BUSINESS PLAN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BUSINESS PLAN - Essay Example Founded by Jorge Tapia, this testing facility furnishes a learning platform for local students studying in private and public schools, universities and graduation programs. There are two categories of authorized Cambridge ESOL centres, internal and open centers. Open centre have authority to conduct examinations for all candidates, regardless of whether they are enrolled in the institution or not (University of Cambridge, 2013). Vision statement Our corporation aims at educating masses of Guayaquil, helping them to gain fluent grip over English language within least time period and at lowest costs and thereby achieve success in globally recognized examinations. ... s: Strong barriers to entry by currently existing businesses Strict regulations, quality standards and close surveillance by Cambridge Market study This centre shall aim at catering students residing in localities of Guayaquil and Quito and other neighboring suburbs of Ecuador. Educational reforms in this region is one of the most underfunded and neglected national aspects (Pineo, 1996). Moving towards urbanization, these highly populated areas of Ecuador are gaining educational awareness. Recent statistics show that 37.6%, 34% and 12.7% of population has easy access to primary, secondary and superior education respectively. About 62% of total population (9.1 million people) represents the age group that can be targeted for providing FCE education while 66% represents the urban educated population (INEC & Quito Town Hall, 1990 & 2002). Mostly adults, especially males, have received some form of education, thereby indicating that masses are inclined to take educational measures (Carri on and Vasconez, 2003). Majority of citizens are moving towards learning English since this is the dominant language that is needed for public dealings and communications in foreign ties. Therefore, it has become a necessity for them now. To cater this, large number of institutes exists currently in both the territories that have a well-established market share and reputation, including Southern Cross Teacher Training Centre, EF School of English and British School of Language. However, I claim to provide exclusive and differentiated services to students with excellent trained faculty, career counseling mentors, technology-based teaching methods, tailored services and individual attention for each student at lowest costs. Marketing strategy Since these areas of Ecuador are most populated

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thruber Essay Example for Free

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty† by James Thruber Essay James Thurber is one of the best known humorists in America, and the work â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty† is considered to be one of the Thurber’s â€Å"acknowledged masterpieces†. The story was published in 1939 in the New Yorker magazine to great applause, and was first collected in his book â€Å"My World and Welcome to It†. In 1947, Hollywood released a movie of the same title, starring Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo. The name of the main character Walter Mitty and the derivative word â€Å"Mittyesque† have entered the English language, describing an intellectual person, who spends more time in heroic day dreams than paying attention to the real world, or more seriously, one who deliberately tries to trick or persuade others that he is something that he is not. In military circles, this usually refers to people who try and fake a successful career. The idea for Walter Mitty was got from a book â€Å"Malice Aforethought† by a leading British crime-fiction writer Antony Berkeley Cox. Here the main character is named Dr. Bickleigh, who runs away from unbearable reality into fantasies markedly similar in character to those of Mitty. Nevertheless, Walter Mitty is very much a Thurber protagonist, so much so that he has been called â€Å"the archetype for dreamy, hapless, Thurber Man†. Like many of his physically unimpressive male characters Thurber often paired with larger woman in his cartoons, Walter Mitty is dominated and put upon by his wife. Like a man who saw the unicorn, he escapes by way of fantasies. The title itself describes what this story is all about. Walter’s negative manner of speaking of himself makes the reader realize that he is not very happy in his life. He is an ordinary man, who first dreams about being a commander of a hydroplane who should get his crew out of danger from the hurricane. This short story is about a man, Walter Mitty, and his wife who make a trip to town, Waterbury, to run instructions. Mrs. Mitty needs to stop at the hair salon and she commands her husband to leave the car at the mechanic and go to the store to buy overshoes and some unknown objects that he couldn’t recollect. Throughout the trip to town the old man is lost in day dreams, where he is heroic at the end. These fantasies are the secret life of Walter Mitty. The real-life setting in this story is rather mundane: a hairdresser, a parking lot, a hotel lobby, a drugstore – all everyday elements of every town or city. The dimness or banality of these locations reflects the dullness of Mitty’s everyday life. This is pretty contrasted with the environment of Walter’s fantasies: a â€Å"Navy hydroplane† in a storm, an operating room, a courtroom, a dugout, a wall before a firing squad. These locations are tense, gripping, and out of the ordinary. The main character is a middle-aged, middle-class man, flees from the routine drudgery of his suburban life into fantasies of heroic conquest. In the story Walter Mitty proves that he is a very forgetful and a really stubborn man with a vivid imagination. He is constantly being distracted, and starts to dream often. His daydreams all has him as a successful, brave, heroic person, who is called in to save the day. Walter imagines himself the hero of his fantasies as a navy pilot commander, doctor, sharpshooter, bomber pilot, and noble victim of firing squad. His daydreams changes throughout the story. In his final vision, he sees himself facing a firing squad. It is another expression of his exceptional courage and bravery. Reading the story the reader understands that these dreams mean something more, the old man Mitty feels that he can be a lot more than what he is in his everyday life. The catching is the way Thurber introduces the changes of events Mr. Mitty is imaging. The story begins with him in one of his fantasies as a daring Navy pilot and then his wife cuts in saying â€Å"Not so fast! You are driving too fast! †. Walter was going so fast, because he was caught up in his imagination of being a naval pilot, he did not pay attention to how he was going. This was one of his many dreams. He imagines all these stories because he wants to make his life interesting. And his wife doesn’t seem to support him, she is always nagging. Mitty’s wife treats him more like a child than a husband. She only sticks to her guns and doesn’t let anything get by her. Thurber writes his story around Mitty’s daydreams and his return to reality. This novel seems to be the bunch of stories put together in one. In a Walter Mitty’s second daydream he is a â€Å"know-it-all† doctor, who fulfils a very difficult operation, on a millionaire banker. He seems to be brave saying â€Å"I could have killed Gregory Fitzhurst at 300 feet with my left hand†. In the real life he isn’t the one to perform an important operation; he is merely an occasional bystander of the hospital. Mitty has no courage, and has no charisma and would never participate in such a daring act in reality. The next dream depicts Walter as a commander of a bomber in the military, resolving to fly it to the other troops to drop off more ammunition. He isn’t putting up a flight or wearing a handkerchief over his eyes, he is behaving like a man. And again his imagination is interrupted. Walter’s last dream finds him in front of a firing squad, very quiet, getting ready to be executed. The old man is actually just a observer of the Waterbury trial, wishing that he was an accused. Mitty hits the District Attorney, who tries to wake a beautiful woman up from devastation. Here Walter Mitty is urbane and triumphant too. Once again the creative mind of the man has him doing something totally out of his league. Life places a great gap between wish and reality. This is true for Walter Mitty, the main character in the story â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty†. This man is far from being a respected man with a good career and his wife looks him down upon him. So he fabricates his own perception of reality, his daydreams, where he, Walter Mitty, is a hero and a leader. The way Mitty is in reality really contrasts the way he is in a fantasy world. His incapacities in the real world quickly turn into abilities in â€Å"fantasy land†. The man avoids weakness and does not let any pessimistic views ruin the complete spirit of his ideas. Every time the main hero has a daydream, he seems more and more unwilling to live in the real life. Why should anyone live in reality when you could live in a fantasy like that? Although Thurber’s humorous stories, essays and illustrations were popular during his lifetime, the author has received little scholarly attention. Some literary critics rejected his works as little more than pattern and whimsical. Lately critics have become attentive to James Thurber’s literary mastery, such as his use of wordplay and attention to narrative form. The scholars have also debated the darker themes of his work which hide beneath the merriment. Others, referring to his tendency to depict domineering women, like Mrs. Mitty, and ill-fated men, like Walter, blame his treatment of women and views of marriage. In common with Charles Dickens’ Scrooge and George Orwell’s Big Brother, Walter Mitty has outgrown his literary roots to become an everyday metaphor for a certain type of character or behavior. This type of character had an influence on other humorists, notably Mad founder Harvey Kurtzman, playwright George Axelrod (who employed Mitty-like fantasies in The Seven Year Itch) and animation director Chuck Jones (who created a Mitty-like child character for Warner Bros.cartoons). Works Cited 1. James Thurber. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The Creative Company, 2008. 32p 2. Steve King, Thurber: Mitty and Dangerous, http://www. todayinliterature. com/stories. asp? Event_Date=3/18/1939 3. MediaGuardian, Who is Walter Mitty? , 2003-08-05 http://www. guardian. co. uk/media/2003/aug/05/iraqdossier. hutton 4. James Thurber, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, http://www. geocities. com/SoHo/Cafe/6821/thurber. html

The Selection and Preparation of Mathematics Teachers :: Education Teaching Essays

The Selection and Preparation of Mathematics Teachers Teacher preparation is a vital component of any educational system. Evidence from research shows that there is a 39% difference in the achievement levels of students who have most/least effective teachers. The federal government also recognizes the importance of the classroom teacher. The recent No Child Left Behind legislation emphasizes the role that teachers play in achievement. In order to meet the requirements of NCLB, states and universities will have to change the way that teachers are prepared. Carefully selecting and properly training teachers and then giving them the authority to teach students as they see fit will go a long way to resolving the low achievement of American students. On the flip side, giving low ability and poorly trained individuals the opportunity to teach has produced several decades of low student achievement. Many of these academically unmotivated teachers demonstrate little content knowledge or curiosity and have been among the most flagrant violators of scientific application of educational research. Witness the indiscriminate use of trivial tests (learning styles, right/left brain, multiple intelligences, etc) that pretend to classify students in scant minutes. Worse still is that the learning theory behind these fads may in fact be even more suspect than the test. The current generation of American teachers firmly believes that lecture is a universally poor method of instruction, standardized tests are fatally flawed and the group learning is much superior to individual learning, all without scientific justification. If America is to close the achievement gap with other industrialized nations it must be willing to set aside political correctness and educational faddism to place competent teachers in the classroom. There is constant pressure for education departments to find new pedagogy, criticize the old pedagogy and generally churn the academic waters so that their existence can be justified. Teacher preparation programs need to focus on only those aspects of educational research which have been proven to produce achievement gains and stop experimenting on prospective teachers and their dependent students. The primary reason I am pursuing a doctorial degree in mathematics education is to have the credentials needed to teach mathematics pedagogy courses to prospective teachers at a four year institution. I feel strongly that my experience as a teacher and the intellectual training I am now acquiring will let me make a positive contribution to the cause of producing competent teachers. The area of teacher preparation is being extensively researched and is currently a high profile issue in education.

Evaluating Historical Views of Leadership Essay

How does a civilization attain the most effective leadership? More importantly what is considered effective leadership and who developed the theories surrounding it? These questions are debated through the ages of postmodern and modern civilization. Bass (1974) wrote that, â€Å"from its infancy, the study of history has been the study of leaders† (Wren, 1995, p. 50). Four of the godfathers of what is considered modern leadership theory are Plato, Aristotle, Lao-Tzu and Machiavelli. Over the course of this analysis, the leadership theories of each of these titans will be evaluated. Each view contains commonalities and disparities which offer conflicting perspectives on the complex topic of leadership throughout the ages of modern society. The goal is to broaden these views with critical evaluation, vetted scholarly sources and well-reasoned judgments. The conclusion arrived at will offer heighten awareness at the age old highly debated question; what is effective leadership? Plato vs Aristotle Plato and Aristotle were both titans of Greek thought during the fourth century BCE Athens, and both shared similar experience and backgrounds. Partly this was because Plato was Aristotle’s teacher. Takala the author of Plato on Leadership states â€Å"Ancient Greece (400 B.C.) has been regarded as the home of systematic administrative thinking; it has been seen as the place where the Western administrative thinking was born† (Takala, 1998, p. 787). This fact cemented Plato’s title of godfather of modern leadership theory that presented a systematic political and administrative model linking what life could be in an ideal state (Takala, 1998). There are many parallels in Plato’s rhetoric that mirror contemporary leadership debate. The most glaring is the emphasis on education and a class based system that focuses on what he termed, just social order. A† just social order† is defined as â€Å"one where order and harmony are maintained by each class of citizens carrying out the tasks for which they are suited and not interfering with the work of others† (Takala, 1998, p. 791). Plato in his most famous work the Republic speaks to the importance of virtue derived from knowledge. His top three credos for a unified and virtuous state were: 1. Know the good is to do the good. 2. All the virtues boil down gaining wisdom or what he paraphrased the †unity of the virtues† (Takala, 1998). 3. In order to become happy in a new state virtue must be present. The second titan of the three discussed is Plato’s protà ©gà © the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle had many views that mirrored the views of his mentor the most glaring being the dependence on education for laying the foundation for a modernized society (Kodish, 2006). Where these two minds disagree comes down to the action needed to secure leadership. Aristotle poked holes in all of the three points above given by Plato is these fundamental ways: 1. Just knowing the good was not enough for Aristotle. The concept of free will was relatively new, and he failed to see the need to practice being virtue. 2. For this reason, although wisdom is the highest form of virtue, it is by no means the key to possessing all virtues. In other words, Aristotle denies the unity of the virtues. 3. Finally, Aristotle thinks that although virtue is necessary to the good life, it isn’t sufficient. That is to say a person can be virtuous but still be unhappy. In particular, does a person truly need good fellow citizens to achieve happiness (Kodish, 2006). The most general difference Aristotle and Plato held was a difference of values surrounding the human condition. Aristotle saw the positives in society, and therefore prescribed freedom and equality; Plato saw the negatives and prescribed various illiberal and discriminatory ideals (Wren, 1995). Lao-Tzu vs Machiavelli The third titan of thought was Lao-tzu â€Å"an ancient sage of the sixth century and his book the Tao Te Ching (how things work) was used by political leaders† of his time in history (Wren, 1995, p. 69). The forth titan in Nicollo Machiavelli and his work the Prince is a classic on the pragmatic  use of power in society (Wren, 1995). Aristotle and Plato represent the western view of leadership during the age of modern leadership theory. To further broaden our view of leadership theory and practice this analysis also explores eastern views through the eyes of two more of history’s most influential minds. Lao-tzu’s theory is fundamentally different mainly due to its message of simplicity. He believed that a truly effective leader should be loved by the people he/she lead (Gerald, 2005). Compared to other scholars of the time like Machiavelli who felt fearing a leader was the best way to get results (Wren, 1995). In Machiavelli’s own words he wrote â€Å"I reply that one should like to be both one and the other, but since it is difficult to join them together, it is much safer to be feared than loved when one of the two must be lacking† (Machiavelli, 2006, p. 44). The differences between these two influential minds stem from the trusting (Lao-Tzu) or not trusting (Machiavelli) your followers to make good choices. The Tao Te Ching attempts to foster leadership by stepping away from the era-specific tyrannical view of what motivates the human condition. The 46th chapter of Tao Te Ching bares these words: â€Å"There is no greater misfortune than wanting more.† If you are content, Lao Tzu continues, â€Å"you will always have enough.† Unfortunately for Westerners, our motto seems to be â€Å"more for me now† (Gerald, 2005, p. 48). Conclusion Throughout the above analysis, there have been commonalities and disparities presented from the classic works of four godfathers of modern leadership theory and practice. Each mind brings a modified view of what leadership should or could be in a modern society. Whatever personal views arise after reviewing these masterworks there are some truths furthering the argument that leadership theory is an ever evolving door and a melting pot of ideas derived from many figures throughout history. The only constant is that there is no ideal way to lead; there are only methods that have garnered results in their own time and place in history. References Gerald, W. P. (2005, April 9). A look at thoughts from Tao-Te-Ching. Kingston Whig, 1-48. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/352713307?accountid=458 Kodish, S. (2006). The Paradoxes of Leadership: The Contribution of Aristotle. Leadership, 2: 451, 451-458. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1742715006069175 Machiavelli, N. (2006). Qualities of the Prince. New York Bedford/St Martin: in World of Ideas. Takala, T. (1998, May). Plato on Leadership. Journal of Business Ethics, 17, 785-798. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25073123 Wren, T. J. (1995). The Leader’s Companion Insights on Leadership Through the Ages. New York NY: The Free Press.

AIDS: Impacts Escalate From Families to the World

The world always poses innumerable threats to humankind’s health and well being. Famine, flood, earthquakes, war, terrorism, epidemics and natural disasters riddle our lives with tragedy. One of the most terrifying of these killers remains silent and unseen even though it may lurk beneath the very skin of those individuals you cherish most.This terrifying phenomenon has traveled throughout the world and has settled into even the most prosperous nations. Medical advancements, educational programs and government policies have not had success in subduing the spread of this biological executioner. For over three decades, the AIDS virus has run rampant across the globe.As time goes on we see more infections and fewer solutions to the ongoing problems this virus leaves in its wake. The AIDS virus has caused a great deal of substantial and devastating impacts worldwide. To better understand those impacts, a review of the virus and its capabilities will reveal just what a powerful inf ection this microorganism causes.At first, the AIDS virus appears harmless. It does not bring about immediate impending death or even directly harsh and noticeable symptoms. Unlike that of the dreaded avian bird flu virus which killed several people in Asia with in a matter of days, the AIDS virus can afflict a body for over a decade before death ensues.This happens as a result of the immune deficiency that AIDS causes in a body. The virus itself would not bring about mortality, but for the fact that hampers its host’s immune system, leaving the person susceptible to contracting other illnesses and disease. Chronic illnesses can last for years, can reoccur constantly, and finally can destroy the AIDS afflicted individual once their immune system has broken down to the point of no survival.In this respect unlike other infections AIDS slowly kills its host, and during that slow period of transition can render a person completely incapacitated with other illnesses. This aspect o f the disease has just as much impact on the world as the impending deaths that follow.The AIDS virus transmits itself through contact with body fluids. This means, blood, semen, saliva and other body fluids have the potential to infect others. Unprotected sexual intercourse has most often received the blame for transmission, or perhaps most often gets popular media coverage.Similarly, AIDS transmission also occurs like wildfire among drug users who contract the virus using contaminated hypodermic needles. Sadly enough, cases in which a mistaken blood transfusion held the virus has also caused infection. AIDS also passes from mother to unborn child. So if the mother incurs the infection prior to giving birth, her child will likely have HIV as well.Unfortunately the threat of contracting AIDS increasingly impacts the world as lack of funding and education lead to misinformed populations.While there exist medical treatments for individuals afflicted with AIDS, the treatments only subd ue the symptoms of the virus for a time rather than eradicate the illness completely.The medical world has had considerable trouble controlling the AIDS virus and formulating a vaccine for it because of, â€Å"the ability of a virus to change its genetic structure, which, in turn, changes the very proteins in the envelope that would be targeted by a vaccine.Exactly why some viruses shift so drastically and the AIDS virus seems to be able to change its colors as fast as the classic chameleon of the viral world, the flu virus — is unclear† (Langone 150).As the previous statement explains, the rapidly mutating virus makes it nearly impossible to replicate the correct variables for an effective antibody. This impacts the world leaving the medical field at a loss for answers and people at a loss for cures.More personally, the AIDS virus impacts families around the world. When men of the family incur the virus, they most likely will unknowingly transmit it to their wives as well. Men, who act as the predominant financial supporters of the household find their health and their ability to provide for their loved ones failing.When the patriarch cannot work and bring home finances the family may find itself sliding into poverty. Especially if healthcare providers learn of the man’s illness and refuses to pay the vastly incremental costs that the malady can accrue over time.So, as the men of families contract and struggle with the affliction, the rest of the family feels the impact and later as we shall see so does the rest of the world.Women feel just as much impact from the AIDS virus and possibly more. If their husbands have unknowingly contracted the virus, chances are that wives will then incur the infection from their spouses. In some cases women in this situation may conceive children which will also have the virus upon birth. Women feel a great impact from the AIDS virus since they act as the primary caregivers of the family.Time spent at hom e caring for an ailing husband leaves them unable to find financially productive jobs in the community (â€Å"On the Socioeconomic Impact of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic†). Mothers afflicted by the AIDS virus will eventually fade like their husbands, and in doing so leave their unaffected children as orphans. The impact of AIDS in this regard has a devastating impact on the individual families as well as the world.Similarly, as mentioned above, children can feel the most severe impact of AIDS in their lives. As parents weaken and families fall deeper into poverty, children find themselves without care givers and the basic needs for food, shelter and safety go unfulfilled. If the children have contracted AIDS from their parents upon birth, they too face the impending doom as the virus ravages their immune system.Over all the effect on children can be seen as, â€Å"AIDS is decimating entire generations of productive young adults, while leaving behind a huge cohort of children withou t parents and adequate community support, vulnerable to exploitation and lacking education and livelihood opportunities† (â€Å"On the Socioeconomic Impact of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic†). This impact of AIDS on children has impounding world wide impacts as will later be discussed.Lastly, elders in the family who have not contracted the AIDS virus also feel the impact as the affliction ravages younger family members. Grandparents must often take in their orphaned grandchildren. If the elders have lost their health and capabilities, they often depend on the help and financial support of their children.With AIDS destroying their offspring, it also destroys their caregivers and financial support for health and medical needs as well. In this respect, AIDS impacts both ends of the age spectrum, both the very young and the elderly. All of these familial impacts have been felt by humans worldwide.In relation, we have seen how the AIDS virus tears apart families and impacts all pers ons of the family. These impacts further compound from individual families, eventually reaching out and affecting entire populations. The mortality rates of AIDS affect areas obviously increase. As both young children and adults die from their AIDS induced illnesses.Also, the average life expectancy of individuals drops drastically in these populations, due to the fact that AIDS transmission most often occurs in children and young adults. As stated by the article, On the Socioeconomic Impact of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic, â€Å"AIDS kills people mostly in the 15-49 year age group.†This age range of incurred infection leads to a drop in years of life as younger people die of the virus well before the normal projection of life expectancy. For example, â€Å"By 2005-2010, average life expectancy at birth in the 11 worst affected countries is projected to decrease to 44 years. instead of rising to 61 years as projected in the absence of the disease† (â€Å"On the Socioeconomic Impact of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic†).  Lastly, due to the fact that AIDS affects persons in their reproductive years, a decrease in child bearing ensues, leading to population decline in afflicted nations around the world.Over all the AIDS virus has caused a great deal of substantial and devastating impacts worldwide. Men, who act as the financial backbone of the families fall ill and can no longer provide for their families needs. The women often spend time caring for their ailing husbands rather than obtaining jobs for needed income.The women and children can also unknowingly incur infection from the men of the family. Children and elders who are not affected find themselves without care givers and financial supporters. All of this adds up to leave nations around the world with increased mortality rates, lower life expectancy rates and fewer birthrates.Also of importance to note are the economic impacts felt around the world as labor force declines the individuals affected c an no longer work. Families as well as nations slide into poverty when they cannot produce the food or materials needed due to lack of human resources.

Logic and Correct Answer Essays

Logic and Correct Answer Essays Logic and Correct Answer Essay Logic and Correct Answer Essay The most direct way to gather objective information about children is to observe them in the course of their everyday lives and record what happens. Since the presence of a stranger (that is, the researcher) is likely to be intrusive in many situations, the ideal strategy is to arrange to have the children observed by someone who ordinarily spends time with them? a parent or teacher, for example. (Michael Cole and Sheila R. Cole, The Development of Children) | | Selected Answer:|   Ã‚   The ideal strategy is to arrange to have the children observed by someone who ordinarily spends time with them? parent or teacher, for example. | Correct Answer:|   Ã‚   The ideal strategy is to arrange to have the children observed by someone who ordinarily spends time with them? a parent or teacher, for example. | | Question 2 | 3 out of 3 points    | | Cows milk is hardly the perfect food, as the American Dairy Association would have us believe. Whole milk consumed in large quantities can rai se blood cholesterol levels and contribute to heart disease. Studies have indicated a connection between the sugars in milk and ovarian cancer. The proteins in cows milk can cause the body to develop antibodies that can lead to diabetes, and in a fourth of the population milk causes bloating, flatulence, and sometimes diarrhea. (Jane Brody, Debate over Milk: Time to Look at the Facts) | | | | | Selected Answer:|   Ã‚   Cows milk is hardly the perfect food, as the American Dairy Association would have us believe. | Correct Answer:|   Ã‚   Cows milk is hardly the perfect food, as the American Dairy Association would have us believe. | | | | | Question 3 | 3 out of 3 points    | | The significance of meat eating for future human evolution was enormous.

The French Expression àCause de (Because of)

The French Expression ' Cause de' ('Because of') cause de,  pronounced ah koz deu, is a French prepositional phrase that means because of or due to. Depending on whether the context is negative or positive, it can also be translated as: on account of, owing to or for the sake of. With Blame Essentially, cause de blames someone or something for a negative situation or event, as in:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Jai oublià © mes clà ©s cause de lappel de Philippe.   I forgot my keys because of/on account of Philippes phone call.  Ã‚  Ã‚  A cause de la mauvaise à ©conomie, jai perdu mon emploi.   Due to / owing to  the bad economy, I lost my job. Without the Blame A cause de can also be used for a neutral situation or event, something that deserves neither blame nor credit, as in:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Je lai pardonnà © cause de son à ¢ge.   I forgave him considering his age.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Il va venir la fà ªte cause de toi.   Hes going to come to the party for your sake. With Cest To say its because of/due to ... use cest in front of cause de, as in:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest cause de cette dà ©cision que nous nous sommes disputà ©s.   Its due to that decision that we argued. Remember the Contraction Remember that de followed by the definite article le or les must contract:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Jai paniquà © cause du bruit.   I panicked because of the noise.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Il est parti cause des enfants.   He left because of the children. An Antonym To give credit for something positive, use the expression grà ¢ce   (thanks to), as in: Grà ¢ce ton assistance, il a fini le travail.   Thanks to your help, he finished the work.Grà ¢ce aux conseils de Pierre, nous avons trouvà © la maison parfaite.   Thanks to Pierres advice, we found the perfect house.  Sil a rà ©ussi lexamen, cest grà ¢ce toi.   If he passed the test, its all thanks to you. Additional Resources Expressions with Expressions with deMost common French phrases