How One Takes Life for Granted Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How One Takes Life for Granted - Essay Example Both however, exposed an understanding of the truth and what lies beneath the surface. 'Richard Cory' had a universal speaker, using "we" throughout. This helped to set him apart from "we", the ordinary people who looked at him as "a gentleman from head to crown" (l. 3). The tone contains irony, awe and envy: "we thought that he was everything/To make us wish that we were in his place." (l. 11-12). The metaphor and visual imagery in "and he glittered when he walked" (l. 8) create pictures of somebody bedecked in gold and precious jewels, symbols of wealth. The envious tone changed later to bitterness with the words: "So on we worked.And went without the meat and cursed the bread." (l. 13-14), as if this was all life could be for them, the difference between rich and poor. The last line exposed how taking life for granted was a big mistake. This untouchable, aristocratic man who seemed to have it all, "Went home and put a bullet through his head." (l. 16). The poem had a lilting, easy, almost ballad type style, up until the shocking final line that was in stark contras t to how Richard Cory was perceived. The clear message was that people and life should never to be judged by outward appearances, or apparent circumstances. Though similarly like a song, in contrast, 'My Papa's Wa

Organizational Planning Verizon Wireless Essay Example for Free

Organizational Planning Verizon Wireless Essay Organizational Planning: SWOT Analysis for Verizon Wireless Before planning can begin, a framework should be built to guide the decision making process by identifying what the overall goal is to be. At Verizon Wireless, the mission statement, or credo, is broken into 5 sections that are the pathway for leadership within the company, as well as for internal stakeholders, to ensure the success of the company. Verizon Wireless identifies strengths as being a high quality provider of communications services, being committed to customers through teamwork, and acknowledging that just being the biggest is not the same as being the best. By identifying weaknesses such as being reactive to competitor offerings, pricing structure of plans, and the perceived lack of a global presence, reviewing the credo can initiate change to address these weaknesses and create opportunities from them. Identifying the opportunities of network infrastructure growth, simplification of pricing plans for both businesses and consumers, and providing varied equipment pricing options allow the company to address some of the weaknesses. Threats are identified as competition from other providers, market penetration for services, and proposed regulations from the F.C.C. with regard to net neutrality. As a whole, these identified areas provide the roadmap to achieve success for both the internal and external stakeholders. When setting a long term goal, or strategic plan, the credo is consulted to ensure that the areas identified in the SWOT are being addressed. With a strategic plan in place, Verizon Wireless can set long term goals on how they plan to broaden their strengths, lessen their weaknesses, capitalize on their opportunities and minimize the threats. One of these strategic plans in place is to grow market share by gaining additional customers. Long term growth of customers is fundamental to the longevity of the company. Without new customers the company becomes stale and profits may fall. Both the internal and external stakeholders would be unhappy if Verizon Wireless did not provide a value to them either  monetarily or through the service itself. Review and confirmation of programs being offered to customers is constantly being revised as changes within the marketplace dictate. This long term strategic planning will be fluid as the needs of the customer change. An operational plan has a shorter time line to achieve the goal. The target of initiating new growth through new products and service can be accomplished through the Verizon Wireless Partner Program. The adoption of new technology and integration of devices ensure Verizon Wireless to achieves this goal going forward by partnering with companies to provide equipment and services. According to Partnerships Verizon (n.d.), Verizon’s award-winning Partner Program focuses on better serving the needs of customers by enabling them to simplify how they consume communications and IT services in a way that best meets their needs, while giving them access to the full Verizon portfolio. Whether teaming with Verizon directly, indirectly through program members, or as a hybrid, customers can take advantage of Verizon’s next-generation services portfolio.† (2). These types of partnerships build from the commitment that Verizon Wireless has stated, â€Å"We hold ourselves to a very high standard of performance. We prize innovative ideas and the teamwork it takes to make them happen. We never stop asking ourselves how we can make the customer experience better, and every day we find new answers.† (Commitment Values, n.d.) In this operational plan, the internal stakeholder is satisfied because the company is initiating new growth, and the external stakeholder is satisfied because the new products and services are providing additional revenue. With both strategic and operational plans in place, Verizon Wireless is poised to achieve success in both the near term as well as far into the future. Reference Verizon Wireless. (n.d.). Commitment Values. Retrieved 2/28/15 from http://verizonwireless.com/about/commitment-values Verizon Wireless. (n.d.). Partnerships Verizon. Retrieved 2/28/15, from http://www.verizon.com/about/our-company/partnerships/ (2)

Capital Punishment is Not the Answer Essay -- social issues

Capital Punishment is Not the Answer Capital punishment is a difficult issue and there are as many different opinions as many people. Public support for the death penalty has decreased only a little in the last years. Meanwhile, many countries have outlawed the practice - capital punishment doesn't exist in the European Union countries - and strict laws about who may be executed are becoming more common. Despite of all this capital punishment is racially, socially and economically biased and allows the possibility of the execution of innocent persons, too. Furthermore, there is no benefit to society that would make it necessary to continue it. For these reasons, the death penalty doesn't support what the ideal criminal justice system tries to achieve and therefore must be abolished. Capital punishment cannot be a collective act of revenge. It must never be allowed to become a release for collective anger. Bud Welch lost his twenty-three year old daughter, Julie, in the Oklahoma bombing in 1995. "I'm opposed to the death penalty. It's vengeance that doesn't do my heart any good..."-said Mr. Welch. Capital punishment is no answer to the major challenges we face as a society. Moreover, it has not proven to be a deterrent to violent crime, and it has mainly occurred to the poor, and more to minority poor. This is not surprising, since a well-paid, high-powered defense team can make all the difference. In the United States there lives a conception of justice: a figure of a blindfolded woman holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other. The scales symbolize the careful investigation of evidence, the sword represents the speed with which justice is dealt with, and the blindfold symbolizes the unprejudiced reach of decision. This has the message that the poor, uneducated defendant has the same opportunity for a quality defense, and has the same chance for justice as the wealthy one. Yet, this could be questioned. Wealthy defendants are able to pay for false witnesses and expensive tests that are not available to poor defendants. The ill-paid Counsel of Defense may not really pay attention at the trial missing important evidence, so they result in their client being sentenced to death. Capital punishment is biased not only this way but also racially. The color of the skin of the accused and victim alike decides whether the death penalty wi... ...n for no reason must also be handled equivalently. There is a problem with a society that allows such a corrupt institution. In the year of 2000, 3058 people were sentenced to death in 65 countries from which 88% took place in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and in the USA. These numbers are terrifying! No longer should it be believed that executing a person is the only way to ensure that they do not get released from prison and kill again. It would be more necessary to increase the prison sentences of murderers. Imprisonment without the possibility of parole could be the sentence of those who would be sentenced to death under the current system. Such a move would help to calm down the fears of recidivism and would send a strong message to lawbreakers. The abolition of the death penalty would mean the end of executions and that the government wouldn't put any more prisoners to death. It should be recognized that murder is wrong in and of itself. Beyond that, it is wrong even as a secret plan within the heart. It is as old a human problem as Abel's death by his own brother, Cain. We should really keep ourselves away from the spiral of violence because violence begets violence. Capital Punishment is Not the Answer Essay -- social issues Capital Punishment is Not the Answer Capital punishment is a difficult issue and there are as many different opinions as many people. Public support for the death penalty has decreased only a little in the last years. Meanwhile, many countries have outlawed the practice - capital punishment doesn't exist in the European Union countries - and strict laws about who may be executed are becoming more common. Despite of all this capital punishment is racially, socially and economically biased and allows the possibility of the execution of innocent persons, too. Furthermore, there is no benefit to society that would make it necessary to continue it. For these reasons, the death penalty doesn't support what the ideal criminal justice system tries to achieve and therefore must be abolished. Capital punishment cannot be a collective act of revenge. It must never be allowed to become a release for collective anger. Bud Welch lost his twenty-three year old daughter, Julie, in the Oklahoma bombing in 1995. "I'm opposed to the death penalty. It's vengeance that doesn't do my heart any good..."-said Mr. Welch. Capital punishment is no answer to the major challenges we face as a society. Moreover, it has not proven to be a deterrent to violent crime, and it has mainly occurred to the poor, and more to minority poor. This is not surprising, since a well-paid, high-powered defense team can make all the difference. In the United States there lives a conception of justice: a figure of a blindfolded woman holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other. The scales symbolize the careful investigation of evidence, the sword represents the speed with which justice is dealt with, and the blindfold symbolizes the unprejudiced reach of decision. This has the message that the poor, uneducated defendant has the same opportunity for a quality defense, and has the same chance for justice as the wealthy one. Yet, this could be questioned. Wealthy defendants are able to pay for false witnesses and expensive tests that are not available to poor defendants. The ill-paid Counsel of Defense may not really pay attention at the trial missing important evidence, so they result in their client being sentenced to death. Capital punishment is biased not only this way but also racially. The color of the skin of the accused and victim alike decides whether the death penalty wi... ...n for no reason must also be handled equivalently. There is a problem with a society that allows such a corrupt institution. In the year of 2000, 3058 people were sentenced to death in 65 countries from which 88% took place in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and in the USA. These numbers are terrifying! No longer should it be believed that executing a person is the only way to ensure that they do not get released from prison and kill again. It would be more necessary to increase the prison sentences of murderers. Imprisonment without the possibility of parole could be the sentence of those who would be sentenced to death under the current system. Such a move would help to calm down the fears of recidivism and would send a strong message to lawbreakers. The abolition of the death penalty would mean the end of executions and that the government wouldn't put any more prisoners to death. It should be recognized that murder is wrong in and of itself. Beyond that, it is wrong even as a secret plan within the heart. It is as old a human problem as Abel's death by his own brother, Cain. We should really keep ourselves away from the spiral of violence because violence begets violence.

Realism in 21st Century

Realism in 21st Century The world, in view of the fact that it was created is changing. With the changing desires and demands of today’s standard of living, individual needs to be in sync with the demands and trends of modern day living. Not too long ago, people were seen doing stuffs that have turned out to be more of a routine in today’s humankind. Every single day a new type of technology is been introduced in today's world. So, the question arises that is theses changes necessary in today's world? If yes, does it have a good or a bad impact to the human society in today's world? We need to talk about in which approach hi-tech advancements that pace into our daily lives have altered our lifestyles in the very last few centuries. In today’s world each and every single people rely on new and advance technologies. Everyone loves new technologies and gadgets that promise innovative and better ways of living. A pace of life is frequently increasing with the increase in new technologies. Nowadays somewhat more a quarter of the earth’s population can be found in the industrialized societies. And half of the population still lives on past agriculture, but they are also relying on machines. The remaining of the world’s population, however, is no longer of either the past or the present. They live in the future, within the most important centers of cultural and technological change, in New York, California, Cambridge, London and Tokyo (Toffler, p. 38). A new part of technology is like a new relationship to an individual, it will be cool and thrilling at the first, but sooner or later it gets addictive to the people. I doubt technology’s give your word to improve the quality of life, makes our life easier and simpler, but it gets more addictive and makes one lethargic. People have turn out to be physically and psychologically dependent on many behaviors and substances for centuries. The compulsive and frequently use of these technologies have negative impact on our daily lives. The key life areas that appear to be impacted are relationships, health, employment, and financial status. In the present day people find their reality have changed because they have to get used to the new culture and behavior according to the pace of technology. Presently people like to live in this current industrialized era but some of them are overwhelmed by the change of new technologies and inventions. Changes in the life are important, but the acceleration of changes leads to the victim of overchoice and impacts on our personal and psychological, as well as sociological, consequences (Toffler, p. 2). Philip Morris now it is Altria Group, for example, when it was introduced in USA in 1954, it only sold a single major brand of cigarettes i. e. Marlboro specifically to men. By now Altria Group has introduced additional 16 new brands with so many options with respect to size and flavors (Toffler, p. 265). Not only in cigarettes there are many overchoices in food, clothing, gasoline, and many more. There is a huge diversity in education industry too, students have a huge selection on what field they want to study and nowadays students can even get their degree online. More often than not society does not leave freedom for avoidance and as a result one need to adjust and learn about the new technologies that become part of our lifestyles. These days when people are faced with having to decide one option out of many popular choices, they will start on to think about imaginary trade-offs. The people do make their best choice out of the variable products, but afterwards it affects their level of satisfaction they had from the one before. The people now can’t escape this situation of freedom because they are not committed to the choice they make. People don’t know that the current loads of choice over and over again lead to feelings of loneliness and depression. The creation of the Internet has been the main source of innovative information, connectivity, and possibilities to create new private freedom. There are presently more than a billion web pages of information on the Internet about every topic that you can think of. The Internet users around the world have been increased by 444% since the starting of the 21st century (Internet Usage Statistics). In this era, computers and Internet are an important part of everyday life. Computers are used everywhere. Today Internet and computers can exactly take us to the different worlds and different realms of reality by a thought referred to as virtual reality. Inception is the latest â€Å"virtual reality† movie of this time. In this movie Leonardo DiCaprio plays an unlawful with the technology to plan himself into the dreams and ideas of others. The characters spend an important amount of time entirely powerless with beeping tools nearby. In the meantime their minds are busy occupied navigating avatars in a virtual world of Inception. In this movie, a machine would let you to connect to a virtual atmosphere by getting into someone’s dream. Even in the movies â€Å"The Matrix† and â€Å"Avatar† was computer generated and were in the different world of imagination. In â€Å"Plowing the Dark† by Richard Powers, on one side of a story a band of researchers in Seattle working on a 3D reality on how an empty white room that can become a jungle, a painting, or a Byzantine cathedral. And the other follows an individual kidnapped and held hostage by terrorists in Lebanon in an empty white room, equipped only with his imagination and memory. In the novel, the two stories overlap, but the people in the different stories do not know one another and never communicate. But at the end, the imaginative experience of Adie and Taimur intersect, with Taimur’s control leading to an unexpected change in Adie’s life and Adie inspiring Taimur at a serious moment. In this novel, the author addresses this issue of creating an inspiring character of life in an unreal environment that becomes frightening real to us (Powers). The novel â€Å"Plowing the Dark,† alludes to several poems including â€Å"Sailing to Byzantium† by W. B. Yeats. In this poem, Yeats highlights the aspect of world he lives in, is scared of becoming older and complains about the world he lives in, so he decides to escape to the city i. e. Byzantium where the poet can achieve immortality. In all the movies (â€Å"Inception,† â€Å"The Matrix,† and â€Å"Avatar†), the novel â€Å"Plowing the Dark,† and the poem â€Å"Sailing to Byzantium† the people wants to escape the real world and wants live in their own virtual mind and places they created. Virtual reality is becoming more prominent and dangerous as the days passes. One can assume a second identity in their imaginary world through the Internet. In 2003, a game called â€Å"Second Life† appeared on the Internet, is an online virtual world mainly targeted to the children who are aged thirteen and over, and as of 2011 â€Å"Second Life† has more than 20 million egistered user accounts (Secondlife). They can get married, have children, rob banks, and shoot people all in the name of fun. Virtual reality makes it a good tool for education because it allows children to learn in a more interactive environment where they are m ore likely to retain information. But it also has some negatively psychological and social effects. These days many students are showing a decrease in usual emotion and affection due to their stable communication with lifeless cyber friends. Cyberspace can be a help out, but when used in the wrong behavior it can be very damaging to our physical and mental well-being. Virtual reality in fact minimizes the significance of our physical bodies and encourages people to misuse their time. It causes people to get lost from exact relations by focusing on the mind freezing effects of video games and online cyber world. In this generation, the Internet is so ingrained into our lives that life without the access of Internet is completely unimaginable. The use of the Internet offers a variety of benefits to every person in today’s world. Internet has a giant amount of information added on it every day and it’s developing as the most powerful source of information. Also, use of the Internet makes easier to find jobs in a minute. One can also buy and sell things on the Internet. Last, the Internet is one of the most important tools in educations seeing as it provides a massive amount of information and is the greatest source of reference for teachers and students. The Internet has influenced, and is still influencing the way culture communicates in a lot of different ways. The rise of the Internet has caused people to communicate differently in areas never dreamed of before the Internet came into existence. In the book, â€Å"The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains,† by Nicholas Carr argues that surfing the World Wide Web is causing the damage to your brain. This book has been expanded from the article, â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid,† by the same writer Nicholas Carr. In this book, Carr describes how human thought has been changed through the centuries by â€Å"tools of the mind† – from the alphabet to maps, to the printing press, the clock, and the computer (Carr). This all tools are very useful in this 21st Century in getting directions, determining time and finding information on the computer through the Internet which is very faster and saves a lot of time. This all tools are easy and convenient in today’s life, but the effect of all this tools is that it is breaking the focus and the creativity of the human brain. Carr in the article, â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid,† stated that one he was a scuba diver in the sea of words, but now he zips along the surface like a guy on a jet ski. This is nothing but the Internet, which, with its search engines, blogs, social network such as Twitter and Facebook, pornography and online games has chipped away the capacity for concentration and contemplation. I totally agree with Carr, that when we use the Internet, we totally enter into a different environment; we enter into the world which is not real, that leads us to quick reading and diverts our thinking and distracts our brain. Right now, you can take example of me, as I am writing this paper or whenever I find myself assigned with a research paper for class I get simply unfocused from looking up references online and manage to find myself on completely unrelated websites. The pop-ups and the advertisement usually get our mind diverted. Then after half an hour of researching I find myself on checking the emails, uploading status or new photos on Facebook or either playing games on the computer. Then I realize that I have wasted almost an hour doing nothing instead using the time sensibly. Yes, Internet is the main source of information, but is actually affecting our brains. Not only Internet, the smart phones, TVs, online video games and many other digital technologies also damage our brain. According to a survey published by Forrester Research, Americans are now spending a large amount of their time using the Internet than watching television, and the amount of time people spend on the Internet has increased 121 percent in excess of the last five years (Joshua). The amount of time spent on the Internet not only has been increased by the teenagers or adults, but also have been increased by up to six to eight hours a day among the people over 66 years. But the rapidly increase in the use of Internet has not affect a drop in television consumption for the reason that the Internet, and mostly the mobile Internet, cleanly creates additional facilities and opportunities for the nation to consume media. In today’s world, TV is still important, but the content where the people are getting from is changing. Nowadays, most of the people are getting the content from the use of the mobile Internet. Smartphone and tablets are a life changing to many users since it is so personal, in terms of how and how frequently the device is carried and how it is used to connect and to expand relationships. Smart phones went from being a luxury and became an everyday tool for students, employees and the businessmen. For a lot of us, communicating with friends and family used to mean writing letters and cards via mail and have to wait for weeks for the response. But now we communicate with each other through emails and text messages in a fraction of seconds. Now younger generations have forgotten how to write and spell a complete sentence due to rapid increase in text messaging. Teenagers are totally reliant on simple tenses and a limited use of vocabulary, and that to with the help of spell check. At the same time there is also a reduction in a personal face to face communication. Nowadays, people just text message their friends, chat online, do discussion on the blogs, and they even date online. Due to these changes; the people have mentally changed their communication skills. People don’t know that more and more use of the technologies gets addictive to them and changes the mental and physical shapes of the brain, and can lead to a decrease in the sense of self and human identity. Our neurological systems are actually being spoiled, and we are less able to process and remember information, even if we are continually reading, or surfing, online. The person who spends more of their time playing games and reading web pages are experiencing visual problems. Most people are clueless that how the cell phones affects their brain by the radiation. In J. D. Salinger's â€Å"The Catcher in the Rye†, the main character of Holden Caulfield views the humankind as a place where the most human behaviors such as love, sympathy and kindness are all been overridden by the power of money and technology. Holden Caulfield is desperately holding to the concept that necessary human kindness is far more vital to a joyful way of life than material wealth and technology. Holden in the novel feels similar to a loner or a rebel in an environment where the people are dishonest and corrupted, and he is badly looking for someone to talk to that will make him happy. In the beginning of the story, Holden says, â€Å"As a matter of fact, I'm the only dumb one in the family† (David, p. 67). In the whole story, Holden describes himself as a failure and immature, and also has been told by his parents, friends, and teachers number of times but still, Holden every time hangs to his ideals and looks his failings as almost laughable. In the story, Holden is suffering from mental and emotional problems due to his attitudes and behavior. The only thing that can â€Å"cure† Holden, as stated in the story, is to get more and more interaction with the people around him. From the novel, â€Å"The Catcher in the Rye†, possibly one can learn from the main character, â€Å"Holden Caulfield†, that in regards to corruption, wealth and the dream, foes not matter how expensive and attractive it is, but only the true pleasure and satisfaction can only be establish from within. Holden also oversimplifies the whole lot and in his view children are straightforward and innocent image of wholesome life compared to adults who are by now influenced by the accepted public way of life, which adjusts or fakes everyone’s realism. An individual in our society today feels that, they are separated from one another and has lost the interaction between people same way, as Holden in the novel, â€Å"The Catcher in the Rye†. †¢JOSHUA, BRUSTEIN. â€Å"American Internet Use Catches Up With TV Use. † (2010): Web. 2 May 2011. . †¢Ã¢â‚¬ INTERNET USAGE STATISTICS. † (2011): Web. May 2011. . †¢TOFFLER, ALVIN. Future shock. Bantam, 1984. 38. Print. †¢TOFFLER, ALVIN. Future shock. Bantam, 1984. 2. Print. †¢TOFFLER, ALVIN. Future shock. Bantam, 1984. 265. Print. †¢CARR, NICHOLAS. â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid? â€Å". Atlantic Magazine July/Aug 2008: Web. 2 May 2011. < http://www. theatlantic. com/magazine/archive/2008/07 /is-google-making-us-stupid/6868/>. †¢DAVID, JEROME. The Catcher in the Rye. Little, Brown and Company, 1951. 67. Print. †¢POWERS, RICHARD. Plowing the Dark. Picador USA, 2001. Print. †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Secondlife. † Web. 2 May 2011. <

Ethics Chapter 1 Quiz

Appendix 2 Instructions: Click on the box in front of your selected answer. When completed, save and post as an attachment. 1. Which term is used to refer to a subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their own lives than the members of a dominant group have over theirs? a. minority group b. majority group c. stratified group d. social group 2. In sociological terms, a majority is the same as a a. numerical minority. b. numerical majority. c. dominant group. d. subordinate group. 3. Members of a minority or subordinate group . generally marry outside their group. b. become a part of the group voluntarily. c. are political equals of the majority group. d. share physical or cultural characteristics that differ from the majority group. 4. All of the following are processes that may create subordinate groups except: a. immigration b. extermination c. annexation d. colonialism 5. Which term is used by sociologists to describe a group that is set apart from others because of obvious physical differences? a. social group b. ethnic group c. racial group d. formal group 6. Which of the following is considered a racial group? a. Puerto Ricans b. Jews c. African Americans d. all of these 7. The U. S. has used skin color as the standard for race designation with a. two categories: Black and White. b. an elaborate system describing various combinations of skin color, facial features, and hair texture. c. a continuum of most Black to most White. d. a focus on cultural differences. 8. Which term is used to describe a group that is set apart from others primarily because of its national origin or distinctive cultural patterns? a. ocial group b. ethnic group c. racial group d. formal group 9. Ethnicity refers to a. racial differences. b. differences in physical and mental characteristics. c. cultural differences. d. citizenship. 10. Which of the following is considered an ethnic group? a. Puerto Ricans b. Irish Americans c. Mexican Americans d. all of these 11. Which of the following is NOT considered an ethnic group? a. Puerto Ricans. b. Italian Americans. c. Muslims. d. Polish Americans. 12. African American sociologist W. E. B. DuBois said in 1900 that the century’s major problem would be . class differences. b. the color-line. c. wars. d. poverty and disease. 13. Subordinate groups include a. Roman Catholics. b. women. c. deaf people. d. all of these 14. The concept of race is a. determined by blood type. b. predicated by skin shade increments. c. biologically based on genetically isolated groups. d. socially constructed. 15. Races can be clearly distinguished on the basis of a. skin color. b. blood type. c. genetic resistance to malaria. d. none of these 16. Traditional IQ tests tend to be biased against a. lower-class people. b. rural residents. . racial minorities. d. all of these 17. The hierarchical system for possession of wealth, prestige, or power is called a. ethnic groups. b. stratification. c. age. d. functionalism. 18. Which of the following theoretical perspectives tends to emphasize how the multiple parts of soci ety are structured to maintain its stability? a. conflict theory b. functionalist theory c. macrosociological theory d. labeling theory 19. Which of the following perspectives on race and ethnicity tends to emphasize group tensions between the privileged and the exploited? a. onflict b. macrosociology c. microsociology d. functionalist 20. The conflict perspective emphasizes a. social change. b. the redistribution of resources. c. the exploitation of minorities by dominant groups. d. all of these 21. Exaggerated generalizations about the characteristics of members of a group that do not recognize individual differences within the group are known as a. stereotypes. b. pluralities. c. scapegoats. d. self-fulfilling prophecies. 22. Stereotypes are applied to a. gamblers. b. lesbians. c. people with disabilities. d. all of these 23. In certain situations, we may respond to stereotypes and act on them, with the result that false definitions become accurate. This is known as the a. functionalist theory. b. exploitation theory. c. self-fulfilling prophecy. d. authoritarian personality 24. The formation of a subordinate-group-dominant-group relationship emerges through a. annexation. b. colonialism. c. migration. d. all of these 25. Which term refers to the physical separation of two groups of people in terms of residence, workplace, and social functions? a. assimilation b. amalgamation c. segregation d. pluralism

The End of an Era for The Encyclopaedia Britannica

The End of an Era for The Encyclopaedia Britannica The End of an Era for â€Å"The Encyclopaedia Britannica† The End of an Era for â€Å"The Encyclopaedia Britannica† By Mark Nichol The Encyclopaedia Britannica, for two and a half centuries considered in the public eye the reigning resource for scholarly research, recently announced that it was ceasing publication in print and would henceforth be available only in electronic form. As usual, the doddering dinosaur is behind the curve. The company had had the chance to go high-tech in 1985 with a Microsoft partnership; somewhat understandably, it declined to partner with the then fledgling software company which released its Encarta, its own, successful, encyclopedia on CD-ROM in 1993. The Encyclopedia Britannica company did launch a CD-ROM in 1989, four years before Encarta came along, but it did so under the name of Compton’s, another encyclopedia brand it owned, so as not to tarnish the venerable Britannica brand. That product, which received positive reviews, was nevertheless not the first computer-based encyclopedia; Grolier’s had come out with a DOS version in 1985. Britannica’s print encyclopedia continued to dominate the market even after Grolier’s innovation, of course, because the proportion of prospective encyclopedia customers who desired a high-tech version was very small. However, six years after Britannica’s revenues peaked in 1990, it declared bankruptcy (though it was bought by a Swiss businessman and survives but barely to this day). People, it seems, were just not buying print encyclopedias like they used to. And why bother? The Encyclopaedia Britannica, though a formidable feat of scholarship, had long been overhyped. It was certainly always impressive looking and still is: The final print edition, published in 2010 and still for sale (â€Å"while supplies last!†), consists of forty-four million words packed into thirty-two volumes. It has, however, long been mostly a prestige product, meant to be admired by visitors to one’s home who marvel at the sophistication of parents who would spend four figures to be sure that their children have nothing but the best trove of knowledge at their fingertips. (The 2010 edition retails for about $1,400.) But those fingertips, it seems, rarely touched the meticulously prepared, exhaustively researched encyclopedia; one survey determined that few customers consulted it more than once a year. For many, it was just another feature of home decor, another mark of status. Britannica Online and the DVD version are presumably more well thumbed, and several years ago, Britannica announced plans to develop a content model more along the lines of Wikipedia, in which the public would be able to submit new content to Britannica or revise existing content, although it would be clearly distinguished from content produced by Britannica’s staff and scholarly contributors. (A cursory examination of Britannica’s website shows no reference to such content, however.) What does the epochal end of Britannica’s presence in print mean for writers, editors, and editorial researchers and fact-checkers? You tell me when was the last time you cracked the spine of The Encyclopaedia Britannica? For many years, we have been able to go straight to the (online) source for a great deal of information, checking information against government, business, and organizational websites. And when we want objective information, we consult news sites, and online compendia like Wikipedia. And though I note in this post that Wikipedia is regrettably inferior to The Encyclopaedia Britannica in writing quality, is was found in a study to be essentially just as accurate – that is, highly, but not flawlessly, accurate. Print publications just can’t compete with online sources for immediacy. If you want to know the state of knowledge or attitudes about a particular phenomenon in 1912, certainly, you can hunt for the eleventh edition of The Encyclopaedia Britannica and enlighten yourself. But new editions necessarily take years to produce, whereas websites can be updated on demand. History books, in whatever perhaps unbooklike form they may take in the future, will note this period as a significant turning point in information production, processing, and retrieval. In the meantime, we’re living in the transition; I still read many books, but I read not just research online extensively, too. (And I rarely touch a print magazine or newspaper.) We must be nimble and accept the future with good grace. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Masters Degree or Master's Degree?50 Latin Phrases You Should Know5 Erroneously Constructed â€Å"Not Only . . . But Also† Sentences

Income statements are of crucial importance to users of financial statements The WritePass Journal

Income statements are of crucial importance to users of financial statements INTRODUCTION Income statements are of crucial importance to users of financial statements INTRODUCTIONTHE MAIN PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH REVENUE RECOGNITIONVIEWS TAKEN BY THE TWO BOARDSREASONED CRITIQUE OF THEIR THINKINGCONCLUSION Related INTRODUCTION Income statements are of crucial importance to users of financial statements, particularly investors. It is vital that revenues are properly recognized when preparing income statements to give a fair view of profitability of the associated company/firm. Thus investors are not misled while making decisions and undertaking risks involved with the concerned company. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) joint project tries to remedy such problems, by eliminating inconsistencies and developing coherent conceptual guidance for revenue recognition. Both boards consist of professional accountants that aim to develop high quality/understandable accounting standards and principles to ensure a more accurate and consistent reporting. The IASB deals with the development, promotion and application of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The FASB develops generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in the interest of the public. Moving on, the main concerns of this report are problems involved in revenue recognition, views taken by the two boards and a reasoned thinking of their critique. THE MAIN PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH REVENUE RECOGNITION When it comes to revenue recognition transactions that begin and are completed in the same time period, cause considerably few problems. Real obstacles arise when customers prefer paying later on than when receiving the product or in cases where supplier might provide the promised good over several reporting periods. This earning process approach has led to problems for financial statements’ users and problems with GAAP and IFRSs. Building on the earnings approach, too many standards evolving revenue recognition has been formed by GAAP. The application of some of those standards by entities can produce inconsistencies for economically similar purposes. This can be a result of lacking a clearly identified earning process as well as people’s disagreements on how it applies in certain occasions. For instance think of a service provider that requires customers to pay an upfront fee plus monthly charges. In accordance with the SEC SAB 104, the provider does not account for the service as a separate earnings process and therefore does not recognize revenue for activation fees when the activation services are rendered. The fact that entities apply different earning process approaches to economically similar transactions reduces the comparability of revenue across entities and industries. In addition by applying revenue recognition standards designed by IFRS one can clearly observe that amounts in the financial statements might not correctly correspond to real economic phenomena. The underlying skepticism of this assumption is that revenue recognition of a product/service sale largely depends on when the rewards as well as risks associated with them are transferred from the owner to the client. Considering the IAS 18, circumstances can get even worse when goods and services are interrelated with the good transaction thus the entity views the transaction as a whole. Such circumstances involve recognizing all the revenue on the delivery of the good before the entity has fulfilled all of its obligations for the services like warranty. As a result revenue does not represent the delivery of all goods and services as stated in the contract. Additionally, IFRS lacks guidance on transactions involving delivery of more than one good or service also known as multiple element arrangement. IAS 18 does not clearly state whether an entity should recognize all the revenue for a multiple element arrangement by the time the first element is distributed or until the last element is distributed. IFRS also lacks guidance on how to measure the elements in a multiple element arrangement. According to IFRS another problem is created with revenue recognition because of the application of different approaches by entities when accounting for goods and services. Without any clear division between goods and services some entities undertaking service contracts were recognizing revenue throughout the service process. Some others though contracting for goods tended to recognize revenue by the time that risks and rewards related to the product were transferred to customer. Such gaps in guidance could be eliminated with the existence of clear principles; but principles of IAS 11 and IAS 18 are inconsistent. The first principle implies that revenue should be recognized while the activity of the contract still takes place and the customer does not have the risks and rewards of owning the product. On the contrary IAS 18 principle states that revenue should be recognized when the customer controls and undertakes risks and rewards of the ownership of the product. VIEWS TAKEN BY THE TWO BOARDS According to the board’s last meeting IASB and FASB discussed about 6 major topics involving revenue recognition. The first one involves identification of separate performance obligations. Under this topic the boards have decided that an entity should account for a collection of goods and services as one performance obligation in cases where the entity provides a service combining both goods and services into a single item. Conversely an entity should account for goods and services as different performance obligations when: the good or service is sold apart or when the client can use a good/service individually or with existing resources available to the customer and when the pattern of transferring the good or service is diverse from the pattern of transferring other goods and services in the contract. The second one is about combining contracts. The boards decided that two or more contracts that are placed at closely related times with the same customers can be merged and accounted as one when contracts are offered as a package, when the amount of consideration of a contract depends on the other and when the design, technology and function of goods and services are interconnected. The next topic involves contract modifications. The boards concluded that if a contract is modified in such a way that it results to a separate performance obligation with a price matching the obligation, the entity should regard the contract as a separate one. Otherwise, the performance obligation should be reconsidered and the transaction price of each separate performance obligation should be reallocated. Moving on the next topic engages the breakage and prepayments of future goods and services. The boards decided that where it would be reasonable for the entity to estimate the amount of expected breakage, the effects should be recognized as revenue along with the rights exercised by the customer. Another discussed topic is burdensome performance obligations. The boards decided that in order to find out whether the performance obligations are heavy there should be a test, the onerous test which will be defined by the remaining obligations of the contract. Finally the last topic includes revenue recognition for services. The Boards concluded that in order to recognize the revenue of a service the entity must go through two steps; first it must determine that a performance obligation is assured continuously and secondly it must then choose a method of measuring progress in order to completely satisfy that performance obligation. The Boards have furthered their discussions into issues which arise when an entity uses an input method for the measurement progress to complete satisfaction of a performance obligation. The entity, in some instances will only obtain goods which are transferred at another time from related services. In such cases, the Boards decided that the entity should measure the progress for the transfer of such goods should be equal to the costs of the transferred goods. REASONED CRITIQUE OF THEIR THINKING The technical director of Shumate Mechanical, LLC strongly supports that segmented performance obligation approach will increase costs and result in unclear accounting information. This is due to changes of revenue from period to period, violation of costs and revenue matching principles, lack of clear information making it difficult to understand performance to total product and uninformed transfer of revenue to performance obligations. The application of this model of revenue recognition according to the construction industry will lead to more inconsistencies, unreliable financial information as well as difficulties in their preparation. Furthermore under the agreement where a service provider transfers services to a customer, the proposed standard revenue is recognized by the time services are provided, depending on the provider’s estimation on progress of the performance obligation. Thus revenue cost is recognized as it occurs. David P.Bohn, partner of LARSON, LUDWIG and STROKES LLP, correctly mentions that the proposed standard does not set any requirements that the recognized percentage of total revenue matches the recognized percentage of total cost of revenue, which some service providers would prefer to maintain. Recognizing different percentages of revenue would lead to misrepresentation of gross margin. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu finds the principle of combining two or more contracts really useful. But some concerns still exist according to the guidance around price interdependence which seems confusing. As mentioned in FASB and IASB’s exposure draft an entity should combine two or more contracts if the price of goods and services bought in a contract is dependent on the price of goods and services of another contract. Moving on it also states that in cases where a customer can benefit from discount on goods and services due to existing customer relationship mostly arrived from other purchases, then the price of the contract is not said to be interrelated with the price of another contract. These two paragraphs seem to contradict to each other. Therefore entities with similar types of revenue streams will arise. PricewaterhouseCoopers agree with board’s proposal that an entity should identify performance obligations differently in case that goods and services are distinctive. But they mention that it requires judgment and may be difficult to determine. Incomplete guidance is also given on identifying different performance obligations. Moreover they report that the boards omit distinct profit margin. Finally based on the exposure draft all performance obligations are identified first and separated into distinct performance obligations at a later stage making it difficult to reflect the economics of transactions. CONCLUSION Revenue recognition is a great issue and one can say that it might be unsolved. Because of many inconsistencies associated with it, FASB and IASB together have tried through their joint project to eliminate such inconsistencies. All the users of this standard have now come to criticize some of its principles even though they might be satisfied with the majority of other principles stated. There are still others that continue to believe that a lot of inconsistencies and omissions still exist. Some believe if the existing work done by the boards is furthered developed and modified through the publication of a comprehensive standard on revenue recognition, a clear and robust standard on revenue recognition can be formed.

Gypsies During the Holocaust Timeline

Gypsies During the Holocaust Timeline The Gypsies (Roma and Sinti) are one of the forgotten victims of the Holocaust. The Nazis, in their strive, to rid the world of undesirables, targeted both Jews and Gypsies for extermination. Follow the path of persecution to mass slaughter in this timeline of what happened to the Gypsies during the Third Reich. 1899Alfred Dillmann establishes the Central Office for Fighting the Gypsy Nuisance in Munich. This office collected information and fingerprints of Gypsies. 1922Law in Baden requires Gypsies to carry special identification papers. 1926In Bavaria, the Law for the Combating the Gypsies, Travellers, and Work-Shy sent Gypsies over 16 to workhouses for two years if they could not prove regular employment. July 1933Gypsies sterilized under the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring. September 1935Gypsies included in the Nuremberg Laws (Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor). July 1936400 Gypsies are rounded up in Bavaria and transported to the Dachau concentration camp. 1936The Racial Hygiene and Population Biology Research Unit of the Ministry of Health at Berlin-Dahlem are established, with Dr. Robert Ritter its director. This office interviewed, measured, studied, photographed, fingerprinted, and examined Gypsies in order to document them and create complete genealogical listings for every Gypsy. 1937Special concentration camps are created for Gypsies (Zigeunerlagers). November 1937Gypsies are excluded from the military. December 14, 1937Law Against Crime orders arrests of those who by anti-social behavior even if they have committed no crime have shown that they do not wish to fit into society. Summer 1938In Germany, 1,500 Gypsy men are sent to Dachau and 440 Gypsy women are sent to Ravensbrà ¼ck. December 8, 1938Heinrich Himmler issues a decree on the Fight Against the Gypsy Menace which states that the Gypsy problem will be treated as a matter of race. June 1939In Austria, a decree orders 2,000 to 3,000 Gypsies to be sent to concentration camps. October 17, 1939Reinhard Heydrich issues the Settlement Edict which prohibits Gypsies from leaving their homes or camping places. January 1940Dr. Ritter reports that Gypsies have mixed with asocials and recommends to have them kept in labor camps and to stop their breeding. January 30, 1940A conference organized by Heydrich in Berlin decides to remove 30,000 Gypsies to Poland. Spring 1940Deportations of Gypsies begins from the Reich to the Generalgouvernment. October 1940Deportation of Gypsies temporarily halted. Fall 1941Thousands of Gypsies murdered at Babi Yar. October to November, 19415,000 Austrian Gypsies, including 2,600 children, deported to the Lodz Ghetto. December 1941Einsatzgruppen D shoots 800 Gypsies in Simferopol (Crimea). January 1942The surviving Gypsies within the Lodz Ghetto are deported to the Chelmno death camp and killed. Summer 1942Probably about this time when decision was made to annihilate the Gypsies.1 October 13, 1942Nine Gypsy representatives appointed to make lists of pure Sinti and Lalleri to be saved. Only three of the nine had completed their lists by the time deportations began. The end result was that the lists didnt matter - Gypsies on the lists were also deported. December 3, 1942Martin Bormann writes to Himmler against the special treatment of pure Gypsies. December 16, 1942Himmler gives the order for all German Gypsies to be sent to Auschwitz. January 29, 1943RSHA announces the regulations for the implementation of deporting Gypsies to Auschwitz. February 1943Family camp for Gypsies constructed in Auschwitz II, section BIIe. February 26, 1943The first transport of Gypsies delivered to the Gypsy Camp in Auschwitz. March 29, 1943Himmler orders all Dutch Gypsies to be sent to Auschwitz. Spring 1944All attempts to save pure Gypsies has been forgotten.2 April 1944Those Gypsies that are fit for work are selected in Auschwitz and sent to other camps. August 2-3, 1944Zigeunernacht (Night of the Gypsies): All Gypsies who remained in Auschwitz were gassed. Notes: 1. Donald Kenrick and Grattan Puxon, The Destiny of Europes Gypsies (New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1972) 86.2. Kenrick, Destiny 94.

Expanding an MNC Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Expanding an MNC - Assignment Example Finally this study will focus on future business strategy for ford to expand their business in China. Table of Contents The Ford Motor Company 4 Organizational Culture of Ford Motor 4 Environmental Scanning 5 Political 5 Economical 5 Social 5 Technological 6 Environmental 6 Legal 6 Entry Strategy 6 Political Risk 7 Implementation Strategy 7 References 9 The Ford Motor Company Ford motor company (FMC) is an iconic automobile manufacturer in the world. The company is headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. It was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford, Horace E. Dodge and John F. Dodge. FMC was the most sold automobile brand across the world before World War II. Large scale car manufacturing concept was introduced by Ford motors in the year of 1914. Organizational Culture of Ford Motor Proper understanding of leadership skill and management is required to build a successful organization. Top management of the company believes in creating a sustainable environment for all. Ford has set a targe t to reduce 30 % CO2 emission from car within next eight years. The company tries to operate with a small but efficient workforce. They discontinued more than seven thousand underperforming employees in 2008. This is an example of strong leadership quality in terms of ability to take hard decisions. FMC has always tried to design product in a unique way. They use state of art technology to manufacture automobiles. Organizational culture of Ford can be described in three words- practical, innovative and one that believes in sustainable development (Seligman, n.d.) Environmental Scanning FMC is trying to enter Chinese automobile market. They need to analyze macro environment (considering political, economical, social, technological, legal, environmental condition of a particular country) before planning an entry strategy. Political Communist party is the ruling party in the country. Government has strong control over print media and electronic media. Political condition of the country is stable due to absence of any major opposition party. China has joined world trade organization (WTO) in 2001. The country has become more open in terms foreign investment after Joining WTO. It takes only thirty seven days to start a new business in china. This type of political condition will help FMC to grow their business in the country. Economical Chinese government has direct control over the financial institutes of the country. Government regulates Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy. Chinese government has cut down corporate tax rate last year. Ford has the opportunity to save huge amount of money due to low corporate tax policy of Chinese government (Viswanadham, & Balaji, n.d.). Social Literacy rate in china is more than 90% and most of the educated people are aware of international brands. Many international organizations have entered China in recent years. They have created employment opportunities for Chinese people. Disposable income of a customer has increased du e to rapid industrialization. Technological China is global leader in terms of technological development. Major achievements in the field of science and technology are, building the first atomic reactor, and hydrogen bombs, discovery of the Daqing Oilfield, synthesis of crystalline insulin, electronic collider, nuclear power stations etc. Government is trying to develop automobile industry with the help of foreign companies. This condition also supports the market entry

Tsunami Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tsunami - Research Paper Example When it reaches shore waters, they rise to form masses of moving water known as â€Å"run-up†. This phenomenon is very many feet high and its variation depends on the strength of striking waves (NOAA, 2009). Normal run-up height is about 30 meters high although there are some extra high run-ups such as that witnessed in Alaska in 1958 which went up to 60 meters high. Run-up rush onto the sea shore and strikes the coastal areas with an intensive, destructive force. Huge earthquakes are able to send tsunami waves across oceans. For instance, recent earthquakes in both Japan and Chile send tsunami waves which struck Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, California, and Washington causing enormous losses of life and property. Water masses subjected to tsunami waves can take hours to regain stability hence tsunami effects can experienced repeatedly. Tsunami waves occur in phases called first, second and even the third waves. First waves are always less destructive but the second and third may have catastrophic effect depending on the magnitude of causing forces and the position of origin (NOAA, 2009). Tsunamis have very long waves and crest to crest distance may be anywhere between 10 and 2500 kilometers. It travels through the sea at a speed more than 700 km/h. A series of waves travel and arrive at the sea shore at an interval of few minutes. In most cases, tsunami waves are not noticeable like normal sea waves and tides but it possess large amount of energy than other waves. Due to its influence to entire water column, depth of water determines its force (Nelson, 2012). The long wavelengths make the first sign of tsunami waves at the sea shores to be a drawback. Tsunami is caused by submarine earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruption or meteorites (CA, 2009). These causes have common characteristics because they occur suddenly and violently which make them to displace large amounts of water.

Successful International Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Successful International - Assignment Example By knowing their culture, their mindset can be according to the traditions and culture of the place they are relocated. This allows the individual to adjust better and refine their adjustments to be more accurate. In this case, Fred Bailey seems to be very excited about his shift, thus showing his interest. Cross-culture training is vital to ensure that the individual knows exactly how to react and behave in the given situation which also improves the adjustment to a job (Eschbach, Parker& Stoeberl). This training includes not only the procedures of the job but also how to interact with the nationals of the host country and the environment in general. But the problem during this pre-departure preparation is the individual's concentration on logistical problems which prevents them from paying attention to any form of training. Fred Bailey Previous experience in the international arena is considered as an asset to help in adjusting to a new atmosphere. However, many individuals lack this knowledge. Thus, there ability to the deep culture is greatly reduced. Without any pre-departure training, many individuals face culture shock and find it difficult to adjust to the new environment. The organization should also ensure that their employees are aware of the degree of difference between the organization in their own country and the one they are changing to. If the foreign institute has a different operational method then it will be harder for the expatriate to fit into the organizational structure. For instance, Bailey does not understand the Japanese inability to hold proper communication with the head of the organization. All of them hold are unable to hold a interactive discussion with Bailey which leads to frustration on his side. Also, it is very hard for an employee with a family to move to a new country, especially if the logistics include a family. By providing support to the individual, the organization can remove problems like finding housing and schooling. In this way non-work problems can be easily solved, allowing the expatriate to adjust easily to the general environment. In this case Fred Bailey is prevented from being too happy about the move because of the wife and children that will accompany him. Not only does this curtail the interest in the new job but the children's shift in schools and environment will be an added burden on the parents' minds. Along with this, Fred's wife finds the move to be difficult and eventually ends up wanting to leave instead of adjust. This is especially important when the native and host culture are greatly different. Adjustment for the employee and their partner's interaction with the environment is difficult because of their inability to behave appropriately. The greater the cultural difference between the environments, the easier it is to make cultural mistakes which can lead to immense frustration about the errors (Lowe, Downes & Kroeck). The co-workers in the host organization play a vital role in allowing the new member to fit into the environment. They provide emotional support to the new employee with their acceptance and also teach them how to follow the ropes. In this case, Bailey hardly gets any feedback from his fellow employees. Instead he feels alienated and different from the

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 9

Strategic Management - Essay Example The fundamental question that the author is addressing, how does strategic HRM promote thinking about the public workforce? This is about the role of human resource and the best practice that circumvent effective management of the human resource in the postindustrial society. Such a question helps the authors showcase the myriad changes the resource itself as well as the practices to manage it has undergone along the lucrative packages attached to effective HRM in modern strategic management. The most important information of the article is that strategic significance of the human resource and its origin, particularly the alteration of the goods and services production services. The article compares that pre-industrial and post-industrial periods against the significance attached to people in the final goods and services with respect to tactical and operational importance. In the pre-modern world, the article notes how individual were operationally significance when they served as common labor that culminated in the production of physical products or services. Indeed, the pre-manufacturing and office operations saw people assigned to the certain position based on the industrial-based organizations in which organizational bundles of responsibilities, duties and tasks determined how human resources were utilized. However, in the post-industrial era people are tactical and undergoes massive training, varied and not easily interchangeable with a more complex organizational f rameworks when contrasted to the early industrial system. Thus, the deployment of human resource is currently determined by supervisory styles., morale and human connections, human learning as well as organization design. Moreover, there is a myriad change in the post-industrial system with respect to the relationships between productivity and people. This validates the significance of HRM as productivity surpasses a mere definition of

Kelloggs Special K Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Kelloggs Special K - Essay Example The company was established at the Battle Creek Toast Corn Flake Company in 1906. It was founded by Will Keith Kellogg to illustrate the increase in his wealth from his work with the brother John Harvey Kellogg at the Battle Creek Sanitarium. The wealth had been created out of sale of Kellogg's Toasted Corn flakes on a huge scale. This led to the renaming of the company into Kellogg Company in 1922 (Kellogg Company, 2011). The strength of the company lies in its world-class innovation abilities. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS The internal analysis of Kellogg Company is that it focuses on business. Its senior management is aimed at becoming the leader in food retailing industry worldwide. To achieve this, they are empowering their employees and building their brand supported by the integrated focus strategy and operating principles. The foundation of its business lies in its values, its people and its societal commitments. Its core competencies are the skills among the employees that provide th e advantage to the company consisting of the resources available. Kellogg's has far reaching; well defined and clear competences to enable them beat a world’s best. The competences are; it is strategic, functional, and has a corporate ability. It has a flexible structure of organization that fits in the demands and needs of the locals. Kellogg has been developing its image through creating a customer values, customer service efficiency and proper channels of distribution. The Marketing Mix â€Å"Marketing Mix is a well established framework that helps marketers to plan their approach to each market† (Smith. & Chaffey, 2005). Marketing mix of Kellogg’s which is mainly concerned with cereal products, being the major producer of cereal in the world. Consumer wants are fulfilled through the products sold. The current world has consumers that are much more concerned with their health; they tend to buy food products that are healthier especially for their children. Ke llogg’s K special has a range of products that meet the customer demands that are currently higher than expected. They have products that are low in fat, have no preservatives and they have no artificial flavors. There packaging is attractive to children because their mail target is children. Kellogg's supplier power lies under its customers. It poses mainly medium power when purchasing from suppliers. Wheat varies in price because of its extensive force and the cost is passed onto customers of Kellogg’s. Michael Porter’s Five Forces theory states that an industry is influenced by five forces, which are Barriers to Entry, Supplier Power, Buyer Power, Degree of Rivalry and Threat of Substitutes (Kurtz et al., 2009). Kelloggs is not an exception at all and the effect of the forces is evident in its financial as well as managerial reports. Kellogg's product lines are cereals, crackers, cookies, snacks, frozen foods and water. The benefits that a consumer gets are h ealthy products that are standard in nature. The products are manufactured in over 17 countries and are marketed in more than 190 countries according to their annual reports for 2009. The highest consumers are the North America with a 67% margin followed by Europe at 20% then Latin America and Asia Pacific at 8% and 5% respectively. Buyers of Kellogg's products are mostly supermarkets and

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 9

Strategic Management - Essay Example The fundamental question that the author is addressing, how does strategic HRM promote thinking about the public workforce? This is about the role of human resource and the best practice that circumvent effective management of the human resource in the postindustrial society. Such a question helps the authors showcase the myriad changes the resource itself as well as the practices to manage it has undergone along the lucrative packages attached to effective HRM in modern strategic management. The most important information of the article is that strategic significance of the human resource and its origin, particularly the alteration of the goods and services production services. The article compares that pre-industrial and post-industrial periods against the significance attached to people in the final goods and services with respect to tactical and operational importance. In the pre-modern world, the article notes how individual were operationally significance when they served as common labor that culminated in the production of physical products or services. Indeed, the pre-manufacturing and office operations saw people assigned to the certain position based on the industrial-based organizations in which organizational bundles of responsibilities, duties and tasks determined how human resources were utilized. However, in the post-industrial era people are tactical and undergoes massive training, varied and not easily interchangeable with a more complex organizational f rameworks when contrasted to the early industrial system. Thus, the deployment of human resource is currently determined by supervisory styles., morale and human connections, human learning as well as organization design. Moreover, there is a myriad change in the post-industrial system with respect to the relationships between productivity and people. This validates the significance of HRM as productivity surpasses a mere definition of

Contemporary Scenario of Service Industry Essay

Contemporary Scenario of Service Industry - Essay Example In this paper, the researcher has discussed on various strategies and models adopted by service industries to attain competitive advantage and identifying the key success factors of the behind accomplishing their corporate image. The service sector is the portion of the economy that generally produces intangible goods. Throughout the world, service sector faces a high level of competition as there are many buyers and seller in the market. Producing service trend generally requires less natural capital and more human capital. One of the major benefits of growing service sector is less pressure on the local and global environment (Reed and DeFillippi, 1990). Presently developing countries give more emphasis on service sector in comparison to the other sectors. In the modern world, the growth of service sector is particularly important as it allows employing educated labor force and thus, reducing unemployment and economic crisis. In the service sector, service quality is one of the basic tools to gain competitive advantage. As defined by West and DeCastro (2001), there is no proper definition of the service quality due to the existence of discrepancies among the people. Measuring service quality is the most recurrent topic in management literature. However, (Youndt et al. 1996) described that perceived service quality by the people is the best way to measure attributes of the service over which the company has control. Youndt et al. (1996) developed a conceptual framework of service quality where they identified five major gaps that could impact customer’s evaluation of service qualities in various industries in service sectors, for instance, banking, tourists, event,  and hospitality. These gaps were: Service firms may not always understand what service or features they must have in their product to meet needs of the customers, or what level of features needed to be added in order to deliver high-quality service. This gap arises when firms positively identify wants of the customers, but the means to deliver service according to their expectation does not exist (Godard, 2001).

Labeling Theory Of Deviance Essay Example for Free

Labeling Theory Of Deviance Essay Various theories have been put forward to explain the causes of crime and delinquency in society. The Labelling theory of crime argues that the tendency to perceive and treat people as offenders precipitates their engagement in crime. It is based on the hypothesis that people will assume the labels that they have been given to them by the society. Labelling in this case works to reinforce deviant behaviour as well as solidifying the deviant identities in the society. In other words labelling people as criminals plays a significant role in increasing or rather causing crime in the society. (Burke R,2005). As Tannenbaum, an early sociologist supporting the labelling theory of crime argued that the process of tagging, defining, identifying, segregating, describing and emphasizing that certain individuals as deserving special treatment is a way of stimulating, suggesting, suggesting and evoking the traits being complained of makes people become what they are described as being. Symbolic interactionalism is based on the agency analysis of deviance and social control. In this case deviance is viewed as a label which is imposed on the subjects who after rejecting or accepting the labels construct deviant identities as well as careers. To change such a situation the need for radical transformation is more of a necessity than a requirement. Labelling theory of crime can be blamed for the increased instances of crime as the criminal justice system tries to curb it. People who are arrested, prosecuted and punished are labelled as ‘criminals’ and the society deems them as such. A large proportion of the society also joins hands in labelling them as such and this increases their tendency to indulge in criminal behaviours. When people are labelled as criminals it is difficult for them to effectively adjust into the society and for instance they may fail to obtain legitimate employment, a factor that increases their likelihood to indulge in crime. (Burke R,2005). They may also face isolation from the mainstream society and this could trigger psychological problems which are highly correlated to criminality. When the labelled criminals internalize the self concept that they are criminals they tend to increase criminality behaviours as after all they are perceived as criminals and should behave as such. (Coser L, 2006). Offenders ought to be treated as sick characters to make it easier for the criminal justice system to offer best treatment for ease reintegration into the society. This way the stigmatization would be dealt with amicably. Labelling could occur from the society as a whole or the system, family, among peers as well as in schools from teachers. Labelling in crime tends to be more frequent or intense among the minority groups whose voice is almost insignificant in society. How a society reacts after it has labelled criminals is what determines if a crime is to dwindle or intensify. Societies that labels criminals and for a long term reject them in the society increases their likelihood to commit crime while the society that tries to assist the labelled criminals to effectively integrate into the society reduces the rates of crime that could have been attributed by labelling. Erving Goffman is among the sociologists whose ideologies could be useful in explaining the labeling theory of crime. He is popular for the notion of total institutions. He defined ‘total institutions’ as places of residence and work where a large number of like-situated individuals are cut off from the wider society for an appreciable period of time. Together these people lead an enclosed formally administered round of life. Goffman further highlighted the discrepancies between those who reside in the total institutions and those in the larger general population. In the larger population man works, plays and sleeps in varying places, with varying people, different authorities and in the absence of an overall rational plan. (Hawkins J and Kirkland F, 2001). This is contrary with the scenario in the total institutions where there are barriers between those three aspects. Life in the total institutions is clear or definite and this creates the notion that they exist for a good reason among the general population. There is no freedom in the total institutions as is experienced in the ‘home world’ or the general population. To Goffman the inmates being sent to prisons or total institutions already know the culture they are to expect though the reality is actually felt or experienced after admission. (Hawkins J and Kirkland F, 2001). Goffman identified three major phases in the life of an inmate. The first one is before they get into the total institutions that is when they are still in the ‘home world’, when they in the institutions and when they re enter the home world after release from the total institutions. He focused on the similarities that exist in the varying institutions. He argues that all aspects of life are conducted in the same place and under the same or a single authority. This means that all prisons will have similar experiences. All these aspects were carried on in the immediate company of a large batch of others all of whom were treated alike and needed to do the same things together. Another observation made was that all phases of a day’s activities were to be tightly scheduled and one activity led at a pre-arranged time to the next. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987)Notably, the whole sequence of activities was imposed from a higher system of explicit formal rulings and a body of officials a clear indication of alienation and dominance within the total institutions. The various enforced activities are brought together into a single rational plan which is designed to fulfill the official aims of the institution. The roles that are performed by the inmates in the total institutions serve interests or are for the aims of the institution rather than the individual. Goffman identified four major dimensions of institutional life ranging from the rigidity of the routine, block treatment of inmates, depersonalization of inmates and social distance between the staff and the inmates which Goffman termed as binary management. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987) Before one gets into prison they are from the ‘home world’ where they already have an established conception of themselves. Entrance into the ‘total institutions’ strips them off the benefits attached to the’ home world’. Here, they are subjected to a series of abasement, degradation and humiliation. The consequence of this is that their self becomes horrified. When in the institution an individual develops a moral career which is determined or influenced by his surrounding. The role of the significant other becomes critical at this point. Goffman observed further that in the total institutions the process by which individuals were mortified was rather standard across all of them. This is a clear indication that life in these institutions is quite different from that which is experienced in the larger world and that it is a difficult task to have inmates maintain the same traits they had before they got there. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987). Again, since the conditions were similar across the total institutions they were likely to exhibit similar traits. The first restriction of the self for the inmates takes place when the total institutions act as a barrier between the inmate and the general population. In the civilian life one’s sequential roles are not in conflict with one another and so no roles hinders or rather blocks the performance of the others regardless of how frequent they were. Life in the institutions is in such a manner that role scheduling is disrupted as the inmates do not dictate what to do and when to do it. In other words they are denied the freedom to decide what role to perform and at what time. Instead there are round the clock surveillance where orders given are to be followed to the letter. In addition to the role scheduling being disrupted in the institution, role dispossession also takes place, Visitors are restricted and one is also restricted from frequenting places they initially did. Depending on whether the entrance into the total institution was voluntary or involuntary entry to such institutions somehow prepares the individual to withdraw from ‘home world’ or from the general population. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987). This preparation makes the adaptation in the new environment easier. Involuntary entry into the total institutions is however different as one may not be prepared for the new kind of life. Inmates may find themselves perform some roles that they learnt in the institutions on return to the general world. All the same there are certain houses that will have to be incurred or faced for instance the time for education or parenting. There is also the loss of legal privileges for instance one may not be in a position to attend to court proceedings on matters that affect them directly for instance adoption of a child. These privileges may be short term they maybe enjoyed on the completion of the term. However there are others with long term ramifications. The realization that one has not lost certain rights due to the barrier between him and the outside world may not auger well with him. There are other challenges that the inmate faces on return to the society. For instance there are the admission requirements where certain standards have to be followed or adhered to. On entrance to the total institutions various losses are incurred as for instance one may lose their hair, their identity as they are assigned numbers, they undress and change their clothes and are given institutional uniforms, they list their possessions, have to adhere to the rules and they are also assigned to certain quarters where they are to reside. According to Goffmann’s findings the society is to blame for deviance within it as it subjects people it terms as wrong doers into harsh conditions and expects them to reform. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987). In the book the ‘Myth of mental illness’ Thomas Szasz argued that mental illness was a myth. To him, the whole idea or notion of psychiatric illness could be termed as ‘scientifically worthless and socially harmful’. (Shorter E, 1997). There are similarities between goffman and szasz ideologies. Goffman backed Szasz when he made the conclusion that the mental health institution he studied could be defined as a ‘total institution’ where ‘the closed system infantilized the patients and restricted their lives’. Goffman noted that the clear difference between the staff and the patients and on entrance to the institutions the patients faced humiliation, degradation, abasement and profanations of the self’. Goffman rejected the idea of prisons and mental health institutions which according to him robbed off the inmates their time. The ‘sentence’ denied them living. The aspect of alienation is clear when the use of power is used by the staff members against the ‘patients’. He condemned the pretence by the staff members that they were out to assist the patients and dismissed it as a mere ’power grab’. (Shorter E, 1997). Szasz argued that although psychological disorders are real, defining them as diseases was a way of imposing coercion in the society. He argued that defining such disorders as illness when they had no correlation with physical sickness was untrue. The only relationship existing between mental disorders and physical illness was the fact that they both made the individual unable to handle their daily activities or duties. (www. mdx. ac. uk). The psychological disorders according to Szasz were brought about by man. He further noted that compulsory psychiatry is a crime against humanity and it undermines freedom in the society. He quoted Mill to justify his observation that ‘the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community against his will is to prevent harm to others. His own good either physical or moral is not sufficiently warranty’. However unlike Mill, Szasz offered or rather provided no exception where power could be used forcefully. He advocated for freedom where all individuals are given the chance to choose what they find best for them. Although the compulsory psychiatry may not be harmful to the patients Szasz argues that it is not compatible with a free society. (www. mdx. ac. uk). He further advocates for the application of universal law which is not discriminative to anyone in the society. The same law applied to those termed as insane ought to be the same applied on those viewed as insane. Treating people otherwise is unfair as it implies that there is no equality and they are treated as special beings. Any form of special treatment on the allegations that one is mentally sick is unfortunate as it treats them as less human beings. (www. mdx. ac. uk). References: Anthony Clare and Peter Sedgwick. Mental Health and Civil Liberties. A theoretical contrast of Thomas Szasz. Retrieved on 5th march 2009 from http://www. mdx. ac. uk/WWW/STUDY/mhhlib. htm#SzaszMyth Dianne M. Willcocks, Sheila M. Peace, Leonie A. Kellaher. 1987. Private Lives in Public Places: A Research-based Critique of Residential Life in Local Authority Old \ Peoples Homes. Taylor Francis Publishers. Edward Shorter 1997. A History of Psychiatry: From the Era of the Asylum to the Age of Prozac. John Wiley and Sons Publishers John Palmer Hawkins and Faris Kirkland. 2001. Army of hope, army of alienation: culture and contradiction in the American Army communities of Cold War Germany. Greenwood Publishing Group Tim Jordan, Steve Pile, 2002. Open University Social Change. Blackwell Publishing, Lewis Coser. 2006. Crime Theories and the Field of Criminology. Retrieved on 4th march 2009 from http://www. apsu. edu/oconnort/1010/1010lect02. htm.

Child Observation Essay

Child Observation Essay Observation of young children allows for a naturalistic insight into child development, which more experimental methods fail to provide. The method of observation also means social workers can develop skills that would usually be difficult to learn, such as observing without taking notes a practice that is applicable in a professional social work role. Trowell and Miles (1996) emphasise the importance of observation as one of the foundational skills developed in social work, relating to the social workers role in making judgements, decisions and juggling the issues of race, gender and sexuality whilst making important decisions regarding peoples welfare. The observation took place across 5 weeks involving 5 different observation sessions, allowing the child to be observed across a variety of different times during the day. The observation study was based upon the Tavistock method emphasising not taking notes, becoming completely absorbed into the observation and placing importance on the observer recognising their own reactions and responses to what behaviours and dynamics may be displayed. The Tavistock model encourages observers to see what there is to be seen and not look for what they think should be there (p. 2, Reid 1999). This encourages the observers use of non-judgemental perception and not creating inferences about situations based on instinct without evidence. Whilst the Tavistock model traditionally uses weekly observation across the first year of a babys birth this observation was across 5 weeks. It would be hugely beneficial from a child development perspective to observe a newborn infant for a year, however I can imagine the process to be very emotional. I found it difficult to complete my goodbyes to the child I was observing, as I had become a relatively constant fixture in the childs life. Also from the process of observation I felt as if I had begun to know the child, as I had watched her intently and picked up upon habits, favourite activities and began to recognise and understand her personality traits. The age of the child being observed was also very different from the Tavistock model, however I feel that observing a child at the age of between 3 and 5 was incredibly useful. Observation of newborn infants can inform social workers of attachment development and the very first milestones. However an older child can start to infor m social workers of the way children interact with other adults, develop speech and how children themselves relate to others and the wider ecological system (Bronfenbrenner 1990) which can help inform practice, especially direct work with children. The use of the Tavistock model also helped me understand the usefulness of not taking notes, and I think it is a skill I have developed and already put into practice when working with children. Due to learning how to perceive what is going on around me and what is occurring for the child I have been able to transfer this to listening to children talk about their home life (specifically in wishes and feelings work) whilst being able to observe the childs body language. I have made it a point to not take notes when talking to a child, so that they feel I am fully focused on their story. The observation took place in an early years class, in a Roman Catholic School in a deprived area of Suffolk. The schools mission statement is to educate young people to meet the challenge of life courageously, to use their abilities to the full and to live the values of Christs gospel and there is an emphasis on a Catholic education, including religious iconography in all classrooms, regular prayers and a prayer garden in the school grounds. Children are also encouraged to take their first holy communion and attend mass regularly. The school itself is recognised as good by Ofsted, and whilst its main student population is from the nearby area and would describe themselves as White British, there are a small, but growing, population of ethnic minorities. This includes Philippines, Korean and Polish and due to the high incident of non-English speaking parents the schools website offers a translate service. The Ofsted report also discusses that the school has a higher than average numb er of pupils with special educational needs. The area is predominately working class, with an increasing problem with unemployment and poverty. Whilst it is well evidenced that children growing up in deprived areas are more at risk of health problems (McLeod and Shanahan 1993) and at greater risk of varying types of abuse (Aber, Bennet, Conley and Li 1997) the child for this study is developing within the considered normal boundaries, is not known to social services, and is white British. I fortunately already had links to the school due to previously completing work experience- I was therefore already known by members of staff, and had already gained their trust that I would behave in a professional manner. I approached the school and the school agreed to the observation study. I was then invited to come in and speak to a potential parent as she brought her child in to school. The teacher had chosen this child as she had no developmental concerns, describing her as average, the child, siblings and other family members were also not known to social services and come from a stable family. I approached the mother as she entered school and explained the project to her, she was interested and expressed no worries or issues with her child being the subject of the child observation. I was very surprised at the ease of permission, as there is a negative stereotype regarding social workers (Gibleman 2004), however when I spoke to the parent of the child she said that she unde rstood that everyone needs to learn. This made me feel positive regarding the observation as I wasnt immediately challenged or questioned and the parent did not ask for any feedback on the child development which I was initially concerned may be asked of me. I completed the observations on a Tuesday at a variety of times. Due to starting at the end of September I started my observation at 9am as C (as the observation subject shall henceforth be known) had only just begun school and was not yet attending full time. As time progressed I was able to complete observations during the afternoons. I chose the observation to focus on as C participated in a range of activities that appeared to demonstrate numerous facets of child development, including imaginary play, shared play, scaffolding (Vygotsky 1978) and cognitive development (Piaget 1964). I chose not to use the first observation I completed, as C cried for the most part of the observation and was very unresponsive to any task the class teacher had set and refused to participate in any activities, instead she remained on the lap of a teaching assistant. Whilst this in itself obviously indicated a great deal regarding development of attachment this essay would then primarily be focused of attachment rather than the other aspects of child development. The observation I have focused on was the second observation I completed, and is therefore still relevantly soon after C had started school, I could therefore begin to make inferences related to Cs first relationships with her peers and could observe how these developed across the following observations. Analysis of Observation: This observation was the second observation in the series of five. I chose it as I felt the child demonstrated a range of facets of development, including participating in shared play, imaginative play and I began to understand more about the childs individual personality. Language development: Language and communication development begins very early, with very young infants using eye contact and changes in the infants behavioural state in order to communicate their needs to adults. These responses begin to become more complex and reciprocal between adult and caregiver and the child begins to learn sounds ultimately developing language, an important tool in communicating to adults (Sheridan, Sharma and Cockerill 2008). The observation and school day began with the children asked to practice phonic sounds; in this observation the letter O. C (the child) used gestures as well as sounds to practice the letter, encouraging C to recognise the sound and value of the letters, however by 4 years and 3 months Cs language development was such that she could already construct sentences, engage with other children and instigate games and jokes (Pecceci 2006) This is evidenced with C asking another child to play the row your boat game. C is demonstrating her grasp of complex sentence structure using relative clauses (Clark 2003). Similar evidence of developed language acquisition is Cs ability to ask grammatically correct questions, for example when she asked for milk C demonstrated that she had developed an understanding of auxiliary verbs. Social and emotional development: Play is a central part of a childs social development including solitary play (mastery play, generative play), constructive play, locomotor and sociodramatic play. C participated in a range of play indicative of gender stereotypes for example playing brides with a friend, pretending to be a kitten again with a friend, all examples of imaginative and co-operative play. Piaget (1965) discusses the importance of peer interactions to the childs moral feelings, values and beliefs. In the above examples C is engaging in play where the two children involved are expressing their interests and desires (i.e. interest in animals and the desire to have a pet kitten) when the same interests do not exist, an disequillibrium occurs (DeVries 1997) and dependent on the value of the relationship, the child may try and re-establish equilibrium, which is why Piaget suggests peer friendships, and ultimately peer play is essential to a childs operational and co-operational development. C participated in a game with three boys, which involved building a structure. C had to work with her peers, this game was more structured and therefore more implicit rules which is how Piaget (1965) explains the development of childhood moral values. Alternatively Vygotsky (1978) believed that the life long process of development is dependent on social interactions and this leads to cognitive development, which is also known as the zone of proximal development. C worked with three other students to work together to build using the wooden planks, C resolved the problem of where to put the planks to build the most sound structure independently problem solving. There is also an emphasis on play leading to the development of an imagination. This can be evidenced in C becoming a kitten, and behaving as a kitten would- licking her hands as paws etc. Vygotsky (1966) argues that all play involves the creation of an imaginary situation, liberating the child from realistic situational constraints, ultimately Vygotsky implies that childhood play and the transition to adult imagination are both rule bound, and this first develops through imaginative play as observed in C. Emotional development, self-regulation and containment largely derive from the quality of the childs early attachments (Bowlby 1969). Cs mother bought C into the classroom and C appeared reluctant to leave her mother, but she was comforted by the teacher and waved goodbye and did not appear to be distressed. This observation was completed at an early stage of the child attending school full time, therefore a certain amount of separation anxiety could be expected. However C was easily comforted by the teacher suggesting C had developed a secure attachment to her mother but was able to leave her without being anxious. This has important implications for Cs future adjustment at school. Granot and Mayseless (2001) suggest that those children with secure attachments adjust to school better than those with disorganised, avoidant or ambivalent attachment styles. Intellectual and cognitive development: Piaget (1957) theory of child cognitive development states that the child constructs and understands the world around them by experiencing discrepancies from what they already know and what they begin to discover. There are four stages of development, which Piaget discusses sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational and formal operational. Due to Cs age (4 years 3 months) Piaget (1957) would describe C as being in the pre-operational stage mentally representing objects and engaging in symbolic play (seen throughout the observation). The pre-operational stage also links to Piaget and Inhelders (1948) stages of drawing. C demonstrated that she was in the later stages of the synthetic incapacity stage of drawing C had drawn a circular, closed figure with limbs but these were not in proportion, C has also not grasped a sense of perspective and the human figure did not fit the background feature in Cs case a bathtub. The synthetic incapacity stage of drawing runs parallel to the pre-operational stage hence why the picture was also in 2D, as C could only draw from her perspective replicating a bathtub from her internal mental representation. However Vygotsky (1966) theory of cognitive development varied from Piagets (1957) and he placed a greater importance on the cultural and social environment of the child being a vital part of the construction of knowledge. Learning through interactions with their peers, and the expectations, beliefs and traditions of their own cultures. Vygotksy (1966) also placed an importance of peer collaboration, as well as adult assistance in promoting the zone of proximal development, also known as the scaffolding process (Wood, Bruner, and Ross 1976). Scaffolding is very much used a teaching strategy and can be seen with C and her classmates. The teacher demonstrated the letter O and asked the children to copy both sound and movement, providing encouragement and reward when the task was done well. In this situation the teacher also split the task of recognising O down first explaining to the children, then asking the children to sound the letter out, before drawing on the whiteboard and asking the children to copy the writing action. C was then asked to draw the letter on a piece of paper, using the technique previously used by the teacher. C did this task well, suggesting the success of the scaffolding technique. In this observation C also began to demonstrate the beginnings of the development of theory of mind. Perner, Lang and Kloo (1999) suggest an intellectual and developmental shift in a child of around 4 years of age, including the acquisition of theory of mind and self-control. In this observation C and another child hid from a boy, they hid behind the shed, and therefore developed the understanding that if they hide from another that he will not know where they are. However Perner Lang, and Kloo (1999) also suggest a link between acquisition of theory of mind and self-control, but in the hide-and-seek game the two girls called the childs name and giggled, suggesting their executive control has not yet fully developed Moral and spiritual development: As previously described the school is a Roman Catholic school, and there is religious iconography in the classroom, including a picture of Mary and Jesus on the wall. The children are expected to pray three times a day as well as attend mass, collective worship and religious assemblies. There is also a greater emphasis on religious education starting from the early years class. Whilst the childs family are not religious, it is important to consider the impact that such a religious education may have on the childs concept of self and their moral, religious and spiritual development. Eriksson (1964) drew attention to the importance of religion and spirituality, emphasising that if successfully resolved at an early stage it can bring about the virtue of hope, transferring over time to mature faith and the ability to believe without evidence that the universe is trustworthy (Roehlkepartain, Benson, King and Wagener 2006). Eriksson (1964) also asserted that religion could provide a transcendent worldview, moral beliefs and behavioural norms. Cs religious development can be witnessed through her joining in the prayer at the end of the lesson time. C knew the words to the prayer and actively demonstrated the actions that accompanied the prayer. Whilst I only witnessed 5 sessions, if following the true Tavistock method, there may be more evidence of how C develops religiously, and whether attending a religious school affects her later outcomes in life as it has previously been suggested that religious schools have better discipline, school harmony and less racial discrimination (Jeynes 2002). Cs moral development was also demonstrated several times during this observation. On several occasions C helped out adults, as well as listening to the teacher and following instructions when asked. C did not demonstrate any behaviour that may have been construed as mean or selfish. The fact that C tidied up when asked would suggest that C has reached the pre-conventional level of moral development (Kohlberg 1971). C is responsive to the rules of the classroom and aware of the consequence of not following instructions. It could also be argued that Cs willingness to help at milk time could be seen as evidence of Kohlbergs stage 3 (1971), with C beginning to participate in good behaviour, to please and be approved by others. However Kohlbergs (1971) theory is considered to be gender biased with females typically scoring lower than males, Gilligan (1982) argues that females and males have differences in moral development. Without doing further observations it is not clear how C may cont inue to develop morally and how she would react to Kohlbergs moral questions. Concept of self: School is an incredibly important arena for a child developing its own concept of self, for it is the first time the child begins to identify itself in relation to a number of characteristics such as gender roles and racial identity. C is beginning to develop an internal model comprising of personality, self-esteem, stability and self-efficacy (Markus and Kitayama 1991). C is marking the beginning of her concept of self, by already demonstrating preferences for the type of play, peer relationships and her interests. She showed an interest in artistic activities such as painting and drawing (also seen in future observations) and mainly playing games with girls, however she did also participate in a game of construction with boys. However many children in early childhood cannot express their concept of self instead seeing the mind, self and free will as physical body parts (Damon and Hart 1982). This lies with children believing that animals, plants and some inanimate objects also possess a mind, whilst this did not occur in this observation; C clearly demonstrated this belief in a future observation believing a soft toy had feelings and thoughts of its own. How the child experiences their world: I felt that during the observation that C had a positive experience. Whilst she was initially reluctant to leave her mother, as soon as the teacher had led her into the classroom C appeared to forget about her separation anxiety and immediately became involved with the class. C appeared to do well at the educational task, and when she was given free time to choose a task she participated in several activities including playing with other children but also drawing on her own. She was very giggly appeared happy during the observation running around and playing. However as Piaget and Vonà ¨che (1929) reveal the difficulties in using the observation method to understand how the child experiences the setting and the culture within the school, as C does not spontaneously communicate her thoughts and feelings about her experience, and rather it is the observer who makes these judgements. Analysis of the observation as a series: Language development: C was the age of 4 years and 3 months when completing the observation, she has therefore begun to manage the concept of language and was beginning to experiment with more complex sentence structure and asking more complex questions. As would be expected of a child between the ages of 4-5 C was also developing her receptive skills and demonstrated an understanding of spatial concepts (McLaughlin 2006). For example the teacher asked C to retrieve the box of beads, which was behind the curtain and next to the green box of letter shapes and C was able to do this. She demonstrated that she could follow step-by-step complex instructions as well as the spatial concepts of behind and next to. However whilst C is developing what would be considered normally she also still has difficulty in pronouncing slightly longer words. For example C was playing a pretend game of hospitals with one child being ill and C playing the nurse, however C had difficulties in pronouncing the word hospital and instead pronounced it hopital. Children between the age of 4 and 5 are still developing their linguistic skills and word distortions do occur, and it is expected that in time C with encouragement from parents and teachers will be able to progress (Owens 2005). Cs continued behaviour continued to be much along the same level as the first observation and I was not surprised at her occasional mistakes, as she is not yet linguistically competent and neither would she be expected to be at the age of 4. Social and emotional development: As already discussed, the quality and nature of Cs early social interactions with her primary caregivers gives a template for future social relationships and is also integral to their general social and emotional development (Fabes, Gaertner and Popp 2006). During this observation and the other observations C appeared to have a very good temperament, disregarding the first observation C remained friendly and happy to be interacting with other children. During the 4th observation C was observed to share her own personal toy she had bought in for show and tell because another child had forgotten theirs, thus suggesting C is becoming socially competent and the beginnings of empathy. Sanson and Hemphill (2004) suggest that temperament has the potential to influence several behaviours including how children interact with peers and adults. This in turn suggests that C is able to self-regulate her own emotions. As Eisenberg Cumberland, Spinrad, Fabes, Shepard, Reiser (2001) suggests, those children who are able to self-regulate are more likely to seek out peer relationships and therefore are recognised as more socially competent. This was evidenced in Cs relationships with the other children in the class. C was observed to share her toys without pressure from adults, and she demonstrated an emergence of the understanding of others wishes and beliefs. Fabes, Gaertner and Popp (2006) also suggest that the development of social competence in school age children can be evidenced through the reciprocal relationships between peers, with positive interactions and the maintenance of social contact. Again during the observations I did not observe a negative interaction between C and another child. However I was only in the classroom for an hour a week, it is very likely that C had not completely developed socially, and is likely to have had negative experiences with some of her classmates. There may also have been the added effect of investigator bias, with the children realising that I was observing and therefore modifying their behaviour. Intellectual and cognitive development: Three of my observations were completed first session of the morning and included the routine of the register and phonics and learning to link the letters with the sounds of the letter and introducing an action to help the children represent this therefore using all aspects of learning (visual, auditory and kinetic). During one of my observations I arrived after lunchtime and before the children were again allowed to choose an activity. The class teacher had planned a numeracy session, with the children sitting on the carpet. The teacher would use an abacus and ask the children to count the beads along with her. I observed C and she participated in the task, and was able to count the beads. The teacher then moved three beads across and asked C how many beads were left to which she was able to respond 7. This is concurrent with Piagets (1980) pre-operational stage described previously. This is also suggested by Gelman and Gellistel (1978) who identified two types of numerical knowledge. The first being numerical reasoning and the second being numerical abstraction. Numerical abstraction ability is the process by which the child can abstract and represent numerical value. I observed C doing this when she was asked to move two beads on the abacus and work out how many were left, again an activity she was able to complete, indicating the development of counting principles and basic numerical abilities. As C was in the very early stages of her school life, there is very much an emphasis on play rather than academic activities, as this begins to be introduced later in the school year, therefore much of the evidence of Cs intellectual and cognitive development arose from the occasional structures activities and her interactions with peers and adults. Moral and spiritual development: Piaget (1965) suggested that moral development was a gradual process, running parallel to the stages of intelligence with each stage characterized by a different process (i.e. the pre-operational stage already discussed). He suggested that children go through a heteronomous stage guided by societies rules and boundaries which can be seen as very much enforced by school. As the child matures this becomes more autonomous as these rules and values become an ingrained part of the child. C is learning the rules of the classroom, and these eventually become fairly implicit (though occasionally children need reminding of the basics). Often I observed the class teacher telling the children to sit still, be quiet and to raise their hand when answering a question. Considering the age of C she did not break rules frequently. Occasionally I observed the teacher warn C if she was giggling and talking to a child sat next to her (not unusual behaviour for a 4-5 year old child) and C would stop the behaviour. There were children in the class who did not respond to verbal warnings and they were either asked to sit on their own in a corner, or as a more severe punishment sent to another class. C was therefore able to see the consequences of other childrens behaviour and realise that this could be applied to herself if she did not follow the rules. Bandura and McDonald (1963) also evidenced the influence of social reinforcement upon a childs moral development. They found childrens moral judgements could be altered using reinforcements and social modelling, much the same as teachers use during lesson time. Concept of self: C continued to display a marked preference for playing with children of the same sex. Whilst she would occasionally join in with boy games such as playing with cars and construction games she demonstrated an overall preference for playing dress-up (she participated in a dress up game in two other observations, including dressing up in an apron and playing out a cooking scene) and taking an interest in animals- expressed through enactment, picking a story about a tiger and through drawing (I observed C drawing a picture of herself walking 3 dogs.) As I found out when observing C, with the exception of her dad, she comes from a predominately female family. She has two older sisters who have also previously been at the school who are twins. Due to the predominately female environment that C has grown up in, it may be her preferences for gendered stereotyped activities may be learned behaviour, with children often learning perceived sex roles from parents and older siblings (Fauls and Smith 1956). Again it is difficult to discuss Cs concept of self, as it is largely based upon my observations. Whilst these observations were largely free of judgements it was difficult for me not to say how C appears to be developing in her concept of self. She appears happy and content during her time at school (excluding the first observation) as she could be quiet she had begun to establish good relationships with other children and appeared to be developing healthy self-esteem and positive self-concept. I felt this was due to her close and supportive relationship with her mother and class teacher both of whom appeared to take an interest in her work, encouraging C when she had done something well. How the child experiences their world: Only during the first observation did I feel that perhaps C might not be enjoying her school experience. During the first observation, conducted in very early September starting at 09:00 C was what could only be described as very distressed when her mum dropped her off in the morning. She clung to her mums skirt and was crying refusing to let go. The teacher took her had and led her in to the classroom and then arranged for her to be sat with a teaching assistant, who had the child on her lap. When C was encouraged to sit with her classmates she refused and began to cry again. This suggested that C was displaying separation anxiety (Bowlby 1973). However as Bowlby (1973) discusses this reaction will largely be due to a new and strange setting, considering it was one of Cs first days at school C was finding herself surrounded my new people without the knowledge that her primary caregiver was there so she could explore whilst having a secure base to which to return. However as I progressed through the observation series C began to settle into her surroundings and the new routine of school life. I observed two more sessions at the beginning of the day and C gradually became less distressed, though she still said goodbye and gave her mother a cuddle, suggesting a continuation of the secure attachment. Process of observing: Experience of being an observer: I initially felt very nervous of the whole project, though I felt this was largely down to the difficulties in securing not only a place to observe but also approaching a parent of a child who was going to be comfortable enough to allow a student social worker to observe. It is widely known that many people, especially parents of small children, have developed judgements of social workers largely due to the portrayal in popular media (Gibelman 2004). Fortunately I have very good links to the school I chose to complete my observations in having already completed work experience a few years ago, therefore there were no problems in securing a placement as they already knew and had built up a level of trust. The early years teacher introduced me to a parent, and I was expecting the mother to ask me lots of questions regarding the observation, whether they would be allowed a copy of my observations etcetera but the mother simply stated that it would be fine and that another of her children in the school had also been previously been involved in a study similar. I must have accidentally expressed my surprise at the ease of getting consent (I also thought that due to the age of the children many parents wou