WAC analysis

Dry. Nearness's Dilemma Written Analysis and Communication I Rushing Patella (Section D) Submitted to Proof. Rhino Patella Mrs.. Paola Thomas on July 2nd, 2011 Indian Institute of Management, Mohammedan. Letter of Transmittal TO Dry. Meridian Indian Medical (Asides) College (MIMIC) Achaean, Tamil Nadia Subject: Suggested course of action for Dry. Meridian Dear Dry. Meridian, Attached herewith is a short report analyzing the various alternatives available to you in response to Dry. Rampart's request regarding acquiring and commercialism patent on his research.After evaluation of various options, the recommended elution Is to sign an agreement with a manufacturer and gain annual royalties on sales of medicine. Detailed analysis is presented in the report attached herewith. Regards, Rusher's Patella student, WIMP Jan 5th, 2011 Executive Summary The key problem to be addressed is how to respond to the request made by fellow faculty member Dry. Earmark to ensure the intellectual property protection and centralization of his formulation targeting coronary atherosclerosis and what might be the possible repercussions of the decision on MIMIC and Asides medicine system.The Recommendation 9 Action Plan 9 Exhibits†¦. Situation Analysis Indian Medical College (MIMIC) was established in 2004 in Achaean (Tamil Nadia) to be a centre of excellence in Asides medicine by imparting higher education, promoting its use and researching various aspects of it. The key problem is the proposal put forth by Dry. Earmark to MIMIC three months ago in early October 2010 that MIMIC should ensure the patenting and commercialism of his herb-mineral cardiovascularAsides formulation that can be used for the treatment of coronary atherosclerosis. It has 90% chances of securing intellectual property rights as per a legal firm. The unique selling propositions of the formulation include non-invasive technique, cost- effectiveness, no side effects and reduction in need of vascular extents. Thus, it can be expected to have a great acceptance in market. It is understandable that the way this proposal is handled shall not only affect Dry. Earmark, MIMIC and its staff but also impact the future of Asides medicine system.The decision might impact the two referrers researching in aneurysm and treatment of septa defects and also the future of research activities at the institute. It is also true that validating gastric procedures and preparations may serve as a means to motivate other faculty members as well. Looking at Dry. Rampart's past record of developing useful modified gastric formulations which included a successful preparation for infertility, his new formulation can be safely presumed to be equally useful.The information sheet he provided shows that the formulation has been through animal toxicity study and was also tried on patients yielding successful results. No Asides medicine has the acceptance of Asides medicine by alternative systems of medicine. The patenting of a Asides medicine backed by evidence of safety analysis would be a major leap towards recognition as a globally-accepted medicine system. The solutions provided by a couple of management education students seem to be quite useful but need to be carefully evaluated to find out the most optimal route and what might be its possible repercussions.The Problem To find the most optimal solution to Dry. Rampart's proposal, keeping in mind, the interests of MIMIC, its staff and Asides medicine system. The Options The various alternatives that can be considered include: 1. Turning down Dry. Rampart's proposal or 2. Directly transferring the rights to a third party for a one-time licensing fee or 3. Using a registered pharmaceutical setup to manufacture the medicine, but do the marketing itself or 4. Signing an agreement with a manufacturer and gain annual royalties on sales of medicine.Criteria for Evaluation Criteria in descending order of preferences: a. Impact on Asides medicine – Mimic interests' lies in promotion of Asides medicine and hence, is the most important criterion. B. Interest of MIMIC – MIMIC mandate has to e followed and the interests of MIMIC & staff have to be protected. C. Profitability – Higher profitability shall help in development of institute and promote further research in Asides medicine. Evaluation of Options 1. Turning down Dry. Rampart's proposal a. Impact on Asides medicine – There shall be no apparent effect as such.But, the golden opportunity to foray into the global market and getting recognition amongst the conventional medicine systems shall be missed. B. Interest of MIMIC – Dry. Earmark shall be utterly disappointed with MIMIC and also the other two professors shall also feel denominated. C. Profitability – The institute shall not be able to capitalize on the commercial benefits on the formulation. 2. Directly transferring the rights to a third party for a one-time licensing fee Asides produ ct. No significant credit of success shall go to MIMIC or Dry.Earmark as all the rights over the patent are handed over. B. Interest of MIMIC – Transferring the license will not let MIMIC commercialism the benefits of exploiting the formulations, and hence the interest of the institute might get affected. The other two professors might be motivated by the recognition and support rendered by MIMIC to Dry. Rampart's research. C. Profitability – The expected return as per random variable distribution turns out to be RSI. 57,500 (Exhibit 1). Since the profitability is greater than 1, it is an acceptable proposal. . Using a registered pharmaceutical setup to manufacture the medicine, but do the marketing itself a. Impact on Asides medicine – The promotion of Asides medicine can be regulated in an efficient manner since the marketing responsibilities will be of MIMIC who shall dedicatedly work towards it. B. Interest of MIMIC – Dry. Earmark shall be extremely h appy with MIMIC. The other two professors shall be motivated by the support displayed by MIMIC. However, lack of competent marketing professionals might restrict the progress of this approach. C.Profitability – This plan provides better profitability as compared to the previous plan (Exhibit 1). 4. Signing an agreement with a manufacturer and gain annual royalties on sales of medicine a. Impact on Asides medicine – This shall be the foray of Asides medicine towards getting recognition amongst the parallel medicine systems as it would be the first patented Asides drug backed by evidence to enter the market. It illustrates the best way as to how to reap commercial benefits of Asides formulation and shall also inspire other Asides colleges and researchers. B. Interest of MIMIC – Dry.Earmark shall be overwhelmed with Mimic response and the other two professors shall also derive inspiration from this. There are minimal responsibilities on the shoulders of MIMIC. The patent rights remain with MIMIC and hence, they own the formulation if the agreement ends before exclusivity period of patent. C. Profitability – This plan provides highest profitability I. E. 2. 21 and highest gross sales I. E. RSI. (Exhibit 1). Higher gross sales suggest promotion and acceptance of Asides medicine among masses. The Recommendation Action Plan Following steps are proposed to follow up on recommendation: 1 .

Family Violence Essay

Family violence is not a new phenomenon, as it has essentially existed since the beginning of time. Only in modern times, however have societies begun to recognize violence and family members as a social problem (Barnett, Miller-Perrin & Perrin, 2005). For many years, the social problem of family violence had not only been heavily ignored, but for a number of years, had not been fully understood. For example, family violence takes many forms and has a number of different names. Family violence, also known as domestic violence, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence (IPV), is defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one partner against another in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation (Barnett et al., 2005). Moreover, family violence includes but is not limited to physical abuse such as kicking and punching, but also includes sexual and emotional abuse. Emotional abuse includes controlling or domineering; intimi dation; stalking; passive/covert abuse (neglect) and economic deprivation and in many cases is more severe than physical abuse. The changing visibility of family violence is the leading indicator of the necessity of an historical approach to understanding it (Gordon, 2002). Over the past few years, the general public in the US has become familiar with family violence through news coverage of highly publicizes cases, TV programs and movies. At the same time, researchers have made great strides in recognizing the scope of family violence and the context in which it occurs (Barnett et al., 2005). As sociologists know of it today, family violence is politically, historically and socially constructed (Gordon, 2002). In terms of power relations and functionalism, family violence arises out of power struggles in which members of the family are contesting for resources and benefits (Gordon, 2002). Furthermore, these contests arise from both personal aspirations and change social norms and conditions (Gordon, 2002). It is therefore important to know that family violence cannot be understood outside the context of the overall politics of the family. Historical developments that continue to influence family violence include prominent changes in the situation of women and children (Gordon, 2002). It is imperative therefore for a historical analysis of family violence to include a view of the changing power relations among classes, sexes, and generations (Gordon, 2002). Political attitudes have also affected research â€Å"findings† about family violence. Both psychological and sociological interpretations in the debate often ignore the gender politics of family violence issues, and the gender implications of policy recommendations, not only when women or girls were the victims, but also when women were the abusers (Gordon, 2002). Over the past 80 years, four major types of family violence have be studied and examined; child abuse, child neglect, sexual abuse of children and wife beating. In later years, there have been other forms of family violence, which include sibling abuse (which is the most common form of family violence), and elder abuse (Gordon, 2002). Family violence has had many different faces historically, and has been classified in five different stages with different focuses periodically. The first was the 19th century and child saving era, which was from 1876-1910. During this era, there was anti-cruelty to children movement that was influenced by the temperance movement. Emphasis on the cruelty done to kids was placed on the immigrant poor and never the respectable classes (Gordon, 2002). The progressive era was followed by a child saving era which lasted from 1910 -1930 which lead to an emphasis on child neglect. During this era, there was a decrease emphasis on alcohol and identified other forms of stress such as poverty, unemployment and illness (Gordon, 2002). The depressed followed the progressive era where there was an increased defense for the conventional nuclear family. During the World War world war 2 era and the 1950’s child neglect was increasingly seen as emotional neglect and the 1960s and 70s was a period of increased medicalization of family violence which, as sociologists have identified can have extremely negative affects (Gordon, 2002). A lot of attention to family violence began to gain increasing importance during the time of the women’s movement in the 1970s as a concern about wives being beaten by their husbands. Interestingly enough, there was a rise in what some call â€Å"the men’s movement† as response to the problem of domestic violence against men, which is largely omitted in the feminist theory (Barnett et al., 2005). Some flaws in the feminist approach to family violence (as well as others that will be further discussed in the paper), is that it has reduced domestic violence, especially against men as their likelihood of being killed by a female intimate partner has decreased six-fold (Barnett et al. , 2005). OVERVIEW OF SEMINAR READINGS: WEEK 2 Symbolic interactionism is a perspective which seeks to understand how people interact with others (Ingoldsby, Smith & Miller, 2004a). The theory claims that people interact with one another by interpreting each other’s actions (Ingoldsby et al., 2004a). Their response is based on the meanings that they attach to such actions (Ingoldsby et al., 2004a). Thus, human interaction is largely mediated by the use of symbols (Karp & Yoels, 1993). Authors Karp & Yoels (1993) discuss notions of the generalized other and looking-glass self as examples of symbols with which we interact. In one instance, the self emerges from common expectations that others have about social norms within a particular society (Karp & Yoels, 1993). But in another instance, people will self-evaluate themselves against the perceived judgments of others and act accordingly (Karp & Yoels, 1993). The emphasis on symbols brings attention to the roles people play. Role-playing is a key mechanism that allows people to see another person’s perspective to understand what an action might mean (Ingoldsby et al., 2004a). In sum, no situation is static but rather contextual (Ingoldsby et al., 2004a). Individuals then through their own behavior and interaction with others, construct their individual social realities (Karp & Yoels, 1993; Ingoldsby et al., 2004a). Situating family violence within a framework of symbolic interactionism is important in that it provides a context within which people develop their personal interpretations of events. Therefore to understand family violence requires knowledge of the processes through which such interpretations emerge. Rosen (1996) and Mullaney (2007) illustrate ways in which interpretations of the self are at the core of domestic violence. Their findings are essential for understanding how family violence continues over time. Findings also help to account for the formation and preservation of culture and social roles in society. In one respect, interpretations of the self are mediated through two primary orientations of communication: processes of seduction an d processes of entrapment (Rosen, 1996). This first is characterized by forces that tend to draw women into their relationships (romantic fantasies and romantic fusion) and the second by forces that keep them there: survival tactics, cognitive dissonance, roller coaster relationships, traumatic bonding, Romeo and Juliet effects, and peer-family collusion (Rosen, 1996). For example, within the framework of symbolic interactionism, processes of seduction can be loosely defined as a dependent emotional state (Rosen, 1996). Individuals then, connect with partners because they internalize similar understandings of weakness and dependency to communicate feelings of love (Rosen, 1996). The interplay of such communication patterns facilitates an environment of spousal abuse that is likely to continue so long as interaction is repetitive (Rosen, 1996). Processes of entrapment on the other hand, can be argued to demonstrate the externalization of the communication patterns found in processes of seduction. Once meanings of dependency and weakness have been internalized as being both legitimate and appropriate within the context of one’s relationship, these women rationalize such behavior as the norm and thus stay. Survival tactics for example illustrate these efforts, by which women actively engage towards relationship management of an abusive relationship, otherwise internalized as an acceptable social norm. In contrast, Mullaney (2007) identifies low self-esteem as a correlate of men’s violent behavior. Domestic violence then, is a reaction to the attacks or perceived attacks on men’s self-concept (Mullaney, 2007). Mullaney (2007) argues that men will most often justify, yet also minimize, excuse, or blame and offer no apology on account for their violence towards women. These categories serve as scripts through which perceptions of masculinity are restored (Mullaney, 2007). If threatened, masculinity evolves accordingly as men interpret the actions of those around them. For example, women’s irrational spending habits may undermine men’s role as financial provider (Mullaney, 2007). Men would argue that such habits do not align functionally with women’s domestic and social roles (Mullaney, 2007). By doing so, men’s responses are based on the meanings which they attach to such actions and reflect cultural expectations of gender difference. This is problematic because it helps promote and develop stereotypically gendered selves (Mullaney, 2007). Symbolic interactionism then, becomes useful in demonstrating how dominant ideologies of gender are enacted within the interactions of marital relationships, and lend to domestic violence in the process. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES Feminist Theory The root of feminist theory begins with the inclusion of gender and power. Feminists argue that the distinctions between males and females are not inherent or functional; rather they are socially constructed to create and maintain male power in society and thus the family (Yllo, 1993). This sense of patriarchy reinforces traditional social roles and the relationship between the division of power and gender. The feminist perspective suggests that men use violence to retain their dominance or sense of control within the institution of the family. Thus, the feminist paradigm believes that domestic violence is utilized as another means of the social control of women, and takes roots at a personal, institutional, symbolic and material level. The application of a feminist lens to Rosen’s (1996) article allows for a very different approach to the processes of abduction and entrapment. The feminist perspective would likely explain that the forces drawing women into abusive relationshi ps were largely due to the social expectations of femininity and masculinity. The concept of romantic fantasies can be explored through gender identities. Here society portrays the male as being a strong, aggressive, independent individual and the female as a weak, docile individual that is largely dependant on their partner. For instance, the fantasy of Cinderella eludes that a man can protect a woman and save her from her problems. Feminists would suggest that women fall victim to these relationships due to the inequalities portrayed by traditional gender norms. Feminist theorists would likely explain the concept of romantic fusion as being due to the extremely controlling nature of husbands within a patriarchal marriage. This type of relationship is defined as Patriarchal Terrorism (Johnson, 1995). Here, the woman in the relationship would be forced to part with her individual characteristics and become completely devoted to her husband (Johnson, 1995). Furthermore, the husband may further restrict the identity of the woman by refusing to allow her to go to work or maintain friends outside of the actual relationship. The feminist lens would offer a slightly different interpretation of the processes that restrict women from escaping abusive relationships. Though women may still use coping mechanisms and adhere to other social forces, outlined by symbolic interactionaists, feminist theory suggests two main reasons why they stay in violent relationships. The first reason women stay in abusive relationships is fro the sake of their children (Emery, 2009). In cases such as these women will stay with the intent of maintaining some stability for their kids by trying keeping the family in tact. The other reasons women may stay are due to the normalization of gender norms in society. Feminist theory sees the root causes of intimate partner violence as a causation of living in a society that excuses aggressive male behaviours (Yllo, 1993). In other words, because these behaviours are so normative, some women may excuse the behavior and treat it as the norm. What is perceived as the norm also varies across culture. Even today, many cultures adhere to traditional hegemonic norms and strongly believe women should be completely subservient to their husbands. In cases such as this, abuse may be next to impossible to escape. The application of the feminist perspective to Mullaney’s (2007) article would allow for a similar analysis of the attitudes of men and their reasons for rationalizing their abusive behaviours. Mullaney (2007) suggests that men will often become violent due to low self-esteem and a perceived attack on their self-concept. The feminist lens would suggest that men become violent due to the inequalities in society that allow men an advantage position and with that gendered norms. Traditional hegemonic masculine norms suggest that men should be leaders that are strong, in control and tough. This is what the men in the study were trying to demonstrate. Whenever, they felt that their sense of masculinity was being challenged they would lash out in an attempt to regain control. The Control Model of Domestic Violence further provides a precise framework in displaying the interconnectedness between violence and other forms of coercive control. Simply put, the feminist theory suggests th at men use violence as a tactic of controlling their abused wives from participating in actions they have not sanctioned. Family Systems Theory The Family Systems theory provides a very unique, holistic perspective on the topic of violence in the family. This perspective describes the family as a unit of interacting personalities. Sociologist Ernest Burgess, best summarized this perspective when he stated that the family is more then just a definition; it is a living, super personality that has its essence in the interaction of its members (Ingoldsby, Smith & Miller, 2004b). Each member of the family plays a very important role in the overall functioning of the unit. When applied to the topic of violence in the institution of the family, this paradigm focuses on the family dynamics that contribute to domestic abuse. Subsequently less attention is focused on the individual perpetrating the violence and more attention is paid to the environment surrounding the violence and the role each character in the family plays. The Family Systems perspective offers a diverse interpretation of Rosen’s (1996) article on the processe s of abduction and entrapment. Family Systems Theorists differ with respect to how they feel that women are drawn into abusive relationships. This perspective identifies the connection between family goals, rules and control, and how together one can fully understand the development and causation of domestic abuse (Ingoldsby et al., 2004b). For example in the article by Rosen (1996), it can be seen that by using family systems theory and studying familial interactions that certain females may be predisposed to the Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast paradigms. By looking at how their families’ function, one may be able to see the recycling effect due to unresolved or violent backgrounds these victimized individuals may come from. They may fall into a similar pattern from what they know at home, thereby examining the origins of this behavior and viewing the interconnectedness of how one internalizes family rules and ideas of control. Family System’s Theory offers a unique interpretation as to the role women play in becoming stuck in abusive relationships. In the stages preceding marriage, women will often date their partner, while simultaneously leading separate lives which consist of separate relations. As the commitment in a relationship increases, a couple begins to modify their individual social lives. In these types of situations, both men and women will often make more time for one another. This allows for the woman to feel appreciated and loved. As the relationship continues to progress, incidents of sexual jealously among men will often become a major source of conflict. This sense of possessiveness will ultimately cause the female to begin severing ties with male friends, and become increasingly committed to her future husband (Dobash & Dobash, 1993). Once married, dramatic changes occur and the extreme constriction of the wives social life takes place. With the introduction of children, comes the solidification of traditional gendered norms. Wives become extremely restricted and are left responsible for domestic work, such as the operation of the home (Dobash & Dobash, 1993). This may cause women to become increasingly dependant on their husbands. Subsequently, when sources of conflict occur, such as sexual jealousy, disputes over domestic duties or the expenditure of money, women may feel that they have no mobility and are stick in their current situation. Lastly, Family Systems Theory offers a holistic approach to the factors found in Mullaney’s (2007) article that cause men abuse their partners. Like Feminists, Family Systems theorists also believe that a very important aspect of traditional hegemonic masculinity is the element of control. However, unlike the feminist theory this approach attempts to understand what causes men to lose control. One explanation is that violent men often feel as if they may lose control, if they express their emotions, and thus hold it in. This in turn, causes violent men to generally be less emotionally reactive to stress on a day-to-day basis, then non-violent men (Umberson, Anderson, Williams, & Chen, 2003). Though in the short term, repression may be a successful coping strategy for reducing stress and anxiety, it causes the individual increased predicaments in the long run. Repression turns a violent man into a ticking-time bomb, one that is ready to explode in a violent manner. As a result, unlike feminist theories or social interactionism, family systems theory attempts to understand violence in the family by examining every interdependent part of the family. This includes the part both the victims and the offenders play, as well as the role everyday stresses and ones immediate environment have in contributing to family violence. Social Constructionism The methodological approach of Social Constructionism somewhat contrasts the assumptions of other theoretical perspectives that explore the issue of family violence. This paradigm suggests that the emergence of social problems is heavily due to how society, or more specifically institutions within society such as the mainstream media, portrays the issue at hand. Furthermore, social constructionists are often referred to as claims-makers, in that they present a claim that attempts to define the problem at hand. These claims can be heavily influenced by the agenda of the claims-maker, and will clearly identify the roles of the characters within the construct of the event. For instance, social constructionist’s will identify the perpetrator of the violence as the villain and the abused partner as the victim. The analysis of Rosen’s article surrounding the processes involved with seduction and entrapment, using a constructionist lens, provides a different interpretation to the ways women become bound to abusive relations. This perspective focuses on the subjective definitions that cause social problems and look to frame the phenomena of family violence as a social problem (Loseke, 2005). For instance, symbolic interactionism maintains that some abused women are bound to relationships by the process of cognitive dissonance. In cases such as this, women create discrepancies between what they believe the violence in the relationship signifies and what is actually happening. Constructionists on the other hand will focus very little time into how women construct the violent situations. Instead this perspective theorizes that these women have fallen victims to the violent, controlling nature of their abusive, villainous male partners (Loseke, 2005). The media or other primary claims-makers would further emphasis on violent verbal claims, visual images and specific behaviours. The reason of this is to evoke the emotions of society in order to persuade society that a troubled condition exists. The application of a constructions lens to Mullaney’s article on the reasons and types of rationalizations men provide for spousal abuse would allow theorists a better understanding of the ways victims and villains perceive family violence. The social constructionist lens suggests that men create their own social reality. This reality allows men to rationalize their behaviours. For example, in Mullaney’s (2007) article men would often minimize, justify or even deny abusive behaviours. These men will often excuse their behaviours by blaming social or external factors, such as alcohol abuse and the structural problems associated with poverty. These claims are sometimes able to persuade audiences and have allowed for some villains to be rehabilitated through the medicalization of their deviance. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES Symbolic Interactionism Symbolic Interactionism is a key tool to examine domestic violence and its various intricacies. In essence, SI theory attempts to look at domestic violence from the viewpoint of individuals and their interactions with other people. This theory explains that individuals are engulfed in a symbolized environment, where the meanings for these symbols are altered within the course of interaction with other people (Karp & Yoels, 1993). For example, in the article â€Å"The ties that bind women to violent premarital relationships: Processes of seduction and entrapment†, SI is exemplified in the notion of cognitive dissonance. If a man were to slap his wife, while she may see this as an expression or symbol of love, many other people would see this as abuse. Therefore, the difference and meanings of symbols is very fluid, changing and subjective. Furthermore, SI theory is extremely effective in allowing researchers to understand and describe the individuals and their behaviors. It allows an understanding of how conflicts and complex behavioral patterns may arise in relationships, and how the interpretations of symbols may play a role in domestic disputes. This theory is quite effective in predicting future behavior (SI theory is advantageous to use as it grows and adapts to changes within society) and the roles they may play in the relationship either as a perpetrator or a victim, and the context in which these roles are played (Karp & Yoels, 1993). Rosen (1996) explains and clumps together several types of entrapment processes, such as placation or isolation, which predicts why and how females are coerced to remain in that sort of relationship. In addition, this theory does lack certain key elements in understanding domestic violence in its entirety. Due to the quite narrow scope of analysis, it is not very useful in understanding more macro levels of interactions such as groups or family systems. Another disadvantage is that it is quite difficult to apply the theory to other cultures, as its findings and hypotheses are based on a singular cultural atmosphere. Since monotony across cultures does not exist, a grand, overarching theory of domestic violence cannot be established, thereby making international or cross-cultural comparisons quite trying. Feminism Domestic violence as viewed through the feminist perspective focuses on the relationship between gender and the division of power in the familial framework (Yllo, 1993). This framework allows domestic abuse to be viewed in a way that is quite distinct from other theories. Feminist theory reveals that the social expectations regarding masculinity and femininity give relationships their shape, which may result in violent and abusive familial relations (Yllo, 1993). Feminist theory allows for the recognition of the effects of patriarchy in an abusive relationship, which is normally neglected in other theories. For instance, the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS) looks at the violence in families, however it neglects several other aspects that could contribute to violence. CTS assumes that males and females are both equally violent in domestic relationships however, feminists note that CTS fails to account for the social expectations (Yllo, 1993). The social expectations of the division of power between a male and female within a relationship can give rise to the abuse and therefore, it cannot be assumed that males and females are equally violent and there are statistical measures that portray a gendered view. For example in the reading, â€Å"Patriarchal terrorism and common couple violence: two forms of violence against women† it can be seen that feminism denotes a difference in the types of violence that occur in domestic partnerships and further differentiates between common couple violence and patriarchal terrorism. This article notes that while CTS looks only at a limited number of control tactics, feminism can shed light to several other controlling methods. While, one can see that feminist theory brings up key defining points that are commonly overlooked, it does remain flawed in many respects. Feminist theory is difficult to apply to forms of domestic violence except for spousal abuse; specifically it only examines the abuse directed towards women. It automatically victimizes the female, and thereby situates the male in role of the villain. Another disadvantage of using solely feminist theory is that same-sex relationships are also not taken into account in their analyses, since it is assumed in feminist analysis that males are the perpetrators and use violence in the relationship to control women. For instance in the article, â€Å"The ties that bind women to violent premarital relationships: Processes of seduction and entrapment†, the analyses are based on the observation of heterosexual relationships. It did not look at how and if these processes of entrapment are applicable to homosexual relationships, for instance, do the Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast paradigm still adequately explain why homosexuals remain in violent relationships. It can be seen that there is a victim/perpetrator structure of the violent relationship, however it cannot be concluded that the processes that entrap victims in violent relationship are similar for same-sex couples. Family Systems Theory Family systems theory is a more holistic approach to understanding abuse within the family and further looks into how everyone within this framework is interconnected. Therefore, it explains how the individual affects the family system and vice versa. Through this analysis, one key contribution of this theory is that it paves the way of identifying the connection between family goals, rules and control, and how together one can fully understand the development and causation of domestic abuse (Ingoldsby et al., 2004b). For example in the article by Rosen (1996), it can be seen that by using family systems theory and studying familial interactions, certain females may be predisposed to the Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast paradigms. By looking at how their families’ function, one may be able to see the recycling effect due to unresolved or violent backgrounds these victimized individuals may come from. They may fall into a similar pattern from what they know at home, thereby examining the origins of this behavior and viewing the interconnectedness of how one internalizes family rules and ideas of control. In the article, â€Å"Stay for the Children? Husband Violence, Marital Stability, and Children’s Behavior Problems† it clearly articulates that the violent behavior is internalized or externalized by children by prolonged exposure of violent behavior. The cyclical pattern of violence is foreseeable in these sorts of family arrangements, thereby being consistent with the idea that the system of family and the individuals within it are affected by each other on a constant basis. Family Systems theory also helps identify the different sorts of family structures in terms of their communicational boundaries and also allows the recognition of the various outcomes for a particular situation (Ingoldsby et al., 2004b). Understanding that there are multiple outcomes for a given situation sets a more encompassing investigation and limits the likelihood of leaving something out or missing a key-contributing factor. It also allows a point of differentiation, and assumes that not all people react the same when the situation arises. This is important as it further provides the researcher with a defining and narrowing point as to which sort of family has a higher likelihood for domestic violence to occur and persist. Some of the downfalls of using family systems theory are that it is often criticized that it is too general and therefore, its application remains vague. The vagueness stretches from the assumption that systems theory is not a true theory rather it is a model that is more methodological than theoretical. Social Constructionism Social constructionist theory is a popular theory used to examine the roles played in an abusive relationship. An advantage of constructionist theory is that it clearly identifies the victim and the villain within the construct of the particular event (Loseke, 2005). Claims-makers are portrayed as practical actors constructing successful claims that reflect existing culture, and producing new culture of various social problems, specifically family violence. Social constructionism also allows domestic violence issues to be raised to the forefront and become more public, through the media. Through its application and explanations, this theory can be used to show how knowledge is socially constructed and how that knowledge reflects power and politics in family violence situations. Furthermore, it can give shape to other forms of domestic violence through counter claims making, such as husband abuse. Unlike other theories, constructionism is quite useful in examining other types of abuse and not singularly looking at wife abuse like feminism (Loseke, 2005). Constructionism allows for the understanding of child or elder abuse in the household. This theory also helps understand how people construct realities that keep them in abusive relationships, and how the relationship may be viewed differently to other people. In the article by Mullaney (2007), the construction of the men’s reality of the situation may differ from what abuse has occurred to the wife. The husband may reframe the abuse as â€Å"non-violent† or suggest that in that instance of abuse that it was not the â€Å"real him† that was carrying out the abuse. The disadvantages of using social constructionist theory are that due to the fact that individual events are a crucial component to the analysis, its subjectivity allows much room for debate. This makes it difficult to develop a theory that can encompass all the social realities and have it apply to all domestic violence cases cross-culturally. While looking at the article â€Å"Creating clients: Social problems work in a shelter for battered women,† it can be seen that shelters create an ideal client that one must fit in order to be allowed to be in the shelter. Creating this sort of criteria leaves out many other people who typically do not fit the stereotype or do not meet the conditions set out by the providers even though they are in need of assistance. Using this theory, it seems as though society has constructed an â€Å"ideal† victim and those who do not appear to fit this idealistic view of a victim are often rejected despite their need for immediate attention. Social constructionism therefore does not grant that everyone experiencing violence will be offered assistance, as this is based on the shelter’s perception of what a victim should look like. Family violence is a very serious social problem, and while social critics focus on how to achieve social change in this regard, social constructionists work to achieve new knowledge. Thus, social constructionism does not only pose a potentially dangerous approach to understanding and treatment of family violence, but it also does not examine objective conditions in their own right and seek to solve this social problem; essentially there are â€Å"no real truths† due to the subjectivity of the theory. REFLECTION Although much research and knowledge has been gathered in the field of family violence, there are ways in which this research must progress. Theoretically, family systems theory, symbolic interactionism, social constructionism, and feminist perspectives each have advantages in their application. As previously discussed, they each additionally have faults that hinder the study of family violence. We propose that a new theoretical framework be considered which essentially combines different aspects of each. For example, the notions of cause and effect associated with family systems, with an understanding of roles, salience and identity associated with symbolic interactionism. These theories can additionally be used to critically examine the core concepts of each. For example, how is the process of the looking-glass self influenced by the double-bind. Theoretical application in these ways may lead to new ways of perceiving family violence. The study of family violence also should attempt to increase its scope. Studies of family violence must adjust due to emerging and increasingly common alternative family forms; same-sex parent families and polygamous relationships are such examples. Methodologically, the study of family violence should attempt to attain a more culturally diverse sample. Many of the readings focused on this semester relied on a predominantly Caucasian sample, and studies focusing on different ethnicities would be beneficial. If researchers are to examine alternative family forms they must also establish a methodology that is sensitive to the stigma surrounding different identities, for example the emasculation associated with husband abuse, or the intersection of a homosexual identity within a context of family violence. Researchers should also establish a methodology that accounts for those patterns of violence considered â€Å"less severe† than others such as verbal abuse, as studies pertaini ng solely to physical violence are not enough. Practically, we suggest that researchers focus on early intervention through education. Researchers should aim for the implementation of programs directed to informing children and teenagers about this social issue. With increased awareness may come increased action towards ending the problem. These programs may assist a young person who is dealing with family violence, giving them an opportunity to speak to someone about it. Making the issue visible, giving it a platform to be discussed and early intervention is requisite to decreasing the frequency of family violence. The application of different aspects of the theories discussed this semester will be beneficial to the study of family violence as a whole. The fallacies of one theory may be redeemed through the usage of another. When evaluating such troubling social issues such as family violence, it is important to always think critically. In the cases of physical violence, we know that though symbolic interactionism, family members react to a situation based on their ability interpret the situation. So, it is important to understand the symbols the family uses to understand their interactions and behaviors. If a family is exposed to continuous physical abuse, in what ways do the family members interpret and internalize it? Why is it that many of the abused women came from families where no abuse was present and moreover continue the cycle of abuse? Where has the self worth gone or was it ever there in the first place? We now know some of the reasons why family violence is not reported and a lot of it has to do with the social stigma that is attributed both by those receiving the abuse and those who are the abusers. By building on – rather than challenging – the theories we can expand our knowledge and practically implement programs to assist those dealing with family violence. REFERENCES Barnett, O. W., Miller-Perrin, C. L., & Perrin, R. D. (2005). Family violence across the lifespan: An introduction (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: CA: Sage Publications. Dobash, R. E. & Dobash, R. (1993). Violence against wives. In B. Fox (Ed.), Familypatterns: Gender relations (pp. 299-317). Toronto: Oxford University Press. Emery, C. R. (2009). Stay for the children? Husband violence, marital stability, and children’s behavior problems. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 71, 905-916. Gordon, L. (1989). The politics and history of family violence. In A. Skolnick & J. Skolnick (Eds.), Family in Transition (pp. 68-86). Glenview, Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company. Ingoldsby, B., Smith, S., & Miller, J. (2004a). Symbolic interactionism theory. In B. Ingoldsby, S. Smith, & J. Miller (Eds.), Exploring family theories (pp. 81-92). CA: Roxbury Publishing Company. Ingoldsby, B., Smith, S., & Miller, J. (2004b). Family systems theory. In B. Ingoldsby, S. Smith, & J. Miller (Eds.), Explo ring family theories (pp. 167-179). CA: Roxbury Publishing Company. Johnson, M. (1995). Patriarchal terrorism and common couple violence: two forms of violence against women. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 283-294. Karp, D., & Yoels, B. (1993). Socialization and the construction of social reality. In D. Karp & W. Yoels (Eds.), Sociology in everyday life (pp. 37-59). Illinois: Waveland Press. Loseke, D. R. (2005). Construction people. In D. R. Loseke (Ed.), Thinking about social problems: An introduction to constructionist perspective (pp. 75-96). London: Aldine Transaction. Mullaney, J. L. (2007). Telling it like a man: Masculinities and battering men’s accounts of their violence. Men and Masculinities, 10, 222-247. Rosen, K. (1996). The ties that bind women to violent premarital relationships: Processes of seduction and entrapment. In D. Cahn & S. Lloyd (Eds.), Family violence from a communication perspective (pp. 151-176). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Umbe rson, D., Anderson, K., Williams, K., and Chen, M. (2003). Relation dynamics, emotion state, and domestic violence: a stress and masculinities perspective. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 65, 233-247. Yllo, K. (1993). Through a feminist lens: Gender, power, and violence. In R. Gelles & D. Loseke (Eds.), Current controversies on family violence (pp. 47-62). Newbury Park: Sage Publications.

Exploring duality in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay

When Stevenson wrote the novella ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ he seemed to have been influenced by various ideas. The first goes all the way back to an ancient Greek philosopher ‘Plato’. His theory of dualism was imaged as two horses clashing with one another. He believed that every human being was a charioteer trying to keep them balanced and in control. One horse being black representing the animal demonic side; this is the side being harder to control and contains instinctive drives. This expresses the dark side. Stevenson took this concept to another level and gave off the impression that in his novella the dark horse had been liberated taking over the white horse. The white horse portrayed intelligence, moral senses, and the angelic side of mankind. This side had less energy but responded to all the commands exactly. Jekyll evidently being a scientist had more characteristics of the higher horse (white), but every one has a demonic side it is natural to have a bit of dark side to them. Hyde stood by the dark horse he was all defective and didn’t take any consequences for his actions. Hyde’s charter was vey monstrous and beastly. This takes me onto the idea of Charles Darwin; his concept to duality was the idea of there being a ‘beast in a man’. He believed that mankind originated from apes. He also believed that there was two parts to human nature. Stevenson took this to an extreme when he introduced the character ‘Hyde’. Although there isn’t an exact description of Hyde’s appearance, Enfield did say in the first chapter â€Å"He is not easy to describe, there is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable†, â€Å"and he must be deformed somewhere†. This quote is the best to show the beastliness of Hyde. His actions also are not very human like a good example of this is when he tramples over a little girl. Stevenson adapts Darwin’s idea to his novella. The third and final influence was the Victorian society at the time. In this society men were forced to ‘hide’ their secrets from their public lives. There was a lot of hypocrisy in the Victorian times. People said one thing and did the other. Stevenson takes this idea; this influence is proved in the first chapter when Enfield and Mr Utterson talk about ‘Hyde’. â€Å"No sir I had a delicacy; was the reply ‘I feel very strongly about putting questions; it partakes too much of the style of the day of judgement. You start a question, and it’s like starting a stone, you sit quietly on top of the hill; and away the stone goes, starting other;† â€Å"and the family have to change their name. No sir, I make it a rule of mine: the more it looks like Queer Street, the less I ask. This is stating the fact that people in the Victorian times stayed out of each other business as they didn’t want people to ask about their personal lives. Men in those times got away with almost anything in Hyde’s case he got away with murder. People kept them selves to their selves, but they felt it was right to ask about other people. This shows dualism in a way that people were two faced as they kept secrets form each other. Before Jekyll become a scientist he was a very happy man that loved life and lived it to the fullest. Jekyll was born with everything given to him, he wanted to enjoy life but also wanted to have a status in the public eye; he wanted both things. This explains the duality of life. Jekyll says in one of the chapters ‘in concealed in on my own pleasures’ this means that his pleasure and desires were kept to him self. In order to achieve in life, he felt that he had to hide his faults from the world. The first information we are given about Dr Jekyll is form his old friend Dr Lanyon; he mentions the reason why they do not see much of each other. â€Å"Jekyll became too fanciful for me†. And that Dr Jekyll was interested in â€Å"such unscientific balderdash† This partly explains Jekyll personality as these comments would make the reader curious to know what Dr. Jekyll is up to. Later in the novella Jekyll makes his first appearance, he is described to be a ‘large, well made, smooth-faced man of fifty†¦but every mark of capacity and kindness†. To the reader he appears to be a kind man who you would not expect to do anything wrong. This is a sign of dualism in a way that Jekyll is given a false upfront of what he is really like. Jekyll also describes his personality as a â€Å"gaiety of disposition† Stevenson deliberately made this quote vague, but it instantly shows the slyness in Dr Jekyll does not want to tell anyone about his personality or life and exactly the things he got up to. This was because in the Victorian times you couldn’t talk about ‘prostitutes’ this was classed as completely wrong, you would be discarded from the society. Jekyll wanted to explore the dualism in a man and so he did; split his personality into good and evil. This is why he came up with the potion. When Jekyll first take the potion he describes his feelings in ‘The strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ Jekyll says at first ‘The most racking pangs succeeded’ he was in great pain, but then rapidly the feelings changed to the ‘incredibly sweet’ † I felt younger, lighter, happier in the body† already he experiences freedom. Jekyll was able to see a new side to the world, the evil side! He explains that these feelings ‘delighted him like wine’. Moreover, Jekyll desire from early life is to separate the two selves that are apparent but equally present. Jekyll learns how to free Hyde. But did try to control Hyde coming out, when Jekyll tries to cage Hyde for good, when he tried this Hyde didn’t come out for a long time, but Hyde was itching to come out, in the end Hyde burst out stronger than ever and becomes the more dominant one. Hyde was the powerful one while Jekyll loses the control he could maintain when he alone had actions. Jekyll becomes addicted to Hyde there for more dosages were needed. Eventually it is clear that Dr Jekyll is no longer in conduct of the transformation. In Henry Jekyll full statement of the case he says ‘I had not wakened where I seemed to be but in the little room in Soho where I was accustomed to sleep in the body of Edward Hyde’ Jekyll says he wasn’t in control anymore. A proof of this is when he says â€Å"yes I had gone to bed Henry Jekyll, I had awakened Edward Hyde† Dr Jekyll is more accepted into the society as being a scientist, people look up to him and respects him. In Jekyll full statement of the case he says â€Å"I found it hard to reconcile with my imperious desire to carry my head high, and wear a more than commonly grave countenance before the public†. This is telling us that Jekyll is giving off the impression that he is good at his profession almost being bigheaded. Hyde is the complete opposite his actions do not have consequences; Hyde’s behaviour is very ape like, just like his appearance (this goes back to Darwin’s theory.)The other characters cannot describe his outside shell as it is too hideous to describe. Hyde’s character is extremely cruel and evil. For example when he just tramples over the child in the first chapter, this shows the lack of respect for others. It also shows he is amoral. Stevenson used this marked contrast to make his point in dualism; every human being contains opposite forces within them, there’s always a different person behind a facade. This shows dualism in a whole different level. Stevenson used an aptonym for Hyde as his character â€Å"hides† in another character. The style of Stevenson’s writing is sometimes complicated as some of the sentences are longer than modern readers would normally read. Also the vocabulary is dated, and a lot of the words in the novel are no longer used. The most complex parts of the story are in Jekyll’s confession at the end. Sometimes Stevenson uses metaphors such as when Mr Enfield describes where he first met Mr Hyde as â€Å"some place at the end of the world†. He uses a lot of similes to show how inhuman Hyde really is, for example â€Å"like some damned Juggernaut† and â€Å"like Satan†. Alliteration highlights the unpleasantness of Mr Hyde; he is described as â€Å"downright detestable† and â€Å"hardly human†. Onomatopoeia emphasises the animal qualities of Mr Hyde by describing the sounds he makes as â€Å"hissing†, â€Å"snarled† and â€Å"husky†. Throughout the novella the theme of ‘hypocrisy’ is very large. Almost every character is a hypocrite take for example the police man. When the police man realised that the victim of the murder was a famous MP. You can tell from the police man face that his professional ambition meant a lot, as this would better his career and maybe lead to an early retirement. Jekyll is the ultimate hypocrite in the novella although he lives part of his life as someone else he cannot accept the natural evil inside him so he separates them. Hyde’s house keeper is another character that shows hypocrisy. She displays â€Å"odious joys† when she hears that her employer, Mr Hyde is in trouble with the police. She is described as having a face that is â€Å"worn smooth† with hypocrisy. Stevenson often uses the weather to reflect the evil within the surroundings. For example some scenes are described as foggy, which creates a sense of eeriness and mystery. Also wind is used to make the environment seem like it is full of violence and menace. Changes in the weather, for instance when Poole and Utterson are getting ready to break into Jekyll’s laboratory, also create a dark and evil atmosphere as when the wind caused the clouds to cover the moon. The house itself shows secret and hypocrisy as well. In contrast the door of Dr. Jekyll home â€Å"wore a great air of wealth and comfort†, whilst the inside of the house is described as â€Å"warmed †¦ by a bright, open fire, and furnished with costly cabinets of oak†. The good friend of Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Utterson, often spoke of it as â€Å"the pleasantest room in London.† This gives a totally different impression to that of Mr Hyde’s home. The description of Mr Hyde’s door would make it appear that the house was abandoned by the state of it. But as you enter the house there is a sense of elegance, luxury and good taste. You would expect it to be empty and unclean. A Victorian reader would not associate these two people together as they both live in different environments. They would only realise the association between them when Mr Hyde presents a cheque to the child’s family, bearing Dr. Jekyll name. This would make the reader curious of how these two know each other. However later on the reader is surprised to see that the inside of Mr Hyde’s house contains good wines, good pictures, silver plates, elegant table linen and thick carpets. These are items you would expect to see in Dr. Jekyll house. The dualism in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is almost similar to the modern days. Jekyll as a scientist had a super ego. He was very intelligent to come up with a potion that split a mans personality, but when the character Hyde occurs, he is the complete opposite. As humans we want a balanced ego, we want desires to be fulfilled but not all desires are good. So this makes a dynamic equilibrium. This was the theory of Freud. Jekyll is dominated by superego but Hyde being the id is trying to push his way in, which he does succeed in the end. In my opinion I think that Jekyll has a balanced ego as in the end he wanted to destroy both good and evil. I think this shows he is being considerate as he could have carried on being Hyde if he wanted to. â€Å"There comes an end to all things; the most capacious measure is filled at last; and this brief condescension to my evil finally destroyed the balance of my soul†. I think this is Jekyll thinking in terms of his super ego as I think this q uote shows that he wants to get rid of Hyde as the emphasis is on the word â€Å"finally†. The dualism in the story is significant to the book, without duality in the book it would have a different perspective on the whole. Stevenson’s main aim was to put his point across about duality. Stevenson reveals that the duality of human nature runs deeper than good and evil to rational versus and reputation versus true nature. Stevenson also uses different narrators to the book to give an alternative view on Hyde and Jekyll. No single account could explain to the reader the views of characters associated with Jekyll and Hyde. For example without the support of his friend Utterson, Jekyll would not be as strong Overall I think that this novella is very complex, but has an excellent understanding to it. I think Stevenson put the theme of â€Å"duality† init in an interesting way and related it very well to the Victorian society at the time. Stevenson also comments on the constant war and balance between the two characters. â€Å"There comes an end to all things; the most capacious measure is filled at last; and this brief condescension to my evil finally destroyed the balance of my soul†. In almost all stories the good always wins in the end as Jekyll rightly committed suicide as there was no other way out. However it also could be seen as the evil getting the best of the good side as Hyde took over Jekyll’s life and Jekyll producing the potion in the first place. I think that the story relates to this day and age in a way that people are hypocrites and have two sides to them, it gives a strong message to what could happen in the outcome.

CASE STUDY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Case Study Example By exhaustive rendering of customers’ conscious and unconscious patterns into data sets and algorithms, Target has revolutionized what it knows about its customers, therefore, how precisely it can sell. (Duhigg, 2012). Thus, it is clear that by collecting purchasing data, Target studies consumers’ purchasing behavior and thereby is coming up with effective marketing strategies to entice customers optimally. One of the key insights that emerged was consumers would be ready to experience bad things, if they knew they can buy a product that can solve or lessen that bad experience. This insight could be understood as a result of the ethnographic research done by the market research company Housecalls for the over-the-counter antacid Maalox. When makers of Maalox wanted to know how people with chronic heartburn became loyal to its product, the Housecall after doing an in-depth study came to the conclusion that its target customers â€Å"love their food more than they hate their heartburn.† (Osborne, 2002). The other key insight that emerged was the target customers of companies, which offer retirement plans, could focus on how those plans could positively impact their lifestyle, more than the money they may get in their post-retirement phase. Using this insight that came out of an ethnographic research, the company Wells Fargo designed its retirement planning site to include the vari ous life stages used in the â€Å"ethnographic research to convey the message we meet you where you are† and provide relevant guidance instead of â€Å"producing numbers-dense material filled with endless financial projections.† (Cayla, Beers & Arnould,

Case Google Is Changing Everything Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case Google Is Changing Everything - Essay Example Here I will assess and analyze the main technology structure employed, a better revenue generation policy and enhanced extensive business structure of Google. Google is an intelligent search engine that offers its user a better facility regarding the web based search as well as a better promotion of related areas. As we search with the Google, then different related categories of the products and services appear on the right side of the main user interface. If we are searching for some food products then Google will intelligently offer a list of categories related to the desired or searched query. This is a great opportunity and facility that offers us to select and check products and services of the related categories. Google main advertisement pan is retrieved intelligently according to the user interest and desire. The intelligent search engine of the Google has the greater capability to assess the user interest and offer the related ads and promotions for the user easiness (Organicspam, 2007). I have tried lot of different options and observed that Google is offering a comprehensive way for presenting and showing the mostly matched re sults to the user interest and desire. If we talk about the spreadsheets the name of Microsoft’s Excel comes in mind. However Google is trying to redefine the basic concept of the Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheets. The main purpose of the Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheets is to arrange the data and organize in an appropriate way so that user can effectively handle and operate the data. However there are several limitations in the customary idea of the Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheets. For instance, Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheets are lacking in sharing of spreadsheet data to multiple users and clients (Shelly, Cashman, & Vermaat, 2005). In this regard the Google is going to redefine the customary practice of the spreadsheets and trying to integrate more enhanced and better features in these

Using the Income-expenditure Model in UK Economy Essay

Using the Income-expenditure Model in UK Economy - Essay Example As the discussion declares consumption refers to the use of goods and services by consumer purchasing or in the production of other goods. Investment is referred to as an addition to the real capital stock of the economy and it comprises the purchase of new capital equipment, the construction of buildings and the addition to the stock of raw materials, semi-finished goods and finished goods. Economists refer to investment as spending by firms. This paper stresses that government expenditure is the existing spending by central government and local authorities on the provisions of social goods and services such as, health, education, roads etc, marketed goods and services such as coal, postal services, etc and transfer payments e.g., child benefit, job seekers allowance, state pension etc. Government expenditure is primarily financed by taxation and borrowing. Exports are goods and services produced in the UK and are purchased by foreigners, the purchase of exports adds to the income of UK households and firms. Exports therefore provide an injection into the economy. Imports can be classed as a leakage from the economy as it represents the amount of money spent on goods and services that are purchased outside the home economy. It leaks out of the circular flow and forms part of the demand for output from foreign countries. A change in any of these constituent variables of the aggregate demand will result a change in the over all aggregate demand.

Retail Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Retail Marketing - Case Study Example Tesco PLC is the largest British retailer based on both global and local shares. Traditionally, the UK-based international retailer specializes only in the distribution of food products but it currently adds other goods and services to its product portfolio which ranges from clothing to consumer electronics to consumer financial services to internet services to internet service and consumer telecom. Last February 26, the company announced a total annual turnover of 33.974 billion and reported a pre-tax profit of 1.962 billion. It is estimated that in every 8 UK retail sales, 1 is spent on Tesco. Tesco is currently one of the world recognized retailers. The phenomenal success of Tesco as a retailer is recognised even in the global arena. The company lags behind Wal-mart in terms of global sales, staying ahead of other retail giants like Carrefour, and Home Depot. The company's success and even mere existence in the strategies it employs to capture new markets and retain its current buyers. Its well-crafted marketing strategy is a huge factor becomes a main driver in the company's success. However, as the company focused on capturing other geographical regions in the world, it is irrefutable that the Tesco also needs to modify its current domestic strategy and design other strategies taking into account the features and issues in the new market. Together with other large global companies, the strategies employed by Tesco are met by a lot of criticisms from commentators. As societal marketing is becoming a trend and a common feature in the businesses, it is imperative that Tesco adapts ways to mitigate the identified harmful effects of these issues in its operations. This report will look at the phenomenal success of Tesco PLC both in the United Kingdom and other geographical markets. The first section will identify and explain the key success factors in its operation. Recognizing that marketing is fundamental in its operation, an in-depth exploration of its marketing mix will also be done. Another section will be devoted to the issues and challenges faced by Tesco when trying to capture foreign markets. The last part will look at the implications of Tesco's rapid growth in the market environment and the possible recommendations on how to minimize its harmful effects. The report will conclude with its findings. II. Tesco's Success Drivers As with any business organization, the success of a retailer is based on having a distinct competitive strategy. Accordingly, retailers' competitive advantage should come from critical success factors in the value chain. Market oriented and customer focused companies undoubtedly become successful in their industries as they focus on understanding customer needs, motives and patronage decisions. The current business arena shows companies being transformed into lean organizations as they evaluate their value chains and including only processes which add value to the customers. The evolution of new technologies which drives competition into higher intensity calls for a system for which to hear, understand, and respond to customers' needs in order to succeed. The factors discussed above become the most important tenets of retailer's success.

Variable Air Volume (VAV) System to achieve better Indoor Dissertation

Variable Air Volume (VAV) System to achieve better Indoor Environmental Quality for a commercial Building & energy saving - Dissertation Example The main reason for these functions like heating, ventilation, cooling, and air-conditioning is to make occupants of rooms comfortable (Awbi, 2003). VAV system is one of the HVAC applications and its main purpose is to reduce energy cost as well as maintenance cost. The use of VAV process contains two main components and the components are the room and the VAV damper. The main VAV air handling system is the embedded HVAC system which most of the times are invisible. It is this system that is responsible for delivery of conditioned air to the whole building or structure. The use of this type of system has two merits and the merits are based on the constant volume that is found within the system. This system has the fan control capacity unlike other systems like CAV and the fan control capacity enhances reduction of the used amount of energy. CHAPTER ONE 1.1 INTRODUCTION Variable Air Volume also commonly known as (VAV) system is a kind of ventilation, heating, and air-conditioning devi ces that use a supply duct of fresh air and gives out hot or cool air as the supply air. The air which is being supplied to this device most of the time has constant temperature and therefore, the resultant airflow always varies for the achievement of the fall and rise of the losses or gains characterized with thermal zone. Most of the VAV systems have two primary merits and the merits are due to the constant volume within the system. The system has a fan control capacity which is capable of reducing the amount of energy consumed through the fan. This energy which is used by the fans forms the total energy cooling requirements which are beneficial to the building (Etheridge & Sandberg, 1996). The Variable Air Volume system has a lot of dehumidification compared to the constant volume system because the constant volume system is capable of modulating the temperature of the discharge air. The attainment of the temperature for the discharged air constitutes the cooling load of the whol e system. Within this system the blowing rate for the air is greatly varied and in the case of Variable Air Volume with a single handler for air, the serving for various multiple zones can be achieved. The flow rate associated with each multiple zone when only one handler is operational is always varied. The Variable Air system has a terminal unit and this terminal unit acts as a VAV box which controls the air flow rate for the different zones. This box operates automatically with the help of the actuator. There is a direct connection between the central or local control systems with the VAV box and the control system at times is pneumatically controlled. The use of Variable Air Volume (VAV) for many years has been able to provide quality indoor air thereby improving the quality of the surrounding environment. The quality of the surrounding air greatly affects the general environmental quality and therefore, the use of this system has been preferred in many buildings that belong to private individuals as well as companies. A lot of health benefits are attributed to indoor air quality since low quality air contains microbes that are capable of affecting the occupants of the buildings (Chadderton, 2004). A lot of prevalence has been given to the VAV system compared to CV system and this prevalence is

Manage Performance Management Systems Case Study

Manage Performance Management Systems - Case Study Example As the case study tells us, Samantha's performance was not satisfactory either due to a shortage in quantity or a lack of quality. The situation for strongly against Samantha and seizing the opportunity, Peter fired her. However this wasn't the best possible process to terminate an employee. Peter should have prepared Samantha ahead of the termination that her performance wasn't up to the mark and she should increase her efficiency to maintain her place in the company. This negative reinforcement would have motivated Samantha to work harder and would have warned her about what could happen. This way if her performance would not have increased, her termination would set in as an automatic process rather than a shock. Appraisal of an employee is not based solely on the output produced by that employee. Other factors such as experience of the employee, number of years served in the company, future value of the employee to the company all should come into consideration when an employee is being appraised. Peter is committing a mistake by only judging the quantity and the quality of the output. There could be a variety of reasons why Samantha's output is not up to the standard. It could be because of the type of work that is male oriented or maybe Samantha is troubled by external sources which affects her performance at work. So therefore Peter should consider factors and analyze how those factors might be affecting Samantha's performance rather than just looking at the result. Another mistake that Peter is committing here is that the decision taken is too abrupt. He should think out the termination process with more detail and information. Another thing that Peter should look into when appraising is to consult other fellow members about the person being appraised. This would help identify the problem areas and also give a better idea of the employee's situation. Q3) As mentioned earlier, Peter has not analyzed the situation clearly. He should have had prepared a full progress report on Samantha's work since she's been working with the company. Doing this would have given Peter a clearer picture about Samantha's situation and the reason for her low performance. Peter also should have given a heads-up to Samantha about her possible termination in order to prepare her for her firing. The meeting could have been held in a different manner like a personal meeting rather than just being a performance appraisal to give it a more caring look for Samantha. Not setting up a warning for Samantha, Peter has now got himself in a tangle. He wants to fire Samantha but is held back by her tears. The situation calls for a postponement for the immediate termination. Samantha should be given a time of 2 months to perform better than the standard in order to regain losses Peter had to incur because of her inefficiency. During this period Samantha must perform better or she will be fired from her current job at the company. Giving a grace period to Samantha will enable her to perform better to save her much needed job and it would also act as a warning and preparatory lesson. Case Study 12.2 Q1) Employee evaluation is an assessment of employees based on their personal characteristics and their performance at work. This evaluation needs to be friendly in order for the employees to feel at ease. Chan made quite a few mistakes in his employee evaluation. First of all Chan is too haughty

Project - Identify Components and Classify Research Paper

Project - Identify Components and Classify - Research Paper Example t management, it is important for the company to get new accounting software, new computers, create and internet connection and improve the human resource department for employees to get improved services. Delivery shall be the responsibility of the contractor. Delivery shall be made by an approved route in compliance with all current federal and state regulations. Any cost relating to packing, shipping, unpacking, loading, unloading or other cost relating to the transportation of the equipment purchased herein shall be included separately in the Proposal Total Sheets or proposal shall state that these items are included in the proposal price. The contractor shall assume responsibility for delivery of equipment and any damage of equipment resulting from transportation or from carrier neglect shall be the responsibility of the contractor. The contractor may, at his option and expense, elect to insure the equipment while in transit; however, any cost relating to insurance or damages shall also be included separately in the Proposal Total Sheets. Arrangements for this activity should be scheduled with the Project Manager a minimum of three days prior to the date of delivery of equipment. The final location of equipment provided herein shall be in rooms designated by the Project Manager. It is recommended that all bidders thoroughly inspect these facilities, including unloading facilities and the required route of moving equipment within the buildings prior to submission of bids. Unloading of the equipment from the truck trailer shall be done in a loading dock area. Specific questions relative to this requirement should be directed to the Project Manager prior to the submission of

Water Corporation report Essay Example for Free

Water Corporation report Essay Comparison of Dividends and Redemptions. Bailey is one of four equal unrelated shareholders of Checker Corporation. Bailey has held Checker stock for four years and has a basis in her stock of $40,000. Checker has $280,000 of current and accumulated EP and distributes $100,000 to Bailey. What are the tax consequences to Checker and to Bailey if Bailey is an individual and the distribution is treated as a dividend? The amount of a distribution equals money received plus the FMV of any non money property received reduced by any liabilities assumed or acquired by the shareholder. The distribution is treated as a dividend to the extent of the distributing corporation’s current and accumulated EP. Any additional; excess is  treated as a capital gain. The shareholder’s basis in the property received is its FMV. The shareholder’s holding period for the property begins on the day after the distribution date. When a corporation distributes appreciated property, it must recognize gain as if it sold the property for its FMV immediately before the distribution. For gain recognition purposes, a property’s FMV is deemed to be at least equal to any liability to which the property is subject or that the shareholder assumes in connection with the distribution. A corporation recognizes no loss when it distributes to its shareholders property that has depreciated in value. A corporation’s EP is increased by any EP gain resulting from a distribution of appreciated property. A corporation’s EP is reduced by (a) the amount distributed plus (b) the greater of the FMV or EP adjusted basis of any non money property distributed, minus  © any liabilities to which the property is subject or that the shareholder assumes in connection with the distribution. EP also is reduced by taxes paid or incurred on the corporation’s recognized gain, if any. In Part a, what would be the tax consequences if Bailey were a corporation? The amount of a distribution equals money received plus the FMV of any non money property received reduced by any liabilities assumed or acquired by the shareholder. The distribution is treated as a dividend to the extent of the distributing corporation’s current and accumulated EP. Any distribution amount exceeding EP is treated as a return of capital that reduces the shareholder’s stock basis (but not below zero). Any additional excess is treated as a capital gain. The shareholder’s basis in the property received is its FMV. The shareholder’s holding period for the property begins on the day after the distribution date. What are the tax consequences to Checker and to Bailey (an individual) if Bailey surrenders all her stock in a redemption qualifying for sale treatment? Sale Exception: If the redemption meets specific requirements, the distribution amount received by the shareholder is offset by the adjusted basis of the shares surrendered. The difference generally is treated as a capital gain or loss. No basis adjustment occurs. Gain/Loss Recognition: Under the sale exception, the corporation recognizes gain (but not loss) as though it has sold distributed noncash property for its FMV immediately before redemption. Earnings and Profits Adjustment: For a redemption treated as a sale, EP is reduced  by the portion of current and accumulated attributable to the redeemed stock. Any distribution amount exceeding this portion reduces the corporation’s paid-in capital. In Part c, what would be the tax consequences if Bailey were a corporation? Sale Exception: If the redemption meets specific requirements, the distribution amount received by the shareholder is offset by the adjusted basis of the shares surrendered. This difference is generally treated as a capital gain or loss. No basis adjustment occurs. Which treatment would Bailey prefer if Bailey were an individual? Which treatment would Bailey Corporation prefer? Bailey would prefer to be taxed and treated as an individual. Bailey corporation would prefer to be treated like a corporation. Compare the tax consequences to the shareholder and the distributing corporation of the following three kinds of corporate distributions: ordinary dividends, stock redemptions, and complete liquidations Ordinary Dividends The amount of a distribution equals money received plus the FMV of any non money property received reduced by any liabilities assumed or acquired by the shareholder. The distribution is treated as a dividend to the extent of the distributing corporation’s current and accumulated EP. Any additional; excess is treated as a capital gain. The shareholder’s basis in the property received is its FMV. The shareholder’s holding period for the property begins on the day after the distribution date. When a corporation distributes appreciated property, it must recognize gain as if it sold the property for its FMV immediately before the distribution. For gain recognition purposes, a property’s FMV is deemed to be at least equal to any liability to which the property is subject or that the shareholder assumes in connection with the distribution. A corporation recognizes no loss when it distributes to its shareholders property that has depreciated in value. A corporation’s EP is increased by any EP gain resulting from a distribution of appreciated property. A corporation’s EP is reduced by (a) the amount distributed plus (b) the greater of the FMV or EP adjusted basis of any non money property distributed, minus  © any liabilities to which the property is subject or that the shareholder assumes  in connection with the distribution. EP also is reduced by taxes paid or incurred on the corporation’s recognized gain, if any. Stock Redemption for Shareholders General Rule: The distribution amount received by a shareholder in exchange for his or her stock is treated as a dividend to the extent of the distributing corporation’s EP. The basis of the surrendered stock is added to the basis of the shareholder’s remaining stock. Distributing Corporation Gain/Loss Recognition: Under the general rule, the corporation recognizes gain (but not loss) as though it had sold distributed noncash property for its FMV immediately before the redemption. Earnings and Profits Adjustment: For a redemption treated as a dividend, EP is reduced in the same manner as for regular dividend.

Saving Private Ryan Essay Example for Free

Saving Private Ryan Essay The ingenious film, directed by Steven Spielberg, `Saving Private Ryan is in my opinion the most realistic film to ever portray the D- Day landings. Many critics have even said it to be so vivid that the only element missing is the smell. In the Films first battle scene, lasting twenty- five minutes in total, it brings all reality into the living nightmare that took place so long ago. Brought back into life by Spielberg, I will show how he creates excitement and tension in the most realistic of ways. I will discuss how he portrays the characters, his use of sound and last of all, his use of camera shots and how they contribute to the overall effect of the scene. Spielberg manifests an overall memorable opening scene and I will show just how. Released on the 24^th July 1998, `Saving Private Ryan promised to break all blockbuster records and go straight to the top. Spielberg stunned the world with the films realism and authenticity, proving that his renowned reputation is not just hearsay, but fact. The plot is loosely inspired by the true story of the Niland brothers, where two of the four were killed and the third, presumed dead. The decision was made to retrieve the fourth, to prevent a national uproar and from a whole family from being wiped out due to War. The plot, proving exciting, brings much controversy over the mission to risk eight lives for the sake of one. The whole epic World War 11 drama cost approximately $65 million in total, most of which was spent on the graphic detail and effects in the first battle scene of the film. Although the twenty-five minute battle scene is complex cinematically and visually, the plot of the beach landings follows through reasonably simply. The scene starts off in focus of a small regiment of troops, quivering inside the hull of a boat, petrified by the sound of oncoming machine gun fire. The ramps fall down as a wheel spins round, pronouncing the ends to most of their lives. The boat opens out as many are shot dead instantly by the flurry of bullets thrust toward them. Few make it out a live before they have to plough through thousands of dead up the beach. As the battle scene cuts into view, the first character to be seen visually is Captain Miller. This immediately indicates that he is high up in rank and so, instantly gives him a commanding presence among the craft. The calmness of his voice even seems to sedate the tension in the atmosphere. However, the initial part of him to be seen is his pair of trembling hands. This conventionally is a sign of fear and to some, may show a weakness. Leaders are not usually associated with fear; stereotypically they are fearless. Spielberg has used this ironically, to show the realism within his character. All the soldiers fighting on that day were normal citizens fighting for pride and country. They all experienced fear. On D- day there were no fearless war heroes such as John Wayne and this is why Captain Miller, along with all the other troops, is shown in trepidation. As the shot moves outward, the whole of Captain Millers body is revealed. His appearance can be seen and again realism is reinforced. The person acting as Captain Miller, Tom Hanks does not have the stereotypical appearance of a War hero; he is small, placid and in lack of the muscle attributes usually associated with a clichi d soldier. Through this casting Spielberg conveys a message. The men fighting on that day were normal. They werent all large men built of muscle, who could defy death and so, the person cast as Captain Miller isnt either. Through this, the character of Captain Miller is made realer to the audience, thus making the film more accurate and historically correct. On the beach, after the regiment has landed, the Captain experiences a brief period where his emotions and conscience are thrown into turmoil. The horror of what is happening around him starts to sink in, as all terror results in a mental breakdown. The fact that he does not just march through the beach and that he is affected shows his compassion and empathy. It shows he is a caring human being; one who is gravely affected by the horrific things being done to his comrades. Through this period of collapse, Spielberg creates lots of tension, as the audience, who have gradually started to become attached to this realistic character, are willing him to snap out of it and gain his composure. They want him to get out of this situation and lead his troops up the beach. Another character that stands prominent in this scene is that of Sergeant Horvath. Spielberg has used Horvaths character to contrast with Captain Miller, and this is seen even in the first few seconds of his di but. Immediately as the audience set eyes upon his broad build, it can be seen that he is much more robust than the Captain and that he conforms more to the stereotypical image of a fictional war hero. I think that Spielberg has highlighted this point emphasise the normality and ordinary image of Captain Miller. He has done this to show that soldiers were all shapes and sizes. Through this contrast made, the realism of both characters is increased as they both can be recognised uniquely. Horvath and Miller again contrast in their methods of dealing with the trepidation and horror thrown at them. Whereas the Captain releases his petrified state through the constant trembling of his hands, Horvath allows his fear to disperse through chewing. Through Horvaths different reaction, Spielberg defines his character more, making him more realistic as he deals with situations in a different way. As soldiers in real life all reacted uniquely depending on their personalities, Horvath does too. The audience then can identify better with him, likening him to people they know, thus recognising him as a real type of person, one who is unique. Although Captain Miller and Sergeant Horvath contrast in many ways, together they form a prevailing partnership. In every order relayed by the Captain, the Sergeant reinforces it, thus portraying his regard, proving that he has an immense admiration for the man. Horvath continuously stays close to the Captain, waiting for his command and looking out for him. Spielberg uses him as the Captains right arm. Everything about Horvath, from his bear like face, down to his cumbersome build, shout; protector! In view of this, the audience take a liking to him and confide comfort in the fact that Horvath will protect and bring their `everyman (the Captain) to safety. Spielberg uses the relationship between the two characters to excite the audience, as he shows that War is so out of the ordinary, that it brought together people in friendships who otherwise wouldnt have done so. Captain Miller and Sergeant Horvath have such a strong relationship during this scene that excitement arouses among the audience, as they know that together the two will survive. Private Jackson, the regiments sniper is another character that has an essential role in the battle scene. His preliminary appearance is in the landing craft, immediately before the ramps descend. His face, being one of pure dread is an open book to the audience. He is so terrified that his expression and the first act that he commits, a kiss on a cross, show that he believes that there is no hope for survival left. It is as though he thinks that a kiss on the cross is the last action he is going to do and that if God is ever going to come to his aid, let it be now. I think that Spielberg has used this crucifix and his expression of misgiving, to draw compassion for the Private, but also to show how close death is to God. Immense suspense is created through the terror in Jacksons eyes. Private Jackson is not focused upon much during the struggle to gain ground and progress up the beach, however is substantial in the climax of the Scene. In this section of the scene, there is a long pause where the camera focuses upon the concentration on Jacksons face. He is speaking to God as he prepares to shoot and kill the Germans.

Inclusivity in Education Aspects

Inclusivity in Education Aspects I will explain the political, economic, and social perspectives that surround inclusivity, reflect on my own professional practice and working environment, and identify the policies used, both nationally and locally. I will define my understanding of inclusivity, looking at the political ideology that surrounds inclusivity. Inclusivity is the understanding and providing for different capabilities, using diverse resources for students. Inclusivity is the understanding of students as individuals. It gives the opportunity for all students to become involved in classroom developments. All students should be given the chance to develop interests and experiences at their own pace and style of learning. No student should be discriminated against regarding colour, gender, sexual orientation, religion. For lecturers in todays society, it is extremely challenging to incorporate inclusivity with the students that have developed in the last 10 years of British culture. Students with learning difficulties such as ADHD, Aspergers, and Dyslexia were barely heard of until recent years. Each individual situation calls for totally unique handling of the student without excluding the remainder of the class. Research has identified that teachers may feel there could be barriers to inclusivity: Some of the thoughts are; Every student who attends college should be at a basic level of education before starting a course. The staff may not be prepared to meet the needs of the student The course and other students could be affected To balance some of these negative attitudes; All students have the potential to achieve Many students learn through interaction with others. Teachers make a difference (Idol, 1997) OFSTED published a report dispelling many of the negative thoughts that most of us had in the back of our mind. Ofsted say. An educationally inclusive school is one which the teaching and learning is one in which the teaching and learning, achievements attitudes and the well being of every young person matter. This shows not only in their performance, but also in the ethos and willingness to offer new opportunities to pupils who may have experienced pervious difficulties. This does not mean treating all pupils in the same way; rather, it involves taking account of pupils varied life experiences and needs (OFSTED) The start of Inclusion in Education dated back to the 1970 Education act which ended a practice to a minority of children being given the classification of unable to educate. It stopped classifying children with a learning disability unsuitable for school education. In the introduction of 1976 education act, the government looked at the local education authorities to amalgamate disabled students into so called ordinary schools in both England and Wales. This was never implemented! If it had been, disabled students were to be educated in ordinary schools unless it was impracticable due to excessive expenditure to the relevant educational body. 1978 saw the Warnock report on special education and at the time was the largest investigation into special education of disabled students being integrated into ordinary schools. He reported that the practice was good for some students but not for others. The report also stated that it was important for parents to have a view on their children and their educational process. In 1981 the education act, brought in disabled students to mainstream schools. This stated that other children would not be affected by the integration and resources available to them to assist. This act opened the doors to both disabled and young students from special schools sector to a mainstream school; the act was under much pressure from the professional bodies not to implement it, due to the overall effect on all the students. 1992 saw the audit commission and her majestys inspectorate look into a special needs provision for schools. One of the areas they found deficient was the way children with special needs were not being assessed very quickly and many statements were far too vague. In 1997, mainstream schools were becoming more inclusive with a new green paper on special education. 1998 brought in the human rights act stating no child shall be denied the right to education. The government pushed forward its plans to break down the barriers to help with learning and participation for 100% of students. The special education needs and disability act of 2001 came in and was used to repeal two previous provisos from 1996 regarding a disabled child going into mainstream school provided; it was compatible with the parents wishes and there was efficient education of other children. 2002 finally saw the Disability Discrimination act which gave access to education for both students and prospective students. The law also stated that you could not discriminate against a disabled person in admission arrangements. Local authorities also had to increase accessibility in terms of curriculum and the environment. Although this act was not solely for education it applied to everyone and was definitely a step in the right direction. All schools and colleges that have used these policies have seen an increase in levels of education rise from the early 1970s up to the present date. Before I could carry out my research relating to the organisation I am involved with, I needed to produce a PEST (Appendix 1) and SWOT (Appendix 2) analysis. Firstly looking into factors based around the industry looking into the political, economic, social and then technological issues which would affect us. Once this was complete I looked at the department in which I work, breaking the issues down into depth. Within the SWOT I looked at strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. Within all of the topics funding policies, initiatives, weigh heavily, whether as a threat or Strength. With these acts in place my organisation have put together documentation in response from the governing bodies to help develop a clear understanding in the way we should help commit to inclusivity in education. The mission statement of my organisation is: City College is an inclusive, accessible college of further and higher education which provides high quality services to the range of diverse communities within the locality and the region which it serves. To this end, the college is committed to equality of regard and of opportunity for all, irrespective of age, disability, ethnic origin, gender, marital status, medical condition, religious belief, or sexual orientation. In its policies and practices the college will seek to enhance the self esteem of all those it serves and to provide a learning environment in which each individual is encouraged to fulfil her or his potential. The commitment to equality of regard and opportunity is a fundamental policy that pervades all college activities and is endorsed by the Governing Body. All members of the college community are expected to uphold the policy and to ensure that their actions embody the commitment. Some of the organisations policies for inclusion are: The commitment to equality of regard and opportunity is supported by the following: Code of Practice on Learning Difficulty and Disability (students) Code of Practice on Gender Discrimination (students) City college Race Equality Policy (staff/students) City college equality and diversity plan These codes are an integral part of the Equal Opportunities Policy. They ensure compliance with, respectively, the Special Education Needs and Disability Act 2001, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, and the Race Relations Act 1976. They also embody elements of good practice advocated in the Tomlinson Report 1996, Equality, and Diversity Guidance from the LSC and the codes of practice produced by the Commission for Racial Equality. Ofsted use a set of questions when examining Inclusion in schools and colleges. These are the questions on how a college should deal with the situation. Do all pupils get a fair deal at school? This relates to: what they get out of school, particularly their achievements; the opportunity to learn effectively, without interference and disruption; the respect and individual help they have from their teachers; their access to all aspects of the curriculum; the attention the school gives to their well-being and Whether they and their parents are happy with the school. How well does the school recognise and overcome barriers to learning? This is about: the schools understanding of how well different groups do in school; the steps taken to make sure that particular groups are not disadvantaged in school and to promote their participation and success; its strategies for promoting good relationships and managing behaviour; what the school does specifically to prevent and address racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination, and what it does about cases of discrimination that do occur. Do the schools values embrace inclusion and does its practice promote it? The clues are: how the values of the school are reflected in its curriculum, resources, communications, procedures and conduct; how people talk about and treat one another in the school; the leadership provided by senior staff and the consistency of staff behaviour; What the school intends and tries to do for people like me. Positive inclusion To enforce this statement, the college supports positive inclusion by enrolling any students, with the required qualifications, no matter what their learning capabilities are, however this will depend on whether it is practicable for the student and as long as it does not in any way effect the learning of the others in the class. In past years, discrimination may have taken place with students that showed signs of slower learning ability, therefore this is a positive development for inclusion in todays society. Entry to Employment, (E2E) groups are students with low entry requirements; however the potential is there, by assisting them with additional tuition, to raise their level of education, specifically in maths and English, to gain the relevant qualifications required for the future. To achieve this, the college offer a 22 week E2E course, alongside learning for a level 1 diploma in bricklaying, level 1 key skills in application of number and communication. Not all colleges offer E2E alongside this qualification. Negative Inclusion From the lecturers point of view this is a negative form of inclusion because the E2E qualification, is taught alongside the level 1 diploma and key skills, which is a method that other colleges do not employ due to overloading a group that originally in struggled at school when they were on the same footing as the rest of their class. At school the class would all have been working on the same subjects possibly at the same time. Here the group have come in and been told that they need to attend an extra afternoon to complete Entry to employment paperwork and adult literacy and numeracy classes. This would then be followed up with three days of Diploma work in theory and practical. Two other groups who have the entry qualifications only need to complete the diploma theory and practical content and complete key skills in the time scheduled. There are tools which can be used to help define a disability and help governing bodies and government find strategies in which to find the needs of disabled people. These are categorised as models of disability. The two which are commonly used for education are known as the Social Model and the Medical Model. When these models are correctly used, they will give a basic understanding of disability issues, such as services used and possibly ways of access to work. These models can see disabled people as dependant people in the community this may segregate them from others and force discrimination. This can lead to equality of human rights and the opposite of segregation which is integration. This does not mean one is better than the other but merely that each model can be used in different situations Firstly what passes for a disability? People who have impairment and may experience some form of exclusion as a result are disabled people. People may wear glasses or contact lenses. These may not be discriminated against where as people who are deaf and wear hearing aids sometimes are, and are discriminated against with barriers in communication. People who are included with a disability such as: Physical impairments Deaf people, Blind people People with AIDS and HIV (chronic Illness) Learning difficulties Mental health issues / behavioural problems People who also have hidden impairments such as; Mental stress Dyslexia Epilepsy Language impairments Disfigured people Diabetes http://attitudes2disability.wordpress.com/category/medical-model-vs-social-model/ Medical Model The medical model is used by the health organisation and was devised by doctors. The medical model focuses on the source of the problem on the patient (student) and presumes that the problems will be found with the student. With a more superior method you can go a step further and look into the students personal background and how it could affect their everyday lives. It is basically there to find a cure; it can occasionally fail as it says disabled people are not necessarily sick or cannot be improved by remedial treatment (connectings for community leadership, 2007) Social Model The social model was design for disabled people after the medical model. This particular model has had an impact on the anti discrimination legislation it also recognises that some people have different abilities ranging from sensory, physical ,or psychological variations . This was later extended to include all disabled people including those with learning difficulties and mental health problems. This model can focus on any changes needed in society. Physical structures such as elevators, or ramps would also focus under this model. Medical Model (Thinking) Socal Model (Thinking) The child is damaged Child is valued labelling Strenghts and needs defined by selfand others Diagnosis Identify barriers and developsolutions Impairment becomes focus of attention Outcome -based programme designed Assessment, monitoring,programmes of theropy imposed Resources are madee available to ordinary services Segregation and alternative services Training for parents and professionals Ordinary needs put on hold Relationship nurtured Re-entry if normal enough or permanent exclusion Diversity welcomed , child is included Society remains unchanged Society evolves My second area for topic was looking at Inclusivity of women in construction Inclusivity Fact file: Almost 200,000 women work in construction. Women have been working in construction since the Middle Ages Women account for around 1% of trades people and 11.6% of those working in design and management occupations (Jon Land, 2009) A report From the CIOB (chartered institute of building) back in 2001 indicated Women in the UK construction industry currently accounted for fewer than ten per cent of the UK construction workforce, this reflected their under-representation in an industry that fails to attract and retain women. The research was important because it raises the debate about the advancement in the subject of inclusivity, assessing the barriers faced by women and discussed means of redressing the balance to improve the inclusivity of the industry. Expanding inclusivity, which includes, attracting and hopefully keeping women in construction, is a key priority for the UK. The construction industry in countries facing skill and labour shortages could perhaps combat some of their problems by increasing the number of women in the workforce. This would be a resourceful and positive use for inclusion. In summary, the important issues were: Attracting more women to the industry by not only focusing on young entrants but also returnees to work following a career break, and those who seek a career change. Retention of women in the workforce Understanding the extent of women employed in the whole industry, what are they looking for from the industry? For a number of years women have been moving into professional work such as law, accountancy, and medicine, all of which require high-level qualifications and are considered attractive because of the perceived high level of class status. Today, numbers of women and men are almost equal in these sectors. However, occupational areas such as engineering and the construction trades have not seen a comparable change in the make-up of the workforce. Womens labour market participation has increased over recent years and their employment rates have risen, whereas mens participation in the labour market has declined slightly. Girls now perform better than boys in education and in getting qualifications (Hibbett, and Meager 2003)). With Women making up 50 per cent of the population, more than 46 per cent are currently in the labour market. More than half of the entrants in higher education in colleges are women. Yet in the construction Industry, the percentage of women involved is as little as 11%. This figure includes, Architects, Quantity Surveyors, Site Organisers and Bricklayers. Construction needs variety in it for growth and development. Demand for construction had experienced growth over the past eight years, due to the expanding world population and the necessity for accommodation and a buoyant economy. However, the recent effects of the credit crunch have seriously put the industry, and many others, into a decline. The industry could not afford a skills shortage at such a time because when the economy rallies and improves, the need for skilled workforce will be of paramount importance. Construction and engineering learners are 90 per cent men, whilst hairdressing and beauty therapy are dominated by women who make up 91 per cent of learners. The exceptions are in higher education, which are dominated by male students in areas such as, computer science (80 per cent), engineering and technology (85 per cent). Female-dominated subjects include education, and beauty, although most of this research was based between 2001 -2004, surveys have been carried out as recently as 2009 by the CIOB and their conclusion was that :-(Sonia Gurjao, 2001) A number of factors have contributed to the industrys skill shortages. One of the most significant reasons is the lack of new recruits joining the industry. At the end of 2007, ConstructionSkills predicted that the industry would require 88,000 new recruits a year between 2009 and 2013; this figure has now been more than halved to 42,000 per year. There are a number of reasons for people not wanting to join the industry; many relate to the general perception of it being predominately a career for white males, with long hours and little pay. (CIOB, 2009) It is this perception that dissuades women and ethnic minorities from joining the industry. Research has shown that many women believe the industry is a competitive and threatening environment that rejects women and hinders their progression. This I feel is not the case, Bricklayers can take home as much as  £28,000 when fully qualified. A working day is usually between 8.00am and 5.30pm with most companies now finishing work on Fri day afternoons around 3.30pm. The hours are not dissimilar to a retail occupation .As for a career for white males, this will depend on the area of the country; in the midlands there is a larger ethnic representation. The trade has definitely built up a reputation as a dominantley male industry due to one of the main contributing factors being the percieved impression that men are lecherous to women . This is not necessarily the case, many women would not wish to enter the construction industry at trade level because of the level of bad language or the inuendos they assume most men would use. Assumptions (Appendix 3) can be very negative. Other industries however, such as factories, can be as biased and have contant use of bad language . With equality being a very relavant point, I have worked in a florists from time to time and found women to be more open with what they say about the opposite sex and graphic .I found this more off putting than working on any site. Although the industry has done more in recent years to attract women and ethnic minorities, this is still a great challenge; despite more females taking construction courses, retention rates are still comparatively low once women start working. (CIOB, 2009) In our organisation, over the last two years, we have taken on six females in Carpentry and Brickwork with a total of 120 students overall .This works out to a total of 5% of female students in our department. Of the 5%, one has just enrolled, one has completed the course, two are carrying on to the second year and the other two dropped out in the first year. The industry needs to become more inclusive if it hopes to reduce skill shortages, and accept the wealth of knowledge and experience that women and ethnic minorities can offer. (CIOB, 2009) In researching for ways to develop an understanding for why women are not in construction, I realised that women are mainly isolated in the construction workplace. Unlike men, who are usually in substantially larger groups or gangs, such as Carpentry or Bricklaying. Looking further afield, many women travel to the Middle East to take up jobs in Architecture and Project Management, which is a more sociable side to the industry . Although our government express an interest in bringing women into the construction industry little incentive seems to be brought in to help achieve it. Other countries however, are trying to change this, for example, in South Africa in 2006 six construction companies owned by women were given public works contracts as part of a government initative at giving women a start in the construction industry each contract was worth more than a million rand ( £75,300).. (times, 2006) Conclusion Hibbett, A. (W.E.U., DTI), Meager, .N, (IES) (2003) Key indicators of womens position in Britain: Findings from a recent comprehensive study of women in Britain commissioned by the Women and Equality Unit. National Statistics: Labour Market Trends 111(No. 10): 9