Concerts Across Time

Music Is the heart of culture and has affected people In more ways than the average person can have on someone. It can take you on a journey or help bring closure to a(n) ending journey. Music has always done this through the changes in time and the persona behind the music. Music will always grasp the changing culture's heart based on the time period. Baroque music is different from what today's culture would call popular music. The role of music concerts is also something to be studied further in the paper as well.People who attended Baroque concerts may very well differ from the people who attend today's rock concerts. Then we cannot forget the impact that technology has had on music of the past and the present. Baroque music can be classified as a dramatic style of music per Webster Dictionary. The concert I chose to listen to was Monteverdi Amour Sacra, Amour Profane. This piece was very beautiful and touching. I enjoyed It much more than I thought I would have considering I Eve never really listened to his music, though I have listened to various other classical composers of the Baroque period.The reason that I enjoyed this concert was because of the ensemble for one. The vocals were very beautiful and relaxing and made me feel at peace with the world around me. Parts of the music made me want to dance in a ballroom wearing a big fancy gown. Other parts of the concert made me think of life as it were back then and wonder what it would've been like to be there in person and watch the actual performance. On another note popular music deals with music that Is popular to today's society. For this concert, I chose a concert performed by Evanescence which was posted on Youth.This concert was definitely not a favorite. Though I am familiar with some of their earlier works, this concert was not exactly something to put the mind at ease, It was more of pumping up the crowd and a little dark. The vocals could not be heard as clearly as the previous concert and the tone was definitely a bit darker. So overall I did not enjoy this concert as much as I did the performers of the Baroque music. There are various similarities and differences amongst the two genres of music. The role of concerts from both the Baroque period and now are similar in that they re for entertainment.Back in the Baroque time period music was performed at churches or for the King and Queens or for anyone who could afford such an event. Almost like concerts today that are held for anyone that will be willing to pay versus just the rich and noble. The people that attend today's rock concerts however are generally classified as memo, Goth, skaters, snowboarders, rock and roll fans and the list could go on. If we look at popular music as a whole however, everyone who Is anyone will attend a concert. The basis for this Is that It depends on what type of USIA a person likes.Someone who attends a rock concert might not attend a Jazz concert, it all just depends whereas in the Baro que period concerts were held to a The instruments from both of these concerts were complete opposite of each other much like the difference between Baroque music and popular music. Though they have many parts that are necessary to the sound of the music, they are very different in the instruments selected. In the Baroque period instruments such as the cello, harpsichord, violin and many others were a major part of the ensemble.In today's music instruments can vary from one essential piece such as the keyboard to a whole band such as in the Baroque period. It very well depends on the style but in the essence of rock music there are only four major players needed such as the bass guitar, electric guitar, the drums and a vocalist. The people that attend these concerts also create a different setting and mood in itself. Other differences include the sound of the music. Baroque music overall offers a sense of peace or excitement. In some cases it makes one want to dance with a partner i n a ballroom setting.Popular music on the other hand can make one want to dance alone or with someone. It can be at home or at a club. The feelings created can range from anger to peacefulness. It cannot be categorized into one overall concept or idea. In general both Baroque and popular music speak to the crowd attending the concert. They can both draw in a crowd and be performed on stage. The locations however may vary. One may be performed in a church setting where another will be performed live at a theater or other venue. Overall one could say that people attend concerts to feel good, to see their favorite artist or to Just go with the in crowd.People attend concerts for many different reasons and each person has a personal reason for attending a concert. With the advance in technology music will always be constantly changing. People today can make music from their homes on their computers and then post it to the web and become an instant hit or a slow moving one. The change in technology has allowed us as a society to count the next big artist from home, to create new sounds with the touch of a button. It has created the ability to download software and share USIA with our friends and family.Technology allows us to be at concerts and share videos of the concerts with anyone we know. Technology will continually have an impact on music because more people are tuning in. More people want music on demand and at the touch of a few buttons can watch concerts live from the consorts of their home. Technology is changing everything and everyone is trying to keep up as music making applications are brought to our mobile phones. Technology has made it possible for music to be everywhere at one time with each person enjoying hat they value most about music.

Desegragation of Schools

President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed the black people from the bondage of slavery. Shortly after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Congress passed three Constitutional amendments and four Civil Rights acts securing Negro rights. In 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled that it was not wrong for a state to use discriminatory seating practices on public transportation and that each state may require segregation on public transportation. It sustained the transportation law that ordered separate but equal transportation facilities for blacks and whites.The Supreme Court went on to make several other significant decisions sanctioning racial segregation in other circumstances and in other places. The Supreme Court subsequently ruled to authorize racially segregated schools. Prior to the Brown decision, there were significant Supreme Court decisions in this country in the 1930’s and the 1940’s through which blacks gained important civil rights. Blacks were admitted to white Law Schools. White Primaries were outlawed. Racially restrictive covenants in real estate sales were voided. In 1954, the renowned case, Brown v. Board of Education was decided.The Supreme Court declared segregated schools were inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional. It called for the elimination of discrimination in all public schools. Because the Supreme Court focused on the race issue in public schools, so did the nation. In 1955, Brown v. Board of Education II was decided. The court ruled that blacks need not be immediately admitted to pubic schools on a racially nondiscriminatory basis, but that school boards should eliminate segregation â€Å"with all deliberate speed. † In the South, there was massive resistance to the desegregation of schools.For the next ten years after the Brown I and II decisions the Supreme Court took an inconspicuous position. In 1965-1966 Judge John Minor Wisdom from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals made three decisions that transformed the face of school desegregation law. The three cases were Singleton v. Jackson I and II and U. S. v. Jefferson County Board of Education. The critical premise set forth in these decisions was that school boards had a positive duty to integrate, not merely to stop segregating. U. S. v. Jefferson County Board of Education was one of the most important school desegregation decisions.It was a remedial decree which outlined in detail specifically how school districts were to equalize educational opportunity. This decision foretold of a level of judicial involvement in local education that would have been unimaginable at the time of the Brown decisions. In 1968, the U. S. Supreme Court decided in Green v. County School Board that the school board had the responsibility of affirmative action integration and that it must assume that responsibility immediately. The Court said that school boards would be judged on performance, not on promises or paper.The performance of school boards was to rely on statistical evidence. In 1969, the issue of faculty assignments was addressed in the Supreme Court in U. S. v. Montgomery County (Alabama) Board of Education. The Court set forth a racial ratio of teachers in the school district using quantitative standards. This decision marked the first time the Supreme Court sanctioned the inclusion of affirmative numerical goals in a school desegregation remedy. It was an overdue attempt to give the lower courts and school boards positive guidance as to what faculty desegregation required.Also in 1969, Alexander v. Holmes (Mississippi) Board of Education ordered school systems to integrate no later than February 1970. Eventually, this deadline was extended for years. In that same year the Court, in Carter v. West Feliciana Parish School Board, scolded the school board for delaying student desegregation. In 1970, the Supreme Court decided Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg (Virginia) Board of Edu cation. This was the first decision made by the Supreme Court during the Nixon administration with the two new Chief Justices who were Nixon appointees.In this first decision, written by Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, one of President Nixon’s nominees, the court found Charlotte-Mecklenburg out of compliance with Green. The Court adopted the Finger Plan, a plan proposed by Dr. John Finger, an expert witness in the case selected by the Court. The Finger Plan was to result in schools throughout the system ranging, ideally, between nine and thirty eight percent black enrollment. These percentages were not an absolute, but a goal. It involved busing an additional thirteen thousand students and buying over one hundred new school buses.Start up costs to implement this plan were over one million dollars, with annual operating expenses of over one half of a million dollars. Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg laid the framework for all future court decisions involving busing. It also impl emented the Green decision. Basically, it said that if a school district is found to be in constitutional violation, an appropriate remedy must be implemented. In 1974, the Swann case was closed, leaving the constitutional operation of the schools to the Board of Education.In 1970, Senator John Stennis of Mississippi and other Southern Senators proposed that new federal desegregation guidelines be enforced uniformly across the country. The Stennis amendment was adopted by the Senate. During the 1960’s, urban schools in the North and the South were untouched by the Courts. The Courts had been concentrating on the rural South. The 1960’s had seen a great migration of rural Southern blacks to Northern cities. In the early 1960’s, three fourths of all blacks in the United States lived in urban areas. The north had its own way of distancing blacks, ghettos.In the South, there was de jure segregation of schools, which is segregation of schools required by law. In the North, there was defacto segregation of schools, which is segregation of schools due to residential segregation. In 1972, the Supreme Court heard its first northern and western case, Keyes v. School District No. 1 (Denver, Colorado). The court found the school district guilty of subtle racism. The remedy that the Court implemented was the busing of six thousand more students. Many elementary school students went one half day to a segregated school and one half day to an integrated school.In 1974, Federal District Court Judge Garrity found that the Boston, Massachusetts School Committee was implementing a systematic program of segregation affecting all students, teachers and schools. The Court imposed the remedy of mandatory busing. This order created chaos and social upheaval in the city of Boston. In 1974, Milliken v. Bradley posed a question of remedy to the Supreme Court. The Federal District Court had found that the city of Detroit, Michigan was obstructing integration. The ques tion before the Court was could the Court use suburban students to desegregate inner city schools.The Court’s decision was that suburban students could not be used to desegregate inner city schools. It was a decision that gave priority to educational democracy over school integration. This decision upheld the right of the middle and upper classes, which are predominantly white, to flee the inner city to the suburbs and to educate their children in suburban schools. The segregation that occurred in Detroit’s urban school system was the result of segregated housing practices. This was the first major defeat of the pro-integrationist forces in the Supreme Court.It was the beginning of a continuing trend in the Supreme Court. School desegregation is unfinished business. The desegregation of schools has not significantly improved black students’ achievements, nor has it eliminated segregation in American society as a whole. Racism and prejudice continue to be a major problem in our country. Many problems with our current methods of desegregation of schools have become apparent. However, the United States is relatively inexperienced at the business of racial equality, since the desegregation of schools began just thirty four years ago with the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v.Board of Education. There are many points that need to be refined. Desegregated schools send a message of victory to the black community, that of equal protection under the law. However, community support of school desegregation as well as the attitudinal makeup of the individual and the influence of his family and peers are important factors that influence whether or not a child feels a sense of power. A child’s self esteem can be affected either positively or adversely by attendance at a desegregated school.A child’s self esteem depends on his social interactions and reflects others perceptions of him and of the organizations with which he is affil iated. A child’s self esteem is not effectively raised by attendance at a racially mixed school with a poor reputation, nor is it raised by attendance at a high status school where the child is looked down upon. Schools that are racially mixed and are located in naturally desegregated neighborhoods foster and heighten a child’s self esteem. A person’s sense of powerlessness is closely related to their comparison of their own deprivation as compared to others.A segregated black child has less awareness of his family’s low status in the mainstream of society than in a desegregated school where the student will become aware of how deprived he is in comparison to other students. The expectations of parents, teachers and friends also motivate the child. A child sees his performance through their eyes. He is also motivated by their expectations for him. In the ghetto school expectations are low. In a desegregated school, expectations are much higher, but not ne cessarily for the black, or bused, students.Higher teacher expectations can motivate students in any school. Assimilation of middle class ideas and values depends on how much a child is exposed to them. This is more an integration of the social classes than of race. The climate of the integrated group is an important factor in the assimilation of new values. A desegregated school does provide for exposure to different value systems. Attendance at a desegregated school not only exposes a child to different value systems but also changes his attitudes towards other races and classes. This is a process that takes time.Contact with other social classes of people and races of people and the knowledge of and familiarity with one another is the basis for overcoming prejudice. Prejudice is the pre-judgement, positive or negative, of another person on the basis of that person’s appearance, sex, race, ethnic background or any particular belief. As well as acquainting students with the history of school desegregation, I also wish to educate students as to the extreme prejudice and discrimination that blacks in the United States have been subjected to throughout our history. I want the students to have a knowledge of the segregation laws, also called Jim Crow Laws.This is a very painful part of our heritage that is omitted from history textbooks. I feel our inner city students should be educated about the history of their ancestors and about the continuing journey of blacks from slavery to equality. Segregation is the method of physically separating people by race. It was developed by whites after slavery was abolished with the purpose of confining and controlling blacks. In the North, slavery was abolished by the 1830’s. The free northern blacks could not be bought or sold. They could not be separated from their families. They couldn’t be legally made to work without compensation.However, the blacks were by no means equal to the whites. The doctrine of White Supremacy was universally accepted. Northerners made sure blacks understood their status. One of the major ways the blacks were confined was through segregation laws. In the South, the first place segregation emerged was in the cities. The institution of slavery in Southern cities found blacks and whites living in the same house, divided only by a wall. This was unlike the rural South, where slaves lived in separate houses from their masters. The purpose of segregation was the convenience of the masters and the control of the slaves.After the Civil War, Lincoln declared in his Emancipation Proclamation that all slaves were freed. Immediately afterwards, blacks and whites established physical and social distance between themselves. After the Emancipation, the states instituted the Black Codes, which imposed restrictive conditions on blacks that virtually reinslaved them. The Jim Crow Laws were instituted on the railroads. These Black Codes remained in effect until the First Reconstruction, a period of black Civil Rights. The First Reconstruction was ushered in by the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution and the Reconstruction Act of 1867.By the mid-1870’s public attitude had undergone a gradual change. There was a resumption of the policies of White Supremacy. The Redemption was the return of old Southern attitudes. The black peoples’ stigma from slavery stopped them from fighting for their civil rights, if they were not given to them. During this period, the platform of the Southern upper class white conservatives was that blacks were inferior but that they should not be subject to segregation or humiliation. Squeamishness about contact with blacks was thought to be a lower class white, or â€Å"cracker†, attitude.During this period, racism was expressed in the United States Supreme Court decisions. Between 1873 and 1898, three cases drastically limited black privileges and immunities. These cases were the Slaughterhouse Cases of 1873, U. S. v. Reese and U. S. v. Cruikshank. The Civil Rights Cases of 1883 held that the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution gave Congress the power to restrain states but not individuals from acts of racial discrimination and segregation. In 1896, in Plessy v. Ferguson, the court decided that the separate but equal doctrine was justification for segregation.The turn of the century was a new era of racism, spurred on by recent Supreme Court decisions. There was a renewal of the White Supremacy doctrine. When the United States acquired the Phillipines, Cuba and Hawaii we had under our jurisdiction eight million people of a dark race. Attitudes of racism against these dark-skinned people included American blacks. This period of history was marked by severe segregation laws and discriminatory practices. One such practice was the disfranchisement of the Negro. The standard procedure for disfranchisement of blacks was to set up barriers for voting through which only white men could squeeze.A voter was required to meet property and literacy qualifications. There were loopholes for underprivileged whites, such as the understanding clause, the grandfather clause and the good character clause. Before a citizen could vote, he was also required to pay a poll tax, which was a very reliable means of defranchising blacks and objectionable whites. At this time, the White Primary democratized nominations and party control. The White Primary excluded minorities and became a white man’s club. At this time, propaganda about negro crimes, such as arrogance, surly manners and impertinence was spread. Race relations deteriorated.White mobs committed ruthless acts of aggression against blacks. They set fires, wounded, lynched and murdered blacks. Many Jim Crow Laws were enacted in the years between 1900 and 1920. Up until 1900, the only Jim Crow Law on the books in most Southern states was the law segregating first class railroad cars. This law was expanded to include street cars, steamboats and second class railroad cars. In Southern states , signs were erected that read â€Å"Whites Only† and â€Å"Colored Only†. These signs were at the entrances and exits to public buildings, theaters, boarding houses, toilets, drinking fountains, waiting rooms and ticket windows.The South Carolina Code of 1915 prohibited textile factories from permitting laborers of different races to work in the same room, or use the same entrance, pay windows, exits, doors, lavatories, drinking water, pails, cups or glasses. There was Jim Crow Unionism which excluded blacks from jobs. State institutions, such as hospitals, had segregation laws. Only negro nurses were allowed to care for negro patients. Prisons were also segregated, as were homes for the aged, the indigent and the blind. Blacks were prohibited from public parks by the Separate Park Laws of Georgia, 1905.In Louisiana,a law was passed in 1914 segregating blacks a nd whites at circus and tent shows. In Birmingham, Alabama a law was passed decreeing that the races must be distinctly separated and must be at least twenty five feet apart from one another in any room, hall, theater, picture house, auditorium, yard, crowd, ballpark or any other outdoor place. In 1910, five patterns of residential segregation had emerged in the South. The first was in Baltimore, Maryland. It designated all white and all negro blocks. This pattern was copied in Atlanta, Georgia.The second pattern of residential segregation was in the Chesapeake Bay area cities of Roanoke and Portsmouth, Virginia. The city council was authorized to divide territories into segregated districts and to prohibit either race from living in the other’s district. A third pattern emerged in Richmond, Virginia. Blocks throughout the city were designated black or white, according to the majority of residents. Persons were forbidden to live in any block where residents are occupied by th ose with whom the person is forbidden to intermarry. The fourth pattern, in Norfolk, Virginia applied to both mixed and unmixed blocks.It fixed the color status by ownership as well as occupancy. The fifth pattern of residential segregation emerged in New Orleans, Louisiana. The law required persons of either race to secure consent of the majority of persons living in an area before establishing residence there. In 1917, these patterns of residential segregation were declared unlawful by the Supreme Court. The most successful attempt to circumvent the Court’s decision was the policy of Restrictive Covenant which was a private contract limiting the sale of property in an area to purchasers of the favored race.The most prevalent and widespread segregation was the consequence of the blacks’ economic status. This was the black ghetto, or slum in every Southern city. Smaller towns excluded black residents completely by making it known that their presence would not be tolera ted. On the other hand, thirty towns in the South were inhabited exclusively by blacks. Other Jim Crow Laws regulating a variety of negro activities were enacted during this period in history. In 1909 in Mobile, Alabama, a curfew law required blacks to be off the streets by 10 p. m.In 1915, the Oklahoma State Legislature required the telephone company to maintain separate booths for blacks and whites. In North Carolina and Florida, public schools were required to keep the textbooks of one race separate from those used by the other. Florida specified separation even while school books were in storage. South Carolina segregated schools into a third caste, with separate schools for mulatto children. In Atlanta, Georgia Jim Crow bibles were provided for negro witnesses in court. There were also Jim Crow elevators for negroes in buildings.The prevalent belief in our country at this time, during this Redemption, was that segregation was inflexible and innate. It was also believed that leg islation could not change mores. The Jim Crow Laws of this period didn’t assign blacks a fixed status. They were aggressive and destructive laws that pushed the negro further down. With World War 1, the blacks had new hope for a restoration of their rights. Many blacks joined the armed forces. Many blacks moved North where high wages were being paid in the war industry. The blacks’ participation in the war for democracy raised the demand for mor democracy for them on the home front.However, the post-War Era saw the racial policies of the South imitated in the North. White laborers did not like competition from blacks. They excluded blacks from unions and pushed blacks from the more desirable jobs in industry, federal employment and crafts. In the gid-1920’s the membership of the Ku Klux Klan reached five million. In the 1920’s and the 1930’s, more Jim Crow Laws were passed. In 1926 in Atlanta, Georgia, a law was passed that forbade barbers to serve women or children under age fourteen. At that time, All barbers were black.Four states, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama and Georgia had laws requiring Jim Crow taxis. White passengers were only driven by white taxi drivers. Black passengers were only to be driven by black taxi drivers. In 1944, the Virginia Legislature passed a law requiring separate waiting rooms and other facilities at airports. In 1932, a law was passed in Atlanta, Georgia prohibiting amateur baseball clubs of different races from playing within two blocks of each other. In 1933, Texas prohibited blacks and whites from boxing with each other. In 1937, the state of Arkansas segregated race tracks and gaming establishments.In 1935, Oklahoma segregated both races while fishing and boating. In 1930, a law in Birmingham, Alabama made it unlawful for black and whites to play together or keep company with one another. In the 1930’s, racial tensions lessened. A new liberal administration was making a sincere attemp t to improve the lot of blacks and whites. In the early 1940’s, the North was exerting pressure on the South to abolish segregation. The Supreme Court became a leader in reversing the trends of segregation that it had endorsed during the First Reconstruction.The most monumental Supreme Court decision of this century in civil rights was Brown v. Board of Education. It reversed a constitutional trend that began in the late 1800’s. It marked the beginning of the end of Jim Crow. Presently, blacks are enjoying equal civil rights under the law. All kinds of segregation and discrimination have been declared unconstitutional. The underlying prejudices and subtle racism are slower to die. It is these prejudices that make it difficult for true integration to occur presently in our society.

Guam Trans-Pacific Telecommuncation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Guam Trans-Pacific Telecommuncation - Essay Example Historically, the region served as a military base for the Second World War, and since then, the importance of the island to USA has never diminished. This research paper looks at the Guam Trans-Pacific Telecommunication, drawing materials from internet sources. It looks at the history of telecommunication network of the island, its significance in the Trans-Pacific Telecommunication and roles that Guam plays in facilitating this. Introduction Historically, the importance and significance of Guam cannot be underrated. Strikingly very important to America, the island won recognition of many people. Musicians sang about Guam, while historians and scholars studied and wrote history about it. The size of the islands is quite small, with a very little population. Yet, it is highly regarded due to the military base in San Diego among other factors. Historically, Guam has served as the biggest military base in America especially in the Second World War. The military base, so big and well eq uipped, has the likelihood of controlling half of Africa and Asia by the year 2015. The importance of Guam has constantly been increasing with time. Currently, Guam is the hub of trans-pacific telecommunication. This paper will discuss the significance of Guam in the Trans-Pacific telecommunication network. Importance of telecommunication In the modern world, the importance of telecommunication cannot be underestimated. Everything happening in the world is because of proper communication networks. Effects of good communication networks cannot be underestimated. Globalization for instance entirely relies on solid telecommunication network, which facilitate cross boarder business. The many American businesses that have global in the recent past can attribute this success to the telecommunication sector. Educationally, people take online classes, and still receive support from their instructors through good communication networks. The government on the other hand remains in contact wit h the rest of the world especially its ambassadors and agents through good telecommunication networks. The government, citing the unlimited importance of telecommunication, has increasingly invested in laying down a solid telecommunication network. History of Communication System of Guam Historically, Guam had close relations with the United States. In the year 1899, the local postage stamps were overprinted â€Å"Guam† as was the norm with the former Spanish colonies. However, after this period, the trend stopped and the United States stamps started took effect ever since that time. The mailing system of the United States charges was set at a domestic fee instead of an international fee. Up to date, the island uses postage stamps of the United States, which has increasingly revolutionized the way locals of the island operate their businesses. Significance of Guam in the American Telecommunication Network According to â€Å"International Business Pub USA† (236), Guam I sland, due to its strategic geographical placement serves America in a number of ways and most significantly the current boom in the telecommunication sector. Lying in the western part of the pacific ocean and close to three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines, it Guam is one of the largest island among the Mariana group of islands archipelago, located at the furthest

Intercutural Conflict Resolution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

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Employee involvement. Do employee involvement programs improve organizational performance Discuss with reference to a minimum of four empirical studies - Essay Example This study seeks to identify the relationship between gun ownership and the crime levels in various countries of the world. The study classifies crime levels as either serious or less serious and this it explores in relation to gun ownership. It can be obviously concluded that gun ownership tends to increase the chances that it will be used inappropriately in some instances and result into more serious crimes as compared to a situation where the guns are not easily available. This paper examines the rates that such incidences have been involved and the seriousness of the crime by using the available data. From this perspective, it is true that crime levels will be serious in instances of gun ownership but this leaves behind the ownership status whether legal or illegal, (Bruce Wilcox, 1998). Gun licenced users need to be assessed their state of mind among other things before they are offered with the right to use such powerful weapons, (Draper,1981). According to Fessenden (2010), the legal side of gun ownership is a veritable snake pit of good and bad where all the gun owners need to take a crash course. This course is intended to reduce the incidences that are associated with gun misuse whether privately or in public places. Hence the various states that allow gun ownership have different laws that need to be adhered to enable minimisation of casualties to gun victims. This research needs to put across the ideology that there is the necessary training when awarding gun ownership licences in its detailed gun ownership concerns. There is a general assumption in this research that guns facilitate the violence witnessed in majority of the crimes reported in the better parts of the European countries. It is the general assumption of this study too that the European countries discussed are having stringent measures to ensure that the guns available to the

Business Research Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Research Analysis - Essay Example y. From the above table, the mean age of the respondents is 21.73 years with a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 44 years. A notable characteristic of the three satisfaction ratings for stock, quiet areas and staff is above average mean ratings. Gender Frequency Bar Graph (Source: Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) spread sheet) Where: 0= female, 1 = male From the frequency bar graph above, there are more females than males in the study with a figure of 77 and 73 respectively. Females contribute 51.3% of all respondent while males contribute the remaining 48.7%. Mode of Study Frequency Table Frequency Per cent Valid Per cent Cumulative Per cent Valid 0 28 18.7 18.7 18.7 1 122 81.3 81.3 100.0 Total 150 100.0 100.0 (Source: Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) spread sheet) Where: 0= Part time, 1 = Full time The above table shows that 81.3% of all respondents are full time students while the remaining 18.7% percent are part time students. There is approximately four times more student enrolled in full time programmes than part time programmes. Year of Study Frequency Bar Graph (Source: Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) spread sheet) Where: 4 = Year 1 Undergraduate 5 = Year 2 Undergraduate 6 = Year 3 Undergraduate (Final Year) 7 = Postgraduate (e.g. MBA, MSc) 8 = Doctoral (e.g. PhD) The above graph shows that the number of respondents increase from the first year to the fifth year of undergraduate studies after which it decrease towards the doctoral level of study. (Source: Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) spread sheet) Age of respondents ranges from 18 to 44 years. Respondents of 18 years of age are the majority in the sample. Respondents of 27, 28, 33, 35 and 44 years form the minority each contributing 0.7% of the respondents. Potential Areas for Improvement From the gender frequency bar, it is clear that the number of female respondents exceed that of their male counterparts. From majority of statistics , majority of tertiary education students are male. The following sample should have used a controlled number of male and female respondents which reflect the actual gender proportions of the parent population. The number of sampled full time students is also too many compared to part time students. The number of sampled respondents who are more than 27 years of age is too little those with less than 25 years. These biases should be reduced in order to ensure that the sampled population reflects the characteristics of the parent population as closely as possible. (ii) To what extent is there a difference of opinion between males and females relating to the three satisfaction ratings for stock, quiet areas and staff? We will use the independent sample t-test since it shows whether there is a significant difference between the means of two groups of people or conditions. Group Statistics Gender N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean Stock 0 77 5.84 2.444 .279 1 73 6.18 2.584 .302 Quiet 0 77 6.53 2.174 .248 1 73 6.32 2.278 .267 Staff 0 77 6.97 1.224 .140

Gender Inequlaities Response Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gender Inequlaities Response Paper - Essay Example In early South Africa, for instance, services of male nurses were unimaginable as discussed by Burns2. Differential application of rules for men and women in historic societies promoted gender inequality. In history, women and men were subject to different sets of rules. Rules set by societies regarding marriage, for instance, were harsh on women compared to men. Reilly3 highlights the differences in rules concerning marriage fidelity in historical communities, based on gender. The Hammurabi’s code, for example, widened the gender gap between men and women. Lerner4 maintains that historical law codes, such as the Hammurabi code, promoted patriarchy in historical societies. Laws codes in historical societies were representative of social conditions. Some viewpoints dominant held during historical ages rendered women as misfortunes in the society. According to Aughterson5, historical viewpoints of women as imperfect creatures promoted gender inequalities. Religion also promoted gender inequalities in historical communities. Glickl Leib’s story6 of women empowerment reveals that Jewish women had freedom compared to their Christian counterparts. Jewish women had freedom to engage in business, for instance, compared to Christians. Colonialism promoted gender inequalities in historical societies. In England, for instance, emigration was a common practice to eliminate redundant women. In addition, women in colonial period had insignificant contribution and roles in governance. This promoted the viewpoint that women are incapable of holding leadership positions in the society7. They had no authority to question the racist nature of colonialism. Women did not question the patriarchal norms that were deterrent to their rights, as well. Different factors promoted gender relations in modern society and enhanced women empowerment. Offering women the opportunity to share their rights changed the perception about them as

The Basseri of Iran culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Basseri of Iran culture - Research Paper Example The kinship factors include the patrilineal, the marriage and the divorce aspects of the Nomadic tribe of Basseri and the way it is different to the cultural values to the rest of the country. The social organizational factors is a combination of a number of factors that include the rite of passage in the nomadic society, the headmen that lead the tribe and the Khan who is usually a wealthy person having a number of followers of his own that makes him strong enough to head the society. Economic Organization Nomadism The Basseri Nomads of Iran are the tent-dwelling pastoralists who are under a chief and politically centralized. It is officially stated that the Basseri are Shitte Moslems but such a religious affiliation does not exist to a very big extent among these people. These people seem to be very uninterested in religion generally. The ritual activities of these people are very few as they offer no communal prayer and are more likely to ignore the Islamic feast days. Even the ho ly month of Ramadan seems to be a very unlikely proposition for most of the people. It is concluded that because of the migration that these people had to do early in their history, there was progressively built tension and excitement and most people were confused whether the economic activity was a religious one or not. These tribes responded more to the movement that was in a more dramatic form rather than considering the utilitarian aspects of the whole movement. There was highly complex essence of tribal organization in Iran that was centralized Uymaq system. The Uymaqs were not only the pastoral nomads but were a combination of three economic forms, the pastoral, the commercial and the agricultural. Importance of Livestock The individual households of the Basseri of Iran hold usually herd their animals together in one or even more than one flock of 400 to 600 animals. This figure limits the number of households that are grouped together. The members of the camp are usually are widely drawn from both consanguineal and affinal groups. Some of the members are not even the immediate groups of these people in the society. The shepherds are usually hired by the members of the camp for the service contracts of one year so that they can care for a single flock of 400 to 600 goats and sheep. For every ten lambs that are born in the spring, they receive one lamb for their work all the year. Even if they quit a bit earlier, there is no pro-rated agreement as the lambs have not been born yet. All of the households owns and milks its own animals separately even though they are gazed together. Also, different households pay, give food and other materials needed by the shepherds in their contribution depending on the number of animals that they own with the addition of the two assistants that the shepherd usually has. Environmental Adaptation The major concentrations of the population of the vertical nomads in Iran occur during the summer. The camps are usually composed of as many as fifty tents during that period of the year. However, during the winter migrations, the camps are composed of as many as twelve tents and as few as one tent. The camps are usually separated by an hour long walk from the neighboring camps and also the pasture areas. However, the visiting between people from one camp to the other and staying connected with each other is a regular activity of the nomads in Iran.

Tourism Essay Example for Free

Tourism Essay An ‘issue’ is a topic for discussion and debate – something which is viewed differently by different people. Its effects spread far and wide and, although many people have their viewpoints, there seem to be no simple solutions or remedies. Many issues come to prominence through speciï ¬ c events. The 9/11 al-Qaeda attack in 2001, for example, was one such event,  or the London bombings of July 2005. It is important that you distinguish between such events and the underlying issue – terrorism. The factors affecting the travel and tourism industry may be political or they may be inï ¬â€šuenced by worldwide economic developments, or they may be climatic, or even tectonic, such as witnessed by the tsunami disaster in 2004, which claimed the lives of around 300,000 people. This disaster, along with climatic phenomena such as hurricanes will be discussed, together with the broader issue of global warming and how this will affect the industry now and in the future. Advances in the ICT industry are having a profound effect on all our lives and some of these issues will be investigated, particularly the emergence of e-tourism which is leading to changes in the structure of the travel and tourism industry. For some organisations in the industry, globalisation appears to be the most proï ¬ table solution, and we study the growth of the global conglomerates which are starting to appear, from hotel chains to tour operators. The increasing number of acts of terrorism, such and those in New York, Bali, Madrid, Egypt and London – and the constant fear in many other areas – are investigated. But it is not just what humanity will do to itself that is a threat to travel and tourism – it is also the spread of diseases, such as SARS and avian ï ¬â€šu, and how this threat affects people’s attitudes to travel that we will cover in this unit. It is clear that international relations can have a positive or negative effect on travel and tourism. Wars have an immediate adverse effect, and may limit tourism in an area for decades – as has happened in the Middle East. Political stability can only help the ï ¬â€šow of tourists – as shown by the growing numbers of travellers who have chosen to holiday in America or Australia over the last few decades. Many people in the world’s less developed countries (LDCs) are often dependent on tourism for their livelihoods, so anyth ing that affects the industry can have dramatic effect on them. Areas of Africa and South America, as well the Far East will be examined in this unit. The Industry Focus is an interview with David Harris – a typical world traveller – who shares his opinions on many  of the current issues in travel and tourism.

Theories for Employee Motivation

Theories for Employee Motivation At the dawn of this millennium, Milner (2003) concluded that motivation continues to hold a significant position in eyes of scholars. It is a known fact that various organizations have resorted to different strategies to boost staff motivation, create a comfortable work environment and consequently, increase output. Motivation can be analyzed from various perspectives but for the purpose of this essay, it would be examined from a work related point of view. Work motivation is a set of energetic forces that originate both within as well as beyond an individuals being, to initiate work-related behaviour and to determine its form, direction, intensity, and duration (Pinder, 2005). We can therefore rightfully infer that motivation is a psychological process developing from contact between an individual and his environment. To understand motivation, one must understand the aspirations of a living being. Several motivation theories have been proposed to explain these human aspirations at different times and by diverse people. Motivation theories are broadly divided into two but for this essay, two theories, one from each broad group has selected for analysis. They are; Maslows hierarchy of needs theory (content theory) and Expectancy theory (process theory) They will be reviewed, evaluated and compared, highlighting individual strengths and limitations. They also would be used to determine the extent to which they influence individual motivation of people in the work place. Furthermore information collated from completed questionnaires by employees on what motivates them will be summarized and compared with the theory propositions to ascertain practical relevance. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW An appropriate starting note would be answering the question, what is motivation? A suitable definition would be the cognitive decision-making process, through which goal-directed behaviour is initiated, energized, directed and maintained (Buchanan Huczynski 2010, p. 267). The need to study motivation, its stimulators and extinguishers remain very vital. Its importance to managers cannot be over emphasized. Understanding the concept of motivation would equip managers with the right skills to encourage subordinates, accomplish organizational goals, increase output and also improve their quality of life. Motivation is a combination of choice and intention. It has come to a conclusion that individuals dissent to their motivational state and the elements that influence it. 2.1 MOTIVATION THEORIES Motivation theories are generally categorized under two broad groups content theory and process theory. Although there is no universally accepted theory that applies to everyone, each can help in different work scenarios. An attempt has been made to explain the variability noticed in the decisions people make about what they do at work, their commitment and the strength they utilize in achieving goals using motivational theories. Content theories of motivation question the perspective that views motivation in terms of individuals goals. Examples of content theories include Herzbergs Two-factor theory and Maslows hierarchy of needs theory. While process theories view motivation in terms of the decision making process influencing an individuals choice of goals. Examples are Equity Theory, Expectancy Theory and Goal Setting Theory. Different content and process theories have been formulated having specific application to motivation with reference to work context. 2.1.1 Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Theory (Content theory) According to R. Dailey (2008), Maslow proposed that people are motivated by the longing to gratify particular needs. He went on to arrange this needs in a given order starting with the most basic needs which he called lower level needs and rising to the higher level needs. He maintained that the lower level needs must be majorly satisfied before higher level needs and that a satisfied need seizes to be a motivator. Below are briefly described the different needs starting with the lower level needs. Physiological Needs these refer to basic needs required for survival and they include food, water, shelter, air. Some researchers have added money to this group arguing that it has the capacity to provide some of the needs. Security Needs these reefers to the general concern of an individual to feel safe, stable and the absence of pain in his environment both physically and psychologically. Social Belongingness Needs these refer to the desire for affiliation, friendship, love and being accepted by others as a result of interaction and association. Theoretically, people who reach this level have primarily satisfied physiological and safety needs and are now concerned with establishing satisfying relationships. (Hitt, Miller, and Colella, 2009). Esteem Needs these refer to perceptions of personal value as a result of admiration from fellow individuals. When employees have attained a certain level in the organizational hierarchy, they yearn for recognition, fame and power owing to previous achievements. Self-actualization Needs the need for self-actualization sits at the top of Maslows hierarchy and few people are deemed to have attained this level. They are generally driven by the desire to utilize their skill and maximize their potential. They always seek new ground breaking opportunities to bring into play their skills which greatly motivate them. Some other factors were originally included in Maslows needs but have been omitted by subsequent researchers. They are To know and to understand Aesthetics Transcendence Freedom of enquiry and expression They come in this order respectively between esteem needs and self-actualization needs. According to Maslow, the most potent way of motivating individuals is by provision of their primary needs which is the lowest unsatisfied need (Gordon, 1996). 2.2 Expectancy Theory (Process theory) People are motivated to work or involve in a process only when they are assured of or perceive personal benefit. The process through which outcomes become desirable is explained by the expectancy theory (Buchanan Huczynski, 2010). This theory thus goes along to prove that we act in manners that facilitate the accomplishment of appreciated goals. It helps in explaining employee behaviours relating to issues such as career choice, performance, joining a new organization, absenteeism, turnover and leadership effectiveness (Dailey, 2008). Expectancy theory was stated as a function of three concepts: valence, instrumentality and expectancy. Mathematically, it can be expressed as Motivation = V x I x E ( Valence x Instrumentality x Expectancy) If any of the values has zero value, then consequently, motivation is zero. Valence can be said to be personal value placed on a reward or the perceived value of an outcome. Since it is subjective, that means valence comes across to various people in different ways. Employees ascribe valences to specific outcomes and they can be either negative or positive. A negative valence can be linked to undesirable outcomes and consequently makes employee exhibit avoidance behaviours. Instrumentality is the personal belief that good performance would produce valued rewards. It can also be positive or negative. While positive instrumentality refers to the employee belief that good performance would lead to desired rewards, negative instrumentality means the opposite. Expectancy is the personal belief that effort would lead to good performance. When employees decide to dedicate time and energy to a job, they expect positive outcomes. Contrastingly, there would be no perceived effort if the employee believes that it would not bring about positive performance. It is also noteworthy that performance feedback would boost effort. Diagrammatically, expectancy theory can be summarized by the figure below. Motivational Force = Effort Performance Outcome 1 V1 Outcome 2 V2 Outcome 3 V3 E = Expectancy I = Instrumentality V = Valence 1 = Not valued at all 2 = Not strongly valued 3 = Strongly valued Fig 1.0: Expectancy Theory Model 2.3 STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES The strengths and weaknesses of Maslows hierarchy of needs theory and the Expectancy theory have been summarized in the tables below. STRENGTHS MASLOWS THEORY EXPECTANCY THEORY Shows the essence of consulting with employees and giving them a sense of belonging within the company. Strong empirical support. Shows a simple, reasonable description of human behaviour. Reflects importance of consistent rewards. It still remains very influential Recognizes individual differences. Encourages employee career development. Provides explicit ways to increase employee motivation. WEAKNESSES MASLOWS THEORY EXPECTANCY THEORY Lacks empirical validity. Using the components individually cannot strongly predict motivation. Focused only on positive growth without reflecting the possibility of a relapse in individuals. Assumes behaviour is rational. Does not hold universally Predictive power low for uncertain environments. Does not take individual differences into consideration. Questionable view of humans. 3.0 DATA ANALYSIS Those selected for the survey cut across multicultural backgrounds, different kinds of jobs ranging from white collar jobs to ordinary jobs and different organizational levels managers and subordinates. The questions were carefully selected to prove or disprove the validity of the theories. (See attached questionnaire in Appendix 1). Beginning with Maslows theory, the effect of physiological needs was undoubtedly reflected in the survey. 80% strongly agreed that the absence of physiological needs would adversely affect their motivation. Another issue is the contention over social needs. While 40% strongly accept the need to be socially accepted, a close 30% argue that the need to be accepted would not have any adverse on their output not because they lack emotions but owing to the nature of their work e.g. scientific research. Some others strongly underplayed the effect of social needs claiming that they boosted their self confidence by themselves and did not need to be accepted to be motivated which contradicts Maslows theory. The result also shows a very strong point that cut across the entire respondents which is the effect of pay. The survey results are summarized in the figure below. Fig 3.0 MASLOWS HIERARCHY OF NEEDS THEORY ANALYSIS For the expectancy theory, the components instrumentality, valence and expectancy were generally accepted though the percentage for those that strongly agreed was not overwhelming. 30% strongly agreed to the influence of instrumentality, 30% for valence and 40% for expectancy. Worthy of note is the feedback factor whose importance is overwhelmingly obvious from the figure below (80%). But most interestingly is the fact that even though 80% strongly subscribed to motivation from a good pay check, a stunning 60% agreed that they would accept a more interesting job for a pay cut (question 1). A general summary of the survey relating to the expectancy theory is shown in the figure below. Fig 3.1 EXPECTANCY THEORY RESULT ANALYSIS 3.1 EVALUATION OF THEORIES The answers to the questionnaire would seem to indicate that workers were not remarkably convinced that good performance would lead to valuable rewards which raise a strong concern about the motivation of workers in todays organizations. The argument is that if the employees do not see a clear pathway from excellent performance to valued rewards, motivation would be on the decline with the effects clearly obvious. Moreover, 60% of the respondents opted for a more interesting work with less pay. This shows a path to self-actualization and that more value placed on it. When the job is more interesting, that provides the employee with an atmosphere to exploit his potentials hoping for a valued reward. This further explains the concept of instrumentality because respondents placed more value on job satisfaction. The last two questions were intended to get firsthand the kind of rewards that truly appeal to individuals and to give them an opportunity to say what really motivates them. 70% of the respondents had financial rewards as their first choice and it was followed by recognition with a close score of 60%. This reflects Maslows social and belongings need and also his esteem needs on one hand and the valence component of the expectancy theory. This shows a relationship in both theories when compared. Also very prominent was the feedback factor equally portrayed by the two theories. Equally significant was the choice of promotion and self-actualization as valuable rewards. Promotion as an example of instrumentality can also boost esteem needs. The survey results highlighted show very close similarities between Maslows hierarchy of needs and the Expectancy theory. Even though they were proposed by various people and ages ago, they have stood the test of time and are still very valuable today. The results also prove that motivation is dependent on the individual and the environment. 3.2 PRACTICAL RELEVANCE Most work places meet the first two basic needs going by Maslows hierarchy needs theory. Employers meet physiological needs by paying wages and salaries which can provide food and shelter. In most countries, they are also obligated by law to meet the next level of needs by providing safe and secure work places. To meet the next level of needs, managers need to encourage team work. The work environment is a social place and at that team spirit should be developed. Managers should go a long way to foster socialization and a sense of belonging through effective internal communication, social gatherings, etc. If this is done, a better working environment would be created, social needs provided and motivation heading north. An appropriate reward system is very essential and would go a long way to meet esteem needs. Clear links should be made between efforts and goals and an appraisal system which recognizes achievement using valued rewards like pay rises, executive official cars and promotions should be put in place. These things also attach a status symbol to their office which promotes esteem. Evidently, the esteem of people in diverse jobs is boosted in different ways. If managers possess the ability to assess and channel instrumentality rightly, motivation would be surely achieved. All management policies that crack, resist, alter or bend instrumentalities should be looked into to avoid lowering employee effort and performance. Self-actualization, sitting on the top of Maslows hierarchy can be likened to valued reward instrumentality in the expectancy theory and this would not immediately come to everybody as achievable through work but it actually is. Managers should ensure quality training and support so as to achieve clear performance goals and provide an avenue to inspire innovation. When employees are faced with challenging goals and can see a clear path to positive instrumentality through expectancy then this objective is feasible and personal growth achieved. On the contrary, self-actualization has been found to play a marginal role in some cultures. Japanese cultures offer jobs for life which seem to meet only physiological needs and promotions based on seniority which diminishes the longing for self-actualization in the work place. Also in some highly collectivist cultures, attempts to be personally innovative may be deemed as aberrant (Hofstede, 1991). 4.0 CONCLUSION The present study attempts to crystallize certain factors which influence motivation by analyzing the relationship between employees, employers and the work environment. Both Maslows theory and Expectancy theory can explain motivation only to a certain magnitude from various view points. Maslows theory proposes that individuals are motivated based on drives and needs while expectancy theory postulates that choices are made based on how we make choices with respect to goals. The response from the questionnaires corroborated aspects of both theories but highlighted the great importance of pay and feedback in influencing motivation. It is recommended that managers and employers pay great attention to these factors amongst the rest. As hinted previously, no theory can conclusively explain the concept of motivation. The relevance of these theories cannot be over emphasized or neglected. They have had a substantial impact on managers directly and employers as a whole in helping to find out how and what to do to boost employee motivation. In addition, they have generated further interests in the area of specialization. The most significant limitation to this survey was the restriction to the number of people surveyed and the difficulty in convincing unskilled workers to partake in the survey.

Social Work Social Policy And Social Welfare Social Work Essay

Social Work Social Policy And Social Welfare Social Work Essay With reference to changes in Government policy and ideologies of welfare, debate the significance of the shift from Victorian Pauper to 21st century service user and its impact on social work practice and values. This assignment has used a historical timeline of Governmental changes to policies and laws as a background to debate the shift from Victorian Pauper to 21st century service user. The divide between the rich and poor has always been an issue that different governments have faced, dealing with it differently, for example Clement Attlees labour Government in 1945 introduced the welfare state to give every British citizen cover, regardless of income or lack of it. Those who lacked jobs and homes would be helped. The definition of a Pauper according to the Collins dictionary is someone who is relatively poor, in comparison to the general population or historically eligible for public charity. The definition of a service user is someone who at some point uses or receives health or social care services. (General Social Care Council) The term service user is criticised, as critics Adams et al (2009) believe it focuses on one element of the individual, implying dependency, without taking into account other aspects and argue that the term places the service user in a disempowered position in their relationship with a professional, with power residing with this professional. The National Network of Service Users: Shaping our lives however sees the term service user as positive, its an individual who uses the services, they confer power creating a stronger voice and having a greater ability to shape services. (Levin 2004) Modern British social policy has its foundation in the Poor Laws, dating from 1598 to 1948. The Poor Law (1601) provided a compulsory poor rate and helped set the poor to work. However as the Parish was the basic area of administration, and laws were enforced differently from parish to parish with no set standards of care causing inconsistencies between areas. The Poor Law amendment act (1834) modified the existing system. Poor Law Unions were introduced, parishes were grouped together, and those Unions would be the responsibility of a Board of Guardians. The Guardians were responsible for the administration of poor relief for their locality, rather than leaving the responsibility of administration in the hands of individual parishes and townships. Workhouses were introduced and encouraged, one workhouse in each union to give poor relief. This Act stated that no able bodied person was to receive any other help other than in the workhouse. The purpose of the workhouse was to let individuals enter and leave as they liked and they would receive free food and accommodation, how ever as time passed concern grew with regard to the seeming overuse of the workhouse. As a result the eligibility criteria for entry to the workhouse was then altered. Life in the workhouse was to be made as cruel as it was outside. The wretched existence offered, and the stigma attached to being an inmate, ensured that only the truly deprived used them. A jail style system of segregation for men and women meant that even families had to be separated, altogether different from 21st Century social work values which espouse a stronger commitment to keeping families together, with child protection services and child welfare agencies providing support to ensure family preservation. (Payne, 2005) It was in 1869 that The Charity Organisation Society (COS) was formed to unify the many smaller sources of relief and make provision more efficient and effective. The COS perceived that charitable assistance was needed and believed that their aim was to reach all families, but were unsure how the money had previously been spent. COS set out a scheme of financial help, introducing local committees, who then raised funds and distributed these to families in need. Similar to many charities today, there are still many families who dont ask for help because of religion, language, pride or because they are not aware that help may be available. (Family Action) The aim of COS was to persuade charities to converge their resources, which might then be distributed more systematically. However the individuals helped had to be deemed capable of becoming self supporting. Worthiness was considered before any charitable help was given. Those who werent considered worthy were left to destitution, the Society effectively deciding that as they deemed there to be no hope for their redemption, that to help them would be a waste of limited resources which would be better spent elsewhere with individuals or families who could subsequently lift themselves out of poverty and dependence. (Campling, 1996) The COS model was pioneering in taking into account the consequences if they helped every individual, as they thought this would lead to dependency and exaggeration in order to receive money. COS was also formed with the objective of achieving a decrease in the charitable expenditure as a result of greater efficiency and the economy of scale, and in this sense the COS reflected the wider ideology of the industrial revolution. Current Social Work objectives similarly seek to achieve value for money, with the Audit commission defining value for money as the best possible balance of economy, efficiency and effectiveness. Whilst the 21st century social worker endeavours to deal fairly with the needs of everyone, nevertheless, the distribution of needs is uneven and changes constantly. To ensure quality is consistent care plan reviews are monitored and service users may be involved in quality circles, engaging them in deciding whats best. Direct payment schemes are also offered to a minority group of service users to let them decide on and customise their own social care. The main problem Social Services face is the potential impact of the dynamic and variable economic and pol itical environment in which they must function. Whilst trying to provide individualised care packages they have to ensure that its effective in respect to cost. Also there is growing recognition that a number of minority groups may be excluded from accessing services such as Social Work services and, also those services which have previously not been provided in culturally appropriate ways. (Making ends meet, 2010) Appropriate steps will therefore need to be taken to enforce anti discriminatory practice and anti oppressive practice, when considering how to provide help in accessing services for minority groups. The COS quickly found that more than financial aid was needed to help paupers. Emotional and other practical help was also required, for example help with finding employment. COS volunteers were trained to offer such additional help and, therefore, the formal training offered by COS can be seen as the forerunner of modern social work training and qualifications. They adopted an approach which attempted to analyse the problem. Working with the individual and family to help them achieve a lasting solution so all could be kept in their familiar environments. This approach was very time consuming, and the approach the worker took to investigate the individual was very objectionable. This approach is the basis of the current Social Work casework approach which is now highly criticised. Holman (1993) suggests that the casework approach only masks social and political obligations in individuals lives, therefore helping to maintain their situation. There are now other approaches that focus on reducing inequality. Which investigate the social and political reasons as well as the individuals as to why they are in poverty. A new manifesto for Social Work now highlights the need to use a collection of approaches as the need to combat poverty and discrimination is greater than ever. Many who tried to use the COS principles found it difficult to disregard individuals who needed help. Other approaches were latterly introduced to help more individuals. The Settlement House Movement (1884) was one of these. Its principles focused on university volunteers working with the poor in their spare time, offering education. Its aim was to achieve mutual respect between the classes. This approach focused on empowering the poor, helping them to help themselves. Society also benefitted from this model. It focused on a more structured analysis of poverty and its impact on human behaviour by practising interventions at a community level. This is needed now to help small communities and the individuals within it. The nature of social work practice then changed and focused on individuals. A significant element was hearing clients voices and the incomparable knowledge of the professionals working with them to help whichever way they could. (Adams et al, 2009) Using these models the Government laid the basis of the future social services. The major concern being that all areas should be given the same services. These new services were provided away from The Poor Law to evade the association. Current Social Work still has its inconsistencies, however the White Paper Tackling Health Inequalities Programme of Action (Department of Health, 2003), focuses on a number of ways to equalise access to healthcare, for example working with people who face overlapping health problems for instance older people who have ill health and are in poverty. Social Workers are focussing on secondary prevention, as this type of prevention can impact more individuals. A major report produced regarding the welfare of individuals was the Beveridge Report (Department of Health, 1942). This report focused on how Britain could be rebuilt after the war. In 1945 labour was elected and promised to introduce a welfare state. The welfare state involved introducing new services. These included the National Health Services and Housing Acts. The welfare state was produced to encourage the provision of services for the public. (Laybourn, 1995) Glasby (2005) looked at previous reforms and how the future would be in adult social care. It evaluated all important reports to see how social work could be improved. One report that impacted policy and practice during the 1960s was the Seebohm report (1968). This report highlighted the problems of poverty and was tasked to review the organisation and responsibilities of the Local Authority Social Services in England as well as to consider what changes were desirable to secure an effective family service. (Seebohm, 1968, pg11.) Prior to this report Social Work was spread across various Local Authorities and different Government sections. This caused inadequacies in the quality of provision. Access was very difficult. For example, range and quality of provision of services were inconsistent also the Seebohm Report highlighted a poor coordination of information between these services. The report recommended a new Local Authority department providing a community based and family orient ated service, which would be available for all. When this recommendation was brought into action new Social Services Departments were formed. The Seebohm Report did highlight potential problems. It stated that having separate departments for children and adults might subsequently make it difficult to treat the familys needs as a whole. The Barclay Report (1982) looked into the role of a social worker. In its opening line it stated that too much was expected of social workers. It found that it was a profession that was confused about its role and because of intense media scrutiny was struggling with work load. It found that there was an ongoing need for social workers to fulfil many functions including promoting community networks, working with other services and acting as an advocate for clients. The report did criticise social work departments for taking a reactive stance towards social problems, dealing with those needs which are forced upon their attention but failing to develop overall plans which link the voluntary, statutory and private services in an area into a coherent plan which is still a problem today. (Department of Health, 1982, pg.38) Social Services Departments find it difficult to help every need as they dont have limitless resources. They need to use other services and work with them closely, the help of Interprofessional education will ensure that other professionals have an understanding of social workers roles. The Barclay Report produced very similar recommendations to that of the Seebohm Report (1968). Although it highlighted that the community approach may have more success now, as there is a greater capacity for individuals to be more autonomous and make their own decisions. The community approach focuses on the local community and social workers would observe individuals in the context of their community. This approach uses local centres and pools resources, creating less impact on the Social Work services so their resources can be spread further. Reports such as these have highlighted how important good social work is, and how much it is needed. There are many problems involved in the profession. There is still stigma attached to the term service user just as there was to the term pauper. Whilst researching the different acts and welfare ideologies that have been introduced throughout the timeline I have used (see paragraph one, page one) I have found that individuals still have problems accessing help. There are families who still may be disinclined to ask for help because of the stigma of doing so. New approaches have introduced service user involvement by asking them what help they want and defining the quality of help they receive. A recent report by Beresford, Shamash, Forrest and Turner (2007) researched service users future vision for adult services. They found that the process of accessing social care was frequently negative for service users furthermore the assessments were very dependent on the quality of the staff carrying it out. All social workers should work to one high standard. It shouldnt be a lottery of if you get a good one or not. A universal tool could be implemented so that all service users were asked the same questions and could highlight their specific problems and needs whilst using the tool. Service users also highlighted the fact that access to their social worker was low and many of the service users questioned had gaps in their services making them feel insecure. Reports researched for this assignment have all found that service users know what they want and can easily highlight the problems they face or have had previously. One report found that while welfare bureaucracy has been condemned by governments for a long while, service users still identify problems (Shaping Our Lives, 2007). There is still social exclusion. Social Services Departments may contribute to it as they help individuals just enough, finding the quickest way to help them not necessarily the best way in the long run because of finite resources. Using different approaches, for example the community approach would help at different levels so less emphasis is on Social Services Departments resources. Vast improvements are still needed. For example child poverty is getting worst. The Report Monitoring poverty and social exclusion (2009) found that children who live in low-income households, where at least one adult works, is at the highest it has ever been. This increase has a ffected the Governments child poverty targets. The recession affected reaching the targets greatly. It is vital now to recover from the recession but also to recover from underlying problems that were there previously before the economic downturn began. Reports like Shaping Our Lives (2007) found that service users feel more responsible and confident about the help they are receiving when they have been more involved in the decision processes. A report by Beresford et al, (2007) found that service users would like a watchdog with a board of service users and professionals so they could be involved in judging the quality of care they receive. The Race Equality Act (2006) sets the context for anti- discriminatory practice within which social workers operate. However, whilst it could be critiqued that some progress has been made as a result with respect to those of different culture and religion, continuing inequalities would suggest much more progress remains to be made. To conclude social work has changed significantly and progress to help all individuals needs to continue. However as a profession it needs a larger voice to talk about the problems they face therefore getting extra help to ensure that service users and paupers have even fewer similarities. There has been a great shift from pauper to service user. Service users have much more freedom and rights now. Albeit there are still similarities which need to be focused on to improve the services available. Social Service Departments also need to refuse to let policies be imposed when they dont improve on what is already implemented. Rights are now benefitting service users but we need to ensure this continues.

Charles Perraults Puss in Boots Essay examples -- Charles Perrault Pu

Charles Perrault's Puss in Boots Charles Perrault's version "Puss in Boots" is a simple enough tale, in which the cleverness of the small prevails over the merits of size and strength and the lowly thirdborn son of a miller transcends his own expectations to achieve personal success. A major part of the tale is the archetypes used within, those easily recognisable symbols of common association and subconscious significance. Among these are symbols standing for the boy's transformation into self-determined adulthood, others associated with the miller's son's growth and achievement, and Puss himself, by whose characteristics and machinations the boy achieves his success. Like so many other fairy tales, "Puss in Boots" recounts the progression from one stage of life to another, in this case from a child's dependence on his parents for shelter and guidance to a separate existence as a self-sufficient adult away from the childhood home. This development is reflected in the archetypes found in the story, which at points draw attention to and accentuate the changes the miller's son undergoes. To begin with, the very identity of the hero's father - a miller - is an indication of where the boy starts out. Millers grind flour to be made into bread, bread being a common symbol of childhood, and the son has no need to begin his progression toward independence until his father dies, effectively cutting off his source of that childhood standby. This lack of bread means, from another perspective, that he cannot eat and as the act of eating is an archetype indicating transformation, it's notable in its absence - he is not yet ready for that next stage of life. So, the miller's son turns to the cat to form a whole new relationship of ... ...tainment value, if nothing else. It is all these aspects which the boy must be able to draw on to succeed, all neatly condensed into a small, furry body. Though "Puss in Boots" is about the miller's son's movement from childhood to a mature, adult societal role, it is Puss who steals the spotlight. The boy is pushed into the background in favour of his more flamboyant and active servant, and though he achieves his transformation, it cannot happen without the cat's use and manipulation of what is already present inside him. As such, Puss embodies what the miller's son needs most following his loss of adult shelter to push into the adult world himself, becoming the principal archetype of all used within the tale. Perrault, Charles. "Puss in Boots." Folk & Fairy Tales Comp. Martin Hallett and Barbara Karasek. 2nd ed. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview, 1996. 94-97.

Term African Slave Trade Essay examples -- essays research papers

When you think of the African slave trade, do you realize that over 10 million people were removed from that continent in less than 500 years? Some scholars believe it may be as large a number as 20 million.1 I would like to pose a few questions and attempt to answer them in this collection of writings and opinions. The evidence and historical documents will show some of the economic and social impacts the Slave Trade had on the African continent. The first thing that needs to be established is just how many slaves were brought to the Americas. This has proven to be quite difficult at best. There have been many scholars debate just this subject alone. As you will see, many well known scholars have problems justifying their own estimations or guesses. A quick study of Philip D. Curtin’s work: From Guesses to Calculations: Shows his writings are a compilation of bits-n-pieces of information from previously thought of unimportant publishing’s. His sole purpose was to try to determine a more accurate account of the number of people brought over from what parts of Africa and to what final location. He goes on to make it clear his findings should not be construed as being accurate or to be relied upon with any degree of certainty: but rather an accuracy range of about 20% approximations. â€Å"It should also be understood that some estimates would not even reach that standard of accuracy. They are given as the most probable figures at the present state of knowledge. These considerations have made it convenient to round out most quantities to the nearest one hundred, including data taken from other authors...† By the following chart you can see clearly the late eighteenth century was the apex of the slave trade, as described by Philip Curtin. You can clearly see that over 60% of all slaves delivered to the New World were brought over between 1721-1820. Eighty per cent of the total were landed during a century and a half, 1701-1850. 2 I suppose one could find a similar spike in the sugar trade of the Americas, as well as the Rum exports from the colonies and the firearm exports from Europe. A variety of Opinions One conclusion that might be drawn is that, in reducing the estimated total export of slaves from about twenty million to about ten million, the harm to African societies is also reduced by half. This is obvious nonsense.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ... ...rice of the transatlantic slave trade on Africa was absolutely devastating. Not only was there a massive shortage of young women and men especially, but also the future potential of the continent was essentially gone. Many of the young men and women would die before reaching the New World. Thus not being given the chance to hand down their own culture to their children. Their culture was rarely a written culture, but an oral culture. A major factor that must be understood is what is called by some as the â€Å"brain drain† Which is considered a by-product of the Triangle Trade of the time. Craftsman, Warriors, politicians, Artist, Princes, Healers, Farmers, and Musician were all sent to be slaves by their enemies, both personal and political or even coincidental. All to serve the white masters on their sugar, cotton, and tobacco plantations on the other side of the world.5 Slavery does still persist. The reports of the United Nations International Labor Organizations, the British Anti-Slavery Society, and the U.S. Department of State show there still is large margin of slavery going on in the Northwestern (Mauritania) and in the Sudan region. The past isn’t dead: it’s not even past. 6

Episodic Memory :: essays research papers

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The mechanism of human memory recall is neither a parallel nor a sequential retrieval of previously learned events. Instead, it is a complex system that has elements of both sequential and parallel modalities, engaging all of the sensory faculties of the individual. On an everyday level, issues about memory and recall affect everyone. It has a bearing on ramifications from the trivial to matters of life and death. Thus, a particular student might worry about his or her ability to remember 'memorized' material, a person might worry about losing his or her mind, and, there are the more troubling issue of diseases affecting memory such as Alzheimer's disease. According to Tulving, episodic memory represents only a small part of the much larger domain of memory (Tulving, 1992, p.1). Specifically, episodic memory is the process involved in remembering past events. This paper is a review of research findings on episodic memory with specific attention to episodic memory in adults and infants. Episodic Memory in Adults   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In society, it is quite common for people in their golden years or even well before that, to worry about losing their memory. There is scientific evidence to support this notion of degradation of memory with age. It is now well known in neurology that brain cells die off as one ages. Verhaeghen and Marcoen (1993, pp. 172-178) found that the decline associated with age in relation to the ability to perform episodic memory tasks involving deliberate recall appears to be largely a quantitative rather than a qualitative phenomenon. The ability of older adults to recall individual items in lists, or ideas in texts could be predicted based on the performance by younger adults on the same tasks. From their data in a sample of 48 younger and 45 older adults, they postulated a relationship between recall and age with a median correlation of r = .88. The same item characteristics could be used to predict probability of recall by younger or older adults.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kliegl and Lindenberger (1993, pp. 617-637) tested a model for correct recall and intrusions in cued recall of word lists. Intrusions are defined as false responses that were correct in an earlier list. The model assumes three exclusive states for memory traces after encoding; 1) with a list tag-with information about list origin, 2) without list tags, and 3) missing. Across lists, a trace can lose its list tag or it's content.

Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock : Representation of Modern Man Essay

Often called the first Modernist poem, â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† was published in the prestigious American journal Poetry in June 1915. About the Poem: The poem centers on the feelings and thoughts of the eponymous speaker (the somewhat neurotic Prufrock) as he walks through the streets of London route to meet a woman for tea. He is considering a question (perhaps, broadly, the meaning of life, or, more narrowly, a proposal of marriage). Far more than just the â€Å"love song† of a romantic, agonized young man, the poem explores the Modernist alienation of the individual in society. Thomas Stearns Eliot, 1888 – 1965 Born into a prosperous Midwestern family, Eliot attended Harvard and then went on to study at Oxford. Although born an American, Eliot married an Englishwoman, gave up his American citizenship, and lived most of his life in London. Eliot made his living as a teacher, a banker, and an influential literary critic. He popularized the modernist style of thinking and writing. In fiction, modernism was represented by the stark realism of such writers as Ernest Hemingway, but in poetry this new sensibility was quite different. The Imagists, including Eliot’s close friend and fellow poet, Ezra Pound, believed in the motto, â€Å"No ideas but in things,† in other words, the image is most important, the meaning secondary. Modernists embraced free verse (no regular rhyme scheme or meter) and freedom of thought (often their writing questioned accepted ideas and social norms). This anti-traditional and anti-romantic trend began before World War I; however the unprecedented loss of humanity during the war accelerated the popularization of modernism. The war caused many people to reexamine their previous beliefs in religion and the innate goods of humankind, and one radical branch of modernism, known as Dada, claimed that the only legitimate emotion left was disgust. â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,† An Overview The entire poem, â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† is an interior monologue based on the traditional dramatic monologue, a solo speech that often puts into words the speaker’s inner turmoil, as in Hamlet’s famous â€Å"To be or not to be† soliloquy. Prufrock often alludes to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but admits, â€Å"I am not Prince Hamlet.† He has no such grand illusions. His thoughts and feelings tend to be humble and full of self-doubt. He worries not about â€Å"outrageous fortune,† as Hamlet does, but about growing old and being rejected by a woman. Critically Analyzing the poem: Contrary to what the title implies, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T.S. Eliot, is anything but a love song. It is instead quite the opposite. Although the poem is open to several interpretations, after careful reading of the poem, the several underlying themes can be expressed by one central idea. In the poem, the narrator, J. Alfred Prufrock, portrays his disappointment with the society he lives in. By interpreting aspects of imagery, speaker and intended audience, one can easily assess Prufrock’s views of life. His interpretation of everyday life can be described as a vacant, bleak, and repetitive. Early on in the poem, Eliot creates a scene that does not seem very inviting. Prufrock describes his surrounding on an evening out with phrases that insinuate melancholy and depression. In line 6, Prufrock describes the night as â€Å"restless† and says that the streets are â€Å"tedious arguments of insidious intent†. From this the reader can infer a certai n discontentment that Prufrock has with his surroundings. He refers to his, and his companions’, destination as â€Å"one-night cheap hotels and sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells†. Even though these descriptions leave the reader only approximately 10 lines into the poem, we already have a feeling of restlessness and dissatisfaction from Prufrock about his life. As the poem continues, the reader is bombarded with even more imagery that conveys Prufrock’s discontentment with his surroundings. Prufrock talks of the â€Å"yellow fog† that â€Å"rubs its back upon the window-panes† and the â€Å"yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window panes†. He also mentions the â€Å"soot that falls from chimneys†. Later on in the poem, Prufrock refers to smoke again while describing the streets he is walking on. All this imagery leaves the reader feeling that the place Prufrock is at is dark and hazy and not at all welcoming. Among the feelings that Prufrock expresses in this poem, no feeling comes across more clearly than his feeling of restlessness and wasted time. We get the feeling that Prufrock, who is aging, would do things differently if given another chance. In lines 49-54, Prufrock asserts his overall boredom with life. He says he has â€Å"known them all already, known them all-have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons†. From this we can infer that Prufrock seems to feel as if his life is over and he has no more to offer. He makes statements similar to this throughout the poem. He proclaims to have known â€Å"the eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase† and the â€Å"arms that are bracleted and white and bare†. We get more of a sense of Prufrock’s disillusionment of life with his many references to time. In lines 24-34, he claims there is time to â€Å"meet faces†, â€Å"murder and create†, have a â€Å"hundred indecisions† and a â€Å"hundred visions and revisions†. It is not as though Prufrock is doing this in a hopeful manner, though. Instead we get the impression that he is reflecting on time as if it is plentiful only if you take advantage of it and perhaps he feels he did not Another aspect of this poem that is important is the interpretation of it is the speaker and the audience. Although the audience is never clearly identified, several assumptions can be made. It seems as though Prufrock is simply reflecting on life to himself. He makes several statements that would allow a reader to arrive at this conclusion. Throughout the poem, he asks several rhetorical questions of himself. In line 62, he asks â€Å"and how should I presume?†. He asks himself the same question again in line 68 and then follows with another â€Å"and how should I begin?†. These questions lead the reader to believe that the poem represents Prufrock’s inner-thoughts about life. This is important to consider because if the audience was anyone but Pr ufrock himself, the poem would more than likely take a very different course. Once you get past the initial misconceptions about the poem due to its misleading title, you can easily see that this is a poem about what happens if you do not make the most of your life. Prufrock is a character that we all can learn something from. Through an interpretation of this poem, one can assume that even though a person’s life may seem to be normal and in fact successful, sometimes that person may have a totally different view of their own life. From the poem we can conclude that Prufrock’s life was like many others during the time it was written. It talks of parties, drinking, and lovely ladies. This did not, however, bring his happiness. As he aged, Prufrock was left very disenchanted with his life. In the end, he discusses how he will behave in his old age and finally describes death as what can be interpreted as drowning in the sea. â€Å"The Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock,† by T.S. Eliot is about a man who is searching for something to break him for the dull life that he has been leading. In the beginning, the speaker invites us to go with Prufrock and come into his world with the statement â€Å"Let us go then, you and I.† Throughout the poem, the reader is following the speaker throughout an evening searching for the acceptance of a woman. Because of his lack of self-assurance, he fails to find the meaning and acceptance of his love. Prufrock is a timid man. He is extremely conscious of what others think of him and this has a great effect of his actions. He has problems with speaking what he feels and this is demonstrated when he â€Å"prepare(s) a face to meet the faces that (he) meet(s).† He also extremely self-conscious with his appearance and thinks that people talk about what he looks like and what he wears. Other’s opinion of Prufrock bothers him so much so that he does not want to â€Å"disturb the universe† by making an entrance into it. Finally, the last part of the poem, Prufrock show’s his final despair in life. He can not bring himself to tell the woman that he is in love with how he really feels. However, if he ever did decide to tell her, it would come out as a mess. He finds himself with no real role in life. He is no â€Å"Prince Hamlet, nor was he meant to be,† but rather an â€Å"attendant lord,† or sometimes â€Å"the Fool.† He hears the mermaids singing, but he thinks: â€Å"I do not think they will sing to me.† In the end, Prufrock feels left out of society, and can not find his own place in the universe. As an old man on the beach, looking out into the ocean, he questions if he did the right thing. But he missed everything, all because he was scared. He realizes that he has been living in an imaginary world. When this reality hits him, he drowns soul and all. This poem has always been a favorite of mine because the theme of can apply to the world as a whole. Each of us can sometime find ourselves searching for where we belong in the universe,but are afraid to act on our own desires because of the possible outcomes. In the end, we have to make our move, and not fear rejection so much so that we pass up an opportunity of a lifetime. Conclusion: The speaker of this ironic monologue is a modern man who, like many of his kind, feels isolated and incapable of decisive action. Irony is apparent from the title, for this is not a conventional love song. Prufrock would like to speak of love to a woman, but he does not have the nerve. The poem opens with a quoted passage from Dante’s INFERNO, â€Å"If I thought that my reply would be to one who would return to the world, this flame would stay without further movement; but since none has ever returned alive from depth, if what I hear is true, I answer you without fear of infamy.†, Meaning that Prufrock speaks only because he knows no one will pay attention to him and he won’t be heard. Purfrock repeats certain phrases to clue the reader in that they are part of the story. â€Å"You and I† in the first line, suggest that you must be with him to understand his story