organizations that enlist their help will be better equipped to manage their needs. By managing the needs of volunteers, an organization can strive to maximize retention and minimize turnover. Direction A survey distributed to volunteers at local non-profit or public sector organizations in Central Illinois would have been the desired method to explore this topic. Answers to a set of survey questions would need to be analyzed in order to see if a particular management style had any effect on a volunteers decision, satisfaction, or motivation at a certain organization. Volunteers being defined as people who willingly and without pay perform a service or undertaking for an organization, and the management style being defined as the methods and techniques organizations use to recruit, retain and motivate volunteers. A case comparison between Central Illinois organizations would be needed to fully address the extent of the studys research question. However, this type of data was either nonexistent or unable to be collected in the time allotted and because of IRB approval. So this study will look at secondary data from the Current Populations Surveys volunteer supplement, two surveys con ducted of volunteers and the perspectives of two individuals who work with volunteers on a daily basis in Central Illinois. The variables from these sources includes the following: volunteers by annual hours, volunteers by number of organizations for which activities were performed, volunteers by type of organization for which volunteer activities were performed, main volunteer activity for organization, volunteers by how they became involved and items that motivate volunteers. By looking at these variables, this study will explore the question: is there a correlation between the management styles in volunteer programs and the effect they have on volunteer motivation, satisfaction and retention in Central Illinois? Literature Review When people think about volunteer management, they usually think about the supervision and selection of volunteers. However, it involves so much more! Volunteer management is an important tool used by organizations to leverage resources to accomplish designated results. It ensures that the community is involved in current issues and ensures that there is buy-in of the organizations mission. At the same time, it strengthens the credibility of the organization in the publics eyes. A number of different authors discuss that good volunteer management must encompass three key areas: (1) volunteer recruitment, (2) volunteer satisfaction/retention and (3) volunteer motivation. Together these three things can create an effective volunteer management system. Without a good balance of the three, organizations could experience high volunteer turnover and dissatisfaction. A number of different methods and techniques have been studied and/or introduced to improve volunteer management. Volunteer Recruitment To have a strong team to assist in their endeavors, first volunteer managers need to recruit good volunteers. Like everything else in volunteer management, there is more to the process than meets the eye. Volunteers do not grow on trees. Most of the time the volunteer manager has to actively search for the right person for the job. This requires the ability to reach out and even educate people about the organizations volunteer needs. On the other hand, sometimes volunteer managers have to weed through a number of interested volunteers to find a good organizational match. Eisner, Grimm, Maynard and Washburn (2009) suggested that a talent management approach be used when recruiting volunteers. With this approach, Eisner and his fellow colleagues felt that the proper volunteer, with the appropriate talent, would be recruited (Eisner et al., 2009). At the same time, it is important to create the proper infrastructure that will not only recruit the appropriate volunteers for the jobs, but place, develop and retain them as well (Eisner et al., 2009). Karl, Peluchette and Hall (2008) observed that volunteers responded positively towards organizations that know how to have a fun workplace. This fun workplace can be created by recruiting the right volunteers through a marketing strategy. Their marking strategy creates an internal marketing plan based on the four Ps (Product, Price, Place Promotion) of the marketing mix (Karl et al., 2008). By conducting a study of their marketing strategies, Karl, Peluchette and Hall (2008) found that organizations had a better success rate when they recruited volunteers by advertising the psychosocial benefits offered for their time (Karl et al., 2008). They also observed that recruitment advertisements that emphasized the personal benefits gained from volunteering were just as effective as the altruistic (i.e. wanting to help out) advertisements (Karl et al., 2008). Basically, volunteers can be recruited by showing the benefits received in lieu of money. It is also important to make sure that the organization has a staff member in the organization that can handle volunteer recruitment efforts. The recruitment techniques can only take the organization so far if it does not have a dedicated staff member to develop the relationship between the organization and interested volunteers. The Urban Institute in 2004 confirmed that there was a correlation between the amounts of time a staff member spent on volunteer management and the ability of the organization to handle additional volunteers (p. 17). However, only three out of five organizations in this study had a staff member devoted to volunteer coordination, despite the fact that a large percentage of organizations report how beneficial volunteers are to their operations (Urban Institute, 2004, p. 8). Volunteer Satisfaction and Retention When it comes to the retention and satisfaction of volunteers within an organization, the way that they are managed can determine whether they stay or find another organization where they can donate their time. In a study by Cuskelly, Taylor, Hoye and Darcy (2006), the implementation of the Human Resource Management (HRM) approach to volunteer management and retention of volunteers was observed. The HRM approach seeks to professionalize and create a business like approach to the management of people. When the approach was implemented, fewer volunteers were reported leaving an organization because of management problems (Cuskelly et al., 2006). When improved planning and orientation was used for volunteers, fewer problems were reported, therefore improving the retention and job satisfaction of volunteers within an organization (Cuskelly et al., 2006). Communication between paid staff and volunteers also plays a major role in volunteer satisfaction and retention. Garner and Garner (2010) found that organizations that encouraged their volunteers to give constructive feedback and keep the lines of communication open had a lower turnover rate than organizations that did not encourage it. Garner and Garner (2010) stated, volunteer satisfaction made little difference in participants communication choices, but participants motivations to volunteer did influence how they communicated problems to paid staff (p. 826). By allowing volunteers to address a problem, and giving them the freedom to figure out a solution, managers are giving them empowerment (Garner Garner, 2010, p. 815). This can increase the volunteers satisfaction with an organization because they can see how their contributions help the organization achieve its mission. However, sometimes it is hard to avoid volunteer turnover in the current economy. Lesley Hustinx (2008) found that in todays society, volunteers motivation for quitting can be caused by both outside and inside pressures. In a survey of ex-volunteers, Hustinx (2008), found a number of pressures that caused individuals to give up their volunteer work. Some of the outside pressures included: time pressures, family commitments and regular job or school schedules (Hustinx, 2008, p. 245). Managers can do little to address these issues. The inside pressures included: management differences and organization of volunteer work (Hustinx, 2008, p. 248). Volunteer Motivation In order to improve volunteer motivation, it is important to make sure that volunteers feel valued and appreciated. It helps them to know that the organization has a genuine concern about their efforts and well-being. Farmer and Fedor (1999) studied the Psychological Contract Perspective approach and how it could motivate volunteers. The Psychological Contract Perspective helps volunteer managers understand volunteer behaviors and motivators. Farmer and Fedor (1999) confirmed that a number of organizations were not meeting the expectations of their current volunteers. However, if the organization was meeting their expectations, then the levels of participation increased (Farmer Fedor, 1999). In a couple of instances the volunteers were willing to overlook their unmet expectations if they shared common values with the organization (Farmer Fedor, 1999). Shortly afterwards, however, Farmer and Fedor (1999) reported that the volunteers would develop a sense of separation from the organ ization because they felt the organization did not care about their well-being. Occasionally, the expectations of volunteers can change as the volunteer activity grows and changes. Wu Luping (2011), in an interview with 24 young volunteers, found that when developing a volunteer activity, special attention should be given to the possibility that people might advance and expand their abilities during the activity (p. 190). This means that more prominence should be placed on the enjoyment received when publicizing volunteer activities (Wilson, 2012). These authors have introduced a number of studies and techniques that volunteer managers and organizational leaders should consider when creating and implementing a volunteer management system. However, most of the authors only focused on one element of a good volunteer management system. In order to have a truly effective system, managers need to encompass these best practices in the recruitment, retention and motivational processes. This is why a study needs to be conducted that can explore all three key areas together, while also looking at what methods and techniques work best to develop a strong and well rounded volunteer management system. Looking at data collected in the past years will help to examine if any of these ideas introduced still have any validity in the current volunteer market. Much like everything else in society, interests and motivations change from generation to generation, so it is important to discover what techniques work best on different demographics. Fur thermore, a technique that works well in one community might not work in another. This is why it is important to study the populations that are in the community. Methodology It is important for individuals who work with volunteers to discover what suitable motivational tools are required for each volunteer when recruiting and retaining the best individual available. When taking into consideration the purpose, and the available data, this study will examine if there is a connection between the management style in volunteer organizations and the effect it has on volunteer recruitment, satisfaction/retention and motivation in Central Illinois. In order to study the areas of volunteer recruitment, retention/satisfaction and motivation, this study will look at the published data collected in the Current Population Surveys volunteer supplement of 2007 through 2011, a research project by Esmond and Dunlop (2004) on developing the volunteer motivation inventory in Western Australia and the 2012 Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Illinois Volunteer Survey. However, using this secondary data has limitations of only representing the individuals who answered the survey, and it might not represent the population in Central Illinois. Also, a sample of the population might differ from the entire population results. In order to address reliability and validity issues of this data, the perspectives of professionals who work with volunteers on a daily basis at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Illinois will also be incorporated. The Current Population Surveys Volunteer Supplements The Current Population Surveys (CPS) volunteer supplements for 2007 through 2011 is a national household survey administered by the U.S. Census Bureau (Census) for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2011), the CPS is a survey of about 60,000 households that obtains information on employment and unemployment among the nations civilian population age 16 and over (p. 1). The volunteer supplement is an annual set of questions specifically aimed at gaining information on the rate of volunteering and the characteristics of volunteers in the United States. The survey defines volunteers as persons who did unpaid work (except for expenses) through or for an organization (Current Population Survey, p. 1). This data will examine volunteer recruitment, retention/satisfaction and motivation by looking at the number of hours spent volunteering, type of organization for which volunteer work was performed, volunteer activity performed and how the volun teer became involved with an organization. Developing the Volunteer Motivation Inventory to Assess the Underlying Motivational Drives of Volunteers in Western Australia In the Developing the Volunteer Motivation Inventory to Assess the Underlying Motivational Drives of Volunteers in Western Australia study a total of 2,444 volunteers and 15 organizations participated in a five-stage research process (Esmond Dunlop, 2004). Esmond and Dunlop (2004) also collected the demographic details, such as age, gender, occupation and time spent volunteering from each participant to observe trends (p. 22). The volunteer manager of each organization distributed the survey via mail or internally. How individuals answered the survey questions will allow me to examine what factors motivate volunteers. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Illinois Volunteer Survey The 2012 Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Illinois is small nonprofit located in Springfield, Illinois that uses volunteers to provide a temporary home away from home for families who have a child seeking medical treatment at a nearby medical facility. In the first quarter of 2012 the House Manager and Executive Director conducted a survey of about twenty-two current house volunteers. The survey was conducted via Survey Monkey and consisted of twenty-five questions. These questions were designed to give the organization a better understanding of their current volunteer pool and the volunteers general satisfaction with the organization. This study will examine selected answers to explore volunteer motivations at a Central Illinois non-profit organization. Together the data collected from these three sources will help in analyzing the current retention, satisfaction and motivation of a sampled population of volunteers. Looking at the percent of the population that volunteers, how many hours they volunteered and what types of activities they performed, this study will explore what methods and techniques work on recruiting and retaining volunteers. The survey results from Developing the Volunteer Motivation Inventory to Assess the Underlying Motivational Drives of Volunteers in Western Australia study and the 2012 Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Illinois can be used to explore volunteer motivations at fifteen organizations in Western Australia and from a Central Illinois non-profit organization. Having data samples from various individuals from completely different communities and parts of the world will show if viewpoints differ from community to community. Analysis The analysis of this study will be divided into three sections: (1) volunteer recruitment, (2) volunteer satisfaction and retention and (3) volunteer motivation. Each section has a number of graphs and/or tables that represent the data collected from the sources identified earlier. These graphs and tables will help to better understand the motivations and current volunteer statistics of the sampled population. However, it is important to keep in mind that this only represents the sampled population at the time of collection and not the entire population as a whole. Volunteer Recruitment Table 1 Volunteers by How They Became Involved with Organization Years Percent distribution of how volunteers became involved Approached the organization Was asked by Other Not reporting Boss or employer Relative, friend, or co-worker Someone in the organization/school Someone else 2011 41.6 1.3 15.3 23.8 1.2 13.0 3.8 2010 41.6 1.4 14.9 24.9 1.2 12.4 3.6 2009 40.9 1.7 14.8 26 1.2 12.3 3.1 2008 40.8 1.4 14.2 26.8 1.2 12.6 3 2007 40.1 1.3 14.8 27.2 1.2 12.7 2.7 Note. Percent Distribution of How Volunteers Became Involved with Organization. Adapted from Volunteering in the United States, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Table 1 shows the percent distribution of how volunteers became involved with their main volunteer activity organization. This information comes from the Current Population Surveys (CPS) volunteer supplements from 2007 to 2011. Over the past five years the way that volunteers have become involved with organizations has stayed relatively the same. This graph shows that volunteers are either recruited by approaching the organization themselves, being asked to volunteer by someone or other forms of volunteer recruitment. Volunteers that approached the organization have steadily stayed around forty percent over the past five years. Additionally, the percentage of volunteers who became involved due to someone asking them has also stayed relatively steady. Adding the percentages of those asked by boss or employer; relative, friend, or co-worker; someone in the organization; or someone else, the total is consistently a higher percentage than the percentage of volunteers who approached the o rganization on their own. This indicates that a greater number of volunteers were recruited by someone asking them to participate, with largest percent being asked by someone within the organization. Figure 1 Figure 1. 2011 Volunteer Rates by Organization. Adapted from Volunteering in the United States, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011 Figure 1 shows the percentage of volunteers within selected organizations. This data comes from the CPSs volunteer supplement for 2011. In the survey, participants were asked to identify the type of organization where most of their volunteer time was spent. They were given the list of sport, hobby, cultural, or arts organizations; civic, political, professional, or international organizations; educational or youth service; environmental or animal care; hospital or other care; public safety; religious; social or community service; and other (Current Population Survey (CPS), 2011). The results show that the greatest percentage of volunteers spends their time with religious organizations at thirty-three percent and educational or youth service organizations at twenty-six percent. Volunteer Satisfaction and Retention Figure 2 Figure 2. Number of Volunteers Percent of Population. Adapted from Volunteering in the United States, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Figure 2 shows the number of reported volunteers from 2007 to 2011 and the percentage of the general population that make up this volunteer core in the United States. Again this data comes from the CPSs volunteer supplements for 2007 through 2011. The results show that over the past five years the number of volunteers has steadily stayed around sixty million, with a slight dip between 2009 and 2011. The volunteer rate rose 0.2 percent from 2007 to 2008, 0.4 percent from 2008 to 2009 and dropped 0.5 percent between 2009 and 2010. However, it rose again 0.5 percent from 2010 to 2011. The data shows that the percentage of the population that volunteered has stayed steady (around twenty-six percent) over the past five years. Figure 3 Volunteers By Annual Hours of Volunteer Activities Figure 3. Volunteers by annual hours of volunteer activities. Adapted from Volunteering in the United States, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Figure 3 shows the results from the CPSs volunteer supplements for 2007 through 2011. In the survey participants were asked to fill in their average hours spent on volunteer activities for the year. The data was then coded into the categories: not reporting hours, 1 to 14 hours, 15 to 49 hours, 50 to 99 hours, 100 to 499 hours and 500 or more hours (Current Population Survey (CPS), 2011). This graph represents the percentage results of their responses. The results show that the greatest majority of volunteers, at about twenty-nine percent, are spending between 100 to 499 hours on their activities. However, it significantly drops from 500 or more hours. Figure 3 also shows that from 2007 to 2011 each category of reported hours has stayed fairly constant. Figure 4 Figure 4. Main volunteer activity for organization. Adapted from Volunteering in the United States, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Figure 4 represents the percentage of main volunteer activities for organizations. The results were collected from the CPSs volunteer supplement for 2007 through 2011, in particular the questions that dealt with the type of volunteer activities conducted at their main organization. The main organization is defined as the organization where the volunteer worked the greatest amount of hours during the year (Current Population Survey (CPS), 2011). The results show which activities had the greatest percentage of volunteers over the past five years, with the highest percentage being in the category of other activities, and the next highest in fundraising or selling items to raise money. Over the past five years each category, except collecting food and teaching/tutoring, has stayed at the same percentage of participation from volunteers. Collecting/serving food has seen a slight increase, while teaching/tutoring has seen a slight decrease from 2007 to 2011. Volunteer Motivation Table 2 Distribution of Responses to Volunteer Motivation Inventory Motivational items Survey question Percentage of Responses Disagree Undecided Agree Values I volunteer because I believe I am meeting a need in the community in my volunteering role 1.4 2.8 95.8 I volunteer because I feel that volunteering makes the world a better place 4.7 5.3 90 I volunteer because I believe everyone should volunteer 39 20.3 40.7 Self-Esteem I volunteer because I feel that volunteering is a feel-good experience 14.1 10.4 75.5 I volunteer because volunteering makes me feel like a good person 25.4 17.3 57.3 I volunteer because volunteering makes me feel useful 10 8 82 Personal Growth I volunteer because I feel that volunteering gives me a better understanding of what life is about 10.7 10.4 78.9 I volunteer because I feel that volunteering has given me the opportunity to appreciate the differences in people 16.6 14.3 69.1 I feel more settled in myself after volunteering 26.4 23.5 50.1 Career Development I volunteer because I feel that I make important work connections through volunteering 70.8 13.5 15.7 I volunteer because I feel that volunteering will help me to find out about employment opportunities. 77 12.7 10.3 I volunteer because volunteering gives me an opportunity to build my work skills. 56 14.1 29.9 Social Interaction I volunteer because the social opportunities provided by the agency are important to me. 53.2 20.7 26.1 I volunteer because I feel that volunteering is a way to build ones social networks. 54.1 19.8 26.1 I volunteer because volunteering provides a way for me to make new friends. 40.7 16.7 42.6 Recognition Being appreciated by my volunteer agency is important to me. 10 11.6 78.4 Being respected by staff and volunteers at the agency is not important to me. 75.3 8.2 16.5 I feel that it is important to receive recognition for my volunteering work. 50.4 18.6 31 Note. Distribution of Responses to Volunteer Motivation Inventory. Adapted from Developing the Volunteer Motivation Inventory to Assess the Underlying Motivational Drives of Volunteers in Western Australia, by P.J. Esmond P. Dunlop, 2004 Table 2 represents the percentage of responses from some motivational questions that were pulled from the Developing the Volunteer Motivation Inventory to Assess the Underlying Motivational Drives of Volunteers in Western Australia. The responses to questions related to volunteer motivational factors were coded on a one to five scale, with one being strongly disagree, two disagree, three undecided, four agree and five strongly agree (Esmond Dunlop, 2004). Table 2 shows the percentage of responses to the selected survey questions, with strongly disagree and disagree combined into one category, and the same with agree and strongly agree, while undecided was a separate category. The results indicate that most of the respondents are motivated by their values, self-esteem, personal growth, and recognition. It also indicates that social interaction and career development have significantly lower impact on their motivation to volunteer. Values such as believing that they are making a difference in the community play a highly significant role in volunteer motivation. Volunteering because it makes them feel good also plays a significant role in volunteer motivation. Being appreciated by the volunteer agency and receiving recognition was also regarded highly for volunteer motivation. (Continued on Next Page) Table 3 Distribution of Responses to RMHCCI 2012 Volunteer Survey Survey question Percentage of Responses Good Average Poor

China’s Current Foreign Investment Environment Essay

Since the reform and opening up, China’s utilization of foreign investment is developing constantly. Along with the continuous improvement of the investment environment, the scale of foreign investment into China has been continuing expanding, which making China became the world’s second largest inflow of funds country. In the backdrop of China’s own economic development, in 2010, China became the second largest economy in the world, with a 5878. 6 billion dollars GDP at the same year.? Inside the country, foreign investments forming a large-scale foreign economy, and made important contribution to China’s economy and pushed it into the international economic system. I would like to talk about my own views about China’s current foreign investment environment, and analyze its opportunities and challenges. The quality of investment environment is directly related to the ability to attract high-quality foreign capital investment. Investment environment affected by many factors, and these factors work together, such as national macroeconomic policies, the basic anagement system of national government, the level of infrastructures and so on. First, I’d like to analyze the advantage of China’s current foreign investment environment, which directly related to the opportunity for China to attract foreign investment. Advantage: Good economic environment A country’s economic environment determines the future direction and development of the country’s economy, while China is in a good momentum of economic development stage. China’s macro-control policies become more and more mature after years of development, and have accumulated a lot of valuable experience. These policies have played a catalytic role for the country’s overall economic development. In order to develop an opening-up economy, in 2001, China became a member of the WTO, provided a good opportunity to make China’s economic more opening to the outside world and provide better investment environment. By accepting new things and developing China’s own economic growth model, the level of China’s economic grows rapidly. China has a strong domestic purchasing power, which reflects China’s huge market size and market potential. According to the effective demand theory of Keynes, due to the economic crisis, there is a lack of effective demand in western countries. Effective demand makes up with consumer demand and investment demand. Diminishing marginal propensity to consume, diminishing marginal efficiency of capital and liquidity preference is the three major social and psychological factors resulting in lack of consumption demand and investment demand, and then reduce the investment rate in developed countries.? Thus, more foreign investors would turn to find a better place to invest, it is the opportunity of China’s foreign investment environment. Advantage: Stable political environment Since China’s reform and opening up, people’s living standards continue to improve, China’s international status and international influence also has been enhanced at the same time. China could maintain a stable developing social environment. This is the basic guarantee of the investment environment. For example, the reason why Wal-Mart invested a large amount of money on shopping plaza, Sam shops, and community shops in China, is that Wal-Mart believed China has a stable political and social environment. A stable political and social environment is an important factor that can nsure the safety of foreign investments. Advantage: Acceptable infrastructure China has the world’s largest infrastructure construction. After years of development, the level of China’s infrastructure has been significantly improved. For example, the government invested a lot of money on the construction of transportation, electricity, water, and natural gas supply. The ability to provide materials and efficient transportation are favorable factors for attracting foreign investment. For example, Wal-Mart relies on its efficient logistics and distribution, and Wal-Mart decided to locate its distribution center in Tianjin. Tianjin is a coastal city, it not only reflects the natural advantage of Tianjin, but also reflects that in recent years, Tianjin’s tremendous achievements in constructing infrastructure. Advantage: Abundant labor China has the largest population in the world, and also provides a lot of cheap labor resources. Companies could enjoy cost advantages because of the cheap labor cost, especially in labor-intensive industries. China also has a comparative advantage in labor-intensive industries. Wal-Mart has 50,000 employees in China. The company gives their employees necessary training to meet the needs of high-tech industries and enjoys low cost of labor. Labor and capital are substitutes. In China, Wal-Mart’s development relies heavily on a lot of cheap labor. Imagine Wal-Mart has such a large number of employees in developed countries, the labor cost is much higher than in China, therefore, the actual profit must be affected. In this way, invest in China is a good choice for War-Mart. I have talked about the advantages of the foreign investment environment in China, and then I would like to talk about the disadvantages. Disadvantage: The laws of the market economy system are not perfect China joined the WTO in 2001, which means that China can be on an equal footing with the developed countries. However, China’s current economy is a market economy with Chinese characteristics, which has some differences with the mature market economies in developed countries. China’s market economy has been accepted for a short time, with little experience, many laws and regulations are unreasonable. China’s legal basis, the legislative process, operational mechanism is still not completely turned to erve market economy. Some existing laws and regulations confront with the principles of market economy. In terms of implementation, many laws and regulations are not uniformed in the implementation process, which have caused lots of problems for foreign investors. The imperfect legal system also affects employee’s rights. For example, Wal-Mart, Dell, Kodak and other foreign companies are refused to establish union in China. Actually, there are few laws to protect employee’s rights in China. These foreign companies are not afraid of these imperfect laws. Foreign companies like Wal-Mart, has a long operation history in many countries around the world, has many experiences of how to deal with workers in many countries, the legal basis in China is still very weak. Disadvantage: Low government efficiency Bureaucracy and corruption is a significant problem of the government. In the Chinese government system, the institutional settings are bloated, some department’s functions are unclear, policies and regulations are not uniformed between the various departments. These problems are particularly serious in recent years, greatly limits the improvement of the foreign investment environment. Foreign investors lack of a complete understanding of the Chinese government, they will face a lot of problems but do not know how to deal with it. Disadvantage: The low efficiency of the financial sector According to a survey conducted by the World Bank, China’s financial resources are concentrated on state-owned enterprises. For some companies with high potential, especially for some small and medium-sized private companies, they can not get strong financial support from the bank in a short time. Lack of support also leads these companies to the slow development or even the bankrupt. This is also a disadvantage to foreign investors. Foreign investors in China want to get the financial support have to face cumbersome procedures, mainly because of the financial institutions system is not perfect. At the same time, the interest rate is not determined by the market, which limits the flow of credit funds to the foreign companies, the private sector, and small enterprises. Disadvantage: The investment environment and labor distribution has regional differences China has large land area, but because of the natural causes, history and other factors, the investment environment and labor distribution are various from region to region. In the southeast coastal areas, infrastructure, labor resources, and policies are attractive to foreign investors. In the central and western regions, due to the geographical conditions and the limitations of natural resources, economic development is relatively slow, the policy is not attractive to foreign investors. For example, Wal-Mart opened 191 stores in China are mostly located in the southeast coastal areas. As shown below: Wal-Mart China mainland outlets maps Disadvantage: Resources and environmental constraints China is a big country. However, the resources for every person rank very low around the world. With the economic development, social development and the improvement of the consumption level, there are some limitations in the energy, land and other natural resources. China’s economic growth mainly depends on high pollution industries, and has not fundamental changed. Environmental pollution makes retail enterprises such as Wal-Mart faces a lot of problems in the procurement process. A lot of goods can not enter the mall because of the pollution. China’s foreign investment environment and also be limited, therefore, the transformation of economic growth mode is the top item of China’s current economic development. Summary In summary, the entry of foreign capital is an inevitable trend in China, which has made more demands on China’s investment environment. How to use the opportunities and advantages of the China’s investment environment are important issues need to be considered by the government. Only by analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of China’s investment environment, developing relevant policies and regulations, increasing the anti-corruption efforts and transforming the economic development mode, China could improve the foreign investment environment to the next level. In this way, China could receive a more important role in the world economy.

China’s Current Foreign Investment Environment Essay

Since the reform and opening up, China’s utilization of foreign investment is developing constantly. Along with the continuous improvement of the investment environment, the scale of foreign investment into China has been continuing expanding, which making China became the world’s second largest inflow of funds country. In the backdrop of China’s own economic development, in 2010, China became the second largest economy in the world, with a 5878. 6 billion dollars GDP at the same year.? Inside the country, foreign investments forming a large-scale foreign economy, and made important contribution to China’s economy and pushed it into the international economic system. I would like to talk about my own views about China’s current foreign investment environment, and analyze its opportunities and challenges. The quality of investment environment is directly related to the ability to attract high-quality foreign capital investment. Investment environment affected by many factors, and these factors work together, such as national macroeconomic policies, the basic anagement system of national government, the level of infrastructures and so on. First, I’d like to analyze the advantage of China’s current foreign investment environment, which directly related to the opportunity for China to attract foreign investment. Advantage: Good economic environment A country’s economic environment determines the future direction and development of the country’s economy, while China is in a good momentum of economic development stage. China’s macro-control policies become more and more mature after years of development, and have accumulated a lot of valuable experience. These policies have played a catalytic role for the country’s overall economic development. In order to develop an opening-up economy, in 2001, China became a member of the WTO, provided a good opportunity to make China’s economic more opening to the outside world and provide better investment environment. By accepting new things and developing China’s own economic growth model, the level of China’s economic grows rapidly. China has a strong domestic purchasing power, which reflects China’s huge market size and market potential. According to the effective demand theory of Keynes, due to the economic crisis, there is a lack of effective demand in western countries. Effective demand makes up with consumer demand and investment demand. Diminishing marginal propensity to consume, diminishing marginal efficiency of capital and liquidity preference is the three major social and psychological factors resulting in lack of consumption demand and investment demand, and then reduce the investment rate in developed countries.? Thus, more foreign investors would turn to find a better place to invest, it is the opportunity of China’s foreign investment environment. Advantage: Stable political environment Since China’s reform and opening up, people’s living standards continue to improve, China’s international status and international influence also has been enhanced at the same time. China could maintain a stable developing social environment. This is the basic guarantee of the investment environment. For example, the reason why Wal-Mart invested a large amount of money on shopping plaza, Sam shops, and community shops in China, is that Wal-Mart believed China has a stable political and social environment. A stable political and social environment is an important factor that can nsure the safety of foreign investments. Advantage: Acceptable infrastructure China has the world’s largest infrastructure construction. After years of development, the level of China’s infrastructure has been significantly improved. For example, the government invested a lot of money on the construction of transportation, electricity, water, and natural gas supply. The ability to provide materials and efficient transportation are favorable factors for attracting foreign investment. For example, Wal-Mart relies on its efficient logistics and distribution, and Wal-Mart decided to locate its distribution center in Tianjin. Tianjin is a coastal city, it not only reflects the natural advantage of Tianjin, but also reflects that in recent years, Tianjin’s tremendous achievements in constructing infrastructure. Advantage: Abundant labor China has the largest population in the world, and also provides a lot of cheap labor resources. Companies could enjoy cost advantages because of the cheap labor cost, especially in labor-intensive industries. China also has a comparative advantage in labor-intensive industries. Wal-Mart has 50,000 employees in China. The company gives their employees necessary training to meet the needs of high-tech industries and enjoys low cost of labor. Labor and capital are substitutes. In China, Wal-Mart’s development relies heavily on a lot of cheap labor. Imagine Wal-Mart has such a large number of employees in developed countries, the labor cost is much higher than in China, therefore, the actual profit must be affected. In this way, invest in China is a good choice for War-Mart. I have talked about the advantages of the foreign investment environment in China, and then I would like to talk about the disadvantages. Disadvantage: The laws of the market economy system are not perfect China joined the WTO in 2001, which means that China can be on an equal footing with the developed countries. However, China’s current economy is a market economy with Chinese characteristics, which has some differences with the mature market economies in developed countries. China’s market economy has been accepted for a short time, with little experience, many laws and regulations are unreasonable. China’s legal basis, the legislative process, operational mechanism is still not completely turned to erve market economy. Some existing laws and regulations confront with the principles of market economy. In terms of implementation, many laws and regulations are not uniformed in the implementation process, which have caused lots of problems for foreign investors. The imperfect legal system also affects employee’s rights. For example, Wal-Mart, Dell, Kodak and other foreign companies are refused to establish union in China. Actually, there are few laws to protect employee’s rights in China. These foreign companies are not afraid of these imperfect laws. Foreign companies like Wal-Mart, has a long operation history in many countries around the world, has many experiences of how to deal with workers in many countries, the legal basis in China is still very weak. Disadvantage: Low government efficiency Bureaucracy and corruption is a significant problem of the government. In the Chinese government system, the institutional settings are bloated, some department’s functions are unclear, policies and regulations are not uniformed between the various departments. These problems are particularly serious in recent years, greatly limits the improvement of the foreign investment environment. Foreign investors lack of a complete understanding of the Chinese government, they will face a lot of problems but do not know how to deal with it. Disadvantage: The low efficiency of the financial sector According to a survey conducted by the World Bank, China’s financial resources are concentrated on state-owned enterprises. For some companies with high potential, especially for some small and medium-sized private companies, they can not get strong financial support from the bank in a short time. Lack of support also leads these companies to the slow development or even the bankrupt. This is also a disadvantage to foreign investors. Foreign investors in China want to get the financial support have to face cumbersome procedures, mainly because of the financial institutions system is not perfect. At the same time, the interest rate is not determined by the market, which limits the flow of credit funds to the foreign companies, the private sector, and small enterprises. Disadvantage: The investment environment and labor distribution has regional differences China has large land area, but because of the natural causes, history and other factors, the investment environment and labor distribution are various from region to region. In the southeast coastal areas, infrastructure, labor resources, and policies are attractive to foreign investors. In the central and western regions, due to the geographical conditions and the limitations of natural resources, economic development is relatively slow, the policy is not attractive to foreign investors. For example, Wal-Mart opened 191 stores in China are mostly located in the southeast coastal areas. As shown below: Wal-Mart China mainland outlets maps Disadvantage: Resources and environmental constraints China is a big country. However, the resources for every person rank very low around the world. With the economic development, social development and the improvement of the consumption level, there are some limitations in the energy, land and other natural resources. China’s economic growth mainly depends on high pollution industries, and has not fundamental changed. Environmental pollution makes retail enterprises such as Wal-Mart faces a lot of problems in the procurement process. A lot of goods can not enter the mall because of the pollution. China’s foreign investment environment and also be limited, therefore, the transformation of economic growth mode is the top item of China’s current economic development. Summary In summary, the entry of foreign capital is an inevitable trend in China, which has made more demands on China’s investment environment. How to use the opportunities and advantages of the China’s investment environment are important issues need to be considered by the government. Only by analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of China’s investment environment, developing relevant policies and regulations, increasing the anti-corruption efforts and transforming the economic development mode, China could improve the foreign investment environment to the next level. In this way, China could receive a more important role in the world economy.