Fantasy Vs. Reality Where are you going, Where have you...

Fantasy versus Reality in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates has a constant theme of reality and fantasy running parallel for 15 year old Connie. This short story begins with a description of Connie’s vain personality. The narrator describes her as pretty and self-centered (Oates 421). To emphasize her selfishness, Connie is contrasted with her sister, June, who is chubby, plain, and well-behaved. Connie’s mother always praises June for her work ethic and help around the house, but says Connie can’t do anything due to â€Å"trashy daydreams†. There isn’t much of a father figure in Connie’s life due to her father being away for work most of the time and detached when†¦show more content†¦She tries to relate to sex through popular music that romanticizes relationships and life. The short reveals how it affects Connie when she is listening to a popular radio station, â€Å"†¦bathed in a glow of slow-pulsed joy that seemed to rise mysteriously out of the music itself and lay languidly about the airless little room† (Oates 424). Additionally, Connie felt her date with Eddie was similar to â€Å"the way it was in movies and promised in songs†(Oates 424). She felt she was living the dream and was beginning to relate to this sexualized, romantic media. In Marie Mitchell and Olesen Urbanski’s literary review of the story, they state â€Å"the recurring music then, while ostensibly innocuous realistic detail, is in fact, the vehicle of Connies seduction and because of its intangibility, not immediately recognizable as such† (1). However, Arnold Friend was quick to remind her of her young age and innocence at the end of the story. When Connie first hears a car pulling up in her driveway, her attention is immediately directed to her hair and looks. She isn’t concerned as much about who is outside or what they want, but how see will look to them. When she initially sees Arnold she is attracted to his style and car. He is muscular in tight faded jeans and a drives a bright gold jalopy. His image is everything that Connie has fantasized about and can relate to. Arnold is even playingShow MoreRelatedThe Youngest Doll1174 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the year we have read many stories where reality and fantasy come into question. Once again we have this same problem with â€Å"The Youngest Doll†. What makes us question reality or fantasy in the story is the vivid description the author gives of the dolls that the aunt makes for the girls. With the description of the â€Å"wax mask of the child’s face† or the â€Å"porcelain of the hands and face†, it gives off the allusion that what may seem as a reality may in fact be a fantasy and it is that allusionRead MoreArnold Friend Symbolism1115 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been†, was published by Joyce Carol Oates. She was born on June 16th, 1938 in Lockport, New York. As an American writer, Oates published over 40 novels, as well as a number of plays, short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Out of her works, one of her publications consisted of the short story â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been†. This particular story was about a teenage girl, named Connie, who encounters an unknown, demonic â€Å"stranger† (Arnold Friend). 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Data and information relative to Caterpillar, Inc. Essay Example For Students

Data and information relative to Caterpillar, Inc. Essay GO was collected via the internet. Current information was crucial to keeping the report timely and accurate. The five members assigned to the group wrote one section per person. Research was conducted on a separate basis, and construction of the report was on a group level. Each team member is responsible for their own assigned areas and nothing more. Financial AnalysisCaterpillar is a publicly traded corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Its SIC codes indicate their main areas of enterprise are construction machinery, internal combustion engines, and short term business credit and insurance. But this dynamic company has many qualities underneath the surface of its image. These qualities are neither good nor bad. These are Caterpillars financial components. SalesCaterpillar, Inc. primary income is made from sales of machinery and engines . These sales are made to clients in construction, agriculture, and manufacturing industries. Caterpillar divides their sales based on geographic location where the For example, third quarter sales were split between North America, EAME (Europe, Africa, and the Middle East), Latin America, and Asia. North America on average takes up 54% of total sales each quarter (see figure 1.)Total sales revenue for the third quarter 2000 amounted to $4.78 billion, one percent higher than the previous year third quarter. Sales volume increased by 2 percent and financial products increased by 12 percent. Caterpillar bases their sales upon two different tiers, although they sell a wide range of different products. The first breakdown consists of what they deem as machinery. The second area of sales consists of engines. Operating profit comparisons for the third quarters of 1999 and 2000 can be seen in table 1. Caterpillar has blamed third quarter deficiencies in revenue on the weak Eurodollar. Since 27 percent of their total sales are made in the European region, their claim may be true. As long as Caterpillar depends on foreign markets for sales, they will face problems with fluctuations in foreign currency. Receivables Caterpillar owns and operates a financing corporation to handle its incredibly large receivable account. Receivables make up 30 percent of total assets and short-term receivables make up 65 percent of current assets. Caterpillar has an acid-test ratio of 1.05 and an accounts receivable turnover of 1.40. Caterpillar, obviously, has taken on a large amount of risk to itself because of this. If Caterpillar were forced to liquidate its assets and pay off its debt, it would have a very hard time trying. Therefore, Caterpillars receivable account is a real weakness to the corporation as a whole. InventoriesInventories have been valued $871 million, an increase of $150 million from last year. This can be viewed in a multitude of ways. Caterpillar may be expecting larger sales volume, and are trying to compensate. Caterpillar could have inventory control problems. Usually, inventory increases are viewed as a negative with a company that should be in theory practicing a just in time approach. CashCash on hand is $398 million. This is only a $110 million increase from December 31, 1999. This means relatively little, as the cash flows for the corporation is what really matters. One look at the statement of cash flows indicates that Caterpillar keeps capital expenditures consistent quarter after quarter. The change in cash and short-term investments indicate the company is removing most of its liquidity. The movement from cash has been used to alleviate its debt. Property, Plant, and EquipmentSpending on longer-term assets has not fluctuated much for the past two years. This means they are not putting much money into production. A good deal of profit is spent increasingly on research and development and financing activities. Long term receivables from financingCaterpillar is the sole owner of Caterpillar Financing, a subsidiary company set up to handle the large amount of financing needed for a construction company to buy their equipment. Note also, that Caterpillars receivables mirror their sales in that they are split in different markets around the globe, making collection on them risky at best. In 1999, Caterpillar sold $1.66 billion of its receivables, and refinanced $594 million others to pay their own creditors. LiabilitiesLiabilities as a whole increased in 1999. In fact, on a percentage basis liabilities increased from 67 percent (1997 to 1998) to a 90 percent rise (1998 to 1999). Any further increase in percentages in the future could be dangerous to Caterpillar because their ability to pay their bills is harder from all the credit they give their customers. Outlook on financial futureCaterpillars board of directors indicate in the third quarter report to investors, that full year 2000 sales and revenues will be higher than in 1999. The outlook on 2001 is a slight increase in sales and revenues. Therefore, if CAT is to be profitable, they must reduce their own debt, and not add too much to their business. StrengthsCaterpillar Incorporation (CAT) is the world-leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines. Caterpillar has become the world leader because of its many strengths, which have propelled it to the top of the industry. It did not accomplish this superior status by just entering the market; it took a great deal of work and planning both internally and externally to become the world leader. Caterpillar has done well in the industrial machinery market because of its many strengths, some of which are stronger than others. Caterpillars strengths consist of its name recognition, worldwide market, internal marketing, mission for the future, Internet (website), giving back to the community, CAT financial (subsidiary), expansion, but most importantly staying at the top of its industry. Caterpillars biggest strength is the name recognition that it has earned by producing a high quality product. Everyone knows that Cat erpillar produces an extremely high quality industrial machine. Caterpillar has made this a main focus, because it knows that people today want to buy quality even if it means spending a little more money. When you as a consumer think of the name Caterpillar your first thought is quality, and that is what every company wants. Caterpillar has used its name recognition to not only become popular here in the United States, but also all over that world (cat.com). One of Caterpillars strengths is that it realized the United States market is only so big, so they expanded to the world market. Although Caterpillar does business overseas it still gets 50% of its sales from right here in the United States. Caterpillar has expanded to the Latin American, Australian, European, and now the China market. Caterpillar believes in making strong alliances with these countries, that way it can build on them for the future. Caterpillar never allowed for itself to become trapped in just a one-country market. By doing this Caterpillar has expanded it products to all of the top countries of the world, which allows for endless possibilities in the market. While expanding over the world market Caterpillar has kept its dealer network a key competitive edge over its competitors. The customers deal with people they know and trust. This is accomplished because most dealerships are locally owned, which allows the dealers to build close relationships with its customers . Most of the dealers are independent businesses, which have been on board for over 50 years. This allows the consumers to build a strong loyalty towards the dealers. There are 207 dealers serving the worldwide market of nearly 200 countries, and they are all locally owned for this reason (cat.com). Media violence EssayLabor ShortagesAs of right now, Caterpillar seeing a time when their business is thriving in most areas, but what does the future hold for Caterpillar. Just a short time ago, Caterpillar faced huge labor strike that could have crippled the company, but now those workers that once were striking, are now back at work. The majority of people working for Caterpillar right now are skilled at what they do, and have years of experience. Because of the difficulty of entering into one of the plants, there are not a lot of new workers that come in. Nine out of ten UAW people at Caterpillar make over $40,000 a year. Thats nearly a third better than the U.S. median. So you can see that once inside the organization, one of the employees wouldnt want to leave, and make room for new trainees. Despite all of these aforementioned things, Caterpillar is expected to have a labor shortage of over 15,000 technicians over the next 5 years (Barrons). Skilled older workers are retiring faster than they can be replaced, and mechanically oriented young people are finding steadier work, better pay and cleaner working conditions in Automotive, aerospace and manufacturing industries. What it comes right down to is the simple fact that in todays job market, most employers are requiring that you have a degree, and even if the y dont require it, someone with a degree will get the job instead of you. Whats going to happen when all of Caterpillars skilled workers, who have been there for years retire from their job. The next generation of workers will have degrees in technological fields, and wont want to go work in a factory setting, when they could be making more money at a computer. Caterpillar and the UAWIf you were to fly into Peoria, Illinois in 1995, you would have encountered a billboard announcing Caterpillar Incr.s pride in its headquarters city. If you would continue on downtown and turn right across and Illinois river bridge, you would be in blue collar east Peoria, home to one of Caterpillars key plants.Here you would have found a less friendly message posted by the United Auto Workers. It stated You are entering a war zone. Caterpillar vs. Its UAW Workers. (American Enterprise)Since the fall of 1991, United Auto Workers have had walkouts or lockouts, one right after another. Even still in 1995, 10,000 CAT unionists were still behind picket lines. The BeginningSometime in 1990, the cooperative atmosphere on the shop floor began to change. The union says that it can be traced back to the day Donald V. Fites became Chairman and CEO. Fites, a civil engineer with a masters in management and an international career with the company, once expressed to an interviewer that a union blocks communication channels and adds a layer of inefficiency to an organization (American Enterprise). Fites pushed for more outscoring, more flexibility in work rules and fewer positions, all threats to union practices and privileges.In the immediate period before Fites took over, CAT had signed two UAW contracts in a row without a strike, the first time that had happened in over 30 years. The StrikeThrough 1991, tensions mounted. By 1992, the confrontation had become a full strike. That round ended with a whipped union, skulking back to work without a contract. Needless to say, this did not leave Union workers satisfied, and they began a campaign of signs, buttons and T-shirts with impolite comments about Fites, and CAT leadership. As the union intended, this did not make CATs floor supervision happy and the union got what they wanted by making the supervisors do things that the union knew they could complain about. There was over 120 National Labor Relations Board complaints against the company. Complaints were things such as illegal suspensions, discharges and preferential treatment of people who crossed picket lines. The UAW was now banned together with their disgusts for the company, so when another company wide strike was called in 1994, nearly all UAW members walked out (American Enterprise). Strike 2The next strike was characterized as a strike for unfair labor practices so that CAT couldnt legally replace the workers like in the previous strike. Workers held up signs like DEERE IS CAT TO ME, but CAT knows that its real competition lies in the German and Asian Market and not in U.S. companies such as Deere, Inc. UAW workers also stated that Caterpillar was trying to impoverish the working class, but this doesnt make a lot of sense, considering as we stated earlier, CAT employees make wages that, on average are a third better than the U.S. median. Labor Management negotiations often improve dramatically when one side begins to hurt, but neither group in Peoria would admit to any pain. Each striker was making $300 a week, plus fully paid insurance, while on strike. The monthly bill for the UAW internationally probably totals about $20 million. Cat workers, however, represent less then 2% of the membership of a union with a strike fund that is more than $900 million. Individual workers might be hurting, but as you can see, the union is not (American Enterprise). After the StrikeWhile the strike centers on important universal issues, the lines were clear-cut and the opponents well matched. Both CAT and the union have major intellectual and financial backing, as well as good reason to come to an agreement. However, the knowledge, skills and commitment needed to survive today in international business must be found on the plant floor as well as in the office. Noting the need for cooperation, the union local president asked What the hell are they going to do when they get that work force back in there? Whos going to cooperate?That quote is the basis for this weakness of Caterpillar, Inc. What is going to happen at the end of this contract when another one needs to be made? Are the employees of caterpillar still bitter about the strike? Are the supervisors and directors at Caterpillar still bitter? Only time will tell. Fites is no longer the Chairman and CEO of Caterpillar, so some problems with him may be solved. But there is no doubt that some bitterness is still present in both the floor and the towers of Caterpillar, Inc. For these reasons, Caterpillar may not be a good purchase of stock. They may be doing quite well now, but what if you invest money in them, only to see your money possibly be dwindled away by another bitter strike, or individual sales were contrived. Words/ Pages : 3,894 / 24

Space Colonization Essay Research Paper SPACE COLONIZATION free essay sample

Space Colonization Essay, Research Paper SPACE COLONIZATION My five minute essay subject is infinite colonisation. There are three topographic points that I know of that the human race has thought of colonising. They are: The largest asteroid that is revolving in our solar system, the Moon and Mars. An asteroid There is an asteroid that is revolving in our solar system whose name I don # 8217 ; T know. This asteroid is made up of 60 % H2O, metal, and a small infinite dust. This star-shaped # 8217 ; s H2O is all in its solid province or ice. The metal that is on this asteroid is deserving 10 times the whole USA # 8217 ; s gross national merchandise per twelvemonth. When and if we journey to this asteroid we ( the Earth ) would non construct life infinites for worlds but set up mining operations to take back to earth the metals. The metals on this asteroid are gold, Fe, aluminium, and some other every other twenty-four hours metals. We will write a custom essay sample on Space Colonization Essay Research Paper SPACE COLONIZATION or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page One scientist suggested since there is ice on this asteroid, that NASA could possibly construct a steam powered projectile. This has neer been attempted. Since a steam powered vehicle runs on H2O before the projectile was traveling to go forth the asteroid the spacemans could run some ice and set it in to the fuel armored combat vehicle. If we try to make this I do non hold a twelvemonth that they might. The Moon There is besides a opportunity that sometime in the hereafter there will be moon colonisation. Traveling to the Moon is cheaper and closer than traveling to Mars, but more expensive and further off than traveling to the asteroid. Out of all three of my infinite colonisation sites the Moon is the lone 1 that we have already land on. Moon facts 1.We foremost landed on the Moon in 1969 2.John F. Kennedy was the president who foremost proposed this. 3.The last clip that we went to the Moon was in 1975. Red planets Red planets is the lone topographic point of these three that I have written about that we are get downing our operations to someday unrecorded in outer infinite. In 10-12 old ages we will direct a infinite trade to Mars with worlds onboard. When we go there we will be seeking for microscopic beings. We will besides seek for frozen H2O. Scientists have figured out a manner to alter Mars # 8217 ; heat. To make this they will first pump N, O and fluorocarbons into the Martian ambiance. This would do planetary heating. After all of this has stopped and it is warm plenty to back up worlds ( which will take about 200 old ages ) we will direct workss to Mars to supply nutrient and more O. When there is adequate O to back up worlds ( in approximately 900 old ages ) we will be able to direct the first people to Mars.

Sumerian and Early Byzantine Christian Cultures †Art History Essay

Sumerian and Early Byzantine Christian Cultures – Art History Essay Free Online Research Papers Sumerian and Early Byzantine Christian Cultures Art History Essay The need for religious spaces and devotions has existed through many cultures, especially the Sumerian and Early Byzantine Christian cultures. The White Ziggurat Temple, built in 3000 BC by the Sumerians in the Mesopotamian regions used the top cella as a place to worship and the Early Christians, more than 3000 years later in Constantinople (Istanbul) created Saint Peters in 400 AD. Both these two buildings contributed to the religious and cultural advancement of these two different societies. The White Ziggurat contained a cella with an alter at the top that was used by the local leader to pray to their gods. The White Temple was large in magnitude. The effort put into the building of the mud-brick temple show a society putting their beliefs in their ziggurat. The orientation of the Sumerian White Ziggurat was faced toward the east, as was the Early Christian Church: Old Saint Peters. This orientation is shared in many other cultures as the sun rising brings reminisce of a new beginning. The Early Christian Church, Saint Old Peters is also used for prayer, but rather prayer toward the Christian Trinity. Old Saint Peters also shares a central cella with an alter, just as the White Ziggurat Temple had. The size was large in magnitude, but the longitudinal church was shaped to escape pagan beliefs. The White Ziggurat, unlike Old Saint Peters allowed more than just the local leader, but let in the people of Constantinople. In summary, the two structures contributed to religious advancement, cultural advancement, and shared the purpose of holding the structures sacred. Research Papers on Sumerian and Early Byzantine Christian Cultures - Art History EssayWhere Wild and West MeetCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoCapital PunishmentThe Spring and AutumnRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThe Hockey GameThree Concepts of Psychodynamic

Banker institutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Banker institutions - Essay Example Banker institutions play as an intermediary. It provides different types of financial services to both. Banker institutions contribute enormously and significantly in the expansion of economy of any country and development. It facilitates trade, savings and investment. These institutions work as intermediaries and with the help of several instrument and products for different segments of the population and facilitate their customers to grow all-round. The financial market consists of money market and capital market. The former consists of buying/selling of lending/borrowing instruments whereas the later concerns with share, equity etc. Human being is often called as social animal. As the society progresses needs of human being increased leaps and bounds. The earliest financial system comes into knowledge is the' Barter system' in which goods were exchanged. Later on when money comes into existence some sort of informal banking comes into the society. Banking history holds evidences way back to Babylonian civilization. Greeks hold further evidences of banking. Romans later on perfected the administrative aspect of banking and saw greater regulation of financial institutions. Modern economic and financial history is usually traced back to coffee houses of London. The London royal exchange was established in 1565. Banking offices were usually located near centers of trade and in the late 17th century the largest centers for commerce and trade were the ports of Amsterdam, London and Hamburg. By the early 1900s New York was beginning to emerge as a world financial center. Companies and individuals acquired large inves tments in (other) companies in the US and Europe, resulting in the first true market integration. This comparatively high level of market integration proved especially beneficial when World War I came-both sides in the conflict sought funds from the United States, by issuing new securities and selling existing holdings, though the Allied Powers raised by far the larger amounts. Being a lender to the world resulted in the largest growth of a financial economy to that point. Banks during the 1920s were with either the crash or the subsequent depression of the 1930s. Nonetheless, there were three prominent results from these events that had great effect on American banking. The first was the passage of the Banking Act of 1933 that provided for the Federal Deposit Insurance system and the Glass-Steagall provisions that completely separated commercial banking and securities activities. Second was the depression itself, which led in the end to World War II and a 30-year period in which ba nking was confined to basic, slow-growing deposit taking and loan making within a limited local market only. And third was the rising importance of the government in deciding financial matters, especially during the post-war recovery period. As a consequence, there was comparatively little for banks or securities firms to do from the early 1930s until the early 1960s. In the 1970s, a number of smaller crashes tied to the policies put in place following the depression, resulted in deregulation and privatization of government-owned enterprises in the 1980s, indicating that governments of industrial countries around the world found private-sector solutions to problems of economic growth and development preferable to state-operated, semi socialist

Management Consulting Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Management Consulting - Coursework Example Theoretically, one can understand the significance of Management Consulting only when they understand its definition at two levels. First is the basic level which looks into the broad 'functional view' of Management Consulting. According to Fritz Steele, Management Consulting is, "any form of providing help on the content, process or structure of a task or series of tasks, where the consultant is not actually responsible for doing the task itself but is helping those who are." Looking at this definition one might feel the importance of Management Consulting is over-hyped. However, it is the second definition which views Management Consulting as a "special professional service" that will help clear this misunderstanding. According to Larry Greiner and Robert Metzger, "management consulting is an advisory service contracted for and provided to organizations by specially trained and qualified persons who assist, in an objective and independent manner, the client organization to identify management problems, analyze such problems, recommended solutions to these problems, and help, when requested, in the implementation of solutions." This approach takes Management Consulting at a different level and calls it a 'professional service which can be carried out effectively only with the help of professionals.' Value addition is a profession in which there is tr... Hence in context of Management Consulting, value addition is carried out when knowledge is being transferred from the consultancy to their client. According to Peter Drucker, "what is unique to management is that from the very beginning the consultant played a key role in the development of the practice, the knowledge and the profession of management." In Management Consulting knowledge is not only being transferred in the form of facts and figures, but also as methods, practices and their application which eventually leads to achieving the consultancy's objectives. This transfer of knowledge which finally leads to value addition exists in two dimensions. First is the 'technical dimension' which deals with finding solutions to problems relating to the nature of management of the clients. Second is the 'human dimension' which deals with the interpersonal relation in the client organization and between the client and the consultancy. In legal terms however, the implication of 'creating value' is totally different and inextricably liked with the shareholders of the company. The fact that the shareholders invest their funds in the company and take unlimited risk in doing so, makes it necessary for the company to pay due considerations to the shareholders needs. Today, the process of creating value in a financial scenario is carried out as an 'operational activity' in 3 different ways. One of them is called 'Market Value Added' which describes value as the difference between the market value and the book value of the company's equity. Another view is the 'free cash flow' approach, which takes the view that value is related only when cash produced by a company's operations

Discipline and Improve Students Behaviour in Classroom Education Essay Example for Free

Discipline and Improve Students Behaviour in Classroom Education Essay The problem of how best to discipline and improve students’ behaviour in classroom is of permanent interest. This review is oriented to searching different methodologies concerning students’ behaviour in classrooms, teachers’ discipline strategies and behavioural management. Different points of view and different examples for appropriate behaviour have been discussed referring to the topic. The sources reviewed present different solutions. This paper examines also the classroom environment and its relation to successful behaviour implementation. The first paragraphs give different definitions conversant with behaviour and discipline according to the authors’ view. The continuation of the literature review is presented by different approaches and strategies concerning a good behavioural management. This elaboration sets out some of the arguments and recommendations which are discussed in more detail. Charles C. M. submits several definitions corresponding to behaviour: Behaviour refers to everything that people do. Misbehaviour is behaviour that is not appropriate to the setting or situation in which it occurs. Discipline†¦ are strategies, procedures, and structures that teachers use to support a positive learning environment. Behaviour management is a science that puts an accent on what teachers have to do to prevent misbehaviour (Charles 1). Students’ behaviour depends on several factors such as traditions, demographic settings, economic resources, family, experiences, and more. Some authors have made important contributions in managing classroom discipline related the twentieth century. Jacob Kounin (1971), one of them, reports that appropriate student behaviour can be maintained through classroom organization, lesson management, and approach to individual students. Rudolf Dreikurs (1972) on the other hand emphasizes the desire to belong as a primary need of students in school. He identifies types of misbehaviour and gives ideas about how to make students feel a part of the class or group (p. 63). William Glasser (1986) shows another view, making a case that the behaviour of someone else cannot be controlled. He reckons that everybody can only control his own behaviour. Personally I support this idea that we must control ourselves. According to the opinion of the other authors, Linda Albert’s, Barbara Coloroso’s, Nelson and Lott’s a good discipline in the classroom can be achieved through Belonging, Cooperation, and Self-Control. A similar idea of classroom management is also presented by Rackel C. F who declares that the teachers, considered it was necessary, â€Å"to develop students’ sense of belonging to the school† (p. 1071) The author supports the opinion of the significance of a good school climate and tells that it might be precondition for facilitating positive youth development (Rackel C. F 1071). In order to attain to a good classroom atmosphere there is a need of growing positive relationship between students and teachers, motivation the students’ participation and clear rules to control classroom discipline (Rackel C. F 1072). In addition these above-mentioned views can be defined as a positive outlook as regards to improving the classroom management. Another point of view inside the subject of managing discipline is through active student involvement and through pragmatic Classroom management (Charles, C. M. 2007, p. 7). Discipline through raising student responsibility is also positively oriented approach for classroom management. The three principles that improve behaviour presented in the article â€Å"Self-assessment of understanding† are positivity, choice, and reflection (Charles, C. M. 12). There the author explains the principles meaning. He states that being positive means being a motivator. When students have opportunity to share their choices they can present themselves with a good behaviour. â€Å"Asking students questions that encourage them to reflect on their behaviour can help them to change behaviour† (Charles 14). Rebecca Giallo and Emma Little (2003, p. 22) from RMIT University Australia give their comments also on classroom behaviour management. They claim that confidence is one of the most important characteristic that influence teachers’ effectiveness in classroom management. Giallo and Little (2003, 22) based on the previous statement of Evans Tribble accept that less confident teachers seem more vulnerable to stressful classrooms. They maintain the theory that the classroom stress is a reason for giving up a teacher’s career. In school the stress can be overcome through involving of drastic measures concerning managing a good discipline. One of the most popular strategy for solving behaviour problems is punishment. By reason of the popularity of the subject in the field of education, many experts have written articles and books as well as given lectures on discipline and punishment. Anne Catey based on Dreikur’s words considers that there is no need of using punishment in class. Based on Catey’s words kids need to have a chance they can share their ideas in the class (1). This is the best way to â€Å"smooth, productive functioning in schools† (Charles, C. M, 1999). Anne Catey from Cumberland High School gets an interview from several teachers in Illinois district about their discipline practices. She accepts the suggestion given by Lawrence as mentioning that, â€Å"very effective technique is a brief conference, either in the hallway or after class, with the misbehaving student† (Punishment, 1). Anne Catey has her own techniques for classroom management. She disagrees with Lawrence viewing about humour as one of the bad strategies for effective discipline and believes that using of humour can be effective if done without abasing the students (Punishment, 1). In this way she gives each one a bit of individual attention. When some of her students are a bit distracted on one task, talking to friends instead of reading Catey says, â€Å"Since I always assume the best of my students, I assume the noise I hear is students reading aloud or discussing their novels. However, it’s time to read silently now instead of reading aloud† (Punishment, 1). This sounds as a good strategy but personally I disclaim this thesis. This doesn’t work all the time. I am trying to be strict with my students and according to this the pupils have to observe the rules in my classes. That doesn’t mean that I admit the severe punishment but rarely the stern warnings. I agree with the following techniques used by Anne Catey (2001) to modify behaviour including giving â€Å"zeroes for incomplete, inappropriate, and/or missing work and taking points off at the end of a quarter for lack of participation and/or poor listening†. As expected, these methods are effective for some of the pupils but not for the others. Related to the above-mentioned topic it could be noticed some of the classroom discipline strategies utilized in Australia, China and Israel. On the basis of elaborated research in these countries some psychologists and school principals (Xing Qui, Shlomo Romi, 2005) conclude that Chinese teachers appear less punitive and aggressive than do those in Israel or Australia. Australian classrooms are presented as having least discussion and recognition and most punishment. In Australia (Lewis, 2005) as concerned to the study the teachers are characterized by two distinct discipline styles. The first of these is called â€Å"Coercive† discipline and comprises punishment and aggression (yelling in anger, sarcasm group punishments, tc). The second style, comprising discussion, hints, recognition, involvement and Punishment, is called â€Å"Relationship based discipline† (Lewis 7). Coercive discipline according to the above-mentioned authors means the teacher’s behaviour is such as â€Å"shouting all the time, unfairly blaming students, picking on kids, and being rude, to stimulate student resistance and subsequent misbehaviour† (Lewis, Ramon 2). The importance of classroom discipline arises not only from students’ behaviour and learning as outlined above. It depends also on the role of the teacher. Sometimes it is obvious that teachers are not be able to manage students’ classroom discipline and it can result in stress. So,â€Å"classroom discipline is a cohesion of teacher stress† (Lewis 3). Chan (1998), reports on the stressors of over 400 teachers in Hong Kong, claims that student behaviour management rates as the second most significant factor stressing teachers. In the article Teachers’ Classroom discipline several strategies have been presented for improving classroom management. They are Punishing (move students’ seats, detention), Rewarding (rewards, praises), Involvement in decision-making (decides with the class what should happen to students who misbehave), Hinting, Discussion and Aggression. Another strategy for improving discipline in class is conducting questionnaires between the students. It is an appropriate approach for defining students’ opinion about behaviour problems. In each Chinese and Israeli school a random sample of classes at all year levels have been selected. As a research assistant administered questionnaires to these classes their teachers completed their questionnaires (Yakov J. Katz 7). In comparison to all of the mentioned countries the model in China is a little different in that students support use of all strategies except Aggression and Punishment. Based on the conducted research the only strategy to range within a country by more than 2 ranks is Punishment, which ranks as the most common strategy in Australia, and the fourth and fifth most commonly used strategy in Israel and China. The author, Xing Qui generalises that, â€Å"there is not more Punishment at the level 7-12. Classroom discipline techniques showed that students in China, compared to those in Australia or Israel, report less usage of Punishment and Aggression and greater use of Discussion and the other positive strategies. At the end of their article â€Å"Teachers’ classroom discipline and Student Misbehaviour in Australia, China and Israel â€Å"(p. 14) the authors recommend that teachers need to work harder to gain quality relationships with difficult students. What I have drawn from reviewing literature so far is that teachers are able to use different techniques for enhancing classroom management in their profession. After making a thorough survey on the above-mentioned issue I would like calmly to express my position. It is harder for the teacher to keep the student focused on any frontal instruction. That’s why as with all classroom management practices, the teachers should adapt what they like to their classroom, taking into consideration the age, ethnicity, and personality of the class as a group, and of them as teachers. Much of the disruptive behaviour in the classroom can be alleviated before they become serious discipline problems. Such behaviours can be reduced by the teacher’s ability to employ effective organizational practices. These skills are individual for each teacher. The lecturer should become familiar with school policies concerning acceptable student behaviour and disciplinary procedures. Establishing rules to guide the behaviour of students is also important. Once these standards are set up the teachers have to stick to them. I agree with the authors who prefer involving the positive approach in behaviour management. But I also accept that some situations are more complicated than the others and in this case the teachers must take drastic measures against inappropriate students’ behaviour.