Saturday, November 30, 2019
Quality Teaching
Abstract Educational institutes in New South Wales have embarked on a quest to make gradual improvements since the adoption of the Quality Teaching model. While this progress has been markedly slow because of the many changes required for each institute to achieve effective results, it has been consistent.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Quality Teaching specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Even so, schools and other institutions of learning need to increase the pace of change on a district level so as validate the continued use of the model. This can only be achieved if the district education body reassesses key features of Quality teaching model in all schools. Background Analysis Education is a fundamental requirement for the development and ultimate advancement of the community and educators and policy makers are constantly looking for educational structure and practices that will increase the effectiveness of th e education system. The New South Wales (NSW) Department of Education and Training (2003) asserts that a core directive of the Department of Education and Training is to make sure that state and nation wide policies on education are successfully implemented. The Quality Teaching model is one of such policies that the Department of Education and Training is mandated to adapt throughout its jurisdiction. This policy has led to academic progress and improvements in student performance across NSW since it was formally endorsed. However, these level of improvement has been lower than it was projected to be. These low success rates might be attributed to the previous attitude of encouraging teachers and school administrates to implement their own version of principles and guidelines of the Quality Teaching model. A number of noticeable reasons are to blame for the slow development and improvement of the pedagogy proposed through the Quality Teaching model. Anderson and Helms (2001) assert that the three defining principles of the model; intellectual quality, quality learning environment and significance, faced some form of opposition in their implementation within the district. The biggest hindrance faced in the implementation has been budgetary constraints in most schools. Inequitable financing of educational institutes as the District and National levels have led to unequal distribution of resources across school districts. Without equity, it is impossible for most institutes to set aside the financial resources required to implement this new model.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Federal and State government aspires to provide equitable financing to each educational institute. However, this noble goal is seldom met and the reality is that some institutes receive modest finances while others have a surplus. King (2002) observes that this has a direct influence o n the ability of the institute to provide quality education to the students. The last decade has witnessed significant changes in the education field with computers and modern learning equipments becoming central to the learning efforts of students. The District bodies have been unable to conclusively supply institutes with this expensive modern equipment therefore deposing the district bodies from their traditional role as major financier to educational institutions. Charity organization, corporate sponsors, and philanthropists have taken up the role of major financier. Martinez (2004) points out that this private funding has led to intense competition and disunity as teachers from different schools fight to obtain sufficient financing from these new benefactors. This occurrence has mitigated the effectiveness of the Quality Teaching model as finances play an integral role in the success of the model. Failure to adopt a successful teaching model has led to lowered performances in p ublic schools. This has led to dissatisfaction among many parents who have turned to private schools in the hope that these privately funded institutes will provide better quality education. Gore and Ladwig (2006) suggest that the presumption that private schools are better equipped to provide quality education is misguided surplus finances do not equate to better delivery on all the elements of Authentic Pedagogy and the Quality Teaching Model. As such, availability of adequate financial resources does not necessary translate to quality teaching. The attitude of all the relevant parties in the educational system significantly influences the success of the teaching model.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Quality Teaching specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These relevant parties include teachers, students, school administrators and regional and national education bodies. Teachers are regarded as the most significant actors since they are relied on to impart knowledge to the students. Their role is therefore critical to the success or failure of any quality teaching process since they are the ones who implement the Quality Teaching model. Teachers do not hold a uniform attitude regarding the model and their outlook is influenced by factors such as cultural ideologies and social predispositions (Martinez, 2004). Teachers generally enjoy a modest social economic status and this inclines them to believe that certain goals and intentions are beyond oneââ¬â¢s natural capability. Lee and Smith (2001) observe that teachers find it hard to make the constant changes in educational practices necessitated by current social circumstances. While such changes would greatly enhance the quality of teaching and positively influence student performance, the changes require significant financing and maintenance. The financial requirements of the changes are unattainable even for the wealthiest nations. Changes are proposed regularly and this this makes many students and teachers loss interest in the many incomplete efforts proposed all the time (Groundwater-Smith Hunter, 2000). Teachers also feel an extra burden since they are forced to fulfil responsibilities that are alien to their training. The Regulatory Commission for Authentic Pedagogy under the Quality Teaching model Steps need to be taken to deal with the shortcomings of the current implementation of the Quality Teaching Model in NSW. One method which might assist is the establishment of a regulatory body by the Department of Education and Training. Such a body would be responsible for formulating a sustainable system that addresses the issues that plague the current Quality Teaching implementation. The body would liaison between the Department and School administrations to identify teacher and student issues that need to be addressed. The body would provide students with an avenue to air their views or grievances concerning the ir education. Anderson and Helms (2001) suggests that such an avenue would be beneficial for students who prefer to air their views concerning the education process to an independent third party. Agents in the regulatory body would also play a supervisory role thus ensuring that all parties fulfil their mandated roles and responsibilities.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The financial requirements of the proposed regulatory body would be significant. Government and State authorities would need to provide these finances. It would therefore be desirable for the body to fulfil its goals within a reasonable period of time to save the government from high maintenance expenses. NSW has 760,000 students and 2200 public schools making it the State with the highest student and public schools population in Australia (NSW Department of Education and Training, 2003). An average of 350 students would be served in each institute if the number of students was evenly spread out across the available schools. If each teacher was is responsible for a maximum of 30 students, less than 20 teachers would be required for each institution. Combined with administrative and non-administrative staff, the number of non-student population would be between 30 and 40 adults. Regulatory agents would be tasked with supervising and interviewing this non-student population in schools . From this, they would be able to deduce their effect on the overall academic achievement of students. It is to be expected that the non-student staff will be greater or less than the estimates provided since students are not equally distributed across public schools in NSW. In addition to this, Lee and Smith (2001) assert that education institutions for special needs students require the different pedagogical principles to regular institutes. At the same time, regular institutions applying self-contained or inclusive classrooms to cater for special needs students require the same, if not more, attention in the delivery of Quality Teaching goals. The commission will therefore be made up of agents who will invigilate progress in predefined sectors of NSW. Feedback is essential in any monitoring efforts and as such, the regulatory division will have a feedback department. The feedback will be obtained from teachers, administrators and students. All additional policies or amendments t o policies concerning Quality Teaching will be instigated from the division making it a centre for changes and the chief source of resources concerning Quality Teaching for schoolteachers. King (2002) suggests that consistent monitoring is necessary for any significant gains to be achieved. With this considerations, each agent will have to regularly assess all institutions within his/her jurisdiction and interview all the relevant parties in order to access if the Quality Teaching model is being implemented effectively. While attention will be given to all the relevant parties, focus will predominantly be on the students since they are the people who the model hopes to impact. Regular interviews will therefore be conducted with students and a focus group established to help gauge the studentsââ¬â¢ attitudes towards schoolwork, teachers, administration and non-teaching staff. The agent will also interview teaching and non-teaching staff who interact with the students. By interview ing teachers, the agent will gauge their attitude towards the Quality Teaching model. Groundwater-Smith and Hunter (2000) observe that the interviews will also help in giving a better understanding of what each teacher perceives quality teaching to mean under this model. From the findings of the interviews, teachers who are under-informed will be required to attend Quality Teaching seminars in order to inform them on what constitutes quality teaching under this framework. Administration heads will be consulted before recommending mandatory seminars to ensure that their authority is not undermined. An important question will be with regards to who makes up the regulatory agency staff. King (2002) proposes that pedagogy experts from universities and seasoned policymakers on educational matters are the best candidates. Such professionals will be best placed to design and redesign the application of Quality Teaching in public schools in order to increase the rate of effective implementa tion through seamless adaptation and assimilation. The current move towards Quality Teaching in NSW is grounded in studies done by veterans such as Newmann and Griffiths (King, 2002). These seasoned academic researchers would be the most qualified to run the regulatory commission and handle any difficulties that may arise in the implementation process of the Quality Teaching Model. Uniform adoption of the new policies would be desirable and as such, meetings between the commissionââ¬â¢s heads and regulatory agents would be necessary. Such meetings would ensure that all public institutes in NSW integrate Quality Learning in their institutes at the same pace regardless of factors such as school population or socio-economic realities of each institute (Anderson Helms, 2001). As has been noted, some teachers would require additional training in order to properly adopt the Quality Teaching principles in their classrooms. The commissionââ¬â¢s heads will be in-charge of these mandat ory re-education seminars. Martinez (2004) reveals that there is a great possibility that most of the teachers who will require re-education will be career teachers who have been in the job for long. Such senior teachers with experience of over ten years will have developed personalized teaching techniques and most likely have reputations amongst their peers and the students. Proposed changes that such teachers consider unproductive or flawed will be ignored. Gore and Ladwig (2006) see the rationale behind such action and concur that experience offers insight into areas within Quality Teaching that require more analysis and evaluation. Even so, experience is not synonymous with perfection and even the most experienced person can learn better ways of doing things. The commissioners will therefore have to face the challenge of convincing these veteran teachers that the Quality Teaching model is a pedagogical framework that will bring about teacher satisfaction and improve the learning experience for the students. The commissioners will use regular regional meetings as avenues for obtaining feedback from teachers. Such feedback will include suggestions on how the three tenets of Quality Teaching can be better adapted. Such meetings will ensure that the role of enforcement is passed on to the teachers. Without such an approach, the regulatory commission would have to force the framework upon teachers and this would lead to resistance and even resentment. In these approach, the primary role of the commissioners and regulatory agents will be to obtain support for the framework from teachers. Groundwater-Smith (1999) forecasts that ingraining the pedagogical framework into all teachers will lead to teachers implementing it autonomously therefore leading to the desirable outcome, which is rendering the work of the commission obsolete. The administrative hierarchy will have the regulatory agents at the bottom and the regulation commission and schoolsââ¬â¢ senior adm inistrators at the top. The agents will conduct the actual regulation and report to the commissioners and school heads. The agents would also involve the school administration to help coordinate in activities that affect the particular school. Even so, the agents would have autonomy during evaluations to ensure that an independent and impartial report is obtained. The schoolââ¬â¢s administration would be isolated from evaluation efforts in order for valid claims to be made by teachers and students. The administration will have representation during focus group interviews or individual interviews with students and staff. However, the representatives role will be strictly that of an observer. Analysis of the Potential Impact on the Quality Teaching framework The agentââ¬â¢s attention shall mostly be directed towards the student body, teaching and non-teaching staff. These groups individually influence the three tenets of Quality Teaching in a profound manner. The Student bodyâ⠬â¢s acceptance of the model will occur if they are able to find relevance in the subject matter. Effective learning will only able to occur if the teacher is able to identify areas of interest for the students and focus on them. The agent will be tasked with identifying where the interests of the different students lies notwithstanding the differences in culture and socio-economic status that the students might have. This will not be an impossible task since there is a fusion in some of the basic interests of students in NSW state due to the co-existence of different cultures and social classes in the same environment (Groundwater-Smith Hunter, 2000). An in-depth understanding of student interests and desires would assist in increasing the efficiency of the teaching methods employed by making the lesson more engaging for the students. For a teacher to perform his role effectively, he needs to be well informed since the students should ideally view him as the primary purveyor of information. While it was easy for the teacher to be the primary source of information in the past, this is no longer the case since information technology systems have made an infinite amount of knowledge and data available to the students. Technology savvy students are able to challenge tutors with complicated information obtained from the internet. Teachers are at times unable to keep up with the studentââ¬â¢s pace for information desire. The first tenet of the Quality Teaching Model is intellectual quality and it insists on the teacher possessing a large knowledge base in order to remain significant and intellectually respected by their students (NSW Department of Education and Training, 2003). Inability to maintain intellectual quality will diminish the effectiveness of the teacher. The non-teaching staff plays an integral role in the education institute. Their role in maintaining a healthy and adequate learning environment is constantly undervalued despite it being very imp ortant since teachers and school administrations can only provide a classroom-learning environment but they cannot effectively control the external environment that the non-teaching staff takes care of. While regulations for the control of substance use exist, they are very inadequate (Corwin et al., 1975). The non-teaching staff takes care of the environment therefore providing a conducive atmosphere for students and teachers alike. Greater sensitivity to the role that non-teachings staff play in enhancing the learning environment is required since they are necessary elements in the school environment. References Anderson, R. D., Helms, J. V. (2001). The Ideal of Standards and the Reality of Schools: Needed Research. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38 (1), 3-16. Corwin, R., Heffernan, P., Johnston, R., Remy, M., Roberts, J., Tyler, D. (1975). Environmental Impact Assessment. San Francisco: Freeman, Cooper Company. Gore, J. M., Ladwig, J. G. (2006). Professional Develop ment for Pedagogical Impact. Paper presented at the Australian Association for Research in Education Annual Conference, Perth. Groundwater-Smith, S. (1999). Students as Researchers and the ââ¬ËWhyââ¬â¢ Question. Paper presented to the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Brighton. Groundwater-Smith, S., Hunter, J. (2000). Whole School Inquiry: Evidence-based Practice. Journal of In-Service Education, 26 (3), 583-600. King, M.B. (2002). Professional Development to Promote School-wide Inquiry. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18(1), 243-257. Lee, V.E., Smith, J.B. (2001). Restructuring High School for Equity and Excellence. New York: Teachers College Press. Martinez, K. (2004). Mentoring New Teachers: Promise and Problems in times of Teacher Shortage. Australian Journal of Education, 48 (1), 95-108. NSW Department of Education and Training. (2003). Quality Teaching in NSW public schools: A classroom practice guide. Sydney: NSW Department of Education and Training, Professional Support and Curriculum Directorate This essay on Quality Teaching was written and submitted by user Isai Hardin to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Overview on Reasons to Learn Mandarin Chinese
Overview on Reasons to Learn Mandarin Chinese Mandarin is ââ¬Å"too hardâ⬠to learn, right? Despite this widely-held belief, millions of people are studying Mandarin Chinese as a second language. But if itââ¬â¢s so hard, why bother to learn Mandarin? Is Mandarin Difficult? There is no doubt that written Chinese is difficult to learn ââ¬â even for the Chinese! But the spoken language is a different kettle of fish. In many ways, Mandarin Chinese is much easier to learn than European languages. Here are some features which make Mandarin easy: no subject/verb agreementno pluralsno conjugationsno tensessimple numbering system which is applied to dates and time expressionssimple conditional sentencessimple prepositions Why Learn Mandarin? So Mandarin is easy, but why learn it? The number one reason is that Mandarin Chinese is the most widely-spoken language in the world. Learn to speak Mandarin and you can speak with millions of people around the world. More reasons: Business - Business people who speak Mandarin have a huge advantage in tapping into the Chinese market. It is much easier to develop all-important relationships if you can speak Mandarin.Travel - China and Taiwan offer exciting travel opportunities. Getting around is much easier if you can speak Mandarin.Culture - With thousands of years of history, Chinese culture is endlessly fascinating. Whether your interests are in history, architecture, music, or cuisine, a knowledge of Mandarin will enrich your understanding of Chinese culture. Chinese Characters The Chinese writing system is quite a challenge, but this is another reason to learn it! Despite its difficulty, learning to read and write Chinese will give you a lifetime of intellectual stimulation. The real beauty of the language is revealed in the writing. There are thousands of Chinese characters, but they are not randomly constructed. There is a system to their design, and understanding that system makes it much easier to learn new characters. So take the challenge and learn Mandarin Chinese! It is your ticket to a lifetime of reward.
Friday, November 22, 2019
Missing Information in Chicago Authorââ¬Date Referencing
Missing Information in Chicago Authorââ¬âDate Referencing Missing Information in Chicago Authorââ¬âDate Referencing Do you feel like something is missing from your life? Well, if what youââ¬â¢re missing is source information for a college paper, youââ¬â¢re in the right place! Thatââ¬â¢s because, in this post, weââ¬â¢re looking at how to handle missing information in Chicago authorââ¬âdate referencing. No Named Author Finding that a source doesnââ¬â¢t have a named author is a common problem. The best response is usually to cite an organizational author. For example, if we were citing a UNICEF report without a named author in Chicago authorââ¬âdate referencing, we could write: Recent campaigns have been more successful (UNICEF 2017). You would then use the organization name in the reference list at the end of the document, too. However, if there is no suitable organizational author to cite, the Chicago Manual of Style recommends using the source title instead. If the title is too long, though, you may want to shorten it in citations: In-Text Citation The organization has been criticized (ââ¬Å"Problems with Planningâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ 2015). Reference List Entry ââ¬Å"Problems with Planning for a Sustainable Future on an International Scale.â⬠2015. Accessed 28 August, 2018. https://medium.com/story/problems-planning-sustainable-future-international-scale-44a21e9c531 The title is in quote marks here because it is an article. However, the correct formatting depends on the source type (e.g., italics for a book title). No Year of Publication When a source does not specify a year of publication, use the abbreviation ââ¬Å"n.d.â⬠after a comma: The public was canvassed for solutions (Jackson, n.d.). This stands for ââ¬Å"no date.â⬠You should also use ââ¬Å"n.d.â⬠in the reference list entry for the source at the end of your document. However, ââ¬Å"n.d.â⬠is only used for an online source when it doesnââ¬â¢t have either: A date of publication Or a date for when the page was last updated If either of these are available, use them instead. Remember to check the web page carefully, too, as this information will not always be easy to spot. No Place of Publication or Publisher In a Chicago reference list, you should list books with a place of publication and publisher. But if you cannot find either of these details, you can use the abbreviation ââ¬Å"n.p.â⬠instead. This is short for either ââ¬Å"no placeâ⬠or ââ¬Å"no publisherâ⬠depending on how it is used. You could use other Latin abbreviations to avoid this ambiguity: e.g., ââ¬Å"s.l.â⬠and ââ¬Å"s.n.,â⬠which stand for sine loco (without a place of publication) and sine nomine (without a named publisher) respectively. However, the Chicago Manual of Style says that ââ¬Å"n.p.â⬠is more likely to be understood in English-language publications. You should therefore use this unless instructed otherwise. Summary: Missing Information in Chicago Referencing Chicago referencing indicates missing information as follows: No author = Use the source title instead No year of publication = Use the abbreviation ââ¬Å"n.d.â⬠No place of publication = Use the abbreviation ââ¬Å"n.p.â⬠No publisher = Use the abbreviation ââ¬Å"n.p.â⬠However, remember to check before using these options. The information will be available somewhere in most cases, even if it is not immediately easy to see. And if you need help checking your referencing, get in touch today.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Abstract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2
Abstract - Essay Example works and paintings were influence by John Sloan who was a realism artist, Franz Kline and Robert Rauschenberg, who made greater contributions in realism art (Carpenter 2004, 130). He was also inspired by a trip he made to Italy in 2003 which was facilitated by the Newington-Cropsy Travel Grant he had won and which allowed him to travel and study in various countries (American Arts Quarterly 2007, 34). His development also included sketch studies of the various masterworks he came across to enhance his skills. Kassan is most known for his life size hyper realism portraiture. His knowledge of human anatomy extensively helped him in the understanding of the muscular structure beneath the skin make his work to appear to be real and with life thus conveying emotion to people when they view them (Philips 2007, 34). Kassan has also kept up to date with the latest technology by doing a demonstration on finger paint on is apple iPad which was a great hit on YouTube and went viral in six months with one million
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Quaker Oats Company and Snapple Beverage Company Essay
Quaker Oats Company and Snapple Beverage Company - Essay Example The company specialized in the manufacture of beverage, food, and oatmeal products. Management conflicts occurred among the three partners, with Crowell and Stuart being forced out by Schumacher. However, the two returned through a proxy-share war that resulted in the ejection f Schumacher in 1901. It was after this that they changed the name of the company to the Quaker Oats Company. In the process, the company changed its product line to specialize in oat, wheat cereals, corn meal, baby food, animal feeds, corn meal, and hominy. During the late 20th century, the Quaker Oats Company expanded its product-line to include hundreds of beverage and food products such as frozen waffles, pancakes, mixes, crunch breakfast cereals, Aunt Jemima syrup, among others. Since then, the company has expanded its operations to become a multinational organization with branches in over 25 countries across Asia, Europe, and Latin America (Hill, Jones & Schilling, 2014). The Driving Forces behind the Acquisition The acquiring company paired Snapple with its Gatorade plant, thus forming the third leading non-alcoholic beverage producer in North America. The success story of the Snapple Co. was one of the driving forces behind the acquisition plan. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Snapple dominated the media as the darling of the Wall Street. The companyââ¬â¢s profit margins had roared for close to a decade, thus drawing interests from other players in the industry.
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Energy drinks Essay Example for Free
Energy drinks Essay Since the mid-2000s, demands in the global beverage industry shift from carbonated soft drink to alternative beverages. Because of this market grows rapidly and gives high profit margins, it make changes in beverage manufacturing and encourage new entrant to focus solely on alternative beverages. Alternative beverages segment is comprised of energy drinks, sports drink, and flavored or enhanced water. Each segment has different consumer types and different distribution channel. In developed countries, such as USA, this carbonated soft drink market has reached a mature stage but energy drink and ready-to-drink tea is still inclined. However, beverage industry is steady growth in developing countries. Alternative beverages competed on the basis of differentiation from traditional drinks such as carbonated soft drinks or fruit juices. All energy drink brands attempted to develop brand loyalty based on taste, the energy-boosting properties of their ingredients, and image. The strongest competitive force is buyer because buyer costs to switch brands are low. Consumers will be more prices sensitive and will switch to other product or even other segment. The weakness competitive force is rivalry because of many sellers in this market and diversity in commodities. The high profit margins will make alternative beverage market attract entrants that are more new, also supported by rising demand for the alternative beverage. Energy drinks pricing is 400% higher than carbonated soft drinks. In addition, to create an alternative beverage business needs medium-high capital investment. The market of global beverage industry is projected to grow from $1. 58 trillion in 2009 and forecasted to grow to nearly $1. 78 trillion in 2014 as beverage producers entered new geographic markets, developed new types of beverages, and continued to create demand for popular drinks. It is expect to result from steady growth in the purchasing power of consumers in developing countries. In addition, alternative beverages tended to carry high price points, which made them attractive to both new entrants and established beverage companies. Sport drinks and vitamin-enhanced beverages tended to carry retail prices that were 50 to 75% higher than similar-size carbonated soft drinks and bottled water, while energy drink pricing by volume might be as much as 400% higher than carbonated soft drinks. While the alternative beverage segment of the industry offered opportunities for bottlers, the poor economy had decreased demand for higher-priced beverages, with sales of sports drinks declining by 12. 3%. The Alternative beverages consumer profile varied substantially across the three types of beverages. Then energy drink consumer was a teenage boy, sports drink consumer were purchased by those who engaged in sports, fitness or other strenuous activities. Vitamin-enhanced beverages could substitute for sports drinks but were frequently purchased by adult consumers in increasing their intakes of vitamins. The best position strategic group map is reasonable price and reasonable quality. The worst position is the low price and quality. Now people think about health more than in the past, and they still worry about economic crisis. The alternative beverage chose set strategic group map with answer key we are alternative. We found that key factors, which determine the success of alternative beverage producers,have many factors. First, is Productinnovation, Product Innovation can be done by customizing product ingredient, flavor, packaging, or the benefit that product offer to consumer. Second, Focus in one segment can be the best strategy like Red Bull. Their focus in energy drink segment make them became the market leader in energy drink. Third, there are many type of channel distributor, like supermarkets, natural foods store, wholesale clubs, convenience store, and restaurant. The companyââ¬â¢schoose is depends on the company resource. Example PepsiCo and Coca Cola were dominating convenience store and special event channel. However, for company with limited resource use third parties channel distribution will has lowest cost in transportation and labor. Fourth, use the right supplier can reduce production cost. The last one is Brand image, the right promotions that really connect with the product image will make the brand and product can penetrate the market.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Monopolies In A Capitalist Economy :: essays research papers fc
In a capitalist economy there are both wanted and unwanted monopolies. However, in a capitalist economy certain monopolies are needed. Monopolies have a big impact on the economy and the consumers because of the amount of control that the monopolies have on the economy. There are certain times when it is best to have monopolies then others, it really depends on the status of the economy. There is no doubt that monopolies do indeed play a critical role in a capitalist economy, but sometimes there are negative effects. It is indeed true to say that not all monopolies are unwanted in a capitalist society. An example of a monopoly that is not unwanted is that of a public utility, like SDG&E (San Diego Gas & Electric). These produce goods and services that are vital to the public's well being as far as functioning goes. Public utilities are an example of a pure or natural monopoly. A pure or natural monopoly is a single firm in an industry. This is the most effective way to provide very important goods and services. An example of a public utility monopoly that affects our everyday life is that of SDG&E. They are the only power company in San Diego County and thus they have a monopoly on San Diego. This, however is the kind of monopoly that the government likes to keep running and in operation because they know that we cannot do without for very long. If SDG&E decided to go out of business there would be no power supplier for all of San Diego County. In addition, because of the fact tha t SDG&E is the only gas and electric provider they can name almost any price and we have no choice but to comply with their demands unless they can find a dependable alternative, like solar power. The impact of monopolies is felt very heavily on the consumer. The biggest effect of a monopoly in a market is that it drives up the prices of the product in that market (South West, pg. 179). This happens because there is no competition and no other producer to drive prices down. The government has often tried to break up monopolies when they are presented because it will put a negative impact on the economy. There has even been legislation passed against monopolies. An example of a piece of legislation is the Sherman Anti-Trust Act which stated "any combination or conspiracy in constraint of trade" (www.
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