Better Education for the Smaller Family

In recent years, a trend around the world has been toward a smaller family. Most families in the world have one or two children. In Vietnam, the average number of children per family has decreased in the last 20 years. A typical Vietnamese family has only one or two children. In the past, a family with more than ten children was not strange. The better education and the improvement of living condition have caused smaller family size. First, the average number of children per family has decreased because of better education. After the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese government has emphasized on education. Every kid could go to school to study. Therefore, more knowledge and more job opportunities have provided to Vietnamese people. High-educated people concentrate on their work and their income. They do not want to marry soon. The more late married couples there are, the fewer children are born. Consequently, the family size has decreased. Moreover, Vietnamese people used to think that a big family with many children is a happy family. The educated people have a different point of view. They cannot provide their children a good education and a satisfactory support if they had many children. They have realized the benefit from a smaller family. For instance, the parent can afford $1000 to their children a month. If they had four children, each would receive only $250. However, the kid in a single child family would receive the whole supply. A small family would provide the child a good condition to grow up. Besides, a problem has occurred from smaller families. The child becomes mischievous and naughty. The kid does whatever he or she wants because they know that their parent do not have many children. Second, the improvement of living condition has caused smaller family size. During the Vietnam War, Vietnamese people liked to have many children because they were afraid that they would lose their kids for the war. They wanted more and more of their kids to become more and more Vietnamese soldiers. After the war, they did not need more children. As a result, the family size started to decrease. Furthermore, Vietnam is a country base on farm product. Eighty percent of Vietnamese people are farmers. The farm work is very difficult and requires a lot of labor. They needed many family members to help their work. Therefore, they had many children. Nowadays, farmers have used machine and new technology in their work. The apparatus has replaced the labor. The farmers do not need many people to help them. Accordingly, they have had fewer children. In addition, more public services and information have been provided to Vietnamese people. The couples have planed to have healthy marriages. A small family is a good choice for them. This smaller, healthier family contributes to overall development and slower population growth. Nevertheless, the trend toward smaller family needs to be controlled in order to have a best result. Providing jobs and food is hard, but lacking work force is also a problem. Nowadays, people have fewer children then they had before. The more kids they have, the more money and time they spend. In order to have a happy family, they have to support a good environment to their children. Separating the parents† afford and love for three or four children is not a good idea. Consequently, a smaller family is the best choice.

Blue Nile Essay

Question 1. What are some key factors in diamond retailing? How do Blue Nile, Zales, and Tiffany compare on those dimensions? All the companies involved in the diamond market want to have a big share of that market. And, the bigger the share, the company makes bigger revenue. It is very interesting that all three companies (even though they are in the same ‘business’) have different approaches in ‘taking market share’. An important fact is that the companies have a different clientele. The market population is different. The first 2 paragraphs of the case study state a common concern in any industry: do you reduce prices in order to compete with the competition? [research is needed to see and predict the implications of discounts] 2008 is a good year to analyze the situation from all aspects (and to see how our three companies handled the ‘meltdown’). â€Å"As customers tightened their belts and cut back on discretionary spending, high-cost purchases such as diamond jewelry were often the first to be postponed.† Responses are needed. Adjustments are needed. We can segregate the industry in two parts: wholesale and retail sales. Moreover, the price, selection and customization of services are other dimensions that differentiate the companies. Blue Nile – internet base Zales – mall based kiosks (teenagers); working-class mall shoppers; fancier locations (upscale market) Tiffany – high-end products Blue Nile has an advantage due to lower ‘location’ costs. These funds (that would be placed for renting space) can be allocated to additional inventory. This would in turn signify that the company would have a higher selection. Also, having lower markup percentages lowers the price of the diamonds. Moreover, when purchasing from Blue Nile (besides having a low-pressure selling approach), you are also not buying a name/brand (in comparison with buying from Tiffany). It must also be noted that Tiffany started its business in 1837; Zales in 1924; and, Blue Nile in 1999. This history (and all the aspects that the latter comes with) provides different advantages (competitive, brand, customers, types of customers†¦.) [A greater description of the manner in which the three companies are different and differentiate each other is provided in the answers to the following questions] Question 2. What do you think of the fact that Blue Nile carries over 30,000 stones priced at $2,500 or higher while almost 60 % of the products sold from the Tiffany Web site are priced at around $200? Which of the two product categories is better suited to the strengths of the online channel? It must be taken in consideration that Blue Nile is an internet based business. It has not choice but to provide its high priced items on the internet. In comparison, Tiffany also provides a shopping (in store) experience (something that Blue Nile does not have). In order to increase its market share, Tiffany provides lower priced items on the internet. It is true that the client does not have the in-shop experience, but he/she is buying a Tiffany item. [More information is needed, but it is my assumption that Tiffany is focusing a lot on the in-store experience] Which of the two product categories is better suited to the strengths of the online channel? It depends. Blue Nile is only on online. Hence, it has no choice but to increase all the aspects/strengths of online purchasing. The Tiffany’s online ‘department’ is only a small aspect of the company’s business. Even if a customer does not want to have (to purchase) the in-store Tiffany experience, he/she still has the possibility of having a Tiffany item. [These type of customers are not the ‘regular’ ones. Personally, if I do not have the money – purchase as well as travel – and I would like to buy my lady ‘something special’, I would do an internet Tiffany purchase. My lady would be happy (impressed and grateful)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..because it is Tiffany.] Question 3. Given that Tiffany stores have thrived with their focus on selling high-end jewelry, what do you think of the failure of Zales with its upscale strategy in 2006? New market, new challenges. One important aspect (from the perspective of the customer) is the brand association. Zales already had a name made for itself: working-class clientele and teenagers (â€Å"lower-end reputation†). Once the brand is made, it is very hard to change the perception of it. A lot of energy, time and money need to be allocated in order to change the nature of the brand. Tiffany already had a brand that was associated with high-end jewelry. Tiffany did not need to change its brand (or the perception of it). In order to ‘fix’ the problem, the transition to promotional retailer (discounting inventory), Zales lost a considerable amount. Even though in the long run the fix was beneficial, it was an answer to a problem that the company should not have. Another problem that Zales had was that deliveries were not on time. Question 4. What do you think of Tiffany’s decision to open smaller retail outlets, focusing on high-end products, to reach smaller affluent area in the United States? I believe that this move was beneficial for Tiffany. Having a strong brand, a world known brand, people know what to expect from the company. If a potential client wanted to have the Tiffany experience, the former was able to have it. It is true that the selection was not the same as in the company’s flag store. However, having also the catalog, the smaller retail outlets could very easily have access to the entire inventory. What the clients wants, this is what he/she will have. Also, as stated before, the Tiffany experience is essential to Tiffany’s business. Therefore, having more stores (even though the inventory is not ‘full’) (potential) clients may be drawn to come in and make a purchase. Question 5. Which of the three companies do you think was best structured to deal with the downturn in 2009? Tiffany. The market sector was appropriate for it (high-end). As the case study states: â€Å"As customers tightened their belts and cut back on discretionary spending, high-cost purchases such as diamond jewelry were often the first to be postponed.† However, this is applicable to lower-income customers. The lower the income, the higher the chance that a client would not spend on jewelry. Even though the 2009 downturn affected everyone, the priorities of lower income customers shifted drastically. The higher income customers, (I am making the assumption), were not affected as much. Therefore, instead of buying a 10,000$ ring/bracelet/etc, they could afford a 5,000$ purchase. Moreover, Tiffany had also its own manufacturing facilities. If the rough diamonds (after process) did not meet the desired standards, they were sold to third parties, ensuring additional revenue for the company. Question 6. What advice would you give to each of the three companies regarding their strategy and structure? All three companies were affected by the economic crisis. This is normal. They have to wait for the economic come-back. As stated in the answer of the first question, the three companies have different clientele, different products and different customer experience. Blue Nile I was very impressed by how Blue Nile handled the 1.5 million purchase. Having an internet base company, it reduces certain costs. The 30 days money back guarantee is essential in order to gain (and attract) customers. The lower marked-ups also contribute to lower prices for the clients (thus, attracting even more). Blue Nile brand is already established. It should not have any strategy that could influence negatively the name that it made for itself. Zales Due to its type of customers (lower and middle class), and to the economic problems, Zales has the most to ‘loose’. Moreover, its transit strategy was not appropriate (the reasons were explained earlier). There was a commercial that stated â€Å"Don’t change horses in mid-stream.† Even though adaptability to the environment is crucial in today’s economic system, not knowing how to adapt, and change just for the sake of change, can be (and in Zales’ case was) very destructive. The Zales’ brand was already established. Changing the products without hard work to change the brand, the company will loose ‘face’; clients are disoriented. Tiffany The company is well established. The band is strong. People associate with the brand. They take pride saying that they purchase from Tiffany’s or have goods from Tiffany’s (this is one of the most important aspects). The (majority of the) clientele is more well-off (in comparison with that of the other companies). When buying from Tiffany, a customer does not only buy a good; he/she also buys the experience and the brand. Tiffany should also include higher-end items on their website. However, extensive research on this must be done. The company does not want to ‘dilute’ its brand by providing internet orders. If the brand is not touched by this strategy, then Tiffany should go through with it (by incremental increase of item provided on the internet). All three companies should have a catalog, an internet site (that can receive orders), provide from time to time discounts. Yet, for any strategy (whatever it may be), the specific company should do extensive research in order to calculate the different impacts that a (potential) strategy might have on the company.

Saving Private Ryan Descriptive Writing Piece

The cold breeze ran down my spine. Fear flooded my veins. Freezing water hitting me like a thousand knives penetrating my body. We were all hoping, praying that we would get out of this alive. The unbarring pain in my legs was slowly moving up my body. Not knowing how much longer could with stand it. The repulsing stench of sick slowly traveled around in the air. Cold sweat ran down my face, my heart was thumping louder and louder I could barely hear myself think.As the landing craft drew closer towards Omaha beach I could barely breathe. I quietly prayed, knowing it was my only prospect of getting out of this alive. The craft came to a halt. I took what could be my last surviving breathes. Although the barrier between me and my fate was still up I knew was not safe. The ramp dropped. My heart beats slowly sped up, as started to see more of the beach knew what was to come was not good. Swiftly jumped from the landing craft into the sea.The scene on the beach was catastrophic. My lip was quivering from the cold. The distance to the beach slowly drew closer. My clothes were dripping with the blood red water. I felt hands pulling at my legs from underneath me. There was nothing I could do to help them. My heart was racing as drew further towards the beach. As the water got shallower I felt a sense of relief as it was a struggle to walk, even though I knew the worst was yet to come. A huge wave carried me closer to the shore.The tangy taste of salt was lingering in my mouth. Gasping for breath, I reached the surface only to see the battle continuing. But this time closer. The sky was a depressing shade of grey. The smoke filled air occupied my lungs. Smoke covered the whole battle field. When finally reached the beach I had a shear moment of panic. My legs went numb and it felt like was going to faint at any moment. The sound of screaming soldiers only made me and my men want to stay alive longer.

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 15

Assignment Example For example, the electricity bills of the factories or the taxes paid on land are fixed costs because even if no production takes place in the factories, these costs would still be incurred. Variable costs, on the other hand, are those costs that are directly related to the number of units produced (Case & Fair, 2007). For example, depending on the number of cars produced, the variable costs would differ because for every additional car produced, the company would incur costs in components such as doors, engines, glasses, mirrors, seats, etc. As the demand of new cars increases, the demand curve shifts to the right (D1). This means that for the same price (P0), a higher quantity of cars (Q1) would be demanded. As a result, firms can observe higher profits by increasing the price, which in return causes the demand to decrease until the intersection of D1 and S0 is reached. At this point (E*), the market is in equilibrium. As demand for new cars increased and demand for used cars decreased, firms would decrease prices of the used cars to increase sales. Therefore, overall, the price and output of used cars would decrease. An obvious opportunity cost for funding the Scrappage Scheme is that the government could have used that money on other areas of the transport industry. For instance, if the government observed a decline in the number of cars purchased, due to recession and increasing fuel prices, it could have made investments to boost the public transport sector and could have promoted the usage of public transport and created more job opportunities there. There are many reasons why PED for cars is likely to be more elastic in large cities. Firstly, the larger cities, such as London, are economic hubs of UK and they have a good infrastructure present. These places offer a large of substitutes for cars to the consumers. There are many forms of public transports available, for example. The consumers can

Should the government provide child care centers for working parents Research Paper

Should the government provide child care centers for working parents - Research Paper Example There have been developed child-care centers that are privately owned, which have risen to save the situation. However, some of these child-care centers are not offering quality services to the children who attend them. Quality child-care should be a responsive process that offers developmentally suitable atmosphere for little children (Cooperative Extension, University of California (a) 1). Many of children around the world are not getting appropriate child-care opportunities for preschool sessions. However, many of those who attend the preschool are given poor services that sometimes are harmful to the children. The government ought to venture in to funding of these programs that will empower the young children. In the US, funding is varied in different programs that are designed to offer child-care. These programs are independent from each other in the way they carry out their care to children (Barnett and Hustedt 2). Child-care industries have boosted economies of many countries. They contribute to the revenue through taxation and by offering jobs to citizens of a country. In US, government subsidies are given to parents that are needy and to some parents the US government offers tax credits (Barnett and Hustedt 5-6). ... This is a reflective assignment that is seeking to express the two sides of government involvement in providing child care centers to working parents. Child-care is an expensive venture that does not only involve monetary, but also time, concern and energy. The burden of child-care can outweigh the parent if they are left alone to deal with children and still be economically productive. Children are attended by nuclear families when they cannot access the payable child-care centers fees (Bane et al 52-53). Economy has provided constraints that have forced many employees to spend more time and energy to any economic projects they are engaged in. In cases of interruptions, employees incur much loses as a result of wasted time. Companies that have employed those workers lose a lot of revenue on those employees. In that case, even the government experiences reduction in income because they will be entitled to less tax because of reduced productivity of an organization or company. In many countries, working parents are not usually entitled to any child-care services from the government. By the end of the year 2010, the only countries that were nearly giving their working people entitlement to child care are France and Hungary. These countries have high quality health services and other services related to children treatment (Hein and Cassirer 39). According to Cooperative Extension, University of California (b. 2-3), child-care is very expensive for low income earners in US. For example, the lowest charges for a year child care services for only one child was more than a third of annual income of a person who earns an annual pay of

Model answer for Business Environement and Economics Essay

Model answer for Business Environement and Economics - Essay Example Thus, there is a rise in the aggregate demand for exports from the nation. On the contrary, the demand for imports also falls due to a higher value of foreign currencies. However, there are adverse implications of a falling exchange rate value as well. It discourages overseas investors from pouring their resources in a nation whose domestic currency bears a poorer value than that of the home country. This will imply a fall in the aggregate amount of investments and thus a negative influence on the gross income of the concerned nation. Nevertheless, this is compensated through a rise in export balances as well, so that the impact on the aggregate income of the nation is almost negligible. Moreover, a gradual rise in the income level establishes the rate of exchange at the previous level and thus, wins back the faith of the overseas investors once again, so that the nation is shoved to a path of economic growth and the national business houses experience prosperity once again. Speaking in terms of comparative advantage principals, suppose there are two nations, A and B, with each of them endowed with resources capable of producing two goods, X and Y. according to the principal, if A can produce X at cheaper expenses than B, then, A must concentrate on producing X only, while B should produce Y. The amounts of X and Y that each of them need would be traded between them so as to produce a mutually beneficial situation through increased income levels. The situation could be encompassed through the inequation, PXA/ PYA < PXB/ PYB, i.e., PXA/ PXB < PYA/ PYB. If currency of A devalues, it implies that both PXA and PYA should fall, compared to those in B, which need not maintain the inequations. In fact, it might be revealed that the relative prices of both X and Y is lower in A than in B due to cheaper production costs. Hence, demand for Y from B would shift to A; A now supplies both X and Y, which are imported by B. B in turn needs to open up other income

Dose makes the poison Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dose makes the poison - Research Paper Example Our body itself is a combination of chemical elements and compounds. It is vital to divide the chemicals present in our environment into the good ones and the harmful ones. Moreover, also focus on how the toxic and deadly effects of the chemicals can be avoided is also of importance. The story of Strong Poison by Dorothy S. Layers revolves around a mystery case of the murder of Philip Boyes by arsenic poisoning. Harriet Vane is accused of the murder of her fiancà ©, as she is a crime novelist and knows an awful lot about the novel and all the evidence points in her direction. However, Lord Peter Wimsey is convinced of her innocence and struggles to convince the jury as well. The book discusses a great deal about the arsenic poisoning and the symptoms the victim suffers from, bringing the horrifying adverse effects of a toxic chemical under highlight. It is vital to understand what is toxic in our environment and can lead to adverse effects. A toxic substance is a substance that can be poisonous or cause health effects. Toxicity of a substance is not measured on the basis of its severity of effects; it can strike a single cell, a group of cells, an organ or the whole body. It is basically measured to the degree to which it is poisonous to biological organisms including humans. Chemicals toxicity is also dependent on the dose of the chemical, route of exposure, the duration and the number of incidents of exposure, and individual’s susceptibility. In 1500s, Philippus Aureolus brought forward the argument that a chemical can be entirely harmless or even advantageous at low concentrations but the same chemical can turn into toxic at higher levels. He stated, â€Å"All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy† (Trautmann). Indeed many chemicals which are beneficial at low concentrations even essential for human health can lead

Who Are The Innocents The Psychology Of Confessions Essay

Who Are The Innocents The Psychology Of Confessions - Essay Example A recent article (Kassin 2005) on the psychology of confessions, for example, suggests that video taping should be mandatory, but this proposal will focus on who innocents are, avoiding similar modalities. Therefore we will define innocence as a legal state and, remembering the legal maxim "innocent until proven guilty," innocents as those who are not guilty (Blackstone 1765). An study to measure why innocents confess that we will propose will be empirical, following an experiment closely resembling that carried out by Kassin and Kiechel (Kassin and Kiechel 1996), using participants testimony. The participants will carry out an experiment that contravenes the maxim "innocent until proven guilty" because we can show that the application of psychology to innocence is not relevant if innocent people can think themselves guilty as a result of Kassin and Kiechel's experiment. These psychologists' results are expected to be repeated. Kassin and Kiechel interestingly define features of innocents' false confessions as 'confabulated' and 'internalised' - interesting because these same words are used by memory research into false memory. Kopelman describes the varieties of false memory as "spontaneous confabulation in brain disease, false recognition cases, delusional memories and other delusions in psychosis, "confabulations" in schizophrenia, "internalised" false confessions for crime, apparently false or distorted memories for child abuse, pseudologia fantastica, the acquisition of new identities or "scripts" following fugue or in multiple personality, and momentary confabulation in healthy subjects."1 The academic psychology over confessions is mistaken when it presumes that establishing innocence is the purpose of law. Rather, trials happen because a crime has been committed and the law seeks to establish guilt, to punish the guilty. Psychology does not punish, as shown by Kassin and Gudjonnson, instead it designs confessional experiments. (Kassin and Gudjonnson 2004) Many experiments have inbuilt tricks to deceive, replicating experimenters' expectations, in much the same way that many pupils in the classroom replicate teachers' expectations. (Rosenthal and Jacobson 1968) An example of a study devised by psychologists includes a reaction time experiment. After warning participants not to hit a key that caused the machine to crash, experimenters deliberately crashed the machine, reasoning that participants could be made to confess. In many cases the participants did falsely confess, guiltily participating in the psychologists' study, whilst they believed the experiment was about reaction time. Legal cases abound where innocents have been convicted. In 2005, prosecutors forced a confession from a fourteen year-old boy, who confessed to murder in Illinois. The victim found an intruder in his parked car and was shot in the chest. The boy described to prosecutors how he broke into the car, struggled with the man and then shot him, after two weeks in detention and suggestions that he would go to prison for ten to fifteen years and that he would receive legal help. Moreover, the boy was encouraged to plead self-defence, in spite of the fact that the murderer had broken into the victim's car with a gun, firing it lethally. Another example comes from Escondido, California, where Michael Crowe, 14, confessed to the murder of his sister. He was falsely told by prosecutors that his hair was found in his dead sister's hand, that her blood was in his bedroom and that he failed a polygraph. He came to believe that he had an alter ego and confessed after hours of questioning with neither a

Lojack and Micrologic Alliance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Lojack and Micrologic Alliance - Assignment Example The intention of this study is the alliance between Lojack and Micrologic as an example of upstream vertical (supplier) alliance. Alliances between companies can be horizontal and vertical. Direct horizontal relations are those in which the company reaches a tactic understanding with its competitors. This understanding might be related to price or other factors. Indirect horizontal alliances are often done with industry outsiders – these alliances help both the companies in research or other factors and do not create a conflict of interest between them. Upstream vertical alliances are done with suppliers. Lojack did not produce the theft detection system. Most of the production and technological work related to the product was done by Micrologic. Thus the alliance is an example of upstream vertical alliance along with the supplier. The other type of vertical alliance is the downstream alliance which is done with buyers. The stolen vehicle recovery system (SRV) had to involve p olitical and regulatory actors such as FCC (Federal communication system as well as various law enforcement agencies. It also involved the partnership with car dealers as well as the technology provider – Motorola. Thus the alliance between Lojack and Micrologic also involved a number of other relational actors. The initial objective of the alliance between the 2 players was intended to develop the necessary base software and equipment and to obtain FCC approves technology for the SVR system. However over a period of time the two have changed strategic objectives – Micrologic now wishes to use the alliance in order to use the marketing network of Lojack. ... ever over a period of time the two have changed strategic objectives – Micrologic now wishes to use the alliance in order to use the marketing network of Lojack. This shows that the objectives of an alliance can vary over a period of time. As the strategic objectives of the firms involved changes, the nature of partnership between them also changes. (George Stonehouse, 2004) They tend to leverage sources or integrate activities with other firm which tend to maximise their value proposition. Evaluation of the Partnership Making partnership is not a very difficult phenomenon. In this age of various multinational companies there are numerous opportunities available for collaboration. However the important thing to do is to evaluate the different collaborations. Evaluation helps both the firms to consider what are the objectives of the partnership, what they have done to achieve them and how do they want to move ahead. Evaluation helps the firm to understand how they need to work in the partnership; it helps both the partners to improve management processes and procedures. They are able to analyse the objectives which had been set by the firms initially and allows for a revision in this objectives if the need arises. Effectiveness of partnerships is important at three levels – input, output and impact. Input factors involve the partners working with each other. Both partners may bring different inputs to the partnership. In the case we are analysing the input from Micrologic was technical expertise whereas the input for Lojack was distribution and marketing strength. Output is the result of the work done by the partners together. The input and output factors both combine in order to create an impact. We will use the life cycle model of evaluating the partnerships in

Maternal Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Maternal Obesity - Essay Example The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports reveals that at the beginning stage of pregnancy, one in five women are obese. Hence reducing obesity during, before, and after the pregnancy should be considered as a matter of public health importance. The obesity in pregnancy has been rapidly increasing and has now become a common risk obstetric condition in many countries. The reason for the health organizations to take extra care in the issue of maternal obesity is that the consequences of it are high and associated with adverse reproductive outcomes and hypertensive disorders and also causes for gestational diabetes mellitus, cesarean delivery, and increased risk for obesity of the child. Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) As Rivis and Sheeran (2003) explain, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was derived from the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and explains the three predicator of behavior – attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Attitude refers the beliefs of an individual about the outcomes of the behavior mixed with an evaluation of the significance of these outcomes. The Theory of Planned Behavior is somewhat similar to the Health Belief Model. ... The results explain that both models were able to predict an important part in the variance of dieting and fasting follow-up behavior. The direct aspect of the perceived control evaluates the extent of access that the individuals believe to have in formulating the behavior question. On the other hand, the indirect aspect of perceived control is normally obtained by assessing some definite aspects, called control beliefs, which have the capability both to make it easier and to make it difficult to achieve a behavior. The Theory of Planned Behavior analysis reports no direct connection between the intention to eat healthfully and eating behavior. Besides, age, gender, and BMI were the important factors forming the response of the people. The TPB is formulated on the idea that the stronger the intention to carry out a provided behavior, the greater the chance that a person will execute that behavior. The results from the various studies prove that TPB is helpful in predicting the factor s that are directly connected with healthy eating behavior. Many factors lead to healthy eating behaviors, and the TPB can be used as a tool to formulate intervention strategies to promote healthy eating habits among the youth, especially the women who are more faced with the risk of obesity and overweight. Other factors such as attitude, barriers, are subjective norm which have chances to influence the eating behaviors, are also added to the model of TBP. At last, the suggestion is towards the parents to take reasonable care in maintaining a healthy eating habit for their children. Social and Cultural factors affecting the maternal Obesity. The causes behind the obesity are multifaceted and consist of social, cultural, genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors. Generally, obesity

Professional development plan for a teacher Assignment

Professional development plan for a teacher - Assignment Example This research will begin with the statement that teaching is a complex profession that needs teachers to incorporate both the technological innovation and the art of their art in order to impact studies. However, the people involved in the profession like teachers at times fail to see the complexity hence implemented; the arts have little or no effect. Therefore, technological innovation of teaching demands to know studying theory and how the brain functions. The art of teaching needs teachers to synthesize content, procedure, products, and environmental resources to create engaging studying actions that enhance the success of diverse students. Moreover, teachers must perfect the art and technological innovation of teaching in a world that is recognized by rapid change increased social variety and significant progression and application of information. Such a world needs educational institutions to enhance what is certified, how it is certified, the stage to which students know what is certified, and the components required to coming back up studying among employees and students. According to Sousa & Tomlinson, the Professional Growth and Performance Plan explain a procedure that awards differences among teachers, encourages beneficial change, and provides concrete support for enhancing studying and teaching. Teachers and administrators perform together to evaluation performance on requirements, talk about ways to enhance studying and teaching, and identify professional growth goals... Purpose five and the actions particular that support this goal has been designed for those educators who’s Expert Growth Activities/Plans involves helping other teachers develop professionally (Sousa & Tomlinson, 2011). Some of the places my goals will concentrate on include: 1. Mindset, learning environment and differentiation 2. Curriculum and differentiation 3. Assessment and differentiation 4. Student readiness and differentiation 5. Student interest and differentiation 6. Student learning profile and differentiation 7. Managing a differentiated classroom The general activities I will engage in to realize my goals and develop professionally include: 1. I will enhance my teaching abilities to be able to better support special needs students by staying current with new educational methods through professional development in-services, classes and alternatives. 2. I will support and help teacher entry season teachers to help them become effective unique information teachers by guidance and referring to my information, teaching methods and components used dealing with special needs students. 3. I will obtain the information required to gather information, create components and put into place personalized studying /behavior programs that are appropriate for personal autistic children by dealing with the school system autism specialist and by getting element autism classes. 4. I will enhance my abilities in teaching students so they can enhance higher student studying by getting my Experts Degree in Curriculum Development. 5. I will obtain several methods to enhance and indicate upon my group place teaching to be able to become a

Similaries of Ancient Worlds - China India Egypt Mesopotamia Essay Example for Free

Similaries of Ancient Worlds China India Egypt Mesopotamia Essay There are many major civilizations in the world today. The first four major civilizations all formed in river valleys. These civilizations are Egypt on the Nile River, China on the Huang He River, India on the Indus River, and Mesopotamia on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. River valleys were a necessity in Early civilizations. The Nile, a river that runs through Egypt played an important role in the creation of the civilization. The river was used for irrigation of their crops. The river made a good soil with a lot of silt. Egypt was called the breadbasket because it produced an incredible amount of grain and crops. The people of Egypt also new exact His code consisted of 282 sections dealing with most aspects of daily life, for example, Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth. For example the river provided an irrigation system for the crops along the Fertile Crescent, the negative impact was that the people of Mesopotamia didnt know when the rivers would flood, so the flood ruined their crops and homes. They made a calendar of twelve months, and they were advanced in mortuary science or mummification. ly when it would flood, therefore the people were prepared for the dangerous floods. They needed a legal system and also needed a military. The Tigris and Euphrates, two rivers that ran along the Mesopotamia civilization gave positive and negative impacts on the civilization. Architects were needed to build monuments and farmers to produce food. Another important feature that led to the development of these early civilization was they needed to organize people, they made a government with government officials and a system of writing that helped keep records and scribes to write them. In conclusion the early civilizations had an advanced form of human culture, had some form of writing and were skilled in science and technology. Mesopotamia was mostly made up of citystates that were usually governed by representatives such as a council of nobles and an assembly of citizens. Many civilizations if not all of them were polytheistic, or believe in more than one god. Their king was not only a military official but a high priest as well. They had many achievements, A system of writing hieroglyphics; pyramids and monuments made for pharaohs. A major achievement in Mesopotamia was Hammurabis law code.

Analysis of the Term Victorian

Analysis of the Term Victorian How useful is the term ‘Victorian’? The era of Queen Victoria’s reign witnessed the passing of milestones in social, economic, and personal progress. It was the age of industrialisation, a time of travel, a battleground for the conflict between science and religion. Yet further to these great markers by which many of us recognise the nineteenth century, and indeed because of them, Victoria’s reign inspired change within the individual; a revaluation of what it meant to be a human being. The literary artists gave new form to the questions on the lips of the society around them: questions that were no longer so easily answered by Christianity. This essay will explore how the term ‘Victorian’ does or doesn’t fit into the context from which it supposedly arises. I will look at trends such as the development of literary criticism, pioneering scientific discoveries, the exploration into psychic phenomenon, the increasing independence of women, the mapping of the world, all of which contribu te to what we know and understand as ‘Victorian’, and have in some way shaped the work of authors such as Eliot, Conan Doyle, and H.G Wells. Using some close textual analysis I hope to identify the nature of the inspiration behind the literature of the time and whether or not such work transcends the limits of the term ‘Victorian.’ Many great literary minds of the time such as Arnold, Dickens, and Ruskin helped define the era in their critical attitudes towards it. (Davis 2002, p.10). Criticism appears to have become a form of exploration in an attempt to turn what concerned and worried the artist into something that questioned and reassured. Arnold, in his Essays in Criticism (Arnold, 1865, p.V) explains how he perceives the difference between logical and artistic thought The truth is I have never been able to ht it off happily with the logicians, and it would be mere affectation in me to give myself the airs of doing so. They imagine truth something to be proved, I something to be seen; they something to be manufactured, I as something to be found. It is this growing awareness of difference that was to become a defining feature of Victorian literature. Differences appeared in the very perception of things, which led to feelings of isolation, despair, alienation all prominent themes in nineteenth century work. In Arnold’s A Summer Night (Arnold 1913, p.167) we see the poetic mind struggling to find meaning on a moonlit street where the windows, like hostile faces, are ‘silent and white, unopening down’: And the calm moonlight seems to say Hast thou then still the old unquiet breast That neither deadens into rest Nor ever feels the fiery glow That whirls the spirit front itself away, 30 But fluctuates to and fro Never by passion quite possessd And never quite benumbd by the worlds sway? And I, I know not if to pray Still to be what I am, or yield, and be Like all the other men I see. Arnold recognises that the society around him is unfulfilled, that men are giving ‘their lives to some unmeaning taskwork’ and he questions whether he should be questioning at all. He is aware of a gap between the reality of working life and life outside of work; a difference that he strives to find explanation for. Arnold appears to be lost amidst the streets of his own mind afraid of not being able to define who he is, what he is. These feelings in part express what it meant to be a Victorian struggling to place thoughts and feelings which appear to no longer fit into society. The Victorian era contained much of what had past and much of what was still to come it cannot be seen as an isolated time, nor as an isolated term. It contained aspects of the Romantic period for instance in Arnold’s poem, The Buried Life, we see vestiges of Wordsworth’s legacy of Ode to Immortality. In both poems there is a sense of something lost an old passion or instinct that has gone with the passing of time yet Arnold, unlike Wordsworth, finds it more difficult to come to terms with this: ‘A longing to inquire / Into the mystery of this heart that beats / So wild, so deep in us, to know / Whence our thoughts come and where they go.’ (Arnold 1913, p.170). The language is more passionately discontent than the resolute tone of Wordsworth’s visionary acceptance: ‘We will grieve not, rather find/Strength in what remains behind.’ (Wordsworth 1928, p.136). The styles are obviously connected, but the trouble with defining the era usi ng literary terminology is that it is clearly neither a quirky extension of the Romantic’s vision, nor is it a straightforward path to the modernists. The 1870’s saw the maturation of authors such as Anthony Trollope who brought out his later novels, yet only twenty years later in 1896 these publications are sitting beside the considerably different form and subject matter of work such as H.G. Wellls’ The Time Machine and The Island of Dr. Moreau, with literary experiments with the modern such as Richard Jefferies’ The Story of My Heart occurring between in 1883. A growing concern in nineteenth century life was the potential loss of the Romantic link between human nature and the natural world, and the gap which sudden industrial progress highlighted between nature and mechanisation. As technology developed so did the notion of artificiality. It is worth noting J.S.Mill’s essay on Nature (Mill 1874, p.65) where he says that it is man’s nature to be artificial, to remedy nature by artificial pruning and intervention. Further to this, a contemporary of Mill’s Richard Jennings also drew a line between the ‘province of human nature’ and the ‘external world.’ (Lightman 1997, p.80). In the countryside more efficient methods of farming were employed (see the contrast between Henchard’s methods and Farfrae’s ‘ciphering and mensuration’ in Hardy’s Mayor of Casterbridge, (Hardy 1886, p.122)), and new machines introduced which no longer required the labour force to run the m, encouraging people to migrate to towns and cities. The urban reality was harsh in 1851 roughly four million people were employed in trade and manufacture and mining, leaving only one and a half million in agriculture. (Davis 2002, p.13). City life, as portrayed by Dickens, was a cruel, unhealthy and unwholesome existence for many (see Bleak House and Little Dorritt). However, much of his work was set in the period of his youth and childhood which was pre-Victorian. (Lawton (ed) 1995, p.xvi). Working conditions in cities were often cramped, unhygienic and poorly ventilated, and living conditions could be even worse. Mrs. Gaskell, living in Manchester, witnessed the appalling pressures that these conditions forced upon family life, and in North and South depicts the difficulties of urban living, offering that salvation for the working classes lay with themselves and their employers, working together. (see North and South 1855) However, city life was not all desolate based in cit ies, the development of the detective novel brought the city back to human scale (Lehan, p.84). Detectives pieced together and reconstructed past events through clues for example, the murder of Bartholomew Sholto in The Sign of Four by Conan Doyle: As far as we can learn, no actual traces of violence were found upon Mr Sholto’s person, but a valuable collection of Indian gems which the deceased gentleman had inherited from his father had been carried off. The discovery was first made by Mr Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson () Mr. Athelney Jones, the well-known member of the detective police force, happened to be at the Norwood police station () Mr Jones’ well-known technical knowledge and his powers of minute observation have enabled him to prove conclusively that the miscreants could not have entered by the door or by the window but must have made their way across the roof of the building, and so through a trapdoor into a room which communicated with that in which the body was found. (p.66) The city provided an exciting backdrop to crime scenes its labyrinthine streets similar to the mapping of the pathways of the human mind so that the two became inextricably linked. As Joseph McLaughlin says in Writing the Urban Jungle, ‘the urban jungle is a space that calls forth a pleasurable acquiescence to something greater, more powerful, and, indeed, sublime () also an imaginative domain that calls forth heroic action: exploring, conquering, enlightening, purifying, taming, besting.’ (McLaughlin 2000, p.3). Further to what McLaughlin suggests, the Victorians’ perception of time and space in the city and the countryside was changing radically from the medieval perceptions that still existed in the Romantic period. People saw the finished products in both manufacturing and farming no longer involving the long, drawn-out means to an end, instead the end result was being achieved faster and with more control. Here developed the root of modern industry which continues today in intensive farming and factory lines. Yet here too the beginnings of waste and excess. Richard Jefferies, a nineteenth century naturalist and mystic, known for his essays on nature, remarks on the abundance of food in the natural world in his essay Meadow Thoughts: The surface of the earth offers to us far more than we can consume the grains, the seeds, the fruits, the animals, the abounding products are beyond the power of all the human race to devour. They can, too, be multiplied a thousandfold. There is no natural lack. Whenever there is lack among us it is from artificial causes, which intelligence should remove. (Jefferies, 1994, p.26). Unfortunately there was plenty for those who could afford it but not enough to spare for the poorer lower classes. (Ritvo 1997, p.194). Trends of over production and wastage which became a worry in Victorian times are reflected in the literary concerns of Jefferies’ spiritual autobiography The Story of My Heart, and in his children’s story, Bevis, where words, despite their abundance, are in danger of becoming an insufficient medium of expression and not filling the metaphysical space on the page. In describing a sunrise and the thoughts and feelings associated with watching it, Jefferies struggles to articulate the beauty before him: The sun had not yet stood out from the orient, but his precedent light shone through the translucent blue. Yet it was not blue, nor is there any word, nor is a word possible to convey the feeling. (Jefferies 1881, p.391) We see too in James Thomson’s City of Dreadful Night (Thomson 1892, p.2) the desperateness of trying to articulate thoughts and feelings: Because a cold rage seizes one at whiles To show the bitter old and wrinkled truth Stripped naked of all vesture that beguiles, False dreams, false hopes, false masks and modes of youth; Because it gives some sense of power and passion In helpless impotence to try to fashion Our woe in living words howeer uncouth. In both passages there is a sense of trying to convey so much more than the words will allow. And that is the essence of the problem of defining the era with a word which the era itself selected ‘Victorian’ like the authors of its time struggles to convey the enormity and the condensed nature of its changing environment. Victorian literature is thus perhaps best studied between the lines of its texts rather than for what it offers at face value. Thomson’s words ‘to try to fashion our woe in living words’ although appearing dismal could actually withhold a more positive message: it deals with the notion of perseverance that by creating words, however difficult, the author is refusing to give in to despair by trying to transform it into creative energy. There is a sense of crisis in the work of Thomson, just as there is to be found in Jefferies futuristic After London where the lone explorer Felix discovers the land after humanity has overreached itself to sociological disaster and has lost the harmonious relationship between mankind and nature. London becomes no more than a crystallised ruin in a ground oozing with poison ‘unctuous and slimy, like a thick oil.’ (Jefferies 1885, p.205). Through work like this we see that ‘Victorian’ was an era of possibility where visions of the future suddenly became tangible concerns and possible realities, and where contemporary conceptions of language and life might no longer hold up to the pressures of the time. In H.G. Wells’ the Time Machine, the time traveller discovers a land in the year 802,701: The air was free from gnats, the earth from weeds or fungi; everywhere were fruits and sweet and delightful flowers; brilliant butterflies flew hither and thither. The ideal of preventative medicine was attained. diseases had been stamped out. I saw no evidence of any contagious diseases during all my stay. And i shall have to tell you later that even the processes of putrefaction and decay had been profoundly affected by these changes. (Wells 1995, p.28) In this description of a futuristic age the Victorian imagination still retains the idea of a paradise a place full of ‘butterflies’ and ‘flowers.‘ This Christian concept is a literary hangover from Milton’s Paradise Lost, and remains an important theme for the moderns such as D.H. Lawrence. (see The Rainbow). The Victorian age suffered from a dualistic split between a bright future on the one hand promised by leaps in technology, education and economical success and an increasingly alienated, confused society on the other. There were those writers like Huxley who believed that by human intervention within a political and economic framework humans could evolve out of their condition seeing ‘no limit to the extent to which intelligence and will () may modify the conditions of existence’ (Huxley 1911, p.149), and there were those like Hardy whose characters were destined to fail because they were not emotionally fitted into the cosmos ou t of which they evolved. (see Tess and Jude the Obscure). It was the nineteenth century spiritual crisis which precipitated the literary shift into the new genre of the realist novel. By the mid-nineteenth century, society had begun to grow away from the idea of atonement for sin within an omnipotent religion, where judgement would come solely in heaven, and towards the more humanistic idea of God as in-dwelling, so that salvation could be achieved on earth: We have now come to regard the world not as a machine, but as an organism, a system in which, while the parts contribute to the growth of the whole, the whole also reacts upon the development of the parts; and whose primary purpose is its own perfection, something that is contained within and not outside itself, an internal end: while in their turn the myriad parts of this universal organism are also lesser organisms, ends in and for themselves, pursuing each its lonely ideal of individual completeness. (Gore (ed) 1890, p.211) A spiritual lack created a need to define, order and categorise a world that suddenly appeared chaotic. When Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859 he raised issues of public concern as to the truth of the bible and the essence of Christianity. However, it’s content and its methodology were seriously criticised (Appleman 2001, p.200). It was a difficult work to accept as it caused the public to rethink and redefine their history that they were a product of evolution and not a tailor made being came as a shock. The future of thought and literature was suddenly changed as people tried to sew together the threads of the past. Natural Science became a national obsession exotic flora and fauna from across the world were brought into London daily, to be displayed in the British Museum or Kew Gardens (Lightman, 1997 p.1). In literature, we see the author begin to play the part of evolutionist: Eliot’s Middlemarch although concerned with the evolving character of D orothea Brooke follows the threads of sub-plots and the successes and failures of other characters which form a pattern of development. As Gillian Beer says: There is not one primitive tissue, just as there is not one key to all mythologies () emphasis upon plurality, rather than upon singleness, is crucial to the developing argument of Middlemarch. (Beer 2000, p.143). Gone is the tradition of the valiant hero or heroine singularly conquering their environment (a trend set by classics such as Homer’s The Odyssey) and in its place a landscape upon which the author grafts and nurtures developing shoots of life. It is this sort of growth that is in danger of remaining unseen to the contemporary historian or critic as it can become shrouded by generalising concepts which are so often prescribed to the term ‘Victorian’ concepts such as ‘repression‘, ‘old-fashioned’ and ‘prudish.’ (http://www.victorianweb.org/vn/victor4.html). These sort of terms restrict the individual’s perception of the era when it was a time when growth was encouraged rather than restricted. Authors used the metaphor of pruning and nurturing plant life to symbolise the development of the self for example in North and South Gaskell discusses the problem of the working individual who struggles to reach his or her potent ial when the manufacturers are ‘unsparingly cutting away all off-shoots in the direction of literature or high mental cultivation, in hopes of throwing the whole strength and vigour of the plant into commerce.’ (Gaskell 1865, p.69). For Gaskell, it is through the everyday interaction between people that such difficulties are given the chance to be overcome. And this was the essence of the realist novel set amidst a world which had witnessed such alteration to transform the lostness felt by society into a seeing of the smaller things in life which could withhold qualities of greater spiritual value. As Philip Davis says, ‘the realist novel was the holding ground, the meeting point, for the overlapping of common life.’ (Davis 2002, p.144). And it was within this common life that a more calm acceptance of the new state could be achieved. Gillian Beer suggests that through her novel’s organisation Eliot creates order and understanding of the evolving process of novel-writing. In Middlemarch, the naming of Casaubon‘s books ‘Waiting for Death, Two Temptations, Three Love Problems draws attention to the book’s organisation by emphasising categorisation: But the process of reading leads into divergence and variability. Even while we are observing how closely human beings conform in the taxonomy of events we learn how differently they feel and think. For Dorothea and Casaubon waiting for death means something very different from what it means for Mary Garth and Featherstone. The relations are different. The distances between people are different. Lydgate, here at one with the project of the book, longed to demonstrate the more intimate relations of living structure (1:15:225). In this double emphasis on conformity and variability George Eliot intensifies older literary organisations by means of recent scientific theory. In Darwinian theory, variability is the creative principle, but the type makes it possible for us to track common ancestry and common kinship. (Beer 2000, pp.143-4) Writing itself was becoming an almost divine representation, an inner order of a chaotic external world. The idea that humans had evolved from primates meant that the boundaries between what was one thing and what was another were no longer so clearly defined. There developed a fear of the animate and a fear of the inanimate, and efforts were sought to understand them. As Harriet Ritvo says in The Platypus and the Mermaid: Depending on the beholder, an anomaly might be viewed as embodying a challenge to the established order, whether social, natural, or divine; the containment of that challenge; the incomprehensibility of the creation by human intelligence; or simply the endless and diverting variety of the world. And beholders who agreed on the content of the representation could still disagree strongly about its moral valence whether it was good or bad, entrancing or disgusting. (Ritvo 1997, p.148). In a world where categorisation was important but not so easily achievable, the novel too became neither one thing nor another; realism became a melting pot for ideas, a sort of hybrid of styles. In Eliot’s The Lifted Veil realism is used as a vehicle for the exploration of her ideas into psychology and psychic phenomena. Latimers clairvoyance forces him to endure a painful insight into the minds of the people around him: I began to be aware of a phase in my abnormal sensibility, to which, from the languid and slight nature of my intercourse with others since my illness, I had not been alive before. This was the obtrusion on my mind of the mental process going forward in first one person, and then another, with whom I happened to be in contact: the vagrant, frivolous ideas and emotions of some uninteresting acquaintanceMrs Filmore, for examplewould force themselves on my consciousness like an importunate, ill-played musical instrument, or the loud activity of an imprisoned insect. But this superadded consciousness, wearying and annoying enough when it urged on me the trivial experience of indifferent people, became an intense pain and grief when it seemed to be opening to me the souls of those who were in a close relation to me when the rational talk, the graceful attentions, the wittily-turned phrases, and the kindly deeds, which used to make the web of their characters, were seen as if thrust asund er by a microscopic vision, that showed all the intermediate frivolities, all the suppressed egoism, all the struggling chaos of puerilities, meanness, vague capricious memories, and indolent make-shift thoughts, from which human words and deeds emerge like leaflets covering a fermenting heap.(Eliot 1859, pp.13-14) Latimer is no longer caught up in the ‘web’ of people’s characters. Eliot plays with the idea that his consciousness has the ability to transcend the mundane the ’rational talk’, the ’kindly deeds’ in order to gain insight into an alternative and not so rosy vision of the mechanics of the human mind where thoughts are ‘make-shift’ and ‘chaotic.’ The nineteenth century saw the acceptance of the concept of otherworldly phenomena into the working classes. Robert Owen, a social reformer, who influenced the British Labor movement (Oppenheim 1985, p.40) encouraged many working class ‘Owenites’ to ‘follow him into the spiritualist fold, where they enthusiastically continued their ongoing search for the ‘new moral world.’’ Interests such as spiritualism and psychology which had previously been more underground pursuits, were brought out into the open. The concept of telepathy, a term coined by Frederic Myers in 1882 (Luckhurst 2002, p.1) even helped to ‘theorize the uneasy cross-cultural encounters at the colonial frontier.’ (Luckhurst 2002, p.3) These developments suggest that the Victorians felt imbued with the power of their age they felt confident of their ability to communicate on different planes of consciousness. So it could be argued that ‘Victorian’ was not simply a time devoted to the discovery of the self and the workings of the inner mind, but a time that also focused on the projection of ideas and thoughts outside of the self; ideas which themselves stand outside of the category ‘Victorian.’ In 1869 the Spiritualist Newspaper began selling first as a fortnightly, then as a weekly publication. (Oppenheim 1985, p.45). This draws the discussion to the point of representation the social nature of Victorians seems to suggest that they enjoyed the focus being on themselves. Self-obsession is an aspect of the time which the term ‘Victorian’ usefully represents: by specifically referring to the rule of the Queen the term draws attention to the importance of the individual. The era saw the development of many different styles of fashion and the use of photography. As part of the Freudian influence great importance was placed on childhood and it was during the nineteenth century that the first laws concerning child welfare were passed. (Mavor quoted from Brown (ed) 2001, p.i) The focus on the central, the ego, was paramount. As Mavor says, it was as if the camera had to be invented in order to document what would soon be lost, childhood itself; and childhood had to be invented in order for the camera to document childhood (a fantasy of innocence) as real. (Brown (ed) 2001, p.27). Perhaps because of society’s awareness of change there seems to have been a necessity to record and keep track of the world around. Discovery took place on a much grander scale in the exploration of the world. The British Empire was global, yet as Patrick Brantlinger suggests in Rule of Darkness, (Brantlinger 1988, p.4) imperialism was not generally reflected in the literature of the time. What we do see evidence of however is the mapping of new worlds and territories (see Robert Louis Stevenson‘s Treasure Island and Richard Jefferies’ Bevis). The development of the adventure story suggests that Victorians desired to explore what lay outside of what they knew and in this respect the term ‘Victorian’ which people can think of as representing a society closed within in itself is misleading. The rise of imperialism began to shape the ideological dimensions of subjects studied in school (Bristow 1991, p.20) and so through literature the Victorian child was offered an exciting world of sophisticated representation and ideas with the knowledge that the world was theirs to explore. Does the term then encourage us to think of the society as a class of people set apart from the rest of the world? In The Island of Dr. Moreau it is not just the future of science that is explored but the concept of a new territory and its effects on the mind. For example, when the protagonist first sees the beast-servant on board the ship he is immediately frightened: I did not know then that a reddish luminosity, at least, is not uncommon in human eyes. The figure, with its eyes of fire, struck down through all my adult thoughts and feelings, and for a moment the forgotten horrors of childhood came back to my mind. Then the effect passed as it had come. An uncouth black figure of a man, a figure of no particular import, hung over the taffrail, against the starlight. (Wells 1997, p.31). The circumstances of being at sea is disorientating and causes the imagination to play tricks so that the man is first one thing ‘a figure with its eyes of fire’ and then suddenly becomes an ‘uncouth black figure of a man.’ The effect is that the protagonist suddenly regresses to the ’forgotten horrors of childhood.’ This sudden fluctuation is important as it represents the fluidity of the era and how change and discovery on a global scale, although empowering, also caused instability within the individual. Therefore, when considering the age in the context of its name we can understand that the term was perhaps created out of both the desire to represent achievement but also out of a need to belong. This desire to belong which manifested itself during an age ruled by one woman placed great importance on the role of the female in society. It was a time when women began to travel and write without the necessity of using a pseudonym (see Cheryl McEwan on Kingsley in West Africa, (2000, p.73)). In books such as Hardy’s Tess the idea of the fallen woman is tested: Tess attempts to rediscover paradise at Talbothays but ultimately a life with her lover is denied. The nineteenth century began to be more explicit concerning issues of gender: for example, the relationship between Arthur Munby and Hannah Cullwick (see McClintock 1995, pp.132-138) where Cullwick is photographed cross-dressed as a farm worker. A ‘Victorian’ man however appears to have had more stigma attached to him and in this context the term is commonly associated with heroism and English valour (Ridley/Dawson 1994, p.110). There is less flexibility surrounding the notion of Victorian men -as if the te rm somehow threatened their masculinity. However, this did not seem to affect the male authors of the time. Lewis Carroll captured the public imagination through Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which although following the story of a little girl, depicts many male characters. (see Carroll 2000). In conclusion, the term ‘Victorian’ although useful to refer to a specific time period in history, does however encourage us to make sweeping generalisations without investigating how diverse the era was. In terms of the subject matter of Victorian Literature there is no clear cut distinction between early, middle and late Victorian for example, Bulwer-Lytton (see Zanoni and A Strange Story) attempts at the beginning of the century what Richard Jefferies does at the end the difference is in style and form. Within that time frame there was condensed an incredible diversity of styles, tastes and attitudes, yet the term suffers from being associated with prejudices and assumptions about Victorians. However, it is worth bearing in mind that prejudices were indeed a part of Victorian society. When the Victorians explored the rest of the world they made generalisations and assumptions based on what they found (eg: The Island of Dr. Moreau) where experience and the nature of what is discovered defines behaviour. As a critic in 1858 wrote ‘we are living in an age of transition’ (quoted from Houghton 1957, p.1); therefore when considering the Victorian age we should remember that values and trends were evolving it was not a static time governed by repression or old fashioned values. From the research carried out for this essay it appears that through the gaining of knowledge, Victorians also realised how little they knew and how much more there was to discover. As Arnold says in The Buried Life: How fair a lot to fill / Is left to each man still. (Arnold 1913, p.168). In this context the term ‘Victorian’ can be dualistically representative: discoveries of the time, although revolutionary, were often rudimentary in nature, and it was humbling for the individual to consider how much further knowledge and discovery had yet to go. On the other hand, the term suffers too from being inadequate: a single word is too smaller term for the vast wealth and diversity of discovery, and it could be argued that the era is better realised if seen as a second revolution. Like the Victorian authors themselves we are left with no suitable words to convey the entirety of an era as John Lawton says in his introduction to The Time Machine (1995, p.xxvi) ‘the term ‘Victorian’ is used too loosely to encompass a sequence of eras, the diverse reign of a woman who lent her name to objects as diverse as a railway terminus and a plum.’ When studying Victorian Literature it is worth bearing in mind the fluidity of the time and the changeability which arose out of living on the cusp between the passing away of old values and the unknown territory of the new. Realism recognised the gaps which were forming in society such as the distancing of the self from religion and offered to paper the cracks through its vision of bringing people together on a mundane level. It’s territory stretched to include the darkest recesses of the mind to the smallest of everyday events, celebrating the grey area between extremes as we now know as ‘Victorian.’ Bibliography Arnold, M., 1913, The Poems of Matthew Arnold, 1840-1867. Oxford: Oxford University Press Appleman, P, 2001, Darwin. London: Norton Beer, G., 2000, Darwin’s Plots. Cambridge: Cambridge University Pr

The Operational Strategy for Gap Inc

The Operational Strategy for Gap Inc It is clear in the market that as an organization Gap is struggling. Profitability, changing customer needs and tastes and increased global competition has affected our performance. The Gap North America division for instance, has not posted an annual increase in sales at stores open at least a year since 2004. In 2009, sales were $3.82 billion, down almost one-third from where they were in 2004, Clifford (2011). At least four changes at CEO level have occurred, and as the new CEO, the need to determine and implement an effective operational strategy is of paramount importance. The objective of this presentation is to obtain board approval on the proposed Operational Strategy for Gap and any possible changes to the recommendations and conclusions drawn by the executive team. The methodology adopted involved reviewing the entire business operations of Gap and that of its leading competitors (especially Zara). This involved using secondary data from the case study, internet searches on trends and developments in the global fashion industry and that of the company. In the development of this operational strategy it was important to note that, the operational strategy is sub servant to the broad corporate strategy and using the Porters (1985) value chain analysis. This according to Heizer and Render (2011) uses identified activities that represent strengths or potential strengths and maybe opportunities for developing competitive advantage. It must be noted early, however, that an alternative perspective exist that the use of resource view approach. Using the resource view approach means that Gaps effectiveness is predicated by determining the optimum fit for the firms resources in the dynamic environment as noted by Heizer and Render (2011). A hybrid response and differentiation strategy shall be adopted as apposed to the traditional cost leadership strategy within Gap. Our focus and competitive advantage as an organisation has thus shifted from just become cheaper to becoming better and faster. This means that we are aligning to changes in cus tomer needs, increasing global competitiveness and a dynamic business environment. (A justification for this strategy is provided for in annexure 1 of this report). The CSFs necessary to ensure the success of the operational strategy included, effective communication, internal marketing, change management and while communication was found to be the most Cost of implementing changes to ensure that successful execution of the operational strategy was determined asà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. The recommendations put forward to the board included the need to adopt the operational strategy in line with understanding that radical change is a prerequisite. Critical Success Factors to include, internal marketing of the operational strategy, building a performance culture, ensuring effective communication and putting in place a reward-systems that are linked to performance are a must. Table of Contents Page 1.0 Design of goods 2.0 Process and Capacity Design 3.0 Location Selection 4.0 Layout design 5.0 Supply Chain Management 6.0 Inventory Management 7.0 Scheduling 8.0 Conclusion and Recommendations List of References Annexures 1.0 Design of goods 2.0 Process and Capacity Design 3.0 Location Selection 4.0 Layout design 5.0 Supply Chain Management Hanna and Newman (2002) define SCM as the configurations, coordination and improvements of a sequentially related set of operations. It is the output from operations referred to by Hanna and Newman (2002) that customers get, and therefore, the strategic emphasis of well-managed supply chain is to have a competitive advantage driven primarily by strong customer focus. Heizer and Render (2011) define SCM as the management of activities that procure materials and services, transform them into intermediate goods and final products and deliver them through a distribution system. The authors believe that in todays business competition is not between companies but rather supply chains. This means that if internal operations at Gap can be improved to surpass that of competition it will give our organisation a competitive advantage. This section of the report will focus on how Gap can change its relationship with suppliers and distributors and most importantly an evaluation of managing our purchasing and outsourcing activities in line with increased competitive activity. In reviewing the above the objective it to build a chain of suppliers that focuses on maximising value to the ultimate customer Heizer and Render (2011). The major challenge within Gap has been our inability to control and determine what is to be made and what is to be purchased effectively. As we maximise value along the chain we will be able to ensure that we improve on quality, delivery and innovation. Our global presences demands that the review of the supply chain be linked closely to the overall strategy of the business. In other words this means that the operational strategy must link back to the broad corporate strategy for GAP. Key aspects of this the broad corporate strategy and operational strategy is driven primarily be the need to increase competitiveness through product customisation, high quality, cost reductions and speed to market with the added emphasis being on the supply chain Heizer and Render (2011). Refer to the corporate strategy in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. It is proposed that a new integrated supply chain be adopted with Gap. This means that, having fewer suppliers and building on a centralised manufacturing. The advantages will be cutting down on unnecessary costs by suppliers while building on a pool of highly effective supplier base that is aligned to the firms overall vision and direction. Zara continues to use vertical integration as a method to build on expandin g its supply chain. The Japanese, method of Keirestu would work well as we combine both few suppliers and vertical integration. Whilst our traditional many-supplier strategy worked in the past suppliers were responsible for maintaining the technologies and expertise, costs and quality controls the surge in competitive activity especially form Zara has shown that centralised and or few supplier strategy works better. The need to focus on controlling supply and building on technological advantages is an imperative to the success in the industry. It will be necessary as few suppliers will help on improve inventory management as we move closer to the implementation of a JIT system. These few suppliers will be asked to participate in the design of goods by helping in the partnering in research and development initiatives to include, provide design innovations, input on changing customers tastes and needs and technological expertises. Review of existing Suppliers: our focus is to cut down on scatter and huge number of suppliers and thus focus on building dependable close yet very few suppliers with long-term strategic relationships Heizer and Render (2011) Because of the shift in focus of our broad strategy (differentiation) it means that the selection of our suppliers inevitably has to change. This change however is radical demanding that our lower end suppliers that are not cost effective and do not meet the changing requirements set by the organisation must be immediately cut out. Whilst the medium to long-term aspect of our strategy demands that we build a centralised manufacturing. This means that, existing risk associated with the environment (customs duties, tariffs, security screening, natural disasters, currency fluctuations, terrorists attacks and political issues), controls (management metrics and reliable secure communication for financial transactions product designs, and logistics scheduling) and process performance (raw material and component availability, quality and logistics) need to be considered, Heizer and Render (2011). Ongoing reviews of competitors centralised manufacturing performance will continue in line with building on the above necessary changes to ensure that risks identified can be mitigated. Heizer and Render (2011) proposes that while changes in the supply chain management happens differently in different organisation its success will depend on the building mutual agreement of goals, trust and compatible organisational culture. These are discussed in the conclusion section of the report. Fisher (1997) offers insight on how supply chain decisions affect strategy. Because Gap desires to use a hybrid strategy various aspects of Fishers input are critical to the success of the organisation. Our Supplier goals will equate to those of Benetton and that is to share market research jointly and develop products and options. Our Primary selection criteria however will select primarily for capacity, speed and flexibility. Gap would need to invest aggressively to reduce production lead time while use product design that lead to low setup time and rapid production ramp-up. 6.0 Inventory Management Effective supply chain management that is aligned to both a well-structured operational and corporate strategy has ensured that Zara remains highly profitable. It has also meant that it (Zara) can continue to build on its in-house production and inventory management systems. Backed by advanced technologies and inventory optimisation models Zara has been able to improve on its efficacy. To this end, Zara has a failure rate of 1% compared to the industry of 10%. The experiences that we have faced as an organisation in managing inventory has greatly performance because our 10% error rate in our clothing collection is very high and makes us very uncompetitive. In-part our many-supplier strategy is to be the cause of theses failures while in turn the fact that suppliers are many, makes the handling and processing of inventory very difficult from inbound logistics of raw material inventory to delivery of finished goods inventory. Two categories of inventory posses the biggest threat to our organisation and are a major concern. These are the management of raw material inventory and finished goods inventory. It is key to note that in line with changes in supply change, a review of our customer satisfaction (refer to Goods and service design à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) suppliers, production schedules and human resource planning are key in achieving success in inventory management as noted by Heizer and Render (2011). Poor record keeping of inventory has also been a major problem this has been caused by the huge stock of unsold items returned from own store retail chains in exchange of in-season stocks. While the existing many-supplier strategy has also increased stock and warehouse as lead times for stocks continue to negatively affect stock holding levels and record keeping. This also in turn increases holding stock costs and insurance charges while our competitors especially Zara centralised distribution warehouses hold stock for only 72 hours. A very effective and simple system to implement in store is a two -bin system. It is the view of the executive that going back to basics in inventory control will play a critical role in ensuring that we succeed in tracking and monitoring stock movement for the group. If is difficult to worry about more scientific approaches such as probabilistic models when the major challenge is that we have excess stock of clothing lines that have not been sold. Art P eck the former CE for Gap the Northern American rightfully notes Unless we put cute clothes in front of our customer on the shelfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦everything else we do isnt going to matter. 7.0 Scheduling Contracting manufacturing has created major challenges for our organisation in the past, as lead times have been long, late deliveries and prevention of out-of stock situations become an on going exercise. Lessons from the industry have shown the need to restructure our scheduling in line with proposed changes in supply chain and inventory management. According to Heizer and Render (2011), the scheduling decision addresses the problem of matching productivity to fluctuating demands. It is however important to note that different processes suggest different approaches to scheduling. Based on our selected strategy and the position taken by our competitors such as Zara and HM, it is important that we build on process focused facilities in the medium to long term period as we seek to centralise our operations. This means that we generate a forward-looking schedule, where MRP generates due dates that are refined with finite capacity scheduling techniques as noted by Heizer and Render (201 1). Automated scheduling systems will be put in place with trained and competent personnel. This is necessary to ensure that accurate and relevant production database is maintained throughout the entire organisation. Therefore in the first few months of operationalising the CE and Operations Director will review item master file, routing file, work-centre master file to ensure that scheduling is down to satisfactory standards (something that my predecessors failed to effectively manage). In own store retail structures Gap will employ a strategy current used by Zara to effectively manage staff. This method involves cyclical scheduling as it has been proven to reduce man-hours and increase staff motivation. Software to perform scheduled staff based on stores forecasted sales volumes with location staffing even during peak periods has been identified and been purchased to achieve the above requirement of cyclical scheduling at own store retail locations. Feasible and efficient schedules of production must be developed, the demands of human resources and facilities must be determined and controlled Heizer and Render (2011). 8.0 Conclusion and Recommendations The above analysis has clearly shown that change is eminent within the organisation. It is important to note that this change is radical and has to be implemented immediately. The criticality of the operation strategy (like all other major programs such as the balanced score card) demands that executives are tasked with specific duties and responsibility to ensure its success. To this end, executive management must ensure that operational decisions assigned to them be coordinated and communicated effectively among all operational structures and divisions (a schedule for the critical implementation has been shown below). The major concern from a marketing perspective is our failure to provide customers with products that clearly meet their specific needs and or tastes. The ever-changing business environment and increased competitiveness globally has also worked against the firm. However, from a purely operational perspective this has meant that we need to change our operating model an d ensure that it is aligned to the broad corporate strategy. In this regard the most effective strategy will be a hybrid response and differentiation strategy. This strategy will be different to the traditional cost leadership strategy within Gap. Our focus and competitive advantage as an organisation has thus shifted from just become cheaper to becoming better and faster. This means that we are aligning to changes in customer needs, increasing global competitiveness and a dynamic business environment. Key aspects of differentiation that will be incorporated are innovative design and a shopping experience unmatched to competition whilst the response aspect of our strategy will ensure flexible manufacturing reliability in our inventory, supply chain and scheduling structures and quickness in process design (as this will now be a lean structure). Key Operations Decision Major activities to be conducted Responsibility Due Date Design of Goods Process and capacity design Location Selection Layout design Supply Chain Management Inventory Management Scheduling The success of the Operational Strategy will not solely be based on its adoption and approval by the board but also by the need and realisation that it has to be implemented. However, implementation will also involve change, Burnes (2004), effective communication, Thill and Bovee (2001), internal marketing, Keegan (2001) and redefinition of reward systems and performance culture, Hitt, Black and Porter (2004). These critical success factors will help build on trust, ownership, teamwork and transparency while ensuring the successful implementation of the Operational Strategy. 8.1 Performance culture Reid (2005), sums up a performance culture that Gap must adopt to achieve a credible performance learning system these are: Openness and trust: candor must be encouraged and managers have to be willing to speak the unspeakable. Trust produces an environment where there is less defensiveness when issues are raised; people react more honestly and ask questions. Managed differences: conflicts are addressed and unfulfilled commitments exposed, options and alternatives are looked at without predetermined outcomes. Simplicity and focus: there is focus on implementation, with clarity and precision defining what needs to be accomplished and how. There is commitment at every level to remove complexity from the way of doing business. Playing to peoples strengths: leaders know their people and match effectively talent and task, as they understand their peoples strengths and how best to elicit them. 8.2 Internal marketing Internal marketing must become part of the on-going process within Gap. This will involve functional process alignment, motivation and empowerment of employees at all levels to consistently deliver and satisfy customer experience. Internal marketing must empower employees and give them accountability and responsibility because it helps non-marketing staff to learn and be able to perform their tasks in a marketing-like manner. For the internal marketing to be effective, employees must internalise the core values of the organisation. Sponsors can print t-shirts, caps and merchandise to give employees to wear every Friday so that they remember the importance of the project. 8.3 Reward systems To address motivation and morale within Gap there is need to initial review the existing reward and performance bonus scheme. The traditional approach of linking this to bottom line heavily undermines long term sustainability of the organization, as managers and employees race to meet target. Having worked in operations, the risk is made high as we near the festive season sales personnel dump long shelf life products on customers (on the basis that they will be in critical short supply) so as to meet targets. This works well until two months down the line, customers either refuse to replenish orders and or return product because it is nearing expiration. These losses are usually only accounted for way after the productivity bonuses have been paid out and annual accounts drawn. Whilst it is important to inform or remind employees what results are desired and motivate them to achieve and exceed the performance targets, the performance learning system (balance score card will help addre ss ensure this is done with great transparency). To achieve the above, sponsors through the HR department must ensure: Drafting job description based on process requirements and characteristics Translating process goals and action plans, personal training and development requirements into personal performance measures. Defining appropriate performance targets based on known capability and desired characteristics. Formally appraising performance against the range of measures developed and compare with target performance. Rewarding and recognizing superior performance. A balance must be struck in selection of reward system mix for both long term and short term success of Gap. Thus, in the short-term, rewards such as bonuses, commissions and piece-rate payments can be used long-term rewards can constitute stock based incentives i.e. stock options, stock appreciation rights and phantom stock plans. 8.4 Change Management Having internally marketed the adoption of the Balanced Scorecard as a PMM system, performance measure owners, must manage the change process. The change being implemented in Gap is planned as it is being consciously embarked upon, Burnes (2006). Stages of the planned change will entail: exploration, planning, action and integration. During each stage identified above it will be necessary for performance measure owners to involve employees for the change process to be successful. The change process reinforces behaviors that are aligned to Gaps objectives through feedback and full utilization of the reward system being created. However, in the implementation of the balance scorecard and in effecting change as a critical success factor to the entire project barriers might impede the successful execution of the project. According to Burnes (2006) the barriers to effective change programs are: competing resources, functional boundaries, change management skills, communication, Them and us- the opposition element, people needs and training, unrealistic timetables, resistance to change and initiative fatigue These factors can occur at any stage and can affect employees both the general labour force and even managers and the executive. To overcoming these barriers, Burnes (2006) proposes communication, ability to establish high trust relationships, negotiation, Influencing and build on self confidence.

Molly Brangs Ten Principles :: Art Molly Brang Essays

Molly Brang's Ten Principles My picture contrasts the dark, sharp, menacing objects with the light, calm, serenity of the hand. Using Molly Bang’s ten principles, I was able to depict this evil and suspenseful moment from the story, "Sleeping Beauty." Molly Bang’s ten principles teach us how to illustrate moments from stories or poems with abstract shapes and basic colors. By applying these principles, any emotion can be expressed. Maleficent was the most challenging object in the picture. Since the whole purpose of the picture is to represent evil and suspense, I knew that she had to be black. First, she had more rounded corners and her cape was straight up and down. I obviously needed to make her look more evil. So I sharpened up every corner of her and brought her cape to a point. According to Molly Bang, "We feel more scared looking at pointed shapes; we feel more secure or comforted looking at rounded shapes or curves" (70). The extended triangle to the right represents her outreached arm. I thought this made her look as if she were in authority over the situation. This makes her appear more powerful. Generally, powerful rulers and kings extend their arms as a representation of power and authority. The more I looked at this outreached triangle and its relationship to the picture, the more I thought of her cunning and conniving ways to hide this from others. Instead of just bringing the cape straight down off the page, it is more interesting to bring it to a point. Bang says, "Diagonal shapes are dynamic because they imply motion or tension" (46). Because the pointed cape implies motion, Maleficent looks as if she is ready to pounce on Sleeping Beauty or grab her immediately after she touches the spindle. It shows that Maleficent is in suspense and on the edge of her feet waiting for Sleeping Beauty to touch the spindle. Some other details that make Maleficent stand out and look evil are her horns, size, location, and her eyes. It is obvious that the horns give her away as having the characteristic of evil and menacing. Horns are associated with the devil; therefore, these become an essential part of depicting her. Her size and location portray triumph and power. She looks as if she is secretly peering down upon Sleeping Beauty.

Essay on Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider): Apathy -- Camus Stranger

Apathy in The Stranger (Outsider) Often times an author incorporates a thought or philosophy into a work that can shape or reshape the attitude emitted from the novel. In Albert Camus', The Stranger, the Existential philosophy that the author fills into the work give an aura of apathy. With the opening lines of "Mother died today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can't be sure," Camus immediately sets a tone of indifference (1). Though the protagonist, Mersault, is not completely without cares, the overall attitude of passiveness he has toward himself, as well as toward others, give the entire novel a tone of apathy. With an analyzation of Mersault's character, an automatic attitude of nonchalance is quickly seen. Mersault does not lie to himself, let alone to others, because he has no need to. He does not care about the set laws of society, and he feels that he has no one to please, including himself, which is a reason why he has no qualms about being brutally honest and not hiding his feelings. This is ...

Psychology of Adolescence Essay

BoysTown is a registered charity and a national organization for youth welfare in Australia. It focuses on helping disadvantaged youths who are at risk of social exclusion to enhance their quality of life (â€Å"Youth social†). It recognizes several causes of social exclusion among disadvantaged youths that need to be addressed, which include single parenthood, low self-esteem, physical and mental health problems, substance abuse, lack of work experience, functional illiteracy, and underdeveloped personal and vocational skills (â€Å"Youth social†). BoysTown also recognizes that most of the disadvantage youths came from families who have a history of intergenerational unemployment and welfare dependency and from Indigenous backgrounds (â€Å"Youth social†). BoysTown offers several social inclusion programs to help disadvantage youths to improve their life. The programs include Kids Helpline, Youth Programs, Indigenous community development, Family programs, and Intermediate labor markets. The key attribute of these programs is that they emphasized sustainable outcomes while they rely on safe strategies for working with youths who are at risk of social exclusion (â€Å"Youth social†). BoysTown’s Kids Helpline is a national telephone and web-based counseling program that provides services for more than 60,000 children and youths across the country. The Youth programs offer personal development, training and employment assistance to more than 3,500 youths in communities. BoysTown is collaborating with key stakeholders to work on a social inclusion project with four remote Indigenous communities in the East Kimberleys (â€Å"Youth social†). It also provides parenting programs and family refuges such as home-based support and training to make way for the transition of disadvantaged youths to the wider world (â€Å"Youth social†). The organization also operates various social enterprises and transitional employment programs in order to provide 400 youths per year with paid work and on-the-job training. There are various indicators that demonstrate the degree of social exclusion suffered by families and children, which include low-birth-weight babies, permanent exclusion from school, the number of children living in unemployed households, teenage pregnancy, low academic achievement, and the number of children aged 10-16 who are in young offender institutions (Pierson, 2002). The indicators of social exclusion at the level of community include overcrowded housing, a high percentage of households without a bank account, poor community participation, and high levels of burglaries (Pierson, 2002). The key forces that increases the likelihood of social exclusion are poverty and low income, lack of social supports and networks, lack of access to the labor market, the impact of the local neighborhood, and exclusion from services (Pierson, 2002). Pierson (2002) suggests ways to address social exclusion, which include maximizing income and securing basic resources; improving social networks and supports; collaborating in partnership with local organizations and agencies; developing channels of effective participation for users, local residents, and their organizations; and concentrating on whole neighborhoods. Socially excluded youths have a significant cost impact on society in terms of publicly-funded health services, justice system and social security costs, and the impact of decreased individual earning capacity, lost productivity, and decreased tax revenue (â€Å"Youth social†). The Australian government is investing in developing the capability of the not-for-profit organization to provide more holistic, community-based strategies to respond to social exclusion, especially among young people (â€Å"Youth social†). Models of intervention must be multi-dimensional and aimed at providing young people with a comprehensive range of support over an extended period of time (â€Å"Youth social†). They should also be based on a holistic approach in order for young people to overpower personal barriers; improve their strengths, health, well-being, life and interpersonal skills; develop their self-esteem and the ability to learn; and succeed in shifting to independent living, training or work, and further education (â€Å"Youth social†). BoysTown’s Youth programs are effective in helping youths who are at risk of social exclusion because they incorporate individual assessment, counseling, and support, life skills training, personal development and mentoring; vocational skills training, employment assistance; and post-placement support (â€Å"Youth social†). Young people must be provided assistance into paid employment by giving advice, training and other help that they need to make them more employable (Kemp, 2005). Focusing on individual agency such as young people’s attributes, qualifications, decision-making, and behavior allows young people to successfully transition from welfare to work (Kemp, 2005). The Kids Helpline at BoysTown is similar to a mentoring program that helps disadvantaged young people to tackle social exclusion. Mentoring consists of an informal educative role and personal support and encouragement (Pierson, 2002). Mentor acts as a trusted counselor or guide (Pierson, 2002). The goal of a mentoring or counseling program is to connect two individuals in a one to one voluntary relationship, with one individual being more experienced than the other and with the hope that their knowledge and skills will be transferred (Pierson, 2002). The key features of a mentoring relationship include a voluntary arrangement as required by the individual being mentored and can be ended by either party at any time, interpersonal skills of mentors to manage and monitor the relationship, and the understanding of both mentored and mentors about the boundaries and objective of the relationship (Pierson, 2002). Colley (2003) mentions the popularity of mentoring with policy-makers because it addresses their concerns such as the moralization of social exclusion. The author adds that the solution to social exclusion of young people depends on their re-engagement with the labor market and/or formal learning routes. The key role of mentoring is to provide a way for the re-engagement by changing young people’s values, beliefs, attitudes, and behavior to engage their personal commitment to become employable (Colley, 2003). Mentoring helps young people in terms of empowering them, discussing aspirations, and making them more realistic about their view of work (Colley, 2003). It is also important to assist young people to attain skills in areas such as confidence building, problem solving, improvement of interpersonal skills, punctuality, and team working in order to enhance their personal effectiveness in the workplace (Colley, 2003). Moreover, mentoring is also important to help disadvantaged young people develop social networks and capital (Colley, 2003). It is necessary to create initiatives that involve young people not only in making decisions that affect them individually or on particular services but also in making decisions that influence their communities collectively (Pierson, 2002). Organizations led by young people play an important role in defining services and provide practical support for young persons (Pierson, 2002). The aim of the Indigenous community development at BoysTown is to help young people to re-engage in learning; increase community involvement in formal education and training; enhance access to sustainable mainstream employment opportunities; and develop training and work opportunities through community-based social business enterprises (â€Å"Youth social†). According to Pierson (2002), adolescent support teams have emerged rapidly during the early 1990s. The author adds that the aim of adolescent support teams is to divert youths from the care system and offer short-term preventive service that assists families prevent problems in relationships that might result to homelessness. The approach used by the adolescent support teams is preventive and based on time-limited, task-focused work (Pierson, 2002). Most of the work of the adolescent support teams involves negotiation and mediation between young people and parents (Pierson, 2002). BoysTown enterprises are involved in several community infrastructure development, asset maintenance, and urban renewal projects in disadvantaged areas (â€Å"Youth social†). Enterprise-based intermediate labor markets are effective in minimizing crime and anti-social behavior and in helping young people who are socially excluded to engage again with the labor market (â€Å"Youth social†). According to Aiken (2007), social enterprises are considered mission-driven organizations with a commitment to a specific disadvantaged group. The author adds that placement agencies function as intermediaries in searching and training people to move into work in the mainstream labor market. Social enterprises have often focused on the needs of socially excluded client groups (Aiken, 2007). Aiken (2007) mentions that the origin of social and community enterprises can be found in the mutual and cooperative sector in Great Britain. The author adds that the emergence of this movement has resulted to an important pattern which has focused on the economic development of poorer communities, including the importance of maintaining paid work. Intermediate Labor Market organizations focus on short-term training and employment with the goal of trainees transitioning into paid work in other organizations (Aiken, 2007). They may be working with disadvantaged people and will have a tendency to be reliant on some degree of public sector contracting. References Aiken, M. (2007). What is the role of social enterprise in finding, creating and maintaining employment? for disadvantaged groups? Retrieved June 14, 2009, from http://www. parracity. nsw. gov. au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/22575/Cabinet_Office Colley, Helen (2003). Mentoring for social inclusion: A critical approach to nurturing mentor relationships. New York, NY: Routledge. Kemp, P. A. (2005) Young people and unemployment: From welfare to workfare. In M. Barry (Ed. ), Youth policy and social inclusion: critical debates with young people (pp. 139-156). New York, NY: Routledge. Pierson, J. (2002). Tackling social exclusion. New York, NY: Routledge. Youth social exclusion: A global concern. Retrieved June 14, 2009, from http://www. boystown. com. au/downloads/rep/BT-Youth-Social-Exclusion. pdf