How Creativity Has Been Applied to a Business Idea or Problem Essay

To make a business grow and achieve productive and efficient results you need to invoke creativity which has always been an essential business skill. Since long time creativity has been applied to a business world as companies seek to use it in all parts of the organization to make it gain more profits and to be exceptional from others. A business person has to find unique solutions every day and he has to know how to react to situation creatively. Richard Florida (2002) stated human creativity is the ultimate economic resource. The ability to come up with new ideas and better ways of doing things is ultimately what raises productivity and thus living standards. Every individual is creative. Creative person is defined as curious, optimistic, imaginative, hard – working. He enjoys challenges, are able to accept problems easily and see them as new opportunities also he does not give up easily. Each of us see things in different way people are used to see or do, we come up with c reative ideas and solutions which make us to explore our creativity in more depth. Creativity is a process from where creative ideas come from and creativity is personal skill which is essential in this process. Creative thinking skills and attributes explain how people are dealing with various problems or ideas. Skills such as imagination, problem – solving, taking – risks and reasoning help us to identify problems, find right solutions, generate and improve ideas also realize them and apply to business process. Intuition, motivation and flexibility make us to select a proper idea, explore different ways to combine and achieve it, improve attitude towards risk and eliminate boundaries. In order to achieve his purposes person has to be self– confident, determined and persistent. There are many ways how individual can improve or develop these skills. For example, JAV company ‘Sysco’ organized creative education seminars for their employers and results were stunning – every participant sales increased about 25 – 30 % bu t this is just one example how creativity has been developed in companies there are more ways to do that. First of all, we need to evolve ideas and understand that there is more than one problem solution also we have to perceive that each problem can be solved in a better or different way. The second way to improve creativity is called synthesis. Using this method more than to ideas are compared and from them combined into completely new idea. Also, in this report I would like briefly identify some of idea generation techniques which help to realize ideas in a particular business area. Smith (1998) identified 172 idea generating techniques which he allocated to smaller groups which tell us about each technique further. Idea generation technique is essential process of creativity. Brainstorming probably is the most important technique which involves generating a lot of ideas and solutions. Brainstorming was the first technique and it is called ‘the mother of all idea generation techniques’. Also, it can be used for both groups and individuals. Second technique is collaboration when group of people are working together on purpose to achieve a particular result. They share creative ideas between each other and make a final decision in order to improve the whole process. Reflection is third idea generation technique which concentrates on previous work when designers reconsider projects, schemes, plans or documents from where they can find a particular idea and develop it further. A fourth method is called socializing. It is about communicating with others about particular subject totally unrelated to the current work. Sketching similar to documenting reflects on drawing approximate scheme or plan of an idea. â€Å"In order to help individuals in the idea generation process, researchers have identified methods to stimulate creative thought, generate more ideas, and expand on the solution space.† Nowadays more and more organizations are using personality tests to evaluate their employees’ character, to find their motivations and goals, to understand their work techniques and creativity level also to discover their barriers which they need to improve in the future. Companies have started to use personality tests in the past five years so that they can find a potential employee’s strengths and weaknesses. If questions and answers are quite accurate and test is done properly it can help an employer to find more about person’s advantages and disadvantages. It is very important to know because one of the most important points is that most of personality tests help to recognize unqualified candidates. â€Å"Although experts warn that many personality assessments don’t deliver what they promise, legitimate scientifically validated tests are helping employers evaluate job candidates to select those best suited for particular positions. Other tests are designed to measure intelligence, honesty, management aptitude and other qualities.† Napoleon Hill stated ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes. When you have a great business idea it is not enough just have it somewhere in your brain, the second thing to do is to rea lize it in other words it is called idea feasibility. Same as this American author stated by having a successful idea you can open doors to new opportunities and attract fortune. The idea is like a new product which can be applied to a new business. The more successful the product is the better results it will give in the future. In this case creative thinking helps to discover new and useful ideas also it leads to new business opportunities. Realize your business idea is possible in many different ways. For instance, you can start networking with various potential business people from all over the world also you can organize a highly creative team and start working on a particular idea. Opportunities and ways are endless it is belong to you, your creativity level and idea success. The final step after idea feasibility is action planning. Once the idea is considered and discussed you need to think about the way how it will work and how long it will takes to you to achieve your aim. â€Å"Action planning is a process which will help you to focus your ideas and to decide what steps you need to take to achieve particular goals that you may have. It is a statement of what you want to achieve over a given period of time.† As every planning process it involves some of basic steps which I would like to identify in my further research. Before you start setting a plan you need to be self-motivated and innovative because our goals have to motivate us to achieve them, but not to be too difficult and unreal. Also, you have to think about all possible ways which can make you closer to your aim. Do not forget to think about barrier which you may meet during a working period and try to find solutions how to cope with them effectively. When you start working on your plan you need to identify the main objectives. The second step is to prioritize each task, what need to be done first and what after. Once the list is done, you have to start working and use your own initiat ive, some people prefer working individually others may like to work in a team, it is important to choose your preferable work technique then work will be done quicker. Also, one of the most important steps is to finish the work to a deadline. To sum up, effective planning gives us basic steps so that we would be able to reach our objectives and it helps us to realize our ideas. In this report I have considered the main topics of creativity and it process. I explained how creativity has been applied in business process and organizations. Which personal qualities make individuals be more creative and how they can apply these skills to realize business ideas or solve problems creatively. Which part personality tests take in a business companies and what is the main meaning of them, why employers use this technique when they want to select the right participant to take a place in the organization. As well as, I considered the main factors about idea feasibility and explained techniques which are essential to idea generation. I identified the basic steps of action planning also described them in more depth so that it would be more easy to understand and try it in practice. If you consider yourself being creative you have to start setting a plan how to realize your ideas and you may have considerable results in the future. Creativity is a substantial tool which lead people to find right decisions and solve problems using their own initiative or special methods which are unusual for those who are not creative. It helps to set new strategies and products that employers apply to business. â€Å"It is highly likely that your creativity has been diminished by social norms and life experience, but it can be fostered and revived. You may not even think you are creative, but that is not true. â€Å"Creativity is our birth right it is part of what makes us human.† List of References University of Kent (2010) Action Planning [online] available from < http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/skillsactionplanning.htm> [26 December 2010] The CBS Interactive Business Network (2002) Personality counts: Psychological tests can help peg the job applicants best suited for certain jobs – Cover Story [online] available from < http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_2_47/ai_83058907/> [27 December 2010] SCORE Counselors to America’s Small Business (2010) How to Incorporate Creativity into Your Business Practice [online] available from < http://www.score.org/article_how_to_creativity.html> [27 December 2010] The IEEE Computer Society (2008) Idea Generation Techniques among Creative Professionals [online] available from [28 December 2010]

Nirvana Art Gallery Essay

Nirvana Art Gallery Nirvana Art Gallery Case study analysis Case study analysis 1. Executive summary- This case study is all about the different situations Mr rod faces at his work place. The urge to take experience he went for part time job along with his ongoing PhD work. The work area of his interest was being a curator while because of less work he was made to work in another department which was not of his interest and he faces lot many problems over there. He even used to stay late to complete the assigned work and the colleagues were also not supportive. The main problem was the lack of interest of Mr. Rod for working in researchs department which was further boosted up by Miss Nelly’s interference who was the research manager. The only solution for his problem is to talk with Miss Nelly and request her to undo the changes made in his work schedule or else he should try to create interest in research department as well as it is the only option he is left with. . Situation Analysis- Introduction- this case emphasises on the disinterest of Mr. Rod to work in research department. But in spite of showing it he decided to work with full efforts. One of the problem was the unfriendly behaviour of the members of this department. The over sympathy of Miss Nelly was also creating discomfort for Mr. Rod accompanied by mocking expressions of his colleagues. The rearrangement of working schedule further enhanced the problems of Mr. Rod which resulted from the refusal of Nelly’s proposal to help her in her work. But still he manages his work and become successful in creating balance between both the works. Objectives- the main objective of Mr. Rod behind working in Nirvana Art Gallery was to take experience of being a curator which will help him in future and also adds to his work experience. But unwillingly he was made to work in research department because of less work in his area of interest. Decision Making- Miss Nelly’s extra concern and sympathy for Mr. Rod became a problem for him. And the rearrangement of his work schedule was also its consequence which enhanced the problems further. Implementation- Mr. Rod has shown a great interest in working with NAG. In both the departments he tried to give his best. But further troubled by rescheduling of his week’s work arrangement. He can overcome this problem by completely engaging himself in the work assigned to him so that he will not feel boredom in working for research department. Or if he feels this new schedule totally inconvenient then he can make Nelly aware of his situation and probably she will help him in the matter concerned and finally he would be able to work more in curatorial. Conclusion- the main problem in the case arise because of the extra concern and sympathy of Miss Nelly towards Mr. Rod. The one thing which he could do was going to Nelly and politely telling her about the situation and the surreptitious looks and frowns of other members of research team which was quite embarrassing.

Supply and Demand Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Supply and Demand - Term Paper Example Third, if demand remains unaffected and supply rises, there will be surplus causing a decreased equilibrium price. Fourth, if demand remains unaffected and there is a decrease in supply, there will be a shortage causing an increased equilibrium price. This paper will look at supply and demand. On the supply side, it will discuss Ronald Regan, and on the demand side, it will look at Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Caplin and Schotter 43). The paper will go on to highlight the difference between supply and demand while looking at the economic environment then and now, and other components such as interest rates, housing market, etc. Supply side economics is a branch of macroeconomics which asserts that economic growth may be most adequately developed by lessening barriers for individuals to produce services and goods, for example, lessening capital gains tax rates and income tax, and by permitting enhanced flexibility by lessening regulation. Consistent with supply side economics, customers will benefit from a significant supply of services and goods at decreased prices. Standard supply side economists’ policy recommendations are less regulation and lower marginal tax rates. The Laffer curve symbolizes a principle of supply side economics that government tax revenues from a specified tax are identical at100% tax rates as at the 0% tax rate correspondingly. The tax rate which attains the highest or optimum government revenues is placed in the middle of the two values. Reaganomics is an example of supply side economics. Reagan aspired to control the growth of special spending and promote entrepreneurship as well as the decrease of inflation and regulation (Caplin and Schotter 56). During the Reagan era, the economic growth was approximately 3.2%. During the Ford and Carter era, the economic growth averaged 2.8%. In subsequent years, the economic growth averaged 2.1%. In addition, during the Reagan era, the real median family income rose by $4,000 after experienci ng no rise before the Reagan era. Nonetheless, in the post-Reagan era the median family income experienced a loss of approximately $1,500. Moreover, the unemployment rate, housing sector, inflation, and interest rates declined rapidly under the Reagan administration than they did instantly after or prior to his leadership. The sole economic variable that was worse in the Reagan era than in both the post- and pre-Reagan periods was the savings rate, which rapidly decreased in the 1980s. Also, the productivity rate was elevated in the pre-Reagan era but much lesser after the Reagan presidency. Demand side economics refers to the economic model which proposes that economic inspiration comes adequately from enhancing the demand for services and goods. This notion is typically placed in direct contrast with supply side economics. Similar to a large number of economic theories, it is extremely easier to comprehend the standards of demand side economics in theory instead of practice. First and foremost, demand side economics is a way of eliminating an economy of recession and accelerating economic growth while thwarting inflation. It is meant as a restraint on both retraction and enlargement to keep an economy in a steady state. The concept is that to accelerate growth, an administration should decrease taxes on the working and middle class and enhance government spending. To deal with

Does the internet create more distribution problems than it solves Essay

Does the internet create more distribution problems than it solves Critically evaluate with reference to channel conflicts. include relevant examples and theories in your appraisal - Essay Example Bovet and Martha (2000) explained this in their value net, wherein the distribution centre provides bought products on a just-in-time basis. (p58) What this means is that the Internet significantly reduced the cost of distribution, while making the process faster and responsive to the needs and requirements of the consumers. Now, this is the ideal landscape. Several years have passed and a wealth of experience has been collected. There are some sectors who argue that the Internet has created new distribution challenges, which are dominated by the emergence of channel conflicts. This paper will explore this theme. Particularly, the investigation will focus on the tourism industry. For some, the Internet is considered one of the greatest developments in the history of mankind, if not ever. (Katz and Rice, 2002, p2) This claim may have some ring of truth to it since the technology has almost single-handedly reduced the world into a global village, effectively eroding the effect of time difference, geographical location and national borders in the way people interact and consume goods. The platform became popular because it allowed easy and inexpensive communication of one to one, one to many, many to one, and many to many – an achievement that is unparalleled in history. (Sullivan, 2002, p177) It has helped globalization to achieve its purposes and, in turn, is encouraged by that economic phenomenon in a mutually reinforcing relationship. This is the basis of the emergence of the so-called e-commerce concept, a new model that significantly challenged the traditional bricks and mortar model. Through the internet technology, people can sell products and se rvices over the internet network without having to worry about store space and intermediaries. According to Gay, Charlesworth and Esen (2007), the technology allowed the linking of front and back

Ethical Issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethical Issue - Essay Example The meaning of ethical issues is dealing with or regarding the principles or morals of morality (MacNair, 2003). Ethical issues are concerning the rights and wrongs in conduct, expressing or involving moral approval, in reference to principles of conduct, which are regarded correct, particularly those of a given group or profession for instance nursing. Basic values of saving life, as well as alleviating suffering, is shared by a member of the nursing and medical professions (Bandman, 2002). Codes of honesty, confidentiality and colleagueship, are also anticipated in these groups. Nevertheless, the spirit of obedience and servitude, questioned by Mitchell (2008), but influenced by a majority of nurses, has led to numerous differences in the manner in which dilemmas are tackled and the context in which doctors and nurses regard their professional ethics. This paper will give a comprehensive overview of an ethical issue and its relationship to the ethical and legal aspects of nursing o r other health care professions. It will include an exploration of the pro and con sides of the ethical issue and take a stand on the issue and also critically evaluate the current impact of the ethical issue. ... A majority of the stands nurses presume in this dilemma are persuaded by their own values and beliefs (Bandman, 2002). The consequences, at times, are harsh to both the nurse and the patient. Therefore, how does a nurse provide her services to a patient who has gone through an abortion, when the nurse regards abortion as murder? Should the nurse, with very different values, support the patient’s right to decide her autonomy? Pro Side of the Issue The most frequent reasons why women consider abortion are: Unable to care or support for the child. Birth control failure. Nearly half of all women who have gone through an abortion made use of a contraceptive technique in the month they got pregnant (MacNair, 2003). To stop the birth of a child with harsh medical problems or birth defects. Such defects are frequently unidentified until routine second-trimester assessments are carried out. To terminate an unwanted pregnancy. Mental or physical conditions, which jeopardize the pregnant woman’s health when the pregnancy is continued. Pregnancy resulting from incest or rape. All these are strong reasons why abortion is considered (Bandman, 2002). I also think that a pregnant woman ought to have access to a harmless, legal abortion if she requires one. I endorse a pregnant woman's right to harmless, legal abortion since centuries of history tells us that women are going to make the final decision regarding abortions whether they are legal and safe, or not. Furthermore, when the act is not safe and legal, these women might die terribly or be damaged permanently meaning that they might become barren (MacNair, 2003). Therefore, the pro side of this issue is that it saves women the possibility of going through an unsafe and illegal abortion. In my dream utopia, there would

Culture and Careers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Culture and Careers - Essay Example Thailand is one of the most popular countries to visit. In cultural terms, there are several practices and beliefs that are rather distinct and different from Western societies. The traditional Thai greeting ‘wai’ is expressed with the two palms pressed together in a prayer like way. Acknowledging a ‘wai’ and returning is expected of everyone. Thai culture lays a significant amount of spiritual importance to certain parts of the human body. It is said that one should avoid pointing his or her feet at people, or even touching people with the feet, propping up the feet on tables, or stepping on people seated on the ground. In comparison, the head has much more importance and it is well-thought-out to be very rude to touch other people on the head. As well, it is said that people should not sit pillows since they are meant resting the head (Jones, 2003). The major religion which is followed in Thailand is Buddhism which is majorly influenced by the traditional beliefs which are associated with the ancestral and natural spirits. The belief of having spirits is incorporated in their Buddhist cosmology. On the basis of this belief Thai people own spirit and miniature houses which they believe contain live spirits. They provide food and drinks to such spirits which they believe keep them happy. According to the Thai people beliefs and their culture if these spirits are not happy they will impede the major portion of the household and will create chaos. Such spirit houses are found in public places and also on some of the streets of Thailand. In certain rural areas of Thailand, food is served while people are seated on the ground. Stepping over food is considered yet another very rude gesture and a source of immense embarrassment for a Thai host. At practically any place in Thailand, if one sees a pile of shoes at or close to the entrance of a home, shop, or a guest house, one should remove their own

Stat-1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Stat-1 - Essay Example d) No, the budgets for such home improvement jobs must be not exactly normally distributed for the confidence interval I obtained in part (b) to be approximately correct. Since, the sample is random and is greater than 30 (n≠¥30) i.e. large enough therefore we can apply Central Limit Theorem for a Mean, therefore we can assume budgets for such home improvements jobs are approximately normally distributed. The 95.44% confidence interval for ÃŽ ¼ ($2,483.04 The typing skills of recent applicants are not good, because 99% confidence interval for the mean number of words input per minute by recent applicants lies entirely below 70. It should be above or approximately equal to 70. b) The 95% confidence interval for the mean calcium intake, ÃŽ ¼, of all adults with incomes below the poverty level is 860.54 mg b) The confidence interval found in part (a) is shorter than the one in Exercise 8.32 because in this case Sample standard deviation 171.99 mg is too small as compared to population standard deviation 188mg. However, in general, using t increases the confidence level slightly as compared to using z. b) The 90% confidence interval for the mean plasma level of adrenomedullin, ÃŽ ¼ for all women with recurrent pregnancy loss is 5.080 < ÃŽ ¼ < 6.120 pmol/l. There is a probability of 0.90 that an interval constructed this way will contain the mean plasma level of adrenomedullin, ÃŽ ¼ for all women with recurrent pregnancy

Gosling & Mintzberg's The Five Minds of a Manager Article

Gosling & Mintzberg's The Five Minds of a Manager - Article Example To succeed, therefore, as a manger, one must have different mindsets at different times. Jonathan Glossing and Henry Mintzberg analyses these as the five minds of a manger. In doing this, they discuss the five most important roles that mangers do and the challenges they face in doing so. Managing self is the first of these; before managing a group of grown adults, one must manage himself. In doing these, such aspects of personality as grooming and punctuality among others are considered. One cannot purport to manage others while they portray signs of negligence at the workplace. Managers must therefore be very organized and orderly people. These are prerequisite to the achievement of the organizational goals and objectives. A dedicated and effectively self managed individual motivates his workforces who thereafter emulate his progress. Self discipline and restrain elevates a manager from the rest of the pack at the organization. It makes the manager authoritative and develops an air of self worth around him. It is only after ensuring this that a manager begins the process of managing the individual personality at his disposal which he does in accordance to how he manages himself (Jonathan and Henry 3). Managing organizations is the second mindset. An organization refers to a group of people brought together to achieve a common objective. A manager must weigh the task and put it in comparison to the human resource and other resources at his disposal necessary for the completion of the task. The manager is in charge of the task and he is responsible for the outcome. He must therefore ensure that he employs the best minds and competencies for the task to guarantee a positive outcome. The process of determining the best mindset requires skills and experience which a manager is required to posses. The third mindset that managers must acquire is to manage context. Organizations exist in societies; it is therefore natural that more

Chevron Stakeholders and Their Interests or Concerns Essay

Chevron Stakeholders and Their Interests or Concerns - Essay Example The consequences were eminent as people obtained water from the streams for domestic use. The effluents had lethal concentration of toxic substances. Ecuadorians witnessed numerous cases of Leukemia and abnormally increasing rates of birth defects. The stakeholders in this case were the company’s management, the Ecuadorian government, institutional stakeholders, and the Ecuadorians. The company management’s main concern was to clear the company’s name by distancing itself from claims about the disaster. Consequently, Chevron denied responsibility of its actions that led to the disaster. â€Å"For a host of cultural and ideological reasons Chevron management is acting against its own self-interest — the interest of its shareholders†¦and in doing so, is driving the company off an $18 billion cliff† (Anderson, 1). The efficient functioning of the company in all areas/department is the role and duty of this category of stakeholders. They are expected to help steer the company into greater heights of success in light of productivity and profitability. This is their ultimate concern as they work to ensure that the company’s operations are running smoothly, no wonder their efforts to keep the looming court case at bay. The Ecuadorian government as a stakeholder, moved to protect the rights and interests of its subjects. The government had to take initiative and thus active roles in court proceedings so as to ensure that the Ecuadorians earned justice. It is one thing for a country to allow a foreign country to invest in one’s country and another to turn against it when it comes to matters of health, safety and security. The only challenge facing this initiative is change of guard from one president to another. Otherwise the country’s government has always strived to resolve the damage through seeking legal redress. The eighteen year old court battle translates into a typically lengthy process.  

The Role of the Environment Agency in the Improvement of UK Essay

The Role of the Environment Agency in the Improvement of UK Air-Quality - Essay Example Its mission, as outlined in its Corporate Plan 2011-2015, is to protect and improve the environment and make it a better place for people and wildlife. Specific goals include: 1. to reduce the risks to people and properties from flooding; 2. ensure adequate supply of water; 3. protect air, land and water quality and apply environmental standards within which industry can operate; 4. reduce climate change; and, 5. help people and wildlife to adapt to its consequences (EA, 2011, p.2). As cited in the above mission and goals, one of the tasks of the Environment Agency is to ensure air quality in the country. This is the main focus of this research. This paper will examine whether the Environment Agency is effective in achieving its objectives in terms of the air quality standards in the United Kingdom. The Role of the Environment Agency According to Hopwood, Unerman and Fries (2010, p.22), the Environment Agency is one body that can exert pressure on central government on issues of sust ainability. This is also evident in the breadth of jurisdiction as well as the strength of authority given to the agency in addressing environmental issues. ... According to Wolf (2010, p.28), these tasks include: a) the bureaucratic task of processing paperwork relating to the issue of licences/permits to pollute and notices to take action regarding pollution problem identified by the regulator; and, b) policing compliance with the relevant licences/permits, notices and other regulatory control, which involves the regulator in monitoring and enforcement roles. These requirements were satisfied with the creation of the Environment Agency, tasked to oversee the protection of the environment as a whole and unified the regulatory powers that cover the air, land, and water. Based on the above factors, one can assume that the agency has the power to make meaningful changes in areas within its scope. Air Quality Objectives In order to evaluate the performance of the Environment Agency specific to air pollution, it is important to outline the objectives it has been working to achieve in this area. These objectives are contained in the larger Air Qu ality Strategy, mandated by The Environment Act of the 1995, which created the Environment agency. The strategy was finally drafted and adopted in 1997 and it contained standards, objectives and measures for improving ambient air quality (DEFRA, 2007, p.9). The strategy has undergone several modifications such as those introduced in 2003, which tightened several of its objectives and added newer ones. The most updated was the strategy released in 2007, which outlined the following objectives: the government will ensure that all citizens have access to outdoor air without significant risk to their health; the standards for setting objectives are set purely with regard to scientific and medical evidence

Indian Education Essay Example for Free

Indian Education Essay A strong education system is the cornerstone of any countrys growth and prosperity. Over the last decade, India has made great strides in strengthening its primary education system. The District Information System for Education (DISE) reported in 2012 that 95% of Indias rural populations are within one kilometer of primary schools. The 2011 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), which tracks trends in rural education, indicated that enrollment rates among primary-school-aged children were about 93%, with little difference by gender. However, behind the veil of such promising statistics, the learning outcomes of Indias children show little progress. The country ranked 63 out of 64 in the latest Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) study, with some of its best schools ranked about average among those surveyed. The 2011 ASER stated that only 48. 2% of students in the fifth grade can read at the second grade level. The number of students completing their primary education with inadequate numeracy and literacy skills is startling. To see this manifest in an economic sense, one may attribute Indias productivity growth lagging behind that of East Asian economies to a lack of progress in the foundational elements of countrywide, high-quality education. Indias private-schooled, English-speaking urban elite may attract global attention, but they are in the minority. The vast majority of Indian children attend government-run primary schools in rural areas. In 2008-2009, rural India accounted for more than 88% of Indias primary-school students, of whom over 87% were enrolled in government-run schools. This is where we see some of the nations toughest challenges. A Diverse Set of Problems Indias education system has not achieved strong learning outcomes for reasons that are as diverse and nuanced as the country itself. Key among these reasons is poor teaching quality, which results from a multitude of factors. Inadequate Teacher Qualification and Support: Teachers working in primary schools across rural India have a difficult job. Dhir Jhingran, a senior civil servant in the Indian Administrative Service, with more than two decades of experience in rural primary education, explained the multiple challenges they face: Teachers have to teach multiple grades, textbooks are pitched far above the comprehension level of students, and each classroom has children with different levels of learning achievements. Anurag Behar, CEO of the Azim Premji Foundation, an education non-profit, noted that the average school teacher in India does not get adequate pre-service or in-service education, nor does she get the support to overcome these problems. Compounding this is the relatively low educational qualifications of many teachers themselves. In 2008-2009, on average, 45% of these teachers had not studied beyond the 12th grade. Low Teacher Motivation and High Absenteeism: A key factor affecting the quality of primary education appears to be low levels of teacher motivation. In 2002-2003, 25% of primary-school teachers in rural India were absent on any given day. The impact of absenteeism is exacerbated by the fact that the average primary school in India has a workforce of no more than three teachers. At a school for girls in rural Rajasthan, we observed this problem first hand: Of the eight teachers assigned, only five were present. The three who were actually teaching were juggling eight different grades. The obvious reason remuneration does not appear to be a driver. In fact, both education experts and ordinary citizens argue that government-employed school teachers are paid relatively well. UNESCO surveys from as early as 2004 indicated that the annual statutory salary of primary school teachers in India with 15 years experience was more than $14,000, adjusted for purchasing power. This was significantly higher than the then-statutory salaries of $3,000 in China and Indonesia, and the Indian GDP per capita in 2004, which was $3,100. Indian primary-school teachers may not be underpaid, but some argue that they may be overworked. For Vivekanand Upadhyay, a seasoned educator and language professor at a leading national University, one reason for the lack of motivation is that primary school teachers employed by the government, particularly in rural India, are required to perform a wide range of duties completely unrelated to imparting education. These duties including administering government programs such as immunization clinics, assisting with data-collection for the national census, and staffing polling stations during elections in addition to their teaching responsibilities, place significant demands on teachers time. Another disheartening factor has been a highly bureaucratic administrative system that discourages bold decision making and makes implementation difficult. For example, as Jhingran observed, it is difficult to test new practices on a small scale before rolling them out: If a new program has been developed, the philosophy is that every school must have it. Such indiscriminate application often means that teachers are implementing programs without understanding their key principles and ultimate goals. Flawed Teaching Methodology: In India, rote learning has been institutionalized as a teaching methodology. Primary school teachers in rural India often try to educate students by making them repeat sections of text over and over again, said Jhingran. Often they do not explain the meaning of the text, which results in stunted reading comprehension skills over the course of the childrens education. For example, many students in grades two and three in one particular school struggle to read individual words, but can neatly copy entire paragraphs from their textbooks into their notebooks as though they were drawing pictures. Linguistic Diversity: Finally, Indias linguistic diversity creates unique challenges for the nations education system. The countrys 22 official languages and hundreds of spoken dialects often differ considerably from the official language of the state or region. Jhingran commented that the teacher not only has to account for varying learning abilities within the classroom, but also dialectic nuances which affect students comprehension of the subject matter. Government-school-educated children from rural India struggle to speak even basic sentences in English. Students with rural primary schooling are at a significant disadvantage as they transition to higher education, because Indias best universities teach exclusively in English, said Upadhyay. Part of the problem is that there is no one to teach them. As Chandrakanta Khatwar, an experienced middle school teacher in a rural government-run school in Rajasthan, asked: When teachers themselves know little English, especially spoken English, how will students learn? A Parallel, Non-governmental Education Universe Since the late 1980s, government efforts to augment rural primary education have been supplemented by the emergence of an intervention-based non-governmental system that spans multiple institutional types. While private schools have emerged as a parallel system over the last two decades, their impact is limited because they serve less than 13% of Indias rural primary-school children. However, do private schools really make a difference? Some studies have found a small, but statistically significant, private school advantage in rural India. Behar was skeptical about the superiority of private rural schools over their government-run counterparts, noting, Once we control for a childs socioeconomic background, private schools add little-to-no value. In many ways, private schools are in much worse shape. However, according to Khatwar, more and more parents in small towns are choosing to send their children to private schools if they can afford it perhaps with good reason, because, on average, the number of students in each classroom in private schools is often smaller and school heads exert greater control over teachers. Some organizations are attempting to innovate with new formats and systems of education. Avasara Academy, a new school for girls, is a private institution whose mission is to mold leaders from among the best and brightest girls in India, regardless of their background. While admission is merit-based, the school intends to draw half its students from disadvantaged rural and urban backgrounds, awarding them full scholarships. In addition, it is developing a special curriculum that encourages excellence beyond academics. Avasara seeks to identify high potential young women and guide them along a powerful journey of leadership development. We expect that our graduates will form a network of leaders who will collaborate to drive positive change across the country, explained Mangala Nanda, humanities department chair for Avasara. While still in the early stages of its development, Avasaras successful implementation would provide a viable model for high-quality, accessible education and integration across socioeconomic boundaries. Governmental Efforts The Indian government at every level recognizes the need for educational reform and has made a conscientious effort to achieve it. The midday-meal plan, for example, is a highly publicized nationwide program through which government school children across India are provided with a midday meal every day of the school week. The program is largely considered a success. A study in 2011 by Rajshri Jayaraman and Dora Simroth found that grade one enrollment increased by 20. 8% simply if a midday meal was offered. According to Behar, The Indian government has worked very hard to provide rural schools with adequate infrastructure, something that was critically lacking a few decades ago. For instance, DISE reported in 2012 that more than 91% of primary schools have drinking-water facilities and 86% of schools built in the last 10 years have a school building. However, there is still a long way to go: Only 52% of primary schools have a girls toilet, and just 32% are connected to the electricity grid. In 2012, the Central Government enacted the Right to Education (RTE) Act, under which every child between the ages of six and 14 receives a free and compulsory education. In addition to regulating access to education, the act contains certain provisions that could positively impact the quality of education. According to Jhingran, one of its major achievements has been the dramatic reduction of non-teaching duties assigned to government school teachers, freeing up valuable time and lowering absenteeism. Partnering with the Government Over the past few decades, many organizations have begun working with government schools and teachers to improve learning outcomes. Pratham, a joint venture between UNICEF and the Municipal Corporation of Mumbai, runs multiple programs to supplement school education, such as learning support classes, libraries and additional learning resources. A hallmark of these initiatives is that Pratham engages volunteers from local communities and trains them to run these programs. Another important initiative that has resulted from Pratham is the annual ASER, an assessment that measures reading and arithmetic abilities by surveying more than 600,000 children across 16,000 villages in India. This remarkable exercise in data-gathering constitutes the foundation for informed decision-making and benchmarking. Other initiatives address teaching quality by placing specially trained teachers in government schools. Teach for India, modeled after the Teach for America program, was introduced in 2006. Young, motivated Indian college graduates and professionals apply for two-year fellowships to teach at government-run and low-income private schools that lack sufficient resources. An important distinction of Teach for India is that instruction is, by design, always in English. As Mohit Arora, fellowship recruitment manager for Teach for India, noted, the organizations philosophy on this point is that learning English is essential to future success, as English in todays world is more than just a language. It is a skill set. Students who do not speak English may have some difficulty initially, but the organization has made learning at these schools experiential and therefore engaging. The dynamics of one particular grade 3 Teach for India classroom were in stark contrast to other classrooms at the same school students were listening intently, contributing in class, answering questions beyond the textbook and demonstrating a strong command over English. The challenge is scaling this model to rural India. Still other organizations focus on capacity development of teachers in government schools, such as the Azim Premji Foundation. As CEO, Behar is categorical in his view that the foundation works in partnership with the government, and that it does not believe in supplanting the government school system. The foundation has established scores of institutes at the district level that provide in-service education and also empower teachers to learn from each other. For example, Behar described a voluntary teacher forum in a district of Rajasthan, initially organized by the Azim Premji Foundation, but now being run increasingly independently by teachers in the district. The Future of Primary Education in India Education in India has improved dramatically over the last three decades. Schools are accessible to most children, both student enrollment and attendance are at their highest level, and teachers are adequately remunerated. The RTE Act guarantees a quality education to a wider range of students than ever before. However, challenges in implementing and monitoring high standards in teaching and learning outcomes across regional, cultural and socioeconomic subsets prevent India from fully achieving this goal. In addition, teacher support and scalability of high-performing teaching professionals in disparate areas, funding allocation for schools in remote districts and limited use of technology in the classroom remain barriers to reforming primary education. Indias growth story remains one of the most anticipated global economic trends, and its fulfillment relies on a well-educated and skilled workforce. Improving education is a critical area of investment and focus if the country wants to sustain economic growth and harness its young workforce. A weak foundation in primary education can derail the lives, careers and productivity of tens of millions of its citizens. Already, a significant proportion of the adult workforce in India is severely under-equipped to perform skilled and semi-skilled jobs. As Rajesh Sawhney, former president of Reliance Entertainment and founder of GSF Superangels, noted, No one is unemployed in India; there are just a lot of people who are unemployable. Furthermore, in order to develop India as a consumer market of global standards, it is imperative that all of its children reap the full benefits of a high-quality education. Otherwise, large segments of the population in rural India will continue to have low purchasing power, find themselves in highly leveraged scenarios and, more often than not, continue to make a living through agricultural means. While some of this can be attributed to deficiencies in secondary and tertiary education, the root of these issues lies in low-quality primary education.

What Is Functional Grammar?

What Is Functional Grammar? Functional grammar, as explained by Halliday (1994) is concerned with meanings. Functional grammar looks at language as consisting of units of meanings rather than chunks of forms. These units of meanings are represented in various oral and written texts. In keeping with the idea, functional grammar is interested to analyze language at the text level rather than sentences. Further, Halliday (1994) writes that there are 3 lines of meaning in the clause. (1) the theme functions in the structure of the clause as message (2) the subject functions in the structure of the clause as an exchange (3) the actor functions in the structure of the clause as representation. Giving more explanation about functional grammar, he adds that functional grammar makes extensive use of function labels like actor, process, goal, theme rheme etc. Functional grammar is a new subject in the English Department of State University of Jakarta. It has become a subject in the English Department of State University of Jakarta since 2002. This subject is to be taken by all students to complete their study. Functional grammar consists of functional grammar I and functional grammar 2 with 3 semester credits each. Both functional grammar 1 and functional grammar 2 have similar purpose that is to support the development of ability to speak and write English correctly. (Buku Pedornan Akademik FBS, 2004/2005) 2 As experienced by English Department students in functional grammar classes, the process of learning functional grammar includes the discussion of concepts which is then followed by analyzing text. Texts to be analyzed can be taken from different resources such as newspaper, magazine, advertisement, film or novel. Based on the observation and informal talks with other students done by the researcher,E students often had difficulties when analyzing text. The students felt confused to put the words from text into functional grammar concepts. So far, there was no practice how to apply functional grammar concepts in speaking. Considering the condition, the researcher is interested to conduct a study to identify English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply functional grammar concepts in analyzing text and speaking. B. Focus of Study The focus of study is identifying English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply functional grammar concepts in analyzing text and speaking. C. Problem Statement Based on background of the study above, questions addressed are: 1. What is English Department students perception towards their knowledge of functional grammar concepts. 2 What is English Department students perception towards their comprehension of functional grammar concepts 3 What is English Department students perception towards their ability to apply functional grammar concepts in analyzing text. 4 What is English Department students perception towards tieir ability to apply functional grammar concepts in speaking. D. Purpose of Study Based on problem statement, the purpose of this study is to identify English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply functional grammar concepts in analyzing text and speaking. E. Benefit of Study This study is to give input related to English Department students knowledge, comprehension of functional grammar concepts and their ability to apply the concepts in analyzing text and speaking. 4 CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter discusses seven topics relevant to the needs of providing theoretical bases for a study of identifying English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply functional grammar concepts in analyzing text and speaking. The first topic is traditional grammar, the second topic is functional grammar, the third topic is the differences between traditional grammar and functional grammar, the fourth topic is functional grammar as a subject in the English Department, the fifth topic is Perception, the sixth topic is Ability to Apply, and the seventh topic is Speaking. Traditional Grammar In the discussion about Traditional Grammar, Halliday (1994) explains that traditional grammar has always been the grammar of written language; and traditional grammar has always been a product grammar. While, Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) state that grammar is the structure of language. They further explain that traditional grammar aims at describing the grammar of standards English by comparing the grammar of English with the one of Latin. They state that students learn the name of parts of speech (noons, verbs, prepositions adverbs, adjectives) They also explain that traditional grammar focuses on the rules for producing coect sentences. Still related to traditional grammar, based on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2O36) ri 1Lng Isrics trad tona1 grammar is a cover name for the collection of 5 concepts and ideas about the structure of language that Western societies have received from ancient Greek and Roman sources. The source also states that the focus of attention of traditional grammar is on the surface structure, not on meaning. So far, traditional grammar has been associated with the use of class labels like noun. verb, adjective, adverb, etc. Traditional grammar is mainly concerned with syntax and some morphology. Traditional grammar focuses on surface structure. Traditional grammar limits the discussion on the sentence level. Functional Grammar In the discussion about Functional Grammar, Halliday (1994) explains that functional grammar is essentially a natural grammar, in the sense that everything in functional grammar can, be explained, ujtimately, by reference to how language is used. He further states that the aim of functional grammar has been to construct a grammar for purposes of text analysis: one that would make it possible to say sensible and useful things about any text spoken and written in modern English. Going into deeper discussion, Halliday (1994) pronoses three lines of meaning in the clause. There are theme, subject and actor. As a working approximation, he defines different strands of meaning as follows: 1. The Theme functions in the structure of the clause as message. 2. The Subject functions in the structure of the clause as an exchange. 3. The Actor functions in the structure of the clause as representation. 6 t While, Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) note that functional grammar attempts to describe language in actual use and focus on text and contexts. They view that functional grammar was developed based on an assumption that language as a resource for making meaning. They also state that functional grammar is concerned tiot only with the structures but also with how those structures construct meaning. Functional grammar starts with the question, how the meanings of this text are realized. On the same view of Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994), and Halliday (1994), Martin, Matthiessen, Painter (1997) describe that functional grammar is a way of looking at grammar as it is used. Functional grammar focuses on the development of grammatical systems as a means for people to interact with each other. 1. Clause as Message Halliday (1994) states that clause as message is a clause which has meaning as a message, a quantum of information. He also claims in all languages the clause has the character of a message: it has some form of organization giving it the status of a communicative event, but there are different ways in which this may be achieved. In the clause as a message, there are theme and rheme. a. THEME Halliday (1994) explains that theme is the element which serves as the point of departure of the message, the part in which the clause is concerned. Furthermore, he states that the theme is put first. 7 Gerot Peter Wignell (1994), talking about theme, note that theme is what the clause is going to be about. They further describe that the theme can be identified as that or those element(s) which come(s) first in the clause. Theme represents the point of departure of this message from the previous one. Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) shortly state that this is what Im talking about. They also said that in terms of looking at a clause as a message, the theme looks backwards, relating to the current message to what has gone before. On the same view about Theme, Martin, Matthiessen, Painter (1997) note that theme is one of two systems that organize the information presented in the clause, the other being that information. Further they also state that theme can be divided into 3 categories. There are ideational / topical theme, interpersonal theme, textual theme. 1. Ideational! Topical theme is language construes human experience. Ideational consists of what there is to argue about. 2. Interpersonal theme is language enacts human relationships. Interpersonal consists of something people can interact with. 3. Textual theme is language creates discourse. Textual consists of word order. Related the clause to its context. b. RHEME Halliday (1994) states that rheme is the remainder of the message, the part in which the theme is developed. He further explains that rheme as a message structure. A clause consists of a Theme accompanied by a Rheme. 8 Still in the discussion about Rheme, Linda Gerot Peter Wigneil (1994) note that rheme is the rest of the clause New information is contained in the rheme They further represent that rheme is This is what Im saying about it. Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) also said that the rheme points both backwards and forwards by picking up on information which is already aailable and adding ti it and by presenting information which was not there before. 2 Clause as Exchange Based on Flalliday (1994), clause as exchange is a clause which has meaning as an exchange, a transaction between speaker and listener. In clause as exchange, there are mood and residu. a. MOOD Mood according to Halliday (1994) refers to the element that realizes the selection of mood in the clause. While, Martin, Matthiessen, Painter (1997) describe that the mood element makes clause negotiable and consists of Finite and Subject. (1). Finite This term, according to Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) state that finite element is one of the small numbers of verbal operators expressing tense, modality and polarity. They further explain that finite element has the function of locating an exchange with reference to the speaker and making a proposition something that can be argued about. 9 Still in the same discussion about finite, Martin, Matthiessen, Painter (1997) refers to the one that makes a clause a negotiable by coding it as positive or negative and by grounding it, either in terms of time (it is! it isnt: it was/it wasnt: it will/it wont) or in terms of modality (it may! it wiIIJ it must, etc). (2). Subject In the discussion about subject, Halliclay (1994) states that subject is the responsible element, but in proposition this means the one on which the validity of the information is made to rest. Not to be different from Halliday (1994), Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) state that subject is that upon which the speaker rests his case in exchanges of information, and the one responsible for insuring that the prescribed action is or is II not carned out in exchanges of goods and services Still n the discussion about subject, Martin, Matthiessen, Painter (1997) stated that subject is the element in terms of which the clause can be negotiated. b. RESIDU Halliday (1994), Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) said that residue consists of functional elements of three kinds: Predicator, Complement and Adjunct. (1). Predicator Halliday (1994) says that predicator occurs in all major clauses, except those that are displayed through ellipsis. Predicator is realized by a verbal group. 10 Still in the same discussion about Predicator, Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) claim that predicator is the verb part of the clause, the bit which tells whats doing, happening or being. (2). complement Halliday (1994) says that a complement is an element within the residue that has the potential of being subject but is not. Complement is realized by a nominal group. Giving more explanation about complement, Linda Gerot Peter Wigneli (1994) state that complement answers the question is/had what, to whom, did to what. (3). Adjunct Adjunct, according to Halliday (1994), and Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) is an element that has not got the potential of being subject. Adjunct is typically realized by an adverbial group or a prepositional phrase. 3. Clause as Representation Halliday (1994) describes that clause as a representation is a clause which has meaning as a representation, the actor is the active participant in that process. He also states that participants related to each process type are as in the table below: a. Processes and Participants Process Participant Material: Actor (doer of the process) processes of Goai (thing affected by the process) 11 doing F Range (thing unaffected by the process) Beneficiary (the one to whom the process is said to take place) Behavioral: Expresses the physiological and psychological behaviors Behave (a conscious being if it is not, the clause is considered to be personification) Behaviour (extends the process) I Mental: processes of sensing Senser (doer of the process that is realised by a human or at least conscious participant) Phenbmenon (what is thought, wanted, perceived or liked / disliked that is realised by a nominal group or embedded clause) Verbal: processes of saying and asking Sayer (doer of the process) Receiver (addressee of the speech) Target (the participant which is the subject of the talk) Verbiage (sums up what is said in one nominal group or embedded clause) Existential: realizes the meaning that something exists Existent .I Carrier (thing described) Attribute (description, it is typically an indefinite nominal group I j Relational: processes of I 12 b. Circumstances The other element that also plays an important part in the experiential meaning is the circumstance. A circumstance is defined as any piece of circumstantial information about the process within its own clause (Halliday 1994). The function is to illuminate the process in some way. Circumstances are realized by adverbial groups, prepositional phrases, and even by nominal groups. Still in the same discussion about Circumstance, Halliday (1994) divides circumstances into 9 categories. There are: (1) Extent (2) Location (3) Manner (4) Cause (5) Contingency (6) Accompaniment (7) Role (8) Matter (9) Angla (1) Extent Extent is expressed in terms of some unit measurements like yards, laps, rounds, and years. The interrogative forms for Extent are: (a) how far? (b) how long? (c) how many? The typical structure is a nominal group with quantifier or indefinite. attributive with an adjective as Head) Relational: processes of being Identifying Identified (that which is to be identified) Identifier (the new identity) 13 (2) Location Location clarifies the location of the expression. The general interrogatives are where? and when?. The typical structure is an adverbial group or prepositional phrase. 3) Manner Manner, another set of categories, is divided into three subcategories. There are: (a) Means (b) Quality (c) Comparison. a. Means Means refers to the means whereby a process takes place, it is typically expressed by a prepositional phrase with the preposition by or with. The interrogative forms are how? and what with? b. Quality Quality is typically expressed by an adverbial group with-ly adverb as Head. It answers the question of how. c. Comparison Comparison is typically expressed by a prepositional phrase started with like or unlike, or an adverbial group of similarity or difference. The interrogative form is what.. .like? (4) Cause The Cause was divided into 3 categories. There are: (a) Reason (b) Purpose (c) Behalf 14 a. Reason Reason represents the reason for which a process takes place what causes it, the interrogative form are why? or how? b. Purpose Purpose represents the purpose for which an action takes place the intention behind it. The interrogative form is what for? c. Behalf Behalf represents ihe entity, typically a person, on whose behalf or for whose sake the action is undertaken who is for. They are expressed by a prepositional phrase with for or with a complex preposition such as for the sake of, in favour on behalf of. The interrogative form is who for? (5) Contingency Contingency comprises 3 subcategories. There are: (a) Condition (b) Concession (c) Expression. a. Condition Condition is expressed by in case of, in the event of. b. Concession Concession is expressed by in spite of or despite. c. Expression Express ion of default has in the absence of, in default of. (6) Accompaniment Accompaniment, another set of circumstantial elements, represents the meanings and, or, not as circumstantial. interrogative forms are and 15 who / what else? It is expressed by prepositional phrase with preposition such as with, without, besides, and instead of. (7) Role Role includes the subcategories of Guise construes the meaning of be the iitterrogative form is what as? and Product with meaning of become, interrogative form is what into?. (8) Matter Matter is expressed by preposition such as about, concerning, with reference to and sometimes simply of. Interrogative form is what about?. (9) Angle Angle is used preposition to, but, like. It is often expressed by a more complex form such as according to, in the view I opinion of, from the standpoint of. From the definitions, it can be concluded that functional grammar makes extensive use of function labels like Actor, Process, Goal, Theme, Rheme and so on. In functional grammar there is no distinction between lexis and gran1mar. Both lexis and grammar are meaning-creating, because functional grammar is concerned with meaning than structure. The Differences between Traditional and Functional Grammar Linda Gerot Peter Wignell (1994) stated that the main difference between traditional grammar and functional grammar is in the unit of analysis. Traditional I 17 in fourth semester. While, functional grammar 2 is to be taken by students in fifth semester. Both functional grammar I and 2 consist of 3 semester credits unit. Both functional grammar 1 and functional grammar 2 are to be taken by students to complete their study. As stated in Buku Pedoman Akademik PBS (2004/2005), Functional grammar I and 2 have purpose that is to support the development of ability to speak and write English correctly. Based on experience and observing in functional grammar classes, analyzing texts is one kind of the process of functional grammar learning. Texts to be analyzed can be taken from authentic material. There are different resources to analyze written texts such as newspaper, magazine, advertisement, etc. While, to analyze spoken texts, the material can be taken from dialogues in the film or novel. Perception Perception has various defmitions from various angles. Bloom (1956) cited by Elliot et all. (2000), says that perception is the process or act of perceiving information and making sense of it. As stated in New Lexicon Webster International Dictionary of English Language Volume 2 (1997) perception is (1) the act of perceiving, apprehension with the mind or the senses; (2) an immediate of intuitive recorition, as of a moral or esthetic quality; (3) the faculty of perceiving, as distinguished from the act of perceiving. Meanwhile, in Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (2000), 18 perception is defined as an idea, a belief or an image you have as a result of how we see and understand something. Still in the discussion about perception, in Winkipedia Encyclopedia, an internet based encyclopedia, perception is a process that involves selecting, organizing, and interpreting stimuli in our environment. Further. HeiTher (2003) explains that perception refers to interpretation of what we take in through our sense. He notes that the way we perceive our environment is what makes us different from other animals and different from each other. From the definitions stated above, the researcher concludes that perception can be thought as each individuals personal theory of reality, through the process of interpreting and attributing meaning to what he/she observed or experienced. Briefly, perception refers to view and feeling. Therefore, two kinds of instruments were used for the data collection. They were questionnaire and interview. Based on the statement of functional grammar purpose, that is to support the development of ability to speak and write English correctly. It means that functional grammar can be applied by English Department students in language skill, speaking in particular. Related to the statement, to measure students perception about their ability to apply functional grammar in analyzing text and speaking can be seen from educational objectives goal of cognitive domain (Bloom Taxonomy) in the third level. The third levels are knowledge. comprehension and application. 19 Ability to Apply In Websters New World Dictionary of American English (1998), ability is a skill, expertness, or talent. Meanwhile in Cambridge International Dictionary (1995) ability is the physical or mental power or skill needed to do something. As stated in Longman Dictionary of English Language and culture (1998) ability is the fact of having the skill, power or other qualities that are needed in order to do something. While, Bloom (1956) cited in Elliot et all. (2000) proposes classification of educational objectives, related to 1: Cognitive Domain. There are 6 major classes: (1) knowledge recalling specific facts, (2) comprehension understanding what is communicated, (3) application generalizing and using abstract information in !concrete situations, (4) analysis breaking problem into subparts and detecting relationships among the parts, (5) synthesis putting together part to form a whole, (6) evaluation using criteria to make judgments. Later these categories were revised, as stated by Arend RI (2004), the last two categories of Blooms Taxonomy that are synthesis and evaluation were revised to become evaluate and create. To be more details, Arend proposes cognitive process categories into the following. (1) remember retrieve relevant knowledge from long-term memory, (2) understand construct from instructional -messages, including oral, written, and graphic communication, (3) apply carry out or use a procedure in a given situation, (4) analyze break material into constituent parts and determine how, parts relate to one another and to an overall structure or purpose, (5,) evaluate make judgment based on criteria and standards, (6) create V 20 put elements together to form a coherent or functional whole; reorganize elements into a new pattern or structure. Based on Blooms Taxonomy, ability to apply occurs after ability to know and to comprehend. Related to the study of identifying English Department students ability to apply functional grammar to improve their speaking ability, the inclusion of ability to know or knowledge and ability to comprehend (comprehension) is therefore considered necessary. Speaking In the discussion about speaking, Broomly (1988) explains that Speaking is an expressive language kill which the speaker symbols to communicate. While, Jones (1989) says speaking is a form of communication that has four elements i.e. speaker, receiver (listener), message and channel (communication tools such as, telephone, Internet, letter, face to face interaction, etc). Still in the discussion about speaking, in communicating, people also produce, sounds, choosing the right form, putting words in the correct order and so forth. This is also supported by W.F. Mackey (in Bygate 1995) who says that in oral expression people not only involve the right sounds, the right pattern of rhythm and intonation but also the choice of words and inflection in the right order to convey the right meaning. When we speak to other people, it means that we express our ideas or our feelings orally. This statement is supported in Webster Dictionary(1998) to speak is to express thoughts opinions or feelings orally.

Alternate History In Watchmen

Alternate History In Watchmen The film, Watchmen presents a story within an alternate version of history. How do the filmmakers set out this alternate history, and what messages are the filmmakers trying to portray with the way this alternate history plays itself out as compared to the way our real history has played out? Alternate history has always been an important literary device in the fiction genre. Authors and filmmakers from all over the world use it to enhance their medium. Alan Moores V for Vendetta and Quentin Tarantinos Inglourious Basterds are examples of what has come before and now; the Watchmen can be placed in the same class. The definition of an alternative history is: A genre of fiction in which the author speculates on how the course of history might have been altered if a particular historical event had had a different outcome (Collins English Dictionary-2011). Moore did this in V for Vendetta by creating Britain as a fascist Big Brother state in the 1980s that is led to revolution by a masked vigilante. Tarantinos Inglourious Basterds created an alternate history by leading some Jewish soldiers on a Nazi killing spree, including the violent execution of Adolf Hitler. This paper will explore how the filmmakers of the Watchmen set out to plan and create an alternate modern history using real world events. It will also look at the message the filmmakers are trying to portray through this false history rather that of historical reality. To truly answer these questions, first the history and plot of Watchmen must be explained further; then it is necessary to explore critical examples of the alternative history and how they support the plot of the film; and finally, reviewing the production elements and screenplay which brought this alternative history to life on screen. Watchmen takes place in an alternate history of 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and features the Doomsday Clock charting the USAs tension with the Soviet Union and predicts how far the human race is away from nuclear holocaust, which is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. The story starts when a character named The Comedian is assassinated by being thrown out of his apartment window. One of the characters, Rorschach, sets out to discover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting support group, The Watchmen a not so super group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers, Doctor Manhattan Rorschach finds a wide-ranging and truly disturbing conspiracy theory with links to all of their past and terrible consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity and protect it from its self-destructing behavior. The film is a adaptation of the twelve part comic book series (1986-1987) written by Alan Moore. The comic has left a huge legacy that Moore could never imagine. Watchmen was the only graphic novel to appear on Times 2005 All-TIME 100 Greatest Novels list. Watchmen is a 2009 Hollywood comic book film directed by Zack Snyder and the screenplay is by David Hayter and Alex Tse. On March the 6, 2009 the film was released. In its opening weekend in America alone the film grossed $55,214,334 million dollars, and a further  £3,243,001 here in the United Kingdom (IMDB, 2011). It unfortunately came out to mixed reviews and a short cinema run. Many film magazines could not quite make up their minds whether they liked it or not. The Wall-Street Journal described the Watchmen film as, the spiritual equivalent of being whacked on the skull for 163 minutes. The reverence is inert, the violence noxious, the mythology murky, the tone grandiose, the texture glutinous. (Joe Morgenstern, 2009) The filmmakers showed this alternate version of history through many different means. One scene in the film where this is most evident is the opening title sequence. The sequence uses a time-line of popular historical events from the 1930s to 1985 where the story begins. This scene is where the audience is first exposed to the alternate historical world of the Watchmen. In the Watchmen Film Companion, director, Zack Snyder said, Storyboards where essential to helping the crew create the world of the Watchmen (Snyder, 2009). This was made up of vignettes not touched upon often in the graphic novel or created for the film. The sequence of historical events was designed to make the audience re-imagine the past and to get them to see the world through what Snyder calls a Watchmen lens. Zacks title treatment very cleverly brings a lot of the books texture of the film, while also providing the audience with an opportunity to get up to speed with the world of Watchmen.'(Loyd Levin, 2009) Another article in The Watchmen Film Companion described the title sequence as a research project. A section of the scene consists of recreating the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The alternate version of history here is that the character The Comedian rather than Lee Harvey Oswald shoots Kennedy. Snyder and Hayter sifted through many conspiracy theory web sites and hundreds of historical and political documents from the JFK Records act of 1992 to study the fine detail of the day; Such as the positions of the motorcade (Snyder, 2009). This allowed Snyder and his team to effectively plan a believable alternative to the known history of the Kennedy assassination. They did this in order to present us with a statement about growing corruption within the USA government especially the military branch. This has connections to the story because The Comedian was hired after the assassination to intervene with Dr. Manhattan in Vietnam and carry out Black-Ops missions by order of Richard Nix on. The next example in the title sequence of the Watchmen alternate history they set out in the film is a change to the famous Times Square Kiss photo. Instead of the historically correct photograph of the sailor kissing the female nurse in Times Square, we see a superhero from the novel called Silhouette, who walks up and kisses the nurse. This of course would not happen in the nineteen-forties. This is because homosexuality was reviled and not accepted in public places. Also at this time homosexuality was illegal in America. After watching the title sequence the audience is well acquainted with the Watchmen world, therefore making it one of the most important scenes in the whole film. The scene effectively and concisely brings us up to date with all the important events in the Watchmen universe. One of the differences between reality and the films is comic books compared to our comic books. In our reality our comic books have always been mainly themed with superheroes, where as in the Watchmen reality their comic books are themed with pirates as the heroes. We have always been used to superheroes in our comic books because they let us escape into a fictional version of our daily lives. In the film superheroes are already a well-integrated part in society within the Watchmen universe. So in the graphic novel and the directors cut of Watchmen there is a comic within the comic called Tales of The Black Freighter. The comic in the film and book is being read by a young teenager boy named Bernard at the New Frontiersman newspaper stall. The story revolves around pirates being the superheroes of the the Watchmen reality. This gives readers and viewers the chance to see another small part of the Watchmen world. Black Freighter as mentioned above is a comic book about pirates but it also serves as a metaphor for war. This is due to the subject matter of being left alone to your own thoughts after being subjected to horrific acts and desperation caused by killing and isolation. There is one principle difference in this area between the film and the graphic novel. In the novel, the dialogue from the newspaper stalls owner, also named Bernard, is a spoken narrative that parallels directly with the written narrative of the Black Freighter, where as the animated Black Freighter film in the directors cut only uses the dialogue from the Black Freighter comic book story line. The filmmakers included this sub plot only into the directors cut because they needed to cut down on the running time for the theatrical release. Black Freighter was released as a separate DVD a month after the film was released in the United Kingdom. The art department used this comic as a prop to help aid in the scene transitions within the film. Now to look at another reason the alternate history in the Watchmen works so well is because of the production elements in the film. Part of the charm of Watchmen is the detail the novel goes into to create the alternate 1985 where Richard Nixon leads the United States to victory in Vietnam and continues his fascist hold over the White House. The book includes intermittent documents and testimony relating the history of the masked hero movement leading up to the action taking place within the comic frames. There are fictional biographies, scientific records,and photographs. The production designer had this to say, The parallel universe has been set up so beautifully. It really puts the audience square into a new kind of history. By the time you get to the end of it, even reading it on the storyboards, you start questioning, Which part of that was real again? (Alex McDowell, 2009) Luckily, the important attention to detail has not been lost on the art department for Watchmen, like the newsreel video mock-up and, now, images from The New Frontiersman the fictional newspaper of the alternate universe. The filmmakers not only did this for the fans of the comic, but to take that alternate history one step closer to reality. This allows for audiences to be captivated. The filmmakers are trying to prove a point that the world has descended into chaos. They want us to feel connected but yet detached from this odd world. One example the art department used as a focal feature in the film demonstrates this effectively. It is a campaign propaganda poster for Richard Nixons fifth term. The photo of Nixon has devil horns and Mickey Mouse ears drawn on it. Also a small swastika is drawn in on the bottom left hand corner. This type of image when seen by the public can hold strong feelings, as many people still remember Nixon. So it can be unsettling for some people as they are taken into this alternate history. In the book Easily Led: History of Propaganda by Oliver Thomson, he explains that when people add to a propaganda message it then becomes art and the will of the people (Thomson, 1999). This is what the filmmakers set out to do. They wanted us to have a political figure that was disliked and forced from office and easily remembered. It allowed for the filmmakers and art department once again to show the civil unrest and deep changes to history in the story. This is a reflection on our own reality as at the time we had assassination attempts on Ronald Reagan, Soviets shot down a Korean airliner and Reagan also announced a series of defense plans called Star Wars in 1983. All of these real life current events are used to support the movies cold war theme. The role of Richard Nixon is supported by an extremely well crafted screenplay. Screenwriters David Hayter and Alex Tse cleverly blend the real Nixon history with a believable alternative history. In reality the United States of America has a fixed allocation of two terms for their presidents. This provides the country with the ability to never become a dictatorship and to have new governments with new ideas always changing hands. In the world of the Watchmen, however, this is different. In the story, when the United States goes to war with Vietnam, America wins. The government sends over the only superhero with powers, Doctor Manhattan, and to assist him The Comedian. The filmmakers give us strong images of the two characters burning down entire fields and villages. The audience is also told that quickly after Dr. Manhattan becomes involved, the high ranking Vietcong decide to surrender to him in person. We are faced with The Comedian violently killing Vietnamese natives and the mot her of his child for what he describes as the fun of it(Moore, 1986). This allowed the filmmakers to truly change the course of modern history. They tried to tell us that if in fact America had won the war the world might have been worse off than better. One reason for this is because in the alternative history story, Nixon repealed the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution, so there is no longer a fixed term on a President after the Vietnam War. This means America has turned into something modeling totalitarian dictatorship. In reality, of course, Nixon is the only American President who was forced to resign the presidency following the Watergate scandal. Nixon was blamed for being a staunch conservative who undermined his advisers on several occasions, such as in 1971 when he started the U.S. War on Drugs and ignoring the Shafer Commission Report in 1972. When Nixon took office he was also disliked by the growing left for escalating the Vietnam war in 1971. The filmmakers do not stop there when it comes to alternate history. They make it so Vietnam becomes the 51st state to join the United States. The filmmakers where trying to convey a message of a country thats becoming power mad. Its almost a metaphor for what if the left wing lost in the 1960s and 1970s. Its as if the filmmakers are trying to put forward a point about our own modern liberal cultures and how we could be making the same mistakes in Iraq war and the war on Afghanistan. Another example of how the screenplay was essential to the telling of the story was because the writers had to complete draft after draft to convince the studio that the original graphic novel of the Watchmen would make a better script.When the studio had me come in to read the screenplay I was shocked. They wanted it done in a modern setting and to have a comment on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I said why? So we met up, tore the thing to shreds and went back to the drawing board.'(Zack Snyder, 2010) This quote is discussing the idea that the studio wanted a modern updated version of the Watchmen, mainly because the audience of 2009 could identify better with the current state of affairs and to take away some of the Cold War apocalyptic tensions from the 1980s. Some studio executives thought this would be a better idea since most of the target audiences for Snyders films wont have been born during the Cold War era. Luckily the film stuck closely with the comic and allowed for the message of the book to be conveyed easily through the movie. The filmmakers are trying to put across the message that no matter who wins or loses the world will always keep changing and war keeps us ripped apart and mentally impoverished. In conclusion as you can see by exploring the history, plot and art department as to how and why the filmmakers set out on creating the alternate history of the Watchmen. It also talked about how the Richard Nixon and the Vietnam war alternate history sent the world into turbulence. Also it discussed the opening title sequence and how it set the historical tone for the whole film. The film itself on a entertainment level is wonderful. But when you sit down and study this amazing film you can not help but be astonished by the amazing level of detail and work that Snyder and his team put into creating the alternate history. These examples have shown that the alternate history in Watchmen is the key to proving the filmmakers point, such as what Quentin Tarantino and Alan Moore achieved through alternate histories. Watchmens creators point was that nothing in the world can ever be safe and no matter what happens human beings are self destructing by nature. Snyder accomplished this message by concentrating on the little things such as alternate branding, propaganda, media and the alteration of major historical events. The alternate historical events help to shape the story and the audiences feelings and the message they conceived the film to be about. The Watchmen film worked because of the level of detail mentioned above. If the film did not have the same care and attention that it did the alternate history would have muddled the plot and many political messages the story is famous for. This film stands alone because nothing has been done like it before thus it stands out from the crowd. The crew set out to make a film that challenged peoples ideas of comic book films and to tell a narrative of, what if? Despite differing opinions and little critical acclaim, the crew created a story from alternate history successfully and still managed to get their point across, something that has been lacking from most modern Hollywood comic book blockbusters.

The Haitian Revolution Essay -- Toussaint LOuverture

The cause and effects of the Haitian Revolution have played, and continue to play, a major role in the history of the Caribbean. During the time of this rebellion, slavery was a large institution throughout the Caribbean. The success of the sugar and other plantations was based on the large slave labor forces. Without these forces, Saint Domingue, the island with the largest sugar production, and the rest of the Caribbean, would face the threat of losing a profitable industry. The Haitian Revolution did not just start and end in one day. Instead, the entire revolution took place over a very event filled thirteen years. The start of the revolution was influenced by many other incidents. Including slave revolts throughout Saint Domingue beginning in the 1790s, and other world affairs such as the French Revolution in 1789, the passing of United Sates Bill of Rights in 1791, and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man in 1794. Of the three, The Rights of Man probably was probably the one affair that truly angered the people of Saint Domingue the most. In France, this law was supposed to provide people with the rights of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Therefore, the people of Saint Domingue felt that because they were a French colony that they should be entitled to the same rights as the citizens of France. Unfortunately, the French government did not feel the same, and this angered the inhabitants of Saint Domingue. But the slaves of Saint Domingue "did not need to hear the revolutionary slogans of ?liberty, equality, and fraternity? or ?the rights of man ? to plot their freedom. Slave revolts were endemic in every slave society, and the quest for freedom was never far from the minds of many great slaves" (Knight 201). .. ... were other people who were also essential in the successful outcome of this rebellion. This Revolution sparked a new hope in the eyes of slaves across the world. It marked only the beginning of the end to a treacherous institution. For the state newly renamed Haiti, the birth of the first republic in the world led by persons of African descent had emerged. Bibliography Knight, Franklin. The Caribbean: The Genesis of a Fragmented Nationalism. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978. Steward, T.G. The Haitian Revolution 1791 to 1804. New York: Russell & Russell, 1914. Bellegrade-Smith, Patrick. Haiti: The Breached Citadel. San Francisco: Westview Press, 1990 Ott, Thomas. The Haitian Revolution 1789-1804, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press, 1973. Parkinson, Wenda. ?This Gilded African?: Toussaint L?Ouverture. New York: Quartet Books, 1978.

Les Miserables Essays -- essays research papers

In Les Miserables, Victor Hugo portrays human nature in a neutral state. Humans are born with neither good nor bad instincts, but rather society affects our actions and thoughts. Hugo portrays the neutral state of mind through Jean Valjean and Cosette. The two extremes of good and evil are represented through Thà ©nardier and the bishop. Good and evil coexists in the society and affects Valjean and Cosette. It is the two extremes of good and evil that dictate the lives of Valjean and Cosette. The bishop represents charity and love. Everything he's ever had, he gave to charity. When the bishop first met Valjean, he said, "You need not tell me who you are. This is not my house; it is the house of Christ. It does not ask any comer whether he has a name, but whether he has an affliction. You are suffering; you are hungry and thirsty; be welcome. And do not thank me; do not tell me that I take you into my house..... whatever is here is yours." (pg. 15-16) The bishop didn't loo k at him as a convict; he looked at him as a fellow brother. Later, when the bishop found out that Valjean stole his silver, he wasn't mad, but offered all of his silver to Valjean saying, "Don't forget that you promised me to use this silver to become an honest man." Thà ©nardier, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of the bishop. He represents the corruptive nature of society. He's the one that changes people for the bad. An example of how Thà ©nardier represents greed and evil is how he... Les Miserables Essays -- essays research papers In Les Miserables, Victor Hugo portrays human nature in a neutral state. Humans are born with neither good nor bad instincts, but rather society affects our actions and thoughts. Hugo portrays the neutral state of mind through Jean Valjean and Cosette. The two extremes of good and evil are represented through Thà ©nardier and the bishop. Good and evil coexists in the society and affects Valjean and Cosette. It is the two extremes of good and evil that dictate the lives of Valjean and Cosette. The bishop represents charity and love. Everything he's ever had, he gave to charity. When the bishop first met Valjean, he said, "You need not tell me who you are. This is not my house; it is the house of Christ. It does not ask any comer whether he has a name, but whether he has an affliction. You are suffering; you are hungry and thirsty; be welcome. And do not thank me; do not tell me that I take you into my house..... whatever is here is yours." (pg. 15-16) The bishop didn't loo k at him as a convict; he looked at him as a fellow brother. Later, when the bishop found out that Valjean stole his silver, he wasn't mad, but offered all of his silver to Valjean saying, "Don't forget that you promised me to use this silver to become an honest man." Thà ©nardier, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of the bishop. He represents the corruptive nature of society. He's the one that changes people for the bad. An example of how Thà ©nardier represents greed and evil is how he...

Essay --

Modernism is a movement that began in the early 1900’s as a way to break from traditional thinking and move forward into a new way of thinking about the ever-evolving world and its impact on society. Professor Mary Klages offers her thoughts on Modernism and the characteristics it holds as well as her thoughts on postmodernism, a movement that later followed Modernism, in her paper titled â€Å"Postmodernism.† In Arthur Miller’s essay titled Tragedy and the Common Man, Miller gives his ideas on Tragedy and the tragic hero, elements of modernism that can be found in his play Death of a Salesman. David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross is a play that showcases the characteristics Klages writes in her paper that are found in Postmodernism works. Although both Miller and Mamet’s plays deal with salesmen and the troubles of capitalism brought forth in such a stressful and competitive field, the way each author tells their story sets each work apart and categor izes it into a Modernism or Postmodernism category. Professor Klages’ in her essay, â€Å"Postmodernism† spends quite some time writing about Modernism since it predates Postmodernism. According to Klages, modernism is â€Å"the movement in visual arts, music, literature, and drama which rejected the old Victorian standards of how art should be made, consumed, and what it should mean† (Klages, 1). One of the characteristics of Modernism she writes is â€Å"an emphasis on impressionism and subjectivity writing† and â€Å"a rejection of the distinction between â€Å"high† and â€Å"low† or popular culture† (Klages, 1-2). The themes of tragedy and tragic hero’s are ones that were limited to higher forms of art but Modernism took that exclusiveness and brought it to lower forms of art as evidenced in Arthur Miller’s Death o... ... no use in trying to create meaning out of one’s life so these writers offer their stories and plays and let the chips fall where they may. Modernism and Postmodernism are movements that sought to break free from traditional ways of thinking. Each movement offers its own unique characteristics that separate them from one another. Miller’s essay on tragedy where he gives his ideas on why the common man is just as worthy as being viewed as a tragic hero, help readers identify Willy Loman as a tragic hero. When readers read Miller’s play, they can associate his work as a work of Modernism. Mamet’s play, on the other hand, is a Postmodernism work due to the fact that it has no tragic hero, there is no tragedy present, it is just a play about a couple of salesmen and their everyday lives. There is no meaning to be searched for since Mamet makes no attempt to give one. Essay -- Modernism is a movement that began in the early 1900’s as a way to break from traditional thinking and move forward into a new way of thinking about the ever-evolving world and its impact on society. Professor Mary Klages offers her thoughts on Modernism and the characteristics it holds as well as her thoughts on postmodernism, a movement that later followed Modernism, in her paper titled â€Å"Postmodernism.† In Arthur Miller’s essay titled Tragedy and the Common Man, Miller gives his ideas on Tragedy and the tragic hero, elements of modernism that can be found in his play Death of a Salesman. David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross is a play that showcases the characteristics Klages writes in her paper that are found in Postmodernism works. Although both Miller and Mamet’s plays deal with salesmen and the troubles of capitalism brought forth in such a stressful and competitive field, the way each author tells their story sets each work apart and categor izes it into a Modernism or Postmodernism category. Professor Klages’ in her essay, â€Å"Postmodernism† spends quite some time writing about Modernism since it predates Postmodernism. According to Klages, modernism is â€Å"the movement in visual arts, music, literature, and drama which rejected the old Victorian standards of how art should be made, consumed, and what it should mean† (Klages, 1). One of the characteristics of Modernism she writes is â€Å"an emphasis on impressionism and subjectivity writing† and â€Å"a rejection of the distinction between â€Å"high† and â€Å"low† or popular culture† (Klages, 1-2). The themes of tragedy and tragic hero’s are ones that were limited to higher forms of art but Modernism took that exclusiveness and brought it to lower forms of art as evidenced in Arthur Miller’s Death o... ... no use in trying to create meaning out of one’s life so these writers offer their stories and plays and let the chips fall where they may. Modernism and Postmodernism are movements that sought to break free from traditional ways of thinking. Each movement offers its own unique characteristics that separate them from one another. Miller’s essay on tragedy where he gives his ideas on why the common man is just as worthy as being viewed as a tragic hero, help readers identify Willy Loman as a tragic hero. When readers read Miller’s play, they can associate his work as a work of Modernism. Mamet’s play, on the other hand, is a Postmodernism work due to the fact that it has no tragic hero, there is no tragedy present, it is just a play about a couple of salesmen and their everyday lives. There is no meaning to be searched for since Mamet makes no attempt to give one.