Singapores education policies are largely influenced by the need to compete :: Economics

Singapore's education policies are largely influenced by the need to compete in a global economy. Do you agree? Explain your answer. a) Singapore's education policies are largely influenced by the need to compete in a global economy. Do you agree? Explain your answer. [12m] I agree to a large extent. Ever since Singapore gained independence in 1965, Singapore's education policies has played a crucial role in the economic progress and social changes of the country, and more importantly, the raising of Singapore's standing on the global stage, in terms of both economic might and international recognition. During the early years of independence, Singapore's main priority was to deviate away from entrepot trade into manufacturing and industrialisation so as to improve the economy, and at the same time solve the problem of unemployment. As a result of this move towards industrialisation, the Singapore government had to prepare students for entry into the workforce by equipping them with the necessary skills. As such, technical education was introduced for the first time in secondary schools in 1969, where all boys and 50% of the girls had to take technical subjects such as woodwork and metalwork. In addition, technical schools and vocational institutes were set up to provide training in areas such as electricity, electronics and metalwork. Existing institutions such as Ngee Ann Technical College and Singapore Polytechnic were expanded to include courses in similar fields of study. The government also encouraged the study of English as a first language, as they realised that the English Language held the key to better jobs and a better economy as it allowed access to western knowledge and technology, which during that time was one of the most, if not the most, advanced in the world. From this, we can see that even in the 1960s and 1970s, Singapore's education policies were already tailored to allow Singapore to be able to compete in a global economy, by expanding the manufacturing industry through the equipping of the workforce with the necessary skills, and improving communication with the rest of the world through the introduction of English as a first language, allowing Singapore to take advantage of Western technology and knowledge and hence put her in a better position on the global stage. The advent of the 21st century has brought a whole new set of challenges to Singapore, and Singaporeans thus have to learn to be more resourceful and self-reliant in order to survive, live long and prosper in the more competitive global economy. In the past decade, the world has seen rapid growth of the Information Technology (IT) industry - this has resulted in widespread use of computers and the

Gas and Soft Drinks Essay

1- That would be inelastic. Even though people gripe about the rising prices, that doesn’t stop people from stopping by the gas pumps to fill up. Elastic is more like candy bars or soda; if priced at 50 cents, there will be high demand, but if the price rises to 2 dollars, the demand will go down. Because there are many alternative brands for Coca Cola that have more or less the same taste. When the price of coca cola rises, demand decreases because consumers will find alternative brands that taste the same but at a lower price, therefore demand is elastic. Demand for soft drink as a whole is inelastic because whether or not the price increases/decreases, demand would not decrease/increase by a whole lot, since it’s the consumers’ preferred choice of drinks (just like milk is inelastic). Just because the price increases, doesn’t mean that consumers will start to drink water all the time, they’ll just drink less amounts of soft drink than usual (and vice versa). Elastic means by increasing the price, the demand for that product decreases as well. For example when the price of lamb increases, people will shift to chicken. We say the demand for lamb is elastic. Inelastic means, no matter how much the price changes, people still use it and the demand doesn’t change a lot. Same as your example, Although the oil price increases, but the demand for oil didn’d decrease. 2-petrol is also sold from especialy designed petrol pumps which costly to buld and operate . in the other hand coke and soft carbonated drinks is sold everywhere and can be sold to anyway and any gae. patrol selling you must be an adult and hold a drivers licience . Gas in the long term has higher elasticity of demand. meaning since in short term people do not have much choice,so they consume whatever is available at whatever price. 3- the coke is advertosed on over hundered tv channels around the world and it is the best known trademark in the world is sold in about one hundred and forty countries to 5. 8 billion people in eight different languguages . The cross price elasity of demand would be for the coca cola since the demand for it is growing A third example of cross-price elasticity is between Coke and Pepsi. If the price of Coke increases by 10%, then the demand for Pepsi will increase by 20%. This results in a cross price elasticity between the two of 2. Like the example above, these two would be substitues since the cross-price elasticity is greater than zero. http://mbaecon. wikispaces. com/file/view/cross_2. gif/30502983/cross_2. gif.

The Role of Sea Power in International Trade

The Role of Sea Power in International Trade Introduction The ability of one country to influence another economically, politically, and militarily has in the past heavily depended on sea power as the other part of the soldiers and the army were not strategic. In this essay, it will then be important to analyze the interactions of trade and naval power1.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Sea Power in International Trade specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To discuss how sea power was used to influence national strategies, economists have been using various economic models such as the gravity model of trade and the comparative advantage which controls the geographic, economic, and political factors. Theoretically and in the real sense, military conflicts among warring countries are expected to reduce trade through the established embargoes and disruptions. However, in contrast to the expectations of many, sometimes warring between two nations may not infl uence international trade if the countries have very minimal global reach (Penubarti Ward, 2000). Seapower The historical influence that the marines or the navy has had on international trade and the complications in comparing measures of sea power has been issues of discussion in the past. The links between sea power and trade have been an issue and how navy in the past has influenced maritime trade. As we focus on the warring nations, we shall therefore focus on how power projections2 have affected international trade in the past. The strategies used on the other hand were designed in such a way that they could connect the trading links between the country and her allies and also to her neutral countries. In doing so, this reduced the level of both military and civil goods available to support any of the enemy’s endeavors. The navies were also doing this in order to protect their own trade in a bid to boost trade between their countries and her allies. One of the most know n forms of economic combat that has been used by the navy is the strategy of guerre de course. This strategy is usually aimed at raiding and destroying the commerce systems of the enemy country.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is a more preferred strategy by nations which feel inferior and whose own trade and commerce felt threatened by a more powerful navy. Instances where this technique has been used includes the fledging of the US navy against the British early in the year 1862, the French also did the same against the British in the 19th and 20th centuries and the Germans against the allied powers during the two world wars3. The use of these techniques was in contrast to the expected history where the navies used to fight for show of power. in this case, the navy was fighting in order to make the trade immobile. In this case, by limiting the other country’s expor t would increase your exports to another country (Bartholomees, 2008). Major forces which were encouraging the use of this technique particularly by the French on the British were its dependence on international food supplies. The navies viewed that may be by inducing food shortages; social and labor unrests would arise in England thus weakening the military in the long run. Technological changes also influenced the decisions to engage in commerce raiding. With the creation and the introduction of torpedo boats and submarines in the navy, this made the guerre de course even more easy and effective. The typical aim of these attacks was to reduce the enemy’s ability to effectively carry out military operations. Among commercial blockades, those intended to starve or weaken the enemy’s population by reducing the importation of food and other necessities have traditionally received the most attention (Rahman, 2007 p. 6). In the past, it has been seen as a function of the n avy to protect an entire trading system. In return, the desire to increase the naval strength has sometimes been exaggerated every so often even forcing countries to change their policies. With policy makers feeling that their countries need more protection, this has led to the escalation of the naval budgets. For example, before the First World War, the British viewed that the Germany navy was not mostly aimed at protecting their own commerce but to destroy that of England. As a result, many policy makers in England felt that a complete command in the sea was the first requirement before the country could completely venture into commerce.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Sea Power in International Trade specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Other naval actions which have hurt international trade, though most of the times at low levels, in the past include: The use of gun boat diplomacy4, flag display and the frequent policing on frequent waters. Most of the times these actions do not include anything more than showing the fleet but the show to intimidate or threaten serves the purpose. For example Ahmed (2007) gives the example of how the US maintained an Asiatic squadron5 of ships in the Far East during the past two centuries as they sought to advance and improve their commercial interests. As a result, their trade with China improved while destroying the trade relationship between Japan and China due to the military influence exerted by the Americans. Conclusion Navies or Seapower in general serves many functions with the interference of international trade being one of them. In the past, as we have seen, seapower has been used as an instrument in influencing trade and military operations: thus intertwining both commercial and naval interests where countries have used their sea power to influence the activities of others as well as enacting policies which seek to strengthen their mari ne power if they feel threatened. Bibliography of notes Measure of economic and naval power influence The power projections include use of guerrede course (war of race) strategies, blockades, embargoes and other less explicit forms of economic warfare Ahmed S. Rahman, 2007. Fighting the Forces of Gravity Seapower and Maritime Trade between the 18th and 20th Centuries Gunboat diplomacy for refers to the pursuit of some foreign policy objective through the use or threat of limited naval force A squadron is a military flight can simply be describes as a unit of military organization. Reference List Bartholomees, J. Boone. Eds. â€Å"U.S. Army War College Guide To National Security Issues† Volume I: Theory Of War And Strategy. 3rd Edition. (2008). Web. Penubarti, Mohan., and Ward, Michael. â€Å"Commerce and Democracy,† Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences Working Paper No. 6, University of Washington. (2000). Web.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Rahman, Ahmed. â€Å"Fighting the Forces of Gravity† Seapower and Maritime Trade between the 18th and 20th Centuries. (2007). Web. Footnotes 1 Measure of economic and naval power influence 2 The power projections include use of guerrede course ( war of race) strategies, blockades , embargoes and other less explicit forms of economic warfare 3 Ahmed S. Rahman, 2007. Fighting the Forces of Gravity Seapower and Maritime Trade between the 18th and 20th Centuries 4 Gunboat diplomacy refers to the pursuit of some foreign policy objective through the use or threat of limited naval force 5 A squadron is a military flight can simply be describes as a unit of military organization.

Using ONE example to illustrate your points, expla Essays (2138 words)

Using ONE example to illustrate your points, expla Essays (2138 words) Using ONE example to illustrate your points, explain how to evaluate a research study Plan Does the evidence to support claims Experimental design Sampling method and participants 3. Methodological problems and their implications/are there any contradictions or inconsistencies within data (Ecological validity and reliability) How are confounding variables are controlled? Representativeness Recognition of bias Is it reductionist? 4. Does it establish a cause-effect relationship 5. Does it extend current knowledge? Sample study: Loftus and Palmer (1974) An extensive evaluation of a psychological study consists of a thorough examination of its strengths and limitations.This consists of a critical analysis of the holistic experimental process of how the experiment was carried out, with particular emphasis to the methodology of the study. An example experiment conducted by Loftus and Palmer (1974), investigates whether language used in eyewitness testimony can alter memory. This hypothesis was tested by using leading questions to distort eyewitness testimony. The experimental design is the first approach to evaluating a psychological study. In this example, the experimental design for Loftus and Palmer (1974) was an independent groups design and was conducted in a rigorously controlled laboratory environment. Loftus and Palmer (1974), had five conditions where one of each was experienced by each participant (Mcleod 2017). The independent variable was the intensity of the verb to describe two cars in a traffic accident film; thus, the five groups were using the verbs "contact", "hit", "bumped", "collided" and "smashed". The strengths of using independent groups design are that more subjects can be used for the experiment rather than having the same subjects perform all the conditions of the experiment as in a repeated measures design. Using an independent groups prevents participant fatigue as the participants did not have to perform all five conditions, which could be a confounding variable affecting the results of the study. However, a disadvantage is that the differences between the participants, such as age, gender, or culture which could affect the results. This is because there can be inferences and judgement made from the studies which were rather "due to individual differences r ather than the independent variable condition" (Danshepherd 2012) . The second step is to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the sampling method and the participants used. The sampling method used in Loftus and Palmer's (1974) experiment used opportunity sampling. Although practical, using opportunity sampling can contribute to bias because it means using only the participants available at a given time and place rather than being representative of a general population. Furthermore, the participants used in Loftus and Palmer's (1974) experiment were all undergraduate students. Students are not representative of the general population and with regards to this experiment, they may be less experienced drivers and therefore, this would have altered their perception of the verb used when estimating speeds (Mcleod 2017). Lastly, the strengths and weaknesses of the methodology should be acknowledged when evaluating any psychology experiment. The implications of the choices taken by the researcher to control variables, and whether there were any inconsistencies with the data should be identified. Loftus and Palmer's (1974) experiment was a highly controlled laboratory experiment. Therefore, one argument made as a weakness is that the results are not ecologically valid because in real life, people do not watch films of an incident. Instead, they witness these incidents first hand. Therefore, the study conducted by Yuille and Cutshall (1986) contradicts this study by making the participants witness an incident first hand which "found that misleading information did not alter the memory of people who had witnessed a real armed robbery". (Mcleod 2017). However, due to the controlled nature of the experiment, it is reliable and easy to replicate. The confounding variables are easier to control in a laborato ry experiment. This prevents these extraneous variables affecting the results of the study. Hence, it is plausible to suggest a cause-effect relationship from the study. Using TEACUPs to evaluate theories Evaluate ONE theory from the BLOA and ONE theory from the CLOA using the TEACUP approach: BLOA theory: Charles Darwin Theory of Evolution Those who adapt best to environmental challenges will have a greater chance of survival, reproduction, and passing on genes. Natural selection refers to the idea that members of a species that survive competition and breed will

The Necessity of Mythology in the Classroom

The Necessity of Mythology in the Classroom Free Online Research Papers Mythology, a necessity in the classroom, as it provides vital tools for teachers and children to learn so much from. It incorporates so many things that prove essential to a childs development. The positive things that come from mythology make such a great impact on young children to last them a lifetime. Mythology seems like a normal way to involve the student. Most children love to hear and read myths because they offer some sort of adventure. The large amount of positive things that come from mythology surprise many people. Students can gain good role models to look up to not just movie stars and sports stars but heroes from mythology. Children love to read about heroes because of all the excitement. Heroes are important to children. A child’s definition of a hero has changed slightly over the past few years and they now look for heroes that have super powers, extreme bravery, and on the side of good. These heroes typically go out on a quest and end up fighting evil. Heroes like Heracles and Odysseus exemplify the term hero in many ways. Many students should recognize Hercules as a major hero from previous experience such as television shows or movies. Odysseus’ most famous for coming up with the idea of building the Trojan Horse and constructing that particular plan of attack. Children may not recognize his name but should have heard something about the Trojan Horse. By including these prominent figures in a lesson plan one could possibly catch the attention of many students and spark their interests. In sparking a child’s interest, a teacher increases their likelihood for success in mastery of all objectives for the lesson plan. Students can learn many great life lessons from the study of mythology as many of the stories have underlying meanings or lessons to learn. One major life lesson learned from mythology revolves around the concept of right from wrong. My characters in these stories face this dilemma on a daily basis. In Antigone, Antigone must decide wrong from right in the decision to bury her brother and die or leave him be. She chooses to bury her brother and before they could kill her she kills herself. This is an example of the choices that some people had to make for themselves. Another important aspect to understand is the concepts of fate and luck as they exist in society today. Many characters in mythology seemed to possess a sense of luck and had a good feeling for their fate and purpose in this world. Students need to be aware of these concepts which are definitely instilled in mythology without being the overall message of the story. Discussing issues such as morality need to begin at an e arly age because children need to have morals or principles to live their lives by. The fields of study taught with the use of mythology are widespread in subject. One that comes to mind would use history or multicultural education as the subject. A teacher could ask her students to find a god from the different types of mythology such as Norse, Roman, or Greek. Students can integrate the use of technology by researching a particular god or goddess and give a presentation to the class. Their presentations could be as simple as a report or as elaborate as a short story. Teachers should encourage them to dress like the god or goddess or talk like him or her. This activity is very hands on and fun which will surely spark some creativity and deep thought. This should encourage students to learn and study topics like early beliefs and to give them the ability to believe in themselves and their creative work. Reading mythology is an easy way to stimulate students in class. They usually enjoy them more than expected by teachers. Students seem to enjoy them because they have a great story structure. For the most part myths do not drag on forever so they keep the attention of their audience. If a child has a genuine interest in mythology then often they advance in their reading ability without even noticing. The students can all read or listen to and understand the stories of the myths. Children relate the stories to things happening in modern society to make more sense of them. Often times children that read about all of these tragic times gain a better understanding and appreciation for their own life. Astronomy can integrate mythology into a lesson about constellations and planets. Many constellations and planets got their name from gods and goddesses from mythology. This would prove successful as a lesson plan for studying stars and planets. The students would even enjoy a field trip to the local planetarium to learn more about constellations and planets and where they got their names from. I know of one constellation that is very interesting, Orion’s belt, it consists of four stars that make an x and three stars in the middle to make the belt. Writing and Art can also incorporate mythology in their lessons. The abundance of childrens books which contain one single myth is phenomenal. These books have the best illustrations. It opens up so many opportunities for creative writing and artwork. Students could examine the childrens books for how the author used creativity to make the story exciting. The students could examine the art work and perhaps incorporate art into their own myths. The wide varieties of things to write creatively about mythology could go on forever. For a creative writing assignment students could choose a god or goddess to research. Then prepare a monologue to share with the class as they try to guess which person you are. The study of mythology arises as an important aspect of today’s society in many places and things we do. Many companies are related to mythology in some way for example, Ajax was a Greek warrior in the Trojan War, who cleaned up in battle and today is a popular household cleaner. Apollo was the God of music and the Apollo Theater, a famous music hall, stays alive in New York City. Midas was the King with the golden touch, who transformed all he touched to gold and now Midas refers to a famous muffler and brake chain of service stations. One of the more likely resemblances to mythology, inhabitants of the city that got destroyed by the Greeks during the Trojan War; the Trojans. In society today if someone says Trojan people think of the maker of condoms and birth control products. Myths exist in every culture around the world. Mythology has shaped art and music in today’s world. 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Critical Reaction Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Reaction Paper - Essay Example Indeed, he did not expect much opposition from them towards the idea of building the â€Å"Park51† mosque. However, he later learned that the whites hates Islam and refers to it as a religion of hate whose aim is to wipe out Christianity (Ghosh, 2010). He even thinks that the white Americans view Islam as a recruiting agency for terrorists. Indeed, Ghosh hold the view that opponents of Islam cast Muslims as sympathizers of al-Qaeda, which is false. According to him, white Americans consider Muslims as murders but reckon that even Christians have greater social vices and thus should not judge Islam. He asserts that America has the most diverse Muslim population in the world where the Muslims represent every race and sect in America. Additionally, Ghosh reckons that the Park51 resistance reflected an aspect of intolerance against the Muslims that has been alive since 9/11 only to deepen in the recent times (Ghosh, 2010). In fact, he observes that hate speech against Muslims and Islam is on the rise and Islamophobia is the new form of racism in America. Indeed, he holds the idea that the mosque protests and political influence cemented Islamophobia in America (Ghosh, 2010). Actually, the views expressed in lower Manhattan and in Sheboygan County are not isolated since a study revealed that 46% of Americans believe Islam is the most probable cause of violence against nonbelievers than other faiths (Ghosh, 2010). Nevertheless, he confirms that Muslims are safer and freer in America than in any other Western country. Indeed, Congress has two elected American Muslims and for the first time in 2010, Miss USA was a Muslim. Additionally, there are plans to the country's first Muslim college in Berkeley (Ghosh, 2010). However, he establishes the core arguments of the opponents that assert that Muslims are not and can never be full Americans (Ghosh, 2010). He states that such hatred manifests clearly in the places of worship, which are on the increase. He further no tes that such hatred is not only limited to proposed mosques and Muslim centers but also on the Koran where a pastor in Gainesville, initiated plans to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks (Ghosh, 2010). On the same note, pastors are taking the Koran out of context to support their assertions that Islam requires believers to kill or convert all others. Moreover, he claims that the most vicious attacks on Islam are on the internet where bloggers are making Park51 a national issue and making that hatred viral. Ghosh holds the view that although religious intolerance does not apply to Muslims only, the American society reserves the most dominant hostility and hatred for Muslims (Ghosh, 2010). Conversely, he claims that since Saudi Arabia does not permit the building of churches and synagogues, America should also forbid Muslims from building Islamic places of worship. Nevertheless, he notes that many Christian, Jewish, and secular groups have opposed naked an ti-Islamic. He even suggests that Muslim is a very small group in U.S, which should receive little attention according to the 2007 release of the Pew Research Center report Muslim Americans that estimated Muslims to be a mere 2.35 million of the American population (Ghosh, 2010). At the same time, he recognizes that upon becoming President, Obama sought to promote the American image in the Islamic world (Ghosh, 2010).

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Psychology - Essay Example The second theory deals with the ideal that successful relationships must be grown and developed. Through various surveys, including those done in past experiments, Knee reveals that the most successful relationships come from those where the belief of destiny is present. Belief in destiny also includes believing that there is only one person for everyone and that love can be at first sight. When individuals act on this, they are doing so out of intuition, or destiny. Numerous surveys were implemented that measured destiny and growth beliefs. These surveys looked into aspects that varied from dating behavior to whether or not a person can change themselves or their relationship. Another important characteristic that was measured was how individuals coped to stressful events in the relationship. The surveys were used to measure beliefs in both destiny and growth. After the results had been gathered and analyzed, it was determined that more successful relationships come from beliefs of destiny because these individuals believe that they have no control in the course of the relationship. They do not try to make a relationship work, which can cause further stress.