Diversity, legal rights of students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Diversity, legal rights of students - Essay Example Each IEP should be designed for one student and should be an absolutely individualized document. The IEP channels the delivery of special education services and supports for the student with a disability (La Venture, 2003). 3) Evaluations for special education. It should involve more than a single process, be nondiscriminatory, be done in a child’s primary language, arranged by qualified multidisciplinary team, and tailored to gauge particular areas of need (La Venture, 2003). 4) Federal financial assistance. It will be given to local and state governments that provide full educational opportunities to students with disabilities. Since federal law regulates the rights of education for students with special needs, and due to the additional costs associated with educating these students, federal money is made available to schools based upon the number of students in the special education program. Every student, regardless of cost or disability, should be given by public school districts the right to an education within their schools (La Venture, 2003). 5) Due process procedures. Occasionally school districts and parents argue on how a child with disabilities must be educated. When this occurs, there are measures in place to deal with these conflicts. Parent involvement consists of a) the right to receive notice, b) equal partnership in the decision-making process, c) the right to give approval for particular activities such as changes in placement, assessments, and release of information to others, d) and the right to join in all meetings regarding their child’s special education (La Venture, 2003). 6) Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) in which to learn. This concept reveals the act’s solid inclination for educating students with disabilities in general education classes with the access to general education curriculum. Education in the general education classroom is the first placement

Managing Diversity and Executive Motivation Incentives Essay

Managing Diversity and Executive Motivation Incentives - Essay Example Though external forces, such as the political or economic environments in which a company thrives, serve as the catalysts for business decision-making, it is often internal issues which require the intervention of human resources professionals to make the business more efficient and productive. HR managers must understand the importance of managing workplace diversity while also addressing the broader needs of executives in terms of providing them with the motivation needed to perform to strategic expectations. Ignoring diversity tends to reduce overall firm productivity, undermining strategic objectives, and further serves to create internal conflict between diverse staff members (Women in Management Review, 2005). This project highlights the efforts of contemporary HR managers in managing diversity and building executive-level motivations to perform. Practically every textbook referencing management theory describes the managerial process as a series of planning, organizing, leading and controlling as a viable model for management behavior (Nickels, McHugh & McHugh, 2005; Mathis & Jackson, 2005). Planning represents the preliminary steps necessary to reach a specific management goal, organizing involves the tangible coordination of activities and staff to reach said goals, while leading represents a more psychological element of management which involves creating a positive climate as both a mentor and mediator. Further, controlling involves establishing clear and concise business standards to determine whether the firm is reaching its goal targets and offering rewards or punishments if the identified staff is not being productive or performing to expectations. Having offered the definitions of traditional management in modern business, it is important to understand how human resources professionals take these characteristics and utilize them to boost efforts toward managing diversity and building executive-level motivations. The definition of management tends to illustrate that even HR professionals, in order to carry out their roles as guiding forces for staff members, must utilize the four elements of management to create a more rewarding business environment. Diversity management is quickly becoming a paramount objective for business leaders in most developed countries as diversity has been known to enrich group work and lessen the impact of potential internal disputes or conflicts between different staff members (Aoun, 2007: 67). Under the value model of diversity, each individual aspect of the organization is valued for what is specifically brings to the organization (Griffin & Moorhead, 2006), thus

Roles of Computer in Education Essay Example for Free

Roles of Computer in Education Essay There is no doubt that education and the learning process has changed since the introduction of computers. The search for information has become easier and amusing, and connectivity has expedited the data availability. Though expert systems have made computers more intelligent, they have not yet become a substitute of the human interaction in the learning process. In my opinion; what can be expected, is a change of the teachers’ role but not their disappearance from the classroom. Nobody can argue that the acquisition of knowledge is more fun and easier with computers. The mere activity of touching and exploring this device constitutes an enjoyable task for a kid. This, accompanied with the relaxing attitude and software interactivity, usually conduce to a better grasping of new knowledge. At a higher educational level; the availability of digital books, simulator and other academic materials, provide the student with an ever accessible source of information, that otherwise would not be at hand. But, besides the increasing complexity and behavior of intelligent software, which is usually embedded in the academic digital material, the need of human interaction in the learning process will always be present, at least in the foreseeable future. There is the necessity for a human being to be able to determine what the specific needs of each individual are. The expertise of a teacher in how to explain and adapt complex concepts to different individuals can hardly be mimicked by a computer, no matter how sophisticated its software is. As computers are becoming a common tool for teaching, teachers should be more aware of their role as guides in the acquisition of knowledge rather than transmitters of facts. They have to be open minded to the changes that are taking place, keep updated and serve as a problem solvers in the learning process, thus allowing students to discover the facts for themselves. To summarize, in my personal view, teachers play and will play an important role in the classroom, especially at the primary level. No matter how complex computers become, there will be no replacement for the human interaction, but in the way how this interaction takes place.

South African Natural Resources Economics Essay

South African Natural Resources Economics Essay The South African natural resources mining industry is long recognized as the most important sector and in spite of the fact that it is the sixth largest provider to total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at currently; and is still regarded as a foundation stone of the economy and the chief employer. The mining industry is a well-established and resourceful sector of South Africas economy and has a high degree of technical expertise as well as the ability to assemble capital for new development. The immensity of the known mineral resources and reserves were revealed by means of conservative exploration methods, still significant potential is expected for the unearthing of other top-notch deposits in areas still to be thoroughly explored with contemporary exploration technology. South Africa is a leading producer and supplier of a range of minerals and produces approximately 53 different minerals from 1548 mines and quarries as well as exports to approximately 80 countries. As a chief mining country, South Africas strengths comprise a soaring level of technical expertise and research and development activities. South Africas Mineral Resources can be classified into: Precious Metals and Minerals Energy Minerals Non- Ferrous Metals and Minerals Ferrous Metals and Minerals Industrial Minerals PRECIOUS METALS MINERALS INTRODUCTION South Africa is the worlds largest producer of platinum-group metals (PGMs) and the fifth largest producer of gold. The country is also a major producer of diamonds, while silver is produced as a by-product from gold, lead-zinc, copper and PGM mines. 1.1 DIAMOND South Africas 2009 diamond production was less than half of 2008 production, falling by 52.3 percent to 6.1 Mat. Diamonds sourced from kimberlitic contributed 91.8 percent to the countrys total production, while alluvial and marine diamonds contributed 4.8 and 3.4 percent, respectively. Production from De Beers Consolidated Mines dominated the countrys total output with a contribution of approximately 85 percent, despite a 49 percent reduction in carats recovered in 2009. 1.2 GOLD South Africas gold industry has been the principal focus of black economic empowerment, resulting in a changing ownership structure. With the increase in the price of gold and the worldwide economic slowdown, investment in gold has increased, with investors seeking safe haven investments. Demand for gold also increased in 2009, particularly from India and China. 1.3 PLATINUM GROUP METALS The PGMs include platinum, palladium, gold, rhodium, osmium, rhenium, iridium and ruthenium. Platinum, palladium and rhodium are produced in substantial quantities. South Africa is the largest producer of platinum in the world and holds a large percentage of global reserves. 1.4 SILVER Silver is produced in South Africa as a by-product of gold, lead-zinc, copper and PGM mines. South Africa does not have a primary silver mine and the metal is only produced as a by-product of other minerals, most notably gold. 2. ENERGY MINERALS INTRODUCTION South Africa is well endowed with both coal and uranium reserves and is ranked amongst the top ten in the world, but has relatively small known reserves of oil and gas. South Africa is the 7th and 11th largest world producer of coal and uranium, respectively. 2.1 COAL According to the 2010 BP Statistical Energy Survey, South Africa had end 2009 coal reserves of 30408 million tones, 3.68% of the world total. South Africa has Africas only significant coal reserves. 2.2 OIL NATURAL GAS According to the 2012 BP Statistical Energy Survey, South Africa consumed an average of 547.25 thousand barrels a day of oil in 2011, 0.64% of the world total. South Africa is the leading economic power in Africa as well as a key player in the African oil industry. 2.3 URANIUM The AngloGold Ashanti mine is the major producer of uranium as a by-product of gold in South Africa from three mines, namely, Great Noligwa, Moab Khotsong and Kopanang. Nuclear Fuel Corporation (Nucor) exports all uranium oxide (U3O8), which is processed through calcinations of uranium slurry. 3. NON-FERROUS METALS AND MINERALS INTRODUCTION South Africas non-ferrous minerals resources are rated amongst the top 10 countries in the world. The country is well endowed with titanium and zirconium resources, which is economically mineralized in heavy mineral sands in Kwan-Zulu Natal as well as the Eastern and Western Cape. 3.1 BAUXITE South Africa does not mine any bauxite. It does, however, have an active aluminum smelting industry. The Hillside aluminum smelter sited in Richards Bay is one of the worlds most superior and efficient AP30 smelters and produces T-bars and primary aluminum ingots. 3.2 ANTIMONY South Africa is a major global antimony producer, producing 3 000 t in 2009. The largest antimony producer in South Africa is Consolidated Murchison, a subsidiary of Metorex Limited. 3.3 NICKEL COBALT Most of South Africas nickel and cobalt are produced as by product of platinum mining activities on the Bushed Igneous Complex. Nickel mining is done by means of an underground shaft and also by open-pit mining. Oxidized chromatist is also mined as division of the pre-strip of the future open pits. 3.4 COPPER Parabola, South Africas leading copper producer, is located 360km north east of Pretoria, close to the Kruger National Park. Parabola is also a major source of vermiculite and baddeleyite (zirconium oxide). The majority shareholders in Parabola Mining Co. are Rio Tinto plc (57.7%) and Anglo-American. 3.5 ZINC LEAD Exira owns Zinced, an electrolytic zinc refinery with the capacity to produce 110ktpa of zinc and 170 kappa of sulphuric acid. The refinery, located 50 km east of Johannesburg in Springs, processes some 240ktpa of zinc concentrate. 3.6 TITANIUM ZIRCONIUM South Africa is Africas main producer, with 30% of world production, second after Australia. Limonite, retiled and leucoxene are the primary ore minerals of titanium and are usually found in localized beach placer deposits, hence the term Heavy Mineral Sands. Anglo American and BHP Billiton are the main producers from their operation on both coasts of South Africa. 4. FERROUS METALS AND MINERALS INTRODUCTION South Africa is the worlds largest producer of chromium and vanadium ores and a leading supplier of their alloys. It is also a major producer of iron and manganese ores, an important supplier of manganese alloys and a small producer of ferrosilicon and silicon metal. 4.1 CHROMIUM African chrome is produced from the Bushed Complex in South Africa, which has 80% of global reserves and produces approximately 50% of global chromate. Nearly all of Zimbabwes chrome production is sourced from the Great Dyke and consumed for local ferrochrome plants. 4.2 IRON ORE According to the USGS, South Africa produced 53 million metric tons of iron ore in 2009, making it the worlds 7th largest producer. It also estimated, in 2009, that South Africa has 1000 million tons of crude ore reserves and 650 million metric tons of iron content reserves. 4.3 MANGANESE South Africa currently accounts for about 75% of the worlds identified manganese resources. These mostly occur near Hoatzin in the Northern Cape Province. According to the USGS, reserves were estimated at 15 billion tons in 2011. South Africa was the worlds largest producer of manganese in 2011, producing 3.4 million tons. 4.4 VANADIUM Pure vanadium (V) is a bright white metal, and is soft and ductile. It is has a good corrosion resistance to a variety of alkalis and acids, but oxidizes readily above 660 C. About 85% of vanadium is used as ferrovanadium or as a steel additive. 5. INDUSTRIAL MINERALS INTRODUCTION Industrial minerals are generally high volume, low value commodities that will usually bear minimum costs of underground exploitation since most occur near surface. As a result, most industrial minerals require less complicated mining techniques and, therefore, present opportunities for small-scale mining development. SOUTH AFRICAN CEMENT INDUSTRY The cement production process Cement is a synthetic grind that, when assorted with water and aggregates, produces concrete. The cement-making process can be divided into a few basic steps: Mining limestone Proportioning and grinding limestone with other à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾correctiveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ raw materials Manufacturing clinker in a kiln at temperatures of 1,450ËÅ ¡C Grinding clinker and extra minerals to produce the powder known as cement Distributing cement to clients Southern Africa Cement Industry: Overview A resource-rich country, characterized by vigorous GDP growth and a flourishing construction market, South Africa has all the markings of a sensation story for cement producers. With numerous capacity extension projects being planned or recently concluded, South African cement companies are gearing up for a constant expansion of the cement market. Consumption South Africa has enjoyed a stable increase in its cement utilization in recent years and the 2004-2006 periods proved no exception. In 2004, conjugal cement demand stood at 10.69Mt, rising by 11.6 per cent to 11.934Mt the year after. The strongest regional growth in 2006 was recorded in the Western Cape which saw its cement market inflate by almost 20 per cent. Other markets to trace double-digit growth figures were Mpumalanga (16.8 per cent), Kwazulu-Natal (14.7 per cent), Gauteng (13.4 per cent) and Free State (10.5 per cent). Market movement The market shares of the four players on the basis of production capacity are as follows: PPC cement leads the pack at 43%, followed by Afrisam at 24% and Lafarge at 23%. Cimpor accounts for 10% of overall production capacity. When, or if, all the new pipeline capacity is in production, PPCs production market share is expected to decline to 41%, Afrisam to 19%, Lafarge to 18%, while Sephaku will account for 10% of overall production capacity, and Conticem an anticipated 3%. Challenges faced by the Cement Industry Soaring fuel prices and deceitful road and railway facilities facade a serious difficulty when it comes to the transport of cement. Mounting electricity and raw material costs are also totaling to production costs. Skills deficiency: Worldwide antagonism for skills. Accessible infrastructure besieged to get by with growth. Equipment and civil contract lead times increasing. Resistance in SA to make use of of kilns to set out waste Looking to the future of the cement sector in SA South Africa is in the process of restructuring its future. Structural improvements are taking place in its economy, infrastructure improvements have enlarged the nations economic capacity and will prop up, not obstruct future economic growth. A key move towards opening the construction industry to increasing opportunities is the Department of Housings invitation in March 2010, to invite suppliers of substitute building methods to team up later this year. The Major Cement Producing Players in South Africa 1. PRETORIA PORTLAND CEMENT: PPC is the principal supplier of cement in southern Africa through eight cement manufacturing facilities and three milling depots in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe that can produce around eight million tons of cement products each year. 2. LAFARGE CEMENT ZIMBABWE: Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe Limited, previously Circle Cement Limited, is a Zimbabwe-based cement manufacturer and also a distributor of cement and related products. Lafarge has a production capacity of 450,000 MT per year, 120,000 MT of which is exported. 3. LAFARGE ZAMBIA: Lafarge Cement Zambia manufactures and provides cement for its local market and also exports to bordering DRC and Burundi.

A Comparison of Last Man Standing and Street Fight Essay example --

In a world where the strong survive and the weak plunder, running for public office can be a more daunting task then holding the actual office itself. The films, Last Man Standing and Street Fight, depict two separate elections in two separate states as fierce battles. The films provide contrasting views of the struggle to reach public office, and the tactics used to get there. Though the films paint the similar process of brutal campaigning and numbing elections, these films have clearly different stories. In Central Texas, incumbent Republican Rick Green and Democrat rookie, Patrick Rose, ran a tight race for a seat inside the Texas House of Representatives. This close race was delineated inside the film Last Man Standing. Rick Green, a conservative Christian and law school graduate from the University of Texas, held the house seat since 1999. As the incumbent candidate up for re-election, Green held majority voter support through out the race. Rick Green rallied support in local events and church functions, asserting his faith to gain support. In Green’s opposition was young Democrat Patrick Rose. Rose was new to politics but eager to win the fight. Rose allowed himself to be portrayed as a new comer and young candidate, this played in his favor especially among women voters. Rose, a graduate from Stanford and the University of Texas, held the firm belief that this election could be won one voter at a time. Last Man Standing opens with Patrick Rose meandering through a suburban community knocking on doors and handing out campaign fliers. Most that answered the door were unaware of who Rose was, or that he was running for election. To most voters Rick Green was seen as the candidate that was easy to vot... ...ing and Street Fight outline the momentous fight for the title of public office. The road of campaigning and winning votes is long and narrow. Candidates have various tools at their will in attempt to win a seat of their own inside public office. These documentaries show tremendous differences and various similarities of the process to hold such coveted titles. The differences in the types of elections expressed in the films shows the tremendous differences of campaigning and elections across the country. Works Cited Last Man Standing: Politics Texas Style. Dir. Paul Stekler. PBS, 2004. DVD. "POV - Last Man Standing . Film Description | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. July 2004. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. . Street Fight. Dir. Marshall Curry. Marshall Curry Productions LLC, 2005. DVD.

Essay --

Great Britain In Southeast Asia Colonial takeover in Great Britain began in 1819. Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles sent Great Britain to find a new colon at the tip of the Malay Peninsula. This particular place was called Singapore (‘’city of the lion’’), in the new age of steamships it soon became a major stopping point for traffic traveling to or from China. During the next few decades, the British advance into Southeast Asia continued. Next to fall was the kingdom of Burma in order to protect its possessions to India. It also sought a land route through Burma into southern China. Because of the difficult terrain along the frontier between Burma and China, this effort was destined to fail. British activities in Burma led to the collapse of the Burmese monarchy. Britain soon established control over the entire country. The late 19th century saw an unexpected pursuit of oversees acquisitions adopted by European powers, focused upon African and Asian territories. This period became knows as â€Å"New Imperialism†. The scramble to establish British rule and influence ...

Life in America

Life in America was written by Thomas Low Nichols in the 1830s, it was a text that captured the life and the situation of the country some years after the 1812 war. It is somewhat hard to establish the precise genre of the text, since the literary styles were somewhat different in those days.The specific term here is somewhat, since all the literary genres that exist today also existed then, but some writing styles that existed in mid 19th century do not really exist anymore and the text by Nichols might just belong to a writing style that is gone.Essay writing in its original definition could be described as a writing of a report (e.g. about a country or a situation) in a rather poetic manner. This kind of writing was very popular in the 19th century since much of the period’s literature was inspired by epic works, struggles, revolutions and the romantic spirit. Revolutionary poems and this kind of â€Å"epic journalism† were very popular.The style to which the Nichols text bears such resemblance had a close relation to what used to called Travel Writing in several European languages. It is similar to the descriptive or epic journalism but it as an account of   a journey by a writer or a journalist, to some extent an equivalent to a foreign correspondent nowadays. Before the telegraph that was the only way to be kept in tune with the news abroad, the correspondent would send weekly or monthly reports through the mail and the texts would be published in journals or weeklies.Thomas Low Nichols is the perfect example of a high middle class amateur writer. The language he uses and the emphasis that is given to education in the text show a high level of education. He actually writes as a professional and was a writer by dedication (a quite famous one) but that most probably wasn’t his main source of income.High middle class people in post revolutionary America usually had family estates or businesses to run and wrote, practiced law or got inv olved into politics for patriotic, personal or sentimental reasons rather then looking for a career as the case is today.Nichols is obviously from an estate and business owning family. He shows us that through the story of his father: â€Å"My father had been drafted as a militia-man during the war of 1812, and might have fought in the famous battle of Plattsburg had not his business engagements made it necessary for him to hire a substitute, by which he lost not only much glory, but the bounty-money and a hundred and sixty acres of land, which was afterwards given to every surviving soldier whose name could be found upon the rolls of the army.†His father’s job was obviously important enough to allow him to hire a substitute as well as the fact that he became colonel shows a background of education and wealth.The most probable purpose of Nichols becoming a journalist and an author is a mixture of love for writing, patriotic feelings, positive hopes for a new country an d a new world.He belongs to the post revolutionary generation that might have lived through some periods of the revolution, but were too young to take any active part in it. His generation was more optimistic and â€Å"easy going† then their fathers as well as they were more cultured and interested in arts and poetry then their revolutionary fathers were. They also enjoyed a better and more certain economic situation then their struggling fathers. In other words Nichol’s generation was softer and more progressive.They were also very proud of what their fathers accomplished and Nichols actually gives us a mixed account of what has been accomplished by the war of independence as well as by the Cultural Revolution that was a direct result of the post revolutionary struggle for America’s place as a young and progressive country.His writing is basically directed at young Americans and Europeans in order to show them the progress that was accomplished in the 30-odd ye ars of the country’s independence. He writes first hand from personal experience and the literary sources available at the time.