Supreme Court nominees

Introduction Supreme Court nominees evade giving direct answers to statutory performance and other legal issues (Stolberg). This has been a common criticism that Supreme Court nominees stand before qualifying the level. Senators from both sides of the authority either keep such parties or devise propaganda aiming to reduce their votes and chances of qualification. Conversely, the nominees have developed a variety of evasive techniques to these criticisms, and so open varied diverging responses.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Supreme Court nominees specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Supreme Court (SC) In the US, this is the highest judicial body, which leads the federal judiciary. It comprises of the chief justice of the US and 8 associate justices nominated by the president and confirmed by the senate. Once appointed, they enjoy life tenure, which may only be terminated through death, retirement, or resignatio n. Criticism of Supreme Court nominees SC nominees have always been condemned because of their previous statements and evasiveness of issues. Democrats and republicans have their own tactics to advance viewpoints to qualify nominees. The fitness of the candidate to deliver in the system is scrutinized, often based on responses to legal and statutory interpretations. Senate republicans reject the ratification of Kagan to the bench, analyzing her dedication to upholding the constitution and whether her countenance would prejudice decisions. They question whether she would be controlled by, or run the constitution. Some argued that she does not satisfy the high standards of the station and did not take liberal commitment to the set laws. She has on no account been an arbitrator and thus has no relevant experience in the field. Consequently, she may continue the list of judges who craft their own laws rather than interpreting the outlined principles. She also provides lukewarm support f or some amendments and her tactics which tend towards the Clinton administration (Bacon). Fortunately for Kagan, the political situation has not been as active because the oil spill and the Afghanistan war have eclipsed her nomination. Previous nominees underwent more detailed analysis. Preceding candidates have been criticized for issues such as their lack of understanding or short-time service in order occupations (Rutkus). For example, Clarence Thomas had only served as a judge for less than a year neither was she involved in legal writings. Some groups did not support his stance on affirmative action, believing his decisions would be biased on faith. Other nominees have received criticism for their deeply held religious affiliations.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Concern to Senators The determination of senators to aid the general welfare of the American people would be constra ined if justice may be biased. Senators thus focus their issues mainly on the credentials of the nominee understanding the law. Some of the values that these nominees hold may influence their opinions on the bench (Bacon). Some democrats, however, support her, stating that she is an ardent follower of the constitution. There are senators who vote in nominees based on their proximity to the senator’s constituents. When these nominees are not adequately qualified or reasonably distant, then the senators may make decisions, hugely depending on the current political situation or the views of the president. Others are undecided on how they should vote, thus this questioning is necessary to make reasonable decisions based on the credibility of the nominee (Rutkus). The questions provide facts on how well the nominee understands the structure and judicial roles, credentials and reputation. They discover how the nominee, if appointed, would upset the stability of the court. Other sen ators take that opportunity to ask questions which would lead public awareness to concerns in the society or to identify themselves with the issues. Evasiveness by nominees When Hatch questioned Kagan about the ban on abortion she gave distant responses, which left the republican troubled. SC nominees have traditionally evaded responses to specific questions so that they may not take sides or expose their flaws (Bacon). On abortion, she said the court prioritized the health of the mother. Kagan, who has both worked with Barrack and Clinton, evaded giving an answer to a republican who questioned her viewpoint on whether the system had favored some institutions in contemporary declarations. She said she did not embody the present court and hoped that one day she would join it, amidst laughter and characterization ‘a real politician’ (Mozgovaya). Nominees may avoid some questions which may eventually occur later in their court rulings. A response may expose their perspecti ve on delicate issues and thus the inequality on decision making may be noted. Some senators who may have otherwise to vote on the nominee’s favor may be displeased by some of their responses, and thus affect their chances of nomination in jeopardy. Alito and Ginsburg, for example, evaded some question, citing that they may appear in the court at some later date (Rutkus). Nominees’ responses to criticisms and their opinions Most of the opinions held by the nominees are neutral, usually to prevent further evaluation. Kagan, for example, answered critics by stating that though she admires what Aharon Barak did for Israel, she would not necessarily follow his style of judicial activism.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Supreme Court nominees specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More She says that she is more engrossed in politics than legal precedent, promising that her judgment would be based solely on the con stitution (Mozgovaya). Responding to republican critics, she added that her governing would be, must be, and have to be different from decision making. Asked whether she would support the president’s agenda, she said it was not her idea of the job. Roberts, who was criticized for his faithful personal beliefs, said his faith would not influence decision making; further adding that he would look at the law, and not religious texts in making rulings (Rutkus). He declined to endorse the statement of a former president who considered the severance of the state and the church to be unconditional. The most valid approach A wide range of candidates are first considered before the president settles on a nominee. The nominee is considered by a committee before going to the full senate, for evaluation. The senators are each given time to challenge the nominee on radical issues. One of the consistent issues in the senate has been the choice of questions for nominees appearing before the committee. Whether to ask, and how detailed the questions should be regarding their personal opinions on legal and legal issues is debatable (Rutkus). My most logical approach would be considering their substantive stance on topics rather than their actual credentials or private principles. It is not compulsory to force nominees to give responses for every questions asked, as some responses may undermine the integrity of the judiciary. Conclusion Nominees must be subjected to some criticism in an effort to resolve their take on public issues. Some of their responses may be seen as prejudging a case, based on their current beliefs, as such topics may be presented as cases in the future. A nominee without any judicial experience subjection to legal issues is essential, to determine whether they are capable of making decisions based on the law, or they would exercise their personal beliefs. Works Cited Bacon, Perry. Senators query Supreme Court nominee Kagan. The Washington Post, May 12, 2010. Web. Mozgovaya, Natasha. U.S. supreme court nominee Elana Kagan: Israel means a lot to me. Haaretz.com. June 29, 2010. Web.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Stolberg, Sheryl. Committee approves Kagan’s nomination to Supreme Court. The New York Times, July 20, 2010. Web. Rutkus, Denis. Questioning Supreme Court Nominees about Their Views on Legal or Constitutional Issues: A Recurring Issue. Congressional Research Service. June 23, 2010. Web. This essay on Supreme Court nominees was written and submitted by user TygerT1ger to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Folk Wisdom in Pregnancy Module 1 Writing Assignme Essays (1139 words)

Folk Wisdom in Pregnancy Module 1 Writing Assignme Essays (1139 words) Folk Wisdom in Pregnancy Module 1 Writing Assignment PSY 241-N02 Shianne Buie When it comes to pregnancy there is no shortage of the curiosity and uncertainty that surround the birth and delivery of a child. For centuries people have held superstitions and beliefs about pregnancy that many still trust in today. People may believe in wives' tales due to personal experience, supporting facts or plain fear, but either way folk wisdom does seem to hold some insight into the mysteries surrounding pregnancy. I personally come from a family who are no strangers to wives' tales, my own mother actually decided to put one to the test when pregnant with me. When I asked her why she would do that she stated, " I was just really tired of being pregnant and wanted to hurry things along " (Northcutt, 2017). You see I was her firstborn and since she didn ' t necessarily consider patience a virtue in the first place, she was dying to get me out as soon as possible. Tho ugh I ' m guessing that carrying around a baby in her belly with swollen ankles probably had something to do with it as well. The youngest of eight, she ' d grown up listening to my grandmother talk about her own pregnancies and the truth of all the wives' tales she ' d heard throughout the years. One of these tales was that if a woman drinks a spoonful of castor oil near the end of her pregnancy, it will induce the labor. Naturally my mom came to the conclusion that this particular idea was brilliant and she would try it out, despite not knowing a thing about what might really happen. That being said the method was indeed effective, just half a day later I entered the world and needless to say my mother couldn ' t have been more relived. Even with that being said I ' m still pretty skeptical when it comes to placing too much trust into things like that, I just can ' t believe something that is not completely proven like my mother is able to. At least not something that can affect a human life, although I must say some wives' tales might be little easier to put faith in if they had some scientific proof to back them up. While there are individuals who can merely believe in something without confirming that it exists, there are also those who rely on facts and physical evidence to convince them. I myself belong to the latter group and so to really believe that something is true, I have to see the facts to support it. There ' s one wives' tale in particular that does have just that. It suggests that if woman experiences particularly bad heartburn during pregnancy, then her baby will be born will a full head of hair. This occurrence is often found to be correct as according to Robinson (2015), " In a 2006 study involving 64 participants, researchers at Johns Hopkins Hospital found that women who reported moderate levels of heartburn throughout pregnancy gave birth to babies with hair on 82 per cent of occasions , while most expectant mothers who did not show signs of digestive discomfort had children that were bald at birth . Now being a person who naturally places more trust in science that century old superstition, I have no problem admitting that this folk wisdom is indeed highly plausible. However, there are also some folk wisdoms that I ' d rather not put any trust in at all and I know I ' m alone in this. While most are centered on harmless ideals, there are some wives ' tales which carry more fear than fact for any expecting mother. Perhaps one of the more terrifying of these is that if pregnant woman lifts her hands above her head, the umbilical cord will be wrapped around the baby. This particular tale probably scares more expecting mothers into believing it due to the known consequences of an umbilical cord actually causing harm to a child. As it is a fact that when the cord becomes wrapped around a child ' s neck, it cuts

Commercialization product and service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Commercialization product and service - Essay Example In most cases, there is the existence of confusion between commercialization and sales. While differentiating the two, major consideration is on three crucial aspects. The funnel, which involves the identification of products or businesses that are sustainable in a long time, determines the kind of products and services to put across on the international market. Commercialization as a stage-by-stage process classifies each stage with its own key goals and milestones. Finally, it puts into consideration key stakeholders including customers of the products on launch (Rafinejad, 2007). A number of implications face an organization that seeks to commercialize its products. While going international, an organization has to strategically plan for the challenges, draw its budget and later make a consideration on the opportunities it hopes to achieve by the intended plans. Saxena (2006) advises that proper planning lead to high results and increased levels of sales. Additionally, it ensures that an organization captures its intended market perfectly to increase revenue from the new market. There are instances where companies eying the fruits of globalization have gone ahead to aggressively commercialize their operations, only to make losses. Such incidences, facing companies in the fashion industry and retail chain marketing warrant a proper planning for commercialization. Initially, an organization has to plan for the risks that the organization is likely going to face in the international market. Fierce competition from the existing brands is one of the major implications (Graham & Smith, 2003). As organizations plan to introduce their products in an international market, they have to consider the competition and design ways of countering the existing competitors. One of the main factors to put into consideration is how to counter companies that already have their brands in the target market. Subsequently, the company should device ways and means of capturing this ma rket. While quality of products earns the company brand superiority, it has to ensure that it places it in the minds if the customers such that they prefer it to other brands. As such, any marketing plan that the organization settles on should aim at winning customer’s hearts, which translates to customer loyalty. Budgeting is yet another consideration in the entire commercialization plan. As businesses seek to commercialize their products in the outside market, they have to consider the amount of money they have to spend. First, they have to determine the countries that they wish to introduce their products in. Secondly, they have to determine the number of products to introduce to the market. Subsequently, they have to draw a budget on these expenditures. However, this should be within its budget. The biggest problem facing an organization while drawing its budget is budgeting for the limited resources to achieve high returns and revenues (Saxena, 2006). While drawing a com mercialization plan, an organization has to put into consider three crucial aspects facing its products. The timing of the product, which involves the time of the year and the season, is an important factor to put into consideration. Launching a product in its peak season is the best way in which a company can push its products, while at the

Legal Perspective of International Football Essay - 1

Legal Perspective of International Football - Essay Example Sports are considered as apolitical in the sense of being neutral and value-free in terms of cultural values, but it plays different roles in relation to different cultures. It is able to reproduce power relations as sports is a reflection about the dynamics of social change in society and organizations like FIFA and IOC are more influential than many countries. With the significant changes in the sphere of competitive sport, the law also has assumed increasing importance in regulating the sport. It is argued that commercialization of sport has brought incremental change and today it is increasingly commodified and developing as an integral part of the leisure industry. In this perspective, Sports Law reflects the dynamics of power relations in society and changes, as social, political and economic relations shift, and the law is not a neutral mechanism, separate from social values. Therefore, the use of law in regulating sport has to be understood in the context and recognition of i t being used in a contingent and ideological way.Sports may be distinguished by its characteristics of standardized rules, official regulatory agencies, the importance of organizational and technical aspects and the learning of strategies, skills, and tactics by participants. The nature of competition in sports is special since it depends on the concepts of equal opportunity, fair play, and solidarity, and there is an interdependence of interest between participants in the sporting competition. Competition is a fundamental prerequisite for sport and when sporting activity is motivated by money and fame, and at the same time there is commercialization and commodification, together with the spectacularization, it is likely to create competition and conflicts among organizers and participants. To quote Howard M. Stupp, Director of Legal Affairs, The International Olympic Committee â€Å"Sport has continued to grow as a global phenomenon, and the impact of the law on sport and sports e vents has increased significantly†. According to Blackshaw (2003) â€Å"Sport is big business accounting for more than three percent of world trade and one percent of the combined GNP of the 15 member states of the European Union (EU).† Numerous job opportunities are created, directly or indirectly, in Sport related activities involving sports sponsorship, endorsement, licensing, merchandising, image rights and broadcasting arrangements. The commercial importance of sports led to the creation of nodal agencies for control and monitoring of sports activities.

System Development Lifecycle

System Development Lifecycle 1.1. Introduction According to Allerano and Taverz (2012), the system development lifecycle has dominated the information technology (IT) arena for numerous decades and remains one of the most commonly used methods in software development and acquisition. It is observed that, though the system development lifecycle has evolved over the years and has gone through a multitude of paradigm shifts with respect to building of software, at its core the process is resilient and its central tenets are applicable in business, industry and research (McMurtrey, 2013). Piccoli (2012), in his research, reflects on the SDLC system as being a dominant system development methodology in the 21st century, along with the method of prototyping. Langer and Langer (2008) define the system development lifecycle as one which promotes the planning, analysis, implementation and maintenance of information systems and which thereby serves as the foundation of the different activities associated with every phase of the SDLC. Accor ding to Hoffer et al. (2011), the process of systems development lifecycle can be broadly categorised into planning, analysis, design, development and testing so as to meet the stages of the various iterations and models of SDLC development. This report will focus on the importance of SDLC in different stages of system implementation and describe three methods of SDLC development. 1.2. Importance of SDCL in System Implementation According to Piccoli (2012), the SDLC is a guide to the project as it provides the flexible and consistent medium required to accommodate specific changes through the information system development and helps meet the objectives of the client. This section will examine the importance of SDLC in the investigation of a specific system through the different phases (Figure 1). This report argues that to date most system analysis and design books identify the need to promote SDLC from these five stages so as to help in the comparison of different models (Kendall and Kendall, 2011). Hoffer et al. (2011), however, criticise the system and argue that the systems analysis and design taking place in a cycle sometimes is pervasive and makes it difficult to develop and model a specific system. This research, however, will focus on the positives of the SDLC by identifying with its role in terms of its objectives to meet organisational requirements and its objectives during different stages of systems development. 1.2.1 SDLC Objectives According to Kendall and Kendall (2011), the use of the SDLC framework as part of systems development helps in ensuring the quality of systems. The authors contend that the SDLC should aim at promoting return on investment by enabling cost savings, product flexibility, improved decision support or promotion of strategic and operational planning. Leau et al. (2012) reiterate this view by indicating that through all the stages of the lifecycle development, SDLC helps relate a high degree of intrinsic quality. According to Khan et al. (2013), the importance of SDLC implementation for information system adoption is to provide a certain degree of management control. The author indicates that the use of the SDLC process should ensure that there is sufficient degree of information in terms of predictability (i.e. planning estimates for different stages of the project, the associated resources needed and the various stakeholders involved). It is also contended that the SDLC should promote management control by ensuring time for feedback from the management and the stakeholders. Leau et al. (2012) identify that the role of SDLC is to help in the maximisation of product performance by ensuring that the productivity of the project is promoted by meeting the ROI expectations. Hoffer et al. (2011) further indicate that the SDLC plays a primary role in delineating between the tasks and deliverables of a given project, thereby ensuring that resources are used in the most effective and efficient way possible. 1.2.2. Role of SDLC in Different Stages of the Project According to Hoffer et al. (2011), the use of SDLC in the planning phase is for three primary reasons: identification and selection of the system for development, assessment of project feasibility, and the development of project plan. Kendall and Kendall (2011) contend that in the planning stage the SDCL system is useful in focusing on the most ideal system which can help support the goals of the organisation. Boehm et al. (2000) further reiterate that the identification and selection of a system can be carried out by using specific strategic tools like value chain analysis (which helps identify the extent to which a new system is important to an organisation) and cost benefit analysis (the process by which the benefits and costs are compared). Nurmuliani et al. (2004) argue that the planning stage of the SDLC also helps identify the feasibility of a proposed system adoption and whether the same can be promoted from a financial, technical and organisational perspective. Therefore it is contended that the use of the SDLC is important in the development of the final project plan, wherein the activities of the system development are identified to ensure that the systems development is on time. During the analysis stage of systems development, the SDLC plays a vital role in the gathering and building of business requirements. The SDLC helps define the requirements of a system by identifying the needs of the project during the communication, documentation, management and change processes. Hoffer et al. (2011) contend that the development of a system using the SDLC process also helps in process modelling, wherein the entire system process and the flow of data within the system can be identified. The use of process models and data flow diagrams is to present a visual presentation of the system that is to be integrated with the organisational environment. The SDLC design stage involves the designing of the desired features into the system, wherein the design of the IT infrastructure and the systems model is important. According to Kendall and Kendall (2011), during the design of the IT infrastructure stage the identification of the type of networks, the type of clients and servers are identified, along with the type of database which is to be adopted. The authors further argue that the SDLC design stage helps in the designing of the system models, wherein the graphical user interface (GUI) and data models are used to help present a representation of the system model. In the systems development phase, the development of the IT infrastructure as per the design stage, along with the type of databases and programmes, is carried out. The final stage is the testing phase, where the errors, bugs and interoperability of the product are tested to ensure that the business requirements of the analysis are met. According to Devi (2012), the SDLC helps in the testing of project needs, project requirements and project transition based on the identification of defects and bugs in the project. 1.3. Different Models of Systems Development 1.3.1. Waterfall Model of Systems Development According to Munassar and Govardhan (2010), the first model of SDLC is the waterfall model, which is static in nature and approaches the process of system development in a linear manner, wherein one activity is to be completed before the next activity begins, thereby promoting a sequential approach. Fowler (2004) argues that the adoption of the waterfall style helps breaks up the project activities into requirements analysis (planning and analysis), design, coding (development) and testing. Pfleeger and Atlee (2006), on the other hand, identify the waterfall model as one which needs more detailed steps to present the phases of requirements analysis, systems design, program design, coding, unit and integration testing, systems testing and maintenance during operation. The author expands on the original waterfall approach, as he feels that there is a need to focus on the functioning of the systems after testing and the need to expand on the testing process. Fowler (2004) further conten d that the waterfall model is most effective for systems implementation, as specific goals for different phases of development are promoted. In this approach, once a single phase is completely developed, it proceeds into the next phase. This supports a structured and process centered approach, wherein every stage is clarified with respect to the objectives of the design (Figure 2). Fowler (2004) argues that though there is a period of handoff between phases and associated backflows, it is important to ensure that this is avoided. Researchers, however, contend that this is a primary drawback of the waterfall model, as there is an inherent inability to revisit a previous stage if there are any errors. For instance Adenowo and Adenowo (2012) contend that if there is an error detected during the implementation (coding) phase, there is limited opportunity to revisit the requirements analysis or the design phase to correct the error. On the other hand, Pfleeger and Atlee (2006), contend that the waterfall approach is promoted in structured systems development, wherein the alteration of the software after coding is prohibited. Over the years there have been improvements made to the waterfall model. McConnell (2010) identifies these models to be modified waterfalls, wherein phases of the project are allowed to overlap, where every phase is found to influence and is influenced by the next and previous phases of the model. The authors contend that the overlap of phases helps address the inherent limitations of lack of flexibility of the waterfall model. 1.3.2. Spiral Model According to Boehm and Hansen (2000), the spiral model of software development is one which places emphasis on risk analysis. The development of any system goes through the four phases of planning, risk analysis, engineering and evaluation. Boehm (1988) argues that the adoption of this model involves the system going through the phases in iterations. The baseline spiral is found to start with the planning phase, wherein the requirements of the system are gathered. The subsequent spiral is built on the baseline spiral, wherein the risks are identified, assessed and methods for risk mitigation are developed. At the end of the risk planning phase, a prototype is generated. The third spiral is the engineering spiral, which enables the development of the system, which is then evaluated by testing in the final phase. In this approach, the angular component represents the progress, while the radius of the spiral represents the cost of the model. 1.3.3. Agile Development According to Cohen et al. (2003), the adoption of an agile process of software development is based on promoting incremental and iterative development, wherein the phases of the development lifecycle are revisited a number of times. Dingsoyor et al. (2012) argue that the adoption of this approach involves the improvement of the software while using customer feedback to ensure that a convergence on the proposed solutions is arrived at. Nerur et al. (2010) identify that in the agile development model, when compared to other traditional models, the process of lifecycle development is not just divided into large phases, but there is use of smaller parts called increments or iterations, which help in promoting the development cycle. Cohen et al. (2003) summarise that the agile development process involves four primary attributes, including the early customer involvement, iterative development, self organising teams and adaptation to change. Nerur et al. (2010) argue that agile development methods are currently predominantly used, of which six primary approaches are promoted extensively, including crystal methods, dynamics development, feature driven development, lean development, extreme programming and scrum. This report will focus on one approach, extreme programming, and present its features. According to Dingsoyor et al. (2010), the adoption of the extreme programming approach relies on development and delivery of small increments in functionality. This process is largely dependent on the improvement in code in a constant manner. This process involves incremental planning where the requirements are recorded to be included along with the release. The key feature of extreme programming is the small releases, wherein the minimal useful set of functionalities providing business value is first developed. In this approach, there are frequent releases with improvement in product functionality. 1.3.4. Comparison of Different Methods This report contends that the agile development methods are better than the traditional development methods. This is because the agile development method promotes the successful delivery of results in a quick and inexpensive manner, with an emphasis on teams and customer collaboration. In contrast, the traditional methods of waterfall development and spiral methods focus on contracts, plans and processes with a one step involvement of the client (Cohen et al., 2003). It is also argued that since the development takes place in iterations, it is possible to change the direction of development at any stage with limited change in cost. Such an approach is effective in ensuring that the productivity and return on investment objectives are met. References Adenowo A.A Adenowo B.A (2012). Software engineering methodologies: A review of waterfall model and object oriented approach, International Journal of Scientific Engineering Research, 4(7), 427- 434. Arellano, M. M., Tavarez, J. M. M. (2012, June).A comparative analysis about Software Development Life Cycle Methodologies involving Business Processes and Web Services. InInformation Systems and Technologies (CISTI), 2012 7th Iberian Conference on(pp. 1-6). IEEE. Boehm, B. W. (1988). A spiral model of software development and enhancement.Computer,21(5), 61-72. Boehm, B., Abts, C., Chulani, S. (2000). Software development cost estimation approaches—A survey.Annals of Software Engineering,10(1-4), 177-205. Boehm, B., Hansen, W. J. (2000).Spiral development: Experience, principles, and refinements(No. CMU/SEI-2000-SR-008). CARNEGIE-MELLON UNIV PITTSBURGH PA SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INST. Boehm, B., Egyed, A., Kwan, J., Port, D., Shah, A., Madachy, R. (1998).Using the WinWin spiral model: a case study.Computer,31(7), 33-44. Cohen, D., Lindvall, M., Costa, P. (2003).Agile software development.Data Analysis Center for Software (DACS), New York. Devi, R. (2012). Importance of Testing in Software Development Life Cycle.International Journal of Scientific Engineering Research, 3(5), 1-5. Dingsà ¸yr, T., Nerur, S., Balijepally, V., Moe, N. B. (2012). A decade of agile methodologies: Towards explaining agile software development.Journal of Systems and Software,85(6), 1213-1221. Fowler, M. (2004).UML Distilled: A Brief Guide to the Standard Object ModelingLanguange. Addison-Wesley Professional. Hoffer, J. A., George, J. F. and Valacich, J. S. (2011) Modern Systems Analysis and Design. Prentice Hall, Boston. Kendall, K. and Kendall, J. E. (2011) Systems Analysis and Design, 8/E, Prentice Hall , Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Khan, M. F., Qazi, K. A., Shah, K. A. (2013).Performance Evaluation of Software Development Models.Software Engineering,3(1), 1-4. Langer, A. M., Langer, A. M. (2008). System Development Life Cycle (SDLC).Analysis and Design of Information Systems: Third Edition, 10-20. Leau, Y. B., Loo, W. K., Tham, W. Y., Tan, S. F. (2012). Software Development Life Cycle AGILE vs Traditional Approaches. In2012 International Conference on Information and Network Technology (ICINT 2012) IPCSIT(Vol. 37). McConnell, S. (2010).Rapid development: taming wild software schedules. OReilly. McMurtrey, M. (2013). A Case Study of the Application of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) in 21st Century Health Care: Something Old, Something New?.Journal of the Southern Association for Information Systems,1(1). Munassar, N.M.A Govardhan, A. (2010).A Comparison of Five Models of Software Engineering. International Journal of Computer Science, 7(5). Nerur, S., Cannon, A., Balijepally, V., Bond, P. (2010).Towards an Understanding of the Conceptual Underpinnings of Agile Development Methodologies.InAgile Software Development(pp. 15-29).Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Pfleeeger, S.L. Atlee, J.M. (2006).Software Engineering: Theory and Practice, 3rd Edition. US: Prentice Hall Piccoli, G. (2012) Information Systems for Managers: Text and Cases, John Wiley Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ.

Data Collection Activities in Algebra 1

Algebra has long been taught in the same way. This usually means teachers rely heavily on the textbook. Though some textbooks have changed in recent years, the central focus is till on paper and pencil, memorization of rules, and use of algorithms. The Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM 1989) asks mathematics teachers to seek activities that â€Å"model real-world phenomena with a variety of function† and â€Å"represent and analyze relationships using tables, verbal rules, equations, and graphs†.The standards also urge teachers to give students the opportunity to be actively involved in math through data analysis and statistics that are integrated into the curriculum. My hope is to show that these types of activities can be incorporated into an algebra I course as a way of teaching slope, y-intercept, and linear equations. I plan to teach a unit on linear equations during the third nine weeks of an eighth grade algebra I course next semest er.The project will begin with one class learning the material typically covered in most algebra textbooks. I do not plan to pretest the students because this is new material for them. This class will also go to the computer lab and complete a lesson on the computer covering linear equations. In addition, they will work in pairs using T1-82 graphing calculator to explore slope and y-intercept. All of these methods are what I have typically taught over the past 5 years.Another eighth grade class will be given several data collection activities as a unit of study for linear equations. The primary resource for this class will be Algebra Experiments I by Mary Jean Winter and Ronald J. Carlson. My focus will begin with a whole class participation data collection activity. The class will perform â€Å"the wave† in small sections at a time until the entire class has completed it. As a group will record the number of seconds it takes (for example) 3, 5, 8, 13, 15, 20, etc. to complet e the wave.Students will then use a prepared activity sheet that requires them to draw a diagram of the experiment, describe the procedure, identify the independent and dependent variables, create a table of data, graph data, choose two representative points to connect and create a â€Å"line of best fit†, find the slope and y-intercept of this line and describe it algebraically and verbally, then interpret the data through certain questions designed to create understanding of the purpose of the data and using the data to make predictions. This same format will be used for all subsequent activities uring the unit of study. The authors of the book say â€Å"Algebra Experiments I reflects the basic philosophy of the NCTM standards for learning, teaching, and assessment. Students have an opportunity to work collaboratively, to interact, and to develop communication skill. † The whole idea is to â€Å"bring the real world into your algebra classroom. † I plan to req uire the class that does the experiments to keep a daily journal. It will include hot they felt about the daily activities, a description of any specific new topic or topics they learned and a list of questions they still have.Each day the class will address any concerns from the previous day's activity. After several activities have been done by hand, I will instruct the class on how to analyze the data on the T1-82 graphing calculator. They will then be given the opportunity to use the calculator on another experiment. This class will also do the same graphing calculator activity on slope and y-intercept that the other class will do. I will give each class the same test and compare scores. I will also give each class a survey to compare attitudes, interest and understanding of the use of the material in a real-world application.My hope is that the students in the experiment class will have grasped the basic concepts of linear equations as well if not better than the other class an d be able to relate this knowledge in a very real way. My search for articles about my proposed topic was lengthy and I have chosen to comment on a few. My goal next semester is to read and use each of these articles in my actual action paper. I have only read one article in its entirety. What I gathered from the abstracts was the importance of using real-world applications and incorporating the use of the graphing calculator.Since my goal is to show that data collection activities can provide a way to teach the basic concepts of linear equations in a real-world setting, I tried to find articles that would bear this out. Mercer (1995) presents lessons that teach slope-intercept concepts of linear equations through the use of the graphing calculator. Held (1995) uses Computer-Intensive Algebra (CIA) to focus on the use of technology and real-world settings to develop a richer understanding of algebraic concepts. Dugdale (1995) has written about technology and algebra curriculum refor m. She focuses on â€Å"current issues, potential directions, and research question†.Assessment issues are addressed. Algebra is â€Å"a way of reasoning involving variables/functional relationships, generalizations/modes of representation and mathematical investigation/argument. Harvey (1995) was the keynote speaker at the Algebra Working Group of the Seventh International Conference on Mathematical Education in Quebec City, Canada. He spoke of how important technology was in new algebra curriculum reform based on the NCTM standards. Bell (1995) was also a speaker at the Quebec conference. He suggest curriculum modifications and reviews research on students' performance.Menghini (1994) â€Å"claims that, to be meaningful, algebra must be linked to real-work problems. † Wallace (1993) offers a data collection activity similar to one I have used in the past. I would like to include this one in my lesson plans. It â€Å"compares the trends of women's and men's world re cords for the 800-meter run using the linear and power Regression capabilities of a graphing calculator. A very promising article by Magidson (1992) â€Å"addresses the challenges, risks, and rewards of teaching about linear functions in a technology-rich environment from a constructivist perspective.Describes an algebra class designed for junior high school students that focuses on the representations and real-world applications of linear functions. † I hope this will help me next semester as I begin to encounter problems. References Bell, A. , (1995). Purpose in school algebra. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 14 (1), 41-73. Dugdale, S. and others, (1995). Technology and algebra curriculum reform: current issues, potential directions, and research questions. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching, 14 (3), 325-57. Harvey, J. nd others. (1995). The influence of technology on the teaching and learning of algebra. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 14 (1), 75- 109. Heid, K. (1995). A technology-intensive approach to algebra. Mathematics Teacher, 88 (8), 650-56. Magidson, S. (1992). From the laboratory to the classroom: a technology-intensive curriculum for functions and graphs. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 11 (4), 361-37. Menghini, M. (1994). Form in algebra: reflecting, with Peacock, on upper secondary school teaching. For the Learning of Mathematics, 14 (3), 9-14.Mercer, J. (1995). Teaching graphing concepts with graphing calculators. Mathematics Teacher, 88 (4), 268-73. Wallace, E. (1993). Exploring regression with a graphing calculator. Mathematics Teacher, 86, (9), 741-43. Example 2 Use of Algebra Tiles to Enhance the Concept Development of Operations on Polynomials and Factoring in Ninth Grade Algebra Students The purpose of this action research project is to find out if the use of Algebra Tiles will enhance the concept development of operations on polynomials and factoring in ninth grade algebra students.Mathematics teachers a re guided by the Arkansas State mathematics Framework. The following three student learning expectations are covered by this research project. 2. 1. 5 Describe, visualize, draw and construct geometric figures in one, two, and three dimensions. 2. 3. 7 Represent problem situations with geometric models and apply properties of figures in meaningful context to solve mathematical and real-world problems. 2. 3. 8 Represent one, two and three-dimensional geometric figures algebraically. Algebra Tiles allow students â€Å"hands-on† experience with polynomials.The tiles give students the opportunity to model, to create a mental image, to draw, and to then symbolically manipulate polynomials. They are based on area and multiplication concepts that students are familiar with. Howden (1985) states â€Å"It is generally recognized that understanding the meaning of a mathematics concept, as opposed to merely performing the associated computation, is an essential element of true learning and achievement† and â€Å"research shows that modeling and visualization promotes such understanding†.Two units on polynomials will be taught in ninth grade algebra. One focusing on operations on polynomials and the other focusing on factoring. Two teachers will teach the same material using the same methods and tests. No pre-test will be given because ninth grade students have had no previous experience with these concepts. Both teachers will teach two of their own classes each of these two polynomial units. One class will receive traditional instruction by symbolic manipulation only. The other class will use the Algebra Tiles along with the traditional method.The student's scores for each unit using Algebra Tiles will be compared to the scores based on the traditional method only. Differences will be compared and noted. In addition, students receiving instruction with the tiles will keep a journal each day describing how they feel about using the tiles. According to Sharp (1995), students using algebra tiles â€Å"found it easy to think about algebraic manipulations when they visualized the tiles† and â€Å"the majority of students stated that the tiles added a mental imagery that made learning `easier. † Another possible comparison will be to see if there is any difference in scores or perception between boys and girls using the tiles. The goal of this research project is to see if Algebra Tiles or â€Å"modeling† will enhance the understanding of polynomials and make the process of factoring â€Å"easier†. References Howden, Hilde. Algebra Tiles for the Overhead Projector. New Rochelle, NY: Cuisenaire Company of America, 1985. Sharp, Janet M. Results of Using Algebra Tiles as Meaningful Representations of Algebra Concepts, ERIC search, 1995. Related article: â€Å"Study Guide Algebra†

Aline Deneuve

Case 1: Aline DeNeuve 1. What are the main issues in the case? The main issues in this case include staffs member’s attitudes problems and Aline’s misconception about relationship with her subordinates and colleagues. The staff members who were selected randomly have dissatisfactions and attitude problems with their jobs except only one person . They also do not want to attend the retreat. Heather is an administrative assistant and believes that her supervisor Jack did not give an opportunity to promote because she is a foreigner.As a result, she took off sick days many times and does not want to attend the retreat as well. She feels that she is being discriminated by her supervisor and said most staff members do not socialize each other. Jack is Heather’s supervisor and he also does not want to attend the retreat and have dissatisfaction about not promoting. He feels same as Heather; because he is black so could not promote. He also said some staffs have been ta king off office supplies at their home so company needs solution for this problem. In addition, he thinks the company needs better orientation and socialization program for new employees.June is manager of customer service and thinks the last retreat was just wasting time. She feels so stressed by her work. Before I explain about the staffs’ problems, I found that Aline also has some problems about her misconception. Even though, she has an experience about a training program on employee diversity with high degree of success in previous work place, her perceptions do not fit as a director of training and development. She disapproves of a friendly relationship with her subordinates and colleagues. She still does not realize that unfriendly relationship among the co-workers would affect their