Saturday, August 31, 2019

Differentiation in the Classroom

Differentiation in the Classroom Brittany Hunt University of Toledo Differentiated instruction in the classroom can be beneficially for every child’s needs to learn to their best ability. Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Whether teachers differentiate content, process, products, or the learning environment, the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction. No student learns the same and differentiation is helping each student grow and succeed by meeting each individual needs.Whenever a teacher reaches out to an individual or a small group to change his or his teaching to create the best learning experience possible, that teacher is differentiating the instruction for the student(s). Four characteristics shape teaching and learning in an effective differentiated classroom (Tomlinson, 1995a): 1. ) Instruction is concept focused and principle driven. All students have the opportunity to explor e and apply the key concepts of the subject being studied. All students come to understand the key principles on which the study is based.Such instruction enables struggling learners to grasp and use powerful ideas and, at the same time, encourages advanced learners to expand their understanding and application of the key concepts and principles. Such instruction stresses understanding or sense-making rather than retention and regurgitation of fragmented bits of information. Concept-based and principle-driven instruction invites teachers to provide varied learning options. A â€Å"coverage-based† curriculum may cause a teacher to feel compelled to see that all students do the same work. Related article: Cda Competency Goal # 1In the former, all students have the opportunity to explore meaningful ideas through a variety of avenues and approaches. 2. ) Ongoing assessment of student readiness and growth are built into the curriculum. Teachers do not assume that all students need a given task or segment of study, but continuously assess student readiness and interest, providing support when students need additional instruction and guidance, and extending student exploration when indications are that a student or group of students is ready to move ahead. 3. ) Flexible grouping is consistently used. In a differentiated class, students work in many patterns. Sometimes hey work alone, sometimes in pairs, sometimes in groups. Sometimes tasks are readiness-based, sometimes interest-based, sometimes constructed to match learning style, and sometimes a combination of readiness, interest, and learning style. In a differentiated classroom, whole-group instruction may also be used for introducing new ideas, when planning, and for sharing learning outcomes. 4. ) Students are active explorers. Teachers guide the exploration. Because varied activities often occur simultaneously in a differentiated classroom, the teacher works more as a guide or facilitator of learning than as a dispenser of information.As in a large family, students must learn to be responsible for their own work. Not only does such student-centeredness give students more ownership of their learning, but it also facilitates the important adolescent learning goal of growing independence in thought, planning, and evaluation. Implicit in such instruction is (1) goal-setting shared by teacher and student based on student readiness, interest, and learning profile, and (2) assessment predicated on student growth and goal attainment.Teachers can differentiate at least four classroom elements based on student readiness, interest, or learning profile: * Content- what the student needs to learn or how th e student will get access to the information; * Process- activities in which the student engages in order to make sense of or master the content; * Products- culminating projects that ask the student to rehearse, apply, and extend what he or she has learned in a unit; and * Learning environment- the way the classroom works and feels.Examples of differentiating content at the elementary level include the following: using reading materials at varying readability levels; putting text materials on tape; using spelling or vocabulary lists at readiness levels of students; presenting ideas through both auditory and visual means; using reading buddies; and meeting with small groups to re-teach an idea or skill for struggling learners, or to extend the thinking or skills of advanced learners. Several elements and materials are used to support instructional content. These include acts, concepts, generalizations or principles, attitudes, and skills.The variation seen in a differentiated classr oom is most frequently in the manner in which students gain access to important learning. Access to the content is seen as key. Align tasks and objectives to learning goals: designers of differentiated instruction view the alignment of tasks with instructional goals and objectives as essential. Goals are most frequently assessed by many state-level, high-stakes tests and frequently administered standardized measures. Objectives are frequently written in incremental steps resulting in a continuum of skills-building tasks.An objectives-driven menu makes it easier to find the next instructional step for learners entering at varying levels. Differentiated instruction should be concept-focused and principle-driven. The instructional concepts should be broad-based, not focused on minute details or unlimited facts. Teachers must focus on the concepts, principles and skills that students should learn. The content of instruction should address the same concepts with all students, but the deg ree of complexity should be adjusted to suit diverse learners. Some examples of differentiating process or activities at the elementary level include the following: 1.Using tiered activities through which all learners work with the same important understandings and skills, but proceed with different levels of support, challenge, or complexity; 2. Providing interest centers that encourage students to explore subsets of the class topic of particular interest to them; 3. Developing personal agendas (task lists written by the teacher and containing both in-common work for the whole class and work that addresses individual needs of learners) to be completed either during specified agenda time or as students complete other work early; 4.Offering manipulative’s or other hands-on supports for students who need them; and 5. Varying the length of time a student may take to complete a task in order to provide additional support for a struggling learner or to encourage an advanced learne r to pursue a topic in greater depth. Samples of differentiating products at the elementary level include: giving students options of how to express required learning (e. g. create a puppet show, write a letter, or develop a mural with labels); using rubrics that match and extend students' varied skills levels; allowing students to work alone or in small groups on their products; and encouraging students to create their own product assignments as long as the assignments contain required elements. Items to which students respond may be differentiated so that different students can demonstrate or express their knowledge and understanding in different ways. A well-designed student product allows varied means of expression and alternative procedures and offers varying degrees of difficulty, types of valuation, and scoring. Examples of differentiating the learning environment at the elementary level include: 1. Making sure there are places in the room to work quietly and without distract ion, as well as places that invite student collaboration; 2. Providing materials that reflect a variety of cultures and home settings; 3. Setting out clear guidelines for independent work that matches individual needs; 4. Developing routines that allow students to get help when teachers are busy with other students and cannot help them immediately; and 5.Helping students understand that some learners need to move around to learn, while others do better sitting quietly (Tomlinson, 1995, 1999; Winebrenner, 1992, 1996). Characteristics of a differentiated classroom likely to be responsive to the needs of gifted (and other academically diverse) students are the following: * Teacher sensitivity to the varying needs of learners; * On-going assessment of student progress and modification of instruction based on assessment data; * Multiple learning options at a given time on many occasions; * Variable pacing; Respectful (interesting, important) tasks for all learners; * Use of flexible grou ping (balancing like-readiness grouping, mixed-readiness grouping, grouping by interest, random grouping, whole class instruction, and individual/independent work); * Teacher use of a variety of instructional strategies (learning contracts, compacting, group investigation, complex instruction, interest centers, learning centers, tiered lessons, tiered products, graduated rubrics) that invite varying students to learn in a variety of ways; * Varied modes of assessment likely to give students maximum opportunity to demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and skill; and * Grading based, at least in significant measure, on student growth rather than in comparison to one another or to an absolute scale (Tomlinson, 1995a). Additional guidelines that make differentiation possible for teachers to attain is key to having a successful differentiated classroom, this includes: * Clarify key concepts and generalizations. Ensure that all learners gain powerful understandings that can serve as the f oundation for future learning. Teachers are encouraged to identify essential concepts and instructional foci to ensure that all learners comprehend. * Use assessment as a teaching tool to extend rather than merely measure instruction.Assessment should occur before, during, and following the instructional episode, and it should be used to help pose questions regarding student needs and optimal learning. * Emphasize critical and creative thinking as a goal in lesson design. The tasks, activities, and procedures for students should require that they understand and apply meaning. Instruction may require supports, additional motivation, varied tasks, materials, or equipment for different students in the classroom. * Engaging all learners is essential! Teachers are encouraged to strive for the development of lessons that are engaging and motivating for a diverse class of students.Vary tasks within instruction as well as across students. In other words, an entire session for students shoul d not consist of all drill and practice, or any single structure or activity. * Provide a balance between teacher-assigned and student-selected tasks. A balanced working structure is optimal in a differentiated classroom. Based on pre-assessment information, the balance will vary from class-to-class as well as lesson-to-lesson. Teachers should ensure that students have choices in their learning. Most classrooms employ single-size instruction. Thus, moving toward differentiated instruction requires considerable change on the part of teachers.Changing habits or patterns of teaching in busy and pressure-laden classrooms is difficult and stressful. Teachers who are helped to understand specific benefits to students and to themselves of differentiated instruction may be more willing to risk the change than those who are not assisted in developing a solid rationale for change, or those who are mandated to change rather than assisted in doing so. The design and development of differentiate d instruction as a model began in the general education classroom. The initial application came to practice for students considered gifted but whom perhaps were not sufficiently challenged by the content provided in the general classroom setting.As classrooms have become more diverse, differentiated instruction has been applied at all levels for students of all abilities. Many authors of publications about differentiated instruction, strongly recommend that teachers adapt the practices slowly, perhaps one content area at a time. Additionally, these experts agree that teachers should share the creative load by working together to develop ideas and menus of options for students. Differentiated instruction is an instructional process that has excellent potential to positively impact learning by offering teachers a means to provide instruction to a range of students in today's classroom situations.

Friday, August 30, 2019

And We Walked Right Through the Door Essay

â€Å"Anything I can help you find? † inquired the chubby female clerk wearing a cheesy red uniform vest complete with â€Å"Hi! My name is Amy, How can I assist you? † BS name-tag. Right away I recognize this this to be the limited dialog that clerks are required to resort to when they feel certain shoppers are suspicious, to remind them they’re being watched I suppose. I replied smiling, â€Å"No, my buddy’s in the bathroom, just looking around thanks. † the act starting to make me a bit queasy. â€Å"Alright then† she creaked, an undertone of distrust. From there I’m left to my own devices, or so they would like me to think. However I know otherwise as I’m using the very same tools that insurance managers and loss prevention employ – namely strategically placed fisheye thief catching mirrors – to keep an eye on the store walker who, after that terse conversation, started following me. Interacting with people who have an inkling that I’m up to no good while cradling nearly $150 worth of stolen goods in my coat, (just under the federal limit mind you) brought on strong feelings of sickness mixed with a rush of adrenaline†¦ maybe I was getting too old for this shit. After skirting my tail, I head for the back entrance which has posted up what looked to be a normal run of the mill alarm system. However having worked this place over several times before, I knew that this was simply cosmetic and no longer functioned properly. My best guess is the store was too broke to repair it, in part due to klepto jack-asses like me and my crew. Most likely they allowed this skeleton of a system to stay standing in hopes that it would deter those that didn’t know any better. In fact most of the security equipment in this place was for show. From the dozens of shaded domes mounted in the ceilings where maybe one quarter of them actually held security cameras, to the magnetic tags – or bugs as we coded them – that had no activated strips in which to trip the alarm systems that did work. Their security measures were as false as my attitude towards clerk Amy, only I felt I was better at hiding the fact. ?This was my hobby. I started at a very young age, six, maybe seven years old and only because I hated being told that I couldn’t have candy or toys that seemed to me within reason. The usual excuse always came back a whining â€Å"Because we don’t have the money, Craig† despite the fact we always seemed to have enough for coffee, cigarettes and booze. It was at that young age where it seemed straight forward enough to me take the item of my simple fancy, slip it in my pocket, and – most importantly – try not to be seen doing this. It wasn’t until a few years into my â€Å"hobby† that I was finally discovered in the act by, of all people, my little sister, Melissa. We were on our way to school when I suggested a stop at a small grocery mart, where she made a bee line for the freshly made donuts. While she was busy ogling the poignant sweets, I went to work finding fruit roll-ups to procure. As I started stuffing the box of snacks into my brothers’ oversized, hand-me-down, blue-green Dolphins starter coat, my sister caught up, discovering me in mid-theft. She asked â€Å"Why are you taking that? † wide eyed and confused. Hushing at her â€Å"Because I wanna share some with my friends, and you know how Mom and Dad are about money! † I pleaded quietly, the cashier’s too busy dealing with the morning flood of coffee and newspaper sales to notice. This line of reasoning seemed well enough for her and she agreed not to tell anyone, the deal sealed by sharing some of the spoils. I thought that would be the end of it†¦ turns out I was wrong. Over the next few weeks she wasn’t just stealing shit left and right, but bragging to me about it! It was no surprise to me when later that month my parents had to pick her up from the local mall security center, having been caught shoplifting Barbie accessories. Even worse, she dragged a friend of hers along for the ride and, after being caught red handed, tried to frame the poor girl she brought along as the evil master mind behind it all. Though I felt raw about leading my little sister into my bad habit, I still thought to myself â€Å"better her than me†. At the time, we had just moved into a newly built Habitat for Humanity home in a strange sort of raffle for low-income families. Though it was nice to live in a new house, one of the downsides was that one could hear everything that was happening in every other room, which left the feeling of having little to no privacy. It was excruciating to hear punishments that either of my siblings might receive, like say in the case of my little sister getting caught shoplifting. From down in the living room, my mother and I attempted to focus on The Andy Griffith Show though I couldn’t help overhear the post punishment conversation between my father and sister. â€Å"What were you thinking!? How many times have we told you that taking things is wrong!? † he yelled, my sister still sobbing from the hot ass-whopping she’d just received. He continued the inquisition â€Å"What made you think you could even get away with something like this, huh?!? † she answered near yelping â€Å"Because I saw Craig take something from the store! I slammed my eyelids together hard hoping it would make me invisible, though I could feel the scorching glare from my mother who was eaves-dropping on the conversation as well. After my own hot ass-whopping, I was ordered to gather up all things I’d stolen. Though I didn’t give them everything, what I did pile up was still a pretty impressive haul, namely cheap toys like yo-yos and Gak; I’d be damned if I was going to give up my Sega games, it was no picnic acquiring those gems. It didn’t take long before I felt safe enough to get back in the saddle, my only lesson being a stricter discretion toward my parents finding out. Oh yeah, the crew I mentioned earlier. While there were always a few lame duck part-timers that came and went the main trio consisted of Dustin B. , code name â€Å"D†, Walter R. aka â€Å"Strangler† the muscle, and me whom they had dubbed â€Å"Slyde†, or â€Å"Sly† for short. This was actually based on some form on confusion as Slyde was what I had named my â€Å"customized† coat for all intents and purposes. The customization of the coat was simple: cut holes out at the bottom of the pockets enabling me to hide cargo all the way round the back with the insulation fluff, some of which I had removed to avoid looking too lumpy as I added new items. D was the first to join my group and a sort of protege. He’d say things like â€Å"You never know when you’ll be in a position to have to steal stuff, like if the government falls! † and considered my rabble rousing to be more of a hidden art form. We’d play games of risk with one another, upping the stakes to hone our skills. Strangler wasn’t really a thief, more of a muscle guy. He wasn’t into games of risk, but he’d happily beat the living shit out of anyone who might get in our way. A perfect crew for what we were doing. ?We had codes for everything, bugs and spiders for mag-tags and stickers, hawks and Tony’s for cameras and walkers. We even had codes to let each other know what was to be bought (purchased) and what was to be stolen (buy) while still speaking in laymen’s terms. In my home state of Michigan, thankfully, one could wear a coat for nearly eight to nine months out of the year, and no one would consider it suspect. Though when dealing in the art of theft, you’ll need more than a custom coat to get by. I had put together a base set of five rules through my tenure, which I regularly preached to my fledgling group: 1) Never go on a run alone. Sometimes you might need the muscle to help you out of a bind; this was Strangler’s territory. In one particular incident, a well-built bald white guy came from, what seemed to me nowhere, placing his hand on my shoulder, â€Å"Sir, I’d like to talk to you about the items in your coat†. The next sounds heard were a shopping cart being revved up to ramping speed, Strangler behind the bar. The large man having no time to react, literally went head over heels into the cart, and off into the sunset. His ride was only cut short by a parked van he crashed into mid lot, where he and the cart crumpled over in a sad heap. We had a good laugh about it as we jaunted away. ) If you frequent a place, at least buy something to make it look a bit less shady. There’s nothing more obvious than your ugly mug walking into a place and never buying anything. After the third or fourth occurrence, they’ll stop to search you on principle alone (This is Detroit). 3) If you’re going to steal something, act like you’ve been there before. There’s nothing more hideously obvious than someone who looks around to see if they’re being watched. Also, the occasional outburst by local crazies or crotchety old men – any form of sudden distraction really – was a quick and easy pass to get the hell out of dodge while the gettin’s good. ) Get off the grounds as soon as possible! Store walkers are legally obligated to stay on company property, which led to another obvious conclusion: don’t hit a place up if it already has actually law enforcement on the premises, na mely because real pigs don’t have such limited jurisdictions, and probably because they’re already there for some other fool who’s been caught. 5) Lastly and to the point, don’t steal more than the federal limit. It’s not like it was difficult or unthinkable, just more risk than what it’s worth to my thinking. This was shoplifting 101 and I was the head instructor. It was a few years into our chaotic campaign when all my concerns were to be quantified; when new-bird Marty R. hit the scene. Though we’d known Marty for years (due to the fact that I was dating his younger sister), we were apprehensive to have him join our little club because of his garish nature. He was a tall sum bitch, at least a full nine inches taller than me, and I was six foot myself at the time. Big knarley knuckles, rail thin from a ridiculously high metabolism mixed with malnutrition, and bright Irish red hair earned him the code name, â€Å"Red†. There’s a saying that red heads are either drop dead gorgeous, or butt ass ugly, Red here was the latter. Aside from being really tall, he had a pension for the dramatic which meant he always spoke loudly, attracting attention. If that weren’t enough, he also tried to sport a mo-hawk that was supposed to be dyed atomic red, but came out neon pink. He had done well enough on his first few excursions, though as I tended to do with all newbies, first timers got the benefit of being surrounded by us young punks ready to throw down as they got the chance to exercise their sticky fingers. Not to mention, first timer’s targets happened to be large places where we had little issue with security, and where there were several other casual shoppers to take focus away from us. This was particularly effective on busy shopping days like Black Friday, one of my personal favorites. ?Red and I had stopped in a larger chain for nothing more than a two liter of soda for the troops back at one of our crash sites. Now not every visit to a store is made to pilfer items, because as the saying goes, ‘it’s not a party if it happens every night’. Red being the new guy wasn’t really hip to this idea yet, and was still very anxious to take what he could, as if there were no tomorrow. As I sleepily moved to the cold drinks at the back of the store, and not from the wall of tepid soda they displayed for chumps and out-of-towners up front, Red informed me that he was going to use the rest room, where vagabonds like us would normally go to clean up a bit. It may have been the way he said it, but I instantly got a bad feeling. Realizing that I had just woken up to take on this small task for the group, I shook off the vibe and told him to meet me outside in our usual spot when he was done. Sometimes, I hate it when I’m right. Red took it upon himself to yank a few items without me knowing, a wallet, a crappy ten dollar watch, and a fake gold necklace/locket combo for some girl he was crushing on. From this, he might as well have broken rule number one in not letting me know his intentions. As I stood waiting in the check-out line cold pop in hand, I noticed Red making his way out trying to look as though he hadn’t taken anything, a sure distinction to my eye. I had the mind to drop the pop and run over to him: not so much to help him, but rather to chew him out for being such a chud. However it was too late, the horrible scene I’d sought to rally against unfolded before me, as if I was given a front row seat. After the fact, I could only guess that this store had some idea about our group and its past debauchery, since they used three Tony’s to surround and take Red away. I wasn’t ready, we weren’t here on a mission, we were here for fucking soda! I felt like screaming at him, the mix of helplessness and anger at his dishonesty keeping me anchored to the floor as I looked on, holding the building express line up. As he was ushered past, he looked at me with those sad sorry eyes, where all I could do was look back, mouth agape. This moment also felt like a strong message for yours truly, the Tony’s eyes staring at me, warning â€Å"You’re next hot shot†. Unfortunately, this wasn’t Red’s first offense and he was later sentenced 2 years for what amounted to less than $30 worth of merchandise. Now Marty wasn’t much of a fighter, and considering his height coupled with the fact that his hair had mistakenly come out neon pink, brought a whole other hellish dimension towards the thought of time in jail for him. Yes, this was a sad day for our company indeed, but an affirmation of the rules I had laid down to begin with. I scorned the others with the story, probably because I wasn’t able to yell at Red, or more likely out of shame that I wasn’t able to do something about it myself. ?Some time has passed and I’ve all but stopped stealing. I might yoink a pack of batteries here and there, or occasionally walk out on a check if the server makes me wait too long, but these trifles are rare. Recently, I landed a position in loss prevention for a small chain of stores; the irony of this never fails to cheer me up. I even tried to stay in decent shape for the job by making it a point to run/jog in, or maybe old habits of being ready for a chase die hard. I was assigned a new store where they were going through the normal jargon, giving us the cue codes for theft in progress, blind spots to patrol, and all the other dirty little secrets I would have killed for back in the day. As I was being briefed by my new manager, I realized just how much of a royal prick he was, just from how he thought so much lesser of people that resorted to stealing. The more he talked, the more I indulged a day dream of feeding his pretentious ass to Strangler and how that would pan out. My first shift was painfully uneventful, right until the last hour as I started to get in the mindset of what to do once I was free again. It was at that time when Mr. douche-bag manager busted in to the surveillance room, like he was hopped up on too many energy drinks. â€Å"Look alive ladies, we got some kids in the liquor isle, and I’m damn sure they’re gonna grab something. They’ve been casing it for a while, looking all sorts of suspicious, so let’s get out there and NAB ‘EM! trying to be all team player, as if we were all supposed to put our hands in or something. To be honest, this was the part of my job I hated most, seeing new jacks like this give my former hobby a go in the worst way. Ducking their heads about, apprehensive yet obvious about whether or not they’re going to put an item in their jacket. Sure enough, scoping out these scrubby teens through a large fish eye mirror, I saw firsthand one of them squirrel a fifth of whiskey into his windbreaker, and make his way for the exit. Panic was written all over his face as he wrangled up the other two snots with him, simply disgraceful. The worst of it was when they neared the exit. We didn’t even have time to start in on our usual spiel before it suddenly turned into a free for all, the three of them sprinting off in unison. The two â€Å"friends† that the holder came in with, bolted in the exact opposite direction, leaving the actual target on his own. I’m not sure if they did this thinking they’d fool us with misdirection, or if they just ran out of fear; my guess was they got scared and bailed. At this point, I’m not the only one giving chase; two other Tony’s and the dick-head manager were also trailing. The manager was the first to go down, no surprise, tripping on his own stupid shoe-laces not even 20 feet from the entrance, biting off a piece of his own tongue as his chin smashed against the asphalt. One of the Tony’s was a fat guy and gave in shortly thereafter, claiming â€Å"I’m gonna see if the manager’s O. K. , you guys keep going! † pathetic. Two down, two to go, and we’re gaining on him. This kid must not have known the perimeter rule, because he cut around heading for the back of the store, towards the receiving docks. Since e insisted on staying on the grounds, as far as I was concerned it was still game on. Thanks to my daily regimen, I felt as though I could run like this forever! Primal instincts kicked in, I felt as though I were a lethal cheetah closing in on its prey. It was about the time we were rounding the docks that the defeatist thumping footsteps of the other Tony sounded, signaling his dropping out of the chase no more than 70 generous yards from the door. Never mind all that, I was about to end it, he was going down, this kid was mine! I reached out grabbing at his shoulder, my hand getting a taste of slick fabric from his blue wind-breaker, when something clicked. I stopped chasing and let him go. I didn’t even bother to gloat out loud that I could have caught him if I wanted, it didn’t even seem important anymore. I stood there watching him continue to run for his life as I caught my breath. I contemplated the awesome story that the kid would have to tell all his friends – the ones he presumably stole the fifth for – and to call out his two accomplices for bitching out the way they did. Thought flooded me near the point of tears as I recanted my own misguided youth, and the thrill of getting away from a near miss as he had just encountered. If I had brought him back, I would have had no say in his punishment, and I’m sure they would’ve done to him the same as they did to Red. I no longer wanted to be responsible for the incarceration of others this way. I strolled back acting more tired than I actually was giving the staff some bullshit excuse as to how the kid eluded me; I mean, what the hell did they know, right?

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Doctor Money and the Boy with No Penis Questions

Doctor Money and the Boy with no Penis A. The most tragic thing about this story is that David and his brother couldn’t make through in the end. After all the fighting they had both been through, the bad parts of their life took over the good parts and ate away at them until I suppose neither of them found life worth living. What struck me the most was probably that at the end of the documentary, David even asks if it will take them shooting themselves in the head for people to listen, and does exactly that.It is the most upsetting thing in the documentary, in my eyes. After all of the work the brothers had gone through to make their life as normal as possible, if all gets ruined and they cannot cope any longer. B. I feel most sympathetic to the family in the aspect of the parents having to keep what should have been their son’s life a secret. While I do not agree with the decision of changing baby Bruce’s sex, I cannot imagine how hard the decision would be to m ake, and then having to keep the truth a secret to a visibly unhappy child.Keeping a secret for a long period is hard enough, and to have it in the back of your mind that revealing the secret to you child will make them so much happier must have killed them inside. This life has been made so awful because of one decision endorsed by a psychologist. C. Flat out I believe that Dr. Money was so unbelievably wrong that I cannot fathom what caused him to make his decisions.To singlehandedly destroy two children’s lives, and not have it even phase him has me believe that he was driven crazy by the need to be right. I only wish that he could have realized just what he was doing. If only he knew how wrong he was and just stopped what he was doing before it was too late. Then maybe, the vows could’ve lived a happy life. D. My lesson from this documentary is that every child should try to have a relationship with their parents to where they can tell them anything.If little Brend a and her brother had the courage to tell their parents what Dr. Money was doing to them, then hopefully, the parents would’ve stopped seeing him. And then tried to fix what was happening. Not feeling like they should tell their parents really sealed away the idea to a normal life for either of them. It was not fair to them and I just wish that the whole situation would have ended differently.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Case - Essay Example Any decision in the company affects the decision taken by EPA later, Jonica and other executives, besides the company itself, are stakeholders. A dip in the profitability of the company will affect the perception other stakeholders regarding the management’s ability to make decisions that may lead to profitability, or which may prefer pollution of the lake. Any decision they make will affect the management of the company. There are different moral considerations in the above issue; the first ethical consideration involves an ethical dilemma. Though Jonica and the administration have an obligation to ensure the profitability of the company, it would be ethical to make a decision for the good of the environment, despite the cost to the company. Ethically, it would be preferable for the company to suffer a loss that year, but be recognized for its strong ethical CSR. On the overhand, although EPA has not made a declaration of the steps necessary to reduce the emissions, Jonica and the management have an ethical duty to act for the good of the environment based on the scientific conclusions given. Acting to reduce these emissions based on the scientific study provided even before EPA steps in to intervene will increase the ethical standing of the company among its stakeholder. Therefore, acting on the contrary to attain profitability would be a moral lapse on the part of the management. Foregoing, profit s and implementing the technology to reduce emissions would be a tough tradeoff, which will result in a right-right situation, unlike ignoring the scientific findings, which is a moral lapse. The company would stand to gain from such strong moral values as it would gain favor from customers in the market In resolving the situation, Janica and the management did not have an option, as the technology would be forced through, when EPA backed by the public get the scientific findings. To be the on the safe side, Janica and the

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Does US Seek Hegemony over Asia Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Does US Seek Hegemony over Asia - Article Example It is evident from the official statement that the US continues to play a great role to ensure a stable balance in Asia. America’s political, economic and diplomatic leadership enhances global freedom, peace, and prosperity. The US has acknowledged the fact that maintaining order in Asia will be a complex task given the great distances (Glaser, 2011). Â  United States concerns about Asian stability are guaranteed. In using the history of the 20th-century guide, Washington will continue dealing with Asian-Pacific. The US has an issue dealing with China as it has become a rising power. However, United States is seeking to face China has a rising economic and military power in Asia-Pacific. The United States president has promised to make their missions and presence in Asia-Pacific the topmost priority. After the president announcement, approximately 500 US troops were said to be deployed to Australia. The US is foreseeing a growing threat of its hegemony from China. America’s tactical moves to Asia are aimed at pinning down China as well as counterbalancing its development (Glaser, 2011). The US economic and hegemony in Asia-Pacific has triggered concerns about national security. The United States has established a key military base in Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Guam, Singapore and now Australia. The former D efense Secretary of United States spoke at the International Institute of Strategic Studies conference and said that US is aiming at maintaining a robust US military in Asia. The US is taking measures that help them overcome the area denial scenarios and anti-access that the US faces in Asia, which restricts America’s from accessing strategic resources and markets. The United States believes that its hegemony in Asia will deter and defeat the potential rivals. Â  

Monday, August 26, 2019

How to improve the poor customer service rating Research Proposal

How to improve the poor customer service rating - Research Proposal Example This research will help readers take corrective action in relation to customer satisfaction and improve their customer service rating. The increased use of Interactive Voice Response Systems (IVRs) has hindered personal interaction between consumers and the service providers, leading to dissatisfaction and discontentment of consumers. Therefore, there is a need to rectify this problem and divert to more consumer interactive models of customer service. The goal of this investigate is to provide an interactive customer service model that will increase customer service and in turn increase customer satisfaction and service ratings. Case studies have shown that by eliminating the barrier between customers and service providers, the customers feel more appreciated and better served. It has also been proven that this increases customer retention rates. This will be done by adopting a face to face sale of company’s products to consumers, a process that will be very interactive through product sampling, answer query session and feedback about the product. The customer will be able to interact personally with the service provider and ask questions about the product i.e. how it works, what ingredients have been used to make it, what its limitations are, how long the product will serve the customer among other questions the customer might have. This solution will also enable the customer feel well served since his/her complains/concerns will be handled immediately without the hustle of having to follow up through phone calls. By eliminating barriers, more customer interactive model will be adopted that will hel p accomplish the first objectives of this research, i.e., to make customer service interactive and also the second objective by ensuring that customers are satisfied with services provided. Most customers are not satisfied with the service they

Assignment #1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment #1 - Essay Example The other major concern shown in the article are the more nefarious interests of the Western powers that deliberately foster hatred and doubt amongst the people of poor countries like Rwanda so as to weaken their power and use them for their own vested interests. Waal has just shown the vicious side of the powerful countries who do not hesitate to become the root cause of genocide of people who may belong to different race, color, nation and ethnicity. Since anthropology primarily studies the evolving cultural values that influence the human behavior through the times, applying anthropology in understanding the changing societal paradigms would greatly facilitate in improving inter-personal relationship in the organization, leading to improved performance. The analysis of changing dynamics within the tribes of Rwanda and studying the psychology of the western culture, one would be better equipped to apply the anthropological paradigms and disseminate information regarding cross cultural values. People across the globe need to inculcate better understanding of cross cultural values. The article by Bourgois discusses the problems that have risen from the migration of people across borders. It is the most sensitive issue of the contemporary times. The changing dynamics of the societal norms across the globe has resulted in the huge migration of people from one country to another. The social problems arising from the new emerging social fabric are widespread. The most important are the employment opportunities, housing and medical facilities for the new migrant labor. The author asserts that the state has not been able to meet the challenges of the times and the marginalized population is often poorly paid which makes a mockery of so called social integration. This segment then becomes vulnerable and gets caught into the vicious cycle of drugs, prostitution and other

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Arabic Women in Leadership Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Arabic Women in Leadership - Term Paper Example In order to find the position of Arab women as leaders within various organizations, this paper will first discuss the social and traditional mindset towards Arab women where they are viewed as primarily suitable for domestic work; then it will discuss gender discrimination in workplaces in Middle East, and explore to seek whether men have innately better leadership qualities then women. While studying these issues the paper will also discuss the fine thread balance that working women must maintain between their professional and family life, the various obstacles that they face while entering the line of businesses, the indicators that are signaling a change for the rights of Arab women and the training programs or ways for leadership development focused on improving the workplace situation of Arab women.    Discussion Traditional gender bias in domestic labor in the Arab countries: Increased participation of women in workplace (primarily after WWI and WWII) had led to a kind of re volution that broke down the age old notion of division of labor where it was believed that in a family, men were breadwinners, while women took part in the domestic chores (unpaid), and were dependent on their male members for support of a financial kind (Blau, 1964). The bargaining and contract models, social exchange models had once predicted that increased participation of women in the workforce would bring them more freedom and justice both in office, and in home as regards fair division of unpaid domestic labor (England and Farkas, 1986). However this did not take place in reality and women were still facing bias, where they were still being viewed as being more suitable... This essay discusses that there have been some perceivable changes in the Middle East countries in the area of private businesses, with more women are forming their own enterprises, thus slowly changing the equation of a woman role in the national economy (ibid). Here OECD presents encouraging figures, where it shows that in Bahrain, in the 1960s, women workforce comprised of only around 5% of the total labor force of the country, compared to an average 30% women workforce in the US during the same time.Similarly, inâ€Å"United Arab Emirates, where female-owned businesses faired considerably better than those in the US in 2007, with 33% of the Emirate companies surveyed earning annual revenues of more than US$100,000, compared to only 13% of women-owned businesses in the US in the same year†¦.and from 1990 to 2003, women's share of economic activity in the MENA region increased by a fifth. In the Arab countries, there is no doubt that the patriarchal mindset is still widely pr evalent and women still considered more suitable for unpaid domestic work. Women are treated with general bias at workplaces, and especially so while selecting candidates for top managerial posts in a company when they are overlooked simply for their sex without any consideration for their capabilities or efficiencies. To make complete use of the economic potential, both men and women in the Arab countries must be given equal opportunities at the workplace, or else, the economy of these regions would always remain underused.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Law of Non Contradiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Law of Non Contradiction - Essay Example One can also say that a premise cannot be true and at the same time not true, in the same sense (Anton, 2009). All these three statements express the law of non contradiction. In the problems and challenges that one comes across in one’s day to day life, if approached rationally, yet without adhering to the law of non contradiction, could give way to much confusion (Morrison, 2003). I arrived at this sound conclusion while dealing with my personal aim and ambition to pursue a healthy lifestyle. What one calls a healthy life style is in fact a broad based term that includes within its ambit a range of healthy practices and a long list of does and don’t does. It is only when a person sticks to or diligently pursues a list of practices and norms identified as being precursors and essentials of a healthy lifestyle that one could claim to be leading a positive and healthy life. It also stands to be true that an unhealthy lifestyle also includes within its ambit a list of pra ctices and norms that are not conducive to good health. Going by the fact that a healthy lifestyle is a set of distinct practices and values, as per the law of non contradiction, a lifestyle cannot be both healthy and unhealthy at one and the same time. ... For example when I decided to be committed to leading a healthy lifestyle, I was well aware of the fact that a healthy lifestyle involves eating those things that promote health and well being and avoiding those foods that harm or spoil good health. It naturally follows that when I stick to good and healthy foods that I could consider myself to be leading a healthy lifestyle. However, there did come moments in my life when I tried to cheat by consuming things like fast foods, shakes and sodas, believing that it was alright to have such foods and beverages once in a while, while leading a healthy lifestyle. In other words, I was trying to convince myself that while consuming unhealthy foods at some time in my life and hence leading an unhealthy lifestyle, I was also leading a healthy lifestyle. Now by the law of non contradiction, this was simply not possible. It states that at one time, either I could be pursuing a healthy lifestyle or an unhealthy lifestyle. It was simply not possib le to lead a healthy and an unhealthy life at one and the same time. The premise that logically followed was that while pursuing unhealthy habits and consuming unhealthy foods, I was conclusively following an unhealthy lifestyle at that moment of time, which positively violated my personal commitment to lead a healthy lifestyle. In other words, it meant that while adhering to unhealthy habits at a moment of time, I was positively resorting to an unhealthy life and hence could readily expect the results that go with an unhealthy lifestyle, irrespective of my commitment to stay healthy and fit. This catechism indeed turned out to be an eye opener for me and made me really respect the validity of the law of non contradiction in daily life. There is

Friday, August 23, 2019

The methods and principles of accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The methods and principles of accounting - Essay Example Rules and principles of accounting are basically designed in such a way that they provide certain standardized frameworks which help in the assessment of the financial position of a firm or a government. Hence there may always be a difference from one country to another in the accounting practices that are followed. There can be a major influence of the accounting consequences of different kinds of available options with which the decision makers are faced with, on the final decision taken. Thereby, the choice between the different methods of accounting may not limit themselves to just the portrayal of results; they may also play a vital role in the actual shaping of future decisions including the organization's financial structuring, functioning and activities. Accounting is best known as the language of business and communicates the results of the business. As the accepted Lingua Franca in addition to being the medium of communication it also satisfies the role of understanding the existing as well as potential additions to the available literature. As with every credible language, Accountancy also has its own rules and syntax which comprises the principles on which the system is based, known as the Generally Accepted Principles (GAAP), International Accounting Standards, and US GAAP etc. forming the theoretical base of Accountancy, and the Double Entry bookkeeping for recording the transactions providing the Practical Base of the system. To communicate the necessary, vital and relevant information, the requirements of the prospective users are identified and a systematic process is adhered to resulting in the formation of "Financial Statements." They are primarily the Income Statement and the Position Statement which are popular as "Trading and Profit & Loss Account" and the "Balance Sheet" respectively. The Balance Sheet shows the financial status of a business at a given point of time. That is the reason, the heading of Balance Sheet reads as "Balance Sheet of Xxx Company as on 31st March, 20xx." The balance sheet shows the amount of funds the owner has in the business. To determine this amount, the assets owned are listed and a value is placed on them. Liabilities and their values also are listed. The difference between assets and liabilities is equal to the net worth, or the owner's equity in the business (Klinefelter, 2000). The income statement on the other hand reflects the performance of the entry over a period of time and hence it is headed as "Income Statement of Xxx Company for the year ended 31st March, 20xx." The major purposes of financial reporting are: Providing information which in turn becomes the basis for exercising decisions and actions by the potential users, Reflect the financial progress and present health of the business, Aid in the formulation of policies and procedures for the smooth and efficient conduct of the business, Enable the management to discharge their obligations and stewardship functions effectively Financial Reporting The end-users of financial statements need not necessarily be those of finance background. They might not be in a position to understand the complex technicalities of financial statement. People who do not have detailed understanding of the financial

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Access to the Bendee Essay Example for Free

Access to the Bendee Essay The availability of relevant local culture, indigenous practices and knowledge combined with new ideas in technology and science can generate successful sustainable community development through innovation. Indigenous knowledge will not only contribute to the success of intervention, but better still its sustainability into the future. Numerous indigenous communities worldwide have always developed, operated and acted to different life challenges using indigenous methods passed on from one generation to the next. Our main focus in this paper will be to study and design a simple bridge, highlighting the use of relevant traditional and indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage amongst the Aboriginal people and technology to create a way across the Nebine Creek. Introduction Access to the Bendee Downs site requires vehicles to cross the Nebine Creek which remains impassable during the wet seasons. The site is a ten hour car trip from Brisbane, the closest city with a major airport, and can be accessed via the Murra Murra Road off the Balonne Highway or the Munda Munda Road and east via Fernlee Road. See more: Analysis of Starbucks coffee company employees essay Nebine River is approximately twenty meters wide. The bridge design would respect the Nebine Creek’s cultural importance to the Kooma People; it provides a place where they can identify with their homeland and share their culture hence should be protected (EWB Challenge, 2010). The property has become a conservation icon for the region due to its conservation values. About 40km of the Nebine Creek flow through the properties and it has a 4km permanent waterhole behind the old homestead. During the rainy seasons, the wetlands render the river impassable yet still it hosts a vast diversity of birds and fauna hence rendering it regionally, nationally and internationally valuable (EWB Challenge, 2010). Our design had to borrow much from the indigenous knowledge of the local community in conserving the site to design a technologically sound bridge. The following were considered in the design process: †¢ The maximum load it can support at the middle. †¢ The maximum load divided by the weight of the bridge (a measure of efficient use of materials) †¢ Aesthetic appeal of the final project to give the conservation efforts a boost. †¢ The materials to be used. We settled on locally available materials like wood to make it affordable and to make use of indigenous knowledge. The design process was geared towards solving the problem of impassable road by building a beam wooden bridge that would be capable to allow even small vehicles to go across. This was supposed to present a creative solution and involve teamwork in implementing the design. Background Information Indigenous knowledge, sometimes referred to as ‘local knowledge’, ‘traditional science’ or ‘folk knowledge’ is a form of knowledge that is unique to a culture or society. It is passed from generation to generation by word of mouth and cultural rituals and has been applied in almost all forms of life including cooking, health care, agriculture, conservation, education and several other facets of life that have sustained societies the world over. The indigenous way of practical learning has been interrupted by the abstract form of formal and academic way of learning witnessed presently (Fien, 2010). As the indigenous knowledge disappears, with it goes the valuable knowledge about ways of living sustainably. In order to fulfil our objective of the design project, first we sought to find how the Aborigines lived and travelled in the past. This we did to help us understand the local conditions and provide a productive context for our design to help the community. Traditionally Aboriginal people carried as little as possible in their journeys and usually chose implements which were multi-purpose. They would revisit favourite campsites of previous years where they had left that were too heavy to carry. These items would be left closer to water so that it wouldn’t need to be carried far. The women carried items on their heads and would make a ring shaped cushion of human hair, manguri, to wear when carrying heavy loads such as a big wooden dish etc. Men sometimes after hunting would carry a kangaroo on their heads. They carried their babies in a pouch in the back of a possum skin cloak (Berowra Valley Regional Park, 2010). This knowledge was very important in choosing the best type of bridge. Types of Bridges Several types of bridges are in existence today such as: Beam Bridges, Box Girder Bridges, Arch Bridges, Truss Bridges, Suspension Bridges, Cable Stayed Bridges. Examples of these bridges are included in the appendix Beam Bridges A beam bridge is very simple. The farther apart its supports are, the weaker it becomes. Although the beam needs careful design, it is cheap and easy to manufacture but this compromises on its beauty. Box Girder Bridges This is similar to the beam bridge but with a girder, box shaped, which makes it stronger. The girder needs careful design; it is cheap and easy to manufacture but not very beautiful. The performance of a beam bridge can be improved by using supports i. e. arches, trusses, cables. Arch Bridges Being one of the oldest types of bridge, they have great natural strength. Instead of pushing straight down, its weight is carried outward along the curve of the arch to the supports at each end. These supports or abutments carry the load and keep its ends from spreading out. Although they are heavy, they are strong if well designed and can be very beautiful. Truss Bridges Truss bridges are mostly empty space, but very effective. They are made of thin triangulated assemblies of metal members. They have a very good strength to weight performance and can be incorporated into any design. They are usually very beautiful. Suspension Bridges A suspension bridge as its name suggests, suspends the roadway from huge main cables extending from one end of the bridge to the other. All the highly stressed parts of a suspension bridge are in tension apart from the towers. These cables which rest on top of towers are secured at each end by anchorages. They have a high aesthetic value, are light and strong. They span greater distances, are expensive and are susceptible to wobble if designed improperly. Cable-Stayed Bridges The cables are attached to the towers which bear the load alone. They are very beautiful and require less cable. They are easier and faster to build but require stronger towers. Core Material The design process Design of an arch bridge. Initially, a suspension bridge and other options were considered but because of the sandy nature of the place and foundation limitations, we decided on an arch bridge. We set to design a timber bridge over the Nebine Creek not only capable of carrying pedestrians and animals but also motor vehicles. This bridge would be built on concrete and stone abutments for the many girder span designed. Instead of pushing straight down, the weight of the bridge (mainly made of laminated softwood) is carried outward along the curve of the arch to the supports at each end. These supports or abutments carry the load and keep its ends from spreading out. The abutments should carry a span of 22 meters. Four pairs of wooden beams, running lengthwise to the in relation to the bridge i. e. ‘longitudinal’, will rest on hammerhead bearings. The wooden beams are made of wooden pieces put in layers and glued together to form a larger beam. The layers, which are glued laminated wooden beams to make them more durable, are laid horizontally to form the main beam. Each pair measures 1 meter by 0. 5 meters, 15 centimetres thick. The span is 22 meters. The beams are to be made of softwoods like pine which are readily available in the community. To hold the pieces together firmly, metal brackets would be used to bolt the pieces together. On top of the stringers, small pieces of timber would be laid across and a coating of asphalt pavement would provide the road wearing surface. Since the stream has high banks and can hold rising waters caused by a flash flood during the rainy season, a concrete and stone arch bridge was chosen. The goal was to maintain the level of the road to allow for maximum potential stream flow. Traditionally, each family amongst the Aboriginal people would have a canoe, made from a single sheet of bark heated under low temperatures and then bent into shape. These canoes were used for fishing and crossing rivers especially during the rainy seasons. A base of clay built in the bottom of the canoe, would be used to light fire to cook some of the fish caught from the river. The remainder of the fish would be brought ashore to be shared amongst the rest of the people. Crossing rivers, they would put logs across minor streams and sometimes large rocks would be used (Berowra Valley Regional Park, 2010). Examples of these are shown in the appendix. A simple model would be made of wood to test the usability of the bridge. A bridge plan diagram was drawn to determine the amount necessary; this was done by tracing on the arch at the bottom with a pencil. On the model, an allowance of 10 inches is left from the end of the boards on the bottom cut to allow plenty of support on the stringers to carry the weight of the bridge. The amount of arch on the model was determined by using tack and string to make the arch. Wood glue is used to attach the pieces together, the cut out pieces are attached to the top of the stringer with a bead of wood glue and small screws (they are put on the underside so that they do not show. The pieces are then brought together to form the model beam.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Esprit Strategic Analysis Essay Example for Free

Esprit Strategic Analysis Essay In regard to a research of microenterprise in Macau, casino and gambling enterprise is the main source of income to the Macau economy. Over 80% of income is contributed in 2012. However, microenterprise is also taking an essential role to the healthy long-term development to the local economy. By doing so, a bundle of different strategies have to be conducted in each company in order to achieve the goal. Strategic Management is a way to identify competitive advantage and analyze the internal and external factors which influence one’s performance. It also helps in making a bundle of decisions for future direction and attaining sustainable development by formulating and implementing appropriate strategies. In this report, company background information, vision and mission, a series of strategy formulations and analysis are provided. Furthermore, applying various strategies in actions and implementation are attached in the following. INTRODUCTION Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei is one of the historical cafe in Macau and their exclusive hand-made pork chop bun is the icon while it will come up in mind of locals and tourists when thinking of Macau. It was established in 1968, with nearly 50 years of history located at the Taipa village. The initiate owner of the cafe was Ms. Kuok Loi Ho but the business is transmitted to her daughter Ms. Chan Ka I and other two family members. In the 1960’s, Taipa village is not well-developed as what people see today where there were lots of firecracker factories set up there. Ms. Kuok was originally operating this kind of business but it involves high risks and accidents were often occurred during that time. She later transformed her business in opening a cafe which was selling drinks only. At that period, there were many Portuguese working at the Municipal Council at Taipa next to the cafe. Ms. Kuok was taught by a Portuguese to make a pork chop bun with special Portuguese sauce and it becomes the reputable pork chop bun nowadays. Following the success of the business, more stores are rapidly opened in Macau and even Hong Kong. Besides of the flagship store at the Rua do Cunha, it can also be found in Venetian and one near Ruins of St. Paul. The food items are diversified for options which fish ball, squid, beef, and pork chop rice with onion sauce etc. are served as well. With good word-of-mouth and reputation and being recommended by many guidebooks, their main customers are tourists and it is said that the Tai Lei pork chop bun has to be tried when every tourists come to Macau. MISSION According to the owner of Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei said, their mission is â€Å"Whoever talks about pork chop bun, the first brand name come up with in their mind is Tai Lei Loi Kei.† Our group thinks that it is not strong enough in regard to be a good mission statement; therefore, we have further developed a more comprehensive mission statement below. â€Å"To be the leading role of pork chop bun market not only in Macau, but also expand the business to South-East Asian countries. As a top family style pork chop bun store, we are determined to reinforce our image by designing our own logo, slogan and brand of Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kei. With the insistence of fresh ingredients used and friendly sentimental service, we are committed to serve high value and quality products to all visitors and local residents at reasonable price. In order to meet the customers’ needs and demand in the rapid changing market, we will continue to develop new technology applying in food production and innovative products. Our dedicated team is also responsive to social community in hiring uneducated local employees as well as contribution in charity activities, in where providing growth opportunity and building a more familiar relationship to employees.† VISION â€Å"We are transforming the original operation pattern to microenterprise, with regional franchise operations not only limited to Macau but also to the South-East Asian market. We believe that an accelerated profit will be kept over the next few years. We will constantly design and launch new menu items in accordance to the local appetite in the market. Our goal is to make a remarkable profit for every branch of Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei and fulfill every customer’s expectation.† STRATEGY FORMULATION i.External Factor Evaluation Matrix (EFE) Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei – Key External Factors OpportunitiesWeightRatingWeighted Score Increase number of tourists coming to Macau0.1530.45 Better economy in South East Asia and Mainland China0.1030.30 Increase in Macau people’s purchasing power0.1030.30 Promotion coupons attached in Macau’s official tourist map may help increase awareness0.0520.10 Cooperation with the youth correctional institution may help finding manpower0.0530.15 Threats Customers are easy to change another brand to consume pork chop bun0.1020.20 Increasing number of competitors in the town selling similar product0.1510.15 Increasing amount of rent in Macau may lead Tai Lei suffer0.0520.10 Local people refuse to work in small-middle enterprises0.0520.10 Negative comments from online reviews and locals0.0520.10 Negative news in Taipa’s flagship store in December 2011 (required to close by IACM)0.0530.15 People seek for healthier food and beverage nowadays0.1020.20 TOTAL1.002.30 Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei has a total weighted score of 2.30 revealing that the company is below average in its performance to implement strategies that capitalize on external opportunities and avoid threats. ii.Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix (IFE) Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei – Key Internal Factors Strengths WeightRatingWeighted Score Old history and reputable brand name0.1040.40 Use central manufactory to produce pork chop to ensure same quality and acquired ISO recognition0.0530.15 Earning profit every year0.1540.60 Attractiveness to investors from South East Asia and Mainland China0.1540.60 Strong marketing team to develop new promotional programs and expansion strategies0.1030.30 Weaknesses Low educational level of all level of the employee0.0520.10 Lack of manpower0.1010.10 High selling price compares to similar products in the market0.1520.30 Limited amount of branches in Macau Peninsula0.0530.15 Most products are in high calories 0.1020.20 TOTAL1.002.90 Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei has a total weighted score of 2.90 indicating that the company is above average in its effort to implement strategies that utilize on internal strengths and minimize weaknesses. iii.Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM) Two core competitors are identified in accordance to geographic location, product, quality and price. Cafà © E.S.KIMO is the first Taiwanese coffee shop in Macau (MGTO, 2012), with the immersion of local favors. It also provide famous pork chop bun with a very nice unit price of MOP 13. It has many branches across the town as well as mainland China. In the Taipa branch which just located opposite to Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei, it placed an easy-up banner (see picture 1) outside of the store showing that â€Å"Macau’s famous pork chop bun only sells MOP 13† (see picture 2). Another competitor is â€Å"Taipa’s famous pork chop bun† (named Taipa pork chop bun below) located in Rua do Cunha, which also selling pork chop bun with unit price of MOP 23 and Kopi Luwak (a kind of high quality coffee). Cafà © Tai Lei Loi KeiCafà © E.S.KIMOTaipa Pork Chop Bun Critical Success FactorsWeightRatingScoreRatingScoreRatingScore Advertising0.1020.2030.3010.10 Food Quality0.1530.4530.4520.30 Dietary Consideration0.1020.2030.3020.20 Service Quality0.1030.3030.3020.20 Price Competitiveness0.1020.2040.4020.20 Management0.0330.0930.0920.06 Financial Position0.0530.1530.1520.10 Customer Loyalty0.0520.1040.2010.05 Reputation0.0540.2040.2020.10 Global Expansion0.1520.3030.4510.15 Market Share0.0530.1540.2020.10 Accessibility0.0330.0940.1210.03 Atmosphere of Restaurant0.0420.0840.1620.08 Total1.002.513.321.67 According to the result of CPM, it shows that Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei has a total weighted score of 2.51 which is just above average. Comparing to the other two core competitors, the company is situated in the middle; while Cafà © E.S.KIMO is performing the best among them. iv.Strategic Position Action Evaluation Matrix (SPACE) According to the result of the SPACE Matrix, it showed that the strategic position of Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei is aggressive (1, 1.11). The environment is stable, have the strong competitiveness and financial background. The appropriate strategies are backward, forward, horizontal integration, market penetration, market development, product development and diversification. v.SWOT Matrix Strength 1.Old history and reputable brand name 2.Use central manufactory to produce pork chop to ensure same quality and acquired ISO recognition 3.Earning profit every year 4.Attractiveness to investors from South East Asia and Mainland China 5.Strong marketing team to develop new promotional programs and expansion strategiesWeakness 1.Low educational level of all level of the employee 2.Lack of manpower 3.High selling price compares to similar products in the market 4.Limited amount of branches in Macau Peninsula 5.Most products are in high calories Opportunities 1.Increase number of tourists coming to Macau 2.Better economy in South East Asia and Mainland China 3.Increase in Macau people’s purchasing power 4.Promotion coupons attached in Macau’s official tourist map may help increase awareness 5.Cooperation with the youth correctional institution may help finding manpowerS1, S4, S5, O2 Expand the business to South East Asia and Mainland China S1, O1, O2, O3 Put more efforts on the advertisement and promotion in existing market Threat 1.Customers are easy to change another brand to consume pork chop bun 2.Increasing number of competitors in the town selling similar product 3.Increasing amount of rent in Macau may lead Tai Lei suffer 4.Local people refuse to work in small-middle enterprises 5.Negative comments from online reviews and locals 6.Negative news in Taipa’s flagship store in December 2011 (required to close by IACM) 7.People seek for healthier food and beverage nowadays-W3, T3 – Acquire supplier company to lower the cost W5, T7 Develop healthier product to capture the market share of the â€Å"healthy followers† i.Acquire supplier company According to the W3 and T3, it shows that Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei is suffering the very high rent in Macau, especially the shop located in the Taipa old town which costs them almost MOP 150,000 per month. Furthermore, Tai Lei has set the selling price in a high level comparing with other similar products in the market in order to balance their financial statement. However, it does not help with the cost issue. We suggest that backward integration strategy would be suitable for them. Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei has already taken care of their distribution; therefore, they can acquire some of the supplier companies such as the company which provides bread and pork chop. With the implementation of this strategy, they can have better control in the cost of their business and they might lower the price to attract more customers. ii.Develop healthier product Nowadays, people concern their health more than before. The trend of the current environment is tent to buy healthy and green products and company always promotes well-being. However, the products of Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei are high calories and fats and it’s not what the current market looks for. According to the W5 and T7, it indicated the need to develop healthier food. For example, Tai Lei can invest a new product which claims at healthiness, such as using organic vegetables, low fat milk, vegetable oil, etc. iii.Expand the business to South East Asia and Mainland China According to the strength 1, 4, 5 and opportunity 2 and the concept of the market development, it discloses that Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei have a strong power to expand their business out of Macau. They are successful and have a long history of their business and have already accumulated a well reputation. In addition, they are famous to the South East Asia and Mainland China. It’s attractiveness to the investors from those countries to invest a new business in there. Moreover, the economy of South East Asia and Mainland China are doing well nowadays, it’s one of the motivators that Tai Lei should expand their business to the two markets. iv.Put more efforts on the advertisement and promotion in existing market In strength 1 and opportunity 1, 2, 3, we suggest Tai Lei can create a new strategy with application of market penetration. Tai Lei owns two branches in Hong Kong and three in Macau. Hong Kong and Macau are popular tourism cities in the world, especially Macau; the number of tourists coming to Macau is increasing rapidly. Moreover, according to the opportunity 2, there is better economy in South East Asia and Mainland China, and the main tourists of Hong Kong and Macau are come from those countries. Advertisement and promotion can help to introduce Tai Lei to those tourists before the company enters to these two new markets. For example, using celebrities to promote the brand and product or distribute coupons via different channels. If Tai Lei put more efforts to do the advertisement and promotion in Hong Kong and Macau, it can attract more consumers and increase the market share. vi.Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) A QSPM for Cafà © de Tai Lei Loi Kei Acquire supplier companyPut more efforts on the advertisement and promotion in exiting marketExpand the business to South East Asia and Mainland ChinaDevelop healthier product External FactorWeightASTASASTASASTASASTAS Opportunities 1.Increase number of tourists coming to Macau0.1510.1540.6020.3030.45 2.Better economy in Southeast Asia and Mainland China0.1010.1030.3040.4020.20 3.Increase in Macau people’s purchasing power0.1020.2030.3010.1040.40 4.Promotion coupons attached in Macau’s official tourist map may help increase awareness0.0530.1540.2000.0030.15 5.Cooperation with the youth correctional institution may help finding manpower0.05- - - - - - - -  Threat 1.Customers are easy to change another brand to consume pork chop bun0.1020.2040.4010.1030.30 2.Increasing number of competitors in the town selling similar product0.1520.3040.6010.1530.45 3.Increasing amount of rent in Macau may lead Tai Lei suffer0.05-  -  - -  4.Local people refuse to work in small-middle enterprises0.05- - -    5.Negative comments from online reviews and locals0.0510.0540.2030.1520.10 6.Negative news in Taipa’s flagship store in December 2011 (required to close by IACM)0.0510.0540.2020.1030.15 7.People seek for healthier food and beverage nowadays0.1010.1020.2030.3040.40 Sub Total1.00 1.30 3.00 1.60 2.60 Internal FactorWeightASTASASTASASTASASTAS Strengths 1.Old history and reputable brand name0.1010.1040.4030.3020.20 2.Use central manufactory to produce pork chop to ensure same quality and acquired ISO recognition0.05-    - - -  3.Earning profit every year0.1510.1530.4540.6020.30 4.Attractiveness to investors from South East Asia and Mainland China0.1510.1530.4540.6020.30 5.Strong marketing team to develop new promotional programs and expansion strategies0.1010.1040.4030.3020.20 Weakness 1.Low educational level of all level of the employee0.05- - - - - - - -  2.Lack of manpower0.10 -  - - 3.High selling price compares to similar products in the market0.1540.6020.3010.1530.45 4.Limited amount of branches in Macau Peninsula0.0510.0540.2030.1520.10 5.Most products are in high calories 0.1010.1030.3020.2040.40 Subtotal1.00 1.252.50 2.301.95 Sub Total Attractiveness Score  2.555.50 3.904.55 As the table of QSPM for Cafà © de Tai Lei Loi Kei show that the left two columns are extracted verbatim from the EFEM and IFEM of Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kei and also note that four alternative strategies – 1) Acquire supplier company 2) Develop healthier product 3) Expand the business to South East Asia and Mainland China 4) Put more efforts on the advertisement and promotion in exiting market – were from the company’s SWOT Matrix. Moreover, the Attractiveness Score (AS) from1 to 4 is used to reveal each strategy’s attractiveness given the respective external or internal factor, where 4 is the best and 1 is the least attractive. Work row by row in developing the QSPM and decide which strategy is the best for the external or internal factor. After conducted the QSPM, the strategy of â€Å"Put more efforts on the advertisement and promotion in exiting market† was highly recommended based on the result of the sum total of the Attractiveness Score from QSPM and it acquired the highest score of 5.50. The second recommendation strategy is â€Å"Develop healthier product† and the third one is â€Å"Expand the business to South East Asia and Mainland China† due the priority of the Attractiveness Score, which is 4.55 and 3.90. QSPM can be important information for a firm to make decision of strategies. The strategy of the Attractiveness Score below 3 in the QSPM is not taken into the consideration. The reason of chosen â€Å"Put more efforts on the advertisement and promotion in exiting market† as the highly recommend strategy, the Attractiveness Score of this strategy in the sector of external factor, there are two  opportunities are rated as 4 and two rated as 3 reflecting that the strategy was attractive enough to fulfill those opportunities and one of the opportunities is not related; those opportunities are related to the market trends – the chance for increasing sales because the tourists, especially the South East Asian and Mainland China tourists, are flooding to Macau tourism market and the booming economy increase the spending ability of local people as well. In addition, two threats about the competitors become more and more because of the opportunities that they can gain the market share of pork chop bun, besides; two threats related to lots of negative comments, news are appeared on the internet, newspaper and magazine. Therefore, a strategy of â€Å"Put more efforts on the advertisement and promotion in exiting market† got the highest score on Attractiveness Score because it can against this situation by create more promotional advertisements and distributed by mass media in order to capture the largest amount of pork chop bun market share, by the way; this strategy can break the negative comments and news as well. The remaining one about the shortage of man power in Macau cannot solve by the firm themselves due to the government policy. On the other hand, in the internal factor, two strengths are rated as 4 and two strengths are rated as 3 to show that Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kei has the ancient and reputation brand name, the ISO recognition and the new hire marketing team so it is attractive enough to get the attention of investors all over the world, besides they had good financial report on earn profit per year. Thus, â€Å"Put more efforts on the advertisement and promotion in existing market† can be chosen as a tool to attract more investors so as to expand the pork chop bun market by the promotional advertisement about the ancient and reputation brand name and cooperate with the new hire marketing team, the expanding no longer focus on Macao but Southeast Asia. And one strength does not have any relationship of this strategy. Moreover, one of the weaknesses is rated as 2 and one is rated as 4 related to higher price and do not have enough branches in Macau, so the promotional poster or promote in the travel guide book to emphasis the ancient brand name with â€Å"where to buy instruction that can be a good solution to against the weaknesses which already excited in Tai Lei, furthermore; one of the weaknesses is rated as 3 for the less of healthier food, thus first at all, Tai Lei prove some health product then use â€Å"Put  more efforts on the advertisement and promotion in existing market† to do more promotion of the related product. And the other weaknesses are no impacted on this strategy. STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION i.Acquire supplier company Acquisition is one of the backward integration methods. Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei could acquire suppliers such as the pork chop and bread suppliers, etc. This benefits Tai Lei because it eliminates the profit which normal suppliers get from Tai Lei, causing reduction of cost. Upon the acquisition, Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei may have to keep all the original staff of the suppliers. However, the organizational culture of the two firms may be different so it becomes difficult for Tai Lei to persuade all staff to have full commitment to the Cafà ©. Remuneration package have to been discussed again in order to retain all experienced staff. ii.Develop healthier product Inventing and creating new flavor products will be a way for Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei to survive in the keen competition. Customers are always looking for new products and innovations, especially some healthy food. After the launch of new products, it takes Tai Lei a long period of time to test the market response and to see whether the customers accept the new products or not. Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei will definitely bear the risk that the new products do not help them to expand the product line and obtain good response from customers. iii.Expand the business to South East Asia and Mainland China It costs Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei a lot to expand a new market, such as some South East Asian countries. They have to spend a lot on marketing campaigns and promotion methods. Tai Lei has to tolerate the heavy marketing expenses and at the same time, bear the risk that the customers from new market do not accept this kind of new products. The marketing strategies with high cost will affect Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei’s profit. iv.Put more efforts on the advertisement and promotion in existing market By applying the same concept with the expansion of new market in South East Asian countries, Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei has to spend a lot to emphasis more on the marketing effort within the existing markets, Macau and Hong Kong. It will be beneficial for them to focus more on the existing market since it is easier to retain customers rather than attracting new customers. However, the high marketing cost decreases Tai Lei’s revenue at the same time. CONCLUSION Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei is a local brand with long history, selling its superior pork chop bun to delight customers with most efforts. According to the interview result and data, we created a brand new vision and mission for Tai Lei. Those interview result includes its internal strengths and weaknesses, external opportunities and threats and many other factors which may affect the future development and performance of Tai Lei. A number of matrixes have been conducted to better analysis the current situation of Tai Lei. After all the matrixes analysis, four strategies have been developed. We suggest Cafà © Tai Lei Loi Kei to adopt these four strategies, in order to further develop and expand its own business and have a more prosperous future.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Reality of Body Image through Social Media

The Reality of Body Image through Social Media Ahmad El-Zein As a society, people have and continue to look down on others with different perspectives in both positive and negative ways. To this day, social media has affected and changed our way of looking at ourselves or how we look at others. In other words, social media has affected the way we look at body image. Everyone is unique because of their individual, physical traits. Even though we have our opinion on our perfect body, changing ones personal features takes away from their individuality. Social media changes our perception of beauty and body image. It allows us to think of others in a different point of view which may affect how we feel or think about ourselves.   Did you know that the average woman is 54, and weighs one hundred and fifty pounds? The average female model is 511 and weighs one hundred and seventeen pounds (Chojnacki). The average male is 510 and weighs one hundred and eighty-three pounds. The average male model is 62 and weighs one hundred and sixty-five pounds. Eighty percent of women say that women magazines, ads, and television make them insecure (Dam). Forty-two percent of girls from the first through third grade say that they want to be thinner. So how do we think in our right minds that it is appropriate or okay to show Photoshop models as an idolized image of beauty? It is quite mind-boggling and heartbreaking to compare when we see ribs, collarbones on an animal. It is gut wrenching and viewed as abusive, yet when we see it on a male or female, it is described as being beautiful or sexy, and what to strive for and how it is healthy. We are told that men are all needed to have abs and muscles to be attractive. Social media wants us to see the physical attributes of people and not the mental attributes. Once in a blue moon, Seventeen Magazine, Vogue or Vanity Fair will show a pretty, attractive face that needs a little fix here and there, yet the aggressive use of techniques like the other times is disturbing, dont you think? Instagram has a huge affect on body image. Tell me you have not used an Instagram filter that makes you look better before uploading or editing a photo before posting it on other social media websites such as Facebook. It is as same concept yet to a more extreme. As quoted by Professor Susan J Paxton Social media has allowed us to view pictures in magazines and on TV that show thin, attractive women or muscular, lean men have been shown to lead to body dissatisfaction. Now do not run off thinking I am saying models and celebrities are ugly and not beautiful without Photoshop because that is clearly not true. However, what is true is that social media has altered the way we see people, and we define them as either attractive or ugly/hideous. It may influence people to on the wrong path, as in approaching drugs or medicines that may alter the way someone looks in a positive way. The word Beautiful is naturally symmetrical to the eye and is not perfect. Sure people will get bags under at some point, it does not mean their ugly, forty-year-old women can have cellulite in her thighs and still be in shape and does not mean she is ugly. A man can be overweight and not have the perfect model body, but it does not mean he is ugly. What makes a person ugly is how he or she behaves towards themselves, others or to the world. What makes someone beautiful is how they love themselves, others and the world they live in. Accept the fact social media does not give you the truth and accept that you were born with what you have. Dont go comparing yourself to professional models and celebrities. Their main job is to maintain an appearance. They have their connections, recourses and access for expensive treatment, vacations, and designer clothes. Just remember, reality is different to what gets posted through social media. We have to remember that we are all beautiful in our way. You need to get that tape out of your head that is telling you that models and celebrities who consistently post on social media are winning at life. Ladies, the world is not expecting you to be a size DD (Double-D), just be who you are. The world does not expect us, men, to have abs. Just be who you are. The media has created so much of a problem to this day. The downfalls through social media are that people view ugliness as someone with less appealing physical attributes that they may compare to celebrities or models. Getting the specific amount of likes on Instagram or Facebook does not define you on how you look. Success is at your fingertips. Your success is not based on your bra size, or how big your biceps is. It is based on your morals, passions, personality and so much more than just appearance. From now on, dont let social media tell you h ow your body should look. Works Cited Chojnacki, Mary Signe, et al. Influence of Magazines on College-Age Females Body Image. Depleting Body Image, www.ssc.wisc.edu/~jpiliavi/357/body-image.htm.Web Dam, Julie K.L. How Do I Look? Vol. 54 No. 10. PEOPLE.com, Time Inc, 4 Sept. 2000, people.com/archive/cover-story-how-do-i-look-vol-54-no-10/. Web Paxton, Susan J. Social media can damage body image heres how to counteract it. The Conversation, 12 Jan. 2017, theconversation.com/social-media-can-damage-body-image-heres-how-to-counteract-it-65717.

My Philosophies on Leadership and Management Essay -- Leadership and M

Introduction Examples of sound leadership can be found in many places. I very much admire individuals in my life who exhibited extraordinary aptitude in creating influence. From our small-town pastor to my favorite elementary teacher, I have striven to catalyze the same type of positive change I found in these models with others around me looking for a source of leadership. Until the completion of this course, however, I did not have the theoretical knowledge to work proven leadership methods into my projects. The purpose of this overview will be an attempt to overlay leadership research paradigms gleaned through my time in this class onto my personal leadership and managerial philosophies. Perspective of Humankind People deserve to be treated fairly and justly. As a result of this conviction, a strong sense of ethics constitutes a major implication in my overall philosophy of leadership. It is imperative for leaders to involve themselves with followers and aid them in resolving personal issues regarding conflicting values (Burns, 1978). In order to bring a follower to a higher level of functioning, it is the respon ¬sibility of the leader to help followers assess their own ideals of equality, liberty, justice, and others. In my assumption, ethics is the central characteristic of the process of being a leader. Managerial Philosophy As a manager, success is most often measured by the achievement of organizational tasks. However, another element of managerial success that may be more difficult to quantify (but is no less vital) is how the leader attends to the people in the organization who are trying to achieve its goals. Measuring concern for production in tandem with concern for people was the product... ... Sage. Jung, C. G. (1923). Psychological types. New York: Harcourt Brace. Kogler-Hill, S. E. (2007). Team leadership. In P. G. Northouse (Ed.), Leadership: Theory and practice (4th ed., pp. 207–236). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Kuhnert, K. W., & Lewis, P. (1987). Transactional and transformational leadership: A constructive/developmental analysis. Academy of Management Review, 12(4), 648–657. Larson, C. E., & LaFasto, F. M. J. (1989). Teamwork: What must go right/what can go wrong. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Levi, D. (2011). Group dynamics for teams. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Luthans, F., & Avolio, B. J. (2003). Authentic leadership development. In K. S. Cameron, J. E. Parker, G. M. (1990). Team players and teamwork. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning orga ¬nization. New York: Doubleday. My Philosophies on Leadership and Management Essay -- Leadership and M Introduction Examples of sound leadership can be found in many places. I very much admire individuals in my life who exhibited extraordinary aptitude in creating influence. From our small-town pastor to my favorite elementary teacher, I have striven to catalyze the same type of positive change I found in these models with others around me looking for a source of leadership. Until the completion of this course, however, I did not have the theoretical knowledge to work proven leadership methods into my projects. The purpose of this overview will be an attempt to overlay leadership research paradigms gleaned through my time in this class onto my personal leadership and managerial philosophies. Perspective of Humankind People deserve to be treated fairly and justly. As a result of this conviction, a strong sense of ethics constitutes a major implication in my overall philosophy of leadership. It is imperative for leaders to involve themselves with followers and aid them in resolving personal issues regarding conflicting values (Burns, 1978). In order to bring a follower to a higher level of functioning, it is the respon ¬sibility of the leader to help followers assess their own ideals of equality, liberty, justice, and others. In my assumption, ethics is the central characteristic of the process of being a leader. Managerial Philosophy As a manager, success is most often measured by the achievement of organizational tasks. However, another element of managerial success that may be more difficult to quantify (but is no less vital) is how the leader attends to the people in the organization who are trying to achieve its goals. Measuring concern for production in tandem with concern for people was the product... ... Sage. Jung, C. G. (1923). Psychological types. New York: Harcourt Brace. Kogler-Hill, S. E. (2007). Team leadership. In P. G. Northouse (Ed.), Leadership: Theory and practice (4th ed., pp. 207–236). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Kuhnert, K. W., & Lewis, P. (1987). Transactional and transformational leadership: A constructive/developmental analysis. Academy of Management Review, 12(4), 648–657. Larson, C. E., & LaFasto, F. M. J. (1989). Teamwork: What must go right/what can go wrong. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Levi, D. (2011). Group dynamics for teams. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Luthans, F., & Avolio, B. J. (2003). Authentic leadership development. In K. S. Cameron, J. E. Parker, G. M. (1990). Team players and teamwork. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning orga ¬nization. New York: Doubleday.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Anthem Paper -- essays research papers

â€Å"We do not think of them as Liberty 5-3000 any longer. We have given them a name in our thoughts. We call them the Golden One. But it is a sin to give men names which distinguish them from other men. Yet we call them the Golden One, for they are not like the others. The Golden One are not like the others.† In Anthem, by Ayn Rand, the character Equality 7-2521 writes this passage about the female character Liberty 5-3000. He states that he (rather, ‘we’, since he still refers to himself in the plural) has given her a name, other than the noun and number she was assigned. Throughout the book, the significance of names is that, among other things, they imply independence, and freedom from the collective ‘we’ of society. A name is inherent to the person to whom it belongs, and by having a name, the Golden One automatically rises above the other members of the city. The fact that her name is given to her by someone else, as opposed to being chosen by herself, implies possession. By naming her ‘in his thoughts’, Equality has made her inherently his as well. Her name is a part of her identity which belongs to him, since he is the one who has bestowed it upon her. The name itself is a statement of individuality for both Liberty and Equality. For her because it singles her out among the others as being better and worth naming. For Equality, it is a testament to how much he has progressed in his thinking. He calls her the Golden One, implying singularity and individuality in a socie...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Challenges for US Counter-terrorism Efforts Essay -- September 11 Terr

Challenges for US Counter-terrorism Efforts    As a direct consequence of September 11, a number of substantial challenges lie ahead in the area of counter-terrorism..  Ã‚   The most prominent of these is the changing nature of the terrorism phenomenon.   In past years, when terrorism was largely the product of direct state sponsorship, policymakers were able to diminish prospects for the United States becoming a target using a combination of diplomatic and military instruments to deter potential state sponsors.   Today, however, many terrorist organizations and individuals act independently from former and present state sponsors, shifting to other sources of support, including the development of transnational networks.    Many terrorism experts have suggested a shift in the type of violence terrorists are willing to inflict.   Terrorism statistics indicate an overall reduction in the number of terrorism incidents per year, but an increase in the number of victims per incidents.   While the number of historical cases of terrorists using CBRN weaponry is low, this trend toward increasing violence and less state control may drive certain terrorist groups toward unconventional weapons.   On the other hand, the reduction in direct state support may decrease the terrorist's ability to acquire or independently develop CBRN weapons. These shifts have produced a number of policy and program initiatives designed to better deter and prevent future acts of terrorism while also building a national capacity to effectively respond to terrorism incidents involving the full range of weapon types.      A key challenge is working both at home and abroad to identify, track, and defeat terrorist groups before they undertake acts of violen... ... more fully explored.    As we move forward after September 11, terrorism receives increased attention in the foreign policy, national defense, and law enforcement communities. As we assess and formulate our international and national commitments, policymakers are likely to consider possible impacts of terrorism on those commitments and on public and political support vital to those commitments.   The challenges facing us in assessing threats, allocating resources, and insuring an effective congressional role in counter-terrorism policy are complex.   But inherent in challenges are opportunities to bring together the diverse elements of the counter-terrorism community to share information, experiences, ideas, and creative suggestions about how to effectively deal with this growing national security, law enforcement, and public policy concern.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Â