On Teenagers and Tattoos

The Impact on Society of Teenage Tattooing The Impact on Society of Teenage Tattooing Does the tattoo define the person, or does the person define the tattoo? In modern society tattoos are widely accepted except when applied to the skin of an adolescent. Adolescents with tattoos face judgment from a variety of people such as authoritative figures, parents, and their peers. This article (On Teenagers and Tattoos, by Andres Martin, MD. ) provides examples of how society views adolescents with tattoos. Tattoos are something we see on people on an everyday basis, but on adolescents, it is not very common.Many adults believe that those in the younger generation sometimes get tattoos to enrage affronts to their authority. Parents in general do not approve of their children decorating their bodies with modifications such as tattoos because of their irreversible and permanent nature. Like makeup, fashion or hairstyles tattoos can also be just another way to fit in with their peers. When give n the chance it is important to understand the motivations and significance of a tattoo before making an erroneous judgment.Tattooing is a way of fitting into a peer group or expressing one’s own individuality. Adolescents often turn to tattooing as a way to take back some control of their evolving bodies as well as their lives. When an adolescent feels that there is a lack of stability in his life (such as divorce, abandonment, and repeated family relocations) he may feel that getting a tattoo may return a sense of control and stability into his life. Adolescents are often influenced by peers to get a tattoo but do not put any thought into its permanence or how they may feel about it in the future.Author Andres Martin says â€Å"The frequency of self-made tattoos among hospitalized, incarcerated, or gang-affiliated youth suggests such motivations: a sense of stability may be a particularly dire need under temporary, turbulent or volatile conditions. † In every argumen t there are two sides to be heard, and the other side in this case is the adolescents. Adolescents believe in expressing themselves through art. They also believe tattoos are a way of representing their individuality. I believe that teenagers get tattoos for various reasons that are important to the person.Some get them for personal reasons such as a memorial tattoo for a deceased family member, or a ribbon to show support for someone fighting their battle with cancer. An inspirational quote such as a bible verse, poem, or a song lyric may also be another choice for the adolescents tattoo. Fantasy characters are also a popular choice. On the other hand there are various negative reasons teenagers get tattoos as well; for instance, to defy their parent’s authority, to represent a gang affiliation, to draw attention to themselves, and sometimes as a dare.I have observed that some older people have an aversion to tattoos on teenagers as opposed to some young parents that find it acceptable. Older people may assume that the adolescents tattoo is gang related or that they are a troubled youth. Some people believe that the parents of an adolescent with a tattoo may be neglectful or unaware of what is going on in their child’s life. Some older people are against body modifications of any form and look down on those who have them. After reading through this article I found that it thoroughly explains the pros and cons of adolescents with tattoos.Although I do respect the writers view on the subject, I disagree. I personally believe that as a part of growing up a teenager should be allowed to get a tattoo but only after being fully informed of the consequences that getting a tattoo may bring. Some of the problems that might ensue are possible rejection from a specific field of work for the visibility of a tattoo, a wrong assumption about the character of a person with a tattoo, or even later in life having to cover a tattoo or get it removed because your own personal feeling about it has changed.I personally have been debating on getting a tattoo myself, although my family doesn’t approve It’s my body and I will make the final decision. I am very well aware that in five maybe ten years from now I could quite possibly hate my tattoo and regret not listening to my family. I am also aware of how expensive and painful laser removal is but I’m prepared to suffer the consequences if and when I decide to get a tattoo. Most adolescents don’t think beyond the tattoo itself or its ramifications Martin, Andres. Baker College Composition. Revised Edition ed. Boston Ma: Pearson Learning Solutions, n. d. 320-23. Print

An Investigation of the Gender Gap of Boys’ Underachieving in Literacy Essay

The purpose of this study was to investigate the gender gap, especially of boys’ underachievement in literacy, and discover if there are particular strategies that schools can implement in order to raise the attainment levels of boys. As the issue of the gender gap is so wide I selected literature to review which covered a wide range of theorists and existing studies. Specifically I wanted to identify some of the suggested causes for the underachievement of boys and any already proposed effective strategies which I could execute in my own study. The data I collected from the study was both qualitative and quantitative in order to give a more valid outcome; these included an open-ended, semi-structured interview, which I felt would enable the respondent to provide a wider range of ideas; questionnaires, observation and existing data. The results showed that there is in fact a close correlation between boys who do not read for pleasure/enjoyment and boys who underachieve. However it also showed that there are specific strategies that can be applied to meet the learning needs of boys in order to raise their achievements. However due to the scale of the topic this small study cannot provide a definitive outcome for the causes and solutions of boys literacy, it has merely suggested some probable reasons for and some possible remedies. HYPOTHESIS During the past twenty years there have been rising concerns over the achievement gap between boys and girls, particularly with boys underachieving in literacy. The aim of this investigation is to identify if reading is the main factor for the achievements of boys in literacy, or if there are other strategies that can be implemented to raise the attainment levels of boys and therefore close the gap. To complete this study, I will undertake the investigation at an all boys’ school (for ethical reasons of anonymity, the school will be known as School A) located in a leafy suburban area in the North West of England. School A is a high achieving school compared to other mixed and same sex schools in the Local Area. The current Head of English (HoD) is driven, ambitious and highly motivated towards pupils’ achieving the best results possible. During the research I expect outcomes to show that there is a correlation between high achieving boys and enjoyment of reading for pleasure. I also expect to find that particular classroom strategies can effectively impact the attainment levels of boys, particularly in those who do not read for pleasure. LITERATURE REVIEW In 1993 Ofsted reported that boys do not perform as well in English as girls (cited in Bearne, 2004), and more recently the National Assessment of Education Progress (2009) has found that ‘female students consistently score higher than boys on average in both reading and writing’ (Watson et al., 2010: 356). However this concept is not a new one; researchers for the Gender and Education Association noted that in the 1950s and 1960s the pass rate for the eleven plus examinations, taken by almost all eleven year olds at this time, were different for boys and girls; Epstein et al. (1998 cited in Watson et al., 2010) claims that the pass rate for boys was lower than girls because girls supposedly matured earlier than boys. Gareth Malone, writing for the Telegraph in September 2010 stated that nationally ‘boys lag behind girls in reading by 6 percentage points and in writing by 15 percentage points’ (Malone, 2010). Despite this, Gorard (2001, cited in Malacova, 20 07) believes that, the panic about the gender achievement gap is exaggerated; he blames the concept on lack of sufficient data, which until recently had not been available, and believes that a lot of the assumptions regarding boys underachievement is based on statistical misinterpretation. Gorard (2001, cited in Malacova, 2007) conducted the first UK analysis of national data set over a six year period; he found that the gap only appeared amongst high-ability pupils and that the number of boys and girls failing exams was similar. His conclusions found that the gender gap was, if anything, decreasing. Regardless of Gorard’s (2001) analysis, there are many who still feel that the performance gap is a concern. In 1993 the Ofsted report offered some insight into differing perspectives and explanations for boys’ underachievement, including the lack of male literacy role models, classroom strategies, curriculum literacy content, perceptions of behaviour, social class and ethnicity (cited in Bearne, 2004). Solsken (1995, cited in Bearne, 2004) added to this list claiming that literacy is associated more with females and femininity and believes that this possibly has a negative effect on boys and their attitudes towards reading. Solken’s (1995) argument links very closely with Watson et al.(2007) who proposed that popular explanations often focus on boys’ ‘biological make-up’. They claim that evidence shows that ‘hegemonic masculinity is central to †¦ the struggles boys face as literacy learners’ (Watson et al. 2010: 357). Rowan et al (2002) also believes that ‘boys are biologically different to girls and that this biologically difference is the cause of behavioural differences’ (Rowan et al. 2002, cited in Watson et al. 2010:357). He believes that due to these biological differences, boys and girls are defined by inherent masculinity and femininity characteristics and in order for educational success this must be acknowledged and accommodated for. This is an important assertion to consider for this particular case study; due to the domination of boys in School A it is important to understand how masculine characteristics are catered for in an all boy s’ school. One of the suggestions to improve literacy for boys is to make education more ‘boy friendly’ by including more reading materials that boys enjoy, such as action and graphic novels, which will motivate boys to read. Hornton (2005) believes that adolescent boys could rediscover the magic of books by using texts that appeal to their interests. Young and Brozo (2000, cited in Brozo, 2010) deem that encouraging boys and actively helping them to find access points into literacy and reading should be made priority by teachers. During this particular study the idea and notion of actively promoting literacy through any route possible is addressed by School A’s English department head in the interview, and shows that it is essential for boys be aware that reading does not have to be confined to specific genres and authors. Furthermore Cole & Hall (2001, cited in Taylor, 2004) claim that boys read less fiction than girls, preferring to opt for texts that contain more facts and less narrative, such as magazines or texts that are analytical. Similarly Millard (1997) claims that boys tend to opt for genres such as action and science fiction whilst reading as little as possible in school that they think they can get away with. Due to these preferences, boys’ are at a disadvantage in academic literacy as their motivation towards school texts and curriculum texts is affected. Probst (2003, cited in Taylor, 2004) believes that if boys are to engage with reading, the texts that they are asked to study need to be significant to them. In other words it seems that in current literacy education, there is not enough stimulating material which addresses the needs or interests of boys. Millard (1997) relates the findings of boys’ apparent lack of interest in reading as significant to low achievement in English, while Holland (1998) attributes lesson style and strategies as some of the other causes for underachievement. Both of these arguments are valid for this particular study and will be investigated further by studying the reading habits and the predicted GCSE grades of boys in a high set and a low set, and by exploring particular teaching styles implemented in School A. Holland’s study (1998) showed that boys can spend any amount of the day, stemming from 25 percent up to 75 percent, passively listening to the teacher rather than actively engaging. When trying to reason why boys had a tendency for this she found that the boys preferred lessons which were practical, had a range of different activities (such as personal research, groups work or discussions), or involved competition. If boys are passive during English lessons they are not learning the essential literacy skills required to help them achieve results. Taking this into consideration it seems then that pedagogical practice needs to be addressed. Taylor (2004) suggests that teachers contemplating their own practice could reflect on whether they are meeting the individual learning needs for each boy through learning pace and style, and innovative strategies which build on boys’ existing interests to maximise their potential, development and emotional needs. Pollack (1998, cited in Taylor, 2004) agrees with this theory suggesting that numerous opportunities should be presented to boys for hands on, interactive learning. METHODOLOGY My approach to research was identified by the nature and context of the question. After considering the purpose and desired outcomes for the investigation I decided that the research would take the form of a case study, incorporating a combination of both qualitative and quantitative data to ensure validity and reliability; ‘qualitative methods may supplement the findings by identifying gaps from the quantitative study’ (Bryman & Bell 2007:650). The decision was made to collect evidence using a multi-method approach including interviews, questionnaires and analysis of existing recorded data. According to Gillham (2000) ‘different methods have different strengths and different weaknesses’ (Gillham 2002:13), and so ‘triangulation†¦ to strengthen your findings’ (Greetham 2009:184) was implemented to strengthen the validity of the study. To form part of the qualitative data I arranged an interview with the head of the English department. The purpose of the interview was to gain a deeper understanding of the context of the department and of the strategies which have raised attainment and achievement within the subject. Jones (1985) claims that ‘In order to understand other persons’ constructions of reality, we would do well to ask them†¦ and to ask them in such a way that they can tell us in their terms (rather than those imposed rigidly and a priori by ourselves)’ (Jones cited in Punch 2009:144). Taking this into consideration I decided that the interview should be open-ended and semi-structured for flexibility; Cohen et al. (2007) claim that semi-structured interviews gather ‘more intangible aspects of the school’s culture, e.g. values, assumptions, beliefs, wishes, problems.’ (Cohen et al., 2007:97). A semi-structured interview then would enable me to gather more in-depth information regarding the Head of Department’s ideas and beliefs surrounding School A’ s successes. To understand boys and literacy, and whether reading habits have an impact on GCSE results, a questionnaire was compiled to collect primary data and distributed to a top set and a bottom set year 11 English class. According to Gillham (2002), questionnaires are not typical of case study research; however they can be used to obtain simple, factual information. For the purpose of this part of the study I felt that a questionnaire was a practicable way to acquire important facts regarding the reading habits of a group of high ability boys and a group of low ability boys. These would then be compared to analyse and identify any correlation between reading habits and English predicted exam results using samples from the furthest range on the ability spectrum. During the research I also decided to collect additional data through participant observation. The aim of this was to gain an ontological perspective of the pupils enabling me to observe interaction, relationship and actions performe d by pupils. I felt that this would help me to make sense of the data collected in both the interview and the questionnaire. In regards to validity and obtaining accurate results from my observations, I first needed to develop a relationship with the classes I intended to observe to ensure that my presence was unobtrusive and did not affect their normal behaviours and create a bias observation. To achieve this I regularly participated in classroom observation at the back of the room in attempt to become a participant in the classroom context. Trochim (2001) claims that ‘the researcher needs to become accepted as a natural part of the culture to ensure that the observations are of the natural phenomenon’ (Trochim, 2001: 161), therefore I attended certain classes as an observer over a series of months to ensure that the pupils were comfortable with my presence and so acted within normal behaviours. The final set of data collected was secondary data compiled of the school’s GCSE results since the Head of English was appointed, including results form 2008, 2009 and 2010. The data also provided average GCSE results for the rest of the Local Authority enabling me to compare the school’s results against average achievements in the LA. The purpose of this data was to compare the information obtained from the interview with the head of department, about strategies implemented to raise attainment, against the GCSE results. ANALYSIS The Interview: The aim of the interview with the English Head of Department (HoD) was to discover if GCSE results had improved since being appointed Head of English at School A, and if so to discuss the strategies and provisions which had been implemented to raise the achievement levels in literacy at School A. The current HoD had taken over the English department in April 2008; the English GCSE in the Local Authority that year was 64.5 percent of students achieving A*- C; School A achieved 58 percent, more than 6 percent less than the LA average and 2.1 percent less than the national average. However in 2009 the following year, after just one year as the department head, School A had improved their results by 20.7 percent. The LA’s average results in English in 2009 was 66.7 percent achieving A*-C, the national average was 62.7 percent, while School A’s results were up to 78.7 percent. In 2010 the GCSE results at school A dipped slightly to 76.8 percent due to the school’s wea ker cohort for that particular year; however the results were still higher than the Local Authority’s average of 70.4 percent and the national average of 64.8 percent. Due to the weaker cohort that year the HoD considered this result to be an excellent achievement. Strategies implemented in the department were a crucial factor for the improved attainment levels across the Key Stages at School A. In September 2009 a centralised, uniformed English curriculum was introduced to Key Stage 3 aiming to â€Å"drip-feed† appropriate skills and assessments to pupils that prepares them with relevant GCSE experience before they enter Key Stage 4. Pupils in Key Stage 3 are assessed each half term (part of Assessing Pupils’ Progress) and are assessed in relatively the same way as the new Specification GCSE, ensuring the identification of weakness areas for improvement. Despite the success of raised attainment across the Key Stages, these strategies cannot be considered as part of School A’s GCSE progression; the first year group from Key Stage 3 in September 2009 are due to sit their GCSE exams in the summer of 2011, only then will it be pos sible to determine if this strategy attributes to the departments achievements. There are, however, specific strategies in place which can be measured against the department’s raised achievement results. These are those that have already been applied at Key Stage 4, including a uniformed teaching curriculum incorporating, for example, all of the same poets and clusters in the GCSE specification; personalised revision packages which identify individual’s weakest areas combined with personalised intervention to improve these weaker areas and ensure pupils’ achieve highest marks possible; ceased timetables for year 11 pupils close to exams and new timetables put in place to prioritise learning for the nearest exam. The Head of Department believes that all of these are essential contributing factors for the departments improved results. Other elements, which the Head of English believes help pupils at School A to maximise their achievements, are more innovative and practical activities for example the employment of production companies to perfor m GCSE texts such as Of Mice and Men; and school trips to events such as Poetry Live, an event hosted by poets from the GCSE anthology. Pollack (1998) argues that ‘we need to develop and implement innovative teaching approaches†¦ this may mean providing numerous opportunities for hands-on†¦ as well as interactive teaching’ (cited in Taylor, 2004:294). The English Head felt that these opportunities expanded the boys learning and understanding by developing them outside of the classroom context. Bearne (2003) claims that ‘There is a tendency for boys to draw on visual sources for their writing’ (Bearne, 2003:3) and so visual performances such as Of Mice and Men help the pupils to draw on their experiences through vision and memory. In addition to those already mentioned, the Head of Department also felt that the ethos created in the department combined with class room methods were an essential factor in the development and attainment of the pupils at School A. The department has a strong focus on literacy which is promoted broadly amongst all pupils, including reading groups and book clubs, as well as spelling and reading lessons delivered to pupils on a weekly basis. Pupils are encouraged to read regularly, regardless of material, to ensure positive enjoyment of reading. In contrast, Brozo (2002, cited in Taylor, 2004) felt that teachers were more likely to choose texts with narratives that did not appeal to boys. The HoD however regularly promoted the reading of any materials, whether it was comics, newspapers, information books or autobiographies; she felt that if pupils were to enjoy reading and increase their confidence with literacy, they should feel that any text that they enjoy to be suitably considered. In terms of classroom strategies the department endorses well paced positive learning in an environment of mutual respect between pupil and teacher; clear personal targets which are monitored explicitly; strong Assessment for Learning to test and extend pupils’ understanding and learning through challenge, feedback and routes to improve; short, sharp activities; a strong focus on reading; regular homework; and clear learning objectives which are reviewed during the plenary to ensure all pupils know the direction of learning. These techniques are consistent to that of a survey which was conducted of fourteen schools in 1997. The survey was performed by former HMI Graham Frater; he concluded that the most successful schools in regards to boys and literacy were the ones that paid a lot of focus towards teaching methods. Particular methods that he felt where important for success included: prompt starts to lessons with clear learning objectives shared; a challenging pace sustained throughout the lesson; lesson endings which reflected on the learning objectives and achievements within the lesson; a variety of activities; high expectations of the pupils combined with a non-confrontational attitude towards discipline; and effective modelling. It seems quite clear then that pupils’ achievements at School A can be attributed to the methods and strategies implemented consistently across the department. The pupils are suitably challenged with pace and activities, they know what the aims of their lessons are and how they have achieved these aims, they regularly assess their strengths and weaknesses and so understand what they need to do in order to raise their achievement levels. On the contrary, however, it is difficult to determine whether classroom and reading strategies are the most influential factor for raising attainment in boys and literacy. From observation of quiet reading lessons I discovered that many of the high ability pupils in the top set classes within Key Stage 3 welcomed the lesson as a chance to read an engaging book; however the lower ability groups were often much more difficult to set on task. Indecision over which books to read, reluctance to read quietly, and regular disruption amongst the pupils seemed a frequent occurrence in the low ability classes. When addressing reading, the HoD spoke about the issues regarding boys and reading, specifically in respect of boys’ loss of motivation of reading in their teenage years. She believed that possible causes in lack of motivation in boys and reading was due to their increased socialisation as they grew older, the introduction of more complex reading materials in preparation for GCSE, peer pressure from others that could overshadow pupils’ personal preferences, and she also felt that a lot of teenage boys only read to obtain information and not for pleasure. Taking these factors in to consideration she claimed that it is important to understand the reasons why boys do not enjoy reading but it is more productive to motivate and encourage them to read. The HoD considers the best way to encourage reluctant readers is by getting to know individual pupils and then gauge their interest levels and preferences as a starting point. Some of the suggested strategies, she felt were particularly useful, are to provide a variety of books, both fiction and non-fiction with appropriate reading levels; to keep in touch with boys current interests and provide books that reflect them; respect reading interests of young people and don’t expect them to only enjoy books suggested by the teacher; allow pupils to self-select their own books; encourage an interest in short stories, graphic novels and magazines, working up to full-length books; and to give academic recognition and credit for books read. These ideas meet the suggestions put forth by Hornton (2005), who stated that boys’ motivation should be encouraged with texts that appeal to their interests, and Young and Brozo (2000, cited in Brozo, 2010) who find it important to aid boys to seek access points into literacy and reading. The Questionnaire: The questionnaire was distributed to a high ability top-set year 11class and a low ability bottom set year 11 class. There were 32 pupils in the high set and 13 in the low set. The aim of the questionnaire was to compare the reading habits and attitude towards reading from a range of pupils of different abilities. According to Hornton (2005) there is a correlation between individuals with low level literacy skills and those who dislike reading for pleasure, and so I predicted that an individual’s attitude toward reading would correlate with their predicted GCSE grade; the more pupils enjoy reading and feel that it is important, the higher I expected their grade to be. The predicted GCSE grades in the set one class ranged from A* – C while the set five classes’ grades ranged from B – G. The questionnaires revealed that in the top set group 84.38 percent of pupils enjoyed reading and 90.63 percent felt that reading was important for reasons such as expanding vocabulary, increasing knowledge and learning new things. There was a vast difference in comparison with the lower set where only 23.8 percent of pupils enjoyed reading and just 53.85 percent felt that reading was important. It appears then that there is indeed a correlation between literacy skills with enjoyment of reading, however other elements surveyed in the questionnaire aimed to establish whether boys and literacy could have a direct link to their parents’ relationship with reading. The survey asked pupils if their parents enjoyed reading and if they had been encouraged to read as a child. Sadowski (2010) analysed the literacy gap between working and upper class boys, he found that the gap for more affluent boys was not as large as those from working class backgrounds and attributed this to richer boys growing up with father’s who were readers. This suggests that pupils whose parents enjoy reading and encouraged them to read from a young age would achieve higher results than those whose parents either did not enjoy reading or did not encourage them. Surprisingly the results did not reflect this to an extent that one would have expected. In regards to pupils’ parents who enjoy reading, 76.92 percent of pupils in the lower ability set agreed that their parents enjoyed to read while 81.25 percent of pupils’ in the high ability group confirmed the same. Of parents who encouraged their sons to read as a child, 61.54 percent from the low ability agreed and 78.31 from the higher ability group. Despite a difference between the percentages for both groups’ parents who read and encouraged them to read when they were younger, the gap is not a remarkable one and does not qualify a distinct correlation between pupils’ ability in literacy and the relationship their own parents have with reading. The questionnaires revealed that in spite of 76.92 percent of their parents having an enjoyment of reading, only 23.08 percent of pupils in that class enjoy reading, which suggests that perhaps even if a higher percentage of parents had encouraged their son to read this would not necessarily have affected their attitude towards reading for pleasure and therefore would not affect their achievements in literacy. EVALUATION The outcomes and findings from this case study have, to some extent, complemented a lot of the existing research addressed in the literature review. For example Holland (1998) discovered that boys tend to spend a lot of time listening passively to teachers because they prefer lessons that are practical and involve a range of activities. From my observations in the classroom and confirmation from the Head of English in the interview, the boys at School A also learned best when lessons involved a series of different activities such as discussions, group work or practical tasks such as drama-based role plays. This outcome also corresponded with Malone (2010) who, in a venture to discover why boys where underperforming in literature, stated that he aimed to perform short, achievable tasks with the boys, he also suggested that giving explicit time frames focused the boys into completing their work. During the interview the HoD explained that by giving the boys at School A short time frame s to complete specific task, it kept the pace of the lessons challenging and rigorous and therefore engaged them in learning more effectively. However the problematic outcome for this particular study is that only one school has been investigated and so it is difficult to determine whether the observations, questionnaires and interview conclusions, pertaining to strategies and the improved GCSE literacy results for School A, are a true reflection of causes and solutions of underachievement. The English GCSE results were really poor at School A in 2008, just as the current Head of Department took over, and from the interview questions and answers it would seem that the department and classroom strategies implemented since then have helped to improve the pupils’ achievements. Nevertheless it is certainly impossible to verify whether these are the sole reason for improvement; one particular reason is that it was never established what mode of departmental and classroom strategies were in place before the current HoD took over from the previous. Another reason is that School A’s GCSE results prior to 2008 were not obtained for this study and so results before this year have simply been generalised based on the last available statistics. It could be assumed that the 2008 result may have been an isolated case and so accessing results prior to 2008 would have endorsed whether or not the results had improved substantially. Gorard et al (2001, cited in Malacova, 2007) believes that the gender gap is exaggerated and to some extent it is possible from this research to argue in favour of this. Over the past three years School A has achieved excellent GCSE results, especially in English and particularly in comparison to local and national results. School A is an all boys’ school and so advocates that boys in this particular context are not underachieving as are others in other contexts. This suggests that if School A can produce results above the average mark, particularly in a year when the cohort was extremely weak, i t should be possible for other schools to raise the achievement levels of literacy in boys just the same. However it would be possible to prove or disprove Gorard’s theory of the gender gap, if the strategies implemented at School A could be put into action in a school of a different context. If successful this would validate the outcomes from this case study, it would also give rise to further research based on boys and literacy and whether these strategies could be used in a co-educational school or if they are too specific to the needs of boys’ learning and therefore not beneficial to girls’ learning. I felt that the findings made regarding boys reading habits and their attainment levels were significant. From the sample of questionnaires taken there seemed to be a direct correlation between predicted grades A*-C and boys who enjoyed reading or felt that it was important; 100 percent of the boys in the high ability group were predicted a grade A*-C (although three pupils were unaware what their predicted grade is, the school setting procedures ensured that only bo ys predicted A*-C would be allocated to set one). Of this a high 90.63 percent felt that reading was important and 84.38 percent enjoyed reading for pleasure. There were however exceptions to this; one pupil in the higher ability group stated that he did not think reading was important because ‘I do not read and I am predicted A’s at GCSE’. Another boy from the high ability group, who has been predicted a C grade, also felt that reading was not important because it ‘doesn’t do anything’, however this boy also claimed that he enjoyed reading and so regardless of whether he felt that it was important or not, reading is part of his literacy development. Despite the boys who did not feel that reading was important, the majority of the boys in the class felt that reading was important; this suggests that the highest achieving literacy pupils in School A were ones that enjoyed reading and so this would also be an essential contributing factor to the success of their achievements. It is difficult here to state whether the reasons for the boys’ enjoyment of reading is owing to the strategies for motivating reading encouraged by the HoD and so part of the questions on the questionnaire should have been more open ended to allow pupils to explain perhaps what motivates their enjoyment of reading. The lower ability results from the questionnaire were also significant for showing a correlation between literacy achievements and reading habits. Only 23.08 percent read for pleasure and only half the class felt that reading was important, this suggests that the reason for low ability achievers is possibly due to the lack of enjoyment in reading. Once again the problematic issue with these results is that the number of pupils in the low ability class was considerably less than the number of pupils in the high ability class. To gain a perhaps more informed result from the questionnaires a larger sample from low ability classes should have been obtained to match the number of pupils in the high ability class. This may or may not have produced different results, but, whatever the outcome, they certainly would have been more valid. One final evaluation to consider, in regards to the low ability group, is how effective the suggested motivation strategies have been in engaging boys in reading. With only 23.08 percent of pupils in this class finding an enjoyment in reading it would seem that the strategies have been ineffective in increasing motivation and achievement in these particular pupils. What would have been an interesting study if had been possible, would be to assess pupils attitude towards reading and predicted grades before the HoD had taken over and implemented strategies, and then to compare them to the results that have been found during in this study. CONCLUSION Returning to the hypothesis, my aim was to find out if reading for pleasure impacted on boys’ attainment levels; whether the achievement of boys who did not enjoy reading was affected. I also wanted to identify successful teaching strategies and whether these would raise the levels of those boys who again did not enjoy reading. The study has shown that there is a correlation between boys reading habits and their achievement levels’; it has also identified some strategies that can be used to raise their attainment levels. However from this study alone it is difficult to say if those strategies implemented in an all boys’ classroom would be equally effective in a mixed sex classroom. Due to this it would be interesting to expand the research on a larger scale to investigate the impact of those strategies, which are effective for boys learning, on a) girls learning in a mixed classroom and b) boys learning in a mixed classroom. The gender gap issue is such a broad topic that research can be extended to a greater degree of investigation. For example I have covered some possible causes of boys’ underachievement in this study; however on a wider scale other possible causes could be explored such as masculinity and identity, class or ethnicity. I feel that the most important route to take continuing from this particular investigation would be a focus on masculinity stereotypes in the single sex classroom and the mixed classroom. Holland (1998) states that: Boys do appear to be locked inside a stereotype which appears to make them succumb to peer pressure and which inevitably impacts on their attitude to work’ (Holland, 1998: 177). Therefore researching ways that can reduce or even prevent these macho stereotypes in the classroom would be an important factor for understanding boys and underachievement. Despite that there is no definitive outcome from this study; I feel that it is something that I will take forward into my professional development; whether it is through consideration of differentiation in boys learning style in a mixed classroom, or through a focus of raising attainment levels in my classes. Whichever way I incorporate consideration of gender into my teaching, it is certainly something that needs to be addressed. Gorard (2001) believes that concern over the gender gap is exaggerated; however it is clear through GCSE tables that boys tend to achieve lower than girls. In relation to this then, it is important for both newly qualified teachers and established teachers to consistently strive to meet the learning needs of their pupils. It seems the most important way is by adapting their style and approach to learning styles to ensure that both girls and boys have equal opportunities to work and achieve their highest potential. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS Bleach, K. (1998). Raising Boys’ Achievement in Schools. Staffordshire: Trentham Books Ltd. Brozo, W. G. (2002). To Be A Boy, To Be A Reader: Engaging Teen and Preteen Boys In Active Literacy. US: International Reading Association. Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2007) Business Research Methods 2nd Ed. Oxford University Press Cohen, L. , Manion, L. & Morrison, K (2007). Research Methods In Education. London and New York: Routledge. Cox, T. (2000). Combating Educational Disadvantage: Meeting the Needs of Vulnerable Children. London and New York: Falmer Press. Frances, B. (2000). Boys, Girls and Achievement: Addressing the Classroom Issues. London and New York: Routledge. Frater, G. (1997). Improving Boys’ Literacy. London: The Basic Skills Agency. Gillham, B. (2000). Case Study Research Methods. London and New York: Continuum. Greetham, B. (2009) How to Write Your Undergraduate Dissertation. Palgrave Macmillan. Mason, J. (1996). Qualitative Researching. London, Thousand Oaks, N ew Delhi: Sage. Millard, E. (1997). Differently Literate. London, Washington DC: The Falmer press. Punch, K. F. (2009). Introduction to Research Methods in Education. Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC: Sage. Rae, T., & Pederson, L. (2007). Developing Emotional Literacy With Teenage Boys. London, California and New Delhi: Paul Chapman Publishing. Trochim, W. M. (2001). The Research Mothods Knowledge Base. Cincinnati, OH: Atomic Dog Publishing. Weeks, A. (1999). The Underachievement of Boys. Northants: First and Best Education. JOURNALS Holland, V. (1998). Underachieving Boys: Problems and Solutions. Support for Learning , 13(04), pp.174-178. Hornton, R. (2005). ‘Boys Are People Too: Boys and Reading, Truth and Misconceptions’. Teacher Librarian ,.33(2), pp 30-32. Malacova, E. (2004). ‘Effects of Single-sex Education on Progress in GCSE’. Cambridge Assessments UK , 33, pp233-259. Mills M. & Keddie, A. (2007). ‘Teaching Boys and Gender Justice’. International Journal of Inclusive Education ,11 (03), pp.335-354. Myhill, D. (2002). ‘Bad Boys and Good Girls? Patterns of Interaction and Response in Whole School Teaching’. British Education Research Journal , 28 (03), pp.339-352. Reichert, M. & Hawley, R.(2010). ‘Reaching Boys An International Study of Effective Teaching Practices’. Phi Delta Kappan ,91 (04), pp35-40. Sadowski, M. (2010, August). ‘Putting The Boy Crisis in Context’. Education Digest , pp 4-6. Taylor, D. L. (2004, December). â₠¬ËœNot Just Boring Stories: Reconsidering the Gender Gap for Boys’. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy , pp290-298. Watson, A., Kehler, M. & Martino, W. (2010, February). ‘The Problem of Boys’ Literacy Underachievement: Raising Some Questions’. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 53(5) , pp356-361. WEBSITES Bearne, E. (2004, September). Raising Boys’ Achievement in Literacy. Retrieved March 2011, from RBA: www-rba.educ.com.ac.uk/PaperEB.Paf Boys’ Underachievement. (2005, November). Retrieved December 2010, from Teaching Expertise: www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/boys-underachievements-101 Gender and Achievement. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2010, from National Strategies: http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/46121?uc%20=%20force_uj Malone, G. (2010, September 2nd). Extraordinary School For Boys: helping boys love literacy. Retrieved April 11th, 2011, from Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/education/7976044/Extraordinary-School-for-Boys-helping-boys-love-literacy.html Mendick, H. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2011, from Gender and Education:

Used Car Acquisition, 180 Day Cycle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Used Car Acquisition, 180 Day Cycle - Essay Example According to the Manheim March calendar, Manheim Dallas holds auctions each Wednesday at 10:00 am.   This auction includes vehicles from the Ft. Worth location.   Therefore, each location will be called on Tuesdays for listings, to determine whether Wednesday auctions will have any vehicles of interest.   Adesa holds auctions in Dallas on Thursdays, at 10:00 am.   Inventory for Adesa will be reviewed on Wednesday, to determine which vehicles might be of interest on Thursday mornings.   America’s auto auction holds sales on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:00 pm, in nearby Irving.   Therefore, America’s inventories will be reviewed on Mondays and Wednesdays, when available.Auctions will be attendedin person, so that the exterior and interior conditions of vehicles can be inspected, prior to sale.   Auctions will be attended on Sunday mornings, Thursday mornings and Tuesday/Thursday afternoons.   There will be little time available for making calls on Thursday. Therefore, no calls will be made on Thursday. Tuesday mornings will be utilized for calling car rental companies and a portion of dealerships.  Car rental companies often sell vehicles when they receive new inventory of rental vehicles.   This occurs less frequently, so calls to car rental companies will occur once each week.  Three car rental companies, Dollar, Enterprise and Hertz, will be contacted on Friday afternoons  on the second and fourth Friday of each month of each month.  

Reading and researching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Reading and researching - Essay Example In addition, a literature review intends to illustrate, sum up, review, elaborate and/ or incorporate the substance of primary accounts (Crano, 2002). The review of related or relevant literature is almost at all times a standard chapter of a research proposal and a full-blown dissertation. The review outlines an essential chapter in a research thesis where its objective is to present the setting or backdrop to and rationale for the research embarked on. Furthermore, the objective of a literature review is to demonstrate to the reader that the researcher have actually read, and have a good understanding of, the key available scholarly literature concerning a specific subject matter or issue in his/her discipline. This work could be in layout, integrating online references or sources. It could be a project taken apart, or one of the preliminary portions of a thesis, report or a dissertation. Nevertheless, in research proposals and dissertations in particular, the review will be directed by particular research objectives of by the subject matter or argument that a researcher will be discussing and will present the structure for further work (Fairclough, 2003). On the other hand, aside from outlining a clear-cut review of related literature, social research also relies on three paradigmatic approaches, namely, positivism, interpretivism and critical approach, in defining the processes and disposition of a research proposal or dissertation. Primarily, the principle which states that all knowledge originates from positive data or information from observable facts or phenomenon is the territory of positivism; the origins of positivism rest specifically with empiricism, which operates merely with observable details, believing that further than this is the dimension of exactness of mathematics and logic (Bryman, 1992). On the other hand, the interpretivism paradigm of social research is a strategy founded on

To make a lasting contribution in the media field Essay

To make a lasting contribution in the media field - Essay Example This shortage affects Middle East itself and affects the other nations who are involved in the region. The shortage of mentors and researchers will hinder the media aspirants to pursue the study. I planned to be skilled in Middle East media issues for such expertise is in urgent need. I foresee myself doing further researches, teaching and consulting work related to the media field. By pursuing PHD, I can now help my country by mentoring those who have great interest in the field of media and journalism and I am sure that your university will be the best place to help me achieve my goals. In my application for this studentship, I wanted to focus on "News Media and the Dynamics of Terrorism". I am confident that my academic background and job experiences are few of the many factors which will help me succeed in doing this research. First of all, I have the appropriate academic background and professional experience in the news editing, writing and analyzing. I have a 5 year experience in a newspaper and magazine company. I have also taken up master's education focusing in Media Production which is a scholarship granted to me by British Council. The background of my education alone gives me enough competence to deal with the researched subject which is to analyze and understand the audience reaction towards the "influence of news coverage to the general publics understanding of terrorism". Beside that, being a journalist from Middle East gives me a significant knowledge about the cultural dimension of the subject in which the research questions will be answer in full understanding of all related factors to the subject. My experience as an editor of the international and local news at the first page gives me an opportunity to learn more and do investigative reports on different topics Being born and raised in Arabic and Islamic country will help me in researching the "news coverage's influence on attitudes towards terrorism among subcultures understanding." Being a native in Arabic language, I can communicate to these communities effectively which is mainly Islamic "Pakistani" and Arabic communities residing in UK and consequently, I will be able to formulate a better solution to integrate them in the society. Methodology Along with consulting and direction from the project supervisor and after doing a deep theoretical research on the project, I plan to answer the project questions by using more than one research techniques. This research should be conducted in different stages and rolling the ball will motivate and extract publics' opinion toward the issue related to the subject. Surveys, questionnaires and interviews will be conducted to know the audience reaction and attitude toward the news coverage related to the terrorism news. These Surveys, questionnaires and interviews will encompass samples of the public audience and subculture sympathizers' audience. Random survey results will be representing the point of views of different types of correspondents. Interviews to media personalities like editors, producers and anybody related to media and communication industry will also be first-hand providers of information about many factors related to the

Hamlet Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hamlet - Research Paper Example True enough, the infuriated king proved to have reacted to the play as a mere act one should enjoy and appreciate. The entire play of Shakespeare is believed to be a retelling of an earlier play based on historical fiction (Friedlander, Theatrehistory), with important changes made in some places. The play within the play would probably be one among these important revisions in the story that gives the playwright his unique view of the circumstances in between Hamlet’s knowledge of the king’s murder and the culmination of his revenge. Being unable to get his father’s ghost as a witness to his own murder, Hamlet acts to be insane and ingeniously devises the plan of the play while he waits and plans his revenge. The Roman historical novel also claimed that his protagonist, Brutus, also pretended to be a lunatic (Friedlander). Other versions of Hamlet before Shakespeare were written though not as popular as the renowned playwright’s adaptation, somehow affecte d the totality of the widely acclaimed play by Shakespeare. Probably, the playing of a historical drama was Shakespeare’s inspiration to come up with the play within his play. It could be that the playwright aimed to show the lessons learned when one sits down and watches his role in this world. As Shakespeare himself said, ‘All the World’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players’ (Shakespeare) and continues to say that all of us have many parts to play in our lifetime. An actor of a play playing his part as an actor could prove to have inspired the playwright, using the reality of which to portray a strong and effective employment of irony. In this respect, the plea of the author for the reader to sit aback and watch his roles he played in the past; is a plea to the conscience. Before the portrayal of the play in the written text, a short summary of what was to take place was narrated (Bate & Rasmussen) so that the reader would understand how it fits in the whole story. However, as the real players watch the ‘play’, the playing of their roles still continues with conversations done in between the portrayal of the ‘play’. I can say that this is a literary style of Shakespeare to hold his reader’s attention. Simply reading across the lines can leave the reader confused with which scene is being ‘acted out’ and which is being acted out. That would be, determining which scene is the real act and which is the play in the play. Concentration is needed from the reader in order for him to follow the trail of the story and not get lost. This would also be a style used to let the reader think as he continues with the story. Having read the summary of the play in the play, a reader can basically know how the act would go however, conversations of the ‘real’ players hold the reader’s attention to the text. It presents a seemingly mathematical problem to be solved by the reader as one devotes more attention to how the story goes. In proving the guilt of the king, Shakespeare’s use of the play within the play as a speaker to the former’s conscience elicited the response perceived by Hamlet as a proof of guilt. This method of the writer to move towards the climax of his story seems to be his unique version of the play as we have mentioned earlier that the whole legend was not the original concept of Shakespeare. However, coming up with a

The character Dee walker,alice everyday use Essay

The character Dee walker,alice everyday use - Essay Example She is the successful daughter, â€Å"the child who has made it† (Walker, Para. 3) and carved a place for herself in the outside world. Her style of dress, in striking shades of yellow and orange, ethnic jewelry and hairstyle all deliberately accentuate her African heritage and call out loudly for attention. They constitute her apparently defiant statement of identity. Dee’s use of the Swahili style of greeting, â€Å"Wasuzo-Teano† (Walker, Para. 21), and her adoption of the name, â€Å"Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo† are also meant to reinforce her assertion of her roots. Dee’s veneer of pride in her heritage is like her â€Å"sunglasses which hid everything† (Walker, Para. 82). A deeper study of Dee’s personality reveals that she has actually rejected her roots. â€Å"She had hated† (Walker, Para. 10) her childhood home. Her attitude towards her mother and sister is marked by criticism and condescension. Dee takes pictures of them as if they were curiosities and includes the house and the cow, but not herself. She does not see herself as a part of their world. Her change of name is again a rejection of her lineage. The name Dee, which has passed down to her through generations of her family, is more a genuine part of her heritage than the affected African name she has adopted. Her rejection of her past is irrevocably made by her statement about the old Dee: â€Å"She’s dead† (Walker, Para. 27). Dee covets the churner top and dasher, not as treasured parts of her past life, but as pretentious artistic curios to be flaunted as exotic ornaments. Likewise, her estimation of the quilts, â€Å"they’re priceless!† (Walker, Para. 52) is not based on the value of her love for the grandmother and the aunt who made them, but on their considerable monetary value as antiques, which will make a striking fashion statement. Dee does not know who made the dasher, nor does she know how to quilt. Unlike her sister Maggie, who will use

Impact of Slavery System on African Continent and Its People Essay

Impact of Slavery System on African Continent and Its People - Essay Example Efforts of Africans in these plantations are what made America and Western countries to be the way they are today (Mentan, 2010). Nevertheless, slave trade, according to Anne Caroline Bailey, had profound effect to the social, political, and economic situations and structure of African continent and its people (Bailey, 2005). Therefore, efforts have to be made in identifying and analyzing the effects of slave trade to African continent and its people. Impact of Slave System to African Continent Slavery gave rise to the Trans-Atlantic trade, which has been identified as the main cause of numerous political, social, and economic malaises that befell the continent of Africa. Slave system largely transformed the African society, and this transformation persisted into the future of Africa. Walter Rodney argues that Atlantic slave trade did African continent more harms than benefits, a situation that has remained detrimental to the African societies (Leslie and Rucker, 2010). More so, Afri can in post-colonial era continued to writhe from the detrimental effects of slave trade (Leslie and Rucker, 2010). Slave trade system has been associated with under-development in Africa, especially from the detrimental effects it had on population, economy, agriculture, and stability (Leslie and Rucker, 2010). Inikori and Engerman (1992) argue that slave trade was responsible for the creation of more arbitrary and centralized warrior state, which in turn encouraged social conflict and increased violence. Moreover, the trade led to loss of population, decline in productivity, and increase in exposure to famine (Inikori and Engerman, 1992). At the same time, Becker (1977) asserts that slave trade was responsible to the detrimental effects to the African continent such as the increased wars, state instability and militarization of the society, and lastly, declined food production, which led to more deaths (Inikori and Engerman, 1992). Sharp and Schomp (2006) on the other hand, are co nvinced that the primary political impact of transatlantic slave trade was the entry of Western powers into Africa which led to subsequent colonization. The authors observe that the Western nations reaped huge profits from selling African slaves and gained profits from plantations in which slaves worked. As a result, they became powerful over weak African continent, and this situation led to colonization of the continent after the Berlin Conference of 1884 (Sharp and Schomp, 2006). Of course, the effects of colonialism are well articulated among majority of authors. Colonialism is associated with rampant underdevelopment of the continent, persistence of the culture of corruption and resource stealing, and many more evils the colonialist planted on the continent. On overall, slave system as manifested through transatlantic trade transformed the African continent in such way that its key institutions and stimulus for development and progress were suffocated and stagnated, a situation that has led African continent to lag behind in terms of developments. Impact of Slave System to the People of Africa Apart from the economic and institutional impact slave

Bethany hamilton Essay Example for Free

Bethany hamilton Essay My name, Bethany Hamilton, may not ring a bell, but I am known as the girl who never gave up. I survived the unthinkable. I want to make a difference in peoples lives by sharing my story, so here it goes. Every morning I hit the beach with my friends. Halloween is usually the time to go trick-or-treating, but for me it was the time to catch a perfect wave. So at sunrise I was already at Tunnel Beach, feeling as though my veins were filled with salt water. The water was crystal clear and very calm. I was relaxing on my board with my left arm dangling in the water as I waited for the next big wave. My friends were floating not too far away. All of them were looking out to sea. Out of nowhere, came a giant tiger shark, and all I saw was a flash of grey. All I felt was a lot of pressure and a couple of fast tugs. It was all over in seconds! Thats all it took for the 15 foot tiger shark to bite my left arm off near my shoulder. I waited in shock as all the water turned bright red. I said in a loud but not panicky voice l Just got attacked by a shark. After the attack, I kept saying Get to the beach. Get to the beach. My arm was bleeding badly, but that didnt prevent e from praying. They tied a shirt around my stub as a tourniquet. As I was rushed to the hospital, I remember the paramedics guy saying, God will never leave you, nor forsake you. He was right. At the hospital, surgeons cleared out of the operating room so I could be rushed in. They gave me blood and cleaned out my terrible wound. I stayed in the hospital for about a week after the accident, because I needed time to heal and regain my strength. My family was with me constantly, but honestly I Just wanted to go surfing. Many visitors came to see me, and all I saw was pity on their faces. After I was out of the hospital, I discovered that my life had changed dramatically. Everyday tasks suddenly became difficult. I knew I needed to forget about surfing, but I couldnt. The attack hadnt lessened my love for surfing, and I wasnt ready to give up. Less than a month later, I was back on my surf board, but paddling with only one arm was not easy. Standing up on the board was equally tough. Catching my first wave after the accident, made everything worthwhile. I rode the wave all the way to the beach, and after that, I had tears of happiness running down my face. A lot of people think soul surfers are Just people who surf and dont compete, but I think its someone who Just loves surfing for what it is, never gives up, and always sticks with the ocean. I still dream of surfing victories, but now IVe got other dreams, too. I want to make a difference in peoples lives. I want to help others deal with pain and loss. Most importantly, I want to encourage people to follow their dreams, no matter how hard it seems. All I know is that my life will include plenty of surfing. IVe been surfing since I was five, and Ill be surfing until however ling I can. bethany hamilton By hfeuch

AP Dashanchurna Essay Example for Free

AP Dashanchurna Essay Operating since 1912, Ayurvedia Pharmacy is one of the oldest operating pharmacies in Bangladesh. Despite its long life, it has failed to make its mark as one of the prominent companies in this country. It has a range of over 100 products but only four of these are prominent. Even among these four, some are faltering and losing ground to new entrants. AP Dashanchurna (white toothpowder) is one of these products. AP Dashanchurna has been around for a very long time, but it gained popularity after the current owners took over the company from the government in the year 1979. It gained the epitome of popularity in the years 1990-95 when this name was a household name. Regretfully, AP Dashanchurna has not been able to hold on to its glory. AP Dashanchurna is now a losing concern. The company has held onto this product simply because it has been one of the flagship brands of the company for a long time. The problem with AP Dashanchurna is that it has failed to capitalize on its long life and fame. In the meantime, products like Magic Toothpowder, Colgate Toothpowder, Shakti Majan etc have gained significant foothold in the market. These companies take a more structured approach to identifying the target market and have significantly better marketing communication. AP Dashanshurna has failed because it has not balanced its marketing communication with the target market and hence lost customers. It also failed to make use of its chief strength, the herbal makeup of the products. AP Dashanchurna is launching a new campaign in an effort to rejuvenate the product. They are bringing changes in the packaging, going for television commercials and newspaper advertisements. They do not undertake any activities to find out consumer insights, and marketing communications are based only on gut feeling of the marketers. A set of recommendations have been proposed for AP Dashanchurna. Our recommended marketing campaign is focused on its relevant target market and its perception in the market. The whole marketing mix has been renovated and a new marketing mix has been suggested for AP Dashanchurna. It is expected that this marketing mix will help redeem the product’s value and perception in its target market.

The limitations of economists’ idea of a perfect capital market

The limitations of economists’ idea of a perfect capital market Introduction This brief study assesses the limitations of economists idea of a perfect capital market as a basis for theorising modern global capital markets. Todays global capital markets have undergone a global tectonic transformation from the erstwhile discrete and largely controlled capital markets. This transformation has led economists to propound various theories to explain the aggressive and changing global economic landscape. However, economists globally still struggle with the continuously evolving environment across trade boundaries and capital market regimes. It is unfortunate that, like most other branches of economics, contemporary developments of knowledge and technology have not trickled back to further develop the fundamental models that most economists deploy to manage their thinking in respect of the global economy (Blecker, 2001, p 1-3). Economic analysis today has been reduced to forecasting. Forecasting has now become the staple work of professional economists. It is impracticable to forecast econometrically in relation to a situation wherein new institutions will function, on the basis of factors forecasted under old institutions. The economic and political outcomes of new institutions need to be assessed as institutions, and not just as variables (Toporowski, 2003, p4-8). This essay critiques the inadequacies of economists view of a perfect capital market. The study also assesses the same being a constraint for hypothesising contemporary global capital markets. Analysis Background There is a distinct relationship between political economy and finance. Arguably, in an era of finance, political economy is liable to be marginalised due to the evident financial sector dynamism that guides economic development during such an era (Toporowski, 2003, p1). Political economy here is used in the conventional sense of the debate of the function of the state in the economy as well as the economic institutions, as also their impact on the key functions of production and distribution (Toporowski, 2003, p1). The above opinion can be demonstrated considering that the classical political economy, (contending in favour of a laissez-faire state), was pushed to the limits of serious economic discussion during the latter half of the nineteenth century. This is because the increased international finance in the gold standard generated a sense of laissez-faire dynamism (Toporowski, 2003, p1). The collapse of that financial boom culminated in the restoration of political economy of the Keynesian revolution. The financial inflation of the concluding decades of the twentieth century subsequently marginalised political economy again. Consequently, economists are looking forward to the restoration of political economy being ushered in primarily due to the deflation of financial systems throughout the advanced capitalist economies (Toporowski, 2003, p1). The latter part of the twentieth century was acknowledged as witnessing the rise of finance. This broke the fragile Keynesian consensus for active state intercession to steady capitalist market economies. So long as the consensus was maintained, political economy was upheld by the apparent debate regarding the limits of state intervention (Toporowski, 2003, p4-8). From the 1970s onwards, the financial markets saw the revival of activity. This activity along with the ensuing inflation of those markets resulted in the scope for political economy being reduced. Complacent certainties relating to the first neo-classical upheaval returned. The economy functions naturally in equilibrium. It is agitated only by imprudent monetary policies or wage rigidities. Also, keen re-financing is equal to comprehensive economic enterprise. This enterprise then, on the back of vigorous financial markets, requires no state support or overt social direction (Toporowski, 2003, p4-8). This becomes obviously true since financial markets are so vigorous. The monetarist counter-revolution, on attaining consensus during the 1980s, ousted political economy. The new political economy during that time was founded by writers like James Buchanan. It offered a natural political economy of social and individual choice, from which the real economic and state institutions were detached, or reduced to merely choice-making mechanisms (Toporowski, 2003, p4-8). Yet, political economy retained its vitality in newly industrialised and developing countries, where the economic volatility accompanying financial inflation has been most obvious. In fact, the re-emergence of such economic volatility within the more financially advanced economies is now laying the foundations for revitalisation of the political economy (Toporowski, 2003, p4-8). Toporowski (2000, p1) in his book The End of Finance, propounds the theory of an era of finance as a period of history in which finance prospers with such brilliance that it takes over from the industrial entrepreneur the leading role in capitalist development. In such an era, Finance becomes the most important political constituency, and is held to be a proper guide to the conduct of business, social and economic policy, and even our personal lives (Toporowski 2003, p4-8). Moreover, financial volatility causes the finanzangst that troubles the ever-increasing population influenced by advancements in the financial markets. That then turns, as argued by Toporowski (2002), into a cause for the concern of the economics profession with predicting economic variables (Toporowski 2003, p4-8). Historical perspective of Global Capital Markets The significance that Bryer (2000a, 2000b, 2004) attaches to Marxs idea of total social capital has deep implications. Many such implications are yet to be explored. Bryer (1994, 1999, 2004) contends that Marx regarded capital as a social disciplining power working on workers, capitalists and managers. Scholars of contemporary business and society employ the term globalisation for a wide description of business trends (Owen, 2005). Bryers work, argues Owen (2005), lays the groundwork for inferring Marxs idea of capital as an expectation of global capital markets. Building on this argument a little further, it may be argued that the schemes of contemporary capital markets can be comprehended as the recognition of Marxs vision. Evidence of this can be found in the close association among stock markets worldwide as also among exchange rates and interest rates within different countries. This implies that capital can be considered to be a solitary fund of money which is indistinguishable by industry or country or legal form search for a return on capital (Owen, 2005). The true test lies in the degree to which global capital markets have realised the potential that Marx predicted. If Marx is understood as expecting global capital markets the real test is the degree to which contemporary capital markets demonstrate the disposition of total social capital (Owen, 2005). Good economic theory A well-defined and enduring economic policy has characteristics that: (1) are based on concepts which are operational and well defined (2) explain behaviour in a lucid manner (3) are general and simple (4) are valuable for scholars and managers (5) are logically coherent and also (6) fit the facts (Owen, 2010). Economic theory is also commonly criticised. The universal criticism is largely directed on the basis that it is based on intangible concepts that can not be operationalised (i.e. where values cannot be ascribed), that it is contradicted by facts, that it has no relevance to contemporary business and also that it lacks internal coherence (Owen, 2010). There have been economists who have propounded numerous theories for example Simons (1959) theory that bounded rationality satisficing rather than maximizing, Watts and Zimmerman (1978) theory that highlighted managerial self interest as a component of the principal agent relationship and Bryers theory of political economy of accounting (Owen, 2010). Yet, all these theories have, over time, also been over-shadowed by the perfect market approach which also suffers from weaknesses (Owen, 2010). Perfect capital markets A perfect market can be defined as one that bears one price that balances demand and supply, and where buyers and sellers are satisfied with such a price. It is a market where one price rules over the whole market and there are no special deals or offers (Owen, 2009a). Further, a perfect capital market, according to the oft quoted definition, is a market without any arbitrage opportunities. The main characteristics of a perfect capital market would comprise of: one price that clears the market, one interest rate, one rate of return on capital, and also a single price for risk (Owen, 2009a). However, the apparent weaknesses in the economists perfect market model emanate primarily from too much importance being given to individual decision-making and the associated assumptions being unrealistic (Owen, 2009a). The weaknesses in the stakeholder approach, on the other hand, stem from too much importance lent to firm level thinking, the need for stakeholders to be prioritised, underestimating the usefulness of accounting and the separation of finance from accounting. These weaknesses in both the approaches highlight the need for developing another diametrically opposite approach to understand the contemporary markets (Owen, 2009a). Contemporary Markets International economists braved the contemporary world of financial and capital market globalisation along with continually floating exchange rates. They organised this with analytical tools and apparatus that was inherited from the past which rendered them incapable to predict what that contemporary world evolve into (Blecker, 2001, p 1-3). This contemporary era is mainly characterised by severe volatility of exchange rates, unrelenting breaches of purchasing power parity, persistent trade imbalances, recurring financial crises, and todays globally interrelated business cycles for instance the recent global downturn of 2000-01. These characteristics were not really what the advocates of the new order had promised or expected (Blecker, 2001, p 1-3). Primarily, mainstream global economists have endorsed the liberalisation of commodity trade as well as capital markets. They have also promoted the move towards flexible exchange rates. However, there have been a few noteworthy conventional dissenters regarding the last point that support permanently set nominal exchange rate parities (Blecker, 2001, p 1-3). Limitations of economists views Since the 1970s global economists have been busy developing novel theoretical and econometric models to attempt to understand the new realities of international finance. Such models are exemplified right from Dornbuschs (1976) pioneering exchange rate overshooting model through to the latest work regarding self-fulfilling speculative attacks, panics and bubbles Through their pioneering effort, international economists have endeavoured to elucidate the exchange rates volatility which was not forecasted by the earlier generations of models (Blecker, 2001, p 1-3). Frequent econometric tests have found certain original stylised facts regarding the global financial system. These facts comprise fairly forceful findings. One finding is regarding the covered interest parity that holds amongst nations permitting liberalised capital flows, whereas uncovered interest parity as well as real interest parity do not hold. Another finding establishes that relative purchasing power parity (PPP) is usually broken at least in the medium and short term, and perhaps also in the long term. A further finding corroborates that no exchange-rates model which is fundamentals-based can forecast their short-term movements time after time better than the supposition of a random walk. Also, current account imbalances have only enlarged and more unrelentingly since the 1980s (Blecker, 2001, p 1-3). Nevertheless, despite these real intellectual advances, the fundamental investigative framework of nearly all international economists stays mired in past intellectual habits. The core theoretical models relating to international economics are still based on suppositions that refute the current realities of global financial markets (Blecker, 2001, p 1-3). Previous ideas for example PPP, the law of comparative advantage, mechanical balance of 3-payments adjustment and also expected exchange rates continue as benchmarks for research. They also dictate both policy advice and pedagogy. As in numerous other spheres of economics, developments at the knowledge frontiers have not percolated back to transform the fundamental models that nearly all economists deploy to manage their thoughts regarding the global economy (Blecker, 2001, p 1-3). Europes Dilemna After years of economic austerity and stringent monetary policies, economies across Europe have definitely reached a turning point in their economic development regarding downsizing of the public sector, sluggish growth of per capita incomes, mounting unemployment, job insecurity along with the surfacing of disadvantaged economic subcultures in many such economies (McNutt, 1996). There is an acknowledged requirement to make heavy investments in a wide range of social sector programmes. This is needed to exploit the cluster economies entrenched in many economies. Economic theory does offer a few guidelines on the modus-operandi of the distribution of the proposed expenditure (McNutt, 1996). Endowment theories recommend that the expenditure be apportioned to the more prolific regions. Further, altruism theories advise that the expenditure be apportioned to the more underprivileged regions, whereas rent-seeking theories direct the flow of expenditures to groups that generate the maximum private benefit. On the other hand, unemployment subsists in European countries possibly because of the linkage of real wages to the cost of living. In such a case, trade liberalisation may offer a considerable stimulus to output and employment through lowering of living costs as also the reduced costs to the transnational corporation of employing labour (McNutt, 1996). Challenges for economists theorising of global capital markets The recent financial crisis compelled both economic policymakers and economists to reassess various basic issues. These issues present numerous challenges, of which the major three are as discussed below. The first challenge is to properly understand the root causes that led to the financial crisis and how to avert their recurrence. The next challenge is to fix the damage caused to the public finances by the crisis. The third challenge concerns the necessity to draw the correct conclusions to enable economic analysis (Liikanen, 2010, p3-5). Accordingly, the primary challenge is to avert similar future crises. The financial crisis enlightened policymakers with many things. Possibly the most important were the holes in the knowledge base relating to systemic risks. The theory of systemic risk is not unknown as such, although the crisis exposed several fresh dimensions of systemic risk. Prior to the crisis, it was not comprehended how complex the links are amongst the global financial markets. It was also not known that a sufficiently extensive disruption could freeze the markets. Although the global financial markets did not give way in October-November 2008, yet it was so close that a similar risk could not be accepted any longer (Liikanen, 2010, p3-5). A fundamental dilemma in the present debate is the inability of economics to offer lucid guidance as to the kinds of instruments that could be deployed to execute this kind of stability policy. The conventional toolkit of monetary policy viz. money supply analysis and interest rate policy is well-established at the centre of the economics discipline. Yet, the integration of financial intermediation and financial markets with the consequent macroeconomic analysis is even today in its infancy. The appropriate approaches are yet to be established and this provides a distinct challenge for the economics discipline in the future years (Liikanen, 2010, p3-5). The second main economic policy challenge lies in the restoration of the crisis damages to public finances. Subsequent to the financial crisis and the consequential economic crisis, public finances have by and large deteriorated along with increased unemployment, which in some countries has risen quite sharply. The deterioration of general government finances partially reveals the results of various stimulus measures, financial system support and automatic stabilizers. Perhaps even more revealing is the fact that the fall in GDP levels has resulted in clear erosion in the public revenue base. The revenue base is estimated to stay smaller than earlier predicted for many countries. The reason for the smaller revenue base is the estimated reduction of their output potential due to the crisis (Liikanen, 2010, p3-5). The third challenge concerns fundamental issues in economics. Paul Krugman, the acknowledged economist, queried last year appropriately in his already admired column: How did economists get it so wrong? Krugmans fundamental argument lay in the economics profession having gone astray. The fascination for analytical elegance and mathematical acrobatics had locked economics into an ivory tower of frictionless markets and rational economic agents while marginalising attempts to understand the economy as it actually is(Liikanen, 2010, p3-5). Globalisation, Technological Revolution, and the Restructuring of Capitalism Globalisation encompasses both capitalist markets as well as sets of social relations. It also involves flows of capital, commodities, technology, forms of culture, ideas and people across geographical national boundaries through a global networked society. The metamorphosis of both capital and technology functioning together now continues to construct a new interrelated and globalised world (Kellner, 2009, p2-3). A technological revolution concerning the formation of a computerised network of transportation, communication and exchange is the premise of a globalized economy. This co-exists with the expansion of a global capitalist market system which is attracting ever more areas of the world along with different spheres of production, consumption and exchange into its orbit. The technological revolution presumes global computerised networks along with the open movement of information, goods, people and services across national boundaries (Kellner, 2009, p2-3). From this viewpoint, globalisation cannot be comprehended without appreciating the technological and scientific revolutions as also the global capital restructuring which form the matrix and motor of globalisation. Many globalisation theorists, nonetheless, fail on either of the following two counts. They either fail to detect the basic importance of technological and scientific revolution along with the novel technologies that help initiate globalization; else they infer the process via a technological determinist structure that blocks the economic aspects of the institutions and imperatives of capitalism (Kellner, 2009, p2-3). Such biased economists fail to appreciate the co-evolution of capitalism, science and technology. They also fail to appreciate the highly ambiguous and complex system of globalisation that unites capitalism with democracy as well as technological mutations with a further turbulent mix of costs, losses, gains and benefits (Kellner, 2009, p2-3). In this context, economists can be considered to be singularly unqualified to assess the theorising of modern global capital markets based on the above paradigm and evolutionary shifts in the deployment of economic resources. Conclusions It is evident from the foregoing discussion that the vigorous current debate on the global capital markets and its attendant crises cycles has again provoked a reassessment of the prevalent economic theories and their weaknesses. The global capital markets have transformed radically during the twentieth century, especially in the last four decades. To address this transformation, economists have propounded various theories, largely unsuccessfully, to rationalise and explain the tectonic changes. It is evident that contemporary developments concerning capital, technology, knowledge, science and other economic resources deployment have not percolated back to improve the weak economic models that are used to fashion a large part of contemporary economic thinking. Economic analysis has now been reduced to forecasting. It is apparent that the economic profession has failed in its primary function of assessing and managing the integrated and globalised capital market economies, primarily due to inherent limitations in its economic theories. To understand todays integrated and seamless global capital markets, economists need to take a holistic global view on the evolution across all economic, political, scientific and technological advancements worldwide. Economic theories will need to address all the relevant challenges to avert future capital market crises. This analysis has particularly exposed that it is impossible to foretell econometrically regarding circumstances wherein current institutions will operate, based on reasons that are predicted under old institutions. Therefore, economists ideas of perfect capital markets are unable to aid the theorising of contemporary global capital markets. References Blecker, R.A., 2001. Financial globalization, exchange rates and international trade, Paper prepared for the conference on Financialization of the Global Economy, Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), University of Massachusetts, Available at: http://www.peri.umass.edu/fileadmin/pdf/financial/fin_Blecker.pdf (accessed November 16, 2010). Bryer, R.A., 1994. Why Marxs Labour Theory is Superior to the Marginalist Theory of Value: The Case From Modern Financial Reporting, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 5(4), 313-340. Bryer, R.A., 1999. A Marxist Critique of the FASBs Conceptual Framework, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 10(5), 551-589. Bryer, R.A., 2000a. The History of Accounting and the Transition to Capitalism in England- Part One: Theory, Accounting Organizations and Society, 25(2), 131- 162. Bryer, R.A., 2000b. The History of Accounting and the Transition to Capitalism England Part Two: The Evidence, Accounting Organizations and Society, 25(4/5), 327-381. Bryer, R.A., 2004. The roots of modern capitalism: a Marxist accounting history of the origins and consequences of capitalist Landlords in England, The Accounting HistoriansJournal (Vol.31, No.1, June 2004), pp.1-56. Kellner, D., 2009. Theorizing Globalization, Available at: http://gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kellner/essays/theorizingglobalization.pdf (accessed November 17, 2010). Liikanen, E., 2010. Economic policy and economic theory facing challenges after the financial crisis, Speech by Mr Erkki Liikanen, Governor of the Bank of Finland, at the Finnish Economic Association annual meeting, Tampere University, Tampere, 5 February 2010, BIS Review 23/2010. McNutt, P.,1996. The essence of global political economy, European Business Review Volume 96 Number 5 1996, pp. 4-12. Owen, A.S., 2005. Literature review on political economy of accounting. Owen, A. S., 2009. Bryers investor capitalism approach. Ppt presentation of Bryers (1993) The Late Nineteenth-Century Revolution in Financial Reporting: Accounting for the Rise of Investor or Managerial Capitalism? Published in Accounting, Organizations and Society Vol.18 No.78 p.649-690. Owen, A.S.2009a. The law of one price in finance. Owen, A.S., 2010. Classical mode of theorising: methodology for business, management finance. Toporowski, J., 2000. The End of Finance: The Theory of Capital Market Inflation, Financial Derivavtives and Pension Fund Capitalism, London: Routledge. Toporowski, J., 2002. Mathematics as Natural Law: An Epistemological Critique of Formalism in Economics, in S.C. Dow, M. Desai and P. Arestis (eds.) Methodology, Macroeconomics and Keynes, Essays in Honour of Victoria Chick Volume Two London: Routledge. Toporowski, J., 2003. Finance and Political Economy, Paper presented at the Economics for the Future Conference, Cambridge 17-19 September 2003.

The Outsiders :: essays research papers

"The Outsiders" is a story that deals with a conflict between two gangs, the "Greasers" from the East Side of town and the "Socs" from the east-side of town. This is a story that is told in the first person. Ponyboy Curtis is the one telling the story. Here is a summary of the story. Ponyboy has a dispute with his brother Darry and ends up running away to the park with Johnnycake. There, Ponyboy and Johnnycake get into a fight with Randy, Bob, and three other members of the Socs. The Socs try to down Ponyboy, so Johnnycake stabs Bob with a knife and ends up killing him. Ponyboy and Johnnycake run to a party where they meet up with Dallas, one of their close friends. He gives them a gun, money, and tells them to get a train out of town to an abandoned church. They are told to stay there until Dallas comes to get them. When Johnnycake and Ponyboy get the church they go right to sleep. When Ponyboy wakes up, he finds that Johnny has gone to the store to get them food. While there, they both decide to disguise themselves by cutting their hair. Ponyboy decides to bleach his hair with peroxide. Dallas finally shows up to get them. They all go to town to get something to eat. When they return to the church, it was on fire. Ponyboy and Johnnycake went in to save the children from the burning church. Johnnycake is trapped inside. Dallas goes into save him. Then, the church collapses. They are rushed to the hospital. Ponyboy and Dallas are okay, but Johnny is severely injured. Ponyboy talks with one of the Socs and they both discuss about how they are tired of fighting. Everyone should be equal. Later, the Greasers and Socs get into an enormous brawl , but in the end the Greasers win. Ponyboy and Dallas rush to the hospital to tell Johnnycake they won the brawl. Johnnycake tells Ponyboy to stay gold. Those are the last words Johnny spoke before he died. Darry goes crazy over Johnny's death and decides to rob a convenience store. The cops chase him, Dallas fires a few shots at them with his gun.

Public Libraries Essay -- Library Science, American Library Associatio

My Library: Celebrate the County Public Library Public libraries play a pivotal role in the lives of many Americans, from early education to senior services. The majority of Americans believe their local library improves their community (94%), and an equally significant number (65%) have visited at least one time in the past year (American Library Association, 2010). Residents of Connecticut are no exception. As of 2007, Connecticut boosts 195 public libraries containing a circulation of approximately 15.5 million books, and enjoys the third highest rate of per capita library visits in the nation, at 6.5 visits per capita (National Center for Education Statistics, 2009). The West Hartford Public Library, bests the state average, with approximately 10.5 library visits per capita and a circulation of almost 1 million books, a significant slice of the total state circulation (National Center for Education Statistics, 2009). As the birthplace of Noah Webster and mere miles away from the former homes of Mark Twain and Harriet Beec her Stowe, West Hartford has a rich literary history that continues to this day. American libraries have suffered financial blows in recent years (American Library Association, 2010), with Connecticut libraries suffering a 15 year operating income low in 2010 (CT Library Community); however, in the current state of the nation, public libraries are experiencing a resurgence in popularity, as individuals hurt by the recession flock to public libraries (Rooney-Brown, 2009). Residents of communities across the country are taking advantage of the free services public libraries offer, such as dvd rentals, computer usage, social groups, workshops, lectures, and countless other benefits (Rooney-Brown, 2009).... ...ion Statistics, 2009). If residents were aware of the numerous services offered by the library, presumably they would visit the WHPL at a greater frequency. The primary tactic of the campaign will be to leverage each service as an argument for visiting the library. The campaign will present a significant number of arguments and in turn, boost My Library’s credibility. The services presented may range from free Internet and computer usage to free mediation sessions. The diversity of the services in addition to the sheer number of services will provide a strong argument, as each service provides a unique benefit to library patrons. Equally important, the act of visiting the library requires a strong degree of motivation and effort. Research shows that several robust arguments significantly supplement the power of a message if the recipient is highly involved (Petty &

Avant-Garde fashion history

Context Page Introduction 2 History of avian-garden 2-3 Avian-garden in fashion history 3 Contemporary fashion and avian-garden 3 Discussion of Suzan Hens' autumn/ winter collection 4 Discussion of Assistant Louse's 2011 autumn/winter collections-5 Discussion of Black Coffee's 2013 winter collection 5-6 Discussion of Luda Inglenooks 2012 autumn/winter collection 6-7 Discussion of Taboo Machete's 2012 collection 7 Conclusion 7-8 List of Illustrations 9-13 List of References 14-15 What is avian-garden and how does it fit into South African contemporary fashion design?In order for one to determine if you are for or against avian-garden, and pacifically in relations to South African avian-garden, one must first define avian- garden and explore the origin and history of the movement. According to The Oxford Dictionary of Art, avian-garden is defined as â€Å"a term originally used to describe the foremost part of an army advancing into battle (also called vanguard) and now applied to a g roup, particularly of artist, that considers itself innovative and ahead of the majority' (Chillers, 2004:42).Avian-garden therefore refers to designs that are new, innovative and cutting edge. South African avian-garden is presently a very small part of the local fashion industry, UT it is a developing fashion trend with great potential. South African avian-garden designers are constantly pushing the envelope in order to stretch the minds of the consumers and other designers. This carries great potential for the South African fashion industry as well as the economy, for if the designers succeed to be truly avian-garden, it is bound to have a positive outcome.I am therefore arguing for the existence and development of South African avian-garden and will be discussing Suzan Hens' 2011 autumn/winter range, die form, Assistant Louis 2011 autumn/ winter range, Black Coffee's 2013 winter range, WREATHE, Luda Inglenook' 2012 autumn/winter range, Anamosa, as well as Taboo Machete's 2012 ra nge, Kabob EAI Balboa. Avian-garden first made its appearance in art during die late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. A small group of artist decided to break away from the rules that bound artist into creating only an established style of art.They actively attacked the institution of art in order to separate and detach themselves from it, but also to reincorporate themselves and their art into life (Berger, 1984: xvii). The first avian- garden art appeared is the Italian Futurism, French Cubism and German Expressionism movements. These movements were so different due to their fundamentally new aspirations and origins in relation between the artist and the world as well as the subject and the object. Dadaism, Surrealism and Constructivism followed soon after, continuing in these aspirations (Cabooses, 1971 : 53).During the late twentieth century, the fashion century came to an end and postposition came into being. This new fashion movement is expressed in the reversal of the relationship between the fashion designer and follower. Since the ass's, fashion is no longer initiated by the aristocracy or the bourgeoisie and then hefted down to the general public, but now introduced by the general publics street style where after it moves into the salons of haute couture where it is adapted and mimicked (Vine, 2005: 63).In the ass's, fashion designers started implementing the use of non-fashionable elements to create the avian-garden fashion beyond fashion. Western Paris-based fashion designs and ideas were shattered and the idea of dressing oneself as a ‘man', Woman' or ‘lady became an out of date concept. The avian-garden fashion trend aimed to expose the old function of clothes that classified people into groups of age, gender and status (Geeky, 2012:103). Furthermore, avian- garden designers aimed to shock the public and not to create beautiful and luxurious clothing (Vine, 2005: 64).Today, contemporary civilization is so desensitizing to norms and values that designers struggle to succeed in using the shock treatment as a way to draw attention to their work. It is also very difficult for designers to create totally new designs, for almost everything has been done before. Due to this, as a designer, avian-garden is such a difficult movement to be apart of. South African designers therefore also tend not to be a part of the avian-garden movement, but to follow the European trends and use it as part of their design inspiration.A few South African designers has accepted the challenge of designing avian-garden garments, but are they really a match for the famous and established avian-garden designers or are they simply following in the footsteps of other avian-garden designers? In case study 1, Suzan Hens' 2011 autumn/ winter range is depicted. This range's name is â€Å"die form†, because she drew her inspiration from the anatomy of the human body (Hens, 2011). When one looks at the images, one can see that in some instances, continues lines are used to depict the flow and natural rhythm of the human body.Her aim was to reveal the inside of the body on the exterior of a garment, thus creating an exoskeleton (Hens, 2011). This is evident in every design due to the different techniques that she implemented. In this collection one can also see that the muscular and skeletal systems are taken and distorted and warped to create remarkable designs. The fracture shapes in the garments, also contributes to an anatomical silhouette. Suzan describes her collection and says â€Å"it is about inner symbolism, looking at our inner physiology and taking it outside which in turn represents the unveiling of our hidden psyche† (Hens, 2011).Suzan Hens is one of South Africans leading avian-garden fashion designers, but does her designs live up to the standards and definition of true avian-garden design? Although her range has a very interesting concept, and forms such an excellent collection, it is not truly avian-garden, for it has been done before. In 2010, Gucci had a range inspired by x-rays and the same year Jean Paul Guiltier launched his creation as part of the fall collection, inspired by exploring the concept of wearing narrower as outerwear Goanna, 2010).This proves that although her designs might have been lassie as avian-garden, it is not truly innovative. She did thus also not set a trend, but followed the trendsetters. In case study 2, one can see Assistant Louse's 2011 autumn/winter collection. In this collection, he uses different layers of fabric to represent an exploration of self- expression in the context of social, sexual and traditional cultures. At the same time it also comments on our perception of an African aesthetic (Melange, 2011).Assistant was inspired by the way that different cultures wrapped their cloths, especially the Mass' and Indian cultures as well as the ancient Greeks (Mulberry: 2011). He also explored with African aesthetics in his coll ection, which can be seen in the beaded necklines. His collaboration of different cultures' way of wrapping their clothing, led to a balance of colonial and nomadic styles. In this collection, a diverse range of high-wasted peg-leg trousers can be seen along with harem pants and pleated shoulder shawls.Loose fabrics are also used to create these different kinds of wraps and loose silhouettes. The warm and earthy colors, such as mud-grey, brown, blue, red and burnt orange, also refer back to African aesthetics. These colors bring the collection and theme to life. Colorful belts that are wrapped and folded over loose vests as well as over-sized neck pieces are also some of the accessories and styling that contributes to the feel of the overall range (Mulberry, 2011).Assistant Low is viewed as one of South Africans up and coming avian-garden designers, but these designs can not be classified as truly avian-garden. The use of fabrics, such as t-shirt fabric, and the combination of cloth ing items might be a new addition to traditional culture's wrapping cloths or way of styling, but that does not make it avian-garden. As soon as a designer uses another culture's clothing as inspiration, the ND product is likely not to be avian-garden, for it has mostly been done before.The third case study is Black Coffee's 2013 winter range, WREATHE. This range entwines together contemporary engineering and fabrics with classic and feminine silhouettes. The textures that is clearly visible and one of the key elements of this collection, is created by braiding industrial felt and the layering of mesh panels. In this collection, Black Coffee experimented with the sculptural process of carving, where the shape is exposed within and not constructed by the foundational material (Black Coffee, 2012).This also served as their inspiration for the range. With this collection, Black Coffee hoped to create a ‘collection that captivates by precision and seduces through romantic imaginat ion' (Black Coffee, 2012). This collection uses a very soft and feminine color palette in order to convey the romantic feel and to highlight the classic silhouettes. It also uses the classic clothing elements such as high-wasted pants, coats and dresses but change them in such a way that they appear as innovative garments.In 2009, Given launched a spring range with a dress that appears to be very similar to some of Black Coffee's 2013 winter designs (Style, 2012). Although that is the case, Black Coffee can still be viewed as an avian-garden designer, for it creates truly innovative designs that are beautiful and functional at the same time. In case study 4, Luda Inglenooks 2012 autumn/winter range, Anamosa, are depicted. His inspiration for the designs is traditional Xhosa bodywork, craft, symbolism and colors.He uses these in knitwear made of mohair and merino wool in order for mammograms, Xhosa initiates, to wear it after they have gone through the initiation process (Inglenook, 2012). This knitwear depicts his cultural aesthetics and is very practical at the same time. AAA of his designs is contemporary and yet culturally applicable and brings the Xhosa aesthetics to any outfit (Design Indaba, 2013). One can clearly see the use of the Xhosa patterns and the bodywork inspiration in the Jersey designs. They are also colorful, true to the Xhosa traditional colors.Furthermore, Luda has succeeded in creating garments that is formal enough for the mammograms to wear, for they traditionally have to wear formal clothing for up to six months after the initiation process, to symbolize their newly found manhood Inglenook, 2012). This Jersey-knitwear does not seem to be avian-garden design, but no knitwear has been made using Xhosa patterns and bodywork as inspiration before. If one looks at the definition of avian-garden, stating that a design should be innovative to be classified as avian-garden design, then Luda's Anamosa range can be classified as avian-garden des ign.Case study 5 depicts Taboo Machete's 2012 range, Kabob EAI Balboa, meaning blanket of the prestige (Design Indaba, 2013). Taboo uses Bassist blankets to create stunning coats and handbags. The handbags are made out of the blanket scraps, in order to eliminate as much waste as possible. By up-cycling the blankets, Taboo is also contributing to a â€Å"greener† society (Macbeth, 2013). Traditional Sotto patterns can be seen in the coats, as they are traditionally on Bassist blankets.These blanket coats can certainly be classified as avian-garden, for it is cutting edge, and has not been done before. There is currently a blanket trend amongst males, but none that include fashioning clothing out of blankets. The trend merely includes males draping blankets with fashionable patterns around their neck and shoulders, almost like an over-sized scarf (Bogart, 2013). Contemporary South African fashion does not really include avian-garden fashion designs. Most trends are simply copi ed from European fashion trends, for we are a season behind.Therefore South Africa has a very small, yet developing avian-garden fashion movement seen in the designs of fashion designers such as Suzan Hens, Assistant Low, Black Coffee, Luda Inglenook and Taboo Macbeth. These designers' works would most likely not be classified as avian-garden by famous European designers, but from a South African point of view, they would qualify. Just like the small group of artists that broke away from the bounding rules of revises established art styles, our small South African group of designers is attempting avian-garden design.They may not be the leaders of the pack, but they are certainly contending and attacking the system of following European trends. Although I have now seen that South African avian-garden is really limited and almost none existing, I am still arguing for the development of South African fashion design. I believe that the success of being truly avian-garden will lead to ex posure and publicity for the country, which in turn will lead to a positive economic outcome. 2003 words List of Illustrations Case Study 1: Suzan Hens Suzan Hens, Die Form, Audiometer 2011.