Analysis Of The Book Maus - 864 Words

Spiegelman is an American born cartoonist and editor born in 1948. He has been extremely successful throughout his career, working for numerous comic lines. There’s no doubt that Maus certainly was his greatest work. You could consider Spiegalman’s experience to be his best credential. Maus is a graphic novel that depicts basically a cat and mouse representation of the Holocaust. A graphic novel as defined by Webster’s dictionary is a â€Å"fictional story that is presented in comic strip format and published as a book.†(1) Maus tells the story of Spiegelmans father, and his experience as a Jew during the Holocaust. A subtopic within the novel includes Spiegelman interviewing his father, Vladek, and getting him to tell his story. All of the characters and countries are represented by animals that depict the characters role within the story. Guilt and race are two of the major themes present throughout the novel. There are several types of guilt that have e ffected the family through events that happened during the Holocaust. The relationship between Vladek and his son expresses this very clearly. Art has guilt over not being a good son and unable to connect with his father, while also feeling guilty over his mother’s death. (2)Vladek feels a certain guilt about surviving the Holocaust while so many of his family members died. This guilt seems to spill over to Art making him feel guilty for surviving and not knowing what his father went through. Another huge theme is race, whichShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Book Maus 1077 Words   |  5 PagesMaus Mid-term The Holocaust was and still is a tragedy that is talked about today among many scholars. There are many ways people have attempted writing about the Holocaust, but not all are the same such as Art Spiegelman with his two-volume book Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, which is about his own father’s tale of the Holocaust told through comic medium. Many scholars and writers think that this ironic and experimental approach to the Holocaust is undercutting what really happened. However, within thisRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Maus 1257 Words   |  6 PagesMaus is a tale about a young man who is in search for answers about his own life and his father’s life. Vladek Spiegelman is a survivor of the holocaust who reconnects with his son Art Spiegelman by telling him stories of his past. Art creates a well-written comic tale about the Holocaust and the relationship he has with his father. This survivor’s tale takes you back to the Second World War to tell us a story of a Jew who hardly survived life. The story opens with Art visiting his father to getRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Maus 1453 Words   |  6 PagesHolocaust in which millions of Jews were killed. Maus tells the story of father who was a Polish Jew at the time of the Holocaust. Maus is also portrayed visually with high angle shots, low angle shots, curved lines, shadows and rule of thirds. Art Spiegelman drew his graphics in specific way, which was to grab the reader’s attention more to the pictures rather than the words because a photo can explain a thousand words. There are two underlining stories in Maus. One story is telling how Vladeck survivedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Maus 853 Words   |  4 PagesAnne Freeman once said â€Å"I know very little about darkness †¦.. except that we cannot stop its coming†. The frame on page 127 of Maus is a perfect depiction of this inevitable saying. In this frame the reader is able to see Vladek and Anna walking on a cross walk that is shaped out as a swastika, and we as the reader cannot see the end of this cross walk. The reason why Art Speiglemen portrayed this subliminal frame precisely the way he did, was to emphasize the inevitability behind not onlyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Maus 759 Words   |  4 PagesAmber Yvette Bazan Eng. 1301.S61 Ms. Etherington Dec. 3, 2014 Maus: Response Paper 1 In chapter one of Maus by Art Spiegelman, Artie sets out to visit his father, Vladek, in Rego Park after being away for nearly two years. Vladek has remarried to Mala after Artie s mother s suicide. Artie convinces his father to tell him his story so that he may write a book about his life in Poland and the war. Vladek begins his story by explaining how he met Artie s mother, Anja. In the beginning of chapterRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Maus 1653 Words   |  7 Pageseither because of luck or some sort of economic advantage. We see this theme in Art Spiegelman s book Maus. Many of the situations Vladek, the main character, finds himself in, he would have never mahde through without luck and/or his socioeconomic status. Vladek witnesses people, family members, sent to the camps and die around him, yet he lives. Why is this? One of the first scenes in the book that luck comes into play is when Vladek is caught by the Nazis and sent to a Prisoner of War campRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Maus Essay1907 Words   |  8 Pagesjudge a book by its cover, but the cover of Maus aptly sets us up for a reading experience like no other. Maus is a graphic novel that aims to display the gruesome, deplorable, and dehumanizing events that occurred during the Holocaust. The Holocaust, in simple terms, was the brutal genocide of over six million Jews by the hands of the Germans. It can be argued that at its core, Maus is a novel about the father-son relationship between Art Spieglmen and his father, Vladek. What separates Maus from variousRead MoreGraphic Novels : Are They `` Real `` Literature?916 Words   |  4 Pagesliterature. In any aspect, new concepts and ideas that are introduced are always put into question of how capable they are. Many people believe that graphic novels are not a type of literature that can be used in a classroom because they are not â€Å"real books† (Crawford Weiner, n.d). I believe that graphic novels should be offered and encouraged in classrooms. According to Julia Rick, many educators are hesitant to use graphic novels in the classroom. She also states that the reason behind their actionsRead MoreMaus Elements956 Words   |  4 PagesArt Spiegelman’s Maus is a famous, Pulitzer Prize winning tale about the journey of a Jewish Holocaust survivor. Despite the amount of similar storylines, Spiegelman’s creativity with the normal elements of comics has won him high praise. This analysis will focus on Spiegelman’s unique twist on icons, layouts, diegesis, abstraction, and encapsulation as displayed by Maus. Icons are pictures that are used to embody a person, place, thing, or idea. McCloud hammers this concept home by drawingRead MoreBetrayal in Maus Essay1451 Words   |  6 Pagesalso plenty of mistrust for prior friends and neighbors. In the graphic novel, â€Å"Maus (Volume I and II) Vladek Spiegelman makes it very clear to his son, Artie, that one cannot count on their friends. He makes the point that in time of hardship, friends will abandon you quite quickly. Vladek says, â€Å"Friends? Your friends†¦if you lock them together in a room with no food for a week†¦then you could see what it is, friends! (Maus, VI. 5-6). Throughout the novel, we see examples of this gloomy point proven

Total Quality Management on Prison Services free essay sample

Total Quality Management (â€Å"TQM†) is a management philosophy was originally developed by American statistician, W. Edwards Deming after World War II and its principle are then put forward by various researchers such as Deming (1986), Juran (1999), Crosby (1979) and Imai (1986). Such principles comprise the Deming triangle, Juran Trilogy, concept of zero defect and Kaizen approach etc. Total refers to every process, every activity and every people of the organization whereas Quality is to satisfy or exceed all customers’ requirements. The key principles of TQM comprise customer and stakeholder focus, participation and teamwork, and process focus and continuous improvement. TQM gained great popularity in the private sector since the early 1980’s. Today many organizations in public sector also embark on TQM journey. Given the statement of the Governor of prison, the Governor questions on the application of Total Quality on the prison because he think that the inmates are unwilling customers and the staff only needs to follow the orders and procedures. We will write a custom essay sample on Total Quality Management on Prison Services or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Besides, he doubts the contribution of quality to the results. This report firstly comments on assumptions that the Governor has made and demonstrates that his statement is wrong. We will discuss how TQM culture could improve the organization performance. Lastly, it ends by short conclusion that through TQM approach, a high quality of prison service can be established. Public sector is so special in term of the roles. Customers who consume the services but may not pay for it. Whereas those who pay for the services but do not use it. The civil servants, who work on behalf of society, are not paying but have power to decide the policies. Similarly in the prison, the inmates take the role of customers and consume the services directly, but grudgingly and of course without payment. The first assumption of the Governor can be found in his word â€Å"so-called customers†. It connotes that in his mind, the inmates are not treated as the customers and they should not have any customer expectation. It may be attributed to that, unlike the ordinary customers, the inmates have no any alternative but only remain here and accept the services regardless of level of the services. Moreover, there is general notion that the public sector offer a free service which led to an attitude of they don’t pay so they cannot expect high standard of service. His thinking is wrong. The prison services are offered for them. The inmates are all along the customers of the prison but with much lower bargaining power. Everyone must have expectation. The inmate is not exception. Some may want quality things such as better food and accommodation condition. Some may hope a wide variety of recreational facilities and some expect to learn more skills and knowledge for future living after discharge from the prison. So TQM is useful approach to emphasize on the customer focus. Secondly the Governor assumes that the staffs need only to follow the orders sufficient for providing the quality services. No teamwork, staff involvement and staff empowerment are considered and there are just standards to follow and process performance. This practice is ranked at quality control level of quality management. To provide a quality of services, we must get the all level staff involved. Who knows clearly the needs of customer? The answer is obviously the front-line staff since they are the most close to customers. The key to TMQ is people including both management and staffs. TQM is human resources management from the top level that the management makes the commitment and initiative whereas the staffs are well trained, motivated and empowered to participate in TQM implement. So just following the orders without staff participation and involvement is unlikely to achieve quality services.

Quotation About Best Practice In Supervision Social Work Essay Essay Example

Quotation About Best Practice In Supervision Social Work Essay Essay Koster ( 2003 ) stated that supervising leads to a mental and emotional instruction that can steer practical work, frees fixed forms of experience and behavior and promotes the willingness every bit good as the ability to move appropriately, carefully and bravely ( p1 ) . This essay will research Koster s citation about best pattern in supervising, in relation to supervising in the country of reding. This essay will besides place the benefits and troubles of supervising, in respects to reding, that can originate in supervising. Examples from a personal position will be presented on how supervising throughout work experience enabled hard state of affairss to be handled. Furthermore, an analysis of how effectively supervising was conducted throughout work experience, every bit good as personal suggestions on betterments of supervising in that work scene. We will write a custom essay sample on Quotation About Best Practice In Supervision Social Work Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Quotation About Best Practice In Supervision Social Work Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Quotation About Best Practice In Supervision Social Work Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Koster s quotation mark does talk truth as supervising can take to all kinds of positive and negative developments ( Pelling, Bowers A ; Armstrong, 2007 ) . In peculiar he claims that it can take to mental and emotional instruction that guides practical work, frees from fixed forms of experience and behavior. Supervision in guidance is really critical as it aims to increase self-awareness and enhances professional competency which will steer the supervisee throughout their work in a confident mode ( Pelling, Bowers A ; Armstrong, 2007 ) , which is similar to what Koster is seeking to province. The end of supervising is chiefly about the supervisee s developmental growing and professional consciousness ( Pelling, Bowers A ; Armstrong, 2007 ) . Which once more leads back to Koster s quotation mark about how supervision leads to development ; and that development of experience will steer the supervisee throughout their work in reding. Thorough supervising, the supervisee will turn, reflect and develop in their professional and personal accomplishments. It is through these developments that will change their behavior that will finally steer them through their work to move in a suited, careful and bravely ; throughout their calling in reding. Which in return, is critical for a counselor as his or her mental and emotional instruction demands to continually develop, and this can be accelerated through supervising. It can be said that a figure of persons and administrations can profit from quality clinical supervising. Quality supervising is about doing certain the client is non being harmed and is being assisted to carry through established ends in aptly appropriate ways, the receiving system of reding services is the first to profit ( Page A ; Wosket, 1994 ) . The bulk of the conversation in supervisory Sessionss Centres on intercessions being used for the client and progress to how the supervisee is stressed with assorted parts of the instance. While the supervisor is interacting, clear uping, explicating, educating, back uping and coming up with helpful professional intercessions, another individual is profiting from this piece interacting back to their supervisor the supervisee. As Pelling, Bowers, and Armstrong ( 2007 ) suggests: This is where the supervisee s range of pattern, expertness and penetration is being deliberately and incrementally expanded. Prosecuting supervisors in the battle for apprehension is valuable for deep acquisition to happen. In this sense it is the clinical stuff that is the instructor, non merely the supervisor themselves. Supervision can insulate the supervisee from work-related emphasis, diversely referred as burn-out. ( p. 126 ) In add-on, if the supervisee is an learner from an educational constitution, the administration itself benefits with the development of a more adept and safe practician ( Pelling, Bowers A ; Armstrong, 2007 ) . This gives the administration an first-class repute for back uping and suitably developing the people in their charge in a professional mode, hence supervising being provided by the administration benefits the administration with a good positive professional repute. Last of all, the clinical supervisor additions a great trade from offering supervising. While they support the supervisees, their apprehension of clinical work, cognition, experience, the universe and themselves develops a great trade and the sense of fulfillment of being linear to so many is so rewarding and satisfying ( Pelling, Bowers A ; Armstrong, 2007 ) . Supervision can be a valuable constructive acquisition tool, but at times troubles in supervising can do it a negative experience. Moskowitz and Rupert ( 1983 ) found in their research, within USA, that supervisees reported that 38 % of those surveyed claimed that there had been troubles and struggle in their supervising that interfered with their acquisition. Their research further found that there are three major countries of troubles and struggle that arise in supervising: theoretical orientation, manner of supervising and personality issues ( Moskowitz A ; Rupert, 1983 ) . Differences in theoretical orientation may take to troubles and struggle in supervising ( Carroll A ; Gilbert, 2006 ) . In assorted administrations, supervisees may non hold a pick of a supervisor and may possibly stop up acquiring supervised by person who has a different theoretical to their ain. For illustration, a supervisor may be convinced of the rightness of their orientation and is non ready to accept intervention that arise from a different school of psychological science. These differences in theoretical orientation are a common job in supervising and it may take to rifts between the supervisor and supervisee, hence neglecting to negociate differences of this sort ( Holloway, 1995 ) . Second, troubles and struggles may originate in supervising when it comes to the manner of supervising. Some supervisors have a formal manner whilst others have an informal manner of attack ( Carroll A ; Gilbert, 2006 ) . There are four unsatisfactory manners of supervising that cause struggles and troubles: constricting supervising ; formless supervising ; unsupportive supervising ; and therapeutic supervising ( Abott, 1984 ) . In the constructive type, there is limited liberty. In the formless type, there is really small supervisory part and the supervisor may hold a slightly laissez faire mentality to the full procedure, where whatever happens goes . Unsupportive supervisors are unfriendly and distant and supervisees would non willingly near them with their troubles. Curative supervising transforms the supervisee into a patient while the supervisor takes on the place of the therapist frequently in a persistent and pushful mode that infantilizes the supervisee ( Carroll A ; Gilbert, 2006 ) . The last manner of supervising that causes struggle and troubles is known as personality issues. This is when there is a personality clang between the supervisor and supervisee which can ensue to a rupture in the supervisory confederation ( Carroll A ; Gilbert, 2006 ) . These ruptures are frequently caused by confusion in communicating, for illustration the supervisor may misinterpret something the supervisee has said in a negative manner. Furthermore, the ecstasy may be merely be caused by the supervisees ain defensiveness. An illustration would be that the supervisee may move defensively when the supervisor gives feedback, hence doing a strain in the supervising relationship. Supervision is a valuable tool for a supervisee when they are holding trouble covering with their client in an effectual professional mode. Whatever the job is, in respects to the wellbeing of the client, the supervisee can discourse these issues throughout supervising in order to bring out helpful intercessions in covering with the affair ( Wosket, 1999 ) . An illustration from work experience in which supervising enabled to cover efficaciously with a hard state of affairs, is when there was a client who brought up an issue that was hard to manage. The ground the issue was hard to manage is because there was limited cognition in that country and there was no assurance in covering with the affair. So in order to cover with this quandary, it was brought up to the attending to the supervisor throughout the supervising session. Throughout the supervising session the supervisor, listened to the quandary and asked exploratory inquiries, made encouraging statements and shared self- revelation. She besides in return, working the supervisee, came up with intercessions to set together in order for the supervisee to manage the fighting instance. The supervisor clarified the job to the supervisee and explored possible accounts and intercessions for the supervisee to see. The supervisee filled in the spreads of the cognition and asked the supervisee to reflect and research options on how he will set the explored intercessions in to action. The supervisor besides used modeling and role-plays to demo the supervisee on how they might be able to help their client. So through supervising, the supervisor s challenges and confrontations facilitated the supervisee s critical contemplation and acquisition, hence this gave assurance to the supervisee to manage and cover with their hard state of affairs. A concise dislocation will presently be offered on how efficiently supervising was carried right through work experience. Supervision was conducted efficaciously because the supervisor followed a important procedure in order for supervising to map at its best. The initial supervising session is when the supervisor clarified what the supervisee has done in the yesteryear in respects to pattern and supervising, and asks where they would wish aid. When it came to the day-to-day supervising Sessionss, it was noted at times that the supervisor would follow a procedure right from get downing to stop. When the supervisee had an issue, it would be looked exhaustively. Issues discussed in supervising included: intercession schemes and future programs ; counsellor professional development ; supervisee client confederation and boundaries ; client issues and end scene ; supervisor supervisee relationship ; ethical and legal issues ; and so on. Once the issue were discussed, the supervisor would inquire a series of structured inquiries in order to derive elucidation, every bit good as leting the supervisee to reflect and offload. Such helpful inquiries included: What are you experiencing and positions about the issue? ; Where do you experience most confused? ; what sort of aid would you like? ; and what are the key inside informations I need to cognize about the instance? . Furthermore, during supervising the supervisor and supervisee took notes during Sessionss to hold an on-going record of programs, subjects, battles, clients discussed, larning and advancement. Once the issue was discussed and the supervisor asked her inquiries, the supervisor would so promote the supervisee to: understand the job ; happen links among the information ; develop a intervention program to set into pattern ; and make a on the job proposition ( Carroll A ; Gilbert, 2006 ) . Towards the terminal of every supervising session, the supervisor would give provender back every bit good as ask for verbal feedback back from the supervisee. The supervisor would inquire something every bit simple as How was our session for you today? or Was this session valuable or unbeneficial to you today? Summarizing up, supervising was conducted efficaciously because the supervisor followed a valuable procedure throughout the Sessionss. Apart from following an effectual procedure, the supervisor herself was encouraging, respectful, echt, empathic, and self-disclosed, which as a consequence added further to the effectivity of supervising. From personal experience, the supervising that took topographic point during work arrangement can non be faulted. However, there is deficiency of cognition of how the other supervisors function in their function, as during arrangement merely one supervisor was given to work closely with. Concentrating strictly on the supervisor provided with, her name being Amy, she was nil but professional, educated and friendly. One could propose that Amy is the ideal supervisor as throughout work arrangement she ever showed regard, genuineness, empathy and was ever encouraging. She was besides concrete and showed a great trade self-disclosure throughout supervising. As stated, Amy would be the ideal supervisor as her supervising qualities match what Carifo and Hess found in their research in what makes an ideal supervisor. Carifo and Hess ( 1987 ) found that the ideal supervisor is a individual who shows regard, empathy, genuineness, concreteness and self-disclosure in his or her traffics with su pervisees ( p.247 ) . So as one can see, supervising can non be faulted as it was nil other but a positive acquisition experience, with the aid of a true professional supervisor who knew how to work in her function. Therefore, it is excessively complex to come up with suggestions for betterments for supervising in the work scene because it merely worked to good in order to propose any alterations. Supervision may hold its benefits and troubles, but it is those experiences a supervisee needs to see in order to develop their mental and emotional experience. It is these developments and experiences that allow the person to be able to larn and manage future challenges in their country of reding. With the right supervisor, every bit good as holding regular supervising Sessionss that are conducted efficaciously, it will accordingly transform the supervisee into a stronger counselor who is willing to larn, act appropriately, carefully and bravely ; throughout their guidance calling.

South Korea Politics essays

South Korea Politics essays I believe that the Republic of Koreas (ROK) location is a paradox in that it is both advantageous and disadvantageous in their dealings with neighboring countries. The ROKs position at the center point of three major economic powers China, Japan and Russia - allows for excellent trade opportunities. It has also served to stimulate industrial, technological and agricultural markets across the ROK. Further, the ROK is poised, politically, to assume the traditional Confucian elder brother role to North Korea, should reunification come about. The disadvantage to this geographical positioning is that the ROK must increase its defense capability to ensure political and economic stability. Two of the four remaining Communist regimes surround the ROK and one former Marxist regime is within strategic striking distance. With the deployment of United States (US) forces to the Iraqi theater of operations and with the recent announcement of a withdrawal of 12,500 additional troops by Decemb er 2005, the ROK must be fully ready to assume an increasingly larger self-defense role. While the ROK has enjoyed, to a large part, the financial freedom to limit its defense spending an increase of 2.5%-3% against its gross national product will not devastate a now stable and growing economy. I tend to agree with the author that the Yi dynasty was in a downward spiral in the last two hundred years of its reign. Mr. Kim presents statistical information that is irrefutable. Even though the census numbers do not account for vagabonds, I refuse to believe that two-million people became wanderers during the 19th century alone. The only alternative explanation to the empires decline that follows a logical progression is the industrial revolution, which was sweeping the globe and making the world a smaller place. While Korea was an isolationistic monarchy it could not help but be affected by the world outside its b...

Management accounting-Bias Budgets Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management accounting-Bias Budgets - Coursework Example Question One (a): Why do managers want to manipulate their budgets? After budget approval, the company may use it to carry out budgetary actions. As a result, the managers use it to ensure they carry out the organization objectives and plans and in the end, they have to compare budget plan against the real performance. Once compared, the difference in amount is usually the budget deficient or bias which is cause by manager`s manipulation or distortion on the proposed budget. There are various reasons as to why mangers manipulate budget. Firstly, if the rewards and motivation through performance evaluation help to achieve the budget results, the managers may end up manipulating the budget to include more of rewards in order they can hit the target more easily like league table and bonuses. Besides, managers are highly involved in cases of budget slacks-where organization set their revenue to be too low and a high cost, the organization may end up losing sales since the resources requi red to raise production with the short time given have been limited. Moreover, the managers who have been promised some rewards on attaining certain goals set their target to be very low such that they easily attain them without caring whether the company looses or gains. Likewise, the senior managers dictate on a budget for performance. As a result, it forces the mangers to keep focus of resources on the performance of their department. Consequently, the mangers end up presenting a budget request biased on his department not for organization as whole. Hence, the direction of bias is downwards. Secondly, the company`s practices and norms is subtle in determining the performance of the company`s budget. Notably, prevailing work conditions help to dictate what is morally right. As a result, the management, which focuses on self-manager performances, will give incentives directed to managers alone. However, the aggregate accounting performance from his action is focusing on organizatio n as whole. On the other hand, the management focusing on others gives a hard determination of degree of performance. As a result, it reduces the aggregate performance although it induces co-operation and collaboration to other firms. Moreover, when there occurs some change in the budgetary system from being top-down or centralized, and an acceptable estimate of growth is set, with the changing budgetary system to may be bottom up, and company`s practices remaining similar, bias of unknown direction happens. Lastly, the mangers may feel insecure in their job and as a result, they are more than ready to use the budgetary trick when a chance arises. By this, it mean, the managers are quick to spend until the entire budgeted amount is consumed when the chance of buying goods occurs at a lower price. In fact, in the managers operating in the declining sales department makes use of entire budgets usage under the assumption that the future is uncertain. As a result, the budget becomes was teful at the expense of the manager approving his need of upholding the job since the amount needed by the company and the bought one is very varying. Hence, strong upward bias occurs. (b): Why are they able to do? What are the constraints on such behaviour? As a long as the departmental budget exists, some head of the department will always try to game the budget. Additionally, there are numerous reason as

Nucor Competitive Strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Nucor Competitive Strategy - Case Study Example The problems Nucor faces are manifold. First, Nucor should worry about how to compete in the domestic and global markets in the steel industry. Additionally, Nucor also has a basically weak managerial hierarchy and human resources system, and it is flawed for multiple reasons-which will be discussed further at length in the "Worry List" section. Although Nucor has a four-fold strategy that is designed to implement growth, this strategy, too, is riddled with dilemmas all unique unto itself (new acquisitions, new plant construction, continued plant upgrades and cost reduction efforts, and joint ventures). Nucor must address policy issues within its operations and whether they are expedient to uphold, or whether new policies should be instituted to foster a more conscientious and people-driven company than it already is. The workforce compensation practices seem to be excessive, which will be explained in-depth in the "Worry List." Finally, common-sense issues, like pricing and markeing , and the actual production logistics of how steel is made, are obviously factors that must be seriously evaluated if Nucor is expected to remain not only a vital competitor but a leader in the steel industry in the U.S. and abroad. In order to continue... issues, like pricing and markeing, and the actual production logistics of how steel is made, are obviously factors that must be seriously evaluated if Nucor is expected to remain not only a vital competitor but a leader in the steel industry in the U.S. and abroad. In order to continue being a superior organization, Nucor must as a company reevaluate its primary focus and then set its goals according to the following suggested solutions. First, regarding competition, Nucor must seriously decide where it wants to be in relation to other steel companies and take action to corner the global market on the need for exported steel, an look into supporting measures that would strengthen Nucor having an edge on the industry-a competitive advantage if you will-by making sure that U.S. and international law encourages and protects free trade, which stands to benefit Nucor Corporation. In order to be domestically competitive, Nucor should consider adjusting some of its underlying policies related to management, human resources, and compensation in order to stay abreast of the changing times. One problematic aspect about Nucor which must be altered is its seemingly laissez-faire approach to management which affects the two other aspects of the company (hu man resources and compensation). Additionally, the delicate dance of new acquisitions by the company has prospects, but there are also other entities to consider. Is the company culture and hierarchy being set forth in new acquistions manageable, and reasonable If not, this must be tweaked also. Further, the liabilities involved in new acquistitions as well as the construction of new plants and their impending operations and workforce must be evaluated. Although this company compensates its employees well for the no

What Is Andragogy and Its Effects on Today’s Design of Learning for Adults Essay Example for Free

What Is Andragogy and Its Effects on Today’s Design of Learning for Adults Essay Education of adults has always been an issue, but there has been very little interest or analysis of adult learning. Adults were thought to be children alike, when it comes to learning; therefore, the only theory was pedagogy in the educational setting. According to Knowles (1980), after the end of World War I, more modern education theories on adults were developed. Thorndike’s, Sorenson’s, and Linderman’s studies showed that adults learn differently than children, also their interests and abilities differ. Those studies affirmed that, in adult education, the curriculum should be built around the student’s interest instead of student adjusting themselves to it (Aderinto, 2006). With the light of these studies, the basis of more recent adult learning theories emerged. Adult learning differs; therefore, the design of learning for adult education should be adjusted to more recent theories. In 1968, Malcolm Knowles proposed andragogy, the adult learning theory to distinguish adult education from children education, pedagogy (Merriam, 2001). Knowles is the father of andragogy and according to him (1980), it means â€Å"the art and science of helping adults learn†. In the second half of the twentieth century, Malcolm Shepherd Knowles was one of the most influential persons in adult education in the US. He was the Executive Director of the Adult Education Association of the United States of America (Smith, 2002). He worked on informal adult education and also developed the first foundations of grounds for adult learning through andragogy. In his twenties, Knowles met Eduard Lindeman, while he was working for the National Youth Administration in Massachusetts, and he became his mentee. Knowles acknowledges that Lindeman’s Meaning of Adult Education was his main source for inspiration and ideas on his own work. Andragogy, in contrast to pedagogy, is developed based on the needs of adults, and presents a number of learner-focused methods and principles which are particularly valuable in adult education and training (Guilbaud and Bonnie, 2008). The pedagogical and andragogical assumptions are lightly different. In a pedagogical model, it is necessary to direct students on what they will learn. Instructors should be directive and provide all the essential information to the students. Pre-adults are not self-motivated; the instructor should lead the time management and require close supervision. On the other hand, adults are self-directed and ready to take on responsibility, and they come with experience and are willing to transform the information into an application. They are goal-oriented and want to be active rather than passive students. It is important to know why they are learning, instead of just getting the necessary information. These are the reasons why, when teaching adults, different theories and models should be taken into consideration other than pre-adult learning theories. There are some learning theories related to andragogy. Experiential learning theory, is involved with the material being studied, students expected to learn by doing it. In this learning theory, participants are expected to use their own experiences and reflections. The information that is learned, involves doing something and discovering it; therefore, it is effective as it addresses the cognitive, emotional, and the physical aspect of the learner. On the other hand, self-directed learning theory is an example of informal learning, in which individuals are expected to define their own goals and set their needs accordingly, and find their own motivation to achieve these goals. Self-directed learning can be integrated with daily routines. The transformative learning theory is considered to be a constructivist theory, and it is influenced by Jack Mezirow’s work. Transformative learning is to help adults understand their experiences. These theories, combined with characteristics of adult learners and assumptions of andragogy, should be applied to the design of adult learning. Adults want to be involved in the learning activities; therefore, the instructors should guide them to their own knowledge rather than stating the facts. Adults have significant life experience and knowledge that are gained from family and work responsibilities, and previous education. They tend to use this information, so the instructors should draw these parts out to help the participant to connect the information. Adults are goal-oriented; they usually know why they are enrolling a course from the beginning, and it is important to lay out how the course will help them achieve their goals in an early stage. They need to know, why they are learning something and it has to be an applicable information to be valuable, the instructor can obtain this by letting them choose projects that can reflect their interests. Adults usually are not interested in the knowledge itself, but how it will be useful for them. They all expect respect, so it is important to let them express their own opinions freely in class. Andragogy also has many critiques from adult education professionals. Jarvis claims, that even though andragogy is in a dominant position, there is no sufficient evidence to support its status, and a more recent research by Merriam states (2001), that andragogy is one of the pillars of adult education; however, the adult education should go beyond andragogy (Henschke, 2011). Since 1970, there have been many researches to prove andragogy as a strong model for adult education. In recent years, Henschke and Cooper identified six sections in andragogy. They are; evolution and history of the concept, comparison of the American and European understandings, popularizing and sustaining the American and global concept, practical applications, and theory, research and the definition of andragogy. In 2007, Isenberg provided a dynamic design to combine the interaction of andragogy and internet learning. It is clear, that andragogy still has much to contribute to the future of adult learning. In the future, the discussions should go beyond Knowles’ version and include the world-wide perspective of other studies. It should be joined with other adult learning theories and continued to be researched (Henschke, 2011). Studies showed that adults learn differently; therefore, the educational environment, such as online education, which is highly used by adult learners, should be designed based on their needs. Characteristics of adult learners and applications of adult learning, such as andragogy combined with other adult learning theories, should be taken into consideration in the design of such learning.