Report on a project that has occurred or is occurring in the public or Research Paper

Report on a project that has occurred or is occurring in the public or community or corporate sector - Research Paper Example Producing and processing gas in sea where it is extracted is a major contributing factor towards innovation and reducing cost. It will also make new energy sources accessible. The major characteristics of a project are that it is temporary in nature (Pinto, 2010). This means that it has a starting date and an ending date. Besides this the outcome of the project must be unique in nature. It must be either in the form of a product, service or result. This project initiated by shell has several societal benefits and it has the potential to bring revolution in the ways natural gas is produced. BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT This section of the report will discuss about the project and discuss measures which initiate the project. The expected deliverables and the outcomes of the project will be discussed along with the organizational details. Overcoming certain barriers like cost, time, quality, scope and risk are the main objectives of the project (Atkinson, 1999). This is because all these f actors contribute directly to its success. The main objective of the project is to save cost and utilize the time that is allotted to the project in the most efficient manner (Harrison, and Lock, 2004). Timely completion of the project and proper management of the resources will improve the quality delivered. New projects or expansion strategies of the business involve risk associated to it. The efficiencies of implementation of the process can reduce the risk (Hamilton, 2004). The project of Shell prelude (FLNG) is owned by Shell. It is located on the Western shore of Australia. The project was started in 2011 and is expected to be completed in 2015 (Shell, 2013a). Shell is planning to develop large gas resources and explore more reserves across Australia. The company also has interest in acquiring new coal reserves and expanding its exploration boundaries. The development phase of Prelude FLNG project was constructed from the contribution of six hundred engineers from across the w orld. A model of the project was designed which was tested in artificial sea conditions. This was done to test the model against the pressure of winds and waves (Shell, 2013c). The FLNG project after construction is estimated as the largest floating offshore facility (Offshore Technology, 2012). It will be 488 meters long and it will weigh 600,000 tons if loaded to full capacity. The total weight of steel used for building the FLNG project would be 260,000 tons (Shell, 2013a). This project is innovative because it will accommodate all the functions which were performed on land earlier. The FLNG will allow ease of production, liquefaction of natural gas, storage of gas in liquid form to reduce the storage cost and allow transfer at sea. Initiation of developing projects like these will help open offshore natural gas fields (Shell, 2013b). These projects are costlier to operate and difficult to develop on land. Development of FLNG will resolve these issues. Shell has initiated this pr oject with the collaboration of contractor Technip Samsung Consortium (TSC). TSC has an agreement with Shell of providing multiple facilities like engineering, manage the procurement of goods required for production, provide construction facilities and ensure proper installation of the FLNG facility. The site selected for the project is of the prelude gas field located on Northwest coast of Australia. After completion of this project about 350 direct

Social constructivist model Essay Example for Free

Social constructivist model Essay This theory is based upon the idea that children are ‘empty clay tables’ (Tabula Rasa) and that they are capable of being moulded and shaped by adults. It was first developed by the philosopher John Locke (1632-1704). People who work in this way are known as ‘behaviourists’. Transmission model sees people as passive and that they learn through experiences. The transmission model concentrates on nurture and not nature; it is split into two main components, learning theory and sociallearning theory. Classical conditioning: Pavlov (1849- 1936) worked with dogs, he fed them when the church bell rang or a light was flashed. The dogs salivated when they were fed; eventually they salivated at the sound of the bell or when a light was flashed even if no food was given. This is called the conditioned response. Operant conditioning: skinner the psychologist (1904- 1990) developed Pavlov’s work more and concentrated mainly on modifying and shaping behaviour. He did the same thing by feeding animals but only rewarded them with feed if they did as he asked. This acted as positive reinforcement. So he did the opposite if they did not do as he asked he would give them electric shock which acted as negative reinforcers. This theory accepts basis of learning theory but emphasises that children learn behaviours through watching adults and imitating them, especially those close or important to them. Children can also learn by imitating other children. A well known social learning theorist was a man named Albert Bandura (1925- ) he found that most behaviours are learned through observation. For example aggression, sex roles or sharing. The social learning theory emphasizes the fact that adults need to show acceptable behaviour towards children as they will model their behaviour e. g. if and adult shouts and gets angry at another adult then children are likely to model this behaviour towards others, and vice versa.

Positive Reinforcement Vs Punishment In Enhancing Learning

Positive Reinforcement Vs Punishment In Enhancing Learning Positive reinforcement is the conveyance of a stimulus that has the preferred effect on strengthening a certain behavior while punishment is the introduction of a stimulus that has an effect of declining certain behavior. Positive reinforcement is a method applied to strengthen good deeds and do away with bad behavior in children. Positive reinforcement also instills a sense of self-worth and inspires self-belief in children. The most common forms of positive reinforcement given to children include, praising or rewarding a child which raises the child chance of cleaning his/her room. Punishment is used to refer to addition of something aversive so as to discourage the behavior. The most general case involves reprimanding a child for disobedience. The reason why the children change behavior after a punishment is that they always relate reprimanding with negative behavior. Since children fear reprimanding children therefore avoid involving in negative behavior which calls for punishments. Positive reinforcements versus punishments as means for learning Proponents of positive reinforcements argue that use of reprimanding to boost learning in children is an aversive method that is painful and uncomfortable. According to (Coon, 2005), people and conditions related with punishments have a tendency of becoming feared, disliked and relented. This aversive attitude of punishments makes it particularly poor as means used to for making children to learn. When used as a means to promote learning in children, punishments will only instill fear and children will not be willing to learn. Supporters of positive reinforcement suggest that positive attention can be used to keep improving the childrens behavior. Natrajan, (2003), argues that a parent might try to set future goals with the child and this promotes the child to learn quickly. On the contrary, punishments instill fear in the children and they develop a low regard on any goal that might be set by the parent. Natrajan, (2003), further argues that punishments cannot be used in goal setting. Positive reinforcements can work well with children by giving them tangible items or praising child for a task well done or even a hug. The children will learn to improve their behavior since they like rewards and gifts. Advocates of punishments argue that, when children get used to being rewarded with tangible items in order to involve in positive behaviors. In such a situation rewards and gifts can become a problem when they are too expensive for the parent to provide. According to Natrajan, (2003), gifts and rewards can be ineffective in promoting learning in children since children can develop an attitude that they have to be given rewards in order to perform specific tasks. In addition, advocating for a rewarding culture in children does not instill a sense of responsibility in them and children learn to perform tasks only because they expect to be paid. Advocates of positive reinforcement also argued that parents have been worried that positive attention might lead to ruining their children. However, supporters of positive reinforcement have maintained that positive attention encourages the children to yearn doing good in order to get support of parents. Proponents of positive attention, argue that rewards or commending children can ruin them only when given while not due. Proponents of positive reinforcements suggest that it would work well when a parent notices her child wrong things, by commenting something negative about the behavior. According, to Natrajan, (2003), such a comment from a parent might act as a reward for the undesirable behavior and the child will change since the children have realized the parent is not happy with the behavior. Supporters of positive reinforce also advocate for a parent to wait and notice when the child does something right and takes the opportunity to explain the wrong behavior. Proponents of positive reinforcements argue that when commending the child the focus should be on the parents feeling rather than criticizing the child. An example is when a parent notices her child assisting another child in a home care, the parent should commend the child with words such as that makes meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..proud of you.In such a situation the child feels esteemed and this promotes the good behavior. Advocates of punishments suggest that while using punishments as a means of teaching children, then, the punishments should be mild. According to, (Coon, 2005), when the punishments are too mild they can become ineffective. For instance, a child who is fond of snatching toys form her sister should not only be punished but the sister should also be congratulated for sharing toys with the others. According to, (Coon, 2005), reprimanding informs the person the response was not right but it does give the person the direction of the right thing. In circumstances that pose immediate hazard to children, like a situation where a child reaches for something hot or a picking a toy that rolls in the middle of the road, mild reprimanding will be applicable to stop disaster. Reprimanding in such circumstances works best if it produces actions that are incompatible with the response the individual wants to suppress. For instance, when a child stretches his/her hand to reach a hot stove, its best to reprimand the child by slapping the outstretched hand so that it is withdrawn immediately. Advocates of punishments argue that reprimanding lowers the possibility that a response will be repeated. According to (Coon, 2005), for punishments to be effective they need to be given after the undesired response takes place. A punishment works effectively by reducing the frequency of occurrence of the undesirable behavior. According to (Coon, 2005), the effectiveness of punishments in bringing to an end the undesirable behavior depends on their timing, strength and regularity. Reprimanding work best when it takes place when undesirable behavior is being witnessed and immediately afterwards and when it is applied each time such a response occurs. Advocates of punishments suggest that severe reprimanding following a situation that could have resulted to danger is extremely effective in bringing to an end to a behavior. For example, when a 12 year old child gets a shock by putting his/her finger in a light socket that may be the last time the child ever tries such. In many situations reprimanding on temporarily only suppress the behavior and responses restrained by mild punishments more often than not resurface. Supporters of positive reinforcements, according to Perry, (1973), argue that reprimanding cannot eliminate such vices like lying in children. Rutter, (1987), maintains that reprimanding only motivates the children to be better at lying and use the refined lying skills to other situations in which lying may advance their interests. He further adds that when children become experts in lying there is no any height of punishments that will change their behavior. According to (Rutter, 1987), use of positive reinforcement is more effective in stimulating learning in children than use of caning. For example, offering a piece of candy for a child who scores high marks on a test promotes the child to do better in future tests. In addition, use of verbal praise, such as telling the child well done my child stimulates a child to improve the performance in future tests. Advocates of punishments argue that reprimanding is stronger and lasts for a long time as compared to positive reinforcement. According to (Coon, Mitterer, 2008), in case a parent has a particular task which they wish their children to perform, and after accomplishing the task badly they are reprimanded on the other hand when they do them well they are reinforced mildly and they will accomplish the task mediocre. According to (Perry, 1973), when a parent displays discontent with the child when the accomplishment is poor then, the children are likely to change the situation. Cameron (2006), argues that the society has used punishments rather than positive reinforcements to promote desirable behavior although the results have not always been positive. Teachers have been known to reprimand children who do not complete their homework with the hope that students will be able grow a sense of accountability for their work. In addition, Cameron (2006), argues that parents condemn their childrens working routines so that they can instill high standard of success. Punishment systems have been created and maintained as means of accomplishing aims of high output, contentment with success, concern for others and so on. Use of punitive means as a means to encourage learning should not be used since reprimanding is among the main source of external have power over peoples characters. Cameron (2007), argues that since disciplinary means have resulted to serious negative effects has lead to society condemning the usage of any external form of influence. Many researchers have also condemned use of punishment as a means of learning since it involves external control of human behavior and has negative effects. Punishments should not be used as a means to promote learning since students enjoy school environment and work hard particularly when there is a properly set positive reinforce system. Children admire and enjoy learning do so without being punished. Positive reinforcement works by making children self-motivated to accomplish their goals. Advocates of positive reinforcement argue, punishments should not be used promote learning, since use of punitive systems has not been able to encourage learning but instead it has resulted to bitterness, sense of low self-worth, dissatisfaction and attempts to overthrow those in power. Cameron (2007) argues that use of disciplinary means has backfired. Typically children, learn by early interactions with the caregivers to use socially appropriate skills to meet their needs. According to Stormont et al., (2007), this pattern of communication is governed by principles of positive reinforcements. This principle of positive reinforcement demonstrates that when the character is contingently obeyed by an object or events find strengthening, they are likely to continue to use the behavior. For instance majority of the children have continued to request for an item using polite language like please and this behavior reform those who comply. Advocates positive reinforcements argue that use of punishment to enhance learning in children is an aversive method that is painful and uncomfortable. According to (Coon, 2005), people and conditions related with punishments have a tendency of becoming feared, disliked and relented. This aversive attitude of reprimanding makes it particularly poor as means used to for making children to learn. Advocates of positive reinforcements suggest that, it is among the best method of instilling a learning behavior in children. According to (Rutter, 1987), when positive reinforcements are used correctly, it can have good results in influencing children behavior. Rutter, (1987), further maintains that children adapt quickly and are willing to act in behaviors that are desired by their parents. Supporters of positive reinforcement in addition imply that use of reprimanding should be discouraged in children upbringing. Hawes Shores (2001), also support that yelling to children when they have been found involved in undesirable behavior as a form of punishment. The advocates of positive reinforcement argue that instead of yelling at childrens for wrong doing, parents should reward them when the behavior is desirable so that the rewards add to stimulate the good behavior. Advocates of punishments as a means to promote learning suggest that reprimanding should be used as a means of training when children display risky and dangerous behavior. Perry (1973), maintains that a parent cannot use positive reinforcement such as a reward to bring an end to dangerous behavior running into traffic. Use of punishment would be the best remedy to discourage such wrong behavior. Supporters of punishments have also suggested that very negative reprimanding to be effective is changing children behavior. If two children are fighting over a toy, the best remedy to bring an end to the fight over the toy would be by removing the toy (Perry, 1973). Advocates of positive reinforcement argue that among the benefits of using positive reinforcement particularly in a classroom setup is that children become more attentive and take more interest in learning. Contrary, to this when the cane is applied to reprimand wrong responses; the children develop fear of participating actively in classrooms. Hawes, Shores (2001), maintain that when children are commended or rewarded with touchable items for right answers they develop desire to learn and enhanced participation in classroom. Advocates of positive reinforcements argue against using punishments as a mode of instilling behavioral change in children. Rutter (1987) suggests that positive reinforcement is a better psychological means of bring out behavior change in children and at the same time its simpler to utilize. According to (Perry, 1973), parents are required to weigh the consequences of using punishments and those of positive reinforce and then make the best choice. My own view is that I support the use punishment when children engage in wrong behaviors. According to the Bible spare the rod and spoil the child suggests that children should be reprimanded in order to stop undesirable behavior. Considerable punishment need to be applied to bring about behavioral change. The timing and intensity of the punishments should be dependent upon specific stimulus expected from children. For example, if a parent finds a 12 year putting objects in power socket, the child should be reprimanded and informed of hazards of electricity. The choices of whether to use positive reinforcement or punishments depend on the parent or the caregiver.

A Lesson Before Dying :: essays research papers

A Lesson Before Dying I thought that the book A Lesson Before Dying was all right overall. I think Ernest Gaines did a good job with the plot but the idea of the book was not to interesting to me. A book about a black man becoming a man on his way to the electric chair is a very dull plot to me. I give Gaines credit for making the book semi-interesting even though the plot was terrible. Personally after reading Things Fall Apart and Song of Solomon I was looking for a little more action in this book. Those two books were ten times better than A Lesson Before Dying so I can say that I was probably expecting too much. A Lesson Before Dying has a superb depiction of the theme â€Å"you can’t judge a book by its cover†. Grant went to help Jefferson with a notion that Jefferson was sewer trash and he would not learn anything from this situation. In the end Grant was wrong because he learned a lot from his short relationship with Jefferson. Grant had certain feelings for Jefferson he never had for a man before. They became real close friends and talked about a lot of things. I really like how they portrayed this theme throughout the book.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book each character had their own characteristics and personality. There was something special about each character in the book. Each of them had their strong points and weak points for example Grant was always running away from his problems. There were a lot of things in his life that he could not handle and he just wanted to run away. He didn’t know what to do about Jefferson at first and wondered why he had to teach him. He didn’t really know how to handle his job as teacher in the Quarter. He couldn’t make his mind up about God so he just decided to leave it alone. Aunt Emma was a very strong character in the book. She would do almost anything to help Jefferson before he died. She begged to the Guidry’s on several occasion to help Jefferson feel more comfortable while he was in jail. She begged Grant for his help even though Grant did not want to help Jefferson. She got Mose Ambrose and Grant to finally work together to help Jefferson instead of always arguing.

Bullying & Aggression Essay

Harmful effects of bullying (suicide, depression, decreased academic achievement, etc.) How to prevent bullying from happening  160,000 kids and teens stay home from school because of bullying. Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year according to the CDC. Bullying is an issue that that is not taken seriously today. Even though statistics state that thirty percent of the students in the United States are involved in bullying on a regular basis either as a victim , bully, or both. The effects bullying can have on a person can last throughout their lives, or may even end it. What Is Bullying? Bullying, is unwanted aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, overtime, according to stopbullying.gov. There are different types of bullying, Verbal bullying Saying or writing mean things – teasing, name-calling, inappropriate sexual comments, taunting, threatening to cause harm Social Bullying Involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Often referred to as relational bullying -Telling other children not to be friends with someone -Spreading rumors about someone -Embarrassing someone in public ( Social bullying is mainly seen in girls) Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions – Hitting, kicking, taking or breaking someone’s things, making mean or rude hand gestures There is a variety of reasons of why bullying or being bullied is caused. Some of the reasons are: Cultural Causes We are part of a culture where we are influenced by power, violence, and winning. Experts suggest that not being influenced by these factors seems unrealistic. People will seek to gain power through violence, or verbal abuse. Being from a different religion, or a different race can be some of the reasons for being bullied. Having Power Being a bully gives you some sort of power over other students . Research indicates that the fact of having power make people wish to wield it in a noticeable way. Social Issues The fact that someone gets more social recognition for having negative behaviors than for positive ones can contribute to the reasons why bullying exists. Jealousy or envy and lack of social skills to deal with these  emotions can also lead to bullying. Experiencing social rejection can also produce a bully. The bully â€Å"passes it on† making his peers feel the same rejection he felt. Being different according to society, can be one of the reasons for being, bullied. Not fitting in, or not having the same social status as the rest of your classmates can lead to being bullied. Family Issues A home where there is no love or support towards the children is more likely to produce bullies. In a family where there is no discipline and monitoring, there is a greater chance of a child becoming a bully. A family issue, like both parents working full-time, or a divorce, can be a cause of being bullied. The child doesn’t feel like he has family support, nor someone to talk to at home, causing him to be insecure and in need of attention. Making him an â€Å"easy target† for a bully. Effects of Bullying

Work Place essays

Work Place essays There is a business need for new computer systems in the Transportation Department. The systems that they are currently using are outdated, out of memory, and can not keep up with the speed of the business. I have chosen two new systems, IBM Net Vista A20 ThinkPad and the IBM PC300GL. I recommend the IBM Net Vista A20 because of the mobility that it offers. Both will competently perform the job as well as offer room to grow. IBM Net Vista A20 Think-Pad $839.00. IBM PC300GL Desktop $852.00. Total cost for the department is $20,136.00 for the Think-Pad or $20,448.00 for the desktops. Net Vistas features are: 566MHZ Intel Celeron Processor, 64MB RAM, 10GB HD, and Windows 98 operating system. PC300GLs features are: 533MHZ Intel Celeron Processor, 64 MB RAM, 15GB HD, and Windows 98 operating system. Happier employees and less money spent on expanding older systems. This will also prevent the amount of calls made to the help desk. Less system problems which means that we can be more productive throughout the day. The ability to be mobile and the ability to work from other locations. The systems that we are currently using are P100s that were manufactured in 1994. None of these systems are capable of being expanded. The new systems will have more memory, faster processors, and larger hard drives. The hard drive on the Net Vista is 10GB, whereas the PC300 comes with a 15GB hard drive. The extra 5GB of memory will make a considerable difference in the amount of files that we can store. On the memo dated October 15th, 1998, Daniel Snyder stated, We must reduce the amount of paper that we are using. I do not know if the problem is waste, excessive printing, or abuse of IBM property, but this must cease. The purchase of either system, including the extra memory, will assure that we are in direct ...