How Far Was World War One Responsible for the Overthrow of Nicholas II, 1917 Essay

The First World War was indeed a major cause of the Tsar’s overthrow in the February Revolution. However, it was not the sole factor – rather, it was a catalyst and a focus that allowed all the other preexisting factors to boil over into revolution. The First World War caused a multitude of problems for the peasants of Russia, both at home and on the front. The vast majority of conscripts were from farming villages, meaning that less men were at home to till the soil and produce food – it also meant a general slump in food production as a whole, resulting in a shortage of grain to feed the hungry industrial workers in the cities. As the death toll of the backwards, ill-equipped Russian Army was devastatingly high, this meant that virtually everyone in Russia would lose someone they knew, regardless of social status. The lack of reliable supplies of food and basic commodities such as coal (most of it was going to the front) further crippled the economy, especially during the harsh Russian winter. This caused riots and protests to break out, ones that the once-Royalist troops were now unwilling to curb. Economic problems aside, the Tsar also made several extremely misguided decisions that further damaged his reign. While he intended to use the Great War to secure his status as Father of the People, Nicholas failed utterly in two respects. Firstly, he left directly to command the front – this meant that all the blame for every military defeat fell on his shoulders and not some scapegoat commander. He would no longer be able to divert the illwill of the people should defeats occur, and they did indeed. Secondly, he left the Tsarina in charge of running the Empire while he was away, and this was a disasterous choice on many levels. Tsarina Alexandra was a German-born princess, which naturally aroused severe animosity on the part of the people who were actually fighting the Germans. Even worse, she listened to Rasputin in everything, sacking many loyal ministers and replacing them with his incompetent cronies. This threw the already-disorganised Russia into even greater disarray, preventing supplies from getting through to the hungry workers and wrecking the economy even further. The Russians called her a spy and accused her of conducting an affair with Rasputin, whom they loathed. They could not fathom why an uncouth, dirty peasant would find so much favor in the eyes of their monarch. The status of the Royal Family was at an all-time low in the eyes of the people, and everyone began to talk about how they should be disposed of – in every class of society, no less. Further compounding the problem was the fact that the vast majority of the Russian Army was at the front. Unlike the 1905 Revolution, where the Tsar could quickly sign a peace treaty with Japan and get his soldiers’ loyalty with generous payments to crush the revolution, the First World War showed no signs of ending. The army’s morale was incredibly low. With mass desertions almost every day due to the obsolete nature of both Russian millitary tactics and equipment, many soldiers had gone back to the cities of Petrograd and Moscow to live with their families. This meant that when the tide of public sentiment finally broke out against the Tsar in another revolution, these soldiers turned in support of the revolutionary cause. Because of the poverty and chaos caused to civilians by the war, the loss of millitary support and disasterous handling of the army, and finally the Tsar’s own mistakes, the Romanov Dynasty was at an end. That being said, there were other factors that stemmed from before the Great War. After the 1905 Revolution, the Tsar had promised to make his rule more constitutional. These token promises were shown in the October Manifesto, his abolition of redemption payments and the creation of the Duma, an elected parliament who in theory would help him run the empire. However, these were merely halfhearted, hollow words. The Tsar practically ignored the Duma, dashing the hopes of the middle class and destroying their trust in him. In addition, he released the 1906 Fundamental Laws, which shrewdly reestablished his sovereign authority by stating that everything in the October Manifesto was permissible – but only in the limits of the law, which naturally the Tsar still controlled. Additionally, the Tsar had his new Chief Minister Stolypin carry out land reforms. He allowed the more capable peasants to accumulate the holdings of their neighbours, creating a prosperous class of ‘kulaks’ or wealthy peasants. It was hoped that this would both stabilise food prices and create a ‘barrier to revolution’, a lower-middle class that would be loyal to the Tsar and unwilling to upset the favorable status quo. It mostly worked. However, what Stolypin had overlooked was the fact that many peasants would be displaced by this new mini-elite. Evicted from their homes and encouraged by the government to settle on the Trans-Siberian Railway, they traveled many miles in cramped and cold conditions only to find that all the prime land had already been bought up by wealthy capitalists. Feeling cheated and betrayed by their Tsar, these peasants drifted into the city and found meager work in the factories. When the time came for a second revolution, they were ready. Stolypin himself was assassinated in 1911, leaving Russia a disorganised mess. No other statesman of his caliber would ever step up again in the Tsarist regime. The First World War was a major cause of the 1917 Revolution, but not the sole one. Rather, it was a climax that focused and pushed all previous elements over the edge.

Horace “Adversity” Discussion Board

Discussion Board Essay #1 â€Å"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant,† by Roman poet, Horace. His statement implies that only misfortune may bring forth greatness. Ruin reveals true genius, in clover conceals it. The quote, â€Å"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant,† by Roman poet, Horace, wouldn’t mean much to me if it wasn’t so utterly true.Everyone faces some sort of adversity throughout their lifetime. Adversities or obstacles agreeably involve weighing one’s options and then deciding what to do. The decisions we make shape who we are. So consequently adversity plays a crucial role in developing a person’s character. In Richard Rodriguez’s Hunger of Memory, Rodriguez is left feeling socially disadvantaged from his inability to speak English. He also had Mexican immigrants as a child which coupled wi th all his other â€Å"disadvantages† led him to be studious.He became distant from his family and chose to become a student: looking towards teachers for role models. Without this disadvantage/ adversity, he wouldn’t have realized his true potential as a student and writer. How we handle adversity is what matters†¦ Take a common scenario, therapy for example, in consideration when viewing adversity. In almost all situations the psychologist will let you pour out all your emotions and troubles (adversity).He or she will then ask you how you feel and offer words of wisdom. Then you’ll make your decision. The psychologist will usher concepts of â€Å"taking responsibility† and action. Whether or not someone heeds this advice is up to the person and the path taken will always shape someone’s character. When facing adversity I would try to be optimistic, opting never to quit. I know the challenges of my life have made me who I am today and it has brought out a lot of my talents.If I had more smothering, wealthy parents, â€Å"prosperous circumstances†, I wouldn’t have been even remotely near the person that I am today†¦ The fact that I felt distant from my family at a young age caused me to be more independent (in school). I practically forced myself to learn, looking up to teachers as role models. In turn, I absorbed the merits my teachers valued. Because of them I always try my best and put quality over quantity. The extra attention to quality I gained has caused me to think more creatively and become more in tune with my artistic side. Word Count: 409

Dr. Beckett’s Dental Office Essay

Introduction: Services are more different and very complex activities. The word service originally was associated with the work servants did for their master. As the dictionary define as â€Å"the action of serving, helping, or benefiting; conduct tending to the welfare or advantage of another†. On the other word, service are economic activities between two parties, implying an exchange of value between seller and buyer in the marketplace. Furthermore, the services are described as performances that are time-based, and bring about desired result to recipients, objects, or other assets for responsibility of purchasers. Experience is the best indicator of how good the service providers are. However, since there could be probable problems with consistency of quality, it is even more risky even with some experience to account. More so if the service is quite expensive, how could the marketers, guarantee the customers will satisfy the service as their expectation. That is why analyzing the factors for service marketing is a more tedious work compared to marketing goods. More factors are taken into consideration to ensure quality and minimize the risk. But quality entails costs, and not all consumers are able, and willing to gamble paying much for something unsure. Background of the study: Dr. Barbro Beckett is a dentist who seeks to differentiate her practice on the basis of quality. She was taught in the academe all about the technical part of dentistry but nothing on the business side. She had no formal training on how to run a business or how to assess customer needs. That wasn’t a resulting from labor laws, malpractice insurance, and the constant need to invest in new equipment and staff training as new technologies were introduced, her overhead expenses skyrocketed to 70-80% of revenues exclusive of her wages and office rentals. Furthermore, there was a movement in the U.S. to reduce the health care costs to insurance companies, employers and patients through large health maintenance organizations (HMO’s) who sets prices by putting an upper limit on the amount that doctors and dentists could charge for various procedures. But then again, Dr. Beckett, as a competitive dentist wanting to offer the highest level of dental care rather than being a low-cost provider, refused to become an HMO  provider for the reimbursement rate 80-85% of what she normally charge for treatment. Quality entails costs as they say, which is why patients of Dr. Beckett sometimes had to pay fees that were not covered by their insurance policies. If the quality difference is not substantial, then patients would rather go to HMO dentist offering lower costs. Therefore, Dr. Beckett decided to redesign the dental facilities, equipment and bring the best service delivery to the customer. Redesigning the Service Delivery System 1. Facilities and Equipment Dr. Beckett’s new office was Scandinavian in design. The waiting room and reception area were decorated with modern furniture, live plants, and flower and played softly classic music. Moreover, the clinic will provide the coffee or tea and magazines as well as the playground area for the children while their waiting for their appointments. Furthermore, the treatments areas were both functional and appealing, which provide the literature to explain what patients needed to do to maximize the benefits. 2. Service Personnel The staff members were separated by job function into â€Å"front office† (including receptionist, secretarial and financial) and â€Å"back office† (hygienists and chair side assistants) workers. Dr. Beckett valued her friendships with the staff members and involved them in the decision-making process by having a weekly meeting to discuss more strategic issue and resolve any problems. Moreover, Dr. Beckett provided her staffs many training or attending classes and workshops for improving their skill. She also rewarded their hard work by giving monthly bonuses and extra incentive to improve service delivery. 3. Procedures and Patients All the office systems were redesigned under the main goals which was to standardize some of the routine procedures and all the patients would receive the same level care. Key Managerial Problems The new policy from Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) The health maintenance organizations set the upper limit price for medical charge which give the advantages to patients. That their health insurance covered virtually all costs. But the doctors and dentists may not able to provide certain/high level of services under that limit price. Dr. Beckett had decided not to become a health maintenance organizations provider. She felt that she could not provide high-quality care to patients at those rate. She wanted to offer the highest level of dental care rather than being a low-cost provider. Refer to Dr. Beckett decision, she wanted the work environment to reflect her own personality and values as well as providing a pleasant place for her staff to work. Since higher quality care was more costly. She supposed that the quality differences are visible to the patients which they can realize and discover that it is worth to pay. The biggest challenge The biggest challenge for hospital/medical business is the customers have negative attitude and feel inconvenience to be applied the services. People who is willing to use the services mostly is patient that has uncomfortable feeling with their conditions. Dr. Beckett tried to reinforce the idea that quality dental care depend on a positive long-term relationship between patients and the dental team. It could be difficult to maintain a positive attitude. The job required precision and attention to detail, and the procedures were often painful for patients. Situation Evaluations Qualitative: 1. Service attributes Search attributes. The tangible characteristics that customer can evaluate before purchase. For example, clothing and furniture, â€Å"back office staffs† wear uniform in cheerful shades of pink, purple, and blue that matched the office dà ©cor can allow prospective consumers to try out. Experience attributes. The intangible characteristics that customer cannot evaluate before purchase. Customer must experience the service before such as reliability and customer support. In this case, customer experience can refer to 2,000 active patients. Also, Dr. Beckett’s patients often had to wait for 3-4 months for a routine cleaning and exam. Credence attributes. It’s not easy for customer to determine the quality how well the dentist have performed complex dental procedures, skills, and professionalism. Refer to the case; Dr. Beckett believed that referrals were a real advantage because new patients didn’t come in â€Å"cold†. All new patients were required to have an initial exam so that Dr. Beckett could do a needs assessments and education them about her service. Thus, the first indication to patients can make customer feel â€Å"warm† and â€Å"credence†. 2. Perceived risk Perceived risk is especially relevant for services that are difficult to evaluate before purchase and consumption, and first-time users are likely to face greater uncertainty. How Dr. Beckett’s dental office handle perceived risk? Functional (unsatisfactory performance outcomes): there was a small conference room with toys for children and DVD player that was used to show patients educational films about different dental procedures. Also, the chairs in the examining rooms were very comfortable. And attractive mobiles hanging from the ceiling to distract patients from unfamiliar sounds and sensations. Temporal (wasting time, consequences of delays): office policy specified that patients should be kept waiting no longer than 20 minutes, and staffs often called patients in advance if there would be delay. Psychological (personal fears and emotions): since most people disliked going to the dentist or felt that it was an inconvenience and come with negative attitude. Dr. Beckett tried to reinforce the idea that quality dental care depended on a positive long-term relationship between patients and the dental team. This Philosophy was reflected in the waiting area â€Å"We are a caring, professional dental team serving motivated, quality-oriented patients interested in keeping healthy smiles for a lifetime. Our goal is to offer a progressive and educational environment. Your concerns are our focus†. Social (how others think and react): most active patients who came infrequently are white-collar workers with professional jobs (university employees, health care workers, and managers/owners of local establishments). She did no advertising; all her business came from positive word of mouth by current patients. 3. Service expectation Expectation may come from word of mouth comments. For example: Patients could enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, magazine and newspaper while they waited for  their appointments. The treatment areas were both functional and appealing. Hygienists, a part of a largest team that worked together to provide quality care to patients. 90% of patients’ perceptions of quality come from their interactions with the front desk. â€Å"Thank you card† and â€Å"follow-up calls†, â€Å"gift bag† to patients Staff performance had to update their skills by attending classes and workshops. Make patients as comfortable as possible. Quantitative: About 2,000 active patients and waiting 3-4 months customers

Distinguish between cost leadership and differentiation strategies. Is Essay

Distinguish between cost leadership and differentiation strategies. Is it possible for a company or business unit to follow a cost leadership strategy and a differentiation strategy simultaneously - Essay Example Focus put on the cost leadership approach and differentiation strategy; this paper looks at the differences and the simultaneous working together of the two (Porter & Tanner 2012, pp. 12). Cost leadership strategy is the method by which a firm sets out becoming a low-cost producer in the industry. The cost advantages accrue from different sources depending on the structure of the industry. It may comprise the pursuit of economies of scale, preferential mobility to raw materials and the propriety technology. Low-cost producers tend to find and exploit all the sources of cost advantage. A firm that achieves and can sustain the overall cost leadership is above the average performer in the industry. Such company can command the prices near or at the industry standard (Porter & Tanner 2012, pp. 26). On the other hand, differentiation strategy is the method by which a firm seeks uniqueness in the industry. The distinctiveness is along some of the dimensions widely valued by the buyers. The procedure selects one or a number of attributes that majority of the customers in the industry perceive as significant. Companies in this category exceptionally position themselves to meet the identified needs of its clients. The exclusivity of this strategy is where the company rewarded with a premium price for its uniqueness (Porter & Tanner 2012, pp. 76) It is possible for the company to follow a cost leadership while it follows a differentiation strategy at the same time. Though it does not work for every company. A good example of an organization that can embrace the two approaches together is the Toyota corporation. The Toyota produces quality cars at low price accompanied by differentiating strategy. For example, the introduction of luxury brands of BMW cars and the Mercedes-Benz new series (Porter & Tanner 2012, pp. 138). Some scholars such as Porter argue that cost leadership and differentiation approaches are irreconcilable. A

Emma & Sam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Emma & Sam - Essay Example While making an order, in respect of spousal support, the judge will take into consideration, various factors, such as; first, the duration for which the couple had been married. Emma and Sam had been married for 8 years. Fifth, the obligations and assets of each party. Emma and Sam have three minor children. Two of these are with Sam, and one of them is with Emma. These are their obligations. Their assets, are real estate holdings in California and Nevada; and Emma is the beneficiary of a $10 million dollar trust. Sixth, the history of the manner, in which they had addressed their financial needs, during their marriage. All expenses were borne by Emma, as she was earning a substantial amount. Sam as an unemployed musician had chosen to look after their children (Self - Help Center, 2010). In instances of dissolution of a marriage, the following are taken into consideration by the courts. First, the date of separation, which is determined by the actions of the husband and wife, or their intention (Cutoff Date as the Date of Separation, 2010). In our case, Sam proceeded to their Nevada family vacation house, six weeks ago, and informed Emma that he would initiate divorce proceedings against her. Second, the community property, which in our case would consist of all the assets created from Emma’s earnings, subsequent to their marriage and prior to their separation. While dividing the properties, and confirming the liabilities of the parties, the court shall classify the liabilities as separate or community; and assign them appropriately (Family Code). Sam informed Emma that he had obtained a Nevada residency certificate, and that he intended to file divorce proceedings in Nevada.

OBESITY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

OBESITY - Essay Example Affective: Students’ will enumerate the steps needed to be taken by an average person for preventing obesity in self after the technical details have been demonstrated and taught to them. The Set: As this particular group of students’ is studying health science as their major subject, they are presumed to be aware of the benefits of good physical and mental health. Obesity is an easily observable phenomenon in present society with adequate media coverage on its ills. The introductory formal discussion will involve inputs from the teacher as well as the students to form a consensus on the importance of the topic. Prior knowledge will be assessed through a 15 minutes written questionnaire which will include questions on the causes and sequels of obesity. The role of lifestyle, food categories, lack of exercise, and increased level of dependence on automation in the modern era will be included in the ‘causes’ questions and awareness of diseases like acute hear t failure, diabetes Type II, depression, etc. which are the direct consequences of obesity will be included in the ‘sequels’ questions.

Mumbais Dabawalahs - A World Class Service Coursework - 1

Mumbais Dabawalahs - A World Class Service - Coursework Example As Annie Leonard has pointed out in her ‘The Story of Stuff’ (2007), 51 percent of the world’s largest economies are those of corporations (Leonard, 3). The case study of the Mumbai Dabawalah’s tiffin delivery service is an excellent example of human endeavour in action. Achieving accurate and fast delivery to over 200,000 hungry office workers every day is no small feat- and that too in an extremely fast turnaround time of twenty seconds of stoppage by the trains-to collection and reversal of the entire process after the lunch break, to reach the dabba home before the worker arrives at the end of the day- is nothing short of phenomenal. With just a code to guide them, the delivery is as unerring as Six Sigma or one defect in a million deliveries (Mullins, 326). When it comes to a question of how to attract and retain the best staff, we have to look at the various theories of motivation proposed by different thinkers and writers over the ages. In ancient times, management used the carrot and stick approach or what McGregor calls Theory X and Theory Y (McGregor, 1960) to get the desired results within the organization-some firms still do. Motivation is anything that induces one to perform or do something. Most basic of these is Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory, in which he has defined human needs as being in a ladder or hierarchy from the lowest to the highest points- or from the basic physiological needs of food, clothing and shelter to the higher needs for safety and security, further to esteem needs and ending at the point of self actualization needs, where man has achieved his life purpose through his actions and work (Mullins, 257). Very few of us are fortunate enough to realize this in our lifetimes. Herzberg gives his Two Factor or Hygiene Theory (Mullins, 261) as an explanation on how and what motivates workers based on an actual field experiment that he conducted. He concluded that there were a group of satisfiers and dissatisfiers in every work environment- which could be anything from strict and unyielding work policies or the lack of management attention to the needs of the workers on the negative side, to a fair and equitable wage and hygienic conditions that took into account the health and safety of the workers on the positive side.

Power of One III Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Power of One III - Essay Example The evaluation will be founded on a combination of quantitative and qualitative research which will include widespread references with the society participants and exhaustive interviews. In the evaluation of the initiatives, I will employ interrelated principles, which fabricate on each other. Needless to say, I will adhere to the professional guidelines of evaluation. In addition, the evaluation will be a joint process. The vigorous involvement of all stakeholders, especially the students, society leaders and residents is fundamental to the evaluation process. Estrella and Gaventa (1998) assert â€Å"participatory and inclusive evaluations can lead to higher-quality scientific design and results†. For this reason, the evaluation will encompass all people in the society. Inclusion of the varied perceptions of the society members in the evaluation and elucidation of information will generate additional practicable blueprints and accurate interpretation of the data. The different society participants will bring knowledge on diverse sources of data, in addition to a more precise, image of how the initiative can operate and the background aspects that will affect it. Society members can help acclimatize the approaches appropriate within the society and assist check the anticipation of the results. These insights will assist me in better apprehend the external aspects that could affect the initiative. Scholars and authors have agreed that structuring and sustaining trust and relationships among the society are imperative. Baker et al. (1999) denotes â€Å"past positive experiences with evaluation among practitioners and society participants should be acknowledged in order to avoid repeating mistakes†. For this reason, I will ensure I am conversant with the previous positive experiences. In achieving this, I will work closely with gatekeepers, primary organizations, and other society leaders. I will employ snow ball approach in meeting the

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 27

Case Study Example According to the patient’s history and physical report, she experiences â€Å"severe, short-distance, lifestyle limiting right lower extremity claudication,† which is the reason why she is being admitted to the hospital. The patient typically develops paresthesias as well as complete numbness to her right foot after walking for more than 20 yards. However, if she walks for an approximation of 20 yards, she experiences pain in her right calf, which goes away after she gets some rest. From these considerations, it is possible to determine that she meets the criteria for admission based on the severity of her illness, since she experiences an acute loss of the ability to move a body part as set out in the hospital’s admission criteria. On the other hand, the plan set is for the patient to undergo operative intervention, whose intention is to repair the injury in the femoral artery. This was after tests were conducted, thereby revealing evidence of a mild narrowing o f the artery, presumably due to the previous catheterization. It is possible to determine that the patient meets the admission criteria based on the intensity of service, given that the plan is to operate on her within 24 hours, once the operating room is free. On the other hand, palpable pulses are not present in the patient’s right lower extremity. This factor meets the intensity of service requirements outlined in the admission criteria, which establishes that the patient meets the criteria for admission to the hospital.

Apple Firm Strategy Analysis Essay Example for Free

Apple Firm Strategy Analysis Essay The firm I have chosen to analyze is Apple. Apple, officially called as Apple Inc. was founded on April 1, 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steven Wojniak. It was incorporated on January 3, 1977. (Mohta, 2010) Apple designs and manufactures consumer products such as computers, laptops, tablets, phones and music players and computer software products such as Mac OS Operation System and iTunes. Over the past few years, Apple has gained a large customer base and been able to dominate the market share. Strategic frameworks such as Porters five forces and Strategic focus will help us in analyzing how Apple has managed to sustain its profits over a long period of time. Porter’s five forces framework Threat of Competition When it comes to computers, tablets and music players, Apple dominates the market share by a huge margin. The gross profit for Apple in the year 2012 is $65.64 billion whereas the gross profit for HP and Dell is $27.64 billion and $13.06 billion respectively. (Sparks, 2012) HP was unable to compete with Apple in the tablet market that it has started to consider focusing only on the computer industry. In the smartphone market, Samsung has by far been the biggest competitor for Apple. Samsung has 29.1% of the market share in the smartphone market whereas Apple only has 24.2 % of the market share. (Reisinger, 2012) Threat of new entrants Considering the large customer base Apple has, threat of new entrants is quite low. The new entrants have neither been able to match up to the quality of the Apple products nor to the sales volume held by Apple. Hence, if Apple continues to design and manufacture innovative products, it will be extremely difficult for new entrants to be able to compete with Apple. Threat of Substitutes When it comes to Apple’s hardware products, there are no substitutes as such that could replace it. However, when it comes to Apple’s software products such as the iTunes, which is the music store designed and developed by Apple for the purpose of purchasing and downloading music, there is a high possibility that the customers could look out for alternative sources for music such as limewire, youtube.com. (Mohta, 2010) Power of buyers Apple has always focused on hardware and software integration of its products. Hence, Apple customers end up owning more than one Apple product. As a result of this, switching costs are extremely high. Also, due to the fact that large sales volumes are promised by Apple to the carrier networks such as ATT and Verizon, iPhones are sold to the customers at a subsidised rate. This is an indication that the carriers have very less buying power. (Sparks, 2012) Power of suppliers Apple has an advantage over its suppliers as it outsources most of its manufacturing and has also started producing its own supplies. Consequently, it also gives Apple a huge competitive advantage. (Term paper warehouse) Strategic focus framework The three value disciplines that are taken up for analyzing a company are: Operational Excellence Apple as a company is highly efficient when it comes to operational excellence. All the departments in the organization starting from the sales forecasting department to the Distributions department are synchronised with each other leading to a highly efficient supply chain. Also, Apple has a limited product line. (Lariviere, 2011) Hence, it is able to provide its complete focus on designing and manufacturing those products rather than drifting away from the organizations objective to sustain profits with a large number of product lines. Customer intimacy â€Å"Apple targets people. It focuses on users. And it lets them decide how and where they will use its products.† (Asay, 2010) Apple has always been a customer focused company where its main aim is to deliver high quality products to its customers. Product Leadership Apple has managed to be a leader in its industry because of the fact it has been able to design innovative products. It has initiated changes to which its competitors had to respond. For example, Apple revolutionised the Smartphone market by introducing the iPhone. Except for Samsung, no other competitor of Apple has been able to come up with a strategy to deviate market focus from Apple. In addition, Apple has always on the lookout for new products to design and new markets to enter. This strategy has led to Apple being a leader in its industry. References Asay. M. (2010). Apple Doesn’t target Markets. It Targets People. GIGAOM. Retrieved from: http://gigaom.com/2010/08/26/apple-doesnt-target-markets-it-targets-people/ Bargaining Power of Suppliers. Term Paper Warehouse. Retrieved from: http://www.termpaperwarehouse.com/essay-on/Bargaining-Power-Of-Suppliers/84367 Lariviere. M. (2011). Operations: Apple’s Secret Sauce? The Kellogg Insight. Retrieved from: http://operationsroom.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/operations-apples-secret-sauce/ Mohta, J. (2010). Poter’s 5 forces model case Apple Inc. Slideshare. Retrieved from: http://www.slideshare.net/jontymohta444/porters-5-forces-model-case-apple-inc Reisinger, D. (2012). Samsung Pulling away from Apple in smartphone market. CNET. Retrieved from: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57424779-94/samsung-pulling-away-from-apple-in-smartphone-market/ Sparks, D. (2012). Competing with Apple is No Fun. The Motley Fool. Retrieved from: http://beta.fool.com/danielsparks/2012/09/03/apple-2012-50-growth/10776/ Spartanski. (2009). Case Study Apple Inc. Slideshare. Retrieved from: http://www.slideshare.net/Spartanski/case-study-apple-inc-2008

Attachment theory in raising children

Attachment theory in raising children Attachment is the link that forms between the person taking care of an infant and the infant itself from when it is between eight to nine months of age, giving the child security emotionally. Bonding starts from when a child is being given food, and goes on to participating in pseudo-dialogue and then it is followed by the child taking part in more active roles of proto dialogue, as shown by Kaye (1982), other ideas such as inter-subjectivity and scaffolding have been looked into by psychologists. As an infant continues growing, their attention towards the person taking care of them increases. John Bowlby (1958, 1980) founder of the attachment theory was involved in extensive analysis on the emotional link between infants and adults and he had a strong belief that the early relationships greatly determined the emotional and behavioral growth of a child. An earlier study done by Bowlby in 1944 found out that children who had an unstable upbringing where more likely to become juvenile derelicts. His work is often free to criticism and has been improved on with further research. Other following research has measured different levels of security and insecurity in children from early times by use of the method known as Strange Situation Test. Other explorations have also shown different types of the difficult habits and how a child may relate with the person taking care of them actively. Bowlbys theory was founded on ideas from ethology studies and earlier works. The psychodynamic theory as put by Sigmund Freund was very pertinent during the 50s following the Second World War when women were taking up caring for households and playing motherhood roles as men were going back to employment post war. Sigmund believed that every child ought to have a relationship with one caregiver monotropism and that separating from this person would bring about the proximity promoting behaviors in the attachment order. The caregiver coming would cause the behaviors of, clinging, making noise and crying to come to an end. The protected grounds of the affectionate links present between the parent and infant representation becomes part and parcel of the inner working model. These therefore become the heart and the base of all close relationship during continuation of the childs life all through to adulthood. The interference of a mother and childs relationship through lack of emotion, se paration and bereavement to the bonding process. Bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation (1951, 1953) was supported by Konrad Lorenz imprinting study on the young ones of animals done in 1966. He believed that the childs caregiver should impress as a constant figure, and that lack of maternal links between mother and child could be dangerous to the childs health mentally and could cause delinquency. His opinions on long term organizational care were that if a child was placed in a foster home before reaching two years and six months social, emotional and cognitive development may not be delayed but his other works show there has been varying types of parting in youth with serious behavioral issues. Attachment behavior as looked into by Mary Ainsworth works (1985 Ainsworth and Bell, 1974 Ainsworth et al 1978) becomes the base for all potential connections and this develops up to two years from the time the child is born. She also agreed with Bowlby on the view that the attachment bonding occurs at the age of two years. Roughly when t he child is seven months old they become watchful of strangers and unknown environments. This continues until the child attains two years of age. The process Ainsworth (1969) investigated to determine if a child was securely or insecurely connected was the strange situation paradigm. This involved a series of short separations and reunions. The childs parent and a person unknown to the child took part in the study with a child aged one year, there were eight series in total and Ainsworths measurement on secure and insecure connection was founded on the reunion scene of how the child reacted in such a situation. Evaluation was carried out using four different variables. The results showed that there were three main varying styles of adjusting. Type A was the anxious/avoidant. Type B secure and Type C was the anxious /ambivalent. Most children showed secure attachment; one fifth of them showed anxious/avoidant and one tenth showed anxious/ambivalent. Main and Solomon (1990) introduced yet another variable, D Type: which in recent times was disorganized to match the behaviors of children in risky environments. The strange situation paradigm, has been faulted by Judy Dunn (1982, 1983), she believed that children from varying backgrounds like institutional care and those living with their families may bring different meanings to the test and the childs environment. The method and results of the experiment are doubted even by Judy Dunn herself. In another study carried out by Richman in 1982 et al it showed that different dangerous factors of disturbed behavior can be evident from the time a child is three years old. Some of the factors known to influence a childs emotional development are the mothers mental state, marital stability and the parents attitudes to the child. The childs active part must also be taken into consideration when giving advice on bringing up children as is shown in Sameroffs 1991 transactional model, as children interact with their environmen ts, while the caregiver develops the childs behavior and how they will relate in future. In Ainsworth and Bowlbys view in which they both agree relationships are universal it can said that different peoples and cultures have different degrees on how long a child should be left alone, Japanese, the Chinese and the Israeli results showed Type C in a research done across cultures by one Marinus van Ijzendoorn and Peter Kroonenberg in 1988. Problems could also be with the ethological view of drawing comparisons between children and the young ones of animals as they could be controlled by an instinct. Bowlby considered only the effect on the child by the caregiver yet other factors could affect this such as the child moods. A mother whose child has a thorny mood could prefer to work and leave their child in a day facility which in turn could have a negative effect on the mother being unable to leave the child behind with other people. The mothers patience and the look of the goodness of fit Chess and Thomas (1984) could impact on the behavior and a reflection on the attachmen t link between the child and mother. Bowbly and Ainsworth were together in the development of secure links as per the sensitive mothering of a child in its first year but it could have an impact on the mother as argued by Woollet and Pheonix in 1991, where if she has to give up all her earlier duties and work possibly leading to frustrations. A workable alternative is to share the responsibility of parenting but this would be in contrast to Ainsworth and Bowlbys opinion. The showing of the movie A Two-Year-Old Goes to Hospital, by James Robertson in 1952 showed the stress and pains of a child separated from the mother during a long stay in hospital. During this period mothers were advised not to pay regular visits to their children while in hospital. According to Ainsworth and Bowlby the separation of the child could have terribly affected its emotional wellbeing and the bonding process. Separation and providing alternative means for taking care of the child have been researched on more recently. Day care was among the topics researched into by Bowlby and he believed that if a child started nursery schooling before attaining three years of age, it would also cause irreparable damage to the child. However, recent studies done during the 70s and 80s have shown varying opinions and this was proved in a research carried out by Laurence Steinberg and Jan Belsky in 1978 and in yet another study done by Clarke-Stewart and Fein (1983). A much later study don e by Belsky (1988), had different views as mothers who worked for more than 20 hours a week showed a higher level of insecure attachment as compared to his earlier study which found absolutely no problems with taking children for day care, Clarke-Stewart opposed this data. Other crucial factors that needed to be taken into consideration according to Belsky were the difference in the surroundings, the children in the day care facility, the staff at the day care and the quality of the day care.

A Microeconomic Analysis Of British Petroleum Economics Essay

A Microeconomic Analysis Of British Petroleum Economics Essay BPs (British Petroleum) origins can be traced back to 1901 when William Know tried to explore oil in Persia. The first commercial oil discovery was made in the Middle East by BP in 1908. In 1935, the company prospered and was renamed the Anglo- Iranian Oil Company. The war effort resulted in the British government becoming a shareholder of the company (until 1987). In 1950, Anglo-Iranian expanded into petrochemicals. The Iranian nationalization of the oil industry and subsequent diplomatic solution involving Britain, the US, and Iran led to the emergence of a new consortium involving Anglo-Iranian Oil called The British Petroleum Company (founded in 1954). 1.2 Company Overview BP is one of the largest vertically integrated oil and gas companies in the world. The companys operations primarily include the exploration and production of gas and crude oil, as well as the marketing and trading of natural gas, power, and natural gas liquids. BP is headquartered in London, the UK and employs about 92,000 people. 1.3 Why choosing BP for the essay The company recorded revenues of $361,143 million during the financial year ended December 2008 (FY2008), an increase of 27% over the financial year ended December 2007 (FY2007). The operating profit of the company was $36,347 million during FY2008, an increase of 9.2% over FY2007. The net profit was $21,157 million in FY2008, an increase of 1.5% over FY2007. 1.4 Business Description BP is one of the worlds largest oil and gas companies. It has presence in more than 100 countries across six continents. The company operates through two reportable business segments: exploration and production; and refining and marketing. The company also operates through a third business segment, other businesses and corporate. Upstream activities involve oil and natural gas exploration and field development and production. The midstream operations involve the ownership and management of crude oil and natural gas pipelines, processing and export terminals, and LNG processing facilities and transportation. For the FY2008, BPs worldwide network consisted of some 22,600 locations branded BP, Amoco, ARCO, and Aral. BPs retail network in the US for the FY2008 comprised approximately 11,700 sites, of which approximately 9,200 were owned by jobbers (who purchase their products directly from the refining companies and either sell them to retailers or directly to the end users) and 900 operated under a franchise agreement. At the end of FY2008, BPs European retail network consisted of approximately 8,600 sites and had approximately 2,300 sites in the rest of world. Other businesses and corporate segment of the company comprises treasury (which includes interest income on the companys cash and cash equivalents) the companys aluminum asset, the alternative energy business, and shipping and corporate activities worldwide. 1.5 What we will discuss Not a clue yet. 2. ANALYSIS 2.1 Microeconomic analysis 2.1.1 Consumer demand, price elasticity and BP revenues for FY 2008 We will take one example here to analyse the law of demand and how it applies to BP. For this specific example we will use petrol as product. In general, the law of demand states that the quantity demanded of a good falls when the price of the good rises (assuming other things equal). To represent this change, the demand curve is used. It is a graph that represents the relationship between the price of a product (petrol in this case) and the quantity demanded. demand.JPG Figure The Demand Curve (image taken from www.freeworldacademy.com) As you can see in figure1, when the price increased from P1 to P2 the quantity demanded dropped from Q1 to Q2. Changes in the demand curve can be caused by many factors such as the consumer income, the price of substitutes and others. There are 2 categories of goods though. The ones that the demand doesnt change a lot when price is changed and those that even a small price change will result in a huge change in the demand. This is called the elasticity of demand. The price elasticity of demand for petrol is inelastic (price elasticity inelastic.JPG Figure Inelastic demand You can see here that an increase in price (p1 to p2) leads to a decrease in quantity (q1 to q2) that is proportionately smaller. This results in an increase of the total revenue of the company. Lets see how BP performed. revenue.JPG Figure BP revenue in 2008 (BP annual review) BP recorded revenues of $ 361.143 million in the year 2008 compared to $ 284.365 million in 2007. This large revenue increase is partially due to the very high oil price. Peter Sutherland (BP chairman) said in his speech in February 2009: There are few precedents in history for such a rapid and dramatic change in the business environment. In the space of a few months we went from a record oil price of more than $140 per barrel, and BP reporting two consecutive quarters of record profits for the group. This profitability in 2008, in theory can be based to the price effect which states that after a price increase, product (petrol) sells at a higher price, which tends to higher revenue. The sales effect doesnt apply here because we are talking about inelastic demand. 2.1.2 Oil Market Structure (supply curve, market equilibrium, total surplus) Its difficult and most times inaccurate to try and analyse the supply curve for inelastic products. A supply curve illustrates firms willingness to supply at particular prices. But in the oil industry there are exogenous factors that affect the prices. When a factor changes we say we have shifts in supply. That can be anything, for example a change in the number of firm selling petrol, a change in the price of a factor input (oil exploration expenses) or a change in technology. In our case, the supply is not affected by customers willingness to buy. Someone will buy petrol at any price in order to cover their needs (e.g drive to work). But in theory, the more quantity requested, the higher the price set by the firm. In the case which the price has reached the level where quantity supplied equals quantity demanded, we use the term equilibrium. On a graph, it is the price at which the supply and demand curves intersect. The total surplus refers to the total net gain to consumers and pr oducers from trading in the market. IT is the sum of the producer and consumer surplus. But in practice the things are a little bit different. There is always need for more petrol (or oil products generally). This means that BP and other firms can produce as much petrol as they want. The boundaries here are if the petroleum firms can produce more petrol. Its clear that the firm that can sell more barrels of oil, they will generate more revenue and gain more market share. BPs performance in the last 10 years has been exceptional well. They improve and increase the production every single year and thats due to increased refining availability. In the next page (figure4) you can see some of the performance factors. performance.JPG Figure BPs performance (picture taken from BPs annual report 2008) As you can see in the photo, the production was high but a bit lower that the year 2006. This is due to the unstable economy and prices in the last 2 years. BP still managed to increase their profits by improving their processes. The highlights of the year are: replacement cost profit of $ 25.594 million (up 39%), capital expenditure and acquisitions of $ 30.700 million and share price increase. The complete table with data will be attached in the appendix. 2.1.3 Government legislation (competition policy and carbon trading) The competition policies are different from country to country. We will talk about the policies in England as the BP is a british firm. In the UK there is the role of Director of fair trading and their job is to supervise the behaviour of companies. If they think that a firm is doing something is not supposed to do then they can refer those firms to the Competition Commission for investigation. The maximum market share that a company can hold is less than 25% of the total market. If it exceeds this limit the Director of fair trading can refer the company to the Competition Commission. Also, firms are not allowed to collude because this way they restrict the competition by setting prices. Also, because many companies operate in Europe or worldwide, there are other organisations that keep an eye on firms strategy. In the oil industry the top 3 competitors are : Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell and BP. BP is the second largest refining and fuel retailing firm in the UK and third in the world. In their effort to become the largest petroleum and offer high variety of products, BP merged or acquired other firms over the past few years. The companys key products and services now include the following: Aromatics and acetyls, petrochemical products, oil and gas exploration and production, lubricants downstream derivative products, aluminum coil and other. To produce their products, firms utilise big amounts of energy. This energy usually comes from burning fossil fuels. For example, oil and coal are used to generate electricity. By burning these fuels, greenhouse gas is emitted in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a pollutant and the European governments have set rules to try to reduce the emissions. The reason the firms dont care much about pollution is because they maximise profit by reducing their costs. Nowadays though, they have to pay big amounts of money depending how much they pollute the environment (surplus permits). BP is helping to meet the worlds growing demand for sustainable and affordable energy, building alternative energy businesses with the potential to grow and compete far into the future. gas.JPG It is also impressive how much money BP invests in alternative energy, $ 1.4 billion just in 1 year. The total cost they are willing to invest is $ 8 billion. Alternative sources of energy BP is experimenting with are: Wind (432MW), Solar(162MW) and Biofuels. Moreover, they are running a project called CCS that stands for Carbon Capture and Storage. What CCS does is capturing the CO2 emitted during the burning and processing of fossil fuel. Then, it is transported and stored in deep geological formations such as gas or oil fields. CCS technology is supported by the government and the target is a worldwide implementation that will help reduce the problem of global warning. 2.2 Macroeconomic Analysis 2.2.1 2.2.2 3. CONCLUSION Based on your analysis, state your recommendations describing the possible strategies that the firm can consider.

Managing Employee Retention and Turnover Essays -- Human Resource Mana

Managing Employee Retention and Turnover Employee retention has always been an important focus for human resource managers. Once a company has invested time and money to recruit and train a good employee, it is in their own best interest to retain that employee, to further develop and motivate him so that he continues to provide value to the organization. But, employers must also recognize and tend to what is in the best interest of their employees, if they intend to keep them. When a company overlooks the needs of its employees and focuses only on the needs of the organization, turnover often results. Excessive turnover in an organization is a prime indicator that something is not right in the employee environment. We will look at the differences between retention and turnover, why employees stay, reasons why they leave, and what can be done to save them. We will also examine some external factors that will make employee retention and turnover reduction highest priorities for human resource professionals. Basically, employee retention is measured by an employee's longevity with a company, and is the desired outcome of a company hiring workers it wants and needs. Many organizations find it more productive and profitable to redirect resources formerly allocated to recruiting, hiring, orienting, and training of new employees and use them instead toward employee retention programs. Such programs identify good performers who are likely to leave the company and work proactively to retain them. Although there is no tried-and-true prescription for retaining good employees, there are five factors that have a proven positive impact on retention and they should be taken into consideration when developing an employee retention program:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Supervisor/Employee relationship - "Immediate supervisors who are also leaders of people will be the most important people in the workplace of the future..." (Jamrog, 2004) Today's supervisor is expected to be a coach, a trainer, and a mentor. Foremost, he must be able to communicate well up and down the organization. Employees who have honest, open relationships with their supervisors feel a sense of commitment to them.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Employee engagement - The best employees are motivated by tasks that are intellectually stimulating and provide variety and challenge while contributing value. Studies from the Gallup organizat... ...and preparation will help employers more readily adapt. References AARP. 2002, Staying Ahead of the Curve: The AARP Work and Career Study. Wahington, D.C.: AARPRetention rodeo. Buhler, Patricia M. The exit interview: a goldmine of information Source: Supervision v. 63 no4. (Apr. 2002) p. 15-17. Database: WilsonSelectPlus. Ceridian Employee Services, http://www.ceridian.com/myceridian Christian & Timbers, www.ctnet.com Frank, Fredric D. The Race for Talent: Retaining and Engaging Workers in the 21st Century. Source: Human Resource Planning v.27 no3 (2004) p. 12-25. Database: WilsonSelectPlus Jamrog, Jay. The Perfect Storm: The Future of Retention and Engagement. Source: Human Resource Planning v. 27 no3 (2004) p. 26-33. Database: WilsonSelectPlus. Society for Human Resource Management (2003). Older Workers Survey. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (2003) Customized Data Compilation, November 20. "Demographics and Destiny: Winning the War for Talent," Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Bethesda, Maryland; 301.581.4600 http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/ http://www.capitalhgroup.com/weAre/research/KeepingTopTalentSurvey.pdf

Loss of Vioxx Leads to Increased Pain For Arthritis Sufferers :: Interviews Prescription Drugs Papers

Loss of Vioxx Leads to Increased Pain For Arthritis Sufferers The consequences of Kevin Swearingen’s two-story fall in 1988 were more diverse and long term than expected. The 41-year-old construction worker sustained a spinal injury that left him with arthritis on the inside of his spinal column causing him pain, frustration, and depression. â€Å"After I recovered [from the fall] I had to keep working, but at a much lower pay scale since going back to construction work was impossible,† Swearingen said. Dealing with the pain, inability to work and play with his kids, he fell into a depression. â€Å"I was an emotional mess. I was drinking to kill the pain and I was contemplating suicide,† he said. It wasn’t until Swearingen began taking Vioxx that things began to look up. â€Å"It gave me much of my life back. I could play with the kids on better pain days and it greatly reduced the pain on the bad days.† Vioxx is a Cox-2 nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that cuts down on pain, stiffness and swelling by reducing the production of prostaglandins which help the brain read messages of pain from the body. Other popular cox-2 inhibitors include Celebrex and Bextra. â€Å"Vioxx and Celebrex were developed for those who had stomach problems like ulcers and bleeding,† Dr. Bukowski from Boston’s Brigham and Women’s hospital said. Swearingen having suffered an ulcer at age twelve was put on Vioxx after being diagnosed with Osteoarthritis at age 26. Merck, the drug manufacturer, took Vioxx off the market last September after studies revealed the drug caused complications of heart problems in users. When taken off the market, some 80 million patients who have used it were affected. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, it was the â€Å"largest prescription-drug withdrawal in history.† Many arthritis sufferers such as Swearingen were distressed with Merck’s decision. The trial revealing heart risks associated with Vioxx was conducted by an independent data safety monitoring board (DSMB). The Adenomatous Polyp Prevention on Vioxx (APPROV) trial revealed that Vioxx did in fact pose heart risks. 3.5 percent of the 2600 patients using the Vioxx had suffered myocardial infractions or strokes compared to the 1.9 percent who took a placebo pill. The trial’s goal was not to test Vioxx’s safety, but rather to test it’s effectiveness in preventing colorectal polyps in patients with a history of colorectal adenomas. The trial was stopped prematurely once these statistics were discovered.

Srinivasa Ramanujan

Srinivasa Ramanujan Ramanujan was born in India to a poor family in Erode, a city in Madras state. His father was a clerk and his mother a deeply religious housewife. None of these facts reflect who Ramanujan really was. He was a brilliant, self-taught mathematician whose ideas caught the attention of some of the prolific mathematicians of his time to include G. H. Hardy. In this short biography we will cover both his life and his contributions to mathematics. As stated earlier, he was born in south India to a poor family but they were still respectable in the community.This gave Ramanujan the opportunity to attend school and begin learning elementary Mathematics. He was quickly realized as a truly brilliant student with most of his talent directed towards mathematics. Interestingly, his family would sometimes take in student boarders and one of them gave him a trigonometry text when he was twelve and he mastered it within a year. In 1903 he was awarded a scholarship to attend the Go vernment College at Kumbakonam. He spent all of his time studying mathematics and ended up failing his other subjects and lost his scholarship and dropped out.He married Janaki in 1909 and acquired a job as a clerk. While the position did not pay much it allowed him much time to concentrate on his research. Ramanujan went to Cambridge in 1914, despite the great strides he made in his work in corroboration Hardy and Littlewood it took a great toll on his body. Ramanujan, being devout to his religion did not eat meat and the lack of quality vegetarian food in England and his long working hours were hard on his body. In 1917, Ramanujan was hospitalized with what was thought to be tuberculosis.While continually working from his hospital bed, he did not show enough improvement to make the trip back to India until 1919. Even with the best medical care available in India, Ramanujan died on April 29, 1920 at the age of 32. Ramanujan’s genius in mathematics is still represented today. His impact on Number Theories, Modular Forms, Statistical Mechanics, and other branches of mathematics have made great contributions not only in math but also in physics and computer science. Ramanujan’s style and methods of mathematics developed from his earlier studies in trigonometry and Carr’s volume of theorems.In his own works, Ramanujan looked for such formulas or identities that he saw in Carr’s works. In his earlier work, when he found a formula or answer he felt to be true by his own mathematical intuition and therefore he provided few proofs for his results. In his works with Hardy, they made great progress in the theory of partitions. â€Å"The partition function p(n); is the function of a positive integer n which is a representation of n as a sum of strictly positive integers. Thus p(1)= 1, p(2)= 2, p(3)= 3, p(4)= 5 ,p(5)= 7, p(6)= 11. (Denbath 628) In some of his last work before his death, Ramanujan discovered what is now known as the Mock Theta Functions. Mock functions are q series with exponential singularities such that the arguments terminate for some power. Srinivasa Ramanujan was a man dedicated to mathematics and had a true love for it. He was also a man entrenched in his religion and a deep commitment to his family. He consistently wanted to improve the education in his community and showed much interest in the poor and orphans who needed help getting an education.With all of the accomplishments and accolades that are attached to his name the truth of who Ramanujan was as a mathematician and a person makes him truly a one of a kind person in history. Works Cited Watkins, Thayer. â€Å"Srinivasa Ramanujan, a Mathematician Beyond Compare. † San Jose University, n. d. Web. 19 November 2012. Debnath, Lokenath. â€Å"Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920) and the Theory of Partitiions of Numbers and Statistical Mechanics a Centennial Tribute. † J. Math. & Math & Sci. Vol. 10 No. 4 (1987): 625-640. Web. 19 Novemb er 2012.

Graffiti

One common objection is that graffiti is not art because it is vandalism and hence a criminal act. While it is true that it can be vandalism and a criminal act, these facts would not seem to have a bearing on its status of being art. The mere fact that something is illegal or classified as vandalism hardly seems sufficient to make something fall outside of the realm of art. After all, imagine a state in which music was a criminal act and labeled as a vandalism of the public sound space. It would hardly follow that music would thus cease to be art. As such, this objection fails.The reasons and values for why one might engage in graffiti art are as varied as the artists who produce it. A chief reason is the prospect of fame and recognition of one's artistic talent. Graffiti is also a form of self expression. The art as â€Å"writing† is a creative method of communicating with other writers and the general public. What it communicates is the artist's identity, expression, and ide as. Judgments are based solely on one's artistic ability. This type of communication is of value because it links people regardless of cultural, lingual, or racial differences in way that nothing else can.In addition, producing graffiti art with a crew builds team work in that the crew works together for the accomplishment of a common goal. The feeling of this achievement in league with others is of value to the artist In addition, graffiti art is not a spontaneous activity like tagging in the form of fancy scribble. The completion of a piece or a production involves a great deal of imagination, planning, and effort. The graffitist first does a sketch. Then he or she plans out characters and selects colors.Next, the artist selects his or her â€Å"canvas† or surface and does a preliminary outline, followed by a filling in of colors and ornamentation, and then the final outline is completed. Graffiti can also be analyzed according to the elements of lines, color, and structure s that are present in the work in order to produce a narrative about it. Another significant reason why graffiti art can be viewed as art is by considering the producer's intention. Graffitists intend their work to be apprehended as art that can communicate feelings and ideas to the audience.This is in line with Tolstoy's mandate that art must allow people to express ideas and share in each other's feelings via the artwork. Plus, graffiti art has a function of not only communicating to others, but it also beautifies the community by appearing on areas that normally would be eyesores, such as a wall in a vacant lot or an abandoned building. Furthermore, all of the aesthetic properties and criteria from the base element of color to the complex issue of artist intention which are ascribed to other works in order to characterize them as art can all be found in examples of spraycan art.The only difference between those works in a gallery or museum and graffiti art in terms of how and why the latter is not readily accepted as art is due to its location and presentation. Indeed the issues of location and presentation are the most significant obstacles to a wholehearted acceptance of spraycan art as art. Graffiti art cannot be disregarded simply because it is not presented in the conventional location and manner, i. e. , framed and placed in a museum or gallery. The location of it on a wall or subway without permission only makes it unsolicited art.As such, it can be called vandalism, but again, this does not disqualify it as art. Rather the categorization of graffiti art as unsolicited art that is vandalism only justifies a removal of it from the surface. On the other hand, the vandalism aspect of graffiti art can be considered as a uniqueness and not a detracting feature of the art form because as vandalism, graffiti art is very temporary. A piece which might be sixty feet long, twelve feet high, and take twenty to thirty cans of paint and at least eight hours to pr oduce might be gone in a matter of minutes.We are not used to art approaching us outside of conventional settings such as a museum. Instead of the audience going to view the art form, spraycan art reaches out to the viewer; sometimes in a startling manner. One can only imagine how shocking and surprising it might have been to see a colorful train moving swiftly through the dingy stations and drab boroughs of New York City. Spraycan art is an art form that is completely open to the public because it is not hemmed in by the confines or â€Å"laws† of the gallery system or the museum. Perhaps, this is its only crime.In summary, some forms of graffiti become art according to four criteria. First, graffiti art is separated from everyday graffiti markings by the artist's intention to produce a work of art. Second, graffiti art has an established history of development in style and technique. Third, graffiti art even has been recognized by the art world. A fourth criterion is that t he public response to graffiti art indicates that it is art. Whether or not all of the public agrees that graffiti art is good, bad, or extremely valuable is a different discussion about evaluation and not whether or not graffiti art is art.The evaluative concerns actually play more into where, when, and how graffiti art should be displayed. The above criteria are defensible in so much as they have been used to legitimize other artistic forms. However, what appears to be the most significant answer to describing how and why graffiti art is art is the notion of understanding where the artist and the audience synchronize in agreement about a particular work being an example of art. It is a matter of comprehending what makes a creation art for the artist and what makes this same creation art for the audience.When and according to what criteria that these two viewpoints coincide is what thoroughly determines graffiti art as art. And like other art forms, graffiti art is definitively art when both the artist and the audience agree on the works ability to provide maximal aesthetic satisfaction. While it is almost impossible to formulate a theory of necessary conditions or rules specifying when graffiti art is art, I think it is sufficient to draw on already established aesthetic theories and criteria to point out that some forms of graffiti do qualify as art.Therefore, graffiti in the form of spraycan art is art. It has form, color, and other base properties as well as an arrangement of these elements into structures that qualify it aesthetically as being art. Just doing something with spraypaint might make it graffiti, but it does not necessarily qualify it as art or graffiti art. In addition, when the spraycan art is analyzed according to the artist's intention and value to audience, there is even more evidence to suggest that it is genuine art.The only obstacle that has hindered the general acceptance of graffiti art is its location and presentation. However, the instances of acceptance of graffiti art by the art world shows that conventional methods of presentation are not all that matters in determining if something is art. And graffiti art is not to be disqualified as art simply because it might appear unsolicited. In short, graffiti in the form of spray can art is art like any other work that might be found in a gallery or a museum.

Sources and Forms of Entertainment and Their Impact on Society Essay

In Life the Movie: How Entertainment Conquered Reality, Neal Gabler describes entertainment as having no moral, physical, or mental benefits to the success of society other than bringing temporary happiness. Through forms of entertainment, especially ones created in the last century, this viewpoint is strongly evident. However many forms of entertainment stimulate and progress society. Entertainment brings a greater feeling of happiness and relaxation to individuals of society thus having a positive effect. However the source and form of entertainment chosen to fulfill happiness and relaxation in most instances, determines the positive or negative effect on society. Physical activities create possible the largest source of entertainment for society. From Ice climbing to soccer matches all entertainment of this form has a positive effect on society. From a scientific viewpoint physical activity brings more flow of blood to the brain, thus supplying it with the maximum amount of nutrie nts and oxygen needed for brains growth and health. This process of extra blood flow creates an outstanding separation between student athletes’ and regular students’ high school GPAs. In most schools student athletes average GPAs average almost a full grade point higher than other students’ average. Though, this is not the only advantage to this source of entertainment. Entertainment such as this builds personal characteristics, characteristics such as teamwork, perseverance, effort, and even leadership. From my personal experiences in soccer I have learned how to become a leader while still doing my part on the field, qualities that can help me and any groups I work with in the future. Varies forms of storytelling have been a source for entertainment for as long as human populations have been able to communicate with each other. Sources of entertainment such as fireside stories, performances, and reading are just some examples of this form of entertainment. However, in the past few decades, new technologies especially the television have altered the art of storytelling to mindless, visual and emotional appeal. Before television this form of visual and imaginative entertainment, would usually include life lessons about morals and history or even provide guidance for one’s life. With television being the most common source of entertainment it holds a huge part on the  influences on the people of society today. However shows such as Fear Factor and real world have no positive effect on society. These types of shows have no lessons to be learned and force no physical or mental exercise of the viewer. Entertainment keeps society driving and pushing further. Not only can it offer happiness and a better state of mind, but it can also offer learning opportunities to society. However, source and form of entertainment determines the positive or negative effects of its use. With technology growing at exponential rates concerns arise because of the correlated increases in negative impact entertainment. The idea being, the more we really on technology for everyday tasks, the less capable we become of being a positive part of society. Entertainment needs to stimulate both the mental and physical capabilities of society, it shouldn’t only bring happiness and visual appeals otherwise we will live in a world much like the one in Mikes Judge’s film Idiocracy.

Crime and Cjus285-1302a-01 Juvenile Delinquency

Colorado Technical University Online CJUS285-1302A-01 Juvenile Delinquency Phase 1- Individual Project Professor Grace Mickles Obaid Rahman April 15, 2013 There are many advantages of the taxpayer and the juveniles to split the juvenile courts into two sections because it will benefit taxpayer and juveniles by splitting into sections. By doing that status offenders will get more help and treat as a minor crime offender, which they don’t in a joint section.Status offenders are treated unfairly, and don’t get the punishment what they are committed too, there is a need for splitting a juvenile court into two sections. The advantages of splitting will help status offenders to be treated fairly according to their offences. Other advantage toward splitting courts will increase the ability of juvenile courts to punished young offenders, and this will benefit to taxpayers because the punishment will determined offenders and will reduced cases of young kids and help them to pay less for juveniles cases.Juvenile delinquent court and status offender court will benefits juveniles because it will make it possible for the juvenile courts to differentiate between major and minor crimes. The process will be more efficient and juveniles will get more proper response from specific courts. I think the higher court judges rule and appoint the judges who work for juvenile courts, who can handle all the juvenile cases and separated those cases by category and according to crime charges.Juvenile’s delinquency cases are those cases which juveniles violated a law or a serious crime which done by juveniles. In other hand the young offenders who charge with the offence but cannot be classified as criminal violation offence that can only be applied to children, which is why rehabilitation program is must for those kids who can turn back to their normal life. There should be a specific program for those parents who have or had their children in criminal activity, in or der to teach their kids right path and stop them to commit crime or break law.The percentage of Juvenile offenders who arrested first time in their life and never been arrested again are more higher then the juvenile who committed repeat crimes, means if the department can detain children first time and warn them, have more chances to keep them away from future crimes, rather then put them into jail and sentence them like adult will turns out into criminal in future.By splitting juvenile court into two sections will disadvantage in effectiveness of the two sections will depend on the implementation of the courts. It will also take taxpayers into financial problem and poor services. It will also increase the number of staff and the burden will be on taxpayers. It will also disadvantages to those offender who commit a serious crime, will be subjected more sphere courts then those who attend status offender courts.There are many advantages by comparing to disadvantages by splitting juv enile court will benefit to those young offender who commits minor crime and able to get back in their normal life with taking some detention or rehabilitation program. References Minor Crime Is a Major Ordeal (2007), retrieved from (http://criminal. findlaw. com/juvenile-justice/minor-crime-is-a-major-ordeal. html) Juvenile Court by Kathleen Michon, retrieved from (http://www. nolo. com/legal-encyclopedia/juvenile-court-overview-32222. html)

Mapping your Future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mapping your Future - Essay Example Professionalism requires informed decision making. The individual needs to take responsibility for his/her actions and do his/her best to ensure optimal output remaining within the laws and regulations imposed by the state and the organization. Moreover, professionalism of an individual is also judged by his/her productivity, compliance with the deadlines, and the quality of work. Although most organizations in the contemporary age have a defined set of ethical and work-related rules, yet certain rules are expected to be understood by the employees without indication because they are the requirements of professionalism, and may not thus be necessarily included in the ethical codes. Such rules include but are not limited to no gossiping, dealing others with respect, dressing decently, and greeting the coworkers. One must follow these rules because they depict one’s behavior as well as one’s impression on others. In addition to that, following these rules is necessary in order to have a professional attitude and excel in the professional

How do you imagine social interaction within 10 years, taking into Essay

How do you imagine social interaction within 10 years, taking into consideration the impact of technology on human relations - Essay Example This paper tends to shed light on how I imagine social interaction within 10 years to come. It is important to understand first what social interaction actually is. Social interaction means the connection between people that lends them a sense of belonging to each other (Doise & Palmonari 2011; Nash & Calonica 2010). It is the bond that makes people share their ideas, views, feelings, emotions, and sentiments with each other; and, this process becomes the basis of a strong society where people love and respect each other, and take care of each other in the hour of need. Physical presence of a person is part and parcel of healthy social interaction in which persons relate to each other by being physically present to address their needs and feelings. In the recent years, the concept of social interaction has totally changed. Today, we are connected to hundreds of friends in the online community, but we are oblivious of the person sitting next to us, who may be our parent, our spouse, o ur child, our neighbor, or a relative. We share pictures and ideas with hundreds of people online, but we give a damn about what the person feels or think who is sitting in the same room as ours. This discussion of change in social interaction as seen today forms the basis of how I imagine social interaction in 10 years to come. ... People will convey their feelings in the digital format- feelings that they could never have conveyed in person; however, this conveyance of feelings will lack the emotional touch of understanding and compassion. The basic essence of social interaction is talking, which is becoming void even today but will disappear totally in 10 years to come. Just like libraries, physical communication will vanish. Elderly will yearn to see their children offline; while, the latter will have no time to even turn on the Skype. In 10 years, people will start relying on technology to improve their ways of communication. People have already started realizing the fact that technology has snatched away their power of being physically present; and, the proof is the introduction of audio messaging, and video chats such as Skype and Facebook video chat. In coming years, the need of face interaction will be felt even more, which will make experts devise more sophisticated ways of improved communication. 4D e xperiences may be one example of improved means of communication, which cannot be imagined today. However, despite a loss in the sense of belonging to each other, social interaction has also seen much advancement too. It would be unfair to deny the pros of technological advancements that have come with internet, online services, and online social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. People stay connected to their social circle 24/7. I guess that in 10 years to come, there will be so many highly sophisticated tools and applications that will aid communication in an amazing way. Who knows the need for being physically present may vanish totally in 10 years? Did we know that we could have a

Group project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Group project - Essay Example On the other hand, marketing is seeking to scoop profits after taking some selling actions. There are many ways in which companies or even and individual could use publicity for the good and profitability of their product. For instance sponsoring an event is a common practice among many companies whereby a company will ensure that in a particular event, its products are introduced. All the people attending the event are introduced to the product, and in some cases, the company could make some sales (Sako, p.22). In this case, Choco-pop could decide to be involved in an event especially one that has adults who aged between 30-49 and those that have no complaints about peanuts. An additional method would be staging a debate where people from all walks of life would throng avenue and participate. During this event, one of the company’s representatives could take some time to explain to the audience about a product. (Burnley p.108) noted that if publicity is done in the right manner on the appropriate audience, it could increase the sales volume. That is to say, a company has to be conscious of the target before publicizing. In the case of this product, it pretty obvious young people love these products as well as debating. Hence, by pairing the two, this would be a fantastic opportunity to make Choco-pop known. Offering incentives is another sure way of publicizing a product, which is never as expensive as the real advertising especially through that media. The essence of encouraging publicity is making people talk about a product as much as possible. Mostly, the reason a company struggles with marketing a product is the tendency to overlook the power of publicity (Burnley p.109). During these events aforementioned, the company will be offering some incentives to some members of the public with an aim to encourage promotion. Having elaborated ways, which the firm could

How to implement a dual language program in an established elementary Dissertation

How to implement a dual language program in an established elementary public school - Dissertation Example However, a person is not born speaking a language, it is learned and through a learning process that starts at the time of birth (Fielding, 2009). In reference to the work done by linguist Noam Chomsky, Mason describes language to be a â€Å"specific skill†. Elaborating on Chomsky’s description of language as an inherent faculty, Mason in his lecture â€Å"Learning Language† said that man was born with a set of rules related to language in his head and he called these set of rules â€Å"Universal Grammar† (Learning Language, n.d.). Acquiring the First Language Children show a natural tendency towards language acquisition. Language acquisition occurs through the numerous experiences of everyday life (Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, n.d). Acquiring language without any systematic effort is called first language acquisition. Language acquisition takes place during conversation; when adults talk, children respond and thus grasp the basics of a langu age being spoken (Moloney, 2007). The pattern of interaction between parents and children may differ with cultures but the rate at which the children develop as language users remains the same throughout the world (Clark, n.d). Children learn the language they are exposed to (Garcia, 2009). Every child learns the first language without the need of any formal lessons (Pinker, 1995). Clark has described language acquisition among children as a part of the overall physical, social and cognitive development of a child. In Clark’s opinion, children between ages 2 and 6 can rapidly acquire a language and mostly by the time they turn 6, they are proficient language users. Although a lot has been said and written about the development of language in a child, a great deal remains to be explored. The language of a child is a constantly developing process which undergoes many changes. The children seem to acquire the first language quickly, early and with few mistakes (Linden, 2008). A child’s experience with language and his interaction with others teach him the sound-meaning relationship and help him comprehend the purpose it represents. Although the rate at which children acquire first language skills may differ, there is little difference in the pattern of development between the languages (Clark, n.d) According to Clark children acquire communicative competency naturally and inherently, and then develop an understanding of the grammatical rules of the language. The structure of the language develops with thinking abilities and social interactions of the child. As the language skills develop, children become conscious of the social situations around them and learn to think and behave accordingly (Pinker, 1995). Second Language Acquisition Stephen Krashen (2009), a well known linguist identified the difference between learning and acquisition. In his theory of the second language acquisition, Krashen defined acquisition as a subconscious and instinctive process of constructing the structure of a language quite similar to the way a child picks up his first language (Krashen, 2009). Learning on the other hand is a conscious process based on formal instruction and involves conscious learning of a language (Schutz, 2007). Krashen (2009) has described learning as â€Å"less important than acquisition†

Demand and Supply & Perfect Competition Assignment

Demand and Supply & Perfect Competition - Assignment Example The food vending business in Amsterdam is on the rise and is an example of a perfect competitive industry. Several food vendors are under the same roof selling a variety of products ranging from Mumbai street food to hot dogs that are sold in pretzel buns. The idea of the owner of the food vending stalls was to involve original ideas of Amsterdam locals without including common franchisers such as KFC and McDonalds in the industry. It is reported that the food vending hall had only been open for two weeks and buyers had been flocking into it without restriction. The food vending industry in Amsterdam is an almost perfect competition industry. In the article, food vending industry is vast and has diverse products that are supplied every morning to be produced under cheap and affordable circumstances. One of the factors that make street food vending industry a perfect competitive market is the ease in entry into the field. As explained by Draper (1996), most street food vending businesses require small scale operations, use of traditional food processing methods and low capital costs to start. Secondly, there are no set restrictions in order to start selling in the market. As explained by the owner of the food mall, the only restrain was set for food chains such as MacDonald’s but local food vendors were accepted. This restriction denotes that the food vending industry in the food hall was not purely a perfect competitive market. Thirdly, products sold by food vendors are standardised and homogeneous. The sandwiches, soups, hams, burgers, vegetables and other street foods that are sold in the food hall are foods that are known and standard. Therefore, the food products sold from the fresh produce received every morning are standardized and this makes the food vending industry in Amsterdam perfect competition market. The price of the goods cannot be changed by the seller but depend on the availability of

Memory and its contribution to understanding consumer behavioral Essay

Memory and its contribution to understanding consumer behavioral change. (Psychology in marketplace) - Essay Example (1999) Perception in consumer behaviour is guided by the awareness a consumer has with regards to his market and the products in the market.(Barry, 2010) This awareness comes from how a manufacturer or a producer advertises his/her products, so that the consumer becomes aware of those products, and then from there onwards he starts to demand the product which shall fulfil his needs of a comfortable life. (2009) Memory is one of the important factors in the determination of consumer needs and wants. Memory is shaped by a lot of other aspects which galvanize into one stream and help a consumer recall his desires, needs, and wants, modes of satisfaction, the affordability and finally the motivation to buy. Memory is characterised by all the knowledge the consumer has about a certain product. Obviously, memory is shaped when a consumer attaches himself to a product which fulfils his needs and desires. Therefore, it is pertinent for the producers to produce and market products which remain forever into the consumer’s sub conscious. The sub conscious is what guides the memory, and therefore it is very important to have a totally different, alien but attractive approach towards the marketing of the product, so that the consumer is reminded of the particular product when he goes to shop. Memory can be divided into two aspects: The short term memory and the long term memory. The short term memory is characterised by logos, trademarks, the firm’s name, the products name. Therefore, anything which is catchy may attract the attention of the consumer instantly. The long term memory is what counts for a specific producer in the long run to promote the products. Long term memory needs to be christened and rubbed on constantly by the producer with heavy marketing and advertising. (Flamand, 2010) Red Bull(2008) is a prime example of this. They have gone ahead with massive marketing of their product through

AFA event Alm3a8en Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

AFA event Alm3a8en - Essay Example This is important in facilitation of ease of communication. Such auxiliary aids are always given even to the deaf to ease communication. Some of these aids involve the use of interpreters as well as other hearing devices. These include the captions, text telephone systems as well as assistive learning systems. These auxiliary aids as well as the interpreters are always offered to the disabled people free of charge. Some of the accommodation and public access facilities offered by ADA to the people with disabilities include the lodgings as well as health and exercise business areas. These include places like hotels, public conferences as well as entertainment rooms. ADA ensures that the charter bus services cater for the disabled persons through allowing for accessible buses. In addition, it liaises with the insurance companies provide the persons with disabilities with automobile insurances. ADA serves to ensure that government avails the disabled persons with free auxiliary aids. In addition, it ensures that the government agencies provide the disabled with the necessary services. This is done regardless of any relationship that may exist between the individual and the people with disabilities. ADA always ensures that employers provide necessary accommodation services to employees whenever they are declared disabled. The employer may do the declaration of disability on an employee anytime. This may be very beneficial to the disabled employee as well as the employer. This is because the employer may get federal tax credit as well as federal tax deduction from the government following such decisions involving helping the disabled

Attraction and Performance of Unilever Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Attraction and Performance of Unilever - Essay Example The company at global level has 120 different HR systems and it is therefore imperative to evolve integrated TM policy to adjust fast and survive in this environment. What differentiates Unilever as a potential employer to attract talent How an employee can derive satisfaction with his needs addressed from his work with the company "Through HR processes, we answer these needs and deliver solutions, experiences and stretch assignments that keep people engaged in their jobs" (Le Camus 2008). A business strategy howsoever strong can translate into profitable business result only when the right talent is attracted, developed and assigned the job compatible with the talent. The Unilever TM policy identifies the talent needs for future business strategy and mobilizes the talent to develop in them the capability to achieve business results. Performance orientation is vital to success in business. It becomes easier as a practice when the business development objectives of an organisation converge with the personal development objectives of its employees. ... It is the task of the line managers to deliver performance management by managing the talents through providing guidance with a view to achieving personal development of the employee and business development of the organisation within the desired timeframe. However, for delivering employee brand experience, the line managers need to be thoroughly aware of the importance of people management. It is therefore necessary for an organisation like Unilever to ensure that the line managers perform their tasks of grooming in a way that there are always people who can take up the mantle of team leadership. An executive must not leave the company without growing a replacement ready to take up his or her role. This sows the seeds for the organizational success as there are always mentors by whom new talents are nurtured resulting in each employee getting enriched by the experience and becoming an ambassador for the organisation. To be able to manage business of a global scale, an organisation needs to create a talent pool from all over the world. The operational units of Unilever are spread across diverse cultures creating complex barriers that need to be overcome through HRM 3 strategies coordinated on a global scale. TM in the context of Unilever involves managing employees coming from different parts of the world to perform across a wide range of level from domestic to global. The company has to develop a framework for International HRM to effectively address this diversity in the employees' background in respect of culture, education, economic, political and legal systems and create an integrated TM process to grow in the global market. The theme of this process is

The Disadvantages of Full Day Schools Essay Example for Free

The Disadvantages of Full Day Schools Essay Introduction Full day schooling refers to a longer day at preschool where they not only learn but are also given time for play. (Lamphere, 2009) Full day preschools run for five hours or longer for five days a week. Half day preschools run for approximately 3 hours for five days a week. (Rosamilia, 2008) Researchers have constantly compared these two types of schooling and most studies came to a conclusion that full day schools are better than half day schools. There are a few example of studies conducted to show this. Some examples include: A study conducted by Cryan et al.  in 1992 in two phases on the effects of half-day and all-day kindergarten programs on childrens academic and behavioral success in school and another study by Hough and Bryde in 1996 which looked at the student achievement data of children enrolled in half day and full day schools. Both studies showed that full day kindergartens benefit children in terms of academic successes, attendance and there are also fewer cases of retention for them. (Clark, 2013) Even though full day schools has its benefits, it also has its disadvantages. This literature review would be focusing on the disadvantages of full day school, be it long term or short term and it would also look into the benefits of other schooling programmes such as half day programs. This review is important it would give a better idea to parents and teacher as to why they should carefully consider other options other than just focusing on full day schools. Due to the limited resources on full day schools and case studies on full day schools, the countries this literature review would be focusing on would be US and Canada. Disadvantages of Full Day Kindergarten According to research, there are a number of disadvantages for Full Day kindergarten. Firstly, there is a lack of spaces for children. According to an article, in Canada, there is a lack of space to accommodate the rising number of children if they change their program to full-day kindergartens. In Calgary, Canada, it is believed that 50 out of 137 elementary schools would not be able to accommodate more than their current half-day school and the implementation of full-day programs would force some grades to be reshuffled to other schools. (Cuthbertson Herald, 2012) In some other articles, in United States, there has been lack of space to set up full-day kindergarten. (Martinez, Stuber, and Snider, 2006; Haglund, n. d. ) Thus, there have been talks going on as to whether they should set up full-day kindergartens in that district. (Placek, 2012) Another disadvantage would be the high cost for full-day programs. This includes the expenses for equipment, staff and space. In the article regarding the changing to the full day program in Canada, they mentioned that the cost of funding it for a year would be around $200 million. Another article stated that it would cost $2 million annually after an initial startup cost of $505,600. And, it would have required another $7 million from the districts reserves to pay for construction of additional classrooms and multipurpose rooms. (Placek, 2012) Another article by a graduate from East Stroudsburg University also states that the amount of money spent on the teachers’ salaries are also high because they now have to hire more teachers for full-day kindergartens. An average teacher in the US would earn about $33,000 a year. Thus, in the case that the kindergarten hires more teachers, they would have to spend about $132,000 to $165,000 per annum just on salaries. This would increase the burden on the taxpayers. (Morse, 2008) This point is also further supported by research conducted previously. (Martinez, Stuber, and Snider, 2006; Hugland, N. A. ; Guilderland Central School District Early Childhood Advisory Committee, 2008) The third disadvantage of full-day kindergarten is that it requires more staff and staff aides. Many articles stating the disadvantages of full day support this point. For example, in one article, it states that when there are half day sessions, one teacher can teach two sessions: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. However, if it is a full-day session, it requires more teachers to teach. They would also need more teacher aides. In the case where the kindergarten does not want to hire more teachers, they would expand each class and add in more teacher aides to balance the teacher-child ratio. In a study conducted at the Guilderland central school district, it also states that they would require more teachers to teach and balance the teacher-child ratio. (Early Childhood Advisory Committee, 2008). Besides these, there are a few more disadvantages to full day kindergartens. They include having more time at school and less time for ‘kids to be kids’. (Circele, 2009; Brower, 2013). It also includes teaching children academic and skills before they are ready for it. (Haglund, N. A. ; Morse, 2008) One of the articles found went on to explain that the kindergarten may teach too advanced skills for children instead of teaching them minor skills which are important. In summary, even though full-day seems like a good option for everyone, it does have its disadvantages. Benefits of Half Day Kindergartens Likewise, half-day school has its benefits. Firstly, half day kindergarten programs are less stressful. According to Walsh (2013), children would feel relaxed while trying to adjust to the structured classroom environment. Furthermore, they are able to make good transitions from kindergarten to first grade. Another source states that half-day programs are viewed as providing continuity and systematic experience with less probability of stress than full-day programs. (Rothenberg, 2009) Secondly, the children also receive the same quality of education as those in full day preschools or kindergartens. (Ast, 2010;Rothernberg, 2009) The children go through similar experiences but just that one is longer and the other is shorter. These show that there are other programs besides full day kindergartens which young chidren can benefit from. Conclusion In the context of Singapore, there isn’t much of an issue about half day versus full day kindergarten. This is because Singapore has mainly focused on half day kindergartens. Some of the reasons as to why that might be the case is similar to the disadvantages stated above. Just like in some parts of Canada and US, Singapore has limited space to set up full-day kindergarten and it requires more sources, equipment and etc. Singapore’s space is already limited in space and it requires more space for other more important things thus, it can’t be used just for kindergartens. Statistics have shown that 15% of Singapore’s land has been located for housing, 17% for recreational and community needs. The rest of the land is used for commerce, industry, infrastructure, utilities and transport and reservoirs, defense facilities and cemetery and undeveloped land. (Yearbook of Statistics Singapore, department of Statistics Singapore[online], 2012) This shows that there isn’t sufficient space to build more kindergartens or expand it. If Singapore was to expand or make kindergartens full day, it would require more teachers or teacher aides. There is also a lack in kindergarten teachers now. Recently, along the roads, many jobs offers for preschool teachers were noticed. This is also supported by a Strait Times article on 20 July 2012. It stated that there is already a shortage of teachers. (Vadaketh, 2012)Thus, if full day kindergartens were established, there would not be enough teachers. Depending on these reasons, I believe that full day kindergarten programs are not applicable really in Singapore. However, if you look at Singapore’s context carefully, full day kindergarten programs are somewhat similar to childcare programmes in Singapore. In this context, Singaporeans can choose what kind of schooling programs they want to send their child to. The kindergarten programmes are standardized by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to be 3 hours per session. (MOE,2013) As for Childcare, it is a full day program and is also available for half day on Saturdays. The two main factors determining which programme they would send their child to would be whether they are working and the cost of the programme. Parents of children these days are usually working adults. They do not have time to take care of their children because they are working. Thus, they would rather send them to childcares because it is more convenient and safe. If they were working and they send their child to half day kindergartens, they have to make other arrangements for their child so that the child would not be left alone. While full day kindergartens may be more convenient for working adults, half day schools (kindergartens) are cheaper. According to the list of kindergartens found on the Investmentfriend. com forum, the pricing ranges from as low as $80 to $500. However, the costs of childcare centres are about $700 and above, depending on the childcare. Thus, some parents might not be able to afford childcare and would send their child to half day kindergartens. Thus, all in all I believe that the choice of schooling depends on each family and individual if childcare was seen as an full day kindergarten program. References Clark, P. (2013). Recent research on all-day kindergarten | education. com. Retrieved from http://www. education. com/reference/article/Ref_Recent_Research_All/? Lamphere, M. (2009). Full day kindergarten. Retrieved from http://www. slideshare. net/lamph1ml/full-day-kindergarten Haglund, J. (n. d. ). Full-day kindergarten advantages disadvantages | early childhood. Retrieved from http://ec. dpi. wi.gov/ec_ecadflpg Morse, J. (2008). The disadvantages of all-day kindergarten yahoo! voices voice. yahoo. com. Retrieved from http://voices. yahoo. com/the-disadvantages-all-day-kindergarten-1337569. html? cat=25 Placek,C. (2012). No full daykindergarten for all in dist. 203 dailyherald. com. Retrieved from http://www. dailyherald. com/article/20121105/news/711059666/ Cuthbertson , R. , Herald, C. (2012). School promise under threat. Retrieved from http://www2. canada. com/calgaryherald/news/story. html? id=c1b76975-1366-45e4-9bc2d33d7a3ab1b6p=1 Brower, C. (2013). The cons of full-day kindergarten | ehow. com. Retrieved from http://www. ehow. com/info_8660784_cons-full-day-kindergarten-programs. html Guilderland Central School District Early Childhood Advisory Committee. (2009). Report on full-day kindergarten. Retrieved from http://www. guilderlandschools. org/district/boe/PDFs/reports/FDKPPT110508. pdf Ast, A. (2010). Half day vs full day kindergarten: Is there really a difference? yahoo! voices voices. yahoo. com. Retrieved from http://voices. yahoo. com/half-day-vs-full-day-kindergarten-there-really-6839874. html? cat=25 Walsh, K. (2013). Pros cons of half day kindergarten | ehow. com. Retrieved from http://www. ehow. com/info_8502607_pros-cons-halfday-kindergarten. html Kindergarten fees list. (2011). Retrieved from http://investmentfriend. com/forum/showthread. php/25-Kindergarten-Fees-List Vadaketh, S. T. (2012). Tackling preschool challenges in Singapore. The StraitTimes. Retrieved from http://ifonlysingaporeans. blogspot. sg/2012/07/tackling-preschool-challenges-in. html MOE. (2013). Ministry of education, Singapore education system: Pre-school Education. Retrieved from http://www. moe. gov. sg/education/preschool/