“Beyond thee Influence” by K. Ketcham

The book â€Å"Beyond thee Influence: Understanding and Defeating Alcoholism† by Katherine Ketcham is devoted to the problem of alcoholism and the author ties to fill in the gaps in knowledge. The author discusses current theory of alcoholism, defines its causes and consequences and says that alcoholism is disease, not weakness of willpower. The book is divided into three sections: â€Å"The Problem†, â€Å"The Solution†, â€Å"The Future†. Evidently, the firsts section discusses the origins of alcoholism, defines the terms and describes what is going on in the body.The section provides details overview of three mechanisms involved in the metabolism of alcohol. The author involves also brain damage and dependence on alcohol, as well as three stages of alcoholism – early, middle and late. The second section is devoted to finding solutions to fight alcoholic dependency. Ketcham talks about diagnosing an alcoholic, intervention and treatment options. S pecial attention is paid to the Sundown M being a famous treatment of alcoholism that helped more than 30,000 alcoholics.Furthermore, the role of family involvement is underlined. Finally, the third section how it is possible to reduce the impact of alcohol and what changes to implement to decrease the rates. The author discusses alcohol industry, advertising, etc. According to author, alcohol’s effect can be changed through penalties for drunk driving, higher liquor taxes and more informative education programs for children, teenagers and adults. Moreover, the section involves personal stories about devastating effect of alcohol consumption on future life.It is necessary to mention that the book is well-written and well-organized. Despite the fact that discussion of metabolism and cellular interactions are rather difficult for understanding, the whole book id well suited for most teenagers and adults. The style of writing is very elementary and every person with high school education is able to comprehend it. Actually, the book is of great importance for people with drinking problems. References Ketcham, Katherine. (2000). Beyond thee Influence: Understanding and Defeating Alcoholism. New York: Bantam Books.

Theory and Practice of Work with Young People

‘The group constituted an open air society, a communal gathering which had great importance socially, culturally and economically. ——— During each nightly meeting the young worker, once fully integrated, listened, questioned, argued and received unawares an informal education..' (Roberts in Smith, 1998:24). Describing his experience of street groups in the early part of the 20th century, Roberts uses the term ‘informal education' to describe the accidental learning that took place as a direct result of the interaction between young working men. But can what we call ‘informal education' in the 21st century be described as accidental? Mark Smith argues that whilst: ‘Learning may at first seem to be incidental it is not necessarily accidental; actions are taken with some purpose. The specific goal may not be clear at any one time – yet the process is deliberate.' (Smith, 1994:63). Throughout this assignment I shall be exploring the term ‘informal education', examining its origins and meanings, its purpose and practice. Using historical information to examine the early roots of present day youth work, I shall asking whether anything has really changed in the past 150 years by exploring the issues that I face in my day to day practice as a youth and community worker. In 1755 Jean Jacques Rousseau published his work ‘A Discourse on Inequality' and argued that as civilisations grew, they corrupted: ‘Mans natural happiness and freedom by creating artificial inequalities of wealth, power and social privilege' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/thinkers/et-rous.htm) In 1801 Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi published How Gertrude Teaches Her Children. Like Rousseau, Pestalozzi was concerned with social justice and he sought to work with those he considered to be adversely affected by social conditions, seeing in education an opportunity for improvement. (Smith, 2001). In the first half of the 20th century John Dewey published three books that built on the earlier work of educationalists like Rousseau and Pestalozzi. These works heavily influenced the development of informal education as we know it today since they: ‘Included a concern with democracy and community; with cultivating reflection and thinking; with attending to experience and the environment.' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/thinkers/et-hist.htm#theory). In 1946 Josephine Macalister Brew's book Informal Education: Adventures and Reflections, brought informal education into the realm of youth work. This was followed in 1966 by The Social Education of the Adolescent by Bernard Davies and Alan Gibson. Since then there have been numerous works on the subject of informal education, most notably, in relation to youth work, those of Tony Jeffs and Mark Smith. So what exactly is informal education? Like many terms in use today, it is widely used to describe an enormous variety of settings and activities. In 1960 the Albermarle Report used it to describe youth work provision as: ‘The continued social and informal education of young people in terms most likely to bring them to maturity'. (in Smith, 1988:124). Houle (1980) favoured the experiential definition of informal education describing it as ‘education that occurs as a result of direct participation in the events of life' (In Smith, 1988:130), whilst Mark Smith said ‘one way of thinking about informal education is as the informed use of the everyday in order to enable learning' (Smith, 1988:130). In 2001 Smith went further, describing informal education that: ‘* works through and is driven by conversation * involves exploring and enlarging experience * can take place in any setting' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm) And of its purpose: ‘At one level, the purpose of informal education is no different to any other form of education. In one situation we may focus on, say, healthy eating, in another family relationships. However, running through all this is a concern to build the sorts of communities and relationships in which people can be happy and fulfilled.' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm). Whilst I would agree with Mark Smiths definition of informal education there is and has been an enormous diversity of opinions, theories and explanations of exactly what sort of community we need for people to be happy and fulfilled. Smith's assertion that the role of informal educators is to work towards all people being able to share a ‘common life' with an emphasis on: ‘Work for the well-being of all, respect the unique value and dignity of each human being, dialogue, equality and justice, democracy and the active involvement of people in the issues that affect their lives' (Smith, 2001, http://www.infed.org/i-intro.htm) involves a commitment to anti-oppressive practice that is expounded in much of the literature surrounding the field of informal education. But this has not always been the case and can we hand on heart honestly lay claim to practicing liberating education in our work today? Whilst Rousseau, Pestalozzi and Dewey all identified structural inequalities and believed that ‘education is the fundamental method of social progress and reform' (Dewey in Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/archives/e-texts/e-dew-pc.htm) the application of their theories were not always applied to the work of those who first began providing services for young people. Indeed early ventures into the field of youth work are often seen as controlling not liberating and as overtly oppressive instead of anti-oppressive. ‘The early youth service history in both England and Wales has been described – as a time when work with young people was characterised by both appalling social and employment conditions and by rapid social and political change caused by the development of an industrialised urban society' (Jones & Rose, 2001:27) It is within this context that intervention by middle class societies and organisations in the 1800's was seen to be necessary in order to rescue, control and/or rehabilitate young, working class people. Concern over the working conditions of children and young people brought into being an array of groups, clubs and educational services and policies designed to rescue and protect young people from the worst excesses of employment practices and the failure of working class parents to provide a suitable and controlled home life. ‘Working class adolescents were thought to be most likely to display delinquent and rebellious characteristics – because it was widely assumed that working class parents exercised inadequate control over brutal adolescent instincts' (Humphries 1981 in Smith, 1988:9) This moral underclass discourse lays the blame for social inequalities, poverty and disaffection solely on the shoulders of the working class themselves because: ‘The problems faced are then seen not so much as structural but as personal. The central deficit is often portrayed as emotional or moral' (Smith, 1988:56). And it also suggests that: ‘Their behaviour, without coercion and control, will mean that they will remain unable to join the included majority' (Payne, 2001: handout) By the end of the 19th century, compulsory education and a growing number of welfare statutes meant that youth workers focus shifted from welfare and rescue to a concern with the moral character of young people which was underpinned by the growing influence of Victorian family ideology. ‘The Victorian middle class had very definite ideas about the ideal family and the desirability of imposing such an ideal upon the whole of society.' (Finnegan, 1999:129) This was: ‘Not just a family ideology but also a gender ideology. It was a careful and deliberate attempt to reorganise the relations between the sexes according to middle-class ways and values and then define the outcome as somehow being natural' (Smith, 1988:4) Thompson says of this view: ‘To describe, for example, the traditional male role of breadwinner as ‘natural' adds a false, pseudo-biological air of legitimacy.' (Thomspon, 2001:28) This was at a time when the ‘discovery' of adolescence by Hall and Slaughter and a biologically determined explanation of human behaviour meant that: ‘Those who saw it as their duty or job to intervene in the lives of young people, now had a suitable vocabulary of scientific terms with which to carry forward their intentions' (Smith, 1988:9) The Biological determination of human behaviour further justified differentiated gender roles within the family as well as creating an: ‘Ideology of adolescence marked out (by) a biologically determined norm of youthful behaviour and appearance which was white/anglo, middle class, heterosexual, able bodied male' (Griffin, 1993:18) However, just as family ideology was a driving force in determining social relations at the beginning of the twentieth century; it is just as powerful here in the twenty-first. Roche & Tucker say that: ‘It is through the use of the representations (discursive messages and images) contained within ‘family ideology' that social policies and educational and welfare arrangements are constructed and maintained.' (Roche & Tucker 2001:94) Gittins agreed: ‘Family ideology has been a vital means – the vital means – of holding together and legitimising the existing social, economic, political and gender systems.' (Gittins in Roche & Tucker 2001:94) This is significant if Driver and Martell are correct in asserting that present day ‘Labour increasingly favours conditional, morally prescriptive, conservative and individual communitarianisms' (Driver & Martell, 1997:27) which Etzioni believed would right the social problems of today that are attributable to the ‘failure of people to exercise social and moral responsibility' (Etzioni in Henderson & Salmon, 1988:22). Etzioni emphasised the role of the traditional nuclear family in inculcating in children the right moral standards and he described communitarianism saying: ‘Communitarians – call for a peer marriage of two parents committed to one another and their children' (Etzioni in Henderson & Salmon, 1988:22) Like the Victorians, present day government can be seen as equally keen to legislate into being their ideology of the nuclear family through the use of stricter divorce laws and punitive measures imposed on single parents. The decision to cut lone parent premiums from income support and child benefit in 1998 are examples of a willingness to impose their ideology on society as a whole despite the fact that what they are proposing as ‘normal' or ‘natural' is not bourn out statistically. ‘The ideological norm of the nuclear family is often presented as if it were a statistical norm whereas, in fact, only 23% of households follow the nuclear family pattern of biological parents with their dependent children.' (Thompson, 2001:28) Michael Anderson also points out that despite the belief that the traditional family has only recently become fragmented, marital break up was a regular feature of 19th century Britain and is not peculiar to the 20th century. Comparing marital dissolution caused by death in 1826 and by death and divorce in 1980, Anderson concluded that: ‘The problem of marital break-up is not then new – (it) was clearly, statistically, an equally or even more serious problem' (Anderson in Drake, 1994:73) However, this desire and determination to bring about a particular kind of society influenced by a set of morals and ideals is reminiscent of Mark Smiths definition of the purpose of informal education as: ‘A concern to build the sorts of communities and relationships in which people can be happy and fulfilled.' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm). The only real difference lies in the definition of what makes for community fulfilment and happiness. Smith says that informal education: ‘Involves setting out with the intention of fostering learning. It entails influencing the environment and is based on a commitment to certain values..' (Smith, 1999:19). It would not be difficult to describe the efforts of the middle class in the 19th century in such a way although with our 21st century eyes we now believe we can read the intended control and oppression of working class communities behind their ideals. But in the 21st century are we actually doing much better? If our suspicions concerning the intentionality behind the actions of Victorian middle class youth workers are correct, can we say our own intentionality is any purer? If intentionality can be understood as power as defined by Bertrand Russell when he says that power is the ‘production of intended effects' (in Jeffs & Smith, 1990:5), we could be accused of wielding power in order to create the sorts of communities and relationships in which people can be happy and fulfilled' (Smith, 2001, www.infed.org/i-intro.htm), according to our own philosophies, beliefs and current hegemonic principles, in much the same way that we accuse the middle class philanthropists of the 19th century. Is the ability to wield power to effect change in the lives of others conducive with a practice that has at its heart a commitment to anti-discriminatory practice which: ‘Means recognising power imbalances and working towards the promotion of change to redress the balance of power' (Dalrympole & Burke, 2000:15). As professional workers we can also be considered middle class? All of which begs the question, have we more in common with our predecessors than we like to think? It is certainly possible that they too thought they were operating with the same ‘moral authority' that Jeffs & Smith describe as part of an informal educators role in: ‘Being seen by others as people with integrity, wisdom and an understanding of right and wrong' (Jeffs & Smith, 1999:85) Especially in their desire to provide a ‘strong guiding influence to lead them (young people) onward and upward socially and morally' (Sweatman, 1863 in Smith, 1988:12). No doubt they would also have agreed with Kerry Young's description of youth work as supporting ‘young people's moral deliberations and learning' (Young in Banks, 1999:89). But early youth workers cannot be described as concerned with equality and anti-oppressive practice. On the contrary, their work was: ‘Contained within particular class, gender, racial and age structures: a woman's place was in the home, to be British was to be best, betters were to be honoured and youth had to earn its advancement and wait its turn' (Smith, 1988:19) This made life extremely difficult for anyone who did not fit the stereotypical image of British youth. Tolerance and respect for other races and religious systems was not a feature of informal education and, for example, the estimated 100,000 Jewish immigrants that arrived in Britain between 1840 and 1914 had great difficulty: ‘Maintaining a distinctive culture in a climate of oppression and restriction – (coupled with) pressures – to acculturate to middle-class norms' (Pryce, 2001:82) So what of my practice, of my intentionality? Do I operate from a moral underclass ideology that blames homeless young people for their situation or do I work from a redistributive discourse that sees the issue of poverty as central to the exclusion these young people experience? Can what I do in my day to day practice be termed informal education? Am I concerned with oppression and anti-oppressive practice? Much of what I and Nightstop as an agency do in our work involves enabling young people to live within a system that is discriminatory, unfair and biased towards a particular form of family ideology that suggests that young people should remain dependent on their parents until financially independent or aged 25 which means that they are entitled to lower rates of benefit. Even those young people who work find themselves living on lower wages than their older colleagues. Christine Griffin argued that the discovery of adolescence: ‘Emerged primarily as a consequence of changes in class relations as expanding capitalist economies demanded a cheap and youthful labour force' (Griffin in Roche & Tucker, 2001:18) Even today the notion that young people deserve less pay than their elders finds voice in the policies of the minimum wage which offers no restriction on wages for 16/17 year olds and a lower rate for those aged 18-22. Our continued involvement in teaching them to budget their reduced incomes could easily be described as an expression of an ideology that believes that it is the lack of skills these young people have that cause them difficulties in surviving the benefit and pay systems rather than a belief in the failure of the systems to provide adequate means of survival. And if this was all that we do we could not be described as informal educators if part of the formulae for informal education involves: ‘Equality and justice, democracy and the active involvement of people in the issues that affect their lives' (Smith, 2001, http://www.infed.org/i-intro.htm) However, whilst enabling young people to develop the skills necessary to live independently we also encourage them to question the inequalities they face and the ideologies underpinning them. By engaging young people in conversation, which Jeffs and Smith say is ‘central to our work as informal educators' (Jeffs & Smith, 1999:21), and asking ‘is that fair' and ‘why do you think that is' we encourage them to question things they take for granted as normal and natural and involve them in what Freire described as ‘problem-posing' education which encourages people to critically examine the world so they may: ‘Perceive the reality of oppression, not as a closed world from which there is no exit, but as a limiting situation which they can transform' (Freire, 1993:31). I do not believe the same can be said for the work of early youth workers and much of the work they undertook can be understood as designed to maintain the status quo, to silence the witnesses to oppressive regimes and to control the masses that were beginning to organise themselves via the emergence of trade unions. Emile Durkheim described this type of education as ‘simply the means by which society prepares, in its children, the essential conditions of its own existence' (Giddens, 1972:203), which can be understood as a form of social control. ` The process which enforces values and maintains order is termed social control` (Hoghughi, 1983 in Hart, 2001, youthworkcentral.tripod.com/sean1.htm) Again the question arises, as informal educators in the 21st century are we doing much better? Sean Hart believes we may not. Social control within a context of community work may be regarded as a process of continuity. Indeed much community work, especially that of those with right wing political ideology, involves self-help and making the best of what you have. Thus, it could be argued that this kind of work reinforces the current hegemony and deflects from attempts to challenge the oppression it creates. (Hart, 2001, youthworkcentral.tripod.com/sean1.htm) The difficulty in this for my work is that the young people with whom I work must learn to make the best of what they have and the daily grind of finding enough to eat means that they have little energy left for dismantling oppressive regimes. As Friere said: ‘One of the gravest obstacles to the achievement of liberation is that oppressive reality absorbs those within it and thereby acts to submerge human beings consciousness' (Freire, 1993:33). And as they struggle with meeting their most basic of needs I sometimes find it difficult to justify my continuing commitment to educate them about inequality when their overwhelming deprivation is viewed from my comfortable, middle class life style. The inescapable ethical dilemma is very clear since their need pays for and justifies my existence as the manager of Nightstop. As Mark Smith says the welfare professions: ‘Provide a rich source of desirable jobs – for members of elite and middle class groups where such groups can enjoy varying degrees of power, privilege and freedom in their work' (Smith, 1988:58). And I certainly do have power, not only within my own organisation but within local government departments who actively seek my input on the development of services for homeless young people. But in order to ensure that I do not ‘help to maintain the system which supports (me)' (Smith, 1988:58) I now encourage those systems to interact directly with the young people for whom services are being designed at the same time as encouraging young people themselves to play an active part in service development by helping them develop their social intelligence. This can be described as: ‘An understanding of social rules which govern our interactions and an ability to follow or manipulate these to achieve our ends.' (Graham in Hunter, 2001:75). and although this means that I favour David Clarks model of community ‘as a collection of social systems and of individuals in community as affected by different systems' (Hunter, 2001:20) and of community development as ‘opening systems up to each other' (Hunter, 2001:112) this does not fit with Freire's view that: ‘The solution is not to â€Å"integrate† them into the structure of oppression but to transform that structure so that they can become â€Å"beings for themselves' (Freire, 1996:55). However, I also believe that young people themselves have the ability to transform the structure by virtue of their active involvement within it since I do not see young people as incapable of making a vital and valuable contribution to their communities. In this I seek to avoid the accusation that I have a ‘lack of confidence in the people's ability to think, to want and to know' (Freire, 1996:42). The same cannot be said of the youth workers in the early 20th century who felt it necessary to improve young people but without the welfare and rescue focus found it necessary to have other ways of encouraging young people to attend. This was resolved in so far as young people were to be attracted by leisure opportunities whilst support from the ruling classes could be enlisted via the aims of moral improvement so close to their heart. Baden-Powell's identification of citizenship as an answer to problematic youth in 1907 enabled him to offer up scouting and its emphasis on: ‘Observation and deduction, chivalry, patriotism, self-sacrifice, personal hygiene, saving life, self-reliance, etc' (Jeal, 1995:382) Claiming this would produce a new generation of young people who would fit more closely the ideals sought. In other words he described his practice in terms likely to fit the dominant ideology of the day in order to secure the support he needed to continue the work. Again reminiscent of today since: ‘Attempts to attract changing sources of funding have usually been accompanied by promises to elicit from young people whatever behaviour was required by the particular funding body' (Young in Banks, 1999:78). I encounter the dilemma between the needs of my organisation for funding and the desire to end the stereotypical classification of homeless young people on a regular basis as I am frequently required to describe homeless young people in terms that are labelling and oppressive in order to meet the criteria and therefore the ideology of funders which suggests that young people should be capable of independent adult life but whose efforts are actually ‘ consistently thwarted by (their) relegation to the status of a dependent underclass' (Henderson & Salmon, 1988:30). The new youth service of 1900s found that: ‘While clubs have exploited the need for recreation among working class adolescents, and combined this with their being vehicles for a conservative ideology, they did not necessarily attract large numbers' (White early 1900's in Smith, 1988:14). Concern with the numbers of young people attending youth provision is no less today than it was then. The continued need of sponsors, whether statutory or voluntary, for statistical information concerning the use of facilities and opportunities, means that we are ever pushed towards quantifying our work for evaluation purposes instead of concentrating on the quality of provision. Mark Smith says that: ‘Part of the reason for the failure to attract working class young people lies in the tension between social provision and improving aims' (Smith, 1988:14) and although he was describing the dilemmas of early youth workers I believe this is also present today. If informal education has purpose then it cannot be anything other than improving, even Jeffs and Smith say that informal education works to the ‘betterment of individuals, groups and communities' (Jeffs & Smith, 1999:83). And if we are not honest and open about our improving aims, can young people be said to be participating voluntarily from a position of informed consent? The need to ‘improve' and ‘socialise' young people has continued to be a recurring theme throughout the 20th century within government policy. The Education Act of 1918 gave Local Education Authorities the power to spend money on the ‘social training of young people' (Smith, 1988:34). Circular 1486, In the Service of Youth (Board of Education, 1939) which said that youth services should have ‘an equal status with other educational services' (Nicholls, 1997:8) talked of the disruption the '14-20 age group had suffered in its physical and social development' (Smith, 1988:34). Circular 1516, The Challenge of Youth said the aim of an LEA should be to ‘develop the whole personality of individual boys and girls to enable them to take their place as full members of a free community' (Nicholls, 1997:9) whilst Circular 1577 (Board of Education 1941) required young people to register with their LEA and ‘be interviewed and advised as to how they might spend their leisure time' (Smith, 1988:35). In 1960 the Albermarle Report portrayed ‘the main job of youth work as being to help young people to become ‘healthy' adults' (Smith, 1988:49) although Mark Smith argues that the ‘second element of Albemarles vision for the youth service (was) the containment and control of troublesome youth' (Smith, 1988:71). In 1966 the Home Office Children's Department began planning: ‘Community Development Projects – to aid work preventing family breakdown and juvenile delinquency' (Nicholls, 1997:20) which effectively takes us back 100 years. Informal education since then has taken on many guises, from concern about dwindling numbers of young people attending provision, to a growing awareness that there are young people who do not attend at all, the ‘unattached' youth. However it is the continuing response to a problematic discourse that has characterised the series of moral panics about young people that has in the past and continues today to shape youth work. Conclusion Although a growing political awareness of the needs of young people who have been marginalised and excluded by society because of their race, gender, disability, sexuality and class etc., led to targeted work that was and is ‘issue based', youth work has, throughout the past 150 years, maintained its associational character (Smith, 2001). However, recent work has begun to concentrate more on the individual than the ‘social groupwork' (Smith, 2002, www.infed.org/youthwork/transforming.htm) Smith says is fundamental to informal education. The linking of the youth service to the Connexions Strategy with its emphasis on surveillance, control and containment, coupled with an individual, case work emphasis will mean that: ‘The concern with conversation, experience and democracy normally associated with informal education is pushed to the background' (Smith, 2002, www.infed.org/youthwork/transforming.htm) Working to state led objectives and targets that are fed by a communitarianist ideology that focuses on the family mean that what informal educators do in the twenty-first century does not differ greatly from the work undertaken in the 19th and the assumption that adults have a right to intervene in the lives of young people, from a variety of hidden agendas and purposes continues unchallenged. In 1944 Paneth asked: ‘Have we been intruders, disturbing an otherwise happy community, or is it only the bourgeois in us, coming face to face with his opponents, who minds and wants to change them because he feels threatened? Or do they need help from outside? (Paneth, 1944 in Smith, 1988:37).

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What would you consider to be the most important socio-technical issues that should be considered in an analysis of CourseNet - Essay Example (Ropohl, 1999) Computer Based Learning - Internet has revolutionized how we do day to day things, including learning. E-Learning or Web based learning is beneficial for individuals as well as organizations as it has many advantages. It not only provides flexibility & ease of access, but also the performances are improved & are better compared to students studying in traditional schools. A thorough investigation of the CourseNet   case requires grasp of most of these items.Setting sight on the entire system helps to avoid the trap of finding a singl point of blame.If an application is not working as desired , has bugs, fails too often it is easy to afix blame on the software programmer. However, this may not be a far-sighted approach. In an organization that does not have documented policies or procedures, it is easy to shift blame. For a project to be successful it is essential that roles & responsiblites clearly defined.Sufficient attention is given to various management aspects for e.g. Cost Management, Risk Management, Scope Management , Time Management etc. Project Management is an approach of planning, organizing & managing resources to achieve flourishing goals & objectives of specific project. All these aspects define the rate of success of a project. Effective project management pricnicpals & use of IT best practises such as defined by ITIL, SOX etc. are always helpful for project to proceed in an organized, phased manner. In the event of missing procedures or insufficient attention towards one of the procedures it is difficult to be reasonable & determine the breakdown in the work flow. Those belonging to the bottom of the food chain are often held responsible for making mistakes though a decision maker would have commited strategic or a tactical error . In the absence of necessary data points required for evaluation & lack of performance parameters can lead employees as well as

Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Education - Essay Example With education turning out to be one of the most important aspects of one’s life, educators, government authorities and other relevant stakeholders are increasingly concerned about the various challenges that may impede the educational processes. Although, countries of the world have their own educational systems to effectively educate their children and young people, there could be some problems in each of these systems. So, this paper focusing on the educational systems of United States and Middle Eastern countries, will discuss how there are certain inherent problems in both these systems, necessitating reforms. United States is regarded as the most developed nation in various spheres of human existence from economy to science and technology, media power, etc. United States is able to achieve that recognition, not only because of their innovative mindset and hard work, but due to a strong educational system. Although, the educational system is churning out equipped individu als, there are certain facts and issues, which clearly show that the education system in America needs reforms. One of the key facts is the inability of the children, students or young adult to read and write high level language in various fields from science to politics. Michael Moore in his book, Stupid white men-- and other sorry excuses for the state of the nation provides the statistics which depict the levels of literacy among the people in America. â€Å"There are forty-four million Americans who cannot read and write above a fourth-grade level-in other words, who are functional illiterates.† (Moore). He further states that even if the people are able to read, they rarely indulge in reading activities. â€Å"I've also read that only 11 percent of the American public bothers to read a daily newspaper, beyond the funny pages or the used car ads.† (Moore). This implies that though the Americans are educated, they are not utilizing their knowledge to increase their awareness about the world. If these shocking facts about the educational system are focused in an particular perspective, it is clear that the schooling system has some loopholes. Formal education of a child begins in a school and the quality of schooling depends on the variety of factors. The conditions of American public schools particularly regarding the treatment of teachers point towards the lackadaisical attitude of the American government towards education. Teachers and their dedicated efforts are very important in the education of the child. But even these teachers are neglected by the American government and society. They are not adequately paid and this results in low quality of teaching, as the teachers are not encouraged to perform better by recognizing their efforts in form of high wages. â€Å"The twin topics of teacher quality and teacher compensation have garnered considerable attention†¦motivated in part by the desire to increase the quality of individuals who select into the teaching profession, and to prevent attrition.† (). With these problems of underpayment and attrition, it is obvious that the education of children is effected to such an extent they are never able to comprehend true meaning of education. To correct these situation regarding the quality of education and quality of teachers, they have to be paid aptly. â€Å"One obvious policy tool to deal with the quality and distribution of teachers would be to increase teachers' monetary compensation, perhaps in a targeted

Tragedy of Mariam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Tragedy of Mariam - Essay Example Today many wives always want to have same position with their husband, so that they always have conflict with each other. Why they always have conflict? There are number of answers for this question, but it very difficult for us to come on a final conclusion. When we look towards sixteenth century's society or even before that time it is seen wife and husband lived together very well. They had lesser conflicts. Many wives would obey their husband when their husbands order them to do everything. What different images of the wife between sixteenth centuries and today? In most societies during the twentieth Century, new ways of analyzing traditional gender roles have begun to evolve out of a variety of movements both within art and culture studies and communications. Semiotics, or the study of signs has emerged as one of the most "powerful cultural analysis tools of the twentieth Century†. Semiotics has been used to document and support traditional gender roles within a variety of cultures. The signs of Husband and Wife respectively, have undergone huge ideological shifts in some parts of the world, however within American society they still often used to represent a system of values and a distribution of power that have remained relatively unchanged despite recent eras of social progress. This is illustrated fairly well in the movie "Amores Perros" as the terms Husband and Wife are utilized throughout the movie as signs that represent and suggest traditional values and gender roles that are still based on signified characteristics from the time of the Conquistadors.

Women in the workforce in the 1970's in comparison to today Research Paper

Women in the workforce in the 1970's in comparison to today - Research Paper Example These definitions and stereotypes have led to expected gender roles in society, most which have developed because of superficial relationships to gender. However, this issue is one which doesn’t realistically construct the identity of individuals. When looking at â€Å"Who’s in Charge Here’ with the Mary Tyler Moore show, it can be seen that gender identity is one which is based on the gender stereotypes and definitions created in society. The result is a construction of both gender and boundaries based on stereotypes, as opposed to realistic expectations. The issue of gender roles in society is one which was first seen with the 1970s show and continues to be a part of society today. Gender Roles from Moore The episode which shows the gender differences in the Mary Tyler Moore show is â€Å"Who’s in Charge Here.† The differences in gender are noted specifically with the news room that Mary is working in. The gender expectations are first divided by those who hold the power within the news room, including the new News Producer, Lou and the News Director, Murray. Within this episode, the gender roles are divided first by the divisions in which the males have more power and Mary remains in the same situation. However, it is quickly found that Mary is only holding to this role because of gender. The power positions which both men have cause Mary to not only complete her work, but also to do the work of Murray and Lou because they don’t understand the situation. By the end of the episode, it is recognized that the positions need to be reconsidered based on qualifications, as opposed to the gender expectations from the news room (Sandrich, 1972). Stereotypes of Gender The episode demonstrated by the Mary Tyler Moore Show is one which constructs identity based on gender and gives the divisions and roles based on this stereotype. This particular concept is one which hasn’t changed today and continues to be a component i n which men and women are divided. The gender differences come first from the idea of competition in which each individual divides according to the individuals who are considered the most powerful in society and create a competitive attitude toward what is occurring. These gender differences are further divided by the power which one holds in relation to the stereotypes and the competitive spirit which is supposed to be a part of the gender. This construction of stereotypes is one which is defined specifically by the patriarchal shaping of society. It has been found that the matriarchal society has the same concept of competition among women because of the environment which is created for survival. The stereotype of gender is one which becomes constructed specifically because of the social order which is in a given culture (Gneezy, Leonard, List, 1637). The stereotypes which have been created within culture are furthered by the expected places in which women and men should have. The concept of work, within the traditional role for women, is one which most were not considered as capable of doing. The main role of women in the patriarchal society was based on the stereotype of staying in the home and caring for the family while men worked in a given office. This created a position with both in society, specifically with the stereotypes and expected gender role that was in society. Family obligations is found to become secondary for men while women often have to adapt to the concept of work structures that require shifts in how one works. This particular stereotype is one which is acted among the majority of individuals in society and is referred to as gender – typing, which one debates about specific roles because of gender (Gustafson, 513). The episode with Moore shows this, specifically as Mary has difficulty deciding

Propaganda Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Propaganda - Assignment Example Posters have been used as an informative or propaganda means for a very long time. They have been advancing with the advancement in technology. This advancement has been majorly structural and appearance in form of colour and shape but the purpose remains informational conveyance. (b) Introduction: This paper is going to give the full meaning of the term propaganda and its importance in the society. The term propaganda refers to the different means used by media and other informative systems in informing about different emerging issues. These issues might be pertaining to fields such as politics, education, economic development, agricultural field, industrial development, environmental conservation, energy conservation and other lively related fields. The use of propaganda started a long time ago but has been undergoing evolution as technology advances and modernity takes over. In this section, the paper would be giving samples of posters developed with a purpose of informing people about six main fields in human life. This paper would then give a brief explanation as to how these types of posters have undergone structural change as they retain their purpose and theme in human life. Therefore this paper would look at five different posters and the historical context under which each of these posters was created. It would further look at how politics and culture of people has influenced them. In addition to that, the ways in which each poster is set to meet its intended purpose as based on the targeted audience. (c) Different types of posters and the message they convey to the society (a) The poster above is a poster on fighting pollution in the society. It is a hand designed poster as from its look. It is a type of poster that is linked with the 1920s. During this time, the world had undergone less advancement in technological field. When this poster is presented in a new form of the present generation where technology is exclusively used, it would be structura lly improved. This structural improvement would be from a hand drawing into a photo taken picture with at least a digital camera recorder. If not in form of a photo, it would take the form of mobile pictures where human being should be associated in the picture. Nowadays, if a poster on fighting pollution should be produced, then it should show an illustration of the effects of pollution on the environment. Culturally, people who are the main preservers of the environment from pollution should also be included. This is the political and cultural effects that politics would have on the poster above. The main reason is to make clear and sure that the theme of the poster is well conveyed to the society which is the intended audience. (b) The above poster is a poster created in the new generation of 21 century with fine artists showing out their talent. It is a politics related politics and that is a reason why the term â€Å"HOPE† is included to encourage people on choosing the person on the poster during election (Stromquist, 2008). Therefore, despite the fact that the poster was meant to be coloured, the whitish colour was intentionally put in to show peace and purity. In the new generation where most of the youths are unemployed despite their good talent and thus they require employment opportunities. Therefore, the

Scientific Management Essay Example for Free

Scientific Management Essay Scientific Management was a new form of management that evolved in the late 1800’s that was based on a number of principles that analyzed the activities of individuals, which in turn, optimized efficiency and productivity. In this essay I will discuss the major advances that were pioneered by Frederick Winslow Taylor, Henry Gantt and Frank and Lillian Gilbreth. Frederick Winslow Taylor was thought of as the most influential business guru of the twentieth century. 154) Taylor was a well -educated man that started his work as a laborer and quickly moved up to a chief engineer at Midvale Steel Company. Through his various positions and experience within this company he discovered many problems that were apparent between management and laborer. His first attempt in his creation of Scientific Management was to combat a process called â€Å"soldiering†. Taylor observed how the process of soldering led to low production because workers had intentionally worked slow, while making management believe they were working faster. Taylor identified two types of soldiering that workers practiced: natural and systematic. Natural soldiering was referred to as the â€Å"the natural instinct and tendency of men to take it easy. † Managers tried to overcome natural soldiering by forcing workers to be more productive. (123) Systematic soldiering was when workers all together would reason with one another to work slower. Taylor believed that workers systematically soldiered because of three main reasons. First, if workers completed their jobs faster, they believed they would be laid off. Secondly, when workers were paid by piece rate, if their production increased, they believed management would cut the piece rate requiring them to do more work for the same amount of pay they were receiving at the time. Finally, workers were accustomed to old work habits that were handed down from generation to generation. (124) Taylor believed that systematic soldiering posed more concerns than natural soldering. He thought that the problems arose because of management’s lack of responsibility to create proper jobs that offered good incentives. Taylor knew that a new industrial system would need to be created to correct the problems that were evident with management and laborer. Time Studies Taylor set out to develop a new system in an attempt to overcome the process of soldiering. Taylor believed he could determine how each job could be accomplished most efficiently and then establish performance standards based on his findings. (125) The first step in his system was defined as time studies, which was the beginning of Scientific Management. Taylor believed that he could overcome soldiering by determining what workers ought to be able to achieve with equipment and materials by scientifically setting performance standards. According to the authors of The Evolution of Management Thought â€Å"Taylor used a stop watch, weight scale and tape to literally measure the distances that workers and materials traveled. † (125) From his findings, Taylor discovered that workers used too much effort and materials to accomplish their tasks and believed this was mainly due to improper management. Taylor classified his time studies into two phases: analysis and synthesis. Analysis meant that each job was broken down into movements then the movement was described and recorded along with enough time allowed for unavoidable delays. Synthesis was all the movements in the correct sequence to determine the time and exact method for performing a job. (126)Taylor’s time studies created improvements in all elements that surround a job, careful examination of individuals at work led to a more efficient approach to perform tasks which ultimately reduced effort and increased production. Improved Incentives Taylor noticed that the traditional incentives for workers were discouraged in more ways than one. Taylor believed that management needed to create new incentive rates. Profit sharing and the old ways of paying positions instead of men, seemed to be inefficient methods. Taylor devised a three part plan that improved incentives which consisted of using time studies to set standards and pay rates, a differential piecework system that paid employees a higher rate per piece if they finished their work faster than specified, and lastly, paying the men instead of paying the positions. He believed that performance standards should be set before piece rates and rest period should be given more often to decrease fatique. Additionally, Taylor saw a need for a mutuality of interests between manager and worker and devised a system that would benefit both sides. The belief held by people was that higher wages led to higher costs. In turn, Taylor proved that higher wages would lead to lower costs and increased production with less effort. Employers didn’t have to pay low wages in order to gain momentum in the industry. Taylor also believed that some people are better suited for a position based on their will and ambition; he referred to these people as â€Å"first class workers. † Taylor urged that performance standards should be based on a first class workers pace and believed that management was responsible for identifying these types of workers. Throughout the years people assumed that production was increased by people working longer and harder, but the truth was, production increased if people worked smarter not harder. People used their resources more wisely and learned the most efficient way to complete a job. Task Management System Taylor’s task management system utilized the time studies to dictate how long a task should take to be completed and used careful planning with detailed written instructions to assign tasks to workers. Taylor thought to motivate workers based on how long it took them to complete their job. The workers that finished their job in the allotted time received higher wages compared to those who did not. Management was aided in their tasks by a new term Taylor referred to as â€Å"functional foremanship†. Taylor felt that managers should have certain qualities in order for them to be efficient supervisors which include special and technical knowledge, tact, brains, energy, common sense and good health. Taylor used this selection process to determine what tasks managers should perform. This new system of planned performance allowed each person to be in charge of a different responsibility. Managers skills were specialized which resulted in a decrease in time it took to recruit and hire people who may not be a good fit. This system dramatically changed the way tasks were planned, before this time workplace layout determined how tasks were performed. Taylor went on to put his ideas into writing with a book called The Principles of Scientific Management. This book was a significant advance of the times and made Taylor a national hero in just twenty four hours. His findings that were released in this book, sparked much controversy, but ultimately gained popularity. His book was translated into many different languages just two years after the publication. (141) Taylor was credited for leading the world towards efficiency in more ways than one. Henry Gantt There were many people who followed Taylor’s scientific approach to management thought. One of these followers that had contributed greatly to management thought was Henry Gantt. Gantt was a man that recognized the demands of the world and knew he could have a better chance at making it in life by becoming educated. He obtained a mechanical engineer degree and began his work at the Midvale Steel Company alongside of Frederick Taylor. After working with Taylor, Gantt turned out to be strongly influenced by his ideas about how to manage industry. Gantt became one of Taylor’s leading disciples and moved on to create his own ways to improve management methods and make an industry more efficient. Like Taylor, Gantt knew that there was a need for a mutuality of interest between management and worker. Gantt believed that this theory started with the worker, he argued that the workingman was the most important element in management. (159) He urged that a successful atmosphere in industry was eminent when the employer has the best worker for the position and the worker believes his work is sold at the highest price. Task and Bonus System As Gantt began to examine the managers and workers more closely, he devised a task and bonus system, which was similar to Taylor’s differential piece rate system. Gantt experimented with his ideas before he found the system that was the best solution. He would offer bonuses to workers that completed a task in less than standard time, he offered bonuses to first line supervisors based on each workers performance to complete their task in the allotted time and offered an additional bonus to supervisors if all the workers completed their task in the time limit. He found that this system encouraged supervisors to become better leaders by teaching and helping workers to achieve maximum performance. This was an important concept that shifted management from forcing workers to meet standards to leading them in a cooperative manner. After a while, workers and management started to resist the work methods Gantt created. The workers went on strike and Gantt eventually had to find and train replacements. This occurrence led Gantt to believe that management owned the role of training workers more thoroughly. In addition, Gantt added more training that used industriousness and cooperation, which he referred to as the â€Å"habits of industry†. According to the authors of The Evolution of Management Thought, â€Å"Gantt felt that as a result of doing their work promptly and to the best of their ability, workers would experience pride that comes from quality as well as quantity to work. † (161) Gantt believed that the management and laborer would be benefitted equally; employee would be paid higher wages leading to lower costs and the employer would have a greater output of production. Gantt Progress Chart As Gantt attempted to conquer the problems associated with management and laborer with the task and bonus system, he set out to devise a system to aid management in planning and coordinating workloads. After several attempts, Gantt pioneered a bar chart which was known to be the most valuable contribution to management of the generation. (163) The Gantt Progress Chart showed how work should be scheduled or directed through numerous operations, to completion. This chart allowed managers to distinguish whether a job was ahead or behind schedule, then management could take whatever means were necessary to correct the issue. The Gantt chart became a widely used efficient tool to support management in decision making and helped ensure that resources were being used proficiently. The Gilbreth’s Frank and Lillian Gilbreth were also followers of Frederick Taylor’s Scientific Management principles. Frank had greatly contributed to management thought with his invention of the motion studies. Frank began his studies while working as a bricklayer. He started examining the bricklaying process and began to eliminate the steps or motions from 18 to 6. He saw that people could do twice as much work with less effort if the job was done the right way. Frank looked to remove the motions that were unnecessary in jobs, in order to reduce fatigue and increase productivity. After his invention of the motion studies, he moved to focus his work on the construction business. He used the same methods to build homes, dams, factories, skyscrapers and even whole towns. (168) As Frank gained increasing popularity, his wife persuaded him to put his work into writing. His work consisted of three systems: the field, concrete and bricklaying system. The field system was mainly used in construction as an accounting system. This system showed costs, costs in relation to estimates and the total costs of each specific job. In addition, Frank used a suggestion program that enabled workers to obtain extra money for their suggestions on how to improve a job. This would ultimately lead to better service for the customers and additional jobs in the future. (169) Under the concrete system, Frank used competition to motivate the workers. He held contests to see how fast workers could complete a job. Lastly, was the bricklaying system, he used this system to effectively train the workers. He believed apprentices should learn the best way to do a job before standards are set. He believed the earlier methods of instruction from the experienced workers were inefficient and created too much waste. These systems showed how Frank rationalized work methods, improved productivity and ensured efficiency by motivating and correctly training workers by transferring their skills. As Frank started to expand his interests, he looked for better ways to identify inefficient motions. Frank came up with the brilliant idea to use a camera to examine the motions of workers. He then would eliminate the waste based on the analysis. Frank and Lillian also filmed workers attached with small electrical lights; when their movement was slowest they would see a bunch of dots, while they would see sporadic dots when their movement was at a faster pace. The use of camera to observe the movements of workers seemed to be more useful and accurate than Taylor’s use of the stopwatch. As time went by, Frank and Lillian started to detach from Taylor’s methods. Lillian went on to focus her thoughts on â€Å"The Psychology of Management. She studied the effects that work has on humans and held that successful management was determined by the man, not the work. While Lillian tried to determine the most effective and efficient approach to management, she had to compare the three styles that were created: traditional, transitory and scientific. Traditional management created anxiety by relying on rewards and punishment to motivate workers and essentially there was no mutuality of interest between management and worker. Transitory management was the short term style that was incomplete and ill directed before scientific management emerged. Essentially, According to the authors of The Evolution of Management Thought, Lillian believed that scientific management was the best style because it â€Å"promoted regular work, encouraged good personal habits, and fostered the physical, mental, moral, and financial development of workers. (174) Lillian recognized the human factor in work which led her to pioneer human resource management. This creation of human resource management was a significant advance of the times that led industries to obtain the best workers for the positions at hand by the scientific selection, training and placement of the workers. Frederick Taylor, Henry Gantt and Frank and Lillian Gilbreth contributed greatly to the scientific management movement. Close examination of management and workers led to new concepts that improved work methods and incentives, motivated workers, eliminated motions, reduced fatigue and increased production. All of these factors allowed for industries to become more efficient than ever before. Managers gained the proper tools and knowledge that enabled them to train, select and place workers where they were best suited. These concepts that were put into practice in the late 1800’s are still widely used today in the workplace.

Wal Marts Global Procurement Division Management Essay

Wal Marts Global Procurement Division Management Essay Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton and incorporated in 1969. Walmart has been maintaining its status as the largest grocery retailer in the U.S. The company operates at more than 8,500 retail units under 60 different banners in 15 countries, and reported sales revenue of $405 billion in 2010. The company strives to strongly commit to its promise to the customers; Every Day Low Prices. In order to deliver low-priced goods and make the customers lives better, the company particularly leverages operating expense and improve its global expertise. From another perspective, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is one of the biggest buyers for many suppliers whether they are domestic or international producers, and whether they are of a small scale or a big scale. To reduce the bottom-line costs, the company has been vigorously attempting to reduce product costs and transport costs. International Purchasing As the companys business dramatically grew, it created Global Procurement division in 2002 to better manage the international purchasing activities. The division makes decision on and oversees direct business import and factory purchasing from their international suppliers in many different locations around the globe. To name a few, Wal-mart obtains global procurement offices in Bangladesh, Dubai, India, Indonesia, Korea, Pakistan, Shanghai and Shenzen in China. These offices allow international suppliers to apply for direct import program through which they could establish the supplier relationship with Wal-mart, after the thorough examination. Wal-Marts Global Procurement Division Headquartered in Shenzen, China, the division is responsible for identifying new attractive international suppliers, sourcing new products as necessary, and maintaining good supplier relationships with the existing suppliers. In addition, it manages the global supply chain of Wal-marts direct imports. The majority of the staffs are located in Shenzen, China as the company has the greatest supplier base in China. By setting up the Global Procurement division, the company gained better insights into their international suppliers. Through this program, the company could understand the issues of global sourcing and suppliers and work towards solving them in order to assure quality. As a supplier maintenance process, the global procurement offices are also responsible for conducting factory inspections, and provide the workplace standards training that align with the companys own standards. International Supplier Selection Similar to the companys very thorough domestic supplier selection, the global procurement undergoes the selective process. The greatest advantage that the international direct import brings is reduced costs. Due to high labor costs, many of the U.S. factories cannot offer Wal-mart competitive pricing. As a result, Wal-mart explored its options in Pacific-Asia/Asia. In many Asian countries, manufacturers benefit from relatively low labor costs. Among those international supplier, Chinese suppliers are definitely the companys biggest supplier base. To ensure the quality of products in addition to lower costs, the global procurement division strives to help them adhere to the standards and make factory inspections/audits. Also, the company has its own ethical standards set for its potential and existing suppliers as an essential requirement. Reliability and trustworthiness are also important criteria to decrease the delivery failure and delay rates. Through the companys own global suppl y chain, it manages the transportation of goods from international suppliers to the U.S. warehouses. Supplier management system There is no need to tell how far has reached Walmart on the supply chain management. To ensure its customers satisfaction is the highest, the biggest worldwide retailing company provides a Supplier Training program. Once a supplier has been accepted and has read the Proposal Packet which introduces the business philosophy and practices, a training program managed by Accenture must be followed. In 2005, Walmart and the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) created an online retail supply chain certification for suppliers. A web-based training program for Chinese factories to audit ratings and productivity is also included. A lot of side businesses like 8th Walton offer services and solutions to support organisations who want to do business with Walmart. Intertek Group factories inspection, factory audits In August 2009, Walmart announced its partnerships with Intertek to ensure the quality of the suppliers product. The partner provides the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substance) certification by a cost-effective program to assure the product compliance. The process includes documentation review, process audit and lab testing. Local Suppliers The Local Supplier program was put in place to satisfy local demand for specific products. A complete process has to be completed from the store manager to the Divisional Merchandise Director. Also, a special program for Women owned business and minority businesses. Benefits are present for the chain: Wal-Marts local sourcing strategy has been seen as a move to win the favour of its customers. Walmart recognized that local suppliers are more aware of national trends, customers tastes and local needs. That helps create links with the population as well. Requirements A lot of requirements must be fulfilled by suppliers to be part of the big empire retail system. First, all businesses must adhere to the RetailLink system which is a website to plan execute and analyze the production. Moreover, suppliers must include EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) to their system for real-time delivery of business documents. EDI is part of the Vendor Management Inventory (VMI) which, through the use of sale information, recommends orders to Walmart. Over the years, EDI has actually proven to be one of the most efficient and effective ways for Wal-Mart to conduct business with its suppliers. That contributes to oversight the inventory programs of both the supplier and Walmart. Despite these technical requirements, tests labs might be asked to ensure the highest quality and safety: we use different independent third party testing labs to provide a safety net test. Also, there is a total prohibition of any kind of gifts or present to Walmart managers. The company asked for industry knowledge and integrity from its suppliers. Finally, suppliers must meet regulation differentiations among countries with the help of the Office for Regulatory Compliance (ORC). Some standard have to be reach as well: the compliance with the law, the no-child labor application, hiring and employment practices, compensations (wage), freedom of association and barging, health and safety, environment, conflict-free of interest, anti-corruption and financial integrity. Violations of these standards can be reported in any country confidentially. Insurance requirements A product Commercial General Liability insurance must be purchased by the supplier for a minimum of $Â  2 million. An employees insurance has to be bought for a minimum of $1 million. An employers liability must also be included. Benefits of Global Sourcing Cheap Labor Resrouce Costs One of the reasons for Walmart pursue international purchasing is there are cheaper labor power available abroad. Looking at hourly compensation cost of the world by United States Department of Labor, one can clearly see that there are numerous nations that provide cheaper labor force than that of the US. Suppliers in nations with cheaper labor are likely to provide cheaper products which would benefit Walmart in cost saving. Walmart is trying to decrease labor costs further by launching programs such as job optimization and regrouping program Some resources are actually cheaper in certain countries and Walmart could benefit from such difference by purchasing resources from cheaper regions. Moreover, in some cases, due to such differences in cost, there really is no competitive domestic supplier available making it inevitable to purchase internationally. Diversification of Supplier Base Also, by purchasing internationally, Walmart can diversify its supply base. By doing this, Walmart not only can purchase various products with cheap price but also ensure sustainable and less volatile supply base. For instance, in recent disaster in Japan, even though Walmarts business in Japan has taken some damage, it is unlikely to damage overall company as their supply base is diversified. Regarding the issue, Moodys Investors Services Senior Analyst Charles OShea said, While Japan may be an important market for Wal-Mart, the company has other international opportunities that have more growth potential over the long term. As you can see in the example, Walmart benefits greatly by diversifying its supply base globally. Not only that, Walmartcan improve its bargaining position towards domestic suppliers by diversifying its supply base. As Walmartcanpurchase from suppliers outside the US, it does not depend on domestic suppliers providing it bargaining power to push domestic supplie rs to provide contracts better conditions. Risks of Global Sourcing Transportation Cost Despite benefits mentioned above, international purchasing comes with some risks and costs. To start with, there are transportation costs. As international suppliers have to ship products, it is important to minimize transportation cost. Walmart tries to avoid unnecessary transportation cost by having standards and requirements when selecting supplier. By selecting supplier that fits the standards, Walmart can avoid potential additional cost. Also, Walmart offers supplier information manual which its suppliers are required to follow as stated in contract with Walmart. The contract also states clearly that it is suppliersresponsibility to deliver products timely and in case of delays, compensations are in order. Walmart also tries to prevent such failures by educating its suppliers through supplier training programs. Reputation and Quality Control Walmart also has to ensure its reputations are protected when dealing with international suppliers. If products from international suppliers are of incompetent quality or if their suppliers have ethical issues, Walmarts reputation would be could damaged. To prevent any potential problems, Walmart practices audits to its suppliers. For instance, Walmart carried out unannounced audits to factories of its supplier in China. To Walmarts surprise, it found out that the factories had unsafe work practices which caused staff injuries. If it were not for these audits, Walmarts reputation could have been damaged for dealing with unethical supplier. Corporate social responsibility As one of the largest world companies, Walmart has no choice to look on the impacts of its actions. But, because Wal-Mart only directly manufactures 8 percent of everything is sells, the solution lies for the most part with the suppliers. Walmart asked to its 100,000 suppliers 15 questions for sustainability regarding energy and climate, material efficiency, natural resources and people and community in the goal to transform into a sustainable products rating for customers. Walmart also pursues 3 major environmental goals: to be supplied 100% by renewable energy, to create zero waste and to sell products that sustain people and environment. Established in 1992, the Ethical Standard Program, a division of the Global Procurement, is responsible to verify if suppliers are in conformance with Walmart standards and local law. The company experienced some troubles in China relatively to management style (well-run prisons) and to the labor exploitation. Child labor and Labor/factory conditions In 1993, Walmart was accused of its first violation of international labor rights in Bangladesh: Children in Bangladesh were forced to work for five cents an hour while Wal-Mart falsely indicated that their garments had been Made in USA consistent with their 1985 image campaign. Despite many efforts, in 2006, around 250 children were found working in a factory. Bad treatments, physical, moral and financial were also reported. The fault can be rejected to suppliers, the core problem, and Walmart could stop the abuses by halting its cutting and running. Various violations have been reported on the minimum wage, forced labor, overtime paid, bathroom breaks or rights to independent unions. Against green initiatives/sustainability Walmart put in place a Sustainable Value Network to seek solutions for an eco-friendly environment. The company began to see environmental sustainability as a way to achieve two goals: improve Wal-Marts bottom line and its reputation. Efforts are driven in this direction, but there is still a lot to do. Some say Walmart got engaged in these actions, looking to its bottom line. Recommendation Better Supplier Relationship Walmart has been criticized by general public that it forces its suppliers to cut down costs and processes. While this procedures have helped Walmart to achieve its business motto, Every Day Low Price (EDLP), it also resulted in somewhat harming its relationships with its suppliers. For instance, survey by RetailingToday.com showed that Walmarts current suppliers believe Walmart does not help its suppliers to understand the business and operations nor does it make information and resources open. This kind of data shows that Walmarts over-compulsive requirements has led to distrusts between it and its suppliers. For Walmart to successfully survive in future market, it is essential to create sustainable relationships with its suppliers. Green Walmart For similar reasons mentioned above, Walmart has been criticized for not environment friendly. As Walmart pursues cost minimization, it somewhat neglected environmental issues which is damaging its brand image. There are demonstrations and movements that argue to not purchase from Walmart because of it is harming environment. For Walmart to better its brand image, it is important to go green. Ethical business Other issues include ethical problems. It is again related to Walmarts goal of minimizing cost. To meet with Walmarts demand of cost minimization, some suppliers from developing countries using child labor. Not only is itself unethical, it is also morally being criticized because Walmart does not actively prevent this. As mentioned above, this is also harming Walmarts brand image. Overdependence on Chinese suppliers Currently, Walmart is depending hugely on supplier from nations with cheap labor and cheap resources like China. However, China is not a nation of infinite resources or will its labor always stay cheap. Ultimately, Chinese labor cost and resource prices will rise. If Walmart stay over-depending on China, potential danger will always remain. To prevent such danger, it needs to more diversify its supplier base.

Hate Groups on the Internet Essay -- Ku Klux Klan KKK Neo Nazis skinhe

The Web of Hate Technology has provided our society with numerous innovations that have been created to improve the quality of life on a daily basis. One such innovation is the Internet. The access to a wide variety of information is perhaps the most valuable tool, as well as the most important tool, that we have entering the twenty-first century. There are virtually no limits on how much can be achieved through the use of the Internet. This is not, however, necessarily a good thing. Most people find that offensive material such as child pornography and hate-related propaganda can be viewed by people too easily via the Internet. While child pornography is a detestable subject, it does not have the sort of appeal that a hate group website does in that there are stricter guidelines preventing individuals from attaining child pornography material from the Internet. These stricter guidelines include the Communications Decency Act (1995), which forbids the use of the Internet for such purposes as attaining material of a child pornographic nature (Wolf, 2000). This law can also be used to monitor the hate group websites, but since the law is too broad, it is rarely held up in court. The hate group websites do, however, have a large enough following that there is legislation being formed to specifically target the material on the sites. Despite the highly offensive nature of hate group websites, the sites should not be censored because the right to free speech must be preserved. In this paper we will define what is considered to be hateful content; why this hateful content should be protected; what else can be done to monitor this material on the Internet; and when are the people cr... ...nt rights in order to completely abolish the views of a entire nation to stop the ignorant views of a much smaller portion of our great democratic nation. Works Cited 1. Control of the Internet at http://alamo.nmsu.edu/library/control.html 2. Join, Free Speech, and the Internet at http://www.orins.com/freespe.html 3. Borland, John, Neo-Nazi Group Sued for Online Threats (10/20/98) at http://content.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19981020S0010 4. Wolf, Christopher, Racists, Bigots, and Law on the Internet at http://www.adl.org/internet/internet_law3.html 5. Creativity Online Church Sites for a New Era of Evolution. 18 Apr. 2000. World Church of the Creator. 20 at http://www.wcotc.com 6. Schleifer, Yigal. Cyber Hate, The Jerusalem Report May 24, 1999: 37+. 7. Schleifer, Yigal. Taming The Wild Web, The Jerusalem Report Jan. 31, 2000: 36.

Gustav Robert Kirchhoff :: biographies biography bio

Born: 12 March 1824 in Kà ¶nigsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia) Died: 17 Oct 1887 in Berlin, Germany Gustav Kirchhoff 's father was Friedrich Kirchhoff, a lawyer in Kà ¶nigsberg. Gustav's mother was Johanna Henriette Wittke. In 1988 Gustav Kirchhoff went to the Albertus University of Kà ¶nigsberg to study math when he was at the age of 18. In 1833 Frans Neuman and Jakobi set up a mathematics-physics seminar at Kà ¶nigsberg. Kirchhoff attented at the seminar from 1843 to 1846. It was while he was studying with Neumann that Kirchhoff made his first outstanding research contribution which related to electrical currents. Kirchhoff's laws, which he announced in 1845. The year 1847 was an eventful one for Kirchhoff. He graduated from Kà ¶nigsberg in that year and he also married Clara Richelot. They moved to Berlin in 1847. Kirchhoff teached at the University of Berlinfrom 1848 to 1850. He left from Berlin to Breslau where he was a professor of physics. In 1851 Robert Bunsen joined the University as professor of chemistry. In 1852 Bunsen was called at the University Heidelberg and soon he arranged for Kirchhoff to teach at Heidelberg as well. Kirchhoff joined a research with Bunsen and they found a spectrum analysis. In 1881 he was elected to the Electrical Congress in Paris, as the German delegate. His failing health forced him to prematurely retire in 1886. One year later he died in Berlin on 17 October 1887. His write books; "Vorlesungen à ¼ber mathematische Physik " (1876-94, "Lectures on Mathematical Physics") and " Gesammelte Abhandlungen " (1882; supplement, 1891, "Collected Essays"). Spectrum Analysis Kirchhoff was the first to explain the dark lines in the Sun's spectrum as caused by absorption of particular wavelengths as the light passes through a gas. He found that when light passes through a gas, the gas absorbs those wavelengths that it would emit if heated. spectral lines - a discovery that began the spectroscopic method of chemical analysis. Kirchhoff and Bunsen began by effectively inventing the spectroscope, a prism-based device that separated light in its primary chromatic components, i.e., its spectrum, with which they began studying the spectral "signature" of various chemical elements in gaseous form. The spectrum of an object is the variation in the intensity of its radiation at different wavelengths. Objects with different temperatures and compositions emit different types of spectra. By observing an object's spectrum, then, astronomers can deduce its temperature, composition and physical conditions, among other things.

Discuss the Minority Presence in Contemporary British Art Essay

Minority Presence in Contemporary British Art "Highly visible yet evasively mute." Art critic Kobena Mercer, comments on the current position of African and Asian artists in Contemporary British Art, when he suggests that minority artists are seen and not heard. This oxymoronic position derives from a long historical legacy of European colonization and the emphasis on 'racial inferiority' and 'otherness.' On the one hand, British art is progressive, allowing some minority art in the general art world. Yet on the other hand minority art is still marginalized by the preferential treatment given to white artists. There is a strong degree of accuracy in Mercer's statement because while minority art can now be 'seen,' the 'voice' is suppressed when the 'ethnic element' is too strong. Subordination comes in many forms. Not only do minority artists have a limited gallery presence in major galleries, but finding information on them can be utterly impossible when the current focus of British art revolves around what it means to be British. The only minority artists that are visible are artists who either play up white stereotypes or allude to a Western artistic tradition. An examination of these artists and the current art climate, indicate that the visible presence of minority artists is controlled by preconceived traditions and perceptions. The difficulties facing minority artists in Britain today relate to the current climate of the art world. A quiet tug-o-war exists between the effort to globalize the British art and return to white dominance. Multiculturalism is everywhere; however, it often plays an artificial role in that its purpose is to fulfill a quota. The predominately white yBa movement defines the current art worl... ...the boat' too much. African/Asian artists must allude to either white stereotypes or traditions, to survive in an art world that continues to be dominated by the majority. Works Cited Chambers, Eddie interview with Petrine Archer Straw. From Annotations 5: Run through the jungle selected writings by Eddie Chambers. Edited by GilaneTawdrows and Victoria Clarke. London: inIva, 1999, pp 21-31 King, Catherine. Views of Difference: Different Views of Art. Yale University Press: London, 1999. Mercer, Kobena, 'Ethnicity and Internationality: New British Art and Diaspora-Based Blackness', Third Text, Winter 1999-2000, p 55 Robinson, Hilary. Visibly Female. 1986 from an interview with Yasmin Kureshi. Reworking Myths: Sutapa Biswas Stallabrass, Julian. High Art Light. Verso: London, 1999. from Ofili, interview with Marco Spinelli, 'Brilliant' pg. 7

Impact of Party Drugs on the Youth Culture Essay

Adolescence refers to the age group from 14 to 26 years. Ten percent of this age group use party drugs (Bennett, 2003). According to Arnett (2004) , this period of development is distinguished by five characteristics: identity exploration, instability, self-focus, a feeling of in-between and possibilities (Arnett, 2004, pg. 14). It is against these five characteristics that the impact of party drugs on the youth culture will be assessed. This essay will explore how the characteristics of adolescence place teenagers at risk from drug experimentation and how the perception of policy makers will influence the community’s response to the problem. The exploration of identity involves having a range of experiences that provides the adolescent with the means to assess the possibilities for the purpose of formulating a distinctive self-image. To do this requires that the teenager have a range of experiences that seem distinct from those experienced through their parents. This journey of exploration results in an introverted focus on self and a sense of becoming, of being caught in the middle. In the individualised cultures of western societies, this transition involves a separation from parents and the construction of an independent self-sufficient identity (Arnett, 2004). The instability can often manifest in ‘risky behaviours’. Although adolescence is a time for the construction of a unique self identity, it is also a time when a sense of belonging is engendered through common cultural construction. One subset of this cultural construction is the rave party scene that is a global phenomenon of the youth subculture (Shapiro, 1999). A rave party is often a large gathering of young people in an atmosphere where there is music and laser lights. This sub-culture is linked to the drug culture through party drugs such as ecstasy and ketamine. The effect of these drugs is to create a sense of wellbeing and a feeling of lightness. The choice to take drugs is an individual one and is part of the desire to escape from the pressures of adolescence. The rave party by its very nature is essentially a form of escape. What then are adolescences escaping from? The very nature of adolescence: the sense of being without identity, the lack of a mental framework to manage the adult world and the pressures of identity construction, create tensions in the person. This escapism is not confined to adolescences as many adults abuse alcohol and amphetamines as a means of escaping the pressures of the adult world. For many users, taking the drug is part of the risk behaviour of adolescence that has the pay-off of feelings of well-being. They do not se themselves as drug users as they do not view their use of party drugs as being a problem. This normalises drug use and makes it difficult for agencies to intervene (Duff, 2003). It is wrong however to assume that all users are escaping from something. One of the features of adolescence is the search for identity and self meaning. This search behaviour creates a heightened sense of curiosity in adolescents as they seek to make sense of self. This curiosity can evolve unconsciously to drug abuse through prolonged use as a result of the uplifting effects of the first experience. The need to fund the regular purchase of the drug can lead into dealing. Bad experiences often will not cause a rejection of the drug as these pale against the many pleasures that the individual has experienced. The chain of events can have dire consequences for the individual as a health problem becomes a criminal problem. The long term destruction that criminalisation of drugs causes to young people is good reason to see drug abuse as a health problem. Within party drug users there are the same segments that are feature of any drug user cross section. Some users abuse the drug and are at risk from overdose and dehydration. Others are more controlled and cautious in their use. This group is at risk from being unable to identify the ingredients of the drug that they are purchasing. One of the key problems with party drugs is the inability for the buyer to know the ingredients contained in the drug that they are purchasing (VAAD, 2003). Users of party drugs will tend to repeat their use on a regular basis. According to Baxter (2003) users are concerned that there is no means of determining the purity and reducing the level of risk. Males tend to use party drugs more frequently than females. This tends to indicate that there is greater gender difference where males are less risk averse. This trend is declining as more and more females are using party drugs. This trend reflects the emancipation of women and a stronger sense of independence amongst adolescent women. The traditional delineation of the rite of passage for the male and the female have become blurred in modern society. Women will often use drugs to challenge the traditional perceptions of their role in society. Within the community, there are people that see drug abuse as being criminal while others see it as a social and health problem. The criminal perspective adopts a punishment solution with rehabilitation. Such a position can have a long term effect on the individual due to problems faced with travel and employment. Community response is to increase policing and to use strategies such as sniffer dogs in public and undercover police at venues to catch the suppliers and users. Police raids will be conducted on rave parties. Such an approach marginalises the rave culture and runs the risk of impairing the social development of the individual. The perspective that sees the issue as a health issue seeks to develop preventative programmes that educate people. Greater understanding is sought for the motivation of young people for taking drugs through social research. Strategies for assisting at risk people are developed that provides for free, readily available access to health care and treatment. The health professional will often argue for the decriminalisation of the drug so that it can be obtained in a controlled manner and the purity of the product guaranteed. When considered against the characteristics of adolescence as provided by Arnett (2004), this approach appears to be the least detrimental to the social and personal development of the adolescent. Government programs, such as Ravesafe, adopt this approach. One of the prime reasons that this approach should prevail is that party drugs are seen by the user as being catalysts for self reflection and construction of identity. Their sense of self and social relationships results in a positive self-image which may be in contradiction to how they feel when in the adult world. The party drug tends to alleviate insecurity and doubt. Research has shown that there might be some overflow from the atmosphere of the rave party to real life. The need for early intervention arises from the research findings that drug abuse is often a precursor for youth suicide, crime and metal illness (VAAD, 2003). Interventionist strategies will view drug use as a problem which immediately places the interventionist in opposition to the youth culture. The clash between the pleasures of the drug and the potential harm of the drug creates a generational clash (Duff, 2003). To deal with the issue it is necessary to accept the reality of use and work on fostering environments that support safe use. If this is provided then it will reduce the ‘trial and error’ approach that is a feature of the risk behaviour of adolescents. VAAD (2003) found that the problem can be best solved through drug education that must resist seeing the youth culture as a homogeneous group. Adolescents involved in the rave scene come from a wide variety of backgrounds (Shapiro, 1999). Because there is little understanding of the attitudes of youth subgroups within the rave scene it is necessary for more research to be done (Baxter, 2003). In this way the content and approach of the drug education programme can directly appeal to the target segment. This will help in a more receptive response from the target group. In conclusion, the developmental characteristics of adolescence creates a natural disposition towards drug experimentation amongst some segments of teenagers. Party drugs are often seen as being part of the scene that assist in the integration of the individual with both self and the group that they belong to. Drug use can be used by the female gender to reconstruct identity. Given these features, the perspective that drug use should be a criminal offence resulting in punishment and long term consequences for the individual seems self defeating. The view that drug abuse has the potential to be a health problem will result in a community response that is more supportive to the individual. The safety of the drug can be established and the social stigma placed on adolescents can be removed. Social policy needs to consider the developmental characteristics of adolescence in its construction.

Decentralisation of Retailing Essay

Decentralisation is the process in which the population, retail and industry moves from urban CBD’s to the outer city. An out of town shopping centre is a group of shops and facilities that are located away from a town’s CBD. This movement will have positive and negative impacts on both the urban area and the outer city, where the out of town centres are built. The decentralisation of retailing and other services is happening because In order to sell goods, shops need to be located where people can get to them easily and its seen as easier to go to an out of town shopping centre than go to the CBD of a city. An advantage of this includes the social advantage is that there are many more free car parking spaces at out of town centres, whereas in a CBD parking is usually very hard to find and when it is found it is far away from the shops. This encourages shoppers to go to the out of town shopping centres as it is either more convenient, or cheaper. This also encourages fa milies to go as the shops and facilities are a lot closer to the car parking spaces and their children and the elderly have less distance to walk. An economic advantage is that as a lot of shops and facilities open, more jobs will become available for the local people. This would help the local area because it would lower the amount of people claiming benefits from the government. This would also positively impact the government because they’d receive more money from taxes and have to pay out less in benefits. Another social advantage is that there is a variety of shops that are all in one area. This benefits the people who go there because they won’t have to spend a long time walking to different shops. Also due to all of the facilities in the area, it makes a day out more enjoyable because the customers have more available activities, such as cinemas, coffee shops and in some cases mini golf. There are also many disadvantages of out of town shopping centres. A disadvantage to the economy and environment is that the out of town shopping centres take customers away from the CBD, which would lead to some shops being forced to close. This often leads to the city centre becoming run down. This would harm the environment because it would look unappealing and it becomes a waste of green space. The closure of these shops also would mean that a lot of people would lose their jobs, which means that the government would receive less money through taxes and would even lose money if the unemployed people went on benefits. An economic disadvantage is that along with the shops in the CBD, the small businesses  that are near the out of town shopping centre will suffer and possibly be forced to close. This would also lead to people losing their jobs and would mean that the government get less money through taxes. A social disadvantage is that the construction of the centre may upset some residents, due to the high levels of noise and the inevitable road congestion. An environmental disadvantage is that the shopping centre could be built on green-belt land. Also the construction could destroy wildlife habitats. Another social disadvantage is that the crime rate in the CBD will increase as it becomes more run down and people lose their jobs. This will give the area a bad reputation, lowering the chances of further investments from the government and also lowering the chances of more people buying houses there, meaning that less money goes into the economy. The decentralisation of retailing and other services also has positive and negative impacts on the city centre. A negative impact is that urban deprivation could occur. Urban deprivation is when the standard of living in an urban area drops due to the area becoming run down. This could happen to the area because the shops lose customers to the out of town shopping centre. This causes the shops in the CBD to close and the people who worked there become unemployed, then these people are forced to claim benefits from the government, which means that the government don’t have the money to invest in the CBD. This then leads to an increase in crime, which makes the area look far more unappealing and gives it a poor reputation. Some of the shops in the CBD are also unable to compete with the out of town shopping centre because they can’t offer free parking, whereas the centre can. This free parking can have a massive influence on where the customers go. However, a positive impact is that the area has a lot less cars running through it, which leads to little congestion and little noise and air pollution. This would ensure that the environment of the area would be less polluted then what it would be if the shops were still successful. It also makes the area a lot more peaceful for the locals who live there. I strongly agree with this statement because the above shows some of the positive and negative impacts it can have on urban areas, which are major impacts so therefore, out of tow shopping centres are affecting the CBDs in many ways.