A critical examination of the antecedents and efficacy of Social Services interventions for West African ‘looked after’ children in South London. The WritePass Journal

A critical examination of the antecedents and efficacy of Social Services interventions for West African ‘looked after’ children in South London. Rationale behind the Study A critical examination of the antecedents and efficacy of Social Services interventions for West African ‘looked after’ children in South London. Rationale behind the StudyGuiding Research QuestionsBenefits of the ResearchMethods and ProceduresReferencesRelated Rationale behind the Study The proposed research will investigate Social Service interventions for looked after West African children in South London. I work in an ethically diverse comprehensive school in London, and have witnessed an increase in minority ethnic looked after children in recent years. One challenging task for Social Services is to provide interventions for such children. This study aims to investigate the effect of Social Services interventions on West African looked after children, and provide suggestions why such children may be taken in to care by drawing on existing models of parenting. Furthermore,   supplemented by a review of relevant published literature, it will suggest a number of factors which may account for any disproportionality in terms of gender. The final element of the research will take a critical look at how the school environment supports looked after children. Insignificant data are available on the experiences of immigrants and ethnic minorities in post-war Europe, which is referred to as a †puzzling and disturbing silence† (Myers, 2009:). Bryan (2009) exclaimed that whilst immigration has contributed to economic, social, and political changes, there is an enormous paucity of published research on the topic. The sparse literature that is available is limited to descriptive accounts of policies designed to increase integration (Myers, 2009). In the UK, such lack of research hinders our understanding of the relative importance of education for immigrants and their children. Little is known about how well immigrants and their children settle in to their new environment, let alone how effectively education meets their needs. It has been noted that the changes in policy are based on empirical evidence, and as a result, the resultant policy does not addressing the most important issue; the promotion of multi-culturalism. Sociologist Paul Gilroy commented on an urgent need to â€Å"step boldly back into the past, discover the boundaries of the postcolonial present, and enlist Europe’s largely untapped heterological and imperial histories in the urgent service of its Contemporary multicultural and its future pluralism† (Gilroy, quoted in Myers, 2009: 15). Furthermore, because of the limited research on the issues surrounding immigration, ethnic minority communities have been conceived as a social problem, to be solved via policies with the aim of integration (Myers, 2009). Bryan (2009) suggests such well intentioned but poorly conceived policies may actually perpetuate inequality. In this context, it is clear that policies and interventions must be based on a clear understanding of those they purport to support, and it is this rationale that underpins this study. Barn (2006) noted that the capacity of social workers to deliver appropriate, ethnically sensitive services which take adequate account of the circumstances of minority ethnic individuals and families remains a crucial challenge. When considering interventions delivered to West African looked after children by Social Services in the UK, the following should be considered; what are the reasons behind West African children becoming ‘looked after’ and are the interventions designed to support them effective? Guiding Research Questions    Research question 1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What are the reasons a disproportionate number of children from West Africa are becoming looked after by Social Services in the UK? Research question 2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With reference to existing models of parents, what is happening in the African communities that may contribute to this?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Are any variations by gender evident, and if so, what might the reasons behind them? Research question 3 What are the effects of the interventions on the welfare of the looked after children from West Africa? Research question 4 Are such interventions moderated by the school environment? Benefits of the Research This research may be useful to a number of different stakeholders in education. From the literature review, the need for culturally sensitive research into social service interventions in school is evident. In the field of education, there has been a call for culturally sensitive interventions to help the school (senior leadership team, child protection officers, form tutors, mentors and teachers) better understand the needs of black children from West Africa and support them accordingly. Copies of the research may be used by the local council/government as a case study for further research into services provided and an opportunity to evaluate current practice and develop strategies to provide better services. The research may enable all stakeholders (social services, schools, government, and local services) to understand parents of West African origin, especially with regard to cultural beliefs, and develop strategies to work together with parents amicably on how to educate children . Finally, this research can give the government, social services, parents, and students an increased awareness of good practice and failings in the system Methods and Procedures My research is a small-scale study, focusing on looked after children from West Africa in Conisborough College. Conisborough College is a comprehensive school with a highly diverse intake. It is representative of the ethnic mix of the Lewisham borough, with a high intake of black pupils of West African origin. The sampling method chosen, which I believe is best suited for my small-scale study, is a non-probability method, such as a targeted sampling method. This method of sampling will ensure that the study is focused and well managed (Bell, 2005). The proposed study will be approached from an interpretivist, epistemological perspective conducted in three stages. Firstly, an extensive literature review, including national government reports and data, and local government (Lewisham Council) reports and data. This stage will also review social service reports and data on looked after children, reviews of at-risk children, child protection registers and analyses of online exam reports and school-tracking data. The second stage will focus on field research in the form of targeted semi-structured interviews which will be conducted at Conisborough College with learning mentors, child protection officers, school counsellors, form tutors, and head of years who support looked after children as well as two social workers and LEA child protection officers. In the broader community, pastor/community leaders of West African origin will be interviewed. The final stage of this study will collate and analyse all data and draw inferences from t he findings on future programmes in the school and community at large, in order to generate a number of   recommendations.. I intend to pilot the second stage of the study to determine what works and what does not. As an amateur researcher, I will follow the procedure established by Peat et al. (2002) which will give me advance warning as whether to proceed with the research, revise the research, or abandon this section of the research altogether. My research is small scale, so the pilot study will involve one student, one learning mentor, and one head of year. Following Peat et al.’s (2002: 123) process, I will: Provide participants with a Participant Information Form and consent form, taking care to explain the purpose and process of the research. Following this, I will identify and areas regarding ethical approval not already adequately covered in the research protocol. Complete the interview schedule with each pilot respondent. Following completion I will ask respondents for feedback regarding ambiguous, sensitive or difficult questions. Transcribe and review each pilot interview fully, discarding any unnecessary, difficult, repetitive or ambiguous questions. Reorder interview items if necessary to ensure a coherent and engaging schedule. Time both the conduct and transcription of the interviews to determine whether both tasks are reasonable given the timescale of the research. Once this pilot work has been completed, I can be confident that the interview schedule(s) are fir for the purpose of this study. References Barn, R. (2006) Research and Practice Briefings: Children and Families – Improving services to meet the needs of minority ethnic children and families, DfES, york.ac.uk/depts/spsw/mrc/documents/QPB13.pdf Bryan, A. (2009). The intersectionality of nationalism and multiculturalism in the Irish curriculum: Teaching against racism? Race ethnicity and education, 12(3), 297-317. Myers, P. (2009). Immigrants and ethnic minorities in the history of education. Paedagogica Historica: International Journal of the History of Education, 46(6), 801 – 816. Peat, J., Mellis, C., Williams, K. and Xuan W. (2002), Health Science Research: A Handbook of Quantitative Methods, London: Sage.

The Longevity of Earth essays

The Longevity of Earth essays Scientists and geologists often discuss issues concerning the environment on Earth. What causes the greenhouse effect and global warming are issues that geologists talk about all the time. Global warming is the term used to describe increases in the temperature of the Earth. The greenhouse effect is a natural process that helps keep the Earths temperatures at levels that can sustain life. Without certain greenhouse gases, the atmosphere cannot absorb the suns heat energy, making Earth extremely cold. Likewise, heat that is not absorbed gets trapped within the atmosphere. Some of these greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane. The buildup of these gases is the main cause of global warming. Global warming has devastating effects on the Earths environment because it causes shifts in the weather, changes in water patterns, and problems for civilized people. In order to talk about global warming, geologists must first understand what causes the greenhouse effect. Many of the suns heat rays are absorbed by water vapor, which is a natural component of the Earths atmosphere. Water vapor accounts for 80 percent of natural greenhouse warming. The remaining 20 percent is due to other gases that are present in very small amounts (Murck, et al., 488). Carbon dioxide is another gas that absorbs heat energy from the sun. Whenever fossil fuels are burned, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. The more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the more heat that gets absorbed. This causes the atmosphere to heat up, which increases the Earths temperature, affecting both the land and the oceans. As seawater heats up, evaporation occurs, causing the cycle to start again, releasing even more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Once this cycle starts, it is extremely difficult to control. Another greenhouse gas is methane, which absorbs infrared radiation 25 times more effectively than c...

the anti war movement of the vietnam war essays

the anti war movement of the vietnam war essays United States participation in the Vietnam War was a subject of much debate among the American public. While many Americans supported the United States involvement in the War, in agreement with the Government that American assistance was needed in order to stop the spread of Communism, other people felt that it was immoral for the United States to involve itself in another country's internal matters. The antiwar movement against Vietnam in the US from 1965-1971 was the most significant movement of its kind in the nation's history. Anti-war protesters were not confined to the young, radicals, intellectuals, and the disaffected.... By 1968, [they] included many powerful individuals within the business and financial communities, the media, and the government itself ( McMahon 466). Also by 68, protesters numbered almost seven million, with more than half being white youths in the college. Students for a Democratic Society, (SDS), announced its opposition of the Vietnam War publicly in 1965. In a public announcement, they state their reasons for disagreement. We feel that the war is immoral at its root, that it is fought alongside a regime with no claim to represent its people, and that it is foreclosing the hope of making America a decent and truly democratic society....We are anxious to help and to change our country; we refuse to destroy someone elses country (McMahon 467). The SDS was not alone in their opposition. Civil-Rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr., declared his opposition in 1967. He stated many reasons. ...it became clear to me that the war was doing far more than devastating the hopes of the poor at home. It was sending their sons and brothers and their husbands to fight and die...As I walked among the desperate, rejected and angry young men, I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems...But, they as ...

The Science Behind How Popcorn Pops

The Science Behind How Popcorn Pops Popcorn has been a popular snack for thousands of years. Remnants of the tasty treat have been found in Mexico dating back to 3600 BC. Popcorn pops because each popcorn kernel is special. Heres a look at what makes popcorn different from other seeds and how popcorn pops. Why It Pops Popcorn kernels contain oil and water with starch, surrounded by a hard and strong outer coating. When popcorn is heated, the water inside the kernel tries to expand into steam, but it cannot escape through the seed coat (the popcorn hull or pericarp). The hot oil and steam gelatinizes the starch inside the popcorn kernel, making it softer and more pliable. When the popcorn reaches a temperature of 180 C (356 F),  the pressure inside the kernel is around 135 psi (930 kPa), which is sufficient pressure to rupture the popcorn hull, essentially turning the kernel inside-out. The pressure inside the kernel is released very quickly, expanding the proteins and starch inside the popcorn kernel into a foam, which cools and sets into the familiar popcorn puff. A popped piece of corn is about 20 to 50 times larger than the original kernel. If popcorn is heated too slowly, it wont pop because steam leaks out of the tender tip of the kernel. If popcorn is heated too quickly, it will pop, but the center of each kernel will be hard because the starch hasnt had time to gelatinize and form a foam. How Microwave Popcorn Works Originally, popcorn was made by directly heating the kernels. Bags of microwave popcorn are a bit different because the energy comes from microwaves rather than infrared radiation. The energy from the microwaves makes the water molecules in each kernel move faster, exerting more pressure on the hull until the kernel explodes. The bag that microwave popcorn comes in helps trap the steam and moisture so the corn can pop more quickly. Each bag is lined with flavors so when a kernel pops, it strikes the side of the bag and gets coated. Some microwave popcorn presents a health risk not encountered with regular popcorn because the flavorings are also affected by the microwave and get into the air. Does all corn pop? Popcorn that you buy at the store or grow as popcorn for a garden is a special variety of corn. The commonly cultivated strain is Zea mays everta, which is a type of flint corn. Some wild or heritage strains of corn will also pop. The most common types of popcorn have white or yellow pearl-type  kernels, although white, yellow, mauve, red, purple, and variegated colors are available in both pearl and rice shapes. Even the right strain of corn wont pop unless its moisture content has a moisture content around 14 to 15%. Freshly harvested corn pops, but the resulting popcorn will be chewy and dense. Sweet Corn and Field Corn Two other common types of corn are sweet corn and field corn. If these types of corn are dried so they have the right moisture content, a small number of kernels will pop. However, the corn that pops wont be as fluffy as regular popcorn and will have a different flavor. Attempting to pop field corn using oil is more likely to produce a snack more like Corn Nuts, where the corn kernels expand but dont break apart. Do other grains pop? Popcorn is not the only grain that pops! Sorghum, quinoa, millet, and amaranth grain all puff up when heated as the pressure from expanding steam breaks open the seed coat.

Curruption in Russia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Curruption in Russia - Research Paper Example It has been reported that $35 billion were stolen from government funds in 2010. Corruption in Russia has put a massive burden on the economy and the society and is badly affecting the country as a whole. It has slackened the growth of the economy, and has devalued the government’s efforts to establish a strong infrastructure and a social welfare system. It is mostly fueled by Russia’s weak control over the government sectors and the judiciary system as a whole. Unfortunately, this phenomenon cannot be controlled without threatening the lifestyle and regime of the influential people in the country, who control a large share of the country’s economy. A well-governed lawful state is the only hope to reduce corruption in the country, but it cannot be established without the support of the elite society in the country. The fact that a new system of government has to be formed by breaking the old structure has daunted all past presidents of the country, and has made t hem even more reluctant to bring changes in the country. (Corruption Grows in Russia) Foreign investors have concluded that Russia is a very risky place to invest their money, which has come as a big blow to the country’s economy. Foreign investors are continuously being cheated and plundered, which has made them ever more reluctant to invest. Hermitage Capital Management, one of the largest investors in the Russian stock market, was occupied in a case that showed the ever-increasing corruption in the Russian justice system, and the level its credibility. Hermitage has accused the Russian judiciary and the police force, to have taken bribes from local gangsters, in order to sell three of Hermitage’s Russian subsidiaries. Furthermore, these subsidiaries were used to steal $230 million from the Russian budget. Hermitage has also informed the Russian State Audit Chamber, of other cases where similar fraud has occured with other companies, which ultimately cost the Russian budget a loss of $240 million. Hermitage has also declared that all these frauds were interlinked, and the police, judges and organized criminal groups, were all involved in the conspiracy. (The Hermitage case and corruption in Russia). There have been numerous other corruption cases regarding the Russian government. In 2010, The U.S. Justice Department revealed documents, which accused the German carmaker Daimler to have paid the Russian government officials, millions of euros in bribe. This was to seal the sales of patrol cars for the police and sedans for the presidential motorcade. For some time, there was no reaction from the Russian government, and things remained quiet. At last, Russian Ministry of Interior, declared an investigation regarding car sales and purchase in the recent year. Although, some government officials, who promised to solve it, met this Daimler case with much vigor the case remains one of the foremost examples of the corruption existing in Russia, and how vulnerable the government officials are to bribes and other forms of corruption. In addition, in 2007, prosecutors in Germany, who were accused of taking bribes from the multi-national company, Siemens, revealed numerous names of Russian government officials. (Russia Slow to Pick Up the Lead in Bribery Cases) Corruption in Russia is not only affecting the economy, but is also slowing down the country’s transition from communism to capitalism. Russia is still recovering from its communism policies, but the

Mills utilitarianism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Mills utilitarianism - Essay Example One thing which we should have learned by now during our philosophical journey is that we have to have a theory of human behavior which should be able to address the diversity of human environments and thus cannot be very simple and rigid. Utilitarianism is a step in that direction. Utilitarianism The founder of Utilitarianism was Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832). His theory begins with proposition that nature has placed human beings under two masters: pleasure and pain. Anything that seems good must either be directly pleasurable, or thought to be a means to pleasure or to the avoidance of pain. Conversely, anything that seems bad must either be directly painful, or thought to be a means to pain or to the deprivation of pleasure. From this Bentham argued that the words right and wrong can only be meaningful if they are used in accordance with the Utilitarian principle, so that whatever increases the net surplus of pleasure over pain is right and whatever decreases it is wrong. Moreover, the net pain and pleasure to be considered is not restricted to personal level but should be the sum of the pleasure of all involved by acting or getting effected by a particular action. Therefore from utilitarianism we cannot gauge the utility of action by putting it on the persona l criteria of pleasure and pain but it has to be more wholesome resultantly more complex but practicable. Basic Objections to Utilitarianism Most difficult part in the implementation of Bentham's utilitarianism is that to take an action, one has to take into account the expanse of the effects of the actions i.e. how far the consequences going to travel. This factor leads to three basic objections to utilitarianism:- 1. Utilitarianism is too demanding as it is more inclined towards collective good than individual good. 2. Utilitarianism is a heartless doctrine as it does not concentrate/focus on the intention but on the consequences thus making the entire concept of virtuous intent redundant. 3. The Principle of Utility is impractical because one has to think the consequences for which the time and information might not be available at a particular moment. Mill's Modification to Utilitarianism These basic objections though seem valid were addressed by John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). The salient points of his modification to utilitarianism were:- 1. Introduction of Higher and Lower Pleasure Mill is of the opinion that pleasure has to be distributed into categories of higher and lower pleasure. At times we may confront a situation that we find a number of actions which might lead to "pleasure". In such circumstances we would be at a loss to decide the course of action. It will be only the conception of higher and lower pleasure which will give us the ability to take correct actions at correct time. In doing so we should also consider that the most suitably equipped person to judge the distinction between the higher and lower pleasure is the one who has experienced both. 2. Introduction of Rules in Moral Decision Making Mill considers that rules can be the force behind the decision. These rules are in fact the outcome of utilitarianism and they are established by taking into consideration principles of utility i.e. rules which had been giving and will give "pleasure" to the

Rock-n-roll and the use of drugs in the period between 1955 and 1966 Essay

Rock-n-roll and the use of drugs in the period between 1955 and 1966 - Essay Example As the counterculture began to emerge, however, an associated interest with mind altering drugs began to be a part of the experience. While the era of drug use and free thinking is often thought of as the 1960s, the counterculture began much earlier, stemming from the gravitation of certain individuals to jazz and folk music which was often expressed by those who were calling themselves beatniks and bohemians. The period of time between 1955 and 1966 were pivotal, however, as the course of social change also saw changes in the way in which intellectualism was pursued, leading to the heavier use of drugs during that time period. In 1966, Grace Slick wrote one of the more iconic songs that projected the connection between literacy, rock and roll, and the drug culture. Referencing Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland she wrote â€Å"One pill makes you larger/One pill makes you small/ And the ones that mother gives you/Don’t do anything at all/Go ask Alice/When she’s ten feet tall† (Farber, 2007, p. 62). At the same time, there has been a struggle between embracing the effects of drug use and the consequences of indulging in drugs with too much intensity. Rock and roll lifestyles are both filled with the hedonism of sex and drugs and written to reflect the spiral downward that is taken through the ’looking glass’ when drug abuse takes over one’s life. One of the more famous quotes about drug use and the early years of rock and roll came from David Crosby who said â€Å"if you can remember the 60s, you weren’t there†, intimating the close connection between the use of drugs, forgetfulness during use and the revolutions of the 1960s which included a high level of drug use (Farber, 2007, p. 63). ... 63). Drug abuse and alcoholism as it was connected to musicians did not begin in the 1960s. Where there are high levels of artistic emotions combined with the pressures of success, drug use and alcohol abuse were often involved. However, cultural groups that specifically aligned themselves with the use of drugs was a relatively new phenomenon in the 1950s. The type of groups that were defined by a sort of intellectualism that was following some of the great writers of the time, as well as following paths towards hedonism and self indulgences were ’beatniks’ and ’bohemians’ of the 1950s. The music of jazz and folk music, two genres that helped to form the structures of rock and roll, were a type of music that drew people towards it that often indulged in drug use. According to Weinstein (1999), â€Å"the initial sparks were struck in the 1940s that set the counterculture ablaze with drugs in the 1960s† (p. 169). When Ardous Huxley wrote Doors of Perc eption in 1954, the counterculture was motivated to seek the perfect high, that state in which transcendence had occurred in which the promise of drug use was finally fulfilled. Seeking to fulfill some sort of intellectual imperative, the book written by Huxley gave a framework of understanding about the nature of mind altering drug use and the advantages of what one can learn from having taken mind altering drugs. Huxley (2009) describes what Spanish conquerors saw when they encountered Native Americans. He states â€Å"they eat a root which they call peyote, and which they venerate as though tit was a deity†(p. 9). The book became centering piece of pop culture from which the pursuit of the ultimate spiritual experience was sought after which included high

Historicist Analysis of Christopher Marlowes The Passionate Shepherd Essay

Historicist Analysis of Christopher Marlowes The Passionate Shepherd to His Love - Essay Example The poem or the song was written during the time when the art focused on the idea of idyllic country settings, where shepherds were love-sick and obsessed with their lovers. It was also the time when musical composers and artists praised the country settings and consider them their usual subject (â€Å"Christopher Marlowe†). However, although this is the realistic element in the poem, some lines in the poem are obviously a product of the shepherd’s rich and love-filled imagination. For example, in the line where he wants to give his lover â€Å"A gown made of the finest wool† (13) and slippers â€Å"With buckles of the purest gold† (16), the shepherd is obviously only imagining giving these very expensive presents to his lover. Nevertheless, although he cannot possibly afford it, he tells her about it as a proof of the greatness and sincerity of his love for her. Moreover, the phrases â€Å"finest wool† and â€Å"purest gold† may actually rep resent the purity of the shepherd’s intent and love for his lover. It would then be interesting to think that the Elizabethan era during the late 16th century and the early 17th century was actually a time when lovers were sincere about their proposals of love. According to information from the Norton Anthology of Poetry, the life of Christopher Marlowe was actually not the same as the bucolic peacefulness of â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love.† Despite the tranquil rural setting of the poem, Marlowe was a rather energetic spy and entrepreneur of his time. The modern-day market during the commercial revolution during his time was also far from the ideally simple life of the shepherd in his poem, for Marlowe desired fortune during his time. Moreover, there was also disease, crime and violence during his time in England – which are actually elements that are entirely in contrast with the calmness and tranquility of the mood in the poem. In fact, according to the Norton Anthology of Poetry, Marlowe was involved in a number of controversies and his life was reflective of the urban violence during his time. In 1589 he was involved in a brawl that brought him to hail. In 1591, he was accused of atheism and treason, which were heavy crimes during those times. On Ma 18, 1593, he was arrested for blasphemy although these were merely allegations, for which a trial began on May 20. However, in 1593, on May 30, at the age of 29, he was stabbed with a dagger but the motives were unconfirmed whether this was related to his arrest or if it was the killer’s personal vendetta against Marlowe’s atheism and epicurean lifestyle (â€Å"Biography†). During the time that Marlowe wrote â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love,† it was the year 1593, the pastoral genre of poetry gained popularity, although the poem was posthumously published in 1599. The shepherd poet became a regular symbol of romance, pastoral text and erotic love. Particularly, in Marlowe’s poem, there is simplicity of language pertaining particularly to the use of vernacular. It therefore shows charm and wit without pomposity or pretention. It is the reflection of courtly love without the trappings of metaphors as w ell as other elitist and artificial elements (Zlateva 126). In short, the poem shows utmost simplicity. However, such simplicity even reflects in the trip around the countryside of

The Realities of Juvenile Crime In The United States Essay

The Realities of Juvenile Crime In The United States - Essay Example Different investigations and studies have been conducted on juvenile crime and justice. Major issues of these studies include juvenile delinquency and offense status. Other issues include comparison of adult courts and juvenile courts, variables that correlate with juvenile crime rates, delinquency, effects on the young tried as adults and current issues in the juvenile justice. The difference between the juvenile courts and adult courts include the absence of the right to bail in childrens court. If a minor is detained in a juvenile hall, you cannot post a bond to get him or her out. Another difference is that in juvenile courts, the parents and guardian are questioned by the court during hearings about their childs behavior. The responses of the parent or the guardian play a role in determining the case, however, this does not exist in adult courts. Also juvenile court hearing is closed to the public meaning that the general public is not inside juvenile courts with the exception of family members, but in adult court the general public can attend the trial hearing. Typically, in juvenile court the mental health and substance abuse evaluations are carried out, a rare phenomenon in adult courts (World Youth Report, 2003). The causes that correlates to juvenile crimes includes drugs and substance. Drug abuse causes delinquency among teenager leading to committing crimes such as precocious sex activity, school failure, gun ownership and other related behaviors. The social media plays a part in juvenile crimes; television and movies have promoted "cult of heroes" that advocate justice through physical means that seek the elimination of enemies. This has been supported by the American Psychological Association that concluded that television violence contribute up to 10% of aggressive behavior among teenagers. Peer influence is also a major cause of delinquent

Agriculture of Pakistan Essay Example for Free

Agriculture of Pakistan Essay Agriculture is a vital sector of Pakistans economy and accounted for 25. 9 percent of GDP in 1999-2000, according to government estimates. The sector directly supports three-quarters of the countrys population, employs half the labor force , and contributes a large share of foreign exchange earnings. The main agricultural products are cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, and vegetables, in addition to milk, beef, mutton, and eggs. Pakistan depends on one of the worlds largest irrigation systems to support production. There are 2 principal seasons. Cotton, rice, and sugarcane are produced during the kharif season, which lasts from May to November. Wheat is the major rabi crop, which extends from November to April. The key to a much-needed improvement of productivity lies in a more efficient use of resources, principally land and water. However, change is dependent on the large landowners who own 40 percent of the arable land and control most of the irrigation system, which makes widespread reform difficult. Assessments by independent agencies, including the World Bank, show these large landholdings to be very unproductive. Pakistan is a net importer of agricultural commodities. Annual imports total about US$2 billion and include wheat, edible oils, pulses, and consumer foods. Pakistan is one of the worlds largest producers of raw cotton. The size of the annual cotton crop—the bulk of it grown in Punjab province—is a crucial barometer of the health of the overall economy, as it determines the availability and cost of the main raw material for the yarn-spinning industry, much of which is concentrated around the southern port city of Karachi. Official estimates put the 1999-2000 harvest at some 11. 2 million 170-kilogram bales, compared with the 1998-99 outturn of 8. 8 million bales and the record 12. 8 million bales achieved in 1991-92. The government recently actively intervened in the market to boost prices and to encourage production. A major problem is that the cotton crop is highly susceptible to adverse weather and pest damage, which is reflected in crop figures. After peaking at 2. 18 million tons in 1991-92, the lint harvest has since fluctuated considerably, ranging from a low of 1. 37 million tons in 1993-94 to a high of 1. 9 million tons in 1999-2000. The 2000-01 wheat crop was forecast at a record 19. 3 million tons, compared to 17. 8 million tons produced during the previous year. This increase is due largely to favorable weather and a 25-percent increase in the procurement price to about US$135 per ton. About 85 percent of the crop is irrigated. Despite the record production, Pakistan will continue to be a major wheat importer. The government has imported an average of US$2. 4 million annually over the past 5 years. The United States and Australia are the major suppliers. Demand for wheat is increasing from Pakistans rapidly growing population as well as from cross-border trade with Afghanistan. Pakistan is a major rice exporter and annually exports about 2 million tons, or about 10 percent of world trade. About 25 percent of exports is Pakistans famous fragrant Basmati rice. Rice is Pakistans second leading source of export earnings. Private traders handle all exports. Pakistans main competitors in rice trade are Thailand, Vietnam, and India. Tobacco is grown mainly in the North-West Frontier Province and Punjab and is an important cash crop . Yields in Pakistan are about twice those for neighboring countries largely due to the extension services provided by the industry. Quality, however, is improving only slowly due to problems related to climate and soil. Farmers have started inter-cropping tobacco with vegetables and sugarcane to increase returns. About half of the total production is used for cigarette manufacturing and the remainder used in traditional ways of smoking (in hand-rolled cigarettes called birris, in water pipes, and as snuff). The share of imported tobacco is increasing gradually in response to an increased demand for high-quality cigarettes. Minor crops account for only 5 percent of total cultivated area; these include oilseeds (sunflower, soybean), chilies, potatoes, and onions. Domestic oilseed production accounts only for about 25 percent of Pakistan total edible oil needs. As a result, Pakistan spends more than US$1 billion annually in scarce foreign exchange to import edible oils, while its oilseed processing industry operates at less than 25 percent of capacity due to an inadequate supply of oilseeds. For 2000-01 total oilseed production was forecast to decrease 10 percent to 3. 6 million tons. The government has highlighted development of the oilseed sector as a priority. Pakistans fishing industry is relatively modest, but has shown strong growth in recent years. The domestic market is quite small, with per capita annual consumption of approximately 2 kilograms. About 80 percent of production comes from marine fisheries from 2 main areas, the Sindh coast east from Karachi to the Indian border, and the Makran coast of Baluchistan. Ninety percent of the total marine catch is fish; the shrimp which constitute the remainder are prized because of their greater relative value and demand in foreign markets. During 1999-00, total fish production was 620,000 tons, of which 440,000 tons consisted of sea fish and the remainder were fresh-water species. About one-third of the catch is consumed fresh, 9 percent is frozen, 8 percent canned, and about 43 percent used as fish meal for animal food. Livestock accounts for 40 percent of the agricultural sector and 9 percent of the total GDP. Principal products are milk, beef, mutton, poultry, and wool. During 1999, the livestock population increased to 120 million head. That same year Pakistan generated 970,000 tons of beef, 640,000 tons of mutton, and 190,000 tons of poultry. In an effort to enhance milk and meat production, the government recently launched a comprehensive livestock development project with Asian Development Bank assistance. Poultry production provides an increasingly popular low-cost source of protein. Modern poultry production is constrained by high mortality, high incidence of disease, poor quality chicks, and poor quality feed, combined with an inadequate marketing system. Frozen poultry have only recently been introduced. Forests cover an area of 4. 2 million hectares or about 5 percent of the total area of Pakistan. The principal forest products are timber, principally for house construction, furniture, and firewood. Many of the countrys wooded areas are severely depleted as a result of over-exploitation. The government has restricted cutting to protect remaining resources—though corruption often jeopardizes environmental efforts—and has lowered duties to encourage imports. Forestry production has since declined from 1. 07 million cubic meters in 1990-91 to 475,000 cubic meters in 1998-99. Pakistan imports an estimated US$150 million of wood products annually to meet the requirements of a growing population and rising demand by a wealthy elite.

Basic Structure Of The Chinese Beer Industry

Basic Structure Of The Chinese Beer Industry To understand the current situation in the Chinese beer industry, knowledge about past events is necessary. Todays structure is a result of developments which took place during the last 50 years. Only decades ago, the total amount of beer consumed in China was very low, but steadily on the rise. When growth rates started to increase during the late 1990s, international breweries became interested in this new market, because international competition was very high, but the local competition in China was rather weak, and almost simultaneously international companies tried to set foot in China. In a very short time, nearly 50 joint ventures with local breweries were founded and everybody tried to get a piece of the cake. Yet, as China is a vast and geographically diverse country and infrastructure is poorly developed, the market for breweries is highly fragmented. The sales were all localized and as it was very difficult to ship across regional borders due to protected regional markets, big scale breweries were hard to maintain. Additionally, the price of beer was very low, especially in the rural areas of China and therefore costs could hardly be passed onto the consumer. Only a small group of richer Chinese were willing to spend more money on beer and would prefer international brands to national ones. Due to that, international beer was only available through on-premises sales in bars or hotels, while the majority of beer was sold through retail outlets. All this limited most brands geographical reach, only the Chinese Tsingtao beer was available almost nationwide. In 1995 there were over 800 breweries in China and the largest producer, the Yanjing Brewery, only accounted for 3.4% of the market in 1996. Even the top 10 could only claim 14% of the national production. As the Chinese population became richer, international companies could generate more revenues from the high end and premium sector which was difficult for the local breweries. The Chinese government began to fear foreign domination in the beer market and tried to push local breweries. Even though transportation is improving, the poor infrastructure and the inability to reap the economies of scale still hamper the bigger breweries. Trade barriers and the Chinese government which prefers national breweries further hinder international companies. It is necessary to view China not as a country, but to divide it into distinct areas in which breweries can operate. Competition in rural areas requires different competencies than in metropolitan areas. High fixed costs make it necessary to achieve a high degree of product and process standardization. Which competitors have the strongest (or at least the most viable) positions in the industry, and why? Does any competitor have a sustainable advantage? In 1997, the strongest competitors in China by volume were: 1. Yanjing Brewery, 2. China Strategic Investment, 3. Tsingtao Brewery, 4. Zhujiang Brewery (Interbrew), 5. China Resources (Shenyang) Snowflake Brewery (SAB), 6. Chongquing Brewer, 7. Dongxihu Brewery (Danone), 8. Qianjiang Brewery, 9. Harbin Brewery, 10. Pabst Blue Ribbon Brewery. In 2008, the key competitors in this industry were: Tsingtao Brewery, China Resources Snow Breweries, Beijing Yanjing Beer Group Company and Fujian Sedrin Brewery Company. The market shares of these key competitors are unknown. These companies can hold their positions due to joint ventures and co-operations. The largest producer Beijing Yanjing Brewery accounted for just 3.4% of the total market, but could increase its market share in Beijing from 55% in 1994 to 85% by 1997. Small breweries power to compete will increase during the next years and they will eventually become a strong competitor in the beer industry in China. Chinas market is geographically fragmented and the major domestic brands generally dominate in their local area. A sustainable advantage for competitors in the beer industry in China is the geographic position, because distribution is a major problem. Breweries which are located on the coast or near rivers have advantages due to the fact that shipping was the most reliable way of transporting beer. Foreign brewers realized that nationwide distribution was unrealistic and instead tried to focus on key areas. Another important aspect of the beer market is that the Chinese government favour s larger companies, making it tough for smaller ones. This also puts pressure on companies which lack economies of scale. Furthermore the major breweries invested heavily in increasing output and quality and in packaging. They also spent a lot of money on marketing and distribution, further strengthening their positions on top. Tsingtao and Yanjing Brewery both decided to boost their production capacity and invest in the development of their technologies to get a competitive advantage compared to their competitors. The few companies which will get out on top will use their advantages of capital and scales to further strengthen their positions in the market. The main Chinese breweries will not only be competiing in price and market regions, but also in distribution.  [1]   Is this a profitable industry? What is your prediction for its future profitability? In the 1980s and in the 1990s the beer industry in China was not profitable, but China became a large beer production and consumption country and after 2008 the output of Chinese beer ranked first in the world. Chinas beer market has one of the fastest growths worldwide. The world top ten breweries invest in China because of this growing market.  [2]   The competition between the breweries is a very fierce one, they are fighting for market shares, brands and regional distribution. In China the market is divided in beer areas and each region is occupied by certain beer companies. For its future profitability it will be necessary to increase quality and efficiency, to improve infrastructure for making distribution easier and brand building for high competitive advantage. Furthermore some key factors and data have to be taken into consideration to be able to tell if theres a profitable future for the Chinese beer industry: Key statistics provide the key indicators for the industry for at least the last three years. The statistics include industry revenue, industry gross product, employment, establishments, exports, imports, domestic demand and total wages. These statistics are important for research on how to enter the market. Segmentation covers products and service segmentation like key products. The major market segmentation provides data about key client industries and groups, giving an indication which of these are the most important ones in the industry. Industry concentration can tell us how much industry revenue is accounted for by the top four players and the geographic spread provides a guide to the regional share of the industry revenue or gross product. Market Characteristics deal with market size (size of domestic market and size of export market), linkages (lists the industryà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s major suppliers and the major customer industries), demand determinants, domestic and international markets, basis of competition and life cycle. Industry Conditions: Barriers to entry, taxation, regulation and deregulation, cost structure, capital and labor intensity, technology and systems, industry volatility and globalization. Key Factors and Key Competitors: Industryà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s Key Sensitivities and Key Success Factors. Key Competitors lists the major players in the industry and their activities. Industry Performance: Analyses the current performance and the historical performance of the Industry.  [3]   All these factors heavily influence the future profitability of the Chinese beer industry and keeping them under surveillance would therefore be advised. How is this industry likely to evolve? What are the key forces that will influence this evolution? The Chinese beer industry is still in the mid and late integration phase today. Competition remains fierce, but it can be estimated that in the future the Chinese beer industry will form a domestic market which will be monopolized by the 10 largest Chinese breweries. The market is most probably headed towards monopolistic and oligarch competition.  [4]   The number of enterprises will decline as the number of competitors which affiliate with the major players will increase. The capacities of the 10 largest breweries will rise, they will most likely expand rapidly and expand their scales. The industry will become more and more concentrated. An estimated 50% of the increase amount of beer worldwide will come from the Chinese market in the next 10 years.4

The Godfather :: essays research papers

The Godfather Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Based on Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather was based in the late 1940's in New York City. The story is about the Corleone family, which is headed by Vito Corleone. He had four sons. The quick to act older son is Santino, also known as Sunny. The next son is Fredo and the youngest son is Mechael which was in the military at the start of the movie and later stepped up to be the head of the family business. Finally, there is the adopted son Tom who Sunny found in the streets of New York homeless. He took him in seeing how his life was so terrible and Sunny's life was so good. Vito also had a daughter, Connie who went through the pain of the family business and she was not even involved in it. The movie starts off at the wedding of Connie and her husband Carlo. Vito promises Carlo a good future, but will not ever let him be a part of the family business. After the wedding, Virgo Salatso, a herione dealer from Italy is looking for the Corleone family backing by money and protection from the law, as they have control over the local government. Vito wants no part of the heroine dealer and little does he know all of the other mob bosses are going along with Salatso. Vito had no idea his noncompliance with Salatso would start a war between the families of New York. This led to Virgo's men to shoot Vito but not killing him. This outgraged Michael and this led to the revenge of him shooting a police captain under Virgo and the shooting of Mr. Salatso. After this, the family sent Michael to Sicily to hide out. While Michael was in Sicily, he fell in love and got married to a woman named Apolonia but their love was short lived because a hit was put out on Michael. Apolonia was kill ed by the car bomb that was intended for Michael. Also, while Michael was in Sicily, the bosses put a hit on Sunny. The other bosses used Carlo, Connie's husband to set him up. Carlo beat yup Connie and Sunny and was sent to her aid. On the way he had to ggo through a tollbooth where he was met by heavy machine gun fire and was killed. After everything died down, Michael was summoned back to America.

The Extraordinary Contributions of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet :: Essays Papers

The Extraordinary Contributions of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet There are commonly held stereotypes that women in the early twentieth century were passive or unimportant in affecting the development of the Western Frontier. However, women in Arizona during this time period helped shape history in a multitude of ways. One area impacted by the role of women during the early twentieth century was medicine. An area greatly dominated by males, medicine may not have advanced as successfully in Southern Arizona if it had not been for the efforts of seven women from St. Joseph, Missouri. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet made profound contributions to the Western Frontier in many ways. They severely impacted both areas of education and medicine in Arizona. By exploring the Sisters’ various contributions, this paper will uncover the significance of the Carondelet Sisters’ role in the development of the Western Frontier. In the early twentieth century, pioneers began to inundate the area of Southern Arizona. Among them were the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet; Emerentia Bonnefoy, Monica Corrigan, Euphrasia Suchet, Hyacinth Blanc, Martha Peters, Ambrosia Arnichaud, and Maxine Croisat (Bryne and Cammack). In 1870, these seven women began the exhausting and rigorous journey from St. Louis to Tucson, traveling by rail, sea and wagon. The Sisters came to Tucson on a mission to help Jean Baptiste Salpointe, who was a Bishop in the area. They were to teach in Tucson’s first school, which would transform the ways of education in the Western Frontier. Before the Carondelet sisters’ arrival, little had been done in the state of Arizona in the means of education. The Sisters established education in the area and contributed to the demise of the negative attitudes that parents had about raising their children in the West. Before these contributions, many parents found it necessary to move to a town or settlement where there would be more advantages for their children. "Mother did not let any of the unusual life about us interfere with our bringing up," a young Arizona girl recalled. "Except for the desire of giving us a more extended education than we could get in the state at that time, I am sure my father and mother would have remained†¦instead of removing to New Mexico" (Myres, pg.

Impact of Cultural Differences, Internal and Environmental Factors at Airbus Essay

Employees are affected by a number of internal and external forces that when combined produce given behaviours and attitudes. In this paper, I will consider the key factors affecting individual and groups’ behaviour and their corresponding relationship to the personal and organisational performance. The scenario, Airbus’ manufacturing plant in Toulouse, is dominated by tensions amongst groups of workers with different cultural background. The impact of those cultural challenges, the pressures of delivering the A380s in time and the demands from the external environment will be some of the factors that will be considered in the analysis below. In order to understand the multiple forces and the organisational change processes undertaken by Airbus, two influential frameworks for change have been examined in this paper. The model introduced by Burke and Litwin (2002), and the approach presented by Kotter (1995), based upon the authors’ research into corporate change. 1. Individual factors Attitudes and personal behavioural codes consist of an organisation of feelings, thoughts and cognitions in a defined situation. Airbus’ employees appear not to be motivated to fulfil the group’s objectives as â€Å"there are too many tensions and too much suspicion† (Hollinger & Wiesmann, 2008), as reported by an official of the French union. As work motivation and job satisfaction are closely linked with the overall performance of workers, it is important to identify factors leading to job dissatisfaction at Airbus. The arrival of two thousand electricians to resolve wiring problem has impacted negatively on the Toulouse plant resulting in overcrowding, sudden change in industrial processes and dispositions against other individuals with a number of differences. The temperament and individual emotions are difficult to understand for people with diverse cultural upbringing. There are also differences in pay which are perceived as unequal an d negative, particularly for those employees not on secondment. In summary, individuals are often resistant to change which involve loss and uncertainty. One of the most common reasons for human resistance is the focus on their own best interests instead of the organisation’s (Kotter & Schlesinger, 1979). 2. Work group factors Although team diversity can potentially create a positive organisational synergy, the same can also create unique challenges resulting from social integration, tension, and conflict (Jehn, Northcraft & Neale, 1999). In the case of Airbus, it appears there are two leaders from different groups and cultures bringing different attitudes and dispositions to the groups, giving birth to nationalistic tensions between French and German employees. Management rivalries become a detrimental model for working groups (Drucker, 1986). Team engagement and social integration are then increasingly difficult as the majority of Germans are temporary employees coming from outside the company. Furthermore, the organisational culture of Airbus is affected by the lack of trust and transparency from management. In this situation, fear and suspicion emerge and French groups start to perceive the growing influence of German managers as unfair and unequal. All these factors create frustr ations amongst the teams and individuals thus producing uncertainty which affects the plant performance and the company’s ability to meet delivery schedules. 3. Organisational factors The organisational structure and culture as well as its policies and systems, together with the set goals influence employee and team behaviours. With this in mind, it is important to consider that Airbus and its parent company EADS were merged in the name of European unity and intended to be more competitive in the aerospace industry. With the internal pressures of company restructuring consisting of the A380 delivery targets and current production delays, Airbus workers become dominated by uncertainties and tension between different working groups. As Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) highlighted in their study, human resistance often emerges during organisational change efforts. Power 8, Airbus’ restructuring programme which consisted of undertaking a number of changes including job cuts, factory sales, new areas for components sourcing and leadership turnover, produces social tensions and management rivalries inside the organisation. 4. External environment An analysis of the national and global context of Airbus is crucial to understanding the influence of external forces producing both opportunities and threats to the organisation. Amongst those factors, pressures from politics, unions and public opinion are dominant forces in the case of Airbus. Competition in the global market, mainly between Airbus and Boeing, is also intense. Each company is under pressure and suffering from severe delays in delivery targets. State shareholders naturally makes the company subject to political interests and government rules and regulations affect Airbus’ operations management and its decision making process. Questions are raised about the compatibility of the company’s economic goals and its commitment to more political and social objectives. The leadership team need to engage and negotiate with trade unions, political parties and public movements to ensure success in the company’s outcomes. Thus pressur e from different groups makes it problematic for Airbus to align the internal organisation with the external forces. 5. Change dynamics Burke and Litwin (1992) present a causal model that helps to define and establish a cause-and-effect relationship between a number of organizational elements which are key to organizational change. The linkage between these is the key to effective change. They identify the external environment as the dominant factor driving change in organisations which affects their mission, culture, leadership and strategy. The company’s structure, systems, management practices, and climate are in turn linked to those dimensions and impact the overall performance. In the case of Airbus, the merger between Airbus and EADS and the strong competition of Boeing in the global aerospace market are the most dominant external forces. Those trigger a series of further changes in the company, which together, affects the motivation level of employees and work groups. 6. Change management issues Kotter (1995) in his corporate change analysis provides a number of lessons learnt which help understand the complex issues outlined in the Airbus case study. One of the issues in Airbus’ strategy is the lack of cooperation from individuals and teams. Morale and motivation are important factors to control and influence, especially in the first phase of the transformational process. Additionally, the role of leadership in terms of establishing a vision, communicating it and being the example of the new behaviours is also crucial. Airbus’ past rivalry between the former French and German management sides have been detrimental for the change effort. As Drucker (1986) points out â€Å"managers’ inability to change their attitudes and behaviour as rapidly as their organizations require† (Drucker, 1986) is a barrier for organisational growth. It is important to consider that changes take a long time to naturalise into the company cult ure. The benefit of Airbus’ restructuring programme, Power 8, cannot be judged before its time. The change in habits and rules destabilise people and the company’s exposure to public opinion and political interest increases the process of change in its complexity. Conclusion Today’s workforce is becoming more diverse in terms of age, gender and ethnicity. Managers are duty bound to develop skills to influence the relationship between team diversity and team outcomes by analysing the current situation and possible issues to be avoided. Changes are generally needed; in the instance of Airbus, they are implementing a large scale change affecting the organisational leadership, culture, structure and operations. Consequently, people affected by change experience some level of discomfort but leaders can increase their level of success by selecting the right strategy and approach to use with workgroups and individuals. Effective change management strategy should be consistent with the company’s management behaviour and the overall company’s culture, ensuring alignment of people internally and externally in the public environment. The change process in every organisation requires a length of time and readiness for individual chang e which proceed through stages which should not be overlooked for a successful outcome.

Research Method in Biological Level of Analysis Psychology Essay

Examine the use of one research method used in the biological level of analysis, including an evaluation of the ethical considerations related to them. The case studies method consists in taking a patient personal history in order to take a diagnosis. It is usually applied in persons that have abnormal characteristics in behaviour, at biological or at cognitive level; it can also be applied to a group of people that are under the same situation. Case study is a long-term research where the patient or the group of people are studied to get into a conclusion. This type of study investigates and recollects qualitative data, such as feelings and experiences. At the same time it also includes quantitative data of measurements such as blood testing, IQ scores and other survey data. An example of case-study method is the Phineas Gage research. Phineas was the man who had an accident and a metal pole entered through its skull. It entered through his left cheek and exited through its frontal lobe. There were many factors that made of this situation really abnormal. Just after the accident Phineas was awake. He lost the vision in his left eye, but in his right eye the vision was perfect. Besides he didn’t suffer any paralysis and had no difficulty with speech or language. However, the doctor noted that his intellectual abilities and his emotional control had been destroyed. Gage had become impatient, indulgent and though he made plans for hi future he could never follow them. He could be described as a child. According to the long-term case study, his frontal lobe provided evidence that the brain affects personality and social behaviour. This is a really important research because it presents one of the biological level of analysis, the one that refers there are biological correlates of behaviour. Here we can see how damaged physiological factor can affect behaviour. Besides it shows us how case studies are really useful, because not all changes in behaviour happen from one day to another. As this study evidenced the process in which the behaviour starts to see affected is a long-term process. Case studies of the brain-damaged patients have led to important findings about the brain. According to the ethics in this type of research, probably there are more negative facts tan positive facts. Case studies researches are not ethical because the patient is treated, observed and examined like it is a completely different person compared to the others. Besides it can invade your personal spaces and take you away some privacy. The researcher gets to know deeply personal information fro the patient, which is not usually shared with other people. Besides, some of this information may be published or at least written up as a research report, in order to be used in a future as valid information in researches, etc. That’s why the identity of the person should be always protected; the researcher needs to cover all the details that could lead others to work out the individual’s identity. In the case of Phineas Gage most of this ethical considerations weren’t taked into count. They didn’t covered up his identity, beside they go into details of his personal life. In conclusion the case studies are really important because are the ones that lead us to conclusions about real life issues and particular problems. The researches done by this method are really accurate and play a really important role in psychology biological level of analysis.

How does Iago manipulate Othello Essay

Perfect people do not exist in this world of temptations, failures, and suffering. In fact, every person has weaknesses, and there is always a possibility that someone will use those feeble points against that man. Shakespeare’s play Othello shows an example of how one can control others exploiting their weaknesses and the consequences of such actions. The character of Iago, the antagonist in the tragedy Othello, instigates chaos, deception, and gross manipulation. He is the center of all the evil events in the play. He manages to completely deceive everyone by displaying an honest facade. Thus he is able to instill trust in all those around him. Since no one sees him for the evil and deceiving man that he really is, he manages to manipulate everyone. He exerts control and power over others in order to fulfill his goals of destroying Cassio and completely demeaning Othello and ruining his reputation. Roderigo’s passion to Desdemona, his foolishness, and trusting nature help Iago to succeed in his evil plan. Another object of manipulation is Cassio whose love for women and wine as well as his concerns of reputation makes him a victim of Iago’s brutal intentions. The Moor, the cause of Iago’s revenge, is described as someone who heavily relies on the advice of others which becomes used against him by his friend. Also he becomes caught in Iago’s web because of his disability to cope with jealousy put in his ear. Othello jumps quickly into conclusions and finally kills Desdemona and himself that satisfies Iago’s desire of revenge. Therefore, Iago is able to manipulate Roderigo, Cassio, and Othello by exploding their weaknesses. Being a blind fool and maintaining hopeless love for Desdemona, a woman of his dream, Roderigo is hurt by Iago who uses his weak spots to fulfill the revenge. Iago knows of Roderigo’s weakness of being totally devoted to Desdemona and of his obsession of winning her back, so he exploits it well. With promises of reunification with Desdemona, Iago twists Roderigo’s weakness to his advantage since he needs money and wants his hands to be clean. Iago is the one who manipulates his feelings toward Desdemona and motivates his actions. First Iago, in the moment of Roderigo’s despair, convinces him that Desdemona’s infatuation will end as soon as she’ll get bored sexually with Othello, so there will be a new way to get closer to her. Later he makes Roderigo believe that she has an affair with Cassio that  provides Roderigo with incentive to bring down and then kill Michael. Iago also puts in his head that Othello and Desdemona are going to Mauritania and he will not be able to win her back, but if Cassio dies then they will have to stay in Cyprus. Roderigo, being a naà ¯ve trusting fool, believes every Iago’s word. In his turn Iago despises Roderigo, referring to him as to a faithful to his master dog by saying that he is â€Å"poor trash of Venice, whom I leash for his quick hunting†. Roderigo’s disability to use his brain is showed in his foolishness of not understanding that Iago uses himas a source of money. However, even when he gets to suspect Iago in cheating on him, the master of evil finds the way out and Roderigo is left in fools again. Roderigo’s trusting nature and self-pitying does not allow him to take control over things by himself, so he sets his hopes on Iago who manipulates him playing on his weaknesses in order to fulfill his desire of revenge. Cassio with his good reputation, love for women and wine being his real weakness is another character that is exploited by Iago. Iago hates Michael since he was chosen over Iago to become a lieutenant even though Cassio is, according to Iago, an inferior soldier. Since Iago is aware of Michael’s â€Å"very poor and unhappy brains for drinking†. On the first step of destroying him Iago gets Cassiol to drink too much of wine, one of his main weaknesses, while on duty, challenging his loyalty to Othello and causes him to brawl with Roderigo. When Othello discovers the drunken Cassio, he dismisses him. This is exactly what Iago had envisioned. The humiliation of Michael due to his dismissal and loss of rank is the fulfillment of one of Iago’s major goals. On the next step â€Å"honest man†, as he is called by Cassio, maintains the facade of fake sincerity and loyalty to Michael while at the same time deceiving and plotting his destruction. Ironically, Cassio seeks Iago’s advice on how to regain Othello’s trust and favor while Iago is actually the source of his problem with Othello, Iago gives Michael advice for his own evil purposes. He advises Cassio to talk to Desdemona about influencing Othello. Unfortunately, this advice is a form of manipulating, since Iago perfectly knows that Michael is â€Å"a fellow almost damned in a fair wife†. Also by begging, or bowing down to a woman, which was not to be done in those times, Cassio shows more of a weakness. Although Michael is seeing Desdemona to talk about his position and reputation, Iago hints his  suspicious of Cassio and Desdemona’s affair to Othello creating an interest in him. Also Iago becomes a great friend of Michael who even doesn’t allow to himself to get to know more about the handkerchief given by Iago to him. His trusting nature is completely under the power of Iago who provides a support for him. Therefore, Iago takes c ontrol over Cassio and his weaknesses, but Michael, blinded by Iago’s outside friendly nature, does not realize that. Iago’s poison pours on to Othello’s mind and makes him to be manipulated by the enemy. Iago, when makes his plan says: The Moor is of a free and open-nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by th’nose As asses are (act 1, scene 3) Othello heavily relies on the opinions of others, as he did when choosing the lieutenant to be Cassio, not Iago. Also the Moor puts all his trust in Iago during times of war and during Othello’s marriage to Desdemona. This wasn’t very bright of Othello. His trusting nature makes him vulnerable. His involvement with Desdemona translates into a deeper trust with heart. Being older than she is, Othello has fears that she will find a younger man who is more attractive than Othello. This makes him open to Iago’s plan. As a result when Iago creates rumors of Desdemona’s involvement with Cassio, Othello’, being already insecure with himself falls deep into Iago’s trap. Besides the fact that he is older than his wife, Othello also has insecurities about his race. He is a black man living among white men who are sometimes make judgments about his race and how it affects his work. In addition, to his fears, Othello has passionate nature does not allow him to think over what he hears or if it is true, but let his jealousy take over his actions. Othello’s emotions begin to grow from jealously to anger. He has never been heart broken before and now all his emotions of melancholy  are running through his mind. â€Å"How shall I murder him, Iago?† Already Othello had sunken in everything Iago had said. Not thinking straight and letting his emotions run untamed, he can only think of death as a way to resolve everything. He jumps very fast into conclusions that lead to a downfall. Iago poisons Othello’s mind with lies about love, Desdemona, and his trusted lieutenant, Cassio and causes him to destroy them both. Iago realizes that by causing Othello to destroy both Desdemona and Cassio Othello will at the same time destroy himself and his reputation. Being under pressure of Iago who controls him exploiting his weaknesses Othello ruins himself and people around him. Exploiting the major weaknesses of Roderigo, Cassio, and Othello, Iago is able to control and hurt them. He moves his friends as if they were chessmen. He uses their individual aspirations and passions to motivate them to whatever devious plan he desires. However, in each case Iago doesn’t have to push very hard because his suggested actions either seem harmless resolutions to each character’s woes or take advantage of character flaws. Because he does not have to push very hard, he is able to maintain an air of apathy while promoting his ultimate malevolent goals: â€Å"I am not what I am†. In Roderigo’s case Iago successfully manipulates him using his weak personality and passionate love to Desdemona for his own purposes. Cassio’s love for women and his weakness to wine is what helps Iago in controlling him. Othello also is caught by Iago in his web of lie since his trusting and passionate nature, insecurity in him makes him vulnerable to Iago. Sha kespeare shows the consequences of being trustful and naà ¯ve. A person should think of what is right and wrong, but not rely on the advices of others as Roderigo, Cassio, and Othello did. One must have his own head on the shoulders, and should live using his mind and consciousness in order to avoid the situation of being under somebody’s control.

HISTORY OF BASKETBALL Essays - Rules Of Basketball, Free Essays

HISTORY OF BASKETBALL Essays - Rules Of Basketball, Free Essays HISTORY OF BASKETBALL Dr. James Naismith is known world-wide as the inventor of Basketball. He was born in 1861 in Ramsay township, near Almonte, Ontario, Canada. The concept of basketball was born from his school days in the area where he played a simple child's game called duck-on-a-rock outside of his schoolhouse. The game had a purpose to knock a "duck" off the top of a large rock by throwing another rock at it. Naismith then went on to attend McGill University in Montreal, Quebec,Canada. After serving as McGill's Athletic Director, he moved on to the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA in 1891 where there the sport known as basketball was born. In Springfield, Naismith was then faced with the problem of finding a sport which was right for playing inside during the Massachusetts winter. Naismith wanted to create a game of skill for the students instead of one that uses only strength. He needed a game that could be played indoors in a small space. The first game was played with a soccer ball and two peach baskets used as baskets. At that time went a person made a basket the basket was called "goal" so in the following rules the word "goal" means the basket that was made. Naismith devised a set of thirteen rules of Basketball: 1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands. 2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but never with the fist. 3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man running at good speed. 4. The ball must be held in or between the hands. The arms or body must not be used for holding it. 5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, striking or tripping in any way of an opponent. The first infringement of this rule by any person shall count as a foul; the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game. No substitution shall be allowed. 6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violations of Rules 3 and 4 and such as described in Rule 5. 7. If either side make three consecutive fouls it shall count as a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the meantime making a foul). 8. Goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the ground into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edge and the opponents move the basket, it shall count as a goal. 9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field and played by the first person touching it. In case of dispute the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them. 10. The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have the power to disqualify men according to Rule 5. 11. The referee shall be the judge of the ball and decide when it is in play in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the goals with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee. 12. The time shall be two 15-minute halves with five minutes' rest between. 13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winners. In addition to the creation of the sport, Naismith graduated as a medical doctor, and so interested in sports physiology and what we would call today sports science and as Presbyterian minister, with an interest in philosophy and clean living. Naismith watched his sport, introduced in many nations by the YMCA movement

Compare Contrast Blue Winds Dancing and Two Kinds Essay Example

Compare Contrast Blue Winds Dancing and Two Kinds Essay Example Compare Contrast Blue Winds Dancing and Two Kinds Paper Compare Contrast Blue Winds Dancing and Two Kinds Paper While both of these stories have different themes regarding cultural issues, the characters involved similarly have their own reasons that compel them to oppose their individual situations. In Amy Tans Two Kinds and in Tom Woodlouses Blue Winds Dancing, both narrators choose nonconformity regarding their unique situations, but have different motivations for doing so. In Two Kinds, the narrator struggles to be the ideal daughter that her mother wishes her to be. Having come from China where she ad lost her home and her entire family, Including her first two daughters, her mother places a huge burden of becoming famous and successful on the narrator. The opening paragraph of this story, quite plainly, tells of the mothers lofty goals for her daughter. My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America. You could open a restaurant. You could work for the government and get good retirement. You could buy a house with no money down. You could become rich. You could become Instantly famous (Tan 180). After falling to master many efferent talents to ultimately become the prodigy her mother wishes her to become, the mother enrolls her in piano lessons and buys her a piano. The narrator deliberately fails to learn the piano as an act of defiance against her mother. She biblically humiliates her mother at a talent show where she plays terribly. She purposely fails to live up to her mothers expectations of her. She knows she cannot possibly conform to her mothers dreams for her, so she decides that rebellion Is her only choice. In Tom Wheelhouse Blue Winds Dancing, the narrator Is a Native American living in the western united States. It is here while attending college that he learns that he will never fit into white culture. Having gone off to college and attempting to conform to white society, the narrator feels as if he has rebelled against his own people in doing so. But soon he realizes that being civilized is Just too tiresome for him. l am weary of trying to keep up this bluff of being civilized. These Cleveland white men want us to be Just Like them always dissatisfied getting a hill and wanting a mountain. (Whiteout 270). He longs to be back at home on he reservation, to be one with nature again, and be with his own people. But having left the reservation for college, he wonders if his people, and especially his father, will accept him back. The narrator begins a long Journey back to his home in Wisconsin by train-hopping. All along the way he worries his people will not accept him any longer. He is confused as to where he really does belong. HIS confusion Is ended with Immediate acceptance when he finally enters his home and his father, though not saying a word to him, embraces him. His father then instructs him to go lone to the lodge, where his father will later accompany him. At the lodge he is met with happiness in the eyes of everyone there. His people accept him. Cultural background and individual choices on why to rebel make these stories differ. They are similar In that both narrators ultimately choose their own form of rebellion In Two Kinds the daughter realizes that she will never be happy unless she stands up to near mother, aspect ten Tact Tanat seen must rule near mothers nope In ten process. In Woodlouses story, the narrator chooses what the path of least resistance for him is.

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buy custom Information Technology essay Increasingly, the success of various organizations depends on their abilities to gather, produce, maintain, and disseminate information and knowledge. Knowledge work is particularly important in any information society. The ability of an organization to generate information and effectively employ it through productive fields will determine the organizations success in the competitive world; and the ability to invent and use technological know-how in the areas of core competence is prerequisite to success of business. The phrase Information Technology encompasses the methods of collecting, processing and disseminating information which is vital in management. For instance, there is a growing awareness of the contributions made by information technology in various management aspects. This paper delves the use of information technology in management of various sectors. Information technology and management In the education sector, information technology enables various universities to offer degrees through online distance education programs. A new economic imperative in higher education and innovations in information technology drives this revolution in distance education as the universities are moving to instate totally online certification programs, courses and complete degrees (UNESCO, pg 4-5). As the availability and power of information technology grow, various traditional statistics courses are modified to take the advatage of new software developed for carrying out statistical analyses as well as teaching new statistical concepts. Information technology has is greatly used in business management. With large business corporations becoming the order of the day, there is large amount of data that is created every day. This could be in the form of transaction-data created any time a customer makes purchases, to product-data that is based on inventory level, to category-data that is used to correlate consumption of different products. In ideal situations, this data is useless unless it is converted to a form that business managers are able to understand and use. In such cases, information technology becomes very important. For instance, Management Information System (MIS) which deals with capture, processing, storage, distribution and presentation of information is used. Nowadays, information technology has evolved to an extent that MIS can send information to hand held-computers. This allows the managers to get information as it unfolds and it enhances quick decision making. In the transportation sector, information technology offers various strategic tools that enhance efficiency, increase responsiveness, reduce costs and improve decision making processes (Allen, pg 1). Information technology enhances great improvements in the transportation sector through enhancing eases include traffic signals, traffic congestion management and freeway ramp metering. In addition information technology is being used in automation of highways which offers great capacity increases (Mason Deakin, pg 8-9). Conclusion From above, it is evident that advances in information technology pose new opportunities for various sectors in the society. The use of such technologies can transform not only the efficiency at which tasks are performed, but also the pattern of organization and work relationships within the concerned sectors. Buy custom Information Technology essay

Gravity Model Definition and Examples

Gravity Model Definition and Examples For decades, social scientists have been using a modified version of  Isaac Newtons Law of Gravitation  to predict the movement of people, information, and commodities between cities and even continents. The gravity model, as social scientists refer to the modified law of gravitation, takes into account the population size of two places and their distance. Since larger places attract people, ideas, and commodities more than smaller places and places closer together have a greater attraction, the gravity model incorporates these two features. The relative strength of a bond between two places is determined by multiplying the population of city A by the population of city B and then dividing the product by the distance between the two cities squared. The Gravity Model Population 1 x Population 2_________________________   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  distance ² Examples If we compare the bond between the New York and Los Angeles metropolitan areas, we first multiply their 1998 populations (20,124,377 and 15,781,273, respectively) to get 317,588,287,391,921 and then we divide that number by the  distance  (2462 miles) squared (6,061,444). The result is 52,394,823. We can shorten our math by reducing the numbers to the millions place: 20.12 times 15.78 equals 317.5 and then divide by 6 with a result of 52.9. Now, lets try two metropolitan areas a bit closer: El Paso (Texas) and Tucson (Arizona). We multiply their populations (703,127 and 790,755) to get 556,001,190,885 and then we divide that number by the distance (263 miles) squared (69,169) and the result is 8,038,300. Therefore, the bond between New York and Los Angeles is greater than that of El Paso and Tucson. How about El Paso and Los Angeles? Theyre 712 miles apart, 2.7 times farther than El Paso and Tucson! Well, Los Angeles is so large that it provides a huge gravitational force for El Paso. Their relative force is 21,888,491, a surprising 2.7 times greater than the gravitational force between El Paso and Tucson. While the gravity model was created to anticipate migration between cities (and we can expect that more people migrate between LA and NYC than between El Paso and Tucson), it can also be used to anticipate the traffic between two places, the number of telephone calls, the transportation of goods and mail, and other types of movement between places. The gravity model can also be used to compare the gravitational attraction between two continents, two countries, two states, two counties, or even two neighborhoods within the same city. Some prefer to use the functional distance between cities instead of the actual distance. The functional distance can be the driving distance or can even be flight time between cities. The gravity model was expanded by William J. Reilly in 1931 into Reillys law of retail gravitation to calculate the breaking point between two places where customers will be drawn to one or another of two competing commercial centers. Opponents of the gravity model explain that it can not be confirmed scientifically, that its only based on observation. They also state that the gravity model is an unfair method of predicting movement because its biased toward historic ties and toward the largest population centers. Thus, it can be used to perpetuate the status quo.

Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 8

Human resource management - Essay Example In this paper, McDonald HR practices will be described in light of the unique diversity and cultural variation at the workplace. The paper will discuss performance management and culture management at McDonald based various human resource theories. This aspect of human resource management focuses on the management of various aspect of a business, which includes the employee, the product or service offered to the customers (Aguinis, 2007). At McDonald, performance management is a key function of the corporate managers and is aimed at improving the abilities of the employees to increase output and achieve the goals of the organization. The management keenly identifies measure and develops the performance of various employees based on the strategic decisions of the organization. McDonald developed a performance development system to help align individual performance goals with the objectives of the organization (Aguinis, 2007). Rewards to every employee at the company are influenced by the PDS performance and this determines the reward advanced to the employees. The management of performance at McDonald begins with the development of individual performance plan. Human resource managers engage all employees to develop individual performance plans and use the same plan to enhance their performance based on the goals of the organization. With this approach, the feedback on the performance of an employee is acquired from members of his team, the subordinate stuff, colleagues of similar ranks and even supervisors. This approach enables an organization plan for proper human resource development for its employees based on the positive and negative feedback received. As part of its performance management program, McDonald has introduced a 360-degree kind of feedback (Reissig, 2011). This feedback approach seeks to identify the performance of various employees through the feedback from the store customers. Through this approach, McDonald restaurants

Law Enforcement in the USA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Law Enforcement in the USA - Research Paper Example The aims of local law enforcement agencies include the uploading laws in the jurisdiction they are created, undertaking patrol and investigation of local crimes. State law enforcement agency: the jurisdiction of state law enforcement agency cover a state and aid the local law enforcement agency in investigating crimes that extend beyond the jurisdiction and resources of the local law enforcement agency. Highway patrol and statewide investigations are undertaken by state law enforcement agency and undertake investigations covering several localities but within the state. Investigations within the state are conducted by state law enforcement agency, and when they surpass their jurisdiction through covering more than one state, they are undertaken by federal law enforcement. Inclusive of the state law enforcement agency are government department enforcement divisions including state hospitals, water, environment, capital, and campus police to ensure law enforcement in these departments and have statewide jurisdiction and full police powers. County law enforcement agency: they exist in metropolitan counties, and their jurisdiction covers the whole county. Three categories of county law enforcement agency service exist including full service that entails the provision of all police services to the entire county including contractual security to the county’s special districts.

Group discussion presenatation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Group discussion presenatation - Essay Example We can’t be held up, we can’t be interrupted† (Renda 393). Most elements of the play originate from Javanese’s and Hindu-Buddhist’s thoughts. The play is in opposition to the dominance of the state, and a critique to contemporary politics. It aims at expressing the struggle of a culture to preserve its autonomy amid exploitation from modern capitalism. The ambassadors, based on their names, come from the western nations with interest in a piece of the resources, and through a language of progress and development. The palace of Astinampuram and the queen are taken to be a satirical representation of the Indonesian president and his wife. They represent the monarch system of the country. The kingdom consisting of leaders who are self-seeking shows the state of Indonesia during Suharto’s rein (Varney et al. 89). From the highlighted points, it is plainly evident that the play is a fictitious representation of Indonesia and Asia at large, though the writer affirms in the beginning and the end that the play is not done in In donesia. An Asian setting can as well be affirmed by the statement â€Å"Across the sea, in the land of the ogres-I mean Europe and America†¦.† (Rendra 292) The statement points that as much as the play would not be in Indonesia, it was still in Asia, after alienating the two stated

The Reformation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Reformation - Essay Example Martin Luther with the help of his colleagues introduced a new order of prayers at their Electoral Saxony of 1527. He completed many religious literary pieces including his German Mass which was his simpler form of his earlier Latin Mass. The idea was to make religious teachings and scriptures easier for common people. He believed that Catholic Church was not letting people understand the religion, instead they were coming up with their interpretations of the teachings of Christ as they found fitting. What started as a question or a challenge to Catholic teachings turned into a massively popular protestant movement in Christianity. The Scientific Revolution Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was one of the greatest scientists of the era of Scientific Revolution. He was an Italian physicist, mathematician, philosopher and astronomer. Galileo constructed his famous theory of heliocentrism which apparently was contradictory to Biblical Scriptures. According to this theory, Galileo correctly demonstrated the orbit of the solar system by stating that the sun is the center around which the earth and other planets revolve. This didn’t sit well with the Catholic Church who blamed Galileo of committing heresy as his theory was against the reading of the scriptures; â€Å"The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved† (1 Chronicles 16:30). Galileo faced a trial on suspicion of heresy. Today he is recognized as the iconic challenger in the face of Church’s Authority. In 1633, Galileo faced his trial which found him guilty of heresy. He was imprisoned and his famous work on solar system orbits, Dialogue was banned.