Children's behaviour towards undirected recreational play Research Paper - 1

Children's behaviour towards undirected recreational play - Research Paper Example Some of these common play activities include: hide and seek; peek a boo et cetera. Michael (2009) argues that to children, play tends to be instinctive. According to research conducted by American Association for Physical activity (2012), it illuminates that besides play being fun and exciting, it also facilitates the development of a child’s cognition, and motor skills including imagination, problem solving, creativity and social skills. Perhaps, this explains the notion that children who are playful usually tend to be intelligent and emotionally stable. Gray (2008) points out that one way of categorizing child play is directed and undirected play. Directed play is where play is controlled by adults. Gray (2008) further asserts that this mainly occurs in schools particularly early childhood classes such as Early Years, and primary. The adults engage the children in organized activities where the children have to follow the rules outlined by the adults. Moreover, the objective and focus of play, which is mostly to win in accordance to the stipulated rules, is dictated by the adults. Undirected play, on the other hand, takes place without the supervision of adults. In this play, the children are simply left to create their own forms of play. One common instance is during break time in learning institutions where children are left to play on their own. Several research studies have focused on the impact and importance of play among children. However, it will be prudent to focus on the impact and importance of a specific category of play. This main objective of this research paper, therefore, is to determine children’s behavior towards undirected play. To achieve the above objective, a specific objective will focus on identifying the importance and impact of directed and undirected play among children, as well as the behavioral problems. Gray (2008) focuses his literature work on the value of play. He

High Altitude Living Low Altitude Training Essay Example for Free

High Altitude Living Low Altitude Training Essay Altitude training describes training practice by athletes training in oxygen deprived conditions for several weeks to increase their performance endurance. Often, there are altitudes training camps strategically designed for this objective (Geiser, Vogt, Billeter, Zuleger, Belforti Hoppeler, 2001). Altitude training further entails simulated or natural altitude conditions in the training course often as a precursor to a major competition event. The conditions are maintained while the training athlete is in the training process, during exercises and while at rest. Despite this, altitude training strategy exposes the athlete to hypoxia, low oxygen pressure, thereby resulting to hypoxemia, tissue oxygenation and lower blood. The history of living high altitude and training low altitude traces to 2400m altitude Mexico’s 1968 Olympic Games. During the event, enduring athletes such as in the 10,000 and 3,000 m marathons could not set new records and their performance declined whiles the sprinter athletes succeeded (Rusko, LeppÃÆ' ¤vuori, MÃÆ' ¤kelÃÆ' ¤, LeppÃÆ' ¤luoto, 2010). Altitude hypoxia condition explained this. It was known to decimate human being’s aerobic performance. Consequently, coaches, athletes and sports consultants adopted altitude training camps to acclimatize competition. Implementing altitude training was observed also to altitudes. Experts argued that, in endurance performance, the volume of total red blood cells was paramount. This was confirmed by experimental tests involving manipulation of human blood (Stray-Gundersen, Chapman, Levine, 2012). Therefore, the higher the volume of an athlete’s red blood cells, the faster the performance of an athlete probably is during the triathlon. However, it is commonly observed that altitude training has improved the performance and endurance of multiple athletes but still others do not. So, how comes altitude training does not induce the consistency in positive results? Scientific empirical evidences suggest astronomical variant individual adaptive responses to this training concept. In addition, altitude tolerance exposure determinants are also poorly understood (Tiollier, Schmitt, Burnat, Fouillot, Robach, Filaire, et al., 2005). Moreover, hypoxia condition training at a practical level as the training intensity management is a principal problem. Under such conditions, maximal exercise capacity of an athlete reduces drastically. High living and low training concept arose to improve on the defects of altitude training. It involves sleeping or living at high altitude thereby stimulating increase in volume of red blood cells while training at sea level to conserve an athlete’s training intensity. This helps to overcome multiple training related problems while posting consistent adaptations. Besides, living high and training low at low altitude triggered renal hormone erythropoietin (EPO) secretion (Wilber, 2013). In turn, the hormone stimulates the synthesis of red blood cells provided there is sufficient ‘altitude dose. Therefore, the high altitude living low altitude training rationale in sporting events was founded on a combination of altitude and rigorous practice to boost the volume of red blood cells. In so doing, there was a boost in an athlete’s endurance performance. Based on this finding, several hypoxic facilities across the worldwide have been established by various sports federations over the years. In addition, numerous amateur, elite and professional athletes across the world training in low altitudes prior to major events have been observed to set new fetes (Wilber, 2013). This confirms the high altitude living and low altitude training hypothesis. Despite this, numerous accurately controlled scientific researches do not exhibit systematic assertive results of the hypothesis on athlete’s endurance performance. Despite the anecdotes, altitude training results over the years produced majority positive performance results among athletes. Assertive endurance results by elite athletes who posted world-class records over the years present a strong case to adapt classical altitude training. References Geiser, J., Vogt, M., Billeter, R., Zuleger, C., Belforti, F., Hoppeler, H. (2001). Training High Living Low: Changes of Aerobic Performance and Muscle Structure with Training at Simulated Altitude. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 22(8), 579-585. Rusko, H. K., LeppÃÆ' ¤vuori, A., MÃÆ' ¤kelÃÆ' ¤, P., LeppÃÆ' ¤luoto, J. (2010). Living High, Training Low; A New Approach To Altitude Training At Sea Level In Athletes. Medicine Science in Sports Exercise, 27(Supplement), S6. Stray-Gundersen, J., Chapman, R. F., Levine, B. D. (2012). Living High Training Low Altitude Training Improves Sea Level Performance In Male And Female Elite Runners. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 12(1), 60-61. Tiollier, E., Schmitt, L., Burnat, P., Fouillot, J., Robach, P., Filaire, E., et al. (2005). Living highà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"training low altitude training: effects on mucosal immunity. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 94(3), 298-304. Wilber, R. L. (2013). Pro: Live High+Train Low Does Improve Sea Level Performance Beyond that Achieved with the Equivalent Living and Training at Sea Level. High Altitude Medicine Biology, 14(4), 325-327. Source document

Literature review of corporate social responsibility theories

Literature review of corporate social responsibility theories Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), also known as corporate citizenship, responsible business, or sustainable responsible business is all but a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model where companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society. Arguably, business and society are interwoven where society has certain expectations regarding business, thus, implying that firms have responsibilities towards society. Hence, being a steward of the needs of society is deemed to be a socially responsible, appropriate, and natural act. Corporate describes a business that aims to make a profit for its shareholders, hence this excludes, charities, foundations, NGOs and social enterprises. The first book acknowledging CSR is the Social Responsibilities of the Businessman (Howard R. Bowen) in the mid 1950s. But, the term CSR came in widespread use in the early 1970s. In fact, it owes its origin due to the globalisation which took place after many multinational corporations were formed, thus, bringing in force the corporate governance mechanisms to ascertain fairness and transparency as well as social responsibility in the corporate world. CSR is defined in various ways in different countries, of about being the capacity building for sustainable livelihoods from Ghana to about giving back to society from Philippines; and of being conventionally presented in a philanthropic model from the United States to being focused on operating the core business in a socially responsible way, complemented by investment in communities for solid business case reasons and voluntary interaction with the stakeholders from the European model. As such, according to Caroll (2003), The social responsibility of business encompasses the economic, legal, ethical and discretionary (philanthropic) expectations that society has of organisations at a given point in time. Hence, ideally and broadly, the concept of CSR is a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby business would monitor and ensure its support to law, ethical standards, and international norms. 2.1.1 CSR and CSP In todays competitive market environment, businesses are confronted with a new set of non economics-related challenges. To survive and prosper, firms must bridge economic and social systems. Maximising shareholder wealth is a necessary but is no longer a sufficient condition for financial prosperity. Despite the concept of CSR addresses such issue, a specific connotation of CSR and a new performance measure called the corporate social performance (abbreviated as CSP) needs to be unified to capture the performance of a business in the social realm, and also to be more precise in thinking about CSR. CSP defined as a business organizations configuration of principles of social responsibility, processes of social responsiveness, and policies, programs, and observable outcomes as they relate to the firms societal relationships (Wood, 1991), clearly shows that social performance is not limited to corporations only, but also applies to any firm and organisation. This comprehensive definition assumes that CSP is broader than CSR, which consists of three norms at different levels of analysis: institutional, organisational, and individual. Additionally, it includes organisational processes of environmental assessment, stakeholder management, and issues management, and also various measures of its external manifestations and societal effects, such as social impacts. Hence the CSP model expresses and articulates three stages, from less to more engage towards stakeholders: social obligation, social responsibility and social responsiveness (S.P. Sethi, 1975). 2.1.2 Views on CSR According to Hancock (2005), CSR can be viewed through 3 ways namely: Views on CSR Hancock (2005) Sceptic View Milton Friedman (1970) Utopian View Evan and Freeman (1988) Realist view Patricia Werhane (2009) Few trends would so thoroughly undermine the very foundations of free society as the acceptance by corporate officials of a social responsibility other than to make as much money for their stockholders as they possibly can. Notion of CSR is opposed to democracy and freedom where business focus is on wealth creation Went for Stakeholder Theory A corporation must recognise and respect the vital interests of each of its surrounding stakeholders. CSR reflects the idea that companies have a prior duty to anyone touched by their activity, their stakeholders rather than their shareholders, and especially the vulnerable that may be exploited by the companys operation. Gathers the greatest following of an alliance model CSR is also about the integrity with which a company governs itself, fulfils its mission, lives by its values, engages with its stakeholders, measures its impacts and reports on its activities. CSR is not simply about whatever funds and expertise companies choose to invest in communities to help resolve social problems 2.1.3 Key Drivers of CSR CSR is seen by Porter and Van Der Linde (2000, p. 131) as a competitive driver that requires appropriate resources. CSR programmes, however, on their own, have certain main drivers which are as follow: Bottom Line Effect This is the most relevant driver of CSR programmes as it incorporates a socially responsible element into corporate practice. As John Elkington (1997) rightly underlined that many companies exhibit corporate citizenship through charity or philanthropy. Nevertheless, a new perspective evolved over time for some corporate stakeholders. Success of a corporation is now weighted and defined by evaluating businesses using a Triple Bottom Line comprised of its social, environmental and financial performance. Managing Risk An endeavour to adopt CSR programme has been the gain in market share, key personnel and investment which pioneering companies enjoy when they seriously address labour and green issues. In fact, corporations implement such a programme to manage risks and ensure legal compliance as denoted by Levine Michael A. (2008). They try to avoid investigation, litigation, prosecution, regulation or legislation. Influence of the Corporate Disasters There has been an increased perception of greed amidst senior business officials in the corporate world following corporate scandals affecting Enron, WorldCom and the like. CSR is important in counteracting allegations of corporate greed. As a result, as described by Hancock (2005) in his book, corporations are now shifting away from the philanthropic approach towards CSR and are moving towards the greater alignment of CSR with business strategy and corporate governance. Lower Equity Risk Premium Reputation Management Corporations can face economic damage when their corporate reputations and brands are assailed or sales are affected by consumer boycotts. As argued by some rating agencies, a comprehensive CSR programme will lower a companys equity risk premium. A direct correlation between reputation and financial outcome measures share price and credit rating (Hancock, 2005) has been illustrated through a model designed by the global public relations company Bell Pottinger. In fact, companies may face a variety of legal and reputational risks if they do not have adequate social compliance or corporate social responsibility/sustainability programs in place. Customer Loyalty In todays markets, companies have to focus on building and maintaining customer loyalty. As proposed by Zhou Y. (2009), this can be done through a CSR programme which builds loyalty with customers by offering a competitive advantage in a marketplace where consumers find ethically delivered or produced goods and services. Stakeholder Activism Investment Incentives As perceived by Visser, W. (2008), CSR is encouraged through the activism of stakeholder or pressure groups which often address the alleged failure of the market and government policy. The trend of socially responsible investment gives CSR an incentive where funds are screened on ethical, social and environmental criteria. Thus, this proactively encourages businesses to inform shareholders of potential risks and issues and it helps them to better understand their stakeholders, including shareholders. According to Hill Knowltown (2006), surveys have indicated that analysts place as much importance on corporate reputation as they do on financial performance. 2.1.4 Theories for CSR There are several theories that emerged to explain the reasons behind environmental reporting over the time. These are: Operational Efficiency Theory Operational Efficiency occurs when the right combination of people, process, and technology to boost the productivity and value of any business operation, while reducing cost of routine operations to a desired level. In the context of CSR, operational efficiencies can be achieved through managing impending risks and liabilities more effectively and efficiently through CSR tools and perspectives by reducing costs; streaming information to stakeholders concerning the investment community for better transparency and by using corporate responsibility and sustainability approaches within business decision-making to result in new market opportunities, newly developed manufacturing processes that can be expanded to other plants, regions or markets as advocated by S. B. Banerjee (2007). Social Contract Theory The current practice of CSR by corporations was explained by O. O. Amao (2007) under the social contract theory. This theory dates from the classic period of history but took its modern form in the 16th and 18th centuries with best known philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau who talk on social contract. Rousseau, in fact, conceptualised the individual-society relationship as a symbiotic situation whereby the two parties mutually confer some right to the state in order to maintain social order which makes human life and cohabitation better and to gain benefits of community and safety. In parallel to the social contract, the corporate social theory, pertaining to a firms indirect social obligations, is advanced where businesses are bound by the social contract to perform various socially desired actions in return for approval of their objectives and other rewards. Legitimacy Theory Similar to the social contract theory, the legacy theory was adopted by corporations to ensure that operations are within the limits and norms of their respective societies and the outside parties perceive their activities as being legitimate. Society grants legitimacy and power to business. In the long run, those who do not use power in a manner which society considers responsible will tend to lose it. This principle developed by Davis (1973) is commonly known as the Iron Law of Responsibility. It expresses legitimacy as a societal-level concept and describes the responsibility of business as a social institution that must avoid abusing its power. Thus, this principle expresses a prohibition rather than an affirmative duty, and it applies equally to all companies, regardless of their particular circumstances. According to A.K.H. Khor (2004), the legitimacy theory is fundamentally a system-oriented theory where organisations are viewed as components of the larger social environment within which they exist. Stakeholder Theory A key feature of CSR involves the way that a company engages, involves, and collaborates with its stakeholders including shareholders, employees, debt-holders, suppliers, customers, communities, non-governmental organisations, and governments. M. C. Branco and L. L. Rodrigues (2007) argued that companies need to use stakeholder engagement to internalise societys needs, hopes, circumstances into their corporate views and decision-making. While there are many questions about how far a companys responsibilities extend into communities relative to the roles of governments and individual citizens, there is a strong argument that CSR can effectively improve a companys relations with communities and thereby produce some key features that will improve business prospects for its future. Agency Theory This theory comes to explain the relationship that exists between the owners/shareholders and the management. The latter is the agent appointed by the principal (owner/subsidiary). In such an agent-principal relationship, problems such as the potential moral hazard and conflict of interest are likely to occur. CSR comes as a middle way so that both parties can maximise their gains. As such, when CFP is strong, managers may reduce social expenditures in order to maximise their own short term private gains whereas when CFP weakens, managers will try to offset their disappointing results by engaging in conspicuous social programs, hence increasing their own wealth and that of shareholders as well, pursuant to the managerial opportunism hypothesis by Preston OBannon (1997). 2.2 2.2.1 Corporate Financial Performance (CFP) Most of the businesses operate with a view of yielding profits. The financial performance of a company is reflected through its policies and operations in monetary terms. These results are reflected through its return on investment, return on assets, value added, return on sale and growth in sales. Managers work in the best interest of shareholders to maximise profits. Financial performance is the most common, however, it cannot be considered as the only indicator used to measure a firms wealth. A broader definition of financial performance is accompanied by additional indicators such as short-term profits, long-term profits, market value, and other forms of competitive advantage, as noted by Jensen (2001). 2.2.2 Corporate Social Performance and CFP Many previous studies have indicated an unclear relationship between CSR and financial performance. Thus, literature has pointed out towards an innovation in bringing the concept of CSP to better explore its impact upon corporate financial performance (CFP). In todays world, for a firm to achieve a good and high level of CFP, it has to go beyond the limits of its own corporate strategies and adopt views of other stakeholders who may be directly or indirectly related to the company. Since over the three decades, the study of the correlation between CSP and CFP has gained much salience. Many studies conducted in this effect have yielded positive correlation, while others produced contradictory results with negative or non-significant different causal directions being found. In effect, there are several competing theoretical models which are proposed to explain three varying findings on the CSP-CFP link. Owing to these differing relationships, I.Y. Maroam (2006) proposes a unified theory of the CSP-CFP link that explain the different relationships that may be observed between CSR and CFP, thus basing itself on the parallels between the business and CSR domains. The concept of CSR instils in corporations the moral responsibility towards society that go beyond the goal of simply making profits for their owners and shareholders (Berman et al., 1999). As Freeman (1984) rightly pointed out that corporations should be socially responsible for both moral and practical (instrumental) reasons, by reflecting a socially responsible posture, a corporation can enhance its own performance. Thus, CSR activities can, inter-alia, be rewarded with more satisfied customers, better employee, improved reputation, and improved access to financial markets, all pertaining to improving financial performance and sustaining the business. However, social accomplishments may equally involve certain financial costs which can effectively reduce profits and comparative performance. Hence, Vance (1975) came up with the trade-off hypothesis to show negative linkage between CSP and CFP whereby corporations displaying strong social credentials experience declining stock price s relative to the market average. 2.2.3 CSP as a Business Strategy So far, it is clear that CSP can be used as a business strategy which can contribute to the competitive advantage of firms. A study by N. A. Dentchey (2004) on the effects of CSP on the competitiveness of organisations reveals that CSP should not be thought as an innocent adventure for executives. It is rather a strategy for achieving corporate strategies, which if not warily implemented, may harm the firms competitive advantage. Competitive advantage, as seen by Porter (1996), denotes the ability of a company to outperform others from successful differentiation from rivals actions. This strategic fit between the outside environment and companies internal resources and capabilities (Hoskissoon et al., 1999) results in superior financial results, as indicated by various measures of profitability. Hence, as per Burke and Logsdon (1996), a strategic implementation of social responsibility benefits all by resulting in strategic outcomes such as customer loyalty, future purchases, new products, new markets and productivity gains. Arguably, CSP can be a source of competitive disadvantage for firms which regard CSP as an additional cost. Business contributions to social prosperity (CSP) are seen by Keim (1978, p.33) as an investment in public good which is consumed or enjoyed by a number of individuals disregarding the cost sharing. Thus, investing in CSP is likely to bear negative effects for the firms which are in curring costs that might otherwise be avoided or that should be borne by others, for example, individuals or government (Aupperle et al., 1985). 2.2.4 CSP, CFP and the Stakeholder Theory Following the above arguments, a new perspective of CSP, based on the stakeholder analysis, emerges to argue furthermore that there exists a positive relationship between CSP and CFP. As such, S.A. Waddock and S.B. Graves (1997) propose that a tension exists between the firms explicit costs (for instance, payments to bondholders) and its implicit costs to other stakeholders (for example, product quality costs, and environmental costs). Hence, a firm which tries to outweigh its explicit costs by increasing its socially responsible actions incurs higher implicit costs, resulting in competitive advantage. Thus, high levels of CSP are seen as indicators of superior management by Alexander and Buchholz (1982) which lead to lower explicit costs and enhanced financial performance. The stakeholder theory accompanies the concept of CSR by shedding more light on the issue of social responsibility. This theory is spread over three aspects (Donaldson and Preston, 1995) namely, descriptive, instrumental and normative. While the descriptive aspect describes and explains the theory, the instrumental aspect discloses the cause-effect relationships between stakeholder management practices and improving corporate performance. The normative aspect, on the other hand, as perceived by I.Y. Maroam (2006) emphasizes on the moral imperatives for practising stakeholder management, rather than the business benefits it may provide. A parallelism between the core business domain and the CSR domain will maximise a firms profitability. The stakeholder theory provides a framework for investigating the relationship between CSP and CFP by examining how a change in CSP is related to a change in financial accounting measures. In fact, the two concepts of CSR and stakeholder share the proposition that social responsibility affects financial performance in some way or other. This subject area has been so vastly explored that this trend is now seen as a natural progression which goes associatively with developments in the industrial and business world. There is an increasing concern and emphasize on humanity, environmental preservation and enlightened social consciousness. Thus, a new area of research began to pave its way within the field of business and society where the relationship between corporate social conduct, both toward the corporations stakeholders and the wider society, and the corporations financial performance was and is still being investigated across several countries. Over environmental issues, research h as revealed that businesses which are eco-friendly and demonstrate good CSR practices enjoy increased consumer purchase preference (Gildea, 1994; Zaman, 1996) and good economic performance (Al-Tuwaijiri, et al., 2004). A stakeholder group, as identified and defined by Freeman (1984), is one that that can affect or is affected by achievement of the organisations objectives, that is, which can be harmed as well as can help it to achieve its goals. Therefore, there is a growing need for firms to address the needs and expectations of the stakeholders to avoid negative outcomes and produce positive outcomes for themselves (Donaldson and Preston, 1995; Freeman, 1984; Frooman, 1997). Pursuant to the stakeholder theory perspective, CSP can be assessed in terms of a company meeting the demands of multiple stakeholders, ranging from cost minimisation to societal maximisation. Building on the previous mentioned definition of CSP, Wood and Jones (1995) propose that stakeholder theory is the key to understanding the structure and dimensions of the firms societal relationships thereby assuming that firms are responsible for honouring all the implicit and explicit contracts they hold with their various constituen ts. Therefore, the stakeholder theory provides a system-based perspective of the organisation and its stakeholders where it acknowledges the dynamic and complex nature of the interplay between them. The various stakeholders of the firms, such as the employees, shareholders, financers, environmentalists, government, communities, customers and even competitors should be convinced by the management that it is working harder to satisfy them. The more important the stakeholders to the firm, the more effort the firm needs to put to uphold its relationship with the former. According to Clarkson, Donaldson and Preston et al. (1995), the stakeholder theory must place shareholders as one of the multiple stakeholder groups which managers should consider in their decision-making process. However, like the shareholders, the other stakeholders may have a say upon the firm, bestowing societal legitimacy. Notably, Bernadette M. Ruf et al. (2001) asserted that firms must address these non-shareholder gro ups demands otherwise they might face negative confrontations which can ultimately result in diminished shareholder value, through boycotts, lawsuits, protests and so on. Hence, firms have a fiduciary duty relationship not only to the shareholders, but to all stakeholders (Hasnas, 1998, p.32). So far, recognising a companys contractual relationship with the various stakeholders has been instrumental in better comprehending the relationship that CSP and CFP share. Stakeholders have expectations from the organisation. Nevertheless, these expectations may conflict with the firms limited resources leading the firm to evaluate its costs and benefits tradeoffs. Firms must thus come with measures representative of the various factors of CSP and stakeholders interests. Unlike neo-classical stockholders who were only interested in financial performance (Grouf, 1994; Shapiro, 1992), the major stakeholders of today, that is, the stockholders are more interested in the firms current and future financial benefits and social performance. 2.3 Empirical Review This section reviews the works done and methods used by researchers on the relationship of CFP and CSP. Empirical results on the latters correlation are mixed whereby some yielded in positive, some in negative and some in non-significant relationships. Basing on the stakeholder theory approach, several models on the CFP-CSP relationship have been proposed, where the largest number of investigations found a positive CSP-CFP linkage. Notably, different methods to compute indexes for CFP and CSP have been used since data on both cannot be possibly obtained in absolute figures. As such, using aggregated weights assigned to K dimensions of social performance obtained through questionnaire for CSP and using change in return on equity (ROE), change in return on sales (ROS) and growth in sales as financial measures on a sample of 496 firms, Bernadette M. Ruf et al. (2001) came up with a positive relationship between CSP and CFP. They, in fact, regressed change in CSP on change in CFP. The results revealed a significant positive relationship between change in CSP and change in ROE and change in ROS in the long term but that with growth in sales was significantly positive only in year 0 and 1. The study suggests that improvements in CSP have both immediate and continuing financial impacts. The authors have furthermore suggested that since many financial performance measures follow a random walk or mean reversion  [1]  , it is important to use lead/lag studies to establish a causal sequence of CSP and CFP. Concerning time period, one year may be short in strat egic terms and could well be distorted by rogue figures, hence, it suggested to take two or five years data in analyses. A paper by S. A. Waddock and S. B. Graves (1997) also found positive linkage between CFP and CSP. An index for CSP was computed using eight attributes relating to shareholder concerns and were rated consistently across the entire Standards Poors 500 by a rating service. The firms profitability was measured using three accounting variables, namely, return on assets (ROA), ROE and ROS used to assess CFP by the investment community. Factors such as size, risk and industry which affect both CFP and CSP were taken as control variables. Used on a sample of 469 companies and using CSP as both dependent and independent variable, the results revealed that CFP does depend on CSP and vice-versa and also indicated the importance of controlling for industry in assessing such a relationship. Size has been suggested in previous studies, like that of Ullman (1985) and McWilliams, A., and D. Siegel (2000), to be a factor which affects both CFP and CSP. Size remains a relevant variable because there had been evidence that smaller firms may not demonstrate the same obvious socially responsible behaviours as larger firms. Authors like Pinkston and Carroll (1993), for instance, investigated the extent social responsibility orientations, organisational stakeholders, and social issues can differ among firms of differing sizes. P. A. Stanwick and S. D. Stanwick (1998), on the other hand, found a significant positive association between size (annual sales) and CFP at the 10% level for three of the six years of their study. Firm size is particularly the scale of operations in an organisation (Price and Mueller (1986, p. 233)). Previous literature has indicated a need to control not only for industry, and size (Ullman, 1985; Waddock and Graves, 1997), but also for risk (McWilliams and Siegel, 2000) to render research results more complete. The argument to use risk as a control variable is supported by the fact that the degree of risk is seen as the other important component of firm performance assumed by a firm in order to achieve a given level of financial performance as stated by Bettis and Hall (1982). Baird and Thomas (1985) also advocated risk as being both as a strategic variable (firms choose a given level of risk) and as an outcome variable (strategic choices lead to a level of risk) which ultimately leads to improved financial performance. As such, M. Brine, R. Brown and G. Hackett (2004) used risk alongside size as control variables to assess financial performance of 277 companies. Their preliminary results stated that the adoption of CSR does lead to increases in turnover and also an increase in equity, which in turn improve the CFP level. According to Mahoney L. and Roberts R.W. (2007), there is no significant relationship between a composite measure of firms CSP and CFP. Using four years panel data of Canadian firms, they calculated a composite measure of CSP score by summing all dimension strength ratings, such as, community relations, diversity, employee relations, environment, international, product safety, and amongst others and subtracting all dimension weaknesses ratings. Following Waddock and Graves (1997a), ROA and ROE were used separately to measure a firms CFP. As CFP was expected to be positively related to CSP, a one-year lag between CFP and all independent variables (CSP, firm size, debt level, and industry) was used. Inconsistent with their expectation, they found no significant relationship between the composite CSP measure and either ROA or ROE. However, the use of individual measures of firms CSP regarding environmental and international activities and CFP resulted in a significant relationship provi ding mixed support for the business case for CSP. A study, using the Granger causality approach, by Rim Makni et al. (2008) reaffirms Mahoney and Roberts (2007) works on the non-significant relationship. However, there may also be a simultaneous and interactive negative relation between CSP and CFP, forming a vicious circle.

The Birthmark :: essays research papers

Response Paper #2: 'The Birthmark'; 1. Our society tends to be obsessed with the idea of physical perfection. How does our society manifest that obsession? How is the 'Birthmark'; an early version of our modern obsession with physical perfection? Our society has many ways of manifesting its obsession with physical perfection. In our society people go to extreme lengths to achieve perfection. The 'Birthmark';, written more than a century ago, is an early version of our modern obsession with physical perfection. Society manifests its obsession with physical perfection by having surgical procedures done on daily basis. These surgeries allow for almost any cosmetic transformation. For example a person can have anything from removing a birthmark to inserting breast implants to having a tummy tuck done on their body. Society manifests their obsession with physical perfection by having these procedures done to them. These procedures enable society to achieve 'perfection';, much like Georgiana in the 'Birthmark';. In the 'Birthmark';, a story that is more than a century old Georgiana and her husband Alymar are searching for physical perfection, much like we do today. In addition they manifested their obsession with physical perfection much like we do today. Georgiana was born with a crimson birthmark in the shape of a hand. This birthmark was on her cheek. One day Georgiana discovers that this birthmark 'shocks'; her husband and he is deeply bothered by it. Georgiana finally realizes this after Alymar says 'Georgiana . . . has it ever occurred to you that the mark upon your cheek might be removed?'; After discussing the birthmark several times with her husband, a talented scientist, Georgiana decides to have it removed by him. It is never stated in full detail exactly how Alymar is going to remove this birthmark, we assume that it will be a surgical procedure. At one point in the story Georgina says to her husband 'If there be the remote possibility of it .

Maritime Students Perception on School Related activities Essay

School activities are very important for the students and for the school. For the students, because they gain new skills and motivation. It’s a real chance for them to enjoy school and choose to do something they are really interested and passionate about, and therefore their motivation for learning and their motivation for their teachers and the school increase. It makes them relate academic knowledge to the practical experience, which leads to a better understanding of their own abilities, talents, and career goals and for the school because as studies shows that such participation provides marginal students an opportunity to create a positive and voluntary connection to their school also. Involvement in extracurricular activities may support the at-risk student by maintaining, enhancing, and strengthening the student-school connection therefore decreases dropout School activities at St. Therese MTC – Colleges are often held when there is a celebration it’s either a school celebration (like foundation day), national or international. These were held most especially for the enjoyment of the students and for them to fulfill their potentials. But these activities often cancels classes. We cannot hide the fact some students are not participating in the school activities thus, they take the cancellation of classes as an opportunity for them to go out and do whatever they want that commonly results into bad things like drinking alcohols, taking drugs and other vices. While some considers it as a burden for it adds to there payment. Some consider it mainly as a disruption of classes and a delay to their learning. While some consider it very important and take the opportunity to express and discover themselves, enjoy and boost their potentials. Every person have varying perception on things especially on things that they really do not know about. And everytime there is an activity students make a different perception about it. Either good or bad. These perceptions are very important in the part of the organizers and to the facilitators for it makes them know if the activity was successful or not and what will they do to make it more successful so that they could apply it the next time they conduct the same activity. Maritime Courses here in the Philippines are at high cost. Though many are still taking it because of high demand in the market and higher salary rate especially on international voyages where one earns dollar, many of the maritime students are coming from families having low Socio Economic Status (SES). Still they pursue even though they get through loans and depts hoping that when their children graduate and get onboard ships they can easily pay all their depts and raise their life’s situation. Every centavo and Peso is important. It is a product of blood and sweat of those who earned it. That’s why in every centavo and a peso increase in the accounts of the student adds to the burden of their family. Rumors were heard every time there is an activity and everytime the statement of account were released. Some say that another payment is added to the school fee. While some say that the payment was worth it. For these reasons that triggered the researchers to conduct this study to further find out and discuss the real perception of maritime students on school related activities and create a guidelines on what and how to conduct the activities the maritime students want. Statement of the Problem This research aims to find out what are the perceptions of maritime students towards school related activities. Consequently, this research study seeks answers to the following questions: 1. What are the school related activities of ST-MTCC engaged by Maritime students when classified as to course and year level? 2. What are the perceptions of Maritime students on school related activities when classified as to course and year level? 3. How to conduct the activities that the students want? 4. Is there a significant difference on the perception of the maritime students to school related activities when classified as to course and year level? Objectives of the study This research main objectives is to determine and discuss the main perception of Maritime students about the school related activities. Furthermore it aims to: 1. Determine the school related activities of ST-MTCC students when classified as to course and year level. 2. Determine the perception of Maritime students on school related activities when classified as to course and year level. 3. Determine how to conduct the activities that the students want. 3. Find out the significant difference of the students on school related activities when classifies as to course and year level. Hypotheses Based on the foregoing statements, the hypotheses are advanced: H0 There is no significant difference on the perception of the Maritime students on school related activities when classifies as to course and year level. H1 There is a significant difference the perception of the Maritime students on school related activities when classifies as to course and year level. Definition of Terms Activities – things being done for leisure, fun or learning (Meriam Websters Dictionary) In this study activities refers to the school related activities participated by the ST-MTCC Maritime students. BSMar E – (Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering) In this study BSMar E refers to the Maritime course that focuses on studying the works and obligations of the Engine Department onboard ship. BSMT – (Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation) In this study BSMT refers to the Maritime course that focuses on studying the works and obligations of the Deck Department onboard ship. Maritime Students– in this study maritime students refers to students taking up Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation (BSMT) and Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering (BSMar E) courses. Perception – the act or faculty of perceiving , or apprehending by means or of the mind; understanding. In this study perception refers to the understanding of the students about the school related activities. School – an institution for the teaching of children (Meriam Websters Dictionary) In this study school refers to St. Therese MTC- Colleges (ST-MTCC), Tigbauan Site. Year level – in this study, year level refers to the level achieved in school by which the respondents are enrolled in. Significance of the study The conduct and result of this study will bring benefits to the following: School Administration – the significant result Made from this study will serve as guide to the Student Affairs Office, Office of the Students Services, Student Executive Council, and other activity implementing departments and bodies of the school. Students – The significant result of this study would help the students enjoy the activities and satisfy their expectations as the result of this research were applied. Future Researches – this study was highly recommended to have a further study on the same topic. Scope and Limitations of the Study The descriptive study will be conducted to find out the perception of the maritime students on school related activities. This study will involve 310 students who are taking Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation (BSMT) and Bachelor of Science Marine Engineering (BSMarE) SY 2012-2013. The participants will be selected randomly and will be classified according to course and year level. The data to be used in this study will be gathered by the researchers. The Antecedent Variable will be the respondents’ course and year level and the School Related activities classified into in and out campus activities The dependent variable to be treated in this study will be the perception of the maritime students on school related activities. This study will be conducted at St. Therese MTC-Colleges in Tigbauan, Iloilo on June-October 2013. The descriptive statistics to be used in this study will be the mean and mean standard deviation. The inferential statistics to be used will be the Mann Whitney U test for independent samples, Kruskal Wallis H Test, and Spearman Rho to determine the perception of the students in school related activities. All levels of significance will be set at 0.05 alpha. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Software (SPSS) version 16.0 will be used to process the data. Chapter II Review of Related Literature Key Concepts on Benefits of Co-curricular Activities Activities Support the Academic Mission of Schools School Activities are not a diversion but rather an extension of a good educational program. Students who participate in activity programs tend to have higher grade-point averages, better attendance records, lower dropout rates and fewer discipline problems than students generally. Activities are inherently Educational Activity programs provide valuable lessons for practical situations – teamwork, sportsmanship, winning and losing, and hard work. Through participation in activity programs, students learn self-discipline, build self-confidence and develop skills to handle competitive situations. These are qualities the public expects schools to produce in students so that they become responsible adults and productive citizens. Activities Are Privileges, Attendance Is Required School districts typically define extracurricular activities as privileges; students earn the right to participate by complying with school rules and regulations. These typically include rules on school and class attendance. Annandale High School in Virginia, for example, has an extracurricular activities participation policy that requires students to attend all scheduled classes on the day of a competition or activity to be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities on that day Outreach Activities Outreach activities are designed to strengthen the relationship between a school system and the surrounding town groups or businesses. Outreach activities invite students to become more active members of their community as well as encourage community members to become part of the school community. Activities Foster Success in Later Life Participation in school activities is often a predictor of later success – in a career and becoming a contributing member of society. Students who spend no time in extracurricular activities are 49% more likely to use drugs and 37% more likely to become teen parents than those who spend one to four hours per week in extracurricular activities. Extracurricular school activities are often important to adolescent students, and they have many benefits. Students learn how to lead through student government or how to play a musical instrument, or take on the responsibility of teamwork in sports, while maintaining their academics. The challenge of balancing these competing responsibilities is an opportunity for students to grow and mature. Educators have studied the relationship between class attendance and extracurricular activities, and many schools set policy in these areas. Foreign Studies A 2010 study of a western Nebraska school district found a correlation between a student’s extracurricular activities and her attendance record. The study concluded that students who participated in extracurricular activities had a higher rate of school attendance than students who did not participate. It used data from 2007-08 and 2008-09 pertaining to 275 of the district’s high school graduates. A University of Massachusetts educator studied middle and high school students and how certain school-related factors — including extracurricular activities and school attendance — affected their eventual completion of a college degree. The study concluded that a student’s good attendance — not skipping classes or school — had a positive correlation to college degree completion. Additionally, the study concluded that the more a student participated in school-sponsored extracurricular activities, the more likely he was to complete a bachelor’s degree. The study also tested these results across racial lines and found that attendance was equally important to future completion of the bachelor’s degree regardless of the student’s race or ethnicity. A Harvard Educational Review article in 2002 found that participation in extracurricular activities in high school appears to be one of the few interventions that benefit low-status, disadvantaged students – those less well served by traditional educational programs – as much or more than their more advantaged peers. In telephone interviews of a national sample of teens in 2001, more than half (54%) said they wouldn’t watch so much TV or play video games if they had other things to do after school. The same survey found that more than half of teens wish there were more community or neighborhood-based programs available after school, and two- thirds of those surveyed said they would participate in such programs if they were available. Bonnie Barber and her colleagues, contributors to the 2005 book, Organized Activities as Developmental Contexts for Children and Adolescents, concluded that making diverse clubs and activities available to a wide range of students is important. The opportunity to embed one’s identity in multiple extracurricular contexts and to experience multiple competencies facilitates attachment to school and adjustment. Activity participation is also linked to affiliation with peers who are academically focused. Adolescents can benefit from this synergistic system when they have opportunities to participate in diverse activities. A Minnesota State High  School League survey of 300 Minnesota high schools showed that the average GPA of a student-athlete was 2.84, compared with 2.68 for the average student, and that student-athletes missed an average of only 7.4 days of school each year, compared with 8.8 for the average student. (Trevor Born. High Standard for GPA, in Minneapolis Star Tribune, May 14, 2007.) Participation in extra-curricular activities provides all students – including students from disadvantaged backgrounds, minorities and those with otherwise less than distinguished academic achievements in high school – a measurable and meaningful gain in their college admissions test scores according to researchers Howard T.Everson and Roger E. Millsap, writing for the College Entrance Examination Board in 2005. In a 2006 research project published by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE), it was found that 18-25 years old who participate in sports activities while in high school were more likely than nonparticipants to be engaged in volunteering, regular volunteering, registering to vote, voting in the 2000 election, feeling comfortable speaking in a public setting, and watching news (especially sport news) more closely than non-participants. An extensive study commissioned by the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association found, in that Canadian province in 2006, an average of 78.3% of Alberta’s top corporate CEOs and Members of the Legislative Assembly had participated in interschool sports. Nearly 80% indicated that being involved in school sports significantly, extensively or moderately complemented their career development and/or academic 5 pursuits. This same study pointed out that normal participation rate of students in high school sports is around 30 to 35%. The corporate and political leaders surveyed in Alberta (see above) cited the following benefits associated with their involvement in high school athletics: teamwork, discipline, goal setting, leadership, independence, self confidence, stress relief, character development and personal growth, fair play, and acceptance of others. From a cost standpoint, activity programs are an exceptional bargain when matched against the overall school district’s education budget. Researcher Richard Learner, writing in Promoting Positive Youth Development through Community After-School Programs, found that informal educational and developmentally supportive experiences offered to young people in the context of after-school or community-based programs are a potent source of resources  increasing the probability of positive development among youth. In 2003, the Journal of Adolescent Research reported that extracurricular activity participation is linked to lower rates of dropping out of school, greater civic involvement and higher levels of academic achievement. Moreover, research tracking participation from eighth through twelfth grades and examining outcomes in the postsecondary years concluded that consistent participation has positive effects that last over a moderate length of time. Extracurricular activities stand out from other aspects of adolescents’ lives at school because, according to the Winter 2005 issue of the Journal of Leisure Research, they provide opportunities to develop initiative and allow youth to learn emotional competencies and develop new social skills. A study conducted by Boston University, and published in Adolescence, Winter 2001, reported on a survey of 1,115 Massachusetts high school students. Survey results indicated that athletes were significantly less likely to use cocaine and psychedelics, and less likely to smoke cigarettes. Researchers writing in 2004 in the American Journal of Health Behavior conducted an examination of cross-sectional data from a nationally representative sample of high school students enrolled in public high schools in the U.S. They showed that students participating in organized sports were 25 percent less likely to be current cigarette smokers Stephanie Gerstenblith and her fellow researchers, writing in the 2005 book, Organized Activities as Developmental Contexts for Children and Adolescents state, â€Å"Just as schools with efficient procedures and structure have been found to have positive outcomes, our findings indicate that participants in after school programs with these qualities experience reductions in rebellious behavior and increases in intentions not to use drugs.† In 1985, the NFHS sponsored a national survey of high school principals and nearly 7,000 high school students in all 50 states. The survey, funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment in Indianapolis, was conducted by Indiana University in cooperation with the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Following are the results of that survey. 10 95 percent believed that participation in activities teaches valuable lessons to students that cannot be learned in a regular class routine. 99 percent agreed that participation in activities promotes citizenship 95 percent agreed that activity programs contribute to the development of â€Å"school  spirit† among the student body. 76 percent said they believe the demand made on students’ time by activities is not excessive. 72 percent said there is strong support for school activity programs from parents and the community at large. Students who compete in high school activity programs make higher grades and have better attendance. A study of nearly 22,000 students conducted by a University of Colorado professor for the Colorado High School Activities Association which was released in the fall of 1999 indicates students who participate in some form of interscholastic activities have â€Å"significantly higher† grade-point averages than students who do not. Data obtained from the spring 1997 study by Dr. Kevin J. McCarthy revealed student participants in Jefferson County high schools had an overall grade-point average of 3.093 on a 4.0 scale, while the GPA for non-participants was 2.444. Jefferson County School District, the state’s largest school district, has matched the academic success of its students with success on the playing field. The 16 district schools have won a combined 39 state championships in the 1990s in sports, while its music programs consistently bring home â€Å"superior† ratings. Nancy Darling, et al., writing in the 2005 Journal of Leisure Research notes that extracurricular activities allow youth to form new connections with peers and acquire social capital. They are one of the few contexts, outside of the classroom, where adolescents regularly come in contact with adults to whom they are not related. Students who spend no time in extracurricular activities are 49% more likely to use drugs and 37% more likely to become teen parents than those who spend one to four hours per week in extracurricular activities (United States Department of Education. No Child Left Behind: The facts about 21st Century Learning. Washington, DC: 2002.) On June 23, 2000, then President Bill Clinton issued an Executive Memorandum directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education to work together to identify and report within 90 days on â€Å"strategies to promote better health for our nation’s youth through physical activity and fitness.† The resulting report entitled â€Å"Promoting Better Health for Young People through Physical Activity and Sports was released in November 2000 and stated that â€Å"enhancing 7 efforts to promote participation in physical activity and sports among young people is a critical national priority.† Of the 60 students listed in the May 14, 1998, USA Today’s All-USA High School Academic First, Second and Third Teams and the 51 who earned honorable mention, 75 percent were involved in sports, speech, music or debate. The 29th annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes toward the Public Schools of September 1997 reflects an increase in perceptions about the value of co curricular activities. In 1978, 45 percent of the public, judged extracurricular activities to be very important. That figure fell to 31 percent in 1984. In 1985, the figure was 39 percent and jumped to 63 percent in the 1997 poll. The 1997 poll also asked about the emphasis placed on such sports as football and basketball. Fifty-three percent of the respondents believed the current emphasis was about right. In a survey of 4,800 high school students in March 1995, the Minnesota State High School League found that 91 percent of them said students who participate in school activities tend to be school leaders and role models; 92 percent said that participation in school activities provides an opportunity not found in a regular classroom setting to develop self-discipline. Adolescent Time Use, Risky Behavior, and Outcomes: An Analysis of National Data, issued in September 1995, by the Department of Health and Human Services found that students who spend no time in extracurricular activities are 57 percent more likely to have dropped out of school by the time they would have been seniors; 49 percent more likely to have used drugs; 37 percent more likely to have become teen parents; 35 percent more likely to have smoked cigarettes; and 27 percent more likely to have been arrested than those who spend one to four hours per week in extracurricular activities. A study by Search Institute in 1995 indicates that co curricular activities play a central role in students’ healthy development. Yet too many schools are finding it necessary to cut these programs for budgetary reasons. With asset building as a focus, these programs are not peripheral to the school’s mission, but important components of a comprehensive strategy. In the March 1997 issue of School Counselor, 123 students involved in interscholastic soccer are analyzed. Results indicate that activity participation does not harm and may enhance academic performance. Male athletes showed in-season improvements in academic performance. Ralph McNeal (1995) showed that different kinds of  activities have varying abilities to control school dropout rates. He concluded that students who participate in athletics, fine-arts activities, and academic organizations were an estimated 1.7, 1.2, and 1.15 times, respectively, less likely to drop out than those who did not participate. Athletic participation reduces the probability of school dropouts by approximately 40 percent. For example, the probability that the typical person in the sample would drop out of school is .0487, but if this same person participated in athletics, the estimated probability would be .0299. The impact of fine-arts participation for the typical person’s estimated probability is reduced from .0487 to .0415, or 15 percent. Silliker and Quirk (1997) investigated the academic improvement of students who participated in extracurricular activities. In this case, they looked at male and female high school students who participated in interscholastic soccer and who did not engage in another sport or major activity at the conclusion of the soccer season. They discovered that female participants in season maintained a GPA of 87.7 mean (M) with a 5.6 standard deviation (SD). Out of season these statistics dropped to 87.5 M with a 6.4 SD. The male participants in season maintained a GPA of 84.7 M with a 7.5 SD, and out of season their GPAs dropped to 83.8 M with an 8.7 SD. These data show that participants had significantly higher GPAs in season than out of season. The girls earned higher GPAs than did the boys, but the boys’ GPAs rose significantly in season versus out of season. The study supports the belief that involvement in athletics for high school students does not endanger, and may enhance, academic performance. Susan Gerber (1996) also found that extracurricular participation is not detrimental to student performance and that participation in these types of activities promotes greater academic achievement. In addition, she discovered that participation in school-related activities was more strongly associated with achievement than was participation in activities outside of school. Herbert Marsh (1992) compared predicted outcomes for students who did not participate in extracurricular activities with those of students who were moderately active. He found that this difference in participation level is associated with outcome differences of .582 SD in social self-concept and .390 SD in academic self-concept. He concluded that the effects of participation on social and academic self-concepts are significant. Evidently, participation  in extracurricular activities, even those not obviously associated with academic achievement, leads to increased commitment to school and school values, which leads indirectly to increased academic success. William Camp (1990) studied the effects of participation in activities on overall student success in school, as measured by grades, while controlling for the effects of other variables that could reasonably affect those grades. He used the symbol b* to represent standardized regression coefficients calculated in his structural analysis. He found that students’ activity levels produced a positive, significant effect on academic achievement (b* = .122). Particularly interesting in his study was the fact that this effect was more than twice as great as that of study habits (b* = .055), which are generally regarded as an important causal variable of academic achievement. John Mahoney and Robert Cairns (1997) indicated that engagement in school extracurricular activities is linked to decreasing rates of early school dropouts in both boys and girls. They discovered that such participation provides marginal students an opportunity to create a positive and voluntary connection to their school. Conversely, other strategies typically used to address the needs of at-risk students, such as school dropout prevention programs and remedial education, focus on the deficits of students and serve as a catalyst in the formation of deviant groups. The researchers strongly believe that involvement in extracurricular activities may support the at-risk student by maintaining, enhancing, and strengthening the student-school connection. Theoretical Framework This study is anchored to the Theory of Involvement that has been proposed by Astin (1984). According to the theory, students learn more the more they are involved in both the academic and social aspects of the collegiate experience. An involved student is one who devotes considerable energy to academics, spends much time on campus, participates actively in student organizations and activities, and interacts often with faculty. Based on the 1984 report, Involvement in Learning, student involvement takes the form of participation in academically related activities, out of class activities, and interactions with faculty, staff, and peers. Activities related to academics could include: attending class prepared for discussion and the day’s lesson; participating in study groups; and/or membership in academic  honor programs or societies, career-related organizations, and performance groups in the arts. Involvement in outside-of-class, or co-curricular activities, could include campus based student organizations, college athletic or intramural sports, employment on-campus, and volunteer service experiences. Involvement with peers and faculty/staff include those relationships where learning takes place beyond classroom settings: serving as a teaching or research assistant, talking with faculty during office hours, assisting in a laboratory or a fine arts production. Different from the role of the student in Astin’s earlier â€Å"input-process-output† model (Pascarella, 1991, P.50), where the student is passively developed by the faculty and by university programs, this theory posits that the student plays an integral role in determining his or her own degree of involvement in college classes, extracurricular activities and social activities. Of course, the more quality resources available, the more likely those students who are involved will grow or develop. Therefore, faculty interaction both inside and outside the classroom and high quality university programs and polices reflective of institutional commitment to student learning are necessary for student growth. Astin states that the quality and quantity of the student’s involvement will influence the amount of student learning and development (Astin, 1984, p.297). True involvement requires the investment of energy in academic, relationships and activities related to the campus and the amount of energy invested will vary greatly depending on the student’s interests and goals, as well as the student’s other commitments. The most important institutional resource, therefore, is student time: the extent to which students can be involved in the educational development is tempered by how involved they are with family friends, jobs, and other outside activities (p.301). There are several practical applications resulting from this theory, but Astin states that the most important to teaching is that instructors are encouraged to take the focus off the course content and their own technique and put it on their students. Astin states that the intended end of institutional and pedagogical practices is to achieve maximum student involvement and learning; to do that instructors cannot focus solely on technique but must also be aware of how motivated students are and how much time and energy they are devoting to the learning process (p.305). According to Astin, his theory of involvement has an advantage over traditional pedagogical approaches because it focuses on the motivation and behavior of the student. Therefore all institutional policies and practices can be judged by the degree of involvement they foster in student. Also, all faculty, from instructors to counselors, can work with the same goal in mind, unifying their energies into making the students more involved in the college environment and therefore better learners (p.307). Astin also discusses the benefits to students of staying connected to the campus environment by living in campus-related housing, attending college full-time rather than part-time, studying with other students on campus, and working at jobs on campus. Based on the stated theories, the study is conducted and has the following variables as shown in Figure 1.( The research paradigm ) The research paradigm of the study is presented in Figure 1. Figure 1.Research Paradigm. The paradigm shows the relationships of the antecedent variable, Course and year level and the in and out campus activities to the dependent variable, Perception of the maritime students on school related activities. Chapter 3 Research Design and Methodology Research Design This study will use descriptive method of research consisting of qualitative research as it seeks to determine the perception of the maritime students on school related activities Respondents/Sample This study will involve 310 students who are taking up Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation (BSMT) and Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering (BSMar E), S.Y. 2013-2014. The sampling method to be used for this study will be the simple random sampling because students from each course with varying year levels will be included as respondents of the study. Table 1. Profile of Respondents Course and year level Total population Number of respondents Percentage BSMT 1 195 44 23% BSMT 2 192 43 23% BSMT 3 184 42 23% BSMar E 1 299 68 23% BSMarE 2 255 58 23% BSMar E 3 243 55 23% 1368 310 2.3% Table 1 shows the number of respondents as classified as to course and year Instrument This study will use the researcher-made questionnaire based on the paradigm of this study that the researcher has gathered and subject for validation by the experts. There will be two parts of the instrument: Part One will be the personal information of the respondents such as course and year level. Part Two is the questionnaire which will gather data relative to the perception of the maritime students on school related activities. Data-Gathering Procedure Permission to conduct the study will be secured from the Dean of Maritime Studies of St. Therese MTC – Colleges Tigbauan. The researchers will personally distribute the questionnaires which will be filled out by the respondents in their respective classrooms. After which, these will be retrieved and reviewed fro completeness of data. The data obtained will be culled, encoded, analyzed, and interpreted. Data Analyses Procedure All data gathered will be computer-processed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software (SPSS).The descriptive statistics to be used will be the mean and standard deviation to determine the perception of the students on school related activities. The inferential analytical tools to be utilized will be the t- test for independent samples to determine differences that would exist in course and year level with the outreach activities; analysis of variance (AnoVa) for antecedent samples to determine differences that would exist in course and year level with the school activities; Spearman Rho the perception of the maritime students on school related activities Finally, the level of significance for the analysis was set at 0.05 alpha. The bases for interpretation of the trainings (SSO/SSA), company support, self-preparedness, onboard preparation and measures and national/international coordinationand measures will be as follows: Mean ScaleQualitative Description 3.25 – 4.00Highly effective 2.50 – 3.24effective 1.75 – 2.49moderately effective 1.00 – 1.74less effective

The Manufacturing and Cultural History of Nylon Stockings

The Manufacturing and Cultural History of Nylon Stockings In 1930, Wallace Carothers, Julian Hill, and other researchers for the DuPont Company studied chains of molecules called polymers, in an attempt to find a substitute for silk. Pulling a heated rod from a beaker containing carbon- and alcohol-based molecules, they found the mixture stretched and, at room temperature, had a silky texture. This work culminated in the production of nylon marking the beginning of a new era in synthetic fibers. Nylon Stockings - 1939 New York World's Fair Nylon was first used for fishing line, surgical sutures, and toothbrush bristles. DuPont touted its new fiber as being as strong as steel, as fine as a spiders web, and first announced and demonstrated nylon and nylon stockings to the American public at the 1939 New York Worlds Fair. According to The Nylon Drama authors David Hounshell and John Kenly Smith, Charles Stine, vice president DuPont unveiled the worlds first synthetic fiber not to a scientific society but to three thousand womens club members gathered at the site of the 1939 New York Worlds Fair for the New York Herald Tribunes Eighth Annual Forum on Current Problems. He spoke in a session entitled We Enter the World of Tomorrow which was keyed to the theme of the forthcoming fair, the World of Tomorrow. Full-Scale Production of Nylon Stockings First Nylon PlantDuPont built the first full-scale nylon plant in Seaford, Delaware, and began commercial production in late 1939. The company decided not to register nylon as a trademark, according to Dupont they, choose to allow the word to enter the American vocabulary as a synonym for stockings, and from the time it went on sale to the general public in May 1940, nylon hosiery was a huge success: women lined up at stores across the country to obtain the precious goods. The first year on the market, DuPont sold 64 million pairs of stockings. That same year, nylon appeared in the movie, The Wizard of Oz, where it was used to create the tornado that carried Dorothy to the Emerald City. Nylon Stocking the War Effort In 1942, nylon went to war in the form of parachutes and tents. Nylon stockings were the favorite gift of American soldiers to impress British women. Nylon stockings were scarce in America until the end of World War II, but then returned with a vengeance. Shoppers crowded stores, and one San Francisco store was forced to halt stocking sales when it was mobbed by 10,000 anxious shoppers. Today, nylon is still used in all types of apparel and is the second most used synthetic fiber in the United States.