Manage Personal Work Priorities And Professional Development Essay

In this paper I will look at the core characteristics of being a good role model and effective leader and reflect upon how these compare to my characteristics and traits in the role I perform in my work as a supervisor. I will also discuss how I can develop as a better leader, how I manage my responsibilities in the workplace and my professional development. A good role model isn’t necessarily a leader, from my experience some of the good role models I have seen haven’t made a good leader even though they were very good in their previous role. Even if you are a leader doesn’t mean that you are a good role model and I have seen plenty of those too. A good role model in the workplace has credibility, leads by example, has the respect of their colleagues and is often imitated by them. If you search for â€Å"what makes a good role model?† on the internet you will find hundreds upon hundreds of sites which give you a number of identical characteristics depending on the number (most sites say between 5 and 10.) You will also find that characteristics of being a good role model extend and apply beyond the workplace. It is also important that the good traits, attitudes and behaviours are consistent to become a good role model. I believe that one of the most important characteristic of being a good role model is setting a good example. Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville: Role Models – Defining Positive Role Models, list the following characteristics of a good role model:- A sense of duty to work for the common good Compassionate Can work through challenges Committed Capacity to achieve goals Possess high standards and Values Courage and Strength Models Forgiveness Trustworthy Humility Peaceful Wise Admits when they are wrong Genuine Love Understands the whole situation Not mentioned in this list directly is being knowledgeable and well-rounded and good communication (although these are mentioned regularly in other lists found). To be a good role model in the workplace for the employees I supervise I need to lead by example. I need to be aware of the characteristic and traits of a good role model and develop the characteristics I don’t possess or need to be developed. To be a good role model for the employees I supervise basically need to lead by example and possess the majority of the characteristics above. For example I use my excellent communications skills I have developed from almost 9 years in policing to not only communicate with the employees I supervise but actively listen to them. Only recently I was conducting a safety interaction with an employee and after talking about safety issues, he trusted me enough to talk to me about some of his personal issues and sought my advice on matter. I am also very good at working through challenges and use my knowledge and ability to think outside the box to solve issues that arise. This is a daily occurrence in my role as I am in control of an entire rail yard and its operations which are very fluid and ever changing. I am very committed to my role and this is shown by my capacity to assist others that require assistance. Recently we were short staffed and I helped out an employee in shunting operations that allowed us to complete the task and achieve the goals of departing all trains on time. I use honest self-reflection after my shift to determine whether or not I was a good role model that day and look for ways to improve on my performance. Feedback from staff and even watching them work during my shift using my ideas or practices also show that I am being a good role model. Finally performance reviews with my manager also reflect on whether I am a good role model. The traits of an effective leader adopt those of a good role model, to be an effective leader you need to be a good role model. Leadership Getting it done (Rex Campbell, 1997) states the two most important traits of an effective leader is motivation and communication skills. It then goes onto describe fourteen other traits that an effective leader is likely to possess, but states that not many leaders will possess all of them well developed but most leaders will have most of them developed. The fourteen traits are: Personality (including interpersonal skills) Persuasive (communication skills) Persistence Patience Perceptive Probity (Honest and Trustworthy) Praise Giving Positive Orientation People Based Possible (Realistic) Practical Progressive Prepared (Knowledgeable) Power Building 7 Traits of Highly Effective Leaders ( Inc.com, Peter Economy, Aug 23 2013), streamlines the above traits down to the ability to inspire action, optimistic, integrity, supporting and facilitating your team, confidence, communication, and decisive. After studying the traits listed I disagree with the trait of being optimistic and believe being realistic is more important. I also believe that being creative, level headed, being able to manage conflict and a committed worker are also very important traits. I believe that I possess all the traits mentioned of an effective leader in some capacity with some being more developed than others. I have excellent interpersonal and communication skills that I have developed over nine years of policing that allow me to talk to people. These include active listening, asking questions and giving clear tasks. For example, even though it’s part  of their job and I still ask people to perform tasks as it is polite and makes them feel like they are choosing to the task and feel motivated. I am knowledgeable and know where to find the answer if I don’t know it off hand. I am one of only three supervisors in my management team that have had the experience in all roles of the employees that we supervise, this allows me to help when people require assistance or have problems. I’m often asked to assist and only offer my help and don’t barge in or takeover because they aren’t doing it the way I think. I am not one of those supervisors that sit back when times are tough, instead I am there at the frontline working through the challenge. At the end of every shift I supervise I say thank you the employees I supervise especially if it’s been a challenging shift. To be good and my job role requires me to be decisive, creative, level headed and realistic due to the, I allow my employees to think of solutions and give them feedback and other ideas. I tend not to tell them what to do and micro-manage instead I choose to step in when they are stuck or there is some conflict of dynamic and ever changing work situation. Logistical problems will often arise and need to be solved expeditiously ideas. I have good conflict management skills and have settled a number of disputes that have occurred between employees. A short while ago I had two employees who were arguing outside my office quit loudly and before I had an opportunity to see what was happening one of the employees came rushing into the office very flustered and upset stating that he needed to go home. I spoke to both employees separately and together to resolve the issue and the upset employee confided in me that he had some other personal issues that may have affected his reaction. There was still grounds for his complaint so the other employee was dealt with. I gave the upset employee ten minutes to calm down and gather himself and after that time he thanked me and stated that he was ready to resume work. I believe that this outcome was possible because I of my conflict management skills which included my integrity, my communication skills and the employees feeling comfortable enough to confide in me. As I have mentioned before I am believe I have the traits and that I am an effective leader however I am not perfect and there is always room for  improvement. Knowing what makes and effective leader is the first step to developing the skills. As I have read in some of the articles some of the traits come naturally, some are easily developed and some will require hard work to develop. If possible I think it’s important to have a good leadership role model as I do. This would help you set the standard and with some personal reflection or feedback from others allow you to identify the traits that require development. In my organisation supervisors and managers are given leadership workshops to provide this â€Å"training† and help triggers self-reflection and development of the traits of an effective leader. During this workshop I demonstrated my traits as a leader and was able to develop those which require improvement. My organisations plans and goals are reflected in the mission, vision and values with safety being the main core value. By working safely, ensuring other employees work safely and ensuring the mission, vision and values are followed or worked towards would ensure that my work goals and plan reflect this. I have a yearly Personal Performance Review (PPR) with periodic meetings through the year, that ensures my work goals and plan reflects that of my organisations. There is weekly management meetings that I attend (shifts permitting) where we are updated with any changes or updates the organisations plans or goals. Most recently my company is trying to reduce operating costs and we have been asked to be wary of costs and find ways to reduce cost. This is supplemented by regular emails and correspondence from colleagues about our organisations goals and plans. To ensure I meet my Job responsibilities I need to know and understand what my job responsibilities are. As a supervisor at Aurizon I have responsibilities that are common to all supervisors, managers and sometimes all employees, as well as a number of responsibilities that are unique to my job role. At the time of applying for my position I was supplied Position Description which identified the key responsibilities of my role and this was followed up by a meeting with my manager upon being successful. There is also a handbook created by previous supervisors that lists the daily responsibilities of my role (although this is mainly used for use by those acting in the role.) I have a diary that I record my daily actions that I not only use as evidence for my PPR, but also to ensure I have met some of my daily/monthly responsibilities. I also  create daily lists to ensure that not only my regular daily responsibilities are carried out but also any additional requirements that arise ar e met. As previously mentioned I have a PPR to measure my personal performance on an annual basis with periodic meetings to assess my progress. To assist with evidencing this and maintaining this I have a diary that I record targets and responsibilities I perform. I also keep any emails of praise from my manager, other colleagues in my organisation, and external parties. Regular conversations and feedback from my colleagues and mangers also provide measure of my performance. I maintain my performance by ensuring I meet my monthly targets or key performance indicators and analysing it on a regular basis to ensure it’s at the appropriate level or higher. If I believe that my performance is not to standard or if I was informed that it was to the expected standard I would look at ways to improve my performance. In my organisation and for my role my in particular my work revolves around timetables for trains and is very time based. In my office we have a whiteboard with the timetable for my shift and the next train after which becomes one of our main priorities for the shift. To organise and prioritise my work I write a list at the start for the shift which would include my daily responsibilities such as meetings and checks. I then add tasks specific to that day that regularly occur or have been prearranged for the day, new tasks are added to the list as they come up. All the tasks will have a specific time frame of completion whether it is to be completed by the end of my shift, during my shift or in some cases over a period of days, weeks or months. To help me organise my work I use technology to help organise and manage my work. I mainly use my outlook calendar with reminders of regular daily tasks and use it to set reminders for future tasks that extend beyond my shift. We also receive daily emails from colleagues regarding our priorities or tasks for the day. Due to the nature of my work and my sometimes limited time in front of my computer I prefer to not use technology, as it changes regularly and isn’t necessarily the most efficient way to manage my work. I am able to maintain my work/life balance quite easily due to my role and the number of people in my team. I am one of five supervisors that perform my role and we work a 24hr roster, so there is always one of us (or in some case an acting supervisor.) This means that I almost never take work home and when I leave, I leave my work at the gate  and most of time work my set roster. This allows for a regular amount of â€Å"life â€Å"time which is important with a young family. I have a good relationship with my manager and I am pretty lucky that he is very pro-family and out of work activities. I also have a number of activities outside of work and more importantly away from work people which include volunteer fire and rescue, regular exercise and socialising with friends. During work time I also look to have a least half an hour away from my desk/work duties for my lunch break to take time out. I have number of skills and knowledge that I am required to remain competent in to ma intain both legal and organisational qualifications and knowledge. To ensure that these standards of competency I have regular refreshers and assessments dependent on the qualification or competency required. The majority of these are monitored by the training department in my organisation and other employees. I also have a computer based program with my training profile and due dates, these are mainly revolved around computer based training. A number of my competencies or qualifications are skill based and requires periodic assessment, so I regularly make time to practice and use these skills in the workplace as I don’t regularly use them as part of my role. In addition to my requalifications and refreshers, I ensure my knowledge is maintained I regularly re-read rule books and workbooks from course. My PPR process allows my manager and me to identify developmental needs and so far I have completed and Excel course, leadership course and drug and alcohol sampling course, with a number of other development opportunities already identified. I even suggested this course which I saw as beneficial to my development. Once again self-reflection and identifying gaps, weaknesses and room for improvement help me identify my developmental needs. When looking at my developmental needs I also need to take into account my personal learning style. There are numerous theories and models on learning styles, some of which pigeon hole your learning style while other identify you tendency towards that style. According to work adapted from Barbe, Swassing and Milone; Learning styles consist of three types, Visual (seeing and reading), Auditory (hearing and speaking), and Kinaesthetic (touching and doing.) After reading the traits for each style I would most likely identify myself as having a visual learning style followed by an Auditory. Honey and Mumford (based on work by Kolb) identified four learning styles as Activist,  Reflector, Theorist, and Pragmatists. Activists tend to enjoy team/group activities and learning; Reflectors tend to enjoy self-paced learning, scenarios, observations and meetings; Theorists tend to enjoy reading, experiment based activities, classroom and laboratory/workshop training, conferences and discussion; Pragmatists tend to enjoy on job training, coaching and work based projects. After conducting the test based on this model I show low preference to having an Activist learning style and moderate preference to the reflector, theorist and pragmatist learning styles. I also conducted another test on the internet based on the Gardner model which is an expansion on the three types of learning styles of visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic. Gardner’s model expands the different styles to seven, consisting of visual, social, physical, aural, verbal, solitary, and logical. After taking this test I showed that I rarely use/prefer visual and physical learning styles, and have a moderate preference towards all the other learning styles. Based on the various results and self-reflection of my personal learning style it is quite clear that I have a moderate preference towards a number of learning styles. My personal learning style is that I like to read and take notes on the theory of the knowledge/skill to be learnt, question the material and ask what-if questions (especially if its knowledge of rules,) followed by on job mentoring. My past two main qualifications/skill that I have gained in train operations was following this process. I know from previous courses and employments that I don’t like role-play scenarios and prefer on job experience. To ensure that I took advantage of learning opportunities I would if possible adapt/suggest the learning style to suit my own. However I am more than capable of still learning in a different style than my preferred styles and wouldn’t pass up an opportunity for learning. As previous mentioned during this paper my main source of feedback is from my PPR process with my direct line manager. I also receive some feedback from my peers, direct reports and internal and external customers usually via my line manager. My company also has a development program for managers with confidential surveys of your line manager, reports and peers. Any feedback I receive, whether it is good or bad, I will analyse for anyways to improve my performance or competency. This could be to learn new skills, development programs, courses to expand on a current knowledge/skill base or to observe/shadow a colleague. I have a  number of networks both personal and work related that are of assistance to me in my current role. Due to the size of the town I live and work in, I have a number of personal relationships that have assisted in these networks. I am a volunteer firefighter and have a network of other volunteers I encounter both through the brigade and through other agencies. Having a variety of people has not only allowed the sharing of knowledge regarding emergencies, but has also assisted in the foundation of other networks. This has been beneficial to me as I have been able to use my extensive knowledge of emergency situations in my role and increase my work related networks. A network that I use to increase my knowledge on a regular basis is with the mechanical department. I have a good relationship with the supervisors and direct reports and receive a lot of technical information that is of great benefit to me. In general by having good relationships/networks you can gain knowledge by asking questions and shadow/observe best practice. Maintaining a competitive edge in the work place is a very important in today’s age, if you don’t then you’ll be left behind. An important outlook is to know that you don’t know everything and that you need to keep learning and acquiring knowledge and skills. Currently in my workplace I have a competitive edge over my peers, as I am motivated, have more qualifications and skills than the majority of them, better communication skills, better computer skills, my willingness to learn new things and most importantly that I strive to do my job to the best of my ability. To ensure that I acquired new skills I would seek learning opportunities both in and out of the work place. I would identify these learning opportunities through my PPR process, feedback and self-reflection. In conclusion to manage my work priorities and professional development I use self-reflection, my personal performance review, and feedback to identify development needs and opportunities. By being aware of the many traits that make a good role model and an effective leader, I can use self-assessment and other forms of feedback to improve and develop my skills. Also by being aware of the traits I can identify a role model of my own to help in becoming a better leader.

Chapter 22 Apush Key Terms

Marcus Pando Period 4 Chapter 22 Key Terms Describe and state the historical significance of the following: 7. Freedmen's Bureau Initiated by President Abraham Lincoln and was intended to last for one year after the end of the Civil War. At the end of the war, the Bureau's main role was providing emergency food, housing, and medical aid to refugees, though it also helped reunite families. Later, it focused its work on helping the freedmen adjust to their conditions of freedom.Its main job was setting up work opportunities and supervising labor contracts. 8. Exodusters Was a name given to African Americans who left the south[Kansas] in 1879 and 1880. After the end of Reconstruction, racial oppression and rumors of the reinstitution of slavery led many freedmen to seek a new place to live. 9. Wade-Davis Bill Was a bill proposed for the Reconstruction of the South written by two Radical Republicans, Senator Benjamin Wade of Ohio and Representative Henry Winter Davis of Maryland.In contr ast to President Abraham Lincoln's more lenient Ten Percent Plan, the bill made re-admittance to the Union for former Confederate states contingent on a majority in each Southern state to take the Ironclad oath to the effect they had never in the past supported the Confederacy. 10. Percent Plan 11. moderate/radical Republicans Radical Republicans were a loose faction of American politicians within the Republican Party from about 1854 (before the American Civil War) until the end of Reconstruction in 1877.They called themselves â€Å"radicals† and were opposed during the war by moderates and conservative factions led by Abraham Lincoln and after the war by self-described â€Å"conservatives† (in the South) and â€Å"Liberals† (in the North). Radicals strongly opposed slavery during the war and after the war distrusted ex-Confederates, demanding harsh policies for the former rebels, and emphasizing civil rights and voting rights for Freedmen (recently freed slaves ). [1] 12. Black Codes Black Codes were laws in the United States after the Civil War with the effect of limiting the civil rights and civil liberties of blacks.Even though the U. S. constitution originally discriminated against blacks and both Northern and Southern states had passed discriminatory legislation from the early 19th century, the term Black Codes is used most often to refer to legislation passed by Southern states at the end of the Civil War to control the labor, migration and other activities of newly-freed slaves. 13. sharecropping Sharecropping is a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land (e. g. , 50% of the crop).Sharecropping has a long history and there are a wide range of different situations and types of agreements that have encompassed the system. Some are governed by tradition, others by law. 14. Civil Rights Act A United States federal law that was mainly intended to pro tect the civil rights of African-Americans, in the wake of the American Civil War. The Act was enacted by Congress in 1865 but vetoed by President Andrew Johnson. In April 1866 Congress again passed the bill. Although Johnson again vetoed it, a two-thirds majority in each house overcame the veto and the bill became law. 5. Fourteenth Amendment Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Supreme Court's ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) that had held that black people could not be citizens of the United States. [1] Its Due Process Clause prohibits state and local governments from depriving persons of life, liberty, or property without certain steps being taken to ensure fairness. This clause has been used to make most of the Bill of Rights applicable to the states, as well as to recognize substantive and procedural rights.Its Equal Protection Clause requires each state to provide equal protection under the law to all people within its ju risdiction. This clause was the basis for Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Supreme Court decision which precipitated the dismantling of racial segregation in United States education. In Reed v. Reed (1971), the Supreme Court ruled that laws arbitrarily requiring sex discrimination violated the Equal Protection Clause. The amendment also includes a number of clauses dealing with the Confederacy and its officials. 17. Reconstruction ActAfter the end of the American Civil War, as part of the on-going process of Reconstruction, the United States Congress passed four statutes known as Reconstruction Acts. The actual title of the initial legislation was â€Å"An act to provide for the more efficient government of the Rebel States† and it was passed on March 2, 1867. Fulfillment of the requirements of the Acts were necessary for the former Confederate States to be readmitted to the Union. The Acts excluded Tennessee, which had already ratified the 14th Amendment and had been readmitted to the Union. 8. Fifteenth Amendment Prohibits each government in the United States from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's â€Å"race, color, or previous condition of servitude† (for example, slavery). It was ratified on February 3, 1870. The Fifteenth Amendment is one of the Reconstruction Amendments. 19. Ex parte Milligan Was a United States Supreme Court case that ruled that the application of military tribunals to citizens when civilian courts are still operating is unconstitutional.It was also controversial because it was one of the first cases after the end of the American Civil War. 22. scalawags Were southern whites who supported Reconstruction and the Republican Party after the Civil War. Like similar terms such as â€Å"carpetbagger† the word has a long history of use as a slur against southerners considered by other conservative or pro-federation Southerners to betray southern values by supporting policies considered Nort hern such as desegregation and racial integration. 1] The term is commonly used in historical studies as a neutral descriptor of Southern White Republicans, though some historians have discarded the term due to its history of pejorative connotations. [2] 23. carpetbaggers Was a pejorative term Southerners gave to Northerners (also referred to as Yankees) who moved to the South during the Reconstruction era, between 1865 and 1877.24. Ku Klux Klan advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically expressed through terrorism. 10] Since the mid-20th century, the KKK has also been anti-communist. [10] The current manifestation is splintered into several chapters with no connections between each other; it is classified as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center. [11] It is estimated to have between 3,000 and 5,000 members as of 2012. [12] The first Klan flourished in the Southern U nited States in the late 1860s, then died out by the early 1870s. Members adopted white costumes: robes, masks, and conical hats, designed to be outlandish and terrifying, and to hide their identities. 13]The second KKK flourished nationwide in the early and mid 1920s, and adopted the same costumes and code words as the first Klan, while introducing cross burnings. [14] The third KKK emerged after World War II and was associated with opposing the Civil Rights Movement and progress among minorities. The second and third incarnations of the Ku Klux Klan made frequent reference to the USA's â€Å"Anglo-Saxon† and â€Å"Celtic† blood, harking back to 19th-century nativism and claiming descent from the original 18th-century British colonial revolutionaries. 15] The first and third incarnations of the Klan have well-established records of engaging in terrorism and political violence, though historians debate whether or not the tactic was supported by the second KKK. 25. Forc e Acts Can refer to several groups of acts passed by the United States Congress. The term usually refers to the events after the American Civil War. 26. Tenure of Office Act Was a federal law (in force from 1867 to 1887) that was intended to restrict the power of the President of the United States to remove certain office-holders without the approval of the Senate.The law was enacted on March 3, 1867, over the veto of President Andrew Johnson. It purported to deny the president the power to remove any executive officer who had been appointed by a past president, without the advice and consent of the Senate, unless the Senate approved the removal during the next full session of Congress. 27. Impeachment of President Johnson The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States, was one of the most dramatic events in the political life of the United States during Reconstruction, and the first impeachment in history of a sitting United States president.Johnson was impe ached for his efforts to undermine Congressional policy; he was acquitted by one vote. The Impeachment was the consummation of a lengthy political battle, between the moderate Johnson and the â€Å"Radical Republican† movement that dominated Congress and sought control of Reconstruction policies. Johnson was impeached on February 24, 1868 in the U. S. House of Representatives on eleven articles of impeachment detailing his â€Å"high crimes and misdemeanors†,[1] in accordance with Article Two of the United States Constitution.The House's primary charge against Johnson was with violation of the Tenure of Office Act, passed by Congress the previous year. Specifically, he had removed Edwin M. Stanton, the Secretary of War (whom the Tenure of Office Act was largely designed to protect), from office and replaced him with Major General Lorenzo Thomas. The House agreed to the articles of impeachment on March 2, 1868. The trial began three days later in the Senate, with Suprem e Court Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presiding.Trial concluded on May 26 with Johnson's acquittal, the votes for conviction being one less than the required two-thirds tally. The impeachment and subsequent trial gained a historical reputation as an act of political expedience, rather than necessity, based on Johnson's defiance of an unconstitutional piece of legislation and with little regard for the will of the public (which, despite the unpopularity of Johnson, opposed the impeachment). Until the impeachment of Bill Clinton 131 years later, it was the only presidential impeachment in the history of the United States.

Monkeys and how we judge mental illness Essay

In the movie 12 Monkeys there features a virus which was deliberately released in 1996 and killed more than five billion people. The survivors seek refuge into the underground. The refugees send volunteers to bring insect specimens from the universe to test for the virus presence. One of the sent prisoners is James Cole. He is sent for a mission into the past to collect information about the virus. He arrives in Baltimore in 1990, instead of 1996. Cole begins to recall the past events as if he was in a dream. For instance, he recalls an event when he witnessed a man killed at the airport while he was a child. Cole seems to have mental problem. That is the theme of the movie (Lynette, 3). In the movie, the issue of mental illness is brought out vividly. The definition of mental illness in regard to the social norms and beliefs is brought out clearly. Also, the Cole’s experience and how it relates to Plato’s allegory of the cave is highlighted. In this film, mental illness is featured several times. For instance, Jose mentions that the so called volunteers are said to go mad. This presents a clear case of mental illness in the movie. We also notice Cole getting locked up in the mental institution with other lunatics. That shows that there were many other lunatics present. Goines is definitely crazy or schizoid because of his hallucinating and grandiosity nature. Dr. Railly, the psychiatrist alludes that maybe the whole world may be insane. We really do not understand whether Cole was really from the future or he was ‘mentally divergent’. We notice Cole questioning his mental capabilities when he asks himself if it could not be great if he was crazy. Simultaneously, the Dr. is convinced that he is from the figure of which we know that this cannot be right (Lynette, 8). If he was really sane and from the furfure, then how can one explain the voice that he hears, the one he calls bum calling him Bob? What about th e changing guard faces? Again, what about the fact that he is never seen coming or leaving and his memory lapses? We really cannot know the physical divergence he claims to have because one cannot explain his foreknowledge about the boy in the well. It is also to explain his appearances in a World War One photo and the bullet in his leg. In short, this movie seems to be implying that we may not be mentally ill or weirder than the world we live. Relative to the social beliefs and norms, mental illness or abnormality can be seen as not being an exact process as it tends to focus on different individuals with different lines of thinking. This relies on different situations, behaviors and context to which the measure is applied (Weinberger, 2001). In defining abnormality, people from different societies and countries have varied ideas. Each and every culture has its own concepts of what it considers to be normal or abnormal. This can make us conclude that what is considered abnormal in one society is not the same in other societies. So, there is no society which is more superior to the other in their perception of mental illness or one society has got many mental disorders than the other (American Psychiatric Association. 2000). If we look at the deviation from the norms, something or somebody can be considered abnormal if he or she does not conform to what could be considered statistically normal. Those who focus on this explanation consider specific aspects such as the intelligence quotient (IQ), the personal traits and their distribution. Asserting that a person is abnormal in this aspect typically means that they deviate from the numeric average of a specific trait and behavior patterns. The other mostly applied aspect in examining the mental illness of people is the deviation from the social norms. Naturally, some behaviors are considered unaccepted in the society, but they can still be expected to be applied in certain situations. Majority of people know how to adjust and come along with these changes (Weinberger, 2001). The ones that contradict what is socially normal are taken as abnormal or mentally ill to the extreme. Also, a person is considered abnormal if he/she is not functioning correctly in that he or she may lack a full range of emotion and feelings and, therefore, his life is considered abnormal. Such people can only participate in a limited range of functioning lifestyle (American Psychiatric Association. 2000). Distress can also be used to gauge the mental illness and capability of people as it could be an underlying mental problem. Another aspect of the social norms definition of mental illness is the person’s association with others. If a person’s relationship with others causes them discomfort, then, the approach of the person may lead to the description of abnormality in the context of that relationship. The Cole’s experiences relate to the Plato’s’ allegatory of the cave’ with respect to allegations that the real world may not be what our senses reveal. In relation to the Cole’s experience, we see him moving from one world of the past to the furfure and vice versa. In real this could only be a dream or mere imaginations. In this case, Cole’s experiences could be reflecting Plato’s thoughts or allegations. In his Dialogue with Glaucon, we are not sure of the cave which he was referring to. It could either be the underground that the people had escaped to after the virus struck the universe or the prison where Cole was imprisoned. Cole imagines that the prisoners could think that the sounds they had heard were really coming from the shadows. Surprisingly, that imagination coincides with his seeing the changing face of the guard and that of omnipresence. His concepts on the shadows could reflect Cole’s switching from one world to another. Was what he saw from the 1990 world true or could it be his experience from the 1996 and 2035? Which was the truer experience? On the last part of their discussion with Glaucon, he tells him that they, meaning the government, cannot show any gratitude for the culture which they have never received. This could be reflecting the 12 monkeys who had released the virus that almost eliminated the human race according to the film. He said that with education on how to tackle issues, one will be able to defeat these ill minded people. That notion reflects Cole’s endeavors. References Roger Ebert (1996-01-05). â€Å"12 Monkeys†. Chicago Sun-TimesLynette Rice (August 26, 2013). † 12 monkeys pilot†. Entertainment Weekly James Berardinelli. â€Å"Twelve Monkeys†. Reviews Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences Education, National Research Council. 2000. How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Weinberger, D., Torrey, E.F., and Berman, K. 2001. Schizophrenia PET scans. Retrieved July 13, 2008 American Psychiatric Association. 2000. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition The Allegory of the Cave http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/allegory.html Source document

Enrique's Journey Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Enrique's Journey Reflection - Essay Example ain character meets on his way forced me to realize, how precious is the family and what a price should some immigrants pay for to reunite with their families. Before reading this book I never thought that the government should somehow support the immigrants. I thought that the problems of immigrants are the problems of their own countries, ut nit the USA. I’ve heard the terrific statistics telling how many people crossed the USA boundary, but that people were only numbers for me. Earlier I never thought about the fact that those people who immigrate to the USA leave their families on the other side of the boundary. I thought of them as about people who just can’t find a job or don’t want to live in their own country and therefore come to the USA. While reading this book I got deep into the inner world of a boy, whose mother left him in Honduras and went far away to make his and her life better. The move allows her to send money back home to Enrique, due to that he can go to school. Mother promised Enrique that she will return quickly. But she had troubles in America. So due to this very book I saw how difficult it is to survive in the foreign country, where no one is really interested in your being here and someone even want you to leave. Also I saw the inside of the world of poverty, unemployment and hardships I never met in my life. I really reconsidered my opinion about immigrants after reading this book. Now I even think the government has to provide the immigrants children with a humanitarian care, shelter and legal assistance, especially for those children who have faced horrific violence in their native countries. Unfortunately not all he officials and parties are ready to help the immigrants. The book Enriques Journey helped me to open my eyes and see the other side of the both immigrant’s and my own worlds. They differ a lot. I have never been really far from my family, without staying in contact with them, without a smallest opportunity to see

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Case Study Example Since India’s GDP was low, the vast majority of the population could only afford two wheeler vehicles. The strategies employed in ensuring that the Nano met all demands by the non-four-wheeler customers included ensuring that it was affordable for this portion of the population. It was priced at only 1 Lakh making it the cheapest car. In addition, it met high fuel efficiency standards and met all safety standards that the two wheelers could not meet. For these reasons, people placed orders before they had even seen the car. There were several hurdles that the Nano had to address in the market. First, the Nano had to ensure that it offered better services than the two-wheeler by becoming a safe, all-weather vehicle. In addition, it had to be affordable. Second, the car had to be designed in a way that it promised an upward social mobility. Third, the designers could not compromise the buyers so as to ensure low cost car. For instance, they could not design it being a two door vehicle since this would reduce accessibility to rear seats. In spite of the huge initial orders, there were obstacles which resulted in poor sales. First, Tata did not have its own distribution channels; therefore, it resorted to using the traditional dealerships, which had limited space. Although this was a main issue Tata resulted to using other outlets so as to make the showrooms available in many cities in India. For instance, the company tied up with Big Bazaar to display the vehicles in smaller cities. Additionally, two wheeler customers who were the main target were turned off by the perception of the Nano being the cheapest car as people wanted to upgrade their social status. Second, Tata also had a production problem since the interim facilities’ production was low. Third, the company had issues with local communities who protested the use of arable land for industrial uses. This is one of the main obstacles that affected the progress of the Nano

International Trade Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Trade Finance - Essay Example This report looks into various aspects of international trade finance in relation to Stainless Cookware Ltd. The report will first analyse import/inward documents against payment collection in international trade since the company also engages in inward trade that requires inward financing and documentation. The report will also identify an appropriate banking product that Mr. Gupta, the director of the company can use to finance imports. The Incoterm that is currently used in the Saudi contract will also be evaluated, and recommendation will be given on whether another alternative may be used. Furthermore, the report will highlight how else the bank may protect the company. Advantages of invoicing using the USD will also be discussed while at the same time providing the three quotes alongside their sterling equivalent. This will demonstrate a deep application of international finance in the case study. There are also some documentation and other e-commerce financial aspects that can be used in international trade. Methods of payment in international trade will further be analysed. The Stainless Steel Cookware records its imports on documents against payment (DP) collection. The DP mechanism involves the release of import documents upon payment by the buyer. It is a crucial method of payment in international transactions which can enhance faster and effective payment for Stainless Steel Cookware. In this mechanism, the exporter asks the bank to present shipping and title documents to the importer only when he pays for the bill of exchange or draft. This is cash against documents, and it ensures that the importer pays for the goods as he takes possession of them (Carr & Stone, 2013). DP is therefore an effective method of payment for Stainless Steel Cookware because it ensures that the importers of its goods pay for their imports as

Leadership and motivation in Virgin Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership and motivation in Virgin Media - Essay Example Motivation helps increase productivity. Two motivational theories are Herzberg two factor theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Herzberg’s two factor theory is a motivational theory that identifies job context as the source of job dissatisfaction and job content as the source of satisfaction (Schermernhorn, Hunt, Osborn, 2003). The theory is divided in motivator factors and hygiene factors. Hygiene factors are sources of job dissatisfaction. Hygiene factors in job content that affect dissatisfaction include: Motivator factors in job context that affect job satisfaction are achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and growth. This theory is popular due to its simplicity and direct linkage to behavior of the employees. The theory also has its critics. â€Å"Some say its methodology does not address the notion that when things are going well people tend to look at the things they enjoy about their job† (Mindtools, 2014). A content theory of motivation develop by Abraham Maslow in 1943 is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Cherry, 2014). The theory is composed a pyramid of five needs that can be categorized as higher order or lower order needs. The five needs in ascending order are physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization. An illustration of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is shown below. The physiological need include most basic needs such as food and water. Safety needs are security, protection, and stability. Social needs are associated with love and affection. Some esteem needs are respect, recognition, prestige, and competence. Self actualization needs deal with fulfillment and growth. This motivation methodology is fairly easy to implement which has made the theory popular in the business world. It is in the best interest of Virgin Media to motivate its staff because doing so will increase the performance of the business. Virgin Media is the UK’s first provider of all

Case Analysis Publix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Case Analysis Publix - Essay Example Publix head office is based in Florida and is a grocery chain with huge numbers of employees, serves a large pool of customers and has its branches and operations spinning across different states in the USA. Society, Sub cultures This company looks at the society it operates in with pride, acceptance, and joy because it has lived by its philosophy of caring for the people as part of its corporate culture in that it helps the customers meet their needs and realize the extraordinary achievements in their lives. This has a major impact on the society since in a way it empowers the customers through various incentives and most importantly through offering customer focused services. This is why the associates of Publix have it clear in their minds whenever at work because they understand that they are not just running a grocery business but have the responsibility of doing the people business. And to that extend, taking care of the needs of associates, customers, its suppliers, and the co mmunity as a whole is very central to this supermarket chain (Publix Case, 2011). The other concept that Publix has addressed in its business operations is the dealing with different sub-cultures that are strewn all over the United States. Indeed the US has the most cosmopolitan community in the world. These people have different cultures that define their daily lives. It has been very necessary for Publix to deal effectively with cross-cultural differences within its workforce, the public and most critically its customers. To its employees, this supermarket chain appreciates their efforts and recognizes every individual and group as an important component of its continued growth and has this as part of its organizational culture. Thus to its employees, recognition and genuine appreciation of the contributions that these employees make is part and parcel of Publix and fosters the slogan of ‘where working is a pleasure’. The chain has an eye on its branches in different communities across the US. The customers have their own cultural beliefs in terms of shopping trends, likes and dislikes. To ensure that the supermarket is able to deal with the cross-cultural issues, the associates make contact with the customers and through the interaction; they get to know each other on a one on one basis. This has built a culture of appreciation and the firm is able to understand the different cultural needs of its customers. The customers have fallen in line with Publix’s slogan of ‘where shopping is a pleasure’ (Publix Case, 2011). Demographics/Socio-culture The operations of Publix are revolving around caring and meeting the needs of all its customers despite having different ages, social class, race, and origin. It is in this light that the customers, employees and the public hold the view that Publix has no socio-cultural barriers and neither does it discriminate against people based on their demographic differences. To this chain, the d emographic and socio-cultural differences are just another added advantage for it to serve its customers fully without one part feeling left out! The effects of globalization, doing away with barriers to trade and economics, competition, advances in technology and the fact that people-centered services have become critical to success makes Publix the choice of many and these factors have seen the chain grow faster. The

Marketing Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing Management - Assignment Example The company also plans to raise the prices of the brand in the future to cater for the rising price of raw material used in the production of the beverage (New, 2011). The company in an effort increase the pricing is also cautious about the effect of the rise on the volume of their sales. There is a probability of reducing the volume of sales when compared to the previous years. The company also faces the problem of their customers switching to the competitors soft drink. In view of all this, the company carefully looks at the probable way of raising the price without affecting their volume of sales (New, 2011). The coca cola company employs the two channels of distribution the direct market channelling which involves dealing directly with the customer. This direct marketing channel can also have intermediaries who are the wholesalers and retailers. The other channel is the business distribution channels the organisation utilises its own sales group to sell to business customers. This does involve multilevel distribution. This is the most commonly used procedure by the coca-cola company (MKT300, 2008). The business distribution channels consist of manufactures representatives and industrial distributors as the intermediaries. The manufactures in the direct marketing ensure that consumers get the soft drinks in time. They sell to the consumer in bulk or retail amounts and at an affair price. The retailers also ensure that consumers get the goods they usually sell in small quantities and a higher price than the manufacturers. In the business, distribution channels the manufactures representatives do sell in bulk to the industrial distributors or the Industrial customer. The distribution channels ensure that the goods reach the customer on time and in the right manner (Coca-Cola Company, 2008). Company’s monitor their channel performance to be able to plan. The channel

Netscape IPO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Netscape IPO - Essay Example That Netscape would now be in the dustbin of history, having been demolished by Microsoft during the browser war when it buckled under the killer strategy of Bill Gates’ bundled Windows operating system with the its browser, Internet Explorer and having bought by AOL in March 1999 – many questions still abound on what went wrong, and what could have been avoided. The company was led by both the talented (Marc Andreessen and the experienced manager (Jim Clark) and had the backing of the well-known venture capitalists in Silicon Valley. No less than Morgan Stanley would be the lead underwriters for its IPO. In the end, the dilemma faced by the board of directors of whether to give in its Wall Street underwriters’ proposal of raising the initial stock price form $14 to $28 and increasing the number of shares to 5 million due to favorable response to the investment roadshow or risk a public verdict of opportunism for doing so (Backstrand 7)– was rendered moot and academic. Netscape opened to an overwhelming response from investors who took the stock price to as much as $75 after a delayed opening of $71 per share. On the other hand, the question of whether the investors made a good decision in paying so much for the stock an untested company had to place it in the context of the condition of the industry, Netscape’s company strategy and how IPOs in general fare as investments. ... Condition of the industry: In the mid-nineties, the Internet industry was at the start of its boom period. There were no clear indicators where it would be headed - a condition that had been comparably described when the PC was thought of in the early 1980s when the IPO of Apple Computers mirrored the wildly exuberant public reception of Netscape's IPO (Blodget n.p.). There were various theories of what the Internet would be - some thought that it would be like glamorized surfing of TV shows and those who would be winners in the era would those sites that would offer great design and content (Blodget n.p.). Fast forward to a decade later - the winners would be a search engine called Google, a book seller now an around retailer, Amazon.com and an on-line community of buyers and sellers called ebay.com. Netscape was proclaimed a winner too soon in the game, like Apple was. Though Apple Computers remains as a company today, the big winners of the IPO era of the PC industry were those who entered it later in the phase - as could be seen in Microsoft IPO in 1986 and Dell in 1988 (Blodget n.p.). The Internet community more than ten years ago was miniscule (57 million users according to the International Data Corporation) compared to what it is today, but even by then, it was growing by leaps and bounds. The web browser market in 1994 was dominated by the Mosaic web browser program that was created by Netscape co-founder, the 23-year old Marc Andreessen (Backstrand 3). When Andreesen teamed up with middle-aged Jim Clark, the founder of Silicon Graphics, Netscape successfully set a new industry standard through its Netscape Navigator program and wrestled market leadership from Mosaic. Netscape's share of the market by 2005 was at 75% while Mosaic,

Human behavior theories Essay Example for Free

Human behavior theories Essay Working as a community facilitator is all about empowering and facilitating change within individuals and communities. As their practice facilitators need to identify any challenges and work with the communities to look at ways of solving these problems together. This then requires first for the facilitator to find out why these challenges or problems come about in the first place. Theories are designed to understand human development, identity and approaches to practice. They help turn complicated human, behavioural and social singularities into ideas that are more accessible. It can be said then that theories provide a basis for understanding and reflecting on what we do which then helps us help communities on a micro, mezzo and macro levels. This essay will look at two of the human behaviour theories and how they help us understand and work with our communities (that we as facilitators serve) better. 2. DEFINITION OF TERMS 2. 1. Theory According to (Body, 2014) â€Å"A theory is a logical system of concepts that helps to explain why something happens in a particular way and to predict outcomes†. This means that by preparing their practice on theory, this leads a facilitator to get a better understanding of his/her own task, do some goal planning and also anticipate whatever outcomes there may be. 2. 2. Community Communities are unique with regard to the people in them, place, interaction meaning. According to (Heaven, 2014) â€Å"While we traditionally think of a community as the people in a given geographical location, the word can really refer to any group sharing something in common†. This could also mean any small geographical areas from e. g. a neighbourhood, housing project or development to any community with a large geographically-defined community. 3. HUMAN BEHAVIOR THEORIESÃ'Ž 3. 1. Social Construction Social construction is influential in changing grounded theory. As a way of trying to understand the social world, social construction views knowledge as being 2 constructed (as the name suggests) instead of being created. In this theory communities are seen as alternating between both subjective and objective reality. Past theorists believed that knowledge is beliefs in which people have rational confidence, a common sense of understanding and consensual notion as to what is knowledge. Social construction came about as a way to deal with the nature of reality. It has its origins in sociology and has been linked with the modern era of qualitative research. Reality is it may be something that we are not even aware of. Things like segregation according to what gender, race and class you are a just basic examples of social construction. These things only have meaning because society gives them meaning. According to Tom Andrews (2014) â€Å"Constructionists view knowledge and truth as created not discovered by the mind and supports the view that being a realist is not inconsistent with being a constructionist†. A person can believe that concepts are constructed other than being discovered yet relate to something in the real world. This is consistent with an idea that was put out that reality is socially defined but this one referred to the subjective experience of everyday life as opposed to the objective reality of the natural world. As Steedman (2000) said, â€Å"most of what is known and most of the knowing that is done is concerned with trying to make sense of what it is to be human, as opposed to scientific knowledge†. Individuals or communities decide or rather create this reality one may then ask how this reality or knowledge emerges or how it comes to have significance for society to which social constructionists may answer as they view knowledge as being created by the interactions of individuals within society which is at the centre of social construction as a theory. Andrews (2014) believes that subjective reality is brought about by the interaction of people with their social world and with this social world influencing them it results to routines and habits. That is to say that any regularly repeated action becomes a pattern which at some point can be done without much effort needed. With time this forms a sort of store of knowledge which is passed on to future generations which is then subjective reality. 3 Society gives you and identity from birth. Our identities as people come not from the inside but from the social sphere. Conversation is the main way of maintaining, modifying and reconstructing subjective reality. It compromises notions that are shared unproblematically between the communities so much so that these notions need not be defined each time they are used in conversation and come to assume reality. 3. 2. Examples of Social Construction The most common of all social constructions is that of men and women. Men are required (by society) to have qualities such as control, efficiency, toughness and coolness under emotional distress whilst women on the other hand are said to be the fragile amongst the two with qualities such as inefficiency, emotional expressiveness, caring and mutuality. This is what society has deemed as normal over the years which is what gives the battle of Patriarchy versus Matriarchy in this modern generation. Women today believe that they are more than able to do whatever the â€Å"men† can do and sometimes do it even better. It is clear though that in society’s opinion of gender that men should hold all the power. Laura Flores (2012) is quoted as saying â€Å"Power looks sexy on men, not on women†. But this could be seen as having a double meaning. Other than the obvious meaning we get, it could also mean that women are seen as unable to learn the skills or unable to do whatever a man can do as well. Feminists have been fighting hard battles in order to change this thinking and they have succeeded in changing some people’s minds but the in the traditional societies, mostly in the rural areas this social construction of men and women is still very much evident. Men still go out to provide for the family while the women is expected to stay behind and take care of the children and the home. One other example one could use is that of the social construction of gender. This is slightly different from the previous example used. When a baby is brought into the world the first thing that the doctor will look at is the baby’s sexual category (whether they are male or female) and this is where this social construction begins. Immediately after they are classified as boy or girl the parents then fall into this shared mechanism by dressing them in colours that are â€Å"appropriate† for their gender. Flores says â€Å"the â€Å"normal† thing to do in this case would be for the 4 baby girl to be dressed in pink and the baby boys to be dressed in blue†. You don’t want to be seen as weird for dressing your baby girl in blue or your baby boy in pink, right? Society has put aside colours as some of the symbols that differentiate between boys and girls. Children will then grow like this and then start to try to be like the people who are the same gender as them, â€Å"girls should start acting like their mommy and boys act like their daddy†. Each one will be expected to dress or act in a certain way (as in the first example) but such things are what leads to stereotypes. 3. 3. Asset Based Community Approach 3. 3. 1. What is Asset Based Community Approach (ABCD)? Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) is an approach for sustainable community development. The basis of ABCD is that it believes that communities can develop themselves by recognizing and using existing but often hidden assets to create economic opportunities. It builds those already existing assets in the community and gets individuals, associations and institutions to band together to build on their assets instead of focusing on their needs. It is a naturally positive approach. A large amount of time is spent in trying to identify the assets within a particular community whether it be from individuals, institutions and associations before they are then organised to build on them to the benefit of the community as a whole. The basic key as mentioned above is to use what is already in the community. The ABC approach aims to change people’s view that their needs can only be met by an outsider (professional). When it comes to working with the community, a facilitator who applies the ABCD approach should be adamant about stepping back and letting the community figure things out for themselves. They enlist the help of associations that are within the community in terms of the community development approach and additional support. However Community driven development is mostly done by outside agencies instead of networks that exist in the community already. 3. 3. 2. Discussion on ABCD ABCD pulls out the strengths and weaknesses within a community’s shared history as a starting point for change. Out of all the assets that a community may 5 have ABCD focuses on the assets that are deep rooted in social relationships and sees them as being both evident in both formal and informal networks and associations. It believes that everyone in the community has something to offer and that no one can be said to unimportant. ABCD view individuals as being as being at the centre of it all. The residents of the community has gifts and skills which they can out on the table. These need to be recognized and noted as in community development you can’t do anything with people’s needs but only their assets. Needs are only valuable to institutions. Institutions are groups of people (usually professionals) who share a common interest out of their own choice. These could be agencies or schools etc. these institutions help the community get resources and that in turn gives them a sense of civic responsibility. In terms of assets one could include physical assets such as land, space, funds etc. as they also could be used. 3. 3. 3. How is it facilitated in communities? As mentioned above ABCD is the development of self-mobilisation for change. This development has been implemented in many communities. The task for any agency that comes into a community such as NGO’s is how to put in place this development in other communities without creating a sense of dependency. There are different methods that are facilitated by NGO’s in communities for ABCD. Methods such as Collecting stories whereby they build confidence, informal discussions and interview that also have the goal of drawing out people’s experiences. Success in this will also enable them to uncover any gifts, skills, talents and assets that people in the community may have. Mapping the capacities and assets of individuals, associations and local institutions. Mapping is more than just gathering data on the community. It is of importance that you let the community and institutions d the mapping for themselves as they build new relationships, learn more about help and talents of other community members and also see any connections between different assets. 6 CONCLUSION Understanding a community is crucial to being able to work in it. Failing to understand it will deny you credibility and make it difficult for you both to connect with community members and to negotiate the twists and turns of starting and implementing a community initiative or intervention. Social constructionism places great emphasis on everyday interactions between people and how they use language to construct their reality. It regards the social practices people engage in as the focus of enquiry. This is very similar to the focus of grounded theory but without the emphasis on language. Social constructionism that views society as existing both as objective and subjective reality is fully compatible with classical grounded theory, unlike constructionist grounded theory which takes a relativist position. The ABCD is a substitute the more known needs-based approach. Instead of focusing on what the communities do not have, ABCD looks at what they have to offer. It not only creates a chance for the community to play a part in but they also lead the community planning process. The ABCD is always successful in getting individual participation in the projects in brings to their communities. 7 REFERENCE LIST Andrews, T (2012). What is social constructionism? [ONLINE] Available at: http://groundedtheoryreview. com/2012/06/01/what-is-social-constructionism/ . [Last Accessed 26 August 2014]. Body, A. (n. d. ). Theories Used in Social Work Practice. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. socialworkdegree. net/theories-used-in-social-work-practice/ . [Last Accessed 26 August 2014]. Cunningham, G and Mathie, A. (2002). Asset Based Community Development- An Overview. [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www. synergos.org/knowledge/o2/abcdoverview. htm . [Last Accessed 26 August 2014]. Flores, L (2012). What is social construction? [ONLINE] Available at: http://oakes. ucsc. edu/academics/Core %20Course/oakes-core-awards-2012/laura-flores. html . [Last Accessed 26 August 2014]. Hampton, C and Heaven C (n. d. ). Section 2. Understanding and Describing the Community. [ONLINE] Available at: http://ctb. ku. edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-a nd-resources/describe-the-community/main . [Last Accessed 26 August 2014]. Simmons staff. (n. d. ). Theories Used in Social Work Practice. [ONLINE] Available at: http://socialwork.simmons. edu/theories-used-social-work-practice/ . [Last Accessed 26 August 2014]. Steedman, P. (2000). On the relations between seeing, interpreting and knowing. London: Sage. Suttles G, D. (1972). The social construction of communities. 1st ed. Illinois: University of Chicago Press. Vance S. C. (1989). Social construction theory: problems in the history of sexuality. 1st ed. Amsterdam: An Dekker. 8 Varien M, D Potter, M. J, (2008). The Social Construction of Communities: Agency, Structure, and Identity in the Prehispanic Southwest (Archaeology in Society). 1st Ed. New York: Rowman and Littlefield publishers.

Romeo i Juliet theatre review Essay Example for Free

Romeo i Juliet theatre review Essay Romeo and Juliet is a romantic play based on two peoples desire to spend their lives together, but it doesnt exactly turn out exactly as they would have liked. The Black Cat Company showed this William Shakespeare production to us on Friday the 20th of October. This play is nearly split in half at the beginning, there are two groups of people both completely different, The Capulets and The Montagues. Romeo a good-looking working class young man is a Montague and always will be, he falls for a beautiful women Juliet and everything is fine until he finds out that she is a Capulet. After sneaking around Romeo is banished from the city of Verona for killing Tybalt a Capulet. Whilst Juliet is forced to marry a gentleman (by her parents) she does not want to go through with it. She then gets her hands on a potion that made her sleep for 48 hours. Her parents find her the next morning and think she passed away in the night. Romeo hears his beloved Juliet is dead and buys very strong poison; he goes to where Juliets body is and drinks it. Juliet wakes up and after seeing Romeos body she kills herself. The set they used was very simple, set out on stage left was a table with a flowery cloth on it, in the centre of the stage was a black box making it look quite simple and old fashioned, this had a sword in it, at the back was obviously a backdrop, where the actors changed and also was a music player. The music was very carefully chosen and really set a goof atmosphere, the costumes made it very obvious of the time this played would have taken place. The lighting was very basic; there were no special lighting effects at all. The characters really made an effort to involve the audience, their diction was also very clear. The narrator spoke very well and told the story very interestingly. Tybalt made it very clear that he was a baddy his anger came across well and also had very good stage presence. Benvolio had very good facial expressions and all around body movement, interesting to watch when he was on stage. Romeo was on stage nearly at all times he was a good actor that moved well across the stage, the tension between him and Juliet came across very well, he showed clearly that Romeo was a Montague by making clear hand jesters and generally acting like a down to earth working class young man. Juliets speech was in general quite good, but at some points I found it hard to understand her because she spoke very fast and ended up loosing her cotenants. Her use of props was very good and I think she improved her stage presence as the play progressed. Her best part was by far keeping incredibly still on the table while she was meant to be dead, it must have taken a lot of rehearsal. Mercutio was personally my favourite actor he had a very good pronunciation of Shakesperes English and seemed to pick it up very well. His reactions were also very clear and very interesting to watch. The nurse was more of a comedy actress, she did it very well to begin with and was very entertaining but towards the end, she went a little bit over the top. She involved the audience a lot and made a lot of the younger children laugh. This was all due to her body movements, she acted the elderly women very well and made it very obvious after one step on stage everyone could tell that she was playing an old woman. Her facial expressions were also something to remember. All of the actors and actresss worked well together and if someone forgot their lines they would each no exactly what to do. The moods change quite frequently in a play like this as it can go from happy and romantic to death or tragedy, the music really helped us realise what was going on. This story can also come across as very complicated, but as the actors new they were performing to a young audience so they deliberately targeted that aged group; they did it well so that they would find it easy to follow the story line and understand it. Even if the children didnt quite understand the language they could still tell what was going on because of the acting, the way they looked at each other and acted towards each other. The other thing that I happened to notice was the way the audience reacted to certain scenes, they whistled in the romantic scenes and gasped in the fighting scenes, which is a clear compliment to the actors. In comparison to other plays I have scene this one was good although with the right equipment and lighting and effects it could have been a lot better, but unfortunately they just didnt have the time to plan all of that. Other plays that I have seen are very different ones to this I have seen mostly musicals. An important scene in this production was the opening scene, it was an all round good scene, it was clear about what was happening, it made it very obvious about who was Montague and who was Capulet it gave the production a kick start as they caught the attention to the audience. Another important scene was the big fight scene, with all of the actors present when Mercutio was murdered; it was set out well, which was also easy to understand. My favourite scene by far has to be the last one, where tragedy hits, Juliet is dead on a table and Romeo comes in bursting with tears looking at his beautiful lover and just torn apart at the fact that he has lost her, he then kills himself but right at the moment when he is in so much pain he cannot speak a word Juliet wakes up and sees him there struggling to breathe and the look they exchange is just incredible. The atmosphere that is created in not easy to sit through but it is still brilliant and the audiences reaction to what had happened was what they were hoping for Im sure. It was very effective. I enjoyed this play very much and it was just a shame that I couldnt give it my full attention, as I had to write notes in the process. Four people, two women and two men, and the fact they had no interesting lighting or effects they did exceptionally well to put this play together. They certainly targeted the audience well and also at the end they let the audience ask questions about their background and also asked for a couple of volunteers and showed them how to stage fight. I thought this was a very good thing to include as it doesnt just mean that we just watch a play and thats the end of it, we also got to learn about it and pick up a few good tips on how to act well. I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon.

Levi Strauss

Levi Strauss Levi Strauss condition studie Inquiry 1) What environmen tal variables contributed to the 1998 position of Levi ? Levi Strauss is the worlds best-known jeans brand, however its rigid to see much chance of the association regaining its former glory without a substantial overhaul. Iconic or not, what kind of outlook lies in store for a association which derives encircling 85% of its annual revenues from selling pants? And only really two sorts of pants at that, which are also sold by just about every other clothing manufacturer on the planet. Either Levi Strauss needs to diversify substantially, and bolt on other brands or more likely needs to sacrifice its lenghty cherished however out-of-date independence and become part of someone elses larger multi-brand portfolio. These years of struggle against a vast array of competitors have merely added to the gradual erosion of the brand. The development of value path Signature has helped, nevertheless despite doubling in amount during 2004, its contribution has steadily decreased ever since. In the late 1990s, Levis became a victim of their own success. As well involved in corporate restructuring, the corporation effectively ignore a seismic shift in the youth market. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Levis 501 jeans had managed to dominate the market for everyday clothing as a result of high quality manufacturing and smart marketing. There were many kinds of jeans, went the accepted perception, however Levis was the brand to which all others aspired. A brilliant marketing campaign, chiefly in Europe, reinforced the brands hip status. However in the late 1990s, Levis jeans suddenly became a victim of its own success. They were seen by the advanced generation of teenagers as the jeans my Dad wears, and that lay them completely gone of fashion. Fashions in divide came and went nevertheless Levis failed to respond, leaving the market wide open for competitors The companys biggest mistake, arguably, was to ignore the baggy divide, which rode in on the back of the mid-1990s grunge movement, and remained the leading fashion style for the rest of that decade. While Levis stuck rigidly with the 16-inch straight-leg divide that appealed to the instantly ageing market who had rediscovered the brand in the 1980s, still the least hip of US retailers began selling extreme-cut. Millers Outpost, Tommy Jeans, JNCO and much JC Penney and Sears were selling jeans with legs as wide as 23 or 40-inches. The fashion-conscious teenage market began buying their jeans from other manufacturers, while a advanced breed of retailers, led by The Gap, captured the middle ground. Protecting their premium status, Levis refused to chase the market and strictly adhered to their long-established policy of only selling through specialist outlets and avoiding discount stores including Wal-Mart. Although this held the brands perceived value it also restricted sales to only encircling half of the US retail market. Worse still, later that decade the market as a whole began moving away from denim altogether as combat and cargo pants became the advanced fashion Charles Boisson Leaf 3 Interrogation 2) How could a sensitive and informative Marketing Facts System (MIS) have helped Levis to identify these environmental variable and form outlook strategies ? THE Demand FOR MARKETING SUPPORT In 1986, Levis relaunched the 501 with the Launderette and Bath commercials. The tremendous success of these executions and the campaign that developed from them has been well documented. All of the commercials featured the 501 jean and most stated 501 specifically in the end frame. The advertising success was not restricted to the 501 alone. There was a halo effect on the whole Levis range. However naturally the 501 took on a dominant share of Levis business. This dominance was intended. The 501 was positioned as definitive. It is an anti-fit jean which is fair for most mankind, and, in a sense, 501 for most human beings took fit outside of the purchasing equation. Despite this, there were (and still are) a significant number of mankind who, for reasons of personal physique or style, did not consider the 501 as the correctly fit for them. Moreover, a brief for range advertising can often lead to creative cul-de-sacs: a row of products and an invitation to the consumer to create his or her own choice etc. Consequently, although the objective of the advertising was not to establish individual fit identities, we did specify that each execution should feature one fit only and would talk about the benefits of that fit. Across a range of executions we aimed to establish a sense of the multiplicity of the fits, thereby addressing the key objective. Fit adverting Fit messages also pose a strategic and creative challenge. Human beings choose different jeans fits for reasons both of personal physique and contemporary fashion. If advertising addresses one motivation, it struggles to communicate the other. And the more obvious creative solutions tend not to be challenging or motivating. Charles Boisson Sheet 5 For example, a tight fit can be communicated by showing a thin person and a loose fit by showing a fatter person. Nevertheless the latter expression clearly does miniature for loose fit. And what of the mankind who wear loose fit for style rather than physical reasons? Alternatively, a fit message can be conveyed by showing the overall style or fashion of the wearers of different fits. For example, a punk in tight jeans and a hip-hop fan in loose jeans. However youth fashion cannot easily be compartmentalised into discrete tribes with conveniently different jeans fits. Moreover, young mankind quite naturally recoil from any cynical attempt by advertisers to mirror their own street-level cultures. And, as with the above, what of the human beings who do not choose fits for fashion reasons? We concluded that these more literal expressions of fit were not worth exploring and we directed the team to seek outside more lateral solutions. THE CREATIVE SOLUTION The creative team, conscious of the objectives of the advertising and the strategic and executional minefields to be avoided, came up with an innovative solution to the brief. They developed a range of executions each employing a black and white still from the respected photographer Bill Brandt to deal with one Red Tab fit message. They did not talk about fit in a literal path. Rather they implied the various fit messages. Moreover the images employed were not completely unrelated to fit. (They were not vegetables or fruit!) Rather all the executions focused on the human form, which is after all the basis of any fit choice. ADVERTISING EFFECT The poster campaign ran nationally for four weeks only in April 1993. Millward Brown tracking showed very high advertising recognition: over 40% of a sample of 17 to 29-year-olds recognised the posters. More importantly, spontaneous and prompted awareness of Red Tab rose from 35% to 45% and from 57% to 75% respectively. The percentage of respondents able to quote any non-501 fit number rose from 50% to 60%. We are unable to divulge actual sales data. SUMMARY The planners role does not only entail pointing the creative team in one particular direction; it can also involve illustrating to them the strategically unsound and creatively fruitless routes. In advertising non-501 Red Tab fits for the first date, Levi Strauss were entering a minefield. By identifying the best role for advertising and mapping gone the geography of that minefield, the planner was able to play a part in the development of advertising which maintained Levis best standards of creativity and effectiveness. CREATIVE BRIEF Why are we advertising? To raise awareness of the range of Levis Red Tab jeans by demonstrating that Levis produce different fits to compliment different body shapes and personal styles. Who are we talking to? Boys and girls, 15 to 19 years ancient. They are aware of Levis advertising and recognise that 501s are the original, definitive jeans. In circumstance, they may already own a pair of 501s, nevertheless find certain aspects of 501s either inconvenient (ie button fly) or uncomfortable. They are at the Charles Boisson Sheet 6 middle end of the market (early/late adopters) and are often insecure and lack confidence. They therefore demand to be reassured that they can acquire into the imagery associated with 501s, while having a pair of jeans that fits comfortably and flatters their individual shape. The campaign must employment as both posters and press. The campaign should avoid analysis of, or comparison with, 501s. This is not an opinion leader campaign, and is aimed at a younger, more mass-market consumer. Charles Boisson Leaf 7 Interrogation 3) Analyse the importance of the various marketing mix elements in the success :failure of Levi, how essential is design? Levis share of the denim market plummeted. In 1990, according to Tactical Retail Monitor, more than 48% of men chose Levis as their preferred choice of jeans. By 1998, this had tumbled to 25%, while Lee and Wrangler had risen from 22% to 32%, and private label brands including Gap from 3% to more than 20%. In sales terms the brand slipped from a 30% US market share to 14%. (Upmarket designer labels such as Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein got a great deal of publicity however never achieved more than enclosing 7% of the market). The percentage of teenage boys who thought Levis was a really cool brand had dropped from 21% in 1994 to just 7% by 1998. Levis position has, for the most part stabilised since then, nevertheless competition remains intense The Levis brand instantly houses distinct sub-brands. Chief amongst these is Levis Red Tab, which includes the legendary 501 button-fly design. (The number 501 was originally the products stock number, first adopted in 1890; the red fabric tab was first used in the back pocket from 1936). Levis Vintage features a broader range of classic retro designs. In pursuit of the youth market, the association has tried to turn back the tide with more extreme cuts, such as Levis Engineered Jeans, introduced in 2000 and supposedly designed ergonomically to fit the bodys contours. Some cuts are much pre-stained with oil. Another stylised fresh design launched in early 2003 as Levis Type One. These offered exaggerated versions of traditional features such as rivets, stitching and the tab, blown up in extent. However sales were slow to capture off, chiefly in the US, despite high profile marketing, including a Super Bowl ad (which the association later claimed admitted was unsatisfactory). They, al ong with another stylised border known as Silvertab, were replaced by the Levis Capital E path. Levis ICD, a partnership with Philips to market workwear with integrated electronic devices such as mobile phones, MP3 players etc, was withdrawn in 2002. The crowd also licenses gone the Levis brand to other manufacturers for branded T-shirts and accessories. Combined sales of the core brand improved in 2007, reaching almost $3.2bn. Levis is primarily a menswear brand, with just under three quarters of all pairs sold bought by men. After its many attempts to introduce more stylized or fashion-oriented designs had failed, the association agreed to abandon its premium positioning and chase the mass-market as well. A advanced design, Levi Strauss Signature, launched in July 2003, initially available exclusively through Wal-Mart. By the end of the year it had become apparent that the advanced border was the much-needed hit for which the association had been searching. The crowd rebranded the range as Signature by Levi Strauss, extended distribution to Target Stores and Kmart in 2004, and also introduced the range into selected mass-marketers in Australia (including Coles Myers Target and Kmart), Japan and other Asian markets. It was also launched in the UK (through Asda), France (through Carrefour), Germany (through Wal-Mart) and Switzerland (through Migros), nevertheless performed poorly and was withdrawn in 2007. Yet after a strong set off, sales of the Signature path have fallen steadily since 2005, declining fr om a peak of enclosing $410m that year to $260m in 2007. Dockers, first launched in the US in 1986, is the companys khaki-based casualwear path. It was launched as something of a reaction to inroads into the market by Gap and others, serving as a halfway mark between jeans and smarter dress pants. Dockers Slates, a sub-brand of dressier and more expensive trousers, was discontinued in 2004. Although it has been generally successful, Charles Boisson Sheet 8 Dockers remains very much the second string in the groups portfolio behind its jeans border. In 2004, Levi Strauss lay the Dockers brand up for sale in order to concentrate on its still struggling core business, however failed to attract a suitable buyer. Sales of the brand were reported at $1bn for 2003, however had fallen to enclosing $775m by 2005, with sales concentrated in the US. Since then it has repositioned itself as a wider casualwear brand, diversifying into shirts, sweaters and blazers, as well as a border of womens clothing. The unit was rewarded with an increase in revenues for 2006, its first for diverse years. For 2007, it generated sales were enclosing $915m. The collection also generates significant income from royalties on Dockers belts, footwear and other accessories manufactured by other companies under license. Levi Strauss has production facilities and customer assistance centres throughout the earth. Until comparatively recently the corporation maintained a policy of manufacturing its goods in the regions in which they are sold, however rising labour costs and declining sales made this increasingly unfeasible. Production in the US and Europe began to be farmed gone to cheaper regions in the late 1990s. Having already closed six of its US factories by 2003, the collection announced that the remaining four in North America would also be shuttered by early 2004. The collection supplies its products to encircling 60,000 retail outlets worldwide. It owns and operates encircling 200 of its own Levis or Dockers branded stores, and franchises encircling another 1,300. More than half of these stores are located in the Asia Pacific region. Otherwise sales are through department stores and national chains. There are three regional business units: Levi Strauss North America operates district subsidiaries in the US, Canada and Mexico, and accounts for almost 60% of revenues, or $2.5bn in 2007 (compared to a peak of $4.8bn in 1996). Levi Strauss EMEA is the second biggest market, however performance there took longer to recover than in other markets. Sales rose in 2007 for the first date in distinct years, finally returning above the $1.0bn barrier. Asia Pacific remains the smallest market for immediately, nevertheless has been the companys strongest performing region for distinct years. Sales rose by a further 6% in 2007 to $805m, with Japan contributing a small under half of all sales. Charles Boisson Sheet 9 Inquiry 4) As a strategic marketing consultant, advise Levi about what instantly it should immediately do ? It is every businesss objective to maximize their profits and lessen their expenses. Levis has invested on one of the most essential resource that a association could have its employees. Their corporate strategy has immediately been aligned with their human resource management which is valuing their employees due to high costs of recruiting and training fresh staff. It must be noted that losing an employee can be very expensive and high staff turnover can eventually ruin a business. The at the end object that businesses call for is for its competitors to benefit from the training, knowledge and training that it has built within its workforce. It is suggested that employers give their mankind the opportunity to create their own benefits decisions. This method, employees will capture a keener interest in their benefits. The traditional corporation benefits package often has a rigid one extent fits all approach; it fails to consider the varying needs of individual employees. In addition, the traditional corporation benefits package may sometimes be complicated and difficult to manage. Thus, it is greatly recommended that companies like Levi Strauss and Co. implement a flexible benefits package to assist reduce costs and provide a greater choice for their workforce. Furthermore, flexible benefits provide additional lifestyle choices along with traditional association benefits such as private healthcare and the corporation pension scheme which will allow employees to choose the benefits that they require which in turn will motivate them and create them more productive. It is also valuable that companies like Levi Strauss and Co. consider some of the following pointers: (1) ullet the main goals of the companys employee benefits programme, ullet the endure age that the association at the end reviewed their benefits scheme, ullet steps or initiatives undertaken to ensure that the companys benefits programme underpins their business strategy, ullet knowledge of employees regarding the benefits that the association offers and how they benefits from it, ullet issues like sickness and absence, healthcare and dental affliction, and (6) the extent of the relevance and significance of the recruitment and key staff in employers business and their industry.

Ballard Fuel Cell :: essays research papers

THE BALLARD FUEL CELL The Ballard fuel cell is a power generating device which combines hydrogen (which can be obtained from methanol, natural gas, petroleum) and oxygen without the use of combustion in order to generate electricity. Since fuel cells operate very quietly and efficiently and their only emissions are pure water and heat they are expected to be the future of power generating machines. The PEM fuel cell is made of two plates with a plastic membrane coated with a catalyst in the middle. Hydrogen is then fed through the channels on one side of the plates and oxygen is fed through the other side. The hydrogen and oxygen atoms are drawn toward each other. Only one part of the hydrogen atom – the proton – can pass through the membrane. The electron has to take the long way around through an external circuit. This creates electricity. The oxygen side attracts protons and electrons that have traveled through the external circuit. This is where the byproducts water and heat are formed. Each fuel cell operates continuously as long as hydrogen is supplied. Single cells are combined to produce the required amount of power. PEM fuel cells operate at around 90 degrees Celsius and give off 90 degrees Celsius of heat, which is a fairly low temperature. This is much better than high temperature combustion engines, which operate at about 2500 degrees Celsius and give off 125 degrees Celsius of heat. This means the Ballard fuel cell can react quickly to load changes and makes it ideal for motor vehicles. Which is why Honda, Nissan, Volkswagen Yamaha, Daimler Chrysler and Ford have commercialized the use of these cells. The cities of Vancouver and Chicago are currently testing Ballard’s fuel cell transit buses. They are seeing the maintenance requirements of the pollution free buses as well as the public reaction to the program.

Epic of Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

Significance of Scyld Scefing Scyld Scefing often deprived his enemies, many tribes of men, of their mead-benches. He terrified his foes; yet he, as a boy, had been found a waif; fate made amends for that. He prospered under heaven, won praise and honor, until the men of every neighboring tribe, across the whale’s way, were obliged to obey him and pay him tribute. He was a noble king! (BEO 4-11). At first glance to any reader, the above passage that opens Beowulf may seem perplexing. Why is this poet rambling about some other great ruler? In fact, another 50 or so lines are dedicated to this Scefing character. Wasn’t this poem titled Beowulf? It appears that the poet of Beowulf is rambling, ranting unrelated events and apparently digressing from the main topic. However, even though no concrete conclusions or links are presented between Scefing and Beowulf, the reader learns soon enough that the seemingly digressive poet had in truth, slyly and with all intention inserted some indirect indications in the tale of Scefing. As the poem reaches its finale, the reader recognizes in an epiphany the sophisticated construction employed by the poet in the weaving of Scefing as foreshadowing of Beowulf. In retrospect, Scefing is essentially Beowulf himself. It is stated that Scefing is a warrior, a conqueror, gifted the spoils of his enemies as he defeated them. Beowulf was interested in the spoils and trophies of war in a similar fashion, always mindful to bring a piece or two of any recently dominated monsters back with him for display purposes. In addition, the poet mentions the pure prosperity, praise, and honor of Scefing; and in parallel form, the reader is exposed to the wealth, recognition, and reverence for the hero Beowulf. From the double victories over Grendel and his mother to the final battle against the dragon, Beowulf retains his status and his persona as a hero, a definite king and without a doubt a noble one. As the reader recalls Scefing was also described as a noble king, the pieces and reasoning of the previously digressive tangent rapidly falls into place. “Then Scyld departed at the destined hour, that powerful man sought the Lord’s protection. His own close companions carried him down to the sea, as he, lord of the Danes, had asked while he could still speak'; (BEO 26-30). This is the exact sequence of events which happens to Beowulf, his “destined hour'; being the fatal wound inflicted by the dragon.

Careers in Rural Areas Essay -- social work, community activists, rural

When going to work in a rural area there are many things that need to be considered. One job that a starting social worker may take would be in the area of activism in the community. Community activists are present in many organizations and even work in many rural environments. One good example of a rural area that has community activists is Jay County. In order to transition to a new job in a rural setting it is important to look at all areas of life. Some of the areas that should be looked at are the setting, job and community, geographic and physical environment, the challenges and rewards that are involved in rural setting and steps to prepare so that the transition can be accomplished more smoothly. Setting, Job and Community In order to understand what experience is possible it is important to look at where the community’s location and the agency where employment was found. . Jay county is located between Adams and Randolph county and located about half an hour from Muncie, Indiana. According to the ‘my local profile’ of Jay county, there are several towns that are included. The towns that are part of Jay County are: Bryant, Dunkirk, Pennville, Portland, Redkey and Salamonia. â€Å"Jay County has 21,366 residents and covers 383.91 miles with about 55.4 people per square mile (United States Census Bureau, 2013)†. According to the Census, the per capta income from 2012 was, $19,818 per year and the average household income was $40,926 with 14.8 percent of people living below the poverty line (United States Census Bureau, 2013)†. One organization that serves Jay County is the United Way of Jay County. The United Way of Jay County works â€Å"to improve lives by investing in lasting changes in our community (United Way of Ja... .... All these steps will help with the transition and effective practice. Works Cited Ginsberg, L. (2011). Social work in rural communities. Larson, N. C., & Dearmont, M. (2002). Strengths of Farming Communities in Fostering Resilience in Children. Child Welfare, 81(5), 821-835. Jay county . (2014). Retrieved from http://www.in.gov/mylocal/jay_county.html United States Census Bureau. (2013). Jay county, indiana . Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/18075.html United Way of Jay County. (2014). United way of jay county. Retrieved from http://www.unitedwayjaycounty.org/ United States Department of Labor. (2014). Agricultural operations. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/dsg/topics/agriculturaloperations/ Young, D. (2004). IOM sets strategy for improving rural health care quality. American Journal Of Health-System Pharmacy, 61(24), 2618.