Systems Analysis and Design Case Study Chapter 4

Hoosier Burger a. How was the Hoosier Burger project identified and selected? What focus will the new system have? The Hoosier burger project was identified through its short-comings by the Mellankamps. The project was selected as the business grows and demand is at an all-time high, the current systems at Hoosier Burger are not getting the job done. This is causing customer discontent and is affecting business negatively. The new system is going to be heavily focused on inventory control systems.While other systems of Hoosier Burger will be looked at, an improved inventory control system will greatly increase productivity for the Mellankamps. b. Identify the Hoosier Burger project’s scope. The Hoosier Burger project’s scope is to implement new systems in inventory control, customer ordering, and management reporting systems. This project is set up to increase the overall effectiveness by introducing new and improved systems. Alternatively, a new point-of-sale system ma y be within the scope of this project as well. Petrie’s Electronics 1.Look over the scope statement. If you were an employee at Petrie’s Electronics, would you want to work on this project? Why or why not? As an employee of Petrie’s Electronics, I would want to be on this project team. The project itself is being put together with the primary goal of increasing the amount of customers the frequent Petrie’s Electronics. As an employee of almost any title with in the company, increased customer base is equally important to everyone. Sales associates will make more sales, managers will increase their monthly numbers, profits will rise, and as the tores become busier, all positions will be in full demand and lay-offs would be less likely in a thriving business. If I had the opportunity to be on the team I would, and I would want to increase all odds of the projects success. 2. If you were part of the management team at Petrie’s Electronics, would you a pprove the project outlined in the scope statement? What changes, if any, need to be made to the document? As part of management, I would approve of the current scope statement. The statement clearly outlines what the goals of the project are in the Project Overview section.This overview is then broken down into individual objectives needed to be completed in an effort for the project to meet its goals. The only thing I would like added to the scope statement would be some kind of expected outcome. Obviously the goals are increased profits by creating a customer loyalty program. What could be added is what the project is expected to cost and how much of an increase would be expected after the implementation of the project. These estimates could be easily attained by researching other companies before/after their customer loyalty programs. 3.Identify a preliminary set of tangible and intangible costs you think would occur for this project and the system it describes. What intangible benefits do you anticipate for the system? Tangible Costs: cost of project team, cost of implementing the project (rewards cards, rewards tracking software, rewards points redeemables) Intangible Costs: operational inefficiency, employee moral due to increased workload Intangible Benefits: customer loyalty, store reputation, competitive necessity 4. What do you consider to be the risks of the project as you currently understand it?Is this a low-medium-or high-risk project? Justify your answer. Assuming you were part of Jim’s team, would you have any particular risks? I think one of the biggest risks of this project is time. With having busy team members on the project, getting things done and on schedule is going to be the most difficult part of the project. Overall, I would assess this project as a low or medium risk project. Historically, the trends in customer loyalty programs in the retail industry are huge. This programs do everything that Jim’s team is set out to do.Spending enough research time into other companies’ rewards programs make this a rather easy project to streamline. As a member of the team, my assumed risks would be not being able to perform my duties as an employee of Petrie’s Electronic and as a member of the project team. If I am unable to perform these duties, it could negatively affect the security of my job with the company. 5. If you were assigned to help Jim with this project, how would you utilize the concept of incremental commitment in the design of the baseline project plan?Jim outlined some objectives in the scope statement for this project. After each of these objectives have been tackled and overcome, I would utilize incremental commitment to review what has just been accomplished, what is left to be accomplished and whether or not the project team is meeting its goals and if those goals are still in line with the companies goals. 6. If you were assigned to Jim’s team for this project, when in the project schedule (in what phase of after which activities are completed) do you think you could develop an economics analysis of the proposed system?What economic feasibility factors do you think would be relevant? After each of the objectives in Jim’s scope statement have been addressed, that is answered on paper with how they plan on accomplishing the task, would be a good time to assess economic analysis. At this time, there would be a clear understanding of what should be needed to address each objective successfully and analyzing the economic feasibility at this point would be much clearer than before. Relevant Economic feasibility factors:One Time Costs such as system development cost and hardware/software cost Recurring Costs such as data storage costs, issuing customer reward card cost, and redeeming points for rewards cost 7. If you were assigned to Jim’s team for this project, what activities would you conduct in order to prepare the details of the bas eline project plan? Explain the purpose of each activity and show a timeline or schedule for these activities. First, access all feasibilities of the project. If the project is not going to be feasible then it needs to be cut off right away.Accessing feasibilities up front will help make the project is worth it. * Economic Feasibility * Making sure the company has the money to fund the project and that the overall result of the project will aid in increasing profits for the company * Technical Feasibility * Outline what technologies would be needed to make this project successful and to make sure that the company either has access to these technologies and/or is willing to acquire these technologies. * Operational Feasibility * Assess whether or not the project’s goals are realistic.If the project’s goals are unrealistic then it’s a waste of money. Attainable goals are important. * Schedule Feasibility * Can this project be completed in a timely manner in which the company will benefit the most from the project? * Legal and Contractual Feasibility * Will implementing this project break any laws or contracts that the company is bound by? * Political Feasibility * Make sure that stakeholders understand the risk and rewards of this project. Once all feasibilities have been accessed, its time outline management issues.A plan needs to be set in place that details what all team members are responsible for and what the reporting procedures will be. This is important so that project time isn’t wasted on simple things such as figuring out how deliverables will be evaluated and what specific issues the team may face during the project. Now the system description should be written. This section will clearly mark what the project team’s system plans to deliver. This is also a good time to come up with an alternate system. Finally, the introduction of the Baseline Project Report will be written.This section will provide an overview of the entire project addressing the issues facing the project and how their proposed system will handle the issues. 8. Once deployed, what are the operational risks of the proposed system? How do you factor operational risks into a system development plan? The operational risks of this project would be that the loyalty rewards program isn’t enticing enough to keep the customer loyal to Petrie’s Electronics. On the other hand, if the program is overly enticing to the customer, this may lead to a much higher cost of maintaining the program for the foreseeable future.Throughout the development of the system, there should be applied incremental commitment. This will continuously analyze and assess where the project is at and how it can meet the goals of the company. Operational risk is something that should be addressed during each of these assessments. At some point if the risk outweighs the reward, then the project needs to be shut down. If the risk is kept in check, the proj ect can continue until the next assessment after a particular activity or phase.

Introduction to the Finance Company Project

Introduction to the Finance Company Project Your team is required to analyze the future business and economic prospects of a major, publicly traded corporation using financial concepts and techniques as well as the concepts and techniques from other business areas. Make sure any statements you make in your analysis are consistent with the knowledge base of finance. Also please include your calculations (including spreadsheets), data sources (be specific, including date and page number(s)), and assumptions (explain your rationale) in the appendices. While your analysis should be geared toward finance, nobody, of course, can make business decisions using solely finance techniques and concepts, so where applicable, incorporate techniques and analysis from other business fields. The following is a list of the minimum requirements for your project. Additional credit will be given for creativity and analysis beyond the minimum requirement. If you have any questions, please e-mail them to your instructor. (1) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Provide a one (1) page executive summary which summarizes your findings and provides a recommendation whether to buy or not to buy the stock and the debt securities of the company (two separate decisions). (2) COMPANY INTRODUCTION: Provide a one page (1) introduction to your company including: company history, strategy, main products & services, primary markets & customers, major competitors, industry overview, and other relevant information. (3) FINANCIAL ANALYSIS: Conduct a two-year financial analysis of your company using financial ratios. Include a Du Pont analysis. You can refer to your Essentials of Business I Corporate Annual Report project for the appropriate ratios. ) Comment on the financial health of the company. Please look at ratio trends and compare to industry average. (4) WEIGHTED AVERAGE COST OF CAPTIAL (WACC): Estimate the components of the cost of capital for your company using market data. a) For the cost of common stock, analyze using the dividend growth model an d CAPM. To determine Beta, first use published sources. Next, calculate your own beta estimate using regression analysis with 52 weeks of daily data. See the textbook’s website to download the regression tool kit from Chapter 6. If the published estimates and the results of your regression analysis differ, justify your final choice of Beta for the WACC determinations. b) Calculate the cost of preferred stock c) Calculate the cost of debt. Recall that you do NOT use the coupon rate, but instead use the YTM for each bond issue. d) Determine the appropriate weights for each of the categories using market values. e) Calculate the company’s WACC. f) In your opinion, has the company minimized its WACC? What could it differently? Recall that more debt increases the risk of bankruptcy and more equity means the flotation costs of issuing stock. g) Provide reasons why or why not the current WACC is appropriate for future use by the company. If not, explain which WACC should be used for future business decisions. (5) FUTURE CASH FLOWS: Prepare a three (3) year forecast of estimated future cash flows for you company and give valid economic/business reasons for your projections. This means you will have a statement of incremental cash flows. One year in the future, develop a future market value of equity and an estimated future price per share for the company’s common stock. Write a 1 page analysis, which incorporates marketing, accounting, sales, production, management, technology, etc. information into your estimates of future cash flows. Please cite 2-3 media sources for this analysis. a) Perform a what-if analysis for your cash flows using at least one of the following: sensitivity analysis, scenario analysis, or simulation analysis. Also, provide a written summation of your what-if analysis. ) Collect and evaluate information on inflation estimates and incorporate those estimates, as you see fit, into your cash flow estimates. c) Comment on how future cash flows maybe be affected by information contained in the footnotes to the financial statements. Footnotes are often more interesting than the rest of the financial statements and provide valuable information. d) Do a brief analysis of your competitors, the p rospects of their future cash flows, and how that affects your company's cash flows. e) Conduct a â€Å"post-audit† of one (or more) of your company's major past projects and ncorporate this qualitatively into your estimates of future cash flows. (6) HISTORICAL STOCK PRICE: Review briefly the historical performance of the company's stock price. Explain if this affected your analysis. (7) SECURITY ANALYST’S REPORTS: Evaluate what securities analysts are saying about your company, and explain if you agree or disagree with their recommendations. What is the sentiment for your stock: are there a lot of buy recommendations or are there a lot of hold/sell recommendations? (8) DIVIDEND and CAPITAL STRUCTURE: ) Analyze the current dividend policy of your company. If it doesn't pay a dividend, should it? b) Analyze the target capital structure of your company including bank loans, leases, and other financial securities issued in addition to preferred stock, common stock, and de bt. Why do you think it maintains the capital structure it does? Do you think it is an optimal capital structure? If not, what do you think would be? Justify your answer. c) Does your company have a substantial degree of informational asymmetry (assets which are hard for outsiders to value)? Do you think this affects the capital structure of your company? (9) CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: Comment on the corporate governance of your company. Is management doing a good job? Does management hold shares in the company? What is their percentage of equity ownership? How much stock do institutions own? Do you think these factors affect your company's performance? (10) MERGER and INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY: Describe and evaluate the merger and acquisition strategy and the international expansion strategy for your company.

Helen Burns in Jane Eyre

Though Helen Burns is a short- lived character, her appearance in the book is significant on a symbolic level. In the novel, Helen epitomizes religious devotion and Christian principles, with the idea of ‘love your enemies’ summarizing her beliefs.Helen’s religious beliefs define her character and are referenced to help demonstrate the missing relationships in her and Jane’s life, as a result of being orphaned. Her religious conduct provides a comfort to her, and later on a comfort to Jane when confronted with her dying friend.The friendship formed with Helen greatly affects Jane and teaches her a lot, including how to mask her passion. Helen is the first person we see Jane form a friendly and intimate relationship with, increasing the impact and significance of Helen’s death scene; which can be viewed as a pivotal moment in Jane’s life, and a possible symbol of the death of her passion. Helen’s references to religious teaching can be u sed in the novel to demonstrate missing relationship dynamics in the girl’s life and help explore the friendship that they form.For example, Helen refers to God as ‘maker, father, friend, universal parent. ’ It is significant that God has these roles, as they are foundation figures in life that the girl’s have fallen short of. It is possible that part of the appeal of God to Helena, and soon to Jane, is because these individuals are not present in their life.This would demonstrate and explain the importance of religion in Helen’s life and the comfort God brings to her. Similarly, Helen suggests that one of the appeals to God and religion is the opportunity it provides to create a relationship.When Helen tells Jane ‘I love him, I believe he loves me,’ she is presenting ides of reciprocity and balance in a relationship. These ideas are contrasted in the relationships Jane and Helen have experienced in Mrs Reed’s house, the orphanag e and at Lowood.However, this can be a reminder to us that these ideas are seen with in the relationship between Helen and Jane; emphasizing the importance of their friendship to each other and further increasing the heartbreak of her death for Jane. Helen represents a model of Christianity that stresses tolerance and acceptance.Helen’s compliant attitude to life is center to her character and is significant in the story as it has a great impact on Jane. Helen Burns is a character incapable of anger or vengeance. This can be seen through the bullying of Helen by Mrs. Scratcherd.As Jane observes Mrs. Sctratcherd continually ‘make her an object of constant notice’ she finally lashes out at Helen for not having cleaned her nails. Helen ‘without being told, unloosened her pinafore,’ and Mrs Scratcheard striked her a dozen times. Helen is unresponsive.Jane is confused by Helena’s patient response to mistreatment and later tells Helen that ‘If I were in your place, I should dislike her, I should resist her. ’ However, her ability to remain graceful and calm even in the face of (what Jane Sees as) unjustified punishment makes a great impression on Jane who ‘heard her with wonder’ as Helen explained the way she conducts herself. It is possibly through Helen Burn’s example that Jane learns to ‘mask’ her passion. As well as being an ideal for the Christian ethos, it could be said that the character of Helen Burns possesses Christ like characteristics.Helen’s suffering of rejection at Lowood can be compared to Jesus’ suffering of persecution. Furthermore, her response to suffering can be said to mirror those of Jesus. The idea of ‘Love your neighbor,’ summarizes Helen’s beliefs; she never passes judgment or rebels, and she seeks to forgive those who hurt her.This view of Helen should be noted as it links to and can emphasize the idea of Helen being a â €˜teacher’ to Jane, and the large impact that Helen will make on Jane’s life. While Jane and Helen are very dieeferent character’s, Jane very much feels she can relate to Helen and learns from her influence.Like Jane, Helen is an orphan who longs for a home. In the scene before her death, Helen tells Jane she is ‘going to my long home- my last home. ’ This is one example of the difference in the two girls beliefs. Helen believes that she will find her home in heaven rather than England.This conversation about life after death contrasts what adult’s in Jane’s life have taught her and similarly goes against Jane’s previous fears regarding ghosts, death and the supernatural. In this moment, however, we as the reader see Jane is  comfortable literally next to death, a concept she feared when living with the reads.This is the first intimate moment we see Jane experiencing- Jane is nestled in close to her friend, whose arm is aro und her. In this moment we feel Jane is contempt and comfortable. It is possible that Jane’s attitude to death was a fear of the unknown, which now Helen has made more familiar, therefor providing her with the strength to cope so close to death. Helen’s death can be seen symbolically on many levels.One interpretation of Helen’s death is that it symbolizes the death of Jane’s passion. The name ‘Helen Burns’ itself implies destruction, fire and burning. Fire is a recurring theme throughout the beginning of the book, which is referred to to represent the fiery and passionate nature of Jane’s character.As well as this, during the short friendship between Helen and Jane, we can notice the awe in which Jane has for the levelheaded attitude that Helena carries. Therefore, on both a literary and symbolic term, the death of Helen burns suggests death or destruction to Jane’s passion.

Essay #3 in ASA format Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

#3 in ASA format - Essay Example Though different scholars speculate a bipolar assimilation of the Latinos and the Asians either with the â€Å"white† or with the â€Å"black†, O’Brian’s indicates that the Latinos and the Asian have some inherent as well as shaped-by-circumstance perspectives -for color-blind racism- that are significantly capable of assimilating the â€Å"black† and the â€Å"white† into itself by influencing the apparently antagonistic dichotomous racism of the American society. The perspective from which the Latinos and the Asian views the color-blind racism appears to be unique in comparison to that of the â€Å"white’s† or the black’s. Indeed this uniqueness evolves from the polarity of the views that the white and the black hold for each other (Healey, 2010). The white view for the black is grossly influenced by the stereotypical ingredients that continually tend to characterize the black ethnicity within certain moulds. Therefore, Bonilla and Silva’s statistics shows that the highest percent (96%) of American white people are driven by the abstract liberalism frame of color-blind racism, while only 35% of the Latino-Asian population holds the abstract liberal view of it. The polarity of both the white’s and the black’s perspectives on color-blind racism has its root in the history of America. Josef Healey (2010) notes that â€Å"blackness† itself as an ideology was crucial to the exploitation of the labor of the African in early America, and it â€Å"provided the very source of whiteness and the heart of racism† (Healey, 2010, p. 288). This master-slave relationship greatly influences both the American’s and the Black’s view of the color-blind racism. Whereas the White American’s view is that of a repenting master, the Black people’s view is a grudging slave. This historical dichotomy of bipolar black-white racism is reflected in

Strategic Thinking and CSR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic Thinking and CSR - Essay Example Strategic thinking gives leaders an opportunity to explore different ways of doing business that add value to the company. Strategic thinking requires thinking 'outside the box' and considering non-traditional ways of doing business. According to the Centre for Applied Research strategic thinking includes exploring the following: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) requires adding a key element to Strategic Thinking. CSR requires the business to look at the realm of social responsibility. CSR is the integration of a business into society. This integration requires that the company take a look at its 'neighbourhood' and create and maintain a relationship that benefits both society and the business. The business has to look for opportunities to be a good citizen. CSR is all about building positive relationships within the community. These positive relationships can take the form of relationships with universities, ethical research, product safety, recycling, education and job training, safe working conditions, etc(HBR, 2006) An example of Corporate Social Responsibility is Malden Mills. On December 11 of 1995 a factory in Massachusetts burned to the ground. Malden Mills employed about 3000 people from the local community and when the mill burnt down many thought their jobs were gone as well. Aaron Feuerstein was the owner of Malden Mills at the time and was faced with a monumental decision. What next Most would try to recoup costs and leave the community with 3000 unemployed people. Feuerstein chose the unthinkable route of keeping all 3000 people on the payroll while the mill was rebuilt. Aaron Feuerstein answered the 'why' question by replying "The fundamental difference is that I consider our workers an asset, not an expense."(Boulay, 1996) Feuerstein considered his investment in human capital as his most important investment. He was quoted as saying "I have a responsibility to the worker, both blue collar and white collar. I have an equal responsibility to the community. It would have been unconscio nable to put 3,000 people on the streets and deliver a death blow to the cities of Lawrence and Methuen. Maybe on paper our company is worth less to Wall Street, but I can tell you its worth more. We're doing fine.'"(Boulay, 1996). It is clear that Feuerstein felt that it was Malden Mill's corporate responsibility to care for its human capital as well as its structural capital (the mill). Feuerstein kept his 3000 employees on the payroll with full benefits for three months while the factory was rebuilt. A business that does not position itself as a contributing member of a community stands to lose in the long run. An example of a company not being socially responsible would be a food store in a small community. This

Social Media Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Social Media - Research Paper Example Social media network can be used as an effective tool to promote and market different destinations around the world and to increase awareness in the minds of the people. This paper explains  the importance of  social media network. Effective use of social media networks can help the destination marketing organizations and other hospitality and tourism organizations in attracting the  maximum  number of potential travelers. These social media websites  can be  used as a marketing tool in promoting different destinations. This paper analyzes the different strategies implemented by both DMOs and Non-DMOs through social media websites. It is important to understand that how hospitality and tourism industry is using this social medium to create an impact in the minds of their customers. This paper explains the use of social media networks by DMOs and Non-DMOs and their presence on social media websites. Few examples of DMOs and Non-DMOs are explained in the form of screenshots for the better understanding of their activities, popularity and other marketing campaigns on well known social media networks. Furthermore, the paper concludes on reco mmendations and suggestions that how these DMOs and Non-DMOs can improve their marketing activities on social media networks and how they can attract more people through this widely spread platform. Social Media provides a medium or a platform for social interaction. Social media is facilitated with different tools for technological communication that has changed the shift of traditional communication into a more interactive one (Kietzmann et.al, 2011). Over the years, social media has changed the way of communication between different individuals, organizations and communities. In this age of globalization, social media provides an ease in communication and interaction among different individuals belonging from different parts of the world with different cultural

External Business Enviroment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

External Business Enviroment - Assignment Example De Rome (2006) describes environment as the surroundings where a person or an entity gets influenced. This means the circumstances that surround us are the environment. Same as we perceive the surroundings, the businesses gets affected the same way. Environment is very important when we discuss the nature of the business and its location. Perhaps, the environment controls businesses and can either make them profitable or else shut these off. The word external is described as any force, issue, person, or anything connected to outside, (Bradley C. Karkkainen, 1994 ; William H. Rodgers, 1994). This refers to everything that is connected with the exterior of a certain thing, is called external. External in this report, will be discussed with reference to the forces that influence a change in the business environment and its strategies. U.K. is a well stabled, prosper and a developed nation, and that's a major reason behind many businessmen who want to invest in United Kingdom. United Kingdom's environment is a business friendly and is also very welcoming to new trends, which makes the market profitable and every business find a way to the profits because of the cosmopolitan nature of the country. London is considered to be a magnet for global businesses and investors. Moreover, the European Union serves as an addition to the market of London. Businessmen just intend to enter in to the single largest market of the world, with the world leading financial services of the world. By now, it is fairly understood that how is the U.K. environment in terms of businesses, operate and why are the investors so keen to invest in the pool. Additionally, the U.K economy holds one of the highest GDPs (Gross Domestic Products) in the whole world. It is the Fifth largest economy of the world with the GDP of $2,727 billion (Source: World Bank, 2008). It means that the economy of United Kingdom is doing its very best for the investors and lenders, because in the future big amounts shall be returned as the dividend or the profit shares. It has been forecasted, that the economy of U.K. will do the best in all the European Union countries from the period of 2008 to 2012 (Source: EIU, 2008). It is because U.K. holds most of the tertiary sector and produce manufactured goods. The ideal country to invest for a business shall be U.K. It is because neither instability in the economy exists nor any fluctuations in the past years have been observed yet. Economically, U.K. is by far the best place to invest for a business in. According to the sources, the population of the United Kingdom has a figure of 61 million (ONS, 2008). It means that the population according to the area occupied by the country, is less, and as it is a centre place for investors, other families from different countries may migrate to London. In this case, families and individuals of other countries may increase the population of the country, but the native British people are just the number shown above. Discussing about the value of UK as an investment destination, we may see

Is it possible to find any common ground between different identities Research Proposal

Is it possible to find any common ground between different identities in Turkey via Rawls' theories - Research Proposal Example Introduction Conflict has always existed in society and it always will. It is an instance which is not directly a result or victim of any social phenomenon or occurrence, but rather a combination of factors over time. Theorists have come to believe that contributions to an engaged, politically aware form of multicultural theorizing may cast some light on political debate and public policy making. Not surprisingly, classical liberals such as Hayek (1976) insist that the contemporary liberal fixation on ‘the mirage of social justice’ leads them to ignore the way that freedom depends on a decentralized market based on private property, the overall results of which are unpredictable. Similarly, Robert Nozick (1974: 160ff) famously argued that attempts to ensure that market transactions conform to a specific pattern of holdings will involve constant interferences with individual freedom. No idealistic policy will address all of the needs of everyone, but instead will institut e the greater good for society. A utopian society is the society that accepts this fact. A nation whose people are in riotous turmoil, such as Turkey, challenges this truth; declaring human nature and human imperfections as unjust. Not only can human rights be violated, but also used to exploit or institute other agendas. John Rawls views human rights as being constructed by reasonable people living together in a society. Rawls presents a more compassionate view of human rights, one with the greatest degrees of individual liberty and equality, while maintaining these rights for all. The state should distribute everything, including benefits, equally; unless an unequal distribution would benefit the poorer classes. The work of John Rawls is absolutely central in terms of the nature of reason, equality, justice or pluralism. It inspired us to consider how his principles might actually enlighten political issues arising in contemporary liberal democratic societies. The values of a gove rning agency can contrast with the personal values of the people. In many instances, only the outcome can determine whether the decisions were the right ones. In some instances, none of the choices seem appropriate. Regardless of the size or impact of the conflict, ethical decisions challenge the best of us, and ‘the right thing to do’ may elude common logic. This paper will address cultural diversity in the Turkish society and the view of John Rawls’ view of justice as a political conception. 1.1 Multiculturalism Multiculturalism is one of the most controversial issues of social justice in liberal democracies. Government and financial entities consist of culture, environment, strategies, and traits. The level of Values are reflected in a country’s culture. The most changing attributes are culture and traits. Cultures, traits and environments deviate from time to time, but not so far as to lose their original attributes. According to Cheeseman, the followi ng standards should be implemented at all times (Cheeseman, 2010): Keep the peace and shape moral standards Promote social justice and maintain status quo Facilitate planning and orderly change Provide basis for compromise 90% Maximize individual freedom Minorities increasingly demand recognition and in some cases special rights and these demands are demands of justice. The line of

Noncoercive paraphillias Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Noncoercive paraphillias - Essay Example When the item is not present it likely leads to erectile dysfunction. This must be causing distress in the individual’s life to be diagnosed. This disorder tends to start in adolescence and is usually chronic (DSM, 2000). This disorder involves cross dressing. Usually it is a male dressing in women’s clothing. While dressed as a woman he usually masturbates imagining himself as both partners in the sex act. This is not to be confused with a gender identity disorder. These individual prefer heterosexual relationships when they are not cross dressing. Generally the desire to cross dress diminishes with age or it may turn into gender dysphoria (2000). Sexual Masochism involved an individual being humiliated, beaten, bound or made to suffer in some while during sexual intercourse or masturbation. This is all done to the paraphiliac either by himself or by having a partner help perform the acts. One very dangerous behavior involved in this is hypoxyphilia which is depriving them self of oxygen with can and has caused death (2000) Sadism is when the paraphiliac derives sexual excitement form the psychological or physical suffering of a victim. Some individual with paraphilia are bothered by their sadistic fantasies which may happen during sexual activities but they do not act upon. These fantasies generally involve having complete control over their victim. At times a masochist and a sadist may join in consenting behaviors. Some can, however, perpetrate these fantasies upon others and when that happens they generally do not stop until caught (Weinstein & Rosen, 2004). It is thought that this behavior is related to childhood experience. It may also be related to a neruopsychosociological need for heightened arousal. It may be an escape from rigidly controlled everyday roles, a punishment for sexual activity or guilt relief. Domination in known to relieve feelings of inadequacy

Consumer Behavior Attitudes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Consumer Behavior Attitudes - Essay Example THE THEORY OF REASONED ACTION The formula for TORA is as follows. B1=w1 [A (act)] + w2 [SN (act)] where; BI = Behavioral Intent W1 and w2 = weights (typically these are previously determined) A (act) = Attitude toward an action (e.g., purchase) SN (act) = Subjective Norms A (act) = (Bi Ei) i=1 Bi = Belief that an action (e.g., purchase) will lead to a consequence i Ei = Evaluation of importance/desirability of consequence i i = Consequences 1, 2m n SN (act) = (NBj MCj) j=1 NBj = Belief that a reference group (j) wants you to perform a certain action (e.g., purchase) MCj = Motivation to comply with reference group j j = Reference groups 1, 2.n But w1=0.6 and w2=0.4 m=3, n=2 B1 (Buying the Motorcycle) = w1 [A (act)] + w2 [SN (act)] A (act) = (-3*2) + (2*3) + (-3*-3) + (-3*2) + (1*1)= -6 + 6 +9 + -6 +1 = 4. n SN (act) = (NBj MCj) j=1 = (-3*2) + (-1*1) = -6 + -1 = -7. Thus, B1 = (0.6 * 4) + (0.4 * -7) =2.4 - 2.8 = - 0.8 B1 (Buying a car) = w1 [A (act)] + w2 [SN (act)] A (act) = (2*2) + (-2*3) + (2*-3) + (3*2) + (3*1) = 4+ -6 +-6 +6 +3 = 1 n SN (act) = (NBj MCj) j=1 = (3*2) + (3*1) =6+3 =9. Thus,B1 = (0.6*1) + (0.4*9) =0.6 + 3.6 =4.2. Deductions: According to Ajzen and Fishbein's the Theory of Reasoned Action is clustered into three stratums. Thus intention; the fundamental hypothesis of this assumption is that a person's motive is the most important forecaster and influencer of attitude. In the event that a person wishes to partake on something then...This is important as it will help the interviewer to know the mistakes or the failures which they will need to work on, so as to meet the demands of their clients. According to Ajzen and Fishbein's the Theory of Reasoned Action is clustered into three stratums. Thus intention; the fundamental hypothesis of this assumption is that a person's motive is the most important forecaster and influencer of attitude. In the event that a person wishes to partake on something then they will definitely do it. Ajzen & Fishbein, (1981). The theory of Reasoned Action implies that motives are influenced by Attitude toward the behavior and the subjective Norms. The mindset toward the behavior is exactly what the person's former attitude toward doing that behavior is. The implicit is that people think through their decisions and possible outcomes which guide them through the making of a decision. There is an attitude formed about the overall decision and the object that which the decision is being made around. There's a mindset formed about the overall decision and the object that which the decision is being made around (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980). For example, if a couple is trying to decide if they should take a vacation to Disney world could be characterized by a mindset. The rationale could be that the couple is not adverse to Disney world and has a positive attitude towards it.

Career plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Career plan - Assignment Example My father was an engineer who has always supported me in choosing my career independently. Choosing a career plan is one of the most important tasks in everyone’s life since it needs a spontaneous but conscious realization of the strengths and weaknesses. To materialize a dream it is always important to have a clear vision. My vision was to some extent clear since a very early age. A career that gives the scope to interact with people has always been my special interest. I cannot deny the influence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in this respect. My consciousness about life and the world started developing at a time when this man was doing something remarkable for the country. Administration or human resource or even political science has also been subjects of my interest. Can’t I find a career line that gives me the platform to reflect my experience in Human Resource, knowledge in political Science and inspiration from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum? Le t’s see. Confused With So Many Career Options When you want to achieve your dreams, a good training along with quality education is the key factors which help us to make a better career. Remember, â€Å"Go up Higher† is the message which you should keep in mind to have a successful career (Swett, O., 2003). One day one of my cousin visited my house, we were having lunch with some mutton kababs and biriyani. I still remember the happiness in my uncle and aunt’s face as their son had successfully become a doctor. Being a doctor or engineer means you have all the happiness of the world and you can buy anything. I have never understood the doctor and engineer story, yes why the doctors and engineers are given so importance? Why don’t people respect the reporter who gives all the information? Does the pay package only matter when it comes to choose a career? Well, I have been lucky as my mother has always given me the option to choose the subject in my graduat ion. Why Human Resource? Human resource was my subject. I never felt sorry for not opting medical or engineering as my subject of graduation. Doing research on the human body was never something which attracted me to medical area. As far as engineering concerned, I was never interested to know the principle of A.C. Motor. D you really think that these things come under a job profile? At that time, I remember Dubai was changing under Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who was appointed as Crown Prince of Dubai. This man was respected by each and every citizen of Dubai as he changed the entire scenario of Dubai. With the Palm Island, Burj Al Arab hotel Dubai was getting universal recognition. He was born into a cultural and intellectual family which nurtured the leadership qualities in him. I was also looking for something which would give me the opportunity to do something for my Dubai. Though I follow my role model, I do not actually want to copy him. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid A l Maktoum is my idol but I may not study Literature as he did. The essence is that he studied what he wanted to study. Following this I took the subject of my interest – Human Resource. And, there is no scope to deny the fact that experience in Human Resource will help in building a career relating to Political Science. Career for a Political Science Student It was during my final years when I realized that to step in politics, I should have some knowledge in politics. So, I decided to do my Maters

Discuss the role of demand Essay Example for Free

Discuss the role of demand Essay In this paper we discuss the role of demand and supply in determining equilibrium price and quantity in the market, in a free market the demand and supply determine the equilibrium price and demand, in this case we consider 2,500 apartments which are to be leased out at a rate of 1,100 per month. If we assume that this is the equilibrium price and quantity in the market we can derive our demand and supply curve to determine the various factors that will affect the equilibrium price and quantity. From the above diagram the intersection of the demand curve and supply curve give us the equilibrium quantity and the equilibrium price, if the price was to rise then the demand for the apartments would decline, if the price was to decline then demand would be high for these apartments. The adjustment of the free market is automatic because when the supply rises then prices decrease, when prices decrease then the demand increases forcing the prices to rise, therefore in the long run the free market is at equilibrium, the factors that affect this equilibrium therefore include demand, supply, prices and charges by other competitors. Change in demand: When demand increases there will be an increase in the level of prices, this is caused by the fact that as the demand increase then the demand curve shifts to the right as shown below, when the demand increases then the prices increase, when prices increase then more apartment builders will be encouraged to increase supply of apartments resulting into increased supply, increased supply will shift the supply curve to the left leading to a decline in prices, therefore in the long run the curves will adjust into a new equilibrium, this is shown in the diagram below: When the demand for houses increase then the demand curve shifts from demand curve 1 to demand curve 2, this increases the prices, as the price increase investors are encouraged to invest more and provide more apartments, this results into increasing supply, when supply increases due to the increased prices the supply curve shifts downwards from supply curve 1 to supply curve 2, the new equilibrium now is where demand curve 2 intersects with supply curve two. Our new equilibrium is at a lower price yet a higher quantity. This clearly shows how the market shifts as a result of change in the demand for apartments. Changes in supply and demand: Changes in the supply is caused by the price, when the price rise then the supply level increases, when the price declines then the supply level declines. On the other hand the demand is also affected by prices, when prices decline then the higher the demand and when the price rise then the lower is the demand. Shifts in the demand and supply curve will affect decision making, this is because as economists we will aim at producing at the most optimal position, the optimal point will be determined by the maount of revenue derived from the apartments, the higher the price the higher the revenue per aprtmetn yet the lower the revenue the lower the revenue per apartment, however total revene will be calculated by multiplying the demand with price. Four points emphasized: When demand increases prices will rise, When the prices rise then the higher the supply, The higher the supply the lower the price and The lower the price the higher the demand Application: This concept of demand and supply can be used to determine the result of an increase in the price of product or even a reduction in the price, however our above analysis is that of a normal good, therefore in the workplace we can determine what wll happen to the demand and revenue after an increase or decline in prices. Elasticity of demand: Price elasticity of demand is the responsiveness of demand to a change in prices, the hgher the price elasticity then the hgiehr the demand wil respoind to a change in prices, however the lower the price elasticity then the lower is the responsiveness to a change in price. Results: From the above discussion we have summarized the law odf demand and supply for a normal good, it is evident that for a normal good when demand increases prices will rise, when the prices rise then the higher the supply, the higher the supply the lower the price and finally the lower the price the higher the demand. References: Brian Snow (1997) Macroeconomics: Introduction to Macroeconomics, Rout ledge publishers, London Philip Hardwick (2004) Introduction to Modern Economics, Pearson Press, New York Stratton (1999) Economics: A New Introduction, McGraw Hill Publishers, New York

Two different approaces to learning in the early years

Two different approaces to learning in the early years Firstly, about Maria Montessori she was born on 31 August 1870 in Italy. At the end of summer of 1952 she died in the Netherlands. As a child she was educated at home where she was interested in mathematics and science. (ODonnell) She preferred to the technical, rather than classical stream of education. (Isaaca, 2007) For her further studies she was enrolled in boys technical school. When her interest turned to medicine with many problems she was allowed to enrol at the University of Rome as the very first Italian female to study medicine. When she was a student she was working in the psychiatrics department of the paediatric clinic attached to the University. This is where she came in contact with children and she observed them closely and particularly how they played with food at mealtime. She interpreted the behaviour as developing from an inner urge to be active. (Schulz-Benesch, 1997) She graduated in 1896 with two honours as Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Surgery degree. (OD onnell, 2007) According to O Donnell (2007), Montessori was interested in childhood mental diseases, therefore she enrolled in course in pedagogy and educational theory during 1897 and 1898, she became familiarized with the theories and writing of Locke, Rousseau, Froebel, Pestalozzi and Owen. They all visualized education as a means of creating a new ideal society. However, Montessori came to the conclusion that all their approaches were incomplete in some way. Therefore, she developed her own approach called the Montessori Method in 1909. (Casa-Montessori 1997) Her approach to education was developed based on her observations and her belief in the education of children as to create a better society. She felt the goal of education should not be to fill the children with facts but rather to encourage their own innate wish to learn. She believed if environment was not properly prepared then the learning becomes difficult and tedious for the children. (Casa-Montessori 1997) Isaacs (2007) Montessori believed that children developed in stages and that each stage had its own unique qualities and characteristics. As said by O Donnell (2007) Montessori recognised childhood as a special time of life, and she realised that the development could not be rushed, as well as the each stage will depend on what had been learned during the previous stages. Montessori followed Rousseau and believed that a child comes in to the world with the mind like a black slate (tabula rasa). The education begins at birth and continues throughout life. She also agreed with Froebels Kindergarten approach that children should be allowed to explore the environment and learn through direct experience and play is an essential part of the educational process. (Slideshare, 2010) By the 1914 there were hundreds of Montessori schools established in Europe, North and South America and Asia. (Isaacs, 2007) The Montessori school environment is arranged according to subject area such as cooking, cleaning, gardening, art, caring for animals, library and more. At Montessori school children are always free to move around the room instead of staying at the table. The children have no limit to how long they can work on something they like. Children learn through firsthand experience by including practical life experience such as gardening, cutting and more. Montessori teachers would avoid using plastic toys such as dolls and they will use natural material (Montessori, 2009). Today, Montessori directresses worldwide prepare the environment for children with self-teaching Montessori materials providing a variety of activities which help them develop the foundations of healthy education by following their own interests. (O Donnell 2007:138) While children were using the materials their reactions were closely observed and those materials which interested the children and what they frequently selected are regularly included as part of their prepared environment. (O Donnell 2007) McClay, (1996) argued that the childrens classroom atmosphere should be relaxed where children feel protected, and where they can work together easily with other staff. Gee argued that the right environment show the way directly to well-behaved and creative children (Gee, 1996). Since 1907 Montessori environment have always met these criteria. She realized that childrens physical health was at risk because of the lack of movement. Therefore, she allowed the children to move about, choosing activities that they want to do. She also made sure that work at individual tables with movable chairs made especially to suit different heights of the children. (O Donnell 2007) There are three stages of process of learning: Stage 1: introduction to a concept by means of a lecture, lesson, something read in a book. Stage 2: processing the information, developing an understanding of the concept through work, experimentation and creation. Stage 3: knowing to possessing an understanding of, demonstrated by the ability to pass a test with confidence or to teach another. (S.M. Stephenson, 2010) In these three stages, stage two is the most important and the longest stage because with it is importance on developing, working, experimenting and creating this enables the children to actually learn and remember what they have learned. Parents today expect their children to read and write at very early age and Montessori in 1907 demonstrated how children began to first write and then to read automatically at the age of four. She designed a sensory materials like sandpaper letters and moveable alphabet to help children develop. (O Donnell 2007) Montessori approach are also described as a phonic approach; it is clear direct teaching the three-period lesson to introduce the links between sound and letter to each children individually before they write or read. (O Donnell 2007) Many families use Montessori principles at homes because according to Montessori education takes place where the children are (Montessori, 2009). Montessori Method is a unique sequence of learning designed to meet the ordinary development of the children. The children who learn the essential skills of reading, writing and arithmetic in ordinary way have the advantage of starting their education without hard work, tediousness or discouragement. ( Casa-Montessori 1997) Secondly, High/Scope was developed in 1960s by Dr. David P Weikart in America. He studied at the University of Michigan in the last 1950s and he was also an ex-marine. (Holt, 2007) He started the organization to continue research and program activities in the beginning as an administrator with the Ypsilanti Public Schools (HIGHSCOPE, 2010). High Scope stands for High the individual level of achievement for all children in their care. Scope the range of experience they offer to children to support them to achieve (Holt, 2007). HighScope is not a part of the public schools or any governmental organization. HighScope preschool programs are compatible with the Guidelines for Appropriate Practice published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (HIGHSCOPE,2010) According to Holt (2007), Weikart discovered that children from lower class society especially African American children from elementary school shown the lower achievers and also the stranded test showed him that they had the lowest IQ scores. However, he also noticed that children from predominantly white area scored higher even though they were the same age group. He then discovered that children who lived in the deprived areas were achieving low scores as a rest of lack of opportunity rather than their intelligence. (Holt,2007) Therefore, in 1962 the Perry Pre- School Project began. This was a vital project because children were randomly selected to either attend the HighScope project or to stay in their local community. From this project they were able to control group for comparison to see if being in a preschool setting made any difference to the children (Holt, 2007). Highscope.UK (2010) suggests that the High Scopes curriculum was based on Piagets theories of development. HighScope is about cognitive development approach where children are encouraged to solve problems and think independently. (Walsh Petty, 2007) Weikart strongly felt that, children progress at their own speed and their classroom life should accommodate childrens interests and the activities. (Highscope.UK, 2010) According to Holt (2007) HighScope curriculum is active learning and they believe that children learn from key experience gained from their own discovery and the world around them. The key experiences are organized around these topics: creative representation, language and literacy, initiative and social relations, movement, music, classification, number, space and time (Hohman and Weikart, 1995). Similar to Montessori Approach, HighScope use a unique classroom environment in which the environments help out activities and the adult became supporter and observer of the children it is also providing children with opportunities to develop their strengths. The key experiences classify the kinds of knowledge young children are gaining as they interact with mixture of materials, people, ideas, and events and from this children gain learning skills (Highscope.UK, 2010) Holt (2007) experienced that parents have a key role in childrens learning, therefore home visits were set up, so teachers can suggest ideas about children development and learning. As a result, this became a mutual process and this gave parents an opportunity to share information about their childs interest to the teachers. (Holt, 2007)The results from the project showed that children made huge step in improving their IQ scores when they were entering into mainstream school. Weikart said poor children could move on from the pre-school to elementary school better able to engage in traditional education(Weikart,2004:55) As a consequence from between 1962 and 1967 they decided to follow the children who attended the project and their education beyond to determine the benefits of HighScope throughout their life. The information about one hundred and twenty three students were collected annually from the age of three to eleven and then at the age of fourteen, fifteen, nineteen, twenty-seven and finally forty. (Holt, 2007) After each data was collected, staff analyzed the information staff wrote a complete official report. The findings of the program effects through age 40 and the areas of education, economic performance, crime prevention, family relationship and health. (L. J. Schweinhart, 2005) The HighScope approach follows five basic principles that support the practice. This helps the practitioner when they are using the approach with the children. The five principles are Active learning, Adult and child interaction, Daily Routine, Learning environment and, Assessment (Holt, 2007). Active learning is when children learn by being active and by engaging with other people, materials, events and ideas that immediate and meaningful to them. Each aspect of the HighScope Approach supports active learning. (Highscope.UK, 2010) Adult and child interaction is adults working with children and providing them a safe environment for the active learning to take place. They also work together to support with childrens learning. (Holt, 2007) Children achieve more when they feel happy and secure therefore HighScope practitioners bring trust to their relationships with children and they respect and value each childs personal and cultural identity. (Highscope.UK, 2010) Daily Routine provides a structure within which children to choice and to follow their interests. This gives the children the sense of security they need to make choices and to take risks. Firstly, the Plan-Do-Review sequence is unique to the HighScope curriculum. It includes a time which children plan what they want to do then it is a work time for children to carry out their plans or they can start new activities that interest them. Then it is a period for reviewing with adult and other children what theyve done and learned.   Small-group time is based on childrens interest and skills. Secondly, small group activities where children meet with adults and during this time children and adult experiment with materials, try out new skills, and solve problems. Thirdly, large-group time this is when up to 20 children and 2 adults come together for group and music activities, interactive storytelling, and other shared experiences are shared with the children. (HIGHSCOPE, 2010) Learning Environment support activities and resources that give confidence to children to investigate and imagination and gives them plenty of space to move around and give the children opportunity to develop their co-ordination control and build their confident. (Holt, 2007) Assessment gives out multiple purposes which are It looks at meaningful educational outcomes, it gather information and provide truthful information that can be used for individual child planning. Assessment can be used to assess children to see how they are developing and to determine how the programs children attend contribute to the childrens development. (HIGHSCOPE, 2010) The conclusion from the HighScope research is that children across cultural and from different socio-economic backgrounds benefit from the HighScope Approach. This approach is seen as an investment in a childs future life and as an investment in the future welfare of society. (Highscope.UK, 2010) The Montessori and the HighScope approach both are focusing on teaching the children of the future. There are hundreds of Montessori schools established worldwide (Isaacs, 2007). The mission of HighScope UK is to bring the HighScope Approach to adults working with children from birth to adolescence through the provision of high quality support and nationally and internationally accredited training. (Highscope.Uk, 2010) The HighScope approach and Montessori approach are play based for this reason learning environment is important to both approaches. The environments are arranged according to subject area therefore children can play freely. (Montessori, 2009) HighScope believes the outdoor space as equal to the indoor learning environment. (Holt, 2007) From both approaches children decide how they want to learn. HighScope Believe that children gain confidence, initiative and love of lifelong learning when involved in well supported activities of their own choosing (Bell, 2004:5) At Montessori school children are given the material and they can work independently or with their friends. (Isaacs 2007) However, in a Montessori school the teachers role is to observe in order to connect the child with the suitable materials (Goffin Wilson ,2001). Whereas the HighScope is shared control is essential to how adults and children interact. (HIGHSCOPE, 2010) In HighScope, childrens creative exploration is encouraged which leads to pretend play, while in Montessori, practical life work was relates to the real world. Montessori assessments are by portfolio and the teachers observer and keep record of children. They verify if the system is working or not by achievement and behaviour of the children, their happiness, maturity, kindness, and of le arning and level of work. (Montessori, 2009) On the other hand, HighScope use Plan-do-review were children are encouraged to plan the methods they are going to work with; then carry out their plan and review with their teacher. In 2003 government published Every Child Matters influenced by the HighScope and followed by EYFS from September 2008, is to help young children achieve the five outcome which are to staying safe, being healthy, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being by setting the standards by ensuring that every child makes progress and that no child gets left behind. Providing for equality of opportunity is by ensuring that every child is included and not disadvantaged because of ethnicity, culture, religion, family background, learning difficulties or disabilities, gender and ability. Creating the framework for partnership working with parents and professionals and all the settings that the children attend. Improving quality and consistency in the early year sector through a worldwide set of standards which apply to all settings. Laying a secure foundation for future learning through learning and development that is planned around the individual n eeds and interests of the child. EYFS is compulsory to all early year settings. (The EYFS Statutory Framework,2008). The EYFS principles Approach are A Unique Child : recognising that every child is a competent learner from birth. To focus around development; inclusion; safety; and health and well-being. Positive Relationships: loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person. Enabling environments: to supporting and extending childrens development and learning and focus on observation, assessment and planning. Learning and Development: recognises that children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. (The EYFS Statutory Framework,2008). There are six areas covered by the early learning goals and educational programmes which are Personal, Social and Emotional Development; Communication, Language and Literacy; Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy; Knowledge and Understanding of the World; Physical Development ; Creative Development. All these goals are equally important and they all depend on each other to support to child development. (The EYFS Statutory Framework, 2008) The EYFS use sensory materials to teach children in setting this method was influenced by the Montessori approach because this approach values childrens imaginative interpretation and teachers recognize that materials in the Montessori environment, such as sand trays, chalkboards, and language cards encourage childrens independence. (Montesori,1995) Montessori also believed that children environment should be comfortable therefore they should have child-sized chairs and table. This was inspired by the early years setting. Montessori Method was based on personal development rather than skills. From self discovery and social development children learn to respect the work of others in the environment as they consistently encounter situations (Montessori). Whereas the EYFS and the HighScope approaches were high structured and planned for children to get ready for school and world of work. According to Nursery World (2010) children will be assessed with new readiness for school at the age of five, linked to the EYFS profile. Whereas, the EYFS and the Montessori approach ensured that every child was include in their approach. However, the HighScope approach only looked at the lower class society especially African American children. (Holt, 2007) EYFS, HighScope and Montessori approach are all play based curium. Children are given the opportunity to take care of themselves, each other, and the environment. (S.M. Stephenson, 2010) However, on the EYFS teaches what can be assessed rather what is worth learning. For example children cannot be assessed if they are happy or not by doing a particular activity. Like the EYFS the HighScope classroom has a regular routine. This is ensuing certainty to help children understand what will happen next and encourage them to have control in their classroom. From these approaches we notice that HighScope and Montessori approach influenced in the EYFS.

Sociologists definition of religion

Sociologists definition of religion Even tough sociologists dont have a true definition of religion, they all generally believe that it is a belief in some sort of supernatural. Sociologists such as Functionalists, Marxists Feminists believe that religion is a conservative force, meaning that it inhibits changes within society and maintains the status quo. However, where Functionalists see this as a good thing, Marxists look at it from a more negative aspect. Other sociologists like Neo-Marxists, Marx Weber, and McGuire .. believe religion to be a source of change. The functionalist Emile Durkheim (1912) believed that religion is central to the reproduction maintenance of social order in societies. He argued that the main function of religion is to socialize societies members into a value consensus, by setting shared beliefs, rituals and sacred objects apart. He did an investigation on the role of religion, in a small tribal community in Australia; The Aborigines. He found that the members of this community worshipped sacred objects; objects that are things that are set apart forbidden, which evoke feelings of awe, respect deference, holy things. These objects, called Totems, were a symbol, -usually a plant or animal-, by which the tribes distinguished themselves from one another. In worshiping these sacred objects, individuals would obtain an identity and social membership (or collective consciousness), because they shared the same beliefs, values, traditions norms, that make social life possible. Durkheim stated that in worshipping a societys symbols, its members are unconsciously worshipping their society of which they are a part. According to Durkheim, these unifying practices and beliefs bind people closely together because it forms a balanced and solid moral community, which is a means of protecting individuals from anomie, alienation and other threats. This solidarity also gives individuals the confidence continuing motivation to face up life and ask for social support from other members whenever needed. This strengthens social solidarity, or collective consciousness in society- the sense of belonging somewhere. This is why Durkheim sees religion as conservative and inhibiting social change, which is desirable because its functional and people dont want to change anything about their ways of life. Durkheim was praised a lot for the ways he had done his research because he managed to keep an objective distance of a sociologist, and therefore made it his task to understand the functions of religion, and not to pass his judgements. Also, his argument that the sacred is a symbol of group values has been recognized by many, as in history, people have rallied to flags, crucifixes and holy scriptures. However, his research might be said to be somewhat out of date, as he took his analysis from pre modern societies, and it has to be asked how relevant his theory is in todays western societies. Also, because Durkheim never visited the aboriginal society himself, his methodology was said to be flawed. Some say that he misunderstood Totemism, ad generalized about other societies based on one small Aboriginal society. Durkheims theory on religion was ground breaking and very influential, inspiring much further research. The functionalist Bronislav Malinowski (1954) agreed with Durkheim on all the points he made about the role of religion. However, he focussed on the specific areas of social life with which religion is concerned, and managed to point out that another function of religion is to provide support for societys members in situations of social stress, like birth, death, marriage, divorce etc., where religion serves to reduce anxiety tension resulting, which threaten to disrupt social life. In this sense, religion keeps society stable at times of individual and societal confusion and disorder and makes sure that people dont reject the shared norms, values and traditions due to times of hardship. An example would be after the 2004 Great Indian Ocean Tsunami, where most of the worlds religions sent support teams to the disaster area helped to rebuild the place. They wanted to rebuild schools as fast as possible in particular, to maintain the important link between society, education religion. Unlike Durkheim, Malinowski actually went and lived in the society where his work was based on, gaining primary data. This is seen as a very positive thing, because no accusations of his work being flawed could be made. Also, his idea about how religion helps in time of crisis uncertainty can be seen in todays society e.g. the funeral of Princess Diana, where people gathered together expressed their grievance. However, like Durkheim, he makes broad generalizations based on his study of just one small scaled society, which obviously does not represent life in modern western society. The functionalist sociologist Talcott Parson (1965) believed that religion was a conservative force, because its the primary source of meaning for members of society. It provides answers to eternal questions dealing with death, the evil, suffering and justice. Often these questions appear to be unjustified, and therefore they might threaten to undermine peoples faith. However, religion provides answers; e.g. for the question why do evil people prosper religion might give the answer that these evil people will get punished for their deeds in the afterlife etc. By providing these answers, religion helps to make sense of all experiences, which keeps society in order and stable, therefore inhibiting changes. So, religion promotes social stability rather than change, by relieving tension frustration that could disrupt social order. However, Marxists would strongly disagree with this idea, as they believe that by focussing on the afterlife, people passively accept exploitation. Marxism is a conflict theory. Like functionalist, they believe that religion is a conservative force, but they dont see it from a positive view. According to these sociologists, religion is an institution of domination oppression, and a means of social control, inhibiting changes in the social class inequalities in society. They argue that religion legitimizes social inequality, keeping the working classes in a state of false consciousness, not being aware of the true nature of their exploitation passively accepting their lower status. This is because, according to Marx, religion acts as the opium of the people -it works as a pacifying drug-, as it doesnt solve any problems that people may have, but only dulls the pain, as people inactively put up with their sufferings, believing its Gods will and so unchangeable, remaining in a state of false consciousness, thinking they will be rewarded in heaven. Marxists on the whole believe religion creates passive individuals, who do not attempt to change the world for the better, but simply accept spiritual alternatives. The fact that Marxists believe that man makes religion, religion does not make men sums up their ideas. In other words, if an individual is alienated exploited, he or she is likely to turn to religion and find the answers there. This is the reason why most religions originate in the oppressed classes (the working classes), as they have a need in religion, to gain a sense of renewed strength and confidence to move on with life. According to Marxists, the ruling classes are using religion as a tool to maintain ideological control, making it less likely that the members of the working class will recognize the fact that they are being exploited therefore revolt in this way, religion is seen as a conservative force. Marxist have gained theoretical support from feminists because they agree with Marxists about the fact that religion causes conflict, passing on negative norms and values to members of society, although they believe these deal with gender inequality rather than class inequality. However, a negative aspect of the Marxist view is that they ignore secularization, as the ideological power of religion has been undermined by the fact that people in society tend to be less religious today than in the past. Also, they are too deterministic in saying that religion is a conservative force for social class inequalities. Religion can be a force for social change, and it has done so in the past, improving the lives of millions of oppressed working class people. E.g. the Civil Rights Movement (USA) where South African churches played a major role in changing white supremacist society. Also, the levellers in the English Civil War wanted a communistic society, basing their ideas on Christianity the Bible. Like Marxists, Feminists believe that religion is a means of social control, oppressing women and keeping men in power. They argue that religious beliefs are merely a patriarchal ideology, restricting social change and justifying social inequality. Feminist believe that through secondary socialization, religion teaches preaches the norms values of the men, helping to legitimize the suppression of women. Much evidence is given to support their view. Feminists argue that religion is seen from a male point of view; holy texts are all written interpreted by men, reference to male characters is a lot more than women in these texts, and Gods tend to be men in almost all major world religions. This gives men the feeling of being holier and gives a justification to see women as second hand citizens therefore, as I said, legitimizes gender inequality. Also, where there is reference to female characters in holy texts, a passive and nurturing gender role is attached to them.. ADAM EVE.. Gender role ideas are also reinforced in religious texts. Men are portrayed as being strong and insuperable Women on the other hand, are portrayed to be passive, unintelligent They argue that religion is a conservative force, as it reproduces, maintains legitimizes gender inequality. However, there are also sociologists who believe religion to be a source for social change. Firstly, Neo-Marxist, However, not all Marxists agree that religion is purely the opium of the people. Neo-Marxists, who are writers that have tried to update the writings of Karl Marx to suit new developments in society, have rejected the view that religion is merely a conservative force. They believe that religion can be a force for social change, being used by the working class to bring about social change. Antonio Gramsci (1971), who wrote his ideas about religion around the 1920s, was aware of the fact that the Roman Catholic Church had shaped the minds of its followers over centuries, supporting ruling class interest, by making the poor oppressed focus on the afterlife rather than this life. However, he believed that the working class could revolt to the class inequalities, by producing their own intellectuals, who represent working class experience therefore help to shape working class consciousness. Gramsci argued that religious beliefs and practices could develop that would support guide challenges to the ruling class because the church was not directly under their control. Otto Madurdo argued that social liberation could occur, (freedom through religion) but he believed this could only happen If the oppressed masses were not to produce their own intellectuals, but if they were go to their religious leader, taking their discontent to the churches and let them decide a plan of action bringing about changes as happened in Poland, South Africa and South America. This is called the liberation theology- freedom through religion. Father Camillo Marx Weber was another sociologist who believed that religion could be a source for change Strengths of his theory were that

Wilderness: History and Value Essay -- Nature Philosophy Papers

Wilderness: History and Value History From the very beginning of this nation's history, wilderness has been a fundamental ingredient. The first European settlers found and battled against it upon their arrival. The western explorers and wagon trains sought to wrestle farmland from the wilderness's grip to build cities, farms and homes. It was not until the reality of its finite availability, that it was viewed as anything other than an opponent and menace. These changing attitudes began a new battle for preservation and protection of the wilderness that remained. The nation's attitude transformation was testimony to a new focus and value for wilderness. This new disposition declared that the preservation and maintenance of wilderness is instrumental to our own emotional, spiritual and biological survival. The first European settlers began an extensive nation wide war on wilderness upon their arrival on the eastern shore. The war continued for many years and set the tone for America's relationship with its wilderness lands. Many of the nation's first European arrivals brought with them very Puritanical views regarding the appropriateness of order and disorder as well as fundamental Christian views (Kropf, 1997). In their minds, the unsettled and unestablished lands of the New World symbolized lack of order and therefore the absence of God. Along with disorderly lands there existed native inhabitants who, because they had not subdued the land-putting it to strict agricultural use-were innately inferior. All these attributes assigned to the Indians and the wilderness led the early settlers to firmly believe that the wilderness was the dwelling place of Satan. As God fearing Christians, their greatest calling was the elim... ...nd humanity will suffer. Furthermore, the contents of this continent which have shaped and influenced this nation will be forever lost. Bibliography Brower, David. (1996). Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run. San Fransisco: Harper Collins Publishers. Drabelle, Dennis. (1984, Summer). Feral Explorations. Wilderness, pp.24-26. Hendee, John C., Stankey, George H., & Lucas, Robert C. (1990). Wilderness Management. Golden: North American Press. Kropf, Jesse A., "Images of the Overland Trail and Manifest Destiny: A Distortion of Reality". History 369: Dan Flores, University of Montana. Spring 1997. Nash, Roderick. (1967). Wilderness and the American Mind. New Haven: Yale UP. Nash, Roderick. (1984, Summer). Path to Preservation. Wilderness, 5-11. Oelschlager, Max. (1991). The Idea of Wilderness. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Why Is Religion Important? Essays -- Why Study Religion?

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness." -- Dalai Lama In a world where religions plays such a major role in people’s lives, it is not surprising why it is such a major focus in the way choices and decisions are made. There are many religions throughout the world. Some are faiths with a very concentrated following in specific geographic areas, while others span the entire globe and have enormous numbers of followers. Each of the world’s major religions has definite distinctions that set themselves apart from others and that make them unique. These religions, however, all follow the same basic morals and guidelines that are quite similar. The most widely followed faith on the planet is Christianity. Followers of Christianity believe that God sent his own son Jesus to earth to save them from their own sinful ways. They believe that Jesus was killed for his teachings and was then resurrected after lying in a tomb for three days. The main Christian holy day is celebrated on the day Jesus rose from the dead. This day is known as Easter Sunday and is the center of the entire faith. The ultimate goal for Christians is to have their souls join God in heaven when they die where they will live forever in eternal happiness. Christianity is broken up into three different groups that follow similar beliefs but do differ on some. Roman Catholics are the first type. They make up the largest single faith in Christianity. Catholics are united under their leader, the Pope who resides in Rome. They interpret meaning from the Bible to use in everyday life. Roman Catholic scholars, who spend their lives interpreting ... ...s teachings say that all of life is suffering and that this suffering is caused by desire. He said that the only way to end suffering is to end desire and to end desire you must follow the Eight Paths of Enlightenment. There are other smaller groups of religious beliefs like Confucianism, which is basically a respect for elders. Most people in Japan follow this belief. Animism is a faith followed by more primitive cultures throughout Africa and Asia. This centers on the fact that spirits inhabit everything in nature and are thus worshipped for it. Religion remains a crucial part of world politics. It is the driving force behind much of today’s biggest problems, and until everyone learns to respect one another’s differences this unnecessary violence will continue. Dalai Lama Quote http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_religion.html#vM6qqb6vc2q3bDQk.99

Digital Divide Essay -- essays research papers fc

Some say the Internet is the savior for the world. It will bring all the people of the world together for universal peace. The great equalizer the educator the cash cow, the greatest communication infrastructure ever. The World Wide Web is the single greatest evolution of technology in my lifetime the â€Å"end all and be all† of killer applications for the Personal Computer. Well what if you have never used a computer, maybe you have never seen one in real life. Would you know how to turn it on, let alone log on to the information super highway? I bet not. America was founded on the idea of equality for all her citizens. The price of a computer is the same for all consumers but that doesn’t make it affordable for all. So what do we do when equality is not enough? Only 41.5% of us households have the Internet in their homes. (In Class Charts I) Most people turn to other locations for example school, work, community centers, libraries or web cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s for access t o the Internet and computers. By no fault of their own the Infrastructure is simply not completely in place to allow access to every citizen. Is universal access to the Internet something the government is prepared to provide or something we as independent citizens will do? With the concern concentrated on technology Infrastructure we can bridge the Digital Divide. The Digital Divide is the poverty line of the twenty-first century. It is the term use to describe the separation between the people who have access to, knowledge of, and training on, new technology from the people who have little to no access and no technical knowledge of technology. The term Digital reefers to the format used by computers called binary code. Binary code is compiled of ones and zeros (1001110001) it is a basic computer language. When technical gurus began to talk about codes and servers you might become confused but what if the term’s disk drive, modem, upload download, e-mail was just as confusing. This is a reality for a large section of the population. The distribution of our technological knowledge and access to the technology is not demographically balanced. This division is not based solely on economic factors, cultural and education factors also play major roles. This Digital Divide is a fixable problem and in fact the divide has begun to close. The Digitally Divided population have a similar demographic, usually they ... ...hink of millions of students all being trained on Acme software and Acme systems when they get a good job and purchase there own computer chances are they will stick with Acme and that is how capitalism is supposed to work. So I would say to Acme take a risk on our poor and uneducated they need to have a level playing field. Works Cited Casillas, Ofelia; Los Angles Times; August 4, 2001; An Assist by Magic Johnson. URL http://latimes.com/news/local/la-000063338aug04.story In Class Charts Digital Divide Lecture, John Decker, December 4, 2001, URL http://courses.sdsu.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_57_1&frame=top Johnson, Carrie; Washington Post; December 11, 2001; Microsoft Revises Private-Lawsuit Offer; URL http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22672-2001Dec10.html Linn, Allison; Los Angles Times; November 26, 2001; Microsoft Settlement Plan Criticized; URL http://latimes.com/technology/wire/sns-ap-microsoft1127nov26.story Newman, Morris; Los Angles Times; January 25 2001; Cyber South Central; URL http://latimes.com/technology/la-000007046jun30.story NTIA National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 2000, URL http://www.digitaldivide.gov/

Schizophrenia & Paranoid Personality Disorder “a Beautiful Mind”

â€Å"A Beautiful Mind,† which is based on the novel by Sylvia Nasar, is the story about the mathematic genius called John Nash. He enters Princeton University in the 1940s to start his studies in the fields of calculus and mathematical theory. He is very much an outsider, who does not much hang out with his colleague mates but only with his kind and outgoing roommate called Charles and his little nephew. Later on, John turns out to be a teacher at M. I. T and meets one of his students called Alicia, who is very smart, lovely and performs an important role as John’s wife. They get married with blessings of their friends; however, their happiness does not last long because later on, John is diagnosed as psychological disorder called schizophrenia. After this symptom has been diagnosed, Alicia figures out that John’s old friend, Charles and his nephew, never existed but only in John’s imagination. Also she finds out him working as a national security in nowhere, which does not even exist as well. For, she makes a hard decision to send John to the mental hospital and this brings John, who still think everything happened so far is real, to disbelieve his wife. Read also Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Even though, the story seems flowing to the tragic way, the real beauty of this movie starts after these previous events, because John realizes he really is suffering form schizophrenia by recognizing that Charles little nephew never changes although time passed by. John never gets rid of his imaginary friends, but tries to ignore them and overcome his symptoms. This was possible because he had his loving family next to him. Later on, he keeps moving forward as a mathematician and receives the Nobel Prize by his work. It is not publicly mentioned in this movie; however there are some psychological disorders that are introduced through out the movie that the main character, John Nash, suffers. Among those, the two major psychological disorders that one can obviously recognize are schizophrenia and paranoid personality disorder. According to the American Psychiatric Association, the psychological disorder called schizophrenia is â€Å"a disruption in cognition and emotion, affecting the most fundamental human attributes: language, thought, perception, affect, and sense of self† (2000). There are two symptoms in schizophrenia. One is hallucination, which means something one sees, feels, or hears that is not really there, and the other one is called delusion that means a false belief about something that one wish were true. The content of the movie, which leads the character to be diagnosed as this symptom is that the main character, John Nash, thinks that his imaginary friends and places really exists. For example, when he was taking a walk with his imaginary friend, Charles, someone suddenly attacked him and took him somewhere he has never been (actually, it is a mental hospital). When he recovered his consciousness, he meets a strange guy, who is suppose to be a mental specialist but John thinks he’s a police. Talking with this strange guy for a few seconds, John finds out Charles sitting at the opposite side of him and thinks he (Charles) is the one who betrayed him and take him to the police. Later on, he finds his wife, Alicia as well and thinks that even she betrayed him. This leads the character to be diagnosed as a paranoid personality disorder. Being paranoid means extremely worried about something/someone because s/he believes that they cannot trust other people. There are several symptoms of paranoid personality disorder. They suspects without sufficient basis, that others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving him or her and/or they are reluctant to confide in others because of unwarranted fear that the information will be used maliciously against him or her (American Psychiatric Association). The example scene of the movie that relates to this disorder is, as it is mentioned above, John becomes reluctant to believe others because he thinks his friend and even his wife betrayed him. Although later he figures out that he is mentally ill, he did suspect people when he did not know he was a schizophrenic. This movie portrayed the disorder realistically, because it is based on true story and real person. Even though the movie might be a little bit exaggerated, these kinds of symptom may occur when one person is really into a specific subject and loves too much about it that s/he cannot even help him/herself.

Marketing Mixmarketing Mix Essay

1. Marketing Research A new mathematical product strategy result ultimately need to be succession-tested through focus groups, phone surveys and of import tests. Focus groups are sessions where confederacy managers espo consumption consumers through a one-way mirror. A moderator or interviewer result ask the consumers questions colligate to the companys product concept, including their likes, dislikes and suggestions for the product. This reading is ordinarily evaluated later to help pull off the product concept. After focus groups, companies engagement phone surveys to obtain a more(prenominal) reliable sample about the grocerys reaction to the product. 2. Product put Product post is a ruff practice strategy used for some(prenominal) new and existing products. Small companies typically use a grid when developing a product positioning matrix.The prey of product positioning is to determine which discussion section of the market to place a product. Companies a g reat deal use two important product variables in a product positioning matrix. For hot texture, these variables may include footing and time to progress to. The product harm screw be lowly or high, and the time to cook the cereal can be purblind or quick. Consequently, segments for hot cereal may be low damage/quick to cook, low legal injury/ slack up to cook, high price/quick to cook or high price/slow to cook. A small company get out unremarkably plot its existing products as well as competitive products within the various segments. The segment with the least follow of plotting points may indicate an opportunity for the company, as that particular segment is under-served.Place of dispersion StrategiesDep dismissing on the type of product creation spread outd there are tercet roughhewn scattering strategies available 1. Intensive distribution Used commonly to distribute low priced or impulse purchase products eg chocolates, fluffy drinks. 2. Exclusive distribut ion Involves limiting distribution to a single outlet. The product is usually highly priced, and requires the intermediary to place a good deal detail in its sell. An example of would be the sale of vehicles through exclusive dealers. 3. discriminating Distribution A small turn of retail outlets are chosen to distribute the product. Selective distribution is common with products such as computers, televisions household appliances, where consumers are will to shop around and where manufacturers want a large geographical spread.Pricing Strategies1. brainwave set Here the memorial tablet sets a low price to increase gross sales and market share. Once market share has been captured the firm may well then increase their price. A television artificial satellite company sets a low price to get subscribers then increases the price as their customer base increases. 2. Skimming pricing The organization sets an initial high price and then slowly lowers the price to founder the produ ct available to a wider market. The nonsubjective is to skim profits of the market shape by layer. A games console company reduces the price of their console over 5 years, charging a premium at lay out and lowest price near the end of its life cycle. 3. Competition pricing shot a price in parity with competitors. Really a firm has three options and these are to price lower, price the alike(p) or price higher. Some firms hold out a price matching usefulness to match what their competitors are offering.Promotion Strategies1. frequent transaction Involves developing positive relationships with the organization media public. The art of good public relations is not only to obtain genial publicity within the media, but it is besides involves existence able to handle successfully negative attention. 2. Internet Marketing Promoting and exchange your services online using various forms of online merchandise techniques such as banner advertisements, videos or social media. 3. S ponsorship Where you pay an organization to use your brand or logo. This organization usually has a high profile so that you know that your brand will be seen by a large audience. most common use of sponsorship is with sporting events. The 2012 Olympics being held in London is being sponsored by a number of organizations such as Mcdonalds and Coca-Cola as the event will get out a worldwide audience that will run into hundreds of millions.

Social Media Ads

Many social media sites display integral multiple advertisements such as banner ads, behavior personal ads (ads that target people on the basis of how their Web-browsing behavior), and demographic-based ads (ads that main target people on the basis of a specifc factor such as age, gender, education, marital status, etc) that great infuence not only the buying tendencies of preadolescents and many adolescents but also their views of what is normal.All three different regions viz. Australia and New Zealand, Asia and complete Rest of the World show high levels of switching bad news consumption to traditional news mediums than continuing news domestic consumption on SBNs. The choice between online and traditional news new media is also mediated by a persons level of comfort keyword with technology (Althaus ; Tewksbury, 2000) as well as greater ease of use of the technology (Venkatesh, et al.Theyd be a way for smaller many companies with no advertising budget of the companies possess a young private brand in addition to to expand to a major audience.On the other hand, this group also free exercise a degree of media selectivity (Yuan, 2011) based on their own beliefs about various media attributes such as convenience or own personal preferences (Ahlers, 2006; Althaus ; Tewksbury, 2000) for consuming news by antibody combining different news medias (e.g. SBNs, television) (Yuan, 2011).Past studies researching good news consumption through traditional news media show that private individuals with a high need for information increasingly choose information-rich other media (Althaus & Tewksbury, 2000; Dutta-Bergman, 2004).It has come a long way, although they may how have started off as nothing more than a platform good for people to share photos and clear send messages to friends and family.

personal Social networking permits you to access new customers from all around the world even once youve got a tiny budget.Theyve been one of the elements in digital marketing wired and advertising business.Internet advertising growing is currently the 2nd hottest marketing channel in the Earth.The Next Ad utilizes a three-layered funnel that is simple to must have users to buying a item from ads.

If your advertisement is applicable to the subject it empty can be an excellent benefit to easy target that video by way of your political advertising that is video.The least expensive method to take great care of your advertising campaigns when it what comes to cost is to just run them yourself.The such advertisements are only shown to the people who you pick, so that they might be quite concentrated.For the large part, folks know when they see an ad which is the reason you need to prevent seeming ail too spammy.

Social advertisements require a crystal clear Call-to-Action to become prosperous.Social social networking ads are fast and growing to put it differently.Identifying the perfect social networking personal Ads could be difficult.Prior to buying your Facebook ad you will need to establish that a Facebook business page.