The State and Local Government of Illinois Essay Example for Free

The State and Local Government of Illinois Essay Illinois is a state in the northern central of U.S., a center of Midwest, which entered the Union on December 3, 1818 making it the 21st state of the US (Illinois Encarta). Illinois’ economy has increased or developed, until now Illinois is the most dynamic and prolific in terms of its industrial and agricultural characteristics. Illinois is the 5th most populous and diverse state in the Midwest in terms of demography. Chicago is in the northeastern side, tiny industrial cities in the and huge agricultural part in the western and central Illinois, and a lot of natural resources like petroleum and coal in the southern part can   be found. Illinois is also an essential or significant transportation center having the â€Å"Port of Chicago† connecting the Mississippi to the Great Lakes through the Illinois River, and is also is surrounded by compact networks of highways, waterways, railroads, and air routes, which most of it unite or meet on the metropolis of Chicago, the third largest city in the United States. Illinois is consisted of two sections or partitions, and these are Chicago and the downstate or the smaller communities managing to keep their distinctive characteristics. Illinois is divided or separated into 4 major natural regions and these include the Central Lowland, the Ozark Plateaus, The Golf Coastal Plain, and the Interior Low Plateaus. Except for some short streams, nearly all the rivers and streams flow west or southward to the Ohio River or to the Mississippi River, joining the Mississippi close to Cairo in the southern part. Illinois’ climate is composed of cold winters and hot summers, with polar masses moving south to the state of Canada during winters and warm air masses moving up from Mexican Gulf during summers. The average July temperature in Illinois ranging from 24 degrees Celsius in the northeastern Illinois to above 26 degrees Celsius in the southern part wile January averages range from less than -4 degrees Celsius in the northwestern side to above 1 degrees Celsius in the south (Illinois Encarta).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The two top crops grown in the state with respect to value and quantity are soybeans and corns, ranking Illinois as the 2nd primary state its production. Illinois is placed 4th in the country as an industrial state next after California, Texas, and Ohio, based on the Illinois’ industry contribution to the country’s income, with which most manufacturing is done in the Chicago area. Illinois’ urban and industrial areas need huge amounts of electricity with which 51% is supplied or generated through steam driven power plants through the use of coal and 48% is through its 6 nuclear power plants (Illinois Encarta). Chicago is the center of intricate systems of highways waterways, airlines, railroads, and gas and oil pipelines; making Chicago the major or main center of trucking activities in U.S. According to the national census of 2000, Illinois is the 5th most populous state in the US, having a total population of about 12, 419, 293, and having an 8.6% increase compared to the 1990 census, with 88% are living in urban areas (Illinois Encarta). School attendance in Illinois was made obligatory since 1883 and is now oblige for all children 7 to 17 to go to school, resulting to $9851 expenses per student as of 2002-2003 (Illinois Encarta). Illinois: Government   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Illinois first constitution was adopted in the year 1818 and new constitutions have been adopted in 1848 and 1870, and a 4th constitution was adopted in 1970 concerning the 20th century industrialized state and responsibility for financing public education (Illinois Encarta). Illinois’’ State Government   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Illinois’ state government is composed of an executive, legislative, and judiciary, in the executive, the governor is the states chief executive who is elected for a 4 year term and has the power to appoint key officials of the state administrative agencies and department upon the approval of the state senate. The governor has the power to veto bills approved by the legislature, but the legislature can overrule or ignore such veto by 3/5 majority vote of each house’ members. Other elected officials of the executive who are elected for a 4 year term are the attorney general, comptroller, treasurer, secretary of the state, and the lieutenant governor. On the legislative, the state legislature known as the General Assembly which is composed of the House of Representatives and a Senate, having 59 Senators and 1189 Representatives. Representatives are all elected to serve to 2 year terms while the senators are elected to either 2 or 4 year term. The assembly meeting is annually held on the 2nd Wednesday of January, and the governor or the presiding officer of both houses may call special meetings or assembly. The Judiciary of Illinois has 3 types of courts, namely, the circuit courts, the appellate courts, and the supreme courts. The Supreme Court is the states’ highest court composed of 7 judges who are elected for 10 year terms, and the 3 judges are elected from Cook County including Chicago, and 1 judge from each of the 4 other districts. The Judges elect one as chief justice who will serve for 3 years unless the person’s term as a judge ends and the judges of the states appellate court are also elected for 10 year terms. Circuits are Judges elected for 6 year terms and they in turn designates associate judges for 4 year terms. Illinois Local Government An elected county board is the main policy making body of each of the 102 Illinois counties. A county board is voted in each county and the number of members of the county board is set by ordinance in each county. The members of the Cook County Board are elected from 2 districts such as Chicago and outside Chicago. In the local government, there are called county officers who have the responsibilities and power given by the law and by the county ordinance. The president of the Cook County Board is elected from the county having the power as the chief executive officer of the county and each county has a sheriff, a treasurer, and a county clerk who will serve for 4 year terms, and they may assign or vote recorder, coroner, auditor, assessor, and other officials. The treasurer of the county may perform as a treasurer of any school district or local government in his respective county if a school district asked for it. In the local government there are also Home Rule Units or a municipality with a population of more than 25000 and has an elective executive. A Home Rule Unit doesn’t have the authority to acquire liabilities from ad valorem property tax receipts that will mature in 40 years, and doesn’t have the authority to give a penalty of a felony (Constitution of†¦). Home rule units only have the power to punish offenders by imprisonment for more than 6 months or impose taxes based on occupants’ earnings. A home Rule Unit has the power to adopt, repel, or alter a form of government subject to the approval by referendum, and has the power to provide for its officers their manner of selection or terms of office through the approval by a referendum. Municipalities and counties which are not Home Rule Units have only powers given by the law and the powers to have improvements in their locality by especial assessments. Special districts and units, townships, school districts, and appointed by law as local government units only have the authority given by the law. Chicago and most other cities have their mayor and a council form of government. Most of the medium size cities in Illinois have their chosen or selected professional city manager, and most villages are managed by the board president and Board of trustees. Works Cited â€Å"Constitution of the State of Illinois.† n.d.. Illinois Handbook of Government, 18 December 2007 http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/handbook/ilconstitution.pdf. â€Å"Illinois.† 2007.   Illinois MSN Encarta, 19 December 2007 http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761566615/Illinois.html. â€Å"Illinois Compiled Statutes.† 2007.   Illinois General Assembly Illinois Compiled Statutes, 19 December 2007 http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs.asp. â€Å"Illinois Government.† 2007.   Illinois.gov Illinois Government Judiciary, 19 December 2007 http://www.illinois.gov/government/judiciary.cfm.

The Purpose Of Study English Language Essay

The Purpose Of Study English Language Essay Functional Grammar was introduced by Halliday (1994) based on the assumption that language is a set of meanings. Language which is a means of communication is used to negotiate and exchange meanmgs. He states that a language is interpreted as a system of meanings accompanied by forms through which the meanings can be realized. Halliday (1994) adds Functional Grammar lean towards text, which is a semantic unit, rather that sentence. So, Functional Grammar which was developed based on meanings uses text as the unit of analysis. Functional Grammar has been adopted to become one of the subj ects in the English Department of UNJ since 2002. Statements related to Functional Grammar as subjects can be quoted as follows: Mata kuliah mi bertujuan mengembangkan wawasan eksplisit tentang teori bahasa dan segi fungsinya (tekstual, interpersonal, experiential) untuk menunjang pengembangan kemampuan dan ketrampilan berkomunikasi lisan dan tulisan dalam bahasa Inggnis secara benar dan baik. (Pedoman Akadeniik 2004/2005:100) Functional Grammar 1 aims at developing the explicit knowledge of the theory of language based on the thnction (textual, interpersonal, and experiential) to support the development of ability and skills to communicate both written and spoken well and correctly. (Own translation). Mata kuliah mi bertujuan mengembangkan kemampuan dan ketrampilan menganalisa teks dalam bahasa Inggris dilihat dan segi fungsinya (tekstual, interpersonal, experiential) untuk menunjang pengembangan kemampuan dan ketrampilan berkomunikasi lisan dan tulisan dalam bahasa Inggris secara baik dan benar. (Pedoman Akademik 2004/2005:100) 1 Functional Grammar 2 aims at developing ability and skills to analyze text in English based the function (textual, interpersonal, and experiential) to support the development of ability and skills to communicate both ritten and spoken well and correctly. (Own translation) In keeping with the description, both Functional Grammar 1 and 2 have the basic purpose that is to support the development of ability and skills to communicate, both written and spoken, well and correctly. As a matter of fact, a number of students complain about the subjects. They have difficulties about the subjects. No study was conducted relevant to the condition. Realizing the need of improvement, the researcher is interested to conduct a study about English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. B. Focus of Study The research is initiated by the fact that some students have problems in understanding Functional Grammar concepts. Learning the condition, the researcher is interested to conduct a study related to English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. C. Research Questions Based on the background above, the research questions that are identified in this study are: What is English Department students perception towards their knowledge of Functional Grammar concepts. 1 2 What is English Department students perception towards their comprehension of Functional Grammar concepts. What is English Department students perception towards their ability to apply Functional Grammar concepts in analyzing text. What is English Department students perception towards their ability to apply Functional Grammar concepts in writing. I). Purpose of Study The purpose of the study is to identifi English Department students perception towards their ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. Using Blooms Taxonomy of Educational goals, students knowledge and comprehension of Functional Grammar are included in this research. E. Benefit of Study The result of this study is expected to give input related to English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. 3 CHAPTER II LiTERATURE REVIEW To provide the basic theory of the research related to English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing, this chapter discusses Traditional Grammar, Functional Grammar, Functional Grammar as a subject in the English Department, Ability to apply, Writing, and Perception. 1. Traditional Granmiar A number of experts such as Harmer (2001), Thombury (1999), and Gerot and Wignell (1994) have defined traditional grammar as a set of rules of a language. Harmer (2001) describes the grammar of a language as the description of the ways in which words can change their forms and can be combined into sentences in that language. Thombury (1999) explains grammar as a description of the rules for forming sentences. While Gerot and Wignell (1994) point out Traditional Grammar is focused on the rules for producing coffect sentences. They add sentence becomes the unit of analysis. So, based on the discussion, Traditional Grammar is focused on rules and sentence becomes the unit of analysis. Further, Gerot and Wignell (1994) explain that Traditional Grammar labels elements of the clause in terms of the word class that are nouns, verbs, prepositions, adverbs, and adjectives. Criticizing towards the weaknesses of Traditional Grammar, Thombury (2002) argues that there is 4 no one-to-one correspondence between grammatical form and communication function such as making a request, offering something, etc. 2. Functional Grammar Functional Grammar was introduced by Halliday (1994) based on the assumption that language is a set of meanings. Language which is a means of communication is used to negotiate and exchange meanings. Halliday (1994) believes that when one communicates, he exchanges the meanings with other people. He further states that a language is interpreted as a system of meanings accompanied by forms through which the meanings can be realized. To be different from Traditional Grammar that is focused on rules and sentence as the unit of analysis, Functional Grammar is focused on meanings and text as a whole becomes the object of analysis. Further, Halliday (1994) explains that Functional Grammar discusses the notion of a clause as a unit in which meanings of three different kinds are combined. The three aspects of meaning of the clause are clause as representation, clause as exchange, and clause as message. 1). Clause as Representation The first aspect of the meaning of the clause is Clause as Representation. Based on Hallidays assumption, Gerot and Wignell (1994) note it concerns with human beings experiences. Clause as representation is related to human beings experiences. As human 5 beings experiences vary, it is possible to identify the types of those experiences. Halliday (1994) describes the most powerful impression of experience is that it consists of goings-onhappening, doing, sensing, meaning, being, and becoming. Halliday (1994) then proposes there are three semantic categories that are processes, participants, and circumstances. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Processes Based on Hallidays assumption, Gerot and Wignell (1994) notice processes are realized by verbs. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Participants Halliday (1994) writes participants are realized by nouns. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Circumstances Halliday (1994) describes circumstance is realized by adverbial group or prepositional phrase. Based on Hallidays assumption, Gerot and Wignell (1994) note circumstances answer such questions as when, where, why, how, many, and as what. Halliday (1994) further explains the different types of processes that are built into the granmiar of English are material process, mental process, relational process, behavioral process, verbal process, and existential process. A. Material Process: processes of doing Based on Halliday, Gerot and Wignell (1994) state material processes are processes of material doing. Halliday (1994) notes they express the notion that entity does something which may be 6 done to other entity. This process consists of these particular participants-an obligatory actor, and optionally also a goal. Based on Halliday, Gerot and Wignell (1994) explain the entity who or which does something is the Actor. The entity which may be done to is the Goal. B. Mental Process: processes of sensing Halliday (1994) explains mental processes are processes of feeling, thinking, and seeing. The two participants in mental process are senser and phenomenon. The senser is conscious being that is feeling, thinking, or seeing. The phenomenon is that which is sensed, felt, thought, or seen. C. Relational Process: processes of being There are two different modes that are attributive and identifying. a. Intensive processes: attributive Based on Halliday, Gerot and Wignell (1994) refer attributive processes as processes which assign a quality. Halliday (1994) notes the quality is labeled the attribute, an entity to which it is ascribed is the carrier. b.Intensive processes: identifying Based on Halliday, Gerot and Wignell (1994) refer identifying processes as processes which establish an identity. Halliday (1994) adds the process has an identity assigned to it. The terms are given the x-element and the a-element, that which is to be 7 identified, as identified, and the a-element, to which serves as identity, as identifier. D. Behavioral processes Halliday (1994) explains these are processes of physiological and psychological behavior like breathing, coughing, smiling, dreaming, and staring. The participant who is behaving is labeled behaver. E. Verbal processes Halliday (1994) refers to these are processes of saying. The term sayercan be interpreted as a subject (it may be someone or something) that says something. There are three participant functions that are the receiver, verbiage, and target. a. The receiver is the one to whom the saying is directed at. b. The verbiage is the function that corresponds to what is said. c. The target is the entity that is targeted by the process of saying. F. Existential processes Halliday (1994) notes these represent that something exists or happens. That object or event which is being said to exist is labeled, simply, existent. 2). Clause as exchange The second aspect of the meaning of the clause is clause as exchange. Halliday (1994) explains clause as exchange has two components that are Mood and Residue. 8 a. Mood Element Halliday (1994) proposes it consist of two parts: (1) the subject, which is a nominal group, and (2) the finite operator, which is a part of verbal group. Based on Halliday, Gerot and Wignell (1994) add the finite element is one of the small numbers of verbal operators expressing primary tense, modality and polarity. Halliday (1994) explains primary tense means past, present, or future at the moment of speaking. Finite verbal operators Temporal Past present future Did, was does, is will, shall Had, used to has would, should Modal: Low median high Can, may will, would must, ought to Could, might is to, was to need (dare) has to, had to (Halliday 1994:74) Halliday (1994) refers to modality as the speakers judgement of the probabilities, or the obligations, involved in what he is saying such as may, will, can etc. He adds polarity is the choice between positive and negative, as in is/isnt, do/dont. 9 b. Residue Halliday (1994) explains the Residue consists of functional elements of three kinds, that are, predicator, complement, and adjunct. a Predicator. It is realized by a verbal group minus the temporal or modal operator. b. Complement. A complement is an element within the Residue that has the potential of being subject but is not. It is typically realized by a nominal group. c. Adjunct. An adjunct is an element that has not got the potential of being subject. It is typically realized by an adverbial group or prepositional phrase. 3). Clause as message The third aspect of the meaning of the clause is clause as message. Halliday (1994) states a message consists of a Theme combined with a Rheme. As general guide, the theme can be identified as that element which comes in first position in the structure. The analysis of the Theme of the clause is rather complex. Halliday (1994) explains in this case, complex clause is called a multiple Theme. In a multiple theme, there are certain complements which have their orders. Halliday (1994) points out the typical ordering is textuaYinterpersonaVexperiential. The textual theme is any combination of continuative, a structural theme, and a conjunctive theme. 10 (i) Continuative is one of small set of discourse signalers, yes, no, well, oh, now. (ii) A structural Theme is any of the obligatory thematic elements such as conjunctions and W-H relative. (iii)A conjunctive Theme is one of the conjunctive adjuncts. He refers conjunctive adjuncts are those which relate the clause to the preceding text such as also, meanwhile, soon, finally, etc. Halliday (1994) further describes the interpersonal theme that is any combination of (i) A vocative is any item, typically (but not necessarily) a personal name, used to address; it may come more or less anywhere in the clause and is thematic if preceding the topical Theme. (ii) A modal theme is any of the modal adjuncts. He describes that modal adjuncts are those which express the speakers judgment regarding the relevance of the message such as maybe, usually, occasionally, surely, honestly, etc. (iii) A mood marking theme is a Finite verbal operator, if preceding the topical Theme; or a WHinterrogative (or imperative lets) when not preceded by another experiential element (i.e. when functioning simultaneously as topical Theme). The last order is experiential. Halliday (1994) explains the experiential element is referred as topical theme. This means that the Theme of a clause ends with the first constituent that is either participant, circumstance, or process. 11 3. Functional Grammar as a subject in the English Department, State University of Jakarta Functional Grammar has been adopted as a subject in the English Department since 2002. The subject must be taken by the students when they are in the fourth semester for Functional Grammar 1 and in the fifth semester for Functional Grammar 2. Both Functional Grammar 1 and 2 consist of three semester credit units. Referring to Academic Guidelines 2004/2005 of Faculty of Languages and Arts, it is stated that the three semester credits unit have 24 meetings. Each meeting takes 100 minutes. It has two kinds of tests that are mid semester test and final semester test. As stated in the Academic Guidelines 2004/2005 of Faculty of Languages and Arts, Functional Grammar as a subject is described as follows: Mata kuliah mi bertujuan mengembangkan wawasan eksplisit tentang teori bahasa dan segi fungsinya (tekstual, interpersonal, experiential) imtuk menunj ang pengembangan kemampuan dan ketrampilan berkomunikasi lisan dan tulisan dalam bahasa Inggris secara benar dan baik. Functional Grammar I aims at developing the explicit knowledge of the theory of language based on the function (textual, interpersonal, and experiential) to support the development of ability and skills to communicate both written and spoken well and correctly. (Own translation) Mata kuliah mi bertujuan mengembangkan kemampuan dan ketrampilan menganalisa teks dalam bahasa Inggris dilihat dan segi fiingsinya ( tekstual, interpersonal, experiential) untuk menunjang pengembangan kemampuan dan ketrampilan berkomunikasi lisan dan tulisan dalam bahasa Inggris secara baik dan benar. Functional Grammar 2 aims at developing ability and skills to analyze text in English based the function (textual, interpersonal, and experiential) to support the development of ability and skills to communicate both written and spoken well and correctly. (Own Translation) 12 In keeping with the description, both Functional Grammar 1 and 2 have the basic purpose that is to support the development of ability and skills to communicate, both written and spoken, well and correctly. 4. Ability to Apply In discussion about ability to Apply, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2001) describes ability is something that one is able to do, because one has particular mental or physical skill. Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture (1998) notes ability is the fact of having the skill, power, or other quality that are needed in order to do something. Websters New World Dictionary of American English (1998) adds ability is skills, expertness, or talent.. Bloom (1956), cited in Elliot et a!. (2000) proposes classification of educational goals. There are six major classes in the cognitive taxonomy of educational objectives: 1. Knowledge is the recalling specific facts. 2. Comprehension is understanding what is communicated. 3. Application is generalizing and using abstract information in concrete situation. 4. Analysis is breaking a problem into subparts and detecting relationship among the parts. 5. Synthesis is putting together parts to form a whole. 6. Evaluation is using criteria to make judgments. 13 In accordance with the development, the three classes of educational goals that were analysis, synthesis, and evaluation were then revised to become analyze, evaluate, and create. Arend (2004) describes six classification of the cognitive process dimension: 1. Remember is retrieving relevant knowledge from long-term memory. 2. Understand is constructing meaning from instructional messages, including oral, written, and graphic communication. 3. Apply is carrying out or using a procedure in a given situation. 4. Analyze is breaking material into constituent parts and determining how parts relate to one another and to overall structure or purpose. 5. Evaluate is making judgments based on criteria and standards. 6. Create is reorganizing elements into a new pattern or structure. In keeping with Blooms theory and the purpose of this study that is to identify English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing, ability to apply should be developed after the steps of knowing and understanding. Referring to the explanation above, ability to apply Functional Grammar is to be developed through the steps of knowing and understanding. The questionnaire will also include identifying not only the knowledge and understanding but also ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. 14 5. Writing Writing as described by Leki (1998) is communicating. Meyers (2003) notes writing is a process of discovering and assembling ideas, putting them on paper, reshaping, and revising them. To be acceptable, Windshuttle and Windshuttle (1998) state good writing should have correct grammar and precise and clear content. Diyanni (2001) adds good writing is coherent. Readers can follow and understand it easily. Hughes (2001) describes underlying writing ability is a number of sub abilities such as control of punctuation. Considering the important points above, it can be concluded that good writing covers the aspects of grammar and coherence. 6. Perception Perception is defined by Elliot, et all (2000) as the giving of meaning to the discrete, meaningless stimuli that initially arouse awareness. Barkhuizen (1998) notes perception refers to feelings and views of the students. Students perception is important in language learning as Barkhuizen (1998) claims that it is important for teachers to discover their learners feelings and beliefs about their language learning process. He believes it can give input and consequently review and possibly change their teaching process. 15 Referring to the purpose of this study that is to identify students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing, questionnaire will be used to identify students views and feelings of their levels of cognitive domaim lb CHAPTER ifi METHODOLOGY This chapter discusses the methods used to conduct the study which is related to identifying English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. The first part discusses the issue of the study which is then followed by Study Design and continued by the Implementation of the study. A. Issue of Study This study is related to identifying English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. The researcher is interested to conduct this study because of the fact that some students express their difficulties while attending Functional Grammar classes. It is expected that findings of this study can be used as input concerning with students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar. B. Study Design This study was designed to employ survey The instruments employed were questionnaire and interview. The questionnaire was used to identify English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing, whereas the interview was used to gather more detail data. This was to anticipate the possible weaknesses of questionnaire. This study employed stratified sampling as the 17 selection of respondents planned was based on their academic entrance. The data then were analyzed by clustering educational goals from Bloom (1956) and the aspects of Functional Grammar from Halliday (1994). It was designed that the respondents of questionnaire were 100 students and the respondents of the interview were 10 students. 1. Method of Study It was planned that survey was chosen to conduct this study. Brown and Rodgers (2002) state surveys are any procedures used to gather and describe the characteristics, attitudes, views, and opinion. The purpose of a survey as described by Nunan (1992) is generally to obtain snapshot of conditions, attitudes, and / or events at a single point in time. Based on the discussion above and the purpose of this study that is to identify English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing, survey can be seen as the appropriate method. 2. Respondents it was planned that the respondents of this study were 100 students. They were English Department students of State University of Jakarta. The students were both from Educational and Non- Educational Programs who had completed Functional Grammar 1 and 2. The sampling procedure that was planned to be used in this study was stratified sampling. Bums (2000) describes stratified sampling is sampling in which groups or strata within the population are each sampled randomly. He adds that a population can be divided on the basis of social class membership, sex, level of intelligence or level of anxiety. The researcher planned to conduct this technique of sampling as Burns (2000) notes that sampling error is reduced by stratification for the sample can not differ from the population with respect to the stratifying factors. The respondents of this study were planned to be divided based on the Academic Entrance that is 2002,2003, and 2004. 3. Site and time This study was planned to be conducted in the English Department of State University of Jakarta in the second semester of Academic Year of 2005/2006. It was between 6 March 2006 and 13 March 2006. Referring to the purpose of study that is to identify English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing, the researcher chose English Department of UNJ as the site of the study. It was designed that this study was conducted in between 6 March 2006 and 13 March 2006. This choice was made by considering the availability of time that the researcher had. It was also the time in which students were effective in the process of attending teaching-learning activities. 19 4. Instruments As mentioned in the previous section, this study was designed to employ survey. Questionnaire and interview were chosen to become the instruments of collecting data. In keeping with Blooms Taxonomy, both instruments were designed to include knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar. Detail description about the instruments is given in the following section. a. Questionnaire Questionnaire was chosen as one of the means to collect data used in this study. Questionnaire as discussed by Nunan (1992), is relatively popular means of collecting data. The questionnaire used for this study was designed to gather information and to identify English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. The total number of questionnaires is 36 items which represent students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply. Each number of questionnaires consists of five different choices of answers that represent the scale of excellent, good, average, poor, and very poor. The questionnaire was designed to use Bahasa Indonesia in order to avoid misunderstanding of the respondents to answer each statement. To answer the questionnaire, the respondents were asked to choose only one answer of each number that represents knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar. 20 There were 7 questions prepared before conducting the interview. The questions covered the identifying students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar. The interview is to anticipate the possible weaknesses of questionnaire as described by Burns (2000) who proposes there is no opportunity to acquire supplementary observational data. Also, the respondents motivation for answering the questionnaire is unknown. C. Implementation of Study The research was uutiated by the fact that some students express their difficulties while attending Functional Grammar classes. Following such problems, the researcher was interested to conduct the study. It covered questionnaire and interview. This study was implemented by following the steps of the research procedures. 1. Data Collection Process Questionnaire and interview were used as means to collect the data. The data collection process lasted for 1 week that was between 4 May and 12 May 2006. The implementation of data collection was not as it was planned. This was because the process of making the questionnaire took longer time. At the same time, the researcher had to follow PPL program In addition, as the result of data of interview did not clearly present the specific area of writing that can be developed by applying Functional Grammar, the additional interview was again conducted that was between 14 July 2006 and 16 July 2006. 22 a. Collecting Data by Means of Questionnaire The set of questionnaire was given to 54 students who had completed Functional Grammar 1 and Functional Grammar 2. Before conducting the study, the researcher introduced herself to the respondents. The researcher also gave information about the purpose of the study to respondents. The distribution of questionnaire was done after classes that were on 4 May and 12 May 2006. The completion of the questionnaire took between 3 and 4 minutes. The questionnaire consists of 36 items which represent students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing ability. Items number I until 6 represent knowledge of clause as representation. Items number 7 until 12 represent comprehension of clause as representation. Items number 13 until 24 represent applicability of clause as representation. Items number 25 until 26 represent knowledge of clause as exchange. Items number 27 until 28 represent comprehension of clause as exchange. Items number 29 until 32 represent applicability of clause as exchange. Item number 33 represents knowledge of clause as message. Item number 34 represents comprehension of clause as message. Items number 34 until 36 represent applicability of Functional Grammar. To rank their abil ity, this study employed Likert scale. There were 5 scales used in this questionnaire namely excellent, good, average, poor, and very poor. The respondents were asked to choose one scale of each item. 23 I b. Collecting Data by Means of Interview The interview was held between 11 May and 12 May 2006. Since some students felt reluctant to express ideas of such problems and due to considering the limitation of time, the researcher decided to interview 6 students. The additional interview was conducted between 14 July 2006 and 16 July 2006. The researcher conducted the additional interview because the result of the previous interview did not cover the specific aspects of writing such as language and/or content aspects that can be improved by applying the concepts of Functional Grammar. There were three additional respondents interviewed. The previous and additional interview was conducted face-to-face discussion individually. The respondents for this interview were selected based on their various scores of Functional Grammar I and Functional Grammar 2. Respondent 4 and 7 who had completed Functional Grammar 1 and respondent 5 and 8 who had completed Functional 2 got A. Respondent 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 who had completed Functional Grammar I and respondent 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8 who had completed Functional Grammar 2 got B. Respondent 6 and 9 who had completed Functional Grammar 1 and respondent 1 and 9 who had completed Functional Grammar 2 got C. The interview used Bahasa Indonesia. The reason was to avoid the possibility of different perception in understanding the questions. The use of Bahasa Indonesia for the interview was also to make the respondents understand and answer the questions easily. The questions of interview were related to identifying English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehensi on, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. The specific areas of writing ability that could be improved by 24

Juarez Drug Cartel Philosophy and Culture

Juarez Drug Cartel Philosophy and Culture A counterculture will always be a subculture that instead of following the larger societys norms they refuse to have the same belief and value set as the larger society. This group establishes their own set of norms and beliefs (Thomas 39). Countercultures have existed for hundreds of years all over the world. Some have been a complete failure while others have managed to carry on and lead their movement worldwide. It is no doubt that these countercultures are considered rebels in the eyes of the larger society. One of Mexicos most well-known countercultures is the Juarez Drug Cartel. The Juarez Drug Cartel is a criminal organization in charge of some of the drug trade in Mexico. In recent years, this cartel has expanded its criminal offenses from not only drug trafficking but to also conducting kidnapping and human trafficking operations (Unknown). All as a means to continue revolutionizing their movement. The Juarez Drug Cartel which may also be referred to as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization in honor of its leader, is mainly located in the city of Juarez which is in the state of Chihuahua. It began to develop in the 1980s after the Guadalajaras cartel leader, Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo was arrested. Rafael Aguilar Guajardo, the individual who was an associate of the Guadalajaras cartel, presumed the authority to control Ciudad Juarez (city of Juarez) after the notorious arrest. Shortly after for unknown circumstances, Aguilar Guajardo was killed in 1993 and one of his right hand men, Amado Carrillo Fuentes, aka El Senor de los Cielos (Lord of the Skie s), undertook control of the beginnings of the cartel. Under his control, half of Mexican trafficking took place and his trafficking expanded to Central America and South America. (Unknown). The Juarez Cartel had quite an operational system going on. It was in charge of moving tons of cocaine from Colombia into Mexico by means of air and then disbursing it into the United States by land. Carrillo Fuentes died in 1997 and his brothers, Vicente and Rodolfo took control. Part of the reason as to why this cartel developed into a well-established criminal organization was because they worked closely with corrupt local and state law enforcement. These municipal forces have allowed not only the Juarez Cartel, but many other cartels to continue their criminal misdemeanors. The cartel was able to use small armies of their own to protect themselves and their territories. One of the cartels small army is the Linces, which consists of former individuals from the Armys Special Forces. In October 9, 2014 Vicente Carrillo Fuentes was arrested by Mexican government officials (Unknown). It is reasonable to say that this cartel has weakened its powers due to new criminal organizations developing but still to this day it has remained in Mexicos territories still carrying on criminal operations of their own. Upon researching any counterculture, it is important to understand two main terms in order to properly analyze the information. Sociological perspective is a term that is basically used to inform an individual that they must be able to understand the outlook of others and the meanings behind their actions, all in effort to broaden ones views (Thomas 4).ÂÂ   The sociological perspective can also help one understand how they as an individual are shaped by their social environment (Thomas 5). With this said, one can attempt to understand that the Juarez Cartels actions have significantly affected ones views. For example, whenever one mentions the drug trade most people think about drug trafficking coming into the United States from Mexican drug cartels, which of course all ties into our understanding of the sociological perspective. The sociological perspective is another term used in sociology which attempts to make it be known that an individual has the ability to see how their p ersonal life is in a sense attached to the larger world (Thomas 5). With this being said, the Juarez Drug Cartel has significantly deteriorated the Mexican republic. Mexican officials have had a long term drug war against the cartels. Since 2009, more than 7,000 people have fallen victim to this long going war. The cartels have attempted to force the government to end this drug war once and for all by literally terrorizing the citizens. The cartel is even attacking corporations. Pemex, which is a state-owned petroleum company has had many kidnapping and theft coming from not only the cartels but also from employees who work alongside the cartels. The cartels are terrorizing the nation to the point where the amount of vehicle armoring production has increased due to security measures that individuals are seeking. In Mexico City alone there has been a 25% increase of armored cars whereas in the rest of the country there has been 60% which of course signifies how great of a fear the ca rtels are causing (Duff). It has been noticeable how the perception of Mexico has been viewed negatively in the most recent years. The problem is so severe that foreign direct investment is not the same anymore. AmCham surveyed a questionnaire where 27% of correspondents noted that for security issues in Mexico they would think twice on whether investing in Mexico (Duff). Their actions have greatly affect Mexicos society and economic progress. Ethnocentrism is the belief that everyone elses culture is inferior and that ones culture is superior above all (Thomas 35). The Juarez Drug cartel is considered a counterculture because it is not something that everyone wishes to do. There are individuals in Mexico living in a state of poverty who under no circumstances would ever consider turning to the criminal organization. There are others who are desperately trying to make ends meet and feel as if they have no other option. Either way, the larger society does not agree with a criminal organization killing, kidnapping, or terrorizing the public. It is something that is not considered acceptable mostly when cartels are doing it for money and drugs. The Juarez Drug cartel and other cartels are giving a message to the youth of Mexico that anyone can leave the poverty state and have it all, which of course violates the views of the citizens. Cultural relativism is the belief that a culture should not be judged by ones standards but by the countercultures instead (Thomas 36). One must be able to understand why a counterculture group behaves in the manner in which they do. The Juarez Drug Cartel continues to do what they do because they find themselves in competition against other cartels in the control of narcotics and territories (Cartels at War: Mexicos Drug-Fueled Violence and the Threat to U.S. National Security ). One of the most prestigious men in the drug organization, Joaquin Guzman Loera, mentioned that poverty was what drove him to turn to the drug trade industry. He mentioned that there were never any job opportunities even today, so for money to be acquired for food, one had to turn to growing marijuana. He mentioned that there was not and there still is not a way that exists that can help individuals survive or contribute to the economy (Lombardi). Of course these are words coming from a drug lord, but it put s into perspective how the Mexican government has yet to counterattack these words with actions. Young adolescents living in poverty are now being recruited by drug trafficking organizations due to such a great lack of opportunity in the country (Ramsey). It is estimated that there was an increase of poverty in Mexico between 2012 and 2014 by two million (Rama). People are becoming more and more desperate and the cartels are simply trying to do something that the government is not doing (jobs) even if it their reasons are morally wrong. In rural communities, the drug industry has been able to recruit many in joining the criminal organization. It is estimated that the majority of laborers are employed by no other than by the narcotics industry (Jones). The Juarez Drug Cartel is a counterculture that has revolutionized into an escape for many citizens. Based on research found on the Juarez Drug Cartel, the majority of individuals would agree that the Juarez Drug Cartels philosophy is not right and that it should not continue. This drug organization is giving false hopes to many of Mexicos impoverished individuals who do not seem to notice that the instant in which they are agreeing to join the drug trade, they are signing up for a life or death situation every day. Since the 1980s, the Juarez Drug Cartel has been terrorizing the nation with its drug trade. Its practices have established them as a counterculture. They have grown their organization to the point where so much corruptness exists that even local and state police are being a part of this countercultures wrongfully practices. References Kan, Paul. Cartels at War: Mexicos Drug-Fueled Violence and the Threat to U.S. National Security . Washington D.C. : Potomac Book, 2012. 27. Book. Duff, Devon and Rygler, Jen. Drug Trafficking, Violence and Mexico. 26 January 2011. Knowledge at Wharton University of Pennsylvania. Web. 08 03 2017. Jones, Michael K E. The Effects of the Mexican Drug Trade over the Past Sixty Years. 05 October 2014. E-INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS STUDENTS. Web. 06 March 2017. Lombardi, Daniel. Does poverty lead to drug trafficking? The worlds notorious trafficker says yes. 14 January 2016. Desert News U.S. World. Web. 09 March 2017. Rama, Anahi and Yukhananov, Anna. Mexican government says poverty rate rose to 46.2 percent in 2014. 23 July 2015. Reuters. Web. 08 March 2017. Ramsey, Geoffrey. Poverty a Recruitment Tool for Mexicos Criminal Gangs. 20 July 2011. InSight Crime. Web. 08 March 2017. Thomas, W. LaVerne. Sociology: The Study of Human Relationships. Austin: Hull, Rinehart, Winston, 2003. Textbook. Unknown. Juarez Cartel. 17 November 2015. InSight Crime. Web. 06 March 2017.

Use of Duality in Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt :: Movie Film Essays

Use of Duality in Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt utilizes dualism to express the juxtaposition of good and evil. The dualism expressed throughout the film is not only done through the use of juxtaposing characters, it is also accomplished through the use of dualism within a character, as well as the literal duality of people as being placed in shots as two’s. This element allows the audience to be drawn in, creating intrigue and mystery around the plot and the characters, because the audience now wants to figure out the strange behavior that is being exhibited. Having the dualism of the two Charlie’s allows the idea of them being two sides of one person to come out. Young Charlie is an innocent young woman, while Uncle Charlie is a murderer. The two seem to have a connection that’s deeper than the average niece and uncle relationship. This connection allows the dualism of the two Charlie’s to take on a life of its own and create a game of cat and mouse or the s truggle between â€Å"hate and love† of oneself. The dualism that Hitchcock wants to create with the two Charlie’s is similar with the way he juxtaposes the all-American small town family with the â€Å"Merry-Widow Murderer† Uncle Charlie. It’s as though Hitchcock is making a social commentary on the nature of human beings, that we all have good and evil within us, the idea is choosing the part that will be expressed in your daily life. The ending of the film follows the dualism that is exhibited throughout the film. Uncle Charlie gets killed (the good won over the evil) and during his eulogy we see young Charlie talking about Uncle Charlie and his actions juxtaposed by the wonderful things being said about him in the eulogy. This blatantly points out the dualism that Hitchcock works hard to incorporate throughout the entire movie.

Of Mice And Men - Symbolism :: essays research papers

The central element of this novella is its symbolism. This novella has plenty of symbolical forms, such as people, creed, and some of the animals. Candy has several terms of symbolism, for example his disability is a symbol of the migrant workers who are just literally forgotten about, they are forgotten when they are no use to the owners. Candy’s dog is a symbol of a life only for advantage to others Lennie also for shadows this, he is belittled of his mind but enormously commented for his strength. Also he is compelled to lie about the fight he had with Curley, this is a symbol of typical male society in the, â€Å"Depression era†. Crook has many symbolical items, his disability is a symbol of his loneliness. He constantly rubs his back with medicine to inoculate to himself, this is a symbol of the pain he intakes. He is extremely lonely. His book of California rights is a symbol of power and knowledge of his rights of freedom. The neatness of his stable is a symbol that he is trying to show that he has got the same things as white people. The farm is a very important symbol in the novella it is important because it is repeated throughout the novella it is reminding the reader of the comforting dream that Lennie and George have created. It is a symbol of brotherly love. The dream in some ways is like the whole â€Å"Depression era† it reminds the reader of freedom and homely pleasure. Curley and Curley’s wife both represent evil both oppress and abuse the migrant workers. Curley especially harasses Lennie because of Lennie’s strength and how enormous he is. This is a symbol of cat and mouse. The horses rattling chains are a symbol of the slavery and lack of freedom. This symbol occurs quite often. The mouse in the novella is soft, small, this is a symbol of innocence. This for shadows Lennie he is venerable. Lennie is a symbol himself in his action towards beguiling soft things. Like when he stroked that ladies dress and she cried out rape it was a symbol of the power a white woman had then. Another example of this is when crooks said to Curley’s wife to go or he would call the boss to Curley’s wife but all she did was black mailed him by saying, â€Å"Listen, Nigger, you know what I can do if you open your trap, I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t funny.

Whaling: One of the Big Issues in the World

Whaling Whaling is the hunting of whales and it is one of the big issues in the world. Japan is one of the pro-whaling countries and a majority of the Western countries are objecting to Japan. However, this essay would like to insist that whaling is a part of the Japanese rural traditional culture, so it is important for some Japanese people. Therefore, the essay support the idea that whale hunting should not be prohibited.This essay aims to tell people who do not know about Japanese whaling well that the true Japanese attitude toward whaling is very different from what they imagine, and o clear up an opponent's misunderstanding of it. What are the motivations for whaling in Japan? What are the social implications of whaling in Japan? I will answer to these questions. First of all, the biggest reason why a lot of countries oppose whaling is that whales are endangered species. However, the truth is Japan is hunting adequate numbers concerning the numbers of whales to prevent them from becoming extinct.In the world, it is said, â€Å"there are 84 species of whales† and â€Å"out of all of the 84 species, only a limited number traditionally have been hunted, such as blue whales, fin whales, inke whales, humpback whales, sperm whales and gray whales† Oapan Whaling Association). According to Gardiner, â€Å"When whales were over-hunted, species such as blue whales and right whales were reduced to very low population levels, but these species now have been fully protected for decades â€Å"(21). Then, Japan is not hunting these species and strongly believes that they should continue to be protected.On the other hand, there are species which are abundant enough that marine management is needed, † such as the Antarctic and northwestern Pacific minke hales and northwestern Pacific Bryde's whales† Oapan Whaling Association). Gardiner also said that â€Å"there are three times as many minke whales as there were 30 years ago, and humpbacks are increasing by 17 percent a year† (21). Actually, for example, â€Å"Antarctic minke whales are hunted 850 out of 442,000 by Japan, and this amount is only 0. 2% of 442,000† Oapan Whaling Association).Thus, thanks to the advanced use of computers, we can obtain precise and clear data of the numbers of whales, so IWC, The International Whaling Commission, is the global ntergovernmental body charged with the conservation of whales and the management of whaling, can determine appropriate numbers of whales to catch quotas on a stock by stock basis. Therefore, Japanese whaling will not harm the health of the whale populations. No whales have ever been hunted to extinction, nor will they be. Then why is Japan still hunting whales in spite of being opposed by many countries?It is because hunting whales and eating their meat is the Japanese traditional culture. Japanese people have been living with whales from prehistoric age until now. During this long history, whaling culture such as songs, dances, and traditional crafts have begun through whaling. On the other side of the coin, Japanese people have received benefits from whaling. In fact, there is a faith in whales which is for holding a memorial service for whales by way of warning because Japanese people know that taking their lives is a really serious matter.Peace said that â€Å"the Japanese do not attach the same significance to the whale as Westerners do because of the way it is culturally categorized† (7). Then, â€Å"the whale falls into the ategory of fish rather than mammal: the character for Whale' has two parts, the first being the sign for a fish† (Peace 7). Therefore, it also shows clearly that there is a big cultural difference between Japan and Westerners, and it is very difficult to bridge the gap.Morishita also argued that â€Å"Japan, with limited grazing land and adherence to Buddhist teachings that prohibited eating of land mammals, has long resorted to the oceans to supply its animal protein. This is why we consider our food culture a ‘seafood culture' in contrast to the European and US' cattle culture'. † We recognize hat there are diverse food cultures in the world, and some people only accept eating of pigs and cattle while others regard eating animals as normal, so eating whales is almost the same for Japanese too.Whale dietary culture has begun from â€Å"around 1952, whale meat was officially included in school lunch-boxes nationwide, staying there for a couple of decades† according to Blok (56). Consequently, older generations in Japanese society widely share memories of eating the meat of whales during childhood. It is said that â€Å"Japanese dietary habits have changed drastically, with beef, ork and chicken, taking over and whale-meat all but disappearing, then whale-mean has become a highly â€Å"select† food, usually enjoyed at special occasions or at specific whale cuisine restaurants† (Blok 56).Th us, whale-meat eating became more special, traditional, and valuable action for Japanese, so this tradition should be passed down the generations. Some people might say that Japan is the only country, which is hunting whales, but it is wrong. Actually, Norway, Iceland, and Alaska are hunting whales too though, â€Å"Japan seems to take the blame for all the whaling in the world† (Gardiner 21). He also continued to say â€Å"Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Canada take twice as many whales as Japan.Yet the Japanese are seen as taking more than everyone† (Gardiner 21). It means that maybe the argument of whaling is almost the one-way conversation and other countries ignore a Japanese insistence. Gardiner also said â€Å"many articles written on whaling in major Western magazines seem to have an anti-Japanese bias and such media have manipulated various governments over the years into believing that the majority of New Zealanders oppose whaling† (22). Therefore, un fortunately this makes people get the wrong mpression of Japanese whaling.For preventing this, the media must report opinions of the both sides about whaling and have to stick with a neutral position, so that people also can understand there is a big cultural difference. Whaling is very controversial issue in the world and it is very difficult to say whether that action is right or wrong, because, needless to say, there is a difference in values between the pro-whaling and the anti-whaling communities. However, this essay aimed to dispel the misconception about Japanese values toward whaling and understand their point of view.Then the research supports the idea that whaling should not be banned, because some species of whales are not endangered and furthermore, Japan knows very well about how many whales they can hunt without threatening them with extinction and the country also protects endangered species. In addition, eating whale-meat connects to the Japanese tradition and Japan considers whales as fish compared to Western countries as mammals. Therefore, the essay would like some people to know that these truths and not be manipulated by the biased media. Japanese whaling nas social implications, such as culture, tood, and employment.Some people live because the Job of whaling, so if it is banned, they would lose their jobs and some young people have to leave their town, because they would not be able to get a Job. Therefore, whaling is important for Japan so should not be banned. Furthermore, it is important to educate the Western world about this topic, because there are many values in this world, so people must not to be biased when they think about a world issue. Then discussing and exchanging views of the both sides with each other not by attacking mentally and physically would also create cross-cultural nderstanding.

Case on TQM Essay

ABSTRACT: Using case study methodology, the authors asked quality managers about their company’s experience with ISO 9000:1994 and total quality management (TQM) implementation. The results show that initially the standard could help some companies reorganize their procedures and define responsibilities and duties. However, managers’ perspectives on its possible effect on company performance are not positive. Only product quality improves after implementation. On the contrary, TQM has improved many aspects of performance, the most influential aspects being those â€Å"soft† dimensions of leadership and human resource management. These aspects were not included in ISO 9000:1994. After analyzing ISO 9000 as a first step toward the TQM implementation, as much of the literature advises, the authors’ findings suggest that managers consider it to be a disturbing element when implemented jointly with TQM. Their study points out that, in practice, there are two parallel quality systems in a company. To get better results, it is important to adapt ISO requirements to facilitate TQM implementation; otherwise, the only advantage of the registration is the â€Å"permission† to selling the market. INTRODUCTION: Over the last decade, ISO 9000 certification has been the subject of many articles. The phenomenon of its quick development led to a belief that it was a great advantage for a company to attain registration. In keeping with this, many researchers tried to identify the impact of ISO 9000 certification on companies’ results and management. An important group of researchers has not found any strong positive relationship between certification and results. However, there is another group of articles that points out an influence of registration on product quality. Apart from any influence derived from implementation, some authors advocated that certification could be a good first step toward a total quality management (TQM) system, raising awareness of quality among workers and a good climate in which to implement it. Regarding this point, implementation of the standard was advised with the aim of implementing TQM in order to obtain maximum benefits from the registration (Brecka, 1994; Meegan and Taylor 1997; Huarng, Horng, and Chen 1999; Hughes, Williams, and Ryall 2000; Sun 2000; Gotzamani and Tsiotras 2002). The question is: Do companies really implement ISO certification with this aim? Is the accepted wisdom that ISO certification could â€Å"help† companies attain a TQM system true? Which aspects of ISO do that? The purpose of this research is to empirically evaluate the real contribution of ISO 9000 toward TQM implementation. METHODOLOGY: Case study methodology is best when the objective is to build theory in preliminary phases of a research study or to add new perspectives to previous research (Yin 1994). Part of this research can be considered as preliminary, because there is still little evidence on how the ISO 9000 and TQM act jointly in management. The objective of the case study is not the statistical generalization, but the analytical one. This methodology tries to generalize from case to theory; it does not attempt to extrapolate facts from sample to population. Relating to the number of cases, the lower number will allow the researcher to obtain more information (Voss, Tsikriktsis, and Frohlich 2002). However, a multiple case study increases reliability and external validity. †¢ Predict similar results (literal replication) †¢ Get different results due to predictable reasons The authors chose a multiple case study instead of a single one to increase external validity and reliability. Fourteen companies among the biggest manufacturing companies in Spain were selected for the study. The cases were selected with the condition of being certified at least by the ISO 9000:1994. Three of them were applying TQM and two were recently certified by the new version of ISO 9000:2000. The case study protocol included two questionnaires in order to apply triangulation. One of them was used in the interview with the quality manager. The other questionnaire was to be completed by other managers not associated with the quality area. The authors took into consideration other documents supplied by the company and direct observation through plant visits. Table 1 shows the companies participating in the study and their characteristics. Later in this article, the authors assign a number for each company in order to safeguard confidentiality of responses. The criteria used to select companies were mainly: †¢ Homogeneity of external factors: The authors focused on manufacturing companies since ISO 9000 was initially designed for industrial companies. RESULTS: Effects of TQM on Company Performance: First the authors classified companies according to the degree of implementation of a total quality system. They identified three companies with high levels and experience in TQM the remaining companies had a low degree of TQM implementation. This classification was based on information about TQM dimensions such as customer orientation, work teams for continual improvement, consciousness about quality, quality planning, and so on. Managers of the three TQM companies were asked about the perceived performance improvements as a result of TQM implementation. The three managers agreed that TQM implementation had benefited the company in many ways. Then the authors asked them to position the improvements in a set of performance measurements, explaining why the TQM system had improved every measure. Measurements were obtained from a literature review that relates quality management and performance. The richness of the case study is that the manager is able to explain at the moment of completing the questionnaire the â€Å"why† of each rate and to add evidence to the question. Table 2 shows the results along with some notes from managers. The last column shows the value of the influence on each measure based on the majority of responses (1-2=low, 3=medium, 4-5=high). In the cases where companies’ responses are very different (one of each) there is not enough evidence to affirm that TQM influences that point. According to these managers’ perceptions, TQM influences product quality, customer service, fast response, competitiveness, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and motivation, rate of defects, and stock price. Regarding the customers’ claims, it is important to note that two managers indicated that this point had not improved because customers today are more demanding than before. A similar explanation is valid for warranty costs. One company also pointed out that these costs often come from a wrong use of the product and not from its quality. Exports and innovations were not tested because of the particular characteristics of the companies interviewed Financial measures were difficult to mark. Managers agreed that they would need more information to position themselves, although they perceived that the market in general values the fact that the company has implemented a TQM system and consequently, the stock price rises. After completing the questionnaire, managers were asked to indicate the elements of TQM that are â€Å"more responsible† for company improvements. Following are their responses †¢ Company 1: â€Å"The most important aspect is that everybody in the company, including the cleaning service, the doorman, and the accountant, is conscious and worried about quality. Before, the only people interested in quality were the quality department staff.† †¢ Company 4: â€Å"Personnel motivation and participation. If you get this, then the complete system works.† †¢ Company 12: â€Å"First, the general belief of the importance of quality. Second, the decision to be real leaders. Managers and staff move together towards the same aim.â⠂¬  Effects of ISO 9000 on Company Performance: Quality managers were also asked about the influence that ISO 9000:1994 registration has had on the same aspects of company results that were considered for TQM. They were asked to give a score from 1 to 5 (1=no influence, 5=very strong influence). The global influence that ISO 9000:1994 has had over each variable, evaluated according to the majority of responses, is presented in the final column of Table 3. As can be seen, the only aspect that clearly improved from the date of certification was product quality. One manager said this was because they had to create procedures and reduce variability in the production process because of ISO implementation. All of them agreed that the product was the same as before certification. The only difference was that after ISO implementation it was more controlled. The defect rate had consequently decreased as well. The effect on both customer satisfaction and competitiveness was medium. It is worth explaining that when the quality manager considered that certification could improved these variables, he always explained that â€Å"customer satisfaction† was derived from the accomplishment of a previous requirement from him: to attain certification. Some other managers pointed out that this satisfaction could be due to improvement in claims management. When ISO 9000 was first created, being a certified company was a competitive advantage. Today this advantage has disappeared and it has become a requirement to compete in the market. The effect on customer service was also medium. In this sense, ISO 9000 certification has been useful to organize the claims management system. Each claim must be registered and evaluated. There must exist a procedure to solve claims. Regarding the employees, the ISO 9000 system improved their productivity and their interest in quality problems. Improvement in productivity is again explained by better procedures and work instructions. However, many managers have confessed that employee satisfaction worsened because of the bureaucracy of the system. The documentation needed to sustain the system increased their workload. The remaining variables are not considered to have any impact on results. Note that the financial measures were not influenced by the implementation of the standard. When managers were asked about the main advantages and disadvantages of certification, they agreed that certification is helpful to organize the production system through procedures and work instructions. The paperwork generated was identified as the most negative consequence. After asking if certification was profitable, the majority answered that â€Å"it had to be,† pointing out that nowadays it is a basic requirement. â€Å"If we did not have it, we couldn’t sell,† they affirmed. ISO 9000 and TQM: If data on the companies that had implemented TQM are analyzed, it can be seen that certification had less impact on nearly all results. The first company shows higher marks in some variables. This company was the only one that started the quality journey by implementing ISO 9000 first and then TQM. It would explain the fact that the ISO standard could help managers organize the production process when quality management was at an initial stage. In fact, the manager of this company stated that formalization was useful for learning and for having criteria for future comparisons. The other two managers of companies applying TQM did not find any impact, although they suggested that the certification could help in some cases when companies had problems regarding process management. Finally, as an interesting note, one of the managers was worried about the new version of the standard, ISO 9000:2000. As explained before, managers try to establish minimal requirements in the quality manual to avoid what they believe as disturbances in their normal work. In his opinion, the new version represents a higher level of a quality system, is more demanding, and tries to incorporate some points more in line with the TQM system. It would mean that the auditor should have access to new fields in his or her company, and they would have to allow him or her to interrupt many aspects of the process. It could mean that the company worked less well than before. CONCLUSION: The authors asked quality managers of 14 companies about their experience with both ISO 9000:1994 implementation and TQM. Only three of the 14 companies had implemented TQM. Those companies have had improvements in performance as a result. These were mainly in product quality, customer and employee satisfaction, and competitiveness. When asked about the most important dimensions of TQM for getting these better results, managers agreed on leadership and employee participation. Regarding ISO 9000, the results show that the only clear improvement is in product quality. Managers agree that certification was useful in the initial stages of quality system implementation, mainly because they improved their production process through the development of work procedures, creating an atmosphere in which quality played an important role and defining responsibilities and duties. Initially, ISO 9000 certification was a competitive tool because it was still a novelty. However, today, certification is no longer a competitive advantage, but a prerequisite to play in the market. The authors have detected that companies that are applying TQM have fewer improvements in performance when ISO 9000 was implemented than the others. One of them presents slightly higher values, and, by coincidence, it is the only one that was ISO 9000 registered before implementing TQM. This could give the impression that the standard could be a good first step toward TQM implementation n. However, a more in-depth interview with managers changed the authors’ point of view. The managers point out that the ISO standard can be an obstacle when implemented jointly with a TQM system, interfering in the normal operation of the business and allowing the auditor to â€Å"inspect† too many aspects of the quality system and slowing it down. The solution to this problem provided by some of the Spanish managers interviewed was to completely separate implementation of a TQM system from the ISO 9000 system. Within other business culture contexts, the solution could well be different. Those companies that decided to apply the ISO regulation more strictly introduced all those aspects related to GCT in the manual. Then, the auditor will have a more important role and his or her understanding of what TQM is will be more important in these cases. Therefore, the effect of ISO 9001:2000 on company results will also depend on two factors: 1) the managers’ fulfilment of norms, and 2) the auditors’ understanding of TQM. Differences among countries due to different management cultures will then be a cause of differences in ISO 9001 effects and an interesting topic of analysis. The new version of the standard is closer to a TQM system. In particular, it tries to improve human resource management, customer focus, and leadership. According to managers, and supported by the conclusions of previous authors, the â€Å"soft† variables of TQM are responsible for the improvement in results derived from TQM implementation. It is an opportunity for companies to achieve better performance by applying the new version adequately. This new standard could also be a good first step toward a TQM system. Further research in this sense would be interesting to help managers attain more benefits from certification.