Point and Counterpoint Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Point and Counterpoint - Essay Example Such a leader has the ability to influence others on a personal level and not just through exercising authority. Thus, great leaders are experts in their field, lead by example, are fair in their dealings, have a natural charisma, have good knowledge and insight, are good at communicating and influencing others. Leadership may therefore be defined â€Å"as the art of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations† (Kouzes, 2002:30). It makes people â€Å"want to be part of the organization and not just work for the organization† (Covey, 2004:217). However, the nature of today’s globalisation also demands that leaders are not only adept in analytical and emotional intelligence but also in cultural intelligence. This is the leader’s â€Å"capability for successful adaptation to new cultural settings† (Earley, 2003) and the capability of influencing people of other cultures. These in turn requires a good â€Å"conceptual understanding of differences among cultures† (Wang, 2006), expertise in handling physical aspects of cultural differences such as greeting rituals, and emotional aspects such as appreciating the complex relationship dynamics in a diverse workforce. Global and multicultural organisations nowadays seek those who have good cultural intelligence. Whilst all the aforementioned qualities are perhaps universally accepted as essentials of good leadership, as Andrew Ma (2009) points out with respect to altruism, there can be important differences between cultures in the perception of leadership values. In a comparison of the Chinese concept of altruism based on Confucian teachings (ren) and the Western concept based on Christian teachings (agapao), the author notes, â€Å"the scope and nature of altruism is different in the two philosophies/religious traditions.† Whereas the Chinese value ‘graded love’ by loving their closer relations more dearly than others, Westerners (at least those who are more faithful to the Christian religion)

Strategy and Transformation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Strategy and Transformation - Case Study Example maintain that value advantage over a long period of time it ensures longer economic benefits.1 A strategy also gives an organization a structure for allocating resources, no company has unlimited resources, to utilize them properly there has to be a clear understanding of what is more important so that even the smallest of investment in the right thing results in a gain to the company. A strategy, if clearly understood at every level in an organization, helps the people of that company to stay focused on the goals and helps them in making better decisions for the company. Today companies built various strategies to help them grow and gain an edge over their competitors. Many companies today transform their organizations, through proper strategies, to obtain huge benefits from small changes and efforts.2 Joint Ventures and Foreign Direct investments are two types of strategies that are widely being used in the world today. These have proved very fruitful for certain organizations. Especially consumer good industry and technology industry has used it a lot. Joint Venture A joint venture means that two or more organizations form a contract or an agreement to dedicate their resources to work together for a common goal.3This generally happens when both the organizations think they can compliment each other and together produce greater results for a common goal. The corporations have seen many joint ventures. A big joint venture of today is Sony Ericsson. Sony Ericsson is a 50:50 joint venture formed between Sony, (a multinational conglomerate corporation) and Ericsson, (a provider of telecommunication and data communication) in October 2001 to work in the field of telecommunications.4 They joined hands to make mobile phones. Both were making mobile phones separately before... Conclusion Sony Ericsson and General Motors have chosen strategies very well to suit themselves. Both companies have established a good name for them self and earn profits accordingly. Sony Ericsson made a wise decision in 2001 to combine their strengths when Sony had a wafer thin share in the market of mobile phones and Ericsson was in trouble because its supplier had delayed indefinitely and it needed to do something about it. If this timely decision was not taken it may have forced both these companies to vanish from the mobile phone industry. Today this joint venture is a fierce competitor and is striving to be the best. It still is not definitely in the top three but if it stays positive it will definitely be able to be in the top 3. General Motors uses Foreign Direct Investments very wisely. It tries to get a subsidiary wholly or partially in areas where its customer base is wide and it has a good market. This way it stays close to its market and learns about its demographics very well and gets to know the requirements of the market. It also makes sure that it advertises and promotes its products in line with the culture of its market. This helps them do a better job at selling their products to the local people and earn a better margin of profits. It strategies are used properly profits can be maximized and companies can do better investments and decision making.

Implementing Curriculum Changes in the Classroom

Implementing Curriculum Changes in the Classroom Introduction Much research on curriculum development has been done in different fields of education. It has uncovered both successes and failures. Research on educational innovations reveals many problems which result in non-implementation of planned innovations. These include the problems of inadequate knowledge of implementation, and lack of awareness of the limitations of teachers and school administration, etc. (Pink 1989; Fullan 1992; Fullan and Hargreaves 1991). Recently, the literature in the field of ELT has reported innovations in the implementation of new teacher roles, new practices, new materials, etc. Most principles for innovation are derived from English-speaking countries and transferred throughout the world. For instance, the learner-centred, communicative approach which originated in British ELT has been recommended almost everywhere. Although some reports mention the success of such innovations, others have concluded that many problematic implementation issues emerge from a dir ect transfer, after it has been put into use worldwide, such as in China (Burnaby and Son 1989; Anderson 1993; Hui 1997), Indonesia (Tomlinson 1990), Greece (Karavas-Doukas 1995), Hong-Kong (Carless 1998), and Libya (Orafi 2008), etc. However, the knowledge and understanding of what is involved in effecting innovation in many projects has been investigated mostly by their change agents. Many ELT innovation projects reported in the professional literature are designed and examined by their authors as leading change agents, not by end users, i.e. teachers (e.g. Gray 1990; Jarvis 1992; Tomlinson 1990; Barmada 1994; Guariento 1997; Markee 1997, etc.). In those projects, the authors/reporters design, introduce, and monitor the process of implementation. To finding out how best to teach the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing as well as grammar and vocabulary. The development of so many methods has been a response, according to Richards and Rodgers (2001:7-9), to the changes in the kind of proficiency (e.g. oral vs. written) that learners are thought to need. In the 1970s, in particular, there was a major shift to learners need for communicating in a second language away from a focus on grammar and translation. This shift was crucial, especially for foreign language learners who leave school unable to use their foreign language in actual communication. So, FL countries adopted this shift to communication to satisfy their students needs for fluency. As English became a lingua franca by the 1990s it was seen as necessary to teach it for communication as it became the mostly taught foreign language worldwide (Gebhard, 2006; Carrick, 2007). The teaching of English as a second (ESL) or as a foreign language (EFL) started to become important after World War II. A great demand for English courses by immigrants, refugees, and foreign students took place in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and Australia (Richards, 2001:23). When English was introduced in schools, it was first introduced at the secondary level in 1950s. But, since the application of the Communicative Approach/Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in national curricula after the publication of Wilkinss book Notional Syllabuses (1976) educationalists/researchers in many countries have observed that students can not communicate as well as expected after leaving secondary school, with eight years of English, as they start their university study (e.g. Al-Mutawa, 1994; Tang, 2002). According to Al-Mutawa and Kailani (1998:I) English language has enjoyed a considerable role in the fields of business, industry, technology, politics, education, medicine and many other professional fields. According to Saleh, more attention is required from EFL teachers to students EFL teachers on teaching them how to communicate in the target language effectively. This requires that the traditional methods, the classroom learning activities and the learning environment have to be changed to correspond with the latest developments and changes in views on ELT represented by the communicative approach (2002:1). Because of the above reasons, English language syllabus of Libyan secondary schools has been changed lately as a response to these developments. The new English programme in Libyan secondary education aims to enable students to: i) achieve a reasonable proficiency in listening and speaking English at a sensible speed, reading simple texts with comprehension and writing about a simple subject or incident; ii) develop their interest in learning English so that they can learn effectively by themselves; and iii) improve their knowledge and have access to foreign culture (UNESCO 2002 reported in Al-Buseifi 2003:4). It has been investigated that some classroom teachers who teach EFL at secondary schools in Libya are traditional and not in harmony with the principles and objectives of the communicative approach upon which the new curriculum has been based. Teachers are faced with some difficulties in implementing the new curriculum. Therefore, some problems have been appeared, for example; teachers use their native language extensively and use only very little English during the lesson. Teachers talk a lot whereas students talk very little. Teachers need to be well trained. Class-time and size are not suitable. Appropriate materials and group-work activities are needed. This study aims to investigate some EFL teachers in Libyan secondary schools to determine the extent of their effectiveness in achieving the desirable objectives of the new curriculum. It specifically investigates and describes the following: How far does the new curriculum filter down into EFL classrooms in Libyan secondary schools? What are the methods that Libyan secondary school teachers use in teaching English as a foreign language? How do Libyan teachers implement the new curriculum (CLT) in teaching EFL? What difficulties may face Libyan teachers in implementing the CLT approach? To what extent are Libyan teachers qualified in communicative language teaching? Since the language curriculum of Libyan secondary schools has been changed lately and has been based on the communicative approach. The EFL teachers who teach this new curriculum should be based on the principles and objectives of the communicative approach. In fact, most Libyan EFL teachers got used to apply the Grammar Translation Method (GTM) with its traditional views and objectives, so they may encounter some difficulties when changing their method especially if they have not been previously trained. This topic is important to investigate because I have noted that it is still a controversial issue between researchers and teachers. The main emphasis is to know whether teachers are using the new curriculum in order to enhance the students basic knowledge of English and competence to use English for communication. In other words, it is to investigate EFL teachers at Libyan secondary schools to find out whether they have changed their method in parallel with the change in the curric ulum and how it is implemented. In order to achieve more understanding about these issues, this study attempts to discuss the curriculum innovation in Libya with reference to communicative language teaching which is implemented in the new curriculum. More attention is given to teachers, they are regarded as having the main role in any innovation. This study is divided into five chapters. In the first chapter, there will be the introduction, the research hypothesis, the research question, the purpose and the significance of the research. Chapter two will be focused on the literature review which include; definition of innovation, its theory and its aim. Background of the context, EFL in Libya, CLT, its development, and its principles. Some factors related to the adoption of the new curriculum (CLT), e g; teachers role, teacher student interaction, student-student interaction, teacher training, methods of teaching, materials and testing criteria. Third chapter will be the methodology. The methods of collecting data will be discussed, there will be a review of how data will be collected, who are the participants, how many, where, how, when, all these questions will be answered in this chapter. Chapter four will be about the results. The results will be discussed in chapter five. Conclusion and recommendations will be discussed i n chapter six. This study will provide an opportunity to enrich theory and practice of CLT in a non-native English speaking setting. It deals with an important issue in the field of teaching as a foreign language which is related to the teaching methods that is used by teachers. To achieve this purpose this research has been carried out. Literature Review Curriculum Innovation It has been widely noted over many years that the low degree of success of educational innovations is mainly caused by the failure of the innovators who were unable to make use of the extensive theoretical literature on innovation (Havelock and Huberman 1977; Barmada 1994). They also did not adopt the appropriate innovation strategies (ibid.). Both White (1987) and Barmada (1994) identify two areas of expertise in which all innovators should be equipped: an understanding of innovation issues and expertise in the management of innovation. The Meaning Of Curricular Innovation It has been defined by Markee as following: â€Å"Curricular innovation is a managed process of development whose principal products are teaching and/or testing materials, methodological skills, and pedagogical values that are perceived as new by potential adopters† (1997: 46). According to Hall and Hewings, teachers roles are seen as implementers, and sometimes regarded as adopters, students are clients, and materials designers are suppliers (2001: 119). Curriculum Innovation Versus Theory: Vrooms expectancy theory (1964 in Morrison 1998) from business explains the instant effectiveness of the use of rewards and sanctions. Expectancy theory is based on the assumption that people will involve themselves in change if they expect it to bring about personal benefits (Morrison 1998:132). It is argued that the more benefits people perceive, the greater willingness they will have to be involved in the projects of change (ibid.). These perceived benefits, such as financial benefits, job security, and promotion opportunities, etc. are assumed to be an effective motivator to improve job performance. However, any change often requires additional time, energy, and finance, etc. If the adopters do not think the advantages of an innovation will outweigh its costs, it may not be easy to persuade them to accept it. From management theory point of view, and according to (Everard and Morris 1990), by addressing the â€Å"interrelated sensing systems†, we can understand how educati onal managers effect change. They are; policy making, development, controlling, liaising and doing (Markee 1997:49-51). Teachers do not see themselves having part in curriculum innovation, although the definition given above indicates that teachers have a primary role in innovation. This phenomena has been indicated by many researchers that â€Å"curricular innovation entails a mix of professional, academic, and administrative change† (e. g; Bowers 1983, 1987; Crocker 1984; Lee and VanPatten 1990; Straker-Cooke 1987; White 1988). â€Å"Managers must therefore enhance an organizations capacity to innovate through organization development† (Markee 1997: 51). It seems that teachers have many tasks particularly that related to their classrooms. Thus, all participants in language teaching should given part in innovation to be managed (ibid.). The New Curriculum (Clt) In Efl Countries: Attempts to introduce communicative language teaching (CLT) into EFL contexts on EFL countries own initiatives and through international aid projects have encouraged many innovations in L2 education. In general, such innovations have had a low degree of success (Brindley Hood, 1990), and implementing CLT worldwide has often faced difficulty (Anderson, 1993; Chick, 1996; Ellis, 1994, 1996; Gonzalez, 1985; Kirkpatrick, 1984; Sano, Takahashi, Yoneyama, 1984; Shamin, 1996; Ting, 1987; Valdes Jhones, 1991). Difficult as many EFL countries are still striving to introduce CLT hoping that it will improve their English teaching. Some researchers have strongly advocated the adoption of CLT in EFL countries and recognized the difficulties these countries face in adopting CLT (Li, 1984; Prabhu, 1987). Burnaby and Sun (1989) report that teachers in China found it difficult to use CLT. These difficulties include the context of the wider curriculum, traditional methods, class sizes and schedules, resources and equipment, the low status of teachers who teach communicative rather than analytical skills, and English teachers deficiencies in oral English and sociolinguistic and strategic competence. Andersons (1993) study of CLT in China reported such hurdles as a lack of properly trained teachers, a lack of appropriate texts and materials, students not being acclimatized to CLT, and difficulties in evaluating students taught by way of CLT. Sano et al. (1994) point out that the Japanese students they studied generally did not feel a pushing need to use English, so that the goal of communicative competence seemed too distant for them. All these difficulties seem to apply to Libyan context too. Karavas-Doukas (1995) gives a report in which the curriculum developers in Greece tried to implement the communicative approach to English teaching/learning using textbooks containing communicative components. However, Karavas-Doukas indicated that teachers lack of understanding of the methodological principles underlying the new materials was one of the impeding factors that finally let to the non-implementation of this innovation. The Greek teachers had changed to new materials, but they tended to implement the intended communicative activities as controlled grammar practice exercises and did not create the opportunities of real communication in their classroom. They did not realize the new role of teachers and students associated with the CLT approach, so they still acted as knowledge-transmitters, rather than facilitators (ibid.). Much research has been conducted discussing the communication problems encountered by Arab learners in most of the Arab countries; particularly in Libya. This fact has been clearly explained by many researchers, e. g. Abdul Haq (1982), Harrison, Prator and Tucker (1975), Abbad (1988), Wahba (1998), Saleh (2002) and Orafi (2008). The students in Jordan, for example, learn English in their home country where the native language is Arabic. The only way to learn English in Jordan is through formal instruction, i.e. in the classroom where language teachers are native speakers of Arabic. There are general screams about the extended degeneration of the standards of English proficiency of students among school teachers, university instructors and all who are involved with English language teaching. The results of the studies conducted in Jordan lead to the conclusion that the goals set by the Ministry of Education are desirous and have not yet been reached (Rababah, 2005:181). In Yamen, the situation is almost the same as in the other Arab countries. Abbad (1988) acknowledges the weakness of Yameni learners of English, and adds that â€Å"in spite of the low proficiency level in English of most applicants, they are accepted into the department.† This is what happens in most of the Arab university. English language departments accept high school graduates without understanding their proficiency level and whether or not they will be able to administrate a program of English studies. Therefore, Arab learners of English find it difficult to communicate freely in the target language. This may be due to the learning environment which some umpire to be inappropriate for learning a foreign language. This is obvious in Jordan where the formal language of communication is Arabic (Rababah, 2005:182). What happen with other countries can be applied on Libyan context, because the situation is almost the same. According to Saleh (2002) and Orafi (2008), although the new curriculum is introduced in Libya since 2000, the students in Libya still cannot communicate in English or express themselves. They cannot speak English freely inside and outside schools as well. Therefore, they cannot use English in real life situation. ELT In Libya: In the 1980s the focus of English language teaching in Libya was on grammar and reading comprehension. Lessons were characterized by oral drills, memorization of vocabulary, and reading aloud. Arabic was widely used in English lessons by teachers and students. During the late 1980s, as a result of political tensions between Libya and the West, the teaching of English was banned from schools and universities across the country. In the 1990s, this status changed to the positive and new curriculum was introduced in 2000 (Orafi, 2008: 244). The new curriculum recommends that †³English be used as much as possible by the teacher and students in the classroom, as the aim is for the students to communicate effectively and fluently with each other and to make talking in English a regular activity†³ (ibid:245). It was argued that learners learn a language through the process of communicating in it, and that communication that is meaningful to the learner provides a better opportunity for learning. New classroom techniques and activities were needed, new roles for teachers and learners in the classroom. Instead of making use of activities that demanded accurate repetition and memorization of sentences and grammatical patterns, activities that required learners to negotiate meaning and to interact meaningfully were required. The purpose of education is seen as based on careers, examination passing and recall. Understanding, applying ideas, creativity, questioning is all devalued. The idea of school education as a way to unlock potential seems missing and the students appear to appreciate that (Orafi 2008). The teachers role is largely that of transmitting information in an efficient and effective manner to their students. The teachers have little insight in the role of their subjects in the development of students. They are ruled by the demands of society, with its dependence on examination success for gaining access to over crowed and want more time for students to be able to think. However, they have little clear idea of the nature and role of understanding and the idea of seeing their subject in terms of wider life is largely absent (Al-Buseifi, 2003). Although improving the educational system is a priority for the education authorities in Libya, the educational programmes still suffer from shortages in facilities such as computers, laboratories, and information networks, a lack of qualified teachers, and the use of traditional methods of teaching (Khalifa, 2002). This could be due to the fact that the central focus is on increasing the quantity of schools and institutes rather than improving the quality of teaching and learning outcomes. The Situation In Libyan Secondary Schools According to Orafi (2008), ‘the main problem at present of education in Libya is the quality of education. The need to build so much in order to educate so many in a short time creates the classical dilemma of quality of education versus quantity education. In fact, this problem is not the problem of Libyan education only but is a problem common to many developing countries. Classrooms in Libyan secondary schools are regarded crowed. Most of classes are consisted of at least thirty students. Every student has his own seat from the beginning of the year to the end of it. It is difficult for teachers to go freely through the class. Also it is not easy to work in groups, and to deal with all the students. This problem has been discussed by Richards (1996:146) who states that; †¦the majority of large class teachers created, within their large class, a smaller class of students in the front only. They seemed happy to teach this ‘smaller class of students in the front and ignored the students at the back†¦ There is frequently not enough equipment and facilities at some schools (e.g. computers and laboratories). Classes are often large with an inadequate supply of teachers. ‘The examination system emphasises the rote recall of information and holds great power over the learners at key times of the year (Orafi 2008:243). English Textbooks In Libyan Secondary Schools (3rd Year) The textbook comprises of; subject book, skills book and work book. The materials are organized into two semesters; 12 units per semester, with 22 lessons in each unit. The lessons are divided between the three student books as follows: subject book; 10 lessons per unit, skills book; 9 lessons per unit, and work book; 3 lessons per unit. Subject Book; the main purpose of this book is presenting information and related vocabulary. The main purpose of the reading and listening texts in the Subject Book is to impart knowledge about the subject concerned and present associated vocabulary. The final two lessons in the Subject Book present one or more pieces of writing. Skills Book; the main purpose of the Skills Book is presentation and practice in the four skills. Workbook; its purpose is written consolidation of grammar points from the Skills Book. Students are often referred back to the Skills Book to find examples or to check their answers. Occasionally, vocabulary items are also practiced in the Workbook, and there are sometimes pair work and role-play activities (Phillips et al 2002). Implementing innovation as organizational development: The concept of innovation as organizational development is well described in Markees two-in-one innovation: primary innovation and secondary innovation (1997). Markee relates the dimension of organizational development to ‘secondary innovations in contrast to ‘primary innovations, i.e. changes in teaching (and/or testing materials), methodological skills, and pedagogical vales (ibid: 53). In the dimension of primary innovations, innovation intending to introduce new materials, new teaching procedure, new teaching roles or technology, etc. will also involve changes in skills and values. Markee argues that primary innovations cannot be achieved without the implementation of secondary innovations. Markee exemplifies the notion of two-in-one innovations in a project conducted in an American university. This project not only introduced the task-based syllabus into classroom, but also implemented administrative and academic innovations for organizational development. For instan ce, by means of the development of communication channels (e.g. staff meetings, seminars, and orientations, etc.), participants at all levels obtained a complete understanding of the innovation. By means of the development of the teaching programs, teachers were well trained and became better informed. The outcomes showed that the administrative and academic development not only facilitated the implementation of the new syllabus, but also brought about organizational development. Development of the institutional change capacity is largely neglected due to ‘lack of awareness of the limitations of teacher and school administration or knowledge about how to implement the project (Pink 1989 in Fullan 1992). Through the process of organizational development, the implementers, including the management and teachers, focus on the processes and contents of change, learning to develop the capacity to implement change as organizational development. Only when the management and teachers a re assisted to build up their change capacity, is there an opportunity for ‘change as organizational development (Morrison 1998). 5. The curriculum innovation and the role of the teacher Rodgers in Richards (2001:104-105) discussing implementation of a communicative syllabus in Malaysia points out that: While the curriculum innovation has been failed in some places, it has been succeeded in others (i.e. Malaysia). In Malaysia the situation is different and the new curriculum has been managed to achieve its goal, because in Malaysia all the concern parts are shared in innovation (Richards 2001: 104-105). It is clear that these parts should be included in any decision for innovation. In Libya no one of these has taken part in the innovation, except the decision makers (Orafi 2008 :245). In England according to Woods and Jeffrey (2002:25) teachers have seen their role reduced to a list of â€Å"competencies and performativities†. This has produced teacher uncertainly as their role as professional has been reduced to that of a technician. In Libya, the teacher is often seen in similar terms, teachers in Libya do not usually influence curriculum change; it is the responsibility of the government to do so. Teachers must merely understand the requirement of students, know the syllab us, and be able to use appropriate teaching methods. Another important responsibility of the teacher is to help students to process new material in meaningful ways in order to encourage its storage in long-term memory in such a way that it is understood and is related to previous knowledge. However, the aim is that the learner makes sense of life and can use and apply knowledge in meaningful ways (Hussein, 2006). Orafi (2008) investigated teachers practices and beliefs in relation to curriculum innovations in English language teaching in Libya. The study was conducted with five Libyan secondary school teachers using classroom observation and interviews. He concluded that there was a mismatch between the teachers practice in the classroom and the principles of the curriculum because of the influence of their beliefs. 6. Methods of teaching EFL in Libyan secondary schools English is taught with the sole aim of passing exams and moving to the next stage. The learning process is largely viewed as mechanical habit formation. That is, the teaching process is dominated by teacher questions, the selection of students to respond, and the demonstration of examples on the board for students to imitate and repeat chorally. Some Libyan teachers still doubt the value of communicative activities because they believe that vocabulary and grammar rules must be the starting point in learning any foreign language, unlike when acquiring a first language. They think that students should be provided with large amounts of vocabulary and grammar rules to be memorized, and then they can start thinking of introducing various activities to practice the language (Al-Buseifi, 2003). These beliefs reflect their practice in class, where traditional methods of teaching such as the grammar translation method and the audio-lingual method are dominant (Orafi, 2008). Because the new cu rriculum is based on the CLT, I should turn to give sight on the CLT approach: 7. Communicative Language Teaching Communicative Language Teaching has had a major influence on language curriculum development. First, curriculum development has become much more complex. Whereas twenty or thirty years ago, the point of departure for curriculum development tended to be restricted to the identification of the learners current level of proficiency, with the development of communicative language teaching and the insight that curricula should reflect learners communicative needs and learning preferences. (Nunan 1996:20) Communication between student and student influences many ways. It can enhance or hinder learning. Students learn from communication through discussion or by talking about tasks. Communication can take place between a teacher and students. Therefore, appropriate communication skills are required, by keeping in mind the sensitivity to students, their level of understanding and judgement (Dillon and Maguire in Sussan 2005:105). What Is Communicative Language Teaching? CLT has been defined by Canale and Swain (1980:33) who point that: With respect to teaching methodology, it is crucial that classroom activities reflect, in the most optimally direct manner, those communication activities that the learner is most likely to engage in†¦ Furthermore, communication activities must be as meaningful as possible and be characterized (at increasing levels of difficulty) by aspects of genuine communication such as its basis in social interaction, the relative creativity and unpredictability of utterances, its purposefulness and goal-orientation, and its authenticity. Communicative language teaching (CLT) is typically seen as an approach to language teaching (Richards and Rodgers2001). It is based on the theory that the main purpose of language use is communication. With the aim of developing learners communicative competence (Hymes 1971). In other words, its goal is to make use of real-life situations that requires communication. What Is Communicative Competence? Communicative competence is defined as the capability to discuss and command apposite social behaviours, and it needs the active commitment of the learner in the construction of the target language (Canale and Swain 1980; Celce-Murcia et al 1995; Hymes 1972). Four dimensions of communicative competence are recognized; the knowledge of grammar and vocabulary (Linguistic competence); the capability to say the apposite thing in a confident social situation (sociolinguistic competence); the capability to begin, insert, add to, and extent a conversation, and the capability to do this in a regular and logical manner (discourse competence); the capability to communicate effectively and recover difficulties caused by communication collapse (strategic competence) (Richards and Rodgers 2001:160). Terms usually used to point to aspects of CLT contain ‘process oriented, ‘task-based, ‘group work and discussion and ‘learner-centred teaching. Communicative Language Teaching points to both processes and goals in classroom learning (Savignon, 2002:162). Berns (1990:104) states that in CLT; Language teaching is based on a view of language as communication, that is, language is seen as a social tool which speakers use to make meaning; speakers communicate about something to someone for some purpose, either orally or in writing. Obviously we can notice that CLT can be seen as a way of teaching in which the application of communicative activities and the foreign language attempts to advance students competence of knowing and sharing different knowledge. It centres on the aspect that learning is assisted in a purposeful, real situation where activities are achieved with the teachers directions. The definitions also hint that in order to carry out CLT successfully particularly in the EFL context; we are as EFL teachers need to improve our communicative competence, and need to have knowledge about the culture of the foreign language in order to teach the students. Our English proficiency, beliefs, attitudes will affect the implementation of CLT. Background Of CLT Communicative language teaching came into existence in the 1970s as a result of Hymes (1972), the work of the Council of Europe (Halliday 1975, the writings of Wilkins 1972, 1976, and Van EK Alexander (1980). Wilkinss document (1975) where he defined notions i.e. concepts such as time and place, and communicative functions such as requesting or apologizing, which was developed into the book National Syllabuses (Wilkins, 1976), influenced the development of CLT (see Mitchell, 1994; Richards and Rodgers, 2001; Howatt and Widdowson, 2004). CLTs roots can ultimately be traced back to Chomskys criticism of structural linguistic theory (1966). Chomskys ideas about linguistic competence, the innate knowledge of the linguistic system of the language, called Audio Lingual Method (ALM) into question based on the idea that lea

Essay --

INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING ASSIGNMENT Q.1) A brief history of the two organisations, and their objectives, in as far as theyrelate to accounting practices regionally and/or internationally, as necessary. A.1)1. EUROPEAN UNION (EU) The EU was initially formed in the mid 1940's to unite neighbouring nations developed to have a considerably more critical and important purpose. In 1957 the European Economic Community (EEC) was made to fabricate and incorporated economic market between the six establishing parts of the EU. The EEC was referred to a common market between the countries and over the time period more and more and more nations joined the EU, the EEC later got known as the European Community (EC). The EC turned into one of the primary mainstays of the EU and its point was to help make a local market between membered nations where there is an opportunity of transporting products and labour. As the amount of nations expanded the EU set directives for every nation to accompany to harmonise bookkeeping practices, these directives are listed below: ï  ¶ The endeavor to harmonise bookkeeping practices was by means of the issuing of directives ï  ¶ EU directives have the power of law and the member states are obliged to join the directives into their laws ï  ¶ They are trying to bind the member states, yet the outcomes that are accomplished are at the discretion of each member nations. ï  ¶ Two directives pointed at harmonising bookkeeping ï  ¶ The fourth directive of 1978 includescomprehensive bookkeeping standards for the individuals, and not for united records ïÆ'Ëœ Measurement (Valuation) guidelines, ïÆ'Ëœ The guidelines for the making of financial statements ïÆ'Ëœ Disclosure of data for both public and privately owned businesses ïÆ'Ëœ Establish the 'tr... ...combinations leading to the SEC removing the requirements for reconciliations CONCLUSION: The globalization is increasing in the world and the companies are going abroad to enter into new markets and capture new customers as well as the investors. The companies need to make accounts according to the new country and the investors need to study the financials of the company before investing into it. This is a problem as due to difference in the accounting standards are causing problems and hence.The financial reporting systems are converging, as international capital markets become more investor oriented since the investors now want to invest more in oversees and the globalization is increasing day by day there is an urgent need to make the accounting information comparable. The International Accounting Standards Board is at the center of the convergence movement now.

Causality and Effect

CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY Another common method of organizing an essay is by cause and effect. In a cause and effect essay, you discuss the reasons for something, and then you discuss the results. Cause and effect essays are concerned with why things happen (causes) and what happens as a result (effects). It is a common method of organizing and discussing ideas. The following are examples of typical cause and effect essay topics: * Causes and effects of computer revolution * Causes and effects of global warming * Causes for the popularity of fast food restaurants * Reasons for the increase in inflation Effects of illiteracy * Technology’s effect on human freedom and happiness In fact, cause and effect (which can also be called reasons and results) is one of the most used forms of organization in academic writing. STEPS IN WRITING CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAYS 1. Distinguish between cause and effect. To determine causes, ask: â€Å"Why did this happen? † To identify effects, ask: â€Å"What happened because of this? † The following is an example of one cause producing one effect: Cause: You are out of gas. Effect: Your car won’t start. Sometimes, many causes contribute to a single effect or many effects may result from a single cause.The following are examples: Causes: Liked business in high school Salaries in the field are high Have an aunt who is an accountant Am good with numbers Effect: Choose to major in accounting Cause: Reduce work hours Effects: Less income Employer is irritated More time to study More time for family and friends However, most situations are more complicated. The following is an example of a chain reaction: Thinking about friend†¦forgot to buy gas†¦car wouldn’t start†¦missed math exam†¦failed math course. 2. Develop your thesis statement. State clearly whether you are discussing causes, effects, or both.Introduce your main idea, using the terms â€Å"cause† and/or â€Å"effect†. 3. Find and organize supporting details. Back up your thesis with relevant and sufficient details that are organized. You can organize details in the following ways: * Chronological: Details are arranged in the order in which the events occurred. * Order of importance: Details are arranged from least to most important or vice versa. * Categorical: Details are arranged by dividing the topic into parts or categories. 4. Use appropriate transitions. To blend details smoothly in cause and effect essays, use the transitional words and phrases listed below.For Causes: First, second, because, due to, one cause is, another is, since, for, etc. For Effects: Consequently, as a result, thus, resulted in, one result is, another is, therefore, etc. ORGANIZING the â€Å"CAUSE and EFFECT ESSAY† There are basically two ways to organize a cause and effect essay: â€Å"Block† organization and â€Å"Chain† organization. The former one is widely used in academic writing, whereas t he latter is used in writing about topics such as scientific experimentation. In block organization, you first discuss all of the causes as a block (in one, two or three paragraphs, depending on the number of the causes).Then you discuss all of the effects together as a block. In chain organization, you discuss a first cause and its effect, a second cause and its effect, and a third cause and its effect in a chain. BLOCK TYPE| CHAIN TYPE| Introduction| Introduction| 1st Cause| 1st Cause & Effect| 2nd Cause| 2nd Cause & Effect| Transition Paragraph| 3rd Cause & Effect| 1st Effect| Conclusion| 2nd Effect| 3rd Effect| Conclusion| BLOCK ORGANIZATION Below is an example of an essay â€Å"Turkey’s admission to the EU† written in block organization.This is the pattern| This is how the sample outline looks| Introduction * Introduction of general topic * Thesis statement * Specific areas to be covered in this essay| Introduction * Background information about Turkey’s at tempts to be a member of EU. * There are two main reasons for Turkey to be such a good candidate in order to be admitted to the EU: its economic development and unique geopolitical position * This essay will cover first causes then effects| Essay section I (Causes) * Cause 1 a) Subsection b) Subsection * Cause 2 a) Subsection b) Subsection| * Causes of Turkey’s being a good candidate for the EU. ) Progress in economy a) Increased welfare rate b) The increase in the GDP 2) Unique geopolitical position a) Strategic waterways b) Borders with various countries c) Crisscrossed by oil and gas pipeline| There is the transition paragraph to make a link between causes and effects blocks. Having looked at the causes (reasons) for being a suitable member for the EU, let’s now look at the two main effects of winning admission to the EU: increase in the literacy rate and decrease in the unemployment rate. | * Essay Section II (Effects)Effect 1 a) Subsection b) Subsection| * Effects of Turkey’s potential membership to the EU. . The increase in literary rate among the young population a) More schools b) More opportunities for education2. Drop in the employment rate in Turkey a) New job opportunities| Conclusion * Summary of the main points (and looks to future)| Conclusion * The two main reasons for Turkey to win admission to the EU are its developing economy in addition to its geopolitical position which is like no other country in the Middle East. * If Turkey continues with the same speed of progress and by applying the EU criteria, there is no wonder that this date will be quite soon. TURKEY’S ADMISSION TO THE EU Turkey is a developing country with a great potential of human and non-human resources which are waiting to be exploited. With this potential, for some time Turkey has been trying to win admission as a EU member. Nowadays, this topic is top on the agenda. One must admit that Turkey has come a long way to reach its present condition and to become a suitable candidate for EU membership. There are two main reasons for Turkey to be such a good candidate in order to be admitted to the EU: its economic development and unique geopolitical position.First of all, in order to be accepted to the EU, Turkey has shown much progress in economy. Turkish leaders have solved many economic problems. As a consequence, the welfare rate in the country has increased. Similarly, the increase in the GDP has affected the economy. Therefore, the external debts have been paid. Secondly, Turkey is suitable for EU membership because of its unique geopolitical position. It not only sits astride strategic waterways by means of the Straits but also borders with the countries like Syria, Iraq, Iran and the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Georgia.As a result, this geopolitical position creates an enormous desire in the EU to accept Turkey as a strategic ally. Moreover, Turkey is a county crisscrossed by oil and gas pipelines. Thus, it attr acts many businessmen for trade. Having looked at the causes (reasons) for being a suitable member for the EU, let’s now look at the two main effects of winning admission to the EU: increase in the literacy rate and decrease in the unemployment rate. One of the biggest effects of admission to the EU will be the increase in literacy rate among the young population.It is a well-known fact that some children in Turkey cannot have a good education and as a result do not know how to read and write. If Turkey is accepted, the literacy rate will start rising because the EU criteria in education will be applied in our country. As a result of these criteria, more schools will be built and more opportunities for education will be created. Therefore, the literacy rate will gradually increase over the years. Another effect of gaining admission to the EU will be seen in the drop in the unemployment rate in Turkey. The EU countries will provide new job opportunities for Turkish people.Sinc e Turkish people will be allowed to freely move in European countries, they will be able to solve their problem of unemployment in these countries by providing them with their cheap labor force. In conclusion, the two main reasons for Turkey to win admission to the EU are its developing economy in addition to its geopolitical position which is like no other country in the Middle East. If these factors enable Turkey to get what it wants for a long time, its effects will be seen in not only the increase in the literacy rate but also the drop in the unemployment rate.We exactly know the reasons and results of this process; however, what we do not know is the date of admission. If Turkey continues with the same speed of progress and by applying the EU criteria, there is no wonder that this date will be quite soon. PRACTICE I: MAKING AN OUTLINE WOMEN’S LIBERATION Since the middle of this century, women around the world have been seeking greater independence and recognition. No lon ger content with their traditional roles as housewives and mothers, women have joined together to create the so-called â€Å"women’s liberation movement. While the forces behind this international movement vary from culture to culture and from individual to individual, the basic causes sin the United States can be traced to three events: the development of effective birth-control methods, the invention of labor-saving for the home and the advent of World War II. The first cause of the liberation of women was the development of effective birth-control methods, freeing women from endless cycle of childbearing and rearing. As a result of having a choice as to when and if to bear children, women acquired the freedom and the time to pursue interests outside of the home.Because of the development of birth control, women could delay having children or avoid having them altogether, consequently, women had the opportunity to acquire an education and pursue a career. Another event was the development of mechanized labor-saving devices for the home, resulting in more leisure time and freedom for women. For example, fifty years ago, a housewife spent an average of twelve to fourteen hours per day doing housework. Dye to the invention of machines such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines and dishwashers, a housewife can now take care of her daily housework in about five hours.The final event that, at least in the United States, gave impetus to the liberation of women was World War II. During the war, most men were serving in the military. Consequently, women had to fill the vacancies in the labor force. Women by the thousands went to work in factories and then took over businesses for their absent husbands. This was a great change for the majority of American women, fort hey discovered that they could weld airplanes and manage businesses as well as change diapers and bake cookies.These three events planted the seeds of great change in society, and the effects of th is change are being felt at all levels: in the family, in business, and in government. One of the biggest effects of the greater independence of women is being felt in the home. The traditional husband-wife relationship is undergoing a radical transformation. Because so many women are working, men are learning to share the household. One of the biggest effects of the greater independence of women is being felt in the home. The traditional husband-wife relationship is undergoing a radical transformation.Because so many women are working, men are learning to share the household tasks of cooking, cleaning and even caring for children. In some families, there has been a complete reversal of the traditional roles: the husband stays at home, while the wife earns the family’s income. It should be pointed out, however, that this is the exception, not the rule. In most families in the United States, the husband still earns most of the Money, and the wife does most of the housework. Th e effects of women’s liberation are being felt not only in the home but also on the job.More and more women are working, and they are demanding equal salaries and equally responsible positions. It is not uncommon for a woman to be the president of a Corporation these days. Many businesses encourage women to advance to high management positions, and every year, the nations’ schools produce more women doctors, lawyers and accountants. Politics and governments are still other areas that are feeling the effects of the women’s movement. Although the United States doesn’t appear ready to accept a woman president, as some countries of the world have, women are being elected to public office in increasing numbers.The United States currently has several women governors, which is the highest Office in a state. A few years ago, this would have been unthinkable. In conclusion, women in the United States are acquiring greater independence, which is causing sweeping ch anges in society — at home, at work, and in politics. While men may not be happy with these changes, they should always remember that it was they, the men, who created the conditions leading to the liberation of women: men made war, male scientists developed birth control, and businessman earned a lot of Money selling vacuum cleaners and dishwashers.WOMEN’S LIBERATION OUTLINE This is the pattern| This is how the sample outline looks| * Introduction * Introduction of general topic * Thesis statement * Specific areas to be covered in this essay| * Introduction| Essay section I (Causes) * Cause I a) Subsection b) Subsection * Cause II a) Subsection b) Subsection| * Causes of women’s liberation * _______________________ _______________________ * _______________________ _______________________ * _______________________ _______________________|There is the transition paragraph to make a link between causes and effects blocks. __________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Essay section II (Effects) * Effect 1 a) Subsection b) Subsection * Effect 2 a) Subsection b) Subsection * Effect 3 a) Subsection b) Subsection| * Effects of women’s liberation * ________________________________________________________________________________________ * ________________________________________________________________________________________ * ________________________________________________________________________________________| * Conclusion * Summary of main points (and look to future)| * Conclusion * _____________________________________________________________________________________| Make an outline for the causes and effects of teenage smoking. 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EFFECTS OF WATCHING TOO MUCH TVDiscoveries and invention of devices are always welcome till we, humans, find a way to abuse its benefit s and be adversely affected by it. This was the case when Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-rays and within five years, the British Army was using a mobile x-ray unit to locate bullets and shrapnel in wounded soldiers in Sudan. TV was also invented with positive thoughts in mind-there would be no national borders, education and communication would be worldwide, etc. However, we are now trying to overcome its physiological and psychological adverse effects on human beings. One of the physiological effects of watching TV in excessive amounts is eye-strain.It is true that there are specifications for watching TV; TV should be 5 m. away from the eye, the room should be adequately lit, TV should be placed at the same height with our eyes, etc. However, these do not prevent our eyes from getting tired if we keep watching TV for a long time. Another effect is obesity, which is widely observed in people who like watching TV and eating snacks everyday (there is even a term â€Å"TV snacks† to refer to fast food that is suitable for eating in front of the TV). TV is such a powerful machine that people cannot get away from it. It is addictive. Apart from the physiological effects, TV also causes psychological effects. One is a result of being exposed to violence.After seeing so many violent scenes on TV, people start considering violent actions normal and they lose their sensitivity to their environment. Partly connected to this effect, the interpersonal communication among people decreases. Being insensitive to the suffering of other people causes people to become alienated. Also, after coming home from work, people seek to relax in front of the TV, and generally people prefer watching TV to talking to each other. This issue is very important since lack of interpersonal relationships mostly end with divorces. Shortly, inventions are meant to be beneficial for human beings, if we know how to benefit from them.TV is one of such inventions that need to be used for the r ight purpose only-being educated and entertained for a reasonable (according to age) period of time. We may, then, be safe from or at least reduce the adverse physiological and psychological effects of watching TV too much. A Different Example of Block Organization: CAUSES THE CAUSES OF POVERTY IN MEXICO Are you aware that 20 million people in Mexico live on less than two dollars a day? Sixty million people, half the Mexican population, live in poverty, and twenty million of them live in extreme poverty. Most of the time, garbage is their food, and some days, they don’t even eat anything. This critical situation in Mexico is caused by individual, geographic and political factors.The purpose of this essay is to analyze these three main causes of poverty in Mexico. The first and immediate cause of poverty in Mexico is the individual condition. This cause refers to circumstances and characteristics of poor people. For example, the amount of education, skill, intelligence, health , and prejudice all have an influence on poverty. The lack of education is one of the most significant factors that contribute to poverty. There is no access to jobs for non-educated people. The second cause of poverty has to do with geography. For example, statistics show that people who live in rural areas far away from the cities are poorer. This is caused by the lack of communication and transportation in remote rural areas.Because of this, governments can’t provide essential services such as water, affordable food, primary health care, and education. People who live there are totally isolated from the rest of the society. The third and most significant cause of poverty in Mexico is the political economy of the country. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank-prescribed structural adjustment policies have been applied in Mexico because the government doesn’t carry out enough policies to encourage successful development. They cannot, for these international i nstitutions lend money to Mexico on the condition that the nation open up its economy and cut social expenditures to repay the loans.The IMF and World Bank programs are supposed to reduce poverty, but actually they are increasing it. Unless the Mexican government works on the causes of the poverty which are the individual condition, the geographic factor, and the political economy of the country, the problem is going to get worse. Nobody likes to see poor children eating out of garbage cans. Mexico needs a new political economy designed by Mexican economists and politicians, people who are committed to Mexico and to the future of its society. CHAIN ORGANIZATION Another type of cause-and-effect analysis is the casual chain. Unlike the multiple cause-effect analyses, the causes and effects in a casual chain are always directly related; in fact, they are linked.In the casual chain, one effect can become a cause of another effect, which in turn becomes a cause of another effect, and so on. For example, let us say that a man had problems at work; as a result, he started to drink heavily. His heavy drinking eventually caused him to behave in an abusive way to his wife; his wife then alienated herself from him. His wife’s alienation caused him to feel even more alone and more of a failure; his depression caused him to decide for a divorce. The domino-like chain might be diagrammed as follows: problems at work cause drinking heavily effect cause abusive behavior toward wife ffect cause alienation of wife effect cause depression increase effect cause divorce effect The other major use of the casual chain is in science to analyze various kinds of cycles, biological or chemical chains, for example. Study the following essay, which analyzes a casual chain. See if the cause-effect relationships are clarified and explained. Below is an example of an essay written in chain organization. UPSETTING THE BALANCE OF NATURE The members of a living community exist together in a particular, balanced relationship, or ecosystem. One animal species eats another animal species which in turn eats another.Over years, a balance is worked out among the plants and animals in a community and it remains basically stable. It is like a huge puzzle with all of the pieces in their proper places. However, at times this balance in nature is disturbed, resulting in a number of possibly unforeseen effects. Perhaps a disease results in the near extinction of one species, leaving another species with no natural predator. The result can be a terrific increase in that one species’ population. This could further result in the devastation of a shared food supply, which could in turn affect another species. It is possible for the disruption in the balance of nature to have natural causes: disease, drought, fire.Sometimes, however, human beings intervene in a natural environment, perhaps only slightly and with good intentions. The result is the same. The balance of natur e becomes unbalanced and results in an entire chain reaction of unforeseen and unwanted effects. A good example of this occurred in the Antilles in the 1870’s. Sugar cane was a major crop there, but rats were eating and nesting in the cane, causing a great deal of damage. The mongoose, a one-and-a-half-foot-long mammal of the East Indies, was known to be an excellent rat hunter. Several males and females were imported in 1872, and laws were established that forbade the killing of them or their offspring. The mongoose flourished in the Antilles.After ten years it had multiplied abundantly and had significantly reduced the rat population. Consequently, damage to the cane fields was greatly reduced. It seemed that the scheme to add another piece to the ecological puzzle in the Antilles had been successful. However, that is not the end of the story. The influence of the mongoose did not stop there. As the rat population decreased and the mongoose population increased, the mongoos e needed to enlarge its menu. It attacked young pigs and goats, game, poultry, and began to destroy bananas, maize and pineapples. Because the mongoose could not be hunted, its numbers increased rapidly, and it became a terrible past. All of the indigenous animals suffered damage.The mongoose learned to enjoy the native birds, snakes, lizards, turtles and their eggs. Now, it was specifically these animals that kept the local insect population in check. There were in the ecosystem of the Antilles a number of beetles, borers, and other insects that lived on and in the sugar cane. Until that time, they had not caused significant damage to the cane, because they were the natural food of so many local animals that kept their numbers down. However, as the birds, snakes, lizards, and turtles disappeared, the insect population began to increase. With no natural predators to keep them in check, the insects began to do more and more damage to the cane fields.Finally, the people of the Antille s realized that the introduction of the mongoose had caused a finely and delicately balanced system to go awry. The law against killing the mongoose was rescinded, and the mongoose population was reduced. Gradually, the different members of the plant and animal community came back into balance with each other and equilibrium was reestablished. However, the human members of the community would not soon forget that a single change in an ecosystem can cause a chain reaction that results in completely unforeseen and sometimes unwanted effects. PRACTICE: MAKING AN OUTLINE The following short essay describes a simple CHAIN reaction. SADWhen winter arrives, some people get sad, even depressed. Doctors have recently started to study the causes of a medical disorder that they have appropriately named SAD, or seasonal affective disorder. People who suffer from SAD become very depressed during the winter months. Their depression appears to be the result of a decrease in the amount of sunlight they are exposed to. Doctors theorize that decreased sunlight affects the production of melatonin, a hormone manufactured in the brain, and serotonin, a chemical that helps transmit nerve impulses. Depression may result from ensuing (following immediately) imbalance of these two substances in the body.Also doctors believe that a decrease in the amount of sunlight the body receives may cause a disturbance in the body’s natural clock ( normal cycle of sleep and wakefulness) which could, in turn, result in symptoms such as lethargy (tiredness), oversleeping, weight gain, anxiety, and irritability—all signs of depression. Since absence of light seems to be the cause of this disorder, a daily dose of light appears to be the cure. Doctors advise patients to sit in front of a special light box that stimulates natural light for a few hours every day. In conclusion, the depressive effect of low sunlight levels may help explain the high number of depressed people in Scandinavian countries, and more importantly, it may suggest a remedy (cure). When the days grow short, turn on the lights. A) Read the essay above and answer these questions. 1. What causes the days to grow shorter? ________________________________________________________ 2. ————————————————- What is the effect of shorter days? ————————————————- 3. What does this cause? _________________________________________________________ 4. What other change results from a decrease in the amount of light? _________________________________________________________ 5. What is the final result? _________________________________________________________ B) Fill in the boxes to complete the flowchart, which illustrates the cause and effect chain described in the model essay â€Å"SAD† . WINTER| | Body produces less|Lethargy, oversleeping, weight, anxiety, irritability| CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY CHECKLIST Check the appropriate box. YES NO 1. Does your essay have general statements in the introduction paragraph? | | | 2. Does your essay have a thesis statement that indicates the cause & effect style and expresses the central idea of your essay in the introduction paragraph? | | | 3. Does your essay include both the causes and effects of the topic you wrote about? | | | 4. Have you analyzed the causes with sufficient supporting details using cause & effect structure words? | | | 5. Have you analyzed the effects with

Douglas MacArthur Essay

Is Douglas MacArthur a true American hero? Just who is this man that is so famous in our American history books? Douglas MacArthur, who eventually trained at West Point was born in the year of 1880 to a military family. His dad was Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur Jr. , a man that raised a son who looked up to him as his own hero since he received the Medal of Honor. Douglas MacArthur also looked up to his grandparent, who was in politics which gave his grandson direction being so close and familiar with important men who influenced our nation. Douglas MacArthur who lived in various places during his lifetime before serving in many wars, such as World War II. Little Rock, Arkansas and San Antonio Texas were just a couple of places he resided before becoming famous for serving in France as a Chief of Staff member who was assigned to the forty-second Rainbow Division where he was promoted to Brigadier General where he was later given the title â€Å"Division Commander. † He was a leader who wanted his men on the forefront of fighting and went down in history as a man who loved to fight. I admire Douglas MacArthur for his strong views and being a man who was a strong leader instead of a follower. He was a influential person who will always be admired, respected and talked about in history classes across a strong America. A place that Douglas MacArthur firmly believed should be fought for.