Family Problems

Many Family conditions are seen as factors that increase the likelihood of poverty. Regarding risk factors, Tom Luster and Harriett McAdoo of Michigan State University summed up the findings of 17 eminent researchers in the field in 1994 by noting: â€Å"Over the past 15 years, research on diverse samples of children has shown that children who are exposed to several risk factors simultaneously tend to experience learning or behavioral problems. â€Å"a Poor families are more likely to have multiple risk factors. Jean Brooks-Gunn of Teachers College at Columbia University and her colleagues estimated that in 1995, only 2 percent of poor families had no risk factors, while 35 percent experienced six or more. By contrast, among families that were not poor, 19 percent experienced no risk factors and 5 percent experienced six or more risk factors. b Many of these risks are measures of conditions linked to broken families. The instrument used most widely in social science research to assess risk factors is the â€Å"HOME† measurement, used in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). The factors in the HOME scale below can be shown to be associated with the presence or absence of marriage and with Family structure, as noted within the parentheses. References cited in the footnotes for each factor are studies that illustrate the correlation between the risk and Family structure. The HOME assessment factors are: * Low birth weight (most prevalent in out-of-wedlock births). c * Low neonatal health index score (most prevalent in out-of-wedlock births). c * Unemployment of the household head (least likely in a two-parent Family). * Mother has less than a high school education (less likely if parents are married). e * Mother has a verbal comprehension score below the 25th percentile (associated strongly with educational level, which is linked extensively to her parent's Family structure). f * High maternal depression score (less likely if married). g * More than three stressful life events (less likely if married). h * Teenagers at time of child's birth (most unlikely to marry). f * Low social support network (less likely if married and have married parents). i * Father absent at time of interview. Child-to-adult ratio is greater than 2:1 (50 percent less likely if married, since marriage doubles the number of adults). * Simplistic categorical view of child development. * Of ethnic minorityb (two married parents are less likely in African-American and Hispanic households). j Rather than being immutable conditions, many of these risk factors are the result of individual choices, particularly regarding marriage. Restoring marriage among the poor would create home environments that are more likely to reduce these factors significantly. But this will require a coordinated effort by the public, private, and parochial sectors of society. aTom Luster and Harriette Pipes McAdoo, â€Å"Factors Related to the Achievement and Adjustment of Young African American Children,† Child Development, Vol. 65, No. 4 (April 1994), pp. 1080-1094. bJean Brooks-Gunn, Pamel Kato Klevbanov, and Fron-ruey Liaw, â€Å"Learning, Physical and Emotional Environment of the Home in the Context of poverty: The Infant Health and Development Program,† Children& Youth Services Review, Vol. 17, (1995), pp. 251-276. Family Problems Many Family conditions are seen as factors that increase the likelihood of poverty. Regarding risk factors, Tom Luster and Harriett McAdoo of Michigan State University summed up the findings of 17 eminent researchers in the field in 1994 by noting: â€Å"Over the past 15 years, research on diverse samples of children has shown that children who are exposed to several risk factors simultaneously tend to experience learning or behavioral problems. â€Å"a Poor families are more likely to have multiple risk factors. Jean Brooks-Gunn of Teachers College at Columbia University and her colleagues estimated that in 1995, only 2 percent of poor families had no risk factors, while 35 percent experienced six or more. By contrast, among families that were not poor, 19 percent experienced no risk factors and 5 percent experienced six or more risk factors. b Many of these risks are measures of conditions linked to broken families. The instrument used most widely in social science research to assess risk factors is the â€Å"HOME† measurement, used in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). The factors in the HOME scale below can be shown to be associated with the presence or absence of marriage and with Family structure, as noted within the parentheses. References cited in the footnotes for each factor are studies that illustrate the correlation between the risk and Family structure. The HOME assessment factors are: * Low birth weight (most prevalent in out-of-wedlock births). c * Low neonatal health index score (most prevalent in out-of-wedlock births). c * Unemployment of the household head (least likely in a two-parent Family). * Mother has less than a high school education (less likely if parents are married). e * Mother has a verbal comprehension score below the 25th percentile (associated strongly with educational level, which is linked extensively to her parent's Family structure). f * High maternal depression score (less likely if married). g * More than three stressful life events (less likely if married). h * Teenagers at time of child's birth (most unlikely to marry). f * Low social support network (less likely if married and have married parents). i * Father absent at time of interview. Child-to-adult ratio is greater than 2:1 (50 percent less likely if married, since marriage doubles the number of adults). * Simplistic categorical view of child development. * Of ethnic minorityb (two married parents are less likely in African-American and Hispanic households). j Rather than being immutable conditions, many of these risk factors are the result of individual choices, particularly regarding marriage. Restoring marriage among the poor would create home environments that are more likely to reduce these factors significantly. But this will require a coordinated effort by the public, private, and parochial sectors of society. aTom Luster and Harriette Pipes McAdoo, â€Å"Factors Related to the Achievement and Adjustment of Young African American Children,† Child Development, Vol. 65, No. 4 (April 1994), pp. 1080-1094. bJean Brooks-Gunn, Pamel Kato Klevbanov, and Fron-ruey Liaw, â€Å"Learning, Physical and Emotional Environment of the Home in the Context of poverty: The Infant Health and Development Program,† Children& Youth Services Review, Vol. 17, (1995), pp. 251-276.

Elements of Marketing Essay

There are several views and definition of marketing. The most widely accepted definition is that of the American Marketing Association, the professional organization for marketing practitioners and educators, which defines marketing as â€Å"the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives† Elements of Marketing Marketing Research Marketing is by definition a process of planning and executing to meet consumer needs. It understands what are actual consumer wants and needs. Marketing research is the process in which collection of data by systematically helps to identify consumer’s needs. The Four Ps The heart of marketing strategy is the development of a response to market palace. Marketing by definition explains the concept of execution, pricing, promotion and right placement of goods, ideas and services. To respond to customers, a good organization develop product according to willingness of its purchaser, identify appropriate place for availability and finally and promote its product to create familiarity in its customers mind. Product, Price, Place and promotions are four Ps of marketing which are use many organizations to define its marketing strategy. Product: Product represents goods, services, or ideas offered by a firm. Price: Price focuses on what customers are willing to pay for services. What price actually suits to consumer to buy goods? A company provides good or services and a customer willing to exchange dollars to satisfy its needs. Place: Place represents the way or specific area in which company will distribute its goods or provide services to its customers. This decision company takes after careful and effective marketing research. Promotion: The final P represents promotion. Historically it is renowned with advertisement which is mean marketing. Promotions activities involve creating awareness in consumers mind to understand how they can meet their needs. Second approach is to define STP’s STP (segmentation, Targeting, Positioning) Segmentation: It is Process of dividing the market according to similarities that exist among the various subgroups within the market. The similarities may be common characteristics or common needs and desires. One of the main reasons for using market segmentation is to help companies to better understand the needs of a specific customer base. Mass marketing assumes that all customers are the same and will respond to the same advertising. By looking at ways in which potential customer groups are different from each other, the marketing message can be better targeted to the needs and wants of those people. Market segmentation strategies that meet these criteria can cover wide range of consumer characteristics. Subsets may be defined by basic demographics like age, race, or gender, for example. Other qualities, like educational background or income can also be used, as can location. Some of the potentially most powerful variables by which to segment a market are behavioral ones, including social class, lifestyle, and interests.

Understanding The Principles Of Developing Postive Relationships With Children, Young People And Adults

Why effective communication is important We are more likely to communicate information to one another if we have positive relationships. Parents and other adults who come into the school are more likely to give beneficial support if communication is strong and effective – this, in turn, benefits pupils. It is also important for pupils that we model effective communication skills. This means checking what we are saying sometimes in moments of stress or excitement, so that they can understand what our expectations are in school.If we ask pupils to behave in a particular way when communicating and then forget to do so ourselves, they will find it harder to understand the boundaries of what is acceptable. Effective communication and positive relationships do not happen by chance. You should think about the way you relate to others and the messages that this sends out. In situations where communication breaks down, misunderstandings can lead to bad feeling.1. 1:2 The principles of relationship buildingThe principles of relationship building with children  and adults in any context are that if others are comfortable in our company, they will be more likely to communicate effectively. Where people do not get along or are suspicious of one another, they are likely to avoid one another wherever possible. Positive relationships are not something which should be left_ to chance and it is important to consider the ways in which we can develop them. We build relationships with others in school on a daily basis in a number of different ways.Although you may do some of these without necessarily thinking  about it, it is worth taking time to consider whether you do all of the following? Effective communication – this is the key area for developing relationships with others and also covers many different forms of communication (see below)? Showing respect – in order to develop positive relationships with others, it is very important to be courteous and respectful, and to listen to their points of view. Adults and pupils with whom you work may also be from different cultures and have different beliefs or values from your own.You  should ensure that you acknowledge and respect the views of others at all times and take time to remember names and preferred forms of address? Being considerate – take the time to consider the positions of others. You may be working with a child or adult who is under particular pressure at a given time and need to understand why they may have behaved or reacted in a certain way or out of character?Remembering issues which are personal to them – it will always help to build positive relationships if you enquire a_er particular aspects  of another person’s life – for example, if you know that a colleague is concerned about their child getting into a particular secondary school, or if you are aware that it is a child’s birthday? Taking time to listen to others – make sure that you take time to listen to other people, in particular if they are asking for advice or help, or if they need to confide in you. You should always show that you are interested in what they have to say and respond appropriately?Being clear on key points – when you have conversations with others in which you are giving  them information, you should always ensure that they are clear what you have said at the end of the discussion. This is because it can be easy to be distracted from the main point of the conversation. When talking to children, always ask them to repeat back to you what they need to do? Maintaining a sense of humour – although the nature of our work in school is important, we should also sometimes take time to see the funny side of different situations. Laughter can be a good icebreaker and is also a great way of relaxing and relieving stress.

Report of the death of Vicky Margaret who died at Albany hospital Case Study

Report of the death of Vicky Margaret who died at Albany hospital - Case Study Example Vicky Margaret was involuntarily admitted at Albany Hospital because the doctors found out that she had a mental illness, which could not allow her to make an informed decision about whether to get treatment (Hope, 2009). The doctors discovered that Margaret had a mental illness according to the statement given by her mother. The statement argued that the patient was diagnosed with the mental disorder after giving birth to her two children. The hospital diagnosed Mrs. Greeuw with bipolar and schizoaffective disorders. The results of the post mortem conducted by the Chief Forensic Pathologist, Dr Cookie, however, indicated that Vicky died from bowel obstructions. The report that comprised of photographs showed that the bowel obstructions resulted from constipation, which led to vomiting and piling up of faeces in the rectum of the deceased. Further investigation indicated that the medication used to treat the patient was capable of leading to constipation. The medication includes Oloz apine, Lamotrigine, Ferrograd, Benztropine, and chlorpromazine (Hope, 2009). All the prescriptions had side effects of leading to constipation, and the doctors failed to examine Vicky’s physical condition. This led to the severity of the case, which consequently led to the death of Vicky Margaret.... This led to the severity of the case, which consequently led to the death of Vicky Margaret. 1.1 Objectives of the report The main aim of preparing this report is to find out and analyze the causes of the death of Vicky Margaret. The report also aims at formulating recommendations that will help health institutions to prevent similar cases. Health institutions may integrate the recommendations in their policies to ensure that nurses and doctors attend to patients efficiently. 2.0 Background of the report The report was compiled using nursing and laboratory notes and reports, in addition to discussions with critical health officers such as psychiatrists, nurses, and general practitioners. 2.1 Analysis of the Case using the Human Factors Models The Human Factors Model explains that efficiency at the workplace is achieved when human characteristics are integrated into the system of a clinic. The human factors include effective communication, safe working tools, and healthy working condi tions. The theory argues that errors are reduced in the workplace when there is efficient communication, and workers use safe tools. In this case, the patient was not examined physically, and there was no proper communication between the doctors who treated Vicky. Griffies, the doctor who admitted Margaret, argued that he was not responsible for the treatment of the patient. Griffies failed to communicate with the doctor who treated Vicky, yet he had some information on her condition. The practitioners also ignored the treatment history of the patient, which shows that Vicky was treated with bowel obstructions in 2005, and she had been admitted to the hospital twelve times since 1989. The case would have been

Behavior of students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Behavior of students - Essay Example Parents cause stress by demanding only the best grades. Students are often in relationships with people of the opposite sex. Sometimes these relationships end badly. This is a stressful situation. Teachers are also under stress. They need to prepare lectures, grade essays and conduct research in order to keep their jobs. They are always writing and reading so they know what is best to teach their students. Many teachers participate in committees that keep them late after work. Teaching students is a stressful job. The problem with putting stressed-out students and Stressed-out teachers together in the classroom is obvious. Students will want to get class over with as soon as possible to be with their friends and to start on their assignments. Teachers work hard to make their lessons, so they want to get the best information tot her students. Sometimes this situation can create conflict, resulting in student behavior problems. One behavior problem that many students have is ignoring the teacher. They will sit in class and pretend to listen to the teacher but they are actually sending secret text messages or playing games on their laptops. The students do this as an act of silent rebellion. They are trying to control the situation by participating in activities they would rather do, all while they are fooling the teacher. Students in these classes are bound to get lower grades if they participate in this behavior. They seem to think that simply sitting class gives them a right to good grades. Ignoring the teacher is a bad student behavior that leads to bad grades. Another behavior problem students have is actually caused by poor teaching. Sleeping in class is a student behavior that is disruptive to the learning in the class. Many students may say that they are not hurting anyone if they sleep. This is not true. Sleeping actually distracts other students, especially if you snore. This behavior is

Domestic violence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Domestic violence - Research Paper Example I would also use movement exercise in which the members would make a circle and run jump around in unison around while holding hands; this is useful since it helps them develop trust as well as remember the activities and discussions that are held on that day owing to the excitement of movement. As a leader, my effectiveness will be judged consciously and unconsciously by the members of the group depending on my ability to conduct this exercise effectively. Thus I must ensure that I am firm but gentle and so that all the members respect my instructions and follow them, that way I will establish my role as the director of activities to all the members. Furthermore, as a leader, the manner in which the members perform their activities will give me invaluable insight into their characters and emotional stability thus I will have a good understanding of the different members which is key if one is to successfully manage a group. For a group to be effective the leader must steer clear of certain common mistakes that; when made in the middle stage can undermine the overall purpose of the group and its objectives, these mistakes include: Overloading or underleading the group; this is when the leader either focus too much on uninteresting material and ends up boring the group or when they literally turns it over to the members in an attempt at democracy undermining the leadership role (Jacobs et al., 2010). Another common mistake is organizing too few exercises; this may go wrong if the excitement meant to be generated by the planned exercise does not materialize and they had no back up. Other mistakes include choosing boring speakers or letting focus on the main objective stray for too long and this often results in the members, either losing interest or the objective of the meeting being overlooked. In my group I would ensure to I avoid these mistakes and use my knowledge in counseling psychology as well the various activities to ensure I remain focused on the object ive; which is to help them help each other cope with their problems while at the same time making the sessions fun enough for them to remain interested throughout. Domestic abuse can be broadly described as when power is used by one adult in a relationship to control the other, it can take a variety of forms ranging from; physical sexual, emotional financial and psychological. This abuse is mostly common among women as they are victimized by their male partners and spouses; according to WHO, the frequency of sexual and physical violence by a partner rangers between 29 to 71 % (Kaur & Garg, 2008). The reason women have been on the receiving end of domestic violence for so long can be attributed to several factors; traditionally, many human societies viewed women as weak and vulnerable and it was the norm to brutalize them. Today, despite the radical changes in the perception of woman, certain social economic factors and in some parts of the world such as India cultural factors seem t o permit and encourage domestic abuse. Abuse in any form often has detrimental effects on women’s health this is because even if they are not physically harmed, they will suffer from a myriad of psychological

Nigeria and Oil Extraction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Nigeria and Oil Extraction - Essay Example Oil industry forms a major part of the export sector of Nigeria. However, the oil drilling and oil exploration has lead to massive environmental problems, such as water pollution, land degradation and breakdown of ecosystem. These issues have created further social problems in the lives of Nigerians. It seems that Nigerians are paying a huge price for economic development. Oil forms a pertinent part of the exports of the African country, Nigeria. In fact, much of the development, which started in the 1950s in this country, has been attributed to the revenue obtained from the oil industry. Moreover, future advancement in Nigeria depends largely on this industry. Nigeria comes second to the leading African nations, exporting oil. Since the discovery of oil in 1959, the country has largely become independent on this commodity for its foreign exchange reserves. Nigeria has improved economically and socially, since this has led to better infrastructure facilities, and a better trade balan ce. Nigeria is bound to progress in every occupation, because it remains one of the nations having huge amount of oil reserves, which remains the most prized commodity. Therefore, oil exploration and drilling should have profound impacts on the lives of Nigerians, which advances their lifestyle. This could mean in terms of better living conditions, education, better agriculture, better environment and availability of food (Emiri, Deinduomo, pp.349, year). However, this has not been the case, when it comes to Nigeria. Nigeria remains one of the Third World Countries, which is crippled by the same problems such countries face. One of the common problems faced by Third World Countries includes the rapid environment degradation. Environmental degradation has been advanced by the oil industry, because of the drilling impacts. The paper largely focuses on the different environmental impacts that the oil industry has created. It has become an issue of immense concern, especially in the rec ent decades. Environmental degradation has gotten quite out of hand. This can be proved by the fact that the Millennium Development Goals, which had to be completed by various countries by the year 2012, includes the issue of environmental management. Environmental management includes areas such as the protection and the sustainable use of the elements of the environment. It also includes the reversal of those environmental problems, which humans have created (Child Development, n.p). However, Nigeria has remained far behind in this goal. Environmental degradation has multiplied; because of the increased oil, drilling that has been occurring since the past few decades. Nevertheless, that does not signify or assume that there remains no environmental awareness in Nigeria. The negative environmental effects of oil operations have largely been studied and documented by van Dessel, who used to be the environmental studies head of Shell in Nigeria. He found out that many of the environme ntal problems stem from oil spills, gas flares, oil and other waste, drilling and even during surveys. Seismic surveys create many problems, such as the cutting of lines that adversely affect the mangroves forestation. The whole ecosystem gets disturbed in this way. Therefore, one such simple example shows the numerous environmental effects of oil drilling (Frynas, pp. 158). The environmental impact has been significant particularly in one area, which includes the Niger Delta region. This region forms part of history in the way that the first oil exploration was conducted in this area in 1956. At the time of discovery, some 5000 barrels of oil were produced every day. However, now the production has extended to such a large

One page written reflection on the concept of the substitutability of Research Paper - 1

One page written reflection on the concept of the substitutability of natural capital - Research Paper Example In this respect, natural capital plays an important role in the life and existence of every individual around the world. The continued use of natural capital brings into perspective the concepts of sustainability and substitutability (Markandya and Suzette 9). In essence, these concepts are critically intertwined. The substitutability of natural capital has a direct effect on the sustainability of resources in the environment. The idea of substitutability implies finding an alternative use in place of natural capital. Economists and environmentalists agree to disagree that human capital can substitute natural capital. While some hold the view of human capital replacing natural capital, others contend that the two can only work side by side as opposed to outright substitutability. As a result, the concept of substitutability is not only contentious but also diverse. On one hand, the substitutability of natural capital can be said to be weak. From this point of view, human capital could move in to replace natural capital that could otherwise be depleted from the environment. The idea is to minimize the use and exploitation of natural capital while maximizing the use of human capital (Hussen 144). In this view, human-driven activities take over the place of natural capital without generating catastrophic effects on the environment. For example, generating electricity from wind could ensure substitutability of natural capital through producing energy without harming the natural environment. Another key example is the use of solar panels as opposed to mining coal and oil, both of which are extremely hard to replace. On the other hand, it is difficult to achieve a balanced substitutability of natural capital. In many instances, both natural and human capitals work hand in hand. This means that it is difficult to achieve a one hundred

The Summary of Economic Bubbles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Summary of Economic Bubbles - Essay Example Economic bubbles are formed because the investors respond positive to the increasing price, i.e., they buy more with the increasing prices. This may be due to greed or a desire to become rich by selling those assets at an even higher price in the near future. In other words, buyers tend to assume that they will be able to find another buyer (sometimes referred to as â€Å"a greater fool†) who will pay them even more than they paid for the asset. These bubbles cause a little or no economic damage because usually the â€Å"greater fools† get wiser by learning from their failure and the sellers get a lot richer. However, its effects can be felt if owners of inflated assets assume themselves as rich and start spending unwisely by getting more bank loans against their overpriced assets as securities. So when the prices of the overpriced assets fall, both the loan recipient and the bank could bankrupt and suffer huge losses. On a macro level several banks may fail and lesser money is available for investments to recover the economy. Similarly when this happens due to speculation of the share prices of the company, the stock markets may eventually

Research paper on GMO's Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

On GMO's - Research Paper Example This is because more than 80% of the total global food requirements come from plants (WHO, 1987). As a topic, GMO’s not only concerns the fields of biotechnology and genetic engineering but also a topic of economic, political, and social cultural interests. Each of this field has a stake or role to play in adoption of GMO’s. The future of the globe interims of food sustainability depends of effective research of GMO’s. Genetic modification results when there is an alteration in the configuration of genes in the cell of an organism. This alteration can result from delectation of insertion of new genes from the cells of another species. Genes are tiny strands found in the cells of all living organism and they are known to be the carriers DNA. All organisms have unique number of genes and any alteration of the genetic material result in creation of organisms that have different characteristics from those of their parents. The reality on GMO’s was realized in 1975 when the discussion about the new invention was launched at Asilomar conference. The meeting concluded that production of GMO’s should be carried out when scientist have done considerable research on the safety of GMO’s. However, production of GMO’s plants was first carried out in Canada and the US in 1982 when farmers were given genetically modified seeds for experimental purpose. In the recent history, there has been more progress in the production of genetically modified plants than genetically modified animals. Genetic modification can be applied to produce animals that have enhanced capabilities such as resistance to certain disease (Gary, 2005). In addition, genetic modification can result in physical modification of animals. Following the current developments in biotechnology and genetic engineering, there has been concern about economic application of GMO’s. It is obvious that the focus is the growing

Game scrabble Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Game scrabble - Essay Example Unfortunately for him, he did not know that he will also become deeply engrossed into the game just as other hard-core players. This paper begins by giving a general overview of the book before focusing on individual characters and analyzing their distinctive features relative to the game. Their lives outside the game are also explored and their roles within the text. Stefan Fatsis, author and character in Word Freak, used to play a reasonably mean game of Scrabble-according to what he thought, until that moment when he chose to investigate the game both intensively and extensively for an article he was due to publish. In a twist and turn of events, Fatsis sooner than later found himself obsessed with the game just as other hard-core players he sought to interview. The book revolves around the characters of G.I. (that is from gastrointestinal) Joel Sherman, Marlon Hill, a fervent youthful black nationalist, and Matt Graham, the pill-popping funnyman. These characters spent a great chunk of their time in dictionaries and other sources just to familiarize with new words to use while playing scrabble tournaments. Something what noting is that they all earned their livelihood through the income and prizes from these events. While some of them loved words for their own selves, others did this just as a means to an end. It because of these that Fatsis takes an issue and warns anyone contemplating engaging in competitive Scrabble to come to terms with the fact that it may require them to learn words that may lack outside utility. Eventually, the game demands for mastering the rules of the game, which for this case are the words. Joel Sherman, also called G.I. (from gastrointestinal), is described as a Walking Manual of physical sicknesses. Among the many maladies associated with him include asthma, postnatal drip, and allergic to lactose. Another funny bit about him is that he uncontrollably belches during tournaments

Innocent Love Leading to Madness Essay Example for Free

Innocent Love Leading to Madness Essay Within Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, and in Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the authors show how the themes love and madness, as in good and evil, can intersect. Toni Morrison shows that through the relationship between Hagar and Milkman, while Shakespeare uses the innocent Ophelia, who is deeply in love with Hamlet. In the book Song of Solomon and the play Hamlet, Tony Morrison and Shakespeare respectively, portray the kind of love that eventually leads to madness. The love between Ophelia and Hamlet, as well as between Hagar and Milkman is from the beginning pure love. The letter, which Hamlet writes to Ophelia, shows that he really loves her: the most beautified Ophelia (II, iii). He used the word beautified to display a sincere tribute and it is obvious that he loves her. In Song of Solomon, feeling starts to arise between Milkman and Hagar very early. Already when Hagar was to take in two baskets from the porch, it seemed to Milkman that she was as pretty a girl as hed ever seen (p. 45). This attraction that later led to a relationship between them was one of the reason for Hagars incurable madness. As stated so far, the roots for madness was love. Although what it arose from, was the rejection from a beloved. In Hamlet, Hamlet himself rejects Ophelia as a result of his faked madness. This, together with happenings such as her fathers death, leads to a true madness. When Ophelia talks about Valentines Day, she is referring to the events of romance that she was denied. The madness caused by Hamlets faked rejection, lead to her suicide later in the play. In Song of Solomon, Milkman grows tired of Hagar, and puts an end to their relationship. It leads to insanity, here also caused by rejection from a beloved. When she realises that she will not get what she asks for, she makes several attempts of murdering him instead, with a frightened Milkman as a result. The authors characterise the devastating, but to the works important side effects that may arise when madness originates from love. In Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison combines love and madness to form a single image in the figure of the jilted lover Hagar, who ritualistically attempts to murder the object of her adoration, Milkman. The enormous passion for Milkman is shown when Guitar tries to speak with Hagar: You think because he doesnt love you that you are worthless (p. 305), but with a taciturn response. Hagars death toward the end of the novel, caused by a fever symbolises and seems to stem from the heart that Milkman broke. In Hamlet, Shakespeare leaves Ophelia with her fatal madness caused by Hamlets rejection. Hamlet managed to rise above insanity and feelings of suicide, but Ophelias weaker spirit could not hold the burden. Conflicts between good and evil are often portrayed in literature, since the subject is so timeless. This conflict is a part of peoples lives constantly, no matter what century. It exists just as much in Hamlet, which was written in the 16th century, as it does in Song of Solomon, written in the 1970s. The conflict between good and evil, love and madness; who can really draw the lines? Good and evil, in this work portrayed by love and madness, are constantly reoccurring themes that affect the reader. The madness often is a result of rejection from a beloved. Hamlet and Ophelia in Hamlet portray the themes, where Ophelia later becomes mad, due to Hamlets rejection. In Song of Solomon, Milkmans rejection leads to the grave madness of Hagar. Both cases show how love can lead to something as terrible as death.

Leadership Performance Of Marks and Spencer And Tesco

Leadership Performance Of Marks and Spencer And Tesco Leadership is the process of influencing other people to accomplish an objective and direct them, as individual or as a group, which makes it more cohesive and coherent. Kurt Lewin (1939) led a group of researchers to identify different styles of leadership. Authoritarian or Autocratic This management style is used when manager or leader sets objectives and tells employees what to be done, how it is to be accomplished without getting any advice or feedback from them and strongly encourages obedience. In this case the group becomes dependent on the leader which often leads to frustration with the management often resulting in high supervision, micro-management, and loss of cohesion. This style should be used only on rare occasions like on a new employee who has just started the job. A dynamic leader would prefer this style of management when he has all the information to deal with the problems, he is running short of time and his employers are well motivated. Illustration by Author Participative or Democratic As the name suggests this style encourages the participation of staff and employees in the decision making process. Being asked for their ideas makes employees feel they are important part of the organisation and encourages them to put in extra effort. The final decision of making authority rests with the leader. This style of management is a positive sign of strength and trust which will make employees respect you. Dynamic leader will use this management style when he only has part of information and needs input from his employees. Leader might know more than most of his employees but still he does not know everything and that is the reason for employing experienced and skilful people to help him. Delegative or Laissez-faire In this management style the leader allows employees to make the decisions freely within broad limits. This results in relaxed atmosphere as there are very few guidelines to adhere to which may lead to lack of motivation and low productivity. This style is to be used when the employees are capable of analysing the problems and are experienced enough to know what is to be done and how. This style should not be used as a tool to blame others when things go wrong. The best leader is the one who does not follow one particular style but tries to achieve a balance between these three styles depending upon the situation. Leadership And Change Management The most important factor during the process of change is the ability, competence and skill of leader to manage the whole process. Kurt Lewin identified stages of change viz. unfreeze, transition, and refreeze (Strategies for managing change). Refreeze Transition Unfreeze Illustration by Author Unfreeze or Preparation For The Change What we mean by preparing for change is creating the right environment, preparing resources and processes that might take place in future. Just like a healthy individual is more capable of coping with diseases and infections similarly a well prepared organisation is in better position to cope with effects of changes. The leadership will play an important role by means of sensible planning and decision making abilities. Transition or Implementation Process This is the middle period from the announcement of the change complete to the successful installation of the change. This is the most critical point during the change process marked by the instability, lack of direction and low motivation of employees due to fear of their instable future. An effective leadership during this period will be focused on helping employees understand the future direction of the organisation after change and secondly by making the change meaningful. People will go to extraordinary length for causes they believe in and a powerful leader will convince the employees on the importance of change to get maximum out of them. Refreeze Or Conclusion Of The Change Process This is the period that comes after the initial phases of instability and insecurity, which has now subsided and due to effective role of leadership the employees have become more focused towards the new direction of the organisation. An efficient leadership will during this process work towards improving the work life of the employees and assuring them about the positive direction that the organisation is moving in. Strategies And Policies At MS And Tesco The major general strategy available to leaders of all major organisation including Tesco and MS is that they either choose to be the lowest cost retailer and become market leader or differentiate products and services so that it is valued by customers to the extent that they are willing to pay a premium price. When it comes to MS in their core products (food and clothing), they attempt to achieve differentiation from others. Tesco on the other hand has focused to attract more customers by being low cost retailer. Both Tesco and MS are most successful organisation in UK and both of them consider training and development of their employees as very crucial for their business. Training and development forms important part of organisational strategy of Tesco and MS mostly because their success has been characterised by their expansion. Moreover to ensure that they remain ahead of competition they place high importance on training and development. Management realized that there is no better way to achieve this rather than through the use of training and development. (Paisley, 1999). The initiative of Lead to succeed by the MS leadership is an example of the importance they attach to identify and train future leaders. This programme is being heralded as the flagship development programme and is considered to be a key component in its future people strategy. (Verity Gough, training zone,08/11/2010) Tescos slogan every little helps which shows their commitment to reduce prices and increase customer service is now used in their staff training as well. Tescos leadership believes that any intervention by them will lead to an increase in the knowledge and expertise of their workforce. In 2007 when Sir Stuart Rose, was leading MS he announced a policy document to strengthen the green credentials of MS. According to the policy document presented by Sir Stuart Rose MS would commit to a range of actions at the cost of  £200 million over the period of next five years. The aim of this hundred-point five year plan was to reengineer the companys activities to meet a range of socially responsible goals including ethical trading, health promotion products, sustainable sourcing, and carbon neutrality thus making MS green leader in retail market. This initiative by Sir Stuart Rose was widely seen as an example of creative leadership skill. (Leaders We Deserve,2008). Again in April 2007 there was an episode which presented a leadership dilemma for Sir Stuart Rose. Bryan Ferry who was at that time modelling clothes for MS was embroiled in a controversy regarding his admiration for Nazi iconography. Following Ferrys apology over the matter MS distanced itself from singer and officially released a statement that it did not give its opinions on views that were expressed by people in other situations and refused to comment further on this issue. (Leaders We Deserve,2007). Present chief executive of MS is Marc Bolland. He served as chief executive of supermarket chain Wm Morrison and beat MSs internal candidates to bag this post in 2009. In November 2010, he announced a large number of changes to the policy and strategies followed by his predecessor Sir Stuart Rose by stating that MSs goal is now to become an international retailer. In a multibillion pound revamp he announced scaling back of his predecessor plans of retailing various branded groceries like Marmite and Coca Cola and also axing portfolio fashion-for-fifty somethings. He also planned to open more simply food stores less than two years after Sir Stuart close 25 of them, scrapping retailing of household gadgets like TVs and iPods. He also announced plans to spend  £300 million a year for next three years on revamping UK stores which recently under Sir Stuart had  £3bn makeover. Bolland used expertise of management consultants from McKinsey to come up with this grand plan. His research picked that among other things the customers struggled to navigate MS stores( he tested 30 colleagues to find five items in one hour, only eight succeeded), customer had problems understanding in-house brands like Per Una, Limited and Autograph, and that only one in five shopped in homewares department -thereby making sales improvement in that area key focus. During this analysis he also talked to surviving members of the founding families of MS and concluded that MS should do things that other brands dont do. In 2008 MS annual profits reached a  £1bn but due to recession it was down to  £700m. New leadership has not made any promises but Mr. Bolland is confident of his plans. (guardian.co.uk, 2010). Tesco, before Sir Terry Leahy took control, was just a market follower with the strategy catch-up. It was Sir Terry Leahy who directed Tesco towards leading through market knowledge and in process making it largest in the UK. He transformed Tesco into a customer-centric organisation. His strategies including diversification into non-food retail moves into clothing, banking, and its international expansion helped Tesco become the biggest and most profitable in the UK. He was responsible for the Tesco Clubcard. It was because of his successful strategies and policies that he was voted most admired leader eight times in the past decade. Recent announcement that Sir Terry Leahy will step down saw Tesco shares drop by 2.4% this gives an idea of importance of Sir Terry Leahy to Tesco as an organisation. He will be succeeded by Philip Clarke who will be brining his own brand of leadership. In case of Tesco this change may have various implications as at the end of such a long and successful tenure of Sir Terry Leahy its not just the investors who are liable to anxiety. He was strongly associated with Tesco brand so effective succession planning will be critical and its going to be tricky for his successor. Board members who missed this top position will be major problem for Philip.( Personneltoday, Beth Holmes, June 2010). There are various situations where the leadership skills of Tescos management have played a significant role in overcoming hurdles. One such incident can be recalled in their joint venture case in 1999. At that same time the French hypermarket named Carrefour had tried to enter Korean markets but it failed miserably. However, in the same year Tesco entered into a joint venture with Samsung under the name of Samsung Tesco Homeplus. The Korean population have preference for local supermarkets chains. This fact was ignored by Carrefour but Tescos management took this localization factor seriously and tried to give this joint venture a local outlook resulting in its success. This joint venture faced difficulty in 1999 just after the merger. The main reason behind this was the low morale of the employees because of various cultural differences arising out of the merger. However to avoid the mistakes which resulted in Carrefours failure and to tackle this issue the leaders at Tescos and Sa msung started the Shinbaration task force initiative. This initiative went a long way in balancing out the major differences between the work forces of these two organisations. As a result of this positive approach of Tesco leadership it was able to get a strong foothold in Korean markets and had recently announced it expansion plans by opening eight additional outlets in the country (ISN, March 2010). CONCLUSION Thus we note that the tremendous success of both MS and Tesco can be to a large extent attributed to the effective and competent leadership skills demonstrated by their leaders whether be it in terms of dealing with their competitor, changing business environments, or internal troubles. The new leadership of both these organisations has so far been able to cope well with the handover process.

Product Marketing Element in the Luxury Car Industry

Product Marketing Element in the Luxury Car Industry Preface This essay discusses the role of product (a marketing element) in the luxury car industry. Various frameworks of strategic marketing management are reviewed and applied to the context of the luxury car industry. The essay argues that product decisions should not be done in isolation, as they are rather complex concepts that transcends the physical products itself, so a comprehensive approach is necessary during the strategic marketing process. Many of the business functions, including but not limited to marketing, have received strategic relevance in contemporary business discussions (Olson et al. 2005). This means that marketing is viewed (i.e. strategic marketing) as a strategically important component in business decisions in order to better reach and satisfy customers and to improve organisational performance (e.g. productivity and profit). Therefore, marketing should not be considered as a distinct business function that is only involved in promoting the product and sensing customer needs (Caru, 2008). In reality, strategic marketing closely collaborates with other functions to effectively differentiate from competing firms in a particular market by answering three rudimentary questions, which are where, and how the organisation should compete. This means that if strategic marketing is applied, it is well probable that strategic planning will have a close and an intensive dialogue with the marketing department (Smith et al. 1999). This essay intends to critically analyse the role of the product marketing mix in the luxury car industry. The reason why the product marketing mix was chosen is that this element plays an elevated role for those industries where there is a physical product sold (Trott, 2011). This does not mean that in other more service orientated industries (such as the banking and financial sector) the product mix have a lower role, however, marketing managers may want to focus more on other elements of the marketing mix to deliver an enhanced customer experience. Generally speaking, the key criterion for product is that it must satisfy existing or emerging customer needs in competitive markets, so organisations must place an extra emphasis on communicating why their products are superior to that of their competitors (Grà ¶nroos, 1997). This could be particularly true in the luxury car market industry where the competition between existing brands could be intensive. Short overview of the industry and its trends First and foremost, a key distinctive factor of the luxury car market is that its performance (i.e. sales volume) is less affected by changes in the macro environment (Bordley, 1993). The recent financial crisis severely hit the car manufacturing industry, however, the demand fluctuation in emerging markets was offset by a growing desire for luxury cars in emerging markets, such as China and the Middle East (Rapoza, 2014). The luxury car market is dominated by three brands, which are Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi, altogether controlling the majority of the sales in this sector (Behrmann, 2016). The industry is expected to grow in the future, however, manufacturers and resellers must ensure that they closely follow developments in their external environment. The aforementioned brands are expected to maintain their market leading position, however, many other brands (such as Vauxhall) are also trying to enter the luxury market, mainly through by changing their product mix (i.e. the use o f premium materials in the interior or including such design features (e.g. large diameter wheels) that used to be the hallmark of luxury car products (Morton, 2013). The relative importance of the product mix in the luxury car industry It is widely understood that organisations must first carry out an internal analysis if they are pursuing strategic marketing and if they want to ensure that their products will be successful in their selected market(s) (in this case the luxury car industry) (Stevens et al. 1993). According to the 5C framework, organisations should analyse their customers need, their resources to produce and distribute a particular product, their industry context, competitors strategy, performance and whether or not forming strategic alliances could be a rational choice (Kaynak, 2005). To give relevant examples to the luxury car industry, the following assumptions regarding the 5C model could be taken: exiting and unsatisfied consumer needs (need for safety, prestige, luxury feeling without compromising the automobiles functionality); company resources: does the organisation have access to luxury suppliers or does it possess the necessary skills and expertise to manufacture luxury goods in house (e.g. high performance engines for Mercedes Benz AMG performance line cars); context: the products must follow changes in the external environment (e.g. growing interest towards electric cars or other miscellanies changes); competitors: identification of competing firms and benchmarking against them to develop a differentiated product; collaborations: is there any opportunities to form strategic alliances with suppliers? Many luxury cars openly associate themselves with other brands (e.g. Brembo). Once an organisation has assessed the above mentioned constraints (and preferably devised strategies to overcome these), the constraints must be linked with the marketing mix. Although this paper solely focuses on the role of product in the marketing mix, it must not be forgotten that strategic marketing may only contribute to organisational success if an integrated approach is adopted (Keller, 2001). The STP process (segmentation, targeting, positioning) is also a critical part of this holistic methodology, so product decisions must also be consistent with the selected market(s)s needs. Therefore, achieving business success is done through the development of a close with between the product, the customer and the marketing (Mohr et al. 2009). As such, a luxury car must have those product attributes which are sought after by the luxury car customer and the external communication strategy (i.e. the marketing communication) should clearly set out a product that is highly valued by poten tial customers (Martin, 1998). The product levels in the luxury car industry Despite the fact that the author of this paper previously argued that products are often perceived to be physical items, the theory of product levels illustrate that successful organisations must address all layers of the of product level diagram (Kotler et al. 2016). These levels are hierarchical, so the suggested holistic approach is also recommended for product management in order to ensure that customers are provided with a consistent product experience, given that each level closely reflects the target markets (luxury car buyers) expectations. The core product (even if it name suggests otherwise) is an intangible element of the product. It essentially entails the realisable benefits from the product use. In general terms, people purchase cars to facilitate their transportation from point A to point B, as other alternative modes of transportation (e.g. bus, taxi, walking à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ etc.) might not satisfy customer needs. The basic transportation need is overly generic for luxury car manufacturers, so understanding the psychology behind purchasing a good that well exceeds realistic customer needs is of paramount importance (Shukla, 2012). Luxury cars are seldom purchased for their convenience other car makers could perfectly satisfy transportation needs too, so there has to be another rationale behind a high value purchase. Although this paper is too short to enlist the possible psychological factors influencing luxury car purchases, it is realistic to assume that these decisions are overly driven by emotions (Kapferer , 1998). People driving luxury cars intend to communicate their status or they want to leverage on state-of-the art technology and safety features that somewhat counterbalance the irrational choice of luxury cars. Correspondingly, luxury car manufacturers must convince prospective buyers of the presence of these attributes, and seemingly the three market leading brands are succeeding. BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz are recognised as status brands and their technological advancement and safety features are well above the industrys standards. In essence, this is the first step that customers examine before they actually visit a luxury car saloon to discuss further details of the product with a sales associate. The next product level is more tangible in its nature, as it encompasses the actual product (the actual car model, e.g. BMW X5, S-Klasse or S6) and its visual aspects (such as colour, style, quality, chassis contourà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ etc.) (Kotler et al. 2016).   Even though it is hard to separate this level from the actual product, it is important to emphasise that the core and the actual product must complement each other, so if a luxury car is designed to offer buyers a status symbol, this should be reflected in the cars physical appearance and certainly in other parts of the marketing mix (e.g. price, place, people) to maintain consistency. Whilst it is tempting to categorise goods into either services are products, there is often a continuum between the two polar ends of the spectrum, so luxury car manufacturers should also focus on the augmented product level (Zimmerman and Blythe, 2013). The augmented product level is mostly composed of service elements, such as after sale warranties, the delivery of the luxury car, maintenance services, financing and a quality customer care to address any customer concerns before, during and after the purchase. The concept of product level shows that the physical product is often just a fraction of the product marketing mix, as successful sellers must address each level in their product management. As it was previously suggested, a concerted approach to marketing is necessary, so luxury car manufacturers must warrant that other components of their marketing strategy (e.g. other elements of the marketing mix) are consistent with their product decisions (Kotler et al. 2016). If these recommendations are adhered to, organisations are able to establish product leadership, which is essential to maintain anticipation and excitement towards the products and to increase the number of new and existing customers (Cooper, 2005). This must be accompanied by a continuous product innovation (instead of just adding variety to products without any value or inspiration) so that luxury cars superiority is maintained. Product Assortment Product Width, Length and Depth A final consideration for product management in the luxury car market is product assortment. Product assortment entails all products that the seller offers for consumers (Thompson, 2000). Product width refers to the number of different product lines a manufacturer carries (e.g. high performance hatchbacks, Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), sedans, minibusesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ etc.); product length measures the number of product variants within one category (e.g. optional car features, such as GPS or blind spot monitorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ etc.), while product depth shows the total number of variants available at a particular manufacturer. Serving all segments is seldom possible, so organisations must carefully analyse potential customer segments to target, while also maintaining the financial interest of shareholders (Crane and Northeastern, 2012). The luxury car industry (or a matter of fact, the luxury good sector in general) could be considered to be in a highly specific market, opportunities in increasing product width is not always possible. For example, as introduced during lectures, Dyson manufactures vacuum cleaners, air treatment equipment and hand dryers, which are seemingly completely different products, nevertheless exiting resources could satisfy production needs for all products and there are definitely cross selling opportunities (i.e. commercial vacuum cleaner buyers might also be interested in air treatment equipment). In case of the luxury car industry, such synergies could be more difficult to attain, since the deployment of capacities for different product lines could be difficult, although Mercede s has successfully diversified into the heavy truck industry seemingly without compromising its luxury perception in its consumer market. Product length assortment consideration is more common in the luxury car industry, as within the passenger car product category, a high number of variants has been developed (Kotler et al. 2016). As previously mentioned, luxury cars come in a variety of forms, satisfying varying customer needs. While this product decision satisfies customer needs, it is also a kind of product diversification that helps luxury car manufacturers to shelter themselves from economic cycles conceivably during the economic recession, large luxury cars were sold in lower volume, yet a cheaper model variant remained affordable to the target without compromising on quality. To conclude, the essay demonstrated the role of the product marketing element in the luxury car industry. It was gradually explored why careful product considerations are necessary in order to ensure a consistency in an organisations marketing strategy and marketing process. It was also highlighted that thinking of products as physical items is not advisable to fully understand what a product is instead, as the theory of product levels has shown, products must provide a holistic consumer experience in the luxury car industry. References Behrmann, E. (2016) Mercedes on pace to win 2016 global sales crown from BMW. Available at: http://www.autonews.com/article/20160811/RETAIL01/160819974/mercedes-on-pace-to-win-2016-global-sales-crown-from-bmw (Accessed: 15 January 2017). Bordley, R. F. (1993) Estimating automotive Elasticities from segment Elasticities and First choice/Second choice data, The Review of Economics and Statistics. 75(3), p455. Carà ¹, A. (2008) Strategic market creation: A new perspective on marketing and innovation management. Chichester, United Kingdom: John Wiley Sons. Cooper, R. G. (2004) Product leadership: Pathways to profitable innovation. New York, NY: Basic Books. Crane, F. G. and Northeastern (2012) Marketing for entrepreneurs: Concepts and applications for new ventures. London: SAGE Publications. Grà ¶nroos, C. (1997) Valueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ driven relational marketing: From products to resources and competencies, Journal of Marketing Management. 13(5), pp.407-419. Kapferer, J.-N. (1998) Why are we seduced by luxury brands?, Journal of Brand Management. 6(1), pp.44-49. Kaynak, E. (2005) Marketing issues in western Europe: Changes and developments. New York, NY, United States: International Business. Keller, K. (2001) Mastering the marketing communications mix: Micro and Macro perspectives on integrated marketing communication programs, Journal of Marketing Management. 17(7-8), pp.819-847. Kotler, P., Keller, K. L. and Brady, M. (2016) Marketing management. Harlow, United Kingdom: Pearson Education. Martin, C. L. (1998) Relationship marketing: A highà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ involvement product attribute approach, Journal of Product Brand Management. 7(1), pp.6-26. Mohr, J. J., Sengupta, S. and Slater, S. (2009) Marketing of high-technology products and innovations. Boston, MA, United States: Prentice Hall. Morton, R. (2013) Insignia: Vauxhalls luxury company car. Available at: https://www.businesscarmanager.co.uk/insignia-vauxhalls-hidden-luxury-company-car/ (Accessed: 15 January 2017). Olson, E. M., Slater, S. F. and Hult, G. T. M. (2005) The performance implications of fit among business strategy, marketing organization structure, and strategic behavior, Journal of Marketing. 69(3), pp.49-65. Rapoza, K. (2014) Emerging markets to drive automotive comeback. Forbes. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2014/09/01/emerging-markets-to-drive-automotive-comeback/ (Accessed: 15 January 2017). Shukla, P. (2012) The influence of value perceptions on luxury purchase intentions in developed and emerging markets, International Marketing Review. 29(6), pp.574-596. Smith, P. R., Berry, C., Pulford, A. and Baxter, M. (1999) Strategic marketing communications: New ways to build and integrate communications. London: Kogan Page. Stevens, R. E., Sherwood, P. K., Dunn, P. and Winston, W. (1993) Market analysis: Assessing your business opportunities. New York: Haworth Press. Thompson (2000) Strategic Management. New York, NY, United States: McGraw-Hill Education. Trott, P. (2011) Innovation management and new product development (5th edition). Harlow, England: Financial Times/Prentice Hall. Zimmerman, A. and Blythe, J. (2013) Business to business marketing management: A global perspective. London: Taylor Francis.

The House on Mango Street Essay -- Character Analysis, Esperanza

When I grow up, I want to be a black gum tree. Black gum trees are known for their internal strength. Instead of dwelling on outward beauty, they spend more time focusing on their inner growth and developing their core. Only after they have achieved this goal can they produce beautiful fruits that draw animals near to them. Any surfaces that the berries touch are stained as to say, â€Å"I was here and made a permanent difference.† After they have utilized their outward influences, they use their internal scars and hollow places to protect the animals surrounding around it. If human lives were to reflect the concepts of the black gum tree, governments, individuals, and communities would be radically transformed. While this is a beautiful image, communities will never fully reach this aspiration. Sandra Cisneros shows the positive and negative effect of community on human growth in The House on Mango Street when Esperanza subconsciously reads the four skinny trees as a stand-in for herself. The layer of concrete surrounding the roots of the trees is a metaphor for the barrier between Esperanza’s success and her community. These four skinny trees are located in the middle of an impoverished city that is plagued with crime, prostitution, and sense of hopelessness. Because all of these cycles are nearly impenetrable, they are a metaphor for the concrete that lay on top of their roots. This slab will forever sit on top of the downward facing roots separating them from the vertical growth that is above them. Ironically, the roots under the concrete support the same slab that is hindering their growth. Without the support of the individuals living on Mango Street, the layer of socially formed concrete would crumble into dust; however, becau... ...Cisneros 110). Her internal strength is strong enough to let her grow beyond the constraints of her community, but she will never reach her full potential until she returns to change the roots that made her that way. Esperanza then chooses to develop the core of her personality despite living in the middle of tangled roots, which ultimately leads to her escape. When I grow up, I want to be Esperanza. I want to think critically, exhort change, find beautiful elements in ordinary texts, and affect my fallen community with the fruits of my internal strength. If Esperanza had not chosen to use both the positive and negative effects of her community as inspiration, she would have entrapped herself and failed to influence the hurting society around her. Instead, she chooses to act like the trees and build her internal strength so that she may reach others effectively.

The 1962 Salem Conspiracy Essay -- essays research papers

During the year of 1692, the small town of Salem seems to have been in a state of panic and confusion. The book Witchcraft at Salem, by Chadwick Hansen, is about the witchcraft conspiracies the town has experienced. Hansen goes on to explore the truthfulness of the "possessed" young girls. The reason why Hansen wrote the book is to try to set straight the record of the witchcraft phenomena at Salem, Massachusetts, in the year 1692, about which much has been written and much misunderstood. Hansen has a very respectable education. He graduated and obtained a Bachelors degree from the much respected Yale University. He went on to continue his education and obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Hansen has had many teaching jobs throughout his life. From 1955-60 Hansen was an assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University. From 1965-70 he was a Professor of English and American studies at the University of Minnesota. His most accomplished teaching job was whe n he was a professor and Director of American Civilization at the University of Iowa. To help with his teaching he was in many history groups. He was a member of the Modern Language Association, American Studies Association, and American Historical Association. Hansen has written numerous books including, The American Renaissance: The History and Literature of an Era, and Modern Fiction: Form and Idea in the Contemporary Novel and Short Story. Hansen has many qualifications to write a historical piece during the American Revolution time period. In the summer of 1692, many strange and out of the ordinary events were taking place in Salem. Several young girls and young women began to have strange fits. They were eventually examined by doctors. "Dr. William Griggs examined Elizabeth Paris and Abigail Williams and came to the conclusion that the evil hand is upon them." With this analysis he was informing the patients that they were the victims of witchcraft. Before the girls were examined many members of the Salem community came to the conclusion that witchcraft was the reason the girls were having the strange fits. Following this was a series of hearings and trials, which resulted in the death of 20 people. This was not an uncommon practice used during that time. â€Å"Approximately nine hundred witches were burned in the single city of Bamberg, a... ...I believe it provided the reader with a better understanding of the different reasons the girls were acting in the nature they did. Overall I enjoyed reading Witchcraft at Salem. Hansen brought new ideas while challenging the old ones in a very enthusiastic manner. Many scholars have differing views on what happened at Salem. Some believe that girls were lying, while some believe that a physical ailment was the cause. This book was great for a reader who wanted to find several opinions on what took place in Salem. If the reader wanted to know just the basic facts of the Salem Witch Trials then I would not recommend this book. Witchcraft at Salem requires a general knowledge of what happened during the witch trials because it goes very in depth. This book might be confusing to someone who slept in high school history or english and knows nothing of what happened at Salem during 1962. Erikson, Kai T. â€Å"Were some of those witches real?† The New York Times. 6 July 1969, BR5. Hansen, Chadwick. Witchcraft at Salem. New York: George Braziller, 1969. Marion A. Knight, ed. â€Å"Chadwick Hansen.† Book Review Digest. New York: The H. W. Wilson Company, 1927, 273.

Stragegic Plan

A Strategic Plan And It’s Impact on the Rise and Downfall Of Netflix, Inc. [pic] MBA 517 Fall 2012 (Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis) 14th Dec, 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS †¢ Executive Summary †¢ Strategic Vision †¢ Business Objectives †¢ Environmental Analysis †¢ Industry & Competitive Analysis †¢ SWOT Analysis †¢ Business Strategy †¢ Implementation Plan †¢ Monitoring Adjustment- A Dynamic Process Executive Summary Netflix, Inc. , the world’s largest and leading online DVD rental company; was founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in the year 1999 and operated from Los Gatos, California.In the very initial days Netflix started its business through online DVD rental using web media which is called as www. netflix. com through internet. The business was operated by delivering DVDs through postal mail and then charged the customers and this was called as Pay per DVD rental services. Gradually with this the company revenues increased and in a span of two years Netflix gone for an expansion and the Pay per DVD revenue model was replaced with a â€Å"fixed  monthly fee system†, the monthly fee was about $ 15. 95 per month.This was a major breakthrough for Netflix which has allowed all its customers wherein they can rent up to 4  DVDs per month without any due dates or late fees. After initializing the fixed monthly fee system, later in the year 2000, Netflix has launched one more strategy which was like customers can have up to four DVDs with in their possession one time for a fee of $19. 95 per month. Netflix's decided to split the business into two separate companies, one for the streaming and one for the â€Å"legacy† DVD business which is called as Qwikster.And then Netflix started charging the subscribers two separate bills every month which made Netflix to face the unexpected downfall. Netflix’s website for the subscribers www. netflix. com , which helped in prioritizing t he category and the choice of movies based on the customer’s preferences. By doing so, Netflix tracks the wish lists or queues of movies listed so that subscribers can browse movies of similar category and choose to watch. Then Netflix used to ship movies which are on the top of the wish list or queues of  subscribers through mail.Netflix has designed their website as per the requirements in which way it has all the ability and the facility of tracking the subscribers with individualized ratings based on all movies that customers had previously rated after viewing them. Netflix as a company enjoyed  tremendous success with all these success formulae, so it has decided to submit for an initial public offering. And later there was a huge drop in the stock market prices which dropped and due o the downfall in the stock the company position became little difficult for a company’s IPO to succeed with  uncertainty in the financial markets. In July 2000, Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, needed to decide whether the company should proceed with  the IPO or withdraw. During the current scenarios, Investment banks predicted that the IPO  of  Netflix would succeed only if it’s  showing positive cash flows within a twelve-month horizon. In 2005, Netflix has grown to a position where the company has 35,000 different film titles available and also shipped one million DVDs out on daily basis.Netflix developed and maintained an extensive personalized video-recommendation system based on ratings and reviews by its customers. In 2006, Netflix offered a  $ 100,000  to the first developer of a video-recommendation program that could beat its existing algorithm. And later in the year  2007, the company delivered its billionth DVD. In 2007, the company began to move away from its original core business model of mailing DVDs and introduced video-on-demand via the Internet. Netflix business has grown but while DVD sales fell from 2006 to 2011.Sep tember 18, 2011, Netflix announced its intentions to rebrand and structure its DVD home media rental service as an independent subsidiary company called  Qwikster, totally separating DVD rentals and streaming. Netflix's decided to split the business into two separate companies, one for the streaming and one for the â€Å"legacy† DVD business which is called as Qwikster. While splitting the business into two, however the businesses are going to run separately and they are going to operate on different websites. Subscribers of both the businesses got two separate billing statements (Probably it might have made sense in the long-term).It poses serious and immediate risks to Netflix's streaming business as the strategy to split the business into two did not took the turn as it was expected, and as the subscribers are the people who are all sitting at home and trying to rent DVDs, watch videos probably aren't thinking much about disruptive technologies and innovators' dilemmas. Subscribers just want to watch a movie as cheaply and as conveniently as possible. There was a loud backslash  that ensued after Netflix split its pricing plan in two is being turned several notches and as subscribers wondered how this latest business plit will affect them. The reason for the CEO to make this strategy is for the long-term betterment and also will be more profitable to have fewer subscribers paying more for month than continuously adding customers that only sign up for the cheapest plans and then withdraw soon. But the decision to raise prices so drastically $15. 98 a month to rent DVDs and for streaming is a 60% jump which caused customers rage and due to this Netflix has lost about 8,000,000 subscribers in one quarter of a year and investors had been buying on the hope that subscriber growth would continue for a long time.When Netflix gone ahead and planned to separate the organization into two as the strategy, the reaction of the subscribers is unpredictable and there was a huge reaction from the subscribers and within a span of six months the company lost most of the customers and the organization has incurred huge loss which made the company cancel the separation plan. To implement the above strategy, the management instead of bouncing back, I would suggest having a backup strategy which will be handling the management and opting for the alternative opportunities.If once we understand that the strategy of separating the business is failed then first thing is we should identify the impact of the decision ,on all parameters like lost market share, customer base, on revenues and profit gained by the competitors etc. and estimate where the organization is positioning . Then I would be going ahead and performing a gap analysis and identifying the current position of the organization and the most possible alternative strategies so that the organization will come back to its previous market.Apparently SWOT analysis also helps in identifying the areas which we need to work up on the organizations strengths and opportunities and ways to overcome the weakness and Threats which can cause hindrances. Reevaluating the proposed strategy is also one of the ways of implementing an effective strategic plan and a quick feedback of the implemented strategy will give any organization to control the impact before everything goes uncontrollable.In this case, Instead of applying the new strategy right away on the existing customers, what I suggest describes strategy to rebrand Netflix by applying the separation plans to new customers and allowing the old customers to enjoy the previous benefits and slowly make them adapt to the new product through proper promotional benefits. If any organization decided to launch a new product the best strategy would be introduce with the existing product so that the customers will be adapted to the new product and the existing customers will adapt to the new product by promoting with existing market.Hen ce the following plan describes a strategy to rebrand Netflix and successfully separate its business into Netflix and Qwikster based on the surveys and feedback collected from both existing and new customers. In-order to achieve this by holding the existing customers and attracting new customers, Netflix has to market the new product (both streaming and DVDs rental) by providing the new customers a free month trial (30 days) and also by giving the new product for the existing customers without any change in the fee. This would actually hold the existing customers and attract the new customers.Based on the response from the feedback and surveys, CEO will decide whether to continue providing the new product or move back to the previous existing product (which was already proved as a successful product). After the free trial (30 days) completes the new customers have a choice to be with either the new product â€Å"Qwikster† or just stay with Netflix. Strategic Vision According to (CEO) Reed Hastings, â€Å"Our vision is to change the way people access and view the movies they love†. Reed Hastings (CEO) strongly believed in delivering the product at an affordable price and conveniently .These are the success factors of Netflix. And also strongly believed that there are no replacements for the movies and the mission of Netflix can be considered as delivering the product in a desired way and make it attractive to the customers. Customer focus and understanding the preferences of the subscribers which helped in customer satisfaction . The goals of the Netflix also played a major role in achieving the desired revenues. Business Objectives Through these objectives Netflix will come out of the chaotic situation .These objectives can be measured through all the functions of the business mostly of financial and the objectives can be achieved and monitored at all the levels in the business. Financial objectives and Strategic objectives: The prime combined ob jective in this scenario would be to get back the lost customer base which was due to change in strategy and to gain them back is the prime objective. The second objective should be to expand the Qwikster business by launching the product and to attain a market share for them. The third objective should be increasing the new subscribers for the Netflix, Inc. o that the growth of the company would be prospering. The fourth objective should be to increase the revenues of the company by controlling the costs . The fifth objective should be to add value for business and pay the dividends to the shareholders. The above stated objectives are measured in monetary terms and other than the financial objectives Netflix should also focus on being a successful launcher for the new product Qwikster and also ensure that the quality is maintained without compromising and deliver the best customer service for its subscribers as it always did .These are the objectives which are more operational in n ature. To add on to the Operational objectives improvising on new technology, by improving the current process and optimum utilization of resources by maintaining employee relations and abiding with statutory rules and running the business on social and ethical behaviors are also considered as the operational objectives which can be key to the success for any organization. The time frame to achieve all the above listed objectives should be on quarterly basis.This could be achieved by doing a trend analysis on a monthly basis and reviewing how it can be achieved over a span of one year. Environmental Analysis The drastic growth of technology is one of the major successes for the Netflix and it is driven on technology based. Though it was started with delivering DVDs through postal services, gradually it started capturing the preferences of the customers by creating a wish list and based on their choices it has gained the customer satisfaction.Then on using the current technology Netf lix has developed streaming videos and later it was heading into developing the apps for usage on mobile devices also. When we discuss about the financial aspect due to the increase in prices there was a downfall in the shares of the company. Immediately after the decision was announced the share prices dropped drastically and there are many cancelations from the subscribers. Netflix faced a major downfall at the time of recession in 2000 and after the price hike strategy in 2011.These two years are the challenging years for the company however Netflix has overcome these with its current strategies. [pic] Industry & Competitive Analysis Netflix major competitors are Hulu and blockbuster and Netflix share is also disturbed other than the major players among you tube and also effected due to piracy. However Netflix success factor has created a brand image for streaming movies and DVD rentals. Netflix also faced competition from Redbox (movie rentals). SWOT Analysis Netflix’s st rengths: Netflix is strong in marketing their business. The main marketing strategy which attracts the customer is one month free trail and which helps the customers to get used to the product and continues with Netflix account. †¢ The other major strength for the Netflix is that they are flexible in delivering the DVDs to home every time subscribes are willing to watch a movie. The Netflix process that customers can create a recommendation based on their interest and those DVDs will be delivered very fast. Netflix is one of the pioneers in using the technology as Netflix streaming method helps the customers to watch instantly and they use the internet as the medium and Netflix is available on all electronic gadgets currently. †¢ Netflix strength is that they are patent protected recommendation service. †¢ Competitive prices are also which made the Netflix on of the niche in rental movie services. Netflix’s weakness: †¢ The fall in the Netflix demand is du e to the price strategy when the company decided to split the business which resulted in the downfall of Netflix. The other weakness is the dependency on the associates which has increased in the costs of Netflix. †¢ The disputes with major partners have resulted in limiting the streaming content. †¢ The rules of the movie content are also available with the competitors due to weak agreement. Netflix’s opportunities: †¢ Netflix is like a brand when it comes to watching movies it is the first to create. Though there are many competitors it was like a brand for watching movies online. †¢ One more opportunity is to focus on the international market as these are pioneers they can capture the world market spread. The other opportunity is as they are big players in this market segment they have the privilege of getting associated with big movie companies for a better price. †¢ Netflix can grab the opportunity using it on the mobile devices. †¢ Netflix can focus on streaming Games also. Netflix’s threats: †¢ The major threats for the Netflix are from the few competitors like hulu and blockbuster. †¢ The threat could be availability of pirated sites online and YouTube could also be a possible threat in near future as there are lots of channels spread throughout uploading movies. There is tremendous growth in technology and this company should be thinking on improving delivery methods. †¢ The threat is on increasing shipping costs which is giving an impact on the profits of the company. Conclusion: To summarize on the SWOT analysis is work on getting back the subscribers and find the ways on overcoming the weakness and threats and utilizing the opportunities and concentrate on building a strong market so that the company can run in a profit mode and can give a tough competition to the competitors. Business StrategyThe objective is achieved through the success of the company, while capturing the customer base by spreading the product with marketing their product at one month free trail offer. Due to this they have captured the new subscribers and also focused on the internet users who will be shopping DVDs or games online. The main objective for last year was to get back the customers and the CEO was successful by writing an apology mail to existing customers and apologizing over media about the decision he made about splitting the business.The CEO’s letter includes â€Å"I want to acknowledge and thank our many members that stuck with us, and to apologize again to those members, both current and former, who felt we treated them thoughtlessly. Both the Qwikster and Netflix teams will work hard to regain your trust. We know it will not be overnight. Actions speak louder than words. But words help people to understand actions†. The apology reached most of the customers and many are back to the Netflix as it is one of the most compatible sources we have today.Implementation Plan Implementation plan is the process where any organization should plan how they are going to achieve the suggested strategy. Netflix main focus should be on holding existing subscribers and also Netflix should attract new subscribers by marketing the new product appropriately. Marketing also plays a crucial role in implementing phase. Netflix should focus more on building a successful organization and the policies of the company should be formed in such a way that the strategies are supporting them.The company should also set best practices so that the various problems like customer complaints or technical issues can be addressed more effectively and immediately. Below is the Gantt chart view of the parameters and time frame. Also we can notice the time line displaying the tasks and the time frame. [pic] [pic] In my opinion if we follow these steps before implementing any product, it can yield best results. These are considered as the best practices for any implementation plan as im plementation is the key for success for any product before it’s launched. Monitoring Adjustment- A Dynamic ProcessThe monitoring plan would be to gain the control of the company so that the shareholders will invest in the company by winning the confidence of both subscribers and stakeholders where in the Netflix will not opt for any merger or opt for any business combination and the monitoring plan for the streaming company would be to target about 30 million customers across the world and be the world’s leading internet subscribing company where in providing movies for an affordable price and adapt to the technology where in the services can be streamed through various mediums like computers, televisions phones etc. Monitoring Elements | |Price Control | |Quality Assurance | |Customer Service and satisfaction | |Profitability | |Financial Elements | | |The monitoring plan for Netflix, according to my opinion should be that the company should concentrate more on main N etflix Company as it’s a parent company and then study the market trends for the streaming company by reaching the subscribers and getting them adapted to the new streaming company. However, for the second company to get adjusted with the market is a long term process. Netflix would have promoted the streaming DVDs with the original company over time and then it should have merged the process with renaming instead of doing it at the initial stage.Below attached is the survey and the result is that subscribers dilemma regarding the product itself and why Qwikster did not reach customers as they are unaware what it does really. [pic] It would have be great success if the name would have rhymed with Netflix so that the subscribers would have thought these two companies are related and as Netflix is most popular for movies and among customers.Here the monitoring of the entire implementation plan are done by taking surveys and one on one feedback from supervisors, managers and ver tical management heads and based on those reviews and suggestions change can be done and also time frame is limited or expanded. Overall with all these steps implemented and thereby Netflix when follows the suggested strategy then can overcome the current situation and also hold the existing customers while acquiring new customers. This will make Netflix, Inc. successfully launch its new product and remain world’s largest and leading online DVD rental company.References Websites: †¢ Netflix, Inc. www. netflix. com †¢ http://ir. netflix. com/downloads †¢ http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Netflix †¢ http://www. bizjournals. com/sanjose/news/2011/09/19/complete-text-of-netflix-ceos-apology. html? page=all †¢ www. google. com †¢ http://www. cbsnews. com/8301-505124_162-43452943/turns-out-netflix-blew-the-qwikster-name-pick—-out-of-fear/ †¢ www. yahoo. com Thompson, A. A. , Peteraf, M. A. , Gamble, J. E. & Strickland III, A. J. Crafting and E xecuting Strategy: Concepts and Readings (18th ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Since acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized more than 20 years ago, remarkable progress has been made in improving the quality and duration of life of persons with HIV infection.During the first decade, this progress was associated with recognition of opportunistic disease processes, more effective therapy for complications, and introduction of prophylaxis against common opportunistic infections (OIs).The second decade has witnessed progress in developing highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) as well as continuing progress in treating OIs (Masur, Kaplan &Holmes, 1999).Since the HIV serologic test (enzyme immunoassay [EIA], formerly enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ALISHA], became available in 1984, allowing early diagnosis of the infection before onset of symptoms, HIV infection has been best managed as a chronic disease   and most appropriately managed in an outpatient care setting (Gallant, 2001).II. BackgroundA. EpidemiologyIn fall 1982, the C enters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a case definition of AIDS after the first 100 cases were reported. Since then, the CDC has revised the case definition a number of times (1985, 1987, and 1993)> All 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. dependencies and possessions, and independent nations in free association with the United States report AIDS cases to the CDC using a uniform surveillance case definition and case report from (CDC, 2000).Starting in the late 1990s, more states started to implement HIV case reporting in response to the changing epidemic and the need for information on persons with HIV infection who have not developed AIDS.As of December 2001, there were 816,149 reported cases of HIV/AIDS and 506, 154 adults, adolescents, and children in the United States (including U.S. dependencies, possession, and associated nations) living with AIDS. Unprotected sex and sharing of injection drug use equipment are the major means of transmission of HIV.A tot al of 43, 158 AIDS cases were diagnosed in 2001. For men diagnosed with AIDS during 2001, 59% were in the exposure category of men who have sex with men; 24% in injection drug use; and 7% in heterosexual contact.In women diagnosed with AIDS during that same period, 44% reported injection drug use and 52% reported heterosexual contact. Comparing race/ethnicity amount the three largest groups diagnosed in 2001, 20,752 were black, not Hispanics (CDC, 2002).The number of people living with AIDS is not evenly distributed throughout the United States. States with the largest number of reported AIDS cases during 2001 were New York (7,476), Florida (5,138), California (4,315), Texas (2,892), and Maryland (1,860) (CDC, 2002).AIDS has reached epidemic proportions in some other parts of the world. According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, more than 18.3 million people worldwide have died of AIDS and 34.3 million people are infected with HIV, with 5.4 million people newly infec ted with HIV in 1999 alone (Letvin, Bloom & Hoffman, 2001).UNAIDS (2001) reports that since the epidemic began, more than 60 million people have been infected with the virus, making it the most devastating disease ever.The earliest confirmed case of HIV infection was found in blood drawn from an African man in 1959 (Stephenson, 2003). Although factors associated with the spread of HIV in Africa in the 1960s; however, social changes such as easier access to transportation, increasing population density, and more frequent sexual contacts may have been more important (Stephenson 2003).III. DiscussionA. HIV Transmission  HIV-1 is transmitted in body fluids containing HIV and/or infected CD4+ (or CD4) T lymphocytes. These fluids include blood, seminal fluid, vaginal secretions, amniotic fluid, and breast milk.Mother-child transmission of HIV-1 may occur in utero, at the time of the delivery, or through breastfeeding, but transmission frequency during each period has been difficult to d etermine (Nduati et al., 2000). Any behavior that results in breaks in the skin or mucosa results in the increased probability of exposure to HIV (chart 1).Since HIV is harbored within lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, any exposure to infected blood results in a significant risk of infection. The amount of virus and infected cells in the body fluid is associated with the risk of new infections.

High Stakes Testing In The Modern World Education Essay

I think that in today ‘s modern universe, everyone is determined to hammer some type of achievement, whether it is academic or vocational. In some instances high bets proving are used to find most of these accomplishments. High bets trial are hence used to verify a broad scope of critical results which allow pupils to come on to the following degree. High bets proving can be traced back to the 1965 mandate of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act ( ESEA ) . This was to better doing of import determinations about pupils, instructors, and decision makers in the simple and secondary schools and besides for measuring the schools and school systems. Clarke, Shore, Rhoades, Abrams, Miao, and Li ( 2003 ) found in their National Board survey that answerability systems with high bets test helped instructors aim countries for future direction, and transformed the accent on authorship and critical thought accomplishments. I ‘m of the steadfast sentiment that high bets test allows pupils to analyze and measure a given job or state of affairs by get the hanging the cardinal content cognition and achieving the accomplishments necessary for future success in instruction and work force. Besides instructors provide feedback so that accommodations and even restructuring could be applied. With high bets proving some instructors have adopted a more student-centred attacks Jones, Jones & A ; Hargrove, ( 2003 ) , and aligned their course of study to the province criterions, which in bend increased teacher coaction Marshall ( 2003 ) . Students have to be given the chance to construct on their old cognition and explicate their ain thoughts as to do sense of what is being taught. The civilization of the instruction has to be in coherency with the province or state to let pupils to bring forth at an optimal degree. Students must be able to associate and place within their linguistic communication, beliefs and norms. High bets proving besides highlights the accomplishments gaps between rich and hapless territories, rural and urban countries and among cultural and cultural groups. Uncovering these informations can let pedagogues to turn to the prevalent jobs, particularly if wagess and countenances to schools, instructors and pupils are specified. Administrators and instructors can nail possible jobs and readdress the course of study and instructional activities accordingly. Conversely, the high bets trials constrained many instructors ‘ ability to learn creatively Gordon & A ; Reese, ( 1997 ) ; Jones, Jones & A ; Hargrove, ( 2003 ) and undermined their sense of professionalism and liberty. Some of these high interest trials have defined course of study and fashioned direction. Teachers now have moved to where everything has got to be aligned and tightly structured. A sense of autonomy is no longer executable due to the authorizations and force per unit areas to execute. Teachers are hence learning the course of study and implementing a strategic method of memorisation – a pupil ‘s ability to shop and reproduce names, day of the months and facts for the benefit of go throughing a certain degree of their academic accomplishment. In add-on to the above, high bets test have the inclination to over trial and under-examine pupils abilities and accomplishments. This places an tremendous sum of force per unit area on the instructors and pupils likewise to follow a narrow course of study and concentrate on memorising facts alternatively of developing more advanced abilities. High bets proving has maintained a narrow appraisal of pupil capablenesss and so pupils do what they must in order to go through the test and nil more. Education becomes a inactive experience and this transcends the schoolroom to the work environment. Finally by far the most compelling indictment of these high-stakes scrutinies is that they test what pupils know instead than what they can make and as such motive is an authoritarian factor. Education should be an active experience where pupils are invariably engaged and where a love for acquisition is developed, instead than a hatred for concluding tests. Ash and Persall ( 2000 ) stated that motive can drastically impede school betterment and make an discerning and dead environment in which instructors are isolated, without chances to collaboratively work out jobs, portion cognition, or larn together. In reasoning the intent of high interest trials is to better pupil accomplishment. While pupils with larning disablements have a batch to derive from increased focal point on pupil accomplishments it is besides evident that high bets trial does hold major deductions. Crucially, with respects to high bets proving more direct and concrete information is needed to demo that pupils are using factual information and reassigning their cognition, accomplishments and thoughts into a merchandise, a public-service corporation or a public presentation. However, high bets trial are geared towards bettering pupils and heighten the answerability that the contrivers are urgently seeking and supply the equity and regard that each and every kid is entitled to in the school system. Then it might be merely possible that every kid would acquire a opportunity to reflect.BACKGROUND TO HIGH STAKES TESTING IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGOIn Trinidad and Tobago High Stakes Testing are done throughout our primary schoo ls, secondary schools and third establishments as these establishments have maintained a stiff arrested development on scrutinies. Standardized trials are good in that they are utile for comparing pupils countrywide since they are all required to analyze the same course of study for the same test. The Secondary Examination appraisal is no different as it awards a kid for farther accomplishment in the academic field. Secondary Entrance Assessment ( SEA ) Examination is a high interest trial that is used in Trinidad and Tobago to ease the arrangement of pupils in Secondary Schools.A The SEA comprises of three documents Creative Writing, Mathematics, and Language Arts with an allotted clip frame for each topic and covers the national course of study for Primary-level instruction with a focal point on Standards three to five. The Common Entrance was replaced with this debut of the SEA scrutiny high-stakes trial to be used as one of the tools to drive the instruction system in the right way. Planners would no uncertainty argue that there is good virtue for the application of this high interest appraisal. Besides the SEA exams uses standard tonss to use the discrepancy in each paper and hence allows the pupil ‘s to keep a criterion when they are combined, therefore guaranting equity in the arrangement procedure. Placement in secondary schools continues to be on the footing of virtue, pick of schools and gender. Merely when pupil ‘s picks of schools have been exhausted, will try be made to put pupils in schools closest to their places. In such a high interest trial as the SEA exams the paper contains open-ended points for which pupils are required to build their responses, instead than choose them from a figure of other options. Open-ended points can arouse different right responses from pupils, but the accent is on uncovering pupils ‘ thought. This high interest trial gives room for originative and critical thought leting pupils to develop their accomplishments. Students are required to demo their cognition of the mechanics of linguistic communication and expose their academic competences. While their exists certain wagess to the SEA high bets test the sum of accent placed on larning through past documents, â€Å" brochures † and sample trials speaks to the unfortunate importance of the understanding the trial format over the importance of understanding the existent stuff. Furthermore, what makes a â€Å" good school † good is how good its pupils perform at the terminal of these trials. This places an tremendous sum of force per unit area on the instructors to follow a narrow course of study and concentrate on memorising facts alternatively of developing more advanced abilities. For case where a instructor would wish to give her pupils a hebdomad to plan an experiment to prove the consequence of planetary heating, the clip factor before the S.E.A. exam merely does non allow her to make so. Alternatively of advancing fresh groundbreaking thoughts, instructors are forced to restrict themselves and pupils to walking the beaten way. Another downside is that the instruction system is organized in such a manner that if you have jobs memorising and regurgitating, you are branded as a individual who is â€Å" non bright † and your way is set from every bit early as the S.E.A. scrutinies. Those doors are non unfastened to you who have jobs declaiming information, because even if you somehow do it go through the first phase of S.E.A. , you end up in the same state of affairs at higher degrees in a system that has the same learn-by-heart demands of its pupils. This civilization of high interest trials in instruction has limited the capacity of our citizens to bring forth at an optimal degree in our society because it has limited creativeness of the instructor, of the pupil and of the ensuing work force. Standardized testing besides limits creativeness of the instructors. Our state ‘s overexploitation of tests to measure pupil public presentation is holding serious negative effects on instruction and acquisition. The trials have defined course of study. The standardised testing of SEA exams merely assesses pupil ‘s ability to shop and reproduce names, day of the months and facts. What is of import is that pupils memorize the expression and non that they understand it. This leads to a entire deficiency of capacity for groking cardinal constructs and believing in abstract footings. In add-on, how the topic is tested has become how the topic is taught and what is non tested is non taught. Students should non be asked to reproduce a twelvemonth ‘s work in a 70 proceedingss exam because this does non develop their critical thought accomplishments and analytical techniques. By heightening creativeness in the schoolroom, it will cultivate originality in believing which will enable citizens to see things otherwise and use new schemes and attacks to work outing jobs. Education should be an active experience where pupils are invariably engaged and where a love for acquisition is developed, instead than a hatred for concluding tests. Fortunately for us, Ras Shorty I did non hold to go through a music test in order to contrive soca and it is a good thing that Brian Lara did non larn to play cricket through a cricket enchiridion with batting expression. It is non the sweeping reproduction of novel-writing but the originative usage of written linguistic communication that makes VS Naipaul an acclaimed author. In decision high bets test such as the SEA scrutiny has its benefits and its negative impact. It is utile in puting criterions across the schools, territories and state. Besides it would be polar in constructing answerability into the system. Hence provide feedback so that accommodations and even restructuring could be applied to the system. However, peculiar attending to the course of study and instructional techniques, alteration of proving methods, more teacher encouragement and good observation are some of the other factors that will besides promote pupils to accomplish higher classs.Campaigners InterviewedData Collection InstrumentDate and Time of Interview1. Teacher 2. Parent 3. Student: One Two Three Interviews – Interviews were conducted with a instructor, parent and students, with respects to high bets proving. 2rd June 2010 @ 2:00 autopsy 4th June 2010 @ 3:30 autopsy 7th June 2010 @ 2:00 autopsy 9th June 2010 @ 2:00 autopsy 11th June 2010 @ 2:00 autopsyTeacher:After carry oning an interview with a SEA test instructor, Mr. Mehindra stated that most pupils sitting the S.E.A Examination are under intense anxiousness as the course of study had many countries to specify. He stated that the SEA scrutiny course of study is rather regime and demands a batch from the pupils composing the test. A major job he stated was the clip restraint that inhibits pupils from being originative as there is small or no clip to experiment with information. Formulae, regulations and grammatical constructions are learnt and merely applied to inquiries. While he found a high interest trial such as the S.E.A. scrutiny to be relevant and necessary as it standardizes proving of pupils who portion similar learnt cognition and ability as to what they have studied throughout their primary instruction. He stated that as a S.E.A. exam instructor such a high interest trial is indispensable because it allows for pupils to be motivated and encourages an environment for competitory acquisition. He besides mentioned that the accomplishment of transportation is at the bosom of larning and should non be left to speculate. It must be officially encouraged and become profoundly engraved and structured into the course of study in schools. In contrast he besides claimed that the existent winners are ever those who think outside of the box and who have put their cognition and endowments to creative usage in the humanistic disciplines, concern, scientific disciplines, humanistic disciplines, athleticss and across subjects and have good balanced and holi stic development.Parent:Most parents want what ‘s best for their kids. They want their kids to go critical minds with the accomplishments necessary for higher instruction and great success in life. As a parent of a kid who sat the SEA test late she was much relieved that it was done and over with. She stated that utilizing high bets test to do determinations with of import effects for single pupils can be intimidating. Her concerns were if the trials are being used right and reasonably. She besides stated that it was much work for her as it was for her kid because she spent same sum of hours awake and was emotionally stressed out by the volume of worked needed to be covered by her kid. Besides the memorisation of all the assorted expression and grammatical regulations were rather overpowering. She found that the SEA test high bets test promoted a narrow focal point on acquiring the right reply and contract the course of study to whatever information is expected on the trial. Thinking outside of the box is discouraged. Capable countries such as art, music, wellness and scientific discipline got fringy attention.A Conversely she besides expressed rather an interesting point by acknowledging that high bets test facilitates higher acquisition accomplishments. She besides appreciated the fact that the SEA test high interest trial in peculiar besides encourages an environment for competitory acquisition.Student # 1As a SEA exam pupil it proved to be rather ambitious and boring Cavita stated with a diffident smiling. She has late completed the SEA scrutiny and shared some of her late fond memories. The effects of the high interest SEA test did so take a toll on her. Her full agenda had changed as she had increased her perusal hours because the work got really demanding, which in bend reduced her extracurricular activities by about half. She besides stressed of the scope of inauspicious emotional reactions, of which she frequently felt down, disquieted, or embarrassed. Besides at times she felt stupid and less proud of herself. While there was the motivative factor of competitory acquisition she besides stated that it was so a immense challenge. Cavita besides mentioned that her parents were rather supportive and did so attend to her every demand. Her female parent would frequently remain up while she studied and if she was hungry made a speedy bite for her to crunch on. She did nevertheless hold that standardising a high bets test such as the SEA tests do hold its benefits, as it allowed a similar scene of criterions across the schools, territories and state. Furthermore she stated that it gave a sense of what to anticipate at secondary and third degree scrutinies.Student # 2Ravi is a originative kid who is non really fond of tests. When questioned about the SEA test he was a spot hesitating about the subject because he found the test to be an highly hard undertaking. He argued that it was excessively much work to larn in excessively small clip. He stated that at times the focal point on memorisation of ex pression and grammatical regulations were rather overpowering. Besides he stated that instructors teach the course of study and merely what is in the course of study and as such originative humanistic disciplines and scientific discipline undertakings are sidelined in order to complete the demanding course of study. Next, he mentioned how boring it used to be as instructors focus on so many trial documents and past documents that at clip he felt suffocated. His extracurricular activities were denied as he had excessively much work to concentrate on. However he besides stated that he was a spot slower than others and frequently felt down and defeated, therefore, the demand to seek harder. On the positive side he was appreciative to the fact that in such a high interest trial as the SEA exam he can look frontward to capture into a secondary school, which in bend was his motivative factor.Student # 3Small speculative heads ever think critically, as such is this student who late wrote the high bets SEA test. She found the SEA scrutiny to be a ambitious vas to greater accomplishment. She stated that it a mechanism that is used to actuate pupils and instructors likewise. Student should desire to execute good to experience a sense of achievement as go throughing this test allows you to graduate and travel on to a secondary instruction. Teachers should besides experience accomplished when their clip and attempt is appreciated, non merely by their pupils but parents every bit good. She besides pointed out that standardising trial such as the SEA scrutiny will let pupils a just opportunity of equality as the same trial is given to each kid. She besides did non bury to advert that a high interest trial as the SEA test will besides help in puting criterions across the schools and state. On the downside nevertheless, she stated that a batch of analyzing had to be done and as such her extracurricular activities were minimum. Besides being originative was non an option as memorisation of assorted expressions and grammatical regulations was a cardinal factor in go throughing the SEA test.THEMES DERIVED FROM ALL INTERVIEWS TAKENHarmonizing to the World Wide Web, a subject â€Å" is a consolidative thought that is a perennial component in literary or artistic work, † in a sentence, paragraph or try. Many subjects can be derived from the interviews taken every bit many responses were likewise based. While it s true that each individual has given their valuable and honest parts towards this assignment, it can be noted that many of us are of the same position when it comes to standardised testing, and to a big extent Secondary Entrance Assessment Examinations, and that it that it is clip devouring with its overladen course of study, it encourages competitory acquisiti on, disputing, motivationally structured and it diminishes any excess clip towards extra-curricular or other capable affairs. As a instructor in the primary school, I am to the full cognizant that the clip tabular array is shifted doubtless when a kid escalates to the standard 5 category. Besides, small or no clip is given to extra-curricular activities every bit good as Creative Humanistic disciplines, Music, Science and Social Studies. It was besides highlighted that there are excessively many expressions, regulations and grammatical constructions which are to be mastered in order to keep and put high at its terminal. Decision In kernel, high-stakes testing has its benefits and its disadvantages. High bets trial is aimed at making better accomplishing pupils. A High-stakes testing is designed to keep single studentsA accountable for their ain trial public presentation, unlike â€Å" system answerability, † which is aimed at the suppliers of instruction, such as, school territories, and schools. However, this can non be achieved if the system is smothering the creativeness of the people. Memorizing a text edition is no replacing for advanced thought. The creativeness for advancement that should hold been cultivated in the schoolroom is missing. Therefore neglecting to go through for a esteemed school at the S.E.A. scrutiny does non specify a individual it merely puts you at a different degree. Rather the inquiry is how best to utilize high-stakes testing. Furthermore, sufficient resources must be provided for professional development of instructors in the usage of trials and redress of pupils who ab initio fails. Policymakers must non lose sight that the ultimate end of a comprehensive answerability system is non to honor or penalize, but to better the bringing of course of study and increase pupil larning. Some balance could be brought to bear on the overdose of these pen-and-paper trials if schools become committed to a annual expounding of kids ‘s work highlighting, among others, their accomplishments in athleticss, the ocular and executing humanistic disciplines, and the school ‘s outreach community programme, to be viewed publically by school functionaries, nucleus stakeholders and other service suppliers. It provides indirect grounds that pupils are showing understanding of their cognition in context. Therefore it is of my sentiment that a high interest trial does non specify an person but help a pupil into going a more successful and accomplishing individual. In Trinidad and Tobago we must recognize that the consequence of the instruction system which revolves about high bets scrutinies is non ever the most achieving method but a mechanism used to assist ease higher accomplishment.