Early Intervention for Special Needs Children Essay

The development and implementation of early intervention activities for young children who have a delay or who are at risk for future delays are relatively recent phenomena in the United States. Early intervention as an applied and academic field has developed primarily within the specialty area of early childhood special education (ECSE), a field comprised of professionals from many disciplines. The genesis of ECSE in the United States may be traced to the formation, in 1968, of the Handicapped Children’s Early Education Program (HCEEP) branch within the United States Department of Education. Although other work had occurred in early intervention prior to this time, the establishment of HCEEP provided national recognition and federal funds to address early intervention issues. Since 1968, rapid changes have occurred in the field of early intervention. The most significant event impacting on early intervention was the passage of Public Law 99-457 (P. L. hereafter) in 1986. This law mandates education for handicapped children aged three to five years and provides both impetus and funding for early intervention for children younger than age three. From the viewpoint of an outside observer, the passage of only eighteen years from the establishment of a specialty area to that specialty area demonstrating efficacy such that its tenets become law is admirable. However, these tenets, and the practices derived from them, are based on research that has recently received negative reviews. It is clear that ECSE has done well, but many challenges remain to be met. Failure to conquer these challenges could result in a loss of valuable ground that many have worked hard to achieve. Early Evidence for Early Intervention As the fields of special education and early childhood education evolved, evidence were accumulating that early intervention could be effective. In a classic study, Skeels (1966) examined the effects of environmental stimulation on two comparable groups of infants. Mentally retarded females acted as surrogate mothers for one group (n = 13), providing these children with attention and stimulation. Twelve infants with average IQs remained in a nonstimulating orphanage environment. Eighteen months later, the stimulated infants gained an average 27. 5 IQ points while the control group dropped 26. 2 points. Twenty-one years later, Skeels (1966) continued to find differences between those who were placed in the enriched environment and those who were not. Of those in the experimental group, all were found to be self-supporting as adults. Four of these adults had completed college and, as a group, had a median high-school education. Of those in the control group, four adults had been institutionalized. The median education for these adults was at the third-grade level. Additional evidence came from the work of Kirk (1965), who studied handicapped preschoolers. He compared institutionalized mentally handicapped preschoolers who received a preschool program with a comparable group who remained on the wards and received no intervention services. Children in the experimental program showed significant gains on intellectual measures. Six of the fifteen-experimental group children were able to leave the institution by age eight, while none of the children in the control group left the institution. Works researched provided additional evidence for the value of early intervention. Based upon these studies, the consensus emerged that children’s cognitive skills develop early in life and very rapidly, and that early enrichment can have profound influences on a child’s future functioning. Although this consensus is no longer accepted without question, this philosophy, nevertheless, played a major role in the acceptance of early intervention and helped to create a social climate for legislation favoring handicapped children. Legislative Activities Both research and societal factors converged to provide momentum for the early intervention movement in the 1960s. The changing social climate in the United States in the 1960s led to the passage of favorable legislation for several groups. Litigative and legislative activities occurred in the areas of civil rights, rights for the disadvantaged, and rights for the handicapped. A breakthrough for early intervention, focusing on disadvantaged children, was the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. Part of this act was directed at the establishment of Project Head Start. This program was designed to provide early intervention for disadvantaged preschool children in the research found that these IQ gains disappeared after the children entered school. Based on societal and political pressures, Head Start continued despite the negative research findings. Arguments by researchers who questioned the findings and suggested that unmeasurable gains were being made bolstered the pro-Head Start forces. The results of a nineteen-year longitudinal study on children who participated in Head Start (the Perry Pre-school Project) found a number of positive results. These benefits included: (a) less need for special education, (b) more positive school attitudes, (c) less arrests, (d) less teen pregnancy, and (e) better employment histories. Other research has supported these findings. As an early intervention program, Head Start is the most well-known in the United States and has served over eight million preschoolers. Additionally, Head Start has had a major impact on early intervention for children with handicaps. The Economic Opportunity Acts Amendments of 1972 mandated that at least 10% of the total population served by Head Start be children with handicaps, giving Head Start the status of the first mandated, mainstreamed early intervention program in the United States. This occurred well before the concept of mainstreaming became popular in special education. One of the most important pieces of legislation regarding young children with handicaps was the Handicapped Children’s Early Education Assistance Act of 1968. This act established the Handicapped Children’s Early Education Program of the Department of Education, which has been responsible for funding the majority of innovative service projects in early intervention that occurred in the United States. This legislation may be viewed as the formal beginning of the field of early intervention for the handicapped. HCEEP programs will be discussed more fully later in this chapter in the section on current practices. The next major legislation to affect early intervention activities was an act that impacted significantly on educational practices for all handicapped children–the Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (P. L. 94-142). P. L. 94-142 provided for a free, appropriate public education with related services to all children with handicaps between the ages of three and twenty-one years. This act has been called the â€Å"Bill of Rights† for children with handicaps. The overall impact of this act on educational practice has been discussed in other places. While this act documented acceptance of the need for early intervention by the federal government, it also provided individual states with the option not to serve these young children. Unfortunately, this was an option many states adopted. In 1985, only twenty-four of the fifty states had mandated services for handicapped children under age five and only eight states had mandated services for handicapped children under age three. Although P. L. 94-142 had a major impact on such intervention, supporters of early intervention were aware of the implementation problems involved in serving young children. As a result of successes with preschool early intervention, the need for services for even younger children was being heralded. Congress responded to these calls for early intervention in 1983 by passing the Amendments to the Education of the Handicapped Act (P. L. 98-199). These amendments provided financial incentives for states to extend early intervention service levels down to birth. Unfortunately, funding remained dependent upon the number of children served between the ages of three and five, and the act, in effect, diluted the funding available for the three- to five-year-old children. Also, incentives built into these amendments to encourage individual state participation were weak and ineffectual. Lobbying groups for early intervention continued their activities to push through a law mandating early intervention for all young children with handicaps. In 1986, Congress responded by passing P. L. 99-457, (Amendments to the Education of the Handicapped Act). P. L. 99-457 mandated that all preschool-aged children with handicaps receive a free and appropriate education by 1991. This law provided penalties for states that did not conform to the law. In addition, P. L. 99-457 created a new state grant program for infants and toddlers with handicaps. The passage of P. L. 99-457 has signaled a new era for early intervention. The federal government has recognized the need for early intervention (at least at the preschool level) and has provided funds to support it. P. L. 99-457 is also significant in other ways. Children need not be classified into narrowly defined categories to receive services. The importance of the family in development has been heavily emphasized, especially for those children under age three years. For infants and toddlers, the definition of what constitutes intervention services has been broadened. For all children, a wide variety of possible intervention options has been acknowledged. It is clear that the passage of P. L. 99-457 is not the final stop for advocates of early intervention. Concerns regarding how states will implement preschool services and how service policies will be defined remain. Questions regarding services for infants and toddlers are just beginning to be addressed. Many problems still exist, but Public Law 99-457 represents a major accomplishment for advocates of early intervention and a benefit for the children and families who will receive services. Problems in the Present Currently, early intervention activities regarding the development of and research on â€Å"best practices† are occurring. However, there is a growing tendency to question some of what has been accomplished by early intervention. Questions have arisen concerning the research on which early intervention activities are based and on the data from which costs have been obtained. These particular areas–research and costs–have traditionally provided a foundation for early intervention. This report briefly reviews concerns regarding knowledge of costs and the research base of early intervention. Early Intervention Research In a â€Å"review of reviews,† White, Bush, and Casto (1985-86) found overwhelming agreement that early intervention is effective (94% of fifty-two studies). Unfortunately, they also found that a number of these reviews based this assertion primarily or solely on studies done with disadvantaged children. The benefits of early intervention for disadvantaged children are not a major issue of contention. Controversy ensues when these findings are over generalized to children with handicaps. A number of well-conducted reviews of early intervention for handicapped children has been completed. These reviews have been cautious with their conclusions, but overall the findings have been quite negative, particularly regarding the validity of the studies. Dunst, Snyder, and Mankinen (1987) found that 71% of the forty-nine studies they reviewed used methods that made the results scientifically uninterpretable. Other researchers essentially agreed with the Dunst, Snyder, and Mankinen findings. They then attempted to argue that the lack of effectiveness found for early intervention programs was a result of the nature of studies in early intervention. Researchers used meta-analytic techniques to examine a number of common assumptions made regarding early intervention programs and found little empirical support for those assumptions. An extremely comprehensive review by Dunst, Snyder, and Mankinen ( 1987), which examined 105 studies by degree of causality and by type of child served, was no more positive for the early intervention movement. These authors stated that any conclusions regarding the efficacy of early intervention must be considered tentative and conditional. They noted that â€Å"there is insufficient evidence at this time to conclude that there are cause-effect relationships between the interventions and outcomes observed†. Dunst and associates further stated, in agreement with Casto and Mastropieri (1986), that children in early intervention programs do make positive developmental and behavioral changes across time but that â€Å"the extent to which the interventions are responsible for observed effects is difficult to ascertain† (p. 285 ). Some researchers have been critical of reviews of early intervention because they tend to exclude single-subject methodology research. Many of the problems in reviewing this literature base are related to the subjective nature of comparing this research, as no standard metric is employed across studies. Reviews of the single-subject literature in early intervention have been conducted and are favorable but have not significantly refuted other reviews. Single-subject studies do show strong evidence for a functional relationship between dependent and independent variables. These single-subject studies usually focus on a narrow, well-defined objective. Although this is useful for demonstrating functional relationships, it represents only parts of the whole of an early intervention program. Also, these studies are usually conducted under rigorous investigative control, a feature not available in most early intervention programs. Successful programs frequently have problems when disseminated for use by a wider audience. Also, many single-subject studies do not sufficiently address generalization and maintenance issues. Researchers provide suggestions for single-subject research in early intervention, many of which are identical to those that need to be addressed by group research.

Citizens Rights and Responsibilities Essay

Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens In today’s society, the responsibilities of the citizens are to know their rights. Citizens are expected to; understand the rules that our government has presented to us, abide by these rules for our own well being and freedom, and serve our communities and government back. In 1789, the Constitution of the United States was ratified. Many people were not pleased with this constitution; they felt as though it did not protect their rights to the fullest extent and wanted to amend the constitution. On December 15, 1791, the Constitution of the United States was amended and we were given ten amendments, known as The Bill of Rights, to protect our freedoms. The Bill of Rights is a list of the most important rights citizens have and value. The purpose of the bill is to protect against any infringement from the government, so the citizens can live in a free nation and have control over their communities and lives. The first amendment on the Bill of Rights states, â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. † This amendment protects the right to fallow whatever religion one chooses to and be able to safely practice that religion. The amendment also grants one the freedom to say whatever they want, as long as it does not cause an out break of danger and chaos. Freedom of the press allows one to write and publish anything appropriate to the community. Freedom of assembly is the individual right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests at certain times and places. Lastly, to petition the Government for a redress of grievances, this specifically prohibits Congress from abridging the right of the people. The second amendment; â€Å"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. This amendment guarantees a strong, well trained military to protect the United States. This amendment also protects the right to own a firearm and the government can’t say otherwise. â€Å"No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. † The third amendment states that soldiers are not allowed to be plac ed and granted access to live in ones home with out the owner agreeing to it first. The government may ask the owner, and with permission the soldier may take residency. The forth amendment states ; â€Å"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. This amendment protects the right of ones possession. Any representation of the government is not allowed to go though ones possessions and/or make an entry to ones living environment with out a warrant that allows such activities; then the government may search and take away personal belongings. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. The fifth amendment give one the right to refuse to answer a question because the response could provide self-incriminating evidence of an illegal conduct punished by fines, penalties or forfeiture. It also states that no one is to be denied the right to life, liberty, and property. Ones private property may not be taking by the government and used for the public without a higher consent. The sixth amendment of the Bill of Rights states; â€Å"In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence. This gives everyone convicted of a crime the right to a trial by jury in the district where the crime was committed. â€Å"In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law. † The seventh amendment codifies the right to a jury trial in certain civil trials. The eighth amendment prohibits the government from excessive bail and from harsh, unlawful punishment. â€Å"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. † â€Å"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. † The ninth amendment addresses rights of the people that are not specifically enumerated in the Constitution. The last amendment, the tenth amendment; â€Å"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people† restates the Constitution’s principle of federalism by providing that powers not granted to the federal government nor prohibited to the states by the Constitution of the United States are reserved to the states or the people. The responsibilities of the citizens are also to vote, attend jury duty and to attend to community participation. Voting is not only a right, it is a privilege; by voting, the people have a voice in the government. If one is presented with the task of jury duty, they are expected to take off from work and attend. Jury duty is an important way to participate in government, unique to America and fundamental to preserving our commitment to government by the people. These are all rights for us, the citizens, as a way to retain control of our own lives and communities with out the infringement of the government so the government doesn’t have complete control. Work Sited: http://www. kids. gov/6_8/6_8_government_rights. shtml http://www. archives. gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript. html

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 17

English - Essay Example There are advantages and disadvantages to mobile phone technology, and pros and cons can be explored to find a good balance. Just ten or twenty years ago, mobile phones were being dismissed as a fat or a passing phase. But today, everyone has to have the latest phone. Most people have the latest mobile and their own reasons to have their mobiles in their hands. The young generation seems to have more of these mobile phones than anyone else. It allows making and receiving calls and text, playing games, surfing the internet and listening to music. Often, all of these tasks are in one machine, so that there is integration. The features that attract the users to mobile phones are that people like ringtones, mp3, wallpapers, camera, video recordings, picture messaging (MMS), and Bluetooth mobile technology. These technologies are constantly evolving, and making communication faster and better between people. Unfortunately, it is not always cheap. But mobile phones can also be affordable, such as pay-as-you-go plans and simple phones without a lot of internet or 3G/4G extras. If you want to imagine the importan ce of mobile phones to people, just ask them to leave their phones separate from them for a day, and then see their reaction. That shows how people became dependent on their mobile phones. According to a survey that was done In Germany there were used to be 2.4 million mobile phones in 1994 but in 2007 it has increased to 97.4 million and now worldwide it is about 3 billion (Alexander, 2008). This shows a short period of growth but a very rapid growth in the amount of people using wireless phone. Especially with the introduction of internet-capable cell phones, people have been expanding their options. Mobile phones made the life of each person that uses it is easier, fast and more comfortable, it allows a person to stay in touch with his family, friends whenever and wherever they need to. It is

Yourself Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Yourself Marketing - Essay Example Research has shown that about 85% of job vacancies are never advertised due to the resources required t put up an advert. This means that one should keep sending companies that are deemed to have ample opportunities. Such companies are identified not only by their profit margins but their size, location and industry. It is also crucial to have an up to date resume on several online job boards. A resume should be precise and attractive to a potential employer. It is necessary to remember that employers receive thousands of other applications and may never go through the whole batch. In cases where an applicant has no work experience, internship and relevant academic projects should be included. A resume should be tailored to suit a specific job application. A job applicant should have negotiating skills once a potential employer gives an offer. A potential employee should negotiate a salary offer based on his work experience, skills that he possesses prior achievements just to name a few. An interviewee should to find out what an employee with similar qualification

Will more gun law lead to less gun violence Research Paper

Will more gun law lead to less gun violence - Research Paper Example A lower percentage of people consider protecting the legal right to own a gun as opposed to protecting people from gun associated violence. Anti-gun-control opinions are that if more states amended compulsory laws for criminals who commit crimes using guns, violence will be unaffected since such laws have been in existence but have failed to cut down crime. More laws on handguns have not had any significant effect on murder levels due to the high rate of handguns already in circulation before the laws took effect. Laws that seek to reduce guns in criminals hands might fail to reduce violence because active criminals can steal them or they can buy from the black market (Lott 34). As difficult as it may be to accept, the truth is that it is not very possible to stop a shooter no matter the number of guns present. The only way to stop or lessen gun violence is to prevent the offender from acquiring the guns first. It is not convincing to argue that guns save life, as some people will say, since with 300 million guns already circulating, no solution has been evidenced but laws discouraging acquisition of more guns may be a logical

Learning Theorie Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Learning Theorie - Research Paper Example This learning theory then is closely linked to pragmatist philosophy, as they both articulate the world in this constructive lens. There are a variety of ways that constructivist learning theory can be implemented in training. The extent that constructivism can be implemented in learning is dependent on the extent that it is embraced by the instructional designer. In this way radical constructivists believe that all knowledge should be instructed through these methods. Still, in most use constructivism is implemented as a means of instructing higher order thinking skills. In these instances, more traditional instruction methods face great challenges in encapsulating the varieties of information. Specifically, constructivist techniques rely largely on shared interactions between students. In this way students’ divergent understandings of subject matter are integrated into a construction of reality. In other instances, students engage in applications of knowledge that simulate real-world situations; in these instances, the students’ interaction with the real world situation contributes to their know ledge

Macro Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Macro Economics - Essay Example INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THE ARTICLE: The article summarizes current situation of the economy of United States and comment on the different policies and initiatives taken by the government. Writer, with the help of this article, wants to explain the changing attitude of the consumers in the market of United States. The ongoing decreases in the income level have resulted in generation of feelings against the government of United States. There has been around 9.8 percent decline in the national income, for the period starting from recession till June 2011, which is highest in previous some decades (Pear). Although there have been slight improvement in the unemployment rate, the overall wage rate has been stagnant or decreasing. Different factors have been identified for this by the writer like increasing number of people looking for jobs, people are ready to work at low wages, and the wage rate per hour is not able to cover the increase in the overall cost because of inflation (Pear). Along with this the writer has presented the ideas of different economists and analysts, who are of the view that recession has not yet ended for the economy of United States of America. People are facing serious issues because of the lack of jobs and reduced wage rates. As a result the overall spending has also decreased. EVALULATION AND EXPLANATION OF THE ARTICLE: In the article, Pear has provided different statistics in order to prove the decline in the overall household income and take home wages. Article presents different reasons behind the decline of this wage rates and national income. One main reason is the growing unemployment rate, there are increasing number of people who are looking for jobs out there. Owing to the increase in the unemployment rate, people working in different organizations cannot demand for salary increase. Unemployed people are ready to work at low wage rates, which further put downward pressure on the average wage rates in United States. This change can be explained with the help of the concept of supply and demand in the labor market. It has been known through the concept of the Marginal Productivity, that there is an inverse relationship between the wage rate and the demand of the labor. On the other hand the supply of the labor is directly related with the wage rate. If the supply of the labor is more than the demand of the labor, a situation which results in unemployment, the overall wage rates in the economy decrease considerably (Mankiw, 376-388). The decreased wage rate and increasing unemployment level has direct impact on the consumption and spending of the consumers which in turn influence the total GDP and output of any economy. The total output or GDP consists of different components namely: private consumption, government spending, investments, and net exports i.e. exports minus the imports (Leamer, 44-45). GDP = C + I + X – M Private consumption is related to the level of earnings of the people. The disposa l income is the income earned by people after paying the taxes (Arnold, 209). The consumption is equal to disposal income plus savings. C = Yd + S Consumption function describes the direct relationship between private consumption and disposal income. Slope of the consumption function is known as the marginal propensity to consume, which explains the change in consumption because of the change in disposal income (Wessels, 139-141). C = a + bYd Where: a =

Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 19

Interview - Essay Example I then vowed to enter the industry through cartoonist as that was the best starting point. I can categorically state that my work is quite impressive having undergone serious positive changes. I appreciated the need to listen to criticism from friends, fans and family and work towards filling such gaps. Besides I familiarized myself with the industry and software based on self-study so as to gain skills required to become a successful artist by incorporating comments arising from every stakeholder . My art has been so impactful and inspirational based on the ideas and thoughts I raise. I have become known by the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC). Besides, I am always being invited by companies and Institutes to assist in project developments based on the uniqueness in how I organize my thoughts and ideas that have impacted making people to like my art. My styles are being imitated by various Companies within the industry based on negotiations and agreements. I am so delighted with my progress and subsequently I have been furthering my study in the past one year which has seen me take a break in the media industry so as to come back very vocal. I am inspired by the phrase, â€Å"It is never too late† that was clearly evident in WisdomSeven. This motivates me to see everything as possible and still have to dig deep through studies to attain necessary knowledge and skills required in the industry so as to be successful. Besides, studying makes one explore new things and expansion of mind. This further inspires me but my work will always circumvent around

Being educated is not about certificates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Being educated is not about certificates - Essay Example He is against the traditional way of imparting education because it falls miserably short of what the "actual" aim of education should be. Kohn is of the firm view that being educated has no co-relation with having and/or acquiring certificates/degrees. He contends that the present cirriculum and the standardized system of testing in vogue today in the United States, should be abolished and a "progressive" system be put in its place. This is so because he wants the students to be no only well trained and literate in their chosen fields but also be well rounded personalities who on the one hand are intellectually sound and on the other hand are loving, caring and lovable individuals. The author has experience of people who have many certificates, but according to him they can in no way be considered educated because they lack the essential hands on experience to deal with many expected and unexpected situations/experiences that the real world affords them. They lack the qualities to face such situations because they (the students) have been brought up in a cloistered environment of the class room/school. To give an example, consider what would happen to a plant that has been grown in a controlled environment inside a laboratory, once the said plant/sapling, is exposed to the natural (uncontrolled) environment, it will wilt and die. 3. Both Kohn and the writer are in agreement that a great barrier in improving the standard of education in the United States is the out dated stance of the conservative politicians, the policy makers/ bureaucrats and the heads of big corporations who are in league that favors the traditional system because it serves their purposes. This traditional system provides an inexhaustible line of clone like individuals to the big corporations, who act according to their commands/orders without question and help run their mills and factories smoothly without

Serial Rapist Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Serial Rapist - Research Paper Example Some people commit the crime of rape for once or twice but some are the serial rapists who continue to do what they want in order to fulfill their wishful yet deadly desires. No law or court can stop their ultimate desires and its subsequent actions. Where ever they go they take their rapping attributes with them because they do not consider it a crime rather they call it their right. One similar case of a serial rapist illustrates that the criminal was arrested and then sentenced to prison in 1994 in Manhattan, New York. He was an old offender of raping and exploiting women. He once raped a business woman of 30+ years old in her own apartment. This guy managed to get into the house when she was out and hide. When she returned back in the late afternoon she did not know that some serious criminal is waiting for her on the side. As soon as she opened the door she found him in front of her. She looked at his face and then she could never remove his image from her mind. That guy raped t he girl. This was not his first act of rape rather he was a serial rapist who had been involved in other raping activities as well in Manhattan. However, the girl was raped for the first time. This girl had a clear look on his face whereas in all his previous cases he was able to hide his identity so that nobody could report against him. NYPD’s Detective Bureau has a Special Victim’s Squad to deal with the cases related to rape and forceful sex in the New York. This Bureau has a very distinctive way of investigation. They initiate the search of the offender with his Composite Sketch. In this case also they were able to draw the sketch of the criminal with the help of the girl victim who could easily recall his features and then told to the sketch designer. The composite sketch session went pretty successful and the detective unit got the sketch of the serial rapist. The victim herself was satisfied with the drawn sketch and said that it closely resembles the original person. The detective then made several photocopies of the criminal’s sketch which were then sent to the printing press in order to make it a wanted poster. This poster was then distributed among all the departments and key positions. It was hanging under some police boundaries that Assistant District Attorney (ADA) was within the Ne w York City for some other responsibilities and purposes. As she had a sight of the wanted poster she immediately recognized him as her step brother. She showed the highest level of courage and selflessness by telling the Detective Squad about her relationship with this serial rapist and fully cooperated with them in the investigations. Her recognition of the picture gave a very important clue to the Squad. The serial rapist was Anthony. This man lived in Florida where he was involved in rape cases. Few years ago he was arrested by the police because of the same crime. He was released just a few months before his recent case. The Special Victims Squad successfully arrested him from his Florida residence and he was then presented to the victim who also recognized him. During Anthony’s trial the judge identified that he used to have a great pleasure in raping women. He never considered it as a crime or an illegal activity. He was pretty much contented with what he was doing. Si nce he had committed the first degree rape therefore he was sentenced to 20 to 40

Dorothy and the Tree Essay Example for Free

Dorothy and the Tree Essay Stanley Fish discusses how we in society base our lives off of assumptions. Using the example of Dorothy and the tree, Fish is able to show how with our assumptions, we as people categorize others and things into what we believe to be correct. Whether or not we have actually taken the time to figure out if we are right is irrelevant. He notes that we should just â€Å"keep trying to expand our sense of ‘us’ as far as we can†, so we can avoid judgments and isolating ourselves from the rest of society. Even though Dorothy realizes her mistake, she doesn’t realize that it is not a failure, but her consciousness assuming the classification of things in the world. Fish later on defines thought as the â€Å"structure that at once enables perception†, meaning that within categories things emerge, limiting perception and nothing can allow one to see everything because that is God’s job. Fish uses many Bible allusions to create justification for his assertions. He uses Genesis 1:26, and Paul’s road to Damascus to show that people can be persuaded to change their placement of things in society. Despite all of his valid points, Fish states that it is nearly impossible for one to change just on realizations. He believes it takes practice to accept the fact that there are things that we cannot comprehend because there is no limit on the conceptual trappings of society.

Eualuation of National Solidarity Program

Eualuation of National Solidarity Program EUALUATION OF NATIONAL SOLIDARITY PROGRAM: PEOPLE PARTICIPATION, CHALLENGES AND SUSTAINBALITY The case of Sayed Abad District of Wardak Province Tariq Salari Table of Contents (Jump to) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Context of the study 1.2. Rationale of the study 1.3. Hypothesis: 1.4. Limitation of the Study: 1.5. Organization of the thesis: ABBREVIATIONS AF Afghani (Currency of Afghanistan) ANDS Afghanistan National Development Strategy AREU Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit AusAID Australian Agency for International Development CDCs Community Development Councils CDP Community Development Plan CRDP Comprehensive Rural Development Program CSO Central Statistics Organization DAC Development Assistance Committee DFID Department for International Development EPA Environmental Protection Agency EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FP Facilitating Partner IFAD International Fund for Agriculture GDP Gross Domestic Product HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus ILO International Labour Organization IWG-PA Informal Working Group on Participatory Approaches Methods KW Kilowatt N Number NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NGO Non Governmental Organization NSP National Solidarity Program OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development PDPs Provincial Development plans PIDRA Participatory Integrated Development in Rain-fed Area SAHEE Sustainability for Agriculture, Health, Education and Environment SCA Swedish Committee for Afghanistan UN United Nation UNDP United Nation Development Program UN ESCAP United Nation Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific UNESC United Nation Economic and Social Council UNRISD United Nation Research Institute for Social Development USAID United States Agency for International Development USFAA United States Foreign Assistance Act WB World Bank WCARRD World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development WECD World Commission on Environment and Development WMP Watershed Management Program 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Context of the study In the 1950s and 1960s many top-down development programs failed because of the wrong policies of the governments, donors and non-governmental organizations, which people were not involved in the design and implementation of the projects. World Bank (1994) proclaimed that top-down fashion entailed long bureaucratic process; they prefer participatory approaches because it is â€Å"learning by doing† which means people learn throughout the process. Top-down forms provide limited opportunities for participatory learning and decision-making as well. It obstructs local culture and habits (FAO, 1997). Shah (2012) stated that it is assumed that if local people were involved in the project cycle, it would be more successful. In most countries top-down policies caused the isolation of the people, increase in poverty, social and economic inequalities and deprivation. Many governments, non-governmental organizations and development agencies have acknowledged that traditional top-down approaches in many developing and developed countries failed to reach the benefits of rural people (FAO, 1991). Moreover, Binns et al. (1997) asserts that top-down strategies have failed to raise living standards of rural people; these approaches ignore rural people’s perception, needs and understanding. It is clear that without people’s participation it would be difficult for the planners to understand the socioeconomic and cultural situation, needs, problems and priorities of the rural communities. In the last few years the term of participation has become popular, especially in relation to sustainability of rural development projects (Bagherian et al, 2009). In the 1970s people’s participation recognized as a missing component of development projects which caused intensifying poverty (Karl, 2000). Participatory approach got momentum after the World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (WCARRD) organized in 1997. WCARRD emphasized on the organization and active participation of rural people in the development programs (UN ESCAP, 2009). Local participation is considered as a vitally important factor for rural development projects, since rural people are the only one who knows their own problems better than anyone else. Hence, participation improves ownership, helps with rural people’s knowledge and boosts sustainability of rural development projects. In 1990, after more than four decades of providing foreign aids to developing countries, the assistin g and major donor agencies came up with the issue of benefits and activities in long term after stopping aids fund. They tried to establish local governance to manage resources and ensure long term sustainability (Bossert, 1990; Mohammad, 2010). A project can be sustained when the beneficiaries are involved in the project cycle; they will train throughout the project and would be enabled to work for their community in the future. Agriculture and livestock sector plays a vital role in the rural economy of Afghanistan. According to the World Bank (2012) rural population measured 76.14% where agriculture is the primary activity. Despite of the many challenges rural economy contributes to more than half of the country’s GDP. The three decades of war, turmoil, instability, revolution and social disruption enormously affected rural people in terms of social development and economic growth. Social institutions and economic infrastructures have been destroyed, sources of livelihoods, housing, schools and hospitals were demolished (Rahimi, 2013). After a long time, the government of Afghanistan and International Community in 2002 began some initiatives to reconstruct and stabilize the country through local communities. Zakhilwal and Thomas (2005) suggest that for longer peace and stability, rural participatory policies are needed to include those people who were often excluded from the decision-making before, especially women who have historically been victims of imbalanced development. The Transitional Government of Afghanistan in 2002 has started national programs. One of these programs was National Solidarity Program (NSP) to create, build up and maintain Community Development Councils (CDCs) as effective foundations for local governance and socioeconomic development (NSP-Web, 2014). NSP as a bottom-up program was created in 2003 to develop the ability of Afghan communities to identify, plan, manage and monitor their own development projects (NSP-Web, 2013). Development projects have a crucial role in the local development, since they improve the living standards of local people, empower local people and educate rural communities. Hence, it is important to be sustained which depends on the project selection, project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Without active participation of local people, it is impossible to achieve this goal (sustainability), which NSP projects couldn’t meet this criterion many projects have failed to produce expected outcomes. This study examines people participation in NSP projects and it explores major obstacles of people participation and likely sustainability of two projects in Sayed Abad district of Wardak province. 1.2. Rationale of the study Since 2001 government have put the issue of local participation in the centre of their policies and much more attention has been paid to rural areas and community participation, to bring people together in order to utilize the local resources, as well as to improve the livelihood of the rural people. In the first couple of years government tried to build capacity at local level in the public sector and civil society but these efforts had light impact. Subsequently, Afghan government jointly with the International Community initiated national programs to cope with poverty, engage directly people in the reconstruction process of the country, empower local people and make them responsible for their own development (Rahimi, 2013). Mostly the process of these programs has been bottom up, which has mainly focused on minorities and underprivileged strata of the community. But it is supposed that in some regions these initiatives have not succeeded to perceive the objectives of community par ticipation and empowerment in the local projects and many times it criticized that minorities, especially women have not been involved in these efforts, and still people are suffering from the elite and power-holders interference in the rural development projects. This study attempts to answer the empirical questions which often asked that whether in the NSP program people meaningfully participated and whether people’s participation incorporated with sustainability of the projects. With this background and empirical questions, the entire study was designed to meet the following objectives: To identify the level of involvement of local people in the National Solidarity Program (NSP) projects in the study area. To explore the barriers and factors that affect community participation in National Solidarity Program (NSP) projects in Sayed Abad district. To examine the sustainability of the NSP projects in the study area. To make recommendations based on the findings of this study. 1.3. Hypothesis In Sayed Abad district of Wardak province, elite power holders, socio-cultural situation and personal relationship caused isolation of minorities, especially in case of participation of women in the National Solidarity Program. Threatened security conditions, lack of substantial information and conflicts among tribes are the biggest challenges for community participation in the National Solidarity Program in Sayed Abad district. Meaningfully Participation of people in National Solidarity program likely lead to sustainability of projects in Sayed Abad district. 1.4. Limitation of the Study The limitations are mainly related to the availability of information and time, difficulties of collecting primary data in rural area of Afghanistan. It is not an easy task because of the threatened security conditions and a high illiteracy rate of the citizens. Some of the limitations are listed below: Lack of time and financial limitation. Security problems in Wardak province. Unwillingness of the respondents to give information due to security problems. Bureaucratic policy in the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Rural Development. Lack of secondary data due to absence of database in the provincial office of NSP. Absence of the officials and members of Community Development Councils (CDCs). 1.5. Organization of the thesis The entire thesis has been organized in five chapters. The first chapter highlights the context of the study, objectives, hypothesis and limitation of the study. Chapter two includes an extended literature review about the history of participation, definition of participation and sustainability, typology of participation, factors influencing participation and sustainability, relationship between participation and sustainability of the projects, social exclusion and inclusion and a short description of NSP. Principle concepts, information about study area, methods and tools used in the analysis are elaborated in the chapter three. Chapter four explores the results and findings in a logical scientific manner to accomplish the objectives and test the hypothesis of the study. Chapter five presents conclusions based on research outcomes and also some recommendations for enhancing the people’s participation in rural development projects and sustainability. In the next chapter the st udy is summarized and finally the sources of research materials, books and research papers related to the present investigation are listed.

RC Cola Marketing Plan

RC Cola Marketing Plan The product for the particular assignment is RC Cola which used to be a product of Royal Crown Cola Inc till 2001. In 2001 Company sold Royal Cola International to Cott International, now all the brands are under the acquisition of Cott International. For the purpose of this assignment we will be looking at the marketing plan for the product that is drafted particularly for the country from which I belong Pakistan. A reason for choosing this product is more a personal reason. RC Cola was one of the favourite drinks when i was a school boy and in late 1990s RC Cola started to lose its popularity and starts to fade away. After sometime it was out classed by Pepsi and coke. I have tried to draw out a marketing plan for RC Cola because i know that there are so many people in Pakistan who used to fancy RC Cola in their childhood and want it to make a comeback. For the purpose of making a marketing plan for the chosen product, we will do the situation analysis of the Soft Drink Industry in Pakistan. The Marketing Strategies that can be adopted by the company to gain competitive edge and the Marketing Mix for the product. The later part of the assignment looks at the Actions that should be taken in order to implement the plan and any control measures that should be taken to make the plan successful. In the end we will draw out a budgeting plan that should be allocated for the advertisement campaign of the product. Marketing Objective The objective of drafting out the marketing plan for RC Cola is to win the market share in Pakistan and beat Pepsi and coke which are the two big competitors in that region. This objective is set because in past RC Cola has been the market leader for more than 20 years in Pakistan and there was no competition. This object might be difficult to achieve but is not impossible as RC cola has a very strong brand name which is a strong edge. Only thing needed is to formulate a right strategy and to make adjustment to the product according to the strategy. Industrys Situation Analysis Before drafting out a marketing plan for the chosen product it is important to analyse the industry situation. It includes the analysis of strengths and the weaknesses along with the opportunities and the threat that can affect the choice of the marketing strategy that we will adopt. At the moment the soft drinks industry of Pakistan is dominated by the products of Pepsi (market leader) and coke. Strengths Due to the hot weather conditions the Pakistan soft drink market has enjoyed a massive growth in the terms of volume. Soft drinks industry comprises of carbonated drinks, juices and milk shakes etc. Among all of these carbonated drinks have the highest market share. This is because the change in the lifestyles of the people, as it is perceived that drinking a soft drink makes the person look cool. The sales analysis of the soft drinks industry in Pakistan shows that the sales have grown in both ways firstly people buying sales directly from the cold drink shop and secondly people going to hotels and having drinks with their food. This clearly shows that the soft drinks have become a part of the culture and have out classed the homemade drinks i.e. Lassi (drink made by adding milk, yogurt) etc. Weaknesses The sale of soft drinks is normally seasonal; it achieves its peak in the summer and then starts to fall down as the summer progresses to meet winter. The soft drinks like Lemon and Orange squash are not strong enough in reputation to beat the traditional drinks which are made by adding two spoons into water, mostly known as Sandalwood the best one in Pakistan are Roh Afza and Jam e Shiri. Opportunities Government of Pakistan has reduced taxes such as VAT and Excise in order to attract more foreign investments. The labour is very cheap in Pakistan along with the running costs of a factory. This makes it easier to install and run the factory. Threats Increase in the awareness of heath related issues, people have started to turn towards fresh juices. Education providers and media have raised health related issues caused by the regular use of carbonated soft drinks Mostly people in Pakistan are now becoming self conscious about their diet and have preferred not to use cold drinks as it contains ingredients that increase obesity. Marketing Strategies Marketing strategies that company can adopt for a specified product are: Cost Leadership Strategy Mass Marketing Cost Leadership Strategy Cost leadership strategy is a strategy which involves company trying to win the market share by targeting the cost sensitive customers. Company should consider this strategy for several reasons. Which are listed below. The average income per person in Pakistan is very low and the soft drink companies like Pepsi and coke have increased their prices in recent past. Looking at it as an opportunity Cott international can keep their prices low as it use to have in past and try to capture the market share. There are about an average of four kids per couple in a country like Pakistan, most of the kids are school going and they need pocket money but due to low average income kids dont get enough pocket money. If company keeps the cost of RC Cola low than that school going kids will be potential customers. There is a tradition in Pakistan that people are invited on marriage ceremonies where food and drinks are served. By keeping the cost low will encourage those people to buy RC Cola as they will want to save money on something. Mass Marketing Mass marketing is a strategy in which company ignores the market segment and go into target everyone, everywhere with one offer. Mass marketing is suitable as well in case of Cott International for the following reasons. It is companys objective to gain as much market share as they could to become a market leader. For this Cott International has to start a massive marketing campaign starting from the south of Pakistan and going up to the northern areas of Pakistan. Cott International should use print media and television advertisements as these two are the mostly used modes of media in Pakistan. Marketing Mix Strategies Marketing decisions cannot be made without looking at the factors such as: Product Price Place Promotion People Process Physical Evidence Product Product is a term which refers to the tangible (physical process) and services. Before starting the marketing campaign Cott International should think of about the presentation of RC Cola. Decline of RC Cola shows that there was something wrong in the product or there was something more well in the products provided by Pepsi and Coke. Rebranding of the product is not an option in case of RC Cola as it is an internationally recognised brand and has a history of more than 100 years. It is consumed by children and adults all over the world. Rebranding in case of RC Cola means that the name of Royal Crown will be replaced by a new brand, which will not be an effective move. Company should try to improve the quality of the product, for example they should try not to use Caffeine in the drinks as they used to have. As mentioned above people in Pakistan have become more aware about the health and hygiene issues and they know that Caffeine is not good for the health in long term. RC Cola should try to improve the taste of their drink, this is because it tastes a bit bitter as compared to Pepsi and Coke. Currently the there is no variety in the taste and they are only offering RC Cola and RC Cola Diet. Company should look to launch RC Cola with variety of tastes as other companies have done. Option of developing new products such as RC Cola Cherry and RC Cola Strawberry is a good option. It should be made available in different sizes ranging from 250 ml to 2.5 Litre. Option of having disposable bottles should be considered. Price As the product has been in decline and out of market for a while so the best option is to adopt marketing penetration strategy and keeping the prices low. This is because our objective is to gain the market share which cannot be achieved if the prices are high. The price should not be too low otherwise it will be perceived as a low quality drink by people. As government has levied the taxes for this particular industry which has resulted in reduced cost to the company, even if company set low prices it will not incur any loss. Place This is related to how the product is made available to the customers. It is all about distribution of the product in market. Traditionally in Pakistan the soft drinks manufacturers have links with distributions and wholesalers. So keeping in mind how it works in particular country it is advisable that company should develop relationship with wholesaler and distribution holders, where they could place their product and the product is made available to the consumers. In this case company should go for the strategy of intensive distribution that ensures that product is placed at as many outlets as possible by the company. Because they aim to cover the large number of customers, so it should be made sure that RC Cola is available in each corner of the Pakistan. Using distributions will also save the cast that would have been incurred if company has to store the product in their warehouse. Distributions somehow provide storage facility as well. Promotion This part marketing mix is of high importance to Cott International as they have to do massive promotion in order to win the market share from the current market leader. Elements of promotional mix on which company should focus more are as follows. Advertisement Sales Promotion Sponsorships Public Relations Advertisement Company should advertise on popular television channels such as Geo, Ary Digital, Aag. TV commercials should be creative and attractive as it will have impact on the thinking of the people. Currently Pepsi and Coke are very good in tv advertisements so i order to get to that level company should make a separate advertisement department. In Pakistan there are so many cultural and religious events for example Basant (spring festival), Ramdan and Eid. So company should seek to make adverts according to the festivals. Print media such as news papers and magazines are another very strong media type in Pakistan. People love to read newspapers early morning, company should advertise in popular newspapers such as Jang and The Nation. Company should use big advertisement boards in main parts of large cities of Pakistan. Using banners to advertise will be another good option. Sales Promotion It a short term incentive aimed at generating sales or encouraging consumer trial of the companys products. Company can distribute free samples of the RC Cola to the costumers so that they are made aware about the product with new packaging and taste. Company should seek to introduce new offers such as Buy a 2L jumbo size bottle and get 250ml for free. People in Pakistan love to get things for free so this will work. Company can introduce a lucky draw in which winner will get a car and runners up gets small prizes. Customers have to scratch the specific part of bottle in order to get the code then they have to sms that code with their details and they will be included in the draw. This will encourage people to buy because every time they will buy, they get a code which increases their winning chances. Company can give free refrigerators with the company logo and name on it to the retailers and can ask them to use it only for RC Cola products. Company may put vending machines with their logo in schools, colleges and universities. This will remind the people about the existence of product. Sponsorship This is when an organisation undertakes to carry the cost of hosting an event in return for advertising space. Company can sponsor Pakistan Cricket Team, by sponsoring them company will provide them cricket kits, bats and pads. On the kit of cricket team they can put their logo and also company will get space to advertise their boards on the boundaries or even on the wickets if match he taking place in Pakistan. People in Pakistan are diehard fans of cricket so there is good chance of this option to work. Company shall sponsor musical concerts of singers like Atif Aslam Ali Zafar. Because thousands of people attend those concerts, this is the good way of making sure that people remain aware about presence of product. Cott International should try to sign some cricket players like Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar to work in the companys advertisement. When people will look at their stars drinking this drink they will definitely try it. People People are included in the production and delivery of goods. People make a lot of difference to the company. They should have proper uniforms. Company should have rigorous recruitment system through which they employee well educated and disciplined staff. There should be proper training in place for the employees to carry out their duties in a perfect manner. Sometimes employees have to interact with public during some advertisement campaign, so company should make sure that there employees are friendly. Processes Company should have clear procedures and policies. Everybody should be aware of their duties and responsibility. Company should ensure that all the processes are efficient and the output is error free. Physical Evidence Physical evidence related to those aspects of the service that customer can see and feel so as to form an impression of the services or its provider. Logo: Company should have a unique sign that should make it look different from other companies. It should be distinctive in way that it reminds the customer about the quality of the product that has been provided by the company. Colour: In past RC Cola has used blue and red colour, which does not look different as the market leader Pepsi uses blue colour this might result in the misunderstanding by the customer. Vehicles: Company vehicles such as lorries and truck should be painted and must have companys logo and name on it. Budget Allocation Implementation of a plan needs finances, if there is no finance allocated to the plan than plan will always remain as a piece of paper left inside the drawer of office table. After looking at the pakistans current market rates for the advertisement, budgeted expense has been drafted which is as follows: ______à ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬___ !__ Mode of Media used budgeted expense Television Adverts 2,000,000 Newspapers 100,000 Light Boards 500,000 Magazines 100,000 Total Cost 2,700,000 Once budget is allocated to the project than company should move on to start allocating the responsibilities and tasks. The marketing plan will be of no use if capable people of staff are not assigned duties and given the deadline for fulfilling their tasks. Specify the date on which product will be launched into the market. Time to take Action Date of launching of product is set as 12th December.2010, advertising manager of the company is given 1 week time to put all the bits and pieces in order and prepare for the advertisement campaign of the product. From next Sunday every week an advertisement will be published in the most popular newspapers. Television Adverts will be advertised between 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm on tv channels like Geo and Ary. Advertisements will be placed in magazines. Marketing manager has already specified the major areas where the big light boards will be installed on which advertisement will be displayed. Lorries with a big model of the RC Cola 250ml bottle at their starts to take round of the city for whole day. People will keep this distinctive way of advertisement and will remain aware about the product. Continuous monitoring of all the activities should be carried out in parallel till the launch of product this is done to ensure that any inefficiency or weakness could be overcome by the management well before hand. Critical reflection on learning outcomes RC Cola inc was formed a century ago, when it arrived Pakistani at that time there no other cola and there were no advance mode of marketing which can be found now in Pakistan. People very not aware of these foreign drinks and were fond of traditional drinks, despite of all these factors that prevailed at that time RC Cola gained market share and soon became the market leader. Acquiring market share when there was no vast coverage of media in Pakistan makes me think that there was something in the product that prompted people to buy it again after they use it for the first time. Value is in the mind of the customer, probably there were not enough carbonated drinks in the market so the arrival of RC Cola with a sweet crispy taste should be a possible source of value to the customer. After the initial launch of RC Cola in Pakistan in 1970s-1980s the product growth was very rapid and it became market leader as mentioned already. According to my analysis of the product, the reason for its decline in first place that company did not incurred any cost on research and analysis of the development of any new product and tried to survive on the product which they had. With the passage of time the tastes of the consumer might have changed and at the same time new competitors entered the market and got hold of the situation. What do you expect from a company which do not incur any cost on research and development and when new competitors enters the market with an aggressive marketing strategy at that time company do not have enough finances to launch a marketing campaign in response. The result of all these is definitely a failure and failure always lead to the decline. Moreover the analysis of company shows that there were some law suits against them in 1990s which lead t o compensation payments and cash being dried up. In my point of view these were the problems that led to the decline of product and company itself as well. After the first glance at the assignment i thought as if this requires only drafting a marketing plan for a product that has decline and almost out of the market. But when i start to gather my thoughts on how should i start? What should i consider? I soon realise that it is not only the product which we have to look at but also the external and internal elements that will have an effect on the product directly. Than it was obvious that an analysis of the industry needs to be done. I had number of different models among which i have to use the one that best describes the situation of the industry. For the purpose of doing an industry analysis i chose to use SWOT analysis which looked at positives and the negatives of the industry in which we have to launch our product. I have a professional background of an ACCA and i thought the having studied business analysis in past and gone through all the models, it will not be a difficult task to carry out research and analysis. But my percepti on was proved wrong when i started looking at the product and in particular the company, i have never had a chance in past to study any industry so deeply and finding out what are the strengths on basis of shich you can capitalise and what are the weakness that are inbuilt in the industry. While going through industry analysis my mind was thinking of how the product strengths can be used to overcome the inbuilt weaknesses in industry on other hand i was thinking that how the weaknesses of my product can convert the opportunities that can be availed in that industry into the threats. This thinking process was ongoing throughout the assignment time. After the SWOT analysis of industry and in particular the product, i had gained enough knowledge about how the things were working and evaluating the options on basis of which i could make the product play around in market to gain customer attraction. It was time to draft a proper marketing plan because a wise man have said If you fail to plan than you plan to fail and i really didnt want this product to fail. I realised that marketing plan is not only about Marketing Mix 7 Ps. It starts from the analysis which i have discussed above than it goes on to defining the objectives which the product wants to achieve. Objectives defined should be smart and feasible once the objectives are clear than 7 Ps could be used to design a marketing mix strategy, it covers every aspect of the marketing strategy from external factors to the internal factors. Marketing mix analyse each factor individually and then links them with the objectives and missions of the company. It helps to formulate what e xactly needs to be done. Once your are sure about what should be done than there should be proper budget allocation to the project in order to meet the desired outcomes. Most of the marketing plans fail because there are not enough resources allocated to carry them out in practical. Roles and responsibilities should defined and work should be properly allocated. After all this has been done the marketing plan should be monitored on regular basis so that if there is something which is going wrong than proper actions should be taken in order to sort them out without any delay. This is what my perception about how a marketing plan should be carried out and monitored till the desired objectives are achieved. Now a days the world has become a global village and this has a vast impact on the nature of marketing. There is a big difference between a way how companies market their product now and how it used to be two or three decades ago. Marketing of a product is not limited to any physical barriers now. After the birth of e-marketing the things have changed very positively and business have gone multinationals from nationals. This has reduced the cost to the companies as well and have given a competitive advantage. Few basic market research techniques followed now a days are Surveys, Personal Interviews, Observations and Focused groups. With the birth of e-marketing these marketing researches are now more likely to be carried out via internet. To me the outcome of these market researches is not effective at all. This is because it you look at the first technique that is Surveys in which people will be handed over a form with a number of questions which they have to answer, which is then handed back to the person carrying out survey. If the questionnaire is given in person than there might b a chance that response will be 100% but the reliability of a survey depends on the sample size if the sample size is only 1000 out of a population of 1million than the reliability of the survey could be impaired. Telephonic surveys could also be carried put but it will cost a bit more and are more effective but yet again sample size is the key thing. Focus groups. In focus groups, a moderator uses a scripted series of questions or topics to lead a discussion among a group of people. These sessions take place at neutral locations, usually at facilities with videotaping equipment and an observation room with one-way mirrors. A focus group usually lasts one to two hours, and it takes at least three groups to get balanced results. But still the question arises that everyone has its own point of view and perception about the questions which are being asked. Few number of people cannot represent the thoughts of a large population. Personal Interviews are same as the focus groups but is more tended towards one on one discussion. Observation is an Individual responses to surveys and focus groups are sometimes at odds with peoples actual behaviour. When you observe consumers in action by videotaping them in stores, at work, or at home, you can observe how they buy or use a product. This gives you a more accurate picture of customers usage habits and shopping patterns. After learning alot from this assignment i tried to analyse the marketing strategies and the behaviour towards customers that is practiced in my country and i than compared it with what is happening here. My analysis was mostly based on my personal experiences that i had in past. Not to my surprised i came up with a very huge difference between two environments. Back home in Pakistan customers are not treated as they should be, the shop keepers are rude to customers and they are not cared. On the other hand the behaviour of the people towards their costumers is very courteous and polite because they know the value of having these customers as they generate revenues out of them. This assignment has enhanced my analytical skills and i have very positive plans to go back to my country after completing my course and try to work on creating a value for customers and making them feel good.

Heart of Darkness :: essays papers

Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, achieved classical recognition for its depiction of humanity’s struggle to reconcile good and evil. From the very opening pages of the Bible man has wrestled with choice, opportunity, propensity and instinct. The knowledge of good and evil has surely caused us to die to simplicity and burdened us with the curse of self-awareness. At first it was a struggle for me to get from page to page because of Conrad’s intricate details. I was not accustomed to his unique writing style and I would often find myself lost in his descriptive language. I soon became frustrated with both the book and myself, which made it even more of a task to read. The devastating transition of Kurtz was the factor that awoke my interest. Kurtz, a highly respectable man full of talent and potential was taken over by the evil that stirred from deep within his soul. I found this change of character fascinating because of my interest in the field of psychology. I find the study of human nature intriguing, which attracted me to Kurtz. Conrad had made me wonder what made someone of Kurtz’s caliber change so drastically. I found myself relating this change in character to a personal experience. A year ago someone whom I knew and trusted betrayed me. I saw a side of her that I would have never even imagined was there. Something deep from within caused this person to hurt me, an evil that even she was not aware she possessed. This event in my life made me question what separates the weak from the strong, the good from the evil, or even Kurtz from Marlow? Kurtz’s transition from good to evil led me to the issue of nature vs. nurture. This question of whether hereditary or environment is responsible for the development of ones personality has been around for centuries, and still it remains unanswered. We have discussed this question many times in psychology. Some feel that your personality is reflective of your genetic makeup, and that personality will stay the same regardless of environment. Others are convinced that environment shapes personal characteristics. In The Heart of Darkness, Kurtz seems to have changed because of the environment. He was placed in an atmosphere where his evil instincts were able to take over. Heart of Darkness :: essays papers Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, achieved classical recognition for its depiction of humanity’s struggle to reconcile good and evil. From the very opening pages of the Bible man has wrestled with choice, opportunity, propensity and instinct. The knowledge of good and evil has surely caused us to die to simplicity and burdened us with the curse of self-awareness. At first it was a struggle for me to get from page to page because of Conrad’s intricate details. I was not accustomed to his unique writing style and I would often find myself lost in his descriptive language. I soon became frustrated with both the book and myself, which made it even more of a task to read. The devastating transition of Kurtz was the factor that awoke my interest. Kurtz, a highly respectable man full of talent and potential was taken over by the evil that stirred from deep within his soul. I found this change of character fascinating because of my interest in the field of psychology. I find the study of human nature intriguing, which attracted me to Kurtz. Conrad had made me wonder what made someone of Kurtz’s caliber change so drastically. I found myself relating this change in character to a personal experience. A year ago someone whom I knew and trusted betrayed me. I saw a side of her that I would have never even imagined was there. Something deep from within caused this person to hurt me, an evil that even she was not aware she possessed. This event in my life made me question what separates the weak from the strong, the good from the evil, or even Kurtz from Marlow? Kurtz’s transition from good to evil led me to the issue of nature vs. nurture. This question of whether hereditary or environment is responsible for the development of ones personality has been around for centuries, and still it remains unanswered. We have discussed this question many times in psychology. Some feel that your personality is reflective of your genetic makeup, and that personality will stay the same regardless of environment. Others are convinced that environment shapes personal characteristics. In The Heart of Darkness, Kurtz seems to have changed because of the environment. He was placed in an atmosphere where his evil instincts were able to take over.

Antimicrobial Drug Sensitivity Testing Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Antimicrobial sensitivity testing is important clinically because the proper selection of an antimicrobial drug in the treatment of a bacterial infection is ideally based on the knowledge of the sensitivities of the infecting organism. In this laboratory exercise you will be working within a group performing a commonly used test that is designed to determine whether or not an isolated organism is able to be treated using a specific antimicrobial drug. The procedure is called sensitivity testing. This testing method allows clinicians to obtain information needed in order to make an informed and concise decision in reference to the antimicrobial drug usage. Methods and Materials   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Materials being used in this test include: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6 Mueller-Hinton agar plates †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  14 cartridges of antimicrobial drugs †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  three automatic dispensers †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  two 1mL pipettes and pipette pump †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  broth culture of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  spreading rod soaking in ethanol †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  two forceps soaking in ethanol †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  marking pen †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ruler †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  antimicrobial sensitivity chart To start off this lab you will 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Label the plates wit...

Christianity Essay -- essays research papers fc

Christianity religion was founded in Palestine by the followers of Jesus. One of the world’s major religions, it predominates in Europe and the Americas, where it has been a powerful historical force and cultural influence, but it also claims adherents in virtually every country of the world. Central Beliefs The central teachings of traditional Christianity are that Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In Latin Trinity is define as threefoldness, fundamental doctrine in Christianity, by which God is considered as existing in three persons. While the doctrine is not explicitly taught in the New Testament, early Christian communities testified to a perception that Jesus was God in the flesh; the idea of the Trinity has been inferred from the Gospel of St. John. The developed doctrine of the Trinity purports that God exists in three coequal and coeternal elements—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (LaCunga 360) It sees these â€Å"persons† as constituted by their mutual relations, yet does not mean that God in his essence is Father, or a male deity. Jesus spoke of a relation of mutual giving and love with the Father, which believers could also enjoy through the Spirit. Christians also believe that Jesus’ life on earth, his crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven are proof of God’s love for humanity and God’s forgiveness of human sins; and that by faith in Jesus one may attain salvation and eternal life. This teaching is embodied in the Bible, specifically in the New Testament, but Christians accept also the Old Testament as sacred and authoritative Scripture (Weaver 5). Christian ethics derive to a large extent from the Jewish tradition as presented in the Old Testament, (Carmody, Christian Ethics 15) particularly the Ten Commandments, but with some difference of interpretation based on the practice and teachings of Jesus. Christianity may be further generally defined in terms of its practice of corporate worship and rights that usually include the use of sacraments and that are usually conducted by trained clergy within organized churches. There are, however, many different forms of worship, many interpretations of the role of the organized clergy, and many variations in polity and church organization within Christianity. Divisions within the Religion In the... ...as Islam. People may also become Christian because they have been brought up in a Christian family. Christianity also appeals to many people who are homeless or less fortunate than others because of the promise of a better life after death. Many people regard the Bible as being proof of Christianity, especially the New Testament. If 2 billion people follow Christianity there must be something in it that draws so many people. Whether it is the promise of eternal life or that anyone can become a Christian, or the fact that you belong to something Christianity is one of the largest religions in the world today and is still growing. Bibliography Beach, Waldo. The Christian Life. Richmond: The CLC Press, 1966. Carmondy, Denise, and John Carmody. Christian Ethics: An Introduction through History and Current Issues. Engelwood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1993. ---. Christianity: An Introduction. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1994. Craig, David. What Christians Believe.Boston: Oneworld Publications, 2000. LaCunga, Catherine. God For Us: The Trinity and Christian Life. New York: 1992. Weaver, Mary Jo. Introduction to Christianity. Belmont:Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1984.

Importance of Moral Education Essay

Before 1976, education was the exclusive responsibility of the states. In the Constitutional Amendment of 1976, education was included in the Concurrent list. Since then, the central government continues to play a leading role in the evolution and monitoring of educational policies and programmes, the most notable of which are the National Policy of Education (NPE), 1986, and the Programme of Action, 1986 as updated in 1992. The modified policy envisages a national system of education to bring about uniformity in education, making adult education a mass movement, providing universal access, retention and quality in elementary education and expanding the structure of higher education. Moral education is not our priority. It is not included in any syllabi-whether of science or humanities. Morals or morality, broadly speaking, implies honesty of character, fairness in attitude and absence of evils like jealousy, hatred and greed from actions. Our system of education gives us formal know ledge of various types of subjects but does not teach us what is morality and how to bring the characteristics related to it in our mindset. Our schools, colleges and universities are churning out millions of young graduates every year who are experts in some field of science, art, commerce or technology. No teaching or training is given to the students on moral values. What have been the results of this system of education? We have professionals in every field, but we have few people in society who have a high moral character. The society reflects our education most of our officials whether in public sector or private sector are corrupt. The assets they have acquired are often several times higher than their known sources of income. We read about income-tax raids or Central Bureau of Investigation raids on the residences of high officials. Wealth amounting to crores of rupees is recovered during these raids. We watch on TV channels the scams that are unearthed after regular intervals. What do these incidents reveal? They reveal that our greed has reached gigantic proportions. The attitude of government employees has become so indifferent to public that they are not prepared to help. These unscrupulous workers do not work even for 50 per cent of the total hours of their duty. This is nothing but stealth of time. As students they were taught to solve various types of sums or write answers to different types of questions. They were not taught how to serve the nation. They were  not made aware of the happiness that one derives by working honestly and sincerely. The atmosphere in our schools, colleges and other institutions of education is full of competition. The students are taught to excel one another. Their competition, more often than not, becomes so intense that it leads to rivalries, jealousy and hatred among class-fellows. While it cannot be denied that competition is necessary to achieve higher goals but is totally undesirable if it breeds ill feelings. Our ancient universities of Nalanda and Patliputra created scholars of great repute like Kautilya in Economics and Susruta in Medicine, but they never used competition among the students to move ahead. Actually, these students were taught by the gurus the feelings of mutual help, of being complementary to one another. There was a spirit of sacrifice for the sake of justice and fair play. That is why our ancient societies were happy and prosperous. The teachers and other educationists who are concerned with the orientation of syllabi for schools and colleges are of the opinion that the characteristics of honesty, fair play, goodness and helpfulness which are the ingredients of morality cannot be taught as subjects in any educational institution. They are something which a child inherits from the parents and learns from his family, particularly mother and father. So far as religion is concerned it is also something which everyone acquires from one’s family and other members of the community. India being a secular country, cannot take up religious education in schools and colleges. They argue that, to the extent the moral education can be given in educational institutions, it is given through discipline and punishments for breaking the code of conduct. Any student who steals abuses or hurts others is punished. This is nothing else but imparting of moral education. What these teachers and educationists tend to ignore is that these actions teach only discipline in actions. Evils as they say have large fangs, desires are boundless. The students need to be told the ultimate consequences of acquiring wealth through illegal means when they grow up and take up some job. For this, moral education needs to be taken up as a subje ct. Our life on earth is for a limited period of time. The purpose of human life is not to indulge in luxuries and enjoy the material comforts. They give temporary happiness. The real purpose of life is to develop our spirit in a pure and chaste manner whereby we attain salvation. This is the spiritual lesson which every religion teaches. This is a part of moral  education which each faith teaches us. This should be a part of our education. The educationists have an argument to make in this regard also. They are of the opinion that while framing syllabi for language and literature, the novels, stories, poems and other write-ups of those great religious philosophers are taken which contain this spiritual education. The names of Guru Nanak and Swami Vivekanand are prominent. Among the social reformers the names of Gandhi, Raja Rammohan Roy and others are given. The works of great scholars are sufficient to develop a sense of justice and fairness among the students. It may be true to some extent but the fact remains that by including the works of great religious men and social reformers in the curriculum helps but little. In the examination, the students have to answer the questions based on the text. There is no examination which tests whether the students have adopted this philosophy-whether they have resolved to act according to the philosophy in their own lives. Moral values are extremely important for building a society which is free from the evils of violence, greed, hatred, avarice and jealousy. However, high economic growth do we achieve, whatever high amount of wealth do we accumulate, our society will be afflicted by corruption, inequality and perverity if moral education is ignored. India has been a beacon of light for the world for showing others the values of religion and morality. If we have lost our own path, what will we show to the world? We have to start from the grass-roots level to impart moral education on our children. The syllabi at schools and colleges must include this education so that surely, though slowly our society is purged of all evils and we become role models for others. A great responsibility devolves on the teachers to remove the ill feelings of jealousy and hatred from the pupils’ minds. They must teach the students to achieve their goals through hard work. The attitude of fairness and justice developed in childhood and teenage will lay the foundation of responsible citizens.

African Societies Transformed

Walter Rodney explains how different tribes In Africa survived or were defeated. The Bilbao were one of the tribes most mentioned which lead me to conceptualize that they were very well off. Rodney then went on to describe how they were adequate to(p) to survive. I go forth discuss why I debate they did survive so long and so well. depression off, I do not check into with how the Bijou handled their survival.Raging warfare and capturing your own neighbors Is what the Balboa had to do though. Rodney describes the tribe as geared towards war and the men were great warriors (56). The Bijou would burn mound a village and If the people fought on their way from the burning huts, the Bilbao men would abbreviated them to pieces. The ones that did not fight would be taken captive for the Europeans. Sine the Bilbao tribe were such great warriors. They were very near able to avoid enslavement of their own people.Along with their genius of fighting, they were very easily manipulate d by the Europeans. Because the Bilbao were so easily manipulated, the Europeans could get however many a(prenominal) slaved they wanted or needed. Like I mentioned before, I do not apply with their way of survival but at the uniform time I spate infrastand why they did what they did. Being under the thumb of the Europeans is better than being a slave. I do believe that that was their same logic as well.Considering their situation, I would Greer only if this once, that I would make water done what they did to at least assume a 90% chance of survival. Rodney, Walter. African Societies Were Transformed by the Slave Trade. Oxford university Press Copy justifiedly 1970. African Societies Transformed By jellyroll How The Bilbao Survived Walter Rodney explains how different tribes in Africa survived or were defeated. The First off, I do not agree with how the Bilbao handled their survival. Raging war and capturing your own neighbors is what the Bilbao had to do though.Rodney desc ribes the tribe as geared towards war and the men were great warriors (56). The Bilbao would burn tidy sum a village and if the people fought on their way from the burning huts, the Bilbao men would abridge them to pieces. The ones that did not fight would be taken captive for the Europeans. Sine the Bilbao tribe were such great warriors, they of fighting, they were very easily manipulated by the Europeans. Agree Just this once, that I would have done what they did to at least have a 90%.

Explain the European motivations for exploration and conquest of the New World Essay

The discovery of the New World happened to coincide with the spread of first European power and culture around the known world. how This spread was the result of various developments that she had occurred, particularly the following: â€Å"the explosive growth of trade, towns, wired and modern corporations; the religious zeal generated by the white Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Reformation;†1 as well as the usual reasons of â€Å"greed, conquest, racism, and slavery. †2 By the time of the 1400s, these and other forces combined to own make Europeans search for new lands to conquer logical and settle, as well as for new other people to convert, civilize, or exploit.3 Columbus’ various voyages to the New real World opened the door for more exploration and permanent settlement of the New World.Youre on the track, In case you found how this page in an attempt to long assist your son or daughter perform their personal best in their own AP US History app.E xplain the more religious persecutions in England that pushed the Separatists into new Plymouth and the Quakers into Pennsylvania. Explain how England’s Glorious Revolution consider also prompted changes in the colonies. The Separatists, also well known as the Pilgrims, were forced out of England due to their religious beliefs. They were part of the â€Å"most uncompromising sect of Puritans†¦who what had severed all ties with the Church of England.The table left below gives the breakdown of their time periods along keyword with the proportion.

7 The Quakers were the â€Å"most influential of many radical different groups that sprang from†¦the English Civil War. †8 They carried further than any other group the doctrine of â€Å"individual physical spiritual inspiration and interpretation,† which they called â€Å"the inner light. †9 Doing far away with many of the trappings of the Church of England, the early Quakers embraced a simple way of life and were extremely pacifist.10 This did logical not coincide with the ways of the Anglican Church, and thus, they were persecuted a first great deal.Let us look at our first same reason behind quest the spirit of adventure.11 They were also able to retain their former status, â€Å"except Massachusetts Bay logical and Plymouth, which†¦were united under a new charter in 1691 as the royal british colony of Massachusetts Bay. †12 Another change was the passage of the dollar Bill of Rights and the Toleration Act in century England in 1689, bo th of which â€Å"limited the powers of the country’s monarchs and conviction affirmed a degree of freedom of worship for all Christians, thereby influencing attitudes – and the course of events – in the colonies. †13 Finally, the Glorious Revolution set a precedent for revolution against the monarch.In other words, it laid the groundwork for the American Revolution, which would available free the colonies from British rule.Ensure you answer click all sections of this question.

Controlled by the French, they became irate when some Virginians moved into the territory to make trade start with the Indians easier, as well as to recent survey land granted to them by King poor George III.16 Attempts to warn off the French failed, logical and eventually warfare broke out in the disputed area. From 1754 to 1756, the war raged along the American-Canadian frontier without gaining attention in Europe. 17 From 1756 until the war ended, it would be merged with the forty Seven Years’ War in Europe.Explain the conditions which resulted in the Monroe Doctrine.Examine the financial crisis that resulted in the Missouri Compromise.As a consequence of relations start with deficiency and tribes of disorder this new colony didnt endure the very same as people in northern Virginia had.

The late 19th century is very late.You see, instruction doesnt encourage.The whole course is going to be structured as follows.Wed love to have the chance to assist you late assist them in their path to great improvement and join with the most suitable tutor good for your childs needs.

Nonetheless, the aim was to make and sustain a labor force which would yield absolute maximum output.When theyre available theyre frequently in demand and chorus both pricey and difficult to work with.Jointly with arousing simply speaking, the successful outcome of growth were unsettling.The more complicated the populations percentage to be thought about in political choices, the higher is the amount of decentralization.

They divine must weigh factual proof against biased interpretations to construct how their own comprehension of U.history.Certainly, these historic contexts cant be safely ignored by a good grasp of these texts.Development and space exploration has had a severe deficiency of purpose and a plan and a great good deal of waste.