Business Entrepreneurship: Strategy Of Bill Gates

Business Entrepreneurship: Strategy Of Bill Gates William Henry Bill Gates born 28th October, 1955 and he is an American business magnate and chairman of Microsoft, the leading software company. He is consistently ranked among the worlds richest people and the wealthiest overall as of 2009. Gates is the most successful entrepreneurs of the world. He is capable to run a successful and a profitable entrepreneurship for many years and even today, we cannot survive in this competitive world without it. Vision and dedication are the key factors of being a successful entrepreneur and these skills were present in Bill Gates from the beginning. He has got the skills to identify the most suitable employee for recruitment. The success of Microsoft is the true example of the entrepreneurial skills of Bill Gates. The success story of Bill Gates is highly motivating for all the upcoming entrepreneurs. His hard work, dedication and self-confidence helped him to earn everything he has. He is a simple man and slightly conservative in regards of money although he is one of the richest people of the world. The youth can take inspirations from the life of Bill Gates. 2nd Entrepreneur Steven Paul Jobs another person like Bill Gates. He was born 24th February, 1955. He is a computer technical entrepreneur and at presently he is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Apple inc. as a result I think the comparison between him and Billgates are perfect. His comparison with Bill gates discussed bellow. Until recently, Bill Gates has been viewed as the villain of the tech world, while his archrival, Steve Jobs, enjoys an almost saintly reputation. Gates is the cutthroat capitalist. A genius maybe, but one more interested in maximizing profits than perfecting technology. Hes the ultimate vengeful nerd. Ostracized at school, he gets the last laugh by bleeding us all dry. On the other hand, Jobs has never seemed much concerned with business, though hes been very successful at it of late. Instead, Jobs has been portrayed as a man of art and culture. Hes an aesthete, an artist; driven to make a dent in the universe. But these perceptions are wrong. In fact, the reality is reversed. Its Gates whos making a dent in the universe, and Jobs whos taking on the role of single-minded capitalist, seemingly oblivious to the broader needs of society. Gates is giving away his fortune with the same gusto he spent acquiring it, throwing billions of dollars at solving global health problems. He has also spoken out on major policy issues, for example, by opposing proposals to cut back the inheritance tax. In contrast, Jobs does not appear on any charitable contribution lists of note. And Jobs has said nary a word on behalf of important social issues, reserving his talents of persuasion for selling Apple products. Giving USA Foundation, a philanthropy research group which publishes an annual charity survey, said Jobs does not appear on lists of gifts of $5 million or more over the last four years. Nor is his name on a list of gifts of $1 million or more compiled by Indiana Universitys Centre on Philanthropy. Jobs wife is also absent from these philanthropic lists, although she has made dozens of political donations totalling tens of thousands of dollars to the Democrats, according to the Open Secrets database. Of course, Jobs and his wife may be giving enormous sums of money to charity anonymously. If they are funnelling cash to various causes in private, their names wouldnt show up on any lists, regardless of the size of their gifts. For a person as private as Jobs, who shuns any publicity about his family life, this seems credible. If so, however, this would make Jobs virtually unique among moguls. Richard Jolly, chairman of Giving USA Foundation, said not all billionaires give their money away, but a lot do, and most do not do it quietly. We see it over and over again, he said. Very wealthy individuals do support the organizations and institutions they believe in. Thats certainly true of Gates, who not only gives vast sums away, but also speaks up in support of the organizations and institutions he believes in. This is not the case for Jobs. To the best of my knowledge, in the last decade or more, Jobs has not spoken up on any social or political issue he believes in with the exception of admitting hes a big Bob Dylan fan. Rather, he uses social issues to support his own selfish business goals. In the Think Different campaign, Jobs used cultural figures he admired to sell computers figures who stuck their necks out to fight racism, poverty, inequality or war. Jobs once offered to be an advisor to Sen. John Kerry during the 2004 presidential election, and he invited President Clinton over for dinner when Bubba visited Silicon Valley in 1996 hardly evidence of deep political convictions. Jobs cant even get behind causes that would seem to carry deep personal meaning, let alone lasting social importance. Like Lance Armstrong, he is a cancer survivor. But unlike Armstrong, Jobs has so far done little publicly to raise money or awareness for the disease. On the evidence, hes nothing more than a greedy capitalist whos amassed an obscene fortune. Its shameful. In almost every way, Gates is much more deserving of Jobs rock star exaltation. Life Story of Bill Gates It can be concluded that Bill Gates is one of the ideal personalities of the world who has honestly contributed towards the worlds success. Gates was born and grew up in Seattle, Washington USA. His father, William H. Gates was an attorney and his mother, Mary Maxwell Gates was a school teacher. She was also head of the United Way Charity. Gates attended a public grade school and then the Lakeside School, a private school. When he was in Lakeside his first interest is in the relatively new field of computer programming. That time he met his friend and future business partner Paul Allen, and developed his first computer software program when his age is only 13. In 1973, Bill Gates started studying at Harvard University. That time he spent time with Paul Allen. Gates and Allen were working on a version of the programming language BASIC. He was so busy with the computer and computer software and at last he did not go on to graduate from Harvard University because he left in his junior year to start the largest computer software company in the world; Microsoft Corporation. But it is an astonish matter Gates did not think about the software giant Microsoft. Early Life (Business Development) After leaving out of Harvard University Bill Gates and his partner Paul Allen created revolution to the computer industry. Gates believed there should be a computer on every office desk and in every home and now it is not the dream it is real fact. The Microsoft real giant software company was formed in 1975. Its abbreviation is microcomputer software. It soon became popular and went on to completely change the way people use computers. The company helped to make the computer easier to the users with its developing and purchasing software, and made it a commercial success. The big success of Microsoft began with the MS-DOS computer operating system and Bill Gates licensed it to IBM. Gates also set protecting the royalties and he could acquire from computer software by fighting against all forms of software piracy. At age 25, Gates obliged IBM to let him keep the proprietary rights to the DOS operating system they had him develop for a program called the pc. Actually he purchased the program from other company and modifying for the PC. Thinking the program would be quickly replaced anyway, IBM agreed to pay for a license to use it rather than purchase it outright. Now Microsoft software operates 90 percent of the worlds desktop computers. Microsoft launched Windows 1.0 in 1983, which produced a graphical user interface better graphics and multitasking. After five years Microsoft reproduced a number of windows versions which added many programs, flexibility and character. When Microsoft grew, the share price goes to the mountain, and Bill Gates became the youngest billionaire at the age of 31 in USA. In 1990 Microsoft actually organised by Bill Gates made a new version of Windows named Windows 3.0 with an improved graphics and features and it sold 10 million copies or more. After followed by Windows 3.1, 3.11 Microsoft added networking support. On success of that type of OS Microsoft developed Windows 95 and upgraded the new windows 98, windows 98se, windows 2000, Millennium Edition, Windows XP, Windows Vista and the latest version windows 7. While innovative windows came out Microsoft take market share more and along with their popular software such as Office, games etc has seen Gates become the richest man in the world and his estimated property US$46 billion. Gates also has interests not only the computer software but also in other business. He has many investments as including Corbis Corporation, Berkshire Hathaway Inc, Teledesic Corporation. Being the richest man in the world Bill Gates created one of the worlds largest charity90. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donates totally more than $1 billion every year. The foundation was formed in 2000 after merging the Gates Learning Foundation and William H. Gates Foundation. The aim is to bring innovations in health and learning to the global community. From the foundation in 1975 until 2006, Gates had major task for the corporation product strategy. He effectively launch various type of products, and as a result Microsoft attained a dominant position. Hence Gates is an executive. met randomly with the senior managers and program managers. Gatess responsibility at Microsoft for most of its history was mainly a management and executive role. However, he was an active software developer in the previous years. He was officially been on a development team since working on the TRS-80 Model 100 line, but wrote code as late as 1989 that lauched in the companys products. On June 15, 2006, Gates told that he would transition out of his day-to-day role over the next two years to dedicate more time to philanthropy. He divided his responsibilities between two successors, placing Ray Ozzie in charge of day-to-day management and Craig Mundie in charge of long-term product strategy. Bill Gates is playing a very active role in the workings of the Microsoft Company, but he has handed the position of CEO to Steve Ballmer. Now Gates holds the positions of Chairman and Chief Software Architect. Now His plans to take on fewer workings at Microsoft and try to devote all his time to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Time magazine called Gates, one of the 100 most influential people of 2004, 2005, and 2006. Time also collectively named Gates, his wife Melinda and rock band U2s lead singer Bono as the 2005 Persons of the Year for their caring efforts. He got vote eighth in the list of Heroes of our time in 2006. In 1999 Gates was listed in the Sunday Times power list. CEO of the year by Chief Executive Officers magazine in 1994, ranked number one in the Top 50 Cyber Elite by Time in 1998, ranked number two in the Upside Elite 100 in 1999 and was included in The Guardian as one of the Top 100 influential people in media in 2001. He has taken honorary doctorates from Nyenrode Business Universiteit, Breukelen, The Netherlands, in 2000; the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, in 2002; Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, in 2005; Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, in April 2007; Harvard University in June 2007; the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, in January 2008, and Cambridge University in June 2009. He was also an honorary trustee of Peking University in 2007. An honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005 was taken by Bill Gates. Some entomologists name the Bill Gates flower fly, Eristalis gatesi, in his honor. In November 2006, he and his wife were awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle for their philanthropic work around the world in the areas of health and education, particularly in Mexico, and specifically in the program Un paà ­s de lectores. In October 2009, it was declared that Gates will be awarded the 2010 Bower Award for Business Leadership of The Franklin Institute for his success in business and for his philanthropic work. With his great success it came many criticisms. With his ambitious and aggressive business philosophy, Gates or his Microsoft lawyers are fighting legal battles almost since Microsoft began. The Microsoft is dominating every market through acquisition, aggressive business policy or a combination of them. Many of the largest technology companies have fought legally against the actions of Microsoft, including Apple Computer, Netscape, Opera, WordPerfect, and sun Microsystems. The Ceativity. It is common, particularly within the management literature, to associate entrepreneurship with boldness, daring, imagination, or creativity.  [1]   These accounts emphasize the personal, psychological features of the entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship, in this conception, is not a required component of all human decision-making, but a specialized activity that some individuals are well able to perform  [2]  . If these characteristics are the essence of entrepreneurship, then entrepreneurship has no obvious link to the theory of the firm at least not without further arguments. The necessary personal features can presumably be taken by contract on the market by buying advising services, project management, and the like. Moreover, the literature does not explain clearly whether imagination and creativity are necessary, sufficient, or incidental conditions for entrepreneurship. Clearly the founders of many firms are imaginative and creative. Fortunately Bill Gates have this character and he build the big software company Microsoft. Intelligent. He believes that if you are intelligent and know how to apply your intelligence, you can achieve anything. From childhood Bill was ambitious, intelligent and competitive. These qualities helped him to attain top position in the profession he chose. Visionary. Microsofts vision is A computer on every desk and Microsoft software on every computer he will continue to stomp out the competition until he dies. Every business and household must have a computer and must run Microsoft software, was the basic guiding vision of Bill Gates. Passion. When as a student at the Harvard University, every single student would have wanted to be part of the great institute and graduate to be successful, Bill Gates decided to stop studying and pursue his dream of writing softwares for every computer in the world He was just passionate about software, coding and technology that incidentally also made him the richest man in the world Innovation. The best-known concept of entrepreneurship in economics is Joseph Schumpeters idea of the entrepreneur as innovator. Schumpeters entrepreneur informs new combinations new products, production methods, markets, sources of supply, or industrial combinations shaking the economy out of its previous equilibrium through a process Schumpeter termed creative destruction. The entrepreneur innovator is introduced in Schumpeters ground-breaking Theory of Economic Development (1911) and developed further in his two-volume work, Business Cycles (1939). Understanding that the entrepreneur has no place in the general-equilibrium system of Walrus, whom Schumpeter greatly admired, Schumpeter gave the entrepreneur a role as the source of economic change. In capitalist reality as distinguished from its textbook picture, it is not price competition which counts but the competition from the new commodity, the new technology, the new source of supply, the new type of organization . . . competition which commands a decisive cost or quality advantage and which strikes not at the margins of profits and the outputs of existing firms but at their foundations and their very lives.  [3]   Schumpeter carefully distincted the entrepreneur from the capitalist. His entrepreneur need not own capital, or even work within the confines of a business firm at all. While the entrepreneur was an owner of a firm, he is more likely to be an independent. In Schumpeters conception, people act as entrepreneurs only when they actually carry out new combinations, and lose the character of entrepreneurs as soon as they have built up their business, after which they settle down to running it as other people run their businesses.  [4]   This suggests a rather relationship between the entrepreneur and the firm he owns, works for, or contracts with. Entrepreneurship is exercised within the firm when new products, processes, or strategies are introduced, but not otherwise. Gates and Allen were assisted by a staff of six, which included four programmers. In late 1977, Gates released a version of FORTRAN language for microcomputers. In 1978, Gates and Allen introduced a version of COBOL. Around this time, Microsoft emerged as the market leader in microcomputer languages with sales exceeding $1 million. In 1979, Microsoft developed a new version of BASIC He had an early interest in software and began programming computers at the age of thirteen. Risk Taker. In his junior year, Gates dropped out of Harvard to devote his energies full-time to Microsoft, a company he had started in 1975 with his boyhood friend Paul Allen development of new products. Charismatic leadership. Another strand of literature, incorporating insights from economics, psychology, and sociology and leaning heavily on Max Weber, associates entrepreneurship with charismatic leadership. Entrepreneurs, especially in communication the ability to articulate a plan, aset of rules, or a broader vision, and impose it on others. Casson (2000) calls these plans mental models of reality. The victorious entrepreneur exceeds at communicating models one to another, who come to share the entrepreneurs vision. Such entrepreneurs are also typically self-confident. Witt (1998a, 1998b) states entrepreneurship as cognitive leadership. He outlines an entrepreneurial theory of the firm that combines recent literature on cognitive psychology with Kirzners concept of alertness. Entrepreneurs require complementary factors they argues, which are coordinated within the firm. For the firm to be successful, the entrepreneur must establish a implicit, shared frame-work of goals, which governs the relationships among members of the entrepreneurs team. As Langlois (1998) points out, it is often easier for individuals to commit to a specific individual, the leader, rather than an abstract set of complex rules governing the firms operations. In Fiedlers model, leadership effectiveness is the result of interaction between the style of the leader and the characteristics of the environment in which the leader works Bill gates style as Fiedler Model In Fiedlers model, leadership effectiveness is the result of interaction between the style of the leader and the characteristics of the environment in which the leader works According to Fiedler, the effectiveness of a leader is determined by the degree of match between a dominant trait of the leader and the favorableness of the situation for the leader. The dominant trait is a personality factor causing the leader to either relationship-oriented or task-orientated Relation-oriented leadership: Leaders who describe their preferred coworker in favorable terms, with a high LPC, are purported to derive major satisfaction from establishing close relationships with felow workers. High LPC leaders are said to be relationship-orientated. These leaders see that good interpersonal relations as a requirement for task accomplishment. Task-oriented leadership: Leaders who describe their least preferred coworker unfavorable terms, with a low LPC, are derived major satisfaction by successfully completing a task. These leaders are said to be task-orientated. They are more concerned with successful task accomplishment and worry about interpersonal relations later The second major factor in Fiedlers theory is known as situational favourableness or environmental variable. This basically is defined as the degree a situation enables a leader to exert influence over a group. Fiedler then extends his analysis by focusing on three key situational factors, which are leader-member, task structure and position power. Each factor is defined in the following. 1. Leader-member relations: the degree to which the employees accept the leader. 2. Task structure: the degree to which the subordinates jobs are described in detail. 3. Position power: the amount of formal authority the leader possesses by virtue of his or her position in the organization. So in this case Bill Gates found most favorable place where positional power is high as he has most authorities in the firm, task structure is also defined as he gives the direction to subordinate/follower to fulfill his vision, and last leader-member relation is also good. Thats mean Bill Gates is more likely Task-oriented leader who want performance from his subordinate/follower and work has to be done to achieve the goal/objective of the company. Hard work. Bill Gates is a hard worker since the beginning of his life. In his college days, he used to work all night long on his computer. When Microsoft was started, Bill Gates used to sleep only for 6 hours in a day without skipping a single day of office. For Bill Gates, hard work is one of the main keys of success. Lackings or Criticism. The critics argued that Microsoft was not an innovative company. They said that Gates reformed existing products to satisfy customer needs instead of inventing new ones. Analysts also argued that Microsofts overwhelming market share was a major impediment to innovation in the software industry. Microsoft was not just the market leader, but also the standards provider for the industry. Impediment in development of smaller firms: Critics claimed that winning was so important to Gates that he would go to any extent to beat his opponent. James Wallace of Seattle Post-Intelligencer said, Bill Gates not only wants to win, but he wants to kill the competition. He wants to bury the wounded Sometimes Gates took things so much to heart that his emotional feeling overshadowed his rational thinking. They said that Gates intense rivalry with some of his competitors made him personalize every battle and obscured his judgment. With his ambitious and aggressive business philosophy, Gates or his Microsoft lawyers have been in and out of courtrooms fighting legal battles almost since Microsoft began. Many of the largest technology co. have fought legally against the actions of Microsoft , including APPLE COMPUTER, NETSCAPE, OPERA, WORD PERFECT , AND SUN MICROSYSTEME ETC. Penrose maintains that The term entrepreneur throughout this study is used in a functional sense to refer to individuals or groups within the firm providing entrepreneurial services, whatever their position or occupational classification may be.  [5]   The theory of entrepreneurship comes in many guises. Management scholars and economists have made the entrepreneur an upgrador, a leader, a creator, a discoverer, an equilibrator, and more. In only a few of these theories, however, is entrepreneurship connected to asset ownership (examples include Knight, 1921; Mises, 1949; Casson, 1982; Foss, 1993; Langlois and Cosgel, 1993; and Foss and Klein, 2005). Still, these approaches are not founded on any systematic theory of capital or asset attributes. This paper outlines the capital theory associated with the Austrian school of economics and derives implications for entrepreneurship and economic organization. Entrepreneur is an agent who collects the materials for manufacturing the product and prepares the goods by adjustment whose selling price is uncertain.  [6]   Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which is a French word meaning one who undertakes an endeavour. Entrepreneurs organises resources including innovations, finance and capital in a trying to transform up gradation into economic goods. This may occur in recent organizations or may be part of mature organizations in response to get opportunity. The most obvious form of entrepreneurship is that of starting new businesses; however, in recent years, the term has been extended to include social and political forms of entrepreneurial activity. When entrepreneurship is describing activities within a firm or large organization it is referred to as intra-preneurship and may include corporate venturing, when large entities spin-off organizations.[1] Participating in a new business creation is a common activity among U.S. workers over their course of their careers. And in recent years has been documented by scholars such as David Audretsch to be a major driver of economic growth in both the United States and Western Europe.

Education and the Future Essay

Education and learning have always been a challenge to everyone. There are always emerging problems in our education system. Thus, a lot of issues and concerns need to be addressed. We are constantly facing challenges with our education system and children’s learning capabilities. Most of us believe that education will equip us with what we need to survive in the real world, it is highly important to come up with the most effective means to educate our children. Education is an important process that a person must experience. Education is necessary mainly because knowledge and learning will not be fully achieved without formal education. Education teaches a person many things that are essential in life such as problem solving, critical thinking and decision making. Education is also important to man as it provides man vital information that he needed to knows about his past, present and future (Khan, n. d. ). We learn through a wide array of processes. For instance, we learn through the formal process of education wherein a mentor teaches the students various concepts, ideas and principles. We also learn through our experiences in life, our observations, and our interaction with others. Our education system is bombarded with dilemmas in rendering quality education to students. There are many issues that concerning the present quality of education that our students is receiving. The various aspects of education such as teachers and curriculum largely contribute on the quality of education. What are the methods and techniques as well as solutions that can be applied in order to improve the different aspects of the education system? Every school has its own curriculum that is followed by the students. Curriculum is the set of courses that is taken by the students (Hewitt, 2006). Curriculum is the list of subjects that a student should take in the whole year. Curriculum is very important in the whole education process. It is important to have a comprehensive curriculum which includes subjects that are essential in the improvement of the students and render both basic skills and expertise in various aspects. An educational institution must always evaluate their curriculum and adhere on the latest modern trends to equip their students with skills essential in life. The curriculum of the school is anchored on the socioeconomic background of the population than the mental ability. Curriculum is a choice of the organization and its effects will be felt at the end of the schooling. Curriculum variables played a lot of their role when the student leaves his school (Marjoribanks, 1979). There is a wide array of means to create a comprehensive curriculum that is fully developed and offered strong subjects which is the key to a successful education system. First, a planning committee is important in creating or reevaluating a school’s curriculum. The planning committee should be consisted of school administrators, faculty members, board members, parents and selected students to be able to gain various perspectives from different sectors (McGee, 2008). This will be an effective way of developing a curriculum and to know how it would affect the different population. The school must set objectives for the integration and disintegration of subjects and courses offered. Teachers are also an important part of the education system. Teachers are the ones who convey the facts and information to the students. Teachers are meant to teach and guide the students while they are in school. They are the ones who teach the concepts and the things that the students need to know. Teachers are very important in the students overall education as they guide the students in the course of the learning process. Students are not able to fully grasp the concepts and principles all by themselves. Teachers need to explain these things in order to be digested by the students. It is important that the school teachers are knowledgeable and competent in order to meets the needs of the students. They must be equipped with adequate knowledge that will enable them to explain and expound on the things that they are teaching. They should also be composed of important virtues such as patience and perseverance that is essential in their line of work. The teachers should also be current and follow the modern trends of teaching as well as use strategies that are adaptive to the modern-day students. One way of refreshing our mentors is to conduct teachers’ training once in a while. This aims to refresh the minds of the teachers on the subjects that they teach. Teachers are the people, who render knowledge to our children at school, it is important that they are properly and appropriately trained on the various aspects of teaching. By definition, teacher training is a professional preparation of a teacher. Oftentimes, teacher training is a formal course work and practice teaching which includes lectures and practical applications. Teacher training or the preparatory measures varies in different education systems (â€Å"Teacher Training†, 2009). During the colonial period, teachers are only required of basic knowledge and willingness to take on the before low-waged occupation. Today, there are various requirements needed for a person to be able to teach. Teaching opportunities and qualifications advanced as we give high importance on education. Most countries required a person who went rigorous studies and extensive practice teaching in preparation for the profession (â€Å"Teacher Training†, 2009). Teacher training is important to refresh and update the minds of our mentors for them to catch up on the dynamicity of the modern world. Teacher training is composed of three important components such as familiarity on the curriculum, attitudes toward the school community and being a vital part of the institution (Velasco, n. d. ). Teachers should be familiar with the school’s existing curriculum and they should always adapt on the changes on the teaching strategies and methods to effectively teach a particular lesson. Teachers should also know what lessons should be hierarchically taught to the students to equip them with pertinent knowledge. Teachers are the role models of the students and uphold the highest standard of morality and decency. Teachers should show their best attitude to the community and try to achieve harmonious and productive relationships with the students, parents and school administrators. Teachers are also a vital part of the educational institution and they should perform their duties very well. They should be able to impart knowledge and information that will be useful for the students in the future. Education and students’ preparation for the future should not only rely on what the schools could do. Schools could only provide good teachers, good learning equipment and facilities and area conducive for learning. The motivation and willingness to learn will always be the students’ choice. Students will learn so much if they are willing to learn and help themselves. Reading is one way of learning and reinforcing the knowledge and information that is being taught by the teacher. Reading is very important in students’ educational success. Many educational researchers found a strong correlation between reading and success. Frequently, a good reader most likely passes the exams and do well in school than a student who do not often read. Good readers can easily understand individual sentences and organizational structure of a piece of literature. They most likely comprehend ideas, follow arguments, and detect implications. They also have a rich vocabulary and know a lot of trivial knowledge (â€Å"The Importance of Reading†, n. d. ). There is no crisis in the world of literature, but most parents and educators lament and pine why children do not frequently read. They are worried about the technology and how it manages to capture the hearts of the children and teenagers. The tech-savvy world is suddenly consuming the present generation and leave behind the frayed pages of the book. Before the radio and television gain popularity, it is well known that reading is the best leisure activity and source of entertainment of people. But due to the advancements of technology and inception of electronic gadgets, the invention of the various technological gadgets marked the dying passion to read. Reading is very important and may be a helpful activity in the students’ life (Sofsian, 2006). Reading offers a productive approach in enriching a person’s vocabulary. It is also commonly observed that children who love to read have high IQs. They are also more creative and intelligent and do well at school. Educational researchers highly recommend that parents inculcate the importance of reading while in an early age. Reading develops the vocabulary and forms a strong emotional bond between parents and children. Children who read at an early age are observed with better language skills and learn the variances in phonics much better. Reading largely helps in the person’s mental development and exercises the muscles in the eyes. Reading is a helpful activity that involves greater amount of concentration and adds conversational skills to the person. It also stimulates the brain function and enhances knowledge acquisition. The habit of reading helps the person to decipher uncommon words that we may come across (Sofsian, 2006). It has been a challenge nowadays to convince our students to read and focus enough attention and concentration in a page of a book. The world nowadays is full of distraction and entertainment. Reading strengthens concentration, verbal skills and higher-level of thinking. It invigorates the brain and stimulates its activities (Follos & Gantos, 2006). The initiative should always starts on the student itself. Despite the efforts of the school and the teachers in teaching the students, it is for the students to decide whether they will learn something. The preparation for our children’s future rely on each others hands. We all have our roles in preparing our children to face the real world. References Follos, A. M. G. & Gantos, J. (2006). Reviving Reading: School Library Programming, Author Visits, and Books that Rock! Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. Hewitt, T. W. (2006). Understanding and Shaping Curriculum. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc. Khan, M. W. (n. d. ). The Importance of Education. Retrieved March 14, 2009, from http://www. alrisala. org/Articles/mailing_list/importance_of_education. htm. Marjoribanks, K. (1979). Families and Their Learning Environments: An Empirical Analysis. London: Routledge. McGee, S. (2008). How to Develop a Charter School Curriculum. HowtoDoThings. com. Retrieved March 14, 2009, from http://www. howtodothings.com/education/a4519-how-to-develop-a-charter-school-curriculum. html. Sofsian, D. (2006, November 9). The Importance of Reading. Retrieved March 16, 2009, from http://ezinearticles. com/ The-Importance-Of-Reading&id=354498 Teacher Training. (2009). The Free Dictionary. Farlex, Inc. Retrieved March 16, 2009, from http://encyclopedia2. thefreedictionary. com/teacher+training. The Importance of Reading. (n. d. ). Retrieved March 16, 2009, from http://esl. fis. edu/parents/advice/read. htm. Velasco, M. A. (n. d. ). Seaching for Meaning in Teacher Training. Analytic Teaching, 16, 112-115.

A History, a past, and a Trail Essay

The discovery of the North American continent created, literally, an entirely new world. With the congestion of Europe and a desire for agricultural land, many from the East loaded upon massive carrier ships in sight of a new life. It was a long voyage across the Atlantic. The sight of the new world from off-shore had been described as â€Å"salvation†. What these settlers did not know was that they were entering into shore-side cities that were even more cramped than their original location. The flocking to â€Å"America† is what attributed to the congestion and size of New York itself. This degraded living conditions and created an entirely new form of social status that had never been seen by Europeans. Something needed to be done to spread out the population of the Eastern shore side. Luckily our â€Å"rookie† government, fresh out of a war, had a creative idea to promote a move to the West. These politicians, in a vote of fifty-two to fifty. decided to intervene by offering any married couple six-hundred and forty acres of land. This was the equivalent to one square mile of land. They labeled the effort: â€Å"Manifest Destiny†. One can imagine how tempting this sounds to factory workers and small time farmers. Previously to this, some early explorers thought it necessary to devise a route from East to West. Lewis and Clark were the first to map the journey. The route they took covered 2,170 miles and practically covered all of the land that was accessible to wagons(Wiki). After a little â€Å"fine-tuning† by John Jacob Astor, to avoid dangerous areas of the Rocky Mountains and hostile Blackfeet Indians, the â€Å"Oregon Trail† was set in stone. This sparked many to make the dangerous move from East to West. Settlers that lived in cramped suburbs and local â€Å"Camp Towns† now had the motivation to spread out their horizons in a search for wealth and happiness. Manifest Destiny developed from a dream to a reality. With all of this came the hearsay and rumors that many viewed as dangerous. Many had heard of the â€Å"Dead Lands† located in the South Western dessert. Fatal stories were told about land that was not suited for farming. Although this caused a delay among some settlers, many had no choice to move westward, and set off on to their destination. Starting in Kansas City, the Oregon Trail began following the Santa Fe Trail. The growth of Kansas City can be attributed to being at the start of the massive trail; Local business sky-rocketed within a few years (END). The need for supplies caused many stores to become profitable overnight. Since there wasn’t much along the route to Oregon, many had to stock up for the long journey. Horses, food, and spare parts were just some of the many items a traveler would need to complete the journey (END). Many referred to the Kansas City area as â€Å"The Docks†, in reference to it being a loading dock for the expansion. After leaving Kansas City, and sticking to the rules of survival, wagons would use the natural terrain to their advantage. Many would stick to lower valleys that followed the river. After a few years, the trail was actually visible to those who traveled it; however, this does not seem to hold true for the remainder of the trip. Nebraska was in sight for most that started the trip. After crossing the Blue River it was just one river after another until arriving at the Rocky Mountains. Along the way, settlements began to form, which made the journey easier. The more who traveled, the easier it became. Many did not actually travel the entire route. If a good location or opportunity arose, families would start their new lives at that very spot along the trail (Wiki). Since many had no idea of where they were going to live when they completed their journey, it made sense that, if a good location was spotted along the way, that became their home. This is what forged cities and trade routes along the way. Even in the Rocky Mountains people began to settle. Mountain towns became good places to start the logging industry. With the rivers along the Oregon Trail flowing from North to South, logs from the Rockies found their way back down the trail to Kansas City. The direction of trade, however, was not a one-way street. The towns that were created along the trail needed supplies too. Many who traveled beyond the Rocky Mountains were sure to bring over-stocked supplies with them. Supplies were almost as valuable as gold on the Oregon Trail. Beyond the Rockies, it was pretty much a straight shot to Oregon. Following rivers one could go as far as Washington State. Many started homes in the forests of Oregon. After avoiding the southern desserts, it was clear that this area was suitable for cultivation and living. The only problem was that Oregon had harsh winters and very short windows of time for farming. New ways, such as the gold rush, were what sealed the fate of the northwestern states as being a contributing district of America. The settlers of western America were not just poor people looking for a way out of trouble. Many rich tycoons took advantage of the rising boom towns. When starting any venture, most people need a lender. Banks started to sprout at several points along the trail. In terms of business, it was common practice for towns to make their start, purely on credit. Many say that this is the reason the west side of the continent received venues for big business. It was until a newer improved method of transportation was devised that the Oregon Trail became the secondary path to the west. Until the invention of the Transcontinental Rail Road, the Oregon Trail was the main route for traversing the middle section of the country (Vance, 1961). People still relied on animal-based transportation and inefficient ways to cultivate their lands . This is where a change needed to take place the most in our country. Since the land was harder to farm and many were having a hard time finding the resources to do so, many believe that ingenuity was the only answer to the west’s problems. The need of the settlers is what sparked the inventions that farmers were looking for. New methods of plowing and irrigation were among the advancements along the trail. It seems, though, that pure luck and not the Oregon Trail is the hammer that etched the fate of the western states into stone. The Gold Rush of 1848-1855 drove the remainder of the population to the west . The search for gold and prosperity could be seen in people throughout the country. Although most were left empty handed, they had at least gained a new home in the left side of our country. This new home would suit them nicely. In the end, the Oregon Trail can be said to have carved a path of prosperity along the horizon of our nation. The details of this can often be seen in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. Many started on a destination of uncertainty and ended up with more than they had bargained for. The rest worked hard and put food on the plate. History is the only area that the Oregon Trail is used today. Even though US Highway number 26 practically parallels the trail, the duration of the trail stays in the culture and heritage of families that live in the Western United States. Works Cited http://www.endoftheoregontrail.org/histhome.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail

Essay on Jaques Louis David - 1898 Words

1. Introduction Set on a stage of revolution and Enlightenment, the Neo-Classical period presents a broad and interesting topic. Jacques Louis David was the first political painter, and a true revolutionary, but one cannot disengage his art work from the social and political systems of the period. Therefore, this essay will present an overview of the social context and systems of Pre Revolution France, Neoclassicism and how David’s work was influenced by it and how his work influenced it. Also important to note are the art work that influenced Neoclassicism. 2. Social and Artistic Climate in the 18th Century 2.1. Neoclassicism Neoclassicism refers to the style of painting, sculpture, decorative arts and architecture used from†¦show more content†¦(Mettais: 152-156) The second noted influence on the New Classical period was the excavations of Herculaneum and Pompeii and the paintings, sculptures and jewellery that were brought forth from these sites. These mines of wealth motivated an interest in Greco-Roman art, which is the mark of Neoclassicism. Within the recovered works, people saw a physical perfection and moral health which was a dominant theme of the Enlightenment. New perceptions of society based in the Athesian commonwealth and the Roman republic was beginning to form, and later these themes became symbols of freedom and democracy (the basis of Romanticism). The artistic assumption of the time was the idea that, one must raise beauty over morality and that beauty lies in shape and contour, not in colour, which only assisted beauty. This principle simplified the Neo-Classical forms. (Praz: 70, 71) 2.2. The Academy The first academy was started by Leonardo da Vinci in 1498. It was designed as a gathering of people to discuss art and science. This evolved to the instruction of these subjects by means of an apprenticeship system; masters teaching students. Later, the Academy adopted a policy of exclusion to non members, offering only students the opportunities to be given commissions, exhibitions and prestige. Also, artists could only gain recognition for their art by the guilds if they had studied at the Academy. During the seventeenth century, the FrenchShow MoreRelatedRollercoaster of Arts and Architecture Brought About by Napolean Bonaparte1083 Words   |  5 PagesFrench Revolution, a painter named Jaques Louis David used Greek and Roman mythology for his paintings and in one image he created â€Å"The Oath of the Horatii† there were three Roman brothers. David’s reason of the painting was to have courage and nationalism of Roman Republic to exemplify the new republic of France. (Mules, Helen. French Art). 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