Monday, September 30, 2019

Social Work Student

In this essay I will discuss how I feel that I have developed personally and professionally as a social work student during the first level of the degree course. I will do this through examination of reflective accounts recorded during the placement learning opportunity. I believe that the use of reflection has been very significant in enhancing my personal skills and learning about my own values. I also believe that the course has instilled me with more self awareness and has given me a better understanding of how I am perceived by others.I have learned that through anti oppressive practice, social workers are able to promote inclusion by challenging discrimination and inequalities. In this essay, I will examine the methods, tools, and techniques that I have learned to date. I will conclude by discussing my particular learning needs and plan for the remainder of the course. As part of this, I will consider my learning style and the necessary methods I will utilise to bridge the lear ning gaps. As well as benefiting from the academic aspects of the course, I believe that the work placement has been hugely significant in my personal and professional development.During the placement learning opportunity I was based with a social worker in a small unit attached to a hospital. The unit specialises in palliative care services to patients and carers who are affected by life threatening illnesses. I was also fortunate to have the opportunity to liaise with many other agencies that were in some way related to the organisation. During the first year of the course I have become more aware of the importance of personal and professional development.I agree with Thompson (2002), who states that the development of personal and professional skills is fundamental to becoming a competent social worker and making the transition from student to practitioner. Therefore professional development is essential to social work students and practitioners to increase and revise their knowl edge and skills. Attention must be paid to enhancing our abilities to ensure progression occurs on a professional and a personal front. It is important that individuals develop professionally.Taylor emphasizes this (2010, pg 66) by quoting that ‘students or qualified  practitioners cannot solely rely upon personal experience’. He continues with ‘we need to develop our professional knowledge, otherwise conducting our practices solely upon personal experiences will run the risk of bias’ Professionally, I feel I have matured by transferring skills from previous employments to my present role of student. Throughout my working career I have had experience working in nursing and palliative care. Although these are loosely related to social work by virtue of being in the healthcare industry, when I embarked on the course, I didn’t feel that I had the necessary experience to draw from.However, I have progressively grown to realise that there are indeed som e key skills that I have be able to transfer and apply to this social work degree course and in the placement. I believe that another area of improvement in my professional development is my understanding of principles and key concepts in social work practice such as poverty, social exclusion, and accountability. I have a much deeper comprehension of values including empowerment, rights, respect, confidentiality and honesty. I am able to integrate them into all aspects of social work training and am highly aware of the issues surrounding conflicting values.I am much more familiar with the Codes of Practice for Wales (2003) as a result of identifying them and relating them to practice. In relation to professional development, it is also suggested in the Codes of Practice (2003) that as social care workers, we must ‘undertake relevant training to maintain and improve knowledge and skills to contributing to the learning and development of others’. During my work placement period, I was involved in meetings with many different people working in different streams of the organisation. Additionally, the work placement has also helped me understand how multi-professions collaborate.This has helped me start to appreciate the diversity of a social workers role. From a professional perspective, I also believe that the ECDL training courses have been very beneficial. I envisage that the day to day work of a social worker will involve the use of software such as Microsoft Word for reports etc. I also believe that a basic understanding of software such as Microsoft PowerPoint will be very useful for creating professional presentations. The academic aspects of the course will hopefully prepare me for the professional demands of social work as my knowledge gradually builds over the remainder of the course.In addition to this, self reflection, planning, self evaluation and academic learning such as lectures, essay writing, work placement, will help me succeed in b ecoming a responsible, assertive social worker. As far as my personal development is concerned I feel that there has been a marked improvement in my contribution to discussions and debates. Although some of the subject areas discussed have been extremely challenging, such as issues related to children, I feel that over the year I have started to feel that I have a lot more to offer as my understanding of the subject matter has increased.I feel better placed to question and challenge other people’s opinions on ethical matters and am also far more confident when having to make presentations to the group. I also feel that advancements in my personal development are vital. Thompson (2002, pg66) discusses the importance of it, ‘it is just as important as professional development. Learning provides us with a basis for personal growth and development by facilitating and encouraging self awareness. It also helps us to promote self esteem and a positive self image’.As a s tudent, I understand that I am responsible for my own personal and professional development in conjunction with the material delivered on the course. It is important that I continue to improve my standard of practice by embracing all types of learning opportunities available. Social work is a profession that continues to change and develop rapidly Trevithick (2002). Social workers are involved with individuals who are often in situations where there is high risk, complexity, stress, uncertainty and conflicts. Analytical skills and knowledge are required to assess and make judgement in these situations.Legislation and research is constantly changing and it is imperative that social workers are well informed of any modifications. If we don’t develop personally and professionally and do not keep pace of these changes we will increasingly become more and more out of touch with the reality of clients lives and therefore less equipped to undertake our duties (Thompson 2009). Reflec tion has been described as being central to good social work practice, but only if action results from that reflection (Horner 2007). Having the ability to reflect appropriately and effectively is a vital component to developing professionally and maturing personally.Reflective practice is imperative because practitioners have important roles and the decision we make about service uses should be thoroughly thought through. Reflection helps us to minimise risk and to prevent adopting ‘off the peg’ solutions to practice (Thompson 2009). Reflection supports developing our knowledge and learning from the errors of practice. We can develop ways in which we can empower individuals, be anti discriminatory and have anti oppressive approaches to practice. Interrogation of our actions will provide us with critical feedback and help us assess and evaluate our learning, ultimately enhancing our practice (Oko 2008).Schon (1991) as cited in Adams et al (2009) breaks down the notion o f reflective practice. Firstly, reflection-in-action involves reflecting as the action proceeds. This will evidently help us to identify new aspects of the situation and thinking them through while proceeding with the action. Secondly, Schon writes about reflection-on-action which involves considering what and why something happened after the event has occurred and the importance of translating this information into knowledge (Knott and Scragg 2010).Reflection is a tool that has allowed me to articulate knowledge from theory in a more meaningful way. I recognize that reflection does not always provide answers but does lead to new understanding. It has helped me challenge the reality of theory whilst on placement and through actual experience. An example I can demonstrate this with is that in social work theory, services should be needs-led as opposed to resource-led (Trevithick 2002). However in reality, resource constraints that operate in some local authorities make this unrealist ic. In reality demands far exceed the supply.Reflecting back on the experience of the placement and working in palliative care, at times I did feel quite tense and despondent. I had not worked intensively in those settings for some time and in some ways it was a relief as the placement came to an end, not to be discussing death, diagnosis and prognosis. I often questioned how my practice assessor managed to achieve goals and practice effectively whilst dealing with such emotive cases. There was one occasion when chatting with a service user who had had a terminal diagnosis, she became quite open and frank about her prognosis.I didn’t feel that I was fully prepared for her to start discussing her prognosis with me. Whilst, I felt very uncomfortable having the conversation I did remain professional and controlled. I was concerned that she may become distressed or that I would not manage the situation appropriately. Looking back on this experience, I am much more aware of the im portance of reflecting upon emotions and hopefully this will help me to manage emotive situations appropriately in future. Self awareness is a way in which we are able to explore our own personalities, traits, beliefs, inclinations, values and tendencies (Oko 2008).It is important that we are aware and are able to observe ourselves and the image that we portray to others. Without effective self awareness skills I am not going to be conscious of the ways in which I influence people and the signals I indirectly transmit. Self awareness will also allow me to build upon areas of strength and identify areas that may need addressing. Unless social workers are able to be aware of areas of vulnerability it is likely that they will be unable to react and respond to the service user objectively (Taylor 2008). Whilst on placement I encountered a service user’s son who was a substance misuser.I have previously worked in a drug rehabilitation centre and my experiences of the center were n ot good as I was threatened and intimidated on many occasions. Whilst observing the situation on placement I quickly became annoyed and frustrated by him. At the time, I felt that he was selfish bearing in mind his mothers terminal illness. I found myself thinking about my job in the rehab center which brought back uncomfortable memories. I did not write or discuss this with my practice assessor as I didn’t want to dedicate any time thinking about such negative experiences.On reflection, I now understand that it is my responsibility to confront such issues otherwise I will not successfully continue as a competent social worker student. I am aware that this encounter triggered an inappropriate reaction and I am committed to resolving these issues. Lishman 1994 as cited in Trevithick (2000) pg 84 states that failure to be self aware and confront such issues will lead to ‘falling into pockets of distress that will lead to inattention, poor listening and inappropriate actio ns’.I am able to see the connection between self awareness and managing prejudice, discrimination and oppressive practice. I am aware that I did not have a great deal of empathy for particular groups in society and before the course started admittedly I did feel that certain individuals in society may have contributed to the crisis’s that they found themselves in. I felt that these citizens did not require prioritization or merit support and guidance from a care service as I felt that there were other more deserving individuals.I have grown to understand that my judgments and thoughts were unjustified. By being more self aware and using reflection, I am able to be clear of my own values and how they may shape my practice. As I progress, I feel that by working with these groups of people that I will to grow to understand how and why individuals find themselves in these situations. I will continue to strive to develop my knowledge and hopefully as I progress, I will take time to educate myself and learn more about human behaviour. Whilst on placement, I was unaware of any form of oppression or anysignificant injustice issues. Dominelli (1996) pg states that ’anti oppressive practice is a form of social work practice which addresses social divisions and structural inequalities in the work that is done with people whether they are users (‘clients') or workers. AOP aims to provide more appropriate and sensitive services by responding to people's needs regardless of their social status’. Reflecting back I recall a situation that occurred with a service user who was terminally ill. He had expressed a wish to die at home.Whilst visiting the gentleman with my practice assessor, a community healthcare professional was present. It became apparent that the professional was eager for the service user to be admitted into hospital. She portrayed a negative image of being nursed at home and persistently pointed out the problems that she envis aged. I personally felt that this was because there would be a lot more pressure upon her workload to care for him and make the necessary calls throughout the day. It later became apparent that the community professional were experiencing difficulties with staff sicknesses.This was his final wish to die at home and in my opinion she was using her authority to influence him to be admitted for her own benefit. I believe that her workload pressured her to do this. He was disadvantaged, very poorly and with very little to strength to debate this issue with her. At the time, I didn’t connect this to oppressive practice where the other professional exercised inappropriate use of power. I am now more aware of issues surrounding continuing healthcare and funding. I now feel that I am much more alert to these issues and in the future I would question other individual’s actions.Anti oppressive practise begins with understanding myself and aspects of society were oppression is em bedded. As a social work student, I will strive to value and promote every human being and their rights to be respected. I will attempt to work towards combating oppressive practice by acting as an advocate and practice methods of inclusion. I will try to ensure that I do not contribute to such acts and will become more aware of social divisions, power differences and the relationship between the myself and service users (Adams et al).As part of my progression as a student, I have identified many areas that I need to address and expand upon during the remainder of the course. In order to successfully address these learning needs I have studied a learning model established by Kolb (1975). He suggests that there are four types of concepts that are needed to be effective learners. These include concrete experience, observation and reflection, abstract conceptualisation and active experimentation (Knott and Scragg 2010). I will attempt to adopt his hypothesis to make the learning proces s a more straightforward procedure.The main learning needs I have identified are firstly developing my understanding of theories and acknowledging the importance of the role that they play in practice. Initially I was apprehensive about making links but now I feel more confident as I approach the next stage. I wish to relate and recognize the connections between significant theories and social work thinking and practice and problem solving. I will achieve through this through lectures, reading and from practice on the level 6 placement. I also wish to become more aware of issues surrounding children and young people.More specifically, a deeper understanding of safeguarding issues and the legislation and policies related to this that shapes and guide social work duties. This will be achieved through lectures, learning actual legislation from books, documents and through placement (if this is the area in which I am allocated). I would also like to become more aware of social work in t he Welsh context and familiarise myself with cultures in Wales. The overall picture of the Welsh population is older, poorer and in worse health that the entire UK (Scourfield 2008).I want discover why this is the case and how it impacts upon social work practice. I also wish to learn more about different identities and ethnic groups living in Wales and develop a better understanding of the use of languages and how these compare to other regions in the UK. I also think it is important that I build upon my existing knowledge of the Codes of Practice for Wales (2003), and have the ability to instinctively relate them to practice. This will achieved through lectures, reading literature and hands on learning whilst in practice.In addition to trying to adopt the Kolb learning method, I completed a questionnaire to establish what type of learner I was. After reading Honey and Mumford (1995) literature I was not able to categorise myself into one particular learning style or preference but was able to relate to aspects of all categories. My knowledge and skills will develop with experience over the forthcoming years. I will take full advantage of placement to maximize my learning. I will try to become more observant of others by studying them.I will try to adopt good techniques and practice when I identify them and also to learn from bad practice. I will attempt to make the most of tutorials and supervision particularly in the discussion of emotive, stress and management issues. Additionally, I will try to develop and improve my reflective. To conclude it can be stated that personal and professional development is an essential part of social work practice. Due to the complex nature of social work and the diversity of human behaviour, it is imperative that students and qualified practitioners continue to progress alongside an ever changing society.Reflection is an important catalyst to support social workers in enhancing their practice. I am much more self aware and f amiliar with adopting anti- oppressive methods of practice. Whilst I am pleased with my progression to date, I am fully aware that I have many unmet learning needs which I hope to address throughout the remainder of the course. I am enthusiastic about the journey ahead and look forward to learning the skills that will enable me to launch my social work career.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Mcdonald’s Practices/Operations in Turbulent Environment

McDonald’s strategic plan is called ‘plan to win’ which helps McDonald’s to be the best fast food restaurant chain rather than the biggest fast food restaurant chain. (kspain, 2008) In turbulent environment, McDonald’s tries to achieve high performance by applying the 5 P’s: people, product, price, promotion, and place or distribution. Product involves both intangible and tangible offerings of the business which customer can see, feel, taste or smell. (Kukreja, 2011) Next, price consists of all the costs of production and delivery of the product or service. Then, promotion comprises all the types and manner of communication that companies use to make products or services known to the customer. Finally, place or distribution is the channel that connects the products or services to the consumers. McDonald’s focuses primarily on its people or focusing on maintaining and improving employee satisfaction in order to maintain good relationship between the employees and the customers. In order to improve employee satisfaction, McDonald’s uses flexible schedules for the employees to fit their working schedule into the way they live their life. McDonald’s also uses celebrating diversity in their hiring way to combining their ideal work force with different people from different backgrounds with different interests. (Mcdonalds, 2011) Besides that, McDonald’s also simplifies the restaurant environment for their staff and customers in a faster speed. To enhance the relationship between employees and the customers, McDonald’s ensures their staffs are friendly and as well as fast with hospitality training. Finally, McDonald’s also provides cost-efficient, relevant training for their world-wide workforce and provide career opportunities for people to achieve their potential. In the product strategy, McDonald’s offered a wider variety of food. McDonald’s strategic planning focuses on breakfasts, chicken, beverages and convenience. The Southern Style Chicken Biscuits are launched for breakfast in McDonald’s. However, the Southern Style Chicken Sandwiches are launched for lunch and dinner. McDonald’s introduced new hot specialty coffee offerings on a market-by-market basis in their beverages business. Besides that, McDonald’s also offered burgers-and-fries instead of just offering snack foods and desserts. Despite of negative image of McDonald’s for the unhealthy food, McDonald’s offers oatmeal and salads to replace high calorie breakfast sandwiches for somewhat healthier options. Lastly, the Happy Meal is one of the good product strategies which aim kids providing kid’s favorites such as small French fries and chicken nuggets along with a small toy. ECUATORIALL, 2012)These planning enables McDonald’s to satisfy customers’ desire for food that fit into today’s lifestyle. For the price strategy, McDonald’s had introduced value meal for their customers. The value meal allows customers to buy a sandwich, French fries, and beverages at a discount price when purchased together. McDonald’s restaurant offer seven to twelve value meals for the lunch and breakfast menu. McDonald’s also offers a dollar menu which consisting many individual items costing only $1. 00 each. investopedia, 2009) Other than that, some of the individual franchise owners offer daily specials of special menu items with lower price such as Big Mac Mondays. These helps McDonald’s to offer affordable prices to customers and also to be profitable for the company. McDonald's spent huge amount of money on promotion which is presented in marketing, leadership and trust. McDonald’s focuses primarily on targeting the children. With this, McDonald’s offers happy meals which targeted children by giving along the small toys with the meals. ECUATORIALL, 2012) McDonald’s also offers various schemes for winning prices by giving lucky draws and also scratch cards when an order is placed on various mean combos. On the other hand, McDonald’s also does its promotion by advertising to make people aware of an item, feel positive about it and remember it. They do their promotion through television, hoardings and bus shelters. Some of the most famous marketing campaigns of McDonald’s are â€Å"You Deserve a break today, so get up and get away- To McDonald’s†, â€Å"Aap ke zamane mein ,baap ke zamane ke daam†, â€Å"Food, Folks, and Fun† and â€Å"I’m loving it†. (scribd)

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Critical Analysis of an HRD Intervention (Human Resources Development) Essay

Critical Analysis of an HRD Intervention (Human Resources Development) - Essay Example arning is defined as organization’s capability to disseminate, exploit as well as to create and generate knowledge which is an essential resource and also increases capability of organizations seeking to maintain a cutthroat advantage in present marketplace. There are two types of organizational learning. One is exploitative learning and another one is explorative learning. The capability to acquire knowledge unquestionably gives sustainable benefit for the organization. Organizations which are capable in creating or innovating fresh knowledge and maintain that knowledge as well as to transfer this throughout the venture are more prolific as well as more capable in flourishing than their counter parts and are less skilled at the organizational learning (Carnegie Mellon University, n.d.). The HRD research and practice describes itself emphasizing in three main areas in the organizations workplace which critically covers adult education’s importance of learning or following subjects like career development, organizational development and training and development (Fenwick, n.d.). Along with intervention, orientation holds supreme importance in the arena of human resource development. Orientation basically comprises of the scheduled program that one undergoes when he or she joins a new company. Human resource development orientation basically aims a new recruit to adopt with the organizational culture. The present day organization as well as academia provides increased emphasis upon the orientation segment within the discipline of human resource development. The essay focuses on the requirement and involvement of orientation within the perspective of human resource development. An employee orientation program is very important for making the employee comfortable with his new surroundings and also making them understand the work ethics, culture of the company. In my orientation program, I was given a formal introduction to all my co workers by our HR personnel.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Assignment Example In order to portray the influence in integrated marketing communication, the paper will undertake a literature review, and providing an analysis of the findings based on the way in which IMC helps companies to boost their marketing potential over the internet. Integrated Marketing Communication Introduction Integrated marketing communication (IMC) refers to a term that became prevalent in the 20th century and it encompasses the application of constant brand messaging across a variety of marketing channels (Chandon et al 2006). IMC makes use of various tools that allow marketers to make sure that their audience receive the message and ensure that they can be able to leverage these tools in an effective manner. IMC derives its influence from the traditional means of advertising as well as the efforts that are fostered by the public relations field (Chaston 2001). It also makes use of the online means of communication such as social media in order to ensure that the audience receives th e desired message (Chandon et al 2006). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact that internet marketing would have in facilitating internet marketing communication in the case of Virgin Trains. ... Therefore, the Web should not be treated as a simulation of the real world, but it should be treated as an alternative to the real world environment whereby consumers can be able to experience tele-presence (Ashok & Lace 2008). As a result, users of the internet are able to gain access to hypermedia content that allows them to communicate in an efficient manner (Duncan & Sandra 2007). The unique interaction between people and machines has provided room for rapid adoption of the internet as a medium that can be used to undertake commercial activities (Cornier 2009). After realizing the tremendous growth and the power of the internet, marketers have been challenges to adopt mechanisms that can allow them to integrate their marketing communication mix with the internet. With the use of the internet, consumers can be able to interact with machine as well as with each other (Abrahamson & Lundgren 2004). Firms can be able to offer content to the medium as well as communicate with each othe r. Consumers and firms are provided with an opportunity to interact with each other, and consumers can be able to provide commercial content to the internet (Wen et al 2006). The internet serves as a mechanism that provides exceptional opportunities for organizations to sell or market their products and services in an innovative manner (Czinkota & Ronkainen 2002). When a website associated with a particular company is planned in a careful manner, it can allow that business to reap significant rewards as well as provide the organization with a chance to succeed in the operations that it undertakes (Ashok & Lace 2008). Therefore, it is important to set clear objectives, especially in the case of a corporate website, and those objectives

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Ethical issues relating to fire investigation Essay

Ethical issues relating to fire investigation - Essay Example Unfortunately, this can usually imperil important physical evidence (Lentini 2006). It is hence vital that emergency services members are knowledgeable of, and employ, methods which are not merely effective, but deter unethical damage to the people, surroundings, and structure. This essay will discuss the ethics of fire and explosion investigation with regard to security of the scene, health and safety concerns, scene recording, and some other methods of forensic investigation. Once a scene has been secured, the investigation of proofs of cause can begin (Daeid 2004). This can range from a fairly easy undertaking where the damage or the larger scene is minimal, to the most difficult challenge requiring separating apparatus, larger numbers of investigators, examining grids, etc (Daeid 2004). In an explosion incident, the secured area should consist of both the main recovery area and the defence zone (Zonderman 1999). The main recovery area will extend to the point of the outermost projected point or portion of fire damage, whilst the defence zone should go beyond this expanse by one half, so as to facilitate preliminary underestimation and to restrain the possibility of removal of, or damage to, physical evidence (Horswell 2004). In a number of cases, specifically where there are directional features to the explosion, the secured zone may not be circular (Pepper 2005). Furthermore, it may be necessary in several situations, to restrict the size of the buffer area or to lessen it at certain points (Horswell 2004). For instance, this may be reasonable if a slight decrease in the buffer area would facilitate the operation of a railway line or where the impacts of the fire have been somewhat limited in a structure. In the instances of fires, the limits to the scene are fairly simpler to delineate (Horswell 2004). For fires in buildings, the whole structure should be protected because proofs of minor fires or deactivated ‘time-delay ignition

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Conflict of Interest-role of Public Utility Board Essay

Conflict of Interest-role of Public Utility Board - Essay Example In Case No. 76-6 involving the practice of giving gifts to foreign officials, the NSPE Board of Ethical Review stated in part, â€Å"Even though the practice may be legal and accepted in the foreign country, and even though some might argue on pragmatic grounds the United States commercial companies should ‘go along’ to protect the jobs of employees in this country, we cannot accept it for professional services. No amount of rationalization or explanation will change the public reaction that the profession’s claim of placing service before profit has been compromised by a practice which is repugnant to the basic principles of ethical behavior under the laws and customs of this country†¦.we believe that the codes must be read on this most basic point of honor and integrity not only literally, but in the spirit of its purpose –to uphold the highest standards of the professional. Anything less is rationalization which cannot stand the test of placing the public ahead of all other considerations† Engineers who do think it is acceptable to use an agent abroad to â€Å"do the dirty work† thus acting like Pontius Pilate and â€Å"washing one’s hands† of the problem, also need to realize that they are committing a felony under the U.S. law and are subject to prosecution So long as they are U.S. citizens, the Federal Corrupt Practice Act applies to them. His comment also applies to corporations. A U.S. corporation is a citizen in the eyes of the law. Those companies engaging in bribery can avoid the law only by giving up their Q.2. The statement â€Å"Take off your engineering hat and put on your management hat.† implies that engineer shifts from their professionalism and assume another management task. This is vital especially when the management has loopholes that need to be addressed. Engineer B is employed in the engineering firm and is a member of BOD in a local public utility. As a member of the board, the utility uses 3 years to do a research on a new power generation plant.  

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Hispanic American Diversity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hispanic American Diversity - Research Paper Example Mexican Americans are the largest Hispanic group living in the USA. It constitutes 14 million people of Mexican ancestry, or 64% of the Hispanic population living in America. The main areas of their settlement include Southwestern part of the USA. Also, there are big Mexican Americans communities living in Chicago and New York, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama. Economically and socially, Mexican Americans represent cheap labor employed in service sectors. Most of them occupy blue-collar occupations such as manufacturing and farm workers, service workers and craftspeople, restaurant workers, drivers, gardeners, etc. Mexican Americans of both genders find considerable barriers to entering the labor market at the higher (and higher-paying) levels. With rapid social change comes also a whole range of problems associated with the provision of health and other social services for Mexican Americans. Today, there are insufficient funds for education programs and health care services for the Mexican American population. Most of them do not receive government support and social welfare living in total poverty. A family is the most important social institution for this Hispanic group. A father or husband plays the main role while women obtain a secondary social role. Most Mexican Americans are Christians, Roman Catholics. "The turnout among Mexican Americans is low (less than 40% vote). Of those who vote, large majorities vote for Democratic candidates in most states except Texas (where the Democrats win narrowly)" (Mexican American, 2006). Linguistically, Mexican Americans represent a bilingual group who speaks Spanish at home and English at work. Family traditions and values are crucial for Mexican Americans. At home, the main language is Spanish, and at work, they speak English. The group of Latin Americans includes Spanish people from Latin America but excludes the Spanish immigrants. This is a Spanish-speaking community. Although, immigrants came from Brazil speak Portuguese. Similar to Mexican Americans this Hispanic group confesses Roman Catholicism as the primary religion, but include followers of protestant, Evangelical, Mormon, and Islamic traditions. Culturally, this group represents a mixture of the Spanish and the Portuguese, the English and the French traditions. The biggest Latin American community lives in Boston.  

Monday, September 23, 2019

The valid contract Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The valid contract - Case Study Example However, a point to be noticed in this context is that to be legally binding, the promise made by the party and its acceptance must be aimed at forming a legal relationship. Anything made out of natural relationship (or domestic arrangements) are assumed not to create any legally binding obligations. Nevertheless, the case -Parker Vs Clark [1960] NLR 286- demonstrates that although domestic arrangements are assumed not to create legally-binding obligations, in some cases this assumption may be overruled by the facts . obligations. Moreover, Irene made the offer without having any intention to avail consideration from Gina. The offer is made just out of natural relationship. Therefore, it is not possible for Gina to approach the court for justice and get the promised money from Irene. Though, Gina has made some promises after the promise by Irene, this does not amount to a promise, which is legally enforceable. In this context, the case Balfour v Balfour [1919] 2 KB 571 is worth notable as "it demonstrates the strong presumption that domestic agreements, even if framed in contractual terms, are not intended to create legal obligations" (Law Glossary, 2006). Usually, when an order is made by one party to another for the supply of certain goods for a consideration, it becomes a contract. Both parties are legally binding to the terms of the contract are obliged to perform their part. If any of them makes a default, the aggrieved party can claim compensation from the defaulted party as the transaction is legally enforceable. When one is making an offer to another on the strength of the offer made by a third party, and if the third party makes a default and it subsequently results in the non performance of the offer, the third party is no way affected by the default of the promissor. In the given case, though Irene has made a promise to pay Gina a sum of 15000 and subsequently defaulted to pay the sum, the offer (s) business or personal made by Gina will in no way affect Irene as the first offer itself is not a legally binding one. Therefore, it is not legally obligatory for Irene to pay the remaining amount to Kolumbie, the aromatherapy oil supplier. Is Gina liable to Jaymark Fitness for the 4,000 balance on her debt When an offer is made out of the strength of the offer of another and the subsequent default of the original offer, the second offer cannot be performed and will result in breach of contract. But, it is to be noticed that whether the original offer is legally binding or not. In the given case, the original offer is a domestic arrangement and it is out of the natural relationship between Irene and Gina. However, when Gina has placed an order for 10,000 worth goods and after the default by Irene, Gina could not keep the promise that the payment shall be paid later. Gina informed Jaymark that she could not pay the 10,000 owed but could manage 6,000 and that if Jaymark tried to sue her for more, she would declare herself bankrupt and Jaymark would get nothing at all. Jaymark reluctantly agreed to accept the 6,000 in full and final satisfaction of the debt. Therefore, Gina is not

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Advertising and communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Advertising and communication - Essay Example According to modern view, marketing consists of sensing, stimulating, servicing and satisfying the needs and wants of present and potential customers in more effective and efficient manner than its competitors. The modern concept of marketing communication holds that the key task of organization is to determine the needs, wants and values of the customers and to adopt the organization to delivering the desired satisfaction more effectively and efficiently than its competitors. There are two key elements in this marketing communication concept.Competitiveness in business the world over is so acute that survival is possible for only those organizations, which are ready to employ every possible means to increase profit by reducing cost in production, while remaining uncompromising in quality and aggressive in marketing. The role of marketing communication in modern business practices has been identified as a key factor in survival in modern day business. As part of the search for busine ss effectiveness the entire process of marketing communication is being approached in a comprehensive and unified manner where by all activities of business communication functions in unison. This approach is called Integrated Marketing Communication. This is a relatively new concept in management. It is engineered to harness all aspects of marketing communication such as advertising, promotion of sales, public relation, and direct marketing in a highly focused manner eschewing the former tendency of these departments to function in isolation. The account of the phenomenon of Marketing Communication by Aaker, Batra and Myers (1992) constitutes a fair working explanation of the phenomenon: . . . advertising and sales promotions operate together in their impact on the consumer. When designed and run in tandem, they yield power synergies that magnify their individual effects. The ambiguity centered on the definition of IMC has created complexity in assessing the operational efficiency of the process. There are many levels of integration, which produces problems collectively as well as individually. The ideal execution of IMC calls for the sharing of the entire organization. Available Mix Of Advertisement And Communication Methods Advertising is a very complex business. To make the advertisement to go on with the changing time new advertising and modern promotional methods needs to be assessed and compared with traditional available methods. New innovative ideas and media methods uses are to be devised all the time, as the advertising industry switches emphasis from media to media, and as new modern lifestyle trends continuously to develop by new technologies. Traditional and modern view of Advertisement In 1980's and 1990's advertising agencies were commonly 'multi-services' agencies, and they divide their area of operations to handle the creative, production and media-buying processes. There was a huge trend towards junk mail or direct mail and many large consumer brands switched significant advertising spending into direct mail. For small local businesses TV was an increasingly attractive tool. Modern lifestyle and technology developments change the marketing communication and advertisement methods of companies. New method of advertising based on exploiting electronic communications and the 'word of mouth' instinct sometimes referred to as 'Viral marketing'. In today's world Internet advertising is more popular than radio advertising -

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Key Challenges That Zen Practitioners Face in the West Essay Example for Free

Key Challenges That Zen Practitioners Face in the West Essay Zen is a specific form of Buddhism, which appeared in post-Heian period. Originally Zen became a hybrid of Indian Buddhism and Chinese Taoism and Confucianism. Zen is a Japanese name, which corresponds to Chinese Ch’an, Vietnamese Thien Buddhism or Korean S’on. All these kinds of Buddhism differ from each other but in the West they became confused and mixed together, forming one idea of Zen Buddhism. Generally, all Zen teaching is based on Buddhist scriptures, such as Perfection of Wisdom Sutras and Diamond Cutter Sutra. Zen tradition also appreciates the teaching of famous Zen masters of the past. Soto and Rinzai are two main schools of Zen Buddhism. In Soto school they pay special attention to the practice of Zazen of sitting meditation. This meditation consists of â€Å"doing nothing† sitting in the posture of lotus and making an attempt to stop thoughts. This is non-object meditation aiming to stop the activity of mind. Rinzai School makes stronger accent on the study of so called koans. Koans are short stories originating usually from the past which are used to pass the meaning of zen. Disciples of Rinzai School spend days and hours meditating on koans, trying to stop activity of mind and achieve the nature of Buddha. Both, Rinzai and Soto schools have practices of walking meditation. Zen is usually taught in Zen centers and monasteries. Zen tradition pays special attention to interaction between master and students. Teachers and students meet privately so that teacher can pass his experience directly to his students. Despite Soto and Rinzai schools have always being practiced separately in Japan; there is a tendency to combine these two schools into one in the West. There are two main ways of passing Zen traditions in the West (Seager). First of all there are Zen masters, who emigrate from China and Japan. These masters keep close to the original tradition of Zen Buddhism. At the same time non-Asian disciples, who popularize Zen in the west often pay much less attention to the traditions and philosophical elements of Zen. Western teachers of Zen make main emphasis on meditation practices and deemphasize rituals and customs of traditional Zen Buddhism. Soto school gives sixteen precepts of Zen way of life. These precepts are taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sanga, following the first three precepts, not doing evil, doing only good and doing good for others, living according to ten grave precepts, which are not killing, not stealing, write sexual conduct, telling no lie, keeping always from drugs and drinking, not judging others, being generous and being not angry. All these precepts shape everyday ethical rules of Zen Buddhism. In addition, Zen, which is based on the principle of spontaneous action often, turns to calligraphy, archery, poetry and marital arts as additional means. (Wallace) During last decades Zen Buddhist movements have moved from monasteries and gradually have become everyday practice. This can be explained by the peculiarities of Western mentality, where people got used to combining religious practices and everyday life, while in Japan and other Asian countries practicing Zen Buddhism required moving away from lay life and living work and family. As states Allan Wallance, â€Å"as Zen has been assimilated into the West, the traditional ceremonial life of the Japanese temple, together with its linguistic and social customs, has gradually become marginalized. Few Western Zen followers have chosen to make the commitment of entering full-blown Zen monastic practice by taking monastic ordination, or tokudoâ€Å" (Wallance, 8). Western Zen has become supplemented with views from other Buddhism traditions. Most Western practitioners of Zen are lay people, who practice short meditation sessions every day and turn to intensive practice during so-called retreats. In Zen traditional retreats are called sesshins and they last from three to several months. At the same time tokudo, or Zen monastic movement became the founder of Buddhist Peace Fellowship. This organization if preoccupied with helping needy, poor and homeless.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Blue Ocean Strategy Strategy Simulation Analysis

Blue Ocean Strategy Strategy Simulation Analysis Background The below chart shows the characteristics of Resheps blue ocean product Blue box, highlighted in Yellow. The product was considerably different from the existing products in the market, but due to concerns with the team budget the changes were kept austere to save on the project costs. Only one path (3) was targeted. The price of the product was fixed much higher than the Red box as the product blue box was very superior to it in a number of ways, some of the features that the blue box continued from the red round products were very similar to Shiny station and Purple player levels and hence the price was felt justifiable. Year 2012 The above charts clearly show that the strategy of our targeting was working given that the preference that we received in the 36+ age group was the highest; this was the group that was primarily targeted by path 3 that we had chosen while launching the product in the market. The concern, based on the feedback received; however were the following: The Product could have received support from a wider majority had we chosen to add a few more features to the product. The price of the product might be too high even for the features that had been provided. Some of the features were below or above the expectations of the market and hence needed adjustment in their levels. Based on this feedback we decided to change the product specifications in the manner shown below High Average The feature controller sophistication was reduced Audio sophistication was increased Rechargeable batteries was reduced Ability to control gaming habits was increased And Exer-gaming was introduced The features were reduced or removed to keep the overall cost of production in control. The greatest challenge that the blue ocean strategy simulation offered was that the simulation did not provide any intelligence as to what exact level the consumer wanted for a particular feature; it had to be derived from the analysis of the visual exploration brief. Result 2012 The analysis of our team in the second round was correct but we again found certain discrepancies, such as: The pricing was still found to be higher than expected for the blue box the features which were to be reduced were not found to be reduced to the appropriate levels Also the production plan was found to be lower than the demand Year 2013 Keeping these in mind we considered our product to be largely successful, so for expanding the market we tried a strategy which was a little different from the one recommended by the feedback messages Instead of just decreasing prices we decided to increase some features and reduce the prices only a little bit. This was done to get the maximum possible margin from the market by getting more consumers to buy. The prices were not reduced much but due to concerns regarding the EBIT The production level was increased to 1000 units expecting a increase in sales due to enhancement in product features Result 2013 The product features were accepted by the market but the sales slacked, this may have been due to the following: The market did not need the feature that we added to the product New products were introduced by the competitors Chart below shows the comparative analysis of the competitors and our blue ocean strategy (Next page). Through product features and consumer preferences. Conclusion Clearly from the product specifications we can conclude that the Blue box was the most superior product but the consumer showed a very high preference for the product blue pack, which due to lower prices of the product. This was also the major feedback. Based on this on the next round more features were added to attract more consumer and remaining different from the competitor even when as blue pack further reduced prices (as our company was facing profitability problems ), we could not lower the prices as we wanted to keep the losses at a minimum. Learning from Blue ocean strategy simulation To attract Non-customers it is most important to give them a price discount The price discount will not be successful, unless the product is radically different from the category, as non-customers are those who have not been satisfied by the category as a whole To reduce prices it is important to eliminate all the irrelevant features. To reduce prices it is important to reduce all the unimportant features. Implementation of blue ocean strategy in Mobile advertising industry The mobile advertising industry is still very nascent in India, but already there are challenges regarding the bombardment of user with advertising messages. The biggest challenge that the advertisers face is that an average mobile user is receiving so many messages every day that it is difficult to stand out. Features currently Available The services that a mobile advertising agency in India provides are the following: SMS Blast to user database collected on the bases of profession and education SMS blast to opt-in user data base MMS blast Banner ads on mobile Wapsite Click to call advertisements Bluetooth based advertising The biggest share of these is taken only by the SMS blasts collected in the bases of education and occupation databases. A blue ocean initiative in such a scenario would be: Description of Introduced feature Location based kiosks Bluetooth based advertising has still not been adopted in India as single brands are very cautious of the costs involved in the functions, but a viable model can be for a mobile agency to set up kiosks on location such as malls with large footfalls. The booth will have a physical presence to attract the people to it Once the mobile user comes close to the kiosk they can be requested to switch on the Bluetooth to receive attractive discounts and applications This model can then be sold to the advertisers as a way to start a conversation with their customer The process The advantages of this model would be: The Individual retailer which currently does not use Mobile as a medium for marketing will start doing so, thus creating the blue ocean. The ads would be the most recent conversation with the consumer The cost would be low as the advertiser will only pay for the number of applications/discounts disbursed The clutter/competition will be irrelevant as the consumer will opt in to receive these messages. The kiosk can also be used as a Out of home media Assignment 2 Blue ocean strategy for Sports academy The sports academies that exist today demand extraordinary commitment from their students. At a very young age the students are required to make a high level of commitment towards sports. The concept i am proposing involves the setting up of an academy which has the all the facilities that any academy of international standards provide to its students plus the aides the child in his education also. This blue ocean will be somewhere between the operations of a typical sports academy and a typical K-12 educational establishment. A similar example would be the Cirque du soleil quoted in the Blue ocean strategy text book. The Cirque du soleil created a blue ocean by incorporating the features of a theatre performance in its circus performance. The K-12 education sector has to seen tremendous growth in the past decade with the maturity coming in the established players in the market such as Educomp and entrance of traditional Educational establishment such as Manipal and DPS. The K-12 education model comprises of all establishments that have a uniform model across multiple branches and necessarily conduct classes starting from kindergarten to 12th standard. The establishments operating currently in the K-12 education sector right now are offering the following characteristics in their offerings Standardised tuitions, based on well defined curriculum Digitised classrooms Transport from and to homes Science and mathematics labs Canteen or other food service Library Sports infrastructure Facilities for hobby development Regular feedback sessions with the parents Mentor mentee program Personality development program Communication skills development programs Career counselling Preparation for competitive exams A sports academy provides the following facilities to its students Specialised infrastructure for various sports Professional coaching for all the relevant sports Mentor mentee program Guidance on career in sports Platform and certification to start competing in events Medical facilities Residential campuses Fitness training This establishment can be called a talent development academy. This is based on the fact the gradually even in India the focus of parents; who are the decision maker in case of K-12 education is shifting towards over all development of the child rather than just getting the educational degree, but they often end up not taking up sports as a career due to the immense risk involved. The academy will reduce this risk by providing its students with educational facilities as well on the campus itself. This may be achieved by collaborating with some of the operators in the education sector to provide the sports academy students with adequate classroom facilities on or near campus. The activities of the academy and attached educational establishment will be coordinated to allow students to manage the two adequately The academy will coordinate with the school in the following manner The student will be required to qualify the minimum criterion for classroom education The school will accommodate the requirements of the sports training schedule Personal database on the performance of each student will be maintained to monitor both academic and sports performance of the student Academics will be handled only during a stipulated time frame The classes will be scheduled according to the extra- curricular activity that the group of children has decided to pursue The focus of the academy will be to develop highly professional sports persons from among its students The result Non-users: those students who had talent but could not pursue their interest due to the inability to handle both education and sports will become users.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

A Methodology to Teaching Writing Essay example -- Education Education

A Methodology to Teaching Writing I believe that achieving success in teaching very different aspects of life may still combine similar processes. My life in high school was very similar to the lives of many other students in that it revolved around two things: sports and school. My sport of choice was tennis and my favorite academic area was English. Unexpectedly, I found many similarities led to a successful performance in both areas. My understanding of the need for a good program to follow and a lot of practice with it led to success in both tennis and my academic performance (especially English). Upon becoming a recognized player in my area, I decided to take the skill that I knew better than any other and utilize it as a job; I was a tennis coach. Success in that field, teaching mainly high school students, has led me to believe I can adopt a similar program for success in the classroom. Just as I had to learn an effective way to teach others the tennis skills that I had learned, I will also have to be a ble to adjust my philosophy inside a classroom. My outline for successful teaching of writing combines what I have put into practice working with high school students in a sports forum with what I am learning is the best way to approach a writing classroom. When a high school student first takes a tennis lesson from me, that student is very often an inexperienced freshman just months away from their first tryout. On that first day I must be very clear and very encouraging in my instructions because of the nervousness of the player. By the first lesson I am aware of what level of ability I am working with, and can make adjustments from there. For student writers, the process can be similar. The writer may ... ...o accomplish. A supportive process is more likely to breed success. Students will have different styles, hidden talents, and unique creative processes. Some will love to write and bring these elements out on their own. Others need special prompting. Ultimately I feel that students will always have something to say. Each person has elements of their lives’ that they enjoy, and those are subjects for writing. Each individual has elements that bring them pain, frustration or sadness, and those are subjects for writing too. Getting kids to want to write is not necessarily outlined in my process, and that will be a challenge that I will have to learn even as I teach. I think the key to successful motivation will be to spark the ideas that motivate a student. Maybe even more important is that if that spark is hard to find, not to give up, but to keep seeking it.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Applications and Reflections in Gestalt Play Therapy: A Case Study Ess

Gestalt therapy is a type of therapy used to deepen our awareness of ourselves. According to O’Connor and Braverman, (2009) â€Å"Gestalt" implies wholeness. â€Å"Gestalt therapy is a process-oriented, experiential therapy that is concerned with the integrated functioning of all aspects of the person: senses, body, emotions and intellect.† Gestalt therapy can be described as process active, experiential work and can help shed light on suppressed feelings by helping us focus our awareness on feelings in the present. In working through negative the client can realize negative behavior patterns that may have become ingrained. Understanding the relationship between what we tell ourselves (bad gestalts) and negative thought processes and can become a part of the healing process. Through this form of therapeutic process, individuals can become better equipped to understand themselves and make better or healthier choices, creating a unity of mind, body and spirit. When Gestalt theory is applied to taking of responsibility for problematic life experiences, the experiential work lies in assisting the client in taking ownership, self-examination, then making choices and resolving difficulties. When theory is applied to a play therapy relationship, the therapist enters into a partnership with the child, in a process where goals focus on empowerment of the child. This process is described in Oaklander, (2011). â€Å"Anger is the most misunderstood of all the human emotions. We tend to think of anger as basically distasteful and abhorrent -- something that we would rather not experience.† Oaklander posits that anger is a direct and unique expression of self, and the basic attempt to defend an inner personal boundary. ... ....47-Other dysfunctions of sleep stages or arousal f from sleep. Retrieved from http://www.icd9data.com/2011/Volume1/290-3 19/300-316/307/307.47.htm Kalff, Dora. (2003) Sandplay: A Psychotherapeutic Approach to the Psyche. Temenos Press, Cloverdale, CA. Lowenfeld, M. (1991) Play in Childhood. MacKeith Press, London. Miller, A. (1975) Albert Einstein and Max Wertheimer: a Gestalt psychologist's view of the genesis of special relativity theory. History of science; an Annual Review of Literature, Research and Teaching 13 (2): 75–103. Oaklander, V. (1988) Windows to Our Children: A Gestalt Therapy Approach to Children and Adolescents. The Gestalt Journal Press; Gouldsboro, Maine. Oaklander, V. (2011) The many faces of Anger. The Violet Oaklander Foundation, Retrieved from the internet 11/2/2011, from http://www.vsof.org/links.html

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Cost Management & Cost Control Essay

In broad sense, both the terms have the same meaning. Yet cost management seems to connote broader perspective. Cost control to an un-initiated may mean cutting down the incurrence of cost or expenditure every time or in every situation. In reality it is not always so. In many specific situations, many times, one has to spend or incur cost in order to gain or make more money. It is in fact like an investment. Cost management sounds better then. Profits Making profits or running with surpluses is an essential objective of any organization whether a business organization, non-government non-profit making trust or government. Profit = Revenue (or Price X Units Sold) – Overall Costs (or All Expenses) One can make more profit by: * Increasing the price * Selling more units * Reducing costs In globally competitive environment, increasing the price is not always feasible, Therefore, one has to resort to increasing the sales volumes or decreasing the costs. Overall Cost Reduction: Better Strategy If you do some quick calculations, you may find that: * Increasing the sales volumes by say, 5% will increase the profit by only by that much percentage i.e. 5% increase in profit. * On the other hand reducing the overall cost by 5% may increase the profit in the range from 20% to 45%. Cost Build-up There are two ways of looking at as to how products or services start costing. Conventional Way Cost = Direct Labor Cost + Direct Material Cost + Overhead Cost Activity Based Costing (ABC) Way * Various activities are performed. * Activities attract resources like man, machine, material, money, time and information. * These resources mean money or cost. * Number of activities multiplied by costs attached to the resources consumed by the activities = Overall Cost Cost Reduction Methods Conventional * Reduce direct labor expenses * Reduce direct material expenses * Reduce overhead expenses Non-conventional * Reduce or eliminate (non-value adding) activities * Reduce the consumption of the resources by these activities and even by value adding activities. Cost Management/Control by Controlling Non-Value Adding Activities * Product or services go through processes. * Processes consist of activities. * Activities are: value adding and non-value adding. * Therefore, reduce and finally, eliminate non-value adding activities. * One may think of spending money on value-adding activities if the returns because of putting that extra money (investment) exceed the invested amount. Cost Management/Control by Controlling Seven Notorious Wastes 1. Waste of overproduction 2. Waste of waiting 3. Waste of transportation 4. Waste of processing itself 5. Waste of stocks 6. Waste of motion 7. Waste of making defective products/services

Monday, September 16, 2019

Pepsi Refresh Project Essay

1. Should the Pepsi brand team continue to fund Pepsi Refresh Project in 2011? Pepsi brand team should keep this Refresh project for maintaining and strengthen Pepsi’s brand position in soda market. The Pepsi Refresh Project is a first-of-its-kind initiative, positioning as a consumer brand, and directly respond to the evolving needs of consumers and their preferred methods of communication such as facebook, twitter, blog, and etc. The program effectively changed the way brands talk to consumers, leveraging the power of digital and marketing platforms, moving away from traditional marketing methods. Rather than spending hundreds, thousands of dollars advertising ‘Pepsi’ on media, we believe that Pepsi ought to relegate that money to create more valuable contents with refresh project, which can lead to deeper engagement and strong relationship between Pepsi and customers. The Refresh project could be evaluated by the level of engagement between the brand and consumers, social ROI and brand-equity results. By these evaluations and study, Pepsi Refresh Project program showed that consumers felt Pepsi was a brand that cares about the community. And also the program was a strong fit with their perception of Pepsi as a frontier of idea bank about social issues, and innovative brand. It did not generate the result as an ‘increasing of sales revenue’, but still it is valuable because consumers that may be able to remind about the Pepsi Refresh Project when choosing a cola ‘Pepsi’. Social network that Pepsi developed includes the largest engaged fan base of any beverage company active in US. And these fans are not only potential customers for purchasing Pepsi’s product, but also could be friendly allied customers when Pepsi shrinks. In addition, these evaluations and study showed both how Refresh project could be enormously successful and not successful. When Pepsi launched it and pulled out of the Super Bowl advertising, which they never missed for last 23 years, customers lost their mind, because watching a Pepsi’s  advertisement during the Super Bowl is part of the cultural experience of the game. It showed the power of making a big commitment to these causes. People really responded and said Pepsi is a good company by Refresh project, but at the same time, obviously, sales didn’t rise up. The people who got excited and voted and posted were often not Pepsi drinkers. It showed that the Refresh project was not related to what they really have meant for; it’s really hard to get something good to help Pepsi’s real purpose at the same time. Eventually, Pepsi’s market share has been crashed down on 3rd from the second position after pulled out of 2010 Super Bowl advertising. Nonetheless, because of building brand equity doesn’t translate into an immediate ROI, they should keep their Refresh project in 2011, treating as a big brand investment. But in the end, this Refresh project should be formatted some different way to be linked to sales in consumers’ mind in 2011. 2. If the Pepsi team continues to fund Pepsi Refresh in 2011, what changes would you make to the program to better achieve the brand’s objectives? Refresh project has benefited from notable customer’s interest from being the first mover of a radical approach. While innovative, Pepsi has some missed opportunities. For an instance, Pepsi missed opportunity to integrate Super Bowl TV advertising with Refresh campaign and to spur word-of-mouth chatter about its Refresh initiative. Pepsi’s biggest misstep was putting all its eggs in one basket and not benefiting from synergies of multiple media channels. From 2011, Pepsi should have relegated an appropriate amount of TV advertising budget to Pepsi Refresh for encouraging submitting ideas, voting and sharing their goals. In addition, Pepsi needs to believe in optimism and the power of people and their ideas to make better understanding what the Pepsi brand could be. Pepsi has been at the center of great cultural shifts across many generations. From 2011, Pepsi has to continue to measure success through its brand health metrics. By doubling the number of grants, Pepsi can extend their social impact to more individuals and communities. Since Pepsi Refresh  Project helped increased key brand health metrics in 2010, Pepsi needs to anticipate deeper consumer engagement and more user conversation through refresheverything.com site as well as the Pepsi challenge and power voting. Interaction with the campaign’s website may significantly increase brand attributes including favorability, intent and trust along with intent to purchase among millennials. For example, posting as ‘if you purchase Pepsi, you support the Pepsi Refresh Project’ on every Pepsi’s websites, blogs, and other digital social network windows and pages, it would make even deeper connection between Pepsi brands and consumers. 3. Should Pepsi advertise the Pepsi Refresh Project on the 2011 Super Bowl? We conclude that Pepsi should advertise commercials on the 2011 Super bowl with brilliant ideas and creativities as they had been done for last 23 years rather than focusing on arousing public opinions by Refresh project. Pepsi’s Refresh project is still good investment for their brand as well as to arouse people’s interest, but not on sales. First of all, the Pepsi Refresh Project did not directly contribute to sales increase of Pepsi. Pepsi’s top management was confused with the concept of brand and the sales. Although the Pepsi Refresh Project might have improved the brand image of the soda maker, however consumers lost touch with Pepsi commercials which led to the steep decrease of Pepsi sales. Brian Charneski, a representative of sixteen independent bottlers in the Pacific North west, expressed concern: â€Å"People feel good about the Pepsi Refresh Project and I think it’s neat, but it doesn’t translate to I’m going to buy a Pepsi.† Second, the Pepsi Refresh Project failed to attract the main target customers. Their original target customer were millennials(age 17 ~ 27) who were not as familiar with Pepsi as Boomers(age 41 ~ 60) or Generation Xers(age 28~ 40), but who have the great potential to consume Pepsi for the next couples of years. However, when we analyze Pepsi Refresh Project Voters breakdown, number of votes from Boomers and Generation Xers exceed that of millennials against Pepsi’s expectation. When we also look at Grantee Breakdown, non-profits organization grantees exceed individuals, which means  that the Refresh project program wasn’t directly attracting the right customers- both idea submitters and voters. This is neutral fact; however, non-profits organization grantees neither guarantee that they will spend a certain portion of Pepsi nor it will give rise to drink more Pepsi even though investing a lot of effort to advertise that Pepsi is taking care of consumers’ health. Third, Pepsi do not underestimate the importance of traditional media programs rather than social media programs. Although Pepsi put a great amount of money to social media programs, most consumers cared more about coupons and grantees rather than Pepsi’s original purpose that the on-line consumers are encouraged to blog about Pepsi’s efforts to increase awareness of their causes. Besides, consumers who took part in the Pepsi Refresh Project on-line stayed at the Pepsi website less than four minutes on the average. However, the traditional media people think about the effective and fun method which can foster the sales of Pepsi once they make a contract with Pepsi. Besides, the influence of traditional media on consumers is still effective. Lastly, Super Bowl’s influence on Americans and the whole world is gigantic. Super Bowl is not only a great Sports game, but also a great festival where people make happy memories with their friends, family and colleagues. The Super Bowl is a preeminent advertising arena, bringing in 100 million viewers anticipating the debut of new advertising during the game. Thirty-second advertising spots cost $2.5 to $ 3 million, and Pepsi had spent $143 million on Super Bowl advertising between 1999 and 2008. Consumers were deeply attached to Pepsi’s appearing in the Super Bowl, viewing it as part of the cultural experience of the game. People expect a fun and brilliant commercial than dull and serious ads such as the Pepsi Refresh Project on a Super Bowl. Actually Pepsi went back to their original commercial tradition, so they put three commercials Pepsi max: Love Hurts, First Date, and Torpedo Cooler. 4. Supplements 1. 2011 Super bowl Advertisement – Pepsi Max: Love Hurts (www.youtube.com/watch?v=deS6x0BLZrY‎) – Pepsi Max: First Date (www.youtube.com/watch?v=YalrseH-rB8) – Pepsi Max: Torpedo Cooler (www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ltgsp7QwKU‎) 2. Stock Market Price-earnings Ratio / Coca Cola & PepsiCo / 2009-current

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Analysis of the Novel the Broken Boot

The     Broken     Boot by John   Galsworthy The English novelist and playwright John   Galsworthy   (1867-1933) was one of the most popular writers of the early 20th century. His work explores the transitions and contrasts between pre-and post-World War I England. As his popularity increased,   Galsworthy   published other novels of the Forsyte series: Indian Summer of a Forsyte (1918), In Chancery (1920), Awakening (1920), and To Let (1921). Although   Galsworthy   is best known for his novels, he was also a successful playwright.He constructed his drama on a legalistic basis, and the plays typically start from a social or ethical impulse and reach a resolution after different viewpoints have been expressed. This short story by the title   The     Broken     Boot  (1923) and by the author John   Galsworthy   begins with Gilbert Caister, an actor who had been â€Å"out† for six months, emerging from his lodging about noon. The opening of a play, on tour, in which he was playing a part in the last act rewarded him with four pounds a week.He stepped before a fishmonger's and regarded a lobster. The pleasure of looking at the lobster was not enough to detain him so he moved upstreet. Next he stopped before a tailor's window. He could see a reflection of himself in the faded brown suit gotten from a production the year before the war. The sunlight was very hard on seams and buttonholes. He walked on and became conscious of a face he knew—Bryce-Green. He says to come with him and have lunch. Bryce-Green was a wealthy patron in that South Coast convalescent camp.Caister answered that he'd be delighted. He asks Caister if he knows this place and proceeds to order cocktails. Caister thanks him for the lobster and says to himself that he's an amateur, but a nice man. They sat opposite one another at one of the two small tables. Bryce-Green says luck and Caister replies the same. Bryce-Green then asks Caister what he t hinks of the state of the drama. Caister replies awful. Green says yes there's nobody with any genius. Green then asks if he's been playing anything great. Caister says nothing particular.Green then says to have some more omelette. He then says that it must be a topping life, if you've talent like him. Green then says that he shall come and see him that night. Just six inches off the ground was Caister's boot which inspired the question of whether or not Caister was at all â€Å"rocky†. Caister's eyes met the object of the boot. The boot was split right across between lace and toecap. Caister replies to all of this, â€Å"not at all†. Green then states that he has an engagement that afternoon and pays the bill.

Principal’s Role in Teachers Motivation

INTRODUCTION The principal or leader of any learning institution is the key component in creating an effective school. In creating an effective school, the principal must be effective in his role as a leader. The principal is the centre of attention and will be observed by teachers, students and parents. In addition, the principal is the one who should lead by example. Then it is of utmost importance that the principal exhibits qualities of an effective leader that are conducive to creating an effective school. School culture and the relationship that the parents, teachers and students have with the school have been linked closely to school effectiveness. According to Sergiovanni (2000), most successful leaders will tell you that getting the culture right and paying attention to how parents, teachers and students define and experience meaning are two widely accepted rules for creating effective schools. O’Hanlon and Clifton (2004) posit that the principal is on stage all the time and must be effective in maintaining order and establishing a sense of integrity for the school. Having an effective school can be seen as the ‘life blood’ of every principal and highlights the type of leadership style used by the principal to bring about such a school. In addition, school effectiveness results in teachers’ satisfaction and a high level of academic achievement by the students. An effective school is seen as one that promotes the progress of its students in a broad range of intellectual, social and emotional outcomes, where students progress further than might be expected from knowledge of their backgrounds (Sammons et al. , 1995). STATEMENT OF PROBLEM The purpose of this study is to identify the role of principal in creating an effective school. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY We can all remember childhood moments when at school, the principal would announce at full assembly the outstanding performance of some athletes or the spelling team for achieving first place in the spelling competition. The expression on the faces of the principal, teachers and students is evidence that the school has achieved something great. It is moments like these that we vividly remember and recall the events with much joy and anticipation. However school effectiveness and the principal’s role are of major concern to principals, teachers, students and parents. For some concern parents, the principal is the deciding factor when it comes to the school that their child will attend. If the principal is one that they believe to have good leadership qualities, they will be comfortable that their child or children will do well at that particular school. It would be extremely difficult for schools to be effective if they are characterised by ineffective leaders or low achieving students. Literature clearly states that a strong leader and high student achievement are clear indicators of an effective school. An effective principal supports high student achievement and ensures that staff makes worthy contributions towards the school being effective (O’Hanlon & Clifton, 2004). This research paper will be guided by the following questions: What are the factors influencing school effectiveness? What are the qualities of an effective principal? How does school effectiveness impact on student achievement? SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This paper seeks to show the importance of the role of the principal in creating an effective school. It will also examine the qualities needed by the principal in order to create an effective school and points out that the student is first priority in an effective school. Research of this topic will also provide educators, researchers and policy holders with a better understanding of effective schools and principal leadership and how they can improve on these areas. This study will also examine the views of the teachers, students and parents in relation to the relationship between school effectiveness and principal leadership. DEFINITION OF TERMS It is important that the following terms be defined in the context in which they are used in this paper: Effective school- achieves exceptional academic performances and engenders students who are disciplined and well-rounded. Role- a socially expected behavioural pattern usually determined by an individual’s status in a particular society Principal- a person who has controlling authority or is in a leading position School culture- a set of common understandings for organizing actions and language and other symbolic vehicles for expressing common understandings Student achievement- refers to academic success by a student LITERATURE REVIEW Significant efforts have been made in recent times to establish a relationship between effective schools and principal leadership. This is supported by Rice (2010) as she cites Horng et al. , (2009) who states that for decades, the principal has been recognized as an important contributor to the effectiveness of the school and furthermore the principal constitutes the core of the leadership team in school and influences a variety of school outcomes which include student achievement, through their recruitment and motivation of quality teachers and the ability to identify and articulate school vision and goals. Ubben et al. , (2011) define an effective school as one that is achieving high and equitable levels of student learning. They further state that there are seven correlates of an effective school which are as follows: 1. Clear School Mission 2. High Expectations for Success 3. Instructional Leadership 4. Frequent Mentoring of Student Progress 5. Opportunity to Learn and Time on Task 6. Safe and Orderly Environment 7. Home/School Relations Edmonds and Lezotte (2008) offer another perspective of an effective school. They state that 95 percent or more of the students at each grade level must demonstrate minimum academic mastery and are prepared to succeed in the next grade anywhere in the United States, there shall be no significant difference in the proportion of students demonstrating minimum academic mastery as a function of socioeconomic class and the above two conditions must be obtained for a minimum of three consecutive years. Sergiovanni (2009) posits that an effective school is understood to be a school whose students achieve well in basic skills as measured by achievement tests. He also opines that an effective school is one with a shared covenant clearly articulating the school's core values and providing a standard by which actions will be judged (Sergiovanni, 1992).

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Dangers of Undercover Police Cars Essay

By definition, the police are a constituted body of persons empowered by the state to enforce the law, protect property, and limit civil disorder. Many people in today’s society do not trust the police. Many feel that the police are out to get them. While some feel that police keep our society in tact, some feel that they are given way to much power. Policing predominantly concerns the preservation of order and peace in our country. With that being said, keeping peace is much different from what I feel that our police enforcement agencies in this country actually do. Often, they do the opposite. Trying to find anything and everything that a citizen is doing incorrectly is not keeping peace. In fact, this causes the distancing between our police and the citizens they are policing. My bill speaks on the removal of undercover police cars from law enforcement. The impacts that these types of police vehicles have on our society all seems to be negative. They are used as a way to catch our citizens off guard, since these vehicles do not appear to be cops. As citizens, we have the right of knowledge. When a police officer is present, I think that we should be able to know. Why are they hiding from us? If they’re here to protect us, why are the not acting like it? Hiding from us makes it seem like they do not want to protect us, but trick us. Police offices’ auction off police cars that are out of commission. At a fairly cheap price, these cars are stripped off all lighting and sirens. But that is not to say they are not deceiving. With a couple of hundred dollars and computer access, you can order almost identical lights and sirens to a police officer. Here is a very scary story involving an innocent women, a criminal and a unmarked police car: It was only 1:30 in the afternoon when the unmarked police car pulled alongside Laura Johnson’s car with their flashing light on their rooftop, and signaled for her to pull over. She sensed something was off, so she kept going and immediately contacted the dispatcher who checked it out and called her back to tell her there were no unmarked police cars in that area. She was told to keep driving. In a short time 4 police cars surrounded Laura and the suspect car. The police apprehended not only a criminal impersonating a police officer, but a convicted rapist wanted by the police for other crimes. That day, Laura got lucky. But if she wouldn’t have sensed that something was off, her fate could be much different. Finally, these undercover police units cost our taxpayers more money that you may imagine. Police cars are purchased in bulk, averaging around 30 thousand apiece fully loaded. But the technologies of an undercover car, with low-key lighting and high tech LED lights placed all around the car push that number up, to around 34 thousand dollars. Lets say in one year there are 10 new undercover cop cars purchased, that’s 40 thousand dollars wasted! Of our taxpayer’s dollars, that could be used for so many other things. With all of that being said, we must pass this bill to remove undercover police cars. For the conversation of our tax money, the honesty we deserve as citizens, and the safety of the men, women, and children of our community. Thank you for your time.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Role of Music in The Lord of the Rings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Role of Music in The Lord of the Rings - Essay Example Some of them were â€Å"The One Ring†, â€Å"The Elves†, â€Å"The Gondor†, â€Å"The Fellowship of the Ring†, and so on. Each theme represents a particular situation, group, or personality and, accordingly, reflects and comments on them. The lyrics of the themes are composed in a thorough manner to satisfy the viewers (Lehman, 2011, p.284). The three main themes were Shire, Fellowship, and Rohan. These were the most prominent and easily recognizable in all the three movies. Each of them is played countless times with different orchestrations according to the moods of the films. The Shire, which is the most popular theme of the movies, represents the Shire and is rendered whenever the hobbits want to go home. It has a folksy feel and slightly out of tune. It is â€Å"warm-hearted, comforting and inviting†. The Fellowship theme has been repeated 38 times across the three movies. In the first movie, it is used as signature theme. It is â€Å"heroic, jagged, and assertive† (Rawlins, 2006). The Rohan theme is used as signature theme for the second movie. It expresses the â€Å"simplicity, military prowess, and sense of honor† of Rohan culture (Rawlins, 2006). The lyrics for all the music pieces and especially those used by the choir were translated into Elvish languages that were invented by Tolkien (Beregond, 2009, p.68). The lyrics were written to reflect the exact theme, and special training was given to the singers to pronounce them (Waldron, 2006). Leitmotif Shore used the technique of leitmotif to compose the music of this trilogy. Leitmotifs are themes that â€Å"represent different aspects of the narratives† (Mathijs, 2006, p.307), and they were widely used in the classical Hollywood movies. In using... The films are The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003). Howard Shore is a composer and conductor of music for all the three movies. He won the Academic Awards in 2001 and 2003 for Best Original Score. Music has been incorporated on large scale that spans nearly 12 hours. The music of all the three movies was recorded by London Philharmonic, and won Grammy Awards. Howard Shore is trained in classical music, and he continues to learn to maintain the flow of his creativity. He believes that there is no end of knowledge in music, and, as he learns more, he gets more resources to utilize. He composes music for only those films whose subject strikes an emotional chord inside him. For composing the music of The Lord of the Rings, he has used his lifetime experience and childlike imagination. His improvisation came from the unconscious; he shaped and developed this improvisation according to the theme and characters of the movies. Howard had the responsibility of creating music in one year for a work that took 12 years for Tolkien to put in his book. He had to create music that lasted 21 hours, which included â€Å"nine hours in the theatre and 12 hours on the DVD†. Shore felt that he became aware of many things in himself while composing the music. Music plays an important role in all the three films as it helps to narrate the story and express the characters and situations with the use of the leitmotif technique. The music has become extremely popular and the soundtrack is available for purchase. The music played in the movies is the finest achievement by Howard Shore. The symphonic presentation of the music makes it more popular in concert halls.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Philosophy Historiography Marquis De Sade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Philosophy Historiography Marquis De Sade - Essay Example Again, their necessity is being suggested and needed for a person to form a true sense of self and separation from others. In the example of Vlad Dracula, the terrible vampire who used to suck the blood of its victims at night, all three notions of power, pleasure and violence are combined. Dracula is devoid of sympathy, love, caring feelings, but is filled with a strict sense of self. He embodies egoism and selfishness, clearly separating himself from his victims in his being superior to them. Another example in this subject is that of the witch hunts. A few centuries ago, people started fearing people (especially women) who tended to exhibit unusual features, abilities or powers. They could be healers, women who know a rare profession or one that impressed or baffled others. Whatever the case was, these women were denounced as others, witches, evil women that desire to cause harm and evil deeds to others. Everyone who did not fit the normal standards was at risk to be deemed as such, and at a certain time, things got incredibly out of control, as hundreds and thousands of people were cast off and killed due to their different "self", for their being "other", as the community defined it. These and other crazes in the 16th and 17th centuries (but also in other centuries) illustrate that there was a fear of others, of strangers, of people with capabilities that exceed the norm. In other words, a collective sense of self for the community was defined, and anyone who did not live up to those standards and protocols faced a terrible punishment, which was usually death. Here we see the use of violence and power the majority has over the minority, the individuals. We can see that religion has had its part in these matters. First, religion often deals with the issues of power, violence and pleasure. Generally, Christianity (as

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Mockery in Order Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mockery in Order - Essay Example Therefore, the development of control structures is useful in maintaining order as well as enforcing discouraging protocols. The establishment of order has its own draw backs which are useful in the creation of controls that are useful in the maintenance of orderliness in the society. The reduction of freedom of choice to a restricted module or activity is the principal drawback of order creation. In a bid to create uniformity and orderliness in society, there is the creation of laws, rules, and regulations which are useful for the development of the systematic way. Military personnel are easily identified because of the set of the uniform they wear; the same applies to police service and school going children. Some of the personnel may view the uniform as an infringement on rights to dress as they wish which is the paradox of order. According to Barthes, the infringement of one's rights in the army through uniforms and the set of rules is a mockery to order (Barthes 40). He refers to submission in the army as fanatic and a blind act (Barthes 40). Think of students in uniform! Uniform gives an impression of equity and order in school, but does it mean that they love wearing it? A clear no. Some of the students will always abuse the uniform. As a result, dressing chords are implemented to enforce order of which later results to strikes and the so called â€Å"cases of indiscipline†. What a mockery of order! The students feel that the order created infringes their rights and forces them to adopt what they cannot live to. In a football match, the separation of the two groups of fans and supporters help in the creation of order. Imagine, that there was no separation between the groups. What could be the consequence of such an action? There would be strife and fighting within the group leading to disharmony and strife. The separation of the groups leads to the creation of order in the match. The separation is a creation of that reduces or limits freedom of movement between the two groups. In the real sense, human beings need to interact with each other, to enjoy freedom of movement. This privilege is lost in order for the order to exist in the match. The existence of a physical barrier separating the two groups is obviously an infringement on the right for movement and association that is accorded to all human beings. Despite the success of the physical barrier, there are still problems facing maintenance of order in situations such as play interruption as a result of pitch invasion by supporters as wi tnessed in matches in Italian and Russian football leagues. Additionally fans may clash in the street with some fans obtaining injures or even death in the street confrontation. The solution to the problem has always been the designation of routes to reduce meeting of the two supporter groups. The route designation minimizes freedom and association movements. The restriction of movement and association is the price of order creation; thus, it creates a scenario in order to gain publicity, and show a need for order creation. According to the chaos theory, in order for the order to be created disorder must first exist and vice versa. The creation of order, is based on, the drive to make an organised structure from, a disorganised state. The creation and innovation experienced in the world is as a result of need for order in all spheres of life. It is vital to state that the need for order

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 18

Journal - Assignment Example Harry Truman had warned earlier. It became prevalent because of the â€Å"guilt by association† principle without any solid proof of disloyalty (Faragher et al. 694). Anybody is a suspect and it was relatively easy for anyone to accuse someone of being a communist such as members of labor unions. . The extensiveness of the red scare at home can perhaps be partly explained by mass hysteria. People were not sure who is whom, or who were the card-carrying members of the Communist Party in America. At any rate, the rise of McCarthyism, as it came to be called, was basically an unacceptable form of ideological and political extremism. In the words of the observers, it was essentially demagoguery combined with witch-hunting. It was extensive since anyone could accuse anybody and â€Å" . . . it was an irresponsible and dangerous tactic . . . the reckless persecution of innocent or relatively harmless dissidents . . . â€Å" (Jenkins 2). When people are not sure who is the enemy, then anybody can become a suspect. Fears can become exaggerated when people lacked information and so imagination and irrationality took over. In those dangerous times, communism was on the march and it seemed unstoppable. People were attracted to its ideology of equality for all of whatever race or class (Fitzgerald 24). Joseph â€Å"Joe† R. McCarthy (1908-1957) was a Republican senator from the state of Wisconsin. He was a rarity among American politicians because he was a devout Catholic and a part of his religious beliefs was strong opposition to communism because it was atheistic that is opposed to any kind of organized religion. Communists like to call religion as an opiate (or opium) that deprives normal people the faculty to think clearly and rationally so they do not believe in a god or any supreme being who determines human affairs. Rather, the main logic of communists is that the people themselves can chart their own destiny. McCarthy was

Monday, September 9, 2019

Musical Autobiography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Musical Autobiography - Essay Example It was one of the most famous songs at that time, which became the first international â€Å"local song†, familiar to all world cultures (The Center for American Music). â€Å"Old Folks at Home† is a song about the need for one’s family home, childhood memories, and the security of a family. No matter how far we go, we always miss â€Å"de old plantation and for de old folks at home† (Foster). This song has been performed by many singers, but I like best Paul Robeson’s interpretation from 1926. I first listened to it as an 8-year-old girl with my father, who is a big fan of Paul Robeson. This song used to accompany our family dinners, long car trips and outings. Today, when I feel sad and lonely, I play â€Å"Old Folks at Home† and I think about my family in Korea. This songs allows me to realize that even though I am so far away from my family, we are still close at heart. I know that I have a family that cares for me and a home where I will always be welcomed. Another song that reminds me of my childhood in Korea is â€Å"Candy†, performed by H.O.T, which was my favorite band when I was in primary school. H.O.T was the most popular boy band in Korea at that time and all my friends were their big fans. We all collected pictures and posters of H.O.T and we were spending a lot of time practicing the choreography of â€Å"Candy†. Although my musical tastes have changed with time, sometimes I like listening to â€Å"Candy† and thinking with nostalgia of the days when my biggest worry was lack of some poster of H.O.T. that my best friend had already had on the wall. This song reminds me of my pre-teen days, my first crash on Kang Ta – one of the members of the band, and the great moments I spent singing and dancing with my friends. I think that preadolescence is a very important stage in our lives, when we start to develop meaningful friendships, we have increased feelings of independence, and we