How Family Preservation Is A Service Help Keep Children At...

The case plan, in a sense, does follow the principles of family preservation. Downs, Moore, and McFadden (2009) describe how family preservation is a service to help keep children at home with their families rather than in foster homes or institutions (p.243). This service was a reaction to the earlier practice of family breakup, which pulled children out of unfit homes (Downs et al., 2009, p. 282). The services are designed to support families by improving parenting and family functioning while at the same time keeping children safe. The services are built around the belief that many children can be safely protected and treated within their own homes when parents are given services and support that allows them to change (â€Å"Family Preservation,† n.d.). Even though it was decided that the mother’s level of care for her children fell below the minimum sufficient level and the children were removed from the home, all but one of the children were placed with relatives, which can serve as part of family preservation in that the children are still within the family unit. Downs et al. (2009) defines permanency planning as the â€Å"systematic process of carrying out, within a limited period, a set of goal direct activities designed to help children and youths live in families that offer continuity of relationships with nurturing parents or caretakers, and the opportunity to offer lifetime relationships† (p. 281). In other words, permanency planning promotes a permanent living situationShow MoreRelatedDysfunctional Family Essay1595 Words   |  7 PagesDysfunctional families can be described in many ways but the most common description is a family that has a destructive and harmful parenting with a lack of concern for the childs well being. Dysfunctional families will leave a harmful lifelong psychological impacts on a child. This varies from case to case, with some situations leaving a child of a dysfunctional family with physical and emotional abuse and trauma. There are cases of dysfunctional families that are helped, mostly through counsell ingRead MoreFoster Care : An Important Service For Dependent Children1170 Words   |  5 Pagesimportant service to provide stability for dependent children. How has the service changed? Are children better served today? Foster care has undergone many changes throughout its history in the United States. Foster care’s first form was in the early 1800’s by the New York Children’s Aid Society’s orphan trains that aimed to get children out of institutions and off the streets (Crosson-Tower, 2013). These were poorly managed however. Families were not assessed by the agency and the children were notRead MoreThe Adoption and Safe Families Act Essay1707 Words   |  7 Pagesthere were 104, 236 children waiting to be adopted in the United States (p. 4). Adoption is the legal process an individual or family goes through to gain legal custody of a child in foster care. This child’s parents have lost custody of their child because they have been deemed unfit to raise the child, either because of neglect or abuse. After the child is removed from the horrible situation, he or she is taken by child services and placed in a foster home or with a family member. This system isRead MorePolicy Is A Fundamental Aspect Of All Agencies. Policies1428 Words   |  6 Pagesall agencies. Policies are important; as they are what offer guidance to personnel and help them to make appropriate and well informed decisions. Policies help to make decisions, provide instruction, protect employees, and increase accountability if something goes wrong. Policies are especially important in social welfare agencies. Policies help protect clients and help to make their lives better. Policies help social welfare workers to remain unbiased and put the client first. These policies areRead MoreUnderstanding the Domestic Violence Epidemic Essay example1561 Words   |  7 PagesDomestic violence is an epidemic in our society with dramatic, negative effects on individuals, families and communities. Domestic violence is a crime that knows no economic, racial, ethnic, religious, age or gender limits. Women who are victims of domestic violence most likely are also victims of sexual assa ult and, stalking. A domestic violence victim may experience systematic rape in addition to physical and psychological abuse. According to Backman, (p.54) nearly one in every four womenRead MoreThe Issue Of Child Welfare Essay1735 Words   |  7 PagesAs such, progression in policy can be difficult and is often controversial. Throughout the 1900s, the United States Supreme Court heard and decided several cases that set forth precedent, giving more power to, and enabling, parents to raise their children as they see fit. As constituents, parents have a substantial say in what policy should and will be enacted. However, as individuals, parents do not have nearly as much power alone as they do in groups to influence public policy. Therefore, by banningRead MoreChild Protective Services1477 Words   |  6 PagesCHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES REFORM 1 INTRODUCTION Child Protective Services (CPS) is a complex system of assessments, investigations, and conclusions. CPS is the central agency in each communities child abuse and neglect service system. It is responsible for ensuring that preventative, investigative, and treatment services are available to children and families endangered by child abuse and neglect. As a result, CPS workers must perform a variety of functions when responding to situations of childRead MoreEssay on Unit 9 the Welfare System Human Services and Social Policy2040 Words   |  9 PagesHN300-01 DUE: 12/20/2011 Instructor: Dr.Michelle March HN300-01 DUE: 12/20/2011 Franklin Moe, Jr. Human Services amp; Social Policy Franklin Moe, Jr. Human Services amp; Social Policy To understand the â€Å"Welfare System† one must know its history. The American welfare system has changed dramatically over the past 80 years. A 100 years ago, families, local communities, and charities; typically religious based, served as the safety net for those who had fallen on hardRead MoreLatino And The Latino Population1642 Words   |  7 Pagesthat Latino children have a higher rate of referrals to child welfare services (CWS) verses other ethnicities/backgrounds. Yet despite the high rate of referrals, Latino children have a lower rate of substantiation made by child protective services. Much research done on the racial representation in the CWS population has not looked at children who have faced CSA. The need to better serve Latino children has increased due to the number of children being referred to child protective services. There lacksRead MorePersonal Narrative : My Life And Personality1399 Words   |  6 Pagesthe second of two children at the time; the first conceived after my mother (an ICU clerk) and father (a blue collar city worker and mechanic) who were high school sweethearts married. It was also around the time my father legally changed his name and converted to Islam. As a result my mother converted as well (her parents were Jehovah’s Witnesses). This had a significant impact on my life because some time later my father took on a second wife, who at one time moved into our home in Dixmoor, Illinois

Social Media Strategy †Retail Boutique Free Essays

The Plaid Door – Social Media strategy Goals  : – Awareness – Generate new leads, which will in turn result in paying customers. So your social media strategy will be centered around targeting new prospects and drive them to your website and to the Plaid Door boutique. This would include some very targeted campaigns. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Media Strategy – Retail Boutique or any similar topic only for you Order Now – Customer service / Interaction. You want to use Social Media to be able to communicate with your customers much better and to be able to dynamically interact with them on a daily basis in order to really build those relationships. Your strategy here then would be much more about manning your page, instant responses to questions queries. Target audience  : * Mostly women * Aged between 20 and 55 Social-Media sites  : Facebook / Twitter  / Pinterest Social Media Site #1: Facebook Facebook was created in 2003, and since then it has grown into the largest site for peer-to-peer connection and communication. A Facebook page allows organizations to garner fans and post updates. It also allows for solid feedback, as fans can â€Å"like† certain posts or they can comment on them in opposition. Organizations can even arrange to have to have their name as part of the Facebook page URL for easy access and recognition. Many nonprofit groups have seen success through hosting contests and posting special information on their pages. Recommendations  : 1. Add Like Box on your website. Like Box is a social plug-in which you add on your website so your visitors are able to like your page directly from your website. They just need to be logged in. Your visitors most likely will like your fan page since they also can stay updated liking your fan page. This is great way to promote your Facebook fan page. 2. Post/tweet about your new Facebook page. You should inform your readers or twitter followers about your new Facebook page. Make post or update about it and tell them why they should join. 3. Reward your fans or make a contest. You can reward your fans if they help you promote Facebook fan page. Also you can make a contest and reward those who referred your page to most people. As a reward you can offer some coupons or rebates on  «Ã‚  private shopping night  Ã‚ » You can run â€Å"fans only† contests, so more people tend to join and like your page. . Use Facebook ads. You can spend some money to advertise your page using Facebook advertising marketing tool. Create multiple adverts to help build an audience for your Page. Use the targeting options to show your adverts to only the people you want reach. See which versions of your adverts work best 5. Influence the friends of your fans. Encourage check-ins, participation in events or create an offer to encourage more activity on your Page. When people interact with the content on your Page, their friends are eligible to see the activity. When people do things such as like, comment or check-in to your Page, you can promote those activities to their friends. 6. Connect Twitter and Facebook. You can connect those two social medias using Involver. com so whatever you post on Twitter should be  posted on Facebook page and vice versa. 7. Hold a weekly event. Pick one day or one hour every week and pick one activity to do repeatedly every week, for example a tutorial on how to refashion clothes. Start promoting your event every week to your friends / fans, build up to it on the wall, create a facebook event about it and invite all your friends. Just start slowly and gradually more and more people will hear about it and begin to attend your weekly event. 8. Hold a caption contest. For example on refashioned clothes. 9. Use Facebook’s Questions feature to poll your fans for their opinions. 10. Always respond to likes / comments / shares etc. Your appreciation will encourage engagement. 11. Post photos. Images are one of the biggest activities online. For example you can post photos of some new arrivals clothes, of the Plaid Door boutique, people working at the Plaid Door†¦ 12. Ask your likers to â€Å"Suggest to Friends† on a monthly basis. Post a Status Update and send an Update to fans asking them to suggest your page to their Facebook friends. Let them know that they can easily suggest your page by clicking the ‘Suggest to Friends’ link just under your Page’s image in the left column. Inspiring your Likers to help build your community is one of the easiest ways to quickly grow your supporter base. 13. Get your organization’s staff and volunteers involved. Ask those people closest to your nonprofit to support your Facebook page by posting comments and liking your posts. Encourage them to include the Plaid Door social information on their email signature. 4. Post about branded clothes you have. Make it special; encourage people to come check this out so they can get a good deal. 15. Set up a Google Alert for your organization’s name to keep track of what people are saying. Social Media Site #2: Twitter Over the past few years, the popularity of Twitter has exploded. Twitter is essenti ally a forum to share messages, but these messages have a 140-character limit. Although this might restrict some of the creative opportunities for businesses, there are still ways to push out meaningful information. Recommendations  : 1. Use Hashtags Strategically. Twitter does a great job of grouping topics together through the use of â€Å"hashtags. † A hashtag is symbolized by the â€Å"#† character and it can be put before any word. This hyperlinks the word, and it is then clumped together with similar tweets. Now, there is some science to this. Twitter has a feature on the left-hand side on the screen that lists â€Å"trending topics† for the given geographical region. This is essentially a list of topics that people have hashtagged and are interested in at that time. If an organization can somehow find a way to tie in one of these trending topics to its tweet, it has a better chance of being seen. This is difficult because the trending topics won’t always be totally relevant, but having a creative mind that can make the two messages connect will do wonders for an organization’s exposure. 2. Distribute Coupons and Discounts. Twitter is a great platform for distributing special offers and hosting contests. For example, you could tweet about a 30 percent off coupon, but make it applicable only to those who can show that they received the tweet on their computer or phone. Another example: you could host a contest, such as offering a prize to the person who re-tweets the organization the most or recruits the most followers. This allows companies to form more personal relationships with their target demographics. Social Media Site #3: Pinterest Pinterest, which launched in 2010, has grown to more than 10 million users. Every day, people use the website to â€Å"pin† images and videos to their personal pin boards so they can save and share the things they love. The site gets social when people follow each other and repin or comment on each other’s pins. Pinterest’s users tend to be women, and the majority of them are 25 to 54 years old, according to recently released demographic data. Although there are some exceptions, most content on Pinterest falls into stereotypically female niches, including home decor, recipes, crafts and apparel. This corresponds to your target audience. Recommendations  : 1. Add a â€Å"Pin It† Button to Your Organization’s Website. By adding a â€Å"Pin It† button to your organization’s website, visitors then have the option to pin any of the images from your site on one of their boards. 2. Get the Community Involved. Pinterest is a good way to facilitate community involvement. This ensures that people are actually interacting with their community, and it allows the organization to get to know its customers and donors on a more intimate level. 3. Encourage Employees To Pin. Pinterest is far from static. Users are pinning every minute and it can quickly become a challenge for an organization to stay on top of its ball game. In order to make sure that your organization is in front of the competition, you can encourage all workers to open a Pinterest account and create boards. They can then pin images that are relevant to the organization’s values and overarching goals. A somewhat lesser known fact is that Pinterest users can actually upload and pin videos as well as still photographs. 4. Create group pinboards and crowdsource?. Create group pinboards and invite other users to pin content to those boards. For example, ask customers to pin pictures of themselves using your products. You also could hold a contest to crowdsource pins. Ask customers to review your business or product on your website and pin a quote from their review to a special contest pinboard. You benefit from more reviews and a pinboard that’s filled with testimonials. 5. Don’t use pinterest for direct marketing?. Pinterest states that the site should not be used for direct marketing, advertising or sales. Excessive and overt self-promotion is clearly unacceptable, so make sure you’re pinning diverse content, not just pictures of your products. You need to get creative and use Pinterest for indirect marketing. For example, fill pin boards with seasonal items, color coordinated images, gift ideas and so on. 6. Don’t pin anything and everything?. Stay focused, but don’t be afraid to pin interesting content that your target audience would enjoy and that’s at least loosely connected to your business. Such content can help give your brand more personality. For example: You can create boards about hairstyle or home decor or craft, these subject are relevant to your target audience. 7. Give your followers a look at your non-profit from behind the scenes. Pin images that show staff and volunteers working with your organization, as well as those who benefit from that work. It’s a good idea to show supporters the human faces behind your logo. 8. â€Å"Photo of the Day†. You can create a board where you will pin everyday of photo of an new item in the Plaid Door Boutique. . Create a board with tutorials on how to refashion clothes. 10. Repin/Highlight Other Non-Profits. Like all forms of social media, Pinterest isn’t a place to over-promote. Avoid this is by mixing original pinning with repins of images from other non-profits within your sphere of influence. Users receive an email notification when their images are repinned and they are credited on your repin, which can increase their following. The non-profit you repin may return the favor, allowing Pinterest to become a channel for valuable, non-disruptive cross-promotion. How to cite Social Media Strategy – Retail Boutique, Essay examples

Techniques For Gaining Competitive Advantage Through Cost Leadership

Question: Briefly describe some of the techniques that can be utilized to gain competitive advantage through cost leadership. Why is it important to incorporate a total life-cycle approach into costing? Answer: Techniques For Gaining Competitive Advantage Through Cost Leadership Cost leadership is one of the most effective steps through which the company can draft the best policies that will increase the quality of the production activities. In this method, the company can adopt strategy through which the quality of the production activities can be increased, without impacting the manufacturing price. This is one of the best strategies that will enable the company to improve the production activities that would enable the best use of the resources that is required for rendering the best possible services to the clients. In this process, the company develops the best strategies through which the competition and the competitors offers can be analysed (Arnold and Hatzopoulos, 2000). The benefit is with the process that is adopted for developing the pricing strategies. Through this method, the company intends to service the clients with the best possible services. Also, the management can plan to remain ahead in the competition. In this method, the lower price strategy is adopted to render the best possible price. It is quite important to develop an effective strategy through which the expectations of the clients can be analysed. This is one of the most important factors, as it will help in attracting maximum number of clients. It is also possible to increase the maximum number of sales, by selling the best products at the lowest possible price (Bennouna, 2010). By charging the products at the lowest price, it is possible for the company to charge nominal profit. At the same time, it is also possible to expand the market to different areas, which is quite necessary for the successful business operational activities. Customers these days, have many options when compared to the earlier days. This is because there has been a tremendous increase in the number of production activities and the company that renders such services. In order to attract the customers, it is essential to offer the best deal to the clients. This is possible by analysing the needs and expectations of the clients. In order to reduce the quality, the company has to develop the best possible strategies that would help in attracting the clients. The step that needs to be followed for attracting the clients or implementing the cost effective strategies is quite a challenging task. In this process the steps that needs to be adopted by the company has to be unique to serve the purpose (Carter and Ejara, 2007). The price and the quality of the products are some of the factors that impact the customers willingness to buy the products. Apart from this, the company also work towards offering lucrative deals like discounts or other concessional products that would serve the purpose of the buyers. However such a deal or strategy doesnt usually work for every company, especially the ones that manufactures luxury products to the clients. In this process, the customers wouldnt mind investing in the purchases of the goods and services that are considered to be luxurious in nature. Thus, the strategies and the challenges involved in the process needs to be analysed while attempting to offer the best deal (Martin, 2007). References Arnold G and Hatzopoulos P, 2000. The Theory-Practice Gap in Capital Budgeting: Evidence from the United Kingdom. Journal of Business Finance Accounting,, vol. 27, no.5, pp. 603-626, 2000. Bennouna K, 2010. "Improved capital budgeting decision making:evidence from Canada", Management Decision, Vol. 48 no. 2 pp. 225 247, 2010 Carter T and Ejara D, 2007. Value innovation management and discount cash flow. Journal of Management Decisions, Vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 58-76. Graham J and Harvey C, 2001. The Theory and Practice of Corporate Finance: Evidence from the Field, Journal of Financial Economics, vol. 60, pp. 187-243. Martin A, 2011. The valuation of privately held firms and litigation: a case study, International Journal of Law and Management. vol.5, no.3.pp. 207-220, 2011.

Power And Propoganda In Communist China Essays - Chinese Communists

Power and Propoganda in Communist China Propagand in China during the Cultural Revolution took on many forms; there were mass Red Guard demonstrations in Tianamen Square in support of Mao Zedong, pictures of Mao were put up in every conceivable location from restaurants to the wallpaper in nurseries, and pamphlets and books of Mao's teachings were distributed to every Chinese citizen. One of these propaganda publications Quotations from Chairman Mao which later became known as the Little Red Book contained quotes from Mao Zedong and was distributed to every Chinese citizen. The history of the Red Book provides one of the best ways in which to analyze Chinese propaganda during the Cultural Revolution and see the ways in which the Chinese government was able to produce and effectively indoctrinate the Chinese people with Mao Zedong Thought. Official Chinese magazines from the period of 1967 to 1970 are filled with many pictures of citizens holding, reading, and memorizing the Red Book. This proposal will trace the rise and fall of images of the Red Book in the official Chinese publication China Reconstructs. This proposal will use a graphical analysis of pictures in this publication from 1966 to 1973 to show that propaganda was not just a tool of the Communist party but also a reflection of internal power struggles within the party during the Cultural Revolution. The Red Book was written several years before it became the object of national adoration and a tool for the Cultivation of Mao's personality Cult. The history of the Red Book and its meteoric rise from a hand book for military recruits to compulsory reading for all Chinese citizens, is closely tied to its developer Lin Biao's rise to power. Lin Biao was born in 1907 and was fourteen years younger then Mao; he joined the communist party in 1925 and until the communists captured control of China was at various times in charge of resistance forces, and armies of communist soldiers. When the communists took control in 1949 Lin Biao was behind Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Chen Yun, and Deng Xiaoping in rank (Yan and Gao, 1996: 179). But eighteen years later during the height of the Cultural Revolution Lin Biao by winning favor with Mao by publishing and championing the Red Book and the Cult of Mao became second only to the Chairman in power and position (Ming-Le, 1983: 80). In 1959 Peng Dehua was dismissed as minister of defense and Lin Biao was appointed in his place. At an armed forces meeting for high cadres during September of that year Lin Biao, energetically started promoting the Cult of Mao saying, "Learning the writings of comrade Mao Zedong is the shortcut to learning Marxism-Leninism. Chairman Mao's writings are easy to learn and can be put to use immediately. Diligent work will pay dividends many fold." (Yan and Gao, 1996: 182) His references to "shortcut" and "quick dividends" in his speech went unnoticed at the time as few foresaw the effects of creating a Cult around Mao. But looking back on the Cultural Revolution and Lin Biao, we can see his using the Cult of Mao was indeed a shortcut that produced huge dividends both for himself and for Mao. Mao to the Chinese people was a symbol sovereignty and the construction of socialism; to them praise for Mao was fitting with his symbolic role in society. Starting in 1959 Lin Biao in front of military audiences in order to help buildup support for the Cult of Mao used such phrases as, "the dire necessity of acquiring Mao Zedong's thought," "to study the writings of Mao Zedong with questions in mind is to shoot arrows with target in sight," "we must arm our minds with Mao Zedong's thought" (Yan an Gao, 1996: 181). Lin Biao's goal of building up both himself and the Cult of Mao lead him in September of 1960 to pass a resolution at the meeting of the Military Commission, which called for more political education among the armed forces (Yan and Gao, 1996: 181) "Mao Zedong Thought is the compass for the Chinese people's revolution and socialist construction, the powerful ideological weapon against imperialism, and the powerful ideological weapon against revisionism

Social Expectation in Society

Social Expectation in Society A superficial world, a superficial society, it is the basic entity that embraced our lives. The media has consumed us, and we acted accordingly to its demands. There is a social expectation that we all feel obliged to fulfill because if we don't, we may be patronized or be condescended upon. We live in fear on how others may criticize and depict us. Because of this, the media, our society, has the grand power of setting these guide lines of social expectations. Though we may have undergone a rigorous battle against these expectations, we ultimately failed to be victorious.English: "Today I sang a concert of Langston Hughe...Social expectations can be rendered as a form we are all familiar with, peer pressure. We do not need someone to tell us how to act or dress, but we observed how others performed. We then noticed how we begin to act or dress like the others did. I believe the idea of social expectation is evident between a New Yorker and a Californian. Despite the fact that they d o speak the same language, their style of language is different. Certain style of speech or phrases that are used by a New Yorker would puzzle the Californian and vice versa. The social expectations within these two people and their separate societies influenced them to act the way they did.Langston Hughes was a victim of social expectation. He was told by his elders that everyone would be able to feel the essence of Jesus in their bodies and be "saved" once they are placed on the mourner's bench. Upon arriving at the mourner's bench, he realized that he had felt nothing while others claimed that they felt Jesus. This was a ceremony and Hughes was the last child on the bench. The vivacious music played, while others urged him to...

The Greek Epic Poet Hesiod

The Greek Epic Poet Hesiod Hesiod and Homer both composed important, famous epic poems. The two are also called the first great writers of Greek literature, having written during Greeces Archaic Age. Beyond the act of writing, they are central to the history of ancient Greece because the father of history, Herodotus, (Book II) credits them with giving the Greeks their gods: For Hesiod and Homer I suppose were four hundred years before my time and not more, and these are they who made a theogony for the Hellenes and gave the titles to the gods and distributed to them honours and arts, and set forth their forms: but the poets who are said to have been before these men were really in my opinion after them. Of these things the first are said by the priestesses of Dodona, and the latter things, those namely which have regard to Hesiod and Homer, by myself. We also credit Hesiod with giving us didactic (instructive and moralizing) poetry. Hesiod likely lived around 700 B.C., shortly after Homer, in a Boeotian village called Ascra. This is one of the few details of his life that Hesiod reveals in his writing. Career and Works Hesiod worked as a shepherd in the mountains, as a youth, and then, as a small peasant on a hard land when his father died. While tending his flock on Mt. Helicon, the Muses appeared to Hesiod in a mist. This mystical experience impelled Hesiod to write epic poetry. Hesiods major works are Theogony and Works and Days. Shield of Herakles, a variation on the Shield of Achilles theme from the Iliad, is attributed to Hesiod but was probably not actually written by him. Hesiod's "Theogony" on the Greek Gods The Theogony is particularly important as an (often confusing) account of the evolution of the Greek gods. Hesiod tells us that in the beginning was Chaos, a yawning chasm. Later Eros developed on its own. These figures were powers rather than anthropomorphic deities like Zeus (who wins and becomes king of the gods in the 3rd generation struggle against his father). Hesiod's "Works and Days" The occasion of Hesiods writing of the Works and Days is a dispute between Hesiod and his brother Perses over the distribution of his fathers land: Perses, lay up these things in your heart, and do not let that Strife who delights in mischief hold your heart back from work, while you peep and peer and listen to the wrangles of the court-house. Little concern has he with quarrels and courts who has not a years victuals laid up betimes, even that which the earth bears, Demeters grain. When you have got plenty of that, you can raise disputes and strive to get anothers goods. But you shall have no second chance to deal so again: nay, let us settle our dispute here with true judgement divided our inheritance, but you seized the greater share and carried it off, greatly swelling the glory of our bribe-swallowing lords who love to judge such a cause as this. Fools! They know not how much more the half is than the whole, nor what great advantage there is in mallow and asphodel. Works and Days is filled with moral precepts, myths, and fables (making it a didactic poem) for which reason, rather than its literary merit, it was highly valued by the ancients. It is a source for the Ages of Man. Hesiod's Death After Hesiod lost a lawsuit to his brother Perses, he left his homeland and moved to Naupactus. According to the legend about his death, he was murdered by the sons of his host in Oeneon. At the command of the Delphic Oracle Hesiods bones were brought to Orchomenus where a monument to Hesiod was erected in the marketplace.

Complaint Letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Complaint Letter - Assignment Example After placing my order, I had to wait for more than 30 minutes to receive it. To make matters worse, the order was wrong and the person who served me was not professional enough to address my complaint. Instead, he answered me in a rude way as if I was a stranger in this particular restaurant that I have always treated with great esteem. I have also been forced to write a letter of complaint as a result of the bad treatment I received from one of the company’s staff members. I always believe that the customer is king in business but I was treated as a villain on this day in question. Companies that fail to treat their customers as valuable assets are likely to be negatively impacted by bad publicity they are likely to receive from other disgruntled customers. I therefore expect to get formal apology for this bad experience at McDonalds’ since I am a very loyal customer to the company. This will help me not to issue negative statements about the company that can tarnish its image. The other issue is that the company has not yet responded to my complaint and this has also contribute towards doubting the authenticity of the company in offering reliable and quality services. I probably feel that I have not yet received a response from the organization as a result of the fact that they are investigating the case so as to get to the root cause of the problem. Such kinds of issues need careful attention since they can tarnish the image of the organization if not properly handled. Therefore, the manager dealing with the case ought to take necessary measures that are meant to ensure that this issue has been solved in an amicable way in order to avoid a scenario where the image of the organization will be tarnished as a result of such simple issues. From this experience, I have discovered that some employees can just be rude and they can tarnish the image of the company.

Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch - Case Study Example Born in 1822 in France, Pasteur’s work in the field of microbiology is immensely recognized and encountered in our daily lives. Among his popular works include the invention of Pasteurization process, the discovery of the germ-disease relationship, as well as the invention of the rabies vaccine. Contributions He discovered the role of pasteurization while at the university where he was a chemistry professor. He was approached to establish the course of souring in wine. In the process Pasteur established that the reason behind the souring of wine can be related to that of souring in milk, which is as a result of bacterium contamination. He established that the bacterium produced an acid that was responsible for the souring of the wine. He went further to establish that, heating the wine gently to temperatures around 60o C for at least 30 minutes led to the destruction of the bacterium, which subsequently prevented further souring of wine (Krasner, 1995). He described the proces s of souring as fermentation and the process of heating the wine to temperature levels enough to kill the bacterium as pasteurization. The process is nowadays widely applicable in the many food production industries and even locally in many households to kill disease causing bacteria as well as improve shelf life of various food products as well as in hospitals to prevent germ re-infection (Engelkirk & Engelkirk, 2010). He is also recognized for his role in the discovery of attenuation. He discovered that rabies future rabies infection could also be prevented through vaccine which entailed injecting cultured weakened rabies bacteria into a rabbit and realized that after injection of the rabbits with virulent inoculant, the rabbits did not show any sign of infection. This vaccine has been enhanced and widely used in the prevention of rabies in human and dogs. In the germ theory, he discovered that specific microbes cause specific infectious disease. Robert Koch Robert Koch, born in 1 843 in Germany, is yet another infamous personality worth to recognize in the field of microbiology and human health. He is purported to have made a tremendous contribution in these fields. In particular according to Krasner (1995), Koch further enhanced the previous job of Pasteur especially the germ theory. He provided prove that the specific microbes were the cause of certain disease, for instance he showed that anthrax bacillus was the main cause of anthrax. This was through the conduction of a series of steps that became popularly known as the Koch’s Postulates. The postulates provided a guideline that would allow for the isolation and subsequent analysis of the specific microbes that cause specific diseases. He also discovered that the Anthrax Bacillus just like many spore-producing microbes, were capable of resisting adverse conditions, which was fundamental in understanding the life cycles of the disease as well as the correct mechanism of prevention of the disease. F urthermore, Koch is also recognized for inventing fixation, staining techniques as well photographing of bacteria which paved way for further studies on disease causing bacteria. Engelkirk and Engelkirk (2010) further contends that Koch was also the key personnel behind the discovery of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, the M. tuberculosis, and Vibrio cholera that causes cholera which are some of the most common and dangerous disease. This enhanced

Canadian Museum of Nature Web Analysis Essay Example for Free

Canadian Museum of Nature Web Analysis Essay The Canadian Museum of Nature’s website is an average piece of work that gathers audience from both English and French speaking individuals. The museum’s Web presence is elegant and simple to use, clearly separating the English segment from the French segment to allow easier navigation throughout the site, which, considering the size and diversity of the system it represents, makes you wonder how the designers and creators managed to pull it off in such a simple way. Rhetorical Design The Canadian Museum of Nature’s website is intended to promote the museum’s products and services on offer at the museum among English speaking and French speaking tourists. Almost anyone visiting this website is most likely looking for information about a certain service or item relating to natural history and tourism, so it is safe to state that the primary audience for this website are nature lovers and tourists wishing to visit Canada or local Canadians looking for a place just to have a good time enjoying the marvels of nature. However, there is something for everyone in this website. Even for those who don’t intend to visit the museum but want to win something, there’s a photo contest section on the home page that might serve to draw more traffic to the site. This enhances the possibility of attracting more members to join in the course of the museum. The website also has links that connect to 5 of their other websites, basically to diversify and exert their web and market presence in the field of nature. The context of the website explores the versatility of the Canadian Museum of Nature’s Internal organization and products and services offered by the museum. Information on the home page is divided into eleven primary categories: Calendar of activities, visitor information, teacher zone, about the museum, renewal, exhibitions, polar year, collections, research, library and products services. The site also has quick links on shopping, becoming a member, donating to the cause, staff, press room and there is also a link for visitors to post comments and questions to the staff. All these information is carefully and strategically placed on the page to allow for easy navigation and still leaves a lot of space on the site. Congested sites tend to be an eye sore to the readers, but as for this one, no one has to worry about having to go through dozens of information to get to what you’re looking for. Interface Design The entire website is filled with photos of animals and artifacts of natural history which blends in very well with the overall theme of the website. Each page contains at least three amazing photos that keep the visitor glued to the website, even if just for the photos. Actually, come to think of it, the website contains very little text, it is only the overall design and beautiful photos that keep visitors busy on the site since there’s nothing much to read from the website. The home page contains very clear navigational links on the left hand side of the page to other sections of the website with its interface being simple, consistent and functional. However, due to the limited amount of information on the website, the interface does not provide sufficient feedback and does not have a real time visitor – support staff dialog system. Visitors have to leave a message on the contact us section and wait for an unknown amount of time for a feedback. All pages contain site navigation links. Site Design Text on the website is aligned to the left side of the screen, which is very effective for both the new and ordinary users of the site. The design of the site reflects the basic hierarchical organization of the Canadian Museum of Nature. From the home page, links to other major divisions can be easily accessed from the left hand corner; with each major hyperlink having a page that directs the user to other major sub-divisions; which leads the user to the exact information that can best satisfy the user’s specific need. The information on the pages, although minimal, gives a clear understanding of the basic intention of the site owners. The home page contains links to virtually everything someone would be looking for within the website. On the top right hand corner of the site, there’s an appropriately placed site index which is very helpful in the navigation of the website. The site relies heavily on indexes as it is virtually impossible to find what you looking for without linking to a page that contains the sort of information that will be of help to the visitor. Page Design The web pages in this site are designed for users with 15 inch monitors. Since navigation throughout the site relies heavily on the site index and table of contents, the pages reveal a consistent visual hierarchy. The designers of this site rely on museum’s logo on each page as a header to constantly remind the user that they are still on the site, although the site could use the inclusion of a table on the calendar of activities segment to help the reader cut to the chase and find the exact thing he’s looking for instead of browsing through the links. Typography Only three font types have been used throughout the website, in order to make it neat at professional-like, with Verdana being the outstanding one. Coupled with a white background and text that are aligned to the left side of the page, the pages are full of life and bring out the message in a rather natural and easy way. Editorial Style The text in this site is brief and exact to the point even though it doesn’t cover entirely everything a visitor would most likely want to know about. The site does not use titles or subtitles as it contains functional links that act as titles. Graphics Multimedia The website is fairly simple and does not contain a lot of graphics – only nature photos, which are significant in building the theme of the site and absolutely no audio, video, animation or multimedia of any sort and therefore it makes it easy for the pages to load faster, even with slower internet connectivity. Overall Impression To sum it up, the website has a fairly simple design. The fact that only three font types have been used in the entire site makes it easy to read through without straining . It is most likely to attract twice as much attention and traffic since it is written in two languages with clear and large enough text. Also, it appeals to its audience due to the fact that it has incorporated exquisite photos of what’s on offer at the museum and there’s also the constant use of the color green, which is a symbol of nature. The green color is likely to blend in with the visitor’s impression of the museum. What I liked most about this website is its simple yet comprehensive design and the fact that it is written for a much more broader audience i. e. the English and French. However, the website is too shallow and doesn’t have enough information for visitors. This makes new visitors to the site dig deeper than the site in order to find information that’s featured in the website. On a general point of view, the website can be rated â€Å"Average†.

Socialism in George Orwell’s Animal Farm :: Animal Farm Essays

"Animal Farm" by George Orwell is a novel based on the lives of a society of animals living on Animal Farm. Although the title of the book suggests the book is merely about animals, the story is a much more in depth analysis of the human nature and behavior. The animals are used as puppets to illustrate how humans operate, how propaganda was used by early powerful leaders such as Stalin, and the effect this type of leadership had on the behavior of the people. Before reading this fable, I was in many views antagonistic with Orwell’s beliefs of human nature. Orwell believed that although socialism is an ideal, it could never be successfully adopted due to uncontrollable sins of human nature. For example, although Napoleon, the main character, seems at first to be a good leader, he is eventually overcome by greed and soon becomes power-hungry. Orwell’s idea contradicted my understanding of human nature at the time because I was raised with the belief that when a person has good qualities at start, it will continue to be in that manner. Orwell shows us how, if only animals became aware of their strength, we should have no power over them, and that men exploit animals in much the same way as the rich exploit the proletariat. The novel again challenged me. I had different opinions on the behavior of the high class. This brought to me that there are different members of the high class and they differ in their philosophy. There are those members of the high class that help the lower class and those that exploit the lower class in all ways possible. George Orwell does not take view against Socialism but rather against Stalin’s interpretation of the Socialist ideas. In fact Orwell is an advocate of Socialism. One's belief that Socialism could work cannot exist without also believing one major assumption about human nature that we are all capable of perfection. Orwell’s views again contradict my own because I have thought that the possibilities of being perfect are almost impossible.

Eclipse Aviation Case Study

Eclipse Aviation is a big private jet manufacturer, who does not create new jet aircrafts, but also new jet customers. Their aim is to offer the convenience, performance and safety of private jet travel to be available to more people but not only the elites. So their offers on products are more likely to be affordable, easy to own, easy to operate, but with nice performance capabilities previously found only in military and commercial aircraft.The company seems to have a good idea, but the reality does not go to the right direction. Eclipse Aviation was judged to be bankrupt by the Federal Bankruptcy Court of the United States in 2009. Bankruptcy documents indicated that a total of USD 702. 6 million was owed. After the bankruptcy, the assets were bought by a new company, Eclipse Aerospace, to continue its business. The bankruptcy of the company was due to the problem of the market.The market was expected to have a nice performance, but finally it didn’t develop as well as it was expected. At the same time, many of the startups like Eclipse entered the market. At this point, the rivalry of the competitors was quite high in the market. The current aviation market does not perform well either. According to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), the total worldwide aviation shipments fell by 2. 1% to 369 units in the first quarter of 2012, compared with 377 in the first quarter of 2011.Eclipse has not publicized its orders of the new aircraft, Eclipse 550, of the first quarter of 2011, but according the datasets of its nearest competitors – Embraer Phenom 100 and Cessna Mustang, they didn’t perform well on the market at the beginning of the year. Both of them only delivered 4 and 7 of their lightest jets, compared to the number of 41 and 43 in the first quarter in 2011. As the market seems to have a great uncertainty, I don’t think that it would be a good idea to invest in this startup.

Functional Transition Assessment

Functional Transition Assessment attempts to integrate the student into the work force while the student is still in high school. It provides a temporary bridge or support structure for the student making the transition from an educational to a vocational environment. Although all students can benefit from such support, for students with disabilities such a program can prove especially critical. Also by incorporating vocational education early on to the student's high school career, Functional Transitional Assessment can instill a sense of responsibility in the student and confirm the practicality of the student's education. Thus, in can act as motivational tool to succeed in the classroom and in workforce. In your opinion, how important is self-determination for the Exceptional Student Education student in accomplishing his/her educational goals? The Exceptional Student Education student may often feel that he or she has been denied the ability to exercise much autonomy and control over his or her daily life, even when under the guidance of well-meaning parents and educators. It is critical that students, to function effectively in the workforce and in society, achieve a sense of autonomy and independence through reasonable, self-determined actions and choices throughout the educational process. Why do you think occupational guidance has become progressively and increasingly more prominent in high schools? The workplace has grown more competitive, technical and specialized in nature, thus there is more pressure upon students to specialize earlier and earlier in their educational careers. The price of a college education has also escalated, causing many students to turn to specifically vocational and technical schools after high school. Students may also wish to seek internships and part-time jobs to fund their educations that convey relevant skills and knowledge to their future full-time careers. Personal-Social Skills. In your opinion, how important is it for a student's future success in the transition to the work force? Emotional Intelligence, or the ability to work well with others, and to be sensitive to other persons' needs is a critical aspect of vocational success. It is not enough to know how to perform a task. One must know how to perform to one's best ability in an organizational context.

4 Teaching Philosophy Statement Examples

4 Teaching Philosophy Statement Examples An educational philosophy statement or teaching philosophy statement is a brief essay that all nearly prospective teachers are required to write. Vanderbilt University explains: A teaching (philosophy) statement is a purposeful and reflective essay about the author’s teaching beliefs and practices. It is an individual narrative that includes not only one’s beliefs about the teaching and learning process but also concrete examples of the ways in which he or she enacts these beliefs in the classroom. A well-crafted teaching statement gives a clear and unique portrait of the author as a teacher. Ohio State Universitys Center for the Advancement of Teaching further explains that a teaching philosophy statement is important because a clear philosophy of teaching can lead to a change in teaching behavior and foster professional and personal growth. Examples of Teaching Philosophy Statements Sample 1 This passage is an example of a strong statement of teaching philosophy because it puts students where they belong in education: at the front and center of a teachers focus. An author who writes such as a statement is likely to continuously examine and verify this philosophy  by always ensuring that student needs are the primary focus of all lessons and schoolwork. My philosophy of education is that all children are unique and must have a stimulating educational environment where they can grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. It is my desire to create this type of atmosphere where students can meet their full potential. I will provide a safe environment where students are invited to share their ideas and take risks. I believe that there are five essential elements that are conducive to learning. (1) The teachers role is to act as a guide. (2) Students must have access to hands-on activities. (3) Students should be able to have choices and let their curiosity direct their learning. (4) Students need the opportunity to practice skills in a safe environment. (5) Technology must be incorporated into the school day. Sample 2 The following statement is a good example of a teaching philosophy because the author emphasizes that all classrooms, and indeed all students, are unique and have specific learning needs and styles. A teacher with such a philosophy is likely to ensure that she spends time helping each student achieve her highest potential. I believe that all children are unique and have something special that they can bring to their own education.  I will assist my students to express themselves and accept themselves for who they are, as well embrace the differences of others. Every classroom has its own unique community; my role as the teacher will be to assist each child in developing their own potential and learning styles. I will present a curriculum that will incorporate each different learning style, as well as make the content relevant to the students lives. I will incorporate hands-on learning, cooperative learning, projects, themes, and individual work that engage and activate students learning.   Sample 3 This statement provides a solid example because the author emphasizes the moral objective of teaching: that she will hold each student to the highest expectations and ensure that each one is diligent in her studies. Implied in this statement is that the teacher will not give up on even a single recalcitrant student. I believe that a teacher is morally obligated to enter the classroom with only the highest of expectations for each and every one of her students. Thus, the teacher maximizes the positive benefits that naturally come along with any self-fulfilling prophecy. With dedication, perseverance, and hard work, her students will rise to the occasion. I aim to bring an open mind, a positive attitude, and high expectations to the classroom each day. I believe that I owe it to my students, as well as the community, to bring consistency, diligence, and warmth to my job in the hope that I can ultimately inspire and encourage such traits in the children as well. Sample 4 The following statement takes a slightly different tack: Classrooms should be warm and caring communities. Unlike the previous statements, this one minimizes the individuality of students and emphasizes that, essentially, it take a village to foster truly community-based learning. All teaching strategies then, such as morning meetings and community problem solving, follow this philosophy. I believe that a classroom should be a safe, caring community where children are free to speak their mind and blossom and grow. I will use strategies to ensure our classroom community will flourish, like the morning meeting, positive vs. negative discipline, classroom jobs, and problem-solving skills. Teaching is a process of learning from your students, colleagues, parents, and the community. This is a lifelong process where you learn new strategies, new ideas, and new philosophies. Over time, my educational philosophy may change, and thats okay. That just means that I have grown and learned new things. Components of a Teaching Philosophy Statement A teaching philosophy statement should include an introduction, body, and conclusion- just as you would expect of your students if they were writing a paper. But there are specific components that you need to include in any such statement: Introduction: This should be your thesis statement where you discuss your general belief about education (such as: I believe all students have a right to learn) as well as your ideals in relation to teaching. You should begin with the end, says James M. Lang in an Aug. 29, 2010, article titled, 4 Steps to a Memorable Teaching Philosophy published in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Lang says you should consider what the students will have learned once they depart your class, after having been guided by your teaching philosophy and strategies. Body: ​In this part of the statement, discuss what you see as the ideal classroom environment and how it makes you a better teacher, addresses student needs, and facilitates parent/child interactions. Discuss how  you would facilitate age-appropriate learning,  and how you  involve students in  the assessment process. Explain how you would put your educational ​​ideals  into practice. Lang says that you should clearly state your goals and objectives for students. Layout specifically what you hope your teaching will help students to accomplish. Be specific by telling a story or offering a detailed description of an innovative or interesting teaching strategy you have used, says Lang. Doing so, helps your reader understand how your teaching philosophy would play out in the classroom. Conclusion: In this section, talk about your goals as a teacher, how you have been able to meet them in the past, and how you can build on these to meet future challenges.  Focus on your personal approach to pedagogy and classroom management, as well as what makes you unique as an educator, and how you wish to advance your career to further support education. Lang notes that, while you dont need to use official citation style, you should cite your sources. Explain where your teaching philosophy originated- for example, from your experiences as an undergraduate, from a faculty mentor you worked with during your teacher-training program, or perhaps from books or articles on teaching that had a particular influence on you. Formatting Your Statement In addition to considering the type of teaching philosophy to write, Ohio State University offers some general formatting suggestions. The Ohio State University Center for the Advancement of Teaching states: Statement Format There is no required content or set format.  There is no right or wrong way to write a philosophy statement, which is why it is so challenging for most people to write one. You may decide to write in prose, use famous quotes, create visuals, use a question/answer format, etc. There are, however, some general rules to follow when writing a teaching philosophy statement, says the universitys teacher-training department: Keep it brief. The statement should be no more than one to two pages, according to the Ohio State University Center for the Advancement of Teaching. Use present tense, and write the statement in the first person, as the previous examples illustrate. Avoid jargon. Use common, everyday language, not technical terms, the university advises. Create a vivid portrait that includes strategies and methods ... (to help) your reader take a mental peek into your classroom, adds the Ohio State University Center for the Advancement of Teaching. Additionally, make sure you talk about your  experiences and  your  beliefs and ensure your statement is original and truly describes the methods and philosophy you would employ in teaching, the university adds.

Martha Washington - Americas First First Lady

Martha Washington - America's First First Lady Dates: June 2, 1731 – May 22, 1802First Lady* April 30, 1789 - March 4, 1797 Occupation: First Lady* of the United States as wife of the first US President, George Washington. She also managed the estate of her first husband and, while George Washington was away, Mount Vernon. *First Lady: the term First Lady came into use many years after Martha Washingtons death and so was not used for Martha Washington during her husbands presidency or in her lifetie. Its used here in its modern sense. Also Known As: Martha Dandridge Custis Washington About Martha Washington: Martha Washington, was born Martha Dandridge in Chestnut Grove, New Kent County, Virginia. She was the eldest daughter of John Dandridge, a wealthy landowner, and his wife, Frances Jones Dandridge, both of whom came from established New England families. Marthas first husband, also a wealthy landowner, was Daniel Parke Custis. They had four children; two died in childhood. Daniel Parke Custis died on July 8, 1757, leaving Martha quite wealthy, and in charge of running the estate and household, holding both a dower portion and managing the rest during her childrens minority. George Washington Martha met the young George Washington at a cotillion in Williamsburg. She had many suitors, but married Washington on January 6, 1759. She moved that spring with her two surviving children, John Parke Custis (Jacky) and Martha Parke Custis (Patsy), to Mount Vernon, Washingtons estate. Her two children were adopted and raised by George Washington. Martha was, by all accounts, a gracious hostess who helped restore Mount Vernon from the neglect of Georges time away during the French and Indian War. Marthas daughter died in 1773 at the age of 17, after some years of suffering epileptic seizures. Wartime In 1775, when George Washington had become the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, Martha traveled with her son, new daughter-in-law, and friends to stay with George at the winter army headquarters in Cambridge. Martha remained until June, returning in March of 1777 to the Morristown winter camp to nurse her husband, who was ill. In February of 1778 she rejoined her husband at Valley Forge. She is credited with helping to keep up the spirits of the troops during this gloomy period. Marthas son Jacky enlisted as an aide to his stepfather, serving briefly during the siege at Yorktown, dying after only a few days of what was called camp fever probably typhus. His wife was in ill health, and her youngest, Eleanor Parke Custis (Nelly) was sent to Mount Vernon to be nursed; her last baby, George Washington Parke Custis was also sent to Mount Vernon. These two children were raised by Martha and George Washington even after their mother remarried a doctor in Alexandria. On Christmas Eve, 1783, George Washington arrived back at Mount Vernon from the Revolutionary War, and Martha resumed her role as hostess. First Lady Martha Washington did not enjoy her time (1789-1797) as First Lady (the term was not then used) though she played her role as hostess with dignity. She had not supported her husbands candidacy for the presidency, and she would not attend his inauguration. The first temporary seat of government was in New York City, where Martha presided over weekly receptions. The seat of government  was later moved to Philadelphia where the Washingtons lived except for a return to Mount Vernon when a yellow fever epidemic swept Philadelphia. After the Presidency After the Washingtons returned to Mount Vernon, their granddaughter Nelly married Georges nephew, Lawrence Lewis. Nellys first child, Frances Parke Lewis, was born at Mount Vernon. Less than three weeks later, George Washington died, December 14, 1799, after suffering a severe cold. Martha moved out of their bedroom and into a third floor garret room and lived in seclusion, seen only by a few of the remaining slaves and Nelly and her family. Martha Washington burned all but two of the letters she and her husband had exchanged. Martha Washington lived until May 22, 1802. George had freed half the slaves of Mount Vernon, and Martha freed the rest. Martha Washington is buried with her husband in a tomb at Mount Vernon. Legacy George Washington Parke Custis daughter, Mary Custis Lee, married Robert E. Lee. A part of the Custis estate which had passed through George Washington Parke Custis to his son-in-law was confiscated by the federal government during the Civil War, though the United States Supreme Court eventually found that the government had to reimburse the family. That land is now known as Arlington National Cemetery. When a ship was named the USS Lady Washington in 1776, it became the first US military ship to be named for a woman and was the only ship the Continental Navy named for a woman. In 1901, Martha Washington became the first woman whose image was depicted on a US postage stamp.

Memo and email Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Memo and email - Essay Example In addition, employees will receive twice the normal bonus in the coming year. All workers are invited to attend the meeting next week and will be excused from their jobs for an hour so that they may do so. Second Scenario Memo Date: 5/31/2013 To: The Workers of SimuTech From: The Management RE: The Issue of Discipline This memo is concerns the recent firing of Craig Wilson due to flouting company regulations. SimuTech has some of the most flexible rules where employees are concerned. Moreover, it is vital for those policies to be well observed by all employees regardless of skill or competence if the company is to save on costs and also avoid unnecessary expenses. Workers are also expected to tend to the company’s business when they are at work, and not spend time pursuing their own interests on the company’s time. Craig Wilson, though a competent and highly intelligent worker, exposed the company to the possibility of litigation due to his illegal downloading of copyr ighted material. Not only was he using the company’s time for his own ends, but he was also exposing it to lawsuits. Even though Craig has had a stalwart career with SimuTech, it was decided to let him go because this was not a first incident. It is our hope that this termination serves as a warning to all workers who have considered conducting such an operation. Workers who have any questions about other activities that are considered to be illegal are advised to contact SimuTech’s human resources department. First External Business Email Subject Line: Promotional Offering – Susan Monk I was happy to receive your proposal about installing a metal sign at the reduced cost of $2000. However, the Warren Enterprises Corporation is currently undergoing numerous activities that require increased capital. As a result of this, I will not be able to take advantage of your offer at the present time. Moreover, after the present contracts are done, I will be most intereste d in acting on any proposals from the Chamber of Commerce in future. Thanks again for your offer. I appreciate your efforts and hope we can cooperate on business projects in future. Best regards, Name Second External Business Email Subject Line: Request for Refund I would like to address the issue of the float that was created for the Warren Enterprises for the annual Patriots event. I would like to request for a refund of the $1000 that the Warren Enterprises gave for its float. However, it is only fair to give the reasons for my request. The float was quite a disappointment because it had several obvious cracks and its colors, apart from being quite garish, were not those on the logo of Warren Enterprises. The float did not have the name of Warren Enterprises on any part of it either. Needless to say, more than one manager commented about the ungainly float. I spoke to one of your workers about this and included a copy of the receipt along with the letter of complaint I gave him t o give to you. I would appreciate it if you sent the refund at your earliest convenience. Still, you can reduce the fee required for installing the sing on the ball park. I hope to hear from you soon. Best Regards, Name Cover Memo OFFICE SYMBOL DATE 5/31/2013 MEMORANDUM FOR: Instructor SUBJECT: The Challenge of the Subject The firing of a proficient employee has been a challenging subject for me to tackle. This is because I was relieved of my duties owing to the

Why Racism Should Not Occur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why Racism Should Not Occur - Essay Example American people throughout the history of the nation’s slavery marks the begging of the racial prejudice and discrimination that presented the blacks and the other minority groups, especially the immigrant minorities, as inferior (Tiffany Gee & Takeuchi, 2008). Thus, due to the social status, they held during the period of American colonization as slaves, the prejudice, stereotyping and color bigotry has continued to rule the mind of many, resulting to the persistent increase in the reported cases of racial hate incidences throughout the country. On the other hand, due to the identity that such minority groups have been given as inferior throughout the history, they have also turned against the dominant groups, by discriminating and prejudicing against them as well (Kivel, 1996). However, the most disturbing thing about racism is that it does not appear to be perpetrated by individuals alone, but also the media that is a very influential tool in the society. The media has been seen to contribute to racism through biased reporting in relation to the prevalence of high crime rates in the minority groups as opposed to the dominant groups (Banton, 1988). This has resulted in unbalanced social construction, with the minority groups, most especially the African Americans being stereotyped as crime-prone than the rest of the communities. The impact of this is that such minority groups have in turn adapted crime as the tool for revenge against the marginalization. One can be forgiven for asking the question; where does racism happen? The answer to this would also be equally disturbing, because racism is all over the society, whether in the schools, on the streets, in churches and even in the high political offices such as the parliament and the Congress.

Developing good study skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Developing good study skills - Essay Example Furthermore, it is possible to overcome procrastination by developing proper studying habit, and hence improving the studying habit of an individual is the key of good study, and success in education. This paper takes a stand that good studying habits are an important tool that a student should have in their toolbox of life. Ability to develop good studying habits is able to create great organizational skills, and this develops the testing ability of a student, providing less stress and frustration when meeting and preparing deadlines. Rawlings (2008) explains that the tips of achieving success for onsite classroom students, is the same as the tips of achieving success for online students. Following a series of studying tips are essential in helping students to effectively learn new academic theories as well as concepts. Zimmerman and Schunk (2011) explains that effectively following these studying tips is an example of a good studying habit, and hence it helps a student to be organized in his or her work. One of the best methods that a student can use to stay organized is through using folders which can help him or her to keep assignments and any school work, until the time when these assignments and school work are needed. Rawlings (2008) explains that when children are able to reach a grade whereby tests and homework are part and parcel of their school curriculum, then there are a variety of actions that parents can undertake for purposes of encouraging good studying habits. It is important to explain that when students are faced with a variety of home work and tests, without proper guidance, chances are high that they may develop stress. On this basis, a good and proper studying habit is to carry a study before and during the process of doing the homework. It is important to understand that little amount of home studies will play a great role in helping elementary school

Terrorism And Its Impacts On Tourism Tourism Essay

Terrorism And Its Impacts On Tourism Tourism Essay This part of research project comprises of brief and deep look about the presence of terrorism and its impacts on tourism in management literature. At first the characteristics of terrorism risk and uncertainty discussed after defining terrorism and it history, and then discussion tries to narrate the some of the most important and basic concepts in strategic management relates with the terrorism research. We also need to critically analysing the different strategic concepts and about at which level of uncertainty, what kind of strategy may better for tourism industry. Terrorism is not new; it has long history as old as humans willingness to use violence or force against the civilian population to achieve political or social ends. It has been defined as a tactic and strategy, a holy duty or crime, a justified reaction to oppression and an inexcusable represented. It has been used since the beginning of the history. According to Richard A. Horsley (1979) the first terrorist group was Jewish group called Sicarii, who murdered Romans and their collaborators to oust their Roman rulers from Judea. The killing weapon of Sicarii was Sica (short dagger) which they used to murder their enemies (Romans and Greeks) and these killings normally took place in daylight and in front of people. The aim of such acts was to send a message to the Roman authorities and their collaborators that this tactics can be used against them as well. The Hashhashin was the 11th to 13th century Iranian terrorist group offshoot of by a person known as the Ismailis. Like Sicarii ter rorist they used the same method of stabbing their victims in daylight. There forces were too small to challenge the militarily, so thats why they killed city governors and military commanders in order to create uncertainty in militarily. They also carried out assassinations as retribution. Under modern definitions of terrorism some killings they carrier out do not qualify as terrorism (Mark Burgess 2003). According to Jeffrey Record (2003) the origin of modern terrorism and word terrorism was introduced in Europe in the French Revolution of 1789. In the early period of revolutionary years, it was mainly by violence that governments in France tried to impose their radical order on a reluctant citizenry. As a result during this revolution, the meaning of terrorism was recorded by Francaise Academie in 1798 as system or rule of terror. During these revolutionaries more than 40,000 people have been killed and 5 millions people being jailed as political suspects. This was one of the worst examples that show the terrorism and these cruel killings were justified as an attempt to reduce or eliminate the revolutionary government opponents and to create fear in others people trying to overthrow the existing government. According to Findley Carter Vaughn (1982) the French revolution created huge terror and become a prototype for the future terrorists. The terrorist groups formation happened in the late 19th century. Terrorist used to format small groups to attack nation states. According to Crenshaw M. (1981) one of the examples of theses groups was Russian Revolutionary Group (Narodnaya Volya). This terrorist group was trying to create uncertainty through quick attacks against current political regime. The ideas and tricks that these terrorist were used, later become the prime example of terrorism in around the world. They used modern weapons such as bombs, guns and suicide attacks. According to the Director of Central Intelligence (1981) report the Soviet Union was giving assistance to revolutionary movements throughout the cold war. They provide free training and supply of weapons to terrorist groups. The Soviet Union support revolutionary groups around the world in order to export revolution to non communist countries. This Soviet strategy resulted considerable terror and violence around the world. In early 20th century revolutionary terrorism continued to motivate political violence all over the world, much of this violence directed against the British government. The Irish Republican Army terrorist started violence against British Empire in 1910s and IRA carried out number of attacks from 1916 to 1923 against British power. During this period they attacked over 300 police stations, killed dozen police officers and burned down the Liverpool docks and warehouses. After years of violence finally British Empire agreed to create an independent Irish nation. Many terrorist groups inspired from IRA fighting tactics including Palestine Mandates, Zionist, Hagannah, Irgun, Lehi and even British army special operations unit used during World War II (Carr M. 2006). After the World War II terrorism was practiced by groups and individuals. According to Goren R. (1984), in late 20th century dramatic growth in terrorism began. Through this period many terrorist organizations were motivated by ideological considerations such as Palestinian Liberation Organization, Basque ETA and IRA appeared terrorists besides nationalists. These terrorist organizations introduced new and modern method of terrorism such as hijacking, attacks on public and private organizations. Many terrorist organizations consider terrorism as religious war and some use to achieve political goals. The recent and largest act of terrorism occurred on September 11 2001, when terrorist set of coordinated attacks on USA. The terrorist hijacked civilian airplanes and used these plans to attack the World Trade Towers and Pentagon. Other major terrorist attacks have occurred in London subway bombing, Madrid train bombing, Mumbai attacks and many more around the world in past decade. Defining terrorism: Terrorism in nature is very difficult to define but the acts of terrorism conjure emotional responses in the victims and the person who did it. No one is agreeing on one single definition of terrorism, because one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter. If we consider terrorism is an act of political violence, then the war on terrorism is another form of political violence to wipe out other (terrorists). The term terrorism is come from French word terrorisme based on Latin language words Terror means great fear related to the Latin verb terrere (to frighten). According to the Oxford dictionary, terrorism means act of terror. The word terrorism is emotionally and politically charged and it is also very difficult to provide a precise definition. The studies have found over hundreds definitions of terrorism. The concept of terrorism may itself be controversial because state authorities often use it to delegitimize political or other opponents by use armed force against them (Hof fman B. 1998). Defining terrorism is one of the most demanding tasks, because it has proven impossible to outline the scope of terrorist activities and find the meaningful delineation of actions that should be called terrorism in the context of philosophers and political scientists. The main reason is that (as said before) one mans terrorist is another mans hero. In the view of different authors and organizations terrorism has the different definitions. Hoffman B. (1998) describes as terrorism is violence or equally important, the threat of violence, used and directed in pursuit of or in service of political aim. According to United States department of Defence the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological. In the dictionary of United Nations An anxiety-inspiring method of repeated violent action, employed by (semi-) clandestine individual, group or state actors, for idiosyncratic, criminal or political reasons, whereby in contrast to assassination the direct targets of violence are not the main targets.. According to the FBI (2002), terrorism is unlawful use of force of violence against the person or property to intimidate government, civilian population or any segment therefore in furtherance of political or social objectives. A deep interpretation of terrorism in literature: Terrorism can take many shapes and forms and much literature has been produced about financial impact of terrorism on different economic sectors and industries. Now arguably it the biggest threat to the tourism and related industries around the world. In the past twenty years, we have seen a dramatic rise in terrorism in different parts of the world. Terrorism did not begin in 21st century after World Trade Centre terrorist attacks. Europe, United States and other continents have a very long and sad history of terrorist attacks. According to Harold Miller (2003), in 20th century IRA in UK, ETA in Spain, Brigate Rosse in Itely, Rote Armee Fraktion in Germany, 7 November in Greece are the few worse examples of terrorist groups in Europe. In United States we remember the bombing in Oklahoma City in 1994, World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. But September 11 2001 attacks have changed the world, as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said, none of th e issue that faced us on 10 September 2001 has become less urgent. Now the terrorism has grown to an unprecedented limit and in multiplicity. As we know that, even terrorist without the use of weapons of mass destruction can kill thousands of people and destroy the economic activities (Gabriele G.S. Suder 2004). According to Blomberg, Brock S. Gregory (2004), terrorism is associated with a diversion of spending from investment to governments expenditure. To fund these government expenditures, they borrow from foreign financial institutions and governments. The develop countries with less volatile currencies normally issue long term debts to cover the deficit and less developing countries confronting terrorism by government spending through sale of foreign reserves, printing more currency and increasing inflation. Gupta S. Clements B. (2004) reached the same conclusion, that the terrorist activities severe impacts on less develop countries than developed from monetary policy perspe ctive. Terrorism has its massive effects on tourism industry and related businesses. Darnell B. (2010) said, most businesses operating in the effected area gets impact from the thrust of government policies to quell terrorism, which is another kind of harm which tourism industry may gets, when the terrorist activities happens. This kind of wide-spread results predict an escalate unattractiveness of tourism in effected areas. It is conspicuous to secure all of the targets of terrorism at the same time. In the number of attacks done by small terrorist groups with least resources, the loss to tourism industry was massive. If costs of an attack be measured by the loss which tourism industry faced, the tourism industry always paid far great amount than the loss of terrorist group. Hoffman B. (1998) cited that the cost of the bomb was not more than $400, which was the reason of the loss of $550 million in the blast of World Trade Centre in 1993. The amount which is sending to protect the world fr om terrorism is many billion dollars, while the terrorist cost nothing in front of it. The word terrorism seized the worlds attention in September 11 2001 as a result of destructive and dramatic attack on core symbols (world trade centre and pentagon) of worlds most powerful country United State of America. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York exposed the vulnerabilities of the tourism industry and it also change the perception of tourists as to travel safely and securely. According to Bruck T. and Wickstrom B. (2004), some economic sectors or industries are more vulnerable to terrorist attacks than other and consequently they suffer more losses. The vulnerability of sector or industry may be due to characteristics of its operation. Tourism industry is perishable and its services can not be sold at another time or stored, once the time passes. So tourism industry will experience the vulnerability in the times of terrorist attacks and it affect on patterns of demand. The main aim of terrorist groups is to communicate the massage of fear to the people as wide as possible. According to Lehrman S. R. (1986), tourists are the soft target for terrorists because politicians and embassies are less attractive as they have huge security measures. Connor, Stafford Gallagher (2009) said, targeting tourists has the potential to punish the ideologies of capitalism and damage the country economy. Richter and Waugh (1986) said that terrorist attacks on overseas tourists are less likely to alienate popular support than they attacks on local targets because in this way they threat to other tourists. Targeting the local tourists would likely to engage the public as a result to retribution of places the existence of the terrorist groups at risk. There are number of studies about tourists choice of destination based on the costs and risk of terrorism. Gray P. and Thapa B. (2003) examined the effect of terrorism risk on travel intentions after the September 11 2001 attacks. The results show that travellers were considering the safety concerns and risk of terrorist attacks during travel. McKercher B. and Hui E. 2003) said that, terrorist attacks have an immediate but short term impact on tourism and travel flows. They also suggest that after the initial attacks tourism industry has greater effect than the scale of initial attack. According to Connor, Stafford Gallagher (2009), terrorist will continue the biggest threat to the tourism industry and terrorist groups have to be active in order to maintain discipline, interest and morale. This statement is still valid after 19 years later, for this reason we can expect this to be continuing, because terrorist attacks can happen anywhere and no place is safe. Now the biggest challenge to tourism industry is to deal and manage the crisis in the event of terrorist attack. It is difficult to determine the impact of terrorism on tourism industry because structure of tourism and terrorism differ not across the countries but also over the time. Drakos K. and Kutan A. (2003) emphasizes the importance of differentiating between different types of attacks, the locations of terrorist attacks (e.g. urban or rural areas) and number of casualties. Aziz H. (1995) said terrorism could also be a reaction to irresponsible tourism development. The study of Enders W. and Sandler T. (1991) argue that it is found that the causality is unidirectional, that the terrorists affect the inflow of tourists but not reverse. The different studies, facts and figures show how tourism industry in particular country or region is affected by terrorist attacks. The deterrent impact of terrorism on tourism industry in particular country may benefit the tourism in alternative destinations. Financial impacts of terrorism on tourism industry: The literature on terrorism and tourism is scant. The two studies by Enders et al 1992 and Enders and Sandler 1991 provide empirical evidence on the link between tourism sector and terrorism. Enders W. and Sandler T. (1991) used monthly data from 1970 to 1988 and employed VAR (Vector Autoregressive Analysis) to find negative impact of terrorism on tourism in Spain. According to Drakos K. Kutan A. (2003), Enders et al studied a large sample of European countries, between the periods 1974 to 1988 to find the impacts of terrorist attacks on tourism. They employ time series analysis and ARIMA technique with transfer functions and construct a forecasting model to analyse the impact on tourism in these countries. In these models they used quarterly terrorism data to quantify the present value of loss in tourism revenue for selected sample of European countries. According to Enders calculation Italy, Greece and Austria lost $1.16 billion, $.77 and $4.5 billion respectively during 1974 to 19 88. During this period all Europeans countries lost in tourism $16.15 billion due to terrorism. They conclude that terrorism has significant impact on Europe tourism industry revenue and tourists find substitute destination in order to minimise the risk of experiencing terrorist attacks. The immediate effects of terrorist attacks are death and destruction but the subsequent effects are discourage investment, interrupt travel tourism patterns and destabilise economies. The economic effect of terrorism has been the main subject of number of studies. According to Enders W. Sandler T. (2002), the terrorist attacks have economically significant negative effect on the economic growth; these attacks have less persistent and considerably smaller than the impacts of internal conflict or external war. Frey B. and Luechinger S. (2004), said that terrorists change tricks and tactics in reaction to the government polices, and it has direct effect on investment and economic growth. They also said that the investor decision to invest in particular country is based on economic risk, monetary returns and political risk. The foreign direct investment is one of the economic benefits of tourism, anything that effect on tourism needs to be minimised. Coshall J. (2005) claimed that Pan Am flight bombing in Lockerbie Scotland had minimal impacts on UK tourism and receipts from international tourists, while September 11 2001 had severe impacts on UK tourism and rest of the world. Different strategic management approaches of the tourism industry may have the same analytical aspects to improve the performance of industry. According to context of world Tourism organization (2008) the international tourism is increasing day by day as in 2008, the trade happens of more than $944 billion and over 922 million international tourist arrivals at different destinations and 2009 number of tourist arrival to 880 million which is 4% decline compare to 2008. The most affected reign was Europe, especially UK with a 6% decline. Terrorism can also destroy tourism industry by reducing tourist arrivals in UK. After September 11 2001, terrorist attacks in UK and continued threat of terrorist attacks also reduce the foreign direct investment significantly. According to Ritcher and Waugh (1986), terrorism and political violence can destroy the tourism industry supply and demand because this industry is extremely sensitive to these extreme events. However, after September 11, 2001 the world has been threatened by terrorism, and acts of terrorism have increased in many countries including UK. The effects of terrorism on tourism decisions have been an area of research concern on demand. Drakos and Kutan (2003), Pizam A. (1999) and Krakover (2005) all agreed that the severity and frequency of terrorist attacks are negatively correlated with the tourism demand. The Pizam and Fleischer (2002) said that the frequency of terrorist attacks cause large decline in tourism industry demand. The intervention analysis by Coshal l J. (2005) employs explore that the dynamics of the effects of terrorism incidents on those travelling or visiting UK and UK people going abroad. Influence of Media Following a Terrorist Attack Modern terrorism is particularly onerous, because of characteristic of its time. The impact of terrorism on macroeconomic is crucial, customers feel themselves in stress and some kind of continuous fear which definitely effects the spending patterns. Media plays very important role with regards to terrorists activities around the world. Firstly, terrorist use media to send their massage to the audience, and general public relied on media for information in the times of crises. Now terrorist are using media to advance their causes of attacks. According to Sonmez and Graefe (1998), the escalation of terrorism after 70s has been linked to media, with instantaneous access to the global audience. Secondly, the media provide information to the public, what has happened, which normally influence the public decisions about travel. In the event of terrorist attacks, Fischer H. (2005) discusses the importance of information, he said it is very difficult for emergency personnel to receive and c ommunicate the accurate information at the time of terrorist attacks. According to Lynch Katju (2004), media only report during the time of crises, it provides coverage to particular incident as long as its news and then move toward new news story when it happens. She said tourism industry has a great influence of media reporting and constant coverage of terrorist related incidents discourages the restoration of consumer confidence. Beirman D. (2003) said that the globalisation of media enhanced the ability to report terrorist events as they occurred, it also gives rise some problems and benefits to tourist authorities. In the word of Mansfeld and Pizam (2006), the media coverage and reporting on terrorist attacks have great impact on tourism industry, which transform the terrorism from horrendous event into iconic event. Tourism industry needs to monitor media coverage of terrorist events, because this will help tourism industry to develop strategies, which will help it to restore the tourists and travellers confidence. Media have its ital role in endangering fear, among the society; the irresponsible reporting generates scenes of ever present possibility of terrorist act. According to Crenshaw M. (1990) the new and fastest ways of communication allow people to know about happens in the other part of the world within minutes about any terrorist attack. On the other hand terrorist groups are adopting the latest techniques to communicate with each other and even sometime just for spreading fear with in the specific community to achieve their targets. Czinkota et al (2004) cited that terrorist also using old traditional ways to communicate which are unable to penetrate. The latest ways of transportation system gives terrorist groups better way to move around. So we can say that media plays very important role for tourism industry in the time of terrorists incidents, as the media medium for terrorists to the public subsequently depend on the same media for more information on that incident. Conclusion: The discussion will cover some of the most basic concepts in the research of terrorism and its impacts on tourism. Tourism industry internationally and locally particularly affected by terrorism because when some things happen, it disrupts the activities of tourism and related industries. Every year more than trillion dollars are spent on combating terrorism. This along with billons dollars lost in property damage, loss of human resources and decrease in key industries potential profit like tourism, aviation, hotel and transportation industry. It is a plague on global economy and affects on everyone from entire countries to all the way down to individual. Terrorism in recent years has sparked, increase in fear and demand higher level of security. The cost of terrorism can be broken down into number of areas and come down to direct effects, response costs and negative effects on tourism industry. Terrorism effects tourism activates deeply. This threat compel almost every department of tourism industry, which cause decline in the profit of industry and on the other side the whole economy has to bear the cost of every single act of terrorism. According to LCCI (2005) report, after 9 11 terrorist attacks, majority of tourism related industries fear high risk of terrorist attacks and they have contingency plan in place to deal with uncertainty. As globalization integrates multinational organizations and financial markets, events like terrorism which spurn economic uncertainty have increasingly international consequences. Terrorism causes unpredictable political and economic consequences, infuses the public with fear and prevents the free flow of capital, labour, and free market principles. Because of their disastrous impacts, occurrences of terrorism have serious implications on the performance of tourism and related industries around the world. In past few years immediate respon ses and severe impacts are felt in tourism industry soon after terrorist attacks happened. These sustained reactions can be observed through macroeconomic impacts, government policy responses, tourists and investor confidence. As world move towards more liberal economies and democratic political structures, tourism industry must have the ability to adapt and respond to terrorist events. In order to do so, tourism industry and associated businesses, need a more complete picture and understanding of the deleterious effects of terrorism.

Resistance to Imperialism and the Zulu War Essay -- African History Es

Although it is usually 19th century European imperialism that appears in Western literature, Africans have felt pressure from outside powers for over a thousand years. By the year 1200, most of Northern Africa had adopted Islam, and the population consisted mainly of a blend of Arab and Berber peoples. It was at this time that the enslavement of black Africans along the eastern coast of the continent by Arabian pirates began. This slave trade, however, met fierce resistance from the flourishing African kingdoms of Kush and the Somali king, Nagus Yeshaq, who was a Christian Becker). Because the strength of the Arabic incursions was based mainly on conversion, the Islamic armies never penetrated deeply into sub-Saharan Africa. In the middle of the 15th century, Portuguese explorers began to establish trading outposts along the western coast of Africa, thus beginning the first steps toward imperialism by European nations. It is estimated that the first trading of Africans as slaves by the Portuguese began in 1444. The West African kingdom of Benin, however, still suc...

Cultural Models and Cultural Dimensions

Cultural Models and Cultural Dimensions (Hofstede) Cultural studies are not a unified theory but a diverse field of study encompassing many different approaches, methods and academic perspectives. As in any academic discipline, cultural studies academics frequently debate among themselves. Cross-cultural communication, as in many scholarly fields, is a combination of many other fields. These fields include anthropology, cultural studies, psychology and communication.There exists no uniform evaluation system or model of cultural aspects to date. However, the variety of the available models much more illustrates how multifaceted the approach can be. Nevertheless, there are some common dimensions for the most cultural models such as concept of time and space, equal (or non-equal) rights of men and women and position of the individual in the society. The most popular cultural models come primarily from the English-speaking researches: Hall (1989), Hofstede (1991), Oksaar (1988).Wierzbick a is famous for her work in semantics, pragmatics, and cross-cultural linguistics and has established the idea of so called Universal Human Concepts and their realisation in the language (Wierzbicka, 1992). Looking for an appropriate basis cultural model for this research a short comparison of the most known models needs to be done. The differences begin at the definition of culture or even at avoiding any definition, at the objectiveness level (e. g. amount and homogeneity of the interviewed persons) as well as at use of different cultural dimensions.Table 6 contains a comparison between three most popular cultural models of Hofstede, Hall and Gesteland though the latter should be concerned more as a collection of a life experience in how to behave in business with success worldwide. Table 6: Comparison of Cultural Models (Astapenko, 2008: 92) This comparison demonstrates the lack of homogeneity of the research basis. While the amount of the interviews done by Hall is relatively hi gh, he surveys only three countries. Gesteland on his hand does his research without any statistics using his own experience.Comparing to this the cultural model of Hofstede is more representative and homogeneous. He worked on interviews of IBM-employees in over 50 countries who therefore work in the same sector in comparable positions and have a similar social status. It is obviously that every cultural model has to be approached with great caution and an uncritical reading of cultural dimensions can lead to false conclusions. But even if Hofstede's conceptualization of culture has attracted some criticism he is though one of the most renowned and most cited experts.The continuity of his researches can be observed over decades and the approach of his scientific school is still being applied and improved. Moreover, his research approach establishes a connection to the active prevention measures mentioned in Chapter 2. As his classification system will be used to make a comparison of the involved regions later in this chapter, it adds to the consistency of this report to explain his definition. Hofstede defines culture as â€Å"the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from others† (Hofstede et al. , 2010: 6).Investigating culture is an attempt to catch general trends among a large group of people on a very general level. Therefore, the findings in this report should not be applied on an individual level, as this may lead to miscommunication or even stigmatisation. There are different levels of culture (national, regional, ethnic, religious, gender, social class or even organisational level) but regarding Transferability of Road Safety measures the national level was suggested to be the subject for further research. Strictly speaking, the concept of a common culture applies to societies, not to nations.Based on elaborate research from 1967 to 1973, Hofstede developed a model that tries to cap ture †culture† through scores on four values, so-called cultural dimensions (given below). Later researches added further dimensions which cannot be fully evaluated here due to other focuses in this project. The complete description of the cultural dimensions can be found on the website (Hofstede, 2011). The four main dimensions according to Hofstede are: †¢ Power Distance Index (PDI): the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally.Individualism (IDV): the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. †¢ †¢ Masculinity (MAS): refers to the distribution of roles and values between the genders. The women in feminine countries have the same modest, caring values as the men; in the masculine countries they are somewhat assertive and competitive, but not as much as the men, so that these countries show a gap between men's values and women's values. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI): a society's tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. Based on the values for these dimensions of the 19 European countries for which cultural dimension scores are available, an average European score was calculated. After a comparison between Europe, India and Brazil based on the official study data from Hofstede the research for metropolitan areas of Sao Paulo and Delhi which was done for this particular project by the local partners using the questionnaire of Hofstede is being presented.On the basis of its results the project partners awareness of the cultural differences and similarities between Brazil, India and Europe should be sharpened in order to consider them during the transfer of European Safety measures to Emerging Economies. This allows to avoid misunderstandings and to exclude from the beginning those measures which cannot be transferred due to cultural reasons. 1. 1. 1. Comparison of Cultural Dimensions of Europe, Brazil and IndiaA first issue that arises when comparing the regions that are cooperating in SaferBraIn is the difference in analysis levels: how should one compare the cultures of two countries (India and Brazil) with the culture of a continent (Europe)? Having some insight in the European states cultures, it is safe to say that significant differences can be noted between the European member states. Therefore an average European score was calculated based on a mathematical analysis of Hofstede’s cultural dimension scores.Even if there are in some cases crucial differences between European countries like Italy and Germany, Spain and Sweden, this average score allows comparing the cultures of Europe, India and Brazil. The next figure presents the scores on the four dimensions for these three regions. It must be stressed at this stage that it is not the authors’ intention to make hard statements about cultures. As was indicated before, Hofstede’s research can only be used to descr ibe general trends in the average culture of a country. This should under no circumstances be translated to an individual level.Figure 20: Comparison of Europe-India-Brazil on Hofstede’s 4 cultural dimensions Figure 20 indicates that the power distance is relatively large in India and Brazil, compared to Europe. This could mean that individuals in these two countries operate in a more hierarchical system. Following Hofstede’s definition, hierarchy in India and Brazil is not only accepted, it is also expected. It may be interesting to keep this in mind when analyzing the corresponding traffic systems and when designing pilots to be implemented in these two countries.Especially concerning the enforcement of safety measures, the strong power orientation influences its exercising. It is known that Brazil and India already have many road facilities and road safety measures but they are not proper used by population. Due to that stronger enforcement measures are needed to im prove the acceptance of new technologies and facilities. One can also notice that Europe appears to have a more individualist culture than India and Brazil. This tendency toward individualism can be found in several Western countries. The United States of America for example, have a score of 91 on Hofstede’s scale.Individualist cultures rely more on media and less on their social networks. Different surveys demonstrate that in an individualist culture employees are expected to act at their own responsibility and organise their work gathering their own interests with those of their employers. In a collectivist culture an employee is a part of a group and has to act according to its interest. This should be considered cooperating in pilot projects for SaferBraIn. Moreover, collectivist cultures tend to have higher power distance that individualist ones.So a strong hierarchy and acceptance of higher positioned partners can be presupposed working with India and Brazil. Considerin g vulnerable road users a health-care survey mentioned by Hofstede showed that individualist and collectivist cultures differently deal with disability. A special part of the survey was dedicated to disabled children. â€Å"In the individualist communities [†¦], people with disabilities tended to remain cheerful and optimistic, to resent dependency and being helped, and to plan for a future life as normal as possible.In the collectivist communities [†¦], there would be more expression of grief, shame, and pessimism; family members would be asked for advice and assistance, and they would make the main decisions about the person’s future† (Hofstede, 2010: 116). Translating this finding to the SaferBraIn project, it can be supposed that collectivist cultures like India and Brazil would not have sophisticated facilities for disabled VRU’s and these persons would not be well integrated in the society. This could be therefore a useful part of the safety meas ures? ransfer though the awareness of local partners cannot be assumed. The scores on the masculinity dimension show the smallest differences between the investigated regions. The scores are about 50-60 which can be interpreted as a quite balanced value between masculinity and femininity in the compared countries. However, one can notice that Europe has the highest score. A thorough look at Hofstede’s full definition for this dimension could interpret it as follows: Europe has a more assertive culture overall than India and Brazil, while India and Brazil have a slightly more modest culture.In relation to this report, it may be important to safeguard these cultures’ higher need for modesty. Even if the masculinity dimensions scores are very different within Europe, the average score demonstrates the predominant masculine character. In masculine societies there is a feeling that conflicts should be resolved by a â€Å"good fight†, where challenge, earnings, recogn ition, and advancement are important, whereas in feminine cultures there is a preference for resolving conflicts by compromise and negotiation focused on relationships.Since the score’s difference for surveyed countries are minimal, this dimension cannot evoke critical misunderstandings within SaferBraIn project. Finally, the level of Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) shows strong differences between the three regions. Though, UA is not the same as risk avoidance and these two concepts should not be mixed. Risk is focused on something specific and refers on a known and expected event. Avoiding risk we prevent something what we can foresee and not what is completely unpredictable.Hence, it would be incorrect to conclude that showing a relatively low level of UA, a potentially higher sense for risk taking can be assumed for India. Cultures with high Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) like Brazil or to a lesser extent Europe shun ambiguous situations and try to prevent them with more la ws, rules, and regulations. Brazil has more law schools than all countries in the world together. There are 1,240 higher education courses for the training of lawyers in the country while the rest of the planet comes to about 1,100 universities (CNJ, 2010).Cultures with low UAI like India believe that many problems can be solved without formal rules and that the latter should be established only in case of absolute necessity. Paradoxically in countries with weak UA where rules are less scared they are often better followed. Translating these findings to the needs of SaferBraIn even when European experts can expect hindered possibilities for Road Safety measures enforcement due to low legacy level in India they can presuppose their better acceptance. On the contrary in Brazil it is assumed that every measure would first need a legal regulation.However, in countries with strong UA laws can fulfil a need for security even when they are not followed. Another finding done by Hofstede tha t is relevant for SaferBraIn shows an interesting correlation between the strength of UA and the maximum speeds allowed in the country. â€Å"The relationship is positive: stronger uncertainty avoidance means faster driving. Faster driving, other things being equal, means more fatal accidents, thus more risk. However, this is a familiar risk, which uncertainty-avoiding cultures do not mind running.Their emotionality provides them with a sense of stress, of urgency, which in turn leads to wanting to drive faster. The higher speed limits in stronger uncertainty-avoidance countries show, in fact, a priority of saving time over saving lives† (Hofstede, 2010: 198). 1. 1. 2. Cultural Research for metropolitan areas in Brazil and India Brazil and India are countries of contrasts concerning climate, geography, income distribution, and educational level of its people. Because of the diversity we cannot consider that knowing the country’s culture we also know cultural dimensions of its metropolitan areas.For this reason the Hofstede? s theory of Cultural Dimensions using the interviews based on his questionnaire was applied in Sao Paulo city and Delhi – the big metropolises which can be compared in their extension and live rhythm and in which the use of western experience can be assumed. Local partners (IMR for Brazil and A+S for India) have initiated interviews of about 200 people each in Sao Paulo and Delhi to have representative scores for these metropolitan areas. Of course, analogue researches can be done for every region or city where the transfer of safety measures is planned.The detailed information to the results of these researches can be found in Annexes 6 and 7. Though, the difficulties with the questionnaire are worth to be shortly mentioned at this point. Although questionnaires in local languages (Portuguese and Hindi) were used, the interviewees in India could not always interpret question unambiguously. It was established especially dealing with lower and lower middle class that a certain level of education is affordable for the answers. Many easy understandable issues from the European point of view needed to be explained.In contrary, the upper-class representatives preferred to use the English version of the questionnaire. The main outcomes of the research are the differences between Individualism (IDV) and Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI) scores. For Brazil also the Masculinity (MAS) score features diverse scores. Power Distance Index (PDI) remains very similar in Brazil and India for both country average and metropolitan area (Figure 21). Figure 21: Comparison PDI incl. Sao Paulo and Delhi As mentioned before countries with high PDI tend to have well-built hierarchical relations within the society and need strong enforcement.Concerning wearing of helmets to protect two-wheelers, Error! Reference source not found. should be studied. Following the law, the motorcycle driver is wearing a helmet. At the same time m ore vulnerable passengers (two children and the lady) are not protected. Hence, only the stronger member of the family, having more power, is protected. Figure 22: Using helmet on motorcycle in India IDV (Figure 23) shows very high divergence between the country average and metropolitan area in both Brazil and India.Though, the development goes in both countries in opposite directions. While the inhabitants of Sao Paulo turn out to be extremely individualistic the population in Delhi tends to more collectivism. Figure 23: Comparison IDV incl. Sao Paulo and Delhi With reference to the assumption in Chapter 4. 3. 2 according the interrelation between the individualism score and the treating of disabled following examples can be used due to motivate this assumption. Delhi roads are equipped with convenient, wide footpaths.Though, the level of most kerbs on Delhi roads is inconveniently high (Figure 24). This prompts pedestrians to walk along the roadside especially when they have physi cal problems in climbing high steps. Figure 24: High kerbs in India However, in modern projects like the Rapid Bus Corridor (RBC) in Delhi a segregated and safe corridor for pedestrians and non-motorized transport is provided. Also for the VRU with disabilities special facilities like dropped kerbs, low floor buses or platform-bus adjustment are provided.In the City of Sao Paulo, where the individuality score is very high, dropped kerbs and tactile pavements are applied on most major junctions in the consolidated part of the road system (Figure 25). Figure 25: Tactile pavements in Sao Paulo Another example for extremely low IDV in Delhi is the unspoken rule to never cross the street alone. They always wait to gather a group of some persons and cross the street in a crowd feeling safer as a part of a group and providing counterweight to motorised traffic (Figure 26).Figure 26: Crossing the street in Delhi Traffic rules require motorists to stop once a pedestrian steps on the zebra cr ossing. Practically this rule is not being followed, and crossing busy roads at zebra crossings is as dangerous for pedestrians as elsewhere. Pedestrians cross roads either in larger groups or whenever opportunity occurs. Concerning Masculinity score the research shows that Sao Paulo has a very high MAS (Figure 27), even higher that the European average. Therefore a conclusion can be drawn that the society of Sao Paulo is more oriented on financial recognition, earning and challenges.Possessing a big and expensive car means to be more powerful and respected. For this reason VRU have to subordinate whether crossing the street or waiting for a car blocking the footpath while garage or property. However, when a pedestrian shows his power by stepping to the road and focusing directly and self-confident on the driver he will be accepted and the car will let him cross the street. Figure 27: Comparison MAS incl. Sao Paulo and Delhi In Delhi even having an expensive do not automatically mea ns to be more powerful.These cars can be scratched and damaged the same way as a simple rickshaw. Even animals are seen as the most vulnerable road users and are equal to others. These facts are related to the very low IDV which means that this society is relationship-oriented and tries to solve conflicts by compromise. Similar to IDV the tendency of the score for UAI develops in the opposite direction between the country average and metropolitan area (Figure 28). In Brazil it is drastically decreasing for Sao Paulo, in India it is slightly increasing for Delhi.It can be therefore concluded that in Sao Paulo new safety measures being to a certain degree always ambiguous would be easier accepted. On the contrary, in Delhi more enforcement and education measures would be needed to promote acceptance of new safety measures. Figure 28: Comparison UAI incl. Sao Paulo and Delhi To sum up the research has identified several crucial differences between the countries? scores and the scores f or metropolitan areas. It is important to consider it when talking about transferability of road safety measures or working on pilot projects.