The Relationship Between The Big Five Personality Psychology Essay

The Relationship Between The Big Five Personality Psychology Essay Personality traits as the characteristics of a person with consistent patterns of behaviour are undoubtedly playing a significant role in determining a students success in pursuing his or her tertiary education. Therefore, this research aims to investigate and examine the effects of personality traits on the students performance in UTAR Kampar Campus, Perak, Malaysia. As proposed by Costa and McCrae (1992), the Big-Five Personality Traits model has been used in this study whereby the model categorizes humans personality into five factors, namely the Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Openness to Experience, Extraversion, and lastly Neuroticism. Target population for this research is approximately 408 students and a questionnaire encompassing 3 sections was presented to the respondents. The study subjects were 200 accounting students in UTAR Kampar Campus. For data analysis, the Pearson Correlation Analysis and Multiple Regression Analysis are adopted to determine the relationships bet ween the variables. Overall, completion of this study will provide a guideline as to which traits would be favourable for students to harness so as to achieve better results in tertiary education. Lastly, this study also confirmed the validity and reliability of the Big-Five Personality Traits model as proposed by Costa and McCrae (1992). CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.0 Introduction This chapter gives a general idea of this research, where it comprises of seven sections. The research background briefly explains what are personality and students performance. The problem statement is addressed in the second section. Research objectives and research questions are also highlighted in this chapter and lastly, significance of the study, outline of chapter, and conclusion is followed by. 1.1 Research Background When someone talks about students performance, what is it actually refers to? Past studies broadly defined students performance as a pedagogical terminology used to determine learners achievement in formal education while to measure a students performance is only by examinations (Tope, 2011). Apparently, it gives rise to the question of whether what is the definite measurement of it? Is examination the only way to measure a students performance? Does the employers nowadays only concern about students academic achievement? While most employers actually view that way, it would be unfair to only compare a persons past achievement in a sole aspect. Nonetheless, some employers nowadays are different whereby they perceive that a successful student should include academic success, secured position in career field, and ability to apply knowledge and skills in real life (Dean, 1998). Therefore, quantitative measurement such as Grade Point Average (GPA) may not be the only factor to determine a students performance whereby other qualities such as communication skills, leadership, and team performance should also be considered (Sansgiry, Bhosle Sail, 2006). Due to aggressive competitions in business world, employers demand higher requirements in fresh graduates (Maurin, Thesmar Thoenig, 2002; Koda, Yuki Hong, 2011). The criterion includes time management, teamwork and leadership ability (Weligamage Siengthai, 2003). Students possessing such skills are definitely in a better position of securing job opportunities. Therefore, higher attention should be placed on graduate students personality as it affects their employability which in turn influences unemployment rates in Malaysia (Ismail, 2011). On the contrary, when people talks about human personality, what is the first thought that comes into your mind? Most people think that it is the different attitudes or habits that each individual possess. This is known as the individual differences or national characters that differentiate people (Mooradian Swan, 2006). Previous studies clarified that there indeed exist differences in individuals attitude from different countries (Lynn Martin, 1994). A simple example of this is where some people would tend to be more sociable and talkative, and some would be the exact opposite (Wilt Revelle, 2008). Such difference would somehow cause different outcomes in ones education with their future career at stake. While it is difficult to completely define the term personality, Pervins study defined it as the characteristics of a person with consistent patterns of behavior (Saleem, Beaudry Croteau, 2011). Apart from that, recent studies presented that personalities can be branched out to other perspectives such as the biological model of the Big-Five personality traits (DeYoung, Hirsh, Shane, Papademetris, Rajeevan Gray, 2010), and the Dark Triad personality traits (Jonason, Webster, Schmitt, Li Crysel, 2012). Personality is becoming an important factor in various situations (Caspi, Roberts Shiner, 2005) where at working place, a right personality allow workers to interact well with colleagues and clients thus expanding their network span; at university, students are more sociable thus studies in a comfortable environment (Bester, 2007). Furthermore, many human-made issues and criminal cases can be related to the decline in ones personality, in other words, lacks of Personality Development (PoliÃ…Â ¡enskà ½, 2006). Then, Jinnie (2011) stated that a person with good personality will enhance his or her communication skills and anger management. Meanwhile, in managements perspective, a positive personality will aid in clearing workers negative conditioning, anxiety, and depressions in solving problems (Morton, 2011; Brunello Schlotter, 2011). Therefore, personality is an important determinant of career choice (Holland, 1976). In relation to students performance at school or university, prior studies have identified the five personalities that affect students behavior where this in turn affects their performances. In this case, the Big-Five personality model is an effective way to predict an individuals behavior as it has been widely used and proved to be convincing (Noftle Shaver, 2006; Robbins, 2007). 1.2 Problem Statement Students performance has been a questionable factor on the employability of fresh graduates and how well are they satisfying the qualities that the employers looking for (Marshall, 2010). According to Department of Statistic in Malaysia, unemployment rate among fresh graduates has been rising from 2.6% in 1996 to 3.1% in 2011. The Prime Minister of Malaysia also indicated that the highly skilled workforce in 2010 is only 23% where this percentage is still far from the minimum requirement, compared with some of the developing countries (Ramakrishnan Yasin, 2011). In the past decade, there are various studies being carried out by the researchers to examine the effect of students performances using the Big-Five personality traits. Gray and Watson (2002) investigated the connections between personalities and sleep that have the combined effects on students academic outcomes in United States. According to Komarraju, Karau and Schmeck (2009), personality traits are important to improve students self-motivation in attaining higher academic honors. Besides, a study in Iran investigated that students distinct characteristic and personality is one of the variables that affect their academic achievement (Hakimi, Hejazi Lavasani, 2011). On the other hand, Taher, Chen and Yao (2011) studied the relationship between MBA students performance and their personality traits whereas Kalshoven, Hartog and Hoogh (2010) carried out a study on individual leadership skill and used only three out of five of the big-five personality traits (conscientiousness, agreeab leness, and emotional stability). However, there are still some deficiencies in the past empirical researches. The study in Gray and Watson (2002) only focuses on the universitys students in their country, therefore no firm explanations that the results of the past research are valid in Malaysia. Besides, Komarraju et al. (2009) pointed out that the personality of the students is being influenced by the environment as the research was conducted in various universities. In addition, Hakimi et al. (2011)s study is very limited due to the area of research were not conducted in Asia. This indicates that little study has been done on the students in Malaysia. Moreover, the study of Taher et al. (2011) also ignored the other aspects of students performance other than their scores and grades. Lastly, Kalshoven et al. (2010) did not include all of the Big-Five factors of personality traits in their research and this implies that the researchs results and measurements of personality traits may not be accurate. Therefore, this research is carried out to fill the gaps of past researches by investigating the personality traits as the one of the important factors that affects the several aspects of university students performance in Malaysia. 1.3 Research Objectives and Research Questions Table 1.1: Research Objectives and Research Questions Research Objectives Research Questions General Objective In general, this research aims to investigate and examine the relationship of personality traits on the students performance in UTAR. General Question Do personality traits relate to the students performance in UTAR? Specific Objectives To examine the relationship between conscientiousness and students performance in UTAR. To examine the relationship between agreeableness and students performance in UTAR. To examine the relationship between openness to experience and students performance in UTAR. To examine the relationship between extraversion and students performance in UTAR. To examine the relationship between neuroticism and students performance in UTAR. Specific Questions Is there any relationship between conscientiousness and students performance in UTAR? Is there any relationship between agreeableness and students performance in UTAR? Is there any relationship between openness to experience and students performance in UTAR? Is there any relationship between extraversion and students performance in UTAR? Is there any relationship between neuroticism and students performance in UTAR? Source: Developed for the research 1.4 Significance of the Study 1.4.1 Theoretical Perspective From an educational perspective, this research can serve as a basic guideline for future researchers as it is a modified research model in terms of measuring students performance qualitatively. This research also confirmed the previous theory of Five Factor Model of personality traits by Costa and McCrae (1992), thus adding credibility towards the theory. 1.4.2 Practical Perspective From country-wide perspective, students, as the citizens of Malaysia, developing their personality and improving their performance would boost overall capability and reduces unemployment rates in Malaysia as more students will be employed. From the industry perspective, findings from this research may contribute to the employer by providing the basic information on which type of employees personality is preferable. Although it may not be of huge importance, employers should not overlook this aspect in recruitment as employees with great personality will definitely enhance the organizations intellectual use of available human resources. 1.5 Chapter Layout Chapter One covers the introduction of this research which includes research background, problem statement, research objectives and questions, and lastly the significance of this study. Chapter Two explores the core theories by reviewing literatures of past empirical studies and developing theoretical framework and hypotheses. Chapter Three explains the research methodology adopted whereby it includes the research design, population and sampling procedures, data collection and analysis techniques, and variables and measurements. Chapter Four presents the analyzed data and results from the target respondents detailed in descriptive and inferential analysis, and scale measurements. Chapter Five briefly concludes this research as it summarizes the findings from this research and also providing implications, limitations, and recommendations for this research. 1.6 Conclusion This chapter has acknowledged the problem statement, research questions and objectives, significance of the study and the outline of the research project. In Chapter Two, it would then provide the relevant literature review. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introduction The previous chapter has highlighted the introduction of this research project. This chapter will touch on the literature review of the research. Literature review provides a comprehensive review on the secondary sources of data done by previous authors or researchers such as books, journal articles, thesis papers, research projects, and reports. This chapter embodies five sections. Firstly, Section 2.1 is the review of literature whilst Section 2.2 reviews the prior empirical studies. Then, Section 2.3 shows the proposed theoretical conceptual framework. After that, Section 2.4 is the development of hypotheses. Lastly, Section 2.5 summarizes this chapter to provide a general understanding to the readers. 2.1 Review of the Literature Based on the prior researches, it has been widely accepted that the Big Five Personality Traits by McCrae and Costa (1992), and Digman (1990) can determine ones individual characteristics (Moghaddam, Peyvandi Wang, 2009). In this part, this research will define and explain thoroughly each of these traits to provide for the development of hypotheses for this research and lastly, relating each of them with the students performance. 2.1.1 Conscientiousness Conscientiousness is defined by John and Srivastava (1999) as individual differences in the propensity to be goal directed (Savelyev, 2012). According to Barrick and Mount (1991), traits of conscientiousness includes being dependable, responsible, and organized (Trinh, 2002). More specifically, individual who is measured as high in conscientiousness is determined and strong-willed (Bruck Allen, 2002). 2.1.2 Agreeableness According to Nettle and Liddle (2008), Digmans and Grazianos study suggested that agreeableness is associated to a persons warmth, friendliness and conformance with others. It is also supported by Janss and Rabinowitzs study where traits of agreeableness include unselfishness, friendliness and modesty (Bozionelos, 2003). Thus, people who is high in agreeableness is likely to get along well with others (Judge, Livingston, Hurst, 2011). 2.1.3 Openness to Experience Yamagatas study defined openness to experience as people who are intellectually curious (McCrae Sutin 2009) and individuals who are measured high in openness are curious for inner and outer world (Bruck Allen, 2002). Conversely, low in openness to experience usually have a narrow and common interest and likes to enjoy routine activities (Flynn, 2005). 2.1.4 Extraversion Traits of extraversion can be represented by sociability, assertiveness, and social dominance (Bozionelos, 2003). Judges and Wastsons study also supported that viewpoint as it refers extraversion to sociability (Chan, 2007). In other words, it is a tendency to search for stimulation and to enjoy mingling with other people. 2.1.5 Neuroticism Defined as a tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily, neuroticism continuum ranges from calm and composed to nervous and anxious (Greenberg Baron, 2008). Eysenck (1967) defines that neuroticism accounts for a low tolerance for stress (Norris, Larsen Cacioppo, 2007). In other words, neurotic people respond poorly to environmental stress, and often interpret ordinary and minor situations as threatening and difficult (Hettema, Neale, Myers, Prescott Kendler, 2006). 2.1.6 The Relationship between the Big-Five Personality Traits and Students Performance Chamorro-Premuzic and Furnham (2003) indicated that conscientiousness has a strong direct positive relationship with students academic performance and this is also supported by many existing literatures (Conrad, 2006; Zyphur, Bradley, Landia Thoresen, 2008). However, some showed otherwise as a mediating factor exist (Conrad Patry, 2012). The trait is also able to influence a persons behavior which in turn affects their academic behaviors such as self-efficacy and learning styles (Bong, 2008). Additionally, Laidra, Pullmann and Allik (2006) studied the relationship of personality traits and general intelligence with the students academic performances. The study showed that Conscientiousness has a positive association with academic performance. H1: There is a positive relationship between conscientiousness and students performance. Farsides and Woodfield (2003) indicated that agreeableness is negatively correlated with absence for classes. Furthermore, high attendance in classes and seminars has a positive contribution on students performance (Arulampalam, Naylor Smith, 2008). Nevertheless, Nyugen, Allen Fraccastoro (2005) proposed that there was indirect relationship between agreeableness and students performance as the learning style is the mediating factor (Chamillard Sward, 2005). Students with this trait are able to interact and learn well with others especially in groups; thus, agreeableness also enhanced team cohesion which in turn affected their performance positively (Oneill Kline, 2008). Thus, agreeableness is positively correlated with students performance (Taher Jin, 2011). H2: There is a positive relationship between agreeableness and students performance. Duff, Boyle, Dunleavy and Ferguson (2003) revealed that openness has positive effects on learning approach (deep approach) and such approach is positively related to students performance. Learning approach plays an important role in linking the Big-Five traits with students performance (Cano Berben, 2009; Chamorro-Premuzic et al., 2006). This is further supported by Chamorro-Premuzic, Furnham and Lewis (2006). Furthermore, Furnham, Monsen and Ahmetoglu (2009) proposed that openness had significant relationship with students performance provided the mediator is deep approach. H3: There is a positive relationship between openness to experience and students performance. According to Furnham, Zhang and Chamorro-Premuzic (2006), extraversion can be recognized as a persons interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Furthermore, extraversion is made up of two central components; affiliation which was having warm personal relationship and agency which was being socially dominant (Bono, 2004). In addition, the most common definitions of extraversion are ascendance and sociability (Mooradian Swan, 2006). Therefore, extraverted individual are more likely to have a desire to work with others and more confident in their ability to work effectively within a team structure. It is essential when an individual is joining a group study and will enhance student performance (Morgeson, Reider, Campion, 2005). In spite of this, students with high extravert personality prefer to be sociable and active in extra-curricular activities rather than focusing on their studies. Thus, students performance would be adversely affected. Chamorro-Premuzic and Furnham (2003) research ed on the relationship of personality traits and students academic performance at University College London and as a result, extraversion was negatively related with students academic performance. H4: There is a negative relationship between extraversion and students performance. Neuroticism may affect a persons ability resulting in poorer academic performance (Chamorro-Premuzic Furnham, 2006; Lievens, Ones Dilchert, 2009). As cited under Ahmad and Rana (2012), many neurotic students suffered higher percentage of failures in examinations because this trait shifts the students concentration away from study due to negative emotions. On the other hand, students who obtained high grades were less associated with anxious emotions (Al-Qaisy Khuffash, 2012; Al-Qaisy, 2011), this suggested students with high grades are good in managing their stress. Nevertheless, Poropat (2011) conducted a research about the use of personality in predicting academic performance and proved that there is significant negative correlation between neuroticism and academic performance. H5: There is a negative relationship between neuroticism and students performance. 2.2 Review of Relevant Theoretical Models 2.2.1 The Big-Five Personality The earliest founders of The Big-Five Theory are Tupes and Christal (1961) as they established the five factors of personality traits that we know today (Busato, Prins, Elshout Hamaker, 1999). Unfortunately, their study was published in an obscure Air-Force publication that was not read by many people, therefore the theory was not widely-known at that time (Locklair, 2011). According to Goldberg (1993), other early explorers of The Big-Five include Borgatta (1964) and Smith (1967) who continued the founders work. The first version of this theory is called  The Big-Five, introduced by  Warren Norman in 1963 (Boeree, 2006). The Big-Five Personality Traits is a comprehensive research which analyzes human personality together with their traits (Digman, 1990). Particularly, a five-dimensional personality traits model is proposed by McCrae and Costa (1992) after studying on the Five-Factor Model (FFM) and its applications. To further understanding humans personality, this study categorized humans personality into five main factors, namely the Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Openness to Experience, Extraversion, and Neuroticism. FFM model dominated the personality field over the past two decades due to its famous recognition as a comprehensive description of personality traits and provided a major degree of convergence in the trait-factor analytic psychology (Nikolaou Robertson, 2001). This study has come across many researches about the Big-Five personality model. Thus, it shows that this model can be used in many areas as it gives us the fasters and accurate way to identify a persons attitudes and behaviors (Pickens, 2005). However, the Big-Five personality model has also been discovered to have effects on social or friendship networking behavior (Wehrli, 2008); in addition that it is also a good predictor for employees job performance (Hurtz Donovan, 2000; Fietze, Holst Tobsch, 2010). Nevertheless, this model can also be applied to almost everyone in this world every individual possess all five personalities of the model to a greater or lesser extent (Soto, Gosling, John, Potter, 2011). Apart from that, the Big-Five model is also applied to the research done by Distel, Trull, Willemsen, Vink, Derom, Iynskey, Martin and Boomsma (2009); studying the five personality traits and nature of personality disorders. Furthermore, in the aspect of employment, studies on the five personalities are also conducted relating to executive mangers job recruitment and fresh graduates (Dykeman Dykeman, 1996). The Big-Five includes Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Openness to Experience, Extraversion, and Neuroticism. As there are many personality-related-researches also utilized this Big-Five model, this study exploit this advantage and uses this model to give us the faster and accurate way to identify a persons attitudes and behaviors (Kumar, Bakhshi Rani, 2009). Hence, this theory will be applied in this research as it is a widely-used theory in evaluating peoples personality (Brown Taylor, 2011; Wood, Linley, Maltby, Baliousis Joseph, 2008). 2.3 Proposed Theoretical/ Conceptual Framework Figure 2.1: Relationship between the Big Five Personality Traits to Students Performance Big 5 Personality Traits Independent Variables Dependent Variable Conscientiousness H1 H2 Agreeableness H3 Students Performance Openness to Experience H4 H5 Extraversion Neuroticism Sources: adapted from Taher et al., 2011; Anwar, Shahzed Ijaz-ul-Rehman, 2011; Chen, Tsai Chen, 2009 Based on the literature review, a conceptual framework has been developed and shown in Figure 2.1. This research is conducted to test the relationship between the independent variables and dependent variable. Whereby, independent variables comprises of conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness to experience, extraversion and neuroticism, whilst dependent variable is students performance. Previous researches (Nguyen, Allen Fraccastoro, 2005; Chowdhury, 2006) showed that the five factors have produced distinct results. From the proposed conceptual framework, hypotheses will be developed and it is to be proven after completion of a thorough empirical study investigating whether personality traits are related to students performance. 2.4 Hypotheses Development Based on the review of the prior empirical studies discussed at 2.1.6, a summary of the hypotheses development is presented as below. Table 2.1: Development of Hypotheses Personality Traits Hypotheses Conscientiousness H1: There is a positive relationship between conscientiousness and students performance. Agreeableness H2: There is a positive relationship between agreeableness and students performance. Openness to experience H3: There is a positive relationship between openness to experience and students performance. Extraversion H4: There is a negative relationship between extraversion and students performance. Neuroticism H5: There is a negative relationship between neuroticism and students performance. Source: Developed for the research 2.5 Conclusion A review of literature has been carried out in this chapter and it has been discovered that there are different opinions from researchers regarding the relationship between the Big-Five Personality traits with students performance. Besides, an understanding on the Big-Five Personality traits has been done for a clear explanation and how can it be associated with students performance. Then, a conceptual framework has been proposed to show the relationship between each trait with students performance. Finally, hypotheses have been developed based on the literatures reviewed and the discussion for relevant methods to be used in this study will be conducted in the following chapter. CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 3.0 Introduction This chapter will address an overview of the research methodology. At the beginning of this chapter, the research design in term of quantity methodology and deductive research approach will be described. Next, the population, sample and sampling procedures would be explained. After that, data collection methods that have been applied which are primary and secondary data collection are discussed. In addition, variable and measurement were also being presented in this chapter. Lastly, data processing and its analysis would be presented to summarize the findings. 3.1 Research Design The main purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between Big-Five Personality Traits and students performance in UTAR. Primary data collection and survey method were used in this research in which questionnaires will be self-administered because it is affordable and time saving. Based on the purpose of this study, a deductive research approach was adopted. Besides that, a quantitative methodology was employed because it clearly and precisely specifies both variables of the study (Alaxei, 2002). Moreover, this type of research is a descriptive study because it describes and documents on a phenomenon (Johnson, 2001). The research is based on a cross-sectional study due to the time constraint by academic purposes. Hence, investigation was limited to a subset of population only. 3.2 Data Collection Methods 3.2.1 Primary Data Collection For this research, a self-administrated questionnaire is preferred because it provides convenience to both the researchers and respondents. As an effort to establish the validity and reliability of the survey questionnaire, a total of 30 questionnaires were distributed for a pilot test to check the questionnaires understandability (Black, 2008). After that, questionnaires were distributed to 270 respondents whereby they are expected to complete it under researchers supervisory within twenty minutes and returned to ensure no missing questionnaires. 3.2.2 Secondary Data Collection Secondary data collection involves the literatures review on related past studies (Daas Toth, 2012). This method is vital because relying on primary data collection is not adequate to complete this research (Sandall, Schwartz Lacroix, 2004). Besides, review on literatures also allows the researchers a better understanding on the topic and able to prove the hypotheses developed earlier (Bailey, 2006). 3.3 Sampling Design 3.3.1 Target Population Target population is a complete collection group of objects or people that are specifically identified for an investigation (Wang, 2007). Final year accounting undergraduates in UTAR, Kampar Campus were the target respondents for this research as there is no personality-related study addressing the wide aspects of students performance carried out in this university, hence this university is targeted to examine the relationships between the five factor model of personality traits and students performance. Previous personality-related researches only studied the relationships between personality and perceived benefits on e-ticketing behaviour, and also personality and social networking behavior. Undergraduate students tend to have a higher proficiency in English language, thus they would understand this researchs survey better. Moreover, another reason is that labor market is new to fresh accounting graduate as they will be joining the labor force soon and thus it is emerging trend for the employers to seek high performances, vital interpersonal skills and personality development among the undergraduates (Lim, 2011; Sirat, Chan, Shuib, Rahman, Kamil, Singh, 2012). Besides, Lim (2007) found out that the accounting students in Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) would have higher unemployment probability. This highlights that there might be a chance of UTAR accounting students facing the same problem since the competition for best and talented accounting graduates is getting more intense especially in large accounting firm (Brundy Norris, 2011). Therefore, it is interested to investigate the connection between personality traits and students performance in which will affects their employability in future. 3.3.2 Sampling Frame and Sampling Location According to Thompson (1999), sampling is necessary as it is too expensive and impractical to study on every single element in the population. However, sampling frame for this research could not be obtained as the students full details cannot be disclosed due to the universitys privacy policy. Final year accounting undergraduates in UTAR, Kampar Campus were the target respondents for this research because it is convenient and easier to be contacted for researchers (Loh, 2011). The popu

iPad: Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down? Essay -- Environmental Issues

Technology has always fascinated me due to its fast evolution of electronic devices, especially the revolution of computers. In this very case, the iPad, a truly global product, particularly caught my attention. Digging deeper, it is the components of the iPad that accomplish this high quality of product, making it a popular demand. However, the Apple company itself did not produce the components. The other reputable companies and their factories overseas did. The iPad contains so many components that it is unbelievable. It is quite a fascinating journey walking through most of the components that are accessible to the location of productions, not to mention overall impact the product has on the environment, such as carbon emissions. It is expected that every product has its downside, and the iPad is no exception. Unfortunately, Apple products are known as the the most environmentally-unfriendly brand amongst all other brands of electronics. The fast production of the iPad due to th e popular demand is not helping much on this aspect of the product either. Not to mention the fact that a new edition of iPad comes out every year. Hence, it is time to reveal the negative side of the popular global product, the iPad. The components in the iPad are various and complicated. There are so many that it is quite easy to get lost from all the introduction of the intricate parts. Opening up the iPad, the components revealed. Not surprisingly, the components are from all around the world with different reputable companies that are known for their technological advancement and promising high quality. The iPad has unbelievably amount of parts inside of it; imagine the potential hazard it can bring to the environment, not just how the constitue... ...to stop the terrible consequences that the human beings would have to face sooner or later. Works Cited "Apple - The Story Behind Apple's Environmental Footprint." Apple. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. . Miller, Michael J.. " iPad 2: Designed in California, Manufactured Everywhere ." Forward Thinking . N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. . Sherr, Ian. " Breaking Down the iPadà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Components - Digits - WSJ." WSJ Blogs - WSJ. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. . "iPad Environmental Report." iPad Environmental Report. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. .

Momadays The Way To Rainy Mountain: Summary :: essays research papers

Momaday's The Way to Rainy Mountain: Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  N. Scott Momaday divides his book The Way to Rainy Mountain in an interesting manner. The book is divided into three chapters, each of which contains a dozen or so numbered sections, each of which is divided into three parts. The first part of each numbered section tends to be a legend or a story of the Kiowa culture. However, this characteristic changes a bit as the book evolves, as does the style and feel of the stories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first passage in the first numbered section describes the Kiowa creation myth. It tells that they came into the world through a hollow log. The next ones tell of a dog saving the life of a man, the story of how Tai-me became part of their culture, and other stories. These, especially in the first beginning of the first part, are stories which relate timeless tales. The events described took place long ago, though nobody knows how long. In addition, the endings of the tales would probably be described as having a good outcome. The people were created and they found friends in the physical and spiritual world. The first part of the book describes the beginning of the Kiowa culture and their development.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Towards the end of the first part, the tone of the stories changes. Instead of describing different stories each time, they begin to tell a story which continues through six numbered sections. The story relates the life of a baby who grows into the sun's wife who then has a  ·child who becomes two children, who become honored people in the eyes of the Kiowa. These stories do not explain things like the creation of the people, or the reason dogs and men are friends, or the origin of Tai-me. They tell what happened to some people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last part of the book, the last third, is mostly narrative. Instead of telling myths to explain things, Momaday tells stories which relate events without any significant outcome. Also, in contrast to the first part of the book, the outcomes seem to be bad ones, or at least not fulfilling. They describe, for a large part, people whom he knows existed and were related to or were friends of his family. One story tells about Mammedaty, who heard someone whistling to him, but could not find the person. Another tells about how Mammedaty was having trouble with a horse, so he shot an arrow at it, but missed and killed another horse. These endings do not leave the reader or listener with a good feeling

The Digital Divide Essay -- Technology Poverty Technological Papers

The Digital Divide When walking into a house, there are many things that can be seen. There may be a television, a phone and maybe a computer. There are lights overhead and warm air all around. There is running water and music to listen to. These may seem like no big deal, but to people in third world countries, this is a dream. People do not realize how lucky they are and what other people go through. If everyone could choose their lifestyle we would all be able to enjoy these luxuries, but that is not the case. In these times we are set apart by a digital divide. A digital divide is the separation of those who can afford technology and those who cannot. Even today, the day of modern technology, more money and better lifestyles, there is still that gap, that divides the digital world. In Heather MacDonalds article, Online Use Sees Digital Divide, MacDonald states that a growing population of people are logging on. This includes adults and teenagers, however, the oldest and the poorest are not logging on. There will always be a digital divide when it comes to technology, but at certain times the gap may be narrower or wider depending on access to that technology. A digital divide can occur between neighborhoods, between cities, between states, countries, and continents. Many factors figure into why the gap is so big. Many kids and teenagers are plugged in because they find that it is fun. It also allows them to feel they are a part of a group. Most adults are connected because some of them can stay at home and work. They can get help from a doctor twenty-four hours a day if their child is sick. They can book a vacation in just minutes, or even bank online According to a recent study by Pew Internet and American Life Project, ... ...have your health, food, money, and a good education. With all these blessings, you are luckier that over half the worlds population. Being connected to the Internet is not one of the most important aspects of life. We first need to worry about getting food, shelter, education, and medical attention to Africa. We cannot solve all of lifes problems, but we can work towards making it better. We cannot stop the digital divide from happening but we can try to prevent it from getting worse. Works Cited MacDonald, Heather. Online use sees digital divide. Daily News 20 Feb. 2001, sec. B: 1,13. OConnor, Rory J. Africa: The Unwired Continent. Composing Cyberspace. Ed. Richard Holeton. Boston: McGraw Hill, 1998, 270-274. Rodriguez, Richard. A Future of Faith and Cyberspace. Composing Cyberspace. Ed. Richard Holeton. Boston: McGraw Hill, 1998, 259-261. The Digital Divide Essay -- Technology Poverty Technological Papers The Digital Divide When walking into a house, there are many things that can be seen. There may be a television, a phone and maybe a computer. There are lights overhead and warm air all around. There is running water and music to listen to. These may seem like no big deal, but to people in third world countries, this is a dream. People do not realize how lucky they are and what other people go through. If everyone could choose their lifestyle we would all be able to enjoy these luxuries, but that is not the case. In these times we are set apart by a digital divide. A digital divide is the separation of those who can afford technology and those who cannot. Even today, the day of modern technology, more money and better lifestyles, there is still that gap, that divides the digital world. In Heather MacDonalds article, Online Use Sees Digital Divide, MacDonald states that a growing population of people are logging on. This includes adults and teenagers, however, the oldest and the poorest are not logging on. There will always be a digital divide when it comes to technology, but at certain times the gap may be narrower or wider depending on access to that technology. A digital divide can occur between neighborhoods, between cities, between states, countries, and continents. Many factors figure into why the gap is so big. Many kids and teenagers are plugged in because they find that it is fun. It also allows them to feel they are a part of a group. Most adults are connected because some of them can stay at home and work. They can get help from a doctor twenty-four hours a day if their child is sick. They can book a vacation in just minutes, or even bank online According to a recent study by Pew Internet and American Life Project, ... ...have your health, food, money, and a good education. With all these blessings, you are luckier that over half the worlds population. Being connected to the Internet is not one of the most important aspects of life. We first need to worry about getting food, shelter, education, and medical attention to Africa. We cannot solve all of lifes problems, but we can work towards making it better. We cannot stop the digital divide from happening but we can try to prevent it from getting worse. Works Cited MacDonald, Heather. Online use sees digital divide. Daily News 20 Feb. 2001, sec. B: 1,13. OConnor, Rory J. Africa: The Unwired Continent. Composing Cyberspace. Ed. Richard Holeton. Boston: McGraw Hill, 1998, 270-274. Rodriguez, Richard. A Future of Faith and Cyberspace. Composing Cyberspace. Ed. Richard Holeton. Boston: McGraw Hill, 1998, 259-261.

Brave New World - Happiness :: essays research papers

With reference to the text, discuss Mustafa Mond’s statement: â€Å" The secret to happiness is liking what you have to do.† Mustafa Mond is presented to us as one of the Ten World Controllers in Brave New World, of that Utopian, communal and stabilized world, set six hundred years into future. This new world that contradicts the world we live in today, eliminated the Freedoms that we depend on: the freedom of choice, the freedom of thought, religion and being. They have chosen to condition their individuals in baby factories in order to ensure identity, community and stability. The fundamental tenet behind the conditioning is utilitarianism, which describes a society that seeks to create maximum happiness. Those who are happy are thought to be efficient and beneficial to society. Mond’s statement: â€Å"The secret to happiness is liking what you have to do,† applies to his ‘conditioned’ world, with abolished Freedoms, but it does not apply to the world we live in today. Huxley shows how "identity" is established in the Conditioning Centre through the selection of the embryos into each of five groups. All the individuals in Brave New World have their identity predestined by someone else. This promotes stability by creating a group of workers whose preferences are moulded by the state. I cannot concur with this idea of ‘puppet creation’ where people can be depicted as puppets and the state can be said to be their puppet master who has a right to choose their character roles. In our society, this goes against the freedom of being and becoming someone you wish to be. Mr Foster addresses the students about Epsilons and mentions, â€Å"We condition them to thrive on heat,† (p. 31). This can explain why they are predestined to like warm temperatures and why they emigrate to tropics to become miners and steel workers and in that way benefit the society. I should mention that I do not agree with their idea that one should be conditioned to be happy with what they are doing or to perform the task correctly. In today’s society, one may notice that there are people who grew up near coalmines and without anyone forcing them to work, they still feel like they should dedicate themselves to a miner’s duty. They might have been born into a miner’s family and upon their own will, might decide to follow their family’s footsteps.

Literary Criticisms Essay

1. What are the different types of Literary Criticisms? * New Criticism / Formalism – This type of criticism concerns itself with the parts of a text and how the parts fit together to make a whole. Because of this, it does not bring in any information outside of the text: biography of the author, historical or literary allusions, mythological patterns, or the psychoanalytical traits of the characters (except those traits specifically described in the text.) * Archetypical or Mythic – This type of criticism looks at traditional meanings in literature. It uses clues such as symbols and images. * Empowerment – This type of criticism concerns the portrayal of social biases toward specific groups and forces readers to understand thematic content since many biases deal with issues such as independence, self-discovery, etc. * Marxist – This type of criticism concerns the representation of social classes, socioeconomic distinctions, and disparities, and the material conditions in which character functions. * Didactic or Moral – This type of criticism looks at the noble attempts literature makes to elevate readers above physical existence into the realm of moral goodness. It asserts that good literature should strengthen us by teaching us what having integrity and values means for society as well as the individual. * Auto/Biographical – This type of criticism attempts to understand literary works through the author’s life (including perceptions and beliefs) * Psychoanalytic – This type of criticism us based on Freudian Principles, it is best explained by briefly discussing and simplifying some terminology used. * Historical or New Historical – This type of criticism examines events surrounding the setting of a work and analyzes it within that context. It emphasizes the age during which the author lived and wrote to construct meaning within a literary work. * Feminist – This type of criticism is concerned with the literary representation of the females. * Deconstructionism – This type of criticism is the fundamental biases in language. This means that language cannot mean one thing. * Reader Response – This type of criticism focuses on the intellectual and emotional connections readers make with a work. It relies on the reader’s reaction to the literature. This type of criticism attempts to describe what happens in the reader’s mind while interpreting a text 2. History of Philippine Literature * August 13, 1898 – The American Forces occupied Manila. * 1899 – English Newspapers were published: The Courier, Insular Press, and Manila Freedom. * April 1900 – President William McKinley directed the Philippines Commission to make English the Official Medium of Instruction for all public schools. * 1900 – The Daily Bulletin was founded. * August 1901 – 600 American Teachers arrived on the transport of Thomas. They replaced the soldiers as Teachers. * 1901 – The Philippine Normal School was founded. This school trained Filipinos in the art of Teaching so that they could eventually take charge of Elementary Education. * 1902 – The Cablenews started. * 1905 – The Philippine Free Press began edited by F. Theodore Rogers. It was a bilingual weekly in English and Spanish. * 1908 – The Philippine Press published the first Filipino Short Stories in English. * 1908 – 1914 – Some students at the University of the Philippines collected and retold, in English, old Filipino Tales. These writings were published and gather by Dean S Fansier on Filipino Popular Tales in 1921. * 1921 – Graduates of the Manila High School published their English Writings in the Coconut. * 1913 – The Philippine Normal School introduced its publication, The Torch. * 1920 – the Philippines Herald began publication. Manuel Quezon founded it and Paz Latorena, Loreto Paras, Hose Garcia Villa, Casiano T. Calalang, and others edited its magazine section. * 1924 – Hartendorp became the editor f the Philippine Education Magazine. * 1925 – Pree Presso began paying for original manuscripts and offered Php1, 000.00 for the best stories. The Manila Tribune was founded, along with Graphico, the Woman’s Outlook, the Woman’s Home Journal, and the Philippine Collegian. Also, the Philippine Writer’s Association was organized with Rizal G. * 1927 – The Writers’ Club was founded at the University of the Philippines. * 1929 – The First Filipino Novel in English was A Child of Sorrow. And His Awakening by Ernest Lopez. * 1900 – 1930 – Significant writing of Essays, Short Stories, and Poems. Essays. The essay was a popular form of expression for the early writers. As early as 1926 essayist expressed the need for literature that was native and national. Many essays first appeared as newspaper columns and later they were published in anthologies. In 1921 Zoilo M. Galang published Life and Success, the first volume of essays in English. In that year Zoilo M. Galang also published another book of essays, Master of Destiny. Short Stories, Virginia R. Moreno has described the literary years 1910 – 19o24 as â€Å" †¦ a period of novices with their experiences both infliction-making and the use of the new language. 1925 – 1931 was the period of phenomenal growth among the practitioners in the art.† It is true that the early short stories were the work of novices. The tales were often romantic and the adventures, themes, and plots were sometimes imitated. There were difficulties in grammar and at times their wows a tendency toward sentimentalism. But gradually, certain writers appeared who showed that the novitiate periods were ending. Critics for their high literary quality praised Jorge Bacobo’s â€Å"Horrible Adventure† in the Philippine Review for May 1916, and Paz Marquez Benitez’s â€Å"The Siren of 34 Real† in the Philippine Review for July 1917. On September 20, 1925 The Philippines Herald published â€Å"Dead Stars† by Paz Marquez Benitez. This story was quickly recognized as one of the best short stories yet written by a Filipino. Poems. The first known Filipino poem in English is â€Å"Sursum Corda† by Justo Juliano. It appeared in the Philippines Free Press in 1907. This poem, along with others of that period, has been criticized as being too artificial and overwritten in order to achieve intensity. The early poems in book often borrowed images and similes from English or American poets. The first collection of poems in book form was Reminisces, by Lorenzo Paredes, in 1921. In 1922, Procopio Solidum published Never Mind, a collection of Filipino poetry in English. Rodolfo Dato edited an anthology of Filipino poems in 1924 under the title Filipino Poetry. In 1926 he published his own poems in Manila. Most critics agree that Marcelo de Garcia Concepcion was a leading poet of the early period. His Azucena was published in New York in 1925. His poems reveal simple images with deep sensitivity and original thought. Some poets who belonged to the early period of Philippine Literature were: Aurelio S. Alvero, Marcelo de Gracia Concepcion, Rafael Zulueta da Costa, Luis Dato, Vicente L. del Fierro, Virgilio Floresca, Angela Manalang Gloria, Jose M. Hernandez, A.E. Litiatco. References: http://quizlet.com/10480063/types-of-literary-criticism-flash-cards/ http://hhh.gavilan.edu/kwarren/LitCrit.html http://litgroupone.blogspot.com/2009/07/history-of-philippine-literature.html

Immune to Reality Essay

â€Å"Upon my back, to defend my belly; upon my wit, to defend my wiles; upon my secrecy, to defend mine honesty; my mask, to defend my beauty. † (William Shakespeare Troilus and Cressida) (Gilbert 133)This quote pertains to the mind protecting and or lying to you to not be harmed, which has been proved in test today. Immune To Reality written by Daniel Gilbert is a piece about how the mind can play tricks on us by covering up the truth with a believable lie, how we â€Å"cook facts† (134), and how our mind’s choices can affect our feelings. Throughout this essay I will be discussing a real life situation of my own, and the studies and the outcomes and whether they make sense or not. They say the mind protects us from ourselves, but we also â€Å"cook facts† (134) which happen to go hand in hand. Cooking facts are â€Å"†¦deliberate attempts to generate positive views†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (134) a few examples are failing miserably on the test but tell yourself there is always next time and you’ll study harder for the next one and example from the book being is that your fiance left you at the altar but saying â€Å"She was never really right for me†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (134). The mind tries to protect us from remembering bad things or bad experiences. I’ve seen some of my friends try and deny the fact that his father had died of cancer, he just didn’t believe it until the day of his funeral. But in the end they made it in their mind that he was in a better place and no longer suffering. In my own case, my family and I were coming back from a trip to Florida on a coach bus which ended up being hit by another car and flipped on its side on a four lane highway which ended up being hit by two more cars. I am thankful to say that I was buckled so I only came out of the crash with a concussion, but it still affects me every day. My vision has never been the same, yeah sure I can read really fast when I’m reading to myself but when it comes to reading out loud. It’s a completely different story. There’s no medical term for it but the best way they could put it is that I have an acute form of dyslexia. I just thank to this day that it actually isn’t worse than it could be and this being my cooked facts. To this day I cannot remember anything about the crash, this being the way my mind protects me from pain. Our minds and feelings are always going to have some sort of connection since it is our brain that tells our body us what we are feeling. Studies show that what we choose can really affect our moods for the time being or even throughout a week. On pages 135-136 a study shows a group of volunteers went through a job interview. â€Å"Some of the volunteers were told that their interview would be seen by a judge†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (135) â€Å"Other volunteers were told that their interview would be seen by a jury†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (315) the volunteers not knowing that everyone would be rejected the job. The Pre Rejection Prediction shows that the volunteers wouldn’t have really cared if they were rejected by the solo judge or the jury group, but what the results showed is that the group of volunteers that were rejected by the jury was much more upset than the ones rejected by the solo judge. I mean I’d be upset if 12 people told me I wasn’t capable to do a job, you automatically think that something is wrong with you. But with the judge your mind just makes up excuses to make you feel better, examples being he doesn’t know the real me or I don’t really need that job anyway. The mind is very deceiving, but it is sometimes for the best. When you need protection from yourself or whether it’s to give you a boost. We just need to be able to tell when and when not our mind is doing these things. References: * Gilbert, Daniel. â€Å"Immune to Reality. † The New Humanities Reader. By Richard E. Miller and Kurt Spellmeyer. 4th ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, n. d. 133-50. Print.